"I Guess You'll Have to Leave"

The youngest was loudly complaining about her oldest sister..."She's not my sister! I only want Rachael as my sister!...etc." Over and over again, loudly and with tears. Why all the drama, you may be wondering. Now brace yourself, friend. The issue is that the 11-year-old makes the 4-year-old bounce too high and too much on the trampoline due to the difference in their sizes. Mmmhmmm...too much fun and adventure, I guess.

Weary of the inconsolable noise, I finally told her "Well, she moved in first...you were last...so I guess you'll have to leave." Peace was soon achieved.

I know...I should be writing parenting books, shouldn't I? :)

Favorite Invention Friday!!!

Last year when we got our camper, with a small inoperative refrigerator, my folks loaned us this baby. And it has been a lifesaver on many a camping trip!! It's a cooler that I can plug in at home to get it cold, fill with groceries, plug it in while it is in the car to keep it cold and then plug it in once we are set up at the campground. I love it!! We don't need anyone managing the ice so that no yummies perish! We did get that fridge in the camper fixed...but have found that we still need the cooler to help haul enough food and drink for a weekend.

And since we are "storing" it for my parents (Hey! They told us that if they need it, they know where to find it. After all, they buy much bigger refrigerators for camping...wrapped in a much bigger RVs.), we have found it useful for non-camping road trips. For my husband's recent weekend trip, I loaded it with stuff for sandwiches, fruit and breakfast fixins'. He plugged it in for the trip in the car, then carried it to his room and plugged it in there. He was able to break bread in his room throughout the weekend, saving money and time...two of his love languages.

Suffice it to say that, when this thing is called home (to my parents or the curb), we will be looking for another one. It will pay for itself with saved bags of ice and less frequent meals wrapped in paper on the road.

Happy Friday, ya'll!

She's 4 Now...

I can't get to sleep tonight. No idea why...cold medicine...Emv (energy drink) consumed too late in the evening...or my brain is busy thinking about my youngest. Four years ago tonight, I was in a hospital being induced to deliver my third child. It was the end of a long road to add another roommate to our family. There was a gap between older siblings and this child due to life's dramas. The pregnancy had been filled with some drama itself and, before this day would be through, so would her entry into the world. And she has been a firecracker ever since. I believe God is sovereign and His timing is perfect. He had to hold this one in heaven for just a little while longer so that we would appreciate His gifts in her. And so that her sisters would be old enough to offer empathy rather than retaliation over some of her antics.

Last night, I asked her dad what he loved about her. His answer..."her commitment". She shows this commitment on a daily basis by her willingness to go to the mat over whatever is important to her at the time. His answer gave me some much needed perspective. You see, it has often been her commitment that has tied my day up into knots. I am not usually enthused about dueling with her over what she wears, what she eats, what she wants to do now, where she wants to go, etc. But, if I can keep a long term vision, shape her heart with the help of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, then she will be a passionate instrument for God someday. And that's what I want for her...to fulfill the special purpose for her life as designed by God.

So, I will enjoy those curls and eyelashes. I will laugh at her songs and hang her art up on the wall. I will do puzzles with her and applaud her "Pledge of Allegiance". I will try to keep life in perspective and thoughtfully choose the "hills to die on" with her. I will remind myself to enjoy these days...slow them down...because they are fleeting.

Happy birthday to us...the birthday of being a familly of 5.

Things You Don't Want to Hear

"Mom!" I can't get the #2 off of the wall!"

Favorite Invention Friday!!!

I know that so many people have these little contraptions. You can't walk through a mall without seeing a teenager walking along in their own little world, focused only on the path they walk and the noise bouncing from ear to ear.

My focus here isn't really about the iPod specifically, but on the MP3 concept. When going on road trips, it used to be a big ordeal to pick out and store the desired 8-tracks...cassettes...CDs. Thank goodness no one ever had a turntable in the car! Now, I just grab my iPod and the FM transmitter (I will feature that sometime) and we are off. I have enough selections loaded to keep everyone in the family happy! I have country, 80s rock, High school Musical, AC/DC and Air Supply! It's always a little schizophrenic to listen in the shuffle mode because you never know what you are going to get next. (I have found that some of the songs that I enjoyed in my youth, really are not appropriate for kids when you listen to the lyrics...easy enough to skip ahead, though.)

I LOVE that I can carry my favorite tunes, educational audios and episodes of the Office with me! And I haven't even tapped into the treasure of podcasts yet.

On a recent road trip, I enjoyed a special moment with my iPod and my 11-year-old. We were on our way to Arkansas for a family reunion, with my mom, sister, nephew and two younger daughters. During some leg of the trip, she and I were together in the seat located in the way back. After several miles of chatting, I put my earphones on and shuffled. When a HSM song came on, I passed an ear bud over to her and we sang together. After that, a Garth Brooks song came on about dreams being like rivers. I told her that her dad liked that song and we discussed it's meaning. Next came a song from my first date with her dad. It was so fun to relive these memories with her...discuss some of the poetic lessons of life included...create a new memory with her. I certainly didn't see that when I clicked "Add to Cart" last year.

Note: You can buy refurbished iPods here. You might have to be patient and wait for what you want. But, you will save money and they still have a 1 year warranty on them.

Timing is Everything

In case it has not come across clearly in other posts, I have a three-year-old (four next week...yikes!) with a lot of personality and opinion. She can put up an admirable battle for her position, whether she believes it's her turn immediately or she does not want to finish her dinner before having a snack. When she doesn't get her way, she will stick out her lip, drop her shoulders, slink away or shriek, turn red, get physical (with her sisters). Last summer, we had left the beach earlier than she would have liked. She screamed "No" on the drive all the way back to the campsite and continued after all of us got out of the car and closed the doors. We called her the princess of "No" that day and quipped about how we looked forward to her running out of stock of the word. It is often difficult to get her attention or interrupt this process...but it always seems to be the time I choose to define the terms of obedience or kindness or patience to her. Needless to say, she never hears a word I say or learns from my brilliant lectures.

Today, she and I were cuddled up reading the story of the three bears and Goldilocks...discussing the wrongs committed by the flaxen-haired young lady. It suddenly struck me as we cuddled and whispered together, that it might be the perfect time to discuss what I love about her, define those fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) to her and point out the times she has practiced them beautifully. We chatted about examples when she would have the opportunity to show how she could obey and that obedience was still expected, even when it was not what she wanted to do. It really was a pleasant interaction for me...memorable. I will now have my eyes and ears open for additional opportunities to teach her gently and pleasantly...then it will be a little easier to call those lessons to mind when the storms hit.

Snap Judgment

From "Morning Jam Sessions" by Betty Malz...

Avoid hasty conclusions and snap judgments.

... The Bible says there are three things that cannot be recalled, brought back or returned: a shot arrow, youth, or a sharp word spoken in haste. "Their tongue is an arrow shot out; it speaks deceit; one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait" (Jeremiah 9:8).

Let's not lie in wait to make snap judgments.