The Very Busy Mother

Things have been very busy around here this summer.
I have a million and one things on my to-do list
and that is not even counting all there is to do to
get ready for school at the beginning of August.
Yikes!
(I know, so what am I doing on HERE???!)

Today, Jonathan asked me to read him a story.
So I stopped and read him "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" as he asked.
And it reminded me of another story . . .

Back in October of 2003,
I wrote a story with Emily and David and Molly
that we patterned after the story
"The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carl.

We'd like to share it with you.
(The words in red are the actual elicited words from the kids.)


The Very Busy Mother
By
Emily, David, Molly, and Jan Miles

Once upon a time there was a very busy mother.
She was busy doing the dishes.
Along came her adorable six year old daughter, Emily.
Emily said, "Mom, would you like to color a picture with me?"
The very busy mother looked at her pile of dishes
and then looked at her daughter and smiling she said,
"Of course! For I'm never too busy for you, my dear."
And so the two of them colored a picture
of a beautiful ballerina dancing to some lovely music,
and their hearts were happy.

Later on that day, the very busy mother was busy doing the laundry.
Along came her charming five year old son, David.
David said, "Mom, would you like to snuggle on the couch and read stories together?"
The very busy mother looked at her pile of laundry
and then looked at her son and smiling she said,
"Of course! For I'm never too busy for you, my dear."
So the two of them snuggled together on the couch,
wrapped in a cozy blanket
and read some of their favorite stories,
and their hearts were happy.

Later on that day, the very busy mother was busy cleaning the windows.
Along came her delightful two year old daughter, Molly.
Molly said, "Mom, would you like to play with me?"
The very busy mother looked at all the dirty windows
and then looked at her daughter and smiling she said,
"Of course! For I'm never too busy for you, my dear."
So the two of them got down on the playroom floor
and played and laughed and played and laughed . . . "all day long" together,
and their hearts were happy.

Later on that day, the very busy mother was busy fixing dinner.
Along came her sweet 11-month old daughter, Annie.
Annie said, "Mom, would you like to watch me crawl around and make funny faces?"
The very busy mother looked at the clock
and decided she had some time
so she looked at her daughter and smiling she said,
"Of course! For I'm never too busy for you, my dear."
So Annie crawled around and the very busy mother clapped and laughed,
and their hearts were happy.

Later that evening,
as an old wise owl flew over the quiet house,
he said, "Whooo! Whooo! Whoooo has been so busy in this house?"
But no one answered,
for the very busy mother was sound asleep . . .
preparing herself
for another busy day.


Enjoy your little ones!

A Word About Music

I, Jan, grew up listening to lots of different types of music.

My mom took my sister and I to church.
I grew up singing the hymns.
My mom liked classical music and the oldies like
"Delta Dawn".
We had the radio on at home as well as in the car.
We went to the Big Band concerts in Long Beach with my grandparents at Veteran's Park.
My dad loved country music so we listened to
Olivia Newton John, Alabama, and John Denver.
My friend Angie introduced me to contemporary Christian music and we sang to Amy Grant, The Archers and Keith Green all day long.
I would sing to it all.

Road trip music was a very important part of preparing for the journey.
We had to have just the right mood music for our trip.

So, as I have been the mother in charge of "packing",
our music has been an important part of that
(along with books on tape and other educational selections for our listening enjoyment).

I updated our playlist with some of the music that we took with us.
We listened to Willie Nelson as we headed out.
We listened to the Carpenters as we headed back to Louisiana.
We listened to John Denver as we drove over the Rockies.
We listened to "Good Morning, Good Morning" from Singing in the Rain after staying up late in the hotel some evenings.
We sang to "Oklahoma" as we drove along through Oklahoma.

Music can be a mood shaper.
Music can be a tool with which to tie bonds.
Music enables shared memories.

It's fun to hear my kids singing spontaneously "Jumbablya" and to know that they will associate that with going "home" to MaMa and PaPa's house.

Of course, we had our huge collection of Sovereign Grace music and "oldies" like Wayne Watson and Twila Paris to sing to.

Yep.
Music is important.
It communicates.
It teaches.
It provides food for conversation.
And that's what our road trips are like . . . a big long conversation about life and living and the God who created it all.

P.S.
For those who don't know, Earl has loved music since his youth as well. (Didn't mean to leave him out.) In fact, when he was in college (LSU), he and his good buddy, Bob, hosted a radio show where they played God honoring contempory Christian music. Earl was called the "Unknown Prophet" and Bob was "Bible Bob". Now that deserves a whole 'nother post someday!

On the Road Again (1)

When we started out on our trip,
Earl got the van all loaded,
we woke the kids, who had slept in their clothes,
piled 'em all in the van and left by 6:15 am.
Our vacation had started!

We drove for a few hours, before stopping for a little breakfast.
(Note to self: next time bring a blanket and/or table for such stops)

Our next stop, lunchtime, was a little more comfortable.
The kids were able to get out their energy,
it was a little more scenic,
and we didn't have to eat on the ground.

However, it was a tad bit windy.
Have I mentioned that Jonathan doesn't like the wind?
He tried to convince us all that we should eat in the car.
Silly boy.
Nothing doing.

Regarding food,
I had packed some homemade burritos,
some homemade chicken nuggets,
sandwich fixings,
some fruit, and some
granola bars and such.
We feasted on these for lunch and then heated them up for dinner in the hotel.
For breakfast, I had brought disposable bowls and spoons,
and using the coffee maker to heat up water,
we had instant oatmeal for breakfast, with an occassional add-on
from the free continental breakfast downstairs.
This saved us lots of money in eating out expenses.
However, by the time we got to the hotel on Tuesday night,
the sight of the Cracker Barrel next door was too much and we all enjoyed
some real, good, warm food!

We made it the first day into Phoenix quite early.
Earl tried to convince us that we should all take a nap
before going swimming in the nice indoor pool.
Silly boy.
Nothing doing.

We did get a chance to rest that night in our room
and stretch out a bit more.
It was nice.

The boys shared a bed,
and the girls tried to share a bed,
but it proved too much,
so Annie slept in a makeshift bed on the floor
and everyone slept much better.

We stayed Monday and Tuesday night in a Comfort Suites Hotel.

We got up and out fairly early both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Wednesday, our excitement was high
as we were anticipating getting to Boerne, TX that night
and staying with our first host family, the Buchanans.
We had some lovely stops along the way
and we were all just enjoying the beauty of the area.

Molly picked some lovely flowers at a rest stop
we were at for lunch
and wanted to bring them to the Buchanans,
but alas, they had wilted by the time we arrived.

Our next installment . . . THE GRAND OL' STATE OF TEXAS!

A Special Spot

Our Molly was born with a "special spot" on her lower right jaw line.

It's special in several different ways.
For one, God put it there. It is part of His design for Molly.
Two, we are just used to seeing Molly with it. Molly is Molly with her "special spot".
And three, only Mommy can kiss her there. It's Mommy's special spot too
(that's what Molly would tell others when she was very young).

Molly's spot is not something she has ever complained about.
She has always been our "go with the flow" girl.

Most of the time, it is hardly noticeable even.

But today,
Molly and I had a special time out as we visited a plastic surgeon.
Molly's dermatologist referred us to her after seeing Molly on Friday.
We had her "spot" biopsied last December because of two dark spots that had developed within her existing spot.
The biopsy came back fine, but did show a few atypical cells.
So, instead of risking those cells turning dangerous in the future,
the wise thing seems to have her spot removed.
They will remove it with a series of surgeries,
taking small sections of it off at a time.

Molly's first surgery will be July 10th.
She will then have to wait about 4 months before scheduling the next one.
The dr. said it could take anywhere from 3-6 surgeries total. Hmmm . . .

So, how are we feeling about all of this?
Fine. Really.
A little curious as to how it will all work out,
but trusting that God has this all planned for our good.
I guess there is a little sadness though.
We are trying to adjust to Molly not having a "special spot" and having
a "special scar" instead.
Molly said we'll have to take lots of pictures in the next month. (smile)
I've got that covered, sweetheart.

So, here we wait.
Trusting God to provide all that we need . . . and desire.
He is always faithful . . .
and ever so good.

We interrupt our normally scheduled posting . . .

Instead of taking the time to post more vacation photos and thoughts,

I'd like to take a moment and let you know that something
very important has happened in the Miles household.

It has this Mom and all the kids jumping for joy!!

Aletheia Classical Academy is out for the summer.
Summer vacation has begun!!

Don't get us wrong.
We LOVE school.
But we also love to go to the beach,
swim at Grandma's,
do projects around the house,
lay around and read more good books,
cook up some special, delectable treats,
eat ice cream outside (homemade of course),
visit with friends,
and whatever other activities Mom can think of to keep all of us active and entertained.
(Maybe some of them will even get posted!)
We just don't have enough time to do all of those things during the school year.

The kids worked hard this year and we just completed our school year today.
Last night we had our annual
"Presentation Night" at the Johnson's home.

Jonathan was a good audience while we practiced all week.



Our family performed a history song, and
participated in a history quiz,
(even Jonathan . . .
"Jonathan, what year did Columbus sail to the new world?"
"1492!")

Emily performed a "skit" about "Roanoke: The Lost Colony"

practicing:

Performing:

Molly did a book report.

Practicing:


Performing:


David worked hard on writing a book review on a G. A. Henty book.

Practicing:

Performing:



They all did a wonderful job and we are so proud of them.

Well done, gang!

Now . . .here's to a wonderful summer!!

The Time of Our Lives!

We are back from the best vacation ever!

Nine states in three weeks.
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Colorado, Utah, Nevada.


The Lord was amazingly good to us at just about every turn.
We enjoyed sweet fellowship with many of our friends and family.
We loved sitting around the tables of so many homes and hearing the stories.
We were humbled and blessed beyond words by the generosity
and open hospitality of so many.
We marveled at the handiwork of God as we drove through deserts, plains, meadows, mountains and bayous.
We enjoyed singing to "Oklahoma" as we drove through Oklahoma, and to John Denver as we drove through Colorado and to the Carpenters singing "Jumbalaya" as we headed into Baton Rouge.
On those days when we arrived at our destination past sunset and it got too dark to read or write, then we popped in our Chronicles of Narnia Radio Drama and enjoyed the stories of C.S. Lewis.
We saw the Lord "heal" our leaky gasket without "professional" intervention.
He saw us through those LONG and HOT roads between Phoenix and San Antonio. Whew!
Our only flat tire occurred in the same parking lot where Earl's cousin-in-law worked at Sears Automotive. Hmmm . . . how convenient.
Earl and I both agreed that it was the best vacation we've ever taken.
And the kids?
Well, they're kids and they had their moments (we all did),
but I must say that the Lord gave them all much grace to ride
squished in our mini-van for over 5,000 miles.
They read, wrote, drew, talked, marvelled at the scenery, and really had a great time.
We sincerely enjoyed being with them all.
Even Jonathan rolled with the punches and took everything in stride.
He's one adventurous guy!




I will post more later . . . as time allows.
Editing over 500 pictures I took at a birthday party yesterday,
(not to mention the over 1400 vacation shots!)
trying to end our school year on a strong note,
trying to stay on top of housework and meals and groceries,
and trying to stay healthy and sane and maintain that "quiet spirit" in the meantime. (sly smile)

The Lord is good,
and so kind,
and His mercies are new every morning!
So great is His faithfulness
to those who trust Him
and walk according to His word.

I've A Hankerin' . . .

You know what I'm hankerin' for?
Well I've got myself a mighty powerful hankerin'
for my kin folk down south.

And I've a hankerin' to put some south in my mouth!
Just can almost taste them corn fritters,
them fried catfish and hushpuppies, gumbo, swamp chicken and
to wash it all down with some sweet tea.
Oh, and don't forget the beignets!
And no one, and I mean no one
can fry up some eggs and bacon like my MaMa.
No siree!
Lyin' in bed, smellin' those smells
will getcha outta that bed alright.

And I need me some runnin' room.
No fences. No boundaries. Just grass 'n trees.

Seein' my clothes a hangin' on the line,
makes me feel right at home.
And everyone else in the neighborhood knows I'm home too!

So, I said to my pa,
"Pa, let's saddle up the old mare,
and let's git ourselves down to see the kin folk.
It's been too long."
So we are.
We're fixin' to go on a road trip.
Gonna see the folks.
Can't wait!

See ya later!!

P.S. If you're in the Baton Rouge area,
the best southern cookin' you'll find is at
Crawford's Two.
That's my Pa's cousin Kenny's place!

Just Being Goofy

Sometime last year,
we made this video.

Earl and I drew upon
all of our combined camp experiences,
my sorority years,
and "just being goofy" times
(yes, Earl can be goofy too!),
and put this together for the kids one night.

I've been wanting to put it to DVD for a long time,
and since we're getting ready to head back to LA,
I thought it would be fun to take it with us.

And, I didn't want to buy any more miniDV tapes, but I needed
to tape Emily and David for a school assignment we need to
turn in to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center before we leave.
So, this was as good a time as any to remind myself of how to work
all this technical stuff we own.

And I decided to swallow my pride
and let ya'll see it too.

But beware . . .
everyone wanted to "do it"
so it got kind of long,
but I didn't want to take the time
to do an edited/shortened version.

Enjoy!

Whose Feet?

If you know my children,
can you guess whose feet are in the above picture?

Look carefully . . .

Think hard . . .

Scroll down . . .

Were you right?

Could you guess?

Yep.
They are Jonathan's.
He loves shoes . . . except his own.
It doesn't matter whose they are,
or what size they are,
or what color.

Now that has got me thinking
on this Good Friday Eve.
Jesus walked among the people
for about 3 years teaching and preaching,
loving and serving,
and doing miracles.
Did they really know Him?
Would I have known Him?

It's fascinating to me
to think of Him walking the streets
of those towns and villages,
perhaps right underneath the window
of some woman who was in her home,
caring for children,
trying to make the food stretch,
fighting the frustration at keeping a neat home
and possibly living out of a burdened heart
for her children's future,
her husband's encouragement, etc. etc.
And Jesus walks right below her window,
unbeknownst to her!
There had to be so many that He never spoke to,
or helped . . .
in spite of the MANY that He did.

Where would I have been?
All His encounters were ordained
by the Maker of the Universe,
before the beginning of time.
The woman by the well.
The Geresene demoniac.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter and the other disciples - normal people, living normal lives.
Some knew Him personally,
and some knew Him from a distance . . .
heard Him speak in the temple,
heard Him teach the crowds outside of town . . .
but kept their distance.
Others knew of Him as they heard
"the word on the street".
Where would I have been?

Then there was Palm Sunday.
The crowd hailed Him as a king.
They sang His praises.
But did they really know Him?
How many of those who were there that day,
welcoming Him into Jerusalem,
were there that day,
standing outside Pilate's home
and shouting, "Crucify!"?
Where would I have been?
What would I have been crying?

Would I have been able to see past the "pink shoes" . . .
the provision of bread,
the hope of freedom from the Romans,
the healing of my physical body?
Would I have been able to see into His heart . . .
His mission, His passions?
Would I have hailed Him as
the King of all that lives
and remembered the prophecies foretold
of the coming Messiah?
Would I have cried out for His death . . .
out of anger and discouragement,
and frustration
and what He DIDN'T come to do?

Or would I have been given eyes to see
what He HAD to do
and to cry out with a different spirit . . .
(a new heart) . . .
"Crucify Him . . .
He's my only Hope (Jesus, save me!)!
May His blood cover me
and my children!"?

I'm thinking . . .
and wrestling with my own sinful tendencies.

But I'm also praising God.
Who has seen fit to put me at just this time in history,
raised me in the church . . .
hearing the truth,
and has opened my eyes
to see past the "pink shoes"
into His heart for His creation.

I've been given eyes to recognize Him . . .
as those two were given on the way to Emmaeus.

Crown Him with many crowns . . . the Lamb who sits upon the throne!!