Zachary is Standing at 2 1/2 years old--yeah!!!

For all you mothers of boys out there, you know what I am talking about when I say Zachary is officially a STANDER!!!! NO MORE SITTING...only of course if he has to go number 2....I can finally say...mission accomplished, thanks to one boat ride in Branson. When you have to go and the only place you can go is in the lake, it really forces you to do what you have to do. THANKS BRANSON!!!

OUR LAST SUMMER GETAWAY FOR 2009

What a fun last summer getaway..Branson Mo. We spent the week tubing, boating, going down a ton of water slides, napping, eating, shows, laughing, swimming, did I say eating, bumper boating, go karting, did I mention eating.. You name it we (ate) I mean we did it!!! This was the best Father's Day Jim has ever had...I think this might be an annual event for us!!! Now that the HOT heat of the summer is upon us, we can just hang out at our pool at home and not worry about the crowds, and try to relax before our new little blessing arrives in just a month or so.

Tubing with daddy

Taking a nap after tubing

go-karting after a fun day of boating

Eating after a fun day of boating ( we did a lot of this)

Happy Father's Day

Having fun with friends at Silver Dollar City

FUN FATHER'S DAY CRAFT FOR THE KIDS

Over the years, I have made lots of these magazine collages. They’re fun to make for yourself or give as a gift. This year for Dad, my kids made this Magazine Collage filled with all of my husband’s favorite things.
We made a list of all the things Dad likes. Then we got out old “cut-able” magazines, found the images, cut them out, and glued them on. The kids love to do these kind of projects and it is a great way to use up some of those old magazines. It is also a great way to bond in a way that the kids think of all the special things about there daddy!!! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the daddy's out there!!!!

HOLIDAY WORLD

What a fun weekend we had with the cousins!!! HOLIDAY WORLD was a BLAST!! The kids had so much fun riding all the rides and getting really really wet!! The water park was the funnest part!! We started first thing in the morning and then midafternoon we headed back to the room for a little nap break. Then finished off the day with a fun evening riding more rides and eating funnel cakes. I think the hightlight of the evening was Uncle Rick and Jim rode the roller coasters. The first time for them since they were teenagers. Boy are they brave!! I think this will become an annual Thoman Family event. The cousins really had a super time!!!

Zac did not want to smile for the camera

Tina, Katy, and Alyssa having fun getting wet!!

An evening riding the bumper boats

RIDING THE BUMPER BOATS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!

ALL OR NOTHING

I recently read a blog post from a friend who in certain ways is in the same boat as me - juggling many different responsibilities . She shared how she felt like she was “All or Nothing” in her life. That is actually the name of her blog post. Some days she is very motivated and some days she doesn’t want to do what she set out to do. She said that she over-plans, over-thinks and that she really needs balance in her life.

I can tell you that I can TOTALLY relate to her post in many areas of my life too . I really think that many of us Home Moms are in the same exact boat and we feel like the lady in the picture above.

I tend to be that way sometimes too. But I think there are times where we just get tired. If you are putting out all of your energy for 2 days straight then you are bound to have a day where you feel like doing nothing. And it is ok. We are moms of small children, business owners, ministry leaders, etc - VERY BUSY LADIES. There will be times that we need to just DO NOTHING. And because we are motivated and determined, we tend to feel guilty when those times happen. But I really think we should take the lull when we just don’t feel like doing what we had planned and just accept it and even try to enjoy it.

It really all comes down to balance. I have always had a hard time with this one. I do try though by staying organized in my home, keeping a schedule, and writing a very in depth to do list. These things really help me. But there are times when I get off track and try to do more than I should in one day and then the next day I crash. I think God is just telling us to slow down and take the time to seek Him before we go off doing things our own way all the time.

He should be our number one focus. And man is that hard when kids, work home, husband, church, friends, Internet, social media, and everything in between is FIGHTING for that attention.

I think accountability is key though. Reaching out and sharing how you feel is so important. It is a release and it brings freedom so that the next time this comes up you can look back and remember how you felt when you wrote this post and those that commented on the post sharing with you in your frustration and walking with you towards a better strategy.

So, let’s pray for each other that we can both stop doing too much and start seeking God on a moment by moment basis that He would be the guide for what we should be doing and how we should be doing it. Take the time to whisper a prayer when we feel overwhelmed or unmotivated. He longs for our attention. He desires for us to come to Him and lean on Him. He is sitting beside us and watching and waiting for us to stop being so BUSY and to come and rest at His feet.

Wow, just reading that again fills my heart up. It’s as if God is speaking directly to me. It is just crazy how busy I have gotten over the past months. I hardly have time for myself let alone GOD. As much as I try to put Him first, He always winds up on the back burner. I can see Him now, patiently waiting for me. No judgement, no disappointment, just total unconditional love for me. Isn’t that amazing?
I just feel so blessed that God got my attention through a blog post and through my own post. He meets us right where we are with open arms. Wow!

So, how about you? Have you been feeling like you need more balance in your life? Are you an All or Nothing person? Are you juggling a million different things at once and about to CRASH from sheer exhaustion? Please feel free to share. Sometimes it is good to get it out.

I love you all dearly! Thanks so much for reading my blog and being my blog friends

LAST DAYS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR..HERE COMES SUMMER VACATION

WELL THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS ENDED AND SUMMER VACATION HAS STARTED. ALYSSA HAD HER FINAL DAY WITH MS. JOHNS. WE CELEBRATED HER LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH DONUTS AND CHOCOLATE MILK (IT A TRADITION WE WILL DO EVERY YEAR ...YES EVEN IN HIGH SCHOOL). I KNOW YOU PROBABLY THINK I AM A GOOFY MOMMY BUT WHO EVER SAID NO TO A DONUT ? ALYSSA RECEIVED TOP ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SCHOOL FOR THE TOP READER AS WELL AS PERFECT ATTENDANCE!!! PRETTY GOOD FOR A FIRST GRADER...SHE IS NOW OFFICIALLY A SECOND GRADER... I ACTUALLY DID NOT CRY AS BAD THIS YEAR AS LAST YEAR IN KINDERGARTEN. SO I THINK MOMMY (ME)... IS DOING OKAY :)

ALYSSA WITH HER DAISY TROOP

CANOE TRIP

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH MS. JOHNS

CELEBRATING THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH DONUTS AND CHOCOLATE MILK