Random Snapshots of A Day

Mrs. Twinkle Stop Stop, Mrs. Twinkle Stop Stop, Twinkle Little Baby Brother, Twinkle Little Baby Brother. The old familiar Suzuki rhythms have begun again. Annalise has been learning doing violin for over a year now, but is working slowly she started out with only 10 min. lessons each week and now she has moved to a little longer lessons. Lynnae teaches her violin during the week which is doubly beneficial as it gives Annie a wonderful opportunity to learn and solidifies for Lynnae everything that she has been learning thus far. Annalise is talented and has the potential to do very well; her struggle is focusing, which at six is an understandable problem. Lynnae has been playing violin for several years now and performs a wide assortment of music, from classical to Celtic (her favorite is Celtic fiddling and she would spend all of her time on that if she was allowed). She has improved considerably over the years and has even occasionally accompanied music for some of our church functions.

Huckleberry, Huckleberry, Mulberry, Mulberry. These are the common rhythms heard from the budding pianists in our house; we manage to employ the piano for over 2 hours worth of practice every day; that does not include the time that people sit down and play for pleasure which is quite often. Jonathon and I quit taking piano lessons several years ago, but we still love to play. I don't practice as often as I should, but I do play the piano for Sunday School and that helps to keep me accountable for getting in some amount of practice. Leisel is still taking lessons; some of the composers that she is working on include Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn. Cosette has been taking piano for two years now and is making rapid progress; she is very talented in music and has a gift for playing by ear. Kayleen has been taking for about a year and is doing very well, enjoying challenging herself on pieces aside from her regular practice.

One important item of the day I neglected to put up on my other post A Day in the Life, was one of Leisel doing her schoolwork. She does Alpha Omega's computer school curriculum and is doing very well. In fact, she seems to be sailing through Algebra with only occasional help from Jonathon, whereas, it took me over a year and a half to finish Algebra and it was stop and start all the way. Anyway, Leisel does all of her work in the Den on Daddy's computer; she is by herself, but at least she is downstairs where everyone else is.

Finding something to amuse Ania and Austin before and after school can be somewhat of a challenge. They are both a bit of a "loose cannon". We do have a craft drawer that they love to get into, but sometimes their way of playing can be very messy. Somehow play-do never manages to stay on the table where it is supposed to be.

When I have a free moment I love to knit. Right now I have been making several scarves; I made one for Leisel that is a ribbed scarf 6 feet long, I am making a fancy cabled one for Jonathon, and am working on another one with a feather and fan pattern.

Jonathon comes home from college about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and his routine is usually to lay down on the couch and go to sleep until dinner time. :-) I'm just kidding, that actually has happened one or two times, but usually Jonathon does have homework that he needs to complete and so he works on that between his looooong blinks.

Another routine, which must be mentioned, pertains to our baking crew. Lynnae is our coffee cake, elaborate lunch, dessert maker all wrapped up in one spunky, red haired ball of energy. She loves to get the young ones wrapped up in her enthusiasm for baking and together they come up with some delightful concoctions.

I make the plain, uninteresting evening meals that everyone must eat, even though they would rather feast on Lynnae's delectable desserts. This picture is of me making dinner; it look as if I just tasted whatever it was that I was making and is not a great commentary on my cooking. :-)

What's In a Name?

Ania probably has the most nicknames of anyone in our house; almost everyone in the family has a different name for her. Poor girl! she will probably end up with permanent psychological damage just from trying to remember who she is and what her name is.

Mommy calls her her little ladybug, or "lagybug" as Ania pronounces it. I wonder how Ania feels about that title; true, ladybugs are probably the cutest member of the bug family, but there must be some aversion to being linked with the insect family. I call her Scout (a.k.a. Jean Louise Finch), because I thought she shared the same spunk and tomboyish vivacity as the little heroine in To Kill A Mockingbird, but, as we know some dogs named Scout, I fear she might again feel some amount of consternation in being linked so closely with the animal kingdom. Leisel calls her Fee Fee (where she got the name I have no idea), but whenever I think of that name I picture a small French poodle prancing down the sidewalk beside a Paris model.

Jonathon, well, his names are more numerous than all of ours put together. Ever since she was born, it seems that Jonathon has considered it his duty to come up with a new name for her every couple of months. A couple of his names for her, Hunky and Chunkable, though they separate her from any association with the animal realm, they yet leave her open to people's undo speculation about her proportions. Bipsy was another of his names, and it would be very apt if she had a twin who could take on the corresponding title of Bopsy, but as there is no other to bear that appellation, Bipsy seems rather incomplete all alone. His latest title for her, however, has finally raised her not only to the human realm, but also to the special grown up world. His current name for her is Girlfriend. She, in her turn, has awarded Jonathon with the correlating name of Boyfriend (although she sometimes forgets which title belongs to who and calls him girlfriend). They are best buddies; he has her picture on his cell phone and several more in his college folder and is proud to show off his "girlfriend" to all of his college friends. I think that she has already gained a crowd of admirers among people that she has never met. She, in her turn, loves to pick Boyfriend up at college and has become his greatest cheerleader and fan club.

A Day in the Life

Chiming bells break the tranquil silence that reigns throughout the house and I dazedly reach out to turn off my alarm clock; it is 7'oclock in the morning and a new day has begun. Wearily I sit up in bed; it is still dark outside and, though the heater is on, the moderately warm atmosphere beyond my blanket and quilt is not nearly as inviting as the enveloping warmth beneath them. Reluctantly, I slip out of bed; it is the start of another day. I hear the front door open and the sound of hushed voices in the entry way; Mommy, Leisel, and Lynnae have returned from their brisk walk around the neighborhood and I am once again reminded how blessed I am to have my extra hour of sleep.

This is one of the first sights that I see every morning. I am forced to be the villain and awake them from their peaceful slumbers. Usually, by the time I arrive, the alarm clock in their heads has begun the awakening process and all that is left for me to do is to finish process. Occasionally, despite my attempts to impress upon them the necessity of rising out of their slumbers and beginning the day, they allow themselves to become once again engulfed in the inviting warmth of the bed and their overall feelings of drowsiness prevails as they drift off into dreamland again. Then I am forced to come a second time to recall them to the real world.

Downstairs, Daddy and Jonathon are preparing for their prospective days, Daddy for work and Jonathon for his studies at Clark College. Armed with imposing backpacks and energy maintaining sandwiches, fruit and extra goodies, they say a hasty goodbye and set off.

There is an immediate rush for the den windows so that they may be sent off with all the good wishes and heartfelt kisses necessary for their day.

Then the morning really begins, everyone is downstairs and people start to separate for their individual activities. Some find the needs of the stomach greater and begin the day with breakfast, others begin their devotions, dispersing to the living room and family room. I repair to the den where I seat myself in Daddy's comfortable armchair, the Bible in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

This is what happens when Annalise does her own hair styling instead of Mama (beauty school is not in her future). After devotions people start to gather around the table set up in the family room and begin their school day.


The students get busy and attempt to make the most productive use of their time. Peer pressure sometimes works in my favor as they challenge each other to be the first to finish school for the day. I sit at the desk nearby, grading the subjects as they finish them and trying to hush up small talk that will come up no matter what I do to prevent it.


About the time that I start school, Mommy takes the three little ones upstairs to the bonus room and has a Bible study with them. They memorize our Sunday school verses which are Psalm 107:1-2,8-15. Their favorite verses are 12-14 where they enhance the recital with dramatic actions; their favorite part is the "and brake their bands in sunder" where they melodromatically break the invisible chains that hold them captive. Then they sing our Sunday School theme song Our God, Our Help in Ages Past and a few others (Ania's favorite is Hallelu, Hallelujah). Many times Mommy likes to add the nonsensical Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes song along with all the rapid actions that accompany it just to get the wiggles out of their system before they begin the devotional and prayer time.

Though she is too young for "big girl" schoolwork, Ania exercises her share of creativity with markers and pre-drawn pictures.

Austin is in preschool and Annalise is in 1st grade (actually she is almost done with first grade). She reads at a furious rate and has finished several abridged children's books (i.e. Robin Hood and the Prince and the Pauper, which she read to Austin).

School day endings vary, some days the children are done before noon and other days they finish about when it is time for me to start supper. Each day presents new challenges and new opportunities, chances to deal with others attitudes and personalities, at the same time as dealing with my own sinful propensities to impatience and frustration. Each day is a blessing from God and I cherish this time that I have with my family influencing and investing in young lives and learning lessons and growing in my own life.

Ania

In Sunday School we have been going through the story of the Exodus. Ania just recently graduated from the nursery to Sunday school and has been learning a lot, in fact I think that she has picked up almost as much as most children 5 or 6 times her age. Anyway, I have posted a little clip of her that I thought was cute.

Maid or Sister?

The other day while I was busy making dinner, Austin sat in the family room watching me and, after a few moments, queried, "Charae, are you a maid?"
"No," I answered, "Why?"
"Because you make all of the dinners," was his honest reply.
My attempt to elucidate for him the complex differences that exist between a maid and a sister was only moderately successful. I explained that a maid does her work as a means of employment and I do mine out of a desire to serve my family, but he still seemed dubious. I think that he still retains his belief that I must be the maid of the Spafford family. I am hoping that this confusion arises out of a misunderstanding of a maid's position and not out of any doubt as to my standing as his sister.