what's new....

if you haven't ordered anything from Avon recently, then you are missing out!!!! from the amazing fragrances to gorgeous beauty products and all that wonderful skincare to keep you looking as young as you feel!

can you tell i have an Avon business yet? i know how discreet i can be!! hee hee

click here to shop on my web store or send me an email (floodedbygrace@gmail.com) and i'll get you a book and get you all that your heart desires...

...only 10 more days 'til Christmas!!!

a Christmas greeting and 2009 rewind...

Merry Christmas to You!!!!

another year is drawing to a close, Christmas 2009 is just a couple weeks away with 2010 waiting to burst forth with endless possibilities and potential!! yes, i have much anticipation for the beginning of a new calendar and a list of goals (God willing!) that we hope to work on & move toward in 2010... and let just get this out of the way, it is so odd to be typing 2010!! wasn't i just getting accustomed to writing 2000 and BAM!! ten years have flown by!!


but before we move on to a new year, i don't want to forget all that has happened in 2009. we are so thankful that you have taken a minute to drop in and read about our family (fyi... we invited all our family & friends on our Christmas cards to stop in) and all that we have going on in our world!! feel free to pursue the blog, read past writings, visit my Community, check out the beautiful pictures of my POK* and please leave us a quick 'merry Christmas' or somethin' in the comments so we know you stopped by!!


*POK: Posse of Kiddos

so what happened in our life this past year? hhhmmm..

.. well let's see if i can recount all the blessings and events of this year:

• my amazing Man has traveled all over the country this year for work, from California to Alabama, South Carolina to Las Vegas, Dallas to Georgia... the life of a corporate mogel is never boring, hee hee!! it is definitely a bit of a strain here at home when he has to be gone for a week or two at a time but i am incredibly proud of him and how he has climbed the preverbial corporate ladder. the Lord has truly given favor in abundance to Daddy, and while work isn't necessarily fun, it is a blessing in and of itself to have a great job in a rather lousy economy (but a lousy economy is a whole other post!!)
  
  



• we are blessed, oh so blessed to be planted in an awesome church!! i am involved in the worship & praise team department along with assisting with leading our high school choir; wow it has been such a great experience. i have since taken a step back, leave of absence so to speak, just because the life of mothering 3 kiddos many times doesn't leave an abundance of time. but i am working with the toddler department now and teaching on Sunday mornings and this has been a great, great, great experience. the Man also has a ministry in the early childhood department working security in the elementary area... not because our 1st graders are out of control!! but to keep them safe :) and he is really enjoying this position and this allows him to meet & hang out with others in the church. 'P' is a big kid now (then why am i still cutting up his chicken at dinner?...) and has services in the realife building just for junior highers and i love seeing his desire to know God grow and to serve the Lord boldly!! nothing brings us deeper joy. my lil' girlie 'S' has service in the upper elementary department and again she is great at memorizing Scripture, and she is a worshipper!! it's awesome!! and well, baby 'K', he loves coloring his Bible pictures, playing at playland during service and he says "Je-vus is gud", what more can we ask for at 2 1/2?!!
  
  






• this year we are a completely all natural, organic food eating family!! we i use all natural cleaners for our fun household duties and i'm going to start intergrating tofu, sshhh!! your gag reflex might have just showed itself, but this part of our lives, going organic, has been a great experience for all of us in trying new things and i highly recommend trying to cut out just a few artifical elements from your foods and see how you feel :) . we started the all natural route in late 2008 due to my sudden turn for the worse with sickness, and along with the guidance of my natropathic physican and my own intense research, we went all natural, baby!!! and we aren't looking back!! it has blessed our entire family's health and has been fun to make 95% of all of our food from scratch... it's been fun for me to cook more, which i really do love. how about you: are you organic?

that isn't even close to all the blessings but i don't have 67 hours to write this, you know?!

let me brag on each Kiddo real quick and give you the low down on what they've been up to:

• master 'P' is a great 11 1/2 year old kiddo, who got baptized in water this year after realizing the importance of being completely obedient to God's calling on his life (yea!!!), he played football again this year in the Mighty Mites league and was the starting tight end & backup quarterback and defensive end and yes i know what all those positions are and didn't have to ask my Man for help (giggle), he plays on 2 different competitive basketball teams and is working extraordinarily hard to develop his talents and loves playing ball, 'P' is an amazing student on the honor roll whose fav subjects are science & writing & recess (that's from his mouth!!), he went to KC Chiefs football camp for the second time in June and had a stupendous time, participated in an endless string of basketball & football camps, went to church camp for a week, he is a outstanding big brother who truly loves his sister and is a great example for his little brother, 'P' is an awesome kid that we are so privileged to call our son and we are so proud of his heart, his attitude...

• lil' girlie 'S' has a heart of gold trimmed in pink!!, she is not only a beauty outside but on the inside as well, she is compassionate and kind, she has been named Caring Kid of her class each year, she will play with everyone but is totally okay spending time in her room for hours practicing to be a mommy (that is what she wants to be when she grows up!! along with being a pop star..), she has been taking piano lessons against her strong will since early summer and is doing very well with an upcoming winter recital, she is playing basketball this year, she attended cheerleading camp & had an awesome experience and she is soooo excited about pursuing this, she spent 3 days at church camp and she didn't cry at all (i can't say the same about me, it was her first year to attend...), she is a straight A student, she loves to read Fancy Nancy books, her will is strong and tenacious with a strong sense of justice, and she loves it when 'P' lets her tag along with him around the neighborhood and she loves mothering baby 'K', she still loves to sit on my lap and snuggle, she is a Daddy's girl and loves to go on Daddy dates, and we couldn't imagine life without her!!







• sweet baby 'K' is all boy, running & jumping & throwing a ball all the time, he has grown so much in 2009, he is always talking and is following the example of his siblings 'cause when i call out to him he doesn't come, he just yells back "Wah?", he is a beautiful boy with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, he potty-trained this year (thank you God!!), his best friend is our mammoth great dane puppy Magnus, he is ever-so-much in love with his Mama, loves to wrestle with his Daddy, his big "bubba" is his hero and he follows 'P' everywhere while holding onto his hand, his "zizzy" is who he goes to when he needs a kiss and hug and loves to snuggle with her & look at books, he absolutely completes our family and while he is a wild child we love him immensely!!
  

(halloween outreach at church)

in 2009 we've been thankful for...

• our jobs, while so many have experienced this hardship we've been blessed with the Lord's provision. my career has taken many hard blows due to the state of our economy but i'm still hanging on and my Man has had a crazy, busy career in 2009 (as i previously wrote) and the Lord has really used him to speak Life to those who don't know Him.





• when my Man's car emploded, we were so thankful for the blessing of a (almost) brand new suv for him and it didn't cost us very much at all





• healthy kiddos who are strong and growing (believe me! i have the grocery receipts to prove it!)





• the Lord's leading in strengthening our marriage through revealing His plans & will for our family. we are working, God willing, on me being a full-time at-home mama and this is a wonderful yet difficult path right now. we are selling our home & down-sizing a little, shaving some luxuries out of our lives, but as we work & pray on this, the Lord has drawn us even closer to each other and to Him





• that the Lord has sustained me physically and grown me spiritually. i have suffered so much over the last 18 months with illness & horrible pain, and when i think back to this time last year, we wondered if i would even be here a year later but God is so good (read Romans 8.28) and He is my Healer. and while i have claimed healing before only to have this disease resurface, many times worse than before, i know that i am healed by His stripes and this trial has been a blessing to my walk with God, it has drawn my Man deeper with Jesus, shown my kiddos how to suffer well & to walk in faith.





• our family and friends, near and far. it is a blessing to do life with those that lift you up with their words and actions, but to also be used to pour into others lives.





• the research work i do for natropathic medicine and how this has totally changed our lives, our health, it is a blessing...

okay, your retinas are bleeding profusely by now!! so i'll wrap up this 2009 rewind...

during this 2009 Christmas season it is our family's prayer for you to think back over the year and recall the countless blessings that have been bestowed upon you & your family; that you remember that it has nothing to do with the amount of gifts under the tree but that you spend time growing closer to Jesus & celebrating His birthday; hug your loved ones tightly and know that we are not promised another day, another moment to love them, that God's gift of love is for you and those around you, how cool is that?!

our family loves you all, have a very merry Christmas!!!

if you are able to come and celebrate with us, we are hosting a Christmas Open House next Saturday the 19th from 2p to 8p. come by the house anytime, stay as long or as little as you please, eat some of my organic cookies (they're awesome!!) and drink coffee while we catch up on life. email me if you need more info or directions, floodedbygrace@gmail.com and i'll get back with you asap.

'when they [the wisemen] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him.' Matthew 2.10-11

Not Me! Monday... by author unknown

i just love Not Me! Monday, how about you? except this week's edition of this wonderfully fun & delightful blog carnival, created by MckMama and you can head to her blog right this very minute and link up there and read all the other Not Me! posts as well, is not my own. i know, maybe it's just laziness or that i really didn't have the best week last week and would simply prefer to forget it and move on!!

i've been unpacking the Christmas decorations this week, and i came across this article i saved from many years ago about what a mom would want for Christmas. i thought i'd share it with all of you since it makes me laugh out loud almost every time i read it because it is so true!!! and i would love to give credit to its author but it was simply signed -Author Unknown. so whoever you are, i love this Christmas Wish List for a Mom...

"well, i've been a good mom all year. i have fed, cleaned, and cuddled all my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my own doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground, and figured out how to fix my daughter's worn out pants with staples and a glue gun. i was hoping to spread my list out over several Christmases, since i had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, not knowing when i'll find any more free time in the next 18 years.

for Christmas...

i would like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming kid out of the candy aisle at the grocdry store. i'd also like a waist, since i mysteriously lost mine sometime in the past few years. i'd also like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper wher i can hide to talk on the phone in peace.

on the practical side, i could use a talking daughter doll that says, "yes, Mommy, whatever you say," to boost my parental confidence, along with kids who don't fight, and (for myself) three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. i could also use a recording of Gregorian monks chanting, "don't eat in the living room" and "take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. and pelase don't forget the playdoh travel pack, the hottest stocking stuffer ths year for mothers of young children. it comes in three fluorescent colors and is guaranteed to crumble on any carpet. it will make my in-law's house see just like mine.

if it's too late to find any of these products, i'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth, shower, and comb my hair in the same morning or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature. and while i am on a roll, would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? it will clear my conscience immensely.

it would be helpful if my children would volunteer to help around the house without demanding payment as if they wre the bosses of an organized crime family, or if any of them didn't look so cute sneaking into the kitchen to eat ice cream in their pajamas at midnight.

well, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. i think he wants his crayon back."

okay wipe the tears of laughter out of your eyes!! have a very blessed day!! and check out my All By Grace Blog Frog Community to leave your praise report or prayer request for the week!!

a Christmas challenge...

i did it.... yes i woke up at the insane hour of 3:30am on Black Friday morn, i quietly washed my tired eyes in the bathroom, hoping i wouldn't wake baby 'K' as he snuggled with daddy in bed, and i applied new makeup as i ran over my list of gifts in my groggy head. our lists are shorter this year than last, we drew names for some of the upcoming Christmas gatherings instead of buying a gift for every single person (which shortens the list quite a bit with families as large as ours!), and this year has been less profitable in some ways due to the economy and such... so as i slipped on my nikes, grabbed my scarf and my vitamin water, crammed all the ads in my bag along with my trustly list, i was out the door for some Black Friday shopping!!!

i turned on the radio to fill me heart with some Christmas music before braving the crowds at my first stop, and asked myself again, i think i said it outloud even, was i really sure that i wanted to do this yet another year? well, too late for second guesses, i'm up and i'm gonna get all these things on my list, no matter what!!

i had brought my book with me, i know how long the lines can be and this year i was shopping alone so what better time to catch up on my reading... and on a side note i'm in the middle of reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, oh my goodness!!! this is an amazing book, truly calling us to live out our love for Christ boldly!! go buy it right now, seriously, merry Christmas to yourself!! okay, back to the gist of this tall tale: long lines=read a book... but i didn't grab the book, nope! darn! so i just struck up conversations with the other weary looking women standing in lines, trying to make the best of it, attempting not to be annoyed that this line was taking forever and the longer i stood here the greater chance someone else was at toys r us buying the 5am doorbusters instead of me!!! ahem...sorry for my little fit of shopping rage.

have you ever stood in a crowd and just watched people? while forever standing in the WM lines i looked around me, waving to some other moms i knew several lines over, and i saw my brother & sister-in-law checking out as well, but i saw many faces i didn't recognize and saw the stress & weariness in many eyes. now i do realize it was 5:20am and probably many hadn't even gone to bed yet, however it was a weariness that doesn't come from lack of sleep but from the stresses of life. does my face look weary to the others standing around me? do i wear my worries on my face too? where is the JOY?!!!

so these thoughts were abruptly interrupted as i got to move up in line, checkout and drive on my merry way to the next store with my organized list sitting next to me as a reminder of all that i had to track down

as i walked the aisles, annoyed about all the toys that were already gone, scooters that were no where to be found, i did remind myself to smile and say "hi!" and spread Christmas cheer. and while feeling frustrated and slightly disoriented & overwhelmed i reminded myself that all of this stuff didn't really matter... it is not in the least bit important!! my children will not be sitting on a couch with their therapist someday tearing up about the iPod they didn't receive, or the barbie dolls were not the right ones (and if they are, i have seriously failed as a mama!!). we enjoy blessing our kiddos with gifts and fun outings, we get much happiness being able to provide them with everything they need, due entirely to God's flood of grace & blessing & provision in our lives!! just fyi..., and the majority of what they want. so while i try desperately each birthday and Christmas to dive into the depths of my creativity for the perfect gift, this year i just keep hitting a brick wall... because my children have need of nothing!!!

i left the toy store as i was mulling over these thoughts, really in prayer because i felt a real heaviness of the Spirit as i waited in traffic, watching again all the hectic shoppers in their cars fighting for a parking spot, or rushing for a much desired gift, and i began to cry... this is all so meaningless! the Lord brought the Kaat family and Jaymun to my mind and i know that for Christmas they would just love to be able to squeeze & kiss all over that sweet boy. and as i prayed the Lord's peace and blessings for them, He reminded me of my friend Stephanie and her awesome hubby Eric & their 3 kiddos and how Eric & the kids would love nothing more than for mommy to be here this year, and how this will now be Christmas #2 without her.

"God why are you bringing all of this to me today? what is it that you want me to do? this their someone we need to bless? what?!"

and the longer i sat in the truck just crying and praying, trying to understand the root of all this joyless-ness i had seen today, He began to reveal purpose of this heaviness i had seen and felt in my shopping endeavers all morning. our family has need of very little... yes, we are trying to sell our house and i'd love a home depot card to be able to finish up a few projects prior to selling, and yes, the 4 wheel drive needs fixed on the truck and we'd like to take the kids on vacation soon... but nonetheless, in the grand scheme of things we need very little.

the Lord has graciously provided needed mercy in regards to my disease this year & poured into me like no other time in my life; and my Man is healthly & strong & loving & an amazing leader of our family; my love, master 'P' is in perfect health & becoming a teenager (yuck!! :) ) and is such a smart & intutitive boy; lil' girlie 'S' is all heart & she hasn't experienced any further hearing problems and the Lord has restored her ears to pretty much perfect condition; and baby 'K' is all-boy all the time with a toddler zest for life with inquisitive twinkle in his eye, and while he had a hard winter/spring last season with 3 bouts of pnemonia & hearing loss/ear problems due to an endless string of ear infections & a surgery, he is very well & healthy!! SEE!! i have all my children, my husband is right next to me (ok, not physically right now..) and i have a Lord and Savior who sooo loves me!!

but i am struck with compassion and grief for those near to my heart who could care less about the black friday sales, they just want their baby healthy again and in their arms!! and while i know that sweet little Jaymun resides right next to Jesus (this very moment he is running & jumping on the streets of gold with Jesus!! wow...), his family aches deeply for his physically presence... so my thoughts moved from sadness in the midst of the crazy shopping experience to "how can my family bless those that need some joy & hope & encouragement... and maybe a gift or two?"

if my kiddos and our family has need of very little in the gift department, then how about we transfer our money and our time to those who do? now this does not mean i have since taken every gift i bought for the Posse of Kiddos back to the stores, but it does mean that this year we're going with three boxes a piece. where did i get the idea for three gifts? well, this whole Christmas season is the celebration of the birth of our King, right?!! and if the King, our Creator, only received three gifts on His first birthday then that seems like a right number to us then too! i have three boxes for each of the kids and i'll put several trinkets and stuff in each box, but this will limit my shopping for them if i know i have limited space. so what about that extra money and time...

we are spending some time this month at our local Ronald McDonald House to bless families whose babes are sick with meals, gifts, and our time to talk & pray with them. we want to bless them with some gifts that maybe they don't have the time or money to go buy. i want to be used of the Lord to bring His joy to people that are going through a trial that might be overwhelming them. we are doing this in honor of Jaymun this year... there is so many more important victories to be won than scoring the latest and greatest toy.

i challenge those of you to stop in the midst of the hussle and bussle of the Christmas season, quiet yourself in the presence of God, spend more time loving on your kids than buying toys for them, look up from your to-do list to see the others around you that need a word of life, take your gently used toys to the local homeless shelter or women/childrens mission houses (i have the kids do this a couple times a year to teach 1. generosity & selflessness 2. gratitude 3.love for those you don't even know), call your local hospitals and ask what their children's floors might need for playrooms.

i'm so thankful that the Lord stopped me long enough to remind me again, that this life as a child of God is not about me at all... it is entirely about what God is doing in me and through me. thank you Jesus for using a sinner saved by grace, such as me, to show my children how to love selflessly and use the blessings you've so graciously poured out on our family to bless others.....

so... what are you going to do to bless someone else? share your ideas & thoughts, i'd love to hear 'em!!!

Not Me! Monday

did you clean up your home for company this Thanksgiving but really just threw everything into the walk-in closets? was your homemade pumpkin pie something you really picked up at the store on your way to the in-laws? well, don't sweat it!! Not Me! Monday was created by Ms.MckMama so we could share our minor flaws and live to mother our babes another day!! if you want to play along you can link up your site at MckMama's blog, and this way i can visit you as well!!

so.... what did i not do this past week? so glad you asked!!

my most perfect and wonderful baby 'K' did not throw huge, loud, obnoxious fits during our family photo shoot last weekend, nope!!! i have raised an excellent babe that follows directions and smiles on command... we would never have to re-think the above picture to allow poor, whiny 'K' to be held by his mama during the pictures just to try and get a shot without massive amounts of screaming and wailing....

our Thanksgiving day was fabulous with so much food, and because i am such a wonderful steward of my leftovers i most certainly did not throw stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, some biscuits into the trash can because i couldn't fit anything else in my fridge. i planned everything really well and would never over-cook and then have too much to keep and send with others.... but it was so yummy!!! if you haven't made homemade sweet potatoe fries, then you are missing out!!








i did not wake up at 3:30am on friday morning, and i did not join hundreds of others at walmart, and toys r us, and target, and old navy and flame and flare to get the supposedly best deals of the whole year. i am such a good planner of my time i did not spend too much time in the line at walmart only to miss out on some of the items at toys r us, and if i had done that i would not still be a little irriated about it because there are only certain things that would impress a tween boy and i might have missed out on purchasing them, if i had gone out shopping with all the other crazy people.... :)






okay so that's my weekly wrap-up on all the thing i did not do..... what you been doin'?

calling all my Sisters!!!

i enjoy planning and organizing events, well really anything in general: i find it fun to organize my grocery lists, my photos, make sure my cupboards have all the labels showing... ahem, okay i didn't mean to reveal all of my overly compulsive habits, but all of this to say that i love planning an event!

however i am not always the most hospitable. i love the planning, the decorating, but i struggle with the hostessing... not that i'm a bad hostess but i struggle in the department of having deeper, more meaningful relationships, even with people in my own family (not my Man or kiddos but extended fam). those reading this that know me, even just on an acquintance basis, probably don't believe a lick of what i've just written. it is in me to be social and i have no fear of talking up a storm about any & all things and i am the first to want to jump in & help whoever needs it. i have to be a 'people-lover' and a chatty lady simply by the career i have chosen in marketing/sales, no one wants to be sold by a grumpy, uncommunicative advertising executive. but i digress.... allowing family, friends, acquintances and random strangers (okay not all random strangers) into my heart and to show them the love of Jesus can be difficult for me, opening up my own heart and revealing the good, the bad and all the stuff in between makes me uncomfortable and if i'm being totally honest with you, i get a little sick feeling in my stomach when i think about letting others truly know me...









i don't have skeletons waiting to climb out of my closet and divulge random, embarrassing moments or the choices made with little thought, we all have those and if you are curious about if i've ever bounced a check or told a lie, then just leave me a comment and i'll fill you in :) oh and yes i have done both in my life....









i do want to have better friendships, i want to encourage others with my words and my actions, i want to live out Titus 2 in mentoring younger women in loving their family & serving God with all they are, i want to learn from other women and be mentored by them as well! so as the Lord has laid these desires, obviously not my own, on my heart and mind i've taken the step of obedience and started with hosting a Sisters Party!!









this has been so much fun for me!! all these desires loving placed in my heart from the Lord have become my plans & goals.... cool how just following God with my actions gives Him the opportunity to change my heart... love planning the wonderful Christmas ornament craft, making the yummy cake and my sister-in-law, ms.M, and i had the best time creating the invitations for all of our most amazing Sisters!! it is exciting for me to have this chance to bring together a group of splendid women to fellowship around a cup of coffee & a cup of glitter and hot glue, and allow the each other into our lives and hearts. it doesn't happen at the first party or maybe even the second, but as our group expands and as i allow the Lord to work in His way, this will be a blessing for all of us. i will have the opportunity to let others pray for me as i let them see my emotional scars and be ever so blessed because of it, and lift them up as i share the victory of God's work in those trials that left a mark....











what i've learned as i've wrestled with God over this new ministry He's handed to me, is it is simply prideful of me to think that i can do it all on my own. while He has gifted me in many things, i need a word from a fellow Sister to pick me up or a hand planning a school event, it doesn't mean i'm less because i need someone, right?! and on the flip-side, it is totally selfish to not socialize with my Sisters, because God has given me talents & gifts & insight, just like He' probably given to you, and He just might want to use me to bless another girl if i spent some time with her!!!









we had a great time last weekend, and i'm so excited about our next Sisters Gathering in late January.... can you say cookie exchange?!! would you like to join us? yeah!!! i totally want to see you there, so if you weren't on the mailing list before, i am so sorry i overlooked you, but give me a shout at floodedbygrace@gmail.com and i'll fill you in on all the details.









i love socializing with everyone in the blog world, and just looking forward to growing the Flooded By Grace crowd as well as my group of Sisters (& some Brothers out there) here in Fly Over Country!!!

Not Me! Monday

so the dishes have sat in the sink for a week a few days and now you're just washing plates as you need them... or you have an art project on the kitchen counter, the sewing maching taking up space on the kitchen table and Thanksgiving prep spread out on the dining room table... who doesn't?!! not me! Monday was created by MckMama out of her desire to share some minor imperfections with other super-moms. if you wanna play along head over to her blog and link up there!

so my Amazing Man has had many business trips as of late, so while he was saving the world out in south carolina & las vegas for 2 weeks, i did not make peanut butter & honey sandwiches for dinner some nights and i did not keep putting off sweeping the kitchen/dining room/living room and i did not let all the kiddos sleep with me at night since i was all by my lonesome.... i am way too concerned with always having all my meals planned out with just the right portions of veggies & carbs and letting the dog & cat hair blanket the hardwoods for days on end would never happen in my perfect home... ahem, anyways....

while being of the chairpeople at my lil' Lou-Woo's school charged with planning the Fall Carnival, i was not way over my head in things to do and having to also keep track of Big 'K' was so not a big deal. so i definitely did not bribe him with suckers & popcorn & cheetos (not the all natual ones either!) while he sat in his stroller as mama pushed him up and down the halls prepping, talking, running, putting out fires for 4 hours... i do not believe in bribing my kids, they must be obedient regardless of the chaotic situation!! wow, we missed daddy while he was gone!

there is of course many more things i would love to share with you if i had actually done them, but i have many things to do this happy, albeit cold Monday.

however you should come back by later for some info on a very fun Sisters Party i'm hosting this weekend!!!

and here's just a cute pic of mama and my girlie!! be blessed!

better late than never!

it seems like forever ago that i wrote this post about my initial thoughts for you all on treating illness and flu/colds with natural medicine. and i so graciously asked you all for your two cents on the subject and since i have the most shy blog readers in all of creation (and i still love you all and am so glad that you are walking along the paths of this life with me even though your participation skills need some work, giggles!!) i only had two comments....

thus the winner i chose is ms.vernette mullins, she is a rep for a natropathic business and had a great comment!! so vernette, send me an email (floodedbygrace@gmail.com) and let me know how to get your Bonnots Mill candle to you!!!! i got you harvest spice, very yummy!!

i have lots of things to talk to you all about in the next few days, and a special Sisters Party i am hosting next weekend, so i will fill you in on the details of that tomorrow...

be blessed, remember that Jesus soooo loves you and i'll talk to you tomorrow!!

a superhero, a monster and a cow are walking down the street...

tell me if you've heard this one before: Wonder Woman, a zombie monster and a baby cow are walking down the street.... hee hee!!!

okay i'm just kidding, well about the joke but i did see all of the above walking down the road on Halloween night.... and guess what?! they were my super-fantabulous Posse of Kiddos!!!

while this year was a little off because 'P' is now officially too old to go trick-or-treating, so we had one less kidlet to chase up and down the driveways, we all had a great night.

my sweet little girlie was the ever invincible Wonder Woman!!! right down to the head band, braclets and knee boots!! just missing the invisible jet, darn!

and while we were treking through the neighborhood i could hear screams of fright and terror... coming from the general direction of my home... hhmmmmm... what could it be?

it was of course my eldest babe taking the opportunity to scare the life right out of all the trick-or-treaters brave enough to head towards our door and plead for candy!! when you see this picture of a dead zombie monster sprawled out across a bale of hay, it seriously looks like a Halloween prop, but you'd be wrong!!! it was my usually gentle mannered boy 'P' creeping out all who dare to trespass!!! (just cackle a wicked laugh right now.. lol) now his Nana did have to come out and remind him to be careful with the little kids, so don't worry, i'm sure no one is scarred for life :)

and how could i leave out a stupendously beautiful picture of my adorable little cow, baby 'K'... everyone say "aaaawwwww" together!! isn't he the cutest? okay so maybe he was not into leaving the hood on except when we walked up to the doors, he'd allow it on long enough to say "treat, peeessss! i a cow... mmmmmooooooooo!!" with a giant grin, take the candy, look it over and once approved, plop it into his bucket, say "tank yoo", quickly pull the hood off and make his way to the next house.... it was fun, fun, fun!

not only did we have some great family time tricking and treating, we were at an awesome party at church earlier in the day jumping on inflatable, eating hot dogs and seeing many families hear the Gospel and receiving the best treat: the ultimate love & salvation of Jesus!!!

so what did you guys do on Halloween: trick or treat?!!!

ponder my shoes...

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 4.25-27 (ESV)

i give a lot of thought to what shoes i buy and wear each day; i love, love, love shoes!! they don't have to be the top designer and most expensive shoes (except those are the ones that seem to catch my eye first!!) but i love a shoe that makes a statement, my shoes (typically) are a big part of my accessories as i choose my outfit for the day. i love heels! i love high, 4 inch stelleto heels!! oh, and sandles! cute, strappy heels with a pretty pedicure and a shiny toe ring!! love, love, love it!!

okay, so maybe you think i have officially jumped off the deep end of the clog at this point but i am moving towards a point...

while reading my Bible one evening, i was in Proverbs and came across the verse i began this post with, and verse 26 jumped out at me like it hadn't before: Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. hhhhmmmmmm..... the path of my feet... i take a lot of time to decide what color i adorn my toes in, and i search far and wide for glorious shoes that will accent my feeties ever so beautifully, but am i giving as much thought as to the path i walk in my hot pink heels? are you?

maybe you're not strolling around in 4 inch pink slingbacks, but it is an important and thought-provoking verse all the same, don't ya think?

i am so not perfect, probably the biggest understatment i've written thus far, however i have become ever so cautious with my steps and sensitive to the Spirit's guidance in my life. i still have many times a week that i regret an insensitive word and get upset with myself for not fully trusting in God's provision for me, and i could go on. however, i have thankfully taken to heart the Word and the lessons learned from my past faults with a hope to not repeat.

so my path... well, here's some things along my path right now that i am excited about and what i feel i'm in the process of learning:

...to open up my life and heart to those that the Lord brings onto my path. i have always struggled to truly let others in for fear of being hurt or getting left behind if they really knew me and i tend to just want to do most things on my own because i feel like i can do it better. but the Lord has really shown me how prideful it is to think i can do it on my own without others; it is a lonely road when we isolate ourselves & God uses people and what if He wants to use others to bless my walk?! and if i have shut off others from really getting to know me then i have cut off a way to know the Lord deeper. nope!!! i want my path to cross with many others so that i can share my experiences with them and theirs with me; that we can really live into Proverbs 27.17: 'Iron sharpens iron, and one man (or woman) sharpens another.'

...to fully accept the gift of love God has for me!! Jesus has done great things in my life, my whole life!! but we can miss it when we don't take that step of faith and believe with our whole hearts that Jesus died for us and loves us with an amazing and extravagent love. He loves every single part of me and that He has forgiven me and i am redeemed. i have walked with God for awhile now, a close walk, but i have missed out on a much deeper relationship because i've missed this. He loves me!! the King, the Creator loves me! i am a daughter of the Most High Lord and He will use my hurts, my scars, my joys and my pains to reveal His ultimate glory if i understand His unfailing love for me. He sooooo loves you too!! have you fully accepted that gift or have others tried to steal it from you? have you believed the lies of the devil that you aren't good enough for God's love? he's a liar!!! and the gift of mercy and grace and freedom is for all who want it.

....to serve my family. i have a tendancy to get sidetracked.. i know hard to believe, huh?! but i need to simplify and focus more. my path needs to be a little less crowded by projects and more overgrown with time spent just playing and reading and talking and pruning my little Posse of Kiddos as they are growing into small people who will be accountable for their own paths. i love all the things i do at the big kids schools, and they love how involved i am, i only do it for them anyway, but sometimes in the process of 'doing it for them' the project overtakes my life and thus takes valuable time away from the ones i started doing it for in the first place! as i move forward, i want to clear my path so God can work in a greater way according to His will at that time and i don't become so busy that i don't leave any time for God and His work.

my path can be rocky and i struggle to understand the trials that continue like a lingering disease that has finally been diagnosed but without a definitive cure, or why family relationships are strained and seemingly difficult, but i will continue to walk my path as long as my Father goes before me and clears the way. it wasn't meant to be easy, but He asked me to trust and believe that His ways are higher and His plan is greater than i can comprehend; and i will from now until i meet Him face to face one day!!!

I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice...' Proverbs 8.20

What Would Your Child Say?! Wednesday

i love the sweet nothings that come out of the mouths of my babes... sometimes its a whining, screeching, crying nothing, but that is neither here nor there, i love hearing the voices and giggles of my children. i have those days, i'm sure you've had them as well, when every request or question simply grades on my nerves and i want to say "please leave me alone for 10 seconds!", it is then i have to remind myself that there will be a day not so far away that the bickering voices will be grown and not with me every day, those sweet ramblings of the school day's events will be a phone call every couple of days.... those thoughts occur to me often and humble me to kneel down to my babe's level and look them in the eye more and listen intently to their stories and requests and questions, because i do truly love the things my splendid Posse of Kiddos say!

so in celebration of the scruptious words of my babes, i wanted to play in the What Would Your Child Say! Wednesday carnival so graciously hosted by Family American Style, and if you would love to play along you should visit Marianne and link up your post too!!

it started with baby 'P', as a toddler he began the cutest thing: when in need of some mama-cuddling he would waddle over to me, lift his arms up to me and say "mommy, hole jew..hole jew" what?... oh!!! hold you!! i realized instead of saying 'hold me' he was rightly repeating what he heard me keep saying to him which was "what mommy to hold you?" so this sweet saying of my babes wanting to hold me has continued with lil' Lou-Woo and on to big 'K' and it does bring a smile to me face each day still when i hear 'K' behind me, gently yanking on my shirt pleading for the chance to "hole jew!!" (this pic is one of those moments we want to hold mama..)

this week at lil' Lou-Woo's school it is Red Ribbon Week, in celebration of living drug free!! so each day has it's own special theme and yesterday was Fancy Day!! well that is so right up my girlie's league!! she loves everything girlie & fancy, and we had a brand new dress she got as a birthday gift; so all is going to be perfection, right?

i don't know what happens to my precious daughter when she wakes in the morning, but the bad mood bug bites her the minute i ask her to put clothes on... why is that?! but you would have thought i asked her to stand on her head and juggle cats with her feet, when all i said was "please put your tights on so then we can get your gorgeous dress on!!" after much stomping and explaining to me ever so sweetly whining to me in the most annoying way ever that the tights were itchy and uncomfortable, they're ugly and stupid, we did get the dress on along with our shoes... oh i haven't even gotten to the fun part yet: fixing her hair!! and her new hair cut is so marvelous!! i love it!! Lou-Woo and i joke that i'm jealous of her hair, and she thinks her new cut is wonderful (i'm so glad, you never know!).

well i did fix her hair, but as you will see in the photo it is without decoration, but i don't even want to replay the drama that came with the big red bow that was adorning her shiny locks. but as i took her picture before we darted out the door she did make me giggle with her remarks...

me: please give me a smile for one of these photos, sis. it is not the end of the world even if you think so now. you look seriously ticked off in...

sis: (interupting me)well, it's because i kinda am, geez...

well i did try to hide my smile and giggle because she was being a little snide, but my giggle made her giggle and we forgot very quickly that we were irritated and hugged and then jetted to school to waltz around all day in her magnificent gown!!

and i would be remiss if i didn't brag a little a lot about my girlie's award she received this week at school as this month's Caring Kid!!! and the following is not what my sweet girl said but what was said about her:

she follows the rules even when no one is watching; she is kind to everyone; she is kind; she is a hard worker and helps others in class with their work; she is a good leader; she goes above and beyond to help others and her school. i could go on, i was given a paper that was filled front and back with comments from her teachers and her classmates about all the qualities that make her an absolutely outstanding student and friend. she truly hates to be the center of attention, but she was very humble and did enjoy getting to put up her handprint on the Caring Kid banner...

and i do know that i have three kiddos, and i have not forgotten my eldest babe, 'P'. and what he said almost in passing this week meant so much to me. as we were finishing dinner one evening this last week, we, for some reason, were talking about be daddy's girls or mama's boys and daddy and i were giving 'P' a little teasin' about how much he was a mama's boy when he as a little boy. and as i got up to clear the plates he came up to me, hugged me tight and said "i'm still a mama's boy." aaaawwwww!!! i know!!! i could have cried big tears of joy right there but i held back and kissed his head, hugged him back and memorized that moment in my permanent files...

what did your kiddos say this week that you filed in the 'Remember this moment forever' file?

Not Me! Monday

did you plop the kiddos down in front of a movie for what was supposed to be only 15 minutes and it turned into an hour and a half? or maybe your breakfast, lunch and dinner consisted of coffee, some peanut butter m&ms and a handful of cheerios and you're feeling guilty... don't!!! Not Me! Monday is a chance for us to come together and chat about our minor imperfections (hee hee) and offer each other theraputic relief!! this most fun blog carnival is the creation of MckMama, and if you wanna play head over to MckMama's blog and link up....

i met one of my most favorite friends for lunch this week and to dish about life & work, and we did not eat 2 bowls of chips with endless amounts of salsa and cheese dip... nope, i make smart dining choices and would not just stuff myself silly with corn chips and salsa, and nothing else.... if i had done that would the salsa count as a vegetable?

and while i'm on a roll of always eating 100% healthy and organic, my little Lou-Woo and i had a girlie night on friday evening in which she cut 10 inches off her beautiful brown hair (oh my goodness, she is even more stinkin' cute than she was the 20 minutes before it was cute, if that is at all possible!!) and then we most certainly did not follow that up with andy's frozen custard for dinner. i love being totally responsible and teaching my little girl about eating veggies first and never scarfing down andy's pumpkin pie concretes as a meal!!

and because i never just leave people hanging and i am the greatest of communicators, i did not procrastinate creating and painting the book fair decorations for girlie's school, due to being sick and completely fatigued... and then even after getting the scene's painted, maps drawn and flags laminated i would never leave before it was done with the intentions to complete it later in the week and then go back up to school to see that someone else had already finished it. no i am most definitely not that loser mom that just had too much on her plate and a pesky sickness to boot that dropped the ball....

okay that this week's session is up, it is your turn on the couch!!! write up your own week's events and link up so i can see what you've been up to (or not up to).

if you'd like to win a Bonnots Mill hand-poured candle, scroll down & read my last post, leave your 2 cents worth and you'll be entered to win!!! i'll do my best to close the comments tonight and then choose my favorite and hopefully announce it in a late night post....

so glad you stopped by, leave your prayer requests in my BlogFrog community and sign up to follow me on Twitter!! it will be fun, you know you want to :)

treatment or prevention?

UPDATE: okay all you pretty people out there.... since you decided to obviously wait until the last minute, again, to enter to win your own Bonnots Mill candle, then i'll leave the comments open through tomorrow evening at 6pm CST, so leave your comment now!! smiles!!!

ORIGINAL:

okay, so i have promised for awhile now my thoughts and insight on natural medicine, and you're so blessed that today i will deliver!! now i'm of course not a doctor (but i do play one in real life!! dr.mama is my official title) but i have spent many, many hours researching, reading, working with other natropath researchers/believers and lots of conversations learning from my natropathic physican, Dr.D (who is brillant!!). so while i truly believe in all the stuff i'm going to chat with you about today, you should always contact your physcian, do your own research or find a natropath/homeopath doctor near you to answer your questions and create a protocol specific to your needs, okay? great!

remember when i wrote part #1 and part #2 concerning the medical issues i have been experiencing since march of 2008, and how i let you in on how i absolutely had my world turned upside down and around!! and in the midst of all the turmoil, i was lead to Dr.D and the world of organic eating and using alternative & natural medicines. and whoa!!! what an eye-opening experience! i never had really considered using vitamins, herbs and plants to heals disease, even though i was not big on traditional prescriptions with all the potential side effects, i had not seen the flip-side of natural alternatives.

so now i have become quite the natural medicine researcher, reading PubMed reports on what vitamins and herbs can do for cancer treatments (see a real life miracle in sweet Jaymun's life with natural cancer treatments), or how to treat 'P's allergies with an herb or give my Man more energy with the right combinations of vitamins and minerals, and bring some healing to my own body with the use of vitamins, herbs and food.

personally to keep myself going each day:

-MultiMedica for women, i love this vitamin!! weird thing to say, i know but when i feel healthy and strong and energized because of all the great stuff in these capsules then i can't help but shout it from the roof tops!! okay, maybe that's over the top, but with tons of vitamin A, all the B's, chromium, milk thistle, i could keep going but love it and how it keeps my body functioning at the highest levels possible.

-Micellized D3, now you might be thinking that there is probably some vitamin D in my amazing multivitamin and you would be correct; however do you know all the astounding benefits of D3 for your body? well you can click on the D3 link to learn tons more than i will ramble on about, but D3 increases your body's ability to absorb calcuim which buffers the acidity of your body, which is incredibly important, but more about that later...D3 stimulates your immune system and so much more. to help get the most out of the D3 i also take vitamin K with it.

-to keep my body's pH in check, and this is by far one of the most vital things i check each few days (of course in my opinion), and one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to keep a neutral pH is baking soda... i know crazy, huh?! check out this article from Dr.D about the importance of pH and how you can fix it!!

-you might be thinking: "what else you do take each day? geez!" but don't leave me now... one other supplement i'll share with you is my secret... ready for it? alright, it's not that big of a secret but it has made a huge difference for me, digestive enzymes. and what the heck are enzymes? so glad you asked!!! there are specific enzymes that are in our food that assist our digestive system, particularly your liver, in breaking down food and absorbing the nutrients necessary for optimum health and with colon health (i know it's your favorite thing to talk about!!), well when we cook our food the heat destroys much of the enzymes needed by our body and you're probably not getting a lot of raw or all natural foods these days. read this article as well from Dr.D about enzymes and just give it a try, if you so choose!!

alrighty!!! i won't bore you a further.... i could talk about natural medicine all day and night, i find it amazing that there are so many ways to treat our illnesses with everyday herbs and supplements. and by making some simple changes to our diets and adding a few extra supplements we can prevent illness instead of treating it. this is my new motto (hey! what's a motto with you?!! hee hee), the main reason for the complete turn around in our family is to be a great steward of these bodies God gave us. we only get one ya know!! so thus why you won't find any Double-Stuffed chocolate cookies at our home, well i do buy the all natural ones and they are super delicious, my Man didn't even know the diff!! i know that if i can form my Posse of Kiddos now into healthy eating habits & a crunchy-granola lifestyle then i am helping to prevent some sickness later.

here's a snipet of an article Dr.D wrote for me regarding keeping our kiddos well from all the pig flu (hee hee) infecting our nation:

How to protect yourself
As the 'flu is a viral infection, it will not respond to any antibiotic. Antibiotics are only effective in treating secondary bacterial infections sometimes associated with influenza.

Here are some of the best steps you can take to speed up your recovery:

*Stay in bed for a few days to rest.
*Increase your intake of vitamin A to 10,000 IUs a day. A liquid micellized form is recommended. The micellization process—a technique that may enhance absorption by producing extremely tiny droplets (micelles) that are easily assimilated by the body. Vitamin A may increase resistance to the Common Cold and may exert direct anti-viral effects against the Viruses that cause the Common Cold.
*Increase your intake of vitamin D to 2,000 IU’s a day. A liquid micellized form is recommended. Vitamin D may improve the function of the Lungs and prevent Respiratory Tract Infections.
*Take 1000-2000mg of vitamin C a day. Vitamin C may reduce the severity and duration of symptoms. Vitamin C may help to prevent Respiratory Tract Infections, reduces the severity of Respiratory Tract Infections and may accelerate the recovery from Respiratory Tract Infections.
*Use zinc lozenges to soothe a sore throat and Olive Leaf nasal spray for a runny nose.
*Chicken soup may soothe a sore throat, clear clogged passageways, and hydrate a thirsty body.

Watch out for 'flu in children
A toddler younger than two years is particularly vulnerable to highly infectious diseases like 'flu. In fact, all children younger than 12 years are susceptible to the 'flu virus. A temperature raised or lowered any degree from normal in a baby less than three months, above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in a child of three to six months, and a temperature above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit in an older child would be reason to get medical advice.
Tip: Do not exercise if you have 'flu! It may lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. You should generally not exercise for at least seven days after recovering from the 'flu, after which you can gradually return to exercise.

so there's my two cents for the time being regarding alternative/natural medicine... what do you think?

everyone who leaves me their two cents in the comments will be entered to win my last Bonnots Mill Candle from Flame & Flair that i have lying around.... okay i actually went out and bought it just for you!!!

so get to commentin'!!! i'll leave the comments open on this until tomorrow night at 10pm CST. i can't wait to hear what you've got to say!!

p.s. you shoud also check out my community on the right side bar about whether you are giving you kiddos the H1N1 vaccine...