Misquotes

The beginning of one of our lengthy theological discussions in the car:  "The Lord is my Shepherd, who I shall not want."  A pause.  "Mommy, is it WHO I shall not want, or THE ONE I shall not want?"  :)  

Back to our other normal routine!

We have two normal routines in this household.  There's the routine we have where we stick to a pretty regular schedule, I get a lot done in the evenings, and the house stays fairly neat and clean -- and Daddy's gone.  Then there's the routine where no two days ever follow the same schedule, I never get anything done, and the house is in a constant state of disaster and dirty dishes -- and Daddy's home!  We all MUCH prefer the second daily routine!  :)

Mike got home tonight around 7:30, and after working 12-22 hour days for 24 days straight, he's ready for a day off (or more!).  And he was asleep tonight before the girls were, too.

Amazing!

I have a friend, a homeschooling mom of four, who also performs a service year-round for about a hundred or so other homeschooling families.  In an email exchange I had recently with her, I commented to her that she is AMAZING.  I don't know how she does all that she does, and I don't think that I would want to do it, either!  But I very much appreciate what she does!  She responded, "No I am NOT amazing", just a homeschooling mom trying to follow the Lord and wanting the best for her kids, "failing at times miserably, but getting back up and trying again."

My initial response was "great, she's humble too!", but later that day when someone else said almost exactly the same thing to me, I finally got it.  She is NOT amazing.  I am NOT amazing.  We are both of us learning as we go, doing our best to follow what we believe God would have us do with our lives and the lives of our children.  For myself, and I think my friend would agree with me, my philosophy on staying sane in the midst of the chaos that we call "life in the D. household" is inspired by borrowed advice from Elisabeth Elliot, in Keep a Quiet Heart:  "Don't think about all you have to do, just do the next thing!"

TGIF?????

3:30 a.m. "Mommy, I wet my bed."  

8:15 a.m.  Jaela and Macey dress EXACTLY alike, from underwear to headbands -- "No belts, Jaela, since we don't have matching ones!"

9:00 a.m. Hurried shower -- during a thunderstorm, but HAD to have one.  

10:00 a.m. Deep, emotional, theological discussions in the car on the way to post.  I get all teary-eyed.

10:30 a.m. PX -- does not carry canners, or anything else that's on my very short list, but they DO have a very cute pair of Clarks on Clearance in exactly my size :)  (And the lady I ask if they carry canners looks at my cart full of children, then back at me as though I've grown another head.  "A what?")

11:45 a.m.  Girls have a staring contest in the commissary with a little boy wearing a pink shirt that reads "Tough guys wear pink."  (I think they won.)

12:30 p.m.  Lady correctly guesses oldest to youngest, and when I ask how, she says, "She just LOOKS like she's older.  How much older is she?"  I pause to help Isaak, and before I can answer, she says "Are they identical twins?"  Hmm.  Dressed exactly alike.  LOOK exactly alike.  D'ya THINK!?

2:15 p. m. Girls go down for late nap, Isaak wakes up in the car, then goes right down in his crib. 

2:30 p.m. Put groceries away.  Fridge is too small.

4:00 p.m. Quick snack is over, headed to Walmart.  I know THEY have the canner.

4:45 p.m. Unfortunately, they also have doughnut holes.  

5:00 p.m. The canner and the package of overnight diapers for Isaak are exactly the same price, which I find very ironic.  One will last forever, the other for two months and two days, if I'm lucky.  Hmm.

6:00 p.m. All four of the avocados I bought today are rotten around the pit, so we have tomatoes in our sandwiches instead.  And Anya requests that "please, can my sandwich not have awful sprouts?" (alfalfa)

7:00 p.m. Isaak practically jumps out of my arms into his crib.

7:30 p.m. I practically jump up and down when the girls are finally all settled into their beds.

7:45 p.m. Catch up on emails and the blog.

8:15 p.m. So, now what?

Classics...literature and children!

I should have seen this coming!

Before Mike left earlier this month, he finished reading J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" to the girls.  While they were immersed in the story, and for a few weeks after, their daily speech was liberally sprinkled with references to adventures, goblins, hobbits, and Smaug the dragon, and they entertained us vastly with their over-the-top version of "Bilbo Baggins, at your service", complete with cowgirl hats and dramatic bows.  Jaela and Macey had it down pat; "Jaela/Macey D., at your service!"  Anya took a little bit different of an approach; "Anya Michal, to your service!"

After Mike left, I was looking for a slightly more "girly" book to read to them, and selected Johanna Spyri's "Heidi".  There is nothing like re-visiting an old friend!  The language is simply beautiful, and there are countless references to hymns and "the Good Lord".  It is refreshing to read aloud the old phrasing and the rich vocabulary, and is an experience I find all too rare these days, both in books and in conversation...and I'm sure that that beautiful, pure old style of language that I'm loving has something to do with the fact that it was first published in 1880.   :)  All three of the girls have loved it, even though I don't hear quite as many references to it as I did with the Hobbit.  But it IS affecting them, in ways they are not even conscious of!

Anya created a "stick on fire" today out of paper.  She drew a stick with a jagged flame on top of it, colored it, and carefully tore it out (since the scissors only come out when mommy can supervise their use!).  She showed it to me, and then warned me to be careful, saying, "I can burn Mom if I want, for I made a fire!"  Answer me this!  How many four-year-olds do YOU know who use "for" instead of "because"?!?  

Ah, you just can't beat classic literature.  Thank you, "Heidi"!

Beginnings

In the beginning there is a blank blog, with a bare bones personal sketch in my profile.  No one has been invited to view it yet, but it does exist!  One day soon I will master the art of adding pictures to posts, but in the beginning...there is always a beginning.  Contained in the virtual pages of this blog will be verbal snapshots of our daily life, occasional musings and deep-sounding thoughts, most likely phrased in whatever style of language is used in whatever book I am immersed in at the moment, and a few glimses here and there of the happenings that occur in the D. Academy, Clarksville Branch.

You may be wondering about the title of my blog...admittedly, it may not sound very Jamie-ish, but that's something I'm working on, that it may become more Jamie-ish.  I have been reading a lot of Elisabeth Elliot lately, and have been reminded and reassured that my portion, my cup, my lot IS secure.  My heart CAN be at peace.  My Father IS in charge.  How simple!  Indeed, how incredibly simple!  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and friend, godly parents, a home, an incredible church family, four fascinating children, and the resources and willpower to homeschool those fascinating children.  And that, for now, is my portion...along with all the housework, disciplining, laundry, dishes, lesson planning, heartaches, and headaches that come with them!  Ah, my Father is in charge.  How simple!