Get Away From It All And Enjoy America's Favorite Past-time

Last year, my hub packed up the car and took us on an adventure to Arizona so we could experience Spring Training.  Despite my protests, reminding him of ALL the things we NEEDED to do, he insisted we get away from it all and relax.

Reducing Stress

A couple days ago, after running errands, I sat at a red light on a routinely traveled road, making a mental list of the many things I still needed to do in preparation for a get-together at our house.  In addition, to this mental planning, I'm sure my brain was also cataloging "to do" lists for the coming weeks and months.

A Great Cleaning Idea Embarrasses

Finding a GREAT idea and keeping it on your desktop for future reference is a handy way to grab it when you're ready to use it.  I've found fabulous ideas on Pinterest that I can't wait to try!

But sometimes these ideas are great for moms who do laundry, but not so great to display to strangers I don't know.

Yesterday I went to my first "find out how to use your computer" session and "Ralph" asked me to turn on the computer to get started.  The next thing that happened was "the page" popped up.

Now, to many of you, this would have been no big deal.  I know it would be no big deal to my mom or my husband, but it was completely embarrassing to me.

Another moment of realness on the blog-o-sphere.

HI, my name is Kimberly and I'm perpetually embarrassed.  Normal  everyday life occurrences embarrass me.  I can't even begin to mention the ways humiliation enters everyday life;  it's probably on a stratospheric scale.  Even when I tell myself, "It's no big deal."  I get embarrassed- like sweaty, heart-pumping embarrassment.

I really believe most of life's little imperfections are rooted in a few big categories of human frailty.

Embarrassment= Insecurity

Insecurity permeates many facets of everyday life.  It's really annoying and I wish I could just shrug it off with a laissez-faire attitude, but I don't roll that way. Bummer!

My hub and I were watching "Selling L.A." the other night and I was watching the L.A. Chic gals thinking how stylish and sophisticated they were.  Their inner geek didn't spring out unexpectedly like mine does so often.  Even in a moment of trying to pull off having it together, something will appeal to my wacky sense of humor, laughter will ensue and perhaps a snort will escape.  A total give-away that I'm a goofy girlie!

Back to Ralph.  I was trying to play it cool and act like no big deal that a page entitled "Goodbye to Yellow Armpit Stains" just popped up on my computer. Embarrassing!  I'm sure he wanted to know too, but wanted to be professional.  It's not like it's a big deal to most people, but normal bodily function stuff happens to embarrass me.  C'est la vie!

So, in my attempt to face my insecurities head on, I'm going to post this page.  I think it's great information for a cleaning lady like myself and I'm hoping it will help with the stains on my boys' baseball pants too.

Thank you Jillie for posting this entry.  Sensitive cleaning mommas need to know.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/11/goodbye-to-yellow-armpit-stains.html

And the Moral of the Story is....

As a worrying parent I can't even tell you how many times I've offered gentle reminders to our kids:

Where's your helmet?

Slow down.

Is your seatbelt on?

Don't throw balls in the house.

Ride on the sidewalk.

Don't dart out in front of cars.

Don't dive in the shallow pool.

Don't stand on basketballs, or soccerballs.

My oldest just reminded me of the one I told him yesterday, "Whatever you're thinking...DON'T DO IT!"

I hate to sound like a broken record, but it pains me terribly when they get hurt.

Today, after our homeschool classes,  our middle boy went out to play basketball with some buddies.  I was tidying up my classroom and chatting with a fellow homeschool mom who happens to also be a doctor.  Unexpectedly, one of our son's friends came up to the classroom and said our son was hurt and needed me.

We rushed downstairs and there I found my sweetheart in tears with a gash in his knee and blood running down his leg.  I had my friend take a look at it; she gave me the "stitches" nod.

We then rushed to the local urgent care which was packed.  Jumping back in the car, we headed to the next urgent care.

After a short wait we were seen.

"How did this happen?" asked the nurse.

The Gash

"I was standing on a basketball and fell off," said our son.

Soon, thereafter, the doctor came in.  She took one look at it and made the necessary preparations to stitch it up.

Sitting beside my sweetheart, wiping the tears rolling down his face as the doctor gave him numbing injections made me wish I could protect him from all pain. There's nothing I could do but pray with him and wait for her to sew him back up.

All stitched up

As a mom I try my best to prepare, instruct and equip our kids for whatever they may encounter.  Sometimes there are some lessons they have to learn at the school of hard knocks.

In the car on the way to the clinic, our son said to me, "This is a life lesson learned."

So true.

Hopefully he won't stand on a ball anytime soon.

And the moral of the story is... Don't stand on basketballs.  And, sometimes it pays to listen to your momma.

Gingerbread Cookies, The Ambulance, & The Unexpected Field Trip

Every year we make the same gingerbread recipe.  Thank you Martha!

And every year when we make these yummy Christmas treats, I think of one of the scariest experiences I've had as a momma.

December 2004, I was home alone with the kids.  My hub was working nights.  The kids and I were gathered in the kitchen mixing up a batch of Melissa's Gingerbread Cookies from The Martha Stewart Cookbook.  The kids were sitting on the counter helping add ingredients to the mixer.  I was standing right next to them.

Unexpectedly, our 1 1/2 year old girlie spun around and then fell backwards off the counter and hit her head on the hardwood floor.  It all happened so quickly AND I was right there.  How it happened still boggles my mind.  Immediately after she fell, I scooped her up. She was unconscious, back arched.  Quickly, I called 911 and within 7 minutes two sets of responders descended upon our home.  The boys and I were so frightened.  My girlie was conscious again, but lethargic.

After examination, the paramedics decided to transport us to the hospital for further evaluation.

In the ambulance the boys told the paramedic we were homeschoolers.  She proceeded to give them a field trip of the inside of the ambulance.  Meanwhile I held my precious girlie.  While at home, I was strong and clear thinking, but during the transport, the enormity of the whole event began to hit me.  Suddenly, I sensed a panic attack coming on.  The paramedic then placed an oxygen mask over my face for the remainder of the ride.  Breathe...

The kids still laugh over their momma's reaction.  They tell the story of the time nothing was wrong with their momma, but the paramedic had to give her oxygen.

Weak!

Our girlie ended up having a concussion.  Thankfully, nothing else was wrong.  She has a good story to go along with one of our family favorite cookies.

This year she drafted up a Christmas Advent list.  Making Gingerbread Cookies was our activity for December 1st.

She has a long list of fun activities for us in the month of December.  I'm making an easy advent calendar to showcase her ideas.

Here's a sneak peek at the Advent Calendar:

It's going to be a GREAT month!

Where to begin...

My brain is swirling with too many thoughts and ideas for posts.  My camera is filled with food photos of recipes to share, but there's just not enough time in the day.

This blog is primarily a journal so I can pass down family history, stories, ideas, recipes, and examples of God's goodness witnessed.  I don't want to ever take anything for granted and hope to teach our kids that God is GOOD ALL THE TIME!

Yesterday I was feeling down, in despair, and destitute- actually quite pitiful.  The word that came to mind was RAW.  I know on the blog, and in life, I may seem upbeat and cheery, but there are times when I feel like the scales are tipping to the side of uncertainty, "What do we do now?"  It's at these moments when I realize I'm not in control. God has a plan.  He's making me and molding me into the person He desires me to be.  Reliant on Him, rather than reliant on self.

This has been a tough year on us.  Like many Americans, we've been hit pretty hard with the economic downturn.  Living on one income is difficult.  Unexpected expenses can really rock the financial boat.  We've had a number of unexpected expenses arise.  I feel like we've had a financial earthquake and the aftershocks keep rolling in.  I wonder when it will end, but I'm afraid to even ask.

Through all of this God continues to teach us lessons.

The Stuff Doesn't Matter

In 2007, my hub was offered a job position in Southern California.  We had a comfortable life in the Pacific Northwest.  We had a lot of friends, a GREAT church, a wonderful community, newly built custom home, a view of majestic mountains, everything we could dream of.  I remember walking our property talking with God.  I didn't want to move.  I loved all we had.  I loved the comfort and security.  I sensed Him asking me, "Do you love this house, more than you love what I have in store for you?  Do you love this property more than the plans I have for you?  Do you love that view more than what awaits?"

These are tough questions!

At that time He gave me the following verses:

Genesis 12:1

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

Hebrews 12:1  

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,"

I like how The Message rephrases it too:

Hebrews 12:1-3

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

I knew God was asking me to jump out of the comfort zone and head to a new land with new adventures in store.  He was dealing with my heart and my stuff.  I took to heart, "throw off anything that hinders."  I had a lot of sentimental stuff hindering me from moving.  We began to move things out, but that was only the beginning.

Even after paring down, we moved to SoCal with A LOT!  I really felt for our poor movers.  Over the last couple years we've thrown off probably thousands of pounds of hindrances, but there's still more to be done. I'm giving away and selling so much.  It's freeing!  And I've realized so much of it just doesn't matter temporarily or eternally.  It's cluttering up our house, my heart, and our family freedom.

God, Where Are You?

Over the last six months or so, I feel like I've been in a boxing match getting knocked into the rings, finding strength to get up only to get hit again. God's blessed us with amazing resilience, but it gets exhausting.  I can't tell you how many times I've had "Job" moments.  Now there's a man who went THROUGH it!!

Over the last few months we've lost friends to illness, our cat died, we've had financial strains, broken bones, dental issues, and we're looking at being transferred once again.  We're living in a state of uncertainty.  I've noticed anxiety creeping into life again.  Living in the moment has gone out the window while my mind is preoccupied with worries about how this is all going to work out.  Since I'm such a control-freak, I'm so quick to try to grab the reins from God thinking He has NO IDEA where we're going.  I'm just like the Israelites during the Exodus.  You'd think I'd learn something along the way, but apparently I haven't grasped the concept yet!

I'm reading Beth Moore's Breaking Free right now.  Could there be a more perfect book, besides the Bible, for me to read?  I'd quote the whole book because it's that good, but that would make for one HUGE blog, so I'll keep it short.

"God surpasses our dreams when we reach past our personal plans and agendas to grab the hand of Christ and walk the path He has chosen for us."

"His Word, 'is a lamp to my feet.' meaning a guide for the steps I'm taking right now.  His Word is also 'a light for my path,' meaning a guide for my immediate future.  God's Word sheds light on our 'present' path and our immediate future so we'll know what steps to take, but for further instruction we'll have to walk today and check again!"

God does know where we're going.  He hears the cries of uncertainty and reassures. He's been consistently revealing himself through His Word, other books, sermons, and my kids.

Listen to the Kids

I may not have mentioned it yet to day, but our kids are awesomeness!  They provide great perspective and wisdom continually.

Yesterday, when I had the look of a stressed out mom, our oldest son said to me, "Mom, this is just like Soul Surfer.  When Bethany lost her arm and thought she had lost it all, she went to Thailand.  God gave her perspective in her situation.  Mom, you just need to check your perspective."

Oh my word!  Was that my precious child who just spoke these amazing words? Love Him!  The wisdom of youth is priceless!

I had lost perspective.  He guided me back on the path.

Last Thoughts...

When the Israelites were full of doubt in their weakness Moses reassured them,

"Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you;  you need only to be still."  Exodus 14:13-14

So, I will be still, or as The Message reads, "keep your mouth shut!"  God has a plan. He is the potter, I am the clay.  Sometimes this molding process can just be a bit uncomfortable.

Where there's a will, there's a way!

Black Friday 2011 was a big day in our family!  It's a 2-post kind of day.  First, the happenings for the littlest member of our family.

I'll begin with a little history.  Two of our littles were pacifier binky boys.  We attached those little plugs to their shirts and they loved them for a couple years. The binkies  were great soothers and took care of whatever ailed a little peewee. Around the age of 2-3 they either accidentally spit them down the flushing toilet (oops, bye-bye binkie) or sucked them to the point of destruction.  Before we knew it, they were done with the pacifier.

This was not the case with our little princess.  She was blessed with two favorite fingers that soothed her endlessly.  There was no chance these precious little appendages would actually get flushed down the commode.  Within the last year we've gently encouraged her not to plug her mouth with her favorite fingers especially during the day.  The more she felt stressed about quitting, the more she sucked!  The skin on her pale little fingers was consistently shriveled like she'd been in a pool for days and we noticed they were looking a bit more crooked than the others having been held at an angle for years.

She really needed to quit, but I didn't want to stress her about it.  It would come in her time.  We're not big on bargaining with our kids.  She either would quit on her own, or not.

To be honest, I cherished her little finger sucking.  She's the youngest and when I'd look at her with those fingers in her mouth she looked liked the little baby I once knew.  She wants the world to see her as an independent big girl.  I think she'd gotten to the point where she didn't want people to know, but it's just too hard to quit.

Within the last year or so she set her mind on getting her ears pierced.  She talked about it all the time.  She would save her money and buy rhinestone-looking scrapbook embellishments and stick them to her earlobes.  I told her when I was her age, I'd twist up aluminum foil and make hoop earrings and wear them like real earrings.

She asked constantly about getting her ears pierced.  Our response was, "When you stop sucking your fingers..."  We figured it wouldn't happen in quite awhile.

If you know our girlie, you know she's a girlie with a mind of her own.

She wanted her ears pierced...BAD!

At some point, late summer, she all of the sudden quit sucking her fingers!

We couldn't believe it!

There are probably times in her sleep when they creep back in, but during the day is basically non-existent.

She was so excited!

Her daddy told her, if she could make it 30 days, she could get her ears pierced. The countdown began.

But, it was soccer season.

She easily made it through the 30 days, but then had to wait until the end of soccer since the girls aren't allowed to wear any jewelry during the game.

Soccer finished last weekend so today was our first free day to make the trip to Claire's.

Her daddy filled out all the paperwork.  She picked out her birthstone earrings.  She was beaming!  She was so excited, but yet so nervous!  The two sales gals who were helping us had more hair color variations than I could count.  There was turquoise, red, pink, and maybe a little brown mixed in.  They had multiple piercings including ear discs, nose rings, and feathers hanging from the cartilage of the ear.  They were so patient and kind to us.

A little girl about 4-5 years old noticed my girlie in the chair, looking hesitant.  She told her daddy she wanted to come in to encourage our girlie.  She came in to say, "Be Brave."  How precious!

We took photos.  Then before it happened, she jumped out of the chair and said, "I'm not doing it.  Let's leave."

This is the "I'm pretty nervous" face.

Okay Mom, I'll smile for you!

With my dad beside me, I can do this.

Okay, I'm not sure about this again.

My stomach feels sick.  I'm ready to run!

I wasn't expecting that.

What to do now?

We talked about it and after a couple moments, she once again climbed back in the chair.

Back in, and ready to go.

Hair pinned back and the dots are marked where the earrings will soon be.

I love her!

Uh oh, the reality is sinking in again.

We opted for the double piercing so both piercings would happen at the same time.

It was SO fast I think my girlie was surprised.  Before she knew it, it was done.

Wow!  It's done, and she's smiling!

So proud of her new bling!

Her little lobes looked pretty red, but still as cute as ever.

Look at those little red lobes!

She looked in the mirror and the pride of facing her fears and seeing a dream come true was written all over  her little face.

A Big Girlie!

The rest of the day she's been flicking her hair around and displaying her shining bling.

What a girlie!

Love her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life Without Facebook

Can you hear the crickets?  That's what I hear in my inbox...chirp, chirp, chirp.

Since taking the leap off of facebook, my time on the computer, and on my phone for that matter, has drastically decreased.  No more do I check in to see what my "friends" are up to.  No longer do I have the opportunity to post the events of our day.

I have to be honest, I do miss the posting and catching up with friends.  I can't even tell you how many times I've thought, "This would be a great status update!" or "I wonder what so-and-so is up to?"  I miss checking in with friends and being a part of the Facebook world, but for now this is a good thing.

About a day after I deactivated my account, a friend texted me letting me know another "friend" had taken a turn for the worst in her battle with cancer.  There are facebook status updates like this that are important.  I hope "friends" will keep me in the loop of critically important news.

Despite the lack of connection, there are many benefits to this hiatus.  After the first weekend off Facebook, I had ALL our bank statements balanced and up-to-date.  I've had time to really focus on the tasks at hand.  I've been able to catch up on projects that have been on the back-burner for an extended period of time. Listing items on ebay has once again become part of my daily goals.  I'm hoping to begin the ancestry study I've been wanting to do for such a long time.

Admittedly, leaving the Facebook world has been a tough endeavor.  I know that sounds crazy, but perhaps, in my case, it was addictive.  The checking in and posting is great fun, but it's also very time consuming.  Facebook was a great escape for a mom at home with three littles.  It was my connection to the outside world.  When we first moved, over two years ago, it was a fantastic vehicle to keep friends and family up-to-date with our life events in SoCal.  It was also a great way to connect and reconnect with long losts.  Through Facebook I was able to locate long lost family members and reconnect with them.  Love that!

Perhaps, I'll make the leap back to fb one day in the future, but for now this time off is a good thing with valuable rewards.

Sometimes Moms Do Wacky Things

Sometimes, as parents, our actions can leave our kids puzzled and confused.  I really try not to be wacky mom, but some days I know I leave our kids saying, "Huh, what did she just do (or say)?"

Here's the latest story:

Our kids have become quite fond of boba (bubble tea) drinks.  We even have "Boba" songs to express our boba love.  While I usually order a Thai Tea Boba , a Coconut Milk Boba, or even an Avocado Boba Smoothie my preciouses love the fruit smoothie boba drinks.

Recently, I promised them, "If you score a goal at soccer, we'll celebrate with a boba drink."  Scoring a goal is GREAT and celebrating with a boba is even better!

If you're not familiar with boba it's  LARGE tapioca pearl that is placed in the drink. The drink is consumed through a large straw so the boba can easily travel in the liquid.

an image of boba tea found online

Our middle son scored a goal last weekend so during the week following one of his practices I thought it would be a great time for his boba drink treat.

BOBA...B-O-B-A....BOBA.... Can't you just hear the Kinks singing this tune?

On the way to the Vietnamese boba store, I was feeling very generous (and hungry) so I thought we'd continue our celebration at the neighboring Vietnamese restaurant. 

We walked in and I noticed the "Cash Only" sign.

Bummer!  I rarely have cash, and almost never have enough to feed 4-5 people, so our dinner would have to wait a minute while I went to the Vietnamese grocery, bought something, got some cash back and then we could continue our dinner plan.

While I was trying to make a decision what to buy, one of our kids began interjecting, "But I don't want Vietnamese soup tonight."

This child generally likes Pho.

The  complaining continued.

I tried to block it out.

Regroup. 

What was I looking for?

While I was continuing to look for something to buy, my tired, hungry child continued to remind me of the distaste for Vietnamese food, the other two began goofing around.  One was squeezing the neck and shoulder of the other one creating a commotion.

I was still looking for something to buy.  My tired brain was on overload and I couldn't make a decision.

I was losing my patience with my precious ones.

Then the soccer playing, goal scoring precious stood next to me to help me look for something to buy. Note:  He just came from practice and was still wearing soccer clothing and CLEATS!  I was wearing flip flops.  He is notorious for stepping on my toes with cleats.

While he was looking with me, the other two then begin carrying on, maybe they weren't, but it felt like it.

Then, before I could do anything, soccer boy stepped back digging the cleats into my toes.  I yelped! There was an indentation in my toe.

Immediately, I did an about face and said "Okay, we're heading home!  No dinner out, no boba.  I'll just make something at home."

I don't want to be a mom who promises and doesn't follow through, so since I promised the boba drink for the soccer goal, I'd still get the treat.  But in hind site, maybe I should have waited.

I bought one boba and we headed home.  It was a very quiet ride home.  Two of our three kids had deer-in-the-headlights looks on their faces.  It was one of the, "Huh, what did she just do?" moments.

Okay...there's the wacky mom thing and this afternoon one of my sweethearts and I talked about it and luckily we were able to laugh about it today.  They all grant me so much grace!

On the way to today's soccer game, the sequence of events was replayed in our conversation.  This sweetheart, who didn't get a boba drink the other night said, "Mom, I don't get it.  I didn't step on your feet, but I didn't get a boba.  My brother hurt you and got a boba.  This doesn't make much sense."

True.

One kid stepped on my toe.  Because of this event and the events that led up to it, I changed my mind about dinner and boba treats, but toe crusher got a boba.  My thinking at the time was that he got it for the goal, which he did, but the other kids were bewildered as to why he got the drink.  He had just crushed his momma's toe.

Sometimes my actions don't seem to make any sense to our kids even if I think they seem logical to me. As  a parent, I need to keep these things in mind when parenting and reacting in situations.

I'm a big fan of talking with my kids and hearing their heart.  I learn so much from them about being a better mom and person in general.

Thanks to my preciouses for their patience as we go through this thing called life together.

I love you!

On a good note, today there was another goal scored and we ALL went out for Boba!

Facebook Hiatus

In hopes of simplifying life a bit, I've deactivated Facebook.  We'll see how it goes.

It's not necessarily a permanent thing, just an experiment.

There are a few reasons for this change, some of which I may touch on one day, but for now it seems like the right thing to do.

I'll still blog because I blog for my family.  Blogging is a form of journaling and through it hope to record some of life for our kids so they can one day look back and remember what we did, when we did it.  I also blog so the grandparents and other family members can keep up our day to day activities.

So, until I reactivate...

Nothing New Under the Sun

What has been will be again.

what has been done will be done again/

there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

This morning during our Bible time we read about Elisha prophesying to the future leader of Syria, Hazael in 2 Kings 8.  God allowed the prophet, Elisha, to see Hazael's evil heart and the murderous plan he had to kill the ruling Syrian king and then take the throne.  In seeing Hazael's future, Elisha also saw what the Syrian king would do to the Israelites.  I thought to myself...Syria.  Israel.  Conflict. Nothing new under the sun.

In the book study classes I'm teaching, one class is reading The Drinking Gourd (also included Follow the Drinking Gourd) and the other class is reading Out of the Dust.

In Follow the Drinking Gourd a family of slaves is risking their safety and their lives to reach FREEDOM.  Others assisting them working on the Underground Railroad are risking their lives and safety to help the slaves reach FREEDOM.  FREEDOM is valuable!  FREEDOM is worth risking your life just to attain.  I tell our kids and the students in my class to never take FREEDOM for granted.  It is lost all too quickly and is hard to gain back, just look at history...Please!

Having the FREEDOM to homeschool is such a gift!  I'm thankful for everyday that we live in a country where we can homeschool, but I never take it for granted as the right can be taken away.

On a quick search I found at least 39 countries where it is actually illegal to homeschool.  Included in the list are:

Germany, Greece, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Georgia, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, Cuba, Greenland, Guatemala, Turkey, Brazil, and China to name a few.

Freedom is such a gift and if we truly examine history when people want for a change and turn over personal rights and freedoms to leadership or government in hopes that they'll be taken care of...they lose.  Remember, nothing new under the sun.  Just ask the Israelites what happened when they wanted a King and then make your way down the history timeline.

Before I leave the topic of slavery, let's not fool ourselves and think it's no longer around.  Just as evil is alive and thriving, so is slavery.  In fact, according to International Justice Mission,

More children, women and men are held in slavery right now than over the course of the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade: Millions toil in bondage, their work and even their bodies the property of an owner.

This is an outrage that it still exists.  Nothing new under the sun.

In the Out of the Dust book study we're all getting a glimpse of what true poverty, tragedy, and desolation look like.  The people who lived through the Depression and Dust Bowl experienced hardship I don't think any American now knows unless they lived through it in their youth.  We are a blessed and spoiled people.  We don't understand the hardship experienced in the 30's.  My heart aches for what Americans during this era experienced, but what amazes me is their willingness to work hard (for meager pay), persevere, and be strong during this tough time.  I've watched many videos from survivors of the Dust Bowl on Living History Farm. These were tough times!  What the farmers of Middle America experienced caused me to think on the plagues Egypt experienced.  In addition to dust storms, those in the Dust Bowl saw drought, destruction, grasshoppers eating everything, including their clothing, famine, then day turning into night, death, disease, etc.

Finally, thinking on the poverty of the era.  The families we're reading about in Out of the Dust basically lived in extreme poverty, yet if someone stumbled onto their doorstep, or if a baby was born, they continued to find ways to give.  If we turn back to history, God tells us, "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."  Give to the poor, don't expect someone else to take care of it.  God's command was to us, the individual.  Doing without, scraping by, being creative in providing for yourself and your family is nothing new and in this process give some of what you're blessed with to someone else.

There are many other correlations I've seen through our learning, but these were the few that have occupied my thoughts.  Disunity, strife, conflict, poverty, slavery, greed...nothing new under the sun.

I cannot close on the negativity though.  I also believe that faithfulness, truth, perseverance, hard work, honesty, humility, surrender, obedience, giving, compassion, kindness, and sacrifice are nothing new under the sun.  We each just need to make a choice where we're individually going to invest ourselves.

My Kids' Teacher Takes Mental Health Day

Yesterday, I took a mental health day.  Perhaps, I'd call it an in-service day because I was still working.  Or as another friend suggested I merely took a day studying and experiencing how other homeschoolers, namely unschoolers, study and go about their day.  Unschooling is so not me, but it was great for a day!

In the days and weeks leading up to yesterday, I could feel the overwhelming anxiety rising.  I was falling farther and farther behind in my housework.  We were down to milk, pickles, grapefruit and some gluten-free mix my mom left from her last visit in the refrigerator.  I seriously needed to go grocery shopping, do some meal planning, clean house, pay bills and just do some over-all "catch up." 

I know there are many people who think stay-a-home moms have it made.  I've heard comments leading toward a sense that we sit at home all day watch television and eat bon bons.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!  Like any mom who works outside the home, I wake early before the kids rise, have a little quiet time with a cup of coffee, get ready, start a load of laundry, make breakfast, do a couple quick clean up tasks and by 8:00 we're ready to begin our school day.

The kids and I then read, study, and work on projects until noon when I prepare lunch.  After lunch, it's quick clean up and then onto afternoon studies.  When they've completed their work, they go out and play while I try to get a few more things done around the house.  I may try to do a little ebay listing to keep my "store" replenished.  The kids are great helpers with chores, but they do need to play.  They're kids for heaven's sake!  I wish I could say I wasn't such a school task-master with school work, but I do have a middle schooler and I've found the work load is a bit more demanding.

After a short time, it's off to sports, Crossfit, or whatever else is planned on the schedule.  Lately, in addition to busy weekdays, our weekends have been packed.  I haven't had the down time to even do the thorough cleaning I love to do or time to cook and bake, both of which are GREAT stress relievers for me! 

When I feel "behind" my spirit gets anxious.  My sleep patterns begin to shorten.  I become more and more stressed.  Joy begins to dwindle.  In the mornings, by 9:00 I start getting a panicked feeling knowing the day is slipping by, I have so much to do and so little time to do it!  By this week, I was feeling like the woman in this comic.

I think she might possibly be a homeschool mom.  I can honestly say, carving out a little "mom time" is crucial for survival when you're with your kids nearly 24/7.  Finding a personal interest/passion, outside of kid stuff, is one of my greatest stress relievers.  This is why I workout, and try to find time to create yummy food in the kitchen.  They both calm me.

Another thing that has a calms my heart is an organized home.  Not all rooms have to be perfect, just picked up.  It is very important to me that the master bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/family room are free of clutter.  If I can escape to our room at night and it's looking good, I can take a big sigh of relief and know I'm in a good place.  The family room is also our homeschool area, so no matter how clean it is, it will still be filled with books, Legos, colored pencils, etc.

What it's all about.

Did a little reorganization of the family room wall.  Added the antlers from my Grandpa's hunting days.  These are OLD! 

Ahhhhh....

What I try to go to sleep remembering every night.  Sometimes, I need additional reminders.

Delphiniums and candles...dreamy!

With the rain pelting down yesterday, I decided it was a perfect day to invest in my mental clarity preserving the joy I so love.  I caught up on laundry, cleaned, cooked, baked and we all got desperately needed haircuts (It had been 5 months since I'd had a haircut!)  While I was on the cleaning spree, the kids played games, cleaned, did a little independent study, and enjoyed the day!

At the end of the day, we learned all sports were cancelled due to rain.  My sweetheart called and asked if we would want to meet at Disneyland.  YES!  Disneyland closes at 8:00pm right now, so by the time we got there we only had just over 2 hours to enjoy.  Luckily, because of the rain, we were one of the few people there.  There was NO wait at the rides.  We were able to do Space Mountain (Halloween edition and my FIRST time since living here), the boys did Star Tours, the rocket ride in Tomorrowland, my girlie and I did Matterhorn, two times on Splash Mountain (another first for me since living here), Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion (Halloween edition), and the boys did Indiana Jones.  Whew!  Seven rides in two hours, no waiting.  AWESOME!

Masked Mickey!  He's Spooktacular!

A wet Main Street

Love the fall decor!

Bummer it's a little blurry:(

He's almost as tall as his momma!

Matterhorn

Rainy day!  Boot Day!

The lights in Frontierland

Love this!

What a fabulous day!  We finished off the day with ice cream and headed home.

What awaited us at home was not part of my perfect day, but somehow we'll get him out!

He better get out of here...or it's 'Possum Stew!  YUCK!