Life on the road!

This is not where I ever envisioned my life being!  Traveling with 3 kids A LOT! I really figured we'd be the typical family that is home & involved in all sorts of sports, 4-H, school & church activities. BUT that is not where God has placed our family! He has made us unique & given us a different life than most!

Life on the road has it's ups and downs so I thought I'd share some of those. First the downs, then the ups!

Down #1 - it's a lot of work to pack 3 kids plus 2 adults for a week(or more) on the road. Trying to make sure we have enough clothes, school work & activities for the week. And most of the time, I have to do the packing on my own as Hubby is gone more weeks than kids & me.

Down #2 - Keeping kids occupied & quiet is sometimes quite a challenge. It's a little easier when you have a nice 2 room suite like we have now!

Down #3 - Not being able to have kids participate in activities that require consistent attendance over long period of time (like baseball or soccer). We never know when we will be on the road.

Down #4 - Having to be away from Hubby at times. He travels 3 weeks a month & we can't always go with him, so there are many times we must be apart. It's hard on me as I have to run household myself plus I have to be away from Hubby!! It's hard on kids not having Daddy home all the time.

Down #5 - It's a little more expensive than being home. We try to get food for eating in the room when we can, but don't always have microwave & frig. Plus you can only eat so much cold or microwaved food! Also Hubby has to pay hotel, rental car & his food expenses up front then be reimbursed so we have to have lots of money free to do that, so less money to pay bills & apply towards getting out of debt.

Seems like a lot of downs, but there are also lots of ups!

Up #1 - We get to be with Hubby! It's so nice to be able to pick up & go with Hubby a lot! Lots of family time while traveling to & from hotels & while at the hotel! Better than being apart all the time!

Up #2 - POOL!! Most hotels Hubby stays at have a pool. We've gotten a lot of swim time in over the last few years! All 3 kids have learned to swim! Plus we've had lots of family time! It's so much fun to play together in the pool. The kids love chasing Daddy in the pool & then dunking him. We also have swim races & splash contests.

Up #3 - Sightseeing! We've had the opportunity to visit a lot of places. We've seen the ocean in Delaware, visited the Capital of our country (DC is awesome!), seen the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, and spent a day in Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom!  We've stayed in or drove through several states including Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware & then Washington, DC. We've been to state parks, historical sites, museums and beaches! My kids have traveled more in their childhood that I have most my life!

Up #4 - hands on learning! Since we homeschool, we've been able to use our trips as learning tools. We learn geography by mapping where we've been and studying about each state we've been to. What better way to learn about a state than seeing it! The kids have learned about our country's leaders by visiting Washington DC. They've learned about planes, the Air Force & aviation history by visiting the National Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. They've learned about life in the 1850s by visiting a 1850s village in Kentucky! They've learned about the Ocean & Gulf of Mexico by visiting Florida & Delaware. They've seen mountains, oceans, rivers, woods, plains & other natural & man-made wonders!

Up #5 - lots of family interaction. When you are stuck in a hotel room or a vehicle for long lengths of time, you have to interact. At home, we tend to spread out & do our own thing sometimes so being in a smaller space has brought us closer. We've learned to get along & communicate better. We've had lots of interesting conversations. We've talked about history, human behavior, what we believe, God's provision for us & other widely varying topics.

Up #6 - some couple time! Thanks to wonderful Parents & In-Laws, I've been able to go with Hubby on a few of his trips without the kids. It's been wonderful to get away with him and just relax even though our Denver trip ended with me in the hospital with extremely high blood pressure.

Up #7 - hotel points! Hubby spends lots of time in hotels & has earned lots of free nights in hotels. This means we can do some pleasure trips too! We are currently planning a vacation trip back to DC later this year. We also have free hotel nights for the Homeschool convention next week so more money for curriculum!

Overall, Life on the road has been positive. Sure, we have our bad times (fighting kids, weariness) but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything!

Saying "NO!" to the busyness of life!!

Think about your day, your week, your month, your life. Is it too busy?

In our society, we have lots of pressure to be busy! Are you always on the run to get your kids to school, to school activities, to church activities, to sports practice, to piano practice or to get yourself to the gym, to the store, to church or other activity? 

What if we said "NO!" to the busyness of life?  What would that look like? Is it even possible?

It IS possible. We've been doing it. It's been hard as there is lots of pressure to be involved in everything! Be prepared to upset some people because you've said no to their activities. Be prepared to hear how you're sheltering your kids or how you're cheating them of the opportunity to _________ (fill in blank with any activity) or how they won't be well rounded. Be prepared to hear how you are cheating yourself out of "you" time or how you are letting them down because you aren't putting their cause or activity first! But, it is possible! And I believe it's beneficial to you & your family.

I think one thing that has helped us is that we homeschool. We don't have the pressure that public school puts on your family. We aren't tied to their schedule. We don't have to schedule life around school. We can schedule our school work around life. We can pack up & travel with hubby anytime we want. We just grab our school books & take them with us!

We didn't make a big decision to step back from the busy life, we just kind of evolved into it. It started with deciding not to get involved in a lot of sports that everyone else was involved in. Then we decided to travel some with hubby so we could be together as a family. That decision led to missing some church activities & neighborhood activities, but it has strengthened our family.

I've found the more we focus on family, the easier it has been to say "NO!" to other things. I like not having to run out to activities every night of the week. I like being able to concentrate on my family! I love playing games with my hubby & kids! I love being able to pick up & travel with them! I love having the time to just cuddle on the couch & watch a TV show or movie as a family! I feel like we've gone back to the time when family was #1 & outside activity was just an occasional thing! My kids may not be able to play soccer & baseball & basketball & play piano  or boast about the myriad of other "activities" they've done, but they should be able to look back & say "My family had fun together & family was very important to my mom & dad!"

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of the things I've mentioned. Sports are good. Church activities are good. Other activities are good. The problem comes when we feel, due to the pressure of this culture, that we have to do everything or we are bad parents or bad people if we don't.

So, we will continue to step back & say "NO!" to the busyness of life! My children will only be young for a little while & I want to treasure this time & not spend it rushing from one activity to another! What about you?

God's Awesome Provision!

Today started out to be a normal day - Exercise, school, lunch, relax, dance. Well, that's not what happened & it's a good thing it didn't as I'll explain!

While Exercising, I got a phone call from my parents saying they were on their way up to visit & help me get our Snow Blower running.  So I hurriedly finished & picked up the living room a little. When they got here, my Mom noticed how loud our furnace was. Dad listened & immediately called a friend of his who fixes furnaces. After a short phone call, Dad said his friend would be coming up after lunch to do a service call for us as it sounded serious.

So, since my parents would stay till after the furnace was fixed, they took us out to get some clothes for my kids. All 3 kids have had growth spurts & needed new underclothes & David needed new jeans. We came home with 5 sacks of clothes & full stomachs as they took us to lunch.

We came home & Dad got my Snow Blower running & even gave me lessons on using it! Yea! I can now use it to clear my drive instead of shoveling it when Hubby isn't home! We even cleared a neighbor's driveway that hadn't been cleared from the last snow.

Then Dad's friend showed up & diagnosed the problem with our furnace. The blower motor had a bearing going out. He said it would have completely died within the next 24 hrs & we would have been without heat!! Dad & he were able to go get a new blower motor & get it fixed!

Then we (kids, My parents & I) met my Aunt Sue & Aunt Linda at Sam's Club to get things for my Mamaw's 90th Birthday party in March. Then off to dance & then back home!

So, God provided for us for a need we didn't even realize we had! God lead my parents to come up today to fix my snow blower so Dad could hear my loud furnace! God arranged for Dad's friend to be able to come up today & fix it (a lot cheaper than if we'd called a local company!!) before we it broke & we were without heat!! God through my parents provided clothes for my kids! God provided awesome weather so I got to see my parents & my Aunts! So tonight I am so very thankful that God loves me enough to provide answers to my needs, even before I even knew I had them!!

Everything is right with the world!

Well, Everything is not right with the world as this world has gone crazy! But, last week I had one of those times where it felt like everything was right with the world!

Hubby had been gone for 2 weeks. He came home on Friday night (1/29/10). We had a great family day on Saturday! Then the kids went to the grandparents on Sunday after church. Hubby & I went out for supper at O'Charleys (my favorite place to eatout) as a late anniversary dinner (our anniversary was Dec 29th) &  early Birthday dinner for hubby (his birthday is Feb 8th).

On Monday, we headed to Northern Kentucky (near Cincy) for 2 nights. We just spent time together on Monday & Tuesday morning. We went to the Creation Museum, out to eat, sat in hottub, went to Apple Store & just enjoyed being together.

Then Tuesday afternoon we picked up Anne, a friend from Germany who's studying in SC, at the Cincy airport. Then we all went to our friends' Cliff & Stephanie's house for a LOST party. It was so cool to be with 30+ friends & watching Lost together! Then several of us had breakfast together the next morning. Then we had the privilege of helping Anne get to Indy to catch a flight home. We got our kids back sometime during that day too ;-) (Anne is sitting on the flour next to Jeff)

Then Thursday through Monday morning we had lots more family time. Several times during that week, I found myself thinking "How'd I get so blessed?" I have wonderful kids who love me. They may drive me crazy at times, but they really are great kids! I have the best parents & in-laws any girl could have! And they love to spend time with my kids! I have lots of friends! I have a warm, comfy home to come home to!

But the biggest blessing is my Hubby! We've been together for 21 1/2 yrs & married for 19 yrs 1 month & 12 days! He is my best friend! I love to hang out with him. We watch tv, play video games or just hang out! He makes me laugh! He knows how to cheer me up when I need it. For almost 20 years now, he's been my friend, my lover, my hubby, my soulmate! I love him more now than the day I married him! I just feel so blessed to have him!

So, this past week was one of those weeks where everything seemed right with the world & I couldn't help but Praise GOD for how He's blessed me! I love it when God gives me an AWESOME week after I've been in the valley! When times get tough, and the nights get long, I can look back at this week & see this will pass & the good will come! God is so good to give us little glimpses of Heaven here in this world!

God, sometimes I don't understand....

There's just times that I just don't understand life. Here's some things that have happened lately that I don't understand...

- I don't understand why hubby got offered a job, resigned his old one, then the job fell through. Why did he have to go through this? why didn't he just not get offered it? I'm sure God has a reason for it, I just don't see it or understand it!

-I don't understand why I've been so blue lately. I have a very blessed life. I have an Awesome Savior who loves me & died for me. I have a wonderful hubby who takes great care of me. I have 3 wonderful, healthy kids. Yet I've been blue. I just don't understand it!

-I don't understand why hubby has a job that takes him away from us. I am very thankful he has a job. And it has been nice to travel with him some. But it's so hard having him away from me & from the kids. I just don't understand it!

I probably have lots more things I don't understand like why God's people suffer & the evil people prosper, why disasters happen, etc... BUT I know without a doubt that GOD is in control! I know He has it all in His plan! I also know that His thoughts are way beyond what I'm capable of thinking so even if He tried to explain it all, I couldn't understand it! So I'll just TRUST. He's provided for us thus far & He will provide until He takes us HOME!! He's proven Himself faithful time after time after time. So I'm trusting in HIM even when I don't understand!