Lessons I've Learned This Summer

1. Thirty minutes is not long enough to make a sound decision on whether or not you should get an exchange student.

2. Nail polish will come out of carpet if you work really, really fast.

3. Encouraging your kids to submit projects to the local fair is only a good idea if you REALLY want to help finish all those projects.

4. Sometimes the people you least expect end up becoming the greatest friends.

5. You can't count on hot weather for swimming lessons, even in August.

6. Marriage can still be exciting after almost ten years.

7. Holding your breath around bees can keep you from getting stung. (Thanks Tab!)

8. A piece of plywood is not the best platform for a backyard campfire.

9. Yardsales are always hard work, even when you aren't pregnant.

10. Turtles move a lot faster in the backyard when you aren't watching them.

Ready, Set, Go!

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this already, but after a lengthy stay in the hospital (and turning 30) I was ready to get serious about working out. So with Ethan's encouragement I started running back in March after Sammie turned one month. Well, it was more like running/walking/running/walking. Mostly walking. :) In June I ran my first 5k -- it was worth every day of preparation!

This summer my sweet friend and neighbor Katie agreed to run with me in the mornings and it has been SO much better than training alone. We don't have a specific race we're training for but I found THIS one and had to look twice. Might be a blast with a group. What do you think?

Lockers

I can't believe it's already August! I have been horrible about posting the last few weeks, but am resolving to be better this month. :)

So my dad called us yesterday morning to ask if we might have any use for some lockers, like you use in school. I said "YES" because I love pretty much anything I can use for storage. His company was getting rid of some and let the employees take them. Ours kind of look like this:

. . . except the bottoms do not have feet; they are flush with the floor. Oh, and they are not this nice shade of blue, they are MAROON. There's a color I will never decorate with -- talk about the '80's. (Apologies here to anyone who loves maroon. It's just not my thing.) So they will be getting painted.

I posted a question on facebook to see what other people would use these lockers for in a playroom, and here are the results so far.

-- dress-up clothes

-- art supplies

-- awkward-shaped toys

-- books and puzzles

I like all of these ideas, but as usual I have thought of something completely over the top that we probably can't/won't do. I was thinking . . . what if we cut out the back of one of them and made it a secret doorway into a hidden room?! How fun would that be? I'd probably get stuck trying to show the kids, knowing my luck. :) Anyway . . . there are some serious possibilites!

Ryan News

So Ryan is fortunate enough to be off the waiting list for speech therapy now. He has been going for about three weeks and this week his therapist said the little ball at the back of his throat is tilted. (I don't remember what it's called -- any help, speech therapist friends?) She also said he has some sort of sinus issue. She is referring him to a doctor and says if it is fixed he should be able to speak more clearly. I wonder if he'll have to have surgery? I find it really interesting.

Summer Fun

I will probably start school again towards the beginning of August this year. Every homeschool family plans their year differently, but I am leaning towards taking less time off in the summer and having the days available during the school year. We definitely prefer to do our appointments in the morning, so if we keep some flex days available it really helps.

So . . . July. To keep July from feeling like a month of waiting for school to start up, the kids and I have been trying to plan something little each day that we can do here at home. The rules? It has to be inexpensive or free. (Free is always good, right?) Here are two projects we did recently.

Spongeballs

Like snowballs for the summer, these are great time-fillers for kids on a hot day. We spent very little money buying some simple sponges. Next we cut them, tied them in the middle, and pulled the ends out to make them fluffy. It was something both of the girls were easily able to help with, which is always nice.
Peanut Butter Playdough

Allie had been begging me to let them make this for a while. The kids love using cookie cutters with this stuff and then eating it. Here's the recipe:

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup powdered milk

Mix, play, and eat!

Overwhelmed and Undeserving

There are times when I feel God's love and am completely overwhelmed. This week there have been two significant moments. Two families with unselfish hearts have blessed us in ways that we never could have imagined. I am touched beyond words. I know Ethan doesn't mind if I share this, but we were incredibly disappointed. Besides the bathroom incident, our food disposal stopped working. There are some other details of things that made it seem we had no choice but to use a credit card to get by. I know it probably seems silly, but we have been fighting so hard to not use credit because we feel convicted about it. Ethan really wanted to ignore our committment to God to honor him with our finances. (Again, he said it was okay to share this because he knows other people have struggled with the same thing.) So we prayed about it instead and asked God to please make a way. Within two days, I think, these families came alongside and showed God's love to us.

We are so undeserving! Yet our merciful Father in heaven doesn't just provide us with our needs, but many wants as well. To the kind friends -- we will never forget your amazing kindness and love for us. You have blessed us beyond measure!

How is it possible to have such peace and joy in the midst of this world? Give it all --your worries, frustrations, fears -- to Christ. It is not worth it to hold tight to my plans and desires. I am nothing. He is everything!

Website For Book Lovers!

I am so excited to share a blog with all of you. Particularly those of you who love reading like me. And ESPECIALLY for anyone who loves reading and wants books that are clean. No language, gore, sex scenes . . . just a good story.

So enough build-up. Go visit Homespun Light and get some good ideas for summer reading!