A Sweet Crafty Treat...

I love crafting, especially when my kids can get involved. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, so I thought, What better way to celebrate than to make something with my daughter? We don't normally make a big deal out of V-Day, since my hubs and I both have birthdays in February, but we usually try to do something as a family; go out to dinner or something along those lines. I thought that this year I'd put a little more effort into it, however, for my kids' sakes. I promised Courtney that I'd take her to Chick-fil-A for some "little bitty chicken sandwiches" on Valentine's Day morning, but I wanted her to really think about love- God's love for us, and ways we can love others. So we made this wreath! The week leading up to V-Day, I'll write a Bible verse about love, plus one thing her dad and I love about her in each of the red papers around the outside edge of the wreath. Then we can talk about ways to show love to our family, neighbors, etc. I'm super excited, and praying that her understanding of God's love for her deepens more during that week. It's sort of like an Advent Calendar- only, modified for another holiday. The point is still the same: To deepen my child's knowledge of God's Word, to encourage her to seek God, and to draw us together as a family.

So here is what I did. If you're feeling crafty, try something like this with your kiddos. Talk about love. I asked Courtney how a person can know they're in love- how they can know they've found the right person to marry. She said, "You can know because he'll be wearing the perfect shirt!" (Didn't know it was so simple, did you?) Happy crafting everyone. Just use whatever you have lying around, and remember to HAVE FUN!!

I just grabbed all of my craft supplies that were red, pink, or Valentines Day related. Cookie cutters make great tracing tools, if your child is not comfortable making their own hearts.

I used a cake board as our backdrop. It was the only big, round-ish thing I could find.

I folded a paper towel roll into a heart shape, then snipped it every 1/2 inch or so. Then I re-shaped them with my fingers just a bit so they'd be more rounded heart shapes.

We then put glue around the edges of the hearts. I let Courtney use a glue stick, but I think if you pour a little liquid glue into a bowl, a child could easily just dip the heart into it.

And, of course, we dipped the hearts in GLITTER!! I know it's messy, but seriously- your kids are only kids once. Let 'em make a little mess now and then in the name of fun... or go outside... or let them do the glittering in the bathtub.

I then strung the hearts with embroidery thread.

Then we duct-taped everything to the back. Hey, Mama-Crafting doesn't take a degree in art or engineering- just the ability to improvise- and all mamas can do that!

I glued the sticks to the cake board and let them dry with a heavy book on top while we made the hearts. The red papers are what I'll write the Bible verses and encouragments on.

Here it is! Nothing super fancy, but my four year old jumped and giggled with excitement over the finished product. I hung it on her bedroom door with an over-the-door hook.

I hope you all enjoyed our little craft for the day. Thanks for keeping up with me here at mamaisaverb!

Parkour...

Parkour. Some of you may be fans. Others (like me) only know about it because of a funny clip from The Office. Basically, it's free-running. Trying to get from point A to point B in the most creative and efficient ways possible. It's a lot like the game we used to play as kids at the playground. You know, "Don't fall off of the jungle gym! There's a lake of fire down there and a dragon and crocodiles and razor sharp swords, too!!" (Well, that's how we played it anyway.) Back to the point. It's really cool to watch professionals do it. It's not so cool to watch amateurs.

Today was beautiful. Eighty degrees in the middle of January. What?!? One more reason I heart Texas. Naturally, when the kiddos got restless after lunch, I decided it was time to go to the park. Courtney wanted a park with swings, so we went looking for a new place to play. The park near our house has no swings. I remembered seeing a sign for a "Creative Play Playground" close by, so I thought we'd drive by and check it out. It was HUGE! Imagine a wooden castle/fort built just the right size for about 80 kids to play on. There were ramps, tires, slides, swings, stairs, stepping stones and more. It was a tiny metroplex of playground equipment.

I parked the car. The kids and I set off to explore this amazing place. Suddenly, a boy of about 14 or 15 ran straight for us! He jumped and swooshed and bobbed and hung until he got over to the stairs Matthew was playing on. He politely said "Excuse me" and huffed as if he were frustrated that we had been in his way. I promptly warned Courtney to watch out for the guy in the red shirt so she wouldn't be clobbered.

Another teen approached him to ask what he was doing. "TRAINING!!" he said, gasping for breath.
"Oooh, can I come, too?" the other teen asked. So they set off.
"You have to jump from one plane to the next. And you can't touch the ground!" the red-shirted boy said, as he scrambled to climb back atop a 5' high post he'd fallen off of. He grunted as his tennis shoes slipped and slid against the log. He refused to touch the ground, even though it was a mere 6" away from his gangly legs. The other boy got the point, and it became a competition- only, the second boy had some reservations. "Oh, @#%$* no- I'm not gonna break my leg doing something stupid like that!" (glad my kids were distracted at that moment). So the second boy gingerly made his way down and then picked up at the next point.

A girl, about 11 or so, asked what they were playing. "We're not playing!" the boy in red passionately explained. "We're TRAINING!"

I laughed to myself. It was funny. Training for what? Parkour? I couldn't help but think about that episode from The Office, when Michael, Andy & Dwight went free-running through the building. If you've seen the episode, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven't seen it, check out the embedded video below. I enjoyed watching the boys for the next 10 minutes or so, but then I decided to take my little ones over to the swings.

It hadn't occurred to me that these teenagers should have been in school, since it was 1:45 in the afternoon. I glanced over and saw a coach of some sort from the nearby school and realized that he had brought his class out to the park to soak in some sun. He got up from the bench and took a hat to the boy free running through the playground. It all clicked for me. As I saw him talking to the boy and waving about, I realized that the boy was running at the coach's instructions. Ah, ha. It all made sense now.

You know, that boy makes a good metaphor. I thought about our journey as Christians. We are following God's commands. We're doing something that may seem awkward to others at times. It may even make them laugh- or cause them to make fun of us... but then, sometimes, another person comes alongside us and says, "Hey, what are you doing? Can I join in?"

The point is, this boy was running hard and getting an awesome workout. He was getting stronger while a group of girls from his class sat in the shade, complaining and yelling at one another. They were missing out on the benefits that this class outing had to provide. Sometimes people in our churches do that. I have. Instead of running full force, following God's instructions, I just sat quietly, getting caught up in all of the drama that exists within the church (oh, come on- you know it's there). Then, I've also been like the boy who joined in and went for it- but with reservation. "Ok, Lord! I'll follow you... but wait. That looks hard. I think I'll just slowly make my way through instead of hitting it head-on like you instructed." Then I miss out on the challenge. Challenges are great because they stretch us and encourage us when we accomplish them. What I want to be is like the boy running through the playground with no fear, no reservations, and die-hard commitment. He was so focused on his goal that he didn't even notice me staring at him! Where are you today? Are you the red-shirt boy? The other boy? Or are you one of the drama-mamas sitting in the shade? Just something to chew on...

Enjoy this Parkour clip from The Office:

Old Mr.Fray...

I read in a magazine a while back that if your child can't get the point you're trying to convey, you should put it in story form. They may not understand why they can't take their brother's cookie, but they definitely know why a dragon can't steal a princess' favorite toy. Stories help take our kids out of the issue, let them see it from a new perspective, then (with guidance from us), help them realize how the story applies to their own lives. Their defenses retreat when we're talking about dragons and princesses, instead of just scolding them for doing wrong. You know kids- when they feel defensive, they don't hear a word we're saying.

I've been having trouble lately with my four year old getting distracted on her way to obey. "Please brush your teeth," for instance, is interrupted by the soap bottles that need to be reorganized, the towel that would make a great cape, and the bathtub toy that Mama forgot to put away. I wanted to show her that (as we say in our house like, every day) "Slow obeying is disobeying." She also needed to understand that her disobedience has a greater effect than she sometimes realizes. So I wrote this little poem last night. We talked about it this morning, and she totally got the point. It didn't cause her behavior to change immediately- that will take time, discipline and consistency on my part- but the story coupled with our own real examples did help her understand that her disobedience affects the whole family.

So here ya go. This is a story about a man whose disobedience nearly ruined the princess' birthday celebration (*GASP!*)

Old Mr.Fray
by Kristi Wood

There once was a village,
Not far from the sea,
Where everyone worked and lived happily.

They all had their part,
And they all did their share.
And that, my dear friend, made that village quite rare.

Well, it happened one day,
That the princess, so fair,
Was to have a birthday- and her party she’d share!

With all of the people
Who lived in her town.
Yes, she’d share her big cake, and show off her new gown!

There’d be presents and flowers
And ice cream to spare,
For every man, woman and child who was there.

The whole town was stirring,
They all were abuzz!
To think, what a wonderful privilege this was!

They all went to work,
Making presents and such,
To show thanks to a princess who loved them so much.

Now there was a small shop
Near the south end of town,
Where eggs, milk and flowers and fabric were found.

So it made sense that when,
Their supplies were all spent,
The shop was the first place that anyone went.

But it just so happened,
That on this special day,
The supply cart was driven by Old Mr.Fray.

He was a good man,
But stubborn and slow.
He went when he wanted to get up and go.

His boss told him clearly,
“Take this cart straight to town!
No stopping to play, and no slowing down!”

But He stopped to catch fish,
He stopped to draw pictures.
Why, he even stopped to polish his dentures!

He thought, “What’s the hurry?
I’ll be on my way.
No one will notice if I stop to play.”

But the townspeople noticed.
They waited till night.
Finally, over the hill came a light.

Old Mr. Fray
Had made it at last,
But the time for preparing the party had past.

The princess would open
Her window tomorrow,
Only to find a town full of sorrow.

For there would be
No party to share.
No cake, or gown or ice cream to spare.

For Old Mr. Fray
Had taken his time.
He’d played and caught thirty-two fish on his line.

The townspeople yawned
They all went to bed.
“No party this year,” the little one said.

Well, Old Mr. Fray
Felt pretty low.
But then an idea came to him, so…

He opened his cart
And got out the milk.
He gathered the eggs and flowers and silk.

He was quite sorry
For what he had done.
Now he’d make it up to everyone.

He worked through the night,
His coffee got cold.
But he prayed and kept going till the sky turned to gold.

The morning sun said,
“Goodbye!” to the night;
And the town awoke to a startling sight!

The whole town was filled
With streamers and flowers!
Someone had worked through the long night hours!

The princess smiled
As she opened her eyes.
There, on her table- a lovely surprise!

She opened the box,
And what did she find?
But a gown made of silk and solid gold twine.

The whole town was happy
The party had come!
There was ice cream for all and cake for each one!

But Old Mr. Fray
Wasn’t even in town
To share the big cake and see the new gown.

He’d gone on his way
When his work was all done.
He was too sleepy to join in the fun.

Old Mr. Fray
Learned his lesson that day.
It’s better for everyone when you obey.

“If I’d just been there sooner,”
He thought as he sat,
“They would have been ready for a party like that.”

He’d worked awfully hard
And mended his way.
Next time he’ll certainly choose to obey.


Note: Please don't do anything silly- like copy this and claim it as your own work. We're all adults here. If you choose to share, just give credit where credit is due.

The Tongue is a Terrible Thing to Waste...

Fit. Of. The. Century. Wow. It started out as a nice day, and I am sure it will end as one, too- we just had a minor blip in our attitudes after lunch. We've had several days of cloudy skies, two days of rain, and forcasts of 40° temps for tomorrow. Today, however, is BEAUTIFUL! Sunshine and 60°. Perfect, if you ask me. So I decided that I'd get out and stock up so I wouldn't have to run to town during next week's cold front.

We went to Walmart, then Hobby Lobby, to pick up a few odds and ends that I'm out of. Then we met Keith for lunch. Everyone was happy and the prospect of a good grocery store trip was looking pretty good, in spite of the fact that we were closing in on nap time. We said goodbye to the hubs and headed to Kroger.

We found just the right basket (the blue car) and headed in. Matthew started to fuss. We got our produce. His fussing turned to tears. I got him out of the car and placed him in the basket. His tears turned to all-out screams. He continued this for quite some time. I tried to calm him, but he kept at it, trying to get into the big section of the cart, saying "Me! Me!" 

Matthew is 17 months old, so "Me" means quite a bit right now. It usually means he wants something. I had no idea what, since he wasn't pointing at anything. I thought he just wanted to sit in the cart with the food, since his sister often does. So I held him. He did flips in my arms, so I put him down to walk, holding my hand. He tried to run away. Back in the basket. Back to the little car with sister. Back into my arms. This kept him quiet (somewhat) for a few minutes as we picked up cheese, butter and eggs, but by the time we got to the meat, my little boy was screaming so loud that people were staring. He was climbing in circles around me. It was all I could do to hold on to him. They stopped their conversations. I'm sure I was red. Courtney got out of the car to ask why he was being so loud- she couldn't hear her video game over his voice. Really? So, having the main items on my list checked off (milk, eggs, bread & what-not), I made a bee-line for the checkout.

As soon as we got there, Matthew turned on the charm, ringing the "I'm a satisfied customer!" bell and waving to the checkout girl. I emptied out the cart and realized, through his cavemanesque grunts and gestures, that what Matthew had wanted all along were the Cheez-it's in my purse. He saw the bag poking up through the top. Sigh.

It's all good now. He's asleep and Courtney is watching Nick Jr. The house is quiet and no one is staring at me.

As I put the groceries away, I couldn't help but replay the previous hour's events in my mind. It made me think of a few grown-ups I've met in my (short) lifetime. They know what they want, but they lack the communication skills to get it. Or, they're so engulfed by fear or pride that they refuse to tell anyone what they need. They just point and climb and yell, hoping someone gets the point. Then there are those who lack grace in their speech and just say whatever comes to mind, without consideration of others' feelings.

You might hear things like: "I just don't know how to tell my husband I need some me-time. What if he thinks I'm being mean and don't want to be around him?" Or maybe "You're all losers. I can't stand to be around you. I need mature people to hang out with." Or, "No way I'm telling my friend that she gets on my nerves when she texts during our lunch together. If she doesn't know it bothers me by now, then I'm just going to be rude right back to her. She'll get the point."

Sadly, she won't. You'll burn bridges with people who could potentially enrich your life, and he won't realize you need me-time. Your boss won't know that you can't work Saturdays, that girl/guy won't know that you like them, and your friends won't stop calling after ten o'clock. Not if you don't communicate well.

I wish people would communicate more. And not just more, but better. Let's stop throwing fits (whether passive aggressive or out there for everyone to see) and just tell people what we need. Think about it first, pray about it, wait till the right time, and say it in a way that will encourage them- but say it. I'm all about choosing my battles, but if most of your battles are centered around miscommunication, there are ways to solve that. Check out this article for a few tips. I especially like #6: Using "I" Messages. For instance. Instead of saying to Matthew, "You just don't communicate well with me!" I could say, "I feel like I'm missing what you're trying to say here." Sorry, but I have to laugh, because he's one year old. Of course he doesn't communicate well!

Anyway, I (re)learned two lessons today. #1 If it's 30 minutes till naptime, just go home. Don't try to take the baby to the grocery store. Duh. #2 Remember to communicate effectively. I have to check myself sometimes and ask  if I'm getting my point accross in a positive and encouraging way. Am I honoring God with my words? Here is a scripture I try to remember when it comes to communciation:

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.  And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!" ~James 3:2-10

Bottom line is this: If you want the proverbial Cheez-it's, tell someone. But make sure that you're honoring God with your speech, not cursing those who have been made in the image of God. Here's to a new year of communicating better. Check out the link to the article above and just ask yourself if you're a good communicator. If you're not sure, ask someone. If you're not, now would be a great time to get humble before God and ask Him for some help. Just two chapters earlier, in James 1:5, we are met with this encouragement: "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." God is the greatest Communicator of all time. Surely He's got what you need:)

Melting the Mountains...

When I was a teenager, I hated hanging laundry outside. The sun always got in my eyes as I tried to look upward at the line so I could clip clothes with those annoying little wooden hangers. After a while, I would get a cramp in my hand, causing my fingers to twist just enough while opening a clothespin, and pinch my finger with the little spring. Sometimes the whole thing would just come undone! GAH! But that was life. So I'd go out later and take my crispy clothes out of the  Texas heat, take them inside and crumple them a few times to soften them up again before being folded and (sometimes) put away. I could have saved myself the crispiness if I would have gone outside and taken them down, instead of leaving them out ALL DAY. But out of sight, out of mind, right? Okay, I'll admit it- I've never enjoyed laundry, whether hanging it in the sun, taking it to the laundromat, or washing and drying from the comfort of my own home. The only time I think I've ever really enjoyed the laundry was before each of my children were born. There's something sweet about folding newborn clothes in anticipation of who is to come... but, *sigh* let's get back to the laundry.

I have to take a certain approach to laundry. It usually goes something like this:
Laundry [looming in closet]: You will never conquer this Mountain! I stand firm with the stench of time and the power of discouragement!

Me: "Yeah, you're probably right. Ok, I'll most likely get to you tomorrow."

{The next day, when the baby is wearing that pair of jeans for a second time- you know the one- it's the pair he spilled ketchup on the day before. You wiped it off, so it's not noticeable, but you can smell it- yuck.}

Laundry: I told you that you could never defeat me! MWAHAHAHA!!I'm HUGE and insurmountable!

Me [with a fierce frustration brought on by the tears of last night's meltdown when the kids' favorite PJ's were not available]: That's IT! I am the woman of this house! I WILL conquer you, oh Mountain of Doom! My children will have their favorite PJ's tonight if it's the LAST THING I DO!!

So, with that, I violently hoist myself off of the couch, grab the laundry basket and start to sort- and wash-and dry- and fold- and even (usually) put away. YESSS!!

I win.

That's a good feeling. I've decided it's a lot like peeling a bandaid off of your arm. If you do it slowly, it's painful and you may just decide to gently put it back, hoping it will magically fall off on its own... but if you just rip it off and get it over with, it's done and you can forget about it. Until, that is, the next day, when you have to wash the hub's work clothes, or the towels or whatever. I like the FlyLady's motto: "A load a day keeps the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) away!"

Now, since being gone a solid week at Christmas, my laundry mountain has become a huge nuissance. It seems that, no matter how hard I've tried, I simply have not been able to finish it. By the time I caught up from Christmas, the kids' laundry basket was full. When I finished that, the basket in our room was full. (I wash them seperately because I have to use a certain detergent for the kids' laundry.) Anyway, today was the day I was finally going to catch up. Hallelujah! It's almost done! I put the last load in the dryer and went to the computer. About fifteen minutes into the dry cycle, I heard it.
Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

What is that?? I went to check, and my dryer was overheating. Of course, I stopped it immediately and checked to make sure I didn't need to grab the fire extinguisher. All clear. Whew! My dryer started to cool off, but refused to turn back on. I had the kids' clothes inside, and HAD to find a way to dry them, if I didn't want them to sour. The last thing I want is to cuddle with my kids and smell that gross "laundry stayed wet too long" smell. So I went to work. I had to find a way to dry the clothes...

So, since it's Texas and 70 degrees in JANUARY- What?!?-  I decided to make a clothesline. I'm no engineer. In college, I did terribly in math & science. In fact, I majored in social work. But I was determined. So, I searched the house to find a long rope, but only found a piece of extra hose that we bought for our refridgerator's ice dispenser. That'll work! I looked for something outside to hang it on, but found nothing. Back into the house. I looked in my closet and found some old railings that don't go to anything but I refused to throw away "just in case" we ever needed them. Today's the day for you guys! Come on! Duct tape? Check! Now, something to hold it up once the weight of the clothes comes down on them- Bamboo! (don't ask). Then, I found a bunjee cord and rigged it around our chimenea for extra support, since one side was wobbly. I have no idea how I did this, but here's what I got:

BAM!! I can't express how good it felt to get it done. Sometimes I am amazed at what I can do if I have to. Now our clothes will be dry, and my hubs can check out my dryer when he gets home from work. No worries. Laundry mountain: CONQUERED.

So here's the lesson I re-learned today. We are all, I truly believe, stronger than we think we are. 

How many times have you seen someone go through a crisis and hear them say something like: "I never thought I could get through something like this, but here I am."

If you're a Christian, you have something really cool living inside of you. Nevermind the mental image that just popped into your head of the little alien dancer from Space Balls singing "Hello my baby, hello my darling..." Oh, that didn't pop into your head? Ok, then I'm weird, because I was totally thinking of that!! Back to the point...

If you're a Christian, you have something really cool living inside of you- the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" Cool, huh? The Spirit of God lives in you- that means that when you are at a loss, when you are overwhelmed, when you need some help, some strength, an idea, some joy, or whatever, all you have to do is look inside of you and see that God is helping you. Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

Now, my problem today was a little one- my dryer broke. I needed to do something out of the ordinary that I wasn't sure I could do. But with God's grace, I had an idea, I found the right supplies, and I was able to make it work- without a meltdown, praise God! But I've found several other times in my life, in harder times, in more complicated situations, that when I looked to the Lord and realized He was with me - and He was IN me- I was able to accomplish more than I had ever dreamed. I was able to stay sane through more than I should have. I was able to finish when I wanted to give up.

So let me encourage you with this: If your mountain is calling out insults, and when you try to conquer it you're met with impossible obstacles, find the Living God who has chosen to dwell in your heart, call out to Him, and let Him work in and through you to do the impossible. Take in Psalm 97:5 "The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth." What is your mountain?