Category Archives: Blessings

October 22, 2008 · 9:30 am

Always “Daddy’s Girl”

Early on a Sunday morning, October 22, 1995, my life was forever changed.  Dan and I were in bed when the ringing of the phone jolted us out of our deep slumber just before dawn.  I could hear my mothers quivering voice on the answering machine pleading with us to pick up the phone.  As I jumped out of bed and lunged to get the phone my heart began to pound and my mind raced wildly with thoughts of what could be wrong. She slowly and painfully told me that my Dad had died of a heart attack in the middle of the night.  I felt the tears well up in my eyes and begin to fall uncontrollably onto my dresser as I struggled to catch my breath.  I simply could not believe that I was actually hearing those words.  My dear father was gone and I would never see him, hear him or touch him again this side of heaven.  As I fell back into bed, Dan held me close and the tears flowed as he tried to comfort me.  I knew in that moment that my life would be altered forever.

You never really “get over” the death of a parent. (and I can imagine it would be even more so if you lose a child).  You learn to live with it but you do not get over it.  They are a part of your very being.  You grieve many times over – holidays, anniversaries, birthdays and even in the “everyday” routines, habits and life happenings that bring back memories of that beloved parent.  I find myself often wondering – “what would Dad think about this or that”?  Just in the past month alone I have pondered what his thoughts would be about:

  • this years election and all it’s historic  happenings (Obama – the first Black man to run for the Presidency, Sarah Palin as the first woman on the Republican ticket)
  • John McCain (they were classmates at the United States Naval Academy both in the Class of 1958)
  • the war in Iraq (he was a career Navy man who worked many years in Naval Intelligence during the Cold War)
  • terrorism
  • the signs of socialism in our country (ok, so I don’t have to wonder about this – he would be having a fit!)
  • Michelle attending college in NYC
  • the girls and their high school sports achievements (he rarely missed one of my high school field hockey games)
  • the new baby boy in our family (oh how he loved babies!)

I also would have called him for advice on

  • how to get my “ancient” car to pass its smog inspection?
  • every aspect of the the new addition in our home (he was the handiest of handy men)
  • computer challenges (he was an expert computer whiz long, long long before everyone had several in their homes – alas I did not take advantage of this expertise)
  • how to get my kids to learn math?

 My Dad was an awesome man and an exceptional husband and father. He loved the Lord, was a faithful church member (read here – we never missed a Sunday church service and always sat together as a family) and his knowledge of the Bible was impressive (I often wondered if he had the entire thing memorized).  He lived a life of integrity, hard work and commitment.  He loved my Mom and was faithful and committed to his marriage for 35 years – “until death do us part”.  The word divorce was never heard or spoken in our home – that security had an indelible effect on all of our lives. (The four of us children are in committed marriages with a grand total of 74 years between us all! We are believing for that legacy & blessing to be passed down to the next generation of 15 grandchildren.)

 

 He was the most wonderful father and I was the beneficiary of his love and admiration.  He made me feel special.  I was the “middle” child (is there really a middle of four?) –  my older sister was the first born, the other middle child was my brother – the only boy, and my younger sister who came along a bit later than the three of us was the “baby”.  This gave me a reason in my mind to feel different, left out, inferior etc… Of course when I hit adolescence these feelings, no matter how unfounded, were magnified.  My Dad always had a way of reminding me that he too was a middle child and that I had a very special place in his heart.  He would smile with his eyes, give me a wink and a bear hug and all those feelings would melt away.  No matter what I did or how I acted – my Daddy loved me.  He disciplined me strictly when I  was disobedient, defiant or disrespectful but it was always followed up with love and forgiveness. He showed me my first glimpse of how God the Father loved & adored me.  I know that my incredible ease in loving and trusting the Lord is because my Dad was such a stellar example of God’s unconditional love, trustworthiness and strength.

My Dad believed in me, supported me, challenged me to do beyond my best and had high expectations of me.  He also treated me like a princess – he would pick me up and twirl me around in the living room to the songs of Ed Aames and Andy Williams, he opened doors for me always treating me like a lady and he would admire and tell me often how beautiful I was.

 He filled my need for love and affection with his kind words (often found in his greeting cards that he personally picked out & signed), his bear hugs and sweet goodnight kisses.  He showed me how I should be treated by a man – that I should expect to be cherished, loved, protected and admired. 

As I grew into an adult he continued to be a source of wisdom, strength and love for not only me but my husband and my children.  He was an awesome father-in-law and the most amazing “Papa” (the name my eldest daughter Michelle gave him – although he was “Grandad” to the older cousins) in the world.  He would rock my babies for hours on end and when they got older he would take them to the park to play and out to ice cream. 

 

 I so regret that only Michelle really got to know him and has memories to cherish (she was 6 when he died) ….the rest thankfully do get to experience him through our photo albums, stories and in the lives of their Granny, their aunts & uncle and myself who carry on his presence in our hearts, attitudes and actions.

Today on the 13th anniversary of his passing, I wanted to share just a bit of my Dad with the world, as not only a tribute to him, but hopefully as an inspiration to everyone who reads this blog – especially the fathers out there. Dads,  please know that you are so very vital in your children’s lives and it is so important that you become a faithful man of God. Spend time with your children – play with them, talk to them, hug them, tell them how much you love, cherish and believe in them. Be a role model for them to look up to and set a standard of excellence.   You will have a lasting impact on your children and your children’s children – be diligent to make sure it is a positive legacy.

I was, am and always will be…”Daddy’s Girl”

Daddy,

I love you and miss you each and everyday of my life. I look forward to seeing you again and feeling your warm loving arms wrap around me as we rejoice together for eternity in heaven!

Always your girl – Beth (although my Dad was the only one who called me Virginia – my real name – and it wasn’t because he was mad at me – then it was – Virginia Elizabeth!)

This is our last family photo together – Summer 1995 (and yes I am “great with child” -my 13 year old Rebekah).  I just have to add as we are coming into a holiday season – don’t pass up an opportunity to have a family photo taken while you are all together – we never know when it might be our last time together here in this life.

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Filed under Blessings, Faithbooking, Fatherhood, Inspiration

October 21, 2008 · 10:54 am

How to survive an economic crisis

Finally something in the news that I have expertise in.

I am an expert on the subject of economic crisis….no really, I am!  I mean after all I have lived most of my adult life (except for a few short “glory years” of phenomenal success with my home based business) in a state of economic crisis. (which perhaps is why I am not stressed out by the constant news reports – it is life as normal for us!)

Every time my dear darling hubby and I get his social security report showing his earnings since he was 16,  I look to see if he has yet to make the income level he made the year before we were married (1985) when he was in management for a wine cooler company. (not to diminish the love of my life’s leadership skills but he has said himself that all you had to do to be in management was to not come to work high.)

Don’t get me wrong…“I am NOT complaining!”.  This is the life we have chosen and honestly we would not have it any other way. 

  • When we got married we committed our lives to the service of others in full time ministry to teenagers.  We spent the first four years of our life together as youthpastors before moving on to becoming teachers & counselors in Christian high school education.  After 10 years in one school just when we were beginning to “get ahead” financially we both left our jobs (Ok, I got fired….another story for another day) and lived by faith for the next 18 months as we forged ahead to start a new Christian high school in our area which emphasized discipleship and Biblical world view training.  We chose to work for a lower salary in Christian education because we are passionate about the lives that it touches!
  • We have also chosen to give the Lord control of the size of our family and have been blessed with seven children to love and provide food, shelter and clothing for.  According to the national poverty level guidelines – we have lived at or just slightly above poverty level for much of the past two decades.  (although I will argue with anyone that what we consider “poverty” in the USA is nothing close to poverty at all)
  • We have also chosen to live in the Central Valley of California, which despite it being one of the least expensive places in this state to live…it is still has at least a 15% – 20% higher cost of living than most places that we could live in this country.

So yes, I am an expert at surviving economic crisis.  Here are my timely tips for those who might be wondering how they are going to survive the trying times being predicted ahead of us.

How to survive an economic crisis 

1.Learn to live with inconveniences or without what some may consider necessities. (but really they might be luxuries) Currently, we have a big hole in our bathroom sink

our shower faucets have to be turned on with a vice grip

 and we do not have a working air conditioner or dishwasher.  In the past we have had a myriad of things that others might see as necessities that we just have lived without or postponed fixing or purchasing.

What we are saving this year 

  • not purchasing a new bathroom sink – $150
  • not replacing the shower fixtures – $300
  • not purchasing a new dishwasher & washing dishes by hand – $400
  • not using the air conditioner this summer (since it does not work anyway!) – $600
  • not purchasing a new air conditioner $5,000 – $7,000
  • not using a pest control company to get rid of the varmints in the attic & under the house (we did have to take care of the termites!) – $600

 

2. Drive older used cars(even if they are “beat up” and unattractive) or if possible drive only one car. 

 We actually have had only one vehicle several different times in our lives and we survived just fine. (fond memories – I use to walk home from work when I was pregnant with number one and Dan was in bible college with our only car.  Another time we could not even fit our entire family in our one car to go to church together so a friend came and picked up some of us. For six months one year, I got up and drove Dan to school each day and he got a ride home with a student – anyone want extra credit?  Were these times inconvenient? Yes…but we survived then and could survive again)

What we are saving this year 

  • driving an old/beat up car with no payments, cheap insurance (yes it costs much less to only have liability insurance on a 12 year old car) & low registration – $5,000

And this photo is 8 months old – the trunk is now tied down with bungee cords – looking quite amusing.  Every time you hit a bump in the road, it bangs so hard it makes you jump (not that I am often found driving Dan’s car) But still it gets Dan, our two high schoolers and three other teenage gals to and from school everyday!

3. Get rid of cable TV– yes that is right – just cut it out.  We have never had cable television and have lived quite happily without it. (although that is not to say I wouldn’t enjoy the history, hallmark and cooking channels)  Other extras you could consider cutting out – extra telephones, extra services on those cell phones etc….

What we are saving this year

  • not having cable TV – $500 to $900

 4. Take a “vanity” inventory.  Do you and or your children really need those new/stylish clothes, manicures, pedicures or regular hair cuts, color and styles?

What we are saving this year 

  • on never getting a manicure or pedicure and only getting my hair cut/colored every 8 months (as opposed to every 4 months which it needs!) – $250 to $500
  • the kids wearing hand-me-downs and never buying anything new but shoes & underwear – $1,000 – $2,000

5. Eat at home and pack lunches for school/work. Be prepared and find inexpensive meals that still fill up the family. (and do not eat out – probably one of the single greatest expenses for many families – this adds up faster than you realize!)

What we are saving this year 

  • for eating very “inexpensive” meals like beans & rice several times a week – $1,000

 6. Nix the nice vacations! Go on camping vacations or be creative and swap homes with someone if you live in a vacation destination (which we do not!). Kids do not need fancy hotels, resorts, cruises or even Disneyland to have a good time – in fact I am willing to bet that the best memories are made on simple “back to nature” vacations. Of course many years we saved even more by camping in our back yard!

What we are saving this year 

  • for taking a week long camping vacation instead of a hotel/cabin rental vacation – $1,200+ (of course we are saving $5,000+ by never going to Disneyland with our family of nine)

7. Live in a house smaller than what you “need”.  And you do not need a bedroom for every child and most families could survive quite well on 1,500 square feet or less.  In the towns we build homes for in Mexico – a family of 6 to 9 live in a 320 square foot home with no indoor bathroom or kitchen. (and they are quite happy I might add!) I could live in a tent if I had to! 🙂

What we are saving this year 

  • living in a 1400 square foot/ 3 bedroom home – the 6 girls in one bedroom, 1 boy (but hopefully soon a few more) in the other room  and Dan the Man & myself in the 3rd bedroom as opposed to living in a 4 or 5 bedroom home – $12,000 – $15,000 (includes extra mortgage, taxes, insurance & homeowners association fees and utility expenses)

8. Skip the fancy birthday parties, professional photos, gifts for extended family– this always seems “harsh” or sad to people but really these are all negotiable expenses.  A backyard birthday party with homemade cake (costs $2.50 to make), free games & no goodie bags sent home (when did this tradition begin? – not in my youth!) is perfectly ok!

You do not need to order those school photos, sports or prom pictures. Get out your camera and take a few photos (if you need photo tips – they are out there everywhere!) – more formal & fun ones.  The only professional ones we splurge on are the 1 year old & senior pics!

We have more than three dozen extended family members alone – although we would really LOVE to purchase gifts for them all at every birthday, Christmas and special occassion we just don’t have the funds –  a phone call, email greeting or simple card sharing your heartfelt love – is a blessing! We do try to save up a little money for the “milestone” events (25th, 50th anniversary’s, the big decade birthdays & weddings)  Now..please don’t think we are “stingy” – we do sponsor every short term missions trip that people ask us to support, give to World Vision and a couple missionaries as well as blessing others as the Lord touches our hearts (which is often).

What we are saving this year 

  • on only purchasing birthday and Christmas gifts for our children but not extended family members –  $700
  • on birthday parties (if this looks skewed – remember we have 7 kids) – $700
  • on not purchasing professional photos around every corner – $200 – $500 

9.  Stop the Starbucks habit or at least cut back.  For years this was about the only “luxury” we gave ourselves several times a week since we live fairly “bare bones”.  But since doing the fat flush, we are down to just a couple times a month. (for those not coffee drinkers – perhaps it is Jamba Juice or fast food french fries or your daily soda addiction that you could cut out or reduce)

What we are saving this year 

  • not drinking Starbucks 3x a week (x Dan & Myself) – $800 (we drink the “cheap” stuff – $2.55 a cup)

    10.  Since 10 tips sound better than 9 – this is my personal favorite (and please do not hate me – I am just not an animal person) Do not get a new pet! (sorry girls, I just found another reason in my long list of not getting a puppy for Daniel)

What we are saving this year 

  • on not having a dog (food/vaccinations/vet bills/paying for him to be cared for while we are on vacation/grooming) – $500-$800

 Ok so how much have I saved just this year by living in a state of personal economic crisis??

anywhere from $30,000 – $33,000

(with at least $22,000 of that being annual expenses not one time purchases/replacements that just might be a once a decade expense, like replacing an air conditioner or dish washer)  

Wow…that is an amazing amount of money – another whole salary.  Of course it is a good thing that we “save” these expenses since we do not have this money to spend in the first place.   And honestly….even though we live a pretty “bare bones”existence, I know there is still much, much more we could cut back on and still survive. (yes, if I had to I could eat beans & rice 5x a week, live without cell phones, drive less & walk more, not get my hair done at all, decrease electrical/water expenses….and on & on & on)  

If you are fretting over the future or being stressed out that your financial future is in peril – be encouraged – there are probably multitudes of things you could cut out/sell/change about your current life that would help you weather the storm quite easily. (I would love to hear about them – do share!)

So take a big breath and relax – we can all survive an economic crisis!

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Filed under Attitude, Blessings, Determination, Economics, Life at the Lambdins, Lifes Challenges, My "take"

October 13, 2008 · 5:11 pm

The pay off

It was one of those moments when being a Mom to many girls really pays off.

I arrived home after my weekend scrapbooking retreat and my sweet daughters not only had the house clean and sparkling with candles lit — but they had a tray set up in the family room to pamper Mom after a week of staying in the hospital and a weekend of working. (I know a scrapbooking retreat sounds like fun and that it is…but it also requires hours of packing, setting up, assisting over 100 women, problem solving, diplomancy, a bit of counseling, cleaning up and unpacking…it really is a lot of work!)

Ahhhh…. a foot massage, a pedicure, a warm wrap around my neck & shoulders, a couple squares of dark chocolate with a vanilla candle filling my senses.  Does it get any better than that? (mmmmm… well maybe marital bliss after a long week of being apart and preoccupied  is better –  the pay off for marrying the right man!)

Thank you my sweet girls (and Dan the man!)

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October 13, 2008 · 9:58 am

Just another Monday morning

Just another Monday morning…..

….coffee brewing, exercises looming, chores to be completed, phones ringing, bags to be unpacked from the weekend scrapbooking event, a very full weekly calendar staring at me, hundreds of emails to answer, the girls whizzing about the house getting breakfast, doing school work, fussing with each other and wanting me to referee and of course the never ending list in front of me of “things to do, people to see, and places to go”!

Yes, just another normal Monday morning at the Lambdins yet something is very different in my heart.  With each and every mundane, routine part of my morning, I am reminded of how very blessed I am on this Monday to be here at home living my “normal” life.

You see for the past week life has been anything but routine or normal.  Our precious 17 month old baby boy Daniel, contracted a serious staph infection that turned our life into one filled with doctors, nurses, medications, IV’s, monitors, blood draws, testing, hospital gowns, masks & gloves.  I spent four days in the hospital  – holding him, comforting him, sleeping with him and praying, praying, praying for his complete healing.

And as of this Monday morning, Daniel’s health has been restored, Dan the man has headed back to work, the high school girls are in school, the rest of us are here at home, life is back to normal….and am I ever glad!  It is at times like these that we can  really appreciate the normalcy of our everyday lives.  Things could have been much different this morning – we could have still been in the hospital, Daniel could still be sick or worse yet he could have not recovered.  I am so glad that I am sitting here with chores needing to be done, multitudes of things needing attending to, errands to run, phones that need to be answered and even girls who are fussing with each other over chores.  I can’t help but smile through all the “normalcy”.  Daniel is home! Daniel is healthy! Daniel is happy!

Just another Monday morning?

No…not quite, today despite everything on my plate – the never ending “to do list” and the often exhausting, overwhelming and even at times mundane job of being a Mommy and manager of my home, while also working my home based business – I am full of gratitude as well as a realization and reminder to not take the “normal” for granted but to embrace each and everyday with all that it brings.

As you walk through the routines, embrace the challenges and enjoy the journey of your life with all its twists and turns today – take a deep breath, look around you and thank the Lord for this day that He has given to you with all its “normalcy”.  We truly do not know what tomorrow may bring – so let’s all enjoy just another Monday morning.

P.S. – Thank you for all of your wonderful prayers, notes, emails, phone calls as well as the practical support of bringing meals, driving the girls to their many activities and taking care of business for us.  We are so very blessed by you all!

 
 
 
 
 

 

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Filed under Attitude, Blessings, Endurance, Life at the Lambdins

September 22, 2008 · 7:34 am

Teens – Terrible or Terrific?

We had a “milestone” birthday in our home this past week as my fourth daughter, Rebekah turned thirteen.

It is official!  We now have four teenage girls in our family…at the same time.

 When Rebekah was born her three older sisters were 18 months(Kristen), 3 years(Amy) and 6 years old (Michelle).

I remember many times during their childhood well meaning friends, acquaintances and even strangers would make comments about how dreadful, hard or horrible I would have it when they were all teenagers.  Most of the time I would just smile (ok, so maybe smile/smirk is more accurate) or politely laugh at their “doom & gloom” comments,  however occasionally I would proclaim with confidence my true sentiments – “Oh I can’t wait….I love teenagers!”

And it is true – I have loved teenagers my entire adult life.  I love their enthusiasm, idealism, passion, boundless energy(as well as their ability to sleep for hours on end), hope, faith, spontanaity, reckless abandon, independence and strength to name a few of the qualities of youth that I find very appealing.  But the never ending onslaught of negative comments did leave me wondering if I was headed for disaster down the road when I actually had teenagers living in my home.

Why is it that we live in a society that seems to have such a disdain for the teen years?  Why do so many parents look at these years as something to fear or dread rather than welcoming them with hope and excitement?  Once a child reaches thirteen they only have five or six years left in our homes…why then would we spend those years arguing, fighting or wishing away our short time together?

Or is it even true that parents do not enjoy their teenagers or is it just another one of those “parroting” issues where everyone feels they have to say disdainful things about teenagers because that is what everyone else is saying. (Even just yesterday, a poplular radio host that I listen to regularly responded with “I’m sorry” when the caller mentioned she had a teenager.  Of course it got a laugh – but I cringed inside as comments like this seem to add to the negative sentiments surrounding being a parent of teenagers.)

Most likely it is a combination of “parroting” as well as parents truly struggling with unappraciative, disrespectful, self centered teenagers who show them very little love. (that type of teenager doesn’t sound like much fun to me either)

Now if I merely had one teenager, I would never venture to give any advice, opinions, insights, ideas or even hints as to how to enjoy the teenage years but since I have four who run the gamut of personalities and dispositions (although at this point I don’t have any male teenagers – you’ll have to wait at least 15+ years for my “take” on that – although perhaps my dear friends Teri Helms, Christy Keyton or Ladonna Colton can “guest blog” on teenage boys) and because we are truly enjoying our teenagers, I will throw out my opinions for anyone who might be interested.

First let me say…that if you want to enjoy the teenage years…it starts way before they turn thirteen.  In fact, it begins with getting a good grip on your thirteen month old when they first start challenging your authority by directly doing what you just said “no” to them doing.  If you lose the battle of the wills with a toddler, you are sure to lose the war with a teenager.  Be strong and always, always, always win!

It also takes developing a solid, loving relationship with your child during those early years by spending tons of time with them (both quantity & quality), eating the vast majority of your dinners together as a family – at the dining room table (candlelight & music is a bonus!), enjoying lots of cuddling time together on the couch in the evenings or under the covers in the morning reading books, watching movies or just sharing life stories, worshipping together as a family, talking, talking and talking with them and being diligent to create meaningful memories on a regular basis.

In addition, I believe that besides “winning the battle of the wills” and developing a solid loving relationship that you need to indoctrinate them for many years before they come close to teenagedom as to the “rules” and boundaries in your household.  Here are some examples of ours –

1. We (Mom & Dad) can make your life miserable or wonderful – the choice is yours!  We highly recommend you choose wonderful but if you choose miserable we will follow through.

2. You are not the center of the universe or for that matter, the center of this family either.  It is NOT all about you….don’t forget this (of course it helps to realize this when you live in a family of nine)

3. It is “My way….or the highway”  Yes,that is correct if our teenager does not comply with our rules or chooses to live a life of continued disrespect or direct defiance, they will no longer have the option and privilege of living under our roof.  As hard as this would be to carry out, my children know that we would follow through.

4. No whining allowed!  We have more than most people in the world – a roof over our heads (no matter how much you think that roof should be bigger), food on our plates (even if it is beans & rice several times a week), clothes on our backs (in abundance – thanks to hand me downs!) and a loving, committed “in tact” family. What is there to complain about? Nothing!

5. No, you can’t have…

  • your own cell phone (we have a common “the girls” phone)
  • a myspace or facebook account until college (if you have that much free time – have I got a job for you! However, you can have a blog – feel free to write, write, write!)
  • your own car (nope you can’t even buy your own until after high school and no one else gets to buy one for you either) – you may use one of our cars as needed and with permission
  • a TV in your room (in fact you can’t even watch TV except on a very rare occasion)
  • your own room (and this is not just a logistical rule – it is our paradigm – no one needs their own room – even if we had eight bedrooms – there would be at least two to a room until the last child is here alone.)

6. You also can’t…

  • spend the night, go to parties or on out of town trips with families who we do not know intimately.
  • call, write or text boys (and yes when I have teenage boys they will not call, write or text girls in jr or sr high either – after that they can ask the young ladies father for permission to call, write or text)
  • date or “go out” in junior high or high school (including all definitions of the word – from casual going out for coffee with a member of the opposite sex to “committed” boyfriend/girlfriend relationships)
  • get body piercings, tattoos or any extreme hair coloring or styles
  • wear any immodest, inappropriate or culturally reactionary clothing (and the Mom gets to decide if something is ok) and a bonus – you get to wear dresses (and my sons will wear dress shirts & ties) to church, weddings, funerals, graduations or other significant events
  • go to movies that have not been approved by Mom & Dad (or our own resident movie censor – Michelle) – you can’t always go by ratings – I have seen outstanding movies rated PG13 and lousy crass movies rated PG
  • be lazy and not do your school work or not do it to the best of your ability
  • be disrespectful or rude to teachers, authority figures or any adults (even if they are wrong or rude – you will respect their position)
  • get away with not doing your household chores
  • ok and in case it is not obvious the “basics” are “you cant’s” too –  can’t do drugs, drink, smoke, break curfew, lie, cheat, steal etc….

7. You can….(ok, with all those “cant’s”  there does need to be a few perks – listed here are some things that other teens may not have the privilege of doing)

  • stay up as late as you want – it is simply your responsibility to get up in the morning
  • sleep in late on Saturday mornings as long as you are consistent each week with your chores
  • invite friends over most anytime – for dinner to spend the night, hang out, go on outings with us etc…
  • go on exciting trips and adventures anywhere in the world as long as you cover the costs and you are going/staying with an “approved” party
  • keep your room a mess (up until the point that Mom can’t walk in the room or it starts to smell)
  • wear “light” make up when you start high school & get your ears pierced when you turn 16 (gotta have something to look forward to! lol)
  • drink coffee
  • eat left over pie, cake or cookies for breakfast
  • listen to music as loud as you want (most of the time) providing it is Christian or on Mom’s list of “approved” show/movie tunes
  • skip school to do fun and exciting things like – going to the beach, apple hill or snow days, getting Dr Laura’s signature, attending the inauguration, going to New York for your 16th birthday
  • be as mad as you want at Mom or Dad…go to your room and shout in your pillow that you hate us and turn up your music (see above for restrictions) – just don’t slam a door, hit or throw anything or be disrespectful to our faces (have at it in your room or other space where we are not)

8. Glorify God in everything you say and do…ultimately you will answer to Him

Did I cover them all girls? 

Following these basic philosophies have resulted in six wonderful years of having teenagers in our home.  Michelle, Amy, Kristen & Rebekah, though each unique in their talents, gifts, abilities as well as having diverse personalities – they are all good, godly, respectful, mature, responsible, delightful and lovely young ladies, who happen to be teens!  They are truly a blessing to us and we have and will continue to enjoy the teenage years. (It’s a good thing since I have at least 18 more years of having one or more teenagers at home)

Happy Birthday Rebekah!

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Filed under Blessings, Family Traditions, Life at the Lambdins, Motherhood, My "take", Raising Girls

September 16, 2008 · 11:26 pm

Planning, Preparation & Provision

First let me say … yes I am still having problems with feedburner sending out empty posts or a boatload of archives. UGH!  It looks like if it happens one more time I will be temporarily discontinuing the email subscriptions until I can get this worked out. If you read this blog only through subscription, be sure to check back at www.bethlambdin.net for my latest posts.

It is time for a long overdue update on our adoption and “barn raising” (aka – expanding into the garage to move our makeshift family room out of the 3rd bedroom in order to create a “boys” bedroom)

Ok, the one sentence adoption update – We are waiting. 

We are waiting to be chosen by one of the mother’s who is giving birth this fall to possibly pick us to love, cherish and raise their precious baby.  Last year there were two different baby boys who were awaiting an approved family to be adopted by.  This year there are more families than babies. (and yes that is good news!)  The agency we are working with has told us that there are currently three mothers who will be choosing a family in October & November.  So the wait continues.

Come to find out, I am no good at waiting….at least not waiting patiently.  So what have I been doing for the past three months? – Busying myself with planning, preparations and securing provisions for this much desired precious baby.

Let me start by sharing with you some GREAT news!  The Lord continues to provide the resources we need for this adoption.  We got a letter last month from Shaohannah’s Hope that we will receive a grant of $3,000 to help us pay for a portion of this adoption! (Our domestic adoption expenses look to be running close to $15,000)  With this blessing from Steven Curtis Chapman’s organization, added to the monies we have already raised should come close to covering what we will need to pay the adoption agency when we get the baby.  We will still need to raise the post placement expenses that we have to pay in California (aprox $1,500)…but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

The other GREAT news – with the help of countless friends & family we have finished the majority of the addition in the garage! And it is AMAZING!

I think I left off in July showing you the framed, sheet rocked, taped & textured room. 

The painting was next (completed in large part by Dan’s brother Rick) followed by putting in the tile floor.  Before we tiled however one of my blog subscribers suggested that we write scriptures on the floor so that we would always be “standing on the Word”.  What a great idea!  We had everyone who helped with this project write out their favorite scripture on our floor before Ramsey & Mike Garza and Chris Greene lent us their expertise and hard work to help put in the tile.  The new windows were completed by our friend, Scott Gaston with Dan learning a new skill along the way. We took a little break for a couple weeks while we attended summer camp and went on vacation to Lake Tahoe.  It was perfect timing as Jerry Crutchfield custom made the cabinets to be put in the room to store all our homeschool curriculum, Creative Memories products and other supplies. (a family of nine can never have enough storage space!) The cabinets are spectacular and thankfully Dan was able to get Mike Sherman, Sal Martinez and Dan Smith to help him put these heavy duty cabinets up.  Then came the “little” things – ceiling fans, baseboards, closet shelving as well as the long counter that would serve as the girls school desks, computer center and my office (in addition it is cropping space for my weekend workshops). By September 1st (as my birthday present!) we were able to start moving in the furniture and getting everything off the back porch and out of the living room.  What an incredible adventure and leap of faith this project has been!

I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful the additional living space is to our family.  We have been officially moved in for about two weeks and it is truly where we spend 80% of our time.  The girls each have a space to do their school work, I have my office and storage space, Daniel has lots of room to play and we have plenty of room for our family room area – the sectional couch and TV (that was formerly cramed into the 3rd bedroom).  Even as I type this we are all together in this room, each doing different things but enjoying just being together – it is even better than I could have ever hoped for.  The gratefulness that wells up in my heart for everyone who helped this dream to become a reality is immense.  Saying thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough.

Here are some photos of the completed* room.

* Ok, so as with every project there are a few things still left to be done before we can really say completed (ie: lighting under the cabinets so the girls can actually see their homework, a bit more electrical work and a final corner counter which will be my scrapbooking work area….well then there is the laundry room area on the other side of the wall — but we’ll save that for next summer!)

If you are new to this blog and want to see what it use to look like – you can check out photos here and here and here.

 This past week I spent time getting Daniel’s things moved into the new boys bedroom.

 The “boys” bedroom seems huge (and empty compared to the girls room).  Joy and Daniel are enjoying playing in the room and Daniel is taking naps in there…but we haven’t had him sleep the night in his room (except one night when Rebekah slept on an air mattress in the room with him).  To be honest it just seems so big and lonely for him to be in there by himself, after all the rest of the family gets to sleep with someone else in our room.  We will have to work through that one. 🙂

 

Here’s hoping that sometime this fall, this crib that sits in the corner of our bedroom will have our new son snuggled up in it.

And we will continue to wait (patiently)…to pray…and to hope.

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Filed under Adoption, Blessings, Life at the Lambdins

August 26, 2008 · 8:06 am

Oh the places they’ll go!

I’ve never been one to live vicariously through my kids.  In fact, I have often felt pity on parents who were so over involved in their children’s athletic endeavours, academic achievements, musical or dramatic talents and even their “love lives”  – it was as if they were trying to either re-create their own childhood or live a life through their child that they would never have the opportunity to experience.  To be completely honest I often thought pathetically to myself – “Why don’t they just get a life of their own?”

Well, here I sit living my life vicariously through my nineteen year old daughter, Michelle who is beginning her college career this week at The King’s College in the heart of New York City!  Last night (or perhaps I should say early this morning as it was 1am – ahhh the city that never sleeps!) as I rode the subway back to the apartment where I am blessed to be staying on the Upper East Side (doesn’t that just sound so “posh”?) I couldn’t help but imagine that I was actually the young college co-ed who was about to embark on one of the greatest adventures of her life!

  • She is living in one of the most exciting cities in the whole world, in a “large” apartment (well perhaps this is personal perspective – but for a gal who has shared a 10×11 room with her five sisters, this one bedroom apartment she will share with three roommates is an “upgrade”) that overlooks 5th & Broadway, the route for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. She is within walking distance of Times Square, Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, Union Station and The Empire State Building, to name just a few. She can catch the subway to destinations in Brooklyn, Long Island, New Jersey and more. There are people of every race, culture, background, religion and language to meet and learn from.  There are multitudes of restaurants and delicious different foods to try, more shopping opportunities than one could ever attempt to conquer, museums to explore, Broadway shows, concerts and athletic events to attend. (I am sure she will join you in being a Yankee fan, Granny!)  Yes, I could do this!

 

She is already meeting and becoming an extended family member of some New York locals – the Shaerf family – who have generously opened up their hearts and home to her during her time in New York.  They are “my type” of people – energetic, enthusiastic, motivated, “go getter’s”, committed to their community, their faith and their family (they have three darling, fun children who I know Michelle will love).  Yes, I could thoroughly enjoy company like this.

  • She has the choice of many dynamic churches to attend here.  The one we went to on Sunday was called Origins. It was an awesome experience combining enthusiastic worship, traditional liturgy, inspirational scripture based teaching (and the pastors Australian accent was a bonus!), communion and obvious committed fellowship as many hung out in the pews for hours after the service talking and praying for one another.  And from what we understand there is a smorgasbord of churches just as wonderful here in NYC.  Yes, I could get into those options!
  • She is attending a college that is inspiring, challenging and quite impressive in their mission, goals and accomplishments.  I attended a preview weekend here a couple of years ago and was “sold” on this being the perfect place for Michelle.  It was a match for her heart, her vision and her desire to be a world changer.  Their commitment to a Biblical worldview is stronger than most private Christian colleges that I have experienced (and as a guidance counselor for over a decade in several years back I have sat through more than my share of college presentations) and their rigorous academic program would be a tremendous benefit for her life.  This week as I have attended Parent Orientation, talked with faculty, staff and students, I am not only convinced it is the perfect place for my daughter,  but I will be promoting this incredible institution to everyone!  I could go on and on with stories of their alumni and what they are doing – a most impressive group of world changers who are working in business as venture capitalists and highly sought after by many Fortune 500 corporations, who are influencing public policy on Capitol Hill, who are employed in media, public relations and journalism, who are continuing their education by attending law school, pursuing MBA’s and Phd’s and receiving Masters in Divinity.  They have students just this past summer who interned through the school for the Coke Foundation, the New York Sun, Ralph Lauren, a Washington Senator and one as a White House Intern supporting First Lady, Laura Bush. Wow! Ok so I have just shared the tip of the ice berg on all that I could tell you about this remarkable college, but I will have to save it for later posts. Let me suffice to say that it is a school of excellence in every way and that I left Parent Orientation wanting to enroll in this college! Yes, I could thrive as a student at The King’s College.
  • Ok, so I wouldn’t mind a Starbucks on every corner and having tea at The Plaza Hotel either! (thanks Carrie) Yes, I could live in NYC.!

 

As I was relishing in the past few days I began to realize that this was just the beginning of my living vicariously through my kids.  Michelle is just the first of seven to begin her life journey away from our home.  Who knows the places all my children will venture to and the things that they will do, see and experience as they follow the Lord’s leading in their lives. Perhaps living life through your children is not so pathetic after all…in fact maybe getting a chance to live life all over again is one of the blessings of being a mother.  I will be looking forward to many more decades of living this vicarious life through each of my awesome children. (although rest assured I will surely be living my own full and exciting life as well).

New York, New York

Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it – New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it – New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn’t sleep
And find I’m king of the hill – top of the heap
A number one

These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it – in old New York
If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you – New York, New York

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Filed under Blessings, Inspiration, Life at the Lambdins, Motherhood, The King's College

August 18, 2008 · 10:29 pm

Baby Micah – God’s Masterpiece

I am smitten!

The first time I laid eyes on this sweet baby boy, I was filled with love and joy.  Then tonight I got to hold him for just a few precious minutes and he stole my heart! This dear baby was born five weeks early to my lifelong friends – Robert & Nina Ward.  He has spent the first week of his life in the NICU and is likely to be there a bit longer.

His name is Micah Mitchell and he was born on Tuesday August 12 weighing in at 5 lbs 14 oz and 18 inches long. He he has 10 tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes, his skin is pink and soft as silk, his hair is like fine gold, his lips are kissable and he smells intoxicating.  He is precious and he is perfect and he has a bonus chromosome – often known as Down Syndrome (or Trisomy 21).

Most importantly Micah is a gift from God. He is special, unique, and lovable.  He will face challenges just like  every other child…they just may be different challenges.  He will not worry much about the complications and stresses of life; he will simply experience, cherish and savor every moment. He will experience Gods unconditional love and acceptance in a way that many of us never will and he will freely bestow that same unconditional love to others.  He will greatly impact everyone who comes in contact with him. What an amazing life he will have! He is God’s wonderful creation –

  • a blessing, not a burden
  • a joy, not a sorrow
  • a reason to rejoice, not to mourn
  • a masterpiece, not a mistake

Psalm 139: 13-16

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
 
As I stood in awe & amazement over his incubator the day of his birth, I was filled with such love, joy and excitement for all that this baby will bring into not only the Ward’s lives but to everyone who is blessed to be a part of their circle. Our family is looking forward with eager anticipation to being a part of this spectacular journey!

Baby Micah – welcome to the world! We love you.

13 Comments

Filed under Blessings, Life at the Lambdins, Motherhood

July 16, 2008 · 7:44 am

I love living in Stockton!

I recently took a walk around our downtown waterfront and was immensely enjoying the redevelopment that has been a recent addition to our city.  As I was sharing this with my dear friend, Angie Guzman who works at the new downtown Sheraton Hotel, we both agreed that we loved living in Stockton and that it seemed very few people shared this sentiment.  I told her that someday I was going to blog about our city in hopes of motivating others who live here to perhaps have an attitude change.

Well just this past Sunday, the editor of the Stockton Record, Mike Klocke wrote an editorial on Stockton’s “low self image” and gave the residents of our city an assignment to write him three things we liked about Stockton and one thing we would change.  That is all the motivation I needed to write this blog that was brewing in the back of my mind.  Yes, I am well aware that Stockton is currently number one in the nation for foreclosures and illiteracy and that crime is a huge issue here but despite these things I see and choose to dwell on the multitude of wonderful attributes about our area.  I hope if you live in Stockton it will bless you, give you hope and inspiration and perhaps motivate you to make your own list of what you love about living here.  But no matter where you live take the time today to remember all that you love about your city.  There truly is “No place like home!”

The top 10 things I love about living in Stockton:
  • I love the weather.  As a military kid who moved twelve times during my first eighteen years of life (before coming to Stockton, California as a freshman to attend UOP) I have lived in places where the hot summer humidity was so bad you immediately were dripping wet with sweat anytime you ventured outdoors even a 9 o’clock in the evening! (not too mention fighting larger than life bugs that come with humid climates)  And I have stood at bus stops waiting for a school bus where the wind whipped through your heavy winter coat and chilled your bones, while the moisture actually froze solid inside your nostrils. I will take our few 100 plus degree dry heat summer days that almost always melt away into amazing cool and comfortable evenings and the just barely freezing temperatures we rarely experience over the extreme weather found in most areas of the world. I also love that we live in a city that truly does have four seasons! (rare for California) The spring is full of the many large shade trees that abound in Stockton year round along with a myriad of foliage and beautiful, colorful flowers that continue blooming for months on end.  The warm (Ok, sometimes HOT!) water enticing, ice cream devouring, lemonade drinking summers bring us a plethora of the most delicious locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables sold on the roadside and at many farmers markets throughout the city. The fall colors are more spectacular than you will see in most California cities and you can even have the experience of wearing a warm woolly sweater with a matching scarf and gloves at a Friday night football game. The short and mild winter season is perfect for enjoying delicious soups, warm bread, hot coffee and fires in your living room on a silvery afternoon when the valley wears its blanket of fog or when we are kept indoors by a few days of rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • I love the size of Stockton.  It is not too big and not too small.  It is big enough to have most every major chain store and restaurant that you could ever want (my personal favorites – Trader Joes, Target, Starbucks, Panera’s, Family Christian, Baskin Robbins and See’s Candies) yet small enough to have many unique specialty stores and interesting local dining experiences. (like Chucks, Papapavlos,  Bobs at the Marina, Sho Mi, Best Wishes, Beyond Pots & Pans)  It’s small enough that I always run into friends and acquaintances when I am out and about, yet big enough that I can always meet someone new.  It’s big enough to offer an array of family activities to attend – from athletic events, concerts and shows to festivals, farmers markets and Friday Night Lives  – yet small enough that we are motivated to venture out to the bigger cities of Sacramento and San Francisco to take in the cultural events and activities to be experienced there. It’s small enough that I can get most anywhere I need to in 15 minutes or less – with very little traffic irritation –  yet big enough that I can take a Sunday afternoon drive out to the countryside or down the Delta waterways. It is big enough to have a wide variety of youth sports, recreation and classes yet small enough to personally know many of the coaches, teachers and parents that are involved in my children’s lives.
  • I love my Stockton church where I have attended faithfully for 25 years – the church where I celebrated my wedding and have dedicated and baptized all my children.  But even more, I love the large and diverse local Christian community that has been more united over the years by Stockton’s own Christian radio station KYCC, many prominent local pastors and more recently the Leadership Stockton Group that has sponsored events like the National Day of Prayer and the inspirational city wide Easter Sunrise Service that we have attended at Weber’s Point since it’s inception in 2000.
  • I love the lights and decorations that adorn much of the city at Christmastime – especially the fun and festivity found in the neighborhood of Meadow Drive (aka – Christmas Tree Lane) and the awe inspiring, bigger than life nativity that Alex Spanos has graciously shared with the city that has become a part of our family tradition on Christmas Eve.  In addition, the multitudes of opportunities to attend Christmas concerts, productions and services throughout the city is unending!
  • I love the stately majesty and beauty of the ivy covered brick buildings on the campus at the University of the Pacific and the grandeur of the Cathedral of Annunciation. I could drive around the Miracle Mile and Victory Park residential areas for hours looking at the lovely unique homes on the beautiful tree lined streets while my daughters point out which houses they would want to live in “someday.”
  • I love my modest 50+ year old home, my kind neighbors and quiet neighborhood, my local swimming pool and city park complete with picnic tables, a playground, ball field, basketball & tennis courts (and no I don’t live in one of the shiny new “behind the gates” master planned communities) as well as my friendly mail deliverers, PG&E meter readers and UPS drivers.
  • I love the amazing and beautiful downtown waterfront that continues to grow and develop into one of the brightest spots in our entire city.  The most puzzling thing to me is the relatively few people who actually take advantage of what our downtown offers – a fabulous playground for the little ones and great picnic spot at Weber’s Point, a perfect place to get some exercise by taking a walk while enjoying the sights and sounds of the water ways and being cooled off by the gentle Delta breezes, the games and events at the ball field and arena, the interactive water fountain on a hot summer day, dining at one of several fine restaurants, taking in a movie at the most attractive theater in the area and grabbing a coffee or ice cream before taking a romantic evening stroll with your sweetheart by the fountains surrounding the historic Hotel Stockton. Not too mention a variety of special events that are held downtown throughout the year to take advantage of.  What are you all waiting for?
  • I love that when I need to experience the sights, smells and sounds of my favorite place in the world, the seashore or I want to stand on a mountain top and feel the awesome power of God I don’t even have to plan ahead. I can be in either of these two awesome places in less than a two hour drive.
  • Surprising to some, I may even love what others loathe about Stockton. I love that we have a city that has homeless, destitute and poor as it has given us the opportunity to share our blessings with those in need, to learn kindness and compassion and it has given us a greater appreciation of what we do have, even if it is not as much as we might hope to have.  I appreciate that we have a city with the problems of trash, graffiti and unsightly areas as it gives us the chance to serve our city and teach our children the importance of taking personal responsibility for God’s creation. I think that living in a city where there is the threat of having something stolen or your home or car broken into is a constant reminder that the greatest treasures in life are truly not our money or our “things”, but rather they are our friends, our loved ones, our time, our health, our precious memories, our lives and our God. It also keeps us praying – something we could all do more of.
  • Lastly but most importantly, I love the hundreds of people who have touched and been a part of our lives over the past almost three decades of living, working, playing and worshiping in Stockton, California.  They are of every age, every skin color, every background, every personality, every economic status, every faith and from every part of town.  These special and amazing people are truly what makes Stockton the place we love to call home.

Here are just a few of those amazing people!

What I would I change?
 
Well of course I could probably make a very lengthy list of things I would love to change or additions I would like to see come our way but the greatest changes I would like to see really come down to two things:
 
Our hearts and our attitudes. 
 
If we could truly have a heart and attitude change – everything else would fall perfectly into place.  I would want the people in Stockton to have a heart for others – kindness and compassion as well as a desire to serve and give of their time, talent and treasure to make this city a better place .  Having a positive attitude – seeing the good even in the midst of the bad, enthusiasm instead of negativity, joy replacing gloom, pride overtaking apathy and hope not despair for the future  – all would go a long way to infusing this city with what it needs to become stellar.

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Filed under Attitude, Blessings

June 29, 2008 · 7:34 pm

The One Year Old Portrait

We are a picture taking, album making, photo loving family!

However we take precious few professional portraits.  In fact we have yet to pay for a professional family portrait and other than the occasional church directory family picture all our family photos have been taken by a friend or family member with our personal cameras.  We do “splurge” for two professional portrait sessions per child –  a one year old baby portrait and their senior picture(we have yet to arrive at the wedding era – yikes!). And when I say splurge…I simply mean we pay the sitting fee and purchase the smallest package available. 🙂

Almost eighteen years ago when we began the baby portrait tradition, we were given the heirloom dress that I and my two sisters had worn for our one year old baby portraits.  It was a simple creme colored knit dress with puff sleeves.  I was so excited to have my daughter, Michelle wear the same dress I had worn as a baby.  When Amy came along three years later, I thought “I want her to feel just as special” and so I had her wear the dress as well!  As each daughter arrived, they too had their professional baby portrait taken…in the same dress, at the same studio, with the same background, in the same red velvet chair.  Thus a family tradition was established and the dress has become a priceless heirloom in the Lambdin family.

My hallway is now lined with six 11×14 framed baby portraits of each of our beautiful daughters.  My Mom recently passed on to me my baby portrait as well which is hung across the hall for all to see and compare.

Daniel turned one this spring and it was time to take his professional portrait.  Of course we were NOT going to put him in the dress!  Since my husband did not have an outfit to pass on to him, we set out to find a simple, charming and special outfit that could also become a family heirloom someday for our boys.  Not an easy task. (in fact I am amazed at how hard it is to find nicer, more dressed up clothes for boys at all – an unfortunate sign of our times in my never to be humble opinion)  We finally found one at a local upscale clothing store and set the appointment with photographer, Janie McCoun who has taken every single one of the girls photos.  We called just in time as Janie is closing her studio this month and only had a few sittings available.

  • Our photographer and dear friend, Janie McCoun

Several of the sisters wanted to come watch Daniel get his portrait taken and he was by far the easiest and happiest of all our babies on picture day. (Joy was so uncooperative that she fell of the chair and bloodied her nose!)  We now are sitting with dozens of proofs that are all darling with the task of picking one to add to the hallway and start a wall of baby boy portraits opposite of the baby girls.

My favorite thing about these photos are their bare feet and little fingers and toes.  I also love the simplicity of the photos which does not distract you from looking at their distinct features, soft skin and shiny wet lips.  As a mommy I never tire of walking down my hallway and looking at each of these little lives that we have been so blessed with.  The years go by so fast and the baby stage is so short.  These photos are a sweet reminder of what a unique, special miracle that God has created in every life.

I want to remember and capture every smile, every sweet smell of baby breath, every touch of their soft skin and wiggly toes, every sparkle in their eye, every deep belly laugh, every squeal and every moment of their baby years.  If you are a mommy of a little one right now, stop & touch their soft skin, wiggle their toes, smell their breath and kiss their lips….because life is like a vapor – here for a moment and then it vanishes!

All too soon another wall in my home will be filled with senior portraits. <sigh>

1 Comment

Filed under Blessings, Family Traditions, Life at the Lambdins

June 25, 2008 · 6:07 am

My blogging anniversary

One year ago today – I published my first post on this blog.

After ten years of writing a weekly motivational message entitled – “Monday Motivation”  (which I have archived some of those most popular messages on this blog)- that was primarily written for an audience of the Creative Memories consultants on my team but had gained a readership of not only thousands more consultants but had been passed on to their husbands, friends and other direct sales consultants throughout the nation and even to other parts of the world, I decided to expand my audience as well as my message and thus began this blog – “Monday Motivation & More“.

The purpose of this blog is to inspire, motivate, encourage, challenge and bless others through motivational messages, stories of my life and insights gained after two decades of marriage, ministry, business and raising seven (so far!) children.

I want to share (with whomever will listen) my many passions –

  • the Lord Jesus and the Word of God
  • marriage, mothering & family life
  • creating meaningful family traditions
  • babies – both the born & the unborn
  • Christian education & homeschooling
  • photos, albums and memory preservation
  • ministry and missions
  • purposeful & positive living

I want to use my God given gifts and talents to positively influence people and make a difference in their lives.

For those of you who know me well – I am a “stats” and numbers gal – so after one year in the blogging world here are the statistics:

  • 148 posts written (almost triple what I was doing when I was writing a weekly email)
  • 220 comments posted (I would love to hear from more of you – your thoughts, insights, ideas – I know you all have lots to share!)
  • 567 subscribers to this blog (FYI – subscribing just means when I post something it is delivered directly to your email inbox – just click here to subscribe – it is FREE)
  • 31, 300+ “hits”  – averaging 100 per day, 2,500 per week this past year

The top 5 posts (most read – besides the photo page which consistently receives the most hits – proving to me once again that people LOVE photos!)

Top 5 search words used in finding this blog (you know like “google searches”)

  • Beth Lambdin (by far the number one way people find my blog is by searching under my name)
  • Monday Motivation (I am thinking this is all those wonderful CMC’s who have been my biggest fans for the past decade – love you all)
  • Communion (who knew that there were so many people searching this word?)
  • Tea Party Recipes (smile!)
  • Christian Seder (Perhaps more & more people are looking for meaningful tradiotional ways to express their faith)

 Top 5 referrers (People or blogs that send folks my way – THANK YOU to everyone who passes my blog site on to others!)

  • WordPress Dashboard
  • Emails (from those who email my blog site to their friends & family)
  • Mommylife(I occasionally comment on this blog and she has a large readership and many click on my blog after reading a comment)
  • loveconquersall (A dear friends sister,  Jeannene who always has an encouraging word for me)
  • Hysterical Housewife (Becky Collins – whose spirit, enthusiasm & passion I love!) 

On this one year anniversary I want to thank a few people who have really been a blessing to me in this blogging adventure:

  • Christina Gilbert who got me “turned on” to the blogging world and encouraged me to “go for it”.  Christina you are such a valuable resource, an encouragement and you “sharpen my sword”.  Am I ever so glad that the Lord brought you into my life!
  • Jeff Gilbert – you are the BEST!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for loaning me your computer genius and your entrepreneur mind.  I am always challenged, refreshed and renewed after spending time with you. Who knew that my former student would one day be teaching me?
  • Patty Martin – I so appreciate your regular input via email to me.  Your words have meant so much.  I am glad this blog has reconnected us after so many years.
  • My dear darling hubby Dan, the six princesses and the knight – thanks for allowing the “whole world” a look into our lives and for giving up a slice of my time to sit at the computer and write.  I love you all so very very much.

Lastly….I can’t let an anniversary go by without setting goals for the next year. (I know, I know – shocking!) So here they are:

  1. To triple my subscriber-ship to 1500 (are you subscribed?) & double my annual “hits” on this blog
  2. To encourage more of my readers to comment and add their valuable input and ideas to this blog
  3. To average 4 to 5 postings per week
  4. To get some of my writings published
  5. To use this blog as a springboard for speaking engagements for – businesses, schools, church retreats, women’s meetings, mothers groups etc….

Here’s to another year of blogging!

Blessings,

Beth

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Filed under Blessings, Monday Motivations

May 13, 2008 · 9:38 am

Mother’s Day Monologue addendum

After writing on Mothers Day, I decided that I should have also shared with you the positive comments that I have heard over the years about my large & growing family.  Although they are few & far between when compared to the negative remarks – they are refreshing!

  • “Don’t you just feel blessed with so many children?”  said a smiling teenage boy working in a Santa Cruz surf shop. After recovering from my shock, I blurted out “Yes I do!” (and then proceeded to quietly tell the girls – that is the type of guy you want to look for in a husband!)
  • “We sure wish we would of had more children” said by many older couples as we are out & about. (ahhh hindsight is 20/20 – are you listening all you young couples out there? I’ve never heard an older couple say “I wish I would not have had that last one.” )
  • “The world will be a better place with another Lambdin in it”  commented my brother-in-law.
  • “I for one, am ENVIOUS of you and wish I had 7 precious children!”  a dear CM friend reminded me to add to my list of comments.
  • “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”  the screams of delight with each announcement of a new child from our own dear children. In fact I have never seen them get more excited about anything else.

Thanks for all of you who emailed or left positive comments.  I hope everyone is encouraged to speak enthusiastic positive and uplifting comments to everyone you know who is pregnant (regardless of their circumstances) – especially those who are “above average” in their family size.  You will be a breath of fresh air!

P.S.  I inadvertently left off a couple of dear folks who helped contribute to our yard sale on Saturday – a big THANK YOU to

  • Charlie & Lisa Fairchild
  • Mike & Lynn Krogstad

 

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May 12, 2008 · 12:00 am

My Mother’s Day Monologue

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today as been a wonderfully blessed day.  After an extremely successful yard & bake sale yesterday to help finance our adoption, followed by a refreshing date night with my dear darling Dan…I woke up this morning to a spotless clean house (what a perfect gift for a mother whose primary love language is – “acts of service”).  We attended church service, enjoyed coffee & cinnabons (yes…my monthly “day off” the diet), took a couple hour nap, read the newspaper, talked with my eldest daughter in Hawaii & my mother in Virginia, had a take out dinner of Chinese food and ended the day watching the movie “Bella”  (highly recommend this pro-life, pro adoption movie) while receiving foot massages and eating popcorn.  A perfect Mothers Day!

This Mother’s Day I was reflecting on the great joy that having children has brought to my life.  I also was pondering each of my seven pregnancies and the different reactions and responses that we received with each announcement of a the blessing of another child.

Pregnancy #1 – There was excitement and joy from everyone – our parents, siblings, friends, even people we did not know all enthusiastically shared their sentiments about the joy of children. The congratulations were abundant.

Pregnancy #2 – “Congratulations!  Are you hoping for a boy?”  While there was a general sense of happiness for us – although there was not the screams of delight or the huge grins experienced with baby number one.  There was more a sense of being “status quo”.

Pregnancy #3 – “Trying for a boy, huh?”  With this pregnancy the general consensus was that since we did not get a boy & a girl with our first two children…we must be “trying” again. My answer – “No, actually we are quite happy with having girls.” or “No, just trying for a baby.”

Pregnancy #4 – “Do you know what causes this?”  My answer – “Yes thank you!” (and I rather enjoy it…don’t you? – which I only actually said out loud if I was feeling really ornery.)  Most people who have reached a fourth pregnancy in this “post Christian” society we live in, have experienced this true lack of enthusiasm or acceptance for having more than the “culturally accepted – Planned Parenthood” amount of children.

Pregnancy #5 – “Of course, you are done now, right?”  — My answer – “I don’t know. Ask God.”   By the time we were pregnant with our fifth child people began to look at us with a bit of disdain and bewilderment as to why we would want more children. Why is it that when it comes to financial blessings – you can never have enough money…but when it comes to the blessing of children – many think that you can have too many?

Pregnancy #6 – “How many are you going to have?”   My answer – “We leave the big important decisions to God.” (we keep busy enough trying to make the smaller decisions)  By the time we announced the blessing of our sixth precious baby, people began to just keep their comments to themselves or just give us a look of shocked amazement. 

Pregnancy #7 – “Have you heard about the lady in Arkansas with 17 kids?”   This one made me laugh – it was as if we were now going for a Guinness Book of World Records, could have a TV show or were some type of “circus act” since we were headed towards our seventh child! And of course after Daniel was born we heard constantly (and are still hearing) – “You finally got your boy!”  What kind of comment is that?  It’s not like we see our first six girls as just a failed attempt at having a boy.  One thing that I want to make pefectly clear (for the “umpteenth time”) is that we were never trying for a boy!  We simply have always been open to receiving every life given to us as a blessing from the Lord….boys or girls….and whether we had one blessing or 20 blessings! Of course to have 20 biological children,  I would have had to start much younger.  Since I had my first child at age 27 and most people have a serious decline in fertility after 40 (3-5% chance of conceiving) and then another huge drop after 45 (less than a 2% chance of getting pregnant – the same chance as those of you on the pill) and then only a miracle chance of naturally having a baby after 50…I feel extremely blessed to have had seven children during my childbearing years. (which may not be over – only God knows)  

The sentiments surrounding the blessings of being a mother were heard over & over today and throughout this past week.  Yet, it seems that our society in general only has these warm, loving sentiments for two or at the most three children.  After that you constantly hear comments like the ones listed above as well as…

  • “I’m glad it’s you and not me!”  (I’m glad it’s me too)
  • “Oh my! You’ve got your hands full” (And my heart is full too)
  • “Are they ALL yours?” – usually said with a look of chagrin) (yes thay are ALL mine & they all have the same Dad too, thank you!)
  • “I couldn’t handle that many children”   (I will take all the blessings God is willing to give me! And as a recovering “control freak” I stopped trying to “handle” things a long time ago)
  • “You are crazy!” (ahhhh…what a nice thing to say to someone – read the sarcasm here)
  • “Do you realize how OLD you are going to be when that last one graduates from high school?” (Yes, I can do basic math)

OK, I will get down off my “soapbox” now and end by saying – Happy Mother’s Day to all of you – whether you have been blessed with one child, a dozen or more children or any number in between! Children are a blessing and a gift from God.

P.S. – As we have been going through the adoption process for the last seven months we have heard almost no negative comments.  Interesting huh?  Either everyone has just given up on us, they are finally really convinced that we believe children are a blessing, they are “writing us off” as too far gone to bother commenting or perhaps adoption is more acceptable than having another child.  I don’t know the answer but I find it very interesting that as we get ready to “have” (through the miracle of adoption) our eighth child – the comments are overwhelmingly positive!

 

 

 

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