Ram had a conference in St. Cloud on Monday and Tuesday of this week. We considered going up on Sunday, but then he had an LLL meeting on Sunday night. So we had to get up really early on Monday in order for Ram to get there on time. We were all healthy and we were all able to go along. Well, on the way there Lamb 2 said he had to "spit up" so I got a little scared. But he did well the whole time.
We dropped Ram off at the conference. Two of my friends who I planned to meet there were unable to come. First, my college friend Leah, was visiting her family. Second, The Mama had sick kids and other reasons she was unable to come. I was really looking forward to meeting The Mama and having our kids play together. She was very disappointed to not come too. Please keep her (and her unborn baby and her kids) in your prayers. None of the pastor's wives from our circuit were able to attend either. So this meant that I had the 3 Lambs by myself while Ram attended the conference.
Monday was extremely windy which made it cold. The Lambs really wanted to go to a park, but it was just too windy. So we went to Menards and played on their swingsets etc. Each Lamb had their own little house to play in. Lamb 3 went in the swing for a long time. All 3 went down the slide several times. It was nice because it was a "park" but it was sort of inside and sheltered from the wind. It was still cold and the garage doors were very creaky with all that wind. We played for awhile and then did a little shopping. All 3 Lambs sat in one cart and made a train. There was hardly room in the cart to buy anything.
Next we went to Qdoba for lunch. I usually get 3 tacos for Lamb 1 and 2 to share. They ate all that and Lamb 1 was still hungry. Lamb 3 ate a lot of black beans.
Then we made a stop at Goodwill to drop off some of the stuff I've been cleaning out. We had to wait a long time because I think everyone else is doing the same thing and dropping off stuff after garage sales. We didn't go shopping. The Lambs wanted too, but I wasn't brave enough to take 3 Lambs there by myself.
Then we went to Barnes and Noble to play with the Thomas trains but we didn't buy anything.
Then we went to Coldstone Creamery. I had never been there before. I had a coupon for two but I foolishly thought it would be cheaper to get 2 kids cones plus my own instead of two adult size. I ended up spending way too much money there. Their ice cream was good, but I wasn't impressed enough to spend that much money on ice cream again. Of course, the next day the Lambs tried to talk me into going again!
Then we went shopping at Target. We bought everything on the list and only forgot one thing. I say that is pretty successful shopping when I'm not used to shopping by myself with the 3 Lambs. Of course the Lambs talked me into a lot from the dollar section and the toy section. They each chose one toy to keep and the rest were future prizes (potty training etc.). Lamb 1 chose a motor home matchbox car (something like Grandpa and Grandma have) and Lamb 2 chose a Schleich kangaroo.
Then we went to the drive up at Starbucks. Lamb 1 was shocked that I didn't get anything for Ram.
I was pretty tired after all this and Lamb 3 had fallen asleep so even though we were about 1 1/2 hours early, we went to the church to pick up Ram. Lamb 1 and 2 took turns "driving" and played in our minivan while Lamb 3 slept.
We went inside the church about 1/2 hour early. A pastor I knew from Seminary before I met Ram, totally surprised me and came up and gave me a hug. When Ram asked him about it later, he said, "I just felt like giving her a hug!" Another pastor said this pastor has really changed (for the better) since going through the Doxology program. Ram and I did a little shopping at the CPH booth and rounded up the wild Lambs for supper.
We met some of the other pastors from the circuit at Mongo's Grill for supper. We didn't even know there was a Mongolian Grill in St. Cloud before this. Lamb 1 ate really well-one big helping. Lamb 2 didn't eat so well. Lamb 3 ate lots of black beans. Lamb 1 asked if we could go back there for supper the next day! I ate too much but it was so yummy.
We went back to the hotel and went swimming for a short time. Then baths and bed. Ram went to another pastor's room to talk with the circuit pastors staying at our hotel.
We had a great day and it wasn't so bad for me to be stuck with the 3 Lambs without a buddy! The Lambs had a great time and were happy with their treats.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Third Week of School Report
We were recovering from the flu so we didn't do very much school this week. The Lambs were glad that we were back to school when I felt well enough, but they said they didn't miss not having school. I think they were too sick to care on those days. Here's what we did accomplish:
Math: Finished lesson 1 in Math U See including lots of time for both Lambs to show me they really understand it and show me with the blocks. I love MUS so far! Began lesson 2. Lamb 1 worked in his math workbook a little. We actually worked on math more than anything else this week because the Lambs asked for it.
Handwriting: Lamb 1 did the math workbook writing the number 12 and the word twelve. He begged to do more but I didn't feel like helping him. Lamb 1 was the one that missed the routine of school this week, as I just did a little when I felt like it.
Phonics: Reviewed vowels, didn't start anything new
Religion: Memorized Mark 2:5 (for Sunday School), worked on memorizing the first commandment and the hymn Jesus Lead Thou On a little. Did the Sunday School lesson they missed on David and Nathan. Didn't do any other Bible stories.
Science: Read from Berenstain Bears science book a little, read about bears.
Reading: Finished The Story about Ping, Began Madeline (Ram's parents are going to Paris soon for Ram's dad to go on business), Read a few stories from My Book House and a few poems, recited Happy Thought by R.L. Stevenson daily.
We are off to a field trip while Ram goes to the pastor's conference early this week. I am praying that we are all completely healthy when we return and we can get off to a good start for school after this last crazy month. Ram had a slight possibility of another funeral and I'm so glad that he doesn't have that one. I just wanted to scream when he told me about the possibility because I was hoping to finally get going on school. A funeral ends up messing up the entire week for our family. Thankfully he doesn't have to do that funeral. When we return I want to do more Prima Latina and also music and art with the Lambs. I want to start memorizing a new poem and a new hymn. I want to get going on The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. I pray that we stay healthy so we can accomplish this!
Math: Finished lesson 1 in Math U See including lots of time for both Lambs to show me they really understand it and show me with the blocks. I love MUS so far! Began lesson 2. Lamb 1 worked in his math workbook a little. We actually worked on math more than anything else this week because the Lambs asked for it.
Handwriting: Lamb 1 did the math workbook writing the number 12 and the word twelve. He begged to do more but I didn't feel like helping him. Lamb 1 was the one that missed the routine of school this week, as I just did a little when I felt like it.
Phonics: Reviewed vowels, didn't start anything new
Religion: Memorized Mark 2:5 (for Sunday School), worked on memorizing the first commandment and the hymn Jesus Lead Thou On a little. Did the Sunday School lesson they missed on David and Nathan. Didn't do any other Bible stories.
Science: Read from Berenstain Bears science book a little, read about bears.
Reading: Finished The Story about Ping, Began Madeline (Ram's parents are going to Paris soon for Ram's dad to go on business), Read a few stories from My Book House and a few poems, recited Happy Thought by R.L. Stevenson daily.
We are off to a field trip while Ram goes to the pastor's conference early this week. I am praying that we are all completely healthy when we return and we can get off to a good start for school after this last crazy month. Ram had a slight possibility of another funeral and I'm so glad that he doesn't have that one. I just wanted to scream when he told me about the possibility because I was hoping to finally get going on school. A funeral ends up messing up the entire week for our family. Thankfully he doesn't have to do that funeral. When we return I want to do more Prima Latina and also music and art with the Lambs. I want to start memorizing a new poem and a new hymn. I want to get going on The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. I pray that we stay healthy so we can accomplish this!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
You know you live in a rural area when...
I heard the Lambs while they were playing cars. Lamb 1 invited Lamb 2 to come to the play mat to play cars. They started out playing on their own on separate parts of the mat. Then Lamb 1 invited Lamb 2 to come to his part of the mat. Lamb 2 asked, "Is it far?" Lamb 1 said, "No." I looked and it was on the complete other side of the mat. When I questioned Lamb 1, he said, "This isn't far. I could have asked him to go way over there, off the mat." Then Lamb 2 started asking questions that were in his frame of reference-Is it farther than the town 7 miles away? Is it farther than the 1 1/2 hour drive we normally do for grocery shopping? Is it farther than the 3 hours for major shopping? Is it farther than Grandma and Grandpa's?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
More Luther quotes
These are also taken from Luther: The Estate of Marriage Sermon of 1522
"Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil's fools."
Ram and I actually had a conversation about this. One day this summer I had hung the cloth diapers out on the line to dry. I love to hang the clothes on the line, because I feel like I'm accomplishing something AND saving money and electricity. But I hate to take them off the line. You see, when it is time to take them off the line, I don't want to put shoes on and/or get bit by mosquitoes and/or have to get all the Lambs ready to go outside with their shoes etc. So on this particular day, Ram offered to go get the clothes off the line. The neighbor high school/college age kids were outside. Just as Ram started to remove the diapers off the line, the neighbor kids started laughing very loudly. It probably had nothing to do with Ram, but it made him think. Then he thought to himself (and later told me), "Who cares if they laugh, I love my wife enough to help her take the clothes off the line."
Ram hasn't washed our cloth diapers because I'm very particular about laundry and I don't let him in the laundry room very often. But he loads the dishwasher as often as I do, if not more. He watches the Lambs so I can get a nap almost daily. He probably changes more diapers than I do. When he is at home, he helps me until the Lambs are all in bed. His attitude-he definitely does it all in Christian faith!
"St. Cyprian, that great and admirable man and holy martyr, wrote that one should kiss the new-born infant, even before it is baptised, in honour of the hands of God here engaged in a brand new deed. What do you suppose he would have said about a baptised infant? There was a true Christian, who correctly recognised and regarded God's work and creature. Therefore, I say that all nuns and monks who lack faith, and who trust in their own chastity and in their order, are not worthy of rocking a baptised child or preparing its pap, even if it were the child of a harlot. This is because their order and manner of life has no word of God as its warrant. They cannot boast that what they do is pleasing in God's sight, as can the woman in childbirth, even if her child is born out of wedlock."
Interesting.
"Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil's fools."
Ram and I actually had a conversation about this. One day this summer I had hung the cloth diapers out on the line to dry. I love to hang the clothes on the line, because I feel like I'm accomplishing something AND saving money and electricity. But I hate to take them off the line. You see, when it is time to take them off the line, I don't want to put shoes on and/or get bit by mosquitoes and/or have to get all the Lambs ready to go outside with their shoes etc. So on this particular day, Ram offered to go get the clothes off the line. The neighbor high school/college age kids were outside. Just as Ram started to remove the diapers off the line, the neighbor kids started laughing very loudly. It probably had nothing to do with Ram, but it made him think. Then he thought to himself (and later told me), "Who cares if they laugh, I love my wife enough to help her take the clothes off the line."
Ram hasn't washed our cloth diapers because I'm very particular about laundry and I don't let him in the laundry room very often. But he loads the dishwasher as often as I do, if not more. He watches the Lambs so I can get a nap almost daily. He probably changes more diapers than I do. When he is at home, he helps me until the Lambs are all in bed. His attitude-he definitely does it all in Christian faith!
"St. Cyprian, that great and admirable man and holy martyr, wrote that one should kiss the new-born infant, even before it is baptised, in honour of the hands of God here engaged in a brand new deed. What do you suppose he would have said about a baptised infant? There was a true Christian, who correctly recognised and regarded God's work and creature. Therefore, I say that all nuns and monks who lack faith, and who trust in their own chastity and in their order, are not worthy of rocking a baptised child or preparing its pap, even if it were the child of a harlot. This is because their order and manner of life has no word of God as its warrant. They cannot boast that what they do is pleasing in God's sight, as can the woman in childbirth, even if her child is born out of wedlock."
Interesting.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Luther quote about childbirth
In this post I had a quote from Martin Luther that was in Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, but I couldn't find a reference. My dad tried looking for the reference a little bit without any luck. As I was trying to find that reference (I still haven't found it), I discovered some quotes in Luther: The Estate of Marriage sermon of 1522. I just had to share these!
"A wife too should regard her duties in the same light, as she suckles the child, rocks and bathes it, and cares for it in other ways: and as she busies herself with other duties and renders help and obedience to her husband. These are truly golden and noble works."
This quote was also in PHDfG. It is a wonderful quote for me. This is exactly what I do all day long!
"This is also how to comfort and encourage a woman in the pangs of childbirth, not by repeating St. Margaret legends and other silly old wives' tales but by speaking thus, "Dear Grete, remember that you are a woman, and that this work of God in you is pleasing to him. Trust joyfully in his will, and let him have his way with you. Work with all your might to bring forth the child. Should it mean your death, then depart happily, for you will die in a noble deed and in subservience to God. If you were not a woman you should now wish to be one for the sake of this very work alone, that you might thus gloriously suffer and even die in the performance of God's work and will. For here you have the word of God, who so created you and implanted within you this extremity." Tell me, is not this indeed (as Solomon says [Prov. 18:22]) "to obtain favour from the Lord," even in the midst of such extremity?"
Um, no, this is NOT what I want to be told when I am in the midst of childbirth. When I read this quote to Ram and told him this is not what I wanted to hear, he said, "Don't worry, I would call you Ewe, not Grete." Grr!
Ram has taken a book by the apostolic fathers with him for my last two births (he hadn't bought the book yet when I had Lamb 1). He was happy to get a lot of reading done while I was in labor! He also suggested that next time I'm labor that he should bring this sermon from Luther and read it to me while I'm in labor. Grr!
But seriously, this is a great quote to read before or after childbirth, just not when you are in the midst of it!
I have two more quotes from this sermon that I plan to share in a later post.
"A wife too should regard her duties in the same light, as she suckles the child, rocks and bathes it, and cares for it in other ways: and as she busies herself with other duties and renders help and obedience to her husband. These are truly golden and noble works."
This quote was also in PHDfG. It is a wonderful quote for me. This is exactly what I do all day long!
"This is also how to comfort and encourage a woman in the pangs of childbirth, not by repeating St. Margaret legends and other silly old wives' tales but by speaking thus, "Dear Grete, remember that you are a woman, and that this work of God in you is pleasing to him. Trust joyfully in his will, and let him have his way with you. Work with all your might to bring forth the child. Should it mean your death, then depart happily, for you will die in a noble deed and in subservience to God. If you were not a woman you should now wish to be one for the sake of this very work alone, that you might thus gloriously suffer and even die in the performance of God's work and will. For here you have the word of God, who so created you and implanted within you this extremity." Tell me, is not this indeed (as Solomon says [Prov. 18:22]) "to obtain favour from the Lord," even in the midst of such extremity?"
Um, no, this is NOT what I want to be told when I am in the midst of childbirth. When I read this quote to Ram and told him this is not what I wanted to hear, he said, "Don't worry, I would call you Ewe, not Grete." Grr!
Ram has taken a book by the apostolic fathers with him for my last two births (he hadn't bought the book yet when I had Lamb 1). He was happy to get a lot of reading done while I was in labor! He also suggested that next time I'm labor that he should bring this sermon from Luther and read it to me while I'm in labor. Grr!
But seriously, this is a great quote to read before or after childbirth, just not when you are in the midst of it!
I have two more quotes from this sermon that I plan to share in a later post.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Congratulations, Pam and flu update
My friend Pam had a great blog post. I'm so happy for her! She has 4 boys. I met her before she moved to ND.
We still are recovering from the flu. Without being official, the doctor is pretty sure we had H1N1. The Lambs are grouchy so I know they aren't completely well, but they say they feel better and they don't have temperatures any more. Ram was doing better but today he felt ill enough to not go to an important meeting tonight. Hopefully the tri-parish council had a good meeting without their pastor there. I got a sinus infection after the flu and I'm still not recovered from the flu. Needless to say, we haven't had ANY school this week except for doing the Sunday School lesson that they missed on Sunday. We are trying to all get healthy enough to go along to pastor conference next week.
I had heard that your family should be prepared for H1N1 with extra supplies. I assumed that meant Tylenol and ginger ale and tissues and items like that for being sick. We had all that. We live 7 miles away from town and the drug store closes at 6pm so we always have supplies like that. But what I wasn't prepared for was when you have H1N1, you aren't allowed to go out of your house except for medical care until your temperature is below 100 degrees for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol to reduce the temperature. What we really needed was bananas. You can't stock up on that ahead of time when you don't know you are going to get sick. Lamb 3 hasn't acted very sick, but he didn't have much appetite. The one thing we could get him to eat was bananas. Thankfully Ram was feeling well enough to go buy bananas yesterday. We ate almost the whole bunch that he bought in one day. So today he went to buy more thinking he was well enough. Then later he didn't feel well again. I'm so glad I don't work at a grocery store or pharmacy or bank or a place like that-that people may truly have to go to even if they know they are sick and they shouldn't go.
I understand how the flu travels, but I'm still confused how we got the flu this time. We normally go out of town for a long day of shopping and go to multiple stores where we would be exposed a few times a month. We haven't done that since Labor Day weekend. Ram hasn't visited very many people recently and he was the last one to get the flu in our family. Lamb 2 was actually the one that had it first. Looking at our schedule the week before we came down with the flu, Lamb 2 hardly left the house. ECFE and library storytime and places where I would expect the Lambs to get it haven't started again this fall yet. This is a good example that you can really get the flu anywhere at any time no matter how careful you are. We wouldn't have given the Lambs the flu shot this year any way, but it makes me mad that we got the flu before we even had a chance to be offered the shots! Today was the day that shots were offered at our clinic but I was too ill to go get one. We just can't win!
We still are recovering from the flu. Without being official, the doctor is pretty sure we had H1N1. The Lambs are grouchy so I know they aren't completely well, but they say they feel better and they don't have temperatures any more. Ram was doing better but today he felt ill enough to not go to an important meeting tonight. Hopefully the tri-parish council had a good meeting without their pastor there. I got a sinus infection after the flu and I'm still not recovered from the flu. Needless to say, we haven't had ANY school this week except for doing the Sunday School lesson that they missed on Sunday. We are trying to all get healthy enough to go along to pastor conference next week.
I had heard that your family should be prepared for H1N1 with extra supplies. I assumed that meant Tylenol and ginger ale and tissues and items like that for being sick. We had all that. We live 7 miles away from town and the drug store closes at 6pm so we always have supplies like that. But what I wasn't prepared for was when you have H1N1, you aren't allowed to go out of your house except for medical care until your temperature is below 100 degrees for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol to reduce the temperature. What we really needed was bananas. You can't stock up on that ahead of time when you don't know you are going to get sick. Lamb 3 hasn't acted very sick, but he didn't have much appetite. The one thing we could get him to eat was bananas. Thankfully Ram was feeling well enough to go buy bananas yesterday. We ate almost the whole bunch that he bought in one day. So today he went to buy more thinking he was well enough. Then later he didn't feel well again. I'm so glad I don't work at a grocery store or pharmacy or bank or a place like that-that people may truly have to go to even if they know they are sick and they shouldn't go.
I understand how the flu travels, but I'm still confused how we got the flu this time. We normally go out of town for a long day of shopping and go to multiple stores where we would be exposed a few times a month. We haven't done that since Labor Day weekend. Ram hasn't visited very many people recently and he was the last one to get the flu in our family. Lamb 2 was actually the one that had it first. Looking at our schedule the week before we came down with the flu, Lamb 2 hardly left the house. ECFE and library storytime and places where I would expect the Lambs to get it haven't started again this fall yet. This is a good example that you can really get the flu anywhere at any time no matter how careful you are. We wouldn't have given the Lambs the flu shot this year any way, but it makes me mad that we got the flu before we even had a chance to be offered the shots! Today was the day that shots were offered at our clinic but I was too ill to go get one. We just can't win!
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