Resurrecting an Old Blog...

Do you ever look back at things you wrote years ago, and cringe? Okay, so maybe it's just me. Haha. I recently rediscovered this old blog of mine. I love the premise...a place for me to share my struggles and successes as a mom of young kids. I loved the idea of this. But it was hard to keep up with. And, looking back, I realize how little I really understood at the time. And I guess that was the idea of it...treasures from the trenches...writing while right in the midst of it all.

As the years have passed (all too quickly, I might add), I am realizing more and more that none of us ever truly "arrive," but rather, that we are all on this journey for a lifetime. I have read dozens of parenting books, blogs, and articles over the years. I have listened to hundreds of encouraging podcasts. And I continue to learn and grow through this parenting journey.

I don't know if I will be able to keep up with this blog again. But my heart's desire is to document our family's life and journey. As I am getting older, I am finding that it is getting more and more challenging for me to remember things that happened even a few years ago. The only proof I have are the photographs I took during that time.

So this blog is going to take on a new feel. It is going to become more of a documentary of our family. I want to share the good, the bad, and the beautiful. I may share a little of the ugly, but ugly isn't fun or memorable, so I will not focus on that. I plan to keep a simple Instagram account as well.

As I resurrect this blog, I have decided to keep all of my old posts, regardless of how cringe-worthy they are. But here I am, 8 years later and 3 more kids added to the mix. My husband, Kevin, and I are about to celebrate 18 years of marriage this month. We are partners in this journey and I am SO thankful for his constant support, work, and guidance as we navigate through life together. And I am most thankful to God, because without HIM, I seriously have no idea where I would be!! It is through Christ, alone, that I can do anything good!!

With all that said, here's to a newly resurrected blog...Treasures from the Trenches. I will follow this post with highlights about each of our kiddos over the next few weeks.

Forest School Friday

We had a GREAT time out there today. The kiddos had a BLAST playing in the creek again. I had planned to teach them about trees (the different parts of the tree, different types, etc). We were also going to play a game of tree tag. But after I read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, the kids jumped up and said, "NOW it's time for the creek!" They could hardly contain themselves. So I let go of my original plan and just let them romp around in the muddy creek. And BOY did they have FUN! :) The kids enjoy the freedom to get messy. Some of them were covered in mud, as they discovered a mudslide on their own. They explored what it's like to walk across slippery rocks in the creek. They made music with sticks on rocks. They found shells and discovered what was inside of them. They splashed and giggled as they played in the water. They got to be explorers, adventurers, scientists...KIDS! :) Here are some pics from our morning...

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out today! I had actually made up a poem to share to help teach the kiddos the different parts of a tree. It has motions that go with it, and I've used it with my own kids. If you're interested here it is:

Trees
by Leslie Ober

Roots stretching far, beneath the ground.
The trunk covered in bark is thick and round.
Leaves blow in the wind, way up high...on branches reaching up to the sky.
Some trees shed seeds, and they fall, fall, fall to the ground below.
And maybe then another tree will begin to grow!

Post Mother's Day Woes...

Me and my little lovies on Mother's Day

I was on the phone with a friend of mine a few years ago. She was laying on the floor, exhausted and fed-up. Her kids were locked in their rooms and she just didn't know what to do with them. So she was laying in the hallway as they pounded on their locked doors, yelling horrible things at her, as she just laid there on the verge of an emotional break down. "I just don't know what to do with them. They're awful."

At the time, I didn't know how to encourage this young mother of three. I had never experienced what she was going through. And I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I judged her. I don't remember what my exact thoughts were, but I'm sure they were something along the lines of, "Gosh...I can't imagine this parenting thing being so hard. I hope I'm never that helpless." Boy am I eating my words now!!

Because now, a couple years down the road, I am living in a season of life that sometimes has me on the floor...crying. My house is a mess. My kids are at times defiant, rude, and just plain hateful to one another. I sometimes resort to locking them in their rooms after we've exhausted all other options. The tears roll down my face as I listen to them screaming insults at me...kicking their doors so hard they sound like they're about to come down. I listen to my son yell, "I don't even love you...not even a little bit!" and "I wish you weren't even my mommy anymore!"

I pray for grace. I bite back the tears. I cry out to the Lord for His love to cover them...to cover me. I CANNOT DO THIS! Why does this have to be so hard? Why can't they just get along? Why can't they just be loving, obedient children? The more I do for them...the more I shower them with love...the more greedy and hateful they become. I just don't get it! I go out of my way to provide them with enriching activities, and then have them whine that they don't like what we're doing. I work tirelessly to make them dinner, only to have them complain that it's disgusting. I give them occasional treats, only to have them complain that so-and-so has more...and that it's just not fair. Nothing I do is good enough.

There are so many days that I feel like screaming, "You wanna know what's not fair? It's not fair that I have given up my life to stay at home and raise you ungrateful children. It's not fair that I never get any time to myself because I am so busy meeting your needs. It's not fair that I don't get to do whatever I want, whenever I want. It's not fair that no matter what I do, I just can't get rid of this flabby baby belly! Life just isn't FAIR!"

And when I begin to spiral out of control in my thoughts (and they do only remain in my thoughts, btw)...I get stopped in my tracks. I hear God whispering into my heart. "You wanna know what's not fair? It's not fair that my one and only Son gave up his life so that YOU could live. It's not fair that HE had to pay the penalty for your sin. But it's okay. Because I love you THAT much...and have never looked back."

Gulp. And with that, more tears flood my eyes. Gosh this is a tough season I'm in. And I am praising Him that His power is made perfect in weakness! GOD...I am SO weak! I am stumbling through this whole parenting thing. I am exhausted...always. But He is right here with me. And I could not get through this without His love and tender guidance. Lord, help this mama! I'm sinking!

Busy Week Off...

This week we took a break from our Before Five in a Row, but the learning never stops around here! We learned a lot about rabbits and bunnies. We learned about marshmallows. And today, during our Forest School Friday, we learned a little bit about snakes! We spent A LOT of time outdoors this week. The kids LOVE being outside...and well...so do I! Here is our week in pictures...

{sidewalk chalk and water painting}

She loves watching big brother and sister play!

 {Marshmallow counting}

Through doing some research, we learned that marshmallows used to be made from the sap of the marsh-mallow plant, thus giving it its name. Like most things, in recent years they've figured out how to engineer other ingredients to make them (using gelatin instead). They used to have healing properties!! Pretty cool, eh? :)

{Bunnies are cute...and fragile}

We left these sweet babies alone for the most part, but now they are gone. Our dog got out and we think she scared them off. We have no clue where they are now. Hope they've found a new nest and are doing well!!

{We got a new TOY!}

He LOVES practicing his gymnastics moves!

She loves to hang!

{Car washing and playing in the hose}

 {Forest School Friday}

here's what baby's doing while we're out there...

running through the trails

LOVED swinging from the vines/branches!

a natural jungle gym!!

balancing on a log

time to clean our feet (just an excuse to jump in the creek)

Found this snake swimming near by!

splashing in mud puddles is fun too!

another lesson on density...some things float and some do not.

monkey boy!

some friends came and joined us!!

Yes...he's a BOY...which means he loves to pester his sister!

We had a great time out there today! Isaac was SO excited about the snake. And upon doing some research, we found that there are only FOUR venomous snakes in the state of Indiana...and they are all in the pit viper family (two types of rattlesnakes, the cottonmouth, and the northern copperhead)...none of which are found in central Indiana. So we're SAFE! :) It was just so great to get them outside and in the woods. They LOVED it!!

Before Five in a Row...

This week, we read the very short, simple "The Carrot Seed" by Ruth Krauss. We did a few carrot-related activities, but much of the week was filled with PLAY! We had intended to plant some carrot seeds ourselves, but this week there have been some freeze warnings, so we're going to wait another week before we plant them! I'm not a natural gardener, so we'll see how this goes! :)

{Painting}

They LOVE working with watercolors!

Whoops! :)

{Carrot Math}

I was VERY impressed with his problem-solving skills!

{Imaginative Play}

Isaac loves playing with his "guys."

Naomi's potato baby!

Isaac's potato head creation.

My potato head creation! :)

A little peak at him playing quietly BY HIMSELF. Wish he did this more!

She is a WONDERFUL mommy to all of her babies!

Playing the piano...while balancing on a ball! Hehe!

{Carrot Activities}

Will it come up? YES it will! :)

We talked about what plants need to grow.

Sequencing activity...cutting and pasting work.

Number recognition, counting, and playdough work

Hardest maze I've given him yet...and he BREEZED through it!

Pretended to be wheelbarrows! :)

Painting with CARROTS! :)

Baby sister watches big sister paint!

She loves taking it all in while big brother and sister are playing!

{Household activities}

I was recently encouraged from reading an article somewhere (sorry I can't remember where) to really allow the kids to help me out in the kitchen. I tend to be a control freak in my kitchen. I know what I need done, and I know I'll do it right and quickly. Add two preschoolers into the mix, and it messes everything up! Haha! But OH the learning opportunities from the kitchen! From being a big helper washing dishes to helping stir or add ingredients into a recipe. There is SO much to be learned in the kitchen. So now, this mama is working to include these kiddos AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. And while it's a bit more hectic, they LOVE it!! :)

Isaac does the dishes well.

We also found a bunny nest in our yard this week. Our dog actually found it first, but thankfully, she didn't get any of the bunnies (SIX of them in all). Because of the poor location (our dog would attack them at the first opportunity), we HAD to move the nest, and are really hoping the mama comes back for them. Only time will tell! But the kiddos are totally enamored with them, and it's been an exciting discovery this week, as we've learned all about bunnies and rabbits. The children have also enjoyed pretending that THEY are baby bunnies too! Super cute! :)

Looking at the nest before we moved it!

SO tiny!!

SIX babies all cuddled up.