{Weekly} Day Book

Outside my window...

Fall has begun! The leaves are changing colors and the ground has a nice colorful blanket over it. There is still more green than orange, but I'm okay with that. It feels so good temperature wise. If I could live somewhere that was in the 60s and 70s year round- I'd be a happy camper. In Virginia, fall comes with rain. I really don't think there's anything more peaceful than a rainy morning. It calms me and soothes me. I really want to plant flowers, but the property manager won't let us pull up this awful ivy. She says the owner feels it makes it easier for resale because of no upkeep.

I am thinking...

that I really need to become more disciplined and less lazy.

I've started with a new routine that I'm trying really hard to follow. Every day (other than the weekend) has something I am to do around the house, a load of laundry and a chore. I'm also working in a daily walk with Griffon and a daily blog post. On top of this- I also have my gym routine. I'm going to be wearing myself out, but each thing will pay off!

I am learning...

how to really study my Bible. I did the Kay Arthur 2 Peter study last semester and the Matthew study this semester. Inductive Bible study has rocked my world! Precepts could benefit everyone, I think!

I am reading...

Beverly Lewis' new book- The Bridesmaid. Amish fiction is the biggest guilty pleasure of mine. Their simplicity and innocence astounds me and makes me fresh and anew. I've said since I was little I was meant to be Amish and that I wish to live in Lancaster!

I can not WAIT for her new book The Guradian to come out!! The skirt on the front of the book is from Old Navy last season. Too bad I returned it!

I am hearing...

ton of birds chattering outside. I love opening my windows and letting in the sweet sounds of nature. Hopefully, one day, we can move onto a few acres and not have to worry about the sounds of cars and the interstate.

I hear the dishwasher running and the laundry washing. Both sweet sounds to my ears. I love the sound of productivity.

I am going...

to deliver cookies tonight. I love taking the time to hand deliver them to my friends- it's nice to see each others faces once in a while. I'm also going to the gym. Oh boy!

Around the house...

I've been trying really hard to make our house a haven. This means a clean home and a happy home. With my routine in place, I'm really praying it becomes easier. If I don't stay on top of it I get so discouraged. And I can't stay on top of it if I'm lazy. See the problem? One thing I've started is having a candlelight dinner- the two of us. Time to spend with each other and no one or nothing else. I'm trying to great my husband with a kiss and a hug at the door each day and really hear him out. My problems can wait.

I am thankful for...

everything! Right now I'm really taking into account how little other people have. I have a husband, a home, food in the kitchen, a car, three animals, clothes and money. What more could I ask for?

In the kitchen...

I'm baking up a storm today! First, a few orders of lactation cookies. Once that is done, I'm blessing my husband with his favorite- snickerdoodles!

For supper we're having Shepards Pie. This is a new recipe from Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking- it looks delightful!

One of my favorite things...

My animals. As much of a mess as each on of them are- I couldnt imagine a day without either!

A picture...

Ministry Monday | Amazima Ministries

I have always had a heart for missions. I started doing local missions when I was in middle school, then continued to national and then Canada. I pray every day that I would be able to go to an international level. See the world and reach to the hurting- just like Jesus calls us to do. 

Image from kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

I find it sad the "stigma" that sometimes comes from international missions. May people ask, "why is everyone so focused on the outside worlds, not on our own nation". What if Jesus had looked to us like that? "Why go and witness my great works and bring eternal glory to them? I have enough issues here where I am.  Someone else will take care of them."

Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

Image from kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

It was no wonder to me why my heart sang when I heard of the works of Katie Davis. A girl not much older than me running her own ministry in the heart of Uganda. She speaks to me. She renews my spirit. She reminds me of every reason Jesus wants us to reach out to the unreachable with a love filled heart. She moves me to tears thinking of all the good she is doing in Masese. 

Jonah 3:1, 2 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”

She has developed her own sponsorship program- reaching the lives of the little ones so their families won't have to give them up and leave them on Amazima's doorstep because they can't afford food or school, like so many can't. $25 a month provides for 600 children! How awesome. Amazima has also made a tremendous outreach to the city of Masese. Amazima feeds over 1,200 orphaned children Monday through Friday through their feeding program. Many of these children would die without this food and would not be in school, instead begging in the slums. The children are now able to come to school, be fed and take home a plate to their caregiver once a week. They are allowed to attend class free of charge at the school, participate in Bible studies, recieve medical care and general health training! What blessed assurance.

Image from kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Amazima has many partners, one of which Equip International in their project, "Nets not Caskets", puts mosquito netting over every bed in the Masese community and educate about preventing deadly malaria. Once a week, Amazima provides more community service with a free or very low cost clinic complete with HIV testing and counseling done by their own social worker. Much like a typical doctors office, Christine keeps records of all the HIV positive people in the community, takes them to regular check-ups and teaches them how to care for themselves and their family. Among these things, they also offer outpatient malnutrition rehabilitation for severely malnourished children, a common sight in much of Uganda. They even allow the child and mother to live in Katie's home temporarily while the child recovers, although in rare cases. They help teach parents how to help their children recover and provide them with the resources to do so in their own homes. Powdered milk, porridge of millet, mukene and nuts and Plumply Nut, a nutrition supplement provided by WHO and UNICEF are all provided. Parents are then taught how to prepare these things for their children and they are monitored closely to see their improvement. 

Amazima is also vocational. They run a self-sustaining program for a group of women making magazine bead necklaces. Through this empowerment mothers of Masese grow stronger. The necklaces are made by these women and then sold in the United States. Because of this amazing opportunity, women are able to turn away from drugs, alcohol, trash picking and prostitution- all so common in Uganda. Instead, they are given money management training and spiritual discipleship! 

Image from kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Saturdays at Amazima are a wonderful day. The sponsored children from the educational program gather at the Amazima pavilion for Bible study, worship, lunch and play! This provides a carefree, fun atmosphere for children to be just that- children. Amazima employs Ugandan men to lead on this day and give the chilren a male role model and spiritual leader. Each child is provided food to take home to their families to encourage their acceptance and approval to come back each Saturday! This pavilion is used to teach basic health care and farming techniques to the community during the week. The garden plot allows the children and parents to gain skills that they can also apply at home. 

And there you have it. Quite possibly my favorite ministry at the moment! Katie has a book that is available for purchase detailing her journey to this place, Kisses for Katie. I recommend it to everyone! There is so much we can learn from Miss Davis. Want to help? Amazima has many ways you can pitch in and make this dream continue! Maybe one day I'll be blessed to be able to volunteer at Amazima.

Please be kind while we are touching up our blog! We're hoping after this new remodel, it will inspire that many more more blogs! I have quite a list brewing ;)

When a soldier says he's coming home

When a husband calls his wife and tells him he's coming home after a year long deployment, she does one of two things:

1. Freak

2. Plan!

I opt for numero dos!

1. The house? Oh my the house...oh my... ::looks left, right:: well.. I'm going to be busy.

2. The car? To avoid the car maintenance talk when he gets home, I will get the car detailed all spiffy clean.

3. Me? Time to get some cute...stuff ;)

4. Alone time with my husband for 15 days before he has to go back to work? You plan that, too :)

So. Things may be a little more quiet on the blog until he's home at the end of next month! Now, off to Ikea to acquire the rest of our furniture I've been neglecting to get! :)

Oh, Baby!

As I mentioned, I began training to be a Doula! This really is one of my most favorite things...EVER. I am training through DONA International and I am seeing the end! First, you have a reading list and a position paper to read, which for me, was total fun and very informative. While doing this you can become a member of DONA and order your certification packet. Then you have to take a Doula workshop, Childbirth class and a breastfeeding class that satisfies the time requirements! You have to attend three births, take notes and write a paper on each. After that, you can send in your packet and get approved!! Sounds pretty easy, right?

I am doing my Doula workshop this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I can NOT wait! I signed up for my childbirth class that starts on Thursday the 10th. I am taking the Bradley method, which I wanted to take when I became pregnant, but I get it free as an observer!! :) I started my Breastfeeding Basics class which is online and I have finished most of my reading! I also have three births in the next six months!! I can totally do this.

The books I have read are beyond helpful. I have attended and studied the birth process for years, but I love that I learn something new EVERY TIME! My books I have been reading are:

The Doula Book

The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions

Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth

Gentle Birth Choices

The Nursing Mother's Companion

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers

I can not wait to go even further with my education! First is a birth doula, then postpartum doula, then lactation consultant! I want to get certified as a Childbirth Educator, Breastfeeding Educator, Herbs for Birth Care Professionals, Nutrition for Doula Practice, Aromatherapy Certification for Doulas and Advanced Women's Health Herbal and Aromatherapy through Birth Arts International. I would be totally into placenta encapsulation as well, but one step at a time!

Lately.

October has completely flown by!! If every day left of this deployment goes like this, he will be home tomorrow it seems! It may have been that I was so busy...but not really. So what has been up with us?

Well for one, I've FINALLY started my doula training! I'm training through DONA and I have my training conference this weekend! Excited doesn't even begin to start covering the way I feel! Birth has ALWAYS been such a fascinating and amazing event to me and now? It will be my job to help mom and dads through this life changing event! HOW COOL!

Jon is still deployed, as to be expected :) We're going on 11 months! :O Almost at the end, though :) I have taken to the deployment surprisingly well. At first, the x number of months (more than a year) seemed extremely daunting. I've done weeks and a few months, but over a year?! I guess I took it a little better since I have expected this. When I agreed to marry Jon, I agreed to marry the Army as well. Most military wives would agree. His job HAS to come first. And I'm okay with that.

We're still preparing for our little baby. We figured it won't be long (Lord willing) until we have a little one ourselves, so we want to get prepared while he is away and we have the money!! Cloth diapers, breast pumps...the works ;) ACTUALLY we got our breast pump from my friend who is moving and only used it twice! $100 for over $300 worth of products?! YES! And as for cloth diapers- I am so passionate about NOT using disposables. You can look up all the nasty things in disposables on your own, but I will never, ever put that on my babies skin. Nasty. Also, I am going to start watching a little girl during the week starting in January (and a little boy at night twice a week!) so we are getting a pack and play and a swing for them, as long with toys. That way we'll have that marked off as well! AND YES, there are items people can still get us when I do become pregnant ;)

Speaking of getting pregnant, my doctor and I have begun "prepping" my body for a baby! I have started my prescription of prenatal vitamins, started taking B6 so shorten my luteal phase, I have started eating right with high omega's and I have begun exercising. We are trying to do our part with no medical intervention. There are quite a few fertility problems that are in my family so we want to get everything "right". The Lord is in control though, so we are just praying and "having fun" as we like to say :)

Halloween was a ton of fun! My aunt does her house up big and her yard all scary like. Not really my style- but everyone LOVES it! My cousin, who is my other half, and I were fifties housewives! It was quite the scene ;) Next year, Jon and I want to have a fun get together as well. I love making goodie bags and baking up a storm so that will be NO problem!

As far as Stampin Up is concerned, my business is kind of at a stand still until I can get more paper! :\ everyone keeps telling me to "jump in!" but I can't work like that. I have to have everything in a row and organized, then it's full game! Hopefully by the beginning of the year!!

Our "Child Plan" ;)

Again, same concept as the "Birth Plan", but how we plan to implement childhood!

We plan to do child led weaning in the breastfeeding department. I view it more as a connection and special time, than strictly nutritional. Every child weans and every child loses their latching ability, so it WILL end. However, at this time, I can't really see me doing it any further than three. But you never know what may happen! I want to nurse on demand for the first two years, then after only at sleep times or when necessary. I want to pump as well on a schedule of 10, 12, 2, and 4. I've known a few people who say that this is a great schedule and you get at least two bottles worth a day! Of course, this won't always be workable, but that's why this is a FUTURE plan ;) Whatever excess we don't use within that month or don't plan to use, I will donate to Mother's Milk Bank. I'd love to help an adoptive mother out for her new baby!

We also plan to cosleep. We will have an Arms Reach Cosleeper attached to the side of the bed on my side, but I can guarantee (s)he will end up in the bed with us at some point! We would like to pacify while sleeping to sooth any urge to suck while sleeping. Hopefully the space between us in the cosleeper will help out when they are older so they can sleep more soundly, if not, they're only little once! :) I also want a nap nanny for the first four months to prevent colic!

As far as education, this is where my expertise comes in from my degree. I would be really interested to start Your Baby Can Read with them once (s)he is four months old! I know it seems kind of extreme, I agree, but on of my close friends has used it on her son and he is now two, can read books and LOVES it! She even made a reward chart and he walked over, read the reward chart and then yelled because it didn't say "no yelling" on there!! ;) I guess it has it's advantages and disadvantages! I do not plan to make it like a chore, however. I want to make it fun and in no way a fight. We will also begin sign language around this age. Once they turn two we will start sensory projects and then three and four will be "preschool". We plan to homeschool so our preschool will be a far cry from traditional preschool, and that's how we like it :)

Once solid foods come into play we want to make our food. Why? Well, one, it's far cheaper than store bought food! Two, YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING IN IT! And you can make your own adjustments for what you want! We will start cereal very seldom at five just to test out her reflexes, then vegetables, then fruit, then mix, then meat :) We also would like to implement child lead weaning in this area and allow them to use a mesh feeder and steamed veggies! This can also be a huge time saver when you need to get the kitchen cleaned or eat dinner yourself!

Other than that? I have no clue. As I said, this is just a plan and will be very funny to see how everything pans out once we actually have one! :) But in no means do I think this is unattainable! I have known many to follow a similar plan or even more extreme, so I'm pretty confident. Never say never, right?! :)