That Moment

That moment when my husband gets home for work and hands me a love note.

That moment when he randomly texts me that he is so glad he married me.

That moment when he makes me stop running around, busy with housework and kids, to give him a hug.



That moment my one year old son picks up the most perfect rocks and hands them to me. I've kept them all.

That moment when he leads the way through the yard to pick flowers and acts like he's on a mission while doing so.

That moment when he smiles in delight over nothing and anything.

That moment when he's been screaming most of the day, yet when he goes to sleep, I don't want to put him down.


That moment when five year old Logan tells me how God makes babies; God has a treasure box with all of the pieces to put the baby together.

That moment when he tells me that he's going to save all of his pennies to buy a dirt bike...then a Bob Cat.

That moment when he hugs me and tells me he loves me, even though I'm just his babysitter.


That moment when eight year old Katie says that she was trying to see how much she could aggravate me and out of one to ten, I "scored" two (My patience must be improving).

That moment when she asks me if we can read the Bible.

That moment when she says that she wants to read the Bible to us.


You know those simple and content moments that can just make your heart soar? Those moments when the world, at least your world, feels to safe and innocent? I love those moments and I'm growing to appreciate them more and more. I find so much peace in those moments.

What has recent "moment" been for you?

The Moretz Household and Activities with the Kids

I started off blogging great, right!? Isn't that how it goes? Then my baby...became toddler! I began babysitting, trying to maintain my house, and trying to keep my sanity in the midst of chaos. As the story goes. I get caught up on one thing and another falls, or gets torn, apart. Kids, kids. Blessings and mess makers wrapped up in one adorable bundle.

While I was on my leave from Bloggerville I was pretty well falling apart along with the house. The picture of: barely awake, never stopping, still in pajamas at 5:00pm? The toddler screaming like his mother abandoned him...just because she ran to the bathroom? Constantly washing dishes and still drowning beneath them because the dishwasher is broken? Yep, yep, and yep. That was me. Actually, it's pretty much STILL me, I'm just dealing with it all much better.

I'm doing better in keeping up with the dishes and the rest of the house, but what I have significantly changed, is that I'm stopping for the kids more. More importantly, I find myself stopping for God much more and I see how THAT is changing my overall ability to be a wife, mother (and babysitter), and housekeeper.

All of this to say: Now that I'm doing more with the kids, let me share what I'm doing! These activities may be old news to most, but just in case these simple things have been overlooked, let me share!

                        Toddler Activity:
Need: A plastic bottle, uncooked pasta, and a toddler.

All you do is let them put the pasta in the bottle! So simple, but it's a challenge for Gage (1) and he's getting good, fast!

                          Pre-k Activity+:
Need: Uncooked pasta and kid. Next time, I'm going to have a tupperware container with sand and you'll understand why.


Use the pasta to create letters of the alphabet. I want to use the sand so that the noodles won't roll around as he is trying to put them in place. This activity challenges Logan (4) and when he succesfully does it by himself, I let him take a picture with my phone so that I can send it to Matthew (my husband) who Logan loves.

               Obedience Week:
When Logan first came in today, I explained that we were having "Obedience week" and that we were going to learn how to obey. We read a scripture on obeying leaders in Hebrews 13:17. NKJ Bible says "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls. As those who must give account. Let them do so with Joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." We broke that down: "Obey your leaders." We'll also go over obeying mommy and daddy with Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in all things for this is pleasing to the Lord".

I asked Logan who his leaders were, I explained what it mean to obey ("to listen carefully" I said as I pointed to my ears), and for this week every time he obeys (quickly and thoroughly), he gets a penny. I told him he could save it up and we could go get ice cream, buy a little toy, or whatever he gets enough for. The rules: He cannot ask for a penny and if I am telling him to do something that I had already told him, no penny then either.

We're only halfway through the day, but he is doing GREAT and LOVING it! When I tell him or ask him to do something, he quickly says "Yes, ma'am" and does it. I am trying to make sure I enthusiastically say "Thank you for obeying! You're doing such a great job!" I tell him to get a penny and so he gets one and puts it in his container (that I dug out from the recycle bin and cleaned up). Now we're trying it with Miss Katie (8) and she seems pretty excited too!

So that's what is happening here. More time with God, less time flipping out. More time "training up" the kids, less time getting onto them. I think this could work!