Timing is...

everything. And, truthfully, not one bit in our control. As a society of people striving for the "American Dream," we endeavor to time each and every parcel of our lives to fit our neatly planned future.
Well, guess what. I'm here to tell you that....
timing really isn't everything.
Let me tell you about mine.
I tried to time the birth of my first little bean with the end of my senior year in college. Figured it would take a while. Guess what? NOT SO MUCH. Which is exactly why I am exactly one year away from the end of my senior year and that 8.5 x 11 piece of parchment paper that tells me I finished something besides my dessert, workout rotations and Marine Corps bootcamp.
Well, then I figured I could time little bean #2 to be just the right number of years younger than #1. HA. 18 months of fertility struggles, one ridiculous allergic reaction and a trip to Hawaii later and #2 was way behind schedule.
So, then I figured #3 should be right on the heels of #2 and lo and behold, he almost was. Sadly, my baby bean was an angel before I ever met him. I may have never held my little boy, but he holds my heart squarely in his tiny little palm.
WELL, you all know what happened next. Another round of help and we're onto the clan mac twin beans. Right smack in the middle of an Iraq deployment and TBS. (don't forget the cross country move and PCS to NC.)
To top it all off? Clan Mac bean #5 slides into home base for the final run.
Let's add building a house, homeschooling and attempting to reclaim myself? HOLY CRAP, that is some serious chaos.

The point? Timing really isn't up to us. So quit trying to plan life to the nth degree and enjoy it for what it is right now. (I'm really talking to myself here and if you get the point, well GREAT!) Really, we think we're in control and REALLY, we're not. HE is. So, sit back, relax, fasten your seat belts and ENJOY THE RIDE. :-)

off to not plan another day...
(hah!)
tiff

Toddling, Teaching and Tummies...oh, and houses.

are the focus of life in the clan mac right now!

Max the MAN is toddling around, lumbering from one toy to the next, arms up for balance, looking quite like the monkey. Mercy, on the other hand, refuses to walk, preferring to speed crawl or use her walker to get to her destination.



I am putting my teaching hat back on and taking the plunge...homeschool clan mac is officially opening up for business in the fall.

My tummy is growing by the day with our latest -as yet unnamed- little blessing.

AND, our house is plugging along, all gazillion square feet of it. We're praying all stays on schedule and we are in like by flynn by June 30.

So let me start my little update by simply saying...
1. No, I am not worried about socializing my children b/c they will be homeschooled. I don't WANT them socialized in our screwed up modern day version of Soddom and Gomorrah, that's WHY I am homeschooling.
2. No, I do not think that I am better than the wonderful teachers that dedicate their lives to our children. I think our system is broken and they do the absolute best they can. I just want something different for my kids.
3. No, I do not think my kids will be weird. I'm not weird. Charles isn't weird. And who cares, really, if they are? All kinds of folks make up the world, so what on earth would this world be like without some really cool weird kids to invent all the stuff that makes our lives so convenient? (Pretty sure Bill Gates was a total weirdo geek. Would LOVE to have his brains and money.)
4. Yes, I know I'll be busy. Pretty sure I am right now, since I have 4 kids that are 7, 3, 15 mos and 15 mos AND I am an incubator again. What's one more to the chaos? Heck, it can't get any more crazy. What's a little breastmilk and some more poopy diapers to add to the fun of our days?
5. And finally, I'm tired of trying to explain dieting, earrings in boys, broken rules, crappy school food options, "no those pants don't make you look fat," why they don't pray before meals and how to fend off mean bus brats.
6. Oh, and one more finally. WE know that we can't raise our children in a bubble, but we can raise them in our faith, with our values and with the education we wish them to have. And this is how we choose to do it. Not as an indictment of our school systems or any other family's choices. Each family has to do what it takes to make their unit work. And this choice is ours.

As for my tummy? My little man just keeps getting bigger and bigger! I'm frequently informed that I look like I've swallowed a basketball. I'm not sure what they'll call it in another month... "Oh, aren't you cute? You're all baby! It's just like you swallowed a ... (fill in the blank here with a giant round object of your choice.)"

And, lastly, for the dream house we've waited almost 20 years for? Well, folks....

Here it is!!
Pray for June 15 closing!!

Well, that's all for now folks!
love,
the clan mac mama +1