Why I Love Our Writing Program

After three years of struggling to help my creative son get his thoughts organized and on paper (and after several unsuccessful programs), we are having a lot of success using the Writing Strands series. He loves the candor and humor of the program. The author speaks directly to the student in a casual, kid-speak sort of way. BigBro loves that. He no longer complains about writing assignments. I love that.

But the absolute best part is that BigBro is learning while having fun, and has really let some of his creativity fly. His latest example, from this morning, is here: (I let him type his writing assignments in Word; this is copied directly from there)

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The Duck-a-Puss

There once was a kitten who was raised by a mother duck. The kitten was named Snuffles, and it acted like a duck.

One day, when the ducks were going to swim in a pond, Snuffles was waddling (or at least trying to waddle) behind the other ducklings, and kept falling over. Now Snuffles was getting very annoyed by this. When they finally got to the pond, Snuffles was tired. Where did the ducks go? Yipes! They’re in the pond! Snuffles was scared to go in the pond. What would he do? Wait?

Finally, the ducks got out of the pond, and they walked home. When they got home, it was dinner time. Yuck! Snuffles hated the seaweed they ate but he was a duck-a-puss anyway.

Wait! What was that? It ran into a hole. It looked like a furry chicken. He asked duckling mom and she said it was a MOUSE!

He just had to chase it. He slipped out of the house and peeked into the hole. This is what happened next: he heard a shriek, “EEEK”, and saw a brown blur shoot past him, and he chased it. The other ducklings watched in amazement, as Snuffles thought, “this is what I want to be.”

Unseen Angels

Last Thursday night, I worked my monthly shift at the Food Pantry. This pantry has my heart. It challenges me, every single month. I come home and cry after every single shift. And I don't ever want to give it up. My pantry shifts make me a better person.

For about a year now, the pantry managers have been training me to do the intake and recertification interviews for our clients. For several months, I just observed the interviews. For the past few months, I've been running them, always with a helper in the room to guide me, and to fill in any information I miss. Since I only do this once a month, the learning curve has been steep for me.

This past Thursday, I was sitting in the small office when a volunteer from another organization came in and asked for an emergency box of food to bring to a woman, sick herself and home with three sick children and no food at all in her house. I sat and listened. The pantry managers and this volunteer swapped pertinent information and experiences with other organizations, and within a few minutes, the man was on his way with a box of food for the woman and her family.

I realized, as I sat there, that these men, aging and worn down a bit from decades upon decades of living, were angels... messengers for the Lord. They were not spending their "golden years" traveling the globe, or sitting on the beach, or even sitting on their front porches with the newspaper. They were feeding the poor. Literally. I couldn't begin to count the hours each week that these men dedicated to caring for those with less. I was humbled to be in their presence. I am humbled that they allow me to play even my small part in their work... humbled further that they are so grateful for my help every month.

Today, on the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, who himself worked tirelessly for the poor, I am pausing to praise God for all the unseen angels he places among us, to guide us, to show us how to love better, and to bring us ever closer to Him through His work. St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us... and, most especially, pray for the poor and those who serve the poor.

Guest Post: Vacuuming Through the Middle of the Room

My friend, Arianne, wrote this reflection recently. I was so inspired by it that I asked her permission to share it here. (Please note: this is a stock photo, not an actual look at Arianne's house).

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I just finished vacuuming my upstairs. I had only about five minutes to devote to this task. Not nearly long enough to carefully pick up each room or move furniture so I could get under it. No, only enough time to plug the machine in and run it through the middle of each room. I only hit the really dirty part, the part where everybody walks every day. Then I had to unplug the vacuum cleaner and put it away, in order to move on to the next place I had to be.

I absolutely hate cleaning this way. I find it completely unsatisfying. My obsessive compulsive and perfectionist tendencies would much prefer to wait, weeks if necessary, until I have time to thoroughly clean to even bother getting the vacuum cleaner out. I can step over the dirt for quite a while thinking about how nice it will look when I vacuum every square inch of it. Twice. And then wash the baseboards next to it. That kind of cleaning I can get in to. The kind where you totally scrub a room from top to bottom, and when you’re done, the room is perfect, and beautiful. Now that feels like an accomplishment! Vacuuming through the middle feels slap-dash, not up to standard; it’s like admitting failure before I have even started.

This, of course, is a trap. And I fall into it regularly in more areas than housecleaning. If I were to give in to this impulse and only clean when I have four uninterrupted hours to devote to a room, I would be living in a very dirty house! Yet how easy it is for me to dismiss my 2 minute break in the day as “not enough time” to pray. I want to pray “right,” at the time and place most conducive, and with enough time to get into it, with the books I think have the right inspiration, maybe even a candle. And so days go by, where the subtle calls go unanswered by me, because, while I want to respond, I just don’t think there’s enough time, or the ideal situation, in which to do it right. In the midst of this continual postponement of my prayer life, I can become so fixated on the time when I will be able to “get away” for an hour or a day to intentionally devote time and place to God, that I pass up all the smaller chances to be in touch with God’s grace every day.

And so I have come to realize that it can be an act of great humility for me to vacuum only the middle of the room. In order to do so I must admit that, much as I dislike it, it is all I am able to do right then, and cleaning even part of the rug is worthwhile. Likewise, it takes a great deal of humility for me to pray for 30 seconds, while unloading the groceries. Acknowledging that I am tired, and distracted, and that right now I really need God, even though I don’t have the time or energy to compose a complete thought, requires me to accept that my God is a God with so much love and compassion that He loves me even when I show up sweaty, incoherent, and briefly. And that, if I do, He will seek me out again and again, in other perfect and imperfect moments, when I will, by His grace, also realize I need Him, and find Him there waiting for me.

The Many Faces of Jen

Me, marking our spot in the parking garage at Universal Studios on our 10th anniversary

This fall, I am wearing so many different faces that DH thought it necessary to provide a visual. (With deep apologies to Andy Warhol!)

As usual, I am mother/wife/housekeeper/etc. That role I know how to do (mostly).

And, I am teacher. This role, I am really getting into my groove (finally).

I am also volunteer. I can't figure out exactly how that role ballooned so big this fall, but it did... and I'm pretty sure I've been practicing saying "no," too.

Finally, I am student. I am taking two classes online this semester, working toward certification in ministry. I took one 2-week class this summer. It was intense, and then it was over. I had signed up for one online class and one in-person class for this fall. While we were away, I learned that my in-person class was canceled. I replaced it with the second online class. Both classes started last week, and I am a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience right now. I don't know how to manage my time well. There are reading assignments and posting requirements. When and how often should I be posting/checking discussion boards? Traditional classes are so much easier... do the readings/assignments and show up for class. DH (who teaches online as well as in the classroom) keeps telling me that I will learn more. I suppose. For now, I don't have any "groove" at all ... or even a plan for how/when to fit my classwork and online time into my life.

Anyone out there with online class experience, please jump in with suggestions!

So, dear friends, if my blogging is sporadic this fall, know that it's because one of these many faces is running the show.

My Favorite Things

This is really a magical vacation in so many ways, and I am so grateful for all of it. But I want to pause and remember some of the really special moments that have occurred:

- Seeing a rainbow from the airplane and LilBro's exclamation: "AWESOME!"

- Having enough time that we spent the first two days just bumming around... at the pool, playing minigolf, sleeping in, and vegging out

- The anticipation and excitement as we planned out the first week of theme park fun

- The catch in my throat as we turned the corner at Islands of Adventure and Hogsmeade came into sight. There are a few book series which have captured me whole (Laura Ingalls Wilder, Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter). To be able to walk inside the world of the books was just, well... incredible. A true dream come true for me.

- Every minute of the "Forbidden Journey" ride... from the moment we entered the grounds of Hogwarts castle until we left. Just being able to walk into Dumbledore's office, to walk through Prof Sprout's greenhouses, to stand in the Gryffindor Common Room, to talk to the Fat Lady portrait, in every possible way, I was "in" the world of Harry Potter. I have never had a ride experience like this.

- Tasting butterbeer. Imagine drinking a sugar cookie. Creamy and frothy on top, cool, smooth and bubbly below. Just perfect.

- Princess' face as we whirled around and through her favorite ride, "The Cat in the Hat," over and over and over again. She never tired of this... and the joy, anticipation and glee never left her face.

- Watching LilBro watch the Shamu show at Sea World. I don't know when or how he became so attached to the killer whales, but he did. And to see them in person was the highlight of the trip for him.

- Getting soaked (and I mean soaked down to the skin) by Shamu. Sitting in the front row was a definite "bucket list" item. Once in a lifetime (cause I won't EVER do it again!)

- Seeing the same show again, a week later, from a much drier position in the stands. WOW! And LilBro was just as excited this time, too!

- Spending an entire day (almost 14 hours) at the Magic Kingdom.

- The experience of all the Cast Members at the Magic Kingdom. I still maintain that they charge way too much for a theme park admission, but every single person we met that day seemed to understand that this was a "once in a lifetime" experience... and made sure that it was perfect in nearly every way.

- Standing in the crowd on Main Street for the fireworks show over Cinderella's Castle.

- Princess' face when she met Cinderella.

- LilBro's kiss from Princess Aurora. "Mom, does it mean that I'm a prince now that I've been kissed by a princess?"

- Our visit to the Kennedy Space Center: wow, have they changed this place since I was last there in the early 80s!

- Walking inside the Space Shuttle Explorer

- The Launch Simulator... the closest I will EVER get to launching into space... oh, man, I wish I could go again!

- Watching all three of my kids get very excited about studying LOTS of science if it might mean working for NASA someday (we'll see if it sticks, but the excitement's there for now!)

- Having a little quiet time this morning, the day before our 10th wedding anniversary, to pause, reflect, and be thankful for the past 10 years... and to look forward to the next decades. I truly am blessed to have married my very best friend.

Royal Meetings... and Other Such Things

Princess, meet Princess:

Sharing secrets:

A Dream Come True:

LilBro had his Princess moment, too:

"And, Mom, did you know that Aurora's a real princess! She's not just some lady in a costume!"

What's a visit to Disney without a hug from the Mice?

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A few days later... back at Dr. Seuss Land at Universal:

Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Kid 1 and Kid 2 and Kid 3

That Sam-I-Am, that Sam-I-Am, we do so like that Sam-I-Am


SKIPPER!!!!


And our budding thespian:

Phew... the bird didn't leave BigBro any "presents"

Princess was a good little girl, and always very curious.

Sounds like someone else we know.

Making Dreams Come True

We are having so much fun turning our kids' biggest fantasies into realities....

Feeding the alligators

Who knew they like hot dogs, too?

Chatting with the Conductor at the Hogwarts' Express


About to enter Hogwarts Castle

On our way to Dumbledore's Office

MMMMMMM..... Butterbeer is even better in real life!

LilBro meeting his hero... "Shampu"

And seeing the real thing in action!

Up next... a Princess gets inside her dream castle.

Oh, I can not wait!

This is Gonna Be So Awesome!

In about 3 hours, we will take off for a two-week family vacation! The kids have never flown before (well, Princess did, once, a few years back). And our destination (Orlando) is a dream-come-true for our three kids, DH and me.

The excitement is palpable. BigBro and I were up at 5 am. There is much jumping and bouncing of excited little people.

And, me, too, if I am going to be honest.