The Fruit of 2015

Before writing 2016 becomes something I can do without thinking, I want to record some things I learned in 2015 - in the hopes that by recording and remembering them, I won't have to learn them again.

1.  I have to get up before the kids.  In hindsight this is one of those "duh" things that I should have done from day one, but somehow I thought I was benefiting more from sleeping an extra hour than from having an hour of quiet solitude.  In fact, I like it so much, I'm currently getting up 90 minutes before I expect a kid up.

2.  How to make homemade granola bars.  I tried a few baked recipes and was not happy with them, but I found two "no bake" recipes - which is not to say "no heat" recipes - that I like very much.  Sometimes I toast the oatmeal before making bars, sometimes I don't.  They about as easy as making rice crispy treats.  These are the two recipes I use most often:
*My standard recipe - Homemade Granola Bars
*For when I'm feeling nutty - 3 Ingredient No Bake Bars

3.  How to trap an opossum.

4.  How to give a dog insulin (and I learned lot about canine diabetes in general).

5.  How to mix concrete in small amounts.

6.  One thing I learned from the Bible that kept showing up again and again in different places -  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  (Romans 12:9 - a passage which goes on to say "overcome evil with good").  It was important to me personally to reflect on the fact God's job is to judge, my job is to not judge.  It is also an issue I seem to deal with very frequently with the kids - because they are constantly feeling wronged by a friend or sibling.

7.  Another lesson I learned from the Bible that stuck with me is this:  “Don’t you see? Everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart. Those are the things that make someone ‘unclean.’(Jesus speaking, Matthew 15) - There is this tension with kids - how much to protect them, how much to expose them to, and I think that it is very important to protect children from evil, but what Jesus says here is that what you're exposed to doesn't make you sinful - sinfulness is in your heart.  You can be completely naive and you will still be a sinner.

Everyone else was learning too!
Rob - learned how to do roof repair

Caleb - learned how to do long division

Dangerous Monkeys Smash Bananas - Repeat

Annalise - learned how to cook eggs without breaking the yolk

Natalie - learned how to count to 100

(And how to make a heart with her hands!)

Irene - learned a lot!   It is hard to pick a favorite, but the moment you realized your baby understands what you are saying to her, that is a pretty amazing thing.  She basically went from this:

Chubby, bald, toothless, and stationary!

To this:

Much less chubby, much more hair (under hat!), lots of teeth, and way too busy to pose for a picture!