Apr. 10, 2008 - Where do you school?

Some folks are reading on the floor type, with feet propped on the couch.  It's comfy that way.  Others are more straight-up desk people.  And there's a wide variety in between.  Well, when our firstborn turned four, we found a real, live school desk and sat him by the fridge so I could help him with problems while I cooked, then we had one, two, three, four more kids...now the desks don't fit upstairs.  My husband works at a school (not a teacher, but ironic anyway), and can bring home discarded desks. 

So we decided we have a spare room in the basement, painted it up, put up our "schooly" posters, and diligently learned down there...for all of two months.  We gradually brought everything but the desks and posters back upstairs by the kitchen.  I can make my husband's lunch and dinner for work and supervise.  (It seems if I leave the room for a nanosecond, everyone has dispersed and chaos reigns.  For this young age they need the outside force to continue working.)

Well, as my husband isn't yet sold on the benefits of homeschooling, he doesn't approve of us using the kitchen table since he can't find a spot to place his breakfast plate.  So we moved some books into my office and bring them to the table as we need them.  We just can't remember to bring them back to the office.  Sometimes we bring them to the couch and loll around with our feet up and learn.

Today we've been compelled to use the "school room" again, though I don't know for how long we'll remain down there, especially with the 13-month-old repeatedly getting into trouble.  But we've cleaned out the room of cobwebs and rearranged the desks again and wiped down the chalkboard.  Now just gathering all the books that have made their way upstairs.

But the best place for learning is in their hearts, no matter where they are.  Bed time always works well for us, it's never planned, and conversation flows.  They talk about what's on their mind and heart, and we share a lot of meaningful discussion when I take the time to lay on their bed and be there.  So many facts and traits and opinions are ingested and really stick when we share special times together.

Where do you school?  But more importantly, where are your kids' hearts growing in godly traits?

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Apr. 9, 2008 - Mount Laundry

Yes, what I've almost avoided all winter has finally hit us...the stomach flu.  And I have never dealt with stomach flu with seven individuals before, and the tottering mountain of laundry that ensues from washing sheets, blankets and three changes of clothes per person per day.  My three-year-old never can seem to make it to the toilet, and we're bringing home a carpet steam cleaner tomorrow.  Just lovely.  I haven't eaten yet today except some crackers, but I'm going to test a little something now, just because I am hungry, even though my body tells me, I will hurl it out of here, so good luck.

I had to work today (court reporter by trade, mom by choice), and unfortunately it was the deposition of a forensic pathologist...think "Dr. G, Medical Examiner."  He does autopsies, and today was of a supposedly abused 18-month-old, and not to sound insensitive, but this is my work, and there were photos of the eyeballs on a table and the head opened dissecting the brain.  I am sensitive anyway to any type of child abuse, but this almost made me lose my cookies on the table.  I couldn't get off work, and it was a bad day to have to go through while having a stomach bug.

ANYWAY!  Enough loveliness.  I'm sure you get the picture.  Hoping that you and yours are healthy and cared for,

Blesssings!

 

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Mar. 21, 2008 - Are You Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic?

Just for fun, I like words.  I've always been like that.  From the moment I can remember reading I loved to sit with a dictionary or encyclopedia and browse to my heart's content.  I am the kind that read the back of cereal boxes, every single introduction page of books, right along with the Library of Congress information, and anything I can get my hands on.

While enjoying a wonderful list of phobias, I came up with a few that my son and I thought were funny...and true for some people!

Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns

Defecaloesiophobia- Fear of painful bowels movements

Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school

Geniophobia- Fear of chins

Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking

Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8

Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th

Tonitrophobia- Fear of thunder

Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers

Genuphobia - Fear of knees

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words

My son says he has this one:  Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables

And the worst fear of all....Phobophobia - Fear of phobias!

To find your phobia, check out www.phobialist.com.

I like lists and data and surveys and useless information too.  Next time maybe I'll post something else I enjoy reading about.

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

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Mar. 9, 2008 - The Officers at My Door

Tell me I'm not the only person this has happened to.

I think this is about the 3rd or 4th time over the years.  I'm cleaning the basement with the four older ones, minding my own business (my mistake), when I notice my 12-month-old with the phone.  How it got on the floor from the top of the file cabinet, nobody ever admits to.  And she's pushing buttons.  And she's pushed 9-1-1. 

Okay. 

I should have listened to see if she connected, but I just hung up.  I waited for them to call back, which has happened before when other young children have done so in my house.  No call back.  Yay, I'm thinking, she never connected.

It's a "school" day, snowing outside, and I'm wearing shorts with my hair in a sloppy bun, my kids look like ragamuffins (we're cleaning the basement, remember?).

I hear the basement door open, and my husband shouts down, "Honey, the police are here." 

NOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!!

I have a trampoline blocking the bottom of the stairs so the baby doesn't climb up, towels are everywhere, and my five children come spilling out of the woodwork to stand and stare up at the officers.  They asked if everything was okay, and I apologized profusely, stating it was an accident and I waited for the return call to say my baby had the phone.  They kindly asked me to let the baby play with a pretend phone next time, and then they left.

Apparently my husband had told them at the door that everything was okay, and it was just an accident, but he said it looked like they didn't believe him, so he invited them in to check, said his wife was in the basement homeschooling the kids (which we weren't).

Yes.  Right.  So then.  Now I feel like I'm on some black list of homeschooling families that have messy homes and CPS will be knocking at my door any minute.  All these years I have managed to fly below the radar without a soul bothering us or knowing a thing about me.

That has been, oh, at least a week ago, and no visit from CPS...yet.  Well, really, we weren't doing anything wrong . . . except crank-calling 9-1-1, right?  Everyone has a messy house some days, don't they?  With police officers dodging toys and books, staring down at a wild woman in shorts on a snowy day with too many kids looking unkempt?

Well, after the first night of unease, I gave this over to the Lord.  You know, this is why I am a member of HSLDA, and it was just one of those things.

Lesson learned.  Everyone of my children as babies has at one time or another dialed 9-1-1.  How, I have no clue.  Keep the phones away from your babies, folks.  And don't wear shorts on below freezing days when police men come visiting.

Amen.

 

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Feb. 24, 2008 - The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done

I was reading one book in my giant stack of books this last week, "Every Woman's Marriage."  I enjoyed some of it, not a lot applied to my situation, but I always find it worth trying to improve myself, my marriage and being a mother a laudable goal in life.

She mentioned something, I should look it up for an exact quote.  Oh, well, couldn't find it.  But it is most people assume they get married to live happily ever after.  But we get married to glorify God and exemplify Jesus' relationship with the church.  Not that we can't be happy, and we strive towards that, but you don't just get married and boom, life is a peach.

It's hard to put my thoughts into words on this, but most people are naturally incredibly selfish.  We're single, with little responsbility, and marriage puts things into a whole other perspective.  And for most people, children come along soon enough, and your plate is fuller than you'd ever imagined, and there's a selfish monster that can roar up inside you, wanting more of this or that than what life is currently offering you.

It is hard to give yourself to another person in marriage, and to make it happen daily takes an incredible amount of selflessness, charity, kindness, love, patience, and on the list goes.

I never realized how deficient my life was of these things until I got married.  The first years before kids were a struggle adjusting to not have my every whim satisfied, and since having five children, my needs are pretty low on the list of things to get done.  Of course we need a certain amount of maintenance to function for our family proper, but there can be a certain amount of longing for things that are no longer profitable.

Just as an example, please stick with me here.  Don't zone out.  We've heard these verses so many times they can become little more than words.

Love is patient, love is kind.  Being truly loving means not getting frustrated and snappy with my husband when we're late for the Nth time because his exercise time ran over and we're late for the movie (yes, it happened again tonight).  Kind to my kids when they are banging and my head is ringing.  Is it so hard to ask them nicely to stop instead of shouting?

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   Yes, the Joneses seem so happy at church, and we wonder why our family can't be more like that.  You don't know what goes on behind closed doors.  Be pleased and thankful with your family.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  So I can't keep reminding my husband of that time when...?  I shouldn't snap at him when he's watching his fourth soccer game this day and I'm feeling lonely?  Why be rude, when I can kindly ask him if he'd like to spend some time with me?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   Love never fails.  I need to always hope in my Lord to sanctify me and my relationship with my kids and husband, to protect them by keeping a safe, clean home, persevering with my 14th load of dirty laundry this week, to bless them. 

I have seen some of this in a new light this week, a revelation of sorts.  I am daily giving of so many things in life, and in the past, I have been somewhat resentful at times of not getting what I wanted.  It was, and is, so difficult to give up all thought of self-gain, and truly sacrifice yourself to Christ.  But whatever you give Him, He will return a hundredfold.

I notice that the more I give, the easier it becomes.  I know it will never be simple to stop what I want and just give it up, but with time, and the Lord's guidance, I'm finding it more comfortable.

I feel like I've just babbled for a page and a half.  It's very hard to express where I am in my walk with the Lord.  I don't think you'd point me out in the street and say, look at that incredibly selfish woman over there!  My husband thinks I'm wonderfully submissive and a good woman, and I don't say that to puff myself up, but outward appearances are not always what they appear.  I do what is right, but often enough with a pouty heart. 

The time is getting quicker though for forgiveness.  When we were first married I could be angry with my husband for weeks at some slight.  Tonight when he was extremely late for our date, I decided, I can either ruin my night, or just give my frustration to the Lord, and enjoy the rest of the evening.  I can make him feel bad for spoiling everything, or start from this point fresh.  It took about a minute of deciding, but after I make the choice, and it is a choice, to erase the past and begin again, such a weight was lifted off my shoulders.  Why hold onto anger and petty grievances? 

I thank you for reading if you've gotten this far, this has been long.  The hardest thing I've ever done has been getting married and sticking with the struggles, and achieving the most difficult of tasks, the laying down of myself to give to others.  I know I will continue to grow daily in this.   I am such a sinner and thank God He takes the time to give me challenges and grief in life in order for me to come out cleaner in the refiner's fire. 

And through the fire I have been lately.  Thank you, God, for purifying me.

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