T.G.I.F.!!

I took this picture of Annagail today and it sums up my feelings precisely! I am B-E-A-T! The good news is that I am not emotionally exhausted, just physically worn out. This first week alone with the children since we brought Annagail home went relatively smoothly. Considering that all five (at some point) have had a nasty head cold and we had to make a family-wide trip to the pediatrician's office, we did pretty good this week. Nathan didn't come home to find me sitting in a corner drooling and mumbling to myself, so that is success, right?!?!?!

Honestly, I had been worried about what life was going to be like with five little ones (6 & under) at home. I feared that I wouldn't have enough of...me to handle it. However, coming off of 4 months of "limited activity" during my pregnancy and being unable to completely care for them, I am finding a great deal of JOY in the things that used to frustrate me. It has felt REALLY good to be able to get up out of the bed and lay out my children's clothes!! That has been such a joy to me. Making breakfast for them this week was refreshing.

This week has brought on some challenges in the way of discipline, but we are working through it. The kids have been used to a not-so-100% Mama for a while, so they are having to rediscover boundaries that they have forgotten. Also, adding an every two hour nursing schedule on to an already busy day hasn't been completely stress-free, but it has worked and worked well. We are on our way to "new normal".

Before I found out I was pregnant with Annagail, I think I had gotten into a rut. I was emotionally tired and just spent. Having gone through this pregnancy filled with physical pain and even sinful fear of what would happen before it was all over, I am having a much easier time finding the blessing in my ability to have & care for this family God has given me. There is nothing like being put flat on your back, to make you appreciate the upright view you once had.

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! Psalm 30:11-12

Are we raising Children or Employees?

I have noticed lately that, in an effort to provide discipline to my children, I sometimes treat them like employees as opposed to my own sweet children. That isn't an easy revelation to come by, but I think it is true.

In business, having an employee you are responsible for means that you must make sure that they get their job done, so that you can get YOUR job done. Also, you must remove personal feelings on some level or you could jeopardize your ability to complete your job. This isn't how I should be treating my kids. I don't think that I do this ALL the time, but I have caught myself doing it this week; my first week home alone since Annagail's birth. The children are indeed YOUNG children that are ALL still learning and need so much nurturing and training. Not only do they need my instruction and guidance, but above all else they need my unconditional love. Sure, they are independent & should have some level of self-discipline at this point, but certainly not to the level that I should be surprised by their childish behavior.

With a nursing schedule now added to the already busy day we had before Annagail's birth, it is easy to EXPECT the kids just to "do their part" to make my life easier. Doesn't that sound silly?!?!?!?! With the oldest of my crew of 5 being only barely 6, it is a lot to ask of them to think that they will just perform like robots. Luckily, I am not screaming and yelling at them, but I do think that I am coming down a little hard on them. Anyone that has come home with a newborn to older siblings knows that immediately the older siblings appear GROWN. When juxtaposed next to the helpless, COMPLETELY dependant newborn, the older children appear to be a step away from college almost instantly. They aren't though are they? They are still very small and helpless themselves. If , out of a desire for ease and convenience, I go through this life expecting my children to be more than God has made them to be right now in their little lives, not only will I have lots of days filled with frustration. I will also miss out on their childhood and all the things about this stage of their life that makes them so endearing and happy.

Honestly too, discipline is VERY important , but couldn't EVERYONE stand to find this cute face in their dryer every now and again ?

Thank you my Father for this gentle reminder that, much like me in your eyes, my sweet babies are still very soft & pliable and in need of gentle molding. Thank you for showing me, before this became a habit, that they still need my constant nurturing and my gentle training for a long while before they will be ready to have expectations put on them to perform. I am grateful that I have been shown this before it became a pitfall of my motherhood and a tearing of the heartstrings that I so desire to have tied with my babies. Now, Lord, help me to see this behavior in myself at the moment I do it, so that I can stop and correct it. Thank you Lord.

Ok, so a busy mama doesn't always have time for blogging :)

I had hoped to get on the computer in the morning, early, and after my quiet time. So far, that hasn't happened. No big deal. I will blog when I can. If I had all the time inthe world to blog, then I wouldn't really be a busy Mama would I?

Praying For Space

The Bible says that I should pray specifically for my needs. So, right now, I am praying for space. With seven humans living in a small townhouse on a seminary campus, we NEED space.

Now, I am not of the "name it and claim it" variety. I don't believe that if I pray hard enough and have enough "faith" for a bicycle that I will miraculously receive a ten speed. I do, however, beleive that God will answer my prayers. It just may not be in the way I think is best. That being said, I am praying for whatever space God feels I need. Although physical space would be great, I am not convinced that God won't instead deliver to me some mental space. Instead of more rooms for homeschooling or for a playroom for my five bouncing babes, He may see fit to give me the clarity of mind to be able to handle it all in the square footage we currently use. That is space that I could use as well. So far, I haven't been alone and in a "normal "daily routine with the kids. That will start soon enough. Truthfully, I am TERRIFIED!!

I am not putting any high expectations on my days right now. I know that the good Lord will, a s He has faithfully done in the past, deliver to me the precise answer to my prayers that I need. Just tonight, I had a wonderful meal delivered by a sweet lady who, among many other things, is a homeschooling Mama of five. Not only is her husband a minister at our church, but he is also in seminary. She and I have a lot in common. I told her that I wanted to get with her and pick her brain about how she does it all. I could use that encouragement and she was MORE than happy to say, "anytime!"

Thank you Lord for the support you have provided us from our loving friends & church family. Thank you for the provisions you have already made for us in the way of space. Help me to see & receive those provisions with grace and gratitude in whatever form they may come.

Welcome to the BUSY MAMA'S home on the web!

Hello all! I have had a blog on homeschoolblogger for a few years now, but have decided to switch. This blog will be different for me, as I hope to keep a journal of sorts for my own sanity. As a busy Mama to five little ones, I hope to mesh out my own thoughts and to maybe give some support to anyone that finds themselves in my kind-a-boat at times. That boat may change course many times and may seem rockier at times, but it is always a happy place. Serving my best friend and husband, Nathan, and training my five little ones in the way they should go ain't always easy, but it will always be worth it.

Enjoy! I hope to not offend and I pray that some may can even relate at times to what I may write about. Feel free to share either way!