Europe, Day 3, part 2

I am already getting behind in my blogging.  Ack.  So, yesterday we had plans to go to Volendam, a touristy historic village and then head to Amsterdam where we would go on a canal tour and then to the Van Gogh museum.  As with most well-organized plans, things go a little awry.  However, it turned out to be a great day.

We encountered a bit of construction detour that basically made our trip about twice as long as it should have been.  One neat thing we saw off to the left of the car was that biblical/sized model of Noah´s ark that everyone sent me in some circulating email a while back.  We didn´t stop, like I would have liked, but honestly, it was HUGE, even from a distance.

However, we finally parked and walked to the water front of the village of Volendam. Old, it is.  Touristy - YES!  Think a bit of Myrtle Beach on steroids, but in historic buildings.  It was maybe not what I was thinking, but still, a nice place to get souvenirs, watch the Dutch eat their national treat - raw herring with onions, and get a cup of coffee on a terrace.  The kids were happy because they got ice cream - 3 cones for Sadie alone (thank you, Oma).

The van we rented is quite large so it made for interesting and ultimately prohibitive travel throughout the streets of Volendam.  Therefore it took a bit to get to the car to head to Amsterdam.

We arrived in Amsterdam by doing the one thing Jay said he didn't want to do...drive through the city center.  We lucked out, however, and found a parking spot.  It was just south of the Central Station which is also near where you pick up the canal tour.  When we got out of the van we realized (rather Jay and I' that the red light district had expanded just a little bit and we had parked in an area that included a couple of window ladies.  We walked the opposite direction with our heads down to the canal tour.  Along the way, we also encounter quite a few interesting smells.  Those that know Amstersam know that marijuana is legal.  Consequencly, it is a haven, in some parts, for those that enjoy this. I was waiting on the street with Lily for the others to catch up and Lily and I had move where we stood, less we get a contact high!

We boarded the boat and away we went learning all about the architecture and history of Amsterdam.  It was a beautiful weather day and people were out all along the streets, the terraces and the canals.  Frankly, it was overwhelming at times to see the throngs of people, the activity and bicycles which were locked to every surface possible.  It was a 50 minute tour which gave us a thorough view of the beautiful buildings and historic canals and bridges of the city.  It proved to be a little too long for the kids, but they hung in well in the end.

At that point, we realized the Van Gogh museum would have to wait for another day.  We had walked the Tuckers and the kids to death.  One bonus...Jimmy and I got our spanking white tennis shoes a little dirty.  Actually, if I had to say, Amsterdam is much dirtier city, much more populated city than I remembered.  Not so much my cup of tea any more. 

On the way back to the car, we could not avoid the ladies in the windows so I just implored Ethan to star straight ahead, to not look left or right.  He obliged me, but has not stopped asking me why ever since.  We headed back to Tilburg for dinner and bed.

Europe, Day 3, part 1

We are at the end of day 3 and before I type too much more let me just mention that I do not have time to edit my entries.  Additionally, I can not spell check these post as the language is set for Dutch.  The writing is what it is - errors and all.

I asked Jimmy and Nancy what they thought so far and this is what they said:

Nancy:  I am in awe. I am amazed by the people, the bicycles.  I am in awe of the architectural history and the water sitatuion- how they have reclaimed the land, the canals they use for transportation. It is educational. Favorite part so far: Heusden and canal tour today

Jimmy: It has been interesting and old. It is historical. Favorite part so far:  Canal tour in Amsterdam

I'll write more in the morning.  Time to hit the hay.

Europe, Day 2

Day 2 has brought some insights. 

One, Jay's host father, Jimmy speaks loudly to Jay's parents.  Normally, this would be a little funny as that using a loud does not equate to a better understanding of English when spoken.  However, Jay's father is slightly hard of hearing, so well, it works.  Sometimes, though it does seem like he is yelling.

I have forgotten what this country looks like to "outsiders."  So, I am not truly Dutch, but after 10 or so trips here and a year spent living here, I think I am not such a newbie.  I don't see the architecture as so ancient, the cars so small, the bikes everywhere, the ways of the Dutch so different.  Having Jay's host parents here bring the uniqueness of this country to the light again.  It is fun having them with us.

Day 2 has also brought a lot of eating.  I tend to stock up on all of my favorite foods while I am here...en masse.  Today we ate lunch at a "snack bar" where I ate fries met mayonaise (not really mayo, but a derviative of the sauce) and a kaas souffle (cheese souffle). I ate some appel taart.  That is an apple pie, but make no mistake, it is not your grandmother's goopy sugar concoction.  Jimmy and Nancy were great sports at trying new things.  I think Jimmy was even fond of a kroqueten which even I don't like - think fried potted meat.  Who knew? 

We toured a very old fishing village - Heusden.  There were two windmills there so there were lots of photo opportunities.  Then we went to Den Bosch where we took a canal boat tour.  It was a bit long, but the weather could not have been better.  We topped off our visit in Den Bosch with bossen bollen which is a softball-sized puff pastry filled with light whipped cream covered in dark chocolate.  Yes, it is every bit as good as it sounds. 

We left Den Bosch to rendezvous with the kids and Jay's parents at the Efteling, a large Dutch amusement park along the lines of Carowinds, but much better in its execution.  I would say it is like Disney, but of course it is not on such a grand scale.  The trip was given for Ethan's 10th birthday.  It was a wonderful way for Jay's parents to spend time alone with the kids.  When we arrived to picked them up, the kids shouted, ""It was awesome!" Jay's mom said to me, Ït was a dream day for me.  The best day of my life." That brought tears to my eyes.  How blessed I am to have such wonderful in-laws who feel such love for my children.  Lily's favorite ride was the teapot ride.  Ethan's was the and Sadie's was the Cobra, a heavy duty roller coaster.

We headed back to Tilburg for dinner which was Dutch Chinese take-out.  Yum!  Yum!  Then we celebrated Ethan's 10th brithday and Marique's 35th birthday with Appel Taart and drinks.  Ethan was here for his 1st birthday so I made sure to get his picture in the same spot in the garden where he celebrated it.

Added note to Day 1

We went shopping last night into the city center.  Thankfully, the house is only blocks from the main shopping district so it is easy to make a quick run.  I took the kids into Jamin, a candy store.  They were blown away.  I love how the Dutch package their candy.  This time, I saw the candy made into smiley faces and flower bouquets.  Large bins of make your own bags of candy were overwhelming for even Sadie.  The kids kept asking me to take their picture with the candy!

The World Cup for soccer is this year in South Africa.  As usual, the Dutch have high hopes and national pride runs high.  This makes for easy souvenir buying as they turn everything orange (the national color) and throw Dutch flags on everything. 

At Hema (think smaller Target) I bought a couple of dresses for the girls, some stroopwaffles (round waffle cones with caramel in between the two wafers) and a neat little sweater vest for me.  The shopping was a little too easy and I am a bit concerned at this point about my will power. 

Trip Day 1

We made it safely to the Netherlands.  We had several delays, but managed to walk onto our connecting flight here.  The kids were well-behaved for the most part.  I sat with Lily for the long leg who slept in my lap, basically, for the last half of the flight.  Everytime I woke her up to leave the plane, she would fall back asleep, her little head just nodding back and forth.  I didn't get much sleep as I was in the row in front of the lavatories.  I think people take all of the angst out on those lavatory doors - slamming them, rocking that lock with brutal force.  The ensured my limited rest time.  Well, that and the fact that I promise our flight attendant was a shorter Johnny Depp who was doing research for his up and coming movie.  Thankfully, it was not his Edward Scissorhands or Pirates movies, but more his Willy Wonka role.  Either way, a little creepy. Actually, I just found out, Sadie loudly called him the man-woman.  Thankfully, Jay got to deal with that one!

We picked up our very large rental van - a volkswagon caravan.  We are pleased with the size, expecially for American standards.  However, cobbled stone streets of quaint Europe will require some manuvering.  Jay already let out a little "ack" noise on the highway when the lanes were tight and a large truck was beside us.  I think this will be interesting.

My first stop at Jay's house was at the dinner table.  I consummed large volumes of bread and cheese.  The kids gobbled up their chocolate sprinkle sandwiches, but who wouldn't.  The little plate of Dutch chocolates has almost all been consummed.  I will be lucky if I don't weigh a ton before we leave.  A nap has rounded out the day.  After dinner, we plan on walking into the city center.  It is the shopping night in Tilburg, which means the stores stay open late tonight.  Just my luck!

Ok, so it is May. The overscheduled month of all months.  I need to learn not to schedule hair, doctor or dentist appointments in this month unless absolutely necessary.  It is ridiculous enough as it is.  This month does not allow me to ponder about what is going on in life and how it all weaves together into lessons and moments to remember.  Rather, it tends to be just about facts and events.  Doesn't make for such interesting blogging.

Nevertheless, some highlights and lowlights include:

Lowlights:  Silly bandz. Sometimes I think I have crept into the underworld and decided from that perch I should make decisions regarding how to best rear my brood.  What mother wouldn't want to spend $3 on a packet of the thinest pieces of plastic every created by man, molded into some barely discernable shape that you wear like a bumpy bracelet?  All the sane ones, I suppose.  I knew we couldn't keep them all organized to their rightful owners with all of the trading amongst their peers.  The inevitable squabbles, physical entanglements, broken silly bandz and crying meltdowns have occured, usually in that order.  Over it.

Highlights:  An unplanned mini-conference with Lily's teacher which made me feel quite hopeful for Lily's academic future.  Seems she has made quite the transition this year, growing up in her school work and her social prowess.  We made the right choice to send her on this year, early as it may have been.  Whew!

Low or Highlight?: You can be the judge on this one.  A couple of birds have made a nest in our birdhouse in the back yard.  They spend most of their time hovering around the windows - possibly because they see their reflection and get in protective mode.  Anyway, this has attracted the attention of our resident Dr. Dolittle, Sadie.  She has been quite observant of the birds.

Someone throw me a lifeline.  I am drowning.

My cup runneth over

For the first time in my life, at least that I can recall or realize, someone who I once considered one of my closest and dearest friends, doesn't want that title any longer. It sounds so juvenile to write that, doesn't it?  Yet, my heart is a bit sad.  Over the last year, I have left multiple messages on her phone, sent a few emails, contacted her through facebook and even mailed a nice card.  All of which have yielded nothing, not even a one word response.  I let this nearly impact my Mother's Day weekend.  Why is it that we are magnetically pulled to what we don't have?  Gravitating to what seems to be missing, rather than the abundant blessings God has given us.

That realization hit me yesterday morning as I woke to the sounds of "Happy Mother's Day!!!!" at exactly 6:24 AM. In came my three blessings with a tray of breakfast they made for me. On the plate were two pancakes, two sausage biscuits, two slices of toasted cinnamon toast and a pat of butter. They also brought in a cup of coffee which they made themselves. Quickly, they scampered out of the room to retrieve their homemade creations and presents.  My heart was quickly filled with their unconditional adoration and appreciation. 

Here is a poem, one of a handful of Sadie's written declarations of love for me:

Kind
Exactly the mom I want
loving
so cool
everlasting love
She is my journal of secrets
My mom is loving, kind, giving, cool, amazing, she tells awesome stories, the best, patient, a good mom.  I love my mom!


The line that made my heart swoon and brought tears to my eyes was, "She is my journal of secrets."  I have been working on developing a level of trust between the two of us that has been absent in earlier years.  There, in that little line, is the fruit of my labor.  She gets it. 
 
It is nice to have that type of affirmation from the ones you pour your life into.  But, is it necessary?  Not biblically, I know.  We are to give ourselves fully to His service without the guarantee of thanks, without the guarantee of seeing the fruits of our labors.  We should toil, perservering to the end, finding fulfillment in our work for Him, not the pat on the back that boosts our ego.  Even when relationships are failing, we honor God by walking in His ways.
 
As I am writing this blog, let me tell you how God was working to soothe my soul.  I had just ordered new swim bags for the kids to carry all their gear in for practice and meets.  I had been holding off on this purchase because it is not a cheap one and I wanted to be sure the kids were in this for at least another year or so.  Friday was the first day the kids used them.  Friday was also the day of our swim site cookout at our house.  I left practice early in order to have the house ready for the 30 or so guests that would descend directly after practice.  Another swim mom brought my kids, along with 3 others, to the house in what must have been one majorly chaotic ride.  
 
Fast forward to Sunday night when I asked the kids to get their swim gear together.  I saw a look on Sadie's face that made me a little uncomfortable.  She did not know where her brand new bag filled with clothes, bathing suit, etc. was.  This was very, very unlike her as she is usually so responsible.  I chatted with two of the swim moms on facebook and neither had seen it.  I was quickly growing tense over the situation, trying to remain calm until I knew for sure that it was gone.  Was it left at the YWCA, never to be seen again? 
 
My phone rang while I was typing this post.  It was one of those swim moms who had already gone to the YWCA this Monday morning, before 9 AM, to search for Sadie's bag. Sadie's bag - not even one of her own children, not her responsibility. I was blown away by her concern, her generosity of her time, her willingness to help me.  Unfortunately, the bag is not there.  Instead, I mytseriously found it in the trunk of my van which Sadie must have hurriedly thrown in there when she arrived home for the cookout.  Case solved.
 
And, so, here is God gently reminding me of His truths:  1) Focus on what He has given you because no matter the circumstance, there are blessings. 2) He always provides for you. Always. 3) Listening to God's voice offers opportunities to serve and grow and finally 4) We should never, ever be driven by the reaction and response of this world, particularly in our definition of self.  God's ability to fill our cups will always outshine the limited possibilities of this world.

Mother's Day 2010

I woke to the sounds of "Happy Mother's Day" at exactly 6:24 AM.  In came my three blessings with a tray of breakfast they made fo rme.  On the plate were two pancakes, two sausage biscuits, two slices of toasted cinnamon toast and a pat of butter.  They also brought in a cup of coffee which they made themselves.

Random musings

I have a multitude of events, issues and thoughts that have occurred over the past several weeks.  I kept a running list of them in this post and have been waiting for a time to add in the details.  Time hasn't made itself available until today and even now, the trash is overflowing out of the toters in driveway.  Writing is the perfect procrastinator to tackling my least favorite chore...bundling and taking the trash to the dump.

We keep swimming along.  Literally.  Today, Lily will attempt to swim her first 25 yard freestyle.  Monday, at the pool, she overheard another mom offer to fix her daughter a grilled cheese.  Lily became fixated.  However, I am militant about not being a short-order cook.  I already had dinner planned for that evening and was not going to add to my work load to whip out a grilled cheese.  I know, harsh.  So, I threw out the idea that I would be thrilled to fix her a grilled cheese if she swam that 25 on Wednesday (which is today).  She seems quite pleased with the idea.  I don't have the heart to tell her that we have dinner plans out and therefore, the grilled cheese won't actually be fixed by me.  Hopefully, she won't drown and won't care where it originates.

Sadie is on her own little rewards obsession.  She is consumed with getting her ears pierced.  I was not allowed this treat until I was in junior high and buy into that old school of thought.  Not to be deterred, Sadie has offered up what I consider a quite amazing goal.  If she gets her A time, she gets her ears pierced.  Mind you, an A time in swimming is somewhere around a junior olympic time.  I told her a BB time would suffice (which is slower).  She wouldn't hear it, insisting on it being an A time.  Time will tell.

Ethan has reached another teenage plateau.  This time, it is not a bad thing.  He realizes that he likes taking a shower in the morning before school and here is the kicker...he likes taking a shower every day!  Wow!  Hip hip hooray for personal hygiene!  He also likes topping it off with a little dab of cologne, which nearly caused my olfactory sense to revolt to my own child.  Thankfully, we have worked our way through "Pepe Le Pew," to "I bathed in it," to "My prescence is known," to now "subtle and appropriate." 

Yesterday, I found an empty cling wrap carton in my driveway.  For several weeks now, I have uncovered some bizarre uses of the wrap by none other than...Sadie.  First I discovered that she wrapped the base of a small pine tree, multiple times.  I am not sure if she thought this would protect the tree? Yesterday, I noticed she made a "wrap" for Lily that served as a wedding gown.  Then she used the wrap like duct tape and attached a glass jar to her scooter into which she deposited a bunch of rose petals.  While Lily walked the driveway, Sadie rode along on her scooter scattering the rose petals.  Later the saran wrap was used to create a sling for Sadie's imaginary broken arm along with some scotch tape.  I guess it is time to start creating a box with all kinds of materials - cardboard, wrap, tin foil, tape, bits and baubles from the office to spur this "creativity?"  The one thing that definitely needs to be included is a pair of scissors as those never seem to be handy when I am in "clean-up and repair mode."

Speaking of Sadie, God has revealed great insight into Sadie over the past several weeks. In all of my praying about her academic future, along with a very odd and difficult circumstance I cannot write about on here, I have discovered this:  Sadie does not have an inherently trustful heart.  The only way that she believes something to be true is if she experiences it.  When I talk about consequences for certain actions to her, I realize those don't resonate with her, until it happens.  When she would climb trees at age 3, I would warn her not to do it because she would fall and hurt herself.  Her response, "I not fall, Mommy.  I not fall."  The tricky issue with all of this is that Sadie does not often "fall," in the literal and figurative sense.  She is good at most everything she tries and therefore, does not encounter many situations that she either has to deal with or can't solve on her own.  Let me clarify.  She makes a LOT of poor decisions, but has become a master of making sure no one knows.  However, this recent difficult situation provided me the opportunity to "save" her from major embarrassment, thereby building a new level of trust.  I am confident that one of the reasons why I am to homsechool next year is to provide more opportunities to grow our relationship. 

I think everyone has heard the phrase, "God has such a sense of humor."  I'll mark this entire homeschool decision into that column.  I mean, Sadie has been my child that I have never shed a tear over when it has come to separation.  First days of preschool, school, camps, etc. I might have appeared to ever so slightly push her through the door, turn and walk very quickly away.  I know, that sounds terrible, doesn't it?  This is no indication of my love for her, but is a statement on my patience and understanding of her.  A year ago, she would have been the LAST one I would ever have considered homeschooling - my most head-strong, strong-willed, challenging, curious, intelligent, tenacious, and crazy child.  God must have howled when I announced that I would never homeschool her. Now, here I sit, just as calm and peace-filled about this decision.  I am excited about it...with Sadie. 

I love my little Lily's inquisitiveness.  I don't recall either of my other two asking so many questions about reading.  Ethan struggled a bit more in the beginning and Sadie just always seemed to know how to read.  However, Lily wants to know why behind everything she doesn't know. Last night it was, "What is that?" as she points to a quotation mark.  "Why do you not sound the "e" on the word gate?" " Why is "want" pronounced "want." Obviously, she wants to push forward with reading.  Looks like I will try to come up with some sort of enrichment for her this summer, too.

So, this is random, but worth mentioning.  I had a complete impulse buy yesterday at Wal-Mart.  I find it fascinating how they package food these days.  Choosing to tout some new health benefit, enticing you to buy a product...and I am Gussy Gullible.  This time around...Ann's House Chocolate Nut Antioxidant.  The label says, "trans fat free, cholesterol free, very low sodium, good source of Antioxidant Vitamin E."  I am sure all of this is true, but not when you consume half the bag in one sitting resulting in 30 g of fat and nearly 800 calories.  Sigh. 

I could continue this post by writing about my ire for these new silly bandz, but time is ticking on the garbage. Yes, I purposely wrote silly bandz and garbage in the same sentence.

A seriously blow was dealt to my own estimation of how successful my mothering is and it was self-inflicted.  Sometimes I think I have crept into the underworld and decided from that perch I should  make decisions regarding how to best rear my brood.

Cue Silly Bands. 

You know, I don't think I bow down to the peer pressure that I see my kids experience. Jay on the other hand has so many horrific flashbacks from his childhood memories of knitted clothing, two odd-ball jogging suits and  that he

And, so, silly bands it is this time around.  What mother wouldn't want to spend $3 on the thinnest piece of plastic every created by man, molded into some barely discernible shape that you wear like a bumpy bracelet.

I begin this post knowing that I will probably ruffle some feathers.  I might even be seen as arrogant and pompous.  However, I write this post in an effort to put to paper what I learn about Sadie.  I have been given great insight into her being over the past week or so. 

The Sadies of the world attribute to about 2-3% of the general population. And here is the best definition I have found so far.

"Their excitement is viewed as excessive, their high energy as hyperactivity, their persistence as nagging, their questioning as undermining authority, their imagination as not paying attention, their passion as being disruptive, their strong emotions and sensitivity as immaturity, their creativity and self-directedness as oppositional. They stand out from the norm."

Does I really feel better about my mothering when I know the kids leave for school in the morning with teeth brushed, hair combed, decent lunches/snacks in their bags?

I am "on top" of my game this week.  It usually happens when we move back into the house for market.  I make some ridiculous attempt at maintaining the house at that uber sanitized level for about 2 weeks.  Nothing escapes my clutch of control.

Blessed

I am thankful for...

1.  A friend who took time out to instruct me on the world of homeschooling.  She has been a wealth of knowledge and I feel a teeny bit of confidence because of her encouragement and support.

2.  A friend who has been so appreciative for some things I gave her for her son that I am humbled.  Not only did I get a handwritten thank you note and an email with a couple of photos that brought an enormous chuckle to my day, but she sent us four t-shirts with her fabulous homemade embellishments on them.  Just over the top thankfulness - a lesson to be learned!

3.  A friend who opened up to me this week for what might be the first time in our friendship.  I have wanted to hear her heart for years and finally it has happened.  May God use this to work in both of our lives.

4.  A friend who called me to check on me this weekend.  I have been out of sorts, mostly physically, and she was the first to pick up on it.  God has blessed her with incredible interpretative skills.  It is comforting to know someone recognizes when I am not myself.

5.  A friend who always nails me to the wall of reality and pushed me to action.  You always need a friend who speaks Gods word honestly and frankly.  She never lets me slither away to stew, moan, and groan in the cave of self-pity. 

6.  A friend who asked to get together for coffee or something in the next couple of weeks.  It is nice to know that someone wants to spend time with me.

7.  A child who thanked me with his fully sincere heart for some punishment he was dealt earlier in the day.  He knew he was in the wrong and knew that he needed to be helped back in line.

8. A child who stopped to blow me a kiss as she skipped out of the door this morning on her way to school.

9.  A child who prepared her lunch last night and made her brother's lunch as well without being asked. 

10.  A husband who gladly left the house this morning to head to a job that is extremely stressful to amply provide for our needs and quite a few of our wants, too.

I am abundantly blessed.

My first day at trying to go with the calling of the Holy Spirit has been met with disaster.  Now, I know that this is not always an instantaneous happening, but I thought that with constant prayers throughout the day, begging for the Holy Spirit, I might tap into that life and peace I am promised.  Unfortunately, the result is not quite the day I envisioned.  In fact, it has been met with a lot of discord, irritations, disappointments and ended with quite a bit of crying, by me.  What is going on?

Is it possible to become ADD as you get older?  I mean, I know that I haven't always been able to remember and keep up with things, but it is getting progressively more bothersome as I get older.  In less than 24 hours, I lost our market rent check.  To list all the searching I have done would take hours.  I'll just note that the pinnacle was going piece by piece through a black garbage back that was in our toter...just in case.  I have prayed and prayed and prayed over this check and finally realized that I would have to call my renters and ask for another one.  How completely embarrassing.  I could list about 3-5 other things that are along that vein that have happened this week - forgetting Lily's piano books, losing the map to our house that I have used forever (given to people, not used by myself of course), forgetting to measure a pipe on our hot water heater so I can get the right part resulting in a slight flood, forgetting to send in our annual report for part of a subset of our business, etc. etc. etc.

I know I am a mom of three which means that I am fully responsible for 3 other human beings and all of their belongings.  That is an excuse I hear myself saying all the time.  However, I just don't buy that excuse - being overwhelmed.  Maybe it is being out of our normal routine down here under the stairs.  Thankfully, we move back up tomorrow.

What do you know?

So, we had our first bible study meeting. This study, Remembering the Forgotten God, is going to be incredibly enlightening and fascinating. At least the beginning of it seems indicative of such.

The author Francis Chan first asks us to write about what we know about the Holy Spirit. Then he asks us to dissect it, attributing it to how we know that - scripture, life experience, church, what others have said. Although I have done that with other spiritual areas, I haven't investigated it in the area of the Holy Spirit.

I have seen a lot of what I can only describe as "voo doo" attributed to the Holy Spirit. Inauthentic, unfortunately, later admitted to or proven to be false. In my own life I have experienced a couple of "strange incidents" that I can only attribute to it. I have been privy to a few moments when what I saw, experienced lined up scripturally with something not of this world. Through other bible studies, I have read that Jesus asked God to send us the Holy Spirit to be with us since he would/could not be. It is our guide, a gift, a reminder that He is always there.

The study goes on to have us read quite a few more scripture passages that outline just who/what the Holy Spirit is. And...wow...how limited I was on my vision. Opening myself up to that!?!?!? It just shows me that I have experienced only the tip of the iceberg of God's goodness. I would say that 95% of the time I work on being holy; I am such a "performer."  I don't just step aside and let the Holy Spirit work through me.  The anticipation, the possibilities, the wonder, the awesomeness that is there...well, I just can't wait to go deeper.

The Wolf Ma-Flodge

I am writing this post from the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord. We decided we could all use a break from the basement and drove an hour to get here. We came once last year, but unfortunately, Sadie spent much of it vomiting in the hotel room trashcan - not the best memory for her. However, this time, the kids are having a blast which I am sure is related to the fact that Jay is not in complete freak-out mode this time around. Seriously, this place is so much better with strong swimmers. I rode the Howlin' Tornado twice - once with Ethan and once with Sadie. That is one wild, breath-taking ride. Lily can't quite remember how to say the name correctly and calls it the "Wolf Ma-Flodge." Cracks us up every time.

For reasons still a little vague to me, Jay suggested we all go over to Concord Mills last night - a ridiculously large outlet/shopping complex. Considering that Jay claims to have an aneurysm every time he shops, it seemed an odd choice. We ended up in the Lego store. Surprise surprise. What an awesome place to play. Computer Lego games, make your own legos, even this "view it" screen which showed the actual 3-D model of what a completed Lego kit would look like when you held the box up to it. Very, very cool. Sadie bought a large cup of varying color and shapes of legos, Ethan bought a book, "Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary," which he has not ceased pouring over, and Lily picked out her first kit - a kit of the Krusty Krab from SpongeBob complete with a small Lego krabby patty.

We are now back home. Exhausted, we were, as evidenced by the ridiculously long 3 hour naps we all took. Four nights left in the basement and market is over. The last bit of the school year is here and I the last 5- 6 weeks will sprout wings and be complete before I can bat an eye. My calendar is jam packed with Stanford Testing dates, end of year parties, field trips, field day, swim meets, etc. Whew!

I found the song, "I love you, Lord" and had to put it on my blog. It is the second one on my playlist. That was the song I sang to Lily every night when I rocked her to sleep as a baby. It has always been "our song." If I were more technical, I would record her singing it and load it on here. As sweet as it sounds to me, that little lovey voice, I know it sounds more so to Him.

Last words.

I wrestled out of my slumber this morning by reliving one of the last days I had with Ansley. It never fails to transform me into a jar of marbles that have been spilled across a hardwood floor. The marbles just keep rolling in all directions, some bouncing little hops tip...tap...tip.tap.tiptaptiptap. Others make a spiraling sound as they move across the hard surface. Scattering.

It was the last day that I had a conversation with her. It was also her worst day with cancer. She was in the hospital, had been for over a week. Her liver functions were down the drain and the doctor was trying to sort through options, choose a new treatment, and give reason for hope. The cancer had invaded so much of her body, but nowhere more so than her bones. Her scans lit up like a Christmas tree and the pain in her hips and weakness in her legs had forced her to a wheelchair. Knowing all of this, however, did not prepare me for what was to happen that day. My sister simply rolled over in the hospital bed and her hip snapped. The bone had been eaten away by cancer leaving little strong bone left. It was as completely awful as it sounds.

I was the one who held her, her face inches from mine, her hands strangling mine like a vice grip while they tried to change her soiled linens. Her broken hip being shuffled while she laid there. Her face contorted in pain, eyes wild, while her voice strained through clinched teeth begging God to make it stop. In only a few more hours, they would put her in traction, stabilizing her bones. The increased pain meds looped her into another orbit with only an occasional passing through our world again.

It was during one of these moments that I realized that it was time for me to get home to my own family. I bent toward her face to say goodbye. I gave her a little peck on her forehead; a little stubble from her hair pricked my lips. I said, "I have to go, Ans. I'll see you soon. I love you." She smiled that little wry smile, her lips not giving a hint of the teeth that were behind. She lifted her arm and pulled me back to her. She looked at me, straight to my soul. "I love you, too, Kels. I really do." I responded, "I know. I love you." We gave each other a long, deeply held hug.  And with that, I pulled away, turned, and walked out of the room.

I didn't know that would be our last exchange. I didn't know I wouldn't hear her voice again. I didn't know it was my last chance to say what needed to be said.  And yet, I said what needed to be said, simply. Oh how grateful I am.

April thoughts...

Things that consume my brain in April...

As we are, rather I am, homeschooling Sadie next year, I have been delving into books, websites, magazines, trying to determine what type of environment I want to create for Sadie, what is her learning style, what is my teaching style and what sort of curriculum to choose. I have come to the conclusion that I won't really know what works until we actually start. Therefore, I am going to make some educated guesses and hope for the best.

The kids are at the beginning of long course season in swimming. We have visited several other swimming locations in hopes of determining where we will be next year. Although all the sites have lots of positives, the deciding factors were 1) their love of their current swim coach 2) that I can be a part of a carpool next year which will allow me the luxury of only one day of shuttling the kids to and from practice and finally 3) an incident that happened at the swim banquet which was held at our church. The "incident" was a statement I made to another swim mom. There were a couple of door prizes given away at the banquet in the form of tuition credit. A criterion for being included in the drawing was based on volunteer hours throughout the swim year. They drew three names and before the last name was drawn, I foolishly said, "If I win this last one, we will go to Pyramids." Guess what? They drew my name. I know the statement was not some contractual obligation, but I also know that it hinted at a sign that point to Pyramids. Another note, Sadie received recognition for the largest percentage of time dropped of any swimmer on the team.

My little lovey has started blazing a trail in the reading department. It is so fun to watch her try, listen to her sound out the words and enjoy it. What a blessing it is to witness this first-hand! On the other hand she has delved deeply into the word of blatant disobedience. Makes me miss my "I'll do anything you say" little girl. Hopefully, we are getting back on track soon!

Ethan has developed a nice set of manners when it comes to speaking to other adults. I say "other" because it is not necessarily reflected in his conversations with me, unfortunately. We're working on that. However, it is nice to see the fruits of some labor every once in a while.
Sadie is still collecting "critters" like crazy. How she manages to keep them alive, I don't know. I have been coerced into going to PetsMart today to buy a turtle cage and turtle food. I assure you that I know they carry salmonella and that they are somewhat nasty, but this little turtle is so small that I figure it hasn't had the opportunity to contract any diseases. It is a good lesson on how to practice good hygiene regardless. Yesterday, Sadie was the first to discover the nest of the most perfectly blue eggs in our birdhouse. I think I see a unit study about animals in her future.

I have been quite reflective on friendships lately. What defines them, what drives them, what is their purpose? I have some ideas that have been planted in my heart lately on how to serve some others. I haven't had this happen in a while and it is joyous to me to know that He needs me outside my own home again.

I am starting my new bible study on the "Forgotten God" which is a study on the Holy Spirit. I used to grapple with the question of if "I" was always doing what God wanted me to do. Was "I" fully aware of my sins, fully aware of my weaknesses, was "I" giving God all the glory in every thing that I did. Was "I" living a life that was completely and totaling focused on Him. I came to the conclusion that all that was really needed was an open and willing heart. God plants these questions in our hearts to open up our eyes and hearts to the possibilities and it is then that the Holy Spirit begins to work it out in our lives. We just have to step out of the way and allow Him to work it through us. I am also beginning to see that there is no exact way, step by step process, no A-Z method, that "I" accomplish it; it just happens. A heart transformed, more willing to be His is all it takes.

To Market, to market...

I can breathe. The house is ready for our renters and we are in the basement. I can say that this year, I won the battle. The battle of "just how obsessed with cleaning can you be." I don't know if laziness took over, apathy or just a better perspective came into view. I believe it was the latter. It feels good and satisfactory that I did not have one melt down, one hissy fit, one tense moment with any other member of my family. And yet, the house is nice, orderly, and clean. Twice a year, every hairbow is in its place, legos in their boxes, and bills filed. This year, I was done so early; I actually got some painting done. Not obsessive painting, but painting two repair patches from a towel bar gone awry and a door knob in wall incident. It makes me consider trying my hand at professional organizing...well, maybe not.
Over the past 4 years, I know that in the back of my mind, I have had a little chip on my shoulder, a little grudge about renting our house. It is solely my responsibility to get ready for it and I admit I have harbored some resentment over that fact. However, this time around...nothing. Even adjusting to life in our basement has been a breeze this time around. In fact, I am enjoying it. Therefore, I am completely fine and at peace with this continued agreement. Funny, though, now Jay seems a bit antsier about renting and almost appears to be scrounging around, grasping for a reason for this to be our last market.

I am thankful to God for working through me to release the tension and anxiety that normal encapsulates these 4 weeks out of the year. Baby steps...just one little one at a time.

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung at the Dumoulin house. The kids are finishing up their week of spring break which has felt so much like summer vacation that I am dreading Monday. The weather has been unbelievably warm and I have really enjoyed having the kids with me.

The kids have taken every advantage of it by playing outside - riding their bikes and scooters, playing in the old chicken coop, on the trampoline and down at the creek. Yes, the creek. You know what that means? Critters!

A baby turtle with a salamander on its back. Now THAT is unusual, slightly bizarre.  The turtle has been with us for several days now.  He has been given a name, Boxer.  The addition of the name is a bit concerning.

To the left of the reflection from my flash is a crayfish.

And finally, this is an example of what has just been added to the endangered species list...MY TUPPERWARE!

I told the kids new tupperware would be coming out of their allowance.

Spring also means market cleaning (boo!) and starting our garden (yay!). Our little patch of goodness is coming along. I am so excited something that has already begun sprouting! SUNFLOWERS! And lots and lots of them.

The seeds were a gift from my Aunt Sue. We planted them in a row beneath our kitchen windows so that we will have this beautiful view of sunshiny, bright yellow flowers sometime in about 2 - 3 months. We will have to weed some of them out, because we overplanted. If anyone wants to come take a few, be my guest!

We still have some maintenance and beautification issues to take care of, but all in all, it is a start.

Elsewhere in the garden, my lettuce is looking a little weak, but I think that is because we had that string of bizarre 90 degree days this week. Tomatoes, green beans, squash, zucchini and a couple of cucumbers. I have a pot with some herbs, another pot with a few strawberry plants and another single rosemary plant. I am still waiting to plant the sugar peas and various peppers. The kids have been an integral part of the process - weeding, watering, etc. I think today they will feed the garden and all the rose bushes in the yard.  We have our first strawberry!

Huh. I just realized that I will need to find someone to watch the dogs and water the garden while we are on our trip in May/June. Add that one to the list.

In a move that can only be describe as self-destructive, I took Sadie to the store that makes me insane yesterday. Yes, Justice. Sadie chose a new scarf and decided she was much better off with her budget to go to Claire's. Good move Sadie! The kids had some money from Valentine's, Easter and from money earned for market cleaning. Let me make a note that my kids have become quite the expert cleaners. For example, Ethan rocked the baseboards in the house and Sadie is a meticulous furniture polisher. Their attitudes have also been that of servanthood for a change and that has made the week wonderful.

Therefore, we have done quite a bit of fun stuff, along with the cleaning. We went to the zoo, the kids had a night with one set of grandparents where they fished and had a bon fire by the creek. The other grandparents took them to lunch and the movies. Two kids have had sleepovers with their cousins and one had a playdate at another friend's house. I failed at getting us to the Civil Rights' Museum or ArtQuest - both things I wanted to do. However, I had to get the house ready for market and we just ran out of time.

This morning my little love rolled over in her sleeping bag. She coughed quite a bit and then looked at me. Her first words of the morning, "I love you, Mommy." What a great way to start the day. If this is any indication of what is to come, I say BRING ON SUMMER!

Friendship means understanding and being understood... Friendship means affirming and being affirmed... Friendship means accepting and being accepted... Friendship means helping and being helped... Friendship means forgiving and being forgiven.

-- David J. Claasen



1 a : one attached to another by affection or esteem b : acquaintance
2 a : one that is not hostile b : one that is of the same nation, party, or group
3 : one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)
4 : a favored companion
1.a person whom one knows well and is fond of; intimate associate; close acquaintance
2.a person on the same side in a struggle; one who is not an enemy or foe; ally
3.a supporter or sympathizer a friend of labor
4.something thought of as like a friend in being helpful, reliable, etc.

Let there be joy in my heart today, Lord!
Fill it to the brim, burst it with adoration for You.
Let my spirit be humble
Let my eyes see nothing but You.

Video Enjoyment of Another Parent's Oops!

This is so hilarious to me, only because this is being a parent.  An innocent little statement of fact can totally temporarily destroy your child.  The attempts of the parents to try to "make it all better" followed by the Dad's last statement is just classic.

The Evil Empire Has Won

I was afraid to turn on the news today, so I didn't.  Fearful, afraid, wishing so much that a Cinderella story ended with a happy ending and that the evil stepmother did not win.  And yet, here it is.  Downcast and forlorn I am today.

I read this on one of my often frequented blogs:

"But I'll just keep it simple: I hate those (bleeps) because I hate them. Every time they win, a kitten in my heart is strangled. The only thing that could possibly lessen last year's national championship was botching the next season and then having Dook win it. My grapes are sour, my earth is scorched..."

Maybe the icing on the cake was hearing the news from my friend of some 35 years, who I love dearly, but made a terrible case in judgment when we were seniors in high school...the decision to attend the school in question.  Coincidently, her daughter had an appointment at the same orthodontist's office this morning where Sadie had her first consult.  Why did I ask her, of all people?

And so, I wait.  Wait for next year.  Revenge will be ours.

Easter 2010

Another family fantastic, Jesus celebrating Easter is in the books.  We have never done much for Easter in terms of the "bunny" route.  In fact, I don't think the kids even know to consider that their little piles of goodies come from anywhere other than from us.  And, when I mean little, I mean little. The kids usually get a chocolate bunny and 3-4 other small pieces of candies (surprise, they are often my favorites), and then some clothing item that they needed for the season.  This year, Sadie and Lily got flip flops which I have to return for larger sizes and Ethan got pajamas. For their little fun thing, the girls got little garden aprons because we have started our garden and Ethan received what might be the smallest lego set ever manufactured. I had forwarned the kids that we were going to start downplaying Easter as a gift-giving season because that portion of it has nothing to do with Jesus. If someone knows differently, let me know.  Imagine tonight, when Ethan donned his new pajamas how appreciative he was of them.  "Mom, I love them. They are so soft.  Thanks!"  I just wasn't expecting that from a 9 year old boy.  It was nice to go very simply and think next year we might try to pare down even more.

We had the usual spats over what to wear with Sadie.  This, despite carefully preplanning and discussing it the day before.  It all revolved around her dress.  I told her that Easter would be my choice and Sundays after would be hers. Yeah, I know.  Probably a bad decision on my part.  The only area where we agreed was her shoes.  We had purchased her first pair of "heels" the day before.  When I say heels, I am talking about an inch.  That child tip-tapped her way through the entire day with the happiest, danciest feet I have ever seen.  Oh, and let me say "thanks" to her swim team, because nothing says "Easter's finest" like a temporary tattoo on your arm sporting the Star logo. 

Church was especially uplifting.  Our church became command central for the tornado recovery efforts that effected the surrounding neighborhoods.  We fed some 1,800 people over this past week.  Crazy.  I don't know how all that food and all those people came, got fed, coordinated, organized, etc.  But, it did!  As our pastor said today, "What a real way to put into practice service.  What an incredible opportunity God provided for us to love our community."  The music just rocked and well, it was teary for me.

Lunch was at my mom's and then the kids had an egg hunt.  They were limited to "29" eggs.  Yes.  Not the 4 or 5 I was always limited to, but 29.  They were all empty, but the kids had a lot of fun trying to find them all.  I loved having my niece and nephew with us, too.  Sadie wrote letters and drew pictures for everyone on that side of the family.  That is definitely her gift - encouragement.  Her letter to Gray was so sweet that it brought tears to my eyes.  It made me realize how precious that relationship is to her.  Praise God it appears there will be more time for that now.

After arriving home, Jay and I decided we would take a nap.  The kids went outside to play.  About an hour later, I got up.  Ethan and Sadie had changed into bathing suits and were playing with the hose.  Sadie found the biggest mud puddle, of course, and I am sure the bathing suit she was sporting is ruined.  I looked around for Lily and didn't see her.  I started to get a little concerned when I saw her asleep on the trampoline, or champoline as she calls it.  Ahhh, the joys of living on 10 acres and not having to worry about neighbors who think you have abandoned your kids and who might call DSS.

Dinner was spent with my dad and stepmom.  It was a little challenging as the kids were still pretty hyped up on sugar.  However, nothing beats being able to sit outside for dinner in April when your kids are climbing the walls, spilling their waters and trying to show off their moves for an upcoming Grandparent's Day program at school.

My beautiful blessings! 

Oh! Happy Day!

The greatest day in history, Death is beaten

You have rescued me

Sing it out, Jesus is alive

The empty cross, The empty grave

Life eternal You have won the day

Shout it out Jesus is alive

He's alive!

April Fool's Day

Another April Fool's Day in the books.  This year, I brought "grilled cheese sandwiches" to all the kids' classes.  It was actually toasted angel food cake with colored frosting.  I can't claim credit for this creative idea.  I am a huge fan of Family Fun and they always have amazing ideas. 

Anyway, I told the kids that I brought a Dutch treat called toasties and asked if they wanted to try.  Funny how some of the kids turned up their noses at first.  Then, when the gag was announced, those same kids scampered to get a little piece of cake and icing.  All the kids thought it was funny, but I would say that the kindergarteners really loved it.  Yeah, it took a bit of effort to make that many "grilled cheese" treats, but I love being known as the April Fool's Day Mom.  I love how my kids think I am pretty cool, too.

"Yellow and green are a hit, Mom." Sadie says to me this morning. I commented that her tied-dyed lime green shorts may not be the perfect match to her bright yellow Toby Mac t-shirt with black and pink logo. Does it matter for me to say something? No.

The winds of change

Disaster. This is how I can sum up the past few days. It has come in varying forms, too. From the visual to the emotional. What I see in my community is mirroring an entirely different set of circumstances that nearly cracks my heart wide open and raw. All of it incomprehensible. All of it coming from our Father.

Tornados hit my medium-sized southern town Sunday night. The devastation is incredible. It began less than a mile from our house and continued on a northeasterly pattern, destroying the neighborhoods surrounding our church. A whole house...completely gone, only a few boards remaining on the ground. Trees down everywhere, buses strewn about like matchbox cars, an oriental rug slung into a tree, a bathtub thrown outside of a house while a picture in the next room remains on the wall untouched, a single fence board impaled the side of a house, whole roofs completely torn off. The raw power is hard to comprehend. We were spared. We are grateful.

Another set of circumstances has me on my knees in prayer. Like those in our town who have had disintegration thrown in their faces, a few in my circle are facing an emotional turmoil of their own. A symbolic tornado has swept them up, tossed them around and destroyed any stability and security they had. Unfortunately for them this is not a clear case of force majeure; someone can be blamed. More times than I can count this has been their journey and there is nothing about it that is fair. This was never what was supposed to happen. I am scared for them. I am worried for them. There is nothing I can do. This is God's journey for them.

How do you reconcile these "acts of God?" I know that it turns many away from Him as they see Him as cruel, harsh, and unloving. Many like to subdue the emotions by saying, "He allows it" stopping short at saying, "He causes it." But when you understand the sovereignty of God, that everything must pass through his fingers before it arrives on earth, then you understand it is only from Him.

I can't use this small post to try to tackle this topic. It is too great and vast, potentially argumentative and explosive. Some things are just believed out of faith. God says we will not understand His ways because they are not our ways. And though we can't see it now, I know that all things work together for His good. In the end, He will be glorified.  I have to believe that. I must.

The birds and bees

I am in the midst of some serious emotional gunk/turmoil (post in composition mode), and market cleaning (yes, you will hear about this for another week or so), but couldn't let THIS one pass me by. Such a classic.


For those that have been reading my little corner of the blogging world for a while know that "Time for bed" is translated in Ethan's mind to "Time for deep conversations with Mom." Thus follows tonight's very brief conversation:

Ethan: Mom, I have one of those questions for you.

Me: Ok, let's sit down on the sofa.

Ethan: So, how does sex actually start.

Me: Ummm. Ummm. Well, why are you asking that? Did someone say something at school?

Note: I have learned that often something has been said that produces such questions and if I ask what precipitated the question then I can usually come up with a satisfactory answer without giving too much away.

Ethan: No. I have just been thinking.

Me: Well, you know it is between a husband and wife, who are married and well, I guess it begins with kissing. Not that kissing always leads to that. Ummm. Well. (Clearly stalling as I have no idea what the appropriate response is)

Ethan: But is sex just for making babies? Wait, no, ...does that mean...(I can see the wheels turning in his mind)...Do you and Daddy still have sex?

Me: JJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

I am so not ready for this.

Once again...

Once again, it is time for the great market clean-out for 2010.  It is all great when it is done, but getting there is tough.  Man, the things I find in the kids' rooms!  More blog fodder than I will ever have time to write.  I will, however, create some lists.  To begin with...

1) Bingo dabber in Ethan's room.  Now, this is usually kept in the basement.  I know for a fact that Ethan did not bring this upstairs.  Sadie did.  How it ended up in his nightstand drawer?  I do not know. 

2) Found!  My WOW 2010 hits CD.  Both of them. 

3) Two science cups, dirty with who-knows-what.

As I am cleaning out Ethan's room, it is clear that he is hitting the early teenage years.  His tenth birthday is just a couple of months away and his room is starting to show this change.  Gone are the shelves of toys in his closet.  In their place are baseball hats, car kits, and shoes.  Sad.  We hung a world poster and a poster of Michael Jordan from the Carolina years on his walls.  Just another step in his maturation I suppose.

I shudder at my next cleaning adventure...Sadie's room.  If you don't hear from me by Friday, send a search party!

Ummm, what do you want?

Because every once in a while I revert to a being a teenager with no sense of decorum and complete immarturity, I document this line spoken by my sweet little Lily, age5, who had just finished up her bowl of popcorn.

"MOOOOMMMMM, I want some more cockporn, please."

I just looked at her innocent face and left the room to howl.  At least she used her manners.  I hope I don't start getting a million hits from complete sleezebags because I wrote that word on my blog. 

Restored

As a belated birthday gift, I took my grandmother to the O'Henry Hotel in Greensboro for their afternoon tea service. It is just my grandmother's sort of thing and well; I really like it, too. I invited my only aunt, Sue, to join us because I thought it would just be fun to have three generations of my family there. We never get together, just the three of us.


I sat listening to my grandmother reminisce over a time when she and my grandfather had tea every afternoon when they were on an anniversary trip to the Greenbrier Hotel. Afternoon tea and my grandfather really don't belong in the same sentence, but my grandmother said he sat there, participating like it was something he had done his entire life. I have no doubt he hammed it up with a little pinky lift, too. The thought makes me smile.

I took a moment to soak in the picture before me. My grandmother, my aunt and I. How God has worked in each of our lives. You see, this isn't an event I would have thought a likely scenario say 15 years or so ago. And, as recently as this summer, I figured that most of my memories with my grandmother were already made.

Life has a funny way of putting distance between family. Actually, it isn't life and it isn't funny. Specifically with my relationship with my aunt, I am not sure why the relationship wasn't always on solid ground during the earlier part of my life. Different life phases, careers, school, interests? Misinterpreted statements, misconstrued circumstances. We never really had a bond or connection. I don't know that I will ever get my finger pinpointed on it. However, like a testimony, life before Christ should never be the focus...it is the incredible transformation of life with Christ - you know, the good stuff, that really matters.

I can say without a hesitation that I love my aunt. Sure, it was always there is some form, maybe only because she was family. But, God has worked what can only be described as a miracle in both of our lives in the latter parts of our years. Perspectives have changed; worldly matters that consumed us have been taken away and the loss of my precious sister have factored into it.  In place of these things, I believe a softness and compassion for God now resides which trickles down to how we view each other. I have been given a chance to see and experience her heart and I praise God for that. She is one of the most incredible women I know. Smart, funny, thoughtful and compassionate - she has so many incredible qualities that I never knew. Maybe they were always there, but as I grow in my walk with Christ, I see them. They are shining. I am amazed at how God has so quickly and without any hubbub or therapy fully restored this relationship as if it has always been. I am a teensy sad I didn't have all of this earlier, however I am more thrilled to have it for the rest of my life.

It shouldn't go without mentioning that she is a master gardener - the absolute coolest garden I have ever had the pleasure of visiting - cool, funky garden houses, a green house made of old windows, hideaway seating areas, nooks and crannies that keep you poking around for days. To top it all off, she and my uncle are organic farmers, grow a vineyard, have chickens and the two largest, and possibly the most spoiled goats of all time. Years of managing a furniture store have also given her incredible design skills and an eye for the unusually whimsical. I can't even begin to describe her unconventional, yet totally hip house. What more could you wish for in an aunt?

Regarding my grandmother, I have missed quite a few years with her as well. This occurred most recently as she was the primary caregiver for my grandfather during his 10-year run with Alzheimer's. I never held any grudges - of course not. I just missed having her as a constant in my life. During this time, I always knew she had some misgivings about not really knowing my children and about missing out on the important events in our lives. But, it was what life had dealt her and her dedication to my grandfather was beyond admirable. It was a perfect picture of what God asks of us when we say our wedding vows.

After my grandfather passed away in August, I wondered how my grandmother would pick herself up and start living again. Inwardly, I wondered if she wouldn't quickly pass of a heart, broken and grief-stricken. After all, she was married to my grandfather for 67 years. Yet, she has managed to not only move forward, but to have moments of true enjoyment. I hope that our excursion to tea was one of them. I think it was as she savored each morsel of goodies presented to us over a two hour period and said no less than 7 times how wonderful it was to be together.

With a heart bursting with gratitude, I couldn’t agree more.

A little video

This is my favorite verse which gave inspriation to my blog title.  There is a song following the scripture reading, a little dated, but still nice.  Enjoy!

It is Ada Lovelace Day! I almost let this significant celebratory day pass by me without a mention. What is Ada Lovelace Day, you ask?

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on 10th December 1815, the only child of Lord Byron and his wife, Annabella. Born Augusta Ada Byron, but now known simply as Ada Lovelace, she wrote the world’s first computer programmes for the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose machine that Charles Babbage had invented.

Ada had been taught mathematics from a very young age by her mother and met Babbage in 1833. Ten years later she translated Luigi Menabrea’s memoir on Babbage’s Analytical Engine, appending notes that included a method for calculating Bernoulli numbers with the machine – the first computer programme. The calculations were never carried out, as the machine was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

Understanding that computers could do a lot more than just crunch numbers, Ada suggested that the Analytical Engine “might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.” She never had the chance to fully explore the possibilities of either Babbage’s inventions or her own understanding of computing. She died, aged only 36, on 27th November 1852, of cancer and bloodletting by her physicians.

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science. The first Ada Lovelace Day was held on 24th march 2009 and was a huge success. It attracted nearly 2000 signatories to the pledge and 2000 more people who signed up on Facebook. Over 1200 people added their post URL to the Ada Lovelace Day 2009 mash-up. The day itself was covered by BBC News Channel, BBC.co.uk, Radio 5 Live, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Metro, Computer Weekly, and VNUnet, as well as hundreds of blogs worldwide.

OK, so maybe it isn't an earth shattering event, but for the sake of my friends who are working in fields that I have never understood or been inclined to understand, I pay homage to it. I honor the women in my circle who have contributed to the fields of science and technology.

My Ada Lovelace Hat goes off to two of my college roommates, both of whom went on to receive doctorates in developmental biology and chemistry, respectively. Way to go - Katie and Kelly!  Glad you have decided to still remain friends with your liberal arts lovin', Bachelor's of Arts only roomie!

Motives

Yesterday, my son nailed me. I know God speaks through all kinds of ways, but it is particularly stunning when he does it through a child...your child.

Ethan has been cycling into a space cadet zone lately. We have been here before and it can be very frustrating. Last week was not a stellar week in terms of grades and I could tell that if we didn't clamp down a bit things would spiral. The culmination of which came Sunday night when it took Ethan 3 hours to do his homework, all the whilst moving to three different rooms, being called multiple times to get back to the table to complete it. To top it off, when Jay checked it over, many problems were wrong or half completed. Jay and I ordered up no electronics this week to help him stay focused on his tasks.

I picked Ethan up at school. I asked his teacher how the day went. I rarely ask his teacher anything about his day because Ethan is a reliably good kid. His teacher responded that he had had a much better day than last week. I chimed in that we were not thrilled at his grades and thus, we had removed electronics for him this week.

I really didn't think too much about what I had just said as we walked away. I looked back to make sure all three kids were with me as we made our way to the car. Ethan had that look on his face, the look of trying to control his tears. As we left the crowds of kids and parents, Ethan made his feelings known. Really, Ethan was angry. I don't think he has ever been this angry with me. I was a little stunned.

This is what he said, “Mom, why did you tell Mr. B that? You really just said it to look like you are good parent and are doing what you are supposed to do. Did you really have to tell him that? What was the point?”

Ouch. Yeah, what was the point? I spent the next day really thinking about that. He was right. There was no point. It was only to show Mr. B that "we were handling things" at home. You know, I am that "on top of it all" mom, the "totally in control" and "we are going to get to the bottom of this" mom.  I confessed my sinful pride to Ethan tonight and asked for his forgiveness. As usual, he started gushing accolades on my parenting. I so love him.

It seems I am very far behind on this journey of destroying the idols of pride and self. I mean, I have recognized this for several years - my actions have the wrong motives, etc. Yet, here I am struggling with it, again. Has everyone else worked through this? Sometimes it certainly feels that way.

Contract

I have been incredibly blessed with a bible study I have been doing since January. I wasn't initially going to do it, but God met me in a Wal-Mart parking lot (does that sound like a country song title, or what?) and it was just what I needed to do.

I think I have mentioned the study book, "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. If you want to peel back some layers, I say give it a go. If you want to stay cozy where you are, then don't. It wasn't that it was very deep in theology, but it spurred me to dig deep into some icky strongholds that needed clearing out. It also shed light on the truth behind my self-created idols, which are derived deep down out of fear, the fear of losing control.  The irony? I don't have control to begin with! Finally, it reminded me that nothing, nothing, nothing is more sustaining, trustworthy and faithful than my God. Now that I am more aware of what has been taking up space in my heart and now that I have been prompted to replace them with more God, I pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen me in this change.

A key component during this study was the group of ladies with whom I took this little journey. Praise God for the realness, the ability to be transparent, and the willingness to share failures and pain and to laugh, laugh, laugh at it all! And so, it is for these ladies that I add the following ridiculous, completely insane "contract" that I wrote for my kids around the end of the last school year. I was a woman who had completely lost her grip on the handle of life and here is how I reacted. Oh my - I am so glad my kids pretty much ignored me when I printed this little craziness out. I think a burning ceremony is in order - don't you think, ladies?

Well, funny.  I have searched three computers and cannot find the document.  I have a printed copy to show my kids how NOT to parent, but can't find the original.  It reads like the "Go to Jail" card from Monopoly.  You will behave exactly like this, you will not be human; you will be a robot.  Any attempts to be a child will be quickly squelched and you will go directly to jail.  Thank goodness I never actually enforced this insanity.  Maybe that will spare me at least one payment for my kids' therapy down the road. 

Maybe she does care

A little conversation with Sadie at bedtime revealed a little worry, a little concern, and a little discontent with herself. She is the master at appearing all together to the world. Even when she makes poor decisions, she quickly brushes it off. She doesn't dwell on her mistakes, often sweeping them under her bed like discarded candy wrappers. Not where she should put them, or how she should deal with them, but it is much easier to push them to place that takes little effort.

I cannot recall a single conversation with her that shed even the faintest ray of light on how she perceives her choices and actions. With all of the difficult behavior and impulsivity, there have been many times when I have believed that Sadie was completely and totally apathetic. I can even remember when she was 3 and 4 wondering if this child could discern right from wrong and more importantly...did she care?  Where was her moral compass?

Tonight, I saw a different view. It made me sad. She was comparing herself to her classmates in several areas. Some not so important - handwriting and neatness. Then she came to a particular girl who excels in several areas. I could hear the hint of jealousy in her words. Then she turned the conversation to herself. She said, "I wish I could start my life over again. I wish I could change. I wish I weren't the yellow light girl."

There. She said it. It does bother her. Yellow lights are what they receive for poor behavior. Much like a traffic light system, yellow is a warning light to slow down.

It shows me three things. 1) Sadie is more aware of her own successes and failures and wants to do well, clearly better than she has been doing and 2) That I need to do a better job of pointing out her strengths and her positives. I need to show her a bit more love during the difficult behavior days. And 3) she needs to know who and how God defines her to be.

It gives me more motivation for the homeschool year that is in the making. A year to teach to her heart.

Just another week.

A forewarning...quite possibly the most borning post EVER.  However, in the interest of documenting life, here it goes.

So, last week I started the Wii Active Fit 30-day challenge. I received the Active Fit as a Christmas gift and here it is mid-March. I just opened the box. I hate exercising. I dislike it so very much that I would do just about anything to push it off - even cleaning the toilets. Once I am done, I feel great, but that is never enough to overcome my initial disdain, no, make that repulsion for it. I am sure it is because I have not found an exercise niche that I enjoy. It has to exist, right? I really wish I were more motivated. I hope that I will see such a difference in my body shape and tone in 30 days that I will be encouraged to do another 30 days.

Ants. We have them. All over the place. I keep spraying, putting out traps outside the house. I am making one last attempt today to make a massive spray and traps outside the house and then I am calling the experts. Over it.

We took the kids to Hanging Rock this weekend. We are fortunate we didn't try this last year because Lily would have never made it. Overall, she did a great job. There were a bit of whining and complaining and “I have a headache” statements on the way up. I could see a bit of fear and concern in Jay's eyes that he was going to have to carry her on his shoulders. But, once we arrived at the base of Hanging Rock, the last push up, I encouraged her to count the steps which distracted her enough to hike quickly the rest of the trail. The way back to the car was pretty easy, and Lily only had to take a break two times. Sadie kept walking way ahead of our family and I believe she would have run the entire way if given the chance. She was joyfully in her element. At one point, however, we had to force her to walk in between me and Jay because she continued to walk out of our eyesight, despite warnings. She hated this forced positioning and therefore nearly ran up the back of my heels in protest. If Sadie isn't happy, she will try to make everyone else suffer along with her. Thankfully, it was shortly lived. Ethan enjoyed lagging back with me and chatting. He has such great conversation skills. Even Jay didn't get in hyper-freak-out mode too badly at the top of Hanging Rock which does not have guard rails and can be slightly stressful with small children. However, it was a beautiful day - perfectly 72 degrees and sunny. Our picnic lunch and ice cream at the Danbury gas station topped off a fabulous family event.

Our summer plans are finally coming together. The planning was a source of extreme stress for me and it had caused some ripples of discontent and strife in my marriage. However, I trusted God to iron out the details and He did. Actually, I had just reported my peace with the entire situation to my bible study group and then viola! God worked. We will visit Jay's family for a week and a half at the end of May and beginning of June. The kids will miss the last 2 days of school which are do-nothing days anyway. They will learn more going on this trip than they will during those two days - if nothing else, how to take their shoes on and off at record speed during airport security. We will take Jay's host parents with us. This trip should be a fantastic one because the kids are older (no one in diapers on a long 14 hour journey). We plan on taking them to many sightseeing locations instead of hanging around the house and taking walks as we have in the past. They are at the age to appreciate them. Jay's host parents who have never been overseas will be able to see where Jay grew up and meet more of his extended family. I am most relieved that I will not fly solo with three children under the age of 7 this time around. Finally, the adults outnumber the children. Although the details are a bit sketchy, the initial plan is to split time between the Netherlands and France. Really, I can't wait to go.

This little recap of our week would not be complete without the never ending cycle of work stress. But, who really wants to hear about that? Not me, I already have.

One of the most surprising facets of having kids is how uniquely God created them to be.  It shouldn't be surprising, given who I know God to be, but for some reason I thought I could parent the three the same and get the same desired results.  They are human being and they are as different on the inside as if I had picked three random people off the city streets to compare.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

LOVE SICK. That is what my kids are and I have no idea from where it originates. My first reaction, which is erroneous I know, is to lock them away in their rooms and never allow them to utter another word about the opposite sex until they are 18.

How are they like this? I could say my kids are overflowing with love for others because we shower them with so much love that they are bursting forth with adoration. They cannot contain themselves and throw themselves onto all that cross their paths in hopes of surviving a love explosion. Sadly, I know my own short-comings.

Case #1: Child, age 5
Previously mentioned in this post, Lily is still in love with "little C" in her class. The shortest and possibly smallest boy in kindergarten. I understand from the teachers that all the girls mother him. Lily set her eyes on him on the first day and declared her unrestrained love for him the next. She is all set out to marry him and it doesn't seem to phase her one bit that she is 5. As she told me, "He is chubby, has a flat head...and I just love him." Yes, I just about lost control of the vehicle I was driving with that declaration. Is that really her standard? Girth and head shape?

The latest news is that another girl, told her that she, not Lily, was going to marry the little boy. I asked Lily how the girl knew this. Lily replied that the little boy hugged the little girl on the playground. Honestly, Lily seemed quite unphased by this turn of events, still believing that little C's heart is hers and hers alone. She announced to a teacher assistant, ""I am going to marry him so that I can kiss him all the time, whenever I want."

Last week, Lily announced to me that she got into a fight on the playground. Say what? A fight at 5? Insane! Evidently a girl from another class is also quite smitten with this boy. The two girls squared off on the playground and attempted to figure out a challenge. Unfortunately, Lily said, they couldn't think of one. Therefore, Little C just chose her.

Finally, I was witness to the following dramatic scene: We were playing on the playground after school. The afterschool care kids came out to the playground while we were still there. I was rounding up the kids as we aren't allowed to hang out there when they come to the playground. Lily realized it was the afterschool group and ran to find Little C who, by now, was sliding down the slide. Lily squealed, "Little C!" and ran over to give him a hug. About that time, I heard the word, "Little C!!" called out in a not so nice way. I looked up from the hugging couple and saw a look that would kill on what I assume is Lily's nemesis' face. She was a woman scorned. As Lily walked away from Little C, Lily told me that she was the "girl who I got in a fight with on the playground." I watched Little C, head hanging low, slowly walk to the girl who, towering over him, put her arm around him in the most possessive way. Thankfully, Lily did not see this.

Case #2: Child, age 8

Sadie has had a little connection with a boy in her class for a while now. Actually, it began last year when the two were paired for some dance in a special event day at her school. The story, like most of Sadie's stories, is somewhat vague, evolving and ever-changing on who made the first move. The beginnings of this relationship (if you can call it that) supposedly began with a verbal confessional on the part of the boy. Amazingly this boy has to be the sweetest, most well-mannered, quiet boy I know. They say opposites attract, right? Throughout the school year, there have been ebbs and flows of adoration. I checked in with the boy's mother during the class Christmas party. Her thoughts were about the same as mine: sweet, yet a very perplexing. The mom said that one day her son came home and announced the he and Sadie were over. The reason? Because she was just too bossy. Evidently they made up a couple of days later.

Case #3: Child, age 9

Sometime during the month of January, Ethan and I had one of those deep talks at bedtime. He initiated the conversation, saying he wanted to talk to me about something. I was completely not prepared for the next statement: "Mom, I just feel like I need to be a relationship." Stunned, not moving...catatonic for a few moments I was. I snapped upright as a thousand thoughts came rushing through my brain like, "You need to be more focused at school. You need to be able to locate your gray jacket that has been lost for 2 weeks. You need to remember that you have weekend homework on Friday, not on Sunday night when I tell you it is time for bed. The last thing you need is to have your mind consumed by this!" BUT, I refrained and simply muttered a calm, "Uh-huh. And, how did you arrive at this conclusion at age 9?" The verbal spewing began as he spun tales of unrequited love with a girl in his class. The pained look on his face told me that this was something he had been thinking about for quite a while. Now, he was at a crossroads...to tell or not to tell this little girl of his affections. The problem, however, is that the girl is already "taken."

Frankly, all I could think about was how to shut this entire pre-pubescent train down. NOW! This was way too much all too soon. I brought this craziness up to another swim mom and Ethan's swim coach. As I was telling them what had transpired, Ethan, who had been in the locker room changing into his bathing suit, walked by - dropping his socks along the way and neglecting to pick them up. "See!" I hissed. "He can't even keep up with his socks, he has no business thinking about relationships!" His ever-so-wise 23 year-old coach replied, "Kelsey, when he is 25 he still won't be able to keep up with his socks. He is a man. You can't tell him to stop. It is natural what he is feeling." Point well made. I still don't like it. Not one bit.

Jay wasn't much help either. He wanted to spur this crush on by, "creating a plan of courtship." What are we? 1850? I think what he really meant was that he wants to teach Ethan how to at least talk to girls, how to treat them, how to get to know them. At least Jay agreed that Ethan didn't need to be in a relationship at this age, but also doesn't want Ethan at age 16 unable to utter a single word to a member of the opposite sex. I can go with that. Maybe.

People of the world wide web...I beg for advice from any that might stumble upon this post. I have no idea how to handle these situations. I mean, this wasn't supposed to happen until junior high, right?

Oh, Sadie.

Tough day for my gal. Completely out of sorts and claims she is completely fine with that news about swim changes in my previous post. After a very, very difficult day at school, I had the pleasure of telling her I found her little piece of artwork in the basement. She decided my lampshade would look a little better with 5 red dots in row, courtesy of a bingo marker. Restitution was ordered up. What a lovely job she did folding three loads of laundry. Why do I not make the kids do this all the time? So nice to have that crossed off my to do list. There will be many, many laundry piles in her future. A new lampshade is not cheap.

While she was folding the laundry and I was fixing some hot tea, she said, out of the blue with so much confidence, "You know, Mom? I just have this feeling that I am going to be on America's Got Talent." She said it like there was no doubt in her mind that her fate rests with this television show. I dared not ask what her talent was going to be. Fear must have forced me there. Inwardly, it gave me a good chuckle.

Any good guesses out there on what kind of talent it might be?