Short and Sweet

Well, the title describes two things: one - this post and two - my visit today. Today was a much needed trip to the Lancaster outlets. It was much needed because it has been 3 months since I have seen my mom. We meet up at Rockvale, do some shopping, have lunch at Panera and shop a little bit more. Then I jump in the van at the last possible moment and drive home. We did some leisurely shopping and got some Christmas gifts today. It was a very nice time. I think we probably could've stayed until 9 PM when they close and it would still feel like we need longer to shop and to talk. Yep, a good day. I'd do it all again tomorrow if I could.

A Day in the Life

So today I am feeling the desire to log about what I do during the day. This is partly to put some permanent record in place to remind me of what a "typical" day looks like at this stage of our life when I later have the opportunity to look back on it. It is also an attempt to try and find a common thread amidst all the whirlwind and chaos that seems to pull me into its swirl. Perhaps a sense of purpose will emerge. Perhaps not. Perhaps a more streamlined approach to what I do will become evident. Regardless of the outcome, here begins my detailed log of this day so far:

The alarm went off at 6 AM. I was in the midst of a dream which I could not repeat for you now, but it was enough for me to want to hit the snooze and try and get back to that place. Of course, it doesn't take much for me to want to hit the snooze button. HA!

After getting up and showering, a little knock on the door let me know that the boys have awoken to their alarm and are shuffling around and in need of entering the little space we all share in our upstairs bathroom. We talk, they hug me to get warm, I hear how tired they are and I give them their space.

I scootch myself down to the kitchen where I attempt to do wonders and defy time in the next 25 minutes. I get out the gluten-free pancake mix and whip up a batch and put them on the griddle. While they are cooking, I begin packing lunches. Today I realize that we are completely out of lunchmeat and there is nothing for Josiah to take with him. I promise to bring his lunch to him later when I come into his classroom to help out. We have much conversation, and I find myself reminding my boys that a sense of urgency might be in order if they are planning to get to school in time. After rushing around a bit, we are out the door. John walks to the end of the block with us and is always the first at his bus stop. (I think he takes after his father in this and I doubt I'll get any argument from the other 3 members of the family). Josiah and I continue to walk the half mile to his school. At grade 3, he still wants his mom to walk him to the school. As I figure this opportunity is going to come to an end in the somewhat near future, I gladly walk with him, get to know some neighbor kids and get in a nice walk in the morning. I even see some friends to chat with on the way home.

Now it's time to take a deep breath and make myself some breakfast. I spend some time worshiping, praying and reading the Bible. Each day this looks a little different as I have difficulty with routine and appreciate variety. Today I read the "Daily Prayer for Freedom" that is in the back of the book, "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. Although I like variety, this is one constant that I try to do at least 4 times a week if not more. The prayer puts things into words that I would forget to pray about otherwise. It really fulfills its name, a prayer for freedom. I continue to find spiritual freedom from things clouding my perspective as I read through it, sometimes outloud and sometimes to myself.

Next I respond to emails and spend a little time on facebook. Then Dave and I met to coordinate our schedules for the next month. Our synchronized calendar that we have through Mobile Me is not working properly. I realize that I have grown quite dependent on the calendar program. It is wonderful to have my husband's schedule at my fingertips so that I can make plans and prepare for not only myself and the boys, but for family events as well.

After scheduling, I hustled to make some homemade mayonaise (raw egg, olive oil and salt) and added it to some tuna. Then I put it into a rice paper/noodle and finished Josiah's lunch. By now it was 10:10 and I was supposed to be in his class at 10:15. (Big sigh)...oh well, I'm on my way. I get the tutorial on book talks and sit down to enjoy some time hearing summaries from 3rd grade readers. The kids were all anxious to be chosen and to have the opportunity to tell me what they knew. I learned about chasing tornados, heard stories about a pug, a whimpy kid, 7 chinese brothers, trees that magically transformed you into another time in history, some kids who live in a Boxcar (one of my favorites from when I was a child) and a mouse who is also a dentist, and all the hazards that go along with being a provider of his size. Oh, there were other stories also. As the children read, I flipped through the book to determine how many pages were text and how many were illustrations. The story content was entertaining, but even more entertaining were the varying communication styles that the children used while relaying their knowledge. Some were very intense. Others gave me their summaries in such great detail that I am sure I don't need to read the book myself for more information. Still others said little. Some wanted to tell me how many pages their book had in it, and point out to me that their book has very little drawings. Others weren't even aware of how many pages I listed for them. All in all, they made me smile, brightened up my day and reminded me of the virtue we are learning about in Kidstuf-Uniqueness.

After book talks, I took my place in the back of the classroom for a few minutes, waiting until time for lunch. Woo-hoo! A parent going in for lunch at our school has a special table where they can sit. I took my place at this table and Josiah chose the two friends that are allowed to join him. They are the same two buddies that sat with us last time I went in. I really enjoy Josiah's friends. I can sit with one of them in particular and we can talk and really converse without interruption. There is no awkward silence. They really make me laugh. Today was all about re-enacting some of the moves from the Karate Kid movie which one buddy had just watched last night. I tried to pay attention, but found my eyes and thoughts wandering, observing the dymanics that were taking place at various tables around me. Many kids were trying to find their place to sit, trying to save seats for friends, trying to stay away from other kids. Some kids were sitting with other students, but seemed isolated all at the same time. My heart went out to these kids. I want to be their friend and make them laugh and smile.

So now, I'm home and just finished my own tuna and guacamole combination wrapped in a rice noodle. It was actually very good! I only began eating avacados in the past few years, thanks to my friend Heather's influence, and I love them.

Well, I'm off to run to the grocery store to buy some supplies for an animal cell project that is due this Thursday. We still need some mitochondria...or is it ribosomes?!? I need gummy worms and Dots candy. I wonder how many parents have made these projects over the years. We are making a giant cookie as the base. We preferred that to the $22 styrofoam ball we were looking at that the craft store has available. This one will be more satisfying in the end :)

Hmmm...not a dull moment yet...where will the afternoon take us?

Happy Thursday

A couple of weeks ago we walked in the Mechanicsburg Halloween Parade. We have done this for the past 3 years. We handed out postcards advertising Kidjam, the program we do monthly teaching kids and families different virtues. The guys had a good time wearing costumes that Dave twisted. I have requested that Dave make a costume for me next year. I am giving him plenty of notice. I would like a balloon dress. There is a whole category of balloon fashion out there. Stay tuned for next year....


Well, it is Thursday, Oct. 28 and Trick-or-Treat in our neighborhood tonight. The 6th grader in the family might still be working on homework and doesn't really have a huge desire to go door to door anymore. The 3rd grader in the family might enjoy going door to door, but he can't eat any of the candy he would receive, so that really puts a damper on the fun. So tonight, for the first time in my history as a mother (Ok, maybe since John was 2 :) we will all be staying home and giving candy out as a family.

For those of you feeling great sympathy for Josiah, we did buy him special candy this year. So he will not go without. On the contrary, he will have lots of good stuff. And as I am realizing, this seems to regularly be the case. I think I feel sorry for him for all of the things he cannot eat. So I go overboard and make sure there is always some type of homemade cookie or treat that he can have. The problem with this scenario is that I can eat these items also--and do, in generous quantities. The best time for me to do this (as other parents may be able to relate and attest to) is after the kids have gone to bed. Then I don't need to feel guilty for eating 5 cookies when I am only allowing them 2.

OK, for my large audience out there (or more realistically for the handful of you faithful friends & family members, ha ha) I am giving you the freedom to hold me to this. I am going to start brushing my teeth when the kids go up to bed--and after 8 PM, it is no more eating for me!!!

Where willpower fails, accountability needs to step in.

So back to tonight. We are expecting around 150 kids. Dave likes to buy and give full size candy bars so that the kids feel loved, blessed and welcomed when they come to our house. He actually had a child from the local elementary school remember him as the guy who gives full-size candy bars for Halloween. Sometimes I don't always get Dave's logic on things. But I am realizing that he is part child, part adult, and knows how kids think. Stick with me, stick with me. This really is a gift. I tend to be 100% adult to the extent of being overly serious. Dave has certainly stretched me in this area of my life and has challenged me to see things from a child's perspective. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to marry someone fun. God heard that prayer and sent me Dave.

Ok...it's 1 PM. Now where did I put those cookies?!?

Today is about getting caught up on things at home. The worship music is cranked and I'm making progress. One thing I did was make one of my favorite and oh so simple recipes for our breakfast tomorrow. It is Baked Oatmeal. YUM!

I love this recipe because you can customize baked oatmeal with toppings to make it unique and different, and just the way YOU want it. It might look completely different than the person sitting next to you. Kind of like a salad with different toppings, only yummier :) I also love this recipe because it is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free and peanut-free. Whew! We can eat oats at our house--and we eat quite a few oats at our house--so this works for us. I suppose those who need to avoid any possible contact with gluten would need to avoid oats as well.



So...I began with:

1/2 cup oil
2 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk or milk alternative
3 cups quick oats

Begin by combining your oil, eggs and sugar in a large bowl. This is a no-mixer recipe, another reason I love it. Just grab a spoon and start stirring. Then add the baking powder, salt and milk and continue stirring. (If you can stir, you can make this recipe!). Finally, add 3 cups of quick oats and...you got it...STIR!










Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.










When this recipe is done and mostly cooled, you can add walnuts, raisins and some type of milk (my favorite combination), peanut butter, applesauce, craisins, bananas, chopped apples, even chocolate chips for more of a dessert. Get creative. There are lots of toppings that could be added. My husband loves his baked oatmeal with vanilla ice cream on it. And yes, he will eat this for breakfast!











A word about ingredients: we recently began using safflower oil. It is high in Vitamin E & antioxidants. I use Almond Breeze for my milk alternative and a natural sugar, like Sugar in the Raw, or sucanat. Finally, I use eggs from free-range chickens so that the Omega 3-6 ratio is much healthier.

2009 Year in Review

(After you finish this, you will

see why we didn’t mail it!!)

As I looked back over the calendar at what took place during the past year, I couldn’t believe how much we squeezed into it.

In early January, John got baptized. This was a very proud moment for

Dave and I. It was even more emotional for Dave as he got to baptize

his firstborn child.

The boys enjoyed playing basketball during the winter season.

February was busy as we prepared for both the Broad Street Talent Shown and for our 3^rd missions trip to the Josiah and Bethany Children’s Home in Mexico. Dave runs the sound for the talent show

and I assist him so it turns out to be a family affair. With all of our focus on the mission’s trip this past year, we didn’t spend much time coming up with a clown routine for the boys. John wanted to twist balloons to a magical type song. Josiah

wanted to rap to a TobyMac song. In the end, we combined their ideas. John began by twisting balloon dogs. Then Josiah entered the stage wearing his hat backwards, his bling around his neck and carrying a microphone. He changed the music to TobyMac and began rapping. The boys went back and forth fighting over the music and changing it back and forth to suit their own needs. After this went

on for a while, they whispered a new plan to each other. They changed the music once again. The song, “Who let the dogs out?” came on and the boys worked together to throw lots of balloon dogs all over the stage. It is fun to see the elementary kids laugh at the antics of Chuckles and Bobo.

Three short days later, we got on a plane to begin our journey. While it was a wonderful trip, it

was different for our family because many of the kids we had become attached to in previous

years were no longer at the home. Josiah’s special friend Maggie was no longer there. We really

missed her. It was great to spend time with the home’s new director though. Dave and I felt as if we got to encourage her and spend some good discussion time with her. (For a full recap of our trip, see my blog post dated 2/19/09).

As we headed into the Spring, Josiah played baseball again. He enjoyed his season and his team ended up winning the tournament for their level. It’s always rewarding to win a trophy…especially one they

had to work for.

In April, my dad had emergency surgery and I ended up traveling back and forth to West Chester to stay with my mom while my dad was in the hospital, and then helping once he came home. It was a rough road for a while, but thankfully, he is doing great now, walking a couple of miles a day and working out at the gym regularly. He inspires me.

The beginning of May found Dave traveling to Atlanta once again for

the Orange Conference put on by the Rethink Group, whose curriculum

we use in Children’s Ministry. This is always a fun and challenging time for Dave. He learns new ideas and is challenged spiritually by the speakers there and the worship sessions he participates in. Red represents families and Yellow represents God’s light and love and His message to us. Orange is when we connect families to God’s Message.

Also in the spring, we decided to surprise John by submitting a video of

him twisting balloons (actually their clown routine video) to the WJTL

Talent Challenge for consideration. He ended up being selected and in May had the chance to twist a giant balloon Road Runner for their

Talent Challenge at the World’s Largest Chicken BBQ at Long’s Park in Lancaster. He did great!

In June, John began saxophone lessons and turned 11.

And we spent our first week visiting Dave’s family and going to Ocean

City, MD.

July took us to the beach once again. Dave re-injured his knee during

this trip and had surgery shortly thereafter. It was a bit of a rough

recovery as he contracted walking pneumonia. Can you believe that this very same month we found out John needed leg surgery? It was

not great timing to have to digest this news. The month was rounded out by a week of Creative Arts Camp. Dave was a trooper and taught balloons with his knee on ice. I taught the dance track and we learned Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown” in addition to other songs.

At the beginning of August, the boys participated in a Circus Camp

where they got to add to their repertoire of clowning skills. The day the

camp was finished, the boys and I headed to Canaan Valley, WV for a family reunion and vacation with my side of the family. John and I got to go horseback riding with my brother and niece. Lots of fun and

gorgeous scenery. When we returned from that trip, I attended the Beautiful Ones conference that Global Awakening put on. It was an amazing experience of seeing God’s power heal, transform and change lives. It was a very sweet encounter and I didn’t really want it to end.

We couldn’t end the summer without going to the beach one last time. So the week of Josiah’s 8^th birthday, we went for one final summer trip to DE.

After our crazy summer, I was quite ready to get back into the school routine so that we could stay in one place for a while!! HA!

John began 5^th grade and Josiah 2^nd grade. John joined the Green Team, Chorus, Band (saxophone) and the Jump Team at church. 5^th

grade brings lots of new opportunities.

In October, Dave and I both taught at a Children’s Ministry Workers Conference held in Mechanicsburg. Dave taught 3 workshops and I taught 1. It was a new challenge for me (Dave loves to challenge me and stretch my comfort zone). This is sometimes appreciated and sometimes not. HA HA Dave also designed the website for the

conference so he had many hours invested in this venture. And I can't forget to add that the boys helped

us in teaching balloon twisting to interested conference-goers in the resource area.

October was also our first night to take Kidstuf (our Family Service at church) to a local elementary school…called KidJam. We have now done this 3 times (1x/month). It has been a great opportunity to connect with the community.

November 10 came way too fast. After much praying and pleading with God for healing, I realized that John’s surgery was going to be a reality. John has had a ½ inch leg length difference since birth. Over time, his body

compensated for this difference. His left foot rolled inward and the bones in that foot began growing improperly as a result. Also, his right heel would never hit the ground so his right calf muscle was not developed at all. It is about half the size of his left calf muscle. So John’s surgery was done on both legs at the same time. They placed an implant in his left foot to keep his foot from rolling inward. They also cut his right tendon and lengthened it.

Currently, John has two casts on his legs and is temporarily in a wheelchair. The wheelchair is a power chair that my cousin so graciously provided for us from the company that he works for. (Golden Technologies rocks!!) The chair has given John so much freedom and has been a bright spot in an otherwise difficult time. John should be getting his left cast off and a walking boot put on very soon. Then he will begin physical therapy on the left foot. In about 5 weeks, John will be able to put weight on the right leg and will begin 2-3 months of physical

therapy on that leg.

This is a long process but one in which we pray will make him stronger and correct the problems that he had with his legs.

It has been interesting rearranging our home to make it handicap accessible. I am thankful that God led us to this home 6 years ago that has very wide doorways and a downstairs bathroom. It also has a room that had been our playroom downstairs. We converted that room into John’s bedroom. John has been living downstairs for the past 3 weeks now. This whole experience is making us much more compassionate toward those who live like this on a daily basis throughout life. It is also giving us a new empathy and new eyes to see those who sometimes get overlooked in our society. And we are grateful for legs that work. I am praying that God will help us to gain all that He wants to teach us during this experience. Who knows how this will shape our children’s future job choices? How is it changing their hearts? I pray that this experience will change us and not be in vain.

Ahhhh….December. We pray that your holiday will be filled with looking up and seeing God’s power. When I stop and look up, He shows me His glory and I sit in awe and wonder. This world has heartache and disappointments, stress and financial worries, physical decline. When we stop and see God, those things fall away. Some day, they will all fall away. He will return for His people and we will be with Him forevermore. There will be no more tears, sorrow or longing. We will be fully filled. How I long for that day.

May God bless you with eyes to see Him more clearly this holiday.

A Promise

A few months ago we were told that John needs surgery on his legs. History: he was born 12 weeks premature, weighing only 2 lbs. 1 oz. From the start, he has been our miracle baby. People across the nation prayed for him. He fought and grew and beat many odds. After three years of intense therapies, we were told that he had progressed enough to be released from therapy--physical, speech and occupational. John's main struggles that he moved on with were a tight right heel cord and the potential for eye surgeries due to his exposure to oxygen for many months when he was first born. He's had 3 eye surgeries now. The third one seemed to correct his muscles to align his eyes. We've been doing annual check-ups on John's legs and feet. He has worn orthotics for a number of years and has had his shoes built up within the last year. The new foot doctors we have begun seeing are incredible and have shown a real concern for getting John's feet and legs to a place of proper bone and muscle alignment and development. Thus, the decision to have surgery was laid before us. The surgeon will put an insert in John's left foot so that his foot cannot roll inward. This will allow the bones in that foot to grow properly. The surgeon will also cut and lengthen his right calf muscle so that his right heel can hit the ground and then his right calf should be able to be used and further develop. Right now, his right calf is about half the size of his left calf.

Ever since finding out about the surgery, I have had a hard time accepting it. The idea of our child being in a wheelchair for one to two months is not one that is appealing, to say the least. We are moving ahead with surgery plans, but praying for supernatural healing at the same time. My father was healed of a 1/2" leg length difference as a young adult. I know of one other person who was healed of the same, and another person was healed right before my eyes at a recent women's conference. God is powerful and able. Sometimes He heals supernaturally, sometimes through doctors and surgeries. We have seen some change in John's legs as we have prayed, but not enough at this point to cancel the surgery. I must say that I don't completely understand the idea of incremental healing. My faith is definitely growing as I have seen these things happen. Trusting God with the overall outcome is still a challenge for me. It doesn't make sense to my human analytical brain. I am being reminded of the scripture in Isaiah 5, verses 8 & 9 that say,

⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.

⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is something that I know, but don't always live out. I know that the Creator of the Universe has a plan that is so much greater than mine. If I could figure Him out, wouldn't I then be His equal? Do I really want a God who is as limited as I am? Why do I foolishly think that I will understand all of His ways? This humbling reminder is reassuring as I lay my precious first-born son at his feet and say, "Not my will, but Yours be done, oh powerful God."

Even though I don't understand it, today I feel as if we were given a promise. It is International Walk to School Day. The kids who participated in the school's walk-a-thon program were put in for a drawing for a new bike. Guess whose name was chosen to receive the new bike? That's right, our John. I do sense that there is something so much more significant to him winning this bike than chance and coincidence. God has spoken a promise to me. I pray that God will reveal His promise to John also. God loves John so much and knows what is on our schedule for him to endure over the next few months. The bike is the hope, the reward, the incentive, the promise. Again, I don't fully understand it. But I pray that John will know the great love our heavenly Father has for him.

Hello blog!

Wow, it has been two months since I have blogged. Much has happened in the last two months. Lots of vacationing and spending family time together. The short of it is two more trips to my in-laws(in DE near Ocean City, MD) and one trip to Canaan Valley, WV with my side of the family for a family reunion and vacation in the mountains. I also attended the "Beautiful Ones" conference put on by Global Awakenings. The first word that comes to mind about the conference is power. God moved in amazingly powerful ways (why would he not, He's God, right?) I joined women in worshiping all out and in total freedom--some dancing, some on their faces on the floor, some crying, some laughing. It is amazing to be in the presence of Almighty God like that. I also saw many people get healed of different physical, emotional and spiritual affirmities. So cool!!!!!!!!! We are all very loved by the creator of the universe.

Psalm 63: 2-5 says,

"I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

And I say Amen, I agree. His love is better than life and He is worthy of my praise.

An anecdote from today: I went to the grocery store and was hoping as I entered that I didn't run into someone I know who works there. It is not because I don't care for this person--quite the opposite really-- but just because I haven't seen them in a long time and I really don't enjoy running into people and having to make conversation. What to say does not come easily to me. It tends to stress me. After a couple minutes of thinking like this, I asked God to give me His perspective and to be open to blessing other people. Like maybe if I would stop thinking of myself and how uncomfortable I would feel, I could see beyond that and realize that God may want to bless someone else through me. Maybe someone who has a need. So my new prayer became, "Lord, use me to bless someone on this trip if You want me to. And if you want me to bless this person I haven't seen for a while, use me in their life today." After that, I continued shopping and got everything that I needed. I prayed the prayer a couple of more times as I was shopping. Well, I made it out to the van and put my groceries in and was getting ready to return my cart. At that point, a man began walking by me and going into his nearby car. He passed me and as he was getting into his car, he sneezed. I remained silent. Then I thought, "I could've said, 'Bless you' to him" At that moment, I just started laughing as I realized that God had given me an opportunity to literally "bless" someone verbally. HA HA

Well, I missed that opporunity, but I hope that as I go about the rest of my week (and beyond) that I will be more in tune to what God wants to do through me in everyday situations. I know He's got so much to say. I am trying to learn how to slow down and expectantly listen.

Well, day 3 of the new school year has flown by once again. It is already time to go get the kids and to hear about their adventures from today. See ya!