January Cherry Pickin'

What is Cherry Pickin'? You ask.
In the coupon world- it is going out to get the best deals for you from the store sales... so here is what I have gotten this week:



These two pics are of RITE AID cherry pickin' I started off with 6 toilet papers for $1.00, then I got $6 in UP Rewards, they are $1 off your next purchase coupons, so, that makes my TP- FREE! I then took the rewards back in and applied $3 to my Viactive chews and got back another $3 in rewards. I applied $1 of that to my facial tissue and got back yet another $1UPR. ALL of the school/office supplies were marked $1.99 and get a $2 reward. They were not ringing up correctly, so, they just zeroed them out for me and they were all FREE! Somewhere in that mix she took some money off the Viactives and anyhoot...So, I still have $4 in rewards to use thenext time I shop! That makes all of the TP below and everything up top $2 out of my pocket, SWEET Cherries!

OK- To the right of the TP is my Walgreens cherry pickin' 8 storage bags @ .99cents = $8, 1 therma care @ 2.50 - $1 coup AND then a $2.50 RR = FREE (coup that prints for next purchase.) 2 Lysols for $7 - $2 in coups + $2 in RR = $1.50 each, a snickers for .49cents, a pack of sharpies for .99cents, Joint Juice for $10 - $1 coup +$10RR, 3 Carefree pantiliners @ .99cents - $1.50 in coups-- Either way, I paid $1.06+$12.25+$.42 a total of $13.73 and I still have $4.50 left in RR- making out of pocket $9.23

Then there is .16 pillsbury and .75 campbells soup at Meijers

FREE Toothpaste at Krogers

and

.87 snuggles, .47 sauces and FREE yogurt at Walmart!

That was all apart of sweet Cherry Pickin'!

So- since it was so sweet, I had to go out for more...

I'll update soon!

Nolan Mark Sweetman- Our Angel

I obviously am not much of a blogger, since my last post was in Feb.
I suppose it has become much easier to Facebook... Yet, this is an online journal type of activity and at this moment it is a good tool.
I went to the doctor on November 19th, my husband's birthday, to have a regular OB check up. I was four months pregnant, 16 weeks and 3 days to be exact. The baby's heart had stopped beating. I had gone in telling my doctor that I had not felt the baby and was worried because I knew I had at least felt flutters or something by this point in time. She stated that we would have an ultrasound and make sure, sure enough, it was gone. The baby had died. So, the next step was to choose to destroy and "abort" the baby or deliver the baby. We choose to deliver the baby in hopes to know what the baby was and to also see if why the baby died could be determined.
We went in, around 9PM, and they put a cream on my cervix to get my labor going. I actually progressed well. Sometimes it takes 48 hours plus to deliver this early and by 10:30 on the 20th I was ready (something we prayed for.) They stated that my placenta may not deliver easily and suggested an epidural in case the doctor needed to pull, tug, etc. When I laid back down after the epidural, typical Leah Sweetman delivery, the baby was there. The nurse delivered our little boy. The doctor came in and they took the cord from around his neck as it was twisted and wrapped four times. The cord had actually cut into his skin. They stated they had never seen one so young, so tangled. He was from the tip of my fingers to the palm of my hand. He was complete with fingers, toes, eyes that were opened, a sweet little mouth. He was obviously a boy, he had the cutest little legs and you could see his muscles and know his built was just like his daddy's. Mark and I held him, sang to him, prayed over him and kissed him. We named him Nolan Mark, a name we had pre-picked when we found out we were pregnant. We took pictures of him and yet do not desire to share them. Although to us he was as complete as he ever will be here in this place, I suppose we fear others may not understand as they look at a baby that small. I do not want to feel as though I need to explain his beauty because we know he for sure was beautiful. The children saw his photo, a photo where Mark was holding him in his hand. They all kissed it as we prayed at his burial. He was buried at the foot of Mark's mother's grave, she had just passed away from cancer. We took a blanket there, sat on it and read God's word together and listened to the song Better Is One Day. It is true, like God's word says, "Better is one day in your courts, than a thousand elsewhere." Nolan will never know the pain of this place. I praise God for that. Yet, I will never know Nolan in this life. I have to wait for eternity. I wonder how he will be, if he will be a baby, a boy, or a man. I wonder if he will know I am his mother there. I wonder if we will know who our family is there or if we will all just be related as children of God. Maybe it is prideful to desire him to know me. Yet, I pray I can one day know him. We are doing well. We have a sense of peace through the pain. I am empty now and confused. Nolan was a surprise pregnancy and we were both in a bit of shock to learn of him. Yet, now I just want the empty gone and I desire to be pregnant and have that 5th child that became apart of us and our dream. Many, especially family, were not too thrilled about our pregnancy. They however do not know what it became to us. Or maybe it is that they know how painful this child rearing can be. We know all too well how to love is to hurt. Thank God that love is worth it and it is the greatest of all from God. I wish Nolan was where he belonged, inside of me, his heart still beating, sucking his thumb as he grows into the 8 lb Sweetman baby he was dreamed to be. I wish I could tuck him into his room with his brother, knowing that those two boys just 2 years apart from one another would grow up being best friends, playmates, the cause of a few bruises to one another. There are many things I wish that will never be...so, I just pray. I pray that all of my children claim Jesus as their Lord and personal savior. I pray that this life will be so small in comparison to an eternity together in Heaven. Heaven is now a sweeter dream because Nolan is there. He was a gift to behold. The Lord gave and HE took away. I am sure he has his reasons and maybe one day I will understand them. Until then I know We Will Remember The Works Of His Hands (a song from church today, a reminder of the beauty!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoqV2ucPsaI

Reminded of Lent

My friend Marcy reminded me, via her blog, that TODAY is Ash Wednesday! I am growing in my walk with God and this has been on my heart and mind -- yet I had not taken the time to look up when Lent season began. Today I was with a friend and had mentioned the need to look it up and see when Easter was (the Holy Spirit is so good!)
So, thank goodness for the good in Facebook that had me looking at Marcy's beautiful blog reminder. http://locustpointeacademy.blogspot.com/2010/02/focusing-on-lent.html
I have since stayed up and began planning our lent season. I printed a great calendar from
http://childrensministry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/lent-fridge-faith-2010.pdf
I also plan to limit the TV time and computer time we us as a family and spend more time in HIS word and doing HIS work.
I am going to ask my children to give up something and replace that time serving and being the BODY of Jesus. Ideas I have is using our prayer journals, adopting an elderly person from a nursing home, taking food to shelters, cooking a meal for someone each week, making cards, etc.
I also plan to make a paper mache Easter egg and leave a slit in it for the kids to write a love note to a family member each day and then on Easter we will open it and read the notes together. The direction for doing that are on the childrens ministry webste when you print the calendar.
I have been doing the Lord's Table course through www.Settingcaptivesfree.com and have been blessed through this study to be able to reconize the gift of the Holy Spirit more in my life. I menion this because I am so thankful that God did not let me miss another day of this Lent season. It was on my mind, in my heart and I am thankful that I get to focus more on HIM and plan to stay more in tune with my fathers plan.
Please pray that this season is special to my children, husband and myself and pray that God brings us closer to HIM through this time. I too will pray for you and as Marcy is doing on her blog--please give us as a family any special request so that we can write them in our journals and lift you and yours up in our prayer time.
BE BLESSED AND BE CLOSE TO YOUR FATHER THIS LENT SEASON AND ALWAYS!

My Brinley Gale

This is my beautiful daughter, Brinley Gale, who will be turning 3 on 3:16 ;)
She has a speech delay and has trouble communicating, yet she is LIGHT and so beautiful to us. She can run in my high heels, faster than I could. She calles them her "ancy ooes" (fancy shoes)and she is almost always in a pair. Here lately she has chosen my wedding shoes. Mark asked if I was going to just let her play in them and I said "well, at least someone is wearing them!" She loves to say "ance" with me mommy and I spin her around the kitchen as she twirls. We have a fireplace in our family room and the fireplace area is her stage where we watch he "ing" (sing) many times a day. She can carry a tune. I am in prayer for my sweet baby because she is about to go to school for a pre-school program through our county where they will offer her speech for free twice a week. She is happy and says "I go ool, ee!" ( I go to school speech!) I am torn about it because I know she needs the speech help so much yet the idea of her not being home with me 4 half days a week just seems unreal.
I understand her words and I am afraid that the teachers, ect won't be able to and that they will miss the way my baby shines and how smart and special she is.
Please say a prayer for Brinley, so that she will get her words this school year (March-June) and not need to go again next fall.
Anyway--back to her-- she is the best big sister who loves her "baby" and takes such great care of him, to include pulling him by his neck out of the bathroom as he attempts to play in the toilet (his favorite new pass time) or she will share her food with him in the car (like when he was about 5 months old and she fed him a fry!)
The love she has for him and her other siblings is so precious. I am blessed that they do not have jealousy--yet really find joy in one another and even our 12 yr old, Nathan, would do anything for his Brinley Gale.
Brinley's favorite things to do right now are to cut, play playdough, read her picture books, sing, dance, do "school" and eat her rice cakes!
I thank God for her, she makes me "SO HAPPY" and she says I make her the same. It could not get much better than this!

A Stay at Home Moms Title

You know,I think I need to change my name to a driving mom or an on the go mom. I do not feel like I am ever a stay at home mom. Yes we "homeschool" but outside of our school moment we seem to be out of the house, out the door. My house and my van can show the proof! I want to simplify things a bit and actually stay at home... driving Alexus to and from her school each day stinks. It is about a 2 hour out of the day job to do by time you load and unload 5 other children and sit in the car riders line. I have thought about changing her school, but with not knowing what will happen at our next court date with her, I guess it is just better to keep her there. Then at least she also won't have another change to face in this 6 yr old world she is in.
O well-- until then I guess we will be an on the go each day kind of family. I used to LOVE Tuesdays and Thursday knowing we could stay in PJ'S all day if we wanted too! Pretty soon we will be back to co-op Monday's, bball practice and YMCA Tuesday's, Church Wednesdays, Bball practice and YMCA Thursdays and Field Trip Friday's--top the week off with Bball game Saturdays and Church Sunday's and tell me if homeschoolers are unsocialized?
I need a vacation---in my home for a week!

I'm not on here much---yet I am going to try to update the "blog world!"

I have lost weight--between 8-10 pounds in 17 days. I am giving all the glory to GOD because I am not on a "diet" per say, yet I am on a life style change; a change of heart where I note that I have made food way to important to me...I am a noted glutton who lived in sin where food is concerned. I am using the tool www.setttingcaptivesfree.com to help me on this walk. They have a program called The Lords Table and it is a FREE, 60 days of intense Bible study, geared to free you from gluttony program! I pray I chose to obey God and turn to HIM instead of food in my boredom, stress, etc....resulting in the added bonus of weight loss!

Brinley Gale had her speech evaluation yesterday for Jefferson county public schools. After she turns three in March the bus will come and take my baby to school four half days a week where she will have speech on two of those days. It is a very hard thing for me to do--yet she wants to go and is happy about going on the school bus and she needs the extra push by kids and teachers alike to get her out of the comfort of where we understand her mumbles. We know "me ush ma ee" means I want to brush my teeth and unfortunately it is not helping her to communicate better so that others can understand her.

Bryson is WALKING...when he wants to of course. He is still favoring to crawl but he gets up in the middle of the room alone and walks when he chooses! All of the kids are pumped about that.

WE DID SCIENCE! HA! I am making myself do it FIRST a couple of days out of the week. So often I do not get to it because we wait until after lunch and by then we are all just done with school. SO--now science will be an AM class a couple of days a week. Today we made soap and looked at the embryo of a bean! Yeah us!

Nathan is doing much better and has done his school very well here lately. I have all the older children in basketball and they are doing great and having fun. Brianna and Alexus have made baskets which they just are so happy about having made.

We have started to attend a new church. We do not know where God is going to take us with this but we know he has guided us this far. It has been great, full of "meat" and like minded large homeschooling families. They do lots of outreach work, separate their boys and girls in middle and high for Sunday school programs. They also have K and up go into service with you, which Mark and I have really enjoyed that worship time with the kids. It is an adjustment, we love our church family--but we really hear God saying "it is time for you all to go."

Changing ME...

I know I can do this...
I am at a spot where choices have to be made. I have to choose if I should continue this homeschool walk with Nathan. I do not respond to his ADD, learning style, attitude, et well at all at times and I want to change the cycle that Nathan and I are on. It is so hard. Often times I feel like the woman God talks about who tears down her own house with her words and hands. I am destroying my relationship with Nathan. I want him to feel wonderful as he is, I do not want him to think that he needs medication or anything else to be wonderful. I know he is smart. My husband even said "heck if he can catch a squirrel, kill it, skin it, BBQ it, eat it, etc then he is good to go, lol! Seriously though, I just want us to make it. I strongly feel that even if he were in school we would have the same issues, because he is my Nathan, and I am his mom. We are going to have problems until I change the cycle of response. Your fuse gets shorter after so many years of repeating yourself. YET, I love him and I want him to feel that. I want to be TEAM NATE'S # 1 FAN!
If we learn nothing else this school year, please be with me in prayer, that we learn that I love him and that he chooses to have respect for me! I will update about our progress soon!
Thanks!