Wild Thing

I spent the last evening catching up on my reading of my MomSense magazine. It's the magazine that I get monthly from MOPS. I came across an ad for this book
I am not an impulse buyer by any means. However, I have to have this book. The publicist did a great job selling the book. I mean after reading this what mother with a son couldn't buy this.

Born to be . . . wild!
A boy's endless imagination, hunger for adventure, and passionate spirit are matched only by his deep desire to be affirmed, esteemed, and loved... The truth is, boys don't need to be tamed -they need to be understood, loved, challenged, and encouraged. Wild Things helps parents, teachers, mentors, and others understand and explore the hearts, minds, and ways of boys-and the vital role that parents and caregivers play on the journey to manhood. Based on clinical research and filled with practical tips and suggestions, Wild Things gives fresh insight and much-needed encouragement on the road to raising boys.

I just ordered a copy thanks to Amazon; I'll let you know if it's as good as the summary!

Pearls and pebbles

I have been trying to find a good blend of what I consider "school time" and what the kids consider play time (which is actually usually school time they just don't see it that way). To do this, I have been trying to say more "yes" to their ideas for crafts and projects. I have recently adjusted our schedule so we complete all of school in the morning. The starting and stopping was becoming difficult for Peter. So now when he's finished with all I have for him then he and the others are free for the rest of the afternoon. So far it has worked nicely and been a good incentive to keep up the work. In one of our books this morning, there was a chapter about a grandma who had pear beads. Peter said, "How can I make pearl beads?" So with my new perspective on life I said, "Well, when you get finished with school, you can collect stones, clean them off and then paint them white". Now we had some serious motivation to finish our tasks. So this is how we spent the remainder of the morning; they painted until they could paint no more. Ryan took part in the pebble painting but at the time of the picture he had already been "dismissed" for repeatedly not following directions!
While the kids were painting, I worked on my own project. I recently realized that the kids are really getting to be a lot more helpful and resourceful. I needed to put this to my advantage especially with a baby coming soon. While at a friend's house this week, I noticed that she had all her sippy cups in a drawer where the kids could reach them. What a novel idea for me. If I moved our plastic ware to where the kids could reach they are just one step closer to being more independent. No longer do they have to ask me for a drink of water because they can actually reach the cups. I will need to find something to put in these large open cabinets to help keep them organized but I'm excited about this potential.

Catching up

Can you tell that I am catching up on my blog entries. Time has slipped by and I have neglected my blog. I have been thinking a lot lately about a lot of stuff- boys, winter, chores, schedules, schools, babies, toddlers, 4 kids, the hope of spring...It has been enough to keep my mind occupied. I have honestly really struggled the last few weeks with life. We had our fair share of the stomach flu; not once but twice for Emma. We've had our fair share of very cold weather here in Roxboro. My boys have spent the entire winter becoming more and more like well- boys who need to be outdoors! A few weeks ago I implemented a chore system. We haven't been completely consistent but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Today, Peter's main extra chore was to wash windows. Ryan doesn't really have any chores but he can tell you all about "morning work" and his jobs. He wanted to help Peter with the windows. I gave him a paper towel and this is what I found

A new hobby???

So this dear lady in our community always blesses our family with sourdough bread whenever she sees us. I asked her recently if she would teach me how to make it. She excitedly agreed to show me and share her starter. The whole family came with me for my lesson. Here is what I made...I have enjoyed reading and learning about the sourdough process. It sure makes a good bread but it takes forever. It literally takes a day and a half from start to finish.
The picture is the bread and cinnamon rolls that I made under my teacher's guidance. Earlier this week I tried it solo. This batch turned out good as well. Instead of the cinnamon rolls I tried to make "bread bowls". I got a four thumbs up from the guys (Philip and Branden- our every Tuesday night dinner guest and friend). I could only make two bread bowls because I only had two bowls so I'll have to work on this one a bit!

Go Duke

Last Thursday Peter got the chance to go to school with Philip for the day. I loaded his backpack with things to keep him busy. It turned out he didn't do anything from his backpack. I'm not exactly sure what he did all day but he had a great time! I really hope the kids are old enough to have memories of these days with their dad at Duke. What a great opportunity for them.
The rest of us joined in on the fun that afternoon. The Divinity school hosted a dinner and tickets to the Duke Women's basketball game that night.
Yes we all had matching T-shirts!

The Band

Here's a great shot of the "band" for church. Beginning March 1st, we will be having an 8:45am contemporary service. The group will be leading in worship. We've been able to sneak over to the church during their practice sessions and listen in. They are already awesome with only a few sessions under their belt. I'm excited to see all that God does with this new venture for the church.

Diaper chatter

So a friend of mine, Shelia, is doing something called a "Carnival" on her blog. I had to call her to get the explanation but I still feel like I'm out of the loop. However, I wanted to throw in my diaper story just for her! After all the wonderful diapers that had been given to us as gifts had been used up, we began to use cloth diapers with Peter. I would say he was about 2 months or so. We actually just used the cloth diapers from Target, pins and rubber covers. We definitely didn't do any of the fancy diapers that you can find on line. We wanted to at least say that we gave cloth diapers a try and we also wanted to save as much money as possible! The cloth lasted until he was about 7 months old. When he started eating solid foods that was enough for me. I wasn't hard core with the cloth; disposables were used at night and when out of the house. I am glad that I tried it and am also certain that I won't be doing it again!
I thank God for Cotsco and bulk diapers. Yes, I do feel bad at the waste I'm adding to the landfills but not bad enough to use cloth!

Day two

We headed out to the beach again the next day. This time the wind was fierce and not pleasant so we headed to the park instead.



It was a great time and I tried to enjoy as much of the blue skies as I could!

Beach days

The kids and I headed down last week to spend a few days with my parents. We were so blessed to have picked a week that had amazing weather.
Peter spent some time collecting rocks for a Wolf Cub assignment. Then he was off to make a fort with a mote. I was proud of his work; he did it all by himself.

Emma was at the beginning stages of not feeling well. So in between laying down on the blanket she would wander off to collect shells.

Ryan- well, he was just happy as a clam to dig in the sand!

Warm days

We have been so blessed to have these Spring like days in February! The kids were anxious to get home after church and change into shorts and T-shirts. Then were equally as anxious to get outside after lunch. So after enjoying my own lunch, alone, I went to find Peter and Emma. This is what I found....
I believe the tree thing on the right was a "gate". All I know was that, "no grown-ups allowed". I am perfectly fine with that!

Ski Buddies

Philip, a friend and Peter left bright and early Friday morning to head to Boone for a day of skiing. We didn't tell Peter until the night before and he thought that would be a "good idea". From what I heard, Peter was a champ. He had to be talked into a break for lunch and convinced that he needed to do at least 1 warm -up run on the green slope. The guys had a great time and were very wore out when they got home. I was thankful that Emma didn't even shed a tear when she awoke and heard the news that the guys had gone skiing. Ryan on the other hand, was a little more upset!

cold mornings

It has been another one of those bitter cold days - at least in my opinion. Ryan is on the verge of what could be a cold so with that and the weather, I've opted to stay inside. Peter is on the story writing kick. He is now working on his third story. He began it yesterday during his rest and asked first thing this morning if I would help him with his web. How could I not oblige!
We headed for the kitchen table. Ryan and Emma eventually followed. Ryan found this truck sticker book from somewhere. Emma pulled her chair right next to his and began helping him find the missing places for the stickers and then colored together. Peter happily kept on writing. I thought to myself- I need to take a picture of this.

Compassion

We've been reading this week about Amy Carmichael. She's a woman who devoted her life to living in India, established an orphanage of sorts and caring for girls sold to the Buddhist Temples. The focus of these short stories about her life have been on compassion. Not only did Amy feel sorry for these "temple girls" but she did something about it. She took them into her home and became her mother. So yesterday, we talked about ways that we can show compassion.
Last night when Philip came home from school, he was telling us that he volunteered to do a devotion for a meeting he had to attend. He ran into the guy who was scheduled to do the devotion and he was really sick. So Philip offered to fill in for him. Some time after the conversation, Peter tell him, "Daddy, you were showing Mr. Jim compassion. You didn't just feel sorry for him because he was sick you helped him."

Wow- those are the moments that you want to remember. Sure we didn't get the math worksheet done or the book read I wanted to but Peter learned and applied compassion. To be honest, I wasn't even intended to "study" compassion. It just came about in conversation based on the story we read together that morning.

second attempt

Yeah- my second try at making a yeast bread came out so much better! This time I used a recipe from a friend that makes all of her bread for her family. My expectations were high because I knew her bread tastes really good. I was so excited when it came out of the oven; it smelled good and tasted good! It is definitely not quite as good as my friend's. However, with a little butter and honey (fresh from her hives as well) it's nothing like sliced bread!

capturing the moment

So I handed the camera to Philip and asked for him to capture this time in history! I am not a big fan of belly pictures but I know that it's always nice to reflect on. It's hard to believe that I'm 21 weeks along. By God's grace, I am feeling great. I have more energy now than I did before I was pregnant! That alone can not be explained other than God's grace and perhaps prenatal vitamins.