Thursday, June 14, 2012

Theoretical Thursday

My plans for Theoretical Thursday fell through because I could not find the materials I needed for the project. I had decided the day was just a wash.

I was sitting in my chair and everyone was peacefully at nap. Suddenly I saw something dark and BIG run across my living room floor. I freaked out! Then, being the "cool" Mom that I am, I thought, "Theoretical Thursday!" I grabbed a plastic cup and caught that thing! We wrote in our notebooks about the catch, theorized about what it was, and drew pictures of it. Then, we researched on the internet to identify our specimen. Unfortunately, we never did decide what he or she is, any ideas???

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wet Wednesday

The Tools for Today's Adventure

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The Note

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"Daddy, Your house is under attack! Here is your weapon. Defend yourself out back!"

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The Setup
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The Duct Tape
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Waiting for Daddy to get home from work
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What's this?
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AND IT BEGINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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EPIC Water gun Fight! Thanks for the water guns Mimi!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Missed Days

I don't have a fun activity post from Monday or Tuesday this week. Mondays are Ministry Monday. I desire to teach my AJs to serve God and others. However, I wasn't prepared. I have learned without proper planning you don't accomplish anything. I was pretty disappointed in how activities went this week and am working to change that for next week. We did alot of house cleaning and the children did a whole lot of unstructured playing together. A little of that is fine and sometimes good for us. However, it backfired on us this week. All of that unstructured playtime made for some kids with very bad attitudes towards one another. By the end of Monday I was happy to separate them for bed a little before bedtime! I hoped that a good nights sleep would help.

Unfortunately, Time to Read Tuesday (a trip to the library) was suddenly transformed into Take Out the Trash Tuesday (clean your playroom) before lunch was even on the table. My littles were fighting so much with one another I knew a trip to the library would not be in our best interest. They were so shocked and sad! They had no idea our days could transform! I hate taking away fun things, but they did get the message. We were able to do a little reading together before bed. Oh well, there are good days and bad days.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Super Sunday

It's rare that I write about Sunday. There are several reasons for that, the main one being we are so very busy. A typical Sunday is: get up at 7:30 at the latest, everyone has breakfast and then we get dressed for church and out the door by 8:30. It takes about 20 minutes to get to church from our home. Church lasts until a little after twelve. Then, we load the kids up in the van and come home for lunch. We eat and then it is nap time/rest time for the little people and sometimes the big people if we are really lucky. I usually work on preparations for Sunday night activities here. Then, we throw together a quick dinner if there is time and leave for church again at 5:30. I teach Team Kid for Babies through 6th grade on Sunday nights and Patrick teaches 7th through 12th grade students. We usually get out of church around 7:30 and home by 8. Bedtime is 8 during the school year and 8:30 in the summer. We rarely make it to bed on time on Sundays. If we didn't have that quick dinner before we made it to Sunday night activities we throw that in here along with preparing everything for the next days activities like clothes and lunches. Then, it's the bedtime rush and tucking in of my babies.

This Sunday was not typical. Andon wanted to nurse at 7:30, so I didn't get started on breakfast and getting everyone dressed as soon as I normally do. Also, I Always put all of the children's and my clothes out the night before, but I didn't on Saturday night. I had what I was going to wear picked out because I was signing and had to "test" my ability to move in it, but found myself scrambling to get clothes ready for the four monkeys.

We got out the door fifteen minutes late and to be frank with you I was beyond grumpy. I took it out on my children and my husband. Patrick and I fought all the way to church. I was supposed to do special music in church and I didn't get to practice. Patrick was late to teach Sunday School. We team teach the High School Sunday School class, but this week we also had the Middle Schoolers with us. Things were not going as planned. We got the children to their Sunday School classes and Patrick headed to class. Then, I went to the parking lot and sat on the swing in our church playground. I just needed some time to figure out what to do about my attitude. I knew I needed to change it, but I didn't want to. I remember a country song that had the lyrics, "I just want to be mad for a while." That's how I was feeling with no real reason or one thing to be mad about. I knew it wasn't right though and I began praying for God to give me peace and to change my heart. Soon I calmed a bit, went inside and practiced my song. Then, I went upstairs and joined Sunday School. After Sunday School I apologized to my husband for my horrible attitude and the way I treated him. (Later, over lunch, I was able to apologize to my children also.)

As a quick aside to my story, apologies are so important. Admitting that we are wrong is hard, but necessary. I don't want my children to grow up and say, "she never admits she's wrong." Instead, I desire them to see me as imperfect and relying on God's grace. That is the kind of example I want them to have. I don't have to have it "all together" in front of my kids. I want to teach them to admit when they are wrong too. That apology changed the atmosphere of my whole day. I became less burdened and my ability to hear the Holy Spirit increased. I was able to quickly plan for Sunday night, something I had been struggling with because my attitude was in my way.

Sunday nights are one of my all time favorite moments of the week. I love teaching Team Kid. Teaching children about Jesus has always been my passion, but did I mention that all four of my own children are in Team Kid every night? The stakes are higher now. Over the past year I've noticed myself holding back some when I teach.

See, I've always said, "if you teach them about being a missionary, don't be surprised when they become one." As I realized what I was doing I resolved to change it. This summer my theme for Team Kid is missions. Every Sunday night I am introducing a new country, new culture, and a new way to tell others about the love of Jesus.

This Sunday I was laying the foundation. I wanted them to understand that a missionary can have Any job in the world. We talked about what they wanted to become when they grew up. We discussed the different jobs that missionaries have. This particular Sunday I wanted to get across the point that we need more people to tell the world about Jesus and that person could be them. I definitely had an older girl "get it" and it made my night. We were watching a video of the different jobs missionaries could have and as the children watched I found myself watching them. I'm looking into such precious faces, unique personalities, and God given gifts. Four of them have been entrusted to me! How blessed I am! I found myself mesmerized and wondering about them traveling to be a missionary somewhere. I was looking at Aiden and Anthony in particular, because they are older and understand more of the lesson.

Yet, I always try to include Abby in the interaction as well. So, when it came time to ask them what do you want to be when you grow up, I started left to right, purposefully putting Abby as last on the right. Anthony wanted to be "Woody." This is his typical way of saying a cowboy. Aiden wanted to be a "football player, a doctor, and a motorcycle racer." I jokingly told him the motorcycle thing was Not happening while his Mama was alive. The other girls in the class gave their answers. Then, I turned to Abby, not sure what to expect, and asked her the same question. Without hesitation she said, "a baker!" I was shocked by her immediate response. When she turned one we played a game to see what she would grow up to be and she chose the cake decorating tools. My Mom (cake baker extraordinaire) and I have been amazed at her ability for decorating at the age of two.

I sort of have a photographic memory. When my little blonde haired, blue eyed epitome of innocence belted out, "baker," I suddenly had a "flash" to a piece of paper I had looked at sixteen years earlier. It was a job description for a Journeyman (a short term missionary) in Africa. On the description it listed as duties "bring others into the community center through cake decorating classes."

I don't know what the future holds for Abby, but God's already molding her to His plan. I think my two year old understood the lesson more than I thought she would. I think I need to start working my heart towards "if you teach them about being a missionary, don't be surprised when they become one."

Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Super Saturday

For Mother's Day the children each gave me a "ticket" for a trip with them. I loved it because one on one time is so hard to get. Anthony and I chose to go to the Children's Museum!

Ready to roll!
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We made it!
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We learned how to weave
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Playing the train conductor
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He was so excited I made his name
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The required chair picture
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Water
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Building together
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And we finished our date with a trip to Jason's Deli for a pb&j with a side of ice cream cone!
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Friday, June 8, 2012

Field Trip Friday

Mommy went on a Field Trip to Caribou alone!
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Daddy took the littles on a Field Trip to two new parks! Loaded in the van! Let's go!
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Play!
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Evidently Andon loved the swings!
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Listen carefully in the video and you can hear him laughing! So cute!!!


All four of my monkeys!
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Hey, can I use the camera?
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Smile Daddy!
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I Don't Want to Forget

I am excited about being intentional with my children, making memories with them, instead of just letting the summer days go by. I am especially excited about spending extra time with my two oldest boys. We've done some neat activities already and it's only Friday. It's been a great week and a rough week. I'm emotionally tired for a hundred reasons. I'm working through some depression. I'm trying hard to take good care of my children through that. However, sometimes things don't always go just right. Thankfully, I'm learning the art of crying out to others for prayer support, apologizing to my children when I'm wrong, and remembering they are forgiving.

Today was Field Trip Friday. My amazing husband knows when I've had more than is good for me or my babies. So, I have taken a Field Trip in one direction and he and the littles have taken a Field Trip in the opposite direction. I'm looking forward to their description of their day later! I know they have been craving time with their Daddy. He is so great with them and I am so blessed to have Patrick. As I reflect on our week and plan for next week a few things came to mind. I didn't want to forget these lessons.

* Sometimes our imagination needs a push. Sometimes a tiny push takes you to imaginary bug friends named "Sticky" or elaborate stories about King Koopa and the Mario Brothers.

* Quiet time is a good thing. For everyone. Even if you are seven and think not talking is like death itself.

* "Me Don't Think Mama!" is Abby for "I don't know." It's too cute.

* Andon is the best thing I never knew I needed. He is such a blessing. Even when he won't sleep by himself and the weird position we slept in together makes my back hurt and my attitude grumpy. All too soon he will be done nursing. All too soon he will have crawling down, then running, and eventually even sleeping in his bed. I remember this time last year thinking Abby would Never sleep in her own bed when the new baby got here. Now she does.

* I have a Masters in Child Development. I know that object permanence typically develops at seven months. I know that correlates with separation anxiety. I know that my children typically display separation anxiety the most at night which results in us co-sleeping. Andon is my fourth child. Andon is currently displaying separation anxiety at night. Why am I still surprised by this?

* It's okay to admit to my children when I have a bad attitude. They might just suggest we pray about that. It might just change my attitude.

* It's important to teach my children that life is not all play. Although I love playing with them, I want them to learn that we can also work together and enjoy ourselves. This is something we all need to work on as a family.

Finally, yesterday was one of those "never forget" moments. For perspective Tuesday was a very bad day for my littles and I. We all seemed to be fighting and displaying poor attitudes, especially me. By Wednesday afternoon things were slightly better. So, when I decided to take them to a public place for lunch and then to the grocery store on Thursday I kind of felt like I was sticking my neck onto the chopping block trying to sabotage the improving week. By the time we left Wendy's everyone within a ten table radius knew the three oldest children's names. We are quite a sight, I know that, but I just felt eyes on us everywhere we went yesterday. They were just really active, nothing too bad, but to a bystander we exude chaos sometimes. I often refer to my job as "herding cats." As we were getting up to leave a lady half way across the restaurant caught my eye and said, "What's the little ones name???" I smiled and said, "Andon." She smiled back, shook her head and said, "good job Mama, good job, God bless you." It reminded me how blessed I am to have these little people. We proceeded to Wal-mart to buy a new beach towel with a gift card we had. Once again, I felt eyes around every corner silently judging my inability to parent four little people. Suddenly, God stepped in and removed the lies from my head, a problem I had been having all week. Walking through Wal-mart Aiden said, "Mama, I love summer, do you know why?" I said, "no, why Aiden?" And he warmed my Mommy heart by saying, "Because I get to spend Every Day with you." There was major emphasis on the Every. I know that will change soon, as soon as next year, or even by August. He won't find it a joy to spend every day with me. So, I took that treasure from his lips and stored it in my heart. I don't want to ever forget that.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Theoretical Thursday

Our notebooks to record our theories, observations, and results.
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Write down what you think will happen when we shake the heavy cream in this cup. Some of the theories were "it will explode" and "it will spill." Luckily that last one did not happen!
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Shake it!
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Shake more!
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Ack! Pass it, don't throw it! Keep shaking it! (I love this picture!)
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We made butter!!!
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"Yummy!" He licked all of the butter off and didn't eat the bread. Then, he asked for a plain piece of bread and ate it. That's taking my "keep my food separate issue" to a whole other level!
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"Can I have more?" We believe Aiden is in a growth spurt. He ate his lunch and Anthony's lunch, three pieces of buttered bread, and five helpings of lasagna.
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"Mama 'dis good!" Abby scraped the butter with her finger and licked it off. She didn't eat the bread. She cried when I wouldn't "more budder" her bread.
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Wet Wednesday

Our twist on our water theme today started with making a sun catcher. We used a plain white coffee filter and some markers. The children colored on the coffee filter with the markers. Anthony chose purple, Aiden chose red, and Abby chose pink. No surprises there! When they had finished coloring their artwork I gave them a spray bottle and they sprayed the filter. The markers run together and make a beautiful watercolor effect.

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While our sun catchers were drying I gave each of the little people a couple of paint brushes and a cup filled with water. I told them we were going to paint the sidewalk and the house. They thought I was crazy, but then I started talking to them about what color they were painting with in their imagination. it was really neat to see what they thought up. Aiden wanted to pain our bench red. I've been wanting to repaint that bench for a while now, I may just paint it red!

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I remember doing this in Vacation Bible School when I was three. The memory of that hot Texas sun beating down while I busily painted the sidewalk has never left me. I loved doing it with my own babies.
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Time to come in for dinner, but our suncatchers are so pretty in our kitchen window!
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