Enjoying My Children

I haven't had the time or the inclination to blog lately, so I thought I'd link to a great post that I read the other day. I don't know about you, but sometimes I am tempted to dislike my children. I suppose it's really disliking a certain attitude or behavior more than disliking them personally, but either way, it's pretty much based on my selfishness and lack of patience. I found this article to be very helpful. You can read it in its entirety here if you'd like.

I find it downright heartbreaking that we have cultivated a whole generation of parents who don’t even enjoy their own children, to the degree they are glad for them to spend a large portion of the day somewhere else.

One of the reasons for not enjoying one’s children is the failure to teach them simple obedience and respect. I’ve seen children who haven’t been taught respect for their parents–I wouldn’t want to spend the day with them either. Raising obedient children is almost a lost art…and yet, it is actually quite simple! Well, the concept is simple. The tough part is making the commitment to spend the time and energy required to carry out these “simple” principles.

Oh that parents would understand who they are, what they have in their children, the vastly important work God has given them, and the privilege to carry out that work!

But as the value of children decreases, the value of the parent’s role also decreases. Obedience is only a thing hoped for, not a thing claimed by authority. And then all the parents gather together, shrug shoulders, compare notes, and console themselves by the fallen standards all around them. “Kids will be kids”, they say.

But the Lord has a different message…it is not outdated. How do you think Scripture can so boldly proclaim, “Children are a heritage of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is His REWARD. Blessed is the man whose quiver is FULL of them.”?

Does the average parent believe this? Does he equate a house full of children with “reward, happiness and blessing”? If not, he’s doing something wrong! I’m not talking about perfect children–they’re still sinners. I’m talking about children who understand authority and respond to the love and security they feel when parents establish healthy authority in the home.

Apples!

We spent the day last Saturday driving up through the mountains, going to an apple festival, and picking apples. We had a great time! We have been to the orchard a few times before, but never to pick. It was so much fun, and it's amazing how much better the apples taste than the ones that I've been getting at the grocery store. They had probably 8 to 10 different varieties to choose from, and we chose Ambrosia (my favorite!), Beni Shogun (kind of like Fuji, which is my second favorite), and Pink Lady. I used some of them to can applesauce and I plan to can some more when I get a chance. I'm also hoping to bake something...maybe apple bread or muffins or something like that. Do you have any suggestions?

An Adventure

Joshua, Joseph and I went on an adventure last week. My brother, Mark, is in the Marines and got his wings on Friday, so we flew to Texas for the occasion. I'm not a huge fan of flying, but we were blessed with smooth rides there and back. The boys both loved it, though something about being in the air made Joseph fill his diaper. That was interesting. Have you ever tried to change a baby in the restroom of an airplane? :)

We enjoyed spending a few days with Mark and Amanda and their three children. My parents and my other brother went as well, which made traveling a whole ton easier and more enjoyable! Here are some pictures of our trip.

Checking out one of the planes that Uncle Mark trained on.

Ciara...look at those eyes!

Running around the hangar with cousins Graeme and Cole

We went to the beach one day and Joshua loved Uncle Mark's surf board!

Jumping in the waves

Joshua reading to Graeme. Graeme had the book memorized, so if Joshua hesitated he would fill in the word. :)

Finished Object Friday

I finished this little "cocoon" for the baby a few weeks ago. I think it's really cute, though I'm not sure how practical it's going to be. I wonder if the baby will like it, or if he'll try to wiggle out of it. I used this book, which has some adorable patterns! You can see more finished objects at Fresh From the Cheri Tree, and if you'd like to see what I received in the mail recently, go here to see Nikki's Finished Object Friday from two weeks ago. I can't wait to use it!! I love the colors and it's so thick and warm...perfect for a January baby.

Joseph wasn't interested in trying it on, so I used one of the girls' baby dolls instead. :)

Helpful Tool

If you are a homeschooling mother, I'm sure you know how important it is to laminate some of your flash cards, vocabulary cards, etc. Maybe the resources that you use come pre-laminated, and if so, that's great! Most of mine do not, however, and I've found that laminating them is a must if I want to avoid re-purchasing them year after year. Last year I bought several rolls of laminating paper off of eBay and did the work by hand. After we moved, I was unable to find those rolls since many of our things are in storage. Adam encouraged me to look into a laminating machine. I always thought that they were ridiculously expensive, but after doing a little research I found this thermal laminator on Amazon. I bought it and a package of pouches for around $40. I was able to use Amazon gift cards that I received from Swagbucks, so my out-of-pocket expense was around $15. I have been very pleased with it and I wish I had bought it a long time ago! The machine is so easy to use and yields a very nice product.

The rolls of paper that I used last year protected the cards from being torn, but they were flimsy and did not protect them so well from being bent. The sheets that are used with the thermal laminator are much stiffer and more durable, and something about the machine makes the colors on the cards really stand out. It is also fast! I spent hours last year laminating things and being frustrated with the fact that some of them had air bubbles no matter how careful I was. The time that this machine has saved me is enough in and of itself to make the expense more than worthwhile. I recommend this product very highly!