Say the Words!

I was at the park with the kids today when I had a "moment".  I glanced down at Violet, grinning up at me from her stroller as we watched the boys run around like crazy on the playground and was suddenly filled with gratitude that I am able to spend days with my kids.  No, it's not always easy and most days at some point I want to scream and pull my  hair out.  Those feelings aside, I am confident that I am living out what God has called me to do in regards to educating our children.  

I thought of Chris, who works really, really hard so that I don't have to work and we can keep the kids at home.  We may not live in a fancy house or have lots of material things.  We may have to sacrifice, but we have what we need and he works hard to provide for us.  And God whispered to me, "You should tell him!".  

It's not easy for me to share my feelings, but I did it anyway.  I sent him a text that read, "Thank you for working so hard so that I can stay home.  :)".

And right away he replied with, "Thank you for teaching my kids the right way."

Wow.  Of course, I cried.  

Four years ago we prayerfully made the decision to homeschool together.  I have never once doubted that we made the right decision for our family, the path God guided us toward.  Chris has never doubted, either.  But to hear those words of affirmation... it was so encouraging.  To know that he appreciates what I do at home the way I appreciate what he does at work.  I was walking on air the rest of the day.  

I write all of this to encourage my married friends to encourage your spouses!  I know, I know... my own marriage is far from perfect and I'm the last one who needs to be handing out unsolicited marriage advice, but I just could not believe how much hearing encouraging words from my husband made my day.  It made me want to be a better wife and it made me feel so close and connected to him.  This is the way we're supposed to feel toward each other, but most of the time life happens and we spend more time squabbling than speaking words of appreciation.  

I am so glad I listened to God today and took the time to send Chris that text. I think he blessed me more than I even thought about blessing him.  I hope he was encouraged, too. Everyone needs to feel appreciated and I am going to make an effort to speak encouraging words more often.  Lots more often!

Graduation Day

Graduation Day was today!

Our co-op ended its 3rd year with a bang today.  The kindergartners and first graders graduated.  We also had one high school graduate.  Everyone else gave presentations of what they've been working on all  year.  

Jordan "graduated" with his class even though he's technically in first grade already.  The k's and 1's were together this year and he really wanted to wear that cap and gown!

When asked how he could make the world a more beautiful place, he replied- "I will make the world more beautiful by singing!"  Amen!  His teacher also asked all of the students to write about what they do before bed.  My little man's response?  "I never brush my teeth."  Sheesh.  That's not true, by the way!

The middle school Creative Writing class spent the year writing memoirs.  Shaun worked really hard on writing a paper about his Pawpaw who passed away in July.  At first, it was really hard for him to write down his memories.  He has such a tender heart.  We stuck with it, though, and he wrote a very touching piece about his Pawpaw.  He chose not to read it aloud at graduation, but we took it by Granny's and my parents house on the way home this afternoon.  

I was juggling Violet and my phone during Shaun's class's turn and she had started squirming, so this is the best picture I could manage.  

After the program we had refreshments outside on the playground.  It was a beautiful day and he kids played while us moms fellowshipped.  

Great day!

3

Superfudge by:  Judy Blume


Truthfully, Shaun read most of this one.  I "made" him read it for school while I listened and asked questions after each chapter.  I loved it so much that I had to list it here.  

I've been a fan of Fudge and his brother Peter since my teacher, the wonderful Mrs. Westmorland, introduced them to me in fourth grade.  When Shaun was in 4th grade, we read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  He's always been able to identify with Peter. Back then, he and Peter had the same "biggest problem"...their little brothers!  Now that Shaun and Peter are in 6th grade, the similarities continue as the Hatcher brothers adjust to the arrival of their new baby sister.  Weirdly, I can also identify with some characters in this book:  the parents of Fudge and Peter.  I used to think Mrs. Hatcher was such a "Debby Downer" and now I see myself in her.  I'm not the only one.  Shaun actually told me that I reminded him of Peter's mother.  I'm getting old, I guess.  : /  

I loved, LOVED this book and so did Shaun.  We laughed and laughed as we read it.  Those are the best books... the ones that make you laugh out loud. I have absolutely nothing negative to say.  We've already been to the library to get the next one in the series.  

Smooth Sailing

Yesterday was one of those days that I used to dream about before we became a homeschooling family.  Everything went smoothly.  Everything was completed.  I felt like the boys actually learned something.  I was even able to sweep the kitchen floor.  The boys were SO glad to spend some time outside after all the rain we had last week.  Dinner was enjoyed by everyone and the Hubs even came home from work at a decent hour.  Days like that just don't happen often around here.  

Today was good, too.  The kids and I, along with two of my nieces, went to lunch before co-op. It was me plus 5 kids in a restaurant and everyone behaved!  Everyone enjoyed their day at school and then we all headed to Hamilton Mill for Shaun's appointment.  Long story short, the appointment didn't happen and we drove all the way out there for nothing.  Oh well. It was still a good day.  I'm so thankful that I'm able to stay home with my children.  They're so precious to me. 

Back to School

School "officially" began for us again today. Or technically it began yesterday.  It's almost 1:00 a.m. as I type this.  

Co-op was back in session.  Lots of changes, all of them for the better.  Shaun really enjoyed his classes.  He's taking a dissection class and a class on the Titanic.  He seems excited about both.  We will all go on a field trip to the Titanic exhibit at Atlantic Station this spring.  I'm really excited about that!  I think Shaun had a good day.  He even read aloud in front of the class.    

Violet and I spent the afternoon in the baby class.  Every parent now has to stay with her own baby, so we had plenty of help in there!  

Jordan had a little  bit of trouble.  In PE of all things.  Apparently Ms. Jessica is a slave driver and Jordan does not know how to do sit-ups. :)

  Chris found him in the bathroom crying about it.  Sigh.  He does this every time he has to learn something new.  The first time he went roller skating, he threw his skates down and informed everyone at the rink that skating was stupid.  All this because he couldn't skate with the wind without practicing first. The same thing happened with the sit-ups today.  I'm not sure what to do about it.  At least  he didn't scream that sit-ups were stupid!

We practiced them when we got home tonight and now he knows what he's doing.  I just pray that he shows his teacher what he can do next week.  

Job 21:22

I'm glad I had this verse to fall back on this week.  What a week.  

Co-op started back up again today.  I was in a sour, discouraged state and honestly just didn't want to be there.  But, I sucked it up and went inside and tried to act as though everything was great.  I really didn't want to be around all of the other mothers with their perkiness and their praise reports.  I know.  That's mean.  

Our group leader said something I so needed to hear during announcements.  She had been reading a devotional meant to encourage us during the fast (I missed most of it because Jordan had to go to the bathroom)and she pointed out that most of the time she or someone in her family is hit with a struggle whenever they are involved in a fast.  She went on to say that this was usually just Satan himself trying to break them down before they got their break through.  

Yes, I really needed to hear that.  

We had some unexpected news in our own little family this week.  Smack in the middle of our fast.  As usual.  I've almost come to expect it.  But still, it feels like a low blow.  I got mad, screamed "why", and then wallowed in a funk before I even remembered that it's not my place to tell God how to run His affairs.  It seems like I'm always needing reminders of this!  

And so, we'll keep on keepin' on.  Even if we don't feel like it.  We'll wait on God to give us answers and healing in His own time.  We will focus on being content and remember all of the times when God has shown out for us in the past.  We'll give our future, and the futures of our kids, to God and wait patiently until we finally see the end of our story. 

At the end of the day, I was glad that I went on to co-op.  I tend to close myself off a lot of the time- a sure way to feed depression.  I had a "therapy session" in the baby class.  Surrounded by my sisters in Christ, I was encouraged and we laughed a lot.  It's always so good to laugh!  God also brought a new friend into my life today.  I was once again reminded that He knows what we need, when we need it.  

Good Intentions

I came here tonight to blog about Job 21:22.  I read it today and it's sticking with me.  

"But who are we to tell God how to run His affairs?  He's dealing with matters that are way over our heads".

Letting go and letting God have His way has always been a struggle for me and I have some thoughts on the subject.  But, today has been one of those days and my brain and body are tired.  The minute I signed on, my words left.  I'll try again tomorrow.  

Violet seems to be sick.  Again.  She's been fussy and I've been giving her Tylenol since Monday.  Yesterday she only took 1 nap in the morning and then only slept 5 hours last night.  This is so not like her.  She cried a good bit yesterday, too.  Today she has pretty much cried or fussed all day when she wasn't sleeping.  We decided that I should keep her home from church and I'm glad I did because she started running a fever after the boys left.  I gave in then and made an appointment for her to see the doctor tomorrow.  We were just there last week for her checkup.  It's beginning to feel like our second home. 

Chris was home today and we finally got our Christmas tree down.  We did some much needed cleaning and some reading. He also cut the boys hair.  And we all listened to Violet cry.  We watched Duck Dynasty reruns, but Violet felt so bad so we were NOT Happy Happy Happy.  :(

Tomorrow's another day.  Prayerfully, a better day!  And MNO is on Saturday.  I can't wait.  

"Opera"

Today was one of those days for Jordan.  He had such a hard time concentrating and was pretty wild.  He needed to get a lot of energy out, so he played outside a lot.  It was also a school day, and he just wasn't feeling it.  Neither was I, honestly.  I'm sick today.  I picked a few battles in the name of math and writing, but I just didn't have it in me to fight with my youngest strong-willed boy over what he read today.  

Instead of using our reading curriculum I told him to go get a book from the library box.  He came back with a "Little Bill" book, which he chose from the library himself when he found out the Bill Cosby had written it.  We're HUGE Cosby fans in this house.  But.  Jordan still wouldn't read.  He could read it.  It wasn't too difficult.  He just didn't want to.  So, he sang it instead.  

Yup.

He sang the entirety of The Meanest Thing to Say, complete with flourishes and crescendos.  He also sang the answers to the questions I asked him. It was one of the funniest things I've heard in quite a while.  

The Nutcracker

I have to post about this.  I just can't not write about it.  But be warned.  If you can't handle the possibility that my friends and I might be just a little bit immature and uncultured, read no further.  

...........

Okay, then.  This story really begins oh, maybe five years ago.  Approximately.  My mother decided that it would be fun for  my sister and I to take her daughters (she only had 2 of them back then!) to The Nutcracker.  Mom even bought our tickets for us.  Honestly, ballet is not my favorite thing in the world. But it was Christmas, and the tickets were free, and I even back then I loved spending time with my sister, so we went.  Somehow we wound up on the front row at Pearce Auditorium, just us two sisters and two small girls.  

The ballet began and everything was fine.  And then the male dancer came out.  I don't even know what the name of his character is...I told you ballet is not my favorite!  The main male dancer in The Nutcracker. He danced onto the stage and my eyes almost popped out of my head.  I glanced at my sister out of the corner of my eye and looked straight into her own wide eyes.  And it took everything we had not to giggle.  

That male dancer was not covered.  At all!  Skin tight pants (tights?  whatever they're called) and a short little shirt.  And his "business" was all up in our faces since we were on the front row.  Seriously, his outfit left nothing...nothing to the imagination.  I listened for other gasps of surprise and disbelief from other members of the audience, but apparently we were the only ones who noticed.  Or the only ones immature enough for this to be a distraction from the ballet.  

After the show, my nieces called my mom to tell her all about their first ballet experience.  My little niece Keri-lyn spoke first:  "We just went to see... the...the... The Nuts..."

And that was it.  My sister and I burst into peals of laughter that continued until our stomachs hurt.  Poor little thing was trying her hardest to remember the name of the ballet and we were not helping at all.  Ha ha ha!

I went home that night convinced that this was just normal ballet attire.  

The next year my sister-in-law won tickets to see The Atlanta Ballet's production of The Nutcracker at The Fox Theater.  The first thing I noticed was that the main male character kept  his private stuff private!  He still did the whole tights/pants thing but he also wore a long tunic-type shirt.  Nothing inappropriate or trashy here!  I went home that night convinced that the guy from last year's production back home in Gainesville had simply been the unfortunate victim of a wardrobe malfunction.  

Last week, we took a little homeschool field trip to Pearce Auditorium to see... yup.  You guessed it.  The Nutcracker.  One of our fellow homeschool kids was actually in this production, so we were really excited to go.  

Here's a shot of the kids before the show began. 

The ballet began, and everything was fine.  Until the main character came out.  My sister swears it was the same guy from our first Nutcracker experience.  And he was wearing the same outfit as before, only in white.  Once again, my eyes met those of my sister's and we muffled our snorts of laughter and tried to enjoy the show.  We didn't say anything to the kids about anyone's outfits and the kids didn't mention it to us, either.  

When we finally came home later that night, after having family pictures taken and Christmas play practice, The Hubs asked the boys how they liked the ballet.  

Jordan looked kind of funny and said, "Well.  There was this man.  And you could see his wiener.  And his butt, too".  

Chris just looked at me and I tried in vain not to burst into laughter again.  

Then Shaun spoke up:  "Oh yeah!  You could see everything.  And I was sitting beside my cousins.  And I was thinking, I can't believe that Jaycee is seeing this.  And Keri-lyn.  And LAYNA!!!"

Chris looked at me again and raised his eyebrows.  I admitted that maybe the guy should have had a little more clothing on.  And I felt bad and awkward that the only thing my kids took away from the ballet was an image of a scantily-clad man.  

Another group of friends were going to the same ballet the next day and I warned them!  They thought I was over-reacting at first but later on told me that they felt exactly the same way I did.  

Seriously?  Why'd the guy have to wear that?  Does he dance better with his stuff bouncing across the stage?  Us adults had some laughs but truthfully, a lot of our kids were uncomfortable.  

Some friends and I were talking at church yesterday (we were at Christmas rehearsal and had a ton of time to kill... lots of time to talk!)to a woman who's been involved in ballet for years and years.  She was shocked that any dancer would wear something like that, especially in white.  She even said that things like that were huge no-no's in her ballet circle.  And that we should send that ballet company a letter.  

What do you think?