What's That?

Oooh...Hey! Look over there! What is that at the top left of my blog?

Oh! It is a link to a wonderful book that is perfect for homeschooling written by one of my favorite people I've never met...Ken Ham.

Now...why is it on here?

WELL...good question!

See, I am a "fan" of the Creation Museum on facebook and they sent out a status update pointing to this blog: http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2010/08/5000-in-master-books-and-4-book.html

Looks like a very interesting blog and I am super excited to have found a place for new tips. BUT that's not all! I can enter in various ways to win the book...on the side of the page...that is just a picture link button thing, but in real life it is an actual book. Anything by Ken Ham is great and I REALLY want to win this!

So...here's how you can help. If you have a blog, you can add this button to your site...and if you do, let me know in my comments on here. Then I will get to comment on their site that...well you did that...and I will get another entry! You only need to leave the button on there for 2 weeks (you know...for those of you who for some reason think leaving a button to a kid's book on your sidebar is strange...). And hey, if you want to win, let me know and I'll comment on YOUR blog that I posted the button on MY blog and then you can have an entry too! I promise not to get TOO mad if you're the winner...

Don't forget to let me know in my comments if you add it! And... wish me luck!

One Track Mind

We live on irrigated property, meaning lots of crickets, which equates to lots of scorpions...at least around our property. So the children are generally not allowed to play outside after dark when the scorpions are most active. Since the kids enjoy doing chores with me in the evening, I have begun reminding them that they can't come out when the sun starts setting because I don't want them to accidentally get stung by a scorpion. This of course led to Samuel recognizing that scorpions come out after dark...and might end up in his room. So I have assured him that there are no scorpions in the house (and there probably aren't--we have the house sprayed). This led to the following nightly conversation:

Samuel: "It's dark outside."

Mommy: "Yep."

Samuel: "There's scorpions outside."

Mommy: "Yep."

Samuel: "But they won't come in the house!"

Mommy: "Nope."

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But tonight he added on to our standard conversation:

Samuel: "Scorpions won't come in here because Daddy will SHOOT them!"

Mommy (chuckling): No...Daddy would probably just step on them."

but then I got worried that he would run around trying to step on them so I added:

"But YOU don't step on them, okay? Daddy's got really big feet, but you might get stung if you tried."

Samuel: "Yeah, Daddy will KILL them!"

Mommy: "Yep, Daddy will keep you safe. You know...that's one of Daddy's most important jobs...protecting you from danger."

Samuel: "Yeah...and SWORD FIGHTING!"

Impatient Much?

I received a phone call while Honor was reading me a story. About a minute into the conversation, Honor started complaining...

"Are you done YET?" she whined.

"Honor be patient!" I hissed back and returned to my conversation.

"Alright! I'll give you ONE minute." And she actually had the nerve to roll her eyes like some teenager!

"Child, you do not get to tell me how long I can be on the phone. I will talk as long as I need to!" I told her sternly. (I picked up that "child" thing from my dad. He used to call me that whenever I was acting too big for my britches. I wonder if I gave her "the look" too?)

Unfazed, Honor folded her arms. "Hmph. Fine. I'll give you three minutes..."

I must not be as scary as I thought...

Thumb Wars

I enjoy playing Thumb Wars with Connor (who is the one that usually requests it), mostly because it is virtually impossible for me to beat an adult--I have very stubby thumbs--I actually have a chance at beating Connor...usually.

"1,2,3,4...I declare a thumb war!"

Just as I am about to pin Connor's thumb down, a 2nd hand comes into play, effectively blocking my escape route and allowing Connor's thumb to attack. I am pinned.

"1,2,3,4...I WIN the thumb war!" Connor shouts faster than John Moschitta.

"HEY! That's cheating! You can only use one hand." I announce, pretending to be offended.

"No, it's not. That's my thumb's shield!"

He's a quick one, that boy...

Little Missionary

I was expecting a man to show up yesterday morning at 6 am to help us plant shrubs. I was surprised when he showed up closer to 7:30 am (he got lost) and brought with him his wife and 7 year old son, Ron. Since I subscribe to the "more the merrier" philosophy, this was no problem, and the kids enjoyed having an extra playmate around. I was surprised again when, before they left yesterday, they said they would be back again this morning at 6 am. When I reminded them that we had church, they said they anticipated getting an early start and being done before we left. Okay.

So, I woke up at 5:30 am again this morning (after having company until around 1 am, and waking up with Honor for about an hour around 3 am) and showed the father where we wanted the shrubs planted. Since the mosquitoes were out in full force, his wife and son immediately came in the house--trying hard not to wake anyone up. We chatted for a while and when the kids woke up, they played with Ron.

Around 9:30, it was time to get out to the car for church and the father was still working. To my surprise, Samuel turned to Ron and asked, "Do you want to come to church with us?"

After thinking about it for a minute, Ron said that he would. The parents agreed it was fine and we piled him into the car with us. The little boy is from Jamaica and very shy--he hardly spoke two words to me the entire time he was at our house--but after church he was all smiles, laughing with the kids and showing me his pictures. He had a great time. We invited him back next Sunday and told him we would pick him up anytime he wanted to go.

The thing is, although I wanted to invite Ron to church, I didn't have the guts to ask a small child to ride with me. Inviting an adult is one thing--inviting a child just seems...awkward. What an opportunity I would have wasted! I am thankful that my youngest son has no such worries. Perhaps God will use this to sow seeds later in this boy's life.

Samuel...my little missionary.

You're In Trouble Now

Daddy: "You are still getting punished when we get home."

Ariana: "Noooooooooooo!"

Daddy: "Yes. You need to stop throwing a fit -- if you are quiet all the way home, I might forget. You better pray that I forget."

There is silence from Ariana's general direction.


5 minutes later...


Ariana (humbly): "Daddy...I'm sorry for being disrespectful."

Daddy: "Okay, I forgive you. Thank you for apologizing, but I still haven't forgotten."

There is silence from Ariana's general direction.


5 minutes later...


Ariana: "Daddy..."

no response

Ariana: "Daddy..."

no response

Ariana: "Daddy..."

Daddy sighs: "Yes, Ariana."

Ariana (in a sweet voice): "Daddy... I already prayed."

Mommy's laughter fills the truck.




Ariana managed to remain quiet for the rest of the ride home from church...and her prayer was answered in the way she had hoped.

Special Words

Each of our kids have a catch phrase...something that is uniquely theirs that they say throughout the day at random times.

Samuel's is fairly simple: bootiful.

"It's a bootiful day, Mommy." "Aw, that's a bootiful lunch, Mommy." "I took a bootiful nap, Mommy!" "Mommy, you look bootiful today!" Nice, huh?

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Connor's is: WHAT?!! (Read as an excited, "Really?")

"Today for lunch we are going to have your favorite food...cheeseburgers." "WHAT?!!"

"If you're good, I have a special book to read to you at bedtime." "WHAT?!!"

"Look over there... a pigeon." "WHAT?!!"

You get the idea...

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Honor's is: Yeah, I'm cute

This one is pretty self explanatory. We raise modest children here...

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Ariana's is trickier: soaking (I bet you can't figure out how she uses this one!)

"Mommy, look at that bird! He is soaking cool!"

"Mommy, the water is soaking hot!"

"Aww...look at the butterfly! He is soaking beautiful!"


I have NO idea where she got that, but it is sure cute!

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Reading with Ariana

"Eight Silly Monkeys", 1 silly daughter, and (perhaps) 1 silly Mommy...






"Instead of jumping on the co-ouch!" :-D

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First Tooth?

Honor's top left tooth is loose! This is cause for great excitement amongst Mommy and Daddy...not so much from Honor. Thankfully at the library today I picked up "Little Bear's Loose Tooth"--God works in interesting ways! I had no idea her tooth was loose when I got it.

I told Honor that it is something to be excited about. "It is a sign of growing up! AND, when you lose a tooth, you get to exchange it for money!"

"WHAT?" Honor asked excitedly.

"Yeah, when you lose your tooth, you put it under your pillow and then the Tooth Fairy comes and takes it and puts money there instead!"

(okay...just so you know...we do not celebrate Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny because we feel it distracts for the true meaning of those holidays, but our secondary reason is because we don't want to lie to our children. So...I fully intend to wear fairy wings when I make the exchange...)

Honor left to think about it for a moment. When she returned, she looked at me seriously and said, "I'm not going to suck my thumb anymore because I don't want my tooth to fall out and make me grow up."

hmmm....it works on multiple levels...

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Eight Years? Really? That's All?

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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I cannot believe that it has only been 8 years since I married the most amazing man on the planet (that has not ascended to Heaven...no candle near the most amazing man EVER). He is kind, loving, loyal, and HANDY. My husband can do anything! He is dependable and always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. He has a good sense of humor--although don't tell him I said that, or he will expect me to laugh at his lame jokes.

He is a great provider, but balances it with being there for us always. When he was self-employed, he had a customer that was demanding that he work on a day when he had planned to take a vacation that had meant a lot to me. His business partner told him that unfortunately he needed to cancel the vacation. He told his partner, "if it's between my wife and the customer, there is no competition." (He worked 3 12-hour days instead to make sure the customer was taken care of because he is also a hard worker.)

But there has been a lot of changes in the last 8 years. We went from being married with 1 dog and 1 chinchilla; to married with 2 dogs, 3 chinchillas and 1 teenage "son"; to adding in a daughter and two more chinchillas; to moving to Arizona, having our "son" move out, but adding in a "twin" son and another daughter; losing a couple of chinchillas and a dog, but gaining another son; to finally moving to my dream home and adding another dog, 2 horses, 3 cats, 6 chickens and borrowing 7 cows. That's a lot to happen in 8 years!

So when I think about it and realize it has only been 8 years, it just seems...off. It feels like my husband has always been there with me and for me. We know each other's stories so well that at times it feels like we really have always been together. We are one. A team...or to be more accurate, he is the captain of our cruise ship and I am his first mate.

I have learned a lot in the last 8 years, but the most important lesson--and the hardest to achieve--was to let him lead. God gave woman the role of helper. God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for the Garden, but he could not do it alone, so God created a helper. God did not create a leader for Adam--he already had that. God gave him someone to help him with the tasks that God had laid out for him. In our case, I am here to help him with caring for the responsibilities of the home and all that that entails. But in the end, HE is the one that is responsible. HE will be the one that has to answer to God about how well he did with the responsibilities he was given.

It's not always easy. In fact, sometimes it is outright hard! It is part of the curse after all, for women to want to take on the role of leader. God did not say life would be easy, but I have found that when I follow the plan that God lays out in the Bible, life is easier. I call on God often for His help in submitting to my husband's will. And the more I do that, the more I trust my husband's judgment. The more I trust my husband's judgment, the more my love for him grows and frankly, the happier I am.

I know that sounds old-fashioned. In fact, many people bristle when I tell them that I submit to my husband's authority. "What? You are equals! This is not the 19th century. Women work outside the home. Women can do anything a man can do. You don't need to submit to any man. In fact, he should submit to you. You know more what is going on with the kids than he does." But again, I am his helper--his assistant if you will.

Before we were married, and during the first two years of our marriage, I was an administrative assistant for a large company in Iowa. My boss was the 2nd VP of Human Resources. I went to many of her meetings, typed up all the notes for all her meetings, was an intermediary between her and her employees, and between her and her boss. I prepared her powerpoints, made chart after chart for her presentations and even gave her some talking points. I knew before she did when someone was wanting to quit. I knew as soon as she did when there would be cutbacks. I was her "right hand man". I was given a lot of responsibility. But no one ever suggested that she should submit to my authority. I ran the ship, but she was in charge. I view my marriage similarly. I am my husband's assistant and I will help him however I can, but in the end, he is the authority.

I have found that the more I submit to his leadership, the more he actually leads. When I try demanding the way the house should be run, his back gets up and a rift comes between us. When I give my opinion, but allow him to have the final say, 9 times out of 10, he will choose to go the way I wanted in the first place. And the more that I respect his decisions, the more he shows his love for me by seeking my best interest. It is a very good cycle.

Oh, my husband frustrates me...often, but I have no doubts of his love for me. He cares for his family with a fierce protectiveness and I know that if I trust him--trust him as the authority that God has placed over me and PRAY for him daily--he will do what's best for us.

We're not perfect by any stretch of the word. We are two sinners, living in a sinful world, with temptations around every turn. But it is God that binds us together and "a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."

I love my husband. My husband loves me. And I anticipate the next 50, 60, 70 years (should the Lord tarry) with joy.



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Resurrection Sunday Dance in Budapest

Here is the full dance from Resurrection Sunday in Budapest. I thought this was really neat. Thousands of dancers all praising Christ's Resurrection in the center of Budapest! Watch the video below to see how amazing that truly was. God is GREAT!

From the other video: "They were going to bulldoze churches down, to now people can stand in the town square and sing praises to Christ."


(Honor wants you to watch out for the grandma...she's her favorite!)

Please Pray for America

Just in case you didn't see this on my facebook page, I am asking all of my praying friends to watch this video...and then PRAY. (chelley, there is even a dance sequence in it for you :-D). This made me cry...A LOT. If Hungary can see such change in their country, surely we can have a revival in ours!

Thank You for Your Concern, I'm Fine...Really

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A moth-like insect flew in front of my face this morning, and the miraculous mechanism that God gave us to protect our eyes snapped into place--effectively trapping the insect and offering it no escape.

As I was writhing in pain, leaning over the kitchen sink, splashing water in my eye, and desperately trying to rid it of the foreign object that was steadfastly stuck in my lashes, my adoring children did the following:

Honor: Mommy, let me read you a story!

Mommy: In a minute...

Ariana: Mommy! I want some more cereal!

Mommy (ignoring her horrible manners for the time being): In a minute...

Connor: Look Mom! I didn't touch the cord to the in-ter-neT (practicing enunciation.)

This is a sure sign that he in fact did touch the cord, but I chose to ignore it as I ran to the bathroom and attempted to SEE the insect with my good eye. It is very difficult to hold one eye open while the other wants to hold itself shut...

Samuel chose this time to come into the bathroom with his baby puppy dog. In a high pitched voice, the "puppy dog" began saying, "I love you, Mommy!" and Samuel began shoving it into my leg, pushing me over in an attempt to have the puppy give me a hug.

I managed to avoid poking myself in the eye and finally the insect was expelled. My eye breathed a sigh of relief.

My kids remained oblivious to the whole affair.

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They Make Me Smile

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Random Observation:

Connor: "Mommy, why does every toy say, 'Made in China'?"

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We watched "Beauty and the Beast" last night and the kids were really enthralled in the story. When we came to the scene where Beast gives action to the quote, "if you love someone, let them go..." showing that he truly loves Belle, Honor began to look upset.

"Awww," I thought to myself. "Honor has such a tender spirit. She is such a romantic!"

Belle gave Beast a hug and told him how much it means to her that he understood and then started to leave.

A look of severe concern crossed over Honor's face.

"Does she get to keep the dress?"

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Samuel has a standard joke that he enjoys telling at least five times a day:

"Why did the cookie go to the doctor?"
"Because he felt crummy!"

And then he laughs and laughs and laughs.

Last night, as I was tucking him in, he began the joke:

"Why did the cookie go to the doctor?"

Except this time I didn't dutifully answer, "Why?" Instead, I responded, "because he was sick!"

Rather than just responding "No..." and giving me the correct answer, Samuel looked thoroughly confused for a moment--because my answer was technically a correct response. Then he started over:

"Why did the cookie go to the doctor WHEN HE FELL DOWN?"

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Ariana at bedtime:

"What are we doing in the morning?"

"Well, I..."

"Belly button!!!!" She laughed hysterically.

"Okay..."

Then, like a DVD stuck on fast forward, she said: "We are doing laundry in the morning! I saw the laundry basket. I'm smart! What are we doing after laundry?"

"Well, I..."

"Skina Ma Rinky Dinky Dink,
Skina Ma Rinky Do,
I,
Love,
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!"

"Ariana. Did you drink Daddy's pop tonight?" I asked, jokingly.

Ariana lost all animation in her face as she stared at me blankly for a full minute, trying to comprehend what I had asked her. Finally, she covered her mouth with both hands and giggled.

"YES!"

I thought so...

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Waiting Game

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Sunday night: "Honor, Connor, Ariana, Samuel...clean up the basement."
All kids: "Okay, Mommy!"'

Monday morning: "Honor, Connor, Ariana, Samuel...clean up the basement. It is messier than it was last night!"
All kids: "Okay, Mommy!"

Monday, late morning: Mommy is determined to be patient with the children. She is determined to allow them to keep their room messy until they do it. She is determined not to spank them this time since, although the spanking works and gets it done, she is not expecting company so there are no time constraints. She is determined to let a clean room be its own reward. If they want to waste their summer downstairs instead of playing in sprinklers or coloring with sidewalk chalk, she is determined to let it happen. She is determined to let "missing out on fun" be its own punishment. And she is determined to clean the rest of the house while they are out of it...

Perhaps they are simply overwhelmed.

Mommy: "Would it help if I made a list and you got to check it off as it got cleaned?"
All kids: "YES!!!!!"
Mommy spends 20 minutes categorizing toys. She then hands the list to Honor with a pen and tells her to write in the other kids' names when they've completed a task. Honor begins with enthusiasm.

Monday afternoon: "You guys didn't do anything! Where's the list?"
Honor, dutifully hands Mommy the list, which is covered in beautiful pictures of Honor and flowers.
Mommy: "You kids are not allowed to watch tv or come upstairs except for lunch and dinner until this room is picked up!"
All kids: "Aw, Mommy! We hate cleaning our room!"
Mommy: "Do it anyway!"
All kids: "Okay, Mommy!"

Monday after nap: "Okay guys, clean this room!"
All kids: "Okay, Mommy!"

While tucking them in for bed: "Okay, tomorrow morning you need to get this room cleaned."
All kids: "Okay, Mommy!"

Tuesday, around 10ish: The room looks like the trash compactor in Star Wars. Mommy is desperate to return to our "routine", but refuses to clean their room for them. In a last act of desperation, Mommy initiates the clue hunt game. Mommy spends an hour re-categorizing toys, writing them out on separate cards, hiding the cards, and creating clues to find the cards--all while the children "clean" downstairs.

The rules were simple. The first clue is the first thing that needs to picked up. Once that is picked up, come back to Mommy and you will get a second clue, which will lead you to the next group of toys that needs to be picked up. When that is picked up, bring Mommy the card and you'll get another clue. The person that gets the most cards (i.e. cleans the fastest) wins a prize (i.e., they get to choose a game to play).

Daddy doesn't think my poetry has appropriate rhythm, but I think I did pretty well:

Honor's first clue:

All of the cars, and all of the trucks,
And all other vehicles too!
If it has wheels
It's yours to pick up
When you're done, you'll get your next clue!


Connor's first clue:

Balls, balls, every where,
More than you may think!
Pick them all up
And you'll get a clue
Faster than you can blink!


Ariana's first clue:

Ariana, Ariana
I love you!
Pick up all the LEGOS,
And you'll get your next clue!



Samuel's first clue:

Pick up all the alphabet blocks
(poetry is lost on this one)



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The room is clean in 30 minutes.

Sigh.

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Samuel's Room

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I have a dream for Samuel's room...or I should say, the room that Samuel now resides in. My dream for this room is vastly different than my husband's dream. Our house consists of: master bedroom, the girls' room, Connor's room, the library/office/school/guest room and Samuel's room. Eventually Samuel will move into Connor's room leaving an "empty" room. My husband would like to make Samuel's room his office. I personally find that quite ridiculous...he has an office--two of them in fact. He shares mine and he has one out in the shop. Why does he need another one??? So I think I might win this battle. Maybe.

MY dream for this room consists of having a full-time guest bedroom, with a a bed that actually stays out all of the time instead of the lovely air mattress that was given to us by my parents. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the air mattress. It is very comfy and is perfect for last minute guests to sleep on. I just think it would be nice to have a bed AND the air mattress--you know, so we could have more than one set of people come and stay. And so I don't have to put away all of our school desks and put someone in a cluttered office. Not to mention the chinchillas...

There's more. I have an even BIGGER dream. Ready? I want to find an antique sewing desk (or not even an antique, I'm not picky!), that doubles as a writing desk so that I can keep that in the "guest bedroom" at all times and it would look like it belonged.

But that's not all!

I actually want to learn how to USE the sewing machine that will inevitably inhabit said sewing desk. This dream will come to fruition (I put that in there just for you Steph!), because, frankly, I like to wear dresses, but I can't find any dresses that I like. I've found all sorts of patterns that I like, but I can't sew. Sigh. I do have many friends who can sew and have told me they will teach me so there is hope. I will start with something easy...like pillowcases or curtains--definitely curtains since we actually need those--and move on to skirts, and eventually I will make myself a dress. Maybe even a Regency Era dress for the Pride and Prejudice Ball....

Here's to dreaming...

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A Precious Gift

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Shhhh...

tink, tink, tink

shuffle, shuffle, shuffle

Shhhh....you'll wake her up

That's MY popcorn!

This is the sound that greets me most mornings when I would rather stay in bed. I will admit that more often than not this sound is not welcome when I am perfectly content to stay in my own little dreamworld, tucked in under the warm covers in my giant cushy bed. It's not even 6:30! Can't I sleep in on a Saturday at least?

If I choose to ignore the noise, some sort of fight will ensue and it won't be long before everyone in the house is awake. So, I do the "right" thing. I get out of my warm, cushy bed and hiss down the stairs, "Quiet! Shhhh... Get back in bed!"

Okay, this isn't always my response. This is pretty much only my response on rainy days--which is very rare in Arizona. Sometimes my response is to open my eyes to see 2 pairs of beautiful browns staring at me unblinkingly. The girls are usually holding their blankies and grinning. So, I scoot over and hold up my covers and the girls obligingly climb in for some morning cuddle time, one on each side. Sometimes I even get to go back to sleep. These are good mornings.

Usually, I allow them to simply be my alarm clocks. "Girls, get downstairs until I am dressed and have eaten. I'll call you back up to do chores. Quiet though, don't wake up Samuel!" I say this even though Samuel is already awake and has probably been awake since 5 am, playing in his room. He will play contentedly until he hears someone up running around. Then it is, "Mommy, there's a black hole in my room. Come see my black hole. **Black hole...you will not get Samuel!**"

I will admit to being jealous of my friends who can sleep in until 9 am (or even later!). I can't even imagine such a thing anymore! If I sleep in until 8 am, it is pure bliss. I can't even remember the last time I was allowed to sleep so late. No matter what time I go to bed, I better be prepared to be up by 6:30...sometimes 7...if I'm lucky. But then I have to stop and think about why I'm getting up so early. And I am reminded that it is because I am loved.

The kids wake me up because they can't wait to share the day with me. They are excited about a beetle or reading to me or just simply showing me the cats--that we see everyday. But I am number one on their list of people. And when I remember that, it brings tears to my eyes. I get to be the favorite person of not one, but four children (not to mention my husband...but he likes to sleep in). Their eyes light up when they see me. Honor's dimple comes out every time I smile at her. Connor's iron grip around my stomach happens if I just look in his direction. Ariana cries if she can't be in the same room as me. And Samuel...he carries on conversations with "Mommy" even when I'm not in the room.

To be so loved is a precious gift and one that I am very thankful for this Sunday morning.

...after I actually woke up and thought about it...

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