Safety & fun don't always go together

 

So, we are practically the coolest parents ever. But not necessarily the safest... 😂

Ta-da Labor Day Done!

My sweet husband hasn't yet learned to take a little longer on his projects, because if he's got time, I've got projects! But I know the boys will be so excited to clamber up to their new loft when they wake up tomorrow. And I hope they do... until about 9:30, so I can sleep in. <Yawn>

And for Labor Day... Labor!

Our sweet boys will finally have a cool hanging bed system! Keep you updated!

Milestones!

Everyone knows you shuffle better when your tongue is sticking out. 

Death by Canopy

A beautiful storm blew over the beach today in a matter of moments. As we hastily gathered our few belongings and began the trek back to the building, the wind whipped up the sand around us, blinding us with the pelting pellets. I glanced up to see a blue tent canopy rising off the ground ten feet from me. The wind whirled it straight for my head. 

I'm amazed how quickly our brains can think in tense situations: I analyzed my options in the span of one second and decided to throw myself to the ground in fetal position and cover my head with my hands, like I'd been taught twenty-five years ago in grade-school tornado drills. 

Neither of us had time to feel fear before safety was assured, but Hubs pointed out that I could have been impaled as the canopy flipped and whirled and implanted itself--very firmly--in the sand again. 

So, I guess I escaped death today? I feel like I'm on the movie Final Destination. Who gets impaled by a canopy?! 

Fun in the sun

Every family needs a funtime break. I'm so thankful for our summer break to enjoy the kids without overly parenting them. 

Sunsets are better facing West

I remember the first time I went to the beaches of Florida. I was 12. I'm not much of a morning person, but I sure do enjoy the time of day when the sun meets the horizon. I planned to enjoy the sunset on the beach. The only problem was, we were on the East Coast... Facing East. 

Sunsets, especially beach sunsets, are better facing West. 

So, Hubs and I are headed to the beach, to reconnect, revitalize, re-romanticize. And catch a sunset or two facing West. 

Because this is the best I can do in Arkansas: 

Chick-fil-a treat? Yes, please!

Withstanding the flood

West Memphis is notorious for poor drainage after storms. I praise God that He protected Hubs as he investigated flood damage. I praise God the building seems to have sustained no flood damage. 

Storms scare us. Storms test our faith. But we will come through this closer to Jesus and stronger together than before. 

Shoe shopping

My husband just sincerely told me, "I like your shoes." 

Excuse me while I pick up my jaw. 

"Did you just notice my shoes?! Who are you?" I asked, bewildered. 

"If there's anything in fashion I have an opinion about, it's women's shoes," he replied. 

"How have we been married almost 13 years, and I have never known that?!"

I just never thought I could learn something new about a man I've known as a lover for 17 years. 

Especially if it means we get to go shoe shopping together!

Why I don't go to church anymore

I grew up in the South. Yes, it's capitalized, because it is a Thing. People who grow up in the South say, "Yes, Ma'am," and drink sweet tea on their front porches. We never turn down an invitation to a friendly get-together in the interest of being polite, even if we know we'd prefer to skip out. We say, "That sounds wonderful. Let's make it happen someday."

We also attend church.

The culture of the south has developed a type of Southern Churchianity (a phrase I first heard used by Michael Smith). It is a part of what we do. Good Southerners go to church, participate in fundraisers and charity events, and give to the poor. However, a true, intimate thirst for the knowledge of the Lord and His holy ways often lies ignored. This creates an environment of competition, strife, and even depression as we work to the bone to be acceptable to the church but miss out on the relationship with the God who created us and loves us.

But that's not why we don't go to church anymore.

We don't go to church anymore because our daughters play competitive basketball each weekend. We do, however, enjoy a little family Bible study and worship songs together.

How's that for a deceptive headline?
(Please don't hate me. I'm in a capricious mood. I'll shape up next time, I promise.)

A letter to my younger self at high school graduation

So, I hit the big 35 today. I've been musing about age, time, and life this week, but not in a mournful, grievous way. I love my life--my confidence, my vision, my family. I wish my college self had known how to be this happy. I wish I could have told myself these things as I headed off to college 17 years ago.
1. I'd rather be strong than skinny. Don't fall for the world's idea about how women should look. Eat healthfully and exercise regularly. The number on the scale is just a number. Be happy with your strength and your curves.
2. I'd rather risk failure than not try at all. You never know what you'll miss if you don't just go for it sometimes.
3. A good marriage requires from both parties time, effort, and forgiveness, but not necessarily riches. But a good marriage is worth it.
4. Raising children teaches you true sacrifice and requires depth of patience you've never known before. But you'll experience a depth of love you never thought possible.
5. On that note, all birth control methods are not equal. Educate yourself.
6. There's no need to rush through life. Slow down. Enjoy the journey. The destination isn't going anywhere.
7. If you love someone, tell them often. Show them even more often.
8. Be encouraging. The world has enough critics and cynics.
9. Leggings are not pants.
10. Sometimes you must choose the happiness of those you love over your own happiness. The pain may be great, but the reward is greater.
11. Never take your family or friends for granted. Always be grateful for the little things.
12. Let the law of love rule your heart. Adherence to a strict set of rules alone may win you the Citizen of the Year award, but not Child of the One, True King.
13. Dare to be scandalous in the eyes of the world if that's what God has called you to. Jesus ate with sinners, after all. And women. (Gasp.)
14. When you get married, don't expect your spouse to change for you. But don't expect him to remain the same for the next 50 years, either. Commit to love him, regardless.
15. Make memories that will always make you smile.
16. Learn to be comfortable enough with yourself to laugh at yourself, but don't laugh at those who haven't arrive at that beautiful confidence yet.
17. Avoid company that drag you down. You only have so much time in life: spend it with people who make you the best version of yourself.
18. Learn to avoid emotional manipulation. Do what you know is right regardless of how you are made to feel.
19. Don't get drunk.It impairs your judgment and makes you act like an idiot. That may be okay for others, but it's not for you.
20. Education enhances life. Don't take it lightly. But learn to appreciate the uneducated as God's beloved as well. Don't ever stop learning.
21. Don't procrastinate yourself to death. A small drip will become an overwhelming flood if ignored.
22. As you amass wealth, the world will try to plunder you. Be wise in spending, but don't let it consume you.
23. Everyone has the same amount of time each day. Choose your activities wisely to accomplish your end goal.
24. It's okay to have fun every now and then.
25. Leggings are not pants. (Did I repeat myself? Apologies. It's that important!)
26. There will be times when you feel so overwhelmed in life that you need a soul vacation. Don't feel guilty about it--these times of quiet reflection in solitude will revitalize your spirit and rejuvenate your fervor of faith.
27. Your life does not have to look like everyone else's life to be right. You are forging your own path, and it will be narrow, rocky, and full of brambles. But the adventure will be glorious.
28. Don't let technology suck your life away. It has its place of usefulness to enhance your life, but don't neglect actually living.
29. Bacon makes everything better. So does chocolate. So does wine. But never mix the three.
30. Beauty fades. Find someone who makes you laugh to satisfy you all your days.
31. You cannot please everyone. So please stop trying.
32. People are always eager to judge and criticize you. Walk away, plug your ears, learn to ignore it... unless it's coming from someone you deeply love. Or if it's true. Then, if it bothers you, just change.

Maybe I should save this and remind myself in another 15 years. With age comes wisdom, and I'm thrilled to enjoy some of it, finally. Happy birthday to me!

How the government manipulates your "choice"

I just read a terrifying article in the most recent issue of Voice of the Martyrs. While the magazine often details bloody attacks and gruesome persecution, the unlikely replication in my life ease my fear for my own life and children. But this article described a situation in Laos that hit too close to home.

The Laos government is withholding vital paperwork from Christians.

Without this paperwork, the Christians cannot buy or sell, or register for government services; nor can the children attend school or attain employment.

It took my breath away.

Last week, I found out that a close friend of mine needed to replace a social security card for her youngest child. She had misplaced it in a move. When she took the legal birth certificate and the certificate of live birth to the office of Social Security for a replacement card, they refused to accept it. They said they would require a vaccination record.

Vaccination records aren't standardized. They can be forged from a home computer and a word-processing program. A legal birth certificate, on the other hand, proves the citizenship of a child through a variety of confirmation points. (I struggled to obtain one for my youngest child born at home.)

I'm not arguing for or against vaccines here. The issue of vaccination is just a symptom of a much greater, much scarier problem. The American government is taking away our choice. "Sure, you can choose to not vaccinate your children," they say, "but you cannot register for government services unless you do."

"Sure, you can choose to not have health insurance, but you'll have to pay 6.5% of your gross income if you do." (This will take effect in 2016.)

"Sure, you can home school. But your children won't receive diplomas or be eligible for college scholarships." (This hasn't happened in America.)

"Sure, you can express freedom of speech about guns or homosexuality or terrorists. But we will take your kids away to 'protect' them." (This hasn't happened yet, but I see it on the horizon.)

"Sure, you can worship Jesus. You just can't buy or sell anything if you do." (This hasn't happened. Yet.)

Eerily similar to the situation in Laos.

I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg. I've never been a conspiracy theorist, but I'm not conspiring here. I'm simply observing the facts.

"Virtually Unbreakable" unless the Wilsons use it

You know why raising kids cost so much? Because they break everything they touch. I swear my boys must lie in their bunks at night sharing secret ideas on how to break the most unbreakable items in the house. Yet they still manage to verify all manufacturers claims of "virtually unbreakable" or "chip-proof" or "water resistant."

• The toilet seat. Ripped right off the toilet and shivved through the air like a frisbee, amidst gales of laughter, might I add.
• Into the window. I fought for the new "unbreakable" windows, but only managed to get tempered glass with a lifetime, no-questions-asked, replacement warranty. I wonder how many times they'll replace the same pane of glass without asking questions? 
• The sink. How the heck do you break a pedestal sink? I have no idea. (I'm glad they did, though, because I replaced it with a fancy vanity and charged it to their account.)
• The toilet. "Let's see how many toys we can shove down this aqueous cavern before Mom pulls out that snakey tool and splashes human waste all over herself again!" It's on their calendar. I swear it is. "And when that is done, let's rock it back and forth until the bolts break and the sewage just seeps right out underneath it? Sounds like fun, right?!"
• The fan chain. Handed to me with a quick, backward glance. "Can you put this back on, Mom? We can't swing from it anymore." What? No, I cannot! Stop swinging on the chain, kid!
• Every lamp I've ever bought. No explanation necessary.
• The water hose spigot. I don't know how it happened. But my water bill sank us that month.
• The pool pump. Everything is meant to be jumped and/or climbed upon. Especially incredibly expensive PVC items. 
• The bed. Poorly made. The other bed. An antique. Neither holds up well to wrestling, or jumping, or swinging, or headstands. Use the bed right! Just lie still and quiet, would you? (I unapologetically use the "Don't break it" argument for my sanity in times when I just need a moment of silence.)
• Those awesome Corelle dishes made from vitreous china. "Virtually unbreakable," the sticker reads. I stocked up. Unfortunately, my kids see that label as a challenge. "I'll show you unbreakable!" Their war cry resounds throughout the house as the poor dish (unlike my tempered-glass window) shatters into billions of tiny, sharp shards. "Freeze!" I yell to my interminably barefoot littles. I have them well-trained when it comes to the possibility of cutting their feet on the mess they just made.  "Freeze, while I clean this up." (I think this must be why they go around barefoot all the time.) They all obey, and lazily watch me with a sly smile as I toil over the mess with a broom and dustpan. That's right, a broom. Not a vacuum. I bet you can guess why. 
• The vacuum. You know the Dyson, whose claim to fame is, "The only vacuum that never loses suction!" Not true. If you kick the plastic intake tube so that it cracks, the Dyson will, in fact, lose suction, just like every other piece of junk plastic vacuum I've ever owned. 
• The other vacuum. Can you believe we've taken down two name-brand vacuums? The Oreck fared okay until my husband tried to push it in all his testosterone glory. And just like that, I'm sweeping rugs. Which brings me to...
• The broom. It has a metal handle with a plastic stopper at the top. We broke the plastic plug, which wouldn't be a big deal in a normal family, but in ours, the broomstick all of a sudden became a weapon designed to lance the unsuspecting victim with the sharp, metal, now-exposed tip. Seriously. Seriously?!

So I guess what I'm saying here is, please stop telling my kids that they can't break something. Their rubbish radar goes off, and their testosterone kicks in, along with a good dose of ingenuity, and all of a sudden, your unbreakable is in a neat little pile on my rug... because, being deprived of my broom, I swept it up with my hands, which are, as of this writing, virtually unbreakable! 

(Please don't tell my kids.)

(I found this shattered toy hourglass immediately after I finished typing this post.)

6 ways to minister to the lonely young mother

For a few months, I have been on the verge of potty training my very last baby. There is a profound sense of accomplishment in this momentous occasion. It's not that I mind changing diapers, but it's simply an indication of a far greater gift--freedom.

The responsibilities of motherhood can drown a woman who chooses not to work outside the home, who longs for adult company, who seems leashed to the very needy infants she so longed for just months earlier, and now, she just longs for more than a few hours of sleep stitched together or a visit from the laundry fairy.

I recently read an article posted on the Gospel Coalition that was meant for encouragement for lonely new moms that even though they may feel lonely, they must remember that Christ is always with them. You can read the blog post here.

Believe me, I have been there. I had five kids in four years. Multiply what the author of that article, Courtney Reissig, felt times, like a billion, and that's me 90% of the time in those demanding early years. But now that I'm coming out of the fog, now that I'm sleeping 8 hours at a time and enjoying a cup of coffee before it cools off (or get misplaced, or knocked over, or consumed by a sneaky little elf), I see this ubiquitous motherhood loneliness as a symptom of a far-greater sin--the sin of apathy within the church.

I don't know when it happened. When did the community of believers become so individualistic that we watch our kindred struggle through life with little more than a shake of the head and a "Bless your heart"? Reissig wrote to the lonely mother, as encouragement in her darkest moments, but I'm writing to those of us who know the lonely mother. Do something to save her! Here are a few examples of things that ministered to my lonely heart during my demanding days. Don't let the body of Christ flounder because that's what you're accustomed to.

1. Invite her family over for dinner. Don't ask them to bring something. Fix a real meal. Remind her not to help you clean up. Hold her babies. Ask about her life. Play a game! If new moms get lonely because their babies interfere with their social lives, give her back a taste of a social life.

2. Go to her house and do her chores. Remember the poem:
Quiet down cobwebs
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby
And babies don't keep.

Well, the sad truth is, as often as I wanted to while my days away cooing at my sweet babies and playing games with them, the chores simply can't be ignored. And the satisfaction of finishing the chores and enjoying a clean house is gobbled up by the irritating interruptions of demanding toddlers. It sometimes takes me all afternoon just to empty the dishwasher, when you factor in all the refereeing, wiping up spills, and changing diapers that interrupt me.

Don't ask her to call you if she needs help. Just go do it.

3. Volunteer at the church nursery. It makes sense that every nursery mom needs to carry her weight, and that's probably why every church I've ever attended required me to volunteer in the nursery once each month. As much as I love babies (and I do, I had six!), I needed that time in church each week to recharge my spiritual connection, and yes, just to be free from the demands of my crying child, or someone else's crying child. I cherished those two hours each week talking about the Lord without constant, frustrating interruptions. Please, please, volunteer in the nursery so that the new mom doesn't have to. It is a true ministry, even though it doesn't feel like it to you.

4. Husbands, step up! This is not the days of the Brady Bunch where we all have a housekeeper. Gone are the days of rooming in where new moms had female relatives tend to her at all times for months while she recovered from childbirth. Do the dishes, put away the laundry, get to know the vacuum. Take a nighttime feeding. (Women, if you're breastfeeding, I highly recommend that you allow your husband to bottle feed your baby once during the night so you can string together a few more zzz's.) Gas up the car, maintain the house, mow the yard, take out the trash. Learn to cook, go grocery shopping, or at least volunteer cheerfully to take care of your children so she can go to the store in peace. (You should have seen me with five babies at the grocery store. Cra-cra lady!) Do not... I repeat... DO NOT watch television or goof off or read while your wife is doing chores. Join her in the work or you will ruin her joy. Also, that's just disrespectful and mean.

5. Pamper her. Can I just tell you what a marvelous ministry the foot massage is? Or scalp massage? Or shoulder massage? Okay, really, just any massage anywhere. Stress causes tension in places we never knew we had, and caring for a newborn is stressful! Take a teenager to care for her kids, and give her a mani/pedi. If you can afford it, take her to the salon. Take her out for coffee or ice cream. Give her a non-mom purse  (Mom-bag: the size of Texas in a vinyl, easy-clean fabric), some pretty jewelry, or fancy shampoo. Take the initiative, because, I promise you, she feels like she's imposing on you if she asks you over when the house is a mess and the kids are crazy.

6. Babysit. For free. That's right, you heard me. Call that new mom up and tell her you want to watch her children for no charge (specify that up front) while she and her husband enjoy a date night. If you care for the marriages in your family of Christ, babysit. If you have the means, you might even throw in a few bucks for them to enjoy a fancy dessert.

Wow, you say, all these ideas sound great, if only I knew young mothers. Well, I say to you, ask God to bring you some, and I promise, He will. His heart is for His church. Also, just go down to the church nursery after the service and you'll find all the new moms your little heart can handle. Minister to them as unto the Lord, and the Lord will "Bless your heart." I promise.

Compassion or Ignorance?

You've seen them--haggard, unshaven men, tattered jacket, duct-taped shoes, slumped, smileless, at the side of the road, Sharpie proclaiming on cardboard: "Homeless, please help." As an afterthought, or perhaps a marketing scheme, penciled below, "God bless." 

Out of our abundance, should we not, as Christians, "love our neighbor as ourselves" by dropping a buck in his outstretched hand? Is the beggar not our God-ordained, Biblical responsibility to financially support, so that he or she can enjoy the same food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, and other unalienable rights that we prosperous, hard-working Americans enjoy? Should we not feel guilty that we enjoy lavish vacations and climate-controlled, sprawling estates while others suffer, impoverished, without even a lumpy mattress to cushion their frail bodies from the asphalt when their fatigue overcomes them?

Biblically, I argue the answer is no. 

Jesus offers plenteous advice on money--He speaks more about riches and generosity than He does about Heaven in the New Testament! Even in the Old Testament, God provided many principles of generosity that should govern our budgets and behaviors toward money today. 

Solomon, the richest king to ever live, had much advice about generosity in the Proverbs. "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it," advises Proverbs 3:27, for example. Our Sunday School literature, published by Lifeway, printed this verse above a list of excuses people offer "for not helping someone in need." No one mentioned the two caveats in this verse: 1) the person in need is "due" good  (The New Living Translation even translates it as someone who deserves it.); and 2) it is in your power to do it. Solomon also wrote, "The generous soul will be made rich" in Prov. 11:25 and again, "He who has mercy on the poor, happy is he" in 14:21, and "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given" in 19:17.

Jesus said to a crowd of people in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [money]." 

If you pray to the Lord to show you someone in need and how you can help, He will. God's heart is for people. He said the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. I propose that handing a beggar on the corner a handful of cash is not the best way to love him. The claw of addiction grips many homeless beggars, especially in areas where organizations exist to shelter, feed, and clothe the homeless. The ones approaching us for handouts often refuse help from these organizations because they do not want to or cannot overcome their addictions. Would you call it love if I gave a meth addict more meth? Putting cash in the hands of an addict assures the continuance of his addiction, and perhaps even contributes to his death by overdose.

A sign in downtown Memphis shocked my husband and me as we moseyed down Main Street on a rare date night. It implored tourists to avoid giving handouts to beggars because that action undermines the efforts of the official organization to help the homeless. It basically said, "If you really want to help the homeless, stop giving them cash." (And if the government says so, it must be true, right?)

Skilled beggars play on your compassion. (The compassionate, unjaded heart does not displease God.) It's true, beggars need to eat. Perhaps consider giving them a sandwich. Once, in Chattanooga, a man knocked on our door asking for cash because he had called a cab to take him to a town 45-minutes away. He also wanted to eat. So we offered him a pizza and a ride. We honestly were surprised when he accepted. The surprise faded into reality when he asked to be let off at the corner only two blocks from our house. His excuse? The cab company would blacklist him if he didn't show up for his taxi. 

At another time, inside a convenience store, a man approached me and asked me for cash for a meal. I told him I didn't carry cash (which was the truth), but I could buy him a snack. He declined. He ended up in front of me in line, purchasing only one thing--a large bottle of some sort of alcoholic drink. 

An article a decade ago in Raleigh, NC highlighted begging as a career, pointing out a man who had a permit to beg and earned more than my full-time nurse husband did annually. I'm guessing he didn't report taxes on any of it either.

I share these stories as stereotypical of our experiences. I certainly don't want to label an entire subset of society based on a handful of my own experiences. This conversation could continue for decades. The poor will always be with us, as Jesus said. How can we honor God and help the needy--actually help the needy, not just salve a guilty conscience driving our luxury vehicles past a tattered man proclaiming his poverty?

I don't have all the answers, but I will share what I have found in the Bible. A passage in Deuteronomy 14 shocked me yesterday--God told the Israelites to store their tithe every third year to feed the Levites (the priests who were not given any land to work, but worked in the worship of the Lord), the widows, and the orphans within their gates. We can apply this principle by taking care of our ministers, whose work is for the worship of the Lord. We also know God commands us to care for widows and orphans--the unintentionally and unavoidably impoverished. In fact, James writes that pure and undefiled religion is visiting widows and orphans in their affliction.

Now here's a question: Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away." If you commit to follow this instruction to the letter, let me know, so I can get in on the action before you run out of money! Seriously, this verse poses difficulty for me. I have often given cash to those who ask because of this specific command from Jesus. However, I Timothy 5 offers outstanding advice in the Christian's responsibility for the poor of the earth. In a nutshell, Paul advises the church members to take care of widows who are true widows--older than 60, unlikely to marry again, and with no relatives to take care of them. He also says do not burden the church (by which he means us, the Christians) to take care of people who either have relatives who should be taking care of them or who can work to take care of themselves. 

That's fairly sound advice, eh?

In the same passage, Paul warns against "overgiving" (a sin that very few of us are guilty of, I'm sure.) He writes, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Of course, your definition of "provide" may not match Paul's intention, which brings me to the crux of the matter.

Your money belongs to God. Every single cent. If you have the intimate love relationship with Jesus  that He desires, He will guide you through His word and the Holy Spirit in how to use His money. The overarching principle of love should spur Christians to generosity, particularly to other believers who find themselves in a need they cannot work their own way out of, who have no relatives to take care of them. As for the others, I say give as you feel led by the Holy Spirit. Just remember that giving cash may actually be the opposite of showing love. 

When God leads...

Ten days ago, I went on strike.

Okay, it wasn't quite that drastic. I simply prioritized my life, and cleaning was so low on the list that it fell off.

See, New Year's Resolutions always get me--eat right, exercise daily, read the Bible, read [a list of] books, teach my kids [a variety of things], keep the house clean and organized.

But I only have so many hours in a day. The same number you do, actually. It is never enough to accomplish my list of resolutions.

In my frenzied attempt to do so, the Lord whispered, "Dorothy, you are so busy with so many things. Choose the one thing."

One thing? How do I choose one thing? One!

I said, "But God, if I don't clean, who is going to do it?"

God responded, "Do you not think I am big enough to take care of it? Even if I don't, obey me. Choose the one thing."

Ten days passed without a scrubbing, a sorting, or a sweeping. Clementine peels littered the floor, pistachio shells crunched underfoot, pizza sauce splattered, yet God said, "You are so busy with so many things."

I chose to immerse myself in God's word and books about God's word with the time I used to spend cleaning up after the family. I only did the dishes, cleaned the laundry, taught the lessons, and enjoyed the Lord Jesus.

I did not enjoy the mess.

This morning, my husband corralled the kids and said, "This place is filthy. You are going to clean it today. You must learn to clean up your own messes."

My children, ages 9 and under, and my husband spent eight full hours scrubbing, sweeping, trashing, sorting, vacuuming, and tidying. Chris even dismantled the light fixtures to exhume the deceased insects. I, also, spent the day cleaning the kitchen and preparing the meals... and enjoying time in the word of God.

The Lord responded to my plea, but only after I obeyed him. We are so busy with so many things, yet Jesus promised us rest. Not laziness, but rest in His work. Don't be blinded to His work by the burdens of your own making. Choose the one thing.

iLearn... sort of

A friend of mine recently complained to me that her first-grader hated a certain part of her workbook curriculum. My advice? Don't do it! My goodness, in first grade, all learning should be fun. As our children progress, we will have to teach them that life requires activities we don't much like. But at such a young age, I advocate finding fun ways to teach the basics. One of my kids loves, loves, loves workbooks. You know I love that--it's certainly easy on the teacher! But I've had to be more creative with my other students.

We use games. I love active games. I came up with one for spelling this morning that needs some modification to work with the mix of temperaments in my family. The kids were hitting a balloon into the air to keep it from hitting the ground when it was time for school to start. Instead of pulling them away from their fun to begin the tedious process of spelling, I added this twist to the game: I called out a spelling word, and with each balloon bop, the child had to name the next letter in the word. They were begging me for more words! (Tempers ran hot when the smarter kid "stole" the letter from the rightful caller.) So next time, I'll probably make the same person spell the whole word, requiring one letter with each bop.

When we actually sat down to our school table, the kitchen remodel obscured our education--literally. The cloud of dust choked and blinded me, so I announced recess. During our playtime, I scouted iPhone apps for spelling games for second graders.

I found no good ones.

I've spent the entire morning trying to find an excellent phonics app to teach my second-grader to spell. His reading fluency tops fourth grade, and most of the phonics apps aim to teach reading fluency. Spelling and reading do complement one another, but they are entirely different skills. Similarly, when you're learning vocabulary, defining a vocabulary word takes a different skill set than being able to come up with the word when given the definition.

Apple's genius marketing plan has me stuck using iProducts. Any universal app I download on my iPhone can also transfer to other iPhones, iPads, or iPods. I recently learned that students at our local Christian school are required to lease an iPad as part of their education. I've resisted buying a $500 piece of glass for my clumsy children, but I've decided now that if I were rich, I would absolutely buy each of my children an iPad (with the indestructible case) for supplementing our education. Unfortunately, the recent Steve-Jobs-less update has changed the way the app store categorizes the apps and made it incredibly difficult for me to narrow down the fields for browsing my specific desires. Even searching for an app by name often yields incorrect results.

I never have any trouble making the kids sit down to play an app--I only have trouble making them take turns! I welcome anything that reduces friction and fighting in my home. I wish I could find a good app that teaches phonics for spelling in a game setting (instead of a flashcard setting).

Here are some apps for iPhone I've had success with:
1. TeachMe Kindergarten, TeachMe First Grade, etc. My 4-year-old twins have finished the first grade app and are working in the second grade app. I credit this app with their advanced learning.
2. Save the Sushi--a math game.
3. Rocket Math--a math game that's basically flash cards, but the players earn money to buy rocket pieces and launch rockets after each session. My kids can't get enough of it.

If you're looking for iLearn apps, join the Facebook group Apps for Homeschooling. They often offer promo codes and personal reviews of new educational apps, including appropriate age range. Plus, they have a section of free apps. And that's why I have no more memory on my phone.

A good reason to buy an iPad, right?

Lined in Gold

I heard today at my ladies' Bible study that the registration fee of $25 only covers one quarter of the actual cost of my participation in Community Bible Study. For you right-brained people, that means that the organization claims it costs $100 per person to provide the materials for our Bible study each semester.

Oh. My. Word. Is the stinking notebook lined in gold?

Why do we make the Bible so inaccessible to the lower class?

Stuff for my stuff

I admit it. I'm kind of a pack rat. But I go through phases where I get overwhelmed with all the mounds of stuff I've accumulated and give it all away. And then, you guessed it, I go replace my stuff.

My true weakness is a great bargain. If I see a shirt for a buck, well, of course, I have to buy it! It doesn't really matter how it fits or how I like it. As such, Craigslist is my vice! Recently, however, I found two enormous wardrobe/armoire pieces to hold some stuff.

See, that's the thing with stuff. The more you have, the more you have to have. You have to have stuff to hold your stuff. You have to have stuff to clean your stuff. You have to have stuff to protect your stuff. The stuff can master you, if you let it.

So here's my P.S.A. for the day--Save Yourself! Say No to Stuff!