March 9, 2006: 
"I Don't Deserve to Eat:  Last week a professional violinist friend of ours came into town to audition for an orchestra in our area. He asked us only for a bed and a quiet place to practice, and he declined our offers of food. When we tried to coax him to eat he insisted that he "didn't deserve to eat yet". 

Although he had been diligently preparing for this audition for months, he still practiced the entire day straight through. Finally, minutes before he was to leave for the evening audition, he packed up his violin and came down to the kitchen and smiled and said, "NOW I deserve to eat!" 

What a unique attitude. If I were to apply that thinking I'd likely have no weight problems and would be a lot better violin player. (It wouldn't hurt me to apply it in a few other areas of my life as well.) I think I'll be pondering how to instill this attitude in my children as well.

"If anyone will not work, neither let him eat." II Th. 3:10 (NAS) 

February 10, 2006:
I Remember When...
My 5 year old, Jeffy, was snuggling in bed with me the other night before he went to his own bed. He and I had been listening to an Agapeland tape wherein the mom was telling her children about when she was a little girl. After the story ended, Jeffy said, "I remember when I was a little boy...."  He, he, he.  Pretty cute coming from a 5 year old.

December 20, 2005:
Birthday Surprise:
My 5yo ninth-born just came to me and said, "This is your birthday card for when it's your birthday."
"But my birthday is in August!" I responded, "This is just December!" "Well, you can't see it until your birthday," he replied. Then he added, "...But it has a heart on the back."

November 15, 2005:
What Dad does for a Living:
10yo 7th-born son: Mom, what does dad do at work?
Mom: What?! Don't you know what dad does for a living?
10yo: Well, I know he does a lot with papers, but I don't know what the papers say.

January 28, 2005:
Changing the Heart by Changing the Face:  11/04  -  Every year in late November we take our annual Christmas card photo. Trying to get 12 people (including a passel of kids) to look nice all at once is a task, so this year it was taking awhile. After about an hour (and at least 50 digital shots) our 4yo started pouting and looking miserable. He actually managed to squeeze some silent tears out. Dad was thinking of giving up and trying again tomorrow. I was thinking: "NO WAY am I going to go through this again tomorrow!" So I said, "Jeffy, look at me." He looked. I said, "Why are you crying?" He said, "Because I'm tired." I said, "Do you want to ruin the picture with your crying face?" He said, "No", as though he hadn't thought of that. I wiped the tears off his face and said, "Okay, now let's see you smile. Do your funny Donald Duck face, only not all the way. Just do your Donald Duck face a little bit - there, that's it! You look very nice now!" By this time, Jeffy was almost starting to giggle and I had to be careful not to talk to him to cheerfully lest his giggling ruin more pics! Anyway, he smiled very nicely for the rest of the photos (including the one we eventually chose as the best one). You could easily tell that his whole attitude had changed and he was enjoying the rest of the photo shoot. So yes, I commanded my child to smile, and he obeyed, and it changed his heart.


December 9, 2004:
4yo Jeffy: Mom!....Mom!....Mom!
Dad: (in a high-pitched faked voice) Yes, Jeffy? This is mom, what do you want?
Jeffy: (slight pause)...Mom!....Mom!
Dad: (still with high voice) Yes, Jeffy? Here I am. What do you want?
Jeffy: You're not Mom.
Dad:  (still with high voice)  How do you know I'm not Mom?
Jeffy:  (thinks for a second)  Because Mom has brown eyes and you have blue eyes.
:)

September 20, 2004:
Jeffy: (holding out his index finger to show mom) Mom, my fingoor huurts.
Mom: Aww, let me kussy (kiss) it. (Mom gives Jeffy's finger 6 tiny kisses going from the base to the end.)
Mom: There, is that better?
Jeffy: (seriously) It might need a bandaid. 
Mom: Naw, I don't think it needs a bandaid - I don't see any blood. Do you see any blood?
Jeffy: No. (then looking at a very tiny pink dot on his hand....) Here's some blood. This is a skeeto bite.
Mom: (showing Jeffy a similar tiny spot on her own hand....) Look, I have one of those too.
Jeffy: (says nothing, but tenderly kisses the tiny spot on Mom's hand 'to make it better'. ) :-)

September 1, 2004:
3yo: "Dad, what's your special name? Not your 'dad' name...your other name."

August 17, 2004:
Two Cute Quips:

19yo son: (to me, his dieting mother) Mom, what is that you are eating?!!!
Mom: (innocently) It's just a half sandwich.
19yo son: Noooo, that's a whole sandwich on one slice of bread.

3yo son: (climbs up on to the couch next to Mom and gives her a hug.)
Mom: (cuddling him back) Are you my favorite 3 year old?
3yo son: Yeah. You can keep me if you want to . 
 
April 12, 2004:
Just as I begin fixing dinner every night, I always notice 3 or 4 little children suddenly appear and "want something to eat". Well today was typical. I had the pizza dough made and risen, and I turned on the oven and began fussing in the kitchen when my 3yo showed up asking me for food: 

Jeffy: Mom, can I have someping to eat?
Mom: What?
Jeffy: Can I have someping to eat?
Mom: Someping? What's "someping"?
Jeffy: Someping to eat.
Mom: Can you say, "SomeTHing"?
Jeffy: SomePing.
Mom: Say, "some".
Jeffy: Some.
Mom: Good, now say "THing".
Jeffy: Ping.
Mom: THing, like "THing one and THing two" (from Dr. Suess)
Jeffy: (pauses) Mom, can I have some milk?
 
LOL! I guess he was getting tired of working on his pronunciation skills!

April 6, 2004:
3yo Jeffy: Mom, will you play Candy Land with me? I'll let you win. :-)

April 3, 2004:
A dear mom from our message board wrote in to tell us about this exchange that occurred between her and her child recently. When I read it I just had to share it. Enjoy!

Child: "Mommy can we do that tomato slicing thing tomorrow?" 

Mom: "What tomato slicing thing?"

Child: "That thing where we stay with you all the time."

Mom: (laughing) "Yes, we can do that tomato STAKING thing tomorrow."

Child: "Good, because I would really like to spend some time with you." :-)


February 26, 2004:
This morning my 3yo asked for an apple. As he watched me cut and core it, he advised me  "not to cut my finger". Then, as I handed him the pieces, he said , "Mom, take the wrapper off." LOL, I had not peeled the apple and he was calling the skin a "wrapper". :-)

February 21, 2004:
Several weeks ago dh and I traveled to Palm Springs, California on a business trip. We stayed 2 nights at a nice resort. While there, I wandered around with a friend, and among other things, stopped in at the resort's jewelry shop. We had a lot of fun letting the gemologist show us all the things we liked (she didn't mind at all), and by the time we left, I had picked out 2 rings and a pair of earrings that I really liked. I wrote the numbers and information about the rings on the shop's business card, but didn't for the earrings because they were very unusual and I wanted to show them to dh before we left, and I could get the information then. 

Well, we never had time to go back to the shop (we were so rushed we missed our plane and had to drive to LA to catch another one). I was mildly disappointed because I wanted dh to see the earrings especially. I didn't really expect him to buy them, just wanted to share with him something I liked looking at. So anyway, in the car on the way to LA I went into great detail explaining what the earrings looked like, while he daydreamed about something entirely unrelated.

So, I forgot about them completely after that.

Fast forward to this week and our 27th wedding anniversary. I totally forgot about that too, until dh took me to the grocery store and stopped at the "dozen roses for $6.99" table. He kissed me and said "Happy Anniversary" and told me to pick out some flowers for myself. For the first time in 27 years, I had absolutely no anniversary gift for him (we have been extremely busy), so I was rather relieved that my anniversary gift was only $6.99 in roses. 

Then, about 11pm, I left my computer for a minute and went to my bedroom to get something. When I came back there was a card and a cute little bag sitting on my computer. Hmmmmmm. It was my "real" anniversary gift from dh, and guess what it was? THE earrings!

Apparently, dh had rifled through my purse and found the business card and called the jewelry shop. He didn't have the info on the earrings, just on the rings, so he had to try to jog the clerk's memory. He described the earrings as best as he could, and finally she said she thought she remembered someone who was interested in a similar sounding pair, but she said the lady had not tried them on. When she told dh that the lady had said, "I don't have to try them on, I know they'll look good", Dh knew the lady was me! 

(He was right, they were the exact pair I'd looked at. I guess he knows me pretty well.) 

Happy Anniversary DH! (Anyone have any ideas of what belated gift I can get him?)

December 2, 2003:
Last night, shortly after dinner, my 3yo came to me looking uncomfortable and telling me, "My tummy hurts. I ate too much." His cute little tummy was a bit tight feeling, but he really didn't seem ill. He then executed several fake coughs, so I told him to go to the bathroom if he thought he might have to spit up. (I really didn't think he had to, but I knew he'd appreciate the attention to his discomfort.) A few minutes later he returned to inform me that he "didn't have to throw up" because he "feels good now" and "the food is all down in my feet."  :-)

November 19, 2003:
There we were, rushing around, doing last minute packing, as we were due to leave for the airport and a trip to Florida in only a few hours. I told the older kids to get the little ones up and dressed, and a few minutes later I saw the three youngest ones sitting around the basket of clean miscellaneous socks, hunting for a pair apiece.

ONE HOUR later I passed by to find them all in the same spot still barefooted! "What IS the problem?" I  questioned, with a bit of urgency in my voice. "We are running out of time and you still do not have your shoes and socks on! That basket is overflowing with socks. What is so hard about finding two socks that match?" 

"One sock is easy," replied the 4yo, with a very serious look on his face, "Two is hard."

August 10, 2003:
Last night as I was sitting at my computer, my barely verbal 2 year old came up to me, and hugged my knee, and looked up at me with his huge brown eyes, and muttered and mumbled something. I had no clue what he was trying to tell me.  "What did you say?" I queried.  He started all over again and in the midst of the jumbled mass of syllables I caught the request: "make me happy". "How can I make you happy? What do you want me to do?"  I responded. More mumbling, then: "Cookie". LOL! I t was very clear that  he knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it!  So of course I had no choice but to get up and give him a cookie. :)

 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" - Luke 11:11-13 (NKJ)

July 23, 2003:
How to Make a Little Boy Smile: (Mom comes out of the laundry room to find 4yo Jared kneeling on a chair at the kitchen table. He had been playing by himself, but apparently became bored and came downstairs looking for something more interesting to do.)

Mom to Jared: Oh wow! Just the person I was looking for! I have a JOB, just for you! 

(There is no smile on Jared's face - more a look of : "Oh no, what is she going to want me to do - I'd rather play.") 

Mom, with a hug and a cuddle: I've been looking all over for you. I saved a special chore just for you. 

(Mom points at a small pile of freshly laundered rags on the table waiting to be folded. Still no smile. Jared is skeptical. This looks like work to him.) 

Mom: I saved this chore for you because you are so good at it. It's your favorite chore, right? (A slight smile lights up Jared's face - it IS something he normally likes to do, and he's also suddenly feeling very happy that he is "good at" something.)

5yo brother Tom interrupts with a question: "What's a chore?"

Mom, still smiling: A chore is something that we do to help the whole family. Right Jared? (Jared is smiling broadly now. He nods and jumps down from his chair to hurry over and start the chore that he is "so good at" and that "helps the whole family"!

Proverbs 16:21 - ".... a pleasant teacher is the best." (TLB)

Proverbs 15:13 - " A happy face means a glad heart...."(TLB)

May 28, 2003:
Last night my 7yo, seventh-born came up to me and wanted my attention as he carefully explained an experiment he had just conducted. "When I put my hand over my nose," he said seriously, "nothing changed". "So I put my hand over my mouth, and nothing changed then either." I had no idea what he was talking about, but I listened patiently. "Then", he continued," I put my my hand over my nose AND mouth, and it started to hurt, so I took it off." 

BWAHHH! I guess he was discovering how to breath!

May 6, 2003: 
5yo Tom: Mom! There's an "insects" here on the floor.
Mom: Hmmmm (she is only half listening as she loads the dishwasher)
7yo Michael: (observes bug and pronounces it an "ant") If there is just one, then it's an "insect", if there are lots, then they are "insects". This is an "ant". 
Tom: (rushes to get a tissue) I'm going to get him with this.
Michael: Don't use that for an ant. We save our tissues for spiders. We use the vacuum cleaner for ants.......or a shoe.

BWAHAHAHAH!

December 5, 2002: 
Here is a blessing from my oldest daughter (age 20):

 After a busy day in Florida, I  was playing dominoes with my 9yo, 7yo and 5yo little brothers, when someone got the idea that before bed, they wanted to have a hairstyling contest (yes, with MY long hair). Their little contest ended up being so funny it was my blessing for the day.

First the 9yo and the 7yo were each going to do half my hair at the same time, and the 5yo was to be the judge. That didn't work too well, so we decided that they should each do all of my hair at once, taking turns. First the 9yo tried some kind of bun with a barrette and chopsticks. It was all falling down (from what I can remember feeling) and he wasn't really satisfied with it, but the 5yo said enthusiastically, "Oh, I LIKE it!!" 

We told him to remember what it looked like, and then it was the 7yo's turn. He did some kind of twist, and then I put the barrette in at the top for him.

Well......

Our 5yo judge came in and looked and considered for some time. The lack of chopsticks was probably tipping things in the 9yo's favor, I thought. Finally he pronounced his decision:

"I like the second way best, because of the waterfall!!"

(.... The waterfall being all the ends of my hair that were sticking straight
out to the side of the bun because my 7yo hairdresser didn't, or wasn't able to, twist it underneath!)

September 19, 2002: Usually, if I wake up before the little ones are up, I try to get in a little violin practicing. Well, this morning Jeffy (just turned 2yo) woke up earlier than usual, so I brought him downstairs with me and gave him a bottle. Then I bedded him down with a pillow and blanket on the rug at foot of my music stand and I proceeded to commence practicing. About 15 minutes later, Tom (just turned 4yo) staggered sleepily into the room to join us. As I played, I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He walked past me and over to Jeffy. He bent over and reached for the little quilt I'd covered Jeff up with. "Oh no", I thought, "they are going to start a tug-of-war over that quilt, which will turn to bickering and squealing, and I'll have to stop and correct them - sigh". I kept playing and watching. To my utter amazement, Tom picked up the blanket, shook out the wrinkles, and gently covered Jeffy back up with it. How sweet! Definitely my blessing of the day!

Proverbs 17:17 - " A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." (TLB)

September 11, 2002:
When I asked Tom what he wanted for his birthday, he replied without skipping a beat, "Everything Michael got for his birthday!" 

August 20, 2002: This morning I got up at 7am when I heard a car pull in the driveway. I looked out the window to find LOTS of cars in the driveway! My cleaning people had been in the house already for an hour, and the other cars belonged to a huge crew of folks we had told could use our house to do a photo shoot for some advertising. YIPES! To make a really long story short, I threw on some clothes and came downstairs, and the rest of the day until it was dark in the evening, was spent watching models, and camera crews, and directors, and various assistants, set up and take hundreds of photos inside and out, for what turned out to be a clothing catalog for the Audi car company! What fun! My kids and our new kitten even got to be in some of the photos, and they left us with a model Audi car and an Audi baseball cap!

Psalm 24:1-6

1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Thy face-- {even} Jacob. Selah.
(NAS)

July 23, 2002:  This evening the younger kids were playing in a little tent they have in the basement, when the oldest, six years old, came upstairs crying and telling me his hands hurt. I couldn't see a thing wrong with them, so I asked what he had been doing. I listened carefully while he explained about putting the tent away and then about how his hands had started hurting immediately thereafter. It didn't sound as though he had injured his hands in any obvious way (and they looked fine), so I told him to go wash them good. I thought perhaps he had touched something that was irritating them. 

After he washed, I examined them more closely, and by his reactions as I handled them, I eventually guessed that he must have touched some fiberglass material, perhaps some part of the tent, and had tiny fiberglass slivers in his fingers. I got out the magnifying glass and sure enough, that was it. After removing most of the slivers with tweezers and tape, I heard my blessing of the day:

"Mom, I think you are really pretty good at..... well, you always
know what to do when a person gets hurt, right? How did you get to be
almost like a doctor?"

He He He!

Proverbs 17:6 - "An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory. A child's glory is his father." (TLB)

April 12, 2002:  About ten years ago I came to the realization that I probably needed reading glasses. The prospect didn't upset me too much until I actually got the glasses. What a nuisance they were! Still, instead of complaining about my worsening eyesight and having to wear glasses, I caught myself right away and THANKED GOD for the wonderful invention of eyeglasses.  How glad I was that I was born in a time when glasses were readily available and my poor vision could be made perfect once again, "just like that".

Well, today I found myself thanking God again for my glasses. You see, I was browning chicken for homemade chicken noodle soup (see recipe in Mom's Cookbook), when a large spatter of boiling hot grease flew up from the pan and hit me in the face. I quickly snatched off my glasses and threw them on the counter, then scooped some ice out of the icemaker and held it to my cheek. 

After a few minutes I could feel no burning and could see no spots on my face. I was puzzled. I knew it had been a large spatter and that it had hit me directly in the face. I had felt a little stinging on  my cheek when it happened, but I knew there was more grease than that. I should have had a bad burn, yet I didn't. How could that be?

Then I picked up my discarded glasses and checked them out. The entire right lense was coated with now cooled grease.  Had I not been wearing my glasses, I might have been permanently blinded in my right eye! 

Later in the morning, despite using a spatter guard and being extra cautious, I was splashed again, this time on my forearm, producing several huge blisters. The wounds are serious and may possibly scar. It was as though the Lord wanted to make sure I would not forget just how bad things could have been had the first splash hit me in an unprotected eye. Thank you Lord for my glasses.

Psalm 33:18-19 -  "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine." (NAS)

March 25, 2002: Today I was helping my 6 year old with his math and we came across a picture in his textbook of an American flag. Being a diligent, dedicated, homeschooling mom, I jumped at the opportunity to explain why there are 50 stars on our American flag. I explained that there used to be 13 states, but now there are 50, so we now put 50 stars on the flag, one for each state. Then I asked him, "Do you know why there are 13 stripes?" I thought I had given him enough of a hint to figure it out, so I wasn't surprised when he answered brightly, "Yes!" I said, "Why?" He answered confidentially, "Because Bethany told me!"  (Ah...... Michael, why are there 13 stripes, not: why do you know there are 13 stripes, and were you listening at all?) Hehehe, the joys of homeschooling and little kids!

Psalm 127:3 - "Children are a gift from God; they are his reward." (TLB)

February 18, 2002: Our 25th wedding anniversary is today. The  party was yesterday. I must say that I think it was nicer than our wedding! Close family and friends all came to our home to celebrate with us. We didn't plan much (except the food) but others picked up the slack and honored us with some special memories. Our older children practiced in secret and surprised us by playing "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" as a string quartet (it was our processional at our wedding), and a very special couple played and narrated "A Daisy a Day" on flute and accordion just as they did at our wedding 25 years ago. I gave my husband a new wedding band (the plainest gold with "My beloved is mine and I am his" engraved on the inside), and he gave me a lovely tanzanite ring, (but not to replace my wedding ring as I still think it is the loveliest on earth). Best of all, our children were there to celebrate with us. Can't say that about our wedding day!

Song of Solomon 2:16 - "My beloved is mine and I am his."

February 16, 2002: Our little Jeffy is now about 17 months old. Ever since he was born he's been waking up at night to nurse, or more recently, for a bottle, and I've been getting up and taking care of him, no big deal. Lately it seems as though he has been waking up more often than he ought to be at his age, and that he is not really hungry. It seems that it has just become a habit now to be asking for a milk snack in the middle of the night. 

Well, I've been thinking I'd kind of like to try sleeping through the night just once, to see what it's like, so I decided about a week ago, that it might be time to tell Jeffy to forget the milk and quit waking up at night.

Ever since then, every night when I hear, "Maa-mee, baa-do", in the
middle of the night, I've been telling him, "Shhhhhhhh, lay down and go nite, nite". He'll persist a little and I'll persist a little, and a minute or two later we'll both be sleeping again, at least for a few more hours.

Last night was no different, around 1 or 2 am I heard him call from his crib at the foot of my bed, "Maa-mee, baa-do." I answered, "Jeffy, go nite, nite." He became quiet and reluctantly went back to sleep. Around 3 am, I heard him again. "Maa-mee?" There was a pause this time......., then a carefully articulated, "Cer-e-al?" BWHAAAHAHAHA! I just had to get up and tend to him. So much for sleeping through the night!

Matt 7:9-11 "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (NAS)

February 13, 2002:  After many months of pondering and researching, my husband finally took the plunge and had Lasik eye surgery to correct his distance vision. He is thrilled with the results! The surgery itself was a breeze. The entire procedure took about 5 minutes. He said it was completely painless and could have been mistaken for a thorough eye exam. Afterward, there was no discomfort either, although his eyes felt watery from the eye drops. He could immediately see better than ever before in his life, and was given sleeping pills and told to sleep for the next 6 hours. The next day his vision was better than 20/20. Our oldest son (age 21) is looking forward to the surgery now as well. It is truly a blessing that God has given men the knowledge and ability to restore sight in this way.

February 4. 2002: A very dangerous situation averted: This evening dad came home, walked in from the garage visibly upset, and started yelling for EVERYONE to come IMMEDIATELY, especially our oldest son, Shane (20 years old). Until we all showed up, he kept asking if any kids were in the garage. When we were all present and accounted for, he steered Shane out to the garage and showed him a very scary situation. Shane's truck was running, the garage doors were all closed, and the garage was full of fumes.

After the garage doors were opened, and the garage aired out, the truck was backed out and parked in the driveway. We were then all given a stern lecture on the dangers of running a car in a garage, especially a closed garage.

Then some changes were made. From now on, Shane's truck will NEVER be parked in the garage. Why? Shane has a remote engine starter that he carries in his pocket.  HE had not carelessly turned the truck on and left it.  Apparently what had happened was that he must have bumped into a table or something, accidentally hitting the remote in his pocket, turning the truck on, all without knowing it, from inside the house. None of us heard it running or had reason to go into the garage where we would have noticed it. Since our garage is attached to our house, odorless and lethal carbon monoxide fumes could have eventually seeped into our house and possibly killed our whole family had dad not come home, gone into the garage himself, and discovered the truck running.

Thankfully, no one was injured and we learned an extremely important lesson. The truck (as long as it can be started by remote) will stay outside from now on. There is too great a risk that a child might find the remote and accidentally start the truck, or that the remote might be accidentally bumped and the truck turned on inside the garage without anyone knowing.  We thank God again for His protection.

Prov 19:23 - "Reverence for God gives life, happiness, and protection from harm."
(TLB)

January 29, 2002: A very sad day. I gave Jeffy (16mths)  his first haircut. Bethany (15yo) helped me by sitting him on her lap and holding his little head still. He didn't mind at all, but I did. Waaaaahhhh! Oh, I guess he's still cute, but I hate to see those milestones come and go. Now he looks like a little boy, not a baby, but he's still my baby. I saved a lock of his dark brown hair in a labeled Ziploc bag just like I have with all the others. Which reminds me, someday I'm going to organize all those other baby things I've saved. Hmmm, maybe I'll assign one of my teens the job  to do for me. Good idea!

Proverbs 11:21 "You can be very sure the evil man will not go unpunished forever. And you can also be very sure God will rescue the children of the godly."
(TLB)