Tuesday

She looked so sweet sleeping one night.

We are having great weather today!
The kids have spent a lot of time outside, which is good for everyone!
It's Tuesday and that means home group tonight.  I love home group for lots of reasons, one of them being that it guarantees that at least one day a week, the downstairs gets picked up pretty well.  It doesn't say anything for what might fall out of a closet somewhere or what's going on upstairs but at least one floor is decent!
A couple of things to share:
*The kids' bathroom usually doesn't smell good at all.   I couldn't find anything to help until I stumbled on this suggestion:  cornstarch.  I sprinkled dumped cornstarch around the bottom of the toilet and dampened it then let it sit for a few hours.  It helped!  Didn't make the room smell like flowers yet but at least it doesn't knock you out when you go in.
*Getting enough fruits and veggies into the kids can be a challenge.  Some kids are more challenging than others around here.  So, sometimes I hide a fruit or vegetable.  Last week I pureed blueberries and milk then dumped them into pancake batter.  The pancakes were blue.  I can't say that everyone was thrilled to eat blue pancakes but they did eat them and decided they were good.  I also make pizza sauce out of diced tomatoes and baby food carrots.  Smoothies are good for hiding fruit, too.  None of these are a substitute for learning to eat healthy foods but they sure help.
Off to straighten up.  Enjoy the day!

This Day

We have been deep into school today.
Immigration in the late 1800s/early 1900s
John Adams
U.S. geography
watercolors
lapbooking
reading
I do love the things we can learn together.
It is not always (really never) such a nice, neat package, though.  Somebody (or everybody, or me) is grumpy, maybe not as motivated as I'd like them to be, etc...  Even though it's been a mixed-bag today, I'd rather not let that set the tone for the rest of the day...it's only a little after 3!
I believe gratitude is one of the things God uses to change our perspective, and I have been reminded of this many times this week in different ways.  So, I made myself begin to think of what I can be thankful for in this day, for "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Here's a few:
*the Richard Scarry book Lucy got for Christmas.  Why?  Because I have read it to Sam and Lucy repeatedly this week and they love looking for Mr. Frumble and Lowly (which Lucy pronounces "Wowy") and they always laugh at the same things.
*blueberry pancakes that I made with pureed blueberries,which all the kids liked (more on this later)
*the green paint in Sammy's hair- it makes me smile
*a basketball game tonight
*those minutes to read this morning in quiet that I thought I had lost
*my husband's leadership
*the laundry detergent that makes the house smell good as it does it's job
*Kayla's enthusiasm over lapbooks
*how Lucy says "woodles" for noodles
*Jack's laugh
*Sammy's lego ship- he was pretty happy with himself
*the unsolicited apology from a child
*the reminder to practice thankfulness

I had to go back and add this.  Her hair was so crazy when she woke up!

Not Getting Smaller

taken around Christmas

Sammy's still in his Buzz Lightyear foot jammies this morning.
"Mom, you know I'm not going to get any smaller, right?"
Believe me, I know.
"So when I grow up I'm still gonna live with you.  I don't want my own house."
I doubt it but OK.
"Because I won't want to let go of you."
I smiled.  Maybe even held back a tear or two.
He's been the one who holds on, in more ways than one, the tightest and the longest, who really likes a lap to sit in or arms to hold him.  He lets go a little more all the time but it makes sense to me, knowing Sammy, that he thinks he'll still want to hold on to me when he's all grown up.
He'll be ready to fly one day.  It will come sooner than I know.
But for now, I'll remember to take his hugs and his "hold me" whenever I can.

Just Because

Happiness...

Determination

She sat in the recliner, leaned back and comfy looking.
"You know, somedays I determine that I will smile all day.  Others, I determine that I will not say no.  Sometimes I determine that I will not yell.  But it never works out that way."
I felt a great tenderness towards her, as I determine these things, and others, for myself, too.  And no matter how hard I try, I often fail.
"Why do you think it never works out?"   I confess, I was sure a teachable moment had landed in my lap.
Her reply?  "Boys.  If there were no boys, I could do all of those things."
Hmmm.  Not quite the answer I expected but, I get it.  It is easy to blame our mood or our behavior on someone or something else.  I can't think how many times I have thought "if ____ were different, then I could ___."  Fill in the blanks with whatever you want.  Excuses are a dime a dozen but they quickly fall flat.
What comes out of my mouth is what is in my heart.
"...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  Luke 6:45
But what good news for my little girl and her mama that we have One who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and offers us great mercy in our time of need.  (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

An Old What?

He wanted me to keep reading.
I was imagining the clock in my mind and feeling the need to move on to math.
I started to say no, we're done for today.
"Oh come on, be an old dear!"
Yes.  That is what my nearly 10 year old said to me.
After we all had a good laugh, of course, I read on.

Friday Evening

It is Friday evening and I am looking forward to the last episode of "Cranford" tonight along with some Ben and Jerry's...a guilty pleasure that makes my kids roll their eyes and say "Mooommmmyyy!  That is NOT fair!"  Ha.  There are perks to being the mom.
Jack is playing basketball for the first time so we headed out to a game tonight.  I know nothing about the game but it was fun to watch.  He's getting the hang of it.  Lucy sang the whole way to the game, a mix of "Deck the Halls" and some other songs that I'm not too sure about.  At one point, she said, "One more guys!"  Sam was not impressed.  Kayla has been taking pictures all day.  She used her camera to record some of the movie "Little Women" as she watched.  Pretty sure that'd be illegal in the theaters.
Sammy and I read this book, "The Summer Snowman," before he went to bed.  I loved it.  So cute.  This author wrote the "Harry the Dirty Dog" books, too.  Check 'em out!
Have a good weekend!

Birthday Prayers

What I heard this morning as the kids and I prayed for their dad on his birthday:
"Thank you...
...that we have a loving daddy.
...that he understands when we think no one else understands.
...that he does things with me like reading Rangers Apprentice and going to Hanging Rock.
...that he is kind and thoughtful.
...that he is just the best daddy in the world."
He's a gift to his family and a joy to live this life with.
Happy Birthday!  We love you!

What's In a Name?

Jack took Lucy from my arms to carry her downstairs.
"Come on Pooters. Papa Smudge's got ya."
What?
I laughed.  Really hard.  Later, after I had time to think about it.
Sometimes I wonder if these kids, especially Jack, ever call each other by their real names.
Here's a list of the current ones:
Pooters (Lucy's nickname)
Pooterton
Stinkbert
Stinkpot
Stinkbug
Smudge (saved for Lucy)
Papa Smudge (my personal favorite)
Pinkerton
Stinkerton
Parma
Parmasoochers
Council of Chalcedon (I know.)
There's a general theme going.  I guess "stink" and boys go together pretty well.

On Cleaning Floors

I always knew when my poor dad had vacuumed.
My bed would be covered with all the stuff that had been all over my floor.
I can't think right now what it all was.  I was too old for toys.
Probably clothes, books, papers, trash.
Whatever it was, there was plenty of it.
And he was the one who had to shovel it all up there, only for me to likely throw it back on the floor when I got home.
Sadly, I am really not all that different, twenty-plus years later.  Now, though, it bothers me.
I have never been a neat person.  Organization does not come easily to me.  I want to teach my children responsibility.  I want an orderly (not perfect) home.
I try, I really do.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed mopping the floor today.  I won't tell you how long it had been but  I will say it was last year.  Something about a clean floor is good for my sanity.  I think it's because in order to mop or vacuum, you first have to pick up everything that was on the floor to begin with.
Sweep up the crumbs, scrape off the dried cereal, put the books back on the shelf, search for all those little legos.
It won't take long for those things and more to find their way back to their familiar places on the floor.
But for a while, even a short while, my sanity (or at least some of it) is restored.
The thing I am learning about all of this, though, is that it is not the clean nor the dirty floor, the messy nor the neat house, nor anything else, that should set my heart on its track for the day.  It must be God and His word that direct my mind and my heart, my thoughts and my emotions.  He is steadfast and unchanging.  And He alone is where my worth is anchored.

Saturday Date

"Mom, this is the most fun I've ever had.  Is it the most fun you've ever had?"
Sam and I went on a date this afternoon.  He had hot chocolate and I had a latte.
We shared a giant chocolate chip cookie.
We played Toy Story go fish, drew pictures, and read a book.
This little guy was a great date.  So happy and chatty.
What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
He's a delight.

A Few Things

1.  Down with stomach bugs.  It's slowly making its way around our family.
2.  I love Cranford.  Last night it made me cry.  Really cry.  Can't wait to watch it again.
3.  I had the craziest dream last night that I was in labor.  It's so vivid-it has stuck with me all day.  When I woke up my sides were hurting.  Maybe that's why I had that dream?
4.  I wish you could have been a fly on the wall at our house tonight.  You might have:

*seen this cute little thing in sunglassess after her bath
*heard Sammy say slowly, seriously, while shaking his head, "I have a bad feeling about daddy tonight."  (Daddy being the sick one today)
*heard me say, "Lucy!" after she got into the refrigerator again and helped herself to another clementine. She said to me, "It's o-tay Mom.  Really."   (I've heard that several times in the past few days.)
*seen Kayla take on bath time for Sam and Lucy.  She really wanted to be helpful.  And she was for a time, though not long after I got them settled in the bathroom, you would have-
*heard screaming and splashing and found a really wet bathroom
*after all of that, you would have seen Kayla holding Lucy in her lap and gently wiping water off her forehead.  Lucy doesn't know how good she's got it.

And now, to finish getting ready for tomorrow!

Sunday Evening

It has been a good Sunday.  I got a nap, read the paper, and played Sequence with the kids.  Well, until Lucy woke up and was sitting on everyone's cards and putting extra chips all over the board.  We called it quits after that.
Just had a nice conversation with my mom and now maybe we'll watch "Cranford."  I've heard lots of good things about it.
A few things I heard today:
Jack:  "I love the way a new book smells, just before you open it."  Me, too.
Kayla, after peeking in her room when Lucy was in bed:  "Mom, Lucy is just soooo cute laying there playing with her hair and holding her puppy."
Sam, after I asked him if he remembered how much I love him:  "Ummm, as far as the sun's light can go?" Even more, buddy.

It's Friday

My kitchen window looks over to my neighbor's driveway, which has had a storage pod in it for a week or so.  The truck to take the pod away just pulled up.  And I have to say it makes me a little sad.  Some sweet little girls are moving and my kids have enjoyed them so much.  Hoping for nice new friends soon.
Our whole day is a little off.  Kayla has a stomach bug- yuck.  I imagine germs crawling on everything I see.  She's a little pitiful and watching Sound of Music.
The boys are outside on this beautiful January day.  I really need to call Jack in so we get some sort of school work done today but I hate to take him away from the warmth.  Maybe a few more minutes.  Or maybe we'll just take Granny's advice and "get back on track Monday."

Favorite verse from this morning:

"You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."

Psalm 4:7

It's not about our stuff or our circumstances, is it?

Lucy's prayer from this morning:

"Father God.  Thanks that I potty train."

Loved that.

Wednesday Evening

Tomorrow we head back to CC.  
It has taken me quite a while to get my ducks back in a row.  Not the kids.  
Just myself, my stuff.  
But...I think I'm ready.  We'll see.  I'm realizing just how nice this break has been.  We've been moving at a slower pace, which really hasn't seemed slow but at least less busy.  Routine is good, too, though, and it has been good to get back into one.
Lucy is doing great with her potty training.  So far, pretty easy.  I am surely thankful for that!
Yesterday she looked at me with her big smile and said, "Guess what, Mommy!"
"What?"
"I wuv you."
Oooohhh you know that made me squeeze her good.
We are reading The Railway Children together in the mornings.  I love starting our school day that way.  This book is turning out to be a new all time favorite.  Kayla couldn't wait to find out what happened next and they begged me to keep reading.  It's really a wonderful read.  Pick it up, even if you don't have young ones at home.  You'll enjoy it!

A Little Snow

Last night, looking through the windows into the darkness, everything seemed quiet and peaceful.  You couldn't tell then that there was just a skiff of snow covering the ground.  It didn't matter.
This morning, our world is still white.  The grass poking through is obvious now but it's still pretty.  The wind still blows and there are flurries in the air.
It's not helping my motivation to get in a full day of school.  Neither is the fact that the children, all but Lucy, have been down playing in the basement (nicely!!) for a good hour now.  Do I really want to interrupt that?
I think I will let Lucy keep on playing with her baby- singing to the doll and laying her in the cradle, talking to the baby, covering her with many blankets.  "Baby's happy, Mom."
Maybe I will tidy up around here for a bit then call the others up while things are still good down there.

From earlier this morning:  When Sammy looked out the window this morning, he said, "Mom!  Winter's finally here!"
Jack said, "I guess I'm gonna make some money today."
I think he's forgotten about that already.
Enjoy the day!

Back to It

I love this picture.  Those two enjoyed some good cuddle time on the couch last night.
We are easing our way back into the world of Latin, US geography, math, etc...  A little at a time.
Lucy ventured into potty training this morning.  So far, so good.  Her new favorite song is "Chin Up," which I only know from the movie "Charlotte's Web."  She says chim up, which makes it that much cuter when she sings.
The wind is blowing and with it a little snow.  It's a good day to be inside and keep working on this Christmas whirlwind that hit our house.
Happy New Year!