It's been busy!
Here's a random run-down of the past week...
Sari had Pre-K last week. It was a "refresher" for all the kids (and FREE for us). Since our state has a free pre-k program, they test all the incoming kindergartners to see what their skill level is so that they can evaluate each VPK facility. Sari will be homeschooled, so she won't take the test, but the school offers the refresher week to hedge their bets that their students will do well with the testing. It was an amazing school, and I am confident they will do well, as they always do, but really we let Sari go this past week just so she could see her friends and teachers one more time. She LOVES them. On a side note, she spends all her time at home talking INCESSANTLY, so it's nice to have a break, LOL.
I did math with Scott every day last week for several hours each day. He's finally making good progress, and should be close to grade level in about 2 months if we stick to...my LESSON PLANS!!! Yep, I finished the hardest part of his math planning, and it feels really good. The bad part? That was one subject for one child- not even the tip of the iceberg. I am hoping the rest will go much faster though.
One of our chickens is officially laying. We've had an egg a day for 4 days. Yesterday, the hubs said, "Should we be putting them in the fridge or something?" I told him that as long as they weren't washed, they would be good for a while on the counter. He said, "Oops, I washed the one I got today, so I should probably go put it in the fridge." So off he went...
he grabbed the egg...
spun around toward the fridge...
and dropped it on the floor...
CRASH!!! Splat!!!
And it was a double yolk-er too.
Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk OR cracked eggs.
Don't you love it when high profile Christians turn out to be every bit as nice as you expect them to be??? There is a movie filming in a local town, and Erin Bethea, who plays Kirk Cameron's wife in Fireproof, is playing the mother of one of the characters. She is SUPER nice. I was soooo pleased that she was exactly the way in person that I hoped she would be. I got to meet her at a photo shoot I did for LFM. There was a book signing of the book that the movie is based on by the author and the stars of the movie, so of course I had to buy the book and get mien signed too- otherwise my kids might never forgive me.
United in Praise also started its fall season the same night. It's a "best of" collection and concert dates are already being booked. It was good to be back among people who have become like family over the last almost decade of my life. We have such great times together, and it's truly amazing to praise God with so many others who represent almost every denomination you can think of. United in Praise started with the idea that in heaven, we'll all be praise God together, so why not start here on earth?
Scott spent the night with a friend Thursday night. This boy lives very close to us, and he is very sweet. He goes to public school, which starts a week from today, so this was his last chance to have a sleep over for a while. It meant giving up a day of schooling with Scott, but it was worth it to cultivate a friendship.
The rest of us went swimming with some friends on Friday, and then Mimi spent the night with a friend of hers.
Saturday was the Lake Family Magazine Family Fun Fest-say that 5 times fast. It was great-1000's of people. I think the flow this year worked better, and I've heard nothing but good reports. It's amazing how exhausting it is to work an event. Trying to be everywhere...capture everything. And socialize and represent the magazine well. All while moving between the indoors, where the AC struggled to keep up with the heat from so many bodies, to the outdoors, where it was just ridiculously hot and humid. But kids don't seem to notice, do they? They were all having a blast. FREE everything-pizza, drinks, slushies from Sonic, snow cones, cotton candy, and tons of other candy and goodies from vendors. Plus free horse rides, tractor rides, Home Depot kid kits...really a wonderful event. At the end, there was a mom there with her two young kids waiting for her husband to pick her up and hour from then. He worked a short distance away, but too far to walk easily with two small boys, one of whom was autistic, in the heat and across a very busy road. So I gave her a ride, and at Walmart, where her husband works, the Big Red Bus was there for a blood drive, so I figured, "hey, if I'm already toast, I might as well finish it off by donating blood." It took me over an hour-but only took me 6 minutes to fill the bag. The rest was spent waiting. But it's a small price to pay. I wish EVERYONE who could would donate blood. It's such an easy way to really, truly save a life. Isn't a tiny bit of pain worth it if you can save someone? I think so.
I spent all of Saturday night and Sunday (besides church) processing the images from the event. It is crazy how long that takes!
Last night, I was concerned that one of my crowns was loose. So I had a huge dilemma. I like our current dentist, and we've been there for YEARS. They know me, they know the kids, the kids LOVE going there and love to get their teeth cleaned. That's worth a ton to me.
BUT
They aren't on our insurance and we pay out of network to go to them. With 4 kids and my mouth full of problems, that adds up to money we don't have. So a few weeks ago when our dentist was out of town, they referred us to another dentist in town. And that office is also very nice. And it turns out the wife of one of the other tenors in United in Praise is a hygienist there. And lots of people we know go there.
And they take our insurance.
So this morning, I went there instead of our regular dentist.
It feels almost traitor-ish. And having to request my records will be one of the most awkward things I've done in a while. But it makes NO sense to pay for Dental insurance, and then not use it. Today's visit cost me $4. $4. And the filling I need will be $29. That's a HUGE difference. Being a good steward of our resources isn't always easy, but it is what I am called to be.
I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the new managing editor of the magazine, and I should have a cover to shoot very soon. Oh, and an ad to write for TOS by Wednesday. And planning to do for the rest of our schooling so we can actually start sometime soon. And our Disney passes are coming out of black out on Saturday, so we'll be heading there one day next week. Oh, and my filling, or maybe fillings, on Wednesday.
I heard one time that If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. And that busy is Being Under Satan's Yolk. Of course, that's not really sound theology, but it is helpful for me. I have to remember that 99% of my busyness is not at all important from an eternal perspective, and if being busy keeps me from pursuing Godliness, then it is wrong. So in all this busyness, I am really trying to focus on God and seek His face. It's not easy, as I tend to get caught up in "me", but I'm trying!
I am not a public "pray-er". Some people are clearly gifted in praying. They are truly "prayer warriors". You know them. The people whose every prayerful utterance seems to be inspired. My public prayers often leave me second guessing myself for an hour afterward...did I say that right...did that make sense...I should have prayed for that too... you get the idea. Or they leave everyone crying. Go ahead. Ask my friends. They'll confirm that. But here's the deal. I am convicted that my blog title lately is very much a misnomer. It's more like "one Eeyore-ish Mamma". I don't mean for it to read that way. I'm really not that way in person at all. I'm not a worrier, and I don't tend to dwell on the negative, so I HATE that my blog looks like I do. I want my blog to reflect my walk with God and the work He is doing in my life, so I am committing, right here and now, to end each post with a prayer. So here it goes...
Lord, thank You for a rich and full life. You've blessed us with provision and with a life full of friends and family and meaning. Help me to focus on You, not me. There are plenty of hours in each day to accomplish Your "to-do" list for my life. Let me spend those hours on business for you, not just busyness that has no eternal meaning. I ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen
Sari had Pre-K last week. It was a "refresher" for all the kids (and FREE for us). Since our state has a free pre-k program, they test all the incoming kindergartners to see what their skill level is so that they can evaluate each VPK facility. Sari will be homeschooled, so she won't take the test, but the school offers the refresher week to hedge their bets that their students will do well with the testing. It was an amazing school, and I am confident they will do well, as they always do, but really we let Sari go this past week just so she could see her friends and teachers one more time. She LOVES them. On a side note, she spends all her time at home talking INCESSANTLY, so it's nice to have a break, LOL.
I did math with Scott every day last week for several hours each day. He's finally making good progress, and should be close to grade level in about 2 months if we stick to...my LESSON PLANS!!! Yep, I finished the hardest part of his math planning, and it feels really good. The bad part? That was one subject for one child- not even the tip of the iceberg. I am hoping the rest will go much faster though.
One of our chickens is officially laying. We've had an egg a day for 4 days. Yesterday, the hubs said, "Should we be putting them in the fridge or something?" I told him that as long as they weren't washed, they would be good for a while on the counter. He said, "Oops, I washed the one I got today, so I should probably go put it in the fridge." So off he went...
he grabbed the egg...
spun around toward the fridge...
and dropped it on the floor...
CRASH!!! Splat!!!
And it was a double yolk-er too.
Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk OR cracked eggs.
Don't you love it when high profile Christians turn out to be every bit as nice as you expect them to be??? There is a movie filming in a local town, and Erin Bethea, who plays Kirk Cameron's wife in Fireproof, is playing the mother of one of the characters. She is SUPER nice. I was soooo pleased that she was exactly the way in person that I hoped she would be. I got to meet her at a photo shoot I did for LFM. There was a book signing of the book that the movie is based on by the author and the stars of the movie, so of course I had to buy the book and get mien signed too- otherwise my kids might never forgive me.
United in Praise also started its fall season the same night. It's a "best of" collection and concert dates are already being booked. It was good to be back among people who have become like family over the last almost decade of my life. We have such great times together, and it's truly amazing to praise God with so many others who represent almost every denomination you can think of. United in Praise started with the idea that in heaven, we'll all be praise God together, so why not start here on earth?
Scott spent the night with a friend Thursday night. This boy lives very close to us, and he is very sweet. He goes to public school, which starts a week from today, so this was his last chance to have a sleep over for a while. It meant giving up a day of schooling with Scott, but it was worth it to cultivate a friendship.
The rest of us went swimming with some friends on Friday, and then Mimi spent the night with a friend of hers.
Saturday was the Lake Family Magazine Family Fun Fest-say that 5 times fast. It was great-1000's of people. I think the flow this year worked better, and I've heard nothing but good reports. It's amazing how exhausting it is to work an event. Trying to be everywhere...capture everything. And socialize and represent the magazine well. All while moving between the indoors, where the AC struggled to keep up with the heat from so many bodies, to the outdoors, where it was just ridiculously hot and humid. But kids don't seem to notice, do they? They were all having a blast. FREE everything-pizza, drinks, slushies from Sonic, snow cones, cotton candy, and tons of other candy and goodies from vendors. Plus free horse rides, tractor rides, Home Depot kid kits...really a wonderful event. At the end, there was a mom there with her two young kids waiting for her husband to pick her up and hour from then. He worked a short distance away, but too far to walk easily with two small boys, one of whom was autistic, in the heat and across a very busy road. So I gave her a ride, and at Walmart, where her husband works, the Big Red Bus was there for a blood drive, so I figured, "hey, if I'm already toast, I might as well finish it off by donating blood." It took me over an hour-but only took me 6 minutes to fill the bag. The rest was spent waiting. But it's a small price to pay. I wish EVERYONE who could would donate blood. It's such an easy way to really, truly save a life. Isn't a tiny bit of pain worth it if you can save someone? I think so.
I spent all of Saturday night and Sunday (besides church) processing the images from the event. It is crazy how long that takes!
Last night, I was concerned that one of my crowns was loose. So I had a huge dilemma. I like our current dentist, and we've been there for YEARS. They know me, they know the kids, the kids LOVE going there and love to get their teeth cleaned. That's worth a ton to me.
BUT
They aren't on our insurance and we pay out of network to go to them. With 4 kids and my mouth full of problems, that adds up to money we don't have. So a few weeks ago when our dentist was out of town, they referred us to another dentist in town. And that office is also very nice. And it turns out the wife of one of the other tenors in United in Praise is a hygienist there. And lots of people we know go there.
And they take our insurance.
So this morning, I went there instead of our regular dentist.
It feels almost traitor-ish. And having to request my records will be one of the most awkward things I've done in a while. But it makes NO sense to pay for Dental insurance, and then not use it. Today's visit cost me $4. $4. And the filling I need will be $29. That's a HUGE difference. Being a good steward of our resources isn't always easy, but it is what I am called to be.
I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the new managing editor of the magazine, and I should have a cover to shoot very soon. Oh, and an ad to write for TOS by Wednesday. And planning to do for the rest of our schooling so we can actually start sometime soon. And our Disney passes are coming out of black out on Saturday, so we'll be heading there one day next week. Oh, and my filling, or maybe fillings, on Wednesday.
I heard one time that If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. And that busy is Being Under Satan's Yolk. Of course, that's not really sound theology, but it is helpful for me. I have to remember that 99% of my busyness is not at all important from an eternal perspective, and if being busy keeps me from pursuing Godliness, then it is wrong. So in all this busyness, I am really trying to focus on God and seek His face. It's not easy, as I tend to get caught up in "me", but I'm trying!
I am not a public "pray-er". Some people are clearly gifted in praying. They are truly "prayer warriors". You know them. The people whose every prayerful utterance seems to be inspired. My public prayers often leave me second guessing myself for an hour afterward...did I say that right...did that make sense...I should have prayed for that too... you get the idea. Or they leave everyone crying. Go ahead. Ask my friends. They'll confirm that. But here's the deal. I am convicted that my blog title lately is very much a misnomer. It's more like "one Eeyore-ish Mamma". I don't mean for it to read that way. I'm really not that way in person at all. I'm not a worrier, and I don't tend to dwell on the negative, so I HATE that my blog looks like I do. I want my blog to reflect my walk with God and the work He is doing in my life, so I am committing, right here and now, to end each post with a prayer. So here it goes...
Lord, thank You for a rich and full life. You've blessed us with provision and with a life full of friends and family and meaning. Help me to focus on You, not me. There are plenty of hours in each day to accomplish Your "to-do" list for my life. Let me spend those hours on business for you, not just busyness that has no eternal meaning. I ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen
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