Cure for Grumpiness: La Madeleine and Groucho Marx

Monday was, as always, grocery day and by the time Braelyn and I made it to the store, it had already been a long day. Luckily, she's a pretty good shopper, so the trip itself wasn't bad, but the hours previous to that had been a little trying. Anyways, so I'm pushin' my cart around in little ol' HEB in Brenham and I see this...
Oh happy jar! It was the perfect, most unexpected little treasure...just what I needed. I literally laughed out loud and was practically hugging the jar. I'm sure people were questioning my mental health. I didn't care...I just found 5000 calories worth of happiness.

Then today, Braelyn got up at 5:15!!! Not a promising start to our day. Sure enough, nothing I did could make this girl happy, and I was too tired to try very hard. I was feeling grumpy at her and grumpy at myself and just grumpy all around. And then, this walks in...
How could I stay grumpy?
Ah...Thank you, Lord, for the little things! You know just what a mama needs!

Takin' Up Space in My Noggin

1. I really must make sure that every one knows that I do NOT think you are evil if Santa comes 'round your house at Christmas time!...no matter how many Santa figurines you have! ;)

2. Braelyn has already started asking me, "Why?"!!!!! Can you believe this?! Saturday night, as I was rocking her before bed, we had a little conversation like this:
Me: Braelyn, it's time for ni-night.
B: Why?
I giggle in astonishment.
Braelyn giggles, quite delighted with herself.
Me: Because it's time for bed.
B: Why?
Again with the giggling.
Me, trying not to giggle: Braelyn, it's time to close your eyes, and get quiet. It's time for ni-night.
B: Why?
More giggling, but really needing to pull it together, because it truly is time for bed, and I have guests over.
Me: OK. Um...because I said so.
I really wanted to avoid ever saying that, but in the onslaught of why's, there's nothing else!
She finally surrendered, but man...was not prepared for that!

3. Casey, Braelyn and I are spending this weekend in San Antonio to watch my brother play baseball. I'm super excited, however, he may not even get play since he was hit in the hand twice this past weekend and it may be broken. We'll still go even if he can't play, but that sorta stinks for him. Sorry Bubba!

4. I am inspired by this friend and this friend to get out in my yard. We have a good start in our front yard, but it needs to be cleaned up. Some plants need to be replaced and I would like to spruce it up with some cute planters...like, with actual flowers in them, and maybe some fun accessories. The only things is...if I put all this time and money into my landscaping and patio, is everything going to die in a few months and then in 12 months will I have to do it all over again? I think I would need a little more inspiration if that is the case. And our back yard...that's just a whole different story! :|

5. I got Sacred Parenting today! I think the premise of this book is that it's not so much a "how-to" discipline, teach, etc., but it talks about how "God uses our kids to change us" as parents. Here's a little blurb from the cover:

"Parenting is a school for spiritual formation -
and our children are our teachers. The journey of caring for, rearing, training, and loving our children will profoundly alter us forever."

I'm super excited about reading this and the blog discussion. For those of you who are joining me, I think I'll start reading this weekend and then do a post over chapters 1 & 2 on Friday, May 2nd. We can take that whole next week to comment/discuss and I'll post about the next couple of chapters the next Friday (May 9th). If you're interested, please join us, and even if you're not going to be going through the book, you can still join the discussion! Please do!

6. I've been trying some new recipes again. I was kinda out of the cooking mood for a while, but it's returning. I'll let you know if I find anything fabulous.

7. I saw Dan in Real Life this weekend with some cool new friends. It was very good. I recommend it! I just love Steve Carell!

8. That reminds me...THE OFFICE! I think I might die of happiness the day Jim and Pam get engaged!

9. The college kids that have been coming to our church are about to go home for the summer. I am super sad about this! They add so much to our little community, and I love how they're always over at our house. I don't know what I will do for those three long months. Plus, literally half of our congregation will be gone. Bummer...we we're starting to look like a real crowd.

10. My goals for the week:
~ Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier
~ Finish David Copperfield

Have a good one!

Oooh! Thought of another one...
11. WHY DOES THE SPACING CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE OF A POST! THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY! DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING? BRRRRGH.

As Promised...The Santa Post

I finished Treasuring God in Our Traditions today, but my mind is still busily processing. I feel like I have a general idea about how the Piper's used "everyday" routines and "especially" traditions to teach their children about Christ, but now I need to go back through the chapters, consider the rhythms and habits and traditions of my own family and make sure that God is the focus and the reason for them. That's quite a task.

Since I talked a little bit about the "everyday" traditions in this previous post, I'll share what I learned about "especially" traditions in this post, or rather, I'll share what I am currently digesting in my heart and mind.

To begin her discussion of special days and holidays , she said this:

"God Himself appointed special days, such as Passover, for His people and gave them ceremonies to set those days off from the others."

and this:

"The ceremony of a special day keeps it from slipping away like any ordinary day."

and this:

"Our 'especially' traditions anchor us and our children in the harbor of our family, reflecting our true refuge - God. The way we observe these occasions - the focus of our observation - has great potential to show our children what we think is most important and to help them value what we hold most dear."

In short, these days, their traditions and the preparation of them are opportune moments in our year to remind us and our children what God has done, moments to worship Him. And so, Mrs. Piper suggests that as we create the culture of our homes, let us strategically create traditions that accomplish that goal.

Alright...so about Christmas and Easter and magical holiday creatures...here we go. This is the reason I started reading this book after all. (It has been so much more though!)

After reading the previous 75 pages, I wasn't at all surprised when I came to the Christmas and Easter chapters and read that her family does not incorporate Santa Claus or the Easter bunny into their holiday celebrations. Everything they do is very intentional and purposeful and drenched in Scripture...it is all pointing to God and His Story.

Noel addresses the issue of Santa Claus specifically, and very clearly articulates the struggle I feel in my heart year after year. While Santa may be a good, jolly character, his economy, make-believe as it may be, is the complete opposite of the economy of God. Santa's economy is based on behavior, God's economy is based on His grace and mercy and has nothing to do with our behavior.
But they're both good and we should believe in them both?
Is that not confusing?
Do we, as humans not have enough trouble trusting that God does not love us based on our works?

The rest of my frustration falls under the fact that the Santa story and all that goes with it is horribly distracting from The Point. I'm not going to go to Suzy's birthday party and sing about Amy. Why is it acceptable to sing about and celebrate someone else when it is the birth of the Christ that we are celebrating? Is His story not fabulous enough that we have to supplement the holiday with tiny elves and red-nosed reindeer? I've heard people say before that it's fun for the children to make-believe and it's a magical time. Well, the Christmas story may not be make-believe, but it is certainly magical and mysterious and interesting and beautiful and it changes lives forever. Santa never did that.

Now, despite the fact that I have pretty strong convictions on this subject, I confess that in the midst of the holidays, I am less resolute. Partly because Casey and I haven't really had to face the Santa Claus issue with Braelyn yet and have still been solidifying our thoughts. But also, because I don't want to be the "Scrooge" or the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas,"...I know that's what people think! And then there's the question about if my kid tells all the other kids the truth about Santa...like that "sin" single-handedly robs the children of their childhood and innocence...is anybody else catching the irony of all this? It seems so ridiculous, but the pressure to be a Santa supporter is so strong. I wonder if there is such a pressure, even amongst Christians, to worship Christ in this season?

I haven't worked this all out in my mind yet, remember, I am still processing! But I think at this point, I would feel uncomfortable making Santa Claus or the Easter bunny part of our family traditions. I am not going to wear t-shirts about it or put bumper stickers on my car, or even evangelize against Santa, but I just can't tell my daughter that Christ is the greatest, most satisfying, most enjoyable Person she'll ever know and then on the holidays that remind us of the things that He has done, bring in some other character. I just can't.

So what do we do? Noel offers some beautiful suggestions for making Christ the King of all of our celebrations. I strongly recommend that you read her book for yourself. Not only will you get ideas from her, but as you're reading, you'll find yourself thinking creatively about implementing your own God-centered traditions. I would love to share some of the ideas I've been thinking about, but I think I'll do that another day, or perhaps, around that particular holiday. In turn, I would love to hear some of the special things that you do in your family. The conversation's not over :).

For now, I'll close with these quotes:

"My goal is that we evaluate our traditions. It's not enough to do things just because that's the way we've always done them. We must think about our traditions. If an activity or custom says what we mean about God and our relationship with Him, we keep it. Some we'll want to change and some we'll want to set aside to make place for something new."

and:

"May the ceremonies of our homes be true ceremony-
from Him,
because of Him,
pointing towards Him,
honoring Him,
thanking Him."

It Takes a Village...

As I continue to read my book and after the comments that were left on my last post, I am just so excited about the topic of creating Christ-centered homes and continuing to discuss it via the blog.

1. God gives us the gift of community and charges us to use it. The subjects of our marriages and our children are just too important to scramble our way through on our own. The Christian life is hard. It is to our advantage and to God's glory that we encourage one another towards Him.

2. Just knowing that there were other women out there, praying, struggling, and reading over the same things I am, has been a great encouragement to me. And knowing that there are other women wanting to have these sorts of conversations, I am compelled to have these things on my mind, rather than the normal nonsense that rolls around in my brain.

So, if I may, I am going to continue this dialogue by posting the books that were recommended. All of them sound amazing! I can't wait to read them. (Have I mentioned that I love books?!!!)

For parents (and future parents!) :


For the kiddos:

This Big Picture Story Bible is one that we have. Casey heard Piper recommend this one. I really like it, but even though there's not too much writing on one page, it's still a little much for Braelyn. She gets antsy before I can finish reading. But still...it's good.

I think that the following are music CD's that help kids memorize Scripture:
(I may get this for myself! :)

This one is done by Willow Creek. I believe it's another Scripture memory resource.

I think for my "May" book I'm going to read Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Casey and I read Sacred Marriage and it was excellent (we highly recommend it), and I've heard good things about this one as well. I was thinking that if anybody wanted to join me, it would be fun to have a little book club right here on the blog. We could just take it slow...like one chapter a week, and throughout the week people could comment on the chapter. Please let me know if you're interested. (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE KIDS TO READ THIS!) If not, no biggie...I'll still read it and let you know what Gary had to say. :)

Blessings~

Noel and I Have a Heart to Heart

When Braelyn came into our lives, I remember getting the wind knocked out of me by a few powerful realizations:

1. I love this little girl in a way that I've never loved anyone before.
2. The deepest desire of my heart is that Braelyn comes to know and love Jesus.
3. As her parents, everything we say and do will teach her something about God.

Never have I felt my inadequacy so profoundly, never have I been so humbled, never have I been so honestly dependent on my Teacher, My Counselor, My Father.

Casey and I had been walking with the Lord for quite some time before we had Braelyn, but there's something about having a child that ignited in us a sense of urgent intentionality to make God's presence unmistakable in our home. Granted, we had spent a lot of time praying and preparing to be parents, but never could we have grasped the weight of the task. For me, it took holding that new life in my arms, the life that the Almighty had entrusted to me.

While Casey and I have been mindful and prayerful about our job as parents, there has been some level of uncertainty. Are we doing enough? Are the things we are saying and doing giving Braelyn an accurate picture of Christ? Will Braelyn grow up knowing that Christ is the King of our lives and our home? As you may know, I am reading Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper, and she has done an amazing job of addressing these issues and casting a vision for what a Christ-centered home can look like. What has been most encouraging to me so far, is how she urges parents to use the daily routines of our life to focus our attention on God.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which The Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.

Noel has been so helpful in giving the most precious examples from her life, both as a child and as a parent. A few of them include:

~ Family Bible Time: Her family would gather together to read a passage of Scripture (I believe they just read through the Bible), her father may have pointed out something to consider and talk about and then they would pray together.

~ Teaching your child to have a quiet time with God: After breakfast her daughter will read from her story Bible and then spend time in prayer. She also mentioned that before her kids could read they would listen to the Bible stories on CD.

~ Training your children to sit through worship service together: She began this when her children would turn 3. I instantly put my nose up at this suggestion, but this quote caught my attention:

"Mom's and Dad's worship is pretty distracted for a while. But that's what parents do: We live a less-than-ideal (by some standards) life for a few years so we can bring our children up to be adults with us."

What has been heavy on my heart is that I don't want Braelyn to be 16 years old when we finally stop and think, "Gosh, we really need to get serious about teaching her about God and His Word." I think it's important to have a plan, to think through how you are going to train your child up in the faith, otherwise, those crucial disciplines and traditions get pushed aside and choked out by more worldly demands.

Casey and I are doing our best how to train Braelyn up in the faith. We have our little routines in place. We pray at meals time (most of the time), we pray with her before bed, and I have just recently started reading to her from The Rhyme Bible. (I LOVE this story Bible. The stories are told in short poems...perfect for squirmy toddlers!) However, we are eager to continue learning.

I would love to have a little online discussion about these things. If there's a daily routine or tradition that has been a blessing to your family, please share. Especially regarding family worship time. This is something that I feel is important, but honestly, it seems sort of awkward in my mind. If you have a daily worship time with your family, I would love to know what that looks like. Also, please share any books, resources, children's books, etc. that you have found helpful. I am still reading this book, and I'm sure I'll continue to share what I'm learning.

I've Been Waiting for this Day Since Braelyn was in the Womb

Family Day at the Zoo!!!
Since Casey was working last weekend and missed out on all our "big" fun, he took the day off today and we took our first family trip to the Houston Zoo. I was seriously excited about this. I LOVE the zoo and I have been waiting and waiting for the day when Braelyn was old enough to go and could recognize some of the animals. Today was that day and we couldn't have picked a better one. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, the animals were out and about and Braelyn had a great time seeing for the first time what she's only seen in books. It was a wonderful day.

(I realize that I've been posting a ton of pictures of Braelyn having so much fun, and after a while that can get sort of nauseating, but I just have to post some of my favorite pictures from today. After this I promise not to post any more pictures of her, nor will I let her have any more fun! Ok, maybe I don't promise, but I'll really try to keep the pictures to a minimum from now on. :)

Alright, here we go:
1. What parent can resist this photo opp?
2. Piggy-back

3. The funniest goat I ever met. Look at his teeth!

4. The Cease's...havin' some good ol' fashion family fun.

5. 5 minutes into the drive home:

Braelyn and Mommy's Big Day: Part 2

Well, I'm glad to say that the "big" part of our day is done. We are two tired girls!

Part 2 of our day, the Brenhamite birthday party, was another great event. My friend Cheryl, that I've gotten to know from the library story time, had a water party for her 4 year old son. They filled up the kiddie pool, pulled out the crazy sprinkler and topped it off with some water balloons. Braelyn, pretty much had nothing to do with any of the water activities, but she still looked super cute in her bathing suit and sun hat.

I did get some better pictures, although I felt like a weirdo taking pictures of my own kid at another kid's birthday party. Oh well, if they had a blog, they'd do it too. :)

I'm pretty sure Braelyn is thinking, "Mom, you should know that kiddie pools are not safe for children, and please stop taking my picture at another kid's birthday party, you look like a weirdo!"

Braelyn made a friend. I think this picture is so sweet and I love how Braelyn's hat is (singing while typing) "strategically dipped below one eye."

Braelyn eating a raw zucchini slice. The girl won't eat a cooked vegetable to save her life...who knew?Braelyn decided that it should have been a swing party, not a swim party.

It's 7:15. Braelyn's in bed, although she is talking to herself, once again...(shouting while typing) WHY WON'T SHE SLEEP?!...and this tired, sunburned momma is gonna get her jammies on, get in bed and read her book. It's been a long day!