Olympic Glory

We would like to bid to host this year's Table Setting Olympics at my house on the afternoon of Friday March 20th. If our bid is successful, we will have individual and team events as follows:

Individual Table Setting (possibly divided into classes by age): Who can set the table with the greatest speed while making it still look like someplace you would like to eat? You must be an individual to compete in this sport.

Team Table Setting: Working together as a well oiled machine (with clean hands), increase your speed! You must live in the same house as your team mates (i.e. regularly set the table together). Teams set the number of place settings used in their actual family.

The above events will be judged for speed and accuracy with errors being given a 2 second penalty.

Possible additional event: Advanced Table Setting: whither the extra fork?

Decorative Napkin Folding: Ahhhhh. The Rhythmic Gymnastics of the Table Setting Olympics, a chance to show your style and grace. Paper napkins will be provided, bring your own rings if needed.

Who will take home the coveted gold forks?

Any other bids?

PJ Time, Round 1!

Yes, I have been sewing again! This year, I was busy enough that I had decided to skip making the kids PJs. As it ended up, the kids all needed PJs, I had a pattern, and the Queen Mum volunteered to take the kids shopping for fabric.

Unlike other years, everyone has a different fabric this time around. The unifying theme is the pattern. Since I am using one pattern, I am making them in size order. I finished Zorg's tiger stripe PJs this afternoon and will post his and Leena's... after I do Leena's!

For one thing, I am getting very fast at this pattern- 1 1/2 hours from fabric to PJs!

Happy Lent

Here is our "Walk with Jesus" mural for this year. It follows the Gospels for the Sundays and Holy Week. I don't want to explain what everything is, since the Zoomlians read the blog, but if you look up the Sunday readings, you can figure them out. I have to think of good deserts to go with them... We will be eating Gospel themed desserts on Sundays.

You can also see a little Lenten altar in the living room (as opposed to the ones in the chapel which the older boys set up today). On the right you can also see the Lenten Ark/ calender.

And we set up the vine and branches. We each get a branch and whenever we see someone doing good, we put a leaf or grape cluster on their branch. I really like that this fosters a spirit of looking for the good in others. I'll post another picture later in the season!

We tossed out the last of the cookies and candy today and filled the cookie jar with pretzels.

Leena reminded me (while we were making our PB&J) sandwiches that we were only going to eat unleavened bread. I made the command decision that this loaf didn't count because it had been baked before Lent started...

We also had a good discussion about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, but I'm going to bed now!!!
More Lent Later.

Past the Wall

I hit my Math Wall with Calculus I in college, so I never got to this point. (or maybe, here is where I gave up!) Still, peeking over the Wall, this is hilarious! HT: Testosterhome

Merry Christmas Surprise!

We had a lovely weekend with my sister and my folks. We finally had Christmas! Mumpy had made us blankets that fold up into pillows, plus some ponchos.

And, to finish off the weekend, we had a surprise birthday party for Klenda, Pa and my sister!
Here is Klenda opening her beloved pocket knife!
(Ten is the age for a pocket knife in our family. You get to pick it out yourself, but first you have to be able to carry your knife holder for a week or two without leaving it around or losing it.)










And here is Pa, teaching her to whittle!

The Wild Wind

It's been blowing a gale here! We've been spending as much time as possible outside with sheets (worn out extras, if you're wondering) and just go crazy!

The older Zoomlians want to race down the hill with the sheets billowing like parachutes, the younger ones do their level best to hitch rides.

Then we all go in for warm chocolate and marshmallows!

Good Vs. Good For Me

Last night, a well meaning friend tried to get the Emperor to join a very good group that does very good works. He declined as politely as possible and we ended up talking about it later.

Discernment is so important! What is God asking you to do? What should you be doing? Just because it's good , doesn't mean you should do it! The group was good, but if you try to do every good thing (either for yourself, or your kids) you end up exhausted and missing the joy in your life.

One thing we have noticed is that when we get too busy, our relationship devolves into "co-workers." Don't get me wrong, the Emperor is amiable, creative, and hard working. He makes an excellent co-worker, and that's always an aspect of our relationship. But he's also my best friend and spouse! We need time to talk, to have fun, be silly, be romantic, discuss current events, movies, and big ideas.

I think that if you only have a few kids, you can probably get away with a tighter schedule because you only have young kids for a short period of time. You know you are making a sacrifice for a particular period of time. With a lot of kids, all bets are off! I can't put my relationship on hold while my kids are small... nor can I put off growing as an individual. This is my life!

I think that's something I like about this time in my life. I live much more in the present than I used to. I enjoy the here and now and I like to see what I can do with it. I also have become fairly protective of my time. We have a number of health issues (doctors appointments - currently 8+ hours a week) and solid commitments (Dominicans, DJMs, Scouts, co-op) as well as the main job of home schooling, of course. I also think it's important to have time for the people I love and those who need help.

It's a priority for me to have time for the Queen Mum (my dear MIL). She drops by an afternoon a week to have tea and visit. It's a priority for me to have time and space to lend an ear or a shoulder or some baby sitting for my friends. Do I let it take over so that I can't do stuff with my kids? No, I try to be balanced. Have I got the balance right? NO! Right now, I don't have enough time scheduled in for excercise. But I'm getting better! And a big part of that is not scheduling every moment.

I am curious to see how the balance will shift as my kids get older and more involved.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

The Valentines Edition

1. I met my sweetie at Nolocon, the World Science Fiction Convention in New Orleans. It was the first science fiction convention I had ever been to; he had been going to them prenatally. I didn't believe in love at first sight at the time. Um. Wow! Powerful stuff! Like getting hit by lightning, only nicer.

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2. I love being married to someone who, after a very rough night with the kids, wakes exhausted and then makes goofy Haiku about it. My personal favorite from this morning:

As I lay dying,
What carries me off? A Sasquatch.
I smile thinly.

It might help to know that, on rough mornings, we like to have a heavily smoked tea called Lapsang Souchong which we, for incomprehensible reasons, call Sasquatch Feet. Or it might not help.

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3. Two dozen balloons is a whole lot of love. That's Leena peeking through!
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4: Have you noticed that affixing "of Love" or "of Doom" to things nearly always improves the experience?

Example 1: Come fold laundry! (cricket noises) vs. Come slay the Laundry Monster...of Doom! (hearty chorus of battle cries).

Example 2: Let's have Pink Burping Cows. (What?) vs. Let's have Pink Burping Cows... of Love! (Awwwww!)

Calling things "secret" works well also.

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5. Just for you, for Valentines Day: the secret recipe for Pink Burping Cows... of Love.
Out of curiosity, are you thinking, "Who cares what's in it, I must try it?" or have you skipped to the next number?
Actually, it's an ice cream float containing pink things:

Strawberry soda
Stawberry ice cream
Marshmallows
Strawberry syrup
Heart sprinkles if you have them

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6. My favorite part of Valentines day? Watching the Zoomlians make valentines for each other (in secret, each using their own theme). Second place would be watching The Emperor and the Zoomlians do the treasure hunt.

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7. Someone said that to have a child is to forever walk around with your heart outside your body. I think that's true, but I initially only saw that as a negative: you are much more vulnerable. That's true, but you are also much more open to delight. Ben Franklin said it best, "He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too. "

Wild Beaver ATAAAACK!

The wild beavers have visited again! This time they got 6 out of 6 Zoomlians. The only truly dramatic change was to Choclo who went from this:








To this:

Wow!

When he looked in the mirror he asked, "Where is hair?"






I asked, "Do you like it?" (cleverly avoiding the question!)

He answered, "LIKE it! I LOVE it, Mama!"

The Emperor and I are still getting used to it. We keep wondering who that other kid is...

Eureka!

Choclo was begging for the song over and over, "Please, 'Here Comes the Sand in the Vacuum Cleaner'!"

I'm sure you've figured it out already, but it took me 3 hours. He wanted that infamous cowboy yodelling train tune "Here Comes the Santa Fe."

The vacuum cleaner was just to see if I was paying attention.