A Bad Combination: Shin Guards, Soccer, and Sweat

Ethan, as he removes his soccer gear on Saturday: "Oh, these smell awful. Daddy; you have got to smell this! Ewwww!"

Nathanael: "I don't need to smell them. I know they smell bad."

Ethan, following after Nathanael: "You have to smell it. It's the sweat of my labors."

Of Books and Boys

Here's an article for anyone attempting to raise boys to be avid readers of good books. Whether you homeschool or not, How to Raise Boys Who Read is a great starting point when considering boys and books. A great reminder!

Sports-Mom

Ethan and Micah are playing their first soccer seasons with American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) in West Chicago. This is their third Saturday to play. I must admit the first two Saturdays were somewhat of a sacrifice for me as I sat out in the mud and rain cheering on a five-year-old who did not want to play and a an eight-year-old who loves it--especially the social aspect of being part of a team. And I felt something stir deep within, a beast awakening from a slumber, and though I tried to keep that beast at bay, the "sports-mom" emerged anyway.

I find myself fighting with the sports-mom within--the mom who yells loudly, running along the sidelines while trying to coach the kid herself, the one who will yell at the ref when she doesn't agree with the call, or the one who, in seeing deficiencies in her child, feels the need to start a daily practice chart to get them up to speed. I am deeply conflicted as I'm suddenly forced to interact with the sports world. I feel like I need therapy every Saturday afternoon to deal with sports-mom, not to mention my own gym bag full of issues from childhood athletic competitions. Where's the middle road between not caring at all and caring too much? I can't find it!

My issues aside, the boys have improved each week. Micah has gone from standing on the field while crying and refusing to play the first week to actually playing most of the game today and scoring three goals. However, he didn't really seem interested in playing defense. He was perfectly happy for his teammates to do all the work and then pop in to score a goal here and there. As Nathanael pointed out, he's a true Brazilian soccer star:). For those of you who actually know Micah, you might find it humorous that at one point he even trapped the ball under his foot, stopped, made a come-hither motion and said, "Come and get it!" Where did he learn that little bit of trash talk!?! (Don't worry; he'll be unlearning it.)

Ethan has a very good understanding of the game,and he's working hard to translate that knowledge into action. He's improved each week and has had some nice saves and great passes. Today, on our first sunny game day, they both had a really good time and felt proud of their efforts. If they're happy, I guess sports-mom will try to be happy, too. You may notice there are no pictures of Ethan today; sports-mom totally overtook blog-mom during that game.

What I've Been Thinking About Lately . . .

I'm not an overly sensitive person--one who is easily offended. In fact, I've always kind of considered that to be one of my good characteristics. I can laugh at myself pretty easily, acknowledge my faults, and let comments roll off my back. Until this weekend . . . .

Somehow in the course of three days, I've become unusually sensitive. I've walked away from several conversations feeling wronged and offended by something someone has said. I spend the days trying to decipher how I should react to the offense. In one case, I spoke hastily in the moment and said something hurtful back. In another case, I fumed privately for hours. So, here I am at the end of hours (two days now) feeling unsettled, angry, hurt, and ready to do what I do best--bury the problem until something else brings it up again, and the process starts all over.

I think I'll try something different this time . . . blogging. I'm not going to regale you with the details of the "alleged offense." I'm simply going to skip to the part where I'm standing face to face with a decision. What do I do with these hurt feelings? Where do I go with the anger I'm feeling? In a lucid moment I realize that I've managed to "take up an offense" and that the Bible addresses this very issue. I pull up Bible Gateway because it works better than my memory at the moment, and type in "taking offense" and find a verse. Whether it's the one I was originally thinking of or not, it's the one I need to hear: "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). Or as The Message puts it: "Smart people know how to hold their tongue; it is their grandeur to forgive and forget."

I immediately feel the pang of conviction. In one scenario, I chose foolishly not to hold my tongue, and venomous words spewed out. In the second situation, I held my tongue, but spent hours ruminating over what I wish I had said. Both times I sat around licking my wounds, ignoring the fact that there was indeed another way--a grander way, a glorious way, a God-way to deal with these emotions. How do I find the good and the glory in this ugly situation? Forgive. Overlook. And I can because He shows me how. He who had true cause to take up offense laid it down in the form of His life. He overlooks the great multitude of my offenses (not just one little sentence someone said) and forgives and forgets. The grit of the cross becomes the glory-road. I want to grab hold of that glory-road and ride it right out of my anger, bitterness, and hurt. Hopefully, next time I'm "offended," I'll get on this road without taking an all-day detour first.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14

Fun On A Rather Blustery Day

Last Tuesday was a gorgeous day--sunny, but cool and very, very windy. After dropping my mom, sister, and her kids off at the airport for their trip back to Texas, I returned home feeling a little sad and very unmotivated to do what needed to be done. Fortunately, my sister-in-law Margie rescued me from my melancholy by inviting us on a spontaneous kite-flying expedition at a local park. We had a blast trying to get the kites up in the air and watching them bob and weave in the wind.

I'm up here.

You're down there.

And nothing in that space between us

But a mile of air.

Where I sail:

Clouds pass.

Where you run:

Green grass.

Where I float:

Birds sing.

One thin thing there is

That holds us close together:

Kite string.

--Karla Kuskin

Micah At 5

This weekend I volunteered to work at a children's clothing and toy resale that my sister-in-law works at every year for an organization called Step-by-Step. Before you think that I'm such a good person to donate my time, I worked one shift so I could shop an hour earlier than the general public. As I sorted through baby clothes, it suddenly hit me just how far out of the baby stage we are. It seems like only yesterday I was carrying around a snuggly little chubby-cheeked baby with the cutest fro you've ever seen (left: Micah's 1st birthday), but it's been five years since God placed that Brazilian baby boy right into our arms. I could never have imagined just how much joy and life he'd bring to our family. This past Saturday we had a farm-themed birthday party for him (okay the farm part was for me), and it was extra special to celebrate with cousins from both sides of the family.

Micah's not in many of these pictures because he was having so much fun running around with friends and cousins that he rarely stopped for a photo.

John Deere fabric, miniature bales of hay, and "chicken feed" in pails out on the picnic table.

Kids ate hotdogs, corn on a stick (thanks, Luciana), chips, watermelon, and haystack cookies (again, Luciana to the rescue)

The farmyard cake (my crowning glory) made possible by Hobby Lobby. (Please note: This is not an organic farm. The ducks and chickens have been pumped full of hormones making them the size of cows and pigs:)
Micah finally gets those trick candles blown out.

Everyone left with a favor bag of popcorn balls (wrapped to look like farm fresh apples), a seed packet of chocolate-covered sunflower seeds labeled "Farmer Micah's Incredible Edible Seeds," Cow Tails, and a bundle of colored pencils (absolutely no farm tie-in).

After the party, we all went to Kline Creek Farm, a local living history farm, where an old-fashioned country fair was being held. The kids saw a cowboy perform gun tricks and each got to try to crack the whip. They visited farm animals and saw a large hay wagon pulled by horses. They played some old-fashioned games for prizes and just had fun running around. It was a great day!

We love you, Micah!