Busy Days

Fall is here! Crisp winds, sunny days, leaves starting to fall, sweaters, scarves, boots.

I LOVE IT!

So, what exactly has kept me so busy I haven't made it to my computer?

These 4 reasons called,

Kiely, Justus, Gabriel and Ben!

Good reasons if you ask me.

One of the "biggies"....

Justus and Gabriel have learned how to ride bikes!

No training wheels!

They love it and spend every minute they can riding around.

Grandpa and Grandma bought a little
"KaZam" balance bike, and now Ben isn't far behind!

I started homeschooling Justus a few weeks back, still unsure of our choice, but not wanting to just send him off to school...he's really showing an interest in "going" to school and almost seems a bit lonely/bored being home.

There happens to be a Montessori school in town that is very flexible with our "plan" and would still

allow me to "school" some as well.

Even for mothers that are not homeschooling, I will be continuing one of our "curriculum's" called

Five In A Row.

It's great and has already given us many hours on the couch reading and discussing great topics from history, to art, science, and definitely character development!

I've just been checking out the books at our library, and many of them, we're not ready to give back when they're due! : )

We've also been exploring the Midwest some.

Ventured into Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, including being able to see the Mississippi River!

That was fun!

I am continuing my quest/discovery of herbs.

Plantain (not the bananas), and White Pine trees are on the top of our list right now and have aided us in many

"First Aid" situations lately

(a regular occurrence in the Bondurant home : )

Oo-La-La

For a while now I have surmised that we (ladies) should periodically have "Refresher" lingerie parties...such for anniversaries or perhaps after having babies and wanting a little "Pick-me-up" for our intimate times.

WELL, to my complete suprise, my WONDERFUL sister-in-law planned a party for me while we were in Astoria. There were at least a dozen ladies there, family, friends(new and old). And we had a BLAST!!! There was quite a bit of chocolate and desserts involved, as well as some "fun" conversations and a couple rounds of the "Things" game.

(No worries, both my mother and mother-in-law attended, so nothing was TOO racy)

My lingerie wardrobe at least doubled and I now have quite a nice collection of "cotton-free" panties, if you know what I mean. ; )

SOO, here's hoping the LOVE will spread...Get together with your girls and plan some fun. Certainly there is some "special" occassion coming up you can use...birthday, anniversary, your hubby's birthday???

If you don't want to ask for one yourself, throw one for your friends FIRST.

I'm sure they'll catch on.

If you care to follow suit, the SUPRISE factor was fantastic!

Blessings and FUN,

Melody

Ahhh Oregon

AHHHHHHHHHH!

I have never felt more certain that this rainy, mountainous, luciously green place

was my HOME.

We are still adjusting to Kansas,

and we'll probably be there for a few years,

but I think whenever we return here for a visit...

or for good, it will be home!

For the time being, I am going to thoroughly enjoy it!

ALL of it!

: )

and hopefully get some pics posted as well

Let's Go Running!

I've never really been a "true" runner. I ran in highschool, did a little leisurely running (here and there) in college, but have never stuck with it. Yet I still have this fantasy of getting up early in the morning and enjoying the daybreak with a nice long, refreshing run! (oh! And the glutes and thighs are a nice perk)

My biggest deterent though is that I am an "all or nothing" type and so I often start off too fast and try to go too long, resulting in burn-out and abandoning my work-outs all together. LaME!

So, I tracked down a little "Couch to 5k" training for beginners (at this my ego greatly protests, but I am humbly submitting to the fact that I AM, at this point, a Beginner!). If anyone's interested in joining me, I'll be keeping my weekly training plan updated in the side-bar. I started last week, but since it was the 4th and my schedule got a little off, I'm going to do week 1 again, starting this week!!!

P.S. Though there has been a little more huffing and puffing than my fantasy envisions, I am LOVING greeting the mornings outside!

Personal Invite!

If you haven't already,

I invite you to check out my "Skinulation" Blog

http://www.healthfullyskin.blogspot.com/!

~

After a few months of my first posting

I was compelled to make it private,

feeling self-conscious about just "anyone" seeing my pics....

However, after seeing that two wonderful friends

(thank you Lindsey and Addie)

made positive comments.

~

I am ENCOURAGED to keep it open!

~

So, here's my personal invite to YOU!

I also posted something fun,

for any first-time viewers.

~

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Blessings and Confidence,

Melody

When I'm Feeling Sad...

"...When a dog bites, when the bees sting,

when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my FAVORITE things,

and then I don't feel soo bad...."

A few things I DO like about Kansas~

>The sunny skies and beautiful clouds,

>Wheat fields and swaying corn

>My growing garden

>New friends

>Motivation to Exercise again

>Wholesome farms, fresh milk,
orange eggs(on the inside : ), raw butter

> 5 Year old Birthdays!!!

>Exploring new things and places

What are a few of YOUR favorite things?

Give Me BUTTER...Or Give Me Death!!!

Symptoms: headaches, dizziness, nausea

Duration: 1 1/2 weeks

Supposed Cause: Excess Kansas Heat?

Action Taken: drink mass amounts of water to rehydrate

Results: little relief.

Finally, one afternoon, I SMOTHERED a piece of our home-made bread with yummy, delicious, and MELTED BUTTER.

It was so delicious I had ANOTHER piece and after realizing, about an hour later, that my headache had subsided...I thought, maybe my body needed more butter! How EXCITING!

The last few days I have been putting butter on everything I can!

RESULTS?

The headaches-GONE!
Nausea-GONE!

Dizziness-GONE!

What an interesting cure! I guess my body just needed some good, old-fashioned, God-invented BUTTER!

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR BUTTER TODAY?!?

P.s. If you question whether or not REAL butter is healthy-check out the Weston A. Price Foundation! http://www.westonaprice.org/

First Sport!!!

Our very first Sports Game! T-ball!

What do YOU do???

Most days I am a much better "housekeeper" than I am a mother. Doing dishes, cleaning messes, folding laundry...I got that down.

Relating with my boys, having fun, playing, connecting with their hearts...

somedays I think I miss it!!!

I want the exact opposite...

well, to be perfectly honest (not realistic, but honest)-

I want both!

So, what do you do? When it comes to the end of the day, what did it look like? Did you connect with your kids...and let the dishes sit? Are you able to get everything done? How? If not, what do you "let go"?

I know we're not perfect, but some mom's have a good grasp on motherhood and somedays you know... "that" day, you made the right choices.

So, please SHARE.

The days behind Us

FRIDAY, MAY 21st-

It was a grocery day, sunny, relaxed, productive. Planted new seeds in the garden, worked outside, kept the doors and windows open, mowed the lawn, washed our produce from shopping and thought it looked soooo delicious drying out on the counter. I already felt like we had our weekend and it was just beginning. DELIGHT!

OH HAPPY, SUNNY, GOODNESS!!!

Justus lounging in hammock. Ben playing with hose.

YELLING FACES(in chronological order)-

Inspired and prompted by sir Gabriel...can you see his stitches???
Ben, could only be sweet (with his own gash above the eye).
Sigh!

MONDAY, MAY 17th-

Took Gabriel to Urgent Care to get stitches!

Not quite sure how, but he split his chin playing on/in Kie's car.

Justus' comment, "Umm, I can see INSIDE him....uhhhhhg"

We debated not getting stiches and just using a butterfly closure, but ended up going in.

If the option arises again. I'll opt for the butterflies!!!

Gabe was a champ though, and I treated him to SONIC!

He got a corndog and a peanut butter cup sunday....

he ate the sunday FIRST!!! : )

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12th-

Tornado sirens were set off...

so, I got myself and all sleeping boys into the bathtub with mattress over us!

The sleeping children however, did not stay asleep and were eventually all crying and sweating in one very crammed bathroom!

Next house...we're getting a basement!!!

MONDAY, MAY 10th-

Breakfast?!

Ice-cream with strawberries and peanuts.

We needed a little JOY to start off the day...

given the previous days circumstances(see Sunday post)

Ice-cream is just the thing!

Drove to Wichita to buy a matress.

Way home, drove right into a severe thunder storm!

Visibility? About 10 to 50ft(varying).

Radio? Giving tornado warnings,

telling people to get into storm shelters,

naming towns I don't know,

naming a county I might be in, but don't know!

First thought? "Stay Composed"... Second thought? "Pray!!!"

... Third thought? "Pray Harder!"...

Forth? " Don't cry!"... Fifth? "DO cry!"...

Sixth? "I want to go home...Oregon home!!!"

We DID make it home safe...no tornado encounter,

but had a very sleepless week!

SUNDAY, MAY 9th-

Happy Mother's Day!

Had a wonderful breakfast with my family...

took Kie to the airport : (

Had a rough drive home.

Forgot my purse. Kids were hungry.

Boys cried nearly whole way home (about an hour).

Lost my patience about 5min from home.

Didn't feel like such a great mom...

went to bed tired and discouraged.

SATURDAY, MAY 8th-

Planted my FIRST garden (or rather, half of it),

basil, oregano, thyme (Herb pot),

stevia, strawberries (dessert pot-mmm),

tomatoes (cherry and whole),sweet peppers and mint in the raised bed

(built myself : )

Also have plans for sugar peas, lettuce, corn, carrots and sunflowers....

pure DELICIOUSNESS!!!

Mother's DAY

Happy Mother's Day!



MAMA SHARY~

Just a simple (yet immeasurable) "Thank You" for instilling in me so many things I have never thought twice about and have even looked forward to during my childhood years:
Being a stay-at-home MOM

Having my children completely naturally and at HOME

Eating/Preparing HEALTHY WHOLE foods

Baking BREAD from scratch (I FINALLY figured it out!!!)

Allowing God to give me more children than may seem SANE or COMFORTABLE...but knowing HIS delight and BLESSING

BREASTFEEDING my babies


GROWING a garden (1st one this year)

Giving ANYTHING and EVERYTHING a try "If someone else can do it...I probably can too!"

Giving GOD's WORD authority in my life and over EVERY aspect of it



These are values I deeply cherrish and am so THANKFUL you gave them to me! They are making my life (and the life of my family) a GREAT joy!!!

I love YOU~
Melody Christiana

Beautiful Bread

Something I have aspired to do since I got married was to make homemade, whole-grain, DELICIOUS bread. Over the last 6+ years I have had a few near successes, but on a whole I am really GREAT at making whole-grain BRICKS. Worthy (though, not always) of bread pudding.

: (

Over the last few weeks I have made loaf after loaf of magnificent bread...some cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, hotdog buns and only ONE batch of "bread pudding" bread. HELLO CELEBRATION! Here are some pics of my latest creations . YUM!

P.S. It only takes me about 1 1/2hrs from start to finish to make a batch of bread...and I even grind my own flour!!!

A few of the latest!

Here are some of the latest from our HOME...



To BEGIN...Gabriel has always shown us the best way to get bumps and bruises and his latest experiment was with the bark of a tree trunk! I'm thinking the TREE made the bigger impression! Ahhh BOYS






next...BENJAMIN in a diaper, RED rubber boots, pushing a cart with BABY and holding a GUITAR!! That pretty much sums up my littlest man! Just about any time of day he has at least one of these items....this time, he must have really been feeling LIFE to the fullest, because he had it ALL!





There's also this WONDERFUL secret I'm trilled to share!!! This man of mine, the one I followed, WHOLE-HEARTEDLY half way across the country! I"M CRAZY 'BOUT HIM!!! P.S Notice all that blue sky in the background??? Just about EVERY DAY so far!

Half Way There

I have been having trouble lately, finding the motivation to stay on task during the day. It seems like, from the beginning of the day I am already behind and don't seem to make much progress by the days end. Even though, the dishes in the sink are not the same dishes, it is still full of dirty ones. Though the toys on the floor have been picked up numerous times, there are still toys on the floor. Though I may have washed all the dirty laundry, it is still in baskets, unfolded and waiting to be put away. To top it off, I am much more easily drawn to tasks than people and my most important "tasks" happen to be 3 growing little persons.

So, after some inspirational scriptures and prayer last night I was ready for a "New" day today!
1) GET DRESSED (yes, I spend some days in my pajamas, productive, but in sweat pants)
2) Get the boys dressed (they don't seem to mind either way...so it's not uncommon for them to stay in jammies most of the day)
3) Eat and Feed Breakfast BEFORE any chores
4) Employ the youngsters to help wash up from breakfast and do dishes
5) Clean as we go...everyone together, not moving onto the next task until cleaning up from the current one

AT NOON TODAY, my entire house was clean! Dishes were done, children dressed, clean clothes put away, toys off the floor, beds made, meals eaten on time. We even played a bit. (They saved me from a bomb that was going to blow up our city-so valiant!) Now, before you start thinking I got it all figured out, the story continues...

Bed time for Ben. Since he is the only one that takes a nap, I usually lay down with him and read a story. The problem today, was that, after the story was over, he was still a bit restless so I stayed with him for a while. After a bit, the bed started feeling so cozy, the blankets were warm, my little sweetheart was snuggling up with me and my eyes couldn't resist "resting" for just a few minutes....ahhhhh.

The other boys were having quiet time, but somewhere in my contented slumber, I heard playful voices. "Boys, read your books" I say, half conscious, knowing I will not follow up if they aren't. A little while later, seeing them playing in the room. "Play quietly" I reprimand, knowing full well I'm already slipping back into sleep. Then, finally, confronted with the constant request, "Can we watch a movie?" "Um," (darn, I should say no, but I'm so warm and sleepy. It'll keep them out of trouble. I really wanted to only do television on Sat morning, But I shouldn't...Oh) "Okay!" I give in!

A while later I stir back into mommy-land! A little groggy, a little guilty, pretty rested! I take a final glance at Benjamin sleeping soundly on his bed. My sweet boy! Hearing the movie playing in the other room, I remember the granted request. Darn, if only I hadn't taken a nap. I was also suppose to go grocery shopping before dinner and try to tackle another load or two of laundry.

As for now, I only have time for one task; out to the farm for fresh milk and eggs (can't do without), or to the store for groceries (also another necessity)? I'm leaning towards the farm...the grocery store will have to wait. Maybe tomorrow...IF I can leave BEFORE nap time lures me in! : )

Kansas or Bust!!!

We are here, we are unpacked, and so far, we love it!!! One of the greatest factors is that we now have a glorious back yard!!! The boys LOVE it and are often out first thing in the morning, pajamas and all! There isn't anything terribly exciting in our yard. There aren't really any trees to speak of, we don't have a playset, it's mostly just concrete and grass....but OH, the adventure! A stick, a ball, a puddle of water; that'll do!

As for me, this is probably my favorite house so far. It's not anything special, a ranch. But, it's just right. There is enough room for us to be comfortable, good storage and cupboard space, but not too much to clean. Our landlord gave a close to free-range on painting and decorating, which is exciting, but also dangerous. I have sooo many ideas already!

There is also a YMCA less than a mile away, and for the first time in a LONG time, I'm feeling the motivation to start exercising regularly. Ready to get rid of some extra flab ; ) The people we've met so far are very hospitable and courtesy seems to be common. Nearly everyone holds doors for everyone else, and when I went to the grocery store they automatically helped me out to the car and loaded my groceries.

Though it's pretty windy, the weather has been warm and outdoor worthy! I hope to get more pics as we go, but here is the latest of the boys playing with our packing materials. Then there's Ben, who was so fond of his pajama shorts, asked me to put them back on after he was dressed!