(she's not so happy about it)
We just finished the last of our disposable diapers and now we're ready for cloth...Hurrah! Thank you MK for the cloth diaper hook-up :-) MaYah sporting the wool hat, lookin' like a little elf
(she's not so happy about it)
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Since I have lots of time for "bedside business" while I enjoy our sleeping baby, I decided to make a plan for preparations during a potential 2 week off-grid emergency. This came about due to the current news events and wacky weather. It seems like a good idea to set a reasonable goal, (2 weeks) and prepare our family for the possible need to have extra provisions stored up.
My hope is to begin storing up on things such as water, food, tolietries, etc. I also want to start saving for a solar cooker in case electricity is down for a period of time (thanks MP for your encouragement :-) ) If you have any helpful tips, ideas or websites to share, please do not hesitate to post a reply! "כשר לפסח" The above text was on a bar of soap given to me by a friend. Like a child learning to sound out words, I was so happy to decipher the phrase (reading right to left): Kshr L'Psch (hard "h"),aka Kosher for Pesach (Passover)....
I share this because it's truly an accomplishment for me to find spare time to study this wonderful language and be able to apply it in more ways than one. I first set a goal to learn Hebrew after Marlon had been studying diligently and I didn't want to be left behind (so to speak.) Then I figured a way of studying that appealed to my style of learning. Since I'm a visual learner, I worked on translating this method into a way that I could also teach our children. From this was born, "Exploring the Alephbeyt" (later renamed: "Hebrew for Newbies") Anyway, my hope is that the progress I made in reading Hebrew would encourage you to set realistic goals and strive. to fulfill them:-) "For Elohim has not given us a spirit of cowardice (fear), but of power and of love and of self-control." 2 Timotiyos (Timothy) 1:7 (The Scriptures Version) I was doing some research on making more bulk food storage preparations, and I began to think about a video I posted previously. It was a special on the History Channel that provides some real-life possibilities in a time of emergency. Considering the natural disasters recently, it is wise to be diligent in our prayers as we make provisions for the "What If's". If you're interested in viewing this 9 part series, you can click below (note, I'm only posting part 1 and the other parts can be found on YouTube) Keep in mind that Viewer Discretion is advised and the disclaimer on the video is:"This program is a theoretical account of the worst case scenario for a global disaster....This is not a real emergency" The vid says it all--- Thank you for sharing in our JOY!!
SURPRISE!!! We just welcomed our sweet baby girl, "MaYah Yah'El", yesterday (May 21st, 11:08am).
I was so blessed to have the majority of my birth experience at home with Marlon, the midwife (http://nurturingbeginnings.com/) and her assistant. Then, with a voluntary transport to the local hospital due to my perceived hindrance after transition, a successful V-BAC occurred after 45minutes. Amazingly, despite hospital anti-VBAC policy and shortly after our arrival, Marlon was the only one available to catch our precious daughter! (No repeat Cesearan here :-) ) Ultimately, there is so much to learn from this experience. Although, I didn't "pass" each of the trials that presented themselves during my travailing, overall I am blessed to have had a successful delivery. Now that we're resting comfortably at home, MaYah is truly getting sweeter by the day. Plus, everyone is totally benefiting from the hormones of natural childbirth and breastfeeding. I'm grateful that the Most High designed us in such a way that we release love/bonding hormones as well as relaxing/calming hormones through this natural process of motherhood. :-) Thank you all for your prayers, love and support.....I'll work on putting up a lil' vid with some baby action soon! I've expressed in the past that this little family blog is not only designed to communicate our happenings with long distant family & friends, but it is also meant to be a source of encouragement for fellow wives/mothers/homekeepers.
I've been so blessed over my 12+ years of marriage and I've grown to embrace my roles wholeheartedly. Part of my goal in blogging is to spark a bit of inspiration to those who may visit us here at "JJ". With that said, I'm posting some thought provoking questions that I encountered regarding marriage. Ultimately, we should all be striving to continually improve in this journey. My hope is that this link will bring to light some areas that require consideration. http://www.reviveourhearts.com/topics/downloads/index.php?id=9485 It is truly wonderful that our creator has carefully and purposefully created each one of us. Each of us has gifts and passions that help make us who we are. I am daily becoming aware of my strengths vs. weaknesses and my passions vs disinterests. One such area of disinterest is studying literature. Although I thoroughly enjoy reading, I'm not fond of learning about literature and all it's many elements.However, I do recognize that as a parent, it's not all about "me" and what I like or dislike. For example, our oldest daughter is an avid reader and easily devours chapter books in a short period of time. This has been her passion since she was 3 years old and continues to resonate within her. If I were to enforce my disinterest for exploring literature on a deeper level, then I'd be hindering her natural passion. Instead, I believe it is part of my job to encourage her love of reading and support her in this area. One way that I've stepped out of "my" comfort zone, is by signing her up in the homeschool book club. This has been a great alternate way to introduce literature into her studies. I also recruited a friend who is extremely passionate about literary works to give a brief discussion on different genres of literature. As you see in the pictures, the children took notes and asked questions as he taught. We explored drama, fables, fantasy, folklore, fiction, poetry, mystery & science fiction. It even inspired me to purchase one if his recommendations at an used bookstore, "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Another recent literary endeavor was to attend the local homeschool theater production of "Romeo and Juliet." Our daughter has probably read more Shakespeare in the past few years then I did in my entire academic career! I'm sure this benefited her, (and all our children,) to experience. I find that these live productions really make the stories come to life and they're also great tools for discussion....thanks Mom for sharing your passion of theater arts in me :-) In short, I hope you will be prayerful as you seek to encourage the natural gifts/interests of your children.
"I Give thanks to You, For I am awesomely and wondrously made! Wondrous are Your Works, And my being knows it well." Tehillim (Psalms) 119:14 In an effort to implement consistent meal planning, the children and I began to brain storm some recipes to add to our new "Family Plan" chart. I was super motivated to fill a weeks worth of meals, yet with limited access to cookbooks and my limited cooking passion, I got a Brain Freeze and struggled to complete the menu :-(
Sadly, my children had lots of quick/fast-food type meals (hamburgers, tacos, pizza rolls,) which is an area reserved for special occasions like family night. Obviously, these aren't every day dishes, but they were at the top of their list. So, it was left up to me and perhaps an assignment for them to research as well. Today, I'm happy to share that I recently overcame my meal planning challenge by visiting one of my preferred websites: www.hillbillyhousewife.com I gladly copied over a dozen recipes and will gradually implement them into our weekly meal planning process over the next few scheduling cycles. Finally, one thing that I want to emphasize is the value of a slow cooker. Right now, I'm juggling many responsibilites, so planning ahead and relying on my slow cooker are super helpful. If you're struggling in this area I highly reccommend this cooking option. (As always, your tips/feedback is appreciated) |
This nook is a bit of reflection and inspiration from me, a Joyful Mommy of 10 with hopes of encouraging others along their journey :)A Few Family Pics: Categories
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