Friday, April 27, 2007
Have a Good Morning
This morning I woke up at 5:45...my alarm doesn't go off until 6:30. I was wide awake so I got up. Oh, why don't I do that more often? The house was quiet and I was able to drink my coffee and read a little more of a new book I got in the mail the other day. The book is called The Contemplative Mom by Ann Kroeker. I've been reading her blog regularly and I was curious about the subject of her book. I struggle so much with finding time alone with the Lord. What kind of Christian am I if I'm living on my past experiences? I'm reading the book very slowly and savoring it. There are tips, verses to "contemplate", and quotes from real moms. It's refreshing.
I stopped by one blog this morning. I was so thankful I did! Please read the prayer my friend Monica posted...it's just what I needed.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Too much show and tell
"Ukelele?"
"No."
"Is there an animal that starts with U?"
"I can't think of one."
"How about something from your toybox?"
And the answer that makes him the classic pastor's kid:
"Nevermind. I'll just show them my Underwear."
For the record...he took an umbrella.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Parsonage
My husband can walk to work, come home for lunch, and come home just because he wants to say hi. I can leave for church ten minutes before the service starts and still be there 'early.' We love living in the parsonage.
However-
There is a drawback. Everyone knows when they drive by that clearly, this little white house on the church property is the parsonage. Therefore, the pastor and his family must live there. It's great that people know that...
Unless they drove by this afternoon and saw that Charlie had tied himself to the big oak tree between our house and the church. Tied...himself....to the tree.
No, I wasn't watching him and yes, his dad WAS watching him and thought it was funny. I didn't take a picture because I was pretty sure that having a child tied to a tree wasn't legal and I didn't want proof. Thank goodness this is a small town and the local cop is the brother of one of our church members. And the other cop was my youth leader growing up. Because really, having the pastor's kid tied the tree could be a little embarrassing.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Animal Crackers
The great thing about Charlie is he is the best "sharer." In his bag he had some whole animal crackers and lots of broken pieces. He set two whole crackers on my Bible while I was listening to the service. I hid them in my fist until his bag was empty. When he put the last cracker in his mouth and the look of disappointment that comes at the end of a snack filled his eyes, I opened my fist and handed him one of the crackers. He smiled a great a big smile and bit the cracker in half. He held it out to me...and then took it back and bit it in half again. He handed me the leg of a camel for myself.
I held out my fist one more time with the last cracker. Thrilled with the opportunity to redeem his sharing habit he instantly bit it in half and gave me the bigger half. I'm fairly certain he gets his sharing quality from his dad.
When we were first married and incredibly broke (as most newlyweds are) Chad would ask how much we had left in the account after the bills were paid. I'd tell him and he would promptly give it away. Give it away. It would make me so crazy! I'd work hard to stretch our pennies and he would give away the clothes on his back (not in a metaphoric way- he has really given people the shirt he was wearing). But on the other hand there is no greater quality than to know all this "stuff" is for giving. Time, energy, clothes, money, food, shelter...the more we have the more we can give.
I'm so proud to see Charlie copy this behavior. A week ago someone gave him a brand new Superman action figure. Brand new. And the best part was he had done something to earn it which made him take even more pride in it. As soon as Henry saw the new toy he reached for it and Charlie said, "Henry! Look! A new Superman for us to share!"
I told a new parent friend that kids don't just love their parents- they adore them. And they show it by copying the behaviors that are the strongest. I'm not quite ready to confess the habits my kids copy in me (not good ones) but I will brag on the ones that they have picked up from their dad. Those are the ones I'd like to copy, too.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Not my baby anymore
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Preschool Wisdom
The parents have to sign up to help one day a month at Charlie's preschool. I love helping at the preschool- my absolute favorite thing to do is get the kids to talk to me. Four year olds say the funniest things! There happened to be a number of kids home sick from school that day so we were talking about how we don't like to miss school.
David piped up and said, "I have to miss school tomorrow. We are going with my church to 'Acquire the Fire.'" He went on about it for a minute or two and explained his pastor and his youth group were going to Detroit and it's a big deal.
Little Tanner was sitting next to him with a big scowl on his face so I asked what he was thinking about.
"Well," he said. "I won't be in school either. My dad is a fireman and he doesn't like fires so we are going where David is to put that fire out."
Aren't kids great?
We had another big adventure on Monday. It was kindergarten round up! Charlie ran full speed the whole way there (the elementary school is in sight of our house). When we got to the main doors he saw one of the kids from preschool so they walked in together. At the doors of the library where round up was he froze. He would not budge, blink, or breathe I think! He looked at me and said, "I'm not going in there." I talked softly and tried to encourage him to go in. I succumbed to the pressure and after ten minutes I bribed him with a frosty from Wendy's and that did the trick. Once we got in there he saw one of his good friends (who invited him over to play that afternoon) so all was well.
When it was time for the principal to talk to the parents the kindergarten teacher took the kids on a tour of the school. A friend of mine from church growing up was in the round up with me. Her daughter is the same age as Charlie and she is darling. The significant thing about her is this- she was born without legs and one of her hands is missing some fingers. I always forget because her little four year old personality overpowers her disability. After round up was over I asked Charlie if he made any new friends. He shrugged. I asked if he talked to Ella.
"Who's that?" he said.
"Well, she had painted flowers on her legs." Her legs are metal rods but her joints are a material that her parents decorated with pretty flowers.
"Huh? I didn't see anyone with painted legs?" he said. He looked at me like I was crazy.
"She had Dora shoes." I pointed out.
"Oh yeah! I talked to the girl with Dora shoes. She's nice."
He didn't even notice her prosthetic legs. I'm going to shut up now and stop pointing out other people's differences. Clearly in kindergarten things like that just aren't important. Niceness and being a Dora fan are way may important.
Kids are so great.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Preschool Art
However, this week Charlie brought home one of my favorite pieces! No kidding, I was wishing for some new art to hang on my wall and I was thrilled when he brought this home! It matches the colors in my living room perfectly and Charlie was so excited when I dug out a frame and hung it on the wall. I thought I'd also share the picture with the whole internet (or the 5 people who read this blog) : )
It's pretty enough to hang but still has the touch of a 4 year old. And it's pussywillows! My favorite "flower". He's been learning to cut with scissors and he did such a beautiful job on the vase (with help I'm pretty sure). I'm so proud!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Mom World
I have an ongoing to-do list that I carry around in my bag at all times. On that list it says "Call Brandi." I promise it does. But here is what else is on my list-
- Make the beds
- Do the laundry
- Pay the bills/balance the checkbook
- Get groceries
- Play with the kids
- Feed the kids
- Read to the kids
- Clean the house
- Run Here
- Run There
- Do This
- Do That
- Call Brandi
There are a couple of things I'm noticing about my list. It's full of mom stuff and that isn't neccessarily wrong. If I'm busy enough I don't feel the emptiness of not having relationships. But when I put it all down on paper and really look at it I realize I'm missing relationships on all levels. I'm not spending time with the Lord, I'm not spending time with my husband (unless he's helping with my list alongside me), and I'm definately not spending time with other moms or even friends for that matter.
To be honest I'm feeling a little bit teary as I write this. It's tough when a realization smacks me in the face like this. There are moms at the preschool that I smile at but don't talk to. There are two moms in particular that I would really like to get to know but I don't know what to say. So I smile and say good morning and stand on the edge of their circles and wish I could get some words out but I can't think of anything. I usually end up talking to the kids.
So where do I go with these realizations? Do I type them out on the blog and walk away? I'm thinking of practical steps I can take tomorrow. For one, I could set out my Bible and journal by the coffee pot and instead of watching the news I could do my quiet time. I'm going to MOPS later in the morning and there is a girl there I really want to get to know. I'm going to talk to her. She's really outgoing and super nice so I know as soon as I say "How are you?" she'll get things rolling. And as for Brandi...I'm calling her. And I'll go through everyday on our calendars until we can find one to get together. Because I've got to start building some relationships...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
On being organized...
Yesterday I thought since it was Monday it would be a great time to fill in my planner with all the things I have going on this week. Oh my word. I've never been more overwhelmed than to see my week FULL. I'd forgotten I had to babysit the twins this afternoon (two year old boys) and there is some serious prep time that goes into watching those two. I'd also forgotten I have MOPS Thursday morning and I'm helping at preschool in the afternoon. I would have remembered these things eventually and scrambled to get them done but now I know about them ahead of time and (hopefully) can be a little better prepared.
I think where I'm running into trouble is this "being prepared ahead of time" thing doesn't come naturally to me. At all. It feels uncomfortable. I'm not good with trying new things and I don't adapt well to change. I don't like being uncomfortable! The motivation I have is the way I'm doing things now is stressing everyone out. Once I become a little better organized I'll be glad I did it but for now....it's killing me.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Peace
We sat down to dinner and instead of gobbling our food as fast as possible we ate slowly and actually talked. Charlie had gone to the movies with Grandpa and had lots to say about it. We slowly cleaned up the kitchen while enjoying each other's company. Chad had hurt his back earlier in the day so he went to soak in the tub. After a few minutes I realized I didn't know where Charlie was. I found him in the bathroom sitting on the clothes hamper eating a chocolate chip cookie. Chad was listening to Chuck Swindoll so Charlie was, too. It was very sweet. The two of them stayed in there for the whole radio sermon.
I was sitting on the couch reading a parenting magazine I had gotten in the mail when Henry climbed up into my lap with some books. Charlie grabbed some books of his own and we read for an hour. After Henry went to bed, Charlie and I continued to read and talk and we ended up talking about heaven. It was the sweetest conversation we've ever had. I wish I could replay the conversation but I feel I wouldn't be able to do it justice. The greatest part was in the end when Charlie decided he wanted to sing. He sang all the Sunday school songs he could think of and tried to act them out as he was singing. I couldn't help but watch with wonder as his natural response to our conversation about Easter, Jesus, and heaven led him to want to sing praises. It brought tears to my eyes even in the silliness of songs like "Fishers of Men".
I'm so thankful that the Lord brings peace to our hearts even when we are busy filling them with stress. And I'm thankful for the reminders he shows me through my children. Have a wonderful Easter weekend.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Oh, to learn more stuff...
I've been a blog reader for about 5 months and like most readers my list of favorites varies greatly (they aren't all on my blogroll yet!). There are the mom's of young kids, the pastor's wives, the frugal ones, the ones that make me think, and the one's that make me want to learn. Because reading blogs is fun but learning something new is so much better!
Lately I've been reading different posts about books bloggers are reading, going to read, or recommend. When I go to the library it generally consists of thirty minutes in the kids section and a quick glance at the new books for me. I blindly grab one and hope it's good. I don't have that much time to read so I really don't have time to read something that isn't very good. So tonight I went on a solo trip to the library. And I was armed with a list! Here are the books I brought back and the blogs where I found them:
1. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss - Saw it mentioned here.
2. Reading like a Writer by Francine Prose - Read about it at this blog I think but I can't find where. I may have seen it somewhere else but this blog is still pretty great.
3. Survival for Busy Women by Emilie Barnes - Read about her here (June 23, 2005 entry) but our library didn't have that book only this one.
The good thing is I'm really excited about these books. That means I'll read them every chance I get! Although, I'm thinking book #3 should be first....
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Tackle it Tuesday
This is my first attempt at a "theme day." I won't be a regular but every now and then I'll try it for fun! I had something I wanted to tackle today anyway so I might as well blog about it.
This is my work bag. I put home things in it to take to work and work things in it to take home. I usually keep it pretty organized but these past couple weeks have been busy so my bag is out of control. Here is my before pic- stay tuned for the after pic!
**UPDATE** Whew! It only took my lunchbreak! Some cool things I found were my favorite lipstick, a coupon for 1.50 off my next tank of gas, a wedding invitation (oops!), and a rebate form I need to send in ASAP. Now instead of a bag full of loose papers I have my purse (no receipts!), my dayplanner with all the little scraps taken out and all the dates written in, and one file of policies to deliver. Not bad!
Monday
I overslept which is never a good start to anything. The kids on the other hand got up earlier than usual. With three of us scrambling around trying to get out the door in time it gets a little chaotic. We get dressed by throwing clothes everywhere. We eat breakfast and dirty a lot more dishes than is really neccessary. The bathroom counters, once empty and sparkling, are now covered with every hair product imaginable. Freak out #1- I'm such a horrible planner for not laying out all our clothes, lunches, and bags the night before. Freak out #2- I'm a terrible housekeeper.
It takes 30 minutes to get the kids to my sister in law's house and then get to work. Freak out #3- I take my kids to the babysitter. They will be scarred for life and feel like I don't love them.
Monday's at work are extremely busy with actual customers and I don't get a lick of paperwork done. I feel like I'm on the phone or meeting with people all day. Freak out #4- My dad is going to be so disappointed that my desk is messy and I didn't get anything done.
Don't get me started on dinner. Monday's are now spaghetti night because that takes all of 15 minutes to make. Freak out #5- I can't even cook a decent meal.
Again, since today is actually Tuesday I can see Monday a little more clearly. On Tuesdays I'm not nearly as insecure as I am on Mondays. I can logically talk myself out of my freak outs:
#1 I didn't lay out anything the night before because we can't make up our minds about clothes, food, and backpacks. I'd have to repack and redress everyone anyway.
#2 I'm not a terrible housekeeper. The house was clean before I ran top speed through the morning routine.
#3 I only work 3 days a week (at Grandpa's so they can stop by anytime and Grandpa loves it). Two of those days are spent with cousins who are the exact same age as Charlie and Henry. They call Monday and Wednesday "Aunt Candi Days" because they love being with her so much. Friday's are "Daddy Day"...they are pushing me out the door on Friday's.
#4 My dad isn't disappointed. His desk is just as bad. Plus, he got to go for morning coffee with the town locals while I stayed in the office to answer phones. So, technically I worked an extra half hour.
#5 I can cook. And spaghetti night is a step in the right direction for being better organized.
See, it's not really that bad. Thank goodness today is Tuesday.