All posts by KME

Shoes off and pants rolled up - time to walk along the beach
Parenting

Parents Are a Work in Progress

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We are spoiled, here in Washington, to live surrounded by such beauty - an abundance of local lakes and rivers as well as the Puget Sound only a few miles away.

I’ve been convicted quite a bit lately about my parenting; how to be a better mother, how to love my children unconditionally yet still raise them with godly values, how to praise more than I criticize, how to keep my eye on the essentials and not get lost in the mire of life’s busyness and daily chores.

Mostly I just come up empty and floundering.

Daniel - my beloved middle child - is growing faster than I can keep up.

I fear that I am a work in progress, as a wife, mother, disciple of Jesus. Normally this would bring me comfort, and yet these years are racing by; I am running out of time, or so it feels, to be transformed and molded and shaped into a wise and godly parent. As Joshua nears graduation this spring there is a constant whispered hint of his departure for college in the fall.

Is it possible that this role of mother I have inhabited for so long is actually a fleeting one? No, wait, I’m not done, I’ve barely started the training portion of the job.

In my reading I stumbled across this verse in Hebrews:

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

Ah, I see. God will equip me with everything I need to do His will. He will move in and through me to bring Him glory. He does not leave me in the place of struggling and dismay as a mother. He has blessed me with these precious children and called me to this work. As I seek Him and strive to be transformed in His likeness, He will give me the strength and wisdom to parent.

Perfectly? No.
Humbly? Hopefully.
Graciously? Sometimes.
Flawed? Always.

I long, most of all, to be teachable in my role as mother. I want to hear from the Lord and obey as He leads and guides me.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesian 2:10

I'm pretty sure being a good mom means knowing when to fix hot cocoa!

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Daily Life

Chore Chart 2011

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Ever hopeful (and desperate), I spent some time this weekend creating a new chore chart for our family of 7. I have a difficult time picturing exactly what I want in a spreadsheet, but the internet is a wealth if information. I found several templates for Excel. None of them worked exactly for our family and what I had in mind, but it did give me a starting point. Unfortunately any type of computer work like this brings out the perfectionist in me, and I end up agonizing and spending WAY too much time making sure each square and line and title is EXACTLY the way I want it.

Thankfully it was a rainy, grey Saturday and working on the computer was a pleasant way to spend some of the afternoon. Especially when the end result was going to be a CLEAN house and less stress for me.

Here is a link to my chart. It covers the three meals of the day (with work listed for each meal) and four of the main areas of the downstairs (again with the work responsibilities detailed). I left blanks for people to fill in their names. In the past I have assigned jobs, or given the kids’ input on how to divide things out. We’ve broken up things by week or day. This time I decided to let them just pick the jobs they want and let things fall in place as best as possible.

Boys

Actually I asked Tim to help me in getting the kids signed up. So wonderful to have support from DAD on these type of things. Tim, inspired by our new game, Stone Age, had the kids take turns filling out different jobs. Each person chose two or three spots and then passed the charts to their younger sibling.

Joshua, as the oldest, most busy and nearly 18 (tomorrow) was given the opportunity to select all of his jobs at one time.

Chore Chart 2011

Chore Chart 2011 for those with older versions of Excel

Feel free to steal this chart and use it as you wish. It doesn’t have any personal info on it, just the basics.

Kathy

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tn_JoshuaBefore_Small
Joshua

Before and After Shots of an ROTC Guy

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Can you identify the difference (besides surrounding – location doesn’t count) between these pictures of Joshua?

Here is the Before:

Definitely a

And here is the After:

After

This is definitely not a fashion makeover. And the difference is not in the fact that he’s wearing a hat outside. Hint, look closely at the collar.

Yep, you guessed it (or, if you didn’t I’m going to tell you anyway because it’s my blog and that’s sort of the point), Joshua was PROMOTED at Navy Jr ROTC today!!!

Before – a c/Petty Officer 2nd Class (E5).
After – a c/Lieutenant (O3).

The “c/” stands for Cadet. Joshua was highly honored in his promotion. He skipped E6-9 and O1-2, a total of 6 ranks. He will be the Executive Officer (second in command) of Viking Company in the NJROTC program of 120 cadets. There were 12 students promoted today: 1 Lieutenant Commander, 1 Lieutenant, 8 Ensigns, 1 Master Chief Petty Officer, and 1 Senior Chief Petty Officer.

We are so proud of you, Joshua!! You will be an excellent leader. It is a joy to see you grow in your maturity, integrity and honor. We love you!!

Gotta love that smile!

Kathy

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David, Family, Holidays

February’s Fantastic

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I miss blogging. I miss connecting with other bloggy friends. I miss selecting pictures, tweaking them with Photoshop and then crafting my words for a meaningful/witty/random blog. Facebook is so quick and busy and full of life, it’s easy to forget the joy of blogging. Texting is instantaneous and immediate, there doesn’t seem room for the slower work of blogging.

Washing the car

David and Sarah spent some time last week washing the new van.

Life is so full and rich these days, I’m overwhelmed by the many details, activities, and challenges. Tim and I are continually striving to grow in our marriage and be wise in our parenting. The responsibilities of running a busy household and homeschooling five children keep me humble and on my knees.

Matchy matchy

Sarah and I got matching aprons for Valentine’s Day.

I find myself struggling to balance the various disciplines – spiritual, physical, mental, etc. When I excel in one area, I fail in another. It is interesting, this life here on earth. We long for perfection, rest and joy, but instead are mired in imperfection, unease, and worry.

Praise God for His Word and the promise that His mercies are new every morning.

Two of my 5 readers

Books and board games are favorite gifts (to give and receive) in our house.

We had a fun Valentine’s Day. Tim and I love to celebrate as a family and cherish the big and small moments with the children. This year we ended up with some extra Christmas gifts (still working on the whole Christmas/budget concept) and set them aside for Valentine’s Day. We held a family party on the 7th. The blessing (reward?) of working so hard on parenting (and it is HARD WORK) is actually enjoying your children. We truly love to be with our five kids. They are fun, generous, kind, silly, caring and worth every bit of the diligence, effort and attention.

birthday presents!

Daniel and Joshua gave David Nerf Swords for his birthday.

David’s birthday was this week. How in the world did my sweet, little boy come to be nine years old?? My goodness, he and Sarah are no longer babies. Can I still call them the “Little Ones?” At least for a little while longer?

birthday desserts

Vanilla cake and ice cream sandwich dessert. Yum!

David constantly touches my heart – his reflections on life are unique and precious. We have a tradition of decorating the house in honor of the birthday child. All decorating happens in the wee hours in the night so the birthday boy or girl wakes up to a celebration. This past year the older children have taken on some of the work themselves and surprised me with their creative help.

The night before his birthday (Tim and I had just returned home from a long weekend in Leavenworth and the children from the Duckabush), David came up to me and quietly asked, “Would it be rude to ask for birthday decorations? I was just wondering.” Ha! I shhhhhed him and said, “Absolutely, no talk of decorations! Don’t even mention it.”

As the years have passed, I’ve often wondered if the children still care about those silly streamers, balloons and birthday signs. The older ones, in particular, might be too “grown up” and “mature” for such trivial things. It’s certainly no longer a dramatic surprise – it’s a tradition. Ahhhh, but here was a little boy who was still hoping for the wonder of a birthday celebration. How could I resist?

Throughout the days following his birthday, David repeatedly thanked me for the decorations – not the gifts, cake, family outing to the zoo, the decorations. “I just love those birthday decorations, Mommy, it’s why I keep saying thank you. I love to stand and look at them.”

Happy Birthday - 9 year old!

A creative use of birthday plates.

Interesting how a thankful heart brings such delight and joy in response. I can’t help but think how the Lord wants me to be thankful, to thank Him for His wonders, His gifts, His goodness. Does my thankful heart please Him in the same way that David’s cheerful attitude blesses me?

who's ready for a slice?

Rachel helped with the birthday cake decorating.

It makes me want to sneak into David’s room, on a random Thursday in the middle of a random month, and hang up signs and streamers.

Maybe I will.

Kathy

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Joshua

Navy Guy

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Joshua is enjoying R.O.T.C. these days. Keeps us busy as we add another activity to our lives. I didn’t have my camera handy this week when he was dressed for inspection. Okay, I had the camera, but I wasn’t awake at that point (coffee was still in the pot and not in my mug).

joshua
Go Navy?

Anyway, I’ll try and get a picture of him in his full regalia next week. For now, here’s a shot of him in his Navy PT workout clothes.

Kathy

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