A Day In The Life...

So, many people have asked me, "What do you do?"  Yes, we did move to be part of a ministry where Alex is the main one involved.  I have not taken up teaching Greek but I am learning the Greek alphabet with the boys!  I am not writing books with deep theological meaning but I have gotten to spend time with some amazing students, from places I can't even pronounce correctly, who have a passion for God, His Word, and to see His kingdom grow!  I have had the opportunity to be a part of a Bible study for ladies in our neighborhood and in the group of around 12 at least 7 different countries are represented!  Our family is working on learning Dutch and I'm learning my southern accent does not help in the least with the guttural sounds found in this language.  Yes, yes, lots going on; but what do I do all day?

I do many of the same things I did when we lived in the States.  For example, I cook, do laundry, teach the boys, weed the garden (or at least try), and go to the grocery store; these are just the things that usually happen every day . . . . Only all those things are done very differently from how  I did them at home.  How are things different?  Well, I'll tell you a wee bit:

Cooking: I love camping.  I grew up going several times a year and we always cooked over a Coleman gas stove.  I, however, was not allowed to use it because "it might blow up."  Enter Jenny's life long fear of gas stoves and then fast-forward to "its hard to find a second hand electric stove in Holland."

Meet my lovely gas stove...it still gives me a fright at times but I am slowly learning to appreciate it's instant heat, easy cleaning, and that it still works when the electricity is out!  I have had to tweak a few recipes and spend a lot of time bent over trying to see just how high that flame is but I'm sure we will be best of friends in a few more months!

Laundry: Yeah, that.  Have I ever mentioned just how much 4 little boys can make in one day?  Oh how I miss my super sized top loading washing machine!  Meet my, very wonderful and I'm thankful for it, washing machine.  It lives on the third floor (which is the norm here) and can hold up to 5 kilos of laundry!  Reality check is that 5 kilos is about 11 pounds.  Great laundry washing powers, itty bitty washing space!  It gets the job done and the shortest full cycle is complete in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Please note none of this is complaining I'm just telling you what you asked: what do you do all day.  Also know that I have good helpers with everything but cooking because "the gas stove might blow up!" ;0)

Teaching the boys: We are thankful to have received our exemption letter in order to be able to homeschool legally for this year!  Currently we have Elijah in 3rd grade, Benjamin in 1st grade,  Paul is doing some Pre-Kindergarten fun and Micah supervises!

We try to have our day of schooling done by lunch but when it comes to science experiments and history projects or if we start a good piece of literature and can't put it down we go over a bit on that goal!

 

Micah is a very supportive brother during school time!

The small bit of "yard" you have in the front and back of your house is a big deal here.  It is amazing the beauty that some people can grow.  It's amazing the weeds I can grow in the midst of my effort to grow beauty!  We also planted lettuce and broccoli (the slugs ate the plants before they even had a chance), and Elijah planted a pumpkin patch.  Therefore our backyard is mostly pumpkin with some lettuce, a few berry bushes and um...weeds.  The garden of weedin' follows me everywhere I go!

Our bit of grass.  It so rarely has to be mowed its a big deal when Alex borrows the
electric mower to take care of the two minute job!  Even the neighborhood kids come to watch!

If you look closely not only will you see the pumpkin patch and weeds you will also see some very heavy rain and then about one minute later...

...literally one minute later the clouds blew on with the rain and the sun is out!

As for the grocery store, now that is a big change!  We don't have a car so we just bike or walk like many people in Holland.  If the weather is nice I love it and have no complaints, but if it's raining or really windy or really cold I have to admit I really, really have a hard time convincing myself this is fun. Really.  This is so different from our life in NC. Over the past 6 years everywhere we lived there was a grocery store just a two minute drive away.  It's now about a 25 minute walk or a 6 minute bike ride...rain or shine.

As Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Do Everything" starts out:

You're picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today 
Matching up socks 
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away 

You put a baby on your hip 
Color on your lips and head out the door 

While I may not know you, 
I bet I know you 
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all? 

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long 
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, 
Cause he made you, 
To do 
Every little thing that you do 
To bring a smile to His face 
Tell the story of grace 
With every move that you make 
And every little thing you do 

To God be the Glory Ya'll!