Rays of Sunshine-Meet Tabitha

It's Friday! Welcome to our Friday series, Rays of Sunshine. This series is meant to feature different women from different walks of life; giving us a small glimpse into their lives with the hope of leaving you encouraged.

Today, I want to introduce you to someone pretty wonderful. You know that person that everyone seems to just instantly like upon meeting them, well, prepare to instantly like Tabitha. She is truly a sweetheart and I am blessed to call her my friend. I miss her living close by so much and so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her day. I think you will too!


My name is Tabitha, and I am the wife of a wonderful husband, mother of three joyful boys, and child of God.  A day in our life has many surprises, messes, up, downs, songs, laughter, and battle scenes.  Each day is quite different, despite my strong efforts to get us to a norm.   

We moved about 4 months ago, and finding a norm for us since has been difficult, mainly because we seem to always have something going on.  For instance, the week before last we made a spur of the moment decision to go to out of town Friday on Thursday. Then last week my grandparents from California were coming to Arkansas, and now this week we are preparing to go camping next week.  After we get back we will preparing for my oldest son's 7th birthday.  

So, if you haven't noticed there is always something.  So, after much thought ;), I have decided to roll with this ride, and realize that everyday is an adventure!  A new adventure that God has planned for us!  I plan some things, but make sure to realize not to miss the fun when my plan doesn't work!  (by the way I am very sorry to all those reading this that know me, that have had our adventure for the day turn their upside down, for what it is worth Thank You, I am so blessed to call you friend)

Okay onto our adventure for today.

Early this morning around like 5:30, I vaguely remember helping my hubby out of bed, and then saying bye to him or rather him to me before he took off for work at like 6:40am. I do not really consider this being up at all, although I am striving to start getting up with him and being up before the boys. It would be a perfect time to spend with him and then with the Lord - a perfect way to start my day, I mean adventure.  But obviously life isn't perfect and so I am still striving to accomplish this ;).......

This morning I woke up to whisperings of "Mom, Mom, Mom will you read this now?" from my little man, Tristen - my 5yr old.  The night before I had promised to read this book today and we had left it in a special place so we wouldn't forget.  So, that means that I have one excited little man to spend time with me first thing in the morning! (even though it is like 7:15 in the am I think, the clock was very blurry) And also, this particular book is You Are Special by Max Lucado, so we both are starting the morning being reminded of God's Love.  Simply an amazing way to start my day! ;)

By the way, I must add here that little brother, Ethan my 2yr old, is in our bed every morning about 3:00am give or take an hour, so he was also listening to the story.

After the story was read like 1 1/2 times, Tristen went to go play with big brother - Thaddeus my 6yr old, in their room, while I help Ethan change his pull-up, go potty, and get underwear on. While doing this he is singing one of our sign songs about a banana, and trying to do the sign for it with his cute little fingers.  Too cute!  Now, on to start the coffee.  

Mmmmmm, I love to smell the coffee making in the morning.  It really wakes me up that and my shower.

While the coffee makes this morning, my task is to look up camp sites for our camping trip that we are leaving for in like 4 days.  Yes, I know last minute, but still needs to get done and so today is the day.  So, back to looking up camp sites.  While I am doing this on, I am on my bed, Ethan is bringing his farm set in to me to play, with a "Mommy, can I have this on your bed?"  I can't say no to that.  Apparently, this is my animal to play.....

While Ethan and I are doing this, big brothers are playing what sounds like a very crazy game in their room.  Oh, time for coffee. And yeah!, I get to have my favorite cup, it's the little things that make me smile.  Back to research and farm life while I drink my coffee.

Okay it's 8:40, I need to get breakfast going now, so the camping research will have to wait.  First, a drink for everyone.  We have water most all the time, otherwise the boys never want to drink water at all. 

Oh dear,  a crisis has occurred! Ethan's new Buzz got a few drops of water spilt in his helmet apparently from the hole in Ethan's lip.  I get that cleaned up and all is good. Whew!  On to breakfast again.  I am making oatmeal for breakfast.  As I start it Ethan asks, "Mommy, can you get me a banana?".   I smile at him and get it.  I love it when he asks so sweetly in his little voice.   While the oatmeal is cooking, I have some cookies that have to get baked, five rolls of oatmeal cookies.

The boys helped me make them last night.  They had to be in the fridge for at least an hour, so I just saved them to cook this morning.  We are taking them camping so there are a lot.  I always have lots of help in the kitchen.  And this  little man loves to be in my pictures. 

I also have granola that needs to be cooked today - also for the camping trip.      Guess the oven is going to be going all day, oh well.  Ethan is now done with his banana and asking for 'oatmilk'.  We work on this like every morning like with most things right now, it's fun.  The rest of the conversation goes,

 

Mommy: Yes, the oatmeal will be ready soon.
Ethan:  not oatmeal, oatmilk mommy.  Can I have oatmilk?
Mommy: Yes, Ethan oatmilk is oatmeal, can you say meal?
and so on, you get the idea.

Now everyone realizes the cookie dough is out and want to eat it, so I have three little hands trying to get in the dough.  I give them each a piece and then finish up the oatmeal.
Oh dear, we are out of honey for the oatmeal - our favorite sweetener is honey for our oatmeal and most everything.  But oh well, I can improvise this, we will just have maple and brown sugar flavoring today. ;)

After we eat it is time for after breakfast clean-up.  Big brother rinses off all the breakfast dishes.  Usually Tristen brings him the dishes, and wipes of the table.  But today Tristen has taken the initiative to put away all the folded clothes in the basket - they all belong to the boys - right after he was done.  Way to go Tristen!  So, I help Thaddeus out, and help Ethan clean himself, and get more cookies in the oven - this last one is an endless cycle for a bit.

Now, I sit down for a quick breakfast with another cup of coffee, or maybe this is the same one only half drunk.  Okay fill-up coffee cup, and do more campsite research while eating. Oh yea! Big brother is reading an Oceans book to his brothers - a school moment!  We are on a student led school right now for the most part.

After my still have finished breakfast, we need a quick clean-up in the house.  My little bundles of adventure have sure taken advantage of Mom being on the computer a lot today ;)......

These are pictures of the boys rolling their own sleeping bags during clean up.  I thought they handled it pretty well.









It is about 10am or so now and we go get ready for the day.  This means I dash to the shower and we all get dressed, put pj's away, make beds, brush teeth, all that good stuff.  Ethan sometimes hangs out with me, but today is being a big boy with his brothers.  I must say at this point in my life, I have finally figured out how to take quick showers (though I still enjoy a long one when I can get it, mmm those just take all the kinks out) After I am pretty put together and more prepared to face the rest of our adventure,  I go in and help Ethan to make his bed.

Okay, now to the kitchen again to get the granola going.  It has to cook like all day.  So, the rest of the cookies will have to wait till tomorrow while this granola cooks.

After that is done I go into the living room to sit.  Ethan and Tristen start bringing me books to read.  And after a bit Thaddeus brings in our bible.  He knows the routine.  Usually, we try to do a bible story together about this time and sing some songs.  So here he is getting us started. Love it when that works.

Right now we have been reading thru the Gospel Story Bible. Thaddeus will read half of the story, and I will read half.  Then we answer the 'talk about questions' and look at the pictures. After this we sing a few worship songs and pray.  Then we sing our ABC song - we try to sign the alphabet during this and it is so cute to watch Ethan do it -  and then we have fun acting out the animals and such in the song.

We just got a call from Dad asking for some lunch - see little surprises always pop up.  Well, I guess thoughts on a picnic will be acted out.

While we are eating our picnic we go over our word for the day, the verse that goes with it. Then we have a rather interesting discussion over examples of persuasiveness. The word always has a word it is v.s. which my battle fighting knights love.  And so we cheer for the good word, and booo the bad - with as much humility and politeness as possible ;).  That word today is contentiousness - even I don't know, should have done my homework for it before hand, oh well learning together is more fun.

 While playing we find a little tiny baby frog.  Tristen picks it up, and we take it out to the woods.

Hold the phone! Here is a multitude of school moments!  Obviously the frog, but I also point out that the frog is camouflaged when in it natural environment - Thaddeus wanted to take it to the rainforest where other frogs live.  So Can you find the frog in the pic? After this lesson, we fly back to the park to play..... and then head    home for some naps/rest time - the older ones don't really sleep anymore.

At nap time we usually read a story for a bit, like a chapter book that we go thru.  The boys are getting a lot better at remembering what has happened in the books up to the point we are reading.  Right now we are reading Little House on the Prairie.  I know I have boys, but they really seem to enjoy these books.  We already read thru the first one.  I think it is all adventure tales that the Pa has to tell in the book.  Works for me, I have never actually read thru them all, so here we go another learning adventure!

While the boys lie down I have more camp research to do - I have to nail one by the end of the day.  And I also need to get some office work done, things like bills, check registrar, and of course email, Facebook, maybe even sneak in some pinterest.  

Okay the older boys have lay still long enough, so I take a break from office work - whew it is exhausting - to take them some books.  Today I will beat them to getting up and asking me for some ;)

About 3:30pm it is time to let them up. They request to play wii, since little brother is still sleeping - there is one particular game they can't play with him around.  So I let them since I still have to look up campsites - have to find one, I think I can, I think I can ........ - while little bro wakes up.  When Ethan gets up, he and I read a few books, look at some word cards, and hangout together. Then he asks to watch his 'favorite movie buzz'.  Too cute!  Well, I get him set up, and then I go get some more camp food together.  And some dinner started.

For dinner, we make a pizza together.  Tonight Dad has to work late, so we are hanging out doing a few kiddo things laid back and easy, so as to not miss him quite so much.  Pizza goes in the oven about 6:15. By the way, Thank You again Mrs. Jenny for this great recipe!

While the pizza cooks we play some Candy Land.  Thaddeus totally dominates the game! 

Okay, pizza is down!  Dinner time!  After dinner we take some baths, clean up from the day, and then the boys go on to bed. 

Now, please understand, this is a long process of like at least 45min. or so.  Danny still hasn't made it home yet, so I sit down to get some more camp research done, till he gets home.  It was a really fun day, and the boys had a blast!  Most importantly we all smiled a lot!  I thank God for all the blessing he has bestowed on us, and for each smile I get from these boys.  They are little handfuls of joy for sure. And sometime and at some point we will have a house routine down - to keep it clean, and a more school like routine, and more hubby time  - but right now until then, I am enjoying every minute!

Chao!

Tabitha

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