After much deliberation and indecision, I've decided to jump over and move my bloggy home to blogspot.  I toyed with opening and running two blogs, but I don't think I can come up with two separate strands of material.  Well, if I weren't a mom of six I could write all day.  But...with my limitations as they are, I think one blog will do.  I hope all of my wonderful friends here at HSB will note my new address and keep me in the loop by visiting as often as before!  Many folks who comment here seem to be real life friends and family for whom the change of address doesn't mean much, and some blog-friends are already at Blogger.

Homeschoolblogger has been a wonderful and safe "neighborhood" for sharing ideas and gaining encouragement through blogging for the past two years.  I'm so grateful for the folks who established and run this community. 

So without further ado...here's the link to the new....Painting the Memories of Home.  And for those who've already visited that site, I actually changed the address since opening the blog so the address includes part of my blog's name.  So update your links.  Sorry for the confusion.  And come on over for a visit! 

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So here we are...all eight of us plus a short term nanny sleeping in THREE bedrooms.  I've refused to complain regarding our coziness so far.   At least I think I have...maybe I've tried to avoid complaining.  Or just thought about not complaining.  I mean, it really hasn't been bad...up till now.  But can I just say, I think I blocked out the whole baby-crying-at-night thing?  No, I take that back.  Actually by the time all our other kids were Charis' age, they were out of our bedroom and were sleeping soundly through the night, because we quit getting them up to nurse at a certain point at least by 16 weeks or so.  Connor slept 12 hours straight at six weeks old and never wavered from that.   But Charis has been waking up MAD as all get out several nights in a row. 

 She KNOWS we're there, and isn't pleased. 

Out comes the orajel, out comes the Tylenol, a little nursing (for the sake of my poor husband who has to fly or something)...she usually goes right back to sleep.  I'm sure it's teething.  She's relatively happy all day long.  But last night and the night before she cried a loooong time.  It's not  a sad whimpering kind of cry either.  It's a yelling, angry cry. 

And it's LOUD. 

And it's at the foot of our bed. 

 And the closets are not the walk-in variety.  Josh finally got up and moved her porta crib...yes she's still in a travel sized pack and play because there's no ROOM for a bigger crib!!  Anyway, he moved it into the bathroom.  Everybody in Hawaii sleeps with their windows open, and even though ours are closed, I know the neighbors can hear her because they comment when she's had a rough night!  I ought to pass out complimentary ear plugs with an apology note attached. 

So here's an SOS for prayer.   I know sleepless nights come with the territory of babies.  But I refuse to be a human pacifier.  At least I generally reject that sort of pacification.  I have up till now anyway.  If I introduce the whole family bed thing, I know I won't sleep well.  But maybe it would be quiet.  Just thought you might like to know how I'm dreading bedtime tonight!  Here we go...

With mmm!-lovin'-that-baby aloha,

Christa

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Once we headed up the elevator, we walked down a hallway and entered her door.  I was immediately drawn to the main wall of her living area.  There, hung unframed and casually,  were dozens of large 11 x 13 sized pictures of scenes from her life including her with her children, her grown children, grandbabies now grown.  It was like looking at the Bayeaux Tapestry, for me.  I was transfixed!   As I asked about the people on her wall, I discovered she’d outlived 2 husbands and had lost her daughter-in-law to cancer.  Her only son is a widower in his forties.  In the corner of her room sat a high back chinz armchair with a book open on the stand next to it.  Albums of genealogy lined her bookshelves.  A tall rubber plant commanded the center of attention in her little den.  While out on her patio, evidence of an avid "green thumb" was visible.  She wore swingy pale pink linen pants and a crisp cool white blouse. She is tall with sparkly blue eyes and a lovely face.  Her silver hair was pulled up in an elegant low inverted bun, reminding me of how I imagine Jane Eyre had hers. 

 On her small kitchen table were a teapot, cookies and Piroulines.  As we sipped tea she shared bits of her life’s story as I asked questions and tried to simultaneously keep Charis from eating the dirt in her potted plants. 

 So what’s the point of all my sharing this?  I don’t really know for sure except that, I think I (perhaps “we”) naturally tend to seek friendships with people that are similar to ourselves.  We like to find someone with the same age kids, same beliefs, same ideals, same standards, and tastes; someone who affirms our point of view.   And those people are of course so encouraging and precious to us.  But to discover someone so completely out of my sphere of normal friends who just inspires me is, in a nutshell, surprisingly refreshing!  I realize I’m typically pretty self-centered when I’m making friends.  And in trying to be a friend to someone who may be somewhat alone or lonely made me reach beyond myself.  It felt wonderful to know I had brightened her day immensely by simply sitting with her and having her share about her life and revisit her memories.  A simple visit can mean so much to someone living far from their own family.   

But our time together just did amazing things for me too.  For one thing, it helped me see beyond my days as a wrung-out mother.  Someday there will be no more droolly chins to wipe or sibling quarrels to referee.  I’ll get to have an apartment all to myself, a whole thought to myself!!  Ha-ha!  No, really… It made me feel glad that I’m choosing to stay home and invest in the lives of my children rather than a career for myself right now.  Lord willing, there are more seasons to life down the road!  "Lina" is in her golden years, looking back on all the memories she made…days at her beach-house on the North shore, years spent in England, time spent teaching grade school in Hawaii, traveling in Tunisia.  She’s lived a rich, lovely and totally different kind of life than I.  She loves the Lord too.  Someday I’ll be in her shoes…and be looking up at the memories of my home and life all condensed on a wall, joy mixed with sadness. She made me want to live with no regrets.  And she made me want to visit her again and hear more fascinating stories from the novel of her life.  Reach out to an "unlikely" friend...and be stretched, deepened and surprised. 

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Aloha...wanna see inside a volcano crater?

  We piled our gang up for an excursion up Diamondhead one weekend recently.  It's the large, extinct or dormant volcano at the end of Waikiki.  We'd heard that during summer it's not only crowded but also quite a hot hike.  So the "winter season's" cooler temps and blowing tradewinds made the day just right for going up the crater and checking out the view of Honolulu and the ocean below. 

Here's a great view inside the crater with suburbs of Honolulu beyond.

These stairs and passages lead to a military "pillbox" which was a lookout during WWII.

Up a winding staircase...

Still climbing...here's my beautiful friend Michelle...

Hannah, our visiting nanny, and I.

Right behind us there were two whales out in the ocean that we observed surfacing for quite a while.  Notice the curvature of the earth...isn't that cool?

On the way down I enjoyed checking out some more of Hawaii's unusual flora...I didn't research so I could share the name of this tree with you.  But, any experts can comment and let me know.  I call it Seussian.  I am convinced that Dr. Seuss must have spent time in Hawaii gleaning inspiration for his illustrations.  Don't these ball thingies look like they belong in Who-ville?

Baby C...with improvised head-dress for sun protection.  A little sahib? 

Suza...obviously B.S. (before scissors)

Topping off our picnic lunch with a good old-fashioned tree climb.

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First of all, I haven't gotten my edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, but I'm excited to supposedly have gotten a little "day in the life" type article published in this spring edition, which hasn't yet made it to my Hawaiian mailbox.   So to those who've stumbled across me through the article and are visiting for the first time, I want to wish a warm "Aloha!" and welcome to Painting the Memories of Home. 

My original purpose of the blog was to record our days for friends and family, and hopefully encourage other mothers and home schoolers on the often arduous path of mother-teacher-hood.  Anyone who knows our family, knows that each day is not without a myriad of challenges and elements of chaos.   So if I painted an overly idyllic portrait of our home school day, know that we have to correct and train and "bear with one another" just like everyone else amidst mistakes, messes and well...just LIFE! 

I started this blog in February of 2006 with a debut entry on creating memories in the home...at that time we were enjoying life rural Ohio and had five children.  Now the military has us in Hawaii and a sixth has joined the mix. 

In regards to home schooling, I have come through waves of doubt and found so much encouragement here at HSB.  I chronicled my story of discovering home schooling here, here, and here.  

So that brings you up to speed on on us...but the latest is the hair saga, triggered by my three year old's shearing of her own  head.  (see previous posts)  And I confessed to somehow jumping on the hair cutting band-wagon and having an impulsive week of hair changes myself.   I regret most of everything I've done to my hair this week, but what's done is done, and I can't whine about it.  It felt therapeutic to change.  But I don't love the result right now.  Oh well.  Hair's hair.  The tricky thing about hair styling here in Hawaii is that there is so much humidity in the air that no matter how much I flat iron or style it in the bathroom, my hair just absorbes the moisture in the air and poofs out. 

With much aloha,

  Christa

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 I took her to Fantastic Sams yesterday to see if they could create some sort of camouflaging pixie cut.  She sat very soberly and penitently.  I told her I loved her no matter what.

Modeling the Donald Trump Combover with 2 strands of hair that escaped the shears.

Still sweet...I guess the silver lining on all this is that it's given us occasion to have some good discussions about  "Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."  Most important is having a happy heart for Jesus. 

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 The News bulletin: 

Superstar nanny arrives to Dittmar household for a six week internship in domestic and home school management. 

 Family hikes Diamondhead State Park trail to impressive overlook.  Sites whales…very cool.  Picnics in the now grassy crater.

 Boys get haircuts.  Suza feels left out.  Releases her pent up jealousy on her own head, sneaking mom’s hair cutting scissors from bathroom.  Shocks mom in the kitchen.  Mom’s five second long inhaling gasp calls forth entire family.  She looks like a Tibetan monk or a little Jewish boy.  All the hair behind ears remains; top of head shorn like a sheep.  Yep, it’s bad. Suza remorsefully tells mom, “I forgive you, mom” about twenty times. 

 Mom secretly envies Suza’s freeing statement of self-expression in lopping off locks, and follows suit.  Three inches shorn off mom’s hair (starting from the bottom however) accomplished by her own hand 2 hours before Bible study arrived in home.  The risk was significant, but irresistible. 

Pictures to follow...

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Here’s a little peek into Hawaiian living for you.  We drive down a main road through town at night--a busy road, mind you--and have begun to notice that Hawaiians seem to like to hang out in their carports.  Sometimes its just a couple people vegging out.  Sometimes it seems to be the whole Ohana (family).  People party there. The carport is like a sort of extended living space.  You’ll see card tables and chairs set up under fluorescent lights and people gathering around them.  And we’ve seen tons of TV’s, even nice large flat screen TV’s mounted up in the corners of the carports.  Why do you suppose this is? I mean, when I want to relax I want to be in the back of the house, away from the noise of the street, revving car engines and dog-walkers. Since we live on a busy street right now, the front of my house is not a relaxing place to me.

The other day we took a drive out into a more rural road to check out some homes we could see from a distance.  And when we got up close we discovered they were mega-mansions, elegant villas on lots of land with commanding views of the valley, the Ko’olau Mountains and the ocean.  As we drove past one , what do we see but two people sitting in chairs—at this point you can guess…in their carport.  Well, actually they had a six-car garage, but the fact remained in that gorgeous place with patios and balconies and sprawling golf-course style lawn, they were still sitting out in the garage.  !???!  What is it with the carport?  We just chuckled.  Tonight I found our two kitchen barstools had migrated into the carport, where husband and son were having their chimichangas and Frescas.  …We must be assimilating.  

   Now if I can just be sly enough to get a photo-journalistic type picture to add meaning to this post....hmmm.

So where do you like to relax the most?  And tell me, why do you suppose the folks here like to hang out in their carports?  The breeze?  To people watch?  To ward off burglars?  Is this cultural?  Why don't mainlanders do it?  Or do they in your town? 

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I’m sitting up swatting mosquitoes and reflecting upon the topic of our Bible study tonight that my husband and I attended.  The group leader asked us if anyone is experiencing any suffering (in the context of looking at the new church in Rome during Emperor Nero’s reign) and all I could answer in my mind was “Yes, I’m teaching long division to an artistic minded third grader.  Does that count?”  If I make it through this little era I’ll definitely get to add some sort of patch to my home school mom vest.  Aren’t those invented yet?  We should get to earn them like scout badges…like “I survived teaching diagramming sentences.”  “I made it through long division with my daughter and she’s still living.”  Yes, she’s making me work, this one.    I guess I was a little spoiled with my first son.  Everything came so easily to him, I knew I was skating through without really having to teach or explain much.  He just “got it.”   But I suppose in the end, this will be rewarding, like the feeling you get climbing Mt. Everest or one of Colorado’s 14-ers or giving birth without an epidural.

Am I alone here?  Granted we’ve only been doing this a few days and the process will come with repetition, I know.  Have you been on the verge of tears (or past that verge) of frustration wanting your child to "get it?"  I remember standing nervously at a chalk board in 3^rd grade hoping desperately I’d know the next step in long division.  So as my inner anxt built up over trying to help her "get it" days ago, and my volume was getting louder, my tone more urgent,  I realized she was shrinking down in her chair looking sheepish and self conscious.  Great, I know kids can't focus on the concept at hand if they're cowering and sensing mom's about to lose it!  I gave my mind a flashback of standing in my own little shoes in my old classroom with my fearsome teacher to give me patience, understanding and gentleness!  I said earnestly, "I do remember how hard this was at first!  I know you'll get it!  I'll try to be more patient with you."  When we left the table, she hugged me and said, "I love  you, Mom." 

 I decided she and her next older brother need way more drill, so at the beginning of our math time the last few days I bark out “four times nine!” and see which child can answer it first.  As I work through the facts, I keep a tally on the white board and award m n m’s at the end.  Do you have any other good tips for me? 

In reading news, we’ve just finished Treasures of the Snow, which is just simply a jewel of a story for children with its themes of forgiveness and redemption.  It’s by Patricia St. John, and my mother read it to me when I was a girl.  Isn’t it funny how we want to repeat the things that were significant to us from our childhood?  If you haven’t read it, you must.  It makes a lovely winter read as well, since it’s set in the snowy Swiss Alps and just begs to be read sitting by a wood-stove and accompanied by steaming mugs of hot chocolate.  Granted the wood-stove is out of the question for us, but with a cool evening in the upper sixties we did manage a night with the hot chocolate!  All three of my older children (ages 11, 9, and 8) were captivated and all three caught trying to read ahead, which is absolutely TABOO.  But inwardly I am secretly thrilled that they are so hooked on the story that the “labor” of reading is worth the effort to them to quench their curiosity for what will happen next.  This, in my humble opinion, is one of the most important steps for kids in the journey of reading that many never hit on their own and it’s what helps kids become good readers and spellers and also learn reading comprehension effortlessly.   So many workbooks and texts are trying to get kids to be good at reading comprehension, when the comprehension will come as kids gain fluency in reading and being read to aloud… from compelling books! 

Time to sign off and head to bed friends! 

With warm alohas,

Christa

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Well, if you've been following my mini-saga of getting my life under control, you know I've been trying to get our chore system overhauled.  I'd ordered Managers of Their Chores by Teri Maxwell, but it took me over a month to actually read the material, and set up the nifty chore-packs.  For once in my life I wasn't skipping to the middle of the book, I actually read it all first.  And now I'm doing the happy-mom dance.  Can I just say...I speak about 100 fewer words in the morning now???  And this is really nice, because I like to be a quiet morning person.  The kids with their little chore-packs on are like little quiet robots (OK, not really robots--that sounds rather impersonal, but they're doing what their chorepacks say!!) going about their to-do list routine.  I'm NOT asking, "Did you make your bed?  Go get dressed.  Brush your hair, have you fed the dog?  Don't forget your dishwasher unloading.  You're breakfast dishes today.  Will you take out the trash?"  So far so smooth. 

I set the packs out in the morning.

Inside each chore-pack is an individualized list of that person's morning routine and a chore or two...

For pre-readers (or kids who just like the pictures) they have this pictorial version.  You can customize and choose what picture goes in.  Each card is numbered, and after they do the first card, they slide it to the back of the pack and do the next thing. 

The chore-pack clips onto the clothing as a to-do list that goes with them. 

While reading all the way through the book wasn't absolutely necessary, Teri Maxwell has written a thorough treatise on the virtues and value of chores as a key ingredient in bringing up children to be competent adults.   Our life just is running a little more smoothly having the family engine run on teamwork.  Another plus is that the kids know what to expect. 

While I heartily recommend the Maxwell's material, the little badges can be found at Office Depot, and one could easily write down on some cardstock with pen your own list and not spend the money on their package which includes the book, 4 chore-packs, the cardstock and access to creating your personlized chore library online with the software they've developed.   The software took you through all the steps pretty easily.

Now our chore success isn't guaranteed.  I know I have to follow up and do quality assurance checks.  Cuz these kids are way too smart.  They'll ditch the packs in a heartbeat if they figure I'm too lazy to tell them what to do and too lazy to check if they did it or not.  So, I'm not out of a job all together.  But my job's definitely a little nicer!

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Why do public school educators and administrators think a home-school mother would be an unfit person to chair the board of education?  I think it’s great!  In this article, we have a wonderful example of someone in South Carolina who cares so much about her children’s education, that she’s willing to take charge of it herself AND she’s willing to still invest her time and energy in the welfare and interests of public school education as well!  What you’ve got here is a super example of someone who REALLY cares about education.  Apparently the question is raised, “Is she qualified to be on the board?”  Would her time home schooling somehow nullify her ability to be a good chair?  My own father, a retired Navy commander, was president of the board of education in our hometown for many years…and there was a year or so in there that he home schooled my own sister.  Was he unfit to serve as president because he brought his daughter home to learn?  Not remotely.  You have an outstanding person who’s willing to serve the public as well as do what’s right for their own children.    

Before home schooling my own kids, I taught public and private school children.  When my journey in home schooling is all over and my own kids grown, I may be back in the education arena again myself.  Why?  Because I have a passion for kids getting a good education (my own included.) 

What you really have in this circumstance is the fear among her critics that this “right wing-conservative”  home school mom will use her position to bring balancing (the left wing liberal agenda) influence to South Carolina schools. 

"While she does read the material and come prepared, she represents an extreme, right-wing view," warned former State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. "She looks at every decision by the board through a right-wing lens."

horrors! 

May she succeed…I say BRAVO!! 

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Happy New Year Everybody!! 

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere where people are such backyard/ driveway fireworks fanatics.  They've been going off all day long and are sounding solid here at 11PM.  My theory is that Hawaiians don't spend as much money on inter-state vacation travel, so they go all out on fireworks.  People here light fireworks on just about every holiday and for several days leading up to a holiday.  Funny thing, we didn't stay up to watch "the ball drop" on TV --it happened for us at 8 PM tonight!  After we got home from playing games and having fun, I sat out on our hammock with Micah and Connor and we asked each other our New Year's resolutions while watching the various sparkles over the town and their reflection on the canal water.  It was a gentle and sweet moment together cuddling under the blanket. 

Here are some of my goals for the new year...

1.  Know God better this year than I did last year.

2.  Be more patient with the little things in life that don't matter in the long run.

It's your turn...what are some of yours? 

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Last night we watched one of the new movies I got the kids for Christmas.  Really Christmas was an excuse to buy a lot of movies I've always wanted!  Christmas in Conneticut, A Muppet Christmas Carol...I think partly because we so seldom take our whole gang to the movie theater (#1 because the price to take our fam is almost prohibitive even to a matinee and #2 because there are so few redeeming and acceptable movies that make it to the big screen.)  SO, we watched this Vision Forum movie last night.  It was kind of a gamble since I'd never even heard of it.   

I think my oldest son and husband were gearing up to be bored.  But it was a pleasant surprise, both of them really enjoyed it.  It's one of the San Antonio Christian film festival winners and all of our kids were giggling and grinning at this high quality "home-made" movie.  There was a sincere message wrapped up in the scenario of a family on vacation whose car breaks down outside a floundering B&B.  The youngest son, imaginative and funny, stumbles onto the host family's big secret...a supposed treasure left by a deceased grandfather.  There's a second movie (lighthearted and funny) and a documentary on the DVD, making it a good deal all around for the $18 I paid for it.  I don't know about you, but I feel it's so refreshing to find movies that are neat and funny and not full of things that push the envelope for young viewers. 

Here are some pictures from our Christmas morning...

Being in Hawaii, I thought a Ukelele (Hawaiians pronounce it Ookelaylay--)  would be fun for Josh.  Now we're all humming "Buffalo Gals Won'tcha come out tonight...come out tonight..." 

Don't ya love Suza crossing her leg? 

I think he likes his new toy...since he hasn't come to bed till late every night so far. 

Our sweet six month old...

So who's ready to start school again?? 

I am!  But, I definitely need a teacher workday.  That's one thing I miss from being a "regular" school teacher.  You had two whole days every so often to sit in a completely and gloriously empty classroom with your planner and books and just figure everything out with your cup of coffee, then hang out with the other teachers for a potluck lunch in the teacher's lounge.   I need to petition the principal of our school for that little bonus, yah? 

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As I was playing hymns the other night on the piano, I ran across this one--the words of which energized me with inspiration and its words of wisdom.  I love hymns, old and new.  I especially liked the middle stanza.  It goes to the tune of Be Still My Soul. 

A Christian Home

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,

Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide;

Where every child is taught His love and favor

And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified;

How sweet to know that though his footsteps waver

His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,

Who always place their hope and trust in Him;

Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,

Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;

A home where each finds joy in serving others,

And love still shines, tho days be dark and grim.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever! 

We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care'

Theri bonds of love no enemy can sever

If Thou art always Lord and Master there:

Be Thou the center of our least endeavor--

Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.

PS:  our Christmas day was sick-free!!  Thanks for the prayers! 

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All I want for Christmas is a sick-free house.  I'm awake again at 2 AM, because 2 of the kids are sick with a stomach bug that's hit our family.  Bummerrrrr...  The who's-been-sick score is 3:3.  Three kids hit, three to go!  Grown-ups 0:2.  One by one our calendar plans for the weekend are getting scratched.  I really would hate to have to miss taking Sophie to the Nutcracker tomorrow afternoon!  And the kids are in the Christmas musical Sunday morning at service.  So if it occurs to you to pray for us, please do.  

My optimistic man is always one to seek the silver lining to counter my Eeyore-ish thinking at times like these.  He reminded me that at least we're not living in an era of history where we have to fear the plague.  (insert Holy Grail-man on stretcher scene: "I'm not dead yet!")  I suppose he's got a good point.   One thing about ministering to sick kids is that it awakens new tenderness and compassion towards one's child who is suffering.  I am thankful for that.  It reminds me how there's nothing so comforting when you're sick as a tender mother's soothing hand or even just her presence.  How well I remember that feeling with my own sweet mother. 

The other opportunity sickness brings is that of serving joyfully.  Hauling multiple loads of bedding to the laundry each day has given me ample options for where my spirit will dwell:  grumbling versus serving cheerfully.   The added little bonus to the "opportunity" is that my washing machine is making this really LOUD "REEK, REEK, REEK" sound that you can hear from anywhere in the house.  It sounds like the soundtrack to a horror flick when it agitates...(not that I've seen many horror flicks in my life) but you get the picture, right?  I guess calling a Maytag serviceman should be at the top of my to do list, since the sound is driving me nuts, and the laundry must go through!  (We did have one handyman out to fix it who declared he couldn't.) Ah, the refining fire of motherhood!  It takes my thoughts to one of my favorite passages in James:  James1:1-3...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

How easy it is for my joy to be stolen away in a given moment by little insignificant things like the irritating sound of a messed up washing machine!  And then I stand back mentally and think of people in India and South America and other places taking their laundry down to the river to beat against a rock...or refugees with no home at all.  I chide myself to keep my thoughts in check,  "Boy are you spoiled!!  Where's your grateful spirit? You HAVE a washing machine!  You have an abundance of precious children to change sheets for!"  Shall I not receive the trials in life as well as the good?  I am so grateful for my family that I get to serve.  I am grateful to God to have the means to care for them, food to feed them with, clothes to clothe them, a home to shelter them in, a healthy body with which to serve them.  So many things to be grateful for.  We have a pretty tree up with sparkling lights, and gifts from loved ones tucked under it...

Will disappointed plans and a flu virus wreck our joy?  No way! 

Well, I hear the baby stirring...

Here's one picture of her.  She just started sitting up this past week. 

With merry alohas,

Christa

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Mele Kalikimaka cousins!! 

Just a quick update, since I promised myself I'd vacuum the floors while kids are at Latin class this morning.  This weekend we baked sugar cookies and decorated them.  This is one of my favorite events of the year, even though I often have to muster the energy for it, since it inevitably turns into a day of large quantities of flour needing to be wiped from every far corner of the kitchen and a multitude of pans and cookie cutters to clean.  But it's worth the fun results.  One year, before my own children were old enough, I orchestrated a baking day for some special neighbor kids in Maine.  It's truly a blessing from the Lord to now have my own little crowd of children to do this with.  "A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul..."  (Proverbs)  This was probably Suza's first real year to do it...she's wearing her apron she calls "Maker-baker." 

So here's where the story gets interesting.  While letting all the freshly decorated cut-out cookies set, I put Suza down for a nap...Jamie finished up his decorating.

I took a picture of this tray of cookies below,set them on the dining room table, and sent Jamie to his room for his nap.  When we came back to the living room after nursing the baby, more than half of the tray of cookies was GONE!  We quizzed everyone.  Two kids were at church, two were in their beds, the baby was with me, Connor had been reading a book, and Dad was "helping" Suza with her nap.    No one had been near the cookies!  And I had only been away for ten minutes!  What child could have eaten all those cookies that fast?  And left not a crumb?  As I studied carefully the tray of remaining cookies, I saw half the frosting of one cookie had been licked off.  That seemed strange...why would the cookie still be on the sheet with half the frosting licked off??  And suddenly I heard Shamgar, the dog, burp loudly! 

Josh couldn't believe it and was sure Jamie had swiped them, but he even analyzed Jamie's teeth for evidence and there was none.  Plus I'd put him down in his room myself.  THE DOG SWIPED about 10 cookies including the giant stocking in the middle!  The minute we turned our attention to him he tucked his tale and looked for the exit.  GUILTY!!  He's no dummy.  Jamie started crying because his favorite cookie was gone.  And even though I'd washed up all the cookie sheets and cutters already, I couldn't bear to have half our cookie supply evaporate and everyone disappointed.  I made another batch. 

In the end, everyone was smiling, and on a major sugar high from licking frosting.  Shamgar was banished to the backyard for the afternoon.  He knew he was in trouble.  He behaved adequately meekly until bedtime, and if he could have repented audibly, I believe he would have.  He seemed sorry.  I guess if you look at it on the bright side, they must have been tasty! 

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Well it's one of those crazy nights that you wake up and can't get back to sleep.  Does this ever happen to you?  I know I should just stay in bed and lie there till I drift off, but once my mind starts going full speed thinking, it's impossible for at least an hour.  So why not blog, yeah?  (That's a Hawaii-ism.  Natives ask or state everything with a "yah?" at the end, sort of like Canadians and their "eh?" At Jack-in-the-Box:  "you want fries with that, yah?"  Yah!)  Well, I digress.

Why am I up?  Tonight was our squadron Christmas party and as we draw near to the Hyatt in Honolulu, about a block away my husband gets a phone call...and all I overhear is...'terrible news for you..."  When I hear that, I sort of leap to awful assumptions and was practically in the drivers seat with my husband as I craned my neck to eavesdrop on the important call--wondering who had died.  Josh was on "the ready."  The ready means a plane is on standby to help in a real-life emergency.  Apparently a boat was about 300 miles out at sea taking on water...sinking.  And they rarely actually launch the ready.  The coast guard couldn't get there, so my husband's crew was called.  The "terrible news" meant he had to turn right around (miss the party) and drive back over the mountains to the other side of the island to fly out in his plane and assist in a search and rescue (SAR)!  So my hero pulls our car up to the valet parking, lets me off, still on his cell phone, and drives off.  OK, then!  Suddenly with 3 minutes notice, I find myself on date night solo!  Wouldn't you still go to the party?  I mean, as a woman, you plan these outfits IN ADVANCE!  You just don't bail when you've gone to all that effort to shed the mom-denim and sneakers, right??? 

So, I had fun anyway and got a ride home with friends.  I just couldn't be bummed at the party, because I was so proud of the fact that my man was out there on a real emergency mission helping rescue some guy who's boat was sinking!  It was thrilling and suspenseful all at once, knowing that someone was out in dark ocean waters waiting for his plane to show up!  My bedroom door creaked open around 3 AM...and I peppered him with questions.  They found the sinking ship and radio'd a  nearby ship to come pick him up, while circling above to make sure they didn't need to drop a life-raft.  Here's a night vision picture of the vessel in distress...

So that's my excitement for the day.  I have my very own RESCUE HERO!  If you have boys...insert the fisher-price theme song excerpt, "Rescue Heroes!!--Global response team."  Isn't that just cool?

Now it's five AM, and the sky will lighten shortly.  Do I even bother going back to bed?  And what will I do tomorrow--I mean today--with my going-to-be-tired self?? 

OK: Next day update:  Josh clarified that the ship on the right is the Panamanian freighter  that they called in from 20 miles off to help with the sinking forty foot-long trimaran, which you can barely see (look for the mast) just in the lower left half of the infrared photo here.  Apparently the man was rescued successfully.  He was sailing alone...kind of bizarre, I thought, for such a large boat.  And I'm still running on 3 hours of sleep...BEDTIME!!!

NewsLink: MSN Story and Coast Guard Link. 

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Hey Everyone!!  ALOHA!!!  and Happy Thanksgiving!!

The family is here.  It is sooo cozy to be with my parents and sister.  A balm to the soul!!  They thought twelve days would nearly be too long, but they're realizing it's practically too short!  With so many great things to do on the island every day has been packed with great adventures like snorkeling, boating, swimming, visiting beaches, taking scenic drives, watching the winter swells and great surfers on them, and dining at those favorite restaurants.  We took in the Macademia Nut farm too, which was neat because it is part of a ranch where lots of Hollywood scenes have been filmed.   We hadn't seen 80% of the movies our tour guide showed us the sets of.  But we sat around the fire ring where lots of "Lost" has been filmed and saw where they filmed the big open valley scene in Jurassic Park. 

So this Thanksgiving found me with bunches to be thankful for...six precious children, great memories of family life growing up with my parents and sister (and brothers even though they couldn't be here), and super friends who came over to make our feast complete.  I set my table out on the lawn under the mango tree.  But when an afternoon shower came, we moved it to the lanai.  I had meant to order some sort of fall floral centerpiece, but with all the touring around that bit slipped my attention.  So at my smart mom's suggestion, I gathered up a colorful bunch of flowers from our own lawn and felt quite pleased with the Hawaiian arrangement in the end.   My inner "Martha Stewart" was clicking her tongue in chagrin of what "could have been" if I'd been a little more detail oriented in the earlier stages of planning for the day, but I promptly pushed her away determining to stand content with what simply and  wonderfully was.  I was short several matching glasses, and even a few dinner plates.  That's just what your dish cupboard is like after 12 years of marriage and six kids I guess.  Martha would have taken care of that last month.  I spent a ludicrous amount of time searching the house for an antique key that opens up the lock on the door of the antique buffet in my dining room, in which was kept the tablecloth I planned to use.  I finally found it in a school what-not box in the homeschool closet.  Yikes!!  I was walking around the house searching before everyone arrived and finally prayed, "Lord, please show me where that key is..." and the next spot I looked, it was there!  Now would it fit the long table??  Ah, yes,  the tablecloth was long enough!  

Our guests began arriving around 2 o'clock.  Concentrating on the meal as 9 children found each other and excitedly ran off to play was wonderful and a challenge!  Had to squeeze in nursing the baby too!  I, as the hostess, had a turkey panic moment, when he was supposed to be done at 2 PM, but wasn't ready until 5 PM.  Ok, so I  guess that was like a turkey-3-hour-panic.  I don't think I started his defrosting journey early enough.  Three days in the frig and in the sink overnight wasn't enough!  So he cooked from 9 till 5 and was still juicy!  I was worried he'd never get done!  Fortunately for us we really liked all our guests, so adding three hours to our fellowship time wasn't so painful.  The kids were thrilled with that!  And what kept me from totally freaking out was that my mom was here, a hostessing veteran of many a blessed gathering in our old Pennsylvania kitchen.  Merely her presence gave me a peace that she'd make it all come out OK.  And it did.  The food was sublime...the fellowship joyous...we relaxed around the table till late.   

Tell me about your Thanksgiving...what was the best part?  What was the craziest part?  If you didn't have a crazy part, come to my house next year!!!  Here are some pictures of my sweet family and friends...

My wonderful parents...Clay and Marty

My dear mama and her daughters

Sister Joy at Paradise Cove Luau

 Our fun thanksgiving guests...the best of pals

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I enjoyed all the chore feedback and still haven't had time to make my chore chart.  Pretty sad, huh.   Thank you so much, everyone who took the time to give input.  It was really inspiring to read the different modes of chore-life in various homes.  Our kids are so capable!!  Chores build self-esteem and life-skills.   I used to have a chore chart printed up and hung on the frig, then on a whiteboard...in Ohio the whiteboard was always safe, but somehow here it gets smudged and that's not so helpful when Mom's trying to remember who's doing what.  Sometimes I suspect the smudges aren't so accidental!! 

We've had the kids help ever since they could throw their diaper in the trash can for Mommy.  Usually sorting the silverware out from the dishwasher is the entry job into chore life around age 3 or 4.  Jamie has that job right now.  My oldest has graduated from dishwasher duty since now he takes on some occasional babysitting for me. 

But my kids are very helpful when I ask them to do things.  They have willing hearts, so that's a big step in the right direction.  Currently the oldest three are responsible for unloading the dishwasher, taking out kitchen trash, collecting the house trash from wastebaskets, and bringing their laundry to the machines.  I've had "laundry helper" be a rotating week-long job.  Feeding the dog and turtle are also in their realm of duties along with wiping bathroom sinks and counters.  My eleven year old can clean a bathroom reasonably well, but I usually only ask him when company is coming over.  Every night, one child is dinner helper.  That person helps mom chop food, stir, or make a salad and set the table.  It's a fun opportunity to pass on cooking skills as well as "bond with Mom."  Sampling the cuisine, testing out spices and other little perks make this a time that's seen as a privilege rather than an onerous task.  And after each meal, one person has that meal's clean-up duty.  I usually am doing a good bit of it alongside that child.  So what I really want is for each person to go on auto-pilot and do these things without the reminding, but I suppose that's asking a lot right now.  I'm going to try the "Chore Packs" by Managers of Their Chores. 

On regular life notes...my parents and sister are coming to visit for the first time!  We're so excited!  They haven't seen baby C yet, so this will be their first introduction to her.  I was feeling a little worried about having them stay in my little 3 brm house that will bring the number of sleepers to 10 under its roof.  But I spoke with a woman tonight at Bible study who grew up here in Hawaii with 13 people living in her childhood 3 brm-ONE-bath home in Honolulu.  Her parents and siblings all slept in one room, her uncle and aunt and children in another and grandparent & cousin in the third bedroom and an uncle slept in the parlor.   This "Ohana" (meaning family) style of living has been a way of life here in Hawaii.   So that puts some perspective in my thoughts.  Sometimes I feel I'm so spoiled and don't even realize it.  What I feel like I "have to have" to be comfortable.  As we read in 1 Peter tonight, "Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear..."  It's good to remind myself that I shouldn't try to get TOO comfortable, since this world is not my true home.  Well, I digress...after a few nights with us, they'll stay in a cabin on the beach. 

Homeschooling will go on pause as we catch up on island field trips and explorations.  I will surely have some good pictures to post in the next few weeks.   We're definitely ready for a break since we've been going strong since early August.  Although the "driver" and "thorough" personality in me is fighting that somehow.  For all of you getting to experience fall...I'm envying you right now!!  We miss the leaves and colors...the change.  It's so bizarre to be in place that isn't really changing! 

With lots of "aloha,"

Christa

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