Thought it would be fun to share a few things about myself here on the blog AND then let you write and link up your own posts so we can get to know each other better! The linky and instructions will be at the bottom of this post but for now sit back and enjoy learning a little more about me! These are just some random facts in no apparent order:
~ I'm in my 30's now.....which still feels weird to say.
~ Been married almost 11 years (this month) and have 4 kids.
~ Was homeschooled all my life and now get to homeschool my own kiddos. Wouldn't trade either experience for anything!
~ Preacher's wife, daughter, and granddaughter. I guess it must be in my blood or something! :-)
~ Struggle with chronic health problems that often make every day tasks seem impossible and overwhelming.
~ Started reading when I was 4 and have loved it ever since! Books are a huge weakness/strength of mine.
~ We are a family with crazy, weird, multiple allergies and sensitivities. It's always a challenge trying to keep up with it all, as well as just deal with how it makes us feel.
~ Love just about any and all things natural whether it be food, medicines, cleaning supplies or whatever!
~ I have changed my last name twice since getting married. To the same man. (loooong story!)
~ I play the piano. Would like to learn violin but just haven't gotten around to it. Yet.
~ Had 1 medicated birth and 3 all natural births and would definitely prefer the pain over the reactions to the meds any day.
~ Music and singing is one of my favorite things in life. God has used songs so many times to speak to my heart and also allow me to worship/praise Him. Thankful it's something I can share with my family as well.
~ Before I met Blake I prayed specifically for God to send me a husband with dark hair. (among lots of other things, of course) And He did! :-)
~ On our wedding day I was really sick and had to take medicine which made me sleepy. When the video zooms in on my face I look like a zombie with a dry mouth. Ha! The upside? I was so out of it I didn't even feel nervous or cry. The worst downside? Trying to sing with that dry medicine mouth. Fun times.
~ Have had depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other emotional issues off and on for years. And it. is. hard. BUT I've learned that God's grace truly is sufficient. Even if I can't see it in the middle of the darkness, I can always look back and realize just how much it was there.
~ Took horse riding lessons at a local equestrian center when I was a teenager and now my 7 yr old just started taking there as well. With the same teacher and horses I had! So neat.
~ We went to an "out of the way" resort in Jamaica for our honeymoon. And there were honestly a couple of times I didn't think we would make it out alive! Privacy is great, but a little too much local culture for our taste. (think marijuana and machetes. ah!)
~ I always wear skirts or dresses of some kind. (except for my pjs/lounge pants around the house:) Trying to teach our girls that being feminine and modest, while still dressing cute, is way more important and pleasing to God than fitting in with worldly styles.
~ I love the beach and would probably choose to live there if I could. (an added bonus is it's always great for my allergies!)
~ I believe that God exists, created everything including man in 6 days, that first man sinned thereby condemning us all to death, then God's Son, Jesus, came to the earth to live a sinless life, died a cruel death on the cross in our place, miraculously rose from the grave in 3 days, and is now in Heaven making intercession to the Father for us.
~ I also KNOW that the Holy Spirit showed me as a 10 year old girl that I was a sinner and that I needed to ask His forgiveness and trust Him to save me. I'll never forget the relief I felt after bowing in that alter to pray! I'm more thankful than I can say for God's grace in my life. Every. single. day.
Well, I could go on and on but I think I'll just leave it at that for now! If you want to know anything else feel free to ask in the comments. :-)
Now for the link-up fun! Just write your own blog post with a little something about yourself in it and enter the info in the linky below. Easy-peasy, right?! (oh, and if you could link back to this post on the blog that would be great too!) If you don't have a blog you can just leave a fun fact about you in the comments so we can still get to know each other better. Can't wait to "meet" you all!!
Tyra
Showing posts with label link-up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label link-up. Show all posts
March 17, 2013
July 29, 2012
36 Week Update
Can't believe how close we're getting to meeting this little boy! Some days it has definitely seemed like the pregnancy would be never ending but now that I'm so far along it seems crazy that he's almost here. So exciting (and a little scary too) though! Here's what's been going on the past week or so with me and him.....
~ I'm 36 weeks and 3 days. Just a few more days to go until I'm considered "full-term" and able to deliver safely at the birthing house!
~ Having a good many contractions and lots of pressure, etc these days. It's hard to tell if this is just normal, getting ready kinda of stuff that may last awhile longer or I'm actually getting close to the real thing. I'm trying to prepare myself for either way but to be honest it would be nice to know for sure!
~ I love my midwife and am so glad we chose to change care providers, even so late in the pregnancy. Can't wait to see what kind of experience this delivery is going to be with her.
~ Still dealing with the blood sugar issues, allergies, and other health stuff. It's pretty rough some days but just trying to hang in there for now. Prayers for strength to make it these last couple of weeks are appreciated and that I will feel good when actually going into labor.
~ After having 3 kids born with extreme allergies, reflux/stomach issues, and mulitple other health problems it is extremely hard not to worry that Daxton will be the same way. Our babies tend to be in alot of pain, cry almost constantly, struggle to sleep, have to be kept home so as not to be exposed to things, unable to breastfeed, need to wear special clothing, and too many other things to name! It's challenging and heartbreaking to care for them as infants and of course the fact that I still have older ones who struggle with issues just adds to that stress as well. We've been praying that the Lord would be merciful and allow Daxton to not suffer from as many health problems as the rest of us but know that the answer to that may not be yes. Prayers for a miracle are welcome and definitely for us to be able to trust that things will be okay no matter what. We will need God's grace and strength for sure in the days to come! I hope to be able to report a "happy-ending" story to this eventually but know that even if I don't get to that God's grace will be sufficient....just like it has been before. I have to be honest and say that my flesh wants things to be easier and different this time though. Mostly for Daxton's sake, but the rest of the family's too.
~ Bought some of the bigger baby stuff we needed yesterday so it's nice to have that taken care of. Can't wait to see what all goodies I get at my shower tomorrow night!
~ Baby is kicking like crazy and feels like he doesn't have alot of room left in there. (although I'm secretly hoping he isn't too big!) The kids still love to see and feel him. We're all getting more excited to for him to get here. :-)
~ Got my hair cut several inches last week. I'm still trying to get used to it but think it's going to be easier to deal with for awhile so that is definitely a plus!
~ My next appointment is Thursday so I may be back to update after that. Kinda interested to see what they say about my progress!
~ Last but not least is a picture of the gown my mom surprised me with to wear during labor and/or after. It's super cute and I can't wait to use it! I will definitely have to post a pic of me while wearing it too. Speaking of pictures, I haven't managed to take many of myself these days for some reason. I'm posting one of myself (and our sweet little girl) in a maternity dress I ordered and then couldn't decide if I liked since it's the only recent one I have! (pretty sure I'm returning it at this point but I guess that part doesn't matter. lol)
So anyway there's the latest news and here are the pictures......
Don't forget to check in over at the My Joy Filled Life link-up to see all the other new updates. Click here to see Sarah's post for the week. Until next time....
Tyra
~ I'm 36 weeks and 3 days. Just a few more days to go until I'm considered "full-term" and able to deliver safely at the birthing house!
~ Having a good many contractions and lots of pressure, etc these days. It's hard to tell if this is just normal, getting ready kinda of stuff that may last awhile longer or I'm actually getting close to the real thing. I'm trying to prepare myself for either way but to be honest it would be nice to know for sure!
~ I love my midwife and am so glad we chose to change care providers, even so late in the pregnancy. Can't wait to see what kind of experience this delivery is going to be with her.
~ Still dealing with the blood sugar issues, allergies, and other health stuff. It's pretty rough some days but just trying to hang in there for now. Prayers for strength to make it these last couple of weeks are appreciated and that I will feel good when actually going into labor.
~ After having 3 kids born with extreme allergies, reflux/stomach issues, and mulitple other health problems it is extremely hard not to worry that Daxton will be the same way. Our babies tend to be in alot of pain, cry almost constantly, struggle to sleep, have to be kept home so as not to be exposed to things, unable to breastfeed, need to wear special clothing, and too many other things to name! It's challenging and heartbreaking to care for them as infants and of course the fact that I still have older ones who struggle with issues just adds to that stress as well. We've been praying that the Lord would be merciful and allow Daxton to not suffer from as many health problems as the rest of us but know that the answer to that may not be yes. Prayers for a miracle are welcome and definitely for us to be able to trust that things will be okay no matter what. We will need God's grace and strength for sure in the days to come! I hope to be able to report a "happy-ending" story to this eventually but know that even if I don't get to that God's grace will be sufficient....just like it has been before. I have to be honest and say that my flesh wants things to be easier and different this time though. Mostly for Daxton's sake, but the rest of the family's too.
~ Bought some of the bigger baby stuff we needed yesterday so it's nice to have that taken care of. Can't wait to see what all goodies I get at my shower tomorrow night!
~ Baby is kicking like crazy and feels like he doesn't have alot of room left in there. (although I'm secretly hoping he isn't too big!) The kids still love to see and feel him. We're all getting more excited to for him to get here. :-)
~ Got my hair cut several inches last week. I'm still trying to get used to it but think it's going to be easier to deal with for awhile so that is definitely a plus!
~ My next appointment is Thursday so I may be back to update after that. Kinda interested to see what they say about my progress!
~ Last but not least is a picture of the gown my mom surprised me with to wear during labor and/or after. It's super cute and I can't wait to use it! I will definitely have to post a pic of me while wearing it too. Speaking of pictures, I haven't managed to take many of myself these days for some reason. I'm posting one of myself (and our sweet little girl) in a maternity dress I ordered and then couldn't decide if I liked since it's the only recent one I have! (pretty sure I'm returning it at this point but I guess that part doesn't matter. lol)
So anyway there's the latest news and here are the pictures......
Don't forget to check in over at the My Joy Filled Life link-up to see all the other new updates. Click here to see Sarah's post for the week. Until next time....
Tyra
July 10, 2012
33 Weeks....and Counting!
Time for another update on the pregnancy! It's been fun linking up with another blog and following along with other moms' journeys this time. Be sure to click over to Sarah's blog, here to read how everyone else is progressing too. (some of those ladies should be delivering any day) And I should say a BIG thank-you to her for hosting the link up as well! :-)
Here's what's new around here since last week....
~ My checkup with the midwife went pretty well. The baby is head down already (woo-hoo!) and the heartbeat sounded great. A couple of my urine levels were a little off, but I really wasn't terribly surprised since we'd had a few rough days and this heat has been awful! The fact that the day before was a holiday didn't help any either. I was dehydrated (oops) and hadn't kept my glucose levels quite as in check as needed so I've really been working on those two things since then.
The ups and downs with my blood sugar can be frustrating and it's hard not to be discouraged with it some days. Prayers for it to be more regulated and for me to have wisdom on what's best to eat are greatly appreciated! I look forward to seeing how things are improved at my next checkup.
~ I've been having some nightly contractions already but that's pretty common for me at this point. Although I know in some ways it's good for my body to prepare itself for the actual labor it can get a little tiresome considering that I do it for several weeks before the real thing. I'm really hoping to not go over my guess date quite as much this time since my health isn't the best but trying to just trust that he will come when he's ready! I will definitely be doing all the natural stuff to help it along I can as it gets closer to time though. :-)
~ Having a hard time emotionally as the actual birth gets near with worry about the baby's health. I plan to do a more detailed post about our past experiences and give some specific prayer requests about that but until then please just pray that I would "cast all my care upon Him"!
~ As for the discussion question about names, we don't really have any certain way to pick one other than them starting with the same letter. (which wasn't planned on purpose to begin with!) Our first two I had actually found and liked before even getting married and they happened to both begin with "D". We then picked out middle names we liked to go with them, but didn't base it on meaning or anything, just what we thought sounded good. When pregnant with our 3rd we decided it would be kinda sad to leave her out of the whole "D" thing so we searched until we found one beginning with that letter that we liked. The funny thing is that I looked up the meaning after she was born and it totally applies to her! (it means dark-hair/skin and she's the only one out of the 3 who has that coloring. lol) We actually had the name picked out for this one with our 2nd since we weren't sure if it was a boy or girl until after she was born. Super excited that we finally get to use it after all these years! And of course looking forward to finding out how crazy life in 4-D will be. :-)
Tyra
Here's what's new around here since last week....
~ My checkup with the midwife went pretty well. The baby is head down already (woo-hoo!) and the heartbeat sounded great. A couple of my urine levels were a little off, but I really wasn't terribly surprised since we'd had a few rough days and this heat has been awful! The fact that the day before was a holiday didn't help any either. I was dehydrated (oops) and hadn't kept my glucose levels quite as in check as needed so I've really been working on those two things since then.
The ups and downs with my blood sugar can be frustrating and it's hard not to be discouraged with it some days. Prayers for it to be more regulated and for me to have wisdom on what's best to eat are greatly appreciated! I look forward to seeing how things are improved at my next checkup.
~ I've been having some nightly contractions already but that's pretty common for me at this point. Although I know in some ways it's good for my body to prepare itself for the actual labor it can get a little tiresome considering that I do it for several weeks before the real thing. I'm really hoping to not go over my guess date quite as much this time since my health isn't the best but trying to just trust that he will come when he's ready! I will definitely be doing all the natural stuff to help it along I can as it gets closer to time though. :-)
~ Having a hard time emotionally as the actual birth gets near with worry about the baby's health. I plan to do a more detailed post about our past experiences and give some specific prayer requests about that but until then please just pray that I would "cast all my care upon Him"!
~ As for the discussion question about names, we don't really have any certain way to pick one other than them starting with the same letter. (which wasn't planned on purpose to begin with!) Our first two I had actually found and liked before even getting married and they happened to both begin with "D". We then picked out middle names we liked to go with them, but didn't base it on meaning or anything, just what we thought sounded good. When pregnant with our 3rd we decided it would be kinda sad to leave her out of the whole "D" thing so we searched until we found one beginning with that letter that we liked. The funny thing is that I looked up the meaning after she was born and it totally applies to her! (it means dark-hair/skin and she's the only one out of the 3 who has that coloring. lol) We actually had the name picked out for this one with our 2nd since we weren't sure if it was a boy or girl until after she was born. Super excited that we finally get to use it after all these years! And of course looking forward to finding out how crazy life in 4-D will be. :-)
Tyra
June 15, 2012
Pregnancy Update Week 30
Linking up again with Sarah for the pregnancy updates. Be sure to click through the picture above to read about other stories!
~ I'm 30 weeks and 1 day. (although I should probably change that since I really think my due date is later and I tend to go over anyway!)
~ Had my first official check-up with the midwife since we decided to switch care. Everything looked great with the baby and Blake and I were both impressed with how they answered our questions, etc. Very excited to be having another "homebirth" experience!
~ Not sure about weight gain since I really don't keep up with it much here at home. I'm measuring right on schedule baby wise though. Although, according to alot of
~ I'm struggling with not feeling good alot of days. Not really sure how much is pregnancy related and how much is from our allergies. We have MCS and they are spraying the crops around here lately so it's throwing us for a loop! My blood sugar is still a challenge most days although I'm managing to keep it in a pretty good range. I'd rather not have the added stress of having to eat so strictly but I know it's good for me and the baby right now. I know things really could be alot worse health wise so I'm trying to be thankful for that rather than focus on the bad.
~ Glad to be in the 3rd trimester and SO ready to be finished with the pregnancy and meet this little guy! The kids are excited as well, with Delancey requesting that she be allowed at the birth since we're using a midwife. We aren't too sure about that part though! I'm thinking she would do okay til the end and start freaking out over my other-worldly screams during pushing. haha Not sure what the actual plan for the kiddos going with us will end up being but I guess we have a few more weeks to decide.
~ In answer to this week's discussion questions: we have decided not to have any more biological children after this one. Between my health and the health problems all of our babies/children deal with it is huge struggle to add pregnancy on top of all of that. With us also trying to homeschool we feel that I can better care for everything, including the 4 children God's already blessed us with, without continuing to have more. I know alot of people feel that means you aren't trusting God, accepting His gift of children, or even are actually disobeying His commandment but we choose to look at it like being responsible for the gifts we have rather than allowing the fear of doing wrong be the only reason we have more. Also, the whole "be fruitful and multiply" and "having a quiverfull" ideas are kinda debatable in my opinion since there's no actual number mentioned....amoung other things. But that's probably a discussion for a whole 'nother post! :-)
That's all for now though. Please be praying for our health as me and the other 3 children are having a hard time right now. That also causes me to worry about the health of the baby when he's born since we tend to have alot of issues right from the start. Trying to trust that God will take care of it all!
Tyra
June 4, 2012
Update and Outfit!
Wow, I can't believe another week has passed already! (although I will admit a few of the days did drag by a little since I wasn't feeling well) I actually have a couple other posts in the works but just never finished them so I guess I'll go ahead with another pregnancy update. Seems that's about all I'm getting around to posting these days. Also wanted to include a picture to share about my outfit and let you see how humongously big I've gotten much the baby's grown! :-) Check out the links at the bottom to see who I'm linking up with today as well. Now onto the latest news....
I am now in my 3rd trimester which means I'm a little over 28 weeks along! Woo-hoo! Part of me is amazed that we'll be having another baby in just (approximately) 12 weeks and then another part of me is thinking that day will never get here. Yep, I'm definitely in the last trimester I think. Ha!
The biggest news to share today is that we have officially decided to change from OB to midwife and deliver not at the hospital but a birthing house! I'm so excited to have the opportunity for another "home" birth and can't wait to see what kind of experience we have this time. :-)
That being said, this also somewhat changes the type of care and treatments we will be doing the rest of the time which thankfully includes no 3 hour glucose test! I am being very careful with my eating now though and keeping a check on my sugar levels here at home. Prayers for it to stay regulated are very much appreciated since it tends to make me feel awful when it flunctuates. The awesome thing is that my midwife is very knowledgeable in this area herself, not only from training but because she is actually a diabetic as well. I was very encouraged just from talking with her!
As for other issues, most are still pretty much the same. Pregnancy isn't normally very easy on me physically so I'm not entirely surprised to be having some problems but it can definitely be hard to deal with at times (especially needing to care for the other kiddos) so prayers for grace and strength are my daily routine at the moment. I'm greatly hoping to finish out this pregnancy without any more major issues and that my own health won't adversely affect the baby. I will be writing more about that later and asking specific prayers for after he is born but for now just praying that God's will is done for us both and that I am able to trust He's taking care of it would be great!
Now on to the picture. This was taken last week so I was one day away from being 28 weeks.
~ I found this shirt on sale at Motherhood Maternity and loved the color. I would prefer a little looser fit but if you've tried looking at any maternity clothes lately you'll know that is something hard to find!
~ The scarf came from Target (another sale item!) and I thought it went perfect with the shirt. I've also worn it with a white blouse as well so it's nice to be able to use it with more than one thing.
~ This skirt isn't actually maternity and I can't even remember where I got it at the moment since it's been a few years. (sorry!) It's one of the bubble skirts and has a stretchy waist so can still be worn underneath my growing belly.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with how this outfit turned out. It isn't always easy finding things that fit and are modest so it's always fun to have something you like while pregnant!
So there's my update and outfit post for the week. Looking forward to these next few weeks going by and hopefully getting some things done before Daxton arrives! I will be updating until then though so stay tuned. :-)
(Linking up with My Joy Filled Life and The Modest Mom today. Be sure to go read some of the other great posts on those blogs as well!)
I am now in my 3rd trimester which means I'm a little over 28 weeks along! Woo-hoo! Part of me is amazed that we'll be having another baby in just (approximately) 12 weeks and then another part of me is thinking that day will never get here. Yep, I'm definitely in the last trimester I think. Ha!
The biggest news to share today is that we have officially decided to change from OB to midwife and deliver not at the hospital but a birthing house! I'm so excited to have the opportunity for another "home" birth and can't wait to see what kind of experience we have this time. :-)
That being said, this also somewhat changes the type of care and treatments we will be doing the rest of the time which thankfully includes no 3 hour glucose test! I am being very careful with my eating now though and keeping a check on my sugar levels here at home. Prayers for it to stay regulated are very much appreciated since it tends to make me feel awful when it flunctuates. The awesome thing is that my midwife is very knowledgeable in this area herself, not only from training but because she is actually a diabetic as well. I was very encouraged just from talking with her!
As for other issues, most are still pretty much the same. Pregnancy isn't normally very easy on me physically so I'm not entirely surprised to be having some problems but it can definitely be hard to deal with at times (especially needing to care for the other kiddos) so prayers for grace and strength are my daily routine at the moment. I'm greatly hoping to finish out this pregnancy without any more major issues and that my own health won't adversely affect the baby. I will be writing more about that later and asking specific prayers for after he is born but for now just praying that God's will is done for us both and that I am able to trust He's taking care of it would be great!
Now on to the picture. This was taken last week so I was one day away from being 28 weeks.
~ I found this shirt on sale at Motherhood Maternity and loved the color. I would prefer a little looser fit but if you've tried looking at any maternity clothes lately you'll know that is something hard to find!
~ The scarf came from Target (another sale item!) and I thought it went perfect with the shirt. I've also worn it with a white blouse as well so it's nice to be able to use it with more than one thing.
~ This skirt isn't actually maternity and I can't even remember where I got it at the moment since it's been a few years. (sorry!) It's one of the bubble skirts and has a stretchy waist so can still be worn underneath my growing belly.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with how this outfit turned out. It isn't always easy finding things that fit and are modest so it's always fun to have something you like while pregnant!
So there's my update and outfit post for the week. Looking forward to these next few weeks going by and hopefully getting some things done before Daxton arrives! I will be updating until then though so stay tuned. :-)
(Linking up with My Joy Filled Life and The Modest Mom today. Be sure to go read some of the other great posts on those blogs as well!)
May 14, 2012
Homeschooling Stuff
I don't post very often about homeschooling on here, which is something I may try to change in the future. And since I had some thoughts on my mind about that subject at the moment I figured now would be a good time to start! :-)
We are almost done with this school year as far as days go, although we do have some more work in a few books that I want to finish up this summer as well so that we can start with some different things for the next year. I'm a little torn over what I want to try for the next grades just to be honest. We did some unit studies at the beginning of this past year but while we liked some things about it there were others that we didn't. We then ended up doing some Abeka and Bob Jones books in a few subjects which is what we are working to finish up now. I'm also still doing some of the upper level Sing, Spell, Read and Write with Delancey and she has caught on so amazingly well with her reading just recently. Due to various reasons it has taken her longer to pick up on stuff than it did with Dathan but knowing that every child is different I wasn't all that concerned about it really. I'm so thankful to have a homeschooling background that I believe enables me to be more easy going with things and willing to just go with the flow while the kids are young. They will get it when they get it and pushing too hard or worrying about it is just pointless I think.
Back to the question of what curriculum to use this next year though. Knowing that we'll be adding a new baby in the mix come August or September makes it even harder to decide what direction would be best to go in for everyone. I'll have a 4th and 2nd grader to teach plus an almost 2 year old and newborn to deal with at the same time! And since my 8 (he'll be turning 9 in August) year old and 7 year old seem to learn in different ways and even like different subjects that makes it a little hard to school together really. Any thoughts, advice, or suggestions would be appreciated in this area!
To be honest, academics isn't really my highest priority when it comes to schooling my kids or the main reason we choose to keep them at home. (gasp!) I'm not saying there's anything wrong with learning or that we will hold them back if they have the desire to advance as far as they are able, but it's just not where I want to put the most importance. Especially while they are little. I'd much rather see them learn how to become Godly young men and women who use their lives for His glory rather than get caught up in a certain career or worry so much about what they know or can accomplish in life in other ways. That being said, I think a certain amount of learning is good and beneficial to everyone, regardless of their goals in life so that is what I want to be able to help them with as they grow up. Not to mention that they both happen to be smart, little boogers who love to learn (about the stuff they're interested in anyway! lol) and I want to encourage them in that the best way I can. :-)
So anyway there's a few thoughts about homeschooling I had at the moment. I'm sure there will be more to come in the future! For now though if you have anything to share with me pertaining to this subject I would love to hear from you. Until next time....
Tyra
p.s. I am linking this post up to The Modest Mom blog but seem to be having trouble with buttons recently so just click on the name above to visit her site! Thanks!
We are almost done with this school year as far as days go, although we do have some more work in a few books that I want to finish up this summer as well so that we can start with some different things for the next year. I'm a little torn over what I want to try for the next grades just to be honest. We did some unit studies at the beginning of this past year but while we liked some things about it there were others that we didn't. We then ended up doing some Abeka and Bob Jones books in a few subjects which is what we are working to finish up now. I'm also still doing some of the upper level Sing, Spell, Read and Write with Delancey and she has caught on so amazingly well with her reading just recently. Due to various reasons it has taken her longer to pick up on stuff than it did with Dathan but knowing that every child is different I wasn't all that concerned about it really. I'm so thankful to have a homeschooling background that I believe enables me to be more easy going with things and willing to just go with the flow while the kids are young. They will get it when they get it and pushing too hard or worrying about it is just pointless I think.
Back to the question of what curriculum to use this next year though. Knowing that we'll be adding a new baby in the mix come August or September makes it even harder to decide what direction would be best to go in for everyone. I'll have a 4th and 2nd grader to teach plus an almost 2 year old and newborn to deal with at the same time! And since my 8 (he'll be turning 9 in August) year old and 7 year old seem to learn in different ways and even like different subjects that makes it a little hard to school together really. Any thoughts, advice, or suggestions would be appreciated in this area!
To be honest, academics isn't really my highest priority when it comes to schooling my kids or the main reason we choose to keep them at home. (gasp!) I'm not saying there's anything wrong with learning or that we will hold them back if they have the desire to advance as far as they are able, but it's just not where I want to put the most importance. Especially while they are little. I'd much rather see them learn how to become Godly young men and women who use their lives for His glory rather than get caught up in a certain career or worry so much about what they know or can accomplish in life in other ways. That being said, I think a certain amount of learning is good and beneficial to everyone, regardless of their goals in life so that is what I want to be able to help them with as they grow up. Not to mention that they both happen to be smart, little boogers who love to learn (about the stuff they're interested in anyway! lol) and I want to encourage them in that the best way I can. :-)
So anyway there's a few thoughts about homeschooling I had at the moment. I'm sure there will be more to come in the future! For now though if you have anything to share with me pertaining to this subject I would love to hear from you. Until next time....
Tyra
p.s. I am linking this post up to The Modest Mom blog but seem to be having trouble with buttons recently so just click on the name above to visit her site! Thanks!
May 1, 2012
Pregnancy Update
Since I was wanting to do an update on how the pregnancy is going and had an invite to a link-up as well I figured it would work out to just use the same post for both! Be sure to click through the link at the bottom if you want to read about some other moms pregnancy journeys as well. And thanks to Sarah for this fun idea!
How far along: As of today I am 23 weeks and 5 days. My guess date is August 23, 2012. (I like saying guess date since when the baby actually comes or is due is usually so unpredictable in my case! lol)
Baby's Growth/Movement: He is approximately 12 inches now and weighs about a pound. It's amazing that something that small can pack such a huge kick but boy does he ever! I love feeling and seeing him move around in there though. He's supposed to be hearing more sounds now to get him used to all the noise after being born. Let's hope it works since things are rarely quiet around here!
Gender/Name: Since some of you may be reading for the first time I will add that it's a boy and his name is Daxton Judah. :-)
Medical Stuff/Symptoms/Prayer Requests: I have something called dysautonomia which gets worse during pregnancy so that's a little hard to deal with at times. It causes tachycardia, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, tiredness, and sometimes swelling, achy, burning feet and ankles....especially in the heat. (which is a given here in the south this time of year!) I also have severe allergies to lots of things so with both of those along with "normal" pregnancy issues there can be some rough days. Prayers for health and strength during the rest of the pregnancy would be greatly appreciated!
Weight GainStretch Marks/: I've gained a total of 9 pounds (give or take a few ounces. lol) since the beginning of pregnancy. 4 of those being in the past four weeks! Really hoping that doesn't become the pattern in the time I have left, although that would actually end up being less total than what I've gained in my other pregnancies. But I did keep about 10 pounds after our last so that has made a huge difference this time in how I feel and look! I don't seem to be getting any more stretch marks so far other than the ones I've had since my first baby. Hopefully it will stay that way.
Cravings/Aversions: I tend to crave both sweet and salty things at different times I think. Not really anything at this particular time that I just have to have or can't stand now that the all-day morning sickness is over with. Thank goodness!
Sleep/Emotions: I tend to have some sleep issues due to my other health problems anyway so to be honest I don't always get much rest during pregnancy. Which of course tends to make it harder not to be more irritable, tired, etc during the day. We're hanging in there though. Maybe I will catch up somewhat before he gets here cause goodness knows I probably won't get extra afterwards! :-)
Clothes: Mostly in maternity now although I do still have a few regular skirts with elastic and shirts with a little give that work for me. Since I try to dress modestly whether pregnant or not it can sometimes be challenging to find cute clothes, but it's definitely worth the extra work to look nice and not show off too much skin. ;-) Haven't taken any new pics recently but will try to post some next time!
Best Moment This Week: Finding out that my placenta previa had totally moved where it needs to be on its own! Definitely praising the Lord for answered prayer with that. I really did not want to worry about all the complications that can bring with it or especially having a c-section.
What I Miss/Look Forward To: I really miss being able to hold our 18 month old easily in my lap and also not feeling like doing much with the older kiddos. I look forward to having another baby boy since our oldest is 8. Along with lots of other things of course!
So there's my pregnancy update for this week. Whew, that was alot of information! :-) Hope you enjoy reading though and I look forward to browsing the other link-ups too.
How far along: As of today I am 23 weeks and 5 days. My guess date is August 23, 2012. (I like saying guess date since when the baby actually comes or is due is usually so unpredictable in my case! lol)
Baby's Growth/Movement: He is approximately 12 inches now and weighs about a pound. It's amazing that something that small can pack such a huge kick but boy does he ever! I love feeling and seeing him move around in there though. He's supposed to be hearing more sounds now to get him used to all the noise after being born. Let's hope it works since things are rarely quiet around here!
Gender/Name: Since some of you may be reading for the first time I will add that it's a boy and his name is Daxton Judah. :-)
Medical Stuff/Symptoms/Prayer Requests: I have something called dysautonomia which gets worse during pregnancy so that's a little hard to deal with at times. It causes tachycardia, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, tiredness, and sometimes swelling, achy, burning feet and ankles....especially in the heat. (which is a given here in the south this time of year!) I also have severe allergies to lots of things so with both of those along with "normal" pregnancy issues there can be some rough days. Prayers for health and strength during the rest of the pregnancy would be greatly appreciated!
Weight GainStretch Marks/: I've gained a total of 9 pounds (give or take a few ounces. lol) since the beginning of pregnancy. 4 of those being in the past four weeks! Really hoping that doesn't become the pattern in the time I have left, although that would actually end up being less total than what I've gained in my other pregnancies. But I did keep about 10 pounds after our last so that has made a huge difference this time in how I feel and look! I don't seem to be getting any more stretch marks so far other than the ones I've had since my first baby. Hopefully it will stay that way.
Cravings/Aversions: I tend to crave both sweet and salty things at different times I think. Not really anything at this particular time that I just have to have or can't stand now that the all-day morning sickness is over with. Thank goodness!
Sleep/Emotions: I tend to have some sleep issues due to my other health problems anyway so to be honest I don't always get much rest during pregnancy. Which of course tends to make it harder not to be more irritable, tired, etc during the day. We're hanging in there though. Maybe I will catch up somewhat before he gets here cause goodness knows I probably won't get extra afterwards! :-)
Clothes: Mostly in maternity now although I do still have a few regular skirts with elastic and shirts with a little give that work for me. Since I try to dress modestly whether pregnant or not it can sometimes be challenging to find cute clothes, but it's definitely worth the extra work to look nice and not show off too much skin. ;-) Haven't taken any new pics recently but will try to post some next time!
Best Moment This Week: Finding out that my placenta previa had totally moved where it needs to be on its own! Definitely praising the Lord for answered prayer with that. I really did not want to worry about all the complications that can bring with it or especially having a c-section.
What I Miss/Look Forward To: I really miss being able to hold our 18 month old easily in my lap and also not feeling like doing much with the older kiddos. I look forward to having another baby boy since our oldest is 8. Along with lots of other things of course!
So there's my pregnancy update for this week. Whew, that was alot of information! :-) Hope you enjoy reading though and I look forward to browsing the other link-ups too.
April 23, 2012
Maternity Outfits
I don't normally do link-ups since this is mainly just a family blog, but after seeing the Modest Mom's post on facebook about how she'd like more people to write about modesty, wearing skirts, etc then I figured I would join in! (I'm thinking that might have been a run-on sentence? lol)
Anyway, I'm not great at taking pictures of myself but since I'm pregnant we have snapped a couple recently that I thought would work for sharing. Maternity clothes (especially cute, modest ones) are pretty hard to find but maybe this post will give you some idea of things to try. I'm 23 weeks right now and still able to do some outfits that aren't technically maternity so that's what these are. I'll try to take more pictures and share again in the coming weeks when I get more into the actual maternity wear! For now here are the ones I have....
This first one is a skirt I bought last year at Burlington Coat Factory and a shirt I've had for awhile now that came from New York and Company. The skirt has an elastic waist so it still fits okay under my growing belly. :) And the shirt is stretchy cotton so there was a little give in it as well, plus it's longer so everything stays covered! (as a side note, the cami underneath isn't quite as high up as I would like....I think my stomach being larger pulled it down more and I didn't realize it until after I wore it for awhile. It didn't show cleavage or anything which is my main concern but would have been nicer if it covered more of my chest I think!)
This second one is super comfy which is great right now of course. Both pieces actually came from Target but I bought them at different times and they just ended up working together. I have a belt that I normally wear with this outfit but it doesn't work very well around my belly at the moment! :) The skirt has the fold-down band at the waist and I think it is probably going to work for most of my pregnancy since there's alot of give there. I did go up a size in this because the material tends to cling a little if it's too tight so I wanted plenty of room. The shirt once again is just cotton and stretchy as well as having good length so it is perfect for growing into.
I like that I'm still able to wear some of my "regular" clothes this far along in the pregnancy. I'm already wearing a few maternity outfits as well but just haven't gotten pictures of them yet. Hope this helped some of you with ideas on how to wear skirts and/or dress modestly during pregnancy! Be sure to click through the link above to see all the other posts on the link-up. :-)
Anyway, I'm not great at taking pictures of myself but since I'm pregnant we have snapped a couple recently that I thought would work for sharing. Maternity clothes (especially cute, modest ones) are pretty hard to find but maybe this post will give you some idea of things to try. I'm 23 weeks right now and still able to do some outfits that aren't technically maternity so that's what these are. I'll try to take more pictures and share again in the coming weeks when I get more into the actual maternity wear! For now here are the ones I have....
This first one is a skirt I bought last year at Burlington Coat Factory and a shirt I've had for awhile now that came from New York and Company. The skirt has an elastic waist so it still fits okay under my growing belly. :) And the shirt is stretchy cotton so there was a little give in it as well, plus it's longer so everything stays covered! (as a side note, the cami underneath isn't quite as high up as I would like....I think my stomach being larger pulled it down more and I didn't realize it until after I wore it for awhile. It didn't show cleavage or anything which is my main concern but would have been nicer if it covered more of my chest I think!)
I like that I'm still able to wear some of my "regular" clothes this far along in the pregnancy. I'm already wearing a few maternity outfits as well but just haven't gotten pictures of them yet. Hope this helped some of you with ideas on how to wear skirts and/or dress modestly during pregnancy! Be sure to click through the link above to see all the other posts on the link-up. :-)
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