Update on the Life Cycle of a plate

Well, we've been at it almost a week now and I can see some slow changes. The dishes are a huge part of our messy kitchen and the girls have been helping so it is working! Yeah! The clothes, dirty and clean, on the other hand are still...well...er....ah....I am still working on last weeks' clean clothes. That one is going to take more time.

Here are our three and my brother's two a few months ago.

A new thing

We are trying a new thing at home these days. I have been going crazy with the "systems" at our house. I am a MAJOR random abstract girl. I have never been good at finding a place for everything. My mom went crazy trying to get me to clean my room growing up. So it really should be no surprise that I have born and raised(not fully yet) at least one random abstract little person. My husband has endured my randomness for almost 10 years! So when he told me what he thought was the solution the other day I was a bit offended. Did I need a solution? Well, it appears so.

SO, he says that we don't "finish the loop". He says there is a life cycle for everything...we are still making a list. So it was pretty funny the other day when he walked the kids around the house talking to them about the life cycle of the plates, the toys, the clothes etc. The idea is that everything has a place and it needs to go back there. We introduced a payment system as well, thanks to some friends. We are paying per job and talking about where things live a lot. Sample question: "Caleb does the book live on the floor?" The girls are on board right now but we, and I mean ME need to stop being so random and actually follow a plan and maybe, just maybe we'll have some order around here.

Jane Austen and a Women's retreat

I have been enjoying watching movies of Jane Austen's books lately on channel 2. I have tried in vain to read her books but when there is a movie it is too much temptation for me. I think Northanger Abbey is a new favorite of mine.

This weekend I had the chance to attend a women's retreat with the ladies at our church. It was a sweet time of laughing, praying, crying and sad to say, eating. I could have braved the cold with the other's for a morning walk but I declined.

We listened to a cd recording of Helen Roseveare from a Desiring God conference last fall. It was about finishing well and digging ditches for the Lord. If you are intrigued then check it out at desiringgod.org. We also had the priviledge of hearing from one of our own who has had a journey toward trusting God that many don't have. I am blessed to be in such good company of ladies who value a deep abiding love of God and who can laugh at themselves. One of the ladies lead us in a session of yoga and we laughed so hard as we "push our bums up" and try not to fall over doing some balancing exercises.

Another sick day

Caleb has been sick again...so we spent yet another day on the couch like two lumps. I had been up (with my hubby) several times in the night so all day I felt like I needed a nap but couldn't quite relax for fear of another episode of puking. He is on the mend finally but it is hard explaining to a 3 year old why he can't have cereal or more crackers when he has just emptied his stomach.

I have felt kind of dry spiritually lately. I am all to willing to pour over a good novel or watch a Jane Austen movie but to pick up the Word has been a challenge. I began a great book and then haven't read much more. The book is Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. She has a great introduction and first chapter. I wish I could report on chapter two, but alas, I haven't gotten that far. One of her many points in finding contentment is choosing what you want to focus on. She relates a time when she and her husband lived in Hong Kong and she told two stories about living there, one the positive and one the negative. It really spoke volumes to me about what I choose to focus on and just the simple fact that it is a CHOICE! I'll readily admit that my hormones make it difficult to choose but for the most part it is a conscious decision. Duh, Tasha! You'd think I would have gotten it by now, right? I hope to be able to report of further chapters in upcoming blogs.

Incedently, I have been watching PBS's Jane Austen movies and I LOVE THEM! I have to say that I can get pretty caught up in the costumes, the language and the "romance" of that time but they sure are fun!

Funny

Here are just two of the hundreds, yes I said hundreds, of pictures that Abby has taken with her new camera she got for Christmas. It is a digital kids camera with a very low Pixel rate but able to withstand little brothers. She took at least 200 her first day and then another 400 the next. We deleted lots and still couldn't say no to so many. You'll notice that the picture on the left is kind of artistic...do we have an Ansel Adams in the family. She really is a creative little soul!
Then for all you VeggieTales fans, the next one is of the TV as they watched The Toy That Saved Christmas. When I scroll through all the pics she has taken it is amazing to see life through the eyes of a 7 year old. She captured a great collection of those of us who gathered for Christmas dinner. It is almost like looking at a video camera that sat on the table. Anyway, thought I'd share.

Substitute Teaching

Lately I have had the priviledge of subbing at my daughters' school. I have now been in every classroom from 5th grade to Kindergarten. It has been a blast being back with kids again. I still teach art at a coop for homeschool kids but have now added one day a week as a substitute. I now know all the kids from K-5th! I love seeing them in the hallway and them recognizing me. My husband and I were joking about me going down the hall like a superstar, waving to the kids, pointing, high-fiving them etc.

For the most part every class has been a joy. There were a couple of times in the lower grades when I had heard "my teacher doesn't do it that way" for the LAST time. At one point in the kindergarten one student corrected me one too many times and I found myself in essence saying - when proven right - na-na-naboo-boo! My tone said it and I realized in the next moment that I had let a 6 year old get to me! After a quick count to 10 I seemed to get my act together.

It makes me miss being a full-time teacher, but then I come home and crash and quickly remember why I don't teach full-time...because I couldn't do it all! I can barely manage to get the laundry done and put away every week when I get to be home 4 days a week. I have a lot of respect for moms who work and still run a house. When it is all said and done I love where I am right now. I know that adding a new child will throw us into another vortex of chaos but life is meant to be LIVED right? In the end who cares if there are dust bunnies behind my bedroom door?? My girls won't always be excited to see me at their school so I am soaking it in now. Besides, next year I'll probably be chasing a two year old!

APTOS!

You may be wondering what in the world is Aptos? Well, according to the Peruvian authorities - we are Aptos! Ok, some English, we finally received word today that we are approved, or "fit" for adoption! This is really BIG news because we have been waiting for over a year for this decision! The next step is for them to assign us a child or children! Then we have 30 days to get to Peru. Happy Day!