Really, It’s Hardly Even Work February 23, 2007

Why I love my job.

*11 smiling faces that are happy to see me in the morning

*15 amazing women who are dedicated to what they do, and who work together in a supportive and encouraging way

*toys are essential to our curriculum—they support cooperative, coordination, and fine motor skills

*playdough—homemade is best–and fun to make

*Crayola Brand crayons and markers–this is not snobbery, they really are superior

*school glue

*watercolor planets (or anything else)

*Frank Ash

*Eric Carle

*stickers

*snack time

*The Days of the Week Song (I especially like the one sung to the tune of The Adam’s Family Theme)

*cards signed by students who I taught to write their name

*painting “fire” on the letter “F” with a feather

*every day is take my daughter and son to work day

*my students love to put on their thinking caps, give themselves a silent cheer, or pat themselves on the back

*color coded classrooms

*my only take home work is cutting

*bulletin boards

*easel painting

But even more than that, I love moments like the other day in group time (all the classes together). We were learning about how Jesus called 12 disciples and they followed him. So twelve students were acting out the role of the disciples, carrying around sheets of construction paper with the names Peter, James, Bartholomew, and so on. One sweet little blonde-haired girl, carrying the name Andrew, walked up to a somewhat brooding little boy and said, “Hey, Did you know Jesus loves you?” I mean, really! And this is all in a day’s work.

As I reflect back on the list of what I love about my job, they are all very simple things. Reminds me of the simplicity that is in Christ. Reminds me of His words when He said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and do not forbid them. For of such is the kingdom of heaven.” I see every day how children are such a great example of accepting, embracing, and relishing the simple. So if my job is any indication, that’s going to be one amazing kingdom. And I even have reason to hope there will be Crayola.

Have you ever named a car? February 19, 2007

We watched RV last weekend, and the name of their recreational vehicle, Big Ole Rollin T*** (can’t stand that word, can’t even type it), got me thinking.

My family and I named my first car. Well, technically my first car didn’t last long enough to have a name. The first car that was first officially mine was a champagne colored Oldsmobile, complete with brown velvet upholstery on those pillowtop type seats. It was the Brougham body style. For the uninitiated, Brougham=HUGE. But we were poor, so I was ecstatic to have any car other than what my dad referred to as my “Chevralegs“–(not a funny joke). Alas, less than two months into driving this car, the engine block cracked. So, my parents bought another huge Oldsmobile. However, since this one had a V8, my mom determined it would be too much power for a 16-year old. That is how I came to inherit Miss Daisy.

Miss Daisy (after the movie–I love Jessica Tandy) was the car I had learned to drive on. Miss Daisy was not really any more impressive than the Oldsmobiles, but she was small (does anyone remember the Topaz?), and she was white, and she was a standard transmission. And she was sentimentally special.

My parents thought everyone should know how to drive a standard transmission. I thought they were really fun to drive. But I must admit, this skill never proved to be all that necessary–unless, of course, you count the Don Wessel Car Clinic Fundraiser. This was when the college class would drive cars through the checkpoints of Mr. Wessel’s car clinic. If you drove all three nights, you made around $50. We did it to raise $ for the missions trips every year. If you could drive a standard, you were eligible to drive more cars–and sometimes really cool cars. I guess another benefit of the car show would be that it was where I got to know my husband. And considering that the weather was doing that nasty drizzle-mist thing, and I was wearing a Don Wessel trucker’s hat to hold my hair down (before trucker hats were cool), I can only assume my ability to drive a standard transmission is the only possible thing that could have attracted my husband! So thanks, Mom and Dad!

Anyway…I digress… Then Tim and I had a big green pick-up…extended cab…long bed…the equivalent to driving a city block. We called it The Green Bomb.

So, I want to know… Have you ever had a Miss Daisy? Have you ever named a car? (Or alternatively, do you have a good first car story?)

Speed Cleaning… February 7, 2007

So I’m way less of a germ phobe than I used to be. And I’ve also resigned myself to the fact that I can’t have everything clean and ALL the laundry done at the same time-(I know, I’m a slow learner). However, I’m always up for a new approach to this cleaning thing. So…
What is your best tip or favorite product for speed cleaning?

My latest…taught my second grader how to dust. (Not sure how long this will last.)

Don’t try this at home… February 6, 2007

Apparently, the following is not an exhortation.

Lev. 13:40-41
And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

My husband did not find this to be edifying. Hmmm.

Am I Embracing a Vision or an Ideal? February 5, 2007

So I’m home again with another sick child. Thank goodness the groundhog didn’t see his shadow. Maybe spring will get here soon. Tim said the worship was awesome this morning.

So I was reading my Bible this morning–and I’m in Numbers now. Coming out of chapter 10 the ark begins to move forward, and in chapters 11 and 12, the complaining and murmuring begin. And it goes on and on and on. The people complaining about no meat (how quickly we forget that Egypt was the place of captivity), Aaron and Miriam complaining about Moses, the men of Korah, the men sent to search out the promised land. Then the effect on Moses–he starts complaining to God and basically says he can’t do it, it’s too much, please kill him.

The whole thing reminded me of a lesson Troy taught to the youth a few weeks ago. He pointed out that too often, we are focusing on an ideal and ideals are not realistic. Sometimes it’s a personal ideal (what my Bible reading should look like or what my prayer life should be or what I want to do for the Lord) or sometimes an ideal for our whole church (what the worship should look like or what discipleship should be). Then when our ideal is not met, we get discouraged and we might want to quit altogether, and we can certainly discourage others by expecting them to live up to our ideals.

Troy challenged us that instead, we should come under the authority in our lives, and focus on the vision that God is revealing to us and through our authorities. He said that when we focus on the vision, the big picture so to speak, we are more inclined to see the reasons for rejoicing and more equipped to keeping pressing on toward the mark. This was all part of a series he’s been teaching in Acts about why we have church and what God says it should look like.

So today, I have to ask myself again. Am I focusing on a vision or an ideal? And when I lose sight of the vision, how quickly do I turn to murmuring and complaining.

And I’m really moved by what God says about Moses (who incidentally is today’s “CHRIST IS REVEALED”). Numbers 12:3 says Moses “was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” Matt. 11:29.

How is it that I so often refuse Him?

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Prone to hear You and not heed You. Prone to scorn You in Your love.
Prone to wander…

…just like the Israelites.

Semi-Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup February 3, 2007

If you are a gourmet, this is not for you. If you are a mom who needs to get a meal on the table fast, read on.

My family really likes Rotisserie Chicken (thanks to Teri who brought us one after a baby). We especially like them from Sam’s Club because they seem huge. When we have one from Sam’s we always seem to have a lot of leftover meat. So one day I threw all of the following into the crockpot:

Leftover Rotisserie Chicken, torn into pieces
1 Bag frozen mixed veggies
1 Bag frozen egg noodles
4-5 Cups of chicken broth (either canned or made from bouillon)

Cook on High for 4 hours. And Voila! A very good chicken noodle soup.

Tim really likes this. The egg noodles kind of take on a dumpling consistency. The meat is already pre-cooked and very flavorful so combined with the broth, the soup has great flavor. My kids eat their veggies. And the meal was fast and cheap! Everybody is happy!

I suppose if your family is older or larger than mine, you might not have enough leftover chicken. But perhaps this could be a good alternative way to use rotisserie chicken.

It is surprisingly filling on its own. We usually just have it with oyster crackers and fruit. However, if you are extra hungry, it would be a good half of Soup and Sandwich Night.

Hope this helps someone make it through the next cold week!

Going, growing, gone… February 2, 2007

It’s gone. The heartstoppingly cute little raspberry that used to punctuate the word airplane (read airp*raspberry*lane) every time Nolan would say it…is gone. Now it’s just a regular old airplane. Very soon he will master all of the “S” blends and words like hnow, hnowman, hnowflake, pecial, poon, ticker, topsign, toppit!, hmile, cooter, and hnuffy, will disappear from our lives. It’s like when Kate stopped saying smarshsmallow. It’s just all going by sooo fast!

I have memories of when I first started coming to HSBC–which doesn’t seem like all that long ago–and I remember the first time I saw some people. I remember Skyler singing (I think with Cindy) from a plastic turtle sandbox in a children’s musical. Now she drives. I remember Lauren being this pretty little baby girl perched on Teri’s hip after The Living Christmas Tree. When Tim and I started in JV, Nathan, Ryan, Ashley, and Morgan were all in preschool!

And now it is happening to my kids. I don’t want to sound depressing–and honestly I just keep on loving each new phase we enter. But still, I will miss so many of their sweet little ways. So if you have somebody little enough to let you rock them–go rock them today! I’m going to see if my son will let me rock him.