Doing what it takes to stay at home

My greatest joy in this life is my children. I desire with all that I have in me to train them to be a Godly young man and woman. I desire to be able to raise them myself and to be here at home with them as much as possible. This is not an easy task in this day and age though, you know? It is difficult, at best, to be home with your kids and have one income and be able to pay all the bills and meet all the needs of everyone in the family. Even though it is difficult, I believe I have the talent and resources to make this staying at home thing work!

This all being said, I would like to share with you what I have been doing from home and I would LOVE for you to share with me any ideas and thoughts that you have that have enabled you to stay at home with your children. As I have mentioned before, I love to sew. My heart is really into sewing little girls items and baby items. I love to make cute little girl dresses, pillow case dresses, pants and shirts for little girls. I also make hot and cold therapy packs for migraines and other aches and pains. These packs are sooo wonderful and I use them for much more than aches and pains! Have you heard of Boppy nursing pillows for the nursing mother? It is one of those big hit items that came out several years ago as a way to make a baby and mother more comfortable as they bond through feedings. For these pillows, I have begun making nursing pillow covers. Guess what else I have been asked to sew? I have been asked the make some doggy diapers! I never thought I would ever make a diaper for dogs! HA! I try to sell my sewing stuff on Ebay.com and a handmade items website called etsy.com. I would love for you to look me up sometime and take a look at my things. Offer insight and wisdom and I would LOVE for you to please share with others the website I share with you. Word of mouth works GREAT!!!

I will say this, as a disclaimer: I know staying at home with your kids is sometimes not able to be done. I know that bills have to be paid, needs have to be met, so I am not saying that women can not work outside of the home or that they should not at all. I even took a year after my daugther was born and I HAD to go back to work to help meet the needs and pay the bills. I am just trying to think outside of the box and encourage others to think outside the box, because for me, I believe I can stay at home if I use all of my valuable resources!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/melliehodges

Really funny story...about a neti-pot

Okay, Friday morning I woke up with a TERRIBLE allergy attack. I hadn't had one this bad in such a long time. My face was swollen, it hurt to talk and my sinuses were pounding me with pressure. So, I got in the car and went to the store looking for some serious relief. Now, I have been told about the neti-pot before by those who swear by it. It is supposed to irrigate your sinuses and make you feel all better. So, I came home with this new contraption. I have always been kind of icked out by the thought of using a neti-pot. Heck, I hate to even blow my nose, let alone, talk about it! It has just been real gross to me. So, I set up to use this contraption and man, did it work! I almost felt a little "high" after the first time I used it. I went from being clogged up, not able to breathe and in pain to being able to breathe better than I had in months! The pressure was gone and I felt liberated!

So, on to the funny part of this post...I was on the phone with someone who will remain anonymous for the sake of, well, anonimity [how's that for originality!]. I told her about my new found freedom and how great I was feeling. I asked her if she had ever used a neti-pot. She went on to tell me a similar story about being in pain with sinuses and seeking relief and turning to the neti-pot. So, she used the neti-pot and said when she did, she thought that there would have been way more fluid coming back out the other side of her nose, but there wasn't. She said that she blew her nose afterwards and that she felt some relief, but that it was really weird that not more fluid came back out. So, later on the same day, this friend had a chiropractic appointment. She said she got settled face down on the adjustment bench and the chiropractor gave her an adjustment and that when he did, the remaining fluid practically flew out her nose. Now, I may just be an icky person, but I found this so hilarious! I have been laughing about it all day. Can you imagine this whole scenario??? It has really just made my day and keeps on making me laugh out loud!

Speak the Truth in Love

Most of you who know me, and know me fairly well, know that I am not an outspoken person. You know that I tend to shy away from arguments, conflict and disagreements in general. You know that I prefer, almost more than anything, to keep the peace and make everyone happy. This past month I have found myself speaking out against things I normally would just shy away from. Things that I would normally just let each person have their own opinion and viewpoint about and simply agree to disagree. I have found myself in some heated and some not so heated discussions on varying topics. In the end I have been left to wonder if I should have ever said anything at all. Should I have spoken up and added my two cents, or should I have just shut up and not worried one bit about what was being said? Well, I won’t bother you with any of the details of the arguments, but there were three in particular that were controversial and I found myself not being able to stay quiet. One of the discussions I particularly struggled over whether or not to speak up. I actually prayed on and off all day and recalled to mind Psalm 19:14 many times, then toward the end of the day, I did decide to speak up. I am glad I did. It was regarding a subject that is near and dear to me and has affected my family and others around me, so I spoke my mind and tried to encourage others. My two cents may not have had a significant affect on anyone but me. I realized that it is okay, and even good, to speak up and even encourage others to seek the One who is Holy and seek to magnify Him and Him alone. Speak the truth in love, dear friends. If you can’t speak the truth in love, it is better to keep your lips sealed and not damage yourself and the friendships and acquaintances around you.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Hoarder???

AFter reading a friends FaceBook status this week, I went on-line to www.aetv.com and watched a couple of episodes of a show called Hoarders. I had watched a couple of these shows here and there over the past few months, but when I watched a couple of the shows on line, I have seriously begun to look around my house and have some very small inside panic attacks. Here's my thing...I like a place for everything and everything in its' place, whereas, my husband likes a place for everything all over the place...no kidding! I am a neat freak. I like countertops to be free of clutter, nothing but the crock pot and some bananas on top of the fridge, nothing on top of the microwave, and my goodness, I hate to use my kitchen table as a catch all! On the opposite end of the spectrum, my DH views ALL of the aforementioned spaces as useless wasted space, and frankly, since I can't beat him at it, for the most part, I join him at his game. Then, when I start to have these little panic attacks [I use this phrase so lightly, basically it is just disgust at the way things look that make me upset, so not real panic attacks], I drive my husband nuts making mad dash sweeps through the house thowing out this, storing that and arguing with him about what needs to be put away and what doesn't. So, when I watch this show, I totally do not understand the hoarder mentality. I will give to you that it is a mental disorder...the people on the show are just plain crazy...but I think I have a little OCD on the opposite end of the spectrum. I am an organize it junkie who just can't get organized. Do any of you mothers feel that way? I have two small kids, 3 and under, I babysit 9 hours a day two other small kids, 4 and under, then I have my big baby, my DH, who I would not trade for anything in the world. I just can't keep up, so I give in to the pressure and usually end up with a messy house most of the time. I will say this, though...watching the show has made me make a huge pile of things for my hubby to take to the basement when he wakes up! Happy fall to all, and get rid of your junk!!!

Some of my sewing creations...

Here are just a few of the dresses I have been working on. I love to sew and these are so simple and cute for little girls!


This was an apron for a cousins little girl. I love the fact that it doesn't pull at the neck, but wraps around and ties at the waist.



I have been trying to add a few embellishments to the dresses I make so they all don't look just alike. I pratty much specialize in the pillow case dresses because they are so easy to make and soooo cute!

To sew or not to sew, that is the question!

Last week, I did not do any sewing because I felt that it had become and all-consuming thing for me. I was in a zone and there was not much else I wanted to do or did while I was sewing. I did complete about 20 projects to sell from the week before, but the week before, I also did not have a very clean or organized house, I did not make dinner, Danny did, and time with the kids was at a minimum because I was consumed. So, this week, I want to get back into my sewing, but I must prioritize my time better. This is what I think I will do this week: I will cut out my sewing projects when the kids go down for their afternoon naps, and when they go to bed for the night, I can get about 3 hours of sewing in. That way, my time with the kids is not compromised, dinner is cooked, and I can also focus on the house being clean and organized. This is a lot of what I have been thinking about today and feeling guilty over letting my sewing get out of hand. Sewing is something I have grown to LOVE and even though it is also a means to make money, I realize I have to give it is proper time and place. There is a limit I must learn!!! What kinds of things do you let get in the way of your time keeping house and training your kids? How do you prioritize and plan? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

WAY PAST DUE

I am sorry because I am WAY PAST DUE with a Hodges Family update. There is so much going on and so much to tell, so let's get to it!

Okay, so the last update was my broken ankle, so let me start there. Thankfully, my break was not too bad, so I spent about 3 weeks in a non-walking cast. I was down and out, meaning, I wasn't supposed to be walking at all, just using crutches, but remember, that was a joke! I couldn't use crutches, the cast came up too high to use the knee walker and a boot that was put on was affecting prior nerve damage in my leg, so that was a no go. It was really humbling! I wasn't really able to do much of anything but sit and watch the kids through the day, and that was with no lifting and not getting up on my leg. By the Grace of God, I got my cast off, and about an hour later, me and the kids hopped in the car and headed for GA! No, I am not joking!!! I was in a caravan with my cousins here in Roanoke and we made it in time for the SHoal Creek 4th of July meeting. It had been forever since I was able to be there and it was soooo enjoyable!!! I got to see and visit a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time and being under the sound of the Word was awesome! What a great meeting!

So, I stayed in GA for almost two weeks, just me and the kids. I spend a lot of time with my younger brother, his wife and kids and I also went to visit my cousin's family and my older brother and his wife and kids in south GA. I really enjoyed spending time with my mom and Granny too. ll in all it was a great and needed trip. I was beyond thanful to be back home though. I missed my husband and the kids missed him so badly too!

You may be asking how I was able to take a couple of weeks away from my job and make it to GA. Well, that is another thing. A few things came up at home making it necessary for me to leave my part time job and come back home as a full time stay at home mom. I loved my PT job, but I love more being here with my family full time where I am completely and 100% needed. We were having some problems with Josiah that required a lot more of my attention that it was getting. Praise the Lord the situation seems to have gotten a lot better since I left my job.

Since leaving my Pt job and coming back from GA, I have been really sick with bronchitis. Who ever heard of bronchitis in the summer...not just the summer, but the heat of the summer? What a bummer! Danny and the kids finally came down with it too, so we have been down and out for a couple of weeks. We seem to be on the upswing now and I am ready to get on with things. I have been really busy this week cleaning, organizing and purging. It has felt really good. I am getting ready to start babysitting again full time so I can afford to stay at home. It will be difficult, but still worth it. I have been working on other things too. I have been sewing a whole lot - especially little girls items, and we are about to begin the adventure of some mild preschooling. I am excited about everything.

Well, this is a long post, so I am going to close for now and hope to update you all again soon!