BOOKS I FINISHED - APRIL 2016

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, written by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer

This book was informative, heart-breaking, and makes me wish there were easy solutions to the problem of poverty. I think the important thing is to not walk away thinking it's a hopelessly huge problem and do nothing, but to consider what we can do as individuals to make a difference in our own circles of influence.


The Center of the World, written by Jacqueline Sheehan

A lie told out of love and with the best of intentions is still a lie and the truth always comes out. In this book it comes out when a twelve year old girl receives a letter from her deceased step-dad telling her that everything she believes about her adoption story is false.

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters, written by Timothy Keller

I don't remember where I heard about this book, but I thought it was great. Keller's definition of an idol is anything that takes up more of your heart and mind than God, anything that is more important to you than God, and he makes a point of saying that the things we idolize are often good things. We've just let good things become the most important thing, and that's a problem. I like how he distinguishes between surface idols and deep idols, appreciated his insight into the stories of Jacob and Leah, Naaman and his slave, and Zacchaeus.

p. 52, As a pastor I've had people come to me to confess that they struggle with almost every kind of sin. Almost. I cannot recall anyone ever coming to me and saying, "I spend too much money on myself. I think my greedy lust for money is harming my family, my soul, and the people around me." Greed hides itself from the victim. The money god's modus operandi includes blindness to your own heart.

p. 79, (speaking of parents, schools, and a culture that push for kids to compete and excel in everything and homes no long being the haven that they used to be) Instead, the family has become the nursery where the craving for success is first cultivated.

p. 88, If you want God's grace, all you need is need, all you need is nothing. but that kind of spiritual humility is hard to muster. 

p. 91, This unsung heroine of the Bible refused to relieve her own suffering by making him pay. She forgave him and became the vehicle for his healing and salvation.

p. 168, In other words, the true god of your heart is what your thoughts effortlessly go to when there is nothing else demanding your attention. One or two daydreams are no indication of idolatry. Ask rather, what do you habitually think about to get joy and comfort in the privacy of your heart?

p. 169, (on identifying idols) Look at your most uncontrollable emotions. Just as a fisherman looking for fish knows to go where the water is roiling, look for your idols at the bottom of your most painful emotions, especially those that never seem to lift and that drive you to do things you know are wrong. When you ask questions like that, when you "pull your emotions up by the roots," as it were, you will often find your idols clinging to them.

p. 173, "Rejoicing" is a way of praising God until the heart is sweetened and rested, and until it relaxes its grip on anything else it thinks that it needs.

The Wave, written by Todd Strasser

Devon found this title on a list of non-fiction books for middle/high school kids. After reading the parents guide on IMDb for the movie by the same title, I decided to pre-read the book. We'll be skipping the movie, but the book was good and Devon, Silas, and I all read it. It's based on the true story of a high school history teacher in the late 1960s whose spontaneous classroom experiment demonstrating the power of peer/group pressure ended up being far more successful, or detrimental, depending on how you look at it, then he ever anticipated.

Scary. (Per Devon)

Crazy. (Per Silas)

What Was Mine: A Novel, written by Helen Klein Ross

This story reminded me a bit of The Light Between Oceans, a book I really enjoyed reading a couple years ago. The details are different, but both stories are about people raising children they did not bear without the permission of the children's biological parents. We never know someone's whole story, so the things that look good or bad to us may not be as black and white as they appear. One of the things that struck me about this book was how much power our thoughts have. Perfectly decent desires and motivations can morph into unhealthy obsessions or foolish choices that change lives, and not just our own, forever.

Widows & Orphans, written by Susan Meissner

I enjoyed another book, Why the Sky is Blue, by this author last summer, so I decided to read another. A lawyer finds out her brother has confessed to murder, but she doesn't believe it's possible that he committed the crime. Although he's been in trouble with the law before, it's always been for going too far in trying to help those in need, never for violent crimes. He won't let her represent him, but she's determined to help him anyway and try to figure out exactly what happened.



BOOKS THE KIDS LIKED

All My Patients Have Tales: Favorite Stories From a Vet's Practice and All My Patients Kick and Bite: More Stories From a Vet's Practice, written by Jeff Wells

Hilariously funny. (Per Silas)


Beyonders series (3 books, starting with this one), written by Brandon Mull

Two kids set out to save a world from an evil wizard. (Per Devon)


Candy Shop War series (2 books, starting with this one), written by Brandon Mull

Join four friends as they eat magical candy that gives them superpowers. (Per Devon)


Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War, written by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine and illustrated by Claudia Davila

One of the authors was captured at five years old and forced to be a child soldier. This is his story, written in a way that's appropriate for kids. We've read a few books from the CitizenKid series this book is part of and they've all been good so far.


Fablehaven series (5 books, starting with this one), written by Brandon Mull and illustrated by Brandon Dorman

Two siblings, magical creatures, and a lot of fun. (Per Devon)


Five Kingdoms series (4 books, starting with this one), written by Brandon Mull

A mysterious portal leads to a world of everything in between. (Per Devon)


Inside Outside, written and illustrated by Lizi Boyd

This wordless books goes through all the seasons of the year through the eyes of a little boy, bouncing back and forth between his home and yard from page to page.


Story Thieves series (2 books, starting with this one), written by James Riley

A girl who is half fictional and a boy who's all real work together to stop a magician from destroying a planet. The first book is better than the second. (Per Devon)


Titanic: Voices From the Disaster, written by Deborah Hopkinson

True stories from survivors of the Titanic. (Per Silas)


TombQuest series (5 books, starting with this one), written by Michael Northrup

Two friends work to banish death walkers from Earth. (Per Devon)


Two Bad Ants, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg

We've checked this book out countless times over the years. It's the story of a couple ants who leave their colony and end up on a kitchen adventure. As a sidenote, although Van Allsburn is famous for his books, especially the ones that became movies, he's also a sculptor. You can see some of his work on his site.


Women Daredevils, written by Julia Cummins and illustrated by Cheryl Harness

I was looking for A Girl and Five Brave Horses, written by Sonora Carver, which I didn't find, but saw this book that includes her and checked it out. All of the bigs read bits and pieces of it.

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THE FOURTH WENT FUNKY

It was bound to happen. With three older sibs who like to do funky things with their hair, it's not surprising that Teebs finally wanted the clippers taken to his own head. Here's the "before" shot.

Naomi snagged the camera and took pictures of Teebs and I throughout the process, starting with the parting of the hair. Outdoor salons where the hairdressers wear jammies are all the rage, just in case you wondered.

Naomi gave Teebs a little hand mirror after I finished the first side and he started cracking up. So funny!

The "after", which looks less even in pictures than in real life because that's the reality of curly hair and squirmy kids who are ready to go play. My favorite four year old is really happy with his mohawk/frohawk.

I snagged a quick picture with him before he took off to play hopscotch with Naomi and that was that. 

4/28/16 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the postal service.

What's something that you're thankful for?

FORT LIFE

Build a fort in the morning.

Color in the fort.

Create storage for things you want in the fort.

And more storage.

Smile in the fort.

Ask to show the picture you're in the process of coloring in the fort.

Buddy up in the fort.

Be serious in the fort.

Be tough in the fort.

Spend the night in the fort.

4/21/16 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for frozen Gingerich blueberries and homemade peanut butter to put in my oatmeal.

What's something you're thankful for?

1:45

We've always had 1:00 be naps and down time in our home. Part of the reason is that I, as a mom who is home all day every day with my kids, need a break from noise, movement, and the responsibility of parenting. Part of the reason is that our napping kids need the sleep. Part of the reason is that I think it's important to teach kids how to rest, to entertain themselves quietly (without a screen in front of their face, of course). 

As they get older down time has changed from sitting on their beds with a book or the living room floor with a puzzle to being wherever they want to be and sometimes doing things with a sibling, as long as it's mellow. The bottom line is it has to be quiet, calm, and not requiring one measly second of my attention. 

Yesterday I read my Bible for a while during down time then hopped in the shower. Here's what I came out of my room to find.

Silas and Naomi were sprawled out in the shade with only magnifying glasses and twigs in the 85 degree sun as they had a contest to see who could burn through their twig first.

Devon was finishing on the trampoline, taking advantage of fresh air and shade as he finished up a book.

Teebs was sacked out in bed.

Our first two days of the week have gone well and this is part of the reason, a break in the day for everyone to rest and recharge.

CRAZY HAT/HAIR BOWLING NIGHT

Last night was our church's annual crazy hat/hair bowling night for grade school kids. Naomi went as a participant, while Tim, Silas, and Devon went to help. Here are a few shots I took of the little Ws before he headed out for the event.

Naomi's been thinking about losing her hair again, so she had me cut all but her curliest section, which is where straight-haired people would have bangs. We'll get rid of the rest today to make it less crazy. Silas ventured into the land of straight hair by having a part. Well, he partially (no pun intended) ventured. A part in the middle ... with fros on the side. And a goofball outfit, just for kicks. Devon opted to keep things simple and pulled a hat out of our stash of dress-up clothes.

Tim came separately and someone took a picture of all four of them at the event, which I'll add to this post later if I see it turn up. 

4/14/16 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for clean water.

What is something that you're thankful for?

4/13/16 - WORTH REPEATING

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If you are content to simply be yourself, you will become more than yourself.

We don't always get to choose our life's circumstances or the roles we are called to fulfill. Each of us are gifted in different ways and invited to pursue unique callings on our life.

Our greatest pursuit then, is to find humility, love, and contentment in the role we are best designed to fulfill - whether that role results in fame and fortune or not.

~ Joshua Becker in Don't Find Joy In What You Do But How You Do It at Becoming Minimalist (This is a really great post and it was hard to choose one part to quote. Check it out if you are discontent and/or always looking for accolades.)


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Come to me when / You're weary and / I'll give you hope when you're hurting / I'll give you rest from your burden

~ Jamie Grace in Come to Me on One Song at a Time


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Women have more important things to do in 2016 than spend a single other minute worried about our wrinkles or the acceptability of our thighs.

~ Annick Rbsn in this public Facebook post about refusing to accept self-loathing as a beauty standard and the way self-loathing is marketed to females of every age (Please take a minute to read the post. It's important for females, those raising or influencing females, and those who spend time around females ... pretty much everyone.)


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I've come to see that the more we believe our identity in Christ, the more we want to make the most of our time on this Earth, doing much work for God's glory instead of using our time for vanity and pleasure. 

~ Emily Jensen in The Sluggish Woman at Emily Jensen


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"Hate" isn't the only thing that mocks the song of peace on earth. "Control" does, too.

~ Jess Connell in Peace on Earth, Peace in My Controlling Heart at Jess Connell (Jess posted this around Christmas and holidays don't stress me out, but I battle my desire for control all year long and so this post really resonated with me.)


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MOVIES I WATCHED: 2/9/16 - 4/10/16

Candyman: The David Klein Story
The background on the creator of Jelly Bellys, his never-ending stream of ideas, and the demise of his business. Produced by his family, it's a bit of a bummer to watch because he's been taken advantage of in some big ways. Interesting, though. Heads up there's an unexpected (and totally unnecessary) scene with dancers that I think was right around 25-30 minutes that you may want to skip over, particularly if you're watching with your kids. Not the worst scene as far as dancers go, but not very tasteful either.

A LEGO Brickumentary
Pretty self-explanatory title. We watched this on a family movie night and all 6 Ws thought it was pretty awesome.

Room
I read the book several months ago and loved it. Although I liked the movie, I don't know if I would have liked it without reading the book first. The movie was good,but the book was awesome. In a nutshell, it's about a mother and her five year old son who live in an 11x11 room, the only place the boy has ever known.

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
I've seen this several times since it came out back when I was in high school. Naomi and Teebs hadn't seen it before, so we got it from the library. It's based on the true story of a young woman who became a diving girl in the 1920s, jumping off of 40-60 foot ramps into a pool of water while on the back of a horse. Blinded in a diving accident, she continued diving for 11 more years. I did a little research on her and, among other things, discovered that she wrote a book called A Girl and Five Brave Horses, which I plan on reading.

Zootopia
We watched this as a family and although there were a couple aspects I didn't love, we all enjoyed it.

A DAY WITH DAD

Debra had a conference in Portland today, so she and Dad drove up and he spent the day with the little Ws and I. We are all eagerly anticipating his visit and it was fun to spend some time with him. He met us at the library mid-morning and joined us for our homeschool group's spring festival.We took a quick group shot before everyone else showed up.

Naomi got some snuggle time with Papa while we were there.

Then she and Teebs got some snuggle time while they waited for lunch to be ready.

Then Teebs got some snuggle time while Dad and the kids all watched funny Youtube videos.

Then Teebs got some snuggle time later.

Then Dad left and the snuggles ended. As much as we love our life in this part of the state, I sure do miss living in the same area as him. It was a treat to have him hang out for a chunk of the day!

A MORNING AT THE PARK

Megan and I saw each other for the first time in over twenty years a couple months ago and today most of our kids got to meet each other. We met at Wesley Lynn Park and she and I spent the morning chatting while the kids rode RipStiks, goofed off on the playground, and ran around the park together. Beautiful weather, picnic lunch, happy kids, happy moms ... a perfect combination.

Our family had afternoon commitments and had to leave after a couple hours, but my kids enjoyed her kids and I anticipate that our next meeting will involve a bigger chunk of time together. 

4/7/16 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for music.

What is one thing that you're thankful for?

SILVER LININGS

I got up from dinner last night to grab my camera and take this picture. The day had stunk to high heaven. Sometimes sharing a life and roof with other people is really hard. Sometimes dealing with your own sin and weakness is really hard. Sometimes all the little things go wrong and it's really hard. Sometimes it's all really hard on the same day. Sometimes you manage to see simple beauty in the midst of the rotten day. Sometimes you have capture the moment.

AN APRIL FOOL'S DAY JOKE

Late yesterday afternoon I told the little Ws we were going to head out to do some grocery shopping, as it's the start of a new month and I always do a big trip to stock up on staples right about now. Since we'd be gone during dinner, I said we'd pack some sandwiches and apples so we could eat on the go. First stop was Costco. We went to customer service first so that I could renew our membership, then headed over to the food court because Silas had offered to use some of his spending budget to buy churros for everyone. They all took a bite and I said, "April Fools!" That's when I explained that we weren't going shopping at all and that we were headed to a concert instead. They were totally surprised and totally excited. 

A couple weeks ago our family was given tickets to the concert, but Tim and I opted not to tell the little Ws ... until tonight. Not only did we all get to attend the concert for free, but we also got VIP tickets. I knew that would get us seats near the front, but I didn't realize until we arrived that it also gave us early entry and some group Q & A time with the headlining band. The night started with I Am They, followed by Hawk Nelson. Tenth Avenue North was the headliner. 

We didn't get a family picture because we forgot before and during the show (again, just like our night at the Hits Deep Tour) and our post-concert attempts weren't working. People's heads were cut out, every picture was blurry, and we were starting to get grouchy by the gazillionth "one more picture" and we decided to just move on. I did, however, get a shot of all three bands singing together at the end.

It was a super fun night for our family and the best kind of April Fool's Day joke we could have played on our kids. I'm super thankful for the generosity that made it possible!

UPDATE - A friend just sent me this. Oh my! Naomi had scrawled out a quick note on some swag paper at the end of the show, then handed it to one of the crew members as we walked out of the building ... and they posted it on Instagram!

KID DATES

It's taken me longer than I expected to work my way through the little Ws, but last fall I decided to go on little dates with each of them from time to time. Each kid gets $2.00 and one hour of my time, to be spent as they wish. 

9/19/15 - Teebs
He bought Kit Kats at Wheeler Dealer and a football at Dollar Tree, then played catch in our front yard with me.

10/27/15 - Naomi
She bought Twizzlers at Wheeler Dealer and rings at Dollar Tree, then headed to Centennial to swing with me.

2/28/16 - Silas
He bought Mexican pastries at Miranda's Bakery, then wandered around the outlets with me.

3/31/16 - Devon

He bought jelly beans at Walgreens, then wandered around Wheeler Dealer with me.