Courtship

Many of you know that since we have been married, we have lived in four different states.  The place that we lived the longest was in New York, and we lived there until Lukas was 3.  While in NY, we developed friendships with some great people who we still love and look forward to spending time with.  One of these families is the Rau family who has a little girl named Hannah that I used to babysit a couple times each week.  She and Lukas are 2 months apart in age and have literally known each other since the nursery.  As toddlers, they were best buddies.  Lukas still calls Hannah his girlfriend even though we haven't seen her in a year. 

Today was the first time I thought that Lukas' eye was starting to wander(Keep reading Amy).  There is a little girl named Corey on his soccer team, and the two of them were sitting out one quarter together.  The entire time, they were paying more attention to each other than anything else.  They were hitting and kicking and wrestling back and forth the entire time.  Corey's mom jokingly asked us if this is what dating looks like at this age. 

After the game, we went to Grinder's for lunch, and I asked Lukas what he thought of Corey.  He said she was nice and that she is his friend.  I told him that his cousin Zack has a girlfriend knowing that he always wants to be like Zack(who is only 7, by the way).  He said, "Well, I have a girlfriend too Mom.  Remember(said in that tone of voice reserved for when your parent is totally stupid)?  It's Hannah."  Right.  "Yeah, but do you think Corey is cute?"  "Maaaah-mmmm, Corey's just a friend.  Hannah will always be my girlfriend." 

What I'm wondering is how long can this last?  He sees Hannah once a year at most right now, but  is totally loyal to her.  Hannah's eye may be wandering(Is it Amy?), but he doesn't know that.  I'm thinking that as long as he has a girlfriend who lives in another state, then I don't have to worry about him wanting to hang out with a girlfriend here, right?  I know he's only 5 right now, but what I'm hoping is that we can keep this going for years.  Until now, I have not encouraged it, but maybe I should.  Anyone think this fascination with Hannah can last until he's 21?

There is something to be said about the concept of arranged marriages.

Chatting with Lukas

My children still have a daily nap or rest time.  Ava usually sleeps, and Lukas sleeps maybe every-other day.  Part of the routine includes me going into Ava’s room to tuck her in and sing her a song or two.  Then I go have a short but sweet quiet time with Lukas.  We talk about whatever he wants to talk about for five minutes or so.  It is actually a very special time for the two of us that we both look forward to each day.  This blog is more or less being written so that I can remember this conversation, but I hope that you all get a laugh out of it too.

Today, Lukas wanted to know what my favorite sport is.  Here is the conversation that followed his question:

 “I like to play volleyball and softball.”

 “Well, Mom, we have a volleyball set in the shed (This actually belongs to the Ernsts and for some reason has been moved from place to place with us in 3 different states now).  We should set it up so you can play.  How do you play volleyball?”

 As I am trying to think of a way to explain volleyball without a demo, I say, “Ummmm…you know, maybe we’ll show you when you’re a little bigger.”

 “How about when I’m 6 or 7?  No, definitely when I’m 6.  Does that sound good mom?”

 “We’ll see.” (This is the basic parenting phrase for, probably not, but let’s move on to something else.)

 “So what is softball?”

 “It’s just like baseball, but the ball is bigger.”

 “But the ball must be soft, right?”  (That would make sense, now wouldn’t it?)

 “Well, actually, it’s not all that soft.   My coach hit me in the head once, and the ball definitely was not soft.”  (I know you’re all having an “ah-hah” moment right now.)

 “So it hurts to get hit by a softball.  You should’ve worn a helmet.”

 “Yeah, that might have helped.”

 “So what’s different about a softball?”

 “It’s bigger than a baseball.”

 “But you play the same way, right?”

 “Pretty much.”

 “So why’s it called a bat?”

 “Ummm….I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about that before.”

 “Oh.  Well I wonder why.”

 I am then struck by my own ah-hah moment, “Oh, I’ll bet I know!  You know when you see a cat batting at a toy (picture me giving a demo at this point)?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Well, the cat is batting at the toy.  When you play baseball or softball, you are batting at the ball, so they call it a bat.”

 “Oh.  That makes sense.”

 “Good.  Now go to sleep.”

 “Okay.  Bye mom.”

 That pretty much says it all.

What I Missed in Music School

Please read this with the total sarcasm that is intended.

In all my years of vocal training under the tutelage of expert vocal coaches like Doctor Todd Guy, I apparently missed an essential detail of vocal technique.  That’s right America.  I had no idea that “nasally” was actually a purposeful style of singing.  During my early years of vocal training when Prof Guy told me to raise my soft palette, I understood that this would create a sound that was anything but “nasally,” a tone that was enjoyable and pleasing to the ear.     “Nasally” does not equal enjoyment for most of us, but what do I know?  And what does Prof know or any of my music profs for that matter? 

Now…stepping off my snobby musical podium…Did anyone notice that even as the guy stated that “nasally can be a form of singing sometimes” he looked insecure and awkward?  I think he knew he was putting his foot in his mouth and possibly putting himself on the chopping block, but we shall see tonight.  I don’t make AI predictions because I’m either wrong or I’m right and frustrated that the wrong person went home.  Tonight, for instance, I believe that the bottom two should be Chris Richardson (since he has demonstrated zero knowledge of the physiology of vocal technique.  So the guy can sing a run, so what?  His pitch was treacherous last night and he always sings through his nose) and Sanjaya (I don’t even need to justify why this guy needs to go).  Who knows though?

Phil Stacey was so much better last night.   I can’t help but like this guy.  He’s so real and sweet, and when he looks at his wife or she looks at him, there is total adoration in their eyes.  You don’t see that often enough these days, and it always makes me happy when I do get to see that kind of love.  Does that translate into musical success?  Nah, but I still like the guy.

To further critique the night’s performances, Jordin and Melinda rocked the house.  I wasn’t sure how country would go for Melinda, but she definitely proved she could deliver in this genre as well as anything else.  Now, for those of you who don’t know, I would throw a country CD in the player over just about anything else most of the time, so it was one of my favorite nights of the season.  Plus, Martina always rocks.  She is one of my all-time favorite singers.  So, you see, even with all that musical training, I’m still a country girl at heart.

Responsible Drinking

We were out for dinner tonight and a middle school girls' sports team came into the restaurant.  Two coaches and a couple of other adult chaperones were with them.  Not long after they sat down, I glanced over and noticed that all of the adults had ordered very large glasses of beer. 

I'm not writing tonight to discuss whether drinking in general is right or wrong.    I want to talk about the irresponsibility that this action showed these young, impressionable girls as well as anyone else who happened to notice what they were drinking.  Even if you believe that drinking an alcoholic beverage with your meal is acceptable, would you do so in front of an entire sports team of middle school children who were under your care?  I think it shows a lack of good judgement on the part of all the adults involved.

Children watch everything we do.  Teachers and coaches have the opportunity to be some of the most influential people in their students' lives.  From my own educational experience, I can attest that some of my greatest mentors were my teachers.  Have teachers forgotten how important their role is in guiding young minds?  The Bible gives teachers a very high calling, and while I don't expect non-believing teachers to meet that standard, this particular incident seems to be more of a social responsibility issue.

Adolescents are faced with peer pressure daily to drink, smoke, have sex, etc...  When Susie goes to a party this weekend and is offered a beer, why shouldn't she take it since she just saw Coach Jones drinking one last night?  And how many did she see the Coach drink anyway?  1?  3?  How many beers will it take for Susie to become drunk, wasted, or until she simply throws up and passes out?  I know I'm getting a little graphic, but children aren't ready to make decisions like this.  When they see the influential adults in their lives choosing to drink, then why wouldn't they choose the same thing?  They don't see the difference in a responsible adult enjoying an occassional beer and a 13 year old drinking themselves into oblivion.

Again, if you you believe that an occasional drink is acceptable, then I would never judge you for it.   If you were choosing to drink it in front of a dozen impressionable young girls, then I would be upset.  I think this was wrong from so many angles, and I hope that in spite of my lack of eloquence as a writer, my point is clear.  Responsible teachers don't drink in front of students, and I also don't believe that parents should be drinking in front of other people's children.  And this, my friends, is yet another terrific reason that the homeschool movement is continuously booming and another reason that I know I am blessed to be a part of the homeschooling experience.

Tattoos and Jesus

I am not the most eloquent writer that you will come across, but I will attempt to explain the purpose of including a tattoo in our Easter celebrations at church this past weekend in the best way I know how.  I know that many conservative Christians have been taught for decades, probably centuries, that tattooing anything onto your body was a sin.  Some denominations and Christian sects also teach that short hair and jewelry should be forbidden for women.  They teach that women should only let their hair down for their husbands, and women should not dress like a man.  By that they mean that women should only dress in modest skirts or dresses. 

I understand where these beliefs come from, but I don't really think that Jesus cares too much about them.  I think that He looks at our hearts and the truth that is living there.  I obviously attend a church that believes this as well.

The premise of the publicity involved in our Easter service was to bring non-believers into the church for our Easter celebration.  People wear crosses around their necks, on their clothing, and they tattoo them on their bodies.  Many of the people that do so have no idea what the actual significance of the cross is.  This event gave us the opportunity to tell some of these curious people about the truth of the Gospel and that Jesus loves them exactly as they are.

In total, three brave (I say brave because I am too much of a wimp to ever get a tattoo) souls received cross tattoos at our church services this past weekend.  They went through an application process and were chosen to participate in this way.  Their testimonies as to why they desired for the cross to be permenantly tattooed onto their body was shared with everyone in attendance.  It was phenomenal.   In the future when someone sees their tattoo and asks where they got it, how incredible will it be for them to tell where and why they have that tattoo on their arm?  It excites me to know what a great witnessing tool this will be to the world.

I'm sure that I have readers who disagree with this approach to spreading the Gospel.  I believe that Jesus wants us to deliver His message in the most current way possible still holding true to the teachings of the scriptures.  Our church is conservative in doctrine, but we believe that the method has to change if we are going to reach people.  The old methods aren't working anymore.  There is an urgency for the church to reach these people, and if doing the same old thing isn't working, then you have to find something new.  I can tell you that this something new worked.  I am glad to have been a part of it.

Check out more about our church, Crosslink Community Church, by clicking HERE.  You can also see the front page newspaper article from Monday's Columbus Dispatch by clicking HERE.  I hope this gives you a new perspective, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about this.

Easter Weekend

My kids are quietly creating play-dough sculptures and play-dough hair for Larry the Cucumber.  It is a day off in our house, the last day of our 4 day Easter weekend.  The celebrations were busy and hectic but enjoyable and fun all at the same time.  A day off  when good napping can take place will be very much welcomed in our household today!

We started our weekend by coloring three dozen eggs Friday evening.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I can guarantee you that there will be egg salad eaten in our house this week.    (Maybe some macaroni salad or tuna salad as well since I put eggs in both of those things too.) The eggs are so bright and cheerful looking!  I knew the kids would have fun dying the eggs, so why not make it worth our while, right?

I have to insert this story...On Friday afternoon I told Ava that we would be dying Easter eggs that evening.  She looked at me with saucer-sized eyes filled with horror and said, "Dying eggs?  Oh no!  We're not going to explode them, are we?"  She thought that "dying" meant that we were going to kill them.  It was everything I could do not to giggle as I explained this activity further.

On Saturday morning, we went to a birthday party for a little boy at church who turned 5.  He is probably Lukas' best friend here in Ohio, although, I'm not sure he'll ever give up on Hannah Rau being his best friend.  Hannah lives in NY, where we used to live, and even though we moved away from there two and a half years ago, Lukas still intends to marry her.  Ask him some time, and I'm sure he'll tell you that he is going to marry Hannah.  The only problem with this is that I'm not sure she knows anything about it. 

We had the coldest, shortest Easter egg hunt ever on Saturday evening followed by a cook-out at church.  There were so many, many people packed into our little church building trying to stay out of the cold.  Ava barely hunted for eggs in the 5 minutes that she was outside because she was too cold.  She kept complaining about the wind, which was also terrible.  It occurred to me yesterday that it was warmer here on Christmas than it was on Easter.  I don't ever remember that happening!

Easter is my favorite day of the year.  I love going to church and celebrating with other believers on Easter morning.  We had a phenomenal service yesterday that included lots of music, drama, video, a short sermon (of course), and a tattoo.  Yes, you read that correctly, there was a tattoo involved.  For those of you who are panicking right now as you read this, I'll go into the tattoo explanation in another blog.  It was an amazing service of celebration, and many people made commitments to the Lord.  I am so glad that we are part of a congregation that truly seeks to reach people where they are.

We hosted Easter dinner for Eric's side of the family yesterday.  I am glad to have opportunities like this now that we are local.  The only glitch was that the biscuits took twice as long to bake as they were supposed to, but everything else turned out great.  We had a very blessed time with our family. 

Please enjoy looking at the SMILEBOX that I have made.  There are many pictures of our Easter celebrations.  I would love to hear about each of your Easter weekends.  As I said, Easter is my favorite day of the year.  What better way is there to spend a weekend than celebrating the resurrection of our Lord?

Idol Rantings

It seems like everyone in the blogosphere is ranting and raving about American Idol, so I thought I would join them.  What I don't understand about the voters watching this show is this:  why do they prefer to throw someone off the show who actually has a decent amount of talent, cause that person undue emotional turmoil, and continually, week after week, vote for a singer who belongs in a high school show choir far, far away from the American Idol stage?  We all know that a certain idol contestant will not sell enough albums to even justify the amount of time my ears have been forced to listen to his inferior vocal meanderings.  Why keep him on the show? 

What I gather from this show is that the majority of voters really don't care who wins.  If an inferior contestant is kept on the show for too long, it takes away the credibility of the show.  If he were to win, then I believe there would be countless people choosing not to watch the show next season.  Why watch something that is becoming a farce to all of America?

American Idol has produced superstars.  I don' t think that anyone, even Idol naysayers, could argue against that.  I personally own at least 3 CDs by former Idol contestants.  The show is fun and entertaining.  I hope that it stays that way.

On another note, I truly wish that Idol required their contestants to dress modestly.  Children are watching this show (not mine, but many, many others).  Do we really need to see everything that Haley has?  I don't think we do.  What I do think is that she is using her own body as strategy to keep her on the show.  It's a ridiculous, sad ploy, but it seems to be working.  It says more about her character, confidence level, and self-esteem more than anything else, and I'm certain that I wouldn't want my tween or teen voting for someone with such an obvious lack of modesty.  I'm not saying that she's not talented, but she's not nearly as talented as some of the other contestants, in my opinion at least.  She obviously agrees or she would put some more clothing on and prove that her body isn't the reason she's sticking around.

So, let me finish by saying good-bye to Gina.  I knew that she probably wouldn't win, but I honestly thought that Tuesday's performance was one of her best.  It showed that she isn't just a rocker chick who shouts unintelligible words to a melody, but a talented young woman who can sing her heart out when she wants to.  I'm sorry to see her go, but then I'll be sorry to see a couple of others go before the finale as well.

My hope is to see Melinda and Jordin in the finale, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Blake or Lakisha there as well.   At this point, my prediction is that it will be Melinda and one of these other three, but it is becoming more and more unpredictable each season.  Anyone want to share your opinion and offer your prediction for the finale?  I'd love to hear it!

How Long?

"We're not sure" or "I don't know" or "probably through middle school at least" is what I usually answer when I'm asked the never-ending, often repeated question, "How long do you plan to homeschool?"    Everyone, that is, everyone who doesn't homeschool,  is so concerned with this question, and, to tell you the truth, I'm really not all that concerned.  My concern lies within my own heart.  I'm not sure that I'm being completely truthful when I say that I don't know how long we'll homeschool, and I've been searching my heart because of this. 

How long do we intend to homeschool our children?   My 100% truthful answer is that we desire and intend to homeschool them until they go to college.  I don't really know of an ideal time for them to enter the public school setting.  Middle school?  That seems crazy to me.  Middle school tends to be the worst time in most people's lives.  Kids are cruel at that age, and I know that many middle school students are so caught up in what other people are doing or saying that their educational experience is hindered.  It sometimes haunts them for years beyond middle school.  Students enter high school with battered self-esteem.  Do I want that for my kids?  Nope, so the ideal setting for middle school is at my dining room table.

And how about high school?  The biggest arguments that opponents of homeschooling give is that children will not have the same opportunities for extracurricular activities.  Translation:  Children will not get to overwork and stretch themselves as thin as humanly possible while still trying to figure out how to grow up, understand their faith, and become successful at simply living.  I know that there are countless extracurriculars in the high school setting that my children could participate in, but they can participate in just as many activities as part of a homeschooling community, which is a fact that many people don't realize.  Why do they need to have all those activities when focusing on the one or two that truly interest them makes so much more sense?  Homeschooling provides more opportunities for students to serve their churches and communities, and they're be able to work part-time jobs during traditional school hours.  Job experience, community service, and focus on their own interests seems to make much more sense then sending them to high school where so much of the learning is hindered by peer pressure, lack of proper funding, and other negative influences.

Do I expect my children to go through school at home and then survive college without faltering?  I can hope for this in a perfect world, but we live in a fallen world.  Personally, I think that the age of 18 is a legal age for adulthood, but not necessarily the age when a person is mature enough to make adult decisions.  Because of that, I hope to be able to guide my children throughout their college years and to help them in the process of becoming an adult.  I won't just throw them into the world and expect them to make it, so that argument doesn't fly with me either.  Borrowing a phrase from my alma mater, I want my children to become "world changers" in every way.  Throwing them into a difficult world without guidance seems like a ridiculous idea to me.

So, the next time someone asks me this question, I'm going to be 100% truthful and tell them that we intend to homeschool our children until they graduate from high school.  I'm not going to say that our decision won't change as our children grow and we evaluate each of their individual needs, but, at this point in the journey, this is our plan.  Plans are made to be changed, and we understand that, but we intend to do what God leads us to do.   With Him leading us, I have no doubt that our children will become successful adults.

Busy Bees

We have been busy bees lately.   Most of our time has been scheduled time, which is not necessarily good or bad, but it does make one desire some down-time.   When I flipped my calendar to April today, I noticed that there was not nearly as much scheduled(YET) as there was in March, and that was great for me.  The next month will be when we're doing the majority of the rest of Lukas' school work.  We'll continue working until the end of May, but I know that his focus is going to go downhill quickly as the weather gets warmer.  Plus, he will finish his kindergarten math soon, and he's already reading very well.  I love that I can pace our schooling according to his academic needs.  What a blessing!

So what have we been doing with our time?  School has been fun lately.  Whenever a major holiday is approaching, I always try to do some extra crafts and art projects.  Last week I decided to make paper mache Easter eggs with the kids.  I know; I'm crazy.  You don't have to tell me.  It was messy, but it was so fun!  Being a smart mommy, I waited to do this project until Eric was home in the evening.  It made for a nice, messy evening of family fun.  Of course, we painted them while he was working, so that was all on me.  The kids did a terrific job with this project!

Yesterday, we had an open house for our homeschool co-op.  I am so glad that we decided to participate!  It didn't take much prep time at all (although, waiting until the night before did make for a late night for me).  Lukas got to share his school work with his grandparents, some cousins, and his Uncle Jeff and Aunt Cathy.  Both kids loved that!  It was a great opportunity for him practice explaining what he has learned to others.  I really think it was very good for him in so many ways.

Speaking of our co-op...I have found that many people don't realize that homeschoolers have opportunities to participate in homeschool cooperatives.  The organization that we are a part of is called HOME ON THE ROCK (HOTR), and each group that is part of HOTR is named after a gemstone.  Our group is called Jasper, which I think is kind of cool.  We meet once a week for 8 weeks in the fall and 8 weeks in the winter/spring.  In the fall, Lukas took a music class and a literature class each week.  During the session that is ending this Tuesday, he and Ava have been learning about Community Helpers and Animal Habitats.  They love going, and I love that they are making friends and growing up with some great families.  It is also good for me because I have time to interact with other homeschooling moms, some with much more experience than I have.  Most communities offer similar programs for homeschoolers, and I think it is a great opportunity!

Check out the SMILEBOX I created this afternoon.  I have a new camera, so I've been taking pictures like crazy over the past week(as if I didn't already take enough photos...LOL).  This smilebox has photos from our paper mache project, open house, and our trip to the playground today.  Enjoy!