Eating is Hard Work

Wordless Wednesday

Not as Planned

Moms everywhere are crying out for time alone, begging for a few minutes for themselves. When you are a stay at home mom, especially one who homeschools that need seems huge. You are surrounded by children needing your attention twenty four seven. Your days are a constant juggle of teaching one child to read, another to write a well structured paragraph, and keep the younger children busy so the older ones can work. Oh, and don't forget about cooking, keeping the house half way decent, and trying to find ways to stretch the family budget. It is enough to make a mom scream, "If only I had a few quiet hours alone, I could catch up on all the tasks that need done!"

And then it happens, those glorious few hours alone, and you don't know what to do with yourself. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Today three of the four kids went to pick up their cousins about 2:30. (For those of you who read about that family situation, things are still really not settled, but for this weekend the cousins are coming here.) While they were gone the little one took a nap.

I thought I would get so much accomplished. I have writing to do (writing that is not on this blog,) cleaning that has been neglected, things to list on eBay, fall clean up outside, and long list of other things that could use my attention. I've tried to do a few things that require brain power. You'd think that this would be the perfect time to accomplish those tasks, wouldn't you? It is like my brain won't work without the constant activity and noise that is the norm for this house. I just stared blankly at the screen with no ideas.

Three hours later. . . Vivian has been up for quite some time, not much has gotten marked off the list, and here I sit doing something that I don't really need to. It feels nice. Maybe what we mom's really need is a few hours of peace and quiet to throw out the to do list and recharge the brain cells so that we can function in the chaos of our everyday. I'm using that as my excuse anyway!

A Reflection of My Housekeeping?

What do you think it could mean that whenever I ask the kids to clean up their room, or other areas of the house, their first question is, "Who is coming to visit?" Um. . . don't answer that question.

Perhaps we need to institute a more consistent routine?

A Big Helper

This picture was actually taken in February. Both the kids seem to have grown so much since then.

Wordless Wednesday

My Lack of Faith

There has been drama around here lately. Oh how I despise family drama, but sometimes it is unavoidable. An adult in the family is making poor choices, again. It is so frustrating.

I am usually the first to say, "Reap and sow." If an adult chooses to repeat mistakes, do things that make no sense or that everyone else can see are harmful, what can you do? You can pray, advise them and love them, but in the end they are adults and the choice is theirs. The consequences will be theirs also.

I do feel that way in this situation for the adult involved, but it is complicated because the decisions affect children. It is further complicated because the decisions affect my children. The relationship my children have with some close family members may be hurt, and there have already been tears shed. This just makes me angry. Being angry makes me want to do something to fix the situation.

So for almost a week I was worrying and fretting. Trying to think of a way to talk some sense into the adult, or if they were going to continue to be unreasonable, figure out a way to still make it ok for all the kids involved. Oh did I have plans and schemes. None of which really would work, but I was trying.

Then one night I was thinking about it (read scheming and planning.) I was getting worked up and angry trying to make my plans. Then came the voice. Not an audible voice, but the one that speaks straight to your heart. The one that brings a calmness and peace that you know is not of yourself. In a gentle way the Lord told me that I was trying to make things happen in my own strength, the way I thought they should be. That I was worrying about things I need not to. With those words spoken to my heart I felt that peace that is ours in Christ.

I wish I could say that the peace had lasted through the through the next days. New developments in the situation made me angry. Talking about the situation still makes me angry, but I know it is not my problem to fix, and that it does not need to be fixed in the way I think is best.

If you would have asked me before all this if I believed that the Lord works all things together for the good, I would have of course told you that I did. This incident has shown me that though I believe that with my head, it is not real to my heart. I do not seen it. I do not have faith for it.

It is truth. He does work all things together for the good. I saw a glimpse of it, and the peace that knowing that truth brings. I wish that I could see that at all times, but I don't. I can't make myself see it either. I can just ask for Him to show me more of it, and stop trying to fix things that I need not worry about.

Good Tow

Remember when Nolan wanted me to throw away his toys? Those toys have been sitting in a bag in my room since that incident. He never asked for any of them, never seemed to miss them, until this week.

This week I pulled them out to sort for the Little Lambs Sale. A few things I discretely put back into the toy bin because they were parts of sets, but the rest were sorted for Goodwill and the toy sale. It was a pain full experience. I tried to sort the toys while he was playing outside, but he came in. With every toy the question came, "Are you going to sell that?"

Every yes answer brought a pout and a few tears. Then he saw the toy he calls Good Tow. The yes answer brought flowing tears and sobs. Apparently Good Tow was his favorite toy. Never mind that he hadn't mentioned it in over two months. I reminded him why Good Tow was in that bag, and that he needed to take care of his things if he wanted to keep them.

Everyday Nolan would ask me about Good Tow, sometimes with tears. Everyday I would remind him again about how Good Tow ended up in the sell pile. I was glad when it was time to take the toys to the sale.

Today I promised I would take the kids to the sale if they got their work done. They all had some money in their piggy banks. Nolan quickly came up with the idea that he could buy Good Tow back. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to handle that one. We got our work done and headed to the sale.

Good Tow was nowhere to be seen. He must have already been purchased. Not that Nolan would have cared anyway. He was enthralled by the mass of toys at the sale. As he was playing with his new toy cordless drill he did mention that he didn't see Good Tow, and I haven't heard anything about him since.

A Wigwam

On our field trip last week, the actors camped out as people would in the late 1800's. The Native Americans had a Wigwam and a Tipi. It was very interesting!


Wordless Wednesday

Carnivals and More

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This is a new carnival. Some good ideas here!

Festival of Frugality
My post made it into the editor's choice posts!

Carnival of Debt Reduction

Make It From Scratch
Silvia, next week's host, is requesting party food ideas for her son's eighth birthday party!

Carnival of Homeschooling

Carnival of the Recipes
Next week's edition is all about pumpkin! YUM!

Carnival of Family Life

Scribbit's Winter Bazaar
Tomorrow is the first edition of this. Can't wait to see it!

Sweet Sensitive Nolan

Not a title you see very often is it? Though I do tend to tell stories about Nolan(3) that show his stubborn or ornery side, he really does have a tender side. He can be very sweet and loving. He is the biggest cuddler, and is the only one of our kids to get attached to a security item. He has a red fleece throw that he sleeps with. In a pinch, he can be consoled with a substitute, but that is not always an easy task. Anyhow....

Today I saw the sensitive side of Nolan. We were on a field trip. Part of the day included a living history drama set in the late 1700's. The audience played the part of perspective settlers and various characters came along to give us bits of information. Early in the drama we met an Indian. He was a friendly and was giving the news to our guide. I asked Nolan if he saw the Indian. He looked at me slightly bewildered and said, "No. What Indian?" I explained to him who the Indian was, and went back to watching the drama and keeping Vivian occupied.

A few minutes later, I feel Nolan cuddle up to me. When I looked at him, his eyes were wide and brimming with tears. He looked up me and holding back the tears asked, "He isn't going to shoot us is he?"

The poor thing was so scared. He didn't understand that we were only watching them pretend. He was much better after I explained to him that it was pretend, but he still stayed close for a few more minutes. It melted my heart. My sweet sensitive boy.

Looking on the Bright Side - TT # 7

Tim has been working a lot of hours. There are many days when he is gone before the kids get up and not home until after they are in bed. It is normal for this time of year, and I could complain. . .for pages and pages. Instead, I am trying to think of thirteen things that are good about it:

1. The kids think peanut butter and jelly for dinner is a treat.

2. Hours of uninterupted blog surfing. . .once the kids are in bed.

3. Feel like a chick flick? No problem.

4. Thirty eight hours of overtime in a two week period makes for a nice paycheck.

5. It is temporary.

6. No Monday night football.

7. The bills are paid. The savings are growing.

8. Make your own raise. Every night of work is a boost in his commission check for the whole year.

9. I don't really need anything on the honey do list completed.

10. Leftovers don't seem like leftovers to Tim.

11. When he is home, the kids only want daddy! (read I get a break!)

12. Put the kids and bed the whole tub of ice cream is mine!

13. And the best thing. . . It is almost over! One more week!


There! I came up with thirteen good things. That was hard work!

Thursday Thirteen

Living in Shawshank?

The other day I was putting clothing away in the boys' closet and found this. When I found it the hole was covered up with the piece of wall taped to keep it on. The hole is about two inches deep.

When questioned Kellen claimed he wasn't trying to dig his way out. Good thing because he was digging his way to the girls' room, not out of the house. He was trying to make a hiding space for his pocket knife; the one he no longer has after this episode.

Wordless Wednesday

Links . . . On the right day.

Make It From Scratch!
Next week the theme is "Where in the world are you from?" Hope to see lots of countries and states represented.

Festival of Frugality
Lots of money saving ideas!

Carnival of Money Stories
Personal experiences with money.

Carnival of Family Life
Always a wide variety of interesting articles.

Carnival of Debt Reduction
Ideas and tips to help you get out of debt.

Glad We Aren't Little House on the Prairie

Tim and I have often commented that it would have been great to live in the 1800's. Great to be self sufficient pioneers living off the land. I think our view is a bit romanticized.

For school this year Kellen is doing an unit study using the The Little House Collection (9 Volumes). There really are a lot of similarities between our way of living and theirs. They raise meat and vegetables. They forage and hunt for food. We do too, but there are a couple of major differences. For one thing we have a lot of tools that make the jobs easier. I don't think I'd want to build a log home in the manner that they did. The second thing is we are not really and never will be completely dependent on the land for our survival, and I am glad for it.

I look at our pantry stockpile for the winter, and am glad I have a nearby grocery store to fall back on. Yes, there are a lot of jars of food, mostly green beans, but after an unusually hot and extremely dry summer, and troubles with insects, there are many things planned for that are missing.

There are no jars of fruit. The blackberries produced minimally. There were no pears or persimmons. The apples barely produced, and were consumed by the animals before I got to them. In the freezer are a couple pints of blackberry jam and a few quarts of strawberries picked at a pick your own farm.

There are lots a green beans in the pantry, and a smaller than planned for amount of tomato products. There are a few jars of pumpkin and hot peppers, and about 15 pounds of potatoes. There is no corn, thank you very much cutworms, no beets or turnips. Certainly not enough of anything, but beans, for the winter.

The meat department is a little better. There isn't much in the freezer now, but there are rabbits and chickens that soon will be. Hopefully we will have a few deer soon to put in there too.

Though disappointed with some things that didn't go as planned, I really can't complain. I am very thankful, though, that we really aren't dependent on our land to feed our family. If we were, or if a trip to town took me a whole day, or if my only money to buy things came from what we got from our land, we would be in for a long lean winter.

We do enjoy the gardening, the labor, and the reward from it. That part of the life of the Ingals family I am happy to share, but I am so thankful that our survival doesn't really depend on it. Thankful that we live in a time where there are many tools to make the job easier and grocery stores to keep us fed all winter long!

Ooops, Tuesday Links on Thursday

Carnival of the Green

Carnival of Homeschooling

Carnival of the Recipes

Make it From Scratch

Carnival of Money Stories

Festival of Frugality

Carnival of Family Life

Learning in the Great Outdoors

Do It Yourself Face Paint

Wordless Wednesday

We have a yard!

Can you see it? Look closely. There is grass, real grass in that there yard! After two years of living here, grass is a pretty exciting addition! The siding on the house is nearly complete, only a few pieces on the ends of the house left to do. It has been delayed again by yet another project; a storage building/chicken house. I've requested that the builder, aka Papaw, put the priority on the storage building.

I want to get those chickens trained to sleep where they belong, and maybe get a few more too. I also would like to get rid of our "temporary" storage area. Siding on the house is pretty, but I am opting for the practical. The truth of it is what gets worked on depends on which logs are next in line for the sawmill. The red oak goes on the house. The pine and other woods are for the storage building.

The siding on the front of the house is done, and that is enough to get the lawn in. I never realized how much work it is to put in the lawn. Thanks to Papaw who did most of the work while Tim is in his busy season for work, putting in about 60 hours a week. Here is what was done.

1) Till up the yard.

2) Rake it to smooth out the tracks and even up the ground.

3) Fertilizer was put on. Lime was later added too because there was some left after covering the pasture. Nolan (3) woke up the morning after the lime was spread, and said, "Look! Kellen it snowed last night! "

4) Grass seed was spread.

5) Rake again to cover the seed.

6) Water. We had enough rain water in the tank for the first watering. It is important to keep a new lawn well watered until established.

7) Keep kids and animals off it until established. Uh. . .I'm trying, really I am!

The grass has sprouted and hopefully we will have a nice lawn yet this fall, and a lot less mud to deal with!

The Little Appletones

The Little Appletones got together for another practice. This time I got it on video. For your listening. . .uh. . . . pleasure.

Here linky link link

Make it From Scratch

Carnival of the Recipes - recipes and memories
next week diet recipes

Carnival of Family Life

Festival of Frugality

Carnival of Homeschooling

Short and sweet! Have a good night!

Signs of Fall

Wordless Wednesday

Remembering

I'll never forget September 11th. I was teaching in the public schools; eighth grade history. I was pregnant with Lydia. I didn't know what had happened until another teacher pulled me into the library at lunch time. There we sat for our forty minute lunch staring at the television and not sure what to think. After lunch we had to go back and try to pretend it was a normal day. The prevailing sentiment was that the news would be best given to the students by their parents.

How the world has changed. . .

Tomorrow I plan to spend part of our school day remembering and teaching my children about September 11, 2001. Here are some links that I am finding that we may use. Feel free to add any you know of too.


Patriot Day and Remembering September 11.
These sites list several others for your consideration. Some of the sites include lesson plans.