Happy Thanksgiving

KNOWING my mom-in-law would want a blessing at the Thanksgiving table where we all say something we are thankful for, we've been practicing with the kids all week. After our normal blessing at dinner, we each tell what we are thankful for.

The last few nights have been quite similar. Whoever says the blessing, says the normal one, then Will pouts and says he isn't thankful for anything. Maddie says "I thankful for Jesus!", Ben has been thankful for lollipops and Daddy, Jon has mentioned windows and Mama, then Will realizes there ARE things to be thankful for, but everyone else "stole" his ideas. It will be fun to hear what they are thankful for at our Thanksgiving dinner (but I'll have to let you know later.) And, if Shelley doesn't remember that she asks for this every Thanksgiving, I'm sure the kids will remind her. :) It has been uplifting mentioning them each night, so thanks for the idea.

In the meantime, I have so very much to be thankful for, but I know I can't list them all at dinner, so here are just a few: Jesus!, Allen, Will, Ben, Maddie, Jon, healthy children, Allen's job - we don't have to fret and we can pay our bills, Family - our parents and brothers, sis-in-laws, and niece, the love and emotional support system that family gives us, Sunshine, Flowers, Rain and rainbows, Friends - especially the ones that make me laugh till I cry, Our country and those that have fought so we have our freedoms, . . . there are so many things that I am sincerely thankful for, that now I'm getting teary listing the basics.

25 Ways to Love Your Husband

Here is another of the clippings I wanted to keep. By posting it, I can refer to it again without adding it to my piles. This list by Cindy Sigler Dagnan appeared in May/June 2008 issue of MomSense. (Click here to read the article.)

1. Send him a love letter in the mail.
2. Hold hands as you fall asleep. Brag on him when others can hear you.
3. Shave your legs.
4. Buy satin sheets and initiate a surprise passionate encounter.
5. Buy his favorite ice cream.
6. Pray for him.
7. Keep his confidences.
8. Be hospitable to his friends.
9. Keep a list, or even better: list things he wants or would like to do—and whenever possible, do something from the list for him.
10. Send him a cookie bouquet at work.
11. Laugh together, especially at your own private jokes.
12. Spend an afternoon reminiscing about your courtship.
13. Begin to treat him that way again.
14. Go lingerie shopping via catalog. Let him pick out the things he'd like you to wear.
15. Buy one of the items and wear it!
16. Write his mother a note thanking her for raising such a wonderful son.
17. Place a single rose or one made of molded chocolate under his windshield wiper while he's at work.
18. Make a reservation at a bed and breakfast—kidnap him for the weekend.
19. Buy him a new tie or hunting jacket—present it to him by wearing nothing else.
20. Do something that makes you feel better about yourself—confidence is sexy.
21. Watch him play with the children and compliment him on being such a good father.
22. Subscribe to a special-interest magazine he enjoys.
23. Encourage him to have a guys' night out.
24. Write a list of the top ten things you love about him and leave it on his pillow.
25. Accept him unconditionally!

My Treasure Box & How to be Lazy

I am still on my decluttering tasks, and with 30+ years of stuff to go through it is no small task. Yesterday just before I had to take Jon and Maddie to Mothers Day Out, I had about 15 minutes -- just enough time to sort through a photo box. Inside I discovered treasures that kept me thinking all day. What did I find?

• Will's first pair of shoes with the toes worn through because he still crawled a lot
• An article in the Independence, Kansas, newspaper about scrapbooking and Chasing Rainbows (the scrapbook store my friend and I opened)
• My Mema's obituary -- she passed away just a few weeks before the triplets were born
• A letter from Allen great-grandmother, now 103 years old, just updating us on her life
• Three micro-preemie Pampers about the size of my palm
• Three itty-bitty hospital bands, about two inches long
• A news paper article and a pile of photos of the 2007 southeast Kansas flood -- the one that meant the kids and I had to move early because the babies were on formula and we couldn't drink the water, but Allen had to stay behind because the refinery was underwater
• A pile of wedding anniversary cards from Allen
• Little baggies with locks of blond hair -- one bag for each kiddo
• Handprint butterfly made by Will (age 2) for Mother's Day

These were things that didn't make it to the toss-pile, but in 15-minutes I saw them all and relived so many memories. All day long I was counting my blessings and realizing how BLESSED I am to have four healthy children, a husband who treasures me, and family who is supportive and loving. Writing this is making me recount them yet again, and I need that today. . . the kids are driving me crazy, but I love them and only have to look at those diapers in the box to remember how much I prayed they'd reach this point.

Today, I've tried to go through so more piles (have I mentioned I collect a lot of STUFF?) In the last few years, I've learned to part with magazines, by tearing out only the parts I wanted to keep. Now, in an effort to purge the lose pages, I thought I'd remind myself of the few things I thought I'd need reminding about.

Cookie magazine (May 2008) published a list of how to get some rest while parenting, "For the Lazy Parent: Lying Down on the Job." Here is a summary of the methods I plan to try this afternoon.

• Play Fairy Tale -- I will be the princess under a sleeping spell. The kids (knights, fairy, and princes) must find the magic wand that will break the witch's spell and wake me.
• Play doctor -- I will be the patient in a coma. The doctors and nurses must go through the body books trying to figure out what is wrong with me.
• Play house -- I will be the sleeping baby, they are the rest of the family having to tiptoe around so not to wake me. I love this game because they give me lots and lots of kisses, so I know where they are.
• Play zoo -- I will be a walrus sunning myself on the rock (couch) while they are animals or zookeepers. . . this one may not fly, though.

Soon, I hope to post the next clipping. . . Right now, I need to go tame the dinosaur who is making the other two shriek and cry.

The Bible told me so

I have been working on a different type of Bible study. For many years, I have done two to three group Bible studies each year, but after reading Jen Hatmaker's A Modern Girls Guide to Bible Study, a friend and I decided to try it a little differently between group sessions. The difference is this time I don't have a workbook. I don't have a book that tells me what the lesson is about, where to read in the Bible, and what are the questions I should ponder. This time its just me, my Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding me through the books of Peter. . . .and I am LOVING this way. Each day I pull out my study Bible, my parallel Bible (four versions parallel -- helps with the meanings of translated words and concepts), my Webster's dictionary, several guide books, my journal, and my coffee.

Within twenty minutes of me getting started, the little kids insist on getting involved. That means they scurry to the bookshelf to get their Bibles, then they come look at their books at the kitchen table where I am working. That has worked out mostly perfectly except for one thing -- we only had two that they liked, so they fought and I struggled until I gave up and waited until naptime to do my studying. This week Allen and I decided they could each have their own Bible, so I got to go shopping. It was quite a task to find three perfect Bible storybooks -- something not too babyish, but with enough pictures to tell the stories. Something they could use for awhile once they start reading themselves. Something different than the other two so they could tell whose was whose. Something different enough from the others that we could read the same story in all of the books but get a bigger picture than reading just one. I found some and Ben, Maddie, and Jon were so excited to have their own Bibles.

At the same time I got those gifts, I found the perfect gift for Will. He had recently gotten a real Bible at church, so I picked up a canvas bookcover-carrier for it, and I got a set of the rainbow tabs that make it easier to find the particular books in the Bible. When I gave them to him, I asked to make sure he was okay with me installing them for him, and he pulled me aside after dinner to have a very serious conversation: "Mama, you can put most of them [the tabs] in, but please don't put Mark in there." When I asked him why, he furrowed his brow, and thoughtfully answered, "I just don't like Mark's story. Its a scary one." I convinced him that Mark's story was a great one since it was about Jesus and he decided it was okay to keep after all.

The next day, Will rushed in after school and got his new green Bible case so he could see what the newly-tabbed Bible looked like. He spent about an hour thumbing through it, fascinated at how he could find things. He was excited that the Book of Job had a tab that actually read "JOB." He wondered why the Book of Jeremiah was only "JER," so we discussed the abbreviations while the little three played outside. Just like his Mama, Will soon got his paper and pencil and started flipping through the pages, writing, flipping some more. Eventually, his task was complete and he proudly brought me his list. "Mama, this is a list of my favorite books. Sit down so I can read them to you. Mark. Cob [Job with a backward J]. Isaiah. Jeremiah. One The. Two The. And Samuel. Mama, What are there two the's?" That was when I had to hurry him outside so I could call Allen and share the giggles.

Several friends prefer to do Bible studying when the kids are asleep. That's a challenging one for me because I don't like getting up early. But I've discovered something awesome about studying when the kids are awake: I am modelling and they are copying. Although I often have to set my books aside and finish it later, I love that my kids see me in the Word and want to do the same.

Morning Glories!

Ben, Maddie, and Jon have been sick this week. Nothing too bad, a little fever, a lot of coughing, a bunch of runny noses, a whole lot of whining and crying, and many, many breathing treatments. Five days of being home with them, when I'm used to one or two days a week has been tough. Their crankiness and lack of sleep was contagious, and we've now gone a whole week without sleeping through the night. We've been awakened for many reasons -- wet sheets, couldn't breathe, lost a monkey, it was too dark, couldn't quit coughing, someone else woke up, and some nights Allen and I were both up multiple times. We've both been tired and struggling to hold on to our health. . . and sanity.

Friday I was bonkers. When the little ones got upset (almost all day long) they pulled on me and cried. When I'd sit to hold one or two, the other(s) would pull on my arms, legs, and clothes, screaming. When I'd get away to use the restroom or bury my head under a pillow, I'd have to lock the door then listen to all three kick and beat on the door until they got tired of that and started kicking and beating each other. I don't know if that made them get louder or not, I was on day three of my ears ringing. I was worn out physically and mentally, so after I picked Will up from school, I drove, and drove, and drove. After an hour, I turned around and headed back.

Saturday was an awesome day, though. My awesome husband gave me a (desperately needed) day off. There isn't much that could've been done to make it better. I slept in until 7:00 when I got Ben and snuggled for awhile. Allen made me breakfast and we had a chance to sit down and enjoy our coffee and eggs together while the kids colored. I scrapbooked for a bit, then took a long, hot shower, while Allen and the kids raked leaves. I took pictures of the kids playing in the leaf-piles in pajamas, then scrapped some more. I had lunch with Allen and the kids, then took a short nap, and scrapped some more. Allen made a fabulous "new" dinner that we all really liked, then Will and I read to the little kids for a while. After the kids were in bed, I scrapped some more. It's been a long time since I've gotten to play and I loved every minute!

There was something pretty special about this week, even if I have been a bit grumpy. The morning glories that we planted last spring are finally in bloom. Each day, there are even more blooms than the day before. The flowers seem to only live in the morning, then they shrivel up and fall off, but when they are in bloom, they are definitely GLORIOUS! . . . oh, and Maddie can sign "I love you!"

(yes, I climbed to the top of fence in my pajamas to get this one.)

Snapshots of the Three

This is what I saw in the rearview mirror on the way home last week. Jon was upset, but its the hand-holding in the very back that caught my attention.

Maddie and I visited my friend the other day and she came home with twelve new hairbows. Every single one in her hair and she was so excited about it.

The kids are getting to be really good at helping with certain chores. Maddie and Jon fight over who gets to put the clean silverware away (they both love it! -- now), and Ben likes stacking the clean plates. All three love taking things to the trash and putting their cups in or out of the fridge.

Sadly, we are back to breathing treatments. So far this week all three little ones have needed them at one point or another. This is poor little Ben. Although he's been pretty quiet and lethargic, Ben was quite the chatterbox carrying on and on after a breathing treatment around midnight last night. (Thanks for getting up, Allen!)

Not to be missing Will in the action, but he is at school most of the time. And when he is home, he is just WAY TOO COOL to let me take a picture of him without a ridiculous pose or intentionally distorted facial expression. If you look in the photo of Jon, you can see Will at the table coloring.