My Wiggly Reader

Six year-old Madalyn is a now a bonified reader! Keeping in mind that she is a ham-it-up, never-sit-still kind of personality, I didn't know how she would take to having to focus on words for longer than 10 seconds. However, she has blown my concerns out of the water with her desire for books and opportunities to read.
Her kindergarten teacher started a contest at the beginning of the semester by giving each student a reading chart. After they read 13 books to fill up the chart, she awards them a $5 giftcard to Toys R Us. When Mrs. Lee announced the contest, Madi decided right then that she was going to earn enough giftcards to buy herself a "Pillow Pet", which cost about $25. (Did I mention that she's also a very determined young lady?) Every night she climbs into Abby's bed and reads book after book to her older sister. Abby happily charts Madi's progress and they are so excited when another chart gets completed. Needless to say, Madi earned her 6th giftcard this past week.
Last night was movie night for the kids, and I let them each pick out their favorite treat at the dollar store to enjoy while watching the DVD. Katie chose a Pez dispenser, the other 3 picked out Warheads, and Madi -- she asked for a Disney book. Love it!

Trivial Things I've Pondered

I waste a lot of time asking myself questions that have no answer. I don't know why I obsess over such things; I just do.
Case in point: everytime I see a shoe lying in the road, I ask myself "How did that get there? Did someone have their feet hanging out the window and the shoe fell off? Did some little kid throw it out the window? Did it fall off the back of a pickup truck?" Shoes don't belong in the middle of a busy street. Somewhere, someone is missing one shoe! It drives me nuts!

Secondly, basic white pasta tastes the same no matter what shape it's in. So why do certain forms seem to complement specific entrees better than others? For example, why do we serve beef stroganoff with egg noodles instead of rotini? Why don't restaurants serve alfredo sauce with elbow macaroni; instead, it's traditionally served with angel hair or penne? The pasta is all made from the same ingredients, so why do we serve it based on its shape? Anyone, anyone?

Also, who came up with the idea of drinking the liquid that cows emit from their teats? That took some desperate creativity...or perhaps creative desperation.

Why aren't ALL Crayola markers washable? Why do they even bother making non-washable ones? I don't mean Sharpies; I'm talking about childrens' markers.

Another one: just because a certain brand of food advertises that it's got 1/3 less fat than another, does that it necessarily mean it's true? Sure, the nutritional information on the package says so, but what if they're lying? We will never know for sure, will we? Hmmmm....

Toothpaste: Every brand pretty much contains all of the same ingredients, so what makes one better than another? Ditto with laundry detergent and also ketchup.

I've said my peace. Questions asked, never to be answered. But life will go on.

Busy, busy, busy!

My apologies for neglecting my blog lately. Life is always busy when one has 8 children, but throw in the fact that I'm currently living as a single mom, having 3 house showings in 4 days, volunteering to help with pizza day at school, a newly-embraced workout schedule, and all the unexpected things that life brings, and hopefully you'll understand why I haven't been updating more frequently. Whew....I'm tired!
Matt is getting some good job leads in Indy and Zac is adjusting to school there quite nicely, so even though they are missed here, I'm glad things are going well for them. We hope to reunite as a family either here in OK or there in IN for Spring Break, just a few weeks from now. We are definitely looking forward to that!

Good night,everyone. Tomorrow is a new day with new surprises. Hopefully all good ones. :)

Overheard...

Katie "I made a picture of a cat for mommy."
Madi: "She's allergic to cats."
Ally: "She's allergic to REAL cats, not pictures of them."
Katie: "Oh. Is she allergic to dead cats?"
Madi: "We're not supposed to kill cats."
Katie "I know, but is she allergic to them when they're dead?"

Today's Thanks 2-16-10

Today I'm thankful for Google. Yes, Google. I have been able to find out everything from how to clean silk greenery to how many calories are in a 7-11 cappuccino. When my kids have a question about a historical figure, I Google it. When I need to know how to polish brass bookends, I Google it. When Abby needed pictures of male celebrities under the age of 15 with blonde hair for a school project, I found them on Google. Gotta love it.

Weathering the Storm

Had a nice weekend with Matt and Zac here in OK, though it definitely seemed too short. They left this morning for Indiana and arrived safely despite driving through a snowstorm for most of their trip.
As for me, I've been combating a different kind of storm recently. The brutal truth is that it's been so hard to feel motivated to pray lately. Though in the past I have found solace in the verse "Cease striving and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:9 NAS), in my humanity and sinful nature I've grown impatient. I've often pondered --how long must we wait for God to make a way for us? How long must we be dependent on unemployment checks, while Matt's giftings and talents for business lay dormant? Our house has been on the market for 3 weeks, and we've had only one showing so far. When, o when, Lord, will you move your Hand toward us?
In my despair tonight, God spoke to me through a posting on Facebook. Who would have thought it, right? I quite by accident stumbled across a page entitled "31 Days of Prayer for Your Husband". Today's entry was Day 8 of the challenge:
"Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character - persistance, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11, 1 Cor. 15:58)"
Somehow, that posting has inspired me. I feel like my focus got derailed and God used those words to put me back on track. This is how I need to be praying! When I flounder in the sea of doubt and unbelief, I lose sight of everything that God is doing in our lives. He's building character and humility in Matt and me. If I'm asking Him to pour His character into Matt so that he will be successful at whatever job he does, it is much easier to hope and believe that he will have a job soon.
Though it is abrupt, I'm going to leave it at that for now. My tendancy to over-talk may take away from what the Lord is saying. So with that said, good night. Love to you all.

Today's Thanks 2-12-10

Today I am thankful that we are all squished together in the family room, watching a movie. That's right -- ALL 10 of us! Matt and Zac drove home from Indiana and got in late last night. We will enjoy this weekend and hopefully I will finally get a photo of all 8 kids together. I'm so thankful to have my family altogether under one roof, even if only for a few days.

Today's Thanks

Today --and many other days as well-- I'm thankful that most of my children can fall asleep anywhere, anytime.

The Countdown Begins: 7 Days...

I am officially entering the final week of my thirties. While I swallow hard at the thought of referring to myself as a 40 year-old woman (aack!!) I realized something incredible the other day. This could very well be the best decade of my life so far! Think about it: in my 40's I will celebrate both my 20th and my 25th wedding anniversaries, 4 of my children will graduate from high school, 2 could graduate college,and I could very likely become a mother-in-law and perhaps even a grandmother. Amazing!!! So much to look forward to!
My 30's are ending with so many questions about our future (see earlier posts). How wonderful to think that the answers will soon be known to us. It almost takes my breath away to realize that even as my youthfulness makes a graceful exit and middle-age steps in, God is also ushering in a new phase of life for our family. It is not by accident. It's His perfect timing -- out with the old, in with the new. Wow...
I am truly overwhelmed at the thought.
There is a song that speaks to me everytime I hear it: "Whatever You're Doing" by Sanctus Real. It pretty much sums up my heart's cry to the Lord. (I won't post all of the lyrics here, but you can Google the song title and they should come up in your search.)

"Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender..."

It is time for a milestone and it really is time to begin again. New job, new town, new church....new beginning. I can't wait to see how it all pans out!

Ice and Snow and Fog-- Oh My!

On day 7 following the ice storm that brought our town to a halt, it is a welcome sight to see the snow and ice melting, dripping from my roof in little plip-plops. It is a sign that life can now get back to normal; the busyness of our days can resume and we can once again weave our way through the chaos that we're accustomed to. School will finally be in session tomorrow, meaning I can triumphantly reclaim my house from the clutches of disaster brought on by 7 stir-crazy kiddos.
Despite the relief I feel as the bad weather leaves, I will miss the freedom that came with the ice storm. No homework to grade, no house-showings to prepare for, nowhere we had to be. The kids played board games together and pranced around in the snow. We turned on the music and laughed at eachothers' silly dance moves. We had a sleepover with the neighbor kids.
We have all missed Matt and Zac, but the sadness of our incomplete family gave way to delight each evening as the kids learned school would be canceled the next day.
Overall, it was great week. A fun, cold, let's-all-smush-together-on-the-couch-with-a-blanket kind of week. Thank you, Lord, for giving us ice.