Postcards from the Past

As homeschool parents who seize every opportunity to teach, and view the world as our classroom, we have added some learning ideas around our home. We have a clear tablecloth on our table over a map of the United States. We also have the times tables, the planets, and very large write-n-wipe A, B, C, D, and E, but this story is about the map.

I love to hear people’s comments about the map, not about the map as a tablecloth, but their stories about the places they’ve visited or lived.

Someone left her purse behind while traveling through Texas. Someone lived in Arizona and fell in love for the first time as a young girl. Someone else traveled to northwest Iowa every summer of her childhood. Someone else traveled to Minnesota every summer of her childhood. Someone was born in Florida. Someone wants to visit California some day. Someone has been to Mexico, but not Canada. Someone took his senior trip to Washington, D.C. Someone has been to Toronto. Someone toured a missile silo out west. Someone saw the Grand Canyon. Someone’s been to Vegas.

Listening to these stories is a little bit like receiving postcards from the past, and I like it. I have printed up blank maps for my children. They can color the states they have been to or driven through. Tim’s map includes five states, including California while Sarah’s has Kentucky and Ohio, and Marc and Luc each have the same four states. What would your map look like? http://www.nationalatlas.gov/asp/popups.asp?imgFile=../printable/images/preview/outline/states(u).gif&imgw=588&imgh=450

Five Things (that I love to wear in winter) and a shrug

1. Soft jeans-nothing better than my well-worn blues, one stretch away from a hole in the knee.

2. Bathrobe – warm and fuzzy from neck to ankles, this is what I wrap up in for Bible Before Breakfast.

3. Supersocks – comfy, warm, and handknitted by Mom, they go over the regular socks and

keep the toes toasty.

4. Clogs- knitted, soft slippers with leather bottoms; they go over the super socks (we have COLD floors).

5. Make-up – this means I am either off to church, or friends are coming over.

6. (Yes, there’s six; I saved the best for last). The Shrug

What’s my shrug? Oh, my shrug is wonderful. My shrug is what I wear around the house when I’m cold (basically, all winter). My shrug is burgundy, white and black. It’s plaid, and flannel, and a little ripped. It’s quilted and it’s missing at least two buttons. It’s actually a shirt of Ryan’s (the man who is rarely cold and has no practical use for a quilted flannel shirt). So it’s mine. It’s been mine for about 14 years now. I LOVE my shrug. Some mornings I heat it up in the dryer before wearing it. The shrug is not allowed out in public, for obvious reasons, but at home, I wear the shrug, proudly, happily, and cozy warm, ahhh….

Weekly Wrap Up (or tri-weekly )

Actually accomplished some school EVERY single day this week. This does not always happen, for various reasons, including appointments, running errands, or visiting Grandma.

We start every day with Bible with all four kids. It takes 10 to 20 minutes. We sing a song or two (or three), we read a Bible story from The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth Taylor. It always has great comprehension questions. Songs included “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho” (thank you, Tammy, for this CD), “My God is so BIG!” and the ever popular “B-I-B-L-E! that’s the book for me.” Then we all pray and say the pledge to the Bible. Then Marc and Luc are free to go, and the older two say their Bible verses from memory. We are also starting to learn books of the OT. (Who Judges Ruth? Joshua, Judges, Ruth).

We use 2nd./3rd. grade Daily Grams from the Easy Grammar program (which I used to teach when I tutored). Each page ends with a sentence combining exercise. Ex: Mary wants a pet. I want a pet, too. = Mary and I want a pet. Sometimes we turn these into really fun verbal stories. Mary REALLY wants a turtle, but I’m holding out for a kitten. We ended up getting a gerbil and naming it “Kurtle”, although Dad wanted to call it “snakefood”.

Science happens Tuesday and Thursday. We started reports on body systems. We watched a DK video about the “human machine”. (While these videos tend to be evolutionistic, they do have great info, and the kids get to tell me how the narrator got it wrong.) We also used the book “My Body” by Rayston and Hewitt, which has simple experiements (like dropping a pencil between open fingers and seeing if you can grasp it or if it falls down), and easy to read pages, so my kids did their own research on this one. Tim is doing the brain, and Sarah is doing the heart.

This week was good. All four kids attend the local CRC church on Wednesday nights, where Tim is in Cadets (he got to use a sander this week and had that predictable power tool gleam in his eye.). Sarah is in GEMS, the girl program, and loves it. She has an orphan card, and we pray for Hope, an orphan girl from Zambia every night. M and L have YOkids (young ones) and they have a blast in there, playing toys, doing a craft and snack. They also have gym nights, and movie nights, and they met a firefighter and learned about fire safety this year.
Those are our highlights this week. We do reading, writing, and math every day also.

The Adventures of Crazy Mom (Fellow Crazy Moms pictured here also).

When we last left our heroine, she was babbling incoherently into a thrice-heated cup of coffee while locked in the bathroom. Small children knocked, then pounded, making some sort of vague demand about tying balloons, but Crazy mom was oblivious to all.

But that was last time. Today, Crazy Mom is up to all new incredible stunts. Thankfully, Crazy Mom loves, adores, worships, and serves Jesus. Contrary to some beliefs, this does not make for an easy perfect live but can actually make life more challenging! Thankfully, there are benes. (you know, benefits), like her stalwart belief in John 3:16 and that Philippians 4:13 credo. She only exists as Crazy Mom through this faith in Christ.

Today, Crazy Mom was able to resist yelling at the children (except when they tore the living room curtain down after being told to “calm down” at least twice. Crazy Mom realized anew how much she needs God’s grace and forgiveness. She apologized for yelling. They apologized for their sin. All ended well.)

Crazy Mom was also able to convince two four year olds that “yes, indeedy, they did know how to clean up and that insisting to the contrary was not only unproductive, uncooperative, unkind, but also untrue and wrong.” Crazy Mom did tend to go on a little long as the lecture finally ended along the lines of “obey right away, all the way, and with a good heart.” Crazy Mom did that deep sigh thing she does, breathing in with the whisper“less of me” and breathing out “more of Jesus.”

Crazy Mom found herself in need of God’s grace as the day continued. She punished one twin for the other twin’s error and didn’t follow up in the “no more TV today.” promise because she needed a shower and TV keeps the troops stationary. She flatly refused to read a book because she was “making dinner” and yelled at the older two for goofing off while they were supposedly doing the dishes, “we are only making it fun, Mom!” Deep sigh thing again.
As the day ended and Crazy Mom felt the despair of her mistakes creeping in on her, she again turned to that Bible she loves and believed that God’s grace is sufficient and God will provide a way.

She tucked the precious hoodlums in, read them stories, kissed and hugged them, and prayed with them, genuinely thanking God for the responsibility and awesome privilege of being called Mom.

Maybe “Mom” to some, but to others who know her well, she is known as “Crazy Mom”. Tune in next time as Crazy Mom attempts library day, and the birthday party for two.

God, in His infinite wisdom, gave children only two commandments:
1. Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12a) ATTITUDE
2. Obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1) ACTIONS
Matthew 18 points out that we are all children of God. So these children’s commandments apply to us as well. Our children will see us honor and obey God in our lives, especially if we share how we are honoring and obeying God. They need to hear and see our actions. We are not perfect parents, but we need to be an arrow pointing them to God.

I think sometimes we spend so much time trying to be "perfect parents" instead of being real parents. Do I share all my struggles with my eight-year-old son? Certainly not. But I do want him to see me go to God for forgiveness when I make mistakes. I do want to share why we all, even parents, need God's grace in our lives.

A good deed does not go unnoticed, but it should.
A good deed always has strings attached, but it shouldn’t.
A good deed should never expect return, yet it does.

Few among us have mastered the art of true generosity. To give and hold nothing back. To give and expect nothing in return. Fewer still can recognize it. We look for and create the ulterior motive. Is no one truly magnanimous? Society no longer even recognizes the word, and yet, every now and again, we see it.

There are soldiers still sacrificing their lives for others. (Did you know that the “red” in the American flag represents the blood shed for our freedom?) There are mothers who feed and care for the severely handicapped until they are no longer able. There are those who foster the angry teenage orphan without expecting anything in return.
Not me, God, thankfully not me. Why not you? Are you willing? Why not die to yourself-your desires-and pursue God, yes, pursue God and see what happens…..who will you love in His name?

Choices-Choose this day whom you will serve

The proverbial “Spiritual Buffet” has many offerings but it is based on the faulty premise that man is basically good. And if man is basically good, what need is there for a savior? If you walk down the spiritual buffet, picking the parts you like, (Kindness is a fruit of the spirit), and rejecting the things you don’t (homosexuality is a sin), you have just invented your own spirituality. It’s one where you feel loved and comfortable, and yet, it seems to be missing something.

Look carefully at the small table there at the end of the buffet. Do you see it? Yes, the one with the red tablecloth. No, it’s not empty. Walk further down. There, the simple carpenter’s wooden cup, and the small sign. Can you read it without tears? It states, “Can you drink the cup I will drink?”

The Heart of Hannah

You know the Biblical story of Hannah, don’t you? She was heartbroken because she couldn’t have children. The other wife with the kids tormented her. The well-meaning husband asked, “Aren’t I better than ten sons?” Year after year it went. The passage does not say how many years, and I have pondered on this many times. Perhaps we just need to know it was year after year. Until the year they were again at Shiloh for the annual sacrifice, and again, Hannah was so sad in her heart, she couldn’t even eat. (See I Samuel 1).

This time, however, she stood up and went to the temple. She had business with God. I do not think this was the first time Hannah pleaded with the Lord for a child, but I do think this time was different. Hannah had a change of heart. She no longer wanted this child for herself, or for her husband, Elkanah, or even to spite her tormenter, Penninah. She wanted this child for God. So she could give him back to temple service. She didn’t bargain; she didn’t ask for any more children to be hers. It was a simple ‘if, then’ request. ‘If you give me a child, then I will give him to you.’ She recognized that God was in ultimate control and it was up to Him.

At first, the priest did not understand the distraught woman in his temple. He assumed she had been drinking, but when he realized the sincerity of her heart, he told her to go in peace.
The last part of this passage amazes me. It says, when she went away, she no longer had a sad face. God hadn’t promised her anything, she wasn’t suddenly pregnant, she had no idea about her future, but she no longer had a sad face. Why? She had surrendered it to God, completely, and now she could carry peace.

I spent many years studying this passage, trying to figure out Hannah’s formula for conception, wondering why God had closed her womb, as the passage states. I finally had to set aside all my own questions, and trust God completely, whether my future included children or not. I am still learning to trust Him, each and every day. There are many things I have had to surrender in order to “go in peace,” and peace is so much better than a sad face.
Go in peace.

Happy New Year 2010 Miscellaneous things kids say and yodeling.

Today is actually the last day of 2009. It's also the first day of the rest of your life. (By the way, so was yesterday, I just forgot to remind you.)
We have had a great vacation thus far. I asked Tim yesterday if he was enjoying his "vacation" from school. "Oh good," he responded, "we are on vacation. I was afraid if I asked, you would say, "time for school!' ".
I found Lucas in front of the register in the bathroom, soaking up the heat. "My toes are comfy-cozy," he said, "but my back got all melty."
Tim was explaining about ninjas to Sarah, "They can cut through cement with their bare hands!"
Marcus was listening intently, "Where do they get those bear hands, Tim?"
Tim built an elaborate carriage from blocks and was explaining the people and their jobs. "The queen is inside; these are the horses."
"What about that guy on the top?"
"Oh, he's the Heiar."
"The Heiar?"
"Yeah, he says, 'Hei!' to the horses to make them go."

I recently found one of my favorite songs on You-Tube. Yep, it's that yodeling one from the disco saints. "I like to yodel with my friend, Jesus." I am so grateful to be saved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rEod75JTCw

Weekly Wrap Up
Let's see, Lucas had dental surgery Wednesday morning, I contracted a terridl code in my node on Tursday. Aaa-aaa-chooo, and yet, school still happened.. Most days anyway.

Highlights: SCIENCE (Tuesdays and Thursdays) We are learning about invertebrates. Can you name the 8 classifications of invertebrates? We can't yet either, but we are working at it. We learned about regenerating flatworms, jelly fish that weigh 60 pounds, earthworm predators, and I got to share the starfish story again. (You know, the "it made a difference to that one:" one.)

MATH: We also played math games. All you need is a deck of cards for math for young ages. You can play everything from war to base 10 games, and do counting and add and subtract. Base 10 games are where 2 cards have to add up to ten. like a 6 and a 4. We play base ten go-fish, and base ten matching. You can do sorting and matching and even the classic "cards in a hat", where you sit against the wall and take turns chucking the cards toward the hat to see if you can get them in. Actually, this is how I got Tim to start flashcards. If he got it right, he got to throw it. My older two now know older games, like rummy, which develops their strategy thinking. Let me just say, they have beaten me several times. I like TLSbooks.com to find math sheets. Free printable worksheets for preschool through fifth grade

Reading and History: We are working through our McGuffey Readers with 3 spelling words a day, and Tim and I are doing American History. It mentions the presidents and whenever a year is listed, Tim asks me if I was born yet. No, not 1814, no, not 1870....you get the idea. Last weekend he and I watched part of "The Presidents" series on the History Channel and they talked about part of the history we had learned. He also wants to know what dollar bill will have Obama's picture on it.

BIGGEST STRESS: It is tough to school Tim and Sarah and Marc and Luc. I know I did more with Tim and Sarah when they were Marc and Luc's age. I just seem to run out of day. During Wednesday's dance class for Sarah, I have a planned activity, book, and game with M and L so they get that once a week, but it's not once a day like it was with Tim and Sarah. T and S did school every day during Marc and Luc's naptime. I'm gonna rethink the schedule after Christmas, I think.

No field trips this week. We didn't even make it to the library. (yikes!)

http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/HomeschoolYourBoyscom_News-august.html
This article confirms the journey I have been on in homeschooling my eight-year-old son and my four-year-old twin boys.
I am such a girl. Not only do I think and learn like a "girl", I grew up with sisters and girl cousins. The only boys I knew were at public school or church and they were just awful.Now I have three little boys I adore and I am still learning! Sometimes through trial and error, sometimes through prayer, and sometimes from little tidbits like this article, so I thought I would share.Here's the article:

Boys require a very different educational environment and teaching approach if we are going to help them reach their full potential.
In This Issue:
1. Boys SEE Differently

2. Boys HEAR Differently

3. Boys THINK Differently

4. Boys SEE THEMSELVES Differently

1 - Boys SEE Differently
Males have more rods in their eyes versus cones. Rods help us to see distance and speed. Females have more cones than rods. Cones help us to see color and shape. Because of this difference, boys tend to draw verbs with little color variation in their pictures while girls tend to draw nouns with lots of different colors.
When asked to draw a picture, Sally will draw a house with people and flowers and lots of pretty colors. Steve will draw a tornado which is knocking down a house - and his picture will look like a large black swirl.
Implications for teaching boys
Do not ask boys to draw something recognizable or to draw something with lots of colors. When we find fault in this way, boys begin to think that art is for girls and not for boys. Allow them to draw verbs and to do it in a way that is fast and furious. Don't hold eye contact with a boy unless you're disciplining him.

2 - Boys HEAR Differently
Baby girls can hear ten times better than boys, and this difference gets even worse as they get older. Boys can only hear every 3rd word or so of soft-spoken teachers. When boys can't hear what their teacher is saying, they tend to drift off - getting some boys the incorrect diagnosis of ADHD.
Boys also tend to make little noises wiggling and tapping pencils which are irritating to girls - but they don't even realize they are making them.
Implications for teaching boys
Speak more loudly than you normally would and be very expressive. Use lots of voice fluctuation and hand motions to engage boys. While working with your son, sit down next to him, spread the materials out and look at them shoulder to shoulder.

3 - Boys THINK Differently
We don't know all of the differences in how boys and girls think but we now know that their brains are arranged differently. We've all heard that we use the left side of our brain for verbal activities and the right side for art. Actually, we now know that this is only true in males.
Males who have a stroke on the left side of their brain lose 80% of their verbal ability. The verbal ability in females who have a stroke on the left side of their brain is much less impacted, proving that their verbal ability is spread across both sides of their brain.
There are many other differences in how male and female brains are arranged. For more details, see Dr. Sax's books.

Implications for teaching boys
Book learning is essential; but, without practical, hands-on experience, boys will hard a hard time grasping concepts that seem simple to us. They will disengage from their lessons. Boys need real world experiences in their education which engage all of their senses. Boys also need plenty of time outdoors. Boys have a hard time processing their emotions. Don't ask boys "How would you FEEL if..." questions. Ask them "What would you DO if..." questions. Boys like to have at least some control over their environments. Put each day's schoolwork into a folder and let them decide the order in which they will complete it. When studying literature, try these tips: Have boys draw maps based on clues in the book. Assign articles from the daily newspaper. Have them read books with strong male characters doing unpredictable things (i.e., C.S. Lewis, Hemingway, Dostoyevsky, Twain, etc.)

4 - Boys SEE THEMSELVES differently
Girls tend to underestimate their own abilities. Boys tend to overestimate their own abilities. Boys also enjoy taking risks much more than do girls. The more a boy takes risks the more favorably they are seen by their peers.
Danger itself gives boys a pleasant feeling of exhilaration as opposed to the fearful feelings it causes in girls. Moderate stress also helps boys to perform better as adrenaline causes more blood to flow to their brain. Stress has the opposite effect on girls.

Implications for teaching boys
Boys respond well to a challenge if there are winners and losers. A competitive team format works better than individual competitions for boys because they don't want to let their teammates down. Participating in single-sex activities such as boy scouts or team sports are very good for your sons. If your son seems to crave danger, take these necessary steps: Give them lessons with a professional (i.e., skiing) to help them to more accurately evaluate their own abilities. Supervise your child. Their risk is lower if they aren't allowed to be alone with groups of peers because they will be less likely to try to "show off" for their friends if an adult is present. Assert your authority - don't argue with your son. Don't negotiate. Just do what you have to do (i.e., lock up their bike).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the way, the optimum tempature for learning for boys is 69 degrees, while it is 74 degrees for girls. If you set the temperature so that it is comfortable for you, you may find your sons falls asleep or their minds wandering instead of focusing on their lessons.
If you have the opportunity to set up a single-sex learning environment for your children that works well. Try using different methods to teach your sons as opposed to the ones you use to teach your girls and you will be amazed at how your sons respond to your efforts!
Armed with this knowledge, we can set up more ideal learning environments where we can engage our sons and help them to reach their full potential.

2009 Christmas Letter

Psst...hey, yeah you...it's me. I'm the house of the Westphals and let me tell you, if walls could talk...these people are some interesting folks. Seriously, they have these four little kids that are always saying the weirdest things. The four year olds pretended to be birds this morning and then got in an argument as to whether a "seagull" or an "eagle" was after them. The six year old girl colors all the time, and the eight year old boy is definately in charge. When all four dance around the house, my very walls shake.
They aren't your average family and some interesting stuff happened to them this year. The Dad started school at in January at some Christian university named Cornerstone where he goes to class one night a week. He hasn't been around much; that is, except for April and May, as he lost his job. It was a bit of a surprise for him but he's one of those who relies on God and the whole family started doing that praying thing they do. Sure enough, by May, he had a job. Not as much money as the first one, but it's an opportunity, right? Thankfully, they didn't miss any payments on me.
The mom is busy, but seems happy. She reads to these kids all the time, and does "school" at home almost every day, even in the summer. Don't get me wrong, they went to the beach and the parks alot too. Their van was always pulling in and out of the driveway, and they were as loud as ever. Singing and talking, and arguing too. But I do like having the kids around all the time. I think I like to hear them read as much as their mom does.
I think the mom is hard of seeing. (you know, like hard of hearing?). She never drives at night, and she always has lights on, really bright ones. It makes for a cheery house and I like it.
The little girl took up dancing this year, and it just tickles me when she tap dances on the floors, but her smile is huge and she loves to dance. All of the boys have soccer balls on the back porch and kick them all over the yard.
You know, I may not be a very large house, and although my siding isn't new, I'm pretty happy here being home for this family with all their fun goings on and their reliance on God for everything. Yep, I hope they stay here a long time, and I hope they have a merry Christmas. You have a merry Christmas too, and believe me, if you got this letter, I know that they love and appreciate you too.

Weekly Wrap Up of our Homeschooling Week

(This is a new feature to my blog I borrowed from a friend, I hope I can keep it up. It will be under the Weekly Wrap Up Label)

A blizzard blew in this week, and public school was closed, but not the Westphal Academy. We actually moved school upstairs this week to a card table in Sarah's room. (Her dresser is now in the boys' room.) Our downstairs gets really chilly in the winter so this gives us a new environment for a season.
My base curriculum since starting schooling is Accelerated Achievement. It's based on grade level and goes K-12. It has lots of literature, and as you homeschoolers know, curriculum is only a suggestion. I can add and subtract what I want to meet the needs of my family. I really enjoy the phonics program and so far, all of my children have enjoyed learning to read by using this method. There are cards to print and games to play. I just started it with Marc and Luc. I had forgotten how fun and easy it really is.

Each day this week, Tim and Sarah did their reading lesson, including a McGuffey reader lesson, and vocabulary words to learn and spell. There is quite a literature list (which I love) and we are currently reading Alice in Wonderland (this is on CD in the car). We also read Heidi, Charlotte's Web and Little House on the Prairie this fall. So, the weather outside is frightful, but inside it's so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let us learn, let us learn, let us learn!
Tuesdays and Thursdays are Science days and we are currently learning about Invertebrates. My power point is currently not working and the kids miss doing their reports that way. We are actually writing things down. Not much fun.

On Saturday we had a movie day. We read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," earlier this year (on CD in the van) so we watched the movie. We all enjoyed it.

More things kids say

1. Tim recently picked out some stickers as a prize for some schoolwork he completed. As I looked up from our work, I saw bits of stickers all over his face. He was grinning from ear to ear, "look mom, I've got the sticker pox."
2. At mealtimes we share the worst and best parts of our day. Marcus asked Sarah what the worst part of her day was. She responded, "when I cried at the dentist." Marc's genuine response was, "How do you know?" This made everyone laugh.
3. In church on Sunday, Lucas asked me, "why do we sing, Mama?" "Oh," I whispered back during the song, "we sing because Jesus is in our hearts and we are so happy and thankful about it." "And mama," he whispered back, "we live in Jesus' heart, too. That's why we sing."

What's the deal with your ornaments?

A friend asked me this the first year Ryan and I put up a Christmas tree as a married couple. We had trekked out and picked out our first real tree. We put it up in our apartment, all green and bushy and larger than it looked on the lot, and wondered about ornaments. Well, we had one little box from my dear Aunt Bonnie. I think she had included it with our wedding present. It had about 9 blue and green shiny glass bulbs. So we hung those. It still looked big and green and bushy and mostly empty. I considered my friends question,"What's the deal with our ornaments?"

Hence, the first Westphal Christmas tradition was established. We decided that we would not buy ornaments for our tree. No, not just because we were newlyweds with little extra money, but because we truly wanted all our ornaments to be gifts. We wanted each one to be special. Although we didn't start soliciting ornaments from our family and friends, they had been to our house. They had seen the tree and they wanted to know, what's the deal with your ornaments?

That first Christmas we also put our Christmas cards in the tree, along with Aunt Bonnie's bulbs, and we liked it. That year, when husband hauled the tree out, a small bird's nest fell out, and we kept it. I like to think of it as our ornament from God. As the years passed, we received more and more ornaments. My mom put them on our Christmas gifts with the tag. My mother-in-law would give out ornaments to her family every Thanksgiving. Finally, the year came when I picked up an ornament and couldn't remember who had given it to us. That was the year we started labeling them. I put little tags on each one, including the year and the giver's name, sometimes a description. There was "Handmade Bell from Dave and Annette, 1996", and "Christmas Tea 1997 with Sandie". Each of our beloved ornaments had these cute little tags. Interested guests would want to know, "What's the deal with your ornaments?"

Then we would get to share our little story, our first tradition, and they would start to peer at the tags and ask questions. "Yes, that ornament was made by some missionary friend in Papua, New Guinea." "Yes, that's another one from the Dosenberries." "Yes, we received that when we were Children's Church leaders." "A student made me that snowman when I was tutoring at the Homeschool Building." "Yes, my mother-in-law loves snowmen, aren't they cute?" Now, my children ask me, "Mom, what's the deal with ALL these ornaments?"

They are gifts of love, I tell them. Each one has a story. I love to sit and look at the tree and think of all the wonderful people God has placed in our life, and how He has cared for us through the years. "Baby's first Christmas 2001 from the Bible Study girls" catches my eye. "Walnut Phillips 2000 made by Kristin" "Tim's first ornament made with Ellen 2003" "from your Dad 2009" Every now and then, I can still find one of those original blue bulbs, and smile, thinking back to how it all began, "What's the deal with your ornaments?".

Black Friday

You know how much I love shopping? NOT. So what spectacular deal could possibly entice me out to the mall on Black Friday?

Breakfast with Dad. Yep. My wonderful Dad, all to myself, albeit in a myriad of shoppers, albeit under the guise of his Christmas shopping for Mom, but yes, time without anyone but my Daddy.

Black Friday does bring interesting things to light. As you know (or you may not--you blog surfers know who you are), my dad is blind and carries the white cane. This does allow the crowds to part like the Red Sea for Moses, and the clerks are much more helpful. I can also say that I did not touch shoulders with anyone (except Dad) all day. And, who can say that while shopping on Black Friday?

But still, one of the most interesting things I noticed was while Dad and I waited in line. I saw a man who seemed out of place in the department store with his ball cap and Carhart jacket. Sure enought, I spied a tape measure at his waist. He held a nice pair of ladies pants up and looked them over front and back. Then he laid them on a display and pulled out his tape measure. He measured the waist, nodded and then flipped the pants over and measured the other side! He smiled approvingly, zipped his tape measure shut and returned it to his belt without looking. He waltzed off with an air of satisfaction about him. I thought to myself, "sizes, schmizes, all ya need is a good tape measure!" I also thought, what a guy! completely out of his element, and finding a present for someone he loves, isn't that sweet?

When I shared this story with my grandma, her reaction was completely different than my thoughts. She said, "Well, I sure hope he measured the inseam!"

Have you ever seen that classic movie "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell? She's a rich debutante who treats the sweaty carpenter terribly, but then she falls off her boat, loses her memory and the carpenter picks her up and claims her as his wife. He lives in a disaster zone with four boys, and she is so lost, it's hilarious. There's a scene where she is attempting to cook a chicken in a pot on the stove and half the body and toes are sticking out of the pot. She keeps rearranging the feet and mumbling, "I feel as if I've never done this before in my life."


Today, I am roasting my first turkey. I've read lots of articles, and been properly intimidated by Lynn Casberger's splendid table and the GOOD EATS scientist guy, so I think I'm ready to unwrap the package in the fridge. I don't relish the idea of touching raw meat. I read about how to rinse and even rub the turkey to clean off any bacteria. Ugh...I need gloves. I read about giblets (disgusting) and found the meat thermometer so this is it. Gulp. That scene from the movie keeps floating through my mind. "I feel as if I've never done this before in my life."

Things Kids Say

Things kids say

Marcus the Pirate, "Mom, Mom! Can you draw me the Jolly Robert?"
"You mean the Jolly Roger." "Yes! Draw it! Please!"

Lucas accidentally scratched Marcus while they were getting into their PJs, "Ow! He NAILED me."

I told Lucas it was time to put the game on the shelf. "Can you do it, Mom?"
"No, you are a Westphal, and you are going to be helpful."
"I don't want to be a Westphal," he said as he sadly walked away with the game, "I want to be an INDIAN."

Finding a Solution

I love it that I am teaching my kids to "find a solution" to their troubles.

I like it that they are becoming self-starters. They can formulate and implement ideas with an end goal in mind. They learn to think about their questions and investigate the answers. These things are important to a child's education.

As a parent, I love to watch this process develop. Usually.....

This morning I heard a crash from the bathroom, I heard, "uh, mom..." from my eight year old son. Then I heard water. I am very grateful for the water shut off valve to the toilet. This stopped the water from pouring onto the bathroom floor. While we used four bath towels to mop up the mess, I got the rest of the story.

"For some strange reason, mom, the toilet would not flush. So I decided to see what the problem was. But the lid was very heavy, and it fell into the back of the toilet and now there's a big hole, and all the water fell out."

Yes, this is our only toilet. Thankfully, I have a very intelligent father-in-law with loads of life experience. My husband explained to me that the toilet works on a siphon and if I simply dump a large bucket of water from the tub into the toilet, it will flush. My skeptical mind imagined a disaster, but I had a dancing beep boy next to me and an encouraging husband on the phone, and lo and behold, it worked. Yeah!

Five Things (in the cupboard) Five Things is my weekly (supposedly) interesting (supposedly) tidbit that sparks five things in your life that you are thankful for today.

1. Chocolate chips (need you ask?)
2. Coffee (see number 1)
3. A CPR chart for infants (hmm..twins are four..maybe I should take that down now..)
4. Cream of Tartar (you need this to make play-doh)
5. The calendar (a must-have, at least I feel organized)

Thirty Dollar Trip to the Children's Museum

Thirty? Isn’t that a little hefty? It is when you have a membership and you were expecting to pay nil. Last Christmas, we got some money from Grandma. So we bought a membership at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Grand Rapids Children's Museum - A place where learning is ...

Not that expensive, really, and a fun place for all. Today, we finished school and off we drove, over the river, and through the city to the Children’s museum we go… A fun time was had by all. They all dressed like firefighters. Mark also dressed as a horse, a farmer, and a beekeeper, but I digress…

The tough part about the children’s museum, as with most things downtown, is the parking. We parked at a meter. It’s two hour parking. So it was either feed the meter or head for home. We headed for home, but by the time we said goodbye to all our favorites, returned the firefighter jackets and hats to the right place, picked up craft projects and went potty, we’d lost about 20 minutes. Sure enough, I had a bright chartreuse envelope stuck under the wiper.

It screamed the words Parking Ticket in all caps, in a font of 72. So, I opened it. Do you know how much a parking ticket is? I’m thinking maybe 8.00. Noooo…the city is bitter about how those college kids keep ripping up their tickets. It’s 20.00! Yes, twenty! I almost ripped it up in protest. ( You all know that’s not me.)

It’s payable to the county clerk treasury. So I called the treasury to get directions to the building, (after all, we’re already downtown and in ten days, the amount due will DOUBLE!) We promptly got lost, turned the wrong way on a one way street, turned around and called again. No, the number is not on the building, you have to go into the parking tunnel. Is there a sign? I think so. What does it say? I don’t remember, just turn into the tunnel. The tunnel? You can’t miss it.

We crossed the river (twice), Oh look, kids, the river! We missed the tunnel and turned around. Showed our bright chartreuse folder to the parking attendant. She smiled and nodded. We were in the right place, sort of. There were about six exits from the parking area, and none said “treasurer”. We asked the attendant. She still smiled a little as she pointed us toward the green double doors, can’t miss those.

Two information booths later, and two elevators (yes, two), we arrived to pay our ticket. Mark got his shirt all wet at the drinking fountain. Do you know what my kids do when they get wet? Yes, Marc lifted his shirt and was bare-chested for all to see. Put your shirt down. I can’t! IT’s WET!

Paid for the ticket. $20.00 please. Found our way out. Could not find the ticket for the parking tunnel. Talked to the attendant. She did not smile. $10.00 is the lost ticket fee. Ten! We’ll look for it. Hmm.. Back inside the green double doors we went, both elevators, asked at information to see if we left it there, asked at the pay ticket counter. Nope. Officially out of luck.

Parking attendant asked if we found it. Nope..no one was smiling now. Put my $10.00 in the machine, (at least it’s not $20.00) Left the parking tunnel.

Now, how do we get to our highway? It was actually above us. There must be a way. We crossed under our highway twice….I wonder how we get up there…we crossed over a historic bridge. Oh, look, kids, the river…(again). Finally found an entrance ramp. There was a yield sign at the end. (somebody let me in....)

Ok, we are on the highway. It’s 5:00 traffic, and look, construction ahead. The sun was sinking low on the horizon and we were headed, yep, you guessed it, west.

Four tired kids and one tired Mama made it home before dark (Praise the Lord! I can’t drive in the dark) and in time to make a quick noodle supper.

Five Things

Five Things on my “To Do” List
1. Pick up Ryan’s pants.
2. Bathe the kids.
3. Get wedding card and birthday card
4. Make cookies
5. Check Email

Five Things on the “I Did Today” List
1. Cleaned a spider out of a spy scope (Hot water works best).
2. Made a high chair from waffle blocks (It takes 9 blocks).
3. Sang like a pirate.
4. Shared the Thanksgiving Day story of when I sat in the blueberry pie (twice).
5. Found out “crayons aren’t born, Mom. They are made in factories.”

Thinking

“Mom, is God bigger than heaven?” My eight-year-old asked me this question. “That’s a very interesting question,” I replied (which is my standard I-don’t-have-an-answer-response,) “what do you think, Tim?” (That’s my deflection tactic).

“Well, you said when you’re in heaven, you’ll be praising Jesus so you won’t even miss me. Then when I get there, I’llI tap you on the shoulder. Then you’ll point at Jesus, and we’ll both praise Him. If you can point at Jesus, then you are in the same room or area or whatever it is. So if Jesus and you are both in heaven, then heaven’s bigger. But Jesus is God and he’s in our hearts too, so maybe God’s bigger. What do you think Mom?”

This got me to thinking, “ When we are on earth, Jesus lives in our hearts, but when we are in heaven, we are with God. Heaven is God’s presence. In heaven, it’s like we are living in the heart of God, so I suppose that if heaven is the heart of God, then God truly is bigger than heaven.”
What do you think?

I am Like a Pumpkin
God picked me like a pumpkin
and brushed off all the dirt.
He carried me and washed me
while He listened to my hurt.

He scooped from me the yucky things
Like greed, and sin, and hate.
He carved in me a new life
and a new look on my face.

But that is not the end of it,
God’s love is great to me.
He put His light right inside
for all the world to see.

Tim found my senior college yearbook today and asked me to show him the pages where I was pictured. Then he would look for me and make a guess as to which young college student was his mom. He mostly got it right. But then he asked, “Mom, do you have any more of these old-fashioned books?” Old-fashioned???