Black Friday / Cyber Monday

Did you do any shopping on Black Friday/ Cyber Monday?  We have friends who used to buy one major household appliance each year on BF, just whichever one was the oldest in their house and most likely to break in the next year.  That way they got it for a fraction of the normal price. 

I did a lot of shopping the sales for others leading up to BF/CM.  I think there were early sales this year to encourage people to shop early & not have shipping delays. 

But I did do some shopping during the official BF/ CM sales.  What did I purchase?

I renewed my supply of dark brown hand towels.  Jim washes up (from the farm) in our daintily-wallpapered (by the previous owners) half-bath on our first floor.  I learned early on that I need to keep a separate hand towel for him, and the darker it is to start with, the better. ;) 

I already mentioned that I used my Kohl's Cash (Kohl's department store has one day - although they kept extending it - where you get $15 Kohl's Cash for every $50 you spend, so we try to stock up on things like Jim's shoes he goes through in a year, etc. on that day) to purchase a snowflake designed shower curtain. 

After 11 years, our waffle iron which was a wedding gift was smoking something awful.  So, I replaced it on a BF sale and stacked four coupons (30% off, free shipping, $10 off a purchase over $25, and a $10 off coupon), making it very reasonable!  (And also a reminder that one shouldn't pay more than 50% of the suggested price if possible!) 

My other appliance purchase was a blender that can handle making smoothies from frozen fruits.  I sought info in a FB post, received two suggestions, and then quickly chose the Ninja with two single serve cups vs the NutriBullet for $10 less.  I'm hoping to add iron into two children's diet through spinach added into smoothies.  Please pray! :)

I have my eye out for electric kettles.  Mine still works ... except for the auto-shutoff function, which I feel is a safety hazard in my constantly-interrupted life.  

I also went online Thanksgiving morning to buy fliplock containers I had been eyeing in the Sam's Club ad (similar to the OXO Good Grips Pop Container - plastic canisters for pantry items).  

Every year on BF or CM I purchase a pound of my favorite loose leaf tea that I drink at my favorite coffee shop in Wisconsin.  This year the price went up, the discount wasn't as good, and I didn't see a free shipping offer.  Signs of the times.  

What was the best deal you found this year?

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #47

461.  a relaxing Thanksgiving break

462.  two children back to school on Monday morning :)

463.  starting to decorate for Christmas

464.  Christmas tree lights

465.  rearranging the living room to fit it in & creating a new cozy corner (the round ornaments have been hung from the top of a doorway, and the basket is ready to hold Christmas cards)

466.   relishing in the fact that the lamp, the plaid cloth, the ceramic gift box, and the decorated round candle (shaped like an ornament) are all thrifted! 

467.  the start of a new week

468.  a great sermon on struggling well without fear

469.  a warm house - especially thankful after a weekend of sporadic heat

470.  plenty of blankets to stay warm when the house wasn't

Coming up for air

Little Guy was in quarantine recently because he was a close contact with a confirmed positive covid case. 

We enjoyed extra time together.  We enjoyed one-on-one time, which I had just recently been praying we would find a way to do.  We spent a week without going to extracurriculars.  We were home. 

And at the same time, our family schedule & dynamics were turned upside down.  Little Miss came home from school at 10.45, but her brother was here, so she didn't get her wind-down time after school.  Instead of a few hours a day together, they had almost all day together, egging each other on.  

And Mom got no introvert time.

7 days of quarantine after a weekend = 9 days of almost no time alone.  By the end of it, I was not a nice person.  This introvert needs some alone time.  

As I explained it to the children, LM said, "It's okay, Mom. You can sleep all night tonight."  :) While I appreciate the sentiment, this introvert needs more than sleep to recharge.  

LG's PCR test was at 9 AM Saturday, and one official told me I would receive results by email in 24-36 hours.  The tester told me 48 hours.  I was hopeful we would have results before school Monday morning.  

I kept checking email all day Sunday between the 24-36 hour marks.  No email.  I woke up shortly before 6 AM Monday, and the email was there!!  Negative!! 

LG & LM left on the school bus at 7.25 AM.  By 7.55 I had tidied the living room, reshelved the children's books, found a pile of books that belong in our room, & a pile of books that belong in the basement.  I had filled a box with scattered toys that are headed to "toy jail."  Then I noticed a few rarely-used items sitting around that really belong in the basement.  

I had time to sit down and eat a bowl of fruit, yogurt and nuts with my second cup of tea, while listening to some uplifting hymns, before vacuuming the living room, sweeping the kitchen floor, unloading & loading the dishwasher, and generally preparing our main living area for my infusion nurse's arrival at 3 pm. 

And I continue on my lifelong quest of finding the right balance of alone time in this busy season of parenting so that I am filled up to do the parenting!  Any & all tips welcome! :)

Searching things out

 It is the glory of God to conceal things,

but the glory of kings is to search things out.

                                                 ~ Proverbs 25.2

Our pastor has a son who is a professor and works in a research lab at his university.  This verse is his motto and boldly proclaimed on his twitter page.  

Our pastor encouraged me that God has determined the time & the place where I live.  I live now, not in the 1800s or 1920s even.  Medical procedures that were unthinkable 10 years ago (and the absence of which led to the death of one of our pastor's relatives just 10 years ago) are possible and common enough now.  (A frail elderly man in our church had a similar but *easier* procedure done this year.) 

Who knows what things God will allow scientists to search out about my disease in the coming years?  That is an exciting thought!

What makes you happy?

 ::From the archives:: November 2016::

Raising Father Tim

In each of the Mitford books, Father Tim asks Cynthia, "What do you love?" or occasionally, "What don't you love, Cavanaugh?" Apparently I'm raising a Father Tim, which is fine by me!! 

Today while eating lunch I heard:

"Peanut butter and jelly makes me happy!" 

In the past I've heard, "Applesauce makes me happy," and "Candy makes me cry."  (That last one is a commentary on our attempts to use candy as a potty training incentive. It really did produce tantrums and general unhappiness.)

I can't remember how Little Guy tried to wrap his mind around how to ask me what makes me happy.  The question came out a little switched around, but he eventually got it. 

I said, "Hot tea.  Beautiful hymns.  Hugs from Daddy.  God's Word, the Bible."

Then, "Do you want to ask me what makes me happy?"

Why, yes, Little Guy, I do! :)  "What makes you happy?"

"[I forgot to write the first few answers down.]  Songs. Bibles. YOU!"

Melt. my. heart.

Thankful ~ curbside pickup & drive-thru

On a recent Saturday morning, the children & I pulled out of our garage at 8.20 AM.  Less than 3 hours later we returned home, having driven 30 minutes to town & 30 minutes back and run 5 errands.  

First up was the drive-through Covid test site, where my goal was to be first in line when it opened.  We were # 3 in a line of 5 minivans waiting for it to open. :) Good enough! Operation: Get my son out of quarantine (for close contact with a confirmed positive case) was successful!

Then, the carrot at the end of the stick: chicken minis at Chick-fil-a drive-through.  The children were shocked when I called it breakfast at 9.30 (since they had been up for hours).  We decided it was brunch. :) 

Curbside pickup at Office Depot means I now have color copies of Sally Lloyd-Jones's advent ornaments which I hope to apply with Modge-podge to wooden circle ornaments. 

Curbside pickup at Walmart is old hat, and didn't take long.  

Curbside pickup at Sam's is something new for me, but easy-peasy!  I may be adding that to my repertoire.  

I do not know a mom of young children who is not exceedingly thankful for this good thing that has come from the pandemic - curbside pickup!  As Little Miss is wont to say, "Thank you, Lord!"

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #46 ~ The Thanksgiving Edition

451.  the spiritual blessings that are mine in Christ Jesus ~ the righteousness of Christ, access to the thrice holy God, hope of heaven, power to fight sin now, the indwelling Holy Spirit, an intercessor 

452.  family that I was born into & that I married into

453.  Jim's wise, patient leading & forbearance with me

454.  another harvest 

455.  a warm, sufficient house that is our home

456.  two adorable, precious, growing children & getting to see the world through their eyes

457.  school (in-person, close-by, with a Moms in Prayer group)

458.  our church & how God uses it in our lives

459.  meaningful work & health to do it

460.  seasons & for now the anticipation of Christmas

Mugs

Our dishes came with mugs (or tea cups I guess), but they are relegated to a drawer in the china cabinet.  My favorite mugs have always been ones for $1 at Big Lots or a thrift store.  They don't last forever, and this year a white one shattered on the kitchen floor.  It had been Little Guy's art-for-sale project at school 3 or 4 years ago. Painted with a design and baked in an oven, the paint came off pretty soon, but it was a GOOD mug and kept tea HOT! (16 oz. Basic White Stoneware Mug by Thomson Pottery at Home Depot, FYI)

I already had in my cupboard a Longaberger Woven Traditions Butternut Mug for $1 from Goodwill  and a Longaberger Horizon of Hope mug also found for $1 at Goodwill.  

Last week I found this one for $1.   I love the shape, the handle, the design, that it's Royal Doulton, how unique it is, etc. 

I guess I don't like sets. I like unique mugs that were unique finds.  What about you? Do you have a favorite mug?

 

Planning Ahead

I used to think that planning ahead meant writing lists.  And that's one component. 

But now I realize it can mean DOING it ahead, or doing some of the steps. 

If I'm going to send Thanksgiving cards to out-of-state relatives, I can purchase the cards whenever I would do that (usually ahead of time ... in Dollar General or from Current catalog). 

When I have the cards in hand, instead of putting them away somewhere, I can address them, put stamps on them, and even write a greeting inside and sign them ... and THEN put them in the pile of mail to be mailed.  

When I get my assignments of what food to bring to Thanksgiving, I can go through my recipes right then, make a checklist of ingredients, check my pantry, cross off what I have on hand, and be ready for my shopping trip (closer to the time). 

What do you do to plan ahead and DO ahead? I've heard of mixing dry ingredients for waffles or muffins or whatever, and keeping that on hand, so all you have to do is add the wet ingredients. I'm sure there are many other ways I could work ahead!

Christmas Fun

Christmas celebrations can seem very eclectic.  While I want to celebrate Christmas by preparing our hearts to think about how Jesus our King & Savior came as a baby, I also want to do the "fun" things to make special memories. 

We have Christmas lights up in the van, and we've been listening to "Rocking around the Christmas tree," LM's new favorite, on Spotify.  

We hope to go to an extensive drive-through light display. 

And we plan to attend our church's Christmas concert on a Sunday afternoon and maybe some other concerts??

Hot cocoa bombs last year were a real treat. 

Decorating sugar cookies is always fun!

I read online about having a candy cane hunt in your house, sort of like an Easter egg hunt. 

I splurged and bought Christmas pajamas at Black Friday prices from Kohl's.  

We have lots of Christmas craft ideas & supplies on hand.  Maybe this year we'll try a snowflake garland?

Last year we made pop-tart Gingerbread houses.  I think this year we might try graham cracker gingerbread houses.  

LG helped me wrap Christmas gifts. 

We have plans to shop for an Operation Christmas Child box and an Angel Tree gift. 

A theater near us is showing Polar Express, which LG might like.  First step is to check the book out of the library. :) We could always just have Family Christmas Movie Night at home with a DVD of that or something else. 

Last year our birthday cake for Jesus (recipe here) was a success!  (The top layer - white - represents his righteousness.  The second layer - red - represents his shed blood on the cross.  The third layer - red gelatin poke cake - represents our sin, which his blood covers.  And the fourth layer - white - represents his righteousness which we receive when He forgives us!) 

As was the Christmas Eve snack mix our church suggested for the virtual Christmas Eve service.  (a Nativity trail mix:  M&Ms because of the Messiah. Miniature marshmallows for the sheep.  Bugle snacks for the angels. Pretzel mini-twists for Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes. Peanuts for the rocky road that Mary & Joseph took to Bethlehem. Cheerios because a cheery person is joyful. etc. )

I'd like to try this Christmas Story Lunch this year.  (Link here.) 

We also enjoy our tradition of unwrapping a Christmas book each night Dec. 1-24.  

What do you do to make fun Christmas memories in your home?

Missions Conference

Our church has a long legacy of missions conferences that have sparked years of change in people's lives ~ and in the church's life.  I have heard of the missions conference where a couple was called to Africa.  I have heard of the conference in 1987 when the speaker asked men who were interested in a work trip to meet over to the side afterward, and out of that, eight young-ish men (dads with young children; not retired men as the speaker thought would be interested) went on a 2-week short-term trip to Colombia, which birthed a strong short-term missions emphasis in our church. 

We still have a 15-day missions conference.  Granted, there are not activities each day, but it spans 15 days.  Global Worship Night.  Saturday morning men's breakfast.  Afternoon ladies' group.  Annual ladies' dessert with testimony.  Nine meals in homes.  Missions fair on a Sunday morning in the gym.  Three main speakers on Sunday mornings.  Three Saturday night special events.  Missionaries speaking in adult & children's Sunday school.  Missionaries speaking in Awana.  Missionaries speaking in youth group.  Missionaries sharing in prayer meeting.  

Over 120 men showed up to the men's breakfast, where our pastor and his two brothers (all three of whom have spent decades in ministry) shared about the influence of their own father and also their own successes and failures as dads and men.  I heard it was very encouraging! 

I was unable to attend the annual ladies' dessert this year, but I heard the missionary "was not only sharing about her campus ministry but opened up about the painful family situation they are going through. Giving testimony about the faithfulness and love and sufficient grace of our Lord Jesus."  I have been amazed how consistently transparent that Tuesday night in November has been.  

The first Saturday night was a (very efficiently run) nacho bar, followed by the Great Race of Faith (visiting 5 countries for 9 minutes each) before breaking up into children & adults.  I can't speak for the children's session, but the adults were spurred on to love Jesus and share Him with this generation. 

The Great Race of Faith captured the enthusiasm of our children!  In Mexico, we made an Eye of God craft. In Turkey we played a matching game of unreached people groups (or we could have drawn Bible verses in henna on paper hands). In Japan we did origami. In China we practiced calligraphy (or did a chop stick relay with pom poms).  In Tanzania, we carried an empty 6-gallon water jug in a relay race around the gym.  

The second Saturday night was Taste of Missions.  Sub sandwiches were provided for all, and then you could visit food carts stationed around the gym.  Each cart had a few catered dishes from an international restaurant, and you literally could be served a bite of each one, if desired.  India, Kenya, Thai, Mediterranean, and Chinese. Yum!  Afterward, children and adults had separate programming.

The third Saturday night we were unable to attend the Coffee House Night followed by hearing from the main speaker. 

And Missions Conference culminates on the third Sunday with a Missions Fair in the gym, with dozens of booths representing both local & foreign ministries.  Some of the children's Sunday School classes take prepared "passports" and a scavenger hunt page, and spend their Sunday School time, visiting the booths in small groups and asking questions to learn about the various ministries.  It's always a highlight & is an upbeat way to end the conference!

Harvest Dance

Not to be confused with "Dance at Grandpa's," a chapter in "Little House in the Big Woods." :)

Another farm wife wrote: After the Harvest, and it resonates with me.  

We get little tastes on Sundays, but adjusting back to life together is definitely a dance. I need to practice my dance moves!

When she posted the article on FB, one commenter said, "There are 3 seasons - before harvest, harvest, and after harvest." Yes! 

We actually did quite well this harvest, for, in the middle of harvest, our water heater quit, we had a basement flood, and our washing machine broke.  And, kudos to Jim! All 3 were fixed ... in the middle of harvest.  Woo-hoo! 

During the last week of harvest (I hope it's the last week...), I finally took some matters into my own hands, asked LG to help me, and we brought the step ladder in, carried it upstairs, and replaced burnt-out light bulbs at the top of the stairs, bottom of the stairs, downstairs hall, TV room, dining room, living room, and LM's room.  I felt like I was overstepping boundaries, but it was dark (time change ... ugh).  And it was a good growing-into-a-man experience for LG who told Jim, "Mommy said she couldn't do it without me," which is true.

Unfortunately the light bulbs at the bottom of the stairs were fluorescent.  I ordered soft light LED bulbs, and when they arrived, LG and I repeated the process with the ladder.  So we got lots of practice. 

But light bulbs are just part of the dance.  There are bigger things... discussions we have been putting off, decisions we each have had months to consider (& possibly grow apart on our thinking), plans we need to make (for things that are getting closer & closer on the calendar), and time to spend together ... quality time but mostly quantity time. 

Van Life ~ from the archives

This post from 3 years ago brings back so many memories & causes so much gratitude to rise from my heart that the Lord sustained us in this grueling season (of commuting 65 miles one-way with littles).  

Our van still looks like a junk yard at times.  Oh, my! 

We still have hand pump sanitizers in each front car door, and the Thirty-one swap-it pocket in the front passenger door.  Two clear zipper pouches in the console between the two front seats are containing that mess for the moment. 

And my beloved cereal dispenser serves as the perfect trash can.  I just added an over the seat trash container so LG can try to contain the backseat trash.  I have also learned to keep a box of kleenex and a package of wipes at the ready.  

And, it's time for me to prepare my winter emergency kit again. 

 ***************

This morning I cleared out a little bit of the clutter in the van, primarily the tote on the floor in front of Little Miss's car seat.  Now it is orderly - soft books and small stuffed animals on one side, and diaper bag, towel, sweatshirt, change of clothes for both, paper towels, etc. on the other side.

All the snacks are organized nicely in the trunk, along with #1 van life trick I learned from a fellow van mom - clear plastic cups for dividing a water bottle or for doling out snacks. 

I still haven't figured out a trash system for the van.  Any ideas?

We spend at least 3 hours a day 5 days a week in the van, so I really need it to work for me!

The main hot spot (besides the floor in front of the car seats - Yikes!!) is the console between the two front seats.  It's a jumble of keys, mints, gum, receipts, pens, and who knows what else!

Each front door has a pump-style hand sanitizer in it.

I finally found a solution for my hand lotion, bandaids, floss picks, saline spray, allergy pills, and plastic knives and forks.  They are in a Thirty-one swap-it pocket in the side of the front passenger door - always at the ready, but not scattered throughout the car unable to be found. 

As winter comes, I'll need to prepare an emergency kit also.

How do you make your van work for you?

Field Meals

Some of my Midwestern farm wife friends deliver elaborate field meals in crockpots and coolers and set up a table in the back of their van or SUV out in the field and use paper plates, etc.  They have large family farms, and each woman takes turns so it's not a daily task for each one.  Whoever cooks that day feeds the whole crew. 

My farmer eats on the go and everything must be able to be held in his hand.  

So what do I pack in Jim's lunches?

A variety....  This fall it has been ...

cube steak sandwiches on buttered toast

tuna salad sandwich and a ham salad sandwich 

chicken sandwiches (cooked two split chicken breasts in crockpot with seasonings, a splash of white cooking wine & some water)

hamburgers

pork chop sandwich from the restaurant in our village

ham sandwiches

and then...

celery stuffed with cream cheese, 

colby cheese with saltines or Ritz crackers

two mandarin oranges

a cut up apple or baggie of grapes

sugar snap peas or pepper slices or black olives

sometimes a salted boiled egg or a baggie of cashews

a jar of unsweetened iced tea

a baggie of pretzels or chips if we have any

This "lunch" is usually delivered between 1.30-2 pm and lasts him until 11 pm or midnight.

Thankful ~ a sitter

If you ask Little Miss who her babysitter is, she will tell you ... except that delightful young lady has not been a regular sitter for us for a number of years. ;)  She was a mature high schooler (and oldest child), who then lived at home while attending community college, and later moved to an apartment in the city for her last two years of college, and is now in grad school! 

But God!  After a year of pandemic stress, God introduced us to a sitter that I noticed was working for two of the families at LM's preschool last year.  Some days she would pick up a little boy from one family. Other days she would pick up a little girl from another family.  So I asked for her contact info.  

And then some Wednesday evenings she started picking up LM from the Walmart parking lot in the city, after our pediatric therapy sessions and before I took LG to Awana.  (LM needs her bed!)

While she still works for the other two families, those are daytime hours while the Mom is at work.  I need her in the evenings & weekends, so it's a win-win! 

Twice a month, LG goes to Trail Life, and the sitter comes to put LM to bed.  She's lined up to watch the children while we go to Madrigals!  And on small group night when it doesn't work for them to go to the farm.  And the missions conference ladies' dessert when Jim will be doing fieldwork.  And on and on it goes.  (Probably during the school's annual Family Reading Night, which starts after LM's 6.30 pm bedtime.)

Another mature young lady and oldest child, she has finished community college and is waiting for her spot to open up in nursing school.  We will miss this very responsible sitter when she starts nursing school!  

I've learned over the years that I don't just want a sitter, I want someone who will lead my children.  Especially if she's here for a couple hours midday (as opposed to bedtime), I leave activities: make chocolate chip cookies, do this art project, play one of these games, read x books, etc. 

My dream is to have a sitter (or ideally more than one on my list) who is studying occupational therapy or speech therapy or early childhood development and can utilize her skills while spending time with our children.  I can dream!  And pray!!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #45

441.  sharing my easy chair with an almost 8-year-old boy

442.  extra snuggles

443.  looking out our back windows at God's easel every morning 

444.  the amazing sunrises I have seen recently

445.  praying friends

446.  laid-back days

447.  new plans & hopes

448.  starting our 25- 40-days of books countdown to Christmas

449.  reading aloud (Illustrated Tales of King Arthur)

450.  the (albeit later than usual) brilliant display of golden leaves on the maple out our back window

3-ingredient pumpkin muffins

How did I not learn about these until this year?  It's dangerous for me to know about this recipe! 

1 box spice cake mix (or 1 box gluten free yellow cake mix + 1 or 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice - I used Pioneer Woman's recipe to make my spice)

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix the cake mix, spice, and pumpkin. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Put batter in cupcake pan.  Sprinkle a few chocolate chips (+ brown sugar) on top if desired.

Bake at 350*F for the amount of time listed on the box. 

Mmmm!!!

Decorating for Christmas ~ layers

Have you decorated for Christmas?

We hung lights in our van on November 6th (in advance of the time change).  

I am holding out on decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving (which is November 25th this year).  

But on November 10th, I used my Kohl's Cash to have the children pick out a snow-themed shower curtain for their bathroom and ordered it. 

And on November 11th, I hung the snowman shower curtain in our bathroom, and was very tempted to purchase Christmas bedding (where did that idea come from?!?).  

I am definitely ready to change out the pumpkins on my kitchen window sill for my winter light display. (The time change + the shortened days have really thrown me for a loop.)  

Do you decorate in layers?

Memoir

Both Jim and I had an aunt go to heaven this winter, and I am realizing that most of my aunts and uncles are already there, and I have questions I wish I had asked them.  

At Jim's aunt's funeral,  Jim's youngest uncle told the story of being a teenager living at home, and being awakened early one morning by hearing his parents and his newlywed brother & his wife (the aunt who is now in heaven) talking.  Apparently, the brother & his wife, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, had been unable to sleep, and had called their parents asking if they could come over.  And Jim's grandparents led their son & daughter-in-law to the Lord that early morning! 

I had never heard that story, and was so encouraged by it.  

Do you have Christian parents? Christian grandparents? aunts? or uncles? What would you like to konw about their walk with the Lord that could be an encouragement to you or others in your family who are younger in your faith?  It can't hurt to ask them! :)

I emailed my remaining aunt and uncle a few weeks ago these simple questions.  And was delighted that they both replied!  They have each walked with God for more than 80 years.  What an encouragement!

What is your favorite Scripture?

What is your favorite hymn?

What is your favorite biography of a famous Christian?

What verses have given you hope in your greatest trials?

What attributes of God have given you hope and confidence throughout life?

What is your testimony of salvation?

What one or two sentence testimony do you have for your family, looking back on 80-plus years of life?

Anything else that would encourage us to press on to know Him?

A Japanese pastor I know teaches workshops on helping Japanese believers write their memoirs, specifically their memoir of faith.  None of their family might believe while they are alive, but they can leave behind a record of their faith and their faithful God!  That is a good challenge for all of us, I think!

Sometimes it's the little things

Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference. 

Little things like ... 

• fresh sheets on the bed
• learning that your church is going to start offering gluten-free communion wafers (!)
• wrapping more than half your Christmas presents on November 6th 
• letting your 7 year old wrap most of them :)
• hanging the Christmas lights in your van (on November 6th) and turning on Christmas music on Spotify (Fun Mom Quotient rose tremendously!)
• having success in running into three stores with a quick & helpful 4 year old, in between dropping her 7 year old brother off for a (2 hour) Trail Life hike and picking him up
  

1000 Books Update

On September 30th, Little Miss enrolled in our library's 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program.  

The paper with 100 numbered circles hangs on our fridge.  Our goal is to complete one page of 100 circles each month.  My goal is three books a day, but reading a book at any time is great!  

On late nights, she gets very upset before bed, "We not read!!" So we work hard to push reading earlier into the day.  Or on nights we need extra cuddles & start early, we just grab a stack of 9 or 10 books off the shelf, and go through as many as we can, to catch up.  She is very motivated! 

When she eats breakfasts, she asks, "You read books."  And I have been known to carry books in the van, and read a couple while we wait in afternoon car line (with my captive audience).  The babysitter knows I need a book count at the end of the evening, so I can cross more numbered circles off. :)

And for the first time, I am letting one of my children pick out their own books at the library (I cringe to admit that), and I don't care if it's Halloween or Lego City or a cartoon character.  We are just here to read! 

I can always supplement with our 100s of good quality children's books in our living room or with requesting books from Give Your Child the World via Inter Library Loan. 

We filled out our 100th circle on November 5th (3 a day would have gotten us to 100 on November 2nd).  I'll count that as a win!  

Nine more months of 3-a-day books to go!  Can we do it before Kindergarten starts in mid-August? :)  I think we can. I think we can. I think we can.

Things we're loving

Sensory bins - I have four in rotation at the moment (kinetic sand, rice & lentils, shredded paper, and flour).  The goal is to make the flour one a cloud dough one ... hopefully with less mess. 

 

  

Cloud slime 

Homemade playdough 

Water dye exploration 

Baths ... whenever wanted or whenever I offer it as an "activity"

Usborne reusable sticker books

Dollar Tree paint with water books 

Tabletopics (link here)  Anyone else use these?

Salad with pears and celery 

Frozen pears (I could have bushels of fresh pears from my father-in-law if I wanted.  I have quartered, cored, peeled, and sliced them; soaked them in salted ice water, and then frozen them in quart zip-top bags.)

Aldi finds :) 

 

Books from Orphan's Treasure Box (22 books for $49 including free shipping)

(Now to make sure I purge 22 lesser desired books from our collection!)

 

 

Art to Remember necklace with two interchangeable designs - one by LG & one by LM

Christmas lights in the van

Spotify - Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: Christmas Playlist (I'm on the lookout for other playlists, too)

And Magnatiles!

Do you have any other recommendations for us along any of these lines? :)

Learning is fun!

At parent-teacher conference, when I asked what we can do at home to help him succeed at school, Little Guy's teacher said, "Whatever you do, make learning fun."  That may not be my natural strategy, but we try!

At one point I followed a blogger/ FB page that is all about Gameschooling (here).  I still refer to her page when I need ideas.  And I adopted her idea of storing games vertically (with large rubber bands as needed) and using a photo storage case for card games. (See this post.)

Playing games can teach so many valuable social skills: taking turns, waiting patiently, logical thinking, patterns, following rules, giving compliments, how to be a gracious winner (and loser), etc.  We all could stand to play games more. :) LG often plays games with Jim after LM goes to bed, but 2.5 nights/week are late nights due to activities so it really doesn't happen much.  I'm trying to institute game time after after-school snack time. 

These are some of the games we play or are ready to start playing.  Of course, UNO and Candyland figure heavily in LG's game rotation.  Monkey Around, Roll & Play, Seek-a-Boo, and Sneaky Snacky Squirrel figure large in LM's.  We are just getting to the point of playing games together, including Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Candyland, Sum Swamp, and Money Bags.  

Clumsy Thief Junior looks really fun!  LG's class just moved to adding double digits up to 20, so this should purely be review, and therefore have higher fun value, while also strengthening his foundational skills.  (When we're ready, there's a version for adding to 20 as well as a version for adding to 100.)

When I learned at Parent-Teacher Conference that LG's class will be working on money the second nine weeks, I went straight to Amazon and ordered something fun! :) This game is just as fun (although the premise is accumulating the most money).  Midway through our first game, LG asked, "When we're done, can we play it again?!"  I call that a winner.  And it sneaks math in. :)

(It turns out that this is the updated version of the Discovery Toys game "Money! Money!" which I had purchased at a garage sale, and am currently trying to sell or donate.  If you're local, feel free to ask if I still have it. It could be yours!

Sum Swamp has been a phenomenal winner!  LG enjoys playing it over & over, and I even enjoy playing it.  It has just enough extras in it (special spots you land on & have to do something different) to keep it interesting.  And you have to add or subtract on every move!  It is packed with learning!! (As is the Money Bags game above, by the same company.)

This is one of the last purchases I made at my beloved kids' consignment store in the city where LG attended school pre-pandemic.  (I miss that store!)  Little Miss loves this, and it's a fun way to learn uppercase letters.  In her case, I am keeping track of fun learning ideas (shapes, colors, letters, numbers) on a Pinterest board.

 
What games are favorites in your household?  How do you store yours?  Do you have any Christmas or birthday list suggestions?  (Last year LG received My First Ticket to Ride and Battleship.  They have not become favorites yet ... maybe this next year they will.)

The sink is NOT a container :)

True confessions... One of my favorite podcasts is "A Slob Comes Clean."  No shame!

One of her principles is "the container concept," i.e. you can't have more in a "container" than fits in the container.  A container can be a basket, a drawer, a room, or even your entire house. 

Another of her principles is doing the dishes every night!  You might think that's normal, but for this tired mom it's not. 

Enter ... prednisone!  And I have energy and motivation and the ability to stay awake (or the inability to sleep).  

The first night that I loaded the dishwasher and washed the dishes that can't go in the dishwasher, I woke up the next morning amazed!!  

The sink was empty!  And it hit me - the SINK is NOT a container!! I've been using it like a container ... as long as I can pile those dirty dishes in there like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I don't have to do them. Um, no! :)

The prednisone may not last (hopefully!), and its benefits (energy to clean massively) will surely be gone, but I hope I don't forget that the sink is NOT a container. :)

GO time

It was in the air Friday ... and Saturday ... and some on Sunday even sadly.  The dust, the beans, the palpable push to get this harvest done.

Little Miss and I took lunch to Jim.  The field looked like a staging ground. The combine.  His pickup truck.  Seven wagons in a row, hitched together in pairs, with space in between to hitch the tractor to them when it was their turn to be pulled out of the field. 

I received a group text from the farmer behind our neighborhood. "I'll be starting on the field this afternoon. Fortunately we have a nice wind to help dry things out. Unfortunately it is out of the south. I am apologizing now for the dust. It will most likely be pretty dirty."  He didn't get started until almost 4 pm, and was going strong AND LOUDLY at 9 pm, right behind our house.  

The headlights were in our backyard.  LM was long in bed, and I worried the clattering (which at first I thought was our stacked dryer falling off the washer!) would wake her up.

Of course, my farmer was going strong then, too.  I have no idea what time he came home, but he took his shower at 3 AM. 

As the children and I drove the 5 miles home Friday evening from Ninja Kids in the next farm town, the dust was flying!  Plumes of dust in fields wherever there was a combine working.  Dust rolling across the road whenever a combine was going along the edge of the field and road.  Pickups pulling into fields.  Semi trucks pulling out of fields taking a full load of grain to the elevator.  Auger wagons driving slowly alongside of combines, while the combine operator multi-tasked, running the combine while simultaneously emptying his load into the auger wagon. 

It was GO! time!  You could almost feel the race against time ... and rain ... and potential loss of crop ... and annual income.  

 

Next to one field (which was bustling with equipment & activity), another farmer was tilling his ground.  All the farmers combining beans would love to be finished with harvest and on to doing the next thing like that farmer!  

 

One day soon.  One day soon. 

Advent

It's not too early to be thinking about Advent.  What do you do in your home to keep Christ central in your Christmas celebrations & preparations? 

We have enjoyed this Names of Jesus paper chain in past years (link here).   

The children are very excited to do a Jesse tree this year.  (I ordered this one, though I'm sure you could make your own or find free printables.)

Our church's suggested resource this year is the book, Unwrapping the Names of Jesus.  A companion website is here.  If you provide your email, it opens a link to all sorts of resources ... bookmarks, prayer/ journaling pages for the names of Jesus, the weekly family Advent guide, and even Jesse tree ornaments!

Five Advent books I pulled off our shelf to peruse this year are:

Immanuel: A Daily Guide to Reclaiming the True Meaning of Christmas, by Ann Spangler 

"Drawing from her bestselling books Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus, Spangler selected six names or titles—including Immanuel, Yeshua, and Bright Morning Star. Each name offers a week’s worth of devotions focusing on God, the miraculous birth of his son, and the promise of his return."

Come Let Us Adore Him, by Robert J. Morgan  

Stories behind 30 of the most cherished Christmas hymns, and includes a CD.

The Nativity Collection, by Robert J. Morgan

Six stories that share the smiles, the heart, and the hope of Christmas. "Each story centers around a different Nativity, and how it impacts a family's legacy." 

Hidden Christmas, by Timothy Keller 

"a profoundly moving and intellectually provocative examination of the Nativity story."

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie

"a collection of 22 short readings drawn from the works of classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers that help readers to focus on and enter into the wonder of the incarnation of Jesus and the story of his birth."

 

Do you have certain books or devotionals you read each year at Christmas time?  My first year blogging, I wrote about what I was reading at Christmas (link here). 

Weekends & Holidays - On The Move

Weekends & holidays (aka days without routine) go better for us the more we MOVE!!  Hiking is great for that.  

On a recent fall weekend, we went to Ninja Kids on Friday evening.  30 minutes for Little Miss's class and 30 minutes for Little Guy's class.  And during their sibling's class, they each ran around the track (which is the upstairs "balcony" of the gym) for 30 minutes, in addition to the 15 minutes in between classes.  For those keeping track at home, that's an hour and 15 minutes of MOVING!   

That was the first night of the rope climbing and rings.  LG climbed the rope lickety-split!  And pulled himself up by the rings and held for a long while!

Saturday morning was the school mile walk/run Color Run!  We had not registered, but you could show up and pay $5 less than full price (and bring your own white t-shirt).  LG wanted to do it, and of course then LM did, too.  I couldn't hold her back, so I just said, "When you're done, turn around and come back."  She. Ran. The. Mile. Course!!!  WOW!!

And Saturday afternoon LG's aunt requested he come and help wean pigs.  So he helped her for two hours.

Sunday was a rainy stormy day with no hiking, so I'm thankful we front-loaded our weekend with MOVEMENT!  LG ended up crashing on our bed before 3 pm, waking up for about 40 minutes while we ran an errand, and then crashing on the living room floor until bedtime, when she ate a bite & changed into her pjs.  She was exhausted!

I keep a mental list of options and am open to any & all suggestions.  

1. Depending on weather, backyard play is always an option, though it often involves things like scaling the 2-story playhouse with a water hose. (!)
   
2. Bike rides. 
3. Obstacle courses in the house (though that costs me a few nerves).  
4. Someone suggested bowling.  
5. A sensory gym has open gym for kids up to 5 years old at random times each week, and I want to take LM while LG is at school some day.  
6. There's an indoor ninja gym in a city near us, and a climbing wall gym in another (though both are pricey, and even moreso if a trip to ER is involved!).
7. The bouncy house places in two cities near us closed unfortunately.  
8. There are three trampoline parks in nearby cities, but LM's orthopedic surgeon basically forbade her from getting on a trampoline! 
9. Open gym at a gymnastics place would be great for LM.  She attended a birthday party at a place 15-20 minutes from us, and they have open gym for kids 0-12 twice a week (11-12.30, so it would just be LM).  I have scoured FB and found a couple other gymnastics places in cities to our west/ northwest that have open gym times, and am keeping them on my list.  One had a special day of play on Columbus Day.  If I had only known, we might have had a much better day off. :)
   

What else should we do?  LG is asking if we can put up a rope in our basement.  (We actually could put up a ninja course if we had sufficient padding for the floor!)

Of course, weekends & holidays are just short-term.  I'm already thinking ahead to summer vacation.  However will we keep little bodies busy & moving, moving, moving????  Bible camp! Christian day camps! VBS! Running club! Swim lessons! Other ideas???

Full cast of characters

::from October 28, 2016 FB memories::

Too good not to record & share!

I have a hard time keeping track of all the people who live in our house ~ as well as who is who (and who I am) at any given time. In addition to Daddy, Mommy, and Little Guy, we have pigs in multiple pig pens around the house, porcupines living in the vents, Uncle S, Aunt C, and the farm dog. Each one leads a very active life, and at any moment, I might be cast in the role of any of those and expected to perform their actions. :)

Croutons

Mom: What do you want for snack, LM? Peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers?

LM: Salad.  With walnuts.  And k-k-k.  {pause} What's the hard stuff?

 

Mom: Croutons?

LM: Yes! Croutons!

Croutons are her absolute favorite, but she struggles hard to retrieve the word.

 

******

Mom: Here's your waffle. 

LM: With the pouring on it.

 

Mom: Oh, you'd like syrup? Can you say, "Mom, may I please have syrup?"

******

 

She has amazing compensatory strategies!  And her speech therapist assures me we'll get there. :)

Planner

Do you use a planner?  In different seasons of my life I have used different styles ... college, mission field, Home Ministry Assignments.  A few years ago I switched from a paper calendar in my purse to using the calendar on my phone (+ a kitchen wall calendar to keep us all on the same - & visible - page). 

But during busy seasons, I feel the need for a planner more.  A few years ago I tried the Print & Go Planner from Good Cheap Eats.  Besides the fact that I didn't read the instructions well, so had Office Depot print it incorrectly (the two pages that should have been facing each other each week were back to back), I didn't understand how she uses the post-its. 

The past few weeks I made my own version, by writing in black sharpie at the top of each page in a spiral notebook: "Wednesday Oct. 20," etc.  I wrote in any appointments in pen.  And then I used different colors & sizes of Post-its.  

Aqua small post-its have my meal plan on it.  Pink small post-its list special reminders.

3x3 post-its have to-do lists ... which can conveniently be moved to the next day. 

As soon as I could get to a town with an Office Depot, I sent the file in to be printed and bound for the last few months of the year.  I am glad to have a plan to keep on track with tasks, appointments, meals, and goals for this busy season.  

And since we just had our Thanksgiving planning meeting, I know my part of the meal plan for Thanksgiving, and wrote it in on November 25th, so I won't forget it! 

And I put a "Birthday Checklist" post-it in the last week of December for when we celebrate two children's winter birthdays while with the extended family. 

Now the only obstacle remaining is to make sure I look at the planner each day! :)

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #44

431.  7.45 AM and the bright sun filtering into our yard through the pine trees

432.  frost on the newly mowed grass

433.  successfully finding the winter hats & gloves this morning before the children got on the school bus!

434.  "my" chair by "my" table with a pile of books at my elbow

435.  previewing our church's suggested Advent devotional last night (Unwrapping the Names of Jesus) and all the free resources available online to use with it (you could save the cost of buying the book and just download the family guide by giving your email on the website; I'm also looking forward to using the journaling/ prayer sheets for various names of Jesus)

436.  Thanksgiving to-go dinners from a church in town last night for our supper

437.  the sense of community as we ran into several people we know while picking up our meals (the retired kindergarten teacher who now does Storytime at the Library and spoke to LM, our friend's mom whom LM hugged tightly, a lady on our street who updated us on her elderly mom)

438.  Ninja Kids is returning!  The 6-week session at a local gym was so popular that they are offering another 6-week session (and hopefully continuing throughout the winter). 

439.  anticipation of the children bringing home their Art to Remember orders today (their art turned into a necklace)

440.  learning that a $2 plastic tablecloth from Walmart works just as well at keeping our table covered (& is better at handling spills)

October Health Calendar

October started with a big doctor's appointment in the city ... Jim was able to go with me ... and it also included Chicken Salad Chick in the van on our way home back to the field to drop him off, so maybe it was actually a date?! :) 

The next week held two telehealth appointments plus a lab visit, and flu shots for the children.  Thank the Lord for a great phlebotemist!

The following week was an in-person allergist appointment for me and an in-person eye appointment for LG.  Thank the Lord for Aunt C to meet LM's bus when I couldn't get home from my appointment in time.  We are also thankful that the eye appointment successfully ruled out any eye problems, and we have confidence that LG's recent headaches were allergy-induced.

Week four contained my 4.5 hour home infusion and a telehealth appointment. Thank the Lord for Zoom! And a home health nurse! 

The last week of the month had two lab appointments & one follow-up with the allergist.  One is the every-two-weeks lab that gets sent to Mayo.  The other is for the NIH research study. (Personal results to be revealed in 15-18 months! But yay for science!)  Thankfully I could schedule the research labs & the allergist visit back-to-back in the same office!

Just in time to start November with a November 1st video visit with the big city doctor. :) 

The rest of November only has my infusion, every-two-week labs and an ENT visit for LM, and probably a telehealth visit or two.  That's just under 20 appointments in two months. :-0

And now it's time to select our 2022 Health Insurance plan.  Prayer appreciated!!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 6, #43

In November 2006 I read about the Thousand Gifts list on Ann Voskamp's blog and began my own. My first 1000 are recorded in a pretty journal, and listing them really changed my perspective, so much so that those around me could recognize when I reached 1000 and stopped.  Thus, after some time, I started Volume 2, this time on my blog. I started simply with "blue sky, green grass," etc.  But practice helps in everything, including giving thanks.  

We Americans practice thankfulness at Thanksgiving, and some have lengthened that to include various thankful challenges throughout the month of November.  Big box craft stores (& even Target $3 spot) sell 3-D trees or wreaths on which one glues leaves.  We have done different ones different years. Not sure if ~ or what ~ we'll do this year.  What does your family do?

 

421.  30-hour fall family getaway (at the last minute!)

422.  better preparation & organization that helped the van-time go well for younger children

423.  re-visiting two restaurants where Jim & I had eaten when we took our pre-planting getaway there in 2018 (including a famous pie restaurant; I had rhubarb!)

424.  Family Hike #7 of 2021 ~ "Awesome!" is how LG described the view from the first overlook, and "The view is spectacular!" when he reached the second overlook ahead of us. :)

425.  trekking poles (& maybe Aleeve & a hot bath) for me

426.  a motel with a room pool (that's all the children really want);

427.  two museums that the children really enjoyed (and the adults did, too)

428.  uninterrupted time together as a family ... all four of us

429.  ... during this interminable harvest

430.   sunshine, a break from rain, being able to go while the temperatures were still mostly pleasant, safety, making memories, a husband who had a vision & planned it!

Listening Adventures

Little Guy is decidedly an auditory learner. 

His 2nd grade class reads for 45 minutes everyday (Woo-hoo!!) ... silent, independent, sustained reading.  They started the school year with 5 minutes a day, and added a minute or so each day.  The teacher had them enthused from Day One about their 45-minute goal and interim 25-minute goal, and the rewards ... bring your stuffy to read with you (for 25 minutes) and wear pjs and bring your stuffy (for 45 minutes).  And they did it!!

But his preferred method of reading is listening!  On Audible, Sugar Creek Gang, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Paddington, Ralph S. Mouse Collection, Toy Story, Anne of Green Gables series, and Charlotte's Web are his go-tos. (We listen to the same stories over and over and over again!) 

He also enjoys podcasts ... Base Camp Adventures is his new favorite (thanks to a friend's recommendation).  

Keys for Kids & Good News Radio are two other podcasts he enjoys. 

And a HUGE current favorite is Your Story Hour. It is web-based, and there are 4-5 free stories each week. 

I learned recently about Tribe of Dan podcast, which has the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre edition of The Chronicles of Narnia.  We haven't tried that one yet.  

What do your children listen to?  How/where do they listen?  LG falls asleep listening to Audible or podcast on Alexa.  In the van, I stream from my phone.  Sometimes after school, I turn on my phone during snack or play time so he can listen.  I think he would listen 24/7 if allowed. :)