1.) Our T.V. fast went by really quickly. No complaints at all. It really helped that God gave us beautiful weather most of the two weeks and the kids played outside a whole lot.
The favorite things to do during the fast besides playing outside was to play in the dark with light sticks (Walmart has some great ones in at least 6 different colors!) and read lots of books. Jim finished the complete Lord of the Rings series and the little boys all got into the Star Wars books. In the evenings I would real out loud from one of Brian Jacques books.
2.) School is almost over! We are winding down to the last lessons in our books and the kids are battling spring fever! (okay yeah, so am I!) We are looking forward to our "schools out" trip to O.C.!
3.) The kids have a home school co-op presentation night coming up on Friday, May 23rd at Grace Community Church in Kingsville. There will be an open house from 6-7 where you can view their Art and Science projects for the year and then at 7 they will start their musical presentations. All the children from ages 2 through the 8th grade will be performing.
4.) OBX here we come! Once we are finished with school we are headed to the Outer Banks with my parents again for our family vacation. I'll be sure and take lots of pictures!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
T.V. Fast Take 2
Its time once again for the Tritt family T.V. fast. We decided that we benefited so much from the last fast that it was something that we should do on a regular basis. So... this Monday begins another 2 week fast from watching any television, going to the movies or playing any video games.
If anyone is interested in joining our family in our fast I'd love to hear about it!
If anyone is interested in joining our family in our fast I'd love to hear about it!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Our Easter Celebration
Dying Easter eggs is a tradition that all the kids love!
It took 4 dozen eggs this year!
We all went to the Easter Sunrise service at Beachmont.
It was sooooo cold!
Easter morning before the sun came up...
Easter morning after the sunrise!
Hallelujah, He is risen!
The start of our annual easter egg hunt.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Road Trip Part 2
Our weekend adventure continued Sunday morning with an unexpected trip to K-Mart. I was feeling really on top of things and was getting all the girls ready to go ever and get breakfast before heading to the park when uh....my pants ripped.
You gotta understand something about my pants. They are really old. I have this problem with buying clothes for myself. I buy them for everyone else in the family, but for some reason I always put off buying them for myself. Just last weekend I told Dave that I needed to pick up some new jeans for myself before I got in an embarrassing situation with my old ones wearing out to the point that they just start falling apart. I really did intend to get some when I went to Walmart, but they only had the low rise kind in my size and I refuse to wear those stupid things! Why anyone would want to wear a pair of jeans that sits that low is beyond me. They feel like you always need to pull them up because your rear end is hanging out! Anyway...I ended up not getting the jeans and sure enough, I found myself in an embarrassing situation! I sat down on the bed to change Alyssa, and the jeans ripped from seam to seam right across the back of my thigh. UGH! Now I HAD to by myself some new jeans.
So, off to the local K-Mart I went (with my jacket tied around my waist to cover up the lovely gaping hole in my pants leg) and wouldn't you know, they just happened to be having a 25% off sale on their jeans! I bought 2 pairs for myself and headed back to the hotel to pick up the gang and head to the park.
Once we got there we met my parents and then headed out to hit the rides and enjoy the park. We had a great time hanging out with my mom and dad and enjoyed watching the kids have so much fun.
Jim had the unique privilege of working alongside of Italy's master sculptor Antonio Accietto. This man's flowers are amazing, and he invited Jim (who loves art of any kind but especially modeling/sculpting) to try and duplicate one of his flowers. He gave him a lump of porcelain clay and showed him what to do and then when Jim was all done Mr. Accietto let him keep his creation. It looked pretty good, too! Maybe Jim has a future in flower sculpting?
We ate lunch in Germany's Oktoberfest while watching their Festhaus show and then took the kids to the section of the park just for little guys. Each of our older kids took a younger kid and we set them loose for about half an hour while Dave and I got to sit and chat with my parents. Ahhh...I love having older kids!
After having them spend time in "Land of the Dragons" with the little guys riding ladybugs and little dragons with loud irritating noises, we knew it was time for some real rides! So after riding the bumper cars and the big swings, Dave and the 3 older kids headed to the roller coaster "Alpengeist" while I took everyone else on the carousel. Then we switched and everyone rode the train back to the entrance while I got to take the older 3 on the "Griffon" - the park's newest roller coaster. This thing hangs you at a 90 degree angle above the park for what seems like forever and then sends you plummeting towards the ground only to pull you right back up into twists and turns before another 90 degree drop! It is so much fun!
After saying goodbye to my folks and slapping together some sandwiches for supper, we headed out of the park and back on the road to MD! Most of the kids fell asleep on the way home, so it was a pretty uneventful trip.
What a refreshing weekend! Now I am ready to get back to schooling and get on with Spring! We have some great field trips coming up and before you know it school will be over and it will be time for summer vacation!
Road Trip!!
Every year Busch Gardens in VA hosts a "passport holders only" day sometime in March. This year it fell on Palm Sunday and we decided that we would make a weekend of it with the family. We thought it would be fun to surprise the kids and just take off and go Saturday after breakfast. We packed the car the night before and tried to act as laid back as possible Saturday morning letting the kids sleep in and letting them hang out in their pj's for awhile before sending them out to play. The two older kids figured out what was going on awhile ago, but they had fun keeping our secret safe!
We ate lunch and drove down through Washington. Dave took us right by the front of the capitol building, the Washington Monument, tons of museums and right by the Pentagon. He often works in D.C. so he is pretty familiar with all of the "important" places.
Once we got through Washington I put on a movie for the kids and we actually got all the way to Williamsburg before the kids figured out what was going on! It was great watching their faces when we pulled into the hotel and told them that we were going to the park the next day. They were very excited!
Since our family exceeds the fire hazard limit for a hotel room, we had to split up for the night. The girls in one room and the guys in the room next door. I couldn't tell you what went on in the guys' room - I'm not sure I would want to know - but the conversation in the girls room was pretty amusing! I'll leave out who said what, but if you picture our room with me (the mom), a teenager, a 10 year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old, you can probably figure it out. :o)
"Can we watch Disney Channel?"
"Sure."
"Alyssa, get out of the fridge."
"Hey, move your head. I can't see."
"Alyssa, close the fridge."
"I'm hungry."
"Have some chex mix."
"Alyssa, don't jump off the bed!"
"Move your head, please."
"Move over. You are in my personal space."
"Mom, Alyssa is in the fridge again."
"I don't really care if she opens the fridge."
"Mandie, lay down."
"Alyssa, want to snuggle?"
"Hey! My personal space just got cut in half!"
"Can I have a juice box?"
"Your head is in my way again."
"Alyssa, don't put that in the fridge."
"You are taking all my covers!"
"No, I wasn't. I was just rolling over."
"Alyssa! Get out of the fridge!"
"Alyssa, come get in bed."
"When are we going to Busch Gardens?"
"Can you please roll over? You are in my personal space again."
"Well, you have all the covers!"
"Did you all brush your teeth?"
"No, Alyssa, don't eat the ice out of the freezer."
"Is anyone tired yet?"
"I don't want to sleep."
"Can we get a cot?"
"Alyssa, come away from the fridge."
"What time is it? 9? Okay. Turn off the TV. We are going to sleep."
"Alyssa, out of the fridge and into the bed right now."
"Move over away from my space."
"Can you all PLEASE be quiet?"
Well, it went something like that! We prayed and eventually everyone fell asleep. It's not something I would want to do every night, but I would definitely do it again if it meant spending time with my girls!
We ate lunch and drove down through Washington. Dave took us right by the front of the capitol building, the Washington Monument, tons of museums and right by the Pentagon. He often works in D.C. so he is pretty familiar with all of the "important" places.
Once we got through Washington I put on a movie for the kids and we actually got all the way to Williamsburg before the kids figured out what was going on! It was great watching their faces when we pulled into the hotel and told them that we were going to the park the next day. They were very excited!
Since our family exceeds the fire hazard limit for a hotel room, we had to split up for the night. The girls in one room and the guys in the room next door. I couldn't tell you what went on in the guys' room - I'm not sure I would want to know - but the conversation in the girls room was pretty amusing! I'll leave out who said what, but if you picture our room with me (the mom), a teenager, a 10 year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old, you can probably figure it out. :o)
"Can we watch Disney Channel?"
"Sure."
"Alyssa, get out of the fridge."
"Hey, move your head. I can't see."
"Alyssa, close the fridge."
"I'm hungry."
"Have some chex mix."
"Alyssa, don't jump off the bed!"
"Move your head, please."
"Move over. You are in my personal space."
"Mom, Alyssa is in the fridge again."
"I don't really care if she opens the fridge."
"Mandie, lay down."
"Alyssa, want to snuggle?"
"Hey! My personal space just got cut in half!"
"Can I have a juice box?"
"Your head is in my way again."
"Alyssa, don't put that in the fridge."
"You are taking all my covers!"
"No, I wasn't. I was just rolling over."
"Alyssa! Get out of the fridge!"
"Alyssa, come get in bed."
"When are we going to Busch Gardens?"
"Can you please roll over? You are in my personal space again."
"Well, you have all the covers!"
"Did you all brush your teeth?"
"No, Alyssa, don't eat the ice out of the freezer."
"Is anyone tired yet?"
"I don't want to sleep."
"Can we get a cot?"
"Alyssa, come away from the fridge."
"What time is it? 9? Okay. Turn off the TV. We are going to sleep."
"Alyssa, out of the fridge and into the bed right now."
"Move over away from my space."
"Can you all PLEASE be quiet?"
Well, it went something like that! We prayed and eventually everyone fell asleep. It's not something I would want to do every night, but I would definitely do it again if it meant spending time with my girls!
Friday, February 08, 2008
More Cleaning
I decided to answer the comment on my last post with another post!
The question basically was, "What can little ones do to help with the chore load?"
In my house, everyone has to do their share of helping to keep the house clean. Everyone down to the youngest kid that can walk is responsible for their own dishes each meal. Even a toddler can put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or the sink! Alyssa loves to put the silverware away. I get a stool or chair and pull it up next to the drawer and let her stand there and work on that while I put the other dishes away. Of course, I remove any sharp knives first!
As far as sweeping, we have a small wisk broom and dustpan set that I keep under the sink. Amanda is getting to be pretty handy with that! You could even get a couple of these and let your kids work together on this project - get it done faster!
Instead of wiping the table myself after every meal, sometimes I will give one of the younger kids a wet sponge and let them wipe off the table while I put the food stuff away. It may not get perfectly clean, but it will get most of the visible stuff off for the next meal! I usually wipe the table after dinner and make sure that it gets a good cleaning at least once a day or let one of the older kids do it.
Most of my younger kids like to dust. I either spray for them and then let them wipe everything dry, or if I am trying to get something else done, I get a pack of dust wipes - the ones that are pre-moistened - then tell them where to work and then let them go to work. There isn't a whole lot that the kids could actually ruin with those wipes so it's ok if they accidentally clean something else! I also like the Mr. Clean wipes - the kids can do the front of the stove, dishwasher and refigerator. Just make sure that they are old enough to know not to eat them or wipe their face with them!
If you have a vaccuum with a hose attatchment, the kids can clean the stairs and around the baseboards and in the corners.
Everyone except Alyssa - who is 2 - is perfectly capable of making their bed. It may not be perfect but hey, it's made and I didn't have to do it!
It's amazing how much fun kids can have while cleaning! Little people love to play with sponges and rags and see how much dirt they can wash away, so I say take advantage of it and give them something to clean!
The question basically was, "What can little ones do to help with the chore load?"
In my house, everyone has to do their share of helping to keep the house clean. Everyone down to the youngest kid that can walk is responsible for their own dishes each meal. Even a toddler can put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or the sink! Alyssa loves to put the silverware away. I get a stool or chair and pull it up next to the drawer and let her stand there and work on that while I put the other dishes away. Of course, I remove any sharp knives first!
As far as sweeping, we have a small wisk broom and dustpan set that I keep under the sink. Amanda is getting to be pretty handy with that! You could even get a couple of these and let your kids work together on this project - get it done faster!
Instead of wiping the table myself after every meal, sometimes I will give one of the younger kids a wet sponge and let them wipe off the table while I put the food stuff away. It may not get perfectly clean, but it will get most of the visible stuff off for the next meal! I usually wipe the table after dinner and make sure that it gets a good cleaning at least once a day or let one of the older kids do it.
Most of my younger kids like to dust. I either spray for them and then let them wipe everything dry, or if I am trying to get something else done, I get a pack of dust wipes - the ones that are pre-moistened - then tell them where to work and then let them go to work. There isn't a whole lot that the kids could actually ruin with those wipes so it's ok if they accidentally clean something else! I also like the Mr. Clean wipes - the kids can do the front of the stove, dishwasher and refigerator. Just make sure that they are old enough to know not to eat them or wipe their face with them!
If you have a vaccuum with a hose attatchment, the kids can clean the stairs and around the baseboards and in the corners.
Everyone except Alyssa - who is 2 - is perfectly capable of making their bed. It may not be perfect but hey, it's made and I didn't have to do it!
It's amazing how much fun kids can have while cleaning! Little people love to play with sponges and rags and see how much dirt they can wash away, so I say take advantage of it and give them something to clean!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Hooray for Clean!
My schedule has relaxed a bit this year with my wonderful mother helping me out by schooling our three older children. That leaves me with 3rd, 2nd and 1st grade as well as some preschooling. I have found that I have more time for household projects and keeping my house clean in general.
However, I tend to look at my disorganized mess of a house and not know where to start and I end up cleaning the same messes over and over again while the rest of the house disappears in piles of toys, books, and the whirlwinds that often frequent our address. (We like to call them Amanda and Alyssa!)
In this book, Emilie suggests making lists for your various jobs to be done. She lists them daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually. I decided that for now, I would work on daily, weekly and monthly. My schedule sort of looks like this:
DAILY -
wash dishes
bathrooms
kitchen/dining room counters and sweep floors
tidy my bedroom
WEEKLY -
Mon. - laundry
Tues. - water plant and do girls' bedding
Wed. - scrub floors and do boys' bedding
Thurs. - water plants (this is a light day due to co-op)
Fri. - scrub the microwave
Sat. - do windows and pay bills
MONTHLY-
Week 1 - refrigerator
Week 2 - walls and baseboards (our walls get pretty yucky cause of all the little fingers!)
Week 3 - cupboards (clean and/or organize)
Week 4 - Oven
Week 5 - basement (will it ever be clean?)
For the monthly planning, she says to take 15 minutes a day to work on that week's project. Don't try to do it all at once. By the end of the week it looks really nice!
We also have the kids doing more of their share of the cleaning. We have chore cards that they have to take each day, and so that frees me up to do my scheduled cleaning. This is working out really well. We talked about this in our family counsel and so there isn't ever any complaining about doing chores...so far!
I am very excited to be putting this schedule into practice. I have a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day and am happy that Dave can come home to a cleaner than usual house.
"She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness she will not eat." Proverbs 31:27
However, I tend to look at my disorganized mess of a house and not know where to start and I end up cleaning the same messes over and over again while the rest of the house disappears in piles of toys, books, and the whirlwinds that often frequent our address. (We like to call them Amanda and Alyssa!)
Quite a while ago, my mom gave me a book by Emilie Barnes called "More Hours in My Day". When I first got the book, I was excited to see what great organizational skills I would acquire from reading it. She is a good author and I have been inspired by some of her other works.
Anyway, as it happens with many kids and a busy schedule, the book got put aside for quite some time and I sort of forgot for a while that it was sitting on my book shelf!
Well, during our TV fast (which, by the way, went extremely well) I rediscovered this book. In it, it has some wonderful tips for scheduling your household chores. I have since adopted some of her scheduling tecniques and believe it or not (I'm not sure I believe it!) my house is beginning to resemble a smooth running and (most of the time) clean place to hang out!
In this book, Emilie suggests making lists for your various jobs to be done. She lists them daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually. I decided that for now, I would work on daily, weekly and monthly. My schedule sort of looks like this:
DAILY -
wash dishes
bathrooms
kitchen/dining room counters and sweep floors
tidy my bedroom
WEEKLY -
Mon. - laundry
Tues. - water plant and do girls' bedding
Wed. - scrub floors and do boys' bedding
Thurs. - water plants (this is a light day due to co-op)
Fri. - scrub the microwave
Sat. - do windows and pay bills
MONTHLY-
Week 1 - refrigerator
Week 2 - walls and baseboards (our walls get pretty yucky cause of all the little fingers!)
Week 3 - cupboards (clean and/or organize)
Week 4 - Oven
Week 5 - basement (will it ever be clean?)
For the monthly planning, she says to take 15 minutes a day to work on that week's project. Don't try to do it all at once. By the end of the week it looks really nice!
We also have the kids doing more of their share of the cleaning. We have chore cards that they have to take each day, and so that frees me up to do my scheduled cleaning. This is working out really well. We talked about this in our family counsel and so there isn't ever any complaining about doing chores...so far!
I am very excited to be putting this schedule into practice. I have a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day and am happy that Dave can come home to a cleaner than usual house.
"She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness she will not eat." Proverbs 31:27
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Our two week challenge
Almost two weeks ago Dave and I sat down with the kids for a "family counsel" meeting. This is where we talk to the kids about some things in our family routine that need to change or problem areas that we need to work on. Usually we have to remind them to do their share with the chores around the house or maybe give out new chores with the changing of ages. Sometimes we talk about incorporating new things into our routine. Last year Dave and I started alternating weeks taking out the kids one on one. It can be easy to lump them all together sometimes and we wanted them to feel like they were special individually. This has been great for all of us.
That brings us to this year's big change. Even though our family probably doesn't watch a lot of TV comparitively , we felt like the kids were often choosing their electronic companion over each other and we felt like they had become disinterested in finding constructive things to do with each other. Perhaps we discovered an idol?
So....we have been abstaining from any and all TV for almost 2 weeks! That means no TV, no movies (on TV or in the theaters) and no Nintendo. The kids took the announcement pretty well - especially when we told them that Dave and I would be included in this TV "fast".
The kids have rediscovered how fun playing with each other can be as opposed to playing against each other in Nintendo! They found out that Play-doh, puzzles, Legos and coloring are just as entertaining as watching a movie.
I thought that it would be a lot harder to do this, especially during school hours when I can put on Leap Frog movies for the little girls and have some quiet time to school the boys, but they have been really good about sitting and coloring or doing puzzles together and it hasn't been very hard at all.
This has been really good for Dave and I as well. We have been getting to bed earlier which makes getting up for quiet times easier and have even gotten in a game or two of cards!
I have been so blessed to see my kids becoming better friends and our family drawing closer through this time and I know that it has been glorifying to God. We have been so blessed by this that we plan to take a 2 week TV fast every 3 months - that would mean that for 8 weeks out of the year we won't be sitting in front of the TV at all!
If you feel like the television has become somewhat of an idol in your home, I would challenge you to take a TV fast - it might just bless you!
That brings us to this year's big change. Even though our family probably doesn't watch a lot of TV comparitively , we felt like the kids were often choosing their electronic companion over each other and we felt like they had become disinterested in finding constructive things to do with each other. Perhaps we discovered an idol?
So....we have been abstaining from any and all TV for almost 2 weeks! That means no TV, no movies (on TV or in the theaters) and no Nintendo. The kids took the announcement pretty well - especially when we told them that Dave and I would be included in this TV "fast".
The kids have rediscovered how fun playing with each other can be as opposed to playing against each other in Nintendo! They found out that Play-doh, puzzles, Legos and coloring are just as entertaining as watching a movie.
I thought that it would be a lot harder to do this, especially during school hours when I can put on Leap Frog movies for the little girls and have some quiet time to school the boys, but they have been really good about sitting and coloring or doing puzzles together and it hasn't been very hard at all.
This has been really good for Dave and I as well. We have been getting to bed earlier which makes getting up for quiet times easier and have even gotten in a game or two of cards!
I have been so blessed to see my kids becoming better friends and our family drawing closer through this time and I know that it has been glorifying to God. We have been so blessed by this that we plan to take a 2 week TV fast every 3 months - that would mean that for 8 weeks out of the year we won't be sitting in front of the TV at all!
If you feel like the television has become somewhat of an idol in your home, I would challenge you to take a TV fast - it might just bless you!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Another Update
On Saturday, December 8th, the Amish community held a benefit auction for Diane Goslin. They began their day at 7 am and stayed until about 3 pm. There were an unbelievable amount of items being auctioned. Everything ranging from toys to tools to the famous Amish made quilts.
My family attended for a couple of hours, and while we didn't actually do any bidding, we consumed mass quantities of the delicious home made food that was being prepared right at the auction site. We had barbecued chicken, hot dogs, hot pretzels, donuts and apple dumplings. The donuts that they made were so incredible that we brought home several dozen to eat for breakfasts!
The community was able to raise $21,000.00 to contribute towards Diane's legal fees through this event. I know that this must have been an incredible blessing to her and her family.
Thanks for all your prayers and please...keep praying!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Crazy Mom!
My days have been incredibly busy lately! Besides the daily schooling and general mothering, we have been involved in a homeschool co-op, fitness at Beachmont, serving at Beachmont Round-ups, taking Julia back and forth to soccer, Tuesday Teen Bible study, and practicing for our church's Christmas cantata!
Sometimes I feel like I am running a marathon at times. There are days that I wish I could remember what it feels like to sit down let alone have an uninterrupted night of sleep! Still, I wouldn't trade these days of raising our kids for anything. I absolutely love the walk of life that God has put me in!
There are times, however, that I think I get ahead of myself and don't take enough time to pause and make sure that my life is in order. A perfect example of this happened just this morning! I was being my usual busy self and thought I would be a good Proverbs 31 woman and get up while it is still dark and go to Walmart to do our monthly grocery shopping. (Hey - it sure helped me make this decision when I realized I could shop solo and not take the chance of having a 3 ring circus in the aisles of Walmart!)
Anyway, I got up and dressed in the quietness of a sleeping household, kissed Dave and was on my way to a early yet peaceful shopping trip. On my way home, Dave called and asked me to pick up donuts for Nathan's birthday breakfast, so I made a slight detour to the Wawa and then came home and unloaded the car, put the mountain of groceries away and then decided that I could finally take off my shoes and relax for a little bit before going to Julia's tournament game. (Her team is undefeated at the moment - yay!)
When I went to take off my shoes, I was suddenly horrified, mortified and highly amused all at the same time when I realized that when I put my shoes on in the peaceful dark hours of the morning, I had put on one of my shoes and one of Dave's! I had flaunted my new style of footwear for over an hour at Walmart and then again to the gazillion people that flood the Wawa on Saturday mornings!
For the first few seconds of realizing my mistake I was embarrased and then I burst into hysterical laughter! Here I thought I would go and act like a totally sane mother for an hour or two and actually get my shopping done without multiple potty breaks and "clean up in isle # whatever" but nooooooo, I had to go dressed like some crazy woman who can't even match her shoes!
The saying usually goes "You can dress them up but you can't take them out", but in my case..."You can take them out but you can't dress yourself".
Sometimes I feel like I am running a marathon at times. There are days that I wish I could remember what it feels like to sit down let alone have an uninterrupted night of sleep! Still, I wouldn't trade these days of raising our kids for anything. I absolutely love the walk of life that God has put me in!
There are times, however, that I think I get ahead of myself and don't take enough time to pause and make sure that my life is in order. A perfect example of this happened just this morning! I was being my usual busy self and thought I would be a good Proverbs 31 woman and get up while it is still dark and go to Walmart to do our monthly grocery shopping. (Hey - it sure helped me make this decision when I realized I could shop solo and not take the chance of having a 3 ring circus in the aisles of Walmart!)
Anyway, I got up and dressed in the quietness of a sleeping household, kissed Dave and was on my way to a early yet peaceful shopping trip. On my way home, Dave called and asked me to pick up donuts for Nathan's birthday breakfast, so I made a slight detour to the Wawa and then came home and unloaded the car, put the mountain of groceries away and then decided that I could finally take off my shoes and relax for a little bit before going to Julia's tournament game. (Her team is undefeated at the moment - yay!)
When I went to take off my shoes, I was suddenly horrified, mortified and highly amused all at the same time when I realized that when I put my shoes on in the peaceful dark hours of the morning, I had put on one of my shoes and one of Dave's! I had flaunted my new style of footwear for over an hour at Walmart and then again to the gazillion people that flood the Wawa on Saturday mornings!
For the first few seconds of realizing my mistake I was embarrased and then I burst into hysterical laughter! Here I thought I would go and act like a totally sane mother for an hour or two and actually get my shopping done without multiple potty breaks and "clean up in isle # whatever" but nooooooo, I had to go dressed like some crazy woman who can't even match her shoes!
The saying usually goes "You can dress them up but you can't take them out", but in my case..."You can take them out but you can't dress yourself".
Update on Midwife
Some of you have asked what has been happening with Diane Goslin.
According to PA news, the fine of $11,000.00 has been waived...for now. She is in the midst of an appeal, but the judge who waived her fee has given her very little hope for continuing her practice.
Her legal fees have surpassed $40,000.00 and later this month the Amish community will have a fund raising rally for her. Whether or not she is able to practice midwifery will not change the way that the Plain People have their children. If she is unable to attend their births, they will have their babies unattended which of course raises the risk of complications.
Please continue to pray for the judge to rule in favor of allowing Diane to continue her ministry.
According to PA news, the fine of $11,000.00 has been waived...for now. She is in the midst of an appeal, but the judge who waived her fee has given her very little hope for continuing her practice.
Her legal fees have surpassed $40,000.00 and later this month the Amish community will have a fund raising rally for her. Whether or not she is able to practice midwifery will not change the way that the Plain People have their children. If she is unable to attend their births, they will have their babies unattended which of course raises the risk of complications.
Please continue to pray for the judge to rule in favor of allowing Diane to continue her ministry.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Please Pray
I am asking for prayer for the woman who assisted me in the birth of our daughter Alyssa. Some of you know that she was taken to court because she attends home births without being a licensed nurse. She is licensed in midwifery and has attended over 5000 births in the 25 years that she has practiced.
A few days ago, she was ordered to cease and desist all practice and was fined $11,000.00. Her lawyer has appealed the decision, but until further notice she can no longer practice.
Diane is a wonderful godly woman whom God has blessed with a special gift. She has quite a ministry to those whom she serves and I believe that she should be allowed to continue her practice.
You can check out more info on Diane at this sight:
http://www.savehomebirth.com/news_and_views
Thanks for praying with me!
A few days ago, she was ordered to cease and desist all practice and was fined $11,000.00. Her lawyer has appealed the decision, but until further notice she can no longer practice.
Diane is a wonderful godly woman whom God has blessed with a special gift. She has quite a ministry to those whom she serves and I believe that she should be allowed to continue her practice.
You can check out more info on Diane at this sight:
http://www.savehomebirth.com/news_and_views
Thanks for praying with me!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Another Field Trip!
Our family took advantage of some free time this weekend and headed down to Williamsburg, VA for a field trip/mini vacation!
We started out on Saturday morning by meeting my parents at the Jamestown Settlement where the kids were able to see life sized replicas of the Powhatan Indian village, Jamestown Fort, and the Susan Constant and the Discovery. (The Godspeed was docked somewhere else for the weekend so they had a similar sized ship named the Elizabeth.)
Alyssa riding the bugs!
On Monday, we visited Historic Jamestown. This is the original sight where the settlers built Jamestown. We got to watch archeologists dig in the actual ruins and see some of the artifacts they have uncovered. We also got to watch some men working in the glass houses. It is amazing to see these men take a hunk of glowing goo and tranform it into a lovely piece of art! They actually blow into a long pipe with the hot glass at the end and as they shape it, it grows into a pitcher, vase or some other useful container. 
Blowing the glass.
We had such a wonderful time together! The Lord gave us beautiful weather and it was great to be able to see the kids enjoying learning about the start of our nation.
We started out on Saturday morning by meeting my parents at the Jamestown Settlement where the kids were able to see life sized replicas of the Powhatan Indian village, Jamestown Fort, and the Susan Constant and the Discovery. (The Godspeed was docked somewhere else for the weekend so they had a similar sized ship named the Elizabeth.)
Jim & Mark in a Powhatan Hut.
Julia & Alyssa grinding corn.
Mark & Matt with Gramps on the Susan Constant.
Mark & Matt with Gramps on the Susan Constant.
The boys trying on the armor at James Fort.
My Dad in the Jamestown Church.
Learing how to do laundry in 1607.
On Sunday we had a wonderful time visting Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. The kids had a blast riding all the rides, and Matt and Nathan got to ride their first roller coaster. They both loved The Big Bad Wolf!
Alyssa riding the bugs!
All the kids in The Land of the Dragons.
On Monday, we visited Historic Jamestown. This is the original sight where the settlers built Jamestown. We got to watch archeologists dig in the actual ruins and see some of the artifacts they have uncovered. We also got to watch some men working in the glass houses. It is amazing to see these men take a hunk of glowing goo and tranform it into a lovely piece of art! They actually blow into a long pipe with the hot glass at the end and as they shape it, it grows into a pitcher, vase or some other useful container.
Posing with Pocahontas.
Making a glass pitcher.
Blowing the glass.
We had such a wonderful time together! The Lord gave us beautiful weather and it was great to be able to see the kids enjoying learning about the start of our nation.
Couldn't resist this pose!
Friday, September 07, 2007
A Slew of Birthdays!
Since I didn't post over the summer, I missed a whole bunch of birthdays. Four of them - in less than 5 weeks! 
Matthew turned 5 in July. He is so full of life. Passionate about everything and anything, there is never a dull moment with Matt (or Spike as we call him) around. He loves to read, talk, play Nintendo and swim. He told me that he wants to be a life guard when he grows up!
Alyssa turned 2 in August. We put all of the kids in camp except her this summer, and having that time with Mommy all to herself did wonders! She began talking in complete sentences and over came her shyness around other kids. Now we can't get her to stop talking! She loves Tinkerbell, Dora and Polly's and loves to sing with her brothers and sisters.
Julia turned 13 in August. Dave and I decided a long time ago that we would give our kids purity rings when they reached the appropriate age. We gave Julia her ring on the day that she turned 13. It was a wonderful (and yes- emotional) time. What a precious thing to see her making this commitment not only to keep herself pure but to pursue Godliness in all areas of her life! Julia loves to read - in fact I can't keep enough books around to satisfy her! She also loves to play soccer and has her first game tomorrow!
Jim turned 12 in August. He loves to build with Legos and likes to read Redwall and Star Wars books. His favorite gift that we got him was his hamsters. (This was a personal sacrifice for myself because I have a "thing" about rodents!) He named them Jack and Barbosa. He is excited because he gets to start attending the teen Bible study at camp this fall.
Matthew turned 5 in July. He is so full of life. Passionate about everything and anything, there is never a dull moment with Matt (or Spike as we call him) around. He loves to read, talk, play Nintendo and swim. He told me that he wants to be a life guard when he grows up!
Alyssa turned 2 in August. We put all of the kids in camp except her this summer, and having that time with Mommy all to herself did wonders! She began talking in complete sentences and over came her shyness around other kids. Now we can't get her to stop talking! She loves Tinkerbell, Dora and Polly's and loves to sing with her brothers and sisters.
Julia turned 13 in August. Dave and I decided a long time ago that we would give our kids purity rings when they reached the appropriate age. We gave Julia her ring on the day that she turned 13. It was a wonderful (and yes- emotional) time. What a precious thing to see her making this commitment not only to keep herself pure but to pursue Godliness in all areas of her life! Julia loves to read - in fact I can't keep enough books around to satisfy her! She also loves to play soccer and has her first game tomorrow!
Jim turned 12 in August. He loves to build with Legos and likes to read Redwall and Star Wars books. His favorite gift that we got him was his hamsters. (This was a personal sacrifice for myself because I have a "thing" about rodents!) He named them Jack and Barbosa. He is excited because he gets to start attending the teen Bible study at camp this fall.
Well, now that July and August are over, we get a break from the birthdays until November and December!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
More pictures
Thought I would post a few more pictures of our 1st day of school ~ enjoy!
Swimming in the surf.
Collecting Sea Nettles
Alyssa can be brave if she holds Julia's hand!
Spike is always a ham!
Sisters...is it my imagination or does Amanda's grin look evil??!
One last look at the ocean.
Swimming in the surf.
Collecting Sea Nettles
Alyssa can be brave if she holds Julia's hand!
Spike is always a ham!
Sisters...is it my imagination or does Amanda's grin look evil??!
One last look at the ocean.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
First Day of School!
If you have followed my blog in the past, you know that our family always starts school with a trip to Ocean City. We learn things in the car along the way to make it educational, and then we feast on Thrasher's french fries for lunch and enjoy the afternoon at the beach.
This year on the way down, my mom gave a talk on sea life and we learned many new things about sharks. (Did you know that the Sand Tiger Shark has 2 uterus, and that there are many babies inside each one? The strongest baby in each uterus eats all the others before they are born. Puts a new twist to sibling rivalry, huh?)
We also learned about the life of Beethoven and got to listen to many of his works, including the Moonlight Sonata and the 9th Symphony. What a gifted man!
Anyway...we had a blast yesterday! The fries were great and the water was warm. The kids had fun swimming with their Gramps and playing in the sand with Grammy.
On the way home, we got to visit with my Aunt and Uncle who live in a little town called Trappe. This is the town that my Mom grew up in. The older kids got to go to Uncle Jimmy's farm and watch the combines work while I stayed with the little girls and watched them play in the very playhouse that my mom played in when she was young.
What a great way to kick off our school year!
Monday, September 03, 2007
Look Mom, No Teeth!
I love it when my kids lose both of their front teeth at the same time! Nathan lost his just a few weeks ago, so we are still getting a good laugh every time he tries to say something with an "S" in it.
I couldn't resist posting a few shots of our cute little "snaggletooth"! Enjoy!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
New Beginnings
What a summer! I can't believe my last post was in April. A lot has been going on - I guess enough to keep me too busy to blog.
If you know anything about our family, you would know that we practically live over at Beachmont in the summer! Our kids go to camp there of course, but along with that, some of them were helping out with various skits and Bible stories, all of them were taking swimming lessons every Monday night, our two oldest kids went to Teen Night every Tuesday and if that weren't enough I helped to run the concession stand for Friday Family nights!
Although it was a busy summer, it was a wonderful break from our regular routine (I use the word routine very loosely) and we are all ready for the begininning of a new school year.
Okay, so I am ready, along with 2 or 3 of the kids. Some of them are not too thrilled about things like pre-algebra, literature and waking up early every morning!
But - ready or not here they come! Want them or not, like them or not, changes are right around the corner! Here are some of the new beginnings that are headed our way.
~New school year. (We are adding a pre-schooler to the mix of 8th, 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st)
~New school activity. (We joined our church's Homeschool Co-op and are looking forward to the fellowship each week.)
~New Teenager. (We could look at it one of two ways - either Julia is our first teen at 13, or Jim is our second teen at 12 - either way...HELP!!!)
~New schedule. (Gone are the care free summer days when waking up is somewhat optional!)
~New job. (Sort of - Julia is on a soccer team this year so I am joining the ranks of Mom's taxi services!)
~New quiet times. (I confess that I have slipped back into a lazy quiet time schedule - back to early mornings!)
~New mercies. (Thank God they come every morning!)
... may God be the Force behind me, the Goal before me, the Protection around me and the Life within me!
If you know anything about our family, you would know that we practically live over at Beachmont in the summer! Our kids go to camp there of course, but along with that, some of them were helping out with various skits and Bible stories, all of them were taking swimming lessons every Monday night, our two oldest kids went to Teen Night every Tuesday and if that weren't enough I helped to run the concession stand for Friday Family nights!
Although it was a busy summer, it was a wonderful break from our regular routine (I use the word routine very loosely) and we are all ready for the begininning of a new school year.
Okay, so I am ready, along with 2 or 3 of the kids. Some of them are not too thrilled about things like pre-algebra, literature and waking up early every morning!
But - ready or not here they come! Want them or not, like them or not, changes are right around the corner! Here are some of the new beginnings that are headed our way.
~New school year. (We are adding a pre-schooler to the mix of 8th, 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st)
~New school activity. (We joined our church's Homeschool Co-op and are looking forward to the fellowship each week.)
~New Teenager. (We could look at it one of two ways - either Julia is our first teen at 13, or Jim is our second teen at 12 - either way...HELP!!!)
~New schedule. (Gone are the care free summer days when waking up is somewhat optional!)
~New job. (Sort of - Julia is on a soccer team this year so I am joining the ranks of Mom's taxi services!)
~New quiet times. (I confess that I have slipped back into a lazy quiet time schedule - back to early mornings!)
~New mercies. (Thank God they come every morning!)
... may God be the Force behind me, the Goal before me, the Protection around me and the Life within me!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Steps of Faith
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you'."
Abram was called by God to "go to the land I will show you". He was supposed to pack up his family, his possessions and all of his servants and go to somewhere. He was not given any more specifics than this. No maps, no points of interest along the way and no final destination.
~ That he would become a great nation
Can you imagine the great anticipation that Abram must have had? He was being led by GOD, and if he had faith enough to follow, all these blessings would be his!
I don't need to know all the details as long as there is Someone I can trust to lead me.
The Twining "Home sweet home"!
Genesis 12:1
Abram was called by God to "go to the land I will show you". He was supposed to pack up his family, his possessions and all of his servants and go to somewhere. He was not given any more specifics than this. No maps, no points of interest along the way and no final destination.
Can you imagine (especially those of you with children) loading up all of your household goods into a moving van, getting your family loaded up into the car, saying by to your dearest friends and family and just taking off down the road without a destination in mind?
This is exactly what Abram did. God spoke to him and he obeyed. I am sure that he must have had doubts about this journey God was telling him to make, but he had faith in this great God who said that he would lead him to a land and would make him a great nation. Abram had nothing to go on but the promises of God - but oh what wonderful promises they were!
~ That he would become a great nation
~ That God would bless him
~ That God would make his name great
~ That he would be a blessing
~ That God would bless those that blessed him
~ That God would curse those who cursed him
~ That all people would be blessed through him
Can you imagine the great anticipation that Abram must have had? He was being led by GOD, and if he had faith enough to follow, all these blessings would be his!
Now, so many years later, we can't help but see all the people that have been impacted by the simple obedient faith of this one great man. He has indeed become a great nation and all have been blessed through him.
Well, I'm sure that most of you have heard this familiar story from Genesis. I have another story that is very similar about someone who is very dear to me.
There was a young man in the early 1970's who had a vision to begin a certain ministry for young people. He knew that God was calling him to this ministry, but he wasn't sure how it was to become a reality. At the time he was working as a youth pastor within a local church.
One day, this young man got a call that the great aunt of a friend wished to meet and talk with him and his wife about their ministry with young people. He agreed and went to the farm where this elderly lady lived. Her name was Mrs. Foard.
Once this young couple was seated at her home, Mrs. Foard jumped right into the conversation by asking them a very pointed question. "What does God want you to do?" I am sure that the young man was quite surprised by this direct question from a complete stranger, but with the strong call of God in his heart he readily answered, "God has called me to develop a Christian camping ministry for young people".
Mrs. Foard's response to his answer surprised him even more than the original question. She said, "Young man, I have been praying for you for 6 years! I would like to give you the gift of 21 acres of my property to begin making this vision that God has given you a reality!"
Can you imagine how taken aback this young couple must have been? Here they had felt that God was leading them in a definite direction, yet they could not see how to get there. Now, they had arrived at this place and through this woman's generosity, God was GIVING them the very land that they needed to begin the ministry He had called them to! They must have felt somewhat like Abram when he arrived in Canaan and the Lord said to him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you...Go walk through the length and breadth of the land for I am giving it to you."
Even though they now had the property to begin their ministry on, this couple had many more obstacle to overcome in order to get their ministry up and running. They would have to work long and hard and they would have to take some major steps of faith before they could see the fruits of their labors paying off.
For starters, they would have to give up their current job at the local church. Then of course, they would be without health insurance or their pension plan. To make matters worse, their family was not very supporting...especially the young man's father-in-law! He thought that this young man was following a dream and he was taking his daughter with him. How in the world could he possibly support a wife with the money from a dream?
Then, there was the problem of finding a place to live. When they saw the house that they would be able to live in, it was almost to much for the young man's wife, but this young man had such a vision that he could see what it could be not what it was.
He excitedly walked around the property and pointed out the places where they planned to build different things. A baseball diamond, cabins, a pond, etc. He was living out the vision that God had given him so long ago!
Like Abram, this man had nothing to go on but the promises of God - and it was more than enough! Just like Abram, the simple step of faith that this young man took has impacted hundreds of lives over the last 30 years.
I am sure that most of you are familiar with the ministry that this young man started. When it first started, it was called Beachmont Christian Camp. The first year that they were able to run a camping program, they only had 50 campers. Over the years, this number has grown to over 1500 and Beachmont has become much more that just a Christian camp. The aspects of their ministry are too many to list as are the scores of people that have been reached through God's work there. The name has been changed to Beachmont Christian Ministries and the original 21 acres have grown to about 50 acres all being used for the glory of God.
The young man in the story is my father, Paul Twining. I know that he is a very humble man and would say that the glory all belongs to the Lord. This is very true, but if the Holy Word of God can recognize Abram for his act faith in "following a dream" than I think it fitting to recognize my father as a man who took a step of faith and "followed a dream".
I don't need to know all the details as long as there is Someone I can trust to lead me.
The Twining "Home sweet home"!
(I like the KEEP OUT sign on the door!)
The trailer that our family lived in during the remodeling of our home.
The finished product in the later 70's.
(The house has had a great room and a sun porch added on since then.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)