Good People Rock

You've heard me talk before about random acts of kindness. Well, one was done to me yesterday, and I wanted to tell you about it.

If you read my post, you know that I was having a bad week and also happened to be close to running out of coffee and toilet paper, with one car, a busy husband, and difficulty getting to the store.

So at 2:00, there was a knock on my door. It was one of my friends from moms club. Someone who I would certainly consider a friend, but not someone I see or talk to all that much.

She had a pretty bag.

This is what was inside it. Toilet paper (the good stuff, I might add), coffee, a 4 pack of pudding snacks . . .

and this adorable little bag of treats with a note.

SO unbelievably thoughtful and sweet. Obviously she had those little cards ready for blessing others -- I bet she does that a lot!

It made me think. How often do we hear about someone's bad day or week, and we say something like, "Do you need anything?" or "Let me know if I can do anything for you." Pretty often, right? I mean, most of us are pretty helpful and want to be of service to our friends. But usually, the response is, "Thanks, but I'm okay. I'll let you know." It's not often people feel comfortable asking. They don't want to be a bother. They don't usually request help, they'd rather not put you out.

But this friend didn't do that -- because really, I would have said the same thing. Don't worry about it, it's not a big deal, we're fine. She didn't ask. She just saw a need and ACTED. She inspired me. She is awesome. She is the kind of friend I want to be. 

So thankful, you sweet, kind friend. You really brightened our day yesterday.

By the way, you might be wondering if, being that I've been on a super healthy kick, I would let my kids eat those pudding cups?

Yep.

That's it from Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

God Provides

It has been one of those weeks here.

Erik's car ran into some trouble last Saturday, so he had to take it in to get looked at. 5 days later, we are still one one car. Which of course he needs to drive to work every day. 

So the kids and I have just been at home, doing our thing, with weather that hasn't really been warm enough for us to do much outside.

During this time we were kind of stressed/nervous about what kind of expensive repairs the car might need.

Erik's also had a busy week, with guitar lessons, meetings, and extra work he's been trying to get done.

And 3 of us have colds. The kids are coughing and stuffy, and I am stuffy and just run down.

Last night Erik had to take care of some errands after school, and then had to leave shortly after 6 to go back for a parent meeting in the evening. I was supposed to be at choir practice but wasn't able to go. It was one of those days where we were both stressed and exhausted and just didn't have time to be nice to each other.

And it was just one of those days when I felt like everything was crazy, we both couldn't believe it was only Wednesday, and so on, and so forth.

Later I felt the need to just sit down and STOP. To close my eyes and pray. To listen to what God had to say to me.

As soon as I did that, all kinds of thanks came pouring out of my mouth.

As it turns out, we owe a fairly small amount to fix the car.
Thank you, God, for giving us help with the cost.

Even if we HAD needed to pay the full $1500+ to fix it, we wouldn't have gone bankrupt in doing it.
Thank you, God, that we have a pretty reliable income.

It was a long day without much time at all to spend with my husband.
Thank you, God, for the lessons and projects that allow Erik to bring home a little extra money.

The day was busy and noisy.
Thank you, God, for the opportunity to babysit and allow my kids to have a playdate while getting extra money to save toward a family vacation.

We are almost out of eggs and we need them and no one has time to get to the store.
Thank you, God, for a friend that called and offered to pick up some things for me.

We are over our grocery budget for the month. There are 10 more days to go and we are almost out of toilet paper, coffee, and other essentials.
Thank you, God, that we have extra in the budget each month to meet our needs. That even if we are  over budget, things are not so tight that we have to put back things in our grocery cart.

There are always dishes to be done and counters to clean up.
Thank you, God, for my dishwasher. My kitchen. The comforts of being able to make healthy meals at home.

We are feeling a little sick.
Thank you, God, that we are only dealing with colds. Thank you that we can afford to buy medicine. Thank you that we have excellent and affordable medical coverage when we need it.

We are stuck at home.
Thank you, God, that I have so much quality time available to spend with my children. Thank you for the break from running around doing errands and other things that are not fun anyway.

I wanted some rest and alone time.
Thank you, God, that my kids still want to play with me and love being in my company.

God just kept telling me over and over, "Don't you see? I have provided for you. Everything around you is a gift from me. Everything in your life comes from me. I love you, my grace is sufficient for you, and I will provide everything you need. I have provided for you."

It's not often that I feel like I hear something from God. Probably because it's also not often that I give him the space to speak to me. But suddenly I was humbled, and overwhelmed, and reminded of how incredibly blessed we are. We have so, so much. Unbelievably much. More than we deserve. 

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."                                                                                                                              
                                                     --Philippians 4:19

A Homeschool Day in March

I thought I'd update you on what a typical winter homeschooling day in our house looks like with a 3 and 5 year old. It will probably interest me to look back on this someday and remember what my life was like, I'm sure it will be completely different!

So this would be what a day would be like when we had no major morning plans, and when it was too cold to be out at a park or anything like that. Note: The times are approximate, we do NOT follow a set time schedule except for naptime and bedtime.

7:00 -- Both boys wake up. Breakfast is made and eaten. Oatmeal for me, and usually either cereal, mini bagels, or egg sandwiches for the boys.

7:30 -- Usually we play games, or read books, whatever the boys ask to do.

8:30 -- Get to work. 

9:30 -- The boys get a "screen time" break after completing 4 work boxes. I try to put the harder stuff in the first boxes, so I guarantee it gets done. Screen time is a great motivator for them!

9:30 -- Screen time break. Alex right now is into Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. Thomas will watch him or will play games on the ipad. This is usually when I check email, do laundry, a little cleaning, whatever I need to get done.

10:00 -- Snack, typically a bowl of fruit.

10:15 -- Back to work. More work boxes, sometimes a learning activity on the computer.

11:30 -- Lunch. Today it was "pizza toast" and fruit.

12:00 -- Play. The boys usually play a little on their own while I'm cleaning up, then we'll play more board games together.

12:45 -- Read books and get ready for nap.

1:00 -- Naptime for Thomas and quiet time for Alex. Mommy's treadmill/shower time.

2:30 -- Alex comes downstairs. Usually he has a plan for what he wants to do. Either he has invented a game he wants me to play, or he wants to play a harder game that we have to do without Thomas, or we read.

3:00 -- Thomas gets up, we all have a snack (more fruit).

3:15 -- This depends on the day. We might get together with friends or go grocery shopping. If we're staying at home, it's often an art project.

4:45 -- I start working on dinner, the boys play together. Erik is home any time between 4 and 5:30.

5:15 -- Dinner. The cool thing around here lately is to eat by candlelight.

5:45 -- Cleanup, the kids play.

6:00 -- Erik usually plays with the kids, they love to wrestle with him and play more games. Some days they get a bath during this time, other days we do it in the morning.

6:40 -- TV time. The kids each pick one 22-minute show on Netflix.

7:30 -- Bedtime routine (brush teeth, stories, etc.) Erik and I take turns.

8:00 -- We're done! Erik and I play games, read, watch tv, whatever! I'm usually done by 10ish.

On days where we have someplace to be, we just fit our work around whatever we need to do. I love the flexibility of homeschooling!

That's our day on Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly