The End of a Blog

This week, my blog will turn two.

And also this week, my blog will expire.  I’ve decided to not renew.

I’ve seen this deadline alert coming for a couple of months now, and I’ve been praying it about it.  It’s actually funny how much it has consumed my thoughts.  It’s been a very hard decision!  I didn’t expect that.  It makes me happy, though.  I have so enjoyed making friends and sharing hearts here at That’s the Brandi Talking blog.

As I’ve lifted the decision to renew or not up to the Father, asking Him what I should do–to keep it up or to let it go–I really felt no answer either way.  But while praying about it today, my peace rested with letting it go.

I appreciate you all joining in and initially clicking that “Follow” button.  It means a lot to me.  In my inadequacy and vulnerability, you listened and lifted me up.  Thank you.  Thank you for letting me voice my opinions, frustrations and fears.  Thank you for letting me share with you what did and didn’t work for me in my motherhood journey thus far.

As you know, we just had our fifth child a month ago.  Home is where I am needed most.

I ask you to please pray for me.  All things considered, our transition from four to five has been fine.  90% of the time I’m okay.  However, in all honesty, the other 10% of the day, I’m shaking in my boots, angry, crying and/or overwhelmed.  That’s each day.  But, I’ll make it through beeecaaaauuuuuseee….”I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me the strength.”  Maybe someday I’ll live to tell how I make it through it and will renew the blog and can tell you about it.  🙂

Anyhow, I just wanted to “formally” say goodbye and love ya.

Thank you, friends, for supporting me and joining me while I explored this part of my journey!  God bless you all!

Brandi

Feelin’ that Grace

Last Tuesday, August 26th our sweet baby girl was born!   We have delighted in having her home and in our arms.  She is healthy, content and as sweet as she can be.

This coming home transition has been wonderful and, by far, our best “re-entry” yet.  Our expectations have been in the right places and our heads have been fully wrapped around the duties at hand, knowing this difficult phase really doesn’t last forever.  But mostly, I know that I know that I know that the ease of this transition has been because of GRACE.  (Thank you, Jesus.)

Each pregnancy, I have believed God for a very specific and very special thing.  With this one, I really clung to God that He would give us an extra measure of Grace for when we came home.  I’ve never had five kids before.  (Ha, ha.  I had to remember that with my first, second, third and fourth I had never had that specific number before either.  But we managed.)  I wasn’t sure how it would be with three under three.  I was nervous how things would go.  So, I prayed that we would really feel God with us.  I tell you, I have felt Him thick with me.  He is so faithful to be with us when we ask.

Please humor me as I post some family pictures of this wonderful first week.

“How ’bout…bookshelves?!”

Have you guys ever seen the America’s Funniest Home Videos video of the little girl who keeps saying, “How ’bout…cupcakes?!”  It’s darling.  She reallllly wants cupcakes for dinner.  She’s so stinkin’ cute about it, she may have gotten just that.  Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, here’s a link to YouTube below.

Well, just like that little girl has an affection for cupcakes, I apparently have an affection for…bookshelves!  My husband and I have a little inside joke:  “How ’bout….bookshelves?!”  He says it’s my solution for everything.  And, admittedly, it truly is.

Each time we consider a room’s function (even the garage and the shed and our upcoming chicken coop), I think to myself of the wonderful benefits of the vertical storage and movable shelving bookshelves have to offer.  I love bookshelves for their efficiency!  You can stage them cute with baskets and buckets and, and, and…

“How ’bout…bookshelves?!”

Scarcity of Me

I have our fifth baby coming in August.  To create some bonding time with my oldest daughter, we decided we wanted to learn to crochet!  We looked online and found a place we could take a class, a fun thing to do before the onset of craziness of a newborn arriving.

It seemed as if everything was against us from taking that crochet class at the local craft store from the very beginning.  For the longest time, dates just wouldn’t line up with different summer activities.  When, finally, one date worked, the craft store manager called us saying they had mistakenly booked the crochet class when their only crochet teacher was going to be on vacation.  So, they allowed me to pick any day to reschedule.  I happily got that set up and squared away…then got an invitation in the mail that conflicted with the new class time.  It was an invitation we just couldn’t resist, so pick up the phone.  Once again, the craft store and I were rescheduling.  The date held.

All week long, I struggled to arrange childcare for my youngest three.  One dead-end after another.  I feared I would have to cancel simply because of that!  At last, I was able to make arrangements for their care.  Then…the day before the class, my two littlest girls got strep throat.  I, in good conscience, could not leave them with a sitter (who has children of her own and could potentially take it home to them!) when they were sick.  It was obvious, mama wasn’t going to be able to make the crochet class.

What I’ve Learned My First Year as a Homeschool Mom

Well, we made it through our first calendar year as an official homeschool family.

While I wouldn’t rush to say it was a gleaming success, I wouldn’t call it a disastrous flop, either. Thankfully, I can say our first year of homeschooling wasn’t a flop because #1 Mama didn’t strangle anyone. UH– I mean–the kids learned something. #2. We didn’t quit. #3. When asked if they like public school or homeschool better, both kids give a happy reply of “HOMESCHOOL!”  And, finally, #4.  We weren’t scared away and are definitely planning on doing it again!

Our first year of homeschooling was… a learning experience, a marathon, and quite possibly the hardest thing we’ve ever done (next to parenting). I’m SO glad that we did it/are doing it and I have ZERO regrets.

So, today I briefly wanted share with you what I learned from my first year as a homeschool mom.