What's In My Teapot?

Merry Christmas! And hopefully more writing in the new year!!! For unto us a child is born,  unto us a son is given:  and the government shall be upon his shoulder:  and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,  The mighty God, The everlasting Father,  The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

I blinked four times- or was it only three?- and suddenly here we are, on day 70 in school, only a week away from Thanksgiving, and with a baby who is four months old!!! That's a lot for one day to handle, not? The Story: It was a lovely day- unlike what we would normally expect in mid November- and when the children ran out to play in the sunshine while I finished my breakfast, the feeling that I was *tired* of schoolbooks and just ready for a change of scenery began to take root! It didn't take long to talk myself into a field day, and it took no effort at all to convince the children! I felt mildly guilty packing everyone up and heading out mid-morning with the children only having completed one subject each, but again, I hushed my conscience, told myself that teachers have rights, and headed for the library. Insert: You're wondering how often I do this, right? Believe me, not very often! I am, for the most part, very committed ...

The other day I was writing a review about a children's poetry book and used the words homeschooling mother of four to describe myself. Four little words, and yet I stumbled over them and felt like it must be a stranger at the keyboard. How can it be? Me? A mother of four...and a homeschooling one at that? I might be old enough for this (although my mind hasn't wrapped itself around the number 33 yet) but I am certainly not...well, mature enough! Mothers of four are composed and wise. They have learned what to stress over and what not to. They can discern what to discipline for and what not to. They know what to affirm in their children and what not to. Me? I fly by the seat of my pants. Every single day. I may have be on my fourth child, but I still don't have this whole elusive thing called sleep training figured out. Therefore, if Finley sleeps through the night (which he does occasionally!) great , but if he wakes up? I feed him, and most of the time...

My favorite Sundays are the ones in which I go to church in the morning, have a nice lunch (either at home, church, or as a guest in someone's home), get a good nap, eat some popcorn for supper, and then spend the evening in the company of others, be that at another church service, by going visiting, or by having guests in our home. Yes, these are the kind of Sundays which leave me tired and with a huge pile of laundry to show for them, and yet invigorated and encouraged about facing the week ahead. Well, one of the first things you learn as an adult is that even though you are an adult and get to pick a lot of things a lot of the time, you cannot always pick your favorite things! For instance, this morning I stayed home from church with the two youngest as Parker is under the weather with a possible case of hand, foot and mouth, and Wesley had to teach the adult Sunday school class, so he couldn't very well be the one t...

If you want life to speed up and flash by, have a baby! Seriously, the past six weeks and a few days since Finley's arrival have gone so fast , and there's no doubt in my mind that as soon as I gave birth, someone took control of the clock and began spinning the hands around a whole lot faster than they were going before the baby arrived! And if time has been going fast, Finley has been growing even faster! It's a mystery to me how can I spend hours every single day nursing and diapering and admiring this little guy only to be caught off guard by how his hands are chubbier, or he's outgrown another sleeper, or his hair has changed or he just looks older , somehow! I am pretty sure that I could sit and stare at Finley for an entire day and I would  still  wonder how he had changed so quickly from morning 'till evening without me noticing it! Life is so full and busy right now, even though I am only getting the basics (and ...

There's nothing quite like the first couple of weeks with a new baby in the house! Everything is just so new and the basic rhythms of the day are dictated by a very tiny and very sweet little person who cries and sleeps and eats in a tight cycle of want and need. And then there's the recovery from the birth, the adjustments of older siblings, who all dearly love the baby, but just seem a little more, well...  active and noisy than normal (especially when visitors come to see the baby!) and the getting back to a routine that includes familiar things like laundry and dishes, but also covers new terrain like soaking soiled baby garments and remembering to bathe the baby occasionally and spending a whole lot of time in the rocking chair!!! Indeed, our family's little world has tilted on it's axis just a bit, and while it would be dishonest to deny the rough patches we've been weathering while trying to find our footing, there has also been...

We are delighted to announce the arrival of our little boy, Finley Reid! Born early yesterday morning- and on his due date at that- he has been the star of the show ever since and we are all enjoying him so very much!!! Finley weighed 7 lbs and 12 oz, which makes him my smallest baby yet, and even though it's really not all that tiny, he feels like the perfect size to me and I like how well he fits his newborn outfits! This small stage lasts so briefly, and when they start out just a teeny bit smaller, it's seems like it might last a teeny bit longer! Everyone wants to know about his hair, and after three redheads, I was certainly curious, too! For starters, he has the most hair of any of my babies, and while it basically looks dark brown, there are some red tints to it, and I am saying that it's more on the auburn side of things, although time will tell what he ends up with. One thing is for sure: he fits right into the family, although we can't...

It's probably not considered good blogging etiquette to just drop off the face of the planet without warning or explanation, but as I didn't foresee this particular lull- rather it has happened quite naturally and of its own accord as one week slipped by after another- I had little in place to prevent it. It is said that a few more brain cells are lost with each pregnancy and I am pretty sure I can verify that fact by how well my brain has been working these days! Not only is there a general lack of energy and inspiration for getting certain things done- like writing, for instance, or making coherent to-do lists- but my brain feels muddled and heavy and occasionally goes on furlough altogether. Case in point- last week I bought a nightgown for myself and it wasn't until I took it out of the bag several days later that I realized I had purchased a size small . Now, I haven't worn a size small in many a year, much less post-delivery of my fourth child, as is the plan...

My time for reading seems to constantly be under the whittling knife, but as all those devoted to the written word can tell you, there's always time for a few pages here, a chapter there, and so it is that I find myself working through the following selections: Chasing the North Star , by Robert Morgan, is the story of Jonah, who ran away from his master on his eighteenth birthday. and of Angel, who met up with Jonah at one point and decided to join him, even though he tries to leave her behind several times. In some ways the story moves slowly- and as far as I can tell, the entire book is about this epic race for freedom in the north- but the author is very talented with his descriptions and imagery, and the story is keeping me riveted. There are some acts of brutality and violence in the story that are hard to read, but they keep the story real and are a sobering reminder of what a black slave (and a runaway at that) may have faced in his/her quest for something we take for ...

I wonder how many choices most of us make on an average day? Some of them are mundane enough... Rise and shine a bit early or sleep a few extra minutes in the morning? Which kind of tea with breakfast? Do the ironing before or after school with Gavin? What should I make for supper to go with the salmon cakes? While others hold a little more weight... What should we name the baby? Which curriculum should we choose for Elasa's language arts? Where do we start looking for a new couch to replace the one going out for bulky pickup? How do I teach my children to stop fighting with each other? Do I want the grey diaper bag with lime accents or the tan one with orange? (Oh, wait! Maybe that doesn't count as a "weighty decision"...!) Life is constantly throwing choices at us, and while we make many decisions on any given day without a second thought, others require careful consideration. Or, maybe it should be said, they should require careful consi...

The best of the season is certainly found in the strawberries blooming in the garden, the dogwood blossoms turning to leaf outside my kitchen window, and the azalea bushes looking about as tropical as anything I can hope to see in these parts, but with the coming of this lovely season of spring has come an unwelcome guest, and four out of five in our family are currently suffering from a nasty flu that brings with it fever, congestion, stuffy noses, coughs, and more doses of ibuprofen than I care to count! This flu has coincided with some of the most gloomy, wet weather known to spring, and so between the twain, I have had my hands full with trying to keep my spirits up while I dispense pills, comfort feverish children, turn couches into beds, and try to keep the house limping along with clean laundry and food on the table. So far, I have managed to escape the scourge myself, and I know that despite how careful I try ...