He had lots of questions

A few days ago, I was cooking supper, and one of the "good" kids was at our house.  He peeked over my shoulder and asked me, "So what ya' cookin'?"  I told him and he said it sounded good.  He proceeded to ask me why I homeschooled my kids, how long have I homeschooled them, how long have we lived in this house, where did we live before that, why did we move, what kind of house was it, who bought it, how much did we sell it for,  and what did we do with all that money?

I answered each one as best as I could and told him that the Dick had fixed up our last house until it was almost perfect and now we needed to fix this house up.  

He looked around and said, "What is wrong with it?" 

I then pointed at the floor in the laundry room, the one coat of paint on the walls, the unpainted trim work, and explained that we wanted to redo the kitchen and the  bathroom cabinets.

He said, "Oh, I see."  Then he asked for a drink of water and a few minutes later he left.

Later that night, I was talking to another mother who told me  the boy I had talked to was recently living in a tent in the woods with his brother, his mother, and her boyfriend. And now they were living in an r. v.  

Now my conversation had so much more significance.  I was thinking that my house was inadequate and we need to get it fixed up as soon as possible and he wondered what was wrong with it.  Our house probably seemed like a mansion to him.  Something unattainable. 

My heart has been aching for him and so many other kids that I can not help.  I can not provide physical needs for all the kids that I meet, but I am determined  to point them to the One who can meet all their needs, no matter what this life brings them. They need more than anything the One who can do what no man can do, bring them into the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace and joy.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, by Deborah Hopkinson

I love any book I've read by Deborah Hopkinson.  The first one I read was Apples to Oregon.  I liked it so much, I searched for any other books by the same author.   So when I saw that our library had a new book by her, I couldn't wait to read it to my kids.  

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek is a historical fiction picture book, based on true events.  It is the tale of one of Lincoln's boyhood friends and how he saved Lincoln's  life.  It is funny and inspiring and it is in our library system.  Check it out!

People are always more important than things

A few weeks ago, one of our neighborhood boys was playing at our house.  He has adhd and was being particularly impulsive.  It seemed as if everything he touched either broke or was lost.  It was so bad, that even the kids didn't want to be around him.

He is one of those "good" kids that I have written about.  A person that I feel God has put in my life to fight for.  But this day, it was all I could do not to fight with him and tell him to leave my house.  He wasn't really doing anything bad, just so full of thoughtless energy.

So I left the house to get groceries and put Dick in charge of the kids.  

When I got home I found my kids playing with handmade puppets  with this boy.  He was making puppets for each  of them and they had made props and were having a grand time.

But, these puppets were made out of socks, and not just any socks.  They were our good socks.  The ones that had just come out of the wash, some of them brand new.  

So, I let them have it and of course every one pointed to the boy.  It was his fault.  I proceeded to ask him if he knew how much socks cost.  He said no.   I told him we did not have the money to be wasting the only good socks we have.  I reminded him that I had told him this before and he was not to ever do this again.  He said he was sorry as he handed Libby her freshly made puppet which she was thrilled with.

Later that night, it hit me.  I had put more value in those cheep socks, that maybe added up to $5 than in one of God's prized possessions, the crown of His creation. And really, it was a wholesome way for a 12 year old boy to spend his time.  I mean, I have seen him hanging around some pretty rough people and who knows what they do when no one's watching.

  I went to to boy and told him that I really liked to see them being creative.  So I was going to make a bag of socks for him to use the next time he wanted to make sock puppets and would he please use those socks instead of the first socks he sees.  He said yes and the next day in church, he told the whole children's church that I was going to give him a bag of socks to make puppets out of.  

And I was so glad that I did.

The Thoughtful Child

I am reading Emil and the Detectives to the kids.  Last week, a passage in the book really touched me, because it reminded me of my Levi.  

In the book, Emil is taking the train to his grandma's house.  On the way, a man steals the money he is supposed to take to his grandma.  He decides that he will catch the thief himself, and enlists the help of the local children.

One of the boys asks Emil about how he gets along with his mom.  Emil says she lets him stay out until 9, but he comes by 7 because he can't stand the thought of her eating by herself.  He says that she gives him money for a field trip and he always brings most of it back, because he knows how hard she works for the little money she has.  That is what reminded me on Levi.  He is thoughtful.

Then, we went to a birthday party on 80+ acres.  He asked me if he could go in the woods with some of the kids.  I said yes and when he got back he said, "Mom, did you know which woods I was talking about?  I was worried that you didn't know."

Later, he went with a group of kids to another part of the property.  About 15 kids piled into a Suburban with 1 adult.  When they reached their destination, everybody jumped out and Levi asked the adult, " Maybe we should get a head count."  The adult said, "That's a good idea."

Then when they took a group picture, Levi said, "I think now would be a good time for a head count."

I also heard that Levi was taking good care of Mandi the whole time, just like his dad told him to do before we left.  

I left the party, feeling proud of my "Thoughtful Child".

Horse back riding

Happy Birthday, Mandi!

Mandi and I made a  Peppermint Marble Angel Food Cake for her 7th birthday.

December Pictures

My sister, Nadia, at the park with us.

Levi and Noah at the park.
Cousin Katie with Mandi and Olivia

Cousins on Christmas Eve at our house.