STEM, Critters, New Porch & Deck Progress

STEM
So when the state's top STEM consultant just happened to be in town the evening before my last STEM class for my first two modules and agreed to lodge under our roof for the night, I wondered how much we would talk about STEM. She did indeed fill my mind with some good ideas for STEM classroom structure, but even more importantly, she gave me Spiritual Truth that Equips the Mind and the Support, Trust & Empathy that Mends. And I thought STEM stood for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math?  She's the best!

Critters
Our destructive kitty thinks he runs this place. To show his toughness, he staked out his prey, who happens to be about 1/3 his size. He stalked her, shook his bottom back and forth repeatedly to prepare himself before he took a mighty leap through the air and pounced upon her. He struck her with friendly licks and cuddled her like a teddy bear. In defense, Muffin pretended to lick him back only to nip him instead, and that scaredy cat fled in a panic. ‪#‎RabbitsRule‬ ‪#‎SiblingSquabbles‬

That psychotic kitty sneaked outside today and will not come home. We saw him in the flower beds and underneath the dumpster, but he ran off before we could get him.  Now he's MIA.  I assume he'll come back when he's hungry, but the outdoors is all new to him, so he has much to explore and no experience defending himself.  I think the entire family is growing anxious for his return.

Once upon a time, horses pulled people in carriages and dogs pulled sleighs, but on the trail recently, I saw bikers pulling a well-loved dog in what looked like a mini chariot made just for dogs. And then I had to slow down and wait for a pair of white tailed deer to finish playing in the middle of the trail before passing.  Do we live in Narnia? ‪#‎cutenessoverload‬

Home Improvement Projects
It may have been a beautiful day, but this was our view from our yard last Friday. Sometimes our perspective on life seems so unsightly with demolition (that's our 23-month-old deck in bits to the right), garbage (dumpster), heavy loads (trailer), and all sorts of other poop (port-a-john) blocking our view, so we miss the great beauty surrounding all the junk. Yet, what we too often forget when we focus on the eyesore is that all that mess we see is there for a reason, supporting the building of something beautiful and beneficial which we will appreciate and want to share with others. ‪#‎newporchinprogress‬ ‪#‎perspective‬ ‪#‎mommymetaphors‬

 New Deck & Porch - Day 1 (6 hours)

Our view from house after 1st day

 Builder's pics from Day 1 (3/4 of a work day)

Staging construction materials

We've only been together less than two years, but I knew from the moment I met you, that you would not stick around very long. I've been waiting for 8 long months for them to finally come and tear you away. So long, base builder deck. It's time now for some shelter from the storms.

Tearing down our deck (and trashing our roses bushes - boo hoo!)

Digging footings

 

Six hours later

 New Deck & Porch - Day 2

 

 New Deck & Porch - Day 3

Pouring concrete after footing inspection passed

End of day 2.75

View from inside the house

New Deck & Porch - Day 4

  New Deck & Porch - Day 5

Day 6 (5.25 cumulative work days)

Installing the boxing

Installing tongue and groove ceiling

Our next project will be planting trees for a better view.

End of work day

Day 7 (6.25 work days)

Ceiling and decking installed

 

Job Transitions

Yesterday was my first official day back to work with my last full time employer in over 9 years, and I showed up with a black eye (from a fight I had with the van door & gravity), covered with excessive eye shadow, and a hole in my blouse which I repaired with a hot glue gun while rushing out the door. Despite my disheveled appearance and only having worked there FT for 3 years and PT for 2 years before a 9+ year absence (to homeschool & be at SAHM), everyone who worked with me previously remembered me...not just by face, but by name. How is that possible? Lesson: Make the effort to remember faces and names, for it is a priceless gift you can give to someone else.

I think it was a great day, and I cannot believe I am getting paid to do this job (well except for fighting rush-hour traffic). I just hope all the unexpected perks and actually getting paid to simply learn new things at first (vs. spending 20 hours a week last year learning Statistics well enough to teach it without pay) does not skew my priorities. As a contractor, I expected to work out of my old briefcase with my old laptop (still singed on the corners from the time I accidentally set it on fire), providing all my supplies and equipment, but they gave me a small office - all to myself and a new laptop and 2 new monitors to use while I'm there.  I am treated like a regular employee with intranet access, company email, etc.  They even greeted me with a welcome sign.

I had to call my husband to take off work and go pick up the kids from school, however, so logistics will be a problem, especially when school is out, but at least I get to leave most of my work at the office instead of having it consume my life at home as teaching does. But does my work there make an eternal difference?  Teaching is very gratifying in that regard, but my family suffers from my dedication to it. Anyway - we shall see...for now I'm doing both plus tutoring, substitute teaching and number of other little jobs, so I must focus on finding the right balance. I feel very undeserving of this opportunity which will help pay for our trip to Israel, but I certainly do not want to be outside God's will for me.  Still, teaching does feel like a calling while this job feels like a gift.

Thursday was my last day of teaching STEM at homeschool enrichment camp. We wrapped up with a lesson on air pressure and a hovercraft prototype design competition.  Out of this sampling of hovercraft prototypes built in class today by 3rd-5th graders, which design do you think traveled the:
1) Fastest
2) Furthest?
3) Prettiest (for your right-brainers)*

*Actually, some STEM programs have added an art component and now call themselves STEAM since engineering design does have artistic elements.
 

The students and director made it hard to leave.  They wrote me really sweet notes like the one shown below and brought gifts.  Several lingered after class just to talk and to beg me to come back next fall.  The director told me that the person she had in mind as my replacement backed out, so now I feel guilty for leaving and have been asking others to consider the job in my place.  I didn't think they needed this program like our school's students do since so many homeschooling resources are rigorously STEM minded with strong emphasis on critical thinking skills, but these students really touched me with their kind words, homemade gifts, and lingering goodbye hugs.

Balancing This and That - Autumn 2015 Edition

Biblical Reflections
We can take great comfort in the truth that God has never contradicted His Word or His promises and never will. But are we comfortable when His purposes contradict our own plans and preferences?
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Our church pastors have been working through a series on Romans 14, and it has really had me thinking. Staying centered (ie, walking the fine line between the countless ditches on either side of that line) feels much like an Indiana Jones movie as the enemy's chief strategy, at least for us moms, seems to be to constantly try to push us off that line into the ditches of one extreme or the other.
So I like the way Paul brings balance in this passage. As Brian noted, it is more important to have strong personal convictions based on personal Bible study, prayer, and the leading of the Spirit than it is to have flimsy convictions, for cultural, inherited, or half-hearted convictions will be absolutely insufficient when we stand before Lord and are held individually accountable on that day.

We must not, however, let our personal convictions about the NONESSENTIALS (which God has not clearly spelled out as righteous or sinful) separate us as a church body. For God can be glorified by differing convictions regarding nonessential matters. I love the balance in that passage and in the message delivered today.

Do you know why you hold the convictions that you do? Are you upholding them for the glory of God without causing division over disputable matters?

I have failed so many time in my witness to others by becoming too dogmatic over disputable matters.  Doing so burns bridges between the church and the lost while stirring up bickering among the brethren which also works to turn away the lost.  Love and grace must cover everything we do, and we must guard our words, especially on social media where written words are interpreted in a myriad of different ways depending upon the reader's current emotional state or personal circumstances, motives and theology, experiences and biases.  How many times have I labored over a written message with the goal of giving a friend loving encouragement only to have it received as a stabbing criticism?  How many walls have I built or bridges built either by careless words or totally by mistaken interpretation. While I continually pursue Biblical balance in all things, I know I need to focus on building the unity of the body of Christ, for I have a pattern of falling short as my passion for truth  and justice consume me.
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I saw a headline the other day that expressed surprise when an atheist professor actually admitted what Christians knew all along regarding why atheists are so quick to ridicule and persecute Christ followers yet dare not say one contrary word about Islam. He doesn't fear Christians because they are a people of peace and forgiveness who are commanded to love their enemies and turn the other cheek, but he and his cronies are scared to death of extremist terrorists groups who think nothing of butchering all people (women and children too) who seem the least bit opposed to their belief system. So if you hate and kill those you call infidels, you are a protected class, but if you extend the love and mercy of God, you are despised.

What irony! So atheists are scared to death. All other religions hold their followers in bondage to fear of death and the afterlife, for they do not offer any certainty regarding one's eternal state. Yet, believing Christians have no fear or any man or of death, for our eternity is absolutely secure in Him apart from any works of our own.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:3-5)

Parenting Keeps Me Humble
At dinner recent, my daughter prayed, "Thank you, Lord, for the potatoes, veggies, and whatever that other thing is on our plates....."
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Does anyone from my generation remember those DAR patriotic writing contests from our school days? If a child voluntarily participated in that contest parents would be overjoyed by their child's patriotism and eagerness to write an essay. (I never participated because a few careless words by a teacher and/or a tendency to misconstrue words by my insecure little girl self convinced me I would never be a decent writer.)

From the moment my daughter received the flyer for a patriotic essay writing contest on the theme, "What Freedom Means to Me", she has been consistently nagging me to register her for the contest or working on yet another draft for her submission. Forget studying for tests this week...she only wants to write this essay which isn't due until November! Considering how much she disliked writing assignments during our homeschooling years, I should be overjoyed by her eagerness, but my enthusiasm is significantly tempered by the realization that she could not possibly win any such contest because her definition of freedom, while consistent with that of our founding fathers, is far different from the socially acceptable, politically correct definition today. And while parents are not allowed to assist with school projects or writing assignments at her school (and most parents during my childhood did not even consider helping as an ethical option), the winning essay for this contest will likely come from the "child" whose helicopter parent has the most writing experience. So, I guess I'll just keep encouraging her to write her very best essay for the glory of God but not for the purpose of winning any contest. Am I the only one conflicted over how to parent in a way that teaches them that life isn't fair and that few can be trusted without squashing their hopes and dreams? All we do and say should be for an audience of One anyway, but I sure do love watching my girl dream big.

Quotes To Ponder

"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again;
The eternal years of God are hers;
But Error, wounded, writhes with pain,
And dies among his worshipers."

The Battlefield (1839), st. 9 - William Cullen Bryant

Off Balance
I keep telling my husband that our world shifts out of balance whenever he is away on business trips. I'm the frugal planner, and he's the spontaneous one who doesn't mind spending money on things of great significance, so imagine how off center I was while he was away this week, given that I decided on a whim to buy all four of us our dream trip to Israel even though it requires pulling the kids out of school for at least 1.5 weeks. When daddy is away, Mama plans the grand getaway!!!! Yahoo! Let's go! Who wants to go with us? The more the merrier!

Balancing Priorities
When the kids came along and I realized how much of a full-time + OT job raising kids would be, I promised myself I would never work full-time while they were still home with me if at all possible. Desperate to give of myself and communicate with people outside of my own house, however, I have taken on various PT jobs or ministries over the years (rarely for money, though). As I am preparing to sign a contract for a PT consulting job which is the dream opportunity for me, I did some basic math. So why was I so surprised to discover that I am currently busying myself with 11 different PT jobs/ministries in 6 different industries while working under 5 different employers or ministry entities and serving over 131 clients? I am certified at time study, yet I never bothered to time-study myself? No wonder I'm worn out, eating junk, and barely sleeping. All those PT commitments add up to more than full-time!

Younger moms, beware of throwing yourselves into too many activities or responsibilities out of a false sense of obligation, need for adult interaction, or an escape from the monotony of SAHM-dom. Take time to measure your day and the value of each commitment you make. I had no idea I was so over-extended, but I bet my kids did! Find your passion and calling, but never forget your priorities. I may have made a career out of productivity improvements, but life balance is more important than getting stuff done. Changes are coming for me, for the sake of my health and my family, but school friends, I'm not letting go of STEM just yet.

Willing to Trade:  One bunny and a cat for a loving, loyal dog

The pets are making me crazy.  They are too much work, and are destroying my castle. If the kids and hubby did not love them so, I would totally be trading them in for a dog.

The rabbit doesn't clean herself very well, and our son is allergic to cat dander so both get baths each week.  Thankfully, our daughter has taken over this responsibility.  

 The After Bath

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On most Saturday nights during my childhood, I remember sitting on the hearth watching refined television (Hee-Haw, ha ha), while my daddy combed out the tangles in my hair.  Now I find myself spending my Saturday nights grooming my bunny's tangled/matted rear end, at least during heavy shed season. That's not quite the full circle payback I imagined for myself.

Movie Stars
Rob Lowe shared the photo below on social media on October 31.  He was only five minutes from our house.   I think his son attends a nearby university.  Why didn't I instinctively grow nostalgic for 80s movies? It's only been 30 years since The Brat Pack became a thing, but I cannot imagine growing up without them. Hope you had fun at our new store, Rob and son, and I sure hope you were not as tempted to buy the horrid Bass Fish mailbox as my son and hubby were.

Teaching 
During a class on oceanography and bioluminescence, somehow the discussion took a very different turn with a student asking how we can prove that the earth is only thousands of years old as the Bible says and not millions of years old as scientists' claim, especially given that many scientists refuse to believe or accept that they could be wrong and ultimately accountable to a higher power.
How thankful I am for that OPEN DOOR to explain scientifically the flaws and false assumptions regarding carbon dating and to point to repeated scientific studies done that prove the error in such dating methods. The more we learn and discover about all of creation, the harder it becomes to honestly deny that all God's words are true!  I teach for a lot of reasons, but it's the little opportunities to encourage and strengthen the faith of our next generation that drives me to teach with such passion.

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I get to talk with my hands, point fingers, draw funny pictures on the dry erase or smart board, crack jokes, dance, play games, create digital animations, take rides on a hovercraft, make messes, blow things up, preach the WORD, feel taller than all the other students in the classroom (a new experience for me), watch cute kids learn and reach beyond perceived limits, turn household objects into anything from a fun toy to a projection microscope, give and receive (side) hugs, look into faces full of enthusiasm and covered with big smiles...all while being close to my kids.

I'll be teaching a unit on air pressure soon.  My husband helped us out by building a human hovercraft as part of my object lesson.  When we resolved to never become HOVERING PARENTS (overprotective, controlling, stifling a child's independence and growth by preventing them from failing or taking responsibility for themselves), this is NOT what we meant. Hover on! ‪

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I love integrating so many different subjects into my STEM classes, but my favorite subject to integrate is Bible. I can't wait to show my students that the book of Job told us where the richest mineral deposits in the world (it specifically mentions copper ore), could be found over 3500 years before we had the technology to send ROVs there and find them just as foretold. That's just one of many beautiful passages we will examine during our study of geothermal vents. I've always viewed the Bible as a metaphorical treasure map, but it is literally as well.

Access Ministry
I asked my little access ministry buddy at church last week, "What's something really good that has happened to you lately?"

She responded, "CANDY!"
#myheart
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She accessorized my face with stickers today. I forgot to take them off after Sunday School, so when I walked through the halls of church, I got lots of big smiles and warm greetings. Thanks for making me feel like a movie star, little buddy. You are officially hired as my personal stylist.

All Saints Day Eve

The day before our son turned nine, 

we spent much time standing in line.

The church fall festival is a yearly tradition.

We have good clean fun, avoiding superstition.

 

Our daughter aged out and served instead, 

Our son played hard while Dad wore his mask on his head.

The pets joined in on the fun with cheers,

Painted pumpkins for each with matching ears

 Each dressed up in fancy clothes.

All Muffin needs now are pantyhose. 

Which looks better, the white or the pink?

She wears both dresses well, that's what I think.

After the festival, they went trick-or-treating

Don't tell their dentist how much candy they're eating!

His favorite memory was climbing the wall

That tiny boy scaled it though it was so tall.

He reached the top and rang the bell,

And jumped right off for a rapid repel.

Fictional character was our costume theme.
So I went as Super Mom; know what I mean?
We give it our best; we try and persist,
But Super Mom simply does not exist.

We don't like the history of this evil night

But we pushed back darkness by shining God's light!

Things I never thought I would hear myself say

Things I Never Thought I Would Hear Myself Say

(until we got a cat)

• "To be so destructive by day and neurotic by night, you sure are pretty and peaceful when you take an afternoon nap." 
  

• "Your rear end is too big to sit on that narrow ledge, and there is a 13' drop if you fall off....[thud!]....that had to hurt."

• "Stop eating the bunny's vegetables! They are bad for your health!"

 

• "Stop licking those greasy paper towels in the trash can.  How much bacon grease can one eat anyway?"

• "I'm not sure why people around here are so nice to you when science indicates that you would kill us all if you were just a little bit bigger."

 

• Please don't claw her eyes out in your sleep!

• "Why is it that the only time you want to be near me is when I turn on the shower?"

#FirstTimeCatOwner

He's Nine and Oh So Fine!

Our son turned nine last Sunday, and I can hardly believe it.  Look how much he's grown! He is only three inches shorter than his older sister who had him beat by six inches last year!

Since his birthday fell on such a busy weekend with fall festivals, trick-or-treating, church activities, and such, he agreed to wait until the following weekend for his party.  I baked cupcakes (and his sister decorated them) for his classmates on the Friday before his birthday, and then he got to open gifts from the family on his birthday.

Nana and Pops drove up in Dad's styling new truck to treat us all to Yo-Lo, which has become a celebratory celebration.  They gave the birthday boy lots of nice clothes he needed very much, his favorite athletic socks, and a soft athletic jacket he wears every single day except when I sneak into his room to launder it.

His paternal family gave him the Overdrive raceway he had been wanting, and he, his dad, and the cat play with it nonstop.  Just getting him to put down the phone or tablet he uses as a controller for it so he can get to school on time each morning is a bit of a trial.

His sister had been planning the gift she would give him for month after hearing him mention that he would like to have a fleece blanket like hers.  So she did extra chores to earn the money for the supplies and then begged me to take her to Joanne's where we looked through hundreds of fabric samples until she found a front and back she knew he would love.Then she hid up in her room making the blanket and even wrapped it in paper of her own procuring and made a care with silly pun related to the STEM classes I teach.  Gifts must be one of her primary love languages because she is go thoughtful and gifted at finding just the right gift for everyone.

For his party, I offered all types of different venues, but he had his heart set on going back to Hard Knocks for a few laser tag missions with only a few select friends (he's an introvert). He also wanted an Oreo birthday cake with oreo ice cream from Baskin-Robbins.  After an hour on the internet, several hours on the phone, filing a compliant with BR corporate, we finally got his cake ordered, but the local franchise charges much more for the same cake than the website advertised.  Then we called twice asking the staff to thaw the cake before we arrived, but they did not take it out of the freezer until we requested it at the counter. So the cake was like a brick to cut, but the kids were patient and did not seem to mind.

The whole process of trying to reserve a birthday party room at Hard Knocks was another disaster.  After being told we did not have enough people to reserve the room, we ended up having enough people on the morning of the party when a Y Guides outing got cancelled last minute, but by then they were at capacity, so they told us to arrive an hour later.  We came later, but they were still booked solid and  would not honor any of the rates they promised me on the phone.  It was quite the ordeal, and by then we only had time for the boys to play one mission instead of three (the minimum purchase is three), so they played one, ate some fries, and we drove them back home, arriving two minutes late after over three hours of party time. The boys did not care.  They had a blast just playing around the house before/after our trip to Baskin-Robbins and Hard Knocks.