Last night the family sat down and watched an episode of The Walton's, remember that old tv show? It is a good show that would do many good to revisit! There was a scene where Mary Ellen is sitting with Grandma. Grandma wants to show her how to crochet and Mary Ellen says, "Oh, Grandma, I don't need to know how to do that I'm going to be a career woman." Grandma in return says, "Who ever said being a wife and a mother was not a career!"

My husband and I replied in unison, "THANK YOU!"

Where have those days gone? Today if you stay home to raise your own children you are seen as less of a woman. I submit to you that those who fulfill their God given role as a keeper at home are the real career women! It is a place to excel and in so many diverse areas. I am a teacher, spiritual leader to my children, nurse, cook, cleaning lady, economic major, gardener, organizer, hairdresser, clothes presser, piano driller, chauffeur, disciplinarian, and on and on and on.

I believe this is not only the most diverse career, but also one of the most difficult, because to truly excel you must possess many character traits that are not easy to come by and not easy to maintain. Things such as humility, patience, integrity, and consistency. You must be able to withstand pressure from the world, of those telling you to go and make something of yourself, implying that you are nothing if only a wife and mother. It is often a thankless and unappreciated position.

Not only is being a keeper at home one of the most diverse and most difficult careers it is also the most rewarding. Not monetarily of course, I do not get a paycheck. I do not think anyone could afford to pay a keeper at home for all they do. It is by far the most blessed position one could find! You receive the blessings of the Lord. When living a life according to His plan, you are blessed. You have freedom, I am the queen of my castle. It doesn't even have to be a big castle. I am blessed with joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, love, contentment, a thankful family, and a bunch of smiling faces! No paycheck can beat that, no praise of man can even come close.

It is also the most important job. Who is preparing the generation of tomorrow? Not only to be good citizens but to be godly citizens! There is eternal significance. It does NOT take a village to raise a child, it takes a committed mother and a father!

So I ask, "Who said being a wife and a mother is not a career?"

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, Homeschooling, journal, Well Drained Mind

Our family has received a tremendous blessing this week, one that we are still trying to process and convince ourselves that it is real. I still cannot believe it! As you may have noticed from a previous post, our family is very involved in Awana. Last year our children that qualified went to Awana Scholarship Camp. It was such an amazing experience and a fun time for them. Due to our move in late spring this year the children will not be able to attend camp this summer. There is just no possible way we can get them back here. We just cannot afford plane tickets for four children and the trip is just too long to make again with the costs of transporting such a large family over 2000 miles. Camp was just out of the realm of possibilities this year.

My husband received a call the other night saying that someone had anonymously donated the money for our children to fly back to attend camp! I still cannot believe it!

Thank You Lord! Thank you to the individual or individuals who have so vividly shown Christ's love to us through this gift!

God gently reminded me of his promises this week and has brought these scriptures to mind:

Ephesians 3:19-21 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, journal

"Christian parents, brothers and sisters in Christ, there is no greater calling in our lives as Christians than to raise up the next generation of faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely within that calling, the most noble, the most necessary, the most foundational task is to ensure our children have been thoroughly trained to properly, earnestly, honestly, from the heart and soul and mind and strength, offer their reasonable service, their spiritual worhip to God the Father Almighty in the name of His only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!"

~ Craig & Barbara Smith Keystone Magazine July 2002, Vol. VIII No. 4

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, Homeschooling, journal, Quiverfull, Quotes

College Funding

Look into the following:
ESA~Educational Savings Accounts or 529 plans.

NEVER fund college using the following~
Life Insurance
Savings Bonds
Zero Coupon Bonds
Prepaid Tuition

Labels: financial

The Krispy Kreme Musicians & Dancers

Labels: journal, Quiverfull, Wordless Wednesday

Today I was once again reminded of how amazing God's grace & protection are. While visiting a friend in the hospital the memories of times when I was in her exact position came flooding back. She is in for pre-eclampsia and soon to be a premature delivery of her son. I have had two pregnancies where I have come close to loosing my life as well as the life of my baby. I did not always have the best medical care in those instances and yet God protected us. I have learned to push for good medical care and for doctors and nurses that listen to their patients, however, I try to continually remind myself that God is the One in ultimate control and He is the Great Physician.

On another note: I would like to ask of those of you who do read this blog, to pray for Becca, my friend in the hospital and her unborn son. Also to keep another friend in your prayers. He is the Catholic priest at our chapel and his name is Father George. He was diagnosed with cancer in his bladder and will be having his bladder removed next week, they are also checking to see if it has spread. He will also be medically discharged because of this. He is having a very difficult time. Again, God is the Great Physician and His grace is sufficient. Please pray for them if you feel led to do so.

Labels: Christianity, journal, Quiverfull

Baby Step Four~ Invest 15% on household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement.

1) Fund 401K or other employer plan IF they match and fund the amount equal to the match.
2)Above the match amount, fund ROTH IRAs. If there is no match, start with ROTH IRAs. Why a ROTH? The Roth IRA is an after tax IRA that grows TAX FREE!
3)Complete 15% of income by going to company plans.

Military folks, Dave says TSP (Thrift Savings) is a good thing, do that too to get to your 15%!

Remember an IRA is not a type of investment at a bank, it is the tax treatment on any type of investment. Make sure you are diversifying. Dave recommends 25% in each of these four categories: growth & income (Large cap), growth (Mid cap), international, & aggressive growth (small cap). Mutual Funds are a great way to go!

Labels: financial

Sarah's birthday was actually the same day as the Awana games but we postponed the celebration until the next day. We rented the skating rink and had a few friends and some family come, a good time was had by all! Happy birthday Sarah!

Labels: journal

This has been an extremely busy week-end! The Awana Games were this weekend.
The Awana games were so much fun as always. My hubby reffed all day and then gave the Gospel message devotional. We had 5 children playing and 3 of them their teams came in first place, we had a 3rd place, and a 4th place. It was a long but fun day!





WANT TO FIND AN AWANA CLUB? www.awana.org

Labels: Christianity, journal

"You are in the very center of His will as you embrace His little ones to your heart and raise them to be mighty arrows for God's kingdom. You are at the very heart of the kingdom of God. There is nothing more powerful that you could be doing in the whole of the world. Be encouraged. And may you be filled with the joy of the Lord as you fulfill this mighty task in your home today."

~ Nancy Campbell in Above Rubies

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, Homeschooling, journal, Quiverfull, Quotes

Now it is time for your fully funded emergency fund (FFEF)!

Now that your debt is gone take that snowball and put it into your FFEF, 3-6 months of expenses. This shouldn't take too long, considering your expenses are much less without all of that debt.

Labels: financial

I was told to put up pictures of my shopping spree, so here they are. The pictures really do not do them justice but it gives you an idea anyway.

Here is a nice shirt, sorry about the wrinkles! LOL! And my two pairs of shoes.

I think these are my two favorite skirts and there is a nice camel colored tank top.










This is what my hubby calls my "Fairy Skirt", it has the um..wispy points cut at the end of the skirt. It looks really cute.












Skirt with matching top, this is floor lenghth, I love it!

Last Two Skirts:

Labels: financial, journal

I very rarely shop for myself, something that tends to irritate my husband. But yesterday, we took our children out to spend their money and I ended up finding a few things. It was so much fun! When we move I will most definately miss our Macy's store!!!! The Macy's store downtown has an awesome clearance floor! Everything is 80% off!!!! So since we were there and we just happened to have some money this week I bought a new church wardobe, something that was greatly needed!

I thought about taking a picture of everything but I thought it would be too hard to really tell what everything was in a little picture. Anyway, here is what I came home with:

6 beautiful skirts, 3 blouses, and two pairs of open backed pointy toe heels.
Are you ready for the total???? Big breath!! $550, yep! I paid $112!!!!! WooHoo!
Dave Ramsey would be proud I think, a big, big bargain and we paid cash!

I will definately miss this Macy's store!!

Labels: financial, journal

Well, we found out today that having orders in hand does not always mean that you know where you are going! Walter Reed dropped the two AF slots and so we are no longer moving to DC. Hubby will be in the same program in San Antonio now. We are all a little bit disappointed, we were looking forward to a year in our Nation's capital and everything we could see and experience. We were pretty close to having our house lined up and Brian had already spent a good bit of money on getting enrolled in the doctoral program at Erksine Seminary. I guess the Lord is still stretching me on letting Him have total control. It is obvious that I do not! We are disappointed as I said, but the initial shock is wearing off and we are looking forward to being around some family we have not seen in a good long while, who are also moving San Antonio this summer. Things are always changing! Please pray for the Lord to provide us a home, we have a lot less time now to secure one. Thanks!

Labels: journal

Baby Step 2 Get Rid of the Debt

Now it is time to tackle that debt. Cut up and close all of those credit card accounts. You don't need them, you have your emergency fund!

List your debts smallest to largest (except for the house) and we will tackle the smallest one first. This is where Dave Ramsey differs from most financial plans. Most recommend tackling the larges interest rate first, "just to be smart" well as Dave says, if we were smart we wouldn't be in debt in the first place. The whole idea here is to give you some quick wins and get you motivated. Pay the minimum on all debts except that smallest one and throw any and all extra money on that debt. When that debt is paid off add what you were paying on it to the minimum of the next one on the list and keep going. The further down your debt list you go the bigger your snowball gets.

There is a great snowball spreadsheet at the link in the sidebar, try it out it will let you know when you can expect to be debt free!!!!

Labels: financial

Using cash and incorporating the envelope system can help to keep you on budget. Cash tends to have some sort of emotional attachment to it. For most, it is harder to spend cash than it is to just just swipe a card, even a debit card. So move to a cash based system for your purchases. To begin, pick a few catagories such as food, gasloine, entertainment, and clothing, and put your designated amount into individual envelopes with those labels. When you make purchases from those catagories use that envelope and only that envelope. When the money is gone you are done. This is also a big help at the grocery store. It makes you keep track of what you are buying, do I really need those oreos? Use cash for your big purchases also. Save up! You can get a great deal if you have cash! Let me know how this works out for you!

Labels: financial

Labels: journal

He [God] watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.—Saint Patrick (415-c.461)

'Tis the season for parades, green beer, shamrocks, and articles talking about why St. Patrick's day isn't all about parades, green beer, and shamrocks, but who was the real St. Patrick?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/patrick.html

More about the patron saint of Ireland:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/patrick.html

And more on how the Irish were saved:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/index.html#christians

Labels: Christianity

“To marry and have children is the ideal life for a woman. What career could ever be as fine? To give the world splendid men and women —isn’t that the noblest thing a woman could possibly do?”
~ Jessie Willcox Smith

Labels: Encouragement, Quiverfull, Quotes

Wondering where to keep your EF? A savings account is a good place. It is fairly easy to access if an emergency should arise. We were keeping ours in our savings account at the bank where we have our checking account earning a measly 2.3%. I had someone tell me about ING orange savings account where I now earn 4.5%. I have really liked ING thus far. They also have a sign on bonus. If you sign up with a minimum of $250 deposit they will give $25. Not bad huh? You must have a referral though. If you are interested in getting a referral please let me know. Email me at andertribe@yahoo.com and include first and last name and your email address, please write ING referral in the subject line.

Labels: financial

Does gathering $1000 seem like an impossible task? Here are some ideas....

• Sell something.
• Give up that pizza, latte, or whatever else you don't really need.
• Get an extra job.
• Do you really need cable?
• Open an ING account and earn $25 that way, you can also earn $10 if you refer someone. Need a referal for ING? Let me know and I will send you one.

These are just some suggestions. Remember even if it is just $4 a week you are moving in the right direction! Keep it up!

Labels: financial

"You see, there is no higher calling, no greater privilege than being a vessel of life and later a teacher of souls which will live for ever. This is a crucial point: These children will live forever, either in Heaven, or in Hell. We not only have the privilege of introducing them to the world, but God has given us the honor of assisting our husbands in the great work of introducing these little ones to the God Who loves them. No empire, no credential, no golden treasure, no corporate success story can ever rival the glory of this calling.Praying mothers, teaching mothers, faithful mothers – the Church needs you. She needs mothers who will crave children, and love them and bless them to be the warriors of the next generation. Motherhood! Blessed motherhood! The time has come to once again sing the praises of this calling. Though bloodied by the barbs of feminism, Christian motherhood will not be vanquished."

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, Homeschooling, journal, Quiverfull, Quotes, What to Read

Baby Step 1: Your Emergency Fund $1000 in the bank or $500 if your annual income is under $20,000 a year.

Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.

When Murphy comes knocking who is there to take care of things? Your credit card or maybe a relative?? You will find that if you have an emergrncy fund for when those emergencies arrive you can simply pay for things and not have a crisis! When car trouble comes you will find you will not have to have a money crisis as well you simply pay for the car trouble.

KEY: Decide ahead of time with your spouse what constitutes an emergency and then only use your EF for those things if they should arise.

Labels: financial

As I sat here earlier going over my blog and reading replies, I noticed the verse for today.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I thought to myself that it was a great verse and one I knew well. Then the phone rang. It was my husband with news I was not ready to hear. We now have to leave even earlier on our move. Earlier by another 1 1/2 -2 weeks! There are a whole bunch of last minute "I want to do things" that are now being scratched off of the calendar. Children will have some more disappointments to deal with and dealing with that is just not really something I want to do right now. After getting off of the phone with my hubby the verse above popped into my head and I thought of what a great God I have! He knew I needed to be reminded of His plan for my life and to trust in Him, that He is working things for my good. I am again having to submit to His will even though it is really not what I want to be doing.

So I will focus on the fact that God knows what is best and try and see the bright side of things and the adventures that await our family in the coming weeks.

Lord, thank you for your word and the timeliness of it in my life today!

Labels: Christianity, Encouragement, journal

Our family loves Shurley English for our homeschool. It is fun and easy to use. The lesson plans are all written out for you. This cuts down on prep time which is a great benefit when you have a lot of children to teach.

Here are some things that make this program unique.

• Shurley uses a question and answer flow to determine the parts of speech, there are specific queations to which help them identify the different parts of a sentence.
• Shurley uses jingles which define the parts of speech and teach how to find them within a sentence. I find my children singing these and it is a reinforcement of what they have learned every time they sing it.
• Repetition is used to master each concept taught but there is also daily practice of old skills

Want to see some sample pages? Click the link below. Just a note, I have done business with the lady from the link below and highly recommend her if you want to order anything from her. She is trustworthy!

http://www.efinders-keepers.com/index.asp?id=shurley&sub=sp

Labels: Curriculum, Homeschooling

• For bills that you do not pay monthly but quarterly or annually, divide them out and put away an equal amount every month so when the bill comes due you will not bust your budget.
• Remember to budget for things such as Christmas, Vacation, Birthdays, car maintenance, clothing, etc. Put away some every month and designate it.
• For the first few months keep your reciepts and keep track of what you spend and which category to which it belongs. This will help you determine if one category in your budget is too big or maybe too small. Make adjustments.
• Always, Always, Always balance your checkbook!

Labels: financial

Labels: journal, Quiverfull

I am hear to tell you that the much dreaded budget really is your friend and not all that dreadful! Dave Ramsey's plan is based on 7 baby steps but before we get there you need to get started on a budget. A budget is not a straight jacket it is simply YOU telling your money what to do. We will either learn to manage our money or the lack of it will manage us.

Pro 27:23
Know well the condition of your flocks,and give attention to your herds.

Wealth was once measured by livestock and not dollars. Tending to the herds was tending to the financial means of the family.

Not sure where to begin? There is a link to spreadsheets in the financial link section or to start just get out the yellow pad. Designate EVERY dollar! This is called zero-based budgeting. Even if it is money you just intend to blow, designate it. Remember it takes about 3 months to get a budget that actually works! You will need to make adjustments and do a new budget monthly. But get your first one down on paper!!!! Once you get your budget set up we can move into the baby steps!

Need help? Have a question? Post a comment and I will help as best I can.

Labels: financial

I am often asked how I do it all with so many children. "By the grace of God and day by day," I reply. Prioritizing, discipline and attitude are key, things that do not always come naturally to me.

1. Prioritizing~ This should be an easy one but is a trap we often find ourselves in. Do we find ourselves taking care of the urgent before the most important? Unfortunately the answer is often yes because there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

One tool I have used to help me prioritize and make everything fit into my day is a scheduling system. It helped me to weed out things that were just not going to fit. I do not follow it as strictly as I once did. We eventually fell into more of a routine rather than a strict schedule, however it has been a wonderful aid. It is a system that was designed and put together by a homeschooling mother of eight. So unlike other systems she actually understands the unique demands of the large family. I highly recommend the book Managers of Their Homes by Steven & Terri Maxwell. Found at the following link.

http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100

2. Discipline~ There is more than one kind of discipline. We must discipline ourselves to stick to our task and not falter. We must also discipline and train our children for obedience. I would rather have a dozen well-disciplined children than the nations average 2 unruly kids.

3. Attitude~ How do you view your life? Are you a deadbeat housewife with no life of her own? Kids are just something you have to have but are an inconvenience to your goals. This is what society would lead you believe. Or do you embrace the calling that God has placed upon you and embrace your children as a blessing? Your attitude effects how you view and live your life. This is an issue that I make elaborate on later.

If you find yourself struggling:

• First & Foremost, Pray
• Prioritize
• Check your attitude
• Be disciplined

God will supply all you need to raise and manage the family He has given you and that you have been blessed to recieve.

Phl 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Labels: Homeschooling, Quiverfull

Financial Peace University is a program put out by Dave Ramsey. My husband is a FPU (Financial Peace University) coordinator. We have run several classes and have seen amazing results. People's lives have been changed, ours included. It is a 13 week program designed to help you beat debt and build wealth. It is an awesome program and if followed, really works. During the 13 week program the average family pays off $5300 in debt and puts $2700 into the bank for savings! Fpu is a life-changing program.

I will periodically be posting about the basics of the program to aid you in your journey to financial peace. I pray this is a benefit for you.

I also encourage you to find a FPU program near you and get involved!

Labels: financial

Well, yesterday was a great day! Not too cold and the sun was shining. My husband and the children had a great day of skiing and snowboarding. Once I figure out how to transfer the pictures from our camera to the computer I will try and put a few on the blog. I need hubby to show me, the camera is really his toy. All in all, yesterday was a wonderful day with family. I stayed in the lodge with the preschoolers until some of the younger children were ready to head home. The older children stayed until the slopes closed. The only mishap was our 10 year old getting catapulted off of the ski lift that was moving too fast. He was fine and all were able to laugh at it afterwards. Thank you Lord for your protection. The scenery was beautiful! God's creation is amazing!

Labels: journal

I am persuaded that the use of a good Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard against the increasing errors of the times, and therefore I have compiled this little manual from the Westminster Assembly's and Baptist Catechisms, for the use of my own church and congregation. Those who use it in their families or classes must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass. May the Lord bless my dear friends and their families evermore, isthe prayer of their loving Pastor.
C. H. Spurgeon

1. Catechism is a is a great way to have family devotions
2. Catechism is a great way to learn the foundational truths of our faith
3. Catechism is a great way for little children to learn and remember
4. Catechism is great for young children in the grammar stage to memorize
5. Catechism gives a great starting point to expound upon the tenets of the faith
6. Catechism includes scripture to teach these tenents of the faith

There are many catechisms available, I would encourage you and your spouse to find one that you adhere to and to begin to use the catechism in your home.

Our family prefers the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Catechism.

For a list of Catechisms and Creeds use the link below or simply do a search.

http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds.htm

Please share why you use the catechism or just your thoughts.

Labels: Catechism, Christianity, Curriculum, Homeschooling

It is now official, I have spring fever! The temperature is up in the 50's, the snow is melting, the birds are singing, and the days are getting longer. I really do not feel like spending all of our time on schooling. I know I need to just keep plugging away at it but at the moment it is the last thing that I really want to do.

The children have their last homeschooling ski day on Friday and then we are ready for the flowers to bloom.

We all love the snow but I think the fact that we will be moving in a few months is making us anxious to be able to get out and enjoy the warm weather. To be able to do as much as we can here before we make our move to DC.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to fight the fever and to keep up on our studies, please post them and help me out!!!!!!!

Labels: journal

The Ultimate Blog Party is happening now! Everyone is invited! Come see what is going on and get your blog noticed as well! Happy blogging! Just click on the Ultimate Blog Party sign and have fun!

Labels: Blogging

Psalm 127
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved {even in his} sleep.
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.


This is one of my most favorite passages of scripture. It is very near and dear to my heart. The family that God ordained from creation is very important. God uses the christian family to build His kingdom. The Lord is the one who is to build the house or else we are laboring in vain. Who are you letting build your home? I pray it is the Lord.

This passage of scripture came to mind to me this morning as I played with my 6 month old. Even having 8 children, I am still awed and amazed at the little things that come with an infant. Her little fingers, the way her eyes light up with her smile, the cute little baby laugh as well as the excitement that she is becoming more mobile. You would think these things would be "old hat" kind of things, but it is new with every child.

I watch my teenagers and the children in the middle as they work on their school lessons and continue to learn and discover things and I think, "What a blessing!" The newness has not worn off only changed a little.

Children truly are a gift of the Lord and I am truly blessed to be having my quiver filled. I am blessed to have a husband that acknowledges God's sovereignty in this area.

As you go throughout your day, maybe a good day maybe a not so good day, whether you are amidst happy, funloving children today or are amist runny noses, fevers, and crying (like me today) I pray that you will see the great love that God has for you in bestowing His gift of children upon you.

Labels: Christianity, journal, newsletter, Quiverfull, Weekend Kindness