Happy New Year!!!

A lady of procrastination. That's me. I have my "Christmas" cards still in the package, not addressed, sitting to the right of my computer right now. I just didn't have it in my this year to actually sit down and write them all out. So, here I am, January 1, 2013, posting our Christmas card picture on our blog and typing out excuses.

2012 was an exciting year for us. Extremely exhausting, too. We moved from beautiful Monterey, California, to another amazing assignment in Germany. Ever since Joel and I were married, we dreamed about living in Europe. And here we are!

With each move we have been so blessed with friends that count as family. It's a bond that only military families can understand. Over the years, we have added many names to an already long list in our address book. Maybe that's why our Christmas cards are still sitting on my desk and not pinned on refrigerators across the world, because the thought of addressing all those envelopes is daunting to me.

I also have Social Networking to blame. It makes the idea of sending out a yearly update a little strange since   I have a habit of regularly updating my status. You already know what we've been doing and where we have been going.  Which bring me to my new year's resolution...

(It's really the month of January resolution because we all know that is the extent of most resolutions made.)

I am doing an experiment by taking a break from my Social Networking.  I have recently noticed the time that it has stolen from me. From my family. It has become close to an addiction.  I have been so interested in seeing what is going on in other people's lives that I have missed some of the things that are going on right in front of me. 

Sounds kind of impossible when FB makes it look like we aren't missing out on anything. Funny how pictures can give you an impression of something or someone that isn't even really real. My goal is to be real with my kids. It's to teach them what relationships mean, and that they are important. To spend time with my family that is their time and not "shared" with anyone else. I'm being selfish, I know. But my babies are not babies anymore, and I don't want to waste the time I have left with them.

I'm sure I will miss out on important news and information, but I will survive.  

If you need me, I'm going "old school". Email.

You can reach me at jandadeboer2@gmail.com.

4 years ago

Present
(Time goes by so fast!)

May the Lord bless you and your family this year!

The Man With the Yellow Hat

I was almost convinced that the man with the yellow hat had no clue what he was doing when it came to parenting.  We have been reading the Curious George books for over ten years now to our own children, and it never ceases to amaze me that the man with the yellow hat decided it was a good idea to leave a monkey, who was probably as mature as a three-year-old, at home...all by himself. One of my favorite stories is when George and Yellow Hat Man go to the department store in the Big City. While the man was viewing his shopping list, George gets 'curious' and knocks over a display of Christmas presents. The angry manager spots George and thus begins an unproductive monkey chase through the mall. George narrowly escapes out the mall entrance, only to come back maybe three hours later after a subway ride and a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. Coincidentally, George takes a random bus, ends up back at the department store, ties himself up in a gift box, surprises his friend - who apparently wasn't to worried about George being absent for more than a split-second. 

But I can't help but admire the man with the yellow hat. No matter what George puts him through, he loves him anyway.  The man is obviously full of patience and forgiveness.  If my children had rearranged the arrival and departure times at the train station, painted a jungle scene on my living room wall, or took a ride on the book cart at the library, I think I really would have lost my cool. But not this man. When he finds George, he calmly takes him by the hand,  pays for the damages George has made, and leads him home. 

All is forgotten. All is forgiven. He must really love that monkey.


I can't help but compare this man to my daddy. Now, he may have lacked a little bit in the patience department every now and then, but there was no doubt that he loved us. Whatever trouble we got ourselves into, he forgave us and sometimes paid for the damages. (BELIEVE ME!) And when we did mess things up a bit, he encouraged us to do it better next time. 

All forgotten. All forgiven. Much like that of the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

The best thing about my Daddy was that he always tried his best to live a life that glorified the Lord. As far back as I can remember, that was his soul desire.

The man with the yellow hat may not have been perfect, but he did his best and had lots of patience in doing so. Instead of critiquing the man in the yellow hat's parenting style, I think I may take notes next time I crack open a Curious George book.

Guten Tag!

It has bee so long since my last post that the site's format has changed and I had to figure out how to use it! I owe you a post of Katheryn's 10 year birthday bash! But I don't know how to upload pictures onto the laptop, so that will have to wait.

So...uhm...We have moved. Yup. Again. Moved. Overseas. Across the pond.  Another continent. Another country.

Germany! It is so beautiful here.

We arrived about 2 weeks ago, but the time between then and now seems more like 2 months. Hotel living isn't always prime living. But it could be worse. We have 3 rooms to split between the 6 of us.

After we arrived, we hit the ground running. And I don't mean sight-seeing. I mean finding us a house ASAP!

Realty is done A WHOLE LOT different here. We were prepped on that by some friends before our arrival, but you can't be totally prepared for the experience until you have actually started going through the process.

In Germany, you have to go through the realtor that listed the property in order to actually see the property. So, if you want to see 5 different houses, you have to call 5 different realtors, who then call 5 different landlords, who then set up 5 different showing times. The showings are only granted IF and ONLY IF the landlord feels like it.

The culture is considerably more laid-back than our own, too. So, don't even think about calling the realtor before 10 a.m. or between 1p.m. and 3p.m..

Are we the only country that doesn't take naps during that time?

Basically, you are at the mercy of the realtor and the landlord. And they will call you back when the feel like it. Or maybe they won't because you are American, or have four kids, or have a dog. But whatever.

Nevertheless, we found a house. I am hesitant to even say it because it has only been a verbal agreement. But then again...they do things differently here. We sign the contract tomorrow.

The house is a dream. All the main living is on one level, which is hard to find in Germany. And that includes all the bedrooms! But that isn't the best part. The house overlooks a valley, and on the other side of the valley stands a castle!! (I won't tell you that you have to have a telescope to actually see the castle, but it's there!) The yard wraps around the house and is totally protected on three sides by a 8 foot hedge of shrubbery, and there are two large apple trees waiting to bloom! There is a sunroom with sliding glass doors that open entirely, and the flower garden then becomes a mere extension of the family room.

Move in date is yet to come, but we anticipate it to be around the beginning of June. Until then....it is hotel living for us. But now we won't be chained to our room waiting for a call from a realtor. We will be eating pretzels and drinking beer....root beer of course.

Auf Wiedersehen!!!

Mermaid Sighting in Monterey Bay

Claire is eight.

Wahh!

I always HATED...HATED when people would tell me that to "cherish these moments. It goes by so fast". But it is so true! All my babies are growing up, and there is nothing I can do to stop them.

So, we asked Claire what she wanted for her birthday, and she responded....

"I want a mermaid tail."

"A what?"

"A mermaid tail."

"Claire....what....are you going to do.....with a mermaid tail?"

"I'm gonna wear it."

"And where do you suppose you will wear this mermaid tail?"

"In my room!"

In hindsight, this may have been a great gift! It would have benefited us both. Claire would get what she wants, and I would have hours and hours of time that I didn't have to wonder where she was or what she was doing because I would know that she would be in her room, wearing her mermaid tail, and brushing her hair.

That's my Claire. She has such a vivid imagination, and she is not afraid to use it.

Needless to say, I am a lame mother. I did NOT get the mermaid tail. But I did use my imagination and chose something that was somewhat of a compromise.

A flipper set complete with a snorkel and a mask.

I was actually really nervous that she would hate it and be mad at me forever because I didn't get her what she wanted. But when she opened her present, she was ecstatic! We took her to the beach that day and had her pose for a few mermaid shots, and she loved it.

Mermaid by the Sea

Katheryn and I stayed up late the night before Claire's birthday to make her a mermaid cake. I really should have taken the picture as soon as I was done with the cake. Claire's birthday fell on the day after Fat Tuesday. Our sweet neighbor, Rebekah, who my children adore, had made a king cake and shared some with the kids. She had a few extra 'babies' that she let the kids have. Claire decided that they should go on her cake. So, when I pulled the cake out to sing 'Happy Birthday', this is what I found.

I guess when fish have babies......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! MY SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL CLAIRE!!

"Lovin' You"

This week was set aside to get all of our studies back in order: Re-re-rearrange my school supply closet, do lesson plans, purge old papers, and study up for the upcoming semester.

But I keep getting distracted. Most of my distractions are coming from my 3 year old who wants to play or color, or a 6 year old who wants to use my computer. But when I sit down to actually get some work done, I open my computer and this pops up...

My daddy and me.

It's been 4 months since Daddy passed away. The holidays made it go by faster, and traveling dulled the pain. But January 2012 is here now, which means everything slows down and you have time to think about what all happened in 2011.

My first thought on 2011 was that it was pretty crappy. Sorry for the elementary adjective, but I can't really think of a better way to put it. Don't get me wrong! I had great moments last year. We live in one of the most beautiful places in America, I have met some pretty incredible people here (all of which I can call my friends), I have four amazing children, and Joel has been home more this year because of his class schedule.

But the realization of not seeing my Daddy or hearing his voice again hurts. As a believer, I know without a doubt that my daddy is walking the streets of gold, whistling a tune, and helping Jesus fine-tune my mother's mansion, and it gives me peace in knowing that he isn't suffering and we will see each other again one day.

Although, I am human, and I mourn. That's the way God created us. Even Jesus wept when Lazarus died.

I know it's okay to miss him.

Every time I look at this picture it makes me think of one of Daddy's favorite thing to tell the ones he loved. No matter where he was or what was going on, if you asked him what he was doing he would reply, "Lovin' you!"

So, Daddy, know that you are missed, and know that not a day will go by that we are not "Lovin' you!"

2011 is over and it is the beginning of a new year. Already 2012 is full of exciting things for the DeBoer family! I don't have a resolution this year and I can't see into the future, but I do know that whatever it brings that...

"those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles:
the will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

The Fashion Police

You have to read this article from The New York Times before you can appreciate the following "article".

Did you read it?

Ok...
Now this "article" was written by a wonderful friend of mine (Kristiann Saunders), who actually is one the homeschooling moms that sits in the driveway with me!

Reporters visited a suburb of wealthy Carmel By The Sea, La Mesa, expecting to see much of the same fashion-conscious moms. What they found there, however, was shocking. For example, one group of moms (called "homeschoolers") sat out in their driveways with ripped jeans and sweatshirts while their children played in the street and ran amok on a local playground. While the east coast is obviously succeeding despite the tough economic times, it seems as though the recession has taken it's toll on parts of Central California. "What's even sadder," commented an editor, "is that these moms in California represent the best and brightest of our military. I think it's safe to say that the future of our country is in peril." Congress is now scrambling to find "bailout" money for these poor families whose shabby clothes and even shabbier children are only symptoms of something deep inside. When interviewed, the moms all agreed that what's on the outside pales in comparison to the depth of character, integrity, knowledge and community service that is being instilled into the lives of these kids everyday. "Wow," said fellow writer, "They are weird."

See you all at recess!

Kristiann Saunders

What do you wear for school drop off?
Or if you are a homeschooling family, what is your dress-code?

Am I Smarter Than A 4th Grader?

(Don't answer that!)

It's that time of year again. School is back in session. Where did my summer go?

This will be our 3rd year of homeschooling. There is a definition for a homeschool mom like me...."seasoned". Although, I don't feel that "seasoned". My kids probably think of me more like....gristle.

Every year has had its challenges, and we seem to work out the kinks. Despite the fact, this year seems more daunting to me. We have officially added Luke into our schooling schedule. I worked for weeks on our weekly schedule and have it hanging in the kitchen. If you didn't know any better you would have thought that a rainbow vomited on my fridge. It's all color coded and looks way too complex. Usually schedules help me, but I am not so sure about this one.

Another reason that this year seems a little bit more overwhelming is because Katheryn has entered into the 4th grade!!! Yes, I have a high school diploma and a college degree and I am very 'edumicated', but for some reason, 4th grade seems scary.

With this new level in academia, I have also taken on a tutoring role with our homeschooling group. This role is tutoring 4 - 6 graders in grammar and writing. I am super excited about it, and at times I find myself petrified to be standing there in front of the students AND their moms/dads explaining what it is they are suppose to be learning for the rest of the week.

Stuff like:

8 Parts of Speech

Diagramming Sentences

Knowing the 4 sentence Structures, 4 sentence purposes, and the seven sentence patterns

Key word outlines

Quality adjectives
etc, etc......

That's just the beginning.

As apprehensive as I am about leading this class, I am thankful that I am doing this. I feel a bit more prepared....because I have to be. There are going to be other moms in there!! Watching me!

Laudy- laudy help me. I just pray I can be smarter than a 4th grader!