Holiday Season!

Quick List of December So Far

12/17/17 Gruenberg Christmas in HC

We got to see most of the kids, missing only one. Shelly made a comment to me expressing some sympathy for her older cousins on the other side of the family - "Now I know how they felt around all of us." Yep, on the Gruenberg side, my kids are the oldest and suffer through all the trials of dealing with little ones. And on the other side, my kids are in the younger half. 

Once all the Littles had vacated the house, the Fortier kids pulled out the chess boards and took their turns challenging Bampa to a game. There was some trash talking, some close calls and finally two of the three kids had taken shots against Bampa. Grandma kept the crew supplied with snacks as they battled late into the night. Final tally...

   Shelly 1 win

   Eli       1 loss

   Bampa  1-1

Look out Bampa, this crew will be back for more!

12/22/17 First Day of Vacation!

I took the day off so we could enjoy some quality time together. Three kids, 3 cleanings at the dentist, 2 haircuts, 2 hot chocolates and 2 chai tea lattes, 1 optometrist appointment, quick stop at the craft store, did we do anything else?

12/24/17 Christmas Eve with the Fortiers

Party starts at 5:00. Or 4:00, or 3:00. At about 2:40 I had a giant mess on my hands with muffin batter. Literally. Batter was all over my hands with people possibly showing up in 20 or 140 minutes and I had a little meltdown and dumped everything in the garbage. So much for ginger spice muffins. Things could only get better from there. And they did! What a great evening. The kids enjoyed each other's company and the grown ups did too. A great evening with great family.

12/25/17 Christmas Day for Fortier 5

Big surprise... How did Santa know the kids have been working on their chess skills lately? He delivered a beautiful chess board and some infuriating logic puzzles that have us all stumped. We enjoyed some quiet down time and a few games. And I almost forgot - this was the day that we reveled the big gift to the kids. It took them about five seconds to figure it out, but their silent looks at each other told me they couldn't quite believe it. Disney World. For real? It took a couple of hours but their excitement built until finally they started binging Everything You Need to Know about Disney World videos online. We're going to Disney!!

12/??/17 A Few Days Later

We're on a roll with math assignments, an hour every day and then let the fun begin. Last night we went to see the latest Star Wars thing but the only seats left were for the 9:35 p.m. show. I enjoyed an appetizer and a book while David took the clan to the movie. Late night, but we're on vacation! We're sleeping in later every day.

Today, HC. Bampa lured us with a promise of lefse and chess lessons. We showed up after lunch and immediately started in on chess. The kids offered their chess stragedies (that's not a typo) to help Bampa keep up. The games drew on through philosophical discussions and crawling around pretending to be a cat and harassing siblings. Grandma joined us for catching up on news and kept the snacks flowing. All the way till supper. Grandma fed us some more and the whole afternoon and evening were gold. Treasure, priceless.

   Shelly   Draw
   Archer   1 loss
   Eli         1 loss
   F5 Group Effort   1 loss
   Bampa   3-0-1

P.S. Next time that Bampa concedes the game, take it. Don't insist on actually playing the rest of the game, no matter what you think the odds are, you won't be on the winning side of the transaction. Lesson learned, Bampa, we won't make that mistake again!

How Scouting Teaches Real Life Lessons

Its incredible to me what Archer leans in scouts. Beyond the Scout Law and Scout Promise and Scout Handshake and Scout Sign and where to put all the different patches on his Scout Shirt...

There's the part about getting along with other people, learning to help and sometimes learning to just get out of the way when you can't help. Tonight, there was Changing a Tire. A lull in the activity elsewhere spurred one of the leaders to offer his own car as the guinea pig and stand back while the boys tried their hands and changing a flat tire. (There wasn't really a flat. They took the wheel off and put it right back on again.) The most impressive part of this was that while the adults stood back and gave directions, the adults didn't actually touch anything.

The boys worked the jack to raise up the car, took the wheel off, put it back on and lowered the car back down to earth. There was no fighting for a turn (everyone got one, even Shelly and E), there were no hurt feelings or fingers or anything else, I thought it a great success. (Also keep in mind that these boys are no older than 10, seriously, great success for such a young crowd!)

So the only question remaining is... How many Cub Scouts does it take to change a flat tire?

Answer: Six Scouts, two younger siblings, three dads and a mom (well, not really the mom, I didn't help at ALL)

Choosing Joy

I've been working my way through the book of James forever. I have a study book and its been amazing, the insights, the thought provoking questions. But I keep coming back to the beginning. 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." This is such a tough one, joy in the face of trials. The study book took me through it, it doesn't say "feel." It says "consider." Think it through. Choosing anything but joy leads us in a direction that God doesn't desire for us. The other choices - anger, fear, giving up - they don't lead us closer to God. Choose JOY and let God lead us through, teach us perseverance, bring us closer to Him.

This morning the kids and I talked about this verse. I told them its like choosing cookies - the nice soft cookie, still warm, chocolate chips melty... Or the other cookie, a few weeks old, dried out and hard, maybe some flies living on it or something. "EWW!" they cried. I told them that God wants the very best for us, but if we decide to eat that old cookie, well He'll let us. But why would we choose that? So all day we've been reminding each other, "choose the good cookie!" and "choose joy!" Its worked out alright.

Until this afternoon. There as a task that had to be completed. There was someone who could not bring themself to do it. And there was two hours of crying, screaming, throwing things. This person was NOT choosing the good cookie and finally after a long long time screamed that insult back at me, to top it all off, "I don't CARE if I have the BAD COOKIE!" Eventually the task was completed, the tears and anger stopped and now all is back to normal.

Anyway, I'm not writing about this to remember the trial... I'm writing about this to remember the work that God is doing in our hearts. I realized, that in reminding the kids all day about choosing joy (even though your brother just stole your toy or hit you or WHATEVER), in reminding THEM to do it, I was reminding myself. And God worked in my heart today, and not once did I feel angry (sad, yes, definitely), and not once did I yell back or whatever. I prayed, I prayed with the kid, I thanked God for them in our family and asked for help for all of us in choosing joy.

And it turns out, when you ask, God answers with peace and joy. Thank you so much, Lord. What a relief that its over, but more so, what a relief that you helped us through it and helped me to choose joy. Thank you!!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
~ Matthew 7:7-8

Legacy

Recently we discovered a little problem with our washing machine. Immediatley my friend Worry showed up and I started wondering how much it was going to cost to fix. I'm getting better about this, though, and my other friend, Its Going to Be OK, made an appearance. So, I sent a little video to David to illustrate the problem. And that night he searched the great world wide web of knowledge and found a possible (easy, cheap) solution. Hooray! I was praising God, seriously, I had been thinking about a couple hundred dollars to call in a repairman and take the whole thing apart and replace expensive-sounding parts. This solution... $3.00.

So, we got to work. David brought out his tools. I jumped in fearlessly to help. And it struck me. These tools were given to us by David's dad. He shared his resources with us and now, that wrench, the extension piece, the right sized whatever I don't know the name of it.... Lou gave those to David. They're blessing our family now. And my dad, he never let me sit around watching if there was something I could do to actually help. He made sure I could confidently use hand tools, being a girl was never an excuse to not step in and fix it or clean it or whatever.

These are the legacies our dads have given us, the tools, the confidence to use those tools to build and fix things. The willingness to dive in and at least try it before paying someone else to come in and do it for us. Thanks Dads, both of you. I'm hoping we can pass some of that along to our kids, your grandkids, and make you proud!

P.S. We ordered the parts we needed (agitator dogs, have you ever even heard of that?) for $1.50. Shipping... $12.95. Ugh, shipping!! But still better than paying a repairman to come out and do it for us!!

My Math vs. God's Plan

Sometimes I do this little timeline where I figure out how old Archer will be when Shelly is... or when Eli is... Or how many years till (think of some major milestone here).

The math formula goes something like this. Archer is in third grade, Shelly's in kindergarten. Eli is two. When Archer goes to a new school at sixth grade, Shelly will be in third grade, and that's when Eli will start 4K. Elijah will be in elementary school till the 2021-2022 school year is over. (Is your head spinning yet? Mine is.) Suddenly, that seems like a really long time to have kids at the neighborhood school. We'll be at North Park for another nine years (and then Archer will be 18!?!?!).

Except. Who are we to say where we'll be nine years from now?

We recently received a letter that told us Shelly has been accepted into a different school. After only one year at North Park, she's moving on. That letter stopped me in my tracks, the path of figuring out the timeline for our lives, for every year and month and day of where we'll be. How can I possibly know where we'll be eight years from now? With just one simple letter, one day, the entire timeline/plan/map changed.

Archer and Shelly walk to and from the bus stop together, they're supposed to be watching out for each other and I've told them a hundred times, "Stay together," because its safer that way. They go out the door together sometimes laughing and chatting. Sometimes crabby and bickering. And they come home that way too. But together. And now that its ended, now that they won't be walking to and from the bus with each other, I find myself nostalgic. I realize that their daily routine is something I treasure, the idea that they're watching out for each other. And now its over, something I thought we'd have for another couple of years, it turns out it was just once, just this year.

We've talked with the kids about meeting new friends, getting ready for changes whether its a new classroom or a whole new school. And I think Shelly is taking it pretty well. I'm trying not to dwell on the things we're giving up because I know that God has a bigger plan than I can even imagine. Before that letter came to us, I prayed that the Lord would let all of the kids (not just my kids) end up in the place they most needed to be. And if someone else needed that spot at that other school, I'd be disappointed. But I prayed that the Lord would provide the very best for each child in His care. And it turns out that next year, that means Archer and Shelly in different places, but in the place that the Lord has made ready for each of them.

So how about that road map, that timeline for where we'll be eight years from now? Only God knows, but for now let's just see what happens in the next year...

Perfect Timing

This thing has been running through my mind, over and over... I'm really awed by it and last night, instead of talking to the kids about the real meaning of Christmas and Jesus being born as a little helpless baby and isn't it nice that we're celebrating His birthday, I went off on a different tangent.

Time, patience, waiting for the exact right moment.

Here's the thing. Adam and Eve sinned pretty much right way, they didn't wait too long to get the first sin out of the way. God created a beautiful garden, perfect for them to live in, and they didn't take very long to go out and ruin it. Ok, they were like kids in their innocence and we know how kids are, they don't believe their parents when they say "you're going to get hurt..." I'm not trying to make light of it, but it seems to me that's pretty much what happened. So, they sin. God has a plan to fix all that, to undo it, but does he send Jesus the next day? No.

God waited. He had the plan from the very beginning but He waited. Through thousands of years of people faithfully following him and even more people defiantly turning away from Him, ignoring Him, on and on. Thousands of years.

From Matthew 1:
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...
   Abraham was the father of Isaac...
   Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,
   fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon,
   and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

That's 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus. Plus all the years before that. That's a lot of waiting for the right time. And THEN, did Jesus come as a man, ready to preach and then give Himself up for us? No. There were the nine months of waiting for that baby to be born, the 30 or so years waiting for Him to grow up...

As a mother, I know the torment and joy of waiting to conceive a child. The torment and joy of those nine months while I can't think of anything else but seeing that precious face and holding that beautiful baby in my arms. And yet I waited, there was no other option but to wait for God's timing, His perfect timing to bring forth those beautiful lives into this world.

God waited centuries and months and days for the right time to bring Jesus to us, and then for Jesus to grow into adulthood and lead the world into knowing the Lord. What an incredible story. What an incredible example to us. If He could wait to choose the exact right moment in history to bring Jesus to the world, can we learn to trust His timing? Can we learn that even when everything seems lost, or the daily grind seems so mundane, that God really does have perfect timing? That He really does have a plan that's a million times better than anything we ourselves could think of?

I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and he heard my cry.
~ Psalm 40:1

Confidence

I've been thinking about this lately, self confidence. Of course I want my kids to be confident, be willing to go out into the world and talk to new friends, try new things, work hard and do their best. And be confident that they'll be ok, no matter how well (or not well) they do. But the whole thing is too tied up in something. Self.

Do you think our culture, our entire world, is too tied up in SELF? Perhaps? Probably. Definitely. Self. Take care of yourSELF. Look out for yourSELF. And of course, be confident in YOURSELF.

What about God? What about confidence in Christ, the one who saved us from ourselves?

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
~Philippians 4:12-13

I let myself down way too often to have much confidence in my very own self and my ability to do anything. Christ is really the one I should be relying upon. Through Him, I can do all things. Through Him, my children should be learning to do all things. And in Him, they should be living each and every day. When they're challenged, I want them to say, "The Lord brought me to this situation, He will bring me through it." Or "I got myself into this mess, but the Lord will lead me out." I know from my own experience that I get myself into too many messes that I can't necessarily solve on my own. And so I lean on Jesus. And I want them to know that too. Confidence in Him. Not in themselves.

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
~Joshua 1:9

Our Rock

A couple of days ago we were studying God's character. We talked a lot about the meaning of the word "holy." The kids asked some really good questions.

We read from 1 Samuel
There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

We talked about the song that describes the wise man building his house on the rock, and the foolish man building his house on the sand. I couldn't help but feel like our days at the beach prepared us to talk about this. The kids know all about the sand, the way it washes away with the waves, the way it is so easily moved.

Today I didn't have a plan, I just opened up the bible and found Psalm 40

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

I told them to picture our walk in the woods this morning, and every time E fell down, I picked him up and set his feet on a flat place, brushed him off and sent him on his way again. We closed our eyes, they giggled at picturing Eli falling down yet again, and they knew exactly what I was talking about. I didn't set him on an uneven place, I didn't expect him to balance on a log, I found the safe place to set his feet.

I told Shelly she'd really like this next part...

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.

We laughed when she said, "Well what did you THINK?" in such a sweet way, we all know she loves to sing. She's our music girl. She makes new songs, praises to God daily and its such a joy to listen to her loving God.

We spoke again about the beach, about how when you stand in the sand at the edge of the water, gradually more and more sand covers your feet. Gradually you start sinking. But when we stand on the rocks, the water can't even touch us. We'll never sink. God is our foundation. God is our rock, our safe place in the storm, our protector and provider of too many blessings to count.

Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

What We Say

I didn't think ahead of time of the phrases I'd say over and over, the "life lessons" I'd try to instill by constant repetition. They snuck up on me, these things I say.

"In our family, we don't give up."
"We help each other. Everyone does their part."
"We take care of each other, if someone gets hurt go help them."

Sometimes I'm not even sure who came up with it originally. David? Me? Who knows. It sounded good at the time so we just kept saying it. Its funny how we didn't plan it out, "What are our values? What do we want to pass on to our kids?" It just sort of happens. Along with the other stuff, the stuff we say to manage the family.

"Read two stories, brush your teeth, go to bed. Don't complain about it."
"No candy, no toys, no crying."
"If you fight over it/don't put it away/throw it, it will disappear forever."
"You can turn it around now. Take a deep breath, let's get it together."

What do I say to intentionally teach my children? I'm realizing there's more in the bible for this whole parenting thing than I had realized before. I tell my children, "don't tattle on each other." But Jesus tells us what to do about your brother that's causing trouble. (Matthew 18:15-17) And then there's the whole thing about keeping track of how much stuff she got, compared to what I got. (Remember the lesson about the workers in the vineyard?) What else is there? What else is God going to reveal to me? I can not WAIT to find out!

Five Minute Friday: Real

(For an explanation of the writing prompt, click here)

Real is your kids keeping you accountable to what you said before, because they'll never forget that you said some made-up rule and now you're not following your own rule. "We only eat broccoli on the third Tuesday of the month because that's when its on sale at the grocery store." (Not, "because I HATE broccoli.") "But MOM, this is only the SECOND Tuesday of the month! The broccoli is early!"

Real is trying to explain to your kids that we're all still working on being better people...

Real is feeling like I'd rather sit in the car by myself for the next 15 minutes while I wait for the Cub Scout meeting to finish up, but dragging myself out of the car to go watch the wild game of dodgeball in the parking lot. And then being really glad that I DID go out there, because Archer was thrilled to have an audience. And a neighbor came over to chat with me about our kids. Her kids are all grown up now, she had three boys and three girls. She's outlived two husbands. And at 84, she's hoping she's got a few more years to enjoy her family.

Real is the real-life moments that happen only when you put yourself out there, when you allow them in, and realize that the quiet solitude might not be worth it, if you miss out on all those other moments.

Real is blurry pictures, messy clothes and food on faces, sticky hands and french fries everywhere. Real is all-out temper tantrums followed by those sticky hands on your face or arms wrapped around your neck in the biggest baby hug ever. Dirty feet that should have been washed yesterday, covered up with clean white socks that will stay that way only for moments before they're black, because who has time to put on shoes before running out the door?

Quiet

At a recent meeting, the Mops leadership team discussed the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. There are so many cultural and historical details that fill out this story and make it even more remarkable. But the point that's stuck with me from the conversation this morning was, "What was the woman thirsty for?" Not just water. Living water, the water of life, Jesus. The follow up question, "What are YOU thirsty for?" And the conversation turned to "quiet." We, as wives and mothers of small children, are so thirsty for quiet. Quiet time with God. Peace in our homes. Silence? What is that? Quiet time to pray, read the Bible, reflect on God in our lives? When does that ever happen? It was something we could all relate to - the chaos and noise of small children can crowd out quiet time with God.

I reflected on that through the rest of my day. I got Shelly off to school, Elijah in his bed for a nap, and sat down to do some work. I turned the tv on to entertain me while I worked. And I wondered why I allowed the tv to steal my quiet.

There are so many times throughout the day when I find myself wishing I could somehow shut out the noise. And there are moments hidden where I so easily give away my peace and fill it with other noise. No more. I'll seek out that quiet, fill it with prayer and fill up on God's word.

Counting Other People's Blessings

Tonight we read the parable of the workers in the vineyard. (Matthew 20:1-16) Oh so fitting for us. The workers who worked all day received the payment they had agreed to at the beginning at the beginning of the day. But the guys who only worked an hour got paid the same amount. And so we talked about it... I told them the (true) story of ten kids at Christmas who all received many MANY gifts and they were all very happy with the gifts they received. Until one of the kids started counting the number that each kid had received. He only got three. Everyone else got five or six. Suddenly, he wasn't happy anymore. I reminded Archer of something that just happened within the last few days, he was keeping track of the number of times Shelly got to have a sleepover with Grandma Sue, and comparing it to his number. "Oh yeah," Archer said, making the connection with his own behavior and the other stories we'd discussed. And then I had them each tell me what two things we learned - we're satisfied with what we have; we don't keep track of other people's blessings. "Except," says Archer, "we can keep track of WHERE they are." Meaning, so he can help Shelly find her toys. Leave it to my smart son to find a way to have the last word!

Imagine you're a chef. Or short order cook. Or even just a hamburger flipper at the local fast food place. Now imagine that nine out of ten hamburgers that you make are rejected, your customers turn up their noses and offer such insults as, "Eww that's GROSS!" "I'll NEVER eat that" and "You know I HATE that!" For some reason you never get fired from you job. Plus, bonus, you can't quit. Sounds like fun, right?

Motherhood (and fatherhood too) is the daily picture of perseverance through trial, discouragement, even pain. (The big revelation to me that the day I gave birth to my children is the BEGINNING of the pain they cause me, not the ONLY day they injure me was a tough one to swallow!) I have so much admiration and respect for mothers who go day in and day out without snapping at their kids, locking them up in a closet and eating a gallon of chocolate ice cream all by themselves. Way to go, all you great moms that I know! (No, I've never locked my kids in a closet. But I HAVE locked myself in my car to get five minutes peace away from them. It only lasted three minutes.)

Peter Walks on Water

This is the story I've been thinking about lately. Jesus walking on water, and Peter coming out to meet him. On the water. (Read it here.)

Picture Credit

Peter sees Jesus and goes out to meet him on the water. But when he looked around he became afraid of what he saw and started to sink. Oh Peter, how I can relate. I'm trying so hard to keep my eyes on the Lord, I know He's the only way I can get through this season in our lives, and yet I find myself faltering. I look around, and suddenly I feel like I'm up to my nose, drowning in a stormy sea that has no regard for small me, just trying to stay afloat. My circumstances aren't bad, in fact, they're really good. I absolutely cannot complain. We're blessed beyond measure. But I feel like I'm drowning in the busy every day details, there's just no time for everything that needs to be done and so I limp along, trying to keep up. I look around at the long list of scheduled events and chores to do and I start drowning in anxiety of "what next? what now?" And I cry out. "God I CAN. NOT. do this!" Which is the point. Of course I can't. He can. I can't walk without him, and every time I start to sink I'm reminded that I need to keep my eyes on him, not the messy details around me. "Please, Lord, fill in the gaps!" I keep asking. The gap of not enough time, not enough energy, not enough attention for each kid.

I have this idea that if I was more organized, more efficient, more cheerful, our family would be perfect. Duh! How many times do I have to hear from the Lord, or look around and start to sink, before I let go of those ideas? Quit trying to do it all. Without him its nothing.

My favorite part of this story is in verse 31. "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." He didn't stand in front of him saying, "I told you so." He grabbed him. Right away. Oh Lord, thank you for your unending mercy and thank you for catching me, right away, when I cry out! You are awesome.

******

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”


Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

~ Matthew 14:29-33

Management

When I was working, I used to tell people that my favorite part of the job was that it was never the same, every day was different. Things were always changing, and there was always something new to learn or some new puzzle to solve. If ever there was a job that fit the "always changing" description, it would be parenting.

I cannot think of another job which offers no training before immediately requiring that you manage other people and train them to become what you are. In this case, a responsible adult. We are attempting to train up three people in the hopes that they will become responsible grown-ups, but I have no experience in management in this field. Especially management of three people who when they first arrive don't speak my language, can't remember directions and don't even know enough to do what they're told just because I'm the manager and I said so.

Simple tasks have to be broken into even easier segments and doled out in tiny increments. Imagine hiring someone to be your secretary, and when you needed them to make a phone call you first had to say, "Go get the phone. Great! Now dial this number. No, that's not a 3, that's a 2. Dial 3... Ok good job! Now when the person on the other end says 'hello' then you say 'hello' back. Fantastic! I'm so proud!" This is what parents do. They manage the kids and try to teach them life skills. "When you take a shower, don't forget..." Who knew taking a shower could be so complicated? How can he be in there for 25 minutes and still not get his face clean? How can she be surprised that when she takes a bath her face might get wet? She's taken a bath HOW many times in her life? Still she's surprised?

For some reason you have to spend thousands of dollars and four years of your life to earn a degree that gives you the skills to manage other adults. But the much more complicated task of managing someone else's entire life from the moment it starts requires no prerequisites. Almost anyone can take this job without test taking, graduating, inverviewing, and being offered a position. You just decide. And the next thing you know, you've gotten yourself into the hardest job this planet has to offer. But the best one, too.

Today's Gods

There are these modern day religions that my kids are hearing about everywhere they turn. The rest of us are hearing about them too, and though I don't think we really think of them as "gods," they're getting into our heads the same way that the idols of ancient Israel infiltrated their lives and I'm not liking it. First, there's the Exercise God. If we all just worship it, think about it all the time and try to serve it, our lives will be better. Bike instead of drive a car, you'll be healthier and happier. Then there's the Ecofriendly God. If we bike instead of driving a car we'll be more environmentally friendly. Plus we'll be happier. And we'll be "doing the right thing." I'm SO TIRED of it.

I reached my limit yesterday when a neighborhood kid showed up and asked Archer if he could ride his bike around the block with her. She looked at me and said, "I'm getting my exercise." She's EIGHT! YUCK! When I was eight bike riding was about FUN. I didn't start thinking about "exercise" until I was at least in high school, and even then, biking wasn't about exercise, it was for getting to work (before I could drive) or spending time with friends and family (fun).

I had a conversation with Archer once while we were driving somewhere and he was telling me about how bad it is to drive a car, how it hurts the planet and we shouldn't be driving so much. He was in kindergarden at the time. While I understand that he was just repeating what he'd heard from school or his "educational" cartoons, I got kind of mad at him about it. I wanted to say, "If you don't like riding in my car then go ahead and walk. I'll wait for you when I get there."

I find these modern day gods showing up in the little places in our lives, often put there by television or public school, and my first reaction is to try to shelter my kids from the world. But after a few years of this I've learned, there's no sheltering completely, they'll hear it all eventually. So its my job to frame it for what it is, teach them the truth, and try to just let it go when I feel my blood pressure starting to rise in yet another discussion with Archer about why we shouldn't be driving my little car around town.

The Seasons Just Keep Changing

Summer's nearly over, baseball will be winding down soon, football season is starting (too soon in my opinion) and now another season is upon us. The School Year. School Season. It began today. It began weeks ago, actually, with school shopping. Today I spent the day at church learning how to be a leader for MOPS. Wednesday we'll visit Archer's and Shelly's schools. Thursday morning Archer starts school, then we go to church for MOPS signup, in the afternoon I'll go to Shelly's school for orientation. Boyscouts will be on Thursday nights, along with PTA meetings, but I'm not sure when that starts. Friday morning Shelly starts school. Some Sundays I'll be helping in the nursery at church. Its going to be a busy season.

Last night Shelly came into our room and said, "I just can't sleep because I'm thinking too about school." I'm excited too, for this new season to start. I've never been this commited to this many different things all at once, I'm feeling like its going to be a challenge. But I also feel its where God wants me. Two schools, MOPS, Awana, Boy Scouts, Sunday School, am I forgetting something? Oh yeah. My home. My husband and children. Don't they come first?

People who have lots of money don't need to shop the sales, they don't need to be disciplined about how much they spend at the grocery store, they can buy the extra bag of potato chips or the expensive steak. And those of us who don't have that luxury learn to watch for sales, snack on something more affordable (and healthy), and stretch the dollars and the food a little further. I have a feeling this new season, the School Year season, is going to teach me to be more thrifty with my time. More frugal, not in what I give to my family and those around me, but more frugal with the luxuries, the extras. Wasting time allowing myself to get distracted by the tv, a magazine, a blog. I think its going to force me to be more organized and disciplined with my time. I can already see it, its going to be hard. Possibly stressful, maybe exhausting. But I'm looking forward to it because I believe its where God wants me. Out there, getting involved, seeing whose lives I can touch. And I'm not getting nervous about it yet because its all a week away. But the night before, I'm sure I'll have those First Day jitters. Archer and Shelly, on the other hand, know no jitters, only excitement. Bring on the friends, the learning, the fun!

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.
~ Galatians 5:25

Here Fishy Fishy!

Yesterday Dad took us fishing in Whitnall Park, and oh were they ever biting! Shelly wasn't nearly as interested as Archer, still she took her turn and caught three or four. Archer... whew! He kept Grandpa busy baiting hooks and taking fish off the hook only moments later, he caught at least a dozen. And Mom was kind enough to keep Eli and Shelly entertained while Arch was mastering his fish-catching skills and I was documenting the event.

You can see from the pictures the following:

1. No matter HOW excited you are to catch your first fish, you definitely DON'T want to TOUCH it!

2. Archer has a limited tolerance for the camera pointing at him. You can practically HEAR him saying "MOM... enough already!"

3. Fishing wears a girl out! She's SO worn out that she Just. Doesn't. Care. that her brother's feet are in her face.

Fixing My Eyes on the Goal

Last week we didn't do much. Somehow the entire week went by without any trips anywhere and the kids roamed around the house wondering why they were so confined. Then they'd go outside and within minutes come back in, it was tooooo hot. We had friends visit on Friday but that was it.

This week I vowed to make up for my laziness last week. Monday. Zoo, great start! Tuesday. The ENTIRE DAY at Mom and Dad's swimming. Yaay! In the afternoon our friends joined us and it couldn't have been a better day, we were all played out by the end of the day. Wednesday, I know we did something but I can't remember now... Seriously, what's wrong with my memory? Too much sunlight or something. Thursday we visited another friend in her brand new home, awesome fun! And today, a visit to David's aunt and uncle, then back to the pool.

As we drove home I heard on the radio a message about Hebrews 12:1. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The person was talking about keeping your eye on the goal, and knowing what your goal is. And everything you do should take you closer to that goal. Jesus is the goal.

I thought about this, have my eyes been on Jesus? Was my goal this week simply to entertain the kids every day, keep the house clean and put them to bed with tummies full of food I'd cooked? Cleaning, cooking, playing, its all good. But is that my goal, or are those things that I simply do as part of the race, part of the journey to get closer to God? I've got to make Jesus the central focus, not the five minute devotion we do right before bedtime. I'd do better to plan God-time into our day than planning swimming, biking, walking around the block. Thank you Lord, for the gentle reminder.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
~ Hebrews 12:2

Holding On

I make my kids hold my hands when we're crossing the street or parking lot, unless my hands are full. Then I tell them "Put your hand on the cart" or "Hold onto my shirt" or sometimes just, "Hold onto something on me." Shelly often grabs Eli's foot. This is for safety, of course, keep us all together, the four/five of us in a little herd as we move through the world. But sometimes, when we're back on the sidewalk or safely inside the store, I hold on for just a little longer. Their hands feel so small and precious in mine. They're so quick to pull their hands away. I don't want to let go, I don't want to think about the day when their hands will be grown up, they'll be too old to hold my hand. Maybe that day won't come...

I remember holding my grandma's hand helping her get into the car, it felt so fragile. She was so small.

I remember laying my hand on top of my Grandpa's and praying.

Maybe we don't outgrow taking a loved one's hand, for safety, for companionship, comfort. I pray my kids learn this as they grow up. There's always a hand you can reach out to for help.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
~ Psalm 37:24

photo by FinkStudios