Six Months with Trim Healthy Mama

I started Trim Healthy Mama on December 15, 2014. 

This was taken on Cece's baptism, December 7th.

Today marks 6 months and I have lost 50 pounds, starting at 235 and now down to 185. 

I am AMAZED at the transformation of my body!  I have been this weight before, but never this shape.  Skirts and pants, as well as shirts, are longer now because my arms, backside and hips are much smaller.

I am so glad I didn’t give up on all the clothes I had stored away for “ONE day…” because now I “shop” in my own closet and storage bins!

I have lost weight with THM but have gained much: I can wear my wedding ring again after 7 years of not being able to.  I can play with my kids at a playground or run after my toddlers.  I can mow our yard with a push mower and feel good doing it. I can walk for exercise again (though I didn’t start exercising until after 40 pounds were off—my joints finally felt so much better).

I didn’t set a goal when I began because  

1) I was afraid to fail  

2) I didn’t know—and still don’t—how to decide on a number and  

3) IT’S NOT ABOUT A SPECIFIC NUMBER!

I have brought eleven children into this world. 

If I ever made a comment about my weight, people would say something like “Well, after x-number of pregnancies, it’s understandable…”  But I knew that having several babies was no “excuse”—and I knew it wasn’t truth. I know now that I was pairing the wrong foods.  I was a mix of Whole Grain Jane and Farm Fresh Tess (get the book and you'll know what I mean!).  I might choose 2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly and a glass of orange juice for breakfast. A lunch meat sandwich, a few chips or pretzels and an apple for lunch (which you know I call dinner), and beef roast with cooked carrots, roasted potatoes, fresh bread and a glass of milk for supper. I wasn’t eating “bad” food—it’s that the food was not fueling my body the way my body requires.

Meals are categorized according to (S) for Satisfying, (E) for Energizing, or (FP) for Fuel Pull which is all explained in the book.

I keep my menu VERY simple. With 11 children, it has to be! I typically have a fried egg with cheese (S) or oatmeal (E) for breakfast and coffee with half-and half.  For my noon meal, I often choose to fry a salmon filet and have a (S) salad with sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper with a side of cottage cheese and a strawberry smoothie to drink. I am the only one on THM in my family because I am the only one with a weight problem.  Though we are pretty much a meat & vegetables family, I also have several days in a month where pancakes or mac & cheese with chicken nuggets or peanut butter sandwiches is going to have to suffice for the crew. I will choose egg salad or maybe tuna salad for myself on a Joseph’s pita.

I don’t always have enough money for protein powder and I’ve enjoyed several (even too many!) cheat meals, sometimes out of necessity (we live very rurally so grocery shopping is a TRIP) and sometimes out of indulgence/lack of will power.  I’m sure I would have lost more by now had I stayed 100% on plan but I love that in 3 hours, I can make the next right choice!

My high blood pressure is a thing of the past & I lost fifty pounds by eating good food!!  Though it can be tempting to search the web for lots of THM recipes, I have found the recipes and suggestions in the book to be quite sufficient. I appreciate so much the work that Pearl and Serene put into the book!

I had to really search for a “before” picture of me because I always made SURE to be either behind someone or out of the picture entirely. 

I’ll call this other picture my “during” (instead of “after”) because I don’t know where THM is going to bring me on this journey!

A blog I have found to be particularly helpful is

Gwen's Nest and her fabulous Quick Start Guide

If I can do this, I KNOW you can, too!

He's an Artist

 Elijah drew this picture for Dennis and me.

Daddy asked, "Am I kissing Mama in this picture?"

Elijah answered, "Nope.  You're whispering in her ear.

And that's me in the middle between you.  

I'm smiling."

The ABC's of Me

My friend Heather invited me to play along--so I did! :)

A.  Attached or Single?  I am very much attached--to one husband and 10 children.

B.  Best Friend?  I know I'm supposed to say Dennis, but that's sort of a given.  My best friend growing up was Bridget.  My best friend now that I'm an adult is a toss-up between my programmable coffee-maker, my dishwasher, or my washing machine.  I spend a lot of time with each of them.

C.  Cake or Pie?  Pie--strawberry.  Or pumpkin.  But not that runny, grainy kind that sometimes befalls an unsuspecting pot-luck attendee.  I mean smooth, firm pumpkin pie.

D.  Day of the Week?  Being a housewife, at-home, homeschooling mom, married to a dairy farmer means all the days of the week are pretty much the same since there are no days off, no vacations, and no change of venue or location.  I do look forward to Monday evenings, though, because once a month I have a meeting that I really enjoy, and it's also the day I can watch Call the Midwife online.

E.  Essential Item?  Hmmmmm.  In a broader sense, I'd say my essential oils (no pun intended).  I do so much with them.  In a very simple sense, I don't go anywhere without my water bottle and my book.

F.  Favorite Colors?  I like a lot of colors....I'm drawn to earthy colors, I guess.  Brown, green, blue, deep reds and purples.

G.  Gummy Bears or Worms?  Definitely bears.  No---worms.  Or maybe bears.

H.  Hometown?  I grew up on a dairy farm outside of Ashby, a town of about 500 people.  My parents still live on that farm.

I.  Favorite Indulgence?  Having a second helping of something and saying it's "for the baby".  Since I'm nearly always pregnant or nursing, the kids buy it.  Ooh!  And honeycrisp apples in the fall.
            But if I could really, really indulge?  I'd get a massage.  I had one once and it was heavenly.  Or if I could really, really, really indulge?  I'd have my own bathroom.  And if I could really, really, really, reeeaaaaallllly indulge?  I'd go somewhere or do something without explaining why, how long it would take, or when I'd be back.  I wouldn't take add-on requests on my way out the door such as, "can you stop by the library?" or "can you pick up a part?" or "can you bring in this paperwork?"   While I was gone, the people who live here would discover the location of their own items, they would handle their own disagreements, and would know at what temperature the oven should be set and how to tell if the meal should come out of the oven.

J.  January or July?  January.  I live in MN and by golly, I like winter.

K.  Kids?  Yes. Ten so far.

L.  Life isn't complete without?  Jesus
.
M.  Marriage date?  September 28, 1996

N.  Number of brother/sisters? I have two older brothers and a younger sister.

O.  Oranges or Apples?  I like me a really good orange, but can't seem to ever pick good ones at the store.  So I stay safe and just get apples, honeycrisp in the fall when they're cheapest, otherwise Pink Lady.

P.  Phobias?  I am very claustrophobic.  Very.  Like VERY.

Q.  Favorite Quote?   "I know why God made moms soft and squishy.  It's so you don't get hurt if you run into them."  Isaiah, 4

R.  Reason to Smile?  My dad says, "Smile...it makes people wonder what you're up to."  I smile for lots of other reasons, too, though.

S.  Season of Choice?  I love fall.  Apples, pumpkin, spices, sweatshirts, harvest, the smell of corn silage.

T.  Tag 5 people?  Sheepers....I don't know.  If you want to join in, leave me a comment and let me know.  I'll come read it!

U.  Unknown Fact about Me?  You know that song "There's a Bad Moon on the Rise"?  I used to think the words were "There's a Bathroom on the Right".
     This information is not likely to ever be part of any trivia game, but it's good for you to be prepared.

V.  Favorite Vegetable?  Broccoli, steamed, with cheese on top.

W.  Worst Habit?  Biting my nails.

X.  X-Ray or Ultrasound?  NEITHER. But thanks for asking.

Y.  Your Favorite Foods?  Like real food?  Like food food?  I'd say roasted chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli.  If pizza counts, then the Gourmet Vegetarian from Papa Murphy's would top the list, too.  My favorite non-food food would be peanut M&Ms.

Z.  Zodiac sign?  Cancer.  This is weird stuff.

In the News

In the news (at our house) this week:

* Dairy Farmer Cuts Wrist on Large Piece of Steel, Requires Mad Dash to Clinic and Seven Stitches,

Hosts Family Gathering for Dinner the Same Day

* Mother of Ten Deals with Acquired Torticollis While Oldest Daughter and Her Capable Hands Are Away at Bible Camp

*  Farmhouse Has No Air Conditioning and Yard Has No Hose (yet).  Children Make-Do Pouring Bottles of Water Re-filled from Hydrant on to Trampoline in Effort to Stay Cool

*  Rural Mother Convinces Children "Thirty Percent Chance of Rain Means It Probably Won't Rain at All".  Children Believe Her, Sleep in Tent & Are Rescued By Heroic Father in Torrential Downpour at 5 AM.

37 Weeks

Thirty-seven weeks.
Hm.

That point in pregnancy when people usually respond with some variation of "So, wow--the baby could really come any time!"

I've heard that before.
I think it makes the next several weeks seem awfully long.  Because I know from experience that I could be pregnant for quite awhile yet!
On the other hand, it's good to be ready just in case baby does come early-ish.

So, I've washed up a little bit of pink and a little bit of blue and the handful of gender-neutral little bitty things that I've accumulated over the years of having babies.


Even though this is my tenth baby, there are still a lot of "new" things for me.

For one, planning to have the baby at home.  All the other children have been born in a hospital; eight under obstetrical care in our local hospital and #9 was with a midwife in a different hospital.  It's new to me to know that I won't have to stress about when to make the decision of when to leave for the hospital.  Everyone scares you with their stories of women having babies in the car, and how you'd better run to the hospital at the first twinge because after one or two babies, you know, they just practically fall right out.  Except they don't.
So, what I'm getting at is that I think it will take some of the pressure off of me knowing that I only need to call the midwife and she comes to me and all I'll need to do is keep laboring until the baby is in my arms.

Another "new" is a new midwife.  I had to search around a bit for recommendations because there are no midwives near where we live.  This woman is located about an hour and fifteen minutes away from me.  I'm very pleased with our relationship thus far and hopefully I get to continue my care with her for many years.

Also "new" is a different doula.  My wonderful friend Megan assisted at both Ivy's and Elizabeth's births.  What a wonderful help a doula is!!!  I had never had the help of one before and would highly recommend one for any pregnant woman.  Another friend Sarah will be with us this time.  It's new, but exciting.


I have all the birth things ready now and that was a new process for me.  My midwife recommended this site and I ordered what I needed from there.  (I didn't order a "kit" because I already had accumulated several things from the list my midwife gave me, so I just ordered the items I didn't already have.)
Going through the process of having these things on hand at home made me realize that it would have been a good idea to have an Emergency Birth Kit on hand for the other babies.  Especially since we live very rurally and the nearest hospital is 30 minutes away; also, several of the babies have been born during the time of year when weather could have been a travel factor here in MN.  For $12, really, every pregnant woman should have one of these kits.  Maybe those car-birthers wouldn't have been so freaked out if they'd had one! :)  I feel it would take a bit of the scariness out of an unassisted birth knowing you had the right tools at hand.

Another "new" is making the decisions for me and the baby based off of things that I've learned, as opposed to just "letting" the clinic/hospital staff tell me it needs to be done.  I may post about some of them in the future, I'm not sure yet, but for brevity here those decisions include the Gestational Diabetes screen, ultrasound, Group B strep culture, Vitamin K for baby, erythromycin in baby's eyes, cord clamping, etc.

One last "new" thing I'll mention:  Dennis looked at me last week and asked, "Are you sure you're gonna make it another month??"  To which I responded, "Thank you for noticing!!!"  It's the first time that he's ever commented on my pregnant-size so it struck me funny.
Some women may have felt offended, but not me--I've felt so big for so long, bigger than with the other children, that I keep wondering the same thing!

That's all the "new" news I have for now...it won't be too much longer and I can show you pictures of a little someone new!

Faithful

I went to town on Friday to get groceries, houeshold supplies, and to shop for Ivy's birthday and party.
I had just a few stops planned in order to execute my well-ordered list.

As I made my way toward Target, I looked across the divided highway and observed a small accident, a "fender-bender" with out injury (that's how it looked to me, anyway).

Suddenly, I was overcome with memories of a life-changing accident in October and how it has affected me.
I remembered getting the call.
I remembered calling my friend.
I remembered seeing Claire's precious little body in that ICU hospital bed.
I remembered the tears, the heartache, and the way that family and friends were still able to smile and enjoy being together, whether that was in the family room at the hospital or in their house after her death.
I remembered the beautiful music that was sung over Claire, the heart-wrenching prayers of God-following men and women who prayed for mercy for this family.
I remembered her funeral and the sobbing and the grief and the broken-hearted mother who walked in behind her daughter's casket, clinging to one of her grown sons.  This son whom I used to babysit, now all grown up and looking so dashing in his Marine's uniform.
I remembered this family's testimony of God's faithfulness in their grief.
I remembered these and so many other things while watching the road through my tears, pulling in to the Target parking lot and sitting for several minutes there in my car, sobbing and trying to collect myself enough to go in to the store.

Because here I was, shopping for my little girl's birthday and being vividly aware that my friend didn't get to do that for her baby girl's birthday just a few weeks ago.  Her "little" girl was in heaven while mine was at home watching a Max and Ruby video.

I'm sure you've heard someone say, or perhaps even said it yourself, "I just can't imagine going through something like that."
I think, though, that if we're really honest with ourselves, we can.  We can imagine, we just don't want to.
We don't want to imagine what it's like to have that empty seat at the table.
We don't want to imagine what it's like to list off your kids in the manner that has become second-nature to you and suddenly have to leave out one name.
We don't want to imagine what it's like to wash and fold the laundry in the following days and see her clothes...to see her shoes still by the door...to clean her room and give away her books and go through her trinkets and treasures.
We don't want to imagine what it's like to stumble over a phrase like, "since s/he d-d-d-died." and instead, come up with other ways to say the same thing, like "since she moved to heaven" or "since the accident".
We don't want to imagine the visceral, physical, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching pain of burying a child.

So we say we "can't imagine."
But we can.

I think to myself how, if this is me four months after her death, how much more for her mom!  And her brothers and sisters!
I pray for peace to flood their hearts, for sweet memories to comfort them, for the assurance of Claire's eternal life with her Savior to give them hope (click HERE if you are unsure).

I want them to know that she is not forgotten.  That they are not forgotten.
Even though it seems like life has gone on for everyone else.
Even though everyone else's life seems so "normal" when theirs has been so changed.
Even though the bills still need to be paid, the groceries still need to be bought, and the laundry still needs to be done.
Even though they still have to put one foot in front of another, while a wound still gapes in their hearts.

The blessing in all of this is that this family still knows, believes, and proclaims that God is faithful--even when things hurt so bad.

I drove home that day after my errands determined to remember that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow.
I want to be a more intentional, loving, and present parent.
I want to be a more intentional, loving, and present wife.

And I know, believe, and will proclaim that God is faithful.

Hello?

The phone rang.  I could see from the caller ID that it was the optician; I assumed they were calling to tell me Ruby's glasses were fixed and ready to be picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi...Michelle?"
"No, this is Melissa."
"OH!  Hahahaha...of course!" she said.  "I knew you're name...it's just that I was just talking to another gal here in the office about how Ruby has all these brothers and sisters, just like the Duggars!  I guess I had 'Michelle' in my head because of that!" she said, as she laughed her way through her explanation and what else she needed to tell me.

We get compared to the Duggars a lot; I guess 10 kids is just like 20??
I don't mind, though...if I had to get mixed up with anyone, I sure wouldn't mind it being Michelle Duggar.  She is just so sweet.

Because some days?  I feel that a closer misunderstanding would go something like this:
Phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Hi...Cruella DeVil?"
"Speaking."

Walk Away

Mostly, I tell myself, "Just walk away...close the keyboard and just walk away..."

But sometimes, I'm like this:

And then I get all worked up, which is when I remind myself that next time, I'm going to walk away--just close the keyboard and walk. away.

Stormy Days

I was supposed to have an appointment with my midwife today, but needed to cancel due to weather.

See why?

Yeah.  Couldn't argue Dennis on that one.

I was excited to meet with her again, but mostly I was looking forward to a day trip as her office is 1 1/2 hours away.

In one way, though, I'm sort of glad there's a storm...

On my previous appointment in early December,  Dennis had suggested we make a date of the next appointment...a little getaway, even.

So he said if I worked out all the details (what to do and hotel reservations) that we could plan to be gone overnight.  I was SO excited--we've never done that in our 16 years of marriage ...gone somewhere "just because".  I've read that some people do a little "babymoon" during their pregnancy and, well, I've been pregnant/nursing for pretty much all of our marriage so it sounded romantic, fun, and indulgent.

There's not much "indulgence" in the life of a mother of ten.

So, I looked around on the internet for ideas and hotels...

but when I asked him about it to be sure that I could indeed proceed,

he said he just didn't want to be gone overnight in the middle of winter because so much can go wrong on the farm and he didn't want to leave it to the boys.

I was disappointed, but knew that he was right.

Anyway....I've been thinking about this big storm and how REALLY disappointed I would be if I had gone ahead and made all those plans, for us and for the kids, looking forward to our time away so excitedly--

oh, MAN, I'd have been pretty heartsick.

It was good that I was moderately disappointed early to save me from major disappointment now, see?

At least, that's how I'm choosing to look at it.

So I think tonight will be early bedtime and I'm going to curl up in the recliner and crochet and maybe watch a movie on this stormy evening.

Supper is just about ready to put on the table, bedrooms got cleaned today, living room vacuumed,

and the kitchen floor washed.

I did TONS of laundry yesterday so today was only a few loads.

I might actually get to sit down--wouldn't that be something??

Linnea and Christopher were going to go to a 4H activity tomorrow, but that's been cancelled, too.

Hmmmmmm, the kids have been asking about making popcorn balls--I think we'll put that on tomorrow's agenda.

I Did It!

Today, I had to sing for a Christian Women's Club meeting in town.

Running late (shocking, I know), I noticed a few miles down the road that the "low oil" light was on.

Dang.

Competent woman that I am, I called Dennis and said, "What should I do?"

He asked where I was and I told him; he said I should stop at the station in the town I was approaching and add oil.

Submissive Christian wife that I am, I whined said, "Do I have to?"

He said my other option was to sit at the station and wait for him to come put oil in the car.
Swiping a tear from my cheek at the gallant nature of this proposal, I politely declined and said I would figure it out.

Did you know that it's labeled and everything under the hood of a car?????  A bright yellow cap that says "add engine oil here."--whoa, this car was made for women like me.  (Afterthought:  Maybe there are no other women like me...)

I impressed myself with my mad hood opening skills.

The conclusion of this riveting little story?  I bought the oil, asked the nice station owner man for a paper funnel (which he had!), didn't spill any oil while using said funnel, put the oil in the right place, got back in the car and the oil light went off.
One small step for you, maybe--one giant leap for me!!!

Aaaaaaaaand, I was only about 7 minutes late for the gig at which I was supposed to sing.

Comparatively speaking, I would chose this kind of event over a carsick kid or diaper "malfunction" any day of the week.  Those are two other reasons I have been late for speaking/singing commitments.  In case you were wondering.  Which you probably weren't.

The end.

Wide Open Spaces

I live in the country and that's all I've ever known.

I can only imagine living in town

and I hope that's all I ever have to do--imagine it!

I need our wide open spaces...

whenever I've gone to any large city

I can't help but think, "how do people live in places like this?"

Houses so close to one another, cars everywhere, crowds, traffic--

no thanks, not for me!

While on my walk one day this week, I brought my camera along to take some pictures.

 from the bean field, looking across the road I walk on to the corn field opposite.

 just a bit further down the road, the slough where my boys hunt geese and ducks.

 further yet on my route, a close-up of more corn as the sun was peeking up on the horizon.

 This isn't ours;

I walk a mile away so that I get two miles of distance.

Nearly ever day as I approach this slough, a pair of deer bound away from the water's edge

and several ducks fly up and away.

 Opposite the slough I just mentioned,

the one on this side of the road is usually rather still.

I almost always hear splashes as I walk by but I can never see what it is that's making the splash.

I suppose some beaver or muskrat?

 This is the highway we live on.

I took this picture on my return route.

Every day I'm thankful for these wide open spaces!

I pretty much have the road to myself in the mornings;

I usually meet a school bus (and thank God my kids aren't on it)

and maybe a car or two.

A busy day might bring 10 cars past me, many days it's completely quiet.

I love the colors of every season.

When I walk by in the spring, the black earth is a stark contrast to budding trees.

As summer passes, everything is green and lush--the trees, the grasses, the crops.

In this season of early fall, the trees are still green but the corn and beans are a golden yellow.

The sumac's red and orange stand out brightly.

Soon enough, the trees will be changing and Dennis will plow the fields, returning them to black as they were in early spring.

I'm glad my kids get to grow up rurally,

with room to run, ride bike, or tromp in the woods--

and I'm glad I've got that room, too.

Fridays on the Farm

The title of my blog reveals that I am a farmer's wife.

I haven't blogged over-much regarding our farm life,

but it is a very important part of who I am individually and who we are as a family!

I grew up on a dairy farm, too.

My dad sold his cows in February 1995 and I married Dennis in September of 1996.

Aside from those intervening 19 months, I've spent my whole life on a farm!

Dennis has lived here his whole life--he's never even had a different phone number.

He's been a farmer since the day he was born. :)

In an effort to honor our heritage and our way of life, I wanted to start a new little something here on my blog.

I wish I was a little more tech-savvy so I could create a button

(Believe me, I tried!!  I'll keep trying, but if someone wants to help me I'd be ever so grateful!)

but for now we'll have to settle for this fun picture I created using a photo I took of my brother's barn.

The "new little something" I want to start will be called 

Fridays on the Farm.

I want to use it as a time to purposefully share a bit about our farm,

to show you what one small, family owned and operated, independent, dairy farm looks like.

There are very few such farms left.

Our is one of them.

So, without further ado, I'll begin!

The crops have been growing so well here in our area of MN this year.

We have been relatively unscathed by the drought that has swept it's way through the mid-west.

The boys had been in the field with Dennis this week and upon their return, they called me to the door to come look at this:

12 foot corn!

That is seriously tall corn, just so y'know.

Then, because boys will be boys, they began jousting with the stalks!

It was rather difficult to make any real impact on each other

but it was great fun nonetheless.

Christopher about busted a gut laughing at those brothers!!!

We are anxiously awaiting harvest,

when the corn can come off the field and go in to town.

If you'd like to share something about your farm

or a memory that this post triggered about an experience you had on a farm

I'd love for you to leave a comment!

If you have a blog, I'd love if you linked up to me

(feel free to grab the top picture until I get that little ol' button figured out)

with a Fridays on the Farm post of your own!

Me & My Baby Girl

taken the afternoon of my grandpa's funeral

Mommy and Elizabeth (8 mos.)

I'd Love to Have You Over for Coffee, But First You Need to Know

Inspired by this post:

1. I'm a Martha, not a Mary.  We will sit and chat the day away.  I will be worrying about how messy my house is and I will probably clean up while I talk to you and interrupt myself with self-deprecating comments about the mess.

2.  I really don't like it when the house is messy.  And I really don't like it when people see it when it's messy.  I'm having to get over myself a lot because this has happened frequently as of late.  However, I just feel terrible when people see it messy!  For the record, I couldn't care less how you keep your house, I only care how I keep mine.  So don't worry if your house is messy and I see it--it won't make me think you are a poor housekeeper.  I apparently only hold myself to this standard.  I remind myself that we are a lot of people in not a lot of space, but it doesn't always help.   This is also why I do much better with a text/phone call giving me a 10 minute heads-up.  We can pick up a LOT in 10 minutes!

3.  It is not uncommon for visitors to hear, "Moooooom????  Can you come wipe me???"  Once, a little guest even slipped in a li'l puddle from a trip not made soon enough.  Gross?  Yes.  My life?  Yes again.

4.  I like fixing my hair and would prefer to wear makeup on most days.  However, I'm in dire need of a new look and I can't seem to find any makeup that 1) I can afford 2) doesn't make me look like I'm in a theater production.  Thus, you will see me mostly with my hair in a ponytail or braid and no makeup on my face.  I'm hoping that one day I'll be swept away for one of those makeovers you see on tv or in a magazine.  It could happen y'know.

5.  I, like Amy, am a deep conversations person.  Small talk exhausts me.  I ask hard questions and this sometimes alienates me from people.  This is difficult and I beat myself up about it often.  I just wish we could be a bigger part of each others' lives (as long as the feeling is mutual) and spending time talking about the weather and how I remember the names of my children and whether or not my kids have specific chores seems superficial.

6. We let our children play all over the farm, with the exception of on the tractors and in the barn where the cows are milked.  So if your kids want to play, it's probably going to be outside and they might get dirty.  They might also see some sort of dead critter, be it a bird, a raccoon, or a snake that one of my boys or one of my dogs has brought to the yard to show me.  You will see our real life.

7.  We are night owls.  You could not possibly stay too late.  However, I never know if I should go ahead with bedtime preparations while you sit on the couch "unattended" as my company, or if I should just wait until you go and then put kids through the tub.  I'm 34 and I still don't know how to act in many situations.  It's a good thing I married an older man so that one of us can be an adult and know what to do.

8.  Like Amy said, Disrespectful children make me cringe, but most things don’t bother me. Actually, let me rephrase that…Disrespectful children who remain uncorrected by their parents make me cringe. Please go ahead and correct your children if they need it. It won’t bother us and it does not reflect badly on you. However, also realize it takes a lot to rattle me, so no need to stress about your child spilling their cup on the floor or the fussy little one who needs a nap.

9.  Don't be afraid to wear your shoes in our house.  This is a dairy farm with nine children--if the worst thing that ever came in to the house was a little gravel from the driveway you walked in on, I'd count myself one lucky woman.  

10.  I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things.  This becomes clear within a few minutes of talking to  me.  You and I might differ but we can most certainly still be friends!

My Job

I admit it:  some days I get overwhelmed.

I get frustrated when the house is messy and the children are distracted and disobey.

But every day--from the worst to the best to the mundane--

I am so thankful that I get to stay home with our kids,

and that I stay home with my husband's blessing.

He doesn't want me to go to work, he knows I have plenty to do right here.

Do we do without some things?

Yes.

Am I happy to be the one who rocks my babies instead of hiring someone else to do it?

YES.

This picture of Elizabeth, with her chubby body clinging to my chubby body--

this is my job.

This is what I have been called to do.

To cook, clean, and read stories.

To train, teach, direct, and disciple.

To wash endless amounts of laundry, change countless diapers,

settle disputes, kiss away hurts, and accept weeds flowers from little hands.

To wipe sticky hands, laugh at silly antics, encourage young and growing hearts.

These and much more are my life's work.

And I will do it heartily, as unto the Lord.

North Dakota--Day One

 The six younger kids and I ran away from home took a trip to visit my brother

who lives near Bismarck, ND.

A dear Christian lady that God put in our path

packed us a little lunch so when it was time for something to eat

we stopped at this park in Lisbon, ND.

This trip was rather monumental for me because

I. don't. drive.

Well, I drive the1/2 hour to the grocery store

but I DON'T drive in any city.

I'm a big chicken.

For this trip, I stayed off the interstate

and took any alternate route I could,

using my map and trusting that all roads eventually lead somewhere!

My dad drives a delivery truck for a John Deere dealership

and his route takes him through Lisbon every day.

I called him and he suggested this park.

Though it had some new playground equipment,

the kids were drawn to the giant slide that looked just like the kind we used to play on at school when I was a kid.

 They spent about a 1/2 hour just going up and down

on this slide!

For fun, I even went down.

I was feeling ever so independent.

The kids about split a gut laughing at me going down

and when I reached the end,

Christopher kindly informed me, "Mom, I don't think it really fits you."

I'm not exactly sure what would make him say that,

but it could have had something to do with the screeching sound

made by my hips and the backs of my abundant thighs.

I'm just guessing on that, though.

 My darling baby who always makes me feel like I'm her favorite person

sat on a blanket and soaked up the fresh air and sunshine

and giggled at her brothers and sisters.

 action shots!

 all lined up!

 as the kids piled out of the van stepped out of the van,

I noticed Ivy had no footwear.

We found these shoes packed away in the suitcase.

 Ruby, however, was dressed to the nines in her sparkly shoes and ballerina skirt.

 WOW--do you see that??????

All six of them are looking at the camera and have decent expressions!!

Let me mark that on the calendar.

 There was a pavilion sort of thing so they ran circles in it.

I was all for that, as I had hours of driving ahead of us and I wanted to wear them out.

 The kids didn't know, but I was also secretly keeping them busy.

Remember that route my dad drives?

He was coming to Lisbon soon and when I called him,

he said he's stop by to say hi for a few minutes.

When the kids spotted a John Deere truck drive by

and a man who looked an awful lot like Grandpa...

boy, it didn't take them long to put two and two together!

 One thing I love about my dad is that no matter what,

he always greets the kids with open arms and gets down on their level.

They know how much he loves them!

 As a matter of course, the kids then had to show him all the things they had just been doing,

including the teeter-totter.

 (Can you tell it was a bit warm?)

Ruby and Boppa

Since that was a ton of pictures from just the first leg of our trip,

I think I'll split this into a few posts!

We Had a Hard Night

We had a hard night, 'Liz-beth and me...

She was up several times, wanting to nurse and/or just be held.

Normally, this wouldn't have been such a problem

but she and I were on the go yesterday and I was as worn out as I could be.

I think that was her deal, too--just a little strung out from her not-normal day.

I confess that I get plenty frustrated when a baby or child has several needs during a night.

I like my sleep.

I really like my sleep.

And I got frustrated with Elizabeth for being so needy 

after we both had had such a long day.

But when I see her like this,

peaceful...serene...beautiful...

I sometimes wonder how I could get so frustrated

with such a lovely little being.

I am reminded this morning of Michelle Duggar's

decision to choose JOY.

On a dvd our Mom's Group watched last night,

Mrs. Duggar spoke of how some days with tears streaming down her face

from feelings of being overwhelmed,

she chooses to sing

"the joy of the Lord is my strength."

You may remember that song from Sunday School or Vacation Bible School...

It was just what I needed  to hear.

Because some days this Mommy-gig is a tough one.

But His strength is made known in my weakness.

Even though I'm tired,

today I choose to sing a song of joy.

Today,

I choose joy.

edited to add: apparently Nicki and I are experiencing the same feelings.
Her post from today is absolutely lovely.

11 Random Things

I was tagged by Nicki to participate in 11Random Things 
The first requirement is to share a picture of me, so here you go.

The next step was to list eleven random things about me.  Here they are, in no particular order.

1.   I like Vanilla Coke too much.

2.   When I was in 5th grade, my teacher called me "Missy."  I hated it.  Whenever it came time for parent-teacher conferences my dad would ask if there was anything I wanted them to address with my teacher.  I would always say, "Please ask him to stop calling me Missy."  Mr. Nelson tried hard, and finally succeeded.  Then, in 6th grade I decided I wanted to go by Missy.  Poor guy.  I went by Missy all through high school, switching back to Melissa when I went to college.  I still answer to Missy, thinking nothing of it, as well as "Lis", which is what my brothers call me.  My parents call me Lissa.  I also answer to Mom, but sometimes I pretend I didn't hear.  Just kidding.  Well, kind of.

3.  When I was a child, I always said I wanted to either be a veterinarian or a music teacher.  Today, I'm a homemaker, farm wife, and homeschooling mom--I wasn't far off now, was I???

4.  I am shy, but some people don't believe that.  I never know what to say in social situations and so like Chandler from Friends, I make stupid jokes and end up saying too much.  Maybe a better term would be socially awkward...

5.  Dennis and I watched the entire first season of 24 in two nights via Netflix.  Seriously, that show was like crack.

6.  I HATE SALAMANDERS.

7.   I totally enjoy being pregnant.  I really do.

8.  I have probably learned more because of homeschooling than our kids have. 

9.  My brother recently told me about Pandora.  LOVE IT.  My favorite stations are Motown and Bill Gaither's Homecoming Friends, but in reverse order.

10.  When I was in high school, I went on a leadership trip for Girls State (for the American Legion).  We raided the room across the hall, stole their mattresses and put them on the front lawn of the dorm.  It was perhaps the naughtiest thing I'd ever done or have done since.  Well, except for that one time that I...um, nevermind.

11.  When I was little, my bike had a name.  My bike also had a banana seat.  I don't remember what name I gave it, but I do remember that when it would make me fall off, I would get mad and spank it on the seat. 

Now to answer Nicki's questions to me.

1. What is the first thing that you do when you get up in the morning?

~ use the bathroom.  What?  TMI??? Oh, I mean, feed the baby.  Then--coffee.

2. What product could you NOT live without?

~CoffeeMate French Vanilla creamer.  Or tinfoil.  It's a toss-up, really.

3. What is your favorite book?

~Black Beauty.  A timeless classic.  Did you know?--it's the only book Anna Sewell ever wrote; she died shortly after it was published.   FYI:  the movie is stupid and does the book a great injustice.

4. In one sentence, what advice would you give to a new mom?

~Asking me to say something in one sentence would be like eating one Pringle, but I'll give it a shot.  My advice for a new mom would be:  Write down some things that you would like help with and give it both to your husband and to a trusted friend for those times when someone says, "How can I help?" and in your sleep depravity you cannot call anything to mind or you find it too awkward to ask but your husband or friend can arrange on your behalf.  There, that was one sentence.  OR you could post this link to your facebook page and see if that helps. 100 Ways to Encourage a New Mom

5. What room in your home do you spend the most time?
~the kitchen.  We don't have a "school room" so much is done around the kitchen table.  Between school and meal preparation, consumption, and clean-up, I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen.

6. What is your favorite part of the day?

~Truthfully?  The end.  Some days I'm so physically weary by the end of the day (sometimes by 4:00 in the afternoon) I'm just. so. done.
I also really enjoy the days in which kids get all most of the their work done and they go outside all together; I brew a pot of coffee, sit in the recliner and simply be.

7. How many minutes do you spend reading to your children each day?

~some days we might read for an hour or more.  Some days, none.

8. What is the messiest room in your house?

~the bathroom.  We have boys.

9. Do you have a guilty pleasure?

~When I have a meeting or some such obligation and I leave with enough time to swing through a drive-thru to eat something good all by myself.

10. What is your movie recommendation for families?

~any of the Sherwood productions.  Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous.  Oh, and Remember the Titans.

11. If you had one more hour each day, how would you spend it?

~sleeping or crocheting.  Sometimes I sleep and crochet, but that doesn't usually turn out well.

Now, I'm supposed to "tag" five friends and ask them to do the same.  Because I like to blaze my own trails I decided to change things up a bit:  I want to invite everyone who reads this to join in, too!  Because not everyone has a blog, I'd like for you to pick some or all of the following questions to answer in the comment section.  I'd love to see your answers.

If you have a blog, consider yourself "tagged"--especially if you're my friend!!
Leave me a comment telling me you made a post about it, m-kay?

1.  What is your favorite childhood memory?
2.  What is your biggest fear?
3.  When you started driving, what kind of car did you have?  (Whether it was the family vehicle or you were given it just for you.)
4.  What moves you to tears?
5.  Why do you think babies spit up on you whenever you've just put on clean clothes?
6.  What was the hardest life-lesson you had to learn?
7.  What is something you are good at?
8.  Fast forward 30 years and then look back.  What is something going on in your life right now that you'll probably miss in 30 years?
9.  If you have children, what is something he/she/they have taught you?
10.  Name something on your "bucket list".
11.  When you are dead and gone, what do you hope people will remember about you?

I can't wait to see what you have to say!