Saving taxpayer money

Daniel, my sophmore, just had a conversation with me that I have had two times before.  I have had the exact conversation with both of my older daughters.  It goes something like this:

Kid:  How much does it cost to go to public school?

Me: It’s free. They have some fees for activities but it basically doesn’t cost the students anything.

Kid: No really, tell me how much it is.

Me: I’m not kidding. Go ask Dad.  He will tell you the same.

Kid: Come on, just tell me.  Is it expensive?

Sometimes this will go a couple more rounds.

I just think it is interesting that all of my children assume that it costs the students a great deal of money to go to public school. But we all know that public school isn’t free. I especially know this because not only do I pay taxes to send all of my neighbor’s children to public school, then I turn around and then pay for my own kids’ curriculum. According to an HSLDA report in 2004, roughly 1/10 of the money is spent on homeschooling that is spent on public school kids.  And the results? The average homeschooler scores in the 80th percentile on standardized tests.

On the more personal side of things, I spend about $250 – $300 a year, on average per elementary/jr high school student. In the 2006-2007 school year, Colorado spent an average of $8,167 per pupil (and we are ranked 40th in the county) I have saved the citizens of Colorado a boatload of money.

Incredible Gifts!

Our children have recently given some incredible gifts to us.  For Christmas, they all chipped in and bought a night in Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs for just Gary and me. They also gave a gift certificate to us from Olive Garden. So in the middle of January we had almost 24 hours together, no children – just rest and each other. Wow. We had the best time. We talked and laughed and just enjoyed not hearing, “Mom, can I . . . ” or “Mom, can you . . .” It was such a blessing to us.

Then, for Gary’s upcoming 48th birthday, they chipped in again and bought tickets to the Chris Tomlin concert for Gary and me. It was, hands down, the most incredible concert that I have ever attended. It touched something deep inside my soul.

I absolutely love being the mother of six. I truly treasure every moment – I have even learned to treasure the moments that aren’t so pleasant. But, these two little respites from responsibility were exactly what we needed. It is like our children knew how demanding they can be and gave us the gift of time without them.

And the lyrics from last night will not leave my mind or heart -

“My chains are gone,

I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love, Amazing Grace.”

The newest member of our family

Nate Noe came to Gary and I earlier this month and asked if we would give our blessing for him to marry Christina. We had been closely observing him for quite some time now and were delighted to give this to him. He proposed to her tonight and she said, “YES”! Years ago Gary and I wrote out blessings for each of our children. We included a part in those blessings that described qualities that their future spouses would have. In Nate, God has given us everything we wanted for our precious little girl and more. So now, I present to you . . . .

THE TOP TEN REASONS THAT WE ARE EXCITED

TO ADD NATE NOE TO OUR FAMILY

10. In the unlikely event that I get tired of making fun of the Buffs, I can now make fun of soccer players.

9. Sarah will get to move out of the closet underneath the stairs and back into the room that she surrendered to Christina.

8. I no longer have to wander around Home Depot and try to get a salesperson to help me. I will not have to use the word “thingamajig” again. I will just drag Nate home, have him look at whatever it is that I am trying to explain, have him come up with the proper name of the part and then have him take me to the isle in which I can find it. This will save time and lessen frustration. I am always interested in those two things.

7. When my children start chanting, “Seven! Seven! Seven!” (which is their strange and demented way of asking for another sibling), I can just point at Nate and let them know that I don’t have to get pregnant again in order give them a brother.

6. Our whole family has pretty much resigned itself to just letting Christina have her way on pretty much everything. Nate has not given up in this area (yet). Go Nate!

5. If I had to line my children up from the mildest to the wildest, Nate would be closer to the milder side. This should help the noise level in our home.

4. I now have the guarantee that my grandchildren will be good looking.

3. He brings out the best in Stina. His attention-to-detail personality matches well with her big picture mentality. Together they will bless an untold number of people.

2. My daughter is deliriously happy. This makes me deliriously happy. I can stand some delirious happiness.

1. Nate passionately loves Jesus Christ with his whole heart. He knows the Bible. He is a godly man with integrity. He has an intimate and real relationship with his creator. Who could want more than that?

THE FINISH LINE!

Elissa did it! I did it! Other than a very small amount of anatomy (which she will finish on her own before Christmas), Elissa is done with high school. She had her last physics class today. Her last writing class. Her last class with me.

I am so glad that we chose to homeschool her.  What an incredible blessing that we have had this time together. Her sweet spirit has brought so much joy to me. Her tenacious determination is and always has been such an inpiration. She never gave up, no matter how difficult it was for her.

Look out world – HERE SHE COMES!

What should we read next?

Normally, I have a long list of books that I want to read either to myself or my children. Right now, there is nothing in the queue. Nada. Zip. Sarah and I need to start a new book together in a week. As a wrote last week, we just finished Captivating. We are looking for a book (not a novel) that we would both enjoy. I would be very grateful for suggestions.

Captivating

Rarely will it take me more than a few days to read a book when I am reading it for my own pleasure or growth.  A few years ago Christina gave the book Captivating to me for my birthday. As usual, I opened it and read it very quickly; not really taking the time that it needed to sink into my soul.

Because Sarah is the only one of my children that I am schooling full-time right now, I decided that the two of us would take the time to read it out loud together. We started in August and will finish the book this week. Since we are only taking small, bite-size pieces at a time, my creator has taken the opportunity to speak to the deep places inside me about what a woman is and about who I am. It has been both painful and liberating.

John and Stasi Eldredge spend so much time emphasizing the beautiful strength that women have and the irreplaceable and incredible role that God desires for them to play. From the beginning, the enemy of our soul set out to destroy Eve (and all her daughters) despising her beauty, her role in relationships and her strength; despising all of the image of God in which she was created. This book points out what Satan has stolen and guides women back to reclaim the real identity that God intended from the beginning.

And I don’t have to look very far to see beauty. God has surrounded me with four amazing examples of what femininity should be, my daughters. I saw them on many of the pages of this book. The strengths that they possess daily inspires me to be what God has called me to be.

I see Christina as Deborah (Judges 4 & 5). It would take much too long to recount the story here and I could not do it justice anyway. Christina is a marvelously courageous leader like Deborah. She wasn’t afraid to go into battle even when Barak was. Just like Deborah, Stina sees God’s hand instead of the obstacles.  They both clearly hear God’s voice and nothing is going to detract them from following Him. An undeniable strength surrounds Stina just like it did Deborah. There is something about Christina that draws people to her. She has an uncanny ability to bring people together. Christina’s beauty is stunning.

I see Elissa as Esther. Her strength is quieter than Stina’s but no less. Her strength is in her vulnerability. Over and over again, Esther did not put up walls of protection around herself when in trying and dangerous situations. Esther saved the nation of Israel through her willingness to expose her heart.  I know my first response when I sense that something may hurt me is to do whatever I can to hide my heart; I think the vast majority of people do exactly that. When you really examine it, it takes a massive amount of maturity and strength to let yourself be vulnerable. The willingness to stay soft even when you know that the world wants to harm or destroy you, takes strength of Herculean proportions and it is intensively attractive.

I see Sarah as Mary, the mother of Jesus. Softhearted and obedient. Sarah is willing to let God use her however He chooses, even if it involves great personal sacrifice.  Both Mary and Sarah are trustworthy beyond measure. Sometimes I think about how shocking it was for God to place himself in the most vulnerable of all positions, a newborn baby. And who does he choose to care of this infant? A young, teenage girl. A girl who was probably about the same age as Sarah is now. And just like Mary, Sarah has that same spirit. Her beauty is captivating.

And then there is Michaela. I can’t wait to see the kind of woman that God raises her to be. Watching her dance, nurture her little brother and come up with crazy ideas and ways to make those ideas come to life, gives me complete confidence that she will be every bit as beautiful as her sisters.

One of the Fun Things About Being Three . . .

COSTUMES

Michaela and our new neighbors

Michaela is in a costume phase right now and it is really fun. Every pretty, long flowing dress is a “wedding dress”. There is lots of pretending and a deep appreciation for everything beautiful. Three is good!

There is nothing I enjoy more than

MY FAMILY!

This weekend we were able to get away together to go see Gary’s grandparents.  Granddad is in his mid- nineties and his health has been quite a concern. We have had to cancel our last couple of trips because of his health. So when we got the call that he was up to having the eight of us in their mobile home, we jumped at it. We had a wonderful visit with them but one of the best parts of the trip was just getting to be together as a family, no distractions, no responsibilities, no jobs to run to. . . just us. And it was fun.

David is entering the stage of life that I find most difficult to parent – the time when they are extremely mobile and very limited in verbal skills. The other day I found him standing on the kitchen counter all by himself. He had climbed onto a chair and then somehow wiggled his way up. It is so stinking adorable. He makes everyone laugh all the time.

I see so much of the older girls in Michaela.  She loves to pack purses with every possible thing you could imagine. Then she spends a lot of time pulling each item out, thinking about it and putting it back. Elissa always did this and I think that she still does.  Her purse weighs more than she does.  And it is easy to see Sarah’s loyalty in her (they are both my little Huskers). But most of all, she reminds me of Stina in that she gets constant joy out of torturing those around her.

Just the other day a family friend was noticing how completely gorgeous Sarah is becoming. She is no longer a kid.  All of the little girl stuff is fading away. She loves talking on the phone with her friends. She is my second or third set of hands and arms whenever she is needed. She is lovely.

And then there’s Daniel. He has always had the ability to connect with people with his eyes. He knows how to melt my heart and his sister’s hearts too. He loves practical jokes.  Today he was able to convince a senior (who is a lot bigger than Daniel is) in my writing class at CCA that he would be receiving a “C”. This guy is an “A” student and did get an “A” for the quarter grades that went out. Daniel spent all morning torturing this student. Daniel is lucky to be alive right now.

Elissa is less than two months away from being finished with high school! She is one of the most determined people that I know. We were being very loud in the van (as it is impossible for us to be anything else) and I put up the question, “Who is the loudest person in our family?” Without hesitation, everyone yelled “Elissa”.  She has such a unique mix of sweetness, gentleness, kindness, etc (ad nauseam) with the side order of complete craziness.

We are having some much fun with Christina home. She is working in our office, so she is around all the time. I couldn’t be happier with this. She alternates between leading the rest of the children in a closer walk with God and leading them into constant trouble.  For example, “hoebag” is now a common part of our three-year-old’s vocabulary. She brings a party with her whereever she goes. I am delighted with every decision that she has made in her adult life. I can’t wait to see what God has next for her.

And then there is the love of my life: Gary Budd. He is such an incredible man. He brings me so much joy.

So we spent the weekend playing cards, playing kickball and just playing. Yes, we are loud and sometimes a wee bit out of control. And as a group we can be a little intimidating. But, there is no group of people with which I would rather share my life. We have rented a cabin and are all going to Estes Park in the next month. I can’t wait. I will also be buying earplugs.

Warning: TMI

Warning: This post may contain TOO MUCH INFORMATION for some of you. If you don’t want to know personal information about BREASTFEEDING – stop now! Don’t complain.

I am in the process of weaning David – another two or three days and it will be over. This makes me both sad and happy. I love nursing. It is a special time that has always been precious. At times, holding my youngest two children has been a competition in my house. All of the older ones loved holding the babies. I often had to fight them off to hold my own little ones. But I could always pull out the nursing card – no one else could do it. It insured that I would have the time with them that they (and I) needed.

And now, it is almost over. I did some research and have figured that in my lifetime I have produced approximately 500 gallons of milk.  That’s crazy. That’s a lot of work.

David is now 13 1/2 months. This is the longest I have ever nursed a child. Stina has vowed to tease him about this when he is older. So, to save him the embarrassment that his older siblings will definitely inflict upon him, I have decided to stop. This season is OVER!

First Video Game for the Budds

Our family has never owned a real video game – Nintendos, Game Cubes, X Boxes and Playstations have been requested by our children over the years, but never allowed. We always figured that they would present parenting battles for us if they were in our home. And since we are outnumbered 3 to 1 by our children, we choose our battles very carefully.

Of course, when this new system came out, our children begged for it also. But since it is a video game, we automatically said, “no”. They kept telling us how different this was from all the other games and we pretty much ignored them. Then our family was at Jesse and Jessica Sportsman’s home a couple of months ago and played with their Wii. My precious children and loving husband really enjoyed tormenting and mocking me. The fact that I actually have less electronic athletic ability than real athletic ability surprised no one. Everyone has animated stories about watching me try to catch balls in our backyard. Apparently, it is very funny.

What we did notice was how interactive this game was. It didn’t seem to promote the the ‘zoning out’ that other games tend to do. We actually liked it. So, still tentatively, we broke down and agreed to letting our children purchase it. (We have much better things to do with our money – like eat.)

Daniel (13) cleans a decent amount of carpet with his dad, gets paid for it and, for the most part, saves his money. (A Wii and an extra controller cost $300! That’s enough money to feed our family for almost a week. – Wow!) So, I took him and Daniel Smith to Best Buy this morning, stood in line (?) and waited for the store to open. He walked out of there hugging his new toy.