Scott Family Adventures

Scott Family Adventures has a new home!!

2011-12-06T09:46:00.000-05:00

We have created an OFFICIAL family blog :) please come visit! I'll be working on transferring posts (primarily recipes), so if you see repeats, just ignore them lol.

COME ON OVER AND SAY HELLO!

Adventures in THANKSGIVING

2011-11-25T10:15:00.001-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for. We are blessed with abundance. Could we be courageous enough to share this abundance and rescue one such as these? The truth is not pretty, but it needs to be told.

Want to do something about it? Please visit here at Reece's Rainbow

Adventures with Curry, Yum!

2011-10-18T20:44:00.001-04:00

Hubby got creative with dinner because he forgot a key ingredient, and it turned out SOOO yummy! I asked him to write down the recipe and send it to me and here it is...

5 Chicken Breast - Whole
2 Cans Coconut Milk
1 Cup Plain Yogurt
1 Large Onion - Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced
4 Tbsp Curry
Pepper & Salt to taste

Optional:
2 Tsp Red Pepper
2 Cups Frozen Veggies (Peas, Mixed, Etc.)

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Shred chicken after cooking.
Serve over rice.

Adventures in Getting Organized

2011-09-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

I read this article on Classical Conversations.com and thought it could be quite applicable to lots of different schooling situations (both home centered schoolers and out of the home schoolers). I found I was already doing a few of these, but I know doing a few more of them would be VERY helpful.

HERE is the link, and here is the article :)

Getting Organized: Garlands of Hosannas
By Courtney Sanford

There is a period of craziness in my house between summer vacation and the start of the school year when I try to get organized. My school room is in what is supposed to be the formal dining room. Unfortunately, it is right by the front door so anyone who comes to my door knows right away that we homeschool and do lots of creative things. I so long to have a house that looks like the ones in the magazines: clean and beautiful! I asked other homeschooling moms for advice on getting organized. Here are the unofficial top ten organizational tips of Classical Conversations moms:

10. Designate a shelf for each child and at least one for mom. That is where all books and notebooks should be when not in use.

9. Hang shower board on the wall to use as a whiteboard. You can buy shower board at a home improvement store for much less than you can buy a dry-erase board. Write on it with dry-erase markers and clean it with window cleaner. Some Classical Conversations dads finish these whiteboards with decorative woodwork—or even make a shelf above them to keep markers out of the hands of toddlers—but just screwing them into the wall works, too. (Note: some people call it thrifty hardboard wall panel.)

8. Use adhesive cork squares for a bulletin board. Trim it with borders from the school supply store. Then you can contain information, drawings, activity information and chore lists in that spot as the information hub.

7. Keep a basket or bucket on the school table with pencils, pens, and dry-erase markers so the children have everything they need right there.

6. Keep library books in a laundry basket in a designated reading spot so that library books don’t get lost. (Take the laundry basket right into the library with you…everybody there probably knows you homeschool anyway, so don’t worry about how you look.)

5. Use nice-looking bins or baskets to contain clutter: one bin for crayons and scissors, one bin for memory work items like timeline cards and flashcards, and one bin for math manipulatives, dice, cards, and flashcards.

4. Invest in some large, clear, organizing tubs with lids for science project materials and art materials and keep them in a closet or garage. Keep a plastic table cloth in each bin so the kids remember to use it. (You don’t have to wipe paint off every time you use it…just let it dry before putting it away.)

3. Use a large dry-erase calendar. You could make your own out of shower board or find one at a school supply store. Get the children involved in recording their activities on the calendar.

2. Buy a three-ring binder for each child for each subject. Put all copywork and artwork related to that subject into the binder.

1. Make a “To Do” list for each child, laminate it, and let him or her use it as a guide for getting all his or her school work done. Keep it general so the children can use it every day. For example, it might read: (1) Math Lesson, (2) Math Facts Practice, (3) Spelling, (4) Grammar, (5) Writing, (6) Reading, (7) Memory Work, and so on. Each child can check things off with a dry-erase marker as he or she goes.

I spent a week trying to get rid of the clutter in my house. When I came to my bulletin board, though, I couldn’t bear to part with a few things that looked messy but were just too important to put away. One was a large, detailed, colored drawing of the world done by my seven-year old because he wanted to do it…not because I told him to. There is also a large drawing of a ship he did at a GeoArt camp. I also couldn’t part with postcards sent to me by my older son from his backpacking trip, photos of the kids on vacation, and a progress report from a Classical Conversations Challenge tutor. These messy things remind me of how precious my children are and how much homeschooling means to me. I couldn’t cover them up or hide them.

A phrase came to mind as I looked at all these things draped on the bulletin board. In The Message Bible, Psalm 32:7 reads, “God is my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore, throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.” I think this clutter is really made up of garlands of hosannas that God has thrown around my neck and around my house. So, instead of getting the house spotless, I redefined things. I have a home “decorated with garlands of hosannas” and it is my heart that has been cleaned up. That is a good way to start the school year: messy house; clean heart. I can live with garlands of hosannas. Will my daughter and I ever learn to see her Type 1 Diabetes and insulin pump as garlands of hosannas? That’s a tough one…we’re working on it

Adventures in God given human ingenuity!

2011-09-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

We saw this and thought it was so cool! What a precious gift to man kind it is to be made in God's image and be given creativity and ingenuity. Your kids will like this too, so please share it with them! :)

Adventures with new babies! (it's a....)

2011-09-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our sweet little HENRY SCOTT! He arrived via emergency cesarean on Sunday, Sept 4th @ 7:19am; weighing in at 5lbs10oz and 19.25inches long. He's such a precious little peanut <3 and we are all in love with him! I've been taking this time to recover from the surgery which safely delivered him into our arms, but has left me sore and recovering much more slowly than I'd like *razz*. This was my first cesarean delivery.

Henry is gaining weight at a rapid rate (which makes this mommy very happy!) - he was already back up to birth weight the day we came home from the hospital and weighed in at 6lbs the following morning at his first pediatrician visit!

2 days before he arrived...

Moments old...

After being home for a bit :)

Adventures in Simple Meals: Scratch Dumplings

2011-08-22T10:56:00.000-04:00

1 cup flour

1.5 tea baking powder

.5 tea salt

2 tbsp shortening (I use palm shortening) or butter

1/3 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

Mix together in a bowl flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly/lumpy. Pour in milk and egg, mix only until the flour is dampened. Dough should be lumpy. Drop by spoonfuls on top of boiling meat or soup (I've found a good strong simmer is good). Cover with lid and steam 12 minutes without removing the cover. Makes 6 dumplings.

Adventures in Making Yogurt - Version 1

2011-08-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

This recipe is for 2 quarts drinkable yogurt or 1 quart thick yogurt + 1 quart whey.

What I used:

1 - medium sized cooler
5 - 1/2 gallon mason jars
1/2 gallon fresh milk
1/2 cup store bought plain organic yogurt (I used "Nancy's Organic Whole Milk Yogurt")
Simple Thermometer
Kitchen Thermometer (such as the kind you use for roasts)
Hot tap water

Step One: Fill all 5 mason jars with hottest tap water possible,seal and place 4 of them in cooler with simple thermometer to regulate temperature. Leave 5th one on the counter to warm remain warm. While cooler is warming up inside....

Step Two: SLOWLY warm 1/2 gallon of milk on stove top until it reaches about 105 degrees, being careful not to go above 110 degrees. *going over 110 compromises natural enzymes found in fresh milk - read more about all of that fun stuff HERE: http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/

Step Three: Empty jar that was warming, pour most of warmed milk in pre-warmed jar, and using the last bit of milk to thin 1/2 cup store bought yogurt and pour that in with warmed milk. Put on a tight lid and give it a shake.

Step Four: Check cooler temp (should have warmed up in there to about 110 degrees), if it's too hot, remove a jar of water and leave the lid open for about 30 seconds. Close it up again, check the temp again in 5 minutes. You want it to be about 110 degrees (give or take a few). Add warmed jar of milk and yogurt mixture, close it up and DON'T OPEN IT AGAIN for at least 8 hours.

*if your cooler is not hot enough, maybe boil some water to fill one of the jars, add it to cooler, close and check temperature after 5 minutes.

Step Five: 8 hours later, open yogurt, give it a stir :) It should be about the thickness of a drinkable yogurt (or store bought kefir) - I haven't cultured it longer yet, but that might thicken it a bit more (above link recommends 8-12 hours).

FOR A THICKER YOGURT:

Place colander over a bowl, line it with a very thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth (I use what's called "flour sack towels").

Pour your yogurt into colander and let it strain in the fridge for a a few hours or overnight (I cover the top with plastic wrap). The longer you let it drain, the thicker a yogurt you will get. If you let it drip long enough you will get cream cheese :D which is tasty. Overnight will yeild a nice thick yogurt like pictured above. The liquid (whey) that drips out is highly useful in making other things - just google it.

*straining the yogurt in a colander makes it easy to scoop out once it's done :)

** straining your yogurt will reduce the quantity - when I strained my yogurt overnight, I was left with 1 quart yogurt and 1 quart liquid whey.

Adventures in Simple Meals: Red Beans, Beef & Rice

2011-08-17T10:52:00.002-04:00

1lb of Dry Red Beans

2 cups uncooked Rice

1lb ground beef

Onions & Celery if available

Salt & Pepper

Soak your red beans in water with 1/4 cup of whey for 12-24 hours - drain, rinse, give fresh water and simmer for several hours, drain.

Fry 2 cups dry rice in 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until light browning has occured, add 4 cups water, cover and simmer until done (about 35 minutes)

Cook gound beef with onions & celery - season to taste with salt & pepper

Mix it all together and call it dinner! Tastes great with cheese, sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips, whatever! :D It can also be enhanced with onion & garlic powder.

Adventures with Strollers

2011-08-12T09:00:00.003-04:00

For about a year we've had a BOB, double stroller and have LOVED it, but as an ever expanding family ;-) our needs have changed once again and it left me looking for a stroller to replace our beloved BOB. It needed to be able to accommodate a newborn infant, (we do a convertible car seat, so it does not come out of the car like most "bucket" seats) because with 3 other children ages 4 and under, I needed a safe place to put baby if my full attention was called upon by the other 3 younger ones. I wanted it to be narrow and easy to maneuver in a crowd: we participate in a weekly home-school group and getting through crowded halls with our wide BOB made things difficult (ie. I waited around a lot, lol.) It needed to be able to *easily* control it with one hand, as my other hand is often occupied holding someone or something. Trunk space wasn't really an issue (we've got a giant 15 passenger van with the back bench taken out), but surprisingly we do need lots of trunk space a lot more often than I anticipated when we first purchased the van.

That lead us to the Phil & Ted's Explorer stroller :). I'll let the web site explain all the wonderful features it has and I look forward to giving a full review on it for use with two toddlers and then with a toddler and an infant. And for inquiring minds, we sold our BOB & found a deal on a new one - I try to avoid buying brand spanking new @ retail prices when possible. *grin*

A collection of quotes on mothering & parenting in general...

2011-08-11T09:00:00.003-04:00

"If you love your children, let the simple Bible be everything in the training of their souls, and let all other books go down and take the second place." J.C.Ryle

~Ephesians 6:4~"Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that Sunday School is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural condition of things is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Charles H. Spurgeon
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3~5

"God never gives us hindrances. On the contrary, He means, in making us wives and mothers, to put us into the very conditions of holy living. But if we abuse His gifts by letting them take His place in our hearts, it is an act of love on His part to take them away or to destroy our pleasure in them. It is delightful...to know that there are some generous souls on earth who love their dear ones with all their hearts yet give those hearts unreservedly to Christ" ~Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

"Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!" (228-229) ~Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Rice for breakfast!

2011-08-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked brown rice

4 cups water

1/4 whey (or yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, lemon juice or vinegar)

1/4 cup butter

1-2 teaspoons sea salt or 1 teaspoon regular salt

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

The night before (or earlier) mix together 2 cups uncooked brown rice, 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup whey (or one of the other options) and leave in a warm place until morning. Bring this mixtures to a boil on the stovetop - add 1/4 cup butter & salt - allow it to simmer covered on lowest possible heat for 45 minutes (you can skip this step by using leftover rice or soak your rice the previous morning and cooking it before going to bed). Just before rice is done, mix together 3 eggs and 1 cup milk and beat the eggs. Add to rice mixture and turn temperature on medium to medium low; stir well. Then add the rest of the ingredients and let it cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes more (to let eggs cook). Serve as is or add nuts & fruit :). In our house this is enough to feed 2 medium adults, 2 medium kids, 3 small kids and 1 baby - just barely lol.

Adventures in Practicing Patience

2011-08-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

People often assume I am a very patient person. Patience is not a inborn trait (well it may be for some,) but for me it is not. I've had to learn it slowly; difficult situation, after difficult situation (I'm a little hard headed, just ask my mom about my teenage years!) God has graciously taught me how to begin to learn upon him as I deal with these daily, (and often times longer) trials. One thing I still have difficulty with is being patient with the arrival of our newest family addition! *grin*

Every pregnancy I experience at least 2 weeks, sometimes more, of what is called prodromal, or pre-labor. As soon as this starts up, every time I have a contraction I think "is this it?!?" I just can't help it! I drive myself (and everyone around me too I'm sure) batty. Well it has begun and God is in the process of teaching me yet another lesson in patience.

How do you pass the time at the end of your pregnancy or how have you in the past? I'm in the count down now!

Basic Vegetable Soup

2011-08-07T15:30:00.001-04:00

I make this about once a weekish - it's healthy, filling and frugal! :)

Basic Vegetable Soup!

2 large cans petite diced tomatoes, garlic & olive oil seasoned

1 large onion -- chopped

4 cloves garlic -- peeled & whole

2-4 large carrots -- chopped

2 small celery stalks -- chopped

1 medium turnip, peeled & chopped

2 cups green beans -- cut in 1" pieces

6 cups broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable)

1/4 head cabbage -- chopped

4 small potatoes, scrubbed & chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

Throw it all in a pot and let it simmer at least an hour or more :)

This is the basic version - here are some variations we like a lot...

Replace cabbage with kale (several cups worth of chopped & rinsed - or just torn into pieces)

Add in 2-4 cans of beans (great northern, kidney & black beans all work well)

Ground beef is really good in this, as well as breakfast sauasge & italian sauasage.

Give it an "autumn flair" by doing sweet potatoes & squash instead of potatoes & a good dash of cinnamon

There are SOOO many things you can do with this basic recipe. Add whatever you have on hand, if you're missing one veggie, use more of something else. It ends up being delicious no matter what you do :) A "short cut' you can do is used frozen green beans & already peeled baby carrots or frozen shopped carrots, really any frozen vegetables :).

Adapted from Leanne Ely's "basic veggie soup" - here are some variation ideas from her original recipe.

Now remember, don't do these to the whole pot of soup! Just the little bit you pull out to fix yourself for lunch, etc. so that you can do all the Quick Fixes.

Quick Fix #1: Tex Mex Veggie Soup. Add some (eyeball it--how much do you want?) canned black beans (drained and rinsed), a little bit of cumin and chopped cilantro. Top with some tortilla chips and cheese, or serve with a quesadilla.
Quick Fix #2: Tuscan Veggie Soup. Add some (eyeball it again) canned cannellini (white kidney beans) or white beans (drained and rinse), a little bit of Italian seasoning and some chopped kale. Cook till heated through and the kale is tender.
Quick Fix #3: Minestrone Veggie Soup. Add some cooked pasta, a little dried basil and top with a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese.
Quick Fix #4: Autumn Veggie Soup. Add some diced acorn squash or butternut squash, a handful of cooked brown rice, a sprinkling of nutmeg and some chopped parsley

Adventures in walking 100 miles

2011-06-12T17:26:00.001-04:00

I started a personal challenge about 9 weeks ago to walk 100 miles in 20 weeks (an easy enough challenge, it was suppose to be about 5 miles a week). I started off doing fine weeks 1 & 2, and then my motivation just left me and I was just not making it out to get a walk in (I get so bored lol). Due to just knowing how much it will benefit both me and baby during this third trimester, I've recommitted myself to the task and am trying to create different ways to make it more interesting for myself. Yesterday I went out just after the kids were in bed, while Nathaniel was home and did a brisk 1.17 miles in 20m30sec (woot!) much better than I thought I'd do. I listened to some nice peppy music which helped a lot and just tried to soak in my surroundings. I came within 4-5 feet of four separate rabbits while out on my walk, I could hardly believe it! I guess it's just the time of day for them to be out around here and they're use to people. I didn't even notice one until I was practically on top of it! I also snapped a few pictures while walking which probably slowed my time down just a touch, but it did make things more interesting so in that way it was helpful to me.

This Sunday begins week 10 and I need to average 8 miles a week to meet my goal. Please pray for me that I will stick with this as it will benefit ALL of us (healthy mom usually = happier mom & healthier baby).

Adventures in Walking

2011-06-09T11:27:00.001-04:00

It's HOT and HUMID, but we went WALKING!

We saw pretty flowers...

Appreciated the shade that came from big trees...

Found some stellar rocks to climb on...

Which some were too afraid to climb (aka Lily bugger)

Some were just along for the ride...

And once we got home, we found our Hostas were growing more blossoms!

All in all, a good thing! :)

Adventures with delayed announcements

2011-06-01T23:01:00.000-04:00

For those very few who do not "follow" our family anywhere else, I'm pleased to announce that baby Scott #7 should be joining our brood around the beginning of September!! We will not be finding out the baby's gender this time (a first for us, although we were unsure with Morgan) and anxiously await the arrival of this precious gift.

Adventures with McGuffey's Readers

2011-06-01T22:47:00.001-04:00

Over the past year, I've heard the name "McGuffey's Readers" floating through the air as I read blogs and interacted with other homeschooling moms online. I knew they were published a long time ago (1879 for the revised editions), I knew that they were once used in One-Room school houses across America, and I knew they were a non-consumable resource that could be used from learning to read through the high school level, all of which appealed to me.

They are available to view online for free, and had I been ambitious enough, I could have printed them for myself! After looking them over for a few weeks, I came to the conclusion that they would be a good investment for our family and instead of placing an order for the consumable workbooks for LA that I originally planned on purchasing, I purchased our very own set of McGuffey's Eclectic Readers & Spelling Book, revised editions. Once they arrived, I spent a week looking them over, doing more researching online to learn even more about how others have used them. I took the knowledge that I gained, my own personal philosophies and outlined my simple plan for each of my students (there currently are three who will use these).

To be continued.... :)

When the kids are driving you crazy and there is way too much to do....

2011-04-13T09:28:00.004-04:00

I've been (slowly) making my way through the book of John and I read something today that I wanted to share

John 15:1-2,4

"I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me"

The purpose of pruning (from a strict gardening standpoint):

Pruning is both a skill and an art. The skill is in making cuts that callus (form a thickened tissue that seals off wounds) properly and minimize the chance for decay. The art is in making cuts in the right places so that the plant takes on a handsome form and is prolific if grown for flowers or fruit.

The cutting off leaves or branches within limits in order to remove dead or diseased foliage or branches. Also used to control or direct growth, increase quality or yield of flowers or fruit, and to ensure growth position of main branches to enhance structural strength.

James 1:2-7

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Those who doubts should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; they are double-minded and unstable in all they do

Often we (myself included) we tend to think of the trials James is referring to as big things, like major life circumstances. But as mothers, our "various trials" truly are VARIOUS! They could be an overly emotional 8 year old, a confused / rebellious teenager, a cranky and tired toddler, etc (you get the idea lol). God wants to use each and every difficult / challenging situation in our lives to mold us, shape us, PRUNE us, to MATURE us and make us stronger in him! When we look at every challenging situation as a chance for God to shape us, we really can look at them with JOY! No, they are not fun, but we don't have to despair when we are walking through them. We can ask for God's wisdom, believing he will give it to us (as he says in James 1!) and know that God is giving us challenging circumstances to help us, NOT to punish us.

My bible had a note on this passage of John 15 and here is what it said:

"God wants you to bear fruit. Just as a gardener trims a healthy plant to maximize growth, your divine gardener is willing to cut away even good things to focus energy on the best things. His use of the pruning shears doesn't mean he is displeased with your growth; it may mean he is generating greater growth within you."

I'd like to amend that thought and say "it DOES mean he IS generating greater growth within you"

This thought encouraged me today and I pray that you would ponder on God's word today and that it would encourage you too.

I'd like to formally invite you

2010-12-10T09:35:00.003-05:00

I'd like to formally invite you to join me over on my new blog, chronicling my weight loss journey. It's essentially an online food journal, put out there for all the world to see. :) http://mommyscott-dailyfoodjournal.blogspot.com/ I will still be posting here, on non weight loss journey related things. Please come join me! :)

Warmest Regards,

Christina

Sourdough Pancakes

2010-11-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

This recipe is doubled what the "average" family would eat (we're 8, 1 of which is a breastfeeding infant)- it usually feeds us with a few leftover for the babies to snack on the next day - it also makes a great medium for PB&J sandwich (or almond butter in our case).

Ingredients:

1 cup medium thickness sourdough starter

4 cups whole grain flour (I use whole wheat)

2-3 cups filtered water (if you can)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1-2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 cup butter (or other healthy oil)

(optional 1/4-1/2 cup natural sweetener, just depends on if you like sweet pancakes - I usually leave this out)

About 12 hours before you plan to use it, put flour and starter in a bowl, then add enough water to make a pretty thick, but still easy to stir batter. Cover and put on top of the fridge overnight (or anywhere it's not cold lol). When ready to use, your batter should have small bubbles on top. Remove one cup of batter and put it back in the fridge (this is your sourdough starter still lol). Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook on a preheated skillet (oil as necessary). Ta da! :D

These go great as PB&Js, with a sausage wrapped up in them, or just as plain ol' pancakes! :)

Eco Diaper Deals! :D

2010-11-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

Picture above: Thomas in a "Flip" diaper cover with a prefold underneath. I personally really like the Flip covers. They're very reliable when it comes to not leaking and they fit multiple size ranges, so you can use one style cover for multiple children.

Around here we use cloth diapers, but like to have disposable diapers around for when we really need the convenience (such as overnight and often when we're out of the house). My stock of disposable diapers is down to 4 lonely size 5 diapers, so it's time to re-stock! Being the eco-conscious type, I scoured around for a few days/weeks to find a disposable diaper option that would work for us but was a much better option than the standard Huggies (a brand which we have used and loved over the years) when it comes to the environment. Enter "Nature Babycare Eco-Friendly Diaper" combined with a most excellent sale and manufacturer's coupon on Diapers.com! I'm now well stocked up for a while (hopefully!) and if you need a good earth friendly diaper option when you're not cloth diapering, I hope you'll take advantage of this offer too :D.

Corn Sugar?? Really?!?

2010-09-14T12:16:00.000-04:00

The only words I can seem to say right now are "WHAT UTTER NONSENSE!" I can not believe how stupid these companies think people are.

Goodbye High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hello Corn Sugar (Signed, Corn Industry)

What really make me sick to my stomach is that the vast majority of people will take their word for it, unless someone else with the TRUTH tells them otherwise. This article contains some BLATANT lies, speaking about the product in questions "high fructose corn syrup"

"It has been highly disparaged and highly misunderstood,"

"Some scientists have linked consumption of full-calorie soda – the vast majority of which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup – to obesity.

But sugar and high fructose corn syrup are nutritionally the same, and there's no evidence that the sweetener is any worse for the body than sugar, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest."

"Misunderstood"?? "SOME scientists"?!? Seriously???????

Please read on...

"The Murky World of HFCS"

"Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup"

"The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup" from Diabeteshealth.com

So again, I encourage you to not just take any big company's words at face value because their number one priority is to make a profit and the bigger the better. They really don't care what their product does to us, they just want us to buy it.

words to live by

2010-08-26T13:20:00.000-04:00

why does poison suddenly become ok to consume, as long as it tastes good and it's free or cheap?

Words to live by...

2010-08-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

"Buy ingredients, not products" ~ me :P

Update on life

2010-07-11T11:43:00.000-04:00

Well it's been a while since I've blogged and I'm so sorry! Life has been busy with the addition of Thomas, schooling, water gun fights, playing in the sprinkler, going to nature club and watching many episodes of Avatar: The Last Air Bender are keeping us busy. I've also been battling with Postpartum Depressions (yep, PPD is NOT a myth). I'm on medication and we're making many lifestyle changes to help change my body's internal chemistry to help level me out. We're eating more healthfully (lots and LOTS of fruit and vegetables - very very little processed foods) adding some "superfoods" to our diets (like coconut oil and maca root) and making sure to get in some strenuous exercise as often as possible. I have to admit, I wake up every morning feeling pretty apathetic about life, but Nathaniel has been dragging me out of bed (at my own request) so we can do high intensity workouts together. It's been AMAZING what that does for me! The endorphins are really starting to make themselves known in the way that I feel for the rest of the day. I'm also trying to reduce my body fat (I've got a pretty high percentage of body fat right now) which the working out will help with as well as eating moderately. If you know me at all, you know I like FOOD and SUGAR in particular. So I'm retraining my palate and counting my calories (and you'd be surprised at how much I *GET* to eat!).

Here I'd like to insert a little plug for www.BeachBody.com and TurboFire in particular. NO I don't get paid to promote them (yet LOL) but they're awesome! They really know how to give you the tools you need and will SUPPORT you on your journey to being healthy and maintaining health (through your own personal Beach Body Coach). Having not only Nathaniel, but our personal beach body coach to support me as been huge (here's a shout out to Bob Shabasson who cheers Nathaniel and myself on daily - follow him on twitter!). I'm also trying to surround myself with other people who are not just trying to survive, but to THRIVE and IMPROVE.

Also, we've signed ourselves up to a local homeschooling co-op community called "Classical Conversations" . I've heard about it for 4 years now from many different homeschooling friends and we're finally taking the plunge and trying it out this year because I've accepted that in this season of life, I really need the HELP! I encourage you to check it out, even if you're a seasoned homeschooler and ESPECIALLY if you're new to homeschooling. It might be just the thing you need to get started or to get out of a rut you might be stuck in.

Anyway, so that's my life in a nutshell these days. I hope to post more often now that life is kind of settling into a rhythm.

Limited space? Not a problem for this guy!

2010-05-12T14:36:00.001-04:00

A Good Reminder...

2010-05-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

Laughter in the Walls
by Bob Benson

I pass a lot of houses
on my way home.
Some pretty,
some expensive,
some inviting.

But my heart always skips a beat
when I turn down the road
and see my house
nestled against the hill.

I guess I'm especially proud
of the house
and the way it looks
because I drew the plans myself.
It started out large enough for us--
I even had a study;
two teenage boys
now reside in there.
And it had a guest room;
my girl and nine dolls
are permanent guests.
It had a small room
Peg had hoped
would be her sewing room,
the two boys swinging
on the Dutch door
have claimed this room as their own.

So it really doesn't look right now
as if I'm much of an architect.
But it will get larger again.

One by one they will go away--
to work, to college,
to service,
to their own houses.
And then there will be room--
a guest room, a study,
and a sewing room--
just for the two of us.

But it won't be empty.
Every corner, every room,
every nick in the coffee table
will be crowded
with memories.

Memories of picnics,
parties, Christmases,
bedside vigils, summers,
fires, winters, going barefoot,
leaving for vacation, cats,
conversations, black eyes,
graduations, first dates,
ball games, arguments,
washing dishes, bicycles,
dogs, boat rides,
getting home from vacation,
meals, rabbits,
and a thousand other things
that fill the lives
of those who would raise five.

And Peg and I
will sit quietly by the fire
and listen to the
laughter in the walls

Newborn Baby Goodness

2010-05-07T15:43:00.001-04:00

Thomas

2010-05-04T10:59:00.000-04:00

Coming home picture @ 2 days old - this is the same outfit all but 1 of our kiddos have come home in

With his Great Grandma @ 5 days old

Today - doesn't he look good in blue & red stripes?? :D

"no more pictures please!"

And baby makes 8

2010-04-25T23:51:00.001-04:00

The day before:

We are now a family of 8 (6 children, 2 adults)! Thomas had an eventful arrival today at 12:10pm in the afternoon, weighing 6lbs 15oz and measuring 20 inches long.

Labor was nothing like it was "suppose" to be. It has seemed as if my body had been trying to go into active labor for several days now, but because Thomas was not able to "help" in the process by dropping into place like your average baby would at this point, my contractions remained irregular and unproductive.

We came to the hospital this morning around 3am and I was put on the monitors to see what was happening with my labor & with Thomas' heart rate. My contractions had slowed down to every 8ish minutes (they had been at 4 minutes). With every single contraction, his heart rate would drop, and it became obvious and worry-some that something was not "right".

After several hours more of painful and not really productive contractions here at the hospital, the midwife discussed in detail with us what our options were and what the worse case scenarios could be concerning little Thomas' arrival. At this point it became quite apparent that my hope for a "natural" child birth with Thomas was not going to be an option anymore because he was going to need to be watched VERY carefully and we were going to have to do everything we could to keep him as little stressed out as possible, while at the same time getting him OUT of mama sooner rather than later.

I first got an epidural (our chosen method of pain management so it could be in place should Thomas need to be delivered via c-section, which was a real possibility at this point). Once I got the epidural, my contractions really kicked into gear, which really stressed out our little Mr Thomas. With every contraction, literally every nurse on the floor was watching for his heart rate to go back up after. I was turned this way and that way, constantly having to change my position to help him "recover" through each contraction. I was put on oxygen, my water was broken and a water solution was added to my uterus to try and cushion Thomas from the contractions. Thomas was hooked up to an internal monitor and I had a catheter inserted since I was pretty much stuck to the bed.

My epidural wasn't working very well for me, but it managed to take the edge of most of the pain. I labored until 9 cm and that's when things stalled. The midwife was able to clearly see that the problem may be that Thomas' cord was too short, but since he still continued to recover at an ok pace after each contraction, she wanted to wait to see if my body would finish dilating and if Thomas would indeed be able to be born vaginally. With every contraction, Thomas would now "descend" and the move back up once the contraction finished which further fed the suspicions about his umbilical cord issues.

Nathaniel and I both were offering up prayer after prayer for the safety of our little guy. I was emotionally distraught at knowing this could very well end up being a c-section delivery. It was at this point, that I determined I had to try to push Thomas out, despite that I wasn't really feeling any *intense* urges to push (because again, Thomas wasn't pressing hard against my cervix and birth canal like he would in normal circumstances). I was still 9cm with a "rim" still around the edges of my cervix, but I asked the midwife if I could try pushing to which she said, if I feel up for it, to try.

By God's grace alone, and without the pain relief one usually gets from an epidural, I gave everything I had to push, and our little Thomas was safely delivered into our arms. His cord was indeed short and was wrapped around his neck which answered all the lingering questions as to why my labor was acting the way it did and why Thomas was stressed during contractions. I just was so relived that he was SAFE and that we avoided having to deliver him via a c-section. With tears, I thanked my midwife for not allowing anyone to rush her into ordering me in for a c-section (because there most certainly was a lot of pressure to do so) and after Thomas was born, mommy, daddy and Thomas all fell asleep for a nap LOL! We were all just plain worn out.

Thank you for your prayers and your congratulations on the arrival of our precious Thomas. We are so blessed to have him and look forward to getting to know him as he grows.

Ring Slings

2010-03-09T23:08:00.000-05:00

If you've known me for a little while, you know that I use "ring slings" to carry my children when they are young. It was recently brought to my attention that there is a big hub-bub about "pouch carriers" (or more accurately "bag carriers") and how dangerous they are. Bag carriers resemble a bag, quite literally and I would NEVER EVER put my child or anyone elses child into one of these carriers. Bag carriers are a commercial attempt by "big name companies" to mimic a carrier called the "ring sling", but there are VERY big differences. To see how different, I encourage you to check out this blog post .

I recommend a ring sling to any parent and will continue to do so, but please educate yourself on what a ring sling really is and don't go buy what you think is a ring sling at Babies R Us or Walmart or the like, because you're not getting a baby sling, you're getting a bag to put your baby in and it's dangerous.

pictures of me using a ring sling with our daughter Lily right after she was born

Quirky little Thursday Poll :)

2010-02-25T08:29:00.000-05:00

How old will you be when your oldest child turns 18?

How old will you be when your youngest child (in utero counts!) turns 18?

my answers are 35 & 43 what are yours?? :D

What's been happening...

2010-02-23T21:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't even really thought about my blog since my 26th week of pregnancy! So what's been happening...

I'm now 31 weeks pregnant (out of about 40 weeks for those that don't know how this works LOL!)

Clara just turned 5 years old today & more than anything, wanted a baby doll and a trip to chuck e. cheese. She got the baby doll, chuck e. cheese might have to wait a bit though. We did however go out to lunch at McDonalds with her cousins, who are in town, and then got to play with them for a bit this afternoon.

Morgan will turn 7 next month and would like a "pottery painting party" which, hopefully, we will make happen in the next few weeks, as a combined party for both Clara & Morgan.

Peter has found a new love for a few TV shows on video, namely Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, Bear in the big blue house, Veggie Tales, Rescue Heros and 3,2,1 Penguins

James has grown another inch, I swear! He's so tall! He also continues to amaze his mommy on a daily basis with how much he is growing and maturing. It is exciting and bittersweet to see how quickly he is growing up and I'm am trying to enjoy him as he is right now :). He and his sisters hope to get involved in some organized sports this spring or summer and mommy hopes to make it happen!

Lily just suffered her first tummy virus which was short lived (Praise the Lord!) but now I've got to get her re-hydrated. It's taking a bit here... I can tell she's still not feeling well, but she's not throwing up any more.

Baby Scott #6 seems happy as can be and continues to grow well from all that we can tell with the various check ups at the midwives' office. I started this pregnancy at a whopping 186lbs (on my 5'4" frame) and so the midwife advised me to be careful with my weight gain and if possible try to stay about the same. I am proud to say I've maintained my weight and actually dropped down a bit to 181 which pleases me to no end :). Just gotta keep it up - 7 to 10ish more weeks to go (ya never know when these little buggers are gonna make their appearance).

We just purchased a new-to-us van for cash, so we are still maintaining our debt free status. It's a big 'un though - a 15 passenger Ford E350. I've already given it a name (just a goofy little thing we do for our cars around here). Her name is Monica, but it was almost "the monster", which was my first impression upon driving her. I've found I can successfully maneuver it around so far and even parallel park it in front of our house. I just had to politely ask the neighbors if they would give us a touch more room :D. Now we have to decide which car we're going to rid ourselves of (the Toyota or the Chrysler - and their names are Cindy and Bessy, just in case you were wondering). It'll come down to which one will need the most work the soonest, if you catch my meaning.

I started sewing after receiving a sewing machine for Christmas and have really enjoyed it. I spent every spare moment I could sewing something for the month of January and then reality hit and I realized I needed to control my impulses and put my sewing on a schedule or nothing else would ever get done again. I plan to spend the month of March sewing three matching dresses for my girls to wear on Easter and making some small cloth diapers for Baby Scott #6.

The rest of March will be spent getting ready for the arrival of of Baby Scott 6, which will involve;

- washing baby clothes
- fixing up the crib just up right (this little one will be sleeping in our room for the time being)
- purchasing and installing a new carseat
- making sure I have enough batteries to run our little baby "swing" which is a great helper to me!
- making a baby carrier to keep my little one near me whenever possible - it just keeps them and mommy much happier this way when they're so tiny
- and I'm sure there are a million other little things, but my brain has just gone : P for the night

That is it for now, I hope to keep on top of this a bit better now so be looking for more updates in the coming weeks. God bless you all and GOODNIGHT! :D

I thought this was a hoot

2010-02-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

It reminds me of my oldest daughter :)

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Update to come.. but until then just thought I'd say

2010-02-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

I love this man

26 week belly picture

2010-01-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to getting another belly picture AND you get to see my new hair cut! I haven't had it this short in YEARS lol

Climbing Mount Washmore

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Who else hates tackling the dreaded pile, hidden somewhere in each and every one of our houses, lovingly (or not so lovingly) called "mount washmore" ?? I DO!!! I've been trying forever to come up with the "perfect" wash routine so I don't have to hate doing laundry anymore. These attempts usually only last for a week or two and I then fall back into, once again, hating my laundry. Here are a *few* of the things I have tried....

Single laundry hamper, fishing out darks and lights when I go to do laundry

Three compartment laundry hamper, in which when one was full it was 1.5 loads of laundry, not just 1 load and it drove me insane LOL! Also, I hated that I could only make three categories, because ya know, I can make up like 10 (darks, lights, reds, towels, blankets, etc)!

Separating children's laundry from my laundry

Separating boys laundry from girls and also doing my laundry by itself

Are you getting the picture??

I've finally come to the conclusion that I will NEVER like doing laundry no matter what fancy system I can come up with. So in honor or my new theme let's just come up with a SIMPLE, FRUGAL, GREEN way to get the laundry done. I have a few ideas of my own, but I want to hear YOUR ideas! How do you do laundry? Does it work for you? What do you wish you could change (other than someone else doing it for you) ;) ?

Oh and I forgot to share...

2009-12-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

We're having a BOY!!!!!

Taking name suggestions.... lol :D

Go Simple, Go Frugal, Go Green

2009-12-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Life with 5 young children has been fun.... VERY BUSY, but fun! As we approach a new year and are also anticipating the arrival of our newest family member, I have been trying to re-access my personal goals and I found I was asking myself pondering these three basic ideas, let see if you've been thinking about the same thing...

How many times do an hour do I wish life were simpler?

How many times a day do I wish that I could save more money on the "basics" of life so I could do more of those "out of the ordinary" things, such as giving to someone in need or maybe buying that special gadget I've wanted for a long time (or buying it for someone else who's wanted it ;) ?

On a regular basis do I find myself wishing there were a few less harmful harsh chemicals in the world, seeping into our food, our skin and our air?

Any of these sound familiar to you? I made up a little mantra for myself for the year of 2010. "Go Simple, Go Frugal, Go Green" - that covers all the basic areas of my life that need a little bit (or a lot!) of work. I hope we can discuss these things on this blog here and see what ideas we can all come up with to "Go Simple, Go Frugal and Go Green" this coming year!

Just in case you haven't heard...

2009-11-29T19:35:00.001-05:00

Baby Scott #6 is on it's way! We go in for the big ultrasound in two days. Here is my 19 week belly :D

Because I can't really shop at the moment....

2009-11-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here is what I *would* buy if I had money coming out of my ears LOL

First I would by some "Fuzzi Bunz" One-Size Pocket Diapers with Hip Snaps :) I've heard such good things about them and they'd be a great thing to have when going out with
two children of different ages in diapers, if you know what I mean!

Next... I'd love to have a couple dozen of these beautiful, well made, One-Size diapers by "Goodmama"

Then I'd get me a bunch of these beauties! Disana Wool Covers, they work wonderfully at night time and nap time.

I'd probably pick up one of these too.... (Little Beetle's Little to Big Organic Merino Wool Cover)

And because we're day dreaming here LOL, I would also love to get these other baby accessories!

I can't get a picture of this gorgeous, well made bag, but it's called "Be Prepared" by Ju-Ju-Be. The print I like this most is "champagne bubbles" although I'd just be happy to put my hands on the bag LOL! I've not owned one myself, but I have handled one in person and the quality just can not be beat. I am confident it would last through several children.

Next and last on this current wishful thinking list :D is a Phil and Ted Inline "Sport" stroller with the doubles kit in Apple Graffiti or Blue Graffiti. IMO you won't find a cooler or more functional stroller than this one. I'd probably also add in one of these nifty liners to keep baby warm when needed.

Anyway, I'm now moving on with my life now that I've got that out of my system :D

Lest you think I'm entirely too serious...

2009-09-17T08:39:00.000-04:00

Our Calling: A Wartime Lifestyle; Living on the brink of eternity

2009-09-17T07:53:00.001-04:00

The title was stolen :) from two subtitles in the book "Desiring God" by Pastor John Piper, Chapter 7, "Money, the currency of Christian Hedonism". This book is available to read online as well as in PDF format if you'd like to read it for yourself.

What is a "Wartime Lifestyle" you may ask and why in the world would it be your calling? As a Christian, the bible tells us that we are in a constant battle with the unseen spiritual world which manifests in our visible physical world in the form of sin, poverty, lack of food and shelter, sickness, disease, malnutrition, etc, in our world (see Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 20.) A wartime lifestyle is about living our lives in such a way as to use our money, our resources whatever they may be, to battle against this physical manifestations of spiritual battles unseen. In other words, there are people who are hungry - feed them! There are people who have no shelter - build them one or share your own! There are people who are unloved - LOVE them! There are people who are sick - comfort them and heal their wounds!

What this means in a practical every day sense is:

1.) "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that... Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 6 through 8 and 17 through 19.

2.)Ralphi Winter gives a good picture of a wartime lifestyle:

The Queen Mary, lying in repose in the harbor at Long Beach, California, is a fascinating museum of the past. Used both as a luxury liner in peacetime and a troop transport during the Second World War, its present status as a museum the length of three football fields affords a stunning contrast between the lifestyles appropriate in peace and war. On one side of a partition you see the dining room reconstructed to depict the peacetime table setting that was appropriate to the wealthy patrons of high culture for whom a dazzling array of knives and forks and spoons held no mysteries. On the other side of the partition the evidences of wartime austerities are in sharp contrast. One metal tray with indentations replaces fifteen plates and saucers. Bunks, not just double but eight tiers high, explain why the peacetime complement of 3000 gave way to 15,000 people on board in wartime. How repugnant to the peacetime masters this transformation must have been! To do it took a national emergency, of course. The survival of a nation depended upon it. The essence of the Great Commission today is that the survival of many millions of people depends on its fulfillment.5

America today is a save-yourself society if there ever was one. But does it really work? The underdeveloped societies suffer from one set of diseases: tuberculosis, malnutrition, pneumonia, parasites, typhoid, cholera, typhus, etc. Affluent America has virtually invented a whole new set of diseases: obesity, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, venereal disease, cirrhosis of the liver, drug addiction, alcoholism, divorce, battered children, suicide, murder. Take your choice. Laborsaving machines have turned out to be body-killing devices. Our affluence has allowed both mobility and isolation of the nuclear family, and as a result our divorce courts, our prisons and our mental institutions are flooded. In saving ourselves we have nearly lost ourselves.

How hard have we tried to save others? Consider the fact that the U.S. evangelical slogan, "Pray, give, or go" allows people merely to pray, if that iS their choice! By contrast the Friends Missionary Prayer Band of South India numbers 8000 people in their prayer bands and supports 80 full-time missionaries in North India. If my denomination (with its unbelievably greater wealth per person) were to do that well, we would not be sending 500 missionaries, but 26,000. In spite of their true poverty, those poor people in South India are sending 50 times as many cross-cultural missionaries as we are.6

This illustration begs us to ask the question, what is it that we think we need, but could actually do without and instead be able to meet the urgent need of someone else in the name of Jesus Christ? Do we really need the spiffy newer car or could we make do with a used one that isn't so flashy, but get's the job done? Do we really need all 500 channels coming into our TV via a satellite or cable connection or would just the basic local channels give you what you really need from TV? Do we really need for each child to have their own bedroom (ie. "we NEED to buy a bigger house") or can they share and learn to live with another human being in close proximity (can we say preparation for being married to one person for the rest of your life anyone??).

Here is something to think about for today, yet another excerpt from Desiring God, chapter 7, pp. 202-203:

In Ephesians 4:28, Paul says 'Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.' In other words, there are three levels of how to live with things: (1) you can steal to get; (2) or you can work to get; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level 2. Almost all the forces of our culture urge them to live on level two. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three. 'God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work' (2 Corinthians 9:8). Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works to alleviate spiritual and physical misery. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking a six-digit salary must be accompanies by a six-digit lifestyle. God has made us to be conduits of His grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn't. Copper will do.

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

2009-09-08T22:37:00.001-04:00

How can eternity influence a mother's daily tasks?

2009-07-20T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here is something that I read on the website desiringgod.org and found it very inspiring and wanted to share :) At the bottom of the page it grants permission and encourages sharing of the material so here it is!

How can eternity influence a mother's daily tasks?

Listen | Download | Podcast

By John Piper July 16, 2008

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

How can eternity influence a mother's daily tasks?

I believe it is a very high calling to be a mom charged with teaching everything she possibly can to one, two, or eight kids.

The women who flourish most and who delight most in that calling—and who are best at it—are not women whose lives are circumscribed by their houses. They are women who are aware of the world. They're aware of God's global purpose. They're aware of the ultimate purposes of God in history. They're aware of things in history and in the far off reaches of the world today that God is doing. And those are part of what they want to build into these children. They want to raise global Christians, world Christians.

A mother will delight most in the little baby in front of her when she has a vision of God and a vision of the world that's big enough to admit that this little child has a destiny in front of him or her and might become this or that.

If she is totally circumscribed by her little home—with no vision for the world—then I think her domestic scene is probably going to shrivel up on her, and she is going to feel that it is small and constraining. But if she sees it in the wider context of what she is a part of in the missionary enterprise, I think every detail of her life can take on a global significance, indeed, an historical significance.

I really believe that. When I used to sit down for devotions with our four boys at home my mind wasn't simply, "OK I have a duty as a dad: I'm supposed to do devotions at night." My mind was, "What will they become?"

Ralph Winter used to say that nothing has an impact on kids except what they do daily. So we did Global Prayer Digest daily, and we did devotions daily.

The goal isn't just to fulfill some little task that dads are supposed to do. Rather, you're building men who hopefully someday will have absorbed so much of God and so much of the Bible that it's going to shape their whole world. And they might wind up going to Pakistan to help build shelters for earthquake victims.

because she's so cute <3

2009-07-09T16:44:00.001-04:00

when do you think I'll start crawling?

Easy Peasy Red Beans and Rice!

2009-07-02T11:56:00.001-04:00

Easy Peasy Red Beans and Rice - crock pot style

2lbs dry kidney beans
2 cups brown rice
8 - 12 chicken bouillon cubes
garlic powder
onion powder
3-4 bay leaves

Soak your beans over night or do a quick sock (as described on the back of the package). Dump in your 6 qt crock pot and fill with water until the beans only take up only half the space in the water. Add your two cups of brown rice (uncooked), garlic powder and onion powder to preference, chicken bouillon cubes and bay leaves. Cook on high until beans are soft and rice is done (you can cook longer and it won't hurt it). It will take approximately 6 hours on high or 10-12 hours on low. Taste great served with chips, on burritos or with cornbread. Top it with a bit of cheese, sour cream and or salsa. Just as a side note, mine needed a little more salt and pepper before eating - I used 6 bouillon cubes. My hubby likes to add red pepper to his personal serving :).

The good news, elementary style :)

2009-06-23T06:27:00.000-04:00

In our small group, we are about to start a study in the gospel of John. One of the first questions before starting the study itself was "How would you describe the bible and what it is to an eight year old?" The question intrigued me! How would I do that?? How would I explain the gospel as well? So here is my attempt at it (keep in mind, I'm only human LOL this is my best attempt - which isn't saying much...) :D

Everything was made by someone.

Everything except God - that is what makes him more special than everything else.

God has always been here and will always be here.

God wants us to know him.

God gave us the Holy Bible so that we can know him.

The bible tells us about God and what he says about every part of life. We choose to believe this and that is called having Faith. Faith is believing and trusting.

The bible tells us that God loves us and wants us to love him back.

The bible also tells us that we do not love God until he opens our eyes to see his love for us. This is because everyone thinks mostly of themselves, from the moment they are born. This is called selfishness. The bible says that everyone is selfish. That is called having a "sinful nature".

The bible tells us that being selfish will lead us to do things only for ourselves, hurting others and the things around us. The bible also tells us that this is NOT how God wants us to act. It is wrong and we know that because the bible says so.

The bible gives us certain rules to help teach us how he wants us to live. But we can not do these things because we are selfish. We need God's help.

The bible tells us that God will help us if we ask for his help. Once we know and say out loud that we are selfish, we also can ask God to help us to not be selfish. The bible tells us this is called "repenting" or turning away from our sins (our selfishness). Repenting means feeling sorry for our selfishness and asking God to help us to not be selfish and asking God to teach us how we can love him back.

When we ask God to help us and teach us to love him back, he sends his Holy Spirit to live inside of us. We can not see his Holy Spirit, but we can feel him with our emotions and see the things that he does.

God teaches us to love him back by having us read the bible. This is how we learn about him and the things he loves. The bible also tells us about the things God does not want us to do because these are selfish things and are wrong.

As we learn to love God, we learn to be happy because of God and all that he does. This happiness makes us want to do things that make God happy. Making God happy makes us even happier! We learn what makes God happy by reading the bible.

This happiness also makes us want to tell everyone about God and how he has made us so happy because of who he is and what he has done for us. He has taught us about himself and he has taught us to not be selfish anymore.

We will still make mistakes and be selfish sometimes. The bible tells us that when we do this, we should tell God that we are sorry and ask him for his help to do what is not selfish even though we do not deserve help. But God wants to helps us. This makes us happy and we want to tell everyone about how happy we are and why we are so happy because of God.

When we tell everyone about our happiness because of God, people will see God and want to know him too. Then you can tell them how to know God, just as I have told you.

Lily's first taste of regular food

2009-06-21T00:17:00.000-04:00

I'll let the video do most of the talking, but I don't think she was all that thrilled with it. She did swallow the first few bites.....

Honey Half Wheat Bread

2009-06-20T19:39:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe & wanted to adapt it to try with my kitchen aid stand mixer. I also had some white flour I needed to use. AND I never make just one loaf of bread, so I wanted to double the recipe. So this is what I came up with and it's officially a WINNER in this house. It was so tasty!

Christina's Honey Half Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups unbleached white flour
4-5 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons active dry yeast (I buy it in bulk @ costco) = 2 packages
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup butter

Here is how I made it.

Warm 2 cups of water up in a measuring cup (approximately 110-120 degrees), then stir in active dry yeast. Let it stand approximately 5 minutes, until foamy.

While yeast in standing, I measure out 3 cups white flour, 3 cups whole wheat flour, and 2 teaspoons salt, into a bowl. Then in another measuring cup, I measure out honey and heat it up for 30 seconds (makes it easier to pour). In my kitchen aid bowl, I put my butter (melted or room temperature) at the bottom. Then I pour my water yeast mixture in and mix it. Then I add my honey and mix. Then I add my pre-measured flour into it and mix by hand for a moment. Then I put my kitchen aid bowl on my kitchen aid stand mixer and start it going at speed two. I gradually add the remaining flour (1-2 cups whole wheat) until the dough is still kind of sticky, but still is hangs onto the dough hook. Once it reaches this point, I let it run for a 4 or 5 minutes more. By then, it forms a nice smooth ball of dough (leaving some of the dough on the edges of the bowl). Then I take my ball of dough out, and plop it into a greased bowl to rise. I will often scrape out the dough that is stuck to the sides of the mixing bowl and add it to the ball of dough and knead it for a minute. Let it rise until doubled and punch down.

Divide in half or in three parts (just in half produces two LARGE loaves, three parts makes 3 average size loaves). I don't do anything fancy to shape my dough. I just pat and punch until it feels as if I've gotten most of the air out and then do some more patting until I get into the shape I want it. I then put the dough in two (or three) greased bread pans and let them *almost* double and at that point I bake them at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Yummy!

2009-06-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

This recipe is quick, it's simple, it's VERY easy, chocked full of vitamins and fiber, and VERY delicious! You can make it in the crock pot or on the stove top, either works well. Also, it is very easily adapted for any size group. Here is how we make it around here.

4 cans black beans
4 cans pinto beans
1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans of corn
1 lb velveta cheese
2 cans chilies

Drain and rinse all your beans, dump in your pot. Drain and rinse your cans of corn & dump in your pot. Drain you can of diced tomatoes and dump in your pot. Dump your two cans of chopped green chilies in your pot. Cut your 1lb of velveta cheese into cubes and add to your pot. Stir occasionally until melted :) If making in a crock pot, allow 4 hours on high (stir every now and again). Serve with Tortilla chips or burrito shells. If you prefer a cheesier version, do 2lbs velveta. Also tasty eaten in a bowl, topped with a dollop of sour cream or cottage cheese.

This makes plenty to serve our family & leaves lots of left overs for daddy to take for work and to serve the kids for lunch the next day.

Lily's sweet coos

2009-06-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

After feeding Lily this morning, she began making this sweet little noise as we stared at each other. I just had to share it and so she obliged me in doing it again. I hope you enjoy :)

May God bless you all today,
Christina

Peter is a HAM

2009-06-08T23:57:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Picking with Grandma

2009-06-07T15:14:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we traveled to Great Country Farms for some fun filled strawberry picking and generally frolicking! The kids and I had a blast, compliments of their Grandma who was our benefactor for this trip. Grandma in return got to spend time huggin' and a kissin' on those sweet cheeks :D.

The kiddos thoroughly enjoyed the tractor ride out to the fields, and the views were just beautiful!

Clara enjoyed some snuggling with Grandma (she's growing up to fast!)

I enjoyed some snuggling with Lily bug

We passed by the blackberries (which will be ready for picking next month)

I don't know what this is, but it looked pretty! :)

Here is the beautiful field, ripe for the pickin'!

Peter did more eating of strawberries than anything else....

And here are the "fruits" of our labor!

Kiddo Portraits

2009-06-05T14:19:00.000-04:00

Lily @ 5 months old

Peter @ 23 months old

Clara @ 4 years old

Morgan @ 6 years old

James @ 7 and a half years old

Lily loves her new toy!

2009-06-04T22:46:00.000-04:00

Grandma Cromp gave it to her for Easter and she's now just getting her hands on it. This video is of Lily and her first encounter with said toy. She was wiggling like crazy, she just couldn't wait to get her hands on it.

This week's bible verse

2009-06-03T16:31:00.001-04:00

""Thank the Lord for all the glorious things he does.

Psalm 105:1

New School Style

2009-06-02T22:09:00.001-04:00

Today we tested the waters with a new schooling style. The model we're trying to follow is done by another homeschooling family located in South Africa. I recently found their blog and have been thoroughly encouraged that this mom of seven can do what she does how she does it. It's such a good mix of life learning and "textbook" learning. The waters we tested today was the area of journaling.

The subject was lions and it all started out with a simple "how to draw animals" book by Usborn.

James' first page

Morgan is going for the stylish version with her fancy scissors :::giggle:::

During this time Peter discovered how fun markers were and actually tried to eat one...

The same amount of marker that got on his paper also got on his hands and face, but aren't they such sweet little hands?!?

Clara even got in on the action, practicing her skills with the scissors and using a glue stick AND tape to put her picture in her science journal.

Lily was blissfully unaware of all the happenings because she was taking her morning nap. All said and done, I felt that it was a successful morning of learning. The kids enjoyed themselves, created something and learned something all at the same time, each displaying their unique style of how they would do their journaling. James enjoyed drawing a picture of two male lions fighting while the girls were content to follow the "how to" instructions (or at least try to.)

Beans, beans, the magical fruit!

2009-06-01T22:24:00.001-04:00

I won't be entertaining you with the rest of that song this evening, but with a recipe! We love beans around here (admittedly, some more than others.) I use them in most things I make these days. My current favorites are the black bean and the pinto bean. To celebrate these wonderful little legumes, I am going to share a recipe with you that is now a Scott familiy favorite (aka, I've fed it to my family more than once and they like it!)

The Scott Clan's Cheesy Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
1lb velveta cheese (or something comparable), cut up into cubes
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans chopped green chillies
1 medium onion, chopped

Put all of these lovely items in a large pan and put the heat between medium and low. Stir every few minutes until it's nice and hot and the cheese is melted. Serve on burrito sized tortilla shells. Tonight we paired this lovely dish with a bowl of fresh fruit (strawberries, mulberries; from our tree, and red raspberries) as well as slices of cucumber and carrot sticks.

You can EASILY turn this into a queso dip by adding some salsa and more velveta cheese (we've done it!), yum! And now that I think about it, some chives or green onions would be divine as well..... moving on :D

I'm in love with Chick-fil-a

2009-05-30T18:15:00.001-04:00

mulberry tree!

2009-05-30T15:50:00.000-04:00

We have an American Red Mulberry tree in our backyard! :) How fun, the berries are close to being ripe... I hope I like mulberries :)

Pictures to come...

Lily has delicious toes!

2009-05-30T14:22:00.001-04:00

I bet you didn't know...

2009-05-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

That I was married to Harry Potter and that Harry Potter has children LOL!!

James 1:14-15

2009-04-29T10:53:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have just been amazing! I have felt like an entirely new person. Then came Monday.... I got so sidelined by emotions and selfishness, it was ridiculous! So last night, I devoted some time to talking with the Lord and searching His Word for WHY I got so sidelined SO easily. I had started studying James last week so I started there.

James 1:6-8 & 1:14-15 says

⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ they are double-minded and unstable in all they do.

"¹⁴ but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

I made a list of my "evil desires" or just desires that can very easily lead me into being double minded because as I mediated on it, I felt very "unstable". How could I suddenly go from really walking closely towards the Lord and then all of the sudden I'm a selfish, cranky person? It was me "evil desires" that lead me to this place. Desiring both God and all these other things. My PRIMARY desire should be God himself before all else. Here is my list of desires that I wrote down last night; maybe you can identify with some of them. Some are not "evil" per say, but can easily replace my deep desire for God himself.

a deep desire for a good story, either movie, book, news, etc
my desire to work independently and appear in control when I actually am not
my desire for instant gratification
my desire to put my own wants first
my desire to look perfect
my desire to control the things which I can not/should not control
my desire to talk about MYSELF
my desire to be lazy

Can you relate to any of those?

A passage to mediate on concerning God's sovereignty:

Psalm 127

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior are the children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court."

Yogurt!

2009-04-21T13:30:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to eat is oatmeal pancakes, they are soooo yummy! They require buttermilk to make and I never seem to have enough buttermilk when I want it. I read once upon a time how to make buttermilk at home and remember it being quite simple. So two nights ago I "started" my buttermilk! :) I poured 7 cups of whole milk and 1 cup cultured buttermilk into a clean two quart container and let is sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Once I opened it up and gave it a stir, what I found was thicker than buttermilk. It was YOGURT! Feeling slighty frustrated at first, I figured I'd do some reasearching via google to see what I could do with this thick glop. This morning I decided to add a little sugar and vanilla and it was DELICIOUS! I will make it again and soon. :D

Christina's meanderings thoughts, post #1

2009-04-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

Last night, Lily decided she needed to be awake late at night and then, when she finally passed out, I could not. I stayed up for a while reading through a book I've been anticipating reading for a few months now, "The Duggars: 20 and counting!" The first half of the book goes over their story, from their own childhoods, before they were married and up until the present time. They often mentioned praying thoroughly through different decisions and situations, as well as praying together as a couple. They also spoke of the trouble, NOT praying about something before doing it, had caused them.

I was convicted.

For some time, I've known that I needed "to pray more", but that really wasn't the answer and every time I tried to "pray more" I never stuck with it for long. Then a few months ago, right after I gave birth to our precious Lily, we were invited to join a small group at our church (something we had been praying about for a awhile). We gladly accepted the invitation to check it out and have been blessed ever since by our group of special friends whom we study the bible with once a week and see at church on Sundays. Shortly after beginning our time with our small group, we began reading and studying through the book "Desiring God" by John Piper. It has been thought provoking to say the very least! We're just three chapters in to it and the defining theme is, we were not only made to glorify God, but we were made to DESIRE God, to find joy in him first, to have our driving passion be for HIM, not just his works and the good deeds he desires for us to do.

These thoughts have been simmering in my mind for the last three months and I have been desperately trying to understand what in the world it means to "desire" God. God ultimately wants to be UPMOST in our affections and our desires. He really does want us to seek to know HIM and have a relationship WITH him, not just a one-sided occassional conversation I call "prayer".

I've also had the thoughts of memorizing scripture simmering in the back of my mind as well. God speaks to us in these days and times, primarily through his Word, the Holy Scriptures. He desires me to mediate on his word and to "write it on the tablet" of my heart. How is the possible if I don't even KNOW his word without having to look it up each and every time? Especially for me, I have my hands full most of the time with the 5 precious children God has given me, how in the world can I mediate on scripture if it is not already in my head?

Just my thoughts.... toodles!

Journal Entries of an aspiring Christian Hedonist

2009-04-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Today we've started journaling for school (the kids have) and I think I will join them. My journal entries will be random at best, but this could be fun and it will force me to use my mind in a more creative fashion that I have been.

Today I think I'll tell the world about my amazing husband :) of whom I am so proud of! He recently started a bachelors degree program with the University of Phoenix (complements of a scholarship; thank you Mom for submitting Nathaniel's story!!) He was one of the 30 out of 300 applicants chosen to receive this "Pay it Forward" scholarship. Since beginning the program approximately 5 weeks ago, he's been working very very hard every evening and on weekends to stay on top of his school work. Just like he worked tirelessly on getting our family out of debt. Excitement will come and go, I know, but he will continue to work hard despite this. This is one of the many reasons I love and respect my awesome husband.

I'm naturally a night owl and have made it my job to help him stay awake and just maybe help lower his stress level because he is NOT a night owl. This involves offering him milk and cookies, snickers bars, Reese's peanut butter cups, and a good laugh at my attempt (a pathetic attempt) to stand on my head. Last night I noticed him starting to nod off and I served him by yelling "hey you!" lol :D I know I'm not the one going to school, but I hope to help him get through this as a way of honoring how hard he works for his family. Nate, you just let me know if I'm starting to be annoying rather than helpful.

Anyway, that was random. And it is over :) toodles!

Offline

2009-04-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you heard, but my computer crashed about a week and a half ago. This has been great, in that it has opened my eyes to see how addicted to the computer I had become. I've gotten along pretty well without having free reign of a computer, but I found myself "bored" quite often and yesterday I even threw a full blown temper tantrum over not having my computer fixed yet! Nathaniel gracious left his laptop here today and I've managed my time well thus far and only allowed the computer as a reward after getting things done that NEEDED to be done. Right now, Morgan is sitting across the table from me working on writing her spelling words out and as a reward for staying on schedule and even getting a SHOWER :::shock and awe::: I'm allowing myself these 10 minutes to write a brief blog :). Anyway, my times is up. Toodles ladies and gentlemen!

Car Seat Safety!

2009-04-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

Found on AAP News

Keep your toddler in a rear-facing car seat until age 2 (not 1)

Lori O’Keefe
Correspondent

New research indicates that toddlers are more than five timessafer riding rear-facing in a car safety seat up to their secondbirthday. Following are some safety tips for car seat use:

All infants should ride rear-facing in either an infant carseat or convertible seat.

If an infant car seat is used, the infant should be switchedto a rear-facing convertible car seat once the maximum height(when the infant’s head is within 1 inch of the top ofthe seat) and weight (usually 22 pounds to 32 pounds) have beenreached for that infant seat as suggested by the car seat manufacturer.

Toddlers should remain rear-facing in a convertible car seatuntil they have reached the maximum height and weight recommendedfor the model, or at least the age of 2.

What ABOUT socialization?

2009-03-27T17:23:00.000-04:00

What ABOUT socialization?

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts -- helps me keep track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Terri. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here a lot?
W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
W2: Wow. Where do you find the time?
W1: We home school, so we do it during the day most of the time.
W2: Some of my neighbors home school, but I send my kids to public school.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids every day after school and stay real involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity for natural relationships?
W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're home schooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.
W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the world is like -- what people do to make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.
W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.
W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.
W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It's a system-wide thing we're doing.
W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.
W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store -- certainly not people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?
W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W2: Your child talks to strangers?
W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he can talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk to strangers.
W1: Not even when they're with you?
W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet you.
--Author unknown

the top 10 reasons why public schooling is better than homeschooling

2009-03-27T17:22:00.000-04:00

In an effort to increase the public drumbeat for criminalizing
homeschooling, a memo has been distributed containing the top 10
reasons why public schooling is better than homeschooling. Here is an
excerpt from that memo:

1. Most parents were educated in the under funded public school system,
and so are not smart enough to homeschool their own children.

2. Children who receive one-on-one homeschooling will learn more than
others, giving them an unfair advantage in the marketplace. This is
undemocratic.

3. How can children learn to defend themselves unless they have to fight> off bullies on a daily basis?

4. Ridicule from other children is important to the socialization process.

5. Children in public schools can get more practice "Just Saying No" to
drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.

6. Fluorescent lighting may have significant health benefits.

7. Publicly asking permission to go to the bathroom teaches young people
their place in society.

8. The fashion industry depends upon the peer pressure that only public schools can generate.

9. Public schools foster cultural literacy, passing on important
traditions like the singing of "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin
laid an egg..."

10. Homeschooled children may not learn important office career skills,
like how to sit still for six hours straight.

just had to share this picture

2009-03-20T14:13:00.001-04:00

Lily Danielle, 12.5 weeks old

Lily Danielle's drug free birth

2009-03-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

It has always been my wish to have a drug free labor & delivery, but with my first four labor & deliveries I have not accomplished this (due to not enough support, not enough preparation on my part, etc). Here is my story of my first (hopefully not my last!) drug free labor & delivery of Lily Danielle, born 12/27/2008.

I had been experiencing false labor for 2 weeks when FINALLY at 38 1/2 weeks I went into real labor at 6am on 12/27/08. Contractions were regular & gradually got stronger & stronger. Hubby refused to rush into the hospital because of all the false labor symptoms I had experienced before. We both wanted to make sure these contractions were sticking around and got very uncomfortable by the time I went in to the hospital. We parked in the far corner of the hospital parking lot so I could get in some walking to help labor along. I had to stop two times and lean on hubby and breath through contractions, but Nathaniel did a good job of keeping these light and silly.

We walked in and they saw that I was clearly in labor (and this was my fifth) and so they put me straight into a labor & delivery room and got me all comfy and settled. This was so different from all my other labor & deliveries because I was delivering with a midwife instead of an OB. I was invited to put on a hospital gown "if I wanted to" instead of being told to put it on. My midwife was with me the entire time (actually two of them because one was getting back to delivering babies after finishing her degree, so one was supervising & the other was supporting). Anyway :) they checked me & I was about 5.5 cm along (this was about 10:30)

Contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and over the next two hours, they got a little closer together and progressively more intense (not as bad as I thought it was going to be though) :) By 12ish , the midwife asked to check me and I was at 8cm. She then asked if I was ok with her breaking my water at that point to see if it would speed labor along a little - I said I thought it was a great idea (lol, because at this point I was starting to get a bit worn out.) I was so focused on just getting through contractions that the midwives started coaching me on different positions to try during contractions. I leaned forward on Nathaniel for a few contractions, then the midwives suggested squatting during contractions (OUCH!). At about 12:45 I laid down and labored that way for a few minutes, then @ 1 the midwife checked my progress and Lily's position at that point and I was 9cm and Lily was head was in a persistant occiput transverse position:

OCCIPUT TRANSVERSE: INTRODUCTION — Most fetuses enter the maternal pelvis in the occiput transverse (OT) position; left occiput transverse (LOT) is more common than right (ROT). With progressive dilation and descent, the occiput usually rotates either anteriorly or posteriorly (OA or OP). Only a few fetuses remain in OT position at complete dilation. Most of those will rotate to OA or OP during maternal expulsive efforts.

PERSISTENT OCCIPUT TRANSVERSE — We define persistent OT position as an OT position that persists for an hour after complete cervical dilatation (ie, maintenance of the OT position an hour into the second stage of labor). Some of these fetuses (usually very small ones) will deliver in the OT position. Others will rotate later in the second stage, after the fetal head reaches the pelvic floor. The remainder remain OT and experience an arrest, defined as no descent after one hour of active pushing. Arrest of descent can be divided into two subsets: high transverse arrest (above station +2 on a -5 cm to + 5 cm scale) and deep transverse arrest (below station +2 on a -5 cm to + 5 cm scale). There are no reliable data on the frequency of persistent OT, but it is uncommon.

I continued laboring on my side for the next ten minutes and the midwife said I should change position and suggested flipping over onto my hands and knees (this was at about 1:10) and this is when labor became as painful as I thought it would be - during the second contraction in this position I had the thoughts "I can't do this anymore!" but it kind of encouraged me because I've always read that it's very common for mom's to think this when they are just about to deliver. Two more unbearable contractions and the midwives suggested I flip back over (and with help I did) and that's when the pushing started!!! Lily continued being in the persistant occiput transverse position (hense the word persistant LOL). I pushed once and then the midwife begged me to stop pushing and to relax (which was IMPOSSIBLE at that point, for me anyway) and I remember just apologizing over and over again that I couldn't DO what they were asking. I definitely felt that "ring of fire" that people talk about, but I wouldn't have described it as fire - I just remember it HURT and I wanted it to STOP. Finally I got another urge to push and out FLEW Lily @ 1:19pm on December the 27th 2008. :)

Lily had passed her first meconium in utero and because they had concerns of meconium aspiration they swept her away to the table beside me and suctioned her nose and mouth out immediately (NICU staff was on hand for this, they knew she had passed her meconium when they broke my water, but her heart rate was still good and the midwife was not concerned at that point). She didn't cry and for the first few minutes after and I couldn't see her on the table (which worried me at the time). They told me her weight (6lbs 4oz) which was as I expected, but when the told me she was only 17 inches long I was in shock! I did not know that full term babies were that short lol!! As the midwife helped me to deliver the placenta, I got my first look at Lily and she was so perfect and so tiny and I thought she looked remarkably like her sister Clara :).

The placenta was much bigger than I thought it would be and actually hurt a bit when I pushed it out (which suprised me - but then again, I *am* a wimp). I asked the midwife to show it to me since, for the first time, I was interested to see what it looked like. It was HUGE! Much bigger than I thought it would be and SOOOOO cool! It's amazing how God has created our bodies to make such things and to have them suddenly GONE from our bodies, it's no wonder women go through such emotional ups and downs right after birth.

I had a small tear that needed to be stitched up and it hurt! lol so I asked for some lidocaine (although it made me feel silly, seeing as I had just given birth, but it hurt!) Prior to giving birth I had given instructions for Lily to NOT receive antibiotic eye ointment (since this is to protect against a STD, which I don't have) and Lily was also not to receive the standard vitamin K shot *unless* she experience a traumatic birth (which she did not). And as a side note, she is my ONLY child thus far to not experience Jaundice and I believe that it was because she did not recieve any injections while we were in the hospital (vitamin K or the hepatitis B vaccine which it is now standard to give the first dose in the hospital).

So there it is, the story of Lily's drug free entrance into the world outside my womb! :) I am SO happy to have her here with us and feel very blessed to be her mommy.

@3 days old

today @ 11.5 weeks old

oh yeah!

2009-02-17T17:20:00.001-05:00

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

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My Kiddos :)

2009-01-14T10:44:00.000-05:00

another very proud big sister picture :)

2009-01-02T13:58:00.001-05:00

One Very Proud Big Sister :)

2008-12-30T15:52:00.000-05:00

Say Hi!

2008-12-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

To Lily Danielle Scott! :) Born 12/27 @1:19pm, weighing 6lbs 4oz and measuring 17 inches long.

Here she is, 3 days old <3

Enter the countdown

2008-12-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

The following post series will probably have more personal information than some would like to know, lol :) BUT I know there are ladies & family who would like to know!

Last week at 36 weeks 5 days pregnant I was checked by my midwife for labor progress (I've been having what's called prodromal labor) and I was *almost* 3 cm dilated & 50% effaced.

I was checked again today because I have continued to have prodromal labor and it was my weekly appointment (I'm 37 weeks 5 days pregnant today) and I was 3.5 cm dilated & 60% effaced so I've made a *little* progress, which I was thankful to hear.

Now I'm just hoping to make it past Christmas because we've got all our plans laid out and I just love all the Christmas stuff :).

The picture is kind of cruddy..... this is my belly today

We have a monster in the house

2008-12-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

and I am responsible for naming him, any suggestions?

33 weeks and counting.....

2008-11-19T14:23:00.000-05:00

my clothes are starting to not fit lol :)

Money Money Money!

2008-11-17T12:08:00.001-05:00

We celebrated James b-day @ Grandma Scott's house yesterday and James had a great time. I thought this pictures was cute :). Happy belated Birthday James!!!!!!!

My adorable little model

2008-11-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

I dyed a bunch of bandannas/head scarves last night... here is one

here is my adorable little model

30 weeks 1 day

2008-10-30T12:37:00.000-04:00

Here I am at 25 weeks....

here I am today at 30 weeks 1 day

Not a baby? I beg to differ

2008-10-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

This does have *graphic* images of aborted children - proceed with caution, but if you can please watch it.

Just thought ya'll should know

2008-10-03T09:50:00.001-04:00

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!!!!!

Christina is a debt free nazi

2008-10-01T11:24:00.000-04:00

Just my random thoughts in response to some things I read recently. They're in response to someone so reading it will be a little odd, but I thought in sharing it with anyone who may be reading this, I can share a bit of me and my personal views - which is the purpose of this blog :D.

Here is the article I read:

http://www.ricedelman.com/cs/education/article?articleId=807

"Without the plan, many banks will have difficulty lending money to American consumers and small businesses." He forgot to mention that the only people who will have difficulty getting loans are people who aren't qualified to get them in the first place.... that in and of itself is part of why a lot of these companies went under, they were lending money to people who had no business getting loans in the first place (aka they didn't REALLY have the means to repay these loans). I think there are better ways to (for instance mike huckabee & dave ranmsey present some very good alternative plans) but to some degree, this "crash" really needed to happen so these companies would realize that what they were doing was BAD business.

**then I was asked about small business and their loans**

What about small business doing business with mostly cash? Isn't that the most secure way to run a business anyway, rather than paying everything with credit initially?

I know for my "small business" it's all cash based - I don't go into debt/borrow money for any of it. Granted my business is very small at the moment but that does not mean it doesn't have the potential to make a lot as time passes.

I guess I personally have become some what of a debt free nazi lol - partially because of our own experience with debt has left such a bad taste in my mouth and what the bible says about it - I'm currently reading through Proverbs and it has a LOT to say about it as you know. Crown Financial Ministries writes this about "what the bible says about borrowing"

here is the link as well as I copied and pasted the artcle:

http://www.crown.org/LIBRARY/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=683

What the Bible says about borrowing
by Crown Financial Ministries
In a recent survey of several seminary students, it was determined that 70 percent of those surveyed felt that borrowing was scripturally prohibited. However, of those who felt that borrowing was prohibited, 90 percent admitted that they had to borrow in order to attend seminary. Is this a double standard, or is it a discomfiting presumption on the part of the seminary students? Perhaps it would be easier if God's Word did prohibit Christians from borrowing, but it does not. There is not a single verse that directs God's people not to borrow money. However, there is also no Scripture that encourages borrowing. In order for ministers to teach the biblical financial principles concerning borrowing, they first must know what God's Word says about borrowing. God's Word on borrowing Borrowing is always discussed in the Bible as a negative rather than a positive principle. In fact it seems to be a consequence of disobeying God's statues of economics and principles of finance. "He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you will be the tail. So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you" (Deuteronomy 28:44-45). The absolute minimum that God's Word establishes for anyone who borrows is found in Psalm 37:21, "The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives." If we don't want to be considered by God to be wicked, we must repay any money we have borrowed. It makes no difference whatsoever if the circumstances that prevent us from repaying are beyond our control. If we owe a debt, we must find a way to repay (Matthew 5:23-24), even if that means making special repayment arrangements with the creditor. The only biblical way to borrow Probably the most misunderstood financial principle in God's Word is His prohibition against surety (Proverbs 22:26-27). Surety is assuming an obligation to pay indebtedness without a sure way to pay it. Non-collateralized loans and cosigning are examples of surety. Surety means that we presume on the future. If everything goes as expected, we should be able to pay the money back. But, if something goes wrong and we are not able to repay, then we are left with a debt. It is only when collateral has been placed as security against the loan that is equal in value to the loan that we can avoid security. If we are unable to pay the loan back, the creditor can repossess and sell the collateral, which will satisfy the total amount of the loan. The Bible cautions against any type of loan that is not totally collateralized. If Christians would observe this one caution associated with borrowing, the most they could lose would be the security they had pledged against the loan. Conclusion Although borrowing is not directly prohibited in the Word of God, it is not encouraged either. If pastors will learn God's principles for borrowing and teach God's people those principles, much of the indebtedness within today's Christian society in America could be avoided and/or eliminated.

Cooking & Compromise

2008-09-29T13:08:00.001-04:00

*repost from large family cooking*

Compromise.... some see it as a dirty word and it can be, but sometimes when it comes to cooking for a large brood and maintaining mom's sanity, it's an excellent word to contemplate.

For several years now I've been very zealous about eating healthfully and trying to eat organic whenever possible. If you've ever tried this, you KNOW how expensive it can be in comparison to eating the "conventional" counterpart. At the beginning of this year my husband & decided that THIS would be the year we get out of debt and we didn't want to dawdle while doing it, we were going to do it AS FAST AS WE COULD. This meant several huge changes, one of them being the grocery budget (insert scary music here). On average we would spend $700 - 800 a month on groceries for our little family of 6 (note I was still exclusively breastfeeding baby #4 while spending all this money). We cut that amount in HALF, $400 a month or $100 a week for everything - food, diapers, toiletries, vitamins, etc. I made a very valiant effort the first three months of the year to keep feeding the family super healthy foods by cooking everything from scratch, cloth diapering so we could have more room for food in the budget and learning a special word...... PORTION CONTROL, lol. BUT I must admit I was going crazy.

Then in April, we discovered baby #5 (now known as Lily, due in January) was on her way! Something had to give. I couldn't home school, cook from scratch, cloth diaper, deal with DH starting a second job, & deal with the exhaustion that usually comes with the first trimester, all at once. So it all began with a small compromise... I bought sliced American cheese instead of a block of cheddar cheese which I would slice myself (gasp!). The simple fact that I did not have to slice my cheese and clean the cheese slicer one to two times a day was wonderful! Then I started buying my bread instead of baking it (saved myself the time & cleaning involved with making my own bread - even if the store bought bread wasn't as "healthy".) And so the compromises continued until I found peace about feeding my family. I now set a time limit as to how much time I am willing to commit to preparing food for any given meal. Breakfast (except on special occasions) must only take me 15 minutes or less to prepare and it has to be CHEAP so most mornings I cook old fashioned oatmeal mixed up with a little bit of brown sugar (and I'll often thrown in a banana or some cinnamon or a scoop of peanut butter), served up with a cup of milk. Lunch has been limited to 10 minutes (except when it involves mac & cheese, water takes longer to boil, lol) so often lunch is a sandwich with some veggies and or fruit on the side (again CHEAP is the name of the game as well, so carrots, apples, celery with cream cheese, in season fruit are all on the menu for side dishes). I give dinner a little more time 30 minutes unless it's something I can throw together quickly and pop in the oven to cook.

So I guess my point in all of this is even though we may all want our families to eat a certain way (insert your personal preference here) your sanity and good attitude is worth more than any particular way of eating. Your children, your husband, YOU need you to be sane more than we need our families to eat (again, insert your personal preference here), unless of course there is a food allergy involved, etc. Meals don't have to look perfect or be fancy - just nutritious enough and served with a smile on your face.

Proverbs 15:16-17 says:

"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred."

I've served mac & cheese way more than I would like to admit in the last several months, but you know what? My children have a much happy mommy because of it and THAT in my opinion that is more important.

rare, never before seen picture of....

2008-09-26T11:29:00.000-04:00

me! now you know the truth of what I look like pregnant - please excuse the spotty mirror and the goofy look on my face :D

25 weeks 2 days

A "Bail Out" plan I can get on board with!

2008-09-25T11:21:00.001-04:00

I read this on a message board I am a part of, I thought it was great! :D

Now here's a bail out plan that works!
I'm against the $85,000,000,000 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in "We Deserve It Dividend". To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 ± counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.. So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a "We Deserve It Dividend".

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00. What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves.

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do
it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ("vote buy") economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President. If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult US Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It Dividend" more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.
And remember, this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

24 week belly

2008-09-18T10:07:00.001-04:00

Stay At Home Mom Salary

2008-09-18T10:07:00.000-04:00

Since I should be getting some term life insurance soon I thought I'd figure out what my calculated income would be if you had to pay someone to do everything that I do :D because life insurance should be about 8-10 times your income.

Since I'm a stay at home mom and we homeschool, my "jobs" are four primary jobs.

As a teacher / private tutor, I would be paid $40,000 a year
As a live in nanny, I would be paid $26,000 a year
As a janitor (which includes laundry in this case) I would be paid $25,000 a year
As a line cook chef, I would be paid $20,000

Bringing our grand total to $111,000 a year but I work overtime too :)

On a salary of $111,000 a year, my hourly wage works out to be $53 an hour for 40 hours of work. If I only worked 20 hours "overtime" a week @ time and a half, that bumps my salary up $82,680 a year more.

So if you feel like hiring me any time soon to do what I do for my family, that will cost you $193,680 a year. Have a nice day :D

Lookie What I finished today :)

2008-09-17T21:01:00.001-04:00

I dye diapers - you can see my blog about it at www.mommyscott.blogspot.com

Here is an order I finished up today :D

BEFORE:

AFTER: <3

peekaboo

2008-09-17T10:14:00.001-04:00

Can She Pin A Diaper? Oh yes, she can!

2008-09-16T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am working on some blog posts, but since none of them are finished :) today you get a picture of Peter in a prefold diaper when I was learning how to use diaper pins. I was so proud of myself! I still am :D

I can even do it backwards! (if Peter will stay still long enough!)

and this one is just because he's so stinkin' cute :D

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-15T09:07:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share this today

2008-09-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

"I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

Debt Free

2008-09-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

Did you know that our family is only 32 days from being 100% DEBT FREE?????? Well now you do :D My wonderful husband (Nathaniel) has blogged his way through our journey so you can check it out here :)

Poop!

2008-09-10T06:39:00.000-04:00

Hopefully the title tells you enough to know that if you are faint of heart, STOP READING NOW lol!! Today I want to broach the subject of how to deal with your baby's poop & cloth diapers.

First, if I understand this correctly, disposable diaper companies now ask you to dump your baby's poop from the disposable diaper before throwing it away. That in and of itself makes cloth diapering and disposable diapering much more equal in the "yuck" factor. I have to say this is the only part about cloth diapering I do not like, dealing with the poop when my babies start solid foods of formula. If you don't already have children, here is a bit of the breakdown of "types" of baby poop.

First you have the newborn stage - baby is just born and passes the "meconium" which is thick and sticky and black : P (I highly recommend using disposables for the first few days so you don't even have to think about this one)

After the first few days, your baby will start passing normal poops which will increase in number until your baby levels out at about 6-10 times a day (this is usual breastfed infants, formula fed infants may poop less). This is NOT a recommendation for formula feeding, breast is best! But let's admit it out loud... life is not perfect and sometimes breastfeeding is just not going to "work out" for some people or they just choose not to breastfeed. On the occasion some babies (breastfed and formula fed) will poop a lot less frequently than this and I encourage you to read up on this yourself. Breastfed baby poop is "runny" and usually yellow, with little tiny solid pieces often described as "seedy". Formula fed baby poop will be more the consistency of peanut butter (lovely, I know :P).

When your baby starts solid foods this is when things get REALLY interesting. Usually your little ones poop will take on the color of whatever he or she has eaten (ie. after eating carrots, your LO's poop will be orange!) The consistency will vary from peanutbutter-ish to more solid-ish. If your little one is having HARD poops, that is a sign of a problem and please talk to your pediatrician about this. I have found for my kiddos, that this usually meant I needed to adjust something about their diet.

Now that we covered the basic types of poop (btw - I am AMAZED that you have made it thus far!) let's talk about how to "deal" with them when it comes to cloth diapering!

Newborn breastfeed baby poop is pretty straightforward. If you plan on doing your diaper washing at least every other day (which is what I personally recommend) can just be thrown all together in the washer and put through one COLD rinse before washing in hot water. If you're a little more concerned about stains on your diapers, you can rinse your newborns poopy diaper in cold water, right after you change it.

People who rinse their diapers right away usually recommend a "diaper sprayer" which just makes it more convenient to clean off the poop. I've also seen people install an extra long hose to their shower head so it will easily reach their toilet and just used that (with an on / off switch in stalled on the shower head so you don't spray water all over the place) This is a cheap option and I believe you can get what you need to do this at home depot or lowes for $15. I'm a rebel.... I when I do need to rinse my poopy diapers, I rinse them in the bath tub using the shower head. It sounds gross, but honestly I clean up after doing this so it's a pretty good option. After spraying off the poopy diaper I just place it in a bucket and rinse down the bath tub with hot water. Then I spray the tub down with white vinegar (which disinfects) which I keep handy in a spray bottle in my bathroom. Easy Peeasy!

Formula fed and solid food fed peanutbutter-ish poop is a little more complicated and there are a few different tactics to this one. What I recommend doing for this stage of the game is a useful little tool I like to call the "poopsula" (which is a spatula you keep in the bathroom LABELED so no one picks it up to use it for anything else). After changing your little one's diaper (I like to use disposable wipes for poopy diaper changes so I can just toss them) take your LO's peanutbutter-ish poopy diaper into the bathroom and use your useful "poopsula" to scrape off the majority of the poopies and deposit them in the toilet. I then wipe off the "poopsula" with a piece of toilet paper and hide it behind the toilet so certain little three year olds I know don't play with it (can we say YUCK??!??) Then proceed to rinse your diaper with cold water as described above and deposit in dirty diaper bucket or pail (whichever you choose to use).

When poopies become a little more solid they will usually just plop off the diaper and into the toilet (wonderful!) and you can rinse off any remaining poopies as described above in the newborn poopy section.

That is all for today - next I plan on discussing "washing your diapers" :) toodles!