Schooling Boys

"What do you want on your birthday cake?" I asked my almost 5 year old.  "A Peregrine Falcon," was his quick reply. "A What??" I asked. "A Peregrine Falcon," my 9 year old pipes up. "You know, the fastest bird there is," he says.

No, I don't know. In fact I couldn't have come up with the name "Peregrine Falcon" if you'd offered to pay me. What is a Peregrine Falcon anyway?? But, that's what my little boy wants on his birthday cake. Oh, and he wants to go bird watching at his party.... 

What's his fascination with birds, I wonder. Then I remember. Zack and Rylie have been studying birds in science. We do science together. I study with the two of them on the couch while Kade plays cars or ball on the floor. He's 4, not nearly old enough to understand fourth grade science right? Plus, he just plays on the floor with his toys in his own little world. Half the time he's singing or talking to himself. So, why does he know so much about birds? 

Zack is 9 and in fourth grade. He drives me crazy during school sometimes. Mainly because when he's studying his spelling he's usually on his head. Literally. Upside down, on his head with his rear end in the air. "Zack, you're supposed to be studying," I say. "I am, Mom," He replies. "Prove it," I say. He then rattles off a list of words to me that most adults have trouble spelling. OK, so he was studying. He memorizes states and capitals while shooting hoops, he does his reading while hanging off the end of the couch, he does his math homework on his stomach on the floor, and geography facts are beast learned while riding in the car trying to beat dad. I know it's not traditional, but he's getting it. And isn't that the point in the end? 

Boys are a different breed.  I can say that because I'm not one. =) I'm a school nerd. I loved school. I loved sitting at my little desk diligently doing my work. The thought never even crossed my mind that my seat was too hard and it made my bottom hurt. (This is the story I get every time I make Zack sit at the table. Somehow the comfort of his derriere is connected to the level of activity his brain can handle.)

I'm not saying boys CAN'T learn the traditional way. My husband who can't sit still in church to this day made it through traditional school quite well. I am saying that maybe boys learn better a different way. I substitute taught for several years and had the privilege of being in the high school special ed class frequently. The observation I made was that 8 out of 10 in those classes were BOYS. They weren't dumb, they just weren't cut out to sit on a hard chair and listen to lectures. They thought they were dumb though, because they were stuck in the special ed class.

It's hard for me to think outside the box. I love homeschooling, but I want everyone to sit down and study like I would. My way tends to frustrate my boys. They work better if they are sent outside first for exercise and fresh air. (And maybe again  frequently between subjects.) They like goals and responsibility. I have a friend who makes a checklist for her son and he's responsible to complete it on his own. It's been one of his best school years yet. He likes knowing what he needs to do and being responsible to get it finished. Boys definitely DON'T like to be micro managed. They don't want to sit in one spot to do their work. Variety of location definitely improves attitude!

These are just a few things I've observed in my short time of schooling boys. Mine aren't grown yet, so I don't know what the final outcome will be. I'm willing to take a chance on this education thing though. I  hope  when they're grown they will have learned well, and that they look back on their years of school with good memories.

Me? I'm learning every day. I'm learning that I'm not always right. I'm learning that God made every child unique and they all learn differently. I'm learning to roll with that. I'm learning that WHAT you learn is more important than HOW you learn it.

After all, God gave me 3 sons.......




*I wanted to add a disclaimer to this post.*
I do not think boys cannot do well in a traditional school setting. There are so many that do. I also don't think that homeschooling is for everyone. I DO think that no matter where your son is in school that you can creatively help him learn and do his best by learning how he learns best and giving him opportunities to learn in that way. 

I Can Drop It

If I can pick it up, I can drop it.

Take the large tub of margarine for example. You know the one I shouldn't be eating because margarine is extremely bad for you and can clog your arteries. And I'm sure multiple other things. But, I do love it, so I keep it around. Anyway, I picked it up off the counter and promptly dropped it on the floor. Because that's what I do, I drop things. Margarine makes a great mound of greasy mass on the tile. Of course Elijah was in the kitchen with me, so I had to hurry and clean it before he spread it. Playing in a mound of margarine is way better than Play Doh! There's really no fast way to clean up margarine. And if you get it all over your hands like I did, it's even slower. I guess I better invest in some Draino now....

Dan knows I drop things and he loves me anyway. In fact he loves me so much he bought me the military grade cell phone. You know the one you can drop in the toilet and it will survive. Or you can throw it off the roof of the house and it will still ring..... I'm on my second one now. The first one did fine until I lost it in the car.

 I was showing a car on our car lot and had opened the hood to show the engine. When I tried to to close the hood, it wouldn't close. So, I slammed it harder, and harder, and HARDER. When the customers left I couldn't find my phone. I knew I had it when they got there.... I searched and searched. I did find it. (Which I think I should get little credit for because I'm not very good at finding things either.) There it was in the hood of the car, jammed nicely.

Phones seem to be my favorite thing to drop. We're on our third set of handsets at home. That's about 8 or 9 phones I've been through. Dan's seriously considering stock options.... Me, I'm thinking we should put more padding on the floor....

So, the day Dan called me from the bathroom and said, "You'll never believe what I just did!" is a day I will always look back on with fondness.  "I just flushed the phone down the toilet," he said in disbelief. (Dan is ultra responsible and never does anything like this.) "You didn't even TRY to save it?" I said. (Secretly rejoicing that it wasn't me giving this confession.)  "There was no saving it," was his reply.

We even tried calling the phone to see if it was in the pipes.......

Maybe going back to the day of phones on short cords is not such a bad idea!

The Power of a Friend

I've been home for almost 7 days now. Home, as in, not leaving the house. We've had a pretty bad stomach virus that nobody else wants. So, I didn't go out, and no one came in. For most people that may not seem like a long time or a big deal, but for me it is. I need people. I love people.

Today the throw up, diarrhea, sickness, tiredness, lack of fresh air, etc. caught up with me. I cried over nothing and everything. I was sure no one loved me, because, my goodness, as soon as we have germs in our house not even my family comes to see me!!! (Just for the record I avoid them like the plague when they are sick too.)

Then after lunch, out of the blue, an old friend texted me and asked if I had time to chat - ON THE PHONE! This same friend was the one that I was just thinking probably didn't have time for me anymore because she lives in a new city and has so many new friends, and probably never even thinks of me. She thought of me and asked me to talk. The whole atmosphere of my prison changed. The sunshine came out even though it was raining. I was suddenly more patient and kind to my children.

At suppertime my parents stopped in. They just live down the street and we see them often, but it's not very common for them to drop by and visit me at my house. I was fixing pancakes and bacon and asked them if they would stay. They did. We ate and talked. Their visit did a lot to refuel my emotional tank.

Neither one of these people knew I was having a rough day, they just randomly thought of me and acted on that thought.

I'm a busy stay at home mom with a heart for missions. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I'm not doing anything for God. I know I'm raising kids and that's huge, but my heart yearns to be doing something more.

Maybe a phone call or a visit is what I'm supposed to be doing. There's something special about a live voice. I love Facebook and text. They are great for keeping in touch with people, but don't take the place of talking with a friend. Part of missions is being Jesus' hands and feet. That's what I felt today. I felt the love of Jesus. I felt like He reminded someone of me and they acted on the thought. I ended the day feeling loved not just by people, but by God.

I have good friends I've let slip through the cracks because of lack of taking the time to keep in contact. I know people who are lonely, home bound, or discouraged. I know it's cliche, but "What would Jesus do?" He always had time for people. Always.


It takes just a few minutes to send a card in the mail or call someone. It takes a little longer to drop in and see someone. I think sometimes these things seem out of style, but they are timeless. They're small things, but things I can do right now, right at this stage in my life. God brings people to my mind all the time.

I love checking my mail every day. I rarely get anything exciting, but still there's the hope that I might. It means the world to me when someone takes time to send me a card or a note in the mail. I know it's an uncommon thing to do these days and it means even more because of it.

When I was younger I traveled the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I stay at home in a small town in Arkansas doing dishes, folding laundry, and chasing babies. I need to let the US Postal Service and the telephone lines travel for me. The same love of Jesus that I took across the globe can travel those lines just as well.

I felt God's love today because of small gestures from other people. We are His hands, His feet.

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."  Mother Teresa

Top 10 Reasons to Get the Stomach Flu

We have the stomach flu here at this house. I wouldn't come within 100 feet of us if I were you! It started Monday and is still going strong. It's a rough one and lasts almost 5 days. I finally gave in and joined  the sickies today. The only thing that's worse than sick kids is sick kids with a sick momma. I'm not a very good sick person, and usually just prefer to lie around and feel sorry for myself. In light of the great amount of sickness going around in this area though, I thought I would try to brighten someone's day. So here is the list I compiled of why it's GOOD to get the stomach flu....

1) You get to jump start that diet you keep meaning to actually start.

2) You get to jump start that workout you keep meaning to actually start. Dry heaving is one of the best ab workouts out there! Move over Ab Lounger!

3) You get to prove to your husband that you are NOT that wimpy person he says you are when you are sick. OK..... maybe not, maybe we'll just go with, "Yes, you're right Honey, can you please make dinner and clean the house???"

4) All those towels, blankets, and sheets that so desperately need to be washed, get washed. Again and again and again.... (You know, the ones your momma thinks you wash far more often than you really do.) They had nothing but time back then to do laundry, there was no Facebook!


5) You have no temptation whatsoever to eat all those yummy Valentine's chocolates. (Which again helps with #1.)

6) You enjoy a can of Campbell's Chicken and Noodle soup as much as those football players in the commercial seem to!

7) You have time to make that photo book online that you never seem to have the time to do. Unless you're like me and prefer the, "I can't do anything except lie on the couch and moan" scenario. (refer to #3.)

8) If you homeschool you have an instant lesson in food digestion, or the lack thereof. None of my students seem to appreciate this lesson at all.

9) Germs run when they see your husband coming with the Lysol! Your house has never been so clean and germ free!

10) Finally, you have all day to snuggle, read books, watch movies, and hold those precious babies God has given you. When's the last time you took a whole day to do that?!

Well, that's my top 10 reason to get the flu. Now that I have not convinced myself, I'm going to go lie down and moan awhile.....

Happy Birthday Elijah!

What a day! Elijah's birthday was Tuesday. First, let me start by saying that it's NOT a good idea to look at photos of yourself from a year ago when you were about to have a baby a year ago! I mean look at this!! I remember telling myself that I was "much smaller" this time. There is NOTHING small about that belly! I guess what I saw in the mirror and what everyone else saw were two different things.  Rylie snapped this pic for me a few days before Elijah came. OBVIOUSLY he should have come a few days prior to this picture.

I'm not the only one who has changed over the last year. Here he is the day we brought him home. I think he had been practicing that "suck the thumb" stuff before we met him.









Here he is now! A big 1 year old. What a joy he  has been to our family!




So, the birthday celebration was fun, but leading up to it maybe not so much. For some reason I decided that  that day was a good day to teach 5 piano lessons, have a full day of school, clean the house, put up 20lb of ground beef, bake cupcakes, and decorate for the party. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!?? It's good to have goals, but really?? Right before noon (and a meltdown) I called my sister who happened to have the day off work. She graciously came over and helped me out. I just have to take this moment to say that I really love my sisters. All four of them are the best! (And my brother too!)

Things were going along pretty well by 5:30. (The party was at 6:30.) I was feeling pretty prepared. I asked Zack to feed the baby his spaghetti while I finished up dinner. Somehow 9 yr. old boys and feeding babies don't always go together. Before Elijah had his first bite the bowl was dropped and the spaghetti had flown the full length of the floor. It couldn't have just turned over and plopped in one big pile. Oh no! It had to spread the length of the clean floor from the table to the front door right before the party. I didn't have time to clean it up, so Zack got the job. Here's proof of the spaghetti.

Did I mention I was cooking dinner at this time??? Oh yes, dinner. You know those blogs where these great cooks cook fabulous things and then take even more fabulous pictures of them and post them on their blogs? Well friends, this isn't one of them! I was in a rush. I don't normally cook Hamburger Helper, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm not much of a cook in the first place. In fact one time I overheard one of my children telling someone that they were used to the fire alarm because it went off every time I was cooking..... How do you mess up Hamburger Helper you say?? Well, just give me a box and a pot and I will show you!  Here's my fabulous photo of my gourmet dinner. I call it Bubbly Soup. If you want the recipe let me know.....

It was a crazy day. But it was a good day. It's my everyday life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am blessed beyond measure.