PAUSE

This past month has truly been a time of reflection and pausing!  So thrilled for moments of change.........and as many already know, the month of FROGS and TOADS!!

Independence....

Shelby has made an announcement...she has changed her name to Shelbylina.  She would like to be called lina.  She is also frustrated with her brother as he is not letting her use his Ipod.  She did not obey his rules, so he grounded her from it.  She also shared that she should be able to eat all the gluten free nuggets she wants and last statement......going to bed last night, she told me "I am so mad at you mom!"  Guess what?  I did my job as a parent!  She is going to turn into a beautiful young lady.....just we will take the next couple years one day at a time!!

Time

Talk about the desire to turn back time!!  Back in the day.............when you and your friends could all fit on the same swing!! 

The Top....

I will tell you, this guy so deserved to be king of the mountain that day!!

We all decided to climb to the top of dune.  A hand full of kids ran up and down the dune as I, attempted at a very slow pace to make it up just one time.  I was exhausted, I was huffing, I was puffing, I sat down, I agonized over the concept of trying to make it to the top, I made myself count to 100 to see how far I would get in that time and eventually when I did get to the top, I had to catch my breath.  That was it!  I was not going any further!!  In my mind, I had made it.

As I think back on that day; I remember sitting there in the sand thinking I would never breath right again.  Then as I looked around, I saw all the footsteps around me and wondered who else had climbed this mountain?  Who else did not make it to the top?  Who else ran up and down like the kids did that day?

For me, I was just thankful to make it as far as I did and thankful to have a son who made sure I could go as far as I wanted to go.

Now come back to today, Feb. 3, 2012.  Today we are celebrating the life of a friend who is now home with the Lord!  A friend who climbed his own mountain and a family that had to rely on so many others to love them during this time.  For me, I visualize the Lord waiting for us at heaven's gates...cheering, smiling, and just celebrating as we come into His fold.  So while it hurts here on earth, there is a warmth in knowing we will see each other again and will celebrate again at that time!!

First stop in Clio after we drop Amber off.......Goodwill!!  Since it is cold weather, we use the time to find a game or just spend time talking about all the odd items we see there.  Books is the first area we hit and it is interesting to see what books there are.  Yesterday we found a book that someone had put together on their genealogy.  It had a authenticity certificate, pictures, and souvenirs from different family members and yet, we found it at Goodwill.   For Shelby it was sad that another family member did not keep the book. It gave us something to talk about the rest of the afternoon.

Oops!

This was our gift to my mom the last time we visited her.  The boys were outside playing catch and then OOPS and the game continued!  This morning as I was sorting through curriculum, writing out lesson plans and realizing that last week was not the week I wanted, I was reminded that Lord gives us do-overs.  Sometime an OOPS happens, even though you did not mean for it to.  The word OOPS in the Webster dictionary means:  —used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or disma.  So this was a picture of a oops that happened in a game of catch, my oops happened last week as I allowed myself to get off course and now to get things fixed and back on track.  God is Good!!

99 Cents

What a blessing the store Goodwill is!  Shelby and I were sitting in the van, reading the "Golden Goblet" when I decided I could not read anymore.  It was cold, rainy and a cup of coffee sounded good.  So in the process of finding something hot to drink, we stopped in at Goodwill and spent 99 cents and bought this game "Guess Who".  Now with coffee in hand, a good game, we enjoyed waiting for Amber to finish up her class.  It was a good day!

Surprises.....

I love finding little treasures on my lap top and tonight I found a couple very special ones.  Being loved is a good thing :)

Feeling Left Out?

After 4 months off, I went back to work today, back to ministry and I will say it also included lots of  surprises that made the day so pleasurable.  Along with all the goodness of today, came sad conversations that were hard for me.  Conversations where others knew I was too busy to participate in the activity they were planning and therefore did not include me....and you know what?  I can not take it to heart.  My goal is to find a healthy balance between ministry and homeschooling and maybe for now, I am not doing 50 things at once.   I will acknowledge it does hurt....and in the same breathe, will acknowledge I do not want to miss the funny moments with my family either.  So the Lord is in control, the Lord loves me and the Lord will lead me to what I need to be doing.

2012 - New Routines and Schedules.....

Let me say, homeschooling, in my opinion, is not for everyone.  I have been grilled on why I homeschool, why I work, why I even think doing both of them together will work.  Let me answer by saying:  I have the support of my husband and together we have prayed and asked for guidance from our Heavenly Father.  We do not take it lightly, and we do not feel we have all the answers either.

On this journey of trying to make it all work, I ended up taking four months off of my job so that I could focus on the girls.  I became so absorbed into ministry that we were getting behind in school and YET relationships were being strained  (if not damaged).  My priority is my God, my husband and my family.  There was no hesitation in my heart when I asked for time off and now 4 months later, it was one of the best decisions I have made.

Tomorrow I start back to work, we start a new routine for school today and by starting our day in prayer, letting the Lord direct and responding to what works for us as a family, will make us successful!!

The difference this time:  I have friends praying for us, friends stepping in and helping out and a schedule that has start and ending times with chunks of days off.  God is good!!

It is moments like this, that are important!

...and for 2012 we will be a happier and healthier family!!  (and two girls have rekindled their relationship)

Blessing Others....

One of the neatest things for me as a mom is watching my kids "shine!"  What a blessing these girls are to other families and the relationships they are building are precious.  We were given the honor of babysitting for a good friend of ours.  I love being asked to babysit and yet, enjoy it so much more when the girls and I do it together.  When we arrived to the Hoskey household, the kids did not want me, they wanted my kids.  So Amber started doing Abby's hair and Owen wanted to show Shelby his IPAD and what games he had, so off they all went. As for me,  I hung out with Anthony and was able to remember what it was like talking to Michael when he was his age........

I knew the rules:

1.)  ask me questions when I am not engaged
2.) do not expect a deep conversation unless you want to grab a controller and play the game with me
3.) if any questions, please remember the first rule.

It gave me a chance to remember Michael at this age and how I could just watch him play.

I am so thankful for this wonderful family!!

2011 Ends..........

The Holliday girls and boys are so looking forward to what 2012 will bring and to invest ourselves in THOSE moments that matter and for the rest to slide off!

Measurement...........

I feel as parents, we are always looking for ways to measure ourselves on the job we did raising our children and more importantly for me, what does my relationship look like.  This hits me harder as I have 2 older children:  Michael, who is almost 22 and then Amber, who is 17. (thank you Lord, we still have an 12 yr old at home, as I am not ready for the next stage of life)   I feel our job as parents is never done, but with the death of my father, I realize how much that relationship can change.

So.........one night, mine was measured.  Mike and I went out to dinner, just the two of us, and as we were eating our appetizer, Mike mentioned we should see if Michael would want to join us.  Now mind you, it is Mike and I, just the two of us, and at our age and stage, the conversation is not the most stimulating for a almost 22 year old to participate in.  So, out of "wanting to be nice" we called Michael and invited him to dinner with us........and would you believe it, he joined us.  He came, he ate, he talked, he laughed and he said "thank you."  We then went our separate ways...........and I felt very accomplished as a parent, but more so, loved as a mom!!

Smaller scale...

This year, we went all out for girls time (our 2 and 1/2 weeks in Mio and then a wonderful weekend meeting friends in Chicago) when I started my 4 month leave of absence from work.  Our Chicago trip was a birthday celebration for Shelby's friend Jordan and Mike and I chose to treat it as a celebration for Shelby's bday.  Therefore, when Shelby's actual birthday came around, we did something on a very small scale.  She had 2 friends spend the night and McDonald's delivered to the party.   The girls loved it, Shelby loved it, and Amber even had craft time with the girls.  (pictures to come later).   So even though it was very small scale, the impact was the same,  Shelby felt celebrated.  We did do a family dinner on the actual day of her bday (pix to come) and that completed her transition into her 12th year.  (wiping away tears!) 

On a another note, Shelby never went to bed the night of her sleepover, she was so excited, so thrilled, so full of energy, she kept going and going and going, while her friends slept.  Needless to say, I was very tired the next day, but the girls picked up early in the morning where they left off the night before.  It was a fun time.

Time.......

Enjoy the time you have.............

Family and time are very precious!

..almost done

This picture represents the week we are in.......it is so much nicer to have a family/friend (or in the case above, a brother) that will come alongside you and help do whatever you need!  Today, I am relying on my kids to help me finish up the last few projects before Christmas.

Seeds are planted...

This picture reminds me that we are always planting seeds, esp. when you are working in Children's Ministry in a church.  My son, the handsome guy in red, has had to help in some fashion in CM (Children's Ministry) since he was in 6th grade.  He has done it all, helped with crafts, played dress up, shared nuggets of spiritual truths.  He has been puked on, peed on and has had to referee sharing of toys to helping cut out crafts.  Name it, he has done it and has done it with a heart for God and for children.  (hint:  this is a great attribute of a husband)  Now that he is in college, and his life is very busy, it is rare he is able to come and help...but when he does, the children remember him and they enjoy having him around.  It blesses my heart to see my own children blessing others!!  I love this young man and the heart he has.

Beginning of an Egyptian Queen

Not a good picture....but the beginning of her Egyptian outfit.  She made the jewelry and put the trim on.  We have both enjoyed this unit on Egypt and have learned many new tidbits.  Tomorrow we will work on the crown.

Long ago...

This picture is a reminder to me of how fast things can change!  The two boys in the back are preaching to an array of stuffed animals (which are not in the picture).  They would spend hours going through their Bibles, finding scripture and reading it aloud.  The cutey in the middle was firing marshmallows at them as they preached!  I would love to go back to those days, and this time I would sit down and listen to them as they shared God's word!!

Note Taking

Well, we took another plunge and started lecturing and having our youngest take notes.  At this stage, she is learning what is important and what is not.   She wants to copy everything down word for word.  The skill of condensing thoughts and information and then putting those same concepts in your own words is not coming easy to her.  But, we are pushing forward and spending time each school day on the skill!  Today was a good day..........