Happy Easter - He Is Risen!!

Good Friday

Poem by Coren Burch

What makes Good Friday good?” you ask.
A challenge! A rather daunting task.
Some may dismiss it with a shrug and a smirk,
And consider it another day off work.
Others, religious, pious as such,
Take a few minutes for a mournful watch;
Merchants unlock their doors with glee,
Anticipating the pre-Easter shopping spree.
A bunny here, a chocolate egg there,
Symbols of a society that doesn’t care.
“Care?” you say, “Do you mean me?”
“What’s there to care; how can this be?”
It’s the cross, you forget, that rugged wood,
That makes Good Friday eternally good.
What’s so good about the death of an ancient man,
Who died long before my life began?
This man, who on this earth once trod,
Was not only man, but the Son of God.
That wood, that tree, that old rugged cross,
Was the symbol of gain and the symbol of loss.
To those who believe, it is the promise of gain;
The hope that, like Jesus, we’ll rise again!
For the skeptic, the doubter, the meaning is loss;
An eternal gulf, which no one can cross.
Good Friday is good, because of the death
Of Jesus the Savior, who gave His last breath
So you, friend, and I, could be cleared of our guilt,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb that was spilt.
Mourn not, my dear soul, for the death of the Lamb,
For that cross made the bridge to the Great I AM.
Christ paid the price, rose again to God’s side,
And brought us next Sunday: the Resurrection-tide!

Birthday, Anniversary and so much more

April, April, April.... such a busy month... Birthday, Anniversary, Easter, Field Trips, Egg Hunts, Spring Parties, Bridal Showers, etc. I'm exhausted just typing that.

Had a great time in Lancaster for my birthaversary (birthday/anniversary for you newbies). Saw the "Joseph" production at Sight and Sound which was wonderful, ate at my favorite "Pennslyvania Dutch" breakfast place (Family Cupboard for you locals) and did something I have never done before.... took a buggy ride through the Amish Farms. Having lived in Lancaster for 7 years, you would have thought I would have taken a tour or two, but it's sort of like when I lived in NY and went to a Broadway show for the first time when I was 30. When you live locally, you don't necessarily indulge in the local culture.

Anyway, what a fabulous tour! We took the "cookie" tour.. it just sounded good LOL. The driver was 100% Amish, straight off the farm. Very friendly and told us we could ask ANYTHING! I was so excited! I can not tell you how many Beverly Lewis and Amy Clipson books I have read about the Amish. So, ask questions I did - how often does that opportunity come along? Not many times my friend.

The best part was when Steve, our Amish driver, took us onto his family farm.. I kid you not. No paved road just a dirt and grass trail. When we pulled up to the barn, his little brother came running out of the house barefoot with a little basket of goodies for sale. One look at those homemade chocolate chip cookies did it for me -- I can honestly tell you it was the best cookie I have ever had... and by the looks of me you can tell I've hand more than one in my lifetime.

We quickly decided after that tour, we would definitely do a much longer one next time. So, if you are in Lancaster and are looking for a new family adventure, grab the buggy rides next to Plain & Fancy on Route 340... well worth your time.

So grateful to Becky and Natalie and their families who came out to visit me while in Lancaster. It's always so nice to catch up with friends that I don't get to see very often. Love you guys!

Code Red!

This morning I was going to change a light bulb in our dining room. As I stood on a chair to approach the light fixture I noticed a big spider. Of course I gave out a little yelp, because I hate bugs, spiders, crawly things, etc. Chris, who was standing close by, of course wanted to make sure it was indeed a spider, so he came over to my side, took one look at it and yelled "CODE RED!" and took off running and screaming upstairs to his bedroom and closed the door.

Now, a code red at his school is where the school goes on lock-down... (usually if there is some kind of police activity that is taking place in close proximity to the building). I just chuckled that he felt that this spider deserved a code red.

Well, now that I took a little break to blog about the spider.. it's time for this scaredy cat to take care of it.

Scary, but True

Please watch this and share with your family and friends that might need to hear this.

April Fool's On-Air Prank

Happy Day!

We are out of town today celebrating my "Birthaversary" ... for those of you new to my blog it's my birthday and anniversary today. Yes, two cards, two gifts.. that was the deal. We've been married 8 years today and today I turn ______ years old. Be kind and insert a number that starts with a 2 or 3 in that blank and you will be a friend for life. LOL

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband who keeps me laughing and is truly my best friend.

Dilly-Dally

Do you have a "dilly-dally" at home? You know.. the child you send up to his/her room to get dressed and gets side tracked into doing something completely unrelated to the task at hand? For the longest time I had a dilly-dally. He would get so easily unfocused because of the things around him that looked more enjoyable to do than the thing that he was supposed to be doing. I figured that there had to be an easier way to get him to complete the simplest of tasks without standing there and walking through every movement with him or removing every object from his bedroom other than his bed and clothes.

So, one day the light bulb came on and I discovered what would motivate my dilly-dally. I wasn't going to bribe him because then I would have a dilly-dally PLUS I would be broke. So, I knew that he loves competition...well.. to be honest, he loves to WIN competitions, so I knew if I could turn simple tasks into a contest, he would be all over it.

Now every morning when I need him to get dressed, I simply say "I bet I can get dressed before you! Or, if I'm already dressed, I'll say, I bet I can put on my socks and shoes before you can get your clothes on!" And he is ALL over it!

Then, when that task is completed, I'll say, "I bet I can make my bed before you make yours!" And again, it's a race... and the task gets done.

I repeat the same for breakfast, putting on shoes, cleaning up a room, putting away toys, etc. Whatever I need him to focus on becomes a game. No more frustration over getting him to focus.

So, if you have a little dilly-dally see if this helps him or her get motivated to move a little faster and stay focused.

Quote of the Day

"Prayer is asking for rain.... Faith is carrying an umbrella"

Barbara Johnson

Move Over Kate!

Kate Middleton better watch her back... there's another princess on the scene. I was greeted yesterday morning with "Good Morning Princess!" I was taken aback because maybe that's a common greeting in your home each morning, but certainly not in mine. When I asked Chris why he wanted to call me princess he replied that it was because he wanted me to call him a prince. But of course... I should just call him Prince Lego since that's his favorite thing... although if I flipped that around I guess I would be called Princess Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and that just doesn't sound very much like a princess.. it just makes me hungry. LOL

Fire Drill

Yesterday we had a family fire drill. I'm proud to say it was mainly at the prompting of Christopher. So, we practiced leaving the house and going to our designated meeting space. It went very smoothly. Then I decided it would be a good idea for Chris to learn how to use my cell phone in case of emergency. I showed him how to call Steve and thought we should role play.

Me: "Call Daddy and tell him that something happened to mommy and you need help. Think of a situation when Mommy might hurt herself"

So, Chris uses my cell phone to call Steve (who is sitting next to us during this activity) and says: "Hi Dad.. it's me,Christoper. Mommy fell down the stairs and got hurt."

For those of you not too familiar with my legacy... I am notorious for falling down stairs.. it hasn't happened in a while, but even my son knows this about me.

I had myself a good laugh and felt confident of two things: 1 - Chris is ready for an emergency and 2: I better keep an eye on my cell phone now that he knows how to use it.

Letter to the Editor

To Whom It May Concern:

Today my son was home from school and I decided to pull out your Grade 1 Curriculum to have him do some relevant classwork. While working in the reading/spelling section he was stumped because he was supposed to match the first letter of the word to the picture that started with the same letter... He was stuck because he said " the letters there were "R" and "T" and it showed a picture of a Rose and a Radio... "

So I meandered over to see what the problem was... and the problem was that your curriculum was written before Flat Screen Televisions invaded America. The picture of the correct answer was a "television" that honestly looked like the floor model my grandfather had in his home in 1975. It had ANTENNAS on top of it as did your picture... my son thought it was a radio.

So, thanks for making me spend 30 minutes trying to convince my 7 year old that the picture was not a radio, but an old fashioned television. Don't you think moms home with sick children have enough to deal with?

Thanks

Friend or Foe

About a week ago, Chris came home from school and announced to me that he was now friends with "Bob". I was a little surprised because Bob has tried my patience, has softened my heart and has opened a door for me to teach my little boy how to act towards others...especially those who are not nice to you. You see, Bob has some learning and behavioral challenges and, as such, is not to blame for some of his actions. So, I've spent the majority of the year trying to explain to Chris that we are to treat others the way we want to be treated, but if you get pushed or something is said or done that doesn't follow the rules, you need to tell the teacher right away. And Chris has been great about doing just that, but always with the mindset that he does NOT like this kid.

So, that was why I was surprised that the boy who will "accidentally" knock into him and give him grief, is now his friend. I didn't get too much into it the day of Chris' announcement because we were with other people. As I was driving Chris to school the next day he said to me, "Mom.. do you know why I am now friends with Bob?"

No, Chris I don't... why did you decide to be his friend?
"Well, Bob does not have even ONE friend in our class and so I decided I was going to be his friend that way he has one. I was thinking how would I feel if I was the one who didn't have a friend and I would be very sad. So, that's why I am now his friend."

As the tears were rolling down my checks I told him how proud I was of him and how he is being so Christ-like in his actions.

Kid Funny

The following conversation took place in church recently:

As the ushers were called to come to the front of the sanctuary...
Chris to me in a whispered tone: "Mom.. are they going to turn the water into wine today?"
Huh?? What was he talking about??.. the ushers were coming to collect the offering.. and then it dawned on me.. he thought they were going to pass out communion!
"No.. there is no communion today, Chris. Usually once a month"

He remembered his recent Sunday school lesson about the miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine. And I guess when explaining communion to him he just put the two stories together.

At least he's not mad anymore thinking that it wasn't fair that the adults got to have the snacks (juice and bread) and the kids got nothing.

Get Rich Quick!

Chris is saving up money to take Tae Kwon Do lessons. We told him that we would pay for the majority of it, but we'd like for him to chip in a little bit to help with the cost. So, each week he is putting part of his allowance aside and I guess he is getting a little impatient...

"Mom.. get the video camera out!"
"Why??"
"I'm going to record something funny so we can win the $100,000 prize on America's Funniest Home Videos. So, get the camera and I'll do something to make people laugh." (I could ONLY IMAGINE what that would be....

Needless to say, I explained that those videos are usually spontaneous and not planned out actions.

"Well... if I win then I can go to Tae Kwon Do AND still have money to buy tons of Legos".

Yes.. .it's all about the Legos once again. I hope his future home has a room big enough for his future collection.

Cross Cultural?

Chris to me yesterday while we were visiting family...

Chris -"Mom... can we go to a foreign country sometime?"

me - "Sure -- where would you like to go? Canada... Mexico?"

Chris - "How about Spain?"

Me - "That would be great! Daddy can give us the grand tour. Why did you pick Spain.. because you are part Spanish?"

Chris "No... remember a few days ago I was looking at a Lego on the computer and it said that it was not available in the U.S.? Well.. I figured we could go to Spain and look at their Lego store to see if they have it there!"

I laughed so hard you have no idea... here I am thinking he was inspired by all the books about Puerto Rico and Spain that are in my sister-in-law's house.. or maybe just some cultural interest since now he is learning Spanish in school. No such luck... it's all about the Legos. Love this boy!

Roof!

I woke up this morning exhausted because I did a late night Mary Kay party at a local college for some of the students. The college scene certainly has changed since I was in school.. but I'll save that for another blog. Anyway, this morning as I was getting ready to give a facial at my house, I ran upstairs from my basement and noticed a little puddle on my kitchen floor. Looked like a spill, but it wasn't a spill.. it was a leak... from the slanted ceiling by our skylight. We officially have yet another leak. (insert huge sigh). So now I'm waiting for my friend to come and praying that she doesn't get dripped on during her facial (just kidding.. we aren't going to be sitting near the leak).

So, as I'm stressing out and beginning to figure out just what we are going to do about this latest little problem, my daily calendar has the following inspiration message on it: "Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles but it does ruin today's happiness." So, I will not worry about this little challenge today and let God just take control. I'll get the umbrellas out just to be prepared (haha)

If You Had....

Saw an interesting conversation on Facebook a few weeks ago and thought I'd throw it out to you. If you had enough money to hire ONE person to help you out who would you hire? A Nanny... A Personal Chef... or a Housekeeper?

My first reaction was housekeeper.. help me keep a home clean, do laundry, load and unload and reload and unload the dishwasher.. umm YES! Please! But only if that housekeeper learned to clean from someone like my mom.. .who taught us to get on your hands and knees to clean the floors if you know what I mean.

But then I thought, well I think what I would REALLY love is a personal assistant. Someone to fill out forms, go grocery shopping, unload the groceries, make all the doctor appointments, answer phone calls, respond to mail, party invites, etc.

So after feeling that I made the wisest decision, I shrugged my shoulders and realized that all those tasks and responosibilities that often times feel unfulfilling, unrewarding and under appreciated are what make me the Mom.. the wife.. the friend that I am. God has purposes for even these insignificant little things and I don't think I want to let go of them. Well..maybe for a day. How's tomrorrow?

Ready for Battle

Every morning I pray that God gives me strength for the battles that I will inevitably face that day.... Literally... I face battles EVERY DAY. Sometimes once a day.. but more often than not it is THREE times a day. You see, having a seven year old who LOVES Legos, I am invited every day, three times a day, to participate in a LEGO Battle. Sometimes I am faced with an early morning battle (before first cup of coffee). I am usually greeted with another one right after homework is completed in the afternoon. And you can be sure there is a third battle right before bedtime. Let me tell you -- it's exhausting being on the front line! But so worth it. Trust me -- I don't feel like going into battle every day, and sometimes I'm able to push off a battle or delay the start time so I can get a few more minutes of rest or at least a sip of coffee before facing my 7 year old challenger and his fleet of Star Wars Legos.

One of the coolest things I've been able to do is to start teaching him about different Bible battles while we are playing. Fore example -- he thinks that the biggest plane or space ship always wins the battle which opened the door for me to remind him of the story of David and Goliath. So I'm excited to get to reintroduce these Bible stories he knows while he is playing with favorite toys. You never know what will stick with kids as they grow up. So - for those of you "in the battle" with your kids each day, maybe you can turn what seems like mindless play time into some important lessons for everyday life.

And yes -- It's 8:03 on a holiday, President's Day, and I already participated in Battle 1 of the day at 7:30.

Thought For the Day

"Hope is faith holding out its hands in the dark." George Iles