In Retrospect, It's Kinda Funny!

Decorating the Christmas tree has been quite the adventure this year. It all started just before Halloween.

You see, I had this grandiose idea that we could make all of our ornaments this year and have an old-fashioned (except for the lights and the lighted angel on top) Christmas tree. We were going to string popcorn and make all of these wonderful, homemade ornaments. So before Halloween, I started collecting ideas. My mom gave me some really great ones, too. But, I only implemented one of them. She told me how to make these really wonderful string ornaments using crochet thread, balloons, and liquid starch. First of all, I thought crochet thread was yarn. Mom crochets and was a little put-off by my ignorance. Once she set me straight, I went to the store to get the thread, balloons, and starch.

I came home with the thread (not yarn), balloons, and liquid starch, and Ben and I blew up an entire bag of balloons.Thirty balloons. Because I'm overambitious like that. And because I way overestimated my children's ability to do and to remain focused on these ornaments. I think Hayden might have done part of one. Abby might have done an entire one and started a few others, which I finished. I did the rest. All 13 of them.

Once they dried and it was time to pop the balloons and remove them from the thread, I discovered that I didn't effectively communicate to the kids. I told them to hold the balloon near the knot and wrap the thread around the balloon. What I didn't tell them was not to wrap the thread around the knot. Over and over and over. You see, once the balloon is popped, it should just easily come out of the ornament. Only it doesn't work that way if the thread, which was fully soaked in liquid starch and has now dried quite hard, is wrapped tightly around the balloon knot. So I had to cut several ornaments. This left a gaping hole in the ornament. So, those ornaments got thrown away. We were left with a few ornaments.

I just realized that I haven't told you WHY I had this wonderful idea for making ornaments this year. Last year, we celebrated our first Christmas in our house. Previously, we lived in a two-bedroom townhouse. With carpet in every room. Our house has hardwood flooring in the living room and the hallway. The only carpet is in the bedrooms. Why is this a problem, you ask? Because 99% of our ornaments were glass ornaments. That wasn't a problem when we lived in a fuly-carpeted apartment. Even with two kids and a dog. However, when we went to decorate our tree last year, I had just a little bit of foresight and said to Ben, "Don't you think we should go buy some shatter-proof ornaments? Almost all of ours are breakable." Ben said, "No, they'll be fine. The kids just need to learn to leave the tree alone." (The dog didn't make the move to the new house; he lives with my in-laws now due to Hayden's allergies.) From the day that we decorated the Christmas tree until the day we took it down, I swept up at least one broken ornament a day. Thus the need for new ornaments.

Back to this year: We finally got our Christmas tree this past Saturday. We usually get our tree Thanksgiving weekend, but we were a week late this year. There was a tree at the tree farm that we all fell in love with. It was this beautiful blue spruce that had the perfect Christmas tree shape and, according to Abby, "lots of room for loot!" (Guess we need to really hammer home the true reason we celebrate Christmas and that it's better to give than to receive.) When we found out the price of the beautiful blue spruce, we decided that we'd better choose another tree! So we found a wonderful Norway spruce that is just as beautifully shaped as the blue spruce and has "lots of room for loot" because of Ben's trimming job once we got the tree home. Some of the lower branches had to be trimmed so that the tree would actually get into the tree stand; he just got a little carried away. It kind of reminded me of that "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy kept telling Ricky to trim a little here and a little there... and eventually there was nothing left to the tree! (Okay, so it wasn't quite that bad, but I do think that Ben actually thought for a minute that he would have to go buy another tree.)

Once we had the tree in the stand, it was time to put the lights on the tree. Only we had to go buy lights because ours from last year were no longer safe; Ben had to splice them together to make them work. The tree had been decorated for a couple of weeks when about half of them decided to work intermittently, and there was no way that we were going to take everything off of the tree so we could put new lights on. So the old lights went out with last year's Christmas tree. Saturday afternoon, I went to Walmart to buy lights because we had none. So I bought this box of 400 lights, took them home, and we tested them. They all worked. Got them on the tree, and half of one string (there were two strings total) quit working. Ben found out that it was a connector issue, not a bulb issue, so he took the lights back to Walmart and got some new ones. He had to get four boxes of 100 lights each because they had no more boxes of 400 lights. He tested each string, and only three strings worked. (Figures.) We were optimistic that three strings would be enough to cover the tree. Um, wrong! There was about 18 inches of tree that didn't have any lights. By this time the kids were tired and really, really wanted to decorate the tree, so we let them put a couple of ornaments each on the tree and told them that we'd get one more string of lights after church on Sunday and we'd finish decorating the tree.

Sunday, we went straight to Walmart after church let out (thankfully, we went to the early service) and got our string of lights. We came home, had a quick lunch, and set to decorating the tree. We discovered once we opened up the boxes of ornaments and Christmas decorations that we had this nice, unopened box of FOUR HUNDRED LIGHTS in with our Christmas decorations! It was then that Ben and I remembered that we had gone to Kmart after Christmas last year and bought lights on sale. Because we knew we would need them this year. And because we were saving ourselves some money by doing this.

After getting over the initial disgust of this finding, we started decorating the tree. We found out that we had quite a few unbreakable ornaments after all, and there were a bunch of applesauce ornaments that Abby and I made a few years ago, and then the few string ornaments that survived to be decorated with, and then the two boxes of candy canes. All in all, the decorations on the tree look really pretty this year. I think this is one of my favorite trees in our 11 years of marriage.

Then came Hayden's favorite part: putting the angel on the tree and lighting it. Once we finally got the angel on the tree, we discovered that she didn't work. Talk about frustrating! So Ben and Hayden went off to Walmart to buy another angel for the tree while the girls and I stayed here. Ruth was napping, Abby got on the phone with my mom, and I swept pine needles from the floors. The boys came back with a beautiful angel, and it works! :)

While in the moment, everything seemed to go wrong, I can look back and see the humor in it all. It is definitely a Christmas we won't soon forget!

Next on the agenda is to spend time during the next few weeks teaching and reiterating the whole reason we celebrate Christmas...

Baby Food, Anyone?

We have three children, and until very recently, I have never made baby food. Yup. I've always bought the Gerber jars and packages of baby food. Actually, we've spent a small fortune in baby food!

My adventures in making baby food began a few months ago, before Ruth was even eating solids. We had gone to a local peach orchard and bought a lot of peaches. We ate some of them, and I made a cobbler or something with some of them, and we still had some leftover. They were starting to get soft, so I got the bright idea of cooking them and making baby food so that we wouldn't lose the peaches. There weren't enough left to make a pie or anything, so this was the best use I could think of.

Being ignorant of making baby food, I did this the only way I knew how: cook the peaches like I do apples when I make applesauce. Since they were really tart peaches, I added some sugar. My food processor was still packed up in an unknown box in our shed at that time, so I used my hand mixer to puree the peaches as best as I could. After they were as thin as I could get them, I put the mixture into ice cube trays and froze it. I found out that Ruth couldn't eat the peaches until a few weeks ago because they were just a little too chunky for her.

But then a few weeks ago, while looking for something else in the shed, I found my food processor! My wheels started turning... what could I do with the food processor? I used it to grate up a huge block of cheese that we purchased from Costco, but I knew that there must be something else I could do, something that wouldn't take a lot of time.

Fast forward to this past Saturday. I was at the grocery store picking up some baby food for Ruth, and I noticed that the price per pound for the jar of sweet potatoes listed on the shelf sticker was something like $2.50/lb. Wow! This jar was $0.63. My lightning-fast brain said that I wasn't going to get a pound of baby food sweet potatoes for $2.50. I happened to be on the phone with my mom at the time and remarked to her about the cost. She said, "Why don't you make some baby food for her instead?" So I went over to the produce section and saw that a pound of sweet potatoes was $0.49. Hmmm.... this is really starting to make sense here. So I spent $0.88 for three sweet potatoes, took them home, washed them, baked them, and scooped the potato out of the skin and threw it into the food processor with some water. After I got it to the right consistency for Ruth, I put the sweet potato puree into the ice cube trays and had enough leftover for two more servings. Assuming that Ruth will eat two of the cubes of sweet potatoes in one sitting--because that's how much of the peaches she eats--I got 18 total servings for just $0.88! I pay more that than for a two-pack of Gerber sweet potatoes at Walmart! Oh, and guess what? Ruth likes these a lot more!

So in an effort to save money and feed my family a little healthier, I have decided to start making baby food whenever possible. It doesn't take much time, and it freezes well, so there is baby food on hand in the freezer--much like some of the healthier food items I've been making for my family lately. If I can cook healthier and a little cheaper for the rest of the family, and cook enough to freeze for another time, then why not do the same thing for the baby?

You know, the Proverbs 31 woman was a pretty resourceful lady. I'd really like to be more like her.

Motherly Wisdom

Now, before anyone gets any crazy ideas, I am not the one dispensing the motherly wisdom. It's from my mom. And, since I can't say it any better than she said it, I'm just going to copy it straight from the emails she sent me this week.

The first one was sent on Monday and was simply given the subject, "Encouragement." Unfortunately, I didn't read it until this evening. This is what my mom said to me on Monday:

"Hi Megan, just had a couple of thoughts that I decided to pass on to you. Please do not take this the wrong way; just trying to help. Spend time in prayer each morning before the kids get up. Take the authority that is yours in Christ and bind any and all spirits of strife. Remember the enemy will come at you through your children. Quite the rat, huh? Pastor Farley has been teaching out of 1st Cor. 13---the love chapter. Maybe you could spend some time teaching and encouraging them that love is not rude, love does not demand its own way. Well, I could just go on and on but I'm sure you get what I'm trying to say. I know this--God's word always makes a difference. We may not see the results as quickly as we want, but if we will continue to look at His word, trust Him, believe Him--we will not be disappointed-----first the blade, then the ear........Love and prayers...Mom"

So I wrote her back this evening and said this:

"Oh, how I wish I'd read this earlier this week. It's been such a hectic week that email hasn't exactly been a priority.

I understand what you're saying and I certianly didn't take it wrong. (You don't have to worry about "intruding" here... I'll take your advice!) One of my biggest problems is that I can never seem to get up earlier than the kids. No matter how early I try to get up, they are either up at the same time or right on my heels. Early morning used to be my time. I'd go to the gym and pray all the way there and all the way back, listen to praise and worship during my workout and even a sermon or two if I had them on my iPod. Then there would be time later for a little bit of Bible reading because I'd have all of that done and be showered before the kids got out of bed. Do you have any suggestions?"

To which my mom replied tonight:

"Yes, I do have a suggestion. If you can't be up before the kids, then every time you go to the bathroom--use this time to visit your heavenly throne also. I used to do that all the time-even kept a bible in there. Also, use their nap time to spend with God. I assure you that this is time well spent and the benefits are tremendous. As you do this, you will be surprised at how much more you actually get accomplished in a day. Even use a few minutes after the kids are in bed at night.Megan, God knows exactly where you are and all the demands that are on you. He is most understanding and He will reward you for the few minutes here and there. Now, let me also encourage you to set aside a regular time when you can. As long as you have children, time will always seem to be hectic but as they grow it is a different hectic at different stages. I never home schooled so you are experiencing something I never experienced. Know that I am in your corner and praying for you. You are doing a great job with "my babies". God loves you too. Just always lean heavily on Him and He will give you all the strength, wisdom and everything else that you have need of. Just take things one day at a time. Hope this helps. Love ya much..Mom P.S. Try playing some praise music through the day!!!"

I really love my mom! She's quite the lady. I'm so thankful for her wisdom and her loving encouragement.

Maybe her words of wisdom will benefit you, as well.

Looking Forward to the "New Compassions" Tomorrow

Today actually started out pretty good. Hectic, but good.

Wednesday mornings are always hectic. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not very organized--although I truly do try--or if it's because getting up between 6:00-6:30 to start the day after being up with Ruth once or twice in the night, with the last one being anywhere between 4-5 a.m., is less doable than I'd like to think it is, or what. I've tried quick, easy breakfasts for the kids like oatmeal or cold cereal. Those mornings were truly battle mornings. So I heard about this awesome recipe for breakfast cake from a friend who tried it with her kids. It's great, and the kids eat it without any complaining on their part or begging on my part. When I actually get it prepared the night before and get up at the aforementioned time.

Today was not one of those days. I got up late--6:45, to be exact. Got myself ready, and then it was marathon pace to get the kids out of bed, dressed, fed, lunches packed, teeth and hair brushed, coats on, backpacks together, and everyone out the door so that we could be at co-op by 9:00. We literally like 3 minutes from our co-op site, so you'd think it wouldn't be that big of a deal... but as I said, I am not very organized. It seems that the harder I try to be organized, the more I fail.

Somehow we made it to co-op on time. While we were at co-op, everything was great! Then I found out that Hayden pretty much keeps to himself in his class because aside from two other boys who are his age, the room is full of girls, and most of them are 2 or younger. The two boys his age are bigger than him and they play super rough. (That's putting it mildly.) Large groups intimidate him, and he won't play that rough with other boys... at least, not like they play. Then he told another mom in his class that his ear was hurting, which prompted me to call the pediatrician and schedule an appointment for this afternoon. He had been complaining to me about his ear for the last couple of days, but I figured that if he told another mom who he doesn't really know that well that his ear was hurting, it must have really been hurting.

So we get home from co-op, the kids go to their rooms for naps (Abby, of course, didn't take one, and she's the one who truly needed one the most), and then I got them rushed out the door again so we could make it to the pediatrician's office on time.

The pediatrician looked in his ears and at his throat and listened to him breathe and she found no issues and chalked it all up to allergies. Like his mama, Hayden has allergy issues that carry over into the fall. On the upside of all of this chaos, we found out that Hayden gained two pounds in the last month. That's huge! He finally weighs 29 pounds! For that, I am very thankful. His weight has been a major concern for me.

So we go home and Ben and I decide that tonight would be a good pizza night. Abby had a Book It coupon to redeem at Pizza Hut, so she got to use that and we ordered pizza for everyone else. I had the bright idea that since we were having pizza, why not make it a movie night, too? We ate our dinner in the living room while watching Peter Pan.

Here's where the whole evening went straight down the toilet.

Since Hayden doesn't sit through a movie, I thought that I'd let him listen to my iPod. He informed me that he had pooped his pants. I swear, that boy is trying to set the record for the most consecutive days of pooping in one's pants. That really irritated me. I've been telling him every day for the last week or so to go to the potty instead of going in his pants. I don't know why he's been doing this, but I've got to say that I'm sick of it. Cleaning poop out of cloth diapers was one thing; to clean it out of his underwear on a daily basis is quite another.

I got him cleaned up, into come clean underwear and a pair of shorts since it was almost bedtime, and had just started Ruth's bath water when I heard a loud sound and then heard Abby crying. Hayden had gotten mad at her and thrown his sippy cup at her and hit her in the mouth. That just flew all over me! I couldn't believe he would do such a thing! I got mad at him and swatted his bottom and made him stay in his room until I got Ruthie bathed. Then I put him in the bathtub and talked to him while bathing him, and then Ben put him to bed.

So what started out as a hectic day with a couple of hours that were good ended in an awful evening. I went to my room to nurse Ruthie to sleep and felt like a complete failure. Where did I mess up if my kid is being so mean to his older sister? Why did I have such a short fuse with him? Does he really know that I love him, even though I made sure that I told him that several times before he went to bed? Do my kids think of me as a grumpy, irritated bitch who does nothing but fuss at them, or do they see me as loving and caring? I hope it's the latter, but I'm sure that some days it isn't.

All I know right at this moment is that the Bible says in Lamentations 3:22-23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Thank God, tomorrow is a new day.

"Buckets of Grace"

Well, it has been over a year since I have written anything here. How time flies!

First, let's start with the changes that have taken place during the last year. We became a homeschool family and joined our local Classical Conversations co-op. We love homeschooling! Abby had a very successful Kindergarten year and is now in the first grade. We also bought a house last year! We finally closed on the house on the Wednesday in the week before Thanksgiving and moved in--with the help of family and friends--that Saturday. Since I was expecting at that time, Ben would not allow me to paint; he, his sister and her husband, and their mom painted the interior of the house in two days and did a great job. It was a whirlwind weekend with the closing, the packing of the truck, the painting, the unpacking of the truck, and the placement of furniture, but we all survived it and settled in to our new house quite nicely.

The biggest--and best--change of the last year is the birth of our third child. Ruth Elizabeth was born on March 10, 2010, at 11:28 a.m. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 3 oz, and was 21 inches long. (Before you ask, she was born via c-section! Perhaps that will be another post.) And she had the most hair of the three children! Ruth has been such a blessing to our family; she's always happy, always has a smile, and has such a beautiful laugh. She's on the way to becoming a mobile baby. Currently, at 7 months old, she scoots on her bottom and goes backward when she's on her tummy. When she gets those knees up under her and figures out how to go forward, I have a feeling that she'll be a tough one to stop!

Now that we are well into our second year of homeschooling, I have been trying to find a new balance in everyday life. Summer was a little easier because there wasn't any formal schooling to be done during the day. We still did school, but it was at a very relaxed pace. There was plenty of time for play, for naps, for errands, for housework, for devotions... but lately I have found myself struggling because I haven't been accomplishing what I've felt needed to be accomplished, especially in my personal devotional time. I have put my devotional time right up there with my gym time (not necessarily in that order); it seems that no matter how early I get up to try to fit it into my day, one or more of the kids intrinsically knows that I am either about to get up or am up and also gets up, thus leaving me with no quiet time in the morning for Bible study. Nap time, you say? Ruth takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap, and Hayden takes an afternoon nap. During the time that both Hayden and Ruth are sleeping, Abby and I work on phonics so that she can better hear and understand and can succeed with that subject. How about after the kids are put to bed? By the time we get all three kiddos in the bed, the dishes washed and put away, and any laundry folded, I am so tired that I could easily fall into bed.

This has actually been a point of great stress for me, so much so that I recently posed a question to my Facebook friends on this very subject. A couple of friends from college who have children who are the same ages or older than my own gave very wise advice, which I have tried to heed. One said that when her children were babies and young children, she "settled in [her] spirit that the season wasn't going to be a time of much study, so [she] tried to keep her heart sensitive to [God's] leading." Another friend said, "I adhere more to the 'pray without ceasing' philosophy... I don't formally start or end a prayer, but pray whenever I get two seconds to rub together throughout the day (or night)." Wow! Do you know how freeing their advice has been? I wasn't looking for an excuse or a "hall pass" to slack off on my Bible study, but I think that I had set the bar impossibly high for me during this season of life. Infancy doesn't last forever, and I want to enjoy every minute of it. Believe it or not, because I have relaxed about this, I have actually been able to fit in some time for Bible study--even if it's just 5 minutes. I've begun to see this season as one of grace.

Which leads me to the title of this post: "Buckets of Grace." At our co-op today, I had the pleasure of being the room mother in a class of girls who are older than Abby. The tutor, by way of a rabbit trail, was talking to the girls about being nice to their siblings and extending them grace--"buckets of grace"--because that is what God does for us daily. Each day He has "buckets of grace" for us--grace for all of our sins, all of our mess-ups, all of our bad attitudes. As parents, we need to have "buckets of grace" for our children because He shows us grace; in doing so, we will teach our children about God's love. Does that mean that we don't correct them when they do something wrong or that we just sit idly by and let them do whatever they want? No, but it does mean that we offer them loving correction, just as our Heavenly Father does to us, and show them how to live in grace: "unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification." (Merriam-Webster)

So, in this particular season of life, I want to live so that I offer "buckets of grace" to my family and those around me, and I want to live in the realization that God also has "buckets of grace" for me.