Waking up late, canoeing, hiking, laughing our heads off, kissing, praying, hoping,walking, talking, playing,reading, listening, thinking, relaxing, sleeping, biking, shopping, eating, being.....just being.
How great it is to be in love
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Cooperation Finale
Well, it has been an insane past couple of weeks. Hence, the reason I have not had a chance to really blog. However, we did conclude our cooperation unit and to be honest, I am totally burnt out and ready for a 6 week long break. We did do a few fun activities to wrap up though and focus on the church and family.
One activity the kids, all of them, really enjoyed was sitting in a circle in the kitchen and I would begin a story and then Moriah would continue it and it then Austen and then Jayden. We played this story game about 4/5 times. Each time it was funnier and funnier as Moriah added in her two year old, almost three year old, sense. We played a few more cooperative games and listened to Adventures in Odyssey " The Boy Who Didn't Go To Church". The whole story is based on the verses in the bible that talk about how we all have a role in the body of Christ and need to focus and use that gifting to grow the body and if neglect our gift than roles in the church, ie: servant, gifts, etc. are not being met. We discussed the needs in the church and prayed for our church and the needs that would come up.
Jayden made a thank you card that I need to mail for his pastor whom he adores. We feel very blessed with such a dedicated pastoral staff at our church. They truly pour their hearts out to our kids. Also, we tried to sing "row, row row your boat" in a round. I think we were laughing at each other more than singing it. I had us do a scavenger hunt where I would hide a small toy and the kids had to work together to locate it. Finally, I paired us up and had a mini round going on. We also played a role playing game on how we could cooperate in the home. Moriah, however, was not aware of the role playing and when I grabbed a crayon from her and yelled " It's mine!" she broke down in tears and said that was naughty.
We read Ephesians 4:1-3 and prayed and asked God that he would take everything we have learned this past year and help us apply it to our lives, not just hearers of the word but doers. Well, that is it. I am so ready for a vacay. No huge end of year bang- just a subtle going out of play dates, park dates and no schedule for the next few weeks. I am really looking forward tot he traits I have planned out this year and am excited to see how the Holy Spirit grows us in these areas. To God be the glory!
Jayden made a thank you card that I need to mail for his pastor whom he adores. We feel very blessed with such a dedicated pastoral staff at our church. They truly pour their hearts out to our kids. Also, we tried to sing "row, row row your boat" in a round. I think we were laughing at each other more than singing it. I had us do a scavenger hunt where I would hide a small toy and the kids had to work together to locate it. Finally, I paired us up and had a mini round going on. We also played a role playing game on how we could cooperate in the home. Moriah, however, was not aware of the role playing and when I grabbed a crayon from her and yelled " It's mine!" she broke down in tears and said that was naughty.
We read Ephesians 4:1-3 and prayed and asked God that he would take everything we have learned this past year and help us apply it to our lives, not just hearers of the word but doers. Well, that is it. I am so ready for a vacay. No huge end of year bang- just a subtle going out of play dates, park dates and no schedule for the next few weeks. I am really looking forward tot he traits I have planned out this year and am excited to see how the Holy Spirit grows us in these areas. To God be the glory!
Packing
Some people ask me how I pack for five people, for an extended period of time so easily. I thought I would take a minute to discuss my travel "sense" and give ideas on what I have found works for me. Regardless of how long you will be gone for only pack a week's worth of clothing. Make sure that you include a dress outfit, plenty of casual, jeans, sweatshirt/sweater and at least two different types of shoes. That's it. I am able to fly all of my children for a week up to an extended amount of time with the same amount of clothing and accessories. I hate paying for extras, and that means checking luggage plus that is too much work to fill the entire suitcase with what, a lot of clothes I don't need. I am able to pack everyone in an entire morning with cute, comfortable and dressy clothes as well as my "entertainment" bag and I am not stressed at all.
I have traveled, in the past 4.5 years, over 90% of the time alone. I have done it with two children and now I am up to four. The most stressful part of the trip is traveling with a baby between the ages of six months to two years. They have not hit the rationalization age yet or occupied age and just want to move, squirm and flop around. I do have a few traveling tricks that I have learned, through trial and error, and feel I have the system pretty down pat:
1. Sit in the very back of the plane, next to the bathrooms. If your older child has to go, you can let him without having them far from you, and at the same time not having to move and wake the sleeping baby on your lap ( which is very critical)
2. Sit in the very back of the plane- the noise of the engine will lull your child(ren) to sleep- works EVERY time.
3. Sit in the back of the plane, if you children are talking a little louder than the average person around you, their noise is drowned out by the engine.
4. Bring sippy cups to be filled with juice/water
5. Bring only " bland" colored snacks ie: Parmesan cheese goldfish, cheese sticks, banana chips, pb crackers. I made the mistake four years ago to bring nutrigrains. They are gooey, sticky and get red junk everywhere. If it is bland in color it will not stain and is a lot easier to clean up. None of the above snack ideas will get sticky on your hands, seats, faces, or clothes, you get the idea.
6. Buy the marker and coloring book sets that only color on that particular paper- works amazing!
7. Buy new activity books for the older ones that involve stickers, mazes, dot to dot, coloring, etc.
8. Bring listening cd players and borrow books on cd from the library
9. I have not brought a dvd player in over four years on the airplane. There is many reasons for that one being I find my kids manage just fine by using their mind and creativity and also, every time I wanted to turn it on the battery would come up low- it was just too frustrating for me.
10. Always bring a comforting blanket/animal/ and small quiet toys
11. Don't bother with books/magazine or anything recreational for yourself, haha, you will be too busy helping your resident "friends"
12. Relax, enjoy your flight and always bring a watch- you need to time how much longer you have on the plane and how much longer your kids, especially the little ones, will manage.
13. Reward yourself with a frappuccino- it will relax you after the flight is over and you made it, traveling alone with four small children.
1. Sit in the very back of the plane, next to the bathrooms. If your older child has to go, you can let him without having them far from you, and at the same time not having to move and wake the sleeping baby on your lap ( which is very critical)
2. Sit in the very back of the plane- the noise of the engine will lull your child(ren) to sleep- works EVERY time.
3. Sit in the back of the plane, if you children are talking a little louder than the average person around you, their noise is drowned out by the engine.
4. Bring sippy cups to be filled with juice/water
5. Bring only " bland" colored snacks ie: Parmesan cheese goldfish, cheese sticks, banana chips, pb crackers. I made the mistake four years ago to bring nutrigrains. They are gooey, sticky and get red junk everywhere. If it is bland in color it will not stain and is a lot easier to clean up. None of the above snack ideas will get sticky on your hands, seats, faces, or clothes, you get the idea.
6. Buy the marker and coloring book sets that only color on that particular paper- works amazing!
7. Buy new activity books for the older ones that involve stickers, mazes, dot to dot, coloring, etc.
8. Bring listening cd players and borrow books on cd from the library
9. I have not brought a dvd player in over four years on the airplane. There is many reasons for that one being I find my kids manage just fine by using their mind and creativity and also, every time I wanted to turn it on the battery would come up low- it was just too frustrating for me.
10. Always bring a comforting blanket/animal/ and small quiet toys
11. Don't bother with books/magazine or anything recreational for yourself, haha, you will be too busy helping your resident "friends"
12. Relax, enjoy your flight and always bring a watch- you need to time how much longer you have on the plane and how much longer your kids, especially the little ones, will manage.
13. Reward yourself with a frappuccino- it will relax you after the flight is over and you made it, traveling alone with four small children.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sister Love
Kissing, hugging
Playing wooden dollhouse with dolls
Sharing smiles that lets you into a secret world they have
Protecting eachother- mainly Moriah
Did I mention hugging and kissing
Mothering- mainly Moriah who feeds her, grabs small, unseen foreign objects away from Hannah's all grabbing hands and pulls her to safety.
Love, did I mention love- oh the precious, melt your heart, make you fall in love all over again-yes, that kind of love.
Beautiful, two beautiful girls with beautiful spirits who are blessed to be sisters and I'm blessed to be able to watch.
Jayden
We had a great birthday party with Jayden and all his friends this past week. I did a pancake themed party with fresh fruit, juice, pancakes and many different toppings: whip cream, cherries, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips and syrup. The kids ate and decorated their pancakes any way they wanted and then played at the park. We were suppose to swim because it is AZ and weather is typically predictable. However, it ended up being 68 and windy, so we scratched that idea in lieu of our health. We didn't even do a cake, we just sang happy birthday and he opened presents, To me, this was so wonderful. It was relaxed, the kids had a great time and Jayden was beyond blessed.
The next day, on Jay's actual birthday, he requested " Lucky Charms" for breakfast and because it was his birthday and this type of cereal is normally reserved for camping excursions I went out and bought him some. We hung the happy birthday banner, gave him a balloon and pretty much let him dictate the day for the most part.
In the evening, I made cupcakes and pizza at his request and we sang to him. The day pretty much flew by. I cannot believe he is seven. He acts seven. Responsible, caring, rational ( for the most part), independent. There is so much that Jayden does on his known besides tying his shoes. I am so proud of you Jayden. I am so proud of the man of God you are becoming. I pray increased sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I count it a joy to be your mama, the best surprise I could have ever been given. I love you!
The next day, on Jay's actual birthday, he requested " Lucky Charms" for breakfast and because it was his birthday and this type of cereal is normally reserved for camping excursions I went out and bought him some. We hung the happy birthday banner, gave him a balloon and pretty much let him dictate the day for the most part.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Walk To Remember-wrapping up our communities study
We wrapped out study of the community a couple of days ago but since blogger was down I had to wait to update. We spent the morning pretending to be "on call" firefighters. The kids took turns laying down and "sleeping" as I would awaken them with an alarm that there was a fire. They quickly got up, "dressed" in their boots, pants, coats and helmets, jumped into their firetrucks and sprayed the fire. Also, we talked about if there was a fire, how we would crawl, would we stand, etc. We practiced crawling on the ground and talked about not hiding under beds, in closets and I showed them pictures of firefighters and how they were there to help us.
The kids also painted, colored, stamped and created their own firetruck out of a diaper box. They worked pretty diligently on this endeavor for 30+ minutes and it was pretty cute when they were through. Finally, we went outside and took turns helping to hold the "fire" hose as the kids put out the flower fire. I still want to have them visit the local fire station but honestly, with everything I have going on this upcoming week I am not sure that will be possible. We ended our time reading Curious George and the Firetruck, and a few related firefighter books
It was really nice, the morning was cool and sunny. All three kids jumped on their bikes, I put Hannah in the stroller and we set off to see how many community workers we could find. The really cool thing about where my house is located is that it is near the Town Hall, Fire Station, Chamber of Commerce, etc. We walked/rode down the quiet streets, passed the fire station observing the clean fire trucks inside their garage and crossed the street to the Town Hall.
There is a beautiful fountain that we sat and enjoyed for a few minutes and then walked over to the chamber of commerce to get a map of our town. We noticed construction workers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, town employees, police officers, and park workers. The kids ran around the playground after our walk. I chased them some but Hanns was in my arms so it was slow going for us. I pulled out the chamber of commerce map and we practiced locating coordinates, ie: E2 for different business or town sites. The kids also enjoyed hiding in this huge bush that has a peek hole with purple flowers all around it. I can only imagine how exciting it felt to them to be in their only secret "fort".
I remember, as a little girl in kindergarten, getting off the school bus in the winter and feeling so excited and full of adventure as I walked to the huge snow forts my Dad would create for us with all the snow that was plowed out of the street and into our yards. My Dad would carve out, with a shovel, rooms and crevices, walkways and paths and I would pretend to carefully tread along the winding path that wove its away against the jagged points of a cliff. I would sit inside the cave feeling cozy, warm and alone. This is a very special memory for me so I enjoy watching the boys create this in their own lives as well.
We headed up after being gone most of the morning and as we were walking home Austen heard a train sounding its horn ( is that what its called?) and he goes, " Look, it's in the community" - ahh, success :)
Last week in Cooperation- studying the family and church and the need for cooperation!!!! Almost DONE!!!
The kids also painted, colored, stamped and created their own firetruck out of a diaper box. They worked pretty diligently on this endeavor for 30+ minutes and it was pretty cute when they were through. Finally, we went outside and took turns helping to hold the "fire" hose as the kids put out the flower fire. I still want to have them visit the local fire station but honestly, with everything I have going on this upcoming week I am not sure that will be possible. We ended our time reading Curious George and the Firetruck, and a few related firefighter books
It was really nice, the morning was cool and sunny. All three kids jumped on their bikes, I put Hannah in the stroller and we set off to see how many community workers we could find. The really cool thing about where my house is located is that it is near the Town Hall, Fire Station, Chamber of Commerce, etc. We walked/rode down the quiet streets, passed the fire station observing the clean fire trucks inside their garage and crossed the street to the Town Hall.
There is a beautiful fountain that we sat and enjoyed for a few minutes and then walked over to the chamber of commerce to get a map of our town. We noticed construction workers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, town employees, police officers, and park workers. The kids ran around the playground after our walk. I chased them some but Hanns was in my arms so it was slow going for us. I pulled out the chamber of commerce map and we practiced locating coordinates, ie: E2 for different business or town sites. The kids also enjoyed hiding in this huge bush that has a peek hole with purple flowers all around it. I can only imagine how exciting it felt to them to be in their only secret "fort".
We headed up after being gone most of the morning and as we were walking home Austen heard a train sounding its horn ( is that what its called?) and he goes, " Look, it's in the community" - ahh, success :)
Last week in Cooperation- studying the family and church and the need for cooperation!!!! Almost DONE!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Tooth Fairy
I am laying in bed and all of a sudden I start sobbing, like all out sobbing, uncontrollably sobbing. It had everything to do with this mental picture I kept seeing in my mind of dropping my little 9 month old off at the local YMCA and his lower lip puffing out, tears welling in his eyes and his stubby teeth staring me down as I kissed him and hugged him and reassured him my 30 minute workout would go FAST!
Slow down Jayden!!!! I am so proud of you, so proud of your character, your heart your ability to learn and to be sensitive to others feelings. I could not ask God for a better son than you. You bless my heart everyday!! You are selfless, sensitive to the Holy Spirit. You encourage, love, are loyal, love the Lord. But son, if you could do one thing for me, please slow down. Your "big" tooth is bulging at the seams inside your gum and it is only a matter of time before that enormous tooth comes racing down to fill the gap where your once little baby tooth sat. I'm not ready for this part yet because, to me, that symbolizes a new stage in our game. A boy stage. Not a little boy, but a boy. Where is the time going, who can I talk to about slowing the clock. Where did someone have the idea of let's grow up as fast as we can???? I mean I know I always wanted to be 15 when I was 10 or married when I was 15 but seriously, that was me. It is NOT ok for my kids to move this fast......please, just grow up just s l o w
It was last night's moment with mascara smeared everywhere that I just thanked God over and over for the ability to home school. Homeschooling gives me the time that would be given to someone else. I now am able to breathe life into them each and everyday. Someone asked me yesterday is it overwhelming? Overall, no...sometimes, of course. But the whole it is a blessing beyond my wildest descriptions and I am gaining precious, precious moments, snippets of time that collectively will add to my beautiful memory bank. I am thankful to God, thankful for His love and His grace and thankful that he blessed us with Jayden, our beautiful surprise.
PS. Jayden asked that I write the toothfairy a letter ( I cut it as a butterfly) and ask her to leave the tooth and Austen asked to know her name, our resident tooth fairy is " Lady Dainty" . Who's yours?
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