Domestic Christmas

Christmas has not even arrived yet, and I am already blessed with the most amazing gifts.

A few months ago, The Referee took a second job that may end up becoming a new career opportunity in the future.  For now, it is a means to bring in some extra income to reduce our debt.  Since he knew he would be working a ton of hours, and not able to visit very often, he encouraged the kids by telling them that we would take a portion of his earnings and pick a nicer Christmas gift this year.  The kids have their eyes on DS handheld systems, and tablets.  I saw the opportunity to get a Kitchen Aide mixer.

My sister bought a Kitchen Aide mixer a couple years ago, and loved it.  I could not swing the expense at the time, but I have been listening to her positive comments about how nice it is.  I have scoped them out each year when they go on sale.  This year, I was able to take advantage of a Black Friday sale and get a red mixer that matches my kitchen.  Merry Christmas to me!  

Since they wanted me to do some pre-Christmas baking, The Referee and the kids offered that I could open my present early this year.  We joked that we could just put the empty box under the tree, and I will act surprised.  The first item I made with my new mixer was a batch of brownies for Jersey #1's class party.  Brownies are my favorite dessert, so that was perfect too.

The Christmas gift I was not expecting arrived this evening.

I went out to my van after church, and discovered a cute gift basket filled with home-made laundry detergent, fabric softener, and cleaning products.  

A friend had mentioned she was putting something in my van, just before church began, and I did not give it much thought.  I had items in the back of my van that I was going to be transferring to another friend that night too.

I was sitting at a table with  a group of ladies, talking about my big project to clean and organize my house before the New Year.  We were engaged in a lovely discussion about trying to keep a house clean when we have kids around to build up clutter.  In the midst of our conversation, the topic of home-made laundry soap popped up.  That was something I had been meaning to try out a year ago.  I had even started collecting my empty laundry detergent containers to store it in.  (Then tragedy struck my life and any project that was more than basic survival was dismissed).  

Jersey #2 had been helping me conquer the mountain of laundry this week.  She has been telling me that we are almost out of detergent and need to go to the store.  That got me thinking I really need to look into the homemade detergent idea again.

So, when the ladies started talking about homemade laundry detergent, fabric softener, and cleaning products, I started paying close attention.  I was drilling my friend with various questions about her methods.  After the 3rd or 4th question, she told me that a sample of the products she makes and uses....along with their recipes....was included in the items she put in my van.

Hallelujah!  

I had no idea that she was filling such a need in my life when she asked if she could put something in my van tonight.

God is SO Good!

As I looked through the basket and read over the recipes, I could not help but smile at the whole orchestration of this gift.  This goody basket that I was not even expecting was filled with the very things I have been wanting to try making myself.  They are also really good ways to cut costs in the family budget (which is also a need in my life).  I had no idea my friend made all her detergents and cleaning products, and had been using them long enough to perfect her recipes.  She had no idea these things were on my mind, because we had not discussed them before.  I had no idea she would be blessing me with this basket.  Of course, she gave me the basket before our conversation even started.  Clearly, this is a God-thing.

At this point in my life, you would think that such "coincidences" would not surprise me.  One recurring theme of this past year has been that God will supply all of my needs.  I don't even have to ask specifically.  My needs are always met.  Even in the midst of suffering, I can find comfort in the sovereignty of God, and know that He is in control of all things.  God has a plan.  It is a good one.

Considering my Christmas gifts so far, I am starting to think that there may be some domestic skills planned for my future!

Soccer

I have finally grown my own soccer team!

This fall, I signed up all 5 children to play Upward Soccer.  The league was perfect for us.  Upward is a developmental sports program, with an emphasis on good sportsmanship, so there was no pressure to win.  The fields and teams were smaller than a typical soccer program.  That made it possible for the league to run 6 fields of games at the exact same time.  It was wonderful.  The kids and I would go to the field every Saturday morning, for an hour of practice and an hour of games.  

My 5 kids were on 3 different teams.  Jersey #1 and Jersey #2 were on the same team.  Jersey #3 was on a team on his own.  Jersey #4 and Jersey #5 were on the same team, and I was their coach.  Everyone had the same uniforms, reversible red and black.  

All of the kids seemed to enjoy playing soccer.  It was a fun family activity.  Jersey #3 appears to be a natural athlete, so he picked up the sport right away and usually scored goals every game.  Jersey #1 enjoys soccer and has played a few years before.  She had a blast, and often scored a goal.  There was one game where Jersey #2 scored a goal for her team.  It was her first goal, and she was thrilled.  The last time she played soccer, we did not realize her heart was on a downward trend, and she did not enjoy running around at all.  I am glad she enjoyed this soccer season.  She has even asked to play again next year.

Jersey #4 and Jersey #5 thought soccer was fun enough.  They are not kids who run around just for the sake of running, so they complained about having to run back and forth along the field so much.  Jersey #5 wanted a snack after every quarter, and cheered when it was his turn to sit out.  Jersey #4 was pretty tough for such a petite thing.  She would take the ball away from the opposing team, and kick it.  Then, she would stop and check to make sure I saw her kick the ball.  Most of the time, this meant that she missed the next couple plays.  

From the moment I signed up all 5 kids for soccer, I knew I wanted to make our family photo a soccer team theme this year.  I waited anxiously to see what color the uniforms were.  Black and red worked great, because The Referee prefers to wear black.  I pictured the kids in uniforms, girls in red and boys in black, with me in a red shirt and The Referee in a black shirt.  I was so excited.  Unfortunately, The Referee refused to take a family photo with us this year, so my plans were ruined.  I was really disappointed about that.  I did get some great photos of me and the kids though.  I suppose that is a more accurate representation of our family this year anyway.

My sister took our family picture, and took a few different fun poses, including the kids hanging from the goal posts.  

I did learn that outdoors in the sunlight is not a good place to attempt a circle of heads photo...

I enjoyed playing soccer as a kid.  So, it was fun for me to get to see all of my children enjoying a season of soccer too.

Go Team Go!

Random

I never wanted to be a single parent.  Single motherhood is not easy, and it is not ideal.  Yet, here I am.  I try not to spend too much time worrying about all the statistics about the outcomes of children raised in broken homes.  Broken families create broken people.  It is tragic.  The Bible explains the important roles of both mother and father in raising their children.  Psychology research shows the importance of both mothers and fathers in the home, raising their children.  Prison data shows the impact of fatherless homes.  Medical journals, talk shows, schools, radio shows, magazine articles....the list goes on and on.  I know the data is out there.  It haunts me.  So, I try not to think about it very often.  If I allow myself to spend time worrying, I will quickly become overwhelmed.  I am doing all I can to give my children a stable, healthy, home environment, filled with love and joy.  But, I know it is not enough.  It will never be enough.  I will always fall short of the ideal.  My children will be affected.  They will be broken, always feeling like something was missing.  My heart aches at the thought.  So, I try to not allow myself to think about it.  I can't control it anyway.  So, instead I pray.  

I remind myself that I am blessed to be able to have this time with my children, watching them play and grow.  It is a short, swift season.  I take pictures.  Random pictures.  Trying to capture a snapshot of the joy they bring me as they laugh and play and grow...

Jersey #2 looks so cute in braids...

Food on a stick is a favorite dinner theme at church...

We even ate cake on a stick...

Jersey #5 likes dinner at church, because I let him select his own meal...

Jersey #4 demonstrates how to behave for dental cleanings.  Jersey #5 was super curious about the process.  (He did great when it was his turn too).

Dress up fun...

Jersey #3 wanted to learn how to make pancakes on the griddle.  He is becoming quite a chef, but that first pancake experience resulted in a very large mess, along with tasty pancakes...

Jersey #2 has mastered the cartwheel...

Jersey #4 is very close to being able to read a Dr. Suess book on her own.  When the kids are able to read "Green Eggs and Ham" on their own, I say that they have learned to read.  (Versus learning to read).  Jersey #4 was determined to pick a different book, and show me she could read it on her own.  She wore out about a third of the way through, and still required help.  She is getting closer.  It won't be long before she is a more independent reader...

Motherhood is a blessing.

Thanksgiving

Well, I have certainly taken a break from blogging for a while.  Life got busy.  I appear to have reached my photo limit on Picasa  so adding photos to my blog became a challenge.  I haven't been able to put things into words for a while, even though so much was happening in my thoughts.  So, I took a break.  Well, tonight, I decided to unload the pictures from my camera to my computer, and that has inspired me to update my blog.  We will see how far I get through this busy holiday season.  

Thanksgiving.

The kids and I had a great Thanksgiving holiday this year.  I was starting to get a grip on life again, and finally feeling like I was not as consumed with grief.  Dare I say I was starting to live a little, too.  My youngest sister and her family were going to be visiting our parents for a couple weeks, and our middle sister offered to host a big family Thanksgiving at her house.  The idea of getting the 3 sisters together again....along with our parents.....and the 11 grandbabies, was too exciting to miss!  Considering the youngest grandchild was born this year, this was the first time we were all going to be together.  Being the photo-loving family that we are, we planned a family photo for the occasion as well.

Everything turned out great.  I was especially spoiled.  The kids and I made the drive to my sister's house.  We did not have to prepare any food or bring anything.  She did all the cooking, with the help of both of my brothers-in-law.  We took photos before the meal, when everyone was freshly dressed and happy to be together.  The photos turned out great.  The meal was delicious.  The kids got along incredibly well.  It was a really fun time.  It was sweet to see my parents surrounded by all of their grandchildren at the same time.  

That evening, we drove to my parent's house for the night.  Then, we drove home the next morning.  (I prefer to drive during the daylight).  As I was driving, I thought about how nice this Thanksgiving was.  We made some great memories, and even cuter photos.  I would say it was one of my best Thanksgiving celebrations.

My absolute favorite Thanksgiving memory was in 2003.  Jersey #2 had just survived open-heart surgery the week before.  She was home from the hospital, we were home from California, and Jersey #1 was home from Granny & PawPaw's house.  Our family was alive, healthy, and reunited again.  Due to the high risk of germs and post surgery recovery, we stayed in isolation.  We did not invite anyone to the house, and we did not travel anywhere.  We stayed home and enjoyed a simple celebration.  We had so much to be thankful for that year.  A living, breathing, 3-month old, and her super sweet big sister were at the top of the list.  We had just endured a great roller coaster of stress and emotion, so the down time was a huge blessing.