Lazy Day

It is so extremely rare for us to have a lazy day, but today was that day for the kids and I.  Eric worked today because he's taking Monday off, so we missed him, but we still had a nice, lazy day.  We watched entirely too much television, ate junk food, and, most importantly, cuddled all day.  I can't remember the last time we did something like this, and it was so nice.  Everyone needs a break now and then.

I'm feeling so refreshed because of this.  My recommendation to all of you reading this is that you take a lazy day as well.  Our pastor is doing a series on how to reduce stress, and one of the things he suggested was making sure that you have a regularly established day of rest.  Sunday is ideal, of course, but it worked out to be today for us.  When we miss our day of rest, we feel it for the entire week, so I truly do recommend that you try establishing a day of rest.  Besides being Biblical, it just plain feels good.  And you don't have to feel guilty about it because it is Biblical!  Don't let the world push you into being too busy.  Trust God to help you get everything done, and rest once in a while.

If God created the entire world in 6 days, then I think I should be able to meet all my responsibilities in 6 days as well.  What I'm doing doesn't compare to creating an entire universe.

So...go from here and get some much needed R&R.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

I adore listening to the sound of my children laughing.  It brings a smile to my face every time I hear their little giggles.  When they are laughing together and having a great time, that is even better!  After the week we have had, hearing them laughing right now is truly a blessing.  We have definitely had to navigate some rough curves in the road this week.  Most of these rough curves were caused by one main element:  busy-ness.

Busy-ness leads to exhaustion which leads to poorly behaved children and a cranky mommy which leads to a rough school time.  This is another time when homeschooling becomes a true blessing.  If Lukas had spent his days in a conventional classroom this week, I seriously doubt much learning would have taken place in his little mind, but since we were home and able to plan our days to accomodate bad attitudes, frustrating tasks(they shouldn't have been frustrating, but were because of his generally bad attitude), and sleepiness, much learning took place.  We were doing sight words during lunch and reading in the evening at times, but I know that he retained what he needed to, which is what is important.

Ava has also had a little trouble this week.  She has decided to try to skip her nap each day, and each time she manages to do so ends in a frustrating day for all of us.  However, she has been accident free again today, which is amazing.  We'll soon be entering a diaper-free universe!  Woo hoo!

I have also been tired this week, which makes dealing with cranky children all the more difficult, but we have managed.  And now that I hear them playing together and laughing their little heads off, I have to say that I have nothing to complain about.  My children bring me joy, and I thank God for them each and every day.

Oh...I must end with this funny story...

Last week Eric was mowing the lawn with both kids in tow.  They were "helping" him, of course.  Eric found an earthworm on the ground and showed it to the kids.  Ava proceeded to pick up the worm (after asking for permission) and then carried it around for 10 minutes.  The humorous part of this story is that Lukas wouldn't touch the worm or get close enough to it to even really get a good look at it.  Ava kept chasing him around the yard saying, "Lucious!  Look at the worm!  Is justa worm Lucious!  Touch it!  Touch it!"  He ran around the yard screaming his little head off because he did not want to have anything to do with the worm.  This entire incident is completely opposite of what anyone would expect, I know, which is what made it truly humorous to us.

In re-reading this entry, I can see that my thoughts don't necessarily go together, but that makes sense with the week I've had.  I hope you've enjoyed this entry anyway!

Adding Links

I'm still working out the kinks of my blog, and today I took some time to add a few links to some favorite websites and some favorite people.  If you have a blog, and I did not list it, it is because I accidentally deleted it from my favorites list.  Please send your blog link to me again!  I used to read some of your blogs regularly, and now I can't seem to find them.  We are becoming avid blog readers, so we would love for you to feed our newest addiction!  Thanks everyone! Let me add that I didn't add blog info under friends because, for some reason, I can't add anyone under that heading unless they blog through Homeschoolblogger.com.  I don't know if I'm missing something or if that's the way it is.  I could be totally clueless, and I am the first to admit this, so feel free to chime in!  LOL

Deep Thoughts by Eric

Hey all, this is Eric writing today.  I just wanted to share some thoughts with you that came to mind the other day. One day last week my family and I went to Dairy Queen for dinner.  After dinner, of course, we got ice cream.  I ended up getting one of my favorites, a banana split blizzard.  This just happened to remind me  of a testimony I once shared at a Chorale concert several years ago.  I was asked to give a testimony that would be positive and uplifting during a concert.  I thought and thought about what I would say.  I kept drawing a blank.  Finallly, the Lord laid on my heart the most unique testimony I think I have ever given in my entire life, even to date (and I worked as a children's pastor and have done some pretty crazy things with them.)  Here is what the Lord laid on my heart. On the way to the concert, the Chorale stopped at a Dairy Queen.  I got a Banana Split Blizzard.  If you think about the ingredients of this frozen delight, there are many things.  You have bananas, strawberries, chocolate, pineappe, and vanilla ice cream.Each of these individual ingredients represent the many different people in the world, their races, personalities, etc.  But if you notice one thing that the ingredients all have in common.  They are all held together by the vanilla ice cream.  Who does the vanilla ice cream represent you ask?  It represents God.  He is the creator of all of us.  Without him we wouldn't exist.  He is the one common denominator that we are all searching for to fill the void in our hearts. As I sit and type this blog, a revision to this testimony has been laid upon my heart.  The ingredients still represent the people of the world and the vanilla ice cream represents the world in which we live.  All of which are God's creation.  You ask, "Where is God in all of this?"  He is there.  Unseen.  Without Him we wouldn't exist.  "Who represents God in this frozen testimony?"  The long awaited answer is here.  The DQ employee who made the delectible dessert. I hope this has touched your hearts.  I can't say warmed your hearts because it is about ice cream, however I do hope you see the spiritual application of the Banana Split Blizzard.

T is for Toddler

Today at exactly 1:00 PM Eastern-Standard time, Toddler Naptime War was declared at the the McEvoy household.  Here is a run-down of each battle.

1.  One Tired Toddler proceeded to go upstairs, use the potty, and then walked into Mommy's room to jump on the bed.  Mommy then proceeded to pick her up, carry her to her own bedroom and place her in her own bed. 

Battle Number One...Mommy 1, Toddler 0  

2.  After receiving several kisses, hugs, and a few kind words directing her to stay in bed, One Tricky Toddler waited until Mommy was in the shower to climb out of bed.  During the 20 long minutes that Mommy enjoyed a nice, hot shower all by herself,  Tricky Toddler proceeded to terrorize her bedroom and jump on her bed until she heard the bathroom door open.  She then jumped into bed, covered her head, and pretended she was sleeping until Mommy uncovered her head, lectured her, and tucked her snuggly back into bed.

Battle Number Two...Mommy 2, Toddler 1 (at least I got to take a long shower alone, so we'll call it a tie)

3.  A new tactic was used by Mommy.  While this Theatrical Toddler was playing in her bedroom, Mommy completely ignored the situation until big brother woke up from his nap.  Mommy then proceeded to allow big brother to come downstairs while telling the Theatrical toddler that she had to stay in her room. 

Battle Number Three...Mommy 3, Toddler 1

4.  Tantruming Toddler began to howl and cry until Mommy came upstairs and picked her up for another talk. 

Battle Number Four...Mommy 3, Toddler 2

5.  Mommy carried her now Tickled Pink Toddler to Mommy's bedroom where they both layed down together.  Mommy closed her eyes tightly pretending to sleep.  Toddler began singing "Jesus Loves Me" while stroking Mommy's hair.  Toddler then started squeezing Mommy's nose, pulling on Mommy's eyelids to get them to open, patting Mommy's cheeks, kicking Mommy's tummy, and rolling back and forth and up and down the bed for half an hour. (Go ahead and laugh at this part)

Battle Number Five...Mommy 3, Toddler 3

Regardless of the tie score,   I think it is obvious who won this war.  Unfortunately, this  Triumphant Toddler is now very tired and tempermental, and she meets all the criteria used to identify a child as a member of the "Terrible Twos."  Oh well, we still think she's a pretty Terrific Toddler. 

Random Thoughts and a Little Venting

1.  Today's school time might as well have never started.  Because math didn't go well again, phonics didn't go well...and neither did Bible, art, history, etc...  He just wanted to be done for the day.  We managed to finish everything that was planned for the day, but we had to do a lot of reviewing throughout the afternoon and evening to make sure that some learning actually took place.

2.  Lukas is completely convinced that he cannot read the words "rock" or "sock" because they have a "k" on the end.  If the words were simply "roc" and "soc", then he would have no problem.  The English language stinks.

3.  I feel like I have to do this homeschooling thing completely on my own without help from anyone else.  It's frustrating.  So many people are anti-homeschooling, and others just don't understand it.  I know many people who are supportive, but I still feel all alone.  I really could use some advice on how to teach "3 is 2 less than 5."  Anyone?

4.  Potty training during the first month of homeschooling stinks...both literally and figuratively.

5.  My kids have the concept of taking turns down so well that I cringe every time I hear "It's my turn now" followed by complaining from the other child.

6.  I am incredibly thankful for many things, my husband and my children, of course, and the opportunity I have to stay home with my precious little ones.  But today...I am very thankful that I have a ladies retreat this weekend.  I am looking forward to some spiritual and physical refreshment!

7.  I knew my house would not be as clean once we started homeschooling, but I must confess that, while we all have clean laundry, I don't think anything has been folded in almost 2 weeks.  Shhhh!

8.  My children love each other so much, and I love to watch them play together.  Today they played hide-and-seek in the back yard over and over again, and I laughed every single time they each hid in the exact same spot.

So that is all I have to offer you today.  Maybe I'll have something more profound to share after the women's conference.  I'll let you know if I do, of course. 

Appalling Video Footage

It is rare for me to get up in arms enough over something that I take action, but I am truly appalled by the Madonna video that NBC is planning to air in November.  For those of you who haven't heard, the Madonna concert that is scheduled to air will include a scene in which Madonna wears a crown of thorns and is actually on a lit-up cross.  She and NBC call this mockery of the crucifixion the highlight of the show.

I know that Madonna has never been someone that anyone should look to as a moral compass, but this type of religious mockery is completely out of line.  It is disgusting, and it is hurtful to anyone who believes in the truth of the Gospel.  It breaks my heart to know that someone could take something so beautiful and mock it for the entire world to see.

I don't even know what else to say, but here is a link at which you can view a brief excerpt from this concert and get more information:

http://tinyurl.com/z88un

If you are moved by this as much as I was, then I do hope you take some type of action to prevent this concert from airing.  Every little thing we do makes a difference for the kingdom.

Jack Hannah's Fall Fest

My sister Cassie and her two beautiful children, Zackery and Maia, joined us for a day at the Columbus Zoo.  Cassie was delighted to see Jack Hannah, though we missed him by a few minutes.  The kids had a terrific time, and so did we.  When it comes to zoos, I am a kid at heart.  Today was a perfect day for the zoo.  The weather was great, and the animals were entertaining.    I'm a photo fanatic, so of course I am posting a link to photos!  Here it is:

http://tinyurl.com/gqx3q

Enjoy!

I Love Ebay

Ebay is my friend!  I have made a few purchases here and there and always felt like I got a good deal, but tonight, I made money!  I'm so excited that I had to share!

I listed a lot of 21 items that had been Lukas' from last fall/winter.  They don't fit him anymore, obviously.  I was hoping to get between $1-2 per item, but that is not the case this time.  God has truly blessed us with a sale that is almost double of what I was hoping for.  Once again, we have been given an unexpected blessing.

Personally, I would not have paid what this person paid for 21 items of used clothing.  I don't even think she got a great deal.  I almost feel guilty, but it isn't my fault that this person bid so high.    I will say that Lukas takes very good care of his clothes.  He has never liked getting messy, so if he gets a spot on his clothes, he takes it off immediately so that I can treat the stain.  They are in great shape because of this.  Anyway...

I think I may have ebay fever now.  I've never had a sale this great before.  Anyone have anything for me to sell? 

I love ebay!

Praise Him with the Strings!

That is...the strings of the piano!  I don't have much time right now, but I absolutely cannot wait to write about this.  Two days ago I went to a music store to purchase piano books to start teaching Lukas piano lessons.  He has been begging to take lessons for at least six months, and we decided that I can teach him the basics this year and get him started with a "real" piano teacher next fall.

Anyway...while at the store staring at several gorgeous pianos, I couldn't help but think about the fact that all we own is a keyboard.  No weighted keys.  No pedals  No 88 beautiful ebony and ivories.  However, God reminded me to be grateful for this keyboard.  It has helped me teach many lessons, practice during my college and post-college years, and just been lots of fun to have. 

At any rate, I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to teach my son to properly play the piano on a keyboard.  I know there is no way that we will be able to purchase a piano in the near future, so if we were going to have a piano in time for Lukas to start with a "real" piano teacher next fall, it was going to take a lot of prayer.  I have been praying about this for two days at this point.

Let me pause in this story for a moment to take a short tangent.  In the past I have found myself selfishly wondering "When will God bless us with..."  fill in the blank.  Why doesn't he give us blessings on our time table?  I guess we can never know that answer this side of heaven, but we can always count on God's infinite wisdom to give us exactly what we need exactly when we need it.  I am so thankful for that.  I can't imagine having to trust myself with such a task.  I'd have everything I ever wanted yesterday!

So back to my original story...my personal timeline for getting a piano was twelve months from now, eleven would be better, but twelve would be fine.  God had a different plan, and it is a plan that actually brought me to tears this morning.  Our pastor's wife called and asked if we had a piano because someone would like to donate an upright piano to anyone in the church who would like to have it.  Now remember, I have only been praying about this for two days!  God has answered my prayer faster than I ever imagined He would.  We aren't going to get a piano in September of 2007.  We're getting a piano now!

I'm still tearing up thinking about how wonderful our God is.  He cares about the little things in our lives more than we can ever know.  Could Lukas have learned the basics on our keyboard?  Of course he could have, but he'll be able to learn them even better on the real thing.    I think I will be telling everyone about this for a very long time!  Praise God with the strings of the piano!

A Hiking We Will Go

It was a gorgeous, late summer day today, so we packed a picnic and headed to Batelle-Darby Creek Park after church.  We found a hiking trail that was just over half a mile long, which was perfect for our kids, and we headed out on a wooded adventure.  Even though the trail was short, Ava still ended up tuckering out and spending about a third of the hike on Daddy's shoulders, and Lukas had to spend the last 10 minutes of our journey complaining that no one was carrying him on their shoulders and he was "tiiiiiiirrrrrrrd of waaaaaalkiiiiing."  They survived and had a great time!

Chirp, Chirp

This morning as we were trying to accomplish getting our school work completed, we kept hearing the chirp of a cricket.  I had the window open in the family room, so I assumed it was outside, but Lukas repeatedly insisted that the cricket was on the other side of the room.  After about 45 minutes of him insisting that the cricket was inside the house and that it was annoying him, I finally agreed with him.  After I agreed that the cricket was indeed in the family room, he never mentioned it again.  I guess it wasn't annoying him as much as I was. 

I was reflecting on the situation with the cricket and Lukas when God redirected my thoughts.  The cricket spends its time calling over and over again hoping that a mate will find him.  It's very much the same way with God.  He spends our lives calling out to us in the little things and in the big things.  He's just waiting for each of us to find Him and answer His call. 

It's so comforting to know that I am married to a wonderful Christian man who has answered God's call, and my precious little boy has answered Him as well.  How sweet it is to know that we'll all be together for eternity.  I am truly a blessed woman.

Lukas Turned 5

We've been out celebrating with Lukas this evening.  Today was his fifth birthday, and he wanted to go to Build-a-Bear, which is something I thought I would never do.  It was tons of fun, and he is loving his new pal, Fred the Monkey.  He had so much fun choosing his stuffed animal and having it made, and he is still enjoying it.  Lukas and Fred are tucked safely into bed together for the night, and now we are going to take a few moments of relaxation.

I created a new smilebox of birthday photos.  Enjoy them!  Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/zrxug

Mmmmmdrrrrr

"Mmmmdrrrr."  This is the "word" Lukas read this morning.  It fascinates me that as soon as I taught him how letters blend together to create words, he immediately started reading.  The sounds he is working on this week are m, d, and r (I'll bet you couldn't have guessed that).  I had to explain to him three times that I only wanted him to read each individual sound.  After that he got to read some real words.  He learned to read several new words today, including Mom and Dad(these are the most important words you know).  I was so proud of him!  He didn't even hesitate.

So I figure that some of you probably want me to write about something besides my children now and then, and I promise you that I will do that from time to time.  But...I will also use this blog as a place to brag about my kiddos more often than I should.  I'm guilty as charged; I am a proud mommy.    Afterall, my baby is learning to read!  Can you believe that?  I surely can't.   The time flies so quickly!  I think that bragging about them helps me to treasure each special moment a little more, so I hope you can humor me by reading about our two precious kiddos from time to time.

Our Smilebox

We've just discovered a new website that we'd like to share with everyone.  Go to this link:

http://tinyurl.com/jp2a3

It should take you to a slideshow of our first week of school at smilebox.com.  It's easy to use.  You'll love it!

The Perfect Latte

I had to go to the 24 Hour CVS tonight to pick up a couple of prescriptions.  CVS happens to be right across the street from Starbucks, and they have conveniently provided all coffee lovers with drive-up service at this location.  I don't know why, but somehow I am able to smell my decaf nonfat vanilla latte with whip as soon as I get off the highway.  So every time I go to the grocery store, pharmacy, and even the chiropractor, I have to fight the urge to spend my pocket money on the perfect latte. 

Sometimes it's easy because the kids are with me begging to go to Tim Hortons.  "Mom, please can we get a doughnut?"  "No, mommy can't have a doughnut, and neither can you."  "Then what can I get at the coffee place."  "Nothing."  "Why can't I get something?  I want a doughnut."  "Me too!  I get a doughnut."  "NO ONE is getting a doughnut."  "But why not?"  "Do you have any money?"  "No."  "Then that's why you aren't having a doughnut."  If I don't want to go through this, I just skip the coffee and save the cash for another day.

Tonight I was actually alone, a rare thing for a young mom, so I gave in and ordered my aromatic decaf nonfat vanilla latte with whip and enjoyed every last sip.  Sometimes I can't decide if it's the aroma or the taste I like better.  This sweet, vanilla latte was perfect tonight.  It smelled great, and it tasted even better, but most importantly, I was able to treasure a few moments alone with a latte and God.  The time was short, but the time was the sweetest part of my day.

A Monster Truck Birthday

We celebrated Lukas' 5th birthday today.  His actual birthday is coming up on Wednesday.  We nearly had to cancel the party when both kids ended up with fevers!  As of this morning, Lukas was running a fever of 102 degrees, but the fever broke by mid-morning.  We called everyone to let them know, but most of our family came anyway.  It was such a blessing to have them all here.

The highlight of the party for Lukas was his new bicycle that he received from Grandma and Grandpa McEvoy.  He was definitely ready for a larger bicycle, so this was surely a blessing!  He asked everyone to come out front to watch him ride up and down the sidewalk.  I can't even describe how special it is to be able to share his birthday with family.  All I could do was smile as I watched his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all watching him ride his new, neon green, Mongoose bike.  Living so far away for so long has definitely taught us to appreciate the closeness of our family.

Another highlight of my day was our church service this morning.  Our church is planting a new church on Grandview Avenue in Columbus.  There was a phenomenal turn-out this morning as both churches were meeting together.  We took communion, which is always a sweet time for me.  I'm excited to see the new church grow and develop in the coming months and years.  I will say that it was odd to be at church without my family.  As soon as I got out of the van, someone stopped me to ask where they were.  Flying solo was definitely a new thing for me.  I don't know any mom who has much time to herself, so being alone was definitely an unusual, but peaceful time for me.

I would like to post pictures of the party, but, from what I can tell, I can only post two pictures at a time on my blog.  I'll leave the school pics on here for a while and post some others another time.  In the meantime, those of you on my mailing list will get some pictures via e-mail.  Enjoy!

The Daily McBlog

It's time for the McEvoy family to enter the world of blogging.  We've been talking about it for months, and we're finally getting started!  I don't know that the blog will definitely have daily entries, but the name of our family blog is "The Daily McBlog."  We hope you enjoy this window into our lives!

Some of you may know that we have just completed our first week of homeschooling Lukas.  I am thrilled to say that week one has been a tremendous success.  Lukas has always loved learning, and that desire for knowledge has been shining through his strong-willed temperment all week.  He is learning to read, working on writing, math, history, science, art, and, of course, we could never leave music out of the mix!  It has been a fun-filled, educational week.

Ava has joined us each day for school time.  She has been doing some of the art projects with us and practicing her coloring skills.  Her favorite part of school is calendar time where we learn about the days of the week and months of the year. 

Homeschooling is even better than I thought it was going to be.  I can't even describe the feeling I get when Lukas the little lightbulb flashes in Lukas' mind when he learns something new and gets excited.  It brings joy to my heart and peace to my sould to know that he is doing so well and loving learning just as I do.  Our hope is to instill a life-long love of learning into our children's minds.  Afterall, there is always more to learn!

In other news, since we have moved to Ohio, we have very much enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  We have been able to visit with our family almost every week, which has been an incredible blessing.  God has been so good to us since we have been here.  The blessing that He has poured out upon us have truly been never-ending!

We have also been blessed to become a part of an outstanding church.  You can check out the web-site at http://www.crosslinkchurch.com/Epoxy.html.  The name of the church is Crosslink Community Church.  Tomorrow is a big day for our church because we're planting a new church.  It is so exciting to be a part of an active, growing ministry.  Our pastor and his wife are Jesse and Aimee Pratt, who we attended college with at Indiana Wesleyan.  We're very much enjoying getting to know them and their two children, who are around the same age as our two little angels.

That's about all that I have time to write today.  Please feel free to stop by any time and read about us.  We'll try to update this regularly so that you can keep up with the latest news about us!

The Daily McBlog

It's time for the McEvoy family to enter the world of blogging.  We've been talking about it for months, and we're finally getting started!  I don't know that the blog will definitely have daily entries, but the name of our family blog is "The Daily McBlog."  We hope you enjoy this window into our lives!

Some of you may know that we have just completed our first week of homeschooling Lukas.  I am thrilled to say that week one has been a tremendous success.  Lukas has always loved learning, and that desire for knowledge has been shining through his strong-willed temperment all week.  He is learning to read, working on writing, math, history, science, art, and, of course, we could never leave music out of the mix!  It has been a fun-filled, educational week.

Ava has joined us each day for school time.  She has been doing some of the art projects with us and practicing her coloring skills.  Her favorite part of school is calendar time where we learn about the days of the week and months of the year. 

Homeschooling is even better than I thought it was going to be.  I can't even describe the feeling I get when Lukas the little lightbulb flashes in Lukas' mind when he learns something new and gets excited.  It brings joy to my heart and peace to my sould to know that he is doing so well and loving learning just as I do.  Our hope is to instill a life-long love of learning into our children's minds.  Afterall, there is always more to learn!

In other news, since we have moved to Ohio, we have very much enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  We have been able to visit with our family almost every week, which has been an incredible blessing.  God has been so good to us since we have been here.  The blessing that He has poured out upon us have truly been never-ending!

We have also been blessed to become a part of an outstanding church.  You can check out the web-site at http://www.crosslinkchurch.com/Epoxy.html.  The name of the church is Crosslink Community Church.  Tomorrow is a big day for our church because we're planting a new church.  It is so exciting to be a part of an active, growing ministry.  Our pastor and his wife are Jesse and Aimee Pratt, who we attended college with at Indiana Wesleyan.  We're very much enjoying getting to know them and their two children, who are around the same age as our two little angels.

That's about all that I have time to write today.  Please feel free to stop by any time and read about us.  We'll try to update this regularly so that you can keep up with the latest news about us!