With All That Energy

On the hardest days as a young mommy, when I'd make the SOS phone call to my husband, he'd respond without fail with "Take them OUTSIDE."

It wasn't my favorite piece of advice when I was overwhelmed, trying to get something done, and on the verge of tears, but he was usually right.  I'd begrudgingly marshal the forces and get them outside.  Inevitably, things would somehow improve.

Recently, Blossom3 and Blossom4 were fighting like two alpha male dogs battling for dominance of a coveted neighborhood.  We'd already had a long day and I was trying to accomplish some things after being away for co-op and gym class.

OH THE BICKERING.  I kept trying to get to the heart of the matter, teaching kindness and forbearance and yet, it continued.  There was no logic.  It fell out of every conversation and interaction.  It was head-scratching, confusing, mind-boggling meanness.

The Rugged Mountain Man arrived home and announced that he was going to be scouting for deer.  He wanted to know which girls were going along.

Through gritted teeth, I said, "The littles are going; they NEED it."  They weren't thrilled about it.  They didn't feel like going for a walk, which they know really means a hike in the Rugged Mountain Man's vocabulary.

Alas, they went and returned, totally changed children.

SERIOUSLY.

The bickering was over.  They calmly played and entertained themselves.  The difference was vastly obvious to me.

This has got me thinking about my experience with pent up energy and its negative effect on children's obedience and tolerance level over the last fourteen years of parenting.

I am not excusing disobedience and meanness.  Not at all!  Their entire childhood is a training time, with steady progress toward good character being one of my biggest goals for and investment in the Blossoms.

Yet, they are immature people that sometimes struggle within themselves.  They are learning how to tell us those things.  We can try to be understanding by anticipating some of their struggles.

~ Extra energy can be released by beating your sister over the head with a stuffed animal (or worse) or it can be released by working hard to pump your legs and swing "all by yourself."

~ Cranky kids can squabble about things that make no sense or they can ride a bike while yelling like banshees.

~ Mischievous children can make blasted, inexcusable messes inside or they can create mud pies in the sand box.

They don't know how to tell us that they NEED to run.  They don't realize that they need fresh air.  They may not understand why they feel cranky and mean.

We can help them by getting them outside, every, every, every day.

Dominique

Photos taken on my recent 12 mile mountain back road bike ride with my dad and sister in law. 

A New Chick on the Block

One of our little Bantam hens sneaked off and built a nest.  After waiting the appropriate amount of time, we were so excited when we heard cheeping under the deck.

Once this little chick emerged the girls laughingly snapped a pic for this meme.

Has anyone seen Peter Rabbit, the movie?  They recreated it from a scene with the rooster.

We all had a good laugh!

And Apollo, the chick, is growing quickly.  We're having a delightful time watching his antics every day.

Thrifting Tips for all my Busy People!

Thrifting is a perpetual treasure hunt.  I rarely find exactly what I'm looking for at the exact moment I want it, but I frequently find useful or classy things that save us money in the long run.  Keep in mind though, these finds are spread out over years of thrifting.

I do often leave a thrift store empty handed.  

#1 ~ Prep yourself that you might not find anything.
I remind myself that I'm there for useful, quality and classy items.  If I don't find those or they aren't in my acceptable price range, I don't buy anything.  I'm not just going in for retail therapy.

#2 ~ Check what you need or what you will need soon.
If I know my husband needs cargo shorts, I check the men's shorts section.  If I know Blossom1 could use some dresses, I check the dresses, but I'm prepared to find those things over a quick stop at Goodwill here or a last minute post-library stop at the Salvation Army store there.

Rarely do I have time for a full store overhaul.  

Short trips make me feel like I haven't wasted time.

#3 ~ Check your size or your favorite colors.
Different thrift stores organize things differently.  I quickly rifle through my favorite colors, which are jewel tones and pick from those, OR I find my size and start a quick search there, based on patterns and materials that always catch me eye... like denim or nautical navy blue and white stripes.

#5 ~ Check what matches your family's lifestyle and interests.  
The Rugged Mountain Man loves taking the girls hunting, but that's a lot of gear over the growing years.  I now know to watch out for mandatory orange items and camouflage items.  I also know that the girls need Carhart-type work clothes and coats for chores, so I automatically check anything that looks like it might be suitable for those things.

What that means is, I walk quickly down an aisle, alertly perusing the contents, only stopping for something that catches my eye.  I also stick my army on it.

"Keep your eyes out for __________, girls!"

They do a great job!

(some of my favorite thrift store finds over the years)

#5 ~ Feel things.
The Rugged Mountain Man likes quality wool pieces and I like leather, so I brush through the coat or sweater aisle and "feel things."  Often, that's how I know to stop and check tags and sizes.

Sometimes I walk in and check ONE section... that's it!

Thrifting isn't a one time event.  In fact, some of my least successful trips are when I stop once, thinking I'm going to find all the stuff I need.  Just pop in here and there and take a gander around the store!

Dominique

Fast Fashion

I had some fun wearing my bargain Buffalo plaid duster to co-op the other day.


I also noticed that some friends had great outfits on lately too.







Then, there's my brand-new-to-me caramel leather jacket that I swiped in a five minute thrift store trip the other day.  It's so buttery soft and perfect fitting that I feel like it's my birthday!




Coming next... my favorite tips for thrifting, when you "ain't got the time."

Dominique

Is Bible Quiz a Good Idea?

With little to no previous exposure to Bible Quiz, I'm sharing my thoughts on what we've found to be a solid investment into the Blossoms. We're into our second season!

The Blossoms' coach supplies them with a monthly study sheet, which tells them what passages or questions to be working on each day.  This has lent itself to forming healthy habits.

I found that the girls tackled passages or questions daily, little by little, basically building in the habit of Bible study and mediation on His Word, in addition to their usual quiet time with God.

As you can imagine, studying their Bible Quiz material on a daily basis seems to be helping them develop better study skills.  I know this will also benefit them for years to come!

I've been super thankful for the time their coaches have put into preparing and working with the Blossoms and their pals.  They are being discipled - or mentored - by other Godly people.  By having these strong role models involved, I'm increasing their exposure to other people of like precious faith.  It's special to see them growing to appreciate these Godly women also.

In essence, Bible Quiz is just another form of discipleship.  It is teaching our girls how to be disciplined learners.  They get it at home and now they get it elsewhere too.

It's just another part of our "saturation plan."

At quiz practices and matches, we've enjoyed fellowship with teammates, other quiz teams, other members of local churches and staff from local churches.  The girls and I are enjoying these friendships.  They take time to develop but just having that opportunity to fellowship with like-minded individuals is exciting for us. 



I see parenting as heavy investment with future returns.  Lord, let it be so!

And, now, I'm on my way to another match.  I'm so excited to see the progress the girls' teams have made!

Dominique

Is Bible Quiz Worth It?

The older three Blossoms became involved in Bible Quiz last year for the first time.

Some think that Bible Quiz is outdated or merely "rote memorization," to which I say, "How can learning the Bible be a bad thing?"

After all, we should hide God's Word in our hearts, right?  And, there's no time like the present!

Now that we are into our second season of Bible Quiz, it seems like such a solid investment into the girls.

The things we ended up discussing around the supper table or lounging on the couches in the living room were things that only students who had truly studied the Bible would be able to discuss.

I didn't realize that their coach was going to teach them how to study the Bible!  

She armed them with highlighters, colored pens and sticky note page markers.  She helped them find themes, unusual words, history of the passage and setting of the passage.  I realized that they were learning skills that I learned in Bible college; skills I feel that every Christian should have.

I have found that our Junior Bible Quiz section covers basic Christian doctrine in bite-size pieces.  As I've helped Blossom3 study, I've been so pleased that she is learning questions and answers that will give her good foundations in what we believe.  There will come a time in her life when she'll need to know more, but I see now that through Bible Quiz she has a built-in springboard.  She'll be able to delve deeper then, but now she has a foundation, a starting point, a reference point, with a solid Scriptural answer behind it.

More thoughts on Bible Quiz to come,

Dominique

For a Soccer Game

I think a woman puts her best foot forward when she is well put together at all times. 
She respects herself. 
She respects her Creator. 
She even shows respect of others when she is tidy and makes an effort in her wardrobe.


I grabbed basic pieces from my closet to make up this fun Autumn outfit for watching a friend's soccer game recently. 

The outfit would have been equally fun with a denim vest or regular denim jacket or gray denim jacket.  Or, maybe, corduroy or flannel are your thing!  That would work too! 

I'm teaching the Blossoms to work with what's in YOUR closet, not what's on your Amazon wish list or Pinterest Style board.  It's contentment in action and it's thrifty too!

Dominique

PS - All the items in that outfit were either thrifted, gifted, from Walmart or hand-me-downs, which is proof positive that it doesn't take a lot of money to be well put together.

Quick Getaway

In the last few months, we've snatched some time away at our cabin.  Other than our annual vacation, it's been a day or a quick overnight here and there. 

Despite the amount of packing it takes for a family of six to "go rustic," even for a short amount of time, we've found these little jaunts to God's country to be more refreshing than one would think. 

It does help that the Blossoms are fully capable of packing their own stuff.  It also helps that I've endeavored to keep things super simple.  Plus, I've reused my packing lists, having saved them in Evernote. 

All things considered, the time away from responsibilities and technology and time in God's gorgeous creation have been superbly refreshing. 

A few weeks ago, when at our cabin, we took a favorite hike back through the woods.  We meandered, explored, marveled and breathed deeply. 

The Blossoms especially enjoyed this frog.

We headed back to the cabin just in time to listen to the Penn State game on the radio.  We lounged with our favorite snacks in hand on the porch, experiencing a throwback to days gone by.  

Though the temperatures weren't exactly summery, we still managed to do a little creek-walking. Throw in the reading, campfire, bike rides, walks, and marshmallows and I'm so thankful we decided to get away, even just for one night.

Pause. 

Reset. 

Go. 

After our little retreat, I feel ready again.