Character is greater

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This year before we jumped into our homeschool year I had all planned out some goals ,themes and milestones that I wanted us to focus on and accomplish. The main ones are reading, handwriting skills, and mastering basic math. 

But as I prayed and continue to pray about what God wants us to focus on he always points out character training,household chores and setting a consistant and firm discipline system up .

  Wow! Is what I think to myself I didn't think of these areas as the MAIN focus. I realized I  kind of put these areas off as side things that I thought we could touch on here and there ,but he reminds me that the heart and character is the most important part! If she can read and write well but has bad character traits and doesn't love and honor others then it's meaningless. This is what it is all about and I have had to continuely remind myself of what's really important at this age. 

Now is the time to begin to instill the qualities ,traits and values that are so important into my children. This is the training time this is when habits are being formed and personalities are being molded . "Train your child up in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it"

He always knows best and I can see on a daily basis why now this is what he says to focus on. The attitude of a five year old girl is no joke! How easily habits are being formed in the children are crazy (like tv and iPads) they love consistantcy and when something is different it throws them all off. 

We have been doing morning ,afternoon and evening chores at the same time everyday .Everybody has a part and at such a young age they all think it's fun :)  I am instilling in them practical life skills that they will need to succeed in life and also a love to help and serve others. 

Same with discipline .We have established a good system and everybody knows what is expected of them and the consequences that will take place if they cross the boundaries. The training I believe is the hardest part it takes consistantcy, repetition and strength not to give up or in ,but it will be so worth it I just think of the peace that will come with it all. "The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days." -Charlotte mason- 

So if this year all that my children walk away from our first official year of homeschooling with is knowing how to do chores, good habits ,attitudes and character traits then we have done well. 

I

Letter Of the Week

This Week the letter Of the Week was the letter "c" and the theme was fall leaves because She is so amazed At how the leaves are orange, yellow and red.

she glued the paper cookies i made on to the letter C and then we made chocolate chip cookies!

We went on a nature walk and she found a bunch of leaves that had changed colors and fallen. We talked about fall and how the leaves turn colors and fall off the trees to make room for the new leave that will grow in the spring, then she glued the leaves on a piece of paper and I added the tree trunk. 

I drew an uppercase letter C and a lowercase letter c and then let her glue cotton balls on. We talked about how cotton stats with the letter c and the sound that it makes.

Her  in action with the glue, which right now is her favorite thing to do

This is a pintrest idea that i found, I let her trace the letters and pictures with water and a paint brush. She also had to tell me the letter and the sounds that they make.

Preschool

Mariah is 3 Now and She has always had love for learning .She loves the Whole process Doing art and activities,memorizing,practicing,and repition. It All come so Easy to her, She catches On so Quickly.
And Of course i love to Teach her, i mean who wouldnt She Makes it fun, so i have Been incorperating themes and learning activities into our everyday. I Kinda Let her lead and we chose a theme based On What She is Most interested In that Week.  we are also Working On learning lowercase abc and Thier sounds ( She is set On the uppercase letters) and recognizing numbers for Now 1~10 . 

I have taken a very Hands-On /Montessori aproach but i do like to mix it up When needed. 

I will be sharing activities and ideas :)

33 Weeks

Im Ready to have this baby, plain and simple. My body Just feels Ready. I  have In the back Of My Head everyday that today could be the day. i feel like i could Go into labor. I Know i Still have about 7-9 more Weeks left but maybe not..

Iam eating like a pig, My body aches and All i want to do is sleep. On the flip side i can feel her every Move and as She becomes more  and more real to our family and i,  My Heart beats a little faster. I cant stop imagining How it will feel to hold and nurse and love On a newborn baby again. And.words cannot describe How much joy it brings me to Hear Mariah ask "can i Help Change baby Alayna`s diapers, and feed her and Hug her. " 

33 Weeks pregnant with life, with our third little person and fith member of our growing family. I cant Wait to give Birth to Another Beautiful, healthy bundle.

10 Pregnancy Must haves!!

Items I cant live without this pregnancy!!

1. Prenatal one : Prenatal vitamins{ love the energy these give me}
2. Water bottle with ice{ all day}
3. Cooler snack pack{ pack healthy snacks for  when your on the go}
4. camera/android phone{ take pics of that growing belly}
5. flip flops { comfy}
6. body pillow{ the best sleep at night is with my body pillow}
7. paper plates{ no dishes, heck yea}
8. crock pot
9. baby center app.
10. yoga pants/Capri{ comfortable, easy to grab and  mostly black so they go with everything}

Update : wk 24 {Baby#3}

Its Been 5 Weeks since iv blogged and i really wanted to  consistantly Post and document this pregnancy Week by Week, but its Just not happining for me so Im not even gonna promise a Weekly Post. I will.Update as frequently as possible .

Well iam 24 Weeks pregnant today! I Just cannot Believe How incredibly Fast This is happining. I am amazed and excited. How have i Been Feeling? Thats the big and Most frequent question these days and the Answers is..Great! I Méan Now that  i am in My second ( Almost Third) trimester Things have Been Going smooth. I have tons Of much needed energy and have Been nesting like a mama Bird. Still no Real Cravings and Feeling This Baby dancing in My Belly 24/7. I Bought My Fist  Baby buy the cutest Little outfit i couldnt resist and we decided on a Name to be announced later ;)

These Hot Summer days are Flying by but will definitly always be remembered , cherished and loved.

week 18 & 19

Woah ,Woah, Woah, okay time you can slow down now!
Everything is happing so fast I can't keep up.   update on the past two weeks; I had a mid wives appointment and everything agent great we got a pic. of our little person which is always exciting. I have been feeling baby move around a lot and my belly is really growing.
Caleb has been rubbing my belly and reasting his head on it. he def knows somebody is in there  :)

I bought some maternity clothes although I still fit a lot of my regular clothes. Still.trying to.decide if we are gonna find out the sex or keep.it a surprise. Feeling great for the most part

untill next time

Week 16 {baby #3}

This week flew by and I must say it was a pretty good week. Energy has finally kicked in and my belly has really started to pop. I am loving the prenatal vitamins that I'm taking this pregnancy their Called prenatal one by rainbow light their all natural and I can really feel a difference in my energy level when I take them. Still having minor break outs and still pretty grumpy and emotional ( poor hubby). Not too much has changed this week feeling good and baby is growing.

week 15 {baby #3}

This week has been a rough one... I have felt very lethargic, lazy, overly tiered and even faint. During my other two pregnancies around this time my body had an iron deficiency and I felt the same way so I started taking iron supplements and trying to eat more foods that have iron in them. Also this week I have been breaking out on my face :( not too bad, but with me having for the most part naturally clear skin one or two zits freaks me out so I have been washing my face like crazy and trying to drink plenty of water.

I felt a faint, but for sure, kick this week so exciting. Love when the baby moves it just reminds me that I am a life carrier and how amazing this whole process is.

Week 15  belly shot:

And you will reap what you sow

I know it has been FOREVER since iv written a blog i have been super busy with our new addition and chasing Mimi around the house, that blogging hasn't even been in my vocabulary. Well to update you a little bit our princess is now 22 months old and  will be 2 in July and Big boy is 12 weeks! Time is going by so fast and i am just trying to take everything in. Lately i have constantly been reminded of how blessed i am  to be able to be a stay at home mom with a husband who sees the importance of it, just as much if not more, then i do. It doesn't matter the circumstances my husband does what ever it takes for me to get to be the one raising, teaching, nurturing and influencing our children. These last couple of weeks i have kinda been taking staying at home with my kids for granted im not gonna lie its hard and there are times when i say to myself what am i doing putting my dreams on hold? i mean im young i could be out working or going to school and put the kids in day care or just give then to Grama.. But then i just couldn't imagine it, someone else getting to see my daughter go potty on the toilet for the first time? or someone else getting to teach her shapes and colors? or Someone else getting to see my son smile and laugh for the first time. O no i couldn't have that. The Lord has been showing me that all this hard work is paying off and its not in vain! Staying home with my children teaching them, being their main influence, teaching them about God , loving and nurturing them  and praying over them. Sowing into their lives and hearts not only will i reap but they will reap and their children will reap and their children's children will reap. What i am sowing now generations will reap!! I have been encouraged Iam anointed for motherhood and its a high calling.

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39 weeks

39 weeks pregnant and im feeling huge. This month is going by so slow but im not complaining just excited and ready to have my boy!

Natural child birth: Birthing plan

Hey ladies my hubby and i just finish writting our birthing plan and thought i would share. For anyone who is writting thier own maybe you could get some ideas,  i know reading other peoples birthing plan really helped us decided what was most important to us! hope this helps :)

Tanesha and Reggie Brun

Physician: Etowah Valley

Estimated Due Date: Jan. 31 2012

We have outlined our preferences for birth below. We are looking forward to a completely natural birth and greatly appreciate the support of  midwifes and staff to help us achieve the type of birth we desire. We do realize that complications may arise, and if so, we trust that our midwife will make the appropriate decisions.

We would like a calm environment and only wish for the father to be present during labor and birth, in addition to necessary medical personnel. We would like to avoid induction unless absolutely necessary, and do not wish to have time limits imposed upon labor as long as labor is progressing naturally. We prefer to avoid an IV routine and have intermitted monitoring. We would also like to be able to be up and moving around (walking, birthing ball, shower etc.) while laboring Please do not offer pain medication; if necessary, we will request.

After dilation is complete, we prefer to wait for the urge to push and wish to push in whatever position feels most comfortable. We would like to avoid episiotomy.

After the baby is born, we strongly desire to breastfeed immediately. We would like to wait for any newborn procedures until after the baby’s first feed. We wish for the father to cut the cord, and would like to wait to do so until the cord stops pulsating. We would like the baby’s father to be with the baby for any procedures possible, and we would like the baby to room in with us at all times. If the baby is taken to the nursery for any reason, we do not want the baby to be given a bottle , a pacifier or any vaccinations.

Thank you for your support and participation in the birth of our baby!

This is just our vision for this birth we know things dont always go as planned but this is what we are praying for

p.s

 if you have had a natural birth in a hospital and have any other suggestions I would love to hear

31 weeks

Just realized I haven't posted a picture in while. 







so there it is 31 weeks.. feels like 41 weeks !

His Heart

Iv have always had a heart for children to teach them ,to love them, to make them laugh and smile and to just be around them but lately I feel his heart for them and its intense!! God loves his babies and wants to use us to show them how much he loves them . Reggie and I have gotten the opportunity to sponsor and provide for a 9 year old Ethiopian boy by giving money monthly so that he can have clothes, food, clean water and go to school the amount of money that we provide is the same amount of money that it would cost for us to go out to eat!! and that little amount of money provides all this for him. Its such an honer that God would use us to  give to him (Naji)

The newest member of our family!!!

Naji is 9 years old lost both of his parents to Aids he has 2 brothers and  2 sisters and was not in school, didn't  have many cloths and very little to eat before we sponsored him... We are able to write to him and he writes back ( there is a translator) so it really becomes like a real relationship where we are able to hear whats going and how he is doing :)

" And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."
                                          Matthew 18:5



We are blessed to get to bless  one of Gods children if you are interested in doing this check out www.worldvision.org   or go to your local Christian store and ask them (thats how we got involved)

Meet Natalie and Johnny

 Sorry yall i haven't blogged in a couple days I have been super busy!! I have taken on the job as a full time nanny. I will be nannying  a  11 month old baby boy ( Johnny) and a beautiful 4 year old  girl ( Natalie). Call me crazy, but I love it so far. Its really easy they are very sweet and peaceful children. They are on basically the same schedule as Mariah and have adjusted really well. When I got the offer, which was random and at the last minute, I of course prayed and asked the Lord what he would have me do.. and his answer was "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  " And he took the children in his arms , put his hands on them and blessed them." Mark 10:14-16 . I am able to show the love of Christ to these precious ones I get to hug, teach and pray for them all day!! The Lord said to me " You have the Kingdom of heaven inside of you, You could be the only Me they ever see"
I am also blessed to be getting compensated pretty good not to mention I believe this is preparation for more children of my own , the call on my life to mother the generations, and a dream the Lord has put in my heart for children's ministry!

so stinkin cute

coloring

Mimi's new friend she loves other kids 

Blessings and Love to yall!!