Finding Balm in Gilead

Did George Orwell own a slingshot?

My husband is addicted. He is bent on cracking every level ever created in the Angry Birds game app on his I-phone. I thought he was done when last week he announced that he had finally done it - cracked every level - but then.....come to find out, it's neverending.

Furthermore, there's holiday-themed angry birds, too. Did you that there were about a jillion downloads of angry birds on Christmas Day?

I'd say that's fairly indicative of the family dynamics going on in our world today.

The addiction has not gone unnoticed by my four year-old son, who also likes to play a round or thirty of angry birds on Daddy's phone. At least I can monitor and control this little boy's game playing.....but as for the big boy, I'm at a loss.

And to add insult to injury, the kids and I were shopping in Target last week, and DID YOU KNOW that there are angry bird pillow pet-type stuffed animals for sale? Are you kidding me?

And if that's not enough, we were driving down a street in Amarillo THAT SAME DAY when we passed a costume shop and can you guess what was hanging in the window?

Angry Bird costumes, my friends.

Back in my teaching days, I taught a book written in 1948 by George Orwell titled Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was essentially his theory on what the world will look like in 1984...totalitarian government, thought police, and a society based on propaganda and rewritten history from the government. The slogan of the world, and basically the theme of the book, was "Big Brother is watching you."

I've thought often in recent years that our society has, in fact, become somewhat like this world George Orwell put forth in that book written so long ago. With this new digital age that we live in with our tv's, computers, and I-phones, it does seem that there are overtones of "Big Brother" in huge ways.

I'm just sayin'.

But never, EVER did I think that a game app of blinking birds soaring through the air with destruction on their mind would infiltrate and single-handedly cause the hiatus of anything productive in the time management category, not to mention the decline of human communication and critical thinking as we know it. Even the world wide web is no match for an angry bird.

FOR INSTANCE.....

Internet surfing - yes this is a time stealer and definitely takes away from that personal communication theme, though some of my best research, creative ideas and shopping coux's come this way - without the help of a half-hearted clerk.

Facebook - a massive time waster concerning some of life's most trivial issues(for the most part). And yet it reels you in by the notion that you might miss out on some important information about a past acquaintance, like (for instance) the fact that they just washed their hair....

Texting - Though devoid of correct grammar usage and collectively aiding in the extinction of a properly composed sentence, the nature of a text's brevity still helps navigate those conversations that we don't have time to have BECAUSE.........

We're busy playing Angry Birds on the I-phone.

George Orwell thought that Big Brother and the thought police would be the overlying cause of the demise of society, but what he didn't know at that time was that his Big Brother concept...

is really just an Angry Bird.

Who needs the thought police when you have a bird and a slingshot to occupy your time?

Now excuse me, I hear there is a valentine exploding hearts edition of Angry Birds that I need to check out.

Well-played, Big Brother, well-played.

Experiencing the drought of … wait.

I always make a point to read Vicky Courtney's "Virtue Alerts" when they appear in my inbox email. She has a pulse on the culture of kids today, and her wisdom and Biblical teaching on how to talk to your kids about all that society tries to tempt them with is truly invaluable information for a mama - no matter what age her kids.

Today, in addition to a post about some heartbreaking incidents in the world of sexting and teens(also a must-read), she wrote about an article she came across in a vintage magazine from 1894. In this article, the writer talks about waiting for the surplus of income to buy that new home....and Vicky applies this bit of wisdom to whatever "drought of waiting" we are in and why God calls us to wait sometimes.

This is especially timely for me for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that sometimes feeling I get when it seems like we are growing too big for our house,... and furthermore, the fact that I believe we "need" new furniture in some rooms, ...and also that recurring wish that the book that I know is in my head somewhere would just go on ahead and publish itself.

And God has called me to wait...because, as Vicky so aptly says, sometimes the surplus is in just that - the wait.

Meanwhile, a little decluttering would probably create more than enough of the space I think we need, our present furniture is just fine and quite sturdy for now, and that book will come once I figure out just what in the sam hill I'm going to write about.

Read and enjoy....blessings to all.

Experiencing the drought of … wait..

Cherry Pickin' and Other News

Well hello.

We had our annual cherry picking day last weekend, and while we were all a little on the puny side, that didn't keep us from gathering LOADS of cherries.

 
 

 

I've made four cherry cobblers so far.

The first two were gobbled up on Saturday evening as we had guests for dinner.

The third was nearly gobbled by my husband, who was saddened to learn that the cobbler in the oven was bubbling for our neighbor, who is the owner of the cherry tree.

So I felt sorry for my husband and baked him one too. And then I ate half of it.

In other news, I ran across this story the other day and saved it to the blog. I'm not sure if the link still works, but I thought it was an interesting thought - one worth considering - on the reason for all the disasters here lately. Plus, I was glad to learn a little something about Israel's prime minister, since I really avoid watching the news altogether these days.

Real leader of free world? Can you say 'Bibi'? #OneNewsNow.

What do you think?

Finally, I am so excited about our Father's Day cards this year. I made them on Tiny Prints after seeing a tip about them on www.themcclenahans.blogspot.com, and so I investigated. The results are fun and I had a great time rediscovering some old pictures stored on my computer. Which brings me to this statement....

Remember to back up your pictures. That's what I will be doing this weekend.

Happy Father's Day!

Thought Provoking

We're back from the Hill Country after a very nice visit with my dad.....and I forgot to take pictures. However, it was wonderful getting out of town for a bit, and just hanging out in a completely different place. I can tell you this - I really do appreciate my little small town after being in the big city for five days and dealing with all the PEOPLE and TRAFFIC.

Anyway, I was in Austin when the big news came on TV about Osama Bin Laden's death. My dad and I were watching the news and stayed up an extra hour trying to find out all about it. Really, it sparked much discussion between us and other family members, and I know it sparked much discussion for you too. Anyway, I came across this post via the Lots of Scotts blog, and I thought it was very interesting and thought provoking. I really like what this guy had to say in regard to Osama's death and how we as Christians view it. And I have to agree, while I am glad for the end resolution to this saga of evil that Osama has wrought, it seems a bit odd to "celebrate with screaming and 'na na na na' chanting". His death, in my opinion, is more of a sobering thing rather than a go crazy and party kind of thing. Of course, I might feel differently if I had a loved one lost in 9/11.

Anyway, I would welcome any comments you might have in response to this post. It is thought-provoking at the very least.

God bless you and yours on this Mother's Day weekend.

 

Balanced Parenting

In addition to the Bible itself, I've scoured the bookshelves for any extra tidbits of thoughtful and godly advice in helping raise these two little sweethearts of mine. Of course, all of James Dobson's books receive five stars from me, especially The Strong-Willed Child and Bringing Up Boys, and I love Kevin Leman's no-nonsense but humorous approach in How to Have a New Kid by Friday. (Leman has written some other fantastic stuff about marriage, too. Sheet Music, anyone?)

For my girl, I have found Vicki Courtney's Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter a must-read, dogear it, go back and highlight, every mom must read this now, book. Granted, some of the material will apply to Gracie when she is a little bit older, but Y'ALL......we with girls know that the toddler years are huge in laying the foundation for the choices she will make later in regards to boys, beauty, and character.

The toddler years are huge for boys too.

Toddler years = pre-prep for teenage years = Whoa, Nellie.

Ok. I subscribe to Vicki Courtney's blog updates, which are invaluable in keeping me informed from a Biblical, Christian standpoint on the cultural issues going on in the world as it pertains to my girl growing up. She also highlights pertinent issues facing boys, too, and she always writes about parenting in general.

So. I received an email update on Friday (January 21) alerting me to her newest post: Tiger Moms vs.Soccer Moms. Y'all. This post is so interesting. It made me stop and review my beliefs as a parent and how those beliefs flush out in my relationships with the kids.

Vicki analyzes the "parent-centric" versus the "kid-centric" styles of parenting as a direct response to a new book written by Amy Chua - who supports the strict, regimented, you-have-no-life-under-my-roof Chinese model of parenting.

I can tell you right now: I don't agree with the Chinese model, NO SIREE.

But Vicki's comments made me wonder if I've been more "kid-centric" in my parenting than I should.

Ultimately, I want to be completely and totally, as Vicki says, "God-centric" in all things parent related.

Go check this post out....and if you're feeling particularly crazy, come back and leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Tiger Moms vs. Soccer Moms.

Tiger Moms vs. Soccer Moms

My Girl and Her Compassionate Brother

On Tuesdays, Gracie goes to gymnastics for an hour in the afternoon. As this is her first year to attend, she looks forward to every lesson and can't wait to show us what she learned that day. Furthermore, she LOURVES her pink leotard, so much so that I cannot get her to wear the other one that I have on standby because it's "just not as cute" as her pink, bejeweled ensemble.

So we wear the pink one. And it's starting to pill all over the front and we've only had three gymnastics lessons.....which tells you the quality of the material. It bugs me.

Anyway, we always make sure we go potty before heading to gymnastics because 1) all that jumping around requires an empty bladder and 2) that leotard is a booger to get off in a hurry if you have to "GO".

So yesterday was no different. I dropped Gracie off attired in her pink, pilled number and the assurance that she would have a great time, empty bladder and all. In fact - get this - her teacher asked me as I dropped her off if Gracie was always so QUIET. I said, "REALLLYYYY??????" And her teacher responded, "Oh Yes! She is always so quiet and attentive and never really says much to anyone....And she is doing very well."

I left the building smiling with pride for my daughter, who I know is relishing every minute of this thing called gymnastics - so much so that she is deeply concentrating with each lesson. Then Cash and I took off for the grocery store for the hour before heading back to pick up Gracie.

Imagine my surprise when thirty minutes later (while deep in the recesses of the baking aisle) I got a call from the gymnastics teacher,"Amy....Gracie is not doing well."

What?

"OK," I answered. "What's wrong?"

"Well, she's had a potty accident and she is just DESTROYED by it and will not rejoin the class even though we've cleaned up and changed her leotard.....She needs you."

My heart broke. My girl, my lover of life and all things social, was embarrassed and crushed. I told her teacher I would be right there and proceeded to head for the quickest checkout lane.....which turned out NOT to be the quickest....but that's not the point.

When I arrived at the gym, Gracie was standing over to the side bawling. Oh my word, my heart. I scooped her up and we went into the dressing room to get her shoes where she told me between trembling breaths, "Mommmyyyy. I didn't make it to the baaaattthhhhroooooom and I tee-teeeeedddd in my paannnnntts."

How I love this girl. Prior to becoming a parent, I had no idea how intensely I would love my children AND how intensely I would also share their hurts and tears with them.

(As a side note, Gracie was wearing a spare blue leotard that her teacher had on hand......and can I just say that even in her tears, Gracie has never looked more beautiful? I can't help but think that this must be the way God looks at us......that even in our hurts and tears and mishaps and sins, He still looks at us as His beautiful creation.)

I gathered her up and carried her out to the car. While she was very upset, her dry-heaving did not keep her from forgetting that they always get a piece of candy at the end of their lesson, so.......in order not to further her hysteria, I headed back in the gym sheepishly to grab her a piece of candy from the basket by the door. Perhaps the candy would calm her down.

As we got in the car, Gracie crying and trembling, the look on Cash's face was so sweet. "Gwacie! Whas wong???"

"Gwacie" proceeded to wail even louder. "I TEEEE-TEEEEEED CASSSHHH. IN MY PAAANNNTTTS!"

The candy had not helped the situation.

As we drove away from the gym, Cash sat in concerned silence as Gracie sniffled and caught her breath. I began to tell the kids stories of all the times in my life that I had potty accidents (and there have been more than I care to admit)....particularly one horrendous experience when I was about six and also at gymnastics class. This interested both the kids. "Mommy, YOU tee-teed in your pants?" said Gracie.

I responded, " Yes, darlin. See... it's happened to everyone at one time or another."

"Has Daddy ever tee-teed in his pants?" Cash asked curiously.

"I'm sure he has too," I said, speaking cautiously for my husband, who probably has his own interesting tale.

"Tell that story again, Mama, about you tee-teeing." she said.

"Yeah!" chuckled Cash."Tell 'at agin!"

My past humiliations seem to encourage them. I DO WHAT I CAN.

So, as I told my own potty story again, I watched Cash in the rear-view mirror as he sat and listened thoughtfully. We returned to the grocery store because in our rush to leave, we forgot to turn in our Huckle and Lowly movie to the kiosk standing right outside the store. When we pulled into the parking lot, Gracie announced she would just stay in the car because, as she forlornly intimated to me, she was still pretty upset.

Cash, however, wanted to go with me. As I unbuckled him from his car seat, he finally opened up with his thoughts on the whole tee-tee incident. With a matter-of-fact voice, he chimed in on my "everybody's had an accident" storytelling:

"Yeahhhh,"he said, nodding his head, "I sometimes tee-tee and poo-poo in my pants, too, at Ms. LuAnn's."

Oh the smart-alec thoughts running through my head at this moment regarding my rebellious potty-trainer of a boy who seems to not be bothered by his backtracked status at this point.

"Really?" I said, trying not to laugh, "And what does Ms. LuAnn say when you tee-tee and poo-poo in your pants?"

He thought for a moment.

"She say," and he let out a dramatic sigh, "......Don't."

Gracie just looked at him.

With that, he bounded out of the car, the face of Buzz Lightyear on his pull-up peeking out the back of his jeans.

Oh, my heart.

Cell-less lives

Do you remember when we didn't have cell phones following us to the grocery store..bank..gas station..church?

Do you remember actually calling someone at home only to listen to the phone ring and ring with no answering machine to pick up the call? And then you would just have to wait a while and call back later?

Do you remember when you couldn't screen your calls with caller- id? Or someone couldn't screen you?

Do you remember when you could have an actual conversation with someone in person over lunch or coffee or WHATEVER, and not have one or both of your cell phones go off with a ring, a ding, or like my husband's phone, a jarring foghorn sound??

Do you remember the painstaking task of trying to spell and write coherently and correctly before the advent of email and texting?

Those were the days.

And even though I myself fall into this category of  "I HEART MY CELL PHONE", I ran across this article on Yahoo this morning and thought it was worthy of sharing:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110267/strongest-job-markets?mod=career-leadership

It seems that there are some pretty important people out there who do not carry cell phones.

And their lives are richer because of it..... no pun intended.

We've Been Gone

Checking in before this glorious Independence Day weekend to say that the Balm in Gilead house has been gone on a quick vacation. I'll be back on Monday with pics and anecdotes, but for now - here's a preview of what we've been doing:

Oh, the life with two little ones. You can't imagine how this much this sight excited them.

Have a wonderful weekend celebrating our great nation.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themseles, and PRAY, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."    2 Chronicles 7:14 

Buried Treasure

I came across this article on Yahoo this morning:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100520/ap_on_re_us/us_plum_island_sale

I really have no comment except to say that this totally peaks my curiosity about WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED ON THIS HERE ISLAND....I suppose I would be one of those "idiots" mentioned in the article that speculates on all the secretive government covert operations that were performed under the guise that the island is an animal disease research facility.

But this is to be expected from me, since I have long perpetuated the theory that the brick wall bordering one side of my backyard was built by someone from the early 20th century who needed a place to bury their moonshine still from Prohibition.....or perhaps someone from the Great Depression socked away an envelope of money between the bricks and mortar.....or perhaps there is a tin box full of old letters and pictures from WWII.

Or maybe it's just a brick wall.

At any rate, my imagination ran away with me the other day as I was planting some flower bulbs around one blank corner of the wall. I even commented to my kids as they "helped" me that we might find some buried treasure as we dug through all the dad-gum bindweed.

Oh, that got their little shovels digging.

But alas, it is still just a brick wall.

With all sorts of possibilities.

Some Thoughts

Hi.

I'm not sure what I've all I've done, but the week has been a blur.

Nevertheless, a few thoughts:

 - Today is the National Day of Prayer. Be in prayer today for our country, our president , our congressional leaders, our courts, and our military. They need it. Despite all of our issues in America, we are still a nation originally founded upon God, and we are privileged to still be free.

 - On a lighter note, I have a new sectional couch in a beautiful chocolate color ordered and on it's way in about 6-8 weeks. Ironically, I have become a bit sentimental about the Bedsprings, and I'm wishing we had a basement where it could be banished and yet stay with us forever. Crazy, I know.

 - Our rose bushes are blooming. Glory Hallelujah, spring is here to stay. Of course, according to my realistic J, these particular bushes only bloom for a few weeks and then are ugly the rest of the year. Oh, we could draw some spiritual allusions out of that comment. But for now, glory hallelujah, the roses are blooming amid the thorns.

 - The kids and I took a tour of the unusually lush northern parts of the Texas Panhandle yesterday when we delivered a part to one of J's customers in Sunray. Since we were in the area, we stopped over in Dumas to grab Sherwin Williams paint samples FOR THE DEN, and then stopped at WallyWorld. Big mistake since they were rearranging the grocery aisles. Funnily enough, Walmart has oodles of employees to stock the aisles and yet they apparently have a shortage of checkers in their 15+ check-out lanes. 

 - Though I have issues with Oprah and her influence, I did happen to catch her interview with Laura Bush on Tuesday, and oh my word, Mrs. Bush is a classy gal. She was promoting her memoir, Spoken From the Heart, and her daughters joined her for the latter part of the interview. Say what you want, but I miss the Bush family. Yesterday, when I was trasping all over kingdom come, I picked up Mrs. Bush's book at Walmart and stayed up till midnight reading last night. It's good y'all. Very interesting.

 - And since I am in the mood to read, I also picked up Joyce Meyer's new book Eat the Cookie, Buy the Shoes. This is going to be my new motto for life.

 - And because Joyce Meyer's new book has celebration themes in it, I think it is high time for a celebration day in the middle of the week. Celebrate the past, present, and future answered prayers with me next Wednesday, May 12th.

Life is good, people.