My Little "Wrastlers"

The kids are down "wrastling" while Jason walks on the treadmill. Apparently they each have a special "wrastling" name:

• Gordon: "Animal Mixer" because he can act like all kinds of animals.
• Teeny: "Ponycorn" because she is half horse, half unicorn.
• Bud-Jack: "Kick-slapper" because he kicks and slaps.

The First Two Weeks of Advent, Sans Pictures

December 1:
*Gordon asked why The Little Match Girl had to be a sad book.

December 2:
*Gordon and Teeny chose to give some of our Christmas budget to go toward a well in a third world country. I think the picture of the little boy with the bloated belly in the World Vision Catalog really made a strong impression on Gordon. He tears up a bit every time we talk about the need for clean water in other countries.
*Painted Christmas cards for family and friends. Better get around to mailing those, huh?

December 3:
*Bud-Jack after reading and talking about Proverbs 15:1, "Those are harsh words!"

December 4:
*Failed yet tasty attempt at a chocolate icecream "yule log". Gordon called it "bark".

December 5:
*Wrote letters to Santa. Gordon asked for either a Creepy Crawler bug making kit or an outdoor survival kit (with an axe. . . um, no). Teeny asked for *another* 18" doll and more doll clothes. Bud-Jack asked for a mountain. When pressed for something a little more doable, he jabbered out something I really couldn't understand at all. Mary is asking for what "Santa" already got her: Little People (thankyou Craigslist).
*Made gingerbread men.

December 6:
*Woke to find bundles of gold-wrapped chocolate coins in our shoes. Happy St. Nicholas Day!

December 7:
*Began brainstorming "gifts that don't cost money."

December 8:
*Out to eat for a Logos fundraiser. Had fun seeing one of Jason's co-workers and her husband and daughter (our wonderful babysitter).

December 9:
*Jason's friends from York Young Leaders over for cookies and coffee. Kids helped make Triple Chocolate Chip cookies.

December 10:
*Hit my mid-Advent slump. But enjoyed stroganoff and pierogies for dinner. Yum.

December 11:
*Brainstorming how to spread Christmas cheer.

December 12:
*Went to local Christmas tree farm to pick and cut down our own. It was cold; we made our choice fast.

Also:
*Shopping for eachother.
*Gordon finished up his "The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pirate Pig." To be illustrated today by Teeny and then scanned, and printed in photo books for the Grandparents.
*Wrote down my 2010 goals.

25 Ways to Beat the Winter Blahs

After a week or two of cold wetness outside and hacking feverishness inside, my whole family was a little stir-crazy. If it hadn't been for this recent warm spell, we might well have lost our minds. I sat down a few nights ago and made myself a list of things that I think I can do to help myself and my family beat the usual winter blahs.

1. Make praise and worship music be your background noise, broken up by bits of classical music, or whatever else your family likes. . . BUT. . .
2. Carve out an hour of pure quiet time every day -- some time to get away from eachother, breathe, and listen to yourselves think.
3. Spend more time on your beauty routine, especially in the area of moisturizing -- condition, lotion, pamper. . .
4. Invest in a good computer game, deck of cards, or puzzle book. . . or just clip the crossword puzzle out of the paper every day.
5. Read at least one chapter of a good book each day. And by book I mean something with a cover and pages made of paper, not an e-book.
6. Memorize a good poem, passage of Scripture, or piece of literature.
7. Do one creative thing each week.
8. Spend some time talking with your spouse each evening after the kids go to bed. If he's not the talking type, then sit and enjoy a snack and TV show with him.
9. Reserve one night every week for a "date". If you can't afford dinner and a sitter, then just do something special at home.
10. Limit screen time, both for yourself and your kids. It may seem like the only thing to do some days, but too much TV or computer will only lead to headaches and bad attitudes.
11. Read, aloud, at least 6 picture books or 3 chapters of a children's chapter book to your kids each day. There's your TV alternative.
12. Take your kids out for at least a 30 minute walk at the warmest part of each day. If you have a heat wave, get the kids playing outside as much of the day as possible; you take a book out and enjoy the fresh air as you read your obligatory chapter.
13. If the weather will just not permit a walk, do some pilates, yoga, or dancing with the kids inside for 30 minutes.
14. Sit around and tell family stories whenever the kids get bored. See if they can tell any family stories on their own.
15. Sit down and sing with the kids. Get out the Mother Goose and go over those good ole nursery rhymes. And, of course, sing Christmas songs from the end of Thanksgiving all the way through the first week of January.
16. Read poetry -- all winter. Jot down each child's favorites, and then help them each put together their own anthology. Let them decorate each page using a variety of art forms -- collage, paint, pencil, rubbing. . .
17. Help each child start their own scrapbook full of their favorite memories and pictures.
18. Have each child start a nature notebook. Spend time each day observing, identifying, and sketching critters in the backyard.
19. Put together a winter craft supplies bin, and don't be afraid to use it. Whenever you have some spare cash, head to the dollar store for supplies and coloring books.
20. Bake something with the kids each week.
21. Make every moment special. Whenever you turn on the TV, snuggle up together with a bowl of popcorn. When you have a snack, get all the kids to the table to chat over the goodies.
22. Plan next year's garden! Google seed companies and order a catalogue from whoever will send you one for free. I find that those that offer heirloom seeds are especially fascinating and lend themselves well to dreams of lovely cottage gardens. Then get out some graph paper and plot away!
23. Deep clean a new room of the house every two weeks. Stretch your tasks out over the two weeks so you don't feel overwhelmed. Then, you won't have to spring clean when the time comes!
24. Have dinner guests over once every week or two. Get the kids excited and involved in helping with food preparations and setting the table.
25. Write a hand written letter or note on paper to a friend or family member every week. Stick it in a paper envelope, put a postage stamp on it, put it in a mailbox and send it on its way.

Care to add to the list?

Advent 2009

Here are our plans for Advent this year!!!

I've based these plans primarily on what books we have here at home, with "Additional Reads" being books found at our local public library.

Every two days we will have a primary book selection, a lesson (or moral) and symbol, Scripture verses that teach the lesson (or moral), discussion questions and an activity or two, and some additional picture books to go with the lesson.

Halloween in Our House

Yes, we celebrate Halloween. I wrote this post on an old blog of mine several years ago explaining why.

And this is how Halloween will be shaping up for us this year, as we recover from the flu.

Food is a big part of our Halloween celebrations. We begin with flap-jack-o-lanterns (orange pancakes with faces made of sausage) and witch's brew (green Hawaiian punch) for breakfast. We have fingers and toes (hot dogs with ketchup and mustard fingernails) and slugs in mud (macaroni noodles in brown gravy) for lunch. Dinner is bloody worms and eyeballs (can you guess what that might be?). Dessert is "soul cakes" -- cupcakes iced and decorated with faces made of Halloween candy.

This year, we have decided (even before the flu hit) to do an all-day at-home Halloween extravaganza. Well, that sounds much more "involved" than it probably is. We'll be having a candy scavenger hunt, playing some parlor games like eat the donut off the string, making caramel apples, and watching Disney's Snow White and maybe some episodes of Alfred Hitchcock and/or The Munsters. We may even do our pumpkin carving that night!

Lessons Learned at HC09

We packed up the kids and headed south a week ago for my husband's annual family homecoming in south Georgia. The trip was a long one for us (14+ hrs, one way) and the camping (not my favorite passtime) was, well, chilly and often sleepless. But the trip, as a whole, was a good one and well worth our time. The kids had a great time camping and getting to meet extended, extended family; and I know J enjoyed catching up with his relations and connecting with those southern roots of his. And even my little introverted, high-strung self left Georgia having gained some important insight. You can learn a lot at a famiy gathering.

I learned that there are two major factors that are keeping us from even wanting to ever move south again: 1) gnats and 2) heat. Sorry, Georgia, we love you and your peaches, but it is just not right to have to go around with a black cloud around you like Pigpen, and there is something fundamentally wrong with sweating outside in the middle of an October day. However, in spite of these irritants, you just couldn't beat the life-giving quality of the smiles both young and old -- I learned that a good smile will warm the heart.

I learned on this trip how to stay warm in the tent at night -- two pairs of socks, cozy pants, a long-sleeved tee under a thick hooded sweatshirt (with the hood up) in a warm sleeping bag on your own cot. I also learned that, when forced to freeze your back and hang half-off your cot and pillow all night because your three year old insists on sleeping with you and no one else, great comfort can be found in looking at his little, peaceful, moonlit face nuzzled up against you through those sleepless hours.

I learned that there is no story like an old story. They create a sense of unity and acceptance.

These were the easy lessons. I also learned that prejudices are most often rooted in insecurities. It is easy to look at those who are different from us, those we fear might even be better than us in some way, as wierd or wrong or crazy. I also learned that alcohol can truly be destructive both in the midst of the fun carousing and the morning after. And I learned that being vulnerable with people can sometimes come back around to bite you in the rear end, but that is not necessarily any reason to put up protective walls.

I learned that walking away to calm down when you are angry doesn't always pan out, so you should always have a plan B.

I learned some valuable lessons as a wife and mother through my own personal experiences and by observing and talking with others. I learned that the grass is greener on my side of the fence. There are a lot of reasons to be grateful for the husband I have, and I'm a fool when I don't acknowledge those things to him or myself. And I learned that every sibling bickers, it is a common and expected occurance that few people even look ascance at and most often brings about humerous memories for people. It even carries into adulthood. But sibling rivalry becomes dangerous when unforgiveness and hatred begin to fester.

I learned that, as a mother, it is imperitive to be at peace with your season in life. When you have small children, raise them, and don't let yourself feel guilty for not contributing more to the events and functions at which you gather. You will give when the kids are grown. Most people understand this and expect nothing more from you, and those who think you are lazy are probably not worth worrying about anyway. I also learned that the best way to train children is with stern, short reprimands followed immediately with a confirmation of your love and acceptance of the child who was reprimanded.

But the most important lesson I learned had to do with my relationship with a dependence on God. I've had conversations with my own mother before about the importance of spending time reading and meditating on Scripture and talking and listening to God daily. Without God we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5) and our strength, as Christians, comes exclusively from Him (2 Cor. 12:9-10). It is easy to go to Him to fill up and be strengthened when Bible reading and prayer fits nicely into a routine day, but one must put forth the effort to fit it into those out-of-the-ordinary days that so often throw us off-track. Time with God needs to be prioritized every day because we are to be ready in season and out of season for anything and everything that might come our way (2 Tim. 4:2). It often happens that, just when you least expect it, just when you think you are okay putting God off until tomorrow, something happens that requires all your strength and fortitude, and you find yourself empty and unable to cope as God would have you to. I learned to make time to be filled and refreshed and built up by God *every* day.

A Little Potty Talk

BUD-JACK:

He made it all the way to the stream with a blue suitcase full of stuffed animals. He suddenly stopped on the bridge, put his hands on his hips, and looked up at the sky. He had come to a moment of decision: go all the way back to the house to go to the bathroom, or have an accident where he was. So, he did what most any boy would do in such a situation: he pulled down his pants and peed over the side of the bridge.

M&M:

What you *don't* want to see in the bathroom: your one year old dipping a pair of dirty underwear into the toilet and then sucking. I almost vomitted.

She'll Never Be This Young Again

She'll only be this little baby tot for a few more months, another year at the longest. She won't always nuzzle up to me, under my chin, in my arms, all through the day. She won't always smile and give me slimy open-mouthed kisses, over and over. She won't always hold my hand tightly and go willingly to her room for a nap. She won't always stop her crying on sight of me or smile as soon as I enter a room. She won't always be smeared with chocolate chips and bear crumb-encruted, dimpled hands. She won't always dance to television show theme songs or pat her chubby belly with contentment and happiness, even pride. She won't always trust everything I say, like everything I do, or want to spend every minute with me. She won't always need me. I guess I'd better enjoy it now, while I can.

From june09

All in a Day's Work

While I deep cleaned the bathrooms and bedrooms this morning, Bud-Jack. . .

Managed to get the downstairs bathroom mirror from on the counter behind the sink to face-down on the floor.

He also had that bathroom counter flooded with water and was "cleaning" with a hand towel.

Poured the rest of a container of cleaner out into the upstairs bathroom sink, and was about to fill it with liquid soap.

Doused M&M's crib with spray cleaner.

Also soaked an area of Teeny's bedroom floor.

Opened the basement door and let the cats out into the house.

Opened the back door and let the cats and M&M out into the yard.

Had a cat food snack with M&M.

Dumped out the entire cat box onto the basement floor.

Stripped the guest bed in the basement.

Scattered a hoard of small pinecones all over the basement floor.

Pulled down the new box of laundry detergent, spilling several scoop-fulls on the floor in the process.

While I was deep cleaning the kitchen and folding laundry, Bud-Jack. . .

Escaped out the family room window. . . pantless.

And left the window open for M&M to climb out.

Made himself an Oreo sandwich which was, in fact, an Oreo cookie between two pieces of bread.

Half-ate about three apples.

Why does it seem as if he's getting more done in a day than I am?

Kiddie Cutenesses

Teeny calls centipedes "limapeas".

I swear, when M&M babbles it sounds like she's saying, "Cupcakesrainbowsandkittycats".

Compassion, Baby Style

Yesterday, I got to witness my little M&M developing compassion.

After having a jar of bubble gum taken away from him, Bud-Jack broke into tears next to M&M. M&M stood and stared at him with a concerned and confused look on her face. Then she hugged him around the waist. When he continued to cry, she tried holding his hand. When that didn't work, she picked her doll off the ground and tried twice to hand it to him. Finally, she decided it would be best to just stand next to him and wait for the tears to pass.

Would that we were all as good at showing compassion as a little one-year-old.

Kid Cuteness

The other day we drove past a familiar blue roofed building where we got our two wonderful cats. As we drove by, G said to me, "I know how to spell pets, Mom. SPCA."

Tonight as I put Bud-Jack to bed, he gave be "a little kiss" on one cheek, then "a nover kiss -- a big one" on the other cheek, then "one more kiss" on my forehead. It's nice to be loved.

On My Mind ~ Crying Babies

From late spring

Wrinkled nose and wide-open, toothy mouth scream and cry for immediate attention. Squinted eyes and angry tears tell me that someone isn't getting their way. Frazzled hair and stomping feet let me know that this little one is a very unhappy.

I see it every day -- really, every-single-day. The angry, crying baby looking up wondering when mommy will give in. I've seen this every day for about seven years.

And I love it. To me, this is beauty.

So I pick up the sweaty, angry little mess at my feet. I wipe the tears, I kiss the forhead, I coo in the little ears, and I give a gentle squeeze to the baby that is mine -- a gift from God.

Care to share a favorite picture? Go to Heart Reflections to share what's on your mind.

What a Weekend

We had quite an interesting weekend, our family did. It was collectively a sort of comedy of errors, really -- a line up of fun and excitement with just enough strange surprises thrown in to keep things interesting and make for some good stories around the reunion table many years down the road.



Friday night we decided to go out for an out-of-the-ordinary dinner at McDonalds after-which J took the boys to a baseball game and the girls and I headed out for some grocery shopping. We meandered around, grabbing another cap-gun (for Teeny) and looking at shoes and such, then collected all the groceries we would need for the week. . . The whole time I had this haunting feeling that I might not have my check card with me, but I kept blowing the idea off. Finally, when I got to the check out counter, I couldn't take it any more. I decided to check my wallet before loading my things on the counter. Good thing. I was missing both my check card and my driver's license. Ugh! So, I went around the store returning things all the while panicing over where I could have lost these cards. I got home and rummaged the house, interrogated my daughter, and then found them on my third check of the kitchen basket.



Saturday we all went back to a camp that J used to work at a few years ago. It was great getting to see old friends. We had so much fun catching up and laughing with everyone. The kids were thrilled to get their faces painted, go on tractor pulls and barrell rides, hikes and walks, to play putt-putt and bouncy house. . . G was especially happy getting to see one of his "best" friends. It all was just so wonderful, we decided to top it the day off with a trip to an old favorite ice cream/fast food shack before leaving town. This particular eatery has a couple different wooden play structures set up for the kids to play on during the visit. I had just found a slightly shaded table, and J had just been handed the kids' three chocolate cones with sprinkles when I heard an agonized Teeny cry. I looked over and saw her holding her mouth. . . I saw blood. . . I figured it was just a mouth injury and casually walked over to get her and bring her to the soothing balm of ice-cream. But when we got to the table and forcibly removed her hands from her face, we saw a huge gash in her chin. There was a collective intake of breath coming from all the surrounding tables. People bagan shaking their heads and offering us napkins and wet wipes. G grossed out and refused to look. After collecting our thoughts we loaded back into the van and attempted to make the two hour drive back home so we could go to our hometown ER; but Teeny was just too uncomfortable, and we couldn't get G to stop crying hysterically in sympathy with her. So we stopped after about half an hour. I stayed in a mini-van with three rambunctious youngins while J held Teeny's hand as she got five stitches, poor thing.

Sunday we went to our church plant's first ever Sunday morning worship service. Hailed for the last month or so as a "practice run", we met at the local YMCA. We were all excited to be there, especially the two older kids who have been wondering when we would start having "morning church" again. We dropped baby and Bud-Jack off at the nursery, and they both seemed fine. Then we went to the work-out room. . . I mean "sanctuary". . . for worship. Now, the kids, unfortunately, have been spoiled by children's church. So they were horribly antsy having to stay in the service (we are not at the "children's church" point with this plant). I was totally unprepared -- had nothing with which to entertain my children -- so I handed G (definitely the antsier) my notebook and pen. He set to work drawing monsters. Then Teeny wanted a pen, so I got up and went out to the car to go hunt one down. When I got back, I found, to my dismay, that the doors to the Y were locked. You could get out but not in. (Closed on Sunday). I took a deep breath, went back to the car, got a good book, and came and sat down outside the door to read and wait for someone to notice I was missing. But no one noticed. Evidently, right after I left to get the pen, the lady in the nursery came and got J because little M&M was in hysterics and wouldn't calm down. He left our two oldest, thinking that I'd be back soon and either come switch out with him or stay in the service. G and Teeny tell me they were "well behaved". I know that a family that we are good friends with came and sat with them when they noticed I hadn't come back -- they assumed I was sick or something. So, I got a good 25-50 pages read out in the fresh summer air, J got to experience nursery duty while explaining to the nursery lady why we homeschool and have so many kids, and the kids managed to sit through church maintaining some semblence of quiet without my intervention.

Makes me wonder what the week holds for me.

One Toy Lawnmower Given. . . Check!

So far, Bud-Jack has been so amazingly cute this birthday, I just had to get some of it down "in writing".

This morning he came down in his usual grumpy manner and flopped on my lap with a scowl on his face. . . Until he saw the balloons and streamers in the kitchen. "Look dat!" he said. "That's for your birthday!" "Yeah?!" he replied with a big smile.

Breakfast was donuts, and Bud-Jack's was delivered with three lit candles in it. He was so excited. . . He smiled proudly and then began blowing half-way through the song.

After breakfast he received his first present -- his toy lawnmower (from Teeny). He immediately set to work mowing our huge yard. I believe he actually thinks it cuts the grass. He is still at it, going in as straight a pattern as a three year old's attention span will allow, and angrily throwing toys he finds out of his way. . . just like his father.

Next up, a lunch of hot dogs and mac 'n' chac and then his gift from me -- a baseball glove and ball. I forsee a brotherly game of catch in our future.

What You Might Find if You Looked Out My Back Door at Any Given Moment Today

G playing soccer, using the door to the garage as his goal.

Teeny stringing a bunch of fabric fall leaves on a thin ribbon. She says it is going to be a necklace.

Bud-Jack walking around the deck with a Cup-of-Noodles and a fork in his hands and noodles hanging out his mouth.

M&M doing stunts on the play car.

Bruce (the cat) catching field mice. . . and bringing them inside for my "enjoyment".

Momma Groundhog out watching her *eight* kiddies play and explore our neighbor's yard!

Caps, Gowns, and horribly hot astro-turf. . .

. . .that's what graduations are made of.

He has a Masters!!! Yaaaaayyyyy!!!!! What a long couple years it has been, but the reward is definitely worth it.

From birthdayngraduation

From birthdayngraduation

From birthdayngraduation

Congratulations, J! We love you and are very proud of you! Now let's relax for a while.

No Longer My Baby

Little M&M turned one year old on Friday, passing over the great divide between baby and toddler. She'll always be my little baby, but that first birthday always chokes me up a bit. It was everything you could wish for for a birthday -- the sun shone brightly, some of the grandparents came to visit, and there were all the things a little one year old girl could wish for to eat and play with.

We began the day eating Fruit Loops and drinking apple juice in the pink and white decorated kitchen. After breakfast M&M opened her first ever birthday gift: A cute pair of shoes picked out by her big sis, Teeny.

From birthdayngraduation

Little M&M took a quick morning nap so that she would be cheery when Ging-Ging and Papa L. got here. After she woke, we all had pizza, fresh veggies and dip, and strawberries together with chocolate dipped pretzels and strawberries as a dessert. She then opened her second present: a Sesame Street bath toy from G, and we all headed out to play in the water.

From birthdayngraduation

And we had one more little nap before grilled chicken, shells and cheese and broccoli for dinner followed by more presents. She got a Little People car with a mommy and baby from Bud-Jack, a little piano/xylaphone from Mommy and Daddy, and three cute outfits and a stuffed Eyore from Ging-Ging and Papa. Then, the grand finale, the cake and ice cream. What do you think she wished for? She wouldn't tell me.

From birthdayngraduation

Beautiful. . . messy face and all.

Spring Antics

So, each of my little guys greets the warm weather with their own flare. I just sit back on the deck or in the sunroom and watch as they attack the world.

G has a "best friend" down the stream that he seeks to play with daily. Together and apart these two confine a good bit of their play to the stream, making "secret potions" with the water, building dams, and digging for all sorts of water critters. When they aren't busy at this water play, they are practicing every sport from baseball to basketball to tennis and everything in between.

Teeny's favorite outdoor activity is collecting dandelions and any other permissable flower she can get her little hands on. And, being the little fish that she is, she lives for time in the "pool" which is a plastic sandbox bottom that they occasionally fill with water. I seriously need to sign this girl up for swimming. She also loves running around the yard as I turn our hose into a sprinkler for her.

Bud-Jack, well, as usual he has the most unique way of greeting the season. He takes off all his clothes and his diaper and runs around the house and yard naked. I suppose this is his way of thanking the good Lord for warm weather -- a sort of offering of himself. He literally spent all of yesterday naked, despite my many efforts to clothe him. I could discipline his little streaking sprees, but they are what I think may actually get him potty trained; so I rest contented.

And my dear little M&M, who will turn the ripe old age of one next week, is enjoying walking. She walks in the sunroom, she walks on the patio, she walks on the deck, she walks in the grass. And, wherever her little feet take her, she finds something new to explore and perhaps chew on -- rocks, dirt, flowers, grass, kitty cats. . . It must be exciting to be almost one.

But being a mother of young children, I am finding, is also exciting. It is all I can do to get up and get myself cleaning some days. The warm weather and the vision of my kids at play outside constantly tempts me away from my indoor responsibilities. So, I do what absolutely needs to be done and rush outside to join in the fun.

The "Beauty" of Boyhood

Picture, if you will, a little boy of almost three. On his bare feet he has a small pair of mud-caked snow boots. His baggy jeans have mud all over the seat. He is wearing a long-sleeved camoflauged shirt. Surrounding his wide gap-toothed smile is chocolate icing that he snuck from the cabinet when his mommy had her back turned. His nose is both runny and crusty all at the same time, and his matted hair is topped with his older brother's big blue and red bike helmet.

Beauty.