Sunday Letters

Dear O,

What a week the 2 of us have had. Extreme joyful highs and lows that involved hurt feelings and discipline. Perhaps the low point was when I looked outside yesterday to see you screaming at your sister and you so angry, you tried to tear her apart. She just stood there and looked at you, but one day .... one day, missy, she will have had enough. Then? Watch out! Goodness.

At the end of it all, I will say once more that I adore you! Thank you for choosing to come home with me after a great stay at your grandparents (although you used a questionable method of eeny-meeny-miney-mo to make your decision. Whew! That was close :)

You made the cutest Mulan any of us have ever seen. I laughed when you told me you wanted to be Mulan every.single.year. just so you could put on my lipstick ;) You are a hoot!

Dear E,

Praise God from whom all blessings flow - your last soccer game of the season was yesterday! Mommy may be a tad worn out - ha! However, you are an outstanding soccer player. You have the perfect balance of toughness and compassion. You'll fight to the death to keep the ball in your team's control, possibly kick a few opponents in the shins, but you always apologize profusely just in case your aggressiveness offended them. They look at you not knowing what to do with you. :) I think you rock!

In fact, I told an upper-grade school teacher that very thing this week. When he said, "I hope I get E in a few years", I answered, "you would be blessed! E rocks!".

I don't care. I'm your biggest fan.

Dear Eric,

"Ho-old on. Ho -o -ld on". Vacation is a comin'. Let's just get through this week and it's party time. I can't wait to be alone with you and our girls. Thank you for putting up with my craziness this week. I'm a roller coaster, am I not? But, God is good! I love you and HIM so much. Hang in there.

Dear Jesus,

I love you. I love Your Word. You hold me together. That is all.

Reformation Day .... the one where Mama took it too far

Listen, I have to say, if we had a 3 1/2 day school week every week, we would be such happier people!

Today is a half day for E because of Reformation Day celebrations. Speaking of Reformation Day ....

O went dressed as Ruth this morning.

Just to keep things real, I'll admit I went overboard this morning. Bible-Nazi (that would be me) wanted so much for O to understand EXACTLY who Ruth was (though it was her idea to be Ruth), I drilled and drilled and drilled the story (maybe a little too detailed for a 5 yr old) to her this morning and made her recite it back to me. "Will I need to know all of this?", she asked. "Well, yes. Someone might ask you". (Really, Deidre? She's in Kindergarten.) In 10 minutes, she was in tears and hating Reformation Day.

Way to go, Deidre.

I forget she isn't E. E and I have this tradition on this day. She loves to read about her character from the bible and then we act out the parts and have a silly time.

O is nothing like E.

Man, I hate when I screw up like that. I apologized a million times and asked for forgiveness, and although O was great when she left the house, she's not entirely over it.

Hmmmm ... maybe O is more like me?

Anyway, here's Ruth with her wheat ..... (that she gleaned in the field, where she met Boaz, her kinsmen Redeemer, who rescued her, who in reality signifiies our Savior and ..... nevermind. Too much for a Kindergartner?)

(Fake smile. She's bitter. Wait! She could have gone as Naomi! :)

E went dressed as Mary (think alabaster box).
Here's the scoop .... E wanted to go as 'pregnant Mary'. We (E, Eric and myself) thought it would be hysterical. You get a prize if you can stay in character all day, so Eric was teaching E how to walk and act like a pregnant lady. Because why would I teach her that when clearly her Dad would know more?

In the end, we didn't feel right about it. What changed our minds? It could have been when E was pretending to have baby Jesus.

Call it spiritual discernment. Call it prophetic thinking imagining a call from the headmaster. But, with that 'pregnant Mary' changed to Mary who washed Jesus' feet with her tears.

Here she is crying, asking where Jesus is. Yes, she probably should have had a pretty bottle or jar for her 'oil', but I couldn't find one. So, we went with a box. :) Check out that wig!

By the way, I'm terrible with costumes. We borrow them from church every year because I am not creative in that area. I hate it. E will come home and say something like, "So and so's Mom is sewing her a beautiful dress for Reformation Day". To which I answer, "Bless your heart. Too bad her Mama is not your Mama cause this Mama works with glue and safety pins."

(Another fake smile from O all because I said 'monkey poop'. Works every time)

So, just a few more hours before I pick my girls up from school and hear about their exciting morning. We will most definitely celebrate at lunch. I have some making-up to do with O. I feel sure she'll forgive me 100% over ice cream with sprinkles.

Pint-Sized Picasso

Imagine, if you will, O sitting at her easel. This is her special place and, I'm not even kidding, where you can find her most of the time.

She's sitting with chalk in hand.

She gets up and takes a good, long look at her sister, E.

She sits back down to draw a little.

She gets up again and takes a good, long look at E, nods her head and sits back down at her easel.
This goes on for awhile.

We're watching her, though she has no idea.

Then, she puts down the chalk and announces, "There. Finished."

She reveals her masterpiece.Clearly a portrait of E.

We can see the resemblance and cheer loudly.

She feels inspired and starts a new one. This time I am her subject.

She reveals her masterpiece.Clearly, she has captured my silky hair and big eyes. Oh, and my ears. Are there 3? No, that's a hairbow.

"You had no idea I was such a great artist did you, Mom?"

"Nope. No idea. But, you obviously are!"

Rest

My E loves to read Mandie books. Right now, they are her favorite. When I saw the first Mandie movie on sale at Lifeway, I couldn't wait to surprise her with it. (The 2nd movie is out now, so I'm thinking it would make a great birthday gift :) When we started watching it, we began to recognize all the scenery. It was filmed not even an hour from our house!

The house where Mandie goes to live in the movie is actually Moses Cone Manor in Blowing Rock.

We've been there many times, but E couldn't remember anything about it. So, that's the first place we went Sunday afternoon.

I think O was a little too excited when we first got there. In her mind, we were going to be in a movie and meet Mandie. ha!

We hiked, had a picnic ...

and literally sat there for hours and enjoyed the scenery.

Peace.

It was nice to finally experience some peace after a very full week!

People bring their horses from all over the area to ride the trails. It was neat to see all the horses and carriages.

I enjoyed playing around with my camera (I seriously need some editing software!).

Our goal for this trip was to not spend any money. We were able to get a hotel room using some of Eric's points he had saved (one perk to all the travel). We also ate a yummy dinner that night with a gift card from friends (thanks, Barbara and Keith!). It was fun trying to figure out ways to keep from spending money. In our minds, it was the only way we could justify taking an overnight trip when we have such a big trip planned in 2 weeks.

This trip was altogether different than the one we have coming up. Although fun, it will be fast-paced.

And, I could NOT do fast-paced this past weekend.

I needed rest .... physically, mentally and spiritually.

As with any trip, we always find out all the girls really care about it staying in a hotel.

A hotel is their 'happy place'.

Anywhere I can go without distractions and someone telling me I have to be somewhere is mine.

He Chases Us

I have some really fun pictures I want to share that I took on our quick overnight trip to the mountains. But, all that will have to wait.

I have had a very Jesus morning. (Yes, He's an adjective AND a noun - ha!)

The day isn't over yet, so I'm hanging onto this feeling for the rest of the day and am begging Him to let it spread to a week .... or, how about a month .... maybe longer.

Anybody besides me need a Jesus week or month?

I have in the worst way. I could've kicked myself this morning when I remembered I can have a Jesus day anyday I want if I wouldn't stay so distracted.

Okay, I have to save a lot of the details because it involves a lesson that I'm very close to teaching (I'll share details in a few weeks), but I wanted to document here how God's Word and joy through me can spread to my children.

Let me back up ....

On September 26th, I got up at 5:30 and read a devotion - like I normally do. This devotion was different. It referenced a passage of Scripture I had never read, nor heard about before. It was so interesting to me and the subject was intriguing.

Okay, I'll tell you this much .... the subject was about a white stone and the secret name God has for us.

Now, don't ask me to share anymore details :)

Later that day, I asked my friend, Rita if she had ever heard of that before. She said no - not until that very weekend before when someone mentioned it to her.

Okay, that's enough of an echo for me to know God wants me to dig a little deeper.

Two days later, I was on my way to Barnes & Noble to pick up my Travis Cottrell book (remember, the book they didn't have and I accused them of not liking him?). Well, on my way, I was listening to a podcast sermon and the preacher mentioned briefly the same subject.

Okay, that's odd. There it is again. (I'm going to say that a lot in the post).

In B & N, I couldn't find Travis' book (still don't get that), but I did see a book about my secret name. I stood there dumbfounded for the longest time and even looked over my shoulder to see if someone was there. God was, ofcourse, but I'm telling you, I was afraid not to buy the book. Clearly He was up to something. I even sent Rita (via text) a picture of the book and said something like, "Can you believe this?"

I read the book. Along with commentary after commentary and have many notes. I thought about teaching a lesson on it, but didn't feel peaceful about that, so I pushed it all aside and decided to see if God was finished.

Is He ever??

Oh, I should add that after E's field trip to a gem mine, she decided later to give me a stone that was special to her.

Do I even need to tell you it was a pure, white stone? Is God serious about us or what? I put the stone on my nightstand so I would keep the lesson in front of me everyday.

What I'm learning about it, and what I believe God is wanting me to get from it is a lesson I have needed personally for some time. Along those lines, He has reminded me of it too many times to count over the past month.

Just yesterday, I read Marla's post on Our Secret Names and nearly fell off the bed. She was reviewing the book I bought at Barnes & Noble. (This is the kind of stuff my friend, Pam would get a huge kick out of. Man, I wish I could tell her.)

Anyway, I left a very short comment on Marla's blog about all the different ways God had put this in my path. So ...... this morning, I had a reply from the author.

Ofcourse I did! Should I have expected anything less? God tickles me so much.

Okay, if you're still reading (are you?), here's the good part. I'll just say that when I left for school this morning, I was elated. I was so overjoyed at God and His pursuit of me that I was nearly in tears. I could've ran beside the van because I felt like I could fly :)

E asked me what in the world was going on. Why was I so happy?

So, she opened a can of worms!

I spent the next 20 minute ride to school telling the story to my girls and preaching to them about how serious God is about showing us He loves us and is in every.single.detail of our lives. I was giving every account .... and then this happened .... and then this happened ... and then that happened ....

Towards the end, O shouted "Enough! I just can't take it anymore! God is so good!"

That made E and I burst out laughing because we felt the same way! Enough! Can we even stand the goodness of God if we truly let it soak in? To understand how wonderful He is would surely be more than we could handle.

As we were walking into school, we were oblivious to anyone around us. I seriously thought the 3 of us would have revival in the middle of my preschool room! I got on my knees, looked my sweet girls in the eyes and said, "Don't you ever for one minute think God doesn't love you with an extravagant love. He pursues you!"

E says, "That means chase!"

Yessss!!! Chase! He chases us to make sure we know!

The girls were jumping up and down and just as quickly ..... O stopped jumping and started crying. "What on earth could be wrong with you?" I asked.

I will never as long as I live forget her words or the look on her face when she said, "I want to study about this with you, but I don't know how to read".

My baby was heartbroken over not being able to read God's Word!!!

Can you even stand it?

I told her we would most assuredly study it and she would know everything I knew about it when we are done.

All E and I knew to do at that moment was hug her .... and laugh.

Father, 'that you would think enough of me'? I say that to you all the time. What an extravagant love you pursue me with. I am so in love with you as well. Thank you for putting a lesson in my path for a month now so I could learn. But, most of all, thank you for giving me an extraordinary way to share about you with my girls. I want them to know you are present in their everyday tasks. I want them to know how to look for you everywhere. I want them to sell-out and love you without abandon. We love you so!

I'm almost finished with my lesson and cannot wait to share it in full with my class!

Sunday Letters

Dear E,

One of my weekly 'happies' is taking your class to recess. I have to make myself take a deep breath, not worry about all I could be doing and just enjoy the moment. Recess has given me a glimpse of how you interact with your friends at school. It thrills me to watch/listen to you laugh for 30 minutes with your closest buddies. You are a peacemaker. Your class knows this and relies on you to take that role. I found myself wishing I would have been a friend like that. I adore you!

You also made me smile when you hopped in the van after school and said, "I took up for myself today!" High-five for progress!

Dear O,

Today, I owe you $1.00. That's money well-spent for you reading 4 books to me. Way to go, Sissy! I think you saw your sister earning so much money for reading books that you wanted in on the action. You are doing so well!

You brought me to tears this week when you said you wanted to learn to read since you never thought you would be able to read the bible for yourself. You will! The sweet mood of the moment shifted when you told me by the time you were old enough to go to bible study with me, I would be dead. You seriously say what you think.

I love that you've walked around the house all week dressed as Mulan.
You announced to all of us you thought it was time you were able to get your own costume (you've always worn hand-me-downs from E). I caved and found a Mulan dress on sale super-cheap and surprised you with it. You're so happy in it.

You're personality is oftentimes what keeps me going all week. You simply make me laugh. Example? When you sneeze your head off and no one responds with 'bless you' quick enough, you yell, "Hello? Does anybody care?" ha!

Dear Eric,

Thank God you are home! I missed you terribly this week. Not only because life just works more smoothly with you here, but I miss my best friend. You make me laugh .... and think .... and cry. I'm glad I have you to bounce ideas off of, pour out all my frustration while you just sit and listen and know after all is said and done, you'll pray over me and make me laugh. A gift.

To all 3 of you,

Tomorrow is our day off! No school. No work. Let's head to the beautiful mountains! Woo - hoo!

The point is that we have a dwelling place and that's enough

I'm writing this not to dig up old wounds, but to finally put some to rest. God is doing a work in my heart and causing me to deal with some ugly truths. Ugly truths in ME. In the process, I am dealing with a lot of anger. More than I care to admit. This post will sound that way, and I even deleted it several times before finally hitting 'publish' and walking away. I'm going to leave it. If nothing else, this blog is for my family. This post is an ongoing issue with us ..... so, with that said, there will more than likely be more posts to follow.

When E was in Transitional Kindergarten, she memorized John 14:1-6.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

We would practice saying it together each night. She had originally learned verse 2 to say "many mansions" (KJV) instead of the version her class was memorizing (NIV), which said "many rooms". As a family, we don't get that bent out of shape about it. E has typically learned both versions when her class is learning something different. It used to be a priority of mine.

Now, not so much.

Back to TK .... we got a lot of criticism for the version she learned. Not criticism spoken directly to us mind you, but criticism spoken behind our backs (which is 100% worse and cowardice in my opinion) and to a lot of people. People that were my close friends and told me almost immediately.

I think of that often and file it in my memory, along with all the other things said about the way I parent or live my life.

The argument I heard was why would someone want their child to think there was only a room awaiting her when clearly God was preparing a mansion. Who wouldn't want a mansion?

Good point.

But, here's the truth.

When first translated from the original Greek, the word was translated 'mansions'. But, the word didn't have the same meaning as it does today. The meaning of the word 'mansions' then was ..... hold on to your seats ..... dwelling place. Which would make perfect sense, wouldn't it? It didn't mean a sprawling home with 40 bedrooms and 100 acres to play. That's our definition and absurd if you think about it. We get into trouble when we assume we can think like God. He wasn't considering a mansion in Beverly Hills when talking about heaven. Thank you, Lord.

When we get to heaven, are we really going to care about the size of our home? I think not. To think so, is to be carnally-minded, when certainly all we will really care about is having a dwelling place with the King of Kings .... our Savior. Give me a room! Give me a corner! On second thought, give me a tiny portion of existence to sit at my Savior's feet!

God is showing me I'm giving it all too much thought (the criticism, that is). I'm allowing it to have too much power over my thoughts.

And I'm done.

My children are reading the Bible. They are falling in love with it. Seeing and hearing that is amazing to witness. I prefer a certain version (KJV) for personal reasons, but here again, to judge someone else based on that argument is legalistic thinking. I wouldn't dare squelch my kids love for God's word by issuing a world-manifested idea that they must think a certain way or read a certain text. Surely by doing so, I would cause them so much frustration they would cast it aside. God forbid!

Hanging In There

Our week has been packed with things, and stuff, and junk, and busyness, and junk. I am tired! Eric will be home in about an hour and the thought of him being here with us makes me cry! Happy tears, of course! I do not like his travel schedule! I looked on our family calendar just now and I don't see any future work trips planned. I hope that isn't an oversight!

We're going in so many different directions and despite my attempt to keep us grounded, things aren't working in my favor right now. If all goes as planned (no laughing), I see a big light at the end of this depressing tunnel in two weeks.

JUST TWO WEEKS! Help me, Lord!

I'm asking God to show me ways to honor Him with our time and help me to discern what needs to go. (For starters, I de-activated my Facebook account - for many reasons other than time management - but I know this small thing will help).

We're maximizing every second around here, and that means E does her homework in the car on the way home from school. So far, that works for us and she usually has it finished by the time we pull in the driveway (told you I had a long drive to and from school). Bless her heart. She's a trooper.

Daily Peek: Naps

O tells me the same thing everyday.

"I don't want to take a nap!" (Which is always a sign she needs one).

I never worry about it because she falls asleep everyday on the way to pick E up from school.

That's 45 minutes of quiet.

Sometimes, the only quiet I have.

Nobody's Perfect

My in-laws stayed with my girls last night while I went to bible study. I want to thank all of you who have emailed me about my mother-in-law. I think it's so sweet you remember to pray for her. We have felt your prayers. She got the results from her PET Scan yesterday and there isn't cancer anywhere else in her body, which was such a relief to hear. She will take radiation for her breast cancer, but still unsure about chemo. We're all feeling very encouraged and positive God is pouring His grace on our family. Please continue to pray!

My MIL brought E a note last night. I found it this morning and it made me cry. E struggles with perfectionism. I guess she gets it honest. I believe God is freeing me from it by giving me a daughter with the same struggle. I see what I do NOT want her to deal with and realize I need to let it go as an example to her. I hurt so much for E sometimes because I can see what a inner-battle she has with trying to surrender it all to the Lord. It manifests itself in soccer, school work, home life, friendships, etc.

But, we're starting to see a lot of progress. God is doing a work in her heart.

Anyway, the quote was this ...

"Every time you practice or attempt something,

you are succeeding at getting better,

not failing at being perfect."

She's already memorized and mentioned it this morning in her prayers. That, along with "Just do your best, and give God the rest", which is her 3rd grade class motto.

I'm thankful for little ways God reminds her it is in her weaknesses that His strength is made perfect. He's the only one that is. What a relief.

Hiding

It's important to hide God's Word in our hearts .....

Or, hide to read God's Word :)

I heard O murmuring, then found her in her favorite spot. She hides between a chair and an armoir in our living room and creates a little hideout where no one can see her.

When I took the pictures, she said, "Hello! I'm trying to read God's Word here. Could I have some privacy?"

Yes, Ma'am!

Sunday Letters

Dear E,

I enjoyed shopping with you yesterday. It's rare we get to do anything with just the 2 of us. I thought to myself how fun life will be when you're older and we can hang out and shop. I did get a glimpse of the less-than-fun part when you turned your nose up to the very conservative outfit I chose for you. Oh boy. We have very different tastes. Still, I love being with you. Now, stop growing up.

Dear O,

You have perfected the art of pouting. As you were whining today after church about me not buying you a notepad just like E's yesterday, I watched you in the backseat. Your face almost made me turn around and head to the store to buy one. Almost. Here's to staying focused because 2 minutes later, we were home and you didn't even remember the notepad.

Also, you made me smile today when you kept asking me to spell certain words so you could write them on your easel. At the end of the list, I realized you were asking to spell all the Fruits of the Spirit. However, I am still baffled by rude. What on earth?
Dear Eric,

You do so much to let me know you love me, but perhaps nothing touched me more than seeing you fold clothes this morning. Here's a hint - you could save money on all the flowers and just vow to fold all the clothes. Marriage bliss.

To all 3 of you,This weekend was all I wanted it to be. Family Night. Roasting marshmallows. Movie under a tent. Soccer game. Shopping. Dinner with a gift card which meant DESSERT! Snuggles in the bed on Sunday morning.

I love you.

Sleeping In

Right before I went to bed last night (sometime around 11:00), I was complaining to Eric about our schedule. Yuck! I hate when we get so busy and when most of it is unavoidable.

This morning, I vaguely remember Eric walking through the house to wake the girls. The house was dark. It was cold outside of the covers. So, I stayed in bed. Eric was taking the girls out for a breakfast date and I knew lunchboxes were already packed and ready.

Surely they can get along without me.

And they did. I fell back asleep and slept until 10:00!!

I can't remember the last time I did that. I must have needed it. Actually, I KNOW I needed it.

The only thing I regret is not talking to my sweet girls this morning. I plan to make up for it tonight. We're shutting out the rest of the world and finally spending time together. Cooking out, roasting marshmallows, drinking hot chocolate, watching a movie and camping out on the living room floor.

We need the rest!

Thankful Thursday

My heart is so full today. It's been a long time since I've posted a Thankful Thursday post, so it's time. Today, I am thankful for ....

** My sweet daughter, E. I know I talk about her compassion and kindness so much that you could easily think I'm exaggerating. However, she is truly the most kind and generous child (person) I know. I think anyone that doesn't see that is cheating themselves out of a blessing from God. She went on a field trip yesterday to a gem mine. I gave her money to spend in the gift shop. She spent every cent on gifts for other people, including me, her sister, her 3rd grade teacher and her Latin teacher. She told me she really felt her Latin teacher would enjoy a beautiful amethyst stone. She didn't buy one thing for herself. I love that girl.

** Surprises. Last night at church, my friend Cathy S. (Pam's sister) surprised me with this book.

It's no secret I have been wanting this. I was so happy to get it, I was tempted to read it during church :) She also included a gift from her mother, which was something that was Pam's, she wanted me to have. What a blessing! Thank you, Cathy!

** My sweet husband. He brought me these flowers yesterday. Yes, I know I am spoiled.

** My job. I seriously have the best job in the world. Where else can I show up at work, feel tired or discouraged and have coworkers pray for me? What a gift to work at my girls' school and have such wonderful friends. My hours are 1/2 days only 3 days a week and I get to see my babies several times a day. Thank you, Lord!

** My hilarious daughter, O. She has a natural ability to make us all laugh at just the right time. I love, love her quick wit and her outlook on life. Nothing phases her.

I'm heading into a hectic Thursday (all of them are!), but am thankful God is teaching me (and reminding me often) of His ability to handle the details of my life. To say 'He is Able' seems like too simple of a way to describe Him, but the simplicity of those words has been an incredible comfort to me this week.

Happy Thursday! Hang in there ... Friday's comin'!

For more Thankful Thursday posts, click here.

It's always good to start your day with a shower and clothes

Buried under my bible study books, I was sitting on the sofa and staring at the wall. I'm not really worth much today in terms of being productive.

I noticed my umbrella outside. It's 63 degrees here.

And that is ICE on my umbrella. Okay, some of it is water, but the bottom later is definitely ICE because I felt it. Weird.

"I should take a picture", I thought.

I step out in my pajamas and sock feet to take a picture. I turn around and the door is locked.

Crying.

Please picture me in my pajamas, straight out of bed if you understand what I am implying. I never put on anything else. Get it? Think about it.

What to do? What to do?

I have a hide-a-key!!

I pray God would keep my neighbors in their houses for a few minutes. He disagrees and decides to bring the ones on both sides of me and in front of my house outside.

They wave. Because they are kind. Ugh!

Because I am prideful and never want to appear like I don't have it together, I never let on I am locked out. I just start taking pictures to seemingly have a purpose for being outside underdressed.

Because doesn't everybody go outside without certain clothing to take pictures???

So, this is what I have for you.

Enjoy!

I'm going to get dressed.

'Rude' is not a Fruit of the Spirit

I told myself I wouldn't talk too much about it on here today. But, it should be said ....

Today is my day off!

Ha! I love how God has ordained my work week because He knows by Wednesday, I am spent. Then, I get a little breather before I head into a hectic Thursday.

I only have a few minutes before I dive into some things I want to get done, so I'll give you a list of what's on my mind today ....

** I am working on a Sunday School lesson out of the book of Jeremiah. If Sunday doesn't come soon, I may gather my neighbors to share it with them because I can't wait any longer. Isn't God's Word the coolest thing? No matter what I'm going through, I find it in the Word of God. Feeling defeated? It's in there. Feeling abandoned? It's in there. Feeling persecuted? It's in there. Feeling happy? Hey, it's okay to feel that way - It's in there! Does anyone else feel like we just need to give ourselves permission to feel happy eventhough life may be crumbling around us?? As believers, we have reason to rejoice even when life is tough.

Okay, I'm getting off track. That's not even my lesson.

I'm easily distracted today.

** I have seen something click with O in the past few weeks and she is warming up to reading, spelling and writing. It's all she wants to do (thank you, Lord!). Now, she will say, "Mama, ask me to spell FORTY words and I'll write them down for you."

And she does. She sounds them out and writes them on her dry-erase board. She's so proud of herself.

However, she is doing something else that is confusing to me. Everywhere I turn, I find sticky-notes or dry-erase boards that have three words written on them ...

Rude. Kindness. Goodness.

When I ask her why she writes these particular words, she says, "I don't know. I just love them. I could write them for the rest of my life". Ha!

Are they the fruits of the Spirit? Do I talk too much about Rude? I don't know, but it's funny to me.

** Every year at this time (September - October), I get really frustrated with our schedule. So much so, I threaten to homeschool, quit work and all activities. This time of the year is crazy busy for us and I do NOT do well with crazy busy. I need to be home, cooking for my family and having days where there is nothing to do. I can always see a reprieve in November, so that gives me hope.

** I think when I have a spare minute, I may want to consider rehab to get off of these.

I'm (somewhat) ashamed to confess I have eaten more than 10 bags of candy corn since the first of September. I did share a little with my girls. It's an illness. I have intense love for candy corn.

When I do get my spare minute in November, they will be leaving the shelves, so maybe I'm okay. Someone said to me yesterday, "Just don't buy them". What? Huh? What?

** But, then I went and did something worse and bought Halloween candy .... EARLY.

Yes, that was dumb because even if my family doesn't realize it, I know these Reeses cups and Snicker bars are not for trick-or-treaters. It's October 13th for crying out loud.

I told myself I wanted to decorate with them. Don't they look pretty in that basket?

I have a bad case of denial.

Okay, I gotta go. I have a lesson to study, candy to eat, a hair appointment to go to, and size 8 clothes to clean out (E's, not mine - although, if I continue at this pace with candy, I'll be having a big clean-out too :).

Have a great week. It's almost over :)