Friday, December 31, 2010

Elementary Round Up

Nearly 400 pictures later . . . and I am only going to show you one day’s worth of pictures.

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We are on vacation.  Doing vacation-like things. 

I’m not supposed to be blogging. 

I thought I would get TONS of stuff done by not doing school, not blogging, and having the Hottie home.

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Nope. 

We have been playing.

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Too much.

Naaaaaaaaaaa . . . .

Because sometimes when you play, you learn.

You let go.

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You become independent. 

You fall.

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You get back up.

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You see a new machine.

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And you even learn a math term. 

‘Cause your dad is a math whiz. 

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And a homeschool dad.

For example,  a zamboni goes in a spiral.  But I need to find out why the zamboni is called the zamboni. 

What has been going on in your school room – and if you don’t have a blog to link up with . . . leave a comment and tell me what your family did in the Learning Room!

Guidelines: 

  1. Write a blog post about your elementary aged child(ren), first through fifth grade, comprising the activities you did the prior two weeks.  You can include pictures, bullet points, tools used, learning gained, God moments, etc.
  2. Be sure to include a link back to my blog.  By doing so, other like-minded readers can hang out in a central location if they are looking for Elementary School ideas.   Publish your post and then head back to my site. 
  3. Provide the exact link (URL) of the Elementary Round-UP blog post you wrote, not your blog’s home address, through the provided MckLinky.
  4. Optional:  For now, I would love it if you grabbed my blog button over on the side.  At some point, I may get creative and create a button specific to this meme . . .
  5. You can combine this with other meme’s if that helps you to save time (as long as it is OK with the other blog owner). 

BIG IMPORTANT HEART MOMENT:  This isn’t a blog post to WOW other moms . . . the point of this is to help YOU document on YOUR blog what you and your child(ren) are learning.  My link-up is only to provide some accountability.  I won’t come and leave nasty comments on your blog if you don’t link up. 

 

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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Praise be to the Lord,

the God of Israel,

the God of our Land, the God of my home, the God of my family,

because He has come to His people and redeemed them.

He has redeemed me.

Us.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us (as He said),

Jesus.

~

Daily I seek You through Your letter to me.

Your letter to everyone.

Words that contain hope . . .

Encouragement . . .

Comfort.

On this Christmas season may the Story . . .

The only Story Of Innocence . . .

bless you, sustain you,

and bring you life.

 

Merry Christmas,

The Granola Family

(Brian, Jodi, Asher, Ezra,

Gabe, and Naomi)

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Thanks be to God, the Hottie has some time off . . . and I will also be taking a break from my “habit” of blogging.  We will be spending some much needed time as a family – resting and recuperating from our busy fall filled with moving, a new baby, a wrap-up of many engineering projects for the Hottie, and healing from the empty spot in our kitchen with the loss of our dog.

See you after the New Year. 

(I will probably post a link next Friday for the Elementary Round Up, though.)

Stay tuned for upcoming giveaways in honor of my new blog design from The Frilly CoconutPick and Draw, Tropical Traditions, and hopefully a few other surprises.

Be sure to check out Melanie’s giveaway (only if you want to work on having some gratitude, though!)!

Mussoorie

Sometimes as a parent, you have to do hard things . . . make hard decisions . . . walk your children through difficult times. 

Mussoorie 005 October 25, 2001 – December 23, 2010

Grief.  Something our children had yet to experience.  Something I really didn’t want to revisit.

Though just a dog . . . our Rhodesian Ridgeback brought much entertainment, clean floors, and companionship. 

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We ask for you prayers as we teach our children about death. 

Lord God, thank you for 9 great years with our dog.  Through her, You assured us that we could indeed be entrusted with Your children, all four of them.  We thank you for the memories and ask that you tenderly hold our children’s aching hearts in Your trusting arms.  God, most of all, through this pain I pray that you would enable us to have the wisdom of Solomon to use Mussie’s death to teach our children the importance of life in Jesus.  May they not be scared of death, but know that through Jesus Christ the sting of death is replaced with the gift of life everlasting . . . no tears, no pain, no sorrow.  But light.  Life. Joy. Peace.  And maybe along with the horses that we read about in Revelation . . . there will be one floppy eared brown dog.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Etsy Baby Shower

I was blessed to have an online baby shower. 

My sister hooked me up. 

Of course it didn’t hurt that I have an Etsy shop.  You . . . um . . . have to have an Etsy shop to have an Etsy baby shower

To show my gratitude, I wanted to send a little love their way.  Please visit my benefactors Etsy shops.  (And while you are at it . . . visit my Etsy Shop . . . who knows . . . . I might give you some money back if you purchase something!)

~ From Decorative Labels ~last hurrah 036last hurrah 037 

~ And from Hound Dog Designs ~

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and

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Thanks, Jennifer and Deniz!  I heart the gifts!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Proper Insulation

When viewing the lights at the zoo this week . . . we got a lot of looks.  People weren’t bobbing their heads to count us (for once).  Instead, they were giggling over our well insulated children. 

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A certain engineer that I happen to be well acquainted with informed me that our children were retaining their body heat efficiently enough so as to not melt the snow that was tumbling down upon them.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

God Loves Me More Than That: A Review

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The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .  (John 3:16) and 1 John 3:16 reinforces God’s love for us by stating, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

As an adult, I find it hard (sometimes) to grasp the love that God has for me.  So if I, who have been loving Jesus for 16+ years now, struggle to wrap my mind around God’s abounding love, I would wager that to some degree it is a little hard for a kid to picture the unseen magnificent Almighty loving them.

Or maybe not.

They still have one of God’s greatest gifts – an imagination for the unseen.

So whether you or your child struggle with grasping the concept that God loves you, I invite you to read  God Loves Me More Than That by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by David Hohn, to usher your imagination into the reality that God loves you very much.  The book is especially appealing to boys as it features a young lad who hops through the pages discovering that through God’s creation he can know

that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3: 17,18)

A special thanks to Waterbrook Press for allowing me to review this book.  I was not paid for this post, nor do I have to return the item. 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Give the Word Bible Contest and Giveaway

You can help.

From your own home. 

You can spread the good news of Jesus Christ with a simple click of your finger.

An exciting contest is currently being run and sponsored by the New Living Translation.  Three ministries are the focus of this contest:

By simply voting for one of these ministries, you’ll be entered to win one of many prizes.

To enter, visit the NLT Facebook page by clicking here.

And the prizes . . . .

  • Ministries win: Each time the NLT Facebook Page reaches a fan count milestone, votes will be tallied and the three ministries will receive cash donations from the New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers.
  • Everyone wins: Everyone who enters on the Bible Contest website wins a free download of Matthew West reading the Christmas story.
  • Daily NLT Study Bible winners: Vote on the NLT Facebook page and you will be entered to win two NLT Study Bibles—one to keep and one to give away. A new winner will be chosen every day.
  • Weekly Give the Word Locally winners: Tell us about a deserving local ministry on the NLT Bible Contest website and they could win five NLT Study Bibles and $250 worth of NLT products.
  • One Grand Prize winner will enjoy a unique trip customized just for them and their family (or three guests of their choice), to Wycliffe Bible Translators world headquarters and the WordSpring Discovery Center where they will experience firsthand the exciting world of Bible translation. The Grand Prize winner could also choose to donate the value of the trip--$2000--to Wycliffe instead.

What are you waiting for?  This is a great opportunity to bless other ministries – especially if you don’t have extra money to give to a ministry.

Goodbye Starbucks

I bought an espresso machine for $5.00 from CSN Stores a few weeks ago.

5 bucks.

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For those of you who follow me on Twitter . . . you often heard my groaning for a Starbucks vanilla latte.  I suppose if I lived farther away from Starbucks . . . I wouldn’t even think about having a vanilla latte all that much. 

The store is just so close that I thought someone less housebound might stop by with such a beverage as I was daydreaming about.  Said St. Nicholas would knock on my door with the cheery beverage in their hand and say, “Grab your Bible, run upstairs, enjoy your coffee, and I’ll watch the kids while you rest.”

It’s a nice thought . . . dream . . . pipe dream, isn’t it?

I could walk to Starbucks if I wanted to.  BUT then WE would resemble a flock of geese headed to the local thawed watering hole.

After many attempts through Starbuck’s comment website, My Starbucks Idea, to encourage them to give moms with newborns six weeks of free lattes, I decided that I needed to take matters into my own cup.

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With my just-in-the-neck-of-time gift certificate from CSN Stores, I bought this retro Delonghi espresso machine . . . that featured a rebate.

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The Hottie was glad that my “habit” got moved to home.

I’ve probably made over 12 lattes and countless steamers for the boys.

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I would say that already it has paid for itself.

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And I haven’t purchased a Starbucks since. 

Thanks, CSN!!!

I was not paid for this post, nor do I have to return my espresso machine.  I am allowed and have given my honest opinion of said product and the excellent shipping service I received from CSN.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Elementary Round Up

Time is short today . . . and typing one handed is hard . . . . so our past two weeks will be like watching an old fashioned silent movie . . . without captions.  (Leave a comment if you want to know what we are doing in a certain picture or where to get the printable we used.)

Oh, and we also have played in the snow a lot.

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What has been going on in your school room – and if you don’t have a blog to link up with . . . leave a comment and tell me what your family did in the Learning Room!

Guidelines: 

  1. Write a blog post about your elementary aged child(ren), first through fifth grade, comprising the activities you did the prior two weeks.  You can include pictures, bullet points, tools used, learning gained, God moments, etc.
  2. Be sure to include a link back to my blog.  By doing so, other like-minded readers can hang out in a central location if they are looking for Elementary School ideas.   Publish your post and then head back to my site. 
  3. Provide the exact link (URL) of the Elementary Round-UP blog post you wrote, not your blog’s home address, through the provided MckLinky.
  4. Optional:  For now, I would love it if you grabbed my blog button over on the side.  At some point, I may get creative and create a button specific to this meme . . .
  5. You can combine this with other meme’s if that helps you to save time (as long as it is OK with the other blog owner). 

BIG IMPORTANT HEART MOMENT:  This isn’t a blog post to WOW other moms . . . the point of this is to help YOU document on YOUR blog what you and your child(ren) are learning.  My link-up is only to provide some accountability.  I won’t come and leave nasty comments on your blog if you don’t link up. 

 

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Getting Real: Snowmelt in my Tears

As the blanket of sparkling white snow tickled and covered our world this past week (and hopefully tonight), I found it melting into tears on my face.

It has been a hard week in the snowstorm of motherhood.

The first inch of snow to melt came from the heat of emotions when we learned the reality that we probably have one to two more weeks left with our furry pet, Mussoorie, who is somewhat infamous on this blog. (That was an unusually long sentence for me.)

The second snow instantly melted into many puddles all over our family room floor with the thud of a certain two year old.  Our normally smiley boy took a disastrous fall that impacted his front teeth.  His face has subsequently swollen twice its size, which warranted an emergency visit to the oral surgeon this morning. 

gabes fall 013(This picture doesn’t even do justice to the swelling in his face.) 

Thankfully, God designed our bodies to self heal . . . and it appears that in children (and often in adults) the injured tooth will shimmy down in due time.

The blessing in this experience has been the unveiling of my little’s boy true personality.  I know it is often said that the real person emerges in times of trial.  Despite the horrid injury and pain that Gabe must be feeling, he has been delightful, loving, affectionate, patient . . . trusting.

And the third and fourth inch of snowmelt occurr(ed)(s) as I survey my surroundings, in reality my blessings and my greatest teachers.

Grano

For the first time I understand the skits portraying the frazzled moms at those frou-frou women’s conferences. 

I understand now what my pastor’s wife meant when she claimed to only get in a sentence or two in of scripture each day during her child rearing years.

I have never struggled to do my quiet time in the 6 years of having children . . . until now.

I know the grey snow melt (and stench) of not changing my clothes for 48 hours.  Being embarrassed to be clad in my pink pj’s as the Hottie walks through the door looking amazing in his work attire.  (No picture available at this time.)

I have desired to climb out of my skin recently.  Climb back into my mother’s womb or at least a tight ball in a dark room.  I have struggled to accept the reality that I can’t “get things done.”  (Yea, yea, yea, I know I blogged about accepting this whole reality but that is far easier said than done.)

I wonder is the decibel level in our house from six people . . . safe?  Normal?

Almost daily I fear, question, research if I am severely damaging my children emotionally by how I parent – causing them to need Biblical counseling 20 years from now. 

The vet commented to me that she thought I was a good parent.  Really?  I got mad at my kids in the waiting room.  I knew what I was thinking in my heart with said granola children.  Oh, if that kind veterinarian only knew.  I do know that other parents get mad at their children . . . but still.

Am I REALLY teaching them how to have an authentic relationship with the Lord?  Is my walk with my Savior contagious?

And then like the silence of a thick snow on a Sunday morning . . . I wonder . . . am I alone in this thing called motherhood?  this thing called the insanity of four children . . . I mean seriously homeschooling all these fabulous minds?

What are we thinking?  What were we thinking?

And you don’t even have to have four kids to feel the weight of such a task . . . a gift to bestow upon your kids.  I felt this way with one, which I find quite humorous.  I only thought I was busy then.

Just when I began to go to that dreary place that resembles the sky before a snowfall, I received an email from a dear friend.  (I have changed her name to one of my favorite names {Trinity} to protect her heart.)

But I wonder . . . are there others of you out there who feel this way in your motherhood? Sometimes?

Here are the raw, poignant, and transparent words of my friend . . .

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest IF we do not give up!”

Don't give up
God says so
Some days it's hard.
The end seems nowhere in sight
Cling to those words Trinity
I'm quiet but very stubborn and determined
I can accomplish a lot
I know
I've done it
But some times that question of why still creeps in
I do all the 'right' stuff
I follow all "the rules"
I do what I'm "supposed" to do
But some days I still think what's the point
I don't stand out.
I actually fall into the background
Don't lose heart Trinity
You will reap in due season
It's hard
I struggle
I don't have ' it' together
None. of. it.
Wife. mom. daughter. sister. homemaker.
Don't lose heart
Don't lose heart

I struggled with depression some this year
I'm already a 'homebody' but I turned in even more this year
I blog but I don't share even a peak of what's inside me
I don't know how
I don't know if I want to.
Ever.
Simplifying this year has been a real eye opener
I make thing so complicated
12 months if simplifying and I still have miles to go on this road
Don't lose heart Trinity
You. Are. So. Blessed.
So so so blessed

I gave up on publically sharing my 1000 gifts
I was so down for awhile I didn't want to even think about being
thankful. I knew ppl going through some very tough times, places I
wasn't even close to, and I hurt so bad for them and I didn't know how to be thankful for my perfect
little life. Without a trace of struggle, nothing like what they were in yet I was
so blue. And I was the one with the good life.
I am thankful.
For so much
I really do feel like I have my own little pocket of almost perfect.
So why do I have such trouble finding joy.

 

Can you relate to my friend, Trinity?  Are you there?  Have you been there?  Has your snow been grey?

As I shovel through my postpartum thoughts I have been dwelling upon a verse from 1 Peter 5:10,

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of Grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

I thought living in India was hard.  India prepared me for motherhood.  Motherhood with baby #4 has taken me to a whole new level of introspection, change, and remolding. 

This season of insanity with so many people dependent on me will pass.  And not only will I have kids who are independent, but God will have transformed me when this winter of hibernation passes.  I will grow along with my children’s heights.  God will confirm, strengthen, and establish me.

Little ‘ol me.  Little ‘ol you.

Yet the blizzard of events including the reality of my diminishing dog, a child significantly hurt,  and the fear of how this all will affect my already tumultuous hormones. . . makes me think . . . ponder . . . pray.

God will this let up?  I know it will.  I have heard other moms speak who have reached the other side.  They have kids who want to be with them.  Their children love Jesus.  These children can go to the bathroom by themselves.  They can even do their own laundry.  They drive!  They even help others.

I wonder . . . can they make their mom a latte?

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Don’t get me wrong . . . I don’t want to wish this time away . . . because there is growth in this season.  I have a chance to be transformed even more through my “suffering” (if you can really call it that) to be like my Savior . . . and isn’t that what we want?

But like Trinity . . . I want joy through it all.  Abiding joy.  Transforming joy.  Joy that uniquely falls upon every situation like the snowflakes out my door.  Joy that brings delight at first site.  Joy that is contagious.  Joy that makes my children feel loved and my husband proud. 

And so ends my reflections from what I am learning from mothering 4 children, grieving the end of an era in my life, and slowly working my way through Beth Moore’s study, Living Beyond Yourself.  (I’m really making you want to do this study . . . right?  NOT!)

Two questions for you . . . talk with me . . . my friend, Trinity IS reading this post.  She knows that I was going to write it this week.  She NEEDS you to reach out.

  1. Do Trinity’s thoughts echo yours?
  2. How do you sustain your joy in motherhood . . . in everything really? (And you can’t just say . . . spending time reading my Bible.)

I thank you in advance for dialoguing with us.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Sled Instructions

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Wordless Wednesday @ 5 Minutes 4 Mom