Soul Carving

       Adding a seventh child to the clan made things pretty crowded at our dinner table. Even though the youngest eater sat in a high chair separate from the table, we still didn't have enough room or chairs. The older kids had to take turns sitting on a bar stool up at the counter during dinner. Not to mention what chairs we did have were mismatched and broken.        We toughed it out for a while. I had really loved our dining set. It was an answer to prayer when we first bought it.        I was pregnant with our first baby and we knew the time was fast approaching when we would need to move out of our teeny basement apartment. But our current place was furnished. Moving out would mean buying our own bed, couch, table - everything! I worried how we would ever afford it.m Then one day when I was out for walk, I saw a sign for an estate sale. I wasn't even sure what that meant, but there were tables set up on the lawn ...

       I'm currently enrolled in an online history class. Right now I'm studying the ancient Tang Dynasty of the 6th century AD, and there's a few paragraphs devoted to early Korea. Today, if you tune into any news station, you'll see reports about the ongoing Winter Olympic games in Korea. This sets the stage perfectly for a homeschool unit study on Korea! First stop, the local library.        I actually searched their catalog online first and found some real gems that way. I put them on hold so we could pick them up on our next visit. (This makes a trip to the library with 7 children much more productive!)        The above illustration is from The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller. It's a feast for the eyes, filled with bold colors and intricate details. In it you'll find examples of traditional clothing and foods, as well as animals and mythical characters. The story introduces some Korean vocabu...

       I've been uploading old photos, trying to get everything in one spot. We've been using some form of digital camera for 10 years now, so it's been quite the walk down memory lane. The first snapshots were taken back when we only had two kids - two kids!! Oh, the ease of those days. I have now become that middle-aged mother whom 12-year-old Bethany used to babysit for. The one whose framed wedding pictures I would examine with a gasp, marveling at how different the couple now looked! Now, 34-year-old Bethany is examining photos of her family from 10 years ago, and I've recognized something that needs to change.         I'm pouring over baby photos of my now 11-year old, and clutching my heart at how agonizingly adorable he and his big sister were back then. I'm awestruck at how quickly they have grown and at the thousands of changes we've all experienced in a 10 year period. I look at pictures of a younger and, sometimes dishev...

       Each year Richard gets an updated photo of the kids for his office. As Father's day approaches, I have fun thinkng up clever themes for a photo shoot. (You can see my first attempt  here .)        This time, we went with a sports theme. I envisioned a shot from behind, the kids lined up, with jersey numbers on their backs. Originally, I thought it would be easy enough for my two older boys to use their soccer uniforms, and then pick up some used jersey's from the thrift store for the remaining five. However, finding the right sizes and styles was a bit tricky, and even at thrift-store prices, a bit too expensive to justify a one-time use.         Then inspiration struck - no need for new clothes (or to convince the children to wear an outfit I had picked out). I would simply make a jersey number from masking tape and place it on the back of whichever shirt they wanted to wear! Bingo!      ...

  "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson I am a contradiction. Spontaneous and thoughtful. Energetic, yet reserved. Dreamy, though realistic. Bubbly, but at the same time, grounded. I'm sure most of you have felt the same way at times. It makes for some interesting inner dialogue. And it's not about good vs. evil - I'm not referring to the light and dark in each of us. Just the simple quirks of personality which make our lives interesting, though sometimes irritating. You see, I'm not philosiphizing over moral issues so much as attempting to choose the best of the many good things that are at my fingertips. In this information age, the vast opportunities we have can be both a blessing and a curse. Friday is open. Should I take the kids to that new indoor playground to let them release some of that pent-up winter energy? Or maybe we could spend the day inside building a pillow fort? Oh...

       Free concerts are music to my ears - even more so when they are designed with families in mind! I was lucky enough to discover one such concert advertised on BYU's website last year. Even though admission was free, online registration was still required. I scored 7 tickets for the whole family (no ticket required for baby!) to enjoy a Saturday morning of Jazz music.        The concert hall was crowded with families. We encourage respectful and quiet attention from our children during performances like this, but it was a big stress-reliever, knowing that should any of the little ones grow restless, we'd have a more sympathetic audience this time! Usher's handed out booster seats so we each had a comfortable view of the band. And one added bonus which I love about attending BYU performances, was the opening prayer. I love that it helps my children recognize the source of all our blessings in...