Home Going

Yesterday, we had a Home Going service for my husband's father, James H. Sanders, Sr.

It is a sad day when the world loses a godly man. A man who lost his father as a young child, and gave up his chance to attend college so he could work to send his sister. A man who provided for children who were not his own, and faithfully cared for his aging mother. A humble servant of his church and community, who never missed an opportunity to love on his grandkids.

My own father refused to attend my wedding. At our wedding reception, my father-in-law stood before our guests and said, "Carla has always been like a daughter to me, and now, she is my daughter." He was an man of honor, who lived up to those words.

James H. Sanders, Sr. will be missed by his wife, 4 sons and their wives, a brother, a sister, 12 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, extended family, church family and friends. Our only comfort is that he is with the Lord and we will see him again.

13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall
asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those
who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you
that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will
come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After
that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord
forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words. - 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18

A Queen in Training

A few weeks ago, Jess posted that she never knew pigtails were so much fun!

This may be the one time I have to disagree with Jess. ;-)

For Jazzy's ballet recital last month, her teacher asked me if I could... well... do something with her hair. You know, something... away from her face. That is... if it's not too much trouble... Smile.

Are you kidding lady?

If 4-6 hours, one broken blow dryer (thank goodness I found the duct tape), and countless tears and commands to "be still" can be considered "fun" and "not too much trouble," then Jess and Ms. Ballet Teacher are right. (Not!)

Here we are all blow dried and ready to flat iron:

Here we are in a nice little bun (at least it was a great arm workout):

Here is a pic that shows off my little princess - which, to be honest, is the only point of this post.

Thanks to that ordeal, she's spending the summer in braids. I'll post pics later, along with info from a few good books I've been reading.

(Hint: I'm not the only one who thinks self esteem is a crock.)

More changes in our home...

This year we are taking small steps toward a whole foods diet. We tried making dramatic changes last year and I went into shock. Gimme a Whopper Jr. and some french fries ... STAT!

We started shopping at Whole Foods for hormone free beef, chicken and dairy products. We are also buying organic fruits and vegetables, and foods that only have ingredients whose names we recognize.

It was quite a shock to buy a package of tortillas that only contains flour, water, oil, baking powder and salt. Go check your package of Mission tortillas - the ingredients list goes on... and on... and on...

We're also experimenting with natural sweeteners - maple syrup, raw honey and agave nectar. I will continue to keep you updated about new products we try.

One thing that we've noticed is how quickly the food spoils. No more sitting in our pantry or refrigerator for weeks. I'm having to toy around with the way I schedule our meals so we don't throw food away.

We've also noticed that the food tastes much better and we are more inclined to eat at home. So we are spending more, but we are saving money by not eating out. I also hope we are saving our kids from some of the struggles we've had to face.

Last week I cut back on sugar and caffeine, and it was a tough week - especially since James is trying to get rid of a few bad habits of his own. This week I'm cutting caffeine and sugar all together. I never knew they could cause strong withdrawal symptoms. If I get around to blogging, I can't promise I'll be nice.

I'm back!!!

Ha! You thought you'd gotten rid of me... No such luck!

It has been a busy month.

I now have a 7 year old.

And a 1 year old.


Someone grew teeth.


Someone lost them.

And in all the confusion, someone tried to take my place on the throne.

I've also become a work at home mom of sorts. I started a website that contains over 90 pages of information about homeschooling:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/

I failed miserably at balancing work and family, and I'm ready to return my focus to the home. The following picture of me at my desk should give you a clue as to what the past 2 months have been like:


I'll spare you photos of what 2 months in a computer chair has done to my waistline.

You'll notice changes at Pressing On as well. I'll post most of my family pics and stories on my new homeschool blog. However, one thing that won't change here is that I'll continue to share truthfully from my heart.

I started this blog with the intent of telling funny stories about my life and family, but I was led in another direction. I don't want to share unpopular thoughts about marriage and child rearing. And I really, really, REALLY don't want to talk about labeling and ADHD.

But those are the topics that nag me until I give in and type. And those are the entries that sit in my draft box for weeks, haunting me until I press "publish". And those are the topics, among others, that I will continue to blog about.

I no longer ask the Lord to make people like the things I say. I ask Him to give me the courage to speak boldy about the very things people don't want to hear.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

At my funeral, it won't matter what those on earth say about me. I want to hear the Lord say, "Well done!"

Happy New Year!!!

I know I'm late wishing you all well, but it's still January after all. Here's what we've been up to:

This year, for Christmas, we did an exciting service project. We baked 34 dozen cookies and sold them to friends and family members, raising over $150 to spend on toys to give to a local foster care organization. We baked a few dozen each day so it didn't get too overwhelming. Many thanks to those of you who contributed!

When we dropped the toys off, the director told the children they were heros. The kids were just beaming!

I want my children to learn early on that life is about more than working for money so you can buy a new Hummer, then vote for candidates who will "help" the poor with other people's money. I want my children to use their money and turn off their TVs and go serve those God has called us to serve. That is how my husband and I strive to live our lives as well.

After we dropped the gifts off, we went to a local soda shop and had lots of yummy, greasy food!

That was our week for running around while everyone else was still in school. We went to see the tree lighting and play at the Galleria.

Yep! He's walking now.We drove around to look at Christmas lights, and we went bowling.

I took Jazzy to see the Nutcracker. Anyone who denies that dance is a form of intelligence, is just unintelligent, IMO.

Then we decorated the house with paper snowflakes.

Christmas Trees

Snowmen

Santa and His Raindeer. (These were Drew's idea.)

I cooked way too much. Honestly. I gained 5 lbs, but we'll just call it "water weight". (Yep, that's raw cake batter they're eating. We live life on the edge!)

On Christmas Eve we give the kids books. And on Christmas morning, they get three presents. (Our motto is three was enough for Jesus, and it's enough for you!) Drew got a castle, roller blades and pj's. Jazzy got a doll, roller blades, and a helmet. Zay got a mega blocks train, but he just wanted to play with the ribbon!

We mostly stuck around home the week of Christmas, and on New Years Eve, we made a big sign and camped out in the living room.

James and I want to read through the Bible this year. You may have noticed the One Year Bible graphic on my blog. It links to each days reading.

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And for another blog change, I've added my photo. (Amazing what a little lipstick can do.) I'm also using my real name now. I am a real person with real feelings, doing my best to share (however imperfectly) the things God has laid on my heart. But don't worry, you can still call me Queen if you want to. Her Royal Highness also has a nice ring to it!

34 Reasons I Love My Husband...

Today J celebrated his 34th birthday!

He spent the day playing cards with some buddies from work, then came home, cooked and watched the kids so I could have dinner with friends. He's definitely a keeper!

Here's a list of 34 reasons I love my husband. I encourage you to make a list of your own (about your husband of course). Have your children make a list as well. It is always neat to hear what they have to say.

1. He truly knows me, and loves me anyway.
2. He loves the Lord and desires to serve Him.
3. He loves, hugs and kisses our children.
4. He spends his free time with me and our children.
5. He disciplines our children.
6. He has a heart for service.
7. He support us financially.
8. He is wise with money.
9. He is wise in general.
10. He is playful.
11. He is loving.
12. He is steadfast and determined.
13. He is goal oriented.
14. He leads our family.
15. He is giving.
16. He is forgiving.
17. He is a hard worker.
18. He is strong.
19. He is handsome.
20. He is fun.
21. He makes me laugh.
22. He is intelligent.
23. He listens to me.
24. He considers my feelings.
25. He apologizes when he's wrong.
26. He holds me accountable.
27. He supports my goals and dreams.
28. He trusts me.
29. He is trustworthy.
30. He is faithful.
31. He is honorable.
32. He is honest.
33. He accepts me for who I am.
34. He encourages me to be more than I thought I could be.

Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatver is right, whatever is pue, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Oh Christmas Tree...

Last week, the kids helped set up the Christmas tree.

Zay helped, too.


I only repositioned one ornament. Well... three at the most.


I had decided to keep Christmas simple this year, but I stuffed a bunch of presents under the tree anyway. I can't wait to see their happy faces on Christmas morning.


Every year, I buy one of those overpriced Hallmark keepsake ornaments. The year God miraculously restored my father-in-law from his death bed, we bought a lion holding a lamb that read, "I Love Grandpa." This year we bought one for Zay - Baby's First Christmas.



Oh, yes... she dropped it. The really fun part about collecting keepsake ornaments is remembering how some of them got broken. I have to glue Baby Bop's head on every year and Buzz Lightyear is beyond repair.


The kids asked me if they could play with the special ornaments and I told them those ornaments are mine. When they grow up and spend Christmas with their own families, I'll look at the ornaments and remember the special times we had together.

I asked the kids if they're going to take care of me when I'm old. Drew said, "Yes! I'm going to take you to the mall and buy you lots of food to eat." Jazzy said, "I'm going to take you to the donut store!" Guess what your kids are going to do with you if you drop them off with other people all the time?

I felt guilty for being selfish with the ornaments, so I let Drew play with Joseph.

Good thing I didn't let him play with baby Jesus.

Jazzyism...

"Mom, you're already old!"

Christmastime is Here!!!

Here's what we've been up to:

We took the kids ice skating last week. It was true test of my patience because they don't know how to ice skate and I don't either.

We survived. Next time I hope to be able to watch from the sidelines.

The kids are in children's choir and on the praise dance team at church. They sang and danced at the mall last Saturday, and again at church on Sunday. So fun!

For those of you who get Christmas cards from our family, don't be surprised if the label's upside down.

Today is J's last day at work, and we'll have the next two weeks together. That too, will be a true test of my patience. I can't promise we'll survive.

A few years ago I would've looked forward to the chance to get away for some well deserved "me time". Now I just look forward to spending that time together. I never thought I would want my husband and children around me all the time. Now I bring them with me whenever possible, and I sometimes make excuses to stay home.

I'm always shocked when I hear women say things like, "I just want to drop my kids off" or "I need to get away from these kids." I have to remind myself that I used to think that way. If you are struggling with those feelings, ask the Lord to help you ENJOY your children. He really is able!

Last night, Jazzy said, "Mom, I'm your bestest girl ever and you love me so much." Then she asked if we could lay on the couch together, and she sang songs about how much she loves me.

I'll take that over a night out with the girls any time. These moments are so fleeting.

Danger!!!

I'm reading The Underground History of American Education by former New York State Teacher of the Year, John Taylor Gatto.

I kept shouting "Yes!" as I read random pages on the way home from the library, so I think it will be a good read. I'm sure J is glad he's on his way out of town...

Making Memories...

Our washing machine is broken so I had to go to the laundromat last week. Drew came and helped me load the clothes into the machines, insert coins and fold clothes. We ate sub sandwiches and chips, drank soda, and played video games. They had Ms. Pac Man and Galaga just like the laundromat I went to as a little girl. Drew preferred the driving game.


We sat on the folding table and let our legs dangle off the end. (I don't know why it still seems exciting to hop up on those tables.) Then we folded and folded and folded, until the baskets were overflowing with clothes. I showed Drew how to place a towel on top of the folded clothes and tuck the edges inside the basket so the clothes wouldn't fall out on the way to the car. We had so much fun!


I had to go back to the laundromat last night and Drew wanted to come so badly, but it was too late to have him out. I called my mom as I loaded the car to come home and one of the baskets tipped over. I said, "Good thing I tucked a towel around the clothes." She said, "You remember? We used to have so much fun."


My family used to take annual summer vacations. I don't remember much about them, other than the long car rides. But I vividly remember the books my mother read me and the games we played. I remember Wednesday night church dinners and Saturday craft fairs. I remember baking cookies and going to the same restaurants so many times that the employees automatically knew our orders. At the Chinese restaurant we were Beef Broccoli. At Pizza Hut we were 2 Personal Pan Supremes. Bic's diner was our favorite. The owner passed away a while back, but I still take my children there.


I think the money my mom spent on Disneyland was mostly wasted. It was fun, but my special childhood memories are of things that were free. Love, warmth, consistency, and safety gave me the confidence to go out into the world, not fancy gadgets and vacations and puffed up, phony self-esteem.


When I look back at my childhood, I see my mother and I together. That made great memories and that made me a happy kid.

I am beginning to see the error in the notion of quality time. Our children don't need occasional spurts of fancy activities, they need large quantities of time with us.

I know you won't make it through the weekend...

without pics of my cutie!

I can't believe he is 9 months old already! He now has 2 teeth (that are as sharp as daggers), and he is clapping, pulling up and cruising around the furniture. This child can't be still unless he's sleeping. I think he'll walk any day now.

Here he is sitting in the big tub.

Playing chess.

On the move.

Breaking and entering.

He's had a teeny tiny cold this week and I wish I would have stocked up on those infant decongestants before they pulled them from the market. My children don't get many colds, but the decongestants always made them more comfortable and I do know how to use a medicine dropper!

I'm not a doctor, but I play one in my own home. :)