Christmas is special.
Christmas is joy. Christmas is the smell of sugar cookies. Christmas is light and darkness. Christmas is family. Christmas is warmth and cozy feelings. Christmas is love and family and friends. Christmas is together. Christmas is traditions. Christmas is memories. Christmas is singing carols with loved ones. Christmas is a feeling of goodness to all. Christmas is a time to love, laugh, and share.
Christmas is the night in the stable so long ago. Christmas is a miracle. Christmas is wondrous and awesome. Christmas is "Peace on earth, and goodwill to man". Christmas is a peaceful and incredible night. Christmas changed the world.
Christmas is the still, quiet feeling in your heart. Christmas is the big, exuberant feeling of joy and freedom in your heart.
Christmas is inspirational. Christmas inspires one to write from the heart. To sing from the heart.
To give from the heart.
To love from the heart.
Christmas is what turns Scrooges into angels. Christmas's love and joy is what turns hearts from two sizes too small to three sizes to big.
Christmas is the feeling of anticipation and excitement.
But it is also the feeling of peace.
Christmas is peace.
Christmas is peace that shows itself in many ways.
Christmas is the most special and peaceful time of year.
Christmas is Christmas.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Problem of Hitting 'Send'
I knew I had to do it.
I just couldn't seem to make myself hit send.
My mouse sat near the send button.
God, give me the courage to send this.
Finally, I clicked the mouse.
It was sent.
Now, to wait for the reply.
Maybe this is a pride issue, but apologizing is not my favorite thing in the world.
But it has to be done.
I had known I needed to apologize to this person for a few weeks. I had made a rather sarcastic comment and felt bad about it. It wasn't anything big, but I really wished I hadn't said it, or at least had apologized sooner. Many a night in the past few weeks had I laid in bed, silently composing the apology email, only to find when morning came I had lost my nerve. Day after day and night after night this had gone on until finally this afternoon I sat down and typed it out.
Then came the problem of sending it.
And that was a bit of a problem.
I think I spell-checked it about six thousand times.
And then read it and re-read it about seven thousand times.
Finally, finally, I hit send-
-and it was gone.
I sat down after dinner to check my email.
She had already replied!
She told me that she accepted my apology, but it wasn't necessary...
Unless, of course, God had convicted me of it.
Which He did.
Even though it wasn't a big deal to her, it was to me.
And apparently it was to God, too.
I felt almost silly after reading her response, seeing as she said she wasn't even sure if she remembered what I had said.
But I'm so glad I hit send.
I feel so much lighter now.
PS.....I have a new blog!!! Don't worry, I'll still be posting on this one, but my friend (who has 11, soon to be 12 siblings) and I started a blog called Big Sisters, Big Families. (I love hyperlinks).
www.bigsistersbigfamilies.blogspot.com
Side note, I'd appreciate it if you guys would follow it....
I know all of you are there.
I see you through StatCounter.
I happen to know all ten of my followers personally. I love you guys...
But I still know the rest you are reading this:)
I just couldn't seem to make myself hit send.
My mouse sat near the send button.
God, give me the courage to send this.
Finally, I clicked the mouse.
It was sent.
Now, to wait for the reply.
Maybe this is a pride issue, but apologizing is not my favorite thing in the world.
But it has to be done.
I had known I needed to apologize to this person for a few weeks. I had made a rather sarcastic comment and felt bad about it. It wasn't anything big, but I really wished I hadn't said it, or at least had apologized sooner. Many a night in the past few weeks had I laid in bed, silently composing the apology email, only to find when morning came I had lost my nerve. Day after day and night after night this had gone on until finally this afternoon I sat down and typed it out.
Then came the problem of sending it.
And that was a bit of a problem.
I think I spell-checked it about six thousand times.
And then read it and re-read it about seven thousand times.
Finally, finally, I hit send-
-and it was gone.
I sat down after dinner to check my email.
She had already replied!
She told me that she accepted my apology, but it wasn't necessary...
Unless, of course, God had convicted me of it.
Which He did.
Even though it wasn't a big deal to her, it was to me.
And apparently it was to God, too.
I felt almost silly after reading her response, seeing as she said she wasn't even sure if she remembered what I had said.
But I'm so glad I hit send.
I feel so much lighter now.
PS.....I have a new blog!!! Don't worry, I'll still be posting on this one, but my friend (who has 11, soon to be 12 siblings) and I started a blog called Big Sisters, Big Families. (I love hyperlinks).
www.bigsistersbigfamilies.blogspot.com
Side note, I'd appreciate it if you guys would follow it....
I know all of you are there.
I see you through StatCounter.
I happen to know all ten of my followers personally. I love you guys...
But I still know the rest you are reading this:)
Monday, November 7, 2011
The What-If Express
I'm ba-ack!
Did you miss me?
Of course you did...
Right?
Not sure it you all saw my comment on Supersized, but I had been limiting my computer use and not watching TV for the month of October.
Anyhoo, last night some of my siblings and I sat down to watch 'It's a Meaningful Life'...the VeggieTales version of 'It's a Wonderful Life'. And who knew that even I, a 13 year old, could learn something from those little vegetables. Now, let me stop here and say that I have never seen It's a Wonderful Life, nor do I know anything about the plot. To be quite honest, the VeggieTales one kinda reminded me of a Christmas Carol, of all things. For those of you haven't seen the Veggie-spin on it, Larry the Cucumber stars as Stewart, who was a high school(or maybe college) football star. Horror of horrors, he misses the winning pass in the big game, and worse, he misses it to the decoy(tragic, right?) and then the decoy(that little squash guy, the one who sings about cheeseburgers) becomes a famous star while Stewart doesn't have as much money. He always wishes, If only I had made that catch.... life would be better. I'd be able to leave my small town. My family would have more money. And so on. He is jealous of that little yellow guy, named Morty in the movie.Then, a train, The What-If Express appears on the football field. Larry gets on, and meets a conductor named Gabe. Gabe shows him what life would be like if he had caught the ball. He shows him his life as a famous person(who is crabby all the time) what life would be like for his family(which didn't really exist since he never got married) and than the last stop is where he can make the choice to either stay in this new life, or go back to his old one. How often do we board the What-If Express(Also known as the Land of If Only.)It showed me that worrying and always thinking What If or If Only, we aren't really trusting God. When we go to the Land of If Only, we are pretty much saying, 'God, you must have not been paying attention or something, because this didn't turn out right.' We're doubting God's plan. We're doubting that God knows whats best for us. In essence, we're saying we know better than God. I read something today that said worry is a form of pride. We aren't trusting God enough to give him our problems.
Cast all your anxieties upon Him, for He cares for you 1 Peter 5:7
I love this verse. This topic is a big issue for me. I'm an anxious person. A worrywart. And I'm slowly starting to realize that that isn't simply a character trait, it can be a sin. It's the sin of doubting God's plan and provision. The sin of pride(because I'm not trusting God when he says he can handle my problems...better than I can.) God has been hammering this one on me the past few weeks. A message at youth group with the theme, Do Not Worry...."Do not be anxious about anything, but instead, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6. Learning about Moses in school. Moses didn't trust that God would provide him the ability to speak in front of the Israelites...and missed out on some blessings. Watching It's a Wonderful Life. The issue of Susie Magazine that came in the mail today. I guess God's trying to tell me some things...
DO. NOT. WORRY.
TRUST. IN. ME.
Another theme in the movie was comparing yourself to others. Stewart was comparing his life to Morty's. Another problem for me.
She's prettier.
People like him better.
She's better at (fill in the blank).
So next time you find yourself slipping away onto that train, remember.
God's got it under control.
"For I know the plan I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future"
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Did you miss me?
Of course you did...
Right?
Not sure it you all saw my comment on Supersized, but I had been limiting my computer use and not watching TV for the month of October.
Anyhoo, last night some of my siblings and I sat down to watch 'It's a Meaningful Life'...the VeggieTales version of 'It's a Wonderful Life'. And who knew that even I, a 13 year old, could learn something from those little vegetables. Now, let me stop here and say that I have never seen It's a Wonderful Life, nor do I know anything about the plot. To be quite honest, the VeggieTales one kinda reminded me of a Christmas Carol, of all things. For those of you haven't seen the Veggie-spin on it, Larry the Cucumber stars as Stewart, who was a high school(or maybe college) football star. Horror of horrors, he misses the winning pass in the big game, and worse, he misses it to the decoy(tragic, right?) and then the decoy(that little squash guy, the one who sings about cheeseburgers) becomes a famous star while Stewart doesn't have as much money. He always wishes, If only I had made that catch.... life would be better. I'd be able to leave my small town. My family would have more money. And so on. He is jealous of that little yellow guy, named Morty in the movie.Then, a train, The What-If Express appears on the football field. Larry gets on, and meets a conductor named Gabe. Gabe shows him what life would be like if he had caught the ball. He shows him his life as a famous person(who is crabby all the time) what life would be like for his family(which didn't really exist since he never got married) and than the last stop is where he can make the choice to either stay in this new life, or go back to his old one. How often do we board the What-If Express(Also known as the Land of If Only.)It showed me that worrying and always thinking What If or If Only, we aren't really trusting God. When we go to the Land of If Only, we are pretty much saying, 'God, you must have not been paying attention or something, because this didn't turn out right.' We're doubting God's plan. We're doubting that God knows whats best for us. In essence, we're saying we know better than God. I read something today that said worry is a form of pride. We aren't trusting God enough to give him our problems.
Cast all your anxieties upon Him, for He cares for you 1 Peter 5:7
I love this verse. This topic is a big issue for me. I'm an anxious person. A worrywart. And I'm slowly starting to realize that that isn't simply a character trait, it can be a sin. It's the sin of doubting God's plan and provision. The sin of pride(because I'm not trusting God when he says he can handle my problems...better than I can.) God has been hammering this one on me the past few weeks. A message at youth group with the theme, Do Not Worry...."Do not be anxious about anything, but instead, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6. Learning about Moses in school. Moses didn't trust that God would provide him the ability to speak in front of the Israelites...and missed out on some blessings. Watching It's a Wonderful Life. The issue of Susie Magazine that came in the mail today. I guess God's trying to tell me some things...
DO. NOT. WORRY.
TRUST. IN. ME.
Another theme in the movie was comparing yourself to others. Stewart was comparing his life to Morty's. Another problem for me.
She's prettier.
People like him better.
She's better at (fill in the blank).
So next time you find yourself slipping away onto that train, remember.
God's got it under control.
"For I know the plan I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future"
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Supersized
A huge bag of brown sugar, purchased at Sam's Club.
(That's a lot of cookies)
(That's a lot of cookies)Fifty pounds of flour.
(Plus there's more in the pantry)
(Plus there's more in the pantry)An average box of cereal comes with a toy. An enormous box of Corn Flakes comes with a pack of Crasins.
(I know a box of Life cereal is a bit smaller than an average box, but it makes it a tad more dramatic:) )
(In size order, also age order)
(See my tye-dye rainbow crocs?)
(I know a box of Life cereal is a bit smaller than an average box, but it makes it a tad more dramatic:) )Seven gallons. I couldn't get it in the picture, but there is two more in the door. Plus a half gallon of lactose free milk. Plus a half gallon of chocolate soy milk.
(We go through about a gallon a day)
(We go through about a gallon a day)That's an average bag of chocolate chips for us
(It's six times the size of a regular bag)
(It's six times the size of a regular bag)Twelve jars of creamy peanut butter 
(My mom bought the whole case at Aldi's)
(My mom bought the whole case at Aldi's)Nine cups
(In size order, also age order)We've got lots of shoes
(See my tye-dye rainbow crocs?) A lot of the things you need for a supersized family come in a supersized amount.
(Someone told me we have enough to feed an army)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Names, Names
Alex, AJ, Hannah, Caley, JD, Riley and Zeke.
Alex, AJ, Hannah, Caley, JD, Riley, Zia and Zeke.
I think it sounds pretty good.
Zia and Zeke.
Zeke and Zia.
I guess we really like the Z's.
Soon enough(God willing) the second list shall be true.
That's right. We will soon be an eight kid family, made possible by adopting a six year old Zia.
Zia was born in India and abandoned. She lived in an orphanage for awhile until she was adopted by someone in California. Due to the circumstances, the adoptive parent can't keep her. She is living a group home right now, but we hope she'll come live with us soon.
She'll share a room with Caley and Riley. It'll be like having quadruplets-Caley is 7 months older than JD, JD is 6 months older than Riley, and Riley is 6 months older than Zia.
Just for the fun of it, I thought I'd post all of the meanings of our names. (FYI, we didn't pick names based on meaning, if you can't tell:) )
Alexandra- Defender of the People
Anthony- Unknown
Hannah- Grace
Caley- From the Jackdaw Clearing (WHAT?!)
Jonathan- God has given
Riley- Descendant of Roghallach (What in the world....)
Zia- Wheat, Grain
Ezekiel- God will Strengthen
Emily(mom's name)- To strive or excel or rival
Randy(dad's name)- Diminutive form of Randall or Miranda.
Alex, AJ, Hannah, Caley, JD, Riley, Zia and Zeke.
I think it sounds pretty good.
Zia and Zeke.
Zeke and Zia.
I guess we really like the Z's.
Soon enough(God willing) the second list shall be true.
That's right. We will soon be an eight kid family, made possible by adopting a six year old Zia.
Zia was born in India and abandoned. She lived in an orphanage for awhile until she was adopted by someone in California. Due to the circumstances, the adoptive parent can't keep her. She is living a group home right now, but we hope she'll come live with us soon.
She'll share a room with Caley and Riley. It'll be like having quadruplets-Caley is 7 months older than JD, JD is 6 months older than Riley, and Riley is 6 months older than Zia.
Just for the fun of it, I thought I'd post all of the meanings of our names. (FYI, we didn't pick names based on meaning, if you can't tell:) )
Alexandra- Defender of the People
Anthony- Unknown
Hannah- Grace
Caley- From the Jackdaw Clearing (WHAT?!)
Jonathan- God has given
Riley- Descendant of Roghallach (What in the world....)
Zia- Wheat, Grain
Ezekiel- God will Strengthen
Emily(mom's name)- To strive or excel or rival
Randy(dad's name)- Diminutive form of Randall or Miranda.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Cookie Conversations
Caley: Mom, Zeke took another cookie.
Mom, taking cookie from his hand: No, no more cookies, you already had some.
Zeke: But mom, I wanted to have free cookies. I had two, now I have free!
Mom: You can't have three cookies...
Zeke: But I want to be strong, and free cookies will make me strong!
Mom: No, cookies don't make you strong....they make you chubby.
Zeke: HEH-HEH!
Me: Well, it's true!
Zeke, running off: You are just makin' a big fat yie!
Caley: Who did a big fat lie?
Zeke: Mom did a big fat yie that cookies make you chubby!
So....power cookies or chubby cookies?
Mom, taking cookie from his hand: No, no more cookies, you already had some.
Zeke: But mom, I wanted to have free cookies. I had two, now I have free!
Mom: You can't have three cookies...
Zeke: But I want to be strong, and free cookies will make me strong!
Mom: No, cookies don't make you strong....they make you chubby.
Zeke: HEH-HEH!
Me: Well, it's true!
Zeke, running off: You are just makin' a big fat yie!
Caley: Who did a big fat lie?
Zeke: Mom did a big fat yie that cookies make you chubby!
So....power cookies or chubby cookies?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Personality Crafts
See that last post?
The one right below this one.
My blog was hacked, as you can tell from the tags.
I'll let you guess who wrote that.
BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED POST
Anyhoo, I was babysitting my siblings the other day, and I decided to take out a bunch of craft supplies and have a craft night. I realized that all the crafts my siblings made totally showed their personalities.
For example.
Zeke, my youngest brother, spent the night using his beloved dinosaur stamps. After covering the construction paper, he cut out each one to give to his BFF AJ. Scissors are another favorite hobby of his. His was the biggest mess to clean up. Totally Zeke....dinosaurs, AJ, and a messy but fun time.
Riley made a mask from a paper plate, being sure to use pink and purple butterfly and flower, and heart stamps. Riley is often lovingly teased for being so....ah...spacey? That isn't quite the word, but her dream world would consist of fairies, rainbows, ponies, and she would be Princess Smiley. She told us a few weeks ago that sometimes her smile just wouldn't turn off, and she just couldn't help but smile.
JD....ah, JD. It's making me smile now just thinking how very JD his mask is. It's a nice mask, its just that the face is kind of far down, and the stick is falling off and kind of off to the side.
Caley made a paper bag puppet. Ms. Meticulous was only half finished when it was time to clean up for bedtime.
Hannah's was a girly-girly puppet, with colored beads and yarn and a huge green bow at the top of her head.(The puppet, I mean, not Hannah herself.) AJ likes art, I like crafting, and Hannah is in the middle.
AJ made a pig puppet. Like I said, he enjoys art, like drawing. He made it complete with pink ears and pink beads for the nose.
My poor little mask go only eye holes and half a head of hair since I was so busy distributing supplies and helping everyone else.
(Just so the public knows this was actually "posted by Alex at 10:16", not posted by her Pops while she was sleeping)
The one right below this one.
My blog was hacked, as you can tell from the tags.
I'll let you guess who wrote that.
BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED POST
Anyhoo, I was babysitting my siblings the other day, and I decided to take out a bunch of craft supplies and have a craft night. I realized that all the crafts my siblings made totally showed their personalities.
For example.
Zeke, my youngest brother, spent the night using his beloved dinosaur stamps. After covering the construction paper, he cut out each one to give to his BFF AJ. Scissors are another favorite hobby of his. His was the biggest mess to clean up. Totally Zeke....dinosaurs, AJ, and a messy but fun time.
Riley made a mask from a paper plate, being sure to use pink and purple butterfly and flower, and heart stamps. Riley is often lovingly teased for being so....ah...spacey? That isn't quite the word, but her dream world would consist of fairies, rainbows, ponies, and she would be Princess Smiley. She told us a few weeks ago that sometimes her smile just wouldn't turn off, and she just couldn't help but smile.
JD....ah, JD. It's making me smile now just thinking how very JD his mask is. It's a nice mask, its just that the face is kind of far down, and the stick is falling off and kind of off to the side.
Caley made a paper bag puppet. Ms. Meticulous was only half finished when it was time to clean up for bedtime.
Hannah's was a girly-girly puppet, with colored beads and yarn and a huge green bow at the top of her head.(The puppet, I mean, not Hannah herself.) AJ likes art, I like crafting, and Hannah is in the middle.
AJ made a pig puppet. Like I said, he enjoys art, like drawing. He made it complete with pink ears and pink beads for the nose.
My poor little mask go only eye holes and half a head of hair since I was so busy distributing supplies and helping everyone else.
(Just so the public knows this was actually "posted by Alex at 10:16", not posted by her Pops while she was sleeping)
Friday, August 5, 2011
My Dad
Just wanted to post a quick note here about my Dad. My Dad is pretty much the most amazing and coolest guy in the world. Not only good looking, but he's also charming, delightful and so loving. On top of all of that, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and Steve Martin are sad little men compared to the hilarity my Dad brings. What can I say, my Dad is really just AMAZING.
And I promise, when I am older to care for him and help him in any way I can.
I also promise to make him a cake, just because he deserves it.
Oh and I'll wash his socks after he's been out cutting the grass.
And I'll give him 20 bucks....just cuz I can.
In summary, I owe everything I am to my incredibly awesome and hilarious Dad!
And I promise, when I am older to care for him and help him in any way I can.
I also promise to make him a cake, just because he deserves it.
Oh and I'll wash his socks after he's been out cutting the grass.
And I'll give him 20 bucks....just cuz I can.
In summary, I owe everything I am to my incredibly awesome and hilarious Dad!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Our Adventure!
We really need to get out more.
With seven kids, you don't get out much, besides church on Sundays.
We learn this every time we do go out.
Take today for example.
We were surprised with a trip to the big mall a few towns over. We were going to see Cars 2. Cars is a family favorite movie. We've seen it so many times, all nine of us have practically memorized it. Especially Mater's lines. (And, Mater is often quoted, sometimes multiple times a day.)
"Ya hurt yur what?!"
"McQueen and Sally, parkin' in a tree, K-I-S-Sumtin'-Sumthin'-Sumthin'-T!"
"Well dag gun!"
Back to the point.
Once we entered the mall, my siblings were THRILLED with the escalators. We ended up going up and down on them probably about 4-6 times, each time being met with a cheer and/or happy dance by a handful of them.
Ain't we fancy, with PIZZA at the FOOD COURT for lunch!
A couple boxes of candy, four bags of popcorn, and four sodas to split during the movie was more than we dreamed of.
While sitting at the (food court!!!) table during lunch, a certain seven year old brother pointed to a store across the way and exclaimed, "Hey look! It's Disney World!"
"Um, that's not Disney World. That's a store were they sell Disney toys and stuff," I clarified.
"Oh."
Upon entering the mall and going up the stairs the movie theater lobby, all my siblings were happily looking over the ledge at all the shoppers. My dad has went to get the tickets. Mom waited...and waited...and they all just kept looking over.
"Do you guys know what this place is?"
"No,"
"It's a movie theater!"
Yes, they would have stood their people watching all day and not knowing that we were going to see a movie in a few hours had we not told them.
We hadn't been to a movie theater together for about 4 years.
So, we had a super fun time today, in the Real World. We window shopped around the mall, had lunch in the food court(!) and watched the sequel to our all time favorite movie.
What a day!
With seven kids, you don't get out much, besides church on Sundays.
We learn this every time we do go out.
Take today for example.
We were surprised with a trip to the big mall a few towns over. We were going to see Cars 2. Cars is a family favorite movie. We've seen it so many times, all nine of us have practically memorized it. Especially Mater's lines. (And, Mater is often quoted, sometimes multiple times a day.)
"Ya hurt yur what?!"
"McQueen and Sally, parkin' in a tree, K-I-S-Sumtin'-Sumthin'-Sumthin'-T!"
"Well dag gun!"
Back to the point.
Once we entered the mall, my siblings were THRILLED with the escalators. We ended up going up and down on them probably about 4-6 times, each time being met with a cheer and/or happy dance by a handful of them.
Ain't we fancy, with PIZZA at the FOOD COURT for lunch!
A couple boxes of candy, four bags of popcorn, and four sodas to split during the movie was more than we dreamed of.
While sitting at the (food court!!!) table during lunch, a certain seven year old brother pointed to a store across the way and exclaimed, "Hey look! It's Disney World!"
"Um, that's not Disney World. That's a store were they sell Disney toys and stuff," I clarified.
"Oh."
Upon entering the mall and going up the stairs the movie theater lobby, all my siblings were happily looking over the ledge at all the shoppers. My dad has went to get the tickets. Mom waited...and waited...and they all just kept looking over.
"Do you guys know what this place is?"
"No,"
"It's a movie theater!"
Yes, they would have stood their people watching all day and not knowing that we were going to see a movie in a few hours had we not told them.
We hadn't been to a movie theater together for about 4 years.
So, we had a super fun time today, in the Real World. We window shopped around the mall, had lunch in the food court(!) and watched the sequel to our all time favorite movie.
What a day!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
We Can Do It!
Colossians 3:23-Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the LORD, not men.
That includes taking some other random persons dirty sock out of the back of a cabinet, along with a lot of other random stuff, and cracking your head on the top of the cabinet on the way out.(Alright, maybe not the head banging part)
Oh, yeah. The Clean Team scrubbed the new house today. My mother, sister, brother and I spent the afternoon cleaning out our new house(moving next week:D). Floors, bathrooms, cabinets(inside and out!) doors, you name it we cleaned it. I asked for the blue shirt and polka dotted kerchief, but instead got yellow rubber gloves and a broom. Sigh. The unjustness of life. I commend my mother who scrubbed the bathrooms till they shined. Those 3 bathrooms were NASTY. Anyway, that verse I put up there, because it came to my mind as I was scrubbing the shelves in the linen closet. I thought of that during the afternoon, reminding myself to that not only am I washing these shelves for the rest of my family, I'm doing it for God. That made me scrub a bit harder:-). I'm sure you are wondering what I meant by the sock comment above. Let me tell ya. I was cleaning a cabinet. A very deep cabinet. I saw something in the back. Mom came over and used the broom to push it closer. It WAS a sock! EW! And a huge package of straws that was spilling. And an unopened magnifying glass. I ran for the rubber gloves when I found out that I was responsible for taking them out, since I was cleaning that cabinet. Gag me. I did it, but as I was pulling my head out of the cabinet, I banged my head on the top. OUCH!! By the time we finished, we had a fairly clean house, and four hot, tired, people. But it's done. Ready for all our stuff. Whew.
That includes taking some other random persons dirty sock out of the back of a cabinet, along with a lot of other random stuff, and cracking your head on the top of the cabinet on the way out.(Alright, maybe not the head banging part)
Oh, yeah. The Clean Team scrubbed the new house today. My mother, sister, brother and I spent the afternoon cleaning out our new house(moving next week:D). Floors, bathrooms, cabinets(inside and out!) doors, you name it we cleaned it. I asked for the blue shirt and polka dotted kerchief, but instead got yellow rubber gloves and a broom. Sigh. The unjustness of life. I commend my mother who scrubbed the bathrooms till they shined. Those 3 bathrooms were NASTY. Anyway, that verse I put up there, because it came to my mind as I was scrubbing the shelves in the linen closet. I thought of that during the afternoon, reminding myself to that not only am I washing these shelves for the rest of my family, I'm doing it for God. That made me scrub a bit harder:-). I'm sure you are wondering what I meant by the sock comment above. Let me tell ya. I was cleaning a cabinet. A very deep cabinet. I saw something in the back. Mom came over and used the broom to push it closer. It WAS a sock! EW! And a huge package of straws that was spilling. And an unopened magnifying glass. I ran for the rubber gloves when I found out that I was responsible for taking them out, since I was cleaning that cabinet. Gag me. I did it, but as I was pulling my head out of the cabinet, I banged my head on the top. OUCH!! By the time we finished, we had a fairly clean house, and four hot, tired, people. But it's done. Ready for all our stuff. Whew.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Q's and A's
We've been asked many questions over the years. Many questions. So I decided that today, I will post the answers to these questions and others that haven't been asked but I'm sure some people wonder about.
Q. Are they all yours?!(This question is usually posed to my mother)
A. *Sigh* Yes, they are all ours. We aren't babysitting. Nope, not foster parents. We adopted them.
Q. What is it like to have so many brothers and sisters?
A. It's usually fun. You can almost always find someone to play with you. Board games always have enough players. Sometimes, though, it's frustrating when, say, you want to be alone, or want it quiet, and every single room you go into has a person in it.
Q.What on earth do you drive?
A. We drive a 12 passenger van. Side note, if you ever see such a large van, please be courteous and don't park super close. There is only ONE door to get in and out. Many a time do we have to go single file to the opposite end of the car, and then squeeze in one by one, trying to be sure that everyone is in the right order so we don't have to climb over each other.
Q. What happens when you go out to eat? Isn't it expensive?
A. 'Going out to eat' for us is Cici's Pizza, where we can all eat for about $50.....or we stop and get burgers from the dollar menu at McDonalds. We all look forward to Christmas Eve, when we go out and have Chinese food...one of the few times during the year we go to a real restaurant.
Q. OK, how do you COOK for that many?
A. You get used to it. Doubling the recipe becomes almost natural. Checking the ingredients on the back of prepared foods to figure out who can and can't have it because of allergies becomes almost natural. I fear the day when I get married and move out...I only know how to cook in large quantities. Just kidding. Sort of.
Q. Do the kids fight?
A. Ha! Ha! Hear me laughing. Yes, we fight. They range from petty squabbles to my youngest brother sneaking into a room and tackling his big brother from behind, which tends to make them look like the shorter, black versions of Kip and Napoleon Dynamite.
Q.Is it always noisy at home?
A. Usually. Once again, you sorta get used to it. It isn't as loud as you might think though.
Q. How does your mom teach so many different grades?
A. Most of our homeschool work is independent. We read a lesson in our textbooks or on the computer and then do the work. When it is something that needs to be taught, we take turns: I might work on my math problems while mom teaches the ABC's to my sister, then when they are finished mom and I discuss Arctic vs. Antarctic.
So that is a peek into Big Family Life. It usually all works pretty well. And it's usually a lot of fun.
Q. Are they all yours?!(This question is usually posed to my mother)
A. *Sigh* Yes, they are all ours. We aren't babysitting. Nope, not foster parents. We adopted them.
Q. What is it like to have so many brothers and sisters?
A. It's usually fun. You can almost always find someone to play with you. Board games always have enough players. Sometimes, though, it's frustrating when, say, you want to be alone, or want it quiet, and every single room you go into has a person in it.
Q.What on earth do you drive?
A. We drive a 12 passenger van. Side note, if you ever see such a large van, please be courteous and don't park super close. There is only ONE door to get in and out. Many a time do we have to go single file to the opposite end of the car, and then squeeze in one by one, trying to be sure that everyone is in the right order so we don't have to climb over each other.
Q. What happens when you go out to eat? Isn't it expensive?
A. 'Going out to eat' for us is Cici's Pizza, where we can all eat for about $50.....or we stop and get burgers from the dollar menu at McDonalds. We all look forward to Christmas Eve, when we go out and have Chinese food...one of the few times during the year we go to a real restaurant.
Q. OK, how do you COOK for that many?
A. You get used to it. Doubling the recipe becomes almost natural. Checking the ingredients on the back of prepared foods to figure out who can and can't have it because of allergies becomes almost natural. I fear the day when I get married and move out...I only know how to cook in large quantities. Just kidding. Sort of.
Q. Do the kids fight?
A. Ha! Ha! Hear me laughing. Yes, we fight. They range from petty squabbles to my youngest brother sneaking into a room and tackling his big brother from behind, which tends to make them look like the shorter, black versions of Kip and Napoleon Dynamite.
Q.Is it always noisy at home?
A. Usually. Once again, you sorta get used to it. It isn't as loud as you might think though.
Q. How does your mom teach so many different grades?
A. Most of our homeschool work is independent. We read a lesson in our textbooks or on the computer and then do the work. When it is something that needs to be taught, we take turns: I might work on my math problems while mom teaches the ABC's to my sister, then when they are finished mom and I discuss Arctic vs. Antarctic.
So that is a peek into Big Family Life. It usually all works pretty well. And it's usually a lot of fun.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Ten Reasons You Know You Have a Big Family
You know you have a big family when...
-Mom comes home from grocery shopping, thrilled that she "didn't go overboard", spending only $90 on $120 worth of groceries-for the week.
-You don't need any friends to make a full baseball team
-You go out to the second refrigerator in the garage to find eight cartons of milk, with regular milk, chocolate soy milk, and lactose free milk, on almost any given day-except those days when (horror of horrors) there is only two and you have to get to Kroger immediately!
-You realize that it's cheaper for mom to become a swimming instructor than it is for all the kids to take swim lessons
-You make every secretary hate there job when the whole family's crowded around the desk and we say, "Alright, we need seven appointments..."
-Your family gets compared to the Biblical character of Jacob's in church
-Every child has a sixth sense to notice any other extremely large passenger van on the road
-Entering a supermarket, everyone stares at you, not because your family is making a scene or acting any different then the rest of the shoppers, but because of the number of people who are walking down the aisles together
-You open the closet to find at least 32 shoes in front of you, if not more
-You've mastered cooking in large quantities without the use of nuts, certain amounts of milk, and food coloring, because of food intolerances and allergies
-Mom comes home from grocery shopping, thrilled that she "didn't go overboard", spending only $90 on $120 worth of groceries-for the week.
-You don't need any friends to make a full baseball team
-You go out to the second refrigerator in the garage to find eight cartons of milk, with regular milk, chocolate soy milk, and lactose free milk, on almost any given day-except those days when (horror of horrors) there is only two and you have to get to Kroger immediately!
-You realize that it's cheaper for mom to become a swimming instructor than it is for all the kids to take swim lessons
-You make every secretary hate there job when the whole family's crowded around the desk and we say, "Alright, we need seven appointments..."
-Your family gets compared to the Biblical character of Jacob's in church
-Every child has a sixth sense to notice any other extremely large passenger van on the road
-Entering a supermarket, everyone stares at you, not because your family is making a scene or acting any different then the rest of the shoppers, but because of the number of people who are walking down the aisles together
-You open the closet to find at least 32 shoes in front of you, if not more
-You've mastered cooking in large quantities without the use of nuts, certain amounts of milk, and food coloring, because of food intolerances and allergies
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Our Guest Blogger!
Hello, fellow readers! Today I would like to introduce you to our newest blogger. He is considering starting his own. In the past, he has been known as "My little brother" "My ten year old brother" and "Elmer Fudd". This is his first time blogging.......introducing AJ!
For one I'm not going to introduce my blog with "hello fellow reader". I'm AJ otherwise known as Elmer Fudd. Red Sox lost yesterday and are losing again, GRRRRRR!!!!!. Oh, sorry back to the point, like Alex said I'm 10 and entering 6 grade (and 7 grade math). I'm not a long blogger so if you read my blog there is probably going to be short blogs, but there will be one every day or two. That's all BYE!!
For one I'm not going to introduce my blog with "hello fellow reader". I'm AJ otherwise known as Elmer Fudd. Red Sox lost yesterday and are losing again, GRRRRRR!!!!!. Oh, sorry back to the point, like Alex said I'm 10 and entering 6 grade (and 7 grade math). I'm not a long blogger so if you read my blog there is probably going to be short blogs, but there will be one every day or two. That's all BYE!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
If You Give a Girl Some Thread.
If You Give an Alex some Thread
If you give an Alex a spool of thread(to start her latest sewing project, of course), she'll want a needle to go with it. So she'll search the hutch in the dining room for that elusive needle. While she's looking, she'll find a pencil with the eraser snapped off. That will remind her that she needs to find a pink eraser for school. So she will go look in the desk for one. While she's there, she'll see a disk of pictures. So she will put the disk in the laptop and look through the pictures. When she's finished, she'll see the solitaire icon on the screen, and want to play a game. That game turns into two, then three, since she can't seem to win. After losing that third and final game, she'll realize she smells cookies coming from the kitchen. So she'll go and get a snack of warm cookies and milk. As she takes her snack to the dining room, she'll see the spool of thread on the hutch.
And chances are, if you give an Alex a spool of thread...
She'll want a needle to go with it.
*Please note that this is a work of fiction, although some events in this story may have been based upon historical events...ooh look, shiny things!*
If you give an Alex a spool of thread(to start her latest sewing project, of course), she'll want a needle to go with it. So she'll search the hutch in the dining room for that elusive needle. While she's looking, she'll find a pencil with the eraser snapped off. That will remind her that she needs to find a pink eraser for school. So she will go look in the desk for one. While she's there, she'll see a disk of pictures. So she will put the disk in the laptop and look through the pictures. When she's finished, she'll see the solitaire icon on the screen, and want to play a game. That game turns into two, then three, since she can't seem to win. After losing that third and final game, she'll realize she smells cookies coming from the kitchen. So she'll go and get a snack of warm cookies and milk. As she takes her snack to the dining room, she'll see the spool of thread on the hutch.
And chances are, if you give an Alex a spool of thread...
She'll want a needle to go with it.
*Please note that this is a work of fiction, although some events in this story may have been based upon historical events...ooh look, shiny things!*
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Bunnies and Storms
We have a new family living on our property. Two rabbits have made themselves at home in our backyard. My youngest brother has christened them Flopsy and Peter(I wondered what happened to Mopsy and Cottontail).They've been hanging around our yard for two days now. This morning dad tossed out some carrots for them. I asked my 4 year old brother which rabbit I took a picture of, and he promptly answered, "Peter,"
That would be him right there^
Yesterday when we were watching them from the window, our 10 year old Elmer Fudd was ready to go hunting in the backyard. Fortunately for the bunnies, the most powerful thing he has is a Nerf gun. Instead of going hunting, he had to go finish some schoolwork. Poor Elmer.
Last night we had huge storms. Scratch that. We were supposed to have huge storms.*coughs* On the Doppler radar, there was dark red and pink all around us. Hail, wind, tornadoes, thunder and lighting....then you see my town. An hour glass has formed on the radar. The thinnest part is right over us! This caused an uproar from Mr. Fudd, who, not only likes Nerf guns, also likes big storms. It's actually quite amazing. The family joke(and I use the term "joke" lightly) is that storms can sense my weather-loving mother. They avoid her at all costs. She said she wanted an award for keeping the town safe. No matter where we live, storms always run away from us. Did you see the damage in Joplin? Fellow citizens of my city, you will never ever have to worry about that happening here.
That would be him right there^
Yesterday when we were watching them from the window, our 10 year old Elmer Fudd was ready to go hunting in the backyard. Fortunately for the bunnies, the most powerful thing he has is a Nerf gun. Instead of going hunting, he had to go finish some schoolwork. Poor Elmer.
Last night we had huge storms. Scratch that. We were supposed to have huge storms.*coughs* On the Doppler radar, there was dark red and pink all around us. Hail, wind, tornadoes, thunder and lighting....then you see my town. An hour glass has formed on the radar. The thinnest part is right over us! This caused an uproar from Mr. Fudd, who, not only likes Nerf guns, also likes big storms. It's actually quite amazing. The family joke(and I use the term "joke" lightly) is that storms can sense my weather-loving mother. They avoid her at all costs. She said she wanted an award for keeping the town safe. No matter where we live, storms always run away from us. Did you see the damage in Joplin? Fellow citizens of my city, you will never ever have to worry about that happening here.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Not Normal?!
Hey you
Yes, you
Come a little closer, I want to tell you something
Not that close! I'm claustrophobic! There you go
My family isn't normal.
You could have responded to that earth-shattering statement in one of two ways. You could have thought....
A) "Of course your family isn't normal! You have seven kids of different races(most who are a different race than your parents), drive a large maroon van wherever you go, and your poor mother still has her sanity! You call that normal?!"
or
B) "WHAT?! Not normal?! What are you talking about???"
If you were to tell my siblings that we aren't normal, they probably would have responded "B!"(In their brains anyway. They all have a tendency to to answer the "right" answer, even when that isn't what they think). Sure, we all know that we are a little different than most people, but you don't realize how irregular you are when you are living that way, if you know what I mean. Let me give you an example.
Setting: Christmas Eve, 2-3 years ago. The entire family is in the living room taking pictures.
Characters: My parents, sisters, brothers, and me.
"Let's have all the girls by stand by the Christmas tree!" says mom. My sisters and I happily oblige, wearing our brand new red and green nightgowns. We pose in front of the tree and smile. Mom and dad start to chuckle.
"What? What's so funny?" we ask.
"One of these things is not like the other...." mom sang. I looked around.
"I'm taller?" I suggest
"No..."
"I don't have clips in my hair!"
"Not quite..."
I thought for a moment. Then another. I couldn't figure it out.
"What?" I finally ask.
"Could it be the only white girl surrounded by black girls?"
OH! So that was it! I suppose I did look a bit funny.
You know, the funny part now is I didn't realize that I looked different from my sisters at first. None of us ever really pay attention to that kind of stuff. When I see my 10 year old brother, I don't see him as my only white sibling. He's just my brother. Same with all my other siblings. Like I said, we don't realize how unusual our family is. Any outsider could easily point out multiple "weird" things about our family. Yes, we could too, but we have to sit down and consciously think about it. I don't see a single thing wrong with our family setup. Different, yes. Bad or strange, no. I wouldn't trade my family or my life for anything else in the world. We ARE different, but I love it!
PS......I added a new scrolly thingy to the bottom of my blog! What do you think??
Yes, you
Come a little closer, I want to tell you something
Not that close! I'm claustrophobic! There you go
My family isn't normal.
You could have responded to that earth-shattering statement in one of two ways. You could have thought....
A) "Of course your family isn't normal! You have seven kids of different races(most who are a different race than your parents), drive a large maroon van wherever you go, and your poor mother still has her sanity! You call that normal?!"
or
B) "WHAT?! Not normal?! What are you talking about???"
If you were to tell my siblings that we aren't normal, they probably would have responded "B!"(In their brains anyway. They all have a tendency to to answer the "right" answer, even when that isn't what they think). Sure, we all know that we are a little different than most people, but you don't realize how irregular you are when you are living that way, if you know what I mean. Let me give you an example.
Setting: Christmas Eve, 2-3 years ago. The entire family is in the living room taking pictures.
Characters: My parents, sisters, brothers, and me.
"Let's have all the girls by stand by the Christmas tree!" says mom. My sisters and I happily oblige, wearing our brand new red and green nightgowns. We pose in front of the tree and smile. Mom and dad start to chuckle.
"What? What's so funny?" we ask.
"One of these things is not like the other...." mom sang. I looked around.
"I'm taller?" I suggest
"No..."
"I don't have clips in my hair!"
"Not quite..."
I thought for a moment. Then another. I couldn't figure it out.
"What?" I finally ask.
"Could it be the only white girl surrounded by black girls?"
OH! So that was it! I suppose I did look a bit funny.
You know, the funny part now is I didn't realize that I looked different from my sisters at first. None of us ever really pay attention to that kind of stuff. When I see my 10 year old brother, I don't see him as my only white sibling. He's just my brother. Same with all my other siblings. Like I said, we don't realize how unusual our family is. Any outsider could easily point out multiple "weird" things about our family. Yes, we could too, but we have to sit down and consciously think about it. I don't see a single thing wrong with our family setup. Different, yes. Bad or strange, no. I wouldn't trade my family or my life for anything else in the world. We ARE different, but I love it!
PS......I added a new scrolly thingy to the bottom of my blog! What do you think??
Friday, May 13, 2011
Graduation!!
*I apologize for not blogging in over a week, I've had a severe case of blogger's block(see below)......*
Happy Graduation Day! We started in early August, so today was our last day. I just came back from the "cafeteria" for our "last day lunch"......thankfully, we did not have a typical any-leftover-the lunch lady could find-lunch. We did not have mystery meat left over from September. We had peanut-butter and fluff sandwiches. Before that, we had our 'Graduation Ceremony'. We told the 'class' some of our favorite things we learned this year. We got awards(including Best Singer for my youngest brother, who daily treats us to his rendition of the Mighty Machines Theme Song). And we played Pomp and Circumstance through my mom's(ahem, teacher's) laptop, as we all walked to the front of the living room as my mother(TEACHER!) announced what grade we were graduating into.....8th, 6th, 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, and pre-school. Beautiful. My dad(The Principal!) gave my TEACHER(I did it right!!) a Giant Hershey's bar and a card signed by all of us('scuse me, her students). How appropriate. A Pronoun Bar(hey, it's a Her-she bar, isn't it????)for the teacher.
Blogger's Block-when the brain of a usually wonderful blogger has been temporarily impaired, and the blogger cannot think of anything worthwhile or interesting to write about. Attempting to blog while suffering from Blogger's Block can result in extremely boring blog posts, rambling posts, or staring at a blank screen for hours, which can result in eyestrain. See Writer's Block
Happy Graduation Day! We started in early August, so today was our last day. I just came back from the "cafeteria" for our "last day lunch"......thankfully, we did not have a typical any-leftover-the lunch lady could find-lunch. We did not have mystery meat left over from September. We had peanut-butter and fluff sandwiches. Before that, we had our 'Graduation Ceremony'. We told the 'class' some of our favorite things we learned this year. We got awards(including Best Singer for my youngest brother, who daily treats us to his rendition of the Mighty Machines Theme Song). And we played Pomp and Circumstance through my mom's(ahem, teacher's) laptop, as we all walked to the front of the living room as my mother(TEACHER!) announced what grade we were graduating into.....8th, 6th, 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, and pre-school. Beautiful. My dad(The Principal!) gave my TEACHER(I did it right!!) a Giant Hershey's bar and a card signed by all of us('scuse me, her students). How appropriate. A Pronoun Bar(hey, it's a Her-she bar, isn't it????)for the teacher.
Blogger's Block-when the brain of a usually wonderful blogger has been temporarily impaired, and the blogger cannot think of anything worthwhile or interesting to write about. Attempting to blog while suffering from Blogger's Block can result in extremely boring blog posts, rambling posts, or staring at a blank screen for hours, which can result in eyestrain. See Writer's Block
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Blessings in Disguise
Last night's devotions made me think. We started off reading from our Window on the World book about Samoa. We ended up with talking about how God gets glory from every situation. Don't ask. Most of our devotions end up totally off the first topic. Anyway, before this blog post gets completely off topic like devotions, I'll get on with my point. Whenever we go through tough situations, afterwards I like to try to find the "blessing in disguise". What good came out of the bad time. The part that God was glorified from. "Wow, If we had done (fill in the blank) then this would have happened." Little things. "It's a good thing that we stopped for gas yesterday, even though it made us late, because the prices went up again today". Examples from my life: When my dad got a new job and we had to move across the country, I was not happy. I did not want to leave my family and friends. But, I ended up making some of the best friends I'll ever have. I still missed my friends and family, but had me not moved to tiny old Midland, we never would have met some really great people. AND.....we most likely wouldn't have adopted any of my brothers and sisters. Had we not done that, I wouldn't have a blog called Big Sister of Many. I'd be Big Sister of One, and that wouldn't be nearly as interesting, so some of you wouldn't be reading this, and wouldn't be hearing this extremely long story, or learning about giving God glory. Whew! See, even you are being affected by me not wanting to move. When I was about 5, my grandmother passed away. I thought the world was over. I was devastated. But now, I have a wonderful step-grandmother, and have loved and been loved by two wonderful grandmothers. I challenge you to find an blessing in disguise in your life this week. You'll be (pleasantly) surprised when and where you find them when you looking for them!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter
Why, oh why do all the thunderstorms have to hit my town between 11pm and 4am???
I mean, don't get me wrong, I usually love a good storm, but honestly.
Yesterday, I was like Buddy the Elf: "I got a full 45 minutes!"
Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but still. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, that includes the storms. Saturday night, I was up at 11, 2, 3, and 4:30, and never fell back asleep after that. Despite the fact that we'd been up half the night, with thunder and lighting and power outages, we had a great Easter. Seeing as some of us don't like ham very much, we ended up having fajitas and enchiladas. And, the younger kids had to do the Easter egg hunt fairly quickly, since some of the eggs were filled with M&Ms and would melt under the Texas sun. My brother just came in saying how we just got about 4 drops of rain.(There were severe storms all around us). Of course! It's daytime! How could there possibly be any storms?! I don't mean to complain, it's almost funny. Almost. Now, if all the rain around here would move west to all the wildfires....
Anyway, aside from the storms, we had a fantastic day yesterday, the most important day in our faith. For some reason, the Resurrection has been more important me this Easter. As I get older, the significance of Easter has been more clear. I grew up knowing that "We celebrate Easter 'cause that's when Jesus died on the cross and rose again so we can go to heaven!", just as every church-going kid will tell you. Last year, I really realized that having nails put through your hands(among other things) would hurt horribly. And that Jesus did it for me. I'd always known that, but it just became more real last year. This year, the Resurrection was extremely important to me. That was better then jelly beans and bunnies to me.
How was your Easter? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment and let me know!
I mean, don't get me wrong, I usually love a good storm, but honestly.
Yesterday, I was like Buddy the Elf: "I got a full 45 minutes!"
Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but still. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, that includes the storms. Saturday night, I was up at 11, 2, 3, and 4:30, and never fell back asleep after that. Despite the fact that we'd been up half the night, with thunder and lighting and power outages, we had a great Easter. Seeing as some of us don't like ham very much, we ended up having fajitas and enchiladas. And, the younger kids had to do the Easter egg hunt fairly quickly, since some of the eggs were filled with M&Ms and would melt under the Texas sun. My brother just came in saying how we just got about 4 drops of rain.(There were severe storms all around us). Of course! It's daytime! How could there possibly be any storms?! I don't mean to complain, it's almost funny. Almost. Now, if all the rain around here would move west to all the wildfires....
Anyway, aside from the storms, we had a fantastic day yesterday, the most important day in our faith. For some reason, the Resurrection has been more important me this Easter. As I get older, the significance of Easter has been more clear. I grew up knowing that "We celebrate Easter 'cause that's when Jesus died on the cross and rose again so we can go to heaven!", just as every church-going kid will tell you. Last year, I really realized that having nails put through your hands(among other things) would hurt horribly. And that Jesus did it for me. I'd always known that, but it just became more real last year. This year, the Resurrection was extremely important to me. That was better then jelly beans and bunnies to me.
How was your Easter? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment and let me know!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
He's Alive!
Happy Good Friday Eve!!
Last night, we read the first part of the Easter story as a family, Starting with Judas agreeing to betray Jesus and we stopped at the end of the Lord's Supper. As my dad finished reading, I looked down to the next section's title:Gethsemane. I realized that just reading the word made my stomach flutter. Gethsemane, the exciting, edge-of-your-seat begining to the story where my GOD'S blood was spilled for ME. He had to hang, suspended by his arms with nails, for the times I'm unkind to my siblings. For the times I don't obey with a cheerful heart. For any time I've ever sinned...."He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" Issiah 53:5. I think the most haunting part of that verse is "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him". My punishment, your punishment, our punishment, was upon him, who was sinless and deserved absolutely NONE of the torturous punishment he deserved. I mean, seriously: would you take someone else's punishment of having a crown of thorns pressed down onto your head, be whipped multiple times with a piece of leather embedded with metal or bone, have your hands nailed to a cross, have to drag that cross to where a bunch of cruel soldiers told you to, have more nails through your feet, and be mocked? Of course not. I wouldn't. You wouldn't. No one would. But Jesus did. And then, on Sunday he rose from the grave. He conquered death. He truly rose from the grave, being seen by hundreds of people(500 people can't hallucinate the same thing at the same time). The angels at the tomb declared to Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Johanna "He is not here, for he has risen!" The disciples didn't steal his body, the guards would have killed them for sure. What other explanation is the but the one true one.....that He Has Risen!
Last night, we read the first part of the Easter story as a family, Starting with Judas agreeing to betray Jesus and we stopped at the end of the Lord's Supper. As my dad finished reading, I looked down to the next section's title:Gethsemane. I realized that just reading the word made my stomach flutter. Gethsemane, the exciting, edge-of-your-seat begining to the story where my GOD'S blood was spilled for ME. He had to hang, suspended by his arms with nails, for the times I'm unkind to my siblings. For the times I don't obey with a cheerful heart. For any time I've ever sinned...."He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" Issiah 53:5. I think the most haunting part of that verse is "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him". My punishment, your punishment, our punishment, was upon him, who was sinless and deserved absolutely NONE of the torturous punishment he deserved. I mean, seriously: would you take someone else's punishment of having a crown of thorns pressed down onto your head, be whipped multiple times with a piece of leather embedded with metal or bone, have your hands nailed to a cross, have to drag that cross to where a bunch of cruel soldiers told you to, have more nails through your feet, and be mocked? Of course not. I wouldn't. You wouldn't. No one would. But Jesus did. And then, on Sunday he rose from the grave. He conquered death. He truly rose from the grave, being seen by hundreds of people(500 people can't hallucinate the same thing at the same time). The angels at the tomb declared to Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Johanna "He is not here, for he has risen!" The disciples didn't steal his body, the guards would have killed them for sure. What other explanation is the but the one true one.....that He Has Risen!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Homeschooling
I love homeschooling. Homeschooling, the only place of learning where the kitchen is the cafeteria/science lab,meaning you occasionally have to eat your sandwitch next to someone's science experiment. Homeschooling, where baking cookies and playing with babies counts as Home Ec. Homeschooing, where Wii Fit is gym class on rainy days. It's my personal opinion that homeschool is about a milllion times better than public school. For one thing, you don't have to move at the pace of the rest of the class...I'm taking 9th grade Language Arts, but still working through 7th grade math. That's unheard of in public school. I have hours of free reading time. School usually only takes me about 2-3 hours, instead of 7 hours of public school, leaving me with much more time for reading and sewing and other things. I don't have to get up nearly as early. I don't have to take the bus(unless you count our van...the license plate says it's a private bus). See? What's not to love about homeschooling? :D
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A Crash, a Boom, and a Bang!
We certainly had an interesting evening yesterday.
At around 4, my dad and I were in the kitchen, and my mom in the living room. We heard tires screech, and my mom exclaimed "Car accident in the front yard!!". We ran to the window, to find a (very nice, may I add) black SUV, with the left corner smashed in, and get this, our neighbor's brick mailbox looking like it exploded all over his yard and ours. My parents went out, and my sister and I ran to the front window. Our hearts were racing. A young man came out of the car. He claimed to be going 10 miles an hour, and swerved because an animal ran out in front of him. Later, that story changed to 15 MPH, and he was reaching for his glasses. My mom called the police. Turns out the guy lived down the street, and was able to drive the car home. My dad, 3 of my siblings went out and helped the neighbors pick up all of the bricks(like I said, the went everywhere). We had pulled our trash bins out the the front yard, and piled the bricks(and metal and glass from the car) into the bins. Then we had the issue of getting them back around the house. The weighed a ton! We were so thankful for a few things....
No one was hurt
We hadn't parked our car out front
It was 4 o'clock-that is usually the time my mom and my aunt are buckling my cousins in the car to go home, but thankfully, they had stayed home yesterday.
Like I said, and interesting evening!
At around 4, my dad and I were in the kitchen, and my mom in the living room. We heard tires screech, and my mom exclaimed "Car accident in the front yard!!". We ran to the window, to find a (very nice, may I add) black SUV, with the left corner smashed in, and get this, our neighbor's brick mailbox looking like it exploded all over his yard and ours. My parents went out, and my sister and I ran to the front window. Our hearts were racing. A young man came out of the car. He claimed to be going 10 miles an hour, and swerved because an animal ran out in front of him. Later, that story changed to 15 MPH, and he was reaching for his glasses. My mom called the police. Turns out the guy lived down the street, and was able to drive the car home. My dad, 3 of my siblings went out and helped the neighbors pick up all of the bricks(like I said, the went everywhere). We had pulled our trash bins out the the front yard, and piled the bricks(and metal and glass from the car) into the bins. Then we had the issue of getting them back around the house. The weighed a ton! We were so thankful for a few things....
No one was hurt
We hadn't parked our car out front
It was 4 o'clock-that is usually the time my mom and my aunt are buckling my cousins in the car to go home, but thankfully, they had stayed home yesterday.
Like I said, and interesting evening!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tim Hawkins - A Homeschool Family
That's funny, I don't remember them coming to film our family........
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Crazy Days are Here Again......
Little brother spilled his milk, the baby's screaming, sister needs help with math, somehow brother's science textbook has been conveniently been misplaced, the phone's been ringing all morning and this and that and this and that and AUGH!!!!! Deep breaths.....deep breaths..... Sometimes, everything seems out of control and all you're praying for is a better afternoon-You've given up on a good morning. Relax! One thing I've noticed is, sometimes, life seems a lot worse than it actually is when I haven't read my Bible yet that day. Often, a little quiet time (and some lunch) makes the afternoon ten times better than the morning. Sometimes, I feel like curling up in a ball and crying my eyes out because nothing has gone right, but I have to realize(something I'm not always great at) that things aren't so terrible. God's got it under control. I have to realize that, even though I feel like I'm having the worst day ever, God understands I'm upset, but it all is for a greater purpose, he isn't a horrible God who allows people to have a bad day just because he enjoys seeing people upset and sad and angry. I don't always know why things are happening the way they do, but I do know that God isn't tormenting people, and that He wasn't just bored that day, and decided that, for some entertainment, He'll make everything seem to go wrong for me. Everyone has rough days. Maybe everything has gone wrong that day, but when you put it in perspective, life isn't so bad. I'm not trying to make you feel like a bad person for having a bad day, or trying to tell you "it's not that bad" when it really was that bad, but think about it: You have a house. You have food. You have a God who cares about you and your horrible day. Sometimes, we have crazy, horrible, stressful days but we are blessed beyond realization, and, in the wise words of Little Orphan Annie................ "The Sun'll come out Tomorrow!"
Sunday, March 27, 2011
After reading a post on another blog by a big sister of a big family, I decided to start my own, because the author was right: A lot of people just don't get how big families work. A lot of people think that the big sisters have too much work, or act like the second mommy. But really, everyone has to work to make the house run smoothly-not just the big sister. Yes, we have to help out a lot more than, say, a family with two kids, but it's not all work. One benefit-there is always something to do, or someone to have fun with. We have seven kids, and on the weekdays two of my cousins come over while their parents work. So we have my brothers, who are 10, 6, and 4, my sisters, 10, 7, and 6, and then my two cousins, 16 months and 5 months. And, no, none are twins. The reason we have some who are almost the same age is because we've adopted two different times. Things are always happening around here! But I love it. Even if I do have more responsibility than your average 13 year old sister, God has put me in this position for a reason. Sometimes it's hard, but "All things work for the good of those who love Him". I embrace my role as a big sister, knowing that this is my God-given resposibility, to be a good role model to my younger siblings, to love them and be patient with them, and to help my mom with things like cleaning and cooking, among other things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)