About Us | Mom Blog | From Dates to Diapers™

Let’s Get This Party Started! #UBP10

by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on April 9, 2010

WELCOME TO MY CORNER OF THE 5 MINUTES FOR MOM ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY…
Grab yourself a cupcake!!

I plan to party all week, and even have some special surprises in store for you, but in case you are here for the first time, I would like to tell you about my family ::

Ray and I have been best friends for thirteen years. Last August we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary and look forward to growing old together. We are Bible-believing followers of Christ, who have responded to the call to teach and train our kiddos at home. Our kiddos keep us busy, and we are far from perfect parents, as you’ll see as you get to know us.

Ethan and Zach are our mischievous twin boys. I’m sure you’ve heard about the special bond that twins have, right? Well, as their Mom I could swear that they share a brain. They will finish each other’s sentences, they compliment each other like bread and butter, and very seldom will you see them apart.

Julia is our only daughter, sandwiched between a gaggle of brothers. She is the only one who has yet had a broken bone and a gash deep enough to require stitches. She’s a tough little princess, though, so don’t you dare feel sorry for her! {Maybe in a few years when her brothers are screening her dates, you can feel sorry for her. I know I will!}

Next in our brood do we have Josh, who will be six years old tomorrow. {Will you help me wish him a Happy Birthday?} Josh looks up to his older brothers, but is the one in charge when it comes to his younger brothers. He loves math, is a great listener, and loves my tacos!

Our only blondie, Ben, is generally quiet and loves to just observe. Every night Ben asks me to pray for his hands. I have a feeling his hands were created to do some amazing things, even if he remains somewhat reserved.

Then comes Noah, who is the life of the party. At almost three years old he is everyone’s best friend and quite the clown. His facial expressions and body language always has us laughing. He is also our little trouble-maker… You can’t take your eyes off that kid, even for a second!

And, last but not least, is the little baby I have dancing in my womb. Next week we’ll know more about him {or her, or them}, so stay tuned.

Whew, I’m tired! So… I’m going to do some party hopping and meet some of YOU. Feel free to make yourself at home, join us on some of our adventures, enter my latest giveaway, or read the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

Throughout the next week I will be giving some Twitter shout-outs to some of my new #UPB10 friends, so be sure you leave me a comment with your Twitter handle.

{ 47 comments }

3 Things You May Not Know About Us

by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on July 14, 2009

I’ve never participated in one of these MckLinky Blog Hops, but this one looks like fun! So, here we go… Three things you may not know about us:

ONE::
Through World Vision, we sponsor 5 children in as many different countries in Africa, as well as one from Vietnam. Ray and I led a short-term mission trip to Africa in 2003, where we ministered in unsuspecting ways to the natives in Zambia. Since then Ethan, our oldest, talks almost daily about being a missionary, even as he witnesses to the neighbor kids. Someday Ray and I plan to take all of our children to walk the soil of this torn nation, and learn from the Africans as we seek to show Christ through us.

While Ray and I were debriefing with our team in Africa, we went on a safari. The following shows the unexpected…

What this video doesn’t show is that Ray was hanging out of the doors (that wouldn’t close) to catch the footage! As i screamed, i grabbed him and literally pulled him back in to the bus! We had babies at home who needed us!

TWO::
Four years ago, in May, three of our children (babies, really) had pneumonia and were hospitalized for several days. During their stay, KCRA and the Sacramento Bee followed a young girl, named Hana, as she delivered gift bags to all of the children in the pediatric ICU. This little girl had broken her leg not too long before and remembered feeling scared in the hospital, so she wanted to bring a bit of home to the children now in her place. The chipper 7 year old, the cameras and reporters, all made a quick stop in the room where two of our children lay sick in bed. Our kiddos received a fun bag of goodies and a documented report for all to see…

THREE::
People think that Ray and I have it all together. We don’t. Really, we’re just a large family, with lots of boys, trying to stay sane. We lose our temper. We yell. Alot. I am wiped out before my kiddos’ 3 o’clock snack-time. Ray has to pick up a lot of slack most nights, after I declare that I’m done. BUT, we love each other. And, we love our kids. Unconditionally. AND, most importantly, we rest in the promise that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

{ 19 comments }

Welcome…

by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on April 21, 2009

I’m so glad you decided to visit! There is so much I could tell you about me and From Dates to Diapers, but I’m not going to bore you with a ton of info. Instead, I would love for you to take a look around, make yourself at home and hang out for a bit.

There is lots to see and do while you are here. You could discover a bit about me and my family, find out more about how you and your little one could win $10,000, read about our homeschooling adventures, browse through (and enter) my giveaways, or maybe just get a good chuckle by tagging along as we make our big trip to Costco.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you let me know that you know you were here. I’d love to hear from you and I’d be thrilled if you come back again… We always have fun stuff going on!

And, if you didn’t get a chance to see me on Fox40 Live in Sacramento, this morning, here is the clip from today’s segment:

{ 8 comments }

Organized Chaos

by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on March 19, 2009

I know you are dying to know what it’s like at our house. I like to say that it’s very much like *organized chaos*. Let me tell you why…

Chaos is defined, by Webster in 1828, as “any mixed mass, without due form or order.” And organized is defined as “systemized.” Our home, on most days, looks as if it is without form or order, when in reality we are very systematic in the way our main parts, each family member, are connected, so as to form one whole unit, our family.

Our home runs smoothly, due to the fact that each part of the whole unit knows his or her place and position and acts according to what is required of them. Daddy is the head of the home, both spiritually and physically (1 Corinth. 11:3,7) – He loves, provides, protects, leads, and makes the decisions . Mommy is the heart and keeper of the home (Titus 2:4,5) – She nurtures, guides, teaches, and loves, all the while making sure the matters of the home run smoothly. Our children are the feet (Eph. 6:1-3) – They scurry about growing, playing and learning, all the while obeying our every command (sometimes not so heartily).

As parents we believe that we are to teach and train our children and have taken this literally. I am a homeschooling mom who loves having my children home with me. My children and I do most everything together, from morning ’til night. They are a part of my everyday tasks… They help with the meals, cleaning and taking care of the smaller ones, as much as they are capable at their young age. They are somewhat like shadows… They are always around. I love it!!

While we don’t have any strict schedule we adhere to, day in and day out, I do think that I manage my chaos pretty well.

How about you?

{ 5 comments }

My 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homeschooling

March 10, 2009

Tweet 1. Have a plan, whether it is for the whole school year or just the next week. It is also a good idea to create a daily schedule and try to stick to it. However, remember not to become a slave to any schedule, but make your schedule work for you. 2. Start each [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Why We Homeschool

March 3, 2009

Tweet I was asked last week, after my post about not being a typical homeschool family, why we do it. There are a myriad number of reasons why families around the world homeschool… religious reasons, academic reasons, social reasons, etc., etc. In answer to the question, I am only going to share the heart issues, [...]

13 comments Read the full article →

More About Us

May 22, 2008

Tweet I am going to attempt to appease some curiosity about our family by listing here the most frequently asked questions posed to us by friends, and strangers, alike. If you have one for us, feel free to ask. We just may include our answer here! How did you and Ray meet? Ray and I [...]

19 comments Read the full article →