A Word With Solomon....

  Having boys growing up on you is not easy. Being a parent in general is no easy task. Whoever stated the fact that parenting doesn't come with an instructions manual had it right. The only one I've found that comes close is the Bible. But even then, God gave us a lot of leg room. Sometimes it is easier to read word by word what to do about a certain situation then it is to seek for wisdom and guidance and then have the faith to follow through with God's direction. Solomon must have felt this way too and so I've been thinking about his life and ours.

 His life saddens me sometimes. To think that he may not have made it to heaven brings me to ponder on those things that weighed him down. He loved. He loved foreign women. He loved how they made him feel and how they looked.  He loved gold and all his cups were made of gold not silver because silver was not worth anything in his sight. He loved wisdom and had so much of it that he finally reasoned within himself about the futility and vanity of life without seeking God foremost. But his loves took his heart. They dimmed the vision and allowed him to deceive his heart!

   My older son and I had a conversation about being real a week or two ago. About serving God in earnest, without playing church. We spoke about the fruits of the spirit and works of the flesh. How hard it is to strive at being good in our own flesh! It is even harder to live in the Spirit ( I mean by this,doing the things which are pleasing to God) while feeding the flesh. We as humans learn very quickly how to feed the flesh, but sadly know little about dying to it. We feed it food, pleasure, satisfaction, material possessions. We love. We love the beautiful things. Desire wealth to make us blessed, and love those who love us best. But like Solomon our loves would separate us from His love. Rob us from our First Love and cause us to be just as idol worshipping as Solomon and Israel became. They mar our vision of Christ and fill our ears with so much sound that we can't or won't take the time to hear Him. All the while dulling us into the notion that all is well and Christ reigns, when the truth is that He can't abide because there is no room.

  Our conversation led me to this final point. We can't live by works because they fail us but we can't live without them either because that would not be faith. So we must live by Faith. Faith that God will save us. Knowing God will strengthen us. Looking to God who will lead us. Faith cannot be separate from our actions. Our works show our faith.They make us get up and seek God. Did not works show the faith in Solomon or any other man we are told about in the Bible? The righteous gave forth actions of obedience while the unrighteous brought forth works of disobedience. Both in faith. Some in a faith unwavering in a God that does not fail and cannot lie;others placing their faith in temporal things, the pride of life, and their merits.

   Solomon left us many words to ponder, and some of the instructions needed for parenting. Words of wisdom and truth that will last through the ages. What did hinder you Solomon? You did run well. And his words come back in wisdom and say, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."  Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

Did I happen to mention that giving birth brings forth pain?

It does.

It also brings lack of sleep.

Nursing woes..."Why won't she latch on right?"....

Beautiful looks from the children as they hold their new baby sister.

Emotions of one minute of chaos and another of peace.

The realization that if we can keep the bathrooms clean, the laundry moving along, the children fed, and the baby nursed that we have been successful afterall.

One day I'll miss days like these, but right now I just need to lay down for a bit. (That's hard to do around here.)

Baby #6 has Arrived!

She's here and she's so so precious!

Our baby #6 has arrived! She was born April 23rd at 8:36 am. She weighed 8lbs 1 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long. We are very thankful for our sixth little gift from God, a safe delivery, and the joys she brings to our growing family!

Now we're going to take a 3 week break from school while we adjust. :o)

Two weeks left..

Can we say waddle? Yup, I'm waddling. It seems this baby has taken over my body, but the good news is that there's only 2 weeks left of this. And not a moment too soon, because any longer and I won't look like I'm carrying twins. I'll look like I'm carrying triplets. So what are some pregnancy points for me to remember:

• Eat when you're hungry, even if you're nauseous.


• Think positive, you shall see your waist and toes again.


• Walk slow. Walking fast does nothing but bring on contractions


• Dinners should be fuss free, quick and easy. Not tenderloin specials where everyone and everything needs your assistance.


• Looking through your container stored baby clothes is nostalgic (especially after 2 girls), but a real motivator to get you to get ready if you do it at about 38 weeks along.


• Don't' sit too long, don't stand too long, and for Pete's sake don't go to Dollywood anytime soon no matter how tempting! Go to your friend's house instead and sit on her sofa..maybe she'll treat you to a nice hot cup of cocoa. :O)


• Oh, yeah, don't do crazy field trips like going to the water treatment plant during the first trimester.


• If your handheld doesn't work, get a new one asap. Rushing down the stairs to answer the phone can be dangerous.

Did I miss anything?

The Teacher In All of Us.

As I sat through my boys' music lessons today and I thought about the teachers before them, I looked at their qualities in teaching and was inspired. They truly are good teachers.

One inspired my boy by her love for music, while the other one introduced a concept that with her gentle touch made the medicine go down with a smile from his face. They didn't allow them to sit in a comfortable place where there was nothing required or expected, but at the same time used the love for learning and gentleness to make progress and help them grow.

What makes a good teacher? Homeschooling has forced me to look at this question very personally.

I remember back in high school when we were given our classes at the beginning of the school year. Next to our class would be the room # and the teacher's name who would be teaching that class. We all knew whether that teacher expected excellence or whether we would be passed if we laughed at their jokes. We knew which ones could care less whether we understood the subject and which ones actually loved the subject and wanted to share that passion with each and everyone of us who took the course.

A good teacher inspires. They inspire by example. They love the topic perhaps not because of the content but for the love of learning it. They know it well enough to know more than the student and are brave and humble enough to venture out and learn some more about it. This being because they love to learn.

A good teacher is gentle, kind, long suffering, and patient. I have much to learn in this area of teaching. I'm nice, really I am, but I could be nicer, more patient, and definitely more kind. Would I be a better teacher if the pupils I'm focusing on weren't my own flesh and blood? Would the patience that is needed be more readily available? Probably.

I saw it so clearly today as I watched their teachers teach.

A good teacher expects progress by doing their part. Sometimes we think that the remedy is to go easier on the child. To not require a lot from them but let them get enthused on their own and then try to keep up. As a teacher, this would be the easiest route, but is it the best one for the student? Am I teaching by example? Am I inspiring them by it? Am I challenging them to better themselves, and there by causing them to learn important disciplines in life?

We are all teachers and someone is learning from us. There is a teacher in all of us....and
teaching we are.....

May God lead us as we teach, so the lessons taught will bring forth fruit that God would be pleased at.

A Trusting Matter..

We Cry Out
Father of life, seated on Your throne of grace
It's only by Your mercy we are saved
Lord, You have said if we call upon Your Name
We and our families will be saved

So we cry out Your Name,
El Shaddai, God of grace
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ
We rely on Your grace,
Adonai, crowned in praise
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ

Father of love, never failing to forgive
Each moment is a gift from You to live
We're only here to tell the world about Your grace
Until the day You take us all away

We will cry out Your Name,
El Shaddai, God of grace
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ
We rely on Your grace,
Adonai, crowned in praise
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ

O, so we cry out Your Name,
El Shaddai, God of grace
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ
We rely on Your grace,
Adonai, crowned in praise
Lord Most High, Jesus Christ

I have added this song to the Songs I like... on the bottom sidebar. It is a gentle reminder to myself that He is my all in all and I will hold on to Him as an anchor to my soul.

Our little 1 1/2 yr. old is in the hospital. I seems a lot of people are sick lately. His white blood cell count is quite high and he has tonsilitis. The doctor thought it would be best to try antibiotics through an IV.

Quick Late Review of the Week..w/ a spin on things.

It seems that I've gotten a little behind on this review of the week thing. I might not always have one. This one is going to be a little different since I need to make it quick and I really had more thoughts to share on my week's events than I did details.

Around the House: I don't feel I was very productive this week. I got my bathrooms cleaned, we got our taxes done, the laundry is progressing, and school is steadily moving along.
Sometimes, I look at my progress and it could be pretty disappointing if compared to other ladies who seem to have it so put together. But then I remind myself, that for one thing comparing oneself to another is not wise since each have their own cross to bare, and that perfect or not, I will get to it- whatever it may be someday. Oh..., I didn't get my bread done.

School: Friday night we sat down and started talking. We do that quite a bit around here. The conversation went from talking about piano to Einstein's childhood.
Einstein lived with facination with light, the stars, space. He liked all the things that perhaps had me in knots when I took trig and physics in highschool. (By the way, I dropped trig and physics after the 1st quarter because it was beyond me, I didn't need the credit, and my teacher recommend it.) He loved the things he loved to learn and avoided the very things he didn't.
He had to go back and learn the things he avoided to get to the goals he wanted and loved.
We have continued our poem studies and the children have submitted one poem for a contest and are in the procees of submitting a second one this week. Here's an outstanding resource link for writing contests: http://homeschoolwriters.com/
They have a contest going on right now, w/ a deadline of Feb. 14th, in which the children who get a price will be awarded their poem published in a book and a trip to Washington DC. The topic for this one is nature. Most submissions are free, and many include K-12th.

There has been and on going discussion at our home between the 4th grader and the 2nd grader concerning whether Thomas Edison or Samuel Morse were more important.
In co-op we made slime as an experiment to help the children remember Thomas Edison.
He is a great example of how to try again.

I have decided to spend a little more time in the MathUSee foundations workbook and put Miquon on hold for a bit. Alternating is good, specially since we're a workbook ahead in Miquon and sometimes it gets sticky. Or should I say, icky?
Saxon 54 Math, what could I say about Saxon? I love Saxon Math 54. 4th grader knows his timetables/division impressively well, and though he gets 3-8 wrong problems in a lesson(30 problems in all), it is mostly out of lack of attention or lazyness to write out the problem. I love the way it is set up and teaching from his lesson book has never been easier for me. At least easier than Miquon.

In other news- we let the boys join a church sports program and play basketball. I have mixed feelings about sports. I really, really do. Not so much when they're young, but all things change when they get older. So it has been 2 yrs. since the last time they played sports. Except in P.E. Why my mixed feelings? I want them to have a rounded education. Not centered on one thing alone. This, I feel, we have done well at so far. Sports brings mixed feelings because of what goes on as they get older. I have provided for the children a selective socialization of friends that I felt would not damage the labor of love that has gone into homeschooling them. Sports for some reason, seem to attract attitudes as they age that I don't want to allow the boys to perceive as becoming of a Christian. So....it will be monitored and kept on low priority.

Our Bible Study this week was about avoiding the very appearance of evil. When we don't avoid the appearance of evil than perhaps we are not our brother's keeper, nor our own. For we bring distaste to the gospel. We just don't care, and God wants us to.

Well, this is all for now. I have many more thoughts to share, but like Thomas Edison said,
"...Not enough time..."

Sincerely,

Decisions

I heard something today that stirred my thoughts about decision making. My thoughts on this weren't concrete enough to put in a post this morning.( I'm not sure if they're solid enough to make sense now but I'll try.)
Then my 10yr. asked me a question. (It seems I'm getting several deep questions this week.) He asked, "What does the word LUST mean?"
I had to think about that a minute because to the pure all things are pure and the word lust does have a meaning. To lust means to desire something very strongly. This could be power, fame, money, the opposite sex, etc. (After I answered this question, the question I had deep in my mind was, " What peaked his interest to want to know what the word lust meant?")

His mind accepted my answer which I thought over once more and thought was pretty on target when he came back at me with another question. "What's wrong with that?"
(This is where I'm thinking, "OK, that's a legitimate question......except that who told him it was wrong?") I really didn't know the answer to it so I send him off to his Daddy who I was sure would answer the question better. He did. He told him to lust meant to covet after something.
That in my mind would describe it better. See, God knew children needed dads for questions like these. It also helped me with my thoughts on decisions.

Lust has a lot to do with our decisions and we all make decisions within our days. We make decisions about jobs, moves, things we want our children involved in, things we choose to be apart of or not.... etc, and we usually have firm believes behind those choices. How much the pull lust has on us concerning those decisions is quite different from individual to individual. What feeds our heart will have a lot to do with how much hold lust has over us.

If God is our Lord then he should weigh heavily first in our decision making. How will the decision affect our relationship with God?
If we have a spouse then he should be second for we've entered into a covenant with him or her also. How will our decision affect that covenant?
If we have children, then they should be third on our priority list because we are caretakers and responsible for their physical as well as their spiritual needs while in the stage of childhood.
How will our decision affect our stewardship over them?

These 3 questions will keep things in the right perspective and help us in our decisions day to day. Not to mention they will help keep lust at bay.

Now, if only I could keep my son from perusing through my Janet Oke, Frank Peretti.... books because he reads his library books too fast and runs out of reading material, I'd have one less decision to make.

Yours Truly,

Revisiting Samuel

Tonight my 8 yr. old asked me a question.
He asked, "How do you know it is God talking to you about getting saved? What if I only want to get saved because I don't want to go to hell, but it's me and not God speaking to me?"

This is a deep question. It's deep because I don't know all the answers to it. And the answers I have may not be the ones needed. It's deep because I truly want the children to go to God looking for the Saviour. I also don't want to get in the way. I could jump at the opportunity, but it would be I jumping and not him. I want it to be their moment with God. Their decision. Their act of faith and their start of a relationship with Almighty God. If God is visiting his heart, then God is dealing with him and therefore knows better than I how to deal with him as an individual.

He wanted to talk about God, salvation, and about his soul. So we talked.

This has been our prayer over the years. That their heart would be tender to hear God. That they would begin to seek the Saviour because they begin to sense the need for Him. That there would be a concern for their soul.

Samuel was a child when God visited Him. He didn't recognize the voice of God.
I have tender thoughts about this account. Perhaps because it is such a beautiful picture of the grace and love of God.
Eli, who was not in the will of God, directed Samuel to go back and lay down, but he told him that if he was called again he should answer, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." God called again, and Samuel answered.

He and I took a little, private time to pray tonight. I prayed out loud for God to keep his heart tender to his dealings. And that if He was drawing him to get saved, that God would give him assurance and faith to believe in Him and trust Him.
He prayed that God would help him and he prayed that God would let him know whether it was His calling to Him he was sensing through out his day. My heart wanted to pour buckets of tears out to think of God's faithfulness to deal with my children, but I saved them.

Maybe God will keep calling, and my son will answer. This is what I'm going to pray about tonight. Those tears a better spent alone with God.

Quick notes on pregnancy and recipes..(cookies and meatloaf)

I'm sitting here blogging while I eat one of my delicious no-bake cookies. Yum! These things are so good that a pregnant woman should not be allowed to eat these things! I really shouldn't, but I've been craving them for about 2 days. I get a little worried that if I eat too many sweets I'll have such a big baby that I'll have another c-section. I had one of those with my third, and for anyone who thinks this is the way to go(and I've spoken to some who do think this), let me tell you it's not! And I know, because I've had four the normal way and recuperation is a lot better the normal way. (Besides, I get queasy, just thinking about a cut across my lower abdomen.)

Want to know how much my other babies weighed? Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway.

1. 6 lbs 12 oz. (2 weeks early)
2. 8 lbs. 8oz.
3. 9 lbs 8oz.
4. 8 lbs. 12oz.
5. 9 lbs. 2 oz.
6. ?

I have friends who have bigger babies, like 10 lbs+!

I'm short, FYI, and there's only one place for this baby to go. Thankfully, I've lost all my weight with all the babies. But since I have no stomach muscles to talk about (or they've become so flexible that they just keep on stretching) my belly seems to just keep going while I'm pregnant.

Here's a quick meatloaf recipe. I've never been able to make a meatloaf that I was sincerely impressed with, but this one is a worthy kind. It gets its merits from the glaze and the fact that it cooks in about 17 minutes!

Carrot Meatloaf

2 cups shredded carrots

1 green pepper cut up in small pieces(optional)

1 cup dry bread crumbs or quick oatmeal

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 envelope dry onion soup mix or about 2Tbsp of beef bouillons, 1Tbsp onion powder, 2tsp. salt

2 lbs lean ground beef

1/2lb. ground pork (optional)

Glaze: 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tsp. prepared mustard

In a bowl, combine carrots, green pepper, crumbs, eggs, milk and soup mix. Add meat, and mix well. On microwave-safe platter, shape mixture into a circle with a 9 in. diameter; form a 3 in. hole in the center. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for about 16-18 minutes, or until no pink remains. Make sure it is rotating every 3 min. Drain. Let stand for 5 min.

Meanwhile, in a cup mix glaze ingredients. Spread half of glaze over meatloaf. Microwave on med. for 1 minute. Remove. Warm left over glaze to serve.

Yields: 10 servings. Recipe halves easily.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar

1 stick margarine

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup milk

Use a big saucepan to heat on med/high. Let ingredients boil for 1 1/2 to 2 min. (No more than 2 min.)

Add quickly 1 cup peanut butter and 3 cups of quick oatmeal

Stir and scoop onto wax paper to cool. Makes about 2 doz. cookies

Hope you enjoy these two recipes. The meatloaf comes in handy when you need to make a quick meal. The cookies...well you can't just have one.

A little something about the Christmas spirit.

Christmas will soon be here and the retail stores make sure to have a jolly Christmas spirit. The thought of how to approach Christmas was never something I really dwelled on very much until I had children.

How does one present Christmas to them? Should we continue the tradition of Santa Claus the fairytale, the theme that Christmas is a happy one if one gets several presents, and perhaps that one should have good will to all during this festive season? I'm not being sarcastic. I'm serious.
These are questions I started to seriously consider. How was I to raise them to honor God during this holiday and yet build wonderful thoughts and memories about what Christmas really meant?

I started out with the easiest one for me. I ditched Santa right from the start. As a matter of fact, my kids call him Jingle Bells because the little ones forget his well-known name to this day. (Though we have respect for the original man called Nicholas.) I decided he was not going to get one ounce of glory from us, since he had nothing to do with salvation.

The others have not been so easy to deal with though. The hardest would have to be the great emphasis on presents. God the Father gave His utmost gift to us by letting His Son become man for us that He would save us. Jesus gave His life willingly. He forgave willingly. He gave up His home on high willingly. I've often thought that when they get older, I would like to begin taking them to places like orphanages/children's homes or soup kitchens to help on or during the Christmas season. I want them to see that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. That Christmas if celebrated correctly should be a time to demostrate His love through us. All this said, we've kept the gifts to a minimum of 1-3 presents per child, some years slightly more and some years less. We try to get them something they like and something they need. This is hard to do sometimes because I think of the nice things that I could give them. But it grieves my heart to think that they'll grow up and leave Jesus on the side as a religious afterthought compared to Santa, presents, etc.

Christmas music plays in our home any time of the year. It really does. It could be April or September and you might just hear it were you to call me or visit. During this time, the children love to take the manger out and position the pieces just as if they were setting up the stage for that great day long ago. We listen to Adventures in Odyssey's episodes about Christmas. We go and visit churches that have excellent Christmas plays about the birth of Christ. One year the children participated in the Best Christmas Pageant Ever production in our town. I want them to remember us remembering Jesus. I want them to desire Him like the faithful did long ago in that little town of Bethlehem. I want them to look for and find the Messiah . To seek Him out. I want them to see what I see and hear what I hear, and many others like me. To look into the eyes of the Saviour, and forever be changed.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Let this be your guide in making Christmas a wonderful season to remember.

Dear Journal Letter (cheese...violin, math)

Dear Journal,

I thought I'd write personally today. My mind has been in a lot of places but lately I've had it stuck between the pages of a book about cheese. How I get myself involved in these things I'll never know, but the desire to learn to make cheese has surfaced off and on for a few months now. You would think with all I have to get done and all I don't get accomplished that I would stick to the task at hand, but nooooo...not me. The thought of trying something so pioneering just thrills me sometimes and then there are other times when it makes my head spin. Then it hit me today at co-op as we were learning to weave like the Navajo Indians, "What are you thinking trying to learn to make cheese when you haven't even worked on your crocheting since when, August??" My mind reasons this out by interrupting and saying, "Hello...if I always waited till everything was complete, I'd never go anywhere or do anything."


My 7 yr. old has a nice Christmas Beginner Group performance at the Mall in December. He just started playing the violin in April and is doing good except for:

• His practice time is short(about 15-20 min.)


• He's been practicing playing most of the C sharps like C naturals, and doesn't practice pulling the bow out far enough.


• One more thing, he hasn't been playing the 1/2 notes long enough. He's been playing them like quarter notes.

With all this said, it has come time for me to step in and make sure that he practices a little better by being present and attentive during his practice sessions. It took two consecutive (1hr)sessions to make a lot of progress so far. While I was making dinner, he mentioned how he should probably quit because he couldn't imagine spending that much time every practice.

"Think about it hard and let me know by Thursday. You can let your teacher know then." (gulp..)

Practice took 40 minutes last night. He paid close attention to the C sharps and the half notes so they didn't have to be repeated as much. Half way thru, he was giddy with joy that he had improved so much. At the end of the session, he told me he couldn't quit now. All I could do is be proud.

Math has been going really well at our house. I just love that Saxon 54. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I really like it. It has done a great job helping me teach the 9yr. old and I love the progress we have made. Maybe it is because we do a very untraditional program like Miquon at the beginning. Maybe it's because I floundered around remembering math with my first son and things are just falling into place now. I'm not sure, but all I can say is that we seem to have found some happy ground that is very stable and secure in Saxon's middle school series. Not to mention, how much Math U See has helped us round out the Miquon progress and move smoothly along with the others right behind. I now have good feelings about what I'm going to do with the others.

Well Journal, I must bid you farewell. I need to get ready to make dinner. I would like to make Chicken and Dumplings tonight.





Linda

The womb, a cry, and Hannah.

I've been thinking about Hannah today. You know the Hannah I'm talking about don't you? Hannah from the Bible, the mother of Samuel the prophet.

Her womb was closed up and she could not conceive. This greatly bothered Hannah and when they went to the temple she cried out to God. This wasn't quiet crying. It couldn't have been. Eli the priest wouldn't have thought she was drunk and making a spectacle of herself in the temple if it was quiet and unnoticeable.

She was crying!
There are different kinds of crying for me. There's the kind that comes from a sad story or a movie like "Mother of Mine." There's the kind that is mixed with laughter from doing something so accidental as to run into a guy wire and messing up your front bumper. And then there's the kind that reaches into your soul and cries from sorrow. Cries and the tears just run, cries and your heart voicelessly reaches out.. . Hannah cried, and God heard her.

Her womb was open.
Does God give us children as gifts, as arrows? Does He open the womb for some and keep other women's wombs closed? He is the Giver of Life. Was it their lack of scientific knowledge that led the women of Hannah's day to believe that God had closed their womb? Or was is perhaps a closer knowledge to truth and faith that openly disclosed this info? To have a womb that won't give forth fruit- I think this is why many a woman today will opt for adoption.

When God answered her prayer her womb became fruitful. It became a womb that gave forth little Samuel. What fruit has come forth from my womb? Will any of the children have a heart like Samuel? Will they cry out, "Speak my Lord, for thy servant heareth," even in their lack of knowing His voice.
Will they cry out?

Little fingers, little toes

Planned ahead by the Master.

Useful vessels here below-

Oh, to be a Mother.

Reminicing the Old Paths and a little on Work

It's been ten days since my last blog. I really don't mean to be so spaced out, but I guess making a home has kept me busy.

This morning as I got ready for church I began thinking about camp meetings. I thought about good old fashion preaching, about the Lord descending upon services and feeling His very presence amidst. About altar calls that drew me to my knees and helped me make things right. About the peace of God that causes the praise to stay within one's heart. About the state of the church and how that you can't throw the old paths away because of it. No- you can't throw away the old paths, not when they're in your heart. Not when they have become part of your heart. The love of God constrains one to walk in the old paths of His Word. Perhaps when I finally get to Heaven one day, there will be a reunion for the saints like never seen before and it will be better than camp meeting days ever were or could possibly ever be!

______________________________
A Word on Work

I've been thinking about the work ethic as of late. I would like the children to grow up to have qualities of good workmanship. This is a hard task for man, I think. Everything takes work- gardens, dinners, playing the piano or the violin, raising children, the maintenance of a home and of personal property, organization....you name it. I'm preaching to the choir here. But I think about what you don't or won't have without it. I think about the ruin that comes to things and even people in neglect or procrastination.
My children are very blessed to have opportunities that were not available to me. They have a 2 parent home (that desires God). They have several siblings that provide company and friendship. They have been afforded the opportunity to play piano and violin. I've been able to home school them.
All these wonderful things require work. As they grow I want them to see that work is beneficial and not a burden. That one day they will have a chance to work at whatever God so brings their way, and that they can and should do it to the best of their ability.
All this said, we as parents have a large task ahead of us.

The Lowlights and the Highlights..small view into God's view

Yesterday and the day before's lowlights:

• Wiped up several pee spills from the 3yr. old who has been potty trained for over a year now,but is boycotting going to the potty by herself from either fear of ants she encountered last year while we were remodeling our bathroom, or just plain stubbornness.
• Wiped up lots of salt and pepper from 1 yr. old who can't seem to stay off the table or out of mischief.
• Patched up living room chair which 3 yr. old punctured hole in with only the Lord knows what.
• Propped up radio antenna which 7yr. old accidentally broke off.
• 3yr old's elbow popped out of joint again.(2nd time)

The highlights:

• I had enough Chocolate Malt-a-Meal w/marshmallows for everyone to have a bowl for breakfast. (six bowls)
• We went to the Library's Summer Reading Program and watched the Mad Scientist perform some neat experiments to show gravity, centrifugal force, and what you can do with dry ice.
• Cleared hallway where I had several bins of clothes waiting to be taken downstairs to the basement.
• I had fresh pineapple brought back by a friend from Hawaii, 1/4 c. of sweetened condensed milk(I loved this stuff when I was little.) And later, a cup of Butter Pecan Ice Cream.
• I got my bread done for the next week in a half. (five loaves)
• 3yr. old's elbow is OK now.
• Best of all, today is my 3rd born's birthday. She's 5 today.

So what did I glean from all this?

Well, I was not a happy camper when I saw the hole on the furniture. I didn't enjoy one bit watching the 3yr. old just stand there and pee all over the kitchen floor, and I definitely was having a frustrating day with all the wipe ups I had to keep up with from the 1 yr. old. I mentioned the highlights because I don't want to be ungrateful for all my blessings throughout the days. Then it hit me.

As I went over my frustration and disappointment, I stepped back and viewed the children for what they are. Children. Left to themselves, they are helpless.

This must be how God looks at us. We are at times disobedient, stubborn, fearful, destructive and yet he loves us for what we are. His creation, some even His own. He has sympathy/empathy, tender mercies, and wants the best for us.

I had a much better day today. I think it was because I was looking at them through a different view.

More about Posterity

We had a family photo taken yesterday evening! This was truly a step forward for us because we haven't had an official photo(as in a studio sitting) since the 9 yr. old was 2. I have to say I can't wait to get my pictures and give them to our family and good friends. I've looked at the proof they give you with a pick up date I don't know how many times. I look at it and think, "That's my family." I can't express the feelings that well up within me as I think of my posterity. I've thought of the children being 17, 15, 13, 11, 9..... About them calling me Momma, Mommy, Mom.. Of them running up and down the stairs as the years come and go. About them filling up my house and loving their home. God has been so gracious to give us an appreciation and understanding for what a family is to represent. He has been so kind to bring many joys along with strength in the effort of raising the children.

A few days ago, as I was listening to my girls play in their bedroom while I checked emails, I noticed the rough tone the very soon to be 5yr. old used as she played Mommy.
She was definitely being a mean Mommy. The thought that went through my mind was,
"Am I mean spirited when I correct her? Has she learned roughness from me?"
I must admit that I can be hard in correction and there have been many a days when I have apologized to the children for not being patient or kind.
I want them to be gentle in their spirit.

Parenting really isn't for cowards though, because there have been days when I would have rather let them get by with things, but deep inside I know they need discipline, guidance, training, love, time, companionship, forgiveness, mercy, grace..... All these things from a couple who didn't get an instruction manual except the Bible and had no idea what God has had in store for them. But God has seen fit to place them in our care and for that I am so humbled and thankful.

Looking at the proof once again brings a huge smile to my face, perhaps because it is mixed with all kinds of other emotions. But I wouldn't take any of them back for all the time in the world.

Playtime Reminders

7 yr. old says
"I'm going to ride my bike. Let's pretend it's my horse. OK?"
"The Piggies are coming! The Piggies are coming!" (Can you hear the giggles?)
"The British are coming! The British are coming!"
All this is going on while I'm trying to make dinner, and I can see and hear most of it out our kitchen bay window. Minutes later, the girls have the baby in a wagon sucking on lollipops as the carriage boy pulls them along.

These are those kind of moments that you want to hold onto forever. Minutes that you don't want to pass away. It must be their smiles that have captured my heart. Something about their innocence and not so, that brings tenderness to their cry.
-But I'm getting sidetracked here because my blog tonight was suppose to be about playtime. What was it that I was thinking about concerning playtime? I was thinking about how that their thoughts pour out into their play. Can you tell mine had been thinking about the Revolutionary War? We read an early reader today called Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride. It was a very good book. The pictures were just right for all of them and even the 4 yr. old was caught up in the story. We have really enjoyed this time period in history. From the bravery and humble heart of George Washington to the unbelievable betrayal of Benedict Arnold. And it thrills my heart to think it is pouring out into their playtime.

There are many lessons to be learned from children, and I have only begun to scratch the surface on some of them. Playtime....a very good reminder of what our children are digesting.

Doctors and Immunizations

Today I took our One yr. old to his 1 yr. old check up. Everything went well. He's growing good though genetics are taking over and he might be short. :o)

I feel I picked a good pediatrician for my children. Today, I felt like I definitely did. It was time for his MMR immunization. Our doctor had reservations about it. The topic of immunizations had come up several times in the years I've taken the children in and he always has been on the side of better safe than sorry, except for the MMR which he has been studying and the Chicken Pox vaccine. I've let all the children be immunized with a little prayer in my heart and an uneasy feeling. He showed more concern this time. He said studies showed 1 out of 150-250 children get Autism or PDD from it! Surely, he meant 150,000! But he didn't.

1 out of 150-250!
There was enough concern in his mind to feel that the vaccine was questionable.
Maybe, the PDD symptoms came from too much TV watching? He said that had also been speculated.
When do most children with Autism begin to show signs? He said usually at about 15 months but some people don't catch it till the children are 2 or 3 yrs. old. What a coincidence!

Doctors are human. They make mistakes. I'm glad when you have some who show concern and study.
Today, I didn't let them give him the MMR vaccine. He said we could think it over and maybe have it done several months from now if we wanted to. So I left the office thinking.

If it happened to happen, what's worse -Measles, Mumps, Rubella, or ...Autism?

More about Mothering...Expectations.

Even though I've had several kids, I can't really say I'm very experienced since one of my kids is still in diapers and the others aren't too far ahead of him. Somethings are easier to make a call on than others. Things like,
"Fifteen seconds to brush your teeth doesn't count!" or
"No, you can't wear those pants 3 days in a row, even though they are your favorite, they are dirty and need to be washed."

There is a saying that says,
"Expect nothing and you'll get nothing."
There's a lot of truth to this, specially when dealing with children. The problem arises in knowing when and how much to expect.
There is another saying that says,
"You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar."
This one is all true, but hard to apply when the expectations aren't met.
You know... if your child's chore is to sweep the dining room floor and he sweeps right around two or three toys (some even his) and a few cheerios and says he's done... for the 2ND time around.

Expectations are hard to make a call on sometimes for me. It's easier when they are little (under4) but it gets progressively more difficult to judge because the little boogers get so smart.
Not only are you trying to build good character in them by teaching them common sense and responsibility, but you also have to decide whether they are really too tired....really don't know how...just not mature enough... or just plain lazy. This is where the thought "This is Mothering and I love it," starts to waiver into, "I really want a vacation at this moment, but since I love you let me explain to you the situation here..."

I could take the easy route and not expect anything from them. No piano/violin practice, no decent handwriting, beds unmade, no book racks organized...etc but then the 9yr. old wouldn't be ready for his yearly, favorite, group recital on Saturday, and the 7yr. old could not look back on his nicely done copy work and compare it to what he didn't deem worthy of his binder.

Sometimes I feel like the bad person. The one that spoiled all the fun. Sometimes I feel reinforcements coming my way when my kids do something impressive and they are glad about it. All I can say is that this week Benjamin Franklin had it right,
"No Pain, No Gain."

Expectations are good if the one expecting them means well. My job is to make sure that my expectations for them are well aligned with God's.

Mothering

1 yr. old is walking more than 3 or 4 steps. He is walking across rooms now. He walks all the time now as a matter of fact. And I love him so much. Doesn't that sound way too mushy? He wanted to walk with me hand in hand across the room today and as I did, I thought, "This is mothering and I love it."

Mothering has been one thing in my life that God has given me great satisfaction over. There is nothing quite like the kisses you get from a baby who cares not whether you washed your hair today or not. The 1yr. old is not yet completely weaned. I guess I just don't want to stop nursing him until he can get at least 1 cup of milk drank from a sippy cup. He's not done that yet, so for now we are down to nursing 3 times a day. They have been precious times with him and they will soon end. The sad thing is that I will slowly forget these special times. I know I will. I have with the others. I don't mean that I will forget tickling his neck or playing bouncy on my knee with him, or grabbing his toes and making him laugh. I've done that with all of them. What I mean is that the moments will slowly drift away and I won't be able to recall the details. His baby face. His affection toward me. I have five kids now and the memories get a little mixed up sometimes. "This is mothering and I love it."

I'm not naive to think these little children that run me tired won't disappoint me. They will , they do, and they have. But the satisfaction of hearing, seeing, touching the fruit of my labor is so worth it. How could their smiles wrap my heart like the floss they took and wrapped their Rescue Hero with? How can their tears provoke such a feeling for their well-being, not known to those without a child? Mothering brings the best and worst to light before our merciful Saviour. It shows us how selfish we can be. It causes us to evaluate what's important and to grow up and stop being sissies. "This is mothering and I love it."

I could go on and on, but it's getting late and I have to get up early to listen to the 7yr. old do his reading lesson....bake some bread......clean a bathroom....fold some laundry.....Windex some windows.....and do some more mothering. I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in china. (Tea has been on our mind since we've been learning about the Boston Tea Party.)

I love being their Mommy.