With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Good morning!
Rich just left for work about 10 minutes ago. I helped him carry his stuff out to the truck and then ran inside to get him a towel because he left his sunroof (is that what you call it?) open and it rained a little this morning. It’s a good thing he has leather seats in his truck! He’s working in his new office and he took an enlarged family picture (from the ice cream post) with him today, and he’s so proud of it. He picked out the frame and put the picture in himself this weekend. It made me feel good to see that.
We had such a nice weekend! We went out on Saturday as a family, and to church on Sunday. A bunch of little, but satisfying things were done around the house (like cleaning up and mowing the yard, and another batch of jam!). . . . .
We had a campfire on Saturday night and then another one last night. I took some pictures last night of the kids cooking/burning things~they cooked hotdogs, then marshmallows, and then when everything else was gone, they made “twig toast”. The little boys were so very sticky and dirty afterwards, and I had the pleasure of scrubbing them clean in a big bath when we came back inside **with bubbles**.
Today’s question for you dear ladies is WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING A WIFE AND/or MAMA? WHAT LITTLE THINGS? WHAT BIG THINGS?
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The incineration of marshmallows.
Jacob burned one so black that when he ate it, there was nothing inside!
My quiet little lady. . . . .see the pond behind her? That’s the swimming pond.
It was hard to get Caleb to stand still for this picture.
Ethan took this one; (for those who haven’t been to our place, see those shrubs behind us? The second pond is just beyond them, it’s the pond that the children catch things out of, but they never swim in it because of snakes).
My least favorite part of a campfire. . . .when the wind blows my way~
Jacob and Ethan did the running back and forth to the house to get things, how nice to have older children!! Ethan made the brownies all by himself. I’ll tell ya, I’m so proud of him. He was determined to bake something yesterday afternoon and he looked through the cookbooks until he found a recipe. I doubled it for him and he went to the kitchen and mixed them up. I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ANYTHING, I wasn’t even in the kitchen. The only thing I did was take them out of the oven and they were PERFECT.
Ethan’s Cocoa Brownies (from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Heat oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Blend dry ingredients; mix in. Spread in a well-greased pan, 9 by 13. Bake about 30 minutes (we always take them out slightly underdone). Cool.
“These brownies are dangerous” is what Rich said about them.
The other thing that I am absolutely thrilled about is MY HOUSE WORK. I talked to Rich about how discouraged I was about the endless work and he came up with a great solution. By the way, whenever Rich wants to talk to the kids he has them all stand in a line in front of him at attention. It’s so so cute. So, he got the older ones together (J, E, and G) and announced that they were going to start having their own section of the house to keep clean. He let them choose what they wanted to do. Ethan wanted to be in charge of the livingroom. Jacob and Grace wanted to share the kitchen duty~ Jacob does the dishwasher and counters, and Grace does the table and floor. They will get an allowance for their work and so far, after one day, I already feel a big burden lifted. We will have a bit of work to do, in forming the habit, but I think they will rise to the occasion, especially if they are rewarded with LOTS of praise and some spending money.
We do have to figure out what David can do (he’s 5) and Caleb is 3 now, but there must be something that little guy can do. We ALL have to pick up after our own selves and keep our own rooms clean.
I better get on with my morning. . . .a couple of children are awake now.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Good to be Home 
Good Morning! I decided to pop on before I went to work today. I hope you have a great day. Your weekend bonfires looked like fun! Love you, Lish
I like that first photo. One of my favorite parts of being a wife and mother are all the hugs ~ and the unconditional love.
I enjoyed your campfire pictures.
My favorite part of being a wife and mother? I love the comfort of being with my life-partner. I love the memories we share. I love our common bond in Christ. My favorite part of being a mother is watching our (now grown-up) children make wise decisions, raise their children, and care for those in their family or community.
Good morning! It looks like you had a wonderful weekend. I loved all the campfire pictures.
What I like about being a wife and a mother~ When I am with my husband I just feel so comfortable and safe, I just don’t feel the same without him. With him by my side I feel like I can do anything. He is my best friend and I love the way he loves me. The best part about being a mother is all the love. I love it when without asking she will stop playing just to come and give me a hug and/kiss or when she just wants to cuddle with me. Both my husband and my daughter bring me so much joy!
Your campfire activities look like so much fun.
My favorite part of being a wife and mother is having someone to create memories with while sharing and having adventures.
How fun. Isn’t being at home so satisfying?? I love the hotdog pictures!! :)))) Looks like yummy fun.
how fun! i luv brownies!
What do/did I like about being a wife and mother?Everything! It’s all good! I loved being with my kids..never could understand those moms who counted the days until school started. I now enjoy watching them in their adult lives. I miss them…but you raise them to fly out of the nest.I also love having my DH home now. I don’t get those who are frustrated with a retired spouse “underfoot”. We look forward to each day with relish!The bonfire looked like fun. Guess we need to build one in our chimnea. After I buy some marshees……mmmmmm…….
Sam and Maryn like to help me dust and windex the windows/screen door/back door/mirrors. I give them dust cloths or the feather duster and let them go to town on the short furniture. They really feel big and call themselves my “helpers”. 🙂
ok.. you probably know this but J is getting BIG… from that photo of him…. I just realized..wow!!!!
I enjoy your site a lot and look forward to your blogs. I like how real you are and the way you find joy in motherhood and challenge me to be more. In answer to the question… wow, there are many. One area that I feel like I’m doing better in is just doing more off the wall things with my boys. (I’m a mother to three boys) After one such occasion one of the boys’ comment was, “mom, you are just the best mom.” That gives me such inner joy to hear them say things like that and it helps me discover what the love languages are of my boys. They love risk and adventure and it gets me out of my comfort zone and creates lasting memories. Satisfying.
Great post! I think my favorite thing about being a wife is the security. To know I am loved and love right back, to have a past full of memories we share, and a future with the man God sent my way. The security of knowing I belong to someone, and he belongs to me. My favorite thing about being a mom is having their little hands in mine or hearing them sing and dance. The few times they are still sitting right next to each other, or when they are planning their next move, and those little heads are all put together in thought. My middle told my oldest yesterday “Oh Donevin, you are my best friend”. Melts a mommies heart.
Cute pictures, Shanda! The little ones can do things like collect waste baskets and dump them in one larger trash bag. Our 5yo learned to clean the cat’s litter boxes (scoop the clumps into a Wal-Mart sack for disposal). Also, they can learn to use a dustpan and small broom to get those little messes swept up.
We’ve been longing to do the campfire thing, but we can’t find a place where we are! It’s frustrating b/c we love it! It’s great that you guys came up with a way to get the kids helping more, especially with the baby on the way. My three year old helps collect dirty laundry, put in the washer, pushes it in the dryer and can help fold and put away. She also helps with the dishwasher-can do the silverware (after I take the knives out). She can help set and clear the table at meals. If she wasn’t afraid of the noise, she’d be able to handle the dustbuster (my almost 2 yr old does that). Dusting lower areas, picking up toys, we’re working on sweeping with a small broom, and sometimes I just have her tag along with me and give her little things as I work, like, “please throw this in the garbage.” etc.
My fav thing about being wife/mother…I just can’t put it into words…
Good Morning Shanda…Love all the pics. Looks like everyone was having alot of fun. My girls would just love that.
Thats exactly what my husband does too. Calls all the children when he has something to say to them or have them do something. He lines them up and they are all hearing what he says. Even the older ones when they are here he doesn’t tell them too, but somehow they still do line up on their own, in a relaxed way. Its funny.
My favorite thing about being a wife is the connection I feel with my husband even though we don’t say anything. Just sitting quietly together. It makes me happy. I feel great joy in my heart. When he speaks and wants to ask me something and he forgets what the next word is….I finish his sentence for him! I love the little things about being a mom like when Darcy will come walking by me and just quietly hug me and go on playing. ( but that is a big thing with me!!) Or Leslie will yell from the back of the van when we are going somewhere….I LOVE YOU MOM!! I love Michelles stories about something she heard from other classmates….even though she adds to it and exagerates (sp?) the situation. My children are very humorous, and I love that. They make me laugh. Douglas and Jasmine do the dishes together. But instead of dishes being washed in a timely manner they are laughing really hard and fooling around in there. And it takes them long to finish the dishes. I could go on and on…..But I won’t. LOL! With 8 children there are lots of things to love in the things they do and say!!
Enjoy your summer day!!
Those campfire pictures look so fun!My favorite part of being a wife – that special bond we share that I share with no one else in this world. My favorite part of being a mom – cuddling with my little ones, the way they look at you (you know the look) and you know that no one else in the whole wide world could be their mommy but you.As for helping around the house… maybe a sticker chart for the little ones with pictures of their jobs… such as picking up toys or making beds, sorting laundry… even the littlest can do that once they can decipher colors. Just a thought…
I love campfires, we have them all the time. As many as we can fit in, in a season. Sounds like you guys had a wonderful weekend together as a family. Love the pictures of your kids having fun around the campfire. I have a really good brownies recipe too. Mine in from the Hershey chocolate cookbooks. We always put icing on ours. :o) God bless
Kelly
Your weekend sounds so fun! I’m glad you were able to have such a great weekend with your family. I think that is a great idea for the kids to be able to pick what they want to do as far as chores. I like Kathy’s idea about doing a sticker chart for the smaller kids. I think they would be able to understand that.
Wow good job on Ethan making brownies all by himself! I’ll have to try that recipe, it sounds very good & easy:) Do you make alot of things homemade?
What I love most about being a wife is the security I feel when I’m with my husband and knowing that him & I share that special bond that noone else can share with us. It makes me feel so good when I know he is there for me & I’m here for him. He is my best friend. What I love most about being a Mom is knowing that my kids completly trust me,and rely on me for everything they need. I love it when they just want to cuddle with me or pick me “flowers “aka weeds:) for me. The smile on their face is priceless. I really like Doris’ response to the question, I enjoy reading everyone’s response to your questions.
We went camping my entire childhood and I hold great memories of sitting around the camp fire. The smoke always seemed to follow me too. . .many family members and the older grandpa-type men would always tell me “Smoke follows beauty” . . . that makes me smile still today. Somehow it made the smoke less intrusive. . .something I almost welcomed. . .
What I love about being a wife is the companionship that my husband and I share. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing. . but if I’m feeling something or thinking something and happen to look up, I can see that he’s there with me to support me and share in what I’m experiencing. There are many things I love about being a Mom, but one of my favorite times of the day is the morning when all my sleepy heads come down the stairs and are all so excited to see me and rush into my arms, as if we’ve been apart for way too long.
Looks like lots of fun, except the smoke in the eyes part of course. Enjoy your day today!!
Oh, I enjoyed this post so much! I love the idea of them doing jobs!!! We have just started charts for our kids…it has been a huge help! We have been doing it for a few weeks and after they have gotten it down pretty well I have started adding a few house chores to it! :o) Hurray! That part has been a bit harder with my oldest son being 9.5 but having health issues that hamper the helping a bit. Patrick does great! and then Emma just turned 6…she is coming along though! :o) What a cute idea for your husband to have them all stand at attention! :o) What great memories your kids are going to have! I have to say that each time I read your blog it is a challenge to me! Thank you for being a wonderful example as a Christian mother and for being willing to share! How are you feeling by the way?
What a wonderful post to start of the week! Again, I love the one of you and your husband, and the one of you covering your face made me giggle. I don’t like that part of campfires, either!
I went blueberry picking with my little sister this morning, and as soon as I came home I turned on the oven so that I could try out yoru muffin recipie! They were SO good! I even measured the berries with a tea cup
We love campfires too! I have the Betty Crocker Cooky book- Bethany made snickerdoodles out of it last week. Loved all the pictures! Have a wonderful day!
The Montessori website, http://www.forsmallhands.com has lots of great kid-sized tools for cleaning. We have a little dustpan and hand-broom, kid-sized regular brooms, a rake, a mini potato masher, rolling pin, sifter, veggie scrubber, etc. I lowered all the dishes and now my 5 year old empties the dishwasher. And here’s some age-appropriate chores from The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis. Age 3: emptying dishwasher, dusting lower shelves, emptying small trashcans, carrying stacks of clothing to rooms, dust-mopping hardwood floors, participating in food prep. Age 4-feeding baby, feeding pets, putting away books, further dusting, sorting recyclables, simple food prep (pb and j sandwiches, nachos). Age 5: making bed, setting table, general straightening of rooms, sweeping, folding laundry, raking leaves. She even says that 9 and 10 year olds can load the washer and dryer, putting in laundry products and choosing the correct machine settings. I hope that helps some!
You all are such a treat….what a fun bonfire. Always nice to hear more about your property and all. We go to bonfires at the beach and when David was little the drive home was long enough for him to fall asleep….but a sandy, smoky, dirty little boy and bed don’t mix. I remember putting him into the bath and washing him off…even half asleep!
I love the blessing of love. That is the best part of being a wife and being a mother. I know that my husband is always for me, and loves me. Same with our boys….the wonderful closeness we all have. My eldest called in the middle of the night to ask for prayer about something that happened….that blessed me…he is grown and married…..and knows he can call us. They wanted prayer covering for safety, and though miles away we can go to the Lord together!
Hmmm, ideas for little ones…emptying the silverware from the dishwasher, empty trash, picking up toys, sweeping (really cute with a small handheld brush and dust pan) steps.
blessings on your day!Jenny
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING A WIFE AND/or MAMA? WHAT LITTLE THINGS? WHAT BIG THINGS?I was in a rush this A.M. and couldn’t answer your question.My favorite little things really are what makes up the big things. I love children, especially my own. I love being “just a housewife” and am proud to be one. I chose to home school because I want my children with me as long as possible. I take delight in washing my husband’s clothes and putting the clean ones back in his closet. It’s such a very up front and personal job (being a mom or wife) because you get to interact (even when doing chores) with your family. AND, my family is more precious to me than any job outside of the home could EVER ever hope to be. When I DID work outside of my home as a single mom, I longed to be married and at home with many children. Now, I couldn’t be more satisfied, despite the challenges children and marriage can bring. It’s what I want to be doing and I enjoy it all – even the sick children and occasional sick husband!I’m a nurturer at heart, I guess.
What a great post!
What I love about being a wife: being able to wake up next to my best friend in the world every day. Also, road trips and laughing like fools!
What I love about being a mom: nursing, teaching, seeing a ‘breakthrough moment’ when you know they “got it” (sometimes after so many times of thinking they will never get it), and “snuggle-wuggles” as we call them which is: in the mornings mostly (sometimes the evenings) each of the kids will come with a warm blanket and ask me to “snuggle -wuggle” them and I bring them up on my lap and wrap the blanket tight around them and sing them some song. It is so sweet and wonderful.
I love the campfire pictures Shanda! The kids look so happy, as do you and Rich. (That’s the best part of having land and room, isn’t it? Just being able to do simple outdoors things.)
So far for me, the best part of being a wife has been those little things, the quick little kiss and “I love you, thank you” when something is done just the way he likes it. We’ve been dealing with a lot of negative things lately, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me when John remembers something small I like and does it for me. (Things like putting my favorite book on the night stand, or making sure dinner gets started evenings he gets home before me.)
What I find so much fun in being a Mom is seeing some of myself in each of my children…they all are a little piece of me (even the things I would rather not pass on). Sometimes it is just a look or a saying but it is from me. That is amazing… I also find it amazing that I know what each child is thinking most of the time and how they will react to situations. I truly know them.
On being a wife – it is great to have someone you can talk to that will love you no matter what…at our wedding our program read ‘This day I will marry my best friend, the one I laugh with, live for, love”- and that has been true for the last almost 15 years!
That sure looks like a fun time at your home…glad you guys had an enjoyable weekend. Love, Trish
ok! THAT settles it.. next weekend I’m coming over!! I’ll bring my own lawn chair – and hotdogs!! 😉 love the shot of Grace so GRACE-FULLY roasting her – uh, is that a piece of bread??. her expression always seems so calm and content. she has the face of a heroine from a classic tale~what *I* love about being a wife & mama is moments just like you displayed HERE – – sitting w/ my man, holding his hand.. watching our kids enjoy being kids. it’s the moments when we’re just being ((US)) that makes me so glad to be HIS & be THEIRS.happy new week to you~ hope you’re feeling well!
I am so hungry for hot dogs and brownies now!
wife stuff: I love the touch of his hand when we pray together. I love that when we look into each others eyes we both know, there is no one else who can look that way. I love when we both break out into harmony at the same exact instance. I love that we both love walking anywhere together. These things have grown over, lo, these many years. Love has deepened, strengthened, and melded us together like water colors on a wet page. It seemed impossible that we could have loved each other more when we were younger. But OH how we do.
Mom stuff: I love that boys will be boys and that one day boys became men, and girls became women. They are people we are friends with as well as people we fellowship with, people who love the Lord and follow him. They take my place (our place) in spades. They have become the multiplication of all we have taught them, and all we ever wanted them to be. I am grateful that the Lord has kept His promise. That “all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great would be the peace of thy children” (Is 54:13)
HI. ^^ I accidentally came across your page and I have to say it is the most pleasant and calming xanga page that I came across. I was also reading your past entries and I see the love for God and your family is beautiful. I am not married but hoped to be in the future… whatever God has planned for me but I imagine a future similar to yours now. Your children are beautiful and your place of home looks so peaceful. I wish you the best in everything and God bless you! It’s always encouraging to know that there is a family like yours in this hectic and disorganzied world.
-Rebekah-
It depends. Is the truck a Chevy (sunroof) or Ford (moonroof)? Each one trademarked those two terms to keep one another from using them.Quote: “I helped him carry his stuff out to the truck and then ran inside to get him a towel because he left his sunroof (is that what you call it?) open and it rained a little this morning.”
What do I enjoy about being a wife? Those moments my husband smiles at me and is pleased with who I am, what I have done. At the end of the day we are usually so giddy we lay in bed and laugh uncontrollably at just about anything. I can’t explain it but “laughter doeth good like a medicine.” We take our medicine everynight!
What do I enjoy about being a mother? Living out my dream. All my life all I wanted was ~ to marry and have babies. My sister and I would always ‘play house’ and pretend we were pregnant!! Looking into the eyes of my children and seeing God’s promise come to pass. Enjoying becoming best friends as they get older and more mature. It is the greatest joy! Watching them make the right choices without being told (what a blessing that is!) –
Nothing compares with marriage to a godly man and having a godly home! I am a blessed woman ~ thank you Lord ~ it’s all because of YOU~
Shanda,, I loved these pictures of you and your family having a wonderful cookout together, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. I am so happy to hear that rich is helping with the housework plan. glenn does that too. 🙂 He gets all the kids in line to talk to them. Your children are adorable and growing up so fast.
I’ve been skimming and loving all your entries.. if you don’t mind me asking, in what state would I have to move to in order to experiance such lovely nature with my future family. These pictures show me everything I’ve ever wanted.
@barbbbb – Hi! We live in CT. . .all of the New England states are lovely. God bless!
I hope you don’t think I’m a total nutcase for leaving so many comments all the time…I figure the author of any blog likes getting feedback…kind of makes all the time you put into it worth it knowing it blesses someone…even if it just puts a smile on someones face you know?anyhow…as I already left a comment about housework a bit earlier….you had some great ideas in this post. My kids do chores after dinner…I look around and see what needs doing and we spread out to do them. An allowance is a great idea…especially cause they need money for one thing or another all the time. I thought of keeping a “savings account” for them…writing down the amount they accumilate and giving them the actual cash when it’s saved up…kind of so they don’t blow it on candy. Today I offered $5 for whoever finds my van keys!!! I’m desperate:):):)