Organization and Living Simply

A couple of months back I felt very convicted about our need to simplify our home (and our lives). In a world that keeps telling us that we NEED more and should get more to be happy, this seems to be a difficult task.  As I looked around our home, I saw so many things. Things that held no special memories, importance or actual use. Things that were taking up valuable space, that were making our home seem disorganized, and that were adding to the clutter we seem to constantly battle. 

The first order of business in "simplifying" became to change our vocabulary. This was made VERY evident by a certain three year old's LOVE for the word " need". 

  He needs my phone to play. He needs candy. He needs to watch TV.  He needs a snack. 

To combat this, we have attempted to rephrase what he wanted to communicate. 

He does not need the phone, he would like the phone.

He does not need candy (candy just isn't a need, EVER) , he would like some candy.

As we have been teaching him this new lesson, our vocabulary changed too. How many times do we refer to our desires (read wants) as needs? With the belief that it is a need, we go ahead and get whatever it is we want: candy, chocolate bar, expensive coffee (that's me!), the list goes on. 

I don't think all wants are bad, but I do believe that I needed to label wants as such and differentiate them from my real needs. The best way to teach our kids this lesson is to live this myself. 

After learning about needs vs. wants, a lesson I feel will be retaught and relearned daily, we decided to start actually simplifying our home. 

So far we have "simplified" Scott's toys. Scott and I worked on that together. It was a great activity for the two of us. It also helped me teach him about giving to others. We looked at all his toys in the living room, sorted them by categories and gave away those that didn't belong.

I've also worked on other rooms in our house as well as my email, other accounts and some paperwork.

Right now, we are packing our house ( 2 of the 3 floors) because we are getting new carpet tomorrow (!!!!!!!). I deeply dislike packing. However, I am very excited about having a blank slate for organizing and simplifying the bedrooms, bathrooms and the basement. As I unpack my plan is to just put things in each room that are necessary and sort through the rest. My goal is to have a home that is meaningful and full of memories, not full of stuff.

It's November!

This year has officially escaped me! I had MANY, MANY plans for 2013. However, "life" seems to continuously stop me from accomplishing ALL I want. Maybe, I just need more than 24 hours in my day.

Somewhere around July, I realized that I really wasn't making a dent on my "2013 goals" list. I sat down and noticed, this has been a pattern for some years now. This made me sad, this made me angry - at myself. As usual, I started to blame myself and put down what I had accomplished, what had happened, what DID get crossed off my list. I am my own WORST critic, but in that, I also forget to be grateful for what is.

My usual sequence of events runs me down a path of joyless, grumpy days until I decide to REDO my list and start over.

This year I decided that this usual cycle isn't  working. I also decided this is not what I want my kids to see. A defeated and ungrateful spirit because everything I wanted to get done wasn't. So for some months I have been researching reading and studying about goal setting - both short and long term. I have come across some amazing information and have learned a lot. I'm still learning and trying to put it all into action.

I have learned to cut myself some slack and enjoy my days more. Instead of fretting over all that needs to happen in a day, I am learning to focus on a few important things and enjoy morning cuddles with our son, play time with our daughter, family time when Jared is home and we are all together.
This is all a work in progress, but I do find that more is actually getting done, and that my day (or my worth) isn't made or ruined by how many tasks on my list were crossed off.

During this time I've also been learning about how to be more and better organized - in everything that can possibly be organized. I have also been convicted about some changes that needed to be made and are already in progress. I hope to write about my walk through a more fulfilled life, as well as parenthood and our life more often.

Since it is November, I have set the rest of 2013 to get some things in order and hope for 2014 to be a completely different year for me as I take all I've learned and grow more in who I am and who I'm supposed to be.

To Sum up The Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

Gender Roles?

Recently I have come across discussions about the following :
The Gospel is for Baby Bear: On Sesame Street and Gender Confusion

Of course there are thoughts on both sides of what Strachan points out in his article.

Our favorite by FAR has to be Matt Mikalatos' : How Sesame Street is Undermining Biblical Values

In response to  Strachan's views, I would like to present our son:

In our home, we firmly believe that all of us are made in the image of our Creator. We believe that males and females, although very different, are equals created by God to fulfill different purposes. However, we do not believe that gender roles are as black and white as Strachan obviously does. Just because we are different in many ways does not mean that stereotypes dictate how we live out our calling in life. 

Our son is a car, dinosaur, and train-loving boy who also loves to give hugs and kisses, to cuddle, and to help with chores around the house. He has a loving and nurturing side to him. This makes him a wonderful son, will soon make him an AMAZING big brother, and will no doubt make him a GREAT man, husband, and father one day! 

We are not only okay with the fact that our son is practicing his nurturing side on a baby doll, but we encourage it. This will not make him less of a "boy" or less "manly". In our opinion, this makes him more like our Creator and that is our goal in raising our children. 

My hope is that our kids never feel they are unable to express some attributes of their character because it doesn't fit a gender role or stereotype. Instead, I hope that both our son and daughter know who they are in Christ and are able to be both strong and nurturing in their lives. 

For more on this topic : 

Boys and Dolls: A Father’s Response

This is why boys, in Sesame Street and in real life, should play with dolls. Not because there’s no difference between boys and girls, but because boys and girls both need to learn to be gentle and caring and compassionate as well as strong and adventurous and brave.

God Made Boys to Play with Dolls

 I find Strachan's stance, that boys who play with dolls ... are deviations from God intentions for men, offensive to the many good men and fathers God created.

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

From the Mouth of Children

What a year 2013 has already been! Of course we started our year with many goals, plans, and resolutions... most of which, sadly, have already not been kept.

However, one of those "resolutions" was to learn more about God's Word as a family. Mainly with the purpose of teaching our son the importance of knowing what our Lord has said and equipping him with the best tool we can give him to live out his life now and as he grows into the man we pray he will be.
In January I picked 1 Peter 5:7 and this month we picked Philippians 4:13.

Both verses were picked on the easiness of vocabulary and the verse length  (after all he is only 2). Though we wanted a challenge, we don't want to make it impossible for him to memorize!
So we practice our verses every night and sometimes randomly during the day... And he has done very well! He knows both of them. Sometimes he skips a word or two and some of the words he actually does say are hard to understand! Ether way, he is learning his verses, which makes me very happy (and proud)!

Even though I put very little thought into the meaning behind the verses we were going to memorize, God has definitely been using them to speak to me almost daily!

You see, worry is one of those not-so-nice attitudes that I just can't seem to shake. I worry about EVERYTHING! I struggle so much with it that I have had sleepless nights over the smallest issues. Worry sometimes seems to paralyze me!

For the past month and a half, my worry has been over our daughter, our son, our family, and this pregnancy... Is she well? Will she be ok? How will Bug react to his sister? Am I doing enough to include him and love on him before she arrives? How on earth will I keep them both feeling safe, equally loved, equally appreciated?

In the past two weeks the worry has continuously been over the rest of the pregnancy... and hoping everything will be ok. Since I've had a not-so-easy time lately with the pregnancy, I'm worried about all the things that need to be accomplished before the baby arrives. My list seems to grow and practically nothing seems to be crossed out.

I've commented to Jared that I feel that the task list is just too much for my body to handle. Small jobs sometimes make me so tired or even sick...

So God has used my two year old. In the last week he has randomly stopped playing and turned to me and said both Bible verses to me. Of course, this makes me smile and I praise him for doing so well. But it has officially hit me - there is so much TRUTH in what my son keeps repeating to me.

You see, God does care about me and my worries, no matter how small they may be (1 Peter 5:7). He's got this pregnancy, both of our children, and the "to-do list" in His hands! Thank goodness! It is good to be reminded that He cares for me, enough to pay attention to the things that trouble me. It is also good to be reminded that the things that need to get done will get done. That even when I feel my body is not in tune with my mind (or my lists and my goals), God is bigger and He will give me the strength to do everything I need to get done.

I know this is a very literal application of both of these verses. However, they have come at a time I've needed them, reminding me that our God is bigger than the things I allow to take over my mind and heart (whether big or small). Also, that He will equip me with what I need to get tasks done, whether they are in our home or community... or if the task is bigger than every day things!

 And they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

Matthew 21:16 (ESV)

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week! If you are inspired to do the same, leave your link on the comments!

We wanted to share our Verse for the month of January. It only took him 2 weeks to learn and be able to say by himself! He's so smart!

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (ERV)

I picked this verse because it seemed easy to learn. It's been awesome to see how God has totally been using it in my life every day! :) 

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

"You know you're a Parent When..."

• A task that should take 5 minutes actually takes 15 because your toddler is "helping".
• For the sake of teaching your child responsibility, you allow him to "assist" you in projects that are not really intended for 2-year olds. 
• You wait until bed time or nap time to eat the candy bar you have been craving all day! (yes, I'll admit I am guilty of this)!
• You find extra napkins/tissues in your pockets or purse all the time.
• You strategically place belongings out of your child's reach.
• You walk like a dinosaur through all of ULTA to keep your child engaged while your spouse gets a haircut.
• Peek-a-boo is a game you can officially play ANYWHERE!
• You make your child repeat a sentence as many times as possible just because it is SO funny!
• You don't care about public humiliation so long as your child smiles at the camera.
• You have the camera or phone ready at a moment's notice to capture the funny things your child does!
• One of the most horrible things to forget when going out is wipes - seriously, you just don't want to be caught without them!
• You are looking at "family cars" instead of "fun cars" as your future vehicle!
• Your version of "sleeping in" is 7:30... if you are lucky!
• You schedule things around naps.
• Things that seemed unimportant years ago are now important topics of conversation.
• Hugs and kisses from your little one = BEST THING EVER!
• Cuddling with your child is something you look forward to.
• You love listening to your child laugh.
• You memorize a story because you have read it so many times!
• You are interested in your child's bodily functions and you don't get grossed out like before.
• You find yourself randomly singing kid's show tunes instead of the newest song on the radio.
• By "bedtime" you are exhausted but you still walk in to your child's room to watch him sleep!
• No matter what, you wouldn't trade one second with your child for the world!  

 

                         

Feeding Elmo

Being silly

                             

Cuddling and reading while hanging out with Daddy.

To Sum Up the Week

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

To Sum Up the Week

*This was supposed to post Saturday. Sorry for the delay!*

Thanks Kate for the idea to post a picture that captures our week!

Thoughts

As November ended, not too long ago, I remember thinking "thank goodness!" The month of November was crazy in our home. Not sure why really, but as the 30th came to an end I was so expectant of December 1st! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE December. I love the holidays, the family time, the traditions, the shopping, the celebrations, and ( 97% of the time) the stress associated with all of it! I always have, ever since I was little. Christmas has always been magical to me! With us being in our new home, our first house, I was even more excited, and expectant of the new traditions we would start and all the plans I had - in my head. Honestly, I looked forward to doing crafts, decorating, planning, shopping and so much more.
So December 1st came, and I started decorating, planning, and listening non-stop to Christmas music and introducing Bug to the beauty of the season. Then, I cleaned my kitchen! The goal was to clean it while putting away fall decor and then decorating it for Christmas.
While cleaning I found a water puddle under our kitchen table. That night, off course, I told Jared who discovered water damage all the way down to the subfloor. Long story short,  he found water damage ALL OVER OUR KITCHEN FLOOR. This started two weeks of no kitchen use, tears, frustration, decisions, and getting a new floor!
I wish I could write about how joyfully, peacefully and lovingly I accepted the news about the floor. However, I lack lots of grace in stressful situations. So now I  sit in my unorganized, half way decorated house and realize perhaps God was growing me.
Feeling so incredibly overwhelmed about the kitchen and the mess it has come with, we haven't gotten many of my original plans done. There have been no Christmas crafts, there have been no new traditions (getting a new kitchen floor during the holidays is something I do not wish to repeat ever!), there definitely hasn't been any cookie making/ decorating with Bug. Honestly, so far the season feels as far away from Christmas as it could be. It would not be truthful if I said I wasn't very disappointed. After all the plans and goals I had, there is very little to show for it.  Then I realized remembered that Christmas is not about me!

It's not about how clean and perfectly decorated my house is.
It's not about how many crafts and activities we do.
It's not about listening to carols every minute.
It's not about my plans or goals.
It's not about how many gifts I buy in a day.
It's not about all the decorations.
It's not about me.

Christmas is Christmas in spite of me, in spite of my plans, goals and traditions. Jesus came to this world to bring peace without my help and without my celebrations. Better, He doesn't care about that! So instead of focusing on the things we haven't accomplished, I will [try to] shift my/our focus on what He has done! I think the rest of the season will go a LOT smoother if I do this successfully!

Our new Little Addition!

Yesterday we found out that we will be having a healthy baby girl! We could not be more thrilled!

To make the reveal a bit more fun, and to include our Bug in on the fun of having a sibling,  we went to Party city and asked the lady at the balloon counter to please inflate ether pink or blue gallons (depending on what the paper inside the sealed envelope said) and to put them in a box. Then we wrapped the box so Bug would have fun opening it. 

Our sweet friend Sonya came over to take pictures as we opened the box and found out the gender of our second child.

We are sooo happy, and so thankful! God is truly good to us!

Second Birthday Party!

Saturday we celebrated Bug's birthday. Though we had originally planned on doing something "small" for this birthday, his new-found LOVE for everything ELMO inspired a themed celebration of sorts.
After months of planning and crafting, we finally had everything ready to go (i'll insert a HUGE thank- you to our sweet friend Karen for letting me borrow her awesome "Cricut", and another HUGE thanks to my husband for fighting with glue and helping me put Elmos of every size together! You both rock!)

I also thought that we should decorate Bug's door so when he woke up in the morning he would know it was a special day. Jared helped me put balloons in front of his door. The plan was for me to record his expression once i opened his door. Off course, our 2-year-old woke up with the ability to actually open the door- so i missed his first reaction, but got the subsequent minutes of different reactions to his balloon surprise! It was really cute!

I was taking pictures too, sorry about the flash! He got distracted after a little bit too!

We spent the rest of the morning getting ready for his party. Then, with the help of his grandparents, we went and set up the pavilion where we were having the celebration.  Friends and family came and played in the playground, colored Elmo sheets and ate yummy food and cake. Thank you Sweet P Cakes and Confections for once more providing a delicious Pumpkin Spice cake!

After a beautiful afternoon of fun we went home to rest! Bug was tired and took a nice nap, we were just glad to have some time to rest and hung out in the living room. Later we watched Bug open all his gifts. He got some great toys and clothes- Thanks everyone!

It was a perfect day to celebrate our little boy! We are so thankful the weather was nice and for all who were able to come and celebrate with us! Here's to the Wonderful, Terrific Twos!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Bug!

Two years ago today we were sitting in a hospital room waiting very patiently for a sweet little boy who was kicking my ribs with all his power to join us! I remember feeling torn ( a feeling i have learned to count on as a mom since that moment). I couldn't wait one more second to hold this child in my arms, and at the same time, i knew that he was safer, happy and DEFINITELY more comfortable inside me.

Two years ago, as we waited for our "surprise baby", I didn't know what life would be like. His presence had already changed so much in our lives. Jared and i had already become parents - it was a role we assumed hours after finding out we were expecting him. He had already made us so broken, we had ran to God for wisdom, comfort and knowledge. He had already made his dear mother feel joy and fear in a short 9 months.

I remember worrying about him so much that i couldn't sleep. I remember thinking i would miss the movements and kicks (and punches, elbows and knees) against my rib cage.  I KNEW i would miss his dancing around in my belly when I played music. I mostly remember how i couldn't stop wondering if i was going to be a good mom - and how i wanted so much more than just "good". I wanted (and want) so much more for him.

 I remember being HUNGRY!

As i sit here in our living room thinking about tomorrow: the celebration we have planned for his birthday and the incredibly long to-do list that awaits me the minute i get up; I can't help but remember everything about the last two years. They went by so fast!

We have seen those feet and hands move so much since the moment he was born that all the punches and kicks made sense. We have seen him dance to every song we play - i now know what he was doing in my belly when there was music. We have seen him grow and mature, way too fast, day-by-day. We have been impressed at how he picks up things we teach him... and things we don't.

He has continued to make us run to God for wisdom and guidance. He has made us laugh until our bellies hurt. He has made us cry (of joy and sadness). He has been such an incredible blessing to our lives. The past two years have been just that:  AN AMAZING BLESSING!

We are so thankful for the gift of our son! So sad so much time has already passed! So hopeful for the days to come that we get to share with him! We can't wait to see the man he will one day become, but we hope the days don't go by too fast.

Happy Birthday (a bit early) sweet, sweet Bug!

We love you with every fiber of our beings and are so blessed to have the honor, privilege and responsibility of being your parents!

Lessons

Today I decided that we would bake cookies! Bug L.O.V.E.S cookies!! I mean, he asks for cookies multiple times a day whether or not we have cookies in the house. He also seems to know where they are in the store and in the house (when we actually do have some). This week he figured out that Jared's cereal was in fact small chocolate-chip cookies ( i know, healthy!)

So as a treat for being good while I went to the doctor and ran errands, I purchased the ready-to-bake type cookie dough. Eventually I'll actually attempt baking them from scratch, but this time the already pre-measured squares seemed to be easier for Bug to "make".

We sat on the kitchen floor and I sprayed the baking sheet with cooking spray. Then, I handed Bug one square at a time, asked him not to put it in his mouth and then helped him put it on the baking sheet. After all the cookies were on the baking sheet, we put them in the oven and set the timer. This did not settle well with my son. The poor guy was ready for his cookies! The 10 minutes that we were supposed to wait turned into tears -apparently 15 cookies are a very serious matter! Plus more tears came when I kept answering his cry for cookies with a "not yet!"

Finally the timer went off and Bug came into the kitchen to see me take the cookies out!!!!

Unfortunately, we also had to wait for them to cool off. That was even harder for my little guy! He stood by me asking for his cookies, and waited very impatiently.

I took the baking time as the perfect opportunity to teach patience. Up until now, we have been teaching him to ask for what he wants using "por favor" and "gracias". He does very well with this lesson because once he uses his words, he is given what he asks for. Today though, he had to wait for something he asked for. He used his words, but I couldn't speed up the timer or cool the cookies any faster. He simply had to wait for his cookies.

A difficult lesson, but one that ended with yummy chocolate-chip goodness! Overall I think our baking/ lesson moment was a complete and DELICIOUS success!! :)

As little one starts learning more and more words i thought it would be a good idea to make videos of him saying them. It will be nice to see the progress he makes and how his pronunciation changes. Really wish i had done this before to compare!

Words he says (or tries to say) on the video
Hi
Gato (cat)
Vaca (cow)
Gracias (thank you)
Por favor (please)
Thank you
Daddy
Da-da
Ma-ma
Mami
Grandma-- still working on this!
Pa-pa
Abuela (grandmother- What he calls my mom) still working on this!!
Banana
Agua (water)
Leche (milk)
Perro (dog)
Dog
I love you [ he usually blows kisses instead of saying the words]
Cookie
Manzana (apple)
Bye
Baby
Up
Flor (flower)
Libro (book)
Mas (more)
Jirafa (giraffe)
Elefante (elephant)
Boca (mouth)
So silly

We started working on names at the beach 3 weeks ago... He's getting a little better with them!
Joseph
Jordan- still working on Jordan!!
Jaclyn- there are days when he says it very clear and others when he just doesn't!

Words he didn't say on the video or we are still working on
Javi - Uncle Javi!!
Nariz (nose)
Ojos (eyes)
Oso (bear) he says it when he wants to... usually all animals are dogs (he makes the dog sound!)
Go
Run
Bella
Playa (beach)
Monkey
Potty
We are working on numbers, he says "tres"(three).
We are working on colors- no luck there yet!