Candy for Sale!!

Have I really been reduced to this? If there is one thing I have learned in my first two years of homeschooling (and yes, I know we haven't even gotten to the hard part yet), it's that there are as many effective teaching methods as there are children. The real benefit of homeschooling is that you can take the time to sift through all of the experts theories until you find the ones that work in your home.

And sometimes you just have to make it up as you go!

Oh, and sugar talks.

To hold my kids' interest during school, I devised a little plan that has worked wonderfully for us.

For every right answer (we go around in a circle and the kids answer in turn), they win one ticket. For every wrong answer, the older girls lose one ticket (I know, it sounds cruel, but they really get into it).

At the end of our ten to fifteen minute lesson, the kids can take their tickets (they usually have four or five) to the candy store! Or, they can save them and combine with them with good behavior tickets to buy something later in the day.

If you're thinking I've been officially reduced to bribing....

Well, you'd be correct.

Whatever works, right?

Ahem.

Right This Minute?

What are you up to right this minute?

Stop. Drop. Snap.

$15 + $15 = $30

Last week I spent the most I have ever spent on my kids' clothes. And I don't mean the most in one shopping trip. Oh no, I mean...the most I have ever spent in a year...maybe ever. I really don't think that is an exaggeration. We have been so blessed with tons of (almost too many!) hand-me-downs, and generous grandparents who come through for Christmas and birthdays, that new clothes just haven't been necessary.

But after a month of "Ahhh! You don't have any shoes! Your pants are too short! Where are your socks?!?"I decided that something needed to be done.

Is it just me, or is it so much easier to dress kids for warm weather than it is when socks and pants become necessary?

So, I bought three pair of $5 Family Dollar tennis shoes.


Yes, we actually did buy six shoes. One always seems to be missing.

And then, the main motivation behind my shopping spree....

Three pair of $4 Wal Mart girls' tights, a package of lace trim and a spool of elastic thread. I cut the feet off the tights to make leggings and matching socks!



And we were all very happy with the result.

Romance

"Do I stink?" he said as I leaned into his stiffening shoulder and breathed deeply in.

"No," I said, slightly perplexed, "You smell like....you." And as I took a second breath, I was transported back in time, to a time not transcending pain, but before it.

My eyes were tired and heavy. I had a cold that I hadn't shaken since the moment I stepped on the plane. I had fallen asleep, and I startled when he pounded roughly on the motel room door. My heart beat wildly, and my chest and face flushed instantly. I quickly surveyed the immaculate room before racing to the door.

He waited with his head down. He always waited with his head down. I pressed myself against the door, nervously peering out. I tried desperately to spot something, anything that would distinguish this man from a million other Jacksonville Marines.

The moment he heard the chain fall gently against the door, he rushed in to hold me, whisking me away. With no hope of calming from familiarity, for there was none, my heart raced on. And as I held on tightly, my feet high above the floor, I breathed him in.

"What are you thinking," Papa Bear asked.

As I snapped back to present day, to our bustling home and the warmth of a crackling fire, I could only think to say, "I don't know when it happened. I love smelling you again."

And I don't think he understood, but he smiled like he did.

I Love Being Here

I know I've mentioned before my startling lack of social busyness. I now have one thing that I do, without my family, once a week, and that is going to be a huge adjustment to my schedule. It's not that I don't like people, because I've actually never met a person that I didn't like (once I knew their story). Oh, I take that back...I can think of three people. Four!

I'm working on it.

It's that friendship is a big deal to me. I don't really do acquaintances, and I've found true, deep, lasting friendship can be very hard to come by.

I love to laugh...obnoxiously and loudly. It's what I do. But what happens when I don't feel like laughing?

I've never gone a whole day without talking about the Lord. But who can I talk to when I'm not feeling very spiritual?

Being a mom is who. I. am. It's the air I breath, second to the Holy Spirit. Where do I go when I want to reminisce single life, and when I'm feeling a little sorry for myself for my lack of new (as in the last five years) clothes?

If I don't have to check my mood before answering the phone, I know I am talking to a real friend.

Papa Bear tried to plug an old phone in last week...a phone without caller ID. I responded in horror, "I will NEVER pick up that phone!"

I'm real. I just don't feel like I can be real with everyone.

But there is one place I can always go (besides the arms of my Savior). No matter what my mood, interest or idea, I am able to pour it out without much fear of repercussion.

High on my list of blessings, things God has given me that are more for my benefit than anyone else's, is this blog. And it's only great because you read it. Because you hear me when I'm feeling poetic, and at least attempting to grasp my potential as a writer and communicator. And you love the two line stories about my kids.

You're part of our dinner conversations.

I stay up till three a.m. to e-mail you back.

I pray for you while I'm cooking dinner.

I keep up with your blogs.

Papa Bear asks about you and my kids can match your profile photos with your names.

In the last six months, about twenty of you have written to say, "I just read your whole blog!" About half of you have said, "And I cried the whole way through!" While the other half has insisted, "I just could not stop laughing!"

And I feel completely understood.

We're strangers, most of us, but we're friends. I love being here with you. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Hey, Colorado!

I just wanted to let y'all know about a great event happening this Saturday in Colorado Springs! Stephanie is a good friend of mine, and if you have the opportunity to hear her sing, you do not want to pass it up!

Cause she's amazing.

So, Colorado Springs, don't miss Stephanie's upcoming Benefit Dinner & Concert. Proceeds will fund More than Music's Emily Stone, as she works to rescue South African women caught in prostitution and human trafficking.

When: Sat., Nov. 7th @ 6PM

Where: Pulpit Rock Church West Campus
(301 Austin Bluffs Pkwy Colorado Springs)

A light dinner will be served. Spend the evening with Emily and Stephanie, and feed your souls as well. Be blessed. Be a blessing!

Advanced Ticketing: $10 per ticket; kids 12 & under free
Tickets at the Door: $13 per ticket; kids 12 & under free

Send an e-mail to joysplash101@yahoo.com to purchase your ticket before Saturday.

Also, tune in to hear Stephanie and Emily share the heart behind this mission on KTLF with the morning crew, Jerry and Lynn, this Friday 7:45 AM.

Because I'm Crying

And you might want to know why.

Bibity Bobity Boo

Oh boy, are there some great one-liners in this house. I intend to blog about every single one, but no matter how funny they are, my brain somehow manages to lose most of them.

Well, not today. Today Cuddle Bug gazed at her hand in wonder. It was covered in glitter, which probably means that she stuck it into my diaper bag (where Sunday School crafts go to die).

"Tiny Dancer," she spoke softly, "Look at my hand." Then, she looked around to be sure that no one was watching her, and she anxiously whispered, "I think I'm turning into Cinderella."

Great, maybe I'll finally get a little help around here.

Satan is Not Omniscient

If you've read the title of this post, you don't really need to bother with the rest. Satan is not omniscient. Just let that sink in for a minute.

This afternoon I was wandering through my house, not aimlessly, but not hurriedly either. My mind was fixed on the circumstances we have been, sometimes barely, surviving these past few months. My heart beat calmly and steadily as I thought about our uncertain future, and how proud I am that my marriage is stronger now than it has ever been before.

Then it hit me, like a lighting bolt of crystal clear revelation, "Satan meant this trial for our absolute annihilation!"

That does not mean that God doesn't have a better plan. And that certainly doesn't mean that our current trial is not a direct result of past choices. It simply means that Satan saw an opportunity to completely destroy us, and he ran with it.

"But why would he..." I paused; and then it hit me, "Oh, snap, Satan is not omniscient!"

Don't you just love those moment when the things you have always known become the things you really know?!

The enemy of our souls does have a plan, but he cannot see the end of it. And though he swings with pointed blows, they are directed only by our past behavior and have nothing to do with our future.

The lover of our souls has a plan. He has already seen it fulfilled because He is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. He has a sea of forgetfulness for our past, and He is only interested in our eternal future...

Which starts today.

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

Kidterview Tuesday - Sleepy Girl

Alright, I almost did forget to interview Bay Bit today, and when I remembered she had just woken from an unplanned nap. Please excuse her grogginess. :)

Weekday Breakfast

Do you really drink a banana and flax seed smoothie every morning?

Why yes, yes I do. Actually, I was hoping that someone would ask me that question, because it's something I'm pretty passionate about lately. Yes, I'm officially old. I just used the word passion about a high-fiber breakfast drink.

Papa Bear loves to eat, and I love to cook (and eat). Dieting is difficult for me. Even when I am able to muster the willpower during the day, my husband walks in the door determined to tempt pamper me.

"We just like eating together!" he whines. And he's right; we do. Which I guess is why, when he fixed my cup of coffee last week and I requested, "With skim milk please," he thought it was perfectly acceptable to top my coffee and skim milk with a dollop of whipped cream.

Saboteur!

But all kidding aside, dieting isn't great for my marriage. I'm not as inspired to cook if I'm not planning on eating, and I really do miss sharing late night snack attacks with my husband.

There are certain meals I can reasonably control, and certain meals that pose much more difficulty. Instead of fighting the battle all day long, I have chosen to be strict, rigidly so, with my weekday daytime meals, especially breakfast.

This is why I custom created a live culture (lowfat plain yogurt), calcium and minerals (skim milk), fiber (flax seed), and vitamin (banana) smoothie.



No, it doesn't taste great.



But I hit my goal weight this week.

Whose Story?

From time-to-time, I experience the slightest sensation of self-pity.

That's sarcasm, a really thick layer of it.

Papa Bear and I have a wonderful life, and I have very little, if any, regret for sticking with him. But I do, on occasion, wonder why God put me in Papa Bear's story, instead of the other way around. At least that's how it seems at times. I like to think that God gave me to my husband as a rare gift, but that self exaltation often leads me to thinking of myself, and the exciting plans I had as a girl. And I think, "Hey God, why didn't you care about me enough to plan my story?"

I believe, or I have believed, that God gave me a special heart, one capable of forgiving the unforgivable in an extraordinary way. But today, and thanks to the Jesus Storybook Bible, I am humbled. My eyes are wholeheartedly removed from my story, and they are firmly placed on His.

The story in Second Kings chapter five is Naaman's, right? It is the story of how Naaman was healed. It is the story of how a stubborn, prideful man was healed by bathing in a dirty river his obedience to God. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything very beautiful or miraculous in that story. That is, not until today.

There are many unnamed people in the Bible.

Have you ever felt like one of the unnamed?

In Naaman's story, there is an unnamed slave girl, a girl who is, in my newly enlightened opinion, far more important than Naaman. Her forgiveness is an example for the ages.

For a brief moment, think about the one person who has done you the most harm, physically or emotionally, in your whole life.

Wow, that didn't take you very long.

Now, imagine that this person developed a tragically mutated case of H1N1. They're in the hospital, packed in ice with a Old World style fever.

What are you thinking right now?

Perhaps you are softening a little bit, picturing them lying there like that. Or maybe, just maybe, you are imagining that their imaginary illness is a result of their horrible behavior. Christian. Karma. Take that.

The slave girl in Naaman's story had just that opportunity. And this precious young girl was not being faced with an insincere husband or a thieving business partner. Do you think that she attributed Naaman's leprosy to the fact that he, more than likely, was responsible for wiping out her entire family and taking her as his slave? Do you think she took some pleasure in his suffering?

Because she was a human being, albeit unnamed, I imagine that she did. But whatever unforgiving thoughts she had, she must have given them to God. Because she arranged for her enemy's healing.

I wrote a post awhile back about exercising the mind. I have recently heard this step-by-step referred to as practicing forgetting. And I believe we have the power to dwell only on the thoughts that are from God for the benefit of our souls. But if we truly want to take part in God's story, I think we need to take it a step further than that.

We need to voluntarily pick up our crosses, instead of having them thrust upon us. We need to think less of ourselves, no matter what the circumstance, than we do of others.

We need to arrange for our enemies' healing.

Deflect

As my children grow older, the kind of parent I am changes, to some extent. I want them to learn how to make good choices on their own, without my looming presence. But while they are little, much of my parenting is simply deflective. When they set themselves on a course of destruction (i.e. pulling all of my plastic ware from the bottom drawer in the kitchen), it doesn't do as much good to say no (although I believe that is important) as it does to sit them down, to deflect their interest, with a more appropriate toy.

Ultimately though, my parenting will prove successful if my children are set on a path from which no one can deflect them. It is because of this that I believe child training has to be more than deflection, and that I must be training my children in right from wrong, and how to tell between them.



Wanna play Scribe Scuffle?

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a post using the word of the month. Any time from the 1st through the 31th, simply write a post, appropriately cramming the WOTM* into as many places as you can.

*Word of the month

Place that month's Scribe Scuffle button (the code will change each month so please check my sidebar for the latest version) at the bottom of your post. Then come back and leave a comment with the location of your entry (so I can read your post and link you to the main list). I'll pick a winner by the first of the next month, and then we'll start all over again!

And yes, there will be a prize.

I'm just not gonna tell you what it is, yet!;)

deflect –verb, to turn aside, especially from a straight course or fixed direction.

Mama's Losin' It

Today is definitely Monday. No doubt about it. I dragged myself out of bed once all the children were awake. I ate three chocolate turtles and pounded a reheated cup of coffee for breakfast. I didn't even bother making myself a banana and flax seed smoothie (my usual weekday breakfast). Because after three turtles, what's the point?

At this moment, the kids have all been banished to different rooms. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not above blaming them for the rottenness that is this day. But yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not their fault.

What goes wrong on days like this? Is it that I didn't get enough sleep again? Is it that we are being attacked after having a productive family meeting last night? Is it that I have too much to do and not enough hours to do it in? Is it that I had sugar for breakfast?

Truth is, it's probably all of the above. But here's where I struggle, because I do believe His grace is sufficient, even on days where I don't look like I know Him. If I blame my mood on my lack of sleep, I'm probably not going to feel better until I have a nap (which won't happen until next weekend). If I blame my mood on a spiritual attack, it might lead me in the right direction, but it also allows me to feel a little too important, and it completely negates a testing phase. If I blame my mood on my looming pile of laundry, I'm not going to feel better until every last sock is matched. If I blame my mood on sugar, I probably won't feel better until I make the right choice tomorrow morning.

I think the point is not why I'm losing it on this blaringly sunny Monday afternoon (the sun really annoys be when I'm in a bad mood), the point is just that I am...and that I shouldn't be.

Because this is not who I am.

So, I don't know how your Monday is going, but I'm putting mine on hold. I have six kids and a Bible that are in desperate need of my attention. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Announcements

We are almost always too late to church to hear the announcements, that's completely irrelevant to this post; I just thought I'd share. I understand what it feels like to be out of the loop.

Want in? In case you've missed it, here's the loop...

Papa Bear and I vlogged last weekend. It was our first official vlog, since we both agree that Baby Bear's birth video doesn't really count. But speaking of Baby Bear's birth, if you're interested in purchasing the song that is playing in the background, you can now do so straight from the YouTube video. Of course, you can also purchase it straight from Jared's site (Jared and Megan are expecting their fourth child any day now, and we are super excited for them!).

Are you interested in seeing more vlogs (i.e. The Mama and Papa Show)? If you are, just e-mail us with your questions and show ideas.

Yes, I do know that October is over, meaning I officially skipped a month of Scribe Scuffling. I'll be back tomorrow with November's word. We are currently working on our huge Christmas surprise, so we haven't arranged a prize for this month's Scuffle. If your etsy, or other business, would be interested in a little free PR, just let me know.

The Make Merry gift swap will officially start on Thanksgiving Day. If you have a blog, and you would like to show off your domesticity, I'll put up a MckLinky so that you can post about your creations before you wrap them up and send them away. Hopefully this will give of us all a chance to glean new ideas for Christmas, before it's too late. Of course, no one will know what gift they are getting until it arrives in the mail! Fun!

Thank you to everyone who has so eagerly spread the word about Kingdom Twindom. You have until Thanksgiving Day to earn an extra entry in our Christmas contest. One bonus entry per blog or household.

That's it for now.

P.S. I love you all. And I think I can now officially say, "Happy Holidays!" The roaring fire in my fireplace is rapidly melting my Scroogeness.

Fun at the Fall Festival

Yes, Cuddle Bug was held up (by a very tiny skeleton) at tonight's Fall Festival.

Not to worry, though. She gave him her candy and everything turned out fine.

Lil Prince hit the school principle in the face with a pie.

Well, sort of.


The girls watched in awe (and horror) as their dad worked as the jailer.

Baby Bear put up with us.

Tiny Dancer made sure everyone had a good time.

Cousin Pink was the prettiest Snow Princess ever.

This little girl was the cutest lady bug ever, ever, ever.

This was the grossest cake ever, ever, ever, EVER!

Our neighbor's boy was a leggo (spider web optional).

Cuddle Bug had her first Coke (funny, I make that exact same face).

Sooper Swoop was DARTH.


And all in all, it was another great night in the best small town in the world.