Something I am pondering this Christmas Eve day:

the definition of the word enthusiasm = inspired by the presence of the God within.

Have a very Merry Christmas. May it be filled with... enthusiasm. :-)

Ten Years

I remember 10 years ago today, being in labor and driving myself to the hospital. I remember walking the halls and watching Drew Carey and Dharma and Greg on the hospital room tv until it was time to push. I remember hearing "it's a girl!" for the first time and being so excited to have a daughter.

What a blessing you've been to us these ten years. You're such a sweet and talented kid and we could't be more proud of you. Happy Birthday to my biggest little girl!

The Longest Night

It is December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It was an even longer one than usual for us since we lost electricity and heat for a few hours due to the severe weather. As the 7 of us sat in our very dark kitchen getting colder and colder(it was also the coldest day of the year at nearly 30 degrees below zero with the windchill) we contemplated our many blessings. We have shelter, our health, food, and each other. We thought of those who might be without those things and said a quiet prayer that they might find warmth tonight. We kept each other entertained by telling stories, playing card games by candlelight, and finally a game of flashlight hide and go seek. Just as we were considering finding someplace else to spend the evening, the power came back on and all the children ran around cheering for the light's return. After dinner, we decided to relight the candles and give thanks with a meditative solstice celebration. We gave thanks to the Sun for all it does for us and we look forward to it's return, bringing with it longer days and shorter nights. Happy Winter Solstice to you and yours!

Gold!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we've been going back in time to join in the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898. Having scaled the dreaded Chilkoot Pass (aka the sledding hill out back) and finally staked our claim, yesterday was the day to start panning.

The kids had so much fun with the gold panning kit. After sifting through all the sand, we first found a few nuggets of Fool's Gold, then some small pieces of silver, copper, and hematite. We kept at it but after a long time started to lose hope that we'd find any actual gold. But then my 5 yr old spotted something bright and shiny and picked out a true gold nugget. It's tiny, but it's real!

Today's the day...

Grandpa's Care Package arrived this morning! The kids love getting this big box full of coloring books, art supplies, videos, school stuff, toys, etc.. . He sends it with love all the way from AZ as an early Christmas present. I think it will keep them busy for awhile. :-)

Thanks Grandpa! We miss you!

Snow doesn't usually make me happy, but it did last week. It came down and covered our neighborhood just in time to line up with our History lesson. We've been reading about the Yukon gold rush of 1898, and after learning about the icy mountains they had to climb we decided to try to simulate the experience. The kids loaded their backpacks with lots of heavy books to be able to sympathize with the enormous loads of equipment the gold stampeders had to carry. Then they bundled up in their warmest clothes and began their ascent up the hill.

No gold was found that day. We are saving that for next week when we'll pull out our gold-panning kit and hope to sift out a nugget or two.

Parks saved!

That was the frontpage headline in the local paper this week. The kids and I celebrated for a moment until we read the whole article. There is a chance that the state parks that we have been fighting for may re-open in the Spring. For now, they are closed and gated. But the Governor is considering the possibility of re-opening just a few of the sites that he has recently shut down due to budget issues. Many of the other historical sites will most likely remain closed.

My kids are learning some valuable lessons here. Not only about the whims of local government, but about the importance of standing up for issues that are meaningful to them. By participating in public rallies, letter-writing campaigns,and spreading the word to their friends and neighbors, they are learning how people can come together to work for a common cause. They are learning how to make their voices heard and finding out that indeed someone is listening to them.

How cool is that?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

Back to Blogging

Hopefully our many computer troubles are over now (or at least for awhile.) We took advantage of the Black Friday sales and finally got a new one. Merry Christmas to ourselves! I just couldn't take it anymore. Although I do have to admit that not having internet access was nice in some ways too. I got more reading done. And my house was cleaner than usual. But I missed that instant connection to friends and family. And homeschooling without a computer was just a big pain in the you know what.