Month: April 2020

Popping Pool Days

April 30, 2020

Popping Pool Days

So when Grandma Tina brought Lucas’ new bicycle, she also brought a little pool! The girls were like, “oh, look, a baby pool for Thea!” and “6 feet! Wow, I can lay down in it and not touch each wall!”

It was not just Thea’s pool!

After each empty, they scrub it out with our dishwashing soap, relocate it so as not to totally kill the grass, and start over! The first refill has a tad of soap left – the last refill had a bit too much soap but they made hats out of the bubbles!

Here are some video tidbits!

And Lucas had to try it… he said “let me do it, just me!”

He didn’t go underwater then, but normally he does! My little wave-crasher is now a small pool fish too. Thea stands in the pool and flings water at everyone else, when we can get her in it!

Someone asked, “wow, how can they have so much fun out of one little pool?”

Because they enjoy time, have vivid imaginations, and enjoy each other’s company… and we try to cultivate an atmosphere of gratefulness. Always trying to find the good and enjoy it. Life is so much more fun when you enjoy it!

Thanks for reading!

Type at your later,

~Nancy Tart

Bike For My Longer Legs!

April 28, 2020

Bike For My Longer Legs!

Lucas has a unidirectional purposeful mind when it comes to what he wants. As a three year old he told us for over six months that all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. That was it. Nothing else. He didn’t break it up like the girls do (tell Grandma Joanne one want, Grandma Tina another want, each Aunt a different want, and each sibling a different want), no. Mister Super Focused always just asks for one thing only.

Well, for the past four months, actually since just after Christmas, Lucas has been asking for a “bike for my longer legs” or “a boy bike that fits my long legs” for his upcoming May birthday. He’s been singularly focused on that one wish.

I figured that if the thrift stores ever open back up I would get a boy bike with 16″ wheels.

Instead, Grandma Tina came over to drop off the coolest little pool – pics on that one in another blog! – and a special surprise for Lucas.

He was one super happy boy!

And being the lovable big brother he is, he let Thea ride it too! Just because “she loves to ride my little bike which will be hers now!”

Thank you, Grandma Tina! Thank you to Grandma Tina’s landlord whose son had outgrown this one and wanted to give it away so another little boy could love it. I promise you, this bike will be loved for as long as Lucas can fit it and in his fond boyhood memories when he’s older!

We had to drag him off of the “coolest long leg bike that fits me” well after dark and he kept going back out to check on it in the shed. The following two days he was outside bouncing from the pool to the bike without stopping for the entire day to break only for food (most of which he took outside to eat while on his bike).

Typical boy.

No. Wait a minute… Typical Tart child.

I asked him yesterday, “Lucas, what do you want for your birthday now?”

He said, “my house with stairs!” Me too, dude. Me too.

Thank you for reading!

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

What is Praiseworthy?

April 26, 2020

What is Praiseworthy?

I heard a bit from a youtube radio (do you call them radio guys if they have a channel?) that matched quite nicely with the Bible reading I had today and the actual radio show I listened to on the way to work this morning.

He was discussing how a woman, identified as “Brooke,” a “mother of four,” put a beautiful online post on social media about how she loves her family and puts them first and serves them sacrificially (she said she makes sure lunches and packed, home is clean, and gets up to make her husband breakfast and sometimes goes to bed at 9 and sometimes goes to bed at midnight). I was smiling as I listened. I love my family that way.

But he went on about how some tv show (I don’t watch tv) mocked her post and belittled her husband as a lazy bum without even knowing either of them! They attacked her for being a slave. They said she was betraying all those who had fought for equality…

That made me sad.

Then that made me mad.

You see, I love my family. I serve them sacrificially. Yes, I know I have to take care of my health and body so I can serve them. In this phase our family is in, I happen to be working outside of the home. I serve them because I love them. I go to work because I want to help support them and I love them.

I want Louis to rest his back, let it fully heal so he doesn’t continue to live in constant pain. Since the guy rear-ended him, he’s been in constant pain, I can’t imagine that. He loves us and wants to serve us so he works at anything possible right now – he has always been the primary provider. This past year it was me; different seasons, one goal. One family.

When I do something out of love, I am doing it completely! I’m serving the best I can! Christina’s dish day but she’s busy with school? Yes, I’ll do “her day” so she can study or take her test – I love her and want the best for her. Becky feels lonely and frustrated and overwhelmed and doesn’t see any reason for keeping grades or college or a career? I suggest she go “hang out” with her special friend who will help encourage her and teach her about life and give excellent advice while playing some crazy video game. I love her. I want the best for her and sometimes advice has to come from someone other than Mom and Dad. Yes, I used to not go to bed until it was clean – now I’m up early, but some of my girls like to stay up late and Louis comes in very late sometimes, so the dynamic is the house is clean at 7 or 8 but they will reclean well afterward. We serve each other.

Louis wakes at 3:30am to make doughnuts for breakfast because I had to leave at 6:30 that day. When I come in and make lunch at 10am (2 hours 4 days a week + long Friday right now), I ask everyone else if they want some too and I’ll cook for more than just me. Christina, Becky, Kimberly, or Jaquline sometimes decide to make dinner or supper and they cook for everyone. We all serve with love.

Do all things as if you are serving Jesus. That motto I paraphrased from a Bible verse sometime in my preteen years and it has become something I remind myself of all the time. When there’s anything that needs to be cleaned or fixed or folded or washed I remind myself of that – I’m working to serve Jesus. I serve always out of love for those I serve. When I make food or visit a friend or help someone by cleaning or tutoring or fixing their fence, I’m serving you because I love you.

In today’s society, I guess I was “betraying females” when I would start second breakfast for Louis at almost lunch time, make sure his white uniform shirts were washed and spotless, starched and ironed, and waiting for him. On cold mornings (that house didn’t have heat) I’d time the drying of towels so he could have a warm one and I’d take it to him. I’d even make sure his shoes were polished. I served because I loved him.

I also understood that his working was his service to us. Our family serves each other because we love each other.

Tables shifted, turned, flipped, and rotated over the years, but we’re still serving each other and loving each other. We both take turns doing different things to serve the other. I don’t see anything wrong with that!

The youtube radio guy said he remembered his mother serving his sisters, his father, and him out of love. She was always doing special things, teaching them, and spending time with them. He said what could be better than having four adoring souls who return your love and esteem you as the best human on the planet? Does the hand that rocks the cradle rule the world? (I think he was trying to be funny) He said he praises this Brooke and is sure that her husband and children feel extremely blessed to be the objects of her service and affection. So do I!

Some people are like us. Some people love to serve. Some women are happiest being good wives and mothers. Some women could care less about a job as anything more than a vehicle to bring sustenance to their family; they don’t want to be the CEO or Mega Manager. They want to raise their children. They want to serve their family. They want to serve others around them.

Want to know a secret? These serving women are usually extremely loyal to a job they have because they see their work as a service to Jesus as well – they believe that they are serving their boss and coworkers through their job. Yes, corny, I know, but (also yes!) that is how I feel. I have to view my job as something I am doing for Jesus otherwise I would be super depressed about being away from my family.

Anyway… long long blog. If you got this far, cool!

Why does our commercially driven world think it’s okay to mock and bully a woman who chooses to serve others in lieu of climbing a corporate ladder striving for power and wealth? Fourth and fifth words. Commercially driven. Everything is about power and wealth. The world can’t control people who are driven by love and service. The world can’t understand the pure joy and fulfillment we get when we watch someone we love accomplish something. When the world is falling down around their shoulders and they open their brown lunch bag to find a little smiley note or that their sandwich is cut into triangles like they prefer it, they see love. They know someone loves them. The world doesn’t understand this because there is no price tag.

He ended by telling “Brooke” to keep it up! I say to all the Brookes out there, keep serving, keep loving. Don’t let the world’s judgement stop you from doing what you know you should be doing. If that’s running the 2nd largest corporation on the planet or packing your kids’ lunches, if you are serving a congregation of 500 or you are cleaning cherrios and duplos off the floor, if you are taxiing people around to make ends meet or you are the “soccer bus” mom stopping at four houses on your way to practice; whatever way you serve, keep honoring those you love.

My Bible reading was all about service with love rather than service as a duty. Don’t serve for others’ approval, that leads to disappointment. But serving out of love leads to fulfillment. This I know. God created us different, men are told to love their wives and women to serve their husbands – in reality, don’t two people who love each other serve each other all the time? God knows that men and women are wired differently hence the different words being used. He is warning men not to stop showing love to their wives and women not to stop serving their husbands. A woman who feels loved will be more willing to serve and a man being served is more willing to love. Like different love languages; you have to discover yours and that of those you love. Because we are different our style of service will be different, but we still hear the other saying “I love you” with their service to us.

In what way do you serve? Check your heart. Serve out of love without concern for any accolades. This will be our witness; our love!

Thanks for reading.

Type at you next time,

~Nancy Tart

Big Building Blocks

April 24, 2020

Big Building Blocks

On our shop day last week when we were building the bird cage stand, Lucas and Jillian discovered some big building blocks!

Lucas made some boats with tall sails.

Jillian hopped out and made more boats!

Lucas made the tiny ones sneak up on the big ones and I heard “Boom!” and “Thud!” the blocks (the bad guy pirate boats) fell to the floor! Everything is a toy. I love Lucas’ wild and crazy imagination. Everything he finds is a new something with a story. His boats had many adventures while Becky and I built… and his big sisters took pictures.

I love cultivating their imagination! He learns so much letting his stories come alive.

Enjoy the imagination of those around you. Follow along with them and see just where it will lead… you never know what kind of adventure a few beads, sticks, crayons, chalk sticks, or bits of board will take you!

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

Our Beach Morning

April 22, 2020

Our Beach Morning

On Saturday morning the beaches of St Johns County decided to open back for restricted times. No “gathering” though so we couldn’t take the baby shade tent which meant limited time for us due to not wanting baby burned. But we went!

Sunday at sunrise we gathered ourselves, tried to wake the more sluggish members of the family, and trouped to the beach. It was a gorgeous morning with nice steady surf and almost high tide when we arrived (well, arrived, changed Thea into her beach romper, let Lucas go potty, and walked over the ramp). There were dozens of surfers out and several fishermen with their coolers and pole stakes. Normal beach life. Actually, quite crowded for our experience, but then after the hurricanes the beaches are always full! Guess quarantine has the same effect as an extended hurricane on beach gatherings.

Thea was excited about the water today and ran out into ankle-deep water. It was cold enough to stop her. Lucas, though, wanted to go out where the surfers were! He couldn’t talk any of the big girls into going with him, so he would run into a wave, jump and land in a push up position half-floating and laugh heavy belly laughs. Tiny conch, mussels, clams, and assorted bivalve sea creatures were washed up under our feet by the thousands! Baby Thea loved them! She kept wiggling her toes and saying “tickle tickle!” The little critters ticked her toes as they burrowed back into the soft sand.

Lucas and Thea also waved and greeted everyone who passed. Anyone they noticed, they wanted to say hi to. Thea wanted to run to every other child and every dog she saw. One actually stopped to let her toddler greet Thea. Both babies were enthusiastic about seeing each other! It was so cute!

Suddenly, a creature was on a shell on the high tide line where I was looking for shells – and I called Becky (seriously, she did Marine Biology, she knows all sea life) to find out what it was. “Oh my! It’s an anemone!” and she gathered it carefully and rescued it by putting it back in the water. After a few more live anemone discoveries and “oh my!” shrieks by Kimberly and Becky, Thea grabbed a random shell, yelped “oh my!” and raced back to the shallow waves to fling the shell into the water like a frisbee. It’s the thought that counts, right?

It was a short visit as Thea’s tender arms let us know it was time to leave (Each person has a limit that we figure out and we go in when the first “red flag of warning” lets us know we are about to get burnt.) About an hour and a half of rescuing sea life, collecting beautiful shells, watching Jaquline and Lucas build a sandcastle, watching Lucas bellyflop into each oncoming wave, seeing Thea no longer be scared of the crashing waves, and watching the beauty of the morning sun in the length of the spring day.

The beach always refreshes me. I love it. I can breathe! This morning felt like a worship service. Our church has been closed for 4 weeks but being in nature is close – everything, including the little mollusks, the variety and beauty of their shells, the glorious waves, the sweet-salty spray opening up my lungs, all of creation shouts God’s glory!

Each of thousands – maybe tens of thousands – of those tiny creatures were each magnificent in their own individual beauty. Just like us. Each of us are independently unique and individually beautiful in our uniqueness. I glanced in my memory at the surfers on the waves; all different, each individual with the common bond of a passion for the stoke of riding the waves. Each of us beachgoers; all different, each individual with the common bond of our enjoyment of the beautiful beach.

This is the beauty in creation. The exquisite beauty of each small piece. Tiny grains of sand that look like gemstones under the microscope. We are more precious than diamonds – knit together by God.

Thank you for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Atrina Serrata

April 20, 2020

Atrina Serrata

What in the Earth? Actually, in the oceans. It is the scientific name for the Sawtooth Penshell.

Becky discovered two of these perfect shells, each about 6 inches long, on the high tide line at our favorite St Johns County beach. On the ride home, Becky researched them and we learned all about their life, their predators, how they likely died (based on their skeletons aka shells), and how they are cooked.

Yes, these particular bivalves are a seafood with a taste and consistency “quite like a scallop” according to the articles Becky found.

We have a rule of never taking living shells for our collection (this particular beach time would have been a great harvest of beautiful specimens if not for that rule!) but Becky said that now when she is ever stranded on a desert island (been watching too much Gilligan’s Island, I guess), she will know one good item to eat.

Perfect specimens have full shells and these both are broken on the fan edges. The bumps are actually raised sharp points like spikes. Their texture is almost leathery for a shell, and when they are in the sun, they shine with an oil-like sheen.

Beautiful.

A lovely addition to our seashell bowl (we may need a bigger bowl)!

Hope you enjoyed this educational tidbit (and maybe you can find some Atrina Serrata skeletons yourself on the lovely Florida beaches)!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

Choosing not to be Bitter

April 18, 2020

Choosing Not To Be Bitter

Ever been in a trying time that seemed like you were at the bottom of a pit looking up? 

Have you been living in the same world?

Yes, yet we have to keep hope.

Ever had all the roots you are trying to use to pull yourself out of said pit snap?

Yes.

In the last couple of weeks my life actually was dumped upside down, just like everyone else around…

My favorite job, my release, my passion was forced to close.  There went 1/3 of my income.

My husband lost two jobs because the market just shriveled up (any other service personnel?).  There went ½ of our family income.

My steady job, the one I was sure wouldn’t close because I knew there was plenty of work, actually scaled back.  There went ½ of my remaining income.

My teenagers had college classes dropped, graduations and dances canceled, service opportunities disappeared, camps they had saved over a year for canceled, tests they need for scholarships canceled, community groups canceled, jobs shut down… and mine are home schooled, so supposedly it wasn’t as bad for them! (I beg to differ, they are stressed because so much of what they do isn’t at home!) My girls had their gymnastics close – their life either as athletes or coaches.

We had to choose joy! We had to choose to look at the positive. (Lots of time to practice, create routines for “demo” that last a whole song, work on their show routines, practice spotting…)

We live frugally, yes.  But can you actually survive on 1/6th of your household income for who knows how long?

$600 a month for groceries is “not much” but my remaining 1/6th only pays rent, barely.  Everything else: utilities, insurance, food, etc. we’ve been forced to put on credit.  Yes, I hate credit cards!  But this is what they are for.  ONLY NEEDS!  This is because I refuse to take my savings right now…

This comes when we are almost at our goal of down payment for our house.  If I pull money from our savings, I’m cutting the throat on our future.  I needed two more months of major savings to meet our estimated down payment… we were going to have enough to get the LED can lighting I wanted and the whole-house gutters installed afterward.  This could toss almost 4 years of struggle under the bus.

I could choose to be depressed.

I chose to not be sad.  I chose music and fun and enjoying my family and praying for the health of friends and family and praying that both my gym and my office recover.

I’m thankful that I still have a job. I’ve been told I’m “fatally loyal.” (I call it trained right, thanks Daddy!) I give everything at my jobs – both of them!  But when I do the budget and figure out that we need extra to get by, instead of working as a stocker or finding a whole new career, I decide to work summer camp at my gym, & I get asked: what? You can’t just wait to go back to full time?

WAIT??  I wondered if this person was on the same planet as me.  They are in the same industry and the same state – yes.  I’m super loyal to my work.  I thought I had proven that by giving up so many extra gym hours to stay at the office longer!!  No, I’m not going to go full time at another electrical contractor – BUT I am more loyal to my family and my personal goals.  I will work seasonally at my gym which doesn’t interfere at all with my current “steady” job schedule.  I will be there for summer camp at my dream job. With this income from both of us (Louis gets to work seasonally too!), we will be able to keep our house goal!

I’ve gotten to the point where I will do what is best for my family and my dreams regardless of what others think – oddly, this person is the same who has taught me that if you demand what you want from an employer you get it.

I could choose to allow one person’s comments to make me bitter.  Instead, I refuse to change.  If the loyalty I show isn’t rewarded now, I don’t care.  I am choosing to find the happiness. I choose to be loyal regardless.

I choose to enjoy the extra time doing homeschool!  (I LOVE this part!)

I choose to enjoy the time I will spend working along with my children during summer.  This will be remembered as the summer when my whole family works at the same job!  (and we don’t own it!) I’m excited for what new things God has provided for us in this season.  I am thankful that we got better so quickly.  I am thankful that God gave me portable music to help keep me grounded!  I trust everything will turn to work out for good.  I TRUST.  I choose peace.  I choose music.  I choose JOY!

So instead of letting circumstances turn you bitter, find the positive and turn your heart to joy!  (There is a reason the peace is called “passing all understanding” – the world doesn’t see why you can be calm and happy in your circumstances – and that is your witness for Jesus!)

What are you doing that you totally enjoy and don’t want to discard later?  I pray you choose joy!  “Give them something to talk about!” (Bonnie Raitt) – I know, different kind of love… but still!

Thank you for reading.

Type at you next time,

~Nancy Tart

Project at the End

April 16, 2020

Project at the End

Becky has a thing for all animals – but let’s just go  out on a limb and say she’s got a special connection with all things feathered.  Chickens. Been there, have that. Monk Parrot. Been there, fostered that. Parakeets. Been there – and she LOVED them!  So her savings goal was to have enough money for a big enough cage for indoors, enough for an outdoor flight run, and the parakeets themselves by the time we move. 

Circumstances being that instead of spending her time dreaming of birdies while coaching she was staring at her empty wall with no feathered friends; I came home to, “I’m getting something big in the mail.”

Thea doesn’t want to get off of the box so Becky can build it!

Something big turned out to be a huge parakeet cage!  It’s like a really large parrot cage but with spaces small enough to contain small birds like finches and parakeets.

She was quick to assemble it.

Oops…

“MOM!”

There’s no stand!  She tried to swipe our one and only end table!  Nope.

So we decided to use the wood Kimberly collected for her bunny cage last summer when the gym was being built and create a family project! 

  • No Prim! Don’t get stuck
  • Thea is getting interested
  • I Help, Mommy!
  • The saw is too loud for Lucas!
  • This goes here…
  • All done, that goes there…
  • How does this one help, Mommy?

Thea and Lucas were my all-the-time helpers. All pictures are courtesy of Becky & Kimberly. This is something I love about being home more often… last minute, zero-cost (almost, anyway, as Louis had to go fetch some not-too-long screws for the table tops), shop time projects with my girls! Becky and I haven’t worked on a project in quite some time. Working to build things is my absolute favorite… gardens, woodworking, legos, cooking, etc. I love making something useful from “nothing” (or big pile of scrap wood).

  • Finished product (stand)
  • Yes, that is a sock between the layers!

Becky and I loved the double-table style we ended up with. Although she sacrificed a few beautiful nails in all this work, we had an exceptional mother-daughter laughing, goofing off, and problem solving time building the project at the end of her savings goal!

Thank you for reading.

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

Surprise Mom, I Give you…

Surprise Mom, I give you…

April 14, 2020

Ever been surprised by something in your food?

What if you are enjoying your morning oatmeal in your office and something crunches? Take it out and you freak!

My tooth came out? What tooth?

Your tongue feels around at the two teeth that have been bothering you lately… nope. Closer examination you are like wait a minute… this isn’t my tooth!

*DUN DUN DUN* Oh my? This isn’t my tooth! How many germs did I just eat? I boiled the water… maybe it’s safe?

Oh…

Yeah…

Lucas just had a destroyed molar pulled and sold it to Becky because she pays more than the tooth fairy to put teeth in her collection… and the collection was “lost” because Lucas dumped it somewhere…

The oatmeal bin is on the buffet – the tooth collection was on the piano… the piano sits next to the buffet… Lucas hid the tooth collection in the oatmeal bin!

*AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

Yes, I’ve been eating oats permeated with old baby teeth.

What a surprise!

Well… that stuff sometimes happens. Now I can freak my coworker out with this part of a tooth – hehehe…

Type at you later!

~Nancy Tart

Movie Review: Onward

April 12, 2020

Movie Review: Onward

As a family, we got to watch a new movie called “Onward” (Disney/Pixar) recently.  Curled up on our couch, eating tangerines instead of popcorn, we also got to discuss this movie during the end credits.

I was pleasantly surprised at this movie. 

(Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t seen the movie and want to watch it without knowing the end, don’t read any further!)

In this technologically advanced world that mirrors our own, mythical creatures have lost their magic and settled for the easier way of doing almost everything.  Fairies don’t fly. Centaurs don’t run fast. Elves don’t go on quests.  Wizards don’t exist. 

The only relics of magic are mirrored in a game that young adults play like our Dungeons and Dragons.

The protagonist is a 16-year-old elf named Ian whose older brother, Bailey, is lost to this “gaming” world and set a little in the past with his audio cassette tapes and 70s roadie van he built himself like a hot-rod.  Ian never knew his father.  His mother’s centaur policeman boyfriend is a far cry from the father figure he is looking for. 

After a bummer of a birthday, Ian and Bailey are given a special present from their late father – a staff and crystal and a spell that supposedly will let him come back for 24 hours to see who his boys grew up to be.

So the spell doesn’t work.  Mom leaves.  Bailey enters as Ian is actually making the spell work – and enters half-dad.  Yes, Ian brought back a walking pair of pants with purple socks and leather shoes.  Bailey knows it’s his dad because of a tap-tap on shoes game they used to play. 

The boys go on a quest (based on Bailey’s game knowledge) to find another crystal and bring their father all the way back.

They end up finding the crystal but releasing a curse (huge dragon made of weird stones pulled from their school and a construction site) as the sun is going down (when dad will disappear). 

Ian has realized that his real father figure is Bailey and that Bailey is the one who must speak with dad because he blames himself for being scared of the hospital and missed his chance to say goodbye to his dad in real life.  Ian starts the spell to bring dad back and leaves him with Bailey so he can fight the dragon.  Mom and a manticore bring in a magic sword to kill the dragon (she was on her own side quest).  Through teamwork, the curse is destroyed, Ian uses magic to repair all of the dragon damage, Bailey gets to say goodbye to his dad, and magic reenters the lives of some of the people; the biker fairies are now flying, policeman centaur boyfriend is now running, and Ian now is a wizard.

The theme is love: Mom’s love for her sons and the brother’s love for each other.  The lesson of enjoying what you have instead of wishing for what you don’t is also there.  Ian wishes for the father he’s never known and wants to be like him while ignoring or disregarding his elder brother until he realizes that all the love he was searching for in a father figure has been coming from his brother all of his life. 

We discussed how it is very easy to focus on what we want but don’t have yet miss what God has given us.  In every situation, our character shines with how we choose to handle said situation.  I choose to focus on what is with me now.  Right now, I’m thankful to still have a job when so many I know are suddenly unemployed.  I’m thankful to be able to play more board and outside games with Christina and Becky – all the girls, but they had started to get heavily involved in extracurricular activities and with Christina driving, I had seen less and less of her.  Forced online college courses and the closing of CAP and the gym mean I get to hang out with her more.  I’m enjoying what I have.

Live your life enjoying what you are given and love your family with a sacrificial love: that’s our take from “Onward,” a very entertaining, slightly funny, kid safe movie with real truths embedded in it.

Thank you for reading.

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

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