Friday, October 20, 2006

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It was COLD this a.m. Stacia woke up at 4 a.m. and didn't go back down until 6 a.m. I thought about going for my bike ride. It was time. It was also 50* outside. Thanks to nature - or thyroid disease to be exact - I'm always COLDER than the rest of the family. I was FREEZING!!! I decided to climb back into bed. Zander had climbed into my bed and I took full advantage of his warm, little body to warm up my ice cube feet. :::snort:::

We zipped through school.

We went to the park! I'm trying to load pictures but for some reason none of the park ones will work. I will try to download firefox on this computer "soon". Yes, Adrienne, my kids are burned and so am I. I can't believe it. It was a gorgeous 75*....but we got burned. This was a newer park in town and we had a blast. It was our first time to play with Adrienne's kids since they've been locked in their house with hand, foot and mouth for a couple of weeks.

BIG NEWS, our town has recently opened a new "super Walmart" - which I've stayed out of just fine. {G} Turns out it is the "3rd largest" supermarket in the world and the largest super walmart in TX. Or so the line goes.

I wonder why my font changed colors and more importantly why I can't change it back. LOL

I realized (there it went - back to normal) yesterday that it stresses me out big time to have to be somewhere at a certain time. I need the freedom to take 40 minutes on reading if we are enjoying it and not feel like we have to rush so that we can be out the door by a certain time. I KNOW this is why God impressed on me last year not to plan things during the school hours. Thursdays are House of Faith and I find myself rushing to make it in time (1:15). For this reason, I decided that I can't take on the science co-op that I was invited to join. It sounded SO FUN!!! I WANTED to do it...but I didn't want to be rushing through school on both Thursday and Friday every other week....and soon Nolan should have speech again.

Yes, I called the school. They have a new therapist there and they'd simply lost him in the transition. They thought rehab was calling and who knows what rehab thought. They told me on Tuesday or Wednesday that rehab would be calling the next day. I guess I better call them on Monday. LOL Anyway - that is always a rush, rush day too. I've become a homebody....I love to have the time for us to linger over an interesting topic, project or even play.

I got home and began the deep dish pizza while Jamin and Josiah ran out to pick up our new Pampered Chef Pizza Stone. We had pizza....said goodbye to Rascal...went to the car wash and watched a netflix movie. We got SIX discs today...turns out that two of the movies we chose for school are over 3 hours long....I'm not sure which one to watch....we can't watch 2 2 hour films and 2 3 hour films in the same week.

Here ya' go....my new, old look. It's short, short, short...but all the fried, dyed blonde is gone. Arielle says it isn't quite the old look because in the old look it was down to my waist...but the color is ME....I, however, have some psychotic disease where I am SURE that I am a blonde. BreAnn will be happy to know that she is no longer the "only brunette" in the family. :::snort:::
QUESTION OF THE DAY

OK - lots of stupid questions because I no longer have access to SHS to ask questions. LOL

Mike bought me a cool 19" widescreen flat lcd monitor before he left. In fact, we got two. He left instructions NOT TO TOUCH THE SCREEN!!!

We live in the middle of the dust bowl down here....how do I dust these screens???? What do you all do....and what will happen if I touch the screen...because I've ALWAYS been the "toe over the line" type and now I'm wondering often...what would happen if I TOUCHED the screen?????
School Daze - Friday!!!


*The Little House* is a book I remember reading as a child. It was fun to share it with Arielle and Nolan today.



We finished up our study of the San Francisco Earthquake with *Earthquake! A Story of Old San Francisco* by Kathleen Kudlinski. We really enjoyed this one as well.


I was excited to give the Ruth Heller books a try. We chose *Merry-Go-Round* to be our first because we were trying to feature nouns and verbs this week. We LOVED the photos! The book was really good and I think I'd like to find the series to own. However, I think for the level of Arielle and Nolan - just being introduced to grammar the other series by Brian Cleary was better. They have much less information in the books. BUT the Ruth Heller books would "last" longer because there is lots of info in the book....not just what a noun IS but then collective nouns, possesive nouns, plurals etc. The children loved the pictures in Ruth Heller but agreed that they understood the words of the other series better. We have some of both for next week. I really like both series.


*Round Up A Texas Number Book* by Carol Crane is a fun book to learn basic numbers. The extra bennie we are liking from this book are the little TX tidbits in the side bars.

We got school done in good time and then headed to the park with friends....







WORKING AT THE CAR WASH!!!

One thing Mike always does for me, to show love and nurturing, is keep my van's gas tank full. OK that may not seem like much to YOU but I never seem to remember....and when it's 110* or -20* outside - nothing says ROMANCE and LOVE like keeping the tank filled. :::snort:::


Tonight both vehicles are sitting on "E". After dropping Rascal off we stopped for gas. I couldn't believe that Sam's was selling gas for MORE than the station across the street. We went across the street.


Then we drove past the car wash. I KNOW, we're strange; BUT if you keep your children sheltered from lots of television....well they don't become jaded. :::snort::: Our kids think a trip to the car wash is a great adventure! Stacia had never been to the car wash. Below are some shots of her first car wash. Quick thinking on Jamin's part to grab the camera.






Rascal Leaves our Home (photos won't load)

We knew it would happen. We'd been putting it off for a couple of months. It was time. We said goodbye to Rascal but she seemed to love her home.

Nolan asked if we could take some of her eggs and incubate them. I explained that we wouldn't get a new quail unless there had been a boy quail. Nolan asked why. I told him that God set it up for their to take both a boy and a girl to make a baby. Arielle said....:::snort::: are you ready for this? :::::drum roll::::: "That's the boring part!"

Then she asked me if there wasn't any way to have a baby without a boy. :::snort:::
Ode to the Telephone - featuring Stacia age 14 months


Yes, she's on top of the table. She got into the purse...went for the wallet and the phone. Josiah ran and called her.
Now this is new!


Really concentrating now...note the tongue



Not screaming here - but talking



She was so excited by now she was shaking




Mom, makes this look so easy...I'm sure I can figure it out!




"Hi!"






SCHOOL DAZE (figured out how to put photos on THIS computer LOL)



The kids work on our model "t" car. We need to finish this. We got stuck! Well I THOUGHT they enjoyed this but look at Arielle's face. Hmmm....maybe she NEEDS more workbooks and less hands on. :::snort:::






Arielle finished her math workbook - guess I need to find another one. I thought I could pick another up at Sam's Club but they didnt' have any. Meanwhile, we ARE doing lots of math: Math Reasoning 1, Family Math, Math games, and lots of living books on math...but she wants a WORKBOOK.


Quick update

:::snort::: you all are so precious. A quick update because I've gotten three messages asking me if everything is o.k. since I didn't blog last night.

Yesterday was great. We are fine. We did some school. The boys went to House of Faith.

We went to homeschool skate day. Arielle and Nolan had worked so hard to learn to skate. They were a bit unsure in the beginning but picked up speed near the end. Thanks to Tricia for motivating us to try it. Her daughter, Ashley, was so encouraging and patient with my timid Arielle.

I ran to the BX and cashed checks.

I took Adrienne's daughter home after House of Faith and could easily see that Adrienne needed a break. The poor thing. Her family has had hand, mouth and foot disease. They picked it up at their church nursery a couple of weeks ago. Can you imagine blisters in your mouth? ARGH. 4 of her 7 children caught it. Lot's of sleepless night and not going out at all. I had been invited out to dinner last night and knew that these moms would be fine with Adrienne coming. I ran another errand while she showered and took her with me.

There it is the jewel of my day? Ladies Night Out (:::snort::: read post below to see that I aim for BALANCE) Hmmm....nah...maybe skating was the jewel of the day because I saw two of my kids conquer fear and have fun. I digress (as typical).

Charly had invited me out to dinner to meet one of her friends. I don't think there is any better compliment than someone wanting to share a friend with you. It's awesome...and I've had several here willing to do that with me. Originally it was to be Charly, Beth and I. Charly invited Sherri and I invited Adrienne and we had a great time visiting. The best thing is that these ladies were willing to move the time earlier so that I could be home for Stacia's bed time. What a great night.

So we're fine. We're choosing joy. I simply went to bed at 10:22 last night instead of midnight. :::snort:::
A Mother's Love

One of our daughter's friends left a comment on my my space blog. Part of it went something to the effect of "thank you for showing me what a mother's love for her children looks like. You'll never know how much that has meant."

I cried.

As I prayed for this dear girl (who is 22) and thought about it early this a.m. I realized that so many children/young adults are in this same boat. My generation of women and the generation before mine were focused on "equality" and "fulfillment". Everywhere we look, from Christian authors to secular talk show gurus, we are reminded to "take care of YOUR needs" sometimes with "too" added on.... I've thought for a long time that children were getting lost in women's search for fulfillment.

Unfortunately, this has happened in the church among Christian families as well. This is NOT an entry about women working...because I've seen many stay at home mom's that are as guilty of neglecting their children as working moms. Shame on us for pointing fingers at each other rather than focusing on the path God has called us too and supporting each other. This is simply some thoughts...meant to be encouraging...hang with me here. :::Snort:::

Scriptures clearly tell us to look out for the interests of others (certainly our children would be included in "others"). The verses that continue to speak to me the most about this are Phil 2: 1-11. We are to "do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others."

I've been surprised when I teach these verses how often they've been taught in Christians circles to justify that we ARE to take care of OURSELVES. Folks bring out verse 4 and say that this proves that we ARE to look out for ourselves FIRST and then for others. Well....yes...it assumes we will be looking out for our needs. If you check the context of these verses you quickly discover that the MAIN point Paul is making is not that Mommies need to go out for Ladies Night Out. {bg} I realize that there are many wounded individuals in our midst who need to be told it is OK to care for themselves...but most of us instinctively do take care of our basic needs...and quite a few other needs that aren't so basic. I don't believe I'm the only selfish person in Christendom...in fact....I'm sure I'm not. We're all HUMAN.

The very next verse (Phil 2:5) to "have the attitude that was also in Christ Jesus" and the next 6 verses describe that attitude. In other words laying down our lives for others, humble, not grasping for equality....

Paul begins by telling us to regard one another as more important than ourselves....has a quick blurb about not merely meeting our own needs...and concludes by saying have the attitude of Christ....and WE pull out of their justification to pursue our selfish desires. {sigh}

Meanwhile two generations of children have been raised without anyone considering their needs FIRST. Many of these children have NEVER experienced unconditional or unselfish love. Many were born to be trophies for Mom and Dad. These children have had children....or will in the next few years. I fear for the generation after my children's generation.....because I see so many wounded in my children's generation.

Ladies, it is time for US to step up and be the Titus 2 older women; mentoring, nurturing and illustrating godly love to these young women and children. I often hear from women my age (40's and 30's) that "no one has EVER mentored me". Guess what? I've said it. I've longed for someone older to mentor me in mothering and in being a wife...but at this point it's time for ME (and others like me) to quit selfishly bemoaning that we've never had a mentor, and begin to impact the lives of those who are younger than us and have not only not had a mentor but not experienced a mother's love as God intended for it to be. God has been faithful to mentor me through His living Word. I've found all the encouragement, direction and support I've needed in the Word. I'm sure at some point God is bringing a mentor into my life. {G} I've been so impressed by my friend Chris. For years she and her husband served as a host family for many Master's Commission students. She showed many of those young adults the first "mother love" they'd experienced.

I'm certainly not advocating that we all go out and focus on other's children to the neglect of our own. I'm saying that we need to be aware. We need to pray for those wounded youth that God brings our way. We need to build relationships with 20, 30 year old women who are young moms and have no idea what God would require of a mother. We need to reach out to that obnoxious young mom who grates on our nerves (you know who I mean - most of you have a picture of one such woman). We need to care. We need to ask God if that person is in our life because WE have some role to play in her healing and wholeness. OUCH...

There are seasons in our lives. It would not serve us well to neglect our children to minister to others...but in the dailiness of sacrificially loving your children, caring for them, looking out for them...you have no idea how many will be impacted. How many other moms are watching you? How many young moms are watching how you mother? How many of your children's friends are saying "wow - that's what a Christian family can be like"? We ARE called to be salt and light. We are to impact our society and there are at least two generations of adults/children that need us to impact them with love. This begins as we begin to impact our CHILDREN by loving them as GOD loves us.

Obviously, none of us are perfect. I am NOT a perfect Mom. In mothering my children, however, God has ministered to others. I've had several tell me or my children that our family is the ONLY family they know where mom, dad and their children all live in one home. As you fulfill your call to mother...watch out for those friends of your children that God brings your way...simply by mothering your children and loving their friend....you may make a huge impact on society. It's as simple as walking in obedience to the Word....or as Paul says "living by the Spirit". None of us are STUCK at home...God desires us to minister to our families and to minister to others through our families.

I am passionate about women and about women finding healing from life's hurts at the feet of Jesus. Because I have. I have not had to walk through the issues that many of our youth are walking through. There have been times when this passion has led me to be WAY over committed outside the home in women's ministry and mentoring relationships (as in Alaska, Darshia). God lovingly pulls me back each time. The best way for ME to minister to the hurts of women is to keep my life in balance. My primary focus is my young ones....He brings others around for me to touch. As simply as a young adults friend watching and seeing what a Godly Mom could be like and desiring that for her life and even beginning to receive healing as she realizes that what she has was not what God meant for her to have. It's NOT all her fault.

We don't have to go search for ministry. We simply need to be faithful right where God has placed us. Ministry is sure to find us! BTW don't expect ministry to LOOK a certain way....I guess cleaning those fingerprints off the wall is ministry, making that menu, taking the walk to the park, ah....meeting a young mom at the park and simply letting her observe how you parent......teaching a study, taking a young lady to lunch, sending a carepackage to your daughter and including something for her friend who never hears from home....

What we are doing as Christian mothers matters so much! Let's excel at it. I even give you permission to OVERACHIEVE! In the process...let's keep our hearts humble and not worry about judging others who are also trying their best to mother and wife...have you ever realized that mother can be a noun or verb...but wife...well what would be the verb for that...wifing....hmmm...thoughts to ponder.