If It's Broke, Fix It

I feel like we have reached the next level in our family life when it comes to my independence. With my oldest now 12 years old, I feel comfortable to leave the house for an hour or two on my own. We live in a very safe walled compound of 5 houses with missionaries as neighbors. With this new independence, I have tried to go to the Hangar more regularly (couple times a month), take photos, have coffee with my husband, bake treats for the other MAF employees, etc... It's a nice change of scenery from home life. The kids are also very happy to skip grocery shopping trips and let me go alone. Or, if one of them chooses to come, it gives me some nice one on one time with that child.

This past weekend, my husband and I went on a breakfast date. This was so enjoyable. And we both felt much more comfortable leaving the children alone in the morning rather than at night... possibly when the power could go out.

Today was a morning that the children stayed home alone. I had a canning date planned with a friend. She and her husband have planted a beautiful vegetable garden, so her beet haul was pretty large! I spent the morning scrubbing, boiling, and peeling beets, and then we pickled a bunch of jars together. It was such a relaxing time and mutually encouraging. It reminded me how important these impromptu activities are.  As women, I think it can be so tempting to get together and talk about so many different things, including other people and their lives (which I'm mindful to try and avoid or divert from in conversation). But if we can meet as friends, and make the focus an activity like canning and recipes, or a craft, or music, or fitness, or other common interests or leisure, we avoid being tempted to focus on other peoples' lives and situations in our conversation... As well, I am convinced these fun and relaxing times build raport and trust for more difficult days when she, or I, may need a listening ear. It is a wonderful blessing to have these types of relationships in my life. And I'm so thankful.  :)

On My Side Table

I finished this book in a few hours. I would describe this one as a strange mystery with dark humor thrown in... not exactly the genre of book I would choose. I probably wouldn't bother putting it on a list of recommended reads for my tween boy. Which is precisely where I got this one from: it was a part of the middle grade summer readers' package from Sonlight. Oh well, here I'm glad I read the book before we thought to look up Disney's screen rendition of the movie, already several years old.


Currently, the kids and I are reading The Golden Goblet as part of our history read aloud. Yes, we started The Good and the Beautiful History Year 1, which takes us back to the beginning of time with the creation account, and then dives into ancient Egypt. My older son was very interested in the Sphinx, which led us to do some basic research on the mystery behind this wonder of the world.... This book is quite advanced for my youngest, (in second grade)... even though Jenny Phillips recommends it for grades 1-12.... I'm really not sure he's getting much out of it at this point. So, we try and pair its reading with Lego or snacks, or even bedtime when all the kids' energy levels are lower. This book is recommended by Sonlight for History/Literature F, typically used for Grades 6-8, so yes, it is pretty advanced. But I'm happy for my sixth grader to get some higher literature, and we will balance this read aloud with a lighter one once it's completed.