Posts filed under 'activities'
Read with Me Check-In: The end of May!
Hey, ladies! Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. It’s been a really, really crazy week with house stuff and end-of-year school stuff and just other … stuff. 
Our school doesn’t do a traditional kindergarten graduation. Instead, they do this fabulous presentation called “Salute to America.” It’s so cool! The students offer recitations of important pieces of American history from the Colonies through our presidents, the Civil War and more. Ellie played Betsy Ross. The program also included a huge reminder that while we are proud of our nation and support our troops, both past and present, our first allegiances are to God and His Word.
I struggled to keep my emotions in tact. Not just because of the enormity of the message provided by this group of five- and six-year-olds, but also because of this decision we have about schools. Do we keep them at this Christian school that we love? Or do we put them in public school after we move? I am so completely torn. There is no other way to describe it.
My co-class mom and I made a special something for the celebration:
This is my first ever “cupcake cake.” (If you’re a fan of CakeWrecks, please don’t turn me in!) What you see is over 140 cupcakes and more than two hours worth of work (not including baking). Count ‘em — all 50 stars are there. We were so excited to get this done! In fact, when we finished with the little blue ribbon, we hooted and hollared and even gave a public chest bump. It was a good day.
Okay, enough of my business. How y’all doing with your reading?
It is the end of May which means, if you’re on schedule, you’ve read almost half the Bible already!!
I’m not one of those people. I am happy to say I finally made it to February with my reading of Acts. Pitiful, I know, but I have been keeping up with several other sections and I’ve read ahead in a couple. Also, we may be coming up to a time when I can’t do much else, but read. I fully intend to catch up over the summer while the kids play and swim and I chill somewhere near them.
You’re turn! Tell us where you are, what you’re learning or how you plan to catch up. We can do it!!
8 comments May 29, 2010
Christmas Recap
At the end of November I posted about celebrating Advent and a couple resources I planned to use. I did, in fact, use them. I did, in fact, plan to post about how it went and what we did, but then I remembered the 12 Pearls of Christmas and … well, life got busy and I never got to blogging.
Here’s a very belated, but super-quick recap.
I really enjoyed Christmas this year! We kept our tradition of the Advent calendar, and as always, the kids loved it. Ellie worked hard to think up “good” questions to discuss each night after filling our Nativity scene with whichever little ornament was hidden behind that day’s door.
Using our cool resources, we also reviewed several passages of Scripture and did some fun crafts: made ornaments, cookies, chocolates, snowmen, snowflakes and fruits covered in cloves. We learned about Saint Nicholas, symbols of Christmas, Epiphany and the legends of the candy cane and fireflies (two separate stories).
We went to a drive-through lights show.
The kids performed in two concerts (one for school and one for church). Ellie even played the bells! and Zach was a wise man in the preschool Christmas musical.
All in all, it was a great season. I was more than a little sad to take down our tree this weekend.
There was one lesson of Advent that particularly struck me this year. I’ll not dilute the point by including it in a crazy-long randomness and recap post. Like Whimzie, I think I’ll try to “keep ‘em thin in 2010.”
Stay tuned.
1 comment January 11, 2010
Sabbath Rest and Then
The day AFTER Thanksgiving is always my favorite. I’m not a shopper, so it has nothing to do with doorbusters or camping on the Best Buy sidewalk. Rather, it’s a day of Sabbath Rest.
When I say “Sabbath” please understand I mean a holy rest. I’ll not debate the Saturday vs. Sunday people, because the argument completely missed the point. God calls us to rest, to worship, to focus on Him. Any time we do that, I consider it Sabbath.
So the day after Thanksgiving finds me and mine in our pjs much longer than typical. We play in a house filled with great food (thanks to feast leftovers), watch movies, read books and just do whatever we want to do. I love it. It’s like a “free” day of vacation. I get my Sabbath rest and then …
And then! Then all the craziness starts. School, church and family events pepper the calendar. Shopping still waits to be done, not to mention Christmas cards and charity events. Oh, and we’ve got birthdays and anniversaries and all our usual daily grind responsibilities. Just one day and THEN.
Tomorrow begins Advent. Today I want to share a couple resources with you. The goal? To intentionally step away from the insanity of THEN and focus our attention on HIM.
Before and After Christmas is a fabulous book filled with ideas and activities for quiet (or not so quiet) family times. Each “day” offers a Scripture reading (1-3 verses), a story (sometimes a legend about Christmas, sometimes details, symbols or historical facts) and an activity (craft, song, recipe, service project, etc.). You can pick and choose which ones you want to do — as little or as much as your family can. The book goes through Advent and Epiphany, so it can help your family redirect focus through January 6th, always with the intent of honoring God and remembering Him. Read my full review at CCBR.
Mosaic Holy Bible, a new format from Tyndale Publishing, features the New Living Translation (the back half of the book) coupled with devotionals (the front half of the book). There are several things I like about this compilation, but what I am most excited about is the liturgical readings based on the Christian calendar. The devotionals (usually about six pages long) are each assigned to one week of the Christian calendar, starting with Advent! These include suggested readings of Bible passages, reflections on Scripture, quotes from renowned theologians and teachers, reprints of great religious artworks, prayers, poems, and spaces for reflections and notes.
(As a sidenote, Tyndale also has a separate book of their Advent devotionals. Obviously, there’s no reason to get a new Bible, if you already have one! I, however, really like having the two attached. It’s only one book I need to grab if I plan to do my devotions at Starbucks after dropping the kids off at school. Also, the Mosaic Bible includes meditations for the whole year, not just advent. To get all that, you would need to collect their devotionals for Advent and Lent, and even then would still be missing the seasons of Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost. These are all included in with Mosaic Bible.)
Every year I say I’m going to take Advent seriously. Every year I make lofty plans, but … THEN.
This year I am super excited about these resources because they’re not overwhelming. Neither require daily time-outs to reap the benefits. Neither condemn with homework or extraneous preparation. They are both simple: take what you can and glean from God in a few moments a week. That’s it.
So, what are your plans? How do you keep focus during the season of hectic happiness?
2 comments November 28, 2009
Little House on the Prairie: The Musical
Guess what we did yesterday … I took Ellie to her first ever musical!! We had a great “Girls’ Day” with a couple friends.
Ellie wore another dress that my mother-in-law made. Remember when Caroline (on the TV show) bought nice fabric to make herself a dress, but then made dresses for Mary and Laura instead? Ellie’s dress reminded me of those.
The girls (both five years old) enjoyed the show, but not as much as their mamas.
Tracy and I went a little ga-ga. We were both weeping before the end of the show, and then when Melissa Gilbert took her curtain call (she played “Ma”) we got all emotional again! There’s just something about these stories and … *sigh* … It was cool.
By the way, if the show comes to your area (I have no idea where or for how long they’ll do it), take note that it follows the books and not the TV show or any of the resulting movies. (I was glad about that!) Kara Lindsay played “Laura” and Steve Blanchard played “Pa.” They were both fantastic! The whole cast was great, but they were my favorite players. My only complaint: they didn’t have soundtracks available. The musical offered several great, original songs, but they didn’t have any CDs to purchase.
They did have tee-shirts, but I couldn’t justify paying $25 for a “Little House” shirt I knew I would probably never wear in public. I was seconds away from buying a “Half Pint” tee-shirt for Ellie, but she wasn’t interested. Instead we got her a stuffed horse and named it “Barnum.”
It was a good day. Oh, and I have to say, my girl was PERFECT!! She sat quietly through the whole show and clapped in all the right places. She loved it. I was so proud of her!
3 comments September 28, 2009
Adventures in Kickboxing (aka: The ridiculously foolish thing I did this week)
It started innocently enough.
When Zach turned four last month I decided the statute of limitations on pregnancy fat had expired. I’ve blamed these extra twenty-five pounds on him, my schedule (which rarely allows me to exercise), my love of food (which is insatiable) and my self-sacrificing mother instincts (which have me eating junk and taking care of the kids more than me). Now that both kids are in school, my routine is different and my excuses are gone. Just as I came to this realization, a friend invited me to join her for a new kickboxing class.
I’ve always wanted to try kickboxing. It sounded fun! It worked into my schedule; I would have accountability; Alison wasn’t an avid exerciser either … It sounded perfect. Toss in that the first two weeks are free and my decision was made.
I even bought new workout pants.
Yesterday morning, unfortunately, I slept late. This was my twitter/facebook status:
I didn’t realize I had the gift of prophecy.
We got to the class, I filled out my “new student” paperwork, reminded the instructors that I hadn’t worked out in years (Does physical therapy count? No? Darn!) decades in a while, and then waited for the class to begin. They assured us we’d be fine. No worries. I had my towel and my big bottle of water.
Things only got better when more of our friends came. Initially I thought it would only be me and Alison and a few karate moms I didn’t know. But — lucky for me! — my good friends Julie, Carrie and Angela also showed up. I was happy!
I got on my gloves and stood next to my big padded kicking thing, ready and waiting.
I survived the “warm-up” and gave Alison a glare that dared her to see what torture chamber fun class I could invite her to. Then we started the real workout.
At this point, I would like to warn all readers that skipping breakfast — even you’re running late — is NOT a good idea before an exercise class. I’d also like to speculate that there is no such thing as a “Beginner Class” for kickboxing. It’s pretty much all or nothing, and if you haven’t worked out and especially if you’ve skipped breakfast, you should find another exercise. I’m thinking pilates or yoga, because this is what happened next.
She (the instructor) noticed me when stopped to breathe. She then pointed out that I wasn’t breathing. “Do you know how I know that? Because your nose is all white. Do you see how white your nose is?”
Me: “Um, no. I can’t see my nose. It’s on my face, and you’re not a mirror. I feel dizzy.” (She was very close to my face.)
Her: “Here, sit down and take a break.”
The next thing I remember is floating, and then an extremely large karate man tried to wake me up. I resisted because the tile floor was so nice and cool and I really liked how it felt. But he wouldn’t stop shaking my back, so I got up and asked how long I lasted. Big Karate Dude (I can’t remember his name.) said I almost made it through half of the one-hour class. He told me this just before he put me on a stretcher and into the back of an ambulance.
I think I asked everyone that question: “How long did I last?” Anyone with similar levels of bullheadedness tenacity understands it doesn’t matter that I passed out; it only matters how long I lasted. I am especially glad that everyone was there to witness how long I lasted. It must have been a record or something – right?
I also remember asking Big Karate Dude if this happens a lot. He kept telling me not to be embarrassed, but his answer offered no basis for this. He said something like “Well … no. Not really.” That helped my pride.
To add to my humility, I think the entire town gathered to watch. I guess nothing else was going on around here. This pitiful woman (who know feels ridiculously old, out of shape and stupid) attracted the attention of two police cars (four officers in total), one paramedic vehicle (two people in there) and an ambulance (at least two more people, plus the driver). Oh, and anyone else who happened to be standing outside around 10 am on a gorgeous sunny day. By this morning I had over 20 notes on facebook, 6 emails and a phone call from the school principal to check on me. Everyone thinks I’m dying. I’m not. I just refuse to believe that I can’t do anything. I refuse to acknowledge personal limits. I mean, if the amazingly toned woman in front of me can teach the class, surely I (25 pounds over weight and with absolutely no training) can keep up. Right? Right? Obviously not.
Anywho, I somehow managed to answer about thirty questions at least seventeen times. I got a lot of “Oh, good. You’re coherent and you still have your sense of humor.” and “It’s better to be embarrassed than unconscious.” My final instructions before they closed the ambulance doors: “Get me my purse. My insurance card is in there. Have Julie pick up my kids at 11:30; she’s the only one authorized to do it. DO NOT CALL RICK!! And please don’t tell anyone I wet myself. Did I wet myself?” That’s when they hooked up the oxygen and turned on the pretty flashing lights.
There’s nothing quite like trying to get an IV while in a moving vehicle. Roads don’t feel as smooth when you’re lying on your back knowing someone is trying to jab a giant needle in your arm. Oh, and I learned a new word: valvular. My veins are quite valvular. In other words, it will take four pricks and a pediatric needle and they still can’t find a working vein. (By “prick” I mean “attempt.” I don’t know the EMTs well enough to call them names, but I think one of them was called “Doug.”)
After two hours in the hospital, an EKG, blood tests, a turkey sandwich, apple juice and a cup of tea that burnt my tongue, they determined that I was fine. They eliminated the possibility of pregnancy, diabetes and stroke and confirmed dehydration, low blood pressure and a bit of foolish arrogance. I signed a paper and Alison drove me back to the martial arts school (to get my car) where everyone was still standing around talking about me.
They invited me to come back on Wednesday. What do you think? I still owe them for a vitamin water.
Just so everyone knows: I AM FINE! Rick worked from home today to make sure I take it easy and remember my limits. He only had to stop me from running around the house twice.
Life is good, God is great, and I am tremendously blessed to have such amazing, generous friends. Even in spite of my stupidity cute idiosyncrasies.
13 comments September 15, 2009
Things unsaid.
Blame it on ADD. Sometimes I start a conversation on this blog, then never get around to finishing it. Other thoughts emerge and seem much more urgent, and I leave all y’all without much closure. I’m going to try to remedy some of that today.
First — THE RUG.
I’ve decided to send it back.
Several of you encouraged me not to settle, and I’m grateful you did. The longer the rug sat in my living room, the less comfortable I felt with it. At the same time, I can’t justify spending the extra money on the “original” rug. If we were talking a little discount, that would be different. But this is a matter of several hundred dollars’ difference, close to two grand, actually. I cannot in good conscience spend that much (more) money on a rug. One rug. For one room … it’s just too much.
So, I don’t know what we’re going to do just yet. In the meantime, though, we’re going back to naked hardwood. (I dread the spam that will surely come from using those two words in the same sentence.)
Second — LONDON.
We had a fabulous time!! In less than four days we saw Westminster Abby, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, the Tower Bridge, the National Museum, Trafalgar Square, Harrods, Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Paddington Station, Windsor village, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace, the Royal Gardens, Canary Wharf, London’s Eye, Piccadilly Circus and the place where they filmed the original BBC “The Office.” Oh, and a bazillion cool little shops and several stops on the “tube.” We ate at a dozen incredible restaurants and stayed in two fine hotels. Overall, it was splended mini-vacation!
Here’s a picture of us inside Windsor Castle.
We have several other, better pictures of the Castle, but this is the best picture of the two of us together. (Isn’t he great?!)
Here’s how Rick spent half the vacation: texting Grandma to make sure the kids were okay and not ruining our future chances of getting away together with free babysitting at home.
Behind him are Parliament (left) and Westminster Abby (right).
Here’s a picture of me trying to remember how to smile. (I am absolutely terrible with poses! It’s best if I’m oblivious to the presence of cameras.)
Here’s another picture of us, this one near a nifty fountain in Hyde Park. I really like this one, even the one Diana appears to be scratching my ear.
Finally, the requisite first-trip-to-London pic:
The subsequent picture, taken seconds later, shows me realizing that, since everyone now has cell phones, these funny booths are now public restrooms.
We learned new words! Nappy, for example, is not something you take in the afternoon, but rather something you change. Like a diaper. Brits don’t get flu shots; they get “jabs” which are covered with “plasters” (a.k.a. band-aids). My favorite, though, was Hooters. This store, unlike the American version, does not offer large-breasted women in too-tight tops serving chicken wings. No, this is a store where you purchase musical instruments, like horns and other things that “hoot.”
I also saw an advertisement of “Top 30 Things We Love About London.” Number 27 stated this: “Going potty with paint.” I have no idea what that means and wasn’t brave enough to ask anyone. With my mom experience, though, I would guess it has something to do with far too much food coloring in some type of sugary food that then produces technicolor poo. Personally, it’s not in my “Top 30″ list.
Last, but not least, we found these:
Yes, you’re reading that correctly: Prawn Cocktail potato chips. This was not an isolated finding. We also found Pringles of this flavor! They were in local shops, the airport, the train stations … Nuts. What’s worse: our daughter — the self-proclaimed “Shrimp Girl” — LOVED them. I bought a bag as a joke, but then had to ask Rick to bring home some more because the kids, Zach included, liked them so much. I didn’t try them. My mother-in-law did. (God bless her!) She said they tasted like horseradish sauce and a little bar-be-que. Interesting.
Third — Well, I had planned to write a third, but this post is already too long! Let me just say THANK YOU. I’ve received several emails, facebook notes and comments about my recent post: 2012 Days. The purpose of that post was simply to praise God for extended innocence. I am SO VERY GRATEFUL that my kids have had charmed lives. There is much more I can say about this, but words elude me. My heart overflows with God’s grace and goodness. He is forever faithful, merciful, GREAT.
I’ve learned (though I never truly doubted) that I am not alone in this challenge. Recognizing this, I want to share more specifically about the discussions I’ve had with our kids. I’ll do that tomorrow. This is not because I’m an expert by any means! Rather, I know that we learn from each other’s experiences. Perhaps something I’ve said or some wording I’ve used can help one of you. Perhaps what I say will spark a discussion where you can help me based on your experiences. I’m happy to take all the help I can get! So, stay tuned. A bit more closure will come in tomorrow’s post.
3 comments September 9, 2009
Summer’s Observations
On summer days when the weather is upwards of 95 degrees, the library is more crowded than the mall. However, when it rains (on equally hot summer days), the mall is more crowded than the library. My conclusion: everyone loves air conditioning, and most people firmly believe that shop therapy can overcome weather depression.
When scavenging seashells, Cape Cod has much more (quantity) to offer than the Jersey Shore. Even with the daily beach combing, shells are everywhere and easy to spot. The Jersey Shore, while more densely crowded and possessing a lower shell supply, provides the best perfectly white sea glass and polished stones, even if they are small. Cape Cod has the mother of pearl.
Kindles are amazing things, but they’re worth little more than a paperweight, if you forget to pack the charger.
Stretch marks don’t burn, as in sunburn. At least not in my experience. I may be rather lobster-esque on all parts of my body, but the silver road maps that cover my thighs and muffins top stay the same. Weird – right? Momentary insanity (brought on by the noxious smell of aloe coupled with searing pain) sprinkled the desire to have my entire body covered in stretch marks. As quickly as it came, the thought left me, and I ordered another mojito (passion fruit, please).
Sea air makes everything soggy and sticky. I love the ocean. No, I really and truly LOVE the ocean. I love the sand (in the appropriate places), the sea, the salty air, the sounds, the breeze, the rocks, the seafood … everything about it! But chips do not last, pretzels wilt, and my beloved freeze-dried green beans turn to mush. Everything else mysteriously becomes sticky, no matter how many times you wash them. It’s a little odd, don’t you think?
Glasses (for seeing) are useless on the sea, especially if a hurricane is coming. Within seconds the mist, salt, and wind combine to coat the lenses with some icky grime that only comes off with 100% cotton tee-shirt material.
I should always pack extra contacts, even when I *know* I won’t need them.
There are two types of tears in soft contact lenses. One is a mere slit which appears to fit back together peacefully. The other type of tear leaves a chunk missing from the edge of the contact. Contrary to what one might think, the contact with the missing piece is actually far more comfortable than the one with the slit. Furthermore (and my optometrist might disagree here), it’s better to have one blind eye and one chunk-absent contact than to wear grimy glasses. Just don’t drive. The depth perception is a little off.
Moms don’t get vacation. Well, we do, but it’s different. Dads (generally speaking) get vacation from everything: work, neighbors, church, household chores and all the stress that comes with all of these. Moms go on vacation, but still cook, clean, take care of the kids, break up fights, settle disagreements, hand out punishments, wake up far too early (and frequently throughout the night), do laundry (if they can), and play in preschool-age-appropriate ways. We still worry about our family’s safety, activities and happiness. We still plan agendas, pray incessantly, and continue to set aside those books we’ve been meaning to read, so that everyone else can relax: read books, take naps on the beach and play golf before a night of non-G-rated movies and poker. And – this is the amazing part – we don’t mind. Not one bit. Somehow seeing everyone else get vacation, even providing the vacation for them, is enough for us. Most of the time.
6 comments September 7, 2009
Delight!
Well, my laundry intermission has come to a close. We leave for the airport in less than four hours. I am super excited, but also a little nervous and obsessed with my check list. Did I do everything I needed to do? Have I signed enough papers to take care of the kids now and in the event of a crisis? Have I packed all that I’ll want with me? Do I have enough books and handbags? Is my house clean enough for those who will be using it in my absence?
Last night while straightening the playroom I faced an empty chalkboard. Of course I had to fill it, but with what? As I continued my task, now focused on the books scattered across the floor, one cover flipped open. It was an alphabet memory verse boardbook. The flopped-open page read:
“Delight yourself in the Lord. — Psalm 37:4″
That’s exactly what the chalkboard needed to say.
Deep cleansing breath. Sure, I have a ton to do and a lot I want to do, but none of it matters when compared to the Lord. Am I delighting in Him or am I trying to find my delight in other things? Like coffee or a clean house or an unexpected romantic tryst? (Isn’t “tryst” a fun word? It was in the advertisement for the hotel where we’ll be staying!) To what do I look for peace and joy? If not in God, then I’m going to miss the boat.
And if I don’t get off this computer, I’m going to miss my plane. I’ll be traveling without my laptop, which will likely feel like living without my right arm, so I’ll be offline until the end of next week. Until then …
1 comment August 28, 2009
Mama Loves: Teachable Moments
I’ve talked a lot on this blog about teachable moments in relation to faith and God. Talking about God with my kids is like breathing to me. We talk about Him all the time, and I absolutely LOVE the effect this has had on my kids. Little comments they make reveal what sinks in.
“You don’t need to be afraid because God loves you and
He protects us wherever we go.”
“Last night I prayed and I asked Jesus to live in my heart.
And HE DID IT!! I just know He did!”
“In the name of Jesus, I have strength to do GOOD things –
even when the bad things are more fun.”
I love it.
I love seeing the results, but more I love witnessing the moments when the light bulb goes off, when I can see they’re learning something new. I keep my eyes and ears open for little ways to “interrupt” our days to learn something new. Usually it’s about God and His truths, but sometimes the moments offer very different teaching opportunities.
Like this:
Running water led to a whole morning of exploration! We learned about plumbing, gravity and suction, floating devices and the earth’s rotation. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast! And don’t worry: plenty of hand-washing followed.
I love being a mom. I love taking advantage of teachable moments, whatever they may be and whenever they may come. It almost — ALMOST!! — makes me think I could survive homeschooling if I absolutely had to. Almost.
5 comments August 11, 2009
I found it!!
Praise God!!! My passport must have slipped off my nighstand, because I found it under my bed kissing a few dust bunnies. THANK YOU to everyone who emailed and commented with suggestions of where to look. You guys are the best.
As for what to do … well, I’ve started a list. It’s extensive. Since I’ll be in England a whole week, hopefully I can do much of it and maybe even find a lovely little park to write. I’m open to more suggestions, so keep sending them!
3 comments July 10, 2009
