Ponderings on Parenting

 Last week we had the joy of babysitting our grandsons, Emmet (age 9) and Taran (age 4).  They go home on Wednesday this week.  What a delight and adventure it has been to be a 24/7 parent again and to be honest, it's been exhausting too.  

Just the weight of "alertness" keeping them safe, keeping them at peace, keeping them learning, keeping them focused.  It's not a part-time job, it is a FULL-time job.  

Some of the highlights have been, HOMESCHOOLING....I had the privilege of seeing the excitement in Emmet's face when he conquered long division which at first, he said he didn't need to know, then tolerated my efforts, then started to get it and by day 4 was saying, "I can't wait to show mom I know how to do this!!"  He's really quite bright.  I never did master long division in 4th grade, It just didn't make sense to me. He picked it up in 4 days.

Little Taran used the abacus to learn + means "add to" and - means "take away" from.  BIG concepts for a four-year-old. Plus his phonics skills are fantastic. I love to listen to him read his Bob Books.

We kept busy ALL day doing "farm chores", sit down learning, play learning, art, costume building, book reading, free play, and CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP.  lol.  So many opportunities for things to be out of place.

Then there's the COOKING.  They are really good at trying one bite, but figuring out what they loved to eat was tricky and of course then trying to match that with what WE love to eat. HAHAH!  |I went to a relief society conference on Saturday and learned how to make healthy cheese crackers (sharp cheese, butter, salt, and flour-NO preservatives, no dyes) and healthy peanut butter cups!! Whoo HOO!!  Also at that conference we did Zumba for 30 min and Yoga for 30 min.  I was inspired.  ZUMBA is SO FUN.

MUSIC!  What fun songs and rhythms we learned on piano, drum, Music Ace Deluxe (a great computer game), singing and kazooooo!

We exercised a lot by playing outside, riding bikes, or running around in the great room upstairs...When I say WE were running, I mean, I sat on the couch and directed them as they chased each other in circles around an obstacle course I created and THEY jumped on the mini trampoline and dove over and under boxes from Amazon.  It's what Reg and I call "Horizontal Parenting"...you still appear to be involved, but you are not moving and they are getting all their energy out.  Try it, you'll like it.

Then there was the SPIRITUAL nurturing.  So many great conversations about Jesus.  "What if the bad guys throw a nuclear bomb at Jesus? Would he survive?", "Why do we have to pray? Can't we just know God is there and if He can read my mind, why do I need to pray?"  "What does faith LOOK like?"  "Why do you still love Farley even when he chases the sheep and you yell at him?"

I want to testify that the time and effort you spend with children (your own or otherwise) to help them become closer to Christ and develop their own super powers of physical, intellectual, and emotional skills, will be BLESSED.  You will be blessed with good ideas, energy, and rest.  Involve the Lord in all things from food to reading, fort building to math....HE is great at all of it and will inspire you. 

The world will be a better place because you made the effort to help another human being become inspired, enlightened, capable and feel loved.  

The least respected/honored and lowest paid jobs in our wicked society are that of PARENTING/NURTURING, teaching, and custodial.  

I believe THESE are, of course, the most important jobs to God. They help humans to be better people (when done intentionally). Unfortunately, because of society's disregard, some of the people doing these jobs see themselves in a "shabby" way and they slack.  Don't slack.  Honor your work.  You are helping the Savior do HIS WORK when you nurture, teach, and keep things clean, safe, and orderly.  

Staying home to care for your children is not something to do because you can't do anything else.  It is something to do because you can do everything with Jesus.

Karaoke and the magic of music

 

Sorry this is late. As we push to finish all the big projects before our mission work kicks in were blessed with many visitors and fun this week. Starting with Reg and I dressing up and going to the Renaissance Faire!

It was a really good one with permanent buildings and lots of great vendors 

We saw great shows and shared a smoked turkey leg and shouted Huzzah!!!

Reg finished Farley's insulated and cozy dog house. Ephraim went into it to convince Farley that was a place he really wanted to be, even in a storm.

How often do you sacrifice or go the extra mile to help others see where they will be safest or most taken care of? Well it worked. During a storm we looked out and Farley was cozy in his house!

One of my best friends in highschool who I have not seen in thirty years came to visit me while he was out here on a business trip.

We played piano and sang and laughed and cried. It was a wonderful wonderful visit! I'm so grateful he sacrificed his time to come!

Then Autumn's family plus her inlaws came for several days. It's been a big time party!! Too much fun food and lots of good work too. Then my friends came over for a karaoke night. As we chatted before we started I realized that every one of my friends was having a lot of stress and grief at home. Singing to and with their friends was a very good way to relieve that stress and self regulate. We had so much joy!

Then my kids joined in and my friends loved it.

Ephraim came home from being at the Ren Faire with his girlfriend and started charming the socks off my friends. The power of good music and singing, not just listening is so good for you. Not everyone sings great and no one cares!  All welcome, all levels, just sing and your heart will be lifted as well as those who listen.

An Irish Tale for Dark Times

 

This week we were able to lead our sheep in and out of the barn so nicely it was amazing.  Reg goes out three times a day to train them and I often go with him.  Yesterday I was able to lead them alone into the fenced garden area where they grazed down all the weeds.

Galinda came over to me as I sat in my chair in the field. She wanted to be petted and petted.  It was precious. The other sheep grazed nearby and it was so peaceful.  I was very grateful for my strange new life of farming and homesteading, preparing to help others by creating productive and peaceful places.

This week Reg and I were both sniffly and sickish but functional.  We took an hour drive in the country and bought six more chickens. We were still able to help a ward member clean her apartment and move to a better apartment.

We were able to host a Self Reliance Class (12 students!) for How to Grow or Start your own business.  We were able to make soup for a community dinner and help with a family history workshop and set up an ofrenda in our church lobby for people to put pictures of deceased ancestors that they have taken to the temple or plan to take to the temple so they can remember and bless their ancestors.

We also went to a fall festival with our kids, Ben, Courtnie and little Wells!

So now that Irish tale I was inspired by this week:

There was a ship sailing from Ireland to America and the captain looked behind his ship and was very upset to find a giant whale following the ship.  He looked around and saw a chair and threw it at the whale.  It swallowed the chair but didn't go away.  

So the captain looked around and found a goat and threw it at the whale.  The whale swallowed the goat but didn't go away.  Then the captain took up a small barrel and threw it at the whale.  The whale swallowed the barrel but didn't go away.  

Then the captain noticed the cabin boy.  He took the poor boy and threw him overboard and the whale swallowed the boy and went away.  The ship continued to sail to America and when it came into the dock the captain was amazed to find the great whale dead upon the shore with lots of people standing around it staring at it.

"Cut it open! Cut it open!" he cried.  So the people did and there they saw the cabin boy sitting in a chair and milking a goat into a barrel.  The captain was so shocked by the sight that he fell down and almost died.

And as the Irish storyteller always says at the end of her stories, "And that's my story and if there's a lie in it, so be it." 

BUT, what I loved was her observations afterwards.  That cabin boy had a dark time in his life and he looked around inside that whale and gathered his resources.  He made himself comfortable in the chair and nourished himself with the goat milk and he made it through his dark time.

So my friends, when you are in a deep dark time, look to your resources.  Make your self comfortable find a place to curl up and rest, sit in a field and stare at nature, clean your personal space, and make yourself comfortable.  THEN nourish yourself.  Nourish yourself physically with healthy food, healing tea or whatever.  Nourish yourself spiritually and emotionally by turning to Christ, breathing deep, meditating, etc.  

She added one more thought...that wretched, selfish captain who did whatever it took to save himself even hurting others.  She said that some would wish revenge and thinking it would have been just if he HAD died from the shock. But revenge is not healthy.  Your best revenge is to LIVE WELL in your trials like the cabin boy did and you will be blessed. 

Christ is always with you in your darkest hours.  He lived them all personally so He could know exactly how to bring you peace and nurturing in your adventures.  I know this from experience.

Love you ALL!  Have a great week.

Official call received

 Well! It is with great relief and joy that we received our official second mission call from Church Headquarters. Our mission starts in December and we are Facilities Maintenance Missionaries for the Missouri Historic Sites which include, Independence visitors center, Liberty Jail, Hauns Mill, Far West, and the Richmond Cemeteries for 18 months.

In other news, Ephraim moved in with us and is renting the basement apartment. It was really great to have him and his friends here for general conference weekend. Lots of treats and snacks.

General Conference video link

Reg found his father's WWII field microscope and binoculars while unpacking...He and Ephraim studied the difference between my gray hair and my brown hair.  Cool.

We've named all the sheep and they are starting to know their names, which is lovely really.  In order from most trusting to least....

Galinda, she's big and all white and shaggy
and is the most trusting. She comes to us and lets us pet her. She's always first in line for the grain.

Emma is slightly taller than Galinda and has a lovely thick brownish red hair coat.  She had big black circles around each eye and black legs that make it look like she's wearing tights.  She's very fancy looks like a rich lady out on the town.

Rosey Belle has a red and black hair collar around her neck and an all black face. She's small and cute as a button

Madame Secretary is smooth and sleek...no thick hair at all.  She has a black head and neck and white body and looks sleek and professional.  She stands beside the boss and looks like she should have a string of pearls around her neck as she takes notes and orders from little big boss.

Little Big Boss is the smallest. with black face and white nose and scrapy hair all patchy on her body.  She's the one who kept everyone from following us into the barn last week.  But after a week with us in the barn she has started to come for grain too!

New Dog New Sheep!!

 

Our five pregnant Ewes have arrived!! We are so excited. They spent their first night cozy and safe in the barn...and the last two nights in the pasture because nothing the person who sold them to us said to do is working to lead them back in. Wahhh. So much learning!! 

And the farm dog we just got is so obedient and wonderful but he's never herded sheep. 

He runs straight at them instead of trotting, circling behind etc etc so we're going to get to train him for that. .more adventures. But we LOVE Farley.

He is calm doesn't even need a collar and he loves Reg. He will follow him everywhere and just lay on the garage floor and watch him tinker or work.

The level of stress here has plummeted with our sweet Nala gone. She's happier and so are we!

In other news,  I decorated one of my stumps with wind chimes! I love looking at it. 

I was sick for a couple days this week, fever and body aches and lingering head aches. So that was a forced but needed rest.

Then yesterday we went to an all day seminar on raising resilient and mite resistant bees without using chemicals! It was fascinating and just part of our research for next spring when we get bees to help pollinate our fruit trees and garden.