Road Trip, Part 3

Day 6:
Today was Eliana's birthday, so Joy had planned for us to celebrate by going to a fun place called Yabadoo starting around 10:00.  There were a number of homeschool families from their Classical Conversations group, so lots of kids running around at a place similar to Pump It Up or something like that--an indoor mega play place that would never pass U.S. OSHA standards, LOL!  It was so nice to have the place to ourselves; it opened to the public at 2:00, and we stayed the entire time.  The lunch food was quite good, and we were amazed at how the kids just kept going...and going...and going!  We had naps in the afternoon and a special birthday dinner for Eliana (with more cake!).

The pictures from Yabadoo didn't turn out great because of all the action and the not-so-perfect lighting, but if you want an idea of what the place was like, you can check out this album.

Day 7:
Today we hit the road--for a little while--for some more sight-seeing adventures!  Brian picked out a great place for us to visit, Rick Steves' favorite castle in all of Europe:  Burg Eltz.  It was about a two-hour drive, which wasn't bad since we did a kid shuffle and let the little girls ride together while watching Ellie's princess movie that she got for her birthday and the big kids watch Cars 2 in our Suburban.

This amazing castle is extremely well-preserved and nestled in a beautiful yet secluded location, which helped it survive intact over 800 years despite being in an often war-torn region.  It has been in the same family for 33 generations, and they still own and use parts of it today while obviously allowing tourists to enjoy it as well.  It looks like a fairy tale castle!  We began the tour in the entryway decorated with arms and armor.  I WISH we had been allowed to take pictures inside!  Just incredible what all has been preserved!  Paintings dating back hundreds of years; original woodwork; toilets that flushed using rainwater drainage systems; original stained glass; these things and more allowed us a realistic glimpse of what life was like for the occupants who lived there over the centuries.  You can putter around on the link above (assuming your browser will translate for you if you don't speak German!) for more information, and for our complete picture album, you can go here.

We had a good lunch of brats, fries, potato salad, and pea soup at one of the castle cafes before our tour, then did the guided part of the tour minus Brian when the tour guide noticed he was wearing a backpack with their dog Bella inside...the guide was not impressed with that!  So Brian waited outside with Bella while we toured, and then the kids enjoyed climbing around the castle with Bella while Brian did the tour.  There was a self-guided walk through the treasury--again, centuries of history and art beautifully preserved!  We finished off with a round of ice cream before heading home, opting to order pizza and have a movie night since the weather wasn't cooperating when we got to the town where Brian and Joy had wanted us to have dinner.  We had some tuckered out kiddos, though, so it was best we went home anyway...had to rest up for more adventures the next day!

View of the castle from the pathway leading down from the parking lot.

Tobin, Ian (holding Bella), Kenna, and Joy

Arden, Tobin, and Lucan, demonstrating how short some of the doorways were!

Tobin, Lucan, Kenna, and Eliana

And the gratuitous forced perspective shot!

Eager to go exploring!

Road Trip, Part 2

Day 3:
I had been looking forward to this day for a long time!  Ever since Ted and I got a 3D puzzle of Neuschwanstein Castle to put together our first year of married life, I've wanted to see this intriguing place.  When we learned we were moving to Italy, one of the places we immediately decided to plan to visit was this castle.  And then, bonus, it was featured in a recent season of The Amazing Race, which we have been watching with the older kids for a couple of years now, so they were familiar with it as well.

Our tour didn't begin until 11am, which was helpful, since we didn't have a wonderful night of sleep and weren't able to get a terribly early start.  It was only about a 45-minute drive from our apartment (a very scenic drive, I might add!), but we did have to pick up our tickets by 9:55 and then hike almost 2 km up the mountain to the castle.  We had Zaden in the stroller (which gave me something to lean on as we went up the steep hill), and everyone else walked.  Of course there were many comments from the kids expressing longing to ride the horse carriages that passed us every so often, but overall, they marched without a whole lot of complaining.  It helped that we weren't in a huge hurry, and their pregnant mama couldn't go that fast, either!  Along the way we met up with some Chinese tourists who were first captivated by Zaden's big, bright eyes...and then amazed when they realized that he was one of SIX children in our family.  And then to see my pregnant belly, well, that about sent them over the edge, LOL.  We posed for pictures several times, the bonus being that we were able to hand our camera over and get a family picture of all of us!

We arrived at the tour waiting area in plenty of time, so we treated ourselves to some Bavarian cookies with red currants (yum!) while we waited.  Lucan was very distressed that we couldn't go IMMEDIATELY into the castle!  But the cookie distracted him for awhile, LOL.  Finally it was our turn.  We checked the stroller in and herded in with the other English-speaking tourists for our tour, which lasted approximately 35 minutes.

If you aren't familiar with Neuschwanstein Castle, I'll give you a few interesting highlights, and you can check out the link for more info.

• It opened to the public only 7 weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886.  
• Work on the castle began in 1868; it wasn't even completed when the king died.
• Though the style was a romanticized version of the medieval period, the castle was equipped with very modern technology, to include automatically flushing toilets, running water, and central air heating.
• The king only lived in the castle 172 days before his death, which happened under "mysterious circumstances" since he died at the same time as the psychiatrist who had certified him as insane...

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but it was definitely well worth the time and effort to tour it!  So amazing!  (For more pictures, see this album.)  It even includes an artificial cave--why, I don't know, but there it was, one of the passageways on the tour!  The kids really enjoyed the experience, but when all was said and done, we were more than ready for lunch, so we made our way back down to the village and enjoyed some brats, pretzels and fries before heading out to our next adventure--riding the Alpine Slide not too far away from the castle!

Zaden fell asleep during the short ride to the slide, so Ted and I took turns with the kids.  Kenna and Lucan had to go down with someone bigger, so Mom, Dad, Charis, and Arden took turns with the younger ones.  Ted and I only went down once each, I think, but I'm so glad I at least did that--I almost declined because of my big belly in favor of letting Ted go again, but it looked so fun!  And it was!

There was a pretty nice playground, too, so the kids ran around and enjoyed that for awhile before we decided to head out.  After a brief scare during which we frantically ran around yelling for Kenna, we found that she was waiting by the Suburban, since she had looked up while on the swings, didn't see either of us, and immediately headed to the car.  (Ted had gone to the bathroom, and I had walked to tell the older kids we were leaving--I had told her the same thing, and I thought she had looked at me as I was calling to her, but somehow she missed that!)  As soon as we got in and buckled up, it began raining.  We had prayed for God to favor us with good weather, and He certainly did!  It rained all the way back to our apartment, where we enjoyed relaxing and napping and playing until polishing off leftovers for dinner and calling it a day.  

All in all, a very, very memorable day for all of us!

Day 4:

Not nearly as exciting as Day 3, LOL.  We cleaned up and left our apartment at a fairly reasonable hour, feeling thankful for a much better night of sleep.  Our drive was much less stressful for Ted than going TO the apartment for the first time, since we gradually left the Alps behind.  It did rain during the first part of our drive, but it started to clear up as we approached our friends Brian and Joy's house near Ramstein AB in Germany.  

Our timing wasn't the best, since Joy had to take their son Ian to an appointment right about the time we were getting close, but we just headed onto the air base so I could get a few things from the BX--holy cow, it's like the Mecca of shopping!  After being in Naples, well, let's just say this is the high end of the overseas military facilities, LOL!  Charis and I wandered around quite awhile looking for the things we needed, and then we went to the McDonald's in town where Joy had said to meet her.  We never really got lunch--we thought we'd stop along the way, but there really weren't any places to stop around the lunch hour, so we just kept munching snacks.  So we had a late lunch while we waited for Joy and the kids to finish up, and then we headed to the L's house to unload and relax!

It was so wonderful to catch up!  Brian returned from work and we had a yummy enchilada dinner.  Ian is almost 13 now, just a couple of months older than Charis, and our older kids immediately found things to occupy themselves while Kenna and Eliana (who turned 6 just a couple of days after we arrived) immersed themselves in a pink fluffy cloud of Barbies, stuffed animals, and other little girl bits of happiness.

Day 5:

Kind of a down day for us, but a very welcome one!  Joy and I chatted the whole day away--such a blessing to have friends that you can just pick up from where you left off!  Ted went with Brian to work...the two of them donated blood before coming home for lunch, and then they went off again, Ted in hopes of meeting with his NATO counterpart here in Germany and Brian to attend a retirement ceremony.  The kids played the day away, and we just enjoyed hanging out.

We attended Ian's baseball game in the evening, taking along a picnic dinner and watching Ian's last game of the season (unfortunately, they lost in this single-elimination tournament). 

Road Trip, Part 1

So we left on Friday, June 7, for our first European travel adventure!  For all the pictures from our first couple of days, see this album.

Day 1:
Travel.  About 6.5 hours of driving to Verona, where we stayed in a pretty nice hotel (two rooms--Ted, Tobin, and Arden in a triple, all with twin beds, and the rest of us in a quad with Zaden in a "crib").  All we really had time or energy for that evening was walking to a pizzeria for dinner.  We should have just gone out on the town, since Zaden had NO intention of settling down for quite some time...sigh...

Day 2:
We drove about 100 miles to the beautiful city of Bolzano, Italy, home to the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum, where Otzi the Iceman's mummified remains are kept.  Otzi is quite a fascinating story!  We got to see the mummy himself as well as the carefully preserved pieces of clothing, backpack, and tools found with him.  The dude is over 5,000 years old!  It's amazing what scientists have been able to piece together about him, and some of the theories have even changed a bit as technology improves.  (He was found in 1991, and teams of researchers from around the world have done a lot of study on him, as you can imagine.)  The town of Bolzano is gorgeous, and it was a nice, sunny day, so we enjoyed walking around and eating gelato before getting back into the Suburban to hit the road.

The next part of the drive took us into Austria and the Alps--oh!  A dream come true!  I've always wanted to drive through the Alps, but not necessarily in winter, LOL!  The scenery was incredible, as expected, though the drive was a bit harrowing for Ted in our Suburban.  Of course he did great, and we arrived at our apartment location a little after 5pm.  The apartment was part of a ranch/stable area that offers riding lessons and various options for horseback riding, which we weren't able to take advantage of, much to the girls' chagrin.  But it was a beautiful location, and we got a good deal on it, plus had the opportunity to make our own meals, which helped us save some money.

We spent two nights there--the first night was kind of a nightmare start, with Zaden absolutely WIRED.  We had requested a crib, but there wasn't any...we attempted to put Zaden in a lower bunk bed (there were 3 bunk beds in the room adjoining Ted's and my room), but Zaden was obviously not ready for that.  We ended up putting the little cushion from the love seat on the floor beside my side of the bed, and he fell asleep with me rubbing his back and holding his head down so he couldn't pop up!  Whew!  FINALLY everyone got to sleep!

R&B Month Wrap-Up

Confession time: We finished Rice & Beans month meals two days early so that we could leave on our much-anticipated family vacation, our first road trip since moving to Europe!  Nevertheless, I feel we accomplished a good thing as a family, and before I begin recording our family adventures on the road, I wanted to take time to process a few of the lessons we've learned...or at least, a few things that have been on my mind personally throughout this experience.

FOOD
Two years ago our family began a 9-10 month period following the GAPS diet.  It was something Ted and I both felt that God wanted us to do--even though physically speaking, we didn't have any particular need (though we were initially trying it to see if it would help with the boys' allergy/asthma symptoms).  We read and read and read some more, trying to make sense of various conflicting theories about what foods are and aren't healthy for us.  (Wheat?  No wheat?  Soaked and sprouted wheat?)  Our GAPS journey is a "whole 'nother story," as some might say, but I feel our experience with GAPS eating is an important backdrop to the whole food issue of Rice & Beans month.

Rice, especially white rice, has not received great press in the health food world lately.  But it's cheap--at least where we are.  (Did you know some folks in parts of the world can't afford rice and it is actually a luxury?)  I confess I struggled quite a bit with how much rice we would be consuming during our 4-week R&B diet.  We've resumed eating rice, pasta, and other grains following our GAPS stint, but it has been pretty sparing.  So I wasn't sure what to think about all this.

But you know what?  I did what I could with what I had.  I soaked and rinsed our rice, then cooked it (usually in bulk a couple of times a week), ate it, and thanked God for it.  I set aside the prejudices I had against this particular food in favor of pursuing something more far-reaching.

So my thought on the FOOD part of Rice & Beans month is this: we over think this issue waaaaaaay too much.  We have SO much variety and access to SO many good, healthy options (yes, and many unhealthy options too!) that we often become paralyzed by and obsessed with our choices.  Do I believe we need to practice good nutrition habits?  Of course.  And sure, it helps to read and stay informed.  But the food people of the world change their recommendations every decade, if not more frequently.  So I'm not going to get too spun up about what the latest health craze is.  I will feed my family, making the best decisions I can depending on our location at the time, and we will thank God for whatever it is we eat, trusting that we can glorify Him whether we are consuming a mound of white rice or a hill of vegetables.

TIME VS. MONEY
One thing about our meal plan over the past month...it didn't involve any pre-packaged food options!  I confess I've fallen into the habit of having some frozen meals on hand and prepared sauces for "those" days when we are running around and/or I'm just too spent to cook from scratch.  Those weren't an option for us, because I know they are budget-busters.  I bought dried beans (mostly--I did have to use some canned black beans, but only because the commissary doesn't carry plain dried black beans), soaked and cooked them in bulk, and then put them in containers in the fridge or freezer.  I made sure we had homemade bread for lunch sandwiches.  I made soup.  I made flatbread.  I made hummus.  I made pita pockets.  I washed, peeled, and chopped veggies.

I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen.

And while I was mixing, peeling, or chopping, I had a lot of time to think.  Using prepared foods CAN be a great time-saver.  But...what do I do with the time I save?  Do I invest that into God's kingdom purposes?  One of our goals for R&B month was to see a savings in our grocery budget, which we will then share with our friends at Lahash to use to help care for God's children who are in need.  Saving money to give away is a pretty tangible result of R&B month.  Saving time to give away...well, it's harder to measure, for one thing, but I had to realize that on the days I have "easy" meals...let's be honest.  That extra time is usually spent on ME!  It's been a long day; I'm too tired to cook; so obviously I'll pop in this frozen dinner so I can sit down and put my feet up and spend some "quality time" online!

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that.  I think busy wives and moms need some quick and easy meal options in our hectic world.  But I was convicted about being more purposeful in the way I spend my time...just as I was being purposeful about choosing the least expensive meal options so that we could cut back on our grocery spending.

TRUE SACRIFICE
I have to be honest...there weren't too many times I felt THAT deprived during R&B month!  We found some great recipes (a couple of duds, too, but we managed), and there was always plenty to eat.  We did cut way back on the times we allowed ourselves snacks, and post-dinner eating was pretty much non-existent.  So...ok, I did miss cookies and desserts!  And there were some afternoons that I really, REALLY wanted a snack...but since I had to start cooking earlier than usual, I often found that keeping busy (while drinking incredible amounts of water) helped keep my mind off my tummy rumblings.

Having some celebration meals probably helped with not feeling deprived, but I also thought a lot about how much we DO have.  I have an indoor stove!  I have an oven!  I have a refrigerator!  (Two, actually.)  I have lots of freezer space!  I have a microwave!  I have running water!  I have plenty of kitchen utensils!  I have lots of table space for my family to sit around!

Where's the sacrifice in THAT?!  If I REALLY want to identify with the way folks in other parts of the world live, well, I think a lot more would have to change than simply our food choices.

As I mentioned in a previous post, despite all our blessings, we, like the children of Israel, did some grumbling.

And so the final lesson I'll share here is an ongoing one.  We are learning to offer a true sacrifice of praise, learning to be living sacrifices.  Praising God when we feel like complaining...giving Him glory when we're grumpy...choosing to love the ones around us even when they are driving us up the wall...these things may seem little, but really, such actions are indeed sacrifices!  In order to fully pursue Christ, we sacrifice our earthly, fleshly desires and tendencies, nailing them to the cross, begging for God's mercy to make us more like Jesus.  The exposure of ugly attitudes beneath a veneer of self-righteousness is a painful one, but it, too, is a sacrifice...one that leads to repentance and transformation when we are willing to humble ourselves before a God who gave the Ultimate Sacrifice for us.

CONCLUSION
So.  R&B month for us is officially over for 2013.  Will we do it again in 2014?  Our current plan is YES!  When all was said and done, the kids agreed that it wasn't so bad after all, and there were parts they actually kind of liked!  Lord willing, we will join with the larger Rice & Beans community during the month of March and enjoy sharing the experience with folks across the world who are doing this together.

Now for the exciting part.  This to me was pretty unbelievable...although our numbers may be a bit skewed since we didn't actually purchase R&B groceries for a FULL month.  Plus, leaving for vacation at the end of our experience meant that I also made an effort to simply use up what we had in the fridge, meaning I spent much less on groceries our final week than I may have otherwise.

But still.

Our total savings on groceries and eating out (or not) for the month...

...Our total savings that we get to share with our friends at Lahash...

...Drum roll, please...

$620.21!!!

How exciting is that?!  One final lesson, I guess I should add here, is that obviously I can be more diligent about cutting back a bit more regularly on the grocery/restaurant part of our budget!

To God be the glory!

This Attitude Brought to You by...Rice & Beans Month

So we are at the 3/4 mark of our own family adventure with R&B Month.  While I doubt we've been as stringent as we probably could be, I'd like to think it's been a good learning experience overall.  Arden has discovered (to his great delight) that he really, really enjoys R&B recipes.  (Only one has been a bit of a dud for him, and truthfully, the rest of us weren't that impressed either.  Oh, Caribbean Black Beans, you sounded so good in the recipe book!)  Even Zaden has eaten many a dish with gusto, leaving starchy rice trails on his booster chair and smearing beans in his hair when his tummy is full.  Charis is proving that a growth spurt is surely on the way as she scarfs down three tortillas stuffed with whatever the day's concoction happens to be.  As for the others...well, while some dishes are well received, let's just say we are thankful that we nearly always have carrots and Ranch dip and/or apples and peanut butter on hand.

But Rice & Beans Month is about much more than the food.  And this is where it gets...interesting.

I would love to tell you that we gather as a family each night around the table or in the family room, reading our daily devotional from A Common Meal, praying for people around the world and making altruistic advances as we are overcome with gratitude for our blessings and the realization that so many needs are all around us.

But that would be a lie.

Our R&B devotional times are hit and miss...we can only pray that we "hit" the ones that God doesn't want us to miss.

Our tummies grumble throughout the day.  Oh, we're not even close to starving, even though it sounds like it from the whining echoing through the house (or car).  We've consciously tried to limit snacks, reminding the kids to "fill up" at meal time, and invariably the parental lecturing gene will kick in as we remind the kids that we enjoy 3 meals a day while others can't count on even 1 or 2 meals a day, let alone snacks.  And the words bounce off their pouty lips and glazed eyes, seemingly unheeded as a child reiterates, "But I'm HUNGRY!"

Our lack of thankfulness is appalling, given that we come face to face DAILY with blatant reminders of the abundance, even excess, that we enjoy/take for granted in so many ways.  And here my finger points at myself as much as or even more than at my offspring--instead of being grateful that my needs are constantly met, I focus on what petty little issue is bothering me at the moment.  (In case you were wondering, it currently happens to be the 16 or so mosquito bites on my face and neck.)

And the ATTITUDES!  Ouch.  A few nights ago our family dinner time involved one of the children sulking upstairs while the parents angrily stabbed their bites of food, barely concentrating on what the other children were discussing around the table as we tried to calm down and figure out how to deal with said sulker.  Thank the Lord for intervening--before we finished eating, a tearful apology was given and gratefully accepted, paving the way for some teaching moments.

Such moments come more frequently, I'm learning, when we are completely out of our comfort zone.  Let's face it, being hungry often leads to being crabby.  Even though we are conscious of the fact that food WILL be forthcoming, sibling arguments happen alarmingly close to the dinner hour.  It has not been uncommon for me to hear yelling and doors slamming right when I'm trying to put a new recipe together for the evening meal.  We've dealt with a level of disrespect and anger towards one another that is amazingly escalated--frankly, it's ugly.  It grieves my heart, because not only do I deal with it in the children, but also within myself.

I'm reminded that we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood.

We may be feeling hungry physically; we may be tired of a more simple diet.  We may be frustrated that friends around us are eating snacks and treats while we say, "No, thanks."

But that isn't the reason we struggle and strive against one another.  At least, I have become convinced that it's not.  While I can't prove this is the case, I am quite sure that our enemy is prowling around like a roaring lion, and we've inadvertently issued him a battle invitation:

Because we are deliberately choosing a period of denying self to follow Christ more closely.
Because we are doing something counter to what the world says is normal.
Because we have eternity in our hearts and desire to purge more of the temporal from our "must have" list.

Luke 4 says that Jesus was led into the wilderness, where for 40 days He was tempted by the devil.  He ate nothing for those 40 days, and at the end of them, "He was hungry."  (I'm guessing that is one of the biggest understatements in the Bible.)

Note that Satan didn't wait for those 40 days to conclude before he tempted Jesus...no, the temptations were going on the whole time.  And I'm willing to bet that the hunger pangs didn't wait 40 days to kick in, either.  I'm pretty sure Jesus felt those the whole time, too.  But in a time of extreme vulnerability, Jesus never sinned.  Never sulked. Never complained.  Never lashed out.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:15-16

My family and I are not starving in the wilderness, but we DO face temptation every day--as all people do, whether our bellies are full or not.  During this particular season as we experience R&B month, we find ourselves more acutely aware of the spiritual struggle that is ever present.  And while the teaching moments that "hit" may be less frequent than the ones that "miss," by God's mercy and grace, we ARE learning.  We ARE growing.  We ARE maturing.

Even while our stomachs are growling...no, especially while they're growling! :-)

Rice & Beans Month: What It Looks Like

In my last post, I discussed how we learned about R&B month and why we decided to participate.  Today I'll discuss a bit of the "how."

When our family began discussing whether to participate in this strange venture, I started by asking my friend India how her family "did" Rice & Beans month.  Did they ONLY eat rice and bean meals, meaning breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?  Or what?  She graciously took time to send me her own personal notes over the past several years' experience with this project.

I'm thankful for her input, because...being who I am...I probably could have easily become Pharisaical about this effort.  I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of person, and I like rules and guidelines that I can check off. That is NOT what R&B month is about, and I was grateful to see that the M family's experience varied greatly over the years.

I also read testimonials in the recipe/devotional book, A Common Meal: Reflections and Recipes for Rice & Beans Month.  I checked out the web site and the Facebook page, scouring to find ideas and encouragement from past participants.  I even began making some tentative meal plans.

And then we found out Ted was going TDY (temporary duty assignment) to Texas for 6 weeks, leaving March 1.

Um, yeah.

I decided I was NOT going to do this without him!  So we talked it over and agreed that we would postpone our own R&B month until sometime after his return.

And somehow the time between April 14 (his arrival back in Italy) and Mother's Day just FLEW!  As we looked at the calendar and saw summer and vacation plans looming, we realized that we had better get serious and just do this thing...or else give it up as a lost cause for 2013 and plan to participate next year.

Well, we had already begun discussions with the kids earlier in the year, so we felt accountable to follow through.  And we felt strongly that God has some lessons for us to learn, no matter how this first fumbling attempt turns out.

So we began the day after Mother's Day.  For us, R&B month looks like this:

• 4 weeks of 6 days each
• One "Celebration Day" each week, during which we are free to eat whatever the kids deem necessary for survival--they are taking turns planning meals!
• The Celebration Day also helps us allow for special outings/events.

Our "food rules" (which, frankly, are held pretty loosely) for the 6 days of R&B meals are as follows:

• No meat
• No junk (pre-processed foods)
• No snacks
• No desserts
• Limited dairy (I do have younger kiddos who still get their milk, and maybe once a week we will have a meal where I sparingly grate cheese over, say, a black bean burger patty or meatless chili.)

So do we NEVER get snacks?  Well, no.  I try to take into consideration what our activities are that day, plus whatever was served for lunch.  If I ONLY serve lentil stew and rice...and I know two of the kids really do not like lentil stew...well, we have sliced apples and peanut butter for a snack.

And do I really not use ANY pre-processed foods?  Well, no.  I decided to use up whatever cereal we had in the pantry, for example, but encourage oatmeal, grits, or breakfast rice (rice heated with milk, honey, cinnamon, raisins, whatever) when possible.  And I have not been able to find dried black beans that aren't in a soup mix at the commissary, so I've used canned black beans.  All our other beans are dried, though, and I soak and cook them in bulk.  I bake our own bread, which we use for PBJs since we are meat-free and doing very limited dairy.  I've popped stovetop popcorn in bulk--we have it for our family movie night, and then I do a few ziplock bags full for having for picnics (or, yes, snacks!) the next week.  

So this is how it has gone for us so far, and we are closing in on the end of week 2 already!  I must confess that I feel like we could be a lot more stringent...I'm at least trying to be a BIT harder on myself than the kids (I don't always have snacks when they do, for example, even though I could probably easily justify it with the pregnancy...and I do that occasionally, too!).  But considering this is our first attempt, and considering we aren't doing this in community with other R&Bers at the same time, I think we are doing all right!

Next R&B post: Some of the lessons we've been learning!

Of Rice, Beans, and Child Sponsorship

Over a year ago through some friends of ours I was introduced to Lahash International, an organization that partners with local ministries in Eastern Africa to "bring good news and holistic care to children in need."  I read about the Main family's involvement with Lahash's Rice & Beans Month and couldn't help but be intrigued.  I tucked away the idea for future reference and went on with my life...which at the time included waiting desperately for the last couple of months of a very long deployment to come to an end.

A few weeks after Ted's return from Afghanistan we ventured on a mega road trip that included serving at the Commission 2012 summer youth camp in Idaho, where I devoured a book called The Hole in Our Gospel during camp week.  Richard Stearns, CEO of World Vision USA, is the author, so already I had an intrinsic desire to read the book--we've been child sponsors through World Vision since my college days.  I'll write more at a later date about this book and the path it started me on (well, me and my dear hubby, who has been a fairly willing participant in my journey!), but I wanted to at least note the book here, because it definitely played a role in some steps our family began to take last fall.

Enter once again the Main family.  We received a letter from them detailing a great adventure--three of them would be traveling to Uganda to meet with their sponsored boy!  The team visit would coincide with the dedication of a new family-style house that would be home to a number of sponsored children and their care givers as well as a weekend camp-style retreat that volunteers were organizing for the kids.  At the same time the Mains were raising funds for their travels, their son Daniel decided to do a fundraiser of his own to help raise money for the Amazing Grace Children's Home project.  "Hoops for Homes" was a fun and inspired way for him to use his talent with a basketball and get his community involved in donating as well.

Cue our own family's interest and creativity...meanwhile, we were settling in a bit into life here in Italy, living in a two-bedroom apartment while waiting for a more permanent living situation to open up.  With some extra time (if not space) on our hands, Charis decided to begin her own fundraiser, "Bears for Bricks."  We cheered her on (and indulged her need to knit during school read-aloud time) as she knitted almost 40 bears.  (As an aside...now that we've finished the fundraiser, I really have NO IDEA how much money she raised, but I'm so proud of her for sticking with it and carrying out her vision to make this happen!)

The more we read about the Main family's Uganda trip preparations, and the more we read about Lahash as an organization, the more convinced we became that our family needed to get in on the exciting things God has been doing in East Africa!  In November we officially became sponsors of 5 children at AGCH, all of whom India, John, and Josiah got to meet when they went on their trip.

Sponsoring Godfrey, Jesca, Oliver, Morris, Kani, and (just recently) Sarah has been an incredible gateway for our kids' eyes to be opened to the vast needs in the world around us.  Our kids have never truly known what it is to be "starving" (though they would argue that fact an hour before dinner).  They have never lacked for clothing.  They have never hurt for living space, despite a bigger-than-average family size.  They don't have to walk anywhere to fetch water; they have hours of free time that in other parts of the world would find them slaving over basic survival tasks.

The J kids have connected with their new friends in East Africa by writing letters back and forth and seeing their pictures, both in the mail and online through blogs, Facebook groups, etc.  When we learned that "our" kids were having to walk over a mile each way for decent water, we were motivated by love and concern to spread the word about Lahash's need for funds for drilling a well on the AGCH property.  When we saw pictures of Godfrey and Jesca with the mattresses they received for Christmas--and when it dawned on the kids that this was the FIRST TIME these kids have been able to sleep comfortably on a regular basis--well, that was a powerful teaching moment.  When we saw the smiles of Oliver, Morris, and Kani as they held up their backpacks or proudly modeled new clothes, we felt their joy while at the same time feeling somewhat ashamed of whatever our complaint-of-the-day happened to be.

So it seemed a natural step for our family to join with Lahash in observing Rice & Beans Month.

1. Solidarity--joining with our friends around the world who don't have the options and variety that we enjoy in their food habits.
2. Simplicity--getting rid of excesses and non-essentials so we can focus on what's really important.
3. Sharing--simplifying our diets so that we can share our extra resources to help meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable children across East Africa.

I need to wrap this up...a delicious concoction known as "Dan's Ginger & Zucchini Beans" is simmering on the stove, and it's time for me to heat up some rice to go with it!  In my next post, I'll write in detail about Rice & Beans Month...how our family is approaching it this year and some of our personal thoughts about the experience.

Cuma

One of two possible locations for Sybil, the oracle of Greek legends, and the legendary site of Daedalus and his ill-fated son Icarus (who flew too close to the sun so that it melted the wax on his wings), Cuma's ruins are less than a 15-minute drive from our house.  This was another great place to explore, although it took much more time and energy than our trip to Capua the day before!  It was good we went early, as it turned out to be a very hot day, and busloads of kids swarmed the grounds as we were making our descent from the temple ruins at the top of the hillside overlooking the coast and the islands of Procida and Ischia.

Just outside the trapezoid-shaped tunnel that supposedly led to the oracle.

Headed up the hillside to see the ruins.

Beautiful walkway!

Had to grab a Sonlight book to review Greek mythology!

If I remember correctly...this was formerly a temple to the sun god? 

Posing like statues!

Getting amorous in the temple of Jove!

Ceremonial well

Capua Amphitheater

One of our day trips during Ted's brief leave time following his Texas TDY was to the second-biggest Roman amphitheater in Italy (after Rome's Colosseum).  This is where Spartacus became famous!  It is less than an hour's drive from our home, and it was the perfect place to spend a morning exploring.  The weather was beautiful--starting to get hot by the time we left.  The spaces underground were nice and cool, though, so I can see this being a fun place to go in the summer with a picnic lunch!  The kids had so much fun playing hide and seek!  Since children are free to enter, we only paid a few euros...parking was free and available on the street, easy to access since we were there on a weekday before lunch.  I'm sure we'll be back with visitors someday!

Just outside the entrance...gives an idea of how big it is. The building to the right is a small museum.

Overlooking the arena

Underneath the arena--love this shot!  You can see why the kids enjoyed exploring it so!

Nice picture, Ted!!

Too bad I didn't think of having my baby belly photo bomb this picture!

Kenna and Charis look at the replica of what is and what (likely) was.

Real armor! Tobin says, "I gotta get me some of those!"

Catch-Up Post

Oh. My. Goodness!  Time to update!  Bullet highlights time with more detailed posts to follow...

• We survived a 6-week separation while Ted was in Texas for training for his new job.  He returned April 14.  Woohoo!
• During his absence, Lucan turned 4!

• Ted got to celebrate his birthday and Easter with his family in Colorado.  It was a quick trip but a blessing for all of them.
• He also spent a weekend with dear friends of ours, Chas and Melinda P.
• While he was gone, Charis and I went to Paris for a weekend with two other moms and 3 daughters.  Wonderful families took care of my other 5 children, and I welcomed the break and the opportunity to have some girl time with friends and my firstborn!

• Tobin turned 11 the day before Ted returned home, so we waited a bit to celebrate together.

• The week after Ted came home we had our ultrasound and learned we are having another BOY!
• Ted had to hit the office immediately and was put to work...not even allowing time for jet lag recovery!
• But the second week he was home he did manage to get a few days of leave time, so we took some day trips.
• First day trip:  Capua Amphitheater, an ancient gladiator training school.  So fun to explore!
• Second trip:  Cuma, Greek ruins close to the coast.
• Third: We left the younger 3 with a babysitter and took the older ones downtown to see the Naples Archaeological Museum and then take the Naples Underground tour.
• We finally finished Year 2 of American History and took some time off school.
• Our next box of curriculum--covering the Eastern Hemisphere--arrived, and we got a slow but eager start...might as well keep on rolling since we already know we'll need some time off for traveling this summer and when the baby comes.
• Our semester of PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) studies wrapped up, so my teaching duties (The Hole in Our Gospel) are over.
• However...I kept pretty busy planning "Slaves No More," a mini-conference about human trafficking that we hosted this past Friday night.  God is so good!!  Can't wait to tell you about this event!
• We celebrated Mother's Day in a low-key way yesterday, opting to forego an expensive dinner out and instead stay home and simplify.  The kids decided the movie Brave was a good Mother's Day themed choice, so my gifts included the movie (which we of course watched!), beautiful flowers, and a crocheted hat from Charis!

And that about summarizes the last 5-6 weeks or so!  I'll try to post more pics and details about our adventures in days to come, but at least this helps get me caught up so when I look back there isn't quite as big of a gaping hole in the 2013 journaling!