Out With the Old, In With the New.

Wow oh wow! 2012 will be over in a couple of days and it will officially be 2013! My 8 year anniversary in a week later. At the end of January, I will turn 31. And that doesn't include all of the other important dates in January too.
2012 was an amazing year. I learned to relax a bit. Now I will be blunt, it was with the help of Prozac. That steamed from issues I dealt with following a miscarriage in Nov of 2011.
I learned a lot about myself in dealing with that bout of depression that really hit in January. I was strong because I asked for help. Needing the Prozac did not mean I am weak. I was shown that it is okay and sometimes we need to be real with ourselves and with others.
My son really came into his own on the soccer field this year. I got to watch my daughter cheer for her first season. We realized that my son has ADHD and that was an eye opener. It broke my heart at first because of the fussing during the past 6 years. It has also shown and taught me that I have to be bit more patient and not jump so quickly. I have had to stop often and put myself in his shoes. It is something that he can really help or is he trying his hardest.
I have also learned that I want my children raised in a slower paced, simpler lifestyle. I am so grateful that I have realized at 30 and not at 65, that keeping up with the Jone's is the least important thing. And that keeping up with the Jone's is a waste and it's meaningless. You can be so much happier with what you have when you realize this. I don't care if my car isn't brand new. I am driving exactly what I want to drive. I don't care about expensive name brand clothing anymore. I STAY AT HOME! Why do I need $100 dress pants?! Now a good pair of jeans is still a different story! But not all of my jeans are that expensive anymore. My children don't have to have all their clothing purchased at trunk shows. They play in them and come home from school with holes and stains on the first wear! They can wear Target clothes! And so can I!! They don't understand the concept of money but they DO understand the concept of comfort and mommy not being upset when their new shirt is ruined.
We put our house on the market this year too. We decided it is time to move back to the country and not have a mortgage. I do not mind living in a modular or double wide if it means no mortgage! We can put sweat equity into it and get the EXACT house that we want. Our home we are in now is AMAZING. I will be very sad to leave the house we have called home for the past 6 years. I am at the same time very excited about redoing another home,moving back out to the country,let the kids grow up running the woods the way they love to do. This also means that we will be leaving the school my son has attended the past two years. He is 3rd generation at this school and we love it there. He will be transferring to a Christian based school so I am thrilled with that.
All in all, 2012 has been a great year. I have learned so much this year and as always, it has shaped me into the person I am today. The lessons learned in 2012 have been uber important life lessons this year. So I raise my coffee cup to the many blessings, opportunities, lessons, and memories that 2013 holds! Here's to you 2012, you were wonderful but all great things must come to an end. 2013, I welcome you and pray you are as wonderful as the past year!

Where Has December Gone?!

WOW! Christmas is in 7 days. SLOW IT DOWN!!!!! PLEASE!!!!! I love the build-up of Christmas. It just comes and goes soooo quickly. (Stamp foot. Pouty lip. Arms crossed over chest.)
Older folks weren't kidding when they told me the older you get, the faster time seems to go. But each year seems to go by faster and faster. I'm pretty sure that there are still 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour. And there are still 60 seconds in a minute. But I am still convinced time is speeding up. My mom told me that the days are long but the years are fleeting. Ain't that the truth!
So all in all, slow it down. Savor it. Don't blink. We don't get it back.

It's Beginning To FEEL A Lot Like Christmas.

I'm blogging as I sit at Wal Mart waiting on my layaway. As I walk through the toy isle to get to the layaway pick up, I saw 6 different baby dolls I want to grab for my 4 year old daughter. She LOVES babies! As I hear friends tell what their children are getting, I think "did I get mine enough?" Then I have to remember the message I tell my children almost everyday this time if year, it isn't about getting a bunch if gifts. It is about celebrating the birth of Christ! The best, most thoughtful gift we have ever been given! Thanks be to God! So as I take my few layaway items to the car, I know that they will receive enough on Christmas morning. And I know that we will continue to talk about the upcoming birthday if the best gift ever received!

30 Days of Thanks

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!
Well I know that it has been Fall for a while! But Halloween is DONE! So I feel that it is really Fall now. Mums, falling leaves, changing colors, and THANKSGIVING!!!!!
In honor of Thanksgiving, I am joining some others in 30 Days of Thanks. Today is Nov 1st so today is Day 1. I posted what I am thankful for on FB this morning. There is a saying that goes "Don't forget to thank God for today because He didn't forget to wake you up." Well that says it ALL! I am thankful for another day and a start of another month!
Everyday is a new day. It is a fresh start. The first day of the rest of your life. Well you get the point! Thank God for it! Use the gifts that He has blessed you with. Make good choices. Show His love. Don't wait until you get this staright or that together! We will never have it together or everthing straight! There will ALWAYS be something! And if you have the idea that when this is done or that, the devil will ALWAYS throw something in your path that needs to be worked on next!
So thank God for today! Live today for Him! Use those gifts! Show the devil that you don't have to wait to be perfect before you start thanking God! We are NOT perfect, only forgiven!
Also, on another note, there are not many weeks until Christmas! Start those Christmas cards now! If you start early, then you can get a thoughtful handwritten note on each one. And it is not too early to start thinking about those precious handmade gifts for the grands! I am some great ideas that some people have shared with me. There will be more on that to come, so stay tuned.
Please join me in 30 Days of Thanks. Post what you are thnkful for on here or on FB. I would love to hear them because they bring such a smile to my face to hear other's blessings.

Happy Saturday All You Lovely People!

So I will admit it. I forgot I had started a new blog. *Palm Face* 
I have been doing uber cleaning this past week. You know, those closets you put off, bleaching out the dishwasher (I'll come back to that), the dust around the washer and dryer that is so thick you could stuff a quilt with it. THOSE kinds of task.
Let me begin by explaining the dishwasher. I read once that every so often you need to wipe down the seals and whattnot on the dishwasher. LOADS of NASTY bacteria build up. The hot water doesn't kill it all. So I wipe it down and then pour bleach in it and run it on a heavy super hot wash. So see, I'm not crazy. :) I still have an old fashion agitator washing machine that needed a scrubbing too.
Football was cancled for this morning due to the weather. My children spent the night with MooMa and Grandaddy. I CAN SLEEP IN!!!!!! Well that lasted until about 7:30. Then I went back to sleep becasue I could. Then I woke up at 8:30. I could go back to sleep just because. My brain didn't agree with me. Now had it beem Mon-Fri,I don't think there would have been ANY issure whatsoever regarding this. Go figure!
I decided I would tackle the front closet! That is the catch al for the coats and board games and GEOTRAX. The children can't reach the board games because they are on the shelf. So where can they go? I'm sorry...that part is irrelivant and I tend to get sidetracked. On with the story. I found a sparkly sticker on the floor in the closet that said Serve One Another. If the back had not been covered in dirt and a dust bunny, I would have stuck it on my cork board.
I believe that this is what God intends for ALL of our lives. To serve one another. It doesn't mean that you have to be a slave to people and never say no. Just when you do things, even if you are put out or don't really want to, do it with a cheerful heart! THIS shows His love to others. Our testamonies can touch lives but our everyday actions acn touch others even more. Some people just flat out don't want to hear how God did this and God did that because how can you serve a God that casuse so much... You know those types. But if they see how we LIVE and that we are loving people and whatnot, this SHOWS God's love. It isn't just telling them.
I can tell people everyday until I am blue in the face, that God loves them. If my actions don't match my words then the point is moot. I strongly feel, and here is where I KNOW I am stepping on feet, so I am sorry, YOUR choice is YOUR choice. This is just MY beliefs and MY values and MY mindset. To each his own. I do not look down on ANYONE on this topic. I strongly feel that a woman's place is in her home serving her family. *Cringe* Whew....you're still reading. Good.
 I feel that is where God wants me to be. Serving my family and raising my children and being a helpmate for my husband. It doesn't mean I am a slave or doormat for them. My husband is the head of the household. I make sure that after he comes home stressed out from work, that there isn't much for him to do. He DOES give bathes and cooks some and whatnot. But I don't want him to have to worry about the grass needing to be cut or homework needing to be done, etc. I want my entire famliy to feel when they walk in the front door, that they are in their safe haven where they can destress and relax and are loved no matter what. I want it to smell welcoming and be clean, and dinner cooking and something of some sort in the cake dish. The cake dish...the fist thing my neighbor's husband checks when he comes in our kitchen! Haha.
So all in all, the jist of my ramblings is to look at serving others as a blessing and not a daunting task. Tell when someone has blessed your day. Don't serve others to brag about it. That isn't serving in a Godly manner. Serve others with a smile in your heart and pay it forward. The is a reason that they say that actions speak louder than words. Have blessed and safe Saturday!

A Little About Me

 

My name is Lauren. I have a wonderful husband that God has blessed me with and 2 children. I am  Stay At Home Mom. We have a crazy hetic schedule so this is the most recent family photo that I have. It was taken a year and a half ago! Haha.

I am a Christian. I love my Lord and I TRY to instill the same in my children. I am also a forgiven sinner who day after day, falls short on this. I love to serve my husband and family and I also love to serve others. I feel that this is my Spiritual Gift that God has blessed me with. It is my way to show others His love.

I love being a mother and wife. My days revolve around my family and nurishing them. I am THAT Soccer Mom! I do have hobbies of my own though! But those also serve my family life too. I enjoy yard work and cooking. I even enjoy cleaning! As crazy as that sounds, it is true! I count my blessings as I clean! "Thank you God that I have a home to clean, clothes to wash, running water to scrub the potty, etc. Thank you for making me an abled bodied person who can get up and do these things!" So many people out there DON'T have homes to clean or clothes to wash. Many are too sick to be able to do these things themselves. It can change your whole outlook on scrubbing the bathrooms when you count it as a blessing.

As I said, I also enjoy yard work and cooking. I want my house to be a home. There IS a difference between the two. HOME is where the HEART is. ANy place can just be a house. A house is just a dwelling. I want my family to know that when they are HOME, it is a safe and welcoming place where they feel loved by my efforts in making it a sanctuary for them.

I am NOT perfect and I am NOT Susie Homemaker all the time. I do raise my voice. I don't always wear make-up or fix my hair. My children's clothes may not match sometimes. Heck, mine don't match sometimes. I often have a mountain of laundry. I live on coffee most days. I have forgotten that I was suppose to take the snacks and drinks for the soccer game before. My children do sometimes leave for school without their teeth being brushed. Are these the things that my children are going to remember and have to go to therapy about when they get older?! NO! So here I am, in this CRAZY world we live in today, trying to raise my family with 1950's values. It IS okay! I hope you enjoy my rants and my post and feel free to email or comment ANYTIME! Proverbs 15:31 says "If you listen to consttructive critism, you will be at home among the wise." If you don't agree or believe with something I say, I am okay with it. If you think I am ranting too often, let me know!

Have a blessed and happy Monday!