Archive for the ‘Family Life’ Category

Covered in honey, how I do not know, he comes to me with his hands up, his hair stuck in impossible directions.

“I’m sticky, Mommy.”

“Tub, now!” I revert to my mono-syllabic mom-speak.

I carry Mr. Sticky to the tub, peel off the outer layer of goo which still remotely resembles a shirt and jeans, and run the water.

My smallest children have always been water magnets. They hear the water, they come running. This time is no different. With a baby on my lap and two children in the tub, I start the scrub routine, until…

“Mommy, I haffa go pottyyyyyy!”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah! Don’t go in here!” shrieks the child who all too often has been whisked prematurely out of a tub when her brother adds a little magic of his own to the mix.

I set the slippery, wet boy on the toilet against the opposite wall and return to my scrubbing.

Flying solo on the potty behind me, my in-training son shoots me in the back with…well, the only ammunition he has at the moment.

His look of shock matches mine. This child has wet on me a lot, but usually I see it coming. Being shot in the back is a new twist. The little fellow doesn’t know whether to laugh or…run! He watches my face carefully before determining his next move. Read the rest of this entry »

My five-year-old daughter has spent the past four hours digging outside…with an umbrella.

When questioned, she replied with simple optimism:

“I’m digging for water, Mommy, and I know I’m almost there!”

I am not sure if I should mention that we live in the desert, and that the water table is far, far, far below us.

I think I will just let her dig.

To those first time visitors and members of the Titus 2 Blog Party:

Welcome to the Notable Blogger! Come in and visit! Here you will read about the music, writing, and antics of my homeschooling family of eight. You will see how the Lord works in our lives, how we focus on His grace to carry us, and how we live, laugh, love and learn. Enjoy the notable moments of our walk in Grace!

Those God has given me on my journey:

My husband has set our world to song with his contemporary Christian music. He is a blessing, a real man, and a true Christian. He is all I say he is and more…even when I cannot see it!

My son has set our world to laughter with his boyish exuberance and ready grin. He is our little man, lifting our heavy loads, holding doors for his girls, and loving on his baby. Having a son after four girls has been fun to put it mildly…although potty training has been…different.

My first four daughters are young women in the making, lovely girls with a heart for their Lord and their family…and just about every four-legged creature and baby they see. I love cooking, reading, playing piano and otherwise enjoying life with them. They have started a Prayer Club on the Notable Blogger for the people around the globe who need to learn of God’s saving grace. Please feel free to join their prayer club by subscribing to the blog.

Our baby girl is round and sweet, and we can’t cherish her enough! She is a snuggler, and if that doesn’t melt away a mama’s imagined troubles, I don’t know what will! She too is blessed beyond measure to be loved as much as she is and to have as many mamas and daddies as she does! Our hearts ache for the babies of the world that are not loved as she is. If only there were enough arms….

My name is Christy, meaning follower of Christ. I try, I struggle, I fail, I get back up, sometimes only as far as my knees…always in His care and forever under His Grace, forever following my Shepherd. I love to be busy at home. It is my joy! It can try the soul at times, leaving me weary and feeling inadequate, but it is always my joy!

Thank you for visiting! Please leave a note to say you stopped by. I look forward to getting to know you!

What do homeschooled children do on their afternoons off?

Today my children conducted an experiment of sorts.

The question:

How many umbrellas does our little brother have to hold in order for him to blow away?

The answer:

Oops. Here comes Mommy!

His blue jeans are worn at the knees. His hair is moppy, tousled by the ceaseless activities of a three-year-old boy, resisting the smoothing strokes of maternal hands. His sober face is turned up to me. His deep brown eyes, his father’s gift to him, are wide with concern as he awaits the answer to his question. Bemused, I ask him to repeat.

His voice is urgent.

“Are the monsters that are hiding in the bathroom to get me sleeping?”

Unsure whether to laugh at the ridiculous question or to cry at the awareness that to this small child it is not ridiculous, I kneel beside him and study his large, waiting eyes. Read the rest of this entry »

Mommy: Do you like my new polka-dot pajamas?

Elijah: No.

As much as I admire honesty, perhaps I should teach the boy some tact before he gets married. While I’m at it, I might also consider giving him a bit of advice regarding his own wardrobe selections.

What do you think?

It has been gloomy here in our desert. The sky has been grey and cheerless, the mountains obscured by listless clouds seemingly reaching to the earth. Living almost constantly under the cheering influence of the sun, we desert-dwellers suffer a bit of enviro-shock when its warming rays are missing. With the darkening of the skies comes the darkening of the mood.  We grow tense, morose, and dilatory. It’s pathetic, I know, this micro-version of seasonal anxiety disorder, but, hey, nobody ever said you had to be tough to live in the desert with air-conditioning!

I liken the gloomy effects of an overcast day to the contagious results of a mother’s countenance.  Like most overused sayings, the expression “if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is grounded in the basic truths of a mother’s influence. Mother’s smile, kind word, or loving caress spreads peace over her brood, but equally as potent is Mother’s frown, sharp rebuke, or impatient gesture. Read the rest of this entry »