Good Boys - Good Men

My time is coming -- I'm going to wake up one day to a house full of teenagers. 

 Right now, I am in the "praying up and reading up" phase, recognizing that my own strength and resources are certainly not enough for the next phase of motherhood.

This book reminds me of the kind I used to devour when Greg was much younger and I didn't have more than one child. :)  Now that my first-born is looking down the barrel of his teens, I am loading up on ammunition, even though parenting is like marriage -- it's not really in the books.

But this book helped me "get there" -- to remember how differently boys are wired and how challenging the next few years will probably be for him.  I'm like a ninja-in-training, alert and poised, refusing to the let the world have my kids. 

I really do recommend this book for parents of young boys.  The author's husband chimes in every now and then, so it doesn't read like a "Mama book."  Dannah's website is also helpful, but primarily for girls, as she speaks and writes about purity and raising girls.

That's right, buddy.  Got my eyes on you.  Let's go.

My Heart's Mirror

In Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, he calls children our "heart's mirror."  And that the way we relate to them reveals what we value most in life. 

 C.J. Mahaney encourages every parent to ask their children a very insightful question: 

What do you think your daddy and mommy feel most passionate about?"

If the gospel doesn't come to mind, they may have picked up that we really care about avoiding embarrassment over their behavior, having a clean house, getting them in the best schools, or having a straight-A report card.

Today my life is filled with distractions:  I need a shower; the laundry is beckoning; it's too hot to do anything but swim; and there are phone calls to make for a school fundraiser.

But is that all my kids see?  My distracted, frenzied self?  I have to remember what's important here.  Loving hearts.  Hugging.  Apologizing.  Laughing easily and barking rarely.  Bible open.

Help me, Lord.  When they reflect my heart, may it be beautiful today.

 

Parenting Myself

There isn't anything more humbling than parenting a small, testotrone-filled version of myself.  I am constantly reminded that this would be me, had I been a boy:

My first-born, ladies and gentlemen.  Your future President of something.

Remember that old cartoon, Pinky and the Brain? 

"What are we going to do today, Brain?"

"The same thing we do every day, Pinky.  Try to take over the world."

I'm convinced that he spends his free time dreaming up ways to take over this house, his siblings, and the world.  Put me in charge!  I could do this so much better!

He has so many great qualities - his lack of fear, his decisiveness and quick observations, his (sigh) excellent verbal skills. He is just so challenging to parent.  Always has been. 

So my most recent way of dealing with him is thinking to myself, "What would work for ME if I was in his shoes right now?"  Seems ridiculous, but it's actually helpful.  The first response is usually, "Let him cool down alone for a minute."  We passionate people normally act first, think later.  It's a curse.

And my husband, my dear soulmate, just stands back and smiles.  His most recent brilliant comment?

"They are my children when they are asleep.  They are your children when they are awake."

Hilarious.

Good thing he's so cute.

What We've Been Up To

(D on the right in the school program) 

This is really one of my favorite times of year -- the anticipation of summer, winding up the school year -- I love this.  The boys were recently in the school musical, and it was so fun to watch them on the stage.  Gee, guess which boy had the most fun with this activity?  I'll give you a hint:

 He has red hair and brown eyes and talked earlier than any of his siblings.  That's right. 

Mr. First-Born himself, Greg-o.  He really lit it up and had a good time doing it. 

That's my boy!

My parents came for a visit, too.  Praise the Lord for great weather in Ohio so that they could finish planting and come on up for Grandparents' Day! 

Fried Chicken and Oreos

Sometimes you just have to celebrate life.

I'm a firm believer in parties.

 My Daniel turned 9 this month, so we had to get his favorite fried chicken and these:

 Invite some good buddies...

 Wear silly party hats

 Share the love

 Stick on a fake 'stache

And take pictures of cute babies!

Happy Birthday, D.  You are my blue-eyed baby forever.

Why I Leave a Big Tip

 Last night, we went to a Chinese restaurant for Aaron's birthday.  This was a new experience for my third-born son, Jonny.  He is 6.  He is unpredictable.  

He needs his own sitcom.

He proceeded to loudly comment on everything that was brought to him at this meal.

It started with the glasses of water:

"DOES THIS WATER TASTE CHINESE?!?"

 (I will be writing Jonny's quotes in bold because this is how he speaks on a regular basis.  His autobiography will be entitled, My Life in ALL CAPS BOLD) 

And then the server brought his sweet and sour chicken:

"THIS IS CHICKEN??"

He was very confused.

Finally, a small bowl of ketchup for his french fries:

"IS THIS CHINESE KETCHUP???"

And that, my friends, is why I leave a big tip.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Kid Version

This book is for the big kids -- I'd say anywhere from 5 and 6 to 11 or 12 -- and has nearly saved my skin on more than one occasion.  It's a large book, bound on the left, so that kids can doodle all over the "place mats" as they wait for dinner to start.  Sometimes the kids are bouncing around the kitchen and dinner is just about ready, so I don't want them to leave, but I DO want them out of my hair.  So, I'll throw this at them until they can come to the table.  Did I say throw?  Ha, ha....er...I meant "hand lovingly to them with a smile."

There are also step-by-step visual instructions on each page which help kids who don't normally just draw for fun.  Check out the link in the top paragraph for this book as well as others in this same category - I love all of them!

Now for the smaller ones in your mini-van...I would like to introduce Brother Louie! 

And the Sunday School Lady!

I am really enjoying "What's In the Bible" DVDs.  They are the brain-child of Sir Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame.  These DVDs would be perfect for any kiddo 2-10.  Well, 10 might be stretching it, but frankly, I think these are hilarious.  And I gotta tell ya, I really learned something myself! So much great content!

The first few DVDs cover a lot of great material from Genesis-Deuteronomy.  It's like a Muppet Show for Jesus.

Sorry, that might have bordered on blasphemous...

Then, when the kids are big enough to hang out online, have them go to www.jellytelly.com and play with the characters from the DVDs.

Breakfast Conversations

Jonny (3 days from 6 years old):  Did you and Daddy fall in love?

Me:  Yes!  We sure did.

Jonny:  Were you 25?

Me:  No, we were 19.  (Gulp.  Babies.)

Jonny:  But how did you fall in love with Daddy?

Hope (3 years old):  You fell, Mama??

Me:  Yes, I fell right on Daddy!  But he caught me!  (Hope smiling with waffle in her cheeks.)

Jonny:  How did you fall in love, Mama?  (Children are so persistent.)

Me:  Well, I turned around one day when he said my name, and I looked into his big blue eyes and fell in love right there.  (Carmin Hall, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion Indiana, 1993 :)

Jonny:  That's funny!  


Me:  Yup, it's pretty funny.  And wonderful.

The Opposite of Shy...

...would be this person right here:

I was reminded today of how God has blessed this boy of mine with the gift of friendly gab.  (Must get it from his Dad...)

  I'll never forget the night we were at a basketball game when he was about 4 years old.  A man came and stood next to the bleachers where we were seated on the end and Jonny looked at him and said brightly, "You can sit here with us guys!!"  

Today at lunch, Aaron brought home a co-worker and this little guy's mouth never. stopped. once.  Now, granted, he knows this guy and he's not a stranger, but STILL!  

For cryin' to Pete, give the man a chance to talk!!

Topics Jonny covered at lunch:

* "driving" a boat over the weekend *

*  how he is going to get an ice cream sundae at VBS tomorrow *

* inquiring how many people were in this man's family *

* "and what are your children's ages?" *

*  displaying his LEGO collection *

* how important it is to stay away from Chinese pirates (???)  *

One day I pray God uses those cute lips to sing His praise, tell His story, and encourage others.  But right now, I just need to find a possible mute button.

Surrendering to Summer

Easter, earlier this year :)

The language of motherhood is funny.

I used to smile when people would ask, "Oh, so you're a full-time mom?" As if there could be such a thing as "part-time" mom....

But I knew what they meant.  I spent many days wishing I was not necessarily a "full-time mom" because the work was harder than anything I'd ever known while being more rewarding than anything I'd ever do.

I remember coming across this quote and writing it down, wanting to remember it forever. 

"Amid the noise of boys and my swinging emotions I suddenly got very still inside.  As I sat wrapped in the gray bathrobe four babies had nestled against while they nursed, my brain started clanging this jubilant message:  'There are no shackles in this house, this is no jail.  These kids are your ticket to freedom like nothing you've ever tasted...It's the liberation that comes from the sheer act of living itself.  When you stop to be where you are, then your life can really begin."  (Surrendering to Motherhood by Iris Krasnow)

This summer, I hope I can remember this.  I hope I can be ALL HERE for these amazing children who will never be like this again.  This is the only Summer 2011 we get.  I don't want to miss it.

A Little Blog Remodeling...

Welcome!  I hope you like the makeover.  I felt like it should look more like the title, plus it's summer....and I have more time on my hands. :)


This June I celebrate 6 years of blogging!  Ain't that somethin'?  I'm having more fun than ever and I sure appreciate you sticking around.  I found this early post about parenting from 2005 and thought I'd share a bit of it once more. 
  
Thanks again and let me know what you think of the new layout!


"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:4-5


In today's culture, this concept of children being arrows is a little confusing. But I read something recently that helped me understand this principle:
"In Solomon's day, Israel had no factories for mass-producing arrows, each identical to the others. Instead, each warrior hand-crafted his own. A tree would be cut into boards, boards into strips, and from those strips a warrior whittled his arrows.

Because arrows were handmade, no two of them were alike, and few were perfectly straight. So when the warrior would pull one of those arrows out of his quiver to use in battle, he would have to remember the peculiar bend and other characteristics of that arrow. Then he'd aim it and pull the string back according to those unique traits. Aimed correctly, the arrow would hit the mark; if not, the arrow would miss, possibly costing him his life, and his army the battle.

What Psalm 127 is telling us as moms and dads then, is that we need to have a "warrior mentality." We need to be shaping our kids into arrows that will fly straight to the target God has set for them. If we're not carefully shaping and aiming our arrows, others will try to steal them and shape them for their use. What's worse, they will aim our children at targets of their own choosing. We should never be surprised if we are wounded by members of our own family, if we have allowed sworn enemies of Christ to aim them."
(excerpt from The Christian Home School by Gregg Harris)


The Enemy would love for me to forget this important truth in the routine of the everyday. Raising children is an overwhelming task. But we are not alone. God has promised to give wisdom and strength when the "shaping and whittling" make us so tired we can barely go another step. 


Go give those arrows a big smooch.

How to Have a Lego-Themed Party in a Pinch

 It all started with a text from Aaron, "Are you making Greg a cake?"

I was stumped.  I hadn't put a lot of thought into his party yet and I just didn't have a clue.  Do 10 year-olds still have themed parties?  Do they still like party games and goody bags?  This was a dilemma.

So I just asked myself, "What does Greg love?"  And since my top three answers were Sports, Peanut Butter, and Legos, I decided to go with some sort of Lego party.

Thank you, Internet.  You are a lifesaver.  That's where I got the idea for these guys:

 They wouldn't hold the candles steady on their own, so I made a little ball of play dough for each one for stability.  I didn't light these, by the way.  They are just cool for decoration.

 The boys also played a Pirate Lego game that I had bought Greg for a gift.

Other ideas that could work (but which I didn't do) was a Lego Hunt, where each color is a different number of points, or a contest to see who can build the biggest tower, etc.  These kids just needed a big box of Legos and a living room to have a good time.

 There are literally hundreds of other ideas for a Lego party online that, frankly, made me feel extremely lame as a mother.  I mean, don't even get me started about the Lego Cakes.  Whoa.

There are some crafty women out there, let me tell you. 

 But the basic ingredients are food, friends, and something to do.  You just have to keep it simple sometimes.

 These are some cute dudes.

The floor of my living room in its' natural state....

my "other" kids

 This week was the CCS High School Banquet -- don't they look snazzy?  Funny that there are more 8th graders than the entire high school put together....but we're working on that....

 These are the groovy seniors-- that blondie is pretty special to me :)

They think they've arrived; I know their journey has just begun.

 They make me laugh.

And now we're chaperones.  Officially old. 

The Announcement

The night we went to see Tim Hawkins, we kept it a secret from the 2 older boys and their cousin (cutie in the middle). As we started getting closer to Paynesville, they began coming up with their own ideas of where we were going.

Sweater Vests and Pretty Dresses

 Here are some Easter photos -- we're always so happy to have Easter minus snow!

We spent the weekend at Aaron's Mom's in Wisconsin and it was nice enough to take some pictures outside.

Here's the only picture of Hope smiling -- of course, she's not looking at the camera.

   

 Three cool boys

 Someday I WILL get them all to smile.  Someday.

 Or maybe I'm just kidding myself.

 This is the look of parents who are nervous about their 9 year-old son using their camera...and see, even Hope looks worried.