"With these everyday hands, we birth usefulness and purpose."

I know I am filling a lot of my blog space summarizing the book "Seven Times the Sun" these days, but I am so enjoying it and it's just meeting me right where I am. I want to record my thoughts here so that I can look back in the months/years to come to see how our family rhythm is coming along in each of these areas. So, onto Chapter 4, "Celebrating Work".

Last night I was baking muffins at around 9pm, and Joel and our friend Evan were standing in the kitchen and we were all chatting away. In the middle of the conversation Joelie paused and said, "Who is this Jenny? This Jenny that is in the kitchen at 9pm at night? " He was referring to my former distaste of kitchen work. Poor guy, for the first 8 years of our marriage the kitchen was the last place I wanted to be! In fact, my homemaking skills in all areas were completely lacking. I just wasn't motivated. Looking back, I think my disappointment of being unable to conceive for so long spilled over into all areas of my life. I loved being a wife to Joel, a research assistant, a college student, a clerk at Down to Earth Natural Foods, an ESL teacher, a friend, a youth worker, a daughter and a sister. I loved all of the things that were my life prior to Sam and Amelia. I am thankful for the purposes the Lord gave me for those 8 years. For some reason, though, true motivation showed up the day they were born, in the area of home especially. Now, if there are any women out there reading this who may be longing to have children but have not been given them yet, listen up! If I could go back and do it again, I would be more prayerful about my motivation in the area of keeping my home. Make it a haven for you and your husband and all those who enter it. Take the time to develop those skills of cooking and cleaning and organizing. Most importantly, though, I hope you are able to realize the importance of those every day tasks whether a child is there or not. Being keepers of our home is refining work. We can literally bring life to every inch of it.

Ahem, back to chapter 4. Have I not even begun discussing the chapter?

Well, let me just say that since Sam and Amelia were born, my desire to have a home that is organized, welcoming, efficient, and peaceful has been so strong. But it takes hard work and it is so daily! So, this chapter really spoke to my heart. How I long to see the work of my hands as purposeful and useful and to do it with joy. I know that I will not always be humming happily as I go about my chores. But an overall contentment and peace about these tasks I have been given--I truly believe this is possible.

Here are some simple rituals the author gives to celebrate work:

Pick Up Quick: Create a clean-up ritual with your child by having several energetic songs that you sing while picking up after play time.

Fresh From the Oven: She suggests making bread weekly with your children as children enjoy foods that have been made by the work of their own hands. Of course, making an extra loaf for friends or family and letting the child deliver it would be wonderful as well.

Needles and Pins: Hand crafts can be very rewarding work for both adults and children. My mama is so talented in this area and I really love to watch her knit, crochet, make jewelery, etc. Joel's mama Shari loves to embroider and his dad is a wonderful woodworker ( we love the wooden trucks, ect. that he has made for the babes!). The dress that Anne sewed for Amelia's birthday was so treasured and adorable and all of Tara's hand made goodness is just fabulous. I am so impatient with learning hand-crafts and give up so easily, but sometimes my hands just ache to create something. Once again, I just need to be willing to put in the hard work to reap the benefits!

How do they do it? : the author suggests taking one day a month and seek out opportunities to observe the work of different occupations with your children. Dancers, violinists, potters, cement layers, garbage collectors, bookbinders, etc. I remember in our homeschooling years having the opportunity to do this a few times and it was so fascinating.

Next, she discusses ways to get your children involved in your work. " Since young children learn through imitation, one of the most significant gifts we may share with them is a love and appreciation for the work of our own hands." Right now I find that Sam and Amelia like to be given a simple task to work on while I work. This is the only way I have effectively cleaned while they are awake. Yes, I may have to wipe up an extra mess or sweep again when they are through, but it is worth it for them to develop concentration and focus and confidence from their tasks.

Some of my favorite songs from this chapter,

" I will work with joy, my task has now begun, I will work with joy until my task is done. Persistence and pride, purpose unfolds, as I work hard to reach my goals."

"Many hands make light work. Many hands make light work. Work together, work together, many hands."

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Sam and Amelia hard at work:) May God bless us all in our pursuits to care for our families and homes and to find joy as we do it, Jen

P.S. It is already very plain to see that Sammy is very task oriented and works hard at cleaning up after himself and his sister. Amelia, on the other hand, is a mess. She leaves a path of destruction wherever she goes and finds great delight in spilling, throwing, tossing, and scattering anything that she has had enough of. Sammy usually buzzes around and cleans it up for her! It looks like she might take after her mama and will need lots of encouragement to develop the discipline to complete her tasks with joy.

I am so thankful that Sam and Amelia are not fearless children. They don't dive off of beds/couches/coffee tables. They don't try to walk down steps that don't have railings. They are just pretty safe kids. So, you can imagine my surprise when Amelia pulled quite a stunt today! I was in the kitchen and saw her scoot by on her little bicycle and thought nothing of it. I figured she would just turn around whenever she ran out of space. Then I heard a loud "THUD! THUD! THUD! WAAAAAAAAAA!" I ran over to the stairs and saw Amelia about three steps down on our little landing with her bicycle on top of her! She was fine, mostly just scared, but mano mano! I don't know if she actually tried going down the stairs or if she was turning around or what. I guess it's time to be vigilant again about making sure the baby gate is up.

It made me wonder if she might take after her "bike into garbage can and break hand, and crash into railroad tracks and break ribs" dadoo. Oh my.

Here's a little sample of random video clips for you. Sam and his adorable pronunciation of "bear" and "sister", Amelia's container collection and art, and some clips of the museum, where Sam loves to play with anyone that will run around with him or "shaaaare" with him and Amelia is content to play on her own:)


Happy mid-week to you!
Jen

Come, Play With Me!

Continuing my summary of Seven Times the Sun, chapter three is about celebrating play. While I still feel I have a long way to go in celebrating morning and mealtime, play is something I have always wholeheartedly embraced:) Growing up in the country, having parents that loved to play with us and encouraged play, and being home schooled all contributed to my brothers and I having lots of time and space to play and explore as children. Creative, imaginative, rich play is one of my greatest desires and highest goals for our children. My greatest fear in this area is to have kids that can only recreate movie scenes in their play--which is a sad reality for many children in our media focused culture. So, I obviously loved this chapter before it even began:)

Here are some simple rituals that she gives to Celebrate Play:

*"Create a circle time each day for 10-20 minutes where you can enjoy singing games, songs and verses. Singing and speaking familiar verses stimulates a child's memory, such an important element of early childhood development."
We have been doing this very loosly after breakfast each morning. I would like to take a few minutes during my Sunday evening planning session (which was done this evening with Anne at a bookstore while big, fat snowflakes fell outside--fun!) and be a little more intentional about which songs and hand games we will work on during the week. So far they love " Head, shoulders, knees and toes (Amelia)", "Ring around the Roses", "This little light of Mine (Sammy)", and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
I also read books aloud during this time.

* Another ritual she talks about is "Natural Wonders". She talks about taking her children for walks and gathering pieces of nature for a "nature table" to display seasonal treasures . Does anyone have a nature table yet? I look so forward to having one when the babes are a bit older. I do always try to take time to point out pieces of nature on our walks, especially now that I take walks with them walking by my side--we have LOTS of time to stop and smell the (snowy) roses:)

She also discusses creating playful, inviting settings to "draw children to interact with their environment." Things like reading nooks, a dress up corner, a kitchen, toys displayed on a low shelf instead of dumped in a toy box. Simple toys out of natural materials rather than intricate, busy toys will enhance a child's imagination and creativity. One of my favorite quotes about toys is , "The less a toy does, the more a child does." One thing that has worked for us, and that I am pretty intentional about, is limiting the amount of toys that our left out. A basket with a few dolls, two puzzles, a basket of books, a big truck and a few small cars, a ring stacker, some wooden nesting bowls, a basket of instruments, and a a little "dress up" corner is what we have at the moment. Then, I just rotate when I see that something isn't being played with. It really helps with keeping things uncluttered and hopefully with them learning that everything has a place.


Then, of course, there is just silliness. Dare I confess some of the silliness that takes place in the midst of our afternoons at home? Just this afternoon I put on quite a ballet performance while we were waiting for lunch to heat up. I don't think they were very impressed but it sure made us all giggle:) I love how parenting helps us all just let go a bit, you know? One wonderful thing about twins is, of course, a constant play mate. And play they do! Chasing, hiding, working, tackling, tickling...it is one of our greatest joys to watch them play with each other.One of the silly songs that I loved from this chapter is a Moroccan Folksong called, "A Ram Sam Sam". It goes, "A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam, Gu-li gu-li gu-li gu-li gu-li ram sam sam......" I have no idea what it means, but it has the word Sam in it and it sure is fun to sing:)

So, here's to celebrating play with the little ones in our lives,
Jen

A rainy day adventure...

It was nap time. It started to rain and we had to turn back early. But it was so worth it to get out and into the mountains, even just for a bit, with friends and nature. So, I consider our first snowshoeing adventure a success:) Looking forward to going again soon.

Hoping your weekend held a bit of adventure as well,
Jen

Amelia kept trying to put her play silk around her neck this morning and so I tied it for her and she wore her cape the entire day:) Sam and Vera joined her in her super hero ways when we went to play this afternoon. Adorable with a capital A.

Happy weekend to you! Jen

Celebrating Mealtime...

If you'll remember, I'm reading a book called Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day. Last time I wrote about Celebrating Morning. A few notes on that before I summarize chapter two.

Our morning routine does seem to be running a bit more smoothly, especially now that we are all well again. I LOVE the morning songs that are presented in the book and have started incorporating them into our rhythm. My favorite song says this, "Joy, Joy joy comes in the morning. Joy, joy, joy comes. Morning glory, morning joy. " It is such a sweet, simple tune. I couldn't read the music in the book and so ended up getting the CD so that I could learn all of the tunes. This song is sung in rounds. Have I ever mentioned that I adore singing in rounds? Takes me back to high school youth group. Long bus rides on Mexico mission trips. Or to sleep overs with Kristi, just singing our little hearts out together in rounds. Oh, you didn't do that when you were in high school? You were missing out! :) Seriously, though, I have day dreams of when the babes get older and are helping me work around the house and we are just singing away. In rounds. Oh my.
So anyway, my celebration of morning still has a long way to go. I have yet to wake up before the babies and pray/gather myself/work out/see Joel before he leaves for work. Tomorrow is a new day though and I am going to get to bed by 10:30 tonight (edited at 10:55 to say Make that 11:30.)
One major breakthrough is Sammy's diaper changes in the morning. He has turned a curve (is that the saying?) on that one and it is not unheard of for him to obey and come plop down on the floor with a proud little look on his face and only have minor fussyness while the change is happening. Thank you Lord!

Now, on to 'Round the Table: Celebrating Mealtime. Mealtime is another time I can find myself hurrying through. Preparing food is not my favorite thing to do and toddlers learning to feed themselves is a messy, messy business.

However, I know that family mealtimes are important and this chapter really reinforced that. Her first main point is about the opportunity for prayer around the table. Teaching your children to take time to be thankful as a family, to slow down and voice our prayers in each other's presence. She talks about simple songs or verses to recite together as well as spontaneous prayer and the intimacy that that can create.

How much do you love experiencing a family or group of friends that take the time to hold hands and lift their hearts in prayer before a meal? I have found that it often turns a simple meal into a sacred event.

The chapter also discusses the importance of providing nourishing, whole foods to ourselves and our families. Note to self: Feed your family more vegetables!! She suggests the cookbook, Feeding the Whole
Family by Cynthia Lair.

She then gives songs and verses to sing or recite. My favorite so far is the hymn, For the beauty of the earth. I am trying to sing this verse at each meal, " For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child. Friends on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild; Lord of all to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. "

Slowing down, celebrating mealtime, taking time to hold hands and lift our hearts...these are the lessons I take from chapter two.

Next chapter, "Come play with me! Celebrating Play. "

All for tonight,
Jen

Friends just make life sweeter...

This is a new friend of Joelie's from work. He stopped by tonight and the babes acted as if they had known him forever. They quickly brought him every book from their book basket and then crawled up into his lap for him to read:) We look so forward to lots more visits with he and his wife Fortunate (don't you already love her with a name like that?!)

Here's to old friends and new,
Jen

On the homemaking front: Part 2

Here's a little update on how things are shaping up around here:

In the kitchen: Things are going okay in the meal planning/cooking department (minus my latest sick days which I cooked absolutely nothing.) I made a meat and potato quiche from More with Less and thought it was great. The babes enjoyed it as well. It would have been a great breakfast dish. Let's see, another new one I tried was this Oatbar recipe from my Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book. Hmm, it didn't make bars. At all. It basically made granola, which we have enjoyed but was not what I was aiming for. Anyone want to make it and let me know how yours turns out?




House cleaning: I am armed with some new tools. First of all, my Motivated Mom's Chore chart. Sounds super dorky right? Yep, it probably is. But I like checking little boxes off and this one has it all laid out for me, week by week. You can see a sample page of the planner that I purchased here. You can purchase your own here. So far, it is working fabulously. If I have a crazy day, I just do as many of the tasks as I can and don't worry about the rest. Baby steps! I'll keep you updated.
The other thing I've done is make a fresh batch of cleaning products. I used pepperment essential oil for my scent and it smells oh, so good after I clean. Love it! You can find the recipes I used here.
I think cleaning will always be a big effort for me. I am not naturally geared towards cleaning (ahem, to say the least). I know it's worth the effort, though, and so onwards we go.

Atmosphere: The only atmosphere type projects I have done are hanging a bit more art at the babes level. Here is one of the postcards that I framed for them. I also make a real effort to keep the toys that I keep out for them to play with is kept to a minimum. We don't have a play room and my desire is for the house to be, hmm, a bit seamless. Flowing. Something. Not cluttered with toys that they aren't playing with. This is also why we try to stay with mostly wooden toys that are beautiful in their eyes, and ours:)


I guess that's all my homemaking news to report:) I am reading lots of encouraging things about homemaking and that always makes a big difference in my attitude. I'm reading Mission of Motherhood with some friends and that is talking a lot about being the keeper of your home, as well as some encouraging blogs, etc.

________________________________

In other (much more important) news, Robin is home safe and sound. I have so many thoughts whirling around in my head after yesterday. I'll wait and try to collect them and then articulate later. For now, I am just so thankful that everyone is miraculously okay!

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All for now as I'm off to check some boxes:),
Jen

First of all, my sweet sister-in-luv is okay. She was, though, in the plane that crashed into the Hudson river today. Though she is safe and sound in a hotel room in NY, will you pray with me for peace and comfort for her and my brother? They will both be flying home tomorrow (he from AR and her from NY). I know it is really hard for them to be apart right now. Oh how thankful we are that she is okay!

With a grateful but heavy heart for our Robin,
Jenny

Oh, you wonderful sun!

I have been sick with a yucky cold since Monday evening. Thankfully Joel was home until about 4 yesterday and could care for the babes. I was a bit worried about today, but lo' and behold we had a fabulous day! I don't know if they could sense something was wrong with mama or what, but they were both on their best behavior and happy as could be. I was in shock as I lay on the couch and they sat down on rug beside me and looked at books for over 30 minutes this morning! Maybe I should try doing that more often. Then they played with wooden beads and bowls for quite a while and then just ran around and giggled. We snuggled and watched Little Bear until lunch and nap time. Then, oh then, I mustered up the energy to slap some random clothes on them (Sam even held his arm out for me to put his coat on:) and go outside. I was determined because it was 40 degrees and the sun was shining. Oh my gosh! My heart was instantly lighter. I out a blanket on a little patch of grass where the snow had melted and the sun was shining and I just lay there while they ran around and picked berries and played with sticks and in the sand box.

Here they are being little angels. I even let them do their own conflict resolution b/c I just didn't have it in me. Usually Sam would grab a book that she was reading, Amelia would fuss and then Sam would hand her a different book while saying "Share" and she would just start looking at it!


Amelia was literally saying "Nu, nu (sun, sun)!" Then, "light, light" when I took this picture. I think they had forgotten what sunshine looked like:)



There was still plenty of snow for Amelia to crunch around in. She marches through the snow like it's nothin. She approaches most of life like that:)


I, for one, chose to stay firmly planted on my little spot of sunshine looking up at the sky. Or these two little faces:)




I tell you, it was pure bliss for that hour in the outdoors. Hope you had a little bliss in your day too, Jen

Togetherness Series--Part 9

Joel and I just cracked up as we watched the babes create this new game entirely on their own.


In other togetherness news, I had the most encouraging run in with another set of twins the other day. We went to the library to get some new books and Little Bear videos and to let the babes play in this great attic like play room that they have there. Anywho, there were two other adorable little ones playing and their dad quickly confirmed that they were also boy/ girl twins. They were four. And oh how they loved each other! He said that they are inseperable and that the little girl was like a little mama to him (ahem, Amelia). As I watched them interact and follow each other around and then saw Sam and Amelia playing and chasing each other around, I was just so encouraged. Encouraged to think about the uniqueness of their bond and their love, instead of dwelling on how challenging it can be for me sometimes to have two. Their dad was so positive and though he validated what a challenge it was for his wife when they were really little, he mostly talked about what a joy they are to have. So, thanks fellow twin parent, wherever you are out there. I hope you keep on encouraging the parents you meet to see their little ones as the blessings that they are.

All for now,
Jen

Tonight I was driving home from a quick errand and I was driving down our street I thought, "Where is everybody?" All of the houses looked so still and there was no one on the sidewalks. Come to think of it, I haven't seen my neighbors in weeks. "Everyone is inside," I thought. "Going crazy with their restless children and their own sense of boredom and need for sunshine." I sighed as I parked the car in the driveway and headed in to the rest of my stir crazy family. I walked in the door and this is what I found.

A peaceful little family.
I like when things such as this make me put my foot in my mouth:) Seriously, though, it has been getting a bit rough. The days were a little warmer for part of the week, but the deep snow is still everywhere, making our visits outdoors all too brief. To pass the time this week we have taken walks around the block (they are so serious as they walk beside me holding my hands and looking around at the big world in awe), gone to the museum (which went surprisingly smooth with just me and the two of them), gone to the library to play, and gone to Anne's to have a little companionship. All of these things are wonderful, but still leave me daydreaming of crocs and flip flops, back yard play and picnics. And we still have a long, long way to go. Lord help me. No, seriously, Lord. Help me. Oh, and did I mention that Sam has thrown up about 10 times in the past two days. Stomach bug. Probably from visiting the wonderful but germy musuem.

Ah well. There are still moments of peace and joy and hilarity. I need to upload some more videos soon. Oh how their playing together makes us laugh. Love to you, Jen

P.S. (Joel is dressed in tights b/c he had just returned from snowshoeing and was taking off layers of clothes and Amelia is wearing boots with her PJs b/c she wants to wear her boots with everything at all times:)

Greeting the dawn...

I am reading through a book right now called , "Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day." I have been waiting to read it for so long and finally ordered it for myself for Christmas (from my grandparents--thanks Granny and Papa!). Anyway, I want to be consistent in posting about my lessons learned as I moved through each chapter so that I really digest it. Chapter 1 is about celebrating morning. I must say that for the majority of my life I have NOT celebrated morning. To say I am not a morning person would be a gross understatement! Just ask my mama who would greet the day in cheerful song while I moaned and groaned. Or ask Joel. Though I really wouldn't want to hear his description of mornings with me.

Having the babes has changed things in the morning department. Though I still groan at the thought of rolling out of bed, I have a deep desire to start mornings out on the right foot. It does indeed set the tone for our day. What I am finding is that I easily lose heart. I walk into the nursery with a hopeful heart for the day, and usually find myself singing the same morning songs as my sweet mama did as I greet the babes and open the blinds. Unfortunately, things usually spiral down from there. Clothes and diaper changes are still a giant battle with Sam and so often I avoid them for as long as possible in the morning and things just get off kilter. While we are eating breakfast I'm thinking about Sam's droopy, (sometimes poopy) diaper--and that is just yucky. So, even if it provides for a peaceful transition from bed to breakfast, the battle is lingering, my frustration building, and the transition to morning story time is usually ruined. My whole point is that this chapter about Greeting the Dawn has given me a renewed sense of how important for me just to set a rhythm that I think will work best and stick with it. So, the past few days I have cheerfully taken them out of their beds, talked to Sam about the impending diaper change and clothes change and then just dug in for the battle. Then, post-battle, just move on to a breakfast that I make before getting them out of bed. That is sooooo much easier than trying to fix it while they are standing around my legs begging for food. My hope is that if I just stick with the set "rhythm" eventually he will just accept it and move through it easier, rather than me changing the time/place of the diaper and clothes change according to when I think I am ready for it.

The book also has some other sweet rituals and songs with which to greet the morning and I look forward to adopting a few of them. My goal is to have a peaceful, gentle start to our day and I do have great faith that with a lot of prayer and effort, we will get there. Not every day, of course, but consistently. My friend Becca and I were talking a few weeks ago about the necessity for us of spending time with the Lord before we meet the day. The thought of getting up even a few minutes before the babies is hard for me to digest. Imperative to that goal is going to bed by 10. Also, a thought hard for me to conceive. I'm serious, though, about this desire. So travel with me as I seek to celebrate morning. To celebrate each new day that He gives and to start it with joy and grace and the understanding that adopting these new rituals will not be easy, but good things rarely are. Right?

I'll leave you with a quote from the book,

" Dawn is an old, neglected friend. She arrives with full arms, bearing gifts without fail. There is a quality that fills our home in her first shedding of light. A state of dreamy vulnerability as each of us finds our way into the world again. A tender time when our defenses have not yet reconstructed themselves. Our anger shows more easily, our delight, our affection. Sometimes we name the day in faith. Sometimes we doubt yesterday's brilliant plan. We may clear the way for the prospects of these moments. Creation is at hand."

Help, Daddy!

We are slowly entering the world of two-word phrases around here. Amelia has a few now, including "Baby sleep" when she sees a baby sleeping, "Share, brother", and then her first and most common two word phrase, "Help, Daddy!" The funny thing about this phrase is that the first time she said it Joel was no where around. We were in the car on the way to pick him up from work and I was singing Christmas carols to my adoring fan, Sammy. He just loves when I sing. Thanks for that sweet boy. You have no idea how good it makes me feel when you sign and say, "More, more!" after i finish a tune. Sometimes I stop singing just to hear you say it. (Totally kidding. Who would be so lame and praise seeking as to do something like that? Certainly not me!)

So anyway, I was just singing my heart out when Amelia very clearly busted out with, "Help, Daddy!" " What Amelia?" " Daddy, help!" I have no idea where it came from. I'm certain it had nothing to do with my rendition of "O holy Night":) It has stuck around and she uses it (still randomly) often.

Oh, Amelia. You are one cutie patootie. In other news, I uploaded all of our December pictures to Picasa. You can see them by clicking here.

I'm off to get all the winter gear together for a post-nap trip to the snowy back yard. It's like 40 degrees today and that means some much needed time outside. Jen

Sometimes you just need a magical morning...

My mom left early, early Friday morning.That's how we do things. I never take her to the airport and she leaves before seeing me and the babes. It's a bit easier that way. Anyway, I just really wanted Friday to be an "easy" day. Easy meaning peaceful. And it was. Sammy didn't have a meltdown one. Ahhh. They laughed and played and ran and then concentrated so hard on their little play-dough project. Thank you Lord for peaceful days. We mamas need them to remind us how precious, and magical really, this time really is. Jen

Of Sno-lers and Snowmen...

That's right, I said Sno-ler:) It's a sled and stroller in one! You push it in the snow as a sled and then when you come to concrete you just push down on a lever and the wheels come down. My mom and dad found it on ebay a couple of years ago and couldn't help themselves. Here is Sammy and his Mammy taking a stroll this afternoon...


He loved it. When we snolled (?!) back up to the house he started frantically signing and saying "More! More!"

Alas, we had more on our agenda. Making a snowman! Here is Mammy giving her Sammy a lesson on making snowballs and snowmen:)


He just threw one in the picture above...see it whizzing past mom's arm? He was so proud.
Ready for our very first snowman?


Sam got so excited when he saw the finished product. He ran over and tried to hug it and, well, so long Mr. Snowman:)



Where were Joel and Amelia during all of this revelry? They were going to pick up my very own treadmill that we got off of Craigslist today. How very New Yearsy of me! Here's to fresh starts and fun days to come in 2009, Jen

P.S. I just couldn't help posting these pics of the babes last year in Texas on the sno-ler:)