HEAPS of Blessings

Unexpected Blessings Finding the good in this scary time My husband's job is secure.  His plant processes chemicals used in cleaning and disinfectant products, so he's heading into overtime instead of layoffs like so many others. For that I am grateful. My children are healthy. And I don't mean just avoiding COVID-19. So far we haven't had any necessary doctors appointments forcing us out into public. For that I am grateful. Our home is safe and comfortable. Thanks to regular bulk and online shopping, our need to go out to stores is greatly reduced. For that I am grateful. We've had several weeks of uninterrupted school days. With the disappointment of cancelled groups and activities comes the blessing of quiet days at home. For that I am grateful. As much as we are missing our friends and family, we are discovering the blessing of technology to keep in touch. Grandma is reading bedtime stories over FaceTime, cousins are playing games together with the...

A Simple Change It always amazes me how one little change in our daily routine can have such drastic effects.Good and bad. This time was good though. REALLY good. You see, bedtime is my nemesis. Those sweet images of moms and kids snuggling up at the end of the day to read and pray together? Yeah, not in my house. Bedtime around here is like herding cats. Grumpy cats who have worn their handler down to her very last nerve. Even though we have done the exact same routine since forever,every night was a struggle. "Potty, brush teeth, jammies, checks!" I would sing over and over and still I'd come upstairs to utter chaos. So what was this amazing change I enacted? We now do our evening chores (the "checks" part of my chant) right after dinner instead of at bedtime. Goodnight, what a difference it has made! Apparently my kids' brains checkout at 8:00, much like my own. Wonder why it took me so long to see it? How about you? What has been a simple change yo...

Disappointment  When things are out of your control I'm disappointed! There, I said it. And like a toddler who's been told "no", I want to whine and complain. I want to throw a fit and cry, "It's not fair!" But I'm not a toddler, I'm an adult who know better. I can appreciate all the very good reasons my trip was canceled. I know how grateful I should be for the blessings I do have. My disappointment is petty in comparison to what others are facing. I'll get there, I just need a moment to let the frustration wash over me. The thing I've been planning for and looking forward to for months has been taken away from me in the name of caution, civic responsibility, and protecting those at greater risk.  Very noble reasons indeed. But like that petulant child I want my feelings heard. And after a few moments' reflection, I realize that they are. God knows my heart, my desires and my hurts. What is required of me now is trust that ...

     I sat in the doctor’s office last week because I have a broken toe. How I got the broken toe is another story for another day. But being that I hadn’t been in for a doctor visit since my family’s move from out of state nearly two years ago, I also needed to “get established” at my new clinic of choice. “Getting established” involves an overall, but fairly light, introduction and overview of health history. You probably knew that already. I actually don’t go to the doctor all that often—for myself.  I usually am taking one (or all) of my four children to the pediatrician to manage their care. Let’s face it, what time is there for a stay-at-home, homeschooling, mom of four children—three of those children with “additional needs” due to what I call an “alphabet soup” of diagnoses—to be able to go in for routine physicals and dental cleanings for herself? (Yet another story—er, rather stories—for another day.)      The doctor asked me typical ...

The Guilt of Middle Ground Mom guilt is brutal and can strike anywhere, anytime. Here I am reading through a wonderfully inspiring blog post about some positive parenting strategy or other. The writer’s intentions are noble, the information is solid, yet I am blindsided by unexpected guilt. Why? Because I operate in the middle ground. I see the value in the advice and the truth in what the author is sharing, but not enough to live it fully.  And so, guilt. I have failed again. I am not “enough” of any one mindset, philosophy, or method to silence the other voices. I hear them all and am pulled in all the different directions they can lead, never mastering any of them. But, as I often repeat to my children, "Feelings are real but they aren't always true." I may feel like I am not enough, but is that true? Of course not! Middle ground can be an asset, a way to take the best of each and apply them in ways that work for my family. Middle ground keeps me from being pulle...

Dr. Seuss Day and Reluctant Readers Guys! I was so excited when I read this article by Philip Nel, author of  Dr. Seuss: American Icon  (2004) , that I sat right down and scribbled out this poem. Happy Dr. Seuss Day! Read Across America Every year, on the school day nearest his actual birthday , our nation observes Read Across America, an annual event inaugurated by the National Education Association in 1998. It just so happens that today, another homeschooling mom asked for advice about her five-year-old, who flat out refuses even to consider learning to read. "He's so bad he won't even look to see if two words match!" she lamented.  In honor of the man who inspired countless lifelong learning journeys (say that ten times fast!), I thought I'd share with you what I shared with her. My Reluctant Reader My eldest is 7 now. We've been intentionally educating him at home from Day 1, though I'm not sure ...

Straight Up the Mountain Today we learned about inclined planes. Simple machines that spread the work over a larger area. The analogy was, you can go straight up the mountain or you can wind your way around using less force, but taking more time. And I realized, I am a straight up the mountain kind of person. Just do it. Get it done and over so we can move on. But am I plowing over my children in the process? Do you plow your way straight up? Or do you wind your way through the scenic route?