Halloween

TinTin, Raggedy Ann, Cleopatra, Glinda the Good Witch, and a Bumble Bee.
My favorite was Tintin.
My favorite costume element was Glinda in pink Converse.

My favorite sight was the Bumble Bee running--her little antennae bounced along, her ruffles ruffled, and she actually looked a tiny bit like a buzzing bee.  So cute!

Lovely Days

     We are having the most lovely days--making stews, putting together Halloween costumes and Saints Costumes for All Saints' Day, playing instruments and reading books.

    Clare has finished her first novel, Pinnochio, and is onto her second, Little House in the Big Woods.  It is such a huge milestone!

    Mary loves pointe; Jake has become a great goalie for the soccer team; Leigh is quite the pianist and artist.  Annie is still a Broadway show tune girl!  Such a delight.  Best of all, I LOVE my husband.  It is a happy time, indeed.

Party!

    Yesterday morning before school started, I asked the kids if they wanted to make croissants.  After we worked on that, I scrambled everyone some eggs.
    At the end of breakfast sweet three year old Annie exclaimed, "Thanks, Mom, for the party!'
    So precious!

Taking Piano Lessons

    If you can believe it, I am taking piano lessons with the kids.  I love it!
    I took piano for SO MANY years growing up.  But learning to play Beethoven (which I once could do), the teacher does not teach the major chord progressions and how to play regular show tunes, folk music, and Christmas carols.
   So, I am learning to love G, C, F and G7, with which you can play so many songs!
   I also used to play by ear only: I would figure out the music on the page, and then memorize how to play it.  But I was not actually sight reading while playing.
   I am learning to sight read!  It is so much fun!
   I love learning something new.  It is silly for a 40 something year old woman to be working so hard on Jingle Bells, but I love it!  I will be a 45 year old woman who can really play the piano!

So Mad!

   Oh, I was so mad.
   Clare has asked me if she could watch the English version of a cartoon after watching the Italian version (for school).  I said she had three things left to do, and then she could watch the English version.  She begged and begged, promising that she would do all three things, after watching the English version of Muzzy.
   Finally, I agreed, emphasizing how important it was that she follow through and, after watching Muzzy, that she practice guitar, do her guitar workbook, and fold her clothes.
   I left the house, taking Annie and Mary to ballet.
   When I came home, Ron was here with the kids, and had set up a computer game (actually just a biology website) for Clare.  The pile of laundry was untouched.
   "Clare!  What in the world are you doing!!??  Why have you not done the laundry yet?"
   So Clare shuts the computer, runs and does the laundry.  Ron and I get everyone ready for bed.
   As we begin family prayers, I say, "Clare, before we start, I just want to say that I am so upset that you did not keep our agreement.  You promised that you would do all three things you had left to do, if I turned on Muzzy in English for you."
   She replied, "Well I DID do three things!!  Muzzy, guitar, and my guitar workbook!  That is three things!"
   And I realized that in her innocence, she really did believe that she had done what she was told, and truly just muddled it up in her head.
   I replied, "Well, that was NOT what we agreed: we agreed that AFTER you watched Muzzy, you would have to do 1) guitar, 2) your guitar notebook, and 3) fold your laundry.  Watching Muzzy was NOT on the list of obligations; it was your treat."  Her eyes got all wide and she realized her mistake.
   I continued, "You did not follow through on our agreement.  So I want 20 pushups, right now."  She smiled, and looked sheepishly at her siblings.  They were rather adorable about it, being kind, realizing that they have to do pushups sometimes, too.  She got down on the floor, amid our whole family, and we all watched her do 20 pushups.  She smiled getting up and resuming her place.  Then she led us in family prayers.
   Afterwards that night, Ron said, "Kathryn, in my house growing up, that would have been screaming and spankings.  Your handling of that was a million times better than anything I have ever seen."

   I wish I had not been so mad about it, afterwards, realizing that I had a way of handling it that is better than getting so mad inside.  I think I took it personally, like, "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?"  But the truth is, people (my kids, anyway) DO listen to me, and I just have to hear their story and reprimand accordingly, not out of anger, but with love and firmness.    

Shopping with Mary

   Mary has had the worst clothes for the past year or so.  I took her shopping almost 2 years ago, but since then, it has been a steep decline!
   We went out today, and got her all set up again.
   Watching her little feet under the dressing room door, dancing to the music, in all her excitement was enough to warm my heart for weeks!
   She is so precious.  She is so humble, and asks for so little.  I simply adore her!

Imago Dialogues

Wow, having a challenge come up in your marriage is always hard.
But having it handled in Dialogue format is SO MUCH BETTER than a fight!
Oh, how grateful I am to this process, for sparing us the harshness of human nature and helping us transcend our own selves!  What safety there is in this structure.  I am so grateful.

Kissing a Girl

   Jake just got the lead in the home school play, the "Romancers," which is a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
    Apparently, Jake has to KISS Sally Jones, who was cast as Juliet.
    Jake says to me, "This might be the most significant challenge of my life to date."

My funny aunt

   I have an aunt that is very funny.
   She left her conservative Christian upbringing for a more lively, unorthodox life of giving to the poor.
   The funny thing about her is that, in her lack of what some would call "faith," she has no trust that anyone will ever help this one, or that one, poor soul.  She doesn't pray for people, that they will one day be healed or saved or helped.  She does not have that kind of faith.
   In its absence, she goes and helps them.
   How wonderful is that.  A little lack of faith, in this case, has been a fire under her feet and has done many people a lot of good.  

Favorite Moments

1) Opening a box from Amazon with more phonics workbooks and classic lit. books, and the kids going wild with excitement.
2) Annie directing the older kids in a play and the older kids taking her direction and asking her what their next lines should be.
3) Clare reading 40 pages of the novel Pinnochio without any help at all.
4) Jake figuring out how the Federal Reserve impacts interest rates (by buying bonds).
5) My roses finally blooming again, now that the temp has dropped under 100 degrees and we have finally gotten some rain.

Total Dependence--Still Learning!

   I am still learning how to have total dependence on God!
   Will I be late to the doctor's?  I made myself relax and depend on God.
   Will I be late to an event with my cousins?  I made myself relax and I asked God that I be seated in my chair at the table by noon.  I relaxed, got there, and was seated at the table by noon.
    Doing this trusting bit, it makes me realize how little I have trusted God throughout my 25 years as a Christian.  I am so sick about that!  I feel so bad!
    It is a blessing, though, to begin now.  Better late than never!