Awake

I woke up with such a horrible panic attack and can't seem to go back to sleep. It seems to be an ongoing theme this week. I keep having nightmares all week and in them my youngest keeps running away from me and into the street. My chest just feels like it is going to explode. I hate feeling like this. I know that I am stressed out about moving and all the changes that are going to take place. I'm worried about how it is going to affect each of the kids. Reynaldo has already been acting out and I know it is because of the move. I just don't know how to make the transition easy for him when I myself am falling apart inside. I hate change myself. I hate feeling so out of control. I hate when I finally let my guard down and get comfortable and accept things everything has to change. There is just something so wrong with all of this.
I'm trying to find all of the positives in the move but it isn't helping. I hate the fact that we can't afford rent for a place that would be large enough for us in the Heights. Everything is way out of our budget. I know this is the place that God has for us but I am seriously going to miss this home. Just in a rough place right now.

Puking, Packing and Cuddling

Ugh! Nothing more gross then getting puked on first thing in the morning. To top it off my stomach is also a mess this morning. I knew little dude wasn't feeling good this morning when he climbed into my bed to cuddle and didn't demand breakfast immediately. He also had that fever smelling breath. How many of you moms know what I'm talking about? I can usually pick up on that smell and my kids usually get very whiny before they get sick.
I'm trying not to stress out in this little lapse in plans. I had planned to get a lot done today but it isn't going to happen. Especially with the way my stomach is feeling myself.
Last night I ended up going to the Er with a friend of mine and her son. I'm glad I was able to be there to support them. I'm thankful that things are going to be ok and that the truth comes out .

Well it's a little under two weeks and we will be in our new place. We still have soooooo much work to do. Cleaning painting packing. Plus on top of all that I am homeschooling my son. Life is crazy busy but I do love my life.
Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Time for me to go cuddle with the little dude.

Trapped by the Ooey Gooey Goodness

While I was making a dinner of pancakes and bacon last night I had asked my husband to help me out by mixing a cake mix so his tween lifegroup could have a cake to celebrate the birthdays for the past month. While he was mixing it up he informed me that I trapped him into marrying me by enticing him with scrumptious baked goodies. When I was a nanny I did a lot of baking. It was something fun to do with the kids and it is just something that is expected of a nanny. Luckily for him I was pretty good at it and did it weekly which meant he would also get yummy treats to enjoy. He loves chocolate chip cookies, brownies and anything else I would make him. His absolute favorite was an oatmeal cookie that I made and added Raisinets too.
When we got married my baking suddenly stopped short. You see, baking is not something I really enjoy unless it is at Christmas time. There is just something about Christmas and Christmas cookies. They go together like peas and carrots. Same as making pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or apple pie in the fall after you have visited the apple orchard. I guess you could call me a seasonal baker. I would try to make him happy by making chocolate chip cookie bars but he didn't like those. Hey they were quick and easy for me to make but they weren't the same as my cookies. He felt I was cheating him out of the ooey gooey goodness. Now that I am watching what I eat baking is extremely rare.
Cooking is a passion of mine. People just don't understand how I can like to cook but not bake. With cooking you see it and what you are creating but with baking you just throw it in the oven and let it do the work. Its just not the same.
So the question is did I trap him? :) Maybe I should bake him a pan of brownies to convince him otherwise.

Out of the Mouths of Babes Moments

As a mom, we have a lot of "out of the mouths of babes moments to share". Believe me, when i tell you that it is a daily occurrence in our house. With 5 children ranging in age from 2-12 and their fathers and my genes (Yes, I honestly have a sense of humor, dry as it might be), laughter can be heard through the day.
This morning I was cuddling in bed with my two littlest ones. I so did not want to get out of bed. It was rainy and cold and my allergies have knocked me down on my rear. I told Sprout that she was my littlest princess and Noah was my littlest prince. She proceeds to tell me that Noah is a King. I corrected her and told her that Daddy was the King. Noah then said that Daddy was a Burger King. :)
Noah has also declared to us, after hanging anything that resembles a cape, down his back, that he is "PooperMan". Got to love when they can't pronounce everything yet lol. Yes Noah, you are indeed Pooperman. Speaking of pooperman, potty training is a process that I just can't seem to get the little dude to grasp. He loves wearing big boy underwear but doesn't seem to appreciate the concept of not peeing on Spiderman. Hey it worked for my older too. We even tried not peeing on Dinosaurs and Diego and Footballs. He has been known to just take his pants off and just pee on the floor. This kiddo is going to be a challenge.
My oldest son is going through that abnoxious tween stage of thinking he is awesome. This kid does not lack in self esteem. He was picking his hair (which he refuses to have cut because he wants an Afro) and he said to himself in the mirror " Hey handsome" How are you doing? and smiled at himself. He walks around the house saying random things about how muffins are awesome and his name is Bob the muffin man. Even Noah walks around mimicking him and saying muffins are awesome. It is a daily comedy show here.
My darling Kiarrah is the most serious of all of the kids. She doesn't find things humorous often, including her father. Boy does he try to make her laugh but she just looks at him with this look like " Are you done?"
I love the uniqueness of each of my children and I think it makes my family mesh together so well. I don't try to change the way the kids are. We pull out their strengths and work on their weaknesses. They are each so different but yet, we are family. A family that God meshed together. I love my family. Silliness and all.

Heavy Heart

1 Peter 4:8-10 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:

 So many people around me are hurting today. People having cancer scares or actually battling cancer. Others falling into deep pits of depression and others just so lost and unhappy. We are called to encourage each other. To intercede in pray for one another. God wants to hear from us. He wants us to place all of our trust in Him to know that He has got this. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own struggles and worries that we fail to see the hurt around us. Believe me I know. I have been there. This woe is me mentality is a vicious cycle. Yes we do legitimately need prayers and do go through rough patches but are we becoming like a horse with blinders on that we can't see what is going on around us?

With all that being said I challenge you to take your focus off of your struggles and reach out to others around you hurting. Give them an ear, a hug, a bag of groceries. Be a blessing to them. We as the Body are to use our gifts and talents to edify God. Not keep it to ourselves. I would love to hear back from you and what is on your heart.

Back to the Basics

It has been such a long time since I have updated this blog. The world of Facebook and MyFitnesspal has threatened to take over but sometimes we need to just get back to the basics. I have missed writing here and I feel like I left a whole world behind. I have made some awesome friends through the blog world. I think its time to get back to the basics and do some writing more than a brief status update :)
The Bishop family is expanding............property size not family size (I credit that line to my dear creative friend Danisia) We are moving to a 4 bedroom in a few weeks. I had hoped to never leave my home but a guy had to come into the picture (darn those men) and steal the heart of my landlord, who mind you, threatened if we ever tried to move that she would hunt us down. So said relationship and upcoming marriage has required us to relocate. We had until August to find a place but started looking right away due to our family size and budget. My heart was set on escaping Jersey City and moving to the burbs somewhere. Everyone knows I am not a fan of the city. BUT!!! Yes that is a big BUT. God has other plans! You can try and run but you can't hide lol. What is so funny about this is the fact that I am the one who found the place. It is spacious and has a lot of potential after a good cleaning and a few coats of paint. The previous tenants?? Well I suspect a serious case of being colorblind or gaudy taste lol.
I look forward to the two older boys having separate rooms and actually even being on different floors. There might be a little more peace and quiet now.
The kids are finishing up a year of school. We are trying to finalize our plans for them next school year. Its hard to believe that Dominic will be in Junior High. I miss my baby. Gracie will be in Kindergarten.
Well, I best get back to packing.

Dino Rest

Mr. Noah is finally sleeping in a big boy bed. We moved Rey to the top bunk and put together the other time bed for Dominic and Noah is on the bottom bunk. I bought him an adorable dinosaur bed in a bag from Kohls and he loves it. You should have seen the excitement on his face when he saw it. He kept questioning Mine? Mine? Mine? He calls his blanket it a bank. lol. The first night he slept in it was Friday night. I had tucked in the sides so he wouldnt roll out and he had woken up in the middle of the night when he had crawled to the bottom and couldn't get out lol. He went right back to sleep. The next night was a littl rougher but he is getting the hang of it.

Unplugged Kids

Yesterday I my littlest ones were bored and didn't want to play with their toys so they did the next best thing. They tried on all of the socks in my sock drawer. It was an ingenious idea and it kept them busy for almost an hour. Whodathought?
I love the fact that my children have an imagination and love to play. The oldest two? Not so much but the younger three? Yes. There are many times I walk into the boys room and find Reynaldo and Noah playing with cars or dinosaurs and Gracie loves to pull out all of the dress up clothes and play kitchen stuff and Barbies and Little People. Actually quite often she pulls it all out at once. We are working on that. In fact, her room is a real disaster right now. We are having a very difficult time getting her to clean up her mess's.
I remember spending hours playing with my sisters. We would play baby dolls and Barbies. My favorite though was when we would play school down the basement. We would set it up really cool and play for hours. That is one of my fondest memories growing up.
My oldest two are major book worms and because Kiarrah is an advanced reader, Dominic and her swap books when the mood strikes. Kiarrah has also developed a love for writing like her momma. Dominic also loves to learn about all of the Presidents. I think Autobiographies are his favorite kind of books.
I am just so happy that my husband and I have fostered an environment were our kids can read and imagine and explore. I refuse to be a family where my kids are always watching TV or have their nose in a video game. They do those things but we limit it. I get so upset when we go to social events and all the kids are plugged into something. Whatever happened to just simple child playing?

School Break

We have entered that wonderful month of November where the kids don't have a lot of school. This week alone they only went 2 days. Luckily the weather has been really nice and in the 60's so they can be sent outside to play and get their energy out. Dominic got a new skateboard for his birthday and he has been breaking it in. I am praying for no broken bones.

We also need to finish up some school projects for both Dominic and Kiarrah. Kiarrahs project is extra credit but my little overachiever wants to do it even though she doesnt need the extra credit. She is doing a report on Penguins and has to do a poster. I wish I was like her when I was in school. Dominic is doing a Chinese scroll.

Trying to figure out what to make for dinner. What's on your dinner menu today?I am thinking something with chicken.

Other 3 Kiddos

Now on to my other three children.........

Little Miss Kiarrah will be 9 at the end of this month. She is my overachiever and she does everything 150%. It can be quite draining for me to keep up with her but I encourage her anyway I can. She loves school and is in the honor program. It is a bit more of a challenge for her this year which is a good thing. She is taking vocal lessons at Academy and she is in the junior choir at school. She sings like an angel and I am not just being partial.

I also forgot to mention that the three older kids are involved In Junior Bible Quizzing at church and had their first competition this past weekend.

Gracie is attending  Little Master's Preschool three mornings a week. It is a nice little break for mommy and for her. She is doing the Abeka program and is starting to learn her letters and numbers. We tried to get her to take a ballet class but she was a little Wallerina. She just wouldn't leave the wall. Instead she is taking a Creative Play class with Miss Sarah and is doing much better there.

Noah is a typical momma's leg hugging 2 yr old. Sometimes I think he wishes he was back up in the womb. He is a real comedian and loves to get into stuff. He loves to talk and run and loves Dinosaurs. He also LOVES to dress up in his sisters dress up clothing. I seriously need to find him some boy dress up clothes. He adjusted well to Gracie leaving for school and loves having me to himself. 

11 Months Gone

I seriously can't believe that 11 months have passed since the last time I have written on this blog. What can I say? Facebook has taken over maybe?

Life has been extremely busy and rewarding. The kids are well into school and are taking classes at HCAA.

Dominic turned 12 in October and is quite the comedian. He is having a little bit of a rough time getting used to 6th Grade. I think it is more of an organizational challenge but after meeting with his teachers, he knows what is expected of him. He had tried out for the flag football team and made it but schoolwork had to come first and we had to let football go. Was a hard decision to make as a mommy and daddy but we have seen an improvement in the grades. He is very strong in math. He is also taking Piano at The Academy and he loves that.

This is a picture of Dominic and his future wife. He has proclaimed his love for her. When she came to the house to bring him a cookie pie for his birthday, we told him to get the door when the bell rang because it was his girlfriend. He was quick to correct us and say, "its not my girlfriend, its my future wife. I already have a girlfriend! When she gave him his card with a little gift of cash, she put a not in the card for him to save some of the money to buy her wedding ring. He is too much. Actually I should say, they are too much.

Reynaldo is loving school this year. They moved him into Special Ed although they didn't really want to. It was after my urging them too. Last school year was a waste and he didn't learn a thing. This year his teacher is really good (don't care for the aid but that's another story) He is getting the more individualized help he needs. He is loving the hip hop class that he is taking at Academy. Reynaldo turned 11 in September. It is kind of cool, well at least the boys think so, that they are the same age for a month. 

I'll write more later about the other three.

Christmas 2010

It has been so incredibly long since I have taken the time to write in my blog. I don't understand why because frankly I really enjoy having the outlet. I have decided that I am going to start at it again and I am also not going to let dear old FACEBOOK  consume me.
It is the start of a new year. Another clean slate is available for me to try not to smear. I am excited about the possibilities that 2011 present.
We had a nice Christmas this year. It was really hard not to be around my family. There is just something about being in Indiana and the traditions that are present this year. We decided to start a few of our own traditions this year and resume some others.  The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and were very well behaved during this break.
Christmas Eve we went out to dinner at The Brownstone Diner with Danisia. It was nice but a little rough because the kids were tired and cranky. Mainly Gracie. I think if we do that again we will go earlier. We came back to the house and just chilled and Naadu came over to bring Gracie a present. It was nice and relaxing and drama free.
Christmas morning we had to wake Noah up. He is always up any other day.The kids opened up their gifts while MeMa and Pop Pop watched on Skype.  It almost felt like they were here with us.
After presents and a breakfast of eggs and cinnamon rolls, we got dressed and went to Uncle Don and Chucks house in Staten Island. We had a blast. The day was spent playing games, talking and a delicious Italian meal. Chuck is an awesome cook.

1st Day of School

Tears

Today has been such an emotional day for me. I don't know what is wrong but I am crying at the drop of a hat and just overly sensitive. No I am not pregnant or even riding the crimson wave. Get that thought out of your head. Last night  Noah woke up with a blood curdling scream and this carried on for 30 minutes. Finally after it all we realized that he was having a night terror. It was so intense. I have been through them before with my other 4 but never to this magnitude. It was crazy. I can't believe how much it shook me up. I am really hoping for a good nights sleep tonight. Tomorrow the kids start school and I am so ready for it. I love them dearly but this summer has been long and they are bored to death. I feel like we will be back to a normalcy that the school year brings.

Dream to Reality

Today is such an exciting day for me. The Online Magazine that I am the Family Editor for launched its first issue this morning. It is a dream come true. It is me stepping out of the box. It is a dream becoming a reality. I am thrilled. If you haven't already please go to Rekindle Magazine  and subscribe. You will then receive the magazine in your email after you have completed the confirmation process. I would love to hear feedback. I am so honored to be a part of this amazing project.
I enjoyed a nice weekend with the family. Today we are having a low key day. We might wander down to the park since it is such a beautiful day. I also need to continue going through the boxes of winter clothing and see what the kids still need. They start school on Thursday. I have two that are excited and one that is not. I really hope that they like their new teachers and have friends in their classroom.
I am looking forward to the structure that comes hand in hand with school and the feeling that fall is right around the corner. Enjoy your Labor Day.

Taking the Limits Off

I thought I would take a moment and share my first blog entry for Rekindle Magazine. I will be blogging on Tuesdays over there.  You can check us out at Rekindle Magazine . I look forward to your comments

Taking the Limits Off

Being a Christian woman is not an easy feat. On a daily basis we are bombarded with feelings of worthlessness, inadequacy, and a nagging question of how can God even love us. Because of these feelings we don’t see ourselves the way that God sees us. We put limits on ourselves and on what God can do through us. Surrendering our lives to Him is a huge step for many of us, especially if we have trust issues.  Lately I have been really struggling to see my potential through Christ. I have felt an anticipation that something big was about to happen. As a mommy to 5 children I just couldn’t see with my natural eye how God could use a busy stay at home mommy like me. I knew raising my children, being a wife and a friend was a ministry in itself but I have been hungry for more. When I was approached about becoming the Family Editor for Rekindle Magazine I was in awe of what God was doing and knew right away that this was “ that something big” that He had been preparing me for. I am honored to be a part of this ministry to women and I pray that God will speak through my hands as I type and share my heart in everything that I write.  I also pray that Rekindle Magazine will leave you feeling inspired and give you a yearning for a deeper intimacy with Christ.

As I embrace this new chapter in my life I have come to realize that God desires for us to fully trust Him.  Whatever He has called you to He will  “equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever” Hebrews 13:21.

Are you hungry for more in your life? Has fear held you back from taking those steps of faith? The Bible tells us in 2 TIm1:7 that “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  What is it that God is calling you to? I would love to hear back from you and hear what God is doing in your life and agree with you in prayer.

Much Love,

Jennifer

Family Editor

Berry Delicious Summer

Noah loves strawberries. I think that one was a little too tart to his liking

The Wonder of Pellets

I am so sleepy today. Noah is cutting his one year molars and is downright miserable. :( His poor gums are so swollen and he is really not wanting to eat. Finally I was able to give him some relief after a very dramatic temper tantrum with Tylenol and Humphrey's Teething Pellets . The pellets are amazing and very natural. You just dissolve them in a teaspoon of water and voila. Sometimes I have been known to just stick them under their tongue to dissolve. I do have to admit that my youngest son, Noah, is a drama king and very much a Mommy's boy. I know that his poor gums hurt but he is sure can bring it to the next level unnecessarily. I do love how much he wants his momma but sometimes I just feel suffocated. Does anyone else have a clingy baby? How do you deal with it? We also have a hard time getting him to stay with a sitter. I would love to hear how you got through it with your hair still on your head. :)

Speaking of Pellets, I wish they came up with a recipe that would work on mouthiness......... I think they would be fling off the shelves if they worked.

Hubby funny

OK so my husband is a real wise guy and some days I just want to smack him. A few days ago he was not helping me around the house and I was getting frustrated. It was just one of those days and I wanted to throw a temper tantrum. (btw I am really good at those) He looks at me after I gave him the look and tells me " I'm just helping you to strive to reach your goal of being a Proverbs 31 woman".

Summer Fun

The kiddos have been enjoying their summer and I think they are sad to see it come to an end. It is weird for us though because most of our long distance friends have already started the new school year. The kids don't go back until Sept 9th.

Reynaldo went to extended school year, a day of Basketball Camp, suffered a concussion and has been home since. Dominic went to a summer camp through the recreation department, got bullied and will never go back to this poorly run program. He is now enjoying his second week of basketball camp to close the summer with a bang. Kiarrah went to an awesome Bible based camp and thrived immensely. They poured on love big time and it kept her very busy. Then she enjoyed two different VBS's. Gracie and Noah were my little tag along buddies whom enjoyed many walks and park trips. We Enjoyed a day of blueberry picking, many walks to Hoboken to the waterfont, trips for icecream, and a visit from cousins from Nevada. We also celebrated Noahs first birthday and Gracie's third.

The kids were really excited about a new sprinkler playground that we have near by. Here are a few pictures of the kids from this summer.