the sun came out

It has been rainy and dreary for several days, but the sun came out today and it felt so good! Our normally dry creek is full of water and ready for leaf dam building and stick floating. It is hard to get the kids to go outside. We’re a family full of homebodies, I guess. Overcoming inertia is hard sometimes, but once we get out it is always so refreshing. I can’t quite figure out why it is hard to convince some of my kids that getting out in the fresh air and the woods will be worth it. Invariably they feel better once they’re out there and often gripe when it is time to come back in. I’m learning that a great deal of life as a parent is like that– always resistance, always resistance. The trick is to flow with it and not get too bugged by it.

I feel like our new year officially starts tomorrow. We’ve been lucky to have Barry home for several weeks, but he has to go back to the grind tomorrow. It has been so wonderful to have him home. He is such a do-er! Our downstairs bathroom got a new sink, toilet, light fixture and paint. I’ve got to figure out how to take photos of such a tiny space so I can show it to you. We’ve started a new habit of meeting with the older kids to help them plan the week and we’re learning more of how to tweak the process as we go.

And I just heard it again– there is something that roams our back yard at night screaming/ barking/ yelping/ calling… I don’t even know how to describe it.

A neighbor says it is a female fox in heat. Maybe we really know what the fox says! Just what we need back by our chickens.

sharky

This weekend was the Pinewood Derby for Logan’s Cub Scouts.

Logan’s car wasn’t the fastest, but it was the most creative and blood thirsty. I’m hoping that the boys can get a pinewood derby display shelf built for the basement soon. We have a lot of cars already and 2 more boys to have their time in Cub Scouts. Won’t that be fun?

Is that kid cute or what? He got a suit for Christmas– the perfect thing for him. None of my other boys would have any desire to wear a suit, but this Ian of mine is all about having outfits that match and dressing up for church and doing his hair. He was as excited about his suit as Hunter was with his Iron Man t-shirt.

It is so fun how these kids with the same parents, growing up in the same house with the same daily routines are each so different. My goal in life is to help them really discover their own unique needs, talents, and mission. I want them to learn how to understand their inner workings and motivations, to know how best they learn so they can each structure their lives in a way that honors who they are and what God placed them on this earth to do.

I’ve been into Carol Tuttle’s Energy Profiling the past few weeks. It’s kind of like personality profiling, but takes into account physical features, body language, and movement as well. The “types” are based on the 4 elements in nature– air, water, fire, and earth. I guess maybe I’m drawn to it because it is based on ancient Indian and Chinese philosophies of energy and health. Anyway– I think my Ian has some type 4, carbon energy in his need for order and perfection and a black suit.

I’m a type 1/2– air/ water. Random, buoyant, flowing. I’ve always known that about myself, but just coming to the realization that I am most authentic and productive when I move through life in that way is pretty liberating! I have been trying to force myself to create rigid structure for myself and my kids in our homeschool because I think that is the way for us to really accomplish things. The first half of this school year has been a battle of schedule and structure– leaving me feeling either joyless (for sticking to the rigid schedule) or guilty (for not sticking to it). I have legitimate needs for fun! Scheduling the fun out of our school has actually made it feel much LESS productive because I’ve been trying to put myself into a mold that I’m not made for. I know that there is a need for a certain amount of routine, but I need to rethink it a bit and arrange our days and weeks in a way that honors my need for a certain amount of free flow and spontaneity.

Do you like personality tests and trying to figure yourself out? Do you have favorite tools that have helped you understand your family members better so that you could honor their unique needs and abilities?

Eva’s stocking (or the first thing I’ve sewn since we moved)

Until Christmas Eve I hadn’t done any sewing since we moved. Then we were arranging stockings and realized that for a third year Eva would have to use one of the Smartwool socks from my drawer for her stocking. Spontaneous crafting is the best kind! I rummaged through my scraps, made some pinwheels and voila! A stocking! (OK, it may not have been that instantaneous. It took a couple of hours of procrastinating wrapping presents. Spontaneous crafting while procrastinating other things that need attention is a particular specialty of mine.)

“Eva, hold your stocking so I can take a picture of you with it.”

That didn’t quite work out how I wanted it to.

You get the idea, though, right? It is pink and girly for my pink girly girl.