Doing the Next Thing

We've had a stomach virus moving through the family for about a week now. Anytime children are ill, mothering can be a challenge. But in large families, when the illness lasts 5-7 days per person, and no one gets sick at the same time ... it can drag on for what seems like eternity and a mom can grow very weary by the end. The first couple of days, when only my littlest K (5) and the hubby were sick, kind of felt like a mini vacation. I was rested and cheerful, and in between checking on and helping out the two sickies, I worked on my wreath from Pinterest. But as the days went on, K became sicker and one by one the other children joined in. We haven't slept through the night since last Friday. The laundry has been going round the clock, and the house I got in order before the start of school is now a disaster area. I'm pleased to report (and very grateful) that we've turned the corner and everyone is improving. However, as even more time passes, the little ones ...

I'm excitedly making my way through the books I received this Christmas: Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman -- I used to read a blog by that name - now Brenneman has gathered her ideas into a book full of practical tips on being a faithful home manager. I've already read about half the book, and most of the suggestions here would work for any size family. Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide -- I'm ever-determined to exercise dominion over my camera and learn to take better photos! Running With Joy by Ryan Hall -- I continue to be impressed with Hall, a US Olympic marathoner and committed Christian. Hoping to gain inspiration and motivation from this easy read. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - I bought this one for myself, to tell the truth. Merry Christmas to me! It's just that I read The Hunger Games so quickly, and loved it .... I couldn't wait to get my hands on book 2. Looking forward to the movie in March. The Bible or the Axe by William O. Levi...

If you're like me, navigating the ever-growing ocean of technology can be a daunting task. Computers, smart phones, ipods, oh my! Especially when it comes to setting boundaries for ourselves and our children regarding social media and gaming. Technology itself is not only not inherently evil, it can be a tremendous blessing -- who hasn't searched google for a last-minute recipe, reconnected with a long lost friend on facebook, shared photos with family online, or simplified Christmas by shopping websites? It would be foolish to scorn these blessings by avoiding technology altogether. And as the Socialnomics video below points out ... whether you like it or not, you *can't* avoid it. Technology is part of our world and we can't escape it. My dear friend Wendy has shared her family's new Technology Policy as a guest post on Daily On My Way to Heaven. As Wendy says, we do our children a disservice by sheltering them from technology, rather than train them to th...

I love this post from the Femina blog. So familiar. We are in the midst of our own festive happy chaos. Decorating & redecorating (after kids/cats un-decorate.) Baking cookies instead of dinner. Too many events. But rejoicing - the King of Heaven humbled himself to be born a poor, human baby, live in our broken world, and die for the forgiveness of sins. So ... let's whoop it up and embrace the chaos!

I don't have time to blog - I shouldn't be sitting here at the computer. School is in full swing and my time is not my own. I feel led to share something, however, on the chance that it might just resonate with someone out there. I heard Nancy Wilson speak this summer about "cutting with the grain" when raising kids - allowing them to explore and pursue what naturally interests them. For example, one of her daughters was always buying fabric and sewing as a teenager...yet with few finished products to show for it. That same daughter now has her own clothing line and is designer of some really beautiful textiles. "Cutting with the grain" ... even when it seems like more trouble than it's worth, makes a big mess, and takes up precious time. One child spends his free time poking around the computer and "writing code" for seemingly silly programs. Yet when he used Flash to compose a program that makes a rocket ship dance around the sc...

"The question here is not whether you are representing the gospel, it is how you are representing it. Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?" "Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine." -- Rachel Jankovic Read more in this article at Desiring God.

We haven't had as many of these sweet days at home as I had hoped for. But when they come, they are very welcome! Nothing says "fun breakfast snack" like Easy Cheese on Triscuits. Yep, breakfast. That's her pj shirt there. Only in summertime. There are special rules for summertime. M (12) spent some time sketching. And because she takes after her mama, the little shutterbug had to document her efforts on film. A quick jaunt to Goodwill produced some white treasures. I'm working on a project, and have been collecting pretty white things. More on that in a future post... What A's (6) room looked like after room time. I wondered what all those crashing sounds were. The other half of the room. Needless to say, the young man had some regret when he spent much of the afternoon putting that mess back in order! Out of the blue, M said, "Mom, can I make a pillow?" I saw this as an opportunity to 'say yes' and put aside my afternoon plans for s...

So far summer break has been surprisingly busy. There seems to be no end to the duties required to wrap up the school year we just finished, as well as prepare for the one ahead. Yesterday was no exception - I put a lot of miles on the car, juggled many things, and fell in the bed exhausted. Definitely "must be Thursday." The turn-around time between things like VBS, summer trips, and summer visitors seems to be short - and makes me fiercely protect the quiet family times we have in the middle. By God's grace, this week we've found time to enjoy the pleasure of each other's company and even slow down a little bit. A (6) has become quite the reader, and I've had fun sitting down with him each afternoon with a pile of library books. We both were fascinated by Roly-Poly Pillbugs and had to go on a hunt around our woods to find some. The girls and I finally planted the impatiens that have been sitting on the deck since I bought them in May (and miraculousl...

Well, I recently said that I would like to build up my weekly mileage base and work on increasing my speed. But in the weeks since school let out, I've noticed that some of my kiddo's emotional tanks are running a wee bit low. So for now, I'm putting aside building mileage and instead I'm building relationships. I've been taking one child with me on my weekday runs, and have enjoyed the rare one-on-one time. This week is VBS week at our church, and my exercise routine is limited to marching like penguins with 4-year-olds while reciting memory verses. But here is how the new plan went last week: Monday - said 'Godspeed' to my sister and her family after a great weekend visit. Started reading Heidi with 12yo M. My heart has been burdened to find a way to build her up and enjoy her company. She looks up to me so much - even has her own matching pair of Nike Tempos . She was the inspiration for the new Mom Time Running Plan. Tuesday - 1.5 HOT miles ...

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. We find those instructions on nearly every bottle of shampoo. I don’t know about you, but I rarely follow those instructions. It occurred to me recently, however, that it is a good description of motherhood. No matter how many times a day you nurse the baby, he will still need to be fed tomorrow. There is no such thing as a ‘once for all’ diaper change in which you wipe the bottom, clean up the mess, and poof! You’re done with that one. Check it off the list! As children grow up, it’s more of the same – disciplining for the same offense over and over, washing the same clothes, sweeping the same kitchen floor, teaching the same lessons to child number 4 that you’ve alre ady been through at least three times. And as the number of children increases, the tasks and challenges seem to increase exponentially along with them. Rachel Jankovic, in Loving the Little Years , calls this “Motherhood in the Trenches.” But while we’re in the trenches, let’s b...

Three days. I would love three days. In my house. Alone . Day 1 - decompression. literally just sitting still and staring off in to space and letting my brain and body rest. it is not an exaggeration for me to say that i'm experiencing a level of weariness deeper than any i've felt in nearly 17 years of being a mom. don't judge. ;) i'm being vulnerable here, and hoping that perhaps my honesty will encourage someone that they're not alone in their struggles. Day 2 - work like a mad dog getting some unfinished projects done - like purging toys, sewing pillows, organizing school papers, and putting photos in albums. **wait. who am i kidding? i'm so behind on home-managing at this point that it would take me an entire day just to get caught up on the ordinary cleaning and meal-planning.** Day 3 - do something i *enjoy* doing, like read a book, take a long run, meet a friend for lunch, or go shopping when i'm not in a hurry, with 5 kids in tow. BUT ..... "n...

I was blessed by reading this post , and inspired to continue in my efforts to raise my daughters to be artful in their homes, to the glory of God. ***I do feel the need to note that our home doesn't always look this neat. In fact, rarely does it even come close! We live in it, after all. All seven of us. Some days, when life is at it's busiest, I feel like our house is just a shell - a place where we make messes in all our comings and goings, only stopping to eat and make another mess. Perfection in home-keeping is not my goal. Ever. But blessing the inhabitants of this home and doing my best to make it a haven for them is. Not that it's a goal I've attained, but one to keep striving for.

big girl fixed her own snack Read this great article by Nancy Wilson . Here's a tease: Finding fault is the easiest thing in the world, as the old Puritan says. Encouragement requires discipline, but has far better results.

I have four men in my life. With three sons and a dh, that adds up to a lot of ironing. Two of my sons are man-sized with the shirts to prove it. Admittedly, my hubby does a lot of his own ironing -- he enjoys it and actually does a better job. But I still end up with a revolving pile of wrinkles that must be tamed. In truth, however, I don't mind the task. Perhaps it's because I'm usually alone in the laundry room, with the hum of the dryer masking the chatter of a busy family elsewhere in the house. A small oasis alone with my thoughts for a few precious minutes. Many years ago, I heard my hero-in-the-faith Elisabeth Elliot say on her radio program that we should spend the moments we're doing menial household tasks (like ironing, washing dishes, or scrubbing a tub) praying . I began doing just that when my man-sized boys were more pint-sized, and it's been one of the most soulful times of prayer this busy mama gets to have. I especially try to pray for the person ...

Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park I took this pic on our Make-A-Wish trip last summer. I think it's my fave landscape photo from Yellowstone. I love the contrast of the cool flowing river with the hot springs right next to it. Plus, the dead tree in the foreground reminds me of the cypress in Starry Night . "I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me." Funny huh? My Dad sent that, and a dozen or so other puns in an email, but this one made me laugh the hardest. Then I realized it's a good metaphor for my life this week. The baseball represents the humble realization that my teenagers, much to my horror and suprise -haha, lack the ability to self-parent. self-parent . And yes it did hit me - squarely in the face. Our too-distracted lifestyle over the last few months has taken a toll and it's time for me to circle the wagons, radically protect my schedule and my family time, and remember that teenage boys need mothering, too. I'm...

What do those words have in common? They're all floating around in my head as I try to sort out some of the discouragement I feel and adopt a strategy for finishing this school year on a positive note. I think the problem is that I'm legalistic by nature. I'm wired to like organization, schedules, and order. That was pretty easy to accomplish when I only had 2 or 3 kids, and only preschoolers. Wait - let me rephrase that. It wasn't "easy" - it was a lot of work. But you know what I mean - it was more, shall we say, "doable." It was also very tempting to be proud of my accomplishments, of my skills - and forget that it was only God's grace, blessing my feeble efforts. Fast forward a few years - and 2 more kids. Life is far busier. The hyper-organized, scheduled-to-the-minute lifestyle just doesn't work as well. I'm frustrated, burned out. I decide (this was back in 07 or 08, I think) that schedules are out and we'll just have a 'r...

I don't take any credit for this. My sweet longtime friend, Wendy, introduced me to Nancy Wilson's blog a couple of years ago. Yesterday we were discussing this post and I was telling her how it made a big impression on my heart and how I've been applying it. Mrs. Wilson wonders if Paul had mothers in mind when he wrote I Thessalonians 5:14 "Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." Don't you agree with her that's a very good description of mothering? I made myself a sign out of the verse, printed in one of my new favorite colors (orange :) and mounted on a slip of scrapbook paper. It now hangs prominently in my kitchen, where I see it often - to serve as a reminder of my job description. It's been posted for about a week now. I find it interesting that each time my one of my children has a need - a need that "interrupts" my "work" and I'm tempted to get frustrated - meeting the ne...

I've been here before. I'm sure that as long as I'm on this side of Glory, I'll be here again. Burnout. Frustration. Overwhelmed. But "a bruised reed He will not break." The Lord has given me counsel through His word, through re-reading a good book , through a convicting blog post , and through good, godly friends. (you know who you are! thanks!) The truth of the matter is this: I've got toddlers to teens; high school to preschool - with everything in between. Faithfully mothering young children is a full-time job. Faithfully mentoring teens as they become young adults is a full-time job. Homeschooling is a full-time job. I think somehow I assumed that since I'd been at this for 15 years that I was somehow coming to the easy part. You know, the part where I get to workout whenever I want, attend book clubs, shop in the middle of the day, and get lunch with friends. And oh, yes -- blog and read others' blogs! Not that I can never do those things. Bu...

Ok, let's do this in spurts. If I wait until I have the time to write one big post about all the chore principles & methods, successes & failures in the Next Thing house - well, it will just never get done! So part one is an overview of our family's basic principles and some resources we have found helpful. And remember, I never claimed to be perfect. *wink* There are dozens of good books, ideas, and methods out there. This is just a sampling of what we've liked and used. There are two resources that influenced me more than any other in the early years of chore training in our family: The Heart of the Home cd set (well, my original was cassette tapes!) and a book titled The Managers of Their Homes . Heart of the Home is a 5-cd set by Sue Jakes and Priscilla Stewart that is a wealth of encouragement on many topics relating to a biblical view of motherhood. I really can't recommend this product strongly enough! It was originally a gift from my mother-in-law in 1...

We had a crazy day around here. No matter what I did, I was behind. I barely ate breakfast by lunchtime. Then we had an appointment to get little K's (2) cast off - yes, she broke her elbow three weeks ago, but all better now. The appointment got moved (by their office -at the last minute) from early afternoon to smack in the middle of naptime. Then I had to take ALL the kiddos with me - seems my built-in-babysitter that I've been waiting fourteen years (!) to enjoy is having trouble controlling the former BLT (a.k.a. A) when he's not asleep. So unless I wanted another broken bone to occur in my absence... they all piled in the overcrowded waiting room and joined in the fun. hooray. :) The check-in lady was gruff, the x-ray tech chided me for K's paci, and the doc missed the day in med school when they handed out bedside manner. Oh, and I had a headache all day. Relief came after dinner when I was able to get to the Y and burn off some stress and then come home and LMA...