The extreme changes in weather pattern have been playing havoc on both kids and their asthma issues. Michael is on breathing treatments every four hours and thankfully, he's really good about being cooperative. Last night, our dear friends hosted their annual Reformation Party (did you know that on Oct. 31, Martin Luther started the Reformation when heposted the Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenburg?!?) and after historian Marshall Foster gave a brief talk on the Reformation and Revival (it was so inspiring and encouraging!) all the kids went out in the neighborhood to go trick or treating.
Of course, Michael wanted to go out with his little friend Eva, but knowing his breathing issues, I was pretty determined to keep him in. But, Jacob felt it would be okay for him to go to two houses. Famous last words. Thirty minutes or so later, Jacob came back with a very elated (and wheezing) little boy and his bag of candies and one SoyJoy (I mean, seriously?!? I don't know what SoyJoy is supposed to be but I do know that it's NOT candy and it definitely is not a dessert!!!). Thank you, God for Xopenex!!!
The other day, Michael and I were waiting for Krista to come out of class. I brought my laptop so Michael could watch his DVD while I tried to finish reading A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher. Once Krista came out, we headed home and Michael finally finished the DVD and wanted me to shut down the laptop. Not a problem except I was driving! So I asked Krista to help him with it. As she turned around and starting taking the computer, Michael exclaimed indignantly...
Michael: "Krista! I'm not ready yet!"
Krista: "Well, Michael, you just asked mommy to take the computer so I'm trying to help you with it."
Michael: "Krista, I change-ed my mind now because I'm playing a game!" Yes, "changed" was a two syllable word!
This afternoon, Krista came home from school exhausted. She was laying on the couch when I went upstairs with Michael to nebulize him before his nap. We were in the rocker while he was getting his breathing treatment when the door burst open. It was Krista and she was no longer tired and definitely NOT a happy camper. Apparently, Michael was helping himself to her candy (both bags were green so he wasn't keeping track of things!) and had eaten her Nerds; however, he had eaten some of them and then told me he wanted to "share them with Krista" and put them in her room. Isn't that sweet? Except that technically, it's not really sharing when you've stolen your sister's box of Nerds to begin with even if you didn't know it was hers...! And I'm still not sure if he was being generous or feeling guilty...
Parenting is definitely rewarding but it comes with challenges! It's great being at MOMSnext (for MOPS graduates from MOPS International) because we get to listen to speakers talk about parenting and share our experiences with each other. My friend Dr. Mary Mantz Simon writes a blog that gives you the scoop on pop-culture parenting. I remember interviewing her when she wrote, The Year Round Parent (which had incredible ideas for parents for every day of the year!) and Trend-Savvy Parenting. She has a ton of other books on parenting and her children's books are some of my favorites!!! I love Mary! She's creative, extremely intelligent and probably one of the most credible parenting experts today. When she's not writing books or traveling on speaking engagements, she blogs. Her blogs are concise, relevant and very interesting to read! Her latest post, Stand Up, Not Stand By is all about the cyberbully issue.
Visit Mary's blog at http://marymanzsimon.wordpress.com/.
When Krista was in PreK, a new show on our PBS station caught her interest. It was called Cyberchase and she got all the kids in her class excited about watching it, too. As a parent, I liked it because the Cyber Squad (Digit, Matt, Jackie & Inez) were using math and problem-solving skills to combat the villain, Hacker and his two little helpers, Buzz and Delete. It was a great way to reinforce math concepts for Krista and the stories were pretty entertaining and educational, too. Recently, the Cyberchase website was upgraded (thank you, NSF!) with all-new features---videos, math games and hands-on activities in support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning. Come check it out at http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/!
Since I last blogged, I finished GodQuest by Sean McDowell and Stan Jantz. It focuses on six sign posts that will help you understand God's truth and it is powerful! Basically, it was like a condensed version of my Systematic Theology Bible class that I took as a freshman at BJU! I also finished Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shephard Gray, Dan Walsh's Remembering Christmas, and The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson. My downstairs book is Max Lucado's Christmas Stories and my upstairs reading book is Rite of Passage by Jim McBride.
Jacob and I have been humbled by the response and prayers for our friends as they find out about his recent job loss. Actually, he may have lost his job (good riddance!) but he gained his life back! We're been talking about how we can serve more and be a blessing to others in need and the idea that we're just jars of clay in God's hands is pretty incredible. Did you know that the Bible says, "we're like fragile clay jars?" I love how the NLT puts 2 Cor. 4:7...
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| "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." So, let your light shine!!! |
