Things Happen....

...when mom is not around!

Annual Lunch Box Day

Every year our church homeschool group organizes a Lunch Box Day.  Each child gets anothers childs name for who they have to make a lunch box and they can be creative as they can be.  On the appointed day we all get together, bless each other with a lunch 'box' and enjoy eating lunch together

Rein made a baby in her bassinet for a four year old lady.

Pieter made a tree fort, which included a list of rules for the gang
and an extra red cap for anyone wishing to join them in the fun

Hendrik made a tee pee

Complete with Chief, Squaw and baby

Jan really enjoyed making a cabin for a friend!



This is always so much fun!  So much fun that I often had to wonder who was having more fun, me or the boys!  But after a week of felt scraps, paper scraps, paint, paint brushes by the sink soaking in my favorite glass, gravel grit, sticks, scraps of fabric, greenery, stones and the smell of the hot glue gun... I was done!!! 

...but the boys continued on with the fun of creating long after our Lunch Box day was done.  It neat to see what they all create!

I love my children, alot!

Of Interest...



...so you send your boys to brush their teeth with charcoal powder...

...as you can see, Pieter proceeded with caution, not knowing how much trouble they would be in,
if they would be in trouble.  =)

Short Description on Activated Charcoal:

Activated Charcoal Powder has been used as an effective anti-poison remedy for centuries. It works as an absorbent of toxins in the digestive system, relieves gases, can eliminate fungi, viruses and bacteria, and may promote recovery from food poisoning. Preliminary research shows that regular high dosages may lower cholesterol and fat levels.  It also whitens your teeth if you brush with it on a regular basis

Peace



Peace
                                          is not the absence of conflict,

it is the presence of God

Can I help you?

Last week after drying some dishes, I flipped the drying towel over my shoulder and I proceeded to wash the rest of the dishes.  All of a sudden someone pulled the drying towel off my shoulder and I heard a small sweet voice say;

Shall I help you?

...so, up she hopped on a little chair and with a big smile

my little butterfly helped me finish the dishes. 

I love my little butterfly!!!

Praise; not perfection!

December 2011.

...de Wit family tree!

December is here.  Looking back at this past year we have been blessed!  Blessed with good things, but also blessed, yes blessed, with trials.  Trials are no fun, but once we get through them, learn from them and have climbed out of the valley, we can stop and look back and just see the blessing, the beauty of it all. 

Last year when we still had 5 children, folks in stores or at the market would comment on how busy I must be, and yes I was, but I did not consider myself THAT busy.  Then Joel came around and although he is a very content happy baby, the thought of now having 6(!) is very overwhelming.  I am learning how to manage my time/chores/homeschooling better than I have ever done.  For me having two or three was a breeze, I mean...I just went with the flow.  Gone are the days that I can just go with the flow.  I now need to keep 6 children occupied with good things otherwise they will keep me occupied with bad things!  =)   

I am learning that God does not want me to be perfect, have a perfect home, be a perfect mom and wife, but He wants my praise!  I can praise Him even when the house is a mess, I can praise Him when I fail because He has done so much for me, even when I had no idea!  He died for me, He took my burden of sin and He cleansed me and made me whole!  Yes, I will praise Him! 

I thank Him for my family!  Every one of my children!  Is it still overwhelming?  Yes, but I can still praise Him. 

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? 

And why are thou disquieted within me? 

Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,

who it the health of my countenance and my God. 

 Psalms 42:11 





ps. Joseph, sorry it took so long, but here are the pictures!!  =)

Monday Morning Wedding Bells Brings Everyone in Tune

For some reason or other, I always think that monday mornings should start off Perfect!  (with a capital P) But in real life, it doesn't.  There is always someone that is out of tune, the garbage needs to be brought to the road, we are need of weekend clean up, there are fresh piles of laundry...

Today was like any other monday and I did my best to give instructions and to correct as much as possible.  Then a brother decided to get married to his sister and started pinning a bedsheet (they were supposed to strip the beds for washing) to his sisters head.  I could have barked at them for getting sidetracked, but I held my tongue.  Instead I realized that we had actually never had a wedding ceremony with the younger children...  I have done so many fun things with my older children and I forget to do those very same things with the younger ones. 

Anyways, we gathered everyone in the kitchen for the joyous occasion... Vows were made to love each other unconditionally.  UNCONDITIONALLY.  Even when the one mistreats the other, they would still love.  They all giggled, but I saw a very serious lesson in it all.  So many marriages are broken up so easily.  The seriousness of their vows are taken so lightly. 
Anyways, we went back into the days of Noah.  People were giving and taking in marriage just like it is prophesied will happen in the end days...it was a sobering lesson.

I say this all to encourage other moms to just enjoy their children.  Yes, there is bookwork to be done, so many things to be taught, you're already an hour behind your monday morning schedule, but taking the time for small things will be blessed, perhaps with the Lord laying a lesson on your heart for your children.  Heart strings are so easily broken and yet through some fun like a wedding ceremony be tied once again.  I like to have happy hearts when we do bookwork, or any other thing, for that matter...so its good to do something fun and lively to make sure everyone is happy and enjoying each others company.

By the way, in the end the husband pulled his wife's veil off her head and she turned to him and announced: I won't be married with you anymore...!

Farm life...!

There is much to be said about farm life....but as I finally figured why I could not download pictures (I had to upgrade) you will be hearing all about it!

{stayed tuned} 

Fire Fighter Event

t'Was a day that the boys asked to stay home from market so they could go to the local Fire Fighters event. Usually they plead to go along to market...=)

~ future fire fighter? ~

~big truck; impressed young man~

~buckle up...and we're off.....!~



Massive!


Impressive!


Sweet!

Be safe this summer!

A video for you..!

I hope you enjoy this short clip of our family life. This was the first time Joel pulled himself up...as if to say; Can I watch you make your farm, boys? Vader Pieter is playing in the background....I love it when he plays...which is often!! Woohoo! ♥

Precious times make precious memories. Make precious memories today!

Fun with Collages!

One day after Hendriks shower, I told him to find himself a shirt in the pile of laundry (yup, we have those sometimes) and he comes back to me with a cheerful: "I found one...!"

He is so full of life, and along with that comes mischief and naughtiness, but oh, what would we do without him? I am thankful that I am his mother, although when he was little, I often wondered if he would ever grow up and do anything good! He is still a rascal, but a good rascal.

Dear sweet Pieter, learning to bake all by himself! Thats a good thing, because with the amount of food being eaten by BOYS, we can use the help in the kitchen!!!

Rein at the market. He loves it at the market.

Only Hendrik can get two bee stings at the same time...the one sting at the top of his left ear....and the other at the top of his right ear!!!

Yup, that's Hendrik!!!!!

Happy Joel! He has lots of loving hands to care for him and with the blessing of many children...he gets trained by all! When he crawls to something 'forbidden' I often hear the children already calling out; No, no, Joel, don't touch.

That makes for a happy Joel and a very happy momma!

♥

Words of Sunshine

Words of Sunshine on a cold and cloudy spring day:

"I love Joel, moe;

he is like the best baby in the whole wide world!"

by Hendrik

Another time, another season....

It's been a l-o-n-g time since I was last here, posting about our ordinary life, with never a dull moment! I have finally excepted that life is BUSY. I have also learned to look at life as 'seasons'. There is a time for blogging, and there is a time to have a break from blogging.

Sometime life just gets in the way of doing certain things.

Since the last time I posted, this happy, friendly boy has been entrusted into our family! He truly is a rich boy with so many hearts to love and hands to play with him! He is almost 6 months old.

.

~ joel ~

We recently went to the Sugar Bush to learn more about tapping trees and making Maple Syrup. Because there was such a large group of children, we were all divided into (age appropriote) groups. This anabled me to get down at the level of our four and two year old and I realized that I do not do that very often. When we teach, we tend to gear toward to other children. It was good to realize this. Yesterday, after dropping our boys off at the markets to help sell vegetables for a dear family we know, I took Rein and Gesina to the Butterfly Conservatory. We had SUCH a good time, but I'll share that in another post. =)

~this momma loves sap pails~

Joel riding along with his dad, occupying the best available spot!

Young Beech trees, hanging on to their precious leaves through the winters...its beautiful to see how the sun shines through them, dotting the seemingly dead forest with little lights of yellow.

the only green we saw. We have had a wet spring, but slowly the greens are coming back.

~ growing up with a gentle heart and a ready smile ~

That's all for now, I hope to be back soon!

with love, Boukje~ a busy mom with alot of things to be thankful for!