I want to get back to the character discussion here soon, but I wanted to take today to enjoy some blogging on the light side.
I love the funny things that kids say, and it seems like nearly every day mine come up with something hilarious. Here are a few from the past week:
* A very sweet couple from our church took Ben to see Spiderman 3 on Sunday after church. The movie wasn't starting for a while, so they told Ben that they would run to grab a bite to eat and a root beer. Ben's face got very serious, and he replied with, "Oh, no, I don't think I'm old enough for that!" Bless his heart, he didn't realize root beer wasn't alcoholic! When I talked to him later at home, I told him how proud I was of him for drinking something else just because he thought he'd be doing something wrong. He told me, "Mommy, I just didn't want to try it because I know when you start a habit like that at a young age, it's harder to break when you're older." He was so serious about it that it took all I could do not to laugh again. I was definitely a proud mama, though.
* We went to two graduations this past week (our good friends Ryan and Starr both graduated- we are so proud of them!) and we ran into a former professor of mine, who is now retired. We were discussing with the kids that he no longer taught, and when Ben asked why, Lily replied, "Remember? He got tired!" LOL!
We went back by his new office Monday morning to visit him before he left for London for the summer, and we told Kate that we were going to visit Dr. Doty. As we were parking, she asked me, "Mommy, is he going to give me a shot?"  In her mind, that's all she remembers about doctors!
* And my favorite from the week... We have been reading books about dinosaurs lately. During a family walk after dinner last week, Kate heard a noise and ran for her daddy, yelling "It's a dinosaur!" I thought this would be a great time for her to show her Daddy what she'd learned. I asked her what the name of the dinosaur was, thinking she would say a T-Rex, or a stegosaurus. Instead she looked at me without blinking and said... "Charles!"
I have no idea where she got that one. I don't think she knows anyone named Charles!
It's true, laughter really is the best medicine! |
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May. 1, 2007 Cars have doors too!
As a homeschooling mom, I've realized that there are few opportunities to really get to know your children better than riding in the car together. It can be so much fun to listen to their conversations with each other. I think I will always remember the song our two-year old made up while riding to pick up our new van. (To the tune of "Mary had a Little Lamb"...."Jesus gave us a new car, a new car, a new car!") And I can't forget my most favorite car memory ever- Ben accepted Jesus as his Savior while sitting in the car with me and his sisters, waiting for Daddy to get off from work. I can't even explain the emotions of getting to pray that prayer with him!
But at the same time, it seems that being in confined spaces together can quickly give you a peek at your children's shortcomings. I've found that there's no better to way to see my childrens' true character than to see what boredom brings out in them. Yesterday was one of those days...you know, the ones where it feels like an effort to get back in the door, send the kids upstairs with strict instruction to not make a peep, and just collapse and stare at the ceiling fan?
Over and over last night Deut. 11:20 kept coming to mind, "And you shall write them on your doorposts..." Of course, we read the Bible and do character studies at home, and we take our children to church every Sunday. But then it hit me- cars have doors too! And while I'm not going to take that literally and take a Sharpie to our new van, I am going to use the time we have in the car together to continually work on traits such as gentleness and kindness.
Here are a couple of the ideas I had:
* Keep the radio on Christian music- it's amazing at how quickly children pick up on the innuendos in secular music!
* Listen to audio tapes with honorable characters, and discuss with your children what Biblical traits they heard. I think that the analogy of the "character house" in Little Britches is perfect for this!
* Pull over to take care of squabbles right away. I'm so guilty of the "Oh, just wait 'til we get home..." mentality. But I don't need to wait, I need to get it taken care of right then. It's much harder to be a consistent parent if you have to rely on your memory.
I'm sure there are more! If you all have any ideas, please share them with me!
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Apr. 25, 2007 This is what it's all about! Apr. 24, 2007 Things that get striped in the night!
It started out as a great homeschooling day... While Jonathan was at the doctor's office, we opened up our new Math-U-See materials and had a blast! Even little Kate was counting along. They did a wonderful job with the lesson, and Lily continued to play with the manipulatives while I got lunch ready.
She brought me in "cupcakes" for dessert!
When Kate saw that big sister was getting her picture taken, she had to squeeze herself in.
Well, a good morning blended into a good afternoon. Kate went to her room for quiet time, and Ben and Lily were angels for me while I listened in on Jill Novak's preview chat for Cindy Rushton's Homeschool Expo 2007. That was some much-needed refreshment! I gleaned so many good, usable ideas for teaching my children to love writing, building and recording family memories... I could go on and on. But I won't. 
I was finally able to get everyone tucked in while Jonathan was at class tonight. But soon after he came home, I realized there were strange noises coming from upstairs. Hmmm... I peeked inside the girls' room, and I saw Kate sitting on her toy box. Naked! Oh, but that's not all. She had completely covered herself in stripes from a dry erase marker that Lily had snuck upstairs!!! You know, when someone told me I would be taking pictures of the strangest things just to post on my blog, I never imagined this.
I handed her off to her Daddy, and went rummaging around under the sink for something to take the marker off her brand new furniture, which my grandfather had just finished building for her! Luckily I found something that worked, and by the time I came back downstairs less than 10 minutes later, this is what I found:
I decided to let sleeping tigers lie! I pulled a t-shirt over her head and put her to bed. She's going to have to have a loooong bath in the morning though.
Totally off-topic here, but for all of you that are curious, I finally snapped a pic of our new van!
Here's hoping for a good, boring day tomorrow!
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Apr. 23, 2007 Boy's Day Out/ Girls' Day In
While us girls hung around the house today, the Anderson boys had an old-fashioned boys' day out. Jonathan and Benjamin went fishing together with one of the deacons from our church. They both rose at the crack of dawn this morning...why is it that a fishing trip suddenly makes that alarm work so much better??? They didn't catch much- 5 bluegill and a log- but Benjamin found the head of a pickax, which just made his day. You know boys.
Now back to us girls! It's funny, but I never thought I would be the type to enjoy just staying at home. I love to be on the go, to visit, to talk. (Was that an Amen I heard?) But lately I've been learning to enjoy just a simple day at home. Maybe moving out into the "country" more has made me appreciate the pleasures of a simpler, slower life. I love the smell of laundry fresh from the line. I love having birds right outside my window. I love seeing my marigolds grow a little more each day. Yes, that's right, Mamaw, I haven't killed them yet! I still have plenty of time, though...
I pray that each of you will take some time this week to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of God's creation. If you've found a way to share some of that with your family, whether outdoors or in, I'd love to hear about it!
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Apr. 22, 2007 We're driving a casserole
Yeah, I know, stick with me here...
Jonathan and I have just been so excited over the blessing of our van that we've been sharing our story with anyone who will listen. (And a few that probably didn't, but that's okay too.) As you can imagine, we've heard lots of reasons why God might have chosen to bless us. And although they all may contain a grain of truth, I think it all boils down to one simple premise: God met our needs.
Sure, there are things that we have done that are "good," a few even "admirable" in the world's eyes. But have we done enough good to outweigh the bad? Not even close! We are so unworthy of blessing, and yet God blesses us because he loves us. He doesn't do it because he owes us anything. As Romans 11:35-36 states, "...and who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen."
If we look to the choices that we've made to explain God's loving-kindness to us, we've got it backwards. He gives to us out of the overflow of His love, not as restitution for the feeble sacrifices of ours.
As Jonathan and I were talking about this, I said, "It's a lot like feeding your child dinner. Whether he's obeyed you with a cherub smile the day long, or whether he's told his Sunday School teacher that Daddy said the deacons have their heads on backwards, (true story, BTW!), when dinner-time comes, you're going to feed your child dinner. Not because he's earned it, but because he needs it. And you have it to give. This time, though, God didn't make us a peanut butter sandwich, he made us a casserole!"
In true Jonathan-style, he turned and said, "Yep. That proves it. God's Baptist!"
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Apr. 19, 2007 Jehovah Jireh! My provider! Apr. 18, 2007 I get to do it all!
It seems like everywhere I turn these days, I get a little reminder from God to be thankful. I know how trite it sounds, but each of us have so many things to be thankful for. Of course we have our good days and our bad days when it comes to homeschooling, but in the end there is so much I would miss if my children weren't at home with me during the day. It's easy for me to be overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, but when I change my frame of mind I'm excited about the things I get to do!
I get to sit down and share books as a family.
I get to see the wonder on my daughter's face as she blends letters into words.
I get to catch my children being kind to one another...
...And I get to remind them how when they forget.
I get to make sure that what they're eating is at least recognizable. (Unless Daddy cooks...)
I get to teach them skills they will need throughout their life, such as picking up after themselves, doing their own laundry, and cooking meals.
I get to see how excited my son gets when he gets a question right on Jeopardy.
I get to enjoy the outdoors and God's creation through their eyes.
I get to pray with them when things get rough throughout the day.
And I get to see their relationship with each other grow closer and closer each day.
It's days like this when I'm so glad I get to do it all! |
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Apr. 17, 2007 Construction Zone
You know, I wouldn't have picked today as the day that I would say, "Hmm... I think I'll start a blog." Today was a flurry of activity- fixing dinner to take to a fellow homeschool mom, attending enrichment classes (an hour away!) through our homeschool organization, explaining to my 2-year old that Jesus didn't fall into the water- He was being baptized. And yet somewhere in the midst of all the hustle and bustle I realized that maybe someone, somewhere, could benefit from knowing what it looks like to homeschool in our family. (And I'm sure my mother and mother-in-law would love to see pictures of their grandchildren more frequently!)
So, until next time, slap on a hard hat, this is a construction zone!
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