Is anybody out there?

Things are going to slow down this summer; I say so.
Cause, you know I have control over everything, you know. NOT!

It has been a pretty busy year. We've had Sarah join our homeschool, so there are three to teach.  Well, offically, I mean. What part of parenting doesn't include teaching?

I mean, we need to train our kids to be polite, use their manners, do their chores, and of course the ever popular lesson for toddlers: don't hand me the entire contents of your diaper, from your bare hand to my bare hand. Please, please just use the potty.

But I digress.

Parenting is hard work. There is the never ending steam of household chores, the children to train and raise, and for some, we also take responsibility for the schooling of the children. It's an endless stream of busy that can leave you feeling as though you're treading water and not sure you're gonna make it.
Nearing the end of the school year is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for me.
Here comes the lifeboat;)

For me, The baby is now a year old, and *this close* to sleeping through the night. I can feel it.
I have one child finished their school year, and a couple hot on their heels. There *is* the foregone conclusion that marking will be involved, but then maybe be can settle down some and actually get out to enjoy some outdoor time. And, there is the pat on the back that comes with catching up a child that was struggling enough that you had to start the school year over at one point. Whether anyone else acknowledges the work you put in, YOU know that the work will be worth it.

Our summer will still include learning, make no mistake, it's impossible with the limitless curiousity of the group we have here.... They come by it honestly. It's hereditary.
What some people call nosey, I call inquisitive, and really, isn't that the way it should be?
I once heard someone say that if you stop learning, you stop growing.
I would agree with that statement.
But, I have to say that I am going to enjoy a slower pace. It will be my saving grace, not to be pushed by the concept of how many lessons left til the end of the year; whether we've got a certain concept covered well enough, or even whether I'm living up to other people's expectations.

I think it's important to have that time to take the pressure off. To refill the pitcher that is your life so you can continue to pour out to the ones around you.
One thing that refills my pitcher is to know I'm not alone in this thing. To know there is someone else out there that has had struggles and has survived. To hear that it's possible to do the hard thing and make it, no, thrive. To be encouraged to keep on, not quit, find answers, and hang on just one minute longer than the hard times last.

Sometimes we as people want to just be encouraged.  In the dark times, sometimes we internally want to say "Is anybody out there?". Somebody? Anybody?

With this in mind, I think I'm gonna purpose to find the people in need of encouragement. Make a point of saying something uplifting to them. I've heard it might just change their whole day. And on the worst of days, who couldn't handle being told they're doing something right?
Who knows? It might just fill their pitcher a little too....

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?!

I love Facebook. It's sort of my window to the outside world. You can see just about anything go on out there in cyberspace just by logging on. Yes, from this you might discern I don't get out much.

Recently, I followed several posts as they asked for opinions or directions on how to handle a couple of somewhat itchy matters, that people can have some strong opinions on. The person had an honest interest in knowing how to best follow their conviction, while also living at peace with all men. You'd hope there could be a simple answer.

Sometimes that's not so easy. You see, everyone has an opinion. Everyone seems to like their opinion. (Go figure) And it seems it is a rare person who feels strongly on a matter that doesn't think you shouldn't be persuaded to do 'it' the *right* way.

(* their way)

Opps, did I really say that?! <gasp>.

I saw this happen on this post, and it stayed respectful. But it got me to thinking about how many times I had seen it before. I've seen it get nasty sometimes.  Nice christian ladies, having a fit online, saying things we'd never say to each other's faces.

We are able to find a verse that allows, with it's interpretation, a 'scriptural basis', a support for most of our issues; and yet, sometimes even with the same scripture, we can still fall on both sides of the coin with our opinion on a certain issue.

 It seems that there are many matters where the answer isn't clear cut; it's disputable.

Now, I am not my husband (the walking concordance) so I confess I had to go to http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2014&version=NIV to do a look up, cause I was certain that there was something in there about 'disputable matters'.

Here's what I found. I think it speaks beautifully to the issue, even though the topic is different, the heart remains the same:

Romans 14

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”^[b]

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴ I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[c]

It's so easy to get lost in the large passage, so the take away for me is 'to refrain from quarrelling over disputable matters' with those of our faith, (even if the other party is interested in quarrelling); to refrain from judging the other person's position because it *is* a disputable matter, since we leave that to God (who is capable to judge His own servants); don't treat each other with contempt; to fully choose not to put a stumbling block in another person's way causing them to fall; to act in love and act according to mutual peace and edification, and to keep these issues between ourselves and God. Most importantly, we act according to our faith on the matter, lest we sin.

I've been mulling it over ever since it occurred to me.
Would we recognize our role in how these disputable matters play out in real life?
Or maybe, just maybe , we've seen these differences in disputable matters before, in our personal relationships. A fellow christian does things a little differently, and we distance ourselves from them. Perhaps we inwardly criticize them. Perhaps we don't keep our opinions to ourselves, and we talk to someone else about it, behind their back.  Perhaps we go right up to them and try to 'educate' them on how to do 'it' *right* .Would we recognize in ourselves when we step over the line? Do we follow our biblical model?

There's not much left to argue with when you look at it like that.

When you think of it that way, it  just could be life changing to apply that *one* portion of scripture.
Can you imagine the quality of our relationships getting better? The focus on God's work we can achieve when not divided and distracted?  The lives that can be changed because we draw people to us when we don't fight amonsgt ourselves?

Let us not waste our time being divided from one another.
We've got so many other important things to do.

The Eccentricities of a Child (or 'Climbing, and Ranting and Spiels Oh My!'

I don't have to try hard around here to find that people have quirks. Although we try hard as adults to use self control, kids just haven't come that far.
I have a climber in the house, for instance. She is two. She has quite the 'can do' attitude and she uses it to her advantage. She can climb the chairs, counters, entertainment unit, and other various scary things in my house; and so she does. She seems to have absolutely no fear whatsoever. My Dear husband insists we should have her checked for radio-activity, to see if she has had the Spider-Man treatment, as he believes she even has the ability to climb walls. I can not figure out where she gets it from. Mind you, there is that old idea that your kids are payback for what you did to your parents as a child.

I'd like to take this moment to address my parents. What ever I did, I am SOOOOOO sorry.

I'd like for that one to use the self control I've been trying to get to 'take' for quite some time now; until then, I just have to amuse myself with the fact that most of what she does no longer makes my heart threaten to jump right out of my chest, like I see it do to grandma when she observes this particular child.
 I guess in some ways, desensitization is not just a term to use about getting too used to tv violence anymore.

Have you ever watched the total abandonment to which a child submits themselves when they are having a fit? You'd think they'd be embarassed when they lose it, but no, this type of refinement is left for many adults. (I'd say all, but I've been to Wal-Mart lately.....just saying, you find all kinds there.)

It's just like fireworks, seeing a child go off..... they change colours, make noise, and some throw themselves in the air. Then they come down in a less than spectacular fashion. Yup. It's fun while it lasts, and the power expelled in the process is unbelieveable.
And somehow, as we grow, we figure out that we'd better tone it down. Fireworks become sparklers; at least I'm hoping so.......

Perhaps it is overexposure to my child's eccentricities, but I find myself occasionally tuning out when my little professor is yet again telling me everything about his video games.
 Perhaps I should hang on my oldest childs' third monologue of the day on the topic of Luigi's Mansion and all of the pictures of the specific characters he has spent all day drawing, and how he's gonna frame them all and hang in his room; I'd have to say that the conversation all too often is completely onesided and ends up reminding me of the teacher in highschool that was teaching a subject you were just convinced you were never gonna need again. You tried desperately to look like you were paying attention..... but you were miles away.
I'm not even sure that the things I was doing while tuning the boy out were even interesting; dishes, laundry, or just trying to make the kid do his school work.

Sometimes I wonder how much of these quirks I'm gonna miss one day. There is the occasional gem in the monologue about 'all things Nintendo',  or you get a glimpse of what makes your firecracker 'tick', or you even get the unusual rare moment in your climber when she is just sitting quietly in your lap, looking like she's got no ambitions to scale any large piece of furniture, and spontaeneously looks you in the eye and in her own garbled two year old way says "A wove you mommee". It warms the heart and makes all the hard moments worth it.

Regular self-control will come; but today is not that day......

Coming out of the fog

It's been a while since I've written; too long really.
I'll take a few moments to update you on what is going on with us:

We welcomed our bundle of joy on May 10th. Rachel Eleanor. This means the girls officially out number the boys again. She is now almost 6 months old, and doing something new every day.  She seems fairly easy-going, save for the moments when she wants mom and no one else. ;) Current loves seem to be rolling over and the Jolly Jumper.

Michaela turned two in September, and everything you expect of a two-year old. She is busy, lively, and quite free-spirited. She has a fond dislike for socks, anything that brushes her hair back, and the floor. she is a climber by nature, and seems to push the limits daily on things that must be explored.

Sarah started JK this year and is really enthusiastic about it. She proves much easier in that department than the boys. Let us hope she does not lost her enthusiasm for learning any time soon,
She has turned into quite the chatterbox, and with a larger vocabulary now she is letting everyone know what she thinks.

John is still our resident artist; next to daddy of course. He can often be found with pencil crayons, or crayons or some type of crafty project. Inherently a hands-on individual, he prefers to be working on something; sometimes that means he is using a hammer and nails or screws in the drywall, simply because he wanted to 'fix' something. He is an expert on all things potty language, and takes every opportunity to display his proficiency. He is currently interested in being a zoo keeper when he grows up.

Josh is still as social as ever. He must take after me in that department, cause he doesn't get it from Mark. He's become quite the tech savy little monkey; in fact he is the one called whenever mommy can't figure out the electronics and he generally comes up and takes care of the issues right away.

Things are as active around here as they have always been; I hear that one day we'll miss this..... well, I know one thing I won't miss: not sleeping through the night. That is one thing I want to come back- a night of full sleep. Maybe then I'll feel like I've come out of the fog ;)

"I'm gonna burn my books!"

Wow, this is totally the kind of thing that you want to hear from a homeschooled child......lol

Before it sounds a little too disturbing, let me put it in a bit of perspective for you: John has spent his grade one year working on his books, and as all kids do, enjoying some subjects more than others.....

We knew that he was getting to the end of his grade one year, and we decided that we were going to set goals to finish all of the subjects by certain dates, to keep him motivated to complete his year.
The end of all of this would result in "THE WEEK OF WII" (Does that sound wonderful to anyone but a male child?),
Hopefully this affords me the time to do some long overdue mark recording, and issuing of report cards.

So we've spent the last week ending the subjects on the agreed upon dates, and we have come to today.... the date that the last subject, reading, is finished.
Not the child's favourite subject for the record. And being the child who looks most like me, you'd think he'd have inherited my love for reading...... no, not so much.
He's fine with listening to a story read out loud, but hand the boy a book and you've got a fight on your hands....

Being all boy- he appreciates movies, and Wii...... lots of Wii.

So, He finished reading today while I was occupied putting children down for naps,.... and while I am upstairs, I hear him yell "I'm gonna burn all my books!"
Well, of course I suspect what is going on, and make my way down the stairs just to make sure he's not serious, cause knowing this kid, he know EXACTLY where the gas stove is and HOW to turn it on. And I'm thinking after all the grief we got over this reading curriculum this year he might just do it.

Kind of hard to prove the kid did the work if it somehow goes up in smoke.

Now, sombody ought to get a laugh out of this, cause it's not likely to be me: I waddle my pregnant self down the stairs to observe my child doing a dance in the living room and chanting something about being done school for the year now; I ask him to see the book, and have to notify him that he has three more questions left........and that under no circumstances was he allowed to set fire to his books, cause I need to keep them......Ohhhhh...... that didn't go over too well......

So not to be outdone, the kid does the three questions and saunters over to the trash can and slam dunks the book in the can..... Only to be rescued by mom from the left-over chinese food red sauce recently left there .... and only barely so..... and yes.... the answers were quite in tact and ready for marking.

So, the week of Wii begins.....Congratulations Bee.

The Logic of a Three Year Old.

Okay, so I was taking a couple of minutes today to rest my aching back- via water, in the only private place in my house (relatively speaking, of course).... hopefully I haven't lost you now with any mental images, because I think it'll be worth following me on this one. At least momentarily.

And you would think that in such a place only the most important and urgent of interruptions would be fool enough to break the medium level quiet I was beginning to enjoy.

And so it was: There was an interruption. Something of such large importance that it simply could not wait until the end. Absolutely could not wait until I was satisfied. Certainly too important to for that.

My Three year old bursts into the bathroom. She is holding a long silver string of miniature tree garland, and she has the message of the century for me:

I'm gonna Kill it! The monster in my room; I'm gonna kill it with a necklace...... Cause I'm SUPER PIPPY!
.......oh...... I made a fart.  (looking behind her in minor embarassment)

Now, this was news indeed. Because she has been telling me about monsters in her room for quite some time..... perhaps somewhere in her mind she had been ruminating on the exact solution to her very big problem. But clearly, she had seen the answer, and everyone must know...... or at least the person for whom it was least convenient at the time.

She was so proud of herself, and very confident in the fact that she was Super Pippy! and that  the salvation had been found. I wonder sometimes if we shouldn't be more like a three year old.....

For the record, not the part about bursting in on private moments, but the part about having belief.
She saw the solution and was ready to throw herself headlong into it all.

I wonder if we have enough belief in God that when a solution is provided to the demons that we face,  we are able to fully give ourselves to it.

I know that I find that there are problems that I come up against that seem too big, and sometimes they scare me, just like her monster was front and center for her. I'd like to believe that God has made me all that I need to be in order to handle those situaitons. Sometimes, though, like in the Bible with the Man that said "Lord I believe; Help my unbelief!"
 I have to ackowledge that I'd be better off to have the faith of a three year old, ......but  hopefully not the flatulence.

Where do babies come from? A parent's squeamish moment.

Did you ever notice in the say, 3-9 year old crowd of children that quite often you will be blindsisded by a question with a..... er.... ummmm delicate subject matter?

It's not unusual for my oldest to choose to ask one of these questions, and then some simple answer will suffice, and I will breathe a sigh of relief that more of the sensitive conversation can happen another day..... perhaps when daddy happens to be the one with him <grin>

So, we've had the conversation about babies being in a mommy's tummy. Other times he wanted to know how the baby moved, and there was a conversation about the bag of waters, how it protects a baby...... and how they swim.
Then, eventaully there was the conversation about how when the baby comes, the bag of water breaks...... and a lady goes into 'something' called labour.

Well it's been a few months since we've had one of these conversations and I haven't really got much of a clue what he thinks about in between..... Clearly there has been thought though. Because the other day we got an oddball question. RIGHT out of left field.

"When the baby's bag of water breaks and the lady goes into labour, are you allowed to eat?"

"Well that depends on whether you are at the hospital or at home during labour" (Sometimes this sort of odd answer will suffice)
"Oh?" (Here's me thinking... oh man, this isn't one of those times we're not gonna be happy with one answer, is it?)
"Why would it matter?"

"Well, Happy sometimes the doctors aren't happy if you eat during labour."

"But WHY would it matter?" (Oh why, oh why, must be discuss the possibility of evacuation during labour today?! <yikes> )

After telling him why, he got this really wide-eyed look on his face, and it occurred to him how the baby gets out...... AND FROM WHERE! This was somewhat humourous to him, and a little on the 'shock and awe' side for our conversations.

Thank the LORD that was enough to discourage him from asking how the baby got in there in the first place.... or maybe it just hasn't occurred to him to ask yet....

Don't worry, one day he'll take me by surprise and ask me..... Don't you worry about that. I NEVER get away from these things.