Oh, I'm bad, really bad!!!

You guys know that I teach a study skills class, right? I have homeschooled students in my class, and they are, for the most part, really good kids. But we have rules, I tell you. Hard cold rules at this co-op. I'm not entirely sure if texting during class is illegal, but I assume it is. But even if it isn't, I'm not going to put up with it, so there.

So, this kid was hiding his phone under the table and texting while I was teaching.

Me: "Hey, you can stop texting your girlfriend, unless you want me to read the entire thing out loud to the class.."

Sheepish kid puts phone away.

About an hour later, I saw Sheepish boy with girlfriend in the parking lot. They were just walking together, but he snuck his arm around her shoulder. Ah HA! That's about as affectionate it gets around here, but I could tell he was a paranoid wreck. It had nothing to do with the eagle eyed study skills teacher eyeing them.

Don't get me wrong here. I am not in favor of teens dating, but some parents don't seem to mind it. I have conflicted emotions about what to do about the whole thing when it involves someone else's kids. The co-op says no dating. The parents seem to be O.K. with it. Conflicted emotions may explain what happened next.

So, Paranoid boy walks toward the building with girl.

Me to the girl: "So, did you get the text he sent you during study skills class?"

Girl: "No, I didn't"

Paranoid boy: "I did not text her!"

Me to the boy: "Does she know that you were texting another girl?"

They both laughed nervously.

See what I mean? Bad. very bad.

Good friends can even be crabby together

I was with one of my tried and true friends this weekend because her husband graciously offered to help us with some plumbing problems. Even though she didn't feel great, she wanted to come with him and support him and visit us. But she was crabby. I couldn't tell, but she told me that she was. So, rather than make her feel bad about not feeling great, I just said, "Good. Let's just be crabby then." And we had a mini gripe session, venting freely about anything and everything.

And being the ADD hedgehog that I am, I said, "Hey, look at those pretty tulips!' ( I can't even focus on being crabby for very long, even..) And it made us burst into laughter. So, we had to take a break from being crabby to enjoy the tulips. And we decided to get lunch, have a Starbucks, and watch a hilarious movie after we got home. She managed to beat me on Scrabble (but only by 10 points!) and before you know it, the crabby moments of the earlier part of the day were 10 million years ago.

Wouldn't life be nice if you could say "I'm crabby" for a little time each day or whenever it hits and just get to the bottom of it, rather than let it nag on all day? Let's face it: we're human.

The human body, mind, soul and spirit are this big snarl of inner connected thoughts, hormones, synapses, and chocolate. How are we even supposed to know why we are crabby? Is it bad nutrition? is it something spiritual? is it chemical? is it lack of sleep? or lack of coffee?

I'm at the point in my life where I'm not even interested in getting to the bottom of the WHY in all this. If the Lord makes it obvious to me about myself as to what I need to get myself whole again, I will do it. If I'm with someone and I can sense what they need, I try to help them get to it. But I don't force the issue. In other words, life does not have to be perfect.

God does a lot of teaching and helping of people when they are in a less than perfect state--probably because that's the way most of us are at any given time. If we get so caught up in trying to create a perfect world for ourselves, our kids, our friends, etc., maybe we are shortchanging God's opportunities to deal with that person in that low state.

It takes faith to accept this concept. But accepting someone in a low state is not the same as ignoring their needs altogether. We are given friends as a test for our love for God. God wants to love them through us. We can show love for God by loving those he has put in our lives. It's when we have come to the end of our resources and creativity on helping a person that we have permission to let go of this perceived responsibility of making their world perfect in order for them to achieve happiness.

God's greatest work in someone is not their happiness level; it's their holiness level. And we are not responsible for either. God will just do his little bit through you, using whatever gifts, creativity, resources and insight you have. And we can allow the healing to take place in God's perfect timing.

And that is just what I want to do.

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Make my home sing Monday at Moms the Word

Menu:

Monday: clean out fridge soup

Tuesday: Butter chicken and Indian collard greens

Wednesday: taco salad

Thursday:leftovers

Friday: Moose and polenta

org. junkie MPM

Note #2

Blitz it Friday #38

Well, be careful! The Organizing Mommy is on a blitz again. Things are flying, glasses are breaking, and stuff is getting hauled outta here!

So, I've been doing several days of blitzing through out the house. Call it Spring Cleaning, if you like. I was moving so fast, I did not even contemplate before and after pictures. But I did do this for you. Just tonight after dinner, I decided to blitz the kitchen.

Here's my unsuspecting family at the table before I kicked them out.

Here's one of the counters, full of food and stuff from the day. Normally my kids do kitchen chores, but I just released them from the responsibility so I could show you how easy it is.
So, let's review the basics here. I set the timer for one hour. I put on some good quality shoes and an apron. (No picture because the sight is kind of scary)

So, first things first: put away all food and clear off table.

Rinse off dishes and soak them in the sink.

Spray down counter, stove, micro.

Load the dishwasher, start it running.

Set up for hand washing.

Clear out some things from the fridge and wash those dishes also.

All of the above was done in 30 minutes.

Handwash for 15 minutes without stopping.

7 minutes of drying and putting away clean items.

7 minutes left: wipe off counter, sweep floor, remove items from kitchen that do not belong in it. Done with 3 minutes to spare.

Call up kids for their blitz.

Oh yeah. This is a picked up kitchen!
Are you getting the blitzing endorphins going right through the screen? Yeah. Me too.
And the kids' blitz involved things like: getting the trash out, putting away junk that had collected in the hallway, picking up the living room, vacuuming, and making cookies!

Here's a few of the things from the all week blitz: a newly arranged play area with (a lot) less stuff cluttering it up. What you do not see: A big pile of toys in black garbage bags that were exported out of the house in a most clandestine fashion.
More living room fun.
How many ways can one arrange the furniture? I think I've discovered most of them.
And guess who got a bath tonight? (I love it when kids are all scrubbed up and jammied)
Here is my craft/ sewing area remake. I removed all of the sewing things and decided for this next season of life, this room is going to be a social overflow room.
and I picked up this nice couch for $40.00 today at a garage sale. It's quite pretty and it works really well with the room. The little trunk thing is from last year's garage sale exploits. I think it was $15.00. The Chinese runner is from my friend Shelly who is a missionary in China.
So, that's that. Tomorrow we are having more guests, and they are going to help us get our bathroom fixed. We have a basement bathroom that has been non-functional for about a year or more, so that will be really nice when it gets finished!
So, I hope you will be encouraged to get moving with some of the projects around your house that you've been putting off. It's spring already, and it's time to blitz!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are new to blitzing, here are some other links on the topic:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

Glad you could join us! Now you have MANY choices about using the blitz. You are welcome to do/ try any or all of them.... and so many photos to choose from!

And for you guys who like to move slowly, try plodding.

in the world but not of it

Some people may say that I am dangerously "in" the world a little too much for their liking. After all, I'm down at the Y teaching pilates in my "workout clothes". And there are guys there.

Not that guys normally take pilates, but you do get a few once in a while.

The possibility exists for one of them to "fall" for you or worse yet, you for them. Thankfully, my husband is such a wonderful guy that the latter has not happened. And if my flesh fails me, the Lord picks me up and reminds me who I am and my purpose for being there in the first place--to share Christ! Many great relationships have been forged through my Y involvement. My Thursday Bible study was formed from Y relationships. So, I know that my involvement there is not in vain.

But as it is, with all things that are somewhat dangerous, you can get burned. Not seered. Not fried or consumed, just burned. And it reminds me what a risky business I am in.

Now I know you are sitting there thinking--give me the details! I have to know!! And being a blogger, I will give them. But I just want you to know that in the 3 years of teaching fitness, this is the first of this type of thing to happen.

I have a fairly in shape older gentleman of 75 years named George coming regularly.. faithfully.. O.K. he never misses a day of my Wednesday morning pilates at the Y. I figured it was his only social outing. And as an outgoing, friendly fitness instructor, I talk to people. So, you know where this is going. (I'm so naive!!) So, by and by, he develops a crush on me.

As with anything that anyone says that is dumb, out of place, or just distracting, I just ignore it and move on with teaching. That's what teachers do. So, I was intentionally ignoring any signs of seeing this coming. Oh, and have I mentioned that I talk about my husband and kids (a lot!) when there's a free space??

So, I am demonstrating a modification to one of the exercises, and I have everyone leaning against the wall. It was a fairly small class, so I was going around making sure everyone got it. After all, I make modifications for their safety, not to challenge them further.

So George starts to slip and struggles to hold his balance right when I'm walking by.

Instantly, the mother of five children--the safety patrol--the save the world instinct-- comes out in me and I grabbed on to him for dear life, hoping his big body won't come crashing to the floor. When I noticed he caught his footing, I put him down. (yes, I probably was lifting a 180 pound man) And I breathed a sigh of relief.

And then do you know what he says???

"I was only joking!"

I'm like WHAT?!!! I was livid! mad! incensed!

But of course, I had to get on with finishing the class.

So, that all happened LAST week. So, this week rolls around. There's only one person in class. The weather is gorgeous, and everyone is home gardening, I guess. So, can you guess who the ONLY person in class was? That's right. Big George.

It wasn't until then, at that very moment that I realized how uncomfortable I was.

"Thanks for the hug last week," he said.

"Uh.. that was not supposed to happen," I said cooly.

I managed to make it through the class, but I did not leave my mat. I acted like there was a ton of people in there. But it was SO awkward!! (And I have since learned that we are not obligated to teach if only one person shows up!)

And so I did not even know what to make of my emotions. But when I went into the Y cafe, and Angie (one of the workers) asked how I was doing, I just burst into tears.

I felt naive, used, taken advantage of. I felt guilt, even though I was the victim of this situation. I felt like trust was gone. And yes, I am going to confront him. And yes, I am not going to teach if he is the only one in class. But it made me question so many things. I even contemplating quitting. But my husband told me that I should leave things as they are, and this will pass over.

But it made me realize (in a real way) all the dangers of being in the world. And I asked myself is it worth it? Is it time to ball up like a cocoon and shelter ourselves from these dangers? And the Lord reassured me of my calling--to be in the world, but not of it. Had I been tempted by these advances, I'd question myself. But I do not want to be in the world the way they are in the world, which is in their minds. They are plagued with lusts and temptations that we do not even know about it. (And such were some of you) So, I do not plan to humiliate the fella, but I do plan to be firm and clear.

Nevertheless, yesterday was an emotionally dramatic day. And in the end, the Lord was my comfort and strength through it.

The results are in!

The results for my contest are in! I had to contact my winners and figure out who wanted what. I think all three winners are happy with what they are going to be getting.

Angi of Tim& Angi's blog, won the necklace.

My daughter, Joanna sells jewelry in her ETSY shop. (There's another one like it in her shop, if you do not win)
Stacey of I'm a Lazy Mom won this package.

Malachi's Harvest granola with an organizing book.
Kim of Whimsical Websites won this package. And another bag of Malachi's Harvest granola and another organizing book.
Malachi's Harvest and Joanna's ETSY store, did not pay me anything to promote them. I did get to sample the granola, though. And Joanna makes me jewelry all the time. Feel free to patronize these two sites.

They are just awesome Christians with awesome products. In fact, that granola is wonderful. It is very dense, soft and much better than anything I've ever made or tasted.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! I enjoy the 5mfm yearly party. This year I am really busy and have not gotten around to visiting many of the sites or keeping up with my regular reads. If you are thinking, "Why doesn't she come to my site??" I'm wondering the same thing.

Perhaps, blogging on the writing level is level 1. Blogging and commenting on other's blogs is level 2. Having contests and all that Level 3. Whenever I think I'm a Level 3 blogger, I usually get kicked in the behind with a disorganized life, unplanned meals, or all-purpose chaos.

Having said that, I'm a .5 blogger this week. I will, however, get those packages in the mail.

And yes, we are linking up some blitzing on Friday. Friday, people. We can do this. Let's gear up for the weekend and get blitzing.

Sing and shout

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

Sing to him a new song! (parts of Psalm 33)

How often do I shout and sing to the Lord? If I have every minute of my life planned out, with every little possible kink ironed out, when does it lend itself to shouting and singing to the Lord?

And in what context is this to happen? Forgive me, but I think in very practical terms.

Shouting? We don't shout in our local church. Where do I shout? I can't even remember the last time I've shouted anything good or bad.

And new songs? You mean something from my heart? Something that comes from my heart of worship? These are tough things.

And so I was going to tell you about the massive blitzing going on around here. It's been awesome. But why? Why is cleaning up the house so awesome? So, I can get more stuff and clean some more? What good does it do?

I need to stop this crazy cycle of getting stuff, storing it, getting rid of it, etc. Why buy anything in the first place? I'm ready to set a match to the whole place.

I want my space cleared up. Quite honestly, I want my brain cleared up. I want to serve the Lord undistractedly (for once). Will this happen THIS side of heaven? Why so much stuff?

I don't mean to be a downer. We all live on this earth, for better or worse. We all have to deal with the stuff of earth and living. But it's hard when you know that heaven is your real home, and yet, we have so much on earth to do! I have a family to raise, feed, clothe, educate (which is a cluttery business, by the way), things to make, vegetables to grow, reading to do, and a house to take care of. The only thing that could make it worse would be a vacation home, boats, extra cars, horses, cattle, a farm, etc. I want to be free!! Free from stuff!

I'm ready to engage in heavenly business, Lord, help me to be free of extra stuff so I can get on with your work. Give me wisdom when I am sorting through things. Help me to keep those things that you know I'll need and get rid of the rest. Give me self control when I'm out shopping to NOT BUY anything that is not necessary, even if it is cheap.

Give me help to be undistracted and free enough to shout to you for joy! Give me a new song, Lord. A brand new song..

Making my home sing today.

Words from the circular file

Cyber-bullying

Criminal activity has taken on a new form. I was reading the news headlines yesterday, and a group of nine teenagers are being held accountable for a young girl's death. Phoebe Prince took her own life at the young age of 15. She seemed to be a normal kid who did all of the normal things that kids do. She had a boyfriend and some of the popular girls did not like her for it. The boy broke up, and the kids swarmed on her with physical, verbal and cyber taunts. A large part of their bullying was through texting, facebook, and other forms of social media. The girl went to the school administration for help a week before she took her own life. They were either unwilling or incapable of offering help.

Of course everyone is pointing fingers and trying to find a solution. Some point at the school and the administration. Some point to teen herself. Some point to the parents of the young people. But now, (finally) someone is deciding to turn the tables and actually blame the kids who did the bullying.

Will these bullies actually be held accountable for their actions? I hope they will. I hope they wake up and get a full taste of reality. It seems like there are laws to protect people outside of the school from these incidents, but often, in the schools, things go unchecked. What grief that family must be going through!

And yet, I've witnessed it even in my small little world. I didn't even know what to call it at first. Some of you may have read: Emily @ under $1000 a month. A young gal with a husband and three little kids. Sure, she started off the way normal blogs do--kind of slow. And then things started getting more heated up as she (probably unwisely) gave details of her life that could be thought of as controversial without securing a steady audience first. The reason I say unwisely, is that her audience base was a mixed bag of Christians and non-Christians, frugal, non-frugal, conservative and non-conservative, healthy and non-healthy. When you have such a span of interests and readers, you can't expect them to give a lot of "grace" in the areas where you are still learning. (Yes, there are some people who are prone to getting picked on, and she was one of them) But still!

It was cyber-bullying. Let's call it what it was! What could have been a gradual development of ideas became a cesspoool of controversy and criticism. What could have become a gentle entry into the cyber world became a horrendous splash. And we have one less blogger now. The critics have knocked her off the wrung of her ladder. Mean words, spoken (typed) in hate by people who have a need to dominate others by putting them down.

And it could happen to anyone. It could happen to me. (It's not happening, just so you know) And it takes courage to stand up to the bad guys. It takes a lot of grace to handle criticism. It takes humility to take negative comments in such a way that helps you improve rather than get defensive.

I haven't been tested in this way in a while, have you? Have you been picked on? bullied? What did you do about it? And how can we reach out to others who are getting picked on? No, I can't bring Phoebe back. Even if I lived in Massachusetts, I'm not sure I could have helped her, except if I offered to homeschool her.. But I can reach out to the hurting right here, right now. I can teach my own kids to deal wisely with people and have compassion on those who are enduring abuse.

Fork-lore!

So, it's Jamie's 18th birthday party. It bad enough to have a party with your parents, siblings, friends and their parents, but NO, I had to go ahead and make sure that he had a little memory to take with him to college.

So, we were having fun group conversations. Shannen was telling us about her latest interest in medical mysteries. She told us about the psychology behind OCD. We were all getting entertained with fascinating stories, until Sylvia (a mom) said,

"I was watching this documentary about this women who managed to eat a fork.."

And I'm like, "WHAT? A fork? How would you ever get it down?" And then she told us more. Apparently, the gal complained of a stomach ache and they found several forks in her stomach.

You mean she got more than ONE down? Is this insane or what?

(I have researched this since the party, and there is documented evidence of a woman from the Netherlands who ate 78!!! pieces of cutlery!!!)

So, when we started eating, I warned everyone that I would be counting forks at the end of the evening! just in case.

And then I managed to tell them that I ate part of my fork just last week while I was wolfing down the salad at Hallstrom. (Except mine was plastic, and there was just a little bit of it missing from the tip) Nothing was tempting me to eat the entire fork.

Here again, think Dr. Suesss, "Oh the places you'll go"... and I thought my fork incident was unique. In fact, there is an entire list of the crazy things people eat (and live to tell about it).

So, while I was suspiciously monitoring all of my party guests and their cutlery usage, we made some small talk about other things. Soon enough, one of the families was preparing to leave.

"Oh don't let Jeremiah go! Let him spend the night and have fun with the kids!!" I begged like a little weenie, "Let him just cut loose!"

And Ken (another Dad), trying to ease the pathetic tension rising in the room between Jeremiah's parents and I said, "Why does Jeremiah need to cut loose, anyway? What does he need to do--break dancing or something?"

Which caused me to forget about all of fork monitoring and burst into laughter.

"Oh you know, I know how to break dance. I even had lessons for it," I said carelessly.

"Sure then! Go ahead and show us!"

So then I flung forward into a centipede maneuver. Went directly into the helicopter. Got up for a moon walk and finished it off with a complete body wave. (body wave is my personal fave)

If Jeremiah's parents had any doubts about whether they should leave or not, it was quickly settled at this point. Cutting loose, as it were, is something Jeremiah may never be able to do at our house.

I would have loved to have had pictures. You can ask Jenny if this is, indeed, true or not. And she will tell you. And of course, you are wondering if Jamie survived this incident or not.

I can tell you that I have spoken to his therapist, and he is completely resolved to his recovery plan which is thus: 10 minutes after he leaves home, he changing his name and not telling us what it is.

Last I heard he was going to call himself either Dick Patterson or Patrick Taylor.

So, when we call him at college, his roommate will say,

"Hey Patrick, know anybody named Jamie?"

"Nope.."

And that will be that.

Well, I'd love to chat more but I need to practice my head spins and count the spoons..

Sunday 2 hour blitz..and other stuff

It's the Lord's Day, and what am I doing blitzing?

Isn't it supposed to be a day of worship and rest? Yes and yes.

This morning the Lord lead me to Psalm 36. I was just rejoicing and worshipping the Lord especially "drinking from the river of his delights.." Oh, it's so rich! How often do I forget where the delights are! They are right there, waiting for me to drink it all in. I'm feasting on his goodness, even still.

So, why am I home and not gathering with the Christians? Well, my little one came down with a fever last night. She was shaking and kept saying "I'm scared" "I'm scared" even though she could not figure out what was making her scared. She slept in our bed and she still was not comforted. We prayed. I even talked her through a prayer. Finally, I thought it might be good to give her some meds for the fever/ pain. She finally is sleeping peacefully and relaxing. I'm hoping when she does wake up, she'll be her happy little self again.

(rest of the post written after the fact)

So, while I was home with her, I decided to blitz the kitchen. Boy oh boy did it need it. It's kind of funny. When I was younger, the thought of being at home with cleaning to do rather than being with the Christians would have made me upset and feel sorry for myself.

Just goes to show what time will do. I was literally counting it all joy. I put on some wonderful music, and just sang my heart out and cleaned, did dishes, made bread, put away things, got lunch ready. It was a little worship service of a whole new kind.

Soon enough, Emily got up and she was happy. She still had a little fever, but she wanted water, food, a shower, new clothes, and some toys. I was so thankful. My little sweetness slept off the crud. My family worshiped without me there, and Will spoke at our chapel.

Sometimes just taking what life gives you instead of fighting it all the time is just the perfect way to survive, you know? And my new blogging friend, Jenny was here for the weekend.

Here is something that I am realizing that I do special for guests: nothing. That's right. Nothing.

Now trying to do nothing special and still making them feel special is an art all of its own, but it is the only way I can do it.

Here is all of the non-special things we did while Jenny was visiting:

When Jenny arrived, it was right around the time that Will was supposed to arrive from France. So, we sat and visited for a little bit, and she met the kids. When Will got in, I gave him attention--helping him unpack his bags, going for a walk to catch up on stuff, and trying to keep him awake until dinnertime.

Jenny made fast friends with Joanna, my daughter, and they cut up all the potatoes and carrots and onions for moose stew. While the pot was simmering, the girls played with Emily outside, Will and I took our walk, and the boys did their chores.

When it was time to go to bed, I think Joanna and Jenny were up knitting and talking about making dresses from the Regency period or something like that..

The next day I took Jenny out on my errand run: we worked out, dropped off recycling at the recycling center, ran out of gas (ugh!), had lunch and went garage sale-ing. She did seem to enjoy her first visit to the Beef-a-Roo. (Yes, we indulged in a Jamocha Shake!) I rested when we got home, and I think she did also. She was up helping Joanna make the ultimate chocolate cake for Jamie's birthday party that night. So, yes, we had a birthday party planned for Jamie, which involved inviting kids and their families over for build-your-own pizza, cake and wild games. Oh, and I did some break dancing during the party. (that would require an entire post of its own..)

And yes that was just LAST night. This morning, Jenny got up and hung with Joanna during the meetings, since I was home. We had lunch, and then she and Jo made a duct-tape dress form for Jo. All that to say, we didn't do anything special!

And yet, I really think she had a special time. And it occurred to me: the reason people are not courageous in hospitality is because they think they have to create a special time for their guests, rather than let a special time develop around the daily things you have going.

People feel special when they know you care about them--not because you have dusted every square inch of the house. Half of me was cringing at the thought of having guests last night, since I can't really remember the last deep cleaning that I've done. And then I caught myself.

Do you really think Jamie and his friends (and their families) are going to care if the kitchen was so busy with pizza toppings, flour, growing Mt. Dish, and pop can towers? probably not. They probably will remember Mrs. Webber break dancing, though. (beg me to tell the story..)

Darling! You push too hard... (The Incredibles, Edna Mode)

Anyway, (stay focused....) We had a wonderful time with our new friend Jenny. And it was a lot like having another daughter in. (If I had given birth at 18....) And yet, she was a lot like a younger sister. She's just at the next step of the journey where Joanna will be in a few years. She has a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus, married to a Christian man, homemaking, and wanting a baby. She has an interest in cooking, sewing, and all the homemaking things. It was a real encouragement!

So, if you guys are sitting on the fence with hospitality, don't be scared. Even if you are a bumbling hedgehog, like me, you can do it.

For more make my home sing, visit: Moms the Word.

Welcome to my blog party '10

Hi! Welcome to Organized Everyday. Feel free to click around, enjoy some stuff and stay for a while. I only have 597 posts, so you can hang out as long as necessary.

I wish I could tell you that reading my blog is going to make you free from all of your organizing woes. I wish I could tell you that once you drink the blitzing elixir that you'll never be a sloth again. And I wish that my recipes and crafts will knock your socks off in frugality and originality.

But the sad truth is that I am an ADD hedgehog who does not own a clean house with perfect children. I will stop all household systems for the love of a good story or a call from an old friend. I will often serve quesidillas every night of the week, until even the mice are speaking Spanish. My favorite food is beans and rice, or rice and beans, either is fine with me.

I don't make birthday cakes for my children. I'm lucky if I remember when their birthdays are, let alone a bunch of fanfare. My kids are pretty good, despite the raw deal they were dealt in their mother. My husband is saint and eats whatever I serve, pretends not to hear all the dumb things I say and irons his own shirts from the dirty laundry pile. My mother is goddess with an iron in her hand. When she is not here, all wrinkles break loose.

I often go to bed with all of the dirty dishes out on the counter. So, do I have anything to offer? Well, I do write about crafts. This bag was made from recycled wool.

I like to write about chaos--the bigger the better, as far as I'm concerned.

And then I like to write about what it looks like when it's all picked up.I like to write about the special people in my life.
And I really enjoy pontificating about high brow thoughts.
I like making up my own recipes.
And I have a little giveaway going on also. My daughter, Joanna sells jewelry in her ETSY shop. I am giving away this necklace that she made. (There's another one like it in her shop, if you do not win)
And I have two other gifts. Malachi's Harvest granola with an organizing book.
And another bag of Malachi's Harvest granola and another organizing book.
If you would like be entered in my giveaway, go to Malachi's Harvest and become a fan on facebook. And go to my daughter's ETSY store, and look around. Feel free to patronize these two sites. I am not getting any reimbursement from this promotion. They are just awesome Christians with awesome products. In fact, that granola is pure wonderful. It is very dense, soft and much better than anything I've ever made or tasted. Can you add in the comments, which your first choice is? I will pick 3 winners.

And if it seemeth good to thee, follow my humble blog all the days of thy life...

In the spirit of gentleness..

I'm trying, but it's going to be hard, to be gentle about something I have strong feelings about.

O.K. try not to tune me out, and bear with my loose thoughts.

There may be readers out there who are very happy with their new found opportunity and don't want to change their minds. If you have a company that you are happy with, leave me a comment. I am looking for one of these MLM companies that does actually serve its salespeople well. Some of the brightest and best of us have had a hand in the MLM industry at one time or another. What I really want is for Christians to step back and take an objective look.

Here is an example of the compensation plan for a new MLM, nutritional company. When I go to their website, I see no difference in this product or company than Shaklee, Amway, Mannatech, or ?? It's the same business model with a nutritional supplement with a new name.

People have actually done the math. The average person working in an MLM would make more in a min. wage job than from their company. So, what about stay at home moms? Aren't we supposed to be with our families? And I've got some thoughts brewing on that. Anyway, let's stay focused here. What about those of you who have committed to succeeding in your MLM business?

Have I mentioned that I like nutritional supplements? I actually buy that stuff. The grand-daddy of nutritional supplements, in my mind, is Shaklee. I've ordered stuff from Shaklee, Amway, and Mannatech--just so you know that I have no issue with any of them. I probably would enjoy supplements from Reliv also.

And I would sell nutritional supplements from my home IF it were not connected to an MLM structure. I would. I really would. Just give me a direct link to the main supplier, a 50% profit off the bat, and all and any information related to the product with no pressure to recruit any salespeople, and a reasonably priced product, and WE are doing business. So, it's not the supplements, the products, or even the salespeople I have issues with. It is the MLM business model that I have issues with.

So, let's not get all huffy about this issue. The idea of using an MLM business model is not new. Well, in the big picture of things, the model (starting with Amway) is about 30 years old. And if you are one of the first in the system, you can and do make a lot of money. Very few people hear about a business opportunity immediately and get in on the first wrung of the ladder. But some do.

There is a brand new nutrition-based MLM starting amongst the ranks of our homeschool families right here in Rockford. See? It just proves how smart homeschoolers are! The KIDS seem to be the ones promoting it. How clever is that? And don't worry about sales going down because of this little blog. Impossible. Nobody reads this, and we have no intention of becoming "professional nay-sayers". My kids told me that whoever started the thing bought a Lamborgini to promote it. Wow! Now, that's clever! Young kids, just done with high school, see a big fancy car and start selling. Pure genius. Some of our brightest and best in the ranks of its foundational level. And no, my kids are not involved. They are watching with a wary eye, though.

So, can we all be agreed that this is EVERYWHERE? Some are in the companies, some have started companies, some are product buyers, and some are sitting there with their mouths hanging open. It's such a part of society that it is bound to get into the lives of Christians. It's kind of like television--can be used for good or evil, but its presence in our culture is here, and it's here to stay.

I want to explore some of the potential problems that happen when these types of things come into the church. If you are already hooked in with an MLM and so no problems with their compensation plan and plan to be an active member of a church or other groups where Christians gather, you can be informed about some potential problems that could occur.

In some ways, the dangers of brining the MLM into the church are just the same as bringing anything into the church that is not directly related to the work of the Lord. I have caught myself giving too much time and attention to side issues like nutrition, homeschooling, fitness, garage sale finds (you name it) instead of the Lord. The temptation gives way to action very easily when you have a lot of interests.

Also, in the interest of helping people, we often get side tracked by the many ways we can serve them. For example, if a person has a stomach ache. Various people will want to help them in various ways--some on a very practical level, some on a very spiritual level. If you sell a product that you think will help someone, when does it cross the line from serving them to a business transaction?

When does my father's house become a house of financial transactions?

I guess, in a sense, only you know when you've crossed that line. I like to play it safe and not get involved with business things at the local church--whether it is someone selling girl scout cookies, to inviting me to a MLM party, or to selling a house. The meetings of the local church are just not for that. We reject it on principle.

So, if meetings of the local church are off limits (for me) what about talking with people in their homes, or having parties to promote the product, etc? you tell me...

But here is something to think about. If most businesses are relational in nature (to some degree), MLM businesses are relational on steroids. In other words, relationships fuel the industry more than any other type of business. Look at the business model again. It's about friends sharing with friends, sharing with friends, sharing with friends... It's a friendship based business model. And where do we have most of our friends? through church. through homeschooling groups, through Christian circles.

Do I feel right using my influence that I have gained through a Christian testimony to promote something completely unrelated to Christ that will have a direct profit for me, if they get involved? (Is this like using God and the kindness of Christians to benefit my business?)

I feel like it is a misplaced influence and trust that would have me sign them up to work under me in an MLM structure.

I would rather use my influence for the Gospel and for genuine matters of spiritual concern.

Notice I did not say that you couldn't have a business. But have a business the way you would do anything else--secondary to the true work of God. Let these things be side issues-not the main focus. Every time someone has an ailment, it's not time to drag out the products. Listen with your heart; not your wallet. These relational businesses can become obsessive. Every person in your sphere becomes a potential client. Every stranger in your path becomes "fresh meat". Recognize when it is taking over your life.

Here's some things to ask yourself. Pray through each one of these, and ask God for help.

Have I rejected opportunities to share the Gospel and opted to promote the business instead?

Have I given God the glory when someone is made well, or given credit to the products?

Have I noticed people are avoiding me or my calls?

Is my family concerned about me?

Do I have any friends who have out right rejected my business and am I able to still love them?

Do I listen to reason anymore or do I make all of my decisions based on pure, unchecked emotions?

Am I pursuing security in this business rather than the Lord?

Have I bought into the get rich quick scheme?

Is God my provider or is the business?

Who are my role models?

Do I avoid blog posts, "nay sayers" like this in order to not loose my focus?

O.K. then, I'm done. I could say more, but these are the main concerns. They are questions only you can ask yourself. In my mind, the recruiting security-building side of the MLM is darker than the basic retailer end. You need to decide. I was pursued by two different MLM recruiters at the same time for two different companies. I did a lot of research on this topic during that time frame. That was 3 years ago, and I am very thankful I did not get wrapped up in it. I am not bitter or angry about anything, since I was not involved in any other level than consumer. I hope God will give you wisdom about what you should do also.

Only one life, twill soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last...

Eating my fork is not the only thing I can do well

Have you guys ever dove into a salad with a plastic fork in such a way that you end up eating part of the fork?

O.K. me neither.. until today. Today I was hungry enough to just eat it. I knew the extra parts of the fork had to be somewhere on my plate or in my mouth. So, I decided that there are a lot of things that make their journey into the intestinal canal of young children and exit whole. So, why stop when you are young?

So, as I type, there are entire adventures awaiting a part of a fork that very few forks will get to do. And that is what makes this blog so special. Special indeed. You just never know what to expect around here.

Yesterday I spent the day crying, and today is a new day. A day for a flat tire in the parking lot of Hallstrom.. A day for corralling perfectly normal homeschool dads into helping me change the tire, since my own children's homeschooling dad is in France today. I even introduced two dads who didn't know each other before. See how I am being helpful here?

So, the one dad said, "Oh your husband is the SAC warrior; I know him!"

SAC warrior? I thought he was an organizing daddy. I thought he was a preacher engineer. I never knew... and then I remembered.. our years in the Air Force.. he was in a division called Strategic Air Command (SAC)..

Me, coming to my senses, "That's right! I hardly ever address him as a SAC warrior, but I should, I really should... I still try to honor him and all... er uh.. yeah.."

I'm so glad there are other dads out there who remind me what really matters to a man. I feel like I should give my husband a special ceremony or something "All Hail, the SAC warrior is home!" with much fanfare. I think I should change my facebook page to "SAC warrior's wife" or at least blog in about the good ole days once in a while...

Except they weren't really good (for me), so I try to forget them. But some progress has been made on that front. Usually if I have a bad dream, it involves moving to North Dakota. For some reason our last assignment in Minot, ND put me over the edge enough to put it in the perpetual nightmare status.

Well, just last night even, I had a dream about moving to North Dakota and it was NOT a nightmare. Progress, I'm telling you. Purely progress in my emotional stability.

Aren't you glad? You can relax now. And I'm telling you that blogging is cheaper and more effective than therapy. Thanks for doing your part.

A few tears and then moving on..

As a Mom, you want your children to succeed. I've always encouraged the kids to reach for their dreams without ever saying "you can't". So, when a disappointment comes, I cry for them.

The rejection letter came today from USAFA. Just last night, I was telling Will that I really felt like God was not going to send Jamie to USAFA. The Michigan Tech option was, in my mind, the better option. Nevertheless, in man's eyes, the academy is the creme de la creme, the cat's meow, the top notch option.

We all sat watching Jamie as he opened the letter, knowing it was a rejection letter--since it came in the form of a letter. If it were an acceptance, it would have been a phone call. Still, it was possible that it wasn't a rejection.

Knowing how much he wanted this! Knowing how hard this must be! And yet, seeing (through the eyes of a mother) that the other option (Michigan Tech) was probably better for him!

He didn't cry, or yell or even show signs of being upset. No problem. I cried for him. He's out on a run now--processing in his own way. I'm so proud of him! In two days, he turns 18. He'll probably feel 36, after all of this growing up he's had to do this year. And yet, God is Sovereign.

It's all in his perfect plan. And I have such a peace. I love that little man of mine. When they get to the age where a mom's hug won't heal their wounds, we can cry and pray and hug them anyway. And it's all good. He serves the same God I serve, and that is all he needs.

Blessings 6-12

Let's see.. blessings... If I have to come up with 1,000 of these things, I think I'll just start with the obvious, like food.

6. So, blessing #6 is food. This is just basic homemade bread, nothing fancy or sprouted. I did grind the grain (or someone here did) and we just make it into little loaves. We had a guest one time who went on and on and on about the bread. And it's nothing special. I think when people don't get decent bread and then they finally get some, they are so taken up with it.

So, in a sense, I've probably taken this for granted. I need to remember that food, no matter how special or un-special it is, is a blessing.

7. Guests. My Mom can hardly be considered a guest, since she is family. But she has been here for a little over a week, and it has been a blessing. She is such an active grandma, that I have freedom to hang out with her or go off and do something with Will.
8. Other guests. Do you like this photo? It's probably 8 years old. My friend, Kathy, and her family has been coming to visit me for about 10 years. So, we used to do all of these crazy crafts together. Notice the cool sweatshirts we made out of scrap blue jeans.. Now, we talk more and relax. Right before Mom got here, Kathy and her kids were here.

9. New guests coming. I will have a few days break, but I am about to meet my first blogging friend! All of this writing, commenting and meeting people over blogs is about to consummate in a real-life blog friend meet up. Jennylynn Presto of Humble Beginnings is coming this weekend!! She is such a lovely lady! And I think she and Joanna will have a ton in common!

(Yes, she and Joanna are closer in age than Jenny and I are, but that is just fine with me. I love all of Jojo's friends! ) She is really into sprouting lentils and such. I'm about to get an education.

10. Spring Break! For the past two weeks, we've been on Spring Break, and it's been a blast. We've had guests, been to the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago, relaxed, and been refreshed. Tuesday we are back to regular business.

11. Graduation party date is set for child #1. I think we have set on JUNE 12th for the big party.

12. Which means, we'll be doing household repairs and fixing the basement bathroom. I guess the thought of having that bathroom fixed is a blessing, right?

So, this is what is making my home sing/ and helping me to be thankful. Thankfulness is like a good medicine.

Happy Thoughts!

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Cor 15: 54-56

It's the resurrection that gives us hope!!

Business or badness Part 3: sowing discord

"Six things the Lord hates... and one who sows discord among brothers.." Pr. 6: 19

I'm on a roll here, and I have a lot to say on this subject of multi-level marketing, but one thing I would like to make clear is this: I do not have a personal axe to grind. I have not lost thousands of dollars, been cheated or tricked into bad decisions or even have a close friendship with someone who is caught up in this.

So, if you are just joining us, you may want to read Part 1 and Part 2.

My goal is to help those who have that nagging feeling in their stomach about these types of businesses and help them sort the issues out, from a Christian perspective. It is not my idea of fun to take away anyone's happiness or bad mouth any company in particular. If you are concerned about any specific company, you can go to Part 2 and read the links and research it.

Another thing I would like to avoid is sowing discord among the believers. I believe that introducing network marketing into the church is just asking for discord, though. By its nature, it requires you to take a stand on something. By not attending the parties, not buying the products or not becoming a distributor, you are voting with your wallet and your heart. There will be a division. It, in itself, is divisive. Does that make sense?

By informing people of potential dangers of something, I am choosing to take on a controversial topic and thereby run the risk of offending someone. Let's just say that I am just one little voice in the sea of many, with a desire to wade through the muck of life, just like you are. For some odd reason, God has given me a burden to go into this further. Feel free to turn off the switch, point out pride, unfair jabs or incorrect doctrine. I have nothing staking on this.

I am free!

Which is specifically what MLM promoters are not. Free! Free to admit that their products, company, claims and plans are not exactly what they are? no. Are they free to ask the hard questions like why is this so hard? Why are so many people not jumping on board with this? Why do I not have any friends any more? Why do I have to fake it??

My personal experiences with MLMs and its people are like this:

About 15 years ago, I discovered a problem that may have been helped by a gluten free diet. We were living in Panama at the time, and one of my friends suggested I get a grain mill from a lady she knew in Colorado. She also suggested that we could sell them. I called up the lady and ordered the mill. I loved it. It was my ticket to getting over my problem! I also was learning more about nutrition.

A few years later in North Dakota, I still remembered my friend's exhortation about selling the products. By this time, I wanted the big mixer that went with it, so I called the lady, told her I wanted to sell. She told me that I would have to buy a mixer from her, and I was approved to sell. I bought the mixer from her at full retail price. (over $500.00 at the time!) I had never been to a demo meeting, didn't really know how to use it yet, had no idea how to sell anything, and had no idea this was an MLM. In fact, I didn't care. I was on a new adventure!

I was in virgin territory, and I made a lot of sales. It was really fun too! I had no competition, and I learned so much. My lady was a gracious Christian woman who I really respected.

(Wait a minute.. aren't you against all of this now? Why are you criticizing this?)

My Colorado lady did not play by the rules. She never set quotas. She never pressured me. She always gave me the same discount ( 25%, even when I had a year with very few sales--probably because my first year was so good). I never questioned why I only made $50.00 on such a big ticket item. I never calculated how much I spent in time and ingredients. I was just having fun. And I was creating a "club" around myself of others who were into nutrition. In fact, I was called the prairie woman and my friends were also prairie women!

(Keep in mind, this was 13 years ago, and the internet was not that popular in North Dakota then) For me, the business was more about making friends and having fun than anything. I wasn't trying to recruit people into it.

And then we moved. In the midwest, everyone already had a grain grinder, and a lot of people sold them already. No biggie. I just moved on. It wasn't about the money anyway. I paid off my own equipment and didn't order any inventory. (I used to have 3-4 extra mills and mixers "on hand" for quick purchases!)

When the mill company went bankrupt rather than live up to their "lifetime warranty", I cut my ties for good. Even though the lady I worked with was awesome, the company itself was flawed. I even sold my mixer on the internet and made enough to cover a brand new industrial Kitchen Aid. It works quite well, and the price is much less. My mixer was listed on ebay and sold within 2 hours after I listed it. So, I lost no money whatsoever.

It wasn't until years later, when I started to be stalked by MLM recruiters that I started piecing it all together. My entrance into the kitchen supply selling mode was purely my decision. No one recruited me, gave me pressure, or insisted on quotas. It was so painless. In fact, when I get to heaven and finally meet my Colorado lady face to face (I've never actually MET her), I will hug her and thank her for all that she taught me.

She helped me develop that inner salesperson in me, which has been an asset over the years. It's also been a stumbling block, but we'll cover that later.