Saturday, July 25, 2015

Trek

Yesterday we went up to the big city to visit friends.  We met up with 3 different families that we've known through a homeschool co-op.  Instead of a big meet up, we met each family individually.  It was nice to have 1 on 1 conversations and play for the kids without some of the usual group dynamics.  We left the house at 9:30 and didn't get back until 6:30.  For a lady with 4 kids, 40 weeks pregnant, it felt like a pretty big accomplishment.  But we did have a van with AC, plenty of water, hospitable friends, and Sam's Club pizza for lunch.  We even had a cell phone to call dad and ask him to heat up some soup.  Life is really so easy for us.

P and I have been married now for 15 years.  In honor of our 15 years P let me know that he'd like it if I would open boxes with the flap facing a particular way.  And I let him know that when he cleans out the car, it would be nice if he put things in a basket.  The honesty, it's brutal.  I'm so grateful for a loving marriage.  Even when we have significant disagreements, like the above stated, we are kind about it.  Well, P was kind.  I was sort of curt...

L is due tomorrow.  I have this amazing gift of forgetfulness, so I really don't know what to watch for in my body telling me it's time to have a baby.  But All of my other children have been born 7-10 days past their due date.  I've never been so temporally prepared for a child.  We have like 5 boxes of wipes and 12 packs of diapers.  The ladies in the ward showered us with cute outfits in a spread of sizes.  A friend in the other ward loaned me her newborn stash.  I've sewn a new sling.  I bought cheese, sausage, butter, chicken nuggets, and TP at Sam's Club.  So we're good to go!

As I was driving around yesterday I could see my 4 children looking around in the rear view mirror.  I have beautiful children.  I'm looking forward to getting to know L. 

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Summer

Knowing the baby was due at the end of summer vacation, we've really been trying to have a great summer.  The kids have been enjoying swim lessons, library programs, playgrounds, picnics and short trips.  It's been really nice. 

M participated in a TKD class at the library and is now going to enroll in a 6 week class with the school.  She's doing a smorgasbord of activities over the next 6 months that her piano teacher is away.  I made a deal with her that if she keeps working and learns the songs I've assigned her, she can use the piano lesson money to do other activities.  So far it's working great and she is very motivated.

bB seems to be catching all sorts of viruses this summer, lovely.  Poor kid. 

Instead of a summer vacation from schooling, we've actually been able to establish better lesson habits.  This is the first time I've really been schooling the kids.  I'm a late academics sort of person.  And now that M and G are 8 and 10 I'm getting more involved.  M has math, spelling and piano.  G has spelling, and a workbook from school with daily activities.  So we swim, play, go to the library, or do errands, then come home and do our book work.  It's nice to just have the time to do things in a flexible way.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Parable of the talents

The parable of the talents has always been uncomfortable for me.  Why would the Savior want us to be predatory lenders?  Today as we were talking about this with G's primary class, I found some different ways to tell the story that work for me. 

Imagine you're missionaries instead of servants.  The mission leader has given 1 companionship 5 contacts.  To another, is given 2.  To another set, is given just 1 contact.  By the next week, the first companionship brings 10 people to church. The next pair have brought 4 people to church.  The last pair didn't contact the person they were given.  Not even a phone call.

Their name is given to the companionship that was able to bring 10 people to church because they'd done such a great job.  The lazy and slothful missionaries are scolded.  And they reply that the mission leader was harsh.  The mission leader says "You know we're trying to convert the unbelievers.  At the least you could have given the name to the Elder's Quorum or Relief Society for them to contact."  And they get sent home because if you're not going to even contact 1 person, you're just wasting everyone's time.

Another way to think of the parable is like a basketball game.  1 player is given 5 chances to take a shot, but through his quick play and stealing the ball, he is able to score 10 shots.  Another player is similarly passed the ball 2 times and is able to score 4 times with turnovers and hustling.  Another player is only passed the ball 1 time.  He doesn't make any shot, he instead throws the ball out of bounds.  The coach yells at him that he should have passed it to someone else to make the shot.

Brother S at church gave an impromptu story at church in the extra time of Sacrament Meeting.  It was a story like "Rudy" where a scrawny kid sticks with the team hoping to someday play.  During the last game when the 2 QBs are both injured, he gets a chance.  The first 2 plays he looses yards.  Then the coach tells him to close his eyes and throw the ball.  So he does this and miraculously throws the ball all the way down the field to be caught in the end zone, winning the game.

I'm not a fan of always using sports stories to inspire people, but this story illustrated the opposite of burying your talent.  And that helped me to understand the parable of the talents.  I'm grateful for this new understanding and hope to be a more profitable servant in the future.