These Silly, Crazy, Funny (and Exhausting) Kids

I'm ready for summer.

Ready for kids to run and play outside, to build forts and jump on the trampoline, pick dandelions and ride bikes.  They come up with the craziest things, and lately it seems to be just one thing after another.

For example, Alan has been thinking the chimney needs cleaned out from creosote buildup from burning wood this winter.  It turns out the little ones have been climbing under the deck and putting rocks in the chimney inspection hole.

And today Briana took Destry and Easton into town to get Easton's hair cut, Destry's piano lesson, and to pick up a few items from Dollar General (kinda nice having another driver!).  I was uploading pictures to the computer as Kiana and Tyrell played in the yard and the phone rang.  I didn't look outside for maybe five minutes and when I checked on them, I couldn't see them.  They had gone on an adventure through the bean field to go find some cows.  (And Tyrell had taken his boots off and walked through the field bare footed!  When I got to him he was sitting on the ground crying because of the stickers in his feet!)  I couldn't see them because the stinkers had gone clear across the yard, up the hill in the bean field, and on to the other side.  They about gave me a heart attack!

Speaking of heart attacks, you should have seen all the blood when Tyrell split his lip yesterday in a scooter accident.  It was literally dripping as he walked and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.  His mouth was just full of blood.  Now he's sporting a fat lip.

Those puppy dog eyes! He looks so pitiful!

Then of course there was the day Kiana had permission to play with Briana's American Girl doll.  She asked if she could get some barrettes to fix the doll's hair.  I said yes, assuming she would grab just a handful of barrettes and never dreaming she would bring out an entire box of hair tools full of products nicely sorted into their appropriate compartments.  Two packages of tiny little rubber hair bands got scattered all over the floor--approximately 1000 pieces.

We're getting into desperation mode in coming up with ideas for them to stay productively occupied and out of trouble while the older kids finish their schoolwork.  I have a professional hair dryer. . .

expert egg crackers. . .

and efficient button sorters.  (You would be amazed at what all kids can come up with when confined to a blanket on the floor with nothing but an egg carton, a jar full of buttons, a few dishes, and a couple small dump trucks.  They had a blast!)

Summer break, come quickly!

Airport Field Trip

One of the other homeschool moms set up the neatest field trip last week.  We got to go on a tour of the local municipal airport and the manager and employees went all out.  I was most amazed that they actually let children age six and up go for a short airplane ride. 

They loved it, they loved it, oh yes they did!  They got to go up three at a time, so Easton rode with big brother and Destry's friend, Brandon.

Briana rode with two of her friends, Deana and Emily.  They thought it was super cool when they identified Deana's house from the air.

Kiana and Tyrell were a little disappointed they didn't get to ride, but they handled it really well.  I think it's good for kids to get those life lessons that 1) they don't always get what they want and 2) there are privileges that come with getting older and sometimes you just have to wait your turn.  (whoops, just slipped onto my soapbox a little bit).

Everyone got to tour the entire airport and be a part of a pre-flight inspection.  Here Easton and his friend, Levi, are getting a lesson from the pilot about how all the controls work.

Kiana and her little friend, Anessa, (sorry, phone pictures!) get their turn in the cockpit.

The pilots were very patient and thorough with the kids, explaining everything from the scientific elements of flight to the parts of the airplane like aileron, elevator and rudder to why the fuel is blue.  They even removed the outer shell that covered the engine so the kids could look inside and showed them how to check the oil.  It was a wonderful and educational field trip for all ages.

Easton was particularly intrigued.  One of his requests for his birthday (which we celebrated early with family members) was a Lego kit to build airplanes and he put this airplane together in just two days.  He told Alan he wants to be an airplane mechanic when he grows up.  I don't know if he'll stick with that or not, but I can certainly see him being successful in that field.

Effective Prayers

Thank you so much for coming alongside me in prayer, my friends!  I have never before stepped out on a weight loss journey feeling so strong.  I'm amazed at how I've handled no pop or sugar these last six days and been able to resist the temptation to "cheat".  I KNOW it's because I have a team of prayer warriors behind me!  Now just don't give up--this mess has taken several years to accumulate and won't be undone in just a few days or even weeks. wink

As much as I don't love sharing this vulnerable journey, the truth is I NEED support and prayers so I'm going to try to update how things are going about once a week--mostly to remind you to persevere in prayer.  So how is it going?  Very well.  I have eaten under my target calorie intake every day and I haven't "cheated" even one time!  I'm not even craving Pepsi at all and I'm actually feeling much more energetic than I expected.  And I've lost seven pounds!  I measured my inches on the first day and am going to measure them again on day 11.  I think that is going to be even more telling than the scale as my body feels slightly different to me already.

I am trying to pick up my Bible and read when I feel physical hunger and turn that to a spiritual hunger instead.  That seems to be working very well.  This month I'm studying the book of Malachi which I don't think I've ever truly studied before (as opposed to just reading).

"Addictions are ultimately a disorder of worship."  Dr. Ed Welch

Today and tomorrow I am doing a "fasting cleanse" using Isagenix products in which I just drink their cleansing drinks and eat no food in order to release toxins and such from my body.  Please pray for me to be dedicated in following this correctly as I'm hoping it will help remove cravings for unhealthy foods.

In case you need a visual to see one of the reasons I am doing this, here are two pictures that have served as a "wake up" call to me.  On the left is a picture of me teaching the children during the musical.  I sure don't feel that big on the inside!  And on the right is a picture of me one evening in January with a group of friends.  I was having so much fun that evening and "felt pretty" in a new top with my hair nicely styled and actually wearing earrings and a necklace.  A friend snapped a picture of our group on her cell phone and I asked her to send it to me as I thought it would be a memento of a fun evening.  I was shocked at what I truly looked like.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman!) availeth much!

Typical Alan

My husband is the king of good deals.  He saves us a ton of money sniffing out ways to get us something we're looking for without paying retail price for it.

We had a nice pool in Missouri for the kids to swim around in. Personally, we like having our own pool because swimming is great exercise and lots of fun (especially when it's really hot!) but we aren't fans of the attire (or lack thereof!) at public swimming pools.  Having our own pool allows us to have the benefits of a pool while maintaining a dress code we are comfortable with.  But we gave our pool to some friends when we moved as we planned to rent for awhile and wouldn't have a place to set it up.  Now that we are a little more settled, Alan has been scoping around for a pool.

Wouldn't you know it, he got a whale of a deal.  This 24 foot by 52 inch swimming pool retails for almost $1100.  The previous owner had invested in a salt water filter system so there is no need to add chemicals to the water (Alan estimated that to be about $300).  They also threw in a solar-heating pool cover (that keeps the water warm) and a few "floaties" that the kids can sit on that somehow have guns on them they can shoot water at one another.  Oh, and a volleyball net for water volley ball.

Would you like to guess what he paid for all this?

My sister-in-law guessed $800.  Yes, that would have been a good deal.  But Alan was almost offended, responding with "Does she really think I would pay that much for a pool??"

He talked them down to $200. 

Admittedly, it will probably cost another $200 to fill it, but the kids are going to have hours and hours of fun this summer.  What a deal!!

Best Indicator or New Leaf?

Here I go again.

I've heard it said that "the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior."

And in the past I've tried to lose weight and failed.  I've lost a little weight, and then given up on losing more.  I've lost weight, and gained it back.

But I'm trying again.  I'm at my all-time high.  I weigh sixty five pounds more than I did when I was nine months pregnant with Destry!  (!!!!)  Insanity.

I have to admit a part of me is discouraged before I even begin.  This is such a stronghold for me--such a place of defeat.  I have a pretty "can-do" attitude in most areas of my life, an aura of confidence, but this one. . .

Does anyone want to volunteer to be a prayer warrior for me?  A support system to help me overcome this battle?  I've ever so weak when it comes to food and exercise.  I like to cook, I enjoy good flavors, I like to eat and I prefer sedentary activities (reading and blogging!) over calorie-burning motion.

My goal is to lose fifty pounds by my birthday--August 23--when I turn 40.  I'm to the point that I'm out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs, I wake up in the night from heartburn, I wonder if I will fit in chairs at events that have close seating, I have very few clothes that fit (and my size isn't easy to find), and I'm just plain tired of being tired.

I'm afraid food has become an idol in my life, a place I turn when feeling sad, lonely, bored, stressed. . .rather than turning to the Lord.  I want to turn to the Lord instead, to be filled with the Spirit rather than food, to manifest the fruit of the Spirit's self-control. 

Definitely seeking your prayer support as I embark upon this battle.  This week's first hurdle:  giving up my daily Pepsi!

The Hiding Place--Part Two

I just can't let The Hiding Place go with only my notations about Corrie ten Boom's father.  There are simply too many other rich gems to ponder from that story.

Recognition and Vision of the Future.  I think of the direction Germany was headed--the direction society was headed--and how some people were intuitive enough to see what was coming but no one would listen.  "A terrible evil was taking root in that land, seeds were being planted of a contempt for human life such as the world had never seen.  The few who had read his paper had laughed" (13).  I think of how like frogs in a pot of water we can be, calmly sitting in the pot not realizing as the water gradually heats.  It's such a minor example, but when the Germans first occupied Holland they instilled a curfew of 10 pm.  Then it was 9, then 8, and finally 7.

The Lord's Gracious Preparation.  "I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do" (15).  Sometimes this preparation comes from positive experiences in our lives, but far too often I think it comes from trials.  If only we would face life's trials with this humble acceptance of His preparation--this trust in His goodness and grace to gratefully receive His equipping.

A Christian Response to Evil. "How should a Christian act when evil was in power?"  (71)  "This was evil's hour:  we could not run away from it.  Perhaps only when human effort had done its best and failed, would God's power alone be free to work" (123).

Mature Appreciation for God's Incomprehensible Love.  "Love.  How did one show it? How could God Himself show truth and love at the same time in a world like this?  By dying.  The answer stood out for me sharper and chiller than it ever had before that night:  the shape of a Cross etched on the history of the world" (92).

Dear Sister Betsie's Faith.  We of course see Betsie only through Corrie's eyes, but Corrie makes me love her.  I'm so desperately curious what Betsie would say about Corrie.  I imagine Betsie would see Corrie as the strong one, the brave one, the courageous one--the one with the sharp mind to lead and coordinate their small group.  But I see Betsie through Corrie's eyes as the one who has a quiet strength that builds up those around her and enables them to take on the role of leading--the one who is never tempted to lean on her own strength but relies on the strength of the Lord--and thus is a source of strength to those around her.

• Betsie's trust:  "If God has shown us bad times ahead, it's enough for me that He knows about them.  That's why He sometimes shows us things, you know--to tell us that this too is in His hands" (63)
• Betsie's love and desire to share Christ's healing with the guards  "Betsie saw a wounded human being.  And I wondered, not for the first time, what sort of a person she was, this sister of mine. . .what kind of road she followed while I trudged beside her on the all-too-solid earth" (175).
• Betsie's constant trust and praying, even in the midst of flea-ridden camp.  "Betsie, how can we live in such a place!"  "Show us.  Show us how."  It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying.  More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie" (197).

Heartbreakingly Beautiful.  What would it be like if our faith were whittled down to its bare bones, if persecution broke down the barriers of pride and division, and believers united upon the Word of God?  "At last either Betsie or I would open the Bible.  Because only the Hollanders could understand the Dutch text we would translate aloud in German.  And then we would hear the life-giving words passed back along the aisles in French, Polish, Russian, Czech, back into Dutch.  They were little previews of heaven, these evenings beneath the light bulb.  I would think of Haarlem, each substantial church set behind its wrought-iron fence and its barrier of doctrine.  And I would know again that in darkness God's truth shines most clear" (201).

There was so much more that was noteworthy in Corrie's account of her life, from her mother's constant love and service to the family relationships among the extended family, to Corrie's choice to forgive and love when her heart was broken, and an aunt's journey from legalistic-driven works to a deeper understanding--I think it all played a part in how this family was prepared to withstand such a refining fire.  Their story inspires.

The Hiding Place--The Father

So often we are self-consumed and allow our petty little trials unhappinesses to overtake us and distract us from trusting the Lord.  Anytime we're tempted to feel a little sorry for ourselves or worry about what the future holds, we would be encouraged and renewed by reading Corrie ten Boom's experiences recorded in The Hiding Place.  I read it recently with my teens and could hardly put it down.  It was so much better this time through than when I first read it.  The faith and trust exemplified in her life inspires me and shames me all at the same time. 

Surely everyone knows Corrie and her family's story of helping Jews in Holland before being captured and shipped from one concentration camp to another.  If you've never read her incredible faith walk, do yourself a favor and put it at the top of your list.  There's so much in the book that I could never do it justice in a blog post book review.

This reading I was especially struck by Corrie's father and the influence he had on his children and others around him.  It seems every time we turn around we're hearing of the importance of a father's role and how influential he is (for good or bad) on his children's futures.  Most often we hear of the father's negative influence, but how encouraging it was to see the positive influence of this God-fearing man's life.

Who was Corrie's father?

• He was a man who "could never bear a house without children and whenever he heard of a child in need of a home a new face would appear at the table" (5).
• He was a man with many friends from all walks and ages of life.  "Young and old, poor and rich, scholarly gentlemen and illiterate servant girls--only to Father did it seem that they were all alike.  That was Father's secret:  not that he overlooked the differences in people; that he didn't know they were there" (13).
• He was a man who was never too busy with his work to listen to people's problems or pause to pray for them.
• He was a man "skilled at finding good in every situation, so slow to believe evil" (61) yet realistic enough to recognize difficult truths and honest enough to name them.
• He was a man who chose to do what was right, regardless of the personal consequences. 
• He was such a wise man, knowing when to when impart knowledge and when to withhold it, using parables to teach his children.  Here is my favorite:  

     Seated next to Father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, "Father, what is sexsin?"
     He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing.  At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor.
     "Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?" he said.
     I stood up and tugged at it.  It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
     "It's too heavy," I said.
     "Yes," he said.  "And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load.  It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge.  Some knowledge is too heavy for children.  When you are older and stronger you can bear it.  For now you must trust me to carry it for you."
     And I was satisfied.  More than satisfied--wonderfully at peace.  There were answers to this and all my hard questions--for now I was content to leave them in my father's keeping.  (26)

With a father like that--it's no wonder his children chose to serve the Lord, even to the point of death, in the brave ways they did.

Life is Hard

I don't think it matters what time period we live in, we are going to be faced with challenges, loss, disappointment, and pain.

But I have to admit, after reading "These is My Words:  The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901" by Nancy Turner, I just haven't experienced the type of hardships endured by women in times past.  I liked this book, it was pretty easy to read, but I do think the storyline is exaggerated and the main character is given some modern (dare I say feminist?) characteristics to give the story more conflict.  I wonder, for example, if a story of the same setting featuring her sister-in-law Savannah as the main character would have been as interesting.  For Savannah was not as strong in character as Sarah who shot bad guys, ran a ranch, and pursued an education.  Savannah married and settled with her husband to raise fruit trees and several children.

The above observation aside, the story was enjoyable and it did contain a couple of ideas about the responsibilities and challenges of motherhood that I enjoyed and illustrated life-long learning which I aspire to.

RESPONSIBILITY OF MOTHERHOOD

• It is a certain kind of terror to know I carry a baby and have the other two to protect.  Even with the soldiers around, I feel so alone.  Children are a burden to a mother, but not the way a heavy box is to a mule.  Our children weigh hard on my heart, and thinking about them growing up honest and healthy, or just living to grow up at all, makes a load in my chest that is bigger than the safe at the bank, and more valuable to me than all the gold inside it (303).

I CHUCKLED BECAUSE THERE ARE JUST DAYS LIKE THAT. . .

• All day long I had been at my wit's end alone with these children. . .I turned to (him) and said 'If you are too tired to haul water, you are too tired to bathe in it, and I am fit to be tied.  Your supper is on the stove and your children are driving me to distraction and April has lost the scissors under the house through a crack in the floor so there will be no haircut tonight.  If that don't please you, then I will put on a uniform and ride out of here tomorrow morning and chase around the countryside and you can wear this apron and tend these crying children and this drafty house from dark to dark and then tell me you think I should haul you a bath' (310).

• I am so thankful for all four of my children but equally thankful there are not eight (323).

LIFELONG PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

• It seems there is always a road with bends and forks to choose, and taking one path means you can never take another one.  There's no starting over nor undoing the steps I've taken.  It isn't like I'd want to not have my little ones and Jack and that ranch, it is part of life to have to support yourself.  It's just that I want everything, my insides are not just hungry, but greedy.  I want to find out all the things in the world and still have a family and a ranch.  Maybe passing that test (high school equivalency)  was a marker for where I've been, but it feels more like a pointer for something I'll never reach (309).

• He said wisdom is not a path, it is a tree. . .Now I see that he was surely right. . .I have been sad almost a whole year, thinking that taking that test was somehow the end of my learning and that not having that as a possibility in my future left a big empty spot in my life that the children and the ranch didn't fill.  But my life is not like that, it is a tree, and I can stay in one place and spread out in all directions, and I can do more learning shading this brood of mine than if I was all alone (318).

Thanks for another good recommendation, Kristy, which provided this mama an escape during a couple of naptimes last week.