By Mama Mabel
My two year old has been talking up a storm lately. Here is a toddler to English dictionary of some of her favorite terms.
woff a moonie - watch a movie
buff teef - brush teeth
daydee - baby
cinmanon toas - cinnamon toast
ehbody cap! - everybody clap!
ha taeto - hot potato
jomins - pajamas
And a bonus fun fact: If she goes potty and then I also go before flushing, I'm not allowed to pee on her pee. I have to pee "beside" it.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Morning Snuggles
by Mama Mabel
Ladybug went through a phase recently where she'd wake up early and run to my bed. She would climb over me and snuggle herself under the blankets between me and Coondog. She would get very quiet and lean in against me, usually trying to be the little spoon. Her breathing would slow as she drifted back to sleep and I would reflect on how beautiful and fleeting this age is, so thankful that the first thing she wanted to do each day was snuggle with me.
Eventually, she'd wake up and start wiggling, then roll over to face me with the sweet smile that only angelic little girls can make. She'd look lovingly into my eyes then hold her finger up to my face and in her little giggling voice say, "Booger. Put on floor Mama."
Ladybug went through a phase recently where she'd wake up early and run to my bed. She would climb over me and snuggle herself under the blankets between me and Coondog. She would get very quiet and lean in against me, usually trying to be the little spoon. Her breathing would slow as she drifted back to sleep and I would reflect on how beautiful and fleeting this age is, so thankful that the first thing she wanted to do each day was snuggle with me.
Eventually, she'd wake up and start wiggling, then roll over to face me with the sweet smile that only angelic little girls can make. She'd look lovingly into my eyes then hold her finger up to my face and in her little giggling voice say, "Booger. Put on floor Mama."
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Sunday mornings
by Granny Girl
Sunday mornings ain't what they used to be! For more years than I care to count, Sunday morning was the most stressful time of my week. The responsibility of getting the whole family to church was all mine. Having four kids with a ten year age range, that meant a lot of wrangling. Ahhh, good times.
Some Sunday morning memories: Heading to one bedroom with a spanking spoon in my hand to convince the three year old that he had to leave his dress clothes on his body while arguing with the the thirteen year old that it was not my responsibility to make sure his favorite pair of jeans had been washed and making a u-turn in the hall to spank the thirteen year old instead because he sassed me one time too many! And yes, he was a foot taller than me at the time.
Here's another one: I laid out some very nice hand me down clothes for my compliant middle son when he was about four years old. The clothes came from a family of cousins who were all blondes, so they dressed in a different color palette than we did. I checked on him after a few minutes and he was just standing there crying. He said, "I feel like a fool in brown!" If I remember correctly, I let him pick out some different clothes.
Then there was the Sunday my frustrations boiled over and I was yelling at the kids as we finally all got in car and headed off. I said something like, "If y'all would just get in the %#*! car a little faster, we'd make it to church on time!" One of the braver kids said, "Now you've done it, Mama. Cussing on the way to church!"
But all that Sunday morning chaos is gone now. Hallelujah! I wake up to a quiet, peaceful house. There's just one kid to get out the door, and he likes church, so he happily gets himself ready. It's only a five minute drive to church. He gets out of the car and I don't see him again until church is over. Ahhhh. I love Sunday mornings!
Sunday mornings ain't what they used to be! For more years than I care to count, Sunday morning was the most stressful time of my week. The responsibility of getting the whole family to church was all mine. Having four kids with a ten year age range, that meant a lot of wrangling. Ahhh, good times.
Some Sunday morning memories: Heading to one bedroom with a spanking spoon in my hand to convince the three year old that he had to leave his dress clothes on his body while arguing with the the thirteen year old that it was not my responsibility to make sure his favorite pair of jeans had been washed and making a u-turn in the hall to spank the thirteen year old instead because he sassed me one time too many! And yes, he was a foot taller than me at the time.
Here's another one: I laid out some very nice hand me down clothes for my compliant middle son when he was about four years old. The clothes came from a family of cousins who were all blondes, so they dressed in a different color palette than we did. I checked on him after a few minutes and he was just standing there crying. He said, "I feel like a fool in brown!" If I remember correctly, I let him pick out some different clothes.
Then there was the Sunday my frustrations boiled over and I was yelling at the kids as we finally all got in car and headed off. I said something like, "If y'all would just get in the %#*! car a little faster, we'd make it to church on time!" One of the braver kids said, "Now you've done it, Mama. Cussing on the way to church!"
But all that Sunday morning chaos is gone now. Hallelujah! I wake up to a quiet, peaceful house. There's just one kid to get out the door, and he likes church, so he happily gets himself ready. It's only a five minute drive to church. He gets out of the car and I don't see him again until church is over. Ahhhh. I love Sunday mornings!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Marching in the tops of the mulberry trees
by Granny Girl
I read in II Samuel chapter 5 this morning about King David going against the Philistines. As soon as the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they deployed their army to attack. David asked God, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" and the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hands."
David obeyed, God delivered, the Philistines were defeated. But one trouncing wasn't enough. The Philistines deployed against the Israelites again. When David asked God to direct him, God told him, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."
Is that not the coolest command ever? Wait until you hear marching in the tops of the mulberry trees! God knew the terrain, the time, and the enemy's position. And it sure sounds like He sent his army of angels to lead the battle. Who else would march at the top of the mulberry trees?
We all face battles in our lives. The same God who sent a heavenly army to help David and the Israelites has not changed. He still sends instructions for the fight and His heavenly warriors to lead the fight. And He delivers us in victory! So next time I face a battle, I'm going to listen for the sound of marching in the tops of the trees!
I read in II Samuel chapter 5 this morning about King David going against the Philistines. As soon as the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they deployed their army to attack. David asked God, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" and the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hands."
David obeyed, God delivered, the Philistines were defeated. But one trouncing wasn't enough. The Philistines deployed against the Israelites again. When David asked God to direct him, God told him, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."
Is that not the coolest command ever? Wait until you hear marching in the tops of the mulberry trees! God knew the terrain, the time, and the enemy's position. And it sure sounds like He sent his army of angels to lead the battle. Who else would march at the top of the mulberry trees?
We all face battles in our lives. The same God who sent a heavenly army to help David and the Israelites has not changed. He still sends instructions for the fight and His heavenly warriors to lead the fight. And He delivers us in victory! So next time I face a battle, I'm going to listen for the sound of marching in the tops of the trees!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
There's a wasp in my office
By Mama Mabel
There's a wasp flying around my office. Coondog's theory is that if you leave a wasp alone, it will leave you alone.
My theory is that if you hide in the bathroom with the door closed for longer than the lifespan of a wasp, it will leave you alone.
I'll see you in a few weeks.
There's a wasp flying around my office. Coondog's theory is that if you leave a wasp alone, it will leave you alone.
My theory is that if you hide in the bathroom with the door closed for longer than the lifespan of a wasp, it will leave you alone.
I'll see you in a few weeks.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Transitions
By Mama Mabel
After many nights of Ladybug spending a few precious hours in her own bed then the remainder of the night tossing and turning between us, Coondog and I have decided that she needs to learn to sleep by herself. She's more than old enough.
In a stroke of brilliance, I thought I would explain this to her in advance so she wouldn't be surprised and might go along with it. Sometimes this is actually an effective method with her. Last night, not so much.
A few times throughout the evening, I explained that if she wakes up and it's dark outside, she has to go back to sleep in her own bed but if the sun is out, only then she is allowed to come to our room. Ideally, I would have told her to stay in bed until 9am but, sadly, that will have to wait until she can tell time. I quizzed her on where to sleep if it was dark and where to go if the sun was out until she consistently got the right answer. Finally, I put her to bed. She's actually pretty good about starting the night in her own room now so I had some hope that she'd make it through the night.
Those hopes were dashed around 4:45, when she started sobbing a mixture of "Nooooooooo" and "Maaaammmmaaaaa" until Coondog, who had kindly gone in to console her while I slept, gave up and I drug myself out of bed to soothe her. She plaintively wailed "Noooo" at me until I started asking her ridiculous questions that were rightfully answered "No." Are horses purple? No. Are giraffes purple? No. Are some flowers purple? Yes! The tide had turned. By that point, she had calmed down enough to lay down as long as I put my head on the bed beside her. She was out in a minute flat and slept until after I left for work.
At times like these when normal parent/kid interaction leave me tired and frustrated, I wonder if God feels the same way about us. He tells us very clearly how we should act but we're still surprised when He actually expects us to act that way. Why doesn't He just let us crawl into His bed and shut out the world while we snuggle with Him? Doesn't He love us? On the other hand, how is it that Jesus sent a Comforter to be with us when we're in distress but we still wail about being left alone? Clearly we haven't been abandoned.
I think God gave me Ladybug so I could better appreciate what I put Him through and hopefully learn from it. I don't want to leave Him annoyed with my lack of faith when just a little more trust from me would make everything smoother for both of us. Obviously, He's not going to lead me to harm, just as I would never do that to my daughter. So why do I still doubt what He wants me to do? Then again, why does Ladybug think the world will end if she spends an entire night in her own bed even when I assure her that everything will be fine? I like to think that I'm in the process of maturing instead of just getting older but I have a shocking amount in common with my toddler. Thankfully, we can learn together about the beauty of faith and obedience.
After many nights of Ladybug spending a few precious hours in her own bed then the remainder of the night tossing and turning between us, Coondog and I have decided that she needs to learn to sleep by herself. She's more than old enough.
In a stroke of brilliance, I thought I would explain this to her in advance so she wouldn't be surprised and might go along with it. Sometimes this is actually an effective method with her. Last night, not so much.
A few times throughout the evening, I explained that if she wakes up and it's dark outside, she has to go back to sleep in her own bed but if the sun is out, only then she is allowed to come to our room. Ideally, I would have told her to stay in bed until 9am but, sadly, that will have to wait until she can tell time. I quizzed her on where to sleep if it was dark and where to go if the sun was out until she consistently got the right answer. Finally, I put her to bed. She's actually pretty good about starting the night in her own room now so I had some hope that she'd make it through the night.
Those hopes were dashed around 4:45, when she started sobbing a mixture of "Nooooooooo" and "Maaaammmmaaaaa" until Coondog, who had kindly gone in to console her while I slept, gave up and I drug myself out of bed to soothe her. She plaintively wailed "Noooo" at me until I started asking her ridiculous questions that were rightfully answered "No." Are horses purple? No. Are giraffes purple? No. Are some flowers purple? Yes! The tide had turned. By that point, she had calmed down enough to lay down as long as I put my head on the bed beside her. She was out in a minute flat and slept until after I left for work.
At times like these when normal parent/kid interaction leave me tired and frustrated, I wonder if God feels the same way about us. He tells us very clearly how we should act but we're still surprised when He actually expects us to act that way. Why doesn't He just let us crawl into His bed and shut out the world while we snuggle with Him? Doesn't He love us? On the other hand, how is it that Jesus sent a Comforter to be with us when we're in distress but we still wail about being left alone? Clearly we haven't been abandoned.
I think God gave me Ladybug so I could better appreciate what I put Him through and hopefully learn from it. I don't want to leave Him annoyed with my lack of faith when just a little more trust from me would make everything smoother for both of us. Obviously, He's not going to lead me to harm, just as I would never do that to my daughter. So why do I still doubt what He wants me to do? Then again, why does Ladybug think the world will end if she spends an entire night in her own bed even when I assure her that everything will be fine? I like to think that I'm in the process of maturing instead of just getting older but I have a shocking amount in common with my toddler. Thankfully, we can learn together about the beauty of faith and obedience.
Monday, August 11, 2014
The Negotiator
By Mama Mabel
It's looking like Ladybug will be a garage sale queen. She's already turning negotiating into a fine art. For example, here's one of our recent conversations:
Me: You keep playing with your blocks. I'm going to use the bathroom by myself then I'll play with you some more.
Her: No shut door.
Me: I'm going to use the bathroom by myself. You don't need to come in with me. The door doesn't need to be open.
Her: No shut door.
Me: Do you need to go potty?
Her: No.
Me: Then I'm going to shut the door and use the bathroom by myself.
Her: No... [pause for some hard thinking] Little bit?
Me: You want me to only shut the door a little bit?
Her: Uh-huh.
Me: Are you going to peek at me?
Her: Yes.
Me: No.
The final result: I left the door open a crack. She tiptoed over and peered in at me through the sliver of open space to her great delight. Two is such a weird age.
It's looking like Ladybug will be a garage sale queen. She's already turning negotiating into a fine art. For example, here's one of our recent conversations:
Me: You keep playing with your blocks. I'm going to use the bathroom by myself then I'll play with you some more.
Her: No shut door.
Me: I'm going to use the bathroom by myself. You don't need to come in with me. The door doesn't need to be open.
Her: No shut door.
Me: Do you need to go potty?
Her: No.
Me: Then I'm going to shut the door and use the bathroom by myself.
Her: No... [pause for some hard thinking] Little bit?
Me: You want me to only shut the door a little bit?
Her: Uh-huh.
Me: Are you going to peek at me?
Her: Yes.
Me: No.
The final result: I left the door open a crack. She tiptoed over and peered in at me through the sliver of open space to her great delight. Two is such a weird age.
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