Proud Moma

The past couple of weeks have been crazy. Mason is playing football for the first time and Malley is cheering for the third year. Both have practice twice a week and 2 games a week on top of Karate, ballet, gymnastics, piano and homework. I am exhausted! When is it to much? I have always struggled with this, I don't want to deny them any opportunities but...Looking for some advice. With that said, I am very proud of M and M they are fabulous children who for the most part do all this very well. As busy as they stay they are continuing to do wonderfully in school, report cards when out this week and both are truly excelling (I'm just thankful that they get their brains and their looks for the dad).

Well, this is us and our crazy life. Shana used this in her blog and I loved it "Busy and Boring" that's us as well.

Malley is 9

Well it is official my baby is nine. I can not even believe how quickly time as gone. As I sit here thinking back the past nine years, I am amazed at the young lady she has become. She truly is an incredible gift from God and I am so thankful. So to honor Malley today I thought I would list nine thing about her that I love.



1. Sensitive - She has a very tender heart.
2. Creative - She is a great seamstress.
3. Funny - She has a natural sense of humor.
4. Confident - She believes in herself.
5. Positive - she always see the good.
6. Smart - She is a thinker and it is usually outside the box.
7. Caring - She openly and honestly cares for people.
8. Beautiful- She definitely gets her good looks for her dad.
9. Loving - She has the most beautiful heart and has a love for others that is incredible.
There are so many more things that I love about Malley but these are nine of my favorite. She is an amazing little girl and I am so blessed that she calls me mom. As I have sat here and took a trip down memory lane I again want to thank my Heaven Father for loving me so much that He would gift me such an amazing gift.

Happy Birthday Malley! Mommy loves you and I am so proud of the young lady that you are.

Faithful Friday

Well for the record, my children have been wonderful this week. YEA! I have really been convicted this week since my post last Friday I feel like I don't' praise my children enough. I do want to share those trying times but I also need to share how extremely fabulous they are. So in spite of a long, chaotic, sleepless week, my kids have been awesome. Tomorrow is our biggest fun raiser of the year at Malley and Mason school we call it our "Back to School Bash" it is a huge production with a Parent/Teacher Volley ball game, inflatables, games, face painting, tattoos, obstacle coarse, basket raffle, hay ride, and lots of good food (if anyone is in our area tomorrow for 11-2 please come out and join us, the kids will love it.) It is also a lot of work.

To add to my stress we are having some teacher changes at school and Malley is getting a NEW 3rd grade teacher. Which I am a little (lot) upset about. We are going on the 3rd week of school and she is getting a new teacher a brand new teacher from a different school. Third grade is a HUGE year, they are learning many new and more sophisticated skill (multiplication, writing paragraphs, etc.). So needless to say I am concerned and worried.

After saying all of that I do want to say PRAISE GOD for our little morning devotion, this morning it was titled "The Kind of Peace That Jesus Offers Us" (although the devotion is intended for the kids, I get so much out of it. God is so Good! He knows He has to speak to me on a very juvenile level). Anyway, it talked about John 14:27 how Jesus offers us peace, not as the world gives, but as He alone gives. How true is that, He offers peace we just have to accept it. I am accepting His peace this morning and trusting that He is going to take care of all my concerns and worries.

Our Heavenly Father is so completely FAITHFUL, he again sent me exactly what I needed. So to anyone who has doubt, concerns or worries. Accept the peace that only He can give and trust that He is going to be FAITHFUL.

Faithful Friday

Last night was not a great night in the Chastain household. My sweet almost 9 year old daughter, Miss Malley Shea had a major melt down last night at bedtime. I mean full blown temper tantrum crying, screaming, shouting (for the record this is NOT normal behavior for her). Which let to me getting angry with her for her very inappropriate behavior. Then this morning at 1:00am she wakes me to let me know she has peed in her bed (this has never happened before). Well this really irritates me, first of all I have to get up strip she sheets, clean up the mattress, give her a bath and because her bed is wet she has to sleep with me and Keith. So after all of this, I am mad (I get NO special mommy awards for this). We get settle in bed and I can not go to sleep so I get up and watch the Olympics til 3:00am.

Our 6:00am alarm goes off everyone (even Mason) gets up very well. Each morning while Malley and Mason are eating their breakfast I will read a short devotion to them before school. Well this morning our devotion was titled "NO MORE TANTRUMS" It talked about how we need to control our tempers and not let our tempers control us. So we were able to talk about how we all need to control our tempers (even Mommy) and how in the bible it tells us that it is foolish to become angry and that it is wise to remain calm. So not only did Malley need to hear this but ya know what so did I.

So this morning I just want to say Thank You Lord that you were so faithful to send me and Malley a very timely word this morning on tantrums and how important it is that we control our temper.

Quote from our little devotional book "When you lose your temper...you lose. This quote really stuck with my kids. Cause they sure don't want to be a loser.

Summer... Short and Sweet

Well, our summer is officially over. Today is the first day of school, I can't believe how quickly the summer when by. I was not ready for this at all. Malley in the 3rd grade and Mason in 1st you would think that I would have a handle on my emotions. But NO it was so much more emotional than I ever would have expected. They are truly growing up way TO fast and seeing this makes me especially for thankful summers. Although our summer was short it was definitely sweet.

Faithful Friday

I know that most everyone has fear and insecurities. I am always blabbing about mine, y'all are probably sick of hearing about them. So I'm going to share it anyway (it is my blog). A huge insecurity/fear I have is the fear of not being accepted, or being rejected, or not being liked. I have found myself in the past few weeks in a role where I am feeling like I don't fit in or just feeling left out (I know this sounds very 5th grade). I don't however feel like it has been any ones intent, thing just happen. And I am fully aware that this is something that I have taken up all by myself (well, with help from the enemy). So my prayer has been lately that I NOT take any offence to this. God is so faithful! He has so sweetly reminded me that it's not about who you are, but whose you are. I have found great comfort in knowing that.

So to anyone today who is feeling a little like it is just you facing this crazy world alone. Remember that you are NOT alone. God is here, He is close and He is able to fill any and all voids in our lives. We just have to surrender it to Him. Once we do that, everybody is going to want to be our friend. He will so sweetly remind you, that it is not who you are, but whose you are and it's not about what you can or can't do, but it all about what He has can do and has done.

He is so completely faithful!

Shout out for Summer

I do want everyone to know that I am alive and well now that May is over. I feel like when my kids are in school that it is just as much work for me as it is them, especially at the end of the school year. So, we in the Chastain household are giving a big shout out for Summer. We are looking forward to a stress free, laid back summer.

I was asked this weekend what my favorite season was and my favorite activity during that season. Mine is definitely summer and my favorite activity during the summer is just hanging out with my kids, being a much more laid back mom, it is nice not being the Drill Sargent all the time. No scheduled ball games, ballet, bedtime, bath time(maybe a scheduled bath) and so on...YEAH!!

So, if anyone needs me this summer you can find me at the pool hanging out with my children.

Faithful Friday

Gosh y'all every since I discovered from Shana's 'Just For Fun' post that I am not creative(sorry Shana I have to blame it on someone), I have had a hard time blogging.

Most of you know that we (ladies from EMC) went on a girls weekend to Gatlinburg last weekend. And yes it was FABULOUS!! There truly is almost nothing better than hangin' out with girlfriends while you work on your scrapbook. Who would have ever thought that sitting on your bottom, running your mouth could be so exhausting. I have been beat all week.

Then on Tuesday, Me, Malley, Mason, Martha and Julie went to Atlanta to see Dolly Parton in concert. I wasn't kidding when I said I was "hired". She was great. Mason was really the only one who did not enjoy the Backwoods Barbie.

So to keep with my Faithful Fridays theme here is what I have seen God do this week. To have 19 women in one cabin and everyone have a good time that is remarkable and only God could do that and to take a 5 year old to a Dolly Parton concert and he fall asleep so I could enjoy it. That my friends only God could do. Even in the smallest of things, we can trust that God is going to be faithful.

No Special Mommy awards for me

God is so good! He truly knows exactly what we need when we need it. I am leaving tomorrow afternoon to go on a weekend trip with some girlfriends (19 to be exact). Thank you Lord! I am so ready for it. As much as I love and adore my children, I totally lost my temper this morning with them, it was just one of those whine, complaining, fighting mornings. And I have just had enough. I believe that old saying that absence makes the heart grow founder is true. A long weekend apart is going to be good for all of us. I think they need a break from me just as much as I need one from them. And naturally this is one of those times when I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for going and leaving them and Keith. But you what I need it. I was thinking about Shana post "Silence is Golden" , I need a little of that, and a lot of grow up girly conversation. So I guess I will NOT be getting special mommy awards this week. And that's ok, cause I did get a couple last week and those will do me for awhile, well at least till I get back.

Shamu is alive and well

Sea World was great! Shamu is alive and well. We also went to Universal Studios which was fabulous. We had a wonderful time. The weather was great and it wasn't overly crowded. I would highly recommend both. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Enjoy!

Shamu!

This was one of Shamu's friends. He was very friendly, he would come right up to the window. It was very cool and the kids loved it.

Malley feeding the Sting Rays!
Mason feeding the Sting Rays!

Dora and Jimmy Neutron at Universal.

We also saw the Blue Man Group. This was fabulous very kid friendly. Mason was picked from the audience to go on stage and be apart of the show. He loved it.

Faithful Friday

It is 8:30 AM and I just want to share with you how God has already been faithful. It started this morning at 6:30, Mason (my child who is NOT a morning person at all) was up and out of the bed before It was time for him too (this has never happen before). He was in the best mood ever, the fact that Spring Break is next week and we are going to Sea world might have had something to do with it. But whatever the reason, it was an awesome and a welcome change. God is faithful. Then my sweet Malley, who's lunch I have to pack every single morning. Decides to eat Pizza @ school. God is faithful.

After dropping the kids off at school. I put on my Ipod and head out for my morning walk/run. The most beautiful morning ever, the sun is out there is a cool breeze, I've got Mercy Me playing in my ear. I ran more than I walked, which is a huge accomplishment. God is faithful.

As I was running, I felt God urging me to stop by and encourage a friend, who just so happens to live on my running path. As I was trying to encourage her, she encouraged me by shared some awesome news, that again proved God's faithfulness. I literally left their saying God you are so faithful.

I also wanted to share how God has continued to remind me this week of His faithfulness. Monday, I was at Hobby Lobby and stumbled across a plaque that had the verse from 2 Timothy 1:7 and on Wednesday, my daily devotional (which is emailed to me) was on the same verse. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. God is so good and He is so faithful.

So my thought today is... remember as long as Christ is in the center of every situation and circumstance you can trust that He is going to be faithful.

Fear or Faith Friday

Well, things have not change much since last week, I still continue to live in fear. However, since last week I have given a lot of thought to being fearful. You see being fearful is self-imposed and having a fearful spirit is not of God. What God chooses for me is to have power over my fears.
Because I am a sinner and I lack faith to receive the power, fear comes in. So today I want to face my fears head-on and and trust in the power given to me by Christ and choose faith. Again I am saying out loud I CHOOSE FAITH for every circumstance and situation. I challenge you today to face your fears head-on and remember that Christ has given you the power to choose faith. I'll be the first to admit that this is much easier said than done. So I just keep reminding myself of this 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit timidity, but a spirit of power, love and of self-discipline.

PS. I had a fabulous guilt free girls night out last Friday.

Friday, at Malley and Mason school was dress up like a storybook character.

Mason as Cat in the Hat.

Malley as Little Red Riding Hood.

Fear or Faith Friday

A good friend of mine used this term "fear or faith" last night and it really spoke to me. I have a lot of fears. Fear of making wrong decisions, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of doing the wrong thing, fear of what people think about me, and so on and so on. I think these are normal thoughts (I could be wrong 'cause I'm not normal). Anyway, It is how I respond to these fears that is important. I can choose fear and be miserable or I can choose faith and trust that Christ has directed my steps and live in victory.

My fear today is that I will not accomplish all the tasks I need to today so that I can have a guilt free girls night out. So I am saying out loud I CHOOSE FAITH today and I am going to leave my guilt at the back door when I leave at 6:00 tonight to meet my girlfriends.

I would challenge you today to not live in fear, but choose FAITH and live in victory.

Parenting 101

I thought last night about Malley and Mason and their understanding of Easter. As a parent I struggle with, when do you tell them this and when do you tell them that, is their an Easter bunny, is their a tooth fairy, is their a Santa? Well, for me this year starting on Monday after Palm Sunday, we started reading our Christian Easter story books and I bought the resurrection eggs (which where a huge hit) and I found that the Easter bunny never came up in any of our conversations. I guess that's when I realized that is was time, that I didn't need to pretend that their was an Easter bunny. And that they were old enough to understand that Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead, just for them and they did truly get it. Praise God! I can't wait 'till Christmas or 'till one of them looses another tooth (I think I'll give the tooth fairy discussion to Keith)

Oops! I did it again

Okay all you faithful blogger, I have been at this most of the day. I have not figured it ALL out but with the help of a GOOD computer friendly friend I have figured out some. I can at least download/upload (whatever it's called) pictures. So please enjoy these Easter pictures of my beautiful family. I do want to do some bragging after all that's what a blog is for right. My two precious children Malley 8 and Mason 6 truly understood the real meaning of Easter this year. And that my friends is something to brag about. Enjoy!

I did it!

Yes I did. I said I would not create a blog and here it is. And as most of you know I am not a computer friendly kinda gal. I am still trying to figure out how to download/upload pictures. I love showing off my kids so I am gonna need to know how to do this so I will figure it out. Maybe I should have contacted my computer friendly friends first. Stay tuned...