Mid-morning break

Today's mid-morning homeschool break included watching a ninja video on YouTube [note to self: preview all YouTube videos before allowing children to view] followed by some wrestling with Mom.  Brandon threw a few karate chops at me, so I flipped him upside down and gently tossed him onto the couch where tickling ensued.

Amid his cries of laughter he sputtered,

"Ninjas do NOT like to be tickled!"

What God wants

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God didn't call us to be successful,
                            just faithful.
~Mother Theresa
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Wow. That really enlightens my perspective on this parenting journey. It is so tempting to think, "If I train my child right, I'll eliminate all the unpleasantness of raising kids."  It's the A+B=C approach to parenting.  And it completely leaves out the child's free will to choose.  I have one child who chooses to obey the majority of the time, and another who chooses "the hard way."  It can make life awfully unpleasant.  And it causes me to go, "What did I do wrong? It must be my fault!"

That's the problem of looking for the "fruit" of our parenting efforts as the indicator of how good a job we're doing.  Here's what God says...

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:21)

He's not commending the person for the fruit of his labor, but for his faithfulness! Ultimately, I/we need to trust God's sovereignty and His perfect plans. He proclaims He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). So we need to do our part, our child does (or doesn't do) his part, and God does His part—and God promises to work it all together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28)!

Don't let the enemy tell you you're a failure.  That's a lie.  Focus on being faithful.  You have a loving Father who is patient and tender and compassionate!  God IS love.  And He loves you.

The choices we make

Good quote on the choices we make in marriage—

"The choices we make form the rudder that directs our marriage journey. ... And every day in every marriage, choices are made that keep couples headed where they want to go or lead them to places that they dread. It is difficult to exaggerate how powerful our choices are, even the small ones, in determining or path to the future. ... Regardless of how insignificant a choice may seem at the moment, it is bound to direct our steps toward something that either enriches or diminishes our relationship."

That's something to really ponder... whether related to our actions, or simply to the thoughts we entertain...

From: When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages, by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, p. 43, 44

YOU are God's masterpiece

You need to know this:

God chose

every.

single.

one.

of the qualities

that make up who you are,

and He did it on purpose!

 

He knew

exactly what it would take

to help you accomplish His plans—

the things you would do well

and with little effort,

and the things that would trip you up

and send you running back to Him for help—

which also brings Him glory!

All of these things

He put together

in a special combination in you,

by His perfect plans!

 

You are His workmanship,

and God doesn't make junk!

You are a masterpiece!

 

Thoughts based loosely on Ephesians 2:10.

Distraction

Street sweepers probably don't even rank on any official Top Ten List of Most Distracting Things.  But at our house, they are a main event... AND a distraction during home-schooling!

Imagine sitting down to do math at the dining room table, when every two minutes you hear the humming of the street sweeper truck coming around the block... again... and your son excitedly asking for permission to run to the picture window... again. :)

Makes me smile, really.  Yes, I admit I was momentarily annoyed... but then, recognizing the delight my son takes in all-things-vehicular, I relaxed and let him enjoy the view.  Once they were gone, our math lesson was completed, and everyone was happy. :)

First day of preschool

Today was Ryan's first official day of preschool this fall!

He was very eager to return to his school—he just loves his teachers (Mrs. P and Mrs. K). And his new shoes. :)  Today he said he played with a new friend, Max.  I'm so thankful he has such a wonderful school with caring teachers in a Biblically-infused setting.

Here's what happens...

Here's what happens when you leave a tube TV on the floor for too long...

Your 4-year-old might try to use it as a jumping toy.  Which, in the scheme of things, isn't too big of a deal.  You see, while we are THE last family in North American to own a tube TV, we just received a newer tube TV from our neighbors... so we had intended on taking our 20-year-old, beat-up TV to the recycling center.  (See the missing buttons below, courtesy of the afore-mentioned 4-year-old.)

Not so SHARP anymore, eh?  Get it?  hahahahaha

Creativity flows

Both of my boys like playing with Legos.  But Legos are my oldest son's obsession.  Which can drive me a little crazy at times, I confess.  However, it is quite remarkable how creative a child can be...

This is the firehouse he built, complete with a pole for the fire fighters to slide down.

Here is the fire truck he built himself.  The only Lego fire fighter kit he has is for the fire chief's car, so this was his own design from looking at a Lego catalog! (And if you happened to notice the headless body with a blue suit on the side of the truck, he said that is the fire fighters' chemical suit. Good thinkin'!)

And here is the scene: a house on fire with flames shooting out of the roof of the house. Isn't that cool?!

So yes, Legos are fairly expensive... but the creativity that it draws out is priceless.