Friday, October 3, 2014

More Updating

 Gosh sakes, I'm so sorry my blogging has been so irregular!
I've just been having a hard time juggling my time!
Once I get here, I end up getting distracted.
My "mom induced ADD" is getting worse.

Newest activity in our home:
2 more girls are unicycling!!
Parades are going to be even more fun next summer!
We are so blessed because our Deacon,
 also our friend and fellow homeschooler,
teaches unicycling and  has practices every Monday evening.
(The Ringsmuth Riders)
He also teaches a Catholic Apologetics class to homeschool kids grades 9-12
My oldest is in it and loves it.

What an amazing man.
He gives so much of his time to others. 
And we get to reap the benefits.

Another family I know runs our homeschool soccer.
As in, every fall til November, every single year, 
for  like 15 years or more, they have run this awesome opportunity for 
other homeschoolers!
I have 2 girls that love to play.
I'm going to guess 80-100 kids show up each week

This family that runs it, donates their time, they are not paid,
they just do it. 
Wow.
They are amazing and we get to reap the benefits.

I remind myself of this:

Small things, Jamie, it's OK to do small things.

 
After a week of doctor appts, lunch dates
 (Star of India with a daughter that was studying India)
clothes shopping (Why can't they just stay the same size for, like a few years?)
homeschooling, piano, groceries, and more groceries, 
I needed some down time.
You know, some time to blog.

After I folded these 6 baskets of clothes!!

I still need to bake some pumpkin bread 
and sort through some girl clothes for my friend in Fargo
(we are going there tomorrow--I can't wait!)

 Saturday jobs are done (the kids)
wait...you were supposed to be scrubbing the floor...
OK, Oh, my! Melt my heart. 
You can mop later.

 Oops.  
I got distracted there.
Updating.
I was updating.

Everyone always asks about these two little cutie pies.
So I'll go onto them!
Aren't those toesies just the cutest?


She has been a Type 1 diabetic since May 1.
And she's doing super, in fact, I'll let her tell you about it!

See?
She's doing awesome!

 And Sims here, he's such a character!!
He's just such a blessing.
He brings so much joy.
Well, both the littles do, to us all!

He has speech every week, in our home.
He just learned how to say the "P" sound and the "B" sound.
This is a major thing, as he still has a tiny hole in the top of his mouth
It's a lot of work, as you'll see in the video, but he can do it!
It will take a lot of practice for it to become natural.

 Isn't he a sweet heart?

 WINTER PLANS!
We are going south for the winter!!
We will be gone for December, January, and February.
(We have someone that will be staying in our home for us)

We have hotels reserved, a trailer rented and a condo ready for us!
(and plans to meet a few friends!)
It will be an adventure of a lifetime.


 MOVING PLANS!
We are still planning on moving.
Our plan is to finish fixing up the house in the spring 
and move when the house sells.

I'm still pushing for TEXAS!!
(San Antonio to be exact)
but ARIZONA is still in the running.

It is really up to God, 
because we have weavered back and forth like 4 times.


 I am reading this again.
LOVE it.
I'll be done on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

I ache for the poor.
Every time I see a homeless person, 
I feel sick inside.
I try to give them whatever I have, 
but I don't always have cash. 
Last week, I asked a woman what I could buy for  her in Wal-mart, 
(she was standing outside of the store)
she had 3 kiddos with her...all she wanted was waters.  
I asked if I could buy her snacks and juice for the kids, 
she said yes.  
Seems so little.
(I threw in a Wal-mart gift card)
It was only one day though.

I so wish I would take them home with me, give them a good home cooked meal,
and a place to sleep til they get back on their feet.
But I also have to be realistic, 
and keep my family safe.

What are we supposed to do?
What does God want us to do?

We pray for them whenever we see them.

My love for the  poor is one of the many reasons I love St Mother Teresa
In 33 Days to Morning Glory, Saint Mother Teresa is quoted as saying 
"Be the one"

It's because of Psalm 69:20
Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy,  but there was no one, 
for comforters, but I found no one.

"Be the one"
I've been contemplating this a lot.

Be the one.

 I've been struggling daily
with getting up earlier 
so I can walk on the treadmill.

Why is this such a struggle for me?

Oh, hush!
You know, when I saw this one I had to share it with you!!

This is what my front yard looks like right now.
It's Freaking 48 degrees outside right now!!!

I need to start counting down the days....


I saw these at Sam's Club and couldn't resist.
Come on!!
You know  you used to watch it!
You know you loved it!

We are watching these tonite.
(Tom and Jedi are going to play cards tonite anyway)

This summer I started writing in a notebook
"100 things I love"
which, to my surprise turned into a lot more!

I plan on sharing these things with you 
and I plan on writing my Thankful's soon too.
How about a Catholic apologetics post?

Hmmmm...we'll see.
I've got to bake some pumpkin bread.

Have a great weekend!

29 comments:

  1. That was a sweet update. And sweetie pie is a dolly.

    I'm off to make some pumpkin bread, too...with streusal topping. Yum!

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    1. No topping on mine...yours sounds like dessert!! Yum!

      She is a dolly, she's fun to hug and kiss all the time!

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  2. Love this post. Love your sweet kiddos. Love you.
    I hope you enjoy your pumpkin bread and Love Boat tonight. ((hugs))

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    1. We watched 2 Love Boats!! Can't believe how many stars are in it and how young they all are!! So fun!

      Love you too--big (((hugs))) right back!

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  3. Yes, I watched Love Boat and LOVED it. Great purchase. Great hearing all of your updates, especially about your beautiful heart with the lady at Walmart.
    Looking forward to all of those future posts you mentioned. :)

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    1. My husband thinks I'm crazy for getting Love Boat, but it's so fun! We watched 2 now, and I can't believe all the stars in it, and how young they are!! John Ritter is in the 2nd one and is a stole-away dressing as a woman, (he stole a woman's suitcase)...so funny.

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    2. Oh, gosh, and that lady at Wal-mart...I got really nervous, wanted to hug her. I felt nervous, because I was thinking, "This is Jesus" and also, I didn't want her to feel like she was any less than me. does that make sense?

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  4. Yes, like the others, I watched "The Love Boat." It was a Saturday night staple.
    I was so moved by what you did at Wal-Mart. You have a beautiful, loving heart, Jamie.
    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Love and prayers,
    Gail

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    1. Oh, yeah, forgot it was on Saturday nights!! Watched it every Saturday. So fun! So many stars and they were so young!!

      Gosh, I was so nervous when I went up to the woman. I felt like, she was Jesus...and I didn't want her to feel like she was less than me, or that I was better than her. I wanted to hug her...but didn't. Like I said, it was just one day. Every day she's homeless. Every day she is struggling. Every day is hard for her.

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  5. How kind to help the homeless family. I have people ask for money sometimes, but I rarely ever have cash. We usually try to buy them a meal, but usually they say they just want money. Makes me sad. So many homeless people, I'm so thankful we still have a place to live. I hate to hear of children suffering, I wish I could take them all home with me.

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    1. We are so blessed aren't we? Makes me sad too. You have such a kind heart Kari. Love you.

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  6. You are killing me this morning, Jamie!! I always enjoy your updates, but especially enjoyed this one as it's written exactly like you'd talk and what's in your head.
    What great updates...more unicyclists (will have to catch them next year at a parade), the two littles are just so sweet, soccer sounds like fun and what a great service to you all that someone else organizes/runs the whole thing.

    You have such a kind heart for those that are homeless/in need. I find myself most often by myself with the kids and I don't usually run into them face to face, but still don't know what to do/how to help. We've had more popping up in the cities closer to us that it's sparked concern from Jonah. Of course, he asks questions wondering how we should help them, how will he know what to do when he's older, etc. It's really kind of hard to explain and then makes me more aware of my uncharity.

    The end with the 'freaking 48 degrees out' had me lol for some reason. Only because I was thinking the same thing! And the exercise/running, died laughing. Only Jamie. Love ya!

    This post made me say to the kids, "hey, should we have Jamie's family over sometime soon??" There was a unanimous YES! So, let's make plans. You wanna come see my place? I'll try to remember to fb or email you. Okay?

    Happy weekend enjoying your Love Boat and pumpkin bread. It looks cold out again this AM, but not that ridiculous wind at least. We have a family hayride this evening and I'll be freezing my hinder off.

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    1. Sarah!! We'd love to come visit you!

      What happened to 60 degrees? We had 80 last week and now this week all 40's? There is a middle there and it makes for a lovely fall.

      I look for the poor...no, I don't really look for them, (unless I have some bread to giveaway) but they stand out to me. I see them. I can't stop thinking of them. When we can't get to them, or give them anything, we pray for them. That's a big thing, right? When I do see them and can help in any way, I want them to feel loved that day. To know that at least one person cares for them that day. "What can I get you?" is a great start. They never ask for much.

      How was the hayride? It wasn't too bad without that wind. The kids played outside. I'm refusing to get out winter coats and mittens. Come on. It's the first week of October.

      Love Boat was great!

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  7. Love your posts, my beautiful friend...
    Always feel as if we are chatting in your kitchen.
    The Love Boat! Every Saturday night!!!!
    Love it!!!!
    We are currently watching Gilligan's Island and The Munsters. : )
    Can't wait to see and hear more about all your adventures.
    And your kind heart...
    I always get heartbroken when I see young children in need.
    I want to bring them home...love and care for them. I feel helpless that I can't make them all happy.
    I wish every single child would be warm, and fed, and loved.
    I think I will take a lesson from you, my friend.
    Do what I can, when I see the need.
    Thank you, Jamie.

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    1. Wish we could chat in my kitchen!

      We'll have to look for Gilligan's Island and The Munsters next!!
      Classic classic shows!

      You have a big heart, God gave you that for a reason.

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  8. Thank you for your update, Jamie Jo!! I always love them. You juggle so much, but what I come away with is how much LIVE you have for everyone!! God bless you, Jamie Jo!!

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  9. You know I love your posts, Jamie Jo. It feels like the friend that you can not talk to for awhile, get together and catch up so easily. Know what I mean?

    A summer in the south! I'm a bit envious. If you ever miss snow pics, visit my blog, haha.

    The videos were precious but your daughter had me laughing. She's sweet. A wrap of ham, cheese, and pickles -- that's a favorite of my 5 year old. We were out for a family dinner the other night, the first big one since she's officially gluten-free. She kept asking for bread and looking sad my husband said, with her big eyes. I need to remember to tell her to offer it up. I have to remind myself. I still get crabby on a night when I just would like nothing better than to order a pizza in. ;) The boys just take it in stride.

    God bless. Keep at the small things. God sees.

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    1. Wish we could visit in person! It's always hard to come back after not blogging regular, because where do we start? What do we include or not include. Our lives on the blogs is only a portion of it....a very small portion. We all do way more than we show!

      Well, when people get envious, about us going south for the winter, I try to remind them, we are going south because of health issues, and to come to that decision, we had to go through some really hard years. (and it's still hard) I do not want to see any snow pictures. (hahaha!)
      I will see plenty as it snows in November here, sometimes October and stays through April.
      (we'll be back by March 1)

      OH, your poor daughter. I get it. I just say things matter of factly to her...it's the way it is. It's the way it has to be. I think Pizza Hut and Godfather's have gluten free pizzas!!

      I just switched Simeon to Almond milk...do you use that? I noticed that it's the unsweetened and only 30 calories...maybe it's not a good sub for milk? He gets Eczema really bad and I think it's caused by dairy. We've cut down on the yogurt, but he still has it once in a while, and the cheese, that's a hard one to give up. he loves it. You are amazing.

      That last line you wrote brought tears to my eyes. How beautiful.
      God bless you Nicole!

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    2. Yes, a personal visit! Maybe one day. :) I know you are going south for health reasons and I hope it helps.

      I'm usually pretty matter of fact too. You have to be, right? Sometimes it's funny because other adults feel sorry and my boys are like, "Well, we can't have it. Really, it's ok." I haven't heard of GF at Pizza Hut. We don't have Godfather's but we do have an awesome local pizza place that has GF pizza and really gets cross-contamination. However it costs us $70ish for pizza for our family! So it's a rare treat. We really don't eat out much. When we do we have to pay more for peace of mind and to keep from getting sick.

      So... almond milk. I use vanilla almond milk if I'm craving it to drink or in a granola blend. I have never been a big milk drinker, even as a child. I never forced milk on my children either - gasp! - but did encourage yogurt and cheese. Basically, if you nix dairy completely, the best source are your greens. I take a calcium/magnesium/vitamin d supplement as well. I know there are a lot of pros/cons of supplements but I feel that's best for me. With celiac, even with an awesome diet, you deal with poor nutrient absorption so I figure I need all the help I can get, especially considering my mom at 52 has stage 3 and 4 osteoporosis (she's celiac finally diagnosed). My oldest son at 6 years old also showed low density and continues to struggle with absorbing calcium. The best way to see is if you cut it out 100% and really check your labels. It may take some time for the eczema to calm down. My 5 year old reacted to it big time as a baby which is why I initially went dairy-free. She can now eat it just fine. I have heard others say that too. Cheese is hard to give up. I love cheese. It makes anything taste good.

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  10. Dear sweet-god daughter. You are doing so well. Brian and I pray for you every single night. (Jamie..you tell her that ok!) You are also a smarty pants and I love how your teeth are coming in so good! Wish Ava would get hers..but I think she has a big gap for a long time.

    oh man....every time I see a picture of an ocean on this bloggy...I am going to show you 5 winter ones on MINE!! just cause I wanna go to the ocean toooooooo...waaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaa. I have a bad feeling this winter is going to be cold again. It was so so bad last year. I hope someday we can come and visit you guys...just to see what it is like. Again...love that ocean picture! I wish we didnt live so far away from the ocean. Would be so nice to even drive one day to make it there.

    congrats on the kiddos learning unicycles. I wish we had an apologetics instructor close by. That is so awesome! yes yes yes do a post on it!

    I am reading a book by Danielle Steel. She lost her oldest son. She is this famous author but I have never read her stuff. She has 9 children...isnt that awesome. She wrote a book about her 11 years helping the homeless after losing her son. She was praying and was just called to do it. It is a wonderful ministry.

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    1. Is it a book about her life? I tried looking up Danielle Steel's family...only saw one picture with 5 kiddos...and couldn't find a book of her life. I love Non Fiction.....which is why I don't read novels...

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  11. What's the name of the book?
    My mom used to read her novels....

    Thank you for your prayers...that's why we picked you for godparents!!
    Bridget's teeth give her a whole new look...an older one. :(

    You will have to come visit you know!! If we move to San Antonio, it's only a 2 day trip! You'd be there the 2nd day!! We could all drive to the beach from there...like 2 hours...maybe a little more....(not sure)

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  12. Oh goodness, the videos...I luved them! Thanks so much for that delight as well as all the other parts of the post. Chock-full! God bless you all!

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  13. Now that we live in the big city, every where we go I see homeless people. Every Sunday on our way to mass, there's this one street where 3-4 homeless people are always standing. I always feel so bad for them, like when I complain about not having clean jeans, these people hardly know if they will have a next meal. I think soon we are going to hand out sandwiches to a few people, I hope that will help them ❤

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  14. I haven't read through the comments yet, but I'm wondering if you have read the autobiography of St.Therese? I'm learning more and more that people haven't....it's a must read if you love St.Therese! :-) You get all the spiritual direction you need from her book.

    (Sorry this is a little from left-field...)

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  15. And as for the homeless...you have a big heart, Jamie, and that's why you feel so much. I too, worry about the homeless. It's nice to see from the comments how many people want to help but all of us feel we just can't do enough.

    I take heart in this: Mother Theresa would tell people who wanted to join her in serving the poor, "Take care of the poor right next to you. They are in your own home, the person sitting beside you on the bus, the check-out girl serving you." I am paraphrasing but you know what quote I'm talking about, I'm sure!

    So the moments that I'm serving my family, seeing Christ in my kids and husband, are not during the times when all is well and good and everyone is behaving. It is during the times I don't want to serve them. I either just don't feel like it, just sat down, or frankly, am tired of being "Mom". Those times when I choose to serve them is when I see Christ in them. I'm not saying I do this all the time--more often than not, I am hiding in my room--but I take comfort in knowing that in those moments I have truly taken care of "the poor", my family, be feeding them, clothing them, playing with them and praying with them.

    As for the poor people, like you, I do what I can, IF I can. I often don't have cash on me either. I think what you did was awesome, you got them a walmart Gift card which they can use whenever they can. We can't save everybody, but if we just do one thing at a time for one person at a time, all the poor will be served in some way.

    Very quickly, I heard of a man that I think is in the Twin Cities (I may be mistaken); what he does is he packs his car up with food and he searches for the poor. He does this every morning. He knows where most of them "live" and they also have gotten to know him as well and will meet him. This is what he does to help the poor--people with God-given big hearts are out there and God uses them.

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  16. Just watched Sims video.. He made me go awwwwwww.. how can someone be soooo adorable.. Such a cutipie. I am happy that he is doing well.. :)

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Thank you so much for stopping and commenting!