A Good Day

It began with some quiet time in the Word.
Kids were ready to leave for school on time.
Then it was off to Moms Inc. for some much needed fellowship.
Lunch with my boy.
An hour's worth of good hard housework while he napped.
Fun at the park with my youngest two while we waited for the older three to finish X-Country practice.
Snacks.
Homework.
Dinner.
Awesome family time making s'mores for dessert and watching stars in the back yard.Yes, it was a good day. But even on my bad days, I know the Lord is with me.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. -Psalm 73:23

In Loving Memory

In loving memory of my dad:
August 18, 1936 - September 9, 2010

No words can describe how much I miss him.
I will carry his love in my heart, always.

Company Girl Coffee 8.6.10

Is it August already? I can't believe what a busy summer it has been. Somehow, every time I thought about sitting down to blog, something else came up and then the inspiration was gone. I have wanted to blog about our trip to the Oregon Coast, adventures at Church Camp, back yard fun and before and after pictures of my storage room and spare bedroom/toy room organizing. There have been birthdays and anniversaries and fun with friends. Yes, summer has been packed full of a bit of everything. I'm looking forward to the next four weeks at home before school starts. We don't have any concrete plans for this month. Maybe just a few days at the park, some lazy days here at home, and a visit from Nana next week.

Hopefully, I'll get back to a regularly scheduled blog time when the kids go back to school this fall. For now, I thought I'd share a few pictures here of our Oregon Coast trip. My brother and his family(and a friend) drove out and met us from Reno, and my sister brought my niece too. It was lots of fun. Wish I could show you all of my pictures, but that would take all day! Since you're here though, I'd love to hear what some of your own favorite summer moments are so far. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!

No Time for Words...

Sorry...I haven't really had time to post lately...we've been having too much fun! :)

To the Bestest Dad Ever...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my dear husband and the father of our five wonderful children who absolutely adore him!

He's only been a dad for almost 9 years, but I've loved him for over 16. (Our 16th anniversary is coming up next month.)

For all the wrestling, game playing, disciplining, reading, fort building, library going, pancake making, hot dog grilling and other incredible dad things you do...

WE LOVE YOU!

Enjoy your day! (And your new grill!)

Confessions over Company Girl Coffee

Good morning! Come on in and stay for a spell. I have to admit, I've been sleeping in lately. Until 7:30am, that is. You see, I am not a very big morning person. I wish I could wake up with as much energy and enthusiasm as my children, but I tend to drag my feet until I've had my first cup of coffee. Read on, if you dare, for a few more confessions about how I sometimes make it through my mornings :)

Confession #1: I let my kids watch cartoons in the morning. Yes, I admit it. As long as I approve of the show, they are allowed to watch it. I still believe in putting a limit on screen time, but I don't think it hurts any to let them watch their favorites. This morning's choice isn't even a cartoon. It's a show called "Hi Five", with songs and skits and puppets and they LOVE it! :) Truthfully, I love it too. I love the sound of the laughter it produces from my children.

Confession #2: Some mornings I use cheater breakfasts like toaster waffles. I try to pick the ones that have more fiber and less sugar, of coarse. Add some fruit and you have an instant kid pleaser. Once in a while I just have a morning when I need an easy "fix it yourself" breakfast.

Confession #3: I often sneak in a little devotion time while the kids are getting ready for school, or wherever we may be going that day. They are all old enough to get dressed by themselves now, so while I send them off to their rooms to get ready, I take a few quiet moments to myself. Sometimes it might be all I can get until they go to bed...especially during the summer.

Confession #4: When we have plans to go somewhere, I usually don't get ready until AFTER all my kids are ready. I know this is probably backwards, but I like the feeling of knowing everyone is good to go, so I can take whatever time that's left to tend to my own needs. This is especially helpful to me on Sundays so I know that when I'm ready all I have to do is announce that it's time to go out the door and everyone is dressed to shoes with no last minute surprises.

Now that you know a few of my coping methods to make it through my mornings, I'd love to hear some of yours. Do you have a morning routine? Anyone out there get up at the crack of dawn? (Gasp!) How do you start your day successfully?

Have a great weekend all!
~Melissa~

Company Girl Coffee "Summer Time"

Today is the last day of school! Summer break is finally here and I am looking forward to spending time with all my kids at home. We have two scheduled weeks of traveling. One is next week and we are going over the mountains to visit Grandparents. The other is in July, at the Oregon Coast. The last time we went to the Coast my oldest was turning 3. She'll be 9 in July, so you can see why we're a bit excited to spend a week at the ocean! We were blessed at Christmas with season passes to a nearby theme park, so we'll spend some time there together too.

Other than that, we spend our Summers pretty laid back. I am going to have some fun and make a poster with my kids that has suggestions of things to do when you get bored. I got the idea from a friend of mine. "50 Things To Do This Summer." All written out with boxes next to each suggestion so they can check things off as they go. We'll also take pictures as we go so that we can make a scrapbook at the end of summer. (Which will go on our list!)

I made a decision that I'm not going to put off making memories with my kids out of fear that everything won't be perfect. Not too long ago I read Beth Moore's book "So Long Insecurity," and there was a chapter in it that was basically a prayer for healing. One part of the prayer still lingers with me every time I hesitate to do something new that stretches my creativity abilities.

"Forgive me for being such a perfectionist that I resist doing something good out of the fear that it won't be great..."

On that note, I'm off to take my kids to their last day of school. It's only a half day, so maybe if the weather turns nice, I'll prepare a picnic lunch. Otherwise, we just might have a picnic in the middle of our living room. :)

Have a great summer all! I'll be seeing you around.
~Melissa~