A call unanswered? A deed undone?

After a morning run and a MOMS meeting (my former MOPS group turned Moms on a Mission), I headed to the kid's school to volunteer in the cafeteria so the teachers could eat lunch with each other or by themselves or wherever and with whomever as long as it wasn't with the class.

I loved seeing the kids in their element. I was sort of like a fly on the wall only I could be seen so I guess it wasn't really anything like that at all...except that's how I felt because after initial hugs, the kids didn't really care that I was there.

First lunch consists of Kindergarteners - 4th grade.  The 4th graders act as proctors for the younger grades.  They sit at the tables with the younger kids, help them open milk or anything else that needs to be opened and help them microwave anything that needs to be heated up.  Really, we moms didn't have to be there at all.  All was did was quiet the kids down for grace before the meal and grace after the meal.

The 4th grade proctors even helped clean up the tables and collect them trash and then all of the kids headed outside for 30 minutes of recess.  Seriously, I think they could have totally done it without us there.  It was a little loud in the cafeteria but there was no chaos, no anarchy, no trouble - just kids doing what they were supposed to do. 

We also had to monitor recess but that was a breeze as well.  The kids spread out into their little cliques and started to play.  When we first started going to this school, my kids were disappointed that there was no playground equipment.  But honestly, no one seems to miss it at all.

I witnessed the following in the 30 minutes of recess: a football game, a soccer game, kids running laps around the track, groups of girls giggling and laughing, and kids picking up leaves and making a big pile and jumping in them.  I guess kids really don't need expensive playground equipment to have fun.

By now it was already after 1:00 and I didn't want to go all the way home just to turn around and go back to the school so I headed to Dunkin Donuts for a healthy lunch of coffee. DD has free Wi-Fi so I brought my old laptop with me.  It's been a while since it has actually been out of my house so I was excited to kill some time on the internet with my DD coffee.

I got my coffee, powered up (very slowly) my ancient laptop and connected to the free Wi-Fi.  Unfortunately after many many tries to get connected to the internet, it wasn't happening. I finished my coffee and got in my car and started doing my Bible study lessons for this week.  I did a whole week's worth so I guess this was a better use of my time than an hour and a half of surfing the web.

Before I powered down my computer, a woman came into Dunkin' Donuts and asked two older women if they could give her a ride to her car.  She said she ran out of gas and needed a ride a couple of miles up the road.  They said no so she approached the woman beside me.  She said no so the lady turned, made a pffffffft noise and walked out.

She never got to me.  But I am certain that I would have said no.  I was glad I didn't have to, but I know that's what I would have done.  I was prepared to offer her money for gas or even my cell phone to call a friend but I knew she wasn't getting into my car.

And I was o.k. with that.

Until I started doing my Bible study in the car a few minutes later.  The Bible Study is called Jonah: A Life Interrupted and is basically about doing things that God calls you to do even when you don't want to do them.  OUCH! 

So now I'm left pondering what God wanted me to do versus what I wanted to do.  I can come up with a long list of reasons why I didn't want her to get in my car but what if that's what God really wanted me to do and I didn't do it.

I would not be surprised if today I am swallowed up by a giant fish.

Bubbles...the new burning bush.

"Sarah!" I exclaimed in my exasperated tone.

The bathtub was full of bubbles. They were coming up to the edge of the tub threatening to cascade down the side. Sarah had decided that she should be in charge of putting in more bubbles after I had already put in what was a more than generous amount.

My exasperated tone is one that I seem to be using a lot this summer. I'm not sure why but this summer has been a hard one for me. At 5 and 6, the kids seem to be at ages where they have mastered talking back, whining, complaining, and bickering.

And by the second week of June I had become so tired of it all that I just gave in to them too many times. It's easier to give in to your child than to correct them, punish them and get them to ask forgiveness.

As I was grumbling at Sarah she said, "Mommy, you just have to train me!"

I froze. My blood ran cold. The soapy towel hung dripping in my hands and I asked her to repeat what she had just said.

"Mommy you have to train me to take a bubble bath the right way."

Proverbs 22:6 echoed in my head. Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I didn't need to see a burning bush or to hear trumpets to know that the Lord was speaking directly to me through Sarah.

I have spent the better part of this summer listening to my kids bicker and fight instead of doing anything to correct them. Or pretending I did not see them roll their eyes at me when I issued a command. Or ignoring the fact that they did not do something I had already asked them to do and just doing it myself.

And why did I do this? Because it was easy.

By not correcting them, looking the other way or ignoring their disobedience, I have taken the easy way out in the short run. And ultimately, in the long run, what I have accomplished is that my kids grumble more, argue more, back talk more and are becoming more lazy, more rude and more selfish.

My job as a stay-at-home mom is not a glamorous one but it is an extremely important one. I am in charge of training two little people and helping them to grow into teenagers and ultimately into adults that will hopefully be loving, generous, respectful, kind Christians.

And I realize that I can't do this on my own so I will be now be starting each day with this simple prayer, "God, please grant me the wisdom and patience today to train my children in the way that they should go."

The kids and I need to be retrained - I just hope it's not too late!

Looks Can Be Deceiving

I was looking through some old pictures the other day and came across this one.


This picture was taken in June of 2005. Sarah was 1 and Peter was 2. Don't they look adorable? So happy. So sweet. So loving.

Well, looks can be deceiving. They had been wrestling right before I took this picture and Sarah was winning.

You don't want to mess with Sarah. But that's a different post for a different day.

As I was looking at this picture, I realized that they started fighting early.

But I want these two to be friends. I want to them to grow up knowing they can count on one another.

Some days I hear Peter giggling while he's playing baby dolls with Sarah and other days I see Sarah contentedly watching Peter play a game on the computer.

But most days there is fighting, yelling, bickering, crying and occasionally hitting.

I know this is normal but it's something I hope they outgrow quickly. I want them to be able to overlook petty differences and small fights and really enjoy each other's company.

I want them to know that when Dan and I are gone, they still have family they can depend on.

I want them to remember -

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers(and sisters!) live together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1

Food for thought...

I have a great Bible. It's called the Mom's Devotional Bible.

It's published by Zondervan and the devotions contained in it are written by MOPS International (Mother's of Preschoolers). Thanks Heather!

This morning, I was reading one of the devotionals and it was entitled "Shaping Up Your Tongue".

The gist of the article is that the tongue is often the most out-of-shape muscle in the body but that a lifelong practice of prayer exercise will help get it in shape.

First they recommend tabulating your current rate of tongue slips to get an idea of how out-of-shape your tongue really is. As I read this I thought, I could probably use a little work but overall my tongue is probably o.k.

And then one sentence in the devotional made me cringe.

'A slip of the tongue is anything you wouldn't say in the presence of Jesus.'

Hmmmm...well when you put it that way, perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut!

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." - Luke 6:45

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Dan and I were in the kitchen on Sunday evening cleaning up after dinner. Peter was stressed out about something. It was so minor that I don't even remember the details of what caused his worry.

Dan said, "I wish I could get him to understand that none of what he is worried about now is really that important. I was always stressed out about something as a little kid and looking back, I can now see that none of it really mattered. It seemed so big at the time and really it wasn't."

And my reply was, "The same could probably be said about all the things you worry about today. You really shouldn't be worried about any of it."

"Wow! That was really profound."

I know. But I guess I can't take credit for it.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7