why is it that when you keep your kids up late, they still wake up early in the morning?
why does your husband never hear you tell him stuff? (and exactly how young does this begin?)
why it's ok for him to tell you how to drive, but if you tell him, it's called "backseat driving?"
why do birds poop on the car you just washed?
why do yukky things happen to special people?
and, conversely, why do yukky people sometimes seem to rake in the good stuff?
why you can't wait to get older only to find out that younger was an ok place to be?
why do people pay money to camp in the woods where there is no potty, stove, airconditioner, or tv?
why we wait till we're at the proverbial "end of our rope" before we acknowledge we're dangling and quickly losing grip?
and why, time after time, we try to figure things out for ourselves and lay out our own plans before asking God for His plans and direction, knowing all the time that He was just waiting for us to ask?
i'm just wondering..................what about you?
Friday, March 30, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Trouble
Today has been a bad day for the kid in our house. He said he got in trouble for being a tattle tale at school, then he got in trouble for running exactly where I told him not to, soon followed by more big trouble for the kid when he did not obey "right away, all the way, and with a happy heart." He spent time sitting on his bed alone and in time out. He even got two spankings.
At the end of the day, I said, "You've had a bad day, haven't you?" His reply: "What do you mean? I didn't have a bad day!"
Either my discipline of him was very forgetful and will have no impact on the immediate future and the choices he will make OR he feels so secure and loved and, knowing that he deserved it all, has determined that he will be a better person for it!
Here's what I think.....I need to
1. spank harder
2. explain better
3. and always help him to remember that he is accepted and has a place where he can be the king of mess-ups and still be loved.
What do you think???
At the end of the day, I said, "You've had a bad day, haven't you?" His reply: "What do you mean? I didn't have a bad day!"
Either my discipline of him was very forgetful and will have no impact on the immediate future and the choices he will make OR he feels so secure and loved and, knowing that he deserved it all, has determined that he will be a better person for it!
Here's what I think.....I need to
1. spank harder
2. explain better
3. and always help him to remember that he is accepted and has a place where he can be the king of mess-ups and still be loved.
What do you think???
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
5 Things I've Never Like about Myself
1. My hair. It has always been thin, frizzy, and naturally curly. Even when I have been able to get it to look decent in my own bathroom in front of my own mirror, once I step outside, it’s gone. I’ve ironed it, grown it long, cut it short, rolled it on pink spongies and huge plastic rollers. I’ve moussed, gelled, and purchased an array of products all in a feeble attempt to control it, shape it, and make it look like the girls on the covers of magazines – all to no avail. Now I’m settling for my own style. Maybe others will want to photograph and copy it one day……
2. That I am so jumpy. Most everyone who knows me has witnessed it over and over again. Even their children know it about me. I can know for sure that someone is standing behind a door about to try to scare me, and I will still jump and probably even scream out loud when it happens. One can only imagine what I’m like when I don’t know that someone is behind the door. (Mean people have found great pleasure in creating new ways to make me jump and scream. Even meaner ones encourage their kids to do the same.)
3. My round belly. Even at my smallest, I maintained a round belly. It is not really my fault. My mom and her mom, too, have really skinny arms, fingers, and legs yet they both have little round bellies. I’m thinking about carrying their photos with me and just holding them up beside me so maybe everyone will just automatically know that my round belly is not my fault. They will just say to themselves, “Oh, that poor girl. She can’t be blamed for her round belly. It’s clearly a generational thing.” And if they are from the south, they will most likely add to that, “Bless her heart.” (and we all know what that means!)
4. Potty issue. I do not like that when I potty (yes, potty can be a verb!) my pee makes a loud echoing kind of noise. I can't hide in the potty, everyone hears where I am. I’ve always wanted to be one of those with the silent sprays…it just seems more feminine. Enough said about that…..
5. My toenails. With exception of my big toe which has a pretty normal one, all of my toes have tiny, curved nails. I could never have a French nail pedicure on my toes! Woe is me!
I am so grateful that God in his wisdom saw fit to have his men write scripture like “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” and “I can do all things through Christ…” and “I know the plans I have for you…” Otherwise I would be a self-consumed, paranoid, suicidal nut!
Thank you, God, that I am no accident and that You love me just like I am. Thank You that I am a work in progress and that, as your child, I really am a promise – a possibility!
2. That I am so jumpy. Most everyone who knows me has witnessed it over and over again. Even their children know it about me. I can know for sure that someone is standing behind a door about to try to scare me, and I will still jump and probably even scream out loud when it happens. One can only imagine what I’m like when I don’t know that someone is behind the door. (Mean people have found great pleasure in creating new ways to make me jump and scream. Even meaner ones encourage their kids to do the same.)
3. My round belly. Even at my smallest, I maintained a round belly. It is not really my fault. My mom and her mom, too, have really skinny arms, fingers, and legs yet they both have little round bellies. I’m thinking about carrying their photos with me and just holding them up beside me so maybe everyone will just automatically know that my round belly is not my fault. They will just say to themselves, “Oh, that poor girl. She can’t be blamed for her round belly. It’s clearly a generational thing.” And if they are from the south, they will most likely add to that, “Bless her heart.” (and we all know what that means!)
4. Potty issue. I do not like that when I potty (yes, potty can be a verb!) my pee makes a loud echoing kind of noise. I can't hide in the potty, everyone hears where I am. I’ve always wanted to be one of those with the silent sprays…it just seems more feminine. Enough said about that…..
5. My toenails. With exception of my big toe which has a pretty normal one, all of my toes have tiny, curved nails. I could never have a French nail pedicure on my toes! Woe is me!
I am so grateful that God in his wisdom saw fit to have his men write scripture like “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” and “I can do all things through Christ…” and “I know the plans I have for you…” Otherwise I would be a self-consumed, paranoid, suicidal nut!
Thank you, God, that I am no accident and that You love me just like I am. Thank You that I am a work in progress and that, as your child, I really am a promise – a possibility!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Alms for The Kid
As we were leaving the mall one day during the Christmas holidays, The Kid and I saw a man sitting on the sidewalk outside the door. He was playing a harmonica and had his cap sitting out in front of him. I quickly explained what the man was doing and almost as quickly, The Kid said, "give me all of your cash." His sweet heart wanted to help the man out.
But his brain took over and as soon as we got home, he ran to his room. After shuffling through his closet, he came out with his own felt man's hat filled with coins from his bank. He said, "Now I have a hat and some cash. All I need is an instrument to play." He remembered the electronic keyboard he owns, grabbed it, and dashed out of the front door. Before too long, he had the keyboard set to play automatically and very loudly. He sat behind it with his hat in front of it. After a few minutes he came inside completely frustrated because no one was stopping to drop money in the hat. His plan was to move closer to the street; my plan was to fill his hat with all the stray coins in the house. That was not going to be enough for him though.
The next day after church, he set up shop once again. I asked him how long he was going to stay out there. His reply: "when I get enough money." "Enough for what?" I ask. "Enough to buy all the Scooby Do stuff there is!"
Needless to say....although he does have a small collection of Scooby Do stuff, it's not even nearly complete. There just wasn't enough music for that!
But his brain took over and as soon as we got home, he ran to his room. After shuffling through his closet, he came out with his own felt man's hat filled with coins from his bank. He said, "Now I have a hat and some cash. All I need is an instrument to play." He remembered the electronic keyboard he owns, grabbed it, and dashed out of the front door. Before too long, he had the keyboard set to play automatically and very loudly. He sat behind it with his hat in front of it. After a few minutes he came inside completely frustrated because no one was stopping to drop money in the hat. His plan was to move closer to the street; my plan was to fill his hat with all the stray coins in the house. That was not going to be enough for him though.
The next day after church, he set up shop once again. I asked him how long he was going to stay out there. His reply: "when I get enough money." "Enough for what?" I ask. "Enough to buy all the Scooby Do stuff there is!"
Needless to say....although he does have a small collection of Scooby Do stuff, it's not even nearly complete. There just wasn't enough music for that!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Fairies, Leprechauns, and Other Flying Things
All kinds of magic takes place in our house at night! Most of the "magic" was created in response to a fear the kid in our house has/had. For example.....
The Toenail Leprechaun collects ziploc bags containing trimmed nails. He always leaves a prize in return. The story goes that leprechauns are unable to grow their own nails, so they depend on the generosity of kids like ours. The TL has turned an otherwise traumatic life experience into something to look forward to. The Kid still doesn't like to have his toenails trimmed, but he is so much more cooperative now than when the TL began to make his visits.
Then there is the Sleepy Fairy. Hers is a tricky job. She can only leave a prize if the kid stays in his own bed all night long. So she has to check back at sunrise; if the kid is still there, she leaves a treasure under his pillow.
Last Sunday, the Tooth Fairy made her first visit to our house. She left dollar bills under the pillow. Of course, she had to check with the Sleepy Fairy to see which pillow to visit.
The Kid already was certain of Santa's ability to fly. Now he has added a whole menagerie of others to the "Flying Friends" list. And because he is getting older and smarter, he has inevitable questions. He now wants to know where the Sand Man fits into the picture. (I told him the Sand Man is married to the Sleepy Fairy!) He also wants to know if one takes precedence over the other...for example, what if he loses a tooth and sleeps in his own bed all night? Will he get two prizes? Will the Sleepy Fairy even leave something if the TL has already come? Is there a possibility that he could get two prizes and some dollars on the same night? Could one of the Flying Friends bring all of the stuff for the others?
Maybe this is just a bit too bizarre for some, but for the kid that lives in our house, it all makes perfect sense. So until the friends all fly away, I guess we'll continue to play the games!
The Toenail Leprechaun collects ziploc bags containing trimmed nails. He always leaves a prize in return. The story goes that leprechauns are unable to grow their own nails, so they depend on the generosity of kids like ours. The TL has turned an otherwise traumatic life experience into something to look forward to. The Kid still doesn't like to have his toenails trimmed, but he is so much more cooperative now than when the TL began to make his visits.
Then there is the Sleepy Fairy. Hers is a tricky job. She can only leave a prize if the kid stays in his own bed all night long. So she has to check back at sunrise; if the kid is still there, she leaves a treasure under his pillow.
Last Sunday, the Tooth Fairy made her first visit to our house. She left dollar bills under the pillow. Of course, she had to check with the Sleepy Fairy to see which pillow to visit.
The Kid already was certain of Santa's ability to fly. Now he has added a whole menagerie of others to the "Flying Friends" list. And because he is getting older and smarter, he has inevitable questions. He now wants to know where the Sand Man fits into the picture. (I told him the Sand Man is married to the Sleepy Fairy!) He also wants to know if one takes precedence over the other...for example, what if he loses a tooth and sleeps in his own bed all night? Will he get two prizes? Will the Sleepy Fairy even leave something if the TL has already come? Is there a possibility that he could get two prizes and some dollars on the same night? Could one of the Flying Friends bring all of the stuff for the others?
Maybe this is just a bit too bizarre for some, but for the kid that lives in our house, it all makes perfect sense. So until the friends all fly away, I guess we'll continue to play the games!
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