Thumb Sucking

Lindsey had a passie......easy to take away with a bribe to trade it in for a toy at Walmart. Marshall handed me his passie's when he was 20 months and proclaimed that he was a big boy. Emily....somewhat harder.....she reluctantly traded them in for a toy and then cried for several nights wanting to take the toy back! But this soon passed. Benjamin....never took a passie...AAHHH so easy!


Then came Luke....Oh the baby????!!!!! No passie.....he found his thumb on day 2 and we all thought it was the cutest thing we had ever seen....and we continued to think that for some time. Oh but the habit!!! He is 6 now! We first tried the Thumb stuff...it didn't do anything...then we moved to the more serious stuff...it is also a paint on solution....this stuff is aweful and it stays around for days........ after many hand washings! I even tried to put red pepper in the solution....I know it sounds awful...but it didn't work!

He only sucks his thumb at night....during the night...so it is not intentional...just habitual. I have tried putting a glove on him but he gets it off in his sleep? I really don't care all that much except his teeth are paying the price!

Any suggestions??

Fruit on the tree

Do you react to the behavior of your kids? I sure do ...but I know better....and yet I find myself still struggling with my reaction! The behavior that we see in our children is just the "fruit on the tree" that indicates a heart problem. So many times we as parents "fix" the bad behavior but we never get to the heart of the matter. It takes a lot more time and effort to work on a heart matter so we just react to the behavior. I do know that changing behavior will not bring the long term results that I so desperately want for my children. My children will conform because they do not want to be in trouble but they will not understand that when they disobey or have a rotten attitude...it breaks their fellowship with the Lord and that He wants an intimate walk with them. Do you struggle with "Fruit on the Tree"?

Boys

Boys are really from another planet! They do the most amazing things! I remember reading in James Dobson's book..."Bringing up Boys" that if you ask a boy why he did whatever it is he did his answer will be, "I don't know" Boys react and then think later ....if they think at all. I love my boys very much...they make me laugh so much.....they make me crazy....and I am sure I will not ever fully understand them! I do know this....the same part of them that makes them do the most ridiculous things and not think about why.....is the same part of them that is willing to go to war and defend our country! For that I am grateful!

Hello

Oh my goodness.....every day I think "today I will get to blog," but it doesn't seem to happen! Between schooling 5 kids and ministry stuff and now taxes...it is all kicking my butt! I desperately need to sit down and make out a new schedule for myself! I work much better on a detailed schedule. Things changed around here after the first of the year and my old one doesn't work and I can tell you flying by the seat of my pants is a recipe for failure! I hope that you have a great day!

Want and Need

I have been sooooo busy the past few weeks! have not been a very good blogger. My husband and I have a 501c3 nonprofit ministry and we have been crazy busy trying to get everything ready for taxes and statements...UUUGGG.... definitely the part about the ministry that I do not like!!! I am praying that the Lord will bless us to the point that we can hire someone wonderful in to do all that stuff!!! :) We still are not finished but it is coming together!!

We had some friends over for the Superbowl the other night and we had a wonderful time! One of the ladies said...."I don't know how you do all this in such a small space...you need a bigger place" She is really sweet and a great friend...but her comment was one that many have said or thought. There are 7 of us in a relatively small home....1400 square feet....would I like to have a bigger place...YES am I satisfied where I am...YES. Do I "need" a bigger place..NO. We have so blurred the lines between what we need and what we want. The Lord promised to take care of our needs...and He certainly has done that and abundantly!! He also gives us our wants and desires. But we should understand the difference. We should teach this to our children.

Kids are growing up with such a sense of entitlement. They do not understand the difference and who can really blame them...most of their parents do not know the difference either. We need to get a hold of this idea. Given the economical times we are in.....it would be very easy to become bitter and dissatisfied if we perceive that our "needs" are not being met when in reality most of those things are our"wants" Love those babies!

Wonderful

Oh my goodness.....tonight was wonderful. Travis Cottrell was amazing. He recorded his live DVD at our church tonight! His band was wonderful! His singers were wonderful! His approach to worship was wonderful. What a talented...talented man! I hope he was pleased with the attitude of worship at our church! I took my camera in to take pictures....the one of Travis is awful but I am putting it anyway and the one of Beth Moore was pretty good. I have to tell you...I love to take pictures of my family and friends but I would never take pictures of Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell if it were not to put on my blog. It always seems so cheezy when people are taking pictures of well known people. WHY? I don't know I am just goofy like that!

Anyway it was my first time to hear Beth and I thoroughly enjoyed her. Have a great day!

Guess Where I am?

Guess where I am?? I am at my church First Baptist Woodstock......with Beth Moore! Yes she is here tonight...I have never had the chance to see her in person so I am so very excited!I will give you an update later! For now I am waiting outside the doors of the church...the doors open at 5:00 and I have been here since 3:00.

This weekend I spoke at a church in Florida. I took my daughter Emily with me and we had a wonderful time. It is so much fun to have one child away like that. We were in the car for 12 hours so we made up many games and talked about lots of fun things! The ladies in Florida were wonderful! Such a sweet, sweet time!

Talk to you soon!