We recently wrapped up our study on Ancient Rome by going to a Roman feast, hosted by our friends. The kids lounged on the floor on blankets and pillows and ate barbarian-style. It was fabulous. Except for the authentic pear and cumin custard pie… rotisserie chicken suits us just fine.
After our homeschool co-op this past week, the kids all went sledding. It was the perfect way to start our Christmas holiday.
Thanksgiving weekend began with our Weldon family gathering. Turkey vegetable tray, dangly earrings, a crackling fire, and games highlighted our time together. We even managed to pull off a paleo thanksgiving breakfast, complete with monkey bread!
Next, we took off for New York. With new tires on the van and every inch packed to the gills, sipping joy tea, we listened to a Thanksgiving history audio book from my dad and enjoyed an almost completely argument-free drive up North. It was delightful!
We were welcomed by a happy sign:
The highlight of our time together was the Mall Scavenger Hunt we did one day. We divided into four teams, according to birth. Various items on the list to find were: “something that smells good, the largest bug, and someone doing the best karate move.” We also had to “plank” as a team and find Grandma and Grandpa who were wandering around the mall. The team who found them first got… the honor of finding them first. As leader of the 3rd-borns, I’d like to acknowledge we found them first. We had one hour to scavenge the mall. The creativity started flowing.
There were the firstborns:
The second-borns:
The third-borns:
The fourth-borns (and Betty):
Besides the fun of the scavenger hunt, the daddies took almost all the kids ice-skating, and we enjoyed snow, games, and many delicious meals together.
Our entire family:
At the beginning of November, my dad reminded us of the news we received as a family twenty-two years ago: Get one small bag packed with all that you treasure the most. Get ready to evacuate Nyankunde tomorrow! As a girl of almost twelve, this was an exciting adventure. It didn’t turn out how I imagined, however. Our “quick” trip back to the United States turned into permanent. It’s hard to imagine how twenty-two years later, our family of six has grown into a family of twenty-seven, with another on the way! (My sister, not me!) God has richly blessed us with a family who loves each other, drives great distances to be with each other, and children who think their other cousins are the absolute bomb-diggity! I couldn’t be more thankful.
Once in a while I am privy to the children’s imaginary games. The other day Elsie was blocking the kitchen doorway so Jack couldn’t enter. Apparently, there was certain criteria for one to enter the kitchen. She began the interrogation:
How old are you?
One-hundred.
Do you have any children?
Yes.
Where is your mother?
At home.
And finally, the kicker. The most important requirement for entering the kitchen: Do you have a grandma?
Yes.
You may pass through.
The other night they requested classical music and danced ball-room style. They carefully choreographed the swing and spin. It was fabulous. 
When they were looking through old photo albums, both received major brownie points for their observations.
Mom, you look so young now, said Jack.
She’s always young, Elsie countered, making my heart feel forever young.
Betty also has her own specific interpretive dance. First, with Elephant:
Next, she likes to close her eyes… almost… and squint while her hands slowly raise into the air and she spins very slowly and purposefully. A little toe raise here and there for good effect.
Then, when the audience starts to touch the rug one too many times, the entire dance is ruined and little ballerina melts into her own arms.
Everyone has been enjoying the new snow. There have been snowmen and sledding galore!
We had a marvelous Thanksgiving weekend with Matthew’s family, and then in New York with my entire family. There were cousins, fun, and… of course, Grandmas. I’ll save those pictures for another post soon. I’ve been secretly working on surprises which have taken every waking minute. And even when I have things to make and things to finish, somehow people still get hungry around here and their clothes still get dirty. As I speak, the pizza is out of the oven, and we are ready to eat while the snow falls outside.
Today is Wednesday. Which is usually my Monday, as far as feelings, attitudes,and energy, goes. The sound of temper tantrums filled our home, too many times to count, making its small-ish size feel extra tight. I never knew sound could fill up space, but apparently it does. That sent me to pulling things out of clothes bins and into white trash bags. A word of warning from this mama: If you have more sweaters than fit into your 13×13 bin, then I will purge them from you. That goes for your pants, shirts, and shoes too. I have never once experienced anyone “wishing” they had something I gave away because I never saw them wear or enjoy it. I have pack-rat tendencies, so when I sense the urge to hoard coming on in me or my kids, I go a little purge-crazy. We have strict laws here as far as holding onto stuff. One small filing cabinet drawer easily fits all the papers we need for 7 people for the past 12 years. I am working very hard at making sure everything has a place, and if that thing doesn’t fit in its place, it goes bye-bye. I digress.
So, after my crazy clothing rampage, school began in earnest. There were tears and tantrums twice during one hour. The bathroom, being the only door that locks around here, is my favorite place to hide when the tears need to flow and I need the sunshine to wash my face. I also make important phone calls to the principal in there, and tell God how I don’t think I can do this anymore. Wednesday blues.
Then we had to do errands, complete with tears. I wonder at the source, and how it never runs dry. Three hours later, we came home. I was not met with the delicious smell I anticipated when walking in the door. My crock-pot dinner, which I worked so hard to be ready so at least ONE thing would go right… was cold. Some little fingers unplugged it for the toaster’s place, just before we left, and I never was the wiser.
Spills, blood, bites, stabs, falls, bangs and bruises have all been painted a different shade of blue across my day. But there was also an incredible sky painted today, which I love how Jack noticed all on his own. Clouds like stretched cotton, with a few three-dimensional puffs thrown in for good measure. There are also rainbows of trees, some burning, some glowing, some merely pronouncing God’s handiwork. They touch the blue and instantly cold and warm colors collide into a torrent of glory.
For the first time in fifteen hours, I only hear the clock ticking, with faint sounds of children playing. I used to have so much quiet in my life. Now my quiet is usually accompanied by sleep. Sitting on the sun-streaked bathroom floor, I was reminded not to constantly seek escape from my life, but rather embrace it. Straight on, hands open, arms wide, head up: embrace the noise, the questions, the messes, the tears. Take breaks, but don’t run away. There is one inch of tea left in this glorious break. My soul, only painted blue, is starting to burn a little bit of warm. I am starting to feel like those trees on fire, and I’m ready to add some color to Mon-nes-day, and call it Wednesday.
Mom, you never get peace, Jack said to me the other day. Wait! You had peace once! And he went on to talk about when they all went to Grandma’s house. I laughed out loud. Or if you’re going to use today’s lingo, I “roffled”. That is what I say in my head when I read ROFL… rolling on the floor laughing. No, I didn’t actually roll, or roffle, but I did achieve a small release of stress when I laughed out loud. Or lolled. (That’s LOL, btw.)
Tonight was no exception. I had great fun spiralizing my zucchini into fake noodles and tossing them with coconut sauce and blackened chicken. The kids watched Daniel Boone so I could spin deliciousness into my pots. But there is always one who doesn’t get the “peace memo”. She rolled on the floor crying. It’s always interesting trying to cook while stepping over a crying toddler. My strategy was to wait until they were so hungry, they would forget that the green zucchini noodles were not actually made from pasta. It worked for two of them, took convincing for two of them, and downright failed for the fifth one. This is when I use every ounce in my body not to take a two-year-old’s opinion of my cooking to heart. In the middle of our green spaghetti supper, a nameless highchair dweller knocked over one of the herb pots on the window sill. The walls start closing in when things like that happen.
I’ve been waiting for a really really good excuse to scrub my kitchen floor. The successful eaters got chocolate ice-cream for dessert. The last one… did not. An hour later, I graciously gave her a banana, because she at least touched it to her tongue. Elijah said, Mom, you were really merciful tonight! when he saw her eating the banana. Thanks, Buddy.
Then I remembered these verses I just read.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
(Lamentations 3:21-25)
Even when I mess up, spill dirt, and wreck what He has planned… He still shows steadfast love, unending mercy, and abundant faithfulness.
So the truth is, despite what is outwardly going on, inside I always have peace. Jesus has wiped my heart of its spills and dirt. He has left the calm assurance of His forgiveness and faithfulness in place of the mess. Tomorrow, His mercies are new.
And tomorrow, maybe my floor will be clean.
My horse girl had her dream-come-true birthday when she participated in her first horse show. It’s been a little late in coming, but here are the pictures of our beautiful 11-year-old girl doing what she loves best!
Those chocolate eyes do a much better job of melting than intimidating.
The boys found a friend who shares Elijah’s birthday. They had fun playing together and watched Nadine occasionally.
Nadine won seven ribbons, including 2nd place for jumping! She is so graceful on a horse!
As her brother likes to say, You and Daddy named her neeeeigh-deen because she loves horses! Well, that is not actually the reason, but it’s a fun play on words! Way to go, baby girl!
Some days what is true just doesn’t match up with what I’m feeling. For instance: I am so in love with my children, and think they are the best. However, sometimes circumstances cause something inside me to go “snap!” Like when a voice goes above a certain decibel, or when someone decides to shoot a nerf bullet at someone else’s eye right at bedtime. I don’t feel the love when someone leaves the freezer just slightly open right before we head out the door, and I find out a few hours later. My feelings are pretty much the opposite of warm and fuzzy when puddles of special ice-cream have melted into the peas and corn. My feelings are a simmering pot of hot water when the dairy/veggie mush leads to an entire deep cleaning of the refrigerator and freezer. I am thankful I can go grocery shopping. But sometimes dragging five kids in the rain to my least favorite store makes my blood start a slow and steady boil. I have never had to do this before, but when one of my unnamed children decided to throw their flip-flop as high as they could in the middle of aisle seven, this mama had to climb the shelves like a ladder and pull it out from between the bags of flour on the top shelf. Excuse me if I step on your groceries.
I love being a mom, but there are times I don’t feel it.
The truth is, I am so incredibly thankful for our home. Yet sometimes my emotions start dictating thoughts of discontent over the color of my walls or the state of my sofa. Right now, our laundry room is being refinished. The floor is gorgeous. Soon the rest will be as well.
Until it is finished, I am living out the book, “It Could Always Be Worse”. If I thought my kitchen felt tight or crowded, a good solution is to bring the washer, dryer, linens, and a dresser in to join the chaos. Now I am cooking and canning while maneuvering around a dresser. I plop the kids wherever there is a clean corner of the table, which juts out into the middle of the kitchen. I have to crawl under the table to fetch the parchment paper or griddle. The laundry is quickly piling up, because when there is an average of ten dirty outfits a day (factoring in boys), going on a week without a washer, works out to be about seventy outfits needing to be laundered. It could always be worse.
So since the kitchen is a mess, we celebrated Nadine’s birthday at Hibachi. Their faces say it all:
I am so thankful truth is not based on feelings. I’m also thankful for rescued flip-flops, clean freezers, and laundry-free days.
Things I’ve been loving about our children:
When Jack wraps his arms around me just because. When he tells stories, his voice gets deeper and he sounds like a little man weaving a tale of seriousness. I love that he is brave enough and has the imagination wide enough to wear a cowboy hat for an entire day all throughout the city of Philadelphia. 
I love how his trusty sidekick wears a pink cast and also a swell hat. I also love that by the time we got home, he had transformed into “Bill” and talked in a cowboy accent and enjoyed his “cowboy soup” for supper. 
I love how they make celebrities out of ordinary people. Like the other day when Jack and Elsie took their mini white erase boards to our next-door neighbor and asked him to please sign his name. They got so excited when he did so, and didn’t erase their boards for the rest of the day.
Betty is so verbal and polite. On Friday we went with some friends on the train to the Franklin Institute. When we got off the train, she said, Thank you for the train, Mommy! After walking through the giant heart, she ran up to me and said, That was amazing! My heart is amazing! Unbelievable.
Jack discovering how polymers work… relieved when the cup of water did NOT dump onto his head!
Nadine did a great job blowing up a balloon!
At the end of the extremely fun day, things melted down on the train ride home. My friend got this great picture of how things REALLY looked those last few minutes. Tired mommies, tired kiddos.
The next morning Betty’s sweet thankful heart was back again after a good night’s rest and she told me: Thank you for the eggs and bacon, Mommy. I’m going to wash my hands. I’m going to do it myself. And proceeded to do so. She is somewhat of a self-acclaimed vegetarian, but she loves bacon!
A couple of weeks of school have finished and I’m thrilled they are still smiling! We even have ninjas who sometimes attend. Elsie wrote everything on her board all by herself. The last line is my favorite, translated: I love God as well.
My fifth student helped me chop a ton of peppers to freeze for the winter. Sometimes she can be very serious about her work, but she is always a really cute and helpful chef!
There are always things I am learning and loving about our children. I always want my eyes to be wide open to the beautiful, amongst the mess and flurry that is life.
School is always in session, even when it’s not. Take for instance last night when Elsie looked at me while drinking from a little milk container, straw stuck in her mouth while she talked: Mom? Am I drinking a cow’s pee? I then had to explain the anatomy of a cow. Fun stuff, really.
We almost managed to avoid visiting any doctors for an entire week. My wrist has been acting up (has a lot in the past) and I thought it was finally time to get an x-ray. At the urgent care, I was told it was nothing but a ganglion cyst. Ganglion is one of those words I really don’t like saying. I don’t mind the word “gang”, it’s kind of cool-sounding, really. A lion is so strong and majestic. Put them together, and ganglion is just plain awful. It feels dreadful too. Thankfully I didn’t need an x-ray, but Elsie is bummed we won’t have matching casts. I’m amazed at how she has had zero complaints about her pink cast. She rides her bike, jumps on the trampoline, plays on the playground, and has a personal assault weapon on her at all times. 
We had a fun time with Matthew’s family last night. Jack learned how to use chopsticks. He loves China, including its food. Notice the concentration:
This week, Matthew was able to bring Elijah to work with him one day. He had an excellent report from the boss, and was a big help!
Besides being good with the drill, he is also a handy taste-tester. What’s an African girl to do when she has a few mangoes on her hands? Make mango sauce, of course! That, right there, is a small taste of my childhood in a bowl. I’m always happy when I can share a piece of Africa with my kids on this side of the planet.
Nadine’s love tank is always full whenever she can hold a heartbeat with fur on it.
She has also been incredibly helpful watching Betty each day for slots of time so I can write, cook, and do school with the short crowd.
Today marks the second and last Rituxan treatment for Matthew. Since I couldn’t be with him, I bugged him for pictures. I know he wouldn’t post them himself… but… I would, because I love him so very much! His voice is still weak, and sometimes he still is a bit tight, but he “feels” good. We continue to pray for strength and healing! I am so incredibly thankful for a man who never sits around (except if there’s an IV pumping through him!) and is never lazy. He simply follows Jesus in his attitude, actions, and mindset. I’m not married to a perfect man by any means, but he is a real man. There is nothing remotely fantasy-related in his life. He is all real-life and hard-core. Grow old with me, my love!
Our first week of school flew by at top speed. I have barely had time to sleep, and my head is spinning with Ancient Rome history and what sound “A” makes. We are steadily getting into a routine, and for that I am grateful.
Here is a tour of our school room! My mother-in-law rescued the chalk board from the school where she works, and it fits perfectly on my Life is Beautiful wall. We use it all the time! The desks are made from two Ikea table tops, which Matthew reinforced underneath with metal plates. The top is screwed into the four filing cabinets. The four oldest kids each have their own set of six drawers. We are still getting used to having so much extra space, and we’re trying to keep one subject per drawer, then filing papers straight into our portfolios at the end of each week. Along the window wall is an old Ikea coffee table (again, which my mother-in-law rescued). I wondered if maybe we sawed it in half, if it would make a better window seat. Voila! My live-in-carpenter/handsome hubby did just that! Betty’s puzzles, little toys, blocks, train set, etc. go in the baskets for easy access. On the far left corner, under the red “W” is our reading corner. You can not see the wooden library box which I keep heavily stocked with both books of their choice and along the same lines as what we’re studying in Science and History.
The red lockers contain my school supplies (top 3 cubbies), shared school supplies (next 3 cubbies), kids’ personal lockers for their own projects or collections (next 6 cubbies) and finally the last 3 cubbies are math manipulatives and Betty’s shapes and stacker-type toys.
We have our first morning board calendar, which everyone loves getting a turn at doing. None of these ideas are my own original. What a blessing the internet is sometimes!
Finally, each child has their own school and chore chart, held together with a jump ring. I got this idea from Homeschool Creations. Certain children LOVE their lists, others are more forgetful. We’re all still learning! If it works as it is intended, each person has the ability to earn sixty cents a day. However, if I end up having to do their chores because of ceaseless reminding or bad attitudes, they pay me. Each day there are six (easy) chores required because they are a part of our family, and three (slightly harder) chores for which they can earn money.
Further on in their charts are the school days, with velcro tabs in each of the sixteen boxes. I printed out many many possible school and life things to do. These get stuck in the order which I would like them done.
Once completed, that child can remove the square and put it in their top drawer.
Here you see Nadine has four things done, and a few more yet to do. We are flexible here, and constantly tweaking, but it gives them a good idea of what is expected of them. It takes me about five minutes the night before to set it up for the next day.
So, there is a brief show and tell of our first week of school! I hope you have enjoyed it! There are a lot more things going on behind the scenes. The bright pink cast on Elsie’s arm and the very short bangs are only a slight indication of the excitement which goes on outside the doors of school. But that is for another day. Right now this teacher must hit the hay… which rhymes with… yay.
Grow Old With Me 