Thirteen Years

Where has the time gone? Yesterday she was just a baby. Tomorrow she is 13. She has left her childhood years behind forever and entered a new phase of life. She is a teenager.

 

She is very much the same baby I brought home. She still doesn't like to sleep. She is still as inquisitive as she has always been. She goes to sleep with a head full of wonderful imaginations. She still doesn't like hugs or kisses.

 

But she is so very different, too.

 

She is more of an introvert than an extrovert. She is the champion of the underdog. She has compassion for those less fortunate. She has a bulldog determination and likes to figure things out on her own. She is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is very black and white about certain things.

 

She is very talented. And brilliant.

 

She plays piano, a little of the drums, and loves to sing. She is passionate about sign language and has learned a little Italian. She has also devoted hours of time to memorizing the book of Proverbs.

 

This is a little tribute to my beautiful girl. She fills my heart with love, awe and gratitude. She inspires me to improve myself. 

 

Just looking at her makes me understand how much the Creator really loves me. Why else would He grant me such a beautiful gift?

 

I love you, Hannah Rose.

 



The Boy And His Bed

Every day, my son begins his arduous task of making his bed. This is an intense process with several Parts. The first step is to begin the day's audio production. This may be Oliver Twist. Or The Horse and His Boy. Or one of Jonathan Park's adventures. Or maybe even an Adventures in Odyssey. He then climbs up his ladder and begins The Animal Stack. Literally. He removes all of his at least 25 animals to the head of his loft bed and makes a perfect pyramid. But before he completes his pyramid, he stops to recite his lines: (this one in particular from Oliver Twist)

 

"Oh please sir, may I please have more soup?" ~ with the perfect British accent

 

He then continues stacking, all the while carrying on with this particular scene. He decides, since the task is so difficult, and he has had ever so many lines to say, that he would feel much better after a drink of water. He climbs down his ladder, comes to the kitchen for a drink, and then returns to his room to carry on his task.

 

Eventually The Animal Stack is completed, so he moves on to Part B in his convoluted task.

 

He begins by perfectly - and I mean perfect - aligning and tucking in his first bed sheet. Some days this takes longer than others, depending on how restful his sleep was. During this process, he pauses for a soliloquy or two.

 

I open his door to see which Part of the process he is on. And to tell him for the first (of many) times to, "hustle it up".  "I will, I will, mom," comes the usual reply.

 

He manages to finish Part B, so begins Part C. The quilt. This seems to go a little faster. He tucks, recites, tucks, recites, and tucks.  The audio drama reaches a crucial scene. He pauses for a fuller effect, and executes his lines perfectly.

 

Thirty minutes have passed. I have opened his door three times by this point.

 

He finishes Part C and begins Part D.  The animals. Every animal for a spot. Every animal with a name. Occasionally one falls off The Animal Stack and onto the floor. When this happens he will try one of two things: 1) call for Hannah to come and pick up his animal....and if she is feeling particularly generous, she will; or 2) climb down the ladder, pick up his beloved animal, do a few jigs while on solid ground, enter WHOLEHEARTEDLY into lines because of his unlimited freedom, and eventually ascend the ladder once again.

 

Forty-five minutes to one full hour has passed.

 

He finishes his bed and climbs down his ladder. He gets dressed - it is simply not the correct order to get dressed before making his bed.  All in record time.

 

One hour. Or maybe an hour and 15 minutes. Occasionally even an hour and a half. Depending on the particular audio drama and how many scenes he loved.

 

And four to five calls from me by this time.

 

This is a true, every day event. There is the odd exception, like when he really wants to go somewhere and it is dependent upon his having his bed done. In those cases he can make it in 10-15 minutes, just as perfectly.

 

But I have to be honest. Most days I really don't push it too hard. This is his time, he enjoys it, and he does a perfect job with his bed. Way better than I would if I had a loft bed (which is not easy to make). And if I have the luxury of not having something pressing, I let him take his time.

 

And in the evening.....this scene is repeated, in reverse order. He sleeps surrounded by his beloved friends, and every one of them has a special spot on his bed while he sleeps.

 

But again, I will be honest. I am not quite so patient then. I want him to get his bed "ready" because he needs to go to bed.  In ten years' time, alas, I will remember this quirk of his with fondness.

 

And so I have written this story.......

The Hude Family Circus

You know, I love my kids. I think they are awesome. They do amazing things. Have great personalities.  They are eveything a mother could ever hope for.

But if you were ever to be in a restaurant with us at the same time, you may be just be fortunate enough to witness The Hude Family Circus.

Although their fear of bugs hasn't gotten much worse, neither has it improved. And I still find myself shocked that my 11 year old girl and 9 year old boy could be reduced to toddler age over.....a fly. Yep. A little old stinkin' fly.

Today while at the IHOP for breakfast - a restaurant we don't have at home - the patrons saw an awesome spectacle. My son, with chocolate milk in hand, was the first to see the *monster fly*. The chocolate milk almost coloured the booth fabric a beautiful light brown. Rescuing the chocolate milk (and my son from a most UNcomfortable form of discipline should he have sent the milk flying), the chaos only continued. For my lovely daughter caught sight of the offensive varmint. What resulted over the next five minutes was something like this:

Hannah: Teensy scream....and a duck down in the booth.

Mom: "Hannah! Sit up now!" in a LOUD, urgent whisper.

Seth: At this point, crouching as well says a loud, "Aaahh!"

Dad: "Seth David! Get up now and calm yourself!" in a much louder whisper (he isn't quite as concerned about making a spectacle of himself as I am).

This process was repeated several times, almost verbatim, over the next five or so minutes, except that Seth actually lay down in the booth and Hannah almost slid under the table. This is not even a slight exaggeration.

I was sure the restaurant patrons were expecting to see a bird.....or something like it.....swooping down on my kids trying to make a nest in their hair, based on their behaviour. And if they didn't see the kids, or hear their minor wail, they just may have heard their parents' sharp rebuke and wanted to call Child Protective Services.

We are on vacation. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. On vacations a family tends to eat out more than usual. I think I will fast the remainder of this trip if this is any indication of what our next time eating out will be. 

Here is hoping The Hude Family Circus has packed up and left town.

Confession Is Good For The Soul

It's been so long I almost forgot my password. And how to type. Or how to make a half decent sentence.

 

But I'm going to try.

 

Today I had a phone call from my eldest sister, letting me in on a little insider information about some behaviour she witnessed from my precious, darling, sweet little lamb of a.....son. Apparently he pushed a boy (who is five years younger) for no obvious reason, resulting in the boy falling. As well, my lil-ol'-sweetie-pie ignored her when she instructed him to apologize.

 

According to my charming lad, this boy was coming toward him to *bug* him. Bug him? BUG HIM? Imagine my surprise that my son doesn't like to be....bugged. The biggest pest of our household (and about half of the city's too, I'm sure) doesn't enjoy the favour being returned to him. I told him I would have a talk with dad when he came home tonight.

 

I didn't forget, as I'm sure he hoped I would. While he was eating a bedtime snack in the kitchen, I relayed the conversation to his dad, and we talked about suitable consequences. The whole time I knew Seth was in the kitchen, but I wasn't entirely certain he was listening to us because we weren't talking really loud and sometimes he reads while eating. So, I was surprised when dad went on the hunt for Seth, only to find him......curled up in bed for the night with the light off.

 

He was, umm, a little concerned. And I held back this ripple of laughter trying to come out of me.

 

He walked tentatively out of his room for a good old chat with mama and papa.

 

Now, the chat went really well, actually. He explained his position again - that he was just defending himself from being bugged. We explained that it was really too bad what he thought, and that if the worst thing this boy was going to do was be a pest, he should be able to take it very easily since he was the King of the Pest Kingdom. We also said that under no circumstance is it acceptable to push, or hit him. Then we discussed what his consequence would be.

 

A good 20 minutes into the conversation, he decided it was a good time to come clean on the fact that he disobeyed his grandma while at her house by jumping on the rocker when she said not to.

 

Scandalous!  As if it was the only thing he ever disobeyed her for! But, it was cute.

 

It was the kind of confession that I had to turn my head away from him to hide my smirk. He was so earnest. So we very seriously told him that he needed to obey his grandma.

 

Later, after he was in bed for a while, this was obviously weighing on his mind. He called me into the bedroom.

 

"Mom, is it alright if I tell __________ (the older brother and his best friend) that my mom and dad said to stay away from ___________ (the younger brother who was victim of Seth's push), because he is such a pest?"

 

I said that he absolutely could NOT say that since that isn't what we said. We told him that if he got so annoyed by the younger brother that he needed to remove himself from his presence until he could learn how to react properly. I told him that if he felt a need to explain this to is best bud, then he needed to make sure his friend understood that he (himself) had the problem. Not his parents. 

 

A little later, while kissing Hannah good night, she had a little confession of her own.

 

"Mom, sometimes _________ (oldest sister, and her best friend) and I grab ____________ (the little pest, and brother) and hold him until he stops being a pest. I heard your discussion with Seth. I probably shouldn't do that, should I?"

 

And I sit here tonight smiling. Smiling because I have two kids with a super-duper conscience. Seth confessed something totally unrelated to our discussion. And Hannah confessed something as a result of our conversation. Neither one had to, we wouldn't have known the difference.

 

But, confession is good for the soul. And my kids sleep in peace tonight. And I sit here with a smile.



A Look Back

2012. Come....and gone.

 

January began with helping settle my Granny into her new private care home, which she had moved into a couple weeks prior. She struggled a bit with the transition, so we spent a lot of time with her to help her adjust.

 

In February I ended up in Emergency with appendicitis, which required that nasty little thing to be removed. Fortunately, the surgery went smoothly and I recovered very nicely.  February ended tragically, however, with the unexpected death of a much loved family friend, Sherri Long. She is someone who will never be forgotten by all who new her. She loved Jesus and was a Ambassador for Him. One of her greatest thrills was to bring out the best in others, and she truly excelled at this.

 

March is a month of birthdays for our family. My daughter reached the double digits, turning ten. My Granny had her 91st birthday with much celebrating, and my brother and sister-in-law both finish off the month with a birthday.

 

Likewise, April begins with Dave's birthday....he is getting ANCIENT....and then a week later it's Seth's (who turned eight). It is also a month of birthdays; my niece and brother-in-law have theirs as well.

 

May......we finished school. And celebrated.

 

In June we had three weeks of revival services with the Brother Platania. They are always a great time.  We also had to move my Granny from her private care home into a nursing home because of her advancing dementia and general health decline. Fortunately, the Lord worked it out that she was placed in the home that was our first choice and we were very grateful.  Hannah took her Grade 4 Royal Conservatory of Music in piano and passed with honours. We are very proud of her as she worked very hard for this.

 

In July we went for a 16 day vacation to the States: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Colorado. We visited Laura Ingalls Wilder homesteads in three states; Legoland in Kansas City; an underground cavern in Missouri; Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; and tons of places in Colorado Springs, where we stayed for a week - including and especially Focus on the Family AND the kids' beloved Adventures In Odyssey. We also visited excellent churches, Brother Riggen in Kansas City (where we saw my good friend Rachel Goff and her beautiful family), and Heritage Conference in Colorado Springs. Heritage Conference exceeded our expectations with AMAZING preaching and awesome, Holy Ghost anointed prayer and song service. All in all, it was the best family vacation we have ever had. One which the kids will talk about all their lives.

 

In August my dad turned 70 and we had a birthday bash for him. However, on August 30, my sweet Granny went to home to be with Jesus.
 

I could stop right here and write a whole post about this remarkable lady. It was difficult to see her swift decline in just over two months in the nursing home. But, she lived a long and full life, and was going to her reward, and for that we can never be sad. But, there will never be anyone like my Granny.  There is a big hole in my heart - and my family's that only she filled. How I miss her!

 

In September we were able to go amazing services in Calgary. And, my dad stopped his chemotherapy.....which was making him very sick. My dad has multiple myeloma (an incurable cancer of his bone marrow) and had been on chemotherapy for almost a year. It was found it wasn't helping anymore, so his chemo was stopped. He has the option of restarting a different form of chemo in 6-9 months, but the doctor gave him a life range of 1-3 years. This, of course, is very hard news for our family.

 

Good news in October though, which will always make it a special month for me....one of celebration. On October 28, Hannah was filled with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and on October 31 was baptized in Jesus' name.

 

November began with our church's annual Fun Night. And cold winter. With LOTS of snow.

 

And now we are on our last day of December. The month and the year flew by. Much has happened. Much has changed. Loved ones have been sick and some have gone on to meet Jesus. New babies have been born into the Kingdom. And, personal goals have been set in my own life, and some of them have been attained.

 

So, it is with new confidence that I begin this new year.....for in 2012 I conquered. And, although I am far from what I need to be, I am determined to keep this momentum going forth into the new year.

 

Happy New Year and much love to all!

Don't They Miss This?

Today, this is on my heart:

Many people I have known once knew this Truth.

Some got offended and left.  I ask:

Don't they miss the Holy Ghost?

Some just got carnal and wanted the world.  I ask:

Don't they miss the Holy Ghost?

Some got worn out with the struggle.  I ask:

Don't they miss the Holy Ghost?

Some have been seduced by false doctrines and lies from the devil.  I ask:

Don't they miss the Holy Ghost?

That is the biggest question I have of all. Regardless of offense (and I have been offended), regardless of carnality (and I am - more than I care to admit), regardless of the struggles (and I've had my share), regardless of the appeal of an "easier - *grace-filled* way".......how can one who TRULY experienced the Baptism of the Holy Ghost function without it? I tried - for just over a year when I was 15 years old. I couldn't. I will never forget the complete, utter, desolation without the indwelling of God's spirit, and the ability to be refilled with it over and over.

There is one thing that cannot be denied about this Truth: The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an undeniably real, irreplacable experience. I never, ever, EVER want to live without it again.

And I ask: How could anyone else?

Just Like Dad

We've had some really good preaching lately. Not that is hasn't been in the past, mind you, just that maybe God is actually.....getting through. Amazing.  One of the messages my pastor preached was about "improving our position". Since then that phrase has been on my mind regularly.

 

One of the ways our family has "improved our position" is in daily Bible reading and Bible study (I mean as a family). This should have been done a long time ago and I am ashamed that it hasn't. However.....we are "improving our position" and can only go forward from here. Each of us have picked a book of our choice and we read one chapter a night until that book is finished. Then we choose a different one. Consequently we have several different books being read at the same time, but it's been fun and changes things up a bit. The other thing we have been doing is having the kids learn different foundational truths in the Bible and memorize where to find them. Right now they are learning about the gospel, what the gospel means according to the Bible and where to find those scriptures. My son can actually tell me the gospel that Paul preached and the gospel Jesus preached, where the scriptures are, and summarize what they say.

 

The most exciting thing for me so far, however, is how our daily Bible reading has affected my daughter. We don't just sit down and read. We sit down, read, and dissect. There are some chapters that every few verses, my daughter stops to ask what something means. I am not the Bible *expert* in my family (ashamedly). Dave is. Really. I have yet to ask him a question that he hasn't been able to answer. If he doesn't know the answer, at the very least he has studied it in depth and gives possible answers. However, there are some nights that Dave isn't home yet....he has been called in to work a lot lately on emergency calls....when my dear daughter asks her questions.

 

With the electronic age, Dave reads his Bible on his phone. We had been reading my little "purse" Bible. How could we forget Dave's Thompson Chain Bible? We dragged that out last night and I tell ya, it felt like Christmas.  Second Samuel.......parts about Absalom and Joab and David are chapters that beg for questions and....I found some answers. We finished our reading. My daughter, however, had more questions. She took dad's Bible, did research, and came and told me several things she found out.

 

And this is really what this post is about.  I am so impressed to have a girl that is like a bulldog when she wants to know something.  She holes up in her room and digs for answers.  If she isn't satisfied with an explanation, she WILL find the answer. 

 

In this way she is just like her dad.  And that makes my heart happy.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday. I am becoming rather.....*age-ed*.......:-)

There are some things I know for sure when my birthday comes around.  I know without a doubt that I will be woken up at some UNearthly hour. This is carved in stone....a tradition started by my husband from the beginning of time. I was thankful, then, to have the stuffing scared out of me only 15 minutes earlier than the usual time I arise this morning. The kids and Dave came - bearing gifts - to my bedside and yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!".  Dave knows my mornings have not been coming easy lately. Thanks, Dave...(I think....).

I also know for sure that my kids will be plotting something in secret, although this year I actually wondered if they remembered my birthday. Only because Seth usually can't keep his mouth shut and this year nary a word was said. Maybe he's growing up???????

I also know it's a sure thing that we will go out to some restaurant as a treat.

But first let me tell about my morning.

After being startled awake.....and trying to open my eyeballs, my son....jumping up and down with boundless energy (where does he get it at this hour, I think??) hands me a gift bag. In the bag are three cards. I should mention that this is another "sure thing"....three cards, one from each. Of course I had to open up my son's first. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a SERIOUS card. Seth never picks serious cards. Cards to him are an extention of his comedy.....the funnier the card, the happier he is. For Father's Day he got his dad a card that had words that boys (and dads) love.......words that rhyme with cart, and dart and mart. You get the picture. So for me to get a gushy, mushy card from my son - that he picked out himself - about how absolutely awesome I am, well, it doesn't get much better than that. He did complete some lovely art work on one side where he was able to release his funny bone......but that only made it much more "Seth". I loved it. He also got me a gift certificate to the Bible book store. How nice!

Then my daughter.....who usually picks the mushy, gushy cards.....chose a simple card that stated her love for me, but then wrote the nicest words herself underneath. My heart turned to mush. Her gift was just as heartfelt.....she has been secretly knitting a scarf for quite a while.......and finished it yesterday! Yes, it's July and hot, but I promise you that come winter I will wear it with PRIDE! She totally flabbergasted me with it because I had no idea and because it's the best knitting she has done to date.

Then Dave got me a nice card.....he is the CARD master.......said some nice words and gave me a gift card to my favourite place. Which is the perfect gift for me. I was supremely happy.

We get to church this morning and before I even get in the door, my son, who ran ahead, goes in and tells everyone he sees that it's his mommy's birthday! I come in to church to a whole bunch of "Happy Birthday's". It was a nice very morning.

The topper......and really the most fun......came at lunch.  While waiting for our food we started games of hangman and tic tac toe. Seth's first phrase (playing with his dad) was "I LOVE MOMY!" Yup. Momy. Gotta love that homeschooled boy......  Eventually Hannah and I started writing cinquain's. If you don't know what a cinquain is, google it, but it's a simple five line poem.  Her first poem:

Seth

Running, jumping

Playing, bugging, teasing

He deserves a spanking

Brother

We laughed and laughed at that one.  Then I jotted down two quickies about my kids:

Rosie

Smart, sassy

Bright, inquisitive, Curious

Very beautiful young lady

Hannah

AND......................

Seth

Funny, impish

Handsome, loving, kind

Always getting into trouble

Beanie

We left the restaurant feeling quite content with ourselves. And I sit here now, pondering my day so far. It's only 3:00 and I'm already content. So content that it inspires one more cinquain:

Family

Thoughtful, loyal

Kind, sweet gestures

Always pulling off surprises

Grateful

Crocodile On The Nile

It's Mother's Day. And Mother's Day will always be one of the most important "special" days to me.  I spend the day looking at my children and shaking my head that I have been so blessed.

However, the day did end with my son going to bed.  EARLY.

It happened at church tonight.  He had already not heard several times prior, and I was tired of repeating my requests.  For instance, during prayer I noticed him standing, looking behind him, making strange movements and faces, so I told him to sit down.  He is old enough now to sit, and I am conscientous of him not being a distraction to the people sitting behind me.  He had a valid reason for his antics, so I discovered.

"Mom, I was making shadows on the wall.  And this time I was a crocodile on the Nile."

And I thought, "Okay.  This is Mother's Day. Maybe I will appreciate this wonderfully funny, bright boy of mine." And I laughed quietly to myself.  Because he does make me smile a hundred times a day.

But that isn't why he was sent to bed.  I came off the platform after song service, walked to my pew, and discovered him playing Mr. Spy, or some other highly suspenseful espionage game.....slinking down hiding, trying to be sneaky.  I told him to stand up.  He didn't.  I bent down and firmly repeated my request.  He sat down with his BACK ARCHED. I felt my claws come out.

I took him downstairs for a.....chat.  (Really, truly.  I did.....chat).  On the way downstairs he carefully repeated that he "wanted his daddy".  I really have no idea why.

And so, after carrying on unnecessarily downstairs, I told him he was going to bed early.

And that is the story.

On this Mother's Day, I feel blessed. I wouldn't trade my daughter or son for anything. Both unique. Both wonderful.  Both stinkers sometimes....(my daughter leaned over to me during the preaching, while Pastor Dehod was talking about his own mother's organized, clean house and said, "wouldn't that be nice, mom!"......).

But God is good. Chaos and all.....:-).  Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends and family!

The Jackpot

Today was a challenge.

We found out from my mom that while watching my kids on Friday, Seth thought it would be a funny joke to try to lock Grandma out of the house. He only did this for a short time....just long enough for his joke to be *truly appreciated*, or so he thought.

Dave and I took some time to discuss how to best deal with this. Since we were running crazy all weekend, I didn't deal with it until today. When your son is almost 8, waiting a few days won't make much of a difference. He's a smart boy with a loooonnnnng memory, and besides, sometimes the anticipation helps.

I told him this morning he wasn't to play with any of his toys, touch the computer, or play with Hannah until he "wrote lines". This was an idea given to my sister when her kids were small by the wonderful, awesome, Sherri Long. So I decided to try it.

I asked him to write, "It is not funny to lock Grandma out of the house". I wanted to stress the fact that it was NOT funny because most things Seth does is because he wants to make people laugh. I only made him write 14 lines, two sides of a paper. But to him this was the end of the world.

He threw fits I haven't yet seen from him. So, I added a different line to his assignment: "I will not scream, kick, whine, or throw a fit". 14 lines of each. A total of 28 lines.

I told him he had two choices: To write lines or lay on his bed. I told him he would be at it all day if necessary, and that he wasn't doing anything else until this was completed. I also required it to be his neatest printing and told him if it wasn't he would do more lines.

Those who read my blog know I am very frank about my flaws. I have stated them often enough. Since I am honest about them, then I will state here and now that on this day, on this occasion, I WAS AWESOME. Never once did I raise my voice. Never once did I lose my patience. I calmly stated the rules and I calmly executed exactly what I said. At the height of his tantrum.....screaming his head off in the bedroom......my every instinct wanted to wallop him on the area that God intended to be walloped, but I didn't. I knew I had to try something different, and I knew I had to stay calm. I left him alone until he was done his tantrum. And then I calmly told him he could lie there all day, or finish his lines.

It took him TWO HOURS to finish the first 14 lines. We had to leave to do errands after this and were gone for several hours, but I carefully explained to him that this was TO BE CONTINUED.

I guess he thought I didn't mean it because when we got home he rushed into Hannah's room, expecting to watch her solve a Nancy Drew Mystery. I reminded him that he had his new line to complete. Thus began his 75th fit.

For about 30 seconds. Amazing. Only.thirty.seconds.

He sat down and CHEERFULLY......NEATLY.......PLEASANTLY finished his last 14 lines. In less than 30 minutes. Giving me regular progress reports.

Tonight when his mouth was getting out of control, I warned him that he would be writing lines if he didn't instantly stop.

He instantly stopped.

He told his dad when he came home from work exactly what was expected of him and exactly what would happen if he didn't obey.

And so, for now, I have hit the jackpot. I understand that it wasn't really just that I came across an effective method to train him. It was really that I carried through what I said. Calmly. I have always known that.

Tomorrow I may not be so calm. But I am determined to improve. My son deserves nothing less.

Ten Years

Today - or should I say yesterday now - a baby girl was born. Ten years ago. She had lots of dark hair and long eyelashes. Dark blue eyes like her daddy. She has changed very little from that first day.

She gave me a hug before bed tonight and said:

"I don't care what they say mom, you're the BEST MOM in the world!"

I laughed, I couldn't help it. She had no clue why I laughed. I don't care what they say either.....:-)

She is innocent. She is sincere. She is sweet. She is loyal. She is stubborn. She is bright. She is talented. She is beautiful. She is hot-headed. She is generous. She is compassionate. She is curious. She is analytical. She is hard-working. She is serious. She is (sometimes) sassy.

She is my angel. I couldn't ask God for a better gift.

Happy birthday, my lovely Hannah Rose.

The......Corner

This weekend, I was reassured by somebody (who is *much* older and wiser) to just "relax" and not to worry so much about my son. It was their opinion that my son's unlimited affection....coupled with his very early noticing of girls, so much so that he has recently stated that he has a crush on some of them, would eventually translate to a man who would know how to make his wife happy. Period.

So I will just relax. Maybe.

As well, recently I was speaking to someone whose mother is on the list of "Women I Most Admire", and they told me that as a child, at times they reduced their mother to tears. I was stunned to hear this because I could not see this Woman-That-I-Admire ever losing her composure with her child.

But it gave me hope.

It gave me hope that, after all, this boy-o-mine - whom I love to infinity - and has reduced me to tears many times in the last little while, will turn out as wonderful as this individual whom I was talking to.

In truth, I never expected it to become more difficult to homeschool him. I thought (stupidly) it would get easier the older he got. This has been the hardest year yet, and I have no idea if this is only the beginning of the "hard years". He is WAY more inattentive. He is WAY more silly. He is WAY more smart-mouthed. And honestly, if I was independently wealthy, I would hire a tutor to school him in my home. Seriously. (I say that because public school will NEVER be an option for me.)

But, since that is not an option, I continue to pluck away, holding on to the tidbits of hope given to me by others. He is not a bad boy. He is just a mischievous, lovable boy with a glint in his eye that I have always loved seeing in other children. Now it's come home to roost.

Today while at grandmas, I warned him if he didn't listen that he was going to become acquainted with one of grandmas awesome corners. She has way awesomer corners than me, so that has become the correction of choice while at her house. Did my boy tremble at this threat? Not at all. And eventually he found himself sniffing the walls.

While he was visiting this place, my sense of humour kicked in. I was trying to think of appropriate names for this corner. At first I thought of just calling it "Seth's Corner", since it is reserved just for him. Then I remembered the name of the place at the public library where kids gather for story time:

And I thought.....with a little play on words, we could make this a most "fitting" place for my son. Thus, I named his corner:

Now, his dad already told me tonight that I have to take the sign down at grandma's. He doesn't want his son to pick up this word and use it too commonly. That is understandable......I know the sign must go - really, it was just for comic relief anyway - but I do find his words of warning rather ironic. After all, it was he.....NOT ME......who used that very same word that I spoke about in my previous post.......((smile)).

But I sure enjoyed it while it lasted.

I Love You More Than........

Years ago, my daughter and I started a game we played sometimes as part of her bedtime ritual. I called it "I Love You More Than...." and in the game, one of us would begin by saying "I Love You More Than"........and finish it by saying something like "the flowers and the trees", and the other would finish it with a rhyme with something like, "I Love You More Than......the birds and the bees...." With Hannah and I, we usually got very mushy and sentimental, occasionally becoming very silly with a lot of giggling. Mushy was more the norm, however. We are females, after all.

Today I discovered this game is FAR different when played with my son. AND my husband.

With a little time to kill before getting ready to go to church tonight, Seth was bored. And Restless. Bored + Restless = PEST. So, before he got to this stage, I decided to teach him this little game. My son loves rhyming.....it's one of his favourite things in school. But loving to rhyme and being poetic, I discovered, are TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THINGS.

I started it off simple: "I love you more than apples and pie"........ (you know, because pie is an easy rhyming word), to which he excitedly stated, "I love you more than the AIR IN THE TIRES AND THE FLY"......or some such very silly thing.

To which he laughed uproariously, hugely proud of himself.

This went on for a bit, with each of us trading off who went first. The silliness increased. Finally I said: "I love you more than chicken soup......" and, before Seth could reply, my husband......WHO HAD BEEN AT THE COMPUTER AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINDING HIS BUSINESS.....((ahem.....)).....said:

"I love you more than TURTLE POOP!"

Well, can you imagine the reaction of our son? He giggled until I thought he would wet himself. So, imagine his delight when shortly thereafter, dad scored another hit when I said:

"I love you more than my two pink chairs....."

And he said:

"I love you more than the Berenstain Bears...."

Well, Seth got up excitedly and ran to his sister's room to repeat his dad's genius.

A few minutes later as the kids were having a quick before-church snack, Seth was recalling to Hannah his dad's awesome poetic talent. Again. Dad was still ACTING like he was busy at the computer. Hannah and Seth were playing the game between themselves and giggling.

Then, Seth stumped Hannah with:

"I love you more than potatoes and chicken....."

Hannah thought and thought. Seth jumped up from the table, stating that he would "ask his dad on this one". So, he repeated it to his dad:

"I love you more than potatoes and chicken....."

To which his quick-witted (truly poetic) dad said........much to the delight of us all.......

"I love you more than the nose you're pickin...."

Seth declared dad the champ. "Turtle poop and Berenstain Bears. Yup. Dad's the best", were Seth's words. And rightfully so. We had a lot of fun filling in 20 minutes. So.....if you are ever in need of a fun family game......just try "I Love You More Than...."

See if you don't end up in stitches.

Large Families

Children are a blessing. The fruit of the womb is HIS reward.

I had an interesting discussion with someone yesterday. This young woman brought up the infamous Duggar family, who is apparently expecting their 20th child. Now I realize that we live in a time when 20 children is unheard of. Fifteen children is rare. Ten children is considered a huge family. Five or six children is slightly more common. BUT 20!!

She said: "You cannot tell me that those children get much one-on-one time with their parents!!".....harrumph!

I said: "You cannot tell me that 2.5 children in a two-working-parent home where the children are either in daycare or left at home alone after school (if they're old enough) until a parent gets home from work (and is away at school all day.....but I didn't say that.....) gets ANY MORE one-on-one time with mommy or daddy!".......harrumph #2!

She said: "Touche....."

But, she still doesn't really agree. (And we really didn't argue......we were just vehement in our opinion....).

I've been thinking a lot about large families, particularly large families with good, responsible parents. Just because OUR SOCIETY says it's stupid, wrong, too hard on the children, blah, blah, blah, blah, doesn't mean that is the way GOD views children. Society just doesn't "get" God. Our society is way too narcissistic. We think unless we can give our children designer clothes, a car when they're 16, and pay for their college WE HAVE FAILED.

Let me tell you what I think. I think that unless my child earns their own money, they will NEVER get designer clothing. Even then, it would be closely monitored and ON SALE. I think that it is good for a child to work, earn money, save from a young age and BUY THEIR OWN CAR. I think that if a parent invests in their child's education (which we do), it is better given AFTER - AND ONLY - IF THEY GRADUATE. But, I think it's okay for a child to work hard and put themselves through school too, and a parent need not be ashamed if they just cannot afford it.

I highly respect the Duggars. Not only do they live debt-free in a gorgeous house, their children are responsible, well mannered, well trained, well spoken, home educated children. I do not believe they are deprived. The Duggars have understood from the beginning that it was their job to teach, train and prepare their children to be responsible adults.

If you can't properly train your children - don't have them. But give me a well trained child from a large family ANY DAY over a snotty child in the "perfect" two child family.

Yes, this is a stereotype, but I believe by-in-large, it is an accurate one.

By the way, this is from the mother of two *perfect* children........((smile)).

Impulsive

I am convinced my son will cause me severe embarrassment the older he gets. He is the kind of boy who does most things on a whim. If a thought enters his brain, the action most certainly will follow.

Today we visited my Granny while at her day program. The kids wanted to see their Great Granny "in action", and the program invites drop-in visits. While there, I witnessed this thought-entering-the-brain-thingy in action. He thought it would be funny to hide. So he picks a poor, unsuspecting senior - who is NOT his Great Granny - to play hide-and-seek with, hiding behind her chair while she was eating. He waits for her to turn one way to see what is behind her, then he scoots the other way, out of sight. He plays this game as long as he doesn't get caught. Fortunately, it wasn't long, because I caught him and put a stop to it. I didn't want him to scare the wits out of this poor lady.

I have little hope of ending this problem. Seriously. I don't even have to be more than a hand's reach away for him to carry out some scheme of his. In this case I was right there, speaking to my Granny. Yes, I can punish him, but I have yet to find a punishment that will curb his impulsive behaviour.

That little episode was nothing, though, compared to this next event.

We were outside the hospital (where her day program is) when a woman rushed past us. This woman unintentionally scared Seth because he didn't hear or see her coming. He moved out of the way when he realized it, and, as she rushed past, he hollered out:

"HEY! IS YOUR NAME TOOTIE BENNETT!!!"

Don't ask me where he comes up with his on-the-spot names, but I do suspect it is part of his DNA, which comes from his.....mother Great Aunt Bertha on his father's side.

It cannot possibly be my fault, after all.

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, I blogged.

Once upon a time, I could put words together to make a decent sentence.

Once upon a time, I had more confidence in what I wrote.

I don't know if it's because of facebook......I've gotten lazy writing a whole story and just post *little clips*....;

Or, because I really believe my stories are mostly........recycled;

Or, because I am gone from my home almost half the time now, and thus away from my computer; (I don't have a computer at my Granny's, and I'm one of the last standing who have a cell phone with NO internet....)

Or, ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Whatever the case, maybe......one day, I will get back to blogging. I don't know. Time will tell.

Because, once upon a time, I REALLY enjoyed it.

Serious Girl

My daughter got 63% on a spelling test today. She has never received a mark that low or done so poorly on any assignment before. She is struggling to concentrate.

She is more impatient than she has ever been.

Despite doing so well in piano, she has two songs she has not been able to pass that she has been working on for several weeks. She seems to get a portion of it perfect, and then falls apart in another part of the song (I mean that literally.....tears AND tantrums). The next time she plays it, the parts she does perfect are reverse. She cannot seem to play the whole song(s) through in its entirety.

She is a perfectionist. Her piano teacher pointed that out to me today.

She has been frustrated for several weeks about many things. She cries at the drop of a hat. She is extremely serious about EVERYTHING.

She is very intense.

Although she has laughed with and at other people, she cannot laugh at herself.

She is nine.

Besides the obvious....growing-up-getting-close-to-teenager-moodiness.....she needs the Holy Ghost.

I seriously do covet your prayers.

12 Years......

Yesterday I was married for 12 years.

Dave has long excelled at trying to surprise me and/or the kids. In fact, every tradition we have on birthdays and other special events is because of him. He started waking up in the wee morning hours to surprise the *special* individual. This is now a family tradition for everything.

This year, the kids and I spent the evening before (Saturday) at my granny's house. My granny is needing a lot of supervision and so until a long term solution is found, my sisters and I share this responsibility. Because I wasn't home on the morning of my anniversary, I *assumed* Dave would not be able to keep his early morning tradition. I should have known he had something up his sleeve.

Apparently on Saturday, while I was still at my own house, he tried to reach my mom. Not getting her at her number, he phoned my granny (who lives upstairs) to see if my mom was there. Granny said that she wasn't. This began a wild goose chase because.......my Granny was very confused. When I arrived there Saturday later, she told me that Elgan (her youngest son) was trying to reach my mom. On questioning my mom, she told me she did not receive a phone call from Elgan. My Granny also called my dad to say that Elgan tried to reach Marlene and couldn't get her, which concerned my dad because his other brother is currently in the hospital in Regina recovering from a very serious illness. He was wondering if this is why Elgan was trying to reach my mom. He then told Laura. Laura called me to ask why Elgan would be trying to reach mom. As a result, I ended up texting Elgan, asking if he was trying to reach my mom, to which he replied that he had not been. This left my Granny.....and myself....confused and without answers.

The mystery was solved early Sunday morning. My mom.....along with my kids.....woke me up early to give me an anniversary gift....FROM MY HUSBAND....who was in bed at home! Apparently he plotted to get me up very early despite being separated from him for the night, by calling my mom, sneaking to her house without my Granny's knowledge, to drop off a gift so that I could have it first thing in the morning. This was who called Granny, and who Granny mistakenly thought was her youngest son. My mom knew all along and eventually filled in my dad and sister.

My Granny was comforted, and I was much impressed with my crafty husband. I thought the day couldn't get much better. I was wrong.

On the way to church Sunday night, he pulls out ANOTHER CARD. Dave is very, very, VERY good at picking out awesome cards. In fact, he's very good at WRITING awesome poems and really should just open his own Hallmark shop and write his own material (although he IS getting rather rusty at the poem writing business....**hint, hint.....**). Totally surprising me, I read the card all misty-eyed, and then found he also got me a gift card to my very favorite store. TWO GIFTS. BOTH SURPRISES. BOTH VERY THOUGHT OUT AND WELL PLANNED. What a guy......

And now the topper.......because our anniversary was on a Sunday; because we go to church in the morning and evening; AND because we had a corn boil planned after the morning service, we decided not to go out for dinner until tonight.

Therefore......we are continuing our TWO DAY celebration this evening by going out for dinner to a very nice restaurant. Our once-a-year tradition to a classy place. On our anniversary.

After all, it HAS been 12 years. And that's worth celebrating.

Life's Lessons

Perhaps it's because our life is very hectic right now; perhaps it's because we (the kids and I) are staying three nights/days a week with my Granny; perhaps it's because we have been in a Laura Ingalls Wilder phase; OR perhaps it's all of the combined reasons......but once again I have come full circle to realize that I have let too many things slip....AGAIN....as a parent.

So why would this have anything to do with the above? Let me explain.

A few weeks ago, my Granny had an incident that has made us concerned about leaving her alone. As a result, my sisters and I have been taking turns staying overnight during the week, as well as having someone with Granny at least most of the time during the day. We have no idea how long this will be for. Truthfully, we are considering it to be indefinite, since Granny's deepest desire is NOT to be placed in a nursing home. We are trying our very best to grant her her wish.

Because of this, we are sleeping four nights a week at home. The days at home are packed with getting stuff done around the house, doing our paper route, and such things. It will only get busier once we begin school again.

On top of this, my dad has just recently been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is cancer of his bone marrow. Fortunately, it's in the early stages and he should respond quite well to chemotherapy. I have been running with my dad to appointments, and between my sisters and I we will be taking him to his weekly, 3-4 hours at-one-time, appointments.

That is why my life is hectic.

I am finding myself *tuning out* my kids' behaviour too much. And, when they are in a different house almost half of their week, and when their behaviour affects my Granny, then I begin to realize how much I must *buckle up* and improve.

I could make excuses for them. They sleep on a blow up mattress on the floor and don't sleep well. They don't have any "down" time in their own room. I don't have any "down" time and am more impatient than ever. I don't have the freedom to take them as much to the park as I used to.....only when Granny is feeling well enough. When I am home it's not much fun because I'm busy catching up.

However, as tired as I am.....I know this is really no excuse. It shows a lack of training on my part more than anything. And, in the long run, I am very GLAD that their lives are so different right now. I want them to understand that life is not all about them. I want them to understand the importance of family, and teach them to serve. I.....as in ME...... just needs to improve.

As I mentioned above, we have been on a Laura Ingalls Wilder kick. I have never before listened (or read) intently to the entire stories. However, during The Long Winter, my interested piqued and I have been reading the rest of the stories since.

I realize that during the time they lived in, generally kids were more obedient and parents were more consistent disciplinarians. However, Charles and Caroline Ingalls were, from all accounts, VERY even-tempered, NEVER raised their voice, RARELY spanked their children.....and yet their children were very well behaved and obedient. They had a heart to please their parents.

One particular incident in the book really *yanked* my chain. Laura, 14 at the time, was picked on wrongfully by her teacher. The teacher really took a dislike to Laura and Carrie and let it show. One time Laura was sent home from school because she stood up to how the teacher treated her little sister. Charles and Caroline NEVER once sided with Laura......they told Laura that she must ALWAYS respect the teacher. Another time, Charles and two other school board members walked into the school for an inspection (after hearing that the teacher had no control over the class), and the teacher accused Laura of being the main problem in her class. Charles took it in stride, would not let Laura defend herself, and informed the teacher that the school board supported her and admonished the children to obey their teacher. Afterward at home, Charles let Laura know that he knew she didn't intend to cause trouble but there must have been something she had said at some time to let the teacher behave as she did toward her. They discovered what it was....a statement blown entirely out of context......and used it to teach her a lesson to keep her mouth shut.

How many parents these days would react this way? Would I? Yet I believe with all of my heart their parenting was 100 percent correct.

Bro. Steve Pixler preached at camp meeting this year, and his last message in particular was a revelation. I don't ever want to forget it. He said that the true suffering of the cross was not bearing our own scars from past failures and mistakes. It was suffering WRONGFULLY. And IN SILENCE. Until we could do that, we really could not be like Jesus. We could not be resurrected into a NEW MAN. He even told a story very similar to the one of Laura, where his daughter was wrongfully accused by someone, but he kept his mouth shut, had his daughter apologize to this person......all so he could teach his daughter a valuable lesson.

My point is this: Although the times I live in is different, I KNOW I want to be that kind of parent. Staying at home with them AND even homeschooling them....simply is not enough. I must be engaged. I don't believe my convictions are wrong of what their behaviour should be like (and trust me, I question myself all the time), but what is wrong is my REACTION. Or lack thereof.

So, all of this is weighing on my mind. Life is bringing out inadequacies. And that's okay. That's as it should be. I really do just want to improve.

The Gift

I've been handed a gift.

My dear, adorable 90-year-old Granny has recently had some health issues. As a result, she was put on an antibiotic that we were warned had a slight chance of affecting her blood sugar, causing it to plunge. In a diabetic, this is not good news.

Yesterday morning I was at an appointment. My kids were with my mom, who *just happened* to NOT be volunteering like she usually is. When I got out of my appointment, I saw that I had a text message from my youngest sister to CALL HER. She was at my moms.

I knew it must be serious. She had been at work the last I knew. I called her. She told me that my Granny very suddenly deteriorated to the point where she had to lay down, wouldn't eat, was feverish, and barely coherent. Mom, not able to reach me or my older sister, called my youngest sister, who dropped everything and ran over. She told me she was very close to calling an ambulance - that's how unresponsive my Granny was.

I told her I would be home in a few minutes. I knew I had to check her blood sugar. My youngest sister had never done it, and neither had my mom. My Granny, my older sister and I were the only ones who did. Obviously, that will change.

I ran in the door, and immediately understood the concern. My Granny looked very frail lying on the couch. She was so "out of it" that when I poked her finger she didn't even know or care. I was surprised then to discover that her blood sugar was a little high.

I then found out (although I had been told this already but didn't retain it) that my mom very wisely was able to get my Granny to drink some Pepsi just before she *crashed*. And I honestly believe this drink of Pepsi is what saved my Granny's life.

It took about an hour after drinking the Pepsi, (about ten minutes after I got there) but my Granny came to and, after initially being very weak, was able to get up and walk about with the assistance of Lana and I. We took her immediately to the doctor, where my suspicions were confirmed. Her blood sugar dropped dangerously low. She was taken off the antibiotic that interfered with her blood sugar and switched to a different one that didn't. (Likely should've been what was done from the beginning......but then hindsight is always perfect.....).

The implications of what could have been are very difficult to think about. *If* my mom wasn't home......*if* my mom didn't give her a quick sugar fix.....*if* my mom couldn't have reached my sister......

We quickly made arrangements to have someone monitoring my Granny at all times while being treated for this illness. That meant staying through the night and during the day when my mom was not home (plus giving my mom some peace and reassurance, which she very much needed AND deserved). As a result, my kids and I had a sleepover at Granny's last night.

I made a pledge to my Granny a little while ago that I would do my best to serve her to the best of my capacity. Even though there have been times it has made my life very hectic, I honestly feel like I've been given a privilege. I wonder if I would have felt that way 20....or even 10 years ago?

Last night I helped my Granny. I became her servant. When she was finally ready for bed, I told her I was going to tuck her in. She smiled and said, "okay". She sat on the edge of her bed, not moving. I repeated my request. She smiled at me, realizing she really would have to indulge me. Then she laid down. I tucked her in nice and cozy.

Then I knelt beside her bed.

And I prayed. I thanked God for this wonderful woman. I asked Him to wrap Himself around her that night. I asked Him if He would touch her and heal her. I told Him I had the best Granny.

And I heard my precious Granny saying, "Jesus. Jesus."

I then leaned over and kissed her cheek. And said, "Night, night."

And I left her room knowing I had received a precious gift. Life had come full circle and the Granny that blessed me and at times tucked me in bed when I was little.....well, I was able to return the blessing.

As much as we enjoy reaping what we sow....assuming we have sown for the *good*, I realized how precious it was to be the instrument of blessing to my Granny.

And I will preserve this precious memory. For all time.