Rocks in Socks

Leave it to a 2 year old to find such an ingenious use for socks. I just hope he doesn't use those to box the Gox.

The faith of a little child

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:16-17

Common sense really is extinct

Yes, you're reading that right. It says, "CHOKING WARNING! Eat one at a time and chew thoroughly. May not be appropriate for children under 6."

These are Whopper-like candies which are small and round, and yes perhaps a choking hazard. But HELLO?!? Do we need to put eating instructions on every food now, lest people forget to "chew thoroughly?" And if they do neglect to chew before they swallow, isn't that their own fault?

No doubt there is a lawsuit somewhere claiming that they were never warned that they or their loved ones could choke on this candy. Heaven forbid someone use some common sense.

I wanna be a rock star!

Colby decided last week that he wants to be a rock star when he grows up. He wanted me to cut his hair into a mohawk, but I told him that would have to wait until summertime. We all have our roles to play in his band, and he even started writing some lyrics. You see, his rock band is going to praise Jesus, so their first song goes something like, "Jesus died to forgive us/Jesus died to forgive our sins." He's off to a good start, I'd say! And check out some of these moves (turn up the volume to hear the music)...


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

(Not sure why this video and the t-ball one are so pixelated. It must have something to do with the upload to the internet, because they look fine on my computer. Hmmmm)

Shout to the Lord update

Apparently they added Jesus back in the next night when they sang it...

Idol Gives Back... and takes out "Jesus"

If you didn't see the final song on American Idol- Idol Gives Back last night, take a look:




The morning show on Air1 radio was all abuzz with people calling in and saying how it touched them so much, etc etc.

I, for one, have a real problem with this, mostly because they took the name of Jesus OUT of the song. They replaced, "My Jesus, My Savior" with "My shepherd, my Savior," which is highly ironic since the chorus of the song says, "mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of YOUR NAME." Which name, I wonder, were they singing in honor of? Certainly not Jesus'.

Looks like this song is going the way of "Amazing Grace," which is sung by anyone and everyone, whether or not the words apply to them personally. I don't know each of their hearts, but I wonder how many of the maybe 50(?) people singing on that stage really call Jesus their Savior; their tower of refuge and strenth; their King? Do they really commit every breath, all that they are, in never-ceasing worship to Him? Do they even think about the words they're singing?

Why are Christians so "blessed" by this performance, when Jesus' name was emphatically removed from the whole thing? I think it's offensive, myself.

What do you think?

A good word

This morning at MOPS we had a guest speaker who shared something that kind of turned on a light bulb in my mind. The Lord has kind of been whispering it to me lately, but today He used the speaker to let me know loud and clear.

I'm still kind of meditating on it and thinking it through (read: haven't had a quiet moment since MOPS to continue my thought process on it!), but the phrase she said was,

"Though it's important to read books, learn techniques, and try to perfect the art of being a good mother, what your kids will really *learn* from is who you are as a person."

She shared how it's important to be growing as a child of God, becoming the woman and daughter God wants you to be. All the techniques for getting the kids to sleep through the night or eat their peas or whatever are ok, but who we really are when the milk gets spilled or when the baby won't sleep or just in our everyday life... that's what our kids are actually learning from.

I'm big on techniques. I have a technique and a plan of attack for everything. What I'm sorely lacking is priority for my time with the Lord and my own spiritual growth. This shows itself when my "techniques" break down and I get hopeless and frustrated.

Last week I was flipping through the radio stations in the car, looking for talk radio. I have no idea why, because I *never* listen to talk radio. But the first station that came in was a guy preaching. He said, "The only thing keeping God from working in our lives is me, myself, and I." I continued my search about 3 or 4 stations later only to hear a completely different preacher say, "God wants to be at work in our lives. The only thing stopping that is us."

You know how in the Bible when God wants to get a point across, it's repeated several times in a row? Well, I'm not claiming biblical revelation here, but it made me take notice. Two completely different preachers within a space of about 5 minutes on two completely different stations, preaching the same thing to a girl who faithfully sticks to her presets. Hmmm..

I think I have some work to do.

My new favorite blog

If you're a mom, I guarantee you'll love Dyann's blog, "Stuff". I stumbled upon it randomly and got hooked immediately. I just love her writing style, and her subject matter... well, it's quite entertaining to say the least. Brian even gets a chuckle out of the entries I show him.

This (<---click) was a recent favorite post.

Keep up the great work, Dyann!

Bubble Gum + Not Flossing = Bad News

One of my weight loss strategies includes "snacking" on gum. It has very few calories, and you don't actually eat it anyway. My repertoire includes all different kinds of gum, but I especially like different flavors of bubble gum. Well, this particular approach has backfired on me.

I saw the dentist today.

The tooth that is hurting (or giving me "discomfort" as the nurse so underwhelmingly put it) needs a root canal, which I will hopefully be getting this afternoon. Despite having had maybe 3 real cavities my whole life, I now have 5-6 cavities that need attention, in addition to another possible root canal . The cavities all start in between my teeth, instead of on the bottom. Apparently this comes from not flossing all that bubble-gum-sugar away. Who knew?

So now it looks like I have to give up my beloved bubble gum. It just goes to show you that everything in life requires moderation.

Until I acquire that skill, though, it's sugarless for me.

Are you feeling sleepy?

Did you know that when it's windy outside, the lovely California poppy will curl up it's petals as if to brace itself from the elements? You would if you lived in our neck of the woods. We live about 7 miles from the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, which ironically enough, usually doesn't have as many poppies as the surrounding open fields. Taking a little jaunt out to one of these fields was our adventure for the afternoon.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, it was incredibly windy this afternoon. You'll see in the pictures what I was talking about when I said the poppies curl up. It doesn't make for the best photographs, but the boys had fun running (and falling) through the fields of flowers.

I need to have a word with that Wicked Witch, though. The boys are as wired as ever.

OUCH

My tooth hurts. A lot. Home remedies found on the internet are strange at best. Listerine is working to numb the pain for a little while. Going to the dentist on Tuesday. PRAY they can fix it that day!!! I'm in pain here, people!

The aging process

A friend in Colby's class turned six today. "He didn't look like was six," Colby observed. "He looked the same as he did yesterday."