Category Archives: Mama Loves
Mama Loves: Forced Family Fun
Every Tuesday you’ll find me here with Mama Loves. It’s my weekly exercise in blogging Philippians 4:8-9: thinking on the good, the pure, the lovely. It’s an encouragement to regularly focus on the positive side of things. For more details on Mama Loves, visit this post. Grab a button and join the party!
Mama loves Forced Family Fun.
You know what I’m talking about. These family activities start out as a great idea for making memories but, for some reason, always involve tears by at least one member of your party and grumbling from another; most of the group ends up having a terrible day. Everyone wants to blame the person who planned it (usually the mom), but years later you all laugh about it. The memory isn’t at all what it was planned to be, but it’s still treasured and cherished as one of your family’s great bonding moments.
We had one such moment this weekend.
While at Target on a very blustery day, I spotted some kites and decided to take one home, all along having visions of wonderful family memories at the end of that string. I wanted Rick to be part of the experience (This was, after all, the kids’ first time flying a kite.), so we waited until Saturday. By then Ellie’s excitement overflowed!
We hiked over eight blocks to the nearest park with the fewest power lines (remember my children are 4 and 3 years old) during which time Ellie tripped (she’s going through a growth spurt, and her feet are grossly disproportionate right now) and bruised her knee on the pavement. Did I mention it was 34 degrees? So, yes, we hiked with our young, vulnerble preschoolers in freezing weather until we reached the park. There we found no wind, but an abundant littering of goose poop. The kids ran and played, dragging the kite behind them (through the aforementioned bird feces) until poor Zach could no longer feel his fingers. Ellie sobbed when we said it was time to go because she knew we just weren’t trying hard enough to fly the kite. “Mommy, if you were taller or if I could run faster …”
I’m still laughing. Don’t we make great memories?
Your turn! What happened this week that you can laugh about, praise God for or find a silver lining in? Comment or write a post and link up. I want to hear it!
Mama Loves: my husband
When I started Mama Loves a couple months ago, the initial focus (for me) was on positive aspects of parenting. It’s so easy to get lost in the exhaustion and frustration of parenting that moms sometimes forget or maybe just overlook all the good stuff. But wives often do the same about marriage. I love women’s groups, moms groups, girlfriends, all kinds of female bonding, but, if given enough time, these groups almost always turn into bickering sessions. Each woman there wants to out-do the rest with her sob story of how fat she is, how difficult her life is or how her husband is worse than everyone else’s. We claim we’re just “sharing” and that it’s all in good fun, but I hate it. Today I want to focus on marriage and how wonderful my husband is. No, this is not in honor of that Hallmark holiday later this week, the one we never celebrate in this house. It just happens that this week God reminded me how good I have it in the marriage arena.
This mama loves her man!
As you know my new laptop, Tamar, arrived last week. The night we ordered her (a couple weeks previous) Rick came home from work and told me how Read the rest of this entry
Mama Loves: Games
After a very long, restless night, I need some positive reinforcements. Mama Loves is my weekly exercise in perspective. The good always outweighs the bad. After a night full of trips upstairs for bad dreams, drinks of water, talking in their sleep and then a wet bed, I’m happy to focus on the better aspects of parenting, to remember why I love being a mama. I’d love to hear your positive side of things, too! If you want to participate, just link up at the bottom. Grab full details and a button HERE. For a perfect example, read Heidi’s post. Every time I visit her blog I am encouraged and challenged! This time she offers very clearly a Godly perspective on a really crappy experience.
As for me, my Mama Loves is about playing games.
Within the past six months or so the kids have reached the stage where they can play games for real. We’ve tried before, but with my obsessive compulsive, control freakish tendencies — remember the Christmas decorations? and the cookies? — well, attempting to play board games or card games drove me crazy, and their imaginative ”games” never made any sense to me (kind of like their jokes, but lasting much, much longer). However, we’ve reached a developmental milestone, and I’m loving it! Being three and a half and almost five, they’ve developed imaginations advanced enough to create their own games and include me in them. They know how to follow rules and understand the value in that, thereby creating their own rules (that make sense) and enforcing them. It’s so much fun! Not just the games, but all the little quirks and conversations that come with it. These kids are SO funny!
The favorite games around here are definitely Uno and Candy Land. As an aside, let me make a plug for Uno here. This game is PERFECT for young kids! It encourages color recognition, number recognition, matching and rules of exception. Our kids love it, especially the “tricky cards” like Skip and Draw Two. Let’s see, other games we play include Go Fish, Chutes & Ladders, Checkers and Memory. Ellie is also extremely interested in Chess for some reason. Probably the whole royal feel of it strikes a resonant chord with my princess.
Once while we were playing Candy Land, my piece caught up with Rick’s piece. With our two little plastic gingerbread people on the same spot, I couldn’t resist: I made my little person kiss his little person. Now, every single time anyone’s piece catch up to another, Ellie yells out: “You gotta kiss ‘em!” I didn’t realize I was setting such a strong precident. Zach, though, prefers to “good-five” the other players. Apparently, he’s just not as affectionate as I am. (By the way, this Candy Land photo was taken by BlueSleepy. Also, for future reference, when googling for “candy land” be aware you’ll face some not-so-sweet links. Wow.)
I mentioned imagination games. In addition to Mousy and Dennis, their shared imaginary friends — Have I told you about Mousy and Dennis? I’ll have to do that one of these days. Anyway, in addition to Mousy and Dennis, the kids have created a game called “Bad Guys.” In it we all pretend to be bad guys who have to capture the “good people” and lock them in cages. Last week we raided a hospital and stole all the babies before wrapping “the good people” in blankets and tickling them silly. I try not to get too analytical about why my children want to take innocents captive; I just like that they’ve deemed me their leader: Bad Guy Number 1. Zach is Number 2 and Ellie is Number 3. Those are our names. It’s consistent, which I find amusing. It feels slightly reflective of Austin Powers or another such terrible spy movie, but it’s fun.
So that’s my delight for the week: playing games with my kids. I love it.
Your turn! What positive aspect of life overshadows the negative?
Mama Loves: Preschool Jokes
Welcome to another edition of Mama Loves, the weekly exercise in positive blogging! For full details and rules, visit this post.
Mama loves preschool jokes.
My absolute favorite part of being a mom is watching my kids grow and develop. God packed each of them with an infinite number of gifts, talents and surprises. Every day a little more emerges! I am priviledged to be able to witness it. Lately, both kids have been testing their funny bones. I do not understand the humor of preschoolers, but I love hearing them laugh at their own jokes. They’re hysterical! The kids, not the jokes. In an effort to highten their humor receptors, I taught them the Richard Orange knock-knock joke. Haven’t heard it? Oh, it’s a doozy. It goes like this:
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Richard.
Richard who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Richard.
Richard who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say ‘Richard?’
Oh, I know you’re rolling in the aisles right now, but to a five-year-old that’s a pretty funny joke. And to the adults listening, it makes much more sense than “How do trees talk? With their mouths!” Yes, unfortunately, that is Ellie’s favorite joke right now. Actually she loves all nonsensical stories of inanimate objects talking. She laughs so hard, she gives herself the hiccups. However, since I told her the Richard Orange joke, there’s a new king in town. Here’s how she tells it.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Richard.
Richard who?
Richard.
Richard who?
Richard.
Richard who?
Richard.
Richard who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Strawberry.
Strawberry who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say ‘Richard?’
It’s like a stuck record that eventually skips to the next song! I love it. What I love most, though, is that these two can make each other laugh over the silliest things, things that make absolutely no sense to me, but they find to be the most outrageous, hysterical things. I’ve told you about how they’re best friends. Well, it definitely shows in their budding senses of humor. Mama loves it!
Your turn! What tickled your funny bone this week? What did God do or show you that made you smile? Leave it here in the comments or, if you blog about it, link back here, so we can check it out and rejoice with you!
Mama Loves, a condensed version
Normally Tuesday mornings start with Mama Loves, an exercise in gratitude and positive perspective. This week, however, my planned post is postponed.
My laptop in on the fritz. Yes, I believe my beautiful Ruthie, whom I love and can’t live without, is dying. She has gone everywhere with me for two years and now, sadly, I think she’s worn out. Why does this affect Mama Loves? Well, all my stuff is on that laptop (my graphics, pictures, programs, writing stuff*) and I can’t access it until I can wake her up, so that puts me on The Man’s computer, a viable substitution, but just not the same.
The positive side of this situation? Hmmm … I’ll likely waste less time today. I may need to get a new laptop soon. That’s kind of cool … expensive, but cool. And I get to play around with the hubby’s computer fortress. Who knows what fun stuff I’ll find here in the frigid corner of this basement? I’ll probably get to play my guitar today! That’s definitely cool.
Mama loves challenges. Mama loves surprises. Mama loves that God is always in control.
* Don’t worry: I have backups of all my book proposals, manuscripts, outlines and notes. I just haven’t backed up my other stuff. Can you guess what I’ll work on as soon as Ruthie comes out of this coma?
Mama Loves: "Coincidences"
I’ve quoted this here before, and here it is again: “Coincidences happen when God chooses to remain anonymous.”
Mama loves coincidences.
Like when you’re struggling with something and find loads of encouragement on that subject on four different blogs on the same day. Or when an old friend calls right when you’re remembering a wonderful time you shared together. Or when you “stumble” upon just the perfect verse for that moment. That’s what happened for me this week. None of these are “coincidences.” They’re all details orchestrated by God. A God who orchestrates details like this is just awesome. I love it.
If you’ve followed this blog for long, you know Mama Loves intends to point out the positive even in less than ideal situations. Parenting is tough. It’s a humbling journey and yet such an honor. It’s exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. We work to help our kids reach the next milestone, but then mourn how quickly they grow.
I’m hardly qualified to give advice on anything, least of all parenting, but one nugget I eagerly share: Don’t wish away your days. When I first had Ellie someone told me “The days are long, but the years are short.” Rarely have I heard such a true statement. Yes, it’s exhausting. Yes, we look forward to a rest, but that will come and this time, this wondrous, never to be replicated time, will be gone in the blink of an eye. Never, ever wish away your days.
Here is the verse I found. Rather, it found me.
“Teach us to number our days right,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
- Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
Mama Loves: Answered Prayers
I am, oh, so tempted to write about how Mama loves the times she is not interrupted every 30 seconds, but this exercise is supposed to encourage positive thinking, not ranting. So, for the moment (or however long it takes me to get through this post), I’m going to try to forget that I started this blog entry three hours ago. I’m going to remember that I love my children more than anything and, while I do want to teach them patience and courtesy, it really is more important that I am available to them than that I — well, now I don’t even remember what I was trying to do. On with the show.
If you’re new to In the Dailies or Mama Loves, you can get all the details HERE. In short, it’s an exercise in gratitude and positive thinking with the purpose of glorifying God. Philippians 4:8-9 serve as the foundation. Feel free to join in! Just sign in with Mr. Linky and be sure to include a link from your post to mine. Thanks!
Mama loves answered prayer.
Our son has had eight double ear infections in his rather short life. He’s also had some single ear infections, but I’ve lost count of all those. He’s never had pink eye. Our daughter, being consistent with their polarized natures, has never had an ear infection, but has had pink eye at least once a year since birth.
Two days ago she started rubbing her eyes, saying they were itchy. At first I thought “allergies”, but then I remembered we still have snow; it’s thirty degrees outside. I watched and waited. By last night the symptoms were obvious. Her iris was slightly raised and outlined by pink. The whites of her eye was grainy and the yellow gunk formed in the corners. Ugh. I told her we would pray about it. “We know God can heal your eye and take this away if He wants to. But if He chooses not to take it away while you’re sleeping, we’ll have to go to the doctor and trust God to use the doctor to make you better.” She wasn’t happy about it, but prayed any way. This morning her eye was completely clear.
God doesn’t usually answer prayers like that. At least not for me. I usually have long painful waiting periods of lessons in trust and patience before we get answers so obvious.
Lynn Mosher wrote recently about ebenezers, memorials of God’s goodness. It’s so easy to forget how often and how perfectly He answers our prayers, how He provides for us. I think of the Israelites. God parted the Red Sea, saved them from plagues, caused Jericho to collapse and yet it seemed they continually forgot these amazing things. He miraculously fed them in the desert, brought water forth from rocks and blessed beyond all other nations, yet they forgot. They whined and complained. I don’t want to be like that.
My favorite answered prayers (of course):
My favorite answered prayers from 2008:
There is so much!! So much. I’ve only just started the list; my heart overflows with the goodness of our God. What’s on your list of favorite answered prayers?
Mama Loves: Baptisms
When I first started Mama Loves, I told you you don’t have to be a mama to participate. Today is proof of that. Today is also kind of a Sunday Morning Leftover a la Spaghettipie.
Mama loves baptisms.
It’s not really the baptisms themselves, but the proclamation of salvation, the sharing of testimonies, the undeniable evidence of lives changed through the power of God’s grace. I weep every time.
A few weeks ago our church hosted a baptismal service. Twelve people, from age thirteen to seventy, shared their diverse testimonies before our pastor dunked them. One girl asked Jesus into her heart when she was four and then dedicated her life to Him at church camp. Immediately after her came a former drug addict and club owner who asked God for salvation in a crack house. The contrast startled me, but I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. This man, after sharing his testimony of how God drew him out of his addictions and toward a new life, reminded us that the grace that made it possible is the same grace that saved the young girl who preceeded him. He said:
“Understanding the truth of God doesn’t lead to an encounter with God; it IS an encounter with God. All testimonies are the same.”
As a young believer I wished for a more dynamic testimony. I wished I had made more mistakes before meeting God so that I could wow people with God’s fathomless love, His limitless forgiveness. But what this gentleman said is so true! We may think some testimonies are simple or dull, they don’t have enough drama, but every testimony is amazing. Every story of salvation is a miracle. They are our stories of passing from death to life. What could be more dynamic than that?
This is why I love baptisms. They remind me of the grace shown me and how that grace grows old and never runs dry. How awesome that God can reach so many different people in so many different ways! And to be able to share that publicly with others? My heart overflows.
If this is something you love too, you gotta check out Heidi’s post on Faces. It made me … well, weep. You know those happy cries Ellie talks about? I love it.
Your turn. What are you loving this week?
Mama Loves: Best Friends
I’ve learned that many things about life are double-sided. The same things that drive me crazy are things I love, or causes of things I love. For example, I love that my husband is brilliant and assertive … until those wonderful features are used against me, as in interior design. I love that Ellie observes everything and notices the tiniest details … until that perceptivity makes me late or forces me to be more patient than I like. Today’s Mama Loves is in the same boat as these.
Mama loves built-in best friends.
Ellie and Zach are just seventeen months apart. Friends who are now having children close together ask me how I did it, what system I used to keep track of an infant and toddler at the same time. I honestly answer “I don’t know.” I remember very, very little of Zach’s first six months. It’s all a sleepless blur of changing diapers, feeding mouths, ear infections and food allergies. It is really tough having kids this close together! I would never recommend it … until they become best friends. That’s where we are now.
As I write this my two hyperactive preschoolers are sound asleep in the same bed. They love each other so much! And I love seeing that. Zach admires Ellie and will do anything to make her laugh. Ellie adores Zach and will fight off an army to keep him safe, not that he can’t fend for himself or won’t attack her the second all is well, but the love is there. We have our moments (hours) of chaos when they’re chasing each other, tackling each other, stealing from one another and all that typical sibling angst. But more often than not, they are very best friends. He plays princess Polly Pockets and she plays football. She joins him in demolishing block towers and he plays “sweetie” (their version of babydolls). Even pirates. It’s beautiful and I love it.
If you’ve written about the good side of life recently, link up. Get all the details of this weekly habit of positive thinking HERE.
Mama Loves: Attitudes of Gratitude
One of my very favorite parts of kids is what they teach me. God tells us to come to Him with a child-like faith. Without being around children, it’s difficult to fully grasp what that entails. I’m not saying you need to be a parent to understand, just that observing children (as a teacher, an aunt, a parent, a friend) adds dimension. It puts flesh on an otherwise abstract concept.
This week Mama loves attitudes of gratitude.
Please note: this is a seasonal mama loves. It’s not always present in this house, but when it is, it blows me away. For example, last night after baths, Zach thanked me for combing his hair. Kids (usually) take very little for granted! Ellie has been thrilled with all the hub-bub that goes with Christmas. She turns off all the lights to admire the twinkling tree. With a big sigh she thanks me and Daddy and Jesus for giving her Christmas. We may have to work on her doctrine a little bit, but I love her sheer joy at these little things most take for granted. And she’s always the first to give an enthusiastic “thank you.”
About a month ago I took the kids to McDonald’s for lunch. Because of Zach’s food allergies (which he outgrew over the summer PRAISE GOD!!) and other reasons (like lingering trauma from watching Supersize Me), we very rarely eat there. Ellie was estatic! She’d never seen anything quite like it. Immediately after finding some seats during the busy lunch rush, she hugged my neck and yelled out: “Thank you, Mommy!! Thank you for bringing us here! I LOVE it!” I’m sure you can imagine the funny looks I got from the other patrons. I mean, what American mother deprives her children of Ronald McDonald and French fries?? What kind of sheltered life am I giving them? But my heart melted. Simple things receive grand showers of thanksgiving.
What about you and me? What can we be grateful for today? How can we foster attitudes of gratitude?
For more info on Mama Loves, visit this post. If you want to participate, be sure to sign up with Mister Linky here.
