Meet Me in Mélange

I'm Moving This Blog Visit Me at...

2008-04-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

http://meetmeinmelange.wordpress.com/

It's still under construction, but come anyway!

Conjunction Junction What's Your Function!

2008-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this cartoon? I was teaching 3-D about conjunctions for english this morning and thought back to my childhood and had to find this cartoon to show him. The only thing I could remember about the cartoon was the jingle, “conjunction junction what’s your function.” Nothing else stuck. Isn’t it nice when you teach your kids at home - you get educated all over again!

"Bring the Rain" by Mercy Me

2008-04-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

"I have been praying for just enough testing/trials, for you (me) to grow,
but not so many that you become discouraged. Also, for encouragement along
the way."

My mom sent this via email the other day. God really does answer prayer! And my Mom really loves me! What else would a Mother who loves the Lord and her children pray?

Love ya, Mom

Daddy'O did not get either of the jobs he applied for at his company! Very discouraging, but just as my mother prayed, He gave us encouragement along the way! Sunday I found an envelope with $50 cash in it-no one wrote a thing, so I have no clue who it is from. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Then later the same day my neighbor brought the kids cupcakes, two huge bags of frozen blueberries (my favorite and they are tiny and SWEET!)from her garden last summer, and $20 worth of gift certificates to Mike's Drive in. Then tonight Daddy'O was at some training for work and he called to tell me that he had won $150 worth of gas on a gas debit card. That is going to help tremendously!

I am keeping tabs on all these blessings so our family can reflect on what God is doing in our lives. The kids can't seem to wrap their minds around it. Master C was trying to fit our neighbor, who has been working on our yard, into a box that already exists in his mind. He just can't figure out why in the world she would want to help us.
Anywho...

Here is one of my favorite songs that goes along with my Mom's prayer. Enjoy!

How A Farm Store Chicken Came to Be

2008-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

The kids have been talkin chickens for a week or so since they each bought one recently. I thought it would be fun to see how the chickens came to be. Oops, this was a little more than I bargained for.

I think the kids were picturing a nice farm somewhere with a hen laying on its cute little egg and then some nice farmer brought the baby chicks to the store-Not this tramatic entrance into the world.

Manna

2008-04-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
Lamentations3:21-26

I know you are going to start rolling your eyes when I keep telling you the blessings God has been pouring out on our family. But I can't keep them to myself. He has been so good to us. We are still struggling financially, but God keeps throwing out a life line that keeps us from going completely under.

I walked out to our mailbox and found a letter from a friend. I opened the letter and read the note. It said that her husband had worked some extra shifts and they wanted to share the blessing with another family. She said they had prayed about who to give the money to and God led them to us. They sent us $100. I was flabbergasted to say the least! I read it to my kids and we all wrote thank you notes to the family.

Everytime I turn around God uses his children to show me his love. I can't remember a time when we have been blessed more. It seems we are in a desert now, but God keeps showering us with manna.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

My Personal Gardner

2008-04-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have the nicest (aka. crazy) neighbor! I asked to borrow her small rototiller the other day, but she said she would come over and see if it could dig up the soil herself the next day. I talked to her again that night feeling bad that she felt she had to do it. She said that she hates to be inside and because her yard was all done she needed another yard to work in. She said that if someone in our neighborhood didn't have something for her to do, she was going to go to her old neighborhood and work in her friends' yard. I just laughed and told her we would be home by 12:30 or so and I would see her then.

Fast forward to 12:30 the next day. We get out of the car and she is in her driveway. I say hello and she tells me that she was so excited to come work in our yard that she couldn't sleep last night. She said she had other errands to run, but didn't do those because she wanted to get ready to work in our yard. She had bought something to kill the moss in our front yard and then she was going to get to work in the back.

She worked a bit in the front and then went back into the backyard and started to pull the grass from around the fence line. She said it was rotting the fence out around the bottom. Then she cut the grass around the play structure, mowed the lawn, and pulled the dandelions out. The kids couldn't stay away. They were outside helping her. They got a ton done. She didn't get the rototiller done, but I'm hoping that will come soon. She did however forget to pick her grandson up from school. She was so enthralled in the process that when I asked if she had to pick up her grandson, she said, "what time is it?" I told her and she rushed off 30 min. late to pick him up. I felt sooo bad. The kids told me it was my fault. Of course I said it wasn't, but I felt bad anyway.

When I was praying for new neighbors a year ago, I never had a thought of how they could help me, I just prayed for a family that we could influence or help. But it has been an unexpected blessing on both sides of our house. One does my yard work and the other brings us ice-cream.

Sibling Generosity-Who Knew?

2008-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

We had walked to a local bakery the other day in hopes to diffuse the events of the morning (baby chick died) when Ramona exclaimed that she wanted the large butterhorn donut. It was $1.25 which I found to be too much for one donut, so I told her she would have to pick another donut because I wasn't going to buy her a donut that cost that much. She threw a small fit and I told her if she didn't pick another donut we were going to leave and she wouldn't get one at all. I know, sounds harsh, but I have to set limits!

At that moment her 8 year old brother stepped in and asked me if he gave me a dollar could she get the donut. I just looked at him and wasn't sure if I should let him step in and do that for his sister or not (because she was throwing a small tantrum,) but in the end I couldn't deny his generous spirit, so I allowed him to. As we were walking back to the car I told 3-D that he had done a very nice thing. He said, "I just want our family to be happy."

It's moments like this one that make you feel like you are doing something right in raising the kids. Oh, and I only made him give me .25.

Pudgy Hands and Chicks Don't Mix!

2008-04-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Pudgy two year old hands and baby chicks don't mix!!! The LOCKED bathroom door was left open and I am sure you can only imagine what happened next!!!:(

Ramona came running to me early this morning yelling, CP "killed Butterscotch!" Of course I was in disbelief and doubted her story, but upon examining the poor baby, there was no question. I can only imagine that CP was loving it sooo much that he squeezed it too hard and the poor chicks neck got broken. The kids told me that CP brought the chick out to them in his open palm to show them.

Needless to say everyone was upset. Master C was mad, I think blaming himself. Ramona wasn't sad the chick was dead only sad for 3-D and 3-D was very distraught. They were very Stern with CP before I came out to see about the whole situation. He was sad and crying too when I saw him.

I explained that it was not his fault because he had no idea what he had done. He was just playing with the chick like they were and didn't know how to be gentle. And then proceeded by saying that that was the reason we had them in a locked room. So it was a little bit of all of our faults. Ramona got CP out of bed and did not watch him, the other boys or whoever didn't lock the door and I was not out of my room to supervise everyone. They all made amends, but were still very sad.

After some more comforting and forgiving I asked them if they wanted to walk to a local city landmark elevator and walk from there to a local bakery and get a donut. They all agreed that it would cheer them up and then we would go back to the farm store and get another chick for 3-D.

After getting the donuts and getting back to our car I commented to Master C about how different CP was acting. He was not himself at all. He was quiet, not smiling, and not chattering. Very unusual behavior for him. Master C agreed that it was strange and I said that I think he could sense that something was wrong with the chick when he brought it to them this morning. He was clearly distraught over the situation. I was so sad for the little guy! He clearly had no idea about what happened and yet he knew in his heart that the chick was not ok.

As soon as we got a new chick (looks just the same as the old one-a Rhode Island Red) CP seemed to perk right up. He probably thought it was the same chick. Everything restored. When we got home the kids dug a grave and 3-D buried Butterscotch in it and placed a grave marker. We said a prayer and told God that we were sorry for not taking better care of His creation.

The other two chickies seem to not know the difference. They all get along peachy!

Got Milk?

2008-04-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

I snapped this picture the other morning. Wonder where he got an idea like that???

Three baby Chicks

2008-04-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Two have names: Freckles and Butterscotch

Master C's Schedule

2008-03-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

The kids received $10 each from their CA Grandma for Easter. They decided to put it all together and buy chickens. Master C and I went to our local farm store and priced everything we needed. They had just enough to buy all the things. We had a heat lamp and my Dad gave them sawdust for bedding, so they needed about $30 or so. We already have a chicken coop when they are big enough to go outside, but for now they are locked inside the bathroom in a big tub.

Master C just cracks me up. I told the kids that we could go buy a chicken for each of them on Saturday morning. Friday night Master C showed me a schedule he had written out for the event. Notice the slack and no slack list on the right. He is definitely a list oriented guy. It makes me laugh that put in if there was time to dilly dally or not. He even put everyone's clothes out with shoes and socks too. He made it so easy for all of them. The store opened at 8 AM.

They really did get up and follow the schedule. He has such a wonderful leadership quality about him that his siblings will follow his lead in almost everything. I am blessed that most of his decisions are good ones that they can follow.

I didn't want to roll out of bed, but knew that I had no other option. I couldn't dishonor them by sleeping in. Let me tell ya though, that was the longest day I have had in a long time. We were back at home by 9 with a whole day ahead of us. Daddy'O was out of town so it was just the five of us. Part of me feels that I should get up that early every morning. I know I would get a whole lot more stuff done:)

An Unexpected Blessing

2008-03-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

I am daily blown away by God's love for my family. He used someone in our church to bless our family on Sunday. I pulled an envelope out of our "mailbox" - I opened it expecting a note, but found a $60 gift card to the mall instead. I was so surprised!!! My whole family couldn't believe it. This may sound weird, but I feel so guilty! I don't deserve such generosity!

Our Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T13:40:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We began it with a bit of disappointment though, but ended with a nice day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with our family.

Saturday we were supposed to take our rabbits and share them with the community at an Easter egg hunt. That was canceled, so we went out to Grandma's to pick up some twigs to make crosses and other Easter projects. While we were there she had put together an impromptu egg hunt. The kids had fun traipsing through the "forest" around their property. It took them quite awhile to find them all. Usually they just run out into a field and grab them, but they really had to hunt for these. While they were searching we spooked three deer from a quiet slumber, but found some scat. I asked the kids what the scat was a sign of and one of them said, "that the deer stole our Easter eggs?" They were discouraged because they were really having to search for the eggs, so the obvious conclusion was that the deer had stolen them.

On Easter Sunday we went to church and celebrated the resurrection with our congregation. Then we came home to prepare Easter dinner for our family. Grandpa and Grandma came along with Aunt H and Uncle C with their three in tow. After dinner Grandma pulled out some goodies for the kiddos.

After all the work I was exhausted. I put the kids to bed and Master C said, "I wish days like this would never end." It was nice to know that he enjoyed our family gathering. Sometimes I wonder if all the work is worth it. But when I heard how much he enjoyed it and thinking about all the memories he is storing away, I found it all to be worth it!

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

2008-03-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Matthew 28:5-7
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead..."

Bye Bye Birdy

2008-03-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

A poor little bird lost its life after coming in full contact with my neighbor's window. Master C, Ramona, and two neighbor kids gave it a proper burial in our backyard. They all look a little too happy on such a sad occasion, but that's because- like a true homeschooling mom, I told them we could dig it up at the end of summer and find out what a bird skeleton looks like. They all thought that was a really cool idea.

The little boy with the two broken arms said I should write, "it was a good bird," on its grave marker.

They're Getting Smarter

2008-03-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

The kids know that if they utter the words, "I'm bored," they will be put to work. So Master C came to me this morning and handed me a paper and said, "How's this for Monday's English assignment?" He then proceeded by saying, "I was bored so I found something to do."

I just laughed to myself and gave an out loud whoop. I haven't looked at the assignment, but I guess it must have been writing a letter to a friend. He doesn't like to write very much, so this was GREAT! It is a ton of fun watching our eldest child embrace self discipline and motivation without parental prodding!

A Compelling Story

2008-03-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

God is just amazing! I am blown away by His beautiful orchestration of events and how He blesses His precious children. Let's see if I can convey this story that will give you both chills and warm fuzzies all at the same time.

This morning began like every other around our house. We did a little school and then left for CutieP'Tootie's speech therapy apt. Afterwards we stopped off at Bob's Red Mill to pick up some yeast and a few other staples. Then as we were headed home I kept debating whether to pick up some groceries at Winco or go home. I just couldn't see wasting gas on another trip out, so the five of us trucked it over to the grocery store. We meandered through the aisles as I tried to recall what was on my grocery list as well as trying to keep a running tally of our purchases so as not to go over our food stamp allotment. We finally made it to the end and began unloading our groceries onto the conveyor belt.

Ramona began a conversation with the woman in front of us as she kept trying to place the red divider on the belt. I apologized a few times, but she just smiled and said it was no big deal. If you ever shop at Winco you know that two people can have their groceries at the end of the checkout. The two of you face each other as you bag your own groceries. She commented on having too many hands to help and I chuckled. In my case many hands didn't really make light work. Quite the contrary. The bags were too heavy. I need to give a lesson on bagging groceries in case any of our kids ever become a bagger. One even ripped open spilling its contents on the checkout table.

As the woman and I were facing each other she leaned in close and said, "come here." Then she asked me my name. I gave it to her and she said, "don't slap me, but we've been praying about who to give this to for Easter." She then stretched out her arm and placed something in my hand. I took it and slipped it in my pocket and thanked her profusely. She said they were pastors and then mumbled something else. I told her she had blessed us so much and we had fallen on hard times and were using food stamps to pay for our groceries. She smiled and walked out the door.

3-D saw what went on, but didn't hear what was said and was dying to know what happened. I gathered everyone up as we finished bagging our groceries and headed to the car. After everyone was buckled and our groceries were in, I began telling the kids what had just happened. At that point I hadn't looked at the amount of money given so it was a special moment to all of us to see what she blessed us with. She had given us $30.

We bowed our heads as we sat in our car and I prayed that God would bless this woman ten-fold for her generosity. The kids were moved by the whole experience. As we drove home, I began to ask God how I should spend the money. I wanted it to count for more than just purchasing something for our family. The monetary gift wasn't big , but it was given by someone who was listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. The woman who gave it to me looked no better off than we did so I know it was given from the bottom of her heart. I wanted to be able to bless someone else the same way she had just blessed me.

It became clear on our way home what we were supposed to do with the money. An auction was being held at our church tonight. The auction was being held by our middle schoolers and the proceeds were going to benefit the poorest caste of India. Our family was not planning on attending because we just don't have the financial means to purchase any fun-unneeded items at the moment. But I knew with no uncertainty that this was what we were to do. When we got home I checked in with my husband and told him what had happened and what I thought we should do. Then I told the kids that they would each get $10 to spend at the auction.

So tonight, our family piled into the van and headed out to our church to have a little fun and excitement while using the gifted money to continue to glorify God. It amazes me that with this money God allowed my kiddos to receive something greater -at least in their eyes. I really think His goal was to show His magnificent glory to my kids. He wanted to show them, in no uncertain terms, these events were from no one else but Himself. No one else can be given the credit. He was the orchestrator of all the events. From the woman, to our family, to the person who donated the items they had yet to bid on (thanks Austen for your generosity.)

The really special thing that I am so thankful to Him for is that He did not require my kids to just give the money to someone else-No, He so generously chose to give my kids an even bigger more tangible blessing. A totally unnecessary gift in my eyes, but I think He wanted to really capture the attention of my kids.

As they looked over the items up for auction they discussed it among themselves and all agreed to pool their money together to purchase a used Nintendo DS (which all have wanted-especially 3-D) for several years now. It was a long time waiting, but it finally came up on the auction block and the kids thought they had no chance whatsoever to win this item. The bidding started and went up a little before it stopped at $14 and Master C was holding the winning bid. They all had big smiles on their faces when he walked up to get it and all sat around with their prize as the auction continued. However, if you can subtract, you realize that they still have money left. They were also able to buy two DS games, an under the cupboard cd player (skips a bit, but we'll try to fix it,) and Ramona bought a remote control truck which she later gave to her cousin. She told her aunt that she gave it to him so she could come over and play with it together.

When it was over we piled back into the van, but before Daddy'O drove off I asked the kids to say a prayer of thanks to God for our special day. The first one with their hand up was Ramona. I was shocked at this because she never wants to pray out loud. She was so excited and wanted to be the first to thank her Heavenly Father. I was so touched by her enthusiasm as I'm sure God was. He knew it would take something special to move her little heart closer to Himself. Words cannot express my love for a God who cares so much for the hearts of His children. I pray often that God would draw the hearts of my children nearer to Himself every day. So in a way I guess that this beautiful, wonderful, inspiring day was an answer to prayer!

A Prayer for our Nation

2008-03-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."

Abraham Lincoln

It disgusts me to think of what our country is going to look like in just a few short years. With the philosophy currently being taught in many schools, our future looks grim.

It won't be long if God allows the destruction that our country deserves to come to fruition this year because so many have turned a blind eye to the Creator. I can't even fathom the direction that any of the presidential candidates will take our Country-along with the most innocent of all...our impressionable children.

If you are not already, get down on your knees and beg the Lord of Heaven and earth to spare us for yet a little longer. We deserve nothing but destruction, but by the grace of our Heavenly Father, He can pour out more undeserved grace upon His children and those He has yet to call His own.

"My precious Father, thank you for the freedoms you have given us in this country. Thank you for the precious children you have so lovingly entrusted to us. Thank you for our health and a place to lay our heads at night. Thank you for the many things I take for granted Heavenly Father. Thank you for the many a nights I have spent with You praying over the innocent sleeping bodies of my children. I have prayed that you would lay a hedge of protection around them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I am now down on my knees asking for your protection for our Country. This beautiful free Country that you have given to my family. I beg of you to bring a revival of our nation. Give the leadership of this Country the wisdom they need to lead us into a place of desiring you above all else. A revival is a dangerous request, I realize, but You know what is best for the well being of every soul. I pray that you have not turned your face away from this wretched country. I pray that you will use every means possible to draw more and more people to You. Open the eyes of every human you so lovingly created. Open the eyes of my family to know how to meet the needs of our neighbors. Help me to hear your voice and act on the nudging of Your Spirit. ~the most important of these is love~ help my family show Your love. Help us reflect your glory to everyone we meet. Lord You are a beautiful being. You pour out Your love again and again. I pray that You will continue to work in the lives of the people of our nation. Don't stop until every soul has been converted. Amen."

Happy Boy

2008-03-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Isn't it wonderful when you can keep your two year old up all day without a nap and he is as happy at 5:00 PM as he was fresh out of bed!!!

However, it is 9:20 and he is soooo far gone that even tucked in bed now for two hours, he's still wide awake. Moms always pay when schedules aren't followed.

Coming to a Public School Near You

2008-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

From http://www.californiaexodus.org/

"Let us take you to visit a classroom where you can see the type of instruction that SB 777 is likely to inflict on California's elementary school children. As you watch, notice how the children's attitudes and values are being manipulated and how the children respond. Now, this form of child endangerment and abuse is mandated throughout California's public schools.
The Impact on Christian Children And Families (And The Churches):

Christians have already become numb to the moral relativism that is taught in all public schools today. Now children will be systematically misled into the false belief that their sexual orientation and gender are relative, too. No longer will children raised in these schools understand that God made us male and female with different, but complementary roles.

Instead, children will be taught relentlessly that sexual orientation and gender are a matter of personal choice and that there are many sexual orientation and gender identity possibilities. Along with these falsehoods, children will be taught that they have to reach their own conclusions about "what is right for them" regarding sexual orientation and gender.

Moreover, children are likely to receive the message that "you really can't tell whether you like something unless you have tried it." We don't need to detail for you the likely consequences of this for children, the institution of the family, our churches, or our culture. For a better understanding of how this legislation will impact your children, take a minute and read a brief summary of some of the highlights of the SB 777 Bill Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed."

California Homeschooling~ Outrageous Ruling

2008-03-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

A California Court of Appeal recently decided that homeschooling is illegal in California unless a parent is a certified teacher.

The case arose in a confidential juvenile court proceeding. The family was represented by court-appointed attorneys and HSLDA did not become aware of the case until the Court of Appeal case was published on February 28, 2008.

The Court could have restricted its decision to the facts before it, but instead, it issued a broad ruling that effectively outlaws home education in California. The Court also certified its decision for publication, which means that the decision can now be cited as legal authority by all other courts in California.

The family and their California counsel are planning to appeal to the Supreme Court of California, which could result in reversal.

Another option to keep homeschooling free in California is to petition the Supreme Court of California to “depublish” the opinion. If the opinion is “depublished” then it cannot be used by other California courts and this threat to homeschool freedom will be neutralized for other California homeschoolers.

HSLDA will be formally petitioning the California Supreme Court to depublish the opinion. We would like to show that many other people, both in California and across the country, care deeply about homeschool freedom in California.

Please show your support for this effort by signing the petition today.

Petition to Request Depublishing of California Court Case In re Rachel L.

Please Sign this Petition to Support Homeschool Freedom in California. 127,968 signatures so far!

https://www2.hslda.org/Registrations/DepublishingCaliforniaCourtDecision/

My Head is Going to EXPLODE!

2008-03-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

OK-we were selling things on Ebay before Christmas. The post office LOST two of those items. It is March and we still haven't been reimbursed for our losses. They weren't $2 items either. The total loss was over $800. Which we already had to pay back to the purchasers. What a headache!!!!

We actually might see a check for one of the claims next week, but the other claim has been misplaced now too. I called last week to check on the status of both claims and the person told me that one of the claims was incomplete. I didn't have the number in front of me so she gave me the receipt number.

Today I called to get some help from the USPS cause I couldn't find the claim online to print off to complete the missing data. She couldn't find it either. Basically she said they would not have deleted the claim so I must not have filed it. I was so furious!!!! I explained to her that Denise gave me the number last week. She said she sees the ticket number regarding the conversation, but has no record of two claims only one. I said that I didn't think she understood me. You guys gave me the receipt number. Why is it not there today?????" She had no answer. Of course she can only tell me what is in front of her. I just want to hit something. I can't tell you what a loss of 8oo bucks has done to our diminishing financial situation. I just want to scream!!!

The good news is the time to file has not expired, so now I am going to start all over again. I guess that will teach me to use a government agency to mail expensive packages. Sender Beware!

Talk to the Animals

2008-03-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

We heard a loud chattering bird and then saw this. Who knew rabbits and birds could talk to each other. Well maybe he wasn't talking-maybe he just wanted to scare Chester so he could steal his food.

What Would You do with a Klondike Bar?

2008-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Our friendly neighbor brought us over a bunch of yummy ice-cream that was damaged. Still yummy to eat, just not good to sell. The boys put a bunch of it in the garage freezer and some was left in the house freezer. I went out yesterday to get some Klondike bars for everyone and I reached into a warm freezer. Just use your imagination!!!

We lost two turkeys, a bunch of ice-cream, a couple frozen pizzas, Popsicles, and two packs of Klondike bars. We did try to re-freeze them, don't waste your time!
Daddy'O spent much of Sunday at work preparing the affore mentioned presentation and when he called, I just said, "you have a freezer to clean up when you get home." I was already outside shoveling rabbit droppings into the compost. Just couldn't do both!

To be honest, I haven't even been out to see what kind of job he did. I don't really want to know. If you can't see it it doesn't exist, right? Ha, I know how this one will end up!

The last time one of our freezers went kaput, I was pregnant with Ramona. There was meat that had thawed and smelled somethin' awful. I was so sensitive to smells that I nearly puked! I know, lovely picture, just thought I'd share.

Blogger Friendly Version of a yearbook page I made for Homeschool Co-Op

2008-03-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

My Eyes are Buggin' Out!

2008-03-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

I've been staring at the computer for too long! I spent a ton of time today putting together a logo for Daddy'O's new blog and helping him with getting it to look sharp. It isn't "real" yet cause we put it together for a presentation portion of an interview he had two weeks ago at his current employer. He put together a great presentation and blog and Lord willing he will get the new position. He sends it up to WA tom. and then waits. He doesn't even get to present it in person. What a stressful day it will be just waiting. We are praying that this will fly! We need a good shot in the arm both financially and a boost for Daddy'O's esteem. I'll let you know. If you read this today, PRAY!!!

Top Ten

2008-03-01T13:43:00.001-08:00

Things Heard While My Kids Were Being Forced To Clean the House

10. I'm hungry

9. I have to go to the bathroom

8. He won't stop looking at me

7. I can't work with him.

6. I smashed my finger.

5. It's his fault

4. I'm tired

3. How can I vacuum if I don't see any dirt?

2. Make him stop laughing

1. Sometimes I like having you for a Mom and Sometimes I don't. I don't like it when you get tough like this.

"Pleasant Words Are A Honeycomb..."

2008-02-27T23:14:00.000-08:00

The kiddos have been having trouble using "honeycomb" words with each other lately, so we did a little scripture reading on the subject and a little project this morning.

Proverbs 16:24 says,

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Each of them really enjoyed drawing sweet treats around the edge of our paper. Not wanting to be left out CP got in and drew a little scribble at the bottom. Then we filled in the middle with "sweet" words that we could use with each other. (this idea was from "The family Worship Bible" Broadman and Holman.)

Our day wasn't really filled with any more sweet words than usual, but it is a process to be sure!!!

Cheese Snob

2008-02-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

I usually buy Tillamook cheese cause we all think its the best durn cheese around. But because it is spendy and wasn't on sale this week, I decided to buy a cheaper brand. I even went as far as to make sure the wrapper was the same color as Tillamook so as not to be found out. I made "noodles and cheese" one night and 3-D Master completely turned his nose up at it. He said that it wasn't Tillamook and he wasn't going to eat it. I asked him how he could tell without tasting it and his reply was, "it is darker." Go figure. Have you ever heard of anything so silly? It looked the same to me. But nooooo, it was darker. Apparently Tillamook is a lighter yellowish orange. That is his opinion anyway. I even showed him the wrapper trying not to actually tell him a lie by saying it was Tillamook. He didn't buy it. Then out of fear that I would make him question his sanity, I told him he was right. Although I let him think he was crazy for a bit longer than I should have. That is just crazy. I wonder how this talent and cheese snobbery will serve him in his adult life?

Meany

2008-02-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

According to my kids (well, maybe only one kid.) I would get the worst mother award this morning. What terrible, utterly horrifying, absolutely inconsiderate thing did I do?

I gave the kids two choices for breakfast.
1. Oatmeal
2. Cereal

O.K., I'll admit it, I created this one! I have spoiled my kids with yummy breakfasts for awhile now. I just didn't want to make anything "special" this morning. Hey, I gave them a choice!

Well, Master C decided that he didn't like either one. "Why did God make my taste buds to not like oatmeal or cereal?" was his moaning plea.

I haven't been one for too much sympathy lately, so my reply was something on the lines of....brace yourself now... "Well, maybe I should serve you-what do kids in Africa get? Something gross and tasteless if anything at all????- At least you get to fill your stomach with food!" OK, OK, maybe a little too far, but give me a break!

I told him if he wasn't going to eat breakfast to get his math out and start working. He finally decided on cereal, but ate it slowly just to make sure I knew he wasn't enjoying it one bit.

He finished eating and did a subject or two and then we had to leave for an apt. for CP. We even stopped by a park on this most beautiful February day on the way home.

When we did arrive home, I served lunch. I made PBandJ sandwiches, which I know Master C doesn't particularly like, but that's what he was getting. He ate half of the sandwich along with the other items on his plate and then to my utter shock he said, "can I have a bowl of CEREAL?" Now I am sure you can imagine the look I gave him. He took one look at me and said, "don't say it.... 'Why in the world are you asking for cereal when you would have nothing to do with it this morning'?????!!???" Yaaaa! "You took the words right out of my mouth," I said. We just smiled and rolled our eyes at each other. It really was kinda funny. I couldn't believe it. What was even more funny was the fact that he knows me too well. He really did take the words right out of my mouth.

Feeding Time

2008-02-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

The kids have a few chores in the morning-one of them being to feed and check on the rabbits. Ramona went out to feed and water them this morning and before I knew it CutieP'Tootie had his boots on and was out the door-still in his pj's. He wants so much to be big!

These two were so dang cute! Ramona was soooo patient with him too. She let him carry the bowl and help her put it in the cage. I'm tellin ya-my smile went from ear to ear.

Lunar Eclipse as Seen in the NW Sky

2008-02-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

Copper Spy

2008-02-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

I sent Master C outside to capture some sunny day photos. He found Copper spying through a knot in the fence. Forgot to ask if he saw anything worthy of sharing. We picked this cutie up at a local 4-H event. Someone was giving away free bunnies. He's a Holland Lop. He and I actually share a birthday -it was a sign-LOL! We just couldn't leave him. He is a very rambunctious lil' guy- very inquisitive!

A Glimpse of Spring:-)

2008-02-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful weekend we were blessed with! Ramona and her sidekick were diligently working on their garden plot. She worked the soil so well that I think it is nearly ready for spring. Master C took these pictures too.

Ben Stein's Get Expelled! Must See

2008-02-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

Rise Up Christians

2008-02-17T00:15:00.001-08:00

Casting Crowns -Are You Guilty?

2008-02-16T23:52:00.000-08:00

Someone Is Out To Get Me

2008-02-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

Ever feel that someone is out to get you? I asked my husband if he could feel our lives crumbling around us. Many things are coming to a head, and I just can't take another pressure. Most of its financial, but I am also tired. It takes me forever to fall asleep at night. I'm too tired to do anything, so I just lay there trying to plan out the next days events.

Someone said that Satan was really ganging up on us. I thought about that, but I think God is allowing it for His purposes. Guess you can look at it either way. But God is ultimately in control of the universe and could stop anything if He wanted. So, I'll chalk it up to growth. Man, I must be gettin' really tall!

Self Control and a Six Year Old

2008-02-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

We went to deliver some late valentine flowers to someone today. Ramona just couldn't quite control her body. She wiggled, walked around, rolled on the floor, pretended to be a dog, and chased her little brother... I gave her some leeway and then had her sit down, cause she was driving me crazy. She couldn't even get her body to sit on the chair. She kept conveniently sliding off and making a spectacle of herself. This was an older lady mind you, she had tons of patience-I'll give her credit. She was very nice about it though, but I was completely embarrassed about my daughter’s total lack of self-control.

In the car on the way home, I was trying to figure out a way to discipline her in a way that fit the crime. I finally came up with her sitting in a chair for a half an hour when we got home. She said, "how 'bout six minutes?" I said no way! I told her she could have friendly conversations with me while I cooked dinner, but she could not leave the chair until the timer beeped. She was actually able to sit still. Next time-oh yes I'll guarantee you there will be a next time- I'll have her sit for an hour! I knew she was capable. Her bent is to do the complete opposite of what you ask her to do. I probably should have given her a choice of which chair to sit in, but c'mon, sometimes she is just going to have to do exactly as she is asked! She is completely able to do what is asked of her, but continually chooses not to do it. I allowed her to investigate the house, because she was told by the gracious hostess that she could, but when I asked her to come and sit for a while and chat, she wanted to be anywhere but there.

I think she is overtly trying to send me to the loony bin. I told my husband that I think I lost my patience and sympathy somewhere. He said that maybe I had to sell them on Ebay for some quick cash. Could be. If you find them listed, buy them at any price and send them back. Sorry, you won't be reimbursed. But you will be doing this family a great service!!!
Thanks

Tutoring

2008-02-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

I have my first tutoring student. I am going to start tutoring my little neighbor boy in reading two times a week. He is 8. I have no idea where he is, as far as ability or what he knows. Tomorrow will be a time for assessing his needs. I loaned his mom the book I used to teach my kids and she thinks it will be a good fit.

God is good! I was just telling someone that I needed to find a job but that I didn't want to work outside of the home. God just dropped it in my lap. I was telling my neighbor about our financial situation then a day later she emailed me and asked if I would consider tutoring her son. The money will help in only a small way, but it is much needed! What a blessing!

Roll playing part II

2008-02-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ramona was sitting at the table tonight when she said, "we need to practice using those nice words." I said, "oh, you mean roll playing?" She said yes, so shortly after we practiced talking nicely to each other. I would ask her to do something and she would say, "yes Mom." and then she would look up at me with a smile and ask me to "do" another one. So I asked her to do something else and she said, "yes Mom."

If I had been sitting on a chair, I would have fallen off. I guess the roll playing idea had to ferment awhile for her to embrace it in her own time. She and I are always butting heads. She wants to do things "her" way and not my way ALL the time. Don't misunderstand me, I give her choices when it is possible, but she will choose neither one and come up with her own idea. She fights me on EVERYTHING! It was nice to see she is maturing and learning that not everything needs to be a battle if she just makes a different choice of words and/or actions.

Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader

2008-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

I love the Nature Readers by Christian Liberty Press. There are several in the series. I have Book 1 and Book 2. They are a delight to read. The language is sweet and innocent. Wonderful information for the kids to learn too.

All the kids enjoy listening to them read aloud. I just started Master 3-D on Book one for his own reading time. I have used the Pathway Readers up to this point, but I like the idea that he is learning factual information while he is reading instead of reading just a made up story (which he already does during his free time.) I changed because we had an issue of his younger sister catching up to him in the reading series and it was a blow to his self esteem.

Christian Liberty Press has lots to offer homeschooling families!

Cafe in my own kitchen

2008-02-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

As a home schooler I often debate with myself as to whether I should follow a strict schedule or be more flexible in my daily routine (currently I lean towards being flexible.) I had just written out a very strict schedule for Master Chef to begin following when to my delight the kids surprised (I knew what they were doing just not to what extent) me with a wonderful cafe in my own kitchen.

While I was getting ready to begin our day the kids came down the hall and asked me to stay in my bedroom with CutieP'Tootie (a perfect time for Bible Study.) An hour later I was called out and everyone was sitting in front of the kitchen yelling, "welcome to the (Melange Gang) kid's restaurant." I looked behind them and on the counter were cups and pitchers filled with waffle, pancake, crepe, and egg mixes just waiting for all of us to go through the line and make our own breakfast. The waffle maker was out along with our skillet and two pans on the stovetop waiting for scrambled eggs and crepes. Each cup was carefully labeled with its contents so no one could get confused. The table was set and there were signs welcoming you into and out of the "restaurant." They even saw to details like making sure the fruit bowl looked nice. Master Chef arranged the fruit just so- He pointed it out to me or I would have certainly missed it.

Now if I had instituted our strict schedule, I would have missed this wonderful spontaneity from my kids. That is one reason I love homeschooling so much. There is so much freedom for my kids to express themselves. The downside to today's expression is the kitchen is now a complete mess. Well actually, just a bigger mess. It was already a complete mess.

Why don't we see stories like this in the news???

2008-02-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

2-4-2008 (citizenlink.com)

Preborn Twins Save Mother’s Life

England’s Michelle Stepney, who was pregnant with twins, rushed to the hospital with what she thought was a miscarriage. The doctors discovered it wasn’t a miscarriage, but a cervical tumor — and her babies saved her life.

The twins’ constant kicking in the womb dislodged the tumor and allowed doctors to discover it before it was too late. However, in order to treat the cancer with chemotherapy and a hysterectomy, Stepney was advised to abort her babies; she refused.

"I owe my life to my girls, and that's why I could have never agreed with a termination,” she told the U.K.’s Daily Mail. "I had two lives inside me, and I just couldn't give up on them — especially after they had saved me like this."

Twins Alice and Harriet just turned 1; Stepney is cancer-free.

The Shack

2008-02-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

theshackbook.com

Daddy'O brought this book home from work last week. A friend loaned it to him saying that he had to read it. He began reading it to me in bed one night, but I couldn't wait for him to have more time to read, so I finished it tonight.

You have to read this book. It is so sad and yet filled with redemption. I cried through much of it. I am still figuring out what to make of it.

Waa Waa Waa

2008-02-03T00:22:00.001-08:00

Ever have a moment when you wish things were different? Maybe a little less stressful or maybe wishing you had something someone else has. I have. Every time I hang up on a bill collector, wonder how I'm going to pay for next months mortgage, or deciding if I really want to re-apply for food stamps, my mind wanders to those who have it better than me. Well today my ten year old son hit the nail on the head when he came to me and told me...

"it's no fun when you want more things because it ruins what you have."

I gave him the I completely understand look and left it at that. He had a great point and it wasn't wasted on me. I was (actually no past tense here...I AM) dealing with that same issue. I have been wanting something (not necessarily materialistic) that someone else has. And just as Master Chef said, it ruins what God has already blessed you with. Things that looked and seemed just fine yesterday, somehow just don't cut it anymore.

You know what I mean. All of a sudden, thoughts go round your head that you have it soooo bad and so and so has it soooo good. Well guess what, Satan has your number! Well in this case, Satan has MY number. Houston, we have a problem. Its mentioned in the Bible somewhere... Where is that??? Oh right, its one of the 10 commandments, so you know its a biggy. Thou shalt not covet.

Funny that today was the day he decided to bring up this subject when I was moping around my small, dirty, run down house (of course its not really run down and is sooooo much better than what so many people of the world live in. I realize my pettiness and foolishness outright, but I am just conveying my feelings.) For the last week, well actually longer than that, I have been listening to other women tell me about the wonderful things they have or are getting. They are just things to make homes look nicer or add more comfort and enjoyment to their lives, but it is like hearing fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. For several years now God has been allowing our lives to be pulled and stretched. Translation--Life sucks.

Don't get me wrong, God has been good- no better than good, through these tough times. He has used this period in our lives to really force us to rely fully on Him. Which is of course one of the main reasons for trials. Guess what, God knows that left to our own selves, we would not seek Him out.

Now in reality, life really isn't that bad, in fact we really haven't suffered that much when compared to those who really are suffering, but my point to this post is coveting. When one starts wishing to keep up with the Jones', or anyone for that matter, a problem arises. The problem is that one of the ten commandments has just been broken and that is a sin. I have sinned. Now because of an err in my thinking, I have a decision to make. Am I going to continue on this path- continuing to sin? Or am I going to confess my sin and ask God to help change my heart? I think the choice is clear!

Paul tells us that we need to learn to be content in EVERY circumstance. There is no room for pouty moods, or miserable feelings. We have been blessed so much. Yes, things aren't as peachy as I would choose for myself, but I am not the one in charge. Thank goodness for that!

Roll Playing

2008-02-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

I attempted to roll play with Ramona on the way home tonight. I wanted her to practice the correct answer to my questions. The correct response I am looking for when I ask my children to do something is, yes mom. Because she frequently forgets the correct answer, I thought it was a good idea to roll play to help her remember next time.

She did not like it one bit. I told her that we were pretending we were having a conversation and I wanted her to answer me like she should. She quickly responded, "stop asking such complicated questions." And then added, "could you just pretend I can't talk."

Apparently she doesn't like obeying in real life or pretend. Go figure.

Poetry Lesson ???

2008-01-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

I wish I could tell you that I was doing a knock your socks off, gotta try for yourself, fabulous unit study on poetry and today's style was the haiku...

I wish I could tell you that because my kids are half Japanese/American, in an effort to bring cultural awareness to the forefront of their minds, I did a unit study on Japanese poetry.

But I can't. All I can say is that my silly sock haiku inspired them to write one of their own. But I guess that is how we learn the best, by example. Better to be inspired than made to do it. Right?!?

So without further ado -Presenting the Melange Gang's Haiku Poetry... typed by themselves

Master 3-D's Haiku

My eyes can't see well
I wear glasses they help me see
I can see better

Ramona likes pies
Pumpkin is her favorite
she eats them often

Daddy'O reads books
I like the book he's reading
It's Prince Caspian

I have Lego sets
I have Lego Star Wars sets
They are really cool

Ramona's Haiku

Joy is my RABBIT
She lIKS To TAKE wAlKs WITh mE
ShE IS So PLAYFoL

Master chef's Haiku

Funny little men
Create them how you want them
They're made of legos

I am Master chef
I like to cook and bake things
Thank you for reading

Crayola Crayons
They color and they draw great
I like to use them

Geocaching

2008-01-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

Our family has discovered a new favorite pastime. Geocaching. You have to check it out if you aren't familiar with what it is. Our kids absolutely love it.

Basically it is treasure hunting with a gps unit. However, we don't own a gps unit, so we are doing something a little different until we can get one. I sit at home on the computer with Google earth pulled up. Daddy'O and the kids go out into the city and follow the directions I give them. They found 5 so far. They pick something out of the "cache" box and put something in. Some are hidden in trees while others are under bushes on the ground. They even found one under a bridge. The clue for that one was cute. It said something about a troll wondering why geocacher's feet were trip trapping over his bridge. Then the troll said there wasn't a treasures under his bridge. Then the end said, "trolls always lie." So the kids deduced that the treasure was under the bridge. Then they found it. Some caches have much harder clues to figure out. We are picking the easy ones for now. They are having a BLAST! They have been bit by the geocaching bug.

The pictures show three of the hunts the kids went on. I never realized how many were around our area. You can search for caches near your home using your zip code. It is really easy. There are different size caches. The kids have been locating the larger caches so they can leave and retrieve larger prizes. They sign a log book and now I need to log our visits on the geocache website. This is an entirely new world. They are literally everywhere. Now of course the kids want to hide their own. We'll have to think up a really good place and then when we get a gps unit we'll be able to log the coordinates.

If you have a unit that we can buy cheap let us know. The kids don't want to wait any longer. However, it will be awhile until we can put money into one. I have been emailing someone who has a few caches around our city and she is going to send me some hints and directions to a few so we won't need a gps unit to find them. She has been really nice about giving me advice on geocaching.

Its crazy to think about all the people going around the city and really the world in search of these caches. I had no idea until 6 months ago that this even existed. Eleven years ago I took a gps class in college when they were a novelty. Never thought I'd use that knowledge.

If you have kids, you have to try it!

Sock Haiku

2008-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

You are long lost socks

Happy am I you've returned

Don't leave me again

Our fabulous, cost and arm and a leg, washing machine was on the fritz today. We took the front panel off and opened the filter and discovered Cutie P'tootie's long lost socks. For a machine that was soooo expensive you'd think they'd figure out a way to keep it from eating your clothes. Daddy'O and I had a riot trying to fix it without the manual. Maybe the washing machine ate that too :) I guess one good thing is that the socks aren't white anymore, which means the machine is getting the dirt out of the clothes that stay inside the washing machine. All the water wizzed through the drain pipe as the socks collected all the dirt.

Bread Bread Bread

2008-01-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

In the last four days I have made four batches of bread. I say batches because this particular recipe makes three small loaves. It is the easiest thing too. No bread machine, kneading, or hard work. Just mix, toss in a bowl, and almost forget about it.

My kids love it. They eat and eat it. They love it fresh and toasted.

Its a one of those easy recipes going around-this one was found in our local food day.

3 C luke warm water
1 1/2 T Yeast
1 1/2T Salt
6 1/2 C flour

I think the original recipe probably says kosher salt and some fancy flour, but I just use plain salt and regular old flour.

I did add 1/2 C wheat germ (took away 1/2 C flour) and about 1 T of whey (I've been adding this to one of my son's food as a supplement) to the last batch. Didn't really change the flavor at all. Next I am going to add other things like cranberries or maybe sweeten it up a bit.

I put the water, yeast, and salt in first
mix it up a bit
dump the flour and any other ingredients in
mix until combined
It is very sticky, but that's perfect
cover loosely and let sit at room temp. for 2-5 hours
separate into 2-3 smaller pieces (I place each one on a floured surface and work just a tad before rounding it a bit and placing on a cookie sheet)
Recipe suggests placing on corn meal, but I was out so I just used tin foil and peeled it off the bottom after it cooled.
If you can't bake it right away, place in fridge until ready to bake
When ready to bake place a broiler pan or other pan in bottom of oven with some water in it.
Place bread in oven on separate rack over broiler pan and bake at 450 for 20-25 min.
I think the steam from the water makes it crusty on top. Delicious and easy.

The original recipe gives more details, but I don't have the original. Try it with your kids. Too easy not to. The smell is sooooo yummy and tastes great too!!!

you can slice the top a little to make it look pretty, but not nec.

I Am Six Going on Sixteen ~Sing it With Me~

2008-01-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

"You don't get my life and I don't get yours!"

Said by Ramona after a conversation with me where she apparently didn't feel understood.

Telling Conversations

2008-01-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

When your child comes to you with questions I’m sure you are, as I normally am, enthusiastic about their desire to acquire more knowledge. However, some questions posed are in pursuit of knowledge needed to assess a situation before giving more details. A necessary assessment in deciding whether the flight instinct or heartfelt emotions need to be engaged. You decide for yourself what kind of knowledge my ten-year-old son was acquiring.

Him: “Mom, how much was that lamp?”

Now I wasn’t born yesterday, but I thought before jumping to conclusions I should act calmly and ask?

Me: “Which lamp?”

Him: “The paper one above the table.”

Knowing there was a reason he was asking but not really wanting to know the answer, I reluctantly asked…

Me: “Why?”

Him: “Well, I sorta put a hole in it with a stick.”

Me “___” Let’s just say no foul language was used, but the words that came out of my mouth were not becoming to say the least?

I walked out to the table to assess the damage to the lamp. It’s one of those Japanese paper lamps. I know, I know! Why in the world would I purchase a paper lamp with a house full of children? I’m an optimist, what can I say!

Anyway, not only did I find a hole punched in the underside of it, I found a pretzel inside of it too—don't ask. This is just one more broken item on the lengthy list around our home. If you’re the mother of young boys you’ll understand. If not, I’m sure your home is beautiful and in one piece. Congratulations!

The Hand of God

2008-01-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

Dueteronomy 6:7-9 says, "Teach these commandments to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead and write them on the doorposts of your house."

This blog is one way for me to "write them on the doorposts of your house." Blogging is, in a way, my doorpost. I am writing these things down for all to see. I have another avenue in which to share how God is protecting and caring for our family. So here is one more example of how God, in a tiny almost unnoticeable way, protected one of His precious children.

The kids were able to swim at the hotel we stayed in the other night. I had CutieP'tootie in his life vest just to be safe. It is the kind, as you can see from the picture, with the head floaty thingy. Anyway, we were walking around the pool when he got a little in front of me and started running. Well you can imagine what happened next, he slipped and fell. His legs went completely up in the air. Almost like a cartoon character. His feet went up and his body hung in the air for just a moment and then fell hard, flat on his back, with his head following hard. As I watched him, seemingly in slow motion, reaching out in vain to catch him before his head hit the cement, something happened. As his head was going down, the life vest head support hit the cement and wobbled. It bent under him leaving his head as vulnerable as a ripe watermelon in July. Then all of a sudden the head rest popped out right in time to cushion his precious head from hitting the cement. He lay half in shock as I wisked him up. I could tell that the impact had scared and hurt his entire body. Praise be to God, because that day God chose to spare him grave injury if only to show our family, and now you, His hand in the small things.

Later as I was on the phone relaying the story to my Mom, I commented on how it seemed that the hand of God slid under the life vest and flipped it out. When I hung up the phone Master Chef said, "Its amazing how many things God does and we don't even notice." Ahh, yes! We don't even notice. I hope that we notice. I hope that I am able to point everything back to God as I teach my kids. Hopefully this small incident will resonate in the heart of my ten year old and help him see the hand of God in everything.

A trip to the hospital to visit cousin "Holland"

2008-01-16T10:39:00.001-08:00

We went to visit "Holland" at the hospital on Monday. He had surgery for tethered cord. You can check out his progress and all the fantastically resourceful things he does at Postcardsfromholland The kids made cards and Master 3-D made him a balloon dog. They had a good time distracting Holland and Holland had a great time showing his cousins the Sonic game he got to play while at the hospital.

Ramona made him a story and kept writing "wii" for the word we. My sister got a kick out of that one. Guess you know what game we have.

Praise God that the surgery was short and the Dr. accomplished what she set out to do. We are hopeful that this will solve many issues for him.

Melange Gang might be on the news tonight

2008-01-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

The kids participated in a news conference at our local science museum this morning where one of our local news stations was covering the event. The kids might be on the news tonight If your local you'll have to watch the 11 o'clock news on channel 6.

The news conference was covering the new exhibit at the museum and the live "Walking with the Dinosaurs" event that is coming to town. They even brought out the baby t-rex to show everyone. It was unbelievable. With its realistic costume, the sounds it made, and the movements, it was amazing. It even unhooked the rope where the kids were sitting and walked right up to them. Mine were ecstatic! It had huge teeth and the eyes were so real. I can't even imagine how much practice the puppeteer had to do to get it to move so fluidly. Really COOL!

For their participation the kids each received two free tickets to the upcoming "Walking with the Dinosaurs" live event. We're in the nosebleed section, but I don't care, the kids really wanted to go see the show, but it was out of our reach financially. Now they get to go for free! God is good!

Master 3-D was interviewed by a radio person after the conference and told the interviewer that he knew how the dinosaurs started. The guy asked how and he replied matter of factly, "God created them." I'm sure that won't make it on the air, but it was great that he said it.

Sweet Note

2008-01-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Master 3-D received this sweet note from Ramona last week when he was having a bad day.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

2008-01-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Blog title by Master 3-D

Picture was taken at the Seattle Science Museum while we were up there for the day. We even got in free with our local science museum membership. Kids had a great time!

Boycott of Craigslist Initiated by Love146.org

2008-01-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

I received this email forwarded from my brother who is a missionary with Mercy Ships. Please read and join these people in their efforts. The letter is from Love146.org started by one of my brother's friends.

"Last month, Love146 initiated a "Call to Action" campaign to ask Craigslist,
popular public marketplace website, to make a New Year's resolution of
better monitoring its "Erotic Services" section in order to pro-actively
prevent the sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

We have been greatly encouraged by the flood of supportive email responses,
all committing to joining in our collective shout to challenge Craigslist in
its lackluster efforts to eradicate human trafficking from its site. Other
organizations have also rallied to this cause,such as Salvation Army,
Polaris Project, Students and Artists Fighting to End Human Slavery,
National Organization of Women, The Loose Change to Loosen Chains Campaign,
the Not for Sale Campaign, and many more!
So, what now?

Because Craigslist failed to respond to our letter by January 1, we ask that
you join us in our boycott of the Craigslist website. We will boycott their
site until Craigslist publicly declares a 2008 resolution to implement
safeguards and monitoring procedures that will eradicate the sale of human
beings on the erotic services section of the website.

What does a boycott mean?

Regularly mailing in and e-mailing the updated petition letter

* Not using the Craigslist site until Craiglist makes a public
resolution to eradicate human trafficking from its site

* Encouraging your friends to mail and e-mail the updated petition
letter and to also boycott Craigslist

* Signing up as an Abolitionist and utilizing
upcoming Craigslist Take Action ideas
An effective boycott IS absolutely possible with YOUR help. The
unprecedented amount of support our campaign has already garnered highlights
the opportunity we have to help eliminate a conduit of human trafficking.

With thanks,
The Love146 Team"

Dinner with a side of Strategy

2008-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

My six year old can play Risk. I don't even know how-nor do I have an interest.

New Balloon Creation

2008-01-09T14:58:00.001-08:00

Master Chef created a hat masterpiece. He and I both agreed that it looks much cooler in person. Anyone need a balloon artist? I stand corrected. Master 3-D helped design and make it too:)

"Yes Mom"

2008-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

The three younger kiddos were sitting in the kitchen eating lunch at the table. The oldest and I were trying to get through his math, which for some reason was taking all morning. I had asked them to be quiet so he could concentrate, but they just kept getting louder and louder. Finally, out of desperation, I used my crescendo voice, and said, "be QUIET!" I heard, "yes Mom," from Master 3-D, I heard "yes Mom," from Ramona, and then I heard another voice as clear as day say, "yes Mom." We all started cracking up because CutieP'Tootie doesn't have too many words that are understandable. Apparently he has added a new one to his growning repertoire. A good addition in my opinion!

Sanctity of Human Life Week January 20-27, 2008

2008-01-09T00:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.heartlink.org/beavoice/

Overscheduled???

2008-01-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

Our schedules are filling up. Last year I didn't add too many extra curricular activities, but this year I seem to be adding more and more. I think I sensed the kids' desire for some interaction with other kids and a desire to do some more fun activities outside of our regular school stuff. This week we have Lego Robotics, 4-H, and an open gym that we will miss cause we are going out of town for a night. In February Mon. is a regular school day, Tuesday is Lego Robotics, every other Wed. will be 4-H, Thursday is our homeschool Co-op, and Fridays we go to an open gym for some P.E time. Yikes, I hadn't really written it down and seen it on paper. Then Master 3-D wants to start up his Taekwondo lessons again and they may start piano lessons again too. Who ever said homeschooled children weren't socialized was nuts!

Lego Robotics

2008-01-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Today the boys went to a Lego Robotics class. We had started one before Christmas, but didn't have enough money to pay for it, so we just went to the first one. The oldest didn't like it the first time because there were too many kids and not enough computers. This time he said the teacher was better and there were fewer students. So I am thrilled. I wasn't going to sign them up again, but felt that it was just too good of an opportunity to miss. It is a homeschool class at our local science museum. Master Chef did not want to go this morning. I told him that if his education was left up to him he wouldn't learn anything. He said, "I'm learning stuff here." I said, "yes, but I can't teach you Lego robotics." We went and later I asked him if he was glad I made him go and he said, "yes." Sometimes I have found that he needs a little pushing.

Calvin and Hobbes

2008-01-08T23:30:00.001-08:00

My ten year old went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for two nights and came home with one of my brother's old Calvin and Hobbes comic books. He has been reading it every chance he gets. I came home tonight and looked in on him before heading to bed. He said, "can I tell you one thing out of Calvin and Hobbes?" I said sure and he said, "there was one comic that was so funny. Calvin's teacher told him to pay attention because this was geography. Then she said, Calvin, what state do you live in? Calvin said, the state of denial." Then he started laughing one of those I really get it laughs. I think he got such a kick out of it because he could relate! He is in denial that he is really supposed to be doing schoolwork. He gets soooo distracted all the time. His mind wanders and I have to constantly help him put his focus back on his work.

Now don't think this is his only reading. Last week he read "James and the Giant Peach," and "The BFG," and has started on the "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." We started "The Red badge of Courage" yesterday, but I don't think I will have him finish that one just yet.

Sequential Spelling

2008-01-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

I just started Sequential Spelling with Master 3-D. We are on day 4, but I think this is a good fit for him. It is extremely different than any Spelling Curriculum we have used. I was using Spelling Workout for the last two years, but it has only frustrated him. He is discouraged with all of the extra work involved in learning words. He lacks confidence in his reading capabilities so other subjects suffer. I think the ease of this, and the void of extra work, has him excited. Each day is a spelling test. That's it-nothing more. I give him a word, he spells it, and if it is wrong he corrects it immediately. The words build on themselves. For instance, if the first word is "in" the second word might be "begin" and then "beginning." He spelled beginning wrong the first time because he didn't know there was an extra n. But then another word was winning and he realized that he might need an extra n and wrote it that way. He was very pleased with himself when he spelled it right. I'll keep you posted on how its going. There are 180 lessons in this book.

A Foiled Master Plan

2008-01-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

I was forced out of bed this morning by a loud yelling voice. The voice wasn't yelling at me, but I knew if I didn't get out to the living room trouble was sure to ensue! I came out, busted up the raucous and went back down the hall to get CutieP'Tootie out of bed. Next thing I know Master Chef is hiding in his closet crying. Now for the rest of the story.

I was looking for something and discovered an envelope which said, "Mom, (Master 3-D) will feed rabits in morning. Hope you have a great time." I asked Master Chef what the letter was for and he sulkily replied, "oh, it doesn't matter anymore." So I opened the card and found this note ...

Master Chef had a master plan for the morning. He wanted to make a surprise breakfast for me but Ramona ruined it - hence the closet episode. I felt so bad. He didn't even get a chance to give me the nice note he wrote for me. It says, "Dear Mom Thank you for all you've done Please stay in back hall from 7 AM until 10 AM PS Just ask if you need something.

I can't even explain the feeling inside when I get a note like this. What a wonderful and fulfilling feeling from my kids. Praise God for giving me a glimpse of His love this morning through the thoughtfulness of my son.

So when you get fed up with all the trying events of raising children, just know that something special is just around the corner that will help fade those trying moments away.

Nursemaid's Elbow

2008-01-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Whatever doesn't happen to your other three children will surely happen to your fourth! The other night Ramona and CutieP'Tootie were playing on my bed bouncing on a pile of clean clothes (I knew they were together, but didn't realize they were jumping-I know as a mother with eyes behind my head, I should have known) when I heard a cry. I went to investigate and Ramona told me that CutieP'Tootie had fallen off the bed. I pressed her for details, but all she said was "I was looking the other way." Knowing my daughter too well that answer sounded really suspicious.

He was crying and whimpering and favoring his right arm. He wouldn't move it and complained when we touched it. You're never quite sure if you should go to the emergency room when blood is not involved, but we finally decided to go.

Of course the other three kiddos were in our church's Christmas program that was going to start soon, so Daddy'O and I split up. He took the kids to church and I took CutieP'Tootie to the ER. I filled out the usual paper work and about an hour after we got there we were finally seen by a Dr. He said it was Nursemaid's elbow. He showed me how to adjust his arm to get the elbow back in the right place in case it happened again. He had me place my finger and thumb over his so I could feel the elbow pop as it went back in place. It was a weird feeling. He said it was common and not to worry. It hurt Cutie for just a second as the Dr. twisted his arm and then viola, he was as good as new. The Dr. said he would give him a popsicle to see if he would grab for it. The nurse brought it in, but he just stared at it. Finally, I took it from her and then he took it from me. His arm was working great. When we were done, we walked back through the double doors and my Mom was standing there. She came to the hospital to see what was going on, but they wouldn't let her back to where we were.

She drove my car home to stay with CutieP'Tootie while I went to watch the rest of the program at church. Of course the best part (my kids singing) was already over, but the rest of the program was beautiful and so honoring to Christ.

When we got back home Ramona was ready to give me the whole story about what happened. She said Cutie was trying to get back up on the bed and she was pulling his arm and he started to pull away. Instead of letting go she kept pulling on his arm. She felt awful about what happened and didn't even want to go to church. She wanted to go with me to the hospital. Now I know why she was so sad and upset when I told her she had to go perform. She knew that she was responsible for his arm getting hurt and wanted to make sure he was going to be OK. Poor thing. A lot of times I won't get the whole story out of her, but if I'm patient, the truth eats away at her conscience and then she tells me.

Krispy Kreme Anyone?

2007-12-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at the table with my back to the kitchen when I heard the tell tale sound of the oven door opening (it makes a squeaking sound). When I turned around to look who was in the kitchen, this is what I saw.

The sound that came out of my mouth was that of surprise and shock. It was so loud that it startled CutieP'tootie so much, he dropped the box of doughnuts. Of course the lid came off and all the doughnuts went tumbling to the floor.

However dirty the floor was, didn't stop him from grabbing his prize with the utmost speed and stuffing it in his mouth. His older siblings and I had a grand laugh over that one.

I asked the kids if they had put the hat on him and they all said, "no." It was hilarious. He actually took the time to put his hat on his head before he went to get the doughnuts out of the oven.

There is Hope Yet

2007-12-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's so exciting to me when I see my kids being thoughtful without being asked or prodded. Just this morning such an exciting moment occurred. We were at church where we celebrated communion. Lately we have been walking up to a table, picking the elements up and then sitting back in our chairs while we wait for everyone to finish. Then we take them together as a congregation.

Our six year old daughter had picked up the elements and began heading back to her seat when she spotted an older lady getting up out of her chair. She immediately handed her elements to the lady and went back for her own and then sat down.

Such a small thing to do, but how wonderful for the woman who was served by one of God's little children.

It was nice to see that she didn't have to seek my approval to be kind to someone else. She saw a need and acted on it. In her own way she listened to the Holy Spirit's leading .

Balloon Shapes and Math?

2007-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

I gave the kids 260Q twisting balloons for Christmas a.k.a. balloon animal balloons. They have been having so much fun making shapes. Master 3-D has made a ball, flowers, hats, swords, and all sorts of wacky unnamed things.

We were looking online for new shapes to make today and I came across a homeschool curriculum idea that used balloon shapes to teach math concepts. I was only looking for some ideas to broaden their balloon shape repertoire, but now I can officially count balloon shape making as a subject. Shhhh, I won't tell the kids though - LOL

Christmas Blessings

2007-12-26T13:27:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas God gave to our family! I hope you had an incredible day too, celebrating the birth of our Saviour.

We woke up, as many parents do on Christmas morning, to the tiny voice of our daughter. She was letting us know that everyone was up. Wiping the sleepers from my eyes I managed to let her know that we would be there in a minute. The three older ones waited as Daddy'O and I rolled out of bed. It really wasn't terribly early-only 7:30. but when you go to bed at 2 AM, 7:30 comes fast.

Cutie P'tootie wasn't awake yet, but I let them open their stockings while we waited for him to wake up. The stockings looked really full although there wasn't much in them. When I made them a few years ago, I made them kinda narrow. Good thing though, I didn't have much money to spend. No matter, they were so excited to open each gift. I love to watch them while reminiscing about my own childhood memories.

Cutie P'tootie finally woke up with a little help from gleefully squealing children. When I brought him out he wasn't really sure what was going on. We all thoroughly enjoyed watching the wonder of a two year old on Christmas day.

This year we were the joyful recipients of gifts from the fire department. Our firefighter friend called the other day saying that he had been thinking of our family and wanted to put our names in to receive gifts for the kids. Daddy'O reluctantly accepted. Conflicting emotions arise when you are offered charity. But, what a blessing it was to us and to our children. The excitement in their eyes when he brought all of the goodies over was worth the humility. They couldn't believe the generosity. We let them open one gift that night and then put the rest away. That was soooo hard for them. They just couldn't wait. What we didn't tell them was there were bikes and helmets for each of them in the garage. Along with gifts, he brought a turkey and several boxes of canned food. Now our pantry is full! Another beautiful example of God's love for us. He continues to provide.

When we were finished unwrapping our gifts on Christmas morning and had cleaned up a bit -family was due in hours for dinner- a knock was heard at the front door. Daddy'O opened it and a big box all wrapped up was sitting on the doorstep. Another box was sitting on top. The note in the top box was from our neighbors dogs. It was filled with treats for our rabbits and our dog. Lots of treats. The kids couldn't wait to give their rabbits alfalfa cookies and banana chips.

Then the kids, on the count of three, ripped into the big box. Once opened we were all taken aback as we saw a ton of wrapped gifts. There were gifts for each of us. Not just one gift, but many gifts for each of us. We couldn't believe our eyes. A lot of thought, time, and money went into those gifts for our family. I prayed about this gift and feel that God is telling me to not over analyze the gift, but to enjoy it. (We have had some interesting dealings with this neighbor.) He is the ultimate giver and He used our neighbor to bring our family joy.

Snow began falling and it was so beautiful. Then later our family came over and we enjoyed a delicious dinner and everyone did great. We ate, played games, ate, watched a movie, ate, talked, ate, played video games, ate, and celebrated the wonderful gift that Christ gave to us thousands of years ago.

Some instances of hostility toward faith, family and freedom

2007-12-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

The following came from Focus on the Family

As 2007 draws to a close, California's Pacific Justice Institute has
identified some of the worst instances of hostility toward faith,
family and freedom.

"These 10 items are not isolated outrages from one Leftist
state," said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and
public policy at Focus on the Family Action. "They represent the
natural outcome of big government, because big government is bad
government.

"Values voters contained a lot of this nonsense by turning out
strongly in 2004, but they went to sleep in 2006, and the moral-values
agenda suffered. The game is on again in 2008, and our side had better
show up."

The Top Ten offenses:
10. Red Cross refuses donations of Bibles to California fire victims.

9. California Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, with no children of her own,
introduces legislation to ban spanking. She says she got the idea from
a law professor at the University of San Francisco, who pointed to
European bans on spanking.

8. U.S. Supreme Court refuses to review the city of Oakland's removal
of an employee flier because the term "natural family" was
deemed "homophobic."

7. More than 100 students suspended in Sacramento-area schools for
wearing T-shirts that quote a Bible verse.

6. Public high schools in California have Cross-Dressing Day as part of
School Spirit week.

5. School attempts to censor God out of private yearbook ad. To wish
their son well upon his graduation, his parents submitted an ad that
included the phrase "may God bless your life."

4. Yolo County Clerk (California) issues "Certificate of
Inequality" to gay and lesbian couples on Valentine's Day. The
certificate says, "I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you
because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose
displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of
equality." The certificate concludes with, "May the God of
your choice bless you."

3. Sacramento Public Library Authority Board refuses to ban Internet
access to pornography. Viewing of this state-subsidized access to
pornography is in areas where children are present.

2. Federal hate-crimes bill (HR 1592), which could criminalize speech
by clergy. In a mischievous attempt to have it signed into law, the
bill was later inserted into a massive, unrelated Defense
appropriations bill.

1. California governor signs SB 777, which allows public school
children to arbitrarily choose whether they should be treated as a boy
or a girl.

"While many of the dubious 'winners' come from California, they
are representative of incidents across the country," said Bruce
Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus Action. "There seems to be
no end of stories of parental rights, religious freedoms, and freedom
of speech and association being sacrificed at the altar of liberal
political correctness.

"Christians should especially take note of the importance of
taking part in the political process. We say we want to influence the
culture for Christ and raise up our children in the fear of the Lord,
and our Constitution guarantees us the rights to do so. But those
rights are only as secure as our willingness to resist attempts to take
them away, whether they come from the halls of Congress, our state
legislatures or our schools."

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the Pacific Justice Institute Web site.
http://www.pacificjustice.org/

God just keeps pouring out His blessings

2007-12-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

To put it mildly, things are tight around here. Monetarily that is - my pants too, but that's for another post! I am amazed at how far we have gotten behind on everything. Even though Daddy'O has worked for an entire year without interruption, his income is just not enough to support our family of six. Prior to that he was out of work for 8 mo. total two different times. You know the story of the snowball rolling down a hill? It starts small and then just keeps getting bigger and bigger. That's us.

God has been good though. He has kept us close-relying on Him for all of our needs. We don't always know how our needs will be met, but He has always given us what we need. It has been a time where our entire family has leaned hard on the Lord. He has given our family many blessings to be thankful for.

I don't know exactly how He will use this lean time in the lives of our kids, but I know they are watching. They are observing and laying down the building blocks for the foundation of their lives. What an amazing God we serve. I just pray that I am honoring Him in the way I parent these precious children He has entrusted to my care.

Surely?

2007-12-20T13:30:00.001-08:00

This was sent to me awhile ago, but I just had to add it in case you have not had a chance to see the word of God from the sweet lips of youth.

"Mom, what happens when you lie?"

2007-12-16T20:46:00.001-08:00

This was the question posed as Ramona and I drove to the store the other night. She was sitting all the way in the back of the van so I could barely here her. I had to think about the question for a moment. Knowing the question was weighing on her heart and that she wanted an answer to put her heart at ease, my answer needed to be really good. No pressure right? I realized that the answer I was about to give her would have an impact on what she did in the near future. I didn't know exactly why she was asking and I decided not to pry. I could just tell that she wanted an answer because she had some thinking to do.

Thank goodness God is always available! I shot up a quick prayer as I thought about something wise to say. Unfortunately, I have to admit, that I have first hand knowledge regarding this issue. I won't mention how recent, but we're talking about Ramona right? Now the answer has to be in six year old lingo. So I had to really think about what she would understand. So I began to tell her what happens when you lie. I said that after you tell a lie the Holy Spirit starts talking to your heart. You start feeling bad about what you said and He will not stop talking to your heart until you have made it right. I continued by telling her that because she had invited Jesus into her heart the Holy Spirit lives inside of her and tells her what is right and wrong. I talked a little more and then asked her if that answered her question. She said yes. I left it at that and we went about our business.

Fast forward to the next evening. We had been out as a family and got home around 9 PM. I was trying to get the kids in bed quickly when I stepped into the bathroom for a moment. Following right behind me was Ramona who started closing the laundry door so she could close the bathroom door. I just watched as she closed and locked the bathroom door. Then she walked over to an empty laundry basket and sat down in it.

She looked up at me and said, "I kinda got myself in trouble at HIGH day (our homeschool co-op) yesterday. Not the kind of trouble that you spank me or put me in a time out for. But trouble. I brought my mouse and cheese (the toy ones she bought from 3-D Master) in a box and someone saw it. She saw its tail sticking out of the box and asked if it was a real mouse. I told her it was a real mouse. Then some other kids came over and were saying, "that's not a real mouse," so I told them that it was a real mouse. What am I going to do?" She was so confused. She knew that it needed to be fixed, but she really didn't know what to do about it.

She looked up at me with this lost puppy dog look on her face. She just wanted me to wrap her up in my arms and tell her that it was going to be O.K. So, that is exactly what I did. It took so much for me not to laugh. It was all really funny, but I pulled her up on my lap as I sat on the lid of the toilet. She sat there with big ears waiting for what I was about to say. I knew that the words that were about to come out of my mouth were going to have an impact. This was one of those few precious moments where I had the full attention of my daughter. I don't remember exactly the words I used, but I know God was feeding me the right words to tell one of His precious daughters. I began to talk about how the Holy Spirit had been working in her heart. She smiled. I told her that she needed to confess her sins and then make it right with her friends. I asked her if she remembered who they were and she said, "I remembered all the way from HIGH day to today." Interpretation-"Duh!"

We talked some more and I prayed with her. I thanked God for talking to her heart and asked Him to make her strong and brave to tell her friends the truth.

It was a beautiful moment. Being able to see how God is changing her heart and teaching her lessons that she will build her life on, is a precious gift to me. Praise God.

Knock Knock

2007-12-13T13:30:00.001-08:00

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Orange
Orange Who?
Orange you gonna let me in?

My neighbor (my other neighbor, not the crazy one) came and knocked on our door a few minutes ago, but I couldn't tell who it was. I don't open my door for many people these days. If I don't recognize them, I don't answer it. But I finally did recognize him after peeking through two blinds and opened the door. He asked if I could use some orange juice."Of course," I said. Apparently he works for a distributing company that throws away damaged product. It just has to be sticky or something and they throw it out he said. He went to his truck and brought six containers of brand name orange juice. WOW! Yummy.

When he left Master Chef said, "that was a blessing." It's Beautiful to see the kids realize that the things we get are from above. God is watching for our needs and fulfilling them.

Our New Mascott

2007-12-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Here is our new Mascott. I thought he needed a washing before he started his adventure with Meet Me in Melange, that is until I found out he was too big for our washing machine. Why does he need a washing? Well that is a post for another day, lets just say he was a bit muddy! Keep watching- you never know where he'll turn up next.

Precious Moments

2007-12-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this picture give you warm fuzzies? It does me. I love to see the older kids interacting with CutieP'Tootie. 3-D Master was reading him one of his favorite books called The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

New Commercial for Huckabee

2007-12-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning our new television spot "A Better America" will begin airing in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina:

A Christmas Scheme for Ramona

2007-12-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

This is what the boys do while they are "sleeping." Master 3-D sent a message to his big brother via airmail to the bunk on the other side of the room. They are scheming about what to get their sister for Christmas. They have been very secretive about their ideas. It has been pure joy to see their desire to get their little sister what she wants for Christmas. Their ideas were quite grand and expensive too. I brought them gently back to earth.

Don't use hotel glasses for drinking

2007-12-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

I've always been teased by Daddy'O about my germaphobic ways when we stay in hotels (which really isn't very often.) I have actually brought my own sanitizing chemicals to disinfect hotel rooms. C'mon, I have young kids and they touch everything. Gross. If you've never thought about what the hotel housekeepers don't do, than watch this. All in the interest of time and money I'm sure.

A heartfelt note

2007-12-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days you want to forget. A day that you put behind because there is nothing else to do with it. Nothing really terrible happened, but everyone was out of sorts. Everyone was complaining. No one wanted to do there work, clean up after themselves or cooperate with one another.

Ramona started out the day by complaining that her new shirts I just bought and altered -to make them more comfortable to her skin- were not satisfactory. I bought six long sleeve shirts two sizes too big so I could cut the cuffs off (the tight cuffs bother her wrists- I know this sounds crazy, but you pick your battles) and roll up the sleeves. I only paid $4 for each one, so it wasn't a big deal. I told her to get one out of the dryer and put it on. She flat out refused. I said a few things and she finally obeyed. After getting the shirt on and "letting me know" how uncomfortable it was for a few minutes or so that was it. I didn't hear another word about how uncomfortable it was for the entire day. I told her that she was going to have to wear exactly what I told her to for an entire week. We'll see how that one goes over in the morning. We have our homeschool co-op day in the AM and we can never seem to get ready without turmoil.

By the time it was bed, I told everyone I needed time to myself. No one was to get out of bed. I crashed on the couch for a little while (Daddy'O is at school tonight) and before long little footsteps were heard down the hall. Ramona handed me a note written out on her "E" notepad. It says, "Dear Mom Im sory you are getting upset ..." It was her way of appologizing. Of course we hugged and kissed and I sent her back to bed.

Now some of you would see that as disobeying, cause I told the kids to stay in bed, but I would have crushed her little heart if I would have come down on her for getting out of bed. I just couldn't do that. Just seeing her writing with a cute little picture of the two of us melted all my frustration away from our looong day. How sweet of her to give me something special. She really has a heart of gold!

The Golden Compass- Review by Albert Mohler

2007-12-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

The Golden Compass -- A Briefing for Concerned Christians
Posted: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 5:26 am ET

The release of The Golden Compass as a major motion picture represents a new challenge for Christians -- especially parents. The release of a popular film with major actors that presents a message directly subversive of Christianity is something new. It is not likely to be the last.
Having seen the movie at an advance viewing and having read all three books of His Dark Materials, I can assure Christians that we face a real challenge -- one that will require careful thinking and intellectual engagement.

Why is this movie such a challenge?
First of all, The Golden Compass is an extremely attractive movie. Like the book on which it is based, the movie is a very sophisticated story that is very well told. The casting was excellent. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond actor) are joined by others including Sam Elliott and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who plays the central role of 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua. Kidman is chilling as the beautiful but evil Marisa Coulter and Craig is perfect as Lord Asriel. Actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is the voice of Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear.
The movie is very well done and will be very attractive to audiences of all ages. The special effects are superior to any previous movie of the type, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy (also released by New Line Cinema). Everything is in place for this to be a blockbuster at the box office.
Second, the movie is based in a story that is captivating, sophisticated, and truly interesting. Philip Pullman is a skilled writer and teller of tales. His invented worlds of The Golden Compass and the entire His Dark Materials trilogy are about as good as the fantasy genre can offer. His characters are believable and the dialogue is constant -- largely due to Pullman's brilliant invention of a companion for each character -- a "daemon."
The bottom line is that these books and this movie will attract a lot of attention and will captivate many readers and viewers.
So, what's the problem?
This is not just any fantasy trilogy or film project. Philip Pullman has an agenda -- an agenda about as subtle as an army tank. His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church. His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear. He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age.
The great enemy of humanity in the three books, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass (together known as His Dark Materials) is the Christian church, identified as the evil Magisterium. The Magisterium, representing church authority, is afraid of human freedom and seeks to repress human sexuality.
The Magisterium uses the biblical narrative of the Fall and the doctrine of original sin to repress humanity. It is both violent and vile and it will stop at nothing to protect its own interests and to preserve its power.
Pullman's attack on biblical Christianity is direct and undeniable. He once questioned why his books attracted little controversy even as the Harry Potter books attracted so much. He told an Australian newspaper that what he is "saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."
Will viewers of the movie see all this?
The direct attack on Christianity and God is toned down in the movie. But any informed person will recognize the Magisterium as representing the Church and Christianity. Of course, in our world the Magisterium is the authoritative leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. In Pullman's world it represents Christianity as a whole.
Indeed, Pullman's tale tells of John Calvin assuming the papacy and moving the headquarters to Geneva, thus combining the Catholic and Reformation traditions into one. In the movie, the Magisterium appears to be located in London. In any event, the point is not subtle.
The most direct attacks upon Christianity and God do not appear until the last book, The Amber Spyglass, in which Lyra and Will (a boy her age who first appears in the second book) eventually kill God, who turns out to be a decrepit and feeble old imposter who was hardly worth the killing.
Is Pullman's attack on Christianity exaggerated by his critics?
No -- his attack is neither hidden nor subtle. The entire premise of the trilogy is that Lyra is the child foretold by prophecy who will reverse the curse of the Fall and free humanity from the lie of original sin. Whereas in Christian theology it is Jesus Christ who reverses the curse through His work of atonement on the Cross, Pullman presents his own theology of sorts in which the Fall is reversed through the defiance of these children. As Pullman insists, Eve and Adam were right to eat the forbidden fruit and God was a tyrant to forbid them the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The supernatural element of Pullman's story is "Dust," which is seen by the Magisterium as original sin but is presented by Pullman as the essence of life itself. In The Golden Compass, Lyra is given an "alethiometer" or "golden compass" which is filled with Dust and tells the truth to one qualified to operate it. Readers are told that a great battle is coming in which forces fighting for human freedom and happiness will confront (and destroy) the Magisterium and God.
In the last volume of the trilogy, a character known as Dr. Mary Malone explains her discovery to Lyra and Will: "I used to be a nun, you see. I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn't any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all."
Is there more to the larger story?
Yes, and it has to do with sex. Surprisingly graphic and explicit sex. Pullman believes that the Christian church is horribly repressive about sex and that this is rooted in the idea of the Fall. As he told Hanna Rosin of the Atlantic Monthly, "Why the Christian Church has spent 2,000 years condemning this glorious moment, well, that's a mystery. I want to confront that, I suppose, by telling a story that the so-called original sin is anything but. It's the thing that makes us fully human."
Puberty is a big part of Pullman's concern. Coming-of-age stories are one of the most common forms of fiction, but Pullman's packs a punch that readers cannot miss. He wants to celebrate the adolescent's arrival at sexual awareness. Remember that the child's daemon can change forms until puberty. At that point it is fixed as a single creature that reflects the personality and character of the young adult.
Puberty means the coming of sexual feelings. The Magisterium would prefer that children grow up without experiencing sexual temptation, so it is conducting an experiment in order to separate children from their daemons before puberty, when their daemon can no longer change. This procedure, known as "intercision" makes the child a "severed child" who has no daemon -- and thus no soul. The Magisterium has assigned Mrs. Coulter the job of abducting the children and taking them to the North for this experiment.
As Mrs. Coulter explains to Lyra (who is revealed to be her own daughter) in the first book: "All that happens is a little cut, and then everything's peaceful. Forever! You see, your daemon's a wonderful friend and companion when you are young, but at the age we call puberty, the age you're coming to very soon, darling, daemons bring all sorts of troublesome thoughts and feelings, and that's what lets Dust in. A quick little operation before that, and you're never troubled again."
In The Golden Compass, Lyra and her companions free the children held at this experimental station in the North and destroy it. In The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will reverse the story of the Edenic Fall by consummating a sexual act in the garden.
Again, Pullman is not subtle. Keep in mind that this is a series of books marketed to children and adolescents. Lyra puts a red fruit to Will's lips and Will "knew at once what she meant, and that he was too joyful to speak." Within moments, the 13-year olds are involved in some kind of unspecified sexual act.
"The word love set his nerves ablaze," Pullman writes of Will. "All his body thrilled with it, and he answered her in the same words, kissing her hot face over and over again, drinking in with adoration the scent of her body and her warm, honey-fragrant hair and her sweet, moist mouth that tasted of the little red fruit."
Just a few pages later, Will and Lyra will dare to touch each other's daemon. That passage is even more sexually charged and explicit than the first. The adolescents now know "that neither daemon would change now, having felt a lover's hands on them. These were their shapes for life: they would want no other."
What is it about Pullman and C. S. Lewis?
Put simply, Pullman hates C. S. Lewis's work The Chronicles of Narnia. He told Hannah Rosin that Lewis's famous work is "morally loathsome" and "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I ever read." Narnia, he said, "is the Christian one . . . . And mine is the non-Christian."
When the first Narnia film was released in 2005, Pullman described the books as "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice."
Indeed, Pullman's His Dark Materials is intended as an answer to Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. What Lewis (and J. R. R. Tolkein) did for Christianity, Pullman wants to do for atheism.
So, what should Christians do?
A good first step would be to take a deep breath. The Christian faith is not about to be toppled by a film, nor by a series of fantasy books. Pullman has an agenda that is clear, and Christians need to inform themselves of what this agenda is and what it means. At the same time, nothing would serve his agenda better than to have Christians speaking recklessly or unintelligently about the film or the books.
This is about the battle of ideas and worldviews. While Christians will not celebrate the release of this film, we should recognize the mixture of challenge and opportunity that comes with millions of persons watching this film and talking about the issues it raises. When the movie is mentioned in the workplace, in school, on the playground, or in the college campus, this is a great opportunity to show that Christians are not afraid of the battle of ideas.
We should recognize that the Christian Church has some very embarrassing moments in its history - moments when it has failed to represent the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ. Authors like Philip Pullman take advantage of these failures in order to paint the entire Christian Church as a conspiracy against human happiness and freedom. Of course, that charge will not stand close scrutiny, and we can face it head-on with a thoughtful response.
Some Christians have also held very unhelpful views of human sexuality. These, we must admit, would include figures as great and influential as Augustine and, alas, C. S. Lewis. But these figures, rightly influential in other areas of the faith, are not representative in this case of biblical sexuality. We can set the record straight.
Should we be concerned that people, young and old, will be confused by this movie? Of course. But I do not believe that a boycott will dissuade the general public from seeing the film. I am very concerned when I think of so many people being entertained by such a subversive message delivered by such a seductive medium. We are responsible to show them, in so far as we are able, that the Magisterium of The Golden Compass is not a fair or accurate representation of the Christian Church.
I can only wonder how many parents and grandparents will allow children and young people to see the movie and then buy them the books -- blissfully unaware of what is coming in books two and three.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has enemies; this we know. Christian parents must be informed about His Dark Materials and inform others. We must take the responsibility to use interest in this film to teach our own children to think biblically and to be discerning in their engagement with the media in all forms. We should arm our children to be able to talk about this project with their classmates without fear or rancor.
Philip Pullman has an agenda, but so do we. Our agenda is the Gospel of Christ -- a message infinitely more powerful than that of The Golden Compass. Pullman's worldview of unrestricted human autonomy would be nightmarish if ever achieved. His story promises liberation but would enslave human beings to themselves and destroy all transcendent value.
The biblical story of the Fall is true, after all, and our only rescue is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The curse of sin was not reversed by adolescents playing at sex in a garden, but by the Son of God shedding His blood on a cross.
So let's get our bearings straight as we think and talk about The Golden Compass. This movie does represent a great challenge, but a challenge that Christians should always be ready to meet.
__________________
We discussed The Golden Compass on Monday's edition of The Albert Mohler Program [listen here]. We will continue the discussion on today. Listen and call with your questions or comments.

Bartering Part II

2007-12-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

I told you that bartering was a good skill for my kiddos to possess. Tonight we were out at the Red, White and Blue. The kids had found one of those toys that has five pieces of wood attached together with fabric. You fold down the top piece and one falls down and it keeps doing that as you fold down the top. I don't know what it's called.

Anyway, it was priced at 1.99. I told the kids I wasn't going to buy it for 1.99. It wasn't worth it. I said if it was .50 then I would buy it. That's all they needed was my permission. Before I knew it a scheme was hatched.

Master Chef decided that they would ask the person at the register if they would take .50 for it. I chuckled and told them that they don't barter here. They ignored me and proceeded to the check out. I hung back a little in awe as Ramona rang the bell. As the gal came up I said, "my kids have a question for you" kinda sarcastically. Then Ramona asked if she would take .50 for the toy. To my surprise the gal said, "yes." She smiled and asked the kids how old they were. I couldn't believe it.

My kids were so happy. They all played with the toy on the way home.

Wow, is all I have to say. They are going to be very savvy shoppers.

A Great White Elephant Gift Idea

2007-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

The kids needed a white elephant gift for their 4-H Christmas party (can you believe they are actually calling it a Christmas Party? There is hope yet.) It needed to be cheap and fun. Then I remembered seeing these awful candy dispensers at the store the other day. At the time I did not appreciating the crude bathroom humor, but then I found a reason to buy them. They are called Candy Poopers. Check it out and maybe you will come to the same conclusion I did. The kids are so excited to exchange these crazy pooping animals. The pooping Santa is too disgusting for my taste. We'll stick to the animals!

Kinda funny to go from a serious video clip about a Presidential candidate to pooping animal candy dispensers, but I guess that is why this is a blog called Melange. I can write about anything!

Who is that Murphy Guy Anyway?

2007-12-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

Master 3-D misplaced his glasses a few weeks ago. I didn't even notice right away that he hadn't been wearing them for a few days. I'm a little slow I guess. Anyway, we looked high and low for the missing glasses. One night when we were all looking for the glasses Daddy'O, trying to be helpful, said, "there not going to be where they usually are." Not sure what help he thought that statement was going to be, of course they were not going to be where they are supposed to be. They're lost!

We tore his room apart looking for them. I was just sure they were on his bed or somewhere under his bed. Not so. After looking for several days, I gave up and we purchased an identical pair at the same store we bought the first pair. A few days later we received a phone call that the glasses were ready, so we picked them up and came home.

I kid you not, within an hour of our return home, 3-D Master found his glasses. Chalk it up to good ol' Murphy's law.

We're Off, We're Off, We're Off to find a Beautiful Christmas Tree

2007-12-01T19:15:00.001-08:00

Tree Hugger

2007-12-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

CutieP'tootie was so funny. We went to get our Christmas tree today and he couldn't get enough hugs in. He would walk up to a tree and give it a big hug. You can tell from his face in the first picture that he was really squeezing hard.

The weather was great! We drove a mile or two from our home picked our tree out. Then cut it down and even enjoyed some hot cocoa. Then we drove home- All within 45 min. Now that's the way to get a tree. No hassle.

Well, other than: getting everyone dressed in warm clothes, cleaning up mud that ends up in the car and on the carpet at home, dirty snowsuits, muddy shoes, and runny noses. Otherwise a red letter day!

God's beauty expressed in a snowflake

2007-11-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

The kids and I were discussing the beauty of snowflakes today. Have you ever pondered the beauty of a snowflake? Master Chef said, "Did you know that no matter how many snowflakes there are, you will never see two alike." Then Master 3-D said, "when I get to Heaven I am going to ask God to see His list of snowflakes." Now there's a thought. I'd never thought of asking that question. I can't even imagine how long that list is. Maybe its all computerized LOL.

It is amazing to me that God could create something so small, intricate, delicate, and so beautiful. Look at the pictures of ice crystals and you will be amazed at God's creativity. Can you deny that God creates beauty for us to enjoy?

Here are some Pictures of snowflakes and the science behind them. There is also a page with the directions on making paper snowflakes.

Future Blogger II

2007-11-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh as Ramona approached me this afternoon. She was wearing one of CutieP'Tootie's sandals. She held her foot up and laughed.

After giggling for a moment she said, "you should blog about this. Girl puts little brother's sandal on foot."

I guess I am raising technology savvy kids. I wonder how this will benefit them in the future. Or will it be a detriment?

Future Blogger

2007-11-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

Remember that song about the Children being our future? I don't think this is what they had in mind.

Why do I bother?

2007-11-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

I am about to complain. If you don't care to read my frustration spilling out in the following post, read no further.

I went to the store yesterday, as mentioned in an earlier post, and bought Master 3-D a new pair of hiking style boots. They weren't very expensive, only 14.99, but that is beside the point. Today I went out again and to my dismay, upon my return, I noticed the afore mentioned hiking boots on the back patio with mud caked all over the bottom. My temper rose and I began to use Master 3-D's full name. I'm sure you've never had occasion to do this, but I felt justified. Why do I bother? Argh!!!

Then Ramona comes in the back door and holds up her newly purchased snow gloves. She exclaimed, "you need to wash these." They were a beautiful white and lavender color. Not anymore! Mud was caked on both gloves. I pressed her as to what she was doing in the back and she said she didn't want to be the one to tell me. I said, "you better tell me!" Then she continued by saying that she and her brothers were pulling weeds out of our garden boxes. Well, I guess I can't be mad at them for preparing our garden boxes. But why can't they use more common sense??? I guess that is my job. Have I been slacking off in the instillation of common sense? I think on Monday we'll have a new addition to our curriculum. Common sense for the homeschool child or any child for that matter. I'll have to make a list and post it later. Send any additions you have and maybe they'll be included.

What do you see?

2007-11-24T17:25:00.001-08:00

Art work by the Melange Gang reminiscent of the Blot Test.

My kiddos love to make these blot pictures. They don't have many opportunities to make them because, as you can imagine, the paint rarely stays on the paper.

So if you ever come to my house, and you are curious as to why the carpet is a nice shade of lavender and chartreuse, wonder no more-

Future artists live here.

Come up with a few ideas of your own and then read what we saw:

A rabbit, an alien, the Grinch, hands holding something, a face, a stingray, and a Star Wars ship

Black Friday Frenzy

2007-11-23T23:44:00.001-08:00

I slept in this black Friday. I was too tired from all the work yesterday that I didn't leave my house until about 9 AM. Most of the crazies had already been out and back by the time I got there. I took a co-conspirator with me (Master Chef,) although he had no idea what was in store. I gave him the run down on the action that would occur once inside the store. He was up for the challenge, but I'm not sure he believed me.

I had a list which I only deviated from slightly. We started with socks for Daddy'O and then found a bathrobe for Master Chef and some new winter gloves for the kiddos. Then it was off to the games. It was buy one get one free. We bought States and Capitals Sequence, Doodle Dice, Mad Lib Card Game, and a Bingo set with cage and all. Master Chef took one look at it and had to have it.

We sat around the table by the fire tonight and played a few rounds. The winner of each round got to choose what they wanted for dessert.

We picked up a few other things and then it was off to two more stores and home for lunch.

Master Chef actually said it wasn't too bad at the store. Good I'll take him along next year. He makes a great cart watcher. I kept telling him to stay next to the cart as I maneuvered my way around everybody else.

We had a nice time fighting the crowds. It was a lot more enjoyable with someone to shop with.

Cheers

2007-11-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Ramona and her cousin Romania had a great time "cheering" each other.

We had a peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner.

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-20T16:47:00.001-08:00

What would Thanksgiving be without a turkey?

Great Book on the history of the Pilgrims

2007-11-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

I purchased some books before the school year started from Christian Liberty Press. One of them is called "Stories of the Pilgrims." I almost forgot I had this one. I was looking for something else to read to the kids with a deeper history of what brought the Pilgrims to America.

It is very important to me that the books we read come from a Christian worldview. All of the books that I have purchased from CLP come from that perspective.

This particular book is written in story form and very easy to read and follow. I read for an hour or so and then stopped. The kids wanted me to keep reading to find out how they ended up in America. They were really enjoying it.

The story begins at the begginning, where every story should start, all the way back in England even before the Pilgrims considered themselves Pilgrims and before they moved to Holland. We haven't finished it yet, but intend to continue for the next few days.

I hope you'll pick this book up for a great Thanksgiving History lesson next year.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

2007-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ramona has been asking to make Mexican Wedding Cakes for awhile, so we finally made them yesterday.

In an attempt to be festive Ramona put a ribbon in CutieP'Tootie's hair. He didn't even try taking it out. They were so cute.