Homegrown Blessings

Wake up America...

2008-11-01T20:04:00.002-04:00

Baby Joey- surgery is on- prayers please.

2008-10-17T11:04:00.003-04:00

I just got the call that the Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital don't feel they can safely wait any longer. Our great nephew, Joey will be having his open heart surgery this afternoon. It is expected to take 5-6 hours. The biggest concern, besides the obvious delicacy of the surgery, is how he does with the heart/lung bypass machine. There is a risk of neurological damage due to his age. There is also a risk that his newborn heart won't "remember" to restart. Please pray for a good outcome, and a successful surgery. Also pray for his parents, Tricia and Mike, and my brother and sister-in-law, Laurie and Michael. Thanks!

I'm Breaking Free

2008-10-10T12:34:00.004-04:00

I've tried to avoid this one for a while. I had the book, read a few chapters, decided it was going to hurt, and sold it on Ebay. But alas, God had other plans for me, and now I find myself in Beth Moore's study, Breaking Free. And I still think it's gonna hurt. Let's face it, we all have our issues, right? What am I breaking free from, you ask? Well, that's between God and myself. But I have had a worrisome thought. What happens if someone gets their hands on this book, after I've written down all my "stuff"? I remember the last time I saw Beth Moore speak she told about a friend who had died. The friend's husband gave all the women's completed studies to Beth! Good thing his wife was already dead, or she'd have to kill him. Even in death, I'd prefer to keep my stuff just between Him and I. So, here's what I'm thinking: I'd like to buried with all my Bible studies. I know "you can't take it with you", but I'd prefer if no one else got their curious little hands on it either. So, if you hear of my sudden demise, please let my husband know about my dying wish. And if I'm already in the ground when these books turn up: burn them please! Thanks.

On witnessing...

2008-10-09T13:24:00.006-04:00

God has really been working with me in this area. He's been making clear to me things that I knew in my head, but for some reason I was having a hard time putting into action. How am I, as a Christian, to share that hope that is within me? With words? With actions? If He's called me to be His witness, how does that play out in everyday life? You know what? This might not be a shocker to you, but it's not about me. It's not even really about the people I'm trying to witness to about Christ. It's all about HIM! He doesn't need me. He allows me to be a part of His plan thankfully, but I can't save anyone. I couldn't even save myself, so what in the world makes me think I can save others?? Now, I'll readily admit that God has given some the gift of evangelism. But even then, it's God doing all the work, He's just using someone to speak the words of life. God does the drawing in, not us mere humans. So then, what are those of us without that gift to do? Am I off the hook, so to speak? I don't think so. God has convicted me of two things I'm to do. The first is to radiate Christ. Here's the kicker, though: If I'm trying to radiate Christ, then it once again becomes about me. If I have to try, it's not really Christ I'm showing. It's how kind I can be, or how supportive I can be. Where's God in that?? So I've stopped trying. Instead I'm getting out of His way. Amazing things happen when I get out of the way! By learning to abide in Him daily, I've found that Christ radiates through me. I don't have to do anything! Isn't that cool? The second point God has made over and over, is that I need to be ready to give an account for the hope that is within me. This is very much connected to point 1, because when Christ shines through you, people notice, and they ask questions. Again, by abiding in Him, He shines through, and gives me the words. It's all Him, really it has little to do with me. I have noticed a trend lately, though. The more time I spend in prayer, and in His word, the more often I'm asked questions about my faith. I don't even have to bring up the topic. I remember one time recently when I was with someone I had been praying for. Out of the blue, he asked me, "So what was up with the resurrection, anyway?" I was a little shocked to be honest. But I shouldn't be. When I abide in Him, I should expect such questions. So I guess the moral of this story is that it's not about me, or you, or even the lost world out there. It's all about Him, our glorious King and Savior. Don't you feel better now?

Baby Joey Update

2008-10-09T13:22:00.004-04:00

Joey's surgery has been moved to Monday morning. I'm not sure why, but I assume he's doing OK if they're going to wait. (I got my information third hand from my 13 year old niece- so no details) Please continue to pray for him. Thanks!
Julie

Editted: Ok, it looks like my niece didn't know what she was talking about. Joey had a procedure today where they went in through an artery in his leg. They were hoping to open up an artery that was malformed, and too small for blood to flow through. They'll know by late tonight or early tomorrow how successful the surgery was. If things look good, they will be able to hold off on the open heart surgery until he is 5 months old. If not he'll have the surgery on Monday to close the hole in his heart.

IT'S NOT FAIR!!

2008-10-08T16:21:00.002-04:00

I think it's clear to all of us that things in the country are just not fair! (Can you hear me stomping my feet?) Why should someone who has a college education make more than a high school dropout? So what if they studied hard, worked several jobs while in school, and took out big loans. Just because they have specialized skills that they worked diligently to acquire, they get to make more money? Doesn't sound fair to me. And what about all those people saving for their future? Just because they live within their means and save and invest their money, is it really fair that they have bigger bank accounts?? We must punish these people. They should spend every penny, and take out loans they don't intend to pay back like the rest of America. We should make those responsible people pay big-time, so the rest of America can have what they want. It's only fair. And don't get me started on homeowners. Why do the people who bought houses they could afford get to keep theirs, when others are losing their homes? Just because they pay their mortgage every month?? Doesn't sound fair to me. I mean this is America. If someone wants something, they should have it. Why should they have to work hard, and save their money? It's just not fair, at all. But fear not, America, fear not. It look like within months we will complete our transition to a socialist nation. Then every thing will be great again. Hmmm...I wonder what will happen to all those hard working, living -within -their -means types.

Baby Joey update

2008-10-08T16:15:00.001-04:00

It looks like Joey will be operated on tomorrow (Thursday) morning. He's doing well at Boston Children's Hospital. The outlook is much better today. There's even a chance they won't have to open his chest. Please keep him in your prayers.
Thanks!

Prayers please

2008-10-07T19:12:00.002-04:00

My niece, Tricia, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Sunday. Last night I went to see him at the hospital. He's a peanut! And cute as can be. Later in the evening, my niece took a shower and brought the baby to the nursery. When she came back, they were intubating her son! A nurse noticed his poor color, and thankfully checked his oxygen levels. He was brought to the NICU at the best hospital in the state. There they discovered he has a serious heart defect. There's a problem with his valves, and he also has a hole in his heart. They tranferred him to Boston today, with 6 doctors in the ambulance with him! He will be having open heart surgery within the next day or two. Please pray for little Joseph, and his parents, Tricia and Mike.
Thanks!

He calls me Fred...

2008-09-30T22:00:00.002-04:00

Don't you love how kids often "hear" the lyrics to songs differently then the rest of us? Today we were driving listening to KLOVE, when my son starts laughing.
"That song is so funny!" he says.
The song was Friend of God by Phillips Craig and Dean.
Well, I didn't think it was that funny..... until Alex started singing along.
"I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me FRED!!!

I'm back...

2008-09-25T20:05:00.002-04:00

not sure where I went, or why...but I'm back...I think. I really don't know what happened! Summer flew by, while I obsessed about curriculum. The kids had a fun filled week at day camp, while I obsessed about decluttering. We started back at school in late August. After all that obsessing about curriculum, I couldn't wait to start. We're off to a great start. The calendar is quickly filling up. Who says homeschoolers don't get out enough? Are you kidding! Take a look at my calendar. I think we actually get out too much! But that's life with three kids. Ballet, soccer, theater, iceskating, girl scouts...you get the picture...and that doesn't count all the homeschool get togethers we enjoy. Somehow I'm managing to be out and about, and still educate the kids. I've had to let go of some things. Like my deep desire to be done with school everyday by noon. Some (most) days that's just not possible. I thought we'd just get an early start, but I forgot we're not morning people. So I just let it go...somedays we're still doing school when the buses roll by...but that's ok. It usually means we spent the better part of the day having fun!
Well, I hope to be more consistent with posting. I realized I was talking to myself way too much...time to start blogging again. At least here I can delude myself into thinking I'm not just talking to myself!

This is a test...

2008-06-27T18:49:00.004-04:00

It has come to my attention that my BFF, of 25 years mind you, does not read my blog. Now I know, I haven't been too consistent in posting lately. But we're talking about months and months. In fact, I believe she's only read it once. She then bookmarked the page and never returned!!! She claims she doesn't have time! Time to click on a favorites..what's that 3 seconds? I don't expect her to check everyday, but is every 2 or 3 weeks too much to ask? I think not! She claims to have repented of this grievous oversight. I guess we'll see. So BFF, (you know who you are) if you're reading this, say 3 months from now, please leave a comment to prove you still exist! Love you!

Love this song...and the next one too!

2008-06-21T22:06:00.001-04:00

I Know You're There

2008-06-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

On being 40...

2008-06-19T21:35:00.002-04:00

On June 9th, it happened. I reached the milestone of being alive for 40 full years. In other words, I'm now working on my 5th decade of life. As much as I should be depressed by this fact, for some odd reason, I find it quite empowering. 20 is so overrated. Sure, I miss my cute butt, and I've gained 20 pounds in the last 2 decades, but 40 really is so much better than 20. And here are a few reasons why: (humor me, here)
- When I was 20, I knew very little, and thought I knew everything. At 40, I know a lot more, yet realize I still have a lot to learn.
- I didn't have a house when I was 20. Heck, I didn't even have a car when I was 20. So what I'm getting at is I have a lot more stuff now. (Thus the constant need to declutter)
- At 20, I was just beginning to realize how much my parents had done for me. Now at 40, I totally appreciate them.
- At 20, I dreamed of a family and children. Of course in my dream, it was a lot less work. Today at 40, I'm living the dream. Despite the work, I know how blessed I am.
- When I was 20, I didn't even know what a church family was...now, I know, and thank God everyday for mine.
- At 20, I knew about Jesus...but I didn't know Him. At 40, I'm getting to know Him more and more everyday, and He never ceases to amaze me.

Yes, 40 is definitely better than 20...except for those funny, little hairs that keep popping up on my chin. (What's up with that???) I honestly think I'd rather be forty than twenty, despite the chin hair. Now if I could only find a way to freeze the hands of time and stay 40 forever.

The last three weeks

2008-06-17T19:56:00.002-04:00

I would apologize for my poor blogging record, but I know you've heard that song before...so I'll just try to quickly recap the past few weeks.

- The last weekend in May was girl's weekend in Boston. I got together with 9 ladies- no husbands, no kids. It was a reunion of my friends from our college days. Freshman year we all ended up on the same floor in BU's Towers. We called it Seventh Heaven- everyone else just called it 7 west. We had a great time! Amazing that 10 moms could manage to get away for a weekend. We must have awesome husbands...poor guys...we had so much fun we decided to do it every year, instead of every 18 years!

- When I got home, I got to packing. We left on a vacation/field trip on the first Tuesday in June. We spent 3 nights in Williamsburg, VA. Then we headed up to DC for 4 more nights. We had a great time, except for the ridiculous heat. Pictures to follow- at some point.

- While in DC, I turned 40!!! Wow, am I old, or what? I guess it's official- I'm a grown-up! More on the wonders of being 40 in a future post.

- Returned to battle my nemesis- laundry. Yeah, I know, you've heard that song before too. But I really, really hate laundry!

- While on the road to Virginia, I once again reworked next year's curriculum...for the millionth time. This time I'm sticking with it. (Although the new Rainbow Resource catalog just came in the mail- I'm trying to resist the urge to go at it with a highlighter!)

- On Thursday we hit day 180! You know what that means- School's out for summer!! Yay!

- We visited my dad on Friday. He was leaving for vacation on Father's Day, so we celebrated it a little early.

- On Sunday it was so great to be back with my church family. I had missed two Sundays teaching Sunday School, and believe it or not, I really missed it! The kids assured me that they wept and lamented my absence- or not...Then we headed to my in-laws for more Father's Day celebrating.

Well, I guess that about does it. I'll try to have something witty to post about in the future. If not have mercy on me. I am old, after all.

How Great is our God?

2008-05-24T11:48:00.001-04:00

Pretty amazing. He literally blows my mind, on a regular basis. As I've mentioned in my last post, I've been writing to a lost teen, who I love very much. God first convicted me to write to him about two months ago. Being me, I had to discuss the point with God. I mean, it seemed kind of weird to write a letter to someone I see on a regular basis. What was I supposed to do, sneak in his house and stick a letter under his pillow? At the same time, I saw his life spiraling out of control. Within days of God telling me to write to him, I discovered he would be away, and my only means of communicating would be via writing. (See how smart God is.) So I set pen to paper and started writing. I felt very convicted to share "God Stories" with him. I wrote about the many ways I've seen God work in both my life and his. Over the course of the last 6 weeks I've told him many stories about God's intervention in his life, and the life of his family. Things he would be aware of, but not necessarily see the God connection. During that period I've received a very positive response from him. He even wrote that he didn't think I was crazy, and it's all starting to make more and more sense. Over the course of the weeks, I've shared the Gospel, and his need for forgiveness, but not in the conventional way. I just told him the stories God put on my heart. So about a week ago, I felt it was time to lay it all out as clearly as possible. I wrote him a letter that spelled out the Gospel. I even included cute little drawings to demonstrate his separation from God. I worried a little that I may have gone too far. I certainly didn't want to overwhelm him, and push him away. But God had it all in His hand! So the other day I got a letter from him. Talk about God's perfect timing. He wrote that right before he got my letter "with the drawings", he had read a little book that a "priest" had given him. He told me the book said that he had a sin problem, and he needed to turn away from his sin, ask Jesus to come into his life, and forgive him. He then wrote that right after he did "it", he received my letter. He was amazed that my letter said he needed to do what he had just done! I'm assuming the "it" he's referring to is receiving Christ as his Savior. So, how wild is that? He told me to write to this boy before I even knew what his circumstance would be. He then lays on my heart stories of His faithfulness and trustworthiness, all to prepare his heart for the best news ever. Coincidence that he received my letter immediately after praying for Jesus to come into his life? Or a "God thing", to confirm to him that he made the right choice? Now that, my friends, is a Great God. What a blessing to serve Him!

Blogger break

2008-05-14T15:24:00.003-04:00

Well, it appears I've disappeared from bloggityville. It was not a planned break, just a lot going on. Between sports and the play the girls are in, I've been going non-stop. Also my Grandmother is in the hospital, Mother's Day etc... I've been expending most of my writing energy to correspond with a troubled teen I know and love. Let's just say he's "away", courtesy of the State of RI and his own poor choices. But he's responding well to my letters, so if you can send up a prayer for him, I'd appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be back next week when things slow down.

On assignment for God

2008-04-14T18:08:00.000-04:00

This Sunday my church began an adventure called Kingdom Assignments. 30 people or teams of people were given $100 to use to bless people, and further God's Kingdom. In 90 days we report back to the church. This is our second year doing Kingdom Assignments. Last year people did an assortment of tasks from a coffeehouse, to collecting used shoes for disaster relief. I had an idea of a fun assignment, but I was worried that it was my idea, not God's idea. During the service the pastor was teaching about Elijah from 1Kings. Two of the points seemed to confirm that my idea was a God- thing. The first was the truth that God can engineer circumstances and make divine arrangements. The question is whether we trust Him to do so. This seemed to answer one of my concerns. The second point was that God can miraculously multiply limited resources. That pretty much wiped out my second concern. So when the time came, I went forward to recieve the hundred dollar bill, and signed on for a "Kingdom Assignment." So here's what I'm going to do: When going through the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts, I'm going to pay for the customer behind me, and leave a note and a small gift explaining my assignment. The gift will be a small book by Max Lucado. I hope to bless 20 people, but I guess that's up to God. Depending on who He puts behind me, and how much they order, I should be able to meet that goal. I've already ordered the booklets, and can't wait to start blessing people! How fun is that?

I'm back..still dizzy

2008-04-05T13:03:00.002-04:00

Well, after two weeks of vertigo, I'm back. I'm not sure if the vertigo is really better, or if I'm just getting used to it and adapting. Anyway, life has been very boring at my house. The kids are climbing the walls, and so am I. We've had two weeks of very light schooling, as I haven't been up to much depth. It's been interesting to watch the kids during these two weeks. Rachel has been spending more and more time on the computer on various writing projects. She finished one chapter book she wrote, and is working on another. She also has 2 plays in the works. It's ironic that's she's doing all this writing on her own. If I assigned her these writing tasks, there'd be all sorts of whining involved. Alex, my reluctant reader, has been spending lots of time reading Spiderman books to himself. Maybe there is something to be said for unschooling. Rachel, who struggles with spelling, has grown by leaps and bounds since she started her own writing projects. She finally has a reason to spell properly. We're planning on trying IEW next year to help her grow in her writing skills. She writes with a strong voice, and her writing is very interesting. She has decided to become a writer when she grows up, so she can work from home, and homeschool her own kids. Alex, on the other hand, has decided to be a "hobo". This decision came about when he was lamenting the need to learn Math. He finally saw the light about the usefulness of reading. "It's like watching a movie in your mind." Yes, it's all about entertainment for my little guy. I tried to explain how important Math is in real life...paying bills, buying a house, shopping...etc. Well, he decided he doesn't need to learn these things because he plans on being a hobo. In his mind that means wandering around in the wilderness with a sack of his stuff. He'll bring books for entertainment purposes. Ironically, he is very gifted in Math, he's just not a fan. He can do math quite well, by walking around in circles while he calculates in his mind. Sitting down and doing math the "right way", is not his style. I just need to learn how to channel his bright mind into a productive citizen. He is not your typical learner. Olivia on the other hand is my star student. She is very bright, and is learning to read and write with ease. She's needs to be homeschooled for totally different reasons. At the ripe, old age of 5, I can already see her attraction to worldliness. We are very concerned about the teen years with this one. She's managed to wrap around her fingers anyone over the age of 13. EVERYONE loves Olivia. They also think I'm nuts when I express concerns about her. In the words of my BFF "Oh no, not Olivia, I don't believe it." Yes, she knows how to work it, and has pretty much snowed everyone with her sweet, innocent act. But, we're on to her, and are going to do everything in our power to mold her strongwilled nature for good. As you can imagine, that will involve a lot of prayer. I guess that's all my ramblings for today. Have a great weekend.

Tricia got the call!!

2008-04-02T16:25:00.003-04:00

I've been so out of it the past 12 days, that I haven't kept up on my blog reading. Apparently, Tricia got the call for her new lungs a few days ago. It turned out to be a dry run, meaning upon further examination, it was decided that the lungs were not a good match for her. This morning they found out a new set of lungs might be a fit for her. The team is flying out to check out the situation. They hope to hear soon, and she may be on her way to surgery tonight! Please pray for Tricia and Nate, as well as the donor's family. Check here for an update, since I've been too dizzy to be reliable about posting. If you have no idea what I'm talking about click here to get a quick overview of this incredible family. Best wishes, Tricia! I'm praying for you!

Update: It's a go!! Tricia is being prepped for surgery right now! Please pray. By the way, today is Nate's birthday! What a gift!

I'm one dizzy chick

2008-03-25T19:05:00.001-04:00

Here are the highlights of my past week or so:

1. Alex had a croupy cough going to bed on Thursday. I did a saline nebulizer, and that settled him down...until 2:40am when he woke me up coughing, saying he couldn't breath, and ASKING to go to the hospital. He has asthma that presents as coughing, so it's hard to tell with him. The cough was definitely croupy, so I remained calm, and put some Albuterol in the nebulizer. John wanted me to take him to the hospital. I had no intention of driving for 1/2 hour, with a child who couldn't breath. If he went to the hospital, it was going to be by ambulance. Thankfully, he was able to catch his breathe with the breathing treatment. He feel fast asleep. John and I spend the rest of the night listening to him breath. He's been fine ever since! Good thing we had decided to take Good Friday off from school.

2. I woke up early Saturday morning to the delightful news that Olivia had climbed in Rachel's bed during the night, and then had an accident. As I stumbled about, I realized that I really was stumbling...I appeared to have a pretty bad case of vertigo. I spend the next several hours sitting in my bed (laying down was way worse), watching the world spin by. I did manage to stumble to the bathroom a few times when the motion sickness got the best of me. I figured I had picked up whatever virus Alex had. I managed to get up around noon. I had to make a casserole and cheesecake for Easter. I also made a quickbread for church in the morning. Then the kids reminded me about my promise to color eggs. I didn't know I'd be feeling so rotten when I made that promise, but a promise is a promise. I managed to survive that, and actually felt a little better when I was up and about. Somehow I survived until bedtime, and after ironing clothes for Easter, I went to bed.

3. I awoke on Easter feeling like things were still spinning, but not as bad. We got dressed and headed to church for a Continental Breakfast fellowship. I pretty much just sat in one place. I'm sure people at church now think I'm on drugs, since I couldn't walk in a straight line. Unless you got stuck sitting next to me. Then you think I'm a real whiner. I felt better during the service, and barely survived dinner at my in-laws, before heading home. By this time I had changed my diagnosis to ear infection. I decided to go to a walk-in, the only one open at 5pm on Easter. My ears were fine. The diagnosis: Vertigo! Fifty bucks to hear what I already knew! I was given a prescription for motion sickness medicine, some head exercises to do, and instructions not to lay flat when sleeping.

4. Yesterday was more of the same. The vertigo was manageable, and we did get school in. I was sure I had licked it by bedtime. I was feeling much better, but still tried to sleep propped up. Until...

5. I woke up this morning. Saturday's spinning was nothing compared to this morning. I stumbled downstairs, and called the dentist to cancel Olivia's appointment. I somehow got back up the stairs, and spent the next 4 hours watching the room spin by. (And stumbling to the bathroom) By noon I was able to walk, and called my doctor. Her office was closed until 1pm, so I left a message. Let's see, it's now 7pm, so I guess I won't be hearing from her today. We skipped school, since I was only barely functional. I did manage to clean the bathroom, and broil some chicken for dinner.

There you have it. My exciting week. Please pray it gets less exciting. I really don't think I can handle another morning like that.

The results are in...

2008-03-14T16:10:00.003-04:00

And I'm not crazy, I just don't sleep right. I got a call from my doctor last night. The sleep study results came in, and it appears that my brain has forgotten how to sleep. (Assuming it once knew how) According to the study, I don't cycle through the sleep stages in a way that would provide restorative sleep. Every time I moved into the deep sleep stage, (Delta sleep), it only lasted a minute, then I popped right back to the lighter level. My doctor says that the Delta stages are when your body restores itself, and your brain processes all it learned that day. No wonder I've been such an airhead, lately. I'm seriously sleep deprived! She wants me to try taking 2 Benedryl every night before bed. The hope is that by sedating myself, my brain will get some restorative sleep. She said I should expect to continue to feel badly because I have a huge sleep debt at this point. In theory, when I go off the medicine in 2 weeks, my brain will have remembered how to sleep. I hope this works, because if it doesn't she's sending me to a sleep psychologist. That doesn't sound fun. She referred to it as sleep boot camp, where he will prescribe all sorts of lifestyle changes that will make my life miserable. It's a relief to know there's a reasonable explanation for my fatigue. I was starting to think I was either nuts, or a whiner. I wondered if everyone felt like this, and I was just lazy or something. It's nice to know that there is a reason behind my fatigue. I also felt good, because she said she's amazed that I can function like a normal person given my sleep patterns. Well, I don't know how normal I am, but I guess I manage to do OK for myself. Please pray the Benedryl works, and my brain can figure this sleep thing out. I really don't want to go to sleep boot camp!

Brotherly Love

2008-03-13T18:02:00.002-04:00

Rachel came home from Theater Group in quite a huff. I alternate driving with another mom in the group. This was Rachel's second time driving with the other family. She was not happy. Apparently the little sister, who Rachel sat next to in the car, was quite annoying. According to Rachel, the little girl was very loud the whole time. Rachel says she yelled in her ear most of the ride. I can't blame her for being annoyed by that. Alex was outraged when he heard about the little girl's actions. My little man is very black and white about how people should behave, although he makes exceptions for his own behavior. After hearing about her awful experience, Alex said, "That's it! No one yells in my sister's ear!"
Then he added "Except me!"

10 years ago today

2008-03-12T20:55:00.006-04:00

My firstborn daughter was born. At 8:12pm, after 28 hours of waiting (and pain), Rachel came into the world. She was born with a full head of black hair, and was the most beautiful baby I ever laid eyes on. I remember the shock and awe that I was actually somebody's mother. It seemed so strange to me. By the time we left the hospital 2 days later, I was convinced she was also the most intelligent baby ever born. I mean, look how well she took to nursing. I remember my husband cautioning me that it may have been instinct, but I didn't believe it for a second. She continued to amaze and delight me as she grew. She became a big sister twice over, and wears the title well. Rachel is a genuinely kindhearted person. She loves to make little cards for people, and pick out the perfect present. She takes joy in making other people happy. In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been 10 years already. On the other hand, it's difficult to remember what I did before she made me a mommy. My sweet, little, baby girl is really growing up. I know I'm truly blessed to be her Mom.

The Sleep Study

2008-03-11T20:31:00.007-04:00

Well, the sleep study didn't turn out to be the rip, roaring, good time I had anticipated. I was supposed to get there at 9:00 pm. I was a few minutes late, and then had to deal with some paperwork. Much to my husband's relief, both the techs were female. He was very worried that some man would be watching me sleep! Kinda cute, him worrying like that. After the first round of paperwork, I got in my jammies. The tech then had me sit in a chair while I was hooked up to all sorts of wires. I had wires glued to my head, my legs, and my face. By the time this was all done it was 10:20. I then had a bunch of questionnaires to fill out. When I finished it was 10:45. The lights have to be out by 11:00, so I had a grand total of fifteen minutes to read! Not exactly my exciting plan for the night. At 11:00 the tech came back and hooked my wires up to the monitors. She then had to test the set-up by having me lift a leg, bite down, look up, etc...., while she watched the monitors in another room. I was allowed to watch TV, but I was so tired, and I knew they were going to get me up at 6am, so I just tried to sleep. Then I tried some more. It wasn't easy. I finally decided to think about my cat. It seemed like a boring enough subject to put me to sleep. (No offense, to Hannah my cat) It must have worked, because the next thing I knew the tech came in to readjust the wires on my head. I found out in the morning that it was 4am when she came in. I had trouble going back to sleep, so I thought about my cat some more. I awoke at 6am, and a few minutes later the tech came in to take all the wires off. She wasn't allowed to tell me anything, other than whether there were any respiratory incidents. She didn't see any, meaning I didn't stop breathing while I slept. That sounds like a good thing, but I was somewhat disappointed. If that is the problem, it seems like an easy fix. So I'm stuck waiting 10-14 days for my doctor to get the report. I was walked out, and given a voucher for the hospital cafeteria. No thanks...I was so tired. I couldn't believe how much traffic there was at that hour. I headed straight home, and put my PJs back on, and went to sleep for a few more hours. I'm hoping they find something to explain my constant exhaustion. It may just be that this is the thorn in my side. If that's the case, I guess I can live with that. I have been for so long, anyway.

My big night out

2008-03-08T20:08:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow night I'm going out on the town, all by myself. Well, I may be exaggerating a little. I'm spending the night at a sleep lab. I went to my doctor for a physical on Thursday. I had some concerns about things going on with me, but was quite surprised by the doctor's opinion. She is convinced that I have a sleep disorder. In fact, she said she would be shocked if my results are normal. Here's the thing, I am tired ALL the time. I have been as long as I can remember. I wake up tired, I'm tired all day. This has been my normal existence since I was a teen. I've complained about this to doctors for 20 years. I've always been told things like: get more sleep, eat better, slow down, and you have kids what do you expect. Well, according to my doctor, it's not normal to sleep 8-9 hours and wake up exhausted. Who knew? It's normal to me. I've always felt this way. She thinks, that while I appear to be sleeping, my brain isn't getting restorative sleep. It may be apnea, or restless limbs, or a few other issues. She basically thinks my brain hasn't had a good night's sleep in 20 years. (Which would explain, alot!) So, I'm excited about this for 2 reasons. The first is the possibility that I may someday wake up and not be tired! It seems like a pipe dream, and I've come to accept that this is just the way I am, but maybe there's more to the story. Maybe one day soon, I'll actually feel rested for once. The other reason for my excitement is a little on the pathetic side. I'm really looking forward to a night alone with a good book. I'm told the room is very nice. It has a large comfy bed, a flat screen TV and is very homey. I won't be called by any children, the entire night! Apart from the monitors and the cameras watching me, it sounds very relaxing. I'll let you know how I make out.

This has to mean something...

2008-03-06T19:05:00.001-05:00

I just don't know what. I had a very strange and vivid dream a few nights ago. It was 3am, (in my dream), and I was yelling at the kids to get to sleep...we have to get up in 3 hours. Why were the kids still up? Why was I still up? I don't know. Suddenly Rachel asks what's going on outside. I look out the window and notice a crowd has gathered in the street around my house. In my dream they were neighbors, although I've never laid eyes on any of these people before. They're all milling about. Then there's a knock at my door. There are a group of government people at the door. The leader, a fifty-something woman with short, sandy, blond hair, hands me a document. (She looked suspiciously like Hillary.) I was informed that some potassium capsules that the government had placed in the surrounding mines were missing. (Just for the record there are no mines that I'm aware of in this area. And why would the government put capsules in mines, anyway?) I noticed lights in the woods, as the government agents searched the mines. I was told that my house was to be searched immediately. I protested, "It's three o'clock in the morning, we have to get up in three hours!" No one seemed to care. My husband let them in, and they proceeded to ransack my house looking for the missing capsules. They were insisting that my children had taken them from the mines. They were dumping out Legos like crazy. I just kept repeating my objection, "It's 3 o'clock in the morning!" No one cared. The neighbors are looking in my windows. I'm freaking out, but everyone else was calm as could be. After trashing the kids' rooms, the government retreated to the woods. That's when I realize that the reason we need to get up in three hours is because we're leaving for Disney in the morning. Oh, no! I forgot to pack! Now I'll never get any sleep. I started to cry, and then I woke up. Boy, was I glad to realize it was all a bad dream. So what does it all mean?? Keep in mind that I live in a blue state, where it's pretty accepted that we need the government to "help" us out. Do I have some deep-seated fear of the gov't? Or is it just Hillary in charge that I fear?

Be careful what you sign.

2008-03-04T21:23:00.002-05:00

Today Olivia, age 5, came to me with a piece of paper that she had written her name on. She asked me to sign it, so I did. Then she had me put my initials in several places. When I was done, she informed me that it was a contract. (No idea where she came up with that.) According to the contract I'm now required to do whatever she wants. Thankfully she hadn't written anything other than her name, so I doubt it would hold up in court. Of course nowadays you never know. When I told her I didn't think I'd be "doing whatever she says", she amended the contract. Now I'm only required to do what she wants when she's sick. I think I can live with that one.

Who Am I?

2008-03-01T10:55:00.003-05:00

In memory of the awesome concert we saw last night, I thought I'd share this video of my favorite Casting Crowns song...

More excuses...

2008-02-27T20:40:00.003-05:00

February has been an unusally busy month this year, thus my poor blogging record. Just to whine a little, I thought I'd list a few of my activities this month:

9 speech therapy sessions- which means early morning drives to URI
3 Girl Scout meetings
1 surgery- Alex
2 dentist appointments
2 doctor appointments
2 Orthodontist appointments
1 homeschool gathering
2 evening meetings at church
2 evenings with company for dinner- I DO NOT have the gift of hospitality- so 2 is alot for me!
2 nights out with other couples from church- Yay, something fun!
1 Chili cook-off- I didn't win, although my whole batch was eaten up, so it must have been good.
3 homeschool theater groups
Weekly Bible Study

Throw in the lunar eclipse, the fish dissection, the owl pellet dissection, and sorting out 125 boxes of girl scout cookies, and it's been a busy month. We're going out with a bang, though. John and I are heading up to Amherst, Ma on Friday night to see Casting Crowns!! Of course my planned adult babysitter is sick, and they're expecting snow...so I'm praying it actually happens.

Blog neglect

2008-02-23T17:34:00.002-05:00

I have to apologize for my neglect as of late. I know all three of you are on the edge of your seats everyday, and I've failed to deliver. Sorry. I've been busy with a host of mundane tasks, and life seems to be speeding by. My oldest is about to enter the wonderful world of braces. We're entering the wonderful world of paying for them every month. Rachel will also be hitting double digits in a few weeks, and has been busy planning her party. The great part is that she is doing most of the planning part. She made her own invitations and addressed and mailed them. She's also coming up with the menu and games, I just have to come up with the supplies. That's the good part about my baby growing up. The bad part is that she's really growing up. She discovered two little lumps on her chest. She was way too excited when I confirmed that she wasn't a lumpy freak, and was in fact beginning the wonderful transformation to womanhood. Me? I'm not nearly as excited about this turn of events. In fact, I think I'm a little traumatized by it.
I've also been obsessing about next year's curriculum. After much debate, (me talking to myself), I've got it all figured out. My obsessing will now turn to finding as many items used as I can. That can take over life as I know it, if I let it. Hopefully I can keep it under control. Which reminds me, I have to check on some auctions on Ebay. Gotta run.

Did Paul Revere have ADHD??

2008-02-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

I just read a delightful (children's) book called, "And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?" by Jean Fritz. It recounts, among other things, his famous ride to warn that the Redcoats were coming. As I read about him, I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he had ADHD. The story includes many little known facts about him, as well as his famous journey. He loved adventure, and trying new things. He started out as a silversmith, but branched out in many areas, including making false teeth! He was known for being in a rush, and for his sloppy writing. He also had a page in his day book just for doodling. After the Boston Tea Party, everyone else went home to bed. Not, Paul. He hopped on his horse and took off for New York and Philadelphia to spread the news. Reading the details of his most famous journey really clinched the diagnosis for me. He was in such a rush he left the door open, and his dog got out. Well, that turned out to be a good thing. He forgot his spurs!! He sent the dog home with a note for his wife. The dog returned with his spurs tied around his neck. He also forgot to bring a cloth to wrap around the oars as they rowed past a British warship. Luckily they were able to get some cloth from a friend nearby. Once across the Charles River, he hopped on a waiting horse, and was off to warn the colonists in Concord and Lexington. He was actually captured by the British at one point, after warning the colonists. They ended up taking his horse, and letting him go. So off he went on foot! Thanks to his endless energy, he was able to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock in time for them to escape from Lexington. Hyperactivity is not always a bad thing! After the war, Paul again became a man of all trades. In addition to silversmithing, he made church bells, and learned how to roll sheet copper. He also wrote of his big ride, in his trademark sloppy writing. After reading about this famous American patriot, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he lived in the days of modern medicine. Would some well meaning person have tried to fix him, slow him down, get him focused??? Perhaps the British would have succeeded in their surprise attack, and captured the colonist's stockpile of arms... perhaps John Hancock and Samuel Adams would have been captured....perhaps we'd all be speaking with British accents right now. Maybe ADHD isn't such a bad thing after all.

10 things I love about God

2008-02-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

1. He loved me first. And He continues to love me, regardless of how unlovable I can be.
2. Even when things seem random and out of control, I can trust Him. He's got it all under control.
3. He gives me peace in my heart, when it doesn't make sense to have peace.
4. He puts joy in my heart, regardless of my circumstances.
5. He has put love in my heart for the people I personally don't find very lovable.
6. His ways are always better than my ways.
7. He forgives me, although I don't deserve His forgiveness and disappoint Him daily.
8. He shows me the difference between what I want to do for Him, and what He wants to do through me.
9. He is my hiding place, my counselor, my all in all.
10. He's shown me who I really am- I am His, a daughter of the King...a real life princess.

My brave little boy

2008-02-06T14:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Alex had to take a trip to the OR at the local children's hospital. This was his fourth surgery, at the ripe, old age of 7! It was nothing major, he just had to have tubes removed from his ears. (Putting them in, and losing his adenoids was surgery number 2.) All of his surgeries have been minor, but still not something he looked forward to. Having experience with general anesthesia, he knew what to expect, and he knew he didn't want to do it. He asked a few times why we couldn't just leave the tubes in, he didn't mind them at all. But they were not coming out on their own, and causing all sorts of irritation. They had to go. I promised he would be spoiled rotten that day, but that didn't seem to change his apprehension. The spoiling started the night before. He couldn't sleep, so he was treated to a very long back rub, until he drifted off. He was quite the trooper in the morning. He got up and dressed without complaint. He didn't even mind not eating or drinking, he knew the drill by now. He wasn't so happy that the girls were dropped off at Uncle Joe's house. (He has 3 chihuahuas...the girls were thrilled with the arrangement!) But still he didn't complain. I could see his nervousness increase as we waited to get called in for the pre-op procedures. Still, no complaints. Once he was "dressed" we went into another pre-op room that had a PS2. That was cool... until the anesthesiologist showed up. He knew the good times were coming to an end. After a few minutes of talking, including my husband asking how long he had been on duty, it was time to head to the OR. Alex was so brave! He quietly chose the yellow Hummer power wheels to drive to the OR. He almost took out a few nurses in the hall, but did a nice job parking. We walked into the OR together, and he went right to the table, climbed right up, and laid down. I sat next to him and held his hand. I could see he was trying not to cry, he was being so brave! I place my hand on his chest, and I could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. I felt so sorry for him, yet so thankful that I could be there with him. They placed the mask on his face, and the Doctor told a few lame jokes. He even got a little smile out of Alex! As I talked to him,his little eyelids fluttered shut. "He can't hear you anymore." I was told. I kissed his cheek, and gave him three squeezes on the arm, our secret "I love you". Then I was escorted out of the room. Even with a minor procedure, I can't tell you how strange it feels to leave your unconscious child on an operating table. I did a good job sucking it up, and I didn't even cry this time! The surgery was quick, and went well. We were called into the recovery room a few minutes before he woke up. He was little confused. One minute mommy's standing over him in the OR, the next minute mommy and daddy were standing over him in a different room. After the initial confusion, he came out of the anesthesia better than in the past. He was very thirsty, and ate a popsicle, and some apple juice. I knew we'd be seeing them again..and we did on the car ride home. Some things never change. He's feeling fine today, and we've told him how proud we are of him. He has so much courage. He's learned the hard way that being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It's doing what you have to do, even though you're scared out of your mind.

My meme: 4 things

2008-02-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Stephanie to reveal some exciting facts about myself. It's called a "meme". Prepare to be spellbound.

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Office work- Registrar's Office at BU
2. Chambermaid on Block Island
3. Daycare worker during summers at college- When I decided my future kids wouldn't be going to one.
4. Special Education Teacher in public school. - When I decided my future children would be homeschooled.

4 Movies Watched Over and Over:
1. Apollo 13- that's the only movie I've watched over and over again.

4 Places I've Lived:
1. Warwick, RI
2. Boston, Ma
3. Block Island, RI
4. An undisclosed location in RI. (in case you're a psycho, stalker type)

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Lost
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Big Brother
4. Flip That House

4 Places I've Been:
1. Jamaica
2. Aruba
3. Bermuda
4. Wyoming

4 People who e-mail Me Regularly:
1. Christine
2. Myra
3. Betty
4. Mom and Dad

4 Favorite Things to Eat:
1. Snickers, of course.
2. Good Chinese food.
3. Ice Cream
4. Galumkis

4 Places I'd Rather Be:
1. On the balcony of a cruise ship, alone, reading a book. The Mediterranean would be nice.
2. At Disney
3. At the beach. Any beach will do, as long as it's 80 degrees.
4. In my bed reading a book.

4 Things I Look Forward to This Year:
1. Turning 40! (trying to have a positive attitude)
2. Obsessing about next year's curriculum.
3. Olivia (hopefully) finishing up with speech therapy.
4. I'm sure we'll have a family vacation at some point.

Am I the only one who does this?

2008-01-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Today I was pumping gas in the cold. (Brrrrrrrr) After I had finished, I tapped the nozzle to get out any gas still hanging on the edges. My gas pumping ritual sometimes involves some lifting of the hose along with the tapping. I never thought this was a weird thing to do, until today. A fellow pumping gas nearby looked at me like I was out of my mind. He actually shook his head at me!!! Just for the record: I'm frugal, not cheap. And I was only trying to get all the gas I paid for. So what if it was only 3 drops. It was my three drops, and I was taking them home with me, thank you very much. I always thought this was a pretty normal thing to do, but it's clear my pump-mate didn't think so. Am I a crazed, gas miser, or do other people do this?

Trip to the Dentist..Urrggg!

2008-01-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

Today my five year old had a dentist appointment. I've come to dread these. Not because of my daughter's behavior. She's a model patient. It wasn't the behavior of my other two children that I dreaded either. No, it was the behavior of the dental hygienist that I find so disturbing. I take the kids to a pediatric practice with several dentists, and many hygienists. I LOVE the dentist we see. I'm not so fond of the hygienists, however. It starts with the questioning when they call your name. "She can't come by herself?" they ask. They always seem so perturbed that I accompany my children into the room. I really don't get this. They are children, of course they want Mommy there. And by the way, Mommy wants to be there. Especially since they seem to not want the parents around. When Livvy climbed into the chair, the hygienist questioned her. "What grade are you in?"
"Kindergarten," Olivia replied.
"Well, does your mommy stay with you all day at school?" the hygienist asked. I couldn't help but giggle to myself.
Olivia looked at her and replied, "Well, actually, I'm homeschooled." Way to go, Livvy!
"Oh." said the hygienist, clearly disappointed that her attempt at belittling my child had failed.
Olivia had the a "spot" on a molar they were watching from her last visit. I mentioned it to her. Now I'm used to the scrutiny of the pediatric hygienists. They like to talk to you like you're an idiot, and question you about your child's eating habits. Usually, I find this mildly annoying, and somewhat judgemental. In this case, I'm assuming because of her cavity, the questioning was in complete overdrive. I mentioned when she first started, that Olivia had inherited her Dad's soft teeth. She disregarded me, because of course I'm just the mommy, what do I know?
"Does she eat a lot of chewy snacks?" asked the hygienist.
"No" I replied.
"She doesn't eat fruit roll-ups?" she said incredulously.
Hmmm...didn't we just cover this, I was thinking. But I just said, "No, I don't buy them."
She continued her quest to find fault with my parenting, questioning me about every harmful food known to man.
Then came my favorite part. When they put the pink stuff on their teeth, so they can pass judgment on your brushing technique. The hygienist seemed gravely disappointed when there was no major red staining. Score one for Mommy's brushing!
"Well, does she floss?"
"I floss her teeth for her." I replied.
"That's good, she's too small to do it herself." (Thanks for the pointer, I wasn't doing because I enjoy flossing people's teeth!)
Then I was interrogated about Olivia's drinking habits. The horror! I let my child drink OJ with calcium! Apparently I'm a very neglectful parent. You would have thought I said I gave her battery acid! I commented that I was just following my pediatrician's recommendation. Olivia hates milk. Which the hygienist found shocking. Then she asked, in a very disapproving tone, "Well, does she walk around all day with a sippy cup?"
"No, she's five, not two." I stated, in my "you're really starting to annoy me" voice.
She seemed taken aback by my tone. "I'm just trying to figure out why she has a cavity."
She took it down a notch, but continued questioning me and Olivia about her eating and dental hygiene habits. Finally she came to a stunning conclusion. Perhaps it was just genetics, and Olivia inherited soft teeth. "Some people are just more cavity prone than others."
Hmmmm...where have I heard that theory before?

Ever get that scary feeling?

2008-01-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

I headed out tonight on a late night ice cream run. It was my first chocolate indulgence of the new year. I figured 3 weeks was long enough, and I deserved a little snack. I was heading to a convenience store on a local two lane road. The speed limit is 40, but most people drive at least 50. Out of the blue, I had a scary feeling, like what would happen if someone hit black ice and hit me? Weird thought. I instictively slowed down. I was just getting to the top of a hill when I saw the first headlights I'd seen since I left my house. Two sets of them actually, and one of them was in my lane! And he was coming at me fast! I hit the brakes and jerked to the right, expecting a big jolt any second. The next thing I know, I realized I was still alive, and the car somehow did not hit me. I'm really not sure how that could have happened, but it did. Thank you, Jesus!

Confessions of a CF Husband: A Love Story

2008-01-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

For several days, I've been following this incredible story. I found this brother in Christ's blog through a posting on a homeschool chat site. I've since become addicted, and I don't think an hour has gone by since that I haven't lifted this family up in prayer. It is truly the most amazing love story I've ever heard. A love story first for the Lord, a love for each other, and now a love for their tiny little girl, Gwyneth Rose. The CF husband is Nathan. The love of his life, next to the Lord, is his beautiful wife Tricia. Tricia has CF, cystic fibrosis. She was awaiting a double lung transplant when they discovered little Gwyneth Rose was on the way. As you can imagine, this was a very high risk pregnancy. A few days after Christmas Tricia was admitted to the hospital for treatment for her CF. They were hoping it would be a brief visit. Unfortunately Tricia's condition declined, and they had to make the difficult decision to deliver the baby by C-section on Jan. 8. I believe she was 25 weeks, at the time. Gwyneth was 1lb. 6 oz. at birth. She truly is a miracle child. Tricia is quite ill, on a vent, unable to breath on her own. But the Lord is answering the prayers of thousands around the globe. Both are making progress! Please pray for this incredible family. The baby is amazing, as you'll see from the pictures on his blog. Nathan has done a tremendous job of sharing who Tricia is, an amazing woman. She has a spark in her eye, that just makes you want to be her friend! And Nathan, what a man! His love for his wife and child are overwhelming. I really can't do justice with words. Please pray for his strengthening through this trial. They have a long road ahead. Pray Tricia will continue to improve, and be strong enough to be put back on the transplant list. Pray for continued progress for little Gwyneth Rose. And pray for those who are finding out about a God who loves through the astonishing witness of this family. Here's the blog. Be prepared to become emotionally involved! And pray, pray, pray!

Do I look like Tim LaHaye?

2008-01-16T13:19:00.000-05:00

As I may have mentioned, I teach Sunday School to the younger teens at my church. We were just completing a very teacher-friendly curriculum, when I asked the students what they would like to study next. The overwhelming response was: "Revelation." In the words of one of the boys, "Every year we ask for Revelation, and we always end up back in Genesis." I could see his point. And I do love a challenge. I looked high and low for an appropriate youth study on Revelation. I was very excited when I found what looked like a great study. I ordered it, and anxiously awaited its arrival. When it came, I was even more excited. It had great age- appropriate activities, with plenty of life application. One problem: Each session has questions for the kids to answer in small groups relating to the chapter. But there is no answer key!! Not even a suggestion, as to how to steer the conversation. Are you kidding me? Do I look like Tim LaHaye? (No offence to Mr. LaHaye- but I'm hoping I don't look like an eighty year old man!) As I'm sure you're aware, teens ask questions, and lots of them. Nothing like the questions that came my way when I taught the toddler class. The only thing they ever asked was,"More juice?" and "Mama?" Teens ask real questions. And although I'm not afraid to say, "I don't know, I'll look into it.", I'm sure they don't want that to be the bulk of the discussion every week. So, needless to say, I'll be studying Revelation right along with them. Hopefully my Pastor doesn't get too sick of my questions. But in the end I know it will be a blessing to me. In the words of God, Himself:

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophesy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. Rev. 1:3

At least I know what that verse means.

Duh...

2008-01-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, by youngest daughter receives speech therapy at the local university. She has made wonderful progress! I was getting frustrated this past semester, however, as her progress seemed to stall. She had been working on the vocalic /r/ sound. (like in four and car). She had made such great progress with all the other sounds she worked on, I was afraid we were hitting a wall in her speech. I initially thought it may have been that the other sounds were more visible and easier to teach. You can show a child how to place their tongue to make the /l/ sound, for example. The vocalic /r/ was more difficult to "see". When reading over her most recent progress report, it finally hit me. It said she tended to vowelize this sound. Wait a minute! Doesn't everyone in Rhode Island vowelize the vocalic /r/? How can we expect her to correctly say "car", when all she's ever heard is "cah". Of course she vowelizes this sound! I feel so much better! When she starts up again in a few weeks, I'm going to suggest we just move on. After all, I don't want her to be the only freak in the state that pronounces her Rs!

The 2nd and 3rd most annoying questions...

2008-01-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

We all know the first most annoying question. If you homeschool, you've heard it 100 times. If you don't homeschool, you've probably asked it. With the holidays, I had the joy of seeing all those people in our extended circle who feel the need to pass judgement on our parenting decisions. I still remember the look of horror from one of my cousins when she first heard we were planning to educate our own children. "Why would you do such a thing?" It was as though I said we would be keeping them in a closet for the remainder of their lives. I can't imagine ever asking that of someone who chooses traditional schooling for their children. But for some reason people feel perfectly justified to question you about your choices if you homeschool. Which leads me to what I feel are next in line on the annoying scale. "But aren't you worried you won't be able to teach them everything they need to know? How can you be sure to teach them everything?" (Because as you know, the government schools are doing such a great job.) I wonder if people realize when they ask me this, that they are essentially calling me a moron. Or perhaps they are the morons. I mean come on...my kids are in elementary school, I think I can handle it! The third question that really irritates me can, at times, be harmless curiosity. It's all in the tone of voice. Usually the question is preceded by a pat on the back. "That's great you homeschool." Then comes the question, annoying depending on the tone. "But how long do you plan on continuing? You're not going to homeschool for High School, are you?" What they're really saying is: "That's cute, but how long are you going to carry on with this foolishness?" I'm thinking that's really none of your business! You small-minded nincompoop! If it was up to my son, we'll be homeschooling for a long time. He just asked me yesterday if he could homeschool for college. I told him "No". (He doesn't know yet about online degrees, and I'd like to keep it that way for now.)
Well, that's my rant for the day. I feel better now. Off to go ruin my children's lives some more!

You know you're a homeschooler when...

2008-01-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

Today I stopped by my local library to pick up a book. I was chatting with the librarian at the front desk, when I heard the head Librarian call from the next room: "Is that Julie?" Yes, I'm there so often that not only do all the librarians know my name, and my kid's names, they can also recognize my voice! Not only that, but they're pretty on top of what my family is currently studying, and will often recommend books without me having to ask. You gotta love living in a small town!

My weirdness

2008-01-09T12:31:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged my Stephanie to reveal 5 weird things about myself, so here goes:

1. When alone in the car, I crank up the tunes, and sing very loudly. (And very badly). I've been known to have trouble keeping both hands on the wheel while doing so. I also crank up the tunes and dance around my kitchen like a maniac when no one is around. Sometimes I even have a pretend microphone. I hope it sounds good to the Lord, since I know it doesn't sound so great to the human ear.

2. I've discovered that I have mixed dominance. I'm left-handed, but my right eye is dominant. In some people this can cause writing problems, or dyslexia. I have neither, but a serious left/right problem. Never trust my directions, as I'm likely to say right, when I really mean left. In college, my parents once ended up in a very bad section of Boston because they followed my directions. My husband always jokes that if we're ever in a situation driving, and he yells "Go left", in order to save our family from an accident, we'll all be meeting Jesus. That's why he does most of the driving.

3. I have hazel eyes, but as a child I had a pie-shaped wedge in one eye that was green. It still appears every now and then. Even weirder, I have a niece, also named Julie, that has the same pie-shaped wedge thing going on.

4. I homeschool my children, and attend a Baptist church. I don't think this is weird, but a lot of other people apparently think so. (I live in RI, after all, and I'm the only person in my family that is not Catholic.)

5. I not so secretly wish I was born in a different century. I envy Ma Ingalls, and daydream about being a pioneer woman. My husband doesn't think I'd last a day, but I think he underestimates me.

So there it is: my weirdness. I'm tagging Kysha, and Brooke Lorren. So let's hear it, how weird are you?

Don't try this at home...

2008-01-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Speaking of bikinis...I did a very foolish thing today. I was cleaning out a drawer and came across a bikini I bought for my honeymoon, many moons ago. I had a momentary lapse in judgement and decided to try it on. Big mistake! The top, when I finally managed to get it partially clasped, looked downright obscene. The bottom...well, have you ever seen a pregnant woman in a bikini and thought: "That's just too much information." That was me, except of course, I'm not actually pregnant. Perhaps the bikini could serve as a weight loss motivation. Not that I'd ever actually go out in public in one. I'm far too conservative for that. Not to mention too old. The good news is that I've managed to remain Snickers-free so far in 2008! And although I haven't lost any weight, I didn't gain back the 2 pounds I lost from the stomach flu. Maybe there is hope after all.

Bikini, anyone?

2008-01-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

This afternoon we set out for the homeschool theater group my girls are involved in. It's free, if you don't count the gas. It's about a 35 minute drive, which by RI standards is very, very far. I was about 20 minutes into the drive when my cell phone rang. It was the teen who runs the group calling to tell me there was no theater today. Okay, there's $5.00 in gas I'll never get back. I decided to make the best of the situation and try to get a little shopping done. During the last snowstorm I realized Rachel desperately needed new boots. It seems she doesn't like having to scrunch up her toes to fit into her old ones. I knew it might be a little late to find these, but I didn't realize how late. I knew we were in trouble when the first thing I saw when we walked into Target was bikinis. Okay, it's 10 degrees out, who in their right mind is going to buy a bathing suit this time of year? As we walked through the store I saw rack after rack of shorts and summer clothes. Have I entered a time-warp? I thought it was January, but maybe I'm mistaken. When we got to the shoe department, I noticed a lovely assortment of sandals and flip-flops. It wasn't looking good. Then I spotted the row that said, "Family Boots." I got a little excited. That didn't last long. The racks were empty, except 7 pairs of boots. (yes, I counted) 5 were Men's, and 2 were in toddler sizes. Bummer! I know I should have bought them earlier, but with Disney and Christmas, I just kept putting it off. I guess I learned my lesson. Next year I'll be better prepared, and buy them in July.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

This year I decided to make a New Year's Resolution. I've avoided these in the past. They always seem to lead to guilt, anyway. So why bother? But this year I have the big 4-0 coming up. I decided it was time to lose the baby fat now, or it's probably never going to happen. My oldest is hitting double digits this year, and the baby is learning to read, so I'm running out of excuses for the belly I've been carrying around. I have a fool proof plan. Cut out the Snickers, (or at least cut back), and start exercising. I can do this! Well, yesterday, the first day of 2008, I failed miserably. Although I didn't run out to the store for a Snickers, I also didn't do anything that can be called exercise. I don't think turning the pages of a book really count. And yet, I managed to lose 2 pounds already! How you ask? The old-fashioned way. I awoke at 1:30am with a strange, yet familiar feeling. Yep, the stomach flu! Only 13 pounds to go! See how God can use all things for good? Even vomiting. Maybe I'll start exercising tomorrow, if a miracle happens and the kids aren't up all night sick. Now I'm off to nibble on some Saltines and Ginger-Ale. Hope your New Year is off to a better start!

I'm an Amish Robert Frost

2007-12-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

I've been called many things, but this one had me rolling all week. You know that song by Newsboys, "Shine." (Shine, make them wonder what you've got...etc.) Do you ever wonder if you "shine"? Do people notice something different in you? You know, Christ shining through, that type of thing. I found out on Christmas Eve that I apparently do have that something different thing going on. I'm sitting there minding my own business when the rough around the edges brother of my sister- in -law announced to all that were within earshot that I was Amish! Yes, me! How funny is that? He was commenting on how I don't know how people treat each other in the real world, because, of course, I'm Amish. For some reason I find this amusing, and actually a compliment. It would appear that he doesn't think I'm as mean as most people. Either that or he has something against the Amish. I'm not sure, but I'm choosing to see it as a compliment. Then today I was even more amused by one of my Sunday School students. In class, I read to them a blog post from a few months back. It happened to go along well with the lesson. I didn't tell the kids I had written it, but thought they would figure that out. After church we were at a friend's house, when I asked if he figured out who had written it. He said he was pretty sure it was by Robert Frost! And he was serious! I think it's safe to assume that he's never actually read anything by Mr. Frost! So in the course of six short days I've discovered my true self. I'm an Amish Robert Frost!

Back to reality..

2007-12-19T13:38:00.002-05:00

Well, we're back! We had a great time in Disney. It was warm and beautiful everyday. But now it's back to reality. After a bumpy flight home late Saturday night reality has hit in a big way. I spent all day Sunday battling my nemesis, known as laundry to everyone else. By God's grace, I won, and managed to wash, fold and put away all our vacation clothes. I felt like I had climbed Mount Everest. Monday it was back to reality for the kids as well, school!! It was painful after such a nice, long break from Mommy's nagging. Monday night I went Christmas shopping to take care of the rest of my list. You know, all those gifts you put off buying because you have no idea what to get. I made out pretty well there, and only have 2 more gifts to pick up. When I got home at 9:30, I worked on Christmas cards until midnight. They're done, although if I missed you, or you got two cards from me, sorry, it was late! Tuesday, school was a little less painful. I then baked cookies for 7 hours. (Squeezed making and eating dinner in there,too.) I ended up with 24 dozen cookies for the Christmas baskets at church. Not bad for one afternoon's (and night's) work. Today, I shopped for all the rest of the food I need for baking and Christmas brunch. Things look much calmer for the rest of the week. On Friday my kids head to Gramma's for the annual cookie making sleepover. John and I will use that night to do all our wrapping together. We always watch "It's a Wonderful Life", while we wrap. Corny, I know, but that's just what we do. And you know what? It is a wonderful life! If you don't hear from me soon, have a blessed Christmas!

My break from reality

2007-12-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's the big day! My family is taking off for 9 fun-filled days in Disney!! The kids are calling today, "Disney-Eve". It's all very exciting. My Mom and Dad will drive over to spend 4 days with us. So for a few days, at least, we won't be outnumbered by the kids. But there's much to do to get ready. So, today I'll be a total stress case, as is a family tradition. But tomorrow, now that's another story. Tomorrow I become "vacation Mommy." I'm sure the kids will really appreciate me then, after being traumatized today by "stressed- out- getting ready for vacation- mommy. " I have to admit, that I never did finish my Christmas cards, still have a little shopping to do, and about 30 dozen cookies to bake....but who cares?...I'm going to Disney!!!

Where's God?

2007-12-04T19:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend our hearts were broken. The 14 year old son of our friends died unexpectedly at a church youth event. Our friends have lost their only child. There truly are no words to adequately express the sorrow we feel for them. And yet, in the midst of such darkness, the Lord is at work. That Sunday our church family came together for worship. We were all stunned by the events of the weekend, and desperate for the Lord to shed some light on the overwhelming grief. As it would happen, our Pastor was away on vacation that week. He had scheduled for a guest speaker to take his place. Although the Pastor tried to get a flight home, he was unable to return in time to be with us for our Sunday worship. But the Lord, of course, knew all this was to happen. In His mercy and wisdom, He provided the perfect messenger. The scheduled guest speaker had lost a teenage son in a drowning 13 years ago. Coincidence? I don't think so. God sent us the only person who could help us make sense of it all. He was able to share with us what a parent feels when a child dies, what is helpful and what isn't. He was able to share how he was able to eventually find peace with the knowledge that the Lord truly is in control. These things do happen for a reason, even if we don't see it this side of eternity. At the invitation, the church was encouraged to come forward to pray, or be prayed for by our Deacons. Many people went forward, and we collectively grieved for Patrick and prayed for his parents. A couple I had never seen before went forward, weeping. Most of the teens in the church went forward, formed a circle and prayed and grieved together. Men and women were openly weeping. The song went on for quite a while. I don't know how the worship team managed to keep singing. You could actually feel the Holy Spirit fill the room with His mercy and grace. Words really don't do justice to the magnitude of the experience. On a side note, my husband's aunt just happened to visit church that day. She lives nearby and visits on occasion. She had no idea what had happened, and later said that if she had known she probably wouldn't have come. You see, 4 years ago her daughter died. Coincidence that she happened to come that day? I don't think so. When the music ended I turned and saw her tear-streaked face. But there was something else there too. A look of peace I haven't seen in 4 years. The next day I called to check on her. She stated that the service was the most healing thing that has happened since her daughter died. And she just happened to come that day? Yeah, right.

When the unthinkable happens it's easy to wonder where God is in it all. How could He let this happen? I think it's normal to wonder why, but we have to trust that God is in control. Sometimes that's not the easiest thing to do. But as far as where God was in all of this, I can tell you for sure. He was right there with us all. It would have been impossible to miss Him.

Love her like Jesus...

2007-11-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

The following post was written last week. For some reason I didn't get around to proofreading and actually publishing it. On Saturday, I was just getting on the computer when the phone rang. It was a friend from church calling to tell us that a 14 year boy in our church, the only child of my friend, had died unexpectedly. It has been a very difficult week, to say the least. I had totally forgotten about this post, until I got on the computer this evening. I debated whether to publish it, but in the end decided God had put this on my heart for a reason. So here it is:

A recent post at Stephanie's Mommy brain, here, reminded me how important our words, or lack thereof can be, especially when dealing with someone in crisis. After the death of our nephew, Tony, last fall, I so wanted to rush in and save the day with all the right things to say. But I truly had no idea what the right things were. The death of a child is such an unthinkable loss. What words of wisdom could I possibly offer my brother and sister in law? I knew words could not erase their anguish, and yet I longed to help them. A few days after the funeral I was cleaning in the kitchen and pouring out my heart to God. I was desperate for some direction in ministering to my sister-in-law. I felt so helpless and useless. God was quick with an answer. I was listening to KLOVE, and immediately after I asked Him what to do, the Casting Crowns song Love Them Like Jesus came on. These words pierced my heart:

"You don't need the answers to all of life's questions, Just know that He loves her, and stay by her side, Love her like Jesus."

Could He have been anymore specific? A peace settled over me, I knew what the Lord was telling me to do. But just how does one love like Jesus? Well, God told me in the song, "stay by her side." Now I have to admit, we weren't the best of buddies before Tony's death. We were always friendly, but not particularly close. (Although we did have the unique bond of sharing the same mother-in-law!) I worried how responsive she would be to my attempts to "be by her side." But I figured God could work that out, and He did. I didn't do anything spectacular. I just called on a regular basis to check in, and allowed her to talk about what she was going through. I let her talk about Tony, without trying to change the subject. I realized that he was always on her mind anyway, so it would be selfish and foolish to avoid the subject. Whenever we could, we'd go out for coffee to just get away for an hour. I have to admit, there were many days when the depths of her grief were overwhelming to me, and I've spent many a night crying and praying for her pain. The only answer I had, she wasn't ready for yet, so I've just let her vent her grief. I was honest in that I had no idea what she was going through, it was unimaginable to me. Apparently this honesty helped her feel safe talking to me. While others offered advice on how to get through the death of a loved one, I just listened and prayed. On many occasions she apologized for "dumping all her crap" on me. I just laughed, and said that's what I'm here for. Well, a funny thing happened. What started out as the verb "love", turned into the noun "love", and in the process we have become the best of friends. Because of the friendship we've developed over the past year, she agreed to visit my church at a recent "Friend's Day". She hadn't stepped foot in any church since her son's funeral, so this was a huge step for her. The service was awesome, and the Gospel was clearly presented. I'd love to say she ran to the front at the invitation, but that didn't happen. However, I do know that seeds were planted. Since visiting my church she has been much more open to spiritual conversations, even to the point of initiating them. You can just feel Him at work. In all the good and bad that has happened in the past year, God just continues to blow my mind. It amazes me how He can use any situation to work out His plan. I can't wait to see what He'll do next.

Maybe they get it

2007-11-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

As I was sitting at the computer today, my youngest daughter hugged me and said, " I'm glad you're not a mean mommy!"

My older daughter scoffed from the table, and said,"Yeah, except when she makes us do school."

My knight in shining armor, seven year Alex, came to my defense. "She's not being mean, she's just being a Mother!" To which Rachel replied, "Good point." I didn't have to say a word!

The funny thing is that my daughter is usually very compliant about getting her school done. I'm hardly ever "mean" with her. My son, the rescuer, is the one that might have a case for calling me "mean". Could it be that he's starting to see some point to my insistence that he learn to read and write? Maybe I'm not such a meanie after all.

PMS or selfish people, you decide...

2007-11-17T19:33:00.000-05:00

I have to confess I may be suffering from a bit of PMS, so this may not seem as outrageous to those of you who are currently level-headed, but this really got my blood pressure up today. My kids and I had a 4:15 appointment for the flu clinic at the pediatrician's office. When I got to the office, there was a line out the door. Okay, that's a little annoying, and it was cold, but I can deal, right? At the same time I got in line, a gentleman came over and asked if the line was for those with flu clinic appointments. "Yes" someone replied. He got back in his Lexus SUV with his family and sat there for about five minutes while the rest of us stood in the cold. I wrapped my coat around my shivering daughter, who was not dressed for standing in the cold. I was just getting to the doorway, when the wife struts up to the door announcing that she has plans and can't wait in line, so she must get to the front to reschedule her appointment. I don't know why she would make an appointment for a time when she has plans to be someplace else. And if they were in such a rush, why not get in the line when you arrived, instead of sitting in your warm car? Annoying, but I can deal, right? After several minutes she comes out, gets her family from the car, and marches her family through the line to the waiting area! To top it off, she had a look of superiority as she pranced by us fools standing in line. Okay, now I'm not dealing so well...and neither were the others who were waiting patiently in line. Maybe the whole lot of us had PMS. Conversations began to pop up about the fact that other people had lives as well. The Queen Mama, I'm sure, had to have heard this, but sat with a stony look in her comfy chair. I'm just glad that I kept my mouth shut, considering the unkind thoughts I was having. The ironic thing is that the flu clinic was run very efficiently. We waited in line for about 10 minutes to check in, then were vaccinated and out the door in a matter of minutes. The woman shaved about 5 minutes off her wait time, and in the process alienated and raised the blood pressure of 20 people in line. As we were called in, the royal family was leaving. Innocently my youngest daughter said, "Look, the people who cut everyone!", like it was a celebrity sighting. Apparently, the kids were also aware of what had transpired. This provided some much needed comic relief for those within earshot. It also led to some interesting conversations in the car. So you be the jury: do I just have a raging case of PMS, or was the whole thing just wrong?

My Christmas Card conundrum

2007-11-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

This year I was very proud of myself when I ordered my Christmas cards in September. I was most proud of the fact that they were 50% off, the early bird special. Now I tend not to be an "early bird." Generally, I'm rushing at the last minute to reach deadlines. But we're taking a family vacation in December this year, so I'm trying to get all my Christmas to-do lists completed in the next three weeks. The original plan was to have the cards addressed and ready to go by mid-October. Well, that didn't happen, they sat in a drawer, but now I'm on top of it. Unfortunately, I find myself in the same situation I'm in every year, too many addressees and not enough cards. You would think I'd learn by now. This year I ordered 112 cards. That sounds like a ridiculous amount, I know, but let's just say I have a lot of cousins. I did remember as I placed my order, that last year I originally ordered 100, and had to reorder 20 more. But with the early bird special I received 12 free. Surely I could shave 8 people off my list. If I went up to the next level, I'd have 132 cards, and that just seemed extreme. I was sure I could knock off a few people, no problem. I just had to be a little brutal. Like that cousin I send one to every year, that never sends me one. It wouldn't be so annoying if I didn't see the card he manages to send my sister every year. I can finally cut him off the list. How freeing! And what about the old friend from elementary school. We haven't even emailed in years! Gone, off the list! As I started my cards on Monday, I was sure I could get it down to 112. It's not as easy as it sounds. Of course, I forgot to take into account the people I'd be adding to this year's list. Not a lot, but when you're cutting people, 3 or 4 seem like 100. I was fully prepared to be brutal, if I haven't gotten a card from you in the last 10 years, you're not getting one from me. As I came across the first "wayward" cousin in my address book, I suddenly and inexplicably caved! Suddenly it seemed so, well, unChrist-like. How could I deny someone holiday cheer, not to mention my children's cuteness? Maybe I could order more cards...I checked online. 20 more cards would cost me $39.99!! Are you kidding me? If I had ordered them with the rest, it would have cost me about $5.00! Time for plan B. I decided I could send out regular, old cards sans the cute picture of the kids...Now I just have to decide who gets denied their cuteness! This is a painstaking decision for me. Why do I have such a hard time with this? This is causing me way more stress than it should. Realistically, I'm sure no one but me would even notice if they didn't get a card from my family. And yet, I just can't seem to control my Christmas card obsessiveness. Maybe next year I'll smarten up, and either buy more cards, or start axing people for real...but I doubt it.

You learn something new everyday

2007-11-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about homeschooling is learning all sorts of interesting facts along with my kids. My oldest daughter is in fourth grade. That's the grade that the powers -that- be have determined must include state history. (I have nothing against learning state history, I just don't like others telling me when to teach anything.) We are studying early American history this year anyway, so it was a natural flow to include our little state's history. Now, having lived here most of my life, and having attended public schools here, you would think it would be all review for me. What I've discovered is that I was cheated out of learning many interesting things about our state. (In fact I don't remember learning any RI history in school, and I was a good student. I'd remember if I did!) Now I'm sure most people know that Roger Williams was the first to start a settlement here. He was the dude who came up with the concept of "Separation of Church and State." He also started the first Baptist Church in America! Williams believed that the Indians should not have their land taken, and instead negotiated the sale of land to new settlers. He was befriended by the Narragansett Indians, and was in fact very friendly with the Chief, Canonicus. (yep, that's where Camp Canonicus gets it's name.) We read about Anne Hutchinson and the early settlement of Portsmouth and Newport. Williams helped out here too, in the purchase of land from the Narragansetts. Then there was a real nut named Samuel Gorton, the founder of a little settlement called Warwick. (also the name of a Jr. High in Warwick) He didn't believe in Heaven or Hell, and his followers were called Gordonites. He was prosecuted for heresy and jailed by the church in Boston. Massachusetts' meddling, prompted Williams to seek a charter to unite the settlements of what is now RI. I'm thinking there might be a few Gordonites still living in Warwick, judging by the spiritual conditions there. But I digress... As an adult, I had heard about King Phillip's War, but didn't really know much about it. The war was the first organized war between the settlers and the Indians in the new world. Unlike Roger Williams, the settlers in Massachusetts had no problem taking the land that had been occupied by the Indians. "King Phillip", Metacomet, was the son of the deceased Wampanoag Chief, Massasoit. (Think Pilgrims) His throne, a natural stone seat, is in Bristol, RI. (We've actually seen it!) He organized tribes in New England to fight to regain their lost land. Although the Narragansetts remained neutral, they were suspected of harboring Wampanoag women and children, and perhaps wounded warriors. They were given an ultimatum from the colonists in Massachusetts. Hand over the Wampanoags or else. Hospitality was a trademark of the Narragansett culture, and it was unthinkable for them to do so. Colonists from Massachusetts and Connecticut launched a surprise attack on a large, winter settlement of the Narragansetts. The colonial soldiers lit the wigwams on fire, and shot men, women and children as they ran from their homes. As many as 1000 Narragansetts were killed that night. I can't tell you how shocked I was to read about this. I live within 20 miles of where this massacre took place, yet in all my schooling I was never taught about this! How can that be?? It was the largest massacre in US history! It's interesting to realize that my 7 year old now knows more RI history that I was ever taught in the public schools. And the government worries whether homeschoolers will provide a thorough education???? I guess we're only supposed to teach the parts that make them look good.

Red Sox do it again!

2007-10-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a very exciting day in our house. My children are budding Sox fans, much to the dismay of my Yankee loving father-in-law. They were very excited that the Sox had a chance to win it all Sunday night. Rachel and Alex were not at all happy about going to bed just as the game started. They made me promise to wake them in the ninth inning if the Sox were ahead. In the words of Rachel, "This is important stuff, Mom." It was somewhat of a nail biter, especially having grown-up with the memories of heartache after heartache. I was a freshman at Boston University in 1986 when the Sox played the Mets in the World Series. You could see Kenmore Square from my dorm, and Fenway was a five minute walk away. It happened to be parent's weekend the night of game 6. I'll never forget the look on my Dad's face when that ball rolled through Bill Buckner's legs. As a seasoned fan, I'm sure he half expected it, but still it was heartbreaking just the same. Even with the victory in 2004 under our belt, I still knew anything could happen when it came to the Red Sox. I was somewhat cautious waking the kids in the ninth inning. It seemed kind of risky to wake sleeping children, only to see the Sox implode. The funny thing was, the kids fully expected the Sox to win. They had no fear! We tried to explain that it's not over till it's over, but they weren't swayed from their optimism. That's when it occurred to me how different their perspective was from mine. They've only known the Sox as winners. They know nothing of the heartbreak of being a Sox fan. After the final out we all hugged and jumped around. Being a girl, my favorite part was watching the players hug. The kids thought it was great seeing Jason Varitek leap into Papelbon's arms. It was fun to share the moment with my kids. That's when they asked how many times the Red Sox won the World Series in my lifetime. 2 times, same as in their lifetimes. Well, what about Papa? How many times have they won it since he's been a fan? 2 times, same as them. How about my Gramps, who passed away before they were born? Well, he never saw it happen. They were pretty amazed by this! It just goes to show, perspective is everything.

How worldly!

2007-10-25T20:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday , Alex found himself in a predicament. He was not a good, little boy going to bed the night before. In addition, he was not at all cooperative or obedient about remaining quiet during "quiet time". I'm not looking for perfection here. Just don't scream your head off and run around upstairs when you're supposed to be playing quietly in your room. And at bedtime, I just want quiet, horizontal children. I don't think that's too much to ask. After failing miserably at following these simple rules, Alex was banished to his room for the rest of the day. He was also going to bed an hour early. So Alex devised a clever plan to avoid the consequences of his misdeeds. He set about cleaning his room. When he called me up to show off his great cleaning job, he was quite sure I would rescind the banishment. Imagine his surprise when I praised his effort, then explained that his good deed would not cover his disobedience. Now that I think about it, he didn't even show any repentance for his behavior, he just hoped his goodness would outshine his disobedience. The whole scenario made me so aware of the world's view of sin and good works. Alex really thought he could avoid the consequence of his repeated disobedience by performing an act of goodness. I guess it's human nature to think that way. How many people believe they will spend eternity in Heaven because of their goodness? A lot I think. The simplicity of God's plan seems so beyond the comprehension of most, so they rely on their own works to earn them something they think they deserve. Imagine standing before the Almighty Maker of the universe. Before you is the pitiful molehill of good deeds you occasionally performed. The sad, little hill is overshadowed by the vast mountain of sin you committed on a daily basis. Even if that was how God operated, how could anyone hope to come out ahead in that situation? And yet so many cling to their misguided belief, that in the end, the good in them will outweigh the bad. And somehow, their good works will magically hide the sinful life they lived. It truly boogles my mind when I see people reject God's free offer of forgiveness, with puffed up pride about their own greatness. A pride that says, "I'll take my chances on myself, rather than give up control to someone else. Even if that someone is the Savior of the world." It's sad, really. And very, very frustrating. I am thankful though, that as we talked through the situation, my little boy was able to see how illogical that thinking was. If only the world could have the mind of a child.

Mr. Pickles is on the loose!

2007-10-23T13:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I heard the words I'd been fearing all day: "Mommy, we can't find Mr. Pickles. I think he got out!" I knew when I allowed the salamander to come home in a cup from his cousin's house, that it was a dicey proposition. I hoped the critter could stay alive 24 hours, then we could set him free. One day with a salamander wouldn't be the end of the world, right? When we got home the kids found a "Frog Planet" habitat to make into Mr. Pickles home. (We never actually had a frog, but we did have tadpoles for 11 months! But that's a whole different story.) They were very excited, putting in just the right mix of dirt, water and leaves. They dumped Mr. Pickles in, and he seemed quite happy with his new home. In the morning I was happy to find that Mr. Pickles was still with us. Throughout the day, Alex put a bug or two into the habitat for his dining pleasure. Alex is sure he ate the bugs, but I wonder if they got out the same way Mr. Pickles did. As I was cooking dinner I heard those frightening words. Mr. Pickles had escaped, and was roaming around our house. The kids searched high and low, to no avail. From prior experience with catching salamanders, I knew he didn't have long. If he dried out, he was a goner. Well, he hasn't turned up, so I'm assuming somewhere in my house, there lies a dried up salamander. Alex is upstairs now, searching for his little body, so he can have a proper burial. I guess it could have been worse. But I'd never be dumb enough to let a snake in the house. Of course, I didn't think I was dumb enough to let a salamander in, so you never know.

My very naughty parents

2007-10-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

On Saturday my snow bird parents headed back to Florida. They left my sister's house in New York early in the morning, planning on stopping for the night in Virginia. My dad wanted to be sure to have had dinner and be settled in the hotel in time for Game 6 of the ALCS. My mom and dad are usually very predictable. Once settled in a hotel, they will ALWAYS call myself or one of my siblings to let us know where they are that night. I spoke to my sister Nancy that afternoon, and she confirmed that they had left early in the morning. I was busy all day and didn't think much about it. The game started and the bases were loaded in the 1st inning, when my sister Janet called. "Have you heard from Mom and Dad?" she asked. I realized that I hadn't. I agreed that this was pretty odd, but figured they would call someone soon. I mean this was Game 6 of the ALCS. Has my dad ever watched the Sox in a playoff game and not called someone to commiserate with?? In my mind that was unthinkable. My sister Nancy had tickets to Game 7, so I was sure my dad would call her when the Sox took a big lead. When they were up by about 7 runs I called her. She was busy surfing the net looking for a hotel in Boston for the next night. She hadn't heard from them, but was sure Dad would call any minute to share her excitement about going to Game 7. By 10:30 I was getting seriously worried. I had tried their cell phone several times, only to get a message that they were not available. It's a trac phone, so they have no voice mail. I called my oldest sister, but she seemed unconcerned. She reminded me of my parent's very strict rule growing up: No calls after 9pm. She was sure it was just too late for them to call. I still didn't buy it. I mean this was the Red Sox, after all. There were always exceptions made for the Sox in our house. After calling my sisters one more time, I headed off to bed for a night of tossing and turning. I had visions of my parents in a ditch somewhere along the east coast. If they hadn't called someone by noon, I was scrapping my plans for Sunday, and spending the day calling police and hospitals up and down the coast. After church, I whipped out my cell phone and called my sister. Thankfully, my dad had called my sister about going to game 7! No mention of the fact that THEY DIDN'T CALL TO CHECK IN. Well, as you can imagine, my sister properly chastised them for making us all worry. Their excuse: "Oh, didn't we call anyone? We must have forgotten!" Can you believe that! They had us worried sick! I can't help but wonder if this was some sort of subconscious revenge for our teen years.

Children and prayer

2007-10-18T19:16:00.000-04:00

A few nights ago Livvy was having trouble falling asleep. She was crying about being scared of the dark. (She had lost her nightlight for the night, after sneaking out of bed.) I talked to her about not being scared, how mommy and daddy were right downstairs, and her big brother and big sister were in the next rooms. And of course, who's always with us? God! We decided to pray about her not being scared. Right before she prayed she sat up in bed and said she needed to look at the floor. That seemed strange.

"Why do you need to look at the floor?" I asked.

"Because that's where God is." she replied, quite sure of herself.

Now I was even more confused.

"God's not in the floor, honey, He's in heaven."

"Then why do people always look at the ground when they talk to Him?" she asked.

Well, we straightened that out, but isn't it so funny the way kids think? The poor thing has probably been wondering why everyone else sees God in the ground, but not her!

Why I've disappeared from bloggityville

2007-10-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been almost a week since my last post. Time flies when you're running around like a maniac! On Friday we celebrated my baby boy's 7th birthday!! Talk about time flying. I foolishly allowed him to have some friends sleepover. They were well behaved, and actually fell asleep by midnight, so it wasn't so bad. But still not a restful way to start the weekend. The following day was the usual craziness. Soccer, skating, cleaning and preparing for Sunday School. On Sunday night I was the guest speaker at our church's youth group. The teens were a little surprised to see me there. They knew there was going to be a speaker with a "powerful message", so they were all guessing who it could be. I guess they weren't expecting one of the Sunday School teachers. I spoke about the death of my nephew last fall, which was not easy to do. But with God's help I got through it, and hopefully the kids will think twice before making the same mistake he did. On Monday we took the day off from school for a Professional Development Day. That translates to hanging out with some other homeschoolers at my friend, Christine's house. It was great to have a day to hang out with my sisters in Christ. Boy, did I need that! Tuesday was just a normal school day, but it took forever, as I was trying to get caught up. I spend the evening running two million errands. Today was non-stop motion. It started with an 8am trip to the local university for speech therapy. We stopped at the post office on our way home and of course, Dunkin Donuts. When I got home I discovered my two oldest hadn't gotten started on school, so that dragged the school day out. My husband needed me to make another trip to the post office after lunch. Rachel had piano in the afternoon. When we got home from that, I started on making dinner for a family in our church who was going through a rough time. When I realized there wouldn't be enough food to feed our family and theirs, my husband volunteered to pick up Chinese. Yay! Then I was off to deliver the dinner and head to Awana. The highlight was going to Bible Study. A good dose God's Word and Beth Moore was just what I needed. (And I actually got to sit down!) The next three days will be more of the same, culminating with a Women's Ministry conference on Saturday. That actually is a great thing, if I didn't need to be at church at 7am! Yikes, I guess I can try to sleep in one day next week. Think I'll head off to bed now, I'm wiped out!

The best sister ever!

2007-10-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd extol the virtues of my dear sister, Nancy. When we were little we shared a room, and she loved to torture me. But no one else had better try to hurt me in anyway, or they'd have my super, tough sis to deal with. Yes, she has kicked a few butts on my behalf. Now that we're all grown, I no longer need her to keep me safe, but I've found she's a great person to cry with. When things go wrong, she's the first person I call. She doesn't even mind if I call at 6am, as long as I'm really in need of a good sister cry. When John's nephew died, she volunteered to make the 4 hour drive to pick up my kids for a few days. (We declined because we wanted them around to hug.) But that's just the kind of person she is. She's a great mom, too. Very involved in all the kid's activities. She's super-mom! I just love this girl! I don't know what I'd do without her! And I'm not just saying all this because she has tickets to Game 7 of the ALCS at Fenway. What kind of a person would do that? But Nancy, if you're reading this, I know your daughter may never speak to you again, and our sister Jan is a bigger fan than I, but have any of them ever extolled your virtues in cyberspace??? I didn't think so.

A decluttering masterpiece

2007-10-08T20:42:00.000-04:00

This weekend I completed a Herculean feat! I decluttered the Homeschool Room, aka, the Dining Room. Now, don't be confused. We don't actually do school in this room. Nor do we eat there. Once, a long time ago, when I had less stuff, we did do school there. It lasted only a few weeks. At the time my youngest was a toddler. She would stand at the gate and cry while I tried to teach Rachel. I soon realized that we should switch to the kitchen, so my little ones could have easy access to Mommy. This created it's own problems, but a least the pathetic crying ended. So, even though we haven't used it for school for 3 years, it's still the Homeschool Room. And it can legitimately called that, as that's were we store all our school "stuff". It started with a bookcase that I painted with a lovely faux finish. I also had a tall drawer storage unit, mostly for craft supplies. Under the window was a cedar chest filled with wedding gifts. Over the past 3+ years an explosion has taken place. Every year it got worse. Between my curriculum addiction, and materials from my years of teaching, the books and papers gradually overtook the room. The bookcase was framed by 3 feet tall piles. The ceder chest had been emptied and filled with things I thought "I might need". Next to the cedar chest was another huge stack of books, very important papers and the occasional history project. I purchased a storage/filing bin somewhere along the way. Unfortunately, it too was covered with a tall stack of yet more stuff. Last year I invested in three wooden vegetable bins. These are the kids lockers. They keep their work and books in these. I also had an overflowing basket of things I planned on selling on ebay. From time to time I would "organize". This basically amounted to straightening the piles, and occasionally rotating what books sat in the coveted bookcase. The fact that I'm an admitted curriculum and ebay junkie didn't help. I also apparently have major issues with just getting rid of things. This year there was just no place left to put things. So the dining room table, which often has it's own assortment of junk deposited there, became my next victim. It became the place I put all those teacher editions I needed to have on hand. The math manipulatives landed there, wayward mail and anything else I happened to have in my hands when I walked in the door. I so wish I had taken a "before" picture! The decluttering happened quite by accident. We have a wicker trunk, that had served as a toy box. We replaced that with a new piece of furniture, so I decided to get rid of the cedar chest, with it's broken top. On Friday afternoon, I started sorting through the cedar chest. I quickly realized I had many, many things that really didn't need to be in the homeschool room. Materials from last year that I wanted to save, completed workbooks from past years, that for some reason I felt compelled to keep. I also found many things I'd searched high and low for, like Rachel's test scores from last year. I thought those were gone for good. I don't know what happened, but I just kept going. I found a large empty bin in the basement to store some of the books I wanted to keep, but just didn't need this year. I filled 2 garbage bags with junk! I worked into the night. The next day, my husband sensed that a good thing was happening, so he took the kids out for several hours. I managed to eliminate every pile! I rearranged some of the storage to make it look almost like a dining room again. The bookcase is full of books I'll actually use this year, and there are no stacks of books to navigate around. I was able to position the trunk in such a way that it hides the filing bin somewhat (and it actually has files in it!). The copier fits nicely on top, and out of the way. Every flat surface, including the table, is clear!! Everyone is amazed at how big the room looks and what a nice table we have! And guess what! Everything now has a place to go!!! So if all goes well, I might be able to keep it this way! Wish me luck!

Yikes...it's that time of the year again!

2007-10-03T22:25:00.000-04:00

Every year about this time I find myself in the same position. Overscheduled, and then some. When I turned the calender from September to October, I was dismayed to see only 6 days that didn't have something written in them. 4 of those days are Sundays, so those days are booked as well. The filled in days include 4 birthday parties(including one for my son), theater group, speech therapy, 2 field trips, doctor appointments, church meetings...you get the picture. I expect to put at least 1000 miles on my van this month! In addition, my church is hosting a Women's Ministry Conference, for which I'm on the planning team. And then I went and volunteered to speak to the Youth Group this month. That's going to take some time and consideration, as I want to make sure I do justice to the topic. Tonight I started a Beth Moore study, The Beloved Disciple. Again, a good thing, but the study will be time consuming. So needless to say, if I don't post much this month you'll know why. I'll either be in my van, or hiding out in the bathroom! And if you're thinking of stopping by, call first...unless of course you're in the mood to fold piles of laundry. In that case, stop by anytime, I'll leave the key out.

Small miracles, if there is such a thing...

2007-09-30T18:25:00.000-04:00

Today I read the story from Acts 12. I'm sure you know the story: Peter is in jail, awaiting execution in the morning. The church gathers at John Mark's house to pray for his release. God sends an angel to set Peter free. When Peter arrives at the house, the servant girl runs to announce the good news to the people gathered praying for him. Once again, we see the disciples not making themselves look so good... They react as though the servant girl is crazy. Of course Peter's not there, he's in jail! It seems that they lost sight of God's ability to pull off miracles. How often do we do the same thing? I'm not talking about the parting of seas. I'm thinking of the everyday miracles, that we sometimes fail to pray about or even recognize.

Several months ago, I had gone out for coffee with a good friend. We talked quite a bit about her teenage son, and some of her worries about him. He had a lot on his shoulders, and was struggling to cope. She, too, was suffering in a season of grief. As we parted that night, I suddenly remembered I had a small book by Max Lucado in my glove compartment. I gave it to her. She accepted it, but didn't seem nearly as excited about it as I was. The book was He Did This Just For You, in which Max Lucado uses a parable about a father and his wayward daughter to explain God's desire for a love relationship with us. It is beautifully done, one of my favorites to "share" with people.

The next morning, during my quiet time, I was praying for her son. As I was talking about my concerns, God clearly laid on my heart that I should pray that the book would be left out, and the teenage boy would read it. I need to be completely honest here. Before praying for this, I tried to help God understand why this couldn't possibly happen! I gave Him several good reasons why, in all my wisdom, I didn't think it was very likely at all. Yes, at times I can be very dumb! But God was being persistent, and having prior experience with Him, I knew it was best to just do what He said. So I jumped on board with Him and prayed that God would work out a "small miracle". After all, it was a good idea He had.

Well, I'm sure you can figure out what happened next. The following day I called his mother and asked how things were going with him. She told me how "the strangest thing" had happened the day before. She had left the book I gave her on her bedside table. She said she went in her room, and saw her son laying on her bed reading it. He read it cover to cover, then came out and asked her if she had read it. When she said no, he replied "Well, you should, it was really good." His mom thought it was very strange that he would read a book like that, but mentioned that "maybe it helped, he does seem less depressed today." Being the faithless idiot that I can sometimes be, I was somewhat blown away by this information. Not only had he read the book the very day I had prayed about it, but apparently, he agreed with it!

So now you're wondering, what the heck is wrong with this girl? Right? Why was I so shocked to hear this news? I mean, wasn't it God's idea in the first place? What did I think was going to happen? God invites me to be a part of something He's doing, and I'm surprised when He completes what He started. What a dope I can be! Now I'm not fooling myself into thinking that God needed me to accomplish His will here. He is certainly able to bring about His plans, regardless of my unfaithfulness. But what a blessing to be a part of it!

Still, I can't help but wonder how many times I've missed out on the blessings He had intended for me because I lacked the kind of faith He's called me to. So I think I need to start asking myself this question: Would I rather be involved in God's wonderful plan, or stand on the sidelines critiquing Him? Seems like a no brainer to me.

The Sunday School Answer

2007-09-29T19:36:00.000-04:00

Last night my kids and I were playing a little game. It's called The Questions Game. (We're not very creative when it comes to naming things.) Here's how it works: A question is thrown out, then everyone tries to guess how a particular person would answer. Everyone gets very excited in calling out their guesses, before the person's answer is revealed. Sometimes my four year old, Olivia, has a tough time keeping up with the pace. Last night one of the questions was "What's your favorite book in the Bible?" Alex yells out "John!" and Rachel says "Romans". Then Livvy gets very excited, apparently she's thought of an answer. She thrusts her cute little finger in the air and yells out "Jesus Christ!" She must have thought Jesus was a safe guess. I mean, that's usually the the answer, right? Rachel and Alex were cracking up. She was so cute, and a little confused as to why Jesus didn't have a book named for Him.

Note to self

2007-09-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to avoid repeating my own mistakes, I'm writing a little note to myself:
Dear Self,
The next time your family has a super fun, magnet kit in the house follow these directions, or risk havoc. Immediately locate the packet of "iron filings" and discard them, preferably hidden under old coffee grinds. Keeping them will only lead to misery. If by chance, the kiddos find these before you do, you must act quickly. Rather than exploring the wonderful world of magnets with them, yell at the kids to stop what they're doing. Send them into the bathroom to wash the black stains off. While they're cleaning up, gather up as many filings as the magnets will hold. Don't even try to get the filings off of the magnets. It will only lead to frustration and nasty black stains on your fingers and nails. When you've accomplished all you can with the magnets, use paper towel to gather up all the loose filings you can. Throw it away immediately. Otherwise one of the kids will pick it up and run across the room, freeing all of the iron filings. To get the filings off the hardwood, do not rub with wet paper towel. This will lead to yucky black marks. Instead, use clay to pat at them. Then wash the floor to get rid of the clay residue. Vow never to allow iron filings in the house again.

One more reason to homeschool

2007-09-27T17:57:00.000-04:00

A homeschool mom I know came across the latest in back to school gear: The Backpack Shield. Click here for the newest must have school supply. It's a bulletproof shield that fits the dimensions of a student backpack. They have a lovely line of backpacks or you can just buy the shield. They're having a back to school special! You read that right. A back to school special on bulletproof shields! It's yours for only $249 plus shipping. According to the website the shield "stops hardened higher velocity 9 mm and 44 Magnum Full Metal Jacket (copper) rounds flat in their tracks." It's available in a variety of colors with an optional personalized photo. Can you image strapping on your kid's bulletproof backpack, and sending them off for the day? I can't.

Kids will eat the darnedest things!

2007-09-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

We all know kids can be finicky eaters. I'm very blessed in that area, as my kids aren't as picky as some. One problem area, however, is in trying new foods. It's always a 50-50 chance whether my kids will try a new recipe without being too skeptical or deciding they definitely don't like that, whatever it is. It's always helpful if the new menu item has an interesting name. Like, Chimachangas. Those went over real well in my house. If it's fun to say, chances are it's also fun to eat! My kids can be easy to trick in that way. If I give a recipe a new fun name, they're more likely to try it, and maybe even like it. With this in mind, I decided to really go for it. A childhood favorite of mine was galumkis. Galumkis are a polish dish, stuffed cabbage rolls. Now I agree, that doesn't sound too appetizing, but believe me..yummy! As a child my family would drive to my grandparent's house, 2 hours away. When we arrived the first thing I would notice was the smell. Yes, Gramma had made Galumkis, as she always did when we visited. Although we aren't Polish, it was a family tradition for some reason. Galumkis have a very distinct smell as they bake. Unfortunately for me, my husband loathes the smell. So, needless to say, I haven't made them in years, and the kids have never had them. But lately I've been having a hankering for them. So I developed a plan. My hubby was going away on business for 2 days. The night before he left I went to the market to get the supplies. (A very cheap meal, btw) I decided to make them the first night, so I'd have time to air out the house. Now all I had to do was convince the kids that stuffed cabbage rolls were a good thing. In this case, it wasn't as hard as it sounds. They already had an interesting name: Galumkis. I psyched them up about the fun food from my childhood. They fell for it! They were a little concerned as they watched me prepare them, especially about the strong smell from the boiling cabbage. But they smelled better baking and galumkis is a cool name. I didn't mention to my kids that as a child I had refused to eat the cabbage, and only ate the stuffing. When they came out of the oven, the kids thought they looked a little weird, but were willing to give the galumkis a try. With a name like that, how could they not at least try them? Well, you would have thought I served hot, fudge sundaes for dinner. They devoured them, cabbage and all! They had seconds and thirds. In the words of Alex,"They didn't look good, and they didn't smell good, but they sure tasted good!" How weird is that? It just goes to show, kids will like some pretty surprising things if you can just get them to try it. I just wish there were more leftovers.

An anniversary, of sorts

2007-09-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: This one might be a little sad.

A year ago tonight we held a 40th anniversary party for my in-laws. This might not seem like something to reflect on, but there's more to the story.

For a year before the big anniversary, my husband wanted to have a party for his parents. Although the 50th is generally the year for a big party, my husband felt very strongly that we needed to celebrate their 40 years together. My in-laws, on the other hand, felt differently. Not ones to enjoy being in the limelight, they insisted they didn't want a party. My husband was very disappointed. About 8 weeks before the big day, my mother in law called and said she had changed her mind, and we could give them a party if we wanted. John was excited, but we had no idea how we'd pull this off. September is a big wedding month in New England. Where in the world could we find a hall? Then there were favors, music, cake, and invitations to think about. It seemed impossible, but God had a plan!

With very little effort, we located a reasonably priced country club that had a cancellation. My sister-in-law was able to locate a bakery to make a replica of their wedding cake. She also took care of the favors and centerpieces. (Unlike me, she's great with stuff like that!) We found a DJ, with only one phone call. My husband got a hold of their damaged wedding photos. He spent hours digitally restoring them. I made a scrapbook from the photos, the first real wedding album they've had. (I'll admit, I didn't finish it until midnight the night before the party!) He also created a slide show showing their life together over the years. John then made a guestbook incorporating all the pictures from the slide show. Throughout all the planning, God seemed to lead the way, and open doors. Apparently, He too felt this party was a good idea.

It was a lot to get done in a short amount of time, but when the day arrived, everything was ready. A family friend, whose hobby is photography, called that morning and offered to take pictures. We said "Sure!" Little did we know that this, too, was part of God's plan.

The party couldn't have been better. Everything went perfectly! The slideshow was a big hit. My favorite part was a photo of my brother-in-law with his son, Tony, on his first day of school. It faded out, the next photo being the two of them at Tony's high school graduation. It was very sweet. Everyone we had invited had come, and then some. Even our teenage nephews, Tony and Joey, were enjoying themselves. It was all about family and friends coming together to count their many blessings. Everyone seemed to "get" that.

When the evening ended, I happily headed out to bring the kids home. John stayed behind with his nephews to gather up all the odds and ends that we had brought. As I left that night, and hugged my nephews goodbye, I never could have guessed it would be the last time I'd see Tony's beautiful face. Four weeks later, our 19 year old nephew would die unexpectedly. The party is our last memory of him. Although Tony's death took us all by surprise, God, of course, knew what was to come. With my whole heart, I believe this celebration of love and family was orchestrated by God to provide us with the loving memories He knew we'd soon need.

So this date is bittersweet for me. As heartbreaking as it is to realize that it's been one year since I've seen Tony, I also think there's much to be thankful for about that night. The family friend provided a wealth of pictures. A picture of my sister-in-law with her 3 boys, altogether. A picture of my kids with their cousins, the last one we'll ever have with everyone in it. And many more. Tony's entry in the guestbook to his grandparents was the most tender of the book. He spoke of how much they have meant to him growing up. I know my in-laws will treasure his words forever. All of the aunts, uncles and cousins had a night of great memories, that included Tony for one last time. If I had known what was to come, I wouldn't have been able to imagine a better final memory of Tony. For that I can be thankful.

Preschoolers, sex ed. and the media

2007-09-20T09:38:00.000-04:00

Actual conversation with my almost 5 year old daughter:

Mommy goes to kiss daughter goodnight.
Daughter opens her mouth.
"What are you doing?" asks Mommy
"I want to kiss like the lady and man on TV"
"What do you mean?" asks Mommy
"They kissed for a long time and they had their mouths open. I want to kiss like that."
"Well, you can't kiss Mommy like that. That's a special kind of kiss for married people."
"I can't wait until I get married! Then I can kiss people like that!"
"Well, honey, you can't kiss everyone like that. Only your husband."
"Why not, Mommy.? I want to kiss people like that!"
"Because it's a special kind of kiss that God made for husbands and wives."
"But you and Daddy never kiss like that.."
"Well, actually we do. Just not in front of you."
"Why not?"
" It's supposed to be private, honey."
"Then why were the lady and the man doing it right on TV?"

Good question, kid!

Homeschool Socialization

2007-09-18T16:28:00.001-04:00

We've all heard it. The first thing people say when they hear you homeschool: "But what about socialization?" Forget academics and morality, this socialization thing can really get naysayers going. It used to really irritate me. Sometimes I'd feel the need to "educate" people about their flawed thinking. Now, with a few years under my belt, I either roll my eyes, or laugh hysterically.
Today we met up with a group of fellow homeschoolers. This was our first day with this group. My kids knew a few of the children, but not many. It was here that the socialization problem really became evident. My "tweener" daughter approached a group of girls around her age. They all knew each other. But something was terribly wrong with these girls. They didn't seem to know they were supposed to ignore the new girl, and make her feel like an outsider. Instead they introduced themselves and happily let her join their group. Very disturbing, indeed. During a scavenger hunt, my son was paired with a boy almost twice his age. Someone forgot to tell the older boy that he was supposed to whine and complain about this travesty. Instead they ran off searching for their items. They made a great team! During a snack, my 4 year old plopped herself down in a group of tweener girls. Rather than telling her to "get lost", or ignoring her, the girls treated her like one of the gang, engaging her in conversation. Don't even get me started on how the teen girls were dressed. Not a thong or belly in sight. Despite being fully dressed, they had an air of confidence and contentment that was unusual. Over and over again I saw these disturbing scenes: older children helping younger children, kids treating each other and adults with respect, (gasp!) children being "includers" rather than "excluders". No whining, either! Yes, the whole thing was very unlike anything you would see in a school setting. You could see that these poor homeschool kids were truly being deprived of "normal" socialization. There were no cliques, no cool kids, no geeks, no rich kids, no poor kids...They didn't seem to know they were supposed to exclude certain kids, berate those that were different, and treat adults with disdain. If this is allowed to continue, these innocent children are in danger of growing into well-adjusted, caring, respectful adults. How will they ever function in society??

Some pee, some poop and a marriage proposal...

2007-09-13T19:29:00.000-04:00

A recent post at Stephanie's Mommy Brain, brought back some funny memories. (This is where the link to the post would be, if I wasn't so technologically challenged) Anyway, last fall we were with some good friends at a playground. We noticed the boys standing behind a tree together. We thought they were chatting. How cute they are! When I moved to the side a little, I could see that they both had their pants at their ankles. Yes, they were watering the tree. Apparently it's more fun to do it with a pal. My friend and I tried our best to reprimand the boys without laughing too hard. I told Alex he could get arrested for public urination (hee-hee urination,that's a funny word!)...that got his pants back on. Fast forward a few weeks. Same friends, different playground. The girls are off playing, when my friend's son comes and tells his mother he needs to go potty. Well, the only "facility" available was a nasty port a john, so she told him to go to the edge of the woods. No one else was around, and the girls were occupied. Well, we should have asked more questions. He did just as he was told. He went to the edge of the woods, took down his pants, and squatted!! Yikes! My friend practically tossed her then 1 year old into my arms, and took off running and yelling to him. You should have seen her go! Just then my younger daughter decided this was a good time to run over to the little boy and ask him to marry her! Interesting taste in men, Livvy! The good news is my friend got there "in time". We're considering therapy for Livvy!

My near death experience

2007-09-12T20:56:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying I love where I live. The only drawback is the assortment of critters that I run into from time to time. Yesterday, I was driving to a nearby farm. It was pouring, and I was driving perhaps a little too fast for the winding country road I was on. When suddenly, out of nowhere, appears a spider tangling down in front of me, heading for my arm. Now this was no normal spider. It was nasty, and I could tell it fully intended to eat me alive. So I did what any normal person would do, I totally freaked out! I was swinging at the man-eating spider like a mad woman. I looked up, and realized I was literally inches from plowing into a telephone pole. How I missed the pole, I don't know. It had to have been divine intervention. I should have been counting my blessings at this point, but there was no time. I quickly realized that I'd lost sight of my nemesis. I knew he was in the car somewhere, so I pulled over, rather than risk death by telephone pole. It was no where to be seen. I reluctantly continued on my trip. A minute or two passed. I attempted to drive safely, while keeping an eye out for you know who. Suddenly he appeared again, this time on my lap. EEW! I knew I had no time to waste, within seconds he'd be gnawing through my jeans. So I slapped that little sucker as hard as I could. Bulls eye! Splat! I hurt myself, from hitting so hard, and my jeans had really nasty squished spider guts on them, but I WON!! All you PETA people can sit right back down, you didn't see this freak of nature.

Homeschool Rules!

2007-09-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

After an great morning of school, I thought I'd list a few reasons why homeschool rules!

1. After watching news coverage of 9/11, we were able to pray for those who lost a loved one that terrible day, and no one got fired or sued!

2. My son is not only allowed, but encouraged, to spin around between each word while doing sight word drills. No meeting was held to determine what type of medication would best stop such "disruptive" behavior.

3. My daughter began a new lesson in her math today. After completing 2 pages, it was apparent that she had mastered the lesson, and asked to take the test. She was not required to wait for 75% of the other children to catch up with her, before moving on.

4. My children get to spend "recess" everyday with their best friends, each other. (Although they might not admit that!) 20 years from now when life throws them a curve ball, they'll have these relationships to fall back on. No one felt the need to segregate them simply because of their different ages.

5. After spilling the teacher's coffee, and bursting into tears, the teacher was able to comfort Livvy with hugs and kisses. No one was sued for sexual harassment.

Living Proof Live- Part 2

2007-09-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying how grateful I am for the incredible seats we had at this event. Believe it or not, we had better seats then Beth!! Yes, front row, center! Thank you, God!! Another day I'll reminisce about how that came about. But today I was thinking about something very simple, yet profound that Beth shared on the first night. She stated that "Selfishness will never lead to satisfaction". Ain't that the truth! Politically incorrect, but true. In the world we live in, pouring yourself out for others goes against everything we're told. Aren't we supposed to seek our own satisfaction above all else?? That's what we've been told. I am woman, hear me roar, and all that other garbage. How can pouring my life out for others lead to satisfaction?? Shouldn't I be miserable?? You'd think so, but the more I live my life in Christ, the more it makes sense. Not in the "Aren't I so good" kind of way. Believe me, if I thought that, I wouldn't feel the daily need for a Savior. It's a completely different kind of satisfaction than the world has to offer. It's a satisfaction deep in your soul, a sense of blessing in everyday, a peace beyond words. A satisfaction that is God-given. Something the world can't offer, or understand. And the coolest part is that God does all the work!! I'm just along for the ride!

What's that smell??

2007-09-06T23:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting at the computer when my kitty comes to the back door. I let her in. She gives me a weird look. Then I give her an even weirder look....what is that smell??? Yes, Hannah our beloved cat reeked! It became apparent that she got skunked!! The smell wafted throughout the house. Of course my husband is out...what's a girl to do? I tricked poor Hannah into going in the garage, while I searched the Internet for a solution. Just then my hubby called. "Get home now, and pick up some hydrogen peroxide and baking soda." He arrived home about 45 minutes later with the "supplies". So we brought her up to the bath tub. I prepared the solution, and John held her while I scrubbed it into her. She made sounds that were just pitiful! We had to leave the solution in for 5 full minutes. I know that doesn't sound long, but believe me, IT IS! John has scratches all over his arms from her attempts at escape. I couldn't help but sing a few lines of "Smelly Cat"!! She seems to smell better now. Hopefully she does, and it's not just that I've burnt out my olfactory receptors.

Living Proof Live - Providence part 1

2007-09-06T17:41:00.000-04:00

Well, the main reason I started this blog was to put all these deep thoughts in writing, so here we go. The Living Proof Live conference in August was just amazing. I learned and relearned many things from Beth. However, I think I'll start with something that Travis said that really stuck with me. (Even though it's not in my notes-I checked, it's not there.) He was talking about God holding out His hand to help us, but he said that God won't pry our fingers open. Hmmmm....how many things do I cling to, instead of handing them over to Him? My "pet" sins, perhaps. Sometimes it's my attitudes, sometimes just trying to do things on my own. Let me tell you, the day in the life of a homeschool mom is a blast when you let Him do it. Not so fun when I try to do it on my own. So God has used Travis to bless my heart, and help me unclench my fists. But I also thought of others in my life. Those that don't know Him, and don't have the option of "dispatching" the power of the Holy Spirit. I think of those hurting and lost. In particular someone who has suffered the most unimaginable of losses. Oh, how I pray she will be able to unclench her fists, and let Him heal her brokenness. I realize that in some circumstances it can seem that there is no hope. But God is so much bigger than our circumstances. Even in the deepest of despair there is hope in Christ, for those who choose Him. It's really the only way to find peace in this fallen world. Without Him there is no hope, no peace....only brokenness and despair.

What am I doing here???

2007-09-04T22:29:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is, my first post. Why am I doing this?? Really, I have no idea. I recently went to Beth Moore's Living Proof Live in Providence. Afterwards, my mind was filled with all sorts of wonderful, deep thoughts. I said to myself, "I should write this stuff down...this is good stuff." Well, real life set in, and most of my "deep thoughts" have scattered, but since I often carry on conversations with myself, I thought "Why not?". It's not like anyone is ever going to read any of this stuff anyway. So basically this is my culturally accepted way of talking to myself. So, I'm now going to tell a little story to myself about my son Alex, so as to never forget his tender heart. This Sunday at church we were having the Lord's Supper. Alex just began participating a few months ago, and I still questioned some whether he "got it". I reminded him as the plates were passed that we were remembering what Christ did for us on the cross. It was also my youngest daughter's first day up in "Grown-up Church", so I was trying to keep her under control ("No, Livvy it's not snack time...), pray, and make sure no one dropped the plates as they were passed, all at the same time. After we took communion, I noticed tears in Alex's eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked. His response: "I was just thinking about Jesus dying on the cross, and it made me cry a little." So then of course, I got teary eyed too. Apparently he "gets it".