We have had a great August so far…so many fun things going on that I can hardly keep up! Let me see if I can take a few minutes to be sure and get some pictures posted with some commentary on life around here.
First of all, Timothy Ministry started August 11th. The kids are each taking Language Arts, which is helping me immensely. I oversee the assignments and listen to Mack read, give grammar insight, etc, but the main direction comes from another teacher. That leaves Bible, History, Science and Math on my plate. And that is a gracious plenty!
Mack was having a discussion with Josh about why his shoes were STILL not on when it was time to walk out the door.
One afternoon we got a call from one of our favorite girls in all the world–HOPE. She is such a bright spot in this world. My girls adore her. They went on an impromptu tea date with her and her mom and sister. So fun!
And yesterday was Molly’s birthday. We took her to the mall to get her ears pierced. 10 is the magic number around here for being able to get your ears pierced…if you’re a girl. For Mack, it’s probably going to be the age he gets a shotgun or a knife or something…I don’t know. But Molly wasn’t exactly thrilled. I mean, she wanted to get her ears pierced AND at exactly the same time, she didn’t want to get her ears pierced. A dilemma for sure.
But she did it! And she was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t hurt.
We got her apple pie, as opposed to birthday cake. She doesn’t like icing. Weird kid.
She woke up that morning to streamers on the door because that is just what we do.
At the mall we also let her pick out some clothes and a pair of cute boots. She then opened some gifts at The Cheesecake Factory. All of the kids liked that choice!
As we were leaving….like, walking through the restaurant, I notice Mack was holding his belt. He told Josh he just had to take it off after all he ate! Oh my! If we all could be that comfortable with our gluttony.
Our last stop before home was the book store. We found a series Molly likes, so we are milking it. It can be like pulling teeth to get her to read.
And last, but definitely not least, is the newest Dorminy. We haven’t met our new little nephew yet because he was adopted and they can’t come home until this weekend…but we will be going over to see him and hold him. I will post more pictures later! But here is one of PawPaw very proudly showing us the little cutie.
FaceTime is a wonderful thing!
So, I think that sort of catches us up on a few things we’ve been doing lately….I will spare you of more home schooling pictures….math, math and more math….reading, reading and more reading….It’s going really well though!
My little Molly in the Middle is turning 10 today. This little girl who surprised me with a positive pregnancy test when Ruby was only 5 months old. Wowza. This little squishy baby who would only sleep on her belly and seemed to have me in her room 6 times a night for the first few weeks. I don’t think it actually was that many times, but with a one year old and a newborn, I lived in constant exhaustion…from what I remember. This little girl who got up out of her bed every. single. night. Even when she got popped for her disobedience. She would cry and then get up again the next night and sneak down the stairs. Many times this little girl snuck out of bed and got into my make-up or into hiney-cream!
She used to follow me around all day long saying, “Hold me. Hold me, Mama.” She never got irate about it when I couldn’t drop what I was doing to hold her. She just stood right beside me saying that little phrase over and over and over again in a monotone voice. She is the most persistent child. “Hold me. Hold me, Mama.”
She has always been so patient with Mack…these two are a mess…
She was only four in the above picture. Going to school on her birthday…just like today!
She has always loved babies.
She has always loved fixing hair.
Molly, We love you and love how God made you. We are so excited to celebrate YOU turning 10 years old today! You make us smile.
Maybe we will stop at Bahama Bucks some time today…it is your latest addiction!
Had a lot of different things on my mind lately. Annoyed by some things that, in my mind, were pretty big deals.
Then, this morning, in my prayer time I was telling God that I need His help with letting go of all of this negativity I have been carrying around. Asking for a perspective shift and a peace of mind. Wanting to be consumed with what consumes Him, not earthly, temporary concerns and annoyances.
This song sure did help me with perspective and what I’m choosing to see and think on today.
So the other day I wrote a blog post about the wonder of this life I get to live…the sweet faces of my kids and the day to day tasks that God has given for me to perform. Sweet and lovely and precious.
There is another kind of wondering that goes on around here. Like, wondering if home schooling the kids is going to send me to an early grave. And yes, we are only two weeks in.
Or, “I wonder why I have asked Mack to take his Timothy shirt upstairs at least ten times and yet it is still downstairs?”
Or, “I wonder how long Mack has been watching Power Rangers on my iPad in his dad’s office?”
Or even wondering if it is too early to start a math lesson count down? Would it send the wrong message? Gah, I despise checking math.
“I wonder why there is a glass of water with a pencil in it in the bathroom?”
“I wonder why there are screwdrivers in the living room? I wonder if this means Mack took something apart again?”
“I wonder why we have a school room when they all usually end up in the living room?”
“I wonder when we will get used to our new routine and not be overwhelmed by our checklists? I wonder when I won’t feel the need for a 2:00 nap….”
“
“I am seriously wondering if Mack listens to a word I say during the timeline lesson each week. I wonder if he will always remember me slamming my hand down on the table to get his attention today while he was creating something out a belt and tape and a rubber thing while I was trying to teach about the timeline?” Let’s hope not.
“I wonder what is the best way to keep up with these verses and many more we are to be memorizing this year?”
I wonder how much a full-time chef costs?
I wonder if someone wants to come clean my house and keep my laundry going for free?
I wonder if fall weather will come quickly so that I can send my kids into the yard soon?
There is wonder in the mundane. I want all my mama friends to know that and live in that. I know the days are long, but I don’t want us to miss the wonder of what it is that we are doing. And I think I love when God helps me in this area because there are so many days that I do miss the wonder of it all and look around thinking surely there is something more I am supposed to be doing.
It reminds me a little bit of Eve in the Garden of Eden. I wonder how long Eve was in the Garden of Eden before her eyes wandered and stayed on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? The Bible doesn’t say how many days in a row they walked with God in the cool of the day before they hid in shame because of their disobedience. I am baffled that Eve could have lost the wonder of what was The Garden of Eden…the perfect place to live, breath-takingly beautiful. She doubted God’s goodness and wanted in on something MORE, something she had yet to experience. Or so she thought.
I remember like yesterday walking through the grocery aisle at Publix with a newborn, one year old and two year old; an older grandma-like lady stopped me and smiled and had the audacity to say, “These are some of the best days of your life, honey.”
Knowing that I couldn’t push an old lady down in the grocery store, I just smiled back at her and said, “Ok.” I mean, what else was I supposed to say? I was TIRED, exhausted really. Not all the time, but most of the time.
The kids are much older now—8,9 and 11. I’m not nearly as tired, and we’ve been diaper-free around here for many years. They rarely come into our room to wake us up in the middle of the night either.
Honestly, I love this stage of life. I love watching them mature into these little people with ideas and unique personalities.
Honestly, I would give anything to go back to re-live one of those days when they were babies.
Time is weird like that.
It’s fleeting and can’t be gained back. No re-do’s in the sense of physically turning back the clock. Which is why I think Satan uses his schemes to distract us and disillusion us into thinking that right here and right now is not good.
God is right here with us, the Master of Time. He can open our eyes to see the wonder of where He has us. Satan wants us to be discontent and distracted, wishing away our present for something MORE, something better.
Let’s not let him steal the present…right where we are. Take a long look around at where you are in life. Stare into the eyes of the people you call family. Grab their little faces and tell them how you love them. Squeeze them, hold them close and listen to their stories. Take it all in.
Frolic in the fields together, holding hands and listening to music playing softly in the background.
I’m kidding. I am well aware that life does move quickly. We can’t constantly sit in wonder at our sweet kids and handsome husband….first of all,the kids aren’t always sweet and Josh sometimes makes me mad. Secondly, I am a realist. I like to think that I just see how things how they are and can own up to whatever that is. I joke with Josh about my funeral. I tell him I want a closed casket because no one can do my hair right. But also, I tell him that one day when I am in heaven, he will not be able to honestly stand in front of whoever comes and say that I was the most uplifting, positive, non-complaining wife in all the world. He’d be lying through his teeth. I’m not totally negative, but I am also not “Pollyanna Positive” either.
BUT, I am aware that if we don’t make ourselves look for the wonder in life, we will miss it. We will get bogged down in the mundane and think that all of life is just a big list of things to do. Laundry? Check! Dinner? Check! Sweeping? Mopping? Dusting? Check, check, check! Driving kids here and there? Check.
The mundane is what I am called to. Those every day things that at first glance don’t seem exciting…but through God’s eyes, they are exactly what I am supposed to be doing! I can be in wonder at my calling in life. God can open my eyes to truly see the beauty in the everyday stuff. He is with me. Always. That’s enough. But He can also allow my routine to be precious again. He can clear up my perspective on what is truly important. What success looks like to HIM. He can magnify and put into focus the important and make blurry what isn’t.
I will still have subjects to teach to my kids, laundry to fold and put away, meals that need to be cooked, grocery store lists week after week, and more. But I’m going to stop at least once a day, hopefully more, to take a picture in my mind of where I am, who I am with, and thank the Lord for using me in the ordinary, the mundane.
Let’s all ask God to help us SEE and HEAR and TOUCH as if He were walking with us each step of the way….because He is. And we will never get this day back again…no matter what it brings our way.
Here’s a song and it’s lyrics that I think you will enjoy. Great words. Important message. Click on the link and listen if you would like God to help you see your day to day life as PRECIOUS again.
Sunrise, sunset with no eyes to see it
Garnets and rubies ground up in the sand
Words from my children with no ears to hear it
Where is the wonder?
New tender mercies and infinite graces
Woven like threads in the cloth of my days
Deep wells of glory behind common faces
Where is the wonder? Where is the wonder?
Oh oh, I need a song that’s never old
Oh oh, I need a story never told
Promise that just when love grows cold
You’ll make it precious again
Friendship and goodwill, a sweet invitation
Kindred in spirit and eager to share
Love in familiar and long conversations
There is the wonder, there is the wonder
Oh oh, sing me the song that’s never old
Oh oh, tell me the story never told
Promise that just when love grows cold
You’ll make it precious
Press mud with holy fingers, light the ineffable
Fused in the ordinary, so much to wonder
Oh, what a wonder, wonder, wonder
Oh oh, sing me the song that’s never old
Oh oh, tell me the story never told
Promise that just when love grows cold
You’ll make it precious, oh, make it precious
You make it precious again
So I know this isn’t breaking news to most parents, but I heard a little nugget of truth the other day. Actually, I read it somewhere on some blog, and I don’t remember where exactly, but this one sentence stuck out to me.
Ready for it?……
Parenting is mostly listening.
Listening. It sounds so simple. Effortless even.
But it isn’t always as easy as I think it would be.
Listening means not talking.
Listening means eye contact.
Listening assumes I am approachable.
Listening often means close contact, smiles, nods and small sighs.
Listening means no tv, no phone, no screen to look at.
And when I listen to their silly stories about what just happened upstairs while they were playing or listen to them tell me about their crazy dream last night or listen to Mack tell me in detail about his lego creation or something else that may seem trivial to me, it sets the stage for them to come to me for the bigger conversations.
Hope you take advantage of some opportunities to listen to your kids today….I’m sure gonna try!
We have had a great start here at The Dorminy Academy of Higher Learning. I change the name every time I write a silly sentence like that….School is going great so far! That’s what I really mean.
I’m honestly still amazed that this is how we school. Home schooling is just one of those things that was totally not on my radar for all of my life until some time between the day Ruby was born and when she was about four years old. I can only explain it as a God-thing. He put it in my heart, placed me in a city with so much home school support, and allowed me to cross paths with tons of amazing families that home schooled. It all became crystal clear, and I am so thankful for these days that have turned into years that I have been able to spend so much time with my kids. It’s really my main reason for home schooling—to be with my kids. I know, pretty simple…but that is the truth. If I wanted them to be geniuses, I would definitely not be their teacher (though I do actually teach them real subjects and lessons!)
I’m learning more about each of my children and their individual giftedness, and I pray often that I would be a mom and Josh would be a dad that sees how God has gifted them and encourage them in the purposes of God in their lives.
I also have been praying for my family using the recent encouragement I have found in Priscilla Shirer’s FERVENT book (I’ve mentioned it several times on the blog, and I sure hope it is encouraging some of you to get the book). I’ve been praying daily that my kids would each take God seriously and find a refuge in Him and His Word. I am asking God to teach them how to walk in His Truth every day of their lives. I am praying that no unwholesome talk will come out of our mouths, but only words that build up and give grace to those who hear it. I pray that God will build up a fervent love for each other and help us serve one another without complaining. I ask that God will help our family pursue peace and the the building up of one another…not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving blessings instead! He is faithful and all of His promises are true.
I am hopeful and expectant that God is going to use this school year to bring glory to His Name. I am looking forward to how He will grow each of my kids in their relationship with Himself. I am definitely hoping that they learn and love to learn over these next weeks and months.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Also, I’m hoping this year I won’t have to say, “Don’t be a fool!” and quote Proverbs 1:7 when they complain about their work and despise my instruction. But I will say it if I need to.
My Ruby girl. She is 11 years old and entering 6th grade. She still loves to read and tell her sister and brother what to do. She starts piano lessons this year. She still serves on the Kidzplace worship team at church, and she loves to sing! She likes to play wrestle with Mack, though he is getting stronger and will soon easily overtake her. I often find her playing with her doll house, and I love her imagination! Her favorite food is probably potatoes, with hamburgers a close second. I love hanging out with Ruby…she is more laid back than the other two when we are together. She talks when she wants to, but never goes crazy with words, words and more words. She is content to sit on the couch with me while we each read a book. She says she would like to be a teacher or a reading tutor when she grows up. I say she should get a job reading books out loud for books on cd! She is a great reader!
Sweet little Molly. Love this girl. She is still a constant do-er and mover. It truly is amazing how the toddler’s personality stays with the child…she has always had to be in to something. While the other two can sit mindlessly in front of a movie, Molly cannot. She can be found making lists or making forms that she can fill out. She still shows interest in handicapped things, but it isn’t quite the obsession it once was. Maybe breaking her arm earlier this year took the fun out of it. She loves babies and toddlers and will go up to random families at the pool to see if they will let her play with their baby (I’ve had to talk to her about this one). She has enough hair on her head for ten little girls, and she wants it to grow to her feet. She wishes her hair was straight as a board….she got the wrong parents for that wish to ever come true. She loves her friends and looks for any and every way to try and be with her friends. She is great in the kitchen—can scramble eggs, make toast, cook a pizza, cut vegetables and make spaghetti. She is often-times found serving Mack his breakfast. She is so independent and doesn’t seem like just a nine year old, almost 10 year old. I love her spirit, her persistent nature and her endless list of ideas…though sometimes it wears me out, I know these are good qualities. She says she wants to be a nurse or an orthopedic rehab person. I want her to keep sewing and have her own business making modest swimsuits, but I’m not sure that idea is gonna gain any momentum with Molly. We shall see what God has planned for her!
And Baby Mack! Such a tender-hearted boy. (If you’ve stayed with me this far, you must love me and the kids or else you would have quit reading me tell how wonderful my kids are.) He will play Flag Football again this season. He is showing an interest in the drums, but I am just afraid that I don’t want to go there yet. He still loves Legos! Do boys ever out grow them? His favorite place to be is home. As he walks around the house, he usually has his hands full of something—a toy, guns or swords or tape and scissors with paper or a box nearby. He absolutely keeps us laughing; he always has an audience at the dinner table, so that’s usually when he says all manner of things. He talks a lot. Like, a whole lot. And he has the most sensitive heart! He is quick to come to us and apologize and ask for forgiveness when he says or does something he shouldn’t have. He says he wants to be a fireman when he grows up. I think he will be a preacher or some type of public speaker…maybe a comedian…who knows!?! He was super impressed that Tim Hawkins gets money for making people laugh. And even though right now he says he wants to live with us forever, I do feel certain God has great plans for this boy that will call him to venture out of his mom and dad’s house.
So, there you have it. The Dorminy kids whom I love so much.
Kids have a way of saying what is on their minds. It’s sometimes loving and kind…other times I may not want to hear it. Like when Mack would squish my upper arm and tell me he likes how my arm is so soft. Or when Molly tells me one tooth of mine looks a little darker than all the rest. Gee. Thanks, Molly.
This afternoon I took the girls to a practice they had at church; Mack and I were hanging out together. I walked in the parking lot of the church while he rode on his scooter and talked to me. I was enjoying just being together.
We took a water break, and he started rummaging through my purse. He was looking specifically for two coupons to Sonic he earned from VBS. All the while he was digging through my stuff, he is saying, “Oh, Mom…come on, let’s go spend some time together. I just want to do something with you.” He holds up the precious coupons and grins that sweet little grin. And I cave. Off we go to Sonic since Mack just wanted to “spend some time together.” I was enjoying our little walk and talk, but he was out for more.
On the way back to church he was thanking me for going to Sonic for him. He is such a sweet kid. We parked to wait for the girls, and I pulled up the live Senate floor vote on Defunding Planned Parenthood.
The man was calling the Senators names and then saying “aye” or “no.” I explained to Mack what they were voting on and what “aye” or “no” meant. I didn’t go into grotesque details of abortion, but I am pretty frank with my kids. It’s killing babies while they are in their mother’s womb. He asked a few questions–“Who all says it is ok to kill babies in their mommy?” “Why would they vote “no?” “Should we stop paying taxes if the money goes to killing babies?”
I answered him as best as I could. We kept hearing the caller say names of Senators and “no” or “aye” in the background.
He was playing with a toy from his Sonic kids meal, and I could see his little brain working.
And he looked right at me with his piercing blue eyes and those sweet freckles spread out all across his cheeks and nose and said, “Well, I’m glad you didn’t do abortions….because…well, I wouldn’t even be here if you did.”
Kids tell the truth sometimes. And this was definitely one of those times.
After a few more minutes he said, “Hey, let’s pray for them to only say “aye” for the rest of the time.”
And he prayed, “Dear God, I pray that they would do all “aye”s for the rest of the time. And I pray that one day abortions would not be ok anywhere in the whole world. Amen.”
Amen.
Here are each of my kids in my womb. I have these framed with Psalm 139 typed out under their sonogram picture. A reminder that God formed them and knew them intimately in the womb. He has a plan for each of them, and He is so glad they are here. And so is this mama! Thank you, Lord, for my children.
I think we’re familiar with the UP movie and the easily distracted dog. A sighting of a squirrel and his focus is gone.
I can relate.
I’ve prayed and chosen curriculum, and then I hear about another math someone is trying…”squirrel!”
We have budgeted and made goals for our money and then we see pictures from someone’s beach vacation and start to doubt that we have made the right decision…”squirrel!”
I am so easily distracted. As a wife and mom we hold a lot of things in our heads…there’s the husband and then each kid and each of these people have needs and words they want to share with you, they each require of me in very specific ways, they each have their special interests and places to go with them or places to take them, they each lose things that only wife/mom can help find, and you never know when one of them will decide they really need to talk to you about something right now….lots of stuff to juggle in the wife/mom brain!
So where was I? Oh yes, how to ignore the squirrels in our life. The distractions…not that the way my family needs me are distractions, mind you…I’m just saying that we have a lot going on in our lives, and we want to be sure we keep FOCUS on what is most important. Keep the background blurry and put into FOCUS what God has set out for me. It is quite likely that what I think is the main thing to FOCUS on might not be the main thing at all. His ways are often times so very different than our ways. His thoughts are most definitely higher than our thoughts.
Just this morning I was reading from MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST by Oswald Chambers and read Luke 18. Verse 31 says that Jesus said to the twelve, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” He had a FOCUS on pleasing the Father. Nothing would distract Jesus from that purpose. Chambers says, “The great thing to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own.”
Ever since I read the chapter in FERVENT by Priscilla Shirer on “Focus,” I have been praying a prayer every day and have seen the enemy try his best in these little discreet ways with careless words or tiny little moments here and there to knock me off of my feet and lose my FOCUS. My insecurities are where he shoots for most days. The enemy thinks that if he can get me focused on what I don’t do right or how I don’t measure up, then I am certainly going to live life OUT OF FOCUS. And he is right. But I am an overcomer and a child of God, the Creator and Ruler of Heaven and Earth. I need not walk around with blurry vision or a foggy brain.
So my word for the start of the school year is FOCUS. Focus on God and seek Him daily, pursue HIS purpose for me, and pray against distractions.
Here’s a little part of my prayer. Maybe you will write one down of your own to pray!
“…..I am asking, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for help to focus and to pray at all times in the Spirit, to pray specifically, strategically, and personally. Help me to know Your love fully and to know that nothing can separate me from Your love. In my home, I pray that You will arise and scatter enemies. Let all those who hate You to flee at Your presence. Thank You that my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. Revive me and save me against the wrath of my enemies. I pray that I would focus on YOU and clearly see Your purposes for my life. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. YES, You are able to give me laser-like focus and ability to pray specifically against the schemes of the devil. …”
As we were leaving….like, walking through the restaurant, I notice Mack was holding his belt. He told Josh he just had to take it off after all he ate! Oh my! If we all could be that comfortable with our gluttony.
