Sunday, July 05, 2009

Just Keepin' Her Humble


As most everybody who reads this knows, being a parent is hard work. We're responsible for so much. There are the basics like feeding, clothing, safety, health, etc. That's the easy part. The hard part is building character. I mean, we're going to build some kind of character regardless. The challenge is what type of character.

Tonight I did my best to instill a humble spirit in my daughter. She sang harmony in the band at church tonight and rock star status can have a detrimental effect on one's ego. Not only that, but her stage presence was suffering. So I stood in the back with two friends, Stacey and Darlene, and danced for a reaction. I would say I was getting my praise on, but I don't think my movements screamed "Moved by the Spirit" in any form or fashion. What the three of us accomplished was getting her to crack up so much that she couldn't even sing. Which leaves her with a humble spirit. Or humiliated spirit. Is there a difference?

To add insult to injury to the lesson, Katie and I were both wearing jeans and a green t-shirt. Not on purpose, either. But when a high schooler is dressed like her mommy - well, not so cool.

Yea, how didst thy delight in thine offspring's mortification?
With great leaping and joy, sayeth Jenster.

Labels: attitude

Mused by Jenster :: 9:19 PM :: 2 People musing:

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Saturday, July 04, 2009

Did You Know...

...there are muscles that run down the back of your thighs? Oh yes there are. And do you know how I know this? I weeded off and on all day yesterday. Now instead of gracefully sitting down on the couch I stand in front of it, bend over slightly at the waist, rock back on my heels and fall back, wincing at the searing pain in the back of my legs as I go. I'm such a wimp.

Labels: whiney

Mused by Jenster :: 11:01 PM :: 2 People musing:

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Friday, July 03, 2009

WHASSUP????

How is everybody? It seems like it's been forever since I chatted with any of you. Apparently I can't be a wife, mom, friend, employee and blogger all at the same time. Something's gonna hafta give.

I vote it's the mom part. My sole intention of having kids was so that they could keep my house clean and do my bidding and they're not doing a very good job of that. Although they did go to the store last night for Double Stuffed Oreos. There is that. But is that really enough??? I dunno.

My whole family has been through some head cold thing in the last couple of weeks. Taylor started us off a week before he and Katie were going to Michigan for Christ in Youth. By the time they left he was feeling much better, but Todd was sick. Then Monday morning I get a call from Katie in Michigan and SHE was sick. (Don't tell anyone because I don't want to mess up my reputation as a soulless mom, but it made me so sad that my baby was so far away, all alone in a dorm room and sick! I wanted to drive right over there and get her!) She's a toughie, though, and ended up having a great time there. I thought I had escaped...

...until Sunday night. My throat hurt, my ears were plugged, I was snotty. Shoot!! Monday and Tuesday were miserable with a low grade fever and sheer exhaustion. All I could think of was how did Katie ever manage. By Wednesday I was back to work and felt pretty good, but the fatigue from this fairly mild cold is insane! I've been trying to weed today and I don't get very far before I'm so tired I'm shaking. Or maybe it's just my aversion to weeding. Maybe a combination... Whatever.

In a little less than two weeks our church will be putting on Kids' Camp Galaxy - a free community event and we're expecting over 1,000 kids. Talk about a lot of work! I'm fairly heavily involved because of my position as the administrative assistant to Valley Kids, the children's ministry department. But folks, let me tell you something. I am in awe of these people who put this on every year. The creativity, the organization, the drama, the games, the lessons - these people put their everything into making this an outstanding event every.single.summer. And what's even more incredible to me is that they do it because of how much they care about children. I mean seriously care and want to make a difference in their lives! (I know what you're thinking. Why the heck do these people let Jen work with them?? Some mysteries will never be solved.) All kidding aside, it's very exciting to watch all this come together from the inside.

Well friends. I really have to go to the grocery store. Can I just take this opportunity to tell you how much I despise grocery shopping? I remember when the kids were young and the first time in what seemed like an eternity I got to go to the store by myself it was the coolest thing ever! Now I practically beg them to come with me so they can take half the list, but they always have plans. How convenient for them. I think their plans should include cleaning up the kitchen!!

So after all this griping about weeds and kids is it wrong of me to shamelessly plug the next post on Trippin' Through The Bible?? Whether it is or not, I'm going to anyway.

Labels: church, kids, TTTB

Mused by Jenster :: 2:11 PM :: 3 People musing:

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

TTTB - Genesis 4

Trippin' Through The Bible has a new home. Now that I finally have said home set up the way I like it (for now, anyway) I hope to be more consistent in posting. If not it will take several years to get through the entire Bible!

You can click on the button for a quick trip over there.



Please stop by if you have a minute, look around, answer a discussion question or just say hello. I'd love a visit!

Labels: TTTB

Mused by Jenster :: 10:13 PM :: 0 People musing:

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

How Do I Love Thee, Church? Let Me Count The Ways...

Now that school is out we're gearing up for Kids' Camp and Stretch at CCV. Kids' Camp is for kids 4-years-old through 6th grade and Stretch is for 6th through 8th graders.

There's a lot I could say about these events; how much fun the kids have, what great lessons they learn, all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make them excellent, the awesome volunteers, the incredible creativity -- but instead I'll just show you. These are videos from last summer's Kids' Camp and Stretch. Enjoy!

Labels: church, fun, kids

Mused by Jenster :: 9:55 PM :: 2 People musing:

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Making Memories

Friday was one of those days I'll remember for a very long time. The kind of day that wasn't terribly uncommon when the kids were younger - back when we could say, We're going to go see this movie or hike that trail or go on a picnic, or whatever and the announcement would be met with enthusiasm and anticipation. These days, however, trying to find a movie or an activity we can all agree on has proven nearly impossible. Turns out 17-year-old boys don't like the same things 14-year-old girls like and neither of them care for what mom and dad prefer.

Todd and I both had Friday off and the forecast didn't call for a speck of rain, a rarity these days. So we jumped in the car and took off for North Wales where we started our adventure with a great lunch at Chili's - the kids' choice. Down the street from the restaurant we played miniature golf, swung bats in the batting cages, raced each other on the Go-Kart track and just generally had a ton of fun.

In fact the good times started on Thursday. Just hanging out together, eating together, playing together, watching movies together. A lot of "together". And I've cherished every second of it. Today after church the kids left for a Christian teen conference for a week.

How is it Taylor only has one year of high school left? He's much closer to being a man than a kid. When did that happen? And why does Katie have to be a freshman in the fall? My baby will be in the same place as my firstborn before I've had a chance to catch my breath. And then what?

It used to be they were dependent on me for their fun. I was at home with them from the time they were very small and I enjoyed playing with them. The pool, the zoo, an easy hiking trail, the water park, etc. In fact, sometimes they were my excuse to get to do something fun like the science museum or the newest Disney movie.

When the weather was cold I would brew a pot of tea, make some shortbread and set the table nicely for an after school snack. During summer rains we would camp in the living room, eat Popsicles on the front porch and sometimes even play in the rain. One year we had a pretty good snow, but both kids were sick and couldn't get out to play in it. So Todd and I loaded up a big bowl with snow and let the kids build little igloos and castles on cookie sheets in the kitchen.

Trips to the park, swinging into the swimming hole on an old rope, the weekly stop at the library, camping with just us or friends, pulling them in the double wagon, reading in the hallway while a storm raged outside, cuddling on the couch and watching the latest Disney release...

My mind has been filled with these precious memories and my heart with a mixture of sadness that those days are long gone and a joy at the prospect of what these children are becoming. Sometimes I wish we could jump in a time machine and go back to those treasured moments. But at the same time I love the people they're growing into and enjoy when we do get to hang out together.

I am thankful to God beyond measure that Todd and I have good relationships with our teenagers and that sometimes they like spending time with us. I'm also thankful for the friendships they have with other great teenagers, the majority of whom share the same values, morals and take their faith seriously. It's no myth that friends make the person.

There is almost an urgency to spend as much time with them as I possibly can because it seems very limited. At the same time, however, I'm thrilled they both have the opportunity to go away this week and pray not only for their safety, but also for their spiritual growth.

When your kids are little you hear time and time again, "Enjoy them while you can because they're grown in the blink of an eye." Well I have enjoyed them from the very beginning and it does seem as though I've just blinked. The night before Taylor started kindergarten I laid in bed and cried because, "Tomorrow is kindergarten, then it will be college and before you know it he'll be married and living somewhere else." A little dramatic, yes (and Todd does still tease me about it) but not so far fetched.

This evening we had another break in the rain so I took Sookie to the park for a long walk. Families with little ones were out in abundance, making those bittersweet memories even sharper. I wanted to call out the above cliche to make those parents understand how fleeting this beautiful part of life is. But it's not something you can truly grasp until you're at the other end.

So Friday we played miniature golf and stopped keeping score after the 12th hole. We swung bats in the batting cages - my first time since the great breast cancer debacle of '05 (and I can still smack a ball). We drove Go-Karts and I managed to spin Taylor, run him into a wall and stall him. But mostly we just had fun and made a few more memories to add to the stack.

Labels: blessings, family, fun, nostalgia

Mused by Jenster :: 1:04 PM :: 5 People musing:

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Smooth Talkin' Brady

This is what happens when you leave your puppy at her BFF's while you're gone.

Labels: Sookie

Mused by Jenster :: 9:02 PM :: 10 People musing:

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