Believe it or not, this is my 100th post here on Lambs in His Arms. To commemorate the occasion, I thought I would share 100 random things which you may or may not know about me. Thank you for reading along, and I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little more!
1. My real name is Amanda
2. ...but I much prefer to be called Manda. I have never liked pointy A's.
3. The "All About Me" book I made in preschool says "My name is AMANDY."
4. My sister is also named Amanda.
5. No, my parents aren't crazy. Amanda Rae is my stepsister. I have a sister and a stepbrother too.
6. I have never had a dog or cat.
7. I have lived with cats though. I'm not a fan.
8. I have two boys, Donny and Hayden, and a baby girl due in June.
9. When I was pregnant with Donny, I craved baked goods, especially muffins from the supermarket bakery. Mmm, carrot cake.
10. Donny LOVES muffins.
11. I ate ice cream every night when I was pregnant with Hayden.
12. Hayden is allergic to milk, so he has never tried ice cream.
13. While nursing him, I could not eat ice cream either...or any of the many other foods he is allergic to.
14. I picked out Hayden's name. It is still my favorite boy name.
15. Donny has the same name as his daddy and grandfather.
16. I once considered having 10 children and giving them all J names. Years later, the Duggars became famous for having 18 children...and all of their names start with J.
17. Don and I really hope to be blessed with lots of children.
18. We would love to adopt children in the future if God leads
19. ...and we will welcome as many biological children as God gives us. :)
20. Being a stay at home mom is my dream job.
21. In fact, I was distressed on high school career day because homemaker, housewife, and mom were not considered legitimate careers.
22. I am one of the youngest moms I know.
23. I am not an athletic or adventurous person.
24. I have never gone skiing, and do not intend to.
25. I have never broken a bone. See #23 and 24.
30. My favorite fruits are red/pink (apples, watermelon, cherries, strawberries...)
31. ...and my favorite vegetables are orange (carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, and orange peppers).
32. I don't drink coffee or alcohol because I don't like them, and have no desire to acquire a taste for them.
33. Homemade oatmeal with cooked apples is one of my favorite foods.
34. I prefer pretty much anything homemade, since I can make it the way I like.
35. I bake bread every week.
36. I like my food cooked. Cereal, salads, and sandwiches do not appeal to me.
37. I find it challenging to feed four people with very different tastes and dietary restrictions.
38. Music affects my mood, so I prefer to listen to hymns or praise songs, if anything.
39. Snuggling with my husband is pretty much my favorite thing on earth to do.
40. My favorite book of the Bible is Psalms.
41. I also love Ruth, Isaiah, and pretty much all of the New Testament letters.
42. I started memorizing Ephesians last year, but gave up in the second chapter.
43. I really should work on memorizing more Scripture; I was blessed by what I did learn
44. ...plus, memorization is easier for me than for many people.
45. I think that's why I did well in school. I always got A's.
46. I went to public school for 12 years.
47. I plan to homeschool my children for about 18 years. ;)
48. I went to college for Early Childhood Education.
49. I'm glad I have an Associate's Degree, and didn't waste more time and money on education I didn't need.
50. My favorite color is green. I also love royal blue.
51. I love long showers, freshly washed sheets, and clean floors - pretty much anything that feels clean.
52. My hand, feet, and nose always feel cold to other people.
53. I love having green eyes with dark hair, since it's not very common.
54. I wonder how many of our children will have curly red hair like my husband.
55. So far, Hayden looks mostly looks like me.
56. Donny looks like Donny. I think he's a fair mix of Don and me.
57. I am not tall, and people usually gasp over how little I weigh in pounds.
58. Apparently I don't have much muscle. Muscle is heavy.
59. My husband has more than enough muscles for both of us. <3
60. But when I'm done being pregnant, I hope to start exercising again.
61. I love the miracle of the conception-to-birth process!
62. God has blessed me with fairly easy pregnancies.
63. In fact, pregnancy is the only time that I don't have frequent migraines.
64. I am not sure what causes this apparent correlation.
65. I am right handed.
66. I only talk on the phone with my left ear.
67. And the year I did gymnastics, I was a lefty gymnast.
68. My husband is an amazing gymnast.
69. We went to the same high school.
70. ...But we met at church.
71. I thought he was kind of geeky.
72. He is. He fixes all of our computer problems. :)
73. And he's good at so many other things too. I am very blessed!
74. I was baptized as an infant, and by my choice at age 9.
75. I didn't live as a Christian in high school.
76. I am eternally thankful that the Lord drew me back to his side!
77. In college, I volunteered a little bit at a crisis pregnancy center.
78. I love babies.
79. When I worked in childcare, I was an infant teacher.
80. I loved taking care of the babies there, but I would never want to put my own child in a center.
81. I believe breastfeeding is the best and most natural way to feed a baby.
82. I wear my babies a lot when they are small. It's like hands-free snuggling. :)
83. I wish more people would embrace children as the precious gift from God that they are.
84. I do not find parenting or marriage easy; I believe both are for my sanctification.
85. I was an avid reader as a child and preteen.
86. Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder were my favorite authors.
87. I think I owned all of the books written by the above authors as part of my large collection.
88. The said collection has been thinned through several moves. Frequent moving is a great way to part with unnecessary possessions.
89. I am a former packrat who now hates clutter passionately. I started anti-clutter nesting while pregnant with Hayden, and it never went away.
90. I don't read many books anymore, and never fiction.
91. I do like to read how-to type books (how to garden, Christian parenting books, etc.) occasionally, but more to gain knowledge than to enjoy the process of reading.
92. I would love to have a vegetable garden someday, and hope to start a little this year.
93. I also wish I enjoyed sewing...I would make so many cool things.
94. I love having friends and family over to visit.
95. I love having a clean house. It's so much more peaceful.
96. I try to eat well by day, but I must have dessert every night.
97. Dark chocolate is far superior to milk chocolate, and dark chocolate with nuts is even better.
98. In elementary school, I wanted to be a famous author when I grew up.
99. I put writing aside for many years. Then I discovered blogging, and here I am.
100. I am thankful for all of my dear readers who took the time to read this. May God bless you!
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Homeschool For the Birds
A couple months ago, Donny found Backyard Bird Watching for Kids on our bookshelf and wanted me to read it with him. He was fascinated by the information and continued to choose it for his pre-nap book every day, reading one chapter at a time, until we finally completed it. Now that spring is here, I wanted to use this interest to introduce a unit study of backyard birds. Read on for my list of bird-related activities that the children and I will be doing together this month.
Bible:
- Genesis 1 - God created the birds of the air
- Genesis 8 - Noah sent out a raven and a dove
- 1 Kings 17 - God used ravens to provide food for Elijah
- Psalm 8 - praise of God, who put man in charge of the birds
- Psalm 50:11 - God knows every bird
- Matthew 6:26 - God provides for us just like he takes care of the birds
Books (a few of them, anyway):
- Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds
- Birds
- The Happy Egg
- Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds
- Birdsongs: A Backwards Counting Book
- What Makes a Bird a Bird?
- Everything Bird: What Kids Really Want to Know about Birds
nonfiction by Cherie Winner
Language:
- practice writing letter B
- practice pronouncing and spelling "bird"
- talk to friends and relatives about the types of birds at their birdfeeders
- learn songs or poems about birds
- Donny and I are also working our way through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Arts and crafts:
- create a milk jug bird feeder and hang in backyard
-build a bird house (probably a pretend one out of cardboard)
- make birds' nests treats with chow mein noodles, chocolate, and Peeps
- take pictures of backyard birds
- make a bird beak pop-up card
Science:
- read about characteristics of birds
- identify birds we see and observe their behavior
- listen to recordings of bird sounds (we found at a book/CD set called Know Your Bird Sounds
Math:
- interpret a chart of birds' favorite foods (in the Backyard Bird Watching for Kids book)
- count birds at the bird feeder
- create a chart to record birds we see
Other Possible Activities:
- watch Reading Rainbow: Birds of a Feather
- visit a local zoo or bird sanctuary to observe a variety of birds
Although we had the joy of watching a robin family outside of our apartment window last summer, it is even more fun to have our own yard so that we can hang a birdfeeder and see who comes to visit. The boys and I have already learned to identify some of the birds in our area, and we are discovering birds we never noticed before right outside our door. I am excited to continue our study of these friendly feathered creatures!
I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
Psalm 50:11
and the creatures of the field are mine.
Psalm 50:11
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks
I am 30 weeks pregnant today, and I am starting to feel it. Apparently the nesting instinct has set in, because there are suddenly several dozen projects that I want to accomplish before baby comes. The list includes organizing baby clothes, spring cleaning the house, raking the yard, starting a garden, researching and purchasing new cloth diapers, and weeding out last year's unnecessary documents from the filing cabinet. And of course, this is in addition to my regular chores, caring for children and husband, and the occasionally necessary nap. The odds of being able to complete even half of my goals seems to diminish as my belly grows larger, my energy level grows smaller, and my due date grows closer. Coupling these factors with the spring weather that has finally arrived, you can expect to see fewer blog posts from me in the next ten weeks, as I prepare my home, mind, and body for our new addition!
My varicose veins seem to be under control for now, as long as I consistently sleep with my feet on a pillow, wear support stockings throughout my waking hours, and avoid activities that trigger pain. While my legs are still unsightly, and I am starting to hope that I will never be pregnant in summer (a bathing suit is definitely not a possibility right now!), I am thankful that I have not been in too much pain.
Meanwhile, I am beginning to feel uncomfortably large. My belly feels stretched and tight, and sometimes my back hurts. In fact, right now I am leaning against a warm rice pillow, enjoying the pleasant heat. This rice pillow is one of the most useful things I have ever sewn, and so easy too: just stitch two squares of fabric together on three sides (you could use a machine, but I did it by hand), fill with uncooked white rice, and sew shut. Then microwave the whole thing for two minutes, and you have an instant heat pack to relieve sore muscles. I use it for backaches and headaches, and it was wonderful for early labor contractions when I was pregnant with Hayden. You can make rice pillows in whatever size and shape you wish (long thin neck pillows are easy, and make nice gifts)...in fact, you may want to make more than one, because if you are like me, you will find that your whole body wants to enjoy the comforting warmth!
Speaking of warmth, there is a cozy bed with pillows and blankets calling me to come rest before I start my busy day of cleaning tomorrow, so I think I will head there soon. As I drift off to sleep (filled with vivid dreams, no doubt, as my sleep generally is while pregnant), and feel the exciting movements of a baby who wakes up whenever I stay still, I will be meditating on some comforting verses from Matthew 11:28-29. I love the way the Amplified Bible explains it:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
I do not have to be overwhelmed with a long to-do list or my lack of energy to accomplish it all. I do not need to give up in despair when I inevitably fail. The King of Kings has called me to His side, and there I find refreshment. While pregnant, my body may require extra sleep, but even more important is this rest for my soul.
The comfort that I find in Christ goes far beyond the physical. He must be my all, for there is my relief from the burdens of this world, my gentle instruction, my blessed quiet and ease in the midst of noise and pain. I am so thankful for the precious new life growing inside of me, but more thankful still for my precious Savior, through whom we can have life eternal!
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