At our house, the 4th of July is important.  We start on the 3rd, decorating the dining room with red/white/blue streamers, American flags, crafts, etc.  We recite the pledge of allegiance with our right hand over our hearts and ceremoniously carry our outdoor flag around the driveway before placing it in the holder on the wall.  We also say a prayer, thanking God for our freedom and all those that have fought for it, including those who are serving our country currently.  I started doing this 5 years ago when Chad was 5 and now it's tradition.  I don't remember being taught the pledge, you just sort of grew up doing that in school.  So I try to remember to teach our kids so they will know what to do at public flag ceremonies and such.  We discuss all the history that revolves around the 4th, the songs written, things that happened.  We play the soundtrack from The Civil War film by Ken Burns.  Chad plays patriotic piano and/or euphonium music.  This is all done informally and the kids look forward to it.  Tonight, we went to a free (yea!) patriotic concert that the local orchestra puts on and had a great time.  Chad's grandfather (and music teacher) plays tuba so it's extra fun to attend.  The folks behind us commented on how well our children behaved.  What a nice thing to hear!  As I type this (11:50 pm) I keep hearing serious fireworks and this is just the 3rd!  Tomorrow we'll make a pizza shaped like the flag for lunch, local parade at 3:00 pm, barbeque chicken for dinner, our own fireworks after that, then at 10:00 pm we'll go watch fireworks shot off a barge on the river downtown!  Yes, it's exhausting but it's only 1 day and it's all fun and free (except the fireworks my husband says he MUST have!)  I heard the kids discussing how they can get more candy at the parade thrown at them!  This is the only part I really don't like about the 4th; when did people start throwing candy at kids during parades?  This didn't happen when I was a kid.  I inspect anything that makes it home and they get 2 pieces a day!  (Mean Mommy!) 

The point of all this rambling is I'm glad we have gradually, over several years, made this day a fun tradition and educational - without them even knowing they are learning.  I've pared it down to the things we enjoy and are meaningful and I don't get overworked or stressed.  I've let the kids take over many things that I used to do myself so we all get involved.  It's all worth it.

And just to make our day more exciting, my husband took the big test today to determine if the state will make him a registered nurse.  When he left today, I had absolutely no feelings about it, which is a good sign.  I left it up to God.  He called me sooner than expected and said the test was over; he believes he passed (judging by criteria too complicated to go into!)  After all the prayer that has gone into this, I really believe it, too.  We will find out for certain by Thursday at the latest.  We are a bit stunned but God has called him to this path, has cleared the way at every step and now, has rewarded my husband for all the effort he has put into it.  Why are we always surprised when we see God at work?  We are loved so much, we can't even begin to understand the depth!  I'd best be off to bed - long day tomorrow!