Thankfulness

Our fall has been a whirlwind, fraught with transition, as well as blessing.

I have loved homeschooling Andante
and I have also loved substitute teaching.

I would prefer to be home full-time with my kids,
so it is bittersweet.

But to be able to do something I enjoy as work is a gift.

This Thanksgiving,
I rejoice in how God has taught us, cared for us,
and is leading us step by step through job and family transitions.
I rejoice that Papa Bear is still employed - for now and it would seem for a few months to come -
and is getting practice with interviews and applying for jobs;
surely He is leading us right where He wants us to be.
And I will come out on the other end -either in 2015 or 2016 -
w/teaching certification and perhaps a classroom to call my own.

And I am very thankful for my father's preventive care.
A routine cardiac check-up resulted in double bypass surgery a few days ago.
The heart attack could have happened - but didn't.
The clot is gone.
The blockage is remedied w/the bypass,
and my sister was able to be there w/her family for my mom's distraction.
So far all appears successful, and he is recovering well.
My mom and he appear to be weathering it all ok.

Two sisters-in-law are pregnant,
and we are enjoying time with them this holiday.

We are truly thankful for all our family,
and for abundant provision for all our needs.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

A Celebration - 5 Years and Done!

Today was Andante's last shot.  He's been undergoing immunotherapy for five (5) years.  For the past 4+, the shots have been monthly.  They call it "maintenance".  And now, we're done.  And we hope the allergies stay away.  Maintain indeed, only w/o the shots.

Every month for four plus years (more that first year) we've made a date of this time together.  We drive over, sometimes stopping to get a soda or a hot chocolate en route, get the shot, and play games for 30 minutes in the waiting room. They check (to see if he's reacting "too much") and then we're off.  We've had a few incidents - one scary one (needed the epi-pen - yikes), one "oops we took our pre-meds early this morning and then got the shot much later in the day than expected", and a few others.  Mostly, however, it's been pretty routine.

While we've loved the time together, his being done is an event worthy of celebrating. So we splurged (and he pitched in a bit too out of his own earnings) and he and I did lunch at the local Japanese Steak House - Hibachi time!  Chicken for him, steak for me, noodles all the way around, yummy soup and salad, and even a couple spring rolls.  I even caught zucchini on the first toss!  We had a great time.  Congratulations Andante on five great years of allergy shots!

Settling into School Part 2

I went back to school this year too - in a way.  I began subbing last week.  First I had to submit the application, which involved writing a resume of sorts.  And I had to find appropriate references.  That took a couple weeks.  Once I completed all those requirements and submitted the application, it took a week or two for processing and then, once approved, I had to complete quite a bit of training (required reading and video training on legal issues, inclusive classrooms, harassment, child abuse, and much more).  That took me another week and then I completed paperwork and was hired.

I took a subbing job the very next day, which was one week ago. It was a half day position in 4/5th grade.  It went quite well.  And then I took another one the next day for the 3rd grade classroom next door to Vivace's class.  I loved that day.   I could have kept going and subbed either at the middle or high school the next day, for teachers I know and would love to sub for (and it'd be my 3rd school in as many days) but I really needed to be home.  So I took a middle school subbing job for this past Monday, and I have lined up a job for the high school this Friday; four schools in 8 days, all desirable positions.  So far it's been a great experience; I love teaching.  I have been comfortable with the kids and in my element, especially the middle school job.  I get to do that one again next week for the same teacher.

It's fun to be back at school, teaching, and my kids seem happy to have me there.   We all think it will be a good fit for the family to have me subbing, and so we're working to settle into school in a new way this fall, with five of us in the system, to some degree or another.

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils....

I do love the "back to school" feeling.  Learning is fun.  Getting all your supplies in order equally fun I especially do love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, and the feel of a nice new pen that writes smoothly.  Gel pens are among my favorites and we got them in several colors this time!  We're working hard to get back in the swing of things.  Another year of four kids, four different schools (five if you count homeschooling).  It's busy but good.  I've been to two PTO meetings, and the "Open House" season is upon us.... not sure how we'll juggle it.

Opportunities for work

For our kids, we've been wanting to connect the concept of earning money with work.  It's not always as easy to teach as you'd think, especially when you try to help them find work they enjoy, or to find fun in their work.  So this summer, we seem to be either purposely or accidentally discovering what work really is, and that it's not always fun or enjoyable, but it is necessary, and worthwhile.  We have found - again both purposefully and accidentally - that earning money means having to work, and sometimes it's hard.  But again, it's good.  The newspaper route is currently fun.  It will get hard when the snow flies, but it will still be good.  Watching our little friend is work.  It's hard.  We're tired.  Frankly, we "count the hours" some days.  But we like him a lot.  It is good for our kids to know that taking care of kids is not as "easy" as some believe.  But it has its reward, and we don't just mean the money.   It's not particularly well paid (in our case), but it's a great service, and the relationship is wonderful.  Kind of like having kids.  And the money they're earning is well-earned.  They've worked hard for it.  And this week Andante was asked to work about 10 hours over two days at the local farm where we have our CSA. It was somewhat boring, it had some definite hard work involved at times (loading and unloading produce), and he was on his feet for most of it.  He was well-paid.  The people were good to work with.  Fun? Not really.  But between saving his allowance and a birthday gift from his grandparents and these hours of hard work, he's now earned enough to pay for his lifeguarding class next summer, so mission accomplished.  They're learning that work is satisfying, and it has a purpose.  In the midst of it, I'm finding that I need to focus and be efficient even more than I'm used to in order to get my own work done, what with balancing the kids' jobs, the comings and goings, and still finding time to relax.  It is doable.  And I enjoy my work - and my kids.  I'm tired, but it is good.

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

Summer Babysitting - Rusty but Fun!

We are watching a little not-quite-two-year-old boy for four weeks this summer, six hours each day M-F 'til mid August.  I think I'd forgotten how much work they can be at this age. I am definitely rusty across the board in chasing toddlers, diapering, and so much more.  He is busy busy busy.  But he is relatively easy as these things go and a lot of fun. Frankly, he's delightful. Granted, he's wearing us out, but we're managing, and largely trying to incorporate him into our lives and activities.  I do love having so many helpful hands.  We were hoping this would be a venture that was mostly Patience's responsibility, but that's proving impossible given his needs and her limitations (she doesn't have the energy for him).  So we're splitting it up and the younger two are loving him.  Here are a few photos from our first week with him, including what I believe is his very first ever trip to the pool.

Our own Newsie

Where we live, there is a free, weekly newspaper.  It's delivered to our door once a week.  Some years ago (maybe 10?), there was no delivery and I considered signing us up.  But I had a brood of young chickens and rightly understood that I'd end up doing it, and it wasn't worth it at the time.  Several other neighborhood kids tried their hands at it after that, and the most recent one (and the one with the longest tenure) just graduated from high school in June.  Turns out, his younger sister had no interest in inheriting the route as he "retired" (so he could move on to bigger and better things).  We asked him about it, he said he'd been thinking of asking us, and the rest is... news I guess.

Vivace is our official Newsie.  He has successfully completed the route twice to date and last week (the 2nd one) he bagged all 130 papers by himself.  He was incredibly responsible and we were all rightly proud.  And yes, we did send him to take a shower before eating dinner.  He was covered in newsprint from head to toe.  He and Constance have shared the delivery route twice now, and he's even gotten his first paycheck.  The entire process is between 2-3 hours, depending on the weather and the size (thickness) of the paper.  It took him about 45 minutes to do the bagging, alone, and about 1 1/2 hours to deliver this week.This is going to be a great learning opportunity for the whole family, but especially for him.  It's his first real "money-earning" venture (Constance has done cat-sitting), and it definitely requires an acceptance of responsibility.  He even signed a contract. We think he is very ready for it.  Gotta love how they're growing up!

Twenty sweet years - and counting.

We celebrated twenty years of marriage this week.  What a gift to have each other.  We are very blessed and thank God for His grace to us.

July 24, 1994

A beautiful day on the mountain

After the frigid weather we've had this winter, and the illness that has beset us on the rare days which we might have enjoyed had we been well, we had a LOVELY day yesterday.  And we had planned in advance to spend it skiing, not being at all certain of its wonder or warmth.  The kids were excused from school by their teachers and our beloved Uncle / Bro-in-law took off from work to visit and accompany Constance, Vivace, and Andante on a day at the ski slopes.  The morning was lesson for the younger two, and the afternoon was lesson for Andante - and the uncle skied with whoever was not in a lesson at the time in question.  It was Constance's birthday, which made it all the more special.  It was a sunny day, virtually no wind, temperatures in the 20s, and there was a good amount of snow - the trails were very adequate.  You couldn't have had a better day to be outside, and it would have been difficult to improve on the conditions all things considered.  I did not ski, but was able to get a few photos.  We thank God for this fabulous day - it was not at all expected and it was very, very appreciated and enjoyed.  Maybe spring really is coming after all!

Icy cold weather

It's mid February, and the weather is cold.  It's been cold for a while.  Our family weathers it pretty well, but this is the coldest our youngest two have known.  Back in January, right after Christmas vacation, they went back to school in below zero temps with wind.  It was rough but they did great.  And yes, we do walk to school when it's cold.  We bundle up and I have puffballs walking out the door.  But they're warm.  They cover faces, hands, legs, wear long-johns, balaclavas, hats, hoods, double mittens, extra layers, snowpants, windpants, neckwarmers, whatever combination they like of the above, plus handwarmers if they so desire.  And honestly, unless the wind is howling, they're warmer than if we would drive, and probably it doesn't take them much longer either.

My husband is wonderful - he has taught them resilience through his insistence that we NOT drive on these mornings because it's not good for the car!  And he would be right, although I admit to some incredulity still, and a weird feeling that we treat the car better than the kids . . . . . Yet I have seen what weeks of indoor recess can do to my kids, whether due to wind chill, actual cold temps, or ice-covered playgrounds, and I am thankful for the fact that they still get some fresh air and time outside every day due to walking, at least to school, if not home as well.

The cold takes a toll and we were tired.  I think we were sick a lot too (germs love all the indoor time - again, we miss being able to play outside a lot!) and we have been thankful for some snow (the inches of thick ice of late December/early January all melted by mid-January, yay!) and the few days we have been able to get out (much more lately).  I unfortunately have had cold-induced asthma issues as I've never had before (weakened lungs from a very bad cold I caught just before Christmas which took me weeks to recover from) and have not tolerated it as well, but by late January, covering my mouth when I went outside and taking it easy seem to be working and the tightness is no longer overwhelming (and the meds not needed - yay).  I love that we all have the "can do" spirit, and knowing that the cold won't kill you is critical around here.  Today was a 10 below morning again.  And it was the first time that Papa Bear walked Patience to her 6:30am viola lesson.... because it was too cold to start the car and we didn't want her walking alone in the mostly dark so early in the day.  Yay Papa Bear!  (and the viola does survive - we use handwarmers to help maintain the temperature, and more importantly, the humidity, in the case!). [We did reschedule her lesson another week when it was about 18 below... that was too much for the viola - we draw the line around -10].

Inside the house is kind of fun too.  In our den, we have some pretty poor insulation in the walls, plus the only heat in this room is the space heater.  The temp in this room is always cool and often drafty, esp. if you have the drapes open.  The heater does a great job, and keeps the room at about 65-68 degrees with the help of the ambient heat from the rest of the house through the doorway (and we have our main thermometer in this room  - so we know the temp and aren't guessing at that 65 degrees!).  But we realized early in January that we really REALLY like our drapes.  We have (from the folks who put on this addition) custom-made honeycomb shades on the windows, which do a great job - when closed.  We have known that for some time.  But the thermal drapes on the sliding glass door (north side of the house, never sees sun except May-July and only for a short time then...) do a great job at keeping the cold out (and protect us from the drafts!)  We don't open them in the winter, but I did for some reason some weeks ago, when it was below zero, and I took pictures of the ice build up which is all over the doors, especially on the edges, and the panes are (naturally) frosted over.  I have noted since that it is ALWAYS like that, whenever we get below zero, like today.  And we even get frost on the wood panelling itself, behind the TV.  So it's fun.  Every house has its quirks, and this is one of ours.  We don't end up with any moisture issues because of the low humidity that you get in northern homes in the winter due to the cold, so when the ice melts, it evaporates quickly (or refreezes!).  I think there's plenty of transpiration too.  Hope you enjoy the pictures of our indoor weather phenomena, including the "puffy" drapes which show you that there is indeed a draft, and how well they contain it!

Character growth

Earlier this school year, I posted on our introduction to High School.  All is going well, and indeed, issues have and likely will continue to arise.  Learning how to navigate these issues, when and how to bring them up and to whom, which ones merit attention, which ones aren't worth losing any sleep over, etc is definitely the crux of what this year seems to be about.

To put it simply, communication is hard, and so is figuring out how to work with different people and different teaching styles.  Sometimes the fit is fabulous, even surprisingly so.  But when it isn't, sometimes you actually learn more, but this is often about life issues as opposed to academic material.

Patience has health challenges (diabetes and migraines in particular) and her relationship with the school health office (aka the nurse to whom she's been assigned) is a pretty important one.  Suffice it to say she didn't get off on a very good foot w/said nurse, mostly just a personality difference and some less than ideal interactions at the beginning of the school year.  So it would appear that one of our goals for the year is to mend this and move forward.  We recently met with her guidance counselor, mostly to make her aware that Patience is literally avoiding the health office and that is important that she not do so, and we will hopefully be meeting with the four of us (guidance counselor, nurse, Patience and I) soon to begin the mending.  What encourages me through this is that in real life, there are people with whom you will have to interact, and with whom doing so may be challenging.  You need to learn how.  Patience is learning the importance of this, and also we are not dealing with an unpleasant person (the nurse is quite nice actually).  But we need to work this through; she needs to learn to speak, listen, advocate, assert, understand, and forbear.  Serious people skills!  And tough communication really as well.  It's a fabulous learning experience, and while I wouldn't have wished it (especially with this particular situation - her need for the services provided by the nurses can be very real and urgent), it will be a wonderful opportunity to build character, communication skills, and learn about other people.  And working with the guidance counselor has been a very encouraging and upbuilding experience. 

Another issue is in some ways bigger (relating to privacy and the use of technology in the classroom, in one class in particular) and she has done a marvelous job advocating for herself.  After discussing this with the guidance counselor (again, we really feel heard and the counselor was marvelous at helping us define and communicate the issue at hand), I now know who to speak to.  Patience has been reassured that this is a legitimate concern and that she is free to stand up for herself, respectfully, but to do so firmly and without needing to cave in.  We have both learned the phrase, "I'm not comfortable with that," and are learning to use it.  It was very freeing to know the issue was not being overblown by us, at least not in the guidance counselor's opinion, and that it should be brought to the attention of the administration.    That doesn't mean we are 'right' and others are 'wrong', but that we are free to proverbially stick to our guns and insist on accommodation when need be.  Frankly, Patience has been very uncomfortable under the pressure she has felt repeatedly from a particular teacher, and it is not only our family rules reflected here, but the principles of internet safety and appropriate use of the internet (time spent etc) that she has absorbed and made her own to some degree.  Through it all, we have expected her to be appropriately flexible and willing to cooperate with the teacher as much as possible.   We have had to correct her for being a bit "self-righteous" at times and let things go.  But we have stood behind her, supporting her, and helping her to know how to advocate for herself, stepping in on (rare) occasions to speak with the teacher directly.  It's been a very unexpected issue, and we are thankful for the opportunity again, to work through real issues with our kids.  All of them have been listening in on this one, as it will likely affect them all at some point.  And they're learning a lot!

On thin ice

Last weekend, we went for a walk on the lake.  Yes, on.  Not by, near, or at.  ON.  We went down to the waterfront and walked out to the breakwater across at least six inches of very solid ice.  Interestingly, it was also very clear.  Absolutely clear.  You could see right through it.  Of course, once it got deep enough, it just looked black.  It was very eerie.  And very safe.  And unnerving.  And fun.  The kids even played "kick the block of ice" and found drift wood with which they made improvised hockey sticks (with which to better hit the blocks of ice).  The ice sailed really really far, it was so smooth out there.  Papa Bear's brother was visiting, so we took him along too.  And at least two of us were sick (the littlest ones, plus me not feeling great).  We then did lunch and went to another place - a local bay, off the main lake - where there was ice fishing and the cars were driving out onto the ice.  This ice was more "normal" - not clear.  It looked more like the ice I'm used to and was therefore less unnerving, but also less interesting.  We had fun.  See lots of pictures below.

So why did I entitle this "on thin ice" if the ice is so safe?  Perhaps because our lives are a reflection of the ice.  Sometimes they are clear, sometimes they are more typically confusing and opaque, and it is always really important to know how thick the ice is - and what you're getting into - how your decisions will impact you and others around you, that is your life circumstances.  You look for clues - like we did with the ice.  In the clear ice, the cracks were actually our reassurance that the ice was indeed quite thick.  You could literally see the depth of the cracks!  And honestly, the cars driving by us on the icy surface of the bay were a pretty big clue that the ice there was solid and we had little to worry about.  And we know to stay away from docks, etc, where the ice is thinner, or perhaps not even frozen.  Life is like this.  There are clues, signs, and others to guide and show were the "ice" of life is thick and safe, and where it is thin or perhaps even non-existent.   May we be humble and willing to pay attention to all these clues, signs, and people who God puts in our path to help us along, and may we safely avoid thin ice, at least as much as we can.