Open the Windows!!!

Well, if you know me, you know I like analogies.

So the other day, when dinner burned and we opened the windows to let the smell out, I got excited to discover what a beautiful analogy lies within such a simple act.

Life gets smelly sometimes!

Odors come around for a variety of reasons -- and these reasons can fit into the metaphorical concepts.

Take for instance the already mentioned mistake at the stove. In this case, someone was trying to do a good thing in preparing nourishment for those they love in the home... but since that someone got distracted, the good thing all of a sudden didn't seem too appetizing, and the resulting smell had to be released. And consider that burnt stuff can't get unburnt...

How about the unpleasant odor that alerts Mom to change baby's bum-bum? Baby didn't do anything wrong. In fact, baby did just the right thing! It would be rather unhealthy for Baby to NOT produce the poop that brings the smell with it... but we go ahead and change the diaper!

When my wonderful husband wakes me in the morning with a kiss, I'm always a little embarrassed because I can sense my own morning breath. Blech! My husband assures me that he still loves me and wants to kiss me -- but I go ahead and brush my teeth anyway...

When we drove our car up the canyon, it's engine emitted an odor trying to tell us it was overheated. In this case, opening the windows wasn't enough -- we had to exit the vehicle altogether! Unfortunately, the smell indicated we were too late -- we had cracked the head gaskets and ended up replacing the entire engine. If only we had noticed the gauges and allowed them to warn us of the motor's distress!

Then there's that lovely stench when the vacuum cleaner is sucking up something that doesn't fit up the hose and you have to dismantle the whole machine to find the offending object.

Once, when I was pregnant and had the superhuman sense of smell that comes with such a condition, my mother-in-law asked me to help her sniff out a dead mouse in her bathroom! She could tell there was a rotting corpse somewhere, and I was able to help her pinpoint the exact location.

Whatever the reason for the aromas -- why they originated, what they were trying to tell us or motivate us to do -- it really is a relief that we have ways to resolve the stinkiness and get fresh air into our lives again. We all have to breathe, and we'd all rather breathe air that's at least neutral if not outright aromatic!

Sometimes it involves a little effort, like brushing teeth or unscrewing parts of the vacuum cleaner. Sometimes it takes some money, like the engine. Sometimes it takes asking for the help of your pregnant daughter-in-law.

Sometimes it's as simple as opening the windows!

'Twas the Night Before School Started...

We homeschooled for so many years... (nostalgic sigh)... and one of the joys we celebrated was not having to worry about all the school-starting-hooplah.  We would go to a park and have a "Not-back-to-school" party and picnic with all the other homeschool families.

This year, though, my oldest is preparing to boldy go where no child should ever have to go: Junior High.

I must say how impressed I am with him! He picked out his classes -- surely a nice bonus cross-over from homeschool life. He mapped out where they are. He compiled a backpack full of necessities. He asked me to iron his shirt. He shaved.

My daughters and I headed over to their school for Back-to-School Night. They are twins, but school policy mandates that they be in separate classes. They handle this requirement with greater grace than I do. Luckily, the teachers are in sync and most likely it will be smooth-sailing in terms of keeping track of all the homework.

I'm thrilled to still have one full-time homeschooler! My almost-eleven-year-old and I are planning lots of fun field trips... He's going to help me when I take my turn to teach the neighborhood Joy School. He'll get lots of time to read (his favorite thing to do and undoubtedly the reason he's so smart). And we'll enjoy Power Hour on a more one-on-one level (though we don't forget about the little kiddos). He's been patient while we get everyone else ready, and hasn't worried that I bought new clothes for the other kids but not him (yet)...

Maybe that's what we'll do tomorrow after we've whisked the others out the door with a smile! Head to the store and do some Not-back-to-school shopping!

I'm excited for all of my children. I don't miss first-days-of-school-drama from my own childhood, but I think it's different for them. And I think they'll knock their own socks off with their success!

Third Party

My wonderful oldest child, TJ, has graciously allowed me to purchase his "old" iPod Touch from him, as he is wanting to upgrade to some techno-toy that's far more expensive.

I see this as my opportunity to bridge the gap (that seems to only be getting wider with time) between myself and the world wide web.

Obviously, I'm somewhat familiar with the internet. I have a blog, for heaven's sake!

However, overall, I prefer in-person communication, like phone calls or hanging out -- something about the instantaneous interaction.

Funny, isn't it, that this young generation is all about instant gratification, but at least they can wait for their texts to get typed and read and typed back. Must be their saving grace.

Anywho.

I also like the feel of old-fashioned paper and pen versus modern digital what-not.  There's a material comfort of its probable permanence versus the ever-hovering possibility of all things digital disappearing into the nanosphere of nothingness, like a black-hole... AAAAaaaaahhhh...

So, anyways, again...

I am now an iPod owner, trying to get everything figured out on it. I think in the long run, once this top-heavy transition is made, it will be worth it and things really will be simpler.... We shall see!

Luckily, this iPod's former owner lives with me and is able to take the time to get me familiar with its ins-and-outs.

Unluckily, he's rather short-tempered when it comes to teaching and being taught... it's one of the curses of being so smart.

He's workin' on it -- and one of the things that helps is having a Third Party.

Everyone likes a party, right?

Especially one that makes life more pleasant and helps us all get along and have more fun together!

So, in the case of my son's frustrations with my techno-cluelessness, Daddy gets to be the hero and throw the party -- the Third Party.

TJ and I have agreed on a hand signal for when we're frustrated with each other and our seeming incapability to make one another understand. It's like the peace sign, but with a third finger raised, too -- asking for a Third Party.

Sometimes, we don't get around to making the signal, though, because Daddy notices before we do that things are getting heated and we need to chill out with a Third Party.

We calm down. We choose patience and peace. We love each other again... Yeah, Third Party is awesome!

Parent Rap

My Mom has a rapper name.

She's 64 years old, 5 feet tall, and she goes by G-Tam.

She's awesome!

She, however, did not make the Parent Rap.

Whoever these guys are who DID make it -- they're awesome, too. I wonder if they have rapper names?

Enjoy!

Mom's Hands

My hands get pretty beat up doing this mothering business. I don't bother to pay for a manicure because the paint job would just get ruined before my husband would get home from work and be able to appreciate it.

Here's a fairly nasty wound I got while trying to secure my daughter's car seat in the van:

Over the several weeks that it took for this boo-boo to heal, it was just-so-Jesus-like that it made me think a lot about how motherhood is a partnership with the Savior.

Oh, now, don't worry -- I know that I'm nothing in terms of any sort of comparison! While I strive to be Christ-like, I recognize that it is only through Christ's power that I can follow his example, and that I'll always fall short... However, I also know that he has invited us, even commanded us, to become more like him -- and if the closest I can get is a sliver of skin removed from the same general area as his nail prints, so be it.

The physical depth of my wound in contrast with the full piercing of his wounds might be close to the spiritual reality. He did the actual atonement, but he lets me play a small part in bringing my children closer to him. My suffering when I am working with a child's infractions and disobedience is, well, miniscule compared to his... I recognize that! I know my work as a mother is really only possible because of his great sacrifice.

In the metaphor of my owie, I received it when I was trying to keep my child safe from harm -- just as Christ's hands were injured in a similar act for our spiritual safety. Wow.

I'm thankful that mothering brings me closer to him -- even if it includes some pain! It helps me appreciate his love all the more. I love him and want to encourage my children to love him!

All I ever needed to know, I learned from Grama Sue

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. We went out to dinner tonight -- and she looked dashing in her orange shirt and lovely scarf --  much younger than her 56 years. She is a wonderful woman who raised three fantastic children, one of whom I am so in love with that I cry tears of joy to be married to him! She is also an incredibly gifted grandmother -- sometimes I cry tears of envy that she's not my grandmother. :)

In tribute to her, I would like to publish a little essay I've been working on:

All I Ever Really Needed to Know, I Learned From Grama Sue

Hug!
Hug when you arrive!
Hug when you leave!
Hug the child you just punished...
Love is spelled T-I-M-E.
Magic is spelled D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D.
Read good books to children while holding them on your lap (the children, not the books)
Some things are more important than money (like a cabin in Brighton)
If you aren't snorting, it's not a real laugh.
Volunteer!
Have something yellow in every room of the house.
Make special efforts to make the house smell good... like, bake cookies! Or "Scentsy"-tize
Listen for clues for good gifts for birthdays/Christmas -- and wrap them beautifully.
Live theater is a treasure worth supporting!
Wipe & Flush & Wash your hands...
...and keep strongly-scented soap in the bathrooms as a way to check!
Frame photos (not just portraits) and display them.
Scrapbook!
Spend less than you earn.
Be willing to serve the Lord however He requests.
Grama will love you even if you're as goofy as Grampa
Grama will love you even if you're as onery as her cat
Grama will love you even if you don't dust as often as she does
Forgiveness.
Relax!

Thank you, Grama! I am striving to learn each and every lesson! You are wonderful and I'm so grateful you're my second mom!