It's Been Another One Of Those Days Where We Didn't Do Much...

... primarily because I am sick, and since no one really wants me to die on this vacation, it made sense to let me sleep in.  Then I spent the afternoon pumping myself full of albuterol, steroids, cold medicine, and cough drops.  As a rule, I do not "do" sick very well.  On vacation it is almost unbearable.  The good news is, I am still breathing, tonight, and better than last night, at that...

We did have a reservation for Rainforest Cafe'.  I have always wanted to go there and managed to drag myself out of bed long enough to do so.  The food was incredible, and it's just completely unfair to bring such a delicious dessert to people who are already full.  I mean, who can really eat a volcano?  As it turns out, we made it on the last tram back to the parking lot, which was a blessing, since I don't think I could have walked that far...

 She just had to touch the frog...

With any luck, I will get my late schoolwork done, tonight, go to sleep at a somewhat reasonable hour, and the rest of these meds will kick in by morning so that I won't be holding everyone back at Animal Kingdom...  One more mountain to knock out on this trip... 

L.

Pictures Taken Today: 33 (and they're pretty much all blurry...)

P.S.  My kids are crazy today...

"First Day of School... First Day of School"...

It's 2:45 in the afternoon, and I am completely and totally wiped out!

I slept at weird times all summer long.  I just did.  This did not serve me well when my head hit the pillow around midnight and my alarm went off at 6:00, this morning.  I know, I know.  Supermoms can make it on 6 hours of sleep on a regular basis.  If you recall, I gave that supermom thing up.  I really need nine hours if you want me at my best...

Anyhow... after I dragged myself out of bed at 6:15, it became painfully obvious that if I really want to get everything done that I need to get done before breakfast, I need at least 60-90 more minutes, but two hours would be best.  I have absolutely no illusions that this is going to happen, which means I'm simply not going to get everything done.  It is what it is.  What I did manage to do was take a bath, treat my severely cracked feet, brush my teeth, throw clothes at Ian, and dress the "baby"... uh... preschooler... uh... can that be right... before starting on breakfast.  I took pictures of breakfast.  I heard Grace remark, incredulously, from the other room, "Seriously?  Is Mom taking pictures of our breakfast?"  Yes.  Yes I did.  It was a really good breakfast:

Bacon, Eggs, and Cheese - All rolled up in Crescent Rolls:

 

Raspberry, Strawberry, OJ, and Yogurt Smoothies:

I also took pictures of the children, before I would let them eat breakfast, because at our house, you never know what someone might look like after a meal:

Miah - 3 Year Old Preschool:

Ian - 1st Grade:

This is the picture he wanted to take:

This is the picture I wanted to take...

On second thought, the other one is probably better:

 Caleb - 4th Grade

Except he wants everyone to know

that he does 5th grade math:

 Grace - 7th/8th Grade

Homeschooling is complicated:

Seth - 8th Grade:

And then I thought circle time was worth a couple of shots, as well:

Calendar Time:

Miah putting up the "First Day of School" magnet:

We accomplished a lot of schoolwork today.  Caleb has been to his piano lesson.  Grace is headed that way in a little while.  From what I understand, quite a bit of quizzing took place in the "down time".

Maybe we can go to bed after dinner tonight...

L.

PS  This is a picture of Ian's "Summer Vacation" report.  Undoubtedly, this was my favorite assignment of the day.  Next year I'm making him write his own captions, though:

It's 1:00 in the Morning...

At present, I am sitting at my kitchen table, eating an entire bowl of caramel popcorn, listening to what might be the worst album ever put out by one of my favorite artists, looking at the past through rose colored glasses… 

I am, quite frankly, sick of wrestling with theology.  I am so exhausted that I cannot sleep.  The combination is terrible.

I can’t just turn the proverbial page anymore.  I think it’s time to write a new book altogether... again...

L.

Strange Day...

... all around.

It's Phil's birthday.  We are not, however, going to celebrate today, because he, Seth, and Grace are headed to Sterling for the quiz this weekend.  I am staying home with Miah, Ian, and Caleb in order to run the boys to their Upward games tomorrow.

I used to be creative when it came to spending time with my kids...  stage shows... trips to the zoo... or the science center... or the children's museum... or even just the park.  Lately it's more like, "Hey!  Who wants to have movie night?"  Sort of pathetic, but I don't expect it to be this way forever...

So tonight Caleb, Ian, Miah and I watched "Tangled" (Miah's current "fraverit"), while we consumed an entire bag of Hershey's Nuggets...

Then I put Miah to bed and Caleb, Ian, and I watched "Day of the Diesals" (Ian's choice), while we (and by "we" I mostly mean "they") taste tested several different varieties of popcorn (kettle, caramel, movie theater butter)...

Then Caleb and I tricked Ian into going to bed and proceeded to order a pizza and bread bites, which we consumed while watching "Jump In", after playing a couple of levels of "Peggle".  At some point, Caleb turned to me and whispered, "Mommy, I hope nobody finds out we did this.  We are up really late eating pizza and watching movies!"  I honestly think he thought it bordered on illegal activity, because when there was a siren he jumped and asked, "Was that real or in the movie?"  I guess I just blew our cover...

Caleb went to bed shortly after midnight, telling me, "Good morning," since technically, it was.

I never sleep well when Phil is away, so I finally drifted off a little before 2:00am...  When the alarm is set for 6:00am on Saturday, that's not so good...

L.

It's Too Late...

to be awake.

But...  I am scheduled to give the devotional for the quiz tomorrow, and it's been a more difficult process than I thought it would be.

In the end, this is it:

Words:

I don’t usually find myself speechless when it comes to quizzing, but as I sat down to put together this devotional, I sort of felt at a loss for words.  We’ve heard many excellent speakers this quiz year, both on the district and at invitational quizzes, and the theme of their devotions has been, almost without exception, the importance of keeping quizzing in perspective and applying what is learned to our lives.  And that’s good stuff… really good stuff…  In fact, I would venture to say that the reason Bible quizzing got started was to get teenagers involved in really studying… and memorizing… and learning from God’s written word to us through Scripture, and obviously that’s the goal, right?

But…  I have to say that I think there are probably a lot of different reasons that people *actually* get involved in quizzing.  Some are undoubtedly more “noble” than others.  If I’m *really* honest about why I first began Bible quizzing some nineteen years ago… ahem…  I know most of the people in this room weren’t even born yet, which is sort of a painful reminder of how old I am… But… I would have to say that I didn’t really start out hoping to internalize whole books of Scripture and… you know… to keep them around in my mind and heart for decades.

The honest truth is, there was this guy on my district (which was Eastern Michigan) who I found really interesting, and he had been a *really* good quizzer, and I had a friend who pretty much said to me, “You know, if you want to keep Phil Michaels’ attention… you’re probably gonna have to quiz”… and so I did…  And apparently it worked pretty well…  

But at any rate…  I don’t know what *specifically* brought each one of you here today.  Maybe you quiz because the lunch is so good… or because you’re racking up scholarships to go to Olivet…  or because your crazy parents decided to have five children to make up a whole quiz team, so it’s sort of a genetic thing…  or maybe it’s because your friends are here…  But whatever the reason, I am *sure* that even if you don’t realize it, a large part of why you’re here is that the Holy Spirit is working in your life and drawing you closer to him. 

I love Scripture that talks *about* Scripture…   

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you”

When Joshua is speaking to the Israelites, he says, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you” (Joshua 3:9-10).

In Isaiah we read, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (40:8).

In Hebrews we have, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (4:12)

And of course, even in Matthew, when Jesus is tempted, he says, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (4:4)

These aren’t *just* words…  these are words to *live* *by*.

Several years ago, I heard a song by a relatively unknown band, “Mike Crawford and His Secret Siblings”, The title of this song is “Words to Build a Life On”.  It’s actually a really long song, like seven or eight minutes long.  I originally thought maybe I’d bring it along to play, but since they only gave me 5-10 minutes total, I figured that probably wasn’t going to work out.  But it actually reminds me, quite a bit, of the list of Beatitudes that Jesus gives during the Sermon on the Mount, and it talks about how blessed we are, especially in the midst of life circumstances that aren’t “ideal” from our human perspective, and the chorus is really simple.  It just says, 

“These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine”

And then there’s a bridge that says,

“Give us ears that we may hear them
voice that we may sing them
life that we may live them
hope that we may give them
hearts that we can feel them
eyes that we can see them
thoughts that we may think them
tongues that we may speak Your words”  

And so I would just challenge you… and encourage you… as you study the Scriptures, both for quizzing purposes *and* for life purposes… to commit them to your memory and to your heart, and to make these words your own.

L.

Build A Better Legoland Trip…

Although we enjoyed Legoland on Ian’s birthday, we went into this day really hoping that the crowd would be diminished, particularly because it is New Year’s Eve, and Legoland is only open until 7:00pm, while many of the major parks have midnight celebrations. We were right, and this made for a wonderful day!

We were actually able to walk on to major attractions multiple times! Today we checked off three roller coasters, the Lego Stunt Show, and a variety of smaller rides and experiences. In the end, between the two days, we rode everything in the park!

I was most impressed by the “Driving School” rides, which were the most innovative children’s rides I have ever seen at an amusement park. The kids were actually able to drive Lego cars through a course, without utilizing a track. Ian was too young for “Driving School”, but there was a “Junior Driving School”, which he rode twice. And even Miah got to pretend to drive a stationary car, which we dubbed, “Baby Driving School”! What we could not have anticipated was how much Miah loved this car. When we took her out of it, the most intense baby temper tantrum in the history of this family ensued. I think we need Grandpa to come up with some plans to build a car for Miah...

We did some shopping at the Lego stores and caught glimpses of the early fireworks, and then we were on our way back to the hotel. Not too long after we got there, our four oldest kids all fell asleep on the couch, and Miah and I fell asleep, too. Phil went out to get pizza, woke us in time (minus the baby princess) to watch the ball drop, and we downed a couple of slices apiece, some breadsticks, and a few sips of sparkling lemonade, which wasn’t very good…

Welcome 2012!

Lisa

Day 10 Photo Count: 315

Photo Highlights:

Best... Roller Coaster Face... Ever...

A Friendly Triceratops...

So Happy!

Incredible... Whole Cities Made of Lego...

Sleep...

... is undoubtedly Step 2 in the "change your whole life in less than 17 years" program. I have been thinking about this for some time, but tonight it became increasingly evident that my sleep patterns have to change... HAVE... TO...

So, I was driving Seth and Grace to pre-teen retreat (driving Caleb, Ian, and Miah, too... but the reason we were driving was to get the "big kids" to retreat)... I tend to be a "car sleeper"... but NOT when I'm driving. I could hardly keep my eyes open, and it was 5:00 in the evening! That screams, "SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR SLEEP HABITS, LISA!"

Although it was a bit concerning when I realized I was so exhausted I could hardly get my kids to their destination, this was not the worst part. I did, indeed, arrive safely at retreat, got the kids registered, and dropped them off with a leaping hug and kiss from Grace and even a hug and, "I hope you have a great weekend, Mom!" from Seth... Good moment...

What really concerned me was what I did next...

I looked at my three "babies" and realized that in order to get us home safely, I was going to have to do something drastic. I drove through McDonalds and ordered a coffee. (dead pan to the audience)

LISA DOES NOT DRINK COFFEE... EVER...

If you do not know me, this probably sounds kind of stupid, but if you do know me, you understand. This was a big deal!

Now, granted, I ordered the least coffee like sounding coffee on the menu, but as I took that first sip, my body instinctively knew that we'd just escalated to a new level of exhaustion. If I'm going to become a coffee drinker, I might as well become a drug addict and an alcoholic while I'm at it. I'm not going to become any of these things... As I drove home, hoping that the caffeine would quickly find it's way to my bloodstream and keep me alert enough to make the whole drive, I knew this was a necessary fix... and a one time fix...

Step sleep is going to have to come in phases, but considering I never would have dreamed I'd even be ready to take another step only 5 days into this thing, I'm going with it. The first part of this step is going to be establishing a bed time.

It is at this point that I must admit that I don't like that. In comparison, step 1 was easy. I like God. I wanted to spend more time with Him. Truth told, I like sleep, too... and I want to spend more time doing it. But I am a night person. I'd like to sleep from... oh... maybe 2am until noon... consistently... Not gonna happen, Mommy...

I remember when I was a kid my mom used to tell me that I would have to wake up earlier when I grew up if I wanted to have a job. I told her I'd work the night shift. And in reality, if I had to work outside of our home, I'd choose 3rd shift every time. But unless I want to completely turn my kids' worlds upside-down, that's not gonna work right now... So I have to have a bed time (I'm avoiding this... can you tell?)...

I guess healthy adults are supposed to get 8 hours of sleep. I know people who do pretty well on 6 or 7. If I'm going to be real honest, I think I probably need 9. But I'm not going to get 9... There are just not enough hours in the day for that on a regular basis. So for now, I'm going to measure my progress based on 8 hours of sleep, but since I'm only going to start the bed time part of this right now, I'm only going to give myself credit for 4 productive hours. For awhile, I might actually get more than 8 hours, and considering the sleep deprivation I have subjected myself to over the years, that's OK... Setting an alarm will be another part in this process, completely. (Set the bed time, Lisa)...

I think it would be very healthy for me to go to bed at 10:00. Can't do it. For now, I'm going to set my bed time at 11:00... and that means that no matter what, that's when the light goes out... and the laptop goes off. This is going to require some serious discipline on my part, because that means my school work needs to be done by 11:00... and I have to stop clicking "refresh" on facebook by 11:00... and I have to be done watching "TV" (this is in quotes, because TV means something completely different at this house than it does to most people, but that's a story for another day)... and done shopping on-line... and done washing the dishes... and picking up the toys... and taking care of anything that needs to be in place for the following morning... by 11:00... And I guess to be fair, since I really think this is an hour later than it should be... I'm only going to count it as fixing 3 hours of my life... for now...

Assuming I can do it, this should bring my total "fixed life percentage" to 1.3%... OK... small... but progress...

Lisa

Mystery Trip, Day 1...

... Because every vacation does not necessarily have to revolve around rodents!

The quote of the day, from Grace, pretty much sums it up: "This is crazy! We're going on vacation, and we don't even know where we're going!"

I used to think that spontaneity was fun. Unfortunately, I have kinda lost that sentiment as we have added more little people to our family. In fact, I have become somewhat obsessive about vacation planning, and I'm very good at it if I do say so myself. However, today is a good reminder of the fun that can be had when you have no idea where you're going... Sort of makes me think about a road trip out west, some 9 1/2 years ago... a lot...

That said, I think a trip to a waterpark and some mini golf are in the works for tomorrow. Stay tuned...

For now, it's sleepy time!

Lisa