Seven Quick Takes, volume 5

http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/09/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-52.html

~~1~~

I am most eager for Saturday to arrive. It is a day to sleep in you say? Well, maybe for those who do not have soccer and baseball games to cheer for. And although I do like my sleep, this is not why I am so excited for Saturday to arrive. You see, this Saturday is October 3. October 3 is the day my new washer and dryer will be delivered. I. Can. Not. Wait!!! Being a family of 7 with no washer and dryer has been... well, challenging. Thanks to wonderful friends I've only had to make 2 laundra mat trips and will probably do one more sometime this week.

~~2~~

Sarah is deeply in the stage of being obsessed with coloring. The problem is, she doesn't quite grasp the whole "we don't color in books, only the paper Mama gave you" concept.

~~3~~

ADHD boy is struggling. Actually, compared to last year he is doing really well. If he maintains the pace he's at now he could easily complete both 4th and 5th grades before the next school year starts. But when it comes to AWANA he struggles. Oddly he did not have this problem in Sparks and I don't hear any complaints about Sunday School. But the leaders he is under in AWANA just do not get him and don't know how to help him. At times I feel like it might be a good idea to pull him out as it isn't fair to him or the other kids, but I know that is not the right answer and would only serve to punish him. I probably need to have a talk with the leaders, but even then I can't make them understand. Also, I always worry that it will be interpreted as making excuses for his behavior or that the individual will then make allowances that should not be made. Rock, meet the hard place.

~~4~~

By the end of this week we should be completely done with the old house. Our former landlord's are being a bit unreasonable about things and expect us to take care of things that are not our responsibility. In an attempt to mirror Christ to them we have gone above and beyond and I am exhausted. I will be so glad to see the start of next week when I wont have any responsibilities outside of my home and family.

~~5~~

I took some HILLARIOUS pictures of Joshua on Saturday using my phone that I am just dying to post, but for some reason I can't seem to get them to upload onto my computer. I'll keep trying. Be on the lookout for a picture editorial of what a lengths a boy will go to in order to achieve the attention of a girl... even if that girl is "just" his mom! It's pretty funny!!!

~~6~~

Life is hard, but God is good. I am currently struggling with the sin of resentment. I am tired of feeling like I am being used and taken advantage of. I feel unappreciated and replacable. I have lost my servant attitude towards my family and I'm not at all happy about it. My attitude, in a word, sucks. The older your children get, the more intensive parenting becomes. Teenagers are HARD WORK and they resist everything you do.

~~7~~

I am trying to find a balance between schooling and housekeeping. It's difficult to get everything done that I must get done when you have children who struggle to work independantly. Add to that a clingy little mama's girl toddler and kids who manage to get by without doing their chores and things fall to the wayside. Right now I am sitting here when I should be keeping Emelia and Elijah on task whilst they do their math work. I have shut Sarah out of the room so that I can copy book report forms and type without having her climbing on me. I have to run out and go pick up some preschool workbooks from a freecycler and I really had hopes of visiting the Opp Shop (second hand store in town that is only open on certain days) and getting my hair cut today. The last 2 activities are not likely to happen. But, it is a beautiful fall day and everyone is healthy. I have a yummy pot roast in the crock pot and hopefully the kids will get their school work done in time to go to practice tonight - one soccer and one baseball, on opposite ends of the county. And the husband is working tonight so I am on my own! Weeeee

Another teenager!

In the midst of our big move we also had a milestone birthday! Luke Aaron officially became a teenager! Unfortunately because of the move I wasn't able to all of the things I had planned and we were really late in doing his official cake but we did take the day off from moving and took him to a day at Fun Land (his choice). He really had a great time. We finally did his cake a couple of nights ago and despite it being from a mix and not professional, or even Wilton, quality my children have all deemed it "the coolest cake ever!!!".

Seven Quick Takes, vol. 4...

http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/09/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-51.html

~~1~~
I missed last week's (and maybe the week before?) because of the big move. We are almost all settled into the new house and while it is "just" another rental and I don't know how long we'll be here I'm looking forward to putting the finishing touches on it and making it homey.
~~2~~
With moving my plan had been to move the cats last so I wouldn't have to worry about doors getting left open for them to escape in the new house while we were moving everything in. The kitten however had her own ideas and hitched a ride with (read, snuck into a car with) one of the ladies at church. And sadly, curiousity killed the cat... a week later my family was here and she was out front with them while they were grilling burgers. They had pulled the grill up to a light at the front of the yard as the sun had been down for quite a while, and the kitten was out there with them. The house sits probably about a hundred feet from the highway, so little Miss Curious wandered into the road to see something just as a car was coming by. And that. Was. That. :(
~~3~~
The night of the big move - the same night that the kitten snuck a ride to the new house - our older cat Tiffany, who has serious emotional issues, was totally freaked and Super Hubbie couldn't find her to bring her over. Later that night after the younger kids were in bed I took the big boys to grab a few things that had been forgotten at the old house and Joshua found Tiffy in the bathtub. She was totally freaked and trying to get away from us but we got her and put her into the cat carrier, closed the door and put her in the back seat. She mewed frantically the whole way home but didn't try to escape.
When we got home Joshua got the carrier out of the car and literally as he reached the back door she somehow managed to bust open the cat carrier and ran like lightening into the woods. It was a week before we finally began to see sightings of her, but she still wouldn't come near us or the doors of the house. Each day I kept back door open hoping the sounds and smells of the house would drift through the screen door, reaching her and luring her back in.
Last night as I was putting the kids to bed I stepped into the kitchen to get Sarah a cup of water and saw Tiffany looking through the screen! I said high to her and began to approach and she quickly went down the porch stairs. I went to the door and called her and she kept hesitantly coming half way up the stairs then turning around and going back down. It was clear she wanted to come to me but was afraid. She finally came all the way up the stairs and I scooped her up, brought her in the house and quickly shut the door so she couldn't escape. She was skinny but very happy to be reunited with us and kept pressing herself against me as hard as she could and marking her territory. She was gone for 18 days!
~~4~~
The fall soccer and baseball seasons are in full swing! Emelia has had a couple of games (soccer) and Elijah had his first game (baseball) today. Joshua and Luke have had practices (baseball) but no games yet.
~~5~~
I am watching 2 little girls after school 4 days a week as a ministry to a family at church. So far I've been picking them up from school but I may find that with my schedule that I need to have them take the bus to my house. We'll see! Emelia especially really enjoys having them here for a small part of each afternoon.
~~6~~
I have finally, after 12 or so years, been given the oppurtunity to work one on one with a special needs child. I am so thankful, and am so blessed by it! I have him one on one during AWANA on Friday night.
~~7~~

Thankful Thursday...

10. I am DONE at the old house. Ok, well I have a pile of dirt by the front door I need to sweep up, I still need to vaccum the laundry room (my vaccum cleaner belt broke while I was doing the room before it, ugh!), and I need to get my friend to come over with her camera and take pictures of the house as we left it because the landlords are kind of being unreasonable butts about the whole thing.



9. Elijah finished all of his school work today AND still had plenty of time for fun! This is HUGE. Unfortunately I think they are both going to have to go back on their medication, but even without medication I am getting a ton more work out of him than the public school system was.



8. I can't remember the last time Sarah pooped anywhere other than the toilet. GO SARAH HAZEL-NUT!!!

7. My husband is loving and faithful even when I am not the wife I should be and even when he doesn't do it the way I want him too.

6. My boys did and AWESOME job of cleaning their room today! I hope they maintain it!

5. I had fun at the laundra mat. I provided me an oppurtunity to work on Emelia's woefully lacking folding skills.

4. At the laundra mat Elijah said, "There's nothing in the world quite like folding laundry with mom!" Awww...

3. My laptop has a new keyboard and works like new! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

2. I have good insurance and can go to the doctor in the morning to seek relief for the horrible eczema outbreak that has surrounded my eyes like a racoon mask and is horribly miserably uncomfortable!

1. God has opened the doors for me to be able to serve and bless 2 other families at church in two totally seperate and unique ways and I am so humbled and blessed by it!

Her arms are strong for their tasks...

I am sooo tired and I still have to grade 2 days worth of school work (usually I don't let it go like that but life is anything but normal right now) but I am so desperate to blog that here I am...

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." ~ Proverbs 31:17

Normally I fall woefully short of being a "Proverbs 31 Woman". In recent years I've found it so impossible to measure up to these standards that in many ways I had completely given up the pursuit. I ask myself, in all seriousness, if I am not awake before my family ready to start my day with a joyful and expectant attitude does that mean I am not a godly woman? However there are times when I will find myself in a place where I know I am exactly where God would have me be and that He is giving me the grace I need for the task in front of me.

A most recent example of this came last week as we were moving from one house to another. We only moved five short miles down the road, but for us it might as well have been across the country for not only did we have to weed out the trash and pack up our belongings but the landlords expected us to leave the old place looking like new. Kinda hard to do when it's 100 years old and rotting from the outside in! I mean, helloooo... that's why we were moving in the first place!

Physical activity is not something that comes easily to me. I was one of those special needs kids with disabilities you can't see. I was born without hip sockets and have suffered with allergies, asthma, and skin issues my entire life. Joint, teeth, and fatigue issues were added to all the rest when I hit puberty and a botched appendectomy at the age of 15 has left me with permanent gastro intestinal issues. Upon hitting adulthood and starting a family I disocovered myself to be one who has difficulty getting pregnant and even more difficulty maintaining a pregnancy.

Normal house work exhausts me, however my God given responsibility of training my children means that I can delegate responsibility to my children. I have two choices: I can constantly clean and have no time or energy left over for them, or I can train them to do it and I can spend quality time with them AND they will be able to function when they hit adulthood.

I found myself with the sole responsibility of painting and cleaning the old house. It was after I had completed painting the living room and dining room, and was scrubbing down the refridgerator and walls with a bleach water solution leaving them shining brightly as if they held a new coat of paint that this word popped into my head. "She sets about her work vigorously, her arms are strong for the task."

Notice the order of that statement. It does not say that she set about her work vigorously because her arms were strong for the task. She set about her work vigrously FIRST. Why were her arms strong for their task? Was it because she spent a certain number of time each day at the gym, on the treadmill in her basement, or jogging around the neighborhood? Somehow, I don't think so. I believe her arms were strong for the task for two reasons. One, because she did not eat the bread of idleness and staying active kept her in good physical shape. But two, and most importantly, because GOD GAVE HER THE STRENGTH TO DO IT!

Each night that I came home from working on that house I literally collapsed in pain. I am in some amount of pain on a good day, and this was rough. I was so tired I could hardly see straight and I just wanted to cry. When I woke in the night I literally hurt so badly I could hardly move. And yet, when morning came I showered, dressed, and went back to work with ease. Why is that? Why were my arms, in this frail disappointing body, so strong for their task? The only answer is Jesus. He gave me just the amount of strength and energy I needed for each days work.

Now if only verse 26 could be truthfully said about me... "When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness."