"Believe in Marrying Young"

This is Owen's perspective on marriage!

Last night I was snuggling with the children in bed. We were talking about naps and rest times and Owen (6) asserted that he won't have to take rests anymore when he is nine. I assured him that, indeed, he will take a rest time when he is nine. "Well, I won't take a rest when I'm fifteen!" he stated. Oh, yes, I reiterated that he would still take a rest time at age fifteen. (I can not foresee the day yet when I will not need one quiet hour in my home mid-day! Therefore, it must be good for all.)

"Well," Owen said, "I'll be married at nine anyway. I believe in marrying young." (Oh, really?!)

He must have seen my surprise because he added, "Actually, I'll get married at fifteen because I'll have had some driving practice by then and I'll be old enough to have my own gun to get meat for my wife and me." (He's been thinking about this!)

Awhile later I overheard him talking to Livia. "I'm sorry, Liv, but I won't be able to talk to you very much tonight. I have to be quiet and think about who I'm going to marry."

Crockpot Oatmeal

I'm not usually a big oatmeal fan (except for baked oatmeal), but this is too easy. Add some dried fruit and voila! instant hot breakfast.

CROCKPOT OATMEAL

2 cups steel-cut oats
(yes, you should do steel-cut and not regular! Steel-cut will hold up better and have a great, crunchy texture)
6-8 cups water
(see what works for your crockpot. I use less water if I cook it less than 8 hours)

Stir the oats and water. Cook on low overnight. Top with fruit, honey, cinnamon, etc.

The Schedule/The Mom

I am coming to a rather startling conclusion: there are simply not enough minutes in a day for me to accomplish all that I would like. Perhaps this means I have too many things on my "would like to accomplish today" list. Perhaps I haven't adjusted my list as I have added children. Perhaps I would rather be busy doing all kinds of things that make me feel good when I have completed them, rather than rest in knowing that I can never be good enough or do it all right on my own, apart from Christ.

This has been a concern of mine for quite some time. Lately I have been angry that even when I GO to God and admit my loathfully prideful self-serving and humbly beg for His mercy and aid. . . I STILL can't get done the things that I think ought to be done! I have dutifully made a 24-hour schedule and concluded that there aren't enough slots for the obligations I am trying to squeeze in.

So. . . I must either adjust the list of things that ought to be done or I must adjust my attitude.

Some things seem non-negotiable. I think I OUGHT to have a clean kitchen every night. Dirty dishes piled on the counter is unsuitable. Laundry sitting in the dryer for two days is uncalled for! A bathtub NEEDS to be scoured weekly. And it is unhealthy (and therefore unacceptable!) for our family to eat packaged convenience foods for dinner- or any meal!

And so we cut out much of our traveling and our activities. This was good for us, and yet STILL, time seems to slip away from me with mystifying rapidity.

Even when my list is short, (get kids ready, do breakfast, school, morning chores) it can take literally ALL morning to accomplish. We are interrupted (or divinely detoured?) for training moments and impromptu book reading, by accidents and helping children potty, by hunger and thirst and phone calls and interesting things happening outside. THIS is my life right now.

I've read many helpful blogs. I like the idea of scheduling my day and "accomplishing more than ever before!" and I marvel at the other homeschooling moms who seem to DO so much. There are so many great ideas and yes, many I should/could implement in our home.

When I DO so much, I am not such a great mom. I prefer to be fun and spontaneous, which I am not very often. I've been in task-master mode trying to force us through the day's agenda. . . and it isn't very good for anyone. Oh, how I tremble to think of the opportunities I have missed and the irreparable damage I have done to the little hearts under my care!

Here I am, balancing the demands of managing our home with the privilege of parenting. I'm not even seeking help at this point (because I have seen so many great resources!), just baring my soul a bit. It's ugly. And yet, doesn't that make God's grace so amazing, that He would reach down into my messy life!? He hasn't changed it much yet (my messy life!), so my deepest hope is that He is changing ME, instead.

Without Reason

I still have not heard a reasonable explanation for the half-eaten (the TOP half!) apple, covered in wet toilet paper that I found in the boys bedroom this morning.

Maybe this has something to do with another recent "I can't believe it!" moment- when Livia asks me what is on the potty seat that makes it wet. . . and before I can answer her she has dabbed her finger in the liquid and tasted it. This is true.

Or maybe it is kind of like yesterday when right after I vacuumed and mopped (I know, why do I do it?!) Rhyle made a PATH from the front door through the house to the refridgerator of wild onion tops. Really.

Actually, these stories are reminding me of another unbelievable moment: on Sunday I took Tate to the bathroom in between the Sunday school hour and church worship. He managed to go all over ME- in a nice, wet shot across my pants.

Sometimes my life doesn't make any sense at all.

The Thankful List

Well, way back in November our family worked on a thankful list. Each night we added a link in our paper chain and wrote on it one thing that each person was thankful for. The chain finally came down last month, and now I'm going to type these up so I can throw away the chain without remorse! I'm tired of seeing it on the office floor (or in shreds around the house!) and yet I am sad to think I will forget this little piece of who we are and were. So, here are some of the things we were thankful for. (B= Braden, C= me, O= 6yo, R= 4yo, L= 2yo) The kljsfoa typing is for the slips where Rhyle wrote his own and I have no idea what they say. *smile* It was good practice.

We are thankful for:
B: Watching Owen jump into a pile of raked leaves
C: Hearing God's word taught at church
O: Jesus
R: Walks
L: God
B: Trampoline!!
C: My husband rising to the occasion... baths, dishes, cooking done without complaint!
O: Day and Night
R: Jesus!
L: Tate
B: Liberty Counsil offering work
C: Growing children
O: Sun and Moon
R: Learning to read
L: Tate
B: To be in VA, going to law school
C: For Mrs. Crowe teaching Rhyle and Liv's Sunday School class
O: Rhyle and Livia
R: Old Testament
L: Tate makes me happy
B: Chocolate chip cookies!
C: Friends who live within walking distance
O: I love Dad
R: At the store, buying groceries, so we can have food
L: Mr. Bennetch
B: God's provision
C: Rhyle- 4 wonderful years! (his birthday)
O: God
R: asldfkjas d;l- that I can write all that!
L: Tate
B: God's faithfulness
C: Simplicity. Simple supper and cleaning out the office
O: the Bible
R: as;ldfkjaepofij
L: Charlotte, Clara, Mr and Mrs Martin
B: A healthy Tate
C: the fellowship and encouragement of other women
O: Mom
R: Tomorrow
L: Tate and Livia, Mommy and Daddy
B: Raking leaves with the boys
C: A brisk autumn walk
O: the church
R: waw;lerjdfo;i = watermelon
L: Tate
B: New customer's for mom's business
C: the joy of music that makes us want to dance
O: Tate
R: Jumping outside
L: Children's choir
B: Our church
C: for nsa- a great company that helps me succeed!
O: CBS
R: asfja;fi
L: Baby Tate
B: My godly wife
C: The wonderful people I'm surrounded by
O: USA
R: Blackberries
L: Tate
B: Owen, Rhyle, Livia, and Tate
C: Personal growth

Blueberry-Almond Wheat and Oat Muffins

I've been asked for this recipe several times, so it's making it on the blog as a simple way to share it with everyone. This started as a recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook, but I've adapted it (as I seem to do with everything!). Sometimes it is healthier, sometimes less healthy- but always delicious. Here is our version:

Blueberry-Almond Wheat and Oat Muffins

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups blueberries
2 Tbl. lemon zest
1/2 cup honey
2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped almonds

1. Preheat oven to 425. Prepare two muffin pans.
2. Combine flours, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Stir in blueberries, zest, and honey. In a separate bowl, melt butter. Add milk and eggs to butter. Stir milk mixture into blueberry mixture, just until moistened.
3. Using a large scoop, scoop batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle almonds evenly over muffin batter, pressing down gently.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes (or 10-13 minutes for mini-muffins). Allow to cool slightly before enjoying! (This made 16 large muffins and 24 minis for me today.)

A Great Valentine's Treat

After a gleeful Valentine opening frenzy this afternoon, Owen found me in the kitchen and asked, "Mom, what do you call it when everyone is excited to have gum?"

I didn't know.

"A GUMmotion!" he declared, with a great, big smile.

(In other words, the gum was a BIG HIT. And so were the socks and boots and water bottles. All the kids drank from their cleaned waterbottles at dinner!)

Our Growing, Changing Family

It is probably time for a few brief updates. Blogging time has been sparse lately, but life has continued full-steam.

Tate is nearly six months old! We had been concerned about his weight gain because he basically stayed at 10 pounds between months two and four. At five months, though, he had made it to 12 pounds, and we seem to be consistently gaining now. We have never been concerned about his physical development; he is trying to sit up and crawl now. The biggest modification was to nurse twice as much! (Though this isn't really such a big deal because we are a really efficient team.) Within the last month we have started food, too. He loves the sweet potatoes and bananas that are his staples, and we've ventured into avocado and other mashed vegetables. With the reading and researching I've done between Livia and Tate I think I'm going to be doing things differently (again!). (Does everyone else adapt after experimenting on their first children?!) Nursing, fruits, and vegetables are our priorities.

Rhyle is nearly 4 and 1/2. Last month we took him for a hearing screening because Braden and I knew that he was not hearing adequately. Yes, his tubes from last January had come out of the ear drums, but they had filled back up with fluid. He really can NOT hear. (I'm so glad for the ASL we've been learning!) He is scheduled to go back to the surgery center in two weeks to have new tubes put in and his adenoids cauterized. My mother's heart is faint at the thought! But praise be to God, that his hearing can be improved upon so (relatively) simply.

Owen continues to plow through chapter books. He reminds me of myself, a child with my nose always in a book. It's fun to hear all the things he is reading being expressed in daily life. For example, yesterday they were all riding a train (the dining room chairs) and had to stop at Bumbo Junction (the Bumbo seat). Today he told me that he was going to get married at age 8 or 9 because he believes that "one should marry early."

Livia. Whew! Such sweetness mingled with strength can "really wear me out." (from the book O-livia (as we call it)). She would take over as the mommy if anything ever happened to me, and she would do it well. Her love for Tate sometimes endangers him, but I can always count on her to help me change diapers or clothes or assist in any way. It's not easy being the only girl.

Braden has been accepted for TWO clerkships this summer, which is quite an honor. I confess I don't really understand how all of these law externships work. It doesn't make sense to me that something so great would not pay at all! But I am so proud of him and the endless hours he has been putting into school and work. He's my man!

Kefir Questions

I thought about adding these as questions to my previous post, but it has taken me so long to get back to posting on the blog that the previous post is almost off the screen! So, I'm coming back to this kefir adventure and asking those of you out there that regularly consume kefir to help me out.

First of all, isn't it runny? We generally eat granola on yogurt, so I'm wondering if it is just really messy to top kefir with fruit or granola.

Secondly, we prefer the taste of the kefir that has fermented over 24 hours. But should I be concerned about it separating into curds and whey? Will it reach a point of no return?

What should I do with the grains when I have more than I need? Do these incorporate easily into smoothies, too?

Our family (mainly the kids and me) have been enjoying kefir smoothies nearly every day. I find that I'm going through a lot more milk than normal (used to make the kefir)! We add the JuicePlus+ vanilla Complete powder and a banana and some frozen fruit. It's delicious! And I think we've perfected a hot pinkish purple color that will be appropriate for Valentine's Day. *smile* I'm also thinking that this has been beneficial for out intestinal tract. That's always good, too. Ha!

A Butter Perspective

This is Rhyle, on butter:

"When I get big enough that I'm grown up, I'm going to eat butter every day and ALL of it."

(This worried Livia a little, so she added, "not ALL the butter!")

Weekly Menu Plan

Is it acceptable to have rice cakes with peanut butter as a scheduled lunch plan?!