The Light Show

Last night, we saw a very pretty light show called "Symphony of Lights" put out by Samsung.  Krista took some amazing pictures of it!

It made me think of the verse in John 8:12 from The Amplified Bible... "Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life."

I pray the light of Christ will shine on in your life!!!

"Daddy, I Love All Electronics! You Can Buy Me All the Electronics You Want!"

The iPad and Jacob's iPhone have been lifesavers when we're out and about or on the road.  Jacob has the 4s and occasionally will ask if I want one, too.  I am holding out for the iPhone 5 but Michael is happy to interject, "Daddy, I'll take one if mommy doesn't want it!"

I just looked over and Krista and I are on our computers, Jacob is on the iPhone playing games or checking his emails and Michael is playing a game on the iPad.  It's interesting to observe! I can see how easily electronics can rob us of interacting as a family so Jacob and I will probably need to implement "electronic free zones" throughout the day.

We spent Chinese New Year's with Jacob's family.  They ordered this specialty dish that had shrimp, vegetables, abalone, shark's fin, roast pork, fish balls (like meatballs made out of fish), etc.  It came in this big silver bowl and the more you ate, the more things you would find underneath all the food! It was very interesting and definitely had something for everyone.  I doubt I'll ever have it again since it's so exotic and unique.  It made our eating experience very memorable.  Even if I had to keep the Benadryl close by in case one of the kids ate something that touched the seafood!

As a child, the best thing about Chinese New Year's is the red packet you get from your parents and relatives.  Inside the packets are money and as a kid, all those dollar bills make you feel rich! Last night, we were at KiKi's house (a friend of Jacob's sister) and we saw the most beautiful paper art made out of those red packets! They look best with the red and foiled gold packets and can be easily learned here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq_rR0b5qb8&feature=related and at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ch-aLBGFk&feature=related The ornamental ball and fan are so beautiful! I can't wait to go get some packs of those red packet so I can begin creating something fun with the kids.

I normally stink at origami but I am determined to learn some simple and fun ones to use with kids when I'm working with them.  Imagine telling the Bible story of the Creation and making origami animals to go with the story, right?!?  It would be a fresh way to share God and the story of His amazing creation with children no matter their age! Thank you, God for all those tutorials on origami on youtube.com!!!

We had a bizarre encounter yesterday that left us feeling very puzzled and disappointed.  I can't stop replaying what happened and I'm grateful that Krista, Jacob and I can talk about it between the three of us.  Michael was oblivious, of course, and that's a good thing! When I'm tempted to think unkind thoughts  about our encounter, I remember the verse in Philippians 4:8.

I love The Amplified version of this verse... "For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]."

I'm in need of an attitude adjustment after reading this verse again!!!

"Why Are The Rivers In Mars Disappearing?" and Other Questions That Require Research For Answers!

Have you ever noticed that when you're out and about, children never have to use the bathroom when you're right by the restroom area?  I was with Michael picking up some last minute things at the store and as we checked out, he decided he needed to go to the bathroom.  Of course, we were on the complete opposite end of the store where all the bathrooms are! Thankfully, his bladder control has improved tremendously since the days he had the bladder size of a gnat (when he was in training mode)! So, here's a mom tip:  I keep a few of the "kiddie cups" that we get from restaurants (the kind with the lid) in the car for emergency bathroom moments.  I park in a private location, give Michael the cup (after removing the lid) and TAA DAA,  he's able to take care of his business in the cup! Then I just put the lid back on and drive over to the nearest trash can! It's a easy solution (GROSS according to my 14 year-old!) to a potential messy problem :o)

Finding time to read is never something I take for granted.  But when you have 15 hours to read, it's amazing how much you can accomplish! Yesterday, I finally finished Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate, Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble and Kelly Irvin's To Love and to Cherish.  I'm starting on Ginny L. Yttrup's Lost and Found now and hope to find some more time of uninterrupted reading... Put it this way, I'm not holding my breath about this issue!

Michael's enrollment for Kindergarten with CAVA is being processed and hopefully, we'll be starting school in February.   We're both very excited to see what materials he will be covering in the program! Jacob's been printing out his math pages and Michael has been "earning" his iPad time by doing them.  I am blown away by his enthusiasm to complete the pages...so unlike Krista's response at that age!

Recently, Michael has been watching a lot of The Magic School Bus with Miss Fizzle on TV.  He must have seen the one on space because out of the blue last night, he wanted to know why the rivers in Mars were disappearing! Usually, I watch the shows with him, but I must have missed that episode about space because I wasn't even aware there were rivers in Mars! So, the next best thing?  I referred him to Jacob and his answer sounded good. 

It seems like children have the most questions when you're exhausted and you're falling asleep beside them.  I watched Jacob fall asleep and then Michael would tap him on the shoulders and ask him questions about airplanes landing and why they didn't just fall out of the sky! I was relieved when Jacob could come up with such good answers after having very little sleep!

I appreciate that Michael saves his technical questions (well, most of them anyway!) for daddy while I get the "Will you tell me the Bible story about...?" or other questions about God, Heaven, etc.  Now, that I can handle :o) I love Michael's thirst for knowledge and I pray that he'll also continue to develop his thirst for the things of God, too.

I'm reminded of what 1 Peter 2:2-3 says.  I like how The Amplified version puts it...
"²Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation,
    ³Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord."

It's my prayer for you, too :o)



 

"Mommy, Last Night I Deleted All My Fears By Saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!!"

Last night, I was with nearly 300 other women listening to Shaunti Felhahn talk about men! She was hilarious, relatable  and very insightful!!! I had the best time with Melissa D. at the front door collecting tickets :o) It's such a blessing to see an event that we've been talking about and planning for months in our Steering team meetings go so smoothly---a definite God thing!!!

While I was off with the girls, Jacob had to take over Michael's entire routine for the first time.  Ever.  He had to feed Michael ("I want to wait for Mommy!"), bathe Michael ("Daddy, I can't get out now.  You didn't soap me up!") and get him to bed ("I can't wear those pajamas! They're short sleeves and I'll be cold!").  I was cracking up as Jacob told me how his evening went with the kids! Krista was apparently out of sorts (it turned out she was sick!) and Michael was... just being Michael!

Now it's time to focus on our upcoming missions trip.  I have lists to make, things to organize, laundry to do, books to read, reviews to write, a house to straighten up and keep clutter-free, etc.!!! I could add more, but I don't want to bore you!!! Isn't life exciting?!?

In fact, it's been so exciting and busy that I've barely had time to read! In the past two weeks, I finished A Baby for Hannah by Jerry S. Eicher, An Amish Family Reunion by Mary Ellis, Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate and Love Blooms in Winter by Lori Copeland.  Downstairs, I'm reading The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura and upstairs I'm reading Suzanne Woods Fisher's The Keeper.  And in the car, I'm trying to read Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey! Everything will be in my February issue of Five Star Books & More here :o)

Michael has a special pillow that we normally warm up in the microwave before he goes down for the night.  If he forgets to bring it downstairs in the morning, he has to go upstairs by himself to get it out of his bed.  He so doesn't like making the trip solo! But now, I have him stomping loudly to his room while shouting (over and over), "JESUS is bigger (pause) than ALL my fears!" And he makes it through without any complaints now!

One morning, he told me this, "Mommy, last night I deleted all my fears by saying, Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" and I wasn't afraid anymore! Don't you just love how children get things?!?  I told him that he was learning very early that there is power in the name of Jesus!!!

I love the New Living Translation's (NLT) version of Philippians 2:9-11...

" ⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
 ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father."

Amen, right?!?

How The Christmas Decorations Got Put Away...Quickly

Wow! I love the feedback I've gotten about my bucket list of 42 dreams I posted on my birthday! Sydonyia, I hope to take you up on your invitation to PEI someday!!!  And when I finally go to Europe, I hope to blow bubbles off the Eiffel Tower :o) That would be so me, right?!?

The only thing left from our Christmas decorations are two presents on the piano bench for Michael's friends, AnnaBeth and Eva and the glass containers of gold ornament balls on the mantle.  I wasn't ready to put everything away yet, but when a five-year-old child bumps into the Christmas tree... Exactly! That's what I said, too!

A few days ago (pre-birthday), Krista and I were snuggling on the couch having a deep conversation when Michael came down from his nap (yes, he is still taking naps even though he's now begging to "skip" his nap!).  He saw us on the couch and wanted to join us so he leaped onto Krista (THUNK! then OUCH!).  When he started slipping off, he tried to pull Krista off the couch with him.  Instead, he bounced off and bumped into the Christmas tree knocking it over completely! (I'm sure it must have been comical to watch Krista and I jump off the couch after we saw the tree and a shattered ornament!)

Surprisingly, only one glass ornament (one of Krista's cupcake ones) shattered to pieces.  I can't believe the others survived as well as they did! A few other Hallmark ornaments broke (it seems like all the Tweety ones) but I think they can be repaired with some Tacky glue...hopefully!

Krista and I put away all the ornaments.  The day after, I put away all the stockings, the tealights and the greenery from the mantle.  Michael helped me put away our Fisher-Price Little People Nativity Set (I love that set!!!).  It was sad putting away the other porcelain Advent Nativity set, the Christmas lamp and the Flannel Advent Calendar from Indonesia (this was our first year using it and the whole concept is brilliant and so much fun for Michael!!!).  I'm sure we would have put everything away by this weekend (removing the tree sure expanded our living area!), though.  Good-bye, Christmas decorations, but Hello, space!

I'm finding that as much as I love having the Christmas decorations up, I'm loving the open space and the lack of extra things out more! Sometimes, as believers, we get "stuck" in the past.  We might miss what we had before like financial security, old habits, etc.  But when you "clear" out the clutter, the possibilities are endless, aren't they?!? 

I love how the NLT puts Isaiah 43:19:  "For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?  I will make a pathway through the wilderness.  I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."
I encourage you to let go of what you had in "Egypt" (this represents the past like when the Israelites were moving toward the Promise Land after being slaves in Egypt!) and reach out for the new thing God is doing in your life! 

Happy Birthday to....ME!!! :o)

I wanted to make my birthday a week long celebration.  Fail.  Especially since I didn't think about it until 3 days before my birthday! Maybe next year...! Last year, I shared 41 facts about moi.  Yep, I went back and read the blog and found it to be pretty amusing.  I thought of sharing 42 more facts about myself but got bored, so I'm going with a different idea this time around...


I was inspired to create a bucket list of 42 dreams in random order... :o)

1.  Experience an authentic English high tea, visit Stratford-upon-Avon, etc. in England

2.  Learn to play Canon in D major, My Heart Will Go On and Ballad Pour Adeline flawlessly and commit them to memory

3.  Work for Make A Wish Foundation

4.  Go on a Karen Kingsbury & Friends cruise with my favorite sister

5.  Tour Israel with Kay Arthur or Josh & Sean McDowell

6.  Visit all the famous sights in Europe with my family on a cruise liner

7.  Do the historical tour trip visiting PA, VA, NYC and MA as a family

8.  Volunteer in an orphanage in China

9.  Vacation in Singapore

10.  Sight see in an helicopter

11.  See the pyramids in Egypt

12.  Learn to paint with oil or watercolor

13.  Learn to sew and own a super cool sewing machine

14.  Hunt for seashells on Sanibel Island or Captiva Islands in Florida

15.  Visit The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, FL

16.  Take a photography class

17.  Stay at a luxury hotel with my sister and Krista and read books, watch movies and get room service all day

18.  Do a project with Habitat for Humanity

19.  Go on a train ride to another state

18.  Visit the Precious Moments chapel and see the sights in Branson, MO

19.  Ride on a glass bottom boat in the Caribbean or Hawaii

20.  See the historical sights in China like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, etc.

21.  Visit Prince Edward Island, Canada

22.  Explore a Victorian mansion

23.  Go to Australia

24.  Eat at the Sky City Revolving Restaurant in Seattle, WA

25.  Join Operation Christmas Child on one of their mission trips delivering boxes

26.  Visit Quebec's Ice City Hotel de Glace

27.  Volunteer in a children's hospital ward

28.  Audition in a play

29.  Visit Japan

30.  See Wicked and The Lion King on Broadway in NYC

31.  Be a spectator at an ice carving competition

32.  Design a house with revolving walls

33.  Have a weekend of watching chick flicks with my favorite gal pals

34.  Float like an astronaut at Zero Gravity

35.  Go on a submarine ride

36.  Visit and volunteer at God Cares school in Uganda

37.  Mail care packages to struggling college students and international students

38.  Watch Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Becoming Jane, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Little Women and The Princess Bride with Krista

39.  Drive a golf-cart for fun

40.  Go to the Barnum & Bailey & Ringling Bros Circus with the family

41. Visit the Biltmore mansion

42.  Stay in a castle

If I never check off one thing on this list, it's okay! I'm content with the life I'm living.  I have my sweet family, great friends, a wonderful church community, food , shelter and so much more!!! We are so blessed.

Tonight, I was so turned off by the kids and their reaction to receiving a "terrible" gift from their parents for Christmas (on youtube.com courtesy of a challenge to parents from Jimmy Kimmel).  The important lesson of contentment is desperately lacking in families today!

I love what the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11 about contentment.  In the English Standard Version (ESV), the verse goes like this, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content"

Got contentment?

UPDATED Five Star Books & More newsletter

I just added my Family-Friendly Resources to my newsletter :o) Enjoy!!!

January ed. of Five Star Books & More by the Reading Mom

My DVD player is not happy.  Hopefully, we'll be able to diagnose the cause of its condition or find another one soon so I can finish my reviews for this month! In the meantime, see what I've been reading and why I'm sharing it with you (http://fivestarbooksandmore.blogspot.com/p/fiction.html).  Or, just click on the tab that says "Five Star Books and More Newsletter" :o)

Happy Reading!!!

Hello 2012!!!

Last night, I got to have a conversation with my dad and my sister---a first for the three of us! When I heard their voices, I yelled out HELLO! and my dad says I blew his hearing! Whoops! Technology can be a mixed blessing at times, but in my opinion, when it comes to connecting to one another across the ocean, it's the best!!!

We didn't go to any parties last night.  It was a blessedly peaceful evening ending with some meaningful conversation with my favorite daughter way after 1am.  I love it!!!

Thankfully, neither Krista nor I fell asleep this morning in church even though we had been awake only hours before! I'm cherishing my time with Krista and I look forward to many more special moments together before she leaves home for college.

Pastor Springer gave some interesting statistics on New Year resolutions.  I don't remember the exact details other than the fact that the majority of us FAIL to keep those resolutions! So, I'm keeping my list short and simple.

In 2012, I hope to stay in touch more with my friends and family.  This will mean that I need to memorize my password for Skype and remember to log in to my account in case my sister is up and is logged on! I also need to reacquaint myself with the Wii Fit Plus again.  Ugh! It's just not my favorite thing on my list of things to do.  I can't wait til we get to Heaven---we'll have glorified bodies that won't require exercise, I'm sure!!! And, I want to use our VitaMix for more smoothies.  Yum! Smoothie dinner, anyone?!?

And that's it! Keeping my New Year resolutions to just three is manageable.  It increases the possibility that I will keep at least one of them :o) Oh, and this verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (The Amplified Bible) motivates me, too...

"And as for you, brethren, do not become weary or lose heart in doing right [but continue in well-doing without weakening]."

 Ouch! That's the power of God's Word kicking me in the patootie!!! Happy 2012!!!