Mother necessity is sleeping on the job.  I know it is true!  Being a mother, she surely would have solved a few obvious problems first thing. 

Self folding laundry

Dishes that put themselves away

Dinner that cooks itself

self cleaning floor

self cleaning windows

No it is not purely being lazy...  I just don't have time for all these chores.  I could be quilting!

Yes, my children are well trained but they are also very busy with other things.  No, not sports.  I can see the non-sense of a child being over committed in activities that are just time fillers.  Sure sure, talk to me a sportsmanship... Pthththt.  They can learn that from board games.  Physical fitness?  How about some gardening or home improvement?  Getting along with others?  Can you say, "Large family?"  So please... Sports is the devil's distraction.  Yeah, I know, pretty strong statement.  But really.  I see sports divide families all the time.  Can't be home for dinner, got a game.  Can't be grounded for disrespect, got a game.  Dont' have time to visit grandpa, got a game.  No time to attend Bible study, got a game.

And what do they learn from being on a team?  This group of people come first.  New words from Trash Mouth Tommy.  Atitudes.  Making new friends?  This is by far the biggest argument against sports for me.  Can I go over to Johnny's house? Johnny's mom isn't home, she works full time.  Dad left years ago.  Johnny likes to play video games and watch TV.  Any channel he wants.  His older brother likes to bring his friends over to hang out.  What's that he is drinking?  What's tha he is smoking... "Hey, you want to try some?  Don't be a sissy."  We filter or children's books, media, music, food but we let them hang out with whoever?  The gamble: Maybe they will be a good influnce on Tom and John... More likely, the sin nature being what it is, and a child's (not to mention adult's) desire is to be accepted and approved of...  It's a trap to becoming a man pleaser.  Socially dependent on the interaction with others who will drop you like a rock or run you down in a heart beat.  Why?  Their loyalty lies with number one, that is themselves, not God, not the team, not their family and certainly not your child.  Ok, worse case senario.

I do know some dear people who are very sporty.  This is their family's way of 'being together'  That is their way.  They may very well out live everyone in my family for it...  But, who wants to live into the spoon-feeding years?  I just see the risk as out weighing the benefits.  Now let me include a little hyprocriscy confession... My older two daughters play softball, coed, with their daddy.  Not my choice, its a church team and daddy is with them.  So compromise under the right circumstance, but I still see it as a huge waste of time and distraction from more important things. 

But I digress... My children are busy,  My three oldest are working at VBS this week with their daddy.  (Kind of a team sport thing)  They come home exhausted so I hold my tongue when I really want to say, "dishes, laundry, floors..."  For years I have let them take care of the house work and a good deal of the cooking.  The oldest did the menus and shopping.  Now I'm back in charge of it all.

I'm training the youngers who are 12-1 in years but it is slow.  I can see the blessing here as they are woefully lacking in skills.  Their work ethic is more to the idea of, "can't someone else do it?"  I'm also teaching them how to cook.  This part they enjoy much more than washing dishes and folding laundry.  Ah... summer fun!     

This won't be changing soon either.  My oldest is going to Russia with her daddy on a mission trip.  She is going with a team...ack!  There is that word again.  I hope she plays well with others and is a good sport.  *Snort* lol.  Yeah, yeah, I see it!  They will be gone about two weeks.

DD number two is very gifted with the piano.  This is what the Lord has put in her and it is our job to nurture this gift so we are letting her go to a piano conference .  It is week long.  Then the next week she and her yonger sister, my third oldest are going to a music camp here in town.   This is as far out as I let my children go.  It is hard.   Two and half more weeks of very little of my older children being more than furniture, with the exception of meal time when they will be a little more animated. 

It really is a great thing that the older are too busy to do their normal work as it is forcing me to do the tedious work of training the younger.  I know it is for the best.  I'm feel more productive and I like being on top of everything.  I know where my socks are!  I know where my pots are!  I know how many cans of beans I have! 

I'm a good administrator but I need to be working along side these younger ones.  Maybe today I will do bathroom class!  Toilet cleaning 101!  Oooh fun!  Team work! Team work! Rah rah rah!  *snort*

Maria Sue Chapman, adopted and youngest daughter to Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed March 21st, in a tragic accident in the family driveway on Wednesday evening. She was LifeFlighted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, but for only reasons God can explain she went home to Him... not to Franklin as we all so  desperately wanted.

“Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman's completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago. These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again.” - Jim Houser (Manager)

Steven Curtis Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association. The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The         experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption. The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that,"      Chapman says on his Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."  Chapman also wrote a song for Maria called Cinderella.  Please pray for this family and let this story move your heart to hold your children, evaluate your priorities and make the most of your days.

Psalm 90 

    1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
    2 Before the mountains were born
         Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
         Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
    3 You turn man back into dust
         And say, "Return, O children of men."
    4 For a thousand years in Your sight
         Are like yesterday when it passes by,
         Or as a watch in the night.
    5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
         In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
    6 In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
         Toward evening it fades and withers away.
    7 For we have been consumed by Your anger
         And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.
    8 You have placed our iniquities before You,
         Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
    9 For all our days have declined in Your fury;
         We have finished our years like a sigh.
    10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
         Or if due to strength, eighty years,
         Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
         For soon it is gone and we fly away.
    11 Who understands the power of Your anger
         And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
    12 So teach us to number our days,
         That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
    13 Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?
         And be sorry for Your servants.
    14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
         That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
    15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
         And the years we have seen evil.
    16 Let Your work appear to Your servants
         And Your majesty to their children.
    17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
         And confirm for us the work of our hands;
         Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

Here is a portion of the song he wrote for his daughter called “Cinderella”

She spins and she sways,
To whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world
on my shoulders.

It's been a long day,
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me,
Saying "Dad, I need you
There's a ball at the castle,
And I've been invited,
And I need to practice my dancing.
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms.
'Cause I know something the prince never knew’
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight. ’

And she'll be gone...

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZinemmausinn

Hi everyone.  Please go take a look and forward the info to anyone you think would be willing to help my daughter and husband pay their way to Russia.  For a mission trip with Slavic Gospel Association.  I made all the items listed with the help of my daughters.  These quilts are very hard to part with.  I have spent 3 or 4 months working on these.  Even if you are not looking to buy, go look, they are real pretty.  I especially love the Kaleidoscope quilts. Please forward the link.  This ends next Sunday and I need as many people as possible to get involved for a good auction.

I only have two little girls left.  I was sorting through all my fabric,  while I was searching, I found fabric and patterns to make my ten year and eight year old some jumpers.  I bought this fabric and pattern back when they were the smallest size on the package, now they are the largest.  Good thing I always buy a little extra fabric. I'm going to make them right away while I still have enough fabric.  This may be the last summer they will want to wear the little girl jumpers. 

All my children are growing up.  I have more older children than young ones.  I have no baby girls.  My son is twelve and I am already having trouble telling the difference between his clothes and his father's.

It just makes me feel old and sad.  Time goes so fast.  At least Jo at 18 months, is still a baby but he is learning to talk already.  He was out playing with his big sister and came in smelling like a boy with a limp flower hanging over his ear and telling me in baby talk about the kitties (the only discernable word). 

I love that they still bring me flowers.  My oldest who told me she will be twenty in nine months still puts flowers in her hair.  I like that.