Just as iron sharpens iron

Birthdays are a big deal to me because I have learned that you just don't know how many you're going to have whether you're 3, twenty-three, or ninety-three.  Only the Lord knows the number of our days.  So... I really like to celebrate with friends and family on their special day!!  

I think it's especially important that women realize that their husbands DO like to feel special too.  Maybe they don't desire a catered surprise party with a cast of thousands, but I do know they would enjoy any effort you make on their behalf.   I recently heard a husband say, "You're doing more for her birthday than you did for mine".  She laughed & told him it wasn't true... but as wives we often miss the message.  Our hunky husbands like to be feted too!  

Some ideas are to plan a really special date night where you make all of the plans, arrange the sitter (you do that anyway!), and kidnap dear hubby!

Ask some of his closest friends to join him for a surprise night out.

Have some other couples meet you for dinner.

Send him on a surprise day of golf, hunting, tennis, whatever he enjoys.

Most of all, plan ahead.  Planning ahead shows that you CARE enough to make it a priority!  As the Bible says, "Just as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another!"

Christmas gift ideas

I like to buy our Christmas gifts way in advance!  With 5 children, it's too difficult to try to do last- minute, by the skin-of-your-teeth shopping. For my sanity, I have to plan ahead.

DH (Dear Husband)'s aunt just turned 80.  She wants to be able to print pictures from the weekend. So... I have put all of the pictures on a CD & I have burned CDs for all of the aunts, cousins, and uncles that were able to attend.  Now they can take the CD to the local photo store & print the photos they desire!  I love my Mac, as I have mentioned before. So, I also put all of the photos into a slideshow using I Photo & then I added music.  Voila'!  Christmas gifts for that entire side of the family!  They are not expensive soaps or stationary, but these movies are priceless!  I plan to do something similar for my family as well.

Each year I make calendars on I Photo for my brothers & their wives & both sets of grandparents.  I type in everyone's birthdays & special occasions and fill it with pictures I have taken throughout the year.  I even asked everyone to send me special dates of friends & family, so each calendar is personalized with those events.  I should receive a cut from Apple Computers because I really love their products! It is easy to order these calendars online & they arrive at your doorstep! No mall traffic at all.

Snapfish sometimes offers cute photo ornaments... another great idea.  My friend, K, gave us one 2 Christmases ago that is a picture of our whole family! I love it.

I also use I Photo to create books for my family. I scanned in my brother's wedding & honeymoon pictures & made a neat book for them last year!  So, I will once again use my computer for lots of gifts this year!! :)

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Plan ahead!

When you have children, especially a handful of them, it's wise to plan ahead!!!  I learned from a fellow teacher, Dianne, in Irving, TX in 1995 to PLAN AHEAD.  I would run off worksheets 3 weeks in advance because of her guidance.  Therefore, I was always prepared for unexpected illness, etc.

I try to do the same thing with our household!  Granted, our laundry to-be-ironed pile is often high, but I try to do other things early.  Yesterday, I went ahead & bathed the 2 youngest children at 3pm.  When the triplets came home, the 2 little ones were scrubbed clean and in their pajamas!  It allowed me to focus on the triplets for a while, and we even played a board game after dinner!  

Once they walked in the door, I fed them their snacks and unpacked and RE-PACKED their lunch bags.  Yes, always pack your lunches the night before!  I put them in the refrigerator overnight & add frozen yogurt, ice packs, and water bottles the next morning.  After their snacks, I went ahead & bathed them as well!  By dinner time, all of the children in their pajamas!  My friend, B, has always been really good at the early baths.  

I try to stay on top of my laundry, and I wash several loads a day.  I purposefully don't have laundry baskets so that all dirty clothes go straight to our laundry room.  I will put away clothes while watching children in the bath.  So, I started yet another load just before reading with the children.

As soon as they were in bed, I filled out all forms and put them back in their folders in their backpacks.  I try to fill out forms immediately & send them right back in so that they are not lost in a pile of papers!

Those are some tips from today from a mama of trips plus two!