The Daredevil

After having two girls who had to have every boo boo kissed, every fall acknowledged, and weaned their way slowly into any new situation; it is so strange to me to have a boy who has absolutely no fear. I thought that growing up with two older sisters, he would model some of their behavior and play dolls and house (he does play house) and need me to kiss all scrapes and cuts. But, this is not the case. He carried around and slept with a football from 1 year old until maybe 3 years. He will dig to the very bottom of the toy chest to find the one truck, train, or ball among the many dolls and "girly" toys. It always brings a smile to my face to see how different he is and how he has no fear and is "all boy". God is so good and he brought me this indescribable blessing for a very good reason.

Growing up and making some terrible choices in life, I had a bad attitude toward men. I had a "women are smarter and don't need men" attitude for a long time. I could not ever imagine loving any man (other than my dad and brother) like I was supposed to. I'm truly sorry to all you ladies that I influenced negatively. Even my precious beautiful husband suffered from this attitude early in our marriage.

But, when God blessed me with a son, this hard exterior shattered into a million pieces and I realized what a wonderful, blessed, special, beautiful, amazing gift men can be. I have learned through the love I have for my son how to love my husband and appreciate the gift God gave me in him. I share this for all those other "man haters" out there. Learn to look at your husbands through God's eyes and you will see the unique blessings that God has allowed us the privilege to participate in. They do not have to live up to all the "world's" standards of bringing flowers, kissing you at every opportunity, and knowing exactly what to say in every situation. So, please don't compare them to any other husbands you know--this will only lead to arguments. They just have to be what God called them to be and that will also be exactly what you need them to be.

So, ladies, give your man a big hug and kiss today and tell them how much you appreciate all they are to you.

Question of the day: Do you love your family the way God has commanded us to love? 1 Corinthians 13:4 is the definition of true love.

I don't know who that child is!

Socialization is a "big" word in the homeschool circle. We have not even entered our "official" home school year and I am already concerned ( to a very small extent) about it. I am not concerned that my children will not be socialized--this is an absolute impossibility in our lives. But, I am concerned about the way my children behave around those people who are watching with a very close eye to see "when" and not "if" my children mess up.
I know, I know--blow it off--don't worry about what other people think, they are not raising your kids--you only need to worry about answering to God for the way you raise your kids. I know!
So, why is it that your kids can be behaving like little angels until you take them to someone else's house? My oldest daughter, who has been the greatest helper I could ever ask for, has made me so proud all weekend. She has a very discerning heart and just seems to know when and where to help out (when it comes to her siblings, not so much with the cleaning). I am always catching her helping her brother put his shoes on, helping him retrieve a lost toy, or comforting him when he is upset. She will ask me if I think she will be a good mom--without a doubt, honey! Even with her sister, she is very helpful, although there is a little more sibling rivalry and hormones among the two--you know what I mean.
So, it came as a big shock to me today to see her run to the house and pout because her friends were playing soccer with her brother and not her. "Why don't you just play with them? " "Because!"
Does this seem Christian like to you?
Next, my youngest daughter, the "spirited" one, who was fine all morning with the kindest, sweetest, heart and being overly nice, suddenly became this ball of whiney, foot stomping, irritable monster when she was with her friends. "Young lady, that behavior is not appropriate. Where is your heart? Are you being kind?" "No, and I don't want to be."
My son, who is doing his best to be a little gentleman and practice his manner, has always been a little loud. Okay, he is a lot loud. He gets it honest. He kept coming into the kitchen and with the loudest screamy voice he can muster saying, "Excuse me, Excuse me, Excuse me, can I play with this. Can I play with that?" Bless his heart, I just love the fact that he is trying so hard and I just want to kiss him up, but he was screaming at the mom's, so it took everything I had to reprimand him.
Who are these kids? Will we ever be invited back to any one's house? Oh, the perils of parenting. Don't you wish other parents could look through your eyes at moments like this and see the precious beauty that your children usually are? Maybe this is how God feels when he looks down and sees us behaving badly.
Question of the day: Do you behave in a way that is pleasing to God when you are around your friends?

Evangalist or Pharisee?

You know how as you lay your head down to sleep, all the day's events will play over in your head and you will ask God how can you do better tomorrow?
Well, tonight as I tried to go to sleep, I could not help but think of an event that I failed to see the significance of at the time. I write this post in tears at the fact that I have been so selfish and self-centered. I have been a Pharisee today.
Our day started with a lesson out of the gospel of John, where Jesus heals the lame man at the pool and the Pharisees' ridicule him for carrying his mat on the sabbath. They are so caught up in the law, that they fail to see the beautiful miracle that they are a witness too. We talked about how we can apply that to our lives today. We prayed and felt good about the start to our day.
My 6 year old daughter was very whiney all morning, all afternoon, and all evening. Other than the beautiful kitchen cleaning, we had one of those, "please stop whining and ask me in a normal voice" days. I was quick to point out to her to look past the law and look to the miracles around her. I was very happy when I finally had her down for the night and could take a breath without hearing her "whiney voice". (I had to put the money for the tooth under the pillow, first.)
Now, as I lay here and reflect, I realize that when we went to the "ice cream social" in our neighborhood, she asked the man scooping out the ice cream if he knew Jesus. This is not unusual for her, she is quite an Evangelist, but normally she will stop with that one question. Most everyone you ask, says yes. However, with keen insight that only the Holy Spirit could have revealed to her, she asked a second question, "Is He your Lord?" The man was quick to blow her off and turn to the next person in line, but she would not stop there, she then told him that nobody would ever love him as much as Jesus does.
I did not catch it at that moment, but I now remember the man stopped scooping ice cream and watched her walk away. Do you think she pointed out the miracle? I do.
I feel like the worst mother in the world to have criticized her all day about her whining and not even have complimented her on her obedience to God. I saw only the law and not the miracle.
Thank you, Lord for opening my eyes tonight. Please help me to be the kind of mother that will foster you work and not snuff it out. Forgive me for my sinfulness.
Question of the night: Are you focusing on the law more than the miracle?

Kitchen clean-up blessings

Ladies--you know how important our kitchens are to our overall mental health and well being? And you also know that when just one platter or bowl is in the "wrong" spot it can lead to an emotional breakdown. Can I get a witness up in here?
Tonight, as I am busily cleaning my kitchen and going over my mental ToDo list, my 6 year old daughter comes in and tells me what a wonderful mommy I am and I deserve a clean-up helper. Oh, what a precious soul--"Thank you, sweetheart, but Mommy is almost done, why don't you clean up your toys, instead?" With a smile that is, as of tonight, missing 3 front teeth, and her beautiful curly hair messily hanging in her face, she assures me that she will pick up her toys after she helps her princess mommy with her cleaning. How can I refuse?
She reaches into the cabinet and pulls out the largest hand towel in the kitchen and proceeds to drench it with water and slings it onto the stove top before I can warn her to wring out the excess water. Do you have a mental picture of the mess?
She rubs the chocolate off the countertop and heads over to get the kitchen table "sparkly clean", when I notice the excess chocolate has now been smeared over all the cabinets on the way to the table. "Don't worry, Mommy, we can clean that up in a jiffy."
Fifteen minutes later, my kitchen is sparkly clean and very wet. I am thinking a mop is in order, when she throws the large hand towel on the ground, places both feet on top and does the "twist" to mop up the floor. Her huge toothless smile tells me she is proud of a job well done. And, I cannot help but laugh at the dance show I have just been so privileged to see. Maybe she has a great idea in her "one hand towel fits all kitchen cleaning jobs."
Thank you, God, for allowing me to see the blessings in kitchen clean-up.

Reading to soothe the savage beasts

I used to read to my oldest daughter all the time. Not a day went by that we did not read at least 3 books. I felt good about the way her little delicate mind was being stimulated and shaped to adore books. Then along came my second daughter, we still read very regularly, just for shorter periods of time and fewer books. But, as a busy working mom, it was difficult to keep them on a schedule and fit in so many books. Next, came our son. Reading! Of course we would read. We read the mail, our latest urgent emails from work (always demanding more and more of our time), and finally we would make a valiant effort to read at least one book most nights of the week while we were giving the kids a bath. Yes, I did say, while we were giving the kids a bath.
Pathetic, I know! Our intentions have always been good--life just kept getting in the way. Besides, I am sure that the daycare and preschool teachers were reading to them. They would grow up just fine. Lots of other kids are not read to every night and they manage to get through school. Besides, were they really even listening to the books?
Now, in my To-Do list as stay at home/home school mom is 1) Read to kids daily 2)Have kids read to me daily. So, lets see how this plays out. My fabulous neighbor loans me The Trumpet of the Swan. My kids glance at the book with looks of utter anguish as I tell them how great our nightly reading time will be. Do we have to read out loud every night? Does it have to be a long book like that every night? Will you ever choose a book with pictures in it to read to us again? Can we put together our puzzle while you read?
Okay, you may put your puzzle together while I read. As I start the first chapter, there is much mayhem on the floor as they are deciding who should sit where and with what part of the puzzle they should begin--the outer edge or the inside pieces. It is being evaluated whether their younger brother should have his "very own" puzzle to put together or continue to help with the existing puzzle. The noise level is very high at this point and I am evaluating whether I should address the fact that their hearts are not being kind to mommy by ignoring the book or lose my voice in an effort to see if I will catch their interest.
As we near to the end of the first chapter, all noise has ceased. Slowly, 3 children are migrating towards me in an effort to hear the book better. After, the close of the first chapter, I tell them we will continue to read one chapter each night---No, Mommy, please don't stop here. What will happen to the eggs? Will Sam go back? Can we read one more chapter? This is a really great book. I am lost in maternal bliss when after reading through the 7th chapter, I have one child on each side of me and one on my lap listening intently on the tale of Louis the Swan. (Did I mention that there are not many pictures in this book?) Praise God, our new tradition has gone strong for 4 nights in a row and the kids are eagerly anticipating their evening "story time". Even my husband, who said, "While you all read, I am going to put together the train set." was captivated by the tale of Louis and "migrated" into the room to listen. Yes, there is a smile on my face.
Maybe all hope is not lost in my efforts to develop my children's love of learning. At least, we are making a step in a positive direction. I am searching for Lamplighter books to read the kids next, but I have not found them at the library or our church library. Is there anywhere to check them out without purchase?
Question of the Day: Is your reading material bringing you closer to God and your family?

Can you say Wii?

Wii is the latest "it" word in our house. Who knew it could be so much fun. We have put off letting our kids have video games as long as we could. We did not want to entice our children to sit in front of the TV for hours and not be active. We were afraid that it would "fry" their tender young minds and draw their desires and focus off of Christ. I still have that fear, but I no longer fear the sitting on the couch part.
The Wii games will have you up and moving around, working up a true sweat, and laughing until you have to pee. It is a very bonding family time and has allowed us several hours of good clean fun and family togetherness. Now, I am not advocating all games, but the sports package has been very family friendly in my humble opinion.
So, why did we change our mind about the video games? We realized that in our attempt to limit our children from some of the "not so nice things" in the world, we also took away all the bargaining power also. We cut our cable down to only network channels to ensure that our kids would not sit in front of the TV for hours, but would play with each other- games, dolls, cars, outside play and the such. We limited movies to 3 a week. We took away the Brats dolls and all other inappropriately dressed barbies. Add this to the fact that they are no longer in school and wallah--you have kids who have nothing to look forward to.
Now, we believe that teaching kids starts with the heart and their "motivation" for doing things, so if they are not acting in love to one another--we will address the core of the behavior.

But, what do you do when you just need a child to do his chores a little faster???? This has nothing to do with the heart. They are doing the things they are asked, they are just taking their sweet time. And, while this may not be a problem during the blissful days of sweet summer and sun--it poses a major problem to a new home school family on a schedule. Hence, the bargaining power! Now, put a Wii in the house with the same child that is taking their time doing chores and all of a sudden you have a child in super overdrive. Wow! What a difference. I have never seen a house get so clean so fast. God is good. Of course, everything in moderation so that it does not consume you and become sin.
Question of the day: Is your hobbie consuming more of your time and thoughts than Christ?

Pictures of the week

Hopefully, this is a successful download of this weeks pictures. We have had quite a week. My oldest daughter turned 10 on Monday, my son turned 4 on Tuesday, and my youngest daughter turned 6 today. A week full of blessings--God is so good. Did I mention that my own birthday was 2 weeks ago? July is packed full of birthday bliss. So, please sit back and enjoy the pictures to come. Yes, I am very green at this downloading stuff and was tickled that I managed to even download these pics to the computer, so I hope it all comes out smoothly.
Philippians 4:4--Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!

I did not post anyone else's pictures until you all give me your permission. Love you all!

Piece of Heaven

One of my favorite past times as a young girl was spending days out on the lake in our boat. So, it should come as no surprise that we named our boat--Piece of Heaven, as I am sure there must be some beautiful lakes in heaven with really great tubing and waterskiing. Today, I watched in delight as my 4 year old son gave me the "thumbs up" sign to pull him faster and faster on the tube. (This boy has no fear!) My husband was the photographer and caught some great pictures which I hope to share soon.
My 6 year old (tomorrow) daughter also gave the "thumbs up" so she would not be out done by baby brother, but then hid her head and hung on with a death grip that would put a grown man to the ground. (She lasted about 5 minutes). My 10 year old daughter who has also inherited the "no fear" gene wanted to go over every wave and wake she could find at "thumbs up" speed. And, you may wonder why I am an over protective mother!? Of course, we had to give Daddy a ride fit for a king and he handled it like a real trooper. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to stay on even after my best efforts to throw him off and then came back into the boat smiling! What a man!
Here's to everyone's little Piece of Heaven this summer, may it glorify God and bring a smile to your face.