Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann is Abby's newest book obsession. I'm not sure what started it, but now she can't seem to get enough of this book! When I offer to read her other books, she pushes them aside and reaches for this one. She will actually bring it to me and plop down in my lap for me to read it to her. And we have it in both the boardbook format and the hardcover with normal pages, so she always seems to know where one of them is...
There are very few words in this book. The story is mostly told in pictures, so I've done a little commentary for them as we turn the pages so Abby continues to associate certain words with certain pictures. The one page with the most words is of all the animals saying "Good night" in the dark (makes me think of the Waltons :) and now whenever I get to that page Abby starts babbling, trying to say "Good night" seven times.
It's not my favorite book to read to her, but as long as she likes it and snuggles with me while we read it, we'll keep going!
Tonight is the first of 5 workshops I'll be helping lead with GEMS Girls' Clubs for our area. Leaders from clubs all across the state will be coming to receive training and inspiration for the next year...
------------------------------------
The theme for this GEMS season is Get Wisdom: Go beyond the Gold! It's a theme topic that encourages girls and women to fear God and walk wisely on the highway of the upright.
Maybe you heard the same things that I did as a kid... Grow up! Be an example! Act your age and not your shoe size!
Those well-intentioned corrections were meant to inspire us to live rightly and be wise. The truth is that age, IQ scores, and even life experiences will not make us wise. You can't buy wisdom or go to school for it. For there's only one place to get true wisdom and that's from God.
Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy one is understanding." Fearing God means that we understand how great and awesome He is, and then approach Him with respect, humility, and awe. Honoring God with our lives is the first step in gaining godly wisdom.
Godly wisdom and understanding are better than wealth. Proverbs 16:16-17 says, "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! The highway of the upright avoids eveil; he who guards his way guards his life." Walking the highway of the upright is the way of the wise. It will guard our conduct and protect us from bad choices that almost always come with painful consequences!
Sadly, Romans 3:18 accurately describes our culture today. "There is no fear of God before their eyes." In neglecting to fear God and His judgment, the world has gone wild instead of wise. Studies indicate there is little difference between how Christians make major decisions and live day-to-day when compared to secular society.
Now is the time to get wisdom! We must teach our girls what it means to fear God, and to make good choices that will keep us on the path of the wise. This theme experience is one of the tools that will help the girls and counselors do just that.
--"Heart Prep", Lenae Bulthuis, training manager for GEMS.
------------------------------------
I'm praying that you will choose wisdom today. Please pray the same for the leaders and girls in GEMS clubs all across the country this year!
I first heard this song by Steven Curtis Chapman a couple of months ago. The very first verse caught my attention -- "You're picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today..." Sometimes we wonder if the little things we do in life really matter. We might say, "I'm not a pastor-missionary-professor-etc. I'm not changing the world." Well many verses in the Bible confirm that yes, everything you do is important, no matter how big or small!
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -Colossians 3:23
Enjoy this video, just released a week ago. It's pretty humorous. And see if you can relate to any of the people he mentions.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
-1 Corinthians 10:31
For a short video by SCC about the story behind this song, click here.
------------------------------------------- You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today Matching up socks and sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips and head out the door And while I may not know you I bet I know you Wonder sometimes does it matter at all Well let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you Cause He made you to do Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face And tell the story of grace With every move that you make And every little thing you do
Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie Maybe your shirt says your name You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers But at the end of the day Little stuff big stuff in between stuff God sees it all the same And while I may not know you I bet I know you Wonder sometimes does it matter at all Well let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you Cause He made you To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face And tell the story of grace with every move that you make And every little thing that you do
Well maybe you’re sitting in math class Maybe on a mission in the Congo Maybe you’re working at the office Singing along with the radio Maybe you’re dining at a five star Or feeding orphans in Myanmar Anywhere and everywhere you are Whatever you do it all matters So do what you do and don’t ever forget to do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you Cause He made you to do Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you Cause He made you to do Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face And tell the story of grace with every move that you make And every little thing that you do
-------------------------------------------
Have a blessed day, in WHATEVER you do. :)
----------------------------------------------
Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song -- idea from cheap wine and cookies
I missed doing my Saturday 7 post last week because we were busy hosting a mini-reunion of our college friends! We try and get together with our "group" once or twice a year to catch up, hang out, eat food, and now let our kids play together. We had 9 adults and 4 kids under 2 years old. Great times!
I think Abby has finally mastered the stairs. She's been able to go up for awhile, it's coming down that's been the problem. Our basement is a little more usable now, so at least once a day she and I will go down and hang out in the drywalled-but-not-painted-or-carpeted playroom/living room/family room. Although yesterday she was refusing to turn around and go down the stairs backward -- she wanted me to hold her hands while she went down forward, like big people do...
We went to the Kent County Fair last night. She was much more interested in the animals this time than when we went to the Mecosta County Fair a few weeks ago! It's amazing how much I still miss "Fair week", now that I'm 10 years out from it. Sheesh, I feel old...
I'm talented. I managed to grow 5+ zucchini plants in my garden, each with at least a half dozen blossoms, but have failed to get any zucchini. Then I discovered the true culprit... squash bugs. Yuck. Now I'm wondering if I'll have this issue every year...
Tennis season has started back up for Rocky again. He's the JV coach for the boys' team at the school he teaches at. Practice started on Wednesday, and they already have a scrimmage today. If it's stopped raining at the place they're going. It's been storming here the last few hours...
I've been busy preparing for the GEMS "Coffee Houses" I get to help lead over the next few weeks. I'll be doing the same session at 5 workshops between now and mid-September. It's my first year as a Leadership Trainer for our area, and while I'm excited I'm also kinda nervous & anxious. Please pray that my sessions go well, and that we have a great turnout of GEMS leaders at these workshops!
Tuesday morning Abby and I left with some friends for a mini-road-trip. We spent Tuesday night and as much time as we could Wednesday in Shipshewana, Indiana. It's in the heart of Amish Country. I honestly have mixed feelings about the place. Shipshewana has really become a tourist destination. There is a giant flea market and auction twice a week, and a couple of blocks of little shops, restaurants, etc. Many of them are staffed by Amish and Mennonites, but many are not. I loved the shops with homemade Amish items, from jams to rugs to paintings and more, but found myself a bit turned off by the other stores -- the ones that sold items I could get anywhere.
I found myself wondering about what the Amish people in Shipshewana thought. Are they glad for the business, that they're able to sell things and give buggy rides and wait on tables so they can earn money just like any other person? Or do they wish the area had stayed traditional, like many other Amish communities across the country?
I grew up in a rural area not too far from many Amish families. Sometimes on my way to or from Big Rapids I would take the "back way" and go down dirt roads, just to catch glimpses of the buggies and clothes on the line and families taking a break with some lemonade on their porch. A few years ago I went through a book-reading-phase where I read so many Amish stories by Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter and Beth Wiseman. (it even often inspired me to bake and clean!)
Sometimes I crave that simple life. To do away with [most] technology, to live off the land, to just tend my garden and bake my bread and raise my kids. But short of a major lifestyle change (that I know none of us are ready for), that's not going to happen to our family anytime soon. So I try to find ways to live a simple life right where I am. I know there are books and blogs galore on this topic, so I won't be short on ideas. I just have to go for it...
I have wondered this world far and wide I've been all around to the other side But there's nothin' like comin' home Nothin' like comin' home
I wanna sit on my front porch and drink my lemonade Cut my grass after church every Sunday And go out on Saturday night Live the simple life Wake up in the morning to these fields of gold And take a long walk down a gravel road
Spend my days in the sweet sunshine Rock in my swing and watch my garden grow Know that I'll always have someone to hold Oh I-I-I wanna live the simple life
I wanna take a blanket down to the creek And let the water sing me to sleep Let go of time Live the simple life Lately I've seen too many city lights I wanna go somewhere where I can see the stars at night
Spend my days in the sweet sunshine Rock in my swing and watch my garden grow Know that I'll always have someone to hold Oh I-I-I wanna live the simple life
---------------------------------------- Do you have any desire to live the simple life?
Every so often I get on specific music kicks. It could be a new artist I've discovered, or the weather puts me in a certain mood, or I hear an old favorite song on the radio. I have SO many Pandora radio stations...
Today I found myself listening to bluegrass. I started my Pandora station with Alison Krauss, added a little Nickel Creek, thumbs up'ed and thumbs down'ed a few songs, and voila -- the perfect blend of mandolin, fiddle, and sweet vocals and harmonies...
Alison Krauss has such a unique voice. She is one who I can hear a snippet of a song on the radio and know it's her. I'm sure her voice might irritate some people, but I like it. I think it's sweet, raw, and fits perfect with her style of music.
When You Say Nothing At All may be one of her most familiar songs -- since she recorded it in the mid-'90s. It was actually written by a couple other guys, Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and has also been recorded by Keith Whitley and Ronan Keating. But her version is definitely my favorite.
(don't you just feel like you're in Appalachia?)
It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart Without saying a word you can light up the dark Try as I may I could never explain What I hear when you don’t say a thing
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall You say it best when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd Old Mr. Webster could never define What’s being said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall You say it best when you say nothing at all
----------------------------------------------
Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song -- idea from cheap wine and cookies
Seize the day... "Seize the Day" by Carolyn Arends
Do you have goals? Things in your life you want to accomplish? Daily goals, monthly goals, yearly goals?
I'm taking an online class by Blogelina about improving your blogging skills. After the first class, we're asked to go through a list of questions about the goals we have for our blogs. They're pretty basic questions, such as What are you going to blog about? Do you want to teach or entertain? Will your blog be purely recreational, or would you like to make money at some point? Who is your target reader? How much work are you willing to put into your blog?
I think I've finally found a groove in the frequency of my blogging. From 2007-2009, I wrote 16 times. In 2010 I wrote 44 times. And so far in 2011, I've written 68 times. Since June, I've written at least every other day. And I'm enjoying it! I do love to write. I might not have many "followers" based on the sidebar over there <--------- , but I am hoping to increase those numbers.
And so all this talk and thoughts about goals has me wondering: Do I keep writing as I've been writing, about lots of different things, keeping this a basic "mom blog" (which seems to be a very popular trend)? Or do I shift my focus to one specific niche, be that parenting or books or music or gardening or something? Or do I start another, separate blog about one of those niches?
I think once I firm up the ideas in my head of what my focus is for this blog, I'll be able to look more closely at setting goals for things like traffic, content, making money, community, networking, and time...
Any thoughts? What do you like to hear me write about?
Let your words and your story breathe today. Take five minutes and just write without criticizing your words, yourself or your story. Just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.
Write your words without editing them.
Tell your readers you’re linking up here and invite them to come and share their unedited stories too.
And most importantly, go visit, read, and compliment the person who shared right before you.
Today's prompt: WHOLE...
GO.
Jennifer Knapp wrote a song called Whole Again. (Please note I'm not interested in condemning or commending the artist. I've enjoyed her music for years. Just focus on the lyrics today, not on the person who wrote them.)
It's a very open, vulnerable, truthful song. It begins with the phrase "Daddy, daddy, do you miss me? The way I crawled upon your knee? Those childish games of hide-and-seek seem a million miles away..." Sometimes I feel like I've gotten old enough in my faith, I've gone out on my own, and I turn around and ask "Is there still room upon that knee?"
The chorus says, "If I give my life, if I lay it down, can You turn this life around, around? Can I be made clean by this offering of my soul? Can I be made whole again...?"
The answer of course is yes. God is the Father who is always there with open arms, ready to take back his wandering child. You may be spread out in many different directions, but God can take all the pieces and make you whole again.
STOP.
Not a very long post today, I found myself getting caught up singing the song. :) I guess that's what I love about Musical Mondays...
I couldn't find a non-live version of the song. :( The song on the cd is quicker, with drums etc. But this one will do. (now I feel like pulling out my Rocky's old Kansas cd and listening to the whole thing... :)
Daddy, daddy do you miss me. The way I crawled upon your knee. Those childish games of hide and seek Seem a million miles away.
Am I lost in some illusion. Or am I what you thought I'd be. Now it seems I've found myself In need to be forgiven. Is there still room upon that knee?
If I give my Life, If I lay it down Can you turn this Life around, around Can I be made clean By this offering of my soul. Can I be made whole again?
Have I labored all for nothing. Trying to make it on my own. Fear to reach out to the hand Of one who understands me Say I'd rather be here all alone.
It's all my fault I sit and wallow in seclusion. As if I had no hope at all, I guess truth becomes you I have seen it all in motion That Pride comes before the fall.
If I give my Life, If I lay it down Can you turn this Life around, around Can I be made clean By this offering of my soul. Can I be made whole again?
Can I offer up this simple prayer. Pray it finds a simple ear. A scratch in your infinite time. Not withstanding my fallings Not withstanding my crime!
If I give my Life, If I lay it down Can you turn this Life around, around Can I be made clean, By this offering of my soul. Can I be made whole again?
This is the fifth post in a series about the book Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six YearsFor other posts in this series, click here.
-------------------------------------------
The fourth and final basic principle of Love & Logic is to share the thinking. It involves guiding a child toward solutions, not just doing it for them. The trick is to again ask lots of questions, instead of just giving them commands. There are five steps for helping kids own and solve their problems:
1. Lock in the empathy (see principle #3) 2. Ask the child, "What are you going to do?" 3. When your child says "I don't know," ask, "Would you like to hear some ideas?" 4. Offer no more than three possible solutions. After each one ask, "How would that work for you?"
5. Allow your child to choose -- and learn from the choice and your empathy. (page 106)
These steps give kids practice toward problem-solving when they're older and you're not around. Instead of giving in to temptation without a second glance, they'll actually think about the consequences of their actions before acting on them.
Wouldn't it be great if your children could learn, early on, that every choice they make affects the quality of their lives? (page 24)
A group of 8 youth and 6 adults from our church recently got back from a week-long mission trip in Costa Rica. Yesterday during the church service they gave a report on their trip, with stories and pictures of the many ways they served the people there. They also invited the congregation to sing a song that was familiar to us -- The Power of Your Love -- but in Spanish. The first full day they spent in Costa Rica was a Sunday, and during the church service they went to in the morning, they sang this song.
I know very few songs in Spanish -- just a few things like the ABC's that we learned in Spanish class in high school, and one really catchy song we did at VBS a few years ago when the theme was Fiesta. But I did take 2 years of Spanish in school, so I know how the letters sound and things like that. When the mission team asked us as a praise band to play and possibly sing this song with them, I looked forward to it. The toughest part was figuring out which beats the different syllables came on. :)
The song went well on Sunday, considering we asked the congregation to sing it with us impromptu. And I personally really enjoyed singing it. It's been stuck in my head the last few days, and unfortunately I don't remember all of the Spanish words without looking... so I've got quite the Span-glish earworm going on...
Do you know/like any songs in another language?
---------------------------------------------- Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song -- idea fromcheap wine and cookies
by Peggy Rathmann is Abby's newest book obsession. I'm not sure what started it, but now she can't seem to get enough of this book! When I offer to read her other books, she pushes them aside and reaches for this one. She will actually bring it to me and plop down in my lap for me to read it to her. And we have it in both the boardbook format and the hardcover with normal pages, so she always seems to know where one of them is...
cd and listening to the whole thing... :)
