2 and a half cups rolled oats

2 cups all purpose flour

half a cup of flax seed meal

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

half a t of salt

3 sticks of butter

2 eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 T vanilla extract

half a bag of chocolate chips

In a blender or food processor, grind the rolled oats into a flour consistency. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flax seed meal. Mix it up and set it aside.

Whip butter to light and fluffy. Add sugar (brown and granulated). Mix until smooth. Add eggs. Add vanilla.

Add flour mixture a little at a time. Add chocolate chips (I mix mine in by hand to avoid over mixing).

Place on baking sheets. Bake at 350.

Enjoy!

Mine usually makes 2 dozen plus 9. Not sure why such an odd number, but it is what it is.

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My official goal for 2012 is 30 books. Low, I know. Maybe I’ll read more. But I’m at least hitting 30.

 The Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton – This is a huge book. In fact, to be completely honest, I’m already halfway through it. I have been some partial way through it for the last couple years. I’m finishing this book this year. It is a very easy book to pick up and put down, since it consists of many short stories piled into one thick little book. At one point, The Pastor and I had a race going to see who would finish first. I will. I’m sure. He hasn’t even thought about Father Brown in a year, I’m certain.

 Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen. This is another book that I only partially read. I was reading it, loving it, and somehow I put it down and forgot I never finished it. I’ll finish it this year. It is shaping up to be a wonderful parenting book.

 Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne and  Lisa M. Ross. This book has been on my wish list for quite some time. I always manage to push it further and further down the list. Not because I don’t want to read it, but because I have (and have read) what seems like a gajillion parenting books. However, I find that each parenting book I read makes me a better parent. Even if I whole-heartedly disagree, it makes me stop and think about what I am doing as a parent. I am expecting to love this book, based on the reviews. Hopefully, I am right.

 Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes. This book has been on my “to read” list since it came out. I just never get around to actually reading it. I’m hoping, like many other readers of this book, it will renew my love for what I do and give me a big feeling of “heck yeah!”

 The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. Another book that has been on my “to read” list since it came out. Now that Amanda has another book out (actually, I think there are now 2 other books out), I need to read the first one!

 Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots by Scott Hahn. No, we aren’t Catholic. We’re Methodist. (Free Church Wesleyans, to be more precise.) But I find that I don’t quite understand Catholics as much as I would like to. I find so much of what my Catholic friends do so interesting and fulfilling. Naturally, I want to know more.

 Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life by Margaret Kim Peterson. Yet another book I began reading and never finished, though I was really enjoying it. I plan to finish reading this book this year. It is such an interesting book. (And I may have read most of it or all of it, but it was on my unfinished Goodreads’ shelf, so I’m going to re-read it anyway.)

 Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. I have read most of this book, but was not at a place in my life where I could apply it. I’m hoping 2012 will be a better year for me and I can re-read this book and actually apply it to our lives. I skipped all the exercises the first time through, because I just couldn’t do them at that time. Things are much better now or will be better in a couple weeks, so I look forward to organizing and simplifying our lives.

 Crossed by Ally Condie. I downloaded this book on my Nook to read at my in-laws over Thanksgiving week. I read a few chapters. Turns out  had far, far less down time that I anticipated. Having kids, particularly toddlers, away from home is infinitely more difficult than having them in your own home. I eagerly awaited this book coming out, then I forgot about the release date (though it was on my calendar). I hate it when that happens. This is the sequel to Matched. I haven’t heard word of the third book yet. I would anticipate it in 2012, but who knows?

 Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card. I have been a complete Ender fanatic this year. Reading, reading, reading about Ender Wiggins. Such a great series. I am about halfway through this book and plan to finish in 2012. I put it down to read a couple of other books (I am so very bad about this) and plan to get back to see what happens to Bean and the crew. If you haven’t read Ender’s Game, you need to. But be prepared for this very long series that you will feel compelled to read.

 The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence by Gavin de Becker. I have been dealing with some very toxic people this year and a friend recommended that I read this book. Since this is the same friend that recommended I read Boundaries, which helped me tremendously, I’m taking her word for it. This will probably be among the first of the books that I read in the new year.

 Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. Yes, I read a lot of parenting books. I love them. I love the perspectives they bring. We often only know one view of parenting, and that is what we were raised with. It is both refreshing and helpful to see the same job through new eyes. To use the information you glean to be a better parent than you ever imagined being. No, I don’t apply everything I read in every book. Not everything works for every parent. I anticipate really liking this book based on reviews. I look forward to the new insights it will offer me as a mom to four wonderful children, who deserve a mom who tries her absolute best.

 Wicked As They Come by Delilah Dawson. When a fellow ICANer writes a book, you can bet I’m going to read it! It comes out March 27th. I’ve been following Delilah’s journey through her blog. Read her blog and her book!

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. See, everything is not serious with me! Beauty queens. Desert island. Body count. It is going to be awesome.

 The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan. This is the series I cannot stay away from. I was not a fan of Forest of Hands and Teeth. It was okay, at best. Not nearly the complete awesomeness I expected. I said I was done with the series. I’d read no more. But I thought, how can Dead Tossed Waves be a dud? The name is so cool. Reviewers everywhere assure me, this book is better! This book is not the bore that the first was! Mary is gone! I bit. I read it. It was a little better than okay. I was still bummed. This story has so much freakin’ potential, how is it coming across so lame? Hopefully book #3 will finally live up to the expectation of both its name and its potential. Fingers crossed.

 Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. Need I say more? Although, I’m pretty sure with a name like that, it is bound to disappoint. It is very difficult to live up to the awesomeness that is that book title. (And FTR, those folks listed as the authors are, in fact, the editors because the book is a compliation of short stories from various awesome authors.)

 The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau. This is book number 3 in the Ember series. I have really enjoyed this series and look forward to reading the third book.

 Block Party– The Modern Quilting Bee by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks. A book about 12 quilters doing an online quilting bee. Hopefully it will inspire me. Hey, maybe 2012 I’ll get out of this no sewing rut! Who knows?

 Miette by Meg Ray. I had to have at least one cookbook on my list. And we all know I love to bake. Maybe I’ll find some new favorite sweet treat in these pages.

 Eve by Anna Carey. A futuristic dystopia I just must read.

 Thr3e by Ted Dekker. Everyone is always telling me how awesome Ted Dekker books are. I keep insisting that I have never found Christian fiction to be anything but hokey. (Maybe someone needs to do something about that.) But I have never read anything by Ted Dekker, so I cannot with 100% assurance say that he isn’t a good author. Hopefully the book is better than the title, because if the title is about as good as it gets, this is going to be a tough book to get through.

 Kraken by China Mieville. While the reviews are not good for this book, I still want to read it. I would have read it long before now had the reviews been favorable. Who wouldn’t want to read a book titled “Kraken”?

 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The main reason I want to read this book is because the author’s name is Ransom. This book is on some of the top book lists for last year, so it is expected to be a good read. But really, I’m just reading it because of the author’s name. And the awesome cover. (Yes, I’m judging a book by its cover.)

 The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. This past year, dealing with toxic people, has renewed my interest in psychology a bit. For those that don’t know, I worked as a psychiatric nurse just before becoming a stay at home mom. Psychology has always interested me. In fact, as a teenager, that was the field I planned to enter. This is a book, not just about the sociopath, but also how to protect yourself from them. (And let’s face it, some of us need that advice.)

 Life’s Too Short To Fold Fitted Sheets by Lisa Quinn. “A crash course in Slaker Chic 101.” With all the other very serious parenting, organizing, and cleaning books, I thought I might be in need of some “let yourself off the hook” perspective in the midst of it. This book claims to contain tips, tricks, and short cuts to maintaing your home. It is also supposed to be a bit funny, while still offering practical advice. We’ll see how this stacks up to my homemaking library.

And that concludes my list. It is pretty short (25 books), but I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be punishing myself trying to “just get through” the list. I want to enjoy it. And if I finish early, I can always add more.

Now, I want to see your list! Send me a list (or link to your blog) of what you’ll be reading this year! I want to know. I love reading other’s reading lists. Funny little quirk, I know. But I’ll likely find books on your list that I’ll just have to add to my long list (of books that I want to read at some point in time). Of course, I’ll post reviews of these books, since that is what I do.

Tips on making a list: Add books you’ve already got on your shelf, but just haven’t gotten around to reading yet. Know your own pace. If you want to have a list of only 12 books (one book per month) and fly by the seat of your pants for anything beyond that, go for it. Just try not to make the list so big that it is impossible for you to complete your task. We all have other things to do than sit around and read. (I made my list slightly smaller than my usual book average. That gives me wiggle room for books that pop up throughout the year that I know I just have to read. It also adds room for the Amazon Vine and BookSneeze books I am sure to review.) Pick a variety. You may not be in the mood all year for vampires. Try to pick a good mix of genres you like. Think about what you want to learn or improve this year. Maybe pick a book or two that will help or inspire you toward that goal.

I’ll also be making a list of books for the kids to read in 2012. Stay tuned for that!

The forward by Bill Hybels was actually a turn off for me. It didn’t say much of anything about the content of the book. It read like a job reference, not like an actual forward that contributes to the book. It was very clear that a bigger name was wanted for the book, so Hybels wrote a quick note about the author so they could put his name on the cover and add credit to the otherwise little known authors.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I decided to make these cupcakes for the Faith Methodist Church Christmas party. Let me tell you, they are yummy! I think these are my new favorite cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

2 and 3/4 cups AP flour

1 and 1/2 t baking soda

1 and 1/2 t baking powder

1 T ground cinnamon

2 t ground nutmeg

1 t ground ginger

1 t salt

1 and 1/2 sticks butter

1 and 1/2 cups packed brown sugar (I used light)

3 large eggs

1 T vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk (buttermilk for cupcakes makes them so light and fluffy!)

1 cup roughly chopped pecans

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I use a whisk to make sure they are well mixed. Set this bowl aside.

Beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Add brown sugar to the butter and mix until smooth. Once butter and brown sugar are well mixed, add one egg at a time. Once eggs are well mixed, add about half the flour mixture. Mix until well combined.  Add vanilla and buttermilk- mix until well combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until well combined. Add in the pecans and mix them in.

Spoon your batter into cupcake cups. (Will make between 2 and 3 dozen cupcakes, depending on how full you make your cups.) Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Now the rum icing! Yep, I said rum! Yum! So, I was sitting there thinking, “What kind of icing will go with pecan spice cupcakes?” My usual cream cheese icing has a bit of a citrus taste, which I didn’t want. I come up with the idea to make cream cheese rum icing. It turned out so yummy! Here’s what you need:

3 blocks of cream cheese

3 sticks of butter

powdered sugar (amount is up to you- probably between half a cup and 2 cups)

rum (use what you’ve got. Don’t have any? This Tattoo rum by Captain Morgan is on the sweet side- perfect for desserts.)

You can scale this recipe down. I find that 2 blocks/2 sticks is not quite enough for 2 dozen generously iced cupcakes, so I use 3/3 and have a bit of icing left over. (Which The Pastor eats with graham crackers for a midnight snack.) If you don’t like a lot of icing on your cupcakes, 2 blocks/2sticks will be enough.

Set out the cream cheese and the butter while you’re working on your cupcakes. They’ll be room temperature by the time you get around to making the icing.

Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Add a few T of rum. Blend well. Taste. (I keep plenty of spoons on hand when making icing because I taste quite often.) Add more powdered sugar as you see fit. (Some folks like super sweet icing. Others like not overly sweet icing. I fall in between. I use about a cup of powdered sugar.) Add more rum to taste. I used about 1/4 cup of rum. I didn’t want it too rummy. But you may want it more rum tasting, so add more if you like!

Once your icing is mixed to your liking, spoon the icing into a gallon size freezer bag and place in the fridge. When your cupcakes have completely cooled and you’re ready to ice, knead the bag of icing a bit, cut off one corner of the bag, squirt icing onto cupcakes. Top the icing with a pecan. Eat and enjoy!

(You can also drizzle a little rum over each cupcake before serving. Adds a little extra zip to it!)

Each Advent, I make it a point to be very intentional with what we do as a family. Christmas is a celebration to remember the birth of Jesus. I try to make sure our Christmas activities reflect that. As a Mom, (and you Moms out there feel me on this) it can be so easy to loose sight of what is best for what is flashiest or most. It can be hard to keep your family focused on the manger, when Rock Star Mickeys and fat guys in red hats fight for the kid’s attention. It can be easy to skip the activities with your family that help them share in the spirit of Christmas when it is so tempting to use your limited time shopping. Intentionally using the weeks of Advent as a guide keeps me from those traps. I can use those weeks to guide our family activities. (And you know my “no” rule come holiday time! From Thanksgiving to Christmas, my answer to everything extra is first “no.” If I want to change my mind late, I can- and sometimes do. But my immediate response is “no.” It helps me prioritize and not let my calendar fill up with other things. It allows me to look at things based on necessity, rather than felt pressure or obligation.)

We started Advent with the week of Expectation. (Last year, we did hope. This year expectation. I don’t know why. Ask The Pastor.) I gave the kids Advent gifts. We broke out of Christmas music. We put the Christmas scents in the Scentsy. We dipped our toes in the season, but didn’t fully immerse ourselves just yet. We talked about Israel, awaiting the coming Messiah. We talked about what we would have expected had someone promised us a Savior, a Hero. We sang “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (Aidan’s favorite Christmas song) over and over throughout our daily activities. We took the time to get excited about what is coming. We painted a nativity set and set it out on the mantel. We read the Isaiah prophesies. We talked about what it means to expect something, to look forward to it. We weren’t yet in the season, we were looking toward the season- standing at the edge waiting excitedly to take the plunge.

I think the second week of Advent is the kid’s favorite- The Week of Preparation! This is the week we prepare for the coming Messiah. We read some more Isaiah prophesies (if you are only reading Luke at Christmas, you’re missing out. You’re missing the entire prophesy of the coming Messiah, all the hope in looking toward the birth of a King.) and included some gospel readings. We move beyond just hope and expectation and begin to prepare for Christmas- prepare for the Messiah. We got and put up our tree and decorated it. We broke out the Christmas decorations. We began watching our Christmas DVDs. (The favorites around here are The Nativity Story, The Star of Christmas [Veggie Tales], The Toy That Saved Christmas [Veggie Tales], and Praise Baby: Joy To The World. Elf might barely make the list.) I baked a little. We took the plunge into the season.

This Advent, as we move through the weeks leading to the manger, be intentional about your activities. Be intentional in your discussions with your children. Use Advent as a time to not only teach your kids about Jesus, but to experience it yourself. Don’t just bake cookies! Bake cookies for a reason!

1. Not all people homeschool the same way. What works for your friend’s sister’s best friend, may not work for you. The new hottest homeschool curriculum may drive you insane. That reading book with horrible ratings may be your favorite. That is one of the advantages of homeschooling. You can pick what you like. You can choose what works best for your child. You can choose differently for each child based on their personalities and needs. It is amazing. But that can also be really overwhelming. Some people prefer that someone just tell them what to use. Others want to craft everything to fit their tastes.Then there are those that fall in between. Some people live for those huge homeschool catalogues. Others would rather buy a classroom in a box.

This is a great book for helping you sort through all those questions. You’ll need to look at what you ideal of homeschooling looks like? Do you want a traditional American classroom in your home? Does cuddling up on the couch reading books together all day sound more like it? How about climbing trees, catching bugs, playing board games, cooking desserts, and having a in home art studio? Take the time to dream of your ideal. Are you the teacher with all the answers or the guide to point them where to look? Do you kids hate workbooks & being given tasks? Or are they task driven and love being given an assignments? Only you know what is going to work for your kids within your comfort level. (State to state mandates may also determine this to some extent. Some states are much more strict than other when it comes to homeschoolers. Some require umbrella schools and a whole slew of requirements. Others simply want an attendance record. You’ll have to check for yourself.)

Don’t feel the slightest bit bad about choosing differently from your friends. And be a little flexible. Your ideal might be letting them frollic and play and learn things naturally in their own time and then you realize your child is a workbook-aholic. Be willing to adjust as needed. The happy homeschool is the one that works for the people involved. You’ve got lofty expectations of teaching your 5 year old Latin but your 5 year old prefers art- be flexible. You picked a great phonics program for your oldest child and now your youngest cannot stand the sight of it? Be flexible.

2. Not all homeschoolers have the same priorities. One family may be very, very history intensive. Another may be all about self-expression. You may feel the need for your children to learn all the parts of a cell and their function at the age of 4. You may just be happy with exposure to scientific information. Some homeschool with a strong religious theme. Others have no religion. Some have religion as a part, but not the entire basis for everything. Only you know what works for you.

Some homeschoolers spend a lot of money on curriculum for whatever reason (ease of use, content, don’t have to look for anything). Others homeschool for free using the public library. And then everything in between. Some have a set budget, others do whatever it takes to get what they want for their curriculum. All in one curriculums tend to be more expensive, but easier on you because you don’t have to search for your content. You can buy books, borrow, share- whatever works for your family. Neither way is better or worse.

3. Understand not only your child’s personality, but also a little about childhood development. You may think your 3 year old should be able to write his alphabet, sit for hours at a time, and count to 100. But the fact is, most 3 year old just are not there developmentally. You may want your 4 year old to read, but you wanting it does not make your 4 year old developmentally ready to read. You may like the idea of teaching reading and writing together, but then you get an Aidan (my son) who has mental capacities far beyond motor skills, and you would have to delay him in reading by years to make it coincide with writing. Just because you could read at 3 doesn’t mean your child will. And them not being able to read at 3 does not make them any less extraordinary. You will frustrate yourself trying to teach a child who is not developmentally ready for what you are showing them. And likewise, if you wait to show them anything until they can handle everything, you’ll have missed some great opportunities.

4. Time. You’ll sit and do your first lesson with your Kindergartener and be done 20 minutes later. You’ll think, “What the heck did I do wrong? Kids go to school for 8 hours a day- this certainly isn’t enough!” But it is. You quality packed 20 minutes that you so thoughtfully chose with your child in mind will do much more than hours of busywork intended for the masses. Young children don’t need hours and hours of work for them to learn. They learned to talk without such instruction. If you want to pack the hours, and your child enjoys it, go right ahead. But it isn’t necessary. I was shocked when I found out that Aidan at the age of 2 could identify most of the alphabet by sight. Where did he learn that? Refrigerator magnets that he played with while I cooked. If you are reading to them and offering them quality play time, they’re learning. They’ve been homeschooling since the day they were born, you just didn’t realize it.

On the same note, don’t be discouraged that your 8 year old spends all day long working on their work. Some kids need lots of breaks. Some kids get off chasing rabbits in their work. That is okay, too. You don’t have to limit what they can do based on time. If the science lesson got them overly interested in modern agricultural practices, it is fine to let them chase that rabbit where it might lead.

Just because the school down the street says school hours are 7:30am to 2:30pm, that doesn’t mean those are your hours. You may like to have the mornings free for play, sleeping in, and chores. You can do that! Your kids may be night owls and be the most alert and interested from 5pm to 9pm. That is fine, too. You all hate Mondays and would rather do school on Saturdays, that is great! Whatever your needs are, homeschooling can fit them.

5. Take your time. You don’t have to decide today what curriculum you’ll use 5 years from now. Take your time looking through your options. See what your library and community has to offer that you might like to incorporate. You have time.

Now, for some links. I don’t use all of these, but they may be perfect for you.

Rainbow Resources

Alpha Omega Homeschooling 

The Well Trained Mind

Christian Book Distributers

Veritas Press

Simply Charlotte Mason

Singapore Math

Sonlight

My Father’s World

Timberdoodle

Now, you’re confused. New year? Yep. New year for me! Today is my birthday. So, I’m entering a new year of my life. Last year wasn’t so bad. I had a baby. I read a lot of books. I got some new to me furniture. I hung out with my kids, who are pretty fun people to be around. Good year. Stressful, but good. I’m hoping this year will be awesome. I’ve got big plans. Lots of books to read. (And my mother and father in law so graciously gave me a gift card for such things on my Nook!) Lots of games to play with those awesome little people around here. Lots of firsts coming up for Mr. Ransom.

Speaking of the Professor, isn’t he just adorable? He looks a lot like Aidan to me, only blue eyed. He is fitting in quite nicely around here.

He looks like a little doll. So adorable. Of course, I am the slightest bit biased. I happen to think all my children are awesome and lovely.

Speaking of adorable, isn’t Emery handsome? He hit this terrible two phase a few months back. We thought something was seriously wrong with the child. We took him to the doctor because his behavior was so insane, we thought he must have some mental issue. He had also begun loosing a bit of weight due to these tantrums. (He asks for a banana, you give him a banana. He screams, smearing banana into the carpet, crying. What? Oh, you didn’t want a banana after all Emers? And on and on the cycle would continue, resulting in him not eating much of anything.) What did the doctor say? He said Emery is normal. Perfectly normal. He said he is an extreme type A personality, so his tantrums will seem more exaggerated than kids with differing personality types. The doctor assured us that Emery was fine. He doesn’t like being babied and he is extremely task oriented, so use those to our advantage. So, we asked The Princess to please start treating Emery like a kid, not a baby. We explained that he understands much more than he can articulate, and the words would be coming to Emery soon. We started treating Emery like a kid, not a baby. We started giving him jobs to do, tasks to complete, favors to perform. He is much, much better. Yes, he is still a wild man. Yes, he still climbs the walls. But he isn’t so violent and his tantrums are far less (in severity and frequency). I reread Making The Terrible Twos Terrific by John Rosemond (I recommend it to anyone dealing with toddlers) and Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem (I received this book for free through the Amazon Vine program for reviewing purposes). I’m a reader, so reading books helps me deal with issues. Even if it is just an attitude shift, that can make a huge difference in the middle of toddler battles.

The Pastor bought me this wonderful camera for my birthday! I was extremely surprised. I’ve been wanting a DSLR, but have been hesitant to commit to such a thing, since I am not a professional, nor do I have aspirations of being a professional. I just like taking pictures. And I hang the pictures I take all over my house. (Which means there are no pictures of me in our house.) I’m in love. It is a Pentax K-x. Extremely easy to use. I still have more playing to do, but I like it a lot so far!

And word on the street is that I’m going on a date with those two handsome fellows tonight! (It is a surprise, but I don’t do surprises. So, I’m in on the surprise for myself.)

We also went to the Aquarium earlier this week for my birthday per the request of these two. I got  Mommy and Me passes to the Aquarium. If you haven’t gotten one yet, they are well worth the money. $29.95 for one adult, up to 4 kids 5 and under, and free parking. They are available until December 15th. Of course, the kids loved the Aquarium. Imogene likes the whales, the sea urchins, and the sea horses. Aidan liked the jelly fish and the humphead wrasse. (Look that one up. He loved it.) Emery voted present.

I usually make my new year’s resolutions on my birthday. But this year, I’ve got nothing really that I feel like needs to be “fixed.” We’re happy. We’re healthy. I’m good. I will be learning to use my new fancy camera. And I’ll be reading and playing and making things. I’ve got great people around me. “Life is good, Sheriff Bob!”

Now, the conversation took a turn to knowing the will of God. Of course, the topic every Christian teen struggles with. What does God want ME to do? She asked if God had called me to anything. I explained that we are here, in Atlanta, because God called us. I told her we are here because God has called us to this kind of ministry. She asked how we knew this is where God called us. She said, “How do you know? How do you know what God is saying?” I told her, “At first, you just pray, ‘God, I know you want me to do something somewhere, I just don’t know what or where.” Then you feel somewhere inside you says ‘China.’ And you think, ‘Hmm. Maybe He wants me to go to China.’ Next time you pray, you say, ‘God. I know you have called me to do something, somewhere. Maybe in China.’ And then deep inside, your feeling for China grows. You keep your eyes and ears open. Next time you pray, you say, ‘God, I know you want me to do something and I think it is in China.” That deep feeling is getting warmer now. Next time you pray, you pray, ‘God, I know you want me to do something in China.’ So, you start planning to go to China. What you’ll do makes itself clear. That feeling deep inside is sure that you doing what God wants you to do. You listen to wise people around you. You use what gifts God has given you. And you go.” She said, “Mom. I’ll go where God wants me to, but I’m not going anywhere with mean people.” Now, I could have told her that mean people are everywhere, but I didn’t. She’ll learn that soon enough. Instead, I responded, “Imogene, that is exactly where you should go. You should go where people need to see the love of Jesus most.” She said, “But Mom, I don’t know all of the love of Jesus.” Imogene often says she feels Jesus hugging her when she closes her eyes. So, I asked her to close her eyes. I said, “Did you feel it?” She opened her eyes and smiled and said, “Yes! I feel the love of Jesus! I can go!”

Conversations with our children come as naturally as that. I often hear parents wondering how to approach certain subjects. I meet teens who have very clearly never had any conversations regarding spirituality with their parents. Parents to think that is the church’s job. Or they think they are showing their kids this by example. We uprooted our growing family and moved in a 2 week window to follow God. Our kids were with us and transitioned with us as we made the move, had The Pastor working two full time jobs, and lived in a tiny house. They were there, yet they didn’t know why we did that. Sometimes the example just isn’t enough. Of course, if we hadn’t moved and hadn’t followed God, it wouldn’t be of much value for me to tell Imogene that she should follow God when I am clearly not. It just takes more than the example. The church should absolutely be teaching children orthodoxy. But parents should be teaching their own children, as well. And it doesn’t take a book, lesson plans, or unlimited time. It just takes answering simple questions and giving honest answers.

We are gearing back up for the scheduled life. Ugh. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through last year with the weekly ballet classes for Imo. But we made it, and we added Aidan’s baseball to the mix. Imogene will be taking ballet again this year (and she is super excited about having the same teacher). Aidan is signed up for fall ball. So, here in a couple weeks, we’ll be getting back into kids that have schedules.

I really don’t know how some people do it with the over-scheduled kids. Maybe they thrive on routine. Or maybe they think that is what it takes to be a good parent. I don’t know what motivates them. I don’t know what sustains them.

Aidan and Imogene did enjoy their activities. They enjoyed them enough to pester me over the summer about the fact that they weren’t going to ballet or baseball. And I survived the other parents. (Though there was one granny at baseball that almost got smacked by a very pregnant me.) Hopefully this will be a good year. Hopefully they’ll have fun. Hopefully I can do more than just survive this year.

And I’ll try to enjoy my last year with just 2 with schedules, before Emery joins their ranks next year.