This was my reaction this morning when I opened the washing machine and found the diaper that some dumb child OBVIOUSLY put in there (right? ok maybe it just walked in there on it's own when I put the load in while the kids were at school. couldn't possibly be my fault).
You ever done that?
As you know, maybe, you can't weed it out... I had to wash the washing machine empty, and then I stuck my clothes in the dryer and hoped that the lint trap grabbed most of it... MOST OF IT... still found baby goo, dried to some of my clothes... it was a great reminder of home
I have had a great couple weeks experiencing friends and snow, but when I'm trying to get back to real life (instead of a 5 week vaca) this was kinda a breath of fresh air... like the mistakes I always make, the things my kids always act up on are back and feels like home
which feeds into my saying, a place is not home, family is home... thanks for letting me steal that renee.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
hospital-ality
First I want to say thank you to EVERYONE who was willing to host us for the past 5 weeks.
I thought it was funny that so many houses had disease and we escaped 90% of it. We had 2 girls who had a fever for less than 24 hours.
I want to talk about hospitality.
It is amazing that there is such a thing as the gift of hospitality. There are so many things I saw this trip that were so different but I would still consider to be great hospitable people.
I had some people who wanted to do EVERYTHING for us. There were some people who wanted us to feel like part of the family and pitch in. Some people had their houses decorated to the hilt, some people had very simple decorations (and maybe piles of dirty laundry everywhere for me to fold).
Some people had toothbrushes (and even one house that had robes for everyone in the family) in case we forgot and some were pulling towels out of the dryer as we got there.
No matter what I saw that they were trying to make us feel welcome at their house.... and we totally did. No ones house did we feel out of place or nervous. No one made us wish it was time to leave.
so what is hospitality and what makes it a gift?
Hospitality is making someone feel at home... and making it seem seemless. That is where the gift is.
So, thank you for your hospitality even if it included trips to the hospital for you.
I thought it was funny that so many houses had disease and we escaped 90% of it. We had 2 girls who had a fever for less than 24 hours.
I want to talk about hospitality.
It is amazing that there is such a thing as the gift of hospitality. There are so many things I saw this trip that were so different but I would still consider to be great hospitable people.
I had some people who wanted to do EVERYTHING for us. There were some people who wanted us to feel like part of the family and pitch in. Some people had their houses decorated to the hilt, some people had very simple decorations (and maybe piles of dirty laundry everywhere for me to fold).
Some people had toothbrushes (and even one house that had robes for everyone in the family) in case we forgot and some were pulling towels out of the dryer as we got there.
No matter what I saw that they were trying to make us feel welcome at their house.... and we totally did. No ones house did we feel out of place or nervous. No one made us wish it was time to leave.
so what is hospitality and what makes it a gift?
Hospitality is making someone feel at home... and making it seem seemless. That is where the gift is.
So, thank you for your hospitality even if it included trips to the hospital for you.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Car Edition PART II
But here's a packing list for the car.... first go to the dollar store because it's amazing.... I got these 6 mini m&m packs for a dollar... good for treats and small enough to throw across the car ....
Monday, December 31, 2012
This might pinterest you: car edition
well, actually I couldn't find ANYTHING on facebook that I didn't already come up with on my own...
so here's what I've come up with:
*skittle sorting: have them shade in, count, add, answer all kinds of questions while they snack on treats and if they get everything right, give them a mini skittle pack wrapped in foil.
Why foil?
Then we can make foil staches... or animals or rings or whatever...
*Car scavenger hunt. Yah, I know you know it all, but there are different age groups in my car... I have one who can't read, one who just started and a smarty pants.... so I have to gauge it different.
so preschool: pictures of things that can be found on the road or billboards
just reading: name the pictures that you put on preschool
Smarty pants: name specific ads
EXAMPLE: cow, c-o-w, and chickfila
give a prize not to the first but to each one as they finish
*have an ABC jar... they have to find all 26 letters and when they do, give abc crackers wrapped in foil
* magnets: get a dollar store cookie sheet . they're small... have some cut up pipe cleaners or magnets that they can play with.
* Have a coloring theme party: best monster, best superhero, favorite animal etc
* make paperbag puppets
* time to learn: learn to tie shoes, read, biographies, learn aobut where you're going etc
*take the name of the place you're going ... ex. chicago, illinois. take the letters and seehow many words you can make out of it.
*pipe cleaner animals
hope this helps with car trips!!!
so here's what I've come up with:
*skittle sorting: have them shade in, count, add, answer all kinds of questions while they snack on treats and if they get everything right, give them a mini skittle pack wrapped in foil.
Why foil?
Then we can make foil staches... or animals or rings or whatever...
*Car scavenger hunt. Yah, I know you know it all, but there are different age groups in my car... I have one who can't read, one who just started and a smarty pants.... so I have to gauge it different.
so preschool: pictures of things that can be found on the road or billboards
just reading: name the pictures that you put on preschool
Smarty pants: name specific ads
EXAMPLE: cow, c-o-w, and chickfila
give a prize not to the first but to each one as they finish
*have an ABC jar... they have to find all 26 letters and when they do, give abc crackers wrapped in foil
* magnets: get a dollar store cookie sheet . they're small... have some cut up pipe cleaners or magnets that they can play with.
* Have a coloring theme party: best monster, best superhero, favorite animal etc
* make paperbag puppets
* time to learn: learn to tie shoes, read, biographies, learn aobut where you're going etc
*take the name of the place you're going ... ex. chicago, illinois. take the letters and seehow many words you can make out of it.
*pipe cleaner animals
hope this helps with car trips!!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
movin on up
Had a conversation with Ada the other day. Now if you've never had a conversation with a 4 year old, they can be um..... interesting... and when you have one with Ada, she'll rock your world with insight.
she was telling me about moving overseas.
She told me she was excited, but when she got tired of it, she was moving back.
"how?", I asked.
"I'm going to bribe the customs people with candy"
Who do you think you'll live with?
"I'm not living with anyone. I think I'll find a lost child who has no family or place to live and invite her to come to America with me and then we'll live together."
So my brilliant 4 year old...
What do I do with a conversation like this...
ok.
she was telling me about moving overseas.
She told me she was excited, but when she got tired of it, she was moving back.
"how?", I asked.
"I'm going to bribe the customs people with candy"
Who do you think you'll live with?
"I'm not living with anyone. I think I'll find a lost child who has no family or place to live and invite her to come to America with me and then we'll live together."
So my brilliant 4 year old...
What do I do with a conversation like this...
ok.
Monday, November 12, 2012
What the ...
After watching the Muppets new movie, our favorite line to yell out on a periodic basis is, "what the Wacca?" by fuzzy Bear from the Moopets.
I can't remember who we said this in front of that got truly offended, but it made me think about perspective yet again.
Setting the scene: Ella and her friend (bob) in the car while I eavesdrop on the conversation.
ella tells a story
Bob: What the heck?
Ella: Don't say that word.... it's inappropriate.
Bob: it's not inappropriate, it's like saying what the crap
after much discussion... Ella: that's inappropriate to say too
Bob: no. it's like saying, what the hell, what the butt, what the sh*t, what the world.... it's just, what the heck? it's what you say...
Ella: mom, tell him he can't say that
Me: (bob), you can't use potty words in my car, if you want to talk like that , it must belong in the potty. it's ok at your house maybe, but not in mine.
Bob: so if I'm in your bathroom I can say what the butt all the time... please don't tell my mom that I said what the butt, she'll be so mad.
There is so much more to this conversation that made me laugh , but what stuck out afterward was that he considered butt to be a bigger concern than sh*t.... In his house, the priority was different.
How to then apply this to our lives right?
I heard a story today about a city in india that had a roundabout (we know those) with a tree in the middle. beggars lived there and even slept there. One day there were two kids who had made a rope swing on that tree and were enjoying their day, oblivious to the chaos of a busy roundabout and begging going on around them...
I am oblivious to the pain around me for the most part... yes, I'm going overseas so I CAN see beyond myself, but at the same time, I'm not overly burdened by seeing poverty..
Do I notice the beggar on the corner. Do I notice the cleaning lady n the hotel that is struggling to appreciate her day. Do I see a need in the waitress at my favorite chick fil a or McDonalds... Can I even see a need inside my church or in my neighborhood or .... well, you get the point... Much less do I yearn to see those in other countries whole (shalom whole).... change my perspective
I can't remember who we said this in front of that got truly offended, but it made me think about perspective yet again.
Setting the scene: Ella and her friend (bob) in the car while I eavesdrop on the conversation.
ella tells a story
Bob: What the heck?
Ella: Don't say that word.... it's inappropriate.
Bob: it's not inappropriate, it's like saying what the crap
after much discussion... Ella: that's inappropriate to say too
Bob: no. it's like saying, what the hell, what the butt, what the sh*t, what the world.... it's just, what the heck? it's what you say...
Ella: mom, tell him he can't say that
Me: (bob), you can't use potty words in my car, if you want to talk like that , it must belong in the potty. it's ok at your house maybe, but not in mine.
Bob: so if I'm in your bathroom I can say what the butt all the time... please don't tell my mom that I said what the butt, she'll be so mad.
There is so much more to this conversation that made me laugh , but what stuck out afterward was that he considered butt to be a bigger concern than sh*t.... In his house, the priority was different.
How to then apply this to our lives right?
I heard a story today about a city in india that had a roundabout (we know those) with a tree in the middle. beggars lived there and even slept there. One day there were two kids who had made a rope swing on that tree and were enjoying their day, oblivious to the chaos of a busy roundabout and begging going on around them...
I am oblivious to the pain around me for the most part... yes, I'm going overseas so I CAN see beyond myself, but at the same time, I'm not overly burdened by seeing poverty..
Do I notice the beggar on the corner. Do I notice the cleaning lady n the hotel that is struggling to appreciate her day. Do I see a need in the waitress at my favorite chick fil a or McDonalds... Can I even see a need inside my church or in my neighborhood or .... well, you get the point... Much less do I yearn to see those in other countries whole (shalom whole).... change my perspective
Monday, October 29, 2012
This might pinterest you: food edition
I've been trying out some new recipes... some good, some not so good, so I thought I'd review in case you're hungry
This is my one from today... yah, it's great...http://piarecipes.blogspot.com/2012/08/cranberry-buttermilk-breakfast-cake.html
I've already eaten like 3/4 today.
yah, umm.. it's ok... it's ... uh... healthy... but if you gotta be healthy, it ain't half bad. hint: slice cucumber and put a damp paper towel in tupperware so it's always ready.
Buffalo chicken rolls... yah, it can't be 100 calories... and they're good, but only if you're desperately in the mood for buffalo chicken. Otherwise, get you some wings.
http://pinterest.com/pin/11681280254609238/
it was easy stroganoff... put ingredients into the crockpot except the cream cheese which you wait til 15 mintues before you serve so it can melt. EASY over egg noodles.
yah, this was AWESOME.. but I think I might be allergic to kiwi. frozen, I just kept itching my tongue... maybe it's the consistency or something... but SOOOO good.
Kids LOVED this for lunch... sliced apples and pb in a roll up.. mmm
warning... I can't cook a potato for my life, but this... WAS GREAT
I made this for my community group. Apple enchiladas. I didn't even look at the recipe. just made up my own. I sliced and cooked down apples... added cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar... I made enchiladas .. sprinkled cinamon and sugar on top and baked for 20 min on 325
so I'll try a few more and get back to you.. enjoy!
ali
This is my one from today... yah, it's great...http://piarecipes.blogspot.com/2012/08/cranberry-buttermilk-breakfast-cake.htmlI've already eaten like 3/4 today.
yah, umm.. it's ok... it's ... uh... healthy... but if you gotta be healthy, it ain't half bad. hint: slice cucumber and put a damp paper towel in tupperware so it's always ready.Buffalo chicken rolls... yah, it can't be 100 calories... and they're good, but only if you're desperately in the mood for buffalo chicken. Otherwise, get you some wings.http://pinterest.com/pin/11681280254609238/
it was easy stroganoff... put ingredients into the crockpot except the cream cheese which you wait til 15 mintues before you serve so it can melt. EASY over egg noodles.yah, this was AWESOME.. but I think I might be allergic to kiwi. frozen, I just kept itching my tongue... maybe it's the consistency or something... but SOOOO good.Kids LOVED this for lunch... sliced apples and pb in a roll up.. mmmwarning... I can't cook a potato for my life, but this... WAS GREATI made this for my community group. Apple enchiladas. I didn't even look at the recipe. just made up my own. I sliced and cooked down apples... added cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar... I made enchiladas .. sprinkled cinamon and sugar on top and baked for 20 min on 325so I'll try a few more and get back to you.. enjoy!
ali
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