Spring sports are some of my favorite, and with the weather so pleasant this spring, the kids enjoyed their sports activities all the more. Gymnastics, swimming, softball and golf were their sports activities this spring. I'll discuss the first three in this post and save golf camp for another post.
The children's sport that best conditions the body in all ten domains of fitness, in my opinion, is gymnastics. Both of our kids really enjoy gymnastics, but they are interested in so many other sports that they have not chosen gymnastics as their passion sport. Yet, I think it's important to at least provide the kids with a few gymnastics classes each year for basic conditioning. This spring was our son's turn. As in previous years, he was in a class with all girls, but he did not seem to mind. He had a habit of calling out to me and waving during class to make sure I was watching him. While I was glad he craved my attention, I had to remind him not to interrupt the class.
It has become a tradition for the kids to take a few private swim lessons each spring to refresh their memories and to reactivate their swimming muscles. They took a few lessons this spring and can't wait to do lots of swimming with their cousins in Oklahoma who have always had a pool in their backyard and swim like pros. I keep hoping to get them on a swim team some day where they can become stronger swimmers, but their busy travel and camp schedules always get in the way.
Our kids got to play church league softball for the first time this spring. This league is so laid back that they don't even keep score at games. The team volunteers are more focused on teaching the kids to hit, run, pray, make friends, and have fun than on who wins or loses. I was thrilled to get both of our children assigned to the same team, the Curveball Crusaders. Next year they will play in different age groups, so we'll have twice as many practices and games to attend.
Clockwise from top: Post-game pizza party, Making sure Mom & Dad are watching, Pre-game prayer
Top left: Pre-game warm-up; Bottom right: Softball teaches patience.
Interesting tidbits from the last softball game:
Our daughter may not look very intimidating, but her line drive almost knocked off a kid's head.
While I was surprised to see an attractive, pregnant mother in
stiletto heels and skin tight pants at this rural ballgame, I was not
surprised to see her depart in a BMW convertible.
The players were more concerned about seeing who could get the muddiest than in winning the game.
Our daughter's first year at her unique private school kept getting better throughout the year. Sometimes, I found myself shaking my head, however, because some of the things that took place at her school never would have happened at the government funded schools I attended. I will summarize her last month of school in list format.
You know your child does not go to just any average, ordinary school if...
Students are allowed to bring Civil War replicas guns and swords into the classroom as part of their history presentations on the American Civil War.
Unsheathing the sword
During an entomology lesson, students are allowed and even encouraged to drown insects and then use salt to bring them back to life while other insects are frozen and later revived in a series of experiments dubbed the "The Lazarus Project".
After EOG testing, the administrators surprise the students with a fun filled day involving cupcakes, snow cones, and a firetruck visit.
Group pic in front of the firetruck
Chicken eggs are incubated and baby chicks are hatched in the classroom.
Each student loves the other students as close friends who have become like family.
There is no bullying or upperclassman piety. All students are viewed as equal and infinitely valuable.
When a student's father wants to surprise his daughter on her birthday, he arrives via one of the nation's top hospital's LifeFlight helicopters and gives all the students a chance to climb inside.
Out of all there was to see inside, our daughter thought the seat belts were the coolest.
Your child's closest school friends are over a foot taller and a few years older that she is, but they do not look down on her or consider these differences of any importance.
The graduation ceremony includes praise/worship, prayer, and both parent and student testimonies instead of a prayerless program of humanistic speeches.
The students mourn when summer break arrives because they would rather be at school than almost anywhere else.
The school only operates 133 days per year compared to the 180 day minimum required for public schools giving the students more time to play, explore, and spend time with family.
Your child rarely has any homework, never studies for any tests, and causes you to wonder if she's learning anything at all at that bizarre school, yet she blows your socks off with amazing EOG test scores further confirming that she flourishes best in a classroom setting amid lots of other like minded students.
So much for my intent to "show her" that life was better as a homeschooler!
At least my son still prefers to be educated at home with me. Every child is wired differently with varying learning styles, motivators, and educational needs. For now the plan is to continue with one child enrolled in a small, classical, private Christian school and the other child enrolled in our homeschool. Our future is very much in the air right now, however, so we are open to whatever plan God has for us.
With my daughter getting so much one-on-one time with her dad through the Y Princess program, I am thankful for our mother/daughter book club which gives me special bonding time with my daughter. We offered to host the meeting in May, and our daughter chose the book, Meet Samantha from the American Girl series. This book takes place in the year 1904, so we tried to transform our home into a Victoria era manor with my husband playing the role of Hawkins, the butler, and I played the part of Mrs. Hawkins, the cook. Our son joined in the fun by pretending to be Eddie, the spoiled rich kid who lives next door and likes to tease Samantha. Our daughter dressed up to play the part of Samantha, an adventurous young girl who was adopted by her rich grandmother after both of her parents died.
When each guest arrived, Hawkins greeted them at the door and steered them to the parlor where the girls made samplers. In the book, Samantha's grandmother kept after Samantha to keep working on her sampler as part of her education in becoming a sophisticated woman. In those days, the wealthy did not work. Servants were responsible for the labor intensive chores involved in maintaining a large estate without the modern conveniences we have today. Wealthy ladies were expected to be prim and proper and adept in the arts of socializing and needlepoint. While the girls worked, Eddie tied some plastic worms to the end of a stick and attempted to frighten our guests. The attractive mom pictured above is about to become the target of Eddie's prank. As the girls worked on their samplers, they learned lots of amusing trivia from 1904 and participated in a lively book discussion.
After the craft time, the girls gathered in the dining room for tea time and treats. Victorian lace covered the tables and lace doilies adorned the crystal plates. In 1904, the wealthy primarily ate meat, potatoes, breads, cakes, and pies, and had waist lines to prove it. Jelly biscuits and pies play a role in the plot of the story. So, at our meeting, Mrs. Hawkins served the guests pie with cream, cookies, chocolate dipped wafers, crackers, jelly biscuits, meatballs, bacon cheddar potato wedges, and a vegetable platter with dip to add a touch of nutrition to this horribly unhealthy but historically accurate menu.
After tea time, the girls, laden with sugar, were directed outside for the game time. In the book, Samantha befriended the neighbor's hired helper, who was about the same age as Samantha. Samantha would communicate to her poor friend next door through tin cans tied to a string. So, for the game time, the girls were given humorous messages to speak into the tin can. The girl on the other end then had to repeat what she had heard. Whoever repeated the message most correctly won the game.
My parents took the kids for the day as an anniversary present to us, so I have a bit more time to myself today. So, what does a mother do when the kids are away, and she has alone time with her husband on their anniversary? She scrapbooks and blogs about the kids, of course. Lest that seem too depressing, let me note that my dear husband has been loving me through acts of service around the house today, so while he's busy hauling old clutter to the dump and tidying up the yard, I thought I would slowly begin the process of updating my blog before our fancy date tonight.
So much has happened since my last post. The kids finished up school and most of their wonderful extracurricular activities. We have hosted guests several times a week for the past four weeks which has been a great joy for me. I have discovered a new fitness passion that makes my previous running obsession seem wimpy. We have purged the house and listed it for sale after much reluctance on my part. (That's a long story for another post.) It has been a fun, exciting, exhausting, and exhilarating few weeks.
Piano consumed much of our time and thoughts during the month of May. Our daughter grew so frustrated with piano that we gave her teacher notice that we would be discontinuing her lessons unless our daughter's attitude changed considerably before the end of the month. We suspected that having to sit through her brother's lessons each week without getting to play herself may be the motivation she needed to continue. Thankfully, the Lord orchestrated just the right circumstances to transform her attitude. For the recital program this spring, the teacher had each student play at least one duet with another student or with a parent or sibling. She assigned our extremely social daughter to play with another young girl in the same grade as our daughter. Scheduling conflicts kept the girls from practicing together during regular lesson times, so we arranged for the girls to practice together at our home for the first time only two days before the recital. We turned the practice into a fun play date, and both girls became fast friends. They bonded that evening in such a way that they were determined to learn their parts well so as not to negatively reflect on the other. Their duet performance was flawless at the recital.
Every other month, the kids' teacher hosts a series of group lessons at her home. This month's lesson centered around playing duets, so my husband got to play a duet with our daughter, and I played a duet with our son for the group. We both felt nervous with the teacher next to us after not having had lessons in over 21 years.
The recital this year was far more entertaining than any others we have attended. This brave piano teacher asked the parents of her students to blow the dust off instruments they had not played in 20-30 years, and perform in a parent orchestra at the recital. She arranged a piece of music composed by one of her musician friend for each of our instruments which included an eclectic collection of flutes, violins, guitars, bass guitars, oboe, alto recorder, alto saxophone, cornetto, trumpet, french horn, harp, and piano. I had never seen a cornetto before. It was so amusing to play with such an unusual combination of instruments. My husband played the saxophone, an instrument I find especially romantic. I played the piano part which copied most of the other instruments parts all together and formed the glue of the piece. Just before the performance, the teacher put some pressure on me to hold the orchestra together during the performance. Mom and Dad, who paid for me to take piano lessons for 12 years, drove up to attend this recital, so for their sake as well, I really hoped I could hold it together during the piece. God was faithful as always to assist in my time of need. We were all rusty amateurs, so when the piano teacher announced that the composer of the piece would be directing us, we feared that our performance would embarrass and/or offend him. Thankfully he seemed pleased.
Now I'm ready to start a family band and hit the road, but my husband is not as enthusiastic about that idea.
The recital was long but much more enjoyable this year with each student playing a duet. The piano teacher, who has recently begun taking harp lessons, played a beautiful harp duet, composed by the harp teacher's husband, with her teacher at the recital.
Our son's piano recital scrapbook page
Our daughter's piano recital scrapbook page
Six days after the recital, our daughter participated in Piano Guild where she played four pieces from memory. By then, her attitude about the piano had changed completely, and she played beautifully for her piano guild judge. She is a gifted pianist, and I hope her love for music will help her continue to press through the difficult stages of learning.
We drove home to spend the day with my parents on Mother's Day as is our custom. During last year's Mother's Day visit, the kids were thrilled to find a nest of baby birds in Pops' white mug.
Nestlings in his cup (May 2011)
I revised the lyrics to The Beverly Hillbillies theme song to explain how those nestlings ended up inside my dad's cup. Read the full story here.
Cliff's Notes version:
Birds like to build nests on the eaves of my parents' front porch.
These ledges aren't suitable nesting places because of all the bird poop
and nest debris that falls down onto my parents' pristine porch and
because snakes are known to slither up to those eaves when they start
craving baby bird porridge for supper. So last year, Dad placed cups and
cans all along the eaves so there would not be any room left for bird nests.
Unfortunately, Mom turned one of those cups right side up, so a bird built a nest inside the cup.
Dad's battle to rid his porch of birds continued this year. So, to tell this year's story, I have added more verses to the "song" I "revised" last year. With The Beverly Hillbillies theme song in your head (click here for a refresher), sing along with me.
Last Year's Lyrics:
Come and listen to a story about a man named Cy.
He had a big porch with eaves nice and high.
Then one day he was standing at the door
When down from the eaves droppings fell to the floor.
Poo that is, mama bird's and baby birds'.
Well the first thing you know, Cy gave those birds a stare,
Told them twice, "Move away from there!"
Said, "On my eaves isn't where you ought to be!"
"Go build your nest in that shady tree!"
Oak, that is.
Pretty leaves, hefty limbs.
Well when spring came again, Cy filled up the spots
Where birds like to nest with mugs, jugs and pots.
He thought they'll never nest here because of that cup
But Cy's dear wife turned it right side up!
Mama bird said, "Home, sweet, home, Take your shoes off!"
And baby birds came along now, ya hear?
Appended Lyrics:
Here's the rest of the story about a man named Cy.
Who had a big porch with eaves nice and high.
Last year he slyly tried to keep the birds away.
Despite his blockade, a bird built anyway.
A nest that is, filled with baby birds and worms.
Well, the first thing you know, a snake found that cup.
Saw those birdies and ate them all right up
"Never again," shouted Cy through his throttle!
Next spring we'll replace the cup with a bottle!
Rounded and upright
Unable to hold a nest.
Well, when spring came again, no nests did appear.
On the eaves as they had from year to year.
The battle was over. Cy sighed with relief.
Until he saw a nest atop the front door wreath.
Mama bird said, "Home, sweet, home, Take your shoes off!"
And baby birds came along now, ya hear?
So now, dear friends, should you decide to visit my parents,
please use the back door. Please approach quietly because babies are
sleeping.
Genesis 1:19-21 (NASB)
19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 Then God said, “Let the watersteem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”21 God created
the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which
the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its
kind; and God saw that it was good.
Yesterday was Mother's Day, so we woke up two hours earlier than usual, skipped all our obligations here, and drove to my hometown to attend the early service with my mother at my parents' church. Before we left, the kids showered me with attention. They posted a handmade "Happy Mother's Day!" banner on the wall and gave me cards and gifts. For my gifts, they decorated mason jars with pretty fabric lids and filled them with warm sentiments (interestingly, my daughter complimented me on my hair and creativity when she should know that my hair and lack of creativity are perhaps the two main areas in which I am most self critical). They also included Andes mints (dark chocolate is my primary love language) and coupons for various chores around the house or for cuddle time. The following photo shows some of my Mother's Day loot. The sofa in the background was also a Mother's Day gift from my husband. I saw it wrapped in plastic hoisted on its side and leaning against a truck on a country street corner. I phoned my husband with the serial number, and he researched it on-line. It was exactly what we needed for that casual room, and the dimensions were perfect. The street vendor delivered it to our home an hour later. Those who know how much I detest shopping of all kinds and my extreme reluctance to shop yard sales should find this sofa purchase to be most amusing and out of character for me.
After church, we took the obligatory mother/kid photo with my parents' little point-and-shoot camera, which still had photos on the card dating back to March 2009 giving evidence to how much more they prefer our Nikon, which we had unfortunately left at home. The kids were much more interested in playing than in photo taking. It was a bad hair day for several of us, and the sleep deprivation is written all over my face, but at least we documented that we were together on Mother's Day.
Last year's Mother's Day photo outtakes included one of me brushing the kids' hair and tucking in shirt tales. Clearly, I gave up on such motherly tasks this year.
My little grumpy blessings
The camera perspective makes me look much larger than Mom.
Nana, kids, and the giant
After photos, we went to my brother's house for a Mother's Day brunch. Some drove while others walked or biked. I try not to be envious of my brother's close proximity to my parents' house. Our children are always thrilled to visit their cousins, so they played together with great enthusiasm.
I feel so blessed to have been placed into such a loving family. My mom is the greatest!
Our daughter got to participate in her first science fair at her school last week. While I'm not sure she quite gets the whole scientific method, she sure knows how to make science seem silly fun. My understanding was that the science fair exhibitors were to be the 7th through 12th grade students with the younger students visiting each of the stations. The younger students received a passport stamp at each exhibit they visited. When they filled up their passport booklets, they would then receive a prize.
Our firstborn is quite the independent one who insists on doing all her homework and school projects without any assistance from us. I rarely ever see her doing any homework and have never ever seen her actually study for a test. Considering that she is busy with extracurricular activities from the moment I pick her up from school until almost 10:00 p.m. on the day before test days every week, she doesn't have time to study anyway.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the science fair to find her at an exhibition table with a ridiculous little exhibit about bats. I think she really just wanted an excuse to bring her Webkinz bat to school. She had the stuffed bat affixed to the table in an upside down sleeping position. She passed out hand-outs on bats, attempted to describe the nocturnal habits of bats, and offered a prize to whomever could throw paper balls at the bat and make it fall...until her teacher thankfully put the kibosh on that last idea. No experiment and no scientific method were involved. There were no display panels or typical science fair materials, and she clearly did not do any prep work at home or notify her parents of any such project. However, our daughter is in no way typical, and I can hardly wait to see how God will use her extraordinary creative bent some day. She just turned eight and has never been to a science fair before so to
even attempt to make a contribution is more than enough in my opinion.
Thankfully, my understanding of the event was correct, and she did get to travel from one exhibit to the next receiving stamps in her passport booklet at each stop. The youngest class incubated chicken eggs this past spring, so many of the exhibits involved eggs. She learned the different parts of an egg and how to determine if an egg had been fertilized. The students discovered the strength of uniformly applied pressure as they tried to crack an egg in her hands verses tapping it against a surface.
She learned about air pressure and simulated a geyser. She examined series and parallel circuits which she should be very familiar with after spending countless hours playing with the circuit kit she just had to have as a Christmas gift. She enjoyed learning about various suspensions and playing with the suspension goo. Our son had gymnastics during the science fair, but had he been there, he would have really liked watching things explode at the catalyst exhibit and implode at the atmospheric pressure exhibit. The earthquake simulator and sound wave exhibits were entertaining as well.
The most amusing exhibit for me was the butter making exhibit. A video of our daughter making butter follows. Would Laura Ingalls Wilder approve of her form/style?
Spring has sprung around here as evidenced by the first rose bloom of the season on the kids' rose bushes.
My parents came up to visit us this past weekend for our 15th annual yard day. Ever since I bought my first house as a single gal in 1997, they have driven their truck to my (now our) house (over 4 hours each way for the first few years) to assist in spring landscaping. This year's yard day involved:
Trimming shrubs and rose bushes
Cleaning natural areas of limbs, leaves, and golf balls
Procuring and spreading 70 bales of pine needles
Procuring and spreading 4 loads of mulch
A trip to the county dump to dispose of yard debris
Filling 4 large planters with seasonal flowers
We got a late start Saturday because the kids had softball practice that morning and I simply could not wait to add the finishing touches (birthday gifts my parents brought with them) to our newly decorated master bedroom/bathroom. I really love the fresh new look!
By the time we finally got the kids to help us with the work, it began to rain heavily and furiously. We all got soaking wet, particularly the men who unloaded the last of the mulch from the truck before coming inside. My parents are so awesome to continue this valiant effort each year, especially considering that they are both in their 70s. It has been said that gardening promotes longevity, and I believe it. Unfortunately, we run a botanical hospice around here, so we usually opt for other forms of exercise.
Since I just mentioned our tendency to kill plants, perhaps I should mention our kids' unique treatment of plants. I keep a very ugly, obviously fake plant in a large planter in our recreation room on the third floor where few guests will ever see it. I keep this fake plant because it cannot die and it helps hide a shoddy wall patch. (Sorry, Honey, you did the best you could with what we had). The kids must think I keep that plant there for their personal whimsical use. In December, our son decorated it with Lego men and Hot Wheels cars as if it were a Christmas tree. Recently, our daughter must have thought it either needed decoration or would be a nice place to store a few pieces of costume jewelry.
I have often heard parents telling their grown children as they begin their own families, "I hope you have a child just like you!" while holding back a bit of sinister laughter. My first born is that child who, just like her mother at that age, is filled with wild exuberance and energy that simply cannot be contained. I get dizzy and tired just looking after her each day. Her explosive energy never wanes.....except when I instruct her to complete an unpleasant chore upon which she bemoans her utter exhaustion and inability to lift even a finger to complete the task. Like both her father and her mother (when we were her age), she doesn't seem to need much sleep, so our moments of rest and tranquility in the house are few.
While she is certainly an enthusiastic, carefree, happy child, she is also a thinker, so she usually wears a serious expression on her face instead of a smile. During the AWANA awards night this past week, I commented during the slideshow presentation that I sure hope I see a picture of her actually smiling. Then the very next slide out of the hundreds of slides of hundreds of kids was a close-up photo of our daughter wearing a serious, grumpy expression. I could not have timed my comment better if it had been my 100th viewing of the slideshow instead of my first.
When my parents arrived on Saturday, my mother asked our daughter, "Why don't you smile more often?"
Our energizer bunny replied, "Smiling just takes up too much energy."
As if our daughter EVER runs out of energy.
Instilling better work habits in our kids has been a key focus in our parenting lately. We have used countless methods and tips from our favorite parenting authors, but getting our kids to complete their chores thoroughly, consistently, and with a happy heart continues to be a big struggle. I suspect I was no different at their age. I have previously posted about my attempts to get the kids to eat more vegetables. The trick for motivating my son to eat his vegetables was allowing him to use snazzy kitchen tools to prepare the vegetables. Recently, he offered to help me prepare lunch if I would let him use the vegetable peeler. He grabbed the peeler and a bag of carrots and said, "Mom, I will sharpen the carrots for you." I love the way he described peeling carrots as "sharpening" them. Not only did he "sharpen" those vegetables, but he ate them too!
Then, the boy who fails 9 times out of 10 to remember to clear his dishes from the table, despite the loss of privilege that occurs with each failure, offered not only to clear the dishes from the table but to also rinse them and put them in the dishwasher, ifI would allow him to use the "water gun spray thing" (aka kitchen faucet sprayer). When parenting boys, it's all about having the right tools!
With spring in full bloom, a number of our weekly activities are coming to a close for the summer until they resume next fall. This past week marked the first week of the LAMBS (weekly Bible study for ladies and kids) summer break. As soon as I woke up that morning, my son rushed into my bedroom and announced, "Mom, since we don't have LAMBS this morning, you don't have to comb your hair and all that other crazy stuff, so you can make me breakfast right now."
Soon after breakfast that same morning, he complained, "My throat really hurts, Mom, when I'm not eating. But when I'm eating, it doesn't hurt." That boy is ALWAYS hungry. Reference: "The way to a man's heart".
We're also still (and always will be) working on training our kids' hearts...which came out of the womb hopelessly selfish. This afternoon, the 5-year-old lamented over the fact that his sister got to enjoy an ice-cream sundae party with her children's choir without eating vegetables first. No desserts or treats are allowed in our house until some portions of the meal and all of the vegetables on each kid's plate has been eaten. So, he said to me, "Mom, please make sure my sister does not get any treats after dinner even if she eats all her vegetables because she has already had ice cream, and she better not eat all the ice cream and fixings, so she can bring home some for me."
I then reminded him that he should stop thinking so much about himself and think instead about the interests of others.
He replied, "I am thinking of others. I'm concerned for my sister!".
My husband and I served as substitute teachers today in our son's Sunday school class. Our daughter asked if she could help. We all took turns teaching and entertaining the kids, but the 5-year-olds (nine boys and one girl) listened much more attentively to our daughter than to us.
They thought she was more fun on the playground too. She led them in games of tag and enjoyed the playground equipment along with them. At one point, she exclaimed from the slide, "I almost feel like a little kid again!" ..as if she isn't still a little kid.
One of my big projects this past spring was coordinating Field Day for our homeschool co-op. As the co-op's PE teacher who the students liked to call "Mrs. Sports", it seemed only fitting that I would be the one to coordinate Field Day. The job seemed simple enough. I merely needed to plan eight events for approximately eighty students, recruit volunteers, purchase equipment and prizes, communicate instructions, coordinate logistics, establish a smooth process flow between events, and prepare back-up plans in case of possible failure modes. Those efforts took some time, but the hardest part was finding the Field Day location reserved by our director. I had never been to this particular county park before, but Google maps and GPS got us to the correct park in just under an hour. We downloaded a worthless map of the park, so we thought we were good to go. Unfortunately, the parking area seemed much further from the reservation area than we had anticipated. So, my husband and I carried enormous boxes of equipment (perhaps 30-50 pounds each) on our heads as we walked to the reservation spot. We walked and walked. We stopped to rest our arms from the heavy awkward loads. We walked some more but could not find the reserved area. There were no signs. We asked people there who seemed more familiar with the park, but they had no clue where that particular shelter could be located. We walked from one end of the park to the other. I called the county recreation department for help, but received no answer. Our cell phone GPS maps had no clue where we should go either. We had arrived at the park early enough to allow ourselves one hour to set-up. We were exhausted, and the boxes were falling apart by the time we finally found the reserved shelter, and by then we only had 15 minutes to set-up all the events.
With help from others who were arriving by that time, we got it all set up, and the events went smoothly. The kids had great fun, and I was amused at the differences between our two kids. Our right-brained first born wore expressions of great determination at each event while our son just wanted to have fun without much concern over winning. He even dropped the water balloon on purpose at the balloon toss event because he wanted the pleasure of having cool water splash all over him on that warm afternoon. Look for photos in the collages below of each child at the balloon toss game for a fun contrast.
Last week was a whirlwind of activity, but in the midst of the pandemonium, I could sense God showing me lessons I needed to absorb, apply, and pass on to my offspring. So this blog post will likely be scattered (a fitting representation of my mind and life last week) as I attempt to record the highlights and lessons learned (that I can still remember) from last week's experiences.
Sunday, April 22
Credit: Amazon.com
I had just completed my last Bible study lesson for LAMBS and was prayerfully considering what resource and what passage of Scripture I would use next for my daily inductive Bible study. Totally unexpected, a friend I knew in college, who I am just now getting to know again through our church life class, handed me a belated birthday gift which just happened to be an inductive Bible study guide and journal compiled by one of my favorite Bible teachers, Anne Graham Lotz.
She also included a note of encouragement with words that flowed straight out of the heart of God through her pen to me. I had been struggling with my parenting. Even though I know God's ways are good, pleasing, and perfect and that He never makes a mistake, I had felt wholly inadequate to parent one of our kids and wondered why God entrusted that child into my imperfect care. I realized that I was experiencing a crisis of belief. On Saturday, I had acknowledged to my husband that I could not be the mother God intended for these children until I fully believe and accept that I am God's perfect choice for them. In His strength and wisdom alone can I parent them effectively. When we rely only on our own efforts, none of us will parent well...but through Him, I can be a great mom to these kids. This friend had no idea that I was struggling, yet her words gave me just the encouragement I needed. My kids often tell me I'm a great mom, but I always dismiss these words as vain flattery to make up for their latest behavioral offense. This note, however, was clearly from the Lord Himself, and gave me the encouragement I could finally receive.
Lessons/Reminders:
The Lord is ever patient with His stubborn people whom He fittingly refers to as "sheep".
He is awesome and mighty, yet He tenderly cares for His people. "His eye is on the sparrow, and he watches over me."
He will equip those He calls.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Monday, April 23
I experienced a bit of a panic attack when I saw how much was on our calendar this week, so I attempted to complete several days worth of homeschooling and household chores in one day to make up for all that we would surely miss in the days to follow. I went to bed very late that night feeling frustrated and exhausted.
The kids and I began a new Bible study together which devoted special attention to moral training and has helped ignite a desire in them to develop Godly character. Nothing delights me more than teaching our children God's word.
Lessons/Reminders:
Always leave buffer time in the calendar, and do not try to do more than a day's work each day.
Training a child's heart is always more important than academics.
Matthew 6:34
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Tuesday, April 24
This day was the last regular day of LAMBS (Ladies A.M. Bible study with a phenomenal program for kids) until next season starts back in the fall. The small group Bible study was excellent as always, and the large group speaker really needs to publish some best sellers with all her wisdom. We concluded the book of Acts, and I guess my biggest impression from the book is Paul's example of a purpose driven life. Paul faced more persecution, hardships, suffering, and obstacles than any of us can possibly imagine. Yet, his heart and mind were always fixed on Christ. He always kept a clear conscience before God as he fulfilled his calling by God to preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. "He was more aware of God's power and word in him than his circumstances." (Beth Evans)
Before the lecture time, the kids sang some songs for us with cute hand motions.
Lessons/Reminders:
To live a life of purpose with a clear conscience, focus on Christ, not on circumstances.
At any time and in any of life's trials, come to Him like little children and make a joyful noise.
Acts 23:1
[ Paul before the Council ] Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “ Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”
1 Chronicles 16:23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Wednesday, April 25
Wednesdays are always my busiest days with at least a dozen errands to run. Some highlights from this particular Wednesday included:
My son received a certificate of achievement from his piano teacher for playing a duet with me so well. The teacher likes to reward students who practice diligently.
I took the kids on a date to Pizza Hut.
We attended AWANA family night where the kids had a blast on the inflatables and at the dunking booth. Many of the adults stood in line as often as the kids did at the dunking booth where, unlike with the inflatables, there were no participant size restrictions.
I finally got to hold a close friend's 3-months-old baby boy whom I had not yet seen in person. His parents have faced medical issues before with another child, so they have dutifully kept this kid in a bubble. It was a pleasure to hold him, but he eyes remained completely transfixed on his mama.
Another friend holds baby while baby's eyes stay locked on his mother.
Lessons/Reminders:
The kids are more diligent in doing their chores or practicing piano when their parents do those chores with them. Duets and "family band" times are a blessing to our family.
Family band
Even the simplest efforts to spend special time with our kids, like taking the kids out for pizza, goes a long way in filling their love tanks.
Even adults never outgrow the desire to throw a ball and dunk fun-loving adults. Unfortunately, some of these adults also learned that falling inside a dunking tank can cause serious back pain as one grows older.
May we look to God, our Protector, Provider, and Sustainer, with at least as much love, admiration, and fixed gaze as an infant has for his mother.
Thursday, April 25
One highlight from Thursday was watching my 5-year old charmer participant in an 85 minute gymnastics class in which he was the only boy. These girls had been taking all season while this class was our boy's first since he took a few classes at age 3. He did great, though, and kept up as well as any of the girls, I am told.
My girl at the play
Feeling convicted that I need to spend more one-on-one time with my daughter, I thought a night out together viewing a musical production of Little House on the Prairie (we read this series together last fall) would be an ideal venue for my literature loving, dramatic daughter. Driving to/from the musical gave us an hour in the car alone together to talk in addition to the three hours we had together at the theater. Some of my friends' children, who are close in age to our daughter, performed in the musical making the venue even sweeter. Our kids have performed in another musical written and directed by the same person, so I knew the script would not only entertain but also present Biblical truth, moral training, and bring glory to God. We have been discussing some of the ideas and moral lessons presented in this musical ever since the performance. Those ideas will serve as my lessons for Thursday.
Lessons/Reminders:
When someone repeatedly hurts you and speaks evil against you, instead of seeking revenge or harboring bitterness, pray for him or her.
Instead of trying desperately (and in vain) to be good so as to impress others, look instead to the goodness of God. Point others to Christ, not yourself.
Always be hopeful in every circumstance, trusting in God's provision and promise to work all things together for good for those who love Him. When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Numbers 23:19
“ God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He
should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken,
and will He not make it good?
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Friday, April 27
I cannot even begin to describe all that God taught me at the Joy Prom (a full service prom for teens and adults with special needs) where I served as a hostess. During grade school, my church youth group made yearly trips to a home for those with special learning needs, so I have been around people with various special needs in social settings plenty of times before. Through the training, preparations, and time spent at the Joy Prom,
however, God opened my heart and understanding so much further with
regard to how He manifests His glory through those with physical,
emotional, or mental disabilities.
Aside: A precious sister in Christ barely escaped death when a drunk driver hit her car during the week before her due date with her second child. By God's grace, her husband and firstborn were in the car behind her, so they were kept safe, and he phoned for help. She was air-lifted to the hospital just in time to save her life and that of the child in her womb. However, my friend suffered great physical injury, requiring surgeries, and her newborn child experienced severe brain injury. She has written of that experience and how she has handled all the "Why, God?" questions that came with such grief on her blog. With so much injury to the brain, her new daughter endured countless hospitalizations and the most rigorous therapy schedule imaginable. Those years were immensely exhausting, but when the Lord took her daughter home at age four, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who had known her testified of Christ's glory radiating through her. This young child, whose brain was perfect until the injustice of a drunk driver permanently damaged it (during her earthly life, but not her heavenly one), could not walk, talk, or feed herself, yet she inspired so many others as her eyes sparkled with the love of Jesus.
The Joy Prom event is fittingly named "Joy Prom" because the guests express overflowing joy and unconditional love for one another. No one seemed the least bit self-conscious, jealous, gossipy, or insecure. They danced their hearts out while making sure that everyone who wanted to dance had a dance partner. I have never really found myself in social circles where alcohol was deemed necessary to relax and enjoy a party or dance. The joy of the Lord and His Holy Spirit in me is the only "spirit" I need. Yet, these guests seemed more relaxed, more comfortable in their own skin, and more filled with glee than the world's happiest drunk. (I'm trying to paint a visual here with no disrespect intended whatsoever.)
Exhibit A: Chicken Dance
Exhibit B: Dance Off
To learn more about the Joy Prom and to view pictures, click here. To learn more about why special needs ministries are so important to God, click here.
Lessons/Reminders:
God's glory is manifest in those with special needs. (See John 9)
We honor the Lord when we willingly and lovingly serve the special needs community.
Those without special needs can learn a lot about selfless love for one another, true joy, and Godly contentment by observing the special needs community.
Matthew 25:40 The
King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent
that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of
them, you did it to Me.’
Saturday, April 28
I was up until 3:30 a.m. after the Joy prom processing and writing about the event. My daughter and I had made plans to attend a ladies' (in)Courage meet-up event an hour away the following day, so I woke up just in time to rush out the door. I thought the mini women's conference would be great mother-daughter bonding opportunity while providing some spiritual refreshment for us both. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we were not able to stream the conference into the hostesses home, so instead, the other ladies and I spent the day chatting like adolescents and hopefully offering spiritual encouragement to one another. Food, flowers, and canines with funky eyes were also there to strengthen, inspire, and entertain us. At least we each will receive a T-shirt at some point.
The younger girls illustrated Scriptures, played games, reflected on the love of God, and had a blast. My daughter's expression may look grim in this photo, but that's just her "thinking face".
Lessons/Reminders:
Stop using distance as an excuse to postpone visiting precious friends. An afternoon with true friends who love, encourage, and inspire is ALWAYS worth the drive.
Long drives in the car and ladies' only events provide wonderful mother/daughter bonding moments.
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.
Sunday, May 29, 9:30 a.m.
Every Joy Prom guest (approximately 600 guests came) was invited to the Joy Class (a Bible class for those with special learning needs) that meets on Sunday mornings. The class leaders requested additional helpers in case a large number of visitors came that day. So, I volunteered, and once again, it was a blessing to be around such amazing people. I discovered that many of these class members have impressive compensating abilities. One man was especially gifted with Bible knowledge. When each teaching point was presented during class, he would quickly turn to an appropriate Bible passage and begin reading, teaching, and explaining. He explained complex subjects that great theologians have struggled to grasp with a natural affinity and intellect that blew me away. I was later told that he is an expert in eschatology.
A few members of the Joy Class (including the theologian)
Lesson/Reminder: Never assume that because someone suffers a disability in one area that they struggle in every area. Exceptional ability often accompanies disability. Just as God used Moses, who had a speech impediment of some kind, God's strength is manifest through our weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:10
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
I am a wife, mom, fitness junkie, and most importantly, a follower of Christ. This blog is a place for me to journal about some of my favorite passions in life: Faith, Family, Freedom, and Fitness.
My goals for this blog are to: 1) Remember God's great works 2) Grow in love, knowledge, and insight 3) Encourage others 4) Glorify the Lord!
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