Hope

When you are faced with life-changing circumstances, where do you turn? Not just life-changing, but earth-shattering, life-will-never-ever-be-the-same-again circumstances. Life throws you a curve, but not just a curve, a steeper-than-steep-mountain-switchback curve.

If we don't have hope, how do we make it through these trials? Hope is the one thing that makes sense of all the chaos that is around us sometimes.

Here are a few passages that I meditate on when life gets tough.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5


Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1


But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

¹⁹ to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

²² May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:18-22

What are some of your favorite Scriptures that remind you of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ?

Edible Crafts

I mentioned previously that one activity we did while the nieces were here for Cousin Day Camp was making edible crafts. It was a great suggestion by the wonderful Patsy Clairmont, whom I follow on Twitter. (And she follows me! I love Patsy. I often tell people that "normal is just a setting on your dryer.")

So, one day during Cousin Day Camp while Ladybug (2 years old) was taking her afternoon nap, I gathered the supplies needed for Little Mama (almost 10) and Drama Queen (8 years old) to make edible crafts.

Our supplies: miniature and large marshmallows, peanut butter, pretzels sticks, and raisins. I put a few marshmallows, pretzels, and raisins on a plate for each girl, then gave them a medium sized dollop of peanut butter. They could use the peanut butter as glue to create cars or whatever their imaginations could think of. They were very excited by this craft idea and dug right in!

A few minutes into our craft/snack time, I heard Ladybug stirring in the bedroom. Since it wasn't time for her to get up yet, I went back to snuggle her back to sleep. Hubby was home at the time, so I wasn't worried about the older girls sitting at the kitchen table.

I guess I was tired from a full morning with all three girls, and I fell asleep as I snuggled with my Ladybug. I had placed the extra craft supplies on the counter but I did not give the girls any instructions other than "use your imagination." My mistake. While I was in the bedroom, their imaginations really went to work and they made all kinds of cars and vehicles with their marshmallows, etc. They used the ENTIRE bag of large marshmallows.

And my brother-in-law arrived early to pick them up while I was snoozing. Hubby sent their craft/snack home with them so I didn't get to see the final result. (I really wish I had pictures.) I was a bit upset when he told me they used the whole bag of marshmallows. I didn't want my brother-in-law or sister-in-law thinking that I fed the girls pure sugar all the time! But I did not give specific instructions, and I didn't ask Hubby to watch over them. So no one was at fault, really.

Hubby was lost in his computer. The girls were having fun. And Ladybug and I were grabbing a few extra Z's. We were all doing what came naturally to us. But I still wish I had pictures!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

My Toddler's Nutrition - Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You do eat breakfast, right? It's especially important for kids to eat breakfast.

I will be the first to admit that I love breakfast. Not just the time of day, but also breakfast foods. However, when it comes to what we eat for breakfast every morning, I love "the usual." I love eating the same thing every morning; it's just part of my routine. And because I eat the same thing, that means that Ladybug (2 years old) does too.

When I read other blogs and see the variety that some parents put into their kids' breakfasts, I worry. I wondered if feeding Ladybug the same thing every morning was detrimental. Would she grow to despise my "usual?" Would this cause her to be a picky eater?

I took an informal survey on Twitter (would you expect anything else from me?). Of the adults who eat breakfast, I was surprised to learn that most have one or two favorite breakfast foods that they eat on a regular basis. There were several who commented that they don't eat breakfast. Seriously? I did mention that it's the most important meal of the day, right?

I also asked childhood obesity doc Joanna Dolgoff, and she said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" So I feel much better about feeding Ladybug the same breakfast most of the time. And what is this favorite breakfast of mine? Oatmeal!

We share a large serving of old fashioned oats flavored with cinnamon and unsweetened applesauce. I usually add a tablespoon or two of ground flax meal for the extra nutrition that it provides. With the oatmeal, we also eat some sort of fruit. If it's dried fruit, I'll cook that in with the oatmeal. Or fresh fruit either mixed in the oatmeal or on the side. Lately we have enjoyed bananas, apples, peaches, and blueberries.

I find that the oatmeal is filling, which is important since we eat around 7 am. Why so early? Because Ladybug is an early bird and is awake most days by 6 am.

Occasionally, we'll have dry cold cereal (Cheerios or homemade granola) with fruit. Or if I am feeling especially ambitious in the morning, I'll make a double batch of whole wheat applesauce waffles, which are tasty by themselves and don't need the syrup. Then we'll have leftovers for snacks or to freeze.

For those of you with older kids, do they like to eat the same thing every day? If they like sugary cereal or (gasp!) poptarts, how do you sneak some good nutrition into their morning? (I admit, I am a recovering poptart addict.)

For more great posts about kids and food, visit Feels Like Home for the Grace's Kitchen Friends carnival.

Read more in this continuing series on My Toddler's Nutrition here.

My Silly Girl

These pictures are too cute not to share! They fit under the general category of "Silly 2 Year Old." (And yes, she's in that stage of not wanting to wear a shirt. Pick your battles!)

Banana, anyone?

Perhaps a warm towel?

Free play with biodegradable packing peanuts!
What you looking at?

Wordful Wednesday at 7 Clown Circus
Wordless Wednesday HQ
5 Minutes for Mom

Cousin Day Camp

I wanted to write a recap post of the fun that we had with Cousin Day Camp, but it was way too long. I know y'all would be bored to tears! But I did some fun activities with Ladybug and our nieces this month, and maybe someone could use some inspiration. So here are the Top Ten Things We Did for Cousin Day Camp!


1. Went swimming! Great activity for the wide span of ages. Ladybug (2 years old) loves to swim and is getting very good at the doggie paddle. And Little Mama (almost 10) and Drama Queen (8 years old) love to swim as well.

2. Went to the playground. We only did this once, as the dog days of summer consumed most of our time together. It was just too hot to play outside for long most days!

3. Played with the sand table.
4. Got creative with sidewalk chalk. This was the first time I had introduced sidewalk chalk with Ladybug and she loved it!

5. Bible verse crafts. I included the older girls in the Bible verses that Ladybug and I work on together.

6. More crafts to go along with our letter of the week. The nieces were here during weeks D, E, and F. So we made daisies, earths, elephants, frogs, and fish! Oh, and a butterfly mobile using coffee filters!

7. Edible crafts. The wonderful Patsy Clairmont responded to my cry for help query on Twitter for activities for this age group and she suggested edible crafts. I wish I had pictures of what the older girls made, but that in and of itself requires a separate blog post! (And that's another thing I love about Twitter. Not only can I ask for help and gather ideas, but to have interactions with one of my favorite authors is priceless!)

8. Plenty of time for imaginative play as well! Drama Queen is excellent at imaginative play and I guided her in teaching Ladybug how to play pretend as well. It was fun to watch!

9. Movies. I did allow for chill out time in our schedule. Especially since Ladybug still naps every day.

10. Enjoyed being together! The cousins L-O-V-E being with each other. In fact, Ladybug asks for her cousins every day. (It gets a bit annoying at times.) The big girls will still be here at least one day a week after school, so the fun will continue!


For more Top Ten Tuesday posts, visit Amanda.

You Never Know

Hubby and I had nursery duty at church this Sunday. This isn't something that we can do on a regular basis due to leading the contemporary worship ministry at our church. We used to have paid nursery workers, but with the recent budget crunch, that was nixed and volunteers have taken up the slack. That's a good thing.

Our church has a summer worship schedule that requires us to lead music every other week at a combined worship service. (September through May we have two services, one traditional and one contemporary.) The great thing about this is that we have every other week off. Having an "off" Sunday this week allowed us to volunteer for the nursery.

The nursery crowd was small, both in numbers and in stature. In addition to Ladybug, there were three other children, including a one-year old whom I had never met before. Her grandma and aunt sing in the choir and I've met them, but I had never met Patience before. She is a tiny little thing!

Her grandma had left a bottle for her and said if she got fussy, it was probably due to needing her bottle. About fifteen minutes in, I could tell that was what Patience needed. So I sat on the floor, snuggled her close, and gave her the bottle. (Thankfully, Ladybug was busy chasing balloons or she might have been a bit jealous.)

The other kids were older and able to keep themselves entertained with Hubby while Patience and I enjoyed a few quiet moments. Being the attachment parenting kind of person that I am, my instinct was to hold her while she drank. It never occurred to me that maybe she was accustomed to being placed in a bouncy chair for a bottle.

But I thought about it afterward. Maybe she doesn't get cuddled while she drinks her bottle. Maybe she doesn't receive as many snuggles as Ladybug does during the course of a day. I might never meet her mother. And even if I do, I wouldn't know from a short introduction what kind of mama she is.

You never know when your actions will impact the life of another person. In the course of her lifetime, those extra snuggles that I gave Patience today might not mean anything. Then again, they might. I'll never know.

And that's okay.

Why do we give? So that we can receive something in return, whether possessions or recognition? We should give because we ourselves have received a priceless gift, the gift of salvation through Christ our Lord. Giving of ourselves should be a natural response to good news of Jesus Christ.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’"

Matthew 25:34-40

Please Excuse Me If I'm Melancholy

A very dear friend of mine who is just a few years old than me was diagnosed with cancer in late June. At first, she was told it was colon cancer, but the final diagnosis was neuroendicrine carcinoma. It's very rare and there are not many known courses of treatment.

Unfortunately, the chemo that began last week is doing more harm than good, and she and her family, in consultation with her doctors, have decided to discontinued treatments.

This is very hard, for so many reasons. I know that I'll be reflecting on all of this in the weeks and months to come. If I seem a little out of sorts, this is why.

God is good. He is faithful. We are trusting Him. Please pray for Lori, and especially pray for her family.

I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
Psalm 30:1

Top Ten Things I Love About My Husband

Gratitude is something that is lacking in American culture. You see it so many places, including our homes. When we purposefully look for things for which we are thankful, the transformation to our attitudes is amazing! Wives, I would challenge you to list (at least) ten things about your husband. And keep an eye out for how your attitude toward him improves!


1. My husband loves the Lord more than me. Yes, I willingly admit that I do not want to be number one in my husband's life. I will gladly be number two, as long as the Lord remains in the top spot.

2. He has a wonderful, sometimes twisted, sense of humor. (and it matches mine, which is great!)

3. He is much more compassionate than I am.

4. He is extremely patient, although I know that his patience does have its limits (and I need to learn not to push those limits).

5. He is a talented musician. He sings, plays piano, guitar, bass guitar, and little bit of drums. He loves being creative with music.

6. He loves his parents, and that is a beautiful thing to see.

7. He has a good sense of style. I never have to worry about what he's wearing. In fact, sometimes I ask his opinion on what I'm wearing!

8. He is a wonderful father. I love watching him play with Ladybug and listening to them giggle together.

9. He's smart. A little bragging on him, if you don't mind. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA through TWO graduate degree programs (with only his internship left in this program, I'm declaring that to be an A as well).

10. And he sure is a handsome guy! I love his goatee (I've never seen him without a goatee or beard).


For more Top Ten lists, be sure to visit Amanda.

Forgiveness

It was a rough weekend filled with too many highs and lows. The good parts - very nice family time, time to catch up with my very busy Hubby, fun family swimming, wonderful church service. The bad parts? Well, I just want to move on. Ladybug did a lot of button-pushing this weekend, especially when Hubby wasn't around. I'm sure she could sense that I was tired and on my last nerve, so she decided to push boundaries.

I admit that I have a short temper. Combine that with a 2 year old, and I have to ask for lots of forgiveness for losing my cool. I am not always the calm, patient parent that I want to be.

Thankfully, we have a God whose grace and forgiveness knows no end. I find myself more and more turning to the Psalms when my own words fail me.

For Ladybug's memory verse with letter C, I chose one of my favorite verses from the Psalms. "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me." (51:10) From David's prayer asking forgiveness after he committed adultery and murder. While I know that I haven't committed "big" sins like that, I know that my sins are just as serious to God. Any transgression separates me from His presence. And I need to practice repentance so that I can be in His presence again.

I often find myself repeating this verse in my head as my temper starts to soar. Not only does it give me pause and calm me down, I feel God redirecting me, almost as if He will not allow my temper to get out of control because I am turning to Him for guidance. I love turning to God's Word, knowing that He can and will speak to me. I love knowing that He is just a prayer away.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:10-12

Bible Verse Craft - C

Either I wasn't feeling as creative or I just wasn't inspired going into our letter C week. I just drew a large C and let Ladybug color it.But as you can see, Ladybug was much more into the coloring this week than last!

Our C verse was: "Create in me a clean heart" from Psalm 51:10.

Ladybug knows the words "clean" and "heart" so I was hoping this would be an easy one for her to learn. And it was! She was able to recite part of this verse with me right away! YAY!!

I chose two songs for this week: "Create in Me a Clean Heart" to go along with our verse and to sing at bedtime. And "I am a C" for play time and when riding in the car. She loves "I am a C." She knows the ABC song so I am guessing that spelling out the words is similar to singing the alphabet. Although she doesn't get much past C-H right, it's fun to sing together.

Do y'all know these songs? Do I need to post the words? I can if you want me to - just let me know.

And this is what our kitchen door looks like so far! (Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with this? I really thought it would be a chore to do crafts with a toddler. But it's not a chore at all!)

I haven't taken many pictures of Ladybug while we're crafting because this is such new territory for me (and I'm a control freak, but I'm working on that!). But I did a few on the day we did this craft. Isn't she a cutie?

Bible Verse Craft - B

I'm a little behind in posting our Bible verse crafts, so I'll try to post another one tomorrow as well.

I am LOVING doing purposeful crafts with Ladybug (2 years old)! Just loving it! This is quality time spent together. I do a little bit of research on-line to prepare. And we both get to practice creativity!

For our letter B craft, I found inspiration from No Time for Flash Cards. (Great site if you haven't discovered it yet!) Ladybug loves bumblebees (remember her birthday cake?), so I knew this would be great for us!

I was disappointed to find out that the pack of construction paper I bought did not have any black, so I had to improvise and just color the wings on instead of making them and gluing them. Also, I ran out of black pipe cleaners for the antennae so I drew those too.

Ladybug wasn't as interested in coloring this day, so she did a lot of watching while Mama colored. She kept saying, "Mama color. Mama color." So I did.

Our verse for the week: "Be kind to each other" from Ephesians 4:23
I have also added a song to go with our letter of the week. This week's song was "The B-I-B-L-E." Ladybug loves to sing with me. She got the B-L-E of this song right away, and she calls this song "B!" so she can request it by name.

We have our crafts posted in the kitchen so that we can review the verses at mealtimes. As we were getting ready to move onto our C crafts, Ladybug totally surprised me! I told her that "be kind" is like "be nice," as we tell her to be nice to the kitty, etc, etc. So when we were reviewing our A verse and our B verse, she said, "Be nice!" My heart skipped a beat, I swear! My baby is learning God's Word! So exciting!!

Even if she's not interested in coloring, or doing the craft the way I want her to, it's about what she's learning and about the time we spend together. And I'm loving it!

UPDATED: Thanks to the suggestion of Mama Hall, I am linking up with a new-to-me blog carnival called "Thirsty Thursday" which is all about the intentional teaching that parents do with their kids.

Cleaning the Toaster Oven

I love my toaster oven. I didn't grow up with one; we had a "regular" two slice toaster. I was introduced to the toaster oven in grad school. When Hubby and I were planning our wedding, we registered for one. Funny thing, we actually received three because the store didn't mark it off the list.

Flash forward to the present.

A few Saturdays ago, the crumb load in our toaster oven had reached maximum capacity. How do I know? A crumb was too close to the heating element and it caught on fire (an actual flame appeared!) when I was toasting some bread.

Fortunately, I was able to get the smoke dissipated enough that the smoke alarm did not go off.

I told Hubby what happened and he got the vacuum cleaner out of the closet (it no longer resides in the closet, but that's another post). I asked him what he was doing. His reply: "Something I've always want to try."

And he proceeded to use the vacuum to clean the crumbs out of the toaster oven. And it WORKED! No more crumbs to catch on fire. No mess trying to remove the crumb tray then dump it.

I shared on Twitter what Hubby was doing and someone said I need to blog about it. So I'm finally sharing this great shortcut to a clean toaster oven!

*Disclaimer: Remember to unplug the toaster oven before attempting to clean out the crumbs, no matter what method of cleaning you choose. I am not responsible for any damage to your toaster oven or vacuum cleaner that may occur (nothing went wrong for us, but I'm covering my rear end here).

For more great tips, visit Kristen at We are THAT Family.

Things I'm Learning About Motherhood

Being a parent continues to be the single most powerful teacher in my life. Here are some things I'm learning (or need to continue learning!).


1. It's okay to let my child make messes. This is a really hard one for me.

2. Small mistakes will not ruin my child. I have bad mommy days, and my child will not be scarred for life.

3. Parenting takes constant work. Work on me, that is. My lazy inclination is to pop in a video so Ladybug will be entertained and I can do whatever I want. I need to daily overcome that laziness so she gets the full benefit of a stay-at-home-parent.

4. I have more creativity than I realized.

5. It's fun to be creative with my child.

6. My child will repeat everything I say, so I *really* need to clean up my vocabulary. (Nothing bad, but I'd rather not hear my child say "shut up." - Don't worry, I only say that to the Siamese, not Ladybug! If you've had a Siamese cat, then you understand why that phrase is used a lot.)

7. My child wants to eat what I eat. Another thing I need to clean up.

8. I need to work on my willingness to share.

9. I need to learn to think more and react less.

10. The love I have for my children grows more every day. Yet it will never compare to the love that God has for me.


For more Top Ten Tuesdays, check out Amanda's blog.

Getting My Spiritual Armor On

God's timing is always amazing and impeccable. The day after I posted about needing to take more time to listen to God, my daily devotional reading stressed the importance of spending time with God at the beginning of each day. Like ripples from a stone skipped across a calm lake, the effects of that time alone in God's presence can reach far and wide.

Then on Thursday and Friday mornings, I was able to attend a few sessions of The Leadership Summit, which is a leadership conference via satellite feed from Willow Creek Church. Most of the speakers that I heard also stressed the importance of nurturing our own spiritual lives before nurturing the spiritual lives of others.

*knocks on thick skull*

Do you think God's been trying to tell me something? This week, I have made a much more concerted effort to carve out time to real Scripture and to pray. Some days, I have more time than others. Some days, I have to split it up into small 2-3 minute segments, depending on how long it takes Ladybug to find me hiding in the bathroom.

Not only was the extra effort worthwhile, I really needed my spiritual armor this past week. What a week!

I have been attacked every which way the enemy could think to attack me. My anxiety level was high. My frustration level was maxed out. My ability to love others even when they are making a mess of their lives was low.

I cryptically expressed my frustration on Twitter:Thankfully, in all of the frustration and other negative emotions that I was feeling, God's Word was fresh in my heart. I was able to use God's Word as a sword against the enemy and as a salve to calm my hurting heart. God's Word is so powerful!

I am thankful that I have felt challenged to carve out quiet time with God. The blessings received this week alone have been worth it. I pray that God will continue to give me strength to stay strong to that commitment.

My Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger; I trust in Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7

Cousin Day Camp

We're having some Cousin Day Camp with Ladybug and our two nieces. The cousins love hanging out together, and my sister-in-law needs help with day care until school starts in a few weeks. I will have lots of fun things to share, I promise.

But for now, Ladybug is taking a nap and the older girls are chilling and watching a movie. And I'm tired! Having three kids to watch out for takes a lot more energy than one! (I'm sure parents with more than one child already know that!)

We have done crafts, gone swimming, been to the playground and the farmer's market. Lots and lots to share - once I get a nap. Or some coffee!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

With both Hubby & I being musicians and worship leaders at our church, there is always music in our house. Ladybug's (2 years old) newest favorite thing to say is "___________ sings." And she'll say it about anyone and anything! For instance, "Mama sings. Daddy sings. Fran sings. Donkey sings. Elephant sings. Kitty sings. Boat sings. Pig sings." etc, etc. Even if they aren't singing!

When something is gone she'll ask where it went and follow up with an I don't know. Except it sounds like, "Gone. Where? Know." And Hubby says that Ladybug and I sound like a "Who's On First?" routine as we go back and forth.

Ladybug is learning new words all the time. She recently learned more body parts, including "hip." She was playing with Hubby's belt (and playing keep-away-from-Daddy), and I told her that Daddy needed the belt because he doesn't have any hips to hold up his pants. She said, "Hip all gone? Where? Know." Hubby and I both laughed out loud at that one!

Ladybug has discovered the fascination of traffic lights when we are in the car. She loves to tell us what color the light is and what we are to do. "Red stop." or "Green go." can often be heard from the newest backseat driver.

For more Tiny Talk Tuesday, don't forget to visit Mary at Not Before 7.

All We Like Sheep

From one of my favorite devotional books for moms:

"When a sheep refuses to follow, the shepherd has no choice but to teach the sheep a lesson for its own protection. The shepherd will break one of the sheep's legs, and carry the sheep around his neck until its leg heals. The animal becomes so acquainted with its master's voice and ways that it then graciously follows and obeys. Though a difficult lesson, the shepherd saves one who would otherwise be lost."

Wow. That's a harsh lesson. But it got me thinking (I apologize for the rambling thoughts here).

Where do I need God to break me?

That's a difficult to thing to think about, as my pride wants to say, "There's nothing wrong with me. I don't need God to fix anything." But I need to face the reality that I am not perfect (I've known that for a long time, but I do need to remind myself of that!). There is only One who is perfect, and that's not me. And since His goal for me to be more like Him, I need to accept that I've got more work to do. Work on my character. Character work is not usually pleasant.

I am like a sheep, we all are. We aren't very bright, and we don't always know what is good for us. We like to do our own thing, and our thing often is not good for us. We need the guidance of a our Shepherd. And sometimes we need to learn how to listen to our Shepherd. If we don't learn the lesson of listening to Him, then sometimes He will take drastic measures in teaching us how to listen.

I'm not saying that every bad thing that happens to us is God disciplining us. Sometimes bad things just happen because we live in a sinful, fallen world. But we can still use those bad things to learn to listen more closely to God.

I need more time to listen to God.