The Story of Us

Mr. and Mrs. Dana Hawkins

2011-10-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to celebrate my sister Gretchen and her new husband Dana! They were married on September 17th! They were gorgeous and had one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen! Here are some candid shots from the day. So much fun and lots of special memories made! Congratulations Dana and Gretchen! We love you!

Sarah and her boyfriend Brandon with our sweet little Jaclynn.

Auntie Sarah, Auntie Sammy and Jaclynn.

Auntie Gretchy and Uncle Dana with Four of my Five. Attempting to get a decent shot with not so willing kiddos!

My beautiful sisters and Jaclynn (again!)

Me, my sisters and three of my kiddos!

Steven and the very willing to pose for photos, Jaclynn!

Beautiful bride and sleepy nephew.

Gregory, so handsome.

Chubby Silas in his 3 peice suit!

Parents of the bride and groom.

Uncle Dana , Jaclynn and Gregory.

My two littlest boys. =D

Hope to post more soon of life with five.

Inspiring...humbling

2011-07-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

A life truly dedicated to service.

Repost from Pastor Mikes Blog

2011-06-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

I loved this post today. I had to share.

The Story of Us: My Man

2011-05-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Story of Us: My Man

Don't really know what I am doing with the blogging thing still...thought I knew how to re-post something but apparently not so here is a link to an old post instead. Enjoy!

An update in pictures.

2011-05-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and we have been out having fun with more Zunigas! Mark and Joanne had the kids over for fun and fancy Easter egg decorating while Steven and I got out on a date! Yay! Thank you so much for that special treat! The kids and the parents were very happy campers!

Gregory is growing soooo quickly! Just in time to take on the role of BIG Brother!

He is 17 months and catching up to Jaclynn! He still feels like my little baby though. I am sure in just a few short weeks he will look like a giant compared to our newest little boy.

Showing off their creations.

These kids are super snugglers! Jaclynn calls him "My Baby" all the time! It is pretty cute! He loves her to pieces too! Sometimes I wonder if he is confused about who his real mother is! Between the kisses and hugs he gets from Sydney, Jaclynn and myself, I am sure he questioned it a time or two. The new baby is sure in for an adventure! Hopefully he's fond of hugs and being held constantly. I doubt I will be able to pry him from the arms of all the others!

I have heard some make the argument that the more kids you have the less attention they get. Not too sure that it's possible in our family of homebodies! We spend all day everyday together. Something tells me this baby will end up begging for some alone time as he gets older! We will see!

We also had some more Grandma Joanne and Papa Mark time recently at the San Diego Zoo!

They were troopers! Steven, Mark and Joanne were pretty brave making the day trip with four little ones and a very pregnant Mama. They were the best zoo navigators ever though! If any of you know this zoo you know it has HUGE hills to climb, often. But, the three of them were so wonderful and meticulously mapped out a route which included very little walking for me and virtually no hills by foot, thanks to the airway tram and the tour bus! The trip was so much fun and the kids had a great time.

We ended the evening at the best Italian restaurant ever! With the best pizza ever! It is called Fillippi's in San Diego.

I have been craving their Margheritta pizza since we had it that night. It is simply not fair to give a pregnant woman a meal like that and not have the ability to retrieve more at a moments notice! I have seriously considered whether or not the drive is reasonable or not just for pizza. Any takers?

This peacock is literally right in front of the kids. They spent a very long time just watching each other. They were even able to pet its feathers when he walked by them and spread them all out. They thought it was pretty neat. :D

Jaclynn looks as though she is snuggling with this fox ( which she would totally do if she had the opportunity) But there is actually a glass wall between them. :D

Checking out the gorillas. Or as Jaclynn put it, "The Granolas"!

Hopefully there will be more up dates soon. And I am seriously hoping to announce the birth of our 5th little blessing sooner than later! It's in God's perfect will the day and time our son will be born. Can't wait to find out what that is! He will be the tie breaker too for the blondes VS the brunettes. We have two of each, which is so funny to me. Will he look like the 2 oldest or the 2 youngest? Can you tell I am super anxious for this baby to be born!?! :D

Happy Resurrection Day

2011-04-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

"What a love, what a cost. Christ became sin for us. Took the pain, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross..."

What a day to celebrate.

Thank you God for your resurrected Son on this day. Thank you that He became sin so that we might have You. Thank you for accepting us through Him. Thank you that His blood was enough. Thank you for delivering us from our sin through a precious little baby who grew into an perfect, blameless man who bore the wrath of You for the sake of us. Thank you that He is all we need. Thank you for choosing me.

Attempting to post at Recycling Reformation again...

2011-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Go here to check out the most current updates on Sydney's recycling adventures. We truly hope there will be more posts soon. :)

Ann Voskamp

2011-02-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am loving this blogger/ writer! Ann Voskamp blogs at Aholyexperience.com. Very encouraging and deep. I epecially love her recent posts about love and marriage!

A big thanks to Tina for sharing this with us!!!

Convicting...

2011-02-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Watch the video, then reflect on what the Holy word of God says about the poor and needy.

"And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, render true judgments, show kindness and mercy towards one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." Zechariah 7:8-10

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13

"Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him." Proverbs 14:31

"She opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

"Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse."

Proverbs 28:27

"Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor." Proverbs 22:9

"Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy." Proverbs 31:9

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him saying, ' Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly,I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For i was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they will also answer saying, 'Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And those will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Matthew 25: 35- 46

"Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with treasure in the heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:33-34

"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one in fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place, ' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?" James 2:1-7

"But if anyone has the worlds goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth."

1John 3:17-18

"Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ' For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or, who has given a gift to him that it might be repaid?' For from him and to him and through him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 11: 33- 36 and 12:1-2

And the list of scriptures could go on and on.

I ask myself often if I am caring for the sick or poor or oppressed. The answer is no. Not like I am called to as a believer in Christ. Are you?

Resolved2Worship

2011-02-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

Wrote this a while back but never posted. Might as well now, right?
I was checking one of my favorite sites and almost didn't read her current post. ( obviously I want you to read that so go and do that first ) It looked too long and I don't have much time to sit at the computer and read. For some reason I changed my mind and dove in. Her honesty is refreshing. She is open about her struggles and I admire that. Although I don't relate directly to the sin issue she talks about in her post I felt it was convicting and true. Keep in mind she is a home schooling mom of 7 ( update: now pregnant with #8!) who struggles with judging others who look similar to herself. I think it is an interesting point to bring up. Judgement comes in all forms. The "christians" judging the "non-christians", and vice versa. The people with lots of kids, the people with just a couple, those who home school, send to private and send to public. EVERYONE is guilty. Anyway, I like her honesty. Main idea... keep yourself focussed on your relationship with God. Where you stand in Christ. How you live and who you are living for. What does your heart truly reveal? Self examination is scary. It reveals a whole lot if you can be honest with yourself.

We must learn to love.

2011-02-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. this is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39

Excerpt from Family Driven Faith Chapter 3 "Learn to Love" by Voddie Baucham:

"Thus Jesus, referencing Moses, comments on the essential nature of loving people as well as loving God. Therefore, to limit this chapter to learning to love god would have been insufficient. If our homes are to reflect our position as the people of God in the midst of the opposition of a pagan culture, we, like the Israelites, must learn to love.
Our homes must be rife with the aroma of love. Those who visit us should notice immediately that they have left the world of self-serving, egocentric narcissism and have entered a safe harbor where people value and esteem others above themselves. Outsiders should enter our homes and never want to leave. Our neighbors should find excuses to visit us just to get another whiff of the fragrant aroma of love. The brokenhearted should long to be near us. The downtrodden and abused should seek us out. Families on the brink of disaster should point to us and say 'Why can't our home be like that?'
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Far too often professing Christians in our culture don't love better, more deeply, or longer than the pagans who surround us. At times we bear more of the stench of this world than the fragrant aroma of the people of God. That's the bad news. The good news is that things don't have to remain as they are. We can learn to love. The first step is to rid ourselves of the ineffective methods and ideologies that have led us down the current path."

Imagine what the church would be if we truly clung to what the verse in Matthew 22 is saying. Imagine how we could impact the world for Christ.

The Child Training Bible

2011-02-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Stop by my friends new blog! She has created an amazing resource for training up our little ones! Or, I guess I should say she is using what God has provided, The Bible, and made it very easy to navigate scriptures that pertain to different heart issues that need to be addressed during the training of our precious little ones! I made one of the child training bibles and I love it! I think it is also fair to call it a Mom training bible!

A vision for motherhood.

2011-02-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

I saw this on another blog this morning and loved it. Just had to re-post here.

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller

My dear friend's blog featured on Ladies Against Feminism!

2011-02-01T09:53:00.001-08:00

My friend Valerie's blog and a piece she wrote about whether or not we are actually pro-life was featured on the site Ladies Against Feminism! She writes beautifully about this topic and doesn't hold back and yet is sweet and gentle with her words. Go check it out. I think it may not be what you would expect. =)

He's walking!

2011-01-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

And falling then walking again then falling again. It never gets old watching your babies go through all the different stages. Gregory is just as fun as the rest of them were. I can't believe he turned one already! I'm still in shock! Anyway, his first year has been great. He is a joy and usually has a smile on his face. I am very happy that he is finally toddling around. Although completely walking all the time would be nice seeing as how he is sooooo big and heavy and I am exhausted carrying him!

By the way, my exhaustion is likely from the fact that I am almost 15 weeks pregnant! I know most of you know but I keep getting a very shocked look here and there so I guess formal announcements are still necessary even when announcing your 4th or 5th or so on. =)

I am due July 11th. Exactly opposite of our fall/winter babies. It will be weird to have a summer baby but I am excited! God is good and he has blessed us again with a very special gift! We are thankful and can't wait to meet this new little one. We would like to find out what this one is so look for a post in the coming weeks for the results. I am thinking boy but we will see! The boys room is already set up and ready for a third. If it's a girl I will have to get creative in the girls room. Of course Sydney and Jaclynn are convinced this baby is a girl and Calvin is sure it is a boy. Steven and I have no preference and look forward to the day we look straight into this precious blessings eyes and say I love you. Then, introduce him or her to the rest of the group and the sweet chaos we call life!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Family Pictures

2010-12-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Fun photo session with The Still Picture Company! :)

Super awesome diapers.com deal!

2010-11-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

use code STEV1360

shop for all your baby needs: body pillows, good start formula, swaddle pod

Not valid for existing Diapers.com, Soap.com or BeautyBar.com customers. Some restrictions apply.

Use the code above to get 20% off your order at diapers.com

They have Robees on sale plus free shipping, so you can score some super cute baby shoes for under $10.00! That is more than half off! Use the code that is displayed in the box for your discount! They have a fairly large selection of boy and girl shoes that are on sale. Not just the super cute dump truck ones above. :) Happy shopping!
***UPDATE***
Ordered mine yesterday Morning Monday November 22nd, they arrived on my door step this morning, Tuesday November 23rd! Love it!!!!
***NEW UPDATE***
Just checked the diapers.com site again and prices are back up to normal. :( Hope some of you jumped on the deal when it was still going!
You can still use the code to receive 20% off anything you order on that site. I am sure you can still find a great deal on something you need!

Lunch, recess and other fun stuff...

2010-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recent shots of normal life around here. Lots of eating and bouncing off the walls, trampoline, couches or whatever else they may find that has the ability to launch them into the air. :)

These four silly kids keep me busy and smiling. I like them and am thankful for them.

Publish Post

Morning recess...so much fun!

To My Love

2010-09-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I think this song says so much. Rest and let the words penetrate you heart, mind and soul. I love you Steven.

Technology of the future.

2010-09-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Calvin is sitting on the couch.....asking my I pod questions....in time I am sure....but not yet... :)

Calvin makes me laugh.

2010-09-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

The other evening while our family was having our evening family devotions the kids asked if they could start off by singing the books of the bible song. We think it is adorable when they sing this all together, and even getting through this song normally without confusion is a crack up!
On this particular evening, Sydney's voice had died off right at Song- of- Sol-o-men. Calvin went on with
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel.....then paused, looked at us with one eyebrow up and his head cocked a bit and said with total seriousness the name of the book in the bible that he assumed had to be next...Travis?
So, most of you will get why this is so funny, but for those of you who don't, lots of our friends choose names for their children from the bible or from the books of the bible. Most of these names, with the exception of Lamentations (so far... just kidding!) he knows as friends, so the logical name next in line was of course Travis, not Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah. Jonah, Micah, Na-hum, Habakakuk, Zephani-ah. Haggai, Zechariah, and the last book Malachi!
Anyway, I'm sure had we not all stopped to giggle he would have gone on with Christian, Caleb, Luke, Jake, Elijah, Augustine!

Beach day

2010-08-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

We love the beach. I can't believe that last week was the first time we went all summer! We will being going more soon, as the summer comes to an end.
The summer flew by. I can't believe that school is starting up already. I don't know how that happened. thankfully we love the beach in the fall. The water is warm, everyone else is at work or school and we get a beautiful warm sandy beach all to ourselves. We look forward to the fall all year. The whole summer Sydney has been reminding me of how she is ready for fall and is thrilled that September is here.
Sydney will be starting 2nd grade and Calvin, although still not old enough to be in Kindergarten officially, will be starting up a kindergarten like school year. We will see how that goes!

Check out GROUPON

2010-08-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is a newer coupon site called Groupon. They have some deeply discounted prices on a range of items. It's kinda one of those sites you check out and if they have something you need you are scoring a great deal. If you don't need it and are still purchasing it then even if it is deeply discounted, it is still a waste of money.

Anyway, check it out and sign up. It is super quick and easy. If you sign up through this link then I will earn 10 groupon dollars. ( I actually don't even know what that means yet!) If you sign up then you can refer your friends and earn 10 groupon dollars too! If anyone signs up through me I will tell you if the groupon dollars do anything wonderful or not. Check it out. See what kind of special savings you can find!

Water Play

2010-08-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

This little one is so much fun. He is very happy and is so easy to care for. He loves his big sisters and big brother and they adore him too!

It has been great having a pool this summer. Sydney and Calvin are excellent swimmers now that they have been able to practice all summer long. Calvin even taught himself to dive and is pretty good at it. I keep trying to convince him to try a back dive but he's not quite ready yet. He just likes to tell me to try one then laugh at how silly I look attempting to hurl myself backwards and somewhat resemble the back diving of my youth! Yes I said youth, back dives don't come easy as the years go by!

Sydney loves jumping in too but doesn't dare try anything fancy. She likes cannon balls just fine.

I don't know how this picture turned out this way but it looks kinda neat. Anyway, Jaclynn loves the pool too and will often be heard singing "Come on get on the board with the Lord and let's ride! Wiping out with a crash! In the tube what a splash! I'm on the board with the Lord, living to do God's will!" You know, the Jana Alyra song. It's hysterical. I think she sings it while she swims as part of her safety net. When she first started getting in the pool this summer she would slowly let go of me then swim around saying "I not scared, I not scared, I not scared!" And say it the whole time she swam! Now, it's the song. It is pretty cute to watch. She is a fun little two year old.

He makes me smile so much! He will be eight months in just a couple of days. I love this age, he is so sweet and cute! He's almost crawling.He makes it from one end of the room to the other but not by official crawling yet. I think we will see the real thing soon.

Thats it for now. More to come soon.

2010-08-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have been going back and forth about what to post next. I have summer updates and pictures of the kids and Steven's 30th birthday to write about. I knew I couldn't post anything else about the summer though until I posted about our loss. Sadly, at almost 15 weeks pregnant, we lost our baby.

Honestly, it was devastating. But God, in His goodness and mercy toward me and my family has held us up through it all. We have been showered with love from friends and family and our church. We had lots of meals and help with the kids and the house. We also enjoyed visitors just stopping by to visit with us and keep us going. It has been so much easier to handle with all of the support around us and we are very grateful.

We don't know why God chose to give us the special blessing of a baby and then take it away. We do know that "...for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 Thankfully, this is where we rest. We have full confidence in the plans He has made for us and are looking to the future with hope and excitement for what comes our way. Good or bad. We want what is His will. That doesn't mean it is easy to accept the hard stuff. Just makes it a little more bearable.

Growing our family.

2010-07-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

I recently had a conversation with a good friend about transitioning from one to two children then two to three and so on. After I hung up the phone it really had me thinking about all the ideas and expectations I had and some of the harsh realities too once thrust into my new role as mom of many. Now by no means am I claiming to be any form of an expert. But simply one who has walked, run and been dragged down the road of motherhood. My mind couldn't stop reeling through memories of years passed so I thought I would write some things down. Not only to preserve the memories I have of my years as a mom of many little ones but also for reference for friends and my own dear children when they hit young motherhood.

Something I learned quickly after having my first was to never say never. I am sure all of you who have at least one can remember some things you swore you would never do. And now are confidently and happily allowing those parenting "no-no's" today! I garantee that all of you who say no that won't be me will cave at some point. We all have our own strongholds that will likely someday have to succumb to because our baby just doesn't work that way. Maybe the first one did but the second one sure won't!

I remember being terrified about going from one to two. I completely lacked confidence in myself. I was sure I would never be able to grocery shop or go to the doctors or park alone! I think that was a pivitol point for me as an adult and mother. I really grew spiritually during this time too because of my desperate need for direction and sleep! Thankfully I fell hard onto my knees in prayer, because that was the only way I was going to survive. God has always provided abundently and this time there was no doubt about it. Once Calvin was around six months old I remember feeling a sense of relief. All my fears of what to do when in public with two small children had subsided and it gave me real freedom. How awful to look back now and see how fear controlled my life. I was so foolish. But through all that I learned so much about myself and who God is. He sustained me through two sleepless years ( really, if you know me well you know what I am talking about :) ) he built my confidence and gave me deep desires for service to my family and others and a clear understanding of self sacrifice. Little did I know the self sacrifice I knew then was nothing compared to what I would experience once I transitioned from two to three!

Going from two to three wasn't scary at all. I remember thinking what is one more? Give me two or three more, I can handle it! This actually did turn out to be true. It wasn't hard adding more little ones because I had already been doing everything that pertains to little ones for 4 1/2 years. Mostly because I was already at home, already not sleeping, and already devoting my life to my family. The one thing that was very different though was the good old "me time". I HATE that phrase. It irritates me. Once I had three children the "me time" had been dissolved. There was no longer time for watching a show during nap time or napping myself. Funny that my "me time" was rotting my brain with TV or taking a nap. Pathetic I know. I guess this is when it became harder to sit down and get through books quickly too. So, then it wasn't all useless, I was reading too! Anyway, laundry and dishes seemed to triple. Any extra time I had was devoted to working on something in my home. Now for some this may seem like a miserable life but it wasn't. It was amazingly eye opening. First of all it helped me to really dig deep and examine priorities. At the point of two children only I actually still had a lot of flexibility and cushion when it came to household chores and routine. It was easy to skip things because I wasn't too outnumbered yet. It worked for our family. I see it working for lots of families in this situation. So, now with three I got thrust into a major change in thinking. I found myself focussed so much more outside of myself and into the world around me. Letting go of a lot of laziness once having a third gave me huge amounts of time for working around the house with the kids and cooking/baking with the kids. Now don't be mislead here. I don't think I have had all my laundry done and put away since sometime in 2006. I still have a very messy house at times. But, I really realized that I was not using my time as wisely as I should. And I was convicted about what time I was rising in the morning. "... She rises while it is yet night and prepares food for her household and a portion for her maidens... her lamp does not go out at night..." This is an excerpt from Proverbs 31 paraphrased sort of. I read and re- read this passage. I kept trying to find the part that said, except when she has a newborn, or not during the first trimester, or only if all is well and perfect in her life. I couldn't find those parts. The conviction grew. This was life changing. It stretched and grew me in good ways. This was also the time that I was convicted about my at home job. It occupied a lot of my time. I could no longer say it worked for our family to have me working from home. I prayed for a way out.

Thankfully my prayers were answered in ways one would never dream. I quit, we moved and I had my fourth. All in that order. It was an enormous weight off my shoulders to not be responsible for someone else's business. And it was a major stress relief to know that my concern and care was all for my family and not about job performance and renter satisfaction. Moving into a larger home was sort of an experiment. I had my theories that I preached to Steven on a regular basis about how it would be easier to clean a larger home and not so easy to dirty it up because of all the space. I would say my theories were right, with some tweaking. Schedule and routine became huge must haves. Steven got me a blackberry four days after I had Gregory and it has been an enormous aid in my quest to figure out motherhood with four. It has this great calendar feature that will pop up reminders for me for anything from vacuuming the downstairs to bible study on Wednesdays. It keeps me from having to remember everything that needs to be done. Technology is wonderful. My growth as a momma with four has allowed me to open up my home often for guests or for events like our home group. I love that! My family loves visitors so why not get my act together so people can visit? Another big part of this joy of sharing our home with others is to not be worried about what it looks like. Now, I am saying that we all have more time than we realize and we can stretch ourselves to accomplish more. But, there are times that it's just not happening, like when you are trying to let your kids play and swim outside and you are throwing up in the bushes next to them. Days like these I don't skip back inside and conquer the breakfast and lunch dishes. They sit there til the next day I feel well enough. And that is ok. I have to still be ok with everyone seeing what's real. Some days it actually is a clean house with a clean toilet and clean counters. Other days its not. I figure, if any one likes me because my house is clean or likes me because my house is never clean then they've got some issues. Not me and my sometimes clean or sometimes chaotic house!

Now I am well on my way to five. Ahh! I am still trying to master four! I have seven and a half months to go to figure it out. I keep visualizing myself in different situations. Like bed time and dinner time. Two nights a week I am on my own for bed time. And five times a week I am on my own for dinner time. Oh yeah, and baths. I just figured out a reasonable bath schedule for the four! I've really got to get creative with five! I don't know why the whole bath routine plagues me, but it does! Kitchen sinks are quick and easy for little ones. Think I could do two little ones at the same time in there? I will try and let you know! So much to think about and figure out. I admire those who have raised theirs up and have grown marvelous, loving, god honoring men and women. What a job. The hardest I know. Done well and right and without giving up or giving in I think we can make a difference in this world. Our lives as mothers right now is about the future and the legacy we have built. Our blood, sweat and tears are molding future generations. That reality gives me chills and forces me to constantly be thinking about my choices and motives as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, sister, woman and christian.

Just something to think about.

We have news!!!!

2010-06-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, it looks like the rest of this year will be EXACTLY the same as last years. Minus the big move. Oh, and we are not getting two more dogs. So, not exactly the same, but close. So those are two of our top three events of last year. The third being me pregnant with our fourth child. This summer.......... our fifth! Ahhhhh! I know! We are VERY excited to announce that baby #5 is due the end of January 2011! Not exactly planned but totally and completely welcomed! So, another lazy summer, attempting to avoid total burn out from the first trimester. That's our big news for now. Go ahead and pick your jaw back up from off the floor!

Recycling Reformation

2010-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Check out Sydney's site. There is a new post.

It has been far too long.

2010-06-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

I took an un-intentional

fast from blogging, but now have found my self back here. So much to catch up on and write about I don't know where to begin. For now I will post some cute happenings around here then catch up on other stuff later.

The kids and dogs often congregate under the school room table. They pile in together for a sort of "nap time". Of course no kids actually sleep. But, surprisingly the dogs do!

Our sweet little guy is trying his first veggies and cereal! It is fun and the kids love to help! Now, clean up after two very eager little girls and an unexperienced 5 month old eater is another story!

Finishing touches.

2010-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

We moved seven months ago. The time has flown by. I can't believe it has been that long. When we first moved in I was two and a half months away from having Gregory and knew I had to work quickly to get things set up before he was born. Especially because I was having a home birth I knew it was going to drive me nuts to be in the midst of unpacked boxes and chaos! For the most part I was able to set the majority of the house up. The bedrooms were another story though. After moving things around many times trying to find the best way to fit in furniture and give the kids the most play room, I think I am finally done. I wish I would have taken before photos but oh well. I still have a few ideas for decorations in the girls room but that will have to come from future garage sale finds. Calvin's room has a couple of sports pictures that need to be hung and Gregory's crib still needs to make it in there. All in all, the rooms look done. They have been organized and decorated and it feels good to be done! Next I need to start in on our bedroom. I have grand plans to paint all of the furniture and teach myself to reupholster! Hopefully that doesn't take me another seven months!

Almost everything in both the boys room and girls room was free stuff passed a long or found. I purchased a couple little things from Target for a few bucks each like the shelf, trash can and sports pictures for the boys room. All of the girls room furniture was free too, by way of hand me downs or pulling over on the side of the road when I saw a free sign and what not. It was fun to pull it all together. I am excited to go out and see what else I can find to pull of the finishing touches in the girls room. It is very feminine and soft so I hope to find other things that compliment that. Which leads me to garage sales. I love them! I figure I will be able to find what I need to finish all of the bedrooms if I am patient enough.

While out at garage sales recently, I found something that I have been waiting almost SEVEN years for! And, I actually found two of them! I love how adorable and functional the Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags are. I have admired them from afar for so long. I could never bring my self to buy one as they are priced at upwards of $160.00!!! But, I happened upon one for $25.00 in excellent condition! I couldn't pass it up! Then, a couple of weeks later much to my total shock, I found another one in excellent condition for only $10.00!!! My friend Jess had asked me to keep my eyes out for one for her on the off chance that I would spot one again. I couldn't believe that I did! My point in telling you all of this is simply that you should check garage sales for everything! I bet you would be shocked at what you could find. I love going to the neighborhoods where houses are a bit pricier than usual. It seems you tend to find really great stuff at a cheap price when the houses are in the over a million range. Seems silly I know, but it's true!

Tuesdays

2010-05-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday begins with recovery from the weekend. Steven's weekend from work is Sunday and Monday, and it is always jam-packed. I go back and forth about whether or not this is a good thing. I always end up on the side of it being good. We fill the weekend with family events and meals shared with others. Monday night always ends with a great night at home group and dear friends staying late for conversation, dessert, prayer, encouragement and fun! Anyway, as a result of our weekend I always wake up on Tuesdays extra sleepy. I have come to love our Tuesdays (sort of). I have low expectations and yet we still accomplish a ton. Typically one would find us still in our pajamas in the afternoon. We start in on the gigantic pile of laundry that has piled up over the week. School work starts up again. Tuesdays mornings are often accompanied by a kid movie. Things are mellow. It seems as though even the dogs know it's a laid back day as they lounge around the house frequently napping. I begin to de-clutter some of the paper pile up from the previous week and attempt to finish the dishes from the night before. I realized that if I don't get a handle on the dishes by Tuesday morning there is no hope for catch up the rest of the week. Some weeks I win, some weeks the dishes do.
Another typical Tuesday ritual is my unfortunate inability to resist the amazing left over dessert from home group. Angela spoils us each week with a new delicious dessert and I typically cant resist! I always beg her to take the leftovers home knowing that I will not be able to fight the temptation. She never does though and so I enjoy them with a cup of coffee or two.
I have been learning a lot about expectations, and Tuesdays seem to foster more growth their. Difficult things or circumstances can do that to you. I realized that when one fights against the difficulties, one usually doesn't grow much. In fact, I believe ones growth may be stunted. So this "one" has been learning to, for lack of a better cliche, "go with the flow". I think it is hilarious that all those times my parents were telling me that they are older and wiser and some day I will see things differently, they were right! That lesson has been learned so frequently as the years have gone by now. It has me often pondering what opinions that I hold so dear to now, I will actually be laughing at ten years from now. I am at least glad I realize that I am not too wise yet and I will always have more to learn.
So, here's to Tuesdays! Dreaded and desired all in one. Is that even possible? It seems to be.

Sydney's site is up again!

2010-04-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sydney's recycling site, Recycling Reformation is up again! It is actually a whole new site and address because I could not get the old one to work. Anyway, for those of you who didn't get to view the original site and purpose I will give a brief summary.
Sydney has been concerned for the homeless for years. Yes, I know she is six and when I say years that seems like a stretch. But, it's true. This little girl amazes me with her enormous capacity for compassion. She got the idea to collect recyclables and donate all of its proceeds to the needy. I told her if she really was serious about this and was willing to work hard I believed she could make a huge impact. So began our Recycling Reformation.
We all know how hip it is to be green. We all know the hype behind recycling for a better planet. Now, while those intentions are admirable, they don't dig deep enough. Keeping our planet clean and healthy for future generations is a great idea, there is no knocking that. But, our main concern as believers is not first how "green" our planet can be, but how christ-like we can live. God calls us to "Love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and love your neighbor as yourself." Now I know that I certainly love myself enough to give my self lots of nice things. Our homeless "neighbors" and other needy people around us can certainly use some love by way of food or clothing or other basic needs. At this point, this is our humble attempt to "love our neighbors". We have reformed our reason for recycling and have stretched far beyond the cause of a greener planet. We hope to send the message of Christ's love by helping others. We encourage you to do the same. One way is to help our cause by simply saving your recyclables. We would be happy to schedule a pick up. Or, next time you see us bring your bag of recyclables! Thanks for being interested! We would appreciate you all joining us in prayer too for the impact we can have in sharing Christ's love through our recycling project. Thanks all! Now, go check out her site and come back often as I hope to post frequent updates!

Family Picture day

2010-04-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from the recent family photo shoot. It was a fun, loooong day. Lots of bribing with marshmallows so we could get in a ton of shots!

A conversation with Superman

2010-04-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago I was talking with Calvin and he asked me a funny question;
"Mom, why did you call me Calvin when I was a little, tiny baby?"
"Because that is what we named you." I said
"Why didn't you call me some thing else?"
"Like what?"
And, with all seriousness and a very deep look of intent in his eyes he whispered,
"Superman."
I smiled an enormous smile, attempting to hold back laughter and responded with something like sorry I didn't consider that!
He went on, still very serious, and listed many other options. He said names like, spiderman, storm man, batman, arrow man (I think a preview of Avatar was the inspiration or this one!), and various others. Then he asked another question, or more like a very bold, totally covinced this is what he wanted to do, statement;
"Mom, I'd like to change my name."
"Oh, really?" I said. "To what Calvin?"
"Storm Trooper."
"I will think about it." I replied, with equal seriousness.
He responded with," Or maybe Yoda."

Sleeping

2010-04-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sleep is an interesting thing in this household. You never know when it's going to happen and according to some of these pictures, where it will happen is a question too! I had a garage sale a couple weeks back. At some point during my prep for the sale they started dropping like flies. Babies were in bed up stairs but Sydney and Calvin managed cozy little spots in the garage. It was too funny! I had to take pictures.

He is wrapped up and sleeping soundly on the floor of the garage! Horrible I know! But, he's learning multiple skills about marketing and sales for a successful garage sale! At least while he could stay awake he was.

Sydney chose a slightly more civilized spot as she camped out in a toddler bed. I doubt any part of her very princess self would have ever flopped onto the concrete in exhaustion.

The other morning I woke up to this...

How do they do this? They ended up literally piled on top of each other in our bed. Yes, they are strange ones. Despite various limbs being entangled, they all slept this way for quite a while. Usually they don't bother each other unless someone gets a toe in the eye or a roll over turns into a squishing of someones head. These are the times that make me smile. My little ones are crazy, loud, energetic, wild, loving, kind, thoughtful, they love sharing everything with everyone, and they are all my special little gifts from God. Its fun to document their growth and silly antics. They are a joy to Steven and myself. Having children is the most challenging task I have ever encountered, or rather growing children is. But, it is by far the most rewarding, exciting and amazing experience I am privileged to enjoy!

A quick tip

2010-04-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just like I loooove my clearance bread at Ralphs and Sprouts, I also love to find a good deal on canned items. I always peruse the clearance rack for dented cans that the store has marked down. These are my favorite. Especially because canned items are typical ingredients in casseroles and quick dishes. These can get pricey so when I find them reduced because of a dent or two then I stock up. Now, a dent or two is just fine. But, if you come across a bulging can, steer clear. No botulism please!

Another great thing about these clearance finds is if you are lucky enough to find name brands you can also use coupons to get these at even greater deals!

Technical difficulties

2010-04-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

We are having some problems with Sydney's little website. For some reason now that the name has changed it's content can't be located. We are going to enjoy our beautiful Spring Saturday with a birthday party to attend in the afternoon. Hopefully early next week I will have everything figured out! Happy weekend!

A Few Quotations From Charlotte Mason

2010-04-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

"The question is not, how much does the youth know? When he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? And about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? And, therefore, how full is the life he has set before him?"

"Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education."

"Nobody knows how much is possible to any one person. Many persons go through life without recognizing this. They have no notion of how much they can do and feel, know and be; and so their lives turn out poor, narrow and disappointing."

Something to chew on for a bit...

Sydney's Idea

2010-04-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sydney got an idea and ran with it. This morning she began brainstorming and came up with quite the plan. If you're curious about what it is, check out it's beginnings at her new blog here called Recycling For Change. This is just the beginning but I see good things in her future...

My Man

2010-04-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

*OLD POST I HAD TO RE-POST*

Steven has been taking on quite a bit around here as I turn into a different person at the end of my pregnancies. I am completely incapable of doing much or caring for any one how I normally do. It puts a huge strain on our family and especially on him. But he is keeping things together. We have also received some help from friends and family for which we are very thankful! His positive attitude lately, despite the chaos, has made these last couple weeks easier to bare. I never look through the archives of our blog. I did tonight...it was so fun! Anyway, I came across this post about my dear husband and I thought it was the perfect time to re-post it. So here it goes!

I love you so much Steven! Thank you for always striving to serve your family! The bigger your family gets the more amazing you become! God has done a good thing in you!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I like to document what is going on around here. It's fun and it makes me glad that I can look back on these times and remember. I realized the other day that I don't have as many photos of Steven as I do my kids. Understandable though, seeing as how I stay home to care for the kids not Steven but anyway it got me thinking a lot about him. I decided it was a good time to find some pictures of him and reflect on his wonderfulness! :)

I thought it was pretty cute that most of his pictures are silly or sleeping. Hmmm, that leads me to some thoughts about why I appreciate my husband. He is silly. Often. I like that. He knows how to make me laugh, smile, lift my spirits, redirect my negativity. He balances me out.

He also does enjoy sleeping. Some may not appreciate that but what I have found is that his ability to stop and rest reminds me of my inability to do just that, stop and rest. I have a hard time stopping. I go constantly and often forget to relax. Not a good thing. So again, he balances me.

He ADORES our kids. He is so good at finding special things about them and focussing on their strengths. He loves to teach them new things. I enjoy sitting back and watching him with the kids. He approaches the discipleship of our children in a way that is God honoring. His heart is in it. Could I ask for anything more?

Steven is not a fan of the beach. We all know I am. Despite his hatred of wet sand that sticks, he endures for my sake. Not only does he endure, he digs giant holes in the wet, sticky sand. He gets in and builds castles. He walks the beach and looks for sand crabs with the kids. He braves the tide pools, high or low tide, in search for sea creatures to observe. He makes time to do something he dislikes to see the joy streaked across the faces of the ones he loves most.

He likes snuggling with newborns.

He is a great leader.

He is a loyal friend and one of the "best men" I have ever met.

He is playful and attentive. He is also a fish. The water is his second home. I wish he could enjoy it more often.

Again, he is a napper.

A wonderful father.

He works hard and provides well for us.

He loves to play. I am so thankful he is the kind of Dad who gets on the playground and plays with the kids. He does not sit on the bench consumed with other things or glued to his cell phone. He interacts and devotes himself to them. I LOVE that!

He lovingly works at pleasing me with the small stuff, that at times can actually be very big, literally. Like the enormous Christmas tree I had to have. He hauled it home, set it up, and even set it up again, and again when we realized the stand we had was not built for it's enormity! He kindly made that tree work instead of getting angry about my silly need for a giant Christmas Tree.

What a gift it is to have a husband who simply wants to love and serve his family. He has a kind heart and it is a joy to be his wife. There is no perfect home or marriage or life here. But there is appreciation, understanding and forgiveness. All these things are only possible because we have first experienced the perfect, selfless kind of love that God graciously pours into our lives through the death of His son on the Cross. Without experiencing God's mercy and grace we would end up like the unfortunately large percentage of people who are discontent, unsatisfied and lost. All I can do is say thank you.

Too cute!

2010-04-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

The Little Things

2010-03-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

It seems that "the little things" are what count, make things better, make a difference, lead the way toward whatever were after. I forget so easily about the little things and am constantly focussed on the big ones. When I set out to clean my house I quickly devise a detailed plan in my head as to how I will successfully and completely clean, organize and de-clutter my house all within a matter of a couple of hours. Ridiculous. I don't know why I work that way. If I would just take one little step at a time I would then see a big difference made. I do the same with EVERYTHING. Reading, writing, teaching my children, playing, exercising, paying bills, etc., all of these and more fall into this category.
My children somehow always remind me of the little things. Their little, it's an easy connection, right? No seriously though, they take their time and pay attention to little things that I would normally want to rush through and hurry to the next step. They slow me down. Sometimes I am very selfishly irritated by the pause. It is exactly then that I usually stop and see my disregard for the little things and the huge red blinking sign that is screaming "You are setting a bad example! MOM!" I am actively slowing my pace down, taking a deep breath and seeing what is going on around me. I do not want to be a whirlwind, whizzing past my family. I want to observe and deeply take in all the little things and little people that are around me. It's good to be present.
One of my littlest littles LOVES to tell me she loves me. Her newest way of saying it is, "Mom, I love you too much!" Stopping often to bend down and listen my two year old speak from her little heart goes deep within me, and is too precious to ignore. Thank you God for all the little things that so tenderly remind me of the preciousness of Your love.

8 kids, 2 moms, 3 helpers and The Happiest Place on Earth!

2010-03-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

I had the privelege of hosting my good friend Trisha from Arizona, and her four kids at my house for a few days of fun! We went to Disneyland with all 8 of our kids and three very wonderful helpers, Matthew, Josh and Bethany. I don't think our trip would have been as successful without them! Surely we would have lost someone or something right? Anyway, the helpers proved to be an excellent addition to our adventure. The four boys went off for a while to ride the "boy" rides and do "boy" things. And the girls, moms and babies headed to fantasy land of course. The carousel, tea cups and alice in wonderland were just perfect for them!

Here are all of our kids just before loading up to go. Trisha bought all of the kids St. Patricks day shirts to wear for the day. They looked adorable! Even the moms wore green!
We actually made it out the door by 9:30 am. I was shocked!

Stopping to have a quick lunch. All 13 of us!

The girls just LOVED Bethany! Trisha's oldest daughter was so sad to say goodbye. I told her next time they visit I would make sure to invite Bethany over to see her.

The Zoo

2010-03-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

We went on a field trip to the LA Zoo! Believe it or not I had never been there in all my 29 years here! We had a great time. There were 7 1/2 kiddos (the 1/2 being the one that Auntie Angela is growing in her belly at the moment), and three mamas. We packed big lunches and headed out for the day. The Roberts were kind enough to invite us along and had zoo passes for us all with their membership so it was a totally free trip! (you know I like that!) The kids had a blast and loved learning and exploring. It is a great place to let them run and explore and feel free. We will have to go back soon!

This Morning

2010-03-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

This morning started off right. Right for today at least. We all slept in. Something we NEVER do.

Seriously. Almost everyone is dressed for the day. Not bad. Breakfast has been made and consumed. And we didn't forget to feed the dogs! Sydney and Calvin are working together on Starfall.com spelling words. Jaclynn and I are still plugging away at the laundry we started a couple of days ago. Yes Jaclynn is actually a very good laundry assistant. She shoves all the wet clothes into the dryer and can even clean the lint out of the clean out thingy. Now that we purchased a front loading dryer she can start it too! It is pretty simple and it beeps a little song to her so she thinks it's great! Now I just need to find a front loading washer on clearance and she'll be able to do that too! She has a small height problem at the moment to be able to complete that task. I'll give her a few years on that one! Anyway, here's to a great day! "This is the day that the lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! This is the day! This is the day, that the Lord has made!" That's just the song that is twirling through my head at the moment!

Almost 3 months

2010-03-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

For years everyone has always said, "enjoy this time now because they grow faster than you realize." I have always known that to be true but it still seems to sneak up on me once in a while. I am shocked as I sit back and think it has already been 3 months since Gregory was born. We are 3 months into the first year of his life and he has already changed so much! Here are just a few current pictures of our little guy.

Dinner tonight

2010-03-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

Boneless skinless chicken thighs are on sale for $1.29/lb at Sprouts until Wednesday this week so I stocked up. Because of this great sale it is the perfect week to make a giant batch of bean, rice and chicken casserole. I got this recipe from Jessica and it is a major hit every time I've made it, especially at home group. I also had a plethora of tomato juice and canned tomatoes as well as all the other things that are thrown into this delicious dish! So Sydney, my sous chef, and I mixed up five casserole dishes full of this great meal. Three for home group and two for giving away. This was a very low cost meal and we stretched it very far. Tonight we added some clearance rolls and a spinach romaine salad and we were set. I was even able to freeze 2 packages of chicken I originally thought I would need for tonight. Just means I have more on hand for a later time. God is so faithful. His provision is abundant. And we are so thankful.

Editors side note: Upon serving this meal tonight I realized NEVER to soak dry beans for four days and trust that they have softened enough! ALWAYS boil them and forget the soaking. As a result of this little mistake we had delicious casserole with firm beans(which took away from some of it's deliciousness). You live and you learn. Right?

It had been too long.

2010-03-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Gregory's first trip to my favorite place. He spent the whole time snuggled against me asleep in the wrap. He obviously doesn't understand how special a trip to the beach is!

The battle for the hearts of our children.

2010-03-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

As I was quickly skimming the pages of the Girl Talk website I found this quote:

"Oftentimes parenting can feel like a battle. And the "enemy" is your two-year-old who's just thrown their dinner on the floor (again); or your fifteen-year-old, who's just slammed the door on you (again). But still your job is to show them what our Father in heaven is like. Yes, they need to learn to live under authority. But they also need to learn of a God who welcomes His enemies, loves His enemies and gives His life for His enemies." (Gospel Centered Family by Tim Chester and Ed Moll)

This spoke volumes to me. Unfortunately so much of what I do , think, say is conformed by the worlds perspective on parenting. We have an amazing example to follow in our Heavenly Father and I feel as if I easily ignore it. Maintaining effective control, strength and power in my decisions and a heart overflowing with love to pour over my children CONSTANTLY is what I need to remember. Thankfully we can have a personal experience of this kind of love through our relationship with Jesus Christ. For me, without this love I would be clueless as to how to begin to lovingly direct my children toward righteousness. Thanks be to God for His mercy over me.

Signs of a sleep deprived mama!

2010-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere recently that motherhood is not for those who love sleep. Isn't that the case! I have never really been a lover of sleep but oh how hard it is to get by sometimes when you have had 3 or 4 hours of very broken sleep for 3 or 4 years!

The results of this predicament, at least in my case, have been quite hysterical at times.

For example, just this early morning, I think around 2am, I woke up surrounded by multiple small sleeping children. I rolled out of bed and picked up who I thought was Gregory. Tucked him into his crib and turned to crawl back into bed, too tired to remove any more of the sleeping bed hogs. As I slipped back into bed I realized I was snuggling back into bed with the actual Gregory. Just as I was getting back up to figure out who I had tucked into Gregory's bed Jaclynn woke up in the crib very irritated and confused. How in the world did I confuse her with a newborn?

Here are a few other examples of what my lack of sleep has done recently and in the past.

- Filling my coffee filter with oatmeal instead of coffee grinds

- Driving away from my house on the phone only to loose the call a couple houses down the street because I was on my home phone and not my cell

- Arriving at moms club one morning I was looking for my cell phone and found that I had instead packed my home phone into my diaper bag.

-Upon finding a pacifier to calm a fussy baby I quickly tried shoving it into Steven's mouth. Don't really know what I was thinking with that one!

-Cut Steven's dinner up into teeny tiny pieces and didn't realize it until I got a very confused look from him as he sat to eat dinner.

-Attempted to diaper a newborn with a size 5 diaper

But the worst so far has to be when I actually forgot my baby's name. Yes, I am very embarrassed to even admit it, but I did. Just a few days after Gregory was born I was talking to somebody at church who wanted to meet our newest little addition.

"What is his name?" she asked.

And for what seemed like an eternity I starred blankly at her with a very deer in the headlights kind of look. In my head I was thinking,"I have no idea! This is horrible!"

Then thankfully I shouted out "Gregory Mark Zuniga!"

I don't think she was expecting the full thing but since I had paused so long and felt so ridiculous that is just what came spewing out. It was obvious that for a moment I was searching my brain for what we had named our sweet new baby and she was very uncomfortable!

I can't be the only one who has done wacky things with little to no sleep right?

Question of the day.

2010-03-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

As Jaclynn was enjoying an episode of Blues Clues, Sydney came to me with a question.

"Why does Blues Clues encourage kids to do what ever they want? That's not good." She said.

Hmm? You know the song, "blues clues, blues clues, you can do anything, that you want to do!"

Good point. I thought to myself. Not really the thing I'd like to be drilling into my wildly independent two year old. Wise six year olds can certainly give you perspective sometimes.

It never hurts to ask.

2010-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

So, I bought a Dyson. I know, totally uncharacteristic of my frugal ways. But I had to. I went from about 200 square feet of carpet to around 3000 and the old vacuum wasn't cutting it. Not even close. Now, of course I didn't pay full price for it. I had some gift cards and worked it into a transaction with other groceries and was able to get it for more than 50% off. I was happy with that. I had made peace with my large purchase. Until last night. I received a phone call from my super coupon shopping partner in crime, Jessica. She ever so gently and lovingly let me know that the prices for the Dyson I had just bought were reduced to $125.00 less than what I had paid. WHAT!?! And I had just made peace. How could they do this to me! Dramatic I know, but those things are EXPENSIVE!

So I calmed down and a clear thought came to mind. Call Target and simply ask, with the kindest voice of course, "if I bring my receipt for my purchase in would they honor the new clearanced price?" "Yes, " The groggy voiced target customer service representative said. (You see I called first thing this morning, it was haunting me!) I clarified and asked again because I didn't think it would be that simple. I thought I would have to put up a fight and I am not one for coupon or clearance price confrontation. Irritated she answered yes again.

That was easy. Saved myself even more by just asking. I'm not sure I would have thought to do that a few years ago, pre coupon craziness.

Lessons learned:

1) Be sure to have a trusted frugal friend willing to look out for great deals with you and,

2)Always be willing to call and ask for price adjustments, honoring another stores price, and if they accept competitor's coupons.

It definitely doesn't hurt to ask!

The cold finally caught up...

2010-02-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

Tea time for a sick baby.

We managed to fight for a couple of weeks against the runny nose and hacking cough everyone around us seemed to have. This week, it finally caught up to us. Steven's weekend is CRAZY when it comes to work so I knew I would need to call in reinforcements. Four kids 6 and under crying and whining at the same time didn't sound all too exciting. So, I called Nana and Papa for crowd control. Thankfully they came to my rescue and helped ease us through what would have been a much more difficult evening. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Swagbucks: A Christmas Resource

2010-02-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from another blog I frequent. She was talking about earning swagbucks throughout the year and then turning them in for gift cards and gifts to use for Christmas. Brilliant!!! I have earned a few since I signed up and have been able to get some amazon gift cards and other fun stuff. I posted about swag bucks a while back but I am posting again because I think that you too can use this site to save your self some money next Christmas.

First, go here if you would like to read my original post about swagbucks.

Then go here to sign up. Do it now and start saving up those points for christmas gifts. What do you have to lose? Nothing!!! So sign up now! Plus, they will give you 30 points to start just for registering!

Dinner tonight

2010-02-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

Sausage potato soup, Olive Garden style, is what's on the menu tonight. I pulled together leftover bbq'd italian sausage, used up all my potatoes, some bouillon, onions, garlic, two cans of cream of mushroom soup, a pound of bacon and a bunch of kale. Add a salad and some buttery garlic bread and I think I've got something to serve up to the masses tonight.

The bread of coarse is a $0.99 loaf from sprouts. I also spent $0.49 on the romaine( I'll combine that with some other romaine leftover in the fridge), $0.99 on the kale, the cream of mushroom I stocked up on a couple of months ago at $0.49 per can at Target and the bacon was clearanced to $1.79. The rest is just what I had on hand, mostly basics. I also bought another pound of sausage for the soup but ended up not needing it so it sits in my freezer for a later meal. I think this will be a crowd pleaser. Steven already had a bowl, and said I had almost exactly recreated the soup from the restaurant. I think that means it's good! :)

Life lately...

2010-02-19T19:52:00.001-08:00

I am terrible about taking pictures of the newest little Zuniga. Here are a few. He is filling out quickly, as all our babies seem to do. He has a check up on Monday so we will see how much he weighs. He will be just shy of 8 weeks. My guess is 14lbs.

Here we have the brood, minus two cute pups. The kids always refer to the dogs as if they are their brothers. According to Sydney I have 6 children, she thinks it is just great!

We had to capture this cute little grin.

Jaclynn's birthday this month was stretched for about a two week period. She didn't mind celebrating with all of the different family members though. Here she is enjoying part of her new baby doll set. She has on her baby carrier, just like mommy's. Oh, and I can't for get the new hairband. That was part of her gifts from Nana and Papa. We all try so hard to help the poor little thing with her lack of hair, but nothing seems to cut it!

Sydney with one of her favorite animal friends.

Calvin and mama

Dogs enjoying a nap inside on a rainy day.

A very proud big sister.

Since they are considered "kids" I had to put some cute dog pics in too.

Last mega rain fall, Steven and the kids worked on a building project. They made the dogs their own little dog pen inside the garage. It has worked out perfectly for their house. Big kudos to Steven who successfully built an awesome space for the dogs all the while actually letting the kids help. I am proud of my man, what can I say!?!

Ballet practice with instructor Sydney and student Jaclynn.

February has been a great month so far, full of birthday celebrations with family. We have at least 10 (But I think there's more)birthdays in the month of February.

I celebrated my 29th yesterday and it was wonderful! Lunch with friends, a walk to the park, gorgeous flowers from my hubby and a special dinner date just he and I (thanks to my dear friend Bethany who braved 6 kids 6 and under and is pregnant too!). It was a great way to start my new year. Thank you to everyone for all the special birthday wishes!

Feeding Fifteen

2010-02-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Since August, every Monday night we have the privilege of hosting our home group from church for a bible study. After about a month of our group meeting we realized we had no problem getting together each week, we all enjoyed each others company and we sure could spend hours upon upon hours talking and encouraging each other. So, back in September Steven and I decided to commit to feeding everyone before our bible study to extend our time of fellowship and build even deeper relationships. Now we all know I LOVE to save money and most of you know I have a big heart for serving and entertaining just about anyone. ( ok, I admit it, it's actually anyone!) The problem is, feeding lots of people, lots of food, lots of times is difficult to do when on a tight budget. But alas, the Lord does provide. And each week He provides again. We have taken a huge leap of faith as far as incorporating a meal for many every Monday night without increasing our grocery budget. It has been a fun journey for me to trust that somehow God will use me to provide a delicious dinner for usually 15 but anywhere from 12 to 20 people. Sometimes it is a challenge and I have to dig deep, literally in my freezer and pantry, to come up with something but so far I haven't heard any complaints(thank you for not complaining directly to me!) and no one has gotten sick! Each week I am going to try and post about what is being served up and how God has faithfully met our need once again.
This week we are having BBQ chicken salad with some sort of bread I pulled out of the freezer. I score bread for usually about $0.75 - $1.49 a loaf in the clearance section at Ralphs and Sprouts. I NEVER pay full price for bread( unless I see sourdough on sale and it is not in the clearance basket, I am completely addicted). I bet since all the grocery stores I have been to have a clearance basket or shelf, yours does too. Look for it and see what you can find.

Babies

2010-02-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

This photo is heart wrenching. These precious little ones are napping on a tarp void of a mothers care and even basic necessities. They are housed outside, on the grass near the collapsed orphanage they once called home in Haiti. How in the world can groups like UNICEF and The Red Cross say that closing all adoptions in Haiti right now is the best option? Please pray for the children in Haiti, and throughout the world, that the right doors would open so that they would be placed in the homes of loving families.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR FULL VIEW

Today...

2010-02-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Jaclynn was looking at a book about the ocean and I asked her what her favorite kind of fish was. Her response, " A peanut butter fish!" I paused for a moment and thought about it. Then said, " Oh, a jelly fish?" "Yes" she said. It made me laugh.

Jaclynn Grace

2010-02-05T23:15:00.001-08:00

Celebrating her birthday this morning with a special birthday breakfast

Napping with her big brother. She loves this guy a ton!

Practicing ballet with Sydney.

Being goofy as usual!
Today Jaclynn turned two. Steven and I still don't know how it has been two years since she was born. Time really does fly doesn't it?
Jaclynn is the sweetest and silliest little thing. She has got a sassy personality and quiet the sense of humor. It's fun to watch your baby go from exactly that , a baby, to a talkative curious two year old. At the same time, it is sobering because it reminds me that she is growing out of this sweet little age and into a young lady. The time passes so quickly. My prayer is that I will guide her lovingly, as the Lord wills it, and that my efforts will bring glory to Him through her little life.
I love you #3!

The Real World

2010-02-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

As I sit in my home sipping coffee this morning and browsing the internet for truth about the horrors of the disaster in Haiti I am humbled. Humbled because as I do this my children sit inside their warm, intact home playing with play dough and just enjoying a carefree morning. In the real world there is heart break and devastation, hopelessness and death. I mourn for those experiencing such extreme loss and continuously thank God for His amazing grace.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from an organization called Vision Forum. The president of Vision Forum, Doug Phillips, went out on a mission to Haiti to bring hope to the people devastated by this disaster. His mission is noble and his efforts seem to be more effective than what the mainstream media is saying. He is determined to share the love of Christ with the people there and to pair orphaned children with loving christian families. Here are links to his video field reports and to his facebook page. Become a fan of Rescue Haiti's Children and see how God uses this team to impact the lives of the Haitian people.

This week at Walgreens

2010-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

So I am getting back into coupon mode. I am trying to build up my register rewards at Walgreens and my Extra Care Bucks at CVS. I am starting from nothing again so we will see how long it takes me to gather up a nice stash of coupons and "free money" for all the drug stores. Gregory and I headed out yesterday for his first coupon shopping experience while Steven took the kids to Disneyland. I saw there were some pretty good deals on toothpaste and oatmeal, two things we use/need so I thought I would work a deal with that. Here is how it worked.
Transaction#1
Bought one thermacare neck wrap travel size at $2.49 with $2.49 Register Rewards
used $1.00 coupon here
paid $1.71 oop
received 2.49 in register rewards

Transaction #2
colgate $2.99 with $2 register rewards
used $0.75 coupon here
Quaker oats $3.00 each
used two $1.00 coupons here
stack with walgreens quaker oats coupon from their add to get them for 2 for $3
buy one walgreens household gloves at $0.39 with the in ad coupon as a filler
used $2.49 RR from previous transaction
paid $1.43 oop
got back $2.00 in RR

Transaction#3
thermacare neck wrap at $2.49
use $1.00 thermacare coupon
hallmark ornament as a filler $1.00
use $2.00 RR from previous transaction
paid $0.80 oop
got back $2.49 in RR

Transaction#4
colgate use $0.75 coupon
household gloves at $0.39 as a filler
use $2.49 RR
paid .43oop
got back $2.00 RR to use on my next visit

So total oop $4.37
total saved after coupons register rewards and sales $32.30

The reason for the order of the transactions is you can't use a RR for the same product you received it for. I couldn't keep buying toothpaste with my Manufactures coupons and the stores RR for the same product. That is why you have to swap back and forth so that the RR will print out to use for the next transaction. The filler items are so you have the same number of coupons as you do products. The computers at walgreens won't allow the transaction through unless the number of products equals or exceeds the number of manufacturer's coupons and RR. The in ad coupons don't count for this. I know it can be confusing but once you figure it out it is so worth it! Good luck!

He's Here!

2010-01-05T16:38:00.001-08:00

December 31 2009 at 5:58 pm we welcomed our sweet little Gregory Mark into our home. He was proudly named after my Dad Gregory, and Steven's Dad, Mark. Thankfully labor was quick (just under 2 hours) and he arrived without any complications.We were able to have him in the comfort of our own home with a Midwife and Doula and it could not have been more wonderful. Having a homebirth was an amazing experience and we were thrilled for the opportunity. Gregory was eleven days early, much to my delight. Remember, Calvin was 10lbs 10oz. two days early. So I was praying, literally, that Gregory would be born early (a safe early) and smaller than our last babies. Jaclynn was also eleven days early and was still 8lbs 12 oz. so we weren't sure what to expect. He was born 8lbs. 5oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. Just the right size! We are so thankful for our newest blessing. Here are a few photos of his first week. Enjoy!

Dog Beach

2009-12-27T18:52:00.001-08:00

We treated our little pups to a day at dog beach in Huntington. We had a blast and couldn't beleive how well they did. Steven even let them off the leash to run around with the kids and other dogs. It was tons of fun for all of us and I got to take a great nap on the beach! What more could you ask for?

This is the pre trip preparation that Steven had to attempt shortly after we took off due to the free for all the dogs were having in the car.

Calvin and Sydney were hysterical.

Jaclynn was laughing in between attempts to push the dogs back. Apparently a dog sitting on her head is not what she had in mind for the ride to the beach!

Our little rock climbers. They were so proud of themselves!

A lot to be thankful for...Just a little late.

2009-12-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

This year we were able to open our new home to a large group of our family for Thanksgiving, We had a blast! This could never have been pulled off without the help of everyone from bringing dishes to share and decorating to cleaning and organizing. Filling up our home at Thanksgiving time reminded us even more of the blessings the Lord has poured out on us. We are truly thankful for our new home and loved sharing it with everyone.

Steven's side of the family that were able to join us.

The dessert spread...Thanks to Angela for her 5 homemade pies. WOW!

The guys were even able to give Steven's Grandmother a tour of the upstairs. Posing for a special shot while resting to make it back down. :)

The spread for dinner. Everything was delicious! Thanks to all the chefs!

After dinner winding down playing video games.

Halloween

2009-11-17T18:06:00.001-08:00

Even adults can be super silly at times...
From Left to right: A baker, An oven with a bun in it, Tennis player Ken, Tennis player Barbie, Beth and Dog the bounty hunters!

And now my sweet little candy fiends!
Jaclynn was a Jack-o-lantern
Sydney, a bunny
Calvin, a pirate

Catching up

2009-10-27T15:36:00.001-07:00

So much has been happening around here lately. We made it through our move and have been in the new place for three weeks now. But that will have to be a whole other post , eventually.

Here are just a few shots over the course of the last week or so. Enjoying our October. Getting settled in the new house. Preparing for a new baby. And so on...

We did add another little one to our brood. His name is Josh and he is Jakes brother. From day one of getting Jake, Steven and I had said we wished we would have just gone for two. Then, about a week before we moved the sign was back up that there were more puppies for sale. So, I quickly flipped a u-turn, and went to just ask some questions. Was it the same litter? How many do they have left? And, we already bought one will you give us a deal for another one? =) After a quick call to Steven, we had another puppy to care for! It has been great! They LOVE each other and get along really well and fit in with the rest of us just fine. It's been an adventure but completely worth it.

Sydney put on this old costume in hopes she would convince them she is their "dog mom"

All three of them napping poolside

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch

I LOVE the beach in October. It always seems warm enough to still get in our suits and enjoy the water and on top of that, we usually have the beach all to ourselves. Last Tuesday the waves were huge and the sun was shining. It was a great day to just sit and soak up God's glorious creation.

Only 62 Days Left Until Christmas!!!!

2009-10-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is my friendly reminder to all my beloved friends and family that you can have an organized Holiday season! For the last four years, with many thanks to a dear friend, I have used this system without fail. I am strongly urging you to check out Organizedchristmas.com. It is so simple and easy to use, and best of all, it's FREE! Everything is divided up over the next six weeks to help you ease through the Holidays instead of stress out come mid-December. I love this site and think you should give it a shot. The christmas countdown starts this Sunday October 25th so be sure to check it out before then! Enjoy!

Snuggle for $0.41!!!

2009-10-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Quickly go here to Alice.com and sign up for a free account. Then quickly go here to get your snuggle shipped to you for a total cost of $0.41. No kidding. I say quickly because who knows how long this will last!

A post to save you money.

2009-09-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

People often ask us how we are able to grow a family in southern california and be able to have me stay at home. Of course there are many facets to this explanation but over the course of the last year coupon shopping has become one of the driving forces behind making ends meet. Now, first I want to start by saying that without a doubt God has called me to be at home managing and overseeing all that goes on within these walls. He grew a strong passion in me for fulfilling His call to mother my children and serve my husband ( ooohh, some of you cringed, I know :) ) Don't judge, just here me out. Proverbs 31 is very lengthy and goes into detail about a woman who fears the Lord.
Verse 11 "The heart of her Husband trusts in her , and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.
15 -20 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
25-31 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, he praises her:
"Many women have done excellently, but you exceed them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
Everything I do as a wife and mother is my attempt to emulate the woman described above. Not only does my attempt bring glory to God but it blesses my family. Even when I completely mess it all up , the foundation is there. That is what I am shooting for and they know it. They can forgive me , learn from me, help me and essentially serve me in my quest to be more servant like to them.
Also, Titus 2 reaffirms the position I hold about what I am to be when it describes what the older women in the church are to teach the younger women.
Verse 3-5 "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so, train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
It is so clear to me when I make an attempt to be these things God has called me to be that I am insufficient. Who in this world could possibly ever come close to the descriptions above without the grace of God? No one. This is only possible when Christ intercedes on our behalf.
Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

So.......

As part of my job, I have an opportunity to bless my husband and children by saving as much of our money as possible using coupons.
This is my attempt to encourage you to try it out for a while and see what changes you can make.

This week at Rite aid you can purchase Johnson's baby products for $ 2.99 each. You can also find links to $1 off coupons for countless baby products on the Johnson's website. And a link for a $5 off $25 purchase at Rite aid coupon here. If you purchase 10 products at $2.99 your total with tax is $32.52. Use your $15.00 in coupons and pay $17.52 out of pocket. Then, to make this deal even sweeter you can submit for an easy saver rebate of $15.00 for purchasing 10 Johnson's baby products. So, needless to say I paid $2.52 to stock up on baby wash, shampoo and powder. Oh! I forgot! Also from now until October 17th if you save your receipts and submit them you get $5 back per $25 spent at rite aid in the form of a gift card. So, actually Rite aid PAID ME $ 2.48 to replenish my baby product stockpile. Thank you Rite aid!
The rest of the products in the picture above are also from Rite aid or Walgreens and at the end of the shopping trip after adding everything up I realized that each store paid me about three dollars in the form of a Rite Aid gift card or Walgreen's Register Rewards to take these products from their store. I think Stevens still not quite convinced that he is not living with a shoplifter! He always looks at me in disbelief and says "how is this possible?!?" But ultimately he loves it.

Here I went to CVS and saved $57.78 using coupons. I used the remainder of a gift card I had for transferring a prescription to CVS which totaled $7.71 then spent $2.47 out of pocket. CVS is a great place to start. It is complicated to learn all the different programs at the different stores but CVS is definitely the easiest system to learn and work well.

Again a CVS trip where I paid $0.86 just using coupons and their Extra Bucks program.

Feel free to call me, bombard me with questions, send me an e-mail. I am truly committed to seeing Gods word at work in the lives of the people around me and in my own life. I know that committing to that is the only way I have a chance of coming close to what I desire to be. Keeping His word close and constant is the only way for consistent auto-correction in my life. God's word is the only right, true , pure, holy, consistent, completely trustworthy thing in this world. I am camping out right there with it for as long as I live, It's the only way to survive.

Of Babies And Dogs

2009-09-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

As I head into my sixth month of pregnancy life is flowing well. I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago and the guess on the sex was a boy ( the ultrasound tech made sure we knew it was merely a guess). I was thinking boy. I feel like I can tell based on the way the pregnancy progresses and the way I gain weight. Who knows maybe I am clueless but I think I am right. We will see. It was about this time in my pregnancy with Jaclynn that contractions and complications started up. I am thrilled to be moving through this pregnancy with relative ease. Can there be ease when you are 6 months pregnant, have three littles age 5 and under, a 7 week old puppy, the biggest move of our life 2 1/2 weeks away and homeschooling a 1st grader? And the list goes on. Most think I have lost my mind. Sometimes I do too.
But, I know, without a doubt that it is by Gods amazing grace that I can even swing my big old belly out of bed each morning.

"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see. "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!"

He is enough.

Enough to accomplish anything. Be anything. Do anything. Endure ANYTHING. I can't thank Him enough for that. How would one survive without that truth buried in their hearts?

On to the little ones....

Puppies, like babies sleep a lot. It's great. Right when I am just about done with three kids chasing a crazy little puppy around our house, he crashes. Usually under the couch or ottoman where the kids can't get to him.

Or, next to one of his favorite humans.

This puppy is quite the cute little guy. I am thrilled we got him and have no regrets thus far. He is free entertainment. It's great!

Another little baby that lives among us is quickly growing out of her title as "The Baby". Usually the title doesn't go away until the day the next one is born. Jaclynn is talking up a storm and will say anything if prompted. She is a fun and boisterous one. She fits right in and has no problem being just as loud, known and heard as the rest of us. She is not a quiet third child who lets her older siblings speak up for her. She loudly says "Hi!" to anyone within earshot.

Jaclynn seen here attempting to take care of her sleeping brother. She too, in typical Zuniga woman fashion has adopted the bug for mothering and "helping" anyone or anything around her. Possibly a little overwhelming at times but that seems to fall in line with the rest of us too!

Getting back into the swing of things.

2009-09-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

Although my super coupon shopping has continued throughout the beginning "difficult" stages of this pregnancy I couldn't find it in myself to muster up the energy for blogging about it. But as my beloved second trimester energy has returned and I am burdened by the fact that there may actually be a few of you out their trying to understand how to frequently get something for nothing, I will be making an attempt at Super Savings Saturday posts again. Here is just a teaser, all this stuff came from Walgreens and CVS they were quick trips without a lot of planning and I only paid a whopping total of $1.47! If you are still trying to figure this out and have read the links on Moneysavingmom.com, don't worry! It takes a good 3 to 4 months to get the hang of it then you will be well on your way to saving your family a lot of money in the grocery budget. If you haven't checked out this great site click on it in the section to the right and go to her section where it says CVS 101 and Walgreens 101. you'll be glad you did!

Introducing.....

2009-09-08T20:49:00.001-07:00

Jake!!! Our 6 week old Cocker Spaniel! He is the cutest little thing ever and we are all smitten! This is the only photo I have for now but I'll be sure to take more soon with the kids.

And The Winner Is......

2009-09-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

heathergayer@!!!!!

The winner has been notified by e-mail. Thanks a lot for participating!
Heather, I hope your kids like your new fuzzy friend as much as mine have!

Another Giveaway!

2009-08-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Sydney has been carefully detailing to her ability to care for a pet just about everyday for months. She is desperate for any small creature to snuggle and mother. A dog is her first choice but everything else you can imagine has been laid out on the table by this very eager five year old. Just a little while back I received an e-mail from my Momselect group saying they had selected me for a new toy giveaway. I was thrilled to find out that it is a cute fuzzy little hamster called a Zhu Zhu Pet. Complete with an entire city to live in! The kids tore into the packages, including the parents, and we set it up right away! It talks, drives it's car, rides a skateboard, sleeps, runs in its little hamster wheel and best of all doesn't poop! I love it! The kids think it is great and are fully convinced they have a pet to care for. It seems Jaclynn is even convinced that it is real! It is a great little toy that came at just the right time. In addition to our new addition, Zhu Zhu pets has been kind enough to offer one reader a Hamster and slide/ramp! Just leave a comment and make sure you include your e-mail. One winner will be chosen at random. The giveaway ends Sunday August 30th 2009.

A Gronewold Wedding

2009-07-30T21:16:00.001-07:00

We were so happy to celebrate the marriage of our friends Peter and Melody Gronewold last Saturday July 25th. Steven had the honor of being the Best Man. Sydney and Calvin were asked to be the Flower Girl and Ring Bearer. We had a great time. Everything was gorgeous and all the little glichs, that every wedding has, worked themselves out (some with the help of a shout pen). The kids even stood up front by the wedding party during the whole ceremony! I was SHOCKED!!! I was strategically positioned at the front row with candy in hand in case of emergency.
Peter and Melody:
Thank you for making us a part of your very special day. God has given you the gift of each other. It is evident that you are humbled and thankful. Our prayer for your new family is that you will grow strong in Christ to lead the future generations in humble service to our King. We love you and CONGRATULATIONS!

The Zuniga Family
I think this is our only photo all together. I need to get better about these things.

Thanks to Angela for taking the great photos. Again I need to get better about this. I didn't pull my camera out once. I knew I could count on you Ang!

The Happy Couples

Half monkey half flower girl

A visit to the dentist

2009-07-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

The last two visits to the dentist have been fun. I know that sounds impossible but it is true. No, I don't have the most obedient children in the world. It might just have something to do with the fact that my kids get to have their teeth cleaned by my sister. And all the office ladies gush all over them and give them way too many toys and toothbrushes! Not a bad situation to be in. I am very thankful that dentist visits have been easy thus far. Just when I thought I had it made in this area, it gets even better! Jaclynn was begging to have her teeth cleaned last time we were there! No kidding, on the verge of throwing a fit if she didn't get to lay in the chair. Sarah (my sister) cleaned, rinsed, and suctioned my little baby's sixteen teeth. It was hilarious, all of us couldn't stop laughing. Jaclynn seemed a bit offended as she did not understand what all the fuss was about. She seemed to be thinking that it is perfectly normal for a 17 month old to be laying in a dentist chair cooperating perfectly! I have to remember this experience and how not normal it is and be thankful that I get this one. So many other people have what seems to me like an easy time handling nap/bedtime, or discipline issues or what ever else. Others difficulties in life and their triumphs are always going to be different.
When difficulties arise I need to remember the provisions God has lovingly pored out and the paths He has made easy.
Isaiah 40:29-31 Says:
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and weary, and young men shall fall exhausted, but they who wait in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint.

And
Isaiah 40:11
He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

I Heart Faces

2009-07-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Fun little photography website I had to check out. And now I am entered in their contest. It is a beach theme, obviously. Hey Tricia I bet you have some super cool shots that are sure to be contenders from your visits here last summer!
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My Sweet Calvin

2009-07-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight just before bed I heard the usual, "Mom, I'm hungry!" rolling out of Calvin's mouth with desperation. "Calvin, you did not eat enough dinner." I said in response. ( Although I often question that thought because he does eat a lot at dinner and pretty much every other second of the day.) Anyone who has had to feed any of my kids ( Bethany I am totally thinking of you right now) knows that they literally eat constantly. Anyway, he proceeded to ask for his favorite oatmeal which was prepared and placed on the table in front of him to which he responded, "Mom, I like you." "Calvin, I like you too." I said. " Do you like me because I made you oatmeal or for other reasons too?" And his answer, " Just because you made me oatmeal." Oh the joys of motherhood. Service:
At all times of the day is always appreciated.
Everything else:
Who cares!?!
But at the end of the day, I love it all!

Summer Family Fun

2009-07-07T14:03:00.001-07:00

Garage sale, beach days, Fathers day pool party, and a not so fun visit to get Sydney's ears pierced have made up the last few weeks for us. Among other random incidents, illnesses and events. All in all, we are good, thankful and enjoying our summer days...

Calvin and Brandon playing football at Corona Del Mar

Sydney and her favorite fishing buddy, Dana

My sister Gretchen and her boyfriend Dana

Jaclynn and one of her many favored accessories
(I'll have to post about her shoe obsession later)

Jac feeding her favorite guy

Resting time by the pool

Sydney was warned but highly underestimated the way ear piercing would feel and was quite shocked after the first one was done. I on the other hand was quite stupid not to insist they do both ears at the same time! Oh well another lesson learned. She was very happy with the results and enjoyed her sucker enough to forget the trauma just minutes before. Poor first borns, they have to endure so much more than the others! Now I know how to go about getting this done correctly the next time around!

This Dog, Charlie or should I say cousin Charlie, is Sydney's absolute best friend! She is an animal lover. I can't work up the courage to get an animal of our own yet though!

Check out the red heads!

A Homemaker's Dilemma: Parts 4,5 and 6

2009-06-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already checked out the posts I have been linking to from the girltalk website I strongly suggest you do. In a very roundabout way they have brought this discussion full circle and have addressed many sides to the women's responsibility in the home debate. Their answers are very God honoring and shed a lot of light as to what a women is to do in the situations that may seem hopeless. They have addressed lazy husbands and ungrateful husbands. Also, how a working women glorifies God through her role in helping her husband provide as well as owning her responsibilities at home. Their answers to these tough questions are not at all offensive or harsh. They are very realistic and straight from the word of God. This series they have done has helped and challenged me in many ways this past week. It has brought some confusion and frustration but ultimately, it has reminded me of the sweet relief we find in trusting God. His will is good. His plans are perfect. And we can continuously trust in Him for guidance, support and love.

Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

Giveaway Results

2009-06-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

A little side note before I list the winners. This past week I have been using my All free and clear 3x detergent and I love it. It's fresh, clean and works great!

The winners from the contest chosen at random from random.org are:

jiyasarma@
melodyfortman@
rsmile2u@
mundaybrooks@

The winners have been notified by e-mail.
This was fun! I hope to get another opportunity for a contest soon!

The Homemakers Dilemma: A follow up

2009-06-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have linked from my original post to The Girl Talk site where Carolyn Mahaney blogged about homemaking and what the bible has to say. She has since written two follow up posts that I will link here for you. As you guessed I may say, they are excellent. Such great reminders of the expectations God has for us as wives and mothers and women! I can't even fathom having wisdom as she does. God has blessed this woman with a mind and heart to make all things bring Him glory. Is it fair to even ask for half of that? Please read and enjoy. They are short little posts.
Post Number Two
Post Number Three

A Giveaway

2009-06-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is a rather funny thing to do as I have a blog that is not followed by many. Despite that, I am still doing a giveaway. Let me preface this first.
A while back I joined an online community called MomSelect. I recommend checking it out. They send you products for free to try and then a week or two later you fill out a very simple short online survey reviewing the product. It is a great way to snag some free products for your family and household. I love it.
So recently I was invited to try All 3x concentrated detergent. I said yes please! Who couldn't use free detergent? So they sent me two bottles of detergent, 96 loads each! In addition to my detergent they sent me four coupons to give away on my blog for a full free bottle of detergent! So here you go. Just leave a comment in the comment section. Make sure you include your name and e-mail address so I can contact the winner. The giveaway will end Sunday the 21st. The four winners will be randomly selected and announced on Monday the 22nd.

Dilemma or Duty?

2009-06-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

I was perusing all my usual hot spots for bible enriched truth from the wise Titus 2 women I have found via modern technology, the internet, and settled in for a nice reminder from a book I read a few years ago.
Carrolyn Mahaney, the author of the book, Feminine Appeal ( I highly recommend it) has a blog with her daughters where they post about true biblical womanhood. Anyway, a question was asked about a post that was written by Carrolyn recently about a new book that is out called Getting to 50/50.
I was so refreshed by the answer to the ever nagging dilemma that the feminist movement has created in the minds of christian women across America about equality of household chores. If you want to get a slap upside your head, read this book. But for just a little dose of reality, click here to read the post. Enjoy! And don't say I didn't warn you.....

Number Four

2009-06-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Some of you have noticed the little baby link to the right. I have just been lazy about posting! Yes we are expecting number four! We are thrilled! Thanks for all the well wishes and encouragement! This one is due sometime around January 16th 2010. Updates will follow I'm sure.

Food Co-Op

2009-06-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

I know no one was interested last time. This is my last effort. I think it is a great idea so I'm going to say it again.
The food Co-op that my friend in Arizona does has been featured on their local news so I have the link for you. Check it out and if anyone thinks that this is a good idea let me know.
Food Co-op
Once a month getting together with a a bunch of gals, cooking and talking for a couple of hours sounds great to me! And, we come away with ready to go meals for the month! How is this not a brilliant idea?!!!!!

I have to quote this one too....

2009-05-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

I went to read on through posts about obedience to God and this one hit home hard, I had to mention it.
"The christian should never complain of want of ability and power. If we sin, it is because we choose to sin, not because we lack the ability to say no to temptation...Too often we say we are 'defeated' by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well if we stopped using the terms 'victory' and 'defeat' to describe our progress in holiness. Rather we should use the terms 'obedience' and 'disobedience'. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me."
Jerry Bridges
The Pursuit of Holiness, p. 84

Jesus says in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
At our core, we hate Jesus. By grace, through faith our sovereign Heavenly Father has pulled us, each one, intentionally and at precisely the right time, out of darkness and brought us into the light. He is the one who has chosen to give us the unfathomable ability to keep his commandments. Our obedience is without a doubt a gift of God.

Making the point that we make excuses for our defeated spirits, or rather our disobedience, is so loudly heard by these ears. I cannot count the times I have said, either to myself or to others, that I feel so defeated. Ha! What a poor excuse! Who do I think I am fooling? Certainly not God. How patient He is to stay by my foolish side all the while I make a mess of the beauty and blessings He pours into my life. What an amazing God. And all the more, what a perfect and undeserving gift obedience is. When I/ we are blessed with this gift what do I/we do? Imediately fall at the feet of our Lord and praise him with thanks or move briskly through life because things are flowing a bit easier?

Dulling Your Appetite

2009-05-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

Dulling Your Appetite

The above link is from a blog I read early this morning, by Jerry White. It was an excellent reminder of how simply and easily we are deceived into thinking the devil masquerades as red faced , horned, evil looking creature. Oh no, not so. Slyly he creeps in through the fondest of relationships and sweet situations. He uses the good in our lives by way of our sinful desires to further separate us from God. Oh how we desperately need Jesus! We have no hope in salvation except through Him! In the quotation from John Piper, mentioned in this link, he says "The greatest adversary of love to God is not His enemies but His gifts." So true, we all take the glorious blessings God bestows upon us and praise them above God or boast on our own accord for the gift we have received. What a tragedy it is to take so much away from the majesty of our Lord and turn it into to sinful idolatry or pride.
What a way to start the morning! I'll be on the lookout for what I may have a dulling effect on my appetite today!

Spring bliss!

2009-05-23T21:38:00.001-07:00

Just enjoying an afternoon playing together. Our very sweet neighbor Kelly, brought these by for the kids. She often treats my kids to a popsicle on a warm day. It's nice to be surrounded by a caring group of neighbors. It really makes for some great memories. I hope my kids remember how special it is to grow up surrounded by children playing outside all the time and neighbors who watch out for them. It seems to be rare these days.

Super Savings Saturday

2009-05-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

So last week I didn't post about my savings. It just passed me and then I kept putting it off and somehow since then I cannot find the photos I took of everything, in my computer. I am missing all of last weeks photos and one of this weeks. My computer is turning on me! Anyway I can still spell out the savings for you.
LAST WEEK- oop was $75.28, still under budget. My cost before coupons and sales would have been$ 110.90. Not my normal savings but I stocked up at fresh and easy and ralphs and didn't go to walgreens or cvs where I usually get them to pay me to take the products out of the stores! I was able to stock up on meat and milk and bread though which always takes a chunk out of the budget. All in all being under budget and stocking my fridge and shelves with things I will use = a good week.

THIS WEEK- (see photo above)oop was $91.41( i made two extra trips to target this week as their web coupons expired today, stacked with manufacturer's coupons I snagged some really great deals and stocked up on some things like salad dressing, bbq sauce, cheese, baby soap and lots of snack type items. Since I was stocking up on things we will use and were out of, I was ok with going over.) My total cost before coupons, sales and register rewards was $264.74. That is a total savings of 65%. Works for me. Let's see what happens next week.

So will you have more children?

2009-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is a question I get all the time. In addition to a plethora of opinions and suggestions about when, why and how to have or not have more children.
This morning I read a post on a blog that so eloquently answered this question. Her answer is quite different than what most people hear or would expect. It made me smile and thank the Lord that there are others out there who view this life, this season, our purpose, our responsibility in the same light... Click here to read the post..

Having fun with friends

2009-05-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Playtime at the Fludes was tons of fun! They have the perfect pool for little ones! It was fun to get together and play in there adorable house. Every time we go there I always feel so comfortable. They have a very inviting home. I think it is also their cool, calm demeanors that sort of balance out the wildness in my children! Thanks Julia, Ben and Micah! We had a great time and we will definitely be getting together again soon!

We also had a playdate with the Roberts earlier in the week. We always have a great time when they are over. Usually Jess and I get together on the days when our husband s are working either long or odd hours. We spend the whole day playing with our kids, talking coupons, cleaning my house( not my strength and totally hers!) or doing anything else we like. We end up having dinner together too then heading home just in time for the kids to fall into a deep sleep from a full day!
There is something to be said about a friend who knows where to find your silverware without asking or which cabinet your towles go in. She is a blessing to me. Thanks for the fun times!

Super Savings Saturday- Early Edition

2009-05-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Click on image for a better view

OOP this week is $64.44. Before coupons,sales, ECB'S and RR'S my total was $287.78. Again I will need to stock up on meat next week so it is great that I am under budget. I also need to grow my ECB'S and RR's. I am probably confusing most of you with all of this coupon jargon. I promise to post more details about the way I shop soon. In the mean time head over to Moneysavingmom.com and click on CVS 101 and Walgreens 101. That is a great starting place for all those who want to turn their grocery budget upside down. Until next Saturday.....

Super Savings Saturday-Late Edition

2009-05-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

OOp this week( 4/26- 5/2) was $44.87! Total actual cost before coupons, sales, ECB'S, and RR'S was $297.66. Things are getting a little easier as the weeks go on to know when to buy what and where. In the coming weeks I will have to stalk up on meat so I will try to stay under my eighty dollars for the week. If I can't then this really low week will be able to balance it out. We will see what happens! It is amazing to see how the Lord provides. God has been so gracious in answering my prayers for finding a balance in feeding my family frugally.

Tasting Wine for Charity

2009-05-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Steven was part of hosting a fundraiser for CHOC at Downtown Disney. It was a sort of progressive appetizer and wine tasting experience. Steven was able to get tickets for me and guests so my sisters came along, minus Gretchen and plus Sam( she is definitely at sister status). And of course Sarah! We had a great time and I have to admit I am extremely proud of the set up and decorating that Steven had done for the event. By far the ESPN Zone was the most beautifully decorated stop of the evening. Good job babe! And thanks for the fun evening out!

A concert and a visit

2009-05-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

We have lots of visits. I like that. I think it is important. I am thankful once again for the opportunities we have because of our decision to homeschool. Sydney is with us, serving, loving, visiting and just plain old playing with our families, friends and neighbors. It brings me tremendous joy. The bonding is deep.
The visit from the silly photos above ( a decent picture was not to be had by these four that day) was out to Fontana to spend the morning and afternoon with my childhood neighbor for almost twenty years. She and her husband and son live out there and had invited us to a mini Jana Alayra concert at her church's moms group. If you have never heard of Jana Alayra you definitely need to check out her website Janaalayra.com . She is a great resource for kids music and actually adults too. Anyway, we are very thankful to Desiree and Jacob for inviting us. It was a treat!

Visiting Situ

2009-05-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

We were blessed enough to be given a free stay at our time share a couple of weeks ago, so we packed up and headed out to Las Vegas. This is a double blessing because not only did we get a great place to stay but we also visited with my Grandmother, Situ. Our Vegas trips are not like most I am sure. We have a ton of fun when we go there but probably not like most people. Thankfully my Husband loves to serve his family by way of giving us gifts and surprises. He always researches family friendly, fun and sometimes free things to do while we are there. This time we had a great time bowling as a family and a wonderful picnic dinner with Situ at a park that she loves. I got a special surprise as my sneaky husband called in a favor and got us tickets to see Penn and Teller. And we enjoyed a super delicious seafood dinner buffet. It was a great date night that was long overdue!

Super Savings Saturday

2009-04-26T04:38:00.001-07:00

Click on photo for a better view

I am missing one more photo of my "goods" for the week. I have a finicky i- photo program that likes to protest every month or so when I am downloading. Who knows, it is probably the operators error. I'll just keep blaming the machine though. Anyway, the missing photo contains four bottles of CVS baby lotion, four bottles of softsoap, two bottles of children's claritin, an aveeno moisturizer, an aveeno cleansing bar, one bottle of skintimate shave gel, one mitchum deoderant for women, three boxes of one a day complete multivitamin drink mixes, two tubes of colgate sensitive toothpaste, two bags of CVS chocolate covered nuts, one dove skin vitalizer, two dove skin vitalizer refill packs, one package of CVS diapers, and one package of CVS wipes.

Again this week I went over. I sort of knew it was going to happen as I found myself splurging quite a bit. (hence the chocolate cake I purchased for Jess and I to share. Totally worth it though!) I also was less organized this week in the areas of time for shopping , coupons clipped and list/ deal scenario preparation before walking into the stores. A few times this week I knew I had coupons for things but they were yet to be clipped so I had to eat the savings I would have received on those products. I also bought a lot of extra candy, all of it was extremely discounted and some free, but that did add to my extra expense. The candy is for Steven to take to work and share with all of the employees at the end of some of the extremely long and exhausting shifts. So, well worth the extra spending.
Before sales, coupons, extra bucks and register rewards, My total was $ 267.50 ( actually this number is off by just a bit. I couldn't find one of my receipts so I went to my online banking to get the exact money I spent there. I just don't have the original amount it would have been. Therefor my savings are actually higher than what I am able to calculate. Another casualty of my lack of preparation and organization this week.) My actual out of pocket cost was $94.38. I saved 65% this week. I am still happy about that but I plan to head out with a calculator next time and spend more time on prepping. I already caught myself up by clipping all the coupons I had. So this week I am starting off right.

I have to keep putting my new grocery saving adventures into perspective. A family of five, in Southern California, living on a modest income, spending $80.00 a week on groceries is not that bad. Ultimately I have a goal of only spending $60.00 a week lurking in the back of my head. I plan to challenge myself with that soon. But I know I've got a lot of work to do in the weeks ahead. I hope your grocery saving stories are getting better week by week. Let me know. It is fun to plug through the things we all need to accomplish together, all the while glorifying God in all things. That is the reason. To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Disneyland

2009-04-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning and afternoon at Disneyland on Thursday. Our family hasn't been there in at least six months. Some of you may think that sounds like a recent trip, but for us it has been eons. We loaded up and headed out ready for tons of fun. Sydney finally made it on Space Mountain. Calvin stood as tall as he could but came up an inch too short. He is determined to eat extra vegetables in order to grow just tall enough before the Summer ends. Upon exiting Space Mountain I asked Sydney if she wanted to go again. Her response: "Um, I think maybe when I am six or maybe seven." I guess it was a little out of her league. She is happy to stick with Gadget"s Go Coaster for her present age of five. It seemed a quick trip but we enjoyed ourselves. Baby by the end was falling over with exhaustion. She actually fell asleep in The Tiki Room! One second she was clapping and dancing all around, the next her head flopped back onto my shoulder and she was out. Even amongst the singing birds and flowers and chanting tiki poles. She is a funny one. Oh the ease of the third child!