Kids & Family

Christmas Eve Adventures: Luke 2 and a Tic Tac up a Nose

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Christmas lights

This particular Christmas Eve I may have overestimated my capabilities. I had four energetic boys ages seven and younger, and I had agreed to play in the orchestra for the Christmas Eve Service at our church. We had also committed our six-year-old to recite Luke 2:1-20 from memory, which he had learned in his kindergarten class. Added to that, we had invited some families to come over after the service that night. I had been going full throttle all day—cleaning the house, preparing festive snacks, doing last-minute wrapping jobs, shining little black shoes and pressing dress shirts.

Minutes before I needed to load everyone into their car seats and drive to the church for the orchestra call time and microphone check, I heard my three-year-old say, “Mommy, I have a Tic Tac up my nose!” At first I was calm, showing him how to force the air out as if sneezing. Instead of sneezing, he took a big drawl in through his nose.

Oh, I can barely see it now! I began to get nervous as I showed him again the sneezing motion and told him to concentrate and do it with great force. At that point he took an even bigger drawl in and the Tic Tac could no longer be seen. I called one nurse friend and then another. They both told me we would need to make an ER visit to have it removed.

But Derek’s sound check is supposed to be happening now and the orchestra is tuning! Lord, help!

My seven-year-old said, “Mom, how about pepper?” and I darted toward my spice pantry. Holding the pepper under his nose and saying a fervent prayer, we waited. About thirty seconds later, he let out a huge sneeze and the Tic Tac went flying across the room. Thank you, Lord! We immediately darted out the door and rushed to the church where Derek had time to do his microphone check and I had time to get my preschoolers to the nursery and my clarinet tuned just before the service began.

The lights dimmed and thousands of people filed into the pews. As the music began, the stress of the day melted away. When Derek took the stage and quoted the Luke 2 passage in his little “Peanuts”-character-like voice, I realized this day would hold one of the best and worst Christmas memories of my life. The Tic Tac may have threatened to take down the night, but the peace of the coming of the Christ child quieted my heart and spirit. I silently thanked my Father for truly being Immanuel—God with us – and caring about even minor emergencies such as Tic Tac dilemmas.

To see the video of six-year-old Derek reciting Luke 2, click here:

Six-year-old Derek reciting Luke 2

or go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecgVi7zIavs

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An Orphan Vision

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“Momma, I wish I could draw better!”  As I came into Karis’ room to say prayers for her and tell her goodnight a couple of months ago, she sat propped up in her bed with pink pillows all around her, sketching. She said she was trying to draw the face that kept popping into her head at different times. She described the face as an African American boy about her age or a little younger. The main thing she said is that he has really large eyes that are completely hopeless. She said that was what she felt she could not get right in her drawing.

Lord, is this our future child she’s seeing? Almost done with the preliminary adoption paperwork with the intent to adopt an orphan from Africa, and knowing we are going in a couple of months to work in an orphanage in Zambia, I am prayerful. As I go, I am watchful for those big eyes Karis has seen.

During the same weeks of the visions, Karis played an orphan role in the musical “Annie.” I never expected how those songs would pierce my heart as I heard her upstairs practicing songs like “Maybe.”I can almost hear someone in a land far away singing it now:

So maybe now it’s time,
And maybe when I wake
They’ll be there calling me “Baby”
Maybe.

Betcha he reads.
Betcha she sews.
Maybe she’s made me
A closet of clothes!
Maybe they’re strict.
As straight as a line…
Don’t really care
As long as they’re mine!

So maybe now this prayer’s
The last one of its kind…
Won’t you please come get your “Baby”?
Maybe.

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Adoption Revelation

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Oh no, the prophet speaks! Many-a-time in our family’s life Micah has shared hard-to-hear words — you know, the kind that pierce you to the heart and that you know are true…and you know you have to do something about?

But never had I heard words from him that required this much change! “We need to adopt an orphan,” said 10-year-old Micah. We had just walked out of the November 2010 church service focused on the plight of orphans across the world and the Christian’s call to care for the orphans.

I assured Micah that if God shows us that adoption is the way he wants us to care for orphans, that we most definitely would (I was pretty sure God knew we already had our hands full with five children. Surely sending financial support would be enough.)

In the church service that day we accepted the challenge to pray every day for 30 days about what God would have us do about the orphan crisis. Micah held us to the 30 days…and then some.

It seemed the adoption subject starting coming up everywhere we turned. But even as we prayed, I continued to go down my list of why adoption might not be the best choice for our family. One day I felt God whispered to my heart, Brenna, it’s not about you; it’s about rescuing orphans.

Months later as Micah continued to prompt praying about orphans during bedtime prayers, he often asked if we thought God was leading us to adopt. I would tell him I wasn’t sure, but what moved me most was thinking of the one fearful orphan tonight who had no one at bedtime to scratch their back, pray for them, and tell them they were loved.

Let’s fast forward to the last week of school in May 2011. As Micah’s elementary school choir filed in to sing, they looked like the United Nations. A Title I school, these children didn’t look like children you would normally see in a North Dallas suburb.

With every word the choir sang, I heard an orphan speaking directly to me. He said he knows that I see and hear his fearful cries. He asked if I would be at his bedside until he falls asleep, comfort him when he weeps, and care for him forever.  He asked me to light his dark world with love so that he might live a life of hope, faith, and joy.

With every word the choir sang, I heard an orphan singing directly to me. Tears came like a flood as my heart filled with God’s compassion and love for his poor and needy orphans, and the song haunted me all afternoon.

That day Micah came in from school and I said, “Now I know. God is calling us to adopt.”

It wasn’t until a month later that I noticed the name of the song — “For Now, I Know.”

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Packing Healthy School Lunches That Kids Will Eat

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IM00What Favorite Foods are You Packing in Lunches?

“Snack size hummus (from Whole Foods [ and Costco]) with veggies. Also, edomame.” – Lisa Copeland

“Reese loves carrots and Ranch dip and surprisingly enough…she barely touches the Ranch.” – Melissa Maddock

“Make your own uncrustables – using whole wheat bread and mostly peanut butter (make a lot on the weekend and freeze them, they will thaw out by lunch time.” – LaDonna Goodwin

“We pack cucumber slices, snack-size hummus, different fruits and beef jerky, pita chips, celery, yogurt frozen overnight.” – Jill Byrd

“Whole wheat sandwich rounds, with light veggie cream, cucumbers, bell peppers, and sprouts….delicious! “ – May Tolson

“Catie really loves couscous. Sometimes I throw in dried fruit and pine nuts; other times I add diced tomatoes & green onion. Couscous is very versatile and can be served hot or cold! I mix up the pb & j together in a bowl before spreading it on the bread for Jake’s sandwiches. It saves on trying to get jelly stains out later. I also do pb & honey, pb & nutella, and pb & fruit.” – Cleette Harrison

“Apples, Yogurt, turkey and cheese!” – Karin Klemm

Entree Tips

  • Use whole wheat tortillas to make wraps.
  • Use whole wheat bread without artificial preservatives, colors, flavors; and high fructose corn syrup (i.e. Nature’s Own).
  • Select meats that are nitrate and nitrite-free to avoid harmful chemical preservatives.
  • Select healthy peanut butter (hint: very short ingredient list without added sugar or oil), and 100% fruit spread for pb&j’s.
  • When the weather cools down, send hot leftovers in thermos containers, to offer variety.

Side Ideas

  • Greek yogurt s are a good source of protein (usually 13-20 grams, while standard yogurts average 5-10 grams).
  • Standard yogurts have their plus, too: they have two to three times the calcium of Greek yogurts (which lose some calcium in the triple straining process).
  • Snack-size hummus
  • Choose pretzels or baked chips over regular chips.
  • String cheese (tasty and full of calcium)
  • Boiled egg (package in insulated lunch bag next to frozen drink to keep cold).
  • Almonds
  • Grapes
  • Baby carrots
  • Bananas (seal in plastic baggie so its smell does not permeate other foods)
  • Oranges,  quartered and bagged
  • Apples
  • Unsweetened apple sauce
  • Strawberries
  • Pineapple
  • Kiwi (slice it in half, and send a plastic spork for the child to eat it out “bowl-style”)
  • Melon
  • Clementines
  • Cherry tomatoes

For Fun

  • Organic fruit snack chews made with real juice and not containing artificial coloring (i.e. Annie’s)
  • Organic granola bars without artificial preservatives, flavorings, etc. (i.e. Clif bars, KIND bars) Select whole grain granola bars that are low in fat and sugar – take a look at the food label and choose the ones that contain less than 1g of saturated fat per serving and are no more than 35% sugar by weight. To figure the percentage of sugar per serving, divide the grams of sugar by the gram weight of one serving and multiply this number by 100.
  • Kettlecorn (again, look for a short ingredient list).

What should I buy organic?

According to the Environmental Working Group, produce pesticide exposure can be greatly reduced by buying organic in the following twelve foods, termed “the dirty dozen”:

  • apples
  • celery
  • strawberries
  • peaches
  • spinach
  • nectarines – imported
  • grapes – imported
  • sweet bell peppers
  • potatoes
  • blueberries
  • lettuce
  • kale/collard greens

For more detailed information on the dirty dozen and produce’s “clean fifteen”, see http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/.

*This is not a sponsored post.

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The Kindness Challenge

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At brunch yesterday, my friend Suzanne told me about how she is making a difference in her family this summer, and I knew we needed to share this idea. She has initiated The Kindness Challenge with her family this summer.

After a few rough first days of summer vacation, with kids (ages 10, 5 and 3) poking and picking at each other, irritating each other just because they could, Suzanne had had enough. It wasn’t going to be like this all summer. So she prayed and talked with her husband Tim to make a plan. Out of this moment of crisis came The Kindness Challenge – How 40 Days of Kindness Can Change a Family (Think of it as The Love Dare for the whole family).

Finding it easier to break the challenge into weeks, here is her plan (in Suzanne’s words):

Week 1 – Change starts at the Top. We as parents commit to always speaking kindly to the kids (and each other for that matter), to praying daily for each child’s specific needs, to having continuous daily conversations about kindness, and to doing small acts of kindness unique for each child.

Week 2 – Get big brother on board. It’s time to build kindness skills in the oldest child. Because there is an age gap between him and the other two, it is important to teach kindess lessons on his level. This includes daily one-on-one discussions on kindness, such as what the Bible says about kindness, why it’s easier to be kind to strangers than your family, and how to be kind to someone who isn’t kind back.

Week 3 – It’s a family affair. Blessed to have a full week with Dad at home, we are planning daily family activities with a focus on building family unity and encouraging kindness to one another. Activities include, picking berries (sharing in God’s delicious provision by working together), hiking (each child having a turn to lead), Lego building challenge (how big can we build if we use all of our Lego sets together), etc. Kids will each have a special one-on-one time with Dad during the week. We will also start learning Bible verses on kindness each week.

Week 4 – Kindness School. A full week of lessons and activities on kindness. Using Bible stories and other stories familiar to the kids, we will learn different ways to be kind and show kindness. Kids will work together to create a book about kindness.

Week 5 – Putting it into practice. Family members will draw a family member’s name each day and do a special act of kindness for that person. Family members will sign a Kindness Contract, committing to a lifestyle of kindness. Dinner conversations will  focus on recognizing kind moments shared that day.

Week 6 – Beyond our walls. Family will plan and perform service projects and kindness activities for others outside our family. On day 40, we will have a celebratory dinner and enjoy the fruits of our efforts – a kinder, more peaceful, loving family.

Some Bible verses on kindness: Proverbs 21:21; Proverbs 31:25-27; Micah 6:8; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12-13.

What a great challenge to all of us to show kindness to our family members and then to reach out with kindness to others!

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A Little One-on-One

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I heard, “Here, Mom!” and looked up just in time for the corner of a hardbound book to hit me in my right eye. Thanks a lot, buster (aka son)…Parenting can be such a dangerous job! I don’t know if I cried more over my eye pain or the frustration that things just seemed to be going all wrong that day. My husband and I had just made an inter-state move with our five children ages one to ten, and stress and exhaustion levels were high. Though I didn’t feel well that day, I was trying to unpack some boxes. I wasn’t making much progress because my three-year-old son kept misbehaving. Finally I realized he might just need some individual attention. I walked away from the boxes and sat down on the couch, offering to read him a book. A few seconds later, as I was talking with my one-year-old, the unexpected book came hurling across the room.

Sometimes as moms we feel like we are getting nowhere in our best efforts to parent and do the right things for our children. Instead of the heartwarming snuggly storytime I envisioned, I ended up with a black eye. (We did actually get around to the book once I got over my 5-minute pity party).

Don’t give up in the fight to parent well. One of the best gifts we can give our children is meaningful time with them as individuals. In our house, it’s easy to move from one thing to another as a group, and lose sight of them as individuals. In that case, the most powerful personalities dominate the attention and the activities.

I can’t believe the new insights and understanding I’ve gained about my children by spending individual time with them. God made them each unique, and we want them each to be able to develop to their fullest potential.

2010Oct5Some one-on-one tips:

  • Calendar the time for individual interaction, or you will always put it off until the next week. (If you have a baby, it is wise to plan for the time with the older children during baby’s naptime.)
  • Let the children decide the activity for their individual interaction time. For little ones, you may want to give them two or three options to choose from.
  • It does not have to cost any money, but it does cost time, which is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
  • Allow only true emergencies to interrupt the time you have set aside.
  • Set the timer for the allotted time, and let the other children know you are off-limits during that time. They will honor that rule for each other, since they know the others will honor it when their time comes.

You may never dream of the enriching time you will have yourself! I’ve been instructed in martial arts, played a good few rounds of HORSE in basketball, built with legos and K-Nex(not as easy as it appears!), played with Littlest Pet Shop figures, and gone on picnics.

Have fun playing a little one-on-one! Your kids will not forget it. And my hunch is that you won’t either.

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Get to Know Your Teacher

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This month’s Chalk Talk with Coach Mom newsletter we heard from teachers: how parents can help their children succeed, how we can best help them, and their favorite ways to be shown appreciation.

 Gift cards came in as the #1 gift idea, and many teachers commented that small acts of thoughtfulness sometimes were as meaningful as anything. How can we know specifically what means the most to each teacher? Just ask!

Following are some questions I bet your child’s teacher would be more than happy to answer:

  • When is your birthday? Anniversary?
  • What is your favorite color?
  • List 3 favorite restaurants.
  • Favorite movie theatre?
  • List 3 favorite snacks.
  • Favorite drink?
  • Are you a coffee drinker? Favorite kind?
  • Do you have any pets? (Name/type)
  • What are your hobbies and interests?
  • Favorite fast food meals?
  • Favorite meals for your family?

After the teachers fill in their answers, photocopy the sheets so that everyone in each class has the chance to get to know the teachers.  Then as you study the answers, make your plan…

  • Organize a “surprise the teacher with a treat” (a favorite snack, drink, or lunch) twice a month for the school year.
  • Organize a gift card tree for the teacher’s birthday and ask students to bring $5 gift cards. Punch holes in them (strategically) and tie them with ribbons on a plant or branch “planted” in a pot.
  • Organize the class to provide meals for the teacher’s family on nights requiring a late stay, such as open house or meet-the-teacher nights.
  • Have all the children bring encouraging notes on the same day and tape them to the door.
  • Go together with other families to give the teacher gift cards to favorite restaurants.
  • For her birthday, bring a place setting from home and set up the teacher’s special lunch in the teacher’s lounge. (Do it on “half-birthdays” if your teacher has a summer birthday.)

And if you have time to spread “a little more love”…

 Write notes to former teachers thanking them for their impact on your child’s life, recalling a special memory in their class, and updating them on the latest news about your child.

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Just Like Daddy

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2010Sep7 Our family gathers to eat dinner in a round room that has ten windows wrapping half-way around it, granting us a great view of our neighborhood. One of our favorite dinnertime entertainments this summer happened on Thursdays. On those nights our across-the-street neighbor Eric came out to mow his lawn. Never far behind him was his one-year-old son Pearson with his own lawnmower. Now, you have to understand that Pearson is precious just standing and doing nothing, but his cuteness on these nights was exceptional. Pearson kept his eyes fixed on his dad, and was careful to make every move that his daddy made. His dad leaned over to turn his mower on, he also leaned over. His dad made a sharp turn, he made a sharp turn.

It got me thinking about the influence we have on our children as parents. The lawnmowing is fun to watch, but it is only one aspect of Pearson’s life that he is looking to imitate his dad. As his dad speaks with loving and gracious words in a difficult situation, Pearson learns kindness and grace. As Eric wraps Pearson up in his arms, wrestles, and laughs with him, Pearson learns how to love and be loved. As Pearson catches his dad reading the Bible and hears his dad pray, he learns that there is a loving Father that his own father draws strength from and depends on daily. It makes me think of the song by Phillips Craig and Dean that says, “Lord, I want to be just like You, cause he wants to be just like me.”

It also makes me wonder if my eyes are set enough on my Heavenly Father. The Bible tells me if I have seen Jesus I have seen the Father. In difficult situations, do I turn to his loving and gracious words, feeling his kindness and grace not only toward me but through me to others? When I feel insecure and unworthy, do I allow God to wrap me up in his love by worshipping Him through song and meditating on the truths and promises in His Word, which helps me to understand His unconditional love to the depths of my soul? Do I imitate Jesus’ daily time in the Word and in prayer because I know to the core of being that I can do nothing apart from His strength?

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your Name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify your Name forever.” Psalm 86:11. And as I do these things, may my children do the same.

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