Happy birthday, Chloe! Today you turn 5. You have been so excited, looking forward to this day. “Five is a big number”, you tell me proudly.

Five years have passed slowly and quickly. I look at you, no longer a baby or toddler but a big girl; it is bittersweet.

You chose most of your own clothes for the winter season this year. With a few exceptions, almost everything is purple. A real mix n’ match wardrobe. I pray that you will keep you zany sense of style but learn and love modesty.

You still wear piggy tails occasionally but prefer to wear your hair down now. “It’s most beautiful that way”, you tell me with a cheeky smile. I pray that you will always remember that the Lord looks on our hearts and strive to be beautiful on the inside most of all!

You still bounce, skip or gallop when you’re going somewhere. You seldom ever walk. I pray you are always filled with the joy of the Lord.

You’re so proud when you can help doing big tasks. You love to take the laundry down to the laundry room, or put your own laundry away. You set & clear the table and especially love to help with Isaac, choosing his sleeper or getting mama a diaper. May you always have a helpful spirit and a willing heart.

You just got your first allowance this week. Four shiny quarters. You gave one to Jesus, put one in your savings account and spent two on chocolate and gum. How pleased you were! I pray that you learn to be a wise steward of what the Lord gives you!

Chloe, you were my firstborn. I remember when you were a baby and it was just the three of us. I laugh as I look back, remembering how I thought parenting was so easy.  You’re a delight, but a continual challenge. I strive to discipline and teach you each day in a patient, Christ-like way, though I know I fall short. I pray that you will grow to know and love Jesus more in this new year.

Lord, thank you for Chloe. I thank you for her life, and the plan that you have for it. Please help me to teach and train her in a way that pleases you. Draw her close to you, Lord. Help her to desire you with her whole heart and long to serve you with her life! Amen.

• This post links to Gratituesday

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Chloe Turns 5 is a post from Beautiful Calling.

Things flow smoothly, the laundry is caught up, folded and where it should be. I’ve done the dishes after dinner so we wake up with a fresh start each morning. I’m feeling like I have it all together.

But then I don’t.

With all the doctors appointments, we’re often out several times a week. Isaac doesn’t sleep through the night. Not only does he not sleep through the night, he hardly naps during the day. I’m up 4-8 times a night, with 4 times being the rare occurrence.

I’m tired. I wish I could sleep, but each time I get up with him, I remember how thankful that I am that he is able to nurse because for the first month, he just ate through a tube, unable to nurse. I remember that this is the last time I will have a sweet baby to nurse. I remember how fast these sweet baby days are going to pass for I look at my two tots, who grew so fast.

Lately, the dishes often pile up as I am trying to deal with everyday life with three littles. How did I manage before? How can I get back those easy smooth days where the house is orderly? Then I remember that my family, the littles, are where my focus should be. When will I learn to let go of the guilt that comes from a full sink and accept that I am choosing the better part when we have an impromptu Chinese picnic because it’s best for the sanity of the whole family?

Oh, the day will come when the house is perfectly ordered. My children will be grown and out on their own. When I look back and remember this season of my life, will I be happy with the choices I made and how I’ve set my priorities?

• This post links to Five Minute Friday

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Five Minute Friday: Remember is a post from Beautiful Calling.

Three doctors appointments on three different days last week. Rinse and repeat for this week. Fall is flying by, life is flying by, these sweet baby days are flying by. And all I seem to be doing lately is trying to catch up; the laundry, the dishes, the dusting…

Until yesterday. Perfect Yesterday.

I woke in the darkness, nursed the baby and chose to have quiet time amidst a less-than-quiet morning happening around me. We got ready for the day, ate our breakfast, and did school in Chloe’s bed. Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater was on our reading list. We baked a pumpkin {one of our fall decorations} , roasted the seeds and went for a walk. Lunch, nap, and play. Pumpkin pancakes for dinner.

What did I do? I caught the little ones in my arms and time slowed down. I had my quiet time with the Lord first, not after. I focused on essentials; feeding our family, a little laundry, a {mostly} tidy kitchen.

What didn’t I do? A whole lot. The bedrooms weren’t cleaned to perfection. The kitchen floor needs to be washed and there are piles of clean laundry waiting for me today in my room.

But I took time to catch the little moments; the sunshine, baby coos, smiles of discovery on our walk, and the satisfied look on my tots faces as they devoured the pumpkin pancakes that they helped make from scratch, start to finish.

Catch It! After months of hospitals and appointments and the go-go-go mentality, I’m catching it again; the importance of slowing down, savoring life, of being flexible. It doesn’t have to take all day but it does require being intentional and not letting the day slip by. What is important to  you? A walk, reading a story, snuggle time? Get it in there! Just one small thing goes a long way towards making your day feel that it was a success!

 I purpose to catch the big ‘small moments’ of the day and make them count. Are you with me?

• I’m participating in Five Minute Friday since 5 minutes seems to be about all I have these days!

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Five Minute Friday: Catch is a post from Beautiful Calling.

My children love to throw the laundry down the stairs. It’s great fun. Then they go down the stairs, and haul it into the laundry room where they sort it by person rather than color no matter how many times I remind them. Laundry is pretty ordinary around here. Dirty and clean.  You’ll find it piled on my bed when it’s clean. I sort it, fold it and put it away. Or sometimes I just move the pile to the chair so we can go to sleep at night. It goes either way, depending on the day.

Most days I love my life, just as it is. The good days, bad days and ordinary days. But there are times that I loathe the little mundane tasks, longing to be doing something a little more important than washing the floor {again!}. And then I remember how extraordinarily blessed I am. I remember that it is because of these extraordinary blessings in my life that I can have these beautiful ordinary days that I love so much.

Feed them, clothe them, bathe, cuddle and love them. That’s an extraordinary ordinary day! Thank you, Lord!

What is your favorite ordinary moment of the day?

• I’m participating in Five Minute Friday since 5 minutes seems to be about all I have these days!

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Five Minute Friday: Ordinary is a post from Beautiful Calling.

The mis-matched seeds in the little red pot on the window sill come to life; drinking up their water, basking in the sun and lifting their heads upwards. Each time Chloe eats a piece of fruit, she carefully saves her seeds. We have peach, apple and orange seeds planted in this pot. {I don’t tell her that I throw most of them out when she isn’t looking! We’ll start another pot but she eats a lot of fruit…}

Sweet Isaac is four months old. A little more if you count by weeks rather than calendar months. It’s been three months since we came home from the NICU. How he has grown. His sweet smile that takes up his whole face when one of our family walks in the room. He has special smiles for Chloe and John which make my heart melt.

My eyes still tear up as I think about the miracle that is Isaac and about those moments when I didn’t know. But I’ve grown too. Learning to embrace that we will never know- for any of us – just how long we have.

STOP.

Feel free to share a thought on growing and have a beautiful weekend!

For the first time, I’m participating in Five Minute Friday since 5 minutes seems to be about all I have these days!

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Five Minute Friday: Growing is a post from Beautiful Calling.

Before I begin to share Isaac’s birth story I wanted to share this song with you. Just as Isaac has grown so much since his arrival in June, I too have grown as well. The Lord gave me this song while Isaac and I were in the hospital and I sang it to Isaac, prayed it to the Lord and comforted myself with it.

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

And though I did a lot of reading throughout the bible, these two verses were something I read through many, many times. I’m so thankful that God’s Word is timeless. Though our daily circumstances may be different than in bible times, the Lord can use His Word to apply to our lives today to chasten, correct, encourage, comfort and strengthen us.

⁴Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;

⁵That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

• Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/713#ixzz1XwvyXrlp
• Bible Gateway Psalm 106:4-5

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Day by Day and a Psalm is a post from Beautiful Calling.

{Sing to the tune of “on top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese…”}

Sweet little Isaac
You seem very sad.
The more you keep crying
The more you seem mad.
I’ll give you a bath then,
So you will be clean.
Perhaps it will calm you,
And then you won’t scream.
I’ll run nice warm water,
And we will get in.
I’ll wash your big belly,
And your cute double chin.
I’ll wash up your arms then,
And both of your feet.
I’ll wash down your back next,
Right down to your seat.
I’ll scrub up your neck rolls,
And wash both of your ears.
Then using the facecloth,
I’ll wipe up your tears.
The screaming has stopped now,
Your bath is all done.
You’re smiley and happy,
I guess you had fun.
I’ll dry you all off now,
and then get you dressed.
It’s bedtime for Isaac,
Since I need a rest!!

Sometimes the baby is crying and nothing seems to help. Going for a walk or a drive isn’t always practical with two additional tots in tow – especially depending on the time of night.

Isaac seems to settle with singing and warm baths. Making up rhyming songs saves my sanity and the singing settles baby. I’ve always had a thing for rhyming {ask my husband – I think it drives him nuts}. When Isaac starts to cry and cry and cry, stimulating my brain to think up rhyming words helps distract me and helps me not to get frustrated.  I’m calm which helps Isaac as does the soothing singing. {Did you sing my favorite things}.

What do you do when baby cries?!?

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Ode de Isaac (How to Settle the Baby) is a post from Beautiful Calling.

After a generations-long decline in the emphasis on manners when raising children, many 21st-century parents are rediscovering the importance of instilling values of politeness and decorum in their kids. Children who have good manners are better behaved in general, but they also tend to go far in the world because they know how to ingratiate themselves to others in all types of social situations. And ultimately, manners are not just arbitrary rules imposed for no good reason. They help create an ordered society of mutually respectful individuals. So even if you find that manners are not what they used to be, parents can still make a positive difference one child at a time.

When it comes to teaching kids manners, there is no need to get bogged down in the details. Instead, place emphasis on being respectful toward others and avoiding selfishness. Here are some of the best ways to instill these values.

1. Lead by example. If you want your kids to behave according to good social decorum, be a model of polite behavior. If you have lost some of the lessons you learned from your parents and grandparents, read a book or two on the subject. Practice good manners even when your kids are not around.

2. Make good manners fun. Teaching kids good manners does not have to be all about giving lectures or scolding them when they do not behave perfectly. Instead, make it into a sort of game, and do not forget to praise and reward them when they consistently do a good job.

3. Provide positive reinforcement. Instead of focusing on any of the negative behaviors your child may exhibit, praise her for doing things well. For example, when she says “thank you” or asks politely for something, tell her that she did it just perfectly.

4. Encourage good manners in the household. Good manners are not confined to our interactions with non-family members. Kids can also practice good manners toward their siblings and parents. Make it a household philosophy, even if taking pains to be polite sometimes seems silly in the comfortable home setting.

5. Provide opportunities to practice. Although it is possible for everyone in the household to always practice good manners toward each other, it helps to give the kids opportunities to show how polite they can be around people who are not in the family. Have family or friends over regularly, and provide your kids plenty of semiformal contexts in which to practice everything they learn.

6. When they are ready, dine out. Kids with bad manners are the bane of wait staff (not to mention other diners) at restaurants, but kids who know how to behave well can be a joy for everyone involved. When you think your kids are ready to behave well in a public place, start taking them out for dinner once in a while. Let them know that if they behave well, you will go out again in a few weeks or months.

7. Start with the fundamentals. The fundamentals of good manners are saying please when you ask for something and thank you when someone gives you something. If your kids learn nothing else about manners, make sure they know this, as it will endear them to their elders, higher-ups, and peers in all kinds of social and professional situations throughout life.

8. Point out others’ errors. When you are with your child and you witness someone else behaving impolitely, use this as a teaching moment. You can simply point it out to your child, or, if you have time, ask your child what that person did that was impolite and what they should have done instead.

Jamell Andrews is an accomplished writer who believes in the power of homeopathic medicine. She is a regular contributor to the Parenting Journals.

 Photo Source

In our home with tots, we’re still learning, practicing and trying to remember to use our manners. We read books about manners and note when manners are (or are not) used by characters in the story.

We’ve also started working on our telephone manners. We have an older real phone in the play area. We have practice play conversations as we learn the correct way to answer a phone. The children love it, and I marvel at how much fun it can be to ‘teach’.

What tips do you have for instilling and practicing manners in your home?

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Guest Post: 8 Tips for Teaching Your Kids Good Manners is a post from Beautiful Calling.

The children and I spend our days at the park, walking the trails and beautiful streets of our subdivision, or reading and living and loving in our comfortable home.

But sometimes, when we venture into the city, our paths come across theirs. Those people; dirty or sad-looking, holding out a hand – or cup, looking at you forlornly or perhaps staring at the sidewalk. They have a cardboard sign as they sit there on the sidewalk or lay curled up on the park bench.

I’m ashamed to admit that far too often, in my life before children, I would pass by hurriedly, avoiding eye contact. Because I couldn’t  always give financially, I’d hide behind my husband and choose not to see.

But the Lord has a way of changing a person and He has used the little ones in my life in so many ways to touch me, change me, mold me…

And as we walked passed the old woman on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore, wrapped in blankets with her cup out, Chloe smiled at her and the woman smiled back.

My eyes filled with tears and my heart broke as I realized the power of a smile and the importance of valuing people – all people.

When we see those who are down on their luck, begging on the sidewalk, sometimes we can help financially and sometimes we can’t. But even when we can’t give money, we can always say hello as we pass and offer a smile, showing them and our children (and reminding ourselves) that each person is so valuable to Him.

We were in Paris, France this time last year. It seemed that everywhere we turned, there was a need; a cardboard sign, a hand extended, a cup held out. We offered our meager change where we could, we also shared tracts in French and on a few occasions, a sandwich or something to eat. What a great opportunity to talk about the blessings of God, of thankfulness, of giving, of those who don’t know the Lord.

While we were there, my husband shared with me a story {urban myth?} of a man who made more begging than he would had he had a full time job. He also reminded me that some may use the money for drugs or alcohol. I pondered this and the other thoughts he shared. Then I came to this conclusion: I’m asked to give a cup of water in His name and what happens next is up to Him. I’m accountable for my actions, not anyone else’s.

So whether I am giving a smile, a greeting, a tract,  a sandwich or placing our meager financial offering into that outstretched palm, I can bask in the joy that obedience brings, trusting that the Lord will use whatever I have given for His glory. {I will say that most of our giving is done through our local church, supporting missions, missionaries, orphanages etc. around the globe. But just because we give through the church doesn’t mean that we can’t give to those in need when we can and when we feel led.}

Have you ever struggled with this?

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. A Smile for the Homeless is a post from Beautiful Calling.

Isaac on his second day didn’t want to eat and was very lethargic.  Jennifer paged our midwife and after taking a look everyone went to the hospital.  Isaac’s glucose levels were nonexistent so he started receiving supplements to boost it but after a few hours it would drop again.  They stayed at the hospital for two days and were moved to another in a neighboring city that has a neonatal unit.  Isaac’s glucose levels are staying higher and he’s finally hungry.

So far we don’t know anything other than he was a very long and lean baby without the proper fat stores.  It’s frightening to see an I.V. in his head and a feeding tube in his nose but Isaac doesn’t seem to mind.  Thankfully Jennifer has been able to stay with him the entire time and has been breastfeeding or providing breast milk.  Everyone involved has been wonderfully supportive and kind to us and we’re very thankful.  Our first two home births were so successful and now we’re experiencing a lot of heartache and concern over our newest addition: a gentle reminder of the grace we receive in our lives daily.

Job 1:21. The Lord giveth and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

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Jenn is wife to one, mother of three and above all, a humble servant seeking to honor the Lord with her life. Baby Isaac Hospitalized is a post from Beautiful Calling.