Celebrating My Mom

My Great Mother

I hope this weekend you are taking time to celebrate your mothers.  I am sure they will tell you a hug is all they need and that is probably true.  However, they deserve so much more.  After all they cared for you all those years.  I'll be honest there are days I get frustrated caring for mom's dementia, but I just remind myself  of all that she did for me.  She is a wonderful woman and why shouldn't she have someone taking care of her in her later years.  I also remind myself that I am blessed to have the opportunity to give back to my mother just a little bit of the love and care that she provided me as a child. There are some who are never given this blessed opportunity for they lose their mothers much too early in life and I offer up a prayer of love and comfort you this mother's day.   

Mom served 6 yrs in the Air-force

My mother really lived life while she was young serving in the Air-force and doing some modeling while she lived in California for several years.  She didn't get married until her Thirties which at that time was really late.  Today it wouldn't be that big of a deal.  She didn't have her first child until she was 36 and then she had me (the baby) when she was 40.  I must say it is fun to go into the hospitals and offices with her and the people ask, "is this your grandmother."  No!  She is my mother.  I love seeing their faces.  However, when I was a kid I was so embarrassed that my mother was so old.  My classmates would ask if it was my grandmother and my no came very quietly and slowly.  

        

Mom's Portfolio Picture from Modeling

Another Picture of Mom from her Portfolio

In life mom taught me so many things such has how to type while in grade school which at that time was impressive.  She also taught be to be 15min. early for appointments.  Which now that I have a child that is such a blessing because when I am running late I actually end up being right on time.  One of the most important things that my mother did for her children though was read the bible to us.  I loved to hear her voice as she read. Her voice was such a comfort.  In fact I still enjoy hearing her read to me today.  I still have the children bible that she would read to us when we were kids and whenever we all get together we have her read us a story.  Now if she would only fix some cornbread so I could eat it while she reads.  She use to get so mad at me for getting crumbs in her bed.

Mom dancing at Bill's wedding

Today she is still teaching me lessons.  Almost everyday she talks about how happy she is and that her life has been so blessed.  Now I know her life and the struggles that she has had.  While there has been some blessings there are probably more struggles and heartaches than happy memories.  However, she chooses to focus on the good things that God has blessed her with and this teaches me so much about how I should focus my mindset.  God is so good.  Some would wonder why God allows people to continue to live in such states of mind, but I tell you that I praise God for the blessings He is teaching my family through this sweet women in her later years.  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to still learn from my mother.  

Mom and Aiden this past fall enjoying a day at the park.

I Love You Mom!  Happy Mother's Day! 

Thank You Jesus for these Days!

Schedules for Children

Aiden's Schedule

This is part of our nightly routine.  While Aiden is brushing his teeth I go in his room and write down what he will be doing the next day. When he is finished he comes in and we go over the schedule.  If you have been following me this is how he also knows what day it is in the mornings in order to pick the right drawer from his weeks clothes drawers.
We have been doing this for about two years now mostly just because I am such a planner that I need to know how things are going to work out the next day for myself. When we started out I used a Dry Erase Board.  However, I kept leaving the markers in the floor by the board and somehow my walls ended up with marks on them.  Wonder How!  I found this Chalk board contact paper at Khols and thought it would be perfect.  This way if he does get a hold of the chalk it won't do too much damage.  If you have a silhouette machine you could make your own.  I am thinking I might replace this before the school year starts next year.

Alrighty ladies I am having so much fun blogging.  I hope that these posts are helpful for you.  Please let me know how you organize your days with your children.  I would love to know new methods as my son starts big school next year.

Free Silhouette Images

Free Silhouette Images

http://www.studiocalico.com/community/die-cutting/topics/40297-free-files-from-the-silhouette-store

Just thought I would share this sight that I happened up on.

I was able to download 41 free images.

My kind of Scrap Book

How many of you mom's out there have a hard time doing scrap books and journals for your children?  

Well I only have one child and I find myself too busy.  I remember when Aiden's first birthday was coming up I felt so bad because I had done nothing.  I stayed up one night looking through his baby pictures and felt horrible.  I don't know how or why I did that first collage.  Maybe there was a sale or something but now I do it every year and that has become his scrapbook.


All I do is look through all the pictures I have taken of him for the year, pick my favorites, upload them to Walgreen's photo shop, and create the Collage.  It is really cool now because I can pick it up at the store instead of having to pay shipping and wait for it to be mailed.

Aiden's First Collage

Here is all 5 of them. Yeah, I missed up his second year and got it too small.

Each year we replace the old one with the new one in this picture frame in our dinning room.

I figure when he is older he can easily take these collages with him, besides what boy cares about a scrapbook.  He will probably roll them up and store them in a poster packing tube.

So how do you preserve the memories that you are making with your family?  Share those great ideas please.

Aiden's Clothes for the Week

This might sound crazy and time consuming to many of you but seriously it saves me time.  Each week (for me it is Monday's) when I wash Aiden's clothes he and I sit down together to plan and organize what he will wear for the week.

 Aiden puts all of his clothes in these drawers that show which day of the week it is on the front.

He puts his underware and socks in first while I lay out the outfits for him to choose from for the following week.  I always have a section of play clothes and good clothes.  He also has his school uniform and Church clothes on sunday that are already picked for him. See video below for Aiden in action.

After He is finished putting up his underware and socks we go through the week together.  I say the day of the week and go over what possibly will be happening that day and let him pick out which play outfit he wants to wear that day along with a good outfit.  Note:  If he has school his good outfit is that and the same for church.  We only put two outfits in the drawers.  Then he puts the outfits in the drawer. Again click below to see Aiden in action.

While he is putting his clothes in the drawers I work on putting up his other clothes from the laundary basket.  It takes him some time to put up his clothes from each day because he likes to bounce around and be silly which I allow.  After all he just turned 5 less than a month ago.  Then when he is ready for the next day we do it again until we are done. 

Once we are done the drawers go in the closet and in the mornings
all I have to do is wake him up and he knows what to wear and everything.

I know it sounds like a lot of work but really it is only 30 minutes in which I am doing stuff I would be doing anyway like putting his clothes away.  In the long run it saves me morning battles of him figuring out what he is going to wear.  We started this last year about two weeks before my mother came to live with us and I can't tell you how much it has helped in the mornings.


Do you have a special system that makes organizing your child's clothes for the week easy?  Yes or No.  Please Share.

Mom and Me Living Life!

Mom and I before the ride.

Mom when she first got on the horse.

Today I enjoyed one of the most precious blessings from God as I got to go horseback riding with my mother.  Now many of you may wonder why that is such a great blessing, but eight months ago on August 13th when we brought my mother into our home to live with us I really thought her funeral would be the next big event that we would attend together.   She was that bad off!  She hardly spoke, didn't want to eat, and struggled to walk.  I had no thoughts that I would see a blessed day like today when we got to enjoy an outing such as horseback riding.

The ride was fun.  I won't tell you that mom absolutely loved it.  She got scared right before we were ready to get on and even said, "I don't know if I should be doing this or not."  I'll be truthful I felt a little guilty pushing and challenging her to do it but we were there and heck we already paid the $50.  She got up on that horse and yes she ached a little but she was a trooper.  She held on the entire 40 minutes.  Yes, she asked several times how much further we had to go but she pressed on and finished the course.  This is a special day for Mom and me, not just because it was fun but because I got to give back to her the joy of facing your fear and enjoying a challenging event.  Ok, she never really said it was an enjoyable until we got off the horse and knew she was safe.  

This is us finishing up a long 2 mile ride.

This day was made possible and presented to you by God's kindness and love.  

$50 for the 2 horseback rides

$89 camera broke

$$ Gas to and from the Horse park

$3 parking

$30 Lunch

Priceless: The joy of seeing my MOM living life and facing fears.

Thank You Christ!

Making Changes as I Learn!

I am learning and trying figure all of this stuff out. I am trying this blogging site now because I would like for some of you to try and follow me and I could not find that option on the last blogging site.  Hope you all don't get frustrated with me.  I was hoping to post how I did the stripes in my bathroom tonight but I have spent way too much time starting up this new blog and trying to move everything over from the old one.  I am sure there is an easier way but I like to do things the hard way.  I seem to learn more that way.  Such as all the things you shouldn't do.

I am excited because tomorrow we are headed out early in the morning to see the horses at Keenland with Mom and Aiden.  I love getting to do stuff with all of us together.

So what is the DIY project you have been wanting to do but just haven't?

Bathroom Makeover

My mother come to live with us in August.  Since then my 4yr old (now 5 since Sunday) have been sharing this bathroom.  I have felt for some time now that it was just plain wrong to make my mother (72yrs old ) use a bathroom that has a bunch of rescue stuff in it.  Not to mention the fact that my mother absolutely does not like the color Red and there usually is a red carpet in the floor.  

                                          

Aiden and my mom compromised.  Aiden Wanted the room black and Gray.  I definitly was not going to paint the room Black but gray I could handle.  However, I needed another color and if you know my mother she is not much on decorating but I know her and she loves the color blue in any shade so we went with that. 

                                         

Obviously I need to work on my picture quality but I think you can get the idea.  I did stripes because I have always wanted to paint a room with stripes and doing a bathroom for my first time seemed best.  It was extra work but I believe it was worth it.  Oh yeah, the shower curtian I didn't spend any money on because it is a drop cloth I already had.   Look forward to getting the floor done and showing it to all of you.

Anticipation of Easter

It is Saturday night and I am looking forward to tomorrow.  Celebrating Jesus' resurrection the fact that He gives all of us the opportunity for a new life through HIs grace and mercy is just so exciting.  

In addition to celebrating Jesus' resurrection tomorrow  I will be celebrating my son's 5th birthday and five years ago he was born on Easter Sunday too.  It is somewhat strange to celebrate his birthday at the same time that we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, but God choose it that way didn't He.  Oh I know my little boy is a sinner like us all destined for Hell without Jesus' saving grace and mercy.  However, he is such a blessing from God.  God has showed me so much through my son.  Teaching me even more so what a sinner I am and how I need to address my sinfulness with God.  Thank You God, for sending my son to reveal so much sin in my life.  

I hope that this Easter day you enjoy all that comes with it: baskets, eggs, candy, food, and dressing up.  All those are the things this world has made Easter into and God allows us to enjoy them to a point.  Just be sure you stop and take a moment to enjoy the presence of Christ.  Before his death no one could enter the holy of holys and talk with God, but today all we must do is stop and take a moment to talk, read, praise, and most importantly listen to our savior.  Enjoy this most precious gift at some point today.