Friday, November 17, 2006

A FUNNY - HOMESCHOOL FAILURE

*Krista has said that this is inappropriate for HER blog but that it is appropriate for MY blog...I'm not sure what that says about ME.....::snort::

I've failed my child terribly. She is woefully unprepared for life in the world. Krista was being interviewed to be a lunch buddy. She did this all last year, I'm unclear why she was having a new interview and the questions really seemed strange to me. Anyway....they were asking mundane things and all of a sudden said, "what is your s*xual preference?"

She said, "um...what do you mean?"

Them - "Are you homosexual, bi-sexual, or heterosexual?"

I guess we'd not discussed these terms. Though Josiah is surprised she didn't know the meanings.....anyway Krista sat there and logically considered this as ONLY my darling Krista would do. "Hmm....homo means one - one gender...nope. Bi- means two...well male and female - that's two. Hetero - what does THAT mean? Which am I? Bi or hetero?"

The lady reached over, patted her arm and said, "It's o.k. honey, you can confide in me!"

Krista blurted out "I LIKE MEN!!!!!"

::snort:: :::rolling on the floor:::
Friday
I woke up at 4 a.m. (thank you, Stacia). It was good that she woke up early because she went back down at 7 a.m. This means she was sleeping when I was at speech and she continued to sleep through about 2/3 of the sorting of produce. {G}

About 7 a.m. Mike called and we were all able to wish him Happy Birthday - of course in HIS TIME his birthday was YESTERDAY! Ooops.

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad - 44 years! Wow. Dad called me today but I had a houseful picking up produce so didn't get to talk long.

I leave the house at 8:10 for Nolan's speech therapy. I'm so glad we decided to go ahead and do this early on Friday. Today, Miss Natalie gave us a sheet of exercises for low muscle tone. I think we are getting somewhere!!!
We left speech at 9:10 and headed for HEB to pick up our produce order. How smooth is that? I was home by 9:30 and we were done sorting, and the newsletter was updated and printed by 11:10, when the first lady showed up. Shew....adrenalin rush.....so familiar...it was really like stepping back in town. In a strange way my children were EXCITED. They like to help serve. I try to be sure bruised things are pulled but with Arielle, Nolan and even Zander (under my careful supervision) filling baskets....well....they don't always catch the bruises...but they are so blessed to be able to help. Jamin and Jared came and helped us unload and then got back to school. I was so impressed that Arielle and Nolan were able to accomplish so much. It was fun to be doing a co-op again.....it will be a blast to see my friends once a week.


Here are a few photos:

My living room after all the cases of produce were sorted...

A single share of produce - this is $28. I think we are getting manageable amounts now. It's still alot but not terrible. I am SWIMMING in carrots - a single share got 3 lbs and I got 9 lbs. Adrienne and I had discussed it and we thought 1.5 lbs and 4.5 might be to few...but I can tell for US it is going to be way to many this way.....ah well you learn by trial and error....
Here's my triple share....4 of us get this much....I think they do better than I at eating them.....if only Mike were home, I could force feed him produce. ::snort::
I spent some time putting things away. I also found 6 bags of grapes and processed them for raisins. I tried to get all our produce out of here via the freezer and dehydrator. I want to see if we can eat a triple share with Mike gone. I'm not sure if I'll go down to a double share or keep getting a triple and keep finding people to bless. {g} I like being the carrot fairy. ::snort::
I spent some time figuring out how many Tupperware containers I needed to buy to house the bulk spices I bought. I'm afraid of TX bugs. As much as I didn't want to buy Tupperware (price) that stuff lasts forever and it DOES keep moths and such OUT.

I considered going to play this afternoon. I felt like we really needed to play but we also needed to do some couch school. I had planned to do art and work on our Thanksgiving lapbook.

Cy got home from work about then and reminded me that we needed to go get the Honda's tire fixed. ARGH. I couldn't think of a place to go except the gates of hell....bad choice. It took HOURS. We wandered around and around waiting for them to finish. When it was all done Cy said, "We could take it to Sears and I could pick it up when I get off work!" DUH! ::snort:: BTW during our long wandering in the wilderness - er Walmart we discovered anew that I really do snort in real life. {sigh} It's so unladylike! It was such a blessing to have that time to visit with Cy.


We finally arrived home and Jamin had homemade pizza on the table. Yumm. Here Stacia has turned the tables on me. She had been taking pieces of my salad. I said, "You like?" and she said, "I like!" Then this....



It is a hoot to watch Stacia with Cy. She lights up when he walks in the door. She runs to him and hugs him and she melts. He picks her up and does the little rough housing things that men are wont to do....today she ran to him, grabbed his legs and said, "up". I think she's talking.

Jamin is trying to research writing agents.

School - well I realized tonight that I've been feeling for two weeks that we weren't doing enough school....but really we have done ALL of our core subjects and TOG. It's the Thanksgiving unit that we're not getting to.....and so next week I think we will spend it doing the unit and art and our story quilts and games....total fun schooling for those 3 days...because it will be a short week anyway. I should have known better than to EXPECT we would continue our busy life, our full school schedule and ADD 20 books on Thanksgiving.

While we were gone the children at home planned our evening. We'll watch a Veggie Tale we got from Netflix, then a WALTON - yippee, my favorite and not the boys' favorite - and then Hogan's Heroes.


ANYTHING works as a teether for Stacia.






HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE/DAD....WE ARE WITH YOU IN SPIRIT!!!!
ALERT - MIKE YOUR STAFF HAS ALERTED ME THAT PINKIE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!







The kids and I had this flamingo made for Mike's birthday. It was more difficult than you might have thought. First....we had to order an Air Force uniform because they had only Army. Second...I had to remove rank and add Mike's rank and cross. Third....I had to get the kids to all sing happy birthday - gospel explosion style (Mike's favorite version) at the same time. When you squeeze the flamingo it sings happy birthday - and let me tell you we are no good at this without Bre or Mike at home.


Mike has a thing about pink - he doesn't do pink. We sent him the flamingo in honor of our flamingo toting camping neighbors. Mike is dreaming of a trailer while he is overseas and I told him this could be our camping mascot when he returns home...but NOW Pinkie (who named him?) has been flamingonapped.....stay tuned...
Thanksgiving Package





It's our tradition to decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving. Not wanting Mike to miss out, the kids and I mailed a package out that has arrived. We included a miniature tree with lights, ornaments and a star in there. They wouldn't let me mail the spray snow - so I bought some other snow for them. There was a Christmas stocking for Mike and the AF CA who is with him. I bought a little snow globe nativity and I can't remember what else...candy I'm fairly sure. LOL OH I put Christmas CD's in - one by Manheim Stemroller and the famous "redneck Christmas".





One thing I sent in the stockings were some small lego toys to put together because I was sure both the men would miss putting together toys and such this Christmas. Here are some pictures I received today.



I have not a clue what Mike is doing in this photo....but he's a got a spiffy new hair cut. OK realized that they are AHEAD of us so Mike must be eating birthday cake...not sure about the blue glove...

Conviction/Condemnation

I've been up for hours (I'm not sure I got sleep last night....maybe I've been sitting here holding Stacia all night LOL).

Anyway - I'd like to spend some time and write this pretty but I've been thinking about it over a week and I simply need to say it.

This is a tricky issue, one that concerns me when I begin to share things such as "Parenting in Proverbs".

Condemnation is bad. Conviction is good. Unfortunately, there is confusion today about the two. Some feel that conviction is condemnation. Anything that makes me feel uncomfortable must be condemnation and not sanctioned by God. I maintain that that is not the case. I see lots of examples in the Word where folks were "uncomfortable", submitted to God's work in their lives, and were transformed mightily.

I think in a nutshell I'd say condemnation will attack your character. It leads to self pity and hardly ever to true change.

Conviction is uncomfortable but also, deep down feels "good". It's an "ah" moment....usually conviction is a missing puzzle piece for me. I've KNOWN that something wasn't quite right, I read or hear something that makes me think, "I'm off the mark here". The next feeling may well be discomfort. If I follow that road and allow myself to begin to think SELF I often will land in the condemnation camp. The thing to do with conviction is go to God in prayer. Confess (agree with God, say the same thing about your actions that God does), repent (go in a new direction), accept forgiveness and ask for help to change. After that first discomfort of realizing I've missed the mark, my next feeling IS often one of "Ouch - but this is so good for me".

Please, do not wallow in self-condemnation. If the Holy Spirit convicts you as we read Proverbs - take it to God. Confess your shortcomings (He's already aware of them), make a prayerful plan to move on - ever closer to His ideal. Remember and thank Him for his AMAZING grace and His mercies that are new every morning. Begin to pray earnestly for Him to show you how to redeem the time and mistakes you may have made.

I have personally found reading through Proverbs and seeing how it would apply to my raising of children convicting....but it's a GREAT discomfort.

I would agree that condemnation is not of God. I would humbly suggest that some of us, however, have labeled the convicting work of the Holy Spirit as condemnation and therefore have avoided the transformation work that God is wanting to accomplish in our lives.

One other thought. I've often seen a friend share the things that are convicting her with another, and seen the first one try to talk the friend out of that feeling....that conviction. Let's be very careful NOT to talk one another out of spots of discomfort where God may be working....let's instead encourage friends to move from self-focused condemnation to God focused transformation. If you find that you share with a friend some failings or conviction and she tries to make you feel better about yourself...and when you pray you STILL feel convicted...I suggest you simply confess, repent and accept forgiveness...then prayerfull ask God to help you formulate a plan for change. Friends won't always understand the work that God is doing in our hearts.

Does that only muddy the waters????
Toy Update - Toys for Chaplains

Target has a selection of $1 toys and some of them look nice.

I've talked to Mike and he says that even if your toys don't arrive by 10 December, he will have no problem passing them out. The orphanage trip is 10 Dec. If they aren't allowed off post for more orphanage trips he will either 1. pass them out to other nationals who are living hand to mouth and don't have extras for children or 2. put them on a convoy for Iraq. In other words we are not going to overwhelm the need.

Mike also said that we should think all ages....infant - young adult.....now I went out and bought some "sample" toys to leave at the chapel for Sunday....I had a hard time thinking of what to get for teens that would be approrpiate and fun! I'd love to hear some of your ideas. Music or books are out as they are in English.