This morning at breakfast, something caught my attention and I yelled out, "Ohhh baby!"
Zech was sitting across the room from me, and heard my cry. "Ohhh Mommy!" Then he followed it with, "Did you hear me say that? I said, Ohhh Mommy, to you."
I laughed, and then he informed me, "I is Zechy now. I not a baby anymore. You call me Zechy now."
The situation was pretty funny to me because I yelled it out without any thought of my son. It just happened to be the first thing that came out of my mouth. I guess I better be more careful from now on.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Walking With Jesus
Last night we made it official and I signed a challenge to walk in Jesus' footsteps.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my experiences with you, and maybe it would even challenge you to do the same. I know that God speaks to us all individually, and all in our own time. Something God might be working with me on would be totally different for you. What I mean by challenging you is just the fact that you would be asking yourself the same question. What would Jesus do if He was in your place? Making your life decisions?
I had a week to prepare myself for taking the challenge, and I've already been given a few instances where I had to make the choice to follow God's direction.
It's amazing to me how when we step out, making a promise to God, He is faithful to give us the opportunity to honor that promise. I've had three things in the past week that God has asked of me to do, or pointed out an area that I could be better at following in His footsteps.
My kids were out of school this week on my grocery shopping day. In order to reward their good behavior for this, I like to promise a trip to the movie theater. I give them tally marks if they disobey, and they are as a group only allowed a certain amount of tally marks before the movie privilege is taken away.
Since I started this deal at the beginning of the summer, the kids have never gone over. They have worked together reminding each other to obey, and we've always received the reward, a movie at the theater!
It's a big treat to have a trip to the movie theater. We only go to the $2 movies, and we always bring our own snacks. It's cheaper that way.
As we all had picked out a box of candy while grocery shopping, I told Zech to get his backpack. Everyone packs them inside along with a special drink, and Zech carries our food inside. When I told Gabe he needed to put his candy inside, he didn't want to. He wanted to carry it in.
It got a little tricky here. I heard myself telling him to just put it in the backpack, so we could go inside. I tried to delicately explain to him why it was needed, and I couldn't get around the fact that we were "hiding" our candy so we wouldn't get in trouble.
He questioned this and was very concerned that we were doing the wrong thing. Mikaela, my niece, was with us, and put it very simply to him. It's not wrong. Everyone does it. They shouldn't charge so much for the candy there.
It wasn't until later when I was thinking more about it, and couldn't quite shake the bad feeling I had at forcing my son to "hide" his candy, that I was reminded, "What would Jesus do?"
I sure messed up there. I can't tell my kid there is a right and wrong thing to do, but sometimes there are exceptions to the rules if you don't like what they're doing, or you think it's wrong. I want to be a parent that can say there is a clear right and wrong thing to do in every situation. It's always wrong to break the rules, even if it means you need to buy an expensive box of candy, or just plain have to do without the candy. We will not be sneaking any more food into the theater. I don't believe that Jesus would do it.
On another day off of school this week, my kids were playing Monopoly. They always play by the rule that if you don't get caught on the property, you don't have to pay. Ariel is the queen of doing this. Gabe is normally a step behind in the game and doesn't realize someone is on his property until too late.
This time a fight broke out. Gabe said it wasn't fair and Ariel told him that's just the way the game is played. Tough.
I tried to get my daughter to understand the parallel of what she was doing to a real life situation.
Let's imagine she wanted to have a place to stay for the night, and found this beautiful hotel on Park Place. She sneaked inside hoping the owner wouldn't see her so she wouldn't be required to pay the bill. When I asked her if she thought Jesus would do that? She immediately was repentant and paid the price.
I know it may seem small, and it's only a game. But how do you think Jesus would play that game? Would He cheat someone all in the name of fun and games?
My last challenge was today after church. I was talking with a friend about dental issues in regards to our children. We have Healthwave insurance and are limited to where we can be seen. In fact, there is only one location near us that accepts Healthwave.
Gabriel has a cavity right now that needs to be repaired again. This is the third time in less than a year. I do NOT want to go back to that dentist. I know of other kids who have had similar issues with the same office. It's really sad, but the only dentist we're allowed to be seen by isn't providing quality care. I need to find somewhere else for him to go even if it means driving to Lawrence, a city about 30 minutes away from us.
I don't remember how it came up in the conversation, but I was telling my friend that we aren't even supposed to have Medicaid anymore. My husband got a very good raise at the beginning of this year, and we no longer are eligible. However, Medicaid has been very behind in their enrollment process and they haven't sent us new paperwork for almost 2 years. We should have re-enrolled in February, but we've been waiting it out until they deny us.
It was as I was explaining it that the phrase again popped into my head, "What Would Jesus Do?" Would He really be waiting to be denied, or would He make things right on His own accord? I think the answer is pretty obvious.
It hurts me to think about the extra money we're going to be paying for health insurance, but in all actuality it's a blessing. God has blessed our family so much we no longer can receive government help. That's really a good thing. We're going to make things right, and have our children added on to my husband's job insurance. I believe it's what Jesus would do.
It's been a busy week of God working. I know the future holds even more for me, if I'm willing to look and ask. I challenge you too, to try to follow in Jesus' footsteps. Step out and take a chance... ask yourself, "What Would Jesus Do?"
I thought it would be fun to share some of my experiences with you, and maybe it would even challenge you to do the same. I know that God speaks to us all individually, and all in our own time. Something God might be working with me on would be totally different for you. What I mean by challenging you is just the fact that you would be asking yourself the same question. What would Jesus do if He was in your place? Making your life decisions?
I had a week to prepare myself for taking the challenge, and I've already been given a few instances where I had to make the choice to follow God's direction.
It's amazing to me how when we step out, making a promise to God, He is faithful to give us the opportunity to honor that promise. I've had three things in the past week that God has asked of me to do, or pointed out an area that I could be better at following in His footsteps.
My kids were out of school this week on my grocery shopping day. In order to reward their good behavior for this, I like to promise a trip to the movie theater. I give them tally marks if they disobey, and they are as a group only allowed a certain amount of tally marks before the movie privilege is taken away.
Since I started this deal at the beginning of the summer, the kids have never gone over. They have worked together reminding each other to obey, and we've always received the reward, a movie at the theater!
It's a big treat to have a trip to the movie theater. We only go to the $2 movies, and we always bring our own snacks. It's cheaper that way.
As we all had picked out a box of candy while grocery shopping, I told Zech to get his backpack. Everyone packs them inside along with a special drink, and Zech carries our food inside. When I told Gabe he needed to put his candy inside, he didn't want to. He wanted to carry it in.
It got a little tricky here. I heard myself telling him to just put it in the backpack, so we could go inside. I tried to delicately explain to him why it was needed, and I couldn't get around the fact that we were "hiding" our candy so we wouldn't get in trouble.
He questioned this and was very concerned that we were doing the wrong thing. Mikaela, my niece, was with us, and put it very simply to him. It's not wrong. Everyone does it. They shouldn't charge so much for the candy there.
It wasn't until later when I was thinking more about it, and couldn't quite shake the bad feeling I had at forcing my son to "hide" his candy, that I was reminded, "What would Jesus do?"
I sure messed up there. I can't tell my kid there is a right and wrong thing to do, but sometimes there are exceptions to the rules if you don't like what they're doing, or you think it's wrong. I want to be a parent that can say there is a clear right and wrong thing to do in every situation. It's always wrong to break the rules, even if it means you need to buy an expensive box of candy, or just plain have to do without the candy. We will not be sneaking any more food into the theater. I don't believe that Jesus would do it.
On another day off of school this week, my kids were playing Monopoly. They always play by the rule that if you don't get caught on the property, you don't have to pay. Ariel is the queen of doing this. Gabe is normally a step behind in the game and doesn't realize someone is on his property until too late.
This time a fight broke out. Gabe said it wasn't fair and Ariel told him that's just the way the game is played. Tough.
I tried to get my daughter to understand the parallel of what she was doing to a real life situation.
Let's imagine she wanted to have a place to stay for the night, and found this beautiful hotel on Park Place. She sneaked inside hoping the owner wouldn't see her so she wouldn't be required to pay the bill. When I asked her if she thought Jesus would do that? She immediately was repentant and paid the price.
I know it may seem small, and it's only a game. But how do you think Jesus would play that game? Would He cheat someone all in the name of fun and games?
My last challenge was today after church. I was talking with a friend about dental issues in regards to our children. We have Healthwave insurance and are limited to where we can be seen. In fact, there is only one location near us that accepts Healthwave.
Gabriel has a cavity right now that needs to be repaired again. This is the third time in less than a year. I do NOT want to go back to that dentist. I know of other kids who have had similar issues with the same office. It's really sad, but the only dentist we're allowed to be seen by isn't providing quality care. I need to find somewhere else for him to go even if it means driving to Lawrence, a city about 30 minutes away from us.
I don't remember how it came up in the conversation, but I was telling my friend that we aren't even supposed to have Medicaid anymore. My husband got a very good raise at the beginning of this year, and we no longer are eligible. However, Medicaid has been very behind in their enrollment process and they haven't sent us new paperwork for almost 2 years. We should have re-enrolled in February, but we've been waiting it out until they deny us.
It was as I was explaining it that the phrase again popped into my head, "What Would Jesus Do?" Would He really be waiting to be denied, or would He make things right on His own accord? I think the answer is pretty obvious.
It hurts me to think about the extra money we're going to be paying for health insurance, but in all actuality it's a blessing. God has blessed our family so much we no longer can receive government help. That's really a good thing. We're going to make things right, and have our children added on to my husband's job insurance. I believe it's what Jesus would do.
It's been a busy week of God working. I know the future holds even more for me, if I'm willing to look and ask. I challenge you too, to try to follow in Jesus' footsteps. Step out and take a chance... ask yourself, "What Would Jesus Do?"
Saturday, October 22, 2011
What Would Jesus Do
"What Would Jesus Do?"
For the past few weeks God has been speaking to me on this subject. A few months ago, I read the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. I think it was no coincidence that it was during reading this book that I met my friend Birgit and had a strong pull to find her. I thank God every day that I had the opportunity to meet her. I may not have had a huge impact on her life, but God surely used her to have a great impact on my life.
God has been calling me to follow Him. This isn't something new; it's just as time goes by the desire and feeling gets stronger. Every day I want to draw closer to Him, and every day I want to be making progress in finding the answer to that simple question. What would Jesus do?
What would He do if He lived today, in my house, and walked around in my shoes? What would He do if He was the parent to my children? Or if He was the spouse to my spouse? What would He do if He was the friend to my friends? Or the neighbor who lived next door? What would He do if He drove my car? Where would He go? What would He say to the people He encountered? What would He spend His free time doing in my house? What would He not spend His free time doing?
I cannot stop asking these questions.
A couple weeks ago I started some serious fall cleaning around my house. I neglected some things in the spring, and figured now was the time to get it done. I've been working on washing all my windows, curtains, and blinds which is no small task. I've been cleaning out closets, and going through our storage in the basement. I've been scrubbing my walls and my floors, and cleaning under the couches.
I've found some interesting things in all the cleaning. I've discovered things I had forgotten we owned, and things I wished we didn't. I've been removing things item by item, trash day by trash day. My house is getting cleaned. I'm making room for better, more important, worthy things.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:19-24
Just like my house has been getting a deep cleaning, I've been working on a deep spiritual cleaning. God is renewing my mind and reminding me of what is important. There are so many times I get hung up on the things that don't really matter. I've been trying to look at every situation to see what specifically needs to be done, and I've been trying to follow and ask God what He wants for me to do in that situation.
Just this week, I read a book entitled Rooms by James L. Rubart. I highly recommend it. It was very inspiring and humbling at the same time. One of the things that stood out to me was the struggle the main character went through. He had a history with Christianity, and then turned his back on it. He became too caught up in acquiring wealth and prestige that he eventually forgot about God. He never stopped believing in God; he no longer saw the importance or need for Him. I'm certain this wasn't something that happened overnight; it was done by his daily choices and thoughts.
This book didn't deal in the normal physical side of things; it was full of supernatural instances. Micah, the main character, would continue to spend time in two different worlds. They both were physical places; however one was representing his spiritual choices. As he would make decisions throughout the book, each world would be affected. If he made a choice that had to do with God, it would affect his physical world where he had acquired great wealth and prestige. Things and people would disappear. And then at the same time, if he would make a decision in his physical world, it would change things in his spiritual home.
It was a very profound story, and gave great meaning to the verses in the Bible that talk about giving up your life for God.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" Matthew 16:24-26
It seems that no matter where I go or what I do, I keep hearing the same things. We've got to make a choice. You're either going to choose God, or you will choose the world. You can't choose both.
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16
I want to make the choice every day to pick God. I also want to make the choice in every circumstance to choose God's way.
Tonight I'm going to hang out with a few of my close friends, and we're going to discuss further walking in Jesus' footsteps. We all read the book over the past couple of months, and we're going to decide tonight whether or not we want to take the challenge. We'll hold each other accountable and have opportunity to share how we were able to impact others for Christ.
I've included our challenge here, if you'd like to follow with us, and commit to asking that simple question, "What Would Jesus Do?" It may only be a few words to ask, but your response to the answer will be a big responsibility. Will you join with us as we try to follow in Jesus footsteps?
Jesus, I, _____________________, do solemnly state that I want to follow in Your footsteps. From this day forward I will ask of myself on a continuing basis: "What would Jesus do?" I pledge to open my heart to hear what You have for me in all areas of my life and to do it, no matter what the cost. In 1 Peter 2:21 it states, "This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came His way so you would know it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step." I trust you, Lord, for courage to be obedient even if it costs me suffering. I trust You to assure my heart that what You did for me makes any suffering I endure for Your sake worth it. I choose to be a good and faithful servant. I recognize that I cannot accomplish this without Your mighty power at work in me so I humbly and sincerely ask You to work through me.
For the past few weeks God has been speaking to me on this subject. A few months ago, I read the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. I think it was no coincidence that it was during reading this book that I met my friend Birgit and had a strong pull to find her. I thank God every day that I had the opportunity to meet her. I may not have had a huge impact on her life, but God surely used her to have a great impact on my life.
God has been calling me to follow Him. This isn't something new; it's just as time goes by the desire and feeling gets stronger. Every day I want to draw closer to Him, and every day I want to be making progress in finding the answer to that simple question. What would Jesus do?
What would He do if He lived today, in my house, and walked around in my shoes? What would He do if He was the parent to my children? Or if He was the spouse to my spouse? What would He do if He was the friend to my friends? Or the neighbor who lived next door? What would He do if He drove my car? Where would He go? What would He say to the people He encountered? What would He spend His free time doing in my house? What would He not spend His free time doing?
I cannot stop asking these questions.
A couple weeks ago I started some serious fall cleaning around my house. I neglected some things in the spring, and figured now was the time to get it done. I've been working on washing all my windows, curtains, and blinds which is no small task. I've been cleaning out closets, and going through our storage in the basement. I've been scrubbing my walls and my floors, and cleaning under the couches.
I've found some interesting things in all the cleaning. I've discovered things I had forgotten we owned, and things I wished we didn't. I've been removing things item by item, trash day by trash day. My house is getting cleaned. I'm making room for better, more important, worthy things.
“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:19-24
Just like my house has been getting a deep cleaning, I've been working on a deep spiritual cleaning. God is renewing my mind and reminding me of what is important. There are so many times I get hung up on the things that don't really matter. I've been trying to look at every situation to see what specifically needs to be done, and I've been trying to follow and ask God what He wants for me to do in that situation.
Just this week, I read a book entitled Rooms by James L. Rubart. I highly recommend it. It was very inspiring and humbling at the same time. One of the things that stood out to me was the struggle the main character went through. He had a history with Christianity, and then turned his back on it. He became too caught up in acquiring wealth and prestige that he eventually forgot about God. He never stopped believing in God; he no longer saw the importance or need for Him. I'm certain this wasn't something that happened overnight; it was done by his daily choices and thoughts.
This book didn't deal in the normal physical side of things; it was full of supernatural instances. Micah, the main character, would continue to spend time in two different worlds. They both were physical places; however one was representing his spiritual choices. As he would make decisions throughout the book, each world would be affected. If he made a choice that had to do with God, it would affect his physical world where he had acquired great wealth and prestige. Things and people would disappear. And then at the same time, if he would make a decision in his physical world, it would change things in his spiritual home.
It was a very profound story, and gave great meaning to the verses in the Bible that talk about giving up your life for God.
It seems that no matter where I go or what I do, I keep hearing the same things. We've got to make a choice. You're either going to choose God, or you will choose the world. You can't choose both.
I want to make the choice every day to pick God. I also want to make the choice in every circumstance to choose God's way.
Tonight I'm going to hang out with a few of my close friends, and we're going to discuss further walking in Jesus' footsteps. We all read the book over the past couple of months, and we're going to decide tonight whether or not we want to take the challenge. We'll hold each other accountable and have opportunity to share how we were able to impact others for Christ.
I've included our challenge here, if you'd like to follow with us, and commit to asking that simple question, "What Would Jesus Do?" It may only be a few words to ask, but your response to the answer will be a big responsibility. Will you join with us as we try to follow in Jesus footsteps?
Jesus, I, _____________________, do solemnly state that I want to follow in Your footsteps. From this day forward I will ask of myself on a continuing basis: "What would Jesus do?" I pledge to open my heart to hear what You have for me in all areas of my life and to do it, no matter what the cost. In 1 Peter 2:21 it states, "This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came His way so you would know it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step." I trust you, Lord, for courage to be obedient even if it costs me suffering. I trust You to assure my heart that what You did for me makes any suffering I endure for Your sake worth it. I choose to be a good and faithful servant. I recognize that I cannot accomplish this without Your mighty power at work in me so I humbly and sincerely ask You to work through me.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Kids Say the Darndest Things
This morning on the way to school, it was discovered that both Gabriel and Ariel lost their coats. It's been very chilly in the mornings lately. On the drive I told Ariel I didn't want to buy her another coat. In the past year she has lost 2 coats, one of which was my very special "Casey hoodie" she had borrowed. Gabe said we could save our money, and wanted me to ask my sister to ask the family she is living with this question, "Could we come to their backyard, kill a deer, tan the hide and make coats for our family?"
I'm sure this sounds a little out of the blue, but it's really not. On Sunday we watched "My Side of the Mountain" where a 13 year old boy wanted to move into the mountain area by himself and live off of the land. He ate plants, experimented on algae, trained a falcon to kill small animals he could eat, and he tanned a deer hide which he made a nice jacket out of, and a door to a tree that he lived inside of. This kid was a genius and lived in the most primitive way.
I thought it was funny that Gabe remembered this, and that by just watching a few minutes of a tutorial on a movie he figured we would be experienced enough to do it ourselves. He seemed really surprised when I questioned our ability to do this.
I'm sure this sounds a little out of the blue, but it's really not. On Sunday we watched "My Side of the Mountain" where a 13 year old boy wanted to move into the mountain area by himself and live off of the land. He ate plants, experimented on algae, trained a falcon to kill small animals he could eat, and he tanned a deer hide which he made a nice jacket out of, and a door to a tree that he lived inside of. This kid was a genius and lived in the most primitive way.
I thought it was funny that Gabe remembered this, and that by just watching a few minutes of a tutorial on a movie he figured we would be experienced enough to do it ourselves. He seemed really surprised when I questioned our ability to do this.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Waikiki Meatballs
The thing I look for in a good dinner is the time; how fast will it cook, and how easy will it be for me to prepare it. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen making dinner. It's just not me. I'd rather be doing a million other things instead.
I've discovered it's not cooking in general that I dislike, it's all about the time requirement, and what it's taking away from. If it's just me and Zech here at the house, I love to bake cookies with him, or banana bread, or other fun things. It's a great way of bonding.
With all that being said, I love making this dinner because it's so easy, it's fast, and it's very inexpensive. I can have the entire meal prepared, cooked, and on the table within 30 minutes.
If you enjoying cooking, you'll probably want to make your own meatballs for this dish. I won't even share the recipe I have for meatballs because I never use it. I am all about saving time, and not getting my hands dirty. I'm kind of weird like that, but if a meal requires me to touch the slimy, sticky food, I probably won't make it. I do make exceptions for my husband and kids when I want to make them something special, but for the most part, I like to keep my hands clean.
I purchase a bag of home-style meatballs in the freezer section at Wal-Mart for $5. That bag will make two meals for my family, and the meatballs are delicious. The kids love to have meatball sandwiches too, similar to Subway. All you do is heat your meatballs with some pasta sauce, and grab some hot dog buns to eat them in. Throw a little mozzarella cheese on top, and you have a very simple meal that's a big winner with kids.
Waikiki Meatballs
2 tbs. cornstarch
1 can pineapple drained(reserve syrup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Add meatballs, pineapple, and green pepper. Heat thoroughly. Serve hot over white rice.
This is a recipe my mom made often when I was a kid. I still love it to this day. The last time we ate it for dinner, Zechariah said the prayer. It went something like this, "Dear Jesus, thank you for Mario's meatballs and soup, for Yeddar's meatballs and soup, for my meatballs and soup, for Mommy's meatballs and soup, and for Daddy's rice. Amen." Titus normally dishes everyone's food up for them, and had decided before finishing serving himself we should say the prayer. As soon as "amen" was said, he added his meatballs and soup, to which Zech had to say an entirely new prayer...
I've discovered it's not cooking in general that I dislike, it's all about the time requirement, and what it's taking away from. If it's just me and Zech here at the house, I love to bake cookies with him, or banana bread, or other fun things. It's a great way of bonding.
With all that being said, I love making this dinner because it's so easy, it's fast, and it's very inexpensive. I can have the entire meal prepared, cooked, and on the table within 30 minutes.
If you enjoying cooking, you'll probably want to make your own meatballs for this dish. I won't even share the recipe I have for meatballs because I never use it. I am all about saving time, and not getting my hands dirty. I'm kind of weird like that, but if a meal requires me to touch the slimy, sticky food, I probably won't make it. I do make exceptions for my husband and kids when I want to make them something special, but for the most part, I like to keep my hands clean.
I purchase a bag of home-style meatballs in the freezer section at Wal-Mart for $5. That bag will make two meals for my family, and the meatballs are delicious. The kids love to have meatball sandwiches too, similar to Subway. All you do is heat your meatballs with some pasta sauce, and grab some hot dog buns to eat them in. Throw a little mozzarella cheese on top, and you have a very simple meal that's a big winner with kids.
2 tbs. cornstarch
1 can pineapple drained(reserve syrup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Add meatballs, pineapple, and green pepper. Heat thoroughly. Serve hot over white rice.
This is a recipe my mom made often when I was a kid. I still love it to this day. The last time we ate it for dinner, Zechariah said the prayer. It went something like this, "Dear Jesus, thank you for Mario's meatballs and soup, for Yeddar's meatballs and soup, for my meatballs and soup, for Mommy's meatballs and soup, and for Daddy's rice. Amen." Titus normally dishes everyone's food up for them, and had decided before finishing serving himself we should say the prayer. As soon as "amen" was said, he added his meatballs and soup, to which Zech had to say an entirely new prayer...
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Cardboard Costumes
As I've said before, I love to wear costumes, make costumes, or dream up costumes. There is something fun about turning yourself into something you're not. God has blessed me with a great imagination, and I LOVE to put it to use.
For the past few days, I spent hours working on turning my family into a work of cardboard art. Ever since I made cardboard box cars for Zechariah's birthday, I've been raiding my cardboard stash and making things. It's so much fun! And it's cheap! We made a costume for each member of the family, and I didn't pay a single penny. The boxes were old and used, some a little broken and bent, but they still worked perfectly for what I had planned. The only thing that cost money was the paint I used, and it was all old colors I happened to have lying around the house.
There's nothing more fun, than when it's free fun. That means no guilt, or strings attached, and if it doesn't work out the way you wanted, who cares? You didn't invest anything but a little time.
The boys in my family are very into Nintendo DS. Each of my kids is allowed 30 minutes of computer time a day, and mostly that time gets spent playing on the DS. Their favorite games are Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, etc...
The hard part about their costumes was the fact they couldn't pretend to play themselves. It was too difficult to reach, and Zech got very frustrated trying.
For Ariel I chose a cardboard book. She spends hours and hours in her room each day reading books. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it has words on the page, she'll read it. Through the years she's read many different book series, and right now her favorite is probably The Babysitter's Club.
My costume was very appropriate, but not very well thought through. I was trying to make it easier on myself during the designing time, and I neglected to put arm holes in the box. I figured it wouldn't matter and I could just do things with my hands down low. I couldn't even pretend to use my camera and push the button! I hardly wore the costume at all, maybe 5 minutes tops. It was too hard to do anything with your arms pinned down to the side. If you're going to design a costume out of a box, make arm holes! They are an absolute must! I did really like how everything else turned out on my camera. I especially loved my over sized camera strap. The costume was perfect for me, except for the fact I couldn't use my real camera because my arms wouldn't budge!
I think my favorite costume was my husbands, a Rubik's cube. When we were painting it, I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but the finished product was so fun. I thought he looked so great in it, and I loved it on him!
It's amazing how you can turn a little bit of cardboard into a masterpiece of fun. The ideas are endless!
For the past few days, I spent hours working on turning my family into a work of cardboard art. Ever since I made cardboard box cars for Zechariah's birthday, I've been raiding my cardboard stash and making things. It's so much fun! And it's cheap! We made a costume for each member of the family, and I didn't pay a single penny. The boxes were old and used, some a little broken and bent, but they still worked perfectly for what I had planned. The only thing that cost money was the paint I used, and it was all old colors I happened to have lying around the house.
There's nothing more fun, than when it's free fun. That means no guilt, or strings attached, and if it doesn't work out the way you wanted, who cares? You didn't invest anything but a little time.
The boys in my family are very into Nintendo DS. Each of my kids is allowed 30 minutes of computer time a day, and mostly that time gets spent playing on the DS. Their favorite games are Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, etc...
The hard part about their costumes was the fact they couldn't pretend to play themselves. It was too difficult to reach, and Zech got very frustrated trying.
For Ariel I chose a cardboard book. She spends hours and hours in her room each day reading books. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it has words on the page, she'll read it. Through the years she's read many different book series, and right now her favorite is probably The Babysitter's Club.
My costume was very appropriate, but not very well thought through. I was trying to make it easier on myself during the designing time, and I neglected to put arm holes in the box. I figured it wouldn't matter and I could just do things with my hands down low. I couldn't even pretend to use my camera and push the button! I hardly wore the costume at all, maybe 5 minutes tops. It was too hard to do anything with your arms pinned down to the side. If you're going to design a costume out of a box, make arm holes! They are an absolute must! I did really like how everything else turned out on my camera. I especially loved my over sized camera strap. The costume was perfect for me, except for the fact I couldn't use my real camera because my arms wouldn't budge!
I think my favorite costume was my husbands, a Rubik's cube. When we were painting it, I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but the finished product was so fun. I thought he looked so great in it, and I loved it on him!
It's amazing how you can turn a little bit of cardboard into a masterpiece of fun. The ideas are endless!
Kids Say the Darndest Things
I love my kids! I cannot say that enough. They fill my heart with joy, and always put a smile on my face.
Yesterday we had a fall party which we wore costumes to. I'm always up for a family photo, so we first stopped at a pretty park to takes some snapshots. Before exiting the car, I turned around to the backseat and very firmly said, "We are NOT here to play on the toys. We're just taking pictures. Don't even THINK about running to the toys."
Gabe has been in an absolute honesty phase lately, and said very seriously to me, "Is it okay if we just think about, but don't actually do it? I don't think I can not think about it because I'm already thinking about it right now."
I held back my snicker, and loved my son all the more for telling me the truth. Isn't it funny how we say things when we often don't really mean it. I didn't care if my kids thought about playing, I only wanted them to know I meant business. What a great kid!
Yesterday we had a fall party which we wore costumes to. I'm always up for a family photo, so we first stopped at a pretty park to takes some snapshots. Before exiting the car, I turned around to the backseat and very firmly said, "We are NOT here to play on the toys. We're just taking pictures. Don't even THINK about running to the toys."
Gabe has been in an absolute honesty phase lately, and said very seriously to me, "Is it okay if we just think about, but don't actually do it? I don't think I can not think about it because I'm already thinking about it right now."
I held back my snicker, and loved my son all the more for telling me the truth. Isn't it funny how we say things when we often don't really mean it. I didn't care if my kids thought about playing, I only wanted them to know I meant business. What a great kid!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Linkwithin
