Thursday, February 28, 2013

thursday thoughts


Ella is in a stage where she cares only about comfort in her clothes.
Clashing patterns are of no concern...comfort is KING.
Boots that are literally falling apart...can't be thrown away because they are "so comfy Mom!"

What can you do?!

At least she rocks her lack of style with style...


Work it, work it!
So, just when we thought the coast was clear...I fell to the dreaded stomach bug this week. I couldn't believe it as almost 2 weeks had passed since the last child had succumbed?! Perhaps it was a different bug?

Anyways, it came on rather sudden and Jeremiah was at the office in the middle of a staff meeting and I knew I was on my own until the meeting was over. I told Ella she was boss till Daddy got home...and goodness, did she deliver! I gave her no instructions other than to make sure everyone stayed inside and alive, ha!

She took care of Zoe all morning for me, fed her breakfast, cleaned her up, played with her, did school with the boys (seriously!), and even read to them and set them up with a movie and snack. 

She may not be able to match an outfit to save her life, but she was a lifesaver!

I'm back to the land of the living again and ready to resume my role as head honcho, but it's good to know I have a very capable 2nd in command should things fall apart again.

Ok, here's where I whine about the weather and all my northern friends just shake their heads and click their tongues in disgust at me because they know I really have nothing to whine about...

I'm ready for Spring.
So ready!
I'm tired of all the grey days and the rain...oh, the rain.
My backyard is literally a swamp. An alligator would make himself at home back there.
My vitamin D levels are deficient, I need some sunshine!

Hasta la vista February...don't let the door hit you on the way out!

I have been busying updating my website the last few weeks and I am finally (mostly) up to date again...give or take about 6 photo sessions to upload. But, I'm happy with it, and that's all that matters, right!



Happy Thursday!

Monday, February 25, 2013

memory monday: freedom from the kingdom of "they"


We speak as men approved by God, to be entrusted with the gospel. 
We are not trying to please men, but God, who tests our hearts. 
1 Thess 2:4

The older I get, the deeper in my relationship with Christ that I go...
I am finding that I am less and less concerned about what other people think.
I feel a confidence in my decisions that is Him, in me.

Its not arrogance.
Or thinking that I have somehow arrived.

On the contrary, its only through being humbled to the reality of my inadequacies and Christ's sufficiency that I open myself up to the freedom of living under the one true King.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? 
Am I trying to please men? 
If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ. 
Galatians 1:10


No more serving the kingdom of "they."

What will they think? 
What will they say?


This effects everything:

My choices regarding my children...
My view of myself...
My relationships with others...
What I eat and what I drink...
My courage to try new things...
My freedom to quit things...
How I spend my time...

That's awesome that so and so does this and this...it doesn't mean I have to. Or don't have to.

I'm no longer accountable to them.
I'm accountable to Him.

This kind of freedom is just so...freeing.

The more intimate I am with God, the less intimidating people are to me. - Unknown

This getting older thing, well...maybe it's not too bad after all.

Friday, February 22, 2013

big



These were taken last week when Ella was really slow to bounce back from that stomach bug.
I think you can see it in her eyes...


As I was taking care of her last week, doing things like bathing her and helping her get dressed because she was so weak, it felt a little awkward and foreign...and I realized how self-sufficient she has gotten.

She still needs me, just not in the ways she once did.

She is completely recovered from her sick self of last week and back to her normal sassy self. She definitely has inherited her Daddy's quick wit. I fear I will be left in the dust by those two...

Shh, don't tell...but sometimes I tell her that I wish she wasn't so smart and to just go and pick her nose and watch cartoons.


Thursday, February 21, 2013

snapshot: upside down early literacy

It doesn't matter how many times I flip it over for her...she always insists on reading this one upside down?!

Monday, February 18, 2013

(not me monday, sorta) and most likely to be voted president


On this day of Presidents.

Of which I did not forget about and of course planned a creative and academically challenging school day entirely around this significant holiday.

Ahem...

I was thinking about my four children.
A common thing of mine, to do.
Four very different children.
Four very amazing, but very different children.

I wondered which one would be most likely to end up as president.

Ella, although aptly adequate at issuing orders, does not like the limelight...so I would have to count her out.

Ezra is a born leader who has yet to meet a stranger. However he dances to the beat of his and only his drum...so, yeah, he is probably out too.

Eli, flexible and friendly with a winning smile and the right color of skin to win the black vote is a pretty good option. And, he loves to dress up...so perhaps wearing a suit every day would not be too big of an issue for him. However, I am afraid his inability to treat serious situations seriously might prohibit him a bit from being taken seriously. Seriously.

That leaves Zoe.

Strong, a bit of a bully, and not afraid to use her big brown eyes for her advantage...yeah, she's a real contender.

Only time will tell...

I took this photo yesterday afternoon on my phone,
as I watched Zoe totally beat her sister and neighborhood friend in just dance.
Just Dance dominance first, then comes the presidency.

Friday, February 15, 2013

the end of the world and a valentines recap


It's the end of the world here.
Otherwise known as a stomach bug.

It was just Ella for five days...and we made the mistake of letting our guard down. Jeremiah and I were thoroughly enjoying our last episode of season 1 of Downton Abbey when we heard the splatter sound come from upstairs.

And come and come and come.

Seriously people, it was like the Armageddon of throw up.
For some reason after throwing up all over the hallway and our bedroom Ezra decided that it would be a good idea to jump into the bathtub and throw up in there too. All over the bathtub toys. Just for good measure, ya know.

I literally walked up the stairs and looked around and started hysterically laughing.

Its a better alternative to crying.

Back to Downton Abbey...
I had heard so much talk about it. Some friends love it, some friends think its boring...and I was just hesitant to even try it because of all the hype. But then we tried it. And we're hooked.

We had a lovely I love you day yesterday.
I love I love you day.
I'd even call it my #2 favorite holiday, behind Easter and before Christmas.

There is no pressure, there are no gifts to buy, no hullabaloo...just getting to be creative and sweet trying to express your love to those in your life.

Although I am rather sad that we have to cancel our romantic overnight date tonight because of the blasted stomach bug.

A picture of our lovely traditional valentines day breakfast...



Here's to lots of laundry today...

Happy Friday!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Beyond the Chocolate: A Brief History of Valentine's Day





Saint Valentine was a priest of the early Christians, who lived in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. Under Claudius, Rome became engaged in numerous battles which were very taxing on its army. In an effort to encourage young men to join the army Claudius issued an edict revoking marriages. I guess he thought that young men would be "distracted" by a family, and that outlawing marriages and engagements would free up the men to join the Roman army.

Saint Valentine didn't follow the law, and instead performed numerous secret marriage ceremonies for couples wishing to be married.

Of course, news got back to Claudius of Valentines rebellion and he was arrested. While in jail, he befriended the jailers blind daughter. Valentine prayed for her healing and her sight was restored!

On the eve of his execution, he wrote a note to her expressing his gratitude for her friendship and supposedly signed it, "with Love from your Valentine."

Saint Valentine was clubbed to death and then decapitated on February, 14th 270 AD.

And thus, St. Valentines day was born.

____________________________________________________________________________________

A far cry from the materialistic and chocolate laden holiday we have made it...Valentines Day is steeped in the greatest story of all...love. 

Love that our Heavenly Father had for us and ordained for us to express to those in our lives.

John 15:12

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 

May you have a love filled and love shared day!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

zoe elizabeth:18 months



8 teeth.
1 mullet.
12 hours of sleep at night.
2 hours of napping in the afternoon. (usually)
3 squares a day.
Dozens of "nacks" a day.



Loves babies, books, wrestling, and running away from me.
Is still dangerously at risk of becoming spoiled by her siblings because they give in to her every whim. 
Is in the 99% for height and 85% for weight. 
Yeah, on second thought...maybe her siblings are smart because she is going to be able to beat them up one day. Soon.
Can say lots of words...baby, Ella, shoes, mess, outside, night-night, cookie, poopie, eyes...
Can sing (the tune of) three songs...Clean up time, Shake Your Groove Thing, and You are My Sunshine. Don't judge on that middle one.


Lights up our world.
Every.single.stinkin.day...

Zoe Elizabeth,

     You are sweet and sassy and just plain awesome. It goes without saying that I love you! And I am really liking the you you I see emerging out of babyhood. I love being your Momma. You are nothing but blessing to all who know you. I still eat up those rare nights when you let me rock you to sleep...and I nuzzle the sweet spot of the crease of your neck and breathe you in...deep, deep, deep. 

Happy 18 months!

Always,

Your Momma

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Repost: Vulnerability

** I originally posted this way back in good ol' 2010. Very recently I had a day where I struggled with a disappointing situation and had to ask my kids to "pray for Mommy to have a happy heart"...and I was reminded again how vulnerability can be an invaluable tool in reaching the hearts of my children. **

"Pretending" to cry after Ella administered a shot to me at the Greensboro Children's Museum in 2010.  My vanity requires me to say that, yes, I was pregnant in this picture. 

As a mother you are given a front row seat to see the things your children are struggling with.

Ella may be all sweetness and smiles to her sunday school teacher, but I know her penchants for lying and manipulation. I know Ezra's struggles with self control. I know Eli's need for control.

And if I'm honest...I struggle too with the very same sin. Lying. Manipulation. Self Control. Need for control.

I've been thinking a lot lately on the need for vulnerability with my children. For me to not act as though I have it all together and that I've mastered all my sins in front of them. Because, they may not be able to verbalize it yet...but they already know my struggles. For they too have a front row seat into my life.

I'm in danger of parenting like a hypocrite when I don't acknowledge my very own vulnerabilities to my children. When I discipline and instruct without regard to the very own thing I have struggled with that day I run the risk of their forming a seed of bitterness for the sin I haven't acknowledged...even though it has been out to display for them to see. (And experience.)

Of course I am responsible for disciplining, training, instructing and I am not implying that I just forget about those responsibilities until I get all my act together(um, which will be never on this earth!)...but to add the aspect of vulnerability will only enhance my children's relationship with me and more importantly...their relationship with Christ.

Vulnerability in action when applied to parenting can be as simple as asking my children to pray for me when I am struggling with a bad attitude. Or apologizing for losing my temper. And not adding a big ol' BUT to that apology.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you...BUT you need to obey when I tell you to pick up your blocks."

Ella has this habit of coming up to me (when I am in the middle of cooking dinner, refereeing the boys, and the telephone is ringing at the same time) and asking me a question like: Can I color?

This is what runs through my head at that moment:

Um. Really? You are really going to ask me that?


This is what I say to her (usually in an exasperated tone):

Go for it!

One day a few weeks ago she told me "Mom, I really don't like it when you say that to me."

And I stopped.
And thought about it.
And realized I wouldn't like it said to me, especially in the tone I was saying it.

And I pushed back all my feelings of "I'm your mother, I can say anything I want to you. It's not like I told you no or something mean...I just said 'go for it'!"

And instead I apologized.
And told her that I would try hard not to say that again to her in that kind of a way.

I wish I could say I am always aware and intentional about being vulnerable and recognizing those teachable moments.
I don't.
But I'm working on it.
And my kids know it.

And that's the whole point.

Phillipians 3:12

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold for me.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Not Me Monday


I did not wait till the last minute and have to run out to wal-mart an hour before kick-off on Super bowl Sunday.

That would just be the stupidest idea ever, right.
Because everyone knows how crazy that place would be, with a line for the fried chicken wrapped all the way to the back of the store. Somewhat true story.

Therefore, I did not load up my cart with only the items written on my list and head to get in line.

And I didn't wait in line for 20 minutes...

And I didn't count up all the items in the carts ahead of me and wonder why the "15 items or less" sign seemed to be just a mere suggestion to everyone else.

Upon finally reaching the hallowed ground of the conveyor belt I did not realize that I did not have my wallet on my person.

I did not have to explain my situation to the not so happy with me cashier and leave my cart in the customer service corral and call Jeremiah.

He did not have to load up all four children and bring me my wallet.

And I certainly would have learned my lesson from such an experience and did not repeat the exact same scenario one week later at Target.

Yeah...not me. 


Friday, February 8, 2013

Homeschool: January 2013


January was a "beary" good month for us, pun intended. We were all ready to get back into a normal school schedule after so much time off over the holidays. Our brains were refreshed and we hit the new year hard! 

Our science unit included bears, hibernation, migration, and what animals do in winter. We learned all kinds of facts about the 4 types of bears, got to see two of the types in person during our field trip to the NC Zoo, watched documentaries, and made our own Eric Carle-esqe bears.

We incorporated geography and learned where in the world you can find each type of bear.



We did a day of gummy bear math...which I do believe was their favorite part of the unit, ha! Graphs, guesstimating, patterns, addition, division...a bag of gummy bears is full of fun math lessons!


Zoe's face when having her first taste of a gummy bear was priceless!

Our composer of the month was Frederich Chopin and we listened to his music all month long.
Our author of the month was Eric Carle and we all enjoyed his colorful books. Ezra especially loved his comb painting technique and tried it out a million several times during the month. 


We made sure to check out the Official Eric Carle website several times during the month as well.

We got together with other homeschool families one afternoon and made our own egg tempura  paint out of egg yolks and chalk, in the style of the early Renaissance artists like Boticelli, Giotto, and Fra Angelico. Fascinating stuff, I tell ya. You can look up how to make your own here.


Ezra's reading is really taking off! It is such an amazing thing to watch things begin to click in an early reader. He is into the 2nd set of Bob books and loves the beginning Biscuit books.
Ella was helping out and listening to him read one of his books for the day...and eating her oatmeal at the same time, ha!


I just started the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum with Eli and it seems to be a good fit for us so far!
The boys are both working on their counting to 100, and Ezra is mastering counting by 5's and 10's. Our homemade smart chart is used almost daily. 



The boys really love when we get out these big number cards. There are so many good activities you can do with them...put them in order, reverse order, find the correct number of cars to put on each card, jump the correct number of times in each card, etc. 

We seemed to have more than the average number of rainy, cold, wintery days in January and we were always looking for ways to not go crazy  fun things to do on days we were forced indoors more than normal. Homemade play-doh was a great activity for one such afternoon...
Lessons on measuring, fractions, and working together...hidden into a fun rainy day activity works for me. Although I'm still looking for a good way to get play-doh out of carpet...sigh.

Here's my favorite recipe that never fails and keeps for months:

3 cps flour
1.5 cps salt
2tbsp cream of tartar
3tbsp oil

Mix over medium heat until dough ball forms, then knead with hands on flat surface. Add food coloring or kool aid to color the dough.

And that's a wrap on January!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

thursday thoughts (a day early)


What, can I say...busy times around these parts.

Jeremiah and Ella made it back from their trek to Florida, bringing family with them for us to enjoy for the weekend! Enjoy we did...

We ventured to the park one afternoon for a mini-family photo session. Too cute are they, huh.
This week I have embarked on the great toy purge of 2013...



It consists of me dumping every single toy basket in the house into one big pile and meticulously re-sorting everything back into their proper homes, throwing away broken toys, and reuniting missing families. Let it be noted that Polly Pocket has her wardrobe back in order.

It does this body good to go through a toy purge.

It was motivated by tomorrows Kids Exchange consignment sale that I always sell and shop at. My mom and sister come down and we have a great big shopping party all day long. Love it!

I may or may not have come to tears as I sorted through the few remaining baby things...
Where did the time go?

The Lord listened to my plea for great weather to help occupy the children while I purged this week and man, we have tasted and seen that Spring is gonna be great this year. Zoe is at such a fun fun stage...





Happy Wednesday!