Let the Festivities (and organization) Begin!!

School is out! I mean this in the most fun way....not that we won't still be reading aloud and playing with art, crafting and baking. We're going to tuck away our seat work for a few weeks and just sit back and enjoy the season.

I am so anxious to get some shopping started (yes, I haven't done a thing but look yet) for some Christmas gifts. I have my cards ordered and addressed, ready for stamps and lickin'. We plan to put up our tree this week & (breathe) relax and enjoy the season.

Some fun things I want to do while the boys are playing:

1. set up our new school room...maybe even knock out some painting. I'd love to paint up a blackboard on our huge wall. This way we can use it for writing/drawing or just hang up visual aids right on top of it.
2. sleep in.
3. Baking with the boys. This Christmas feels really low key, and I know the boys will enjoy some cookies (and the baking of them) so I'll set a time to bake with them.
4. read. I'd like to finish Little House and move on to the next book by January.
5. not quite as fun, but important. I'm going to evaluate the rest of the school year...what we need to do more of and set some goals.
6. sit on the floor and watch my boys. Play with them. Get them in my lap. They'll only be little for so long.
7. declutter. Always good to do before the gifts come rolling in.
8. read a book, drink more tea. No doubt.
9. plan out our Garden Planning parties. The boys will help me to plan out the gardens this year, and I would love to have more gardening magazines and times set for our planning sessions.
10. play games. Oh, maybe we could try and play a game everyday. That means I play WITH the boys.

For fun, below I've updated our favorite Homeschool Links. Persue and enjoy, if you like.

A Friday

Sometimes the the days all run together, streams running into a building river. The river, whose current pulls at me until I feel I'm flying by every moment without a chance to stop. To stop and see color. To see detail.I creep out of bed and wander down to my bright-eyed-boys. I scoop them up, those boys wondering what is just so special about the sunrise. It comes up, it goes down. Every.day.
And maybe that's just it. Up it comes, and each morning I catch a glimpse out of my bedroom window. Then in the bathroom, that sun, it keeps coming. And I look at the mist on the river and think "I really should go down there." But then that stream of duty and things-to-be-done pull me hard and fast spinning down the river.

And I tell those boggled boys that today is different because today we will stop and watch that sun rise over the river. In jammies and sweatshirts we hike on down and discover a perfect beach, a perfect place to sit and linger over coffee....
Directions: Warmly dress boys, add nature and let simmer. Sit and sip coffee and look at every.little.thing around me.




Watch sun rise, see the effects. Play with stones, feel the weight of them in your hand.
See color. Then just try and drag little bold and curious boys home, home from the sunrise. From the moment of the day. I am never, ever sorry for stopping. Never, ever sorry for climbing up to the river bank to look, to listen and love life. Never Sorry.

The Echo of Summer

Sometimes school is just huge, tangled pile.

When you think of school, say elementary school, do you think of neat rows of desks, kids filing down the hall in order, pencils with the names of their owners printed neatly on, and a tidy little box of crayons smelling like the first day of school? I might say the teachers' glimpse would say hers is a day that is a pile, as well.

But let me say it again. Somedays school, it's just a fantastic tangled pile of kids, apple slices, books, paper, frustration, pencils without erasers, explantations, noise & numbers. It's not neat. Hardly ever, ever does our lesson go according to plan when the phone rings three times in the middle of a book and paper cuts and strewn out bandaids sit in a puddle on the floor next to the table and little boys stand on their heads because that's what little boys like to do during math.

Meanwhile the sun is screaming in the windows and the middle one hears it beckoning the most loudly and pleads to go out and discover something that waits and calls to him over even the school. So after 20 more "please put all four on the floor, son" and 12 times of practicing my lamaze that never came in too handy until today I say;

"Okay" and I scoop up the books in a big pile and grab my Handbook of Nature Study, a towel, a camera. Some water and sunscreen and a long, long leash for my doggie and I. I slip on my salt water sandals because they work in the river water too.

We drive to the river bank and kick off shoes and run full force down, down to the water where the river has been waiting. The boys run and kick and push their whole bodies down into the water.
The water washes away all the silliness & antsy-ness that comes from too much recirculated air. We spy a snake and capture him for an attempt at identification. The boys choose their favorite rock and then leave it right where they found it, or toss it as far as they can to be swept downstream. I open that big fat book and read about garter snakes and water snakes. The boys dig holes and pile rocks while we determine that this snake is a water loving garter snake. The river, oh it's cool on my feet and ankles and I wish I could stay all day.

But there is still work to be done at home. Lunch break, for little boys who must complete their job of school work because this is their job while they are young. So now it's back to the table and books and end-of-summer-sighs. Back to the pile.

But we will keep our ears open wide for the call of the river again....

our homeschool on sick days

When you've got a sicko household, the days can run into each other. One kiddo feels better & the next one is down, on the couch, sniffing and moaning. Mom and dad stumble around bleary-eyed hoping they don't catch the junk.

And we've been lying around for 2, maybe 3 days watching cartoons, napping, snoozing in the park and drinking, drinking, hydrating. Laundry rolling again to be sure we have sanitized towels and sheets 'cause it makes this mama feel like she can do something to help comfort her family...

So today is a back-to-school day and I'll take a shower because I feel better lying around nursing this sore throat if I'm clean. Then I'll pull up some books and do what I can with the healthy, busy-minded kiddos, I'll turn off that offensive noise that comes at me from the blaring-box-in-the-corner. I'll pick up Farmer Boy, Almanzo has been waiting for us for such a day as this to breathe the corn fields and county fair into our apartment of little boys stranded inside.

I'll just do my best. Perhaps if I can muster it I'll haul all these boys and a pouting puppy to the river or dog park to let that puppy run off his crazies. I'm quietly thanking him for his mellow temperament this morning, grateful he's content to run outside to sniff and go in two minutes' time.

Doing my best, taking pause because life demands it, and grateful we can do what we can, no one has to be pushed onto a school bus feeling even 65%.

Off to the shower....

Counting my blessing and tasting the changes

He has things up His sleeve.

I can never get over God's blessings. The little ones often surprise me more than the big. This week has presented all sorts of surprises.

We've attended a birthday party, several play dates. I had a first big meeting with CC, my husband's first week back to work. Chance meetings with kind, encouraging women that have nudged me along through the channels of finding a new normal and resting in the unknown.

When Ralph interviewed with his now employeer, I shot an email to the director of CC. Wondering if there was room for us to enroll.

She invited me to lunch.

Again, she and her kids invited us to picnic with them, I'm feeling quickly like this could be the friends we've been hoping for, the CC family that will replace the one we've hesitantly left behind.

The day that we moved to this apartment building, I took the boys down to the pool. I stepped right into the welcoming pool of women who are also transitioning. Some coming, some going, from New York to Portland, they're all on the move just like me. They congregate daily with their little ones to cool off their bodies & minds together in the cool of the waters. I was immediately absorbed and part of the ladies-in-waiting-club. What a gift! To have other women that pray and love and hurt and laugh right next door.

This move has been full of gifts. The packing will be done for us, the friends that have blessed us, the great and small provisions, the details have been cared for. God sees us. I am certain of this.

More and more I am convinced.

And I'm not talking about knowing it, but am talking about believing it. For it's one thing to know "God's on my side" and a whole different thing to breathe it. To breathe it so often that when the edge of worry comes into view, I remember Who has my back and just look away to Him because He's so Good.

Now I'm still feeling, oh, more than ever. I've struggled with just feeling in the past, wondering if it was a sign that I wasn't trusting. But feeling is good. It's tasting life, isn't it? Every flavor of the move is present; sad, excited, hopeful. I'm feeling it all.

So now I'm spending my days cruising the classified & the neighborhoods, looking for a home for us. I'm planning for our school year and ramping up to dig in a little next week. Getting my mama-teacher brain back on. I'll check back in soon!

Summer Fun

While the boys and I are certainly taking a summer break. But what I know after a few trial breaks is that we at the Perko house need to be busy-boys.

So though we're not doing much seat work this summer(I may load them up when we're sitting in the car for long drives) we plan to participate in several fun projects and investigations to keep hands and minds busy here at the Boy's Noise School.

Mondays offer a LEGO challenge over at LEGO Quest Kids. The boys love a challenge, and they love LEGOS. There's always something fun for them to build and share with other families that are participating.

Tuesdays Barb over at Sketchy Tuesday offers a challenge to sketch each week. My boys love the weekly slide show & the anticipation of the next subject to draw.

Then on Fridays we'll be participating in Outdoor Hour challenges with Barb at Handbook of Nature Study. We've been loving our studies so far. I'm learning with the boys new questions to ask, new techniques of of observation. It's wonderful.

Hopefully these fun activities, plus a lot of camping & visiting in between should fill our summer nicely & yet leave enough time to swim, watch some fun weekend movies, play games, and of course, read, read, read....

What are you planning for the summer?

Where the rubber meets the road

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~Proverbs 22:6

Last night when I tucked in my sweet Scooter, we prayed together like always. Not unusually, bedtime is a time when hearts are softened and the deepest thoughts flow to the nearest ear. So I wasn't surprised when Joe started to talk about some concerns. But then he said something that took me by surprise:

"Mom, I'm only 8 years old. And most people live to be about 90 so I have at least 80 more years of pain and discomfort and temptations to do the wrong thing."

Whoa.

"...and I believe in God and everything, but how can I really know who He is? There are so many religions out there...how do I know this is the right one? What if this is the wrong one? When I lay in bed at night I pray and sometimes I hear a voice in my mind talking to me...but is that God? How do I know if it's God?"

Whoa. Again.

Now I was floored. Not because Joe is questioning God, whether He's real...all those things, but because this kid is just eight years old & I was surprised to hear such heavy thoughts come out of such a small boy.

This is unchartered territory for us, except for our own experiences of coming to believe in and know God, having understanding of who He is. I started this journey myself when I was 10 or 11, and I lived years of a process of choosing God to be my God, believing in Him...that Christ is truly the only Way to the Father and that the God we believe in is the only one who reached down to us, rather than people trying to reach their gods.

So I gave Joe a few simple answers. Why Ralph & I believe that our God is the one true God. Ralph and I tucked him in and then left, knowing that this is the beginning of a journey Joe will make with God alone. I cannot be the one to answer all of His questions. He'll have to get in the Word and learn and decide on his own.

But Ralph and I have so much peace knowing that Joe (and all our boys) has always belonged to God first. Iif we love that little boy so, so dearly, God loves him a million times more and will take care of him all the days of his life. We entrust Joe to God. After all, it was God's kindness that drew us into Himself, our awareness of our need for Him and His grace when we came. We know our boys will find that grace awaiting too.

******

For school Joe has a notebook in which he and I volley question and answers. I asked him:
"When you see God and can ask Him questions, what three questions will you ask?"

His answer:

Dear Mom,

When I see God, I'll ask Him how long is forever, how it is that He was never born and what is true.

Oh, rich, rich little minds we are teaching, Lord. Only You can show what is true. I look forward to the unfolding of these truths, Lord. Show my little boys who you are and how they need You. And show me how to gently lead them. Draw them in the way you drew me. Speak to them and let them hear your voice. Meet them, Abba.

Deuteronomy 11:9

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Lady-In-Waiting

This post is partly in response to my bloggy friend Amy's post, "What I learned this season." I'd love for you to share too, what you're learning. It's rich stuff.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3

I am a lady in waiting. Come to think of it, I don't think I know of any of my friends that aren't.

Waiting for babies
waiting for a home
waiting for a job
waiting for a husband
waiting for peace
waiting....

I've never been much for waiting. But I look back over the last 20 years of my life and I see that I've been doing just that. Waiting.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

Not surprisingly, when I look back I also see that it's in the waiting that I've grown. Well, waiting and in pain & grief. (I'll take waiting anyday) And in the waiting, I turn to God over and over because I know He holds the future in his hand.

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

....and I want to lean into God. I want to be seeking manna from God every day. He's asked that I hang close to Him. When I'm waiting, it's easy to stay close to God, waiting with expectation for what He's got up His sleeve.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

So I'm going to keep waiting, & do so hoping in God. You wouldn't believe how much crazy peace I have after I spend the morning with Him. I say crazy peace, I don't think I should have any peace at all, but God gives that to me. Have you experienced that? The real 'peace that passes understanding?' The waiting part hurts, a little for me. I'm up and down, sometimes trusting and in peace and sometimes feeling nervous and wanting to try and take control by worrying it to death, but I'm finding that more and more the hoping in Him wins out because the peace, it's like a light hearted-ness that I don't even have when life is....unwaiting.

I'm 35. Halfway to 70. If I'm learning it a little more now, then maybe when I'm 70 I can just sit back and wait with a big grin on my wrinkly face and wait with the fullest expectation, all the years of answers behind me.

And this is my new favorite scripture, I can't get it out of my head;
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17.

So I hope this encourages you if you're waiting. Waiting for enough cash to pay the bills, for wisdom in parenting that tricky child, for knowing just how to comfort a friend, or for the answers of what to do next. Whatever your waiting for, I hope you can hope in God...and remember that He is mighty to save. He delights in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing...

If that's not enough to keep you going give me a call or drop a line because I want to be praying for your wait.

Working Myself Out of a Job (Why My Boys are Scrambling to do My Work)

Homeschooling provides many unique opportunites for mamas & their munchkins. One of those that I'm tapping into is working myself out of a job.

When I was considering schooling my kids at home, I went to a presentation led by a mom who'd been schooling her kids at home for years. One of the things she spoke of was teaching your kids how to help out around the house. "Why should you pull laundry out of the dryer when your three-year-old is already down there?" she asked.

So I thought I'd get a head start on making friends with my daughters-in-law-to-be and teach my boys a thing or two about keeping a house clean. This is helping me too, I'm starting to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Okay, so I can tell you all about how my boys are doing laundry, vacuuming, polishing my kitchen cupboards, dusting and taking out the trash...but what I want to share is the HOW.

The boys have a list of chores that I printed out (pictorial reminders for my non-readers), laminated and hung up for them to check off. The boys can read or check on what they need to do, then they cross them off with a wipe off marker. This keeps me free of reminding them....I just direct them to check their charts to see if their work is done.

The reason that the boys work so quickly to get their chores done (and after school proper) is that they know that after their chores, they get to play the Wii. Each day the boys get 15 minutes to play Wii. (They get 30 minutes for two boys or 45 minutes if they play all together, but they usually choose to play separately and then watch each other play. ) Keeping this as an earned treat keeps them working quickly to get their Wii time.

I understand this may not work for every family, but I love it that my kids whistle while they work so that they can get their fun time. There are good lessons for life here too. If you get your work done quickly, you can have fun quickly. Also, it's great that they're understanding what it means when they leave a blob of toothpaste on the counter for someone else to clean up. Maybe, just maybe, I won't have to pick up so much around the house anymore....even if it's just because they'll be doing it themselves.

Revolt

Please enjoy throughout this post the sweet photos of my now 6 year old photo acting for you all. They are unrelated to the blog.


I've been spending a fraction of my normal time online lately, tonight is a night I'm going to read up a little, and share a little too.

After reading Jen's blog entry on The Holocaust of Time, I lay in bed wondering where my time was being spent frivolously. I made some quiet contracts with myself about television and internet time in order to change the highway robbery I was permitting.

I know myself well, and I know this won't be the last day I visit this issue- paring back, but I'm really grateful for the wake-up call this week and am enjoying more of my time back to myself.
I've all but discarded my facebook account. I'll keep it around because I really enjoy the old relationships I've discovered. But I'm going to let all the chit chat go for now.

Now you might think I was all caught up on my household chores but really I've just enjoyed more board games with the boys and fun like that. Lots of good conversation with my working at home hubby and some good conversations on the phone which are a not a time-thief for me.

I was thinking of how with the economic downturn so many of us have tightened our wallets. We've gotten super frugal here and there in order to make a dollar stretch. Right now my challenge is to evaluate how I'm spending my time.

I'm sure an account of time spent reflects your true priorities....I so much want to look from the outside in on my life and see me playing with my boys, nurturing my home and gardens, loving on my sweet husband, lost in wonderful books, cooking up a storm, shooting timeless moments~ this is who I want to be.

Resolute

I seem to have writers block. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, & I have enough photos to make you all dizzy, but I just am not finding good words lately.

I'll start plainly.

When I wrote up my list of Keeping it Real New Years Resolutions, one of the things I wrote was:

Spend 15 minutes each day learning something new.

I got a couple of questions about this...and I do want to share because of all my resolutions, this is the one I'm most excited about.

Let me start by saying that I'm a perfectionist. Most people might think that a perfectionist would be staring a beautiful, uncluttered, organized desk right now. Well, that's not true. That might be more OCD or something. A perfectionist is someone who wants so badly for things to be perfect, that if they aren't able to do it perfectly- they might not even try. (That is me.) When I first got married, I wouldn't vacuum for the longest time because I really didn't have time to move all the furniture and do it right. I'd not really heard of the concept of just doing the traffic areas. ;) I got over that--but I had to relearn it. Not joking.

So that brings me to 15 minutes. In that same season when I was learning that it was okay to do the dishes even if you weren't going to clean every.square.inch.of.the.kitchen, I learned from FlyLady the concept of 15 minutes. "You can do anything for 15 minutes!" She says. Breaking down all the insurmountable tasks in my life, making them doable, a little at a time.

I'm sorry to say that I'm not cured of perfectionism. I'll say that I've mastered it in the home and with our schooling...but not so much in larger arenas in life, such as self-education. I get completely overwhelmed at the thought of learning something new- even taking a class. My husband doesn't know what to make of me, I think. I just freeze up and lose interest in that thing I was oh-so-interested-in.

There are a few things I'd like to learn more about , or things I'd like to learn better. So I'm going to plug away at those things, 15 minutes a day. In a year, I'll be a rockstar.

This week, I've been working on reading my camera manual and learning a new song on the guitar..new chords. It's fun to see what I'm learning already. 15 minutes is really doable. Last night I learned two new things about my camera that were so fun. I think it might be good too--because I might just remember those tips because I didn't learn 24 new things at once.

Now, I'm off to spend 15 minutes on blueberry muffins, then 15 more on paying bills.

Did you ever try cleaning out a closet in 15 minute increments? It really works!

Keeping it Real

Eli plays peek behind his snowman

I stumbled across this very realistic and ambitious friends' blog today, and I love her idea of keeping those New Year's Resolutions real in 2009:

As for me, I’m keeping it real, attainable, and utterly basic, so as to actually realize a few goals. Gone are the “read 30 classic novels in one year,” “become fluent in French” and "learn to play Bach" Jennifer in OR

I will say that I have a few lofty ideas about the year. But friends I will list some simpler things for you..

1. I want to stick strictly to my resolve to put down everything and anything when my child asks "will you read to me" and always, always read to him.
2. Keep more frozen/easy meals around so that there is something to cook when we run into crunch time so we don't have to just eat toast.
3. Pay better attention to what my husband likes in the house or on the table, and do it just because he likes it.
   
4. Listen to my children better, be less distracted.
   
5. Make more home movies.
6. Write an old fashioned letter to a friend or loved one every month. "Pen, Paper and Stamps" Jen says.
7. Teach my boys to take care of their rooms and things better.
   
8. Spend 15 minutes each day learning something new.
9. Run and eat well regularly because it makes me feel good.
   
10. Enjoy the beauty of my own backyard, & beautify it more.

So now...your turn. What's churning in your mind this New Year?

Looking Back

This last week has been a wonderful, luxurious week for me....an accidental staycation.

Our Christmas was wonderful, Mom and Dad Perko came all the way from N CA to stay and were here for nearly a week. We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with both THE Perkos and the Rammage family, it was great. (We missed you Hazelfamily & Nikifamily)

Needless to say, when our guests left and I got the house kind of back in order, I was so content just to rest. The boys had a huge Christmas, and were happily drowning in trampoline-snow play, Wii play and then the other wonderful toys they got. So I took naps, played a little Wii (because I won't be left behind) , some serious Monopoly, hung out with my kiddos, and played a lot with my new camera...did I mention that Ralph got me a new camera for Christmas? I'm lovin' my new fancy camera and am taking regular breaks to learn it.
You'll see the evidence of it, I promise.

I can't remember the last time I was home and so restful, as if I was on vacation. It's given me a lot of time to reflect on the year, and think about the one to come.

Yesterday morning the boys and I started watching some home videos from the years past. I learned some things from the footage- got some perspective. This is what I noticed;

1. Clutter around the house that might otherwise irritate showed the character of our home and told the story of the season. I smile at things like binkis & boardbooks on the floor, little boys covered in marking pen and stacks of laundry on the couch because that was our life then and I miss it a little.
2. Serious-ness is overrated. I need to relax, ease up on the boys when they're being (appropriately) silly because it's cute now and again, I kind of miss it.
3. Lately I've been thinking on what it means to be a "good" successful mama. Watching these videos made me think it's about being present. Listening to my kids rather than being distracted- even if it's to explain to them that I'm working/reading/writing so they can know they need to tell me later. Being engaged regularly is invaluable. Did you notice the twinkle in your daughter's eye when you brought your face down to hers to listen to her account of the sibling saga? Invaluable...
4. Taking a minute or two of video regularly is a treasure. You'll have it to look back on for years to come.
   
5. I don't love the sound of my voice.
6. "Normal" life and "normal" days are wonderful to catch glimpses of. I need to stop and watch & enjoy my family more often.
7. When you look at your child and think, "You'll never be cuter than you are in this moment"...you're right.
8. Season's come and go quickly. When I'm in the hard ones, remember that.
   

Walking into 2010 I'm going to be more mindful of these things, taking time to enjoy the days rather than tidying them up and correct. This mama needs to relax a bit.
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This weekend I'm prepping for school next week. I've really enjoyed resting but I'm ready to get these kiddos stimulated and busy-minded again. We are back in class next week, headed for basketball and in full swing. I'm so grateful for the rest I've gotten this week. Happy New Year!

Slowly

By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown
up, so that it was almost a river, and, being grown-up, it did not run and jump
and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more
slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, "There
is no hurry. We shall get there some day." But all the little streams
higher up in the Forest went this way and that, quickly, eagerly, having so much
to find out before it was too late. -A.A. Milne

I read this tonight while
reading to Nate; the World of Pooh. He fell asleep before I finished the
story but I thought this first bit was enough good nature-love for a sweet boy
of five. Me, however, it just made me want to slow my life down so much
and get outside more. The weather battles me on that one. It's cold
out there. But slowing down, feels so good.

Last night I took Joey grocery shopping last night, and then we went to ice
cream. I had a yum coffee drink, Joey thought on it and decided the ice
cream chill was worth it in spite of the ice and snow on the ground. "Why
else do they sell ice cream in Winter?", he asks. We played a long, fun game of
Triominoes, one of my favorites. It was nothing but delight. I
love slow time with a kiddo or three to linger and ignore my growing list of
things to do before, well, February. Make that March.

it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to
do when it was younger,
but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was
going, and it said to itself, "There is no hurry. We
shall get there
some day.

Take a Hike.

So, for real....this has not been an easy week. Um, make that two. Two tough weeks for me and I'm weary of it.

Today has been better, and I think tomorrow will be better yet. But I was so encouraged when I read this fun idea of a "Teacher Supply Box." The idea is that all teaching moms all have those days... the days when we just need a little something extra, a little push in the right direction.

These are the things Angela keeps in her Teacher Supply Box;

• A packet of a sweet coffee mix, hot chocolate, or your favorite tea bag.
• Your favorite candy. Or two.
• A couple of cards or letters from your husband or kids. (If they haven’t made you any lately, ask them to!)
• Your version of Post It notes. Am I the only mom obsessed with paper supplies? A fresh new pack of sticky notes would do my heart good! What would be your post its?
• A copy of your family mission statement.
• Some of your favorite quotes, poems, or scripture verses on teaching.
• A CD of uplifting music.
• An inexpensive timer. Set it for thirty minutes and take a well-deserved break. Usually, the days when you think you can’t afford a break are the days you need one most!
• A small journal or notebook to collect thoughts.

I love all those things. But for sure I have my own thing to add to that list--

A Walk. A Hike. Nature. Movement. Fresh Air. Quiet. Stillness.

Tonight, and I remembered how good it is to be outside. And I thought of how busy our days have been and how crummy I've been feeling. I thought of how much I wanted to get outside in the fall beauty.

We did. Kids got coats, hats & flashlights, I got my favorite (Ralph's) coat and the doggie and off we went into the fully moonlit night. It was wonderful. The boys were in awe of the stars and moonlight, and loved using the flashlights of course too. My doggie is happily snuggled up to my feet now. The boys are tucked in and pooped. A perfect ending to a hectic day.

At any rate, I'm going to work on my rainy day basket tomorrow... and maybe we'll get to go on a fall collection hike in the daylight.

If you made a basket....what would be inside?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein

(photo of a little Kuhlman friend)

Notes to Myself

Geography Games to check out;

Scrambled States of America card game
10 Days in Europe
10 Days in Africa
Mad Dash
Ticket to Ride
Snapshots Across America
Take Off!

Make these cute little yarn apples (or pumpkins!)

Buy Spelling Power

Competition

The challenge of the age;

to compete with the technology of the world. I am taking my job seriously, to compete with video games, television and one day... sometimes I fear one day.

My boys LOVE to play video games. TV is alright, but video games- certainly addictive. They can't wait to play...and then when they're playing they're so intense...and when they're done, "Can I just finish my level?"

So far the boys just play games on the PC. They typically get 20-30 minutes a day (according to age) and they're used to the timer now. It helps that I give them a 3 minute warning. "Finish your level..." Sometimes I want to buy a game 'system' so they can all just play at the same time and get it over with but I fear that would only lead to new problems....new games, new game options, and they probably won't WANT to play all at the same time and just get it over with.

As many of you know I pride myself of being a mama-of-moderation (but for breastfeeding, homeschooling and Jesus). My experience growing up was that where I was forced into extreme I deviated as soon and extremely as I could. I do not want our home to be video game free, tv free...I know my boys will find the next "funner house" to go to and be there. I have read recently also that video games can be a bonding time for older boys together. The jury (our opinion) is out on this as of yet though. At any rate I don't wish to be extreme about this...yet.

So the challenge, to compete for their attentions and interest. To grow minds that understand that stories and out-door play and games can be as interesting and fun as video games. Thinking very hard about this makes me understand just why so many moms have an video game I.V. hooked up to their kids (rambunctious boys especially).

Video games are (pretty) quiet.
The house stays clean(er) when kids are playing.
Video games only require some expensive parts/games.
They're mindless entertainment for kids and parents alike.
Video games can be cleaned up in 5 minutes flat.

Everything else....it's more work. Hobbies, crafts, reading to your kids, nature hikes, setting up a tool or science set, play doh, play houses, art....all of it is messier, time consuming and harder.

So this is my call to all the parents out their who feel the pull to back off of brain-dead entertainment, starting with me. Encouragment for those who have the desire to see these little brains working in 3D, in interaction and 3D problem solving.

I am a mom. This is the job I signed up for. In the end, I want beautiful, well educated, experienced, well rounded children. I will not achieve this end result by accident, or default. I have to work for this one. So I am challenged again to push back on this draw to cyber-play all day.

So tell me, what do you do that works? How do you compete?

The answer to the dilemma...

In case you're wondering what I did about that little pool pickle I was in...what did I do? You'd better believe I just turned my head and let those boys jump. As a few of you carefully noted, this is a pool, you will get wet.

The girls did move, but one of them then was lying on the lounge chair in a most unlovely position. I am sad about what girls think is important, (I was no different) It is our job to educate and implore them to a higher "calling"....modesty. It is my job to educate my boys (or put bags over their heads).

Confidence, car trips and the battle of the buldge

I spent a good part of today packing up, getting ready for our biggest venture in the camper yet. We're heading out to Colorado tomorrow. We'll be gone for nearly two weeks, but 5+ of those days are on the road, I'm planning to make those days part of the fun and adventure.

#1-I pilfered all our Highlights Magazines from the bookshelf. My boys NEVER get tired of looking at these. Now that Joey is reading he often reads aloud the stories to the younger boys and of course they love it.

#2-I went to the library and picked up a new stash of books and a couple books on cd for us all to listen to.

#3- I borrowed from the movie library of a friend, 7 movies my kiddos haven't seen. I also got a couple from the public library, including Chitti Chitti Bang Bang. The boys watched that this morning while I packed and haven't stopped singing since.

#4-I made a trip to Trader Joe's and picked up two grocery bags chock full of the boys' favorite healthy snacks. I bagged up the peanut butter pretzels and Pirate's Booty in snack sized ziplocks. I'll put all these snacks along with our waters and fruit in a cooler in the back of the truck to ward off convience store fare.

I'm thinking we're set up for success. I'm hoping for it. These are going to be long days, but hopefully these boys will be busy.


Tonight, when I was bagging up the snacks, Ralph walked in the house and spoke the sentence I hoped I would never, ever, ever hear.

"When you have a minute why don't you go out and drive the camper around the block a few times. You'll do great, just have to take wide turns."

Then he turned and walked away.

Let me tell you what happened in my brain at that moment. I thought, "Well, I really don't want to do this, but Ralph seems to think I can do it. I guess I can." That thought didn't steal the fuzzy feeling in my tummy but I grabbed the keys, went out and got in the truck. Ralph glanced in my direction, but amazingly he didn't come over and say "Be careful! Watch the right side on the turns! And whatever you do, don't run over any small children or drive into the Canyon or wipe out our brand new camper."

He had complete confidence in me. It gave me confidence.

I thought about that the entire time I drove through the neighborhood. Confidence spoken to me completely changed the way I felt about driving this 45 foot monster.

When I got back, I was relieved. I know I have to drive this trip, we're driving some 1600 miles. Of course I'll have to take my turns. Now I have to visualize a safe and perfect trip....

Anyhow this lead me to thinking about me. You see shortly after I did my little test drive, I went up and did something equally scary and brave...tried on a new bathing suit.

Imagine my surprise when I looked in the mirror and saw the woman I usually envision, only slightly rounder in a not-so-graceful kind of way. I thought, "Who is that? Where did my skinny little self go? How can I do that to a bathing suit?" Oddly enough, I thought, envisioning myself skinny is NOT making that happen.

So what do I envision now? I think it's here: I envision me running 3+ times a week. I envision me not snacking at every opportunity when I'm not even realizing it. I envision me not eating any more of those wonderful Joe-Joe's cookies on the trip but rather a piece of fruit. Hmpf.

Here's to positive thinking! See you in two weeks.

Jeremiah 17:7
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.