Where do I start?
It has been quite a while since I have blogged and to all of you I apologize.
The whole family was sick for what seemed like 4 months off and on. We had colds or the flu a few times cycled around our house and hit us hard this past almost two months. I had a sinus infection while being sick but I am finally able to breath through my nose and my kids aren't coughing everywhere. The baby got a virus from somewhere though. I am not a doctor but I am pretty sure he had/has fifth disease. He has all of the symptoms, slapped looking cheeks, the works.
Today was first day of co-op for my oldest and we had to miss it which was very disappointing for all of us. Last night I felt desperation and confusion as to why we keep getting sick. The kids are in the gym childcare 3-5x per week and our church childcare 1x per week (if we aren't sick). Sometimes I take them to play in a play place, Friday was one of those times because I had a co-op meeting. Maybe its a combo if it all. It is so frustrating yet comical it happens so much!!
I have been feeling convicted about our diets, needing to add more wholesome nutritional foods that are good for all of our gut health and immunity boosting. I have been lagging on the vitamin area as well. Guilty! Yes indeed I have lost touch with the natural living part of the world. Heading back that direction though because it is apparent I am not doing enough to keep up the health in our home.
What could the lesson be from this? I need to be a better steward of my body and help my children do the same. Really we only have this one body and it takes us everywhere and does so much for us. Not only that, it is the home of the Holy Spirit!
I hope you are healthy and taking care of your body and helping your family in that direction.
Thank you for reading!
Tina Marie
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Merry post Christmas!
Merry post Christmas!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with loved ones.
Our household spent the day at my in-laws home over eating and enjoying each others company. The children got minimal gifts and guess what, they LOVED it. The children's reaction made me feel like we are doing something right in the area of raising them up. Literally they got two gifts each from my husband and I, one each from my sister and one each from the grandparents.
Every year I stress about the amount of gifts we give them because growing up sometimes we didn't get much of anything and what we got didn't last long but that's another story I likely will not share in the near future. So, I always go back to thinking if they get more they will be happier. Well that really isn't the case, and yesterday was a perfect example.
What is the conclusion of this post? More objects does not equal happiness or the feeling of being loved, time and being surrounded by the ones that love you is really what counts.
Of course the ultimate gift that does keep giving love is the gift of salvation, true and unconditional love.
Have a wonderful day!
Tina Marie
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with loved ones.
Our household spent the day at my in-laws home over eating and enjoying each others company. The children got minimal gifts and guess what, they LOVED it. The children's reaction made me feel like we are doing something right in the area of raising them up. Literally they got two gifts each from my husband and I, one each from my sister and one each from the grandparents.
Every year I stress about the amount of gifts we give them because growing up sometimes we didn't get much of anything and what we got didn't last long but that's another story I likely will not share in the near future. So, I always go back to thinking if they get more they will be happier. Well that really isn't the case, and yesterday was a perfect example.
What is the conclusion of this post? More objects does not equal happiness or the feeling of being loved, time and being surrounded by the ones that love you is really what counts.
Of course the ultimate gift that does keep giving love is the gift of salvation, true and unconditional love.
Have a wonderful day!
Tina Marie
Friday, December 8, 2017
Encouragment
If you are going through something right now, mom, know that you will get through it. If you feel alone and sad, know that you aren't. It is only temporary, easier for someone to say than to wait for it to end but it will. I promise you if you give it time, it will end. Hold steadfast in Gods love even if you feel like your prayers are just hitting clouds, doubt creeps in and the enemy is feeding you lies. You are not alone, you are loved and cherished. You are needed and good enough. You are forgiven. You are a child of God and He thinks so much of you, so much.
With love and encouragement,
Tina Marie
17 The Lord
thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with
singing.
Zephaniah 3:17King James Version (KJV)
Tina Marie
Friday, December 1, 2017
Honesty, where would we be without it?
I hope you all had a wonderful day today.
My day started out wonderful and then we finished breakfast and it turned into chaos. We had somewhere to be at 10 a.m. which does not seem like a big deal for some but getting 3 kids out of the house to be at that place on time was an ordeal which ended in tears for me, the mother.
I decided to serve the children something nutritious (not), a cereal with sugary sweet marshmallows. Now we don't do this every day, in fact we hardly ever eat cereal but we bought it so we ate some today, don't worry the baby had a banana and avocado for his breakfast. It was uneventful and kind of relaxing. It was just enough relaxing for reality to kick in and stress shoot out of the roof.
I kind of cleaned up and got the kids bathed and dressed. I showered myself and dressed to look out into the living room and the kids in a matter of, I dont know, ten minutes destroyed the living room. I half put effort into doing my hair and put a jacket on the three year old and while putting socks on the baby the three year old started to scream his head off and cry that his long sleeved shirt was rolled up under the jacket. I asked him to hold on a moment and as any three year old would do with a rolled up sleeve, he screamed some more. Stress levels rising...I helped him and he calmed down.
Shoe time, moms I know you know what im talking about when I say
"Put your shoes where they go so we can find them when we need them.", never the case. Ever. What happens when we need to leave, shoes have vanished. Mom is stressing and kids are crying because they cannot find the shoes. Okay, I cried too. I yelled, I prayed and I cried. I begged God to just give me a moment of clarity and calamity. Did he? Yes, eventually.
When we got to where we needed to be the person I was meeting forgot to tell me they canceled. Crying and stress ended up to be for nothing, though at the time it was happening it didnt feel nothing. So we went to the library instead for some story time, which the three year old had mini melt downs at. Could it have been the sugary cereal? Now that I type this out I think so. I felt calm during those melt downs, there was the calm I asked for.
I took the children to the coffee shop in the library for a muffin, I ended up getting us a doughnut and me a cup o joe. More sugar but that is where I got the clarity I asked for. They are just children, they are still learning.
Home we went for lunch, ran an errand and to the park we went because once again I felt like I was going to cry with the water spilled on the couch, kids arguing and tearing the house up by the second. The dishes in the sink were teasing me and staring at me with judgement as well as the rest of the chores that needed to be done, at some point. The park was a great choice, all three of us played and laughed.
To be honest those emotions cycled a couple times after we got back home but I am not letting it ruin the rest of my night.
Tomorrow will be a better day. Tomorrow will likely have stress but hopefully I remember the clarity and the calm God gave me today, the reminder that they are only children, they are still learning and rushing isnt worth all the stress.
I hope you all have a wonderful blessed day tomorrow and remember slow down and with your little ones they love you unconditionally, if needed ask them to forgive you and forgive yourself. We honestly are all still learning.
With much love,
Tina Marie
My day started out wonderful and then we finished breakfast and it turned into chaos. We had somewhere to be at 10 a.m. which does not seem like a big deal for some but getting 3 kids out of the house to be at that place on time was an ordeal which ended in tears for me, the mother.
I decided to serve the children something nutritious (not), a cereal with sugary sweet marshmallows. Now we don't do this every day, in fact we hardly ever eat cereal but we bought it so we ate some today, don't worry the baby had a banana and avocado for his breakfast. It was uneventful and kind of relaxing. It was just enough relaxing for reality to kick in and stress shoot out of the roof.
I kind of cleaned up and got the kids bathed and dressed. I showered myself and dressed to look out into the living room and the kids in a matter of, I dont know, ten minutes destroyed the living room. I half put effort into doing my hair and put a jacket on the three year old and while putting socks on the baby the three year old started to scream his head off and cry that his long sleeved shirt was rolled up under the jacket. I asked him to hold on a moment and as any three year old would do with a rolled up sleeve, he screamed some more. Stress levels rising...I helped him and he calmed down.
Shoe time, moms I know you know what im talking about when I say
"Put your shoes where they go so we can find them when we need them.", never the case. Ever. What happens when we need to leave, shoes have vanished. Mom is stressing and kids are crying because they cannot find the shoes. Okay, I cried too. I yelled, I prayed and I cried. I begged God to just give me a moment of clarity and calamity. Did he? Yes, eventually.
When we got to where we needed to be the person I was meeting forgot to tell me they canceled. Crying and stress ended up to be for nothing, though at the time it was happening it didnt feel nothing. So we went to the library instead for some story time, which the three year old had mini melt downs at. Could it have been the sugary cereal? Now that I type this out I think so. I felt calm during those melt downs, there was the calm I asked for.
I took the children to the coffee shop in the library for a muffin, I ended up getting us a doughnut and me a cup o joe. More sugar but that is where I got the clarity I asked for. They are just children, they are still learning.
Home we went for lunch, ran an errand and to the park we went because once again I felt like I was going to cry with the water spilled on the couch, kids arguing and tearing the house up by the second. The dishes in the sink were teasing me and staring at me with judgement as well as the rest of the chores that needed to be done, at some point. The park was a great choice, all three of us played and laughed.
To be honest those emotions cycled a couple times after we got back home but I am not letting it ruin the rest of my night.
Tomorrow will be a better day. Tomorrow will likely have stress but hopefully I remember the clarity and the calm God gave me today, the reminder that they are only children, they are still learning and rushing isnt worth all the stress.
I hope you all have a wonderful blessed day tomorrow and remember slow down and with your little ones they love you unconditionally, if needed ask them to forgive you and forgive yourself. We honestly are all still learning.
With much love,
Tina Marie
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Giving Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
I hope your day was amazing and filled with love whether you were near or far from the ones you care about.
Today was an overall great day, there were some usual bumps in the road as can be expected with three little boys. I am exhausted though I only cooked two things because my in-laws made the rest of the feast, which I am so thankful for every year.
I was told by my mother-in-law that one of these days I will have to take over the cooking reigns and feed the family. That thought made me sad, not sad I have to cook but sad that they are getting older. I have known them since I was 17 years old so they are family.
I know some would say well of course they are family, they are your in-laws. Well, I do not quite work that way in terms of relationships. I, for personal reasons, need to know that the person or persons are not going anywhere and they are willing to accept me in my entirety. They do, at first it was for the sake of their son I am sure but I can confidently say they now truly accept me and I them. We function like any family does, the good and the bad and I would not have it any other way.
Speaking of family, I missed my sister today I must say. I was hoping to see her but she is not feeling well at the moment. I had a thought today in which I said aloud to my husband; "I love my sister." and it made me all teary eyed. You all do not know this but we didn't really grow up together later in childhood and teen years and that can have an effect on a relationship. Thankfully we are building that stolen relationship and I am also thankful I have a sister.
So now that I have rambled on but with much thankfulness I ask you to find something and someone you are thankful for and cherish them every day because we are not promised tomorrow.
With love and thankfulness,
Tina Marie
I hope your day was amazing and filled with love whether you were near or far from the ones you care about.
Today was an overall great day, there were some usual bumps in the road as can be expected with three little boys. I am exhausted though I only cooked two things because my in-laws made the rest of the feast, which I am so thankful for every year.
I was told by my mother-in-law that one of these days I will have to take over the cooking reigns and feed the family. That thought made me sad, not sad I have to cook but sad that they are getting older. I have known them since I was 17 years old so they are family.
I know some would say well of course they are family, they are your in-laws. Well, I do not quite work that way in terms of relationships. I, for personal reasons, need to know that the person or persons are not going anywhere and they are willing to accept me in my entirety. They do, at first it was for the sake of their son I am sure but I can confidently say they now truly accept me and I them. We function like any family does, the good and the bad and I would not have it any other way.
Speaking of family, I missed my sister today I must say. I was hoping to see her but she is not feeling well at the moment. I had a thought today in which I said aloud to my husband; "I love my sister." and it made me all teary eyed. You all do not know this but we didn't really grow up together later in childhood and teen years and that can have an effect on a relationship. Thankfully we are building that stolen relationship and I am also thankful I have a sister.
So now that I have rambled on but with much thankfulness I ask you to find something and someone you are thankful for and cherish them every day because we are not promised tomorrow.
With love and thankfulness,
Tina Marie
Monday, November 20, 2017
Sick days
As a stay at home mom, I am speaking for myself and maybe some of you out there, there are no sick days. No days to rest and get better quick, no days to snuggle up to your blanket on your comfortable bed and doze away. It is rough. It is hard. It is exhausting. It is frustrating.
We all had the stomach flu over Halloween week and I had no rest, just go go go. The following week we all ended up getting colds. Literally I have been sick in one way or another since Halloween week. How is this possible!!??
It is partially my fault, I feel the need to just keep moving and getting things done so that when I do actually feel better those things have not piled up leaving me overwhelmed. I find it hard to be okay with dishes piled up high in the sink and on the counter, shredded papers and similar all over the carpet and a dirty bathroom. Did I mention we have only one bathroom? Yea. Oh and the laundry! It is never ending. Literally somehow I get at least two loads to wash every day.
It does seem like I am rambling and complaining about being able to stay home and take care of my family but in all reality it is all worth it and I wouldn't have it any other way, other than maybe an opportunity to snuggle up in my blankets on my comfortable bed a little longer without a toddler pulling at my shirt.
This motherhood with small children does fly by so fast so I appreciate every moment and I am learning to also really appreciate the challenges as well.
There are no lessons in perfection, which we cannot achieve, so I will take it and learn to maybe let the dishes, floor and laundry go for a little bit. Maybe.
Hoping you are all healthy and happy,
Tina Marie
We all had the stomach flu over Halloween week and I had no rest, just go go go. The following week we all ended up getting colds. Literally I have been sick in one way or another since Halloween week. How is this possible!!??
It is partially my fault, I feel the need to just keep moving and getting things done so that when I do actually feel better those things have not piled up leaving me overwhelmed. I find it hard to be okay with dishes piled up high in the sink and on the counter, shredded papers and similar all over the carpet and a dirty bathroom. Did I mention we have only one bathroom? Yea. Oh and the laundry! It is never ending. Literally somehow I get at least two loads to wash every day.
It does seem like I am rambling and complaining about being able to stay home and take care of my family but in all reality it is all worth it and I wouldn't have it any other way, other than maybe an opportunity to snuggle up in my blankets on my comfortable bed a little longer without a toddler pulling at my shirt.
This motherhood with small children does fly by so fast so I appreciate every moment and I am learning to also really appreciate the challenges as well.
There are no lessons in perfection, which we cannot achieve, so I will take it and learn to maybe let the dishes, floor and laundry go for a little bit. Maybe.
Hoping you are all healthy and happy,
Tina Marie
Monday, November 13, 2017
Raise your hands in the air if your a mom and you feel overwhelmed and tired sometimes! 🙌
I live in a 900 sqft house with my husband, a dog and 3 boys, the oldest is 8, our middle one is 3 and the baby is 1.
They can create a mess faster than you can blink your eyes while reading this post. Well maybe not that fast but it sure feels like it.
Some days I find it so hard to keep up with them and I find it so hard to be in my thoughts. Its almost constant chaos in the little house we live in, there is always arguing and sometimes literal fighting between all three of them. Toys are thrown around like little grenades trying to blow up my sanity and Lego left on the floor EVERYWHERE like little mines that beg me to be thrown away into the trash can but I must say no because we will end up buying more to replace them.
I have days where I feel like I cannot handle another moment or I will just burst into flames or tears or both. You know what though, I get through those moments. How? Well in all honestly I cant do it alone. I get through those moments leaning on God. He knows me more than I know myself. He knows those little precious gifts that drive me crazy sometimes, more than I will ever know them.
Motherhood is HARD but don't get me wrong here, it is so worth it. To see those little faces light up with joy from the smallest of things is just heart melting. I prayed for these boys. I begged God to keep them safe and cried when the doctors told me my 8 year old wouldn't make it past the 1st trimester and again the 2nd trimester but God had other plans for my boy though, for all of my boys.
Where am I getting at?
Mom, sweet precious child of God. Your children are a gift to you because God knew and knows you are suitable to raise them. You have every tool at your fingertips and the most amazing example. God. No matter how good or bad the day has been for you just know God chose you. He chose you to love on those babies, chaos and all. He chose you to raise those little ones up.
Are you feeling guilt for not being the mom you think you should be? Don't. Just don't. It isn't worth the time nor energy. Trust me. I waste a bit of time in that and I regret some days the way I handled my frustration, fatigue and being overwhelmed. Something God keeps reminding me is there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Ask for forgiveness to the children and God if you have done something you think is wrong and then move on. Choose to learn from that moment, I promise you children are much quicker to forgive than us adults, and God even quicker like so quick He already forgave you before you sinned. God loves unconditionally and so do those babies.
Hug them mom and know that He is God. You can do this,we got this girl. We got this.
with love,
Tina Marie
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