scarcity

We don't go to the beach in the summer.  It's a funny thing.  Around September we start going, enjoying the novelty of being at the beach when school has started.  Enjoying the water, so warm, when we go for a quick trip after dinner, as the days begin to shorten.  Then we get to October and we start going weekly.  It gets dark sooner, so we go on Saturdays.  The beach is mostly empty.  It's October!  But it's still glorious and we go, savoring that it will soon be too cold.

Actually the water is about as warm in October as it is in May.  We don't really go in the spring because the water is still so cold.  And as it heats up, the difference in temperature is even more painful.  Our favorite time is the fall, when the temperatures are about the same, and when the novelty of going to the beach is delicious. 

There is a song I think of "High and Blue the Sky" as I stand on the beach in the fall.  It's so gloriously perfect.  The sky is so high, so blue.  The air is so sweet on your skin.  It's not autumn leaves, but it's fall in Florida.  I love it.

My new music

G is deaf.  He does an amazingly good job using his CI to access sound.
P and I used to be musicians.  We even went to college and had the opportunity to be immersed in ensembles, theory and history classes about music!

Recently I'm studying and teaching ASL.  I'm participating in ASL in many of the same ways I have participated in Music.  It's a community to be involved in.  It has layers of nuance to be understood.  ASL doesn't touch my heart and make me cry the way music does.  But the beauty of the gesture to communicate is profound.  When people learn to sign, so they can communicate with people that can't hear, that is pure grace.

put down the FB and step away

It's so hard to remember that there are people at the other end of a heated discussion about respect and proper behavior.  It's nice to imagine that manners were better back in the days when "everyone knew their place" ironic...  But we live in a time where everyone is recognizing their own worth and casting off the condemnation and subjugation of the previous ruling class.  It must be very hard on the ruling class.

My most recent indiscretion was on a post about "War on Christians".  It's got me thinking about what really tears down Christian values.  Things like porn, hollywood, the KKK, Disneyland being open on Sunday... those things are leading people to break commandments.  Adultery, false witness, killing,, the Sabbath...  False Gods, yep.  Dishonoring our parents, yep.  Coveting...that's what FB is all about.

I should probably focus my time and energy on raising my kids instead of raising a ruckus.

blunt

Today I lost a friend.  Not like someone I hang out with, because I only hang out with P, but you know, a FB friend.  I was too blunt in my comments about the imagined war on Christianity.  So she un-friended me.  That's probably good.  She also sent me a sincere message about how LGTB aren't such a minority.  But if they're not a minority, that would make them a majority, which wouldn't make sense.

Conservatives like to say there is a "War on Christianity" over things like Frito-lay giving rainbow chips to people that donate to an LGTB website.  I'm tired of this 1st world problems.  But I'm glad I don't have 3rd world problems, like an actual war on Christianity, where people are killed and driven from their homes.

I hate FB.  I need to break up with it.

Someone posted "Hurray" for "Mississippi having prayer in their schools."  What kind of prayer?  The right kind I'm sure.  But I don't want my kids praying to any God but ours.  I feel uncomfortable that they weekly hear someone giving a fairly generic prayer at the homeschool group.  Considering that Mississippi is so proud of the confederate flag, I just feel dubious about prayer in their schools.  I'm not a trinitarian and that is pretty important.

Curious kids

M loves books about pets, and human development.  While G is trying to make sure he's read every book in the Geronimo Stilton series (about a news editor mouse...), M is over in Juvenile Non-Fiction finding books like this.  This week she brought home one that was for the 10+ age set, so I'm reading it to know what it's saying.  And it's saying a lot.  So much that I'm talking to her a lot to fill in the gospel perspective on the things she's been reading.  G's been reading it.  lP's been reading it too!  Fortunately lP probably doesn't understand most of the content...  She is a very good reader, but she is also a very sheltered 4 year old.


I'm grateful for the gospel perspective on sexual intimacy.  The world, and this book, say "Do whatever feels good, it's fine!"  But the doctrine of saving intimacy for marriage is a great blessing.  I think of it like if you were given a very nice car at birth; your body...  So if you draw on the seats, spill ice cream on the gear shift, stomp on the peddles for fun, by the time you're old enough to use it for the purpose of driving, it's not in great shape.  Our bodies are literally temples for our spirits and certain physical abilities have a sacred purpose.  The sacred purpose of our sexuality is to have children within a marriage.  Children deserve to have a mom and a dad.  God wants the best for us. That is his plan.

oh yeah!

L was born!  He's pretty cute.

Embracing paper

G's school list was all paper products.  Copy paper, paper towels, tissues, and ziploc bags are the normal items.  But also, paper plates, and forks...!  No pencils or notebooks, just lunch supplies.   : )

So I bought a Sam's Club pack of paper towels and tissues.  Even though we give 2x the requested amount, we have several left over.  So I give myself permission to use tissues.  It's pretty nice! 

I've been a cloth diaper, cloth napkins, cloth towels etc... person.  But now I have 5 children, and I feel grateful for the convenience of simple things, like being able to grab a tissue when I'm watching a video and it makes me cry.

The ladies in my ward were so generous and I have a huge stash of diapers.  And I have tons of cloth diapers.  It's very nice having plenty of cloth and paper.

And my kids are awesome.  They're learning to help and also take care of their spaces.  M, G and P help with the dishes.  They tidy up their rooms on Saturday.  They wash their clothes when I tell them to...  It's really great to see them able to do things to help.  It's really great to have their help.