Praises!

I realized after I updated the blog last night, that I might have come across a little on the whiny side. The truth is that I have much to be thankful for and that post did not accurately express the blessings that I was given this week. 

On Monday, my friend, Autumn, and her mom came out to help paint the trim. Having friends to laugh and visit with made the whole experience a lot more enjoyable and much faster. Autumn brought along her two children, Summer and Logan. Logan is about the same age as Emma, and amazingly neither of them became painted! Autumn had brought along supper, which was a huge blessing to me. I'm very thankful for their help.

On Tuesday, the children and I went along to the nursing home with my dad. The kids sang for the grandpas and grandmas and passed out some Easter cards that they had made in school. I also had a friend from church, Star, who made a meal for us. Since I already had to come into Omro to do a little grocery shopping, she offered to watch some of my kids while I shopped. The meal was delicious, and I didn't have to cook for TWO nights in a row! 

Wednesday  was an interesting day for me. Wyatt started off the morning with throwing up in his bed! It was also the morning that we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground. My dad came to pick up the older boys and take Travis to 4k. I kept Wyatt and Emma home with me, although Wyatt seemed to be fine once he threw up! My mom schooled the older boys so that they could keep moving forward while I tried to work on projects at home. I needed to go to Menards later in the afternoon to pick up some more supplies, and Gretchen offered to keep some of the kids. Chandler wanted to go with me, but the other four were very excited about playing at the Schilders house! Chandler and I went to Menards first, and then we picked out material for our dinning room chairs at Hobby Lobby. We also tackled the list for Target and the grocery store...with coupons. :) I had a really good time spending time with my second son, and it was a huge blessing to me that Gretchen watched the other children. Gretchen and Sean came over that night to help paint and put up trim. All the projects are coming together, but it's just been too cold to paint outside! We are so blessed to have so many that have come along side of us to help us try to get this house on the market. 

Thursday: I was a speech judge for the ACE Student Convention this afternoon. (This is a competition for high schoolers from Christian Schools around the state.) We started school a little early this morning so that I could get to the convention on time. Gretchen watched my children again this afternoon, gave two of them naps, fed them lunch, and then fed us supper after I came back! (She's awesome like that!!) :) It was a good afternoon for me, although it was very full. It was good to get away from the house and all its projects for a little bit! 

Friday: what can I say? Roger came home today! That was my biggest blessing! :) 

So, you see, I can do more than just whine and complain! I do hope our blog doesn't come across that way! We've had so many wonderful friends that have prayed for us, encouraged us, and helped us. I don't want to forget all that I have to be thankful for...thank you!

                                    

YES!

Roger passed his commercial test on Monday! We are so excited about this as it means that the light should start shining brightly at the end of the tunnel! Roger has had several interviews, but nothing is confirmed as of right now. To be honest, I'm tired of waiting, but neither do I want Roger to rush head long into the wrong job for him and our family. 

Life here continues to progress...slowly! We are working hard at getting the school books to look skinner every week, and I've been trying to work on projects at home. I've been wanting to paint the deck, but the weather has not cooperated this week! Instead, I've been tackling other projects with the help of many friends. We are blessed to have so many that have helped either by working, bringing a meal, sending an encouraging note, or praying for us. We can never repay all the debt we owe, but from the bottom of our hearts, we say "thank you". 

Update on Friday, March 27

Roger came home today!!! This is very exciting news for our family, but the downside would be that he doesn't have a job yet. He's pursued jobs in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, and a few other states. Currently the greatest contenders for potential employment appear to be in Arizona or New Jersey. Neither of these would be good paying jobs, but they would help Roger build the hours he needs to get a better job. We need a lot of wisdom right now as we work thru the pros and cons and figure out what God has for us. We definitely want to do God's will, and we need to be discerning to find out what is best for our family and our future. I'm thrilled that Roger passed his commercial test in far less time than they predicted. However, I think I was envisioning him passing the test, waltzing into a job, and a paycheck looming on the horizon. Currently, it appears that God would have us wait a little bit longer. I've been praying about what I can do to help us earn a little income, but it's challenging with homeschooling, running a household, etc. I know that Roger is feeling the pressure of it all building up as well, so will you pray with us that God will provide a job soon? 

Roger came home early is afternoon, and by three o'clock we were busy working on projects around the house. It's so much easier when there are two of us to work around here! :) We sanded chairs, painted a wall, picked up the yard, and played baseball with the kids (actually, Roger did). 

A few fun moments from the week:

On Wednesday I wasn't feeling that great, so I told the boys I was going to take a nap for a bit. I had made a small pan of brownies, and I told the boys that they could have some. However, when I woke up from my rest, the entire pan was GONE! I asked Garett what happened! He replied, "oh, we divided them up equally. We shared nicely!" I see that...wow! Oh well, I guess I should've specified how many brownies they could have to eat! 

Earlier in the week, it was a little bit cold in the mornings. I would go out and start up the truck, so it could warm up for a bit. I told Chandler to take Emma out to the truck, and I would grab the diaper bag. As I came out of the house, Emma and Chandler were standing right near the exhaust pipe! I quickly exclaimed to get away from there! Chandler looked puzzled and then explained that he was helping Emma stay warm!! Oh dear...we had a discussion on why that wasn't a good idea!!

Thank you all for your prayers. 

                     

One Foot in Front of the Other!

The awesome, wonderful news is that Roger is ready to take his commercial test! The school there tells the students that most average between 14-20 hours before they're ready to take it. Roger will be right at ten hours when he takes his test. Yes, I'm very proud of him! He's looking into some jobs in the area, but nothing is for sure right now. He was also able to stay with a friend this week so that is also an answer to prayer. Roger said that he really enjoys this school in Lakeland, Florida. It's more of a family run school, so Roger really appreciates that aspect. It seems like it's a good fit for him, and the school appears to do a good job of working with their students. Praise the Lord!

On my Homefront, we are surviving. I wouldn't say that we're thriving, but we are surviving! I'm thankful for the warmer temperatures the last few days that have allowed the kids to play outside for hours at a time. I've been able to get a little more painting done around the house, and I will only have to go back to touch up a few areas that have small handprints on them. 

On Saturday, it was just Emma and I. We went to part of the workers training at church, which was actually a big blessing to me. I was not delighted with the thought of sitting through a workers seminar, but I decided to go at least for a little bit. It was actually very helpful, and I learned some valuable tips on how to teach Bible verses to our children's church class. God gave me a blessing, even though I wasn't looking for one. :) 

However, after the workers training, I went home and started painting. Unfortunately Emma had taken a little nap in the car, so she was ready to go! For a while, it went fairly smoothly. She played in the garage with the wagon, while I painted the back door. Then I moved to the front porch to paint the front door. Emma wanted to be right near where I was, so she climbed up the steps to the porch. She managed to trip into the paint pan with her boot, and she proceeded to place several white little footprints on the porch! I finally just gave her a snack out on the porch, and she was content to sit there and eat while I worked! :) 

I had just finished the bathroom door and the boys door when the boys arrived back from their trip. They had a great time with their Papa in the woods, but they were tired and filthy! I reminded them to please not touch anything as it might have wet paint. However, when I went to get the two younger boys in the tub, I noticed that the bathroom door had a handprint on it! There was really nothing I could do as the paint had to dry, and the boys weren't touching anything in purpose. But when you're short, you just push on the door; you don't use the door knob!  Oh well, it is what it is! 

Sunday was a full day. It was our week for chukdrens church, but Roger is gone and our other helpers are on a missions trip. We were a little short handed, but somehow it all came together! After church, we went home. We had college snack after church, so I knew it would be a later night. I had planned on quiet time in the afternoon, but Emma fell asleep on the way home. She thought that was enough of a nap, so quiet time was futile. Instead, I sent them all outside so I could gather my thoughts...I think! :) 

Monday, March 16

Another very busy full day with schooling, cleaning, packing, and painting. It seems to be never ending! My dad brought the boys donuts at school today, and they were very excited about their treat. However, Emma managed to sample them first, and she took a bite out of every single one!

                       

      

Tuesday, March 17

We had our meeting with the realtors today, and both Roger and I were disappointed with the results. I realize that everyone thinks their home is worth more than it is, but wow! We are praying for wisdom on what to do, and how God wants to be glorified in all of this. It also doesn't hurt to get a second opinion, so maybe we'll look into that also. 

My friend, Gretchen, graciously watched my children this evening. I had to come into town to drop off some food for a funeral tomorrow. I was wanting to visit my friend, Jenna, who was in the hospital. Gretchen watched all five of my children for me while I visited with Jenna. Jenna is one of my dearest friends, and the kind that I can talk to for hours when it feels like fifteen minutes! I came up to the hospital around 6:30, and told myself that I would leave by 7:30...it was closer to 8:30! Our time of fellowship was sweet, our conversations were about anything and everything, and I treasure the memories. 

When I went to pick up my kids from Gretchen's house, I asked her if she was going to the funeral at church the next day. She replied that she would like to, but she didn't have anyone to watch the kids. There are very, very few people that I would rearrange our homeschooling schedule for, but I did for Gretchen! :) She has helped me with so many things, and watching the kids while she went to the funeral seemed like the thing for me to do. So, I worked out the schooling schedule with my mom. We thought we would have to do school on Saturday if we couldn't squeeze in the extra time to make up for the missed day. The boys worked unusually hard on Thursday and Friday so that they wouldn't have to do school on Saturday. I'm very glad that I only do something like that once a schoo year, but I'm glad I made the effort for Gretchen. :) 

Wednesday, March 18,

We left our house around 9:15 this morning, and we came home about 9:00 at night! It was a long day, but I think it was fairly productive. I watched eleven children this morning while Gretchen attended the funeral. She came back shortly after lunch time. The little ones went down for naps, and I went to do plasma. I've been approved to go back, but I've been struggling to find the time to do it. After plasma, I ran a few errands and then came back to Gretchen's house. Since it was already 3:00, I decided it didn't pay to go home for an hour and turn around and come back. Gretchen offered to feed us supper, and I said "yes, please". We had a great time of fellowship in the afternoon as we raked up leaves and cleaned up the yard. I didn't get a whole lot done at my home, but it was productive. 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday...

On Thursday, Wyatt was learning the special sound of "ar" in star. So he's sounding out words that have the "ar" sound in them like ark, barn, etc. He comes to the word "farm" and he starts to sound it out. He starts to giggle, and I ask him what's so funny. He replies, "it's going to be a funny word, Mom." I asked him what word it was going to be, and he replies, "It's going to say 'ar' in fart!" He then about falls off his chair laughing until I tell him "It's farm, Wyatt. The word is farm". I don't like the kids to use the word "fart" so Wyatt thought it was going to be so funny! Yeah, I'm pretty sure A Beka books is not going to use the word "fart" for one of their "ar" words! 

On Friday afternoon, my dad called to say that he was heading up to Wausau to collect maple sap. I asked the boys if any of them wanted to go, and surprisingly, just Chandler and Wyatt wanted to go. Garett and Travis helped me pull weeds, clean up the yard, and fold clothes. Since I needed to get a few things at Menards, I decided to take the three kids on a date. The boys were so excited! They changed their clothes, helped get Emma ready, and even opened up the doors for me. I told them that when they get older and they take a girl on a date, they have to pay for the girl's dinner. However, since they're still young, mom will pay. I mentioned that on a date you should have good manners like opening doors, saying thank you, etc. Garett replied, "yeah, if my girl date doesn't say thank you for dinner, I'm going to drive off without her and get a different one!" I assured him that he should still have good manners and take the girl home and not drive off without her!! Oh dear, we have a lot to teach!!

                                 

  

The boys are very excited about spending some time with the Schilder kids on Saturday. We were invited to go with them up to Appleton to go to Monkey Joes. It's a place with a lot of inflatable things for children to climb on. The boys have been so excited about going, and I know it will be a fun day for them. 

Saturday, March 21

What a week! I'm tired and ready for bed! It was a very full day today with an activity with friends, then back home for cleaning and painting. The Schilder family came over tonight for supper, and Sean put up some of the trim that I need to put up. Gretchen helped rake the yard, paint the trim, and made everything more fun. I was in the process of redoing my dining room table; but when Sean saw my paint job on the table, he offered to finish. :) Sean paints for a living, so I think my painting skills were driving him crazy. It does look nice though, so I'll have to take a picture later. 

I received a very encouraging note in the mail from a friend today. It was totally unexpected, and it was a special encouragment to me. I'm so thankful for all those that have written notes, prayed for us, encouraged us, and loved our family...we are so blessed!

There are so many more things that happened this week, but I'm tired! 

From Roger: 

I'll be taking my commercial rating test on Monday. I've pursued several differnt job leads while I've been down here in Florida, but I don't believe this is where God is going to give me a job. Because the tourist season starts earlier here, most positions for flying tourists have been filled. I do have a phone interview with a man in New Jersey, and one with someone offering a job in Arizona. I'm also filling out an application for a job in Ohio. Please be praying that God will provide the perfect job for me, and that I can start quickly! 

Grace

If I was honest, I'd admit that I'm a tad weary and tired. But it's par for the course these days as we push towards the finish line. I'm happy to report that Roger passed his written commercial test on Tuesday, and has started on the flying part of the rating! Yay! 

Meanwhile, I've not been eating bonbons and watching soap operas! :) I've been working on painting various things around the house, packing, washing muddy children, cleaning, and washing muddy children. Did I mention that I've been washing muddy children?! Actually, the weather has been beautiful, and the kids have been playing outside for several hours every day. Focusing on schoolwork gets a little harder with the weather being nice, but it's also a good incentive to finish the schoolwork! 

This week, on Thursday, we had a realtor walk through the house. I cleaned, scrubbed, and spiffed everything up. Guess what? The realtor was here for all of about twelve minutes! However, the house did look very neat-especially for five children living here! They will be getting back to me next week sometime to discuss what projects we need to work on the most. It's been very challenging to paint and clean with lots of "help". Thankfully, my dad had the boys "help" him two afternoons this week to tear out some carpeting and replace some flooring at the church building. Emma is a tornado, and she is quick! I try to do the painting while she's napping, but I can't paint her bedroom door while she's sleeping. Wyatt was on "watch dog" duty or Emma patrol, but she managed to get past him and planted her handprint on the wet, freshly painted door! 

I know that God has given me extra grace this week, and I've still been struggling with being patient with the boys. The Lord has helped me in several instances to just keep my mouth shut! (Something I should practice more often, I think!) 

One of the funny moments this week came from Garett. We were having fried chicken at my parents house, and there was a particularly large piece of chicken. Garett pulled it out of the box and said, "Wow! This must be the waste of the chicken!" I was completely and udderly confused until I realized that he meant "waist" of the chicken! It was a fun moment! 

We had a family from church over on Thursday for supper. Thursday was the day the realtor came, so it was a good day to have company over since I didn't have to do extra cleaning! :) It's a real treasure to have some very good friends in our church; and should God move us away, there will be some goodbyes that will be hard. However, I've quit telling God where I want to be, and I have been praying specifically that God will work in my heart to prepare me for wherever He wants us to go. 

Today I had a friend come over for lunch and to visit. We had an enjoyable afternoon, and it was fairly quiet with just Emma at home! The boys went up to Wausau with my dad to collect the sap from the maple trees. They've been asking about going along to help collect the sap, and I'm glad that they have the opportunity to go. I remember doing it as a child, and I have many fond memories of tromping around out in the woods lifting the buckets off the hooks. I know that they'll come back tired and eager to tell me all about it. I love these memories! 

Tonight Emma and I took a trip to a nursing home to visit someone from our church. Since it was just Emma and myself, it was much easier to get ready to go. :) Sometimes it challenging to find time to visit people or write a note, but then I think about when I get older. I surely hope that people find time to visit me! I always go to visit people asking God to help me be a blessing, but God always blesses me too. It's the delight that I was able to make someone smile, or that God used me to reach out to someone else, and my heart is blessed by these things. I'm working on training and instilling in my children these same values. Chandler still groans when we go to visit people in nursing homes, but hopefully we will see improvement some day! :) 

It's been a week of burden sharing too. Galatians 6:2 states, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." One of my dear friends shared some deep prayer requests with me early in the week, and God showed Himself strong today...I love that! Another friend is facing a different trial, and as overwhelming as it is at times, I'm so blessed to be able to share in bearing these burdens. One of my prayer request for this year was to keep a prayer journal. It's been amazing to see God at work. He's real and personal, and I'm so thankful that He's my Saviour. 

Roger has been busy in Florida. He has a long day of flying tomorrow, but he's really close to wrapping up this commercial rating. Please be praying that God will provide the perfect job for Roger and for God to continue to direct our family. 

                        

     

Steps Along the Way!

      

                   This is Interstate 65 south on Thursday morning! 

Roger left for Florida on Wednesday night around 7pm. He was wanting to get at least some of the miles out of the way, and the weather forecast was predicting several inches of snow farther south. It was harder to see him leave this time even though it will be for a shorter amount of time. We've re-adjusted to having him around, and it's going to be challenging with trying to pack up, school the children, clean, and do all the other household things that need doing. I've decided that trying to pack boxes with small children is a little like brushing the sand off your feet while you're still at the beach! 😀 They have discovered all the long lost items that they've misplaced, and they are delighted with the thought of painting...oh dear! 😁

Roger had a long, slow drive, but he made it safely to his brothers home on Thursday. He was able to spend some time with his family there before leaving for Florida on Saturday morning. He was planning on staying with someone, but they had an unexpected family visit, so Roger is homeless. Thankfully, it's him and not me, and he brought his tent along. He stayed in a hotel on Saturday night, and then told me that he doesn't like staying in hotels with out me. I first asked him "how much was the hotel room?". When he replied that it was $54.00, I smiled and said, "that's probably why...a $54.00 hotel room usually looks like a $54.00 hotel room, and smells like it to, and you usually have to climb on the toliet to shut the bathroom door, etc." I'm thankful that we always stay in a little bit nicer of hotels when myself and the kids are along. Now, you can find a very nice hotel room for $54.00, but that's usually by doing an Internet search and not by driving along the highway. 😊 He was supposed to take his written test today, Monday, but do to computer glitches and technical difficulties, it is rescheduled for tomorrow. I'm praying that he passes with flying colors and on to real flying! 

We've had our first we warmer days here, and it has been a delight to us all. All the kids, except Emma, spent over four hours outside today! Needless to say, there were no complaints for an early bedtime! :) I was working in the yard for a bit today, and Emma came outside with me. The problem is that she had such a good time that now whenever the door opens, she wants to go outside! 😃

My parents took the boys this afternoon, so that I could get some painting done at the house. Emma only took a short nap, so my painting experience was "interesting". She was up for all of three minutes before she managed to paint both of her hands! All in all though, I did get two rooms touched up, a ceiling painted, two doors primed, and a curtain hung up. I also called to get the boys physicals set up, my physical set up, and dentist appointments for two kids. I also spoke with the realtor, and she will be setting up a date for our first walk thru of our house soon. I think it was a fairly productive afternoon! Wyatt asked me what I did all day when he came home.😊

I've been very weary the last few days, and I've been trying to be patient with the kids. However, God saw fit to bless me this past weekend with two things that were very special. First, my friend, Renee, made us a meal. This was a huge blessing, and an encouragement to my heart. We eat a lot of very simple meals when Roger is not around, and especially with as busy as I've been lately. I am very appreciative of her thoughtfulness. Secondly, my friend, Gretchen, invited the kids to her house for supper on Sunday afternoon. After church I had taken the kids home, given them a quick snack, and laid them all down for rest time. Although the weather was very nice, I knew that the kids probably wouldn't be able to play outside since I needed to go to the hardware store before church. However, Gretchen sent me a text asking how she could help, and the kids were able to play outside at her house for a few hours. I was able to do my errands a lot quicker, and the kids were able to be outside...yay!! Even when I whine and complain (at least inwardly) God still loves me, and provides for me at the moments I need it most. 

So, I really should just prepare myself for something to break down when Roger is gone. This time it's the treadmill. I've used it a lot in recent months, and I think it's given up the ghost. I guess the positive side would be that now I don't need to move it anywhere. Secondly, I'm not tempted to go for a quick run when I have 500 projects waiting to be done! 😜 At least it's not something that really important, although it is to me. I'm one of those weird people that need excercise everyday in order to function at my best...guess I'll have to resort to more painting, cleaning, and packing! 😉 

The kids are handling Roger being gone with mixed emotions. Travis asks me at least once a day of daddy has a job now, Chandler is very emotional, Garett tends to just wander off and be by himself, and Wyatt anxiously asking when dad will be home. God's grace hasn't failed us, nor is it going too; I just have to remind myself to take the "teachable" moments and hug and kiss these boys a little more often. Prayers are appreciated as we continue on our journey.

    

                                           The puzzle that the boys put together

A Long Over-Due Update!

The last time I posted about Roger's progress he was looking for a school to finish his commercial rating. He looked into several different options and counted the cost, and he is returning to Florida to finish his training. It's not the same school...this one is in a different part of Florida. It's a smaller school, and one huge blessing is that Roger will be able to stay with a friend! This was a huge incentive to choose this school simply because the cost of rent can really raise the overall price! 

He is looking at being gone for training for 10-14 days, which is much more manageable than the last time! Unfortunately, I am now well aware of how hard single parenting is, so I'm tired already! 😃 The kids are missing Daddy, but this is the last leg of this journey...I think! 

After much research and lots of looking, Roger and I have concluded that it is very unlikely that God is going to provide a job in this area. With much prayer and with great anticipation, we are getting our house ready to sell. We've been working non-stop the last five days as this schooling and leaving for Florida came together with a bang! One day Roger was still looking into schools, the next day the school near Lakeland, Florida, called to say that he could start on Monday, March 9! That being said, this mama is busy with schooling, regular household chores, packing, throwing out and getting rid of stuff! When I talked with a friend of mine, who is a realtor, she said the number one thing is to declutter your home to sell it. So, that is what we've been working on feverishly! However, my children have discovered toys that they've lost or items that they were looking for, so it sometimes seems like we're going backwards. Children have no concept of "hurry up" or perceiving that I might be busy! 😉 Yesterday, I just had to remind myself to stop, sit on the floor, and play a game with them. Did I have time? No...but on the other hand, twenty minutes isn't going to be life changing! They've been asking lots of questions about what's happening, what we are going to do, etc., and we are trying to as upfront and honest with them as possible. This is a huge change for them as well. They'll be leaving one set of grandparents, lots of friends, their church family, etc. It also makes them a tad more clingy which is a bit challenging when trying to pack boxes or clean out drawers! 

Roger does have an interview for a job the day after he gets done with his commercial training. Please be praying that God will provide the right job for us. We have no pre-conceived ideas, it's going to be a tough start for us. Getting a job in aviation is a bit like getting a job as a new truck driver. Everyone wants you to have experience! However, you have to be able to find someone that will give you an opportunity to get that experience. So, wherever God opens up that door is where the Robertson family will be moving. Thankfully, Roger has quite a few more aviation hours than the average new pilot since he's had his private rating for a while, and God allowed him to have an airplane for a few years as well.

This is all big, new, scary, exciting, overwhelming, challenging, exhilarating, and awesome at the same time. I'm very excited to see what God does for Roger in providing a job...I just am not good at being patient (ask my friends!). However, we've been pushed closer together as a family, our prayer life has grown by leaps and bounds, and God has amazingly provided for our every need. I have a neat answer to prayer on God providing our needs. I'll post more on that next time. 

Roger's prayer request is to have a job by his birthday, which is March 22. Will you please continue to pray with us?