When Science Comes to You

This spring it was a ball of spiders. We actually found another one by the back steps, but Marcus got to it before I got the camera. It would've been really cool to get them on video. If you blow on the ball, they spread out. Here is our before and after. (okay, so it's after and before, but if you wait awhile, they do go back into the ball shape.)

Good Mom/Bad Mom

This is one of the sculptures at the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. (By Tom Otterness). My sons love to stop at “Mad Mom” and pose just like her. Last time, Lucas asked, “Where’s the happy mom?” “Right here,” I answered, pointing to myself and smiling. Ooo…how clever. Lucas laughs, but Timothy groans (Yikes, when did he get so old?)

Sometimes I feel like a good mom and sometimes I feel like a bad mom. And therein lies the problem. Motherhood cannot be defined by my feelings. Does it make me feel like a good mom when I watch a mom wrestle her four year old out of a playland with cajoling and threats while my two pop out right when I say, “Boys, come.”? Is that a “good mom moment” for me, a moment when training has paid off? But should it be? I mean, where is my compassion for that wrestling mother? Am I a “good mom” by comparison? In reality, my emphasis is in the wrong place.

Am I a “bad mom” when Marcus throws himself on the floor at the library screaming because I said we are leaving in five minutes? Again, where is my focus?

Parenting is active, not reflective. I am not a parent because I am waiting for someone to say, “oh, good job there,” or “you messed up there”. Parenting is not about me. It’s not about whether I feel like a failure or a success. It’s about preparing my kids for their future. Parenting is a process.
Yes, I am going to be a “good mom”. I am going to train my children in the ways they should go.
Yes, I am going to be a “bad mom”. I am going to make mistakes. I am going to mess up.
But most of all, it needs to be about God and His Glory. I want to reflect Him to everyone, including that harried mom at McDonalds. I want my kids to see me reflect Christ. I am learning that it isn’t about me. It’s about Him. The good mom/bad mom feelings I have are not the point. I am not striving at being a good parent so I can feel good about it. I am striving at being a good parent for the glory of my God.

Things Kids Say

“Mom, for some reason; I’m not sure why. I’m starting not to like girls. I don’t know why.” (Tim, on the occasion of his sister’s sixth birthday).

“Dad is NOT a mammal because he doesn’t have any hair. Hee hee.” (Sarah, during science)

“My pants have oatmeal on them!” exclaimed Lucas, during breakfast, “but not my unders. They have a great hiding spot!”

We had the kids out all day for an “adventure”. It was now 8:30 pm, past bedtime on the way home and no one was sleeping in the van yet. Ryan asked Marcus, “Aren’t you tired?” His response, “No way Dad! Not even a yawn!” (Lucas added, “I have a yawn for you, Dad.”)

Ministry. It needs to be part of our natural response to the world around us. We need to put others’ needs ahead of our own.

Wednesday is officially “ministry day” at our house. We pray, talk, and look for ways to minister to others. I try to go with the kids’ ideas. This has led to cookies for the neighbors, praying for friends, and flowers to the “library ladies”. It has also led to praying for “that little girl who was crying so hard in the store today.” Or “grandma Doris, because she’s all alone EVERY NIGHT!”
Today we went to the grocery store. My kids always help put the groceries in the bags, but it’s a little difficult with eight little arms in and out of the cart. Tim and Sarah’s new job was their own ministry idea. They go out and bring the carts from the outside of the store (on the curbed sidewalk) into the store while the boys and I do groceries. We went to do this today, but they came back in and said they couldn’t do it today because there had been an accident. I peeked out the window and saw where a car had hit the carts, and smashed the little fence in front of them.

It was a couple older ladies and I think it was a case of hitting the gas instead of the brake. I saw them there. One sitting behind the wheel. Another talking to the Save A Lot manager outside the car. They had their car doors open and there seemed to be no injuries. My heart just went out to them. How they must have that shaky feeling inside. I wondered if they knew Jesus. The kids and I loaded the groceries. I got the kids and the groceries in the van. We were parked right next to their car. I thought, “I should pray for them.” Then it was, “I need to pray for them.” Then it was, “go pray for them,” and that was the Holy Spirit’s prompting. So I told the kids I would be right back and I knelt next to the car by the driver and asked if they were alright. They said they were fine. I asked if they would mind if I prayed for them. “oh, no, not at all.” I asked if they knew Jesus. “oh, yes!” So I prayed, nice and loud so they could both hear me. They were very thankful, and then I left.

I talked to the kids about it on the way to our next stop. We talked about how those ladies might be feeling inside. We talked about how God helped them. They didn’t hit the concrete posts on either side of their car, and they weren’t injured. “and they didn’t hit the van,” Tim added.

It was at that moment that the reality that "they could’ve smashed my kids" hit me. It hadn’t even occurred to me until that moment. I just hadn’t thought of it at all. Why was that?

My Tim and Sarah are at that same spot every week bringing cart after cart inside the store to minister to the store employees… they could have been seriously injured…I thanked the Lord for protecting my family and for protecting my mind while I prayed for those ladies. I share this story because I can’t help but think, “How marvelous, how wonderful is my savior’s love for me!” and I am so grateful to walk in His grace every day.

Creepy Crawlie

“Hey honey, come look at this HUGE bug I found in our bedroom.” These are not the words a wife wants to hear. Unless she’s one of those people fascinated by such things. I, however, am not one of “those people”. Especially if the creepy crawlie is in my bedroom.

“He’s four inches long with some sort of long tail.” I cannot figure out how to respond to this, so I remain silent. Husband comes downstairs holding a glasses case. “I got him. He was in the window. See?” He opens the glasses case and I see bits of creepy-crawlie, very fast creepy-crawlie. I shudder a little and try to suppress the girly squeal. “What?” he says.

“Let’s bring it outside and show the kids,” I try to keep my voice normal. Tim gets a peek at creepy crawlie, but Ryan opens the case again and the creepy crawlie flies away before Sarah gets a chance to see it. She is genuinely miffed about this and I briefly wonder if she is one of “those people”. Of course it wasn’t in her BEDROOM.

I only want to know two things, “What was it? Will there be any more of them?”

My husband searches the internet and about ten minutes later, he has a full report on Megarhyssa, a wasp, formerly known as the creepy crawlie. He even has a picture to show Sarah. Click here for the rest of the story.

Megarhyssa Wasps (Ichneumonidae) on Oak

English

Alright, more reasons to homeschool…Remember 8th. grade grammar? Parts of Speech, BAD sentences you had to label and correct. Then you did the same thing in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th ? Frustrating, isn’t it?

Sooo, Ryan is in his college level business class and guess what’s in his textbook? Yep, those same old BAD sentences..he has to identify the problem, label the problem, and fix the problem…this, is just repeating 8th. grade (again) and has no benefit. It’s the premise..if you start with the BAD sentence…
Okay, so here’s my (slightly sarcastic) response.

Federal marshals have unique training. They do not look at counterfeit bills. They study the real thing. How do aspiring writers become great authors? How do artists improve their work? By studying the masters. Students even pick their favorites.

Why hasn’t this concept made it to the teaching of writing? Especially college writing. It seems we are all destined to repeat 8th grade. We look at really bad examples. These sentences appear randomly and are rarely, if ever, in context of any REAL piece of writing. (Yes, I am referring to numbered exercises). The student is asked to identify the bad part (modifier, clause, adverbial, etc.). Then the bad part must be labeled. Then it must be fixed to create a better sentence.

Apparently the purpose of this exercise is to identify and correct mistakes. However, this does not cross over into the students own work. At best, it’s busy work. At worst, it’s playing with garbage.

Why not find great business writing and emulate it? Even sentence combining exercises have more merit than identifying and fixing dangling participles.

As a teacher, I want my students to aspire to be their best. I am not going to feed them junk food. I want them to have the real thing.

There is great curriculum out there for home educators who follow my train of thought. LLATL comes to mind, plus lots of other literature-based curriculum. Still, I was surprised by Ryan’s COLLEGE textbook. Perhaps a well-worded email to his instructor can help push things in the right direction. In the meantime, my poor husband is trapped changing around sentences for no apparent gain.

Shine your shingle

Since Ryan has been unemployed, I have been thinking about how I can help the family with income we need, other than some babysitting I do.

He suggested shining my shingle (shining your what?). That's right, my shingle. You see, I am not this simple ponytailed homeschool soccer mom you know and love. Underneath this mild-mannered exterior, I exist in an alternate plane. That's right, folks...I am grammar girl. Okay, so I'm not really "grammar girl". Go ahead, google her. Her cartoon personna does have glasses and a dark-haired ponytail. She can accurately explain how to use "however" with a semicolon! She knows why a preposition is something you should never end a sentence with. (oops! yes, "with" is a preposition and yes, I was intentional. Sheesh!)

Still, while I am not "grammar girl", I do have a God-given passion for English grammar, writing, spelling, and yes, editing. I love it that Ryan is in school and he regularly asks me to go over his papers. I even had the opporturniy to help one of his classmates daughter with a high school research paper. Ahh, students... He has noticed my red-ink giddiness. He suggested I think about getting back into tutoring. Yes, actually shining the shingle and hanging it up again.

So I am thinking and praying about it. I recently caught a radio sermon on "work" and how society at large seems to regard it as a "means to an end". It "pays the bills" or funds our weekend excursions. He reminded his audience that this was not God's intention for work. He challenged me to think of "work" as an act of "worship". Worship that brings glory to God. Paying the bills, while important, is a side benefit. God wants us to not only pay our bills, but to be generous, to be overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunity to worship through our work. How do I communicate this to my kids when I sigh at the state of my kitchen, or complain that the laundry is NEVER done? My "this house is a mess" comments really don't help them regard work as worship.

Back to the shingle. (I do get off on tangents, don't it? Is there a verb form for that? Tangentizing, maybe? Oops, I'm doing it again. Yes, I did that on purpose). When and if my shingle goes up, it's not my shingle. It's God's. It's those gifts and talents (yes, spelling is a gift) that God has given me to USE with HARD WORK for HIS GLORY. So, I leave you with the verse I used to have my students write on the front of their folders, "WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, AS THOUGH WORKING FOR GOD AND NOT MAN." Colossians 3:23

Things are not always what they seem. We own one of these large crockery jugs. Ryan and I bought it in our first years of marriage from an antique store, and we keep our change in it. (That was when we actually went to antique stores). In those first years, we didn't have any kids and the only thing in the jug was actual coinage. Today it is a different story.

Imagine yourself a four-year-old, imagine the tempting dark recesses of the antique jug. See how temptaion is located conveniently at eye-level. Imagine what wonderful sounds would emanate from its interior once you dropped something, anything, into its depths. You step closer. You notice the marble in your hand. Your hand moves before you realize it. You watch the small glass ball disappear and hear a satisfying thump as it lands somewere inside. Your mind turns. You begin to wonder, what else? What else? It beats out it's tempting mantra as you search for...oh look, another marble....

I emptied out the jug recently and I did find some change. I also found several other interesting items, including a butter knife from the kitchen, several ink pens, and surprise, a necklace from my grandmother I was certain I had lost. There were a few dominoes, two matchbox cars, and at least SIXTEEN, yes, SIXTEEN marbles. It was a little tough to get out the drumsticks from the toy drum... At this point, I became weary of hefting the jug. It is not a light object. Since I had some coinage out, I put the jug back. The next day, Ryan says to me, "You won't believe what I found when I emptied the change out of the jug."

I smile and briefly wonder what to say. I decide on "Do tell," raising my eyebrows in an interested manner.

"They put forks in there. Actual forks!" I smile as he adds to the list. He did find several interesting items, including hair barrettes, ink pens, and forks from the kitchen. There were candy wrappers, a few dollar bills (yeah!) and yes, even a pair of white panty-hose. Things are not always as they seem.

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I received a gift from our Children’s Church Co-ordinator at church for helping. They were tickets for something called the APOSTLES COMEDY TOUR. I thought it would be cheesy. We’d need a sitter, we have no extra money, negative, negative, blah, blah… Anyway, Ryan got a sitter (two sisters, actually. Thank you girls.) and last Saturday we went. I envisioned staying until intermission then sneaking out, especially when I saw the first guy was a juggler. But then I smiled, and then I laughed. You know what, laughing felt really good. They were actually quite funny. There were four comedians all together and we stayed for the entire thing, which went long as one guy shared his testimony, which Ryan declared as the best part of the night. We had a great night out which we needed more than we realized. Click here to see a short clip. Back arrow to return to blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGCMlArl6LE

Another successful mother’s day. Homemade cards and hugs from all four kids. I am so blessed to be a mom. God truly answered the cry of my heart and I am so grateful. So, in true mother’s day tradition, I did the same thing I did last year. I went to one of my very favorite restaurants all by myself. Yes, all by myself. Just me, and the newspaper and my own personal pot of coffee at a table for one at IHOP. Yes, IHOP. Yes, I did order the chocolate, chocolate chip pancakes, which were served hot and delicious. Yes, I did glance around at all those moms wiping syrup off their faces and their toddler’s faces, dealing with the crying baby or the teen who wouldn’t stop texting at the table. I felt sympathetic for the mom on two different “potty” runs with the same little girls, and the one whose son kept shooting people with his finger, “stop that!” But mostly, I was grateful to be alone, enjoying immensely my “table for one”, my coffee, my hot food, and my newspaper. A special thanks to my husband, whom I left at church with all four kids. I am a truly blessed mom in so many ways. Granted not everyone chooses to celebrate Mother's Day this way, but I was grateful for small bill and the time alone.

Marcus dripped milk from his cereal on his clothes this morning. “Huh,” the four year old observed, holding up another spoonful of Cheerios, “there must be a hole in the spoon.”

Sometimes we get so busy looking for the source of the problem that we don’t realize it was our own mistake that got us there in the first place. Sometimes I wish there was a “hole in my spoon”.
Instead, I need to admit my mistakes. My kids don’t make me raise my voice. “That was me. I did that. Sorry.” Teaching “sorry” to my kids is more than teaching “bummer,” it’s modeling repentance. “I’m sorry” means I am going to try my hardest not to let that happen again. So if I’m apologizing for yelling, the yelling needs to change. My kids don’t really “drive me crazy”, I made the decision to go there.

Is there a hole in your spoon today? Nope. Flip the spoon over and look at the back. Do you see your image? Your image is a likeness of your creator. You belong to God and if you have accepted Christ’s blood sacrifice for you, you are FORGIVEN, and you are not alone. God will be with you. I don’t change on my own, but it is Christ within me. Yep, I’m going to make mistakes, but I am going to be truly sorry and try my hardest not to let that happen again.

Make Yourself Available to be Used by God
http://www.findaverse.com/kjvbible/index.php?begin=0&keyword=Ephesians+5%3A25-30&search=Search&section=0&lexicon=str&p_display=trad

Have you heard this scripture teaching before?

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church, and gave himself up for her…”

Wow! Now that is a hefty responsibility for a husband. To love his wife so sacrificially that he is willing to die for her? Now that’s love, true love. If you continue reading this Galations passage, you discover that the scripture does not work in the reverse. “Wives, love your husbands as Christ loved…” It’s not in there… Really, it’s not in there. This leads to the conclusion that IF the husband can truly love his wife in this way, her natural response will be to truly love HIM in return. It’s pretty amazing how God designed men and women to go together.

However, this command to husbands does not dissolve our love responsibility IF our husbands are not exactly loving us this way.

In fact, the New Testament does provide some specific instructions about loving our husbands. In Titus, the Bible instructs the older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands. This was a new one to me. I mean I had read the passage, but it had never really hit me the way it did this week.

I pose this question, are you the younger woman or the older woman? Maybe, like me, you are both. I’ve been married 15 years. I have knowledge and experience to teach younger women about marriage but I also have loads to learn.

If you are a Christian woman, I challenge you to action. In order to fulfill this scripture, make sure you are available. Don’t be afraid to ask younger wives how it is going. Don’t be afraid to ask older women for help. Be sensitive to the Spirit. Make yourself available to be used by God. Granted, you don’t want to dump “101 tips for communicating with your husband” on someone who didn’t ask, but you want to be there for the younger women who says, "Hey, I’m really frustrated here. What can I do?" Make yourself available to be used by God.

Look at the older marriages you admire. Call someone in your church directory or send them a note. “I notice you and your husband seem to communicate well. From what you shared in Sunday School, you mentioned marriage is work. I wonder if you would be willing to share with me what you’ve learned.”

If you go to a wedding, make a note in next year’s calendar to send that one year anniversary card. Write your “how is it going?” question and include your phone number or email. Make yourself available to be used by God.

If you see an anniversary date for that couple in church who you admire, send a card. Write your “what makes a great marriage?” question and include your number or email. (You already know what I am going to write next.) Make yourself available to be used by God.

My mother called me. She said, “Did you hear what happened to your sister on Easter Sunday?” Sounds interesting, “What happened?” “Well-oh, I have another call. I’ll have to call you back.” Two days later, I still haven’t heard from my mother, but she’s my mother, she will eventually call me back, but I am curious….
Thursday, my sister calls me. “So, what happened to you on Easter?” She laughs, “Oh, that was interesting-well,-oh, I have another call. I’ll have to call you back.” Two days later, I am still curious, but she’s my sister. She’ll call back. . . .eventually…I am really not curious enough to invest in long distance to find out the answer, so I will have to wait….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I know everyone has seen this viral video (Susan Boyle), but I still think it speaks volumes about the judgmental nature of our society as a whole. It is a great reminder of this scripture, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 Everyone you see is created by God, created in his image, and everyone needs God’s grace in their lives. I pray that God may give us his eyes so we can see.

P.S. I am going to sing like this in heaven one day.

Timothy's AYSO Schedule

Timothy’s soccer schedule
Attention: Soccer Fans! Timothy would like to invite you to attend his soccer games if you are able. Bring a lawn chair. Tim’s fan club would also love to see you there. (Mom, Dad, Sarah, Marc, and Luc). His team is called "The Green All Stars".

Saturday, April 18 Port Sheldon Field 3 11:45
Saturday, April 25 Port Sheldon Field 3 9:15
Saturday, May 2 Port Sheldon Field 6 1:00
Saturday, May 9 Port Sheldon Field 3 10:30
Saturday, May 16 Port Sheldon Field 3 8:00
Saturday, May 25 Port Sheldon Field 3 1:00

Let us know if you need directions.

Five things four year old boys can do.
1. Break light bulbs from ten feet away!
2. Fling sand twenty feet
3. Remove all the sand from the sand box and deposit it in front of the steps (yes, on the
would-be grass) in less than 20 minutes.
4. Plastic seats on tricycles are not good. Packing tape is good.
5. Flood the bathroom by plugging the sink and leaving the water running. Mom, there’s a
FLOOD!!
6. Go through 3 pairs of pants, and wear a hole in the top of one tennis shoe all in the space of
three hours.
7. Speak very loudly very early on Easter morning, "Happy Easter! Mom, the stone was
rolled away! Happy Easter!"
8. Give great big hugs and say, “no, no, no, I love you MORE!” oops, that’s eight.

“My husband is unemployed.”
“We don’t have an income.”
“Our health insurance ends April 30.”

These are such strange statements to make. It’s been one week since Ryan drove to work and found himself without a job. One week of adjustment, unemployment paperwork, and meetings. These statements sound so final, so hopeless, so typical of “the economic downturn” we keep hearing about. So, I offer a few followup statements.

“God is in control.”
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.”

While I am not presently terrified or discouraged, it creates peace within me to know that I am not alone and that God’s ultimate purpose will prevail. If I tell you I am doing well under the circumstances, please ask me, “What are you doing under there?”
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of courage and a sound mind. Praise the Lord for that!



Cardboard Testimonies Broken Vessel Click on link to see video.

Yes. This says, “Mom, you are weird.” Those of you who know me and love me realize that this observation can’t possibly be true and…Wait a minute…why are you looking at me like that?

Homeschool Tip: Buy these magna-doodle things (or ask for them as gifts). My seven-year-old and five-year-old love to find notes from Mom. Then, they often write me back. (And they don’t always say I am weird….Sometimes they say "I love you") Sometimes I leave just the beginning of a verse Tim is working on or just the reference. Kids need to practice their letters, phonics, and spelling and this gives us a great way. I love it when they say, “Don’t look, Mom, I am writing you a secret message.” Then they ask, “How do you spell ‘weird’?” hee. Hee. We also use them in the car. Tim and Sarah write notes to each other or spell out notes to me.

Four year olds love to play pretend. On Sunday, Timothy and Sarah had fevers, so Ryan stayed home with them. Marc and Luc and I were on our own. As I buckled them in Daddy’s car, the adventure began.
“Where are our sunglasses?” Luc wants to know.
“In the van.”
“But we are in Dad’s car,” says Marc
Luc adds, “How can we be secret agents?”
“You’ll just have to pretend your regular glasses are sunglasses.”
“Hey Mom, you can be an agent too!”
“You have glasses too!”
“Okay, secret agents,” I start the car and we are on our way to church, “what’s our mission today?”
“We have to rescue people.” Luc states.
“Mom, do you see that dot way down the road?” Marc asks.
Not really, but I will oblige, “I see it. What is it?”
“That is a T-rex!”
“A T-rex?”
“Yes!” says Marc.
“He’s going to eat up the church,” reveals Luc.
“We’ve got to stop him!” says Marc.
“Oh, how do we do that?” I ask.
“Drive faster mom!” shouts Marc.
“We have to get between the T-rex and the church!” says Luc, using his hands to illustrate.
“Okay, hang on.” We keep driving.
“Mom, there’s someone behind us!” Luc says.
“Who is it?”
“It’s a George, and he’s an agent too!” (George is our family name for a “squirrel”)
“oh really?”
“yes, the car did not squish him flat.”
“He made it to the other side,” adds Marc.
“and now, he’s an agent too!” finished Luc.
“Mom! Mom! See that tower?” Marc points to one of those large towers where electrical wires run.
“I see it. Are you going to tie the t-rex to it?”
“Nope. I picked it up and put it on top of him and now he’s trapped.”
“He can’t get out,” says Luc.
“Whew! The church is saved.” says Marc.
At this point we are pulling into the parking lot. I park and get my agents unbuckled. Inside the door, I remind them that they are secret agents and agents always walk in church. “We will hang up coats and then you can go to your class. Mr. Pete and Ms. Deb can teach you all about how to be a secret agent who loves Jesus.”
“God loves us, Mom!”
“yes, that’s right.”
“even if we get angry.”
“even if you get angry”

At this point our pastor says Hi and bends down to talk to the boys at their level. I love it when grown ups do that.
“Hi Marc and Luc, how are you?”
“We saved church from the t-rex!”
“We are secret agents!” Lucas reveals with a sly smile.
“A t-rex?” asks Pastor Robert, feigning concern, “secret agents?”
“Don’t worry,” says Marc, putting his hand on the pastor’s arm, “he’s trapped in the tower!”
“We’re safe!” adds Luc, “ He won’t eat the church. Marc slammed the tower on him.”
“He won’t eat the people, either,” Marc shares.
“We’re secret agents,” Lucas reveals again, “but we don’t have sunglasses.”
“They are in the van!” says Marc.
“And George followed us!” says Luc. They both begin talking at once.
“He DID not get squished flat!”
“Mom drove fast!”
“You can’t run in church.” adds Luc.
“But God still loves you.”
“Even if you’re mad!”
“Time for class!” shouts Marc, spotting his teachers and heading down the hallway. Luc takes off too. So much for no running. I hurry off, saying something about imagination and follow my “agents” down the hallway. They have thankfully stopped running and are again regaling their tale of adventure to their Sunday School teachers. I arrive in time to hear,
“and he’s in the tower, so he won’t eat you, Mr. Pete.”
“you get to teach us to be good secret agents.”
“A real t-rex?” asks Ms. Deb.
The agents are thrilled by her interest, and tell their story again, adding more details, both talking at once, and so they head to class while mom sighs and thanks the Lord for people who love and teach my secret agents, oops, I mean little boys, how to love Jesus.

You think I have the organization gene? True, I have a list of meals in the cupboard. I have a tiny whiteboard with “meals for the week” stuck to the fridge, and I have a basic weekly schedule. Most laundry is Monday, most shopping is Wednesday. But for those of you list-lovers out there (you know who you are), you have got to check out www.donnayoung.org This lady has a yearly house cleaning schedule, yes yearly… She has cleaning light fixtures and washing baseboards. There’s a link on her website to Martha Stewart. It’s a little scary…But she’s got some good home school resources.

I also have it on good authority that www.flylady.com can help you to get organized also. Not so scary…

Sometimes a simple list is all I need. Like today:
Bible before breakfast
School Kids
Laundry
Clean Bathroom
Make Dinner

I can’t decide if it’s the list that helps or the actual physical process of checking off each item. Is there something that helps you stay organized? Feel free to comment or email me.
I heard of one mom who had the “accountability phone call” at 9pm each night. A friend would call and she would have to tell her if all was done or not.

Sister Mitts

Have you ever adopted any of those helpful hints from Heloise? It seems all my helpful hints have been adopted from the people around me.

I used to stuff these mitts in the same drawer as my dishtowels and dishcloths. However, since I only have three shallow drawers in the kitchen, I use the verb “stuff” quite literally. It’s actually more like fighting the mitts in and out every time I use them. It was during one of these such fights (the mitts were winning) that my dear sister intervened. “Why don’t you hang them?”
“What?” I asked without looking as I fought the mitts. I realized I couldn’t remember if I was trying to get them in or out of the drawer. “The mitts,” she replied, “I hang mine. It’s much easier.”

“Huh.” So with the help of a couple magnetic hooks, I now hang them, and she was right, it’s much easier. Don’t tell the mitts, but I think that means I won the fight.

Just add water

Can we raise Christians? Can we turn our kids out in molds like little faith-replicas of ourselves? Of course not. Have you noticed how parents of adults seem to take the credit for their child’s salvation and good choices? But if the kids made some “bad choices”, then… “he’s an adult and those were his choices to make”…Hmm…
If someone compliments your parenting, do you take the credit, or do you give it to whom it’s due? (Ouch)

Wow! Their kids turned out great. They must be great parents. Hmmm…always ask the why…what made them good parents…can good parents have kids that turn out bad? It’s not the parents that are the point. It’s the GOOD God they serve. I know that if I had not given my life to Jesus, my world-view and my parenting would be very different than it is. Am I a good parent? That’s not the point. I serve a GOOD God.

I don’t think I have ever met a true follower of Christ who could not point to a time or a moment in their life when they made the choice to give it all to Jesus. I have a couple of those times in my life, as a thirteen year old girl and again, at fifteen. Choices. I cannot manufacture those experiences for my child. God made my children; He knows them best; He knows what experiences are in store for them. He even knows, ultimately, what choice they will make.

So I can pray, prepare, but never presume they are “Christian” because I am. I will follow my Christ, and pray that those life-changing moments aren’t too painful for my children. I pray they will make the right choice when that moment arrives. I also recognize I may not be a part of that moment or even know about it until they are older. My parents raised me in a Christian home, made me go to church when I didn’t want to, but my moment was all my own. They didn’t even know about it until years later.

Still, I knew they loved me unconditionally. I knew they prayed for me. Ultimately, however, what mattered most was GOD’S love for me, his grace for me, his sacrifice on the cross, his plans for my surrendered life. So parents, be encouraged—pray, prepare, but never presume.

The Perfect Date (in three parts)

My husband is sooo good to me.
The first gift. Last evening, I had the wonderful privilege of meeting an artist as his own studio. This was very exciting to me. I love to look at great art. Paintings of intense, accurate color and depth where the artist has captured the impossible and now you, the viewer, get to see it. It’s like stopping a waterfall or actually holding fog in your hand.. Artists capture something. I loved looking at his work.

The lighting was so perfect. You can tell this is NOT his hobby, it’s his passion. That kind of experience is refreshing, and exhilarating. I think it’s why people like art museums. It’s like that tall, cold lemonade after mowing the lawn in July. It’s like that first shower after a week of camping. It’s like riding your bike for the first time in seven years. It’s like spring after winter…(oops, I’m getting carried away….sorry).
It’s a unique experience to look at a piece, comment and compliment it and have the artist say “Thank you.” It was great to hear him talk about his work. You could tell it was his heart, and his God-given passion.
Artist Details

The second gift
They live in a beautiful old school house. Yes, it’s one of those places you drive by and wonder what it’s like to live there. I actually got to go inside! (my mom is going to be envious of that one). They originally had a 30 foot ceiling in there. It still has the original chalkboards, flooring and walls. They have even had older persons stop by and ask to see inside, mentioning that they went to school there. Karen even said, “They always go right to their own spot and say, ‘this is where my desk was.’”. Her current goal is refitting the ceiling with pressed tin as it was originally. It was a real treat for me to be there. They homeschool their children so she has been able to teach her children in the same room where the children of Civil War soldiers learned their ABC’s.

The third gift (yes, I saved the best for last)
It was simply listening to this couple’s faith in the Lord. They told story after story of Jehovah-Jireh, God our provider. Randy shared how God broke his pride, gently prodding, “Will you let ME bless you?” Karen shared how they ate the last dinner in the cupboards and gathered the children together to pray for their next dinner, asking and believing God would provide. An hour and a half later, a family knocked on their door and brought in bag after bag of unasked-for food. They filled the couch and beyond with food. While Karen and Randy were in tears, the children took it right in stride. They prayed, God provided. A simple faith. Ryan and I also shared many of the ways God has taught us through the years, and it was a very encouraging, uplifting, and edifying evening.

So, thank-you, man I married, for my date. I adore you.

Things kids say

Sarah’s version of This is the Day ….. “I will be glad, and rejoice in HIM!”

Marc, after sneezing twice in a row, “Ohman, I really got the bless-yous!”

Lucas is watching me make pancakes, “Whatcha making?”
“Pancakes.”
“I don’t like pancakes,” he comments in a high squeaky voice.
“Oh, really? Why is that?” I have known this boy to down 4 pancakes in one meal.
“Cuz I’m a BBAAADDD princess!”

Marcus, after I put on his “cape”, “Mom, Mom, we are superheros!”
Lucas, also wearing a “cape,” “Yup, we’re Batman and John!”
“Oh really?” I know they have never seen Batman and I’m curious, “Batman and John?”
“Yeah, I’m John, and he’s Batman!”.
“What about Robin?”
“nonono, mom! I’m JOHN and he’s BATMAN!”

Tim, “Mom, could you explain maturity level?”

Five Things

Five things to love when you can't move without pain.
1. Good friends
2. Kids who bring you things
3. Muthle relacther (Muscle relaxer)
4. Personal massage therapist (yes, my Daddo)
5. TV that pauses, (and times how long it takes you to go downstairs and come back up)

Five things to never do.
1. Never throw out your back (you may need it again someday)
2. Never pick up the four year old
3. Never pick up two four year olds in a row, as in "Up into the van with Marcus, now Lucas, back down out of the van Lucas, now Marcus." Repeat at three stores in a row.
4. Never be afraid to ask for help
5. Never forget to pray for healing.