Tonight at bedtime, I sang and rocked Little Sister while Big Sis snuggled under her covers.
A few nights ago, I remembered that, when Big Sis was the age Little Sis is now, she loved to sing songs with lyrics that could include the names of our family and friends. So tonight, I sang the "Goodnight Ladies" song we sang at the end of Girl Scout campfires, but with the girls' names. Then I sang dozens of verses of "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands."
Little Sister makes the cutest little Tarzan grunt (complete with poking herself in the chest) whenever she hears her name (or sees herself in photos, etc.) It is adorable, but not exactly conducive to soothing lullabies. Combine that with the fact that she would pick her head up off of my shoulder, call out her sister's name and point in her direction every time the song included Big Sister, and we were all getting a little tickled (and not very calm).
But it was one of those darling moments I never want to forget. One I'll miss in a matter of weeks- since Little Sis is changing so quickly, and the grunt is sure to be gone soon. My eyes welled with tears of joy in the moment, love for my girls, and gratitude for all that I have been given. Then I immediately thought of families missing simple moments like this- especially those in Haiti right now, and the tears came for more melancholy reasons.
The last line of the song was one I improvised. It was more of a prayer- a reassurance I needed to sing and a reminder I needed to hear:
"He's got the hurting and the hungry in His hands... He's got the WHOLE world in His hands."
BTW: If you wanted to kick Pat Robertson in the head as much as I did this week, you need to check out Donald Miller's blog post about Robertson's recent comments. It was good for me to read- before I found it I was pretty angry and planning on linking to Keith Olberman's thoughts instead...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Doing Something...
Sorry I've been a lazy blogger all week. Last weekend was a hectic one; the ministers' wives were responsible for the worship service at our church Sunday evening. We decided to make it a laid back "talk show" type atmosphere where we could share a little more about ourselves and our passions for ministry. A few months earlier, though, our pastor asked me if I would share the sermon message for the evening. So at the end of the talk show time, instead of answering questions, I tried to get up & preach teach.
I'll share more about that another time. I just wanted to explain why my blog-time was limited. Basically, after that, I kind of let my brain go numb for a few days. I've also been trying to spend more time with the girls, especially Big Sister, when they're awake. Again, more about that another time.
The other cause for some of my delay in posting is what I want to address. As soon as I heard the news Tuesday evening, I knew that I wanted to share my heart for Haiti. I just didn't exactly know what to say.
I still don't. There are very few words that could express the horrible devastation the earthquake in Port-Au-Prince has left in its wake. I think everyone who is paying even the slightest bit of attention feels compelled to help, or at least pray, for the hundreds of thousands of people affected. I heard someone call in to the local Christian radio station today, saying that she worked at a school and wanted to get her kids involved with the relief effort. But how?
If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know one of my passions is Compassion International, a Christian child sponsorship program with the aim of "releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name." Our family sponsors two children, Skarleth in Nicaragua and Emmanuel in Tanzania. But did you know that Compassion serves more than 65,000 children in Haiti? Many of them in the areas worst affected by this disaster.
When I think of the devastation and poverty I know to exist in Haiti prior to the earthquake, and then imagine it compounded with this terrible earthquake, I feel burdened. When I think of the sponsors who face the death of their sponsored child, I'm just sick. And of course, then I think of the parents in Haiti who have lost their flesh & blood children, and their homes, or the children who have lost everything and everyone, or even the families who remain intact but desolate and desparate. And I can't think about it anymore.
But I can't STOP thinking about it either.
If you're like me, and you want to do something right now that can make a difference, and you don't know of a trusted organization to receive your donations, please consider Compassion. They work through the local church and ministries in each Sponsorship area, which means they already have the advantage of being first responders- being able to assess and address the needs of their area quickly and effectively. They also have amazing financial responsibility, which is important as we hear from the FBI about fundraising scams. And finally, something I know concerns many of you, Compassion is a ministry. Everything they do is to show people the love of Christ.
To donate to Compassion's relief effort, click on the widget below.
The same night that I heard about Haiti, the Tennessee Volunteer fans I know were all hearing about the resignation Lane Kiffin. And that was all they were talking about. And I couldn't stand to be on facebook or listen too much to conversations at church Wednesday night, because more Christians were troubled about a football coach leaving than a country decimated.
I'm not claiming to be more pious or to care more about the poor than those friends of mine. I don't know how much they have been paying attention to this disaster or what they might have done to offer help. But I do know that we all have some pretty messed up priorities sometimes.
One good thing that might come from all of this is that people are beginning to step up and do the right thing. And they might begin to see the poverty and devastation that were a part of daily life in Haiti before this quake, and are a part of other countries all over the world, and do something.
If you want to DO something, and you're not sure what, please consider a gift to Compassion. And share Compassion with others you know who might be wondering what they can do to help, too. I truly believe that Compassion will use our money to serve the people of Haiti when we can not physically be there to serve them ourselves.
I'll share more about that another time. I just wanted to explain why my blog-time was limited. Basically, after that, I kind of let my brain go numb for a few days. I've also been trying to spend more time with the girls, especially Big Sister, when they're awake. Again, more about that another time.
The other cause for some of my delay in posting is what I want to address. As soon as I heard the news Tuesday evening, I knew that I wanted to share my heart for Haiti. I just didn't exactly know what to say.
I still don't. There are very few words that could express the horrible devastation the earthquake in Port-Au-Prince has left in its wake. I think everyone who is paying even the slightest bit of attention feels compelled to help, or at least pray, for the hundreds of thousands of people affected. I heard someone call in to the local Christian radio station today, saying that she worked at a school and wanted to get her kids involved with the relief effort. But how?
If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know one of my passions is Compassion International, a Christian child sponsorship program with the aim of "releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name." Our family sponsors two children, Skarleth in Nicaragua and Emmanuel in Tanzania. But did you know that Compassion serves more than 65,000 children in Haiti? Many of them in the areas worst affected by this disaster.
When I think of the devastation and poverty I know to exist in Haiti prior to the earthquake, and then imagine it compounded with this terrible earthquake, I feel burdened. When I think of the sponsors who face the death of their sponsored child, I'm just sick. And of course, then I think of the parents in Haiti who have lost their flesh & blood children, and their homes, or the children who have lost everything and everyone, or even the families who remain intact but desolate and desparate. And I can't think about it anymore.
But I can't STOP thinking about it either.
If you're like me, and you want to do something right now that can make a difference, and you don't know of a trusted organization to receive your donations, please consider Compassion. They work through the local church and ministries in each Sponsorship area, which means they already have the advantage of being first responders- being able to assess and address the needs of their area quickly and effectively. They also have amazing financial responsibility, which is important as we hear from the FBI about fundraising scams. And finally, something I know concerns many of you, Compassion is a ministry. Everything they do is to show people the love of Christ.
To donate to Compassion's relief effort, click on the widget below.
The same night that I heard about Haiti, the Tennessee Volunteer fans I know were all hearing about the resignation Lane Kiffin. And that was all they were talking about. And I couldn't stand to be on facebook or listen too much to conversations at church Wednesday night, because more Christians were troubled about a football coach leaving than a country decimated.
I'm not claiming to be more pious or to care more about the poor than those friends of mine. I don't know how much they have been paying attention to this disaster or what they might have done to offer help. But I do know that we all have some pretty messed up priorities sometimes.
One good thing that might come from all of this is that people are beginning to step up and do the right thing. And they might begin to see the poverty and devastation that were a part of daily life in Haiti before this quake, and are a part of other countries all over the world, and do something.
If you want to DO something, and you're not sure what, please consider a gift to Compassion. And share Compassion with others you know who might be wondering what they can do to help, too. I truly believe that Compassion will use our money to serve the people of Haiti when we can not physically be there to serve them ourselves.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Guess what I heard...
... as I tucked Little Sister in (with her three specific blankets, in their specific order, for my very OCD specific child):
"Luf you mama"
I choked out, "I love you too!" and left her to rest.
And here I sit trying to capture how three little, garbled words can make my heart swell up so much that I can hear Boris Karloff describing it in my head.
"Luf you mama"
I choked out, "I love you too!" and left her to rest.
And here I sit trying to capture how three little, garbled words can make my heart swell up so much that I can hear Boris Karloff describing it in my head.
Friday, January 8, 2010
It's eight o'clock and all is well
Okay, maybe not all...
Little Sister did keep us awake last night from 2:15 until after 5, and is currently still fussing and fighting sleep. She asked me to put her in her bed. I guess she changed her mind...
But almost all is well.
The van is back home, parked in the garage where it should be. Hubby walked down to get it this afternoon and watched a few other cars make it safely uphill before he drove home.
The streets are actually clear. No one thought they would thaw, but I'm pretty sure no one expected the sun to shine all day either. It did. I've had solar-themed Beatles songs running through my head all day.
Big Sister earned two stars on her Santa chart today. This was due to a combination of my trying very hard to find some positive things on which to focus, and a brilliant effort by Big Sis. The child even fell asleep during naptime, then woke up and went to the bathroom by herself, and then- get this- went back to sleep on her own! This is unprecedented.
The long naptime meant that I was able to shower and finish mysermon message for Sunday Night when the staff wives lead the worship service. And waste a bunch of time looking at LOLCats. Yes, I did just admit that. They're so silly!
We all ate dinner at the table at the same time tonight.
And I think Little Sister might finally be asleep.
Sigh.
All is well.
Little Sister did keep us awake last night from 2:15 until after 5, and is currently still fussing and fighting sleep. She asked me to put her in her bed. I guess she changed her mind...
But almost all is well.
The van is back home, parked in the garage where it should be. Hubby walked down to get it this afternoon and watched a few other cars make it safely uphill before he drove home.
The streets are actually clear. No one thought they would thaw, but I'm pretty sure no one expected the sun to shine all day either. It did. I've had solar-themed Beatles songs running through my head all day.
Big Sister earned two stars on her Santa chart today. This was due to a combination of my trying very hard to find some positive things on which to focus, and a brilliant effort by Big Sis. The child even fell asleep during naptime, then woke up and went to the bathroom by herself, and then- get this- went back to sleep on her own! This is unprecedented.
The long naptime meant that I was able to shower and finish my
We all ate dinner at the table at the same time tonight.
And I think Little Sister might finally be asleep.
Sigh.
All is well.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Why the South is afraid of snow...
All week, we've been hearing we'd get snow sometime this afternoon. Many schools went ahead and closed- even though weather.com only posted a 50% chance. Others waited until the first few flakes began to fall, and then immediately began sending children home.
Hubby and I rolled our eyes (he had the day off) and then got in the car. The girls go to the church Child Development Center on Thursdays, and the CDC follows the local school district. So we went to pick them up at noon. I was supposed to get lots done today, because I didn't have to work (but I did) and they were supposed to be in school all day (but they weren't). I have been longing for snow, but this was not the best day for it!
AND, by the time we picked up our kiddos, the snowfall was tapering off. Around 3 or 4 (when most of the kids would have been home from school, I might add) it started to pick up again. It began sticking to the driveways, and accumulating in the grass, and then finally dusting the roads. The girls were taking late naps, and Hubby and I started moving furniture. We decided we needed a bookshelf, and he wanted to be able to build them tonight.
I told him I wasn't sure. I said I had a bad feeling. But we are Northerners! We're not supposed to be afraid of a light snow! So after the girls got up & had a snack, we headed out. We got some great shelves for either side of our fire place, quickly picked up a few other things including some groceries for dinner, and headed home. We noted that we had the entire shopping center to ourselves and joked that it was the perfect time to shop. The roads by the mall and most of the way home were in great shape.
But getting into our subdivision is what worried me all along. People slide down our hill when it rains. Ice and snow would have to make it a little more difficult, right? But we've lived here for four years, and we've never had a problem or seen any reason to actually call off school. Like my hubs said, it's like the boy who cried "snow."Could it really be that bad?
Sure enough, when we turned in, there were lines of cars waiting to chance driving up the hill. We watched a few failed attempts, and even fewer successes. Finally, our turn came. Like the little engine that could, we chugged up the hill and made it... about halfway. We could go no further, and then we started to slide backwards.
I can think of only a few times in my life when I was more scared than at that moment- looking behind us, past my two little girls, out the rear window at an SUV who had parked on the side of the road. We were headed straight for it, but somehow Hubby (or God!) helped us miss it, slide down a little more and land almost gently against a curb. We pulled into a neighbor's yard (where three other cars were already parking) and tried to figure out what to do.
Eventually, we bundled up the girls, grabbed the groceries, and started walking. It was probably about a half a mile. At one point, Big Sis said her toes were "like Frosty." We got home, pulled off our wet shoes and clothing, made a quick plate of nachos for dinner and sat by the fire.
We discovered the difference between Ohio and here.
You ready?
SALT.
A neighbor told us that they don't ever come salt the neighborhood, or many of the roads around here. And that our van might be sitting right where it is until the temp gets above freezing- which won't be until Monday. MONDAY!
And THAT is why people around here freak out about a few flakes.
Seriously, there is not enough on the ground for us to make snow angels or even make snowballs. But we could be stranded for three more days.
We learned, the hard way, a healthy respect for snow in the South. I'm so thankful that we weren't hurt. I'm kicking myself that we could have put the girls in any danger. And I'm not completely distraught at the idea of all four of us being all snugly snowed in together, although Big Sis is still showing her ahem strong-willed side.
But mostly, I'm just mad nobody told me about the salt. Or lack thereof.
Or maybe I'm mad that nobody seems to have told the people in charge down here about it!
Hubby and I rolled our eyes (he had the day off) and then got in the car. The girls go to the church Child Development Center on Thursdays, and the CDC follows the local school district. So we went to pick them up at noon. I was supposed to get lots done today, because I didn't have to work (but I did) and they were supposed to be in school all day (but they weren't). I have been longing for snow, but this was not the best day for it!
AND, by the time we picked up our kiddos, the snowfall was tapering off. Around 3 or 4 (when most of the kids would have been home from school, I might add) it started to pick up again. It began sticking to the driveways, and accumulating in the grass, and then finally dusting the roads. The girls were taking late naps, and Hubby and I started moving furniture. We decided we needed a bookshelf, and he wanted to be able to build them tonight.
I told him I wasn't sure. I said I had a bad feeling. But we are Northerners! We're not supposed to be afraid of a light snow! So after the girls got up & had a snack, we headed out. We got some great shelves for either side of our fire place, quickly picked up a few other things including some groceries for dinner, and headed home. We noted that we had the entire shopping center to ourselves and joked that it was the perfect time to shop. The roads by the mall and most of the way home were in great shape.
But getting into our subdivision is what worried me all along. People slide down our hill when it rains. Ice and snow would have to make it a little more difficult, right? But we've lived here for four years, and we've never had a problem or seen any reason to actually call off school. Like my hubs said, it's like the boy who cried "snow."Could it really be that bad?
Sure enough, when we turned in, there were lines of cars waiting to chance driving up the hill. We watched a few failed attempts, and even fewer successes. Finally, our turn came. Like the little engine that could, we chugged up the hill and made it... about halfway. We could go no further, and then we started to slide backwards.
I can think of only a few times in my life when I was more scared than at that moment- looking behind us, past my two little girls, out the rear window at an SUV who had parked on the side of the road. We were headed straight for it, but somehow Hubby (or God!) helped us miss it, slide down a little more and land almost gently against a curb. We pulled into a neighbor's yard (where three other cars were already parking) and tried to figure out what to do.
Eventually, we bundled up the girls, grabbed the groceries, and started walking. It was probably about a half a mile. At one point, Big Sis said her toes were "like Frosty." We got home, pulled off our wet shoes and clothing, made a quick plate of nachos for dinner and sat by the fire.
We discovered the difference between Ohio and here.
You ready?
SALT.
A neighbor told us that they don't ever come salt the neighborhood, or many of the roads around here. And that our van might be sitting right where it is until the temp gets above freezing- which won't be until Monday. MONDAY!
And THAT is why people around here freak out about a few flakes.
Seriously, there is not enough on the ground for us to make snow angels or even make snowballs. But we could be stranded for three more days.
We learned, the hard way, a healthy respect for snow in the South. I'm so thankful that we weren't hurt. I'm kicking myself that we could have put the girls in any danger. And I'm not completely distraught at the idea of all four of us being all snugly snowed in together, although Big Sis is still showing her ahem strong-willed side.
But mostly, I'm just mad nobody told me about the salt. Or lack thereof.
Or maybe I'm mad that nobody seems to have told the people in charge down here about it!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Big Sister and the Barbie Vet Set, once again...
I promise, this Barbie Vet stuff is going to be the undoing of me. Or at least my sanity.
If somehow you don't know what I mean, you can read about it here.
Or here.
Or here.
As I type this, Big Sister is in her room, reading. She has been confined there for the rest of the morning. Because a small squabble with her sister over a toy turned into time out, which turned into talking back in time out ("ARGH! How many hours?!" in her best 13-year-old girl voice) which turned into being sent to her room, which turned into screaming and trying to punch me. Yes, punch me.
Lots of time, a little yelling, several toys being taken away, and a few swats on her backside later and she is quietly reading in her room.
(Yes, I did just admit that we're spanking. I'm even reading Dobson, which is like Dobson reading Al Franken, but desperate times call for desperate- or at least thorough- measures. It is not without much debate and prayerful consideration that we've come to this conclusion. More on this another day.)
The truth is, the behavior at our house has not improved since before Christmas. Sure, she does a few sweet things in order to try to earn her new toy. But the attitude, the defiance, the hurting her sister & us- those things haven't changed much.
So now the question comes back again. Should she get this toy?
If we hadn't said from the very beginning that it was contingent on good behavior, the answer would be obvious. Why not keep it?
If she hadn't received numerous warnings about her behavior, including warnings about getting (and then earning) this toy from Santa, it wouldn't be a big deal.
If she hadn't had a fantastic day at school yesterday, making me realize that she can in fact behave in her wonderfully sweet demeanor when she feels like it, I wouldn't be writing about this right now.
But we have. And she has. And she did. And now I'm trying to sort out my options. I don't want us to be the parents who cancelled Christmas (if you don't watch Modern Family, you should, it is huh-larious.) But I also don't want to be the parents who make empty threats and have inconsistent expectations.
Today, when I reminded Big Sister about it, I thought it would help her to stop and obey. Instead, she began throwing an even bigger tantrum, jumping up & down and yelling "I want it" Veruca-Salt-style.
There is ONE big rule in our house about things we want: If you throw a fit or whine for it, you can't have it. Period. Big Sister has mostly obeyed- or at least understood- this rule for over two years now.
She isn't leaving me very many options to sort.
I never meant for this to be such a big deal. In fact, if we could go back & do it over again, I think we'd do it a little differently. But since it IS such a big deal now, I want to see this thing through. And I need some sage advice from my friends & family to feel good about it.
What do you all think?
If somehow you don't know what I mean, you can read about it here.
Or here.
Or here.
As I type this, Big Sister is in her room, reading. She has been confined there for the rest of the morning. Because a small squabble with her sister over a toy turned into time out, which turned into talking back in time out ("ARGH! How many hours?!" in her best 13-year-old girl voice) which turned into being sent to her room, which turned into screaming and trying to punch me. Yes, punch me.
Lots of time, a little yelling, several toys being taken away, and a few swats on her backside later and she is quietly reading in her room.
(Yes, I did just admit that we're spanking. I'm even reading Dobson, which is like Dobson reading Al Franken, but desperate times call for desperate- or at least thorough- measures. It is not without much debate and prayerful consideration that we've come to this conclusion. More on this another day.)
The truth is, the behavior at our house has not improved since before Christmas. Sure, she does a few sweet things in order to try to earn her new toy. But the attitude, the defiance, the hurting her sister & us- those things haven't changed much.
So now the question comes back again. Should she get this toy?
If we hadn't said from the very beginning that it was contingent on good behavior, the answer would be obvious. Why not keep it?
If she hadn't received numerous warnings about her behavior, including warnings about getting (and then earning) this toy from Santa, it wouldn't be a big deal.
If she hadn't had a fantastic day at school yesterday, making me realize that she can in fact behave in her wonderfully sweet demeanor when she feels like it, I wouldn't be writing about this right now.
But we have. And she has. And she did. And now I'm trying to sort out my options. I don't want us to be the parents who cancelled Christmas (if you don't watch Modern Family, you should, it is huh-larious.) But I also don't want to be the parents who make empty threats and have inconsistent expectations.
Today, when I reminded Big Sister about it, I thought it would help her to stop and obey. Instead, she began throwing an even bigger tantrum, jumping up & down and yelling "I want it" Veruca-Salt-style.
There is ONE big rule in our house about things we want: If you throw a fit or whine for it, you can't have it. Period. Big Sister has mostly obeyed- or at least understood- this rule for over two years now.
She isn't leaving me very many options to sort.
I never meant for this to be such a big deal. In fact, if we could go back & do it over again, I think we'd do it a little differently. But since it IS such a big deal now, I want to see this thing through. And I need some sage advice from my friends & family to feel good about it.
What do you all think?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Say cheese
I tried a little Mckmama style photoshop action on that last one. I've never done anything more than crop the pictures on this blog. I only have a point & click camera, so I just do what I can. This was my first attempt at real "enhancing," so be honest- how does it look? Is the background TOO blurry? Should I just leave it alone?
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