And then he was 12...

Isaac turned 12 on the 26th!!! I almost have two full blown teenagers!Grandma's homemade cakes. Always a hit. Alex & Colleen got their pie as well. Sans butter. Ask Colleen. ;0)That is Shandy the new addition at the grandparents' home. I think he wore her out! I know she wore out our dog, Phoebe. Isaac is a sweet and precious fella...and a big pest (a dominant Corcoran trait). That is Shandy again-going into Colleen's hair.

Is it genetic or environmental? Age old quandary. A more serene moment in the week.

Honorable mentions!

My Dad turned 79 on the 24th! For his birthday he got to go to the hospital with a blood clot in his lung. Oh the fun.

Breanna turned 18 on the 22nd! She is like family so she gets to go in the blog. :0)

A fine time was had by all.

I do hope you all had a LOVELY Thanksgiving. Don't we have much for which to thank our Lord?! Even if your holiday did not look like a Norman Rockwell painting- the Lord has offered you eternal life thru His Son's death for you on the cross. It doesn't get any better, friends.

I'm Late. I'm Late, for a Very Important Date

Charity begins at home. Well before 10AM.

Up before the alarm. Coffee in the cup. Email and weather checked. Boys up and eating breakfasts. Load in the washer and their chores begun while I stumble downstairs for my 8+ miles on the bike and arm weights.

Listen to boys argue about each other's chores.
Down comes the dog to look for chewables left all over the basement floor (i.e. Legos).
Down comes son #1 to tell me I have 3 minutes before I need to leave.
Down comes son #2 to tell me he just needs to pack his lunch and then we need to leave.
Let sons know that I KNOW what time it is. Smile.
Struggling to breathe and mighty sweaty by now.

Put clothes in the dryer. Inform said boys that I will do Pilates before leaving, and that I will leave with plenty of time before school begins.

Sweat through Pilates. Listen to boys argue about whether the shoes are basketball court shoes or tennis court shoes. Face redder- not a pretty exerciser.
Stand up to get son for school and am told that it was about time and that he was about to come get me. More arguing between boys about the blasted shoes. Yell.

In the car. Driving and "reminding" son that I am sick of being surrounded by negativity and criticism. That I am trying to get a million things done in a timely manner (like all good Christian women) and that I don't need or appreciate their nagging and pestering. AND that I really don't want to be subjected to their constant bickering. Feeling guilty. So, tell him that this is not how I want to drop him off to begin his day at school (SO un-Christ-like but it IS their faults, right?). Blah, blah, blah. Or is that drip, drip, drip- Proverbs:19:13?

Home again. Put yet another layer of stain on the bookshelves. Have other son water plants outside. Take a shower. Cannot find new razor blades. Take another load downstairs for the washer. Finish loading the dishwasher and turn on. Wipe down kitchen. Begin school. And read these words...

"In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together the Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

So there you have it. I was really feeling sorry for myself for all the ingratitude surrounding my ever so busy morning. The implication that I was not taking care of things well enough was grating on my stretched nerves. After all I spend so much of My time on Their stuff....

Anyway after reading that and more, I realized I had the wrong focus, AGAIN.

So, now, today, I am trying to only open my mouth in praise.

School Begins!

Alex and I begin homeschooling today. That meant getting up much earlier than usual for summertime. Isaac gets to begin his school schedule this week as well (tho he doesn't understand WHY). So I did let them sleep in until 7:30AM, but then it was up and at em! 

I am looking forward to this year. I have not had time alone with Alex for almost 12 years. I look forward to getting to know him better. Heart to heart. I pray that this year will be a time of renewal and of drawing our hearts to the Lord and each other in a deeper way. 

Of course I also want him to excel academically, but his heart and character matter more to me than just his mind. One of the challenges will be what to do with Isaac all day. :0)

If all goes well we get to go to a friend's house this afternoon. Lord willing!!!!

Oh did I mention that I still haven't figured out how to finish staining the built in book shelves- where all the homeschool stuff is supposed to go, and that Christopher left for Newark- he'll be there every week for 12 weeks? Oh well. Moving on....

Had to Open My Big Mouth

I KNEW it. But I really thought it was going to be OK. 

Joke's on me. 

Within an hour of that last post they both missed the timer by 15 minutes and went back to 15 minute increments. FORTUNATELY they still have great attitudes. 

Oops. Hope I didn't just flub up AGAIN. :0)

Well, it is still a good thing. What great boys.

Try to make it to Culvers today.

Trial and Error and Sometimes Success of Parenting

Two things:

1.  So far we are 1 and 1/2 weeks into the, oh what to call it, experiment to teach the boys the cost of freedom.  So far So Good! They have had wonderful attitudes about it- NO complaining, and only one of them had to start over after a couple of days. 

They are both on half hour increments, and I am quite proud of them. I usually know where they are, and they have been home at much more decent hours. So nice. AND mom has not yelled, or even WANTED to yell in quite some time. Peace. Tranquility. Growth. 

Yippee.

I have budgeted my money, and my time and their chores. Now to live up to it, ah the rub. Well, the boys have been mighty good examples to me of late. Now I just need to budget MY chores, menus and talents. Well, and live up to it. Can anyone say GRACE and MERCY? :0)

2.  If you see this Tuesday, July 22. Please go to Culvers on Tylersville and buy food in the name of the Rosenows to help raise money for this family in need. They have adopted about 14 special needs kiddos and have, I think, 3 of their own. Neat story:  http://www.theshepherdscrook.org/

Check it out!!! That's all for now.

Recently

Hello All!
We have been sick, sick, sick around here. I came up with some great ideas for blogs while laying around in a feverish stupor for two days. Of course, now I cannot remember them. They were philosophical, deep, profound. Really. :0)

So all you get is this quick update that we are still passing around the all-over-flu (YES, iin the SUMMER!) and otherwise we are well.

Alex has been at his nature camp all week. He loves it. All day long they trudge through creeks, forests, wetlands and fields. He gets to pick up creatures and get wet. What a blast for him.


Psalm 32:7-9 Oh to train up discerning men...

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

This week we began the tangible lesson on FREEDOM. I wanted to teach them that FREEDOM really does have a cost of some sort. Frequently when they go outside they are gone for hours, who knows where, and they come home late. A mother's nightmare. NOW they get to come home every 15 minutes for the first week for check ins. If they are responsible with that the next week they get 30 minute check ins. Then they get 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours etc. When they miss a check in they will start over at 15 minutes. Sound crazy?

Well, no more wondering where they are- they can't go too far and still make it home- and they are earning freedom by being responsible, AND I don't yell or have to ground them any more- I would rather they be outside anyway! So if you have a better idea, feel free to share.

TRYING to teach and to motivate.

Conversations with a Teenager

Remember when you really knew that you knew it all? You were probably about 21. I guess it all began around 13, maybe even earlier. You looked at your parents and realized they did not have a clue, or so you thought. We have entered that world. Christopher and I are out of touch and ignorant. I think we are quite mean as well. I do know we are a hassle, requiring chores and thank you notes and whatnot. The nerve. We are on the edge of being. "the enemy."

But we'll keep trying. We'll keep telling him the truth and things of God's truth. Good things that will plant and water the seeds of faith. We'll keep asking questions. Getting one-line answers. Asking more questions until after numerous questions we have almost a full sentence. 'Cause he's our boy and we love him.

And even if he thinks we are a major pain, and talk too much and ask too many questions, at least he knows that we care enough to bother.

And maybe, just maybe one day...

he'll realize that we know something, and that we only want the best for him, and that we really do care about him, and then...

he'll remember that he loves us too!

Our boy, he's fantastic!