Wednesday Hodge Podge ~ Mardi Gras Style

It is Wednesday Hodge Podge time again!  The time when we all link up with Joyce, who comes up with some interesting questions for us all to answer. 

1. The season of Lent begins on March 9th this year...do you participate and if so, in what way?
I do participate in Lenten activities.  I attended Ash Wednesday service tonight with Hubby and the kiddos.  This is the first time we have taken the kids to this service.  We talked ahead of time about what Pastor would be talking about and what they would see and do.  This was the first time the kids had taken communion and at the end of the service Princess chose to get ashes on her forehead while Prince just said a polite no thank you to Pastor.  We talked to them about why Jesus had to come and sacrifice his life, because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  They know the need for repentance and the Jesus blood covers our sins. 
My theme this Lent is More of Him, less of me.  My prayer is that God will work through me and that others will see Him in my words and actions.  See yesterday's post for more info.

2. Traditionally pancakes are eaten on the day known as Shrove Tuesday which is the last day before Lent (March 8th this year). So....butter and syrup? Blueberry? Chocolate chip? ewww, no thanks!! What's your pleasure when it comes to eating pancakes?
I like butter and syrup. I also like them with sour cream and strawberry preserves.

3. Spring is coming. (It is coming, right?) What's your favorite springtime flower and do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Two questions I know, but they're lightweights.
I love azaleas and gardenias. I don't typically suffer from allergies but Princess is having a terrible time with them this year.  Her poor little eyes have been swollen and this morning they were swollen shut when she woke up. 

4. "Our opinion of people depends less upon what we see in them than upon what they make us see in ourselves." Author unknown. Agree or Disagree? Why?
I guess it is true that if we don't like who we are when we are around certain people, that we should limit the amount of time spent with them.  I would like to think that I could have a positive influence on those people and perhaps sway them in a more positive direction.
5. Since it's "March" and also the season of Mardi Gras....have you ever been in a parade? What's the best parade you've seen?
I have been in many a Christmas parade.  I was in band in high school so we always marched.  I have also marched in parades at Disney when I was in the band.  One year I was even the drum major.  Disney parades in the middle of the summer = HOT!
6. You would jump up and down and shout for joy right now if someone told you___________?
That I would have free maid service?  Never have to do laundry again?  Have a house that cleans itself?Hmmmm...do you see a pattern here? 

7. How clean is your car on the outside? Inside? Is there junk in your trunk?
There is ALWAYS junk in my trunk.  As a mommy, I feel I always have to be prepared with a first aid kit, extra clothes, drinks, towels, etc., etc., etc.  My car is relatively free of clutter at the present time, but on any given day that could change, depending on how much time we have spent in the car.  The outside of my car has a yellow film of pollen on it.  It's that time of the year.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
A couple of random things:
~When Princess and her Daddy went to the Father/Daughter Dance at her school, she tried to do the Macarena.  Since then, she has been singing the song, or trying to.  However, her version is "Hey Margarita!"  I'm sorry, but that is both funny and embarrassing.  I'm sure I'll be super emabarrassed when she goes to church singing it. 
~Space Shuttle Discovery came home with a safe landing today.  We were sitting in our closing circle time, reading a story when we heard the "BOOM, BOOM" sonic booms.  My little 3-year-olds didn't even flinch as I said, "shuttle."  I'm gonna miss those booms that scare you half to death as they sound like gunshots and then you realize, oh yeah, it's the shuttle landing.

~The weather is beautiful here!  I wish it could stay like this forever!  I don't want to go inside and everything is blooming.  On the other hand, poor Princess' allergies are giving her fits so I guess I don't want it to be forever.  It sure is nice though.

More of Him, Less of me

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  I used to give things up for Lent, although I haven't in the last few years.  I got to the point where everything I gave up seemed so trivial compared to Christ giving up His life for me.  The last few years I have tried to think of things I can add to my life or things I can do to become closer to Christ.  This year as I have been contemplating what I want to concentrate on during this Lenten season, I have come up with the theme: More of Him, Less of me.  This Lent I want to fix my eyes on Him, and not on me and my circumstances because guess what... it's not about me!  As the Casting Crowns song "Who Am I" says, "not because of who I am, but because of what He's done.  Not because of what I've done, but because of Who You are." 
So many times in my everyday life I am so concerned about how things affect me or how they made me feel but it isn't really about me, is it? 
Philippians 3:7-11 says " But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

I know that I can never be worthy of His love or the sacrifice He made for me.  I am a sinner, no better than anyone else.  This Lent I want to follow hard after Jesus, to pursue Him and focus on Him.  In the busyness of my life, I want to make time with Him a priority and sit at His feet, to truly know Him and His heart.  I want for my heart to beat in sync with His, to see through His eyes, and to align my life with Him.

The Bittersweet Day

Yesterday was a really tough day for me.  Fifteen years ago, my Grandaddy went to be with Jesus.  It's as if whenever March 6th comes around my subconscious just knows and I woke up crying before I even fully knew what day it was or what was happening.  Grandaddy was the first person I lost that I was especially close with.   I can remember that day like it just happened, yet it seems like an eternity since I have seen him.  I like to think about the special memories I have of him.  I thought about how he gave everyone a nickname.  I was his first grandchild and he called me Little Pretty.  He didn't always use it, especially as I got older, but I remember that every once in a while as a teenager he'd surprise me and call me that.  When I was little we used to sit out on their front porch swing and he'd just sit and listen to me talk.  I had a captive audience and boy did I ever talk!  (I'm remembering now that perhaps it isn't so unusual that Princess never stops talking!)  My Grandaddy wasn't perfect, but he loved his family and he always made sure we were all taken care of.  I am so blessed to have so many wonderful memories of him.  I am blessed to have grown up only a mile away and I spent many hours at their house.  Whenever I want to feel close to him I watch my DVD's of Hail Columbia or The Dream is Alive, two IMAX movies about the Space Shuttle program and you can see him in both of them, working in the Vehicle Assembly Building.  Sometimes I go to the cemetery and sit on his grave and smoke a cigar.  That's where I went yesterday morning.  The smell of the cigar takes me back and I remember getting in trouble as a small child when I would sit in his chair and pretend to puff on his cigars.  It's a comfort.  I know he isn't there, but it's a physical place I can go and sit quietly with my thoughts. 

This is a picture of me (left), my Grandaddy, and my sister (right) at our house.  I was showing him my Strawberry Shortcake watch.

March 6th is a bittersweet day for me because while I felt most of the day like I had been punched in the gut, it is also my half-birthday and Hubby always tries to make it special for me.  Yesterday he and the kids got me cards and a little gift and then took me to lunch and out shopping for a distraction.  It was a nice outing and I loved having the time with my family.  It puts the day in perspective to help me remember that while I can be sad and miss my Grandaddy, I also need to remember how incredibly blessed I am to have Hubby and my precious children and to live each moment with them to the fullest.

The Newest Members of Our Family

In yesterday's post I told you about Princess' devastation over not having a pet and her insistence that she needed to take a pet to school today.  I sent their teacher a message last night but I didn't get her response until this morning.  SO...here's how this all went down.  Hubby called to tell me he was on his way home from work.  Princess, in tears, asked to talk to her daddy on the phone.  She then tells her daddy that she is supposed to bring a pet to school tomorrow but she doesn't have a pet and she had a fish this summer but then the fish died and she never got another one and she will be the only one at school without a pet tomorrow (well she and her twin brother, that is) and she doesn't want to take a stuffed animal because it's not a real pet... Hubby asks her to put me on the phone to which he says to me, "I can't understand a word she's saying.  I need you on the phone to interpret."  So after I helped Princess repeat all of this back to Hubby he says to me, "I do kind of feel bad that we never replaced the fish after they died and I don't care if we get more fish, what do you think?"  I agreed with him and negotiated dinner out and then we'd go to the pet store to look for fish.  Amazingly enough, as soon as Hubby and I told Princess we would get her a fish, her whole demeanor changed.  That chick has her daddy wrapped around her little finger!

After dinner we went to the pet store in search of the 15 cent goldfish.  Believe it or not, they do have some goldfish for 15 cents and we were all set on those.  That is, until we priced out the fishbowls they would need to take the fish to school.  Soooooo we ended up getting little beta fish that came in their own little containers that were portable to take to school.  We still had to buy them each a beta bowl since the fish can't live together.  Twenty-five dollars later we were on our way home with two happy children and beta fish named Scooby Doo and Max.  It was money well spent since we technically owed them the fish anyway and it doubled as a school project as well.

Ms. J, their teacher responded to my message last night but I didn't get it until this morning.  This week was Science Week at their school and they were doing special science themed activities.  She mentioned yesterday that they could bring a pet to school or a stuffed animal if they wanted.  It wasn't mandatory or really even a big deal.  However, once Princess had it in her head that she HAD to have a pet for school, there was no talking her out of it.  I guess it's a good thing that she is so conscientious.  Max and Scooby Doo had a great visit to school today.  Well, at least they made it home alive, I guess that's pretty great to survive a day with a class full of kindergartners.  Prince is in his room talking to Max about our house and explaining house rules to him.  Welcome to the family, Max and Scooby Doo!

Thursday Thoughts

In no particular order, these are my thoughts on this thrilling Thursday... (Do you like my alliteration?  It turns out I do remember a thing or two from high school English class.)

1.  Our 9th anniversary is coming up in less than two weeks.  I can't believe it's been 9 years.  We have definitely aged.  Hubby is going to take me on a surprise anniversary trip.  I know not where and I am super excited about it.  He said if I really wanted to know he'd tell me, but I am having fun trying to guess in my head.  This is the first time he's planned a trip away for us without my input.  Yay Hubby!  He gets major points for that.

2.  Prince hugged and kissed me goodbye in his classroom this morning.  I was extremely happy about this.

He is getting to be a big boy and I am not so happy about that.  I guess it just comes with the territory.

3.  My sweet sister sent me a message the other day telling me that Slingo was a free download of the day and I should put it on my phone.  Thank you dear sister very much.  My addiction to Angry Birds has now been replaced by Slingo.  I just can't stop, it's too much fun.

4.  Today is my dear friend, Mary's birthday.  Happy birthday Mary!  I love ya!

5.  Princess came home with a contrived story about tomorrow being pet parade day at school.  She was inconsolable as she told her daddy and me that they are supposed to bring pets but no cats or dogs but we don't have a pet and she's the only one without a pet to bring to school and a stuffed animal just won't do...More on this when I get the real story at school tomorrow. 

6.  This has seemed like an incredibly long week.  I'm off to get my beauty sleep...or at least some kind of sleep so I won't be grouchy tomorrow.  Good night, all!

Wednesday Hodgepodge



1. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday so I'm wondering...do you like green eggs and ham? Okay-how about this instead...how do you like your eggs? Or don't you?
I like my eggs lots of different ways.  Probably my favorite is either over easy or deviled. 
Incidentally, we did eat green and eggs and ham today at preschool and look who made a guest appearance to read!

2. Is March coming in like a lion or something less ferocious where you live?
It's been pretty mild, although we did have rain yesterday. 

3. Do you work better or worse under pressure?
I work better under pressure.  I need that deadline and the pressure to keep me going.  Otherwise I don't see the urgency in getting it done.  I think I have all kinds of time and then it gets down to the wire and voila! I somehow get it done at the last. 

4. March Madness-are you a fan? It's college basketball in case you're wondering. And if you're outside the USA tell us-is there any sort of 'madness' taking place during March in your part of the world?
The only madness that takes place for us is all of the birthdays in March and trying to keep track of all of the dates.  We actually begin in Feb. with my Dad's birthday on the 26th.  Then in March  my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law and my mom all have birthdays in the same week with our anniversary is squeezed in the middle.

5. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking?
I do my best thinking when I am not under pressure to think.  Honestly, my best problem solving occurs in the shower and when I am asleep.  Many times if I need an answer to something I can sleep on it and I'll dream about good possible solutions.  I'm guessing that the reason I do good thinking in the shower is that I am not distracted by other things around me.  I start to relax and can clear my head of the junk.

6. What item of clothing from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Blue jeans.  As a preschool person and mom, I am on the floor playing, reading, cleaning up, etc.  My jeans are comfy and allow me to do what I need to do.

7. Do you use sarcasm?
Not really.  I just am not a sarcastic person, nor do I like it when other people use it.  I like it better when people will just come out and say what they mean.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Something very disconcerting happened this morning when I dropped the kids off at school.  I always walk them in to their classroom and they give me a hug and a kiss goodbye.  This morning my sweet Prince would not give me a kiss in front of his friends.  I tried not to show how crushed I was that my kindergarten son wouldn't kiss me, so I told him to have a good day and walked out of the classroom.  Just as I got half-way down the hall I heard Prince's sweet voice tell his teacher that he wanted one more hug from me and he came down the hall after me with his teacher watching so he could give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  I honestly thought I had a little longer before he found me totally embarrassing.  Kindergarten?  Seriously?  I don't know if I'm ready for this! 

God Gave Us So Much - Book Review



God Gave Us So Much by Lisa Tawn Bergren is an amazing compilation of three stories.  Since we had already read and loved God Gave Us You, we knew we would like the stories in this book as well.  If you are not familiar with her stories, Bergren uses a cute little polar bear who is full of questions to explain God's love and His world. 
In God Gave Us the World, Little Cub learns about the wonderful world God made and how He made us all different.  Mama Bear explains that we were all made to serve and worship God, our Creator.  We are also to take care of the world He gave us.  God Gave Us Love explores different types of love and how God wants us to love others, even when we don't feel like loving them.  I love in the book when Grandpa says, "God gave us love so we could see goodness in others, even when they make us grumpy."  I think we've all felt that way and it is good for children to recognize that this is a normal feeling.  Grandpa also explains that we could NEVER do anything to lose God's love.  My favorite of the three stories is God Gave Us Heaven.  As a mother of six-year-old twins, I sometimes struggle with how to describe heaven and what comes after we die.  Papa does a great job of explaining what he thinks heaven will be like and why God sent Jesus, in a way that children can understand.
I highly recommend the book God Gave Us So Much, as it is a most useful learning tool and conversation starter for young families.  It would be a fantastic gift idea for anyone with children and a welcome addition to any child's library. 

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.