Opposites

We try to inject fun, but educational, conversation into our dinnertime discussions.  Lately the kids have been loving math quizzes.  Several years back though, our kids were still trying to grasp the fundamentals of the English language.  This conversation happened between Daddy and three-year old daughter.

Daddy: Okay girlie, this question is for you. “The bad little dog made another big mess." Which two words are opposites?

Girlie: Open and Shut

Daddy: Those are opposites but which two words are opposites in this sentence. “The bad LITTLE dog made another BIG mess.”

Girlie: Then we have to clean it up.

Well, as the old saying goes, "cleanliness is next to godliness," right?

Egg Psychology

You know, you can tell a lot about a person by how they keep their eggs:

There are those who like to keep the eggs perfectly huddled around the centre of the egg carton.  They like equilibrium.  They want things to to be even all around.  They like the aesthetically symmetrical.  They like knowing where things are going to be.

There are those who take the eggs from anywhere they want.  They are the free spirits who do not put much stock in things like appearance or practicality.  They would rather put their grey cells into something much more interesting.  Do not expect much organization from this crowd.

There are those who take their eggs out from one side.  On the surface, it appears that these folks simply have a routine and like to stick with it, but you'll soon discover that they actually are deep thinkers who think well in advance of most.  They have anticipated every scenario and have decided that they want the weight of the eggs to rest firmly in the fridge door end of the carton.  No one has ever dropped eggs from a carton with this approach.

And finally, there are those whose eggs are sitting on a bed of hay, under a chicken.  These people just totally rock.

Favour for the Financially Frugal

"They" (you know, the people who say things that get quoted by people like me) say that money is the topic most argued about by couples.  I don't get that.

We're not known for throwing money around, and I've chatted with friends before about whether we're thrifty or cheap.  We've decided that Aaron and I are not cheap, because we are not opposed to spending money on something that's worthwhile, but we are thrifty because we don't want to have to pay more for a product than is necessary.

We generally subscribe to the "Dave Ramsey" financial philosophy, which is that you get out of debt and stay out of debt.  If there's something you want, you save money to buy it.  (Steve Martin and Amy Poehler help us understand the concept with this video, Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford)  Sometimes this is annoying, like when I finally decided it would be nice to have a dressy coat to wear out in the winter.  (I found one, brand new, at the Salvation Army, for $25 and got it with my own personal "Blow Money.") 

But last night I appreciated our thrifty lifestyle.  Our kitchen faucet has been giving us troubles for a couple months now.  First it would not rotate between the two sinks very well, then the sprayer nozzle wouldn't come out more than a couple inches.  Finally, it started leaking and I had a lake under my sink.  Aaron headed out to Home Depot and bought a new faucet to replace the leaky one.  It rotates with ease.  The hose can come out about two feet from the faucet.  And it doesn't leak!

But the biggest blessing is that we can buy a new faucet without worrying about paying for it.  Our thrifty spending habits mean that there is money in the bank account right now to pay for a replacement faucet.  I am so glad we paid off any debt we brought into our marriage (student loans, wedding, honeymoon) right from the beginning and stayed debt-free.  I am so glad I have a husband who is responsible with our money and encourages me in that regard.

We are truly blessed.

Fruit Salad

My youngest boy just asked me to make him a fruit salad.  We're out of strawberries and blueberries and the last of our bananas is a nice chocolatey brown shade.  So, I told him we were out of Fruit Salad fruits.  He said, "I think we have kiwi."  I told him we used the last of it in the fruit salad a couple days ago.

Then I remembered that the avocados are sitting where the kiwi usually sits.  I told my boy (who thinks he hates guacamole) that I could make him a fruit salad with mashed avocados and tomatoes and lime juice.  He gave me that, "I'm on to you" look and walked away to find a different snack.

Joy in the mundane

I just found a way to make sorting my laundry a lot more enjoyable and (in my mind productive).  Pray for each person as you sort their laundry...

Girls's sock - Help her speak kind words today.
Boy's pants - Remind him to be bold and brave today, Lord.
Other boy's shirt - Just help him not hit anyone today!

...  and so on.

Maybe you love laundry.  Find something else that you don't enjoy doing and make it a prayerful activity.  Suddenly, it becomes a new, fun way to serve your family (or friends.)

My mom doing double duty

Sense and Sensibility

I've always been amazed by how closely our senses are linked.  There are certain foods and songs and sights that bring back very specific feelings and emotions.

I recently reacquired the Go West Young Man album by Michael W. Smith.  (This is my third time owning it.  I think I'll hold on to it this time.)  As soon as I popped it into my CD player I was brought back to the summer of 1991.  I had graduated from middle school and was entering Grade Nine at a very large high school.  I remember having a crush on a particular boy that summer and thinking that maybe he liked me too.  Once we actually entered high school and he found out I was to be picked on, instead of befriended, he quickly pretended he didn't know me.  Still, every time I listen to this CD I have this youthful feeling of hope.  I love it.

I picked up the Facedown CD by Matt Redman in 2004 or 2005 and listened to it ad nauseam while I was expecting my third child.  No, really...  When I put it into the CD player months later, I was suddenly hit with a feeling very similar to morning sickness!  I eventually had to give the disc away because I just couldn't stand to listen to it.  (And it's a lovely album, so I feel bad saying that.)

Broccoli on my pizza, olive oil, ratatouille...  All foods that I couldn't eat for years after being nauseated by them while pregnant.

And then there are the sights that evoke powerful emotions.  Seeing a pile of sheets and blankets and pillows on the floor gives me such a sense of contentment.  I just want to jump in that pile and take a nap!  (I've shared with many that one of my earliest and favourite childhood memories is lying in a pile of bedding that had been stripped and was ready to be taken to the laundry room.)

My heart skips a beat when I see a bicyclist on certain roads at certain times of the day.  It could be my hubby coming home early, after all.

A baby with a little bit of milky drool.  I nearly lactate at the sight!  So many sweet moments and memories.

The smell of Herbal Essences makes me think of my mom, who doesn't wear any scented perfume, but always has nice, freshly washed hair.  A musty house reminds me of the time my Grandma and I cleaned out her fruit cellar.  A smell that's a mix of sweat and dirt makes me want to find my boys and hug them (and then send them immediately to the shower.)

I love it when those moments find me.

Home, School

There are two kinds of people.  Mac-lovers and homeschoolers.

When I'm trying to figure out a PC software issue and I solicit help from my Facebook friends, I will, inevitably get two or three "Get a Mac" comments.  That doesn't solve my problem!

When my children's school board is going through the aches and pains of union decisions to strike and/or hold political protest...

When school is canceled and then, at 7:30, our bus driver neighbour tells us that school is actually on because the political protest/walk-out was deemed to be illegal...

When we get fed up with the way our children's education is being handled...

My homeschooler friends don't speak, let alone repeat, "Thats why we homeschool."  They are so respectful of my choices, no matter how purposeful they think I am about them.

I don't think we'll ever make the decision to homeschool, although I've read up on it and understand others' reasons pretty well at this point.  Homeschoolers rock.  *That's all there is to it.
And we'll try to rock as much as they do outside of school hours.

If you want to see what my homeschooling friends are doing right now, head over to Europe where they're visiting family for five weeks and checking out all the historic ruins.  Now that's a field trip!

*I may have more to say later about homeschooling.  I may not.  It's a subject that interests me, for many reasons.

I now pronounce...

This was another one of those moments where Aaron doubled over laughing and saying, "You have to write this down!"

Our worship team "practice" happened tonight in our living room.  Aaron played piano while the kids and I sang.  Our seven-year-old started singing the words of the next song, making up his own melody:

"I believe etch-o I believe etch-o in your power..."

I suppose that's one way of interpreting that.

I believe (echo)
I believe (echo)
In your power to meet
All of our needs

Great Scott!

A little insight into how crazy I am:

There is a four-way stop just a few houses down from my house.  Nearly every time I stop on one side of that intersection, I linger at the Stop sign just a little bit longer than I should.  The reason?  It seems like a really good spot for the Delorean to suddenly reappear.  If that ever happens, I do not want to get in the way.

True story.

Psalm(s) 91

*This is a humourous piece of writing which is not meant to reflect any Bible truth whatsoever.

I've been doing a bit of thinking about a shirt that was worn by Ray Lewis after a Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday:

People are getting all up in arms about whether there should be an 's' at the end of "Psalms".  Some say the 's' can be there only when referring to all 150 psalms.  Others say that it is a short way of saying "the book of Psalms, chapter 91."

I much more concerned that people do not see the true meaning of the shirt.  Let's just take a look a the text to which it refers and see what it really means...

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High (Sports Authority Field at Mile High) will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  (We know God doesn't have a favourite football team, but if He did, it'd be the Broncos.)

You will not fear the terror of night, (the game actually starts at 4:30, but I suppose some of it will be played in evening hours) nor the arrow that flies by day (ah, so that's the first half of the game) nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness ('cause they'll have the stadium lights on) nor the plague that destroys at midday.  (No worries here, the game starts at 4:30)

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  (Because the Broncos have a great offensive line)
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. (Because the Broncos have a great defense)

It goes on, but you get the idea.  It's one of those situations where someone wore something 'cause it was cool, without realizing what it really means.  He'll find out soon enough.

Go Broncos!

Trippin'

I was just reading a conversation about what kind of heels are appropriate for what age of girls/young ladies.  Addressing a comment about stilettos, one of the young ladies said, "We aren’t supposed to lead [guys] astray by wearing clothing (or shoes) that might make them stumble."

In all honesty, I think stilettos are more likely to make a girl stumble than a guy.