Turkey Headbands - Days 5, 6, & 7

On Sunday we spent the day with my in-laws so we didn't do any craft. Instead we spent the afternoon and early evening hanging out with cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. We video chatted with Aunt Caitlin in Macedonia. We ate pulled pork or sausage sandwiches with beans and salad for lunch. We played outside in the heat. We had ice cream. We colored pictures at the table while the guys watched the Cowboys game. We napped on couches with babies in our arms. All in all, it was a nice, peaceful day, and my in-laws are better than yours! :-)

On Monday, the house was a wreck from not being home Saturday or Sunday. So we didn't do anything special. The kid finished coloring their pages until a certain 4 year old boy started throwing crayons across the room "just for fun"! After that, they got up and cleaned their rooms while I cleaned the rest of the house. We ended the day with 6 fussy kids going to bed about 30 minutes early. Then Chase and I had a pizza date in the living room while we stayed up WAY too late watching episodes of Castle on Amazon.

Today, day 7, we made Turkey Headbands. This was another inexpensive craft, and quite fun. I will say, I had to make Chance's for him, and Allison needed quite a bit of help. Also, the original craft uses construction paper for feather. I bought actual feathers, but I don't think it was a wise idea. They  make the headband too top heavy and the turkey tends to fall forward. Next year we will use construction paper feathers! I'll add pics tomorrow of them wearing their headbands. Tonight we had to wait for the glue to dry. For now, here is the link to the craft instructions and some pics of the kids assembling theirs.
http://kidney-garden.blogspot.com/2014/11/gobble-gobble-headbands.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/TNEAN+(Kindergarten%27s+3+R%27s:+Respect,+Resources+and+Rants)

I bought two packages of feathers, 
but I think one would have been enough.

The small package of construction paper doesn't have brown 

so we had to buy the large package, but with 6 kids, we'll use it eventually!!

Elizabeth

It's blurry, but . . . that face!!! Melt my heart!

Allison

Samantha

CJ

Jennifer

Chance watching me make his!!

Busy, Busy Day - Day 4

Today was pack full of all kinds of fun! We started the day waking up Jennifer and singing "Happy Birthday" to her. That's right. My sweet #2 turned 7, and I'm very emotional! Through age 6 they still seem like little kids. Age 7 hits and suddenly they're big kids. When did she grow up????

Anyway, we got up early and met Aunt Casie, Nolan, and Judson at the Touch-A-Truck event in Texas City. It was hot and we had some bad attitudes because I wouldn't buy them anything, but it was still lots of fun! We're definitely gonna do it again next year!!

Some of them are distracted by the helicopter taking off

in the distance, but the fact that we got one this good with

8 children is an accomplishment in and of itself!

Getting hot but still have good attitudes!

Someone gave them a sucker so we got a few smiles again!

This was at the end at the height of bad attitudes, but they

still managed a few smiles!!

When we left there we went and visited Daddy at work and bought a snack from his store. I was exhausted and so were the younger kids, and I didn't feel like getting food out at home so we ate snacks in the car while we drove!!

We took a nice long nap, and then the kids played while I wrapped presents. After that, while they waited for me to cook dinner, the kids colored some Thanksgiving themed Bible verse pages. Brand new crayons from Dollar Tree made this super exciting!!

Jennifer

Chance

CJ

Elizabeth

Samantha

Allison

Here is the link for the pages.

http://christianpreschoolprintables.com/holiday-bible-printables/thanksgiving-bible-printables-crafts/

There are a couple of options available. There are three different pages available as a coloring sheet or a pre-colored page to hang as decoration. I printed a pre-colored of each page to hang in the little kids bedroom, and each child got a copy of all three coloring pages. We're gonna hang these in the dining room tomorrow!

After coloring, we ate dinner and then mommy made Brownies with Andes mint pieces and strawberry frosting. The mint brownies are my specialty, but the strawberry frosting was Jennifer's idea. It sounded nasty to me, but it was actually pretty good! Once Daddy got home from work we opened presents and had brownies before bedtime. It was a busy but fun day!!

Soccer Ball

Yoga mat to use for gymnastics around the house

Skateboard with wheels that light up when they spin

Happy 7th Birthday Sweet Jennifer Bryce!!

Pumpkin Cloud Dough - Day 3

Y'all. This activity was so much fun for the kids, but it is EXTREMELY messy! I'll definitely be doing this outside if we do it again next year!

Here is the link for this awesome stuff!
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/09/pumpkin-scented-cloud-dough.html

The only thing I did different is that I halved the recipe. I didn't have a container large enough for the amount she called for. Also, since I had 6 kids playing in it instead of just one like the author, I put it in cereal bowls for each child.

Enjoy the pics!

Just three ingredients

(unless you opt to color it orange)

Separated into smaller bowls for each child

Getting started!

Already getting messy!

Why keep it in the bowl???

Mixing it with his snack!

(Later on he climbed on the table and kept licking it!)

Group Picture

It got even messier after this pic was taken!!

Definitely an outside activity!!

One more just because he's really cute!

(And yes, he's still wearing his chocolate frozen yogurt clothes from last night!)

Everyone had showers after this and they're all tucked snuggly in their beds! Mommy spent an hour cleaning the mess, but the dining room is sparkling again!!

Good night!

Menchie's - Day 2

The original plan for today was to make Candy Corn Milkshakes. If you don't like candy corn, don't worry! It has no candy corn flavor. And if the thought of making milkshakes stresses you out, fret not! These are actually just cups of colored ice cream! You can find instructions here:

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/spooky-eats-candy-corn-milkshakes/

All that said, we ended up scrapping this plan because Daddy promised a certain little girl named Jennifer that since he won't be off work for her birthday, we'd go get frozen yogurt on his day off. That day fell today. So after dinner, we loaded up the car and took everyone to Menchie's. We'd never been there before, but we loved it! They were extremely friendly, welcoming, and SUPER clean!

We sampled several flavors, filled our cups, added toppings, had them weighed, and paid. They gave each of the kids a toy and a coloring page. They also had a chalkboard the kids could color on. We were the only customers at first so the cashier helped us move tables so we could all sit together and helped us get settled. Except for Chance's fussiness (because it was past his bed time), we had a really great time and we will definitely be going back!

Group Picture (minus Mommy and Daddy!)

Elizabeth


Jennifer, the birthday girl, making a silly face!

Samantha with candy in her mouth


CJ


Allison


Chance, with the results of his fussiness still on his face

We also started a countdown chain. We started with the youngest (besides Chance) and each night a different child cuts a link off the chain and tells me something they want to thank God for. I'll write that thing, their name, and the date and hang it on a poster board. They look forward to it all day long!

Countdown Chain

(It only goes until November 22 

because that's when we leave for our trip.)

Thank you, God, for . . . 

Thanksgiving Story Bracelet - Day 1

First off, thank you to everyone who prayed for Emma. This dog was literally at death's door, and I believe that, if it weren't for the prayers of our friends and family, she wouldn't be with us today. That said, she is doing much better, and is back to her normal self . . . hyper and chewing up every. little. thing!!

Second, we decided not to do Halloween this year. Since they don't go to public school and we've missed church because of multiple illnesses the last few weeks, the kids have missed all of the discussions about "what are you gonna be?" Illness can be a blessing in disguise! Halloween came and went and my kids had no idea! Y'all the money I saved and the stress of last minute costume needs that I didn't have to deal with . . . let's just say that it was worth all the candy I didn't get this year! And that means a LOT coming from a sugar addict like me!!!

Third, and the reason for this post: Years ago, I planned Christmas themed activities/crafts for Elizabeth and Jennifer for everyday of December. They loved it, and I had lots of decorations for my house! Since fall is my favorite time of year, I decided to do the same thing with fall/Thanksgiving activities for all 6 kids.

*All of the ideas came from Pinterest and can be found on my fall/Thanksgiving board.*
Here is the link for the one we did today:
http://firstgradewow.blogspot.com/2013/11/retelling-thanksgiving.html

Today, being November 1, we did our first craft. Thanksgiving Story Bracelet. This one was easy and inexpensive. I paid $0.88 for a pack of 25 blue pipe cleaners. They didn't have the small package of primary color pony beads, or it would have been much cheaper. I paid $4.97 for a container of 1500 though so it wasn't too bad, and I can use them again next year. The only thing is that this container doesn't have brown (which is needed for the bracelet) so we had to substitute purple.

I read the accompanying story to the kids and emphasized the color words. Then we read it again, and they added the correct color bead. The bigger kids didn't need any help, but Allison doesn't know her colors yet so it was slow going while she looked at my bead (I made a bracelet for Chance while he napped), and picked out the matching color. Once all the beads were added, as I tied their bracelet and snipped the ends off, I had them tell me one thing they are thankful for. We prayed and thanked God for all of those things.

In all, it only took about 15 minutes, and they were upset when we were finished because they wanted to do more! Next year I'll probably add an additional coloring page for them to do.

25 pack of pipe cleaner cost $0.88

1500 container of pony beads for $4.97.

Samantha (5), CJ (4), Allison (2)

putting beads on their pipe cleaner!

Jennifer (7), Elizabeth (8)

putting beads on their pipe cleaner!

Allison making a silly face

at her completed bracelet!

Fire

Of all the lessons I've learned since the death of my father, some of them are directly related to that situation and have resulted in peace with my circumstances. However, for other lessons, his death was just the catapult that helped prepare my heart to learn lessons that can be applied to any situation in life. This first lesson is one of those.

One year ago, yesterday, we closed on our very first house. For an entire year before that we lived with my parents (6 months) and Chase's parents (6 months). Though they were very kind, and we appreciated the roof over our heads, it was the roughest year of our marriage. We were pulled at from all sides.

During that time, I came across a book called Hope Unfolding by Becky Thompson, author of the blog Scissortail Silk. Everyone who knows me well at all knows that I can read an entire book in one day. I'll be honest though. I still haven't finished this particular book. Not because it was bad, but because it was that good. And I felt like I learned what God was trying to use this book to teach me. For now. :-)

In one particular chapter of the book she is talking about Shardrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (see Daniel 3 for full story). In the paragraph that changed my life, she had this to say:

"But when everyone looked inside, they didn't see ashes or smoke. Scripture says that when those on the outside looked into the flames, they saw a fourth man in the fire, and none of them were being burned. Friends, God doesn't promise that we won't walk through fire. But He absolutely promises that when we do, He will be with us."

Y'all. I've always known this. I was raised in a family that some years money for Christmas presents showed up on Christmas Eve. Where a turkey . . . or 3 . . . showed up on Thanksgiving Day when we didn't know where our next meal would come from. Where our car would break down and someone would call - without possibly being able to know our situation - and tell us they'd just bought a car and wanted to just give us their old car. Where my father took his own life and we made it through. God walked with us through every fire we faced. I already knew all of that when I read this particular paragraph in this specific book. That is a good lesson, but I already knew it.

What did I learn?

". . . when those on the outside looked into the flames, they saw a fourth man in the fire . . ."

Everyone around saw the fire these guys were walking through. Everyone around knew what these men were facing. And everyone around saw God in the midst of their literal fire. When I walk through a figurative fire, what do those around me see? Do they see me grieving over my circumstances like the lost (1 Thessalonians 4:13), or do they see a life filled with hope and peace and joy and grace and thankfulness. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we are to give thanks in ALL things. Is that was people see when they look into my fire, WHATEVER it may be?

When those on the outside look into my flames, do they see a fourth man in the fire? He's there. Do they see Him?

Alright

I remember being at work and finding out that he had not come home from his job and wasn't answering his phone. I remember that it was storming and that a friend reassured me everything would be alright. Everything else is a blur. I can remember nothing until we got to his work the next morning. Then it became real. He truly was gone. He really had taken his own life. I remember getting out of the vehicle I was riding in, walking to his car, (with my mom thinking I was heading in to where his body was and screaming for me to stop) and laying my head on the back window with my arms stretched across it, almost like I was hugging it in place of him.

April 25, 2005

It was the darkest day of my life. It was beyond sad. I don't think there is a word for the amount of grief a person feels when their parent dies. Though I can't remember many details of that day and those surrounding it, I'll never forget the way I felt. 20 years old and fatherless.

As the days passed and the months turned into years, the pain subsided and the grief lessened. I was okay. I was doing good. I missed him, sure, but I wasn't grieving anymore. Over the following years a lot of different things happened in my life. Marriage issues, babies in the NICU, being without a home of our own and all the resulting issues surrounding that. I was okay, emotionally, with the past, and I thought I was okay spiritually. Looking back though, I can see that I wasn't. Every situation that came up caused me to question God and His ways. My catchphrase became "I know God CAN do anything, but it doesn't mean He will". He had proven just that when He allowed my daddy to be successful in taking his own life. He had proven that when He sent my babies to the NICU and sent me home without them . . . repeatedly, no matter what I did to prevent it. He proved that when He left us without a home of our own for a year. And then I realized that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't okay. It seemed as if everyone I knew had learned something or gotten closer to God as a result of daddy's death. I didn't. Life went on just as it had before with the exception that daddy wasn't around anymore.

With the 10 year anniversary of his death just around the corner, this realization hit me. So I prayed. I asked God to let this be the year that He taught me. I didn't want his death to be in vain. I didn't learn anything that year. But God began teaching me, though I didn't see it then. I saw pain and heartache. God saw teaching moments. It was kinda like when a person prays for patience and then everything seems to go wrong. God's giving opportunities for patience. It was the same for me. I didn't see the end result (I could safely argue that I won't until Heaven!) before the 10 year anniversary. I did start seeing the beginning of the answer to that prayer though.

It has now been a little more that 12 years since that awful day in April. But y'all. I have learned so much. There is no way to put it all into one post. I want to share it though. It's trying to burst out of my chest. I feel like I shouldn't rest until I get it all out. And I'm going to. But pray for me. Pray that God will help me put it into words that make sense. There are so many lessons and so many backstories that I can't seem to get them all in order in my head. Pray for organized thoughts. And pray that Satan will stay away and not "sift [me/my family] like wheat" (see Job 1) as I share what God is showing me.

This journey has been long and hard and filled with lots of pain and tears, but as my friend told me the night we couldn't find my dad, everything is alright. And I wouldn't change one second of the past 32 years for one. single. thing. God is in control. He is holding every bit of this world in His hand. He has planned this life. And everything is more that alright. It is perfect.