Better Than You

What do boys do when there's nothing to do?  They compete.  They argue.  They compete.  They argue.
Meanwhile, the girls get things done. I do love little boys.

Your Math Book? Seriously?

Are homeschooled kids just a tiny bit.....different?

I think so, but you decide.

Today is our local homeschool convention and my kids found out that the author of their math books, Steve Demme from Math-U-See will be a speaker.

They were beyond excited and want me to take their math books to the convention to get his autograph.

Tucking Ezra in last night he said, "I can't believe you get to meet Mr. Demme tomorrow! It's so cool!"

I rest my case.

(Never, ever, in my entire 13 years of school did I have single thought about my math book other than - hate.)

Your Turn Isaiah

  With eight boys in the family, you just have to wait long enough and you become the oldest son in the house.  While that sounds like it might be an enviable position, and in many respects it is, there is a weighty responsibility that goes with the title.             

  Isaiah has risen to the task.

  Not only can we count on him to do the right thing, he does it quietly, humbly and always with humor and compassion.  He makes parenting a teen look easy - which is not always the case. (You know who you are.)

  And he's learning to work hard.  He's set his heart on being a carpenter and was given a chance to apprentice with a builder in  town.  His feet ache from the steel toed shoes, the ladders are  scaring him to death as are the fractions he has to compute with a tape measure and he had to forgo a field trip for work. And all without complaint.

He spent a little of his money today and bought a tool belt.  

You're looking good Isaiah.
  

Sometimes I Look Better on the Inside

  Reading through the Bible this year has been interesting.  A life time of reading here and there like a chicken pecking around, I thought I had probably read most of the verses.  Maybe I had. But lining it up and hearing it one line, one story after another is different. It weighs more and stays in my head.
  The last few days have been in Exodus and the building of the Tabernacle with all the gold and gems and opulence  the nation of Israel had given. Each person bringing their share to make this unbelievably ornate place for God to dwell. Every last detail of where to place each item and what it is to be made of it and how many cubits it was and who should make it.
  And then in chapter 38, like a strange surprise, it says - "They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting." Really?
 Now, I don't know what these women did, or how this happened. I don't know if they all got together one day and noticed that the sink in the place needed something to give a little sparkle, or if they heard Moses worrying about where they could get some extra bronze.  I do know, that every woman needs a mirror and they gave theirs up.  That's big. Especially knowing that they were there at the entrance working and everyone would see them and now how do they know if their hair looks okay or if there was a little manna stuck in their teeth?  
 Sometimes having a large family, I feel like I've donated the mirror.  Finding more than 10 minutes uninterrupted is miraculous. Showering is a luxury afforded only when I can nab someone to watch the baby and put out any fires the boys start. Painting my finger and toenails is out of the question and if you don't wear make up, you don't have to spend time taking it off. 
  But its good.  You know those ladies at the entrance to the tent were happy to see the sink finished and so beautiful and I'm looking to see what God can do with a lot less of me and more of Him.
  Just don't look too close at my eye brows - plucking is optional these days.
  

You Gotta Have a Tree

   Most years we cut our Christmas tree down the first weekend in December, but the stars and schedules didn't align as well this season.  So, better late than never, we finally made it out to the tree farm and chose the "best tree ever".  It was Samuel's turn to cut it down and he worked at it for awhile before bigger/stronger/older Isaiah finished it off for him. (Wasn't David just helping Isaiah not that long ago?)
  Everyone was full of Christmas cheer and humored me by singing Christmas carols in the hay wagon, even while people were listening. 
  So the tree is in place and it's officially Christmas at our house!

Away in a Manger

Our granddaughter Maddy has been staying with us for awhile and things have been a lot more interesting.  I made the decision to leave the very fragile nutcracker decorations packed away this year, for my own sanity, but the play nativity would be perfect. Although Maddy is only 1, it was time for her to hear the Christmas story.  She loved to sit and listen about how God stepped into our world, and that's how our faith like a child begins.  
And when you're one, it's okay to carry baby Jesus around in your mouth.

Something Fishy

  Our science class wrapped up our ocean studies with a lovely fish dissection.  I asked the parents a month ago if anyone could go fishing and get us some fish.  One family walked in with three huge beautiful wide mouth bass.  They were almost too pretty to use.
  But we did.  Fitted with gloves and scalpels we found organs and systems and generally the kids loved poking around and it was great.  And stinky. 
  There were a few kids who were repulsed and at the same time fascinated by the whole thing.  They only closed their eyes at the real bad parts.  And some couldn't get enough.
  It all went well until a few days later when I went in the garage and realized that our cans would probably smell for the next 30 years.