Lost in Laundry

Takin' a Jab

2009-11-11T11:42:00.010-06:00

The boys help me pack their school lunches in the mornings.

When it's Dylan's turn to pack the plastic forks, he inevitably tries to put this one in Ryan's lunch sack:

What a cute little stinker he is. Usually his giggles give him away, and I rescue Ryan from the horror of using a pink fork at a table full of second grade boys.

Also, pun intended with the blog post title. Get it? Get it? It's a fork? "Takin' a Jab"? Yeah...maybe it's not that funny.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above story is nice lead-in for this verse we've had hanging on our fridge a week or so:

This is a scripture we've been discussing a lot with the boys. (Although not when Dylan tries to give Ryan pink fork....cause that's just hysterical. I generally encourage that kind of behavior.)

But we have been talking a lot about "giving preference." Such a counter-cultural concept. Hard to teach it I need to learn it! For me, this means doing things like putting away Jonathan's socks when I would rather be blogging, or vacuuming the house and dusting for the sake of my family's health, when I would rather be reading Jane Austen. Instead of thinking of it as doing boring domestic chores....I'm practicing giving preference. It helps me swallow it!

I could have just provided a link to the scripture, but I thought you would appreciate the hot dog celebrating God's word with jazz hands as much as I do.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other kid news...can I just say that Lauryn is a total joy right now? She is growing into quite a little ham and I LOVE it. We sing and dance (with the blinds closed, lest anyone think I'm having seizures) and put on plays and make up stories and it's all fabulous. I enjoy her so much when she's not driving me crazy and making me confused about how to parent.

She regularly says stuff like "Mommy, let's take crazy pictures together because I am SO FUNNY. Just do what I do and you'll be funny too." And so then we take pictures. Girls are way fun.

I made that collage on www.photovisi.com; super easy and fast web-based collage maker. Should you be in need of one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random Alert. More total randomness ahead.

If you ever buy a whole fryer and cook it in the crock pot (which you should because it's cheap and you can get at least 2, maybe 3, meals out of one chicken), try this tip I read this week:

Make 4 balls out of foil, and set them in the crock put under the bird. It will lift the chicken up out of the juice so it's not so soggy, and taste more like a rotisserie chicken. Tried it this week. Pretty good.

The above chicken tasted great. But the poor girl didn't photograph well. Poor thing. Wow. That's kind of a disturbing image actually.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

I use shortcuts. Whenever possible. I am not ashamed.

2009-11-05T13:35:00.007-06:00

I'm pretty busy.

Not quite as busy as several other Mom's I know. But in addition to the times my life really is crazy, I occasionally waste entire days due to poor time management skills. So in the reality of my own mind I'm technically just as busy as they are!

In addition to being (somewhat) busy, I don't particularly enjoy being in the kitchen, so there are a few kitchen shortcuts I heartily embrace:

Frozen chopped onions. Throw these in taco meat...soups...chili...sauces, etc. For less than a dollar a bag it saves me the time (and tears) of chopping up onions. And they're diced up nice and uniformly and small. Love it.

A lot of the time, I do mince my own garlic (in a mini-food processor, not by hand; let's not get carried away), but I'm certainly not above using the jarred stuff when in a time crunch:

I'm also a fan of pre-made pizza crusts, crescent rolls, pancake mix, and biscuits. If Pillsbury makes it, I've probably bought it. (I know! I know! It seems most mommy bloggers grow their own fruits and vegetables, milk the goat in the back yard, and create gourmet meals out of home grown tofu.....I feel so counter-cultural! I love you DoughBoy!)

Maybe someday flour will be a staple in my kitchen. But not currently. I heard someone talking the other day about grinding their own flour. I decided then and there that a nice goal for me might be to make some recipes that actually required flour.

There are a few shortcuts I don't use: I don't make box dinners, only because I made my husband eat that kind of stuff way too often early in our marriage. If he never, ever has to eat another serving of Hamburger Helper, he will still have eaten more than is reasonable for anyone's lifetime.

He really shouldn't have to eat another soft taco or serving of spaghetti either. But I'm not emotionally ready to purge those trusty stand-bys from our menu just yet.

And finally, on those nights when it's just me and the kids:

So there you go. The confession of a mom who embraces pre-made biscuits and frozen chopped onions. I know there are more of you. Be loud. Be proud. Let your voice be heard.

Siblings

2009-10-29T08:52:00.009-05:00

I hope my kids are great friends with each other when they grow up.

My own brother and I live far away from each other, and don't talk nearly as often as I would like. Neither of us are big phone talkers, and he doesn't use email - my primary connection mechanism!!! I have high hopes that together my mom and I can talk him into visiting Lubbock around Christmastime. Prayers that he'll make a visit are appreciated! He's just not much of a traveler. When we were little, and had to travel the 15 minutes from our hometown to Tulsa, he would pout and protest like we were driving to California.

Anyway - the point I was trying to make is that right now, my kids think of each other as best friends. I know as they grow they'll find strong friendships outside of each other, and their closest friendships will be peers who share common interests, but I hope they will keep in mind that they will always have each other. Friends may come and go, but family you're stuck with. Ha! We're still navigating how to help them foster strong love and commitment to each other. Any advice from those of you with strong relationships with your siblings is welcome. Do you think anything your parents did or didn't do played a role?

It warms my heart when I see my kids thinking of each other above themselves, and independently coming up with ways to show love to each other. Granted, they are 7, 6, and 4 - so occasions of self-sacrifice can be few and far between. But when it does happen, it brings a smile to my face for weeks!

At the boys' school, they earn "Pirate Bucks" as a positive behavior reward system. (Pirates are the school mascot.) Then they have a chance to visit the "Pirate Store" and spend their money on toys or other rewards.

Ryan chose to save up $50 pirate bucks to purchase a "free lunch pass" to sit wherever he wanted at lunch. He passed up buying toys or trinkets for several weeks, diligently saving his bucks. The lunch pass he bought could be used to sit wherever he wanted in the lunch room; he could choose to sit with his teacher, or sit with a friend in a different second grade class, etc.

But Ryan decided to surprise his brother, and use his hard earned pass to sit with Dylan at the Kindergarten table. Dylan was so excited!!! I love it. Just love it. Jonathan and I didn't even know about Ryan's plan until it had already be executed.

Of course later that day they nearly came to blows while playing Wii together. But for the purposes of this sappy blog entry, let's just focus on the positive, shall we?

___________________________________________

In other Cliff kids news - Happy Birthday to Dylan! He's six years old today. Six. SIX!?!?

Family Night: Pumpkins!

2009-10-28T08:30:00.005-05:00

My friend Lauriena served some yummy pumpkin cookies when she hosted a coffee night last week.

Then my friend Cheri successfully pulled off the "house-o-lantern" from Family Fun magazine.

So naturally I stole those two things as Family Night activities this week.

We started the night with modifying another activity from Family Fun magazine, "Mr. Pumpkin Head."

Using a cardboard box, we created tack-on features for a couple of small pumpkins. The kids drew eyes, noses, and mouths, and cut them out of cardboard. Then after we stuck a tack threw the cardboard, we used hot glue to cover the cardboard with black cardstock. Like such:

Now the kids have some pieces they can use to decorate their pumpkins, ala Mr Potato Head:

The House-O-Lantern was fun as well, but my art skills were found terribly lacking. I was going for a "goofy" look; instead I got slightly angry-ish. I think it's the eyebrows....oh well. The kids helped me draw, cut and tape the "house-o-lantern" in the living room window.

Inside:

Outside:

Next we got to work de-gutting a pumpkin.

Ryan was put in charge of pulling out the seeds so we could roast them. Ryan tends to ham it up for the camera at times, as evidenced by the expression he wore during this entire slimy task. Not sure where he gets the tendency toward the dramatic. (cough, cough)

Dylan, meanwhile, was happily pulling out pumpkin guts for his brother to sort through.

Lauryn wanted nothing to do with slimy pumpkin guts, but she was happy to help with cookie preparation.
Speaking of the cookies, they are just lovely. The make the house smell terrific and taste yummy too. Here's the recipe:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. canned pumpkin
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
(or use pumpkin pie spice in place of allspice and nutmeg if ya got it)

Cook at 375 for 10 minutes

Lastly, we went outside to place the candle in the the Jonathan Cliff Jack-o-Lantern Masterpiece of 2009:

I would have liked to end our evening with some Pumpkin Spice Latte for Jonathan and I; but, alas, Wal-Mart was fresh out of the Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer. And that my friends, is the only way I know how to make a latte.

Click here to see our previous Family Nights.

Family Night: When I grow up...

2009-10-24T18:48:00.007-05:00

For Family Night last week the kids created a life size portrait of themselves, portrayed as whatever profession they would like to be when they grow up.

First up, we traced their outlines.

Then they got to work creating their "uniforms".

Ryan wants to be a "Video Game Designer." When he created his outfit, it morphed into "Video Game Worker", because he didn't know how to spell "designer". I recognize that problem solving technique. Can't spell the word? Just use another one! Still do that myself occasionally.

(Click any image to enlarge.)
Holding both a Wii remote and an Xbox remote. Nice.

Dylan wants to be a Pastor. When I told Jonathan he said, "Really? Not something exciting like a fireman or police officer?" Interesting analysis considering his profession. Must have been a hard day at work.

A Bible and a microphone are apparently Pastor essentials.

Lauryn....well, she morphed from wanting to be a teacher into wanting to be an alien and then back to wanting to be a teacher again. "Tell me about your purple hand Lauryn." "I'm an alien. That's how I kill people." Nice. Family Night just went strangely and hysterically off course.

We're widening the circle.

2009-10-20T09:32:00.005-05:00

This is a concept that Jonathan wrote about a few months ago, and it's something we're trying to be deliberate about making happen in our kids' lives. He wrote about it here: Widen the Circle.

I remember being about 10 or 11, and beginning to think adults were interesting. My own mom was great (one of the parents that most other kids envied in fact), and we had a good relationship, but there was just something about other people's parents I found intriguing.

I'm sure in my immaturity there was some aspect of wishing my mom would be more like other people's parents: Sara's mom let her shave her legs....Jacob's mom let him stay up late playing video games and had friends sleepover every night of the week...Jill's dad bought her jewelry every single holiday. Names changed to protect the innocent. But I bet my mom knows who I'm talking about! (Of course now that I'm a parent I understand why mom would want me to wait longer than age 9 to shave, and would want me in bed at a decent hour. Thanks Mom. But you could still buy me jewelry every holiday if you want.)

Knowing that this time will come, when our kids will start to look for advice and influence outside of what me and their Dad think, we'd like to be strategic about who we have in our life. And more than just having these people around on the periphery, we'd like to be deliberate about giving our kids the message "Hey, these people love you. And they aren't drifting through life. They live their life on purpose. They love God. There are things you can learn from them. Listen to them."

Of course they will still find people all on their own to look up to and try to emulate. But that's no reason why we can't try to guide them toward some good choices.

Ryan was baptized last Saturday night, and afterward we had a "post-baptism" celebration at our house. We invited his current and former leaders from church, as well as others who have loved him and been an affirming influence.

There were several reasons we wanted to have a party:

1. We just plain wanted to celebrate! We prayed over Ryan and celebrated what God is doing in his heart.

2. We wanted Ryan to be aware of the people God has put in his life to help point him toward Jesus. There is a debt of gratitude that is owed. Both to God and to His willing servants.

3. We wanted the people who have been in Ryan's life to know the profound impact they've had, and that we want them to continue making an impact!

Some people have influence because of their position; small group leaders and others in children's ministry at the church.

Others don't have an official "role", we've just noticed that for whatever reason they have Ryan's ear. Ryan wants to share his accomplishments with them, and he gives weight to the things they tell him. (Hi Greg and Cheri!) We want these friends to know the influence they carry, and to know we trust them with that.

Also importantly, some of these people are inherently way more cool than I could ever hope to be. Matthew and Emily are in their early 20's, energetic and exciting, and Ryan thinks every. single. thing. they do and say is awesome. Mr. Matt can tell Ryan the exact same thing I've told him, and sometimes it just sticks better if it comes from Mr. Matt. I think it helps that mixed in with the Godly wisdom and love, they can talk about video games.

My prayer is that as my kids grow, these people will be around to give them the same messages I'm giving, but in a different voice and from a different perspective.

Thank you Lord that in the short time we've lived in Lubbock, you've made us a part of a spiritual family. Thank you for these people who love and influence our kids toward loving You. Bless them Lord, and keep providing opportunities for authentic relationship.

Hey Moms, do you know about "Groovy Girls"?

2009-10-08T13:55:00.008-05:00

After her daughters outgrew them, a friend at church passed on their collection of "Groovy Girls" to Lauryn - they quickly became her favorite, favorite thing to play with.

I am SUCH a fan of these dolls. They have great clothing and accessories, as well as fun stuff like horses, cars, and bunk beds. Until they were given to Lauryn, I had never even heard of them!

How did I not know about these!?!?!

Just wanted to do a little public service announcement, in case any readers are in the dark like I was.

If you're looking for a great Christmas gift idea for your preschool age girl, this could be the way to go!

Additional benefit: They're easy to dress, don't have teeny plastic shoes that get lost, and I don't feel like we need to have an anatomy lesson every time Lauryn changes their clothes. It's nice that they look like dolls and not like surgically enhanced mannequins.

The company appears to be very intentional about having a positive influence on young girls. Their website claims that “our dolls provide a way for young girls to experience fun, fashion-filled doll play while promoting age-appropriate values and attitudes.”

I'm a huge fan! Lauryn is blessed to have inherited such a great collection. (Thank you to her generous benefactors!!)

Check ‘em out at Groovy Girls.com.

So moms (or dads, if you're one of my 2 male readers), what other great toys are out there? What are your kids current or classic favorites? Let's hear it in the comment section!

(And I feel like an idiot when I blatantly ask for comments, and get none. So help out my pride and leave a little comment love. Please.)

They do not share their Father's dry, intelligent wit.

2009-10-07T08:22:00.002-05:00

Not so far at least. Someday my kids will mature, and hopefully their sense of humor will mature along with them.

I don't think that ever happened with me - that maturation. I seem to have somehow acquired and retained the sense of humor of a 9 year old boy. So naturally, what strikes my kids funny bone is the same stuff that makes me howl with laughter.

Really sophisticated things, like people falling down stairs. Or accidental humor that happens with a well-timed burp. We're also big fans of people accidentally running into walls or closed glass doors. Stuff that kids generally find funny - I just happen to be a 31 year old who finds these things hysterical as well.

We had a good laugh fest this morning before school over something equally mature.

I was making Dylan create sentences out of his sight words.

The word was "but." (Savvy readers may see where this is headed.)

Dylan: "I wanted to eat, but it wasn't snack time."

Lauryn: "Dylan. You can't eat butt."

The way she delivered that line, completely deadpan, with no inflection and no expression on her sleepy little face face, sent me and the boys into hysterics. "You can't eat butt" was enough to keep us laughing most of the morning.

Lauyrn, being as that she was completely serious in her admonition, still doesn't get what we were laughing at.

Good times.

Flashback Friday: Oh those cheeks!

2009-10-02T17:34:00.022-05:00

Disclaimer: Sappy maternal reminiscing ahead. I was due for a post such as this one. Look away now if such things offend you.

When we capture video of our kids, it's the 2 or 3 minute snippets we record using our iPhones.

The last time we used our camcorder was Lauryn's first birthday.....and she just turned four last month.

So, feeling secure that if we hadn't used it in 3 years we wouldn't miss it, we got the camcorder out today to sell on Craigslist. In the process of cleaning out the camcorder bag, we sat with the kids and watched some of the old video we found.

Ryan learning to sing his ABC's....Dylan learning to crawl....and Lauryn's first Christmas were among the many treasures.

We learned:
Lauryn has been yelling and fussing at her brothers from a very, very early age.
Dylan has always liked to wrestle - even before he could walk.
Ryan could identify all his letters and colors at 2 years old.

But the most compelling thing that happened watching the videos: I was reintroduced to Dylan's cheeks. The toddler version. OH. THE. CHUBBINESS. I can't stand it. It's too, too adorable.

Once I saw those chubby things on video I needed more. Must have more of Dylan's cheeks!!!

I got out the laptop in search of more cheeks.

Dripping with blackberry juice at the orchard...it's too much. Too much cuteness!

The big brown eyes are adorable, yes. But they got nothin' on the cheeks.

I know you want more. More cheeks. Here ya go:

I thought I could look through a couple of folders worth of pictures. Get my cheek fix.

But like any addict, a little bit was not enough. Half an hour later I was still admiring his chubby little face.

Dirty dishes were calling...phone calls were going unanswered...my family was playing outside without me, begging me to join them...but the cheeks were calling.

For a brief glorious period, the cheeks were connected to a delicious double chin:

For about a year of his life, starting at about 9 months, he claimed the title of the chubbiest (and therefore most cuddle worthy) kid in the church nursery. During this time my brain began to think of Dylan as a round roly-poly kid. I sometimes still think of him this way, even though he's now completely stretched out and thin just like his big brother. I just loved the roly-poly version so darn much!

Look closely at the picture below and you will see the faint outline of lipstick on those oh-so-kissable cheeks. There's really no telling who left it there. Those cheeks drew everyone in. Could be my lips. Could be the lips of Ms. Mary, the beloved nursery director. Could be a random old lady at the grocery store. There's really no way to tell...

Photographic evidence indicates the cheeks began to make their disappearance around age 3. I wish I knew how much I would miss them.

No cause for panic.

2009-09-30T16:37:00.001-05:00

I thought I had arrived at that moment when I discovered that Lauryn
had cut her own hair.

Isn't that a rite of passage that every kid (and mom) must go through?
I have been anticipating that someday it will happen - I'll discover
my blond headed little girly girl has given herself a crew cut.

But today, much to my relief, she had not cut her own hair, but had
given a blond Barbie a little trim.

Negotiation Tactics.

2009-09-23T09:41:00.003-05:00

Lauryn has abandoned the traditional "question and answer" form of communication common between moms and daughters.

She's trying out new techniques.

Already this morning, she's said:

"I know I can't play the Will this early in the morning, so I'll take some candy instead."

Then she seemed genuinely baffled that this reasoning didn't immediately propel me off the couch to fill her mouth with jelly beans.

One hour later, she approaches boldly, looks me hypnotically in the eye and states:

"We're going to McDonald's for lunch." Then calmly turns and walks to her room.

What? When she decide that sentences that should clearly be interrogatives she would just oh-so-easily transform into declaratives?

She'll be mighty sad around noon when she finds out she's being served a plain ol' PB&J for lunch instead of a happy meal.

The cheese grater that inspired a road trip.

2009-09-17T11:38:00.005-05:00

I picked up this cheese grater at a garage sale for $.25 cents.

I love it. The grater fits on top of the container, and it has a separate lid for storage. Genius.

After using it for a month or so, I noticed that this little-grater-that-could was made by IKEA. Of course it was!!!!

"IKEA is the best. I love that place." I thought.

"Wish I could go." I thought.

"Wish I could go with my friends." I thought.

And so that's what I did.

After a few rounds of emails, miraculously, seven of us agreed on a weekend that we were all free.

ROAD TRIP TIME!!!

Last Friday we loaded up and headed to Dallas. After a quick stop at Starbucks of course.

It was awesome. We took my friend Anne's GMC Yukon, and the seven of us hit the road together. We stopped for a generous amount of time for lunch, stopped whenever we needed to pee (no husbands with us, rationing our stops!), and took about seven hours to get to Dallas. We enjoyed every minute of those 7 hours. And may I also add at this point that my friend Anne has mad driving skills. The rain...the music...the laughing...the crazy stories...the Dallas rush hour traffic...none of it phased her.

You can not believe how much activity we stuffed into our short trip. We arrived around 6:00pm on Friday night, ate dinner, watched a movie, spent the night at a hotel, shopped and ate all day Saturday, left Dallas after dinner, sang really bad yet really beloved 80's songs most of the way home, and got back to Lubbock at 2:30am to squeeze in a few hours sleep before church Sunday. Whew.

Turns out, a GMC Yukon can hold the luggage of seven women, plus all their IKEA/Sam Moon/Anthropologie/Anne Taylor/etc. purchases. Awesome.

So in conclusion, dear readers, YOU MUST TAKE A ROAD TRIP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIENDS. Please, please put this on your to-do list and make it happen. So, so fun.

(Sadly, a couple Lubbock-ites wanted to go and their schedules didn't allow it....next time girls!!! We missed ya!)

Sidenote: We played "two truths and a lie" on the way to Dallas. You can discover some very interesting facts about your friends with this game. Here are my three:

1. I am a pretty good water skiier.

2. I once jumped a horse over a fence.

3. I was in a pageant in H.S. and I won.

They all agreed that #3 was the lie. Evil giggle...I always win 2 truths and a lie with that one! I am searching for photographic evidence that I was indeed Miss Striped Bass, as they all remained incredulous even after I told them that was indeed not the lie. Brace yourself girls, pictures of me in a sash and sequined dress are headed your way. I will try to find the one of me handing out trophies at a fishing tournament, as it really captures the essence of that particular title.

(Oh, and I can barely ride a horse, let alone jump over a fence on one. I would jump off the horse before I would try and go over.)

Check out my friend Tina's account of the trip by clicking here.

-

Sinking

2009-09-15T08:31:00.008-05:00

"...if grace is an ocean, we're all sinking...."

-lyrics from How He Loves Us, performed by Kim Walker / JesusCulture

I ran a stop sign yesterday.

I got to the intersection milliseconds before an oncoming SUV that had the right of way and no stop sign. I caused him to hit me on my passenger side.

My fault. Entirely my fault. I was driving Jonathan's car, which is likely totaled.

Gratefully, myself and the man driving the SUV both both walked away from the accident. Also gratefully, neither of us had any passengers with us. I suspect his back and neck feel just as sore as mine do today, and I hate that I caused someone else that pain. That hurts more than my neck and back do.

As soon as I realized I had run the stop sign, I felt sick. Ashamed and disappointed in myself. Painfully aware of my guilt.

I called Jonathan, and he arrived on the scene within minutes. I was braced and ready for him to take in the details, make sure I was really okay, then sigh and shake his head in disappointment at the financial upheaval and inconvenience I caused. I was ready for that reaction because that's what I deserved. But the sighing and the shaking of the head I knew I deserved and had been waiting on....never came. He just hugged me, held me, and repeatedly told me how glad he was I was okay. That it was just an accident. That we would get through it.

But his kind words and love and forgiveness weren't landing well. I didn't want love and forgiveness. I was so upset at myself that I wanted him to be angry, because that's what I deserved.

Then the messages from my friends and family started rolling in. Each one brought new tears. Not tears of gratefulness so much as tears of disbelief. Why are they sending me these encouraging messages? Don't they know what an idiot I am? That this wreck was my fault? I ran a stop sign! I destroyed my car and caused serious damage to another! Because of me a man is without his car, and probably in a good deal of pain! The only message I wanted was one telling me I needed to start being more careful. I didn't want encouragement because I didn't deserve it; I wanted a little old fashion chastisement...someone to agree with my opinion of myself at the time.

Then it just got worse.

A sweet dear friend brought me flowers and my favorite candy. Her beautiful little boys gave me big hugs and told me they were glad I was okay.

That was too much. Too much to take. I should not be surrounded with beautiful flowers and love --- the wreck was MY FAULT! I was being loved and embraced as if I had been the victim of a reckless driver, when in reality it was the other way around.

It was as my friend left, and I was feeling shame and embarrassment every time I looked at the bouquet, that my Father first whispered into my spirit.....grace. I couldn't escape the whisper of that word. Grace. This is grace. This is what it looks like. This is what it feels like. This is grace.

Moments later yet another friend rang the doorbell, and came in the door with dinner for my entire family.

As she left, tears of disbelief once again began to flow.

Again God began to whisper to my spirit. I'm showing you my grace. This is the kind of grace you live with every day. This undeserved love and unconditional acceptance is what you receive from me every day you live and breathe on this planet.

And I know it's true. I don't run stop signs and cause accidents every day. But every day, I plow through life, reckless with my words. Reckless with my time. Reckless with my thoughts. And God's grace is there in abundance in spite of myself.

His grace is always an ocean. Yesterday I just felt the depth of it more intensely. And instead of being embraced by the gentle waves, I fought and splashed and nearly drowned in its vastness.

So today my prayer is one of insane gratitude. I'm in awe of the way He has brought amazing friends and an amazing husband into my life. People who love me, and who carry His heartbeat in such a way they can love me in spite of myself, and extend His grace in a tangible way.

The gifts I received yesterday were hard to accept because I didn't deserve them. My prayer is that through this situation, I will remember that I live every single day with the gift of grace that I certainly don't deserve. I pray for an acute awareness of the grace of God, being careful not to be reckless with His gift.

I received love and gifts yesterday with much humility and amazement, and a keen sense that I was getting what I didn't deserve; I pray I receive His love, mercy, and forgiveness in much the same way.

-

This is a little embarrassing.

2009-09-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Bow Chicka Wow Wow.

Can someone please explain to me why my children are obsessed with this phrase?

It's beginning to be a little embarrassing. Lauryn, especially, is a big fan of the phrase. I think she just likes the way it rolls off the tongue.

A babysitter even sent us a text one night: "Your children love to say 'bow chicka wow wow.'" What could we do, but explain that Jonathan and I routinely sing that phrase to each other as we do laundry, load the dishwasher, and drive to soccer practice, and the kids have obviously picked it up from us. Or not.

This new obsession at least provided Jonathan and I with side splitting, tears rolling down the cheeks laughter a few nights ago....

The kids have pretty much appropriated my iPhone and consider it theirs. They aren't allowed to go online using it, but they can play with some of the games and apps.

We discovered a couple nights ago that Lauryn had used the voice recorder to record herself singing about 47 (wish I was exaggerating) different renditions of Bow Chicka Wow Wow. Nice.

Click here then push the big yellow play button if you wish to hear one such example. My daughter, performing bow chicka wow wow. (If anyone knows a way to upload audio files directly to blogger, please enlighten me.)

Her first recorded performance. I'm so proud.

I know some people might find this phrase offensive, but my kids just think it's a fun thing to say and I'm trying to just make light of it. But if you are one of those people who find it inappropriate, you might want to keep your kids away from the Cliff children for a few weeks! I'll let you know when they move on to another phrase. Ha!

So Long, Buzz

2009-09-09T17:08:00.001-05:00

Buzz, you were a constant companion and mighty super hero.

But alas, how the mighty have fallen.

My hope for you is that your odd little deformed toy friends from your
movie can find you in your new life (city dump) and make you whole
again.

Sledding and Snowball Fights in September

2009-09-02T00:06:00.020-05:00

Lawn sledding. And snowball fights with snowballs purchased from a store. Who knew you could buy snowballs!?! FUN!

It has cooled off a wee little bit in the last couple days. But weather cool enough for actual snowfall is still months away. (If, that is, we even get any snow - last year a light dusting, here and gone in minutes, was the only winter weather we saw.)

So we hurried up the cool weather a bit with a "Winter" theme for Family night.

We started out making snowflakes. I hadn't made paper snowflakes in years. After a quick reminder about how to fold the paper (Google to the rescue!), we were off and cutting.

For dinner, we ate beef stroganoff that had simmered in the crock pot all day. I thought it was kinda winter-y. The kids were mighty unimpressed. I tried to tell them it was like brown spaghetti. (Why would I think that would make it appetizing?) They weren't buying it.

Next up ----- SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!!!! My friend Angela told me last week that Bahama Bucks Shaved Ice sells snowballs. 24 for $5.99. So worth it.

We had to ration out the snowballs obviously, or Dylan would have hurled all $5.99 worth at his brother in a matter of seconds. Which would have been fun for me to see, but not really fair.

No mercy for the cute little sister. She took one square in the back:

Ryan's pretty quick, but not quick enough to escape Dad's missiles:

Retribution was swift:

Possibly the best snowball fight ever. If I was a rich woman I would have bought about 5 more boxes.

"Lawn Sledding" came next. Dragging the kids around the yard on a beach towel? Turns out, crazy fun. Mom and Dad's arms gave out after a while; but things didn't go so well when they tried to drag each other, as this short video demonstrates. I happen to love this 5 seconds. It features one of my kids falling over, and Dylan giggling. Two of my favorite things.

Please, do yourself a favor and immediately go drag your kids around the yard on a towel. The faster you drag, the better! Your arms and back will be a little sore the next day, but the laughs are totally worth it.

We had a special guest for Family Night - I was babysitting the cutest little toddler you have ever seen. Oh my he's cute. And sweet. And smart. And fun. I think I'm in love.

He mostly just observed us all night, obviously wondering what kind of crazy people his parents left him with. Lauryn finally coerced him onto a towel. (By coerced, I mean grabbed his hand and jerked him into her lap.)

Fun night. Dad was worn out after all the "sledding" (he had to go and show off, dragging around both boys at the same time); the kids never pass up on this opportunity:

We're really enjoying have a (semi)weekly Family Night - it's all about being deliberate about enjoying each other. And I especially enjoy pelting my kids in the head with frozen shaved ice.

Many thanks to Angela who sparked this idea last week when I asked for Family Night suggestions via twitter comments!!

When a Three Year Old Girl Plans Family Night

2009-08-25T21:14:00.015-05:00

When a three-year-old little girl plans Family Night, it looks very much like this:

I was fresh out of Family Night ideas this morning, so I asked the opinion of the only other person in the house at the time. Lauryn thought a Strawberry Shortcake night was a fabulous idea. What else could I do but agree?

First up, a shopping trip was in order. We went to the grocery store that has the cute little "future shopper" carts, and I left the shopping to Lauryn. Excuse the fuzzy pictures. She was a girl on a mission and could not be bothered to slow down to pose.

After the strawberry purchases were made we were off to pick up the boys from school. There was a mild to moderate amount of eye-rolling behind Lauryn's back when she told them the Family Night theme. But to their credit, they acted thrilled with her idea and were great little encouragers. I was shocked and proud of them. No push back at all. She was so cute and excited to tell them her idea that they could hardly react otherwise.

When we got home, she talked the boys into wearing red t-shirts, and green bandannas on their heads. The complied mindlessly while watching cartoons, then promptly ripped off the bandanas when she later squealed, "Yay!! You're dressed up like strawberries!" Apparently they were willing to comply if it was merely a color theme, but not if they were supposed to actually be a strawberry.

While we waited for Dad to get home the kids each made a strawberry pillow. (I didn't intend for it to be a "pillow"...I was just planning on them making a random stuffed toy...but the kids started calling it a pillow...and each of them are sleeping with it tonight...so whatever....) For around $2 bucks total, I bought enough red, green, and black felt for them to each create a stuffed strawberry. They helped trace and cut out the shapes, glued the "seeds" on, and helped me sew the edges together on the sewing machine. Dylan and Lauryn just wanted to push the pedal, but Ryan actually sewed the material. For about 38 seconds, then he was bored.

Here's a few pics of the kids making their "pillows." In the first shot Lauryn is holding the "strawberry prototype" - - my practice round trying to figure out a pattern. Except it was made entirely with a hot glue gun. I was trying to avoid getting out the sewing machine. Because I'm lazy that way. After I burned my fingers repeatedly, I finally caved and got out the machine. (Who knew hot glue could seep through fabric? Probably everyone but me. Not kid friendly.)

Lauryn was proud to show off her "pillow" to her Daddy when he got home. I can't be certain, but I'm fairly confident that as this was taken he was thinking, "Thank you, lovely wife, that you got the crafty part of Family Night over with before I got home." You're welcome.

And yes, that thing on Lauryn's head is indeed supposed to resemble a strawberry leaf. She can be surprisingly easy to impress.

As for the rest of the night's activities, we made a "strawberry drink", which consisted of dumping frozen sliced and sugared strawberries into a pitcher of cool-aid. We ate fresh strawberries with dinner, and Blue Bell Chocolate Covered Strawberry ice cream for dessert. Yummy.

Fun night! Thanks Ms. Lauryn!

Brothers. They annoy each other sometimes.

2009-08-23T22:47:00.009-05:00

Dylan did something to his brother, who knows what, that made Ryan feel retribution was in order.

What did Ryan do?

He wrote a scathing sign that he then posted in plain sight. A terrible indictment. A sign that read,

Dylan's favorite movie is Sleeping Beauty.

Ooooo!! He did not just go there!!!! Once the sign was discovered and deciphered it was promptly torn into pieces.

If you've met Dylan, you know that to insinuate he would even slightly enjoy a princess movie is an insult of the highest order. Especially a princess movie that features....horror of horrors....kissing!!!!

The child dive bombs under the couch pillows, hiding his face if there is any hint of an impending kiss.

Oh how I love my five year old boy.

What "Family Night" Looks Like After a Long Day

2009-08-18T19:58:00.017-05:00

Today, our family went with about 200 other people from our church to Joyland. It was the last big Kidsplace hurrah before school starts next week. Great fun! It was also kinda hot. And tiring.

We're all pretty worn out from traipsing all over the amusement park, but since this was the last Tuesday before school starts, I still wanted to do a little something for Family Night.

So we had a Homemade Pizza Night. First up: pepperoni, cheese, and black olive pizza for dinner. Then it was fruit pizza for dessert.

I bought pre-made pizza crusts that come two to a package with sauce. Not as good as dough made from scratch (not that I would know for sure), but still pretty good.

Next we made Dessert Pizza - - - Warning: not for those without a serious sweet tooth. Luckily, my sweet tooth is in perfect working condition and I thoroughly enjoyed this creation.

Fruit Pizza

way too many calories to have the name "fruit" in it:

Frozen Sugar Cookie Dough (in the "tube")
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Sliced Strawberries
Canned Mandarin Oranges
Sliced Kiwi

1. Flatten sugar cookie into a round crust using a rolling pin. (Or use a glass like I had to. I also had to microwave the dough about 15 seconds to get it soft enough to flatten out.) Cook according to instructions on package and let cool.

2. Mix softened cream cheese with powdered sugar using a hand mixer. Beat until a frosting consistency.

3. Spread cream cheese frosting over cookie crust. Place cut up fruit on top.

4. Eat and enjoy the sugar rush. Don't overdo it or your tummy will ache. Trust me.

He goes in full force because he's learned at any moment I could take it away.
A bit of frosting on the face is of no consequence.

Dad and the boys cut up the strawberries.
Lauryn dumped the oranges out of the can.
Mom cut the kiwis.

Ryan was artistic director. He decided the placement of the fruit
while the other two helped bring his vision to life.
Just lovely, don't you think?

Originally I meant to buy supplies to copy my friend Amy's really cute idea for making a "pizza game"...I never got around to it, and today was filled with amusement park fun. But you should click here to see it because it looks fun.

Feeling Nostalgic. (It's among my favorite emotions.)

2009-08-13T13:32:00.008-05:00

This week I received a letter from my Great-Aunt; enclosed with the letter was a picture of my Mom and Uncle when they were little. She thought it was "a cute one", and I totally agree.

I think this picture was taken at my Uncle's graduation from Kindergarten. (Circa 1960?) I like to think about my Grandparents as parents of these two small children. Grandma and Grandpa were once where I am now, parenting little ones in the throes of white tights, hair bows, and endless school events. And they came out on the other side. There's hope for me yet.

When I was stashing away this picture, I got drawn into going through all the pictures in the huge shoe box full of random shots I've collected (and snatched and stolen from Grandma) over the years.

I love this one of the same Uncle, taken his Sr. Year of High School:

This picture was taken in 1973. It's now 2009, and approximately 87% of the high school boys I know at church are wearing this exact hair style. All things old are new again. (Not that you're "old" dear Uncle....ahem.)

Remember the post I did a while back about growing up at the lake? And how my grandparents graciously tolerated the "prepubescent, loud and giggling friends" that were at their house all summer long? I give you the prepubescents:

Ahh...life before teenage angst. 1988. 11 years old. Back when flirting with a boy meant you acted like you despised him and did the best you could to completely ignore him. Well, that's what I did anyway. In this picture, I'm standing as far away as possible from the boy I had a crush on all through elementary school. I would go on to keep the "despising/ignoring technique" as my primary flirting tool for a good 3 or 4 years after this picture was taken.

Remember this post, about my love of Bette Midler? Sadly, I have photographic proof that I really was that weird.

Also...I was 10 years old....so why does it appear my shoes are on the wrong feet?

And look at the sweet young faces:

I was 18 years old and a freshman in college. Pretty much completely ignorant of what the future held. We weren't yet engaged....Jonathan was a business major and I had no inclination he would wind up in full-time ministry.....neither of us had a clue we would end up becoming Texans....

I love how much life has happened since that picture was taken. Most of it we never saw coming.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2009-08-12T08:47:00.010-05:00

We love Lubbock. But we really, really miss going to watch the Texas Rangers play any old time we want to.

Other than our friends, The Ballpark is probably the thing we miss most about Dallas. (Also on the list are Glorias and West Village, my favorite date night area.)

Last month on our way home from Oklahoma, we took a quick one night detour through Dallas so we could catch a game. We happened to attend on "free hat night", which was possibly the highlight of the evening. I must have heard "Do we get to KEEP these!?! We get to TAKE THEM HOME!?!" at least a dozen times. Close behind as the favorite part of the night were the five home runs the Rangers hit, each followed by fireworks.

Sidenote: Dylan and I missed seeing THREE of those home runs waiting in line for ridiculously overpriced hotdogs. Wow. THREE HOMERUNS. MISSED. I was really mad. I learned I only think I'm a nice person, but in reality I can be kinda mean to innocent people who may or may not be to blame for my frustrations. I apologize Mr. Concession Stand Man. I'm sure you really are capable of moving quickly despite my accusations otherwise. My thanks to Michael Young who hit another home run for my baby boy to see. You solidified your place as my favorite player.

Ryan really hung in there, interested in the game. Dylan and Lauryn needed a little something to keep them occupied, so they took turns taking pictures with my camera.

Among their best shots:

Their shots of me didn't turn out quite so cute. I just don't understand it.

I also have hundreds of other lovely images like this one:

Brilliant!

We made it to the end of game with little to no whining or complaining, and saw the Rangers win 7 to 1. Great night!

A great series. Written by a great man. All around greatness ahead.

2009-08-07T20:15:00.007-05:00

So we've established that I think the following links are great. I know you'll agree!

The Childrens' Pastor at our church, a phenomenal leader and thinker, recently posted an excellent series, "Five Essential Parenting Skills."

Each of the posts in this series is a must read. Click on the links below and then let me know what you think!

#1. Imagine the End

#2. Fight for the Heart (This post may be favorite of the series...Excerpt: "The unpredictable and rebellious actions of my kids provide the perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate a consistent message to them. The message that I will forgive them over and over and over again. The message that I can be trusted. That I love them." That's good stuff people.)

#3. Make it Personal

#4. Create a Rhythm (Okay...maybe this is my favorite post. Am I allowed two favorites? Read it moms! You'll find practical advice for making the time you already spend with your kids each day more deliberate. I can't overemphasize how important "practical" advice is in the life of a busy mom with young kids!)

#5. Widen the Circle

Oh yeah...and if you didn't know it already, the writer of these great posts also happens to be my devoted husband.

But I would heartily recommend these posts even if I wasn't married to the author. So click on over and leave him some comment love. We bloggers like that. Encourage him to keep this great content coming!

"Nocturnal Creatures" Family Night

2009-08-05T09:13:00.014-05:00

Jonathan got the crazy notion that it would be fun one night before school starts again to let the kids stay up as late as they want.

Thus, "nocturnal creatures" family night was born.

All day while their Dad was at work, me and the kids talked about the different animals that come out at night. We found pictures of several of them, and the kids colored them, cut them out, and put them all over the house.

My personal favorites: the rat peeking out from behind the TV, and the raccoon trying to get into the trash can.

There were several others as well (here's the list I pulled from), and the kids made Jonathan go an on "animal hunt" to find them all when he got home from work.

After all the animals were found, Jonathan gave the kids the news that the fun part of Family Night was that THEY got to be "nocturnal creatures" themselves and stay up as late as they wanted.

What?!?!? [insert excited squealing] As! Late! As! They! Wanted!???!!???? A totally foreign concept for my kids, as every night by 8:00 I'm ready for them to go to bed, whether they're ready or not.

It was at this point of the evening their energy level quadrupled.

And I put on some coffee for me and Jonathan.

We hung out, ate dinner, made all the kids take baths, and at 8:30 sat down to watch Wipe-Out. Yes, we're very sophisticated.

Before 9:30, Lauryn was out cold. Sleeping under the stars. (In the living room floor, under the stars we had hung from the ceiling.)

At 10:15 or so the boys headed to the front porch. They hung out chatting, listening to the crickets, and reading a book together.

By 10:30, Ryan was moping on the couch, acting like Family Night was a punishment, and I had to remind him he was free to go to bed whenever he wanted. Off he went. The first born put himself to bed and Lauryn fell asleep in the floor - I had totally called it.

That leaves Dylan. Oh Dylan. My precious middle child. He was tired, but fighting the good fight.

Observe the methods he employed to keep himself awake.

Messing with his sister:

Coloring:

Helping give the dog a bath:

And at 11:45pm, still racing madly around the house with a paper airplane:

By 12:10am I was worn down, but he was still going strong. I strongly suggested (okay, insisted) that he turn off all the lights and lay down on the couch with some books. (Okay so I cheated a little! But I didn't technically make him go to bed! ) He managed to fight off sleep another 20 minutes or so before he finally fell asleep. Ahh...sweet slumber. They are just so darn adorable when they're sleeping.

Click here to see all our previous family nights.

Bring on the messy.

2009-08-03T20:09:00.008-05:00

Dylan likes stuff that's messy.

He's a kid whose fingernails are never, ever going to pass a close inspection. Generally a periphery glance is enough to reveal that he likes to play in the dirt.

That periphery glance will also reveal that his mom gets lazy about cutting/cleaning fingernails, but that's a whole different issue. I have three kids! That's sixty nails! SIXTY! It's a little overwhelming, okay!?! I feel your judgment and feel I must explain myself. I know their nails are dirty. I know their nails are well past anything considered an appropriate length and are approaching "claw" territory. I just don't have the energy right now to cut THIRTY little dirty fingernails and THIRTY little toenails okay?!? Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. Thanks for listening. You're so very understanding.

So...back to the messy.

In trying to teach Dylan to write his letters, the messier the better. Practicing with a simple paper and pencil? Not so motivating. Spraying shaving cream all over the table and "writing" his letters in the foamy messiness? He's all over it.

Last night we busted out the flour. Yes, I said flour. Yes, that picture below was taken at my kitchen table. SIDENOTE: I am a weirdo for thinking this was a good inside activity. This should have totally been taken outside. To which all the logical mothers respond, "DUH!"

Lauryn got in on the action too, and the mess grew exponentially.

My eldest born, a child after his father's heart, took one look at our ambitious project, shook his head, and sighed, "Mommy, you're going to have a huge mess to clean up."

And Dylan just grinned.

To Dylan's future kindergarten teacher: I am happy to report that Dylan will enter your class knowing all his letters and the sounds they make. You may, however, need some shaving cream and/or flour for him to prove it.

Too funny not to share.

2009-07-29T13:56:00.003-05:00

My friend Danielle has known me since elementary school. She knows me well. Too well. I present for your enjoyment a text conversation we had this morning:

Starr: Lubbock Parks and Rec has several classes for 3-5 yr olds. Trying to decide what to enroll Lauryn in. Maybe art or maybe dance?

Danielle: Maybe you should put her in dance...something you definitely can't teach her. :]

It wouldn't be so funny if it weren't completely, totally, and painfully true. Let me just apologize if you are one of the unfortunate few who have ever seen me try and break it down.