Michelle Duggar Baby #20!!

Genesis 1:28 "Be fruitful and multiply" a word that Mr and Mrs. Duggar live by...literally!

“We would love however many the Lord seems fit to give us.” Michelle Duggar tells The Today Show. I admire her for her love of motherhood and the Lord has blessed her womb to birth 19 children already! WOW!!! Many worry for the health of her and the unborn child, but I say, Go Go GO...God will protect his own!

Here is a brief bio of the Duggar Family from their blog:

"Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar married July 21st, 1984. At that time, they chose to use the birth control pill. They thought, “We don’t want children right now. We can’t afford them. We want children in our timing, when we’re ready.” Four years later they decided to have their first child. Then, Michelle went back on the pill, but she conceived and had a miscarriage. At that point they talked with a Christian medical doctor and read the fine print in the contraceptives package. They found that while taking the pill you can get pregnant and then miscarry. They were grieved! They were Christians! They were pro-life! They realized that their selfish actions had taken the life of their child."

http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/family

You see, Michelle and I are alike. We love a big family and want to raise them up in the Lord. I wonder if I'll get to baby #20? Hmmm... What's your take on Michelle's 20th pregnancy?

Here's the interview with the Duggar family: 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/45207591#45207591

The Conclusion of "Learning from The Teenager" by Tracie McClinton

Tracie McClinton
Mother of the Teenager

..Cont'd...

The teenager has taught me to use my bible.  No, I don’t mean fling it at her head, but I’ve heard that can be very motivating for teenagers.   Parenting a teenager definitely keeps me in the word of God.  I am constantly reading the bible to give her correct answers to her questions.  I also use it as an effective tool to show her when she is wrong and her behavior and thinking is not in line with what God intended for children.  Then, I say “See, the Lord said it, not me!”  She believes the word and I am so glad I don’t have to beat her over the head with it!

The teenager has taught me to say yes.  I realize that saying no all of the time does not make me a strong parent.  Of course, there are things that I must say no to, but not everything.  She has taught me to lighten up.  This is not to be confused with compromising our standards!  Some things are not negotiable.  However, it’s important to have balance.  She has plenty of time for disappointments and doors closing.  Saying yes when possible is good for both of us and it gives her a chance to build her independence.

The teenager has taught me to trust.  Her father and I have spent many years training, teaching and disciplining her.  How will we ever know what she’s capable of if we never trust her to stand on what we’ve taught her all these years?  I am learning to trust that she has been listening all of those days that I told her make good choices.  She has proven to me over and over again that she is listening. 

The teenager has taught me to be patient.  It takes the teenager an hour to do something that can be done in fifteen minutes.  I have come to realize that no amount of yelling and threatening will change this.  It’s who she is.  So, I wait and pray…..a lot.  (Insert “Jesus keep me near the cross because this child is gonna make me lose it.” right here).   I can only hope that one day she will be on time…..for something.  So, I wait and pray……a lot.

Finally, the teenager has taught me to think quickly on my feet.  I recently received a call from her school informing me that would be in detention all day because of a dress code violation.  Huh?  Unacceptable.  I told the teenager to go to the Performing Arts department and find a costume (or something) to wear and get to class!  Someone asked how I thought of that.  I honestly have no idea.  Having a teenager makes you creative and you constantly have to come up with new ways to problem solve because they always come up with new problems!

I recently had the opportunity to meet the teenager’s school principal.  She had nothing but nice things to say about the teenager and for a moment I wanted to ask “You mean she doesn’t give you a blank stare and a sigh when you tell her to do something?”  Then she said, “Kristin is an awesome young lady.”     

And that, my friends, makes it all worth it.  

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Learning from The Teenager by Tracie McClinton

“Stay with Lord and treat folks right” and “Make good choices” are two phrases that my soon-to-be-17-year-old daughter hears on a regular basis.  I am usually yelling these to her as she hops out of the car, rushing to get to school or wherever I am dropping her off to hang out with other soon-to-be-17-year-olds.  She invariably gives me a look that says, “Whatever lady” and goes about her day.  I refer to her as “The Teenager”.  Her name is Kristin, which means, follower of Christ.  Her name destined her for my intentions for her life.  She is a quirky, non-conformist who goes against the grain.  She challenges the absurd.  She is brutally honest and asks question on top of question.  These are the things that drive me bonkers about her, but these are the things that I love about her.

Raising a teenage girl brings daily questions and situations.  As I write this, I realize that there are so many negative things that could easily fill up pages and pages when it comes to teenage girls.  There is never a dull moment.  Teenage girls change often so there is always something new and interesting to deal with.  But, I decided to focus on the positives of parenting instead of the eye-rolling, bad attitudes, slammed doors, yelling, crying, disobedient, whining, look-at-me-when-I’m-talking-to-you and stop- texting-when-I-told-you-to-put-that-phone-away and generally irritating side of parenting a teenager.  

There are so many things I want for the teenager.   There are days when I wish I could open up her head and pour in the knowledge.   I wouldn’t stop there.  I would open her heart and pour in all the Christ I could!  As a mom, we just want our kids to “get it”.  As she gets older I can see her moving further and further away from me toward her own independence.  I’m not ready to let go.  However, I realize I am letting go every day when I release her into the world.   I pray daily that she has a lasting faith in the Lord.  I know her faith will be challenged by the influences of friends and circumstances. 

Speaking of challenges, boy do we have ours!  There are days when I feel like the worst mother in the world and I second-guess myself.  Surely a Christian mother would never lose her temper.  A Christian mother prays about everything and seeks wise counsel from the Lord and always has a biblically-based answer for everything.  Ah…..if only that were true.   But, by the grace of God I’ve managed to keep my sanity intact and learned some very valuable lessons on this journey.  I never thought a teenager could teach me anything except the all the latest slang-so-I-can-sound-cool-language and how to use all of my electronics.  Here are just a few things I’ve learned from parenting a teenager:

The teenager has taught me to pray.   And I don’t mean “Jesus keep me near the cross because this child is gonna make me lose it” prayer.  I mean really seeking Him for His wisdom and direction in raising her to fulfill the destiny and purpose that God has for her.  When I’m at my weakest, God renews my strength and my mind so I am able to shake off yesterday’s parental mistakes and keep going.

Tracie McClinton, mother of a Teenager

**Be on the look out for the conclusion of this blog, tomorrow, 11/5/2011!!** Thanks

Thankful Thursday: Journey to Texas

Every Thursday this month, I will reflect on our journey to Texas. I figured that November will be a perfect opportunity to share our ups and downs of our experiences this far and write about how grateful and thankful we are to go through to get to this point in our lives.  Let’s begin!

Last year, my husband and I have been thinking about moving once we reached 5 years in our Plainfield home. Things were lining up to make our goal a reality; jobs were coming to a halt because of the winter season approaching and we were ready for a change. We had the mind of ministry and doing missions. We prayed and fasted for God to direct us and in December, we had the means to travel to Texas for Christmas and the New Year. We adjusted quickly to the stress-free environment. Although our vacation was kind of rough, we still enjoyed our time together. We came back to Illinois in January 2011 renewed and a made-up mind.

Not even 2 weeks after coming home from Texas, we packed up our things and stored it away. We stayed with Ray’s sister for a month while we decided on cities to visit and the perfect time to travel. We have begun our search for residency and research schools in the area to narrow our search.  February 24, we journeyed to Texas in our truck with our car in tow with some clothes, our flat screen television, and a nice down payment. We were pretty much homeless.

After a day of driving we stopped at a resort and re-cooped for a week with our laptop open and Craigslist ads in hand, mapping out our home search.  At this time, we were near San Antonio in a really nice resort with a wonderful view. People would call us and ask if we stopped by this place or that place, which frustrated us because we were not on vacation, but trying to find a new life for our family. Daily we met with God seeking direction and peace throughout this process and He definitely came through for us. After left the resort, we drove toward Dallas, rested there for a few days while looking for a home, then journeyed down to Houston. When we made it to Houston, which was in March, we stayed with Ray’s parents in their RV. When you talk about tight, it was TIGHT! My husband and I with our three kids and 5/6 months pregnant in the heat and living condition were unbearable. Our emotions got the best of us. We walked into this journey knowing how rough it would be, I was then reminded of the words of people saying that they were against our move. We began to pray and cry out to God. His peace then again fell upon me and I felt as if I can make it…and we did. But that was just the beginning…

My daughters hair with Hair One: The Wen Alternative

Just wanted to stop by with some pictures of my girls hair texture and curl pattern with Hair One in their hair. I love how different their textures are. I prayed before I start having kids, that my daughters have different types of hair so I can know how to work with all hair types. I wonder how Reelaiah's hair will be?

Raymiah's hair (tighter curl pattern)

Rylee's hair (loosened curl pattern)

Just thought this picture was cute! ;o)

Protecting our hair: Winter 2011

With the winter months approaching, I am beginning my research on ways to protect me and my daughters hair. I am STILL learning how to braid. I stopped learning because I think braids are not "girly" enough for me. Now this is my opinion. I know there are different styles, but I am still up in the air with the idea of braiding our hair. But what I decided to do for our hair is twists. My hair is not a fan of twists because it doesn't hold and I hate to add 30 different products in my hair to make it work. I am considering Senegalese twists or rope twists. I will be doing it myself, because I rather not pay for something I can learn to do myself in the comfort of my home. But for my girls, I will attempt braid styles that fits their personalities; I won't go the lazy route and style their hair once a month, but it will be on a weekly basis because our hair tangle easily protected or not. Natural hair varies from person to person and I have learned what works best for us.

A cute little style for the girls. But without the extensions and without being so tight. We want to keep their edges. Also, moisture is essential!

I am researching which type of hair will work for me because certain synthetic hairs break my hair...and I'm not taking any chances with that again. Or I may decide trying to twist my hair alone.... I will also add a leave-in conditioner to ensure I have protection and moisture.



We'll see what my final decision will be...