These Perfect Fall Days

Today was another beautiful fall day. I love that about recent years in our neck of the woods. We have summer-type days and cool nights through September and the real fall doesn't usually hit until October. Of course, until June, it isn't the best-but that is OK. Brandon's love for the snow alone makes it all worth it...well, except for those weeks when Jeff has to spend all of his free time shoveling. I will actually be able to help him now that I am not pregnant...whoo-hoo!

Anyway, Jeff spent the last 3 days hiking while doing a personal prayer retreat and investing some time in what really makes a difference. This was the perfect time to go with the weather. He had a great time. We hung back here and kept to our schooling and I got some sweet sleep. Besides, even if I could go, I would not. It is bare bones camping as in BYOW...Bring Your Own WATER!, dig a hole to go potty, carry everything on your back to each campsite and shower at the end of the trip! One of the nights a mouse got into his bag o peanuts, he also thought he heard a bear and they stayed warm only by a fire that burned all night...I don't think Yogi Bear would approve of that one! Anyway, this is his favorite thing to do and I am so glad he has found something he really enjoys! The pictures below are of a past trip to Canada with Brandon. Brandon too is gaining a love for this outdoorsy excitement! Yes, the middle one is Brandon CLIFF JUMPING! Whew, really glad I wasn't there!

I Used Up All My Words Today

According to a theory of sociologists who study human nature, the number of words spoken by the average man in a given day are about 10,000. The average woman uses about 25,000 words in a day. I have used all mine up today. This is not too rare, in fact and it is clear why women have been given so many more than men. It is not because we have new thoughts or more lengthy explanations (though if our words are not readily used we easily use them up telling every detail of a story opposed to a man's 4 sentences told for the same story!). It is actually because women spend so much time with children! I do not have significant or lengthy things to say to my children...actually quite the opposite (all the moms out there know exactly what I am about to say). It is because of how often a mother has to repeat herself! Can I just give you a rundown of the most repeated phrases in the Doeringer home? I am willing to bet some are also repeated in your home if you have even 1 child above the age of 1 year. Some come from the homeschooling life we lead and those of you who homeschool also know of the phraseology I use, I am sure.

Come here. Do not touch that. Give it to me. Let go. What are you doing? No, no. Sit down. Stand up. Go to the bathroom. Please eat. Stop talking with food in your mouth. Use a napkin. Don't blow bubbles in your drink. Stop rocking on your chair. Get your pencil. Concentrate. Pay attention. Sit down (oh, I said that...did I mention this is about me repeating myself...oh, I said that too...I just can't stop!). Where are you going? Wash your hands. Clean this up. Don't yell. Shhhhh, I am right here. Just a minute. I said, just a minute. I am coming! What would you like? What do you need? Are you done? Get dressed. Put your shoes away. Do your work. Are your chores done? and probably the most frequently repeated phrase...Will you forgive me?

Some phrases are necessary, some are not and some are absolutely essential to my existence. The last phrase is that. I have to remind myself daily and sometimes more often, that I am seeking to train the children in our home in the ways of the Lord, socially, intellectually, etc...not so they can be what I want them to be, but so they can be free to be what God wants them to be. So hard to do when so much of that involves repeating ourselves. I grow weary at times, I get frustrated, I feel like a failure, but I know the most important thing is that I be faithful. I am grateful that I don't have to talk sometimes, but the reflection comes and reminds me that these are little souls that need my instruction and I need to give it...consistently, faithfully and sometimes ABUNDANTLY...Oh Lord, give me your grace and your heart for these precious children.

Yikes! Bees!

We had a quite an adventure the other day. It was after dinner and the older kids were playing with Daddy outside. I was following through with my newly instituted "cuddle with one kid a day time"yes, I know I schedule everything! Anyway, Jeff comes up to the window and shares, hey, what do you think about going to Honey Hut. I thought hey, ya, especially since I have not been there ALL SUMMER! [I won't say anything about Jeff going a half a dozen times...oops, I just did, didn't I?]...Well, I was all for it. So, into the car we jumped, ready for a fun time, even with the chilly air. Alexa and I stayed in the car while everyone else got their ice cream. Then I jumped out and got mine. Brandon and Analiese downed their ice cream and then while we finished ours, they ran around on the border of the garden area and the parking lot. Analiese started screaming and crying not too long after they headed over there. Personally, I figured that Brandon had bulldozed past her on the border and she was righly irritated by his rude interuption (can you tell that may, may have happened before?). So, I continued with my ice cream when both of them came running over. I noticed 2 bees on Brandon's shirt. Not knowing if he had been stung, I was nervous to lift up his shirt because what if the bees got caught between his head and his shirt? I am not too tall so to clear his head of the shirt is not an easy task now that HE is getting taller. Jeff ran over and ripped off his shirt. We were quite the spectacle and I am sad to say, I was worried about getting stung myself! I thought parents are willing to risk life and limb for their children....hmmmmm...

Well, we traveled home immediately (with me finishing my ice cream cone in the car-am I sad case or what?!) amidst screaming, crying children. Colin was not phased by this. I wonder if he thought it was the same noise that usually goes on...The kids were very concerned about the bees still being there and said they are never going back there again. Jeff mentioned we may get free ice cream out of the deal (this is so Jeff-like!) and Analiese plainly said it was not worth that.

Of course, we had no sting kill, and actually we really didn't know what to do. So, Jeff was off to get some from our neighbor while I looked up on-line what in the world we should do. Once we had some treatments, Brandon was a lot happier. He got stung 6 times! They seemed more like bites, but not really sure if there are varying degrees of stings. Analiese 2 times and it seemed the stinger was still in one of them until her baking soda bath took care of that. Whew! What a night we did not bargain for. I really felt bad for them and I am pretty certain this will stick in their memory for years to come. I am sure they will use it in a "Two Truths and A Lie" game somewhere down the road. Well, now that I know we will not be returning to Honey Hut anytime soon, I am going to make sure the freezer is well stocked (like I don't do that already!). Oh and to top it all off, what is on the logo for HONEY Hut. A bee, of course!

Princesses Everywhere!

Since we had the baby just 6 weeks ago and Analiese's birthday came about 4 weeks after, I told her we could have her party a bit later. Yesterday we had her Princess party. 6 other princesses joined her for a great time of celebration of this 5-year-old! We played Find the King's Treasure (since every princess is given ALL the riches of her King-Yeah, King Jesus!). I hid chocolate gold coins and they found them. Then we made pearl necklaces with a gem for the pendant, decorated shoe shaped card stock with gems, glitter and flowers, had cake and punch and of course, opened the royal gifts. Thanks to all of you precious princesses who rejoiced wiht Princess Analiese in such sweet ways! There was much discussion about whether princesses run or walk and if they eat chocolate! So cute. Happy 5th again, big girl! Hard to believe you are already 5 when I feel like you were just like Alexa yesterday! You are becoming such a sweet young girl and tomorrow you officially begin Kindergarten! I look forward to the time with you!

First Day of School

When I was growing up, we never started school until after Labor Day and I liked that! So, that is what we do. Ahhh, the joy of homeschooling! We try to be done by Memorial Day or at least May 31st. It is hot enough without going into June, July and August, isn't it?

I decided I would use these two days to do all the things we never have time to do and thereby I always say no to! This morning we had school outside with fingerpainting, sand and painting birdhouses that Brandon had made with Jeff. We also put the kids handprints on a shirt we got for Grandpa for Father's Day. Although it didn't go so well with Alexa since she was so upset that she wouldn't open her hand to actually make the print...the blob of blue paint on the shirt is nice, though! After that (and a bath for everyone), we made a snack-craft of trees (pretzel rod was the trunk, pretzel sticks the branches, American cheese cut used small cookie cutter shapes of leaves, and m & m s for fruit). Once we had lunch and Colin got down for his nap we played with a bin full of rice-uncooked rice (!) and then did a craft that serves as their name on their desk. It was a fun day. I am exhausted! I think this will remind me that all that curriculum we usually do during a day of school will be easier than all of this! Well, the kids loved it (who wouldn't!!!????)...but actually, I was just happy to not hear any complaints!

Well, everyone is sleeping or occupied so I am off to grab a short nap before the leftovers get served up for dinner!

Doeringer Chiming Passages-What does that mean?

Today I realized that I read blogs of my friends and I am so blessed to hear (and see!) what is going on in their lives and learning how to pray for them. It is also a great documentation of life and especially the everyday, but special things that are so worth remembering and sharing. Being a stay at home-homeschooling mom, I joke with Jeff that my friends are those on the radio and those whose blogs I read. But there is truth to that as I get to sit at my computer and consider many lives outside of our home...something that is ESSENTIAL to the sanity of a mom like me.

So, today, I started this. Then a name! There is so much in a name! At lunch the kids and I tried to spell a word that included all of our first initials in it...we came up with words, but not ones that were all that meaningful! So, to the thesaurus.com I went! I found synonyms for door and ring...after all that is how most people in our family pronounce our name! So chiming is what I picked for ring and passages for door. This blog will include the chimes, gongs, blasts and beeps that go one in our lives day to day and those undoubtedly will take us somewhere...passages...that is how God works. He takes the everyday, even mundane, and tranforms them into life changing moments and opportunities. That is what I want for my life. I don't want to waste these years, days, minutes, but I want God to use them for His purposes and my good.

As I begin this almost journal, I expect even this passage to be used to help me process life and all that God is doing.

Let me introduce you to our clan:

Jeff (33) Husband, Dad, Friend, Pastor (in that order)

Nicole (36) Yes, much his elder...Wife, Mom, Homeschool Teacher

Jeffrey Brandon, Jr. (7) Project extroidinaire (he has a project going daily), sports enthusiast, lover of people, conversationalist.

Analiese Hope (5) aka: Princess Analiese, Little House on the Praire expert, dancer and gymnast.

Colin Andrew (2) Comedian, Parrot (repeats the last word of everything you say!), Dress up fanatic.

Alexa Joy (1 month) Sleeper, Eater and keeping alive the battery business with all the time she spends in her swing (I changed the batteries in it today while she was sleeping in it!).

That is us...at least a slice of us. I guess that is what this blog is for to share our lives and hearts. Thanks for coming to visit!

Amazing Hermit Crab

Just how long can you wait to clean a Hermit Crab's cage? Hermie, creatively named by his owner, Brandon, has such a long time between cleanings that I am sure he will be dead when I pick him up to clean his cage. Sometimes late at night, since they are nocturnal, we hear him and wonder what in the world that noise is. He is hanging on no matter what. What a faithful pet! I question at times like these if faithfulness is an important trait of a hermit crab...hmmmm....

Above is pictured Hermie. Brandon took a homeschooling class this past year and at the end of the class everyone got a hermit crab to take home. He even painted his shell! In fact, the first night Hermie came to live here, he left his original shell and took on this one! Though he is outgrowing it and he has a bigger one in his cage, he seems at home in the one Brandon created just for him!