Ellie-isms & Zach Attacks for October

Ellie: "Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to rhyme over here."

Me, to Zach who was sitting on the toilet: "Did you go?"
Zach: "No."
Me: "Just a toot?"
Zach: "No. I wanted it to be real poopy, but it was just pretend."

Ellie: "I think we should go to a restaurant for lunch today."
Me: "What restaurant do you want to go to?"
Ellie: "The restaurant by the ballet studio."
Me: "Okay. Which one?"
Ellie: "THE ONE BY THE BALLET STUDIO! Are you deaf, Mom? Can you not hear me?"

Zach: "Mom! Mom! You gotta SEE this!! The couch is all fluffy and when I fluff it, it looks fluffy!!"

Ellie: "Mom! Mom! The man on the radio said there was a mix-up of snow and rain in New Jersey!! We're going to get snow!!!"
Me: "Well, it's only thirty-seven degrees here -- "
Zach: "I know what 'degrees' means. It means there's a mix-up with winter and we need to stir it with spoon."

Me: "What are you doing, honey?"
Ellie: "I'm just listening to you. I can't help myself from listening to you."

Oh, if only her "listening" actually meant "obeying" rather than "eavesdropping with the intent of sharing all that she hears."

Me: "Zach, do you need to go potty?"
Zach: (grunt.) "No."
Me: "You look like you need to go potty."
Zach: "But I just love it, Mommy! I love going poopy in my pants!!"

Me: "Honey, you're being very bossy today."
Ellie: "Yeah. It's 'cause I know everything."

Ellie: "Bears have hairy faces, but we don't. We have skinny faces."
Me: "That's right. Our faces are made of skin. What about bears' bellies? Who has a hairy belly?"
Ellie: "DADDY!!"

Ellie: "Mommy, you look so pretty. Just like a horse."

Now, these last two are frequently repeated. In fact, Ellie sings her song every morning on the way to school and most Sundays while driving to church.

Ellie's song, sung mostly to the tune of "Jingle Bells":
"Tinkerbell! Tinkerbell! Tinker all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a Tinker-horsey sleigh. Hey! I love you (Here is where the tune goes astray.) always and forever because Tinkerbell I love you-hoo!!"

Zach, spoken at nearly every lull in any conversation: "And a DOO-DAH!!"
To this Ellie consistently replies: "What's a doo-dah? I have no idea what a doo-dah is!"
Zach then starts laughing hysterically and sings a song about silly doo-dahs.

And there you have it, folks. Your monthly glimpse into the soundtrack of my life. Isn't it beautiful?

PS: Happy birthday to Karen today!!

What you don't want to hear from the LIVING ROOM.

I was working in the kitchen when I heard Isabel very calmly call me from the living room:

"Um ... Mommy? I think the potty's broken."

Snowballs

We saw our first snowflakes today. The kids were SO excited!! Ellie wanted to run out and play immediately. Unfortunately, the short burst of seasonal quirkiness ended before we could find her mittens. That's okay by me. I'm not quite ready for winter yet. Especially if it, in traditional northeast fashion, decides to stick around through March. Besides, today I'm dealing with a completely different kind of snowball.

I mentioned last week about the leaky roof and new ceiling construction. Well, the guys finally finished the job yesterday. Shortly after they left, I got busy preparing the room to be repainted.

Three and a half years ago I decorated the room with trains. When finished, it looked like this.

Cute - right? I thought so. Perfect for Zach's first room, but not exactly suited for a dining room, which is what this room will soon become.

I started taking down the trains, 3-D wooden things I painted and nailed to the walls when Zach was born. The 12th piece brought with it a patch of wallpaper. You may remember the adventures we've had with wallpaper in this house. After finding one too many surprises, I decided to paint over the wallpaper in Zach's room rather than subject myself to another round of Homeowner's Roulette. But now, since the train pulled one tiny little piece, this simple cosmetic paint project snowballed into a much bigger job.

I started taking down the wallpaper to find holes. And the snowball grows. Fortunately these are much smaller than the ones we've encountered in the past. Then I found this.

Some days I really miss renting. Sure, we had a creepy landlord, but we didn't have snowballs. We didn't have the responsibility of caring if there were snowballs. We could make a phone call and forget it. As a homeowner, there is no one to call. Well, except our contractor who, I'm sure, loves having clients like us who buy houses like ours.

But then some snowballs are worth the effort.

"And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope." - Romans 5:3-4 (HCSB)

This is not hope as in a wish, but hope as in an utter, unrelenting confidence. In other words (my own words), trials encourage perseverance which, when it grows, snowballs into character which, the more it's tested, snowballs into an undoubtable faith in our salvation. That's a snowball I've love to manage.

How awesome would it be to never doubt your faith? To never think you're crazy for believing in a God you can't see or a direction you're not totally sure He's given you but you think He might have. These trials are a good thing when they snowball into an unshakable faith. But the only way they can do that is if we persevere. Our perseverance allows the trials to do their work, adding layer upon layer of character to us and our faith.

Sound off. What snowballs are you managing? Are you persevering? If not, what is preventing you from attaining that ultimate hope?

20/20

New contacts day is nice, but it's nothing compared to new glasses day. I love getting new glasses! Perhaps it's my astigmatism or maybe a figment of my imagination, but I can see better with glasses than with contacts. When I get a new pair, it's like the world becomes bigger, brighter and better. Details I previously overlooked scream for my attention. Colors I considered drab are now so vivid they refused to be ignored. Is it possible to hear through your eyes? If so, the static clears. I can see. It's like life in HD.

Is there a way to get new glasses for your heart? Or relationships? What about life in general? I would love to apply this type of revelation to all aspects of existence. What if I could just buy a hat or something that enabled me to understand people's motives or to recognize why they behave the way they do? Simple headgear that would prevent me from making wrong assumptions and acting on wrong conclusions. Some goggles that would highlight the perfect path for my life, show me exactly what God wants me doing in this moment and time. Where can I buy those?

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

Oh, I look forward to that day!

Update on Mom

Thank you for your prayers! I still hate being so far away, but I know God is taking care of her and He's FAR more capable than I am.

The surgery went well. They were able to complete it laparoscopically, which is the less invasive way. Hopefully this means a shorter, smoother recovery. They did keep her overnight because of her age, but everything seems to be fine. She's going home this morning and, so far, has little to no pain. Praise God!

Thanks, again, for your prayers, love and support! Stuff like this reduces me to a noodle. And a homesick little girl.

Pray for my mom

Hey. My mom is undergoing surgery this afternoon. She's been in a ton of pain the past two weeks waiting for this day to arrive so she could have her gall bladder removed. Please pray for her and her doctors, that the operation would go well and that the recovery would be smooth. Pray also that I would trust God for this. I hate being so far from my mom, especially when she really could use some help. Unfortunately, 800 miles does not constitute a day trip. Thanks.

Growing up girly

During our search as first-time homebuyers we discovered an unwritten New Jersey law: every house must have at least one pink room. When we purchased this house, it had two and a half pink rooms, a mild selection compared to our other choices. The bathroom has pink tile (Granted: a subdued pink, but pink nonetheless). It also had some paint-splattered pinkish wallpaper above the tile. Yum! One of the bedrooms had pink diagonally-striped wallpaper (this has since been eliminated), and the kitchen had pink countertops (also now eliminated).

I hate pink. Okay, maybe that's a little strong. I don't hate pink; I just really would prefer to limit its reach to my daughter's clothing and live flowers. Even within those realms, I like to keep pink minimal.

Lately our house has been in a bit of turmoil. The roof started leaking in Zach's room. Our contractor fixed it from the outside, but that turned out to be a temporary solution, so he had to go through the ceiling to really fix it. Before he could do that, we had to move Zach and all of his things upstairs. That's when the turmoil really started.

Ellie has the biggest room on the second floor. She's been in that room for three years, but as soon as Zach moved into the glorified closet across the hall, she grew discontent. She wanted the small room! We toyed with swapping, but she has more stuff than he does and switching would just be too much work. Cut through all the drama and tears to this week. We persuaded (bribed) Ellie to stay in the big room by offering to redecorate it. She confessed she wanted the small room so she could make it "girly."

Five years ago I spent a lot of time choosing the bedding for our firstborn. I wanted something feminine, but not too over-the-top girly. I did NOT want pink. I chose a lovely vintage floral quilt of delicious cranberry, sage and butter colors. Her crib converted to a full-size bed and, miraculously, I found the same floral fabric to make her a matching full-size quilt. When we moved here we painted the room a subtle cottage stone color (aka taupe). It was a beautiful room!

Now, after Ellie's makeover, it looks like this:

Yup. A Pepto Bismol explosion. I have no idea how I got such a girly girl! She really wants to paint the walls, too, but I just don't think I could handle that. The pink curtains already make the walls glow a little too pink for me. I also stopped shy of the "fairy canopy" she wanted suspended over her bed. As it is, the pink quilt, shams, pillowcases and curtains are added to the other confectionary items already cluttering her room. Like this.

And this.

And this. (Notice: even her polar bear is wearing a pink fairy dress.)

Oh, and this, which appears larger than actual size.

And here is her most favored possession, since it contains a bundle of pink jewelry. (Notice again, the fairy princess theme.)

But then she took the pink a bit too far.

The sacrifices parents make. I may *gulp* have a pink room in my house for the next five to fifteen years. *Deep breath* But look at that smile. It's worth every color-cringing moment.

For more non-scrapbook worthy blog posts, visit We Are That Family and 'Fro Me to You Carnival.

Solomon Summaries

Just last week I was looking for a book to cover a rather specific topic. I found one that, according to the description offered, was exactly what I wanted. I ordered it and waited eagerly for its arrival. After reading the first chapter I discovered this book wasn't at all what I needed. I invested time and money into something I really didn't want and now I'll have to invest more time and money to find what I thought I had already found. I hate that!

This is why I am SO EXCITED about Solomon Summaries. A brand new service by husband and wife team, Chris and Heather Goodman, Solomon Summaries is something like Cliffs Notes for Christian books. You've seen my stacks of books. If you're anything like me, with more books to read than time to read them, you'll love this service.

Here's how it works.

• They read the books then write an an 8-10 page summary.
• They email you when new summaries are available (one each week = 52 books a year).
• You log onto their website whenever is most convenient for you and read, print or listen to of the books that interest you.
• If you want to read more, you can order the book directly through their site.

That's it. Pretty cool - huh? It's like a screening process done by your own personal assistant. No more buying the wrong book or investing more time than necessary into reading the wrong stuff. No more reading extra fluff when all you really want are the key points.

Now here's the really good news:

You can try it FREE between now and December 1st! Also, you will be entered into a drawing for a stack of books with your subscription, all because you heard about it from me through this blog tour. Just make sure you give them my name in the "how did you hear about us" section.

Want to see a sample summary? Here's one for Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis and here's one for The 10 Commandments of Marriage by Ed Young.

Want to learn more? Check out the website at www.solomonsummaries.com.

Want to hear what other people think about it? Check out some of the other stops on this blog tour!
AKA Lewis Theodore
A Peek at My Bookshelf
A Prisoner of Hope
Aspire 2 Blog
Bible Dude
Blame it on the Loud Mouth Gene
Fictionary
Gatorskunkz and Mudcats
Geaux 2 Girl
High Calling Blogs
In.A.Mirror.Dimly
In the Dailies
Leap of Faith
Michelle Pendergrass
Morning Cup of Coffee
One Glory
Portrait of a Writer . . . Interrupted
Relevant Blog
So You Wanna Be Published
The View From Here

To participate in future blog tours, visit The Blog Tour Spot to see what's upcoming.

Resonant Chamber

This is so super cool.

Isn't that awesome? If you want to watch it again (I've watched it, like, twelve times!), go HERE instead. It takes much longer to load than youtube (about 4 full minutes), but the quality is FAR superior.

Finger Puppet Theater!

One of my first writing projects was "100 Days with 2 Toddlers and No TV." I started the manuscript after realizing that my hatred of cold temperatures would force me and my two cherubs to stay in the house through four months of winter every year for as long as we lived in the Northeast. Turns out there are literally hundreds of books inspiring parents to spend creative quality time with their kids, so my book never made it to print. In fact, I never got past a detailed chapter outline. Maybe someday. In the meantime, you, my precious blog readers, will be subject to all my splendid parental epiphanies. Here's my most recent: Finger Puppet Theatre.

The kids found some finger puppets at the bookstore. They were only forty-nine cents a piece, so for less than $5, I bought a mini Noah's Ark: two lions, two tigers, two giraffes and two zebras.

That same day we received a lovely package from Grandma. No one really cared about the contents (Sorry, Mom!), but we all loved the box. And that was when I had my apostrophe, when lightning struck my brain! (I'll give you 100 points if you can name that quote.) In short order we turned a boring cardboard box into this:

Just markers, scissors, some packaging tape (to stabilize), scraps of fabric and hot glue (to adhere the fabric -- keep away from the kids!!) ... My two have been playing with this for four days straight! They even pulled out a flashlight to serve as a spotlight during shows. It's fantastic. The kids have had so much fun.

Here's my girl helping decorate the stage. (This was on Wednesday, long before she got sick.)

"The Boy" found more interest in his snack (notice the Cheetos residue around his mouth) and being goofy.

Once the theater was finished, the shows began!
Ellie's shows, for some bazaar reason, always involve death. This has been a fascination of hers since Easter. I told Spaghettipie the other day how Ellie used to think everyone who died did so on a cross: Great-Grandma D., Great-Granny, my old dog ... But finger puppets, seemingly, always die from eating snails in the grass. My favorite story of hers was performed on Saturday night:

"Once upon a time there was wee little tiger who was a little bit dead. The end."

LOL! It still cracks me up!

Zach, always one to be unique, chose to hold all of his shows behind the curtains. We couldn't see anything! This shot shows me peeking through to disturb the backstage drama. He promptly shut the curtain in my face before continuing his play. I told you before about how Zach Stories always have aggressive crocodiles. Interestingly, when he has puppets on his fingers, all the stories are about loving mommies and their babies. I think I should get more puppets.

The other day a friend and I were talking about how much time we actually spend playing with our kids. Our experiences were very different. Her kids don't really expect her to do that while mine never get enough of it! Her next comment stuck with me: "They must think you're one of them." Now, my kids know I'm their mom. They know their daddy and I are the authorities; we're the ones in charge. But they also see us get down on the floor with them. They see me put on silly costumes and funny voices and run around like one of them.

It makes me think of 1 Corinthians 9. Paul talked about became like those whom he wanted to reach with the Gospel. I don't want my kids to see me as their peer, but more than anything I want to show them Christ's love. If spending a day making a simple puppet theater will do that, I'll do it every day. If my being child-like helps them to become Christ-like, then I gladly accept the challenge. May God be glorified through our play.

"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
-- I Corinthians 9:22-23 (NASB)

Sick Love

If you want to witness love personified, watch a mother with her sick child.

Often times I doubt my ability to be a good mom. I make mistakes every single day. But then there are days when I watch myself as if through a glass ceiling. Call it an "out of body experience" or whatever, but it's like I'm seeing myself and wondering how I do it. I know it's not me; it's Christ working through me and it's amazing. Tonight was one of those times.

Ellie's sick. At first I thought she was faking it just to get out of eating dinner. (It can be worse than pulling teeth to get this girl to eat sometimes.) We let her lay down on the couch while we ate, fully expecting her to ask for ice cream once the plates were cleaned up. But no. She lay whimpering in a ball, running a fever with chills. I felt awful for doubting her. By the end of the night, the couch slipcovers were in the washer and I was plucking pieces of vomit from her hair as she fell back to sleep.

I abhor that smell. I've washed my hands a dozen times, and that smell is still clinging to my skin. Under any other circumstances I would be totally disgusted. And yet, through that ceiling, I saw the most patient mom tonight. Where did she come from? She didn't raise her voice or even sigh at the inconvenience. She didn't complain about being tired or having no time to herself; she simply hugged her daughter and convinced her everything would be all right. She prayed instead of grumbled and didn't think twice about the extra load of laundry she had to do.

I wish I saw that mom more often.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

-- 1 Corinthians 13

Finding a red light

A familiar sound echoed across our hardwood floors: a hurried pitter-patter followed by the distinct clink of a toilet lid. I listened. Silence. That's never a good sign. I ran to the bathroom to find everything right - the child in the right room, the potty seat in place, the lid raised, the shower curtain still closed - except my son who was frozen solid and peeing freely on the floor. I pulled down his pants and tried to seat him, but Zach was too upset.

"Buddy, can you stop peeing?" The answer was obvious as the stream continued to arc in every direction but the still waters of the porcelain throne. I tried to stand my guy in front of the urinal (which, by the way, has found a permanent home in the bathroom rather than the living room. HGTV never featured my trend!), but it was too late.

”There’s no more pee-pee, Mommy.” Dejected and frustrated, he surrendered defeat.

”It’s okay, honey. We’ll just try to get to the bathroom sooner next time.”

My heart broke for the little guy. He was trying so hard, but he just couldn't stop. How do I teach that?

The better question is: how do I learn that?

Whenever I get in "the zone," I can't stop. I may physically stop, but my mind is still going full speed ahead in whatever direction that may be. Yes, I am physically with my kids and I'm trying to be there mentally as well, but where am I really? I'm thinking about all the housework that needs to be done or mentally listing the people I need to call. I look like I'm sipping Earl Grey, but truly I'm writing. I'm trying to catalog the edits I need to make or memorize the perfect word for that troublesome paragraph, which unfortunately only pops into my head between the first and second courses of a princess tea party.

And I'm a terrible actress. Either that or my kids are mind-readers. They know when I'm not "present." Ellie has banned books from her tea parties. She and Zach both have built a sort of sibling rivalry with Ruthie, my laptop. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have named my computer, but she tends to go with me wherever I go and it just seemed like an appropriate name for her. They know when I'm zoning and they like it just as much as I do urine on the floor.

So, here's the question: how do I stop? I want to be with my kids and I want them to know I'm there, but sometimes my brain simply refuses to engage in playing. No offense to dolls and trains, but it's hard for a thirty-something mama to get into those games sometimes. Any suggestions?

Photo by Vicky Herrala.

A call to pray

Once again I'm overwhelmed by the need to pray. So many people are hurting! Marriages are falling apart; friends who desperately want to have children continue to suffer miscarriages, or can't conceive at all. Other friends don't understand the treasures they have and contemplate throwing it all away through abortion. Neighbors don't know Christ and are not yet ready to hear. There are health issues, job issues, financial issues, relationship issues and none of this even touches what's happening around the world. This is all just in my little circle of friends and family. Outside that circle the reasons to pray multiply exponentialy. Millions of people are lost and haven't a clue where to find salvation; some don't even know where to find food. People are dying of disease, starvation, lonliness, genocide ... Who can help them? Who will defend them?

I am ashamed of myself. Last week I told you about the journey our church is taking of fasting and feasting. I've been fasting, but forgetting to attend the feast. Sure, I'm not wasting time on TV reruns or playing mind-numbing games on Facebook; I'm not spending all that time socializing. But I'm not spending the found time with God. I've cleaned my house and read some new books. I've even done a little papercrafting. I've hung new curtains and planned ways to reorganize furniture. I'm caught up on laundry. All of these are fine things to do, but none of it helps me know God, does it? None of it draws me closer to His heart. And here I am staring at an enormous mountain of needs. I am overwhelmed and ashamed at my pathetic waste of time.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on me! Just like Isaiah I cry "Woe is me!" and then just as quickly ask God to use me. I may not be able to do anything. I can't rescue orphans in Tanzania or feed the starving in Ethiopia; I can't save marriages or make wombs fruitful, but I can pray. Prayer, even though it seems minimal and certainly inactive, is often the very best thing to do.

Here am I, Lord! Send me, use me, change me. Open my eyes that I may see what I can do and then motivate my hands and feet to obey. Until then, make me steadfast in prayer for those whose feet are already on the move and those to whom You have sent them.

We had a GREAT time at the concert on Friday! If you or your kids aren't hooked on Go Fish yet, give 'em a try!

My favorite CD is "Superstar." However, their newest album, which I've not yet heard in its entirety, is called "Party Like a Preschooler" and comes out within the next couple weeks.

I stocked up at the concert. Christmas gifts, people! And they just might turn into great witnessing tools for the kids' friends and their families. You never know what God might do through "little" somethings.

Guess who we're seeing tonight!

Ellie woke each morning this week with the same question: "Is it Friday yet??" Well, today is Friday and that means ... we have Go Fish is in concert tonight!! Woo-hoo! The kids have been waiting for this all year. The event was only slightly eclipsed by Grandparents Day at school this morning. But, after a grand time showing off her classroom, teachers and crafts, they're now on their way home and the house is bursting with Fishy anticipation. Thought I should share a taste with you. Enjoy.

Just a blurb

Today's post will be short. Here's a blurb from yesterday's reading in A Call to Die.

Be receptive. When He speaks, be still. Listen. It's not necessarily audible. It's even louder. It is straight to the heart. God doesn't need your ears to get your attention.

I love the idea of God's voice being louder than we can hear.

A Call to Die

Yesterday our church started a corporate journey, forty days of "fasting from the world and feasting on God." This is the book we're using: A Call to Die by David Nasser. I invite you to join us. I won't be writing about it each day, but I'm sure some of it may seep into this blog. It might be nice to go through this together.

Today is Day 2 and I'm already struggling. Here's the deal. For this forty-day-period, we're supposed to fast from something, kind of like Lent. My problem is I can't think of what to fast from.

I can't cut out the internet or email because, well, it's just impractical. It's the only way I communicate with too many of my friends and family.

I could cut out TV, but I don't want to punish the whole family with a sacrifice I intend only for myself. Besides, I have waited MONTHS for The Office to come back. I know, I know - fasting should be wholehearted, but it's really our date night. Rick and I look forward to our time together in front of the tube all week. We can't afford a babysitter every week, so Thursday TV must be upheld in order to maintain a good healthy marriage. Such is my reasoning anyway.

I've considered cutting the phone, makeup (which I don't wear everyday anyway), books and extended hot showers. My problem is I can think of reasons why I need all of these things! As a mom, I am sacrificing myself every single day for hours at a time. I don't know which of these little, trivial luxuries of mine I could honestly live without and still maintain sanity. Granted, I lived without makeup and hot showers in Bosnia, but that was before I had kids, before I had two little beings completely dependant upon me for everything.

Before I get any more letters about my negative attitude toward motherhood, I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING A MOM!! I LOVE being a mother; I love my children more than life itself and I would do anything for them. But I also know that when I have a few little luxuries for myself --- some time to write, an extra long shower, a half hour of TV once a week --- when I have these tiny moments of revitalization, I am a better mom. If I don't get them, I become resentful and bitter. I hate being a bitter mom. And I'm not the only one who feels this way. Just today I spoke with two separate women who were really excited about an upcoming day when their husbands and kids were going away. They couldn't wait! Both were planning, through sparkling eyes, how they would spend their time of solitude.

So, what do I do? Do I risk becoming grumpy and resentful for the sake of a self-imposed challenge? Do I trust God to somehow change the pattern I've learned is consistent? Or do I just skip this part of the journey?

The book recommends we fast "from certain everyday things that occupy your time, so that it clears you to feast on God." What takes up so much of my time that I can't worship God more completely? I've got it! LAUNDRY!! No, wait, cleaning the house. Dishes? It's perfect! If I get a maid for the next forty days, I'll be a happy mother, a contented wife, and a servant wonderfully free to be gluttonous over God.

What's on my nightstand ... er, floor

I called my mom the other day to tell her I saw the final Baxter book at the library. Amazon told me it wouldn't be released until the end of October, so I was shocked and knew she would be excited. She burst my bubble by telling me she had already purchased and read it and, oh! was I going to love it. Unfortunately, as I stood in my bedroom next to these piles of books (representative of many, many more piles throughout my house), I told her I can't buy any more books. Yup. I'm placing myself on a book-buying freeze. Hopefully this time I'll still to it.

I know you can't see all the titles in this picture (some of which I've already finished reading, some of which I've not yet opened). You can read reviews of some over at my Bookshelf, but for now I'll just fill you in a bit of what's helping me maintain an adult vocabulary. My reading habits break out into basic categories.

• PARENTING BOOKS: I mentioned one earlier this week, but there are several. I usually grab a chapter at a time from a handful of books until I finish them or find a more urgent need to address. Right now I'm focusing on the balance aspect of parenting: how to keep everything in perspective and parent with purpose, how to make my days with these kids extremely intentional rather that just a season of survival. This includes Chasing God and the Kids, Too! and The Mission of Motherhood.


• WRITING BOOKS: My favorite right now is On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It's fantastic. Of course, I've also got a couple writers market guides and, if I ever find time to read it, I'll grab that copy of Time to Write.


• BIBLE STUDY: Last spring I led a study of Esther; this year I'm leading our moms group through Ruth. Some of the resources pictured are fictionalized accounts of these Biblical characters like The Road Home, Ebony Moon and Unshaken. Others are nonfiction studies like books by Sandra Glahn and Chuck Swindoll. And then there are the books I'm reading just for my personal growth, like No Other Gods and Splash the Living Water. Oh, there's just so much to read and not enough time to read it all!!


• NOVELS: When I'm overwhelmed by all I want to learn, I shut down with a novel. It's so cozy. My favorite genre is historical fiction, but lately I'll dive into anything with quality writing and interesting characters. Recently (like within the past six months) I've started to enjoy literary novels. Water for Elephants was my first. It was amazing! Right now I'm reading The White Mary. It's definitely got my attention.

There you go. A snapshot of what I'd be doing were I on vacation right now. Until the next big trip, I'll chisel away one lone paragraph at a time. So, what's on your nightstand?

Coincidence?

It has been said: "Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous." Lately I've been thinking (and writing) a lot about the God who sees, how He knows everything about us and loves us thoroughly, how he sees our heartaches and our triumphs, our strengths and our weaknesses. As "coincidence" would have it, two friends recently posted about something similar. To quote Kellie: "God lavishly loves us by knowing the desires of our heart. He knows and understands the longings we don't want to admit we have."

Check it out. Two posts about generous answers to unspoken prayers and the unceasing, unfathomable love our Creator pours out on us.

• Kellie over at La Vida Dulce
• Lynn at Heading Home

September Ellie-isms & Zach Attacks

Ellie: "Mom, you remember that one day? Daddy stayed home and you told me to take him water. And we thought he was sick? You remember that?"
Me: "Um ... sure."
Ellie: "We have lots of memories, don't we?"

Yes, we do have lots of memories. Knowing the leaky state of mine, I'm writing them down. September's quotes seem to fit into basic categories.

Potty Talk (seemingly the funniest thing in our house according to my children)

Rick, spoken to another driver on our way to church: "Get off my butt!"
Zach: "Daddy, you said 'butt.'" (Zach and Ellie start giggling.)
Rick: "No, I didn't."
Me: "Yes, you did."
Rick: "I did? Oh. Sorry."
Zach: "Daddy, you're so silly! You said 'butt' and we're not in the BATHROOM! We're in the CAR!" (The backseat then filled with hysterical laughter from both children.)

Ellie's Translations

Ellie: "I have a 'squita bite on my oboe and it is KILLING me!"
Translation: I have a mosquito bite on my elbow and it really, really itches.

Ellie: "Mommy, I want a snack. Can you give me chores?"
Translation: What are my snack choices?

Me: "Ellie, will you help me set the table?"
Ellie: "Yes, Mommy! I'll get the underwear!"
Translation: I'll get the silverware.

Zach's Stories (For some reason they always involve aggressive crocodiles.)

Rick: "What did you guys do today?"
Zach: "I played trains and then we went to the park and Ellie was teasing me because the crocodile bit my head and I don't like that!"

Zach: "This one time I went to work with Daddy and I got stuck on a flagpole and I was so scared and I couldn't get down because the rocks were too slippery. And then a crocodile bit my head."

Precociousness

Ellie to Zach: "You're going to grow up and be a real man someday. You'll be a daddy to your children and -- "
Zach: "Ummmm ... not today."

Me: "Honey, I need you to wait just a minute."
Ellie: "Um, Mommy? I actually don't like waiting."

And then we have hopscotch, camera-shy girls and silly-faced boys.