They really must be twins...

Often when I am out with the kids, T and J are assumed by most to be twins.  They are the same height, have the same hair and eye color, and generally look quite a bit alike.  The two of them have developed all sorts of responses to this question/comment (many people don't ask, but simply assume).

Just today, the mom teaching their coop class was introducing them to another mom who was visiting, and said, "And this is T and this is J; good luck keeping them straight!"  And their poor swimming instructor...they have matching swimsuits and both have hot pink goggles.  One can often hear her trying out both names for one girl just to see which gets their attention.

I don't try to encourage this 'twin-like' behavior.  But I don't discourage it either.  I hope they are the best of friends and love each other's company dearly all the years of their lives, but they are two individuals who are really not much alike, underneath, at all. So I do my best to allow them to be however 'twinish' (or not) they desire on any given day.

However, on Monday this idea of occasionally being twins became a bit over the top.  Not to mention dangerous and expensive.

See, there was this post about 13 months ago: Our first trip to the ER.  For the sake of demonstrating just how absurd this is: T and J are almost exactly 13 months apart.

Well, we repeated that incident once again on Monday.  Only this time with J.  Yup, she has four staples in the center back of her head.

She was sitting on a small, low wooden stool using a side table to do her handwriting (she is known for finding odd locations and configurations in which to do most tasks) when she lost her balance and fell back.  It would have been a small bump on the carpet except that a chair had been pushed back and she came back on a corner of the chair leg.  I was in the kitchen (around a corner) making bread when she hollered. 

I will never get over the amount of blood that comes with head injuries.  Dripping all over the floor, down all of her hair, etc. She even had managed to cover a bit of her face with some.  Oh, the amount of ideas one's head suddenly has at a moment like this is rather staggering.  Anyhow, it was a mess, but once I washed her up a bit I saw that it was just like T's and knew we were in for the same treatment.  I also knew I could wait twenty minutes for Ryan to come home and watch the rest of the little ones.

On to the ER J and I went.  The nurse even remembered our family from when we all had come in for T to have her staples taken out.  I suppose there aren't too many groups of six people (only one of those persons being an adult) piling into an ER room with school books and pencils to have staples removed... 

Fortunately for J, the Dr decided to use a topical numbing gel.  T had no anesthetic with hers, but she is a much tougher cookie.  Four staples and a special teddy bear later we were on our way home.

I still can't decide on one thing: Is it simply sad or a blessing from above that we finished paying off our last ER bill (for T's broken finger) this month, just in time to begin another payment plan....

Oh, and did I ever tell you?  T named her bear, which the ER gave her last year, "Staples".  Seriously.

J's bear's name? "Fancy Jane"....don't ask; I don't know...but its things like that which go to show that they really aren't twins.

I draw naked people

Z worked very hard to draw a picture of himself and Ryan playing outside yesterday afternoon.  At dinner he spontaneously began a commentary on his masterpiece.

Z: Mom, I drew dad kind of fat.
Mom: Why is that?
Z: Because I drew him with clothes on.  I usually don't draw people with clothes on.  I usually draw them naked.
Mom: (Trying to keep a somewhat composed face here, with very raised eyebrows) Oh really, why is that?
Z: Because it is too hard to draw all the clothes on right. That's why he ended up so big.
Mom: Oh, I see...

Then T chimes in loudly,
"I only draw naked people too!"
Here entered much laughter!

And you thought your dinner conversations were a bit odd at times???

Recital

Here in the upper midwest we endured a mild winter, in place of spring, until about three weeks ago.  Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, our beautiful late spring/summer weather is here.  It has been a wonderful blessing and much anticipated.  Our flowers are blooming, trees are filling out, veggies are in dirt, a sandbox is in progress, a few bike rides are under our belts, an air show and story garden have been enjoyed by all and I have not a single blog post to show for it. 

I mentioned this to Ryan yesterday and his comment was, "That is perfectly fine.  Those that can't, write.  Those that can, do."  I'm not sure of the original context of this quote, but it was mildly comforting in my case, I will admit.  It has been great to be doing.

However, I will try to dig myself out of the backlog I have going.

Toward the end of May T had her first dance recital. 

It was a two hour program (performed two times in one day-yes it was a long day) showcasing the different levels of dance that her awesome Christian teacher instructs for the local rec department.  T's class performed one tap number.  We had a blast putting on her make-up and curling her hair.

T surprised me with her calm poise and how comfortable she was on stage.  The lights and audience did not phase her at all.  She was very matter-of-fact about the parts of her routine she forgot, but very upbeat about how she did stay on track nearly the whole song.  It was delightful to hear her unprompted and positive commentary on herself. 

She is fourth from the left, in the front (looking to the side).

I stayed backstage with her all throughout the first performance and then switched with another mom from our church for the second performance so I could sit with the rest of our family to watch the recital.

This backstage experience was fun for T and I.  She brought along some coloring and played some card games with her classmates.  She brought along her all-important bear and blanket.  I helped her into the right spot in line and walked her up to the stage.

However, the day of her recital left a very bittersweet impression on me.  I watched many a mom and daughter interact and listened to these moms converse. 

As T happily sat in my lap coloring and undoubtedly enjoying my undivided attention I listened to moms tell their daughters to leave them alone, go play over there, or other similar instructions.  Sure they said these things casually and sometimes even with a sweet tone.  But I just kept thinking how this was a first recital for most of these girls.  What an important 'landmark' in these little lives.  An opportunity to support them, hear their concerns, ease their nerves, and offer encouraging words.

Then as we waited in the hot and stuffy wings for T's class to go on stage I listened to a mom explaining to another how she only agreed to do 'this awful duty' with her husband because he said she could go and disappear shopping the next day.  This made me so sad!  Her five year old daughter was right next to her.  Is it so normal for people to talk of their children as burdens that it is now acceptable to verbalize this to the children?  Did this mom think her words made no impact on her daughter?

I observed more than a dozen parents decide to leave their, under age seven, children unattended because they wanted to 'enjoy the show' or 'my daughter is old enough'.  No, the rec department did not assign people to watch these children. 

There were more than a few times where a daughter would tell their mom something, repeat it, pull on their mom's leg, and finally receive a 'WHAT?'.  All the while the mom is texting or busy with their phone. 

I have mentioned before how I have been introduced to Sally Clarkson and some of her books.  As I have been reading through the Mission of Motherhood Sally discusses the two common, and unhealthy, views parents have of the purpose of children.  These are 1)as a burden and 2)to fulfill the parents' emotional needs.  How clearly I saw these acted out on that sad May day. 

Sally advocates that the Bible clearly says that children are a blessing given to us by God to pass on our Christian heritage.  Not a concern to pass the buck on.  Not a bother to shoo away.  Not a clay pot to make fit our mold of the perfect child.

Sure, I don't always remember to only see my children in the light of a blessing from God.  It is a challenge, especially in our society. 

But it is a challenge that I am happy to undertake with His help on a daily basis.  And by doing so, intentionally, I hope to spread that down through generations.  Because as I saw first hand, a month ago, there are going to be even more lost mothers, in twenty years, than there are today. And I hope to help my daughters avoid being in that crowd.

Our lovely, and exhausted, T at the end of her big day, with flowers from her dad.

Bible Giggles

This morning we were going through John 11 as part of our Bible for today.  The older three kids and I were discussing the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  After they told me what they remembered of the story I read some of the verses to fill in some detail and aid in discussion.

As I read verse 44 T suddenly burst into giggles.

Verse 44 (in NIrV) reads, "The dead man came out.  His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen.  A cloth was around his face.  Jesus said to them, 'Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.' "

I looked at T, with a very surprised and confused look on my face, and asked what was so funny.

She burst out, among her giggles, "Then Lazarus would have walked out ALL NAKED!" 

Needless to say everyone began laughing. 

Not quite the discussion I was going for, but at least she is taking the words of the Bible and picturing the stories in her head....

Happy 5th Birthday!

Our T turned 5 a few days back.  She is a very special girl and an immense blessing to our family.  As a baby she slept like a rock forever and was nearly always content.  Now as a young child T feels much empathy for people, is responsible beyond belief, loves to help, and adores her family so much that she adamantly states (with tears, if pressed) she will never NOT live with Dad and Mom! Oh, dear...to be five.

Earlier this week she touched me with her empathy.  She received her five year old shots and didn't make much fuss, but clearly stated they hurt.  Then she asked me if S was going to have shots soon to which I said "yes, in a few weeks".  It was only then that she lost it.  Her tears rolled and rolled as she sobbed that S was too little for that. 

T is a very diligent and particular girl.  On any given day one can find her suddenly emptying a whole closet or cabinet to which I used to ask what in the world she was doing.  Now, however, I completely understand.  "Mom, it was too messy.  I am cleaning it all out!"  Poor thing...she has two parents who are strongly melancholy.  And it appears to Ryan and I that she single-handedly took a double dose of it.

Over the last few months we have been implementing new chores around here.  The girls are both responsible for helping me clean a bathroom once a week.  As a result, T can clean a whole bathroom on her own, except for the shower.  In undertaking this with her I now plan on about forty minutes, fifteen dirty rags, and ten used QTips.  And yes, the cleanest bathroom any five year old, or most adults, have ever cleaned! No, she is not for hire!

T delights in taking care of S, watercolors, dancing, singing, pretending with J, and helping out around the house.  She surprises us with her balance of responsibility, maturity, and sensitivity.  We look forward to her next year being filled with the discovery of books and reading as she is currently tackling this new ability head on.  And we thank God for adding her to our family.
We celebrated her birthday on a weekend in which she was blessed to have a lot of extended family around.  Ryan and his sister (who was visiting from CA) decorated our house the night before.  T enjoyed getting ready for her big day by wearing her 'birthday dress' which is a new tradition we started.  I took her to the fabric store and she picked out fabric, buttons, and ribbon for a fancy dress.  This new tradition gives the girls some creative license and helps me stretch my sewing abilities.

Next, we all feasted on T's requested Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast.  Check out Nikki's blog (look for recipes down on the right) for the recipe.  Yes, it appears we are joining our friends in California with the same birthday breakfast tradition! 

Soon, the guests arrived and she enjoyed a mid-day celebration.  We all played a giant duck-duck-goose game and the kids tried to pin the tail on the bunny (her requested animal).

We all shared in her choice for lunch which was quite a random assortment of fruits, vegetables, breadsticks, and munchies...

Then T opened some gifts and blessed Ryan and I with her very joyful reaction to her new doll crib which Ryan had built, I had sewed the bedding, and we had both painted.  This blog is awesome for simple wood working plans (we have a plethora of birthday ideas from it)!

She enjoyed receiving new ballet clothes, a bag to take to dance and swimming class, pottery to paint (from her pen pal in Idaho, no less: she was beside herself with excitement for days that her friend had mailed her a gift) and adorable cooking attire.

Later she blew out the candle on one of her requested strawberry cupcakes with her aunt Kristen (whose birthday was a few days before). No recipe here! I am not a cupcake person nor do I pretend to be.  I attempted various recipes (with disastrous results) in the days leading up to the party and the result was still much closer to poundcake than to cupcakes....but T liked decorating them with J so it worked out OK this time.

Happy Birthday T!

First trip to the ER

By the grace of God we have never had to take any of our kids (or ourselves) to the ER.  That is, until last night.  We were just about to put the kids to bed and through a series of unfortunate events that involved T and M, T rolled off of Z's bed awkwardly and slammed the back of her head on a part of a wooden bedside stand. 

She sat with Ryan for a few minutes and was completely herself, other than crying from hitting her head very hard.  I then asked to see her head to make sure the swelling wasn't too bad.  Much to my and Ryan's surprise we found a head covered in blood.  Z hollered out in grief (I'm pretty sure he thought she was dying, seriously).  I calmly took her to the bathroom.  Ryan and I did a bit of cleaning and knew that although we didn't mind if she had a scare on the back of her head, she needed to have this wound closed up.

So, with the temperatures near zero and her and I in PJ's we headed out. T asked in the car why she must to go to the hospital and I explained that her head opened up a bit too much when she fell so a doctor needed to fix it.  Realizing how open it was, she asked, "What does the inside of my body look like?"  I told her to ask the doctor. In the ER room I told her what I saw inside and the doctor gave names to some of the tissues.

After a very thorough cleaning I saw just how deep it was and felt justified in putting the poor girl through the hospital ordeal (I know many don't see eye to eye on this, but I just don't head to the doctor unless it is crystal clear to me that their help is needed). The wound was at least an inch long, about half an inch gaping open and over half an inch deep.  The doctor suggested three staples without anesthesia.  Yes, I gave her the same astonished look you just made.  She explained that it would be less painful than the numbing shot route.  I finally took her word for it.

T sat on my lap while they stapled her head three times and never made a peep.  After the room was clear she then let some tears roll and told me it hurt really bad.  I should think so!  She was a champ and received a very soft teddy bear after her ordeal.

T woke up Z this morning to tell him she was OK. But he couldn't really stand to see her head; I'm not sure if he was going to cry or pass out, but he was not alright with the sight of staples in his sister's head!  Apparently, after Ryan got T and I on our way last night he went upstairs to put the rest of the kids to bed and talk with Z to calm him down.  Ryan suggested they pray for her and Z responded, "I already did, twice!".  He really is such an awesome brother!

The pain seems to have subsided quite a bit now but sleeping is very uncomfortable for her.  She also seems a bit emotionally worn out.  Praise God she did not sustain any more serious injuries!

In case you are curious, scroll down for the wound picture.  But don't if you are squeamish about such things. 

You can't say I didn't warn you....

Shoe Dress up

Today J and T ventured into my closet for some shoe dress-up fun:

Then M joined in the fun.  At least we can console his dad with the fact that he chose rain boots!

Then again, maybe not....

T is on a roll!

Heard recently from our four year old going on thirteen:

At the lunch table the kids are discussing the possibility of their Aunt possibly coming to visit.
T, with very furrowed brows and a 'get on with it' tone: "Why doesn't Aunt Tina just go and find a boy and get married already?"
(And no, we do not tell our children anything about their aunt's personal life!)

In the bathtub, while playing with J and some squirtable sea creatures:
T: Mom, do you know what seahorses do?
Mom: No, T, what do they do?
T (very matter of fact like) : They go into the sea and walk around.

Again at the lunch table, this time while Ryan is getting ready for work:
T: I really hope Dad took clothes into the bathroom for after his shower.
Mom: T, why do you say that?
T (very dramatically): Because otherwise we will all have to see him with only his towel on and then, OHHH, I don't want that!
(For the record, Ryan does take his clothes with him (and won't be forgetting any time soon)! )

Kid Updates

I haven't been posting much here as our family has been getting over stomach issues, preparing for the Christmas season, and simply trying to get our family back on track (read here for the back story.).  In other words, there have been higher priorities lately.  Nonetheless, it has not been boring around here. 

I believe it is time for a few updates on the kid front.

S leads the way in passing milestones at a little over seven months.  She taught herself how to sit from the crawling position in one day!  I saw her beginning to try two days ago and yesterday after a few more attempts, S had it down.  Much to my dismay she has also learned how to pull herself up to standing on many things!  We now find her standing at the couch, at kitchen drawers, on the open dishwasher, pulling on my leg, etc.  But, of course, S has no idea of how to get down so she most often ends up falling back on her head... hopefully she will learn how to lower herself down as fast as she has the other skills.  She talks a ton!  When she is tired or in distress we will hear "Maaa, Maaa"  Other times there is Daa, Baaa, etc.  S also seems to like to wave.  I am not sure about the full level of understanding with that action, but it is funny, anyhow. It is still much too exciting to feed her and she does still insists on waking up once between 3 and 6 am, but we seem to be making some small steps of improvement.  You can read more about our little firecracker here. And yes, her hair stands on end all on its own! Rather appropriate for her, if you ask us.

M has discovered coloring.  This kid is something.  One day he calmly climbed up at the kitchen table where the other kids were coloring and looked very interested.  So I grabbed him some scratch paper and told him the crayons only go on the paper.  He hasn't looked back.  Never have I handed any of our children crayons and let them be much before the age of 3 (otherwise you never knew what would become colored).  Now, M passes most of his late afternoons doing this hobby, taking occasional breaks to come and show me his art! M has also learned the joys (or pains) of having a younger sibling.  The whole family nearly lost it one evening watching his reaction as he was calmly working on figuring out some toy only to have S come over to take it all for her chewing pleasure.  He looked at her with the biggest frown, seriously furrowed brows, and a stern look that said, "You are not supposed to do that!".  Then he stood up and said very demonstratively, "AAAHHHH!"  This was not a cry, not a whine, but a very serious statement and he never touched her. You must picture a very proper looking linebacker.  That is our M.  A widely built gentleman who knows how things should be!

Today T had me absolutely flabbergasted!  She asked to do her phonics together and we did.  Understand that with the two tiny ones I have it really only allows me to do 'school' with the girls about once a week.  Thus, T has not made as much progress reading as I know she is capable of.  However, she is not even in her Kindergarten year so I have not sweated it much.  Well, today we worked on her blend cards and then did two pages in her Kindergarten Phonics book.  The second page challenged her to read a sentence.  She faced it head on with no hesitation.  At her success I informed her she was nearly ready for her first reading book!  T then asked to see it.  I wasn't about to suppress her excitement, but I didn't want this positive to quickly turn negative. 

So, I handed her the book, but wasn't about to have her read it.  She promptly sat down and began to sound out one word after another.  This first 'reader' only contains one sentence, but has them work on sounding out 58 words.  It is about 6 pages long.  As I sat by quietly watching for any mistakes and clarifying 'b' and 'd' she made it through the entire book!  Then said she was ready for the next one.  I couldn't decide if I should fall off the couch or laugh! 

I am very well aware of the differences between boys and girls in regards to reading, but this is not even in the same solar system as my first experience in teaching reading. Her determination combined with a positive attitude in life is going to take her places, I would venture! She was hardly bothered one bit when I would correct her or she would stumble a bit.  It was unbelievable to watch her calmly push through it without one frown. 

I informed her that the way we do these books is that she has to read them twice before we go onto the next one, thinking about how I would like to give her brain a few days to work on the first book.  I learned this my first time around.  Otherwise, they don't get enough practice and end up moving on too quickly.  So, of course (every kid would, right?), she sits down and does the whole book again, even bringing it to me in the basement while I moved laundry along to check if she had something right.  I am still wide eyed about the whole event.  May our path to her reading continue this smoothly! 

Curls

Ryan's birthday was a bit ago and we had a nice time with family.  I know, I know...what in the world am I doing writing a post about 'curls' and Ryan?  He wouldn't have a curly hair on his head even if he stuck his finger in a light socket.  No need to worry, his birthday is simply the context and seeing as he is not a huge fan of parties I will make this post about something other than his day.

It happens that his birthday landed on a Sunday this year.  It also happens to be that a few days prior to this Sunday I had made a purchase for the older girls.   Recently I recalled, fondly, how I used foam curlers to curl my hair overnight when I was younger.   The girls have started to ask me to curl their hair on Sunday mornings and I usually don't have time, no check that, I absolutely have no time before church for extra activities. I actually do my make-up in the car most Sundays (mascara and round-abouts do not go together well, just in case you were wondering).  So, I thought these curlers were a great idea.

We tried the curlers and I learned a few things.  T's hair doesn't need much assistance curling.  She gave Shirley Temple quite a 'run for her curls'.  I actually tried to mellow her hair out a bit in the morning. Larger curlers for her next time.  And J's hair is a bit of the opposite, although that is probably due to its very long length.  I will use some product on her hair next time.  Either way, they both seemed to walk on bouncy clouds all day.  It is fun to be able to lead two little girls through some of the joys of being feminine, even if it is not entirely my bent.  Which is probably one reason why God gave them to me.  But I digress...as usual.  So, here are the results of our first attempt.

If nothing else, this is a great excuse to post some new photos that turned out cute.  No, we did not plan for them all to wear red; it just turned out that way.

Don't miss M's tongue in this one!  This is a very appropriate pic for him: anything he can throw in his hands and a goofy look to top it off...just a normal moment for this guy.

Doesn't Z just look thrilled with all of this girly stuff...."can I go help Dad now?"

Oh, the drama of it all

By: Heather
I was always one to run from drama in my school years.  I see it as manipulation.  And if I smell anything even remotely resembling manipulation you can bet your bottom dollar that I am out that door faster than lightning.  Drama isn't quite the same thing from young kids (usually), but that doesn't change my dislike of it.

See, this is one of the reasons Ryan and I always thought for sure God would give us all boys.  Among the other things that He could have considered were the facts that I love sports, never paint my finger nails, and really don't care for pink or purple much.  I even consider it all joy when Ryan attempts to 'solve my problems'.  I know, this does not sound particularly normal.  Either nature or nurture, that is part of me. But seeing as how God does not very often follow our reasoning, here I sit recovering from a rather 'hysteria filled day', courtesy of two particular girly girls.

I think T stubbed her toe twice today.  Now, I am known around here as a rather acomplished 'toe-stubber' so I know this event is not comfortable.  But really, laying on the floor, hollering like she just got walloped by a baseball bat? And twice?  After the second one I remarked that her feet must be growing (I know, real sympathetic).  She suddenly stops, looks up inquisitively, and says with eyebrows perked, "Why?".  After I explain the connection she pops up, sticks a foot in the air and says, very proudly, to everyone within ear shot, "Look, my feet are THAT big!!"  Mom is now rolling her eyes and shaking her head while T bounces off....

T & J love going out to get the mail.  But I really need to remember when it is windy to go with them.  Otherwise it can be rather embarassing.  The sudden wailing and frantic calling of 'Moooooom' that can be heard from inside, with the doors and windows closed, is enough to propel me out the door without any shoes to chase the wayward envelope.  Down the middle of the street I run until I finally catch up to some bloomin' piece of mail offering a free window replacement estimate, addressed to the former owners!  Up until the precise moment that I catch the flying mail J is still in vocal distress.  Then it suddenly ceases.  Wow, hope the neighbors appreciated that exhibition!

Then there was the ladybug flying around the dining room light at dinnertime (Dad works during dinnertime).  They could hardly sit in their chairs; everytime the bug came anywhere above them they ducked like a jumbo jet was coming in to land on their plate.  And they kept squealing, "Moooommmmm, the bug, the bug, get the bug!!". Meanwhile, I am feeding a hungry, thus cranky, baby her solids and am not interested in taking a break for A LADYBUG.  Mom thinking: "Seriously, children"...But wait, now they are insisting, very distressed like, about how I must save the lady bug from getting burned on a lightbulb.  Mom, in her head: "You have got to be kidding me".

In addition, we had the very dramatic exclamations about M needing a diaper change, RIGHT NOW because of the "really bad stinky!!". Or the curling up in a vertical fetal position becasue I said that the baby dolls had to be cleaned up, never mind it is bedtime and they will want their dolls in bed with them, anyhow. On top of it all T also has a scraped up knee which she insists can not be bent, one may not touch with any fabric, wash at all, etc and this injury recieves about a 2 on the 1 to 10 scraped up knee scale from yours truly.

Most days aren't quite this exciting.  And I know it also could be a lot more intense, we have both family and friends with 5 girls.  Really, I don't know how those Moms do it.  On days like today stopping to talk or play with Z or M is a breath of fresh air!

But most days I really do cherish having girls.  They can't wait for the days in which I paint their finger and toe nails, count the days until Sunday when they can wear their fancy dresses, and dance around the house on tiptoes many times a day.  Both enjoy me doing up their hair nice and like playing with my hair.  It is fun and rewarding to be able to teach them the tasks of cooking, cleaning, etc.  And really, they are helping me enjoy being feminine, just a little bit more. 

We are getting used to the girl thing, slowly.  Why, just last Saturday Ryan actually stopped to browse the 'pink pages' of the first Christmas toy catalog to grace our mailbox!

So, it has begun...

Here in the midwest fall is a definite season! Leaves turn and fall, nights are cool and the humidity is gone.

This fall also brought additions to our schedule.  A few weeks ago both Z and T were excitedly telling their grandparents about their upcoming classes.  Z was about to begin swimming and T a dance class.  My dad looked knowingly at Ryan and I and said with a barely detectable smirk, "And so it begins...". 

There are many schools of thought regarding homeschool families and time spent outside of the home.  For that matter there are many philosophies about today's kids and busyness in general.  I tend to reside half way between a homebody and the "I need to get out every day" type.  Currently I slide a little more towards the homebody type because of how incredibly awkward 'going out' can be with five little people in tow.  Really, the first dance class is still nearly a nightmare in my mind. Just picture a mom carrying a toddler and a baby carrier into a packed room while trying not to lose three other kids and attempting to find T some used tap shoes in her size before her class begins.  Oh, and I have no clue about how to tie tap shoes or how they should fit.  But I digress... So no matter what my desires or inconveniences are they really are not the determining factors when deciding what we should do outside of our home.

I recently read somewhere that it is absurd of parents to run their children around constantly from class to event to shopping and finally back home again all of their childhood years and then expect them to be content housewives or involved fathers at home.  I think this makes a lot of sense.  Of course, God has given each of us different personalities or tendencies, but styles of living are also somewhat learned.  Staying at home requires that members of a family learn to get along more often, build deeper relationships with each other (provided they are not in front of the TV constantly), and learn from one another.  In addition, home is where the most basic of adult tasks are learned: laundry, mowing the lawn, cooking, etc.

On the other hand, there are those that believe that we must 'socialize' our children and introduce them to as many extracurricular activities as possible.  Socialization is necessary, but this can take place in many settings, including one's home (just live one day in our house and you will see many a social learning situations arise).  And having a broad range of knowledge regarding sports, music, etc are helpful in the adult world.

When it comes to choosing electives I come at this from primarily one standpoint.  What is the child's primary interest that lines up with a good life skill and their God given abilities?  Obviously, as children get older they gradually need to be more of the decision maker, but we are not at that point.  When children find their niche it builds their confidence and self esteem.  In other words, we are looking for what helps us achieve one of our ultimate goals: enabling our children to be productive and confident adults.

So, we are trying out one elective per child at this point.  Obviously this could become rather chaotic in a few years, but there will be adjustments along the way.  I will continue to attempt to balance a peaceful schedule with some quality time spent out for the kids to explore their interests beyond basic academics. 

As for Z, he has had three swimming lessons and that boy can swim!  As a lot of you know, we have moved A LOT in the past few years so getting the children into swimming lessons really hasn't happened much on a consistent basis.  But now he is taking off.  And by the way, Ryan and I were wrong! Gasp! Goggles do help kids swim.  We both came from the "they need to learn how to swim without them" camp.  But Z kept stopping to wipe off his eyes anytime he went under water.  I asked his teacher what she thought and a few days later Ryan and I decided to give up our commitment to this ever-so-life-changing issue.  Now he is doing a front crawl and working very hard on his back and front floats.

Where to begin with T????  About a year or two ago T was somehow introduced to ballet.  I am still trying to remember when and what the catalyst was, but frankly I can hardly remember a time in which she was walking and not interested in dancing ballet.  She has exhausted the collection of every children's ballet book at two libraries now and is working on a third, has watched the New York Ballet perform The Nutcraker on video, and has listened to me read the entire full story of the ballet (I was shocked).  And she doesn't just look at these books, oh no, they are textbooks to be learned from!  So, the local rec department offers these insanely low priced dance classes taught by a Christian woman.  The class is both tap and ballet.  The teacher is using the tap to try to teach rhythm, but T calls it her ballet class.  We will see where this goes.  She applies herself with a tangible amount of determination....and cuteness. (She is in the black leotard in the bottom pic).

So, it has begun...

Funny item of the week

Last Saturday was cleaning day.  Fortunately both T and J enjoy helping.  They particularly enjoy dusting with me.  I was busy moving some bread into the oven while they decided to move on to dusting the school room/living room bookshelves.  When I came around the corner this is what I saw except that both girls were perched on the arm of the couch trying to reach the next shelf!  What helpers!