Noo-Nuhls

I've crossed off another food on my "I've never made..." list. Noodles (aka "noo-nuhls" in Judah-speak). I had stuff to make a basic spaghetti sauce today, but only egg noodles. We don't think the two go well together, so I opted to try making homemade noodles. A little over an hour and a severly boiled over pot later, I had bonifide basil-seasoned noodles. Mix a little shredded parm in with some good garlic/herb canned spaghetti sauce, and bingo! A yummy pasta bowl! But, I will pay for the convenience of store bought noodles any day. At a buck a box, it is MUCH cheaper than homemade noodles after you consider the ingredients, electricity, time, and muscle power that goes into it! Sheesh! But they were yummy -- I love basil!

Who knew that play dough could hold little guys' attention for such a good chunk of time? Included in the boys' stockings this year were four little cans of the colorful squishyness. To my knowledge, today was the first time they have ever played with it. Elijah, of course, immediately tried to eat some. (Thank you, play dough makers, for producing nontoxic dough!) He didn't like it, but it made it's way to his mouth a few more times over the course of 45 minutes. We made balls, bars, Saturn, circles, a butterfly, a fish, bowling ball and pins, a snowman, used a couple cookie cutters, handprints...it was great fun! And not really that messy either. :-)

I borrowed a machine from a friend and got crafty last night. I finished three garters I've been working on for a friend who will be married soon. I also sewed Judah a new travel blank since his other one is LONG gone (lost it sometime back in June on our trip to AR). :-( The new one is bright blue soft fleece with a bright green trim...matches the monkey/lion mural. If I find a cute lion patch and get my brand new sent-back-for-repairs machine back, I'll add that and his name to the blanket. It's fun to be crafty!

This picture represents what I'm coming to love more with each passing Chrsitmas/winter -- snowflakes in white and silver. For just $10 at Michael's Dec 26th sale, I was able to get three types of decor to fill out our new tree. It was so much fun! I never would have thought I'd be a ribbon person; but the more I saw it this season, the more I loved it. I even put a pretty bow at the top of the tree (so not like me, usually). And the little snowflakes (30 total!) are only about an inch wide. So cute! I also noticed the little ball clusters alot this season; and again, the more I saw them, the more I liked them. They add such a subtle but beautiful detail, especially the cranberry looking ones on trees that have a red foundation. I also liked the trees that have red poinsettias on them!

Judahisms, an Elijah Story, and My Brain

egg node: egg nog
fatch-er: tractor
cwoshay cook: crochet hook
Header: Heather
pweh-zence: presents

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Yesterday I had to start correcting Elijah for touching the ornaments on the tree so that he would know we really do mean business when we say "no." Every time there is silence in the living room, I know he's at the tree. When I walk in there, he runs away with a gleam in his eye and a mischevious smile -- and hides behind the chair. I caught him twice after his nap touching Judah's paper star ornament. The first time, I reminded him that it was a no-no and he needed to obey. The second time, I had to give him a [love pat]. I got down on his level and gently told him that Jesus says to obey Mommy and Daddy and that when he disobeys, he gets a [love pat]. He listened very intently up until the word [love pat]. Once that reached his ears, his worried eyes shot up to me and he shook is head no vigourously. I continued to say, yes, he did need a [love pat] so that he would learn to obey..........and he put his hand to my mouth and pushed a little as if to say "If you don't say it, you don't have to do it!" It was precious, but it also stands as an example that even young toddlers know and understand when they have done wrong and what discipline is. It is so amazing to watch children's obedience levels change if we as parents are consistent in our OWN obedience to God's way of parenting.

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Autumn took an online brain test, so I did as well. :-) It is SCARY how well the summary describes me. Who else agrees with me??? I was going to bold what was really really true, but I realized I'd be bolding pretty much the whole thing. So I bolded what is really really really scary right on about me. :-P

Your Brain Usage Profile:
Auditory : 50%
Visual : 50%
Left : 55%
Right : 45%

Dawn, you are somewhat left-hemisphere dominant with a balanced preference for auditory and visual inputs. Because of your "centrist" tendencies, the distinctions between various types of brain usage are somewhat blurred.

Your tendency to be organized and logical and attend to details is reasonably well-established which should afford you success regardless of your chosen field of endeavor, unless it requires total spontaneity and ability to improvise, your weaker traits. However, you are far from rigid or overcontrolled. You possess a degree of individuality, perceptiveness, and trust in your intuition to function at much more sophisticated levels than most.

Having given sufficient attention to detail, you can readily perceive the larger aspects and implications of a situation or of learning. You are functional and practical, but can blend abstraction and theory into your framework readily.

The equivalence of your auditory and visual learning orientation gives you two equally effective sensory input systems, each with distinctive features. You can process both unidimensionally and multidimen- sionally with equal facility. When needed, you sequence material while at other times you "intake it all" and store it for processing later.

Your natural ability to use your senses is also synthesized in your way of learning. You can be reflective in your approach, absorbing material in a non-aggressive manner, and at other times voracious in seeking out stimulation and experience.

Overall you tend to be somewhat more critical of yourself than is necessary and avoid enjoying life too much because of a sense of duty. You feel somewhat constrained and tend to sometimes restrict your expressiveness. In any given situation, you will opt for the rational, and learning of almost any type should be easy for you. You might need certain ideas explained to you in order to fit them into your scheme of things, but you're at least open to that!

Tears of Encouragement

My mom recently sent me two forwards from a blog she keeps up with -- A Holy Experience. I waited a while to read them. Now I want to make time to read them often. They both made me cry.

Those who know me past the surface know that all I ever wanted to truly be was a wife and mother. And they also know that I highly value and enjoy being one. But over my short years in this occupation, I have discovered that there are many people that think I have it all down in perfect working order. Danger! ...and far from the truth.

A couple weeks ago, a friend sent me a thank you note for a wedding gift I gave her. In it, she blew my socks off with her heartfelt thanks, not for the gift only, but for a book review I gave on Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. She said that my honesty let her know that I am indeed not perfect, but she still believes she could learn alot from me. That was extremely encouraging, exciting, and humbling all at the same time.

Being a wife and mom is H.A.R.D.

Not only do you have to care for your own basic needs, but you have to care for the needs of another adult (and one that isn't a woman like you) as well each child (who aren't girls like you were).
You have to cook food for all of them for every meal (and there's no guarantee everyone will like what you make).
You have to clean the kicthen and the potties to keep people healthy (and they never stay clean).
You have to wash the clothes so no one goes naked (though your kids would love too...and then you get to clean up the pee-pee off the ottoman...while wondering how a little bladder can hold that much).
You have to make sure that they learn survial skills like putting food in their own mouths (which requires enormous amounts of clean up...especially after yogurt or rice).
You also have to make sure they learn educational skills so that they will have some measure of success in life (and then you get to worry about them being TOO smart for their own good...or yours).
You have to keep the schedule for the family running smoothly without double booking or over booking (or else you get to deal with emotional and physcial burn out...for everyone).
You have to......

But on TOP of all those things on that snippet of a Mother's Daily Life List, there is a whole spiritual realm that pervades every second of the day. You have to introduce your children's brains to the entire concept of God. You have to teach them truths from the Bible and how to pray. You have to share the Gospel with them and pray that they will know Christ someday and live for Him. In this process, much discipline is needed for the cranky toddler(s), the fighting brothers, the temper throwing first born, the mischeviously disobedient second born...............the angry mother, the impatient mother, the selfish mother....the angry wife, the impatient wife, the selfish wife.

And I'd say that last part of that list is what makes being a wife and mother so hard. Me. It is all too easy to forget that what I do when I do and for Whom I do is not me. Not my husband. Not my children. It should all be done for God who has given me these precious people and all these good things to care for. It doesn't matter if others think I'm perfect or a failure. It doesn't matter if I have to write "homemaker" on the Occupation line of forms I have to fill out. It doesn't matter that I don't get paid (with money) for what I do.

I do get paid. With invisible things. With things that will not ever burn.

Two quotes that struck me from the blog posts I read:

"Could there be more meaningful work than co-laboring with God in the sculpting of souls?"

Really? Is there anything more meaningful or LASTING than that?? Then why don't I remember this BEFORE I get angry or impatient?

"Tonight, I'll finally linger at the last light switch. I'll have worked today but no one will have paid me a cent. Real work rises above the necessity of mere money. Tonight, I'll have more than money. I'll have a bouquet of words, mumbled words from around the table from mouths too full. Words He too will say at the end of time to the faithful servants. Like the words He said in the beginning, when He began His work, when He finished each task."

It hit me that God speaks to us through our children. When Judah so sweetly says "Dank you for making dinner, Mommy. It's so dee-yish-us," that is God offering me encouragement that my work is good and it is not done for myself or my family. It is done for Him because my end purpose is to glorify Him -- and raising children who will hopefully one day glorify Him will only multiply my life's purpose.

Praise be to Him. I need this reminder every day.

Judah-isms

"I don't even know dat."

I have no idea where he picked up this phrase, intonation included; but it drives me nuts. It's so cute but SO annoying! I think he tries to use it when he means "Oh, I didn't know that." Gah! I need to get some video of it.

A conversation from yesterday as we were going over some of Judah's verses...

Me: In every thing...
Judah: Give thanks! Firs Teslonians 5:18
Me: We should be thankful, huh, Judah?
Judah: Yeah.
Me: And who are we to be thankful to?
Judah: No. (meaning I don't know)
Me: Are we to be thankful to God?
Judah: Yeah. pause I'm God.
Me: No, Judah isn't God.
Judah: I'm God.
Me: No, Judah isn't God. God created Judah.
Judah: looks down at the picture of blue fish in his book Fish are God.
Me: No, fish aren't God. God made the fish.

And then we went on our merry conversational way. It was too cute how matter-of-fact he was in saying he was God.

Prayer Milestone

Every kid in a home that prays reaches that particular milestone where the prayer goes something like Judah's did at breakfast:

Momma: Thank you, Jesus, for our breakfast and help us to be obedient at the grocery store. Amen.

Judah: And tank you for Mommy and Daddy and Yijah and Judah. Amen.

...and tank you for my cheerios and banana and milk. Amen.

...and tank you for my bowl. Amen.

Words

So much to post, so little time...and health.

Today, I want to at least update you all on some cute little words being said around here.

Judah

heh'-beh-dah-ter: helicopter
nyuh'-nyups: music
dum'-pent: trumpet
liddle stah-stine: Little Einstein
quwis-mus: Christmas
noo-nools: noodles

*What's really cute is when Judah talks with the accent he invented for himself. He contorts his lips and tongue to make himself sound really funny.

Elijah

ah-dah: all done
bah: ball
dah: down
ssss or pssss: please
ah-men: amen
bah-bah: breakfast

Funny Judah Story

While my parents were here, I had to get some gunk out of Judah's nose so he could breath better. It was not going well, so I resorted to bribery. "Let me get the boogies out, and you can have ice cream," I said. And that's just what happened. I think it was the very next night as dinner was ending, Judah pipes up and says with a very excited smile, "Get my boogies out, and den I have ice cream!" He's said this several times since then. And no, we haven't given in. Then, today, he says to me, "I have two breaths and den I have chocolate chip"...meaning he would do two breaths of inhaler and then I would give him a chocolate chip cookie. It doesn't work like that, son. First, you have to NEED the inhaler to do it. Second...well, second, maybe Momma should think twice about using food as bribery for you. ;-P

Future Food Budget Busters

Judah and Elijah.

Judah better prove to me that he is about to grow...otherwise this new appetite of his will be the new norm. And it's huge! He had two waffles, yogurt, banana, and juice for breakfast. Grahm crackers and milk for snack. Chicken, corn bread, and applesauce for lunch. And then asked for "something else" (which is now the official after-meal statement: "I want sumthing else, Mommy..."). And today is just an example of how much he's been eating for a couple weeks now!

Elijah still just loves food. The End.