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P365 – Day 71 (Monday, what can I say)

Busy day. It seems the children started off the day fighting and continued all morning. Is there something about Mondays that requires discord and grumpiness? I came downstairs to find Joshua and Rachel fighting over shower rights and privileges. Being mature and civilized, they carry on their arguments in quiet, but hostile, voices. It’s not very pretty and NOT what I would expect from such awesome, godly children. I’m ready to set the timer and regulate their showers if they can’t work it out in a cheerful, loving manner. I would cut them off from showers all together but that might end up punishing the rest of the family a bit too much. Whew, sniff, sniff.

Next came trouble with Daniel and David. They were arguing over cereal boxes or spoons or something significant like that. Sigh. Maybe it was pages of math – Daniel bragging on how many pages he does in his work and David saying how fast he can complete a lesson. It seems like 8:45 am is a little early to be crying for Calgon to take me away.

That leaves Sarah. I think she slept in and avoided the whole lot of us.

sarah sweetie

This afternoon Sarah found a black shawl that a friend bought her last year. I think she had originally resisted the piece because it didn’t have sleeves and she wasn’t sure how to wear it. Today she tried it on and insisted on wearing it all afternoon. When Sarah found out we were paying a visit to the friend who bought it for her, she was thrilled to show the outfit off.

sarah closeup

Somehow I completely forgot that I was watching Daniel’s friend from co-op this afternoon. Yikes! Talk about scatterbrained. Thankfully I was just pulling out from the Y parking lot when I remembered I was supposed to pick him up there. No time lost, no harm done. Then I agreed upon a time when Jennifer could come and get him, totally disregarding the fact that I was supposed to be someplace at the very time when I told her to come over. My goodness! I didn’t remember that one for another hour or so.

No doubt it was all the complaining and arguing amongst the children that drove these thoughts from my mind and rendered me completely disorganized and distracted (does it work to blame everything on the children?).

The weather was beautiful today so the children had a lovely time playing outside before lunch. I forced Daniel to do school with us (even though his friend was visiting). He was quite upset with me. Homeschool kids are spoiled! He has no idea what it is like to be on a classroom schedule with 20+ other children to work around. Of course, this meant David had a buddy for a good hour or so. He was more than delighted to have Daniel tied up and Adam all to himself.

david and adam

I had a great time praying with some other homeschooling moms this afternoon. I was even able to chat with my mom on the way there and back (gotta LOVE cell phones!!!). I was more organized than usual today (my total forgetfulness of the earlier part of the day behind me) and had dinner in the oven set to cook and instructions on the counter for Joshua to make rice. All I had to do was throw together a salad and some stir-fry veggies and dinner was set.

Enough rambling. That was our day, for the most part. Now I’m long on chatting and low on pictures. I know when to stop. Hopefully tomorrow will be another sunny day. You know things are getting a bit soggy when you find yourself reminding God, in your prayer time, about His promise not to flood the earth again. :)

Kathy

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Date Night Fun

Date Night Choices:

1) Dinner and a movie out
2) DVD and popcorn at home
3) Theater tickets
4) Romantic walk through the park
5) Budget discussion complete w/Excel Spreadsheets

Oooo, ooo, raising hand for number five! I mean, it’s got everything.

  • Intrigue – What was this bill for again?
  • Romance – Ah, honey look, it’s the charge for my Valentine’s Day present
  • Comedy – How much money do we need each month? What a bunch of kidders!
  • Action – If we move the money around here and squeeze tight there we might be able to pay this bill.
  • Drama – Will the family survive the stresses and struggles of these financial difficulties? (insert emotional soundtrack here)

And so on. So really, two hours spent going over high finances is actually a very thrilling, date night appropriate activity. There wasn’t any popcorn served during the Budgetary Talks of March 2007 (although the children had some while enjoying a movie in the other room) but there was definitely laughter and the potential for some serious tears. Unlike other date nights, this one ended in prayer time. See how God redeems even the strangest of dates.

Maybe tomorrow night we can watch a movie and let the children work on finances.

Kathy

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P365 – Day 70 (Comfort Food)

What says comfort food to you?

Macaroni and Cheese
Chocolate cake with hot fudge sauce
Fried Chicken
Oatmeal
Chicken noodle soup
Cheeseburger and fries

In our house pancakes ranks up at the top of the list for cozy, settle in and watch a movie, sugary goodness, comfort food.

Warning – these pictures may shock and dismay!

david's pancakes

This boy can’t even wait to cut his food.

I found an article interviewing chefs and food writers on their favorite comfort foods. Their choices were a bit more elegant than our typical fare but sounded delicious. It was interesting to see how much food and family were interconnected.

We had fried eggs with our pancakes this evening. I was afraid the ravenous looks on the children’s faces would be too much for this sedate crowd so I didn’t take any pictures. I have to protect the gluttonous.

these are good!

No doubt he’s checking to see if there is room for more pancakes.

Since my change in eating the past few years, typical comfort foods are no longer part of my menu. When I have a bad day or the children (darling though they are) are testing my patience, chocolate and bowls of chips are not available to me as snack foods. I have to find other ways of dealing with my frustrations. It’s been rather eye-opening (and humbling / embarrassing) to see the patterns I have of turning to food in times of stress.

For the most part I am much happier to be off sugar and other ‘trigger’ foods, but occasionally I miss some of those good old comfort foods. Look at this face.

smiling boy

Nothing like white flour, white sugar, buttery goodness for dinner. Yum.

Tim reminded me of the words that Jesus spoke when he was hungry (and he was TRULY hungry after 40 days of fasting):

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

Ah, the ultimate comfort food. During trying moments in life, when I feel overwhelmed and want to dive into the cookie jar, I do have something available to me that offers real solace, help, and peace – God’s Word. No calories or fat grams to worry about.

Kathy

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P365 – Day 69 (The Game of Life)

Today was dreary and grey. A perfect day for sleeping in. The children were little angels (quiet ones) and entertained themselves while Tim and I took advantage of a leisurely Saturday. Rachel was eager to get to the library, where books were being held for her, so she pulled me out of my weekend laziness (it was 11 am by this point) and hijacked a ride. After the library we went to the Y for some exercise. I did 10 minutes on three different elliptical machines, which reveals my strange need for variety. Actually my favorite machine was occupied and it took me a while to drive the riff raff off (those riff raff are everywhere). Rachel and I also tried out the stationary bikes.

Tim and the rest of the children came with the wallyball and set up the net for a friendly family game. I never did get to the weight machines – lost oomph by the time we played wallyball. Tim stayed and continued playing with Joshua and David while I took Daniel, Sarah and Rachel home to make lunch.

Tim was definitely the King of Games today. He played several rounds of Turn the Tide with the boys, Feed the Kitty with the younger set, and then started a game of Life before going to the Y. After wallyball and lunch, Tim and the two D’s picked up their game.

game of life

There are actually many Biblical lessons to be learned in The Game of Life (we have the new version).

1) You are required to get married – He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. Proverbs 18:22
2) You are rewarded if you have children – Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Psalm 127:3
3) There are more rewards if you have more children – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; Genesis 1:27-28a

The other lessons come with the dialogue that accompanies the game. Here are some of the things I overheard this afternoon:

Tim: It’s time to get married, make sure I find Kathy.
Tim: Daniel, are you getting married? Does she love God? Is she kind? Be careful when you pick a wife.
Tim: Okay little children (talking to his blue and pink pegs, riding in his Life car), I want to teach you about God.
Daniel: One of my children turned four and asked Jesus in his heart.
David: My children already know about God. They love Him.
Tim: You taught them about God?
David: Well, I taught them how to read and do math and all about God.
Tim: Do you read them the Bible?
David: Oh yes, every day we read the chapter. At night.

Who knew the Game of Life would provide the opportunity to obey the scriptures.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

praying for diet coke

In the middle of the game, Daniel asked for a sip of Tim’s diet Coke. Tim has a new rule regarding his precious soda – in order for the children to be granted sips, gulps, or tastes they have to pray for him. Right then and there. No exceptions. I thought it was a very sneaky idea. Tim is greedy that way. You can see, in the picture, that Daniel is just about to pray for Tim.

I need to try that angle with my coffee. Most of the time, with my healthy food choices, the kids aren’t exactly falling over themselves to have bites and tastes.

“What’s that Mom? Oh, steamed kale. Yum. No, thanks, I’ll pass. Daddy, can I have a spoonful of your Nutella?”

Sigh. It’s a good thing they don’t stop and offer me curses instead of prayers, right then and there.

Kathy

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P365 – Day 68 (Friends galore)

Thank you, Tim, for being a guest blogger here on the site. :) Come by anytime and write some more.

I am committed to getting to bed at a decent hour tonight. It’s already 10:30 pm so some might say I’m already behind. Those people probably got up before 8 am so we know what they are (hint, riff raff).

I had my camera with me today and actually remembered to take pictures. So often I’m focused and busy and don’t step out of the activity to photograph it.

Sarah is very blessed to have several young girls her age in her circle of homeschooling friends.

girls playingSarah and friends

Last week she and Rachel went over to a friend’s house for a sleepover. It’s such a treat that Sarah has special friends. One of the added joys of befriending a big family is that there are companions of all ages. Two of these playground girls have older sisters that are friends of Rachel’s. This week a pair of sisters came over to our house to play. Rachel went to see Little Women with the older sister and a youth leader from church. Sarah played dolls and dress up with the younger sister.

Joshua has also made some wonderful friends at our homeschooling co-op. They have done birthdays and sleepovers and all sorts of get togethers.

Joshua's buddies

Lunch hour at the co-op is when the moms are able to sit down and visit. Yes, there are interruptions from little (and big) ones constantly, but there is also opportunity for lively discussion. Healthy eating and the difficulties and challenges of feeding a large family is often the topic of our conversation, hence the orange.

Jen's orange

Thanks for taking this picture, Holly! We should have taken one more with you in it.

I didn’t get pictures of David and Daniel today. One of Daniel’s favorite things to do is play with little Isaac (younger brother of Rachel and Sarah’s sister friends). He is wonderful with the little Isaac and follows (chases) him all over the lunch room. David usually manages to find some friend to wrestle.

My problem is feeding them enough lunch to cover them for the day AND all the running around they do while eating lunch. I think they burn the calories faster than they take them in.

ring around the rosy

Friends are so important and I am very thankful for the people God has brought into our lives.

Kathy

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