Something Better

I read this quote the other day and it reinforced a desire in my heart for how we raise our children.

"Something better" is the watchword of education, the law of all true living. Whatever Christ asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead something better. Often the youth cherish objects, pursuits, and pleasures that may not appear to be evil but that fall short of the highest good. They divert the life from its noblest aim. Arbitrary measures or direct denunciation may not avail in leading these youth to relinquish that which they hold dear. Let them be directed to something better than display, ambition, or self-indulgence. Bring them in contact with truer beauty, with loftier principles, and with nobler lives. Lead them to behold the One "altogether lovely."  {1MCP 342.6}  

 We don't do a lot for holidays. Most of them just don't have much personal value to us and we'd rather avoid the secular focus and the commercialism and that is usually connected to most of them. We don't entirely ignore holidays but we don't go all out with countdowns and decorations either. I don't want my kids to feel like they are "missing out" on all the fun that most people experience, so we like to give them something better. The Sabbath. 

This picture was from a while ago, but in the background you can see everyone lined up on the left side of the table eating popcorn and watching a nature video on David's computer screen. Now we get to use a projector that we borrowed from church :)

 This is something we LOVE to celebrate. We don't have to wait for one time out of the year to feel justified in resting, in being with family, in having special food, in listening to special music and in exciting the senses. Once every week we get to do that. It has become a day that our whole family looks forward to. It begins Friday night with a prayer and supper. We usually eat popcorn, fruit, smoothie and sometimes a special dessert while we watch a nature video. With every bite you can taste the REST. 

This is a carob cake with pudding on top to make the fruit stick. Notice it spells REST :)

The last couple of Sabbaths have been unique. We actually ditched church and spent the whole day in nature. Last Sabbath we wanted to get some good quality time with Julie before she left so we went to the Desert Museum in Tucson. Though we've lived here for 2 1/2 years, we had never been! In a nutshell, 

"The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert."

A perfect overcast day, we did not have to sweat and wilt as we walked. We even got to go into an underground cave! Here is David wearing bat ears to experience what good hearing they have.

 

Better than any video, the kids thoroughly enjoyed seeing real live animals. Their favorite was the otter, the beaver, and porcupine.

We are making paint brushes like native Americans would have done by pounding the end of a fibrous plant.

 

Three Sabbath's ago we spent the whole day at Turkey Creek. We had some things we wanted to discuss and pray about and it was nice just to do something different than spend half the day at church. This time of the year there's actually water so we hung out at a little waterfall. David built a small dam so that the kids would have deeper water to romp around in. In the process they dug into the bank and found these little grubs which we saved in a paper bag to give to our chickens and roosters.

Omega has this crazed look in her eyes. She's posing for the picture, but her eyes want to watch something else.

And, just yesterday we came back from church and had a very pleasant afternoon at home. At first the kids were asking me to take the cover off of the sand box but we do that during the rest of the week. I want them to remember Sabbath as a special day, a day where we are together making memories, doing things we don't usually do the rest of the week. I don't want it to be a day where all they remember is "you can't do this, and you can't do that" and they look forward to the sun setting. Instead, I like to give them something better. We got the hammock out and it was non-stop giggles for several hours!  Sandbox? What sandbox?

David doesn't like posing for pictures.

The Sabbath in our family is definitely a day of delight. A day where we focus on spiritual things, learn from nature and be together as a family.

Stir what you got

 David Asscherick, an excellent speaker, entitled one of his sermons "Stir what you got." In it he told the story of a man during the Great Depression who went into a cafe to order a coffee. The waitress brought it to him and he asked her for some sugar. One of the things that was in low supply during that time was sugar. She got the little tongs and placed an eighth of a cube of sugar on his saucer. He was beside himself that she gave him such a small piece. Before he could complain however, she looked at him and said, "Sir, stir what you got."  

 

His point is that we should not worry about what we have or what we wish we had but just stir what we got!  

The enemy of present action is future ambition.

It's been really hot this summer and I daydream of having our own pool or living close to a beach, lake or river. But, thankfully my kids don't get bogged down with dreams of bigger and better. They are satisfied with just being wet, and doing whatever they need to do to get cooled off. They are stirring what they got.

They found this barrel stuck in some weeds near Jane's house. They pulled it out by themselves and had me throw it in the back of the truck. They washed it out, filled it up and had a blast being all scrunched up together in this blue barrel.

 This picture is mid-jump. They are ready to plunge their heads under.

 

Sometimes they just take a cold bath or warm up from the cold water outside.  

Several times this summer, I've tried to get all my house chores done on Thursday so that Friday can be a fun day and I can take them to a church friend's pool about 20 minutes away. We've made it once, but every week thereafter something seems to get in the way. Either it's too windy, I don't get everything done like I had planned, it's stormy, etc. So, after my husband preached at the Benson church, they gave us this kiddie pool because it was a decoration they used for VBS and had no need of it anymore. I'll take what I can get :)

Julie earned mega points with the kids too by splashing around with them in this little pool. My kids got super sunburned that day and they learned what it means to peel.

  My kids always like to make a silly face now when the camera gets pointed at them. Oh well.

Sometimes being on a tight budget and living really far from any significant city affords more opportunities for creativity and learning to enjoy the natural things of life...like puddle jumping! My kids are seriously content all day long just playing with dirt and water (except of course when the other person steals the giraffe that they're using or messes up their mountain - but those times are becoming less frequent). 

David Asscherich brought up the passage in Ecclesiastes 9:10 which says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." So, more than being a text to prove the state of the dead (when you die you don't float around visiting people) the primary truth being taught here is "Do what you can now because tomorrow might be too late."  My kids took that literally the other day.

They found some PVC glue in the trash can. It had gotten crusty on the bottom so David threw it away. They asked if they could take it out of the trash, and I said yes. Well...they decided to put it to good use. After all, they did get permission! They stirred what they had - crusty PVC glue!

Thankfully, the animals came off fairly easily. I may just need to touch up the paint.

 As for me, I've been wanting a new bookshelf to put behind the couch.  I saw a picture of one made out of wine crates. I thought to myself "There's a bunch of pallets in a junk pile over at the farm. I bet I could just use that wood and make them into a bunch of rectangles like this and then stick the rectangles together in the pattern that I want." What we have now is really a plant stand. I'd like something bigger to fill up that wall and make it look more organized and not so junky. Then I could put their puzzles, art supplies, homeschooling materials, etc there. I'd probably want to make it more short and wide than tall and narrow like the picture on the left. But, anyhow, I was afraid to tackle a project of that nature. I mean come on...I'm a girl. I'm not a carpenter. I don't really know how to build things. So...I saw another need that I could address and not risk a lot of time and look like a fool if it didn't turn out. A spice rack - or should I say, "spice shelves." You'll notice the unattractive scrap wood I used that was really too thick, but that's what I had to work with. My husband said it was "rickety" and implored me to get new wood at the hardware store and described how he would make it. But, it was done and it works so I'll probably leave it be. I'm proud of myself for just "stirring what I had" - using the resources available to me at the time, I did what I could to make my job cooking more efficient and organized.

   

                                                                                  

  
If Jesus commended the woman who broke the alabaster box of perfume on his feet and told the disciples "She hath done what she could" (Mark 14:8) then I'm going to be satisfied with my efforts. I may not have done it as well as my husband could have, but I did what I could.

A wise old lady once told me, "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have at hand." She's the one I get organic sprouted bread from on a weekly basis. In her 70's she and her husband transformed their garage into a bakery and now they run a successful home business. She started out small with what she had and the Lord blessed and expanded it! She stirred what she had.

We miss Julie

For half of June and half of July we had a very special person eating at our house with us. Her name is Julie. She was a student of ours at SOULS and she became staff there right when we left. So instead of working with her in a school setting, she decided to work with us in a farm setting. Leaving the mind taxing, professional and clean work environment wearing sandals and skirts, she came for a month to experience mud, sweat and calloused hands while taxing her body. A change of pace for sure, here are some of the pictures she took to capture her experience.

Clean is a foreign word here.

There is no room for vanity either.

Julie became a Farm Warrior Princess.

We are going to start marketing this new tractor air freshener

This is Jonathan's high tunnel which she helped with.

As for time spent after work....

If you are afraid of bugs, this may not be the place for you...

"Crooked Beak" (who currently lives on our back porch due to an injured foot) didn't want to miss out on mealtime either, the highlight of everyone's day. Due to the sliding door being open for air flow, she often found a way to sneak in.

Every morning for breakfast and every evening for supper Julie crossed the field from the house she was staying in to our house about a half mile away. This cow came within 8 feet of her.

We already miss her witty humor and playful presence. One joke I laughed hysterically at was "Did you know that the propeller on an airplane actually keeps the pilot cool? When it shuts off, he really starts to sweat!"
Despite our attempts at snagging her keys and trying to keep her here she rode off into the sunrise (literally) on Sunday morning.

Thanks for coming Julie!

How we celebrate birthdays

So I realize it's been over a month since I've written anything in my blog. I got out of the groove when my computer started shutting down every fifteen minutes. It was rather annoying. I kept trying to blow dust out thinking it must just be overheating but that didn't seem to fix anything. So I just stopped using it much.  Then I remembered this place called Computer Magic in town and he fixed it for me for $100 but I was without my computer for a week. Something was loose in the back where my battery plugs in. Anyway, here I am with some catching up to do.

One of the big events in June was Omega's birthday (she turned 6). We've never done much for birthdays because we don't want our kids to have the expectation that they are entitled to praise and gifts. Here's why:

Under the Jewish economy on the birth of children an offering was made to God, by His own appointment. Now we see parents taking special pains to present gifts to their children upon their birthdays; they make this an occasion of honoring the child, as though honor were due to the human being. Satan has had his own way in these things; he has diverted the minds and the gifts to human beings; thus the thoughts of the children are turned to themselves, as if they were to be made the objects of special favor. . . .   
     On birthday occasions the children should be taught that they have reason for gratitude to God for His loving-kindness in preserving their lives for another year. Precious lessons might thus be given. For life, health, food, and clothing, no less than for the hope of eternal life, we are indebted to the Giver of all mercies; and it is due to God to recognize His gifts and to present our offerings of gratitude to our greatest benefactor. These birthday gifts are recognized of Heaven.   
    Teach them to review the past year of their life, to consider whether they would be glad to meet its record just as it stands in the books of heaven. Encourage in them serious thoughts, whether their deportment, their words, their works, are of a character pleasing to God. Have they been making their lives more like Jesus, beautiful and lovely in the sight of God? Teach them the knowledge of the Lord, His ways, His precepts.  {Adventist Home 473} 

 So, how did we make that paradigm shift practical?  Several days before her birthday when it was time to put her to bed, I laid next to her and asked her some questions. "Omega, do you know that on Wednesday you'll be 6? You're not going to be 5 anymore! Can you think of anything you've learned this year?" Then I asked her what she wanted to learn while she was 6, before she turned 7. The next day while we were driving back from Safeway I also asked her to think of all the people that she was thankful for, who helped her to be alive and make her year of being 6 so wonderful. It went something like this:
"Omega, how come you're not dead?"  I loved her shocked expression at such an odd question.
"Because!"
"Because why? If you didn't eat food would you die?
"Yes"
"Who gave you food to eat?"
"Jesus"
"Who paid for the food?"
"Daddy"
"So, are you thankful that Daddy works hard every day to pay for food so you can eat and be alive?"
"Yes."
"How come you're not naked?"
"Because"
"Because why? Who gave you clothes to wear?"
"Jesus"
"But who did Jesus use to give you clothes?"
"Grandma and Meema"
"Oh! So are you thankful that Grandma and Meema were thoughtful and generous enough to buy clothes for you to wear so you wouldn't be naked?"
"Yes."
"How come you love Jesus?"
"Because!"
"Who taught you to love Jesus?"
"The Bible"
"But who reads the Bible to you in family worship and teaches you in Sabbath school?"
"You and Daddy and Sukie and Janice."
"So are you thankful that we all love you enough to take the time to teach you about Jesus?"
"Yes."

The conversation may not have been that concise, but that was the general flow.

When I got home I recorded a lot of what she said in my journal as well as my own reflections for her. On her actual birthday, it was a day like most others, except that I made food she requested (pancakes for breakfast, lentils over rice for lunch (along with ice-cream and carob cake), and toast and fruit for supper. The kids got to help me decorate the top of the cake with lots of bright and tasty frozen fruit. When it was time for desert at lunchtime I read the previous quotes from Adventist Home, then shared from my journal how I had seen her grow as a 5 year old and how I hope to see her grow as a 6 year old. Then David prayed for her and we sang the same tune of Happy Birthday but the words were changed.

 "God is blessing you now,
God is blessing you now,
God is blessing you Omega,
God is blessing you now"

She blew out the candles (no wish making) and we all enjoyed the tasty treat. I also believe it would be nice to give them a spiritual gift. Something that will help them advance spiritually. This year Julian bought her a nature DVD since we watch an animal video as our Friday night tradition while we eat popcorn and smoothie.

Here is what I wrote in my journal:

How Omega has grown as a 5 year old

1. Physical
1. She has learned how to ride a bike (with training wheels) 
1. She is more independent 
1. She can get in and out of the bath by herself and even helps put a towel on Orion. 
2. She wipes herself most of the time now too.
1. She has more fine motor skills -  
1. She can spread butter on her own toast  
2. Draw stick-figure men and other pictures that you can actually recognize.
3. She can color in the lines very well 
4. She can write letters. Her first word was "MOM" (tear...)
2. Mental
1. She has learned a lot about chickens and bees and other animals and plants
2. She is developing common sense
3. She knows traffic laws! She knows what all the lines are for on the road (single dotted = both people can pass, dotted on your side = you can pass, straight on your side but dotted on their side = they can pass)
4. She knows the names of tools and farming equipment
5. She can carry on a long phone conversation with Neena (my mom), telling her all about everything that has been happening in her little world.
3. Moral 
1. She plays with Orion much more cooperatively and peacefully
2. She became more responsible by doing routine chores (make bed, throw diaper away, brush hair, get dressed, put pajamas away, take cover off and on mesquite trees, unload dishwasher, clear and wipe table, help vacuum, clean up room, fold and put away laundry)
3. She knows way more Bible stories (We have a great Sabbath School program called My Bible First and it goes chronologically through the Bible. I think last June we were talking about Gideon in the Old Testament and now we are on the life of Christ!   

It was a healthy time of reflection for me because I needed to evaluate if I am truly educating my children the best that I can. This quote gave me the idea for how to categorize my list.

 Education means much more than many suppose. True education embraces physical, mental, and moral training, in order that all the powers shall be fitted for the best development, to do service for God, and to work for the uplifting of humanity. To seek for self-recognition, for self-glorification, will leave the human agent destitute of the Spirit of God, destitute of that grace which will make him a useful, efficient worker for Christ. 95 {CSA 65.2} 

 I don't have any fears that if we don't lavish attention on our children on their birthdays that they will turn out with low self-esteem or feel undervalued. I have met too many people (myself included) who are so self-absorbed that they are crippled with discouragement and gloom when they are mistreated or even not treated as they expect (I cried myself to sleep one year because my roommate didn't tell me happy birthday! - to her credit she threw me a surprise party several days later on the weekend). I wholeheartedly believe that the happiest people are those who live to do others good. Being rich in good works is as natural as their breath because self is forgotten, merged in the life of Christ. I want that for my children and I will by the grace of God model that for them and use every occasion to help them understand that yearning for self-recognition and self-glorification will leave them destitute and useless.

I wanted to put in a video here but I can't seem to download windows movie maker.

The rest of the day Omega didn't feel well. Her eyes were itchy so I suggested we put cucumbers on them and lay down. She ended up falling asleep while Orion and I did other things.

The things she and I came up with together for her 6th year of her life are some of the following:

1. Mental
1. Learn to read - (she said, "So I can read the Bible for myself!")
2. Get a bee suit and do bees with daddy
3. Learn to tell time
4. Continue learning to sew
2. Physical
1. Stop wearing a diaper at night
2. Take care of her own spot in the garden
3. Become more coordinated when cooking with me, stirring carefully, kneeding bread skillfully, cutting things.
4. Learn to swim
3. Moral
1. Become more friendly and courteous to people she doesn't know well
2. Sing more at worship
3. Learn to answer the phone politely
4. Become more responsible and dependable in chores - do without being reminded or complaining.

If any family is reading this, please pray for Omega to grow as a godly young lady and for me as I strive to be an example to her and educate her to be a useful and efficient worker for Christ. Thanks