What do you do to prepare for Easter? So far we are playing with the Resurrection eggs, memorizing Awana verses, and reading picture books. This article has lots of great suggestions! (10 Simple Ways to Prepare for Easter)
What picture books do you like to read with your children? These are the ones we have. I'll have to check back in in a few weeks with an update of which ones are the favorites this year.
961. a leisurely Saturday morning in bed for the family
962. a quiet Saturday morning awake for me (Aaah! Quiet!)
963. progress in lots of areas
964. the discipline of preparing our home to host 16 people for a bridal shower
965. the discipline of preparing a devotional for the shower
966. the work of God in my heart as I did so, while feeling completely unqualified to do so
967. protection from storms
968. the new-to-me experience of getting over a cold (it's happened about 3 times now for the first time in my life, and I attribute it to a bump in the dose of plasma I receive monthly to give me immunity)
969. communication with teachers
970. teachers, Awana leaders, SS teachers, etc. who care so much for our children
The answer to the Mystery Item post is ....
...
...
...
...
...
a convenient way to wrap & store your own chopsticks to put in your o-bento (lunch box). :) I have not needed to use this in almost 15 years... why is it in a drawer in my kitchen?!? :)
A few weeks ago I referred to a conversation with someone about parenting not being simple, but we can make other parts of our life (such as our homes & meal plans) simple.
Today's lunch was just that! Leftover berries from breakfast, oven roasted potatoes, a bag of frozen green beans, and chicken thighs seasoned & cooked in the air fryer. I'm alway surprised when a delicious (& colorful) meal comes together.
Many people prefer menu planning, but I prefer shopping my freezer & pantry. (I'd like to say I shop the sales, but I shop Aldi & Walmart so there aren't really sales.)
True confessions: I tried one of those meal service plans, like Hello Fresh, but it didn’t work for me, because I had to babysit a recipe for 30 solid minutes, doing tasks the whole time. In my life these days, I need to spend 1-2 minutes putting things in the crockpot, instant pot, air fryer, or microwave. That’s what works for me, and so these recipes work well for us.
951. soul-strengthening, comforting, and challenging 3 hour dinner with a friend this week (We were there until they were sweeping the floor around us!)
952. a few days at home
953. stopping in for 5-10 minutes for hugs and cookies with the grandparents
954. a great season of cheer & basketball (this weekend is the final weekend)
955. amazing progress by LM in swim lessons!
956. chips & hummus :)
957. hearing testimonies ... of salvation & of God's daily strengthening & helping
958. hearing testimony of an acquaintance whose wife suddenly walked into the hands of Jesus
959. anticipation of two lunch dates at the tea room in the next few months
960. unseasonably warm afternoon and all the children at the park and moms and grandmas chatting
I don't remember devotionals at the bridal and baby showers of my childhood and teen years. Perhaps they were included, and I don't remember.
My bridal showers are a blur. I'm pretty sure there was one by a dear friend at my shower in my college church. And my sister-in-law and I think that perhaps she gave the devotional at my shower at Jim's church.
I do remember that she gave the devotional at BK's baby shower, and I hung on her every word.
Last summer, when she and I hosted a bridal shower for one of our nieces, and we divided the hosting duties, I ended up with the devotional. And it was a joy to think about our niece, her personality, what passage of Scripture spoke about her interests, and connect that to marriage.
Now, another sister-in-law and I are hosting a bridal shower for another niece, and I have the devotional. It's humbling to do so, because of course I am not the perfect wife. But, as with all of mentoring and teaching, we are merely one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread.
Have you ever given a shower devotional? I was surprised to find this article, "How to Prepare a Bridal or Baby Shower Devotional," when I searched online to see if there were any tips.
When BK first started school at a private special ed school (when he was 3 1/2), there was another student who would often scream. So BK tried that tactic. His speech therapist put a swift end to that! She said, "BK, God made so-and-so's brain so that when it wants to scream, he can't stop it. But God made your brain so you can stop it."
I added that line to my playbook, and can frequently be heard saying, "God made everyone's brains different."
Yesterday after BK's Upward basketball game, while the players sat in a circle and the family members lined the walls of the Sunday School room during the wrap-up and presentation of stars, one mom said to her daughter (standing next to LM), "You have the sniffles. Let's go get a kleenex."
Later, LM said to me, "Mom, remember the girl with sniffles? I think God made her brain different from mine."
"Yes, LM, God gave her an extra chromosone. It's called Down Syndrome."
Without skipping a beat, LM asked me, "How did God make your brain different?"
"How do you think?"
"You need a lot of sleep."
True that!
If LM were having a conversation with you, she might ask you, "How did God make your brain different?" How would you answer her?
Vacation ~ Fun
Fun isn't exactly my middle name, but we did have some fun on our vacation. When Jim (aka The Fun Half of this marriage) asked me what I enjoyed most, I replied that I really liked the book I read (Chasing Faith Among Yaks and Nomads), and the tea on the ship was a lot better than I was expecting. He said that I could read books and drink tea anywhere. Yes, yes I can. ;)
If you asked the children, they had fun swimming! Lazy river at a port in DR, pool at a motel, beach in Haiti, etc. LM also REALLY enjoyed the Sesame Street parade at Sea World. They both enjoyed their first attempt at ice-skating (on board the ship) and watching the ice skating show two different evenings. They both enjoyed putt-putt on board, and BK tried the FlowRider (surfing simulator) many times. Although he did go to the rock-climbing wall a few times, it wasn't his favorite this year. LM loved the kids' camp where we could drop her off and she played with friends her age. BK enjoyed staying up late with Dad and relatives and playing card games. He also enjoyed the floating water park in Haiti. And LM enjoyed the sand!
I think we all enjoyed the dolphin show at SeaWorld and being up close to the dolphins in the dolphin nursery.
I'll just add that the flight was decidedly not fun (nothing wrong with the flight; just with one of our family member's enjoyment terror of the flight). It might be a decade or more before we fly again. :(
Vacation ~ Lodging
Unlike some trips, we had reservations for every night before we left home. Thank you, Jim!!
Of course, following the delayed flight, we arrived at our first motel at 4 AM Eastern time. Breakfast included.
The next night, yet another motel, each one progressively closer to the next day's activities. No breakfast. (But we were meeting cousins for brunch.)
The third night, yet another motel. This one was an old-style, walk-out rooms, tiny bathroom, L-shaped building, two stories, with a pool turning the L into a square. The pool was heated and open after dark. FINALLY! This is what the children think of when they hear "motel" - go swimming! Third night was the charm!! No breakfast, but more on that later.
Nights 4-8 were on the ship. Tiny room!! (But all meals included!)
This is a view from the bottom bed with the upper beds pulled down...
Nights 9 & 10 we stayed in one spot ~ Aaah! ... a 3-bedroom unit with a kitchen. After sharing one tiny stateroom, it was pure luxury. The children each had their own room and bathroom. Plus there was a living room & a screened in porch. I immediately did load after load of laundry, and felt so happy. :)
Night 11 we were back in our own beds, so thankful for Home, Sweet Home!
Vacation ~ Worship
The first Sunday of vacation we worshiped at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. One of the greeters asked me how we heard about it. I don't remember not knowing about it.
Our morning was a rush, to rearrange our luggage, get out of the motel, get out of the motel parking lot (blocked by a marathon), find a parking spot at CRPC, dodge the raindrops, find which building the kids' classes were in, etc.
But then we walked into the soaring sanctuary, and the sanctuary choir processed in, accompanied by the organ. And the liturgy gave a solid framework to our worship. And the sermon exalted Christ. And when it was over, we sat glued to our seats, listening to the organ postlude.
(The organ had only just been back in service for 2 weeks I think, following being restored in Italy.)
The children enjoyed their classes, too. :)
The second Sunday we worshiped at First Baptist Orlando. Granted we did not attend the early morning traditional service, but the two Sundays could not have been more different. Even though I had pre-registered the children, we stood in a Disney-esque line to check-in, they received a stainless steel water bottle as a gift (& if they went back the following week, they would receive the week 2 gift), there were three curvy slides going from the 2nd floor classrooms to the 1st floor lobby, etc.
Jim and I walked in a little late to the service (see Disney-esque line above), but I'm not sure I could have handled the full service. It truly was like a rock concert ... dark, roaming lights, very loud music, etc. Not my style. But the senior pastor preached on Psalm 23 and spoke to my heart.
This Sunday we were thrilled to be back in our home church with brothers & sisters we know, and sitting under the preaching of the Word by our pastor!
Vacation ~ Planes, Boats, & Automobiles
We flew Allegiant, so we had a direct flight. We flew Allegiant, so it's no surprise that our 8 PM departure was delayed until 11 PM. :( Thankfully we were still at home when the first delay was announced, so we did not spend three unnecessary hours in the airport. Yikes!
(We drove to FL in 2016, 2019, 2022, & 2023. So we were happy not to spend 3 days and 2000+ miles in our van this time!)
Jim & BK enjoyed an Air Boat ride in a swamp and saw alligators and turtles (I think). The Air Boat was too loud for LM to enjoy.
When we arrived (3 hours late) in Orlando, the rental car counter was closed. Our first attempt at getting an Uber was denied, despite having put a travel alert on our credit card. At 4 AM Eastern time we arrived at our hotel. Whew!!
From Sunday afternoon until Friday morning we were on a cruise ship (other than two ports where we were off 3-5 hours). Thankfully the seas were not rough. LM was not looking forward to the motion, but declared that it felt like we were on an elevator. :)
While in Florida, we had a rental car. By the last few days, I was crying every time I saw a Honda Odyssey. :) I missed our van!!
