Graham family ministries

Ok, i almost forgot to mention that i am now an affiliate for Graham family ministries products! WOOHOO! Sheri Graham, makes the best homeschool, lapbooking, homemaking, etc. ebooks out there! and with my new affiliate code, i get a portion of your sales, you get awesome ebooks, and she sells product, WIN, WIN, WIN, :-)

Check it out. truly good stuff

Click here to visit Graham Family Ministries website!

Lord of the rings? Witchcraft?

I just read, well, skimmed through, kind of rushing through some computer time while i eat lunch, a really neat article about Lord of the Rings and if its OK, for Christians. This is good food for thought. http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=432 I have to admit, i've not given it much thought before. Maybe its because I never got around to watching those films myself, and myself am more into "futuristic" type Sci fi, like Back to the future, the time machine, etc. But i've always taken for granted that LOTR was a "good" kind of magic type thing, (LOL, aren't I articulate??) kinda like Chronicles of Narnia. Well, this article really places the question in one's mind, is it so?

I know i am pretty strict with my family about occult and witchcraft. I got an eye roll from a friend this summer for mentioning that we don't allow "dragon tales" and the like for our kids. Do I think that by watching "Dragon Tales" that my children are going to become flaming Wiccans? No! I think in a way, its harmless kid stuff, but in a different way, its contributing to a formation of an attitude that magic is ok, and occult is ok. So THAT to me, is not worth it, especially since the benefits of such a show are so MINUTE that its not even worth consideration, imo. There are PLENTY of time suckers on television for my children to watch that aren't occult based. I mention all that, because i know i have a tendancy to be EXTREME and i try to mitigate myself some, so that i don't lose sight of the big picture, and to just maintain a healthy balance.

Anyway... i think its good for Christians to step outside the box a little and explore new ideas, and this one struck me as interesting and one worthy of sharing.

Blessings to you all!
Rebecca

Confused

Do you ever just get confused, forget who you are, what the point of it all is? I think the enemy is messing with me again, prayers are much appreciated. My house is a mess, and its COLD and church is the pits lately. I am however, finding if i take my nausea medicine that my blech-ness is somewhat manageable. I went to an AMAZING women's conference yesterday, and it was great. I felt bad leaving dh with the kids all day. Then again, i guess i have them all day every OTHER day. I was excited to see Lisa Whelchel in person, (commonly known as "Blair" from the Facts of Life) But at the same time it was strangely creepy, because in person, she looks almost EXACTLY like my stepmother! Whole nother can of worms i didn't wish to think about. :-) Nah... mostly made peace with her. Why does life have to be so complicated. Andy's work is officially not doing transfers anymore, till the economy improves so my desire to run away to southern oregon and hide from my problems isn't happening. But i suppose God has me here for a reason. And logic tells me that reason isn't just to be really really mean to me. Sigh... tomorrow will be a better day.

Week 9-12

So i'm actually in week 11. but here's a pic for weeks 9-12



And here's the discription on the website-

The heart is almost completely developed and the heart rate can be heard on a Doppler machine at the doctor’s office. Most major organs and tissues have developed and red blood cells are now produced in the liver. The face is well formed and the eyes are almost fully developed. The eyelids will close and not reopen until the 28th week. Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes are fully formed. Nails and earlobes start to form and tooth buds develop in the gums. Fetus can make a fist with its finger. Testosterone (male sex hormone) is produced by the testes in male fetus.

I have my first midwife appt. on the 29th, and i'll be sure to post here the heart rate :-) we should be able to hear it by then. I am very much looking forward to starting our midwife circuit! Its become a fun family tradition, we go to an appointment on thursday once a month do the museums in Tacoma, maybe go to Rock pizza for pizza buffet, if funds and timing is right... The kids come with to the appointment, and get to hear the heartbeat. Our midwife is super family friendly, which i LOVE and everyone gets to be a part! its great! And we get to do it all over again!

I **HATE** EBOOKS!!!

Ok, so can i vent a minute?!?! I just bought a couple bundles from the TEACH conference I went to last night,http://www.teachersbookshoppe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=122_94&products_id=351 and http://www.teachersbookshoppe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=122_94&products_id=354 i LOVE her materials, and i could use pretty much any of them so i chose 2 that had the most "ACTUAL" books in them. While i don't NORMALLY **HATE** ebooks, i also tend to not actually USE them. I'm a "cuddle up and read a book with a cup o' cocoa" NOT a veg out on the computer and read off the screen kind of person. I have TRIED to resist that, and i'm coming to terms with this just being WHO i am! PLUS, with the ebooks, you have to search for them on the computer, rather than tripping over them in your living room :-) PLUS with ebooks, you have the expense of printing them out, having them bound, and the TIME involved to do all that. And typically, ebooks are close enough to retail to not even come close to covering the cost of ink, paper, UPS store binding, and the gas to drive them there! So when given a choice, i choose REAL books. But being bound and DETERMINED to atually make some CHANGES in our house, i'm completely bent on getting these bundles printed and USABLE! SO, today i was all set to print out the Character bundle ebooks then i'm going to have them bound together into one book, because it will be larger and sturdier that way, i won't seperate or lose the individual books. Well, i'm making lunch, and it takes me a while to get back to the computer to flip over the pile of papers and so i do, finish lunch and come back to find it printing gibberish, all over the PERFECTLY PRINTED FRONT SIDE!!!!! ARGGGHGHGHGHGH! My stupid printer does that if i take too long to get to it! so i had to trash the whole endevor and start over again! AND i'm on my last 2 inks, AND who knows if this one will actually work or if the dumb printer will feed 2 pages instead of one and the page numbering will be all wrong. THANK GOODNESS Lorrie's ebook pages are NUMBERED! Seriously, if any ebook authors are reading, PLEASE, for the love of ALL that is HOLY, number your pages!!!!! It may save my life :-) Or at least my sanity.

WHEW!! it looks like the Character bundle printed out successfully. NOw i'm off to start all over with the cooking bundle! Wish me luck. My rope is getting SHORTER! and i really want to get this done, and hopefully brought to the UPS store to bind today! ARGH!

Please forgive my woefully poor grammatical and spelling skills.. i know my tense doesn't match up at all, and i'm typing with PASSION. Becuase there's very little more frustrating than TOO MANY THINGS to do and a printer thats obviously POSSESSED!

one of THOSE days...

Sigh... it is DEFINATELY one of THOSE days. I'm queasy, not quite ready to lose my breakfast yet, but definately walking sloooowly... The only 1 of the 3 who do spelling could find their spelling books today, we could find NO sharpened pencils so everyone is usign pens, Leif unwrapped all the toilet paper and decorated the hallway with it, the rest of the house looks like a tornado went through it... The SCHOOLROOM looks like nuclear holocaust. literally, looks like someone took every game, dumped it, took every bin, and dumped it! Its INSANE. It is completely testing my resolve to NOT scream at everyone ALL DAY! My 10 year old is insisting he CAN'T read, and he CAN! my 7yo is not sounding out words but using the pictures as clues, my 5yo is SCREAMING when she gets frustrated with any little thing, and my 13 year old JUST found his spelling book. AND its only getting worse from there, because there is going to be NO television or computer games until that schoolroom is spotless and the living area is navigatable, which is going to put everyone in some seriously bad moods. Poor dad is going to be stuck dealing with them all tonight, when i skip town with AMY, (CALGON, take me away!!!)

Sigh... WHY do i do this?! Someone tell me its WORTH it?!

Tips for protecting your marriage

The last few months have been amazing for my dh and I. The 6 months or so preceeding, were pretty awful. We have always had a pretty good marriage. We laugh together, we joke a lot, we work as a team pretty well. But i have to tell you, it takes very very little to GRADUALLY start things down the wrong path. Husbands and wives have very different but very important needs, and when one is neglected, it can turn into a slippery slope that has the potential to end up someplace you never dreamed it could.

1. Respect your role. Wives, be submissive to your husbands, Husbands, love your wives like Christ loved the church. Wives, even if you have a valid concern and even if your husband is quite obviously WRONG, guard against the instinct you will have to fight against him. It just can't go anywhere good. NOT only will you LOSE the argument at hand, if you make wrong choices, and behave badly, then you will not only LOSE the argument, you will also trash your marriage. Take your concerns to the Lord, HE is the only one who really truly understands you and HE is the ONLY one you can trust WHOLLY.

2. Take time together. Relationships require SO much time, love and attention... Think of how you feel toward an old friend you haven't talked to in ages who has changed a lot. You don't know them anymore! Don't make that mistake with your marriage! KNOW your spouse, take every opportunity to sit and talk together about meaningful things! Make date nights a priority, maybe get up early and eat breakfast together, or stay up late and pray together before bed. Don't neglect the physical aspect of your relationship. A GREAT sexual relationship does WONDERS for building up other aspects of your relationship.

3. Do NOT put your children first in priority. This is so hard. Falling in love with your children is inevitable and wonderful. Its so crucial to remain attached at parent your children in such a way that they know they are loved and valued. But that can be done without being at the expense of your spouse! He needs you too! And someday it will just be the two of you (HOPEFULLY!) You want to be able to talk, and relate and be friends with each other.

4. GUARD your heart. I know, you probably think you would NEVER cheat on your spouse. Believe me, I did too. And i didn't physically, but i DID emotionally.
And let me tell you, there is NO difference. It is just as devastating to your family regardless. KNOW yourself well enough to know your triggers, know your weakness. I always assumed that because i didn't have lust issues, IE. look at a good looking guy and feel lustful, that i was not even a candidate for this. What i didn't realize is that my personality is such that i am drawn to personality. I was drawn to a regular looking guy, because he was compassionate and kind, and giving. I, being a compassionate nurturing, interpersonal type person, was eager to be there for a male friend who seemed lonely. BAD idea. Watch out for friendships with the opposite gender. Its playing with fire. Its NOT worth your marriage. And you know what else? It's NOT worth the damage to your own psyche that ensues either. I think as married people, we tend to forget what getting your heart broken feels like. But "I" can't forget. Because its so fresh and so raw, STILL, months later. And being such a complicated situation, on soooooo many levels, its THAT much worse than when you are still a kid.

5. If you discover you have NOT guarded your heart well, and something happens, STOP it. WHATEVER is going on, no matter how small, if it feels wrong to you, it absolutely is. Don't doubt yourself, don't continue the path you are traveling, do whatever you can to break ties with the person with whom you have an inappropriate relationship. Do NOT give in to thoughts that lead you to believe you could have a future with this person. You will NOT. A teeny tiny percentage of remarraiges based on affairs succeed. That's because when one person leaves their spouse for another, its seldom because they are TRULY incompatible. Usually you have a wound in yourself that needs to be healed, you can't fix that by seeking to be filled by another person. Come clean to your spouse, allow him to help you decide how to best handle the situation. Ask him to please be your covering, to be your protection in every way. To help you guard your heart, to help you prevent yourself from being in wrong situations, to love you and cherish you and help you to know you are loved. If his covering over you is strong, you can withstand SO much.

Finally, keep in the forefront of your mind that your marriage is far more than a contract. It is a covenant. It is intended to be strong and powerful and beautiful and eternal. If yours has become floppy and weak and flimsy, you need to strengthen it, NOT tear it down. If you ask God to help you, He WILL and you can take that floppy sad excuse for a thing, and turn it into something strong and proud and beautiful that will stand, and will reinforce you and your husband as you work to strengthen it, and build each other up in the process. But this can only happen if you have the humility to take whatever steps are needed. You can't be prideful and selfish and expect anything to change. SOMEONE has to be the one who gives MORE. It will never ever be a perfect 50/50 split. Why not you? When i was in that bad situation, earlier this year, i would constantly remind myself what a JERK dh was, what he was doing wrong, why HE was shooting himself in the foot and wrecking our marriage. But in the back of my mind i kept having this nagging feeling of "But aren't I the one who's supposed to help him when he's acting stupid? Aren't I the one who knows him BEST and can most effectively help him out of a rut? And i was totally right. I AM the one who is supposed to be there for him and recognize when things are not right for him, and be there to give him a hug and tell him I love him anyway. The thing is, there will always be struggles in life. And its US against the world, NOT me against him. I hope that anyone reading who is having issues might be able to apply the lessons I've learned in my life to avoid having to learn them personally.

ITS my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!

And i am GOING to have a good attitude about it!!!! Normally, my birthday is kind of a depressing time. I always end up thinking about my MOM, and that sucks. But THIS year i'm determined that NO one is stealing my joy, and that's that!! Andy is taking me out for dinner somewhere NICE on wednesday, which is LOGOS day, woohoo! so the kids will all be occupied except for Leif, who will just tag along and eat steak with us :-) here's my plans for the week...

Monday- getting back on track with school and we are doing an extra long day since tomorrow is MOPS and we will miss our whole morning schedule.

Tuesday- MOPS! WOOHOO! the highlight of my month, HOPING i'm not too sick to go, i Loooooooove MOPS!!!

Wednesday, my magical day of turning 33! Dinner with my love and my monkey

Thursday- Hm... that's awfully far into the week to know what i'm going to be doing by Monday! BUT i AM going to Starbucks in the evening for GIRLS NIGHT wooohoo!

Friday- Ditto, but regardless, it will be a good day because its FRIDAY!

NOW, i seem to recall this being a BUSY week, so i'm sure there's a ton i'm missing, but that's ok!


NEXT week is what i'm REALLY psyched about. I'm going to a seminar Monday night with Amy! WOOOHOO! girl time!!! And its a Lorrie Flem seminar! I attended the one she offered in November, which was AWESOME. I find her enthusiasm about homemaking and mothering to be infective, and it goes without saying that I REALLY could use a good positive infection right now. The last seminar was so much fun, it was like a retreat from everyday "blah" and I left feeling like i really COULD do this momentous job that has been placed in front of me. Now, being a true blue procrastinator, i STILL haven't implemented my new TO DO notebook idea, but I
WILL... someday. :-) So anyway, She has free goodie bags if you are among the first to register and last time they served the most decadent BROWNIES... yumm.. and she has a few tables set up so you can see her products in person, which I certainly appreciate! AND it is all completely FREE!!! Like truly, absolutely free, which is amazing! here's a link if you are in the seattle area http://www.teachersbookshoppe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=117&products_id=820

FIREPROOF

OH my gosh, if you have NOT seen this movie, you have GOT TO! I dont' say that often, but this is an absolute MUST SEE! I am almost a little offended that they would make a movie of my story without even telling me (wink) but i'll get over it... Seriously, i could relate SO MUCH to this film it was truly scary. I Think it was really thereputic for dh and I to see it because it really showed what was going on with me, since our latest issues tended to manifest themselves mostly with me being the wrong-doer. We have been on the mend for 2 and a half months now, and things are going well, but its been a long, hard road. Its still really hard for me to see what is TRUE, when so much has been turned upside down in my life, sometimes its hard to know who your real friends are. Sigh... anyway, even if you do NOT have marraige issues, TRUST Me, see this movie!!!!!