Happy Birthday, Ben!

September finally arrived, and it was Ben's birthday. His siblings all have birthdays early in the year and he has to wait ALL YEAR LONG and finally... it's here. This changes the "age count" for our family when people ask the ages of our children. For half of the year, everyone is an even two years apart: 5,7,9,11,13. Then comes Ben's birthday, which changes the count to 5,8,9,11 and 13. John and I have to help each other keep it straight, but the worst time is the two months in between February and the end of April when we have four different changeovers. I know people think John and I have lost our minds when we cannot remember exactly how old our children are. But for now, Ben is eight, and he is happy.

Yesterday, the Big Day, we invited Ben's friend Andrew to go to the barbecue Festival downtown with our family (this is one of my favorite weekends of the year!) We watched our cool friend Erik play drums with his blues band and ran into lots of friends to talk to (gotta love living in a small town!) Afterward, I took the little boys to Toys R Us (am I the only one who *hates* Toys R Us?) and let Ben pick out his new skates while John took John Mark and Becca shopping at Gander Mountain for clothes for their squirrel hunting expedition tomorrow afternoon. (This will be their first Real Hunting experience, so we'll see how it goes...)

This morning, John took Ben to breakfast at McDonald's. Over sausage biscuits, Ben asked, "Dad, do I have to go to college?" "If you want a good job you do," replied John. "What if my dad was a veterinarian?" (John really wasn't sure how to take that.) "Do you want to be a veterinarian?" asked John. "No" said Ben, "I don't want to die of any diseases." "What diseases do veterinarians die of?" asked John. "Rabies!" said Ben. (John is enjoying this conversation) "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" inquired John. "Something without spelling!" replies Ben. (So whatever his future occupation is, he does not want it to involve spelling words.)

Tonight, Ben was allowed to invite one friend over for his very first sleepover, so Ben and Zachary are in the den watching a movie before bedtime. We cooked hotdogs in the backyard again tonight (just because it's so much fun), ate birthday cake, and the boys played in the sand pit that was vacated when John put up the pool this afternoon. (they couldn't believe their good fortune!)

And September is gone.

Don't Mess With Country Kids...

These are photos from the 4-H State Shooting Competition:

This is the big 'ole catfish John Mark caught when he and John went fishing after Boy Scout camp was over. They tell me it was delicious!

John had some wood left over from the campout, so last night we built a fire in the backyard and cooked hotdogs and s'mores and enjoyed the cool September night air. We love livin' in the country.

Cliché

It was a dark and stormy night and the children were nestled all snug in their beds. She sat alone at the computer knowing that she should update her blog ...
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In reality, it is a terribly dark and stormy night. John and John Mark are off at Boy Scout camp; fortunately they were able to switch to a cabin when they saw the weather forecast. Becca is at a friend's house and the three little boys and I are together again, just the four of us.

Our past week has moved at a our normal frantic pace with an assortment of odd moments thrown in to keep us on our toes: 4-H, AWANA, Co-op, Bible Study, Worship Committee Meeting, Piano lessons, Children's Chorus... John has had a big project at work so he has been working until all hours and receiving updates in the middle of the night. Both of us have a cold. Child #1 got behind in his math, but after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, he is caught up again. Child #3 is grounded for the weekend for unbloggable badness. Child #4 is giving the family daily updates on the number of days until his birthday (7 days and counting...) Child #5 has finally begun the Reader's Rite of Passage in our home: "How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". (It worked with child #1, so I stuck with it. Four down, one to go!) The kids' computer died today for some mysterious reason. And I am too tired to scrapbook, too lazy to do laundry, and too uneasy about the weather to go to bed, so here I sit, just me and my blog...

From My Perspective

Question: When is a compliment not a compliment?
Answer: When it's disguised as a nosy question.
I face this on almost a weekly basis and quite frankly, I've had it! The "compliment" is always delivered with a smile and a friendly tone of voice: "Have you lost weight?"

At first I was naive. I thought I could get out of sharing information which I consider to be personal by simply telling the truth: "No". But that isn't enough for these well-meaning people. They insist that I have indeed lost weight: "Oh, I think you have!" As if they would be in a better position than I am to know how much I weigh. I weigh, unfortunately, about the same as I did at this time last year, but I understand that I do own some clothes which are more slimming than others. In the past I have explained quite honestly that any imagined weight loss is merely an optical illusion. This does not deter them. They still insist I have lost weight. Finally, I just say, "thank you." Is that the appropriate response to their insistance that I have done something which I have not done? At least it ends the inquisition.

So here's my question: Why in the world should it matter to anyone whether or not I've lost weight? The only other people in the world who have a valid interest in this are my husband and my doctor! Oh, I know... they're being nice. These people aren't intentionally being rude; they think it's a compliment to be asked if you've lost weight. But a discussion of my weight is just not on my "feel-good" list. It feels something akin to being told, "Gee, you're not quite as fat as what I remembered." And to this I have to say thank you?

I know I'm not alone on this issue. I have a friend who really has lost weight- over 100 pounds- and she has it much worse than I do. She faces constant questions not only about her weight but how she has managed to do it, how many dress sizes has she lost, etc. I confided to her once that I hate all the "weight" questions, and she heartily agreed. But what to do without being rude in return?

You know what *would* feel good? Real compliments like, "You look really great today!" or "That outfit is so flattering on you!" Now who wouldn't love a comment like that? With just a tiny bit of extra effort, the first thought of "Hey, she's looking pretty good", which usually comes out of the mouth in the thoughtless form of "Have you lost weight?" can be turned into into a compliment that will absolutely make someone's week: "You look really great!"

Just think about it.

Kid Blog Friday

Here's Nathanael reciting his first verse for AWANA. I'm his mama and I think he's awfully cute!



In other weekly news, our CARE group began last Sunday afternoon. John is leading this time around, co-led by Danny (with Debbie & family); Ken and Ricky and family; Daren and Stacey, and Randy and Carla. I am always ambivalent about the beginning of new groups because we so much enjoy the break time with the stress-free Sundays, but I always have a wonderful time with our group. I know I'm not the only one who wishes that Sunday could actually be a "day of rest" instead of one commitment after another. But CARE group is a good one.
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I was the unexpected beneficiary of a science experiment this week when the kids made me breakfast using the egg that they had to examine for Zoology. I didn't ask too many questions.
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John and the two older kids are going to the 4-H State Shooting Competition in Lexington this weekend. Both John Mark and Becca will be competing, just to get their feet wet and see what a real competition is all about. I just hope they are able to have fun.

It will be just me and the three little guys at home... whatever will we do? I'm thinking Scrapbook and Chick Flicks. And when they beg, "Can I play computer?" I'll say, "Sure!!" It'll be a good weekend.

Science Experiments

The Hummingbird Feeders

(Our Hummingbirds prefer store-bought red food to homemade red food or clear food...)

The Plant in the Light Hut in the Downstairs Bathroom

(It appears to be growing...)

The Bean in the refrigerator

(isn't looking too good) The Bean in the Window

(I've also heard a rumor that there is a bean in one of my closets...) The Unintentional Experiment: My Bathroom

(remember how I told you we could either do schoolwork or we could do housework? 'Nuff said.)

School Days, School Days...

Today was a perfect September day- the weather felt like fall, and we all had a good day at co-op. The little boys escaped outdoors into the cool weather as often as they could. I took some fast photos today of a few of our co-op classes, but unfortunately I missed Becca and Philip's classes. You would like to have seen the textured map of Africa, right? The Biology class also had some fascinating examples of fungus... oh well. I'll try again sometime.



Andrew, Ben and Sophie make books about Niagara Falls in US Geography

Miss Bethany, Garret, Joseph and Nathanael color a map of the Indian tribes of North America

Even Dad gets in on the fun! John comes in for an hour to teach Presenta-tion and PowerPoint skills
John Mark and Elliot work on their
PowerPoint presenta -tion

Miss Sheryl and Miss Priscilla help Ben's class test their senses in science

September Beauty

Summer is coming to an end. It has cooled down enough that the kids are no longer interested in the backyard pool. The landscaping around the house, which was so beautiful in the spring and summer, has a worn-out look about it. The trees are beginning to hint that their leaves will soon be all over the backyard, waiting for the children to rake. The backyard birds, full from the harvest excess, are currently uninterested in our feeders, but I know they'll be back. Enjoy it while you have it, birds!

Although autumn is not yet here, even the end of summer has a beauty all its own. In a recent blog, Randi noted, "I have found that if you really look you can find beauty anywhere--you just have to pay attention to your surroundings. In the busyness of everyday I can become blind to the wonderful things God has surrounded me with..."

She decided that on the first day of each month, she would post pictures that she had taken within a block of her house. What a great idea! I decided to do it too (ok, so I missed the deadline... nothing new about that). Ben, Nathanael and I took off on a walk this afternoon looking for beauty. To no one's surprise, we found it.

I Want My Chi Back

The large poster read, "Tai Chi for Health: a 12 Week Course Beginning September 5". When I saw the sign at the gym, I was intrigued, but by nature I am a cautious person and nervous about making an idiot of myself in front of a bunch of people in a new situation. This would definitely be new and different. My only experience with Tai Chi comes from watching the commercial on TV- I can't remember if it's for Depends or Tide or some arthritis medication- but, hey, it looked kind of cool! So I went.

Apparently, a bunch of other people were intrigued as well, because the class was full, as most new classes are. The instructor explained that this class would only focus on learning Tai Chi for the health benefits and we would be learning twelve basic forms, or postures, that would be suitable for everyone. Although Tai Chi is one of the martial arts, it (along with yoga) has become the latest health club trend because of the physical benefits: improved balance, strength, and flexibility; reduced stress and improved mental focus. (Definitely all things I could use) The instructor explained that as we deal with the stresses of day-to-day life, we lose our energy, or "chi". (This confirms what I have suspected for years: my children suck the chi right out of me.) Tai Chi supposedly "stimulates the flow of energy throughout the body, improves the mind-body connection and increased longevity." Whatever. It looked easy enough for me to accomplish without making an idiot out of myself.

The forms are broad and slow and uncomplicated, but surprisingly, they require a lot of concentration and core strength to perform correctly. I found myself mesmerized by the flow of movement and by the time the class was over, I had momentarily forgotten the as-of-yet unplanned 4-H meeting, the incomplete projects waiting for me at home and all the other demands on my time and my serenity. Perhaps, like yoga, this will be a great way to settle myself enough for some quality and quantity prayer time, since I often find myself too rushed or wound-up to sit and pray for any length of time. I left the class calm and happy.

Besides, I want my chi back.

Too Busy to Blog

And that's a sad state of things. I have accomplished a lot, however! The kids are still basically on schedule in school and we are finally getting into a routine, allowing me to venture back into my yoga class and even get up the gumption to *run* on the treadmill again! A new ladies bible study has begun, the new Beth Moore study on Daniel. I love getting into a new bible study, and Beth Moore's are the best! The kids began AWANA last night at the church where we have co-op, and Nathanael finally realized one his dearest dreams... he is now a Sparky. For years he has begged to go to AWANA with his siblings, but since there was no Cubby Class, he has had to wait. He was very disappointed to find that he was not allowed to wear his red vest yet- he has to cross the "Skipper Bridge" first by learning the Pledge of Allegiance, the AWANA pledge, the AWANA song, and so on. And then, he will not only get to wear the red vest, but also get his very own AWANA handbook. It will be a picture-worthy event.

We spent Labor Day... laboring. No rest for the weary here. John worked in the yard and in the garage (which is probably the cleanest it's ever been since we occupied the house) and I spent the weekend cleaning my laundry room. This is no small feat, since I am lucky enough to have a large laundry room. This is a mixed blessing however, because it inevitably becomes the dumping area for the entire house. It has been on my list all summer long and finally, it is finished! Games and homeschool supplies are organized again, shelves are neat again, and laundry is cleaned and put up, stacked in storage tubs for the next child down, or on its way to ebay, Goodwill or consignment. Oh what a feeling!

The next project in process is the area under the stairs, which is also full of junk that never made it as far as the laundry room, including dozens of empty boxes. As much as I have resisted my inherited packrat tendencies, I am helpless when it comes to boxes. Who knows when you might need a really good box? Shoe boxes, small appliance boxes, moving boxes and mailing boxes of all shapes and sizes... I love 'em. But I have promised myself to get rid of at least half of them. That's today's project. Next on the list is my office. If I could keep the kids out, that would go a long way towards keeping it clean, but that isn't likely to happen for the next 15 years or so. I had promised myself some scrapbook time this week, but I figure since I'm on a roll, I need to keep it up. I actually do my best work at night and would love to have everyone leave for a week or so while I stay up and work on all these projects, sleep till about 11:00 the next day, and do it all again.

Yeah, keep dreaming...