Through the Seasons

Asher and I have a little game that we play.  He hands me something and I say “thank you”.  He smiles big and toddles off. 

These somethings are usually toys but sometimes lint or dirt that he’s picked up somewhere.

Today he was walking toward me presenting his treasure so I complied by opening my hand and holding it out.  He dropped something in it.  This “something” though was something I definitely did NOT want.  A bug.  Gulp.

But I stayed calm and happy.  I gave the obligatory, “Thank you!” 

Then walked off saying “I have a bug in my hand.  I have a bug in my hand.  I have a bug in my hand.”  until I could get to the front door to throw it out.

And this is only the beginning.  Gah!

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Last week Asher was sick.  He started with a fever and then had a bit of a cold.  Neither of us were sleeping at night and he was just fussy and wanting to be held a lot during the day.  I was TIRED. 

About 3 days into this Mama Ima came into work at about 11:30am and said, “My husband is coming today [for lunch] to see Asher.” 

I know all the blood drained from my face.  To say I wasn’t up for company was a huge understatement. 

As we were trying to have the conversation Asher started crying and fussing even though I was holding him.  I ended up telling Mama that Jonathan wasn’t coming home for lunch that day then Asher got so bad I couldn’t continue talking to her and tended to him instead. 

I honestly didn’t even know if he was still coming or not and thought I would just deal with it when it happened.  I finally asked and she said that she told him that I don’t like him coming when Jonathan isn’t here.

Sigh. 

That’s not what I said although it is partly true.  And she was fine about it so I let it be.

What I can’t get over is that I couldn’t find it in me to say, “Today isn’t a good day.  Neither of us are feeling well and we need to rest.”  It seemed selfish to say that.

So I’m curious…  What would you do in that situation?

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I’m halfway through my internet fast and how’s it going?  Well, today is actually February 19th.  That’s right:  last Thursday, about 3 days before my fast begins.  I’m pre-posting my blog.  Don’t ask me why really.  I know you’d stick around through a week of absence.    (You would, wouldn’t you??)

So how do I feel about it beginning in 3 days?  Partly good and partly fearful.  But a fast is never easy, right?  That would mean I’m fasting from something that has no way of becoming an idol for me anyway. 

I just wanted to let you in on why you’re seeing blog posts during my internet fast.  My one week internet fast.  *bites fingernails*

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I’ve found a great dinner option for when you’re on a budget! 

SOUP!

I’m late to realize this right?

A friend of mine recently talked me into trying to make soup.  Without a recipe.  Without a recipe.  And now it has become my catch-all.  Any veggies I have that are getting to the point that I have to cook them I throw in there.  Then I add other things like beans and/or rice that is already cooked.  For flavor I usually put in some kind of seasoning such as taco, enchilada, or Italian.  One day I even made a chicken soup!  Me!?  Soup!?

Oh you don’t realize why that’s so amazing do you?  Well I don’t generally like things all mixed together.  I’m an “eat one thing at a time” kind of girl.  But I actually even like the soup!  Okay I don’t love it.  But it’s easy, healthy, and good for the budget.

What makes it even more thrifty is that you can just keep adding water if you want more soup!  I can make a pot of soup that will last a long time.  I even freeze some for later.  It’s great I tell you!

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I found this cool site online with a ton of crock pot recipes.  I think it’s www.southernfood.about.com.  So I decided to do a meat dish (where before we were only having meat for our Sabbath meal).  Jonathan got a package of ground beef, I found a recipe I wanted to try, got up yesterday and got to work. 

Step One.  Brown the ground beef in a skillet.

Um.  What is that?? 

“What was it,” you ask?  Little bits of some sort of material that resembled rubber.  Gray, hard, flexible bits of – rubber.  Yuck.

So that was that and since I was doing this in the morning I totally lost my appetite and decided not to think of dinner again until it was actually time for dinner. 

What did we have instead?  My creativity skyrocketed and we had…

Pancakes.

Oh well.  At least we ate. 

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Heehee.  I love the title of this post.  A year ago (okay, a month ago) if I had seen anything with that title I would have jumped for joy and rushed to read it.  But just yesterday as I found yet another person’s opinion about the way to parent I thought, “People have been raising children for a looooong time.  If there was one right way to do it, we’d all be doing it by now!”  And maybe there’s a reason God didn’t put a book in the Bible giving step-by-step instructions on how to bring children up.  (Ah, gotta love living by principles instead of rules.) 

Some go the “gentle” route.  Some go the “tough love” route.  I suppose there’s probably a good balance in there somewhere.  I’ve also heard that we’re not supposed to go into parenting unprepared and should be reading on how to do it well.  There’s merit to that.  But.  Who do you listen to?

I know a mother of 3 very well-behaved and well-adjusted teenagers/young adults and she said if she had to do it all over again she’d stick with the Bible and focus on being filled with the Spirit. 

I love hearing what older people (sorry friend) have to say about these things.  I love hearing what worked and what they regret.  It helps to give us young women some well-sought-after wisdom.

Above all though wisdom comes from He who gives freely and without reproach.  And the more I look at different parenting styles (because I just can’t help myself) the more I realize my need to go straight to Him and take everything else with a grain of salt.

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I have recently read some about fasting.  Jesus said “when you fast” as if it was normal to do – as if we needed no convincing of the reasons to fast.  And now it almost seems so “out there”.  But no matter what I think of fasting, as a nursing mother, it is not a good idea for me right now. 

Then I read pastor Mark Driscoll’s blog and he talked about how we could fast from other things besides food.  Gulp.  Should I continue reading?  Well I did and he made suggestions of possible fasts.  One was from the internet.  Shudder!

But it’s a good idea.  An internet/email/computer fast.  That’s what I’m going to do.  A whole “work week”.  Ack!  Can I do it?!  *bites fingernails*  I’ve limited my internet usage before only to find myself getting addicted to a game on my phone.  I mean!  What is wrong with me!?  Do I have nothing to do?  Well that is definitely NOT the problem!  I don’t know what it is but for a whole day – I mean week – *blush* – I will not be on the internet or checking email. 

Can somebody please text me if I miss something important??

And when I come back onto the internet I vow to only be on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  And I might ratchet it down even more than that because that’s still over half the week. 

I want to get to where I see the internet and email as a luxury instead of a necessity.  I don’t really need it.  Right?  Right.

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I am *like totally* blog happy!  I love blogs!  I want a blog for every subject!  I used to have my spiritual study blog.  That didn’t go very far.  Then there’s my gratitude journal blog that I keep meaning to get back to.  I started my Nature Study blog that I have neglected this week only due to Asher being sick.  Of course there’s Asher’s blog.  And now I have a real itch to start a homeschooling blog on Asher’s first birthday.  I found a website created by a once-teacher, now-homeschooler (from NC so you know she knows what she’s talking about).  She promotes ”Tot School” which is just “intentional play” really with children from about 1-3 years old before they become pre-schoolers.  And of course she has a big following of bloggers and I really want to play!  Can I?  Can I?  Of course I could just put that on Asher’s Adventures and I might.  That’s what I’m debating.  The thing is all these mommies have cutsie names for their little ones I think for security and privacy purposes.  (Um.  Oops.  Is that what I should be doing?)  So I think well I can just put his “Tot School” stuff on his blog and use his real name (no way around that seeing how the title of the blog is “Asher’s Adventures”) but then I’ll be directing a lot more people to the blog than usual so is it more important to be more private in that regard?  So maybe a new blog using pseudonymns is a good idea.  But won’t they be able to just go from that blog to the other blogs connected to us and figure it out?  Gah.  So much to consider!  I guess I could also just create a totally anonymous blog not at all associated with our website.  You guys wouldn’t mind missing out on his “Tot School” then “preschool” then “homeschool” right?  Well of course you would! 

Have I mentioned that there are times when making a decision is difficult for me?  Maybe Jonathan will step in and help me.  But I’m afraid of his answer.  He already thinks I’m way too blog happy without knowing that I want yet another one.  Sigh.  What to do…what to do…

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Why wouldn’t they make grape jam with seedless grapes?  I mean I’m grateful to be able to find grape jam at all.  I really am.  But the seeds are just distracting.  Okay I’ll quit whining and go back to eating my PBJ sandwich now.

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Oh man.  Oh man.  Guess who blogs?  Homeschoolers!!  Lots and lots of homeschoolers!!  And I LOVE their blogs!!  Funny how these people are thought to be kind of – um – odd.  I’ve found them to be quite the contrary!!!

I am inspired with a capital “I”!  So many ideas!  So many opportunities for learning to be FUN!  I am so excited and I’m just taking these ideas and sticking them in my hat for later on.  Just think!  Learning from experience and hands-on and interesting “living” books!  Field trips!  Nature studies! 

One of the things I most look forward to is following my child’s interests.  If I have on the schedule one day to cover the “Civil War” and Asher asks how cucumbers grow.  Well, by golly, we’re going to plant a cucumber seed and start a project!  How great is that!?

I don’t know for sure if I would have chosen to homeschool if it hadn’t been forced upon me but I’m so thankful that it has been!  And I’ve looked hard at starting this homeschooling venture NOW and have learned that no matter what IT IS TOO EARLY so I’ll cool my jets and enjoy watching him learn the way toddlers are supposed to learn – by playing – and I pray his enthusiasm, his natural love of learning, his curiosity isn’t quenched in the future by some dry, boring textbook.

Yay for homeschooling!

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