I can't blog...

at least not until I mop my kitchen floor.

This has nothing to do with neuroticism. This has to do with disgusting-ness. gross.

I'll be back to blog about my wonderful gift later today. It is AWESOME!!


gotta go find the scrub brush...

Where did she go??

I know, I know, it's been forever....

I actually have some pics uploaded, all ready to be posted and such...but I just can't find the time. I just spent a little bit of time checking my email and reading a few blogs - but it's now past lunch time and I gotta go.

When I actually stay away from the computer and the t.v. - I do so much work, I'm amazed I ever find the time to get on the computer in the first place! I am so busy cooking and cleaning and doing laundry and giving reading lessons and potty-training (yes, we are *still* working on that) and more cooking and more cleaning and well....you get the idea. I get to the end of my day and think "what did I actually get *accomplished* today?".

Luckily, it's summer time, so my little ones spent a good portion of the afternoon yesterday running through their new Slip~n~Slide. A fun time was had by all...and then they promptly devoured all my freshly baked strawberry muffins!! I was barely able to salvage three for my new momma friend in the hospital (baby #3 for her ~ congrats Brooke! She is a beautiful, sweet, little girl!)

Ok, time to go. Check back soon for some cool new items my dh brought home which I am SO EXCITED to share with you - lots of pics!!

Fun kitchen gadgets

I was getting bored in the kitchen - I was overwhelmed in general and just wanted to stay away from the kitchen entirely - that is *so* not like me. I like to cook for my family, I enjoy new recipes, I love cooking!

I feel like I am SLOWLY coming out of my overwhelmed-ness ~ and I recently got some new gadgets to get the motivation going again in the kitchen:

The cookie scooper - just a mini ice-cream scooper, that I use to scoop up cookie dough. Nice size cookies, all the same size, good for determining accurate baking time. And just oh-so-fun to use!!

My new little heart-shaped...uh...thingy. I first used it to make heart-shaped pancakes. My son took one look at his plate, *sighed*, then said "Momma, you *love* me, don't you". Yes, son, I love you THIIIIIIIIIIIIIS much!!

I just used them today to make heart-shaped eggs too. Cute.

Lastly, we just made up a big ol' batch of homemade french fries last night ~ in our new Cool Daddy deep fryer (Father's Day gift). Can't wait to put that to other good uses!

Anyways, just sharing. Have a great day in YOUR kitchen!!

Finding balance & contentment

*sigh*

oh, great....


I'm struggling to understand where the pendulum is swinging now.

I've been reading some more "liberal" Christian blogs lately. Some of them I agree with, some decidedly NOT. Some of my basic thoughts after a few days of sporadic reading (nothing scientific here, obviously):

It seems there are two basic "camps":
#1. the ultra-conservative, rule-defined, works-focused, highly-organized, run-on-a-schedule, complementarian, no-room-for-any-other-view type.
#2. the more liberal, Grace-focused, free-spirit, *intellectual*, gentle-mothering, working-mom, egalitarian, let's-all-live-our-own-lives type.

OF COURSE these are the extremes. There are numerous points in between these two extremes. I think I'm struggling to find a balance somewhere in all that. And I'm not alone.

Many of the blogs I have visited recently seem to want to dissassociate themselves from any particular "group", organization, ministry, websites, they don't even want to go to church on Sundays. While I'm not willing to give up my corporate worship, I can appreciate not wanting to build up walls around my faith, my beliefs - perhaps even trying to put God in a neat little box.

Yet I also don't want to fall the other direction: you know, the what-ever-works-for-your-family kind of thinking. There *is* ultimate TRUTH ~ it just may look different in each family (and probably will). I don't ever want to be all wishy-washy and unwilling to really stand up for Christ and my beliefs.


The other thing I see as I visit these blogs is a whole lot of "US vs. THEM". Now I usually visit conservative sites. Many of society's evils are blamed on feminism (ok, yes, I happen to agree to a large extent - sue me), so I guess I'm used to it. Yet in the more liberal sites I've been to, I was shocked to hear how they discussed "those fundies" (Fundamentalists). Now, I'm not saying I agree with the ultra-conservative, uber-Fundies myself. Yet as long as these people are following what they believe Christ has called them to, they are happy, they are choosing of their own free will, SO BE IT! If ladies want to wear a headcovering and be submissive to their husbands (much more quiet and sweet than many of us) - SO BE IT! Let 'em be!

If the more "grace-based" gals hate all those fundie rules, they are not required to hold those beliefs. Even if they read a site where a women holds the belief that a woman who wears pants is sinning - SO BE IT! If you wear pants, have you asked the Lord what HE wants you to do? Have you talked to your husband? Have you even given this subject any thought? If so, do you feel as though you are sinning? Ok, well, then, who cares what this woman believes? I respect those women who have such strong convictions, even if I don't happen to agree. At least they are trying to apply their Christianity to all aspects of their life. Better then the average, American Christian who simply thinks about Christ on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings and maybe prayers before meals and bedtime.

Yikes, ranting again....sorry....

Back on topic ~ can't we disagree without all this hate? That sounds so trite...but true. Yes, on some level I want the best friend who is really conservative, homeschools, wears mostly dresses, has a complementarian view (in church and the home) - yet isn't all prudish and serious and weird. Ahhh..... a girl can dream, huh? Yet God has placed DIFFERENT ladies in my life. More conservative, less conservative, even radically-liberal (*shudders*). I'm learning how to live with 'em, yet still hold my strong convictions. Don't want to let all that slide either...

So in the aforementioned pendulum, everyone seems to be seeking balance. Working moms want the world to know how beautiful their homes are, nutritious their meals are, how happy their children are. Ultra-conservative moms want the world to know they are not denim-clad, bun-wearing doormats. No one wants to be viewed as the unapproachable extreme.

What does it all mean ~ I have no idea. Should our blogrolls be comprised entirely of blogs EXACTLY like our own - same beliefs, thinking, lifestyles? Is that really what Christ wants UNITY to look like? Yet are we supposed to abandon are beliefs, our convictions?

Can I share that we really believe homeschooling is best ~ when you honestly believe private school is a terrific option? Or does that mean we judge each other secretly? If I wear skirts and you wear pants, can we be friends? At all??

I want to be confident, content and joyful. You don't have to agree with me. I'm not looking for other's approval. I used to - not anymore. I'm striving to live for Christ, so really, I should be worried about what HE thinks. If my relationship with HIM is strong, I want to relax, find that balance and love my life & others.

Is that so hard to ask??
What do you think?? Are you confident, content and joyful??

If you come to my house...

If you come to my house, and you think the floors perhaps aren't quite up-to-snuff in the cleanliness factor...well....there's a very good reason for this.

This little 6 year old heads up the vaccuum departments around here.

He is assisted by his 5 year old sister ~ she is in charge of moving any items out of the way and locating under-the-table dirt to be vaccuumed.

And this little man supervises.

So there ya go. If there's a little dirt in the corners, so be it. They *love* helping out!!

Like mother, like daughters

Before my children head off to bed, they are required to pick-up their rooms. At least put the toys in the toy basket and the clothes in the laundry hamper. So when I put my girls to bed the other night, their room was fairly clean and organized and picked-up.

Yet this is what I found later that evening as I peeked in on them before going to bed myself:

Obviously, they had a party before falling asleep. Hey, they were quiet ~ I didn't hear a thing!

And I can't really blame 'em. This is what my sink looked like that same night:

Like mother, like daughters...

I wish I could show you...

As of late, my children - the older two at least - have begun to show signs of wanting "privacy" while changing, or going to the bathroom, or taking a bath. Normal. Natural. Understandable.

I also think it's so cute!

Anyway....the other weekend, we were having a nice visit with some friends. The men had plans to put in a window air conditioner, the women had plans to....well...sit and visit (she's only a few weeks from having baby #3). The kiddos just wanted to play.

Once the air conditioner was in, the kids got a chance to play outside - HOT! The sprinkler was hooked up and they were good to go. We went inside to prep for lunch. The men head outside to get the grill going and yell that "you've GOT to see this!"....

uh-oh

When I step into the backyard, I see little naked bodies ~ and they are all *my* children! Even Isaac. I was shocked ~ and humored! They had found an umbrella and were all trying to hide underneath it while the water rained down on them. My friend's girls (5 & 3) were nicely clothed - but obviously mine found clothing completely useless and cumbersome.

*sigh*

And the pictures I got? Definite blackmail material when they are teenagers ~ I can't wait!

So, I wish I could show you the pics, but it just wouldn't be decent...



p.s. I *did* have a talk later about being decent and modest and CLOTHED for goodness sake.....we'll see if it sticks!

So what does this mean?

*sigh*

I'm not willing to align myself with any of the "groups" out there in internet-ville. I used to. I was all gung-ho. I was searching, I guess...

And it's not as though I believe these people (not just one group, many different sub-groups/ small groups/just one person here and there) deceived me nor led me astray. Not at all. They helped me find my way. I believe God has used each one to guide me.

I needed to go through the only-dresses thing. I'm mostly dresses now, but it's not all legalistic-crazy-like.

I needed to go through the quiver-full thing. I still may call myself quiver-full from time to time ~ mainly just to get my main beliefs about family and children out there quickly, although I doubt most of the quiver-full folk would accept me.

I'm super glad I found the anti-feminist groups, the homeschool groups, the women who taught me about godly submission to my husband, those who helped me understand how to *love* my children - yes, even while disciplining them. I feel VERY strongly about some of these issues, but it just seems wrong to sit around venting about it somehow.

Instead, I feel God calling me in a different direction ~ as though He is saying "okay Lori, I let you go through all that, I introduced you to so-and-so, you have thought through and talked through things enough. Time for living!".

Okay, God, I hear ya.

So don't get me wrong ~ I am *so* thankful for the more vocal groups out there, even the more "extreme" groups. I feel as though I picked through them with scripture, and found what God intended me to find.

I don't claim to understand it all or have all the answers now ~ hardly....but I feel like I have a good grasp on the basics. I have enough to get on with it already....

And if this doesn't make a bit of sense to you, that's okay. Smile and nod. Sure thing, Lori.....uh-huh. I guess perhaps it's just a blog about giving myself permission to not be aligned with any particular group, yet still feel confident enough to live boldly, with God firmly planted in the center.

Am I making any sense?

Not a Bed

Not a Bed.

Isaac read his first book to me tonight.



Granted, it took a LONG time to get through the book. (we took breaks every few pages)
Granted, there was a LOT of sounding-out of words. (over and over and over)
Granted, it was a story he already knew. (so I have no idea of reading retention)

But I don't care.

Isaac read his first book. He told me he was so excited. He asked me when we could move onto the next book. Isaac is excited about reading.

*huge sigh*

I'm happy~

Can it be??

Tonight was the first Wednesday evening of the summer session at church. All the children are promoted to the next grade on this night. So Isaac is going upstairs, to the first grade. All young kids, Kindergarten and younger, are downstairs. Once you hit 1st grade, you go upstairs with the "big kids". My little Isaac is *sooooooo* excited. He could hardly contain himself today, after his bath, as he was jumping up and down in my kitchen in his froggie bath towel (so cute!).

I, on the other hand, wasn't so excited. How could my little man be in first grade?? How could it be? Where did the time go? How could this happen to me? ME????!?!?!??!

*sigh*

Actually, Isaac is very sweet. He is NOTHING like most of the other going-into-first-grade boys at church. He is fairly innocent, which I am just fine with. There is only one other boy like him in his class, a shy boy named Nathan, who is also homeschooled. I'm going to have to make it a priority to give him opportunities for friendships with other homeschoolers. Of course, he can be friends with other public or private schooled kids, but it will be nice for him to have another hs'ed boy to be friends with as well.

ANYWAY, to get back to my traumatic story, Isaac heads off upstairs tonight. He looks so little heading up those steps......with his little chicken legs (luv you buddy!).

Come to find out, the summer kids program upstairs is for Kindergarten through 5th grade on Wed. night. So not only did Isaac go upstairs, so did Selah. ALSO come to find out, this is exactly how things were run last year.......SOOOOO....Isaac already went upstairs last summer. This is all old hat for him. I just have a terrible memory and forgot. oops.

So actually, I should have been crying over my sweet little Selah walking up that big ol' staircase this year. Instead, I was so happy to have them both upstairs together. Selah was super excited too!!

And just to clue you in as to how neurotic I actually am ~ it's not as though they are headed out into the "big unknown" upstairs all by themselves. Their dad is the Children's Pastor, for goodness sake. He's right up there with them leading the music.

*sigh*

It's just that they're getting so big....

I'm determined to take them to the beach a million times this summer, read a gajillion books, paint toenails and make mo-hawks with hair gel, run around outside chasing them on their bikes and just enjoying them. They are getting big WAY TOO FAST!!!!!!!

Go enjoy your chillins~