Its her again! The Woman Who Fears the Lord...

I have neglected this blog so much and as much as I want time to slow down it won't. This will be a little long. My monkeys are now 6 1/2, 4 1/2, and about to turn 3! I cannot believe I don't carry cups or diapers around when we go anywhere now and its so bitter-sweet.
Last August we celebrated 9 years of marriage and are so excited this year to celebrate a decade!
My youngest sister lives with us now too, she is 17 and such a gift to us. We love her and I see her just like I see our kiddos, as if she were always meant to be here with us and I wonder how we lived so long without her. She is in love with God and seeing her develop into who He has purposed her to be and seeing her freed from all that held her back before is such a blessing.

There is something God is dealing with me greatly in and to my shame its been something He has been trying to change in me from the beginning of our marriage. I pray that I will be wise in learning and walking through this with Him in the hope of becoming a better wife, mother, and keeper of my home and that it may serve to encourage anyone that is where I have been.

I'm a creative person and gifted in many things, I don't say this in pride at all, its something God has placed in me and I want to glorify Him with it but I am also very inconsistent and undisciplined, I get distracted. While I have heard often that these are traits of a creative mind, they are traits that don't glorify God and they irritate me and really they irritate my poor husband and makes for a home that isn't harmonizing with the order that God operates in. You see, it makes for a very poor housewife. Now that my kids are older and homeschool requires so much more scheduling I have struggled even more with this fight with my flesh.

The Lord has continuously brought to mind the Virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Lol, once when we were talking about a verse about this woman my friend said, "Oh no, not her again..." it was said in total jest but I will say that this is a woman who always put me to shame. As I have sought the Lord in this He has shown me that I need to study her and love her as an example. I used to be ashamed because she is simply someone I am not, I'm not organized, I can be so imprudent and unwise, I'm lazy and I let my flesh dictate so much of what I actually accomplish in the day. Now, because of God and my husbands love and patience and confrontation at times, I walk in hope that the Lord who began the good work in me can stretch and grow me into The Woman Who Fears the Lord.

The first 3 verses describe her marriage, today I studied verse 10. Now I am no scholar but God is giving me a hunger to seek Him and his will for me in every area and where else is the proper way to start but His word?

Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.

There are excellent wives out there but this scripture says that they are hard to find. It doesn't say its impossible. I want to be worth much more than precious jewels. Ruth was a very good personification of this woman, Ruth 3:11.
Proverbs 18:22-He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor with the Lord.
Proverbs 12:4 - An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
In Boaz says to Ruth (Ruth 3:11) "...for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman." A woman like this is a crown on her husband's head and is known in the eyes of others as a worthy woman not because she tells anyone she is but because she is known by her fruit.
The second part of Proverbs 12:4 tells us there is a different kind of wife, the one who shames her husband and I admit that I have been this woman more times than I want to recall. She is like a rottenness in his bones, a painful and incurable disease. There are other scriptures that say its better to live on the corner of a roof than with a quarrelsome wife and that compare her to the constant drip of rain, wearing and tiring to listen to and be around (Proverbs 19:13, 21:9, 25:24, 27:15). Ugh, I do not want to be that type of wife to my husband.

In my walk through this scripture I want to embrace this woman and not fear her, I want to embrace who God has called me to be and know that He will equip me regardless of how much of my flesh I have to put aside. I want to learn to joyfully submit to my husband simply because God says so and because my husband truly wants God's best for me. I want for my girls and son to have a legacy of a mother that loves them so much she wants to walk in joy with the Father and love them and their father well. Help me Lord to truly be changed by your word that is alive and real.

How I love being a mama!

So today I walk into my living room to find my 3 babies sitting together and playing so happily! I wanted to cry lol. It was so precious to see my girls sitting there building stuff for AJ to knock down joyously and getting the ball for him every time he rolled it under the couch. I love how much they love each other and how they take care of the other. I can only imagine, if I feel such utter contentment and joy at seeing them be good to one another, how God feels to see us offer a box of groceries or a simple hug to a sister/brother in need. It makes me want to be the daughter God wants! I love learning more about God as I watch my babies learn and grow. I'm so blessed!

My monkey girls have a birthday!

Tati at 3 weeks
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334521929886857810" />


I think she was 2 here...
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334522373200097682" />

Bunni at birth

1st birthday...


My little girls keep growing and it feels like since they were born time is in fast forward mode! Does it seem like that to anyone else? I blinked and the little newborns I had in my belly turned 4 and 2! They are so precious and such blessings as daughters. They love and take care of each other, sure they fight and Bunni tends to beat up on Tati a bit but don't let anyone else try to take something from one of them because the other one will be there to defend her in an instant! What a blessing it has been to see them grow and be the chosen parents to help mold these children into the people that God will use. I feel so privaliged to have my babies, Mother's day is a day to glory in my babies. I now know why mom's should be recognized, sleepless nights and sitting by sick babies and offering up endless prayers requesting wisdom to love them. Here are some pictures of their beautiful faces!
Our family at 6 1/2 years

So I got my rebate!

I'm so excited! The rebate for diapers.com worked and I got my rebate last week. I even took a pic of the check (I know I'm goofy). I got 3 brand new bum geniuses 3.0 one size diapers for $28 and change, that's less than $10 dollars per dipe when they are usually almost $18 each! If you're intrested in getting almost $25 off your first order at diapers.com here is the info (there are stipulations on some items). They have all kinds of stuff from dipes (cloth and disposeables) and accessories to carseats and gear! Free shipping on orders over $49!

You must be a new customer to diapers.com for this deal to work.


1. Sign up for a new diapers.com account.


2. Pick out what you want. You will need $49 in diapers!


3. Use the code TANI5948 to get $10 off your order plus free shipping (this is also a referral code).


4. Fill out that form to get your money back for the parenting magazine subscription, put it in an envelope, stamp the envelope and set it in a location where it will not get lost! (You will add your invoice to the envelope when your delivery arrives)
Here is a link to the rebate form if you missed it!
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2.../Picture15.png
It's a PDF file for you to print. It has instructions on the form.


5. When you get your order, take the invoice out, put it in the envelope, mail it. You will get $14.97 back via a snail mail rebate.


Your total after rebates for a $49 order will be $23.64!

***there is even a way to use your manufacturer's coupons!

Diapers.com sells diaper, clothes, maternity, food, and more so there are so many possibilities! Don't forget to put the code TANI5948 ;)


Now I'm trying to build up my referral credits to get a good double umbrella stroller, I'll let you know how it goes but you can help me by ordering!

What if this were the last memory?

Lately I've caught myself so busy or tired as I put my babies in car seats or to bed that I'm in a hurry to get it done and can just want them to sit and let me strap them in or sneak out without having to sit and read. Its something that has grieved my heart. Lately I believe that God has been nudging me with the question, "What if this were the last memory?" It brings tears of shame to my eyes to think that if something happened and my Father called me home I would stand before Him knowing that my babies' last memory of me is a rushed frazzled mama telling them to just sit still or giving them a few quick kisses and groaning at their request for me to read or even worse to pray with them. The vice verse of the situation is terrible too. How awful to think that I want them to serve God so much but can feel that there is anything that could require my attention more at that moment than showing them that nothing holds more value than spending time with them in the presence of our Father!
As the Lord has brought it to my attention I catch myself putting them in their seats or any other routine in our day as times that I should lavish kisses and words of life to my precious children. Tati is going through a stage, that started about a week ago, where she follows me everywhere, and I mean everywhere! She is literally my shadow. If I'm brushing my teeth she is sitting on the counter next to the sink, if I'm nursing she figures the best way to tuck herself close to AJ and me, if I'm working in the kitchen it takes a second before you hear a chair dragging to position herself next to me. After 2 days of this I finally asked her, "Tati, what are you doing?" She looked at me with eyes so full of love and admiration that I could never begin to deserve and said, "Mama, I just want to stay close to you." How can I ever live to deserve such love? I didn't know what to respond, she made me cry.
Although its embarrassing to admit how terrible I am (lol) I know that God is working in me to give me the heart that I want for my children, they are my treasures, the only eternal rewards I possess on earth now. So now when Bethani is wiggling in her car seat and laughing that I can't buckle her instead of looking at my watch, I look into her joyous eyes that are so full of life and laughter, and when Tati is literally on me, I look at the deep love and devotion in her that I should feel for God, and when AJ wakes up at 3 in the morning, I look into his eyes that are so sweet in gratitude and humility that they are mine and for only a short time so I'm not going to take them for granted.
Today I was introduced to Maddie, a little girl that was loved in the short time her parents had her for and will always be loved in her abscense from them. Her parents made a speech for March of dimes and here is a paragraph that touched my heart with what God has been working in me: "Because her lungs were so premature, she required multiple breathing treatments per day, and often needed supplemental oxygen when she was sleeping. To Madeline, these were just minor inconveniences on her way to conquering the world. Her father and I felt blessed every day to have such a smart, loving, beautiful baby. We often would look at each other over her curly head and wonder how we got so lucky. Often, I would remember the day that my OB/GYN told me I would miscarry her. We never took our daughter for granted." I hope that you will read their story and be impacted to pray for them and love your babies like never before, you can find their speech at http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2009/04/march-for-babies-speech-2/
Blessings and thank you for allowing my honesty and shame, I refuse to hide what God is working in me shameful as it may be for me :)

Another GroBaby giveaway!

AAAHHH!!! The Cloth Diaper Whisperer has a Gro Baby giveaway too!!! They have some of the best prizes this week is their Fluff Fridays Week 26 and they are giving away a GroBaby System Sample Kit, which includes (2-Gro Baby Shells with 2 snapa in soaker and 2 boosters and 1-Gro Bab Snap-in soakers 2pk) PLUS ONE-Magic Stick Diaper Ointment . I've been entering their giveaways and losing a bit of heart but I have nothing to lose huh? I hope I win, you can enter too! http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/04/fluff-fridays-week-26.html

The diaper I want to try!

Since I started looking at building my stash for AJ I've been looking for dipes he can share with Bunni since she is still not getting the potty training as much as she wants to, and because it makes more sense to me to get him diapers he'll use until he potty trains also. Well since I had to buy them in January after he was born and Gro Baby wasn't out until the end of March - early April, I haven't been able to try one and really want to.
My stash isn't extravagant but is totally functional, I have bleached and unbleached Chinese prefolds (PFs) and Wonder Wrap covers in kiwi and mandarin, a Thisrties cover in small and one in medium, and 3 obe size Bum Geniuse (BGs) pocket dipes. I am so excited because I entered a Gro Baby giveaway (I haven't had much luck in giveaways but who says I can't win one!) on www.snootybootydiapers.com. Check them out for your chance to try!
I am also going to start reviewing some (WAHM items on my page and letting you know some awsome sources for cloth diapering, baby, children, and momma items; and other items that will help you be a bit greener! Please subscribe to our blog if you're interested in learning about my new ventures in this area.
I really love cloth diapering, it feels so good to know that my little ones are getting less rashes and good items that save us money and help lessen waste. We are trying our best to be wise with what God gives us and feel that for us this is a really good start! Blessings and hope to hear from all of you!