Bible Bee

The older 3 children participated in the local Bible Bee yesterday.

2012 is the 4th year for the Bible Bee.

This was Jersey #1's 3rd year participating.  She was part of the 1st and the 3rd annual Bible Bee as well.   (The 2nd annual Bible Bee was in 2010, the year of Jersey #2's heart surgery, so we cut out most activities that year).

It was Jersey #2's 2nd year participating.

It was Jersey #3's 1st year participating.

Bible Bee 2009:

Bible Bee 2011:

Bible Bee 2012:

All 3 were in the Primary Division this year, which is for ages 7-10.  Technically, they were competing against each other.

Only, we did not do enough preparation and study to actually be competitive.  This summer was extremely busy for us.  It did not take long to get behind on the sword study and the verse memorization.  Before I knew it, we were WAY behind.  I tried to find bits of time to get the kids motivated to study for the Bible Bee, but that did not happen.  At one point, when the local director sent an email announcing the final date to withdraw from the bee, before the paperwork was all printed, I was tempted to quit.  I decided to stick it out, and told myself that we could still do well with some strong effort over these last two weeks.

That did not happen.  Our days were packed.  There was not enough time to focus, let alone cram.  All throughout this final week, I debated as to whether I should have the children participate and carry through with our commitment, or should I have them withdraw?

I wanted them to stick it out and give their best effort.

But, I did not want to push them into a situation where they would be so embarrassed by failure, that they had ill thoughts and feelings about studying the Bible.  

After many days of kicking myself for not letting it go earlier, and allowing us to get over-scheduled (again), I decided to just go with what we had.

I sat the kids down and had a talk.  I explained to them that in light of our extremely busy summer, I should not have insisted we also participate in the Bible Bee.  It was too much.  I admitted that I should have let go of that plan months ago, and taken the pressure off.  They were happy to hear that.

I then explained to them that it was too late to quit now, so we were going to go and participate.  We would go with the amount that was already studied, and let that be good enough.  I expected them to do their very best, with a happy heart.  I would not accept drama or grumpiness over their performance, or over getting competitive.  They agreed.

Next, I discussed a little deeper that ANY amount of study of the Bible is good.  ANY number of verses they memorized was a good thing.  We should not feel bad for the amount that was accomplished.  We should feel good for putting the effort into Bible study, because it is so very important.

But, I also explained that when it comes to competition and achievement, the level of effort, diligence, and preparation, are important.  If you want A's, you have to do A-quality work.  If you do C-quality work, you earn a C.  It is just that simple.

In the end, they were content to participate without the expectation of having to perform well.  We talked about how to handle the stress of not knowing the verses in the oral round, or not knowing the answers on the written test.  I anticipated that Jersey #3 would have some trouble with the actual reading and comprehending the written test, so I explained how to guess and select an answer on a multiple choice test anyway, instead of leaving it blank.  

I also told the children that I would not be signing us up for the Bible Bee next summer.  I was not going to require that of them.  

They all approached Bible Bee day with great enthusiasm.  The pressure was off, and they were going to have fun with the other kids.  They had a blast!

   

They had only memorized 20% of the list of verses, but they learned those so well that they received many points during the oral round.  Jersey #1 told me she was thankful I talked her into learning 1 more verse this week, because that verse was on the test, and she recited it well.

Jersey #3 was proud of himself for completing the written test quickly.  He did not really know many of the answers, but he was pleased to take a guess and fill in a bubble anyway.  

Jersey #2 took the whole thing in stride.

At the closing ceremony, the participants were given an opportunity to stand in front of the crowd and recite a verse.  My children declined that offer.  It was one of our agreements--I would not make them recite in front of the crowd at the end of the program.  They each took turns looking at me to see if I was going to make them recite, but I did not.  

Each participant received a medal, a certificate, and a goody bag.  It is fun to get things to take home at the end of a big day.

The participants who scored in the top 5, on the oral and written exams combined, received additional prizes.

Much to my absolute shock, all 3 of my children placed in the top 5!

They did WAY better than I ever expected of them.

At lunch, when Jersey #1 started calculating that she thought she could have earned 3rd place, I cautioned her to not expect to place this year.  She did not prepare well, and lost many points.

She earned 3rd place!

Jersey #3 earned 4th place.  

Jersey #2 earned 5th place.  She was initially upset that her younger brother scored higher than her.  I reminded her that in Bible Bee, points are lost when you repeat parts of the verse that you already said.  Right now, she is in a huge phase of repeating herself mid-sentence.  That carries over into her verse recitation as well.  It just doesn't have an effect during AWANA, like it does for Bible Bee. After she heard my explanation, she was no longer concerned over how her brother performed better.

As we talked about how each child did on their oral and written exams, I learned that although the children did not study all of the verses on the Bible Bee list, the ones they learned were recited accurately.  Even though they did not complete all of the components to the sword study, they all read the book of the Bible multiple times, and were familiar enough with the subject, to answer questions on the written exam.  (And, lucky for them, some of the other contestants were less prepared, or more nervous, or something).  

My fears that I was setting my children up for failure have been relieved.  I think we all learned some pretty good lessons through this experience.  I am most pleased with how joyfully my children participated in the Bee.

Now, they are talking about wanting to participate again next year...

Swimmer

When Jersey #1 was only 7 months old, I enrolled her in a parent/infant swimming class.  It was held in a therapy pool, which was nice and warm.  She loved it.

My Mom teased me, saying that I just could not wait to get my child signed up for activities.  

There was some truth to that.  I love sports and activities.

Jersey #1 is real social like her mother, and she always seems to enjoy the sports and activities too.

Unfortunately, as much as I love to play sports, I am not a natural athlete.  I am the player with "heart" (but not talent).  

After watching Jersey #1 participate in gymnastics, dance, soccer, and various other activities, I joked that she got her athletic prowess from her mother.  She really enjoyed herself, but she was not a natural athlete.  She does not run very fast, she is not very flexible or coordinated, and she is not bursting with energy.

When she first joined this competitive swim team, she was quite a beginner swimmer.  Her dive-start included her entering the water knees first.  She finished each race in last place.  It was a struggle for her to swim continuously during practice.  

I always encourage her to do her best, and to keep working to improve herself and not worry about how fast the other swimmers were swimming.  I remind her that everyone is blessed with strengths, but we are not all blessed with the same strengths.  It is good to be challenged and humbled, and to not always be great at everything we do.  We also talked about how important it was to remain active to be healthy and fit.  She enjoyed swimming and was really improving quickly.

Her competitive nature came alive the day she told me she was going to try to swim fast enough so that she did not finish in last place.  She reached that goal, and finished second-to-last in most of her events.  She was thrilled with that accomplishment.  I was thrilled right along with her.  She put her mind to something, and accomplished it.

A week later, she informed me that she was going to swim the individual medley event.  I was surprised.  I told her that event included swimming the butterfly stroke.  She nodded in agreement.  I asked, "Can you swim the fly?"  She nodded yes, and gave me a sly smile.  I could not contain my surprise,

"When did you learn to swim the fly?  I have taken you to every swim lesson you have ever had, and you  were not taught the butterfly stroke yet."

Jersey #1 just laughed at my surprise and my comment.  She explained that she had been practicing the dolphin kick during swim team practice, and was getting quite good at it.  She then just had to learn how to pull her arms up out of the water, in rhythm with the kick.  It all made sense to her, but it left me speechless.

Sure enough, she swam the butterfly in that meet.

      

And then there was talk about moving her up a lane in practice.  The way the swim team works, the kids practice in a specific lane, with a specific coach, based on swimming ability.  They compete in meets  based on age category.  Jersey #1 was in the 2nd lane for practice, and the coach of the 3rd lane thought it was time to move her up now that she could swim the fly.

And then, she finally figured out how to dive start from the side of the pool...

And then, she won first place in her heat for the 50 Freestyle.  She even swam faster than another swimmer on her team who had much more experience.  It was quite a shock to me, as well as to that other swimmer.  

She moved up to the next lane in practice, even though there were only a few weeks left of the swim season.  Jersey #1 was quite pleased and started working even harder.

The following meet, the head coach caught sight of her swimming, and went running over to the side of the pool near her lane.  I overheard his conversation with her new lane coach.

Head Coach:  "Is that Jersey #1?"

Lane Coach:  (with a chuckle) "Yes."

Head Coach:  "She can swim the fly?"  (He could not contain his excitement at this discovery).

Lane Coach:  "Yes.  And, I just got her in my lane this week and haven't even started working on her fly yet."  They both looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces.  They were seeing stars.  

Their conversation ended right there, as the head coach followed Jersey #1 up and down the pool, as she swam her event.  He cheered her on the entire time, and then praised her highly at the end.

I was taking pictures nearby.  Her Lane Coach approached me and explained that she moved Jersey #1 up a lane for practices because she thought she needed more of a challenge.  I was speechless.  All I could say was that she has really come a long way, in such a short amount of time.

I kept saying that she was really strong-minded.  She has such determination to keep working diligently in practice, and giving her best, to improve her times.  Considering she is a pretty compliant child, and not strong-willed, I have been impressed with the strength of her determination with swim team.  

Another swim team parent pointed out to me that Jersey #1 was also showing great physical strength.  She was training her muscles, and developing the body of a swimmer.  Her strokes looked good, and her body was streamlined in the pool.  I had not really considered that she had such physical ability.  I was thinking she was just putting her mind to doing something, and so she was accomplishing it.

During last weekend's meet, she won 1st place in her heat, for 3 separate events.  She was so proud of herself that she was walking on air!  

She had a moment of disappointment when she realized she was in heat 2, and that the faster swimmers are placed in heat 1 even before the meet begins.  So, she was the fastest swimmer in heat 2, but not the fastest swimmer in those events.  

Then, I reminded her that in 2 months time, she has gone from being the last place swimmer in heat 2, to being the first place swimmer in heat 2!  That is quite an accomplishment for such a short amount of time.  As she ran through that math, she swelled with pride all over again.   

That other swim team parent approached her during that meet and praised her highly for the way she swam an event.  That parent was a former swimmer, and she really had a lot of complements about Jersey #1's form, speed, and ability.  I stood there with my jaw dropped open, and Jersey #1 was quite stunned too.  Those were some serious compliments being bestowed upon my daughter.

That was when I realized that I could no longer joke that my daughter has the athletic prowess of her mother.

Apparently, my daughter actually has some athletic prowess.  

She is a swimmer.

She has passion, determination, and physical ability.

She is an athlete.

She has found her sport.

And, she trains to win.

   

Hanging Up the Washing

My dryer went on the fritz, and left me with a huge mountain of dirty laundry.

I'm talking a very tall mountain.  Sheets, blankets, and towels galore!

We have been swimming for the past 2 weeks, in addition to the fact that I have some bed-wetters.  Add that to the fact that it took me a few days to realize the dryer really wasn't functioning properly.

(Ok, when the mountain of laundry grew taller than the counter, and started blocking the back door, I had to admit there was a problem here.)

So, today I rigged a quick clothesline with some rope, across the window bars in front of our house.  The front of the house gets a tremendous amount of sun and heat.  The backyard has dogs who would love to pull down the laundry and chew on it for sport.  

I started washing load after load of laundry.  I would wash and hang 2 loads of linens for every 1 load of clothing.  The clothing went into the dryer and spun for an absurd length of time before it would dry.  

The response to my situation has had me entertained all day long.

One friend recommended a laundromat.  

Two friends offered to let me come to their house and use their laundry appliances.  I have the sweetest friends.

My Pastor reminded me that there is a washer and dryer at the church that I could use.  That did give me an idea for how I could keep us in jean shorts, if it takes to long to remedy my dryer situation.

One friend offered to take a look at the dryer and see if he can fix it.

My husband offered to research the make and model to see if there are some easy ideas for how to fix it. (Neither of us are very handy at such things.  I had already tried cleaning out the vent hose, and some easy things, that were of no help).

My Mom mentioned that she was surprised that her daughters even had clothespins.  I had to confess that I did not actually own clothespins, so I was just draping the linens over the rope.  (Then again, I did not even have clothes line, so I was using a rope that was used to hang the pinata at the most recent birthday party.)  I have never actually had to live out the life of my poor Southern roots.....before today.  

As we were returning home from swim lessons this morning, I mentioned to the kids that since our dryer was not working properly, I was going to hang a clothesline and do laundry the old fashioned way.

Jersey #1 looked at me very puzzled and asked, "You are going to wash the laundry in a lake?"

Um, no.  The washer works fine, and we do not have a lake.

Jersey #2 asked, "Are you going to make your own butter too?"

I just started laughing.

I suppose when they think of "old fashioned," they are thinking Little House on the Prairie, or colonial American Girl stories.  

Jersey #3 inspired me with his enthusiasm about the situation.  He seems to look at the world with eyes for adventure and fun.  He offered to help me hang towels.  He excitedly announced when things were dry.  He repeatedly said, "This is SO COOL!"  

He even stood between rows of blankets and towels and jumped out at me as I walked past.  He giggled at my response, and then said that hanging laundry outside makes a great place to play hide and go seek.  

Growing Out Bangs

Jersey #1 has decided that she no longer wants bangs.  She wants to grow them out.  Apparently, this is the current style.  Most of her friends, and her older cousin, have long bangs to the side, or are growing them out completley.  I had no idea the trend had changed.

I think bangs look good on her....and usually look good on most little girls.  Bangs certainly looked good on Jersey #1 as a little girl...  

But, she is growing up now, and wants a say in her hairstyle.  I am Ok with that.

But, I am NOT OK with hair in the face.

I cannot stand to look at hair in the eyes.

I can't stand my own hair in my own eyes.  I keep my kids' hair cut away from their eyes.  I can't even get a sheepdog for a pet, because I would not be able to see hair in a dog's eyes either.  

Colored hair, tattoos, or whatever the teen cultural trend moves toward, does not trouble me near as much as hair in the eyes.  I am prepared to go round and round in battle with my children, just to keep their hair out of their eyes.  I can't handle it.

I am too sensitive when it comes to eyes.  My eyes water any time I see someone cry.  It can be in real life or a movie, and I will still tear up.  I can't have contact lenses, because there is no way I am putting my fingers....or a lens....near my eyes.  I can't even watch other people mess with their contacts, without it causing me to cry.  If I am speaking to a person who has longer hair in their face, near or covering their eyes, it takes all of my strength to look at them to make polite conversation....but it is very brief, and I have to turn away before the tears fall.  I hope I never have to witness an eye injury, as I am sure to pass out.  The thought makes me shiver.  

So, I told Jersey #1 that she could grow out her bangs, ONLY IF she kept them out of her eyes.

At first, she laughed at my request, and brushed it off.  She had no idea just how serious I was.

She now knows I mean business. 

We go round and round about those growing bangs in her eyes.  They do not bother her.  She thinks it is funny that they bother me.  Thankfully, she is a compliant enough child that she is not going to make this a battleground issue.  She just laughs and shrugs, and gets a hair clip or a headband each time I say something.

One time, I made her get out of the van, and return to the house to get something to put her bangs back.  That was when she realized just how serious I was about this issue.  We were running late, and I had already locked the house.  She was stunned when I got back out of the van to unlock the house so she could grab a hair clip.  From that point forward, she does not forget to clip back her bangs.

At church this week, I made a comment about her growing out her bangs, and how much it stresses me out to see hair in the eyes.  A friend jumped right up and said she would show us how to manage growing bangs.  Her actions were incredible!  I had no idea such a cool trick existed.

Even looking at this starting picture makes me want to cry...

Take a section of bangs on one side, and twist...

Grab the next section of bangs and twist it in with the first.  This is very similar to the idea of a French braid, only it is twisting the hair instead of braiding it.  Adding a section at a time to the main twist is what keeps it together and looks like a cute style (so much cuter than a unicorn-looking ponytail in the front of the head).

Continue twisting in a section at a time, until you get all the way across the forehead.  Clip the end to the side of the head with a bobby pin.  Insert the pin in one direction, then turn it and slide it up a perpendicular direction, to have it hold real firm.

THIS is a hairstyle I can totally embrace while still allowing my daughter to have the independence of growing out her bangs.  My friend has no idea just how much she has solved a major Mother---preteen Daughter battle, with a win-win solution...

Bible Bee

Our box has arrived!

We have 3 kids signed up to participate in the 4th annual Bible Bee!

All 3 are in the Primary age division.  Siblings will be competing against each other.

That isn't really much of an issue, because competition is not the reason we participate in the Bible Bee.  It is a great way for me to teach my children about daily Bible study, and delving deeper into God's Word.  

The Bible Bee organizes a 10-week Bible study for families to go through together.  In addition to the study, there are Bible verses to memorize.  When the local bee takes place in August, the children take a written test about the Bible study, in addition to oral rounds of reciting the Bible verses.  

This is our family's 3rd year of participating in the Bible Bee.  Jersey #1 participated in the 1st Bible Bee. She was only 7 years old, the youngest age allowed to participate.  The whole thing was very overwhelming for her.  We had no clue how to prepare, or what to expect.  We did not spend much time studying, and she hardly knew any answers.  

We skipped the 2nd Bible Bee, because Jersey #2 was having heart surgery, and we just did not participate in many activities at that time.  

Last year, for the 3rd annual Bible Bee, both Jersey #1 and Jersey #2 participated.  The local bee was held at our own church, so I signed the girls up.  Jersey #1 did not want to do it.  She was still traumatized by the first experience.  That year, there was an option to do a non-competitive track, so we went that route.  On the non-competitive track, there was no pressure to try to score high enough to be invited to the National Bee.  Jersey #1 preferred the lack of pressure, and did very well.  Jersey #2 had a blast.

This year, Jersey #1 started out by telling me she did not want to participate.  I made an agreement with her that she had to join in this year while she was still in the "primary" division, but would not have to sign up next year when she would go into the "Juniors" category.  The workload increases significantly then.  Jersey #1 is highly competitive and does not enjoy activities where she is not naturally going to win.  Knowing this, I am requiring her to participate in some activities that are more humbling.  Everyone has room to grow.  Jersey #2 was excited to participate again.  Jersey #3 is now 7 and old enough to participate.  He is thrilled to join in with his sisters.

Much to my surprise, Jersey #1 has changed her tune by the time the box of goodies arrived in the mail.  She is now looking forward to the Bible Bee.  She even asked if she had to wait on her siblings to begin the Sword Study, or could she start on her own.  I am pleased with her enthusiasm.   

The box of goodies was really neat.  Each participant received a T-shirt and button, a new Bible, the study, and a stack of memory verse cards.  Let the studious fun begin...

Junior Volunteer

This summer, Jersey #1 is getting the opportunity to be a Junior Volunteer at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.

She is thrilled.  This is a dream come true for her.

Jersey #1 loves horses.  

Last summer, when we would visit the Ranch, Jersey #1 would admire the teens and tweens who were working as Junior Volunteers.  She told me that she wanted to know what it took to be a volunteer too.  We asked Cowboy Max about the requirements.  When he mentioned "maturity" as the first requirement, I could sense Jersey #1 perk up.  She has always been described as mature, so she knew she had what it took.  She just needed to have another birthday to be old enough for the program.  She even asked for cowboy boots for her birthday present.

I told her she also had to work on her attitude.  She had to expand her attitude to have a "servant's heart," and be willing to cheerfully help others.  I suggested she had to demonstrate this improved attitude at home, before I would allow her to volunteer at the Ranch.  Her determination was incredible.  She made a point to be more helpful at home, to assist her younger siblings without asking, and to complete chores and instruction without complaining.  By the time the Ranch opened, Jersey #1 was an entirely new kid, who hardly ever complains anymore. 

Part of her experience as Junior Volunteer has been to work with a group of kids who are visiting the ranch.  She goes through each station with them, and helps them enjoy the activities.  Part of her duties include chores around the Ranch.  No matter what is asked of her, she always tells me her work time at the Ranch was awesome.

In order to train the Junior Volunteers to assist the Ranch in a uniform manner, Cowboy Max has been holding training sessions.  Jersey #1 is learning so many cool things.  She is learning to catch a horse, lead it, groom it, put on a saddle and harness, and fit helmets on the kids.  She has received a couple opportunities to ride, where she had to practice an emergency dismount.  I was not expecting this, so it was a shock to look up and see her jumping off of a moving horse!  The adult volunteers who are training the Junior Volunteers in advanced horsemanship are really amazing instructors.  I am learning so much, just from standing near them to take pictures.  Jersey #1 is learning so much that she is all smiles when she talks about the Ranch.