Making Your House a Home

Christmas was wonderful in many ways. But before I bombard you with all the stories, memories and photos of happy, tired and sugared-up children, I wanted to honor my mom for how her hospitality (with much much help from my dad) made our Christmas so special. From all the food & treats she prepared to how she decorated her home...she once again, out did herself. She has truly made her house a home...(and has given me many good ideas for mine). Here are some photos of the little things in my parents home that make it so special for me & my family. Thanks mom and dad, for putting up with our family of 5 for 5 days. All the little things you did, did not go unnoticed! And for Jonathan. I know you will also enjoy these photos. We missed you this Christmas...stay safe little brother!

And I cannot forget my angel...yes. If there ever was an ugly angel...it would be this one. I made it when I was little and the fact that it still hangs on my mom & dads tree after all these years shows they must really love me!

Merry Christmas 2009!

I'm signing off for the holiday & wanted to wish everyone a very joyful and merry Christmas! Christmas has so much more meaning to me now...knowing that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, my Savior, the light of my life, the source of my joy and the giver of my peace. I cannot wait to wake up next to my love and whisper "merry Christmas" to each other followed by a kiss. I cannot wait to view the excitement & sparkle in my children's eyes on Christmas morning...hearing them scream with delight as they open their gifts. May your memories be sweet and cause you to reflect on God's unmistakeable love this Christmas!! And to my brother in Iraq...we will miss you so much this Christmas. You will be on our hearts and minds all through the holiday. We pray you will be in good company and we thank you for the sacrafice you are making to guard and protect our country...so that me, my family and all of us can enjoy this special holy-day.
With much love....The 5 Happy Roths

SNOW!!

I think they say we got 15 inches. It made me feel like I was back home on Grand Island. The kids went outside when the storm began but were back inside in 20 minutes..."Too Cooold!" they said. We spent all day Saturday inside watching tv and reading books. It wasn't so bad except I was freeeeezin inside and had a bad cold...and the kids were quite antsy and making me...CRAAAZY!!! Thanks to my honey for shoveling us out the next morning. He enjoyed his snow thrower as he slid down the driveway holding on tight to it. Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas with the Roths at Nana & Poppy's home in Lancaster. They will be driving to Florida tomorrow. The food was amazing & the kids enjoyed all of their gifts. Here's a shot of them sledding in the backyard. Thanks again to Nana & Poppy for having us all over...for the great meal & all the gifts!

Santa...or No Santa?

Is this little guy the cutest santa you've ever seen or what! It made me think of what our stance is on including Santa in Christmas.
Everyone has different opinions and many are even quite passionate about this topic. Positions range from trying to keep the kids believing in Santa as long as they can possibly pull it off by writing the kids letters and leaving santa's footprints as evidence around the house... to never mentioning Santa's name and even scorning the jolly ol' elf, considering him evil. I would hold neither of those positions. My point in writing this is not to offend anyone or judge anyone in their "Santa position"...but only to share my thoughts on what our family does.
I grew up believing until my best friend Julie told me I was foolish for believing. I remember seeing Rudolf's red nose in the sky while driving home from Grandma & Papa's Christmas Eve. I remember leaving cookies & milk on the fireplace for santa & even carrots for the reindeer (since mom is such an animal-lover). I remember wonderful Christmas mornings, running down the stairs to find every single gift I wanted for Christmas. I have many wonderful memories & I am grateful to my mom & dad for making those memories for us.
When I first became a Christian (and before kids) I remember thinking that we would certainly not include santa in our Christmas traditions. But as Madison started to get older we were forced to figure out how it would work for our family in a way that the kids would enjoy sweet Christmas memories but never shove off the true meaning of Christmas for false beliefs. Our friends Andy & Paula helped us by sharing what they do for Christmas. They never did or said things to make up stories about Santa but for example when their kids would ask a question like, "How does Santa get into our home since we don't have a chimney?" They would simply ask the child, "Well what do you think?" So through the years our kids are quite aware of the real meaning of Christmas but also enjoy the fun stories about Santa they see on TV. Here was the conversation at our home the other day:
Adrienne: "Matthew, you are going to be put on the naughty list."
Matthew:  "There is no such thing as a naughty list."
Me: "Does God have a naughty list?" ..."If He did, we would ALL be on it. Thankfully Jesus died to remove us from the naughty list."
Our desire is that the joy & excitement they feel for Christmas would not only be from seeing family, getting presents, eating cookies, but also from knowing the truth of Christmas...the amazing truth that God came to earth as a helpless baby, humbling himself to come near to all of us...because this very truth is the ONLY thing that can bring lasting peace & joy. So Santa for us...yeah, a little. We have started to created our own memories the past few Christmases. Like cutting our own tree at Linvilla, going to the Christmas concert and Christmas Eve Service at our church, followed by going to Dunkin Donuts in our jammies and driving around looking at all the lights and ending the night by reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke to the kids. I am getting excited just typing it! I'll end with a letter to Santa...
Dear Santa,
We love seeing you at Christmas time. You are happy, jolly and plump. But the 5 happy Roths are sorry. We will not make you the center of our Christmas holiday nor the reason for our joy. For there is One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He holds our devotion...not you. So you can continue to make your fun TV shows and movies & we will enjoy them. Thanks for all the memories, but Jesus is the reason for the season!!
Your friends,
The Five Happy Roths

What A Guy Wants

Guess who got this for Christmas?

And of course this would not fit inside of this...

So I said...can we buy one of these?

It is ONLY $689?

(about the same price as the TV itself)

                         Ummm...No.

Not if we want to be REALLY poor after Christmas is all over.

So I took another trip to...

And bought a really old, dusty, brown TV stand that was ugly as ugly can get, took out the top drawer to make room for the cable box, painted it white, gave it a new set of knobs...and voila! TV stand which I love, love, love for $30!!!

I  really enjoy these little projects for my home. I was able to make this TV stand exactly the way I wanted it and saved money by not buying a brand new one. The storage underneath will hold all of our DVD's . It is still drying but I am looking forward to putting it in the house just in time for Christmas! So while Bill will be enjoying watching Survivorman in HD on his new TV...I'll be happy looking at my pretty white cabinet underneath...(wearing the brand new fuzzy jammies he bought for me for Christmas..Hint Hint ;)

**PS: Anyone interested in a TV cabinet??

Christmas Play 2009

Here is a little movie I made from the Christmas play footage Bill took last Saturday. The first part is Madison singing as an angel on the end. This was the start of the play so you can see her hands folded nicely in front. Towards the end it was difficult for her to stand still (it would have been difficult for me!) but she did an excellent job. The angels danced next. Madison is in the group on the left, her hair pulled back in a french braid & she has yellow ribbon in her hands. Adrienne was really bummed she wasn't a pretty angel. She is on the left side with a cute pink hat & white sweater. In the end they all were supposed to stay on their backs until the lights went out...but Adrienne really wanted to make sure we all saw her. She was the best pouty shopper out there! I really enjoyed teaching Adriennes group & helping out with the angels. Enjoy the video!

The Christmas Tree

It was a busy weekend! On Friday we went to Linvilla for our annual hayride to cut down our Christmas tree. You'll notice it's alot smaller than the giant "bush" we cut down last year.It was really cold and really crowded...but lots of fun nonetheless.  We brought it home, decorated it and drank hot chocolate, and then Bill sat with the kids when it was all done & played "I Spy" Christmas ornaments. Here are some pics. On Saturday the girls participated in the COMPASS Christmas Play. Madison sang in the chorus and danced as an angel and Adrienne danced as a pouty shopper. I will post the videos soon.

The BEST Bible for Kids

Every morning since September I have read the Jesus Storybook Bible to the kids while they happily slurp down their cereal. It is a great book. The pictures are so colorful and each bible story always ties into the gospel. We finished the final story yesterday. It was from the book of Revelation where the apostle John, while in prison, receives a vision from the Lord. It tells of a new heaven and a new earth...no more pain...no more suffering. The last page paraphrased John 1:12-13.
"For anyone who says yes to Jesus
For anyone who believes what Jesus said
For anyone who will just reach out to take it
Then God will give them this wonderful gift:
To be born into A whole new life
To be who they really are
Who God always made them to be-
Their own true selves-
God's dear child.
Because you see, the most wonderful thing about this story is- it's your story too!"

Adrienne shouted "Read it again!"...and they all clapped and cheered...so did I.
(Here's the link to the book on Amazon.com)

Camden Aquarium

Since the week of Thanksgiving is a short school week, we decided to do a field trip to the Camden Aquarium. We are learning about ocean animals in science so I thought this would be a good way to bring it all together for the kids. It was fantastic! We went in the morning & there was hardly anyone there! It took us 2 and a half hours to see and do everything. The kids touched sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish. They watched a seal & walrus show, saw the penguins, and even met Bumble from the Rudolf Christmas show. Here are some shots of our day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The kids REALLY wanted me to make another fun video with our faces in it for Thanksgiving. But It wasn't free anymore so I chose this one instead. The really grumpy cranberries cracked us up...(although I had to warn the kids that this kind of language was not appropriate, and that a "tart" is a sweet dessert :). We will be spending Thanksgiving at Nana & Poppy's home in Lancaster. Wishing all my friends & family a Happy Thanksgiving & my brother in Iraq. Wishing we could all be together! Enjoy the video...eating cranberries may never be as enjoyable anymore!

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Praying for Amanda

This weekend was quite busy for the Roths. Bill's sister Jennifer arrived with her daughter Taleah & son Efrem from Florida so yesterday we went to get family pictures taken...but one family was missing. Amanda was admitted to the hospital with a fever and belly pain to rule out appendicitis. Hopefully all the tests will show that it is just a UTI. We all went to visit her in the hospital since she was pretty upset she couldn't be with all her cousins. After that we went to Nana and Poppy's house to have a party for Taleah who turned 6 on the 16th and Efrem who will turn 4 on Dec 1st. The kids had a blast...but we missed you Amanda! We pray you feel better today!
UPDATE**Amanda was released from the Hospital just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with us! God answers prayers! Wednesday night we prayed before dinner that her fever would end & the doctors would release her...and that is what happened! Praise God!**

Lessons From the Soccer Field

Soccer season for the girls seems never ending as they have had to reschedule games and reschedule the rescheduled games due to rain every Saturday morning. I have enjoyed seeing Madison and Adrienne improve with each game. Adrienne's team especially. The girls have learned how to play their positions instead of running all over the field exhausted. This made me think of the book I am reading by Mark Chanski called "Womanly Dominion". He talks about the importance of women playing their positions.
On p.21 he says, "everyday, women, unlike men, face an additional fierce life challenge. Due to high-powered feminist social pressures, they've got to keep telling themselves, 'Play your position!' On the field of life, women hear constant shouts from unprincipled sideline voices telling them to leave their God-assigned posts. These voices are much like the voices of misguided parents telling their goalie daughter to 'Get the ball, honey, and try to dribble down the field and score!'" Then he goes on to say..."She's been assigned a glorious and important position in this world. But the sideline voices attempt to drown out her Lord's words of instruction."
Could this be a reason why women are less happy these days? TIME magazine reported that "Among the most confounding changes of all is the evidence, tracked by numerous surveys, that as women have gained more freedom, more education and more economic power, they have become less happy". Today, as traditional, conservative values are mocked as being old fashioned, irrelevent, ancient and not "progressive" enough...it surely makes you think...maybe many "old fashioned" views and values weren't so wrong or "ancient" after all. Could it be that many women are finding a fulfilling life right at home, caring for their families...I think so. I am one of them.

3 Little Dolls

So we did a little shopping this weekend and while at a furniture store, we found these 3 cute little dolls sitting on a chair. Would anyone like to have them as a Christmas gift? Any takers??

Fun With Boxes

I recently downloaded this video onto my computer and thought I would share it. Our neighboors must think we are absolutely crazy!! Enjoy!!!

Bye Bye Facebook

After a difficult discussion with Bill last night, I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. This was a very hard decision for me. I loved seeing old friends, pictures of new babies, and reading friends comments & status. The problem was...I loved it too much. I have to confess, I was not a casual facebooker like many I know who check it once a week or so or post a picture every now and then. I checked facebook atleast 3 times a day, and maybe twice on weekends. It began to take time away from teaching the kids, correcting the kids, enjoying the kids, talking with Bill, greeting him at the door, making phone calls, cleaning the house...you get the point. If I had more self control (the Lord knows I have been praying for more for some time now), I could keep my account and just not be on the computer so much. So I thought this would be a good way to guard my time better...just get rid of the temptation all together. I am a bit bummed I won't be able to check up on all my friends and family...I guess I will just start using the telephone and email again!!!

Change of Heart

Here is a good article about a director of Planned Parenthood who quits her job and joins a pro-life group after seeing an abortion performed on an ultrasound. Check it out...Here.

Halloween Pics

Well, despite the rain, the kids had fun trick-or-treating in their costumes. Earlier we went to Olive Garden for soup & salad for my birthday...so as soon as we got home we ran around putting costumes on & getting dressed. Hip-Hop even joined us for a bit which was a real treat. During the day we carved and painted pumpkins, toasted the seeds and had a great time. Here are some pictures...enjoy!

Halloween Gifts

Thanks to Gege and Papa for the special Halloween package that arrived today. Here is my first attempt at movie making...I hope you like it.

Happy Halloween Video

Check out the 5 happy Roths in their family video debut, "Monster Mash".
The kids really enjoyed watching themselves on the video (except Madison was actually a little scared by the whole thing).

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Photo Contest

Ok everyone...here's the challenge. Whoever can guess where these pictures were taken wins a 76ers hat...(I hope that's ok honey ;) By the way Bill, you cannot participate. So here they are and let the guessing begin!!!

Wasting Time

As the weather gets colder and we spend more time inside I have a tendancy to waste time. By nature I am a procrastinator and an excellent waster of time. I love a good nap, time to rest, time to relax under a warm blanket, figuring out a way to keep my hand warm as I endlessly switch channels on the TV. I don't mind rainy days because they give me more of a reason to rest and relax. The computer sort of follows this pattern as I can really enjoy reading my favorite blogs, reading comments, facebook, searching websites for a cute pair of jeans or finding the best deal on home furnishings. Computer time is just another outlet for me to relax, tune out...waste time. Don't get me wrong, much that I do on the computer is for good things...homeschooling resources, COMPASS responsibilities, emails, staying in touch with family. I think this video really helped me understand how I need to be careful and guard my time better and have more self control to do the things that God would consider important. Check out the point Joshua Harris makes about time on the computer. I thought it was an excellent point...especially for someone like me.

Hip-Hop's Friend

Hip-Hop did a reading program at at Lancaster school this morning and met a new friend. Triangle Man was a big help for Hip-Hop today & I heard they got along like brothers...(a little hint for those of you who were wondering who is Triangle Man). All I have to say is you better be on your best behavior John...cause I got some incriminating pictures...haha!

Happy 25th CFC

Saturday night Bill, myself & Matthew went to our church's 25th Anniversary Celebration. It was AWESOME!!!! We sang songs from the 80's, 90's & 2000's and my heart was filled with JOY to the brim! Their were funny videos of our pastors, testimonies from friends and church members...it was so great. Even though Bill and I have only been members since 2001, it felt like we were witnessing our own history. It was like God was revealing His faithfulness as He was growing our church. There are so many reasons we love our church. The people, our dearest friends. The teaching: each Sunday the bible and the gospel message is delivered in ways to help us in every area of our lives with humility from our pastors. Children's Ministry: teachers devoted to teach the gospel to our kids in a clear & loving way. This and so much more! We left Full Gospel in Brookhaven, a church we got saved in , married in, baptized in & dedicated Madison in, a church we loved. This was in 2001 after we had Madison and desired a church that had more of a family feel. My girlfriend Tracy told us about Covenant Fellowship so we tried it out the next week. As we drove up into the parking lot, young men directed us into a parking spot. Inside we witnessed lots of people filled with joy, praising God with all their hearts. We found our home.

I do have to share a burden I have for those who don't attend a church that preaches God's Word & is filled with believers whos lives are changed by the gospel. It's like eating a meal. Why eat cereal for dinner for the sake of tradition, past history, religion, denomination...when you could be feasting on a banquet each Sunday, served up by our Father in heaven. It doesn't make sense to me. Going to church should not be a burden or something to check off on your to-do  list. We should look forward to it every Sunday. And when we leave, we should be refreshed by what is taught, inspired by God's Word and changed in some way. So as much as I love cereal, let's not settle for it when a feast is waiting for us!!!

***My friend Ramona took this picture of artwork created by the homeschoolers in high school, taught by my friend Kathy.***

Poetry

Free Verse Poem
"The Dolphin" by Madison Roth

I love the dolphin because it lives in the water.
Also it swims like a mermaid.
The dolphin is so fast and graceful.
It is the prettiest animal I've ever seen.

**NOTE: A free verse poem is a poem where the author makes up his/her own rules and does not have to rhyme. Madison enjoyed writing this...especially because of the "no rules" part.

Birthday Busy

The month of September was a wirlwind of birthday parties. Here are some birthday shots...Adrienne's girl party at Oasis and Matthew's fun time at Oasis with Joshy & Nate.

And Adrienne & Matthew's family party...whooh! I am all partied out! Thanks to our friends and families for sharing these special times with us!