Vacation was nice, but it is good to be home.  Hudson is 100% potty trained and dropping naps so my life is a bit different these days.  Because they share a rooms right now, they don’t have individual places to have quite time.  I have been experimenting with different ways to have them quietly working and playing together during the mid day so #1 they have down time and more importantly #2 I have down time.  We live in a townhouse with no yard so we have limited space. 

I came to a realization this week.  Because our kids are super close in age, they all feed off of each other and it may be this way for ever I don’t know.  The youngest wants to be like the oldest, the oldest wants to be like the youngest, the girl wants to be like the boys and the boys want to wrestle so the little peanut of a girl is always getting bumped too hard. They all fight to sit on Mommy’s lap for family reading and the reality is they all can’t fit at once anymore.  When a “take turns” policy in enforced, crying commences for what seems like hours. I can’t be three places at once and three children speaking at once for some given food product, even in quiet voices can be deafening.  

I find myself extra tired these days without Hudson napping.  He is all boy and a mile wide and can wear out a Saint.  Let’s just say at Sea World he WALKED most of the day, all day, and didn’t nap and had the energy that my older two together don’t have.  So I am getting geared up for the week with a trip to the Planetarium with our local PEC group.  Hopefully a good nights sleep and a good dose of vitamins will give me the “umph” I need. I will post picks if I have the energy.

Any thoughts, tips and encouragement would be appreciated:-)

Peace to all~

When I FINALLY said “yes” to God about homeschooling, I had a sense that this was going to be a special gift for me on many levels.  One of the things that homeschooling is doing for me, is allowing me to remember and relieve my childhood.  Maybe find a piece of me that has been buried and needs to come out and play again?  I wonder if anyone else has that experience?  The less I do and the more I rest, I find myself diving deep and pondering things that I have not had the space to think of for awhile.  

I have always been a tactile learner and felt very at home working with my hands in many different ways.  Growing up, I loved working with my hands and felt very alive doing it.  Then I hit high-school and the whole “college/what do you want to be when you grow up” hit.  Looking back I had no idea of what I wanted to do or be or what was even a good fit for me. The pursuit of the better scores, the better high-school, the better college etc. etc was on and I didn’t see the value in a little exploration. 

I remember being horrified when I took the NASVAB.  It is a high-school military test that helps you to pinpoint your strengths and help you in selecting a college and a major. It said  “Mechanic”.  Yeah, they said I had great spacial skills and had the ability to work well with my hands so if I chose to join the armed forces I could be a mechanic.

 Now here is a little background.  I went to a highly competitive magnet high-school that featured the International Baccalaureate program.  My peers where going to Yale, Harvard, Brown, Cal Tech and MIT and they knew it. I was embarrassed at my creative gifting and my state school acceptance.  I always felt out of my league and spent 4 formative years in high-school competing with brainiacs, always feeling not good enough and dealing with a very weird, clicky subculture that was emotionally  ruinous to me on so many levels. I rarely even mention my high-school experience or speak of it, so now that I can with out having a nervous twitch is great! (FYI - for those of you who know me well, this is one of the reasons why I said I would NEVER move back home.) All I have to say is never say never.

I was crushed with that assessment.  I wish I had perspective then.  Alas, perspective comes from time and experience and living and so now 15 years later, I look back at that and smile. Now I understand. I am coming full circle.  I am picking up some pieces that I have swept under the rug do to time constraints etc. and I am exercising my creative muscles after a long hiatus.  I wanted to leave the excerpt by Edith Schaeffer that is speaking to me.  I will review the book in time, but there is so much in it for me, I am taking my time with it.  So for now enjoy the quote and the “art” you will begin to find here on this little corner of the web. 

So we are, on a finite level, people who create. Why does man have creativity? Why can man think of so many things in his mind, and choose, and then bring forth something that other people can taste, smell, feel, hear and see?  Man was created  that he might create.  It is not a waste to pursue artistic or scientific pursuits in creativity, because that is what man was made to be able to do.  He was made in the image of a Creator, and given the capacity to create…

and later

It seems to me that the marks of personality- love, communication, and moral sensitivity - which are meant to sharpen as we are returning to communicating with God, should lead to an increased rather than decreased creativity. The Christian should have more vividly expressed creativity in his daily life, and have more creative freedom, as well as the possibility of a continuing development in creative activities. 

 - Edith Schaeffer The Hidden Art of Homemaking.

My thought was to do a little school each day while we have been away at Sea World.  Firstly, I forgot my computer so Kim and I have been sharing one and secondly, WE ARE AT SEA WORLD!  What was I thinking?

We have  loosely read through our literature and listened to some extra reading in the car thanks to librivox. Life is learning and petting dolphins qualifies as a bit of school if you ask me.  Not only that, we have been experimenting with tons of nature photos around here.  I will post those soon.

We pray all is well with you all, where ever you may be.

Grace and Peace to you.

Some may not be familiar with this term. I was not until a few years ago myself. I am so glad that I have been blessed with a deeper understanding of what spiritual direction is and how Christians can benefit immensely from it. It comes out of the Catholic tradition, and although I am not Catholic, there are many tools from that stream that I wholeheartedly embrace.

For some time now, I have been working on the disciplines of silence and solitude. I do not schedule as much as I need to, but I must say what I do do is revolutionary. I would say more so than most any other discipline I have ever practiced within my Christian faith. I found this quote and it really highlights the value of these.

There is something both appealing and transforming about silence and solitude. Other than Jesus Christ, perhaps the greatest men under each Covenant—Moses and Paul—were both transformed through years in virtual isolation in a remote wilderness. And there are moments in our pressure-cooker days when years of escape to some hidden place sounds wistfully compelling to the Christian spirit.

Before we had our third child, I was visiting a spiritual director at a catholic retreat center in the local area. She is a widow with 4 grown children and joined the Cenacle Sisters in order to dive into her faith more deeply. I’ve been wanting to give her a ring and set some time up with her again. Now that I am spending 90% of time with the dear kids, I need a little “spiritual direction” if you know what I mean. Just wanted to share a little of what I am processing through as it may be helpful to others.

I am happy to announce that I am hosting the second Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. It will be centered around music/composer study. We would love to have your submissions no later than October 1,st by 11:59pm. The carnival will be hosted on this site on the 2nd and you can submit your entries here. I look forward to learning new tips from everyone.

Here is a great homeschool resource. Librivox offers tons of audio books free to download.  We are downloading several to listen to in the car during our travels.  Why not listen to some books on your next long road trip insteda of knee jerking and bringing the portable DVD player. 

We don’t get to see the leaves change, but we are going to North Carolina for a dear friends wedding and hope to catch the change. To celebrate I made sweet potato pancakes.  We are also off to Sea World for a week of fun and education.  I will be posting pictures of our time there throughout the week.

 So part of my whole process is letting my artistic side get back into the game.  Like I have said before I have been a little out of whack these past few years, so I am getting back into painting, experimenting with photography and learning how to build this dang word press website if it kills me. (Trust me it is a creative process too!)  So I am participating in a weekly photo hunt.  I have wanted to learn how to work with digital photography and I  am the type of person who does well with a tangible thing to shoot for.   All you Northerners, go run through the leaves for us!

Peace to all!

Yesterday the children and I went to a local wildlife center to enjoy God’s creation together.  I took an entire photo journal of our time so check out our nature blog.

So what have you found in your fridge lately?

Do be friendly with the people who help you out with your groceries.  Especially the sweet, old Grandpa who was born in Cuba but became an American Citizen in the war in 1952, where he served our country in Korea.  Listen to them and smile at their enthusiasm as they tell stories of the Sargent who made him a citizen and how we “young” people need to do the best we can to make this world a better place for our children.

Don’t absently throw the milk in the back of the van as you listen away.  It may just puncture and spill all over the van and make a horrifying mess.  If this ever does happen, pray the sweet grandpa is “with it” enough to double bag the milk just in case this scenario occurs thereby preventing a total catastrophe!

1. Weekly scheduled times of silence and solitude.  Lately I have found that if I don’t get this, I get all out of whack and take it  out on my family.  Serious bad deal all the way around.  Willard and other theologians have said this is one of the most important spiritual disciplines for western Christians because  of the frantic pace of our lifestyle.  In my humble opinion I tend to agree.

2. Daily scheduled time to work on me.  Whether it is working out, reading or painting, if I don’t get this I start getting resentful.  This is not a good deal ether. Charlotte Mason called this “Mother Culture”.  How can a mom stay balanced and offer her best to her family when she is strung out and never gets ant time just for her?  

3. Discipline to think of what the other person is saying and not what I want to say. The first two disciplines help me to relax and “center down” as the Quakers used to say. This allows me to actually get “outside” myself when I am with other people.  Have you ever thought about how many times you interrupt someone when they are talking before they are through. (Think of the little people in your home too!)

Make a choice today, to be right where you are and not three steps ahead.  Let people finish their own sentences and don’t think of how you will answer them before they are through speaking. Go “pencil in” some time just for you to work on you and then practice being still and silent.   You will be amazed at what you might hear!

This piece is inspired by Mommy Zabs group writing project.

For the linky love here are the other entries for your reading pleasure:-)

RELATIONSHIP! 

I don’t say that lightly.  I mean that deeply.  Maybe it is because pursuing relationship is extremely important to our family as a whole. Not just with our children but with real live people who walk and talk and have issues and need healing and need friendship.  Mike and I have always wanted our home to be a haven for anyone that God has in our life. The fabric of relationship that is woven here is more important than my routine or the things we have in our home.  The house is just a tool for the real living that is happening.

It is important for us to immerse our kids in a lifestyle of building into people in a natural, non-programmatic way. They don’t understand why we always have people over in our home, or why Mommy stops and talks to neighbors a lot or why we throw parties.  Lot’s of parties. It is just part of their life. 

Tonight we had our neighbors over for dinner.  This is the first time we have actually had neighbors that said “yes” to us.  We’ve asked before in other neighborhoods but no one would take us up on it.  It was lovely, relaxed, natural.   All of our children stayed up late playing.  Very late by our normal bedtime standards.  But I could do 2 things.  Stick to the schedule because it is more important than diving into people, or two, ditch the schedule in preference of relationship.  We ditched it!

Because of what it happening with the economy, none of use are moving anytime soon in our neighborhood.  For that I am thankful.  I am digging in and looking to build bridges all over in the neighborhood.  So our children will sleep in tomorrow.   I will start schooling a little later.  I will choose to have a lighter load tomorrow.  I don’t have to jump through hoops tomorrow to get them up, dressed, fed and off to school by 8.  Life is short!  Minutes pass too quickly.  People (even the little people who live with you) are too valuable.

I’ve been hearing a bit about blog rush here and there.  Then my husband sent me an invitation to join his blog rush, so I thought I would take a look at it:-) It seems our blogging friend Andrew Jones is implementing it on his highly read and successful blog.  Years ago we first read his blog about his life and faith and that encouraged us to start our blog at the mustard seed. It is an interesting concept so I thought I would experiment with it.  You know me, I love to experiment.  Check it out and experiment away!

My kids love these.  I also love to leverage my time, so I make a triple batch and freeze the leftovers.  It makes an easy morning breakfast!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes 

 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup skim milk

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 ripe banana

handful of semi sweet mini chips

dash of vanilla

Combine all of the wet ingredients first and then gradually add your dry to create a smooth batter.  For a standard size pancake use 1/4 cup measuring cup.  If your child is helping you flip it is a easily handled size.

Enjoy!

The afternoon was young, the sky was clear, the water was calm and we had set our course for adventure.  We watched the horizon anxiously in hopes of viewing our destination.

The waterway was our own.  Not a soul out and about.  The only noise we heard was the loud hum of the motor and our own laughter ringing out. We had set our course on the “high seas”.

“Land Hoe” was the cry! There it was…our island destination.  Our little oasis sitting proudly, surrounded by the clear, cool, blue waters that gently and graciously rippled up on its shores. 

Quietly our craft glided into port.  For a few brief moments, the only sound was that of the water lapping up against the dock.  The familiar in and out motion that fixes these times deeply in our minds and in our hearts.  The sound that is synonymous with life on the sea.

We greeted the locals who had been anxiously waiting our return.  They stood as sentinels, observing island visitors with both curiosity and fear.

The lush tropical foliage gives little relief from the heat.  Its fronds lightly waving in the breeze applaud our arrival, cheering us in our exploration.

The long awaited moment of using new birthday gifts was finely being realized.  What would be found under the beautiful, blue ocean?

Schools of fish dotted the surface of the water like soft rain and with a bit of fear and trepidation, underwater fish and wildlife were observed.

The sun hung low in the sky, signalling the end of a glorious water adventure.

As we boarded our craft and headed for home, the sky displayed a spectacular show of corals, pinks and oranges.

Before the stars made their triumphal appearance, the sun fell like a fiery ball, off to greet lands unknown. A final farewell to a day well spent.

I want to instill in our children the love of story.  It is one of my main homeschooling goals. It is probably one of the main reasons I love the Ambleside Online website so much and the homeschooling curriculum found there.  It is packed full of wonderful literature and a well thought out and laid out plan for introducing our children to the love of not only learning but of really good stories.  I think that skill is pivotal in their holistic formation as disciples of Jesus too.  His story is so powerful and we are part of it living it out in this world.   If we can immerse them into His powerful narrative, not just facts, and memorized verses, but the whole redemptive plan laid out by God, they will  be guided well through this life. Their faith wont be something that their parents adhere to, but they will be captured by it and hold it as their own.

 I have just  read Charlotte’s Web out loud to the children.  As an adult I find it a profound narrative that blesses me deeply as I read it out loud to our children.  As I think about this book and others that we will read with our children, I am inspired by the power of good story telling.  It is something I aspire to improve at. 

Imagine, an ugly runt that wallows in manure all day, destined to death, is saved by the smallest most insignificant creature who writes amazing messages that inspire the masses.  These messages are actually counter cultural to all that people thought a pig could be. This small creature shames the wisest in the barnyard and preaches messages of hope that actually teach Wilbur his worth.  In her death, Wilbur’s life is saved and he is able to continue to spread the original message of hope.  Sounds like a radical concept that might just change the world. 

It makes me start to dream.  Dream of how I will be able to relate things of the kingdom of God to our children, using this beautiful story as a reference point for them.  In this story, hidden meaning of the kingdom of God is revealed and that is the power of good narrative! Thanks E.B. White.  You told  a darn good story!

We love the library.  We are on a first name basis with the librarian.  We check out our home school books for the week, a few Spanish children’s books and an appropriate DVD. 

Some time ago, we checked out Rescue Heroes for our youngest.  He adored it and I KNOW we returned it to the library. At least I think we did. He asks for it all the time.  The library can’t find it and we have renewed it 3x hoping it would pop up. It hasn’t.  We have torn the house and van apart looking for our lost item:-(  So now the library said, I could pay for it with them at the cost of 24.95 with a 4.95 processing fee. WHAT…do they think it was made of gold?

So I just reordered it today on Amazon for 4.91 with 2.95 shipping.  Once I receive it, with the shipping and late fees, that I can’t stop until I produce something to them, I will have about $9 in…$13 if they charge me the processing fee.  Much better than $30 don’t ya think.

I guess it is bound to happen, but it irks me!  I guess we do borrow hundreds of dollars of books a week from them, so one missed item isn’t a bad track record.

Have a little fun in the kitchen with some food coloring.  Simple science, math and even art can be accomplished all around the family kitchen with everyday materials.  Our youngest two are learning how to create colors by mixing  primary colors together. 

step 1. Begin with a bowl of oatmeal.

Step 2. Go over the color wheel with your children and have them choose a color for the oatmeal.

Step 3. Add the color to your oatmeal.

Step 4.  Allow your child to stir the oatmeal (with as little help as possible).

This makes morning breakfast an educational experience.  Enjoy!

Children learn new skills differently.  It is very interesting to me how our children have taken to reading.  Our oldest is reading wonderfully, however, isn’t drawn to do it on his own.  He will in time.  Everyday, we do a phonics lesson and, of course, read out loud tons throughout the day.  He is my snuggler and loves the cuddle time.  Our daughter is a “worker”. She loves to give love and receive love by helping or doing something.  Everyday, she begs for me to teach her to read.  (She is just a new 4.) “No more sounds Mom that is for babies!  I want a long line of words like Jackson with a picture!”  I thought, I will patronize her and give her a one of Jackson’s reading lessons.  (Note to self - never patronize children when they are earnestly wanting to learn something new!)To my wonder and amazement, she got it all.  My mouth was hanging open…honestly.  I was shocked and then the other day, I figured out how she has learned to read so quickly. 

Everyday we do a phonics lesson on the couch with her older brother.  The other children are nestled around somewhere.  She seems to wriggle around and get perched above us on the back of the couch so she can have a clear view.  I couldn’t’ understand why this was so important to her.  It was a distraction to me…her fidgeting with the curtains and  bopping around.  Last week I made her get down and sit on the floor and she wailed and wailed.  Again, I am thinking, this isn’t a normal response.  So the other day I actually picked up the “clue phone”.  I told her she could sit quietly behind us but she couldn’t be a distraction, and Jackson and I continued with our lesson.  Half way through, Jackson paused for some time at a word, “sheep” I think. From behind we hear this little voice say “sheep”.

Um - “Hello”!!!! - She had been piggy backing on Jackson’s lessons everyday, without me realizing it. 

One of my readers asked me to expound on what a prayer station is.  Our faith community has used them off and on over the years and they have always been a very special experience for me.  Think of a prayer station as an interactive, piece of art that allows you to connect with the Father on a deeper level than just sitting down with your eyes closed.  There is nothing wrong with that, this is a just more sensory experience.

Here is a link to some ideas on prayer stations from the UK.  Use this as a jumping off point.  The way I have done it before is by having a group of friends prepare something to bring that everyone can participate in.  We set them up all over a home, and quietly moved through every station.  The same could work in a church building or third space.  Let it be your particular groups expression of what they are learning from the Father.  What a great way to learn more about your group in a deeper way. 

Some of my favorites have been , making your own flat bread for communion and then meditating on the “last supper”.  Using an inspiring song with some visual components.  Really the sky is the limit.  It is a fun event that allows people to enter into prayer in a active way.  Engaging all of the senses for a special worship experience.  It is inspiring me to want to set up another one.  We used to do one on Halloween night every year.  It was our way of being counter cultural by worshipping the Father.

If you chose to set one up, please take pics and email them to me.  I will gladly post them here.

So I thought I would list 5 things about myself that most people don’t know.  Isn’t it true that you are a some of your experiences,  that each thing shapes and forms you?  These are 5 things about me that well…help to make up me.

1. - I learned to SCUBA dive at 11.  My Dad worked his way through college as a dive instructor, and my brother and I grew up on the water. I still love the ocean and so do our kids. My brother actually grew up and joined the Navy.  It is true that your early years shape you for life! My Dad is back diving a ton and keeps asking me to join him.  Guess I need to get the wet suit out again cuz Mama is hitting the open water.

2. - I started learning to fly at13.  Off and on over the years I have gone back to it.  I still have not completed my private pilot license but one day I will. Most people golf when they retire, maybe I will fly.

3 - I started “working” at 11. (babysitting - I know shocker right!)  I completely paid for numbers  1 and 2 by myself. My parents started their own business when I was 8 or 9  so funds were limited growing up.  They said they loved for me to do these things but if I REALLY wanted to do them, I would need to work to pay for them.  It was one of the BEST life lessons I ever learned.

4 - I didn’t wear pink until my 30’s when my friend gave me an old pink shirt of hers.  I would of never picked it for myself.  I got tons of complements on how the color looked with my skin.  Up until then I perceived the color as “weak”. I know now that being “weak” is a good thing!

5 - I was born very premature.  At 27 weeks to be exact weighing in at 1 pound 11 ounces. It was kind of like the Princess Bride Movie…”Good Night Wesley, sleep well for tomorrow you will die.” Every hour the doctors would tell my parents I wouldn’t make it. Hours, grew to days, days to weeks and weeks to months.  They said I would probably have tons of problems yet regardless of what some people think, I am perfectly healthy and normal.    It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my own children that I realized how extreme that was.  Maybe that is why I can be a bit intense? It was how my parents came to know they Lord.  They thought, there must be something out there to make this little baby live and they set off to find out what it was. 

So go think about 5 things that help make you you.  Get a journal and write them down people.  It is good “soul work”.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As a homeschooling mom with three young children who has a home based business I have had a hard time fitting everything in.  It wasn’t until recently, that I finally took the plung and realized that nothing was going to change unless I did something different.  

So I did it.  I set the alarm and starting waking up at 5am.  It is revolutionary what it has done in my life.  Less stress, more space, more time for me. True, I have had to sacrifice sleep, but I have found I don’t really miss it.  It has been so life giving that I actually wrote an article on Tips to Getting Up Early so that I could really own my process.  I hope you find it helpful.

This post is sponsored by Middle Zone Musings group writing project on change.

So I salvaged my hard week last week on Friday by making sure we had “Something to do, something to think about and something to love”! 

I actually took “the show” on the road and went to our favorite park located adjacent to a marine rescue center.  We did some of our lessons in a favorite forest that shaded us from the heat!

Doing narration from high up in a tree always makes it more exciting.  We read Travel and imagined we were hunting for our own “deserted city”.  Mommy had fun too!

By the end of the day the children were back on track, happy and cooperative.  I think we all had cabin fever.  Outdoor time is so important and not just in your front yard but new places as well. 

It has been a long week!  Tons of crying, whining, fighting and complaining….and that was just me!

Lest you think I have this all under control….I don’t! I am ready for a “do over” and a start of a fresh week…get this train back on track.   Or at least those were my famous last words! Funny thing is, the “school work” is completed, it is the inter-family dynamic that was all out of whack.  I had to be on the phone more than usual this week with some stressful financial things.  Maybe the kids picked up on that?  Maybe they were just off, who knows?  I am waving the white flag and heading for the hills,  I am “tagging” my partner, I’m calling the reinforcements… well you get the drift! 

I am lovin’ the Daddy unit right about now and will be relying heavily on his loving diversion this evening and weekend and will need some  extra special attention from said Daddy unit. (”a hem” - that is a hint to the wonderful Daddy unit who reads this blog, who has yet to comment on this blog but never the less reads it) 

WOW two subversive hints in one blog - how did I get so good?

 Peace to all~

Do go out with all of your children.  Enjoy the weather and your community pool.  Interact with the neighbors.

Don’t leave your keys at home, thinking oh I don’t need them, lest your two year old runs back home before the rest of you and locks you out! 

Then you will not have to hear the impish laugh behind the locked door, “Mommy you are locked out! hahahahahah”  Rest assured, there is little coxing that will persuade a 2 year old to open the door when he knows he has the upper hand.  Be sure to have a tricky 6 year old handy in this event who knows how to disarm said 2 year old and claim victory for a weary Mom!

Oh yes these are Good Times People!

Here is a beautiful post on how to Learn to play piano on a shoestring over at Lindafay’s blog.  It is very inspiring.  I am a “do it yourselfer” so this really got me thinking about the viability of really teaching your kids to play piano.  I studied violin and piano for 8 years growing up at huge expense to my parents.  I loved it and it is so much a part of who I am now.  I have wanted that for our children and her post gave me the confidence to give it a go.  Isn’t blogging a beautiful thing!

I just finished reading “I capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith.  It was a delightful read and worth the time.  The main Character, Cassandra told the story through her journal entries.  They were the way she taught herself to write.  It was her process.  I was thinking of the earlier quote I left from Study in Brown and thinking a bit about blogging.  This is my process “live and in color”.  It helps me think out loud.  I have journaled off and on for the past 15 years and it is always interesting and amazing to go back through what I have written.  I can read something I wrote 10 years ago and almost remember what room I was sitting in the moment I wrote it.  It brings me right back to that place.  I find that very fascinating.  It is also fun to see how I have grown or changed.

So I have been wondering, can a person be really “in tune” with what is going on in their life if they are not processing it in some “creative” way.  Painting, poetry. writing, reading something thought provoking……something that expresses what is going on inside in an external form?  If it stays inside….and not processed through do we experience the depth of what could of been……or just the surface stuff?  Those are my thoughts at 5 am today.

In other news, I feel God “stirring” something in me.  I started feeling it on Monday. I am not quite sure what it is yet.  I am a feeler first. Anyone else like that?  I feel it first and then it takes me some time to get the words for it.  So I am taking note of it here.  It kind of feels like when you smell a “hint” of something in the air, that is somehow familiar and comforting.  Like someone cooking something good several houses down, and you need to stop and wait a moment for your brain to catch up and remind you of what it is and why the smell is comforting to you.  That is what it feels like.  So today, I am stopping and listening, and wondering, and mostly waiting on God.

What are you waiting on God for?

I have been reading many books in the organizational genre lately.  This has been my favorite.  It gives good practical advise on how to detox your home from too many chemicals.  I have noticed lately that I have been getting migraines more frequently than normal so I thought I should reconsider some of my cleaning tools.  I am also teaching the children how to help me clean and I realized I don’t want them working with all of these cleaners ether. 

Organic Housekeeping gives really good tips on overall organization and thoughts on cleaning in general. If you can maintain “normal” cleaning in your home, than you can go out and enjoy the really good things in life.  Definitely not a book on how to be a neat nick, just how to have a plan and work the plan efficiently and safely and then go out and play type book.

Summer is slipping away in Sunny South Florida.  It is still hot and humid here but there are little signs that fall is near.  Very early in the morning, there is a slight shift in how the air feels.  The sun rises just a few moments earlier than a month ago and the quality of the light during the day is slightly softer. Small things I am noticing due to my slowing down. Finding the metaphysical in the mundane….God in the daily Grind. 

It is not enough however to prevent our daily jaunt to the pool.  Pool and Popsicles, the quintessential summer pastime.

Yesterday our oldest spent about 2 hours with his G’Pa building a rocket. When he came back….he was somehow older.  I saw it in his face and his continence.  He had picked up little words my Dad uses and started using them in his vocabulary.  Our youngest is almost out of potty training and our daughter is teaching herself to read. Life is fleeting.  Why worry about tomorrow, it will take care of itself.  Enjoy the day, right were God has you.  Even if it is hard because the older I get, the more I understand that “hard” is usually “good” being birthed in your life.

A Study in Brown had some great thoughts on blogging.  I wanted to highlight them here and encourage you all to keep laying down your tracks.  They are valuable. 

We are leaving tracks for the ones who come behind.  Here in these pages lie our stories, the playbook of our lives: hilarious and humdrum, simple and profound, dull and surprising.   Here we testify of what it means to walk out our salvation, to trust in God, to worship in spirit and in truth.  

I loved kids from a young age.  I was the church “child care helper” and the resident babysitter growing up.  I have worked with young children it seems all my life.  Non of it has compared to being a Mom. Now that I have my own wonderful children, it seems that they have met that need in me that seemed to be there since I was very young.  I use to gush at other peoples kids, and now I gush at my own.

I have owned my own business for the better part of 10 years now.  I also love building, thinking, promoting etc. my own business.  The idea of seeing something go from an idea to reality is very fulfilling to me as well.  Now that I am fully into the mothering role, building business isn’t even as fun anymore.

I have found myself fulfilled in a way that nothing else could by becoming a Mom.  In this season I get to leverage myself like no other.  In leadership or business you are supposed to duplicate yourself over and over again to advance your cause or mission.  I sounds great but is very hard.  Weather you think about it or not in parenting you are doing just that. With parenting you are creating little versions of you.  The good and the bad.  The philosophies and the cleaning skills are all absorbed by our little charges.  It is a revealing process that challenges me to be better and to pray that God blesses the work of my hands especially where it concerns our children.  Putting my hand to this task has been the hardest and best thing I have ever done.

 This post was inspired by Mamma Blogga’s September Group Writing Project.  Feel free to participate if you feel inclined!

So our 4 year old is still in 2T’s.  She is in the 25%.  She is healthy and thriving, just small.  So her jeans still fit everywhere but the length.  My friend recommended putting some ribbon on the bottom to give her another year out of them.

 Aren’t they cute?