Overdoing

There are times when we blink fast and suddenly find ourselves finishing out the month. Honestly, it's kind of like going for a run in the early morning dark and then discovering yourself face down on the concrete and not completely sure how you got there. Not that that happened to me this week, of course.

So what have I been up to this month instead of updating the blog? Well, other than turning myself into a full body scab, I've been working hard to get quality time with the Team before we start school again (and it just becomes quantity time full of math lessons and handwriting). What does quality time look like these days? It's endless games of Dutch Blitz and Rummikub, baking sessions, snuggle time, half of the Little House series, weekend movie marathons, braving the pool (and no one drowning!), and laughing hysterically at Twinkle doing her best imitation of the Worm. Also, I might've broken up a few fights here and there...potentially...in between all the quality time we were having.

I've also spent a good portion of the summer letting the kids loose to entertain themselves (legos! football! ridiculously intricate games of Pretend!) while I attempt to get housework done and keep up on my reading. Other than my annual reread of Harry Potter (because what else are you going to do with your right hand and both knees out of commission?), I've been enjoying a handful of books that have functioned well as a triple whammy of conviction. So, if you too are looking for a challenge I can offer you:

1. Your familial kick in the pants: Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp. It will give you a big picture, long term view of your parenting along with practical encouragement along the way. The Man downloaded the audible version of this onto my phone last week, and I've been listening to it when my children decide to move their tumult out of my general area. Worth it. 
2. Your marital kick in the pants: Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands by Gary Thomas. You should know up front this book is not about how to change your husband, rather it reminds us that we are not a neutral influence in their lives. It gave me a lot to think about and even more to rejoice over.
3. Your personal kick in the pants: Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen Norris. I'm still plowing through this one, but I wish I'd read it years ago. Norris is not a light writer, but she is helping me see my soul in new ways. If you have a history of depression, this is a must read.

One week until this gets covered in school books again...

Then, if you need something just for happiness and joy, something that doesn't make you say "Amen, but ouch!", Megan Whalen Turner, one of my all time favorite YA authors, just put out another book in her Queen's Thief series: Thick as Thieves, which was just good, clever fun. And don't worry, Eugenides does show up to steal the show, even though he's not the main character this time around.

In the meantime, I'll be over here herding children, kneading bread dough one handed, planning for the up coming school year, admiring Twinkle's new teeth, and feeling guilty for not updating the blog more often. Because, as I was reminded while reading Thick as Thieves, "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing", which could be our new family motto, now that I come to think of it...