Free advice

Tonight, the girls and I stayed home from church because Big Sis has had some tummy trouble and missed school today. She was feeling much better this evening, though, so we ventured outside into the glorious fall weather.

As we walked through our yard, I didn't even have to remind the girls to watch where they stepped. Little Sister did it for me; "Watch out for dog poop!" she sang as we made our way to the swingset.

Then she added, "Ew. Dog poop. Dat's gross! We don't eat poop. We eat food."

A wise tip from Little Sister to me, and now from me to you.

Song for Sunday: my light, my strength

This morning's early service at church reminded me of "favorite hymn night"growing up. In fact, I was sad that I didn't meet up with my mom & grandma (who have been in town this weekend) before the second service so I could stand next to mom and hear her singing the alto parts to "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" and "Standing on the Promises." To be honest, I'm glad I don't normally sing these songs every week (anymore), but it was nice (and worshipful) to sing them again. The song I enjoyed most from the service, though, was this more recent one. I'm a sucker for songs that have a celtic-ish chord structure. And these words are pretty amazing...

In Christ Alone
Written by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Book Review: Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, adapted by Tama Fortner

First, can I just say how excited I was that my newest free Booksneeze selection came so quickly? And since this one was a daily devotional, I was able to read through it and get a great feel for it without reading it in its entirety. (Since they don't require this of their reviews for Bibles, I'm hoping/assuming the same applies for a year-round devotional format).

I was hoping this devotional book, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids would be a little more age appropriate for my five-year-old, because it is very hard to find "deeper" stuff for beginning readers. I'd say this book is more for older elementary school aged children, or perhaps even middle-schoolers. It would depend on the maturity level and spiritual depth of the child.

Each devotion (one for every day of the calendar year) has a scripture verse at the top and then a few paragraphs to illustrate, explain or apply the verse. At the bottom there is a small "Read on your own" bubble with more scripture for further reading. I liked the themes I read: casting worries on God, praising in the midst of a hard day, dreaming big but realizing God's plans are even bigger, etc. The devotions seem to be a little more personal, a little deeper, than many I've seen for children. I really like this about it. But one way in which this was accomplished was by writing the devotion from God, in first person.

Let me be clear: I believe God can and does speak to and through people all the time. And I think someone writing a devotional book for people of any age should be inspired to do so. I also found nothing questionable or in disagreement with scripture in Sarah Young's content. And truth be told, as far as interpretation of Scripture goes I'm not very conservative. But I still struggle with the implied authority her words achieved by writing as if it is God speaking. I think it might be confusing for kids to discern between scripture and devotion. It also reminds me a bit of something like "Conversations with God," and I am just not comfortable with people writing what they hear God speak to them and publishing it for others. Even if their word from God really was just that, it was theirs. Again, everything Ms. Young writes is solid, scripture-inspired and true, and she writes in her introduction that "the Bible is the only perfect word of God." I do not think it is her intention to put words in God's mouth or speak with God's authority, but rather to help kids to hear "Jesus Calling" in their own lives, speaking directly to them. My concern is that kids might be confused by this, especially if another book comes along not as thoughtful or scriptural as Ms. Young's.

I'm debating whether or not I'm going to hang on to this book for when my girls get older. I really like the messages, but I'd definitely have to be sure they understood who (or Who) wrote which parts. I want my girls to grow up with a love for God, His Word, and people. And I want them to question things and understand (eventually) that we don't all agree and that there are many people out there saying stuff for Jesus that I don't think He would ever say. I pray they learn to discern the difference and to find wise people and writings to help them grow, to seek Him and to try to live lives abiding in and sharing His love.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Fat Ogg

Tonight at dinner, Little Sis showed her keen powers of observation when she pointed out that we were refilling Big Sister's milk with "Mommy & Daddy's milk." She was very agitated that Daddy had poured from the green milk carton seemingly by mistake, until I finally convinced her that we were sharing because the girls were almost out of "their" milk.

This led to a discussion about why we have two different kinds of milk in our refrigerator. Truth be told, it used to be because I was too cheap to buy organic milk for Hubby & I, so we had a gallon of regular milk while the girls had a carton of the good stuff. Lately, though, I've tried to be more consistent with my milk, egg and (raw) meat purchases at the grocery store. And that means (besides a higher bill) ideally organic,free-range, humanely treated, and containing no antibiotics or hormones. So now, I buy 1 or 2% organic for the girls and fat free for us. Two similar cartons, one blue and one green. I only had to point out the difference once to Little Sister before she permanently filed it away in her sharp little brain.

Big Sister had her own way of explaining why our milk was different. "Grown up milk has a little bit of grown up stuff in it, like pills." I think that must be how she understood it when I tried to explain her "healthier milk" when we were still buying the regular stuff for ourselves. Now I tried to make sense of the fat content- telling her that kiddos need a little more fat in their diets than adults do.

"But fat is bad. Fat isn't good for you." She replied. "My friend at school says..."

"You're right. Too much fat is not good. It's not healthy. But you don't have too much." I answered, still thinking about her friend at school. I was concerned. Why was this child talking about fat? Was she one of those anorexic children I keep reading statistics about? Was she overweight and self-conscious? Or was she picking on other children for being heavy?

"Mom, what does 'Fat Ogg' mean?" asked Big Sister. And instantly those concerns grew bigger. Where is she hearing this stuff?! Maybe I should homeschool. Nevermind the fact that we'd all kill each other... at least no one here likens people to plump farm animals.

I asked her to tell me more about what she was asking. Where had she heard this? Who said it?

"At school. I read it. On my milk carton. Sometimes it says, "total fat Og."

Oh.


By the way, lest you read this post and think I am on some "holier than thou" soapbox about my grocery purchasing, I'd like to make a confession: This whole conversation took place over a dinner of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese from a box. But the grapes were organic...

Song for Sunday: unashamed to call me your own

I am Your Beloved
words & music by Brent Helming, Vineyard Music

Lord it was You,
You created the heavens.
And Lord, it was Your hands
That put the stars in their place.
Lord, it was Your voice
That commands the morning.
Even oceans and their waves bow at your feet.

Lord, who am I compared to Your glory? O, Lord.
Lord, who am I compared to Your majesty?

I am your beloved, your creation,
And You love me as I am.
You have called me chosen for Your kingdom,
Unashamed to call me your own.
I am your beloved.

I sang this in our services today. Thanks, Chad, for requesting it/introducing it to me.

Who's counting?

I've been settling in to a routine and enjoying a few days a week at home, just me and Little Sister. These are precious times- playing, talking, even just interacting while I fold laundry or do other chores.

Of course, then there are times like this afternoon, when I forgot how badly SHE wanted to flush the toilet after going potty and did it myself out of habit. The fit that followed lasted longer than any I can remember and resulted in her throwing her Tinkerbell underpants in the toilet. Then she threw a fit because she didn't have any underwear. And then I figured it was bedtime...

But earlier, in a non-Terrible-Two moment, we played catch and I marveled at her arm- her strength and her accuracy. Not many two-year-olds can aim for and hit the cat with a stuffed Nemo fish. Sometimes she spewed random numbers before she threw, like a tiny QB:"Fifteen, eleven, thirteen (throw)."

She can count, in order, though. When I was trying to get her to climb into bed (and quit stalling) at naptime, she took over for me as I counted to ten. She can do it perfectly. But when she tries to go past ten, she starts to confuse "eleven" with "seven." Makes sense, right?

So what you get sounds like this:

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, seven, eight, nine, ten, seven, eight, nine, ten..."

etc.



And it is so cute, I don't really want to correct her just yet.

Book Review: Anne Bradstreet by D.B. Kellogg

This book is from a series of biographies called Christian Encounters. Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan whose family helped establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was a devout woman, wife and mother. She was also a well-educated, thoughtful and insightful poet. Not only were her works published, but they were also popularly and critically acclaimed. At a time when many women were unable to move beyond the common societal expectations, she did so with grace and humility. Other strong women were excommunicated or even executed for overstepping their place as "the weaker sex," but Anne Bradstreet was an example to strong, smart women while maintaining the respect of her peers.

Because I like history (especially colonial America) and New England and poetry and reading about ground-breaking women, I enjoyed this book. I found it to have quite a lot of information, which caused it to be a little heavy or dry at times. Also, I sometimes had a hard time keeping up with many of the minor characters or the timeline and felt the organization could have been a little better. There was so much information presented, almost an overview of the whole age/colony, rather than a deeper look into Bradstreet's faith or personality. Still, I'd recommend this book to someone looking for a biography or an interesting book on church history.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

How was your weekend?

I'm going to be limited in the blogosphere for a little while. Our computer bit the dust this weekend. It just won't turn on. My hubby just got his Droid, and while any other time I'd happily climb on a soapbox about all of the things we needed more than a fancy phone (though he did need a phone), now I am just happy the 3G network kept me from having withdrawal.

To be honest, I've been saying for a while that maybe I didn't need to have the computer at home. It can be so easy to waste WAY too much time reading ridiculous Facebook status updates or watching cats run around IKEA. I have lots of other stuff to do, and maybe removing the distraction would be hard but helpful.

And I didn't miss it for the first part of the day. Little Sis and I ran errands. I spent around $5 (including tax) out of pocket at CVS and got two boxes of cereal, some Nivea body wash, vitamins, candy corn, gum, two bottles of Lysol toilet cleaner and two airwick refills, and some extra "filler" candy (to be able to use my Extra Care bucks.) I had $5 in ECB when I started, too, but I have $5 left again for next time. Wahoo!

We also went to pick up the leftovers from the things I consigned at the Fall consignment sale. I was disappointed with how much was left. I am wondering if it is because they started the sale on Labor day weekend this year. Boo.

The highlight of the morning was just the time spent with my little girl. She is the funniest kid I know. We listened to her favorite songs as we drove all over town: "The wheels on the bus," "Byda bridge" (London Bridge) and "Packey Doodle Dandy." Too funny. She has been crabby off and on lately, and I just discovered her two year molars poking through. But still, most of the time she is very understanding for a two-year-old. She asked if we could buy something that was obviously placed quite strategically in the check-out lane. When I said no, I was braced for a fit, but she just gave me that precious "alright" that she says fairly often. That doesn't mean she didn't have a giant meltdown tonight when she held out a forkful of eggs to see what the dog would do (eat them, duh.) or when I lifted her off of the sinkside stool instead of letting her climb down on her own. Ah, two year olds. Never a dull moment.

Big Sis is thriving in kindergarten and gets to attend a waterslide party tomorrow for her coupon book sales. We didn't sell many, but enough to meet the minimum. It was a nice bonus, because I had already prepared her for missing out on this one, and she was surprisingly okay with it. She could barely contain her excitement when she got off the bus today with a note in her folder giving us the details of the water party. I'm happy she is doing so well. And a little sad that she is so grown up. She is even (knock on wood) trying to actually play soccer (rather than socializing) this year.

Hubby is swamped with the beginning of the soccer season, but otherwise our lives seem to be settling into a "normal" routine. We've got a great Bible/book study group on Sunday nights where we are discussing Radical by David Platt. We've had good food and great times with friends on the weekends, and we've also had a little time to sit down and watch a few more West Wing episodes. Oh- and football. Of course.

Thankfully, we do have a computer set up now- an ancient laptop that used to belong to my mother in law. It will allow me to check in from time to time, at least.

So do tell- what have you been up to?

Song for Sunday: loving purpose solely...

Children of the Heavenly Father

lyrics by Karolina W. Sandell-Berg, translated by Ernst Olson

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Contentment...

I had never read this before. Now it is my prayer to be able to say these words...

Psalm 131 (English Standard Version)

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.

²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.

Or how about this version?

Psalm 131 (The Message)

A Pilgrim Song

¹God, I'm not trying to rule the roost,
I don't want to be king of the mountain.
I haven't meddled where I have no business
or fantasized grandiose plans.

² I've kept my feet on the ground,
I've cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother's arms,
my soul is a baby content.

³ Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope.
Hope now; hope always!

Insomniac

Not me.

Her.


This little darling that should have been worn out after our trip to the playground yesterday instead fought her nap hard. Then, when she finally did fall asleep, I had to wake her up so she would be tired for bedtime.

No dice. She fell asleep ok (aided by Benadryl, because she was eaten alive by buggies at the playground) but woke up shortly before I went to bed.

And stayed up.

I lost count of how many times Daddy or I put her back in her bed. She would wander out into the hallway or halfway down the stairs, just wanting to hang out. After I went to bed, I put the gate up in the hall, to keep her from falling down the steps or getting into things. But the next time she woke me up, I found her in the bathroom, opening drawers and banging her toothbrush on the counter. Thankfully all the medicines and cleaners were under the sink behind a child-proof lock, but it was still alarming to see her just chilling there, for who knows how long.

So, even though I knew it could be a problem for Big Sis if she had to get up to pee in the night, I put the gate on the bedroom door. And I told Little Sister that if she kept getting out of bed, I would have to put her to sleep in her crib (which we still haven't taken down, because who has had time?!) . We fussed at her. We rocked her and rubbed her hair. We re-tucked her in under her many blankets, and then we threatened to take those blankets away when they became distractions. We listened to her playing with the singing Tad doll in her bed around 3AM. Finally, at around 4:30, all was quiet.

Until Big Sister woke up, climbed over the gate and wandered into our room at 7:15. She slept through the whole thing, woke up feeling wonderfully rested and wondered who would get her some cereal.

Yawn.

wow...

Watching the sunset from our porch never gets old.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

Facebook updates

While I was on an involuntary blog hiatus, I satisfied my urge to share the silliness, seriousness, and everything in between from our household by posting it on facebook. But there are a lot of you (blog friends and Ohio family in particular) who are not connected to me on facebook, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights you might have missed. (If you've already read all of this, please forgive me. I'm not trying to be a narcissist! I'm just hoping to give my family an update and document this madness for myself!) Here goes:

I found the bright spot to getting up early to take Big Sis to kindergarten: "Informer" on the radio.

I shared that I appreciate my hubby so much. The poor guy was mowing the yard in the dark because it was literally the only time he had to do it all week. And then I added, "August is kicking our butts." Ha!

Last week I was pretty sure that the number of times Little Sister said, "Aw DUDE!" - in random but appropriate situations- was nearing double digits.

I wrote this letter to the cat: Dear Keaton, I just want to remind you that two years ago we spent a small fortune and devoted countless hours to keep you alive. We've asked for little in return- just some purring and cuddling and that you STOP PEEING ON THE RUGS!

I gave Little Sis a shiner while rushing her to the potty. I pretty much ran her face into the doorknob. I've cleared a spot on the mantle for my Mother of the Year award.

I made the sad realization that my toes were cramping from the <2" heels I wore to church one Sunday. It has been a laid-back, flip-flop kind of summer!


And THIS status update from the past few weeks is my favorite. Now. At the time, I was a little- okay, a lot- irritated:

"Are you FREAKING kidding me?!?! While I was bathing the girls, the dog took and ate an entire tub (opened this morning) of margarine. I get the table scraps. I even take a little responsibility for leaving the muffins out a few weeks ago. But I did not see this one coming... "

(followed by) "oh it gets even worse. The reason she did this without the other (narc) dog telling on her: he was outside, tracking down and killing the cutest baby bunny I've ever seen. "

(and finally) " pancakes. apparently she also ate the rest of the pancakes I made for dinner and saved for John to eat after church. I hate dogs."


There. Now you're all caught up.