Joyful Heart

I have a LONG list of things that I want to accomplish this summer. 
Not one of them got done today, but not because I didn’t try. 
Instead…

I nursed the baby.
I looked in the baby’s bright blue eyes and told him that I loved him.
I held a fussy baby and prayed to know how to help soothe him.
I washed the dishes.
I got my heart checked by a cute, in-house, princess doctor.
I swept up the noodles that strayed from the kids’ sensory tub.
I filled, ran, and emptied the dishwasher.
I prepared lunch.
I wiped cheesy wild rice soup remains from a toddler’s face.
I kissed a toddler’s knee after she fell and wiped away her tears.
I changed diapers.
I tried to keep my calm as a little one in training became wet once again.
I cried out and prayed to the Lord for strength.
I listened to a 6 year old read a funny story and heard her laugh.
I helped a 4 year old make a list of foods that he wants to bake when he grows up and becomes a chef.
I washed, dried, and redid sheets.
I sang silly songs and got to dance.
I kissed the sweet cheeks of a sleeping infant.
I shared a lift the flap book with a toddler while lying on the floor.
I heard God’s Word being sung through a child’s voice.
I got my order taken by a little waitress, over and over again.
I got to comfort an 8 year old with a headache that doesn’t seem to go away.

I died to self as things I wanted to do were put aside.
And, I nursed the baby again, washed the dishes again, changed diapers again…

I got nothing done today – at least by this world’s standards.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.

When our oldest finally decided on a theme for her eighth birthday party, I wasn’t too surprised… just a little perplexed as to how to make it happen.  She is very interested in sewing and in American history at the moment.  So, when she requested a Colonial Sewing Party, I knew it would capture a part of who she is at this stage in her young life.

I searched online, asked for suggestions from friends, looked through colonial activity books, and sifted through sewing books for ideas. I then shared them with our daughter who helped to make the final decisions.  Here is what we came up with to make a special Colonial Sewing day for her…

Beforehand, she sent out patchwork invitations.

The girls made a colonial type toy – a ‘bilboquet’. 
  

She and her friends also made some colonial garb – mob caps and aprons.  The ideas for these two projects came from Just Call Me Jamin.  At her blog, she shares ideas that correspond with many of the American Girl dolls!
   
The day before the party, our daughter even made a mini sized mob cap and apron for her miniature Felicity doll.

She also helped to make these needle cases for each of her guests.  The idea for the cases came from Sewing School.

The girls participated in two Colonial style games – ‘Hunt the Needle’ and ‘Hide the Thimble’.  (Colonial girls would actually have played ‘Hunt the Ring’, but we were trying to keep with the sewing theme as well and so used a plastic needle instead of a ring.)

For fun, they also used whip stitches to sew together felt bears.   The idea and pattern for the bear is from My First Sewing Book by Winky Cherry.

And of course, we had to have a sewing related cake.  She wanted to celebrate with a patchwork cake.

It was a joy to be able to plan the party and then watch her delight in the afternoon with her friends!

When my husband went back to work, we officially had 8 days to go to satisfy our state required 180 days of school.  However, I really wanted to complete all of our current curriculum and have closure to our school year –which was equal to 4 weeks worth of lessons.

I had already worked hard on getting all of the lesson planning finished and materials gathered as much as possible before the baby arrived.  It was sort of like planning for a maternity leave – only there was no substitute to call!  (Okay, daddy did sub a few times while he was off and we team taught for a little bit before he returned to work.  He did an excellent job =)  )

Now, it is just me, attempting to complete our school year with five little ones – a 2nd grader, Kindergartner, preschooler, toddler, and 2 1/2 week old infant.

So far, my goal has been to ease into school, taking two days (just mornings basically) to complete what we use to accomplish all in one day (usually all morning and some time in the afternoon).  This means that it will be taking us twice as long, 40 days to get through 20 days of actual school!  If we happen to occasionally get a full day in,  I will consider it to be a great feat!  Breaking the days up and stretching them out seems overwhelming, but it is making school with a newborn manageable.  That is what counts.  My kids don’t deserve to have a crazed mommy pulling her hair out each day!

With a newborn in tow, God is having me revisit a word I don’t often like – flexibility.  Taking two days per school day is a start.   However, I have to be flexible, not only about how much we accomplish each day and when we may actual complete this school year, but I also have to be flexible with our normal routines – when we school during the day and how we accomplish typical learning tasks.  Here are a few examples…

-taking advantage of doing hands on projects while our newborn takes a good nap
-having kids read to me or complete some work with mom as I hold a calm or semi-sleeping baby
-focusing on trying to have kids do their independent work from their workboxes as I nurse or try to console a crying, fussy baby
-asking the oldest two children to take turns playing and reading with our toddler (Since our 2 year old is use to being the baby, she seems to be experiencing greater difficulty than the other children with the adjustment to being a big sister- and having less one on one time with me.)
-being willing to read aloud stories and history as I’m nursing
-allowing time for older siblings to be around their new brother.  This might take the form of them doing their schoolwork nearby or just talking, holding, and bonding with him.

Also, I’ve determined that if a day is extremely trying now and then, I want to be able to throw out the academics, turn on the music (my kids love to sing and dance), play games, go outside, get out the paints, have a tea party, etc.  Yes, we will still get to the ‘school’ stuff, but we are a family first and life with a newborn is demanding – an adjustment for everyone in the home =)

As  our newborn is able to stay awake longer, we will also have to incorporate the use of our infant swing, use the play-mat and bouncy seat more, institute pack in play time, etc.  Babies grow and change quickly and we’ll have to be willing to adapt right along with our new little guy!  God has placed him in our family and I am so thankful for this opportunity to be bent and stretched.

For more thoughts on homeschooling with a newborn, you may wish to read this blog entry posted by another homeschooling mom of 6.

Warning:  This post was written by a sleep deprived mother of 5.  Proceed at your own risk of encountering incoherent thoughts and run-on sentences.

Day one of being home alone with all five precious kiddos brought this…

the good

• Our oldest got all of her work with mom and independent schoolwork completed.  (amidst cries from her youngest sibling)
• Our preschooler didn’t argue about going to his room for ‘rest’ time. (It was amazing!) He played contentedly for a long time – building with blocks, constructing with Super Structs, and playing with his cars and trains.
• I think I experienced a couple of 5 minute naps in the late afternoon, in between each time the newborn’s pacifier came out.
• I was able to sneak a leftover chocolate frosted cupcake without any of the kids noticing.  (Any mother can see the importance of this, right?)

the bad

• I left the school/playroom to attend to our newest little one.  I returned 5-10 minutes later only to find toys strewn all over the floor –See Exhibit A, below. (At least they were educational games and they were learning – Yes?  No?  Okay, this may just be wishful thinking. It is more likely that the toddler just dumped them out.)

• While I was reading aloud to the older children and holding our newborn (who was refusing to nap anywhere other than in Mommy’s arms), our toddler got into the pantry, took out some cereal, and was proceeding to locate a bowl for it.  I told her no and I removed the cereal box from her hand.  She then threw the bowl and began to run away from me, throwing toys, a book, anything she could get her little hands on. (Ahh, the joy of having a dearly loved, spunky, red headed two year old…)

and the just plain ugly.

Through groggy eyes and an unguarded tongue, mommy’s impatience made appearances off and on throughout the day.

Be completely humble and gentle.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

(Yes, even when I’m tired… Ouch.)

In addition, we are also seeing much more of this

(in lingering piles)

and this

(Yes, that says AM. It could start with a 1,2, or 3.  We’ve seen them all!)

which, of course, means a lot less sleep!

But…. it is soooo worth it for this little blessing!

(In a blink of an eye, this stage will pass quickly.)

So, guard your heart and mind, mama.  Stay in the Word.  Pray for daily, hourly, and minute by minute doses of wisdom, grace, and strength.  Consider His faithfulness.

I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  (Isaiah 41:10)

My precious little one, I’m a little busy right now…

-caressing your smooth sweet baby skin,
-smelling your newborn baby hair,
-holding onto your two little feet and long skinny toes,
-looking in awe at your two small hands and tiny fingers grasping onto mine,
-watching you stretch and uncurl your long skinny legs,
-running my fingers through the ends of your fine baby hair,
-tracing the outside edge of your perfectly formed ears,
-feeling you lean against me, knowing you feel loved and safe, as you lay your head on my shoulder and rest your arm on my neck,
-marveling at God’s Hand in the creation of you.

For you created my inmost being.
       You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
       Your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.
(Psalm 139:13-16)

I’m thanking God for you, little one.