Well, Christmas is over! It has gone by so quickly. This year was very relaxed and fun. Having Christmas day fall on a Tuesday allowed for more celebrations over the weekend, so a more relaxed, less hurried feel. It seemed that every gathering we attended, the guests seemed to linger over dessert and tea or coffee and good conversation. It was uplifting and refreshing. Here are some things I learned this Christmas:
1. Asking every family who comes to bring a dish makes for LOTS of food and plenty leftovers.( saying such with turkey spilling out of mouth)
2. Flavored tea is fun to drink with someone who has never tried it before (Waving at Kim emphatically)
3. A trampoline is easier to put together than a ping pong table (learned this vicariously through Marc-trampoline installer- and Marc, Dean and Terry-Ping Pong table assemblers!)
4. Kids can open presents faster than you can say supercalifragilistic.......you get the picture!
5. My house is TINY when you crowd close to 40 people in it.
6 Watch your 2 year old niece VERY CLOSELY when she is visiting.(Saying this while STILL drying up the water in the hall from the major flood that was created when said niece washed her hands in the bathroom sink and left the water running. )
7. Your Bathroom and hall can flood very quickly and stealthily when someone leaves the water running in the sink.
OK, the last two I learned the day after Christmas but I 'm counting them as part of my Christmas education anyway.
Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and intend to make next year worth living.
Missy
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Christmas Spice Tea and homeschooling
AHHHH! I got a very, very nice surprise from my Mother-in-law recently. She went shopping while visiting family in St. Louis and found a little shop that sold gourmet tea. She bought me three different kinds...oh, delight! My favorite of the three is Christmas Spice, how yummy and very fragrant too! Since it is loose tea, she also bought me this adorable little tea infuser that looks like a little silver tea pot. I have never been a very girly girl. And you will find me in tennis shoes and jeans most days, but it feels so delightful to drink a fresh cup of gourmet brewed tea! I feel special.... (can we break out into song now?)
Of course, every time I brew a cup, both girls decide that they HAVE to have some tea as well. Mallory actually likes the stuff, (flavored tea) which is surprising since her tastes are so limited. Sarah swears she likes it and always makes me brew her a cup but never drinks the thing. I guess she needs to be like mom and big sis, right? Tonight she just ate the candy cane that we used as a stirrer. Maybe I'll slip her the cheap stuff since she won't drink it anyway, she'll never know right? It will be our little secret!
Actually, Sarah's leaving her cup of tea untouched got me thinking. I haven't always drank hot tea. Though I have always dreamed of living in 18Th century England, so maybe there was some dormant tea desire inside of me. I actually discovered that I liked flavored tea at a church event. It was, of all things, a Lady's Tea! And there was nothing else to drink, except water. While I LOVE water, I didn't want to offend the table at large that seemed to be really enjoying their tea adventure, so I poured myself a cup... and the rest is history.
This makes me wonder tonight... how many other things are there that I haven't tried but might like? Would I like caviar? How about para sailing? Wanna try goat farming?... okay, it's late I can't think of much tonight... but this train of thought led me to this: As identity directed homeschoolers, are we exposing our kids to a variety of things? Will they find their passion in life? One of Marc and my goals is to help our kids discover something that they would love to do. Something that God designed them for, and lead them that way in life. We would like to think that they won't be part of the millions of Americans who hate their jobs one day. Hopefully we have learned the lessons of life enough that we can help them aim for better (by better I don't mean more money, though that would be nice.. but I do mean an enjoyment of how they spend their days) . But how do we do this, help them discover things that they love to do, when our world is limited to those things we know.
I guess this is one of those things that we have to trust the Lord in. Didn't he create these kids and design them for a purpose?
I think it is also something that we need to be proactive in: Grasping opportunities when they present themselves. This is where the richness of people in our lives can come in....It is important for my girls to know that their Aunt finished college and got a degree, that she is a great mom AND has a successful career, that that road is available to them too. It is also important for them to know that their mom finds contentment at home and that that road too is available to them. They can speak with the engineer at church and see what that field is like. They can also see the types of jobs that wouldn't fit their personality. While on vacation we passed some construction workers who were working on road maintenance. It was very cold and these guys appeared uncomfortable. One of the kids noticed this and started a discussion about not wanting that job when they grew older.... AH, the conversations that followed THAT observation!
So, I guess to sum up my thoughts I would have to say that I pray that I recognize opportunities for my kids to "try some tea" and see if they like it. I don't want to miss opportunities to provide them with experiences that will impact their future. Although I feel limited in my ability to do so, I also recognize that God is unlimited, and I am thankful for that.
Of course, every time I brew a cup, both girls decide that they HAVE to have some tea as well. Mallory actually likes the stuff, (flavored tea) which is surprising since her tastes are so limited. Sarah swears she likes it and always makes me brew her a cup but never drinks the thing. I guess she needs to be like mom and big sis, right? Tonight she just ate the candy cane that we used as a stirrer. Maybe I'll slip her the cheap stuff since she won't drink it anyway, she'll never know right? It will be our little secret!
Actually, Sarah's leaving her cup of tea untouched got me thinking. I haven't always drank hot tea. Though I have always dreamed of living in 18Th century England, so maybe there was some dormant tea desire inside of me. I actually discovered that I liked flavored tea at a church event. It was, of all things, a Lady's Tea! And there was nothing else to drink, except water. While I LOVE water, I didn't want to offend the table at large that seemed to be really enjoying their tea adventure, so I poured myself a cup... and the rest is history.
This makes me wonder tonight... how many other things are there that I haven't tried but might like? Would I like caviar? How about para sailing? Wanna try goat farming?... okay, it's late I can't think of much tonight... but this train of thought led me to this: As identity directed homeschoolers, are we exposing our kids to a variety of things? Will they find their passion in life? One of Marc and my goals is to help our kids discover something that they would love to do. Something that God designed them for, and lead them that way in life. We would like to think that they won't be part of the millions of Americans who hate their jobs one day. Hopefully we have learned the lessons of life enough that we can help them aim for better (by better I don't mean more money, though that would be nice.. but I do mean an enjoyment of how they spend their days) . But how do we do this, help them discover things that they love to do, when our world is limited to those things we know.
I guess this is one of those things that we have to trust the Lord in. Didn't he create these kids and design them for a purpose?
I think it is also something that we need to be proactive in: Grasping opportunities when they present themselves. This is where the richness of people in our lives can come in....It is important for my girls to know that their Aunt finished college and got a degree, that she is a great mom AND has a successful career, that that road is available to them too. It is also important for them to know that their mom finds contentment at home and that that road too is available to them. They can speak with the engineer at church and see what that field is like. They can also see the types of jobs that wouldn't fit their personality. While on vacation we passed some construction workers who were working on road maintenance. It was very cold and these guys appeared uncomfortable. One of the kids noticed this and started a discussion about not wanting that job when they grew older.... AH, the conversations that followed THAT observation!
So, I guess to sum up my thoughts I would have to say that I pray that I recognize opportunities for my kids to "try some tea" and see if they like it. I don't want to miss opportunities to provide them with experiences that will impact their future. Although I feel limited in my ability to do so, I also recognize that God is unlimited, and I am thankful for that.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
November Happenings
WEll, the month of November has rolled by. There have been some things going on, but mostly daily events. I turned another year older this month. Frankly, I don't feel any older. Marc and I had a discussion about this just the other day.... I feel like I did when we first got married. I wonder if I'll look in the mirror in 40 years and be shocked at the wrinkles and gray hair. HMmm.. maybe that is a post for another blog entry.
November also brought a much anticipated visit from my brother Al who has been in Afghanistan for the last year. My family (those who live close enough) congregated at my house for Thanksgiving and it was such a great time! I love to entertain. I really should do more of it, because it brings me such joy. It was good to see some family members that I rarely get to see, most notably my new grand nephew Aiden, whom I had only seen once in the hospital right after his birth. My mom asked me as I held him if it made me want more babies and I could honestly say no. I feel so content with my little family. Not to say that large families aren't great. I just feel very complete at this stage in my life. But boy was it fun holding that baby.
I also enjoyed getting to spend time with my brohter Al, although the visit was too brief for me (but maybe not for Al, can you imagine how LOUD my house must be to him, and how hectic!) It is always surprising where our conversations take us. I miss the days of having time to visit with him properly and talk for hours. I feel like we just get glancing views of each others lives in between interruptions now. But I am grateful for the views.
WE also took the 10 hour drive to Cape Girardeau Missouri. The kids travelled well, as always. It was sad to see how progressive the Alzheimers has gotten in Marc's grandmother. Such a sad diesease.
While there the hightlight of our trip was a hiking day at Giant City State Park in Southern Illinois. We ate lunch at the lodge and hiked the "Giant City" trail. Very cool to be among such huge rocks!
Well, there is our concise happenings for the month of November. I'll try to post pictures from the hike, and some more details later. We've been back home and back at school all week. The Christmas season is in full swing with the girls practicing songs and lines for the children's Christmas Choir. I'm sure that December will see us as busy as everyone we know. Hopefully we can remember why we celebrate the season amist all the hustle and bustle.
November also brought a much anticipated visit from my brother Al who has been in Afghanistan for the last year. My family (those who live close enough) congregated at my house for Thanksgiving and it was such a great time! I love to entertain. I really should do more of it, because it brings me such joy. It was good to see some family members that I rarely get to see, most notably my new grand nephew Aiden, whom I had only seen once in the hospital right after his birth. My mom asked me as I held him if it made me want more babies and I could honestly say no. I feel so content with my little family. Not to say that large families aren't great. I just feel very complete at this stage in my life. But boy was it fun holding that baby.
I also enjoyed getting to spend time with my brohter Al, although the visit was too brief for me (but maybe not for Al, can you imagine how LOUD my house must be to him, and how hectic!) It is always surprising where our conversations take us. I miss the days of having time to visit with him properly and talk for hours. I feel like we just get glancing views of each others lives in between interruptions now. But I am grateful for the views.
WE also took the 10 hour drive to Cape Girardeau Missouri. The kids travelled well, as always. It was sad to see how progressive the Alzheimers has gotten in Marc's grandmother. Such a sad diesease.
While there the hightlight of our trip was a hiking day at Giant City State Park in Southern Illinois. We ate lunch at the lodge and hiked the "Giant City" trail. Very cool to be among such huge rocks!
Well, there is our concise happenings for the month of November. I'll try to post pictures from the hike, and some more details later. We've been back home and back at school all week. The Christmas season is in full swing with the girls practicing songs and lines for the children's Christmas Choir. I'm sure that December will see us as busy as everyone we know. Hopefully we can remember why we celebrate the season amist all the hustle and bustle.
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