The thing I heard most when I told people about Drue's ordeal at the park last weekend (for those who don't know, she was hit in the mouth with a thick plastic swing...by an 8-year-old who was throwing that swing...and lost, starting with the top right incisor and moving left, 5 teeth) is this:
Thank God it wasn't worse.
Or this:
Thank God it wasn't worse.
The thing is, of course thank God it wasn't worse, but what about what did happen? What about the fact that I stared into the face of my 2-year-old for 6 hours, and it was pouring blood? What about the fact that at night, after I put her to bed, for three nights straight I cried myself to fitful sleep because in the quiet, all I could think about was the moment the swing hit my sweet daughter's confused and terrified face, the things she screamed as I ran her up the hill a quarter mile to the hospital, the medics strapping her into the ambulance while she cried, the gauze that she held up to her mouth all by herself to catch the blood that was pouring out. I could obviously go on.
What happened was traumatic, and no, I didn't spend my nights thinking about what could have happened. Now, days later, almost a week later, I have thought: Wow. If I hadn't shouted at her to get out of the way, she might not have turned, and the swing might have sliced her head open. Thank God it wasn't worse, yes. Indeed. Of course.
But those first few days...
You know, people say that suffering will make you stronger or that there is a greater purpose for suffering (why do people say these things?), and though I do have faith that there is a greater purpose and that I have a less than eternal perspective on things most if not all of the time, I think...well, what am I trying to say? I'm thinking, first: of things people shouldn't say to immediately suffering people. And I'm also thinking about when people say, "Suffering drives you to the cross of Christ." OK, but what does that really look like?
Because this past week, I have NOT been fleeing to Jesus. I have not prayed more. I have been angry more. I have been sad more. I have tried my hardest to be more self-reliant. And this is what I've come to: Maybe what people mean when they say that suffering drives you to Jesus is that, in fact, it's Jesus who comes to YOU in your suffering. Because that is what I've experienced, and it is crazy.
I have fled Jesus these last days, and yet he has come, through messages from friends near and far, through offered meals (we took one family up on a meal Sunday night and didn't realize just how much we needed it; we tore through those cheeseburgers like we were starving, because we were, because we'd forgotten to eat), through SO many friends offering to help in any way they could, through one friend's getting out of bed and throwing on clothes to go with me to the grocery store because I didn't want to be alone, through a Bible study that I dragged myself to but hadn't done this week, and lunch offered to us after, and through wisdom from another friend that really had an impact and has stuck with me like glue...(side note alert)...
I called her on a bad day (a bad day for her, so really, we were both having a bad day). But two days had passed since the accident, and she said lovingly, "Meghan, hindsight is 20-20. I know that. But these things, they're a way that God allows us to see our children differently. To love them differently. To parent them differently."
How right she was. You might think I'm hokey, but I could feel in my gut that her wisdom was straight from God. It's rare that I FEEL God working - that I KNOW he is there and that he just DID something. Are the caps helping make my point? And that was one of those moments. We were seeing Drue differently (we'd seen her bleed like a murder victim; we'd seen her bravery, her amazing resilience, among other things). We were coming around her and loving her differently. This is hard to explain, but we were - and are. We obviously were parenting her differently, at least for a few days, because all we did was love on her and let her have and do anything she wanted, while poor Paigey waited in the wings. These things my friend said were true. It was what I needed to hear. It was a turning point. I think I slept better that night, though I definitely still cried my eyes out and probably called my mom, who probably said, and I love her so, "We just thank God it wasn't worse."
Oddly too, this week I've seen my husband step out of a really dark place. I've, well, I don't have time to sit and analyze all that's been going on in my heart, nor do I necessarily want to put it out here for anyone to see, but the point is: once again, it wasn't I who did; it was He.
Some thoughts that I've been having the last 24 hours: Thank God it wasn't worse. Haha. But also, what if her short amount of suffering, and ours, has allowed us to grow closer as a family and to love and disciple one another better? What if Drue's losing her 5 front teeth is an act of mercy that is teaching her - and me - that beauty is not what the world says it is?
Drue has learned the Westminster kids' catechism question: Why should you glorify God? And answer: Because he made me and takes care of me.
I know that I've been wrestling with this question and answer, and I have to think that on some 2-year-old level she is too. She has had to wrestle with feelings that she's not had to previously. She is learning to eat and talk differently. But she is smiling, and it is an even sweeter smile.
I don't know how parents who are dealing with their kids having cancer do it. How parents who have lost children do it. I don't know. I know that our suffering has been MINIMAL. But that doesn't mean it isn't suffering, or hard. And yet, even when we try to be alone, we're not. We can't be. We are rooted in something eternal, who cares for us more deeply than we know and who doesn't let us go. I think of Psalm 1:3, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water..."
So maybe if I have a friend who is suffering sometime in the future, I have learned this: I will let God do the work he is surely doing, and I will do my best just to listen.
P.S. If you told me, "Thank God it wasn't worse," I still love you very much. It seems like an obvious thing to say. I get it. This is not a rant about how much I can't believe you said that. At least it isn't supposed to be. And after all, I've been thinking that very thought now.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Our space
Last week I had two sick babies, and so I did a LOT of work on our house, thanks mostly to Keely and her new favorite book by Simple Mom. I raced through the book on my new Kindle (LOVE!) and was inspired. I'm still inspired and have plenty of work left to do, but it doesn't all have to be done now, does it? Here's what I have done:
1. Collin and I brainstormed a purpose statement for our family. I was certain he would make fun of me when I approached him with the idea, but he didn't. He responded quite well, and two days later, we had a purpose statement. Our conversation started something like, "Well, duh. Our purpose is to 'glorify God and enjoy him forever.'" But what does that look like for us, Team Barnes? We basically broke it down into four bullets, the first of which we figured out, though we kind of already knew, was that we want our home to be a place where others feel welcome (pretty much any time) and can rest. We have people in our home constantly, and so I started to thinking about how our living space can best provide a place of rest and welcome.
The first task was to open up the seating space - and add more seating. Before, we had a couch and two chairs; our TV sat on what could be considered an end table, and there were two TV wobbly trays between the two chairs. The chairs faced the couch, not the TV (likewise the couch faced the chairs, not the TV), so that is conducive to a place of conversation. We debated removing the TV entirely and decided it needed to stay (one reason is that our community group meets in our house every Tuesday and is currently watching a video series on The Reason for God). Anyway, I moved the coffee table that was sitting against a wall and put the TV on it (and was consequently able to hide all the wirey, technology-y stuff in it because it has two shelves). I put the "end table" between the two chairs. I opened up the space between the chairs and the couch in general so that it's much more open (probably half of our downstairs space). I added two dining room chairs against the wall that was previously home to a coffee table and put one TV tray between them. Oh, and I put a lovely lamp on the end table.
We keep one basket in the living room that any toys that make it downstairs (which is always a lot) can be thrown into at a moment's notice, and any of the girls' books can be stacked in the bottom shelf of the coffee table. Perfect. Room complete, open, warm...I love it. Now all I need to do is find the perfect piece of art, but that can wait. We currently have a few pictures hung on one wall, a quirky guitar-guy poster framed on another, and all of our CD covers in a collage on the wall behind the TV. These things help express our love our music, so they work for us, even though some people probably think, "I would NEVER do that." But isn't someone always going to think that anyway?
The room is basically blue and red and brown and gold, and I love it.
2. The next thing I did was tidy up our "dining space," which is the same room, other half. I centered the table and cleaned it off and found a bowl that I find beautiful to work as its centerpiece. I tidied the books that we keep stacked on our exposed-brick wall (next to the table). And I hung the mirror that had been sitting on the floor in our kitchen since we moved here in July.
There is also a ledge in this space that kind of works as my office. I couldn't find another place for it, so there goes our mail, though I try to keep it in control and it sits in a beautiful little mail holder thing that I acquired years ago. Next to that is a beautiful box that my friend Kirsten gave me on my 30th birthday (full of children's art supplies), and an aloe plant that likes the sun that streams through that window most of the day. It probably doesn't fit the "simple living" book ideal, but it works for us for now. Ultimately, I cleared a LOT of junk out of this space. The table never used to be empty of papers; the ledge was packed with all sorts of junk. You get the picture.
3. Next was the kitchen, and boy, did I go crazy. I got rid of so much stuff that I never thought I'd get rid of. A whole set of dishes. A number of pots and pans. I don't even know. The following Saturday morning I had a bunch of girls over to rummage through the stuff and take whatever they wanted. The next day I took the rest to church. Thankfully, our church is hosting a free "garage sale" in the spring, so I've been able to take boxes and bags and boxes and bags to church every week for a few weeks now. I think we're up to 10. It's so nice not to have to worry about trying to sell every little thing. I suppose it would be nice to make a little bit of money here and there, but it is also very freeing to just give things away, knowing that others might actually use them. At least I hope they will.
It's a good thing I made space, because we decided to put our NEW ELLIPTICAL(!) in the kitchen. So, this really may sound like it goes against the simple living bit, but fitness is one of our priorities, and we couldn't think of a better space. We had actually a perfect space for it in the kitchen that was being used by nothing (well, a random chair that we threw things on and a mirror that I hadn't hung). I still absolutely love my kitchen; I even love having the Elliptical in it. I only needed to move the hanging pots and pans into the cabinets so that we could fit the Elliptical there. And it fits, and I love, love, love it. I have gotten a workout in every day since we got it. I finally feel HUMAN again. Okay, enough about the Elliptical.
So the kitchen is functioning well; it is full of things I use; I cleaned out the catch-all drawer and the tray that sits atop our toaster oven. I cleaned off the top of the fridge, which was a junk bin. One thing I did not do was take any pictures off our fridge. I love those pictures; I love those people; and my fridge will forever house as many pictures and cards as I can magnet onto it.
That's all for now. Getting a little long winded. Suffice it to say, I cleaned out every room in the house. There's work to be done, but I am thankful for our space.
1. Collin and I brainstormed a purpose statement for our family. I was certain he would make fun of me when I approached him with the idea, but he didn't. He responded quite well, and two days later, we had a purpose statement. Our conversation started something like, "Well, duh. Our purpose is to 'glorify God and enjoy him forever.'" But what does that look like for us, Team Barnes? We basically broke it down into four bullets, the first of which we figured out, though we kind of already knew, was that we want our home to be a place where others feel welcome (pretty much any time) and can rest. We have people in our home constantly, and so I started to thinking about how our living space can best provide a place of rest and welcome.
The first task was to open up the seating space - and add more seating. Before, we had a couch and two chairs; our TV sat on what could be considered an end table, and there were two TV wobbly trays between the two chairs. The chairs faced the couch, not the TV (likewise the couch faced the chairs, not the TV), so that is conducive to a place of conversation. We debated removing the TV entirely and decided it needed to stay (one reason is that our community group meets in our house every Tuesday and is currently watching a video series on The Reason for God). Anyway, I moved the coffee table that was sitting against a wall and put the TV on it (and was consequently able to hide all the wirey, technology-y stuff in it because it has two shelves). I put the "end table" between the two chairs. I opened up the space between the chairs and the couch in general so that it's much more open (probably half of our downstairs space). I added two dining room chairs against the wall that was previously home to a coffee table and put one TV tray between them. Oh, and I put a lovely lamp on the end table.
We keep one basket in the living room that any toys that make it downstairs (which is always a lot) can be thrown into at a moment's notice, and any of the girls' books can be stacked in the bottom shelf of the coffee table. Perfect. Room complete, open, warm...I love it. Now all I need to do is find the perfect piece of art, but that can wait. We currently have a few pictures hung on one wall, a quirky guitar-guy poster framed on another, and all of our CD covers in a collage on the wall behind the TV. These things help express our love our music, so they work for us, even though some people probably think, "I would NEVER do that." But isn't someone always going to think that anyway?
The room is basically blue and red and brown and gold, and I love it.
2. The next thing I did was tidy up our "dining space," which is the same room, other half. I centered the table and cleaned it off and found a bowl that I find beautiful to work as its centerpiece. I tidied the books that we keep stacked on our exposed-brick wall (next to the table). And I hung the mirror that had been sitting on the floor in our kitchen since we moved here in July.
There is also a ledge in this space that kind of works as my office. I couldn't find another place for it, so there goes our mail, though I try to keep it in control and it sits in a beautiful little mail holder thing that I acquired years ago. Next to that is a beautiful box that my friend Kirsten gave me on my 30th birthday (full of children's art supplies), and an aloe plant that likes the sun that streams through that window most of the day. It probably doesn't fit the "simple living" book ideal, but it works for us for now. Ultimately, I cleared a LOT of junk out of this space. The table never used to be empty of papers; the ledge was packed with all sorts of junk. You get the picture.
3. Next was the kitchen, and boy, did I go crazy. I got rid of so much stuff that I never thought I'd get rid of. A whole set of dishes. A number of pots and pans. I don't even know. The following Saturday morning I had a bunch of girls over to rummage through the stuff and take whatever they wanted. The next day I took the rest to church. Thankfully, our church is hosting a free "garage sale" in the spring, so I've been able to take boxes and bags and boxes and bags to church every week for a few weeks now. I think we're up to 10. It's so nice not to have to worry about trying to sell every little thing. I suppose it would be nice to make a little bit of money here and there, but it is also very freeing to just give things away, knowing that others might actually use them. At least I hope they will.
It's a good thing I made space, because we decided to put our NEW ELLIPTICAL(!) in the kitchen. So, this really may sound like it goes against the simple living bit, but fitness is one of our priorities, and we couldn't think of a better space. We had actually a perfect space for it in the kitchen that was being used by nothing (well, a random chair that we threw things on and a mirror that I hadn't hung). I still absolutely love my kitchen; I even love having the Elliptical in it. I only needed to move the hanging pots and pans into the cabinets so that we could fit the Elliptical there. And it fits, and I love, love, love it. I have gotten a workout in every day since we got it. I finally feel HUMAN again. Okay, enough about the Elliptical.
So the kitchen is functioning well; it is full of things I use; I cleaned out the catch-all drawer and the tray that sits atop our toaster oven. I cleaned off the top of the fridge, which was a junk bin. One thing I did not do was take any pictures off our fridge. I love those pictures; I love those people; and my fridge will forever house as many pictures and cards as I can magnet onto it.
That's all for now. Getting a little long winded. Suffice it to say, I cleaned out every room in the house. There's work to be done, but I am thankful for our space.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Hello.
I'm finishing up Stephen King's newest, and it's all I can do not to go back and edit my previous two horrendous posts. I'm embarrassed that those of you who read my blog and know that I'm an editor and sometimes writer...know that I'm an editor and sometimes writer and posted those blogs.
Oh well (I say, cringing). There just isn't time.
What there IS time for is rearranging my living room/dining room area, cleaning and playing with babies. One of them is tapping a small mirror on my knee while slobbering all over herself and saying, "a duh duh duh...aaaaaaaa....*spittle spittle gurgle*...yAAAAAAA....ah yuh yuh...guh guh," you get the picture.
It's Drue.
Just kidding. Drue is napping. My napping QUEEN! She reigns on her sleepy throne! I love her.
Paigey, on the other hand, does NOT like naps. Oh, no. She does nap. I would not let her not nap. But she fights it and will never sleep as long as Drue does. Luckily, she's also really pleasant and happy to play by herself for long stretches when she's awake.
We watched "The Bear Movie" the other night (aka "Over the Hedge"), so Drue's into that these days. I'm cutting down TV time though, so we watch it in spurts (and I always skip the scary chapters, especially with her having nightmares lately, which are getting better btw). We are down to 3 hours of TV a day. That might sound like a lot of TV to some, but it is NOT. It is difficult to watch only that much TV, and mostly because I'm so super selfish with my time. I really don't mind clunking them down in front of the tube. I can get my stuff done! But lately I've been feeling less OK about it, especially as Drue is getting older and I'm realizing that she just isn't good at PLAYING.
We're a couple of weeks in, and she's already playing better! Paige loves to play, so we're good there. We're listening to more music and doing more activities together. And it's HARD, but so good. So worth it. It's a discipline for all of us.
Other things are happening, but I don't have time to write about them in detail. Let's throw a list out there. A list of VERY important things, starting with:
I'm parting my hair in the middle now.
Nobody is commenting on ANYTHING I post on Facebook, and so I'm convinced EVERYBODY has blocked me.
Being married stuff.
I am picking up Little Caesar's Pizza tonight for community group and couldn't be more excited because Little Caesar's makes me think of home (i.e., Norman, OK).
I think about writing a book again almost daily, and never start.
We're getting an Elliptical machine any day now, and that's why I just rearranged our living space. Yes, we're putting it downstairs for everyone to see.
That is all.
Oh well (I say, cringing). There just isn't time.
What there IS time for is rearranging my living room/dining room area, cleaning and playing with babies. One of them is tapping a small mirror on my knee while slobbering all over herself and saying, "a duh duh duh...aaaaaaaa....*spittle spittle gurgle*...yAAAAAAA....ah yuh yuh...guh guh," you get the picture.
It's Drue.
Just kidding. Drue is napping. My napping QUEEN! She reigns on her sleepy throne! I love her.
Paigey, on the other hand, does NOT like naps. Oh, no. She does nap. I would not let her not nap. But she fights it and will never sleep as long as Drue does. Luckily, she's also really pleasant and happy to play by herself for long stretches when she's awake.
We watched "The Bear Movie" the other night (aka "Over the Hedge"), so Drue's into that these days. I'm cutting down TV time though, so we watch it in spurts (and I always skip the scary chapters, especially with her having nightmares lately, which are getting better btw). We are down to 3 hours of TV a day. That might sound like a lot of TV to some, but it is NOT. It is difficult to watch only that much TV, and mostly because I'm so super selfish with my time. I really don't mind clunking them down in front of the tube. I can get my stuff done! But lately I've been feeling less OK about it, especially as Drue is getting older and I'm realizing that she just isn't good at PLAYING.
We're a couple of weeks in, and she's already playing better! Paige loves to play, so we're good there. We're listening to more music and doing more activities together. And it's HARD, but so good. So worth it. It's a discipline for all of us.
Other things are happening, but I don't have time to write about them in detail. Let's throw a list out there. A list of VERY important things, starting with:
I'm parting my hair in the middle now.
Nobody is commenting on ANYTHING I post on Facebook, and so I'm convinced EVERYBODY has blocked me.
Being married stuff.
I am picking up Little Caesar's Pizza tonight for community group and couldn't be more excited because Little Caesar's makes me think of home (i.e., Norman, OK).
I think about writing a book again almost daily, and never start.
We're getting an Elliptical machine any day now, and that's why I just rearranged our living space. Yes, we're putting it downstairs for everyone to see.
That is all.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Groceries and Griperies
Do you love grocery shopping? I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love it when I make it within budget, which lately is pretty much never, which is probably why I'm so frustrated and writing this post.
Making the grocery list is like putting a puzzle together. Part of me likes this, because it feels satisfying when I've made a good list. Part of me loves sitting down with my big recipe book and magazines that I haven't torn the recipes out of yet, and deciding. Most of me hates it.
Let's just gripe for a minute. At the moment (and that is very important here), I:
* am tired of thinking about how to feed four people lunches.
* am tired of stressing about the amount of produce I can buy without going over budget.
* have a (previously mentioned) huge book of recipes and still feel like I have nothing to cook.
* feel like I have no go-to recipes other than spaghetti and burritos.
* want more go-to recipes.
Okay, now let's be happy...
I am thankful I have three other mouths to feed; it's just hard sometimes, and that's probably normal.
Occasionally I get to go to the grocery store by myself or with just one baby, and even going with two can be really fun because I have two great girls.
We have a Trader Joe's reasonably nearby.
There is food in my house.
I have no right to gripe about anything, but man, let's just get it out there: yesterday was HARD. I have come down with the cold that the girls just finished having, and we had a "playdate" at 10:30, so I decided, because Monday is grocery and laundry and basically just clean all day day, that we'd go ahead and get our errands run before the playdate and just leave the groceries in the car while we were there (it was cold). Never, if you're me, plan to run three errands before a 10:30 playdate, especially on a cold and wet day when you're all in huge jackets and boots and etc.
Trader Joe's was fine.
Target (there are almost always a few things I can't find at TJ's, which is another issue) was not as fine. Starting to sweat; girls starting to get tired...
Bed, Bath and Beyond was a MISTAKE. Really sweating now, and the girl who's helping us find this alarm clock for Drue is taking FOREVER, and I can't put Paige down because what she wants isn't down (because I would have put her on any dirty floor at that point) but to EAT and NAP. This poor girl helping us; I was making it very clear that I'd appreciate it if she'd just STOP TALKING TO US AND LOOKING THIS UP ON YOUR COMPUTER. I'VE CHANGED MY MIND AND JUST WANT TO GO! My throat is also starting to hurt at this point, which is frustrating because that means I'm getting this stupid, snotty cold.
We get back into the car and buckled in (over the huge coats - that's a feat) and nobody is straight-up crying, but there is whining. "We're going to Miss Kate's house, guys. It's right around the corner. We'll eat some lunch. It'll all be good. Let's try not to whine."
I pull out my phone to text our friend and tell her we're coming. I have a text message waiting for me. "Did you get Kate's message? She can't have anyone over till 11:30. Rough night with Addy." (Addy is Kate's brand spanking new baby.)
Well, the selfish bastard in me was frustrated. My plans had been foiled. Kate...poor Kate...she was up all night with a new, screaming baby and dealing with that "all I can do is nurse and I feel like a cow" feeling, plus the zombie feeling, and I'm thinking about ME?!?! I'm such a good friend.
We drove the 15 minutes home, and it wasn't as bad as I'd made it out in my mind to probably be. Paige fell asleep. Drue became content (by the mercy of our Lord), and I prayed for Kate and repented about my ugliness. No, we wouldn't be coming back at 11:30, but that was probably best anyway, since I was coming down with a cold. We'll see Kate and her sweet, precious Addy another day. And not after running three errands.
Making the grocery list is like putting a puzzle together. Part of me likes this, because it feels satisfying when I've made a good list. Part of me loves sitting down with my big recipe book and magazines that I haven't torn the recipes out of yet, and deciding. Most of me hates it.
Let's just gripe for a minute. At the moment (and that is very important here), I:
* am tired of thinking about how to feed four people lunches.
* am tired of stressing about the amount of produce I can buy without going over budget.
* have a (previously mentioned) huge book of recipes and still feel like I have nothing to cook.
* feel like I have no go-to recipes other than spaghetti and burritos.
* want more go-to recipes.
Okay, now let's be happy...
I am thankful I have three other mouths to feed; it's just hard sometimes, and that's probably normal.
Occasionally I get to go to the grocery store by myself or with just one baby, and even going with two can be really fun because I have two great girls.
We have a Trader Joe's reasonably nearby.
There is food in my house.
I have no right to gripe about anything, but man, let's just get it out there: yesterday was HARD. I have come down with the cold that the girls just finished having, and we had a "playdate" at 10:30, so I decided, because Monday is grocery and laundry and basically just clean all day day, that we'd go ahead and get our errands run before the playdate and just leave the groceries in the car while we were there (it was cold). Never, if you're me, plan to run three errands before a 10:30 playdate, especially on a cold and wet day when you're all in huge jackets and boots and etc.
Trader Joe's was fine.
Target (there are almost always a few things I can't find at TJ's, which is another issue) was not as fine. Starting to sweat; girls starting to get tired...
Bed, Bath and Beyond was a MISTAKE. Really sweating now, and the girl who's helping us find this alarm clock for Drue is taking FOREVER, and I can't put Paige down because what she wants isn't down (because I would have put her on any dirty floor at that point) but to EAT and NAP. This poor girl helping us; I was making it very clear that I'd appreciate it if she'd just STOP TALKING TO US AND LOOKING THIS UP ON YOUR COMPUTER. I'VE CHANGED MY MIND AND JUST WANT TO GO! My throat is also starting to hurt at this point, which is frustrating because that means I'm getting this stupid, snotty cold.
We get back into the car and buckled in (over the huge coats - that's a feat) and nobody is straight-up crying, but there is whining. "We're going to Miss Kate's house, guys. It's right around the corner. We'll eat some lunch. It'll all be good. Let's try not to whine."
I pull out my phone to text our friend and tell her we're coming. I have a text message waiting for me. "Did you get Kate's message? She can't have anyone over till 11:30. Rough night with Addy." (Addy is Kate's brand spanking new baby.)
Well, the selfish bastard in me was frustrated. My plans had been foiled. Kate...poor Kate...she was up all night with a new, screaming baby and dealing with that "all I can do is nurse and I feel like a cow" feeling, plus the zombie feeling, and I'm thinking about ME?!?! I'm such a good friend.
We drove the 15 minutes home, and it wasn't as bad as I'd made it out in my mind to probably be. Paige fell asleep. Drue became content (by the mercy of our Lord), and I prayed for Kate and repented about my ugliness. No, we wouldn't be coming back at 11:30, but that was probably best anyway, since I was coming down with a cold. We'll see Kate and her sweet, precious Addy another day. And not after running three errands.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Memorization
It finally struck me the other day while driving and singing a random song from the early '00s to which I knew ALL the lyrics...that if I have this huge compartment in my brain full of song lyrics (literally thousands of songs, I would think), then my children have the capacity to memorize SO much scripture. That I had that capacity as well, and maybe still do?, but that I probably ruined it by filling my brain with noise, etc. Granted, many of the lyrics in my head are hymns, so that is good; it's not calling to mind scripture, but it's close. All to say, when we talk about how people in biblical days were able to memorizes passages of scripture (BIG passages), it's not just something to laugh at and go, Yeah, right. Because I did that. I didn't REALLY believe it. But why? I believe it now. I wish I had had a classical education, or at the least an education that utilized more memorization, and specifically memorization of scripture. Why didn't I get this until just now? OK...gotta go play in a tent with a two-year-old (who, by the way, is having a terrible time with emotions lately; more on that later).
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
May I join you in the bathroom? Why, yes! Of course!
I once read that a mom who wants alone time should utilize the bathroom. In my experience, this does not work. And it's hilarious.
This morning...
I needed to wash my head, so while Collin was downstairs ironing his work clothes, both girls happily playing around his feet, I snuck upstairs to do so: alone.
NO more than 120 seconds later, upstairs comes Drue, her new, gigantic pencil in tow.
"Mommy? Mommy! What you doing?"
"Hey, baby. I'm--"
"You washing your hair?"
"Yep."
At this point I'm kind of laughing because I realize, again, that I will not be alone between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. until I'm 40 years old - unless the girls go to school, but that's another conversation. It *feels* like I won't be alone until I'm 40; that's for sure.
"I splash it for you?"
"What?"
She makes a motion to splash the water with her hands, and I say no thank you. Then the singing begins.
"La la la...la da daaaaaah!" And chanting. "Mommy's elbow! Mommy's elbow!"
All the while she's either marching or "drawing" on my back with her gigantic pencil and then laughing. And all the while my eyes are burning because I've gotten next to no sleep, but I'm also thoroughly enjoying it because, well, who wouldn't?
This morning...
I needed to wash my head, so while Collin was downstairs ironing his work clothes, both girls happily playing around his feet, I snuck upstairs to do so: alone.
NO more than 120 seconds later, upstairs comes Drue, her new, gigantic pencil in tow.
"Mommy? Mommy! What you doing?"
"Hey, baby. I'm--"
"You washing your hair?"
"Yep."
At this point I'm kind of laughing because I realize, again, that I will not be alone between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. until I'm 40 years old - unless the girls go to school, but that's another conversation. It *feels* like I won't be alone until I'm 40; that's for sure.
"I splash it for you?"
"What?"
She makes a motion to splash the water with her hands, and I say no thank you. Then the singing begins.
"La la la...la da daaaaaah!" And chanting. "Mommy's elbow! Mommy's elbow!"
All the while she's either marching or "drawing" on my back with her gigantic pencil and then laughing. And all the while my eyes are burning because I've gotten next to no sleep, but I'm also thoroughly enjoying it because, well, who wouldn't?
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Hungry
Instead of visiting Pinterest for the tenth time today, I figured it’s time to write about The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, since I just finished it and since the movie trailer recently premiered online. Suzanne Collins remains a mystery to me. Her picture does not grace the covers of her books, and I’ve not looked it up online because, really, I’m afraid if I see her face I’ll like the books less. (This happened with the Twilight series.)
Collins’ post-apocalyptic America is fairly imaginative. Torn into districts of people who are basically slaves to the Capitol and whose children run the risk of being drawn into the Hunger Games each year, Panem is a place I don’t want to visit but am curious enough about. The first book in the series is compelling, setting up this world, this crazy idea that captures the reader’s interest right away because, let’s face it, we all like some gruesome (read: Stephen King’s Danse Macabre). So, we’re in. Collins knows the story-writing tricks, her obsession with food description is right in line with the culture’s foodie, gastro-pub obsession, our heroes have a fair amount of depth, her Capitol characters are a good amount of colorful. It’s a good read: for the most part.
The things that get me where it hurts are the love interest, which, now that I’m rethinking this, I might not even be able to criticize because, who is our target audience? Teens. And what do teens love? Love. But there’s that, and then there’s the heroine Katniss Everdeen’s cluelessness. I don’t know whether Collins assumes the reader will know what’s going to happen before Katniss does all the time, but we do. And that’s not good writing technique. If there is to be mystery, and there is because there is suspense, it must remain mystery. We must find out with the hero.
The second and third books start at a snail’s pace. The second because of a load of exposition that the reader could definitely do without. The third because we simply don’t care and we want to get to the action. But this happens in many a good book, so I’ll let that one slide as well. What I won’t forgive is the absolutely unnecessary epilogue. People have debated epilogues since the epilogue existed. I take comfort in knowing that I’m of the humble yet accurate opinion that epilogues are almost always the wrong choice.
So, go ahead and buy The Hunger Games on your Kindle, but don’t go out and buy the hardbacks. Expect some suspense coupled with some unfortunately obvious “twists,” a couple of characters you might like enough to follow through to the end, a love story that might remind you of your teen years, and a world that might soon be to come.
Collins’ post-apocalyptic America is fairly imaginative. Torn into districts of people who are basically slaves to the Capitol and whose children run the risk of being drawn into the Hunger Games each year, Panem is a place I don’t want to visit but am curious enough about. The first book in the series is compelling, setting up this world, this crazy idea that captures the reader’s interest right away because, let’s face it, we all like some gruesome (read: Stephen King’s Danse Macabre). So, we’re in. Collins knows the story-writing tricks, her obsession with food description is right in line with the culture’s foodie, gastro-pub obsession, our heroes have a fair amount of depth, her Capitol characters are a good amount of colorful. It’s a good read: for the most part.
The things that get me where it hurts are the love interest, which, now that I’m rethinking this, I might not even be able to criticize because, who is our target audience? Teens. And what do teens love? Love. But there’s that, and then there’s the heroine Katniss Everdeen’s cluelessness. I don’t know whether Collins assumes the reader will know what’s going to happen before Katniss does all the time, but we do. And that’s not good writing technique. If there is to be mystery, and there is because there is suspense, it must remain mystery. We must find out with the hero.
The second and third books start at a snail’s pace. The second because of a load of exposition that the reader could definitely do without. The third because we simply don’t care and we want to get to the action. But this happens in many a good book, so I’ll let that one slide as well. What I won’t forgive is the absolutely unnecessary epilogue. People have debated epilogues since the epilogue existed. I take comfort in knowing that I’m of the humble yet accurate opinion that epilogues are almost always the wrong choice.
So, go ahead and buy The Hunger Games on your Kindle, but don’t go out and buy the hardbacks. Expect some suspense coupled with some unfortunately obvious “twists,” a couple of characters you might like enough to follow through to the end, a love story that might remind you of your teen years, and a world that might soon be to come.
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