Been so busy recently, but just a few things I want to remember
Retelling the story of Cinderella with Samantha, Sabrina, and Sophie Grace:
Sabrina: What's the prince's name?
Me: I think it's just Prince Charming
Sabrina: I think his name is...mmmmm....Prince Greenflower. Yes, Prince Greenflower.
Monday:
Stuart: Mom, I want to go on a date with you. Can we go on a date?
Me: Sure that would be great. We'll have to wait until Daddy gets back in town.
Stuart: Let's go Saturday.
Tuesday:
Stuart: Where are we going on our date?
Me: I don't know. Where do you want to go?
Stuart: I want to go on a doughnut date. Can we go on a doughnut date?
Wednesday:
Stuart: Mom, don't forget about our doughnut date on Saturday!
Thursday:
Stuart: Mom, we're still going on our doughnut date on Saturday, right?
Friday:
Stuart: Don't forget! Tomorrow is our date.
Saturday 7:15AM:
Stuart: Mom. Mom. Mom! Can we go on our pajama, doughnut date now?
Me: Stuart, I'm sleeping. We can go after we all get up.
Saturday 10:00 AM:
Stuart: Mom, let's go!
We did have a great time on our date!
Chase had his first chess tournament on Thursday and won both his games. He was very proud of himself that he moved from 125 see to 120!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Not Me! Monday
Oh, yes! It's the crazy Monday non-cofession of all the things I DID NOT do!
I DID NOT fleetingly consider getting a sarcasm mark. Nope, don't think either of these sites are a great idea.
SarcMark
Introducing the Long-awaited sarcasm mark
My 4 month old daughter DID NOT have a blowout diaper of yellow poo. She was NOT having tummy on her blanket in her living room. When I went to fetch changing supplies (there was no way carrying her was an option) she DID NOT roll over in the 30 seconds I was gone. She DID NOT roll off her blanket. There was NOT a mess of yellow poo to clean up before getting her cleaned up! Nope, never happened!
I DID NOT jump for joy at the fact that I finally had my morning to myself on Thursday. Sick kids, snow days, holidays DID NOT make me go a little crazy and need some quiet time with just one child! (Side note: Is is sad that having one child instead of four is considered time to myself?)
I DID NOT put on the Yule log again with the sound muted so I could still have the fire and different music. Nope, I DO NOT have a fake fireplace playing on my television. In addition, I am NOT still loving my DVR.
My 4 month old is NOT brilliant and extremely interested in the happenings of the world.
When I was cleaning my refrigerator this week, I DID NOT find cranberry sauce in my fridge from Thanksgiving. Of course, I've cleaned out my fridge since Thanksgiving. I would NEVER let leftovers stay in there that long! I also DID NOT find moldy refried beans. I'm NOT blaming it on our side-by-side fridge, missing our bottom mount from the old house.
Happy Monday!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Ten on Tuesday
1. Michael and I are looking a really busy January. He is working Saturdays just to keep up. He has 3 trade shows in January. He will be gone in Atlanta the entire last week of January. More on that later.
2. I'm contemplating getting family pictures taken this spring. We've not had family photos since I was pregnant with Sabrina. Any suggestions for family photos in St. Louis with kids our kids' ages.
3. We've taken down the Christmas tree, but not finished putting away all the decorations. My goal is MLK weekend!
4. My 4 hours of sleep from Saturday night is really catching up with me. I'm a touch crabby and trying to hide it.
5. I've been studying a small bit on missionaries that go to Islamic nations. It's no surprise that this has been a much debated topic for centuries. I read an two contrasting positions on the topic. Charles Foster writing in 1845 said that we shouldn't hold Mohammad to the standard of Christ, but rather Moses. I found this argument a complete fallacy. Why should we not compare Mohammad to Christ? He is the standard by which we are all compared; therefore, we all fall short because of Christ's standard of perfection. Without his sinless divinity, there would be no gracious salvation. Romans reminds us "there is no distinction [among people]: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Moses was judged by the standard of Christ, therefore; so should Mohammad. Just a little something deep for y'all.
6. Samantha has been playing a game she had as a kid with the children. I don't remember the name of it, but it has to with fantasy monsters and ambushes and my kids love it. Sabrina gets bored of it and walks away about half way through.
7. Chase typically is quite grouchy when I pick him up from school. I don't know why this is and bothers me; however, I am not responsible for his attitude, and I can't really change it. But today he hopped in the car and said, "I'm in such a good mood I want to tell you all about my day and all my others days!"
8. We've decided Chase is not going to participate in chess tournaments this year. With what our January is like (it' s only 6 weeks) and having a 4-month-old, it's just a bit much. But I grieve a bit for him. Being an only child until I could drive (yes my sister just graduated from high school), sometimes it's hard for me to make choices where one child has to sacrifice for the good of the family. I know he's only 7, and he has many years left to compete, but it's hard for me to ask him to give up an opportunity.
9. Sabrina is totally into Fancy Nancy books. We have to read Fancy Nancy everyday. Sabrina can tell you that a fancy word for shiny is iridescent and aubergine is a fancy word for purple. Also that RSVP means "Répondez s'il vous plaît" or please reply.
10. Stuart is really learning how to read. Chase was so different. He could read a book by himself without help at 3 1/2. Stuart is 5 1/2 and his journey to literacy has been so different. His education is such a group effort! And in some ways, more satisfying because of the greater effort. But it is just as exciting to listen to him struggle with a word and finally succeed!
Just a bonus picture
2. I'm contemplating getting family pictures taken this spring. We've not had family photos since I was pregnant with Sabrina. Any suggestions for family photos in St. Louis with kids our kids' ages.
3. We've taken down the Christmas tree, but not finished putting away all the decorations. My goal is MLK weekend!
4. My 4 hours of sleep from Saturday night is really catching up with me. I'm a touch crabby and trying to hide it.
5. I've been studying a small bit on missionaries that go to Islamic nations. It's no surprise that this has been a much debated topic for centuries. I read an two contrasting positions on the topic. Charles Foster writing in 1845 said that we shouldn't hold Mohammad to the standard of Christ, but rather Moses. I found this argument a complete fallacy. Why should we not compare Mohammad to Christ? He is the standard by which we are all compared; therefore, we all fall short because of Christ's standard of perfection. Without his sinless divinity, there would be no gracious salvation. Romans reminds us "there is no distinction [among people]: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Moses was judged by the standard of Christ, therefore; so should Mohammad. Just a little something deep for y'all.
6. Samantha has been playing a game she had as a kid with the children. I don't remember the name of it, but it has to with fantasy monsters and ambushes and my kids love it. Sabrina gets bored of it and walks away about half way through.
7. Chase typically is quite grouchy when I pick him up from school. I don't know why this is and bothers me; however, I am not responsible for his attitude, and I can't really change it. But today he hopped in the car and said, "I'm in such a good mood I want to tell you all about my day and all my others days!"
8. We've decided Chase is not going to participate in chess tournaments this year. With what our January is like (it' s only 6 weeks) and having a 4-month-old, it's just a bit much. But I grieve a bit for him. Being an only child until I could drive (yes my sister just graduated from high school), sometimes it's hard for me to make choices where one child has to sacrifice for the good of the family. I know he's only 7, and he has many years left to compete, but it's hard for me to ask him to give up an opportunity.
9. Sabrina is totally into Fancy Nancy books. We have to read Fancy Nancy everyday. Sabrina can tell you that a fancy word for shiny is iridescent and aubergine is a fancy word for purple. Also that RSVP means "Répondez s'il vous plaît" or please reply.
10. Stuart is really learning how to read. Chase was so different. He could read a book by himself without help at 3 1/2. Stuart is 5 1/2 and his journey to literacy has been so different. His education is such a group effort! And in some ways, more satisfying because of the greater effort. But it is just as exciting to listen to him struggle with a word and finally succeed!
Just a bonus picture
Monday, January 11, 2010
Not Me! Monday
Oh, yes! Happy Monday everyone. Time to NOT confess the craziness of life! Check out more Not Me! Monday fun over at MckMama's blog!
I DID NOT throw a little fit about the snow day on Thursday. I was NOT complaining about the weakness of St. Louis that 4 inches of snow crippled the city. It was NOT the only 2 hours I had to do Trilogy work for History of Missions. We DID NOT end up having a lovely day.
After agreeing to cuddle with my 3 year old after breakfast last Friday, I DID NOT fall asleep. I certainly DID NOT fall asleep for almost an hour and a half. S DID NOT play quietly for that time and A DID NOT sleep until 9:30 that morning. I was NOT thrilled!
Annalise is not almost 5 months old!
I DID NOT bounce a check this week. Nope, I always keep our check book up, even when things are very busy. I DID NOT transfer a lot of money into our savings account forgetting that that money was in our account to pay for the check that bounced. (The sad thing is a really do keep an eagle on our money, and I've not bounced a check since I was in high school.) I'm NOT a fanatic about our budget. I AM NOT really angry with myself for forgetting a minor detail of our monthly cash flow that made this all happen.
I DID NOT get into a laughing fit which included tears over a Facebook chat with Ginger over personalized trinkets. I mean lots of tears. I'm NOT giggling now, just thinking about it.
I DID NOT stay up until 4 AM on Saturday night with a puking little girl. She DID NOT vomit spaghetti & red velvet cake on white sheets. Nope, never happened!
Have a happy Monday!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday Wonderings
Why do we spend so much time with things that don't matter? Why does the mundane capture our attention? Why does the temporal take precedence over the eternal?
It's so easy for me to get caught up in "getting things done". Probably because there is so much to do. I have four kids; I have four kids who are 7 and under. I have a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a four-month-old. I have a household to cook, clean, and clothe. I coordinate with our renters. I drive to CCS 3 times a day for carpool. I write for an online newsletter. I have a tight budget to keep, schedules to coordinate, and 116 teeth to brush (give or take a few!) My "to-do" lists can get pretty long, and they never get finished. Ever. No matter how short I make them, they never get finished. They have their own notebook (I tried to make myself feel better by getting a lovely pink moleskine to write my lists in). So it's no wonder I get caught up in accomplishing tasks.
All these duties are reality, but God clearly directs us to not worry, to store up treasures in heaven, to choose the better thing, Martha. And I've never heard one person say at the end of their life, "Really, I look back and wish I would have cleaned my kitchen better and just got that one last load of laundry folded."
So what is it? Why is it so easy to shift my focus from the eternal—relationships—to the material? It's not like I'm a perfectionist or obsessively clean (really not that!) I think it has to do with the misappropriation value and accomplishment. Reality is my value is determined by the worth God places on me. Well, He sent His son to die for me, by no virtue of my own, I have great value because God says I do. But this world, and our culture in particular, really loves accomplishment. We even have a name for it—Puritan Work Ethic. We ask each other, "What have you been doing?" "What did you do today?" (Please don't misinterpret this to think we should work. Work is a gift from God and we should work with all heart as unto the Lord. This is a different thing.) But here's where we run into trouble: when your value comes from your accomplishments instead of who values you. When I start seeing my life that way, it becomes so easy to get caught up in chores and errands, because it makes me feel better about myself. "Look at what I've done!" But Jesus, He calls us to something different.
Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
My value doesn't increase, only my love for Jesus. I remind myself this so while the laundry basket sits in the living room and the dishes sit on the counter, I will sit to read with my kids or spend some time with God. I get to spend eternity with them, and thankfully, not the laundry.
It's so easy for me to get caught up in "getting things done". Probably because there is so much to do. I have four kids; I have four kids who are 7 and under. I have a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a four-month-old. I have a household to cook, clean, and clothe. I coordinate with our renters. I drive to CCS 3 times a day for carpool. I write for an online newsletter. I have a tight budget to keep, schedules to coordinate, and 116 teeth to brush (give or take a few!) My "to-do" lists can get pretty long, and they never get finished. Ever. No matter how short I make them, they never get finished. They have their own notebook (I tried to make myself feel better by getting a lovely pink moleskine to write my lists in). So it's no wonder I get caught up in accomplishing tasks.
All these duties are reality, but God clearly directs us to not worry, to store up treasures in heaven, to choose the better thing, Martha. And I've never heard one person say at the end of their life, "Really, I look back and wish I would have cleaned my kitchen better and just got that one last load of laundry folded."
So what is it? Why is it so easy to shift my focus from the eternal—relationships—to the material? It's not like I'm a perfectionist or obsessively clean (really not that!) I think it has to do with the misappropriation value and accomplishment. Reality is my value is determined by the worth God places on me. Well, He sent His son to die for me, by no virtue of my own, I have great value because God says I do. But this world, and our culture in particular, really loves accomplishment. We even have a name for it—Puritan Work Ethic. We ask each other, "What have you been doing?" "What did you do today?" (Please don't misinterpret this to think we should work. Work is a gift from God and we should work with all heart as unto the Lord. This is a different thing.) But here's where we run into trouble: when your value comes from your accomplishments instead of who values you. When I start seeing my life that way, it becomes so easy to get caught up in chores and errands, because it makes me feel better about myself. "Look at what I've done!" But Jesus, He calls us to something different.
Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed.a]">[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
My value doesn't increase, only my love for Jesus. I remind myself this so while the laundry basket sits in the living room and the dishes sit on the counter, I will sit to read with my kids or spend some time with God. I get to spend eternity with them, and thankfully, not the laundry.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Ten on Tuesday
So, I'm going to try a quick list, just to make sure I get to blogging more regularly. We'll see how it goes.
1. I'm really sad to take down the Christmas decorations. They're all so festive and beautiful. When the decorations are gone, it feels a bit empty for awhile. I just love the Christmas season and am always a bit sad to see it come to a close. I get frustrated with American Culture that wants to start selling decorations in August and take them down on Christmas Day. Traditionally the Twelve Days of Christmas are from Christmas Day until Epiphany and I like that.
2. Stuart thinks there is a secret passage from the main building at CCS to the fifth & sixth grade center. More on that later.
3. My baby girl is adorable. And a great sleeper! Most of Christmas break she slept from 10PM to 10AM. I love it!
4. I've been writing a parenting column for an online newsletter for a little over a year. My column this month is about responsibility. I asked a question on twitter/facebook: Parents, what are some words that you want to describe your children as adults? I was so surprised that not one person mentioned responsibility. I think lots of responses included words that are part of responsibility, but no one mentioned responsibility. Another thing I think I need to blog about later.
5. Chase has been invited to participate in the school's chess tournaments. He's 7. The tournaments are at McKinley High School in downtown St. Louis. I don't have a lot of info, so maybe that's why I'm nervous. I just feel uneasy about a first grader down town with an indefinite end time. We'll see.
6. I've been writing some study guides and tests from one of the Trilogy courses. It's reminded me how much I enjoy studying, learning, and teaching. It's also reminded me how little time I have!
7. School has begun again. It's a great thing! Break was wonderful and lovely and just the right amount of time off. We weren't desperate for school to start or thinking it had come to soon.
8. I'm a little too excited about getting my hair cut on Saturday. It's been about 4 months...shag-0-rama!
9. Ten things are hard to come up with.
10. I'm also using this to avoid working on my newsletter article and my Trilogy work!
1. I'm really sad to take down the Christmas decorations. They're all so festive and beautiful. When the decorations are gone, it feels a bit empty for awhile. I just love the Christmas season and am always a bit sad to see it come to a close. I get frustrated with American Culture that wants to start selling decorations in August and take them down on Christmas Day. Traditionally the Twelve Days of Christmas are from Christmas Day until Epiphany and I like that.
2. Stuart thinks there is a secret passage from the main building at CCS to the fifth & sixth grade center. More on that later.
3. My baby girl is adorable. And a great sleeper! Most of Christmas break she slept from 10PM to 10AM. I love it!
4. I've been writing a parenting column for an online newsletter for a little over a year. My column this month is about responsibility. I asked a question on twitter/facebook: Parents, what are some words that you want to describe your children as adults? I was so surprised that not one person mentioned responsibility. I think lots of responses included words that are part of responsibility, but no one mentioned responsibility. Another thing I think I need to blog about later.5. Chase has been invited to participate in the school's chess tournaments. He's 7. The tournaments are at McKinley High School in downtown St. Louis. I don't have a lot of info, so maybe that's why I'm nervous. I just feel uneasy about a first grader down town with an indefinite end time. We'll see.
6. I've been writing some study guides and tests from one of the Trilogy courses. It's reminded me how much I enjoy studying, learning, and teaching. It's also reminded me how little time I have!
7. School has begun again. It's a great thing! Break was wonderful and lovely and just the right amount of time off. We weren't desperate for school to start or thinking it had come to soon.
8. I'm a little too excited about getting my hair cut on Saturday. It's been about 4 months...shag-0-rama!
9. Ten things are hard to come up with.
10. I'm also using this to avoid working on my newsletter article and my Trilogy work!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Not Me! Monday
Oh, yes! It's the return of Not Me! Monday! MckMama will be so proud. I know the tens of you that read this blog will be thrilled at list of all the behavior I DID NOT exhibit over the past week (or months in this case!)
So the first thing is we DID NOT get U-Verse. Nope, we have NOT succumbed to American TV culture. We are NOT so excited to have anything other than rabbit ears for the first time in over a decade! (Yes, that's right we've had regular TV for years) I DO NOT feel the need to justify our choice by telling everyone that it's cheaper for phone, fast Internet, and TV than we were paying for just phone & Internet. No, I DO NOT care what people think about me. I AM NOT that self-centered.
I AM NOT in love with my DVR. Nope, I DO NOT think it's the best invention ever. I DO NOT love the control it gives me over what the kids watch and when. We HAVE NOT become acquainted with the "Smile Channel" that plays old Christian TV that our kids love. Seriously...Super Book, Colby's Clubhouse, and Friends & Heroes. Nope, our kids DO NOT love that!
I DID NOT record the Yule Log on channel 11 on Christmas Morning. Nope, I've NOT played it every day since then just because I love the fire and the music! My children have NOT asked to watch the Yule Log or put it on for me just to be nice. Nope, NOT in my house!
I DID NOT write the entire post just about our new TV. I would NEVER be that addicted! Not me!
Happy New Year and Happy Monday all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)