Friday Ramblings

Oh Friday, how I love you!

I can barely believe that we are done with our school work right now with no lingering work to do over the weekend. It seems no matter how hard the kids work during the week, there are at least a couple hours of school work to oversee over the weekend for the homeschool academy classes. (usually projects and writing assignments.)  Praise the Lord we get two full days off from school this week! What a relief! I need a break from being school teacher.

My oldest boy deserves some crazy kudos for his efforts and sweetness this week. He was up each morning by 6:00 or 6:30 working studiously at his desk. Of course it benefits him to have no work over the weekend, but you know why he was working so hard? Because he wanted to give ME a break this weekend. All of his writing assignments require a pep talk from me and much encouragement to keep going. And he's been writing a lot this year, which means I've been cheering a lot. (or perhaps coaxing the words out of his mouth is a more accurate description?) Getting his amazing thoughts on paper is hard for my boy, but we are making progress. Praise the Lord.

My two day long crazy headache has finally subsided. Praise the Lord! Ibuprofen and tylenol did nothing to stop the pain. Was it a migraine? I have no idea, but somehow we charged on with life. Oh the pain from lights and sounds was intense and sleep did not come easily. Any head ache remedies out there that have worked for you? please share!

The conflict and screaming and revengeful behaviors between all four siblings have been through the roof. It is ugly! The resulting crying and drama have been too much to handle. But you know what? Today during our Bible time, three of the kids wanted to take time to pray for peace, obedience and cooperation. OF COURSE WE CAN STOP AND PRAY FOR PEACE IN OUR HOME! What a sweet moment listening to them pray. Aaron asked to share a Bible verse he learned at Community Bible Study. He said, "We should be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry." (James 1:19) Yes, indeed. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses since that sweet moment, but they know they need God's help to love each other well. So do I!

Even if you've only read this blog for a short time, you've figured out that I am highly emotional. I'm either really happy (not so much of that recently), or really low. Not a lot of middle ground for me. We are studying Nehemiah at Community Bible Study and as usual, God is teaching me. I love this excerpt from our study guide.

"Nehemiah was a strong and influential person who had strong and deep emotions. Like many biblical men (consider David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even Jesus Himself), he didn't try to hide what he was feeling. Instead, he directed his feelings to God in prayer. When Nehemiah heard the terrible news about Jerusalem, he wept and mourned - and prayed and fasted- for days. When he was sad before the king and the king pointed it out, he was 'very much afraid' and shot up a prayer to heaven. Nehemiah didn't seem to buy into the modern idea that having or displaying emotions is a sign of weakness. However, Nehemiah's emotions didn't rule him - they sent him to God in prayer. Nehemiah admitted his feelings - and then directed them to God, opening a door for God to move in and act."

This study comes at a perfect time for me. God can handle my emotions and they are not wrong to have. I can take my emotions to Him and He hears me! I'm so thankful that God's word is coming alive to me in this season of life that can feel so challenging. What would I do without His word? It is my rock. No matter where I turn in the Bible, I feel His love and mercy. He is teaching me and I'm thankful that He has given me eyes to see what He wants me to learn.

Okay... that is all for my Friday ramblings. It is time for our cleaning teams to jump into action and get ready for a special weekend. (All you out there who have raised boys, do they ever get the concept of aiming INTO the toilet? Oh my goodness. You would think they are not even paying attention. It's time to tackle those toilets and dirt piles. Hooray!)

The Little Things

Sometimes it is the little things that fill my heart with thanksgiving.

1) Luke came to me excitedly this morning. "Mommy, guess what song came on the radio just now?" (guesses from me) "It was 'Fix My Eyes' and it was like God was reminding me to start my day by fixing my eyes on Jesus."

2) Ethan is exploring his God-given talent and creating new drawings daily. He made this one today by looking at a tiny picture he saw on the cover of a book.

3) I wouldn't have guessed taking a personality test would bless me, but it did.  I took this test HERE. My results strongly favored one specific personality type. It has been a blessing to think through both my strengths and weaknesses. God has been reminding me that He's at work smoothing out those many rough edges. Somehow it was so eye-opening and not discouraging. "Being confident of this that He who began a work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

4) Our young lady (but really still a little girl) was loved by her sweet brothers this week. The boys set up this stuffed animal display on Irina's bed and that made her so happy. She was giddy! (It was pretty thoughtful that Luke cleaned her room for her too!)

5) Aaron has been doing a lot of sleep walking and having lots of night terrors these days. I don't love seeing him distressed, but once he calms down he is SO snuggly and sweet. I'm glad my boy is still cuddly even though he is growing up so fast. 

6) Saving money on gas makes me thankful. With Kroger Fuel perks, I saved 90 cents per gallon.  Hooray! Only $18.22 for 18 gallons of gas...wow!

Homeschool Day at the Capitol

We took the day off from school today to attend Homeschool Day at the Capitol. 

It was a LONG but lovely day. We started out at the Library Of Virginia with 

opening remarks and a funny skit by TeenPact on how a bill becomes a law. 

It was very clever and kept the attention of my crew. Not an easy task. ;)

Then we were off to the Supreme Court Building for a tour. 

Capitol Square

 Tour of the Capitol: Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee

 George Washington Statue in the Capitol Rotunda

A peak in to the House of Delegates

 Tour of the Executive Mansion

 Lastly, St. John's Church for a Re-enactment of Patrick Henry's Speech

Inside the church

 Patrick Henry actor

 George Washington Actor

This field trip today required lots of patience and quiet listening. I can honestly say that they did great!?! Wow! Are they growing up? Are we entering a new phase? I'm so proud of them. The older two boys were especially attentive and interested. Irina did pretty well even though she had no background for even understanding what this trip was about. She absorbed everything though. It was hard for her to sit still, but she mostly did it! We're making progress. Thankful to be reminded of that today. Not to mention being thankful for homeschool perks AND a great adult to kid ratio! (4 adults/4 kids) :)

First Skate

Irina enjoyed her first time on roller skates a couple weeks ago. Much like with swimming 

and biking, she was determined to learn and disappointed when our time was up. 

I didn't get a photo of speedy Luke, but all the kids had a great time at the skating birthday party.

Aaron proudly wore his basketball uniform. (We went there straight after his game.)

He LOVED this ingenious push cart.

As for me, it brought back many happy memories of the roller skating days of my youth. 

I happily laced up the stinky, germy skates and cruised the wood floors with the kids.  

Clever

Did you know there are other uses for the adjustable elastic waistband in kids jeans?

It can also be used as a pencil holder. Clever boy. ;)

Comfort

If you are looking for some interesting reading, do a search on the impact of abuse and neglect on the developing brain. It's really quite fascinating and horrifying all at the same time. Reading for merely five minutes will convince you that parenting a child from a hard place is very different then parenting a child raised in a loving environment. I read this quote HERE and find it a timely reminder.

"We need to understand the indelible relationship between early life experiences and cognitive, social, emotional and physical health." - Dr. Bruce Perry

This is not new information to me, so why do I find myself surprised by the fluctuation between "storms" and "sunshine' in my daughter? It's more then hormonal tween behavior, by the way. There is a very real reason why particular situations will create the "fight, flight, or freeze" response in Irina. (We've seen all three.) It's so important for us to be prepared and anticipate these reactions with a plan. (which we are working on learning!) The good news...

"There is hope, however. The brain is very "plastic" - meaning it is capable of changing in response to experiences, especially repetitive and patterned experiences." - Dr. Bruce Perry

"Children can learn to balance brain neurochemistry. Regulation has to be modeled and developed. Over time, they learn self-regulation. It must be mentored." - Dr. Karyn Purvis

What that looks like for Irina is very endearing to my heart. When we are at home and she is struggling to self-regulate her "go-to comfort" is this:

She goes to the school room, closes the door, pops in the accompanying audio CD and listens while she is reading along. Sometimes she'll bring it up to her room and listen to it the entire hour long rest time. She is learning to find her comfort in Jesus. What could be better? What a sweet little heart.

100

We celebrated our 100th day of school this week. Hooray! Technically, 80 more to go...

I didn't have the time or energy for any shenanigans like last year. :)

In fact, I scrounged around the night before for something I could make to surprise 

them without going to the grocery store. (I don't keep a stocked pantry.) I came up with this:

A white cake with chocolate icing, decorated with pecans. 

Even though they all told me they don't like cake, they didn't have 

any trouble gobbling it up and asking for second helpings. 

We've worked hard and are more then halfway through our curriculum. 

Great job kids! I can't wait for hot summer days and trips to the pool.