Category: being a stay-at-home mom

A Lil Pip in Our Step

So we have been busy lately. And this is one reason:

We added a new meowing family member. Weclome, Pipsqueak.

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Now, I had no intention of adding a new family member, but we happened upon her on our walk to church. And she was so thin. And so frail. And so friendly. I went took her back to our house (on the property) and gave her a bowl of food. She ate. I wished her well and headed off to Sunday School. I couldn’t get her off my mind. She was outside the door greeting people on their transition to church from Sunday School. And that’s when she started to work her magic. After church she was gone. I went over to try to find her. Couldn’t find her. Matt and I talked.

She showed back up after supper time. The kids and I found her and encouraged her friendship with a can of tuna. She was so good with the kids. So tolerant of little hands, especially when they were not so rough.

We brought her back to the house, played with her on the lawn while the sun went down. Such a playful little kitten inside of her. Oh the squeals. Oh the joy. Matt must have known it when he came home from evening service. He must have known it long before. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Why don’t you bring her in and we can think about it.” He invited her into the family.

Fleas, ear mites, all bones, but friendly as can be. She wasn’t nervous at all to be brought inside. She happily curled up on the bathroom mat. She purred. She napped.

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Once the fleas were gone and ear mites getting under control, she met the other two cats. 24 hours of hissing gave way to ignoring each other. And that is now giving way to smelling each other and carrying on with normal life. No more hiding. No more anxiety. Just casual glances out the window, hopes for tuna juice and naps on the fish tank hood (it’s warm on top of the light!).

She continues to do great with the kids. She’s way too tolerant of Abi’s bear hugs. She just meows for rescue from the babies rough attempts at “gentle touch”. And she likes to sit n laps late at night, just snuggling in and being close. She has no desire to leave. And she’s starting to gain more weight. Her stomach’s once distended look is now evening out into a healthy balance of consistent meals. And I am happy. Very happy. We’re getting her in to the vet here soon to help us get the last of the ear mites under control and get her vaccinated. But she’s just so sweet. Loveable little thing.

And so now we have 3 cats. And we adults agree that we are full in the pet department. Afterall, we did take in 11 pets in just about a week (10 fish). And we’re all as happy as can be.

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The Medium of Homeschooling

We’re getting ready to start the homeschooling season again. We have taken the longest break ever from directed teaching due to the boys arrival being mashed in with summer. We moved from more focused academics to more play and discovery. But I have to be honest, I’m really excited to start back into a more directed study time.

Big Guy started school last week so that forced us to become more regulated and routined. Honestly, I am really happy about that. I love Big Guy, but the entire dynamic and hyperactivity level of this household takes a shift back into our discovery norms when he’s at school. Our days kind of slow down and become more natural feeling to me. It becomes less about burning a kid out and more about discovering our world together. I feel more calm because there are more opportunities for quiet in our household and for this introvert that is really important to me. Odd that four kids can feel quiet, but it really is true – especially during the babies’ morning naps. Things allot themselves more naturally to sit-down teaching in the morning and hands-on learning in the afternoon.

But one of the things I look most forward to during this school year is returning to reading. Reading a book on my own. Our missions reading before nap times. Oh our snuggling reading on the couch has stayed consistent throughout the summer, but just the calm of enjoying a good read – that I look forward to so much.

It was nearly impossible to instill missions reading over the summer, sadly. Big Guy’s attention span is very, very short. And reading to the girls before nap time always left Big Guy out since sitting in the hallway between the boys and girls’ rooms rocking my nurser created a very fussy nurser that I nearly had to yell over to read. Yeah… less calming.

Rachael actually leapt for joy when I returned to my rocking chair with a missions book in hand at nap time. “YEAH! Mommy’s going to read missions novels to us again!” She couldn’t contain herself. I love that she remembers that about me. I love that she, at such a young age, is already enjoying longer chapter books. And I have noticed that since I stopped reading to the girls at nap time, my Abi’s vocabulary hasn’t built as quickly… and her annunciation just flat-out needs work. Funny but reading aloud to her will help a lot with those things as she is more accustomed to broad vocabulary and listens to my sounding out foreign city names.

But really, even if it had no educational piece to it…. I just love sharing that time with them. I love talking about what God has done in and through people. I love learning, myself! And it’s also a helpful gauge for telling if Rachael is ready to transition from naps. If she can stay awake for the full chapter, then she may not need a nap that day. See, reading has MANY benefits. 😉

I’ve decided to begin homeschooling after Hannah’s first birthday. Summer has been a little hectic and draining, quite honestly, despite the large amount of fun as well. So I’d like to feel ready. I’d like to include Rachael and Abi in decorating the homeschool wall. I’d like to solicit their ownership of their portfolios this year, decorating the cover and putting the dividers in. I’d like to settle into a routine of reading and more consistent morning naps for the babies and in many ways healing from a wonderful, but long summer of greater demands on me for the enjoyment of the kids. I’d like to read ahead in our curriculum, get hyped up and have everything settled really nicely before day 1. And the beauty of homeschooling is… we can do that. We can afford to start our school year whenever we’re ready. Truly ready.

I love homeschooling. It’s a passion of mine. No it’s not for everyone. Yes, it’s draining, but the investment is really an utter delight. I LOVE sitting beside my children and soaking in their worlds. I love discovering life with them. I love hearing the Scriptures return without void. I love praying over their math problems, piano lessons, and puzzle play. I just love doing life with them. And I love knowing precisely what they are learning, from the books to the social interactions to the Scripture. No, it’s not for the purpose of controlling them. It’s for the purpose of training a child in the way they should go… that God would bless their paths to be more straight. I just love being a missionary to my kids. Oh and I pray that light would overcome their darkness, in turn allowing them to be light to the world and sisters in Christ.

So thanks be to God, for this season of preparation. Preparation of our minds and our hearts and our souls for all that He will teach us this year

through the medium of homeschooling.

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Wordless Wednesday: With You

I don’t ever want to forget your hand in mine.

Your initiative.

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It could have all gone so much quicker.

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But I didn’t want it to.

Step by step down the long hallway.

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I just wanted to be with you.

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At Bat

Well many things have happened since we last spoke, dear Readers. You’ll be seeing more entries popping up again. Summer is winding down to the last little lull of revamping before the school year begins. Things are returning to schedule and routine, which is lovely for this planner of a Mommy.

Since we last spoke:

  • Matt and I took the girls on a 3 day trip away and a 1 day “just us” return.
  • The boys had a MARVELOUS time at respite (staying at another foster home – sort of like babysitting) while we were away and were spoiled as well.
  • It sort of fell into our laps to have the possibility of enrolling Big Guy in Christian private school (with Mom giving the okay) and we’ve been riding the county and scraping together everything needed for enrolment since pre-registration. [Sidenote: Dude, enrolling a kid in school is intense PLUS the whole “you can’t sign for anything” side of foster care!]
  • We’ve all managed to catch a high-fever bug and pass it amongst ourselves, with the exclusion of Matt and myself.
  • Had an awesome playdate with an old high school friend and her two sweet boys.
  • Attended another good ol’ foster care license upkeep trainings. WOOT! (NOT!)
  • Had a girls morning out to Ikea with my lovelies, a friend and her little girl.
  • Played way too much of this online facebook game…. I’d tell you the name, but then you’d play too.
  • Took the masses out to a few traveling playgrounds in the area for fun-packed outdoor play that produced strong napping tendencies.
  • And signed MY oldest up for ballet – tear. I’m working through letting go, people… but I still have until she moves out for college.
  • Oh and my dear Rachael also started Piano Lessons with our dear organ/piano player, Ms. Betty. So that’s been quite fun to sit down for 30 minutes a day and help her practice as well as watch her build in confidence in her mastery of beginning music skills.

So that’s us lately… hence the reason for the silence in blogville.

But I’m getting it back together, people. =)

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With Dinah?

A little rice play on the kitchen floor anyone?

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Why yes… Yes please!

*** No rice particles were harmed in the making of this fun – funny what a little close supervision will do for ya. 😉

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