Sodom and Gomorrah

Long story.



My daughter loves to read bedtime stories at night... of course she does 1) it is fun to have someone read to you and 2) it delays the inevitable that the lights will be turned off and she will have to go to sleep. (Why did we hate this so much as kids... I would love to go to bed early every night.....)



So, trying to be the well balanced mom that I think I can be, I thought that it would be great to get her a kids Bible with lots of pictures and stories of the Bible. I thought that we could read them together and learn and talk and really enjoy growing up and learning about God together.



So on her Birthday we give her this Bible and a pair of Dora pajamas. Guess which one she liked the best. I did get the obligatory "Oh wow mom... thanks" when she opened the Bible, but then she set it aside and did not pick it back up for weeks. This hurt... you know I wrote a very sweet note in the cover hoping that she would treasure it as much as I treasured giving it to her... NOPE... I think that this comes with her learning empathy which I have been told doesn't come for another couple of years.



OK, so now the real reason for the post.



So when we finally decide to read it at night, she gets about 3 a night. Soon enough she picks out her favorite stories. The one she really focused on was Sodom and Gomorrah. Not sure if it was the pictures of the fires or the picture of Lots wife turning into salt... but she LOVES that story. I think she gets it though....



One day we were travelling down the road to church. There is a McDonalds pretty much across the street from our church which we used to go to before/during/after church activities. I say used to because on this day we looked for the McDonalds and it was no longer there. The only thing that was left was a big pile of rocks.

So my daughter is in the backseat and asks what happened... I say "Looks like it was torn down"

Silence in the back seat.

"I guess Mr. McDonald looked back"

Now tell me the child isn't paying attention.

I was rolling!

So, after weeks waiting and waiting we drive back past this McDonalds. This time it is my son's turn. "Look Mom... Bob Builder"

Huh?

There was a construction crew building the McDonalds back. Bob Builder apparently.

So now it is the McDonalds that Bob Builder Built.

I bet that they didn't know that, huh?

What my kids don't have or do.

Our kids don't use bar soap. Yes, my kids are clean, but they use shower gel or liquid soap. Even washing their hands, they use liquid soap. I can still almost smell the smell of ivory. You know, I remember using that last little bit... trying to rub soap into nothingness.... I remember carving soap into cool statues... (was I the only one to do that?)... I even put the soap in my drawers as a "sachet". My kids don't even know what dove is and they are really confused why they can't touch the soap I have in their bathroom for visitors... they don't understand that when they rub their eyes, it will burn...ahh the memories.



Our kids don't have to wait to see a picture. They don't even know what a Polaroid is. Even my 2 year old says "Me see it" after I take his picture. I get in big trouble when I don't let him see it. I have a long explanation ahead of me when I take his picture with my Nikon or something. UGH. I wonder if this is why my daughter is such a ham in pictures.....



Our kids don't have plain bandaids. You know, the kind that ripped of every hair you had on your skin and sometimes even the scab itself. What a bunch of pansies. Now they have to have "sensitive" ones or character ones. But you know, it did take me a while to figure out that I would rather spend $5.00 a month on a few boxes on bandaids for my kids to put on then take right off, then to listen to them whine about an "owie" that I can't see.



Our kids don't have under-roos. At least I haven't found them. Yes, there are character underwear, but it just isn't the same, you know?

I don't need you anymore

So I was enjoying this new found free time that I get two times a week now that my kids are back in school... Really nice. You know almost to the point that I am reciting to myself " Absense makes the heart grow fonder"... Then reality hits.



After school we decided to go out and play in the front yard. I figure.. hey... why the kids are playing, I will get the yard work done, right?

Well I did. No big story there.

So my daughter gets thirsty as she always does when we are playing outside. It is like the little girls who instantly have to go potty when they see a public restroom...when my daughter sees the outside fridge (dubbed the "beer fridge" - funny because 95% of the time is has NO beer in it - I digress) she gets thirsty. There are lots of fun things in there like bottled water, soda and juice boxes. YUMMY.

So she chooses a Sunny Delight.

Seeing that this was her drink of choice, I stop what I am doing to watch her tackle the lid. As I have been stopped many times already, I choose not to continue what I am doing, merely to be stopped again, so I wait... and wait... and wait. I finally ask... "Do you need mommy to help you open that?"

I am met with a resounding "No!. I don't need you anymore."

Now, she didn't mean it as hateful or quite to the extent in which I took it of course, but it did hurt... not the "Wow that was rude - Did I teach her that?" hurt.. more the " well if she doesn't need me for that anymore... what am I going to do...."

Fortunately, she answered my unasked question fairly quickly...

"Well, I still need you to tie my shoes - I can't make the loops."

At least I am still useful for something...

Twas the Night before Kindergarten...

Twas the night before Kindergarten and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... except for Mom who has checked daughter's backpack eight times... has verified her bus number three times, has checked the clothes that she is wearing tomorrow five times and just keeps pacing back and forth in front of the door...

How did this happen? When did she get so big? I know that I have to relinquish some control... I will no longer know everything that she is doing every part of the day... sure I know that her recess is at a certain time, her lunch is at a certain time and other times she is in her classroom... but what is she doing? Is she behaving? I hope so. I guess this is the first true test of the foundation that we have tried to build in her.

I am really going to miss her.. but how excited I am for her... She is just going to THRIVE! It would be like me holding onto a butterfly's cocoon and not letting it hatch to not send her this year. And really.. what would I do with the child this year... I could barely entertain her over the summer months. I really can't wait for her to sit with me and try to read on her own.. how DO they learn that??? I can't wait to hear about her new friends... I am scared that she will be made fun of, but I guess we all have been through that and we all survived... and maybe learned a thing or two in the process.

I have three more years with my son at home. Fortunately (or un- depending on the day) I have almost an extra year with him that I didn't have with my daughter because of their birthdays... I think my son will need a little extra time.. he is pushing three and still thinks that the potty is his enemy...

Once again the words you always hear are ringing in my ears... "Cherish these days.. they grow up so fast". Man I hated hearing that.. not that I thought that it was true.. just that I heard them from everyone it seemed. Looking back with my daughter I believe it. With my son, I still can't picture it. Funny how that is.

I am looking forward to parenting older children... I do love my kids at this age.. they are so fun.. but I can just see it getting better and better as they grow older. I can't wait to become their friend...all in due time I suppose.

Until then, I will just sit here pacing until exhaustion takes over and I crash. I still have to get my son ready for preschool, so I have lots to do tomorrow... thank goodness... I will bring my tissues to the bus stop.

Star Wars

We had a friend come over on the weekend and he was the oldest of the kids... so when the younger kids were getting ready to go to bed, he asked to watch Star Wars. I told him OK, but after the younger kids went to bed. My daughter overheard this so the next day she is so excited... "Mom! Can we watch 'Star Hores' now?" (Now, say that aloud. I didn't spell it correctly)

"Weh...Weh..., Baby... Wars"

He he

Rain Rain Go Away

It has been an interesting week. It has finally stopped (or slowed) raining so we are able to do more activities outdoors than we have been in a very long while. So last night I toss some chicken and corn on the grill and the kids are having fun playing outside waiting for the food to be ready. "Can we eat outside?" says the big one. "Ea ou-sigh" says the little one. "Sure," I say... then I blew it... "As long as it doesn't rain"... oops.



So, right as we are pulling the chicken off the grill, it starts to rain.... to their dismay, we eat inside. Now, our kitchen table is right by the window, so when my son sees that it is raining, he starts his mantra.. "Rain, rain go away...come again another day". Ahhh how cute. Of course.. he has been singing this song ALL SUMMER LONG....



The next thing we heard almost brought us to our knees... from our daughter.. in the flattest voice possible, we hear "That song doesn't work". My son just stared....as if you told him that spiderman wasn't a real superhero...



Apparently she had been trying to get the rain gone by using that song and she realized that her efforts were futile... poor girl... it was her job to share the bad news.

Let's go to Hawaii

My son is 2 and a 1/2. He doesn't really talk well... he tries... but it seems that once again, I have to wear the translator hat when he is trying to tell us something.

Anyway, we took a family vacation this past weekend. We went to a "beautiful" Texas beach close to our home. Unfortunately for us, our ocean view/ocean access condominium had a fantastic view of all the red seaweed that washes up all day long. I don't know if this is a seasonal thing, a fluke thing or a regular thing. We got all the benefits of it though. I will list them here:

1)
2)
3)

Yep, that is about it. (Fortunately, other parts of the island were cleaner, so we did get to experience "beach behavior"... ie. running through the crashing waves, trying to stand through the waves and yes, even eroding the beach below your foot, tushie, or whatever when the water recedes into the ocean.

Anyway, as we are travelling to our destination, we were talking the beach up to our kids. "We get to jump through the waves, build sand castles, run around..."

For some reason, my daughter makes the following declaration "I am going to call the beach 'Hawaii'".

OK.

Sure.

It is REAL close.

So, back to the start of this post... we are back home and I am translating for my son. I hear this... "Wan go hawaii". HUH?

"Wan go hawaii".

OK, so I guess he wants to go back to the beach.

In the meantime, I will just take them to the "Movie Peter"

he he

Accountability

I just joined a sweet group of ladies in an accountability group. Their job is to hold me accountable to the tasks that I set forth to accomplish. Focused on Christian life, we will cover goals pertaining to Physical, Personal, Spiritual and Emotional well being.

So, we started by picking a verse that we wanted to memorize. I chose Philippians 4:8-9.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This book was written by Paul and Timothy to the church at Philippi. Paul was a teacher and often punished for preaching the word of God.

I, by no means equate myself to Paul, but in the following regards I am equating our "jobs". (At least mine at the moment)

I came across this passage several years ago in a group Bible study talking about "Conversation Peace". Basically talking about taming your tongue.

It was a memory verse then, but I chose not to memorize it... all those "whatevers"

I came across it again a month or so again at school, then again about a week later at church. I came to the conclusion that I needed to learn it and let it sink in.

I was tasked this year (by my own doing) to teach preschool. I had a sobering moment when I read this verse a month ago.... 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Wow... whatever you have learned, received or heard from me.. put into practice.

I am ashamed to admit it, but more times that I care to remember, I lost my cool in that classroom. I am not saying I went over the line, but I do know that not all my responses to the issues in class were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable. Not even one of the six. So I started thinking... do I want these kids to put these things that I have shown them into practice?

HECK NO!

At least not the "cool lost" moments.

I am not superwoman. I have no intentions on being that either cause it is not achievable. I will lose my cool again. But I will also carry the burden on being an example to my kids from here until the end of the year.

I need help being these things. Being true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. I am just so glad that I know where to go to get it. And Hopefully my girls will help.