There is lots of training happening in around here. Well, lots of instruction, lots of coaching, and lots of guidance - it’s the results that are debatable.
Boy #4 is potty training. (Need I say more?)
Boy #3 started swimming lessons for the first time - learning how to put his face in the water, splash the teacher and take forever getting his clothes back on while in the boys locker room so Mom can’t come in and hurry things up.
Boy #2 is in soccer - training to be the next David Beckham, except that for some reason he can’t keep his shoes tied.
After begging long and hard enough, Boy #1 is finally taking guitar lessons, hoping to emulate tobymac. He’s learning a few chords, but most importantly (and most difficult for him) he has to learn to play right-handed, training to be ambidextrous.
Hubby has been training for some time - plumbing, electrical, framing, farming and how to be a stay-at-home dad for a few days a week. Most of his training is going quite well - by the time the addition is done he will be a true jack-of-all-trades, but I doubt he’ll have figured out the laundry.
My never-ending painting job appears to be nearing completion and after some great on-the-job training I now officially have a favorite brand of paint. I’m looking into more training - courses in faux finishing to boost the old resume and pocketbook.
I am also considering gun safety - we have a serious rabbit problem in my flower bed and I’d like nothing more than to rid myself of pests and give the kittens something to eat since there are very few leftovers left over around here.
But perhaps the biggest source of training for hubby and me is what’s thrown at us every day - how to be parents. How to maintain calm in spite of spilled water, sour milk in breakfast cereal, cats refusing to exit the garage, disappearing socks, fighting children and millions of mosquitoes.
The proverb of the wise one tells us that we should train up a child in the way he should go. The trouble is I wonder sometimes who’s training whom.
For instance, we figure out boy #1 and the next ones come with completely different manuals. By the time we’re done with this parenthood thing, we’ll have four books on discipline, praise, food likes and sock preferences (crew, sock less, anklets and knee-high). We do crazy things like buying a non-working go cart at a garage sale because it would be a good project to work on with the boys, not quite realizing that 1) it will be us that does all the work and 2) the boys will get bored with it after two hours and $200 worth of parts.
The boys are acing their lessons on how to be and act like boys. This includes getting dirty, learning to fight, playing with toads and conning Dad into buying things like go carts that don’t run. We on the other hand, are not doing quite as well. We lose our tempers at wet beds, fly off the handle over broken toys and play right into the “Go ask your Mom/Dad” game that never ends in our favor.
While we might appear to know what we’re doing, now you know the truth - we are faking it just like everyone else. Or making it up as we go along. (Which inevitably leads to forgetting what rules you made for what behavior. Is it soap for sassiness and time outs for teasing? Is it cleaning the toilet for fighting or was that just a chore?)
Thankfully, I don’t think anyone is expecting perfection - daily we fail and daily we do some good things. We’re just hoping that in the end we’re the ones training rather than the ones being trained.
Some days I wonder though...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
more potty training adventures
Number Four came down the stairs to tell me, "It's gwoss!"
I asked him what was gross and he confessed, "Poop in my pants."
Yay - my favorite part of motherhood. "Okay, go get a diaper and wet wipes." He actually came back with both items and then lied down for a diaper change.
I told him he was a pretty stinky boy. "No I not!" he spouted.
"You have stinky poop in your butt," I corrected myself.
"I not have poop," he fibbed.
"Then what's in your pants?"
"It water!"
"Why is it so stinky then?"
"It pee water."
Apparently living in denial starts quite early for some people.
I asked him what was gross and he confessed, "Poop in my pants."
Yay - my favorite part of motherhood. "Okay, go get a diaper and wet wipes." He actually came back with both items and then lied down for a diaper change.
I told him he was a pretty stinky boy. "No I not!" he spouted.
"You have stinky poop in your butt," I corrected myself.
"I not have poop," he fibbed.
"Then what's in your pants?"
"It water!"
"Why is it so stinky then?"
"It pee water."
Apparently living in denial starts quite early for some people.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
in the wash today...
a half-licked dum dum sucker - judging from the sticky scent it left on a t-shirt, I'd say it was watermelon flavored.
Monday, July 21, 2008
casualty
Boy Number One's kitten got run over the other day. Apparently it was taking a nap underneath the skid loader, but why it didn't wake up and move is still a mystery.
If you want a detailed description of the event, feel free to ask the boys. They'll give you more information than you probably care to hear.
Hubby was working in the garage later and was muttering to himself when Number Two heard him and asked what was wrong.
"What's the matter, Dad?" he asked.
"I'm mad that the kitten died," hubby explained.
He thought about that for a second and then said, "Dad, I wouldn't be mad about it...I'd be sad."
I won't tell you what my reaction was - you won't think highly of me.
If you want a detailed description of the event, feel free to ask the boys. They'll give you more information than you probably care to hear.
Hubby was working in the garage later and was muttering to himself when Number Two heard him and asked what was wrong.
"What's the matter, Dad?" he asked.
"I'm mad that the kitten died," hubby explained.
He thought about that for a second and then said, "Dad, I wouldn't be mad about it...I'd be sad."
I won't tell you what my reaction was - you won't think highly of me.
Friday, July 18, 2008
most embarrassing moment #38
Set the scene:
It is 8:10 a.m. on the last day of summer school. Mom is rushing around frantically trying to get all four boys out the door to make it to the middle school by 8:30 a.m. She hasn't had a chance to brush her teeth or even eat breakfast.
One boy walks out with his shoes untied and promptly gets a scolding. One boy forgets his guitar and Mom rolls her eyes.
Five minutes later they are on the road - whew. They actually make it to the school on time and Mom decides she will make a quick trip to the Wal-Mart across the street to pick up of all things: blue metallic spray paint for the go cart Dad bought "for the boys."
She unloads the younger two out of the van, wrinkling her nose at the smell coming from the youngest one - something a bit off - like a dirty dish rag. She scans him up and down, realizing that she wasn't quite thinking when she dressed him in faded navy shorts and a black and red t-shirt with a very stretched-out collar and a tag that insists on sticking out. He has smudges on his nose and won't let her wipe them off.
His older brother jumps out of the van and she nearly calls the whole trip off. It is nearing 80 degrees already and he has jogging pants on with dirt-caked sandals, bed head and a t-shirt older brother made on a camping trip four years ago. She questions his choice of clothing, but he shrugs it off - being warm doesn't bother a five-year-old.
As they near the automatic doors at the store's entrance, she catches her reflection in the glass - she has made an appearance in public with her t-shirt on inside-out.
What to do? Turn around? Naw, we've already come this far. Walk around like an idiot? Too late for that. A flash of inspiration hits her - she walks into the women's bathroom (unoccupied this early in the morning), strips off her shirt, turns it right side out, back on it goes and the shopping trip proceeds as if nothing out-of-the-ordinary has happened.
Only you know the truth.
It is 8:10 a.m. on the last day of summer school. Mom is rushing around frantically trying to get all four boys out the door to make it to the middle school by 8:30 a.m. She hasn't had a chance to brush her teeth or even eat breakfast.
One boy walks out with his shoes untied and promptly gets a scolding. One boy forgets his guitar and Mom rolls her eyes.
Five minutes later they are on the road - whew. They actually make it to the school on time and Mom decides she will make a quick trip to the Wal-Mart across the street to pick up of all things: blue metallic spray paint for the go cart Dad bought "for the boys."
She unloads the younger two out of the van, wrinkling her nose at the smell coming from the youngest one - something a bit off - like a dirty dish rag. She scans him up and down, realizing that she wasn't quite thinking when she dressed him in faded navy shorts and a black and red t-shirt with a very stretched-out collar and a tag that insists on sticking out. He has smudges on his nose and won't let her wipe them off.
His older brother jumps out of the van and she nearly calls the whole trip off. It is nearing 80 degrees already and he has jogging pants on with dirt-caked sandals, bed head and a t-shirt older brother made on a camping trip four years ago. She questions his choice of clothing, but he shrugs it off - being warm doesn't bother a five-year-old.
As they near the automatic doors at the store's entrance, she catches her reflection in the glass - she has made an appearance in public with her t-shirt on inside-out.
What to do? Turn around? Naw, we've already come this far. Walk around like an idiot? Too late for that. A flash of inspiration hits her - she walks into the women's bathroom (unoccupied this early in the morning), strips off her shirt, turns it right side out, back on it goes and the shopping trip proceeds as if nothing out-of-the-ordinary has happened.
Only you know the truth.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
it's boying
Life is tough when you're five. You're too young to play a guitar. Your parents are too tight to buy you a dirt bike. You're too big to wrestle with a two-year-old. And for sure, you're too cool to work.
Because, after all chores are boy-ing. All you want to do is play your new Pac-man video game but Mom won't let you because you haven't put your clothes away. You haven't done that because it's "boying."
Everything is "boying." Or at least everything that you don't want to do.
It's a good thing your mother has a sense of humor and will laugh about how you say boring instead of getting crabby with you because you won't listen and you're sassy and you just called her a nut head.
She probably will, however, draw the line at calling her "boying." That will offend her more than just about anything else. She would rather be a nut job, or rather a nut head, any day than be boring.
You, however, had better watch yourself. Even though you're only five - you ought to know better than to not do your chores. Your mother worked long and hard to turn those clothes right side out, wash those clothes and fold those clothes and she would appreciate it very much if you would just shut your boying little mouth and do as you're told. If you don't - you might find yourself being very boyed sitting on a very boying stool with your little boying nose pointed in a very boying corner for a very boying long time. Then maybe you can say, "It's boying."
Because, after all chores are boy-ing. All you want to do is play your new Pac-man video game but Mom won't let you because you haven't put your clothes away. You haven't done that because it's "boying."
Everything is "boying." Or at least everything that you don't want to do.
It's a good thing your mother has a sense of humor and will laugh about how you say boring instead of getting crabby with you because you won't listen and you're sassy and you just called her a nut head.
She probably will, however, draw the line at calling her "boying." That will offend her more than just about anything else. She would rather be a nut job, or rather a nut head, any day than be boring.
You, however, had better watch yourself. Even though you're only five - you ought to know better than to not do your chores. Your mother worked long and hard to turn those clothes right side out, wash those clothes and fold those clothes and she would appreciate it very much if you would just shut your boying little mouth and do as you're told. If you don't - you might find yourself being very boyed sitting on a very boying stool with your little boying nose pointed in a very boying corner for a very boying long time. Then maybe you can say, "It's boying."
Sunday, July 13, 2008
a little hope...
One of my favorite Biblical topics is spiritual gifts. I have read just about anything I can get my hands on, done the questionnaires and love to tell others about it. It has been so helpful for me personally to learn what my gifts are and how I can do what I love doing to serve the Lord - I often can't help but feel like knowing more about this would help so many more people.
Many times, people are very leery about the subject because it has been either misunderstood or misrepresented. There are two extremes - those who feel that there are certain gifts that are no longer being used by the Holy Spirit (like speaking in tongues and prophesy) and others who put too much emphasis on those gifts (to the point that they make it seem as if certain gifts are more important than others.)
Neither way seems appropriate or biblical to me. First, because I can't imagine the Bible would list gifts and not have them be applicable today. I believe God's Word is inerrant and I can't reconcile that with throwing parts of it out. That being said, I also can't quite grasp how more importance is placed on certain gifts. It would seem to me that every individual, once becoming a Christian, will receive a different combination of gifts and that those combinations are what makes believers able to minister to each other. Not everyone is going to receive every gift, but each gift is still needed and important.
So, knowing all of this, and yet still knowing how few people truly know their gifts, I nearly fell out of my chair when Pastor Elmer Liimatta said he would be speaking on that very topic on Saturday afternoon at the ALC conventions. I really wanted to stand up and say, "Praise the Lord!" but my conservative Lutheran upbringing made me too self-conscious to do so.
He did a wonderful job presenting the topic, explaining its importance and encouraging people to find out what their spiritual gifts are, either through a questionnaire or by figuring out how they enjoy serving. (The questionnaire was an easier place to start for me because it gave me somewhere to focus on, rather than trial and error.) I loved how he brought out Paul's statement that he doesn't want us to be ignorant about spiritual gifts and how he mentioned that the main chunk of Scripture about gifts (1 Cor. 12 and 14) sandwich 1 Cor. 13 - the love chapter. He pointed out that without love, our spiritual gifts and our service using them will be nothing more than noise.
I'm not sure what the fallout (if any) will be in bringing up a subject as potentially controversial as this, but I'm praying God will use it to His glory. I've already heard of women's Bible study group wanting to use it, people who really enjoyed the sermon about it and others who are simply curious and want to do a questionnaire.
All of this makes me so excited and gives me hope for the future of our church. If you're interested in this subject - here are a few good books:
Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow by C. Peter Wagner - Now considered a classic that helps you learn more about the gifts and how they can be used in the church. It identifies and discusses 28 spiritual gifts, tells you how to find your gifts and outlines how you can use your gifts effectively This is one of my favorites and this is also the author Pr. Liimatta referenced.
Finding Your Spiritual Gifts Questionnaire by C. Peter Wagner - Covers 27 gifts outlined in Scripture with 137 questions to answer, along with Scripture verses and suggested gift definitions.
Discover Your Spiritual Gifts by C. Peter Wagner - a short book that outlines 28 different gifts Wagner identifies from the Bible. It also includes the questionnaire and is a better bargain than simply buying the questionnaire alone.
Discover Your God-given GIfts by Don & Katie Fortune - This book has a very long question section. It's very comprehensive, but the downside is that they don't list as many possible gifts as others do.
What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts? by Henry Blackaby - A good short book that seeks to explore what gifts are and how the focus should not be on the gift per say but the Holy Spirit working through us. Blackaby is a well-known author of the classic "Experiencing God" but I was still disappointed that he didn't include the gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12.
What You Do Best in the Body of Christ by Bruce Bugbee - This book goes beyond the gifts into personal style and ministry passion, helping a person find what they're equipped to do, how they can serve with energy and where they're motivated to serve.
Happy reading.
Many times, people are very leery about the subject because it has been either misunderstood or misrepresented. There are two extremes - those who feel that there are certain gifts that are no longer being used by the Holy Spirit (like speaking in tongues and prophesy) and others who put too much emphasis on those gifts (to the point that they make it seem as if certain gifts are more important than others.)
Neither way seems appropriate or biblical to me. First, because I can't imagine the Bible would list gifts and not have them be applicable today. I believe God's Word is inerrant and I can't reconcile that with throwing parts of it out. That being said, I also can't quite grasp how more importance is placed on certain gifts. It would seem to me that every individual, once becoming a Christian, will receive a different combination of gifts and that those combinations are what makes believers able to minister to each other. Not everyone is going to receive every gift, but each gift is still needed and important.
So, knowing all of this, and yet still knowing how few people truly know their gifts, I nearly fell out of my chair when Pastor Elmer Liimatta said he would be speaking on that very topic on Saturday afternoon at the ALC conventions. I really wanted to stand up and say, "Praise the Lord!" but my conservative Lutheran upbringing made me too self-conscious to do so.
He did a wonderful job presenting the topic, explaining its importance and encouraging people to find out what their spiritual gifts are, either through a questionnaire or by figuring out how they enjoy serving. (The questionnaire was an easier place to start for me because it gave me somewhere to focus on, rather than trial and error.) I loved how he brought out Paul's statement that he doesn't want us to be ignorant about spiritual gifts and how he mentioned that the main chunk of Scripture about gifts (1 Cor. 12 and 14) sandwich 1 Cor. 13 - the love chapter. He pointed out that without love, our spiritual gifts and our service using them will be nothing more than noise.
I'm not sure what the fallout (if any) will be in bringing up a subject as potentially controversial as this, but I'm praying God will use it to His glory. I've already heard of women's Bible study group wanting to use it, people who really enjoyed the sermon about it and others who are simply curious and want to do a questionnaire.
All of this makes me so excited and gives me hope for the future of our church. If you're interested in this subject - here are a few good books:
Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow by C. Peter Wagner - Now considered a classic that helps you learn more about the gifts and how they can be used in the church. It identifies and discusses 28 spiritual gifts, tells you how to find your gifts and outlines how you can use your gifts effectively This is one of my favorites and this is also the author Pr. Liimatta referenced.
Finding Your Spiritual Gifts Questionnaire by C. Peter Wagner - Covers 27 gifts outlined in Scripture with 137 questions to answer, along with Scripture verses and suggested gift definitions.
Discover Your Spiritual Gifts by C. Peter Wagner - a short book that outlines 28 different gifts Wagner identifies from the Bible. It also includes the questionnaire and is a better bargain than simply buying the questionnaire alone.
Discover Your God-given GIfts by Don & Katie Fortune - This book has a very long question section. It's very comprehensive, but the downside is that they don't list as many possible gifts as others do.
What's So Spiritual About Your Gifts? by Henry Blackaby - A good short book that seeks to explore what gifts are and how the focus should not be on the gift per say but the Holy Spirit working through us. Blackaby is a well-known author of the classic "Experiencing God" but I was still disappointed that he didn't include the gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12.
What You Do Best in the Body of Christ by Bruce Bugbee - This book goes beyond the gifts into personal style and ministry passion, helping a person find what they're equipped to do, how they can serve with energy and where they're motivated to serve.
Happy reading.
Friday, July 11, 2008
sunday bathing
Just imagine what would happen if people tried avoiding bathing with the same excuses they use for avoiding church.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
straight talk
At camp, Hubby was trying to put Number Four to bed for nap time and it wasn't going well. Too much excitement, too much noise and probably too much sugar made for a bad combination. He was in and out of bed, up and down in bed and just wouldn't lay still.
"If you don't lay down, Dad's going to go to sleep without you," he warned after the sixth time out of bed.
Number Four at that point was halfway out the door, ready to follow his brothers to activity time. He turned around just long enough to reply, "Go ahead."
I left before my laughing got in the way of discipline.
"If you don't lay down, Dad's going to go to sleep without you," he warned after the sixth time out of bed.
Number Four at that point was halfway out the door, ready to follow his brothers to activity time. He turned around just long enough to reply, "Go ahead."
I left before my laughing got in the way of discipline.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
who's training whom?
There is lots of training happening in around here. Well, lots of instruction, lots of coaching, and lots of guidance - it’s the results that are debatable.
Boy #4 is potty training. (Need I say more?)
Boy #3 started swimming lessons for the first time - learning how to put his face in the water, splash the teacher and take forever getting his clothes back on while in the boys locker room so Mom can’t come in and hurry things up.
Boy #2 is in soccer - training to be the next David Beckham, except that for some reason he can’t keep his shoes tied.
After begging long and hard enough, Boy #1 is finally taking guitar lessons, hoping to emulate tobymac. He’s learning a few chords, but most importantly (and most difficult for him) he has to learn to play right-handed, training to be ambidextrous.
Hubby has been training for some time - plumbing, electrical, framing, farming and how to be a stay-at-home dad for a few days a week. Most of his training is going quite well - by the time the addition is done he will be a true jack-of-all-trades, but I doubt he’ll have figured out the laundry.
My never-ending painting job appears to be nearing completion and after some great on-the-job training I now officially have a favorite brand of paint. I’m looking into more training - courses in faux finishing to boost the old resume and pocketbook.
I am also considering gun safety - we have a serious rabbit problem in my flower bed and I’d like nothing more than to rid myself of pests and give the kittens something to eat since there are very few leftovers left over around here.
But perhaps the biggest source of training for hubby and me is what’s thrown at us every day - how to be parents. How to maintain calm in spite of spilled water, sour milk in breakfast cereal, cats refusing to exit the garage, disappearing socks, fighting children and millions of mosquitoes.
The proverb of the wise one tells us that we should train up a child in the way he should go. The trouble is I wonder sometimes who’s training whom.
For instance, we figure out boy #1 and the next ones come with completely different manuals. By the time we’re done with this parenthood thing, we’ll have four books on discipline, praise, food likes and sock preferences (crew, sock less, anklets and knee-high). We do crazy things like buying a non-working go cart at a garage sale because it would be a good project to work on with the boys, not quite realizing that 1) it will be us that does all the work and 2) the boys will get bored with it after two hours and $200 worth of parts.
The boys are acing their lessons on how to be and act like boys. This includes getting dirty, learning to fight, playing with toads and conning Dad into buying things like go carts that don’t run. We on the other hand, are not doing quite as well. We lose our tempers at wet beds, fly off the handle over broken toys and play right into the “Go ask your Mom/Dad” game that never ends in our favor.
While we might appear to know what we’re doing, now you know the truth - we are faking it just like everyone else. Or making it up as we go along. (Which inevitably leads to forgetting what rules you made for what behavior. Is it soap for sassiness and time outs for teasing? Is it cleaning the toilet for fighting or was that just a chore?)
Thankfully, I don’t think anyone is expecting perfection - daily we fail and daily we do some good things. We’re just hoping that in the end we’re the ones training rather than the ones being trained.
Some days I wonder though...
Boy #4 is potty training. (Need I say more?)
Boy #3 started swimming lessons for the first time - learning how to put his face in the water, splash the teacher and take forever getting his clothes back on while in the boys locker room so Mom can’t come in and hurry things up.
Boy #2 is in soccer - training to be the next David Beckham, except that for some reason he can’t keep his shoes tied.
After begging long and hard enough, Boy #1 is finally taking guitar lessons, hoping to emulate tobymac. He’s learning a few chords, but most importantly (and most difficult for him) he has to learn to play right-handed, training to be ambidextrous.
Hubby has been training for some time - plumbing, electrical, framing, farming and how to be a stay-at-home dad for a few days a week. Most of his training is going quite well - by the time the addition is done he will be a true jack-of-all-trades, but I doubt he’ll have figured out the laundry.
My never-ending painting job appears to be nearing completion and after some great on-the-job training I now officially have a favorite brand of paint. I’m looking into more training - courses in faux finishing to boost the old resume and pocketbook.
I am also considering gun safety - we have a serious rabbit problem in my flower bed and I’d like nothing more than to rid myself of pests and give the kittens something to eat since there are very few leftovers left over around here.
But perhaps the biggest source of training for hubby and me is what’s thrown at us every day - how to be parents. How to maintain calm in spite of spilled water, sour milk in breakfast cereal, cats refusing to exit the garage, disappearing socks, fighting children and millions of mosquitoes.
The proverb of the wise one tells us that we should train up a child in the way he should go. The trouble is I wonder sometimes who’s training whom.
For instance, we figure out boy #1 and the next ones come with completely different manuals. By the time we’re done with this parenthood thing, we’ll have four books on discipline, praise, food likes and sock preferences (crew, sock less, anklets and knee-high). We do crazy things like buying a non-working go cart at a garage sale because it would be a good project to work on with the boys, not quite realizing that 1) it will be us that does all the work and 2) the boys will get bored with it after two hours and $200 worth of parts.
The boys are acing their lessons on how to be and act like boys. This includes getting dirty, learning to fight, playing with toads and conning Dad into buying things like go carts that don’t run. We on the other hand, are not doing quite as well. We lose our tempers at wet beds, fly off the handle over broken toys and play right into the “Go ask your Mom/Dad” game that never ends in our favor.
While we might appear to know what we’re doing, now you know the truth - we are faking it just like everyone else. Or making it up as we go along. (Which inevitably leads to forgetting what rules you made for what behavior. Is it soap for sassiness and time outs for teasing? Is it cleaning the toilet for fighting or was that just a chore?)
Thankfully, I don’t think anyone is expecting perfection - daily we fail and daily we do some good things. We’re just hoping that in the end we’re the ones training rather than the ones being trained.
Some days I wonder though...
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