Month: September 2023

And you have some creative thinking going on!

Tatum likes to turn everything into a teaching opportunity. Be it a podcast, a meeting for our family, or just plain play time teaching Coopy, her kids, or Rio.

Last night, she had us sit down and give our gratitude, a high/low of the day, and if we did well, (daddy vs. mommy) we got a prize! Ooooooweeee!

Rio was her partner in crime.

Later on, chillin with her little villain, Rio, she drew a graphic novel. Rio dozed off, so apparently he was not interested in her endeavor. I know for one thing, it had many children in it!

Mommy, will you play with me? (Or Daddy sometimes gets the honor). When she says play, she reallllllly means, Can I teach you something and will you be my students so I can keep you quiet!?

Notice little Rio. He had a blast going back and forth and back and forth saying

“Pretty bird!”

“Baby!”

Yes, Rio, we see you!

Tatum, you don’t need a hat to get your creative juices flowing.

Nope. You have been developing your creative juicy fruit since you were born, and I hopefully have nurtured it as God grows it!

Daddy, that hat fits you perfectly, but you really don’t need a creative hat either; God gifted you with an incredible mind already! (and a pretty cute head! (oh, and your brain grows as your head shrinks. Go figure!) HEE! LOVE YOU BOTH TO PIEEEEEECES.

Tatum sees or really hears me listening to podcasts daily. I soak them in and they teach me as I do other tasks. Also, she hears all the sponsorships/ads they have in them. With this, she now is creating her own fun podcasts on parenting, parakeets, or some hack to raising children. Yes, she’s 10. HA! The ads she makes are about helping sleep, digestion or some health issue; Sheesh. It’s so funny, but honestly, she has a gift of gab/articulation! It’s so fun to see her creativity take over.

Speaking of creativity, she received this little plastic duck from school. Patrick is his name, and she made him a little home. Would you like to meet him?

He’s very happy in his little abode. I hope Rio is not jealous!

Nope..he’s cuddling with Tot (they do this every morning)

Now, when does she have time to do this? She is in Soccer every day after school and had her first game this week.

She is so much fun! I love her personality coming through with all this creativity. GO TOT!

Each day, I try to find some joy; it’s not easy when one’s health is compromised, however, reading the BLOG books with Tatum has brought some newfound inspiration for me.

1. Drawing! I am back. This is a great way to release and relax. Also, when I don’t want to sleep although my body is beyond fatigued, I can now draw. Tatum found this picture, and she asked me to draw it for her. She wanted it on her wall, and since I believe in “talking walls,” I was all in!
   Here is the original black and white. (Turning it into color was challenging since I didn’t see the shading of light and dark.)

Ok, here is mine.

I hung it up on the wall, and added 1 Thess 5:17 (Pray without ceasing.). We should be mindful of HIM through the day, and talk to HIM.

Notice I put little Rio on top (she drew this a couple of weeks ago)

Now, she’ll have these reminders above her sleepy head each night. There is power in the walls as they speak. AMEN! I love drawing for you, Tot. I think we are past 20 drawings now. More to come!

We also are revisiting the LAUGH and LEARN Bible by Phil Visher (Veggie Tales). We like to read the Bible every night, and yes, this is a Children’s Bible, but it is fun and still gets the message in. Plus we laugh too!
Coopy is enjoying it as well. Hopefully he’s getting a bit of the message about obedience. HA!

WWWWAAAAIIIITTT A MINUTE. STOP ALL. Rio, is that you?

OH, my, he was there at Creation with the ostrich, turtle, and lion…and bunny. Hey! Rio, you are a timeless classic.

Joy joy joy joy!

Rio joins us for brekkie as we get ready early to arrive at school. Her class has the honor of singing the National Anthem this morning at the flagpole.

Today also is the day of my dad’s death which was 14 years ago. It’s a somber day, but also a day of gratitude for all we have.

Such as this breakfast!
Can you say peanut buttah!? Throw in some bacon and berries, and you have a big fat winnah!

She’s also pretty darn cauuute!

The class walked to the pole, all ready to go!

Head of School Nyhardt read from Psalm 91. So beautiful that HE is Lord of all.

And the National Guard readied the glorious flag.

And they took it from there. Just wow.

Thank you for reminding us of the beauty of the freedoms we have in our country and for our gratitude in what we have. AMEN!

Tatum has been asking for a desk. Now, who would ever deny one a desk when USUALLY a desk is used to accomplish something! So….we headed to IKEA one day when we had an extra 10 hours in our day (ha). If you need steps, go there. If you want to be in a human maze? go there. If you want to be overly stimulated, go there! We found the day when it all the planets aligned and also we were prayed up!

Took pics, no money exchanged, got out of there and ordered online. Brilliant!

The load arrived, and I got to work on building this Saturday. Now, what do you think Coopy did the whole time?

Directed me. Yes, Mommy, this one there and that one there. He’s gotta be right there~!
Desk done. Now chair. Tot had to test.

This side….that side! You like? I LIKE!
Daddy, the file thingamabob is to screwy…literally for me. So, you to the rescue.

YAY! Now, organization can take place. My language.

Sunday morning, I found her doing this:

She was doing her Bible Study, and Rio was right there.

Thank you, IKEA, Daddy, Coopy, and RIO for all the help! Now, let’s get organizing and learning! HEE~!

I’m so proud of Tatum for just trying. Her music teacher told the kids about an opportunity to sing a solo of the Star Spangled Banner. She immediately signed up and told me she was going to tryout.
So, Monday morning, we got to school early to meet Mrs. Cline.

Poised and ready, she warmed up with the la la la’s.

Then she stood tall and sang it out with all of her might!

Later, Mrs. Cline asked her to practice her la la’s from D flat to G flat.

All I have ever told Tatum is that she should try for opportunities because that is just one step forward. The point is not in winning or losing; it’s in the moving forward and learning from our mistakes. That is the value of failing! So no matter the outcome, we enjoy the process.

We celebrate hard work! HOW?
Coffee talk.

Happy Labor Day!