This is my favorite month of the year.

I love the orange.

I love the breeze.

I love pumpkin-flavored things.

Today, I’m dropping my kids off at their awesome grandparent’s house and heading to Austin, Texas for the Together for Adoption Conference. We are excited to learn more about orphan care and represent The Mercy House.

Monday, I’m going to Bunco. In a Halloween costume. More on that later (in other words I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M WEARING). But I’m feeling bold.

Tuesday, I’m learning how to knit! I even bought a skein (using a knitting word because I’m an overachiever). When we spend a month in Africa next summer, knitting is a skill we hope to teach in The Mercy House. Did you know you can make really cute stuff out of “plastic yarn?” Plastic bags are an easy resource to find in Kenya.

Then there’s church, YMCA flag football practice, friend’s birthdays, lunch with an old friend…and that’s just the first week.

Hello, October.

I love you already.

What do you have planned?

I haven’t turned on my video camera since July. When I did the other day, I was tickled to find a plethora of forgotten music videos from my 3 year old.

She’s got quite a gift for noise music. The tune usually eludes her, but that never stops her.

The following 2 minute video is a musical review-of-sorts. It’s got a little bit for everyone.

Featuring a tune from my childhood: The Devil is a Sly Old Fox

(lyrics: If I could catch him, I’d put him in a box, I’d lock that box and throw away the key for all those tricks he’s played on me. I’m glad I am a Christian, trusting in the Lord).

Overall impression: The theology is questionable, but her delivery is right on the mark. I really like her expression and the way she interpreted the song.

Featuring: All the Single Ladies

(lyrics: all the single ladies, all the single ladies, put your hands up and shake like you just don’t care)

Overall impression: I really like the artistic hand expression and the backup singer.

Featuring: A Whole New World

(lyrics: Aladdin Come Out -repeat 942 times or until  your momma says ENOUGH)

Overall impression: The electric guitar adds a nice touch and while riding on an exercise bike? Memorable rendition.

Which one is your favorite?

There is an hour in my day that I protect fiercely.

I don’t allow the ring of phones or the intrusion of the Internet. I ignore the door and hold off the undeniable force that tries to threaten this time. I fight for the hour a day when my babies and spouse circle around the table.

I fight for dinner.

It’s not about the food that is sometimes good, sometimes not. It’s not about me and an audience. Dinner is about the conversation, the laughter, the being together. Some days I feel like I’m against Hell itself, warring to interrupt this precious time.

Dinner is loud. It’s not organized or perfect. It’s getting up and down, filling up, knocking over. Dinner is a pause in our busy day. Dinner is our connection.

As my kids get older, I notice there’s a stronger pull away from this family time. There may be play dates vying at the door, sport practices with their demands, meetings at work and school, but I fight them all. Even though I occasionally lose the battle and dinner is a mismatched, half-hazard attempt with a traveling husband or a dash out the door to a meeting, I am rebellious against the things that try and steal away this treasured hour.

Did you know that research has proven that families that eat dinner together:

• have kids who are less likely to use drugs
• are noted as happier families
• have kids who have better grades
• enjoy stronger marriages
• kids adjust better in life in general
• produce healthier kids with better eating habits

And when teenagers were polled about the importance of regular family meals, an overwhelming majority craved family meal time together more often!

So. Throw out the excuses! (You don’t like to cook, there are practices and busy schedules, etc) Change it. Make dinner a priority. Don’t let the world, and hobbies demand how you raise your family. Be creative to get that one hour together.

Because really, we’re talking about a lot more than dinner.

Since I was in high school, then a youth pastor’s wife, now a mom of school-aged kids, I’ve gotten up early on the third Wednesday in September and held hands around the flag pole and prayed. It’s not a strange, cultish ritual, it’s See You at the Pole. And it’s awesome. I love hearing nervous, young voices pray in front of their school. I love seeing teachers take a stand and join us. I love that we live in a country that allows us this freedom.

And for my own comic relief:

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I’m talking about God-sized dreams that are a size too big with Holley today. I’d love for you to dream big with me. (Plus, there’s a giveaway!)

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Speaking of giveaways, here are the winners from The Mercy House launch last week:

• Africa-shaped custom cookies made by Bake at 350: Congrats to Stacy of 29LincolnAvenue
• Hand made necklaces from The Mercy Shop: Jenn of Jar Full of Rocks, reader Ashley Hall, Brandi of Autumn Fawn, Amy’s Finer Things, and Agent 99 ! Congratulations everyone! Can you please email me to confirm?

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Shop Mercy. New donated items are added every day to benefit The Mercy House.

For months we’ve been planning a quick trip up to Oklahoma to pick up half a cow.

(Now that’s a sentence this city girl never dreamed of writing).

My in-laws raise/sell grass-fed beef and they generously set one aside for our family. Well, half of one.

It’s an 8 hour drive on a good day, so we arrived after midnight. We spent one full day on the farm-sitting in the cool breeze while my big kids played “Toss the Empty Shot Gun Shell in a Bucket” and my 3 year old “fixed our hair with spit and a stick” in her outdoor hair salon.

It hurts to be beautiful

There was a bit of horse shoe playing

Rednecks Rock

some fist-bumping among cousins

boo-ya

turtle shooting (what can I say? the land brings it out in my hubby)

I like to call him Eagle Eye

We even squeezed in some hugging

Never to big for a hug from Nanny

and time between the oldest and youngest

His Helper

Oh, the simplicity of farm life and imagination and tick bites.

The apple tree was in full bloom, so there was some serious tree-climbing and arm-reaching for the bright red juicy apple at the top of the tree.

There's not a tree she couldn't climb

I think my kids ate 3 or 4 each.

My mother-in-law spends much of her summer canning and baking and putting away food. Since my oldest has fallen in love with cooking, they spent some time making fresh applesauce.

And that was all in one day. Early Sunday morning, we loaded up the van with 300 pounds of beef and one duffle bag for all five of us. (I packed light for our quick trip).

But while my hubby was loading the car, our little one, started complaining of stomach pain. I did what all good moms do: I sent her to the potty.

But her pain grew worse and within an hour she couldn’t stand or walk. With the van already loaded, we decided to head towards town and home and see if the pain would pass.

It didn’t. We ended up at a small town hospital.

For the next 8 hours.

Can you say WE ARE THAT FAMILY?? (even without Internet).

Um, yeah.

So, they drew blood and put in an i.v.  in my three year old’s arm.

She had X-rays and was poked and prodded. The doctor was concerned about a tick bite she got at the farm the previous day. But when he discovered her white blood count was thru the roof, he felt like it was her appendix.

Long story longer….she had to drink contrast, have a Cat Scan and I’m praying the whole time we’re not looking at surgery in this nice, but very small hospital that didn’t have a pediatric needle in the entire facility.

The radiologist insisted she wear the glasses.

My hubby’s family took our beef and older kids back to the farm and we waited for the results.

Turns out it was just GAS.

Kidding. They never really found out what was wrong, but determined it wasn’t life-threatening. (Thank you, Lord for touching her!)

On the second attempt to drive home, the tickle in my 10 year old’s throat turned into a full blown case of I FEEL HORRIBLE, my son got carsick and puked all over a bathroom at a Taco shop,  only to be immediately followed by my youngest getting a rock stuck in her nose.

That beef isn’t the only thing that’s been through the ringer.

Well. My kids have been back in school for two weeks. It’s been tiring, but good.

I got this interesting comment on a post I wrote the other day about sending our kids back to school with purpose, where I mentioned that my kids go to public school.

“I just can’t get on board with the idea of “sending our children to be lights in the dark world” at such a young age. At almost 30, I feel totally unprepared to witness most days. I know Christian schools aren’t perfect but the thought of Public School makes my skin crawl.”

Although I didn’t agree with it entirely, it made me stop and think -do I really send my children into the dark world?  My basic opinion: Our world is dark and we [believers] are aliens here, but this is not our heavenly home. My hubby and I are doing our best to equip our little aliens on how to be Christ-like wherever they go and whatever they do.

I love the freedom to choose. What I don’t like as much is for one person to think their choice is better than someone else’s. But I guess that goes with the whole freedom thing, huh?

I respect your schooling decision-whatever it may be, because it’s your decision, not mine. I don’t respect public school moms who think homeschool moms give their kids a bad education or homeschool moms who imply public school moms are dropping their kids off in hell at the carline. To each his own.

I don’t defend our choice. It’s our choice and right for us. For those that are wondering though, here’s why I send my kids to public school (for now):

• It’s safe and close to home
• It’s rated exemplary and cost nothing
• My kids love it
• Positive atmosphere-my daughter’s 4th grade teacher share my pictures and blog posts of my Compassion trip while I was in Africa with the class!
• I trust God with their education and their lives
• I don’t have a reason not to: I know the teachers, administration, parents. I’m involved. I send a letter to the principal each summer telling her how I think my child will do the upcoming year. If I email a teacher, I get a response the same day. I’ve had a good experience with the public school in my area.

At this point, I can’t say the same positive things about our city’s junior high, just named the largest in Texas. It’s two years away and our family will have some serious choices to make.

I’ve gotten emails from  homeschool and public school moms who feel guilty because of what others have said/implied about their school decision. I want to encourage you to be confident in the choices you make and make sure you know why you’ve made them.

What works best for your family right now? Would you ever consider doing something else if you needed to make a change?