Doing the Next Thing

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...

Desiring God has a great post up about C.S. Lewis and how " Narnia helps us live better here ." Perfect timing for some transforming thoughts going on inside my head and within our family - what we've been calling our "Hobbit Revolution." Not the blissfully ignorant, always cheery Hobbits of The Shire that know nothing of the evils of the world beyond their borders. But Hobbits like Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin - the ones who went on a great adventure, suffered terrible evils, grew stronger (and taller ;) in ways they didn't know they could, and returned to the beloved Shire with a deeper understanding of its simple joys and sweet fellowship. Longing for the Grey Havens, but whole-heartedly enjoying the good things this life has to offer in the meantime. We are like those Hobbits - the walking wounded who know our citizenship is in Heaven. Yet we also know that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father ( James 1:17 ) and that there is muc...

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...

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 read about Nancy Wilson's idea for "jammy rides" several years ago when my Big 3 were the only 3! Since then we have had many memorable surprise outings. Give it a try yourself - you'll be glad you did. Here's a desctiption. While you're at Nancy's blog, poke around. There are some nuggets to be found.

I made a personal "rule" several years ago to stay home on Mondays. It simply gets our week off on the right foot if we can regroup after the weekend and be busy at home. This Monday we had the added issue of sick little ones to nurse. While I comforted them and tried to get some housework accomplished, the "Big 3" did their morning chores and some independent schoolwork. By the time the little ones went down for their naps, I was exhausted. When we finally got our late lunch cleaned up, I decided to spend some time chilling out and reading Leepike Ridge to the kids. We started the book weeks ago, but had only read a few chapters. We kept putting it aside to read our science or history books. We picked it back up over the weekend and were quickly hooked. On Monday, we ended up reading together the entire nap time and finished the book! We just couldn't stop until we found out how it ended. I was originally inspired to buy the book after reading what Laurie Det...