One of the delightful things about having a houseful of children is that we almost always have enough people to play games. When I was growing up, it was much more difficult to put together a good game with the resources at hand:

Me: “Hey, Mark, how ’bout we go play a game of tag?”
Mark: “Who are we playing with?”
Me: “I figure you … and me … and Posie … ?”
Mark: “Beat it, kid, I’m gonna draw instead.”

“The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.” (Jeremiah 46:6a)

As it turned out, Mark was actually drawing up operational orders for armored-cavalry attacks on defenseless villages, a valuable skill which stood him in good stead in later years. Posie, though she was often willing, was too little to be a credible opponent in any game, six years younger than me and nine years junior to Mark. I usually had to find other ways to amuse myself with her. For the record, there are no witnesses to her wild claim that I put her in the clothes-dryer … although if anyone could use 40 minutes on “medium permanent press,” it would be her. (I love you, Poz!)

“In my day,” I tell the children, “Kids had to make do with ghost runners, ghost batters, ghost umpires, and even ghost spectators. I once played a whole game of baseball with just myself and three aluminum cans!”

“Right, Dad,” sneers my son, Weasel. “And I’ll bet you walked seven miles uphill both ways through blinding snow to get to the ballfield, too!”

I was hurt. I’m pretty sure that tale featured a hailstorm, not snow at all! Those kids just don’t pay attention anymore, when I tell my stories. But enough about me. Really.

This week Joshua invented a new game, which he christened “Never Ending Dodge Ball”. Organized dodgeball is one of his favorite games, and he greatly enjoys playing variants of the game at the gym in church or at the YMCA. As often happens, his creative brain came up with a version that can be played in our own backyard.

Rachel (like the Royal Canadian Mounties) can boast: “I always get my man … “

The rules to his never-ending variant are fairly simple:

Anyone who can find a nerf ball can throw it at any other player who is ‘alive’.
You must actually throw the ball at another player, you can’t tag them with it.
If you are hit by a ball (before it hits the ground) and don’t catch it, you’re ‘dead’.
When you are ‘dead’, you have to lie down on the ground (unless you are fussy about bugs, in which case you can squat).
If you have a ball and you are ‘killed’, you must hold the ball up so that anyone who is ‘alive’ can take it from your hand.
As soon as someone is ‘killed’ after you, you are restored to ‘life’ again.
If you happen to still have a ball when you are made ‘alive’, you are free to use it immediately.
If someone is newly ‘alive’, they must be allowed five seconds to get to their feet and run away.
You may never handle more than one ball at a time.
Hits in the head don’t count.

One moment you’re a predator, the next you’re prey …

Since there are two, three and sometimes four balls in play, the game can become quite interesting, with players chasing one another only to be hit in the back by someone they weren’t watching. Sarah adds a special wrinkle to the game, since she has a special little ball that only she can pick up (she is little, and couldn’t get the other nerf balls before her siblings swooped them away).

It is easy to become distracted in a standoff with another player, only to feel a gentle ‘poink’ in the back as Sarah sneaks up and assassinates you.

The game has several cheerful advantages:

• It can be played in a fairly small space, and boundaries don’t really matter.
• Players are rarely ‘dead’ for very long, which is nice for younger players, low on patience.
• The game seems equally fun for players from 5 to 41.
• It can be played for a short or long time (or until enough players get hurt and go inside, crying).

“Mutually-Assured Destruction” is more than just a political slogan, in this game.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that my children are very kind to one another. They are careful not to run roughshod over the little ones, and they stick scrupulously to the rules. They good-naturedly allow the younger kids to catch them, and they throw the ball gently to avoid injury (well, most of the time). I am always very proud whenever I think about how considerate and loving they are to each other — surely, we are greatly blessed by the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these five rascals.

Daniel takes ‘death’ very seriously …

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. — John 13:35
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. — Ephesians 4:2

Of course, injuries happen, and sometimes there is a penalty of five or ten push-ups for unnecessary roughness. Wasn’t it kind of Sarah to count the reps for Daniel?

Altogether, the kids probably played this game for more than an hour, today. David went off to bed with a bounce in his step:

David: “Josh, it sure was fun playing with you.”
Joshua: “I had fun, too.”
David: “Play tomorrow?”
Joshua: “Maybe!”

Project 365, Day 209

As with many bloggers, Kathy and I are not afraid to admit that we crave the shallow validation and witty banter of our readers (all seven of them). For that reason, we are sponsoring a new ‘Participation’ contest.

The winner of the contest will be the person who submits the largest number of comments, and will be awarded a valuable music CD, worth thousands of Turkish Lira.

The rules are as follows:

• Your comment must be at least one full sentence long, and may not include any links to online stores that sell pharmaceutical products of a dubious nature (we get a lot of spam comments, which are automatically deleted).
• Your comment may not be created by an automated program, but rather must be typed in by hand. Don’t ask me how we’ll tell the difference, programmers aren’t allowed to reveal their secrets.
• Your comment must have something to do with the post to which it is attached.
• If there is a tie, we reserve the right to either provide a prize to each person or to have a drawing to determine the final winner. Remember, Sarah is turning five, so 4 may not be her favorite number anymore.
• Those who have commented already in July will have a slight advantage over those who have not, since we’ll be counting comments from July 1 to 31.
• We reserve the right to reveal (or not reveal) how many comments each person makes over the course of the month to provoke (or suppress) the competitive spirit.
• To qualify for this contest, a comment must be submitted during the month of July, but it can be associated with any blog entry since the inception of this blog. We’ll find it, don’t worry.

Here is a gratuitous picture of my oldest son, who is one of our most faithful readers, but does not comment much. Maybe this will be the turning point for him?

I doubt this boy will win the contest, but I’m not much of a prophet.

Project 365, Day 187

It’s morning! Time for breakfast, school, chores and a little brotherly snuggling. Thank goodness there is always a camera at hand to capture these sweet moments. Look, no tears, fighting or name calling. They’re obviously still asleep.

Joshua - I’m the long suffering big brother. My smile is calm and serene but notice my death grip on Daniel’s hand. This is definitely a battle I’m going to win.

David - This is such a comfy spot. I love Joshua. Let’s Wrestle, Josh!

Daniel - It may be early morning but I’m dressed and ready to play NOW! Yeah, Joshua, let’s wrestle. I think I can take you!

Ah, brothers! Where else can you push and pull and wrestle and fight and love your way through life?

And, if you are very, very blessed, one day you might end up with sons (and gourds) of your very own.

Cousin Timothy, Tim, Joshua and Uncle Momo (aka Mark) Thanksgiving 2005.

Kathy - Mother to three boys/Sister to three boys/Wife of just one

Project 365 - Day 143

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 4:10-11)

Two of my five children have demonstrated an inclination toward the spiritual gift of service. Their hearts quicken with the opportunity to serve. They find joy in helping, often behind the scenes. They frequently anticipate the needs of family members and move to help. They are very different in the way they serve and their personalities and temperaments but the heart to serve is there for both of them. They are not perfect, of course, and sometimes serving (especially family) is the last thing on their mind.

This cutie pie still requires/needs/demands/enjoys quite a bit of service from her siblings.

And yet, when the moment arises, they hear the whispered need where others often hear nothing. How kind of the Lord to place in our large family some with this gift. They bless all of us, and their (always slightly harried) mama most of all.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

There was a dinner and musical show at church this evening. The middle schoolers were in charge of serving the meal. Joshua immediately signed up to help. There was, of course, the draw of getting to be with friends, but the rest of the activity seemed a bit lacking on the excitement side. Dress up - not a favorite in any of my children’s opinion, with the exception of Princess Sarah. Serve food to tables of hungry church patrons - this is all wrong in a teenage boy’s mind, the food should be going TO the middle schoolers not AWAY from their hands and mouths.

Afterward, Joshua told me that he and a few other boys came up with a devious idea for playing a trick on the high schoolers. I braced myself, not sure I wanted to hear any details that might incriminate me or my family.

“The senior highers were in charge of taking down all the decorations and cleaning up. We decided we would do it for them.” Sneaky laughter followed by smug look. “We did everything. We put the decorations away, took down the tables, and cleaned up. I just wish we could be there to see their faces when they see we did their work. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

More laughter.

Um, whose child is this? Adding to the weight of the situation, it turned out Joshua and his two buddies gave up their dinner in order to perform this mischievous “prank”. The rest of the serving crew ate during this time. When asked why they were working, Joshua said,

“I told them, why should the high schoolers get all the fun?”

Um, why indeed.

“They did give me a few odd looks when I said that, Mom,”

No doubt they were jealous, Joshua.

So whether you eat or drink[Or serve hungry church people food and drink] or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)

I am often humbled by the work the Lord is doing in the lives of my children. He speaks to me through their example.

Kathy
P365 - Day 139

I’ve asked Joshua to come and share his thoughts on our first week of Healthy Living. Please give Joshua, age 13 and oldest of our five children, a big welcome.

Our guest blogger.

Water - Easy, I drink that much water anyway (1 points for 16 oz, 3 pts max)

Fruit - Trickier than I thought. It turns out I don’t eat that much fruit. Tonight, for example, I was determined to get all 50 points but I hadn’t eaten any fruit. It killed me to think I would only get 48 points. Mom said a bowl of applesauce (a generous bowl) could count as two fruits. Whew. 50 points! (2 points for 2 fruits)

Veggies - An annoyance. I just shovel in the salad. I usually have at least three servings of salad a day. I tend to eat a good helping at lunch (or else you get behind in vegetables). I don’t really like cooked vegetables. Rachel and I disagree strongly on how broccoli should be prepared. I say crispy, stir-fried. Naturally, as everyone would agree, crunchy and close to raw is the only way to enjoy broccoli. Rachel and Daddy, in their confused state of being, like them mushy. Yuck. (Veggies bring in a lot of points as they are rated on a graduated scale; 1st serving = 1 point, 2nd serving = 2 points, and so on up to 5).

Measuring - Another annoyance. Worse than the vegetable requirement. Measuring implies NOT eating, at least the vegetable one lets you EAT. I disapprove of programs that want to restrict that glorious activity known as eating. I am growing 13 year old, after all. It’s especially sad on weekends. I don’t like having to limit my bowls of cereal on Saturday; since that’s when we are allowed sweet cereals. (4 points per meal for measuring, ie limiting quantities).

Desserts - This one is not too difficult although it is a bit worse on weekends. One sweet treat a day is fine during the week. On Sundays, there are delicious goodies after Sunday School as well as treats at Bible study. How am I supposed to limit himself to just one dessert, may I ask? This week they served ice cream cake, Hostess fruit pies (which Mom absolutely forbids/detests), and chocolate cake. All at the same party. Torturous. (1 free treat a day, -2 points for additional desserts).

Joshua enjoys his bowl of applesauce.

Exercise - I’m spending a lot of time running on the treadmill at home. I think the treadmill will be very happy when we finish this little month long plan. Since we’ve started, I find my endurance is improving. The laps we run at the YMCA aren’t as difficult. We are granted 10 points for our time at homeschooling PE. I have a new appreciation for the PE program. (5 points for 30 minutes cardio, up to 1 hour).

Weight Training - Push ups and sit ups are both getting easier, though I still don’t like doing them much. I feel stronger which, I guess, is part of Mom’s devious plan. I’m already working up to the heavier weights in my weight training. (4 points for 15 minutes wt training or 50 push ups and 50 sit upts, up to 8 points).

I like this method of doing things. Not forcing or compelling us to work out or eat healty but setting goals and let us meet them (or not). I like the challenge of trying to get all 50 points a day. 50 points = 1 chip and 1 chip = $1.

There you have it. Words of reflection from Joshua. No doubt he wants to earn money because my birthday is just around the corner. He’s a very generous son. I’ll see if some of the other children care to be guest bloggers and join us next time.

Kathy