New Year's Resolution - a month early

Okay, so Facebook has taken over and thus, I have not been posting on the blog.  The instant feedback at just a few clicks of the mouse or just writing a simple sentence has been hard to beat.  With the blog, it is much harder for others to give feedback and I don't know who is looking at it so...I don't get that instant gratification.  There, I said it.  I sense God is telling me to get back to the blog even though I can't get 10 comments minutes later.  It's almost as though there is more value with the blog, somehow...maybe it's because I know that there are some out there who do read it and they are all, though maybe a small group, very dear to me and to our family. It also takes greater sacrifice to do the blog because it's more time and brain cells.  However, I do so enjoy relaying stories to loved ones, especially when I'm bubbling over wanting to share them.  Here's my outlet...and it's not a one liner or a string of pictures...not this post anyway:).

My first story back to the blog is about our family time tonight.  It wasn't a complete family time because it doesn't have Max here with us although he was brought up many times and the kids heard his voice coming from the computer between book-readings.  Max called before work...hearing Daddy's voice on the computer is a normal thing now for the kids which is great because we never had that (or maybe just didn't use it) in passed deployments.  Daddy is still a part of their lives even if it's Mommy abandoning the book she is reading to the kids to catch Daddy's call on the computer.  Evelyn (3 years old and last saw Daddy boarding a plane 5 months ago) is still confused as to whether Daddy is on his airplane or in Mommy's computer...she's probably thinking "both" at this point...and it seems fine with her.  My answer of "in another country" doesn't cut it with her.  She needs something more concrete.

We love you, Daddy!  Can't wait to have "roast beast" with you!

I cut off gadget/screen time at 7:30pm, whether it was Adventures in Odyssey-listening on G's tablet or "Learning with Leap" on the Leapsters or Gmail on the kids' computer - it all was turned off and put up (look at me and my Southern talk - military wife thang) and I told the kids it was a reading night.  I think sometimes that cut-off from gadgets and screens is very important because then the kids can just know that that is NOT a possibility and settle into reading time (my thinking "out loud" right now).  It seemed to work tonight anyway.

Evelyn was first to chose a book and it was a cardboard "Baby's First Bible".  Gloria got into that one with us and then brought a book about a princess who had this precious gift - her first kiss - and was saving that for her husband - a book on purity in fairytale form.  JB joined in at this point after stopping a game of war with Benaiah.  Then came out Dragon Knight, which I read a few pages of before I realized that Max might have tried to call, which he had, thus, the abandoned book and dash for the computer.  After having Daddy's voice in the house with us for a bit before he headed to work, I had the kids get their jammies on and teeth brushed.

Today was the first day we had built a fire in our woodstove on the second floor of this strange, but uniquely wonderful house we bought.  It is on the bedroom level, which is kind of weird since we don't have one on the first level - but I am having fun making the most of it.  We tested it out this morning in the midst of the craziness of getting back into homeschooling after Thanksgiving break - Gloria easily did her homework in front of it whereas JB could NOT do his homeschooling in front of it...way too much of a distraction - he loves "tending" to fires and can't just sit idly by while one burns safely in a wood stove.  Thus, JB had to go into my bedroom with a closed door to do his math.  The woodstove test was a success...we didn't have smoke bellowing into the house instead of up the chimney...perfect day for it today as it never got above 40 degrees and was cloudy for most of the day with beautiful hoarfrost on the pine trees.  Just gorgeous - the view was a main reason we bought this house and I soaked it in today, hardly able to keep my eyes from glancing out the Southern-facing windows (one of the few days that the sun wasn't heating up the house and blasting into the house - I do love that it warms and brightens the house, it's just nice to have an excuse for using the wood stove.)

This morning testing the woodstove - with extinguisher handy!

on the bedroom level - yes, that's a deflated balloon hanging from the  loft

Back to bedtime...I told the kids if they got ready for bed swiftly that I would read them books in front of the fire of the woodstove.  Well, they didn't get ready so swiftly...some more like a distracted squirrel, others flitting about.  Let's just say it wasn't swift.  I decided to read one story that Benaiah picked out since he hadn't been involved in the reading earlier.  He was ready for bed so I started "The Grinch" Dr Seuss book, which seemed perfect having recently set up the Christmas tree and being in front of a wood stove with a warm fire going.  It was also another time Daddy was "there" with us because of the "roast beast" mentioned and we all had that "aha" moment of "that's where Daddy got that from".  There was another saying in the book that Daddy says that we recognized but I cannot recall it now.  It was a joyous, warm time of reading to all four of them in from the the wood stove.  I think I might be able to get used to this fire and reading before bed.

I finished that book then broke the news that we couldn't read anymore even though the fire was crackling away because they had taken too much time to get ready for bed.  There were groans but they started to head toward their bedrooms, which are off of the large top-of-stair landing area where the wood stove mysteriously resides.  JB then had an idea - "why don't you read to us while we are all in bed from the loft and then we all can hear you?".  That actually was not a bad idea - they would be in bed and we would get to continue Dragon Knight (which I get into) and they all could hear me from one, high-up spot.  Another oddity about our house - there is a loft that connects the kids' bedrooms.  I did read to them a chapter-and-a-half from the loft and they were quiet and could hear me even as I read at a normal volume.  Benaiah fell asleep as I was reading and I could tell the others were settled and relaxed.  I was (and still am) a happy and settled Mama too.  That was fun and cozy - and now I get to share that with my Beloved, my Hubby, in the form of a blog post.  I am SOOOO thankful for technology that allows me to be so connected to my husband even though he's half way around the world.  I share this post with whoever else wants to read it too:).

Hi Max!

Thanks for "listening" as you get a glimpse of our crazy house in many ways - architecturally, kid-induced, and Daddy-less for now, yet still here in our conversation, our adventurous ways, and sometimes seen and heard on the computer.  We can't wait to have him back doing crazy life with us - believe me, it's even more crazy-fun with Daddy around - lots more!