"This Realm, this England": Day 1

I found this post that I started writing back in June and it made me ashamed:

"I've decided I need to give up looking at Facebook for a while. Why, you ask? Because it's June, and everywhere I look I see pictures or posts about all my friends' amazing vacations - to Europe, to Disneyland, to the mountains or the lake or the seashore. My own family members are at the top of that list. One sister just got back from New York City and is now in Colorado hanging out with our other sister. My parents and youngest sister are in New York for a different musical event. My brother and sister-in-law are on a cruise in Europe. And me? Want to know where I'm going this summer? Yep, that's right. Nowhere."

 I didn't finish it because I couldn't figure out how to say what I wanted without sounding extremely self-centered and whiny and pathetic, which is exactly what I was at that moment, and I was ashamed of it. I had no idea at the time but my Heavenly and my earthly father had both been planning something amazing for me that made me even more ashamed of my self-pity. My dad had a business trip to London coming up, and he invited me (and Jules, of course) to come with him and spend a week there! I was completely floored.

I write this as much for my own benefit as anyone else's - so I can remember every second of that wonderful trip! Apologies if it is entirely too detailed.

Friday morning was spent trying to cram half my wardrobe, all of Julianna's clothing, a mountain of diapers, wipes, jackets, umbrellas, guidebooks, two extra pairs of shoes, and a myriad of other miscellaneous accouterments (most of which I didn't end up using) into a medium-size suitcase and enormous backpack. I was trying to keep my luggage to a minimum because I would be flying out by myself and had to navigate airplanes, airports, trains, taxis, and every other form of transportation alone. Dad had to be in London a few days before me, so I had to get myself, Jules, and all our stuff from the airplane to the hotel. Having never traveled alone in my life, I was a bit nervous. (Okay, truthfully, I was terrified!)

Saying goodbye to the kids was one of the hardest things I have ever done. They all drove off cheerily, smiling and waving and excited about getting a WHOLE WEEK of "sleepovers" at Grammie's house! I held it together and did NOT cry when they left, so it wouldn't worry them and they would be happy and not miss me too much. I was fine all the way up until Robert and I got to the airport, and then I realized I forgot something minor, and the tears started to come! BUT I managed to push them down and recover my calm, and even be excited for my trip! There was a brief moment of panic when I started to check in and they told me Jules was supposed to have a ticket, even though she was a "lap baby" for the trip, and they had theoretically mailed it to me, but I had never gotten such a thing. I saw my whole trip slipping away before my eyes and boy, would the tears have ever flowed then! But fortunately they were able to reprint her ticket there at the counter and then I was set! Robert and I hung out for a bit, had a coffee (a TERRIBLE coffee - possibly the worst coffee I've ever had! Don't ever drink the coffee at the Albuquerque Sunport!), and tried to evade for a few more moments the inevitable goodbye. A kiss, a smile, a few tears, and then I was facing my second great obstacle: Security. I am one of those people who, although I have always been a responsible law-abiding citizen, suddenly find my knees knocking together when faced with uniformed authority figures. Seriously. Every siren I ever hear has me convinced they're coming for me....although I'm not exactly sure why. Combined with the horror stories I've read about TSA searches....well, let's just say I dread those checkpoints for more than just the long line. But fortunately it was very painless. Then it was simply a matter of waiting for the plane to board. Unfortunately Jules took umbrage with the long wait and got extremely cranky and tired. I tried to calm her, but by the time we boarded, she was one big fuss. I boarded amid a few sympathetic looks from fellow passengers (and probably a few annoyed ones as well), and found my seat - a window seat, which was good from a privacy/nursing standpoint. And then anxiously waited to see who my fellow passenger would turn out to be. This may sound strange, but I had been praying ever since learning about my trip that I would be seated next to someone who liked babies; someone like an older grandma or a fellow mom, someone who would be kind and understanding and not get annoyed if Jules fussed the whole trip. So when it turned out to be a young, collage-age boy, I was quite disappointed. "Oh dear," I thought, "he's going to be the one who is annoyed most by us."

The next two hours I spent trying to get super tired, cranky Jules to go to sleep without kicking the poor boy next to us. I failed on both counts. He was pretty nice about it, though. He put in headphones and watched movies during the flight and responded with "no problem" to each apology for her kicking. And the silly baby just wouldn't sleep. We finally landed...and then a long long taxi to the gate and a wait. The landing part was interesting, though, because I had never been to Minnesota before and as we circled down, I could see setting sun reflecting off the "thousand lakes" below us. It was beautiful! Someday I would like to go back to Minnesota and see more than the airport for a four hour layover.

It was a long four hours. The airport was enormous - the biggest one I've ever seen, or at least navigated all by myself - so after finding my correct gate, I stuck to my own concourse. Got some dinner, bought some water and snacks for the plane, and then mostly just followed Jules around as she crawled around all the seats in the waiting area. I figured she should get as much "floor time" as possible before the flight, since she would be stuck on my lap for the next eight hours. There was a another mom with a little girl, about three years old, in the waiting area too, and she and Jules really hit it off. They were from England, returning on the same flight as us, so the little girl had the CUTEST British accent. She kept taking photos of Jules with her tablet and they chased each other all over the waiting area.

Jules "cruising" the seats in the waiting area. Sorry, it's the only picture I have from the first day

Finally, shortly before boarding, Jules got sleepy and went to sleep in my arms. It made boarding a little tough, but with some help from a kind gentleman, I was able to get my backpack stowed and settled myself and my sleeping baby into our seat - window seat again - and went through the same anxiety about my seat-mate, especially since this was a MUCH longer flight! Turned out to be a young woman, probably a few years younger than me, who hardly spoke a word to me the whole flight, but she wasn't unkind or anything. She just didn't really invite conversation. I had kind of been hoping that I would be seated next to someone from England and we could chat about our respective countries throughout the trip, Instead that was the person behind me, and he and the girl he was sitting next to had an interesting conversation (upon which I eavesdropped shamelessly) throughout the flight. So there we were - settled in and finally on our way! And then the most amazing thing happened. Jules slept for the ENTIRE flight. I couldn't believe it. I thought I would just let her sleep as long as possible, because she was sure to wake up and then I'd have to entertain her...but she just slept. And slept. And there I sat, for 8 hours, unwilling to get up or even move too much because I was afraid of waking her. I tried to sleep, but unfortunately the only part of me that was able to sleep was my lower extremities. It certainly wasn't a very comfortable flight but it was much better than I had expected or even dared to hope. I know it was God's grace that enabled her to sleep and give me such a (relatively) easy time; it was only the first of many such times I saw His grace demonstrated to me throughout the trip.

I will say this - transcontinental flight has gotten much nicer/more comfortable since my last trip overseas, which was about 12 years ago. The seats have more legroom than domestic flights, and each seat has its own entertainment system built into the back of the seat in front, with a selection of movies and music and tv shows and games...all kinds of stuff to pass the time. The stewardesses/flight attendants (not sure which they prefer to be called these days!) serve a seemingly constant stream of food and drink, it was all pretty good (the coffee was 10x better than that airport swill, surprisingly enough!), and they pass out hot towels to wipe one's hands. It is always a strange feeling to stay awake all night, without falling asleep at all, because one is never quite sure when one day has finished and the next began. But after that long, strange, quiet night of waiting and watching and trying not to wake Jules and failing to sleep....the sun finally rose and there, out the window, I could see it: "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England!" (Richard II)

What Women Fantasize About (G-rated)

Note - despite the title of this post, it doesn't contain inappropriate material. Or at least not much. ;-)

My husband asked me one day if women struggled with fantasizing about other men. I just laughed.
"Oh, honey," I said. "We fantasize about a lot of things...but men really aren't one of them."

One of the key differences between men and women that men will never understand. Men fantasize about women. Women fantasize about...having enough alone time to get done all the things we want? Maybe that sounds selfish. Maybe it is. Maybe we are selfish in our fantasies because that is the only time we can ever afford to be selfish - the rest of the time, we are too busy taking care of everyone else!

Here's a short list, by no mean comprehensive, of things women fantasize about:

-sitting on the couch, in a perfectly clean house (that someone else cleaned), sipping wine (or sparkling cider for teetotlaers like me) and watching Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell movies

- eating magical chocolate that makes us thinner with each bite

- waking up in the morning looking like we just spent 3 hours getting ready, without actually having to spend the 3 hours

- going shopping by ourselves, without any kids, and coming home to happy children and dinner already cooked

- sitting in church with our husband and adorable, well-dressed, well-behaved children, who sit still and  quietly through the entire service

- bras that make us look good, but feel like we're wearing pajamas, and shoes that look like stilettos, but are as comfortable as bedroom slippers

- finding our favorite brand of clothing, in our size, marked 80% off

- fitting into last year's swimsuit (jeans are applicable too)

- taking a two hour bubble bath with a good book and NO interruptions

- a world where snakes and spiders do not exist

- having a bathroom all to ourselves, so we can scatter our makeup, curling irons, and hair products with impunity and never have to worry about whether the toilet seat is up

- painless childbirth (Hahahahaha! just the thought is hysterical!)

-getting 12 hours of sleep every night

- being served tea and scones from a beautiful china teapot at four o'clock each afternoon by our personal maid just like on Downton Abbey (possibly while watching Downton Abbey...)

- sometimes, I must confess, we fantasize about our husbands getting to experience our monthly periods or, even better, labor! That way they can understand what we go through and show much more gratitude for our forbearance as each month passes without an axe-murder occurring...

- and finally, one of my favorite fantasies, which crosses my mind nearly on a daily basis (including today), looks like this:

Le Sigh. Don't we all wish...

Okay, now pull your head down out of the clouds and go scrub something and find something about your actual life to be thankful for!

Then eat some chocolate and pretend it's magical chocolate that makes you thinner. You never know...it could happen....

Now, what about you, women everywhere? Anything you want to add to my list? (G-rated comments only please!)

Follow up

So I have one more response to add to my list from Monday.

11. Sociologists tell us "the strongest predictor of marital stability is the presence of small children in the home."*
Dude, we are going to have the MOST STABLE MARRIAGE EVER!

The End.

(I can't believe I just said "dude." What's wrong with me? I'll just blame it on the fact that it's a Monday. Oh wait. It's actually Wednesday. Phoey. Ahem. "We are enjoying very fine weather...")

In other news, I went shopping for jeans and tennis shoes today. Guess what I bought? A white knit shrug and some earrings.

*from the book "Love your husband, love yourself"

My Plan for World Peace~

I have come up with a foolproof plan for America to win every war we enter.

Step 1: I offer my children to the military as part of a secret task force. Initial skepticism is overcome by field testing, which leaves the brass with wide eyes and dropped jaws, saying "Holy *****!"

Step 2: Under the code name "Operation Adorable," my children are deployed into the enemy country in a Trojan Horse scenario. Their innate cuteness disarms the enemy and creates instant trust.

Step 3: The full destructive force of my children is unleashed. Within a week, the entire country's infrastructure is in shambles. Half their population has gone insane. Weeping, they beg to surrender to us, their only demand being "take them back! just take them back!"

Step 4: Returning to our country as heroes, the children are awarded numerous medals and free candy for life. However, they decline a victory tour due to naptime schedules. (The one drawback is that we must send billions in foreign aid to the conquered nation, as the remaining population is now suffering from shock and post traumatic stress disorder.) As they are saluted one last time and send back to their home, the Generals turn to one another and remark:
"I pity the poor fool who has to supervise those WMDs for the rest of their lives."
"Amen, brother," the other replies. "Amen."

My deepest, darkest secret...

Everybody has secrets. Mine are just of a more petty nature than most people's.

For instance: did you know that I have secret hiding places all over the house? And that these hiding places contain...no, not skeletons. Something even more shocking. Gluten.


Yep, that's right. Robert and I are closet gluten eaters. (Literally. As in, we have to hide it in the closet. And eat it there. So the kids don't find out.) See, we tried the whole gluten free thing. We put a good face on it in front of the kids, and we still eat gluten free in all our meals as a family. But Robert and I were dreaming about gluten o'nights, our mouths watering in our sleep. After being "on the sauce" (as Robert jokingly refers to it when James gets hopped up on gluten) our whole lives, we just can't give up "real" bread entirely. So, after the kids go to bed at night, we bring out our secret stash.

The trouble is, the kids are getting better at finding our hiding places. Once they've discovered one and we've suffered through a couple unhappy days of hyperactivity and runny diapers, I have to come up with a better hiding place. (Or we could buy a safe, and put it all in there. Along with the apples because the kids eat about 6 of those per day. But I have a feeling the kids would take up safe-cracking just to get at it.)


So yesterday, I had a bunch of egg whites I needed to use up before they spoiled, and the best thing to make with egg whites is a home made angel food cake. It's (pardon my terrible pun) heavenly.

I learned how to make it when Joseph was about 6 months old, because babies aren't supposed to have egg whites until they are at least a year old, since that is the part of the egg that most people are allergic to. Baby Joseph would eat 3-4 egg yolks at a time, so we kept accumulating the whites, and I discovered that once I had saved up a jar of them, I could make an angel food cake. It was our tradition for the first three kids but then the whole gluten free-thing threw a wrench in the plans, so I haven't made any for quite a while.

Anyway...I had a jar saved from Elora's egg yolks, and I had to use them, and I just didn't have the guts to try a gluten free angel food cake and possibly waste all those eggs. So I made it the regular way, and it turned out {heavenly} but then I had a dilemma on my hands. Where to hide this glorious confectionery danger so the kids wouldn't get into it? I had tried closets, the laundry room, locked cabinets, inside pots and pans...all had eventually been discovered. Then it hit me...the perfect place...the place they would never look.

Yes, that is an empty filing cabinet drawer. Feel free to applaud my genius. It takes a special kind to be a mama.


P.S. I realize one could get the impression from reading my blog that the only thing I ever do it bake cakes. (or cookies, or brownies...) However, that is not the case! (Although I probably do bake more often than is good for me...) It's just that baked goods are one of my few domestic accomplishments, so I blog about them more often than, say, my stamp collection (nonexistant) or my hand-embroidered throw pillows (ha!). There was this post about a baby headband. Or this one about Halloween costumes. But be honest - the cakes really do look the best, right? ;-)

Figure of speech

As a mother of 4 children, I have finally figured out where so many of the idioms and figures of speech common in the English language have come from: children. Let me give you some examples:

1. pushing my buttons
Definition: to provoke or annoy in a way calculated specifically toward a certain person's dislikes
Origin: this phrase came into common usage right around the time personal computers became widely available. It stems from toddlers pounding on the keyboard while their mother was attempting to type an email, thus literally annoying her by "pushing her buttons."

2. "driving me crazy"
Meaning: to provoke or annoy to the point of unbalancing the victim's mental faculties
Origin: this phrase originated from small children who would drive their toy cars over every surface of the entire house, including but not limited to their mother's hair, thus getting the tiny wheels stuck in the strands and resulting in large amounts of pain, yelling, and confiscating of toy cars (see "out of my hair").

3. "by the seat of your pants"
Meaning: to narrowly escape something through luck or instinct rather than planning
Origin: this expression comes from children finding ways to avoid well deserved punishment. When the mother would attempt to correct their behavior with a spanking, the pain would be lessened, sometimes even averted entirely, by the thick diapers and pants the child wore. Needless to say this only encouraged a delay in the process of potty-training and the wearing of multiple layers of clothes, also contributing to the phrase "thick skin."

4."running around with my hair on fire" - self explanatory

5."going like a house afire" - ditto

6. "the grass is always greener on the other side"
This is less of an idiom and more of a statement of fact. With children digging holes in the lawn and tearing up handfuls of grass each time they play in the backyard, the grass quite literally is "always greener" on the other side of the fence, in the yard of one's childless neighbors. (Note: there is some debate among etymologists as to whether this grass issue may also be connected to the expression "green eyed monster" but the historical data is not clear enough to reach a conclusion at this time.)

7. "out of my hair"
Meaning: to avoid or finally gain a respite from someone who is annoying or irritating
Origin: Children are notorious for wanting to play with/in their mothers' long hair, tangling everything from hairbrushes to fingers to small vehicles in it (see "driving me crazy"). Needless to say, the relief a mother may feel when her children are "out of her hair" - even temporarily, as on a visit's to Grandma's house - is palpable. It gives her poor scalp a rest.

8. "clear as mud"
Meaning: something unfathomable or inexplicable; an explanation that is murky or makes absolutely no sense
Origin: This idiom comes quite literally from the inexplicable relationship children have with the thing itself: mud. As in, a mother asks her children "WHY are you covered in mud AGAIN?!" and their attempts at explanation leave her more confused, frustrated, and angry than ever (see "driving me crazy," "pushing my buttons," and "by the seat of your pants" for further clarification.)

9. "On the fence"
Meaning: to waver between two positions or locations, unable to decide which one to choose
Origin: In the days of yore before television was invented, children whose antics threatened their mother's sanity (see "driving me crazy" and "pushing my buttons") would be kicked outside to play in the backyard to get them "out of my hair"; however, according to the principle of "the grass is always greener on the other side," they would compare their own pitted and dying grass to that of next door and, quite understandably, attempt to climb the fence in order to reach the "greener grass" in the neighbor's yard. However, because they were only 2 and 3 years old, and neither their sense nor their stature corresponded to their goals, they would soon become stuck with one leg on either side of the 12 foot fence. Yelling at the top of their lungs, their mother would come running to find them "on the fence," unable to move in either direction. She would take them down, alternately hugging and scolding them, and bring them indoors where they would again begin the cycle of "driving me crazy" and "pushing my buttons."

10. "Get out of hand"
Meaning: the situation gets to the point where it is out of control or completely chaotic
Origin: The origin for this idiom is fairly simple, although it might more correctly be phrased "get out of arms." The moment the baby is "out of your hands" or arms - i.e. starting to crawl or walk - he and everything he does is now out of the mother's control. Generally causing the mother to lose HER control (see "driving me crazy," "pushing my buttons," "out of my hair," and "the grass is always greener on the other side"). The only solution for this is to keep the children within your arms and hold them tightly with your hands at all times. See "hugging."

Customer Service

TO: Customer Service

Department of Child Assignment

Heaven

RE:  Recent Purchases

Dear Sir,

This is the third letter I've written concerning my recent purchases of your product, and I have yet to recieve any satisfaction from your department. I find myself far from happy with my purchases, 4 units of your "Cute Little Baby" product (serial numbers 1292006, 0272008, 08292009, and 04222011). These products were marked as "precious, adorable, sweet, cuddly little babies" and sure, they lived up to your promises at the beginning. I read the warning labels about the side effects - "may include sleep deprivation, irritability, and lack of personallo bvgbftvb tgh nl time" - but I thought the benefits seemed to outweigh the risks, and they did...at first. However, I failed to notice the "fine print" clause which stated "warning - unit will most likely grow into loud, obnoxious, destrucive, screaming toddler!" I really think this warning ought to be written in giant letters and posted ALL OVER THE PACKAGING! 

As you'll notice from my other letters, my attempts to return these purchases have been rejected. Apparently the fact that I feel you used FALSE ADVERTISING to get me to buy your product is insufficient to overcome your "No Returns or Exchanges" policy. I think I should at least be allowed to exchange them for a better-behaved model. I find your policy most inflexible and unhelpful. 

At the very least, I feel I should be entitled to some sort of refund, as these products have become insatiable eating machines consuming every last resource I possess. They consume not only all of my food, but also every spare bit of my time, energy, sleep, health, personal grooming, and patience. I find your claim that these products are a "long-term investment" and "should start showing major returns in approximately 18 years" to be very unhelpful. I don't want to wait 18 years to see a return on my investment! I bought it hoping to be able to enjoy it NOW! Who thinks 18 years ahead, anyway?

Because of all these problems with your products, and the fact that your customer service representatives have been so unhelpful in dealing with them, I am writing to inform you that I will no longer be purchasing your...

What's that? You have a NEW model? Sweet smelling? Blue eyes? EXTRA-cuddly? Awwwww.....

Well...I suppose I could always use one more. Ok, you've got a deal!

Sincerely,

A Mother

This is how I clean

Two hours ago, I decided I needed to send in the mortgage check, so I went to the kitchen counter in search of the checkbook. (Don't ask why it was on the kitchen counter - but I spotted it there several days ago.)

In the process of trying to find it, I noticed that there was a big pile of junk all over the counter, so I sorted through that and found some sewing supplies and some books that I needed to take back to the office.

In the process of putting those things away in the office, I realized that there was now room in the trashcan for the pile of things I was throwing away in my attempt to clean out the office, so I dragged the trashcan around and started throwing it away. Then I saw some trash outside in the yard and went to throw that away. Then I spotted some clothes that the kids had left outside that had gotten all muddy, so I took them into the laundry room to put them into the hamper to wash them.

Then I realized the laundry room floor was completely covered with dirty clothes, trash, and spilled oxi-clean powder, so I swept up all the trash and picked up the pile of clothes to wash. I had to switch over the laundry in order to put the dirty clothes in, so I carried the clean clothes into the living room to fold.

Then I remembered that I had been going to mop the laundry room floor, so I went to the kitchen to fill u p the bucket and realized that the sink was full of dirty dishes from lunch. I washed them and put them in the dishwasher and started it, then realized I hadn't picked anything out for dinner. I went to the freezer to look, only to discover that I had forgotten to tell Robert to buy any hamburger at the store....but that reminded me that I had remembered to buy lightbulbs.

So I went back to the laundry room to get the lightbulbs, noticing on the way that I still hadn't finished the laundry room floor, but I was focused on lightbulbs now, so I got my bulbs and went to the bathroom to replace the lightbulbs. Then I saw that Joseph had never finished cleaning the bathroom, so I called him and got him working on it again, showing him how to do it right. Replaced the lightbulb, which reminded me of two more lamps that needed replacing, so I went to do those. One of them worked but the other one didn't fit, so I went back to the laundry room to find the right size.

While I was reaching up into the cabinet I noticed that there was a big pile of fish supplies (HOW long ago did we throw away our fish tank?!) on top of the dryer, so I took those out to the trashcan to throw them away. While I was outside I went to check the mail, and that reminded me that I needed to send in the mortgage check. I went back in the house. The mortgage check is still sitting on the counter....

Don't judge. One day you will have a house and four small children and then you, too, will be crazy!

UPDATE: I finally mopped the laundry room floor. It is the only clean room in the house. "Clean" being hereto defined as "I mopped the floor."

My new favorite verse

Monday is always a dreaded day in my house, not because of the return of school, but because of the mess. Despite having the better portion of the house all clean on Fridays, by Monday morning it is evident that we did not keep up with chores over the weekend. Usually we are too busy either doing house projects (and then not cleaning up from them) or running errands or going places or just sitting on the couch out of sheer exhaustion. This weekend was inlucded all of the above! Friday night my brother came over for dinner; Saturday we bought the materials to fix the shed, went shopping, and then saw my parents briefly on their way home from Austria; Sunday we went to church, drove up to Dixon's apple farm to buy apples, and took the boys to Awama. Needless to say, last night was the "exhaustion" phase!
So this morning, our house looks like this.

(oh, sorry, you couldn't see the picture? That's because my camera broke through sheer disgust when I snapped it...)
`
BUT last night I was reading in Proverbs (as a mom, I ALWAYS feel in need of wisdom!) and I came across Probers 14:4:

"Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox."

Now, at face value this verse may not seem very relevent, but I will show you just how relevent it is to my life as a mom!

When someone builds a barn, they don't finish it and look back and say "wow. What a lovely barn! I think I won't put any animals in it because they will just mess it up!" That would be ridiculous. A barn is a tool - it has the important function of sheltering animals from the weather and predators so they can eat and sleep in safetly. Are barns usually spotless? Nope! Animals are pretty messy. But the farmer is concerned with how useful the animal is to him and how much wealth and food he can generate through raising them either for market or to work on his farm. Nobody wants a nice clean barn with no oxen in it!

Not to compare my children with animals, but I see the same principle can be applied in my own life. If I had no children, my house could be spotless. Robert and I used to be able to clean our entire apartment in one hour - and that was after neglecting it for a week! Having children definitely multiplies the mess by a LOT! And usually, they can mess it up faster than I can clean. They do outnumber me 4 to 1!

But the verse about the oxen made me realize that the clean house is only a means, not an end. It's not the goal. Raising my children to be godly men and women who serve the Lord with all their strength is the goal! I need to stop getting so caught up in seeing a clean house as the mark of success and be more concerned with their education, growth, and strength - both physical and spiritual. The verse says that oxen bring much "revenue" through their strength. The KJV uses the word "increase." Not that we are expecting our children to make money for us (although I do hope they take care of me in my old age!) but "increase" in a spiritual sense - that they "enlarge" the kingdom of God with their strength and their work.

Now, I am not trying to use this verse as an excuse not to clean my house! (although sometimes I wish...) I actually enjoy having a clean house, and I think it makes the home much more pleasant and relaxed when it is clean. And just as there is a health component to a farmer mucking out the oxen's stalls, there is definitely a health component of keeping your house reasonably clean too! But I have to remind myself that it is the means, not the end. It's a building to shelter and feed my children and keep them safe while raising them to do God's work. I must confesss that many times I have put them in front of a movie or send them to play in their rooms so I can get the cleaning done. At the end of the day, I have a clean house...but I have missed the most important part of spending time with my children. Yikes. So I have posted this verse on my fridge to remind myself not to resent the messiness or the children who made it, but to remember the goal.

And fortunately, despite the comparison, children are unlike oxen in that they can be trained to clean up some portion of their own mess! 

The fascination of diversity

Our little family includes two boys and a girl, and I love how incredibly different they all are. I wouldn't have thought their personalities would have emerged so distinctly, so soon, but anyone who knows them will agree that they have!

I have Joseph, 3 1/2, highly intelligent, an intellectual (he begs to do schoolwork every day), extremely talkative and articulate, and very artistic - he loves to draw.

Then we have James, 2 1/2, very physical (he walked at 8 months), strong, silent type, loves outside, nature, his favorite toys are sticks, rocks, bugs, and of course dirt! He is also fascinated by mechanical things, and is constantly trying to use Daddy's tools.

And finally, Gabriella, the baby, 11 months, the people lover and people pleaser, very interactive, always smiling, and happy as long as she has someone around to adore her; also very "chatty" in her baby babble.

Don't believe me? Here is an example from the other day to illustrate:

It had just rained the day before, and all 3 kids were playing outside, with me observing and sometimes interacting. Each child had picked an activity that perfectly displayed his/her personality:

Joseph had an old paintbrush and was dipping into the puddles of water and painting pictures on the outside wall, commentating about his artwork the entire time: "look, it's Thomas the steam engine! Thomas has the number 1. Now I draw Percy...."

James had overturned his wagon, which was full of water, thus making a lovely mud puddle in the dirt. He was spinning the wheels of the wagon around and around, trying to figure out the mechanism that made them spin.

Gabriella was picking up the soccer ball and then rolling it toward me so I would kick it softly back to her, smiling and babbling at me the whole time.

And I just smiled and watched the whole thing, amazed at how different and wonderful my three children are - and even more amazed at the God Who created them that way.