Wordless Wednesday

Guess who loved finding the mulberry tree in the soccer field?!

Guess who wasn't happy about being pulled away from the mulberry tree?

The Newest Craze

Craze...crazy, maybe.  Who gives a 3-year old a nerf sword that's as big as he is for his birthday?!  Oh yeah...grandma.  Grandma's can get away with murder.  Well, said sword was 'hidden' all winter because the teething toddler loved chewing on the foam sword.  The toddler is finally finished teething (for a bit). The sword gets 'rediscovered' and 're-purposed' as a lightsaber.  That's safe.  A 3.5 year old with a sword is so much safer than a 3 year old with one.

Well, what's better than having 1 sword...having 4 of course.  Several years ago, the high school week of camp used the nerf swords for something that went along with the theme.  They have been sitting around for a couple of years.  Jut though it would be fun to bring them home.  C.R.A.Z.Y.  What house with 3 children ages 6 and under doesn't need nerf swords?!  Ummm...my vote is this one.

But, they are having a lot of fun fighting with their light sabers.  No one has been hurt *yet*.

Sometimes, I know I'm not ready for this world of boys that I've been thrust into.  But, I have to admit that they did have a wonderful time and were hilarious to watch.  Notice E...my ever cautious first-born...wanted to participate but didn't have to be right in the middle like the boys.  I can't tell you how many pictures I have of C charging...boys and girls...so different!

++

E's Dance Recital

E had her first dance recital last weekend.  She was in 'creative movement' or something of the sort.  Her class were all different animals.  E was a lion.  She loved it.  She loved preforming on stage.  She'd gotten tired of dance this spring and didn't want to do it any longer...then she got her costume.  That changed everything.  Then, she got to practice on stage...that was lots of fun too.  She loved the recital.  She grinned the entire time on stage.  She did great.  It was fun to watch.  Rehearsals went a bit better than the actual show, but they were all so cute, it didn't matter how the dance went.  E ended up in the wrong line at one point in time, but it didn't phase her...she just kept on dancing.  :)

Sunday School Rant

I sat in a meeting the other night.  The group was discussing Sunday School and how to draw people into Sunday School classes.  They were bemoaning the fact that its the same 30 people that attend every week and no one new ever comes.  So, they spent some time coming up with ideas of 'catchy' classes to draw people in.  Then, they discussed how they point-blank ask some people in their 30's to join class and get turned down.  I heard that "it is a spiritual maturity issue" and that people won't come until they learn that they  "need" to come.  So we need to spend time teaching people that to be a 'good' Christian, one must come to Sunday School.

After listening to all this for entirely too long, I finally had to speak up.  I made my confession.  I hate Sunday School.  It doesn't have anything thing to do with the teachers or classes.  I just don't enjoy Sunday School.  I haven't for years...long before we started attending here.  I teach our second hour 10 months out of the year so that I don't have to attend Sunday School.  Teaching is much more enjoyable.  Honestly, in the 2-month break I just had, I went to Sunday School once.  One time in nine weeks...isn't that a lovely example to set?!

The reality is that people that do see the need for church don't necessarily see the need for Sunday School.  "Sunday School" implies that you are going to school to learn on a Sunday.  Let's face it...I can learn about Jesus any day of the week.  I can read my Bible.  I can listen to guys on the radio, internet or tv.  I can pick up a great book to stimulate my Christian thinking.  I don't need to do that necessarily on Sunday morning.  My brain gets stimulated in church.  The service typically gives me something spiritual to mull over for the next few days.  I don't need more to contemplate...that just clutters my brain and makes me forget something that I wanted to ponder.

Besides, most families have two working parents.  Most families have very busy (potentially over-scheduled) children.  Most weeks are filled to the brim with working, eating, homework and extracurricular activities.  Saturdays are filled with the chores (laundry and groceries) and social obligations and maybe a bit of fun squeezed in, if a family is fortunate.  Is it really a surprise that after scrambling to get everyone out the door for church on a Sunday morning that a family is just ready to go home and relax for a few hours after service?  They haven't sat in the house together all week long.  Maybe they haven't eaten a meal around a table all week long.  If a families leaves after first service, they would be home by 11.  It is *relatively* easy to get a meal ready for the family to enjoy if you are home by 11.  We typically get home at 1.  If lunch isn't in the crockpot or a bunch of leftovers, we don't eat until 2...that is not a relaxing afternoon nor pleasant.  The idea of forcing a family to stay for Sunday School knowing that it will destroy (or make it unpleasant because of hunger issues) the little family time that they have within a week does not sit well with me.

At our church, one cannot use the justification that the children need to be in Sunday School to persuade parents to stay.  All children to grade 5 attend Sunday School during service.  No pull for the parents to have them repeat the same lesson and stay another hour.  I am not opposed to Sunday School during church but it just furthers the reason that people in my generation do not stay for Sunday School.  The youth group kids will get a lesson in the evening...so they will eventually get a lesson especially geared for them, also.

Now, I think Sunday School serves a purpose to those that attend and enjoy attending it.  I'm not saying that we throw the whole idea out the window and stop offering classes.  But seriously, we need to be realistic.  We aren't going to attract very many new people to a Sunday School program...that is not what the culture is looking for.  I don't think we've ever had a new member come to our church because of our stellar adult Sunday school program.  We need good, solid classes that the 30 people that attend will enjoy and learn from but we aren't going to recruit new faces.  We need to stop spending 1.5 hours discussing the problem that has no solutions.  We need small groups meeting throughout the week to encourage each other, strengthen each other and build each other.  We need more groups that meet at different times to meet the scheduling needs of the members.  Spending hours discussing the problem of Sunday School attendance...that is futile.  Building a vibrant small group ministry...that has potential.

Contentment...

I have been struggling lately...Struggling with allowing our nation's consumerist mindset to influence our buying choices and yet not allowing my kids to feel that we can't afford things because of a lack of money.  We took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class this winter.  It was a wonderful class to focus our spending habits and get us on the path that we want to be on.  However, I end up telling the kids all the time, "Its not in the budget this month...maybe next month."  We talk about being content with what we have and how we are fortunate to have so much.

The reality is that we live so much better than most of the world...I mean, for goodness sakes, we have 'houses' for our cars!  We are blessed beyond measure.  Comparing ourselves to world equates to us living as royalty.  However, we live in the United States.  If you compare us to the Jones's, they look like they are living as royalty...multiple vehicles, tons of toys, vacations, etc.  But, we have clean water to drink, healthy food to eat, electricity, running water, a house with multiple rooms...so much more than the majority of the world's population.  We tell our kids all the time that we live like royalty.  We compare what we have to our sponsor children in 3rd world countries. We talk about their dad's trips to Haiti and what life is like there.  I believe we are making headway in building a heart for the world and building contentment in their lives.

Then things like birthdays happen.  The desire for more, more, more erupts like a plague.  E has been reading all the American Girl books this spring.  Her g'ma gave her a small, display-type AG doll and a couple of books.  She was so excited to find the postcard to send in to receive the actual AG catalog. Her dad helped her fill it out and get it ready to mail in.  Then mom struck...I made her cry without intending to...I felt so guilty.  But, I asked her if she could look through the magazine and be content just looking.  We discussed that the dolls and accessories are expensive and it wouldn't be the best use of the money that we have to purchase them at this point at time.  So, she could send away for the magazine, if she could still be content with what she had.  With tears in her eyes, she honestly replied, "No mommy.  I couldn't.  I won't send in the postcard."

Wow!  What honesty!  Broke my heart because in that moment all I wanted to do was buy her one of those dolls...and I thought to myself, 'How many times do I fail to do what she just did?  How many times do I know that it is not the best to do some online browsing because it fuels feelings of discontentment?  How many times do we run to the store and window shop for things?'  Ugh.  Her honesty cut me to the core.  She's smarter than I am about the cycle of (dis)contentment...or at least more honest.

As we work at building an attitude of thanksgiving and contentment within the kids, I'm also working at building it within myself.  Looking at E's honesty made me examine my own actions.  Is it true that window shopping doesn't hurt?  I think window shopping does hurt...it hurts the heart.  It makes me discontent with what I have and long for things that I don't need.  I have learned in the past few years that if I stay home, I don't spend money but maybe there is more to it.  Maybe I need to unsubscribe to a bunch of email lists...maybe I need to stop tempting myself when I know there isn't money in the budget for those unnecessary items of life.

Contentment...that is a tough order in today's society.  But, we are working on it.  Counting our blessings.  Choosing the wisest place for our money to go.  Comparing ourselves to the vast majority of the rest of the world and not the relative minority that seem to have everything.  I am certain it will be a constant battle throughout life but hopefully one that we can win.  I want our kids to focus on how much we have and are blessed with and not the things they feel that they are missing out on.  Contentment...it is a work in progress.

Plastic Truck 1 - Caleb 1

The results of falling head first off of a Step 2 play structure and crashing through a large, cheap, plastic truck's cab.  I declared a tie because neither was left unscathed...the truck ended up smashed into a hundred pieces from C's head....and C...well, it is all superficial...but it does look nasty.  His eye was swollen shut in the morning and after his afternoon nap.  Poor baby.  Bothered his mother more than it bothered him, though.  I knew it wasn't serious when I stepped inside the door to clean him up/further assess the damage and he started screaming bloody murder that I dared take him inside away from his playing.  He's such a BOY!

Playing like he's as good as new less than 20 minutes after the tumble.  Cutie.