Flip the dumb switch!

Today is Sunday. On a normal Sunday, you’d find us at Church. But not this Sunday. My boys and dh are off on a grand adventure with their Motorbikes and some good friends. This is not normally something they would be doing on a Sunday morning. I am up in my bed, with my robe and pj’s on, and I might stay here all day. Evelyn is downstairs watching whatever they have on PBS on Sunday mornings and Annika is still sleeping, at 9am!

If you knew my Annika, you’d know how unusual this is. She is usually the first face I see in the morning, this lovely face is often singing or talking, or doing something equally difficult to continue sleeping through. So the fact that she is still asleep should tell you something. WE HAVE BEEN TOO BUSY!

My dh and his 3 brothers and their wives all threw an anniversary party for their parents yesterday. 45 years! WOW! That is along time. Dave said “I wonder what we’ll be like after we’ve been married for 45 years” I responded “Yeah, and I wonder if our kids will have any nice things to say about us then?”

It was nice to see all the brothers honoring their parents. They all love each other and the Lord. It really is a gift to be in this family. They are a hoot! But in today’s society, it is just unheard of for an entire family to all LIKE each other. We like to be together. We argue or have misunderstandings from time to time but we get over it, and we like each other.

So due to all the Easter festivities, the anniversary party and, oh, yeah, homeschooling, we’re pretty tired. My room looks like a stuff-bomb went off, and I can feel every muscle in my body (gotta love fibromyalgia) so today we’re taking a mental health day. My boys take a mental health day by getting up early and riding their motorbikes. The girls and I take a mental health by doing…well, as little as possible!

We will play, paint, crochet, watch movies, eat, really whatever we want. Now THAT is a mental health day.

Let me tell you how I know I needed a mental health day. For about 4 days the lamp and the clock in my room have not been working. I keep wondering why they were not working. Strange that the light bulb would blow at the same time the clock died. Hummm. (By the way, I did check to see that they were plugged it, I’m not a total moron) Then I plugged in my computer this morning so I could begin my mental health day by surfing the internet from my bed, (gotta love the laptop) Odd, my computer was saying it was on battery, weird because I plugged it in. Humm, to the same surge protector thing the lamp and the clock are plugged into. It must be broken. I got down there on the floor and un plugged it and plugged it back in…nothing. Well, I guess the surge protector is dead. Well, better that than the clock I guess. But wait…do you notice something in this photo??? A big red switch, perhaps? Okay, so I am a total moron.


After I flipped the dumb switch, I had light, I had the time, and I had my computer! If only there were a switch to flip that would clean up this room…

NASCAR people

I have to say, I don’t get NASCAR. I really don’t. My son’s and dh are also not big fans.

What is the draw? They just go round and round and round a big track at high rates of speed. I am not against all motorized sports. My kids love motorcross and I have been to some races. They go up and over, and there are woops and berms and various other jumpy-things I can’t remember the names of. (Really though, how do they think they’re going to get any respect when people have to use words like woop and berm when describing the track, I sound like a two year old!) but it is interesting to watch.

Then there is rally racing. It is not big here in the US but is popular over in Europe. I know this because in all the videos of rally races the kids watch with their dad, the man calling out the speed of the turns usually has a British accent. Rally racing is fun to watch, they are driving in real streets that have twists and turns. Exciting!

But in NASCAR they go round, and round, and round…you get my point.
So I am sitting in my bedroom watching the news and they are showing me radar images of this big, bad, scary storm that is coming my way. Giant red and pink blobs are coming in from the west. Batten down the hatches, the rains-a-coming. 80 mile per hour winds, hail, possible tornados, you know the typical Texas spring storm.

So then the image in my screen changes to a campground of sorts. It is at Texas Motor Speedway. Apparently this is a big NASCAR weekend. One man they interviewed traveled 400 miles to be here. 400 MILES PEOPLE! They are not packing up their campers; they are not scurrying around to get out fast. NO they are going to ride out the storm, IN A CAMPER! I have a camper; we are a big camping family. You do not want to be in a camper with 80 MPH winds! Who are these crazy people! The giant red and pink blobs are coming! WHY ARE YOU NOT SCARED???

Oh, right, NASCAR people.

I don’t get NASCAR.

Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rolly-Polly Fish Heads.

Have you ever seen a more disgusted look on anyone's face before?

We were camping last weekend and one of the kids with us caught a fish. A real fish. Not one of those measly things you have to put back in the water. This was a real catfish at least "this" big.

So, naturally the boys’ dad cut it up to cook. This was a certified cookable fish after all.

Well, all the girls screamed at the first show of guts. Not only screamed, but ran away screaming. Not my Annika, no she stayed for the whole sorted thing. She never once screamed. I did hear many exclamations like "eeeeew", "gross", "disgusting", and "revolting". She really has quite a vocabulary when it comes to exclamations of disgust.

But she stayed. The whole time. She did not scream. She did not run away. She did not cry. What a girl I have!

I only know these things because she told me. I was running away and screaming.

Because, seriously, it was gross!

Another reason I homeschool

I remembered last night as I watched the news, why I homeschool.

As I was sitting discussing with my dh what we were going to do with our kids and their unkindness to one another, a news story came on the TV. We stopped talking to watch. You can read about it here, it is a very short article. Or you can watch the video here.

I don’t know what I think about it. I don’t know if it was a wise decision on the teachers and administrators part. I don’t know how I would feel if I were a parent of one of the “Jews” but here is what I did think…

WHAT KINDS OF KIDS ARE WE RAISING IN THIS COUNTRY???? These 9th graders could not even get a simulation of the holocaust without causing a mini holocaust to happen in their little world. Does anyone else see the irony here? It was PRETEND; a learning experience for the kids, and it turned into the same kind of behavior and attitudes that lead to the holocaust in the first place. It is a simple attitude of intolerance, an attitude, which turns into a small action by one person, then two, then ten, then an entire generation.

I can’t help but think that this is the result of raising our kids in packs. We have entire generations that were raised in packs, in daycares and in classrooms with 30 or more kids. We have an entire generation of kids who didn’t get the benefit of moms at home when they were preschoolers, and moms at home to greet them when they came home from school. They start in daycare, then go to overcrowded classrooms, then to afterschool activities, then home to stare at the TV or computer, then to bed only to start the process all over the next day. There is no place for individuality, no place for personal conviction. It is a lifestyle of go with the pack or be devoured. We have raised them in packs and are astounded when the act like wolves.

Don’t get me wrong, my kids have attended various Mother’s Day Out programs, they have been in Sunday school classes with their peers. I know we have generations before us that went through the public school system and did okay, but honestly I think this is the first generation that has been raised, from infancy on, in a group. Many come home to an empty home or stay at school for after school programs. There is no one there to help them think through behaviors and think individually.

I know this is controversial, and I have probably offended many, but I just can help but be scared for my children’s generation when I read news articles like that one.
It is time to go and spend some time in prayer and Bible study with my kids about how to treat one another. Thank you Jesus that I have the freedom, privilege and time to train my kids to follow Him, not the pack.

Perspective

Things about 15yods, to help me have perspective…
He loves to ride motorbikes – he does not watch much TV, none in prime time.

He would rather play soccer with his friends than “hang out”.

When he ran into the word sex in a book, he brought it to me and asked if it was appropriate. (The book was referring to someone of the female sex.)

He is failing Physical Science – He studies the Bible without prompting, because he wants to.

He did not study for his math test and failed – He has been apologizing on his own when he knows he has done wrong, and says he will work harder.

He loves to read and reads well, many adult level books – He hates math.

He has a tendency to be lazy and not try as hard as he should – He has never done drugs, nor does he even know what many of them are.

He is not as kind to his siblings as I would like – He does know how to behave, all the adults that spend any time with him think he hung the moon.

He tends to show more attitude than I like – He actually likes to hang out with his dad, uncles, and his dad’s friends.

While I’m sure he knows about the birds and the bees, (he and his dad had the talk years ago) he has no first hand experience!

He is not interested the female sex, or dating much, he is more interested in his soccer ball than I would like, and has no interest at all in science or math.

He is more interested in soccer and his motorbike than taking drivers ED!!!

He does not seem to have much drive, he thinks things are fine the way they are – contentment is a good thing, right?

He is happy to wear clothes from Wal-Mart and could not tell you the difference between a store brand and a name brand – he has no desire to work hard to earn $.

He only works just enough to keep his motorbike running, and that is all.

I know this list seems random, but I am trying to gain some perspective when it comes to my almost 16 year old son. He will be doing math and science all summer because he has not really worked at it this year. He is in highschool now; this is not a game anymore. But he does not want to put forth the extra effort doing school well is going to require. I feel like I am a total failure at this homeschool thing because my son failed his algebra test and will be doing science this summer because of his shoddy work. I feel like maybe if he had been in school all this time he would not be in this pickle. I feel like if he had been in school all this time he would know how to study better. I feel like I have devoted my life to homeschooling my kids well, and if they are failing something, then by default, so am I.
I need to gain some perspective. He is not getting girls pregnant, smoking pot, or creating general mayhem in the community. But is this really the stick by which I want to measure my kids? Of course it could be worse, much worse in fact. But it could also be so much better. In the grand scheme of things, failing highschool physical science and algebra 1 are not on par with ax murdering. I just want to see greatness in my kids. I know it is in there. How do I get it out?

Sigh…tomorrow is another day. I need to go talk to the Lord about all this.

Menu Monday

Okay, It's time. Like Karen over at Growing in Grace, I too have fallen off the wagon of good health. I am tired of coming up with good nutritious meals for my family.

I can't have eggs, my dd has a FATAL allergy to ALL dairy and my dh feels like if it does not have ALOT of meat in it, it's not a meal. So meal planning has become a chore and no longer fun.

On a positive note, my kids are not picky. They love most any food, and eat A LOT of it. If I did not have all these dietary restrictions, feeding this family would be fun. Brussels Sprouts are one of their favorite veggies for goodness sake!

So instead of waiting till 5 and digging through the fridge for yet another version of the sandwich, I'll plan this weeks meals in advance and shop for the ingredients today! I WILL be organized! I WILL!! I WILL!!

So here goes...



MONDAY - Mac & Cheese (noodles and fake butter for dd)
Fish Sticks
Fresh Brussels Sprouts


TUESDAY - Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Salad


WEDNESDAY - Tacos & Tostadas


THURSDAY - Grill cheese (ham for dd) sandwiches
Chips & grapes (no meat in sight, not a good night for DH)


FRIDAY - C.O.R.N (clean out fridge night)
Or if there are no leftovers - Pizza


By the way, I realize these are not the most healthy of meals, and some of them are not really cooking, but I'm trying to use up what I have. When I plan for next week I'll include more homemade healthy meals.

And thanks to Lauren for helping me get organized!

I LOVE Easter!

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.


On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff'ring and shame;
And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
.
Chorus:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.
.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
.
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died
To pardon and sanctify me.
.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I'll share.

Have a wonderful EASTER.

It's Spring..

Yes, that is what you think it is. A mosquito. The dreaded beasts have invaded my home. This is how I know it's spring...not because I see one of these, but because it is in the house. Truth be told, I saw one in January, this is TX after all. But not in the house.
See in the spring for a few days (literally) I can open the windows. There are a very few days down here, where the weather is not too hot or too cold or too humid to have the windows open. There are only a few days like this, some in the spring and some in the fall. They are magical days where I can have the nice fresh breeze blowing through my house; hear the kids out playing, see the neighbors walk by and wave at them. It is so 1950's. I love it.
Most of the time I am locked away with the front window curtains drawn to not let in the abominable Texas summer heat in the afternoons. But for these few days, I imagine myself in some temperate climate, where people live with their windows open, not hiding in the shadows of their homes.
However there is a price...the mosquito. I have never figured out how they get in. We do have screens and none of them have holes that I could find. I think these little pestilent can shrink to half their size to enter my house, and bite ME. Not my children, not my husband, ME. And they leave me nice nickle size welts that itch for a week or more.
I want you to know that this little bugger met his death just as soon as I snapped this photo. He was a little guy, but I know his bigger meaner family is on it's way. That is the way of things here in the south! That is how I know it's Spring.

Easter Story Cookies

EASTER STORY COOKIES

To be made the evening before Easter

You need:

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don't wait until you're half done with the recipe)!

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9

Tuesday's Truths

1 Pet 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Matt 28 - 30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

2 Cor 12.9-10 God said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Ps 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.


“A Letter from Jesus Christ to the Soul that Really Loves Him.”
By John of Landsberg, 1555

One thing I have to warn you of especially is your constant tendency to grow fainthearted under the weight of your faults and oversights and an inclination almost to despair when a sudden lack of confidence reduces your firm decisions to nothing. I know those moods when you sit there utterly alone, eaten up with unhappiness, in a pure state of grief. You don’t move towards me but desperately imagine that everything you have ever done has been utterly lost and forgotten. This near-despair and self-pity are actually a form of pride. What you think was a state of absolute security from which you’ve fallen was really trusting too much in your own strength and ability. Profound depression and perplexity of mind often follow a loss of hope, when what really ails you is that things simply haven’t happened as you expected and wanted. In fact, I don’t want you to rely on your own strength and abilities and plans, but to distrust them and to distrust yourself, and to trust me and no one and nothing else. As long as you rely on yourself you are bound to come to grief. You still have a most important lesson to learn: Your own strength will no more help you stand upright than dropping yourself on a broken reed. You must not despair of me. You must hope and trust in me absolutely. My mercy is infinite…



This is some of what we read last night in Bible study. I have to say this is a hard one for me. I understand it in my head, casting all my cares upon him. I get that I need to do this, that I need to not rely on my own strength but His. But what does this really look like? How does one turn this from an ethereal ideal, to reality? Honestly I'm not sure. We are really struggling with our 9th grader and his Physical Science this year. What does it look like to cast this on God and not try to do this in my own strength? God does not come sit in my kitchen and teach my son science. Physically, it is my body sitting next to my sons body, reading the book. What does it look like to cast this on God?

The letter from Jesus by John of Landsberg could have been written straight to me. That first sentence hits me squarely between the eyes...One thing I have to warn you of especially is your constant tendency to grow fainthearted under the weight of your faults and oversights and an inclination almost to despair when a sudden lack of confidence reduces your firm decisions to nothing. This is Pride. Self Pity is pride. Ouch. I don't want either. I know I am not perfect, and yet I'm horrified when I fail.

Today's Tuesday's Truths doesn't have many answers. I am praying this week that God will SHOW me in the everyday what it looks like to cast my cares on Him, to hope and trust in Him absolutely. To not despair when a sudden lack of confidence reduces all my firm decisions to nothing...