A Reason To Smile

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Well, there you have it! Out of all the possible characters in Winnie The Pooh's neighborhood I am most like Kanga. This made me chuckle. What are the chances that I would be the most like the ONLY motherly figure in the Hundred Acre wood?! Sure, I'm a mom. But this quiz asked me nothing about mothering. AND if you'd asked some of the people that knew me best BEFORE I had kids, they would've told you--flat out--that I'm not very maternal! Heh!!

I'm just going to attribute this to the grace of God in my life. Honestly, I fully expected to be Eeyore, or maybe Piglet, because that is who I am in the flesh!! And in my own mind!! But, apparently not in reality. :) That just makes me smile.

Buggin'

Well! The family has been battling the dreaded stomach bug for the last week. First Lumpadump-10mos, then me, then DH, and finally Little Man-3 1/2yrs. Could've been worse, but it's never much fun, is it? Little Man never had a bug till last Spring, so dealing with Lumpadump's illness was a growing experience. Specifically, I learned that when you KNOW your infant has "THE BUG", don't use afghans in his bed!! Little carrot pieces really don't readily come out of afghans. Bleah!!

Works For Me Wednesday:Bible Study

Since I'm in Bible study mode.. or at least I should be and will be in a few minutes.. my Tip O' the Day is a Bible study tip. Some of my best studies have actually been word studies. I will pick a word in the Bible that I'm interested in (eg: grace or cleave), and will track it through a chapter, a book or even through the whole Bible. These studies really stick in my mind for some reason.

Anyway, for this reason, I always read my Bible with pens and dry highlighters in hand. When I am reading through a particular book or chapter where a key word or phrase is repeated I highlight it in some way. It keeps me alert to the subject matter, helps me to remember what I read and where I found it. Plus years later whenever I come across a highlighted page, I can tell what the main ideas are at a glance .

Well, that's what works for me!! Do you have a Bible study tip that works for you? I'd love to hear it! :) To see even more tips, go visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

Works For Me Wednesday:The Best Teether Ever

As usual, I should really be doing something else, but once again I'm drawn to the computer. And do I feel bad about it? Not at all!! LOL!

Tomorrow morning the boys and I have a playdate at our friends' house. We have been there once before about 5 months ago. DH drove that evening, so I am almost clueless as to how to get there. I need to get directions!! I need to obsessively write down the schedule for tomorrow so I don't forget anything....

Ah, but I am rebelling against my inner obsessor to bring you this handy little "Works For Me Wednesday" tip...

I don't know if this is a really bad idea, and I just haven't figured out why yet, but when both of my boys have been teething both boys have REALLY LOVED going to town on the rubber bulb of the Tylenol bottle. (Yes, of course it has been tightly closed! And no, they do not like teethers or pacifiers.) Is it the feel? Is it the nifty rubbery squeaky sound it makes in their drooly mouths? Beats me! I keep thinking that I need to make a "teether" that is basically the same in shape, size and material, patent it and put it on the market. Can't believe no one's done that yet! Well that's what works for me!

To see even more tips, go visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

Delayed Gratification

I have been searching in vain for a Precept Bible Study group in my area for years. I even went to Precept Ministries website to search it out. Found nothing. So I actually thought I'd start one myself! Not as easy as you might think!! And perhaps rightly so. Precept Bible studies are pretty intense, with hours of homework every week. There's quite a few classes that you have to attend to become an official leader, and none of them are in my area. Harumph!

Well, a year and a half ago, at my local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, I heard someone mention attending a local Precept Bible Study at a local church. Hmmm... But I was in the (very nauseating) first trimester of my pregnancy with Lumpadump(9mos) and the study was about to end. So I decided to wait until it started up again in the Fall. But you know how it goes. In the Fall, Lumpadump's entrance into the world was imminent and it just seemed crazy to take on anything new. So I waited.

Now here it is, a year later!! And I am finally starting a Precept study on the book of Hebrews!! I am so excited!! I can't think of a better book to be studying and the teacher is awesome. I don't know how it is that she's flying below the Precept Ministry radar. I'm just glad she's there!

Very likely, the little nuggets that I take away from the study will be showing up, here and there.

Pachelbel bedtime

This one's for you, Naptime Stamper!! Turn up those speakers.



Not exactly a lullabye, but gosh it made us laugh, and cry and say "AWWWW!" in our household!

Turning a Corner

Well, Little Man turned a corner a week or so ago. I don't know what happened, but he's suddenly all grown up and Mr. Thoughtful and Independent. I like it, but it's all I can do to conceal my wide-eyed amazement as he dresses himself from head to toe without being asked, feeds himself willingly at all three meals, and clears of the table without EVER having been asked!

Hmmm... doesn't sound so amazing to you, does it? Well, he's been dragging his heels in the independence area for probably over a year. I had chalked it up to the new baby that was coming, and then the new baby that was competing with him for our attention, but boy was it getting old! Making it worse has been that Little Man is actually quite tall for his age, so he appears to be about five, instead of his actual age of three and a half. So he LOOKS like he should be doing a LOT more than he has been doing...

I'll tell ya what I think the catalyst was... One night when he was going to bed, he just kept insisting that he didn't need to go to the bathroom. (For months he's been potty-trained -- mostly -- but each morning he would move his bowels while he was still wearing the nightly diaper. Occasionally at night he would hold out until after he was in bed.) So a few weeks ago after being met with MUCH resistance to the nightly potty ritual, I told him if he went in his diaper after he was in bed I would NOT put him back into another diaper. (Yes, it was a threat and I had hoped that he would have a change of heart!) Sure enough, about five minutes after he was in bed, he appeared on the stairs, wanting to be changed. I had to follow through on my "threat"... right?! So I put him in vinyl training pants for the night. When he woke up dry, he was genuinely gleeming! So we decided right then that we would do away with the diapers. Ever since then he has been TRULY potty-trained.

And NOW he's about to start Preschool! My generally shy, quiet boy is SO excited and not at all apprehensive. Wish I could say the same for his mother. :)

Bible Action Figures

How many times have we heard that children learn through play? If you have kids, or have been around kids for any length of time then you've seen this played out (no pun actually intended, but I'm thrilled it just popped out!) Little Man has been into role playing now for almost a year, usually by himself while playing with his toys.

About a month ago he even played "Daddy" while my husband played the part of the son. We were actually amazed at what a good Daddy he was, putting his "son" to bed, tucking him in, saying prayers and singing a "lullabye"!! I was impressed he actually knew the words to the lullabye I started singing him a few months ago... Taps! (Note to self: Learn the other verses to that song!)

So, this being said, why does the idea of "Biblical action figures" make me squeamish? Oh, David is okay, even Moses and Noah.... But Jesus? I like to think that if Little Man had a Jesus doll, that he would act out all the stuff he learns at church. Maybe all of Jesus' teachings would get reinforced through this kind of role play.

I certainly would like to think that the Jesus doll would always act appropriately, and never attack Little Man's baby brother, Lumpadump. Jesus Doll would always be clothed, never stand on the kitchen table, and never hurt other dolls or fly carelessly through the air. But come on!!! Let's get real!

We are told in the Bible not to make any "idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above".... Yet how often have you seen pictures of Jesus in church? Or in people's homes? Or in cards? Or in the Bible? Is this idolatry? How can we reconcile this? I confess, I've just never felt comfortable with these images of Jesus that pop up from time to time. And now there's a doll with (supposedly) his image. Ick!

I'm not even going to discuss what kind of future therapy younger siblings might need after they get beat up by big brother's Jesus Doll... That's a whole 'nother post!

Persuasive words?

I've been reading thru First Corinthians recently in my devotions. Last night I asked the Lord to really help me to see it anew and to give me some nuggets that I can pass on to my son, my husband and my friends. So as I looked into Chapter 2, and reread the previous night's verses, I was suddenly struck by Paul's words.

I always find it curious that Paul says that he

....did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Is it just me, or is it really hard to imagine Paul this way? Weakness? Fear? And what about this: "...not in persuasive words of wisdom..." Paul, surely you jest!! When I read his letters, I am often struck by the depth and the wisdom of his writings. So hard to imagine that he took another route with the Corinthians. But I digress!

Verses 4 and 5 were what popped out to me last night. As a mom, I have always been concerned about whether or not I've been imparting spiritual truths and values to my son in a way that he understands. There have been days when I was sure he wasn't "getting it", which made me try to explain, explain, explain things to him. On these days Little Man says, "Mom, it's taking to long!" or he tunes me out... Yes! He tunes ME out! Hard to believe, huh?

And so last night I sensed the Lord speaking to me and encouraging me not to overly rely on "persuasive words of wisdom" with my kids, but rather in DEMONSTRATION of the Spirit and power of God! Why? So that their faith would rest in the power of God when they mature, and not on my words, or even my own faith. They need to see the power of God for themselves. They need to see God answering prayers, providing for us, comforting us, changing our hearts for themselves.

Paul goes on to say in the next verse that "we do speak wisdom among those who are mature" so certainly there is a place for that. But for a 3 year old boy, words are not that impressive. It's the action. It's the demonstration. It's the day to day living out of the gospel that will matter in the long run.

The latest buzz

Tuesday Little Man & I were out playing wiffle ball--which, when played with a 3 year old boy is a lot like playing by yourself. Little Man stole the ball and ran off with it into our side yard. I went and chased him back to the front, and on the way back myself, I spotted a nice sized rock at the edge of our woods. (Now, I have been on the lookout for some good sized rocks to put under our roof, because the rain is washing away our soil. But this rock was on the large side, about half the size of a bowling ball.)

I was going to pick it up, but instead I (absent-mindedly) decided to flip it over with my teva-clad feet. I looked down and saw something flying around by my legs. Something inside of me just said, "RUN!!" So I took off towards the house sensing that I was about to get really badly stung! About this time I did get stung on my leg, and that is when I realized that YES, I did indeed have a swarm of wasps after me!

I made a the split second decision to run into our home, and I was "okay", and then realized that Little Man was still outside on the lawn! :P Bad Mommy!! So I called him in too, and held the door open for him, but in doing so, let two or 3 more wasps in the house.

By God's grace I was only stung twice!! I attribute that totally to the still smallish voice that told me to look down (to see the wasps... yes, my vision is beyond pitiful) and to RUN! Because if I had waited till I was sure the bugs flying around my legs were wasps, I would've really been in sorry shape. But the even greater protection was that Little Man didn't get stung once, and that he never moved that rock himself in all the times he has been playing over there. Can you imagine? Ugh! The stuff of nightmares!

So I bet you're wondering right about now, "What is the best remedy for a bee sting?" Oh! So GLAD you asked!! My dear hubbie found this site while I was waiting for the adrenaline rush to subside. I am very thankful that someone posted this on the internet, but let's just say the author needs a new hobbie.

These stones cry out!

I love when people come up with innovative ways to provoke spiritual thoughts and conversation. Here is a nifty article about an idea so awesome and simple that I am jealous I didn't think of it!

http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=11229&PN=1&TPN=1

So what do you think? Does this inspire you?

I'm Baaa-aaack.... I think!

Oh, I crack myself up!! I laugh when I read my previous post... partly because I was so ignorant of what the next week would hold for me, and partly because... well... that was 8 months ago. LOL!! Well, did ya miss me?!

The story in a nutshell is this: Wee Fella was born on the 28th, following inducement. He just was NOT going to come out on his own. Hard to believe as I look back, because today I just can't get him to sit still!! Heh!

Two days before Wee Fella was born, I was admitted to the hospital with possible pneumonia... I couldn't catch my breath between coughs and began to hyperventilate. Don't think we ever really nailed down what was causing the awful coughing fits that I had, but suffice it to say the doctors pumped me full of antibiotics, tylenol, codeine and fluids, trying to get me healthy enough to deliver Wee Fella... Who at 9 lbs, 10 oz, should really be called "Lumpadump", as his Grandmother would no doubt have called him, had she lived to see the day.

Perhaps needless to say, being the mom of two boys under four has kept me busy, tired and convicted. I know there are some amazing blogging moms out there who probably could run rings around me daily. They are truly an inspiration. Where, O WHERE, do they find the energy and/or the time?!!

Thankful my baby's overdue!

Yeah, that's right... I'm actually thankful that my Little-Lamb-to-be is overdue. My sister tells me I'm probably the only one in the world that postpones an induction because I can wait a few more days. :) Can this be true?!

Well, yes, I made it through Thanksgiving without going into labor and disrupting everyone's life, so I feel like a "good girl". But the real reason I'm glad I'm overdue right now is because Little Man's cold/virus is probably the worst he's had, and now I've got it too. Oh yeah!!

Now, I realize that life is NOT perfect, and that we don't always have control over circumstances like births and holidays and the like, but let's face it, there are some things we CAN exercise control over.... Like being induced--or NOT-- just as your son comes down with the worst illness he's ever had.

Little Man can't even sleep for more than 4 hours at night, poor little guy. So guess who else isn't getting sleep? You got that right!! I am amazed at how God pours out his grace on days and nights like this, and supernaturally provides me with the appropriate coping skills and maternal instincts! I KNOW, in and of myself, I just don't have it. Even so, I feel like I'm already taxing even the unsearchable depths of God's grace, being sleep deprived for over a month now, 9 months pregnant and ill myself....

So,let's see, should I choose to add a newborn's schedule and fragile immune system to this mix? Are you for real?

On the really positive side, Dear Hubby granted my fondest wish today and took Little Man to the family gathering a half hour away, and left me alone so I could rest!! Halleleujah!! One more thing to be thankful for!! :)

Giving thanks for my hubbie!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where life seems to conspire against you? I'm having one. I'm actually having a few... in a row. I'm inclined to rant and whine about it, but whenever I'm tempted, I realize even the most frustrating aspects of what I'm going through are nothing compared to what some people are going through.

Tomorrow is my due date to give birth to my second son. My first son, Little Man, was 19 days early. It was quite a surprise at the time. We were TOTALLY unprepared. I was determined that would NOT happen this time around and so I decided THIS TIME we'd be prepared.... by the end of October. I'm telling you... right down to finishing Christmas shopping and birthday shopping.... EVERYTHING had to be done!

Can you see where this is going? I totally psyched myself out... expected the baby by Nov 3rd.... And now here it is, almost 3 weeks later... and I'm still waiting. Waiting is hard enough, with all the physical limitations of being "great with child", but on top of it, Little Man has been consistently sick for about a month and a half. A cold, a sinus infection, a cough that won't quit, a fever and now a virus.

On Monday, we dropped Little Man off with a friend and drove to the hospital thinking the birth of our son was imminent, but after 2 hours, we were sent home. The contractions, while regular were not strong enough to be productive. We were sure we'd be back in a few hours, but we scheduled an appointment to be induced this morning anyway.

In the meantime, the big-brother-to-be came down with a fever/bad cough, and had a really rough night, as we all did. He had about 3 hours of sleep. I had about 4 and the Hubbie had about 5... Little Man heard me getting ready at 5:30, and so he got up. Then, as we were getting ready to leave for the hospital, I saw Little Man all curled up in a fetal position on our rocker-recliner, asleep in front of the news. This NEVER happens!! Sleep? When the "TD" is on? What?!!! He was obviously really sick and it didn't seem right to just drop him off and go have another child. So we decided to cancel the inducement. (My sister tells me I'm the only one she knows that says she can wait to be induced a few more days! LOL!!)

My hubbie is my hero! He made the final call and the actual calls, because I just felt like if I didn't go through with the induction I was letting everyone down. But the bottom line was that I kept thinking that if I had known yesterday what was going to transpire in the next 20 hours, I wouldn't have scheduled the inducement. But this morning I felt like I was over a barrel and that everyone "needed" me to go ahead with it. So now I'm just hoping that I don't ruin someone's Thanksgiving by going into the hospital on Thursday! So I'm praying that the baby waits till Friday, when--hopefully--Little Man will be on the mend, and Hubbie's work schedule will be a little more flexible, and everyone will have had quality family and turkey time!! :)

Great expectations

So, have I mentioned that we are expecting a new arrival? I confess that this little guy has been keeping me quite busy the last few weeks, and not letting me get much rest in return! He and his big brother are already conspiring against me!! No fair! :)

But I see this sleep deprivation as the good Lord's way of preparing me for the months to come. I already know that sleep will be in short supply, and I am amazed at how well I have been able to function on about 4-6 hours of sleep a night!! Thank you Lord for a husband that works nights and lets me nap in the afternoons. Don't know how I'd do it without the afternoon nap. It's still a far cry from the amount of sleep I got before Ian came into our lives though. I'm hoping that the transition to life with a newborn will be less traumatic this time around, having spent the last 35 months in training and all. Well, we can hope.

At any rate, the little guy is due November 22nd... about 4 weeks away... but since Ian was 2 1/2 weeks early, and caught us quite by surprise, I have been determined NOT to be caught so unprepared this time around. So my goal has been to have everything ready by the end of October, even all the holiday shopping. I'm sure I'm making my poor hubbie crazy. And to be honest, I'm making myself crazy too. Because the fact is, I feel so sure that this kid's arrival is right around the corner that I can't rest. I have over-psyched myself out, friends!!

Even Ian has caught the fever! A few days ago he began saying to me, quite out of the blue, that he was going to have a "bro'r" and that he would be "comin' soon!". Since then, that seems to have become his new mantra. He tells everyone he meets... in church, in stores, you name it... that his "bro'r" is "coming soon!". He seems pretty excited about it. I know it may not last, but it is the first I have seen that he's seeing this baby's arrival as a positive thing, so I find it very encouraging.

On that note, I'm going to head to bed for the second time this evening and hope that this time I can stay there!!

A Parable about reaching

I think I will always be thankful to my friend Christa who, in her motherly wisdom, shared with me the joy of blowing bubbles at bathtime. For some reason, it had never occured to me. The tub is the PERFECT place for bubbles!! Duh!!

We don't use them every time, but a few times a week, I pull out the bubbles and start blowing them at my delighted son. Lately, he has taken to standing up, and reaching for the singular bubbles just beyond his grasp, even though there are usually neverending clusters of new bubbles surrounding him...

As I sit there, marvelling at the way he turns his back to the abundant supply all around him, and reaches for things that he will never be able to touch, I am reminded of how often I have done the same thing in life... ignoring the blessings God supplies everyday, and always wishing for more.

It reminds me of this song, which has never failed to minister to me. It's called "Reaching" by Carolyn Arends...

There’s a time I can recall
Four years old and three feet tall
Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar
And both were out of reach
And later on in my high school
It seemed to me a little cruel
How the right words to say always seemed to stay
Just out of reach

Well I should not have thought it strange
That growing causes growing pains
‘Cause the more we learn the more we know
We don’t know anything
But still it seems a tragic fate
Living with this quiet ache
The constant strain for what remains
Just out of reach

Chorus:
We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
But maybe that’s what heaven is for

There are times I can’t forget
Dressed up in my Sunday best
Trying not to squirm and to maybe learn
A bit of what the preacher preached
And later lying in the dark
I felt a stirring in my heart
And though I longed to see what could not be seen
I still believed

I guess I shouldn’t think it odd
Until we see the face of God
The yearning deep within us tells us
There’s more to come
So when we taste of the divine
It leaves us hungry every time
For one more taste of what awaits
When heaven’s gates are reached

Repeat chorus:
We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
But maybe that’s what heaven is for

I believe that’s what heaven is for
There’s a time I can recall
Four years old and three feet tall
Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar
And both were out of reach

Vacation!

Well, a little over a month ago we went on vacation where we were at the mercy of someone else's wireless network. It was sort of a forced blogfast. That lasted two weeks and turned out to be a wonderful rest on so many levels. Besides, I was down the Jersey shore, man!! There were lots of other ways to spend my evenings. :)

So now I'm back.... from outerspace... Oh, excuse me, that was just my mental jukebox cuing up Gloria Gainor... Disco flashback!!

After two weeks of a blogfast I came to realize just how much of my time I was dedicating to reading blogs, writing blogs (believe me, I draft more often than I post) and finding new blogs. And I realized how little time I was spending on life!! So, a rearrangement of priorities is certainly in order.

The apostle Paul said that we are slaves to those things that we yield ourselves to obey, and I was sensing that the blogosphere was quickly becoming my master. Hopefully there's another way.... a way of balance! I'm going to give it another try in the hopes that there is a better way, a way that ministers to people's souls, honors the Lord, and has lasting significance. Seems like a tall order. A bit ambitious perhaps, but that's my goal.

Potty Training update, part 2

Well, by now you may be tired of the potty training topic. Unless, that is, you're in this stage yourself or are about to "go there". But it's a free world, so if you're not interested come back in a few days!

I wanted to share some of the cool things I've been gleaning from all my reading. Seems wrong to keep it to myself.... :)

I've often heard of parent's using stickers or candy to reward their child when he was successful going to the potty. But we weren't quite there. One of the signs of readiness for toilet training is that your child stays dry for a couple of hours at a time, or wakes up dry after naps. Ian had never EVER had that kind of duration of dryness. UGH!! He always seemed to be constantly wet. So first, I wanted to teach him to stay dry!!

When I read Potty Training in a Day, I was intrigued with their reward system. Instead of rewarding just for using the potty, they set a timer to check the child's diaper for dryness. When the diaper was dry, the child got some kind of reward. So I told Ian that we were going to try to stay dry and I began doing the diaper check every half hour. I gave Ian two M&M mini's whenever he was dry. Pretty soon he started telling me himself when when he was dry or wet. Hallelujah!! And miracle of miracles he would go a couple of hours without wetting now it's almost SCARY how long he can stay dry for. Yeah!!

So the verdict seems to be that this practice seems to have raised Ian's awareness of the bladder control mechanism. He's not too anxious to use the potty, but he is able to stay dry for long periods of time and that's half the battle in my mind.

Sundaes on Friday

Went to my second SAHM Meetup yesterday. It was actually a "Make your own Sundae" social. We had 5 moms and 10 little rugrats under 6 all meeting at our brave hostess' brand new home. :)

Our hostess, Sharon, was pretty smart about it too. She bought the little ice cream cups, all in vanilla, so there were no arguments about how much ice cream and what flavor. Then we each got to add our own toppings... YUMMMY!!

Best of all was that I had been craving ice cream for DAYS! :)

Plunging in to painting

I've been thinking for awhile now about delving into the fingerpainting realm. Seems so mean to not let my crafty boy dabble in this wonderful medium. But it is with great trepidation that I even pause to consider it.

So I was delighted and intrigued recently when I read one mom's suggestion of using plain old water, a paintbrush and a sheet of construction paper to make-believe paint! WELL!! I was all over that idea. And I'm recommending it to you!

Ian loves using a paintbrush, and when the construction paper gets wet, it changes colors. It's quite a thrill for him! Plus, cleanup is a breeze and once the paper's dry it can be used again!

And the benefit of this is that it taught me that I was not wrong regarding the fingerpainting famine! The first time Ian got the paintbrush wet he stood at the table waving it in the air, sprinkling water hither and yon!! Praise the Lord, no paint, or my curtains would've been spattered with his exuberance!