Four

Most days, I hit the ground running (literally), just hurtling through our day and trying to juggle the demands of our home, marriage, children, ministry. I don't have time to stop and think about what I'm doing or what it looks like or whether it's perfect or not. I just move from one thing or person or need or cry or spill or boo-boo to the next.

But, now and then, I catch my breath and it hits me:

I have four children. One, two, three, four.

Four little bodies piled in my lap for story time.
Eights hands and eight feet to wash each night.
Four bellies to fill several times a day.
Four extra beds to make.
At least 24 pairs of shoes to keep track of.
Four loads of laundry most day.
Four bedtime kisses to give and receive.
Four little wonders to place at the feet of Jesus each morning and ask for His protection and wisdom as we journey homeward.

Four children.

It takes my breath away...and sometimes my sleep. And usually all of my energy.

But, it's four more than I ever dreamed possible a decade ago. And, I'd take four more if it meant even an ounce more love would flow through this happy heart of mine.

Thank You, God, for these four. And for so much more...Amen.

Menu Plan Monday 1/26/09

I've been making a menu plan for almost a year now, but this is a good place for me to keep track of what we're eating for future planning:)

Monday (1/26)
B--Cereal, Milk, Fruit
L--Grilled Cheese, baby carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, cherries, milk
D--Girls out to eat with Dad!

Tuesday (1/27)
B--Oatmeal, Fruit, Milk
L--Chicken Noodle Soup, Veggies, Fruit, Cottage Cheese
D--Fish, Mac N Cheese, Peas and Carrots, Melon

Wednesday (1/28)
B--Cereal, Fruit, Milk
L--Out to eat after piano lessons:)
D--Chicken Noodle Casserole, Salad, Fruit

Thursday (1/29)
B--Oatmeal, Fruit, Milk
L--PBJ, Veggies, Fruit, milk
D--Ravioli, Salad, Bread, Fruit

Friday (1/30)
B--Eggs, Toast, fruit, milk
L--Leftovers
D--Leftovers

Saturday (1/31)
B--Cereal, Doughnuts (a weekly ritual!)
Leave for Grandma's House!

25 Things About Me

1. I love Jesus…Who He is, what He’s done for me, for you, for us all.
2. I love to cook. I love tackling really complicated recipes-- homemade, from scratch recipes. And then sharing the results with my family and friends! And to think, when I first got married all I could make was cereal!!!
3. I have a port-wine stain birthmark. Different, unusual, conversation-starter and ender but something I really, truly wouldn’t trade if I could. I know who my friends are and I know who loves me. I also know God thinks ALL He has made is gorgeous.
4. I love my husband…he is the perfect complement to me and vice versa. I love his enthusiasm for the Lord as well as his faithful service to me and our kids.
5. I had 4 babies in 6 years…I’m tired!
6. I think my kids are amazing people. I have loved each and every stage they have gone through—even the rough ones!—and I can’t wait to see what kind of people they are going to be!
7. I home school all four of our kids.
8. My parents divorced when I was 8.
9. I never really got to know my real dad very well and sometimes I wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Really, I wish I could have had the opportunity to choose.
10. Pizza is my favorite food. Of all time. Ever.
11. I hate mushrooms.
12. I want to run in a marathon before I turn 40.
13. I want to learn to sew better.
14. I love snail mail. I still get excited before I open the mailbox each day.
15. My feelings get hurt easily, but I’m good at hiding it from others.
16. I have a tendency to sulk when I’m tired.
17. I like to dance and do so when I think no one else is looking…especially to Latin music
18. My favorite household chore: vacuuming.
19. Least favorite: dusting.
20. I’ve had the same best friend for 16 years and we talk on the phone for an hour every week, even though we live 2000 miles apart.
21. I love civics...not the car, the subject.
22. A couple of my spiritual gifts: hospitality, intercessory prayer, helps, administration.
23. I know how to knit and sing.
24. I really love the Bible study I’ve been in for the last 3 years.
25. I don’t think I know 25 people well enough to ask them to respond to this!

Some things that are going well...

I have a tendency to mentally dwell on those things that aren't going well in my life. I guess you'd call it a penchant for the negative. It's something that I want God to work on in my life and I'm praying about it in this season of motherhood and home school. Homeschooling has been a HUGE area of challenge for me. My thought life has centered on what I can't seem to do and what doesn't happen, rather than the things that are going well or things that I can do. So, in the spirit of trying to correct this deep-seeded fault I have, I'm going to list here in black and white some things that are going well with our home school right now:

First, we are "doing school" every day. Believe me, that has not always been the case! Just doing school each day--in some way, shape or form--has helped lift the conviction I was under!

I'm getting more organized with our school supplies and curriculum. This weekend, Charlie and I cleaned out the closet in our family room and I now have this beautifully organized and spacious closet filled with puzzles, books, papers, and school supplies right at my finger tips. It makes our school time much smoother when I don't have to spend as much time searching for items we need to get started on a project or lesson.

The Folders. Each of the girls now has a color coded, three ring folder that holds their school work for the week. On Sunday afternoon/evening, I spend time preparing for the entire week. I copy anything that needs copying, print off extra math drills from the Internet etc. I also type out a list of lessons that must be completed by Friday afternoon for each girl and put it into the folder. If they finish the work early, they are done with school early in the week--great incentive for them and me! At the end of the week, I empty the folder, filing away anything that should be saved and recycling the rest.

The Great Toy Round-Up 2009! One of my biggest competitors for my girls' attention was their TOYS! How can you make phonics games and math flash cards seem more fun than Polly Pockets or My Little Pony?!?! Hubs and I rounded up all the competing toys, sorted them into color-coded bins and put them away. All we left out were stuffed animals, mega blocks and their play kitchen dishes. These were toys we felt would not compete with school. The girls now know that they other toys can come out Friday night after Daddy gets home from work, but have to be packed away before bed Sunday evening. Happily, there have been no protests or complaints! PTL!!!

We're eating better. Instead of just trying to get food on the table, I've tried to be MUCH more conscientious about providing healthy, hearty meals. Whole grain cereals, oatmeal, fruit for breakfast. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits at lunch time. Dinners that are about more than just eating, but also about sharing what God did in our day. This has really helped keep my kids more even keeled all day. They aren't as crabby and cranky because of hunger:)

A regularly scheduled rest time each week. Sometime mid-week, I schedule a rest time for everyone. Me included. Surprisingly, this has become a household favorite. Everyone (even my three year old) loves to take a giant stack of books to bed with them and curl up for a good hour or so.

Capturing time...this is a biggie. I've really been asking the Lord to help me capture every moment that could be used for learning purposes. Setting the table--my oldest can work on division and fractions; my middle one works on adding and subtracting; my next youngest works on counting and matching. The two oldest help each other with reading and spelling as the younger one spells words aloud and the older one listens and tells her what the words are. Both of the older girls read books to Olivia and she is loving that time with her big sisters. Even when we're at the grocery store or the bank, there are opportunities to connect them to the world around them and learn.

So, these are things that are going well. It's tempting for me to write another post about things that aren't going well, but I'm learning (slowly) that dwelling on the negative won't glorify God. He is so gentle and patient and will lead me through any changes and corrections necessary.

Thanks, Lord, for showing me what You are doing in my life and that is good because You are doing it. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Today is one of those days I'm so glad we're homeschooling. We watched the inauguration at lunch time today and I was able to point out various monuments and leaders as they paraded in front of the screen. We've done a few precursory lessons on civics, especially during the weeks leading up to the election, but this was a chance for the girls to see civics in action. But, the best part for me was the opportunity to filter what they were seeing. We talked about the prayer that was offered up and how great it was that the pastor prayed in Jesus' name. We talked about leaders and rulers and how God wants us to respect them and honor the position they hold. We talked about how blessed we are to live in a country where we are able to freely choose our leaders. We talked about the number of people at the mall in D.C. and how that was a great way to picture how many Israelites were wandering in the desert. We talked about whether Barack Obama believes in Jesus and how important it is to pray for our leaders--whether we agree with them or not...whether they believe in Jesus or not.

We talked about a lot of things.

And then we prayed together. And, when someone asks my daughters where they were when the first African-American president was sworn into office, they might remember sitting in our living room, eating grilled cheese sandwiches, talking with their mom about it all. And praying. They might remember that we prayed. And that's why I love homeschooling today...