Family Update…Long Time Coming!

I realize that I haven’t posted much family stuff here lately. So much has been going on and I’ve had so much on my mind that my poor blog has been neglected, along with a lot of other writing I’d love to be doing. But life’s good.

I also haven’t posted a “lifestyle change” update. Actually I forgot the past few weeks. It’s going pretty well though. I’m finally getting portion sizes in perspective and I’ve been too busy to snack too much. I (finally) broke through the 5 lb. mental block weight point that I really wanted too. As long as I was yo-yoing up and down at the same basic weight I was believing those little lies, “I can’t lose weight.” “I have a slow metabolism.” “Losing weight has always been hard for me.” Etc. Etc. Now that my thyroid is straightened out it comes back to the same simple formula that works for all healthy people: calories in, calories out. There’s nothing magic about it. I haven’t been able to exercise like I’d like, but I’ve been losing enough sleep that I think it’s making up the difference, at least in calories burned! :)

We’ve been busy with Elizabeth’s first grade school year. It’s been going very well. Again, I’m delighted with the Well Trained Mind approach, and I find that their recommendations for notebooks and so forth keep everything very easy to keep track of.

I’m also, for the first time, successfully using a flexible schedule. I’ve always said that we were too spontaneous to be a schedule family, but school is one thing that neither one of us is willing to neglect—so at least on school days, a schedule is working quite well. I really love the attitude communicated on Large Family Logistics that our days won’t go as planned and we should welcome God’s interruptions to our day. The schedule is simply a guide to help keep us on track. I’m not rigid about it, but I do try to keep it in mind as much as possible. I’ve accomplished a lot this week, and after busting my you-know-what to stay on track, I can assure you that I delighted in the Sabbath! I do have to figure out how to go to bed earlier though. I’m a walking zombie, going to bed very late and getting up early. But I’ve been a productive zombie, and that weight lost, well, it makes some of those tears of exhaustion worth it!

Elizabeth is making great progress academically and in many other ways, not the least of which is spiritually. She was baptized a few weeks ago, and never had a nervous moment. I was so proud of her. She is a completely changed child compared to how she was before she decided to commit her whole self to following Jesus, and honestly, I think she has a good understanding of what that means. Those of you who have known her all her life can appreciate the fact that we see drastic positive change. It’s a God thing, without question. She’s a joy to be with these days, my little helper around the house, and a mama hen to the little ones.

If I were inclined to neglect Silas’ preschool work, I wouldn’t have to be concerned because he holds my feet to the fire to “play school” with him daily. He listens in on Elizabeth’s history and science, and we’ve had Leif Erikson make-believe going on around here ever since the first day of school. He’s a cowboy, a soldier, and other rugged characters basically all day long. He claims to be a little boy or a big boy depending on what he wants to do. If he wants help with something he will say in his best cute 3-year-old voice, “Help me, Mama. I’m a little boy!” But if he wants to do something we’re hesitant about he assures us, “I’m a big boy!” If we call his hand on it, he says, “I was a little boy, now I’m a big boy!”

Speaking of big and little, Sarah has changed from a baby into a toddler overnight it seems. I don’t have a baby anymore. She is one of the threesome and does everything the older ones do. She’s saying more and more words. Her favorites right now are “shoes” (so she can go outside) and “eat” (another favorite activity, evidenced by her chunky little self!). She’s still a Mama’s girl, but she can do more and more on her own and she has growing aversion to baby stuff. She wants the real thing. She adores Billy and she’s always waving at him, blowing him kisses, and saying, “Hey, Da!” Today she fell off her little riding tractor and skinned her face from cheek to forehead. She looks pretty rough, but she’s not feeling sorry for herself even though I’m sure it’s tender. Interesting, Elizabeth took a similar spill at this same age with similar battle scars…No permanent damage though.

So in updating all the kid stuff, you can see what I’ve been up to. Billy is still working hard to finish his doctorate, so that consumes most of his spare time. He always takes time to spend with us though, no matter how busy he is. I know the kids will remember that always, and heaven knows I feel grateful that he makes that choice. I always say that I’m the stick-in-the-mud, party pooper parent—you know, the one who worries about bedtimes and makes sure we don’t eat too many hot dogs and frets that the microwave is frying our brains--and Billy is the fun, spontaneous parent who is always ready to try new things. Well, opposites attract for a reason, and I know that while my schedule and food-police ways have merit, having a daddy/husband who is fun-loving and who takes us on outrageous adventures will be what memories are made of. We’re way blessed! There’s never a dull moment at our house! :)