Living Simply...For Me

There is so much information these days about "simple living."  There are books, magazines, blogs, and whole organizations devoted to the idea.  The thing I've noticed is, everyone's idea of what is "simple" is different.

One idea of  "simple living" is an eco-friendly one.  Try not to leave too big of a "footprint" on the earth.  Use less energy, and fewer resources.  This is the idea of living off the land in a yurt.

Living in a Yurt - Photobucket

Then, there's the similar but slightly different vision of living off-grid on your own farm, and growing all of your own food.

There's the idea of living in a one-room apartment, with only a white couch and a potted plant.

And don't forget the computerized house, where all you have to do is push a button to have anything happen, a la "Flubber."

If you compound all of these basic living arrangements with the options within the walls, you come up with things like 

• Make your own soap vs. store up enough bars of Ivory for a year.
• Eat only organic, homemade food vs. stock a freezer full of microwaveable single-serve meals.
• Have all of your bills paid automatically from your online bank account vs. keep all of your money under your mattress and only enter civilization if absolutely necessary.
• Schedule your day by 15-minute increments so that you know exactly what you will be doing each minute vs. wake up in the morning with no preconceived notions about what you will do that day.

As you can see, this "simple living" idea can get rather...er...complicated.

So, I've decided to do a series on this blog, to talk about the things that are making life simpler for me and my family.  I am sure that some of them may seem to be the opposite of simple for you, but that's okay.  I've come to the conclusion that this is not a black-and-white kind of thing.  Living simply has to make your life better in some way, and the "good life" is different for everyone.  I also don't claim to know all of the answers, as this is really a work in progress.  I also hope you'll join the conversation, and let us know some of the things that have made life simpler for you!  

Stop back in to read about 

• Simple food
• Simple homeschool
• Simple scheduling
• Simple entertainment

That's all I can think of right now, though there may be more as I go along.  I hope you enjoy this series!

Other Posts in this Series:
Simple Food...For Me
Simple Homeschool...For Me

Happy Birthday Mike!

I hope you know how blessed we are to have you for a husband and father.  You work hard to provide for us without complaining (maybe about the job sometimes, but not about having to provide!)  And you still manage to spend time with each of us, from hanging out at home to attending sports events and even field trips.  You make us all feel loved and cared for.

Have a very happy birthday, and look forward to the year to come!  We'll all make it together.  I love you! - Robin

What's Your Team?

You know how people like to pick sides?  The Superbowl was a couple weeks ago, and everyone picked the team they wanted to win.  Then, we spent a few hours alternately yelling "Yeah!" and "Boo!" at the "light up box with all the pretty colors" in our living rooms.  The next few days or weeks were spent discussing the game, commiserating with those who were on our side, and jeering at those on the other (especially if their team lost).

Rory's baseball team (Rory is second from left)

I really like football.  I also have a son who plays baseball, soccer, and basketball.  I don't really have a problem with organized sports, and I think that playing on a team can be good training for kids.

The thing I'm concerned about, though, is that while we're worrying about all of these pseudo-fights, we are missing the real one.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12-13 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."  He goes on to describe the armor of God, which includes truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.  No balls involved.  There are only two teams, and there is only one goal.  So what do you do?

• You have to choose a team.  Jesus said in Luke 11:23 "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."  

• You don't know when the game will end.  "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:36-39.

• But you know who will win.  "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Revelation 17:14.  

• And you can be on the winning team.  "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil...Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."  John 17:14-15,20-21.  

• You know how to be chosen for the team.  "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city...And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  and let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  Revelation 22:14,17

• And you know the game rules.  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?  and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.  Wosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."  Matthew 10:28-33

So.  What's your team?

Where Did Valentine's Day Come From?

Rory's Block Valentine Heart

I heard a remark today about Valentine's Day being a "Hallmark Holiday."  I don't think anyone could argue with this in this day and age.  I imagine that Hallmark and other greeting card vendors, chocolatiers, and florists consider it a pretty important holiday.  However, I got to thinking about what the real significance of the day is.

An internet search revealed an interesting array of possibilities, but it seems that there was actually a person named Valentine.  Or maybe there were three.

The most popular legend seems to be that Valentine was a priest in anti-Christian third century Rome.  He was either helping Christians escape prison, or secretly marrying people against the wishes of the Emperor.  He was eventually imprisoned himself, and was subsequently beheaded for his beliefs.

February 14th is either the date of Valentine's beheading around 270 A.D., or an attempt by the church to "Christianize" a pagan fertility festival which was held in mid-february.  It was designated as Saint Valentine's Day by Pope Gelasius around 498 A.D.

So, the "Hallmark Holiday" we celebrate today has a much more serious history than we generally hear.  It's interesting to me that our secular society has managed to hijack most of our Christian holidays, which were originally hijacked from pagan festivals.  Is it a return to their true origins?

Well, secularized or not, I think this is one holiday worth keeping.  It is a day to remember those we love, and especially to remember to show it!  So, if you haven't gotten to the store yet, there's still time.  Or, there's always the homemade version (see Rory's Block Valentine Heart, above!)  And to all my readers - Happy Valentine's Day to you!


Valentine's Day history articles:

• This is the article I used for this post:  http://www.mydearvalentine.com/valentine/history/ 

• This is rather tongue-in-cheek, but I found it fun to read! http://www.trincoll.edu/zines/tj/tj02.10.94/articles/article1.html 

• This is a nice history to read to kids, plus it has more reference links and ideas. http://www.just4kidsmagazine.com/stvalentine.html 

My Rory

Tomorrow is Rory's birthday.  He will be nine years old.  Here in the United States, a person can legally be called an adult at age 18, which means my little boy is halfway there.  I sometimes wonder if I've done enough.  Does he know half of what he needs to know before he "grows up"?  

I sometimes wonder if I've done too much.  Has he lost some of his childhood because of the way I've raised him so far?  And if so, will he ever get that piece of his life back?  Hopefully he won't decide to find it when he gets to be 40 or 50 years old!

As I was tucking him in tonight, I asked him to say his prayers "for the last time as an eight-year-old."  All of a sudden, his eyes teared and his face scrunched up.  When I asked what was wrong, he said he wasn't ready to lose his old life!  I had to remind him that his life would be basically the same as it was today.  He would really only be a day older than now, but we wanted to remember when he was born and celebrate that day!  I suggested that we could skip the cake and party and presents, and just do it next year instead, and then he could stay eight.  But my smart little guy pointed out that he would really be nine, anyway, so we might as well go on with the celebration (smile).  He then spent some time surmising what he would be when he grew up.

So here I am, grappling with the same conflicting feelings as my son.  I am excited to see glimpses of the man he will someday be, while still wanting to hold on to the baby who needed me so much nine years ago.  But children were meant to grow up, just as kites were meant to climb into the sky.  And mothers were meant to hold on just enough to let them soar, but not pull so hard that they dive back down to the ground.  And one day, we have to let go of the string...But Not Yet!

Habit or Heart?

Rory and I spent the morning taking (almost) all of the toys out of his room.  He's only been in the room for about a month, but somehow it had gotten over-run with Lego's, cars, and bits of string.  We have been doing pretty well with our new school schedule, but found a sticking point on the after-breakfast routine.  He is supposed to have half an hour to get dressed and pick up his room.  Now, that shouldn't be too hard, should it? Lily and I manage to get her dressed and her room picked up in a half hour, and she's just learning how to do it.  It seems that an almost-9-year-old would be able to do as well as a 3-year-old.

This was my thought.  We even broke the job down into parts - 1.  Get dressed.  2.  Make Bed.  3.  Put away clothes.  4.  Put away toys.  It actually did work for a few days.  Then the toys took over.

The problem isn't actually with the toy mess, I've determined.  It's with the toys themselves.  It is very hard to pick out clothes and get them on when there are unfinished Lego creations waiting to be fixed.  Making a bed is far less interesting than picking out cars to paint.  And who can put away clothes when there is a brand new castle in the middle of the room?

So, out went the toys.  Most went downstairs to the basement.  The Lego's, which are in a four-drawer cart thingy, went into the edge of the kitchen next to Lily's play-doh cart.  Right now the room looks great.  I'll keep you posted!

Anyway, this got me thinking about the whole "Habit" thing.  Charlotte Mason had a saying "habit is ten natures," meaning that teaching children habits would overcome their natural bent for...whatever that natural bent is.  I've found it very hard to teach habits in the manner she describes, because you have to be extremely consistent!  This means you can't miss it once, or you basically have to start all over.  She also expects that a sorrowful look is enough to remind a child of his mistake.  Maybe, but my children are usually not looking at me when they are doing something, so that's kind of hard to accomplish.  Actually, my Mom had "the Glare" that cowed the worst offender, but it seems to have skipped a generation.  So what is a slightly scattered mom to do?

My other issue is that the whole habit thing kind of reminds me of Behaviorism, which was never my favorite type of philosophy.  It reminds me of dogs ringing bells for nothing, and gives me the impression of making people do things against their own will.  I wonder, if I can instill a habit, isn't it possible, or even probable, that someone or something else can just as easily change it?  I wonder if habits, by themselves, are the best way to give children a good foundation?

I'm going to use a little laundry illustration here.  When I was growing up, my mother and sister and I spent time on Saturdays doing the laundry together.  Because my mom worked during the week, this worked out well for us.  When I got to college, I did laundry at odd times because you had to get to the machines when everybody else wasn't using them, plus I had a pretty full schedule, and Saturdays were pretty much out of the question.  When Hubby and I got married, we did laundry on Friday nights, and also ordered out.  Reason being, that we only had one electrical plug in our apartment which ran either the clothes dryer or the stove and oven.  For a while, Hubby did all the laundry on Mondays, because I was at work and it was his day off.  When we had our 2nd baby and decided to use cloth diapers, laundry happened almost every day.  You have to basically launder diapers every 2-3 days, and I only had time to do one load at a time while taking care of a newborn and starting to homeschool a kindergartener.  Now, I've gone back to one day a week, but it's Wednesday, because that is the day we don't have somewhere to go.

Now, if I had learned the habit of doing laundry with the whole family on Saturday, I would have had a bit of trouble.  I'm grateful that I learned how to do laundry, but I really learned that I enjoyed having clean clothes. It's more of a heart learning, which has helped me to figure out how to make it happen as my life has changed.  This is the kind of learning I want for my kids.  Some things should become habit, but the reasons have to be engraved on their hearts.  And, much as I would like it to work, the final reason cannot be "Because I said so!"  That might work for now, but what about when they're out on their own?

Next Monday, my son will be halfway to legal adulthood.  I'm trying to teach him all the things he will need to know.  But the most important things need to be in his heart, not his mind.  God, please give me the wisdom!