1.13.2009

Even numbers were the talk of math today. Emma loves to count by twos so understanding came quickly and she began to rattle off answers as I quizzed her. At one point she got confused and said, "Wait, I don't remember, is that a weird number?" I puzzled for a minute and realized that she meant the word odd, as in weird. With a smile, I explained the difference in the words and we continued.

Later in the evening she was reading the verse Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. While reading the reference, Proverbs 3:5, she yells, "Hey Mom, those are awkward numbers!"

1.07.2009

My goal in life is...
...to learn to knit
...learn to crochet
...and make the world a better place by picking up trash.

~Emma
photo editing by Emma

1.06.2009

I'm thirty-seven years old and I've never had a New Year's resolution (sort of feels like a confession). But I'm drawn to goals and habits and routine in a way that I never really have been. Maybe its that vague desire to know that all the little things are adding up to big things. Daily to-do lists work most of the time. Even a things-that-need-to-happen-this-week list is useful. With homeschooling I've started writing down special projects for each season - so that the season doesn't pass me by before I've noticed. This natural progression brings me to a list of things that I'd like to accomplish this year. 2009.

It's simple... but keeps me rooted and inspired.

1. Learn to knit - at least a scarf, but hopefully something more.


2. Lose twenty pounds - yikes, now I've said it aloud for all to hear.

3. Make and and hopefully sell enough products to finance birthdays and Christmas.

4. Family scripture memory - one significant passage per month. In December we learned Luke 2: 1-16 and it wasn't even very hard (we are stilling working through verse 20).

5. Invite another family over for dinner at least once a month. Sound easy? In Schweinfurt, this happened every Wednesday night for the last few years that we lived there. At home, in America, people are too busy to get together for dinner. You've got to plan ahead. By the way, this is in addition to our own families, Cadence families that are in town and people we already know well.

6. Go out with Rick, without the kids, once a month.


I really wanted to show you a recent picture of just Rick and I... but it doesn't exist. Just one reason a monthly night away would be wonderful!

7. Experience the bible in a new way. A few ideas are divina lectio and reading one book of the bible everyday for a month.