Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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My parents and my in-laws joined us on our vacation in Florida. They were in the condo two doors down. One night, we told the kids that they could go to Grandma's (my mom's) to play games.

They were excited and K, T, and D went trundling along the path with Grandma. They walked into her condo and D (age 3) began crying...

D: I want to go to Grandma's.
Grandma: But this is Grandma's.
D: NOOOOO. I want to go to Grandma's.
Grandma: D, this is where Grandma is staying here in Florida.
D: I want to go to Grandma's house that's far away.
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Reflections from an imperfect mommy

Without a doubt her ongoing attitude and treatment of everyone around her needed to be addressed. She was clearly in the wrong.

She just wasn't getting it. Clearly, she wasn't sorry at all for what she was doing.

I finally let it get to me and I erupted. Not in a loud, angry eruption. My words were more like the slow pouring lava running down the side of the mountain. They just kept flowing.

My logical comments and arguments against her actions were coming fast. And I didn't make any effort to focus or slow down. I was determined that she needed to understand what she was doing. I was even more determined that she should feel bad about it.

But all of my lecturing didn't work. She was still in a mood that demanded everyone around her do what she wanted, how she wanted, and when she wanted. It was clear as she sat there staring at me. After another demanding comment, I sent her to her room. I asked her to remain there until her attitude had changed. She obeyed and went upstairs.

Relieved for the momentary fix, I finished fixing lunch for two of my other children. (thankfully, baby C was in bed) During this moment I began to reflect on what had just occurred.

I began to think about the verbiage I offloaded on her. A seven year old little girl. In front of her siblings. It began to sink in that she wasn't the only one who needed a changed heart. I began to realize how deeply I may have hurt her.

Why am I so hard on her? It is probably because of all my children, her actions most reflect mine. And deep inside, that frightens me. I look at her and I see me. And I want to make her realize what she is doing. Because I know exactly what she is doing. And I want both of us to fix it.

I knew that I needed to head upstairs to talk to her, but I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to fix it. My imperfect parenting had done its job, so I began to pray for God to begin healing this mess.

I left two of my children eating at the kitchen table as I headed up to talk to their sister. She was in her bed, completely under the covers with her eyes closed. I had anticipated tears and sobbing, but this cold silence made it harder for me. I knew she was hurt.

I stood there a moment, praying and contemplating my next move. Divinely inspired, I walk over to her bed and climbed into her top bunk. I decided to lie down next to her and put my arm around her. Immediately, she turn toward me on her side and just snuggled in. And I held her close for a good five minutes of silence.

I love you so much, sweetie. I am so sorry that I hurt you. I wish mommy was perfect, but I am not. I am sorry I was so hard on you. Do you forgive me?

She did. Through her silent tears.

I don't know why I am so hard on you sometimes. Maybe it is because you are so much like me.

She smiled as she was looking at the ceiling. Smiled? Oh my dear child, why on earth would you want to be like this imperfect mother of yours? But she took such comfort and joy in the comment.

I quietly hugged her again, praying over and over that God would keep His hand on our relationship. She can't see it, but I can. She and I are going to have a tough road. We both control with our words, for good and for bad. I prayed again for God to heal this mess. Today and for the future.

Then I reassured her that I am so glad that she is my daughter. After giving her a big hug and kiss, I headed back downstairs. She followed shortly after, completely changed.

We had a wonderful afternoon.

But moments like that remind me how fragile my children are. My own sinfulness and imperfections glare at me. Without my Heavenly Father to work in the midst of my imperfections, I fear there would be utter disaster.

Thankfully, He is always at work in the hearts of His children. And that afternoon, He took an utter disaster and replaced it with joy.

So, when daddy put her to bed that night, she told him that mommy had cuddled in bed with her that afternoon. She was beaming about it. In fact, her sister decided that she wanted some time the next day. She never mentioned why mommy climbed in her bed. That part of the story was forgotten and wiped clean. And I am forever grateful to my Savior who works in the midst of my imperfections.

Why share this?
Your comments, questions, and encouraging words about my post about obedience have been so wonderful, a reason that I love to blog. But I wanted to make sure I wasn't giving anyone the impression that my techniques are some sort of "answer". My household can seem so happy and wonderful if you only read my blog. I often share funny stories and parenting wisdom that I have tried to implement.

But all of the knowledge, discipline plans, and chore systems in the world will not fix my imperfections. Only God, in His mercy and grace can change my heart and the heart of my children.

I pray daily that He will continue to work out His perfect plan in the lives of my children. I am thankful when He uses me in that plan. And I am so very grateful for the many times that He works in spite of me.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Hebrews 13:20-21, "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you (and me) what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Art with Children – Part II - Resources

Children can easily learn to enjoy, appreciate, and discover great art. They are so open to the world of imagination and creativity, and most are still quite confident in their own abilities to follow in the footsteps of famous artists.

On Monday I shared some tips for visiting the art museum with young children. Today I’d like to share some of the resources we have discovered used this year.

These resources have been a source of knowledge and inspiration for my children AND for me! It may surprise you to know that I am NOT an art major and I don’t have any real knowledge base for this pursuit. So don’t shy away because you “don’t know much about it”. Dive in and learn right along with your children!

The books listed here are only the tip of the iceberg . They include most of my favorites for my young children. Remember that at this age the goal is to introduce our children to artwork and help them to develop an appreciation for it. My kids get so excited when a painting that they recognize from a book appears in another book, or better yet, at the museum!

And let me assure you that YOU can teach your children to appreciate the arts much better than those Little Einsteins can. (as cute as they are…)

The Heinemann First Library series called, “The Life and Works of…” is one of the main resources I use for the FACTS! These are very easy to read non-fiction books about famous artists. Even my three year old enjoys listening and looking at the pictures. This series is easy enough for your young elementary school children to read with ease. (first grade level? second grade? I am not good at that.) It seems to be just the right amount of facts for the youngest of learners!

The other series I enjoy is the “Getting to know the world’s greatest…” series by Mike Venezia. These books are written at a more advanced than the Heinemann series, but still appropriate for elementary school age reading levels. They have more information in them, so they aren’t always as enjoyable for my preschooler.

The Mike Venezia series is the one that I usually read on my own to acquire some good information before our museum trip. It is a quick read for me and full of great information.

(Slightly more appropriate for me and your older elementary children/middle school would be the books by Diane Stanley, like this one on Michaelangelo.)

My seven year old has read a few of Mike Venezia’s, but it is clear at her age that she enjoys the previous series because it has less information. Both my five and seven year old daughters will sit and listen if I am reading this series out loud. Sometimes I read it word for word, and other times I skim it while we discuss and enjoy the pictures.

Now for the less information driven books…

One of my all time favorite authors of children’s books about art is Lucy Micklethwait. Her books are fun, usually challenging the reader to look for specific items in a variety of artwork.

The “Spot A ____” series are wonderful. The reader must find the one item to spot in every painting in the book. I often discover a piece of art that has the animal (or object) that I would not have noticed at all if I wasn’t looking for it. She selects a wonderful variety of artwork to enjoy!

She has another series called, “I spy ____ in art”. There is no mystery there. It is exactly how it sounds. On each page you are challenged to spy something in the artwork. We have used, “I spy shapes in art” and have been able to reinforce the shapes with my preschooler while engaging the older two girls in the artwork as well!

She also wrote, “Discover Great Paintings”. This was the first ever book art book for kids that I stumbled upon. We love to get out our magnifying glasses to answer the questions about the paintings in this book because the pictures are printed wonderfully large! With the information about each painting, there is a child standing next to the “actual size” of the original painting. It was fun to see that some were very small pieces and some were much taller than the children!

The “Come Look With Me” series is a great introduction to artwork. (not pictured) This series covers everything from landscapes to portraits. My kids aren’t as attracted to this one as some of the others, but it is a good one. Give it a try for sure. We haven’t bought any in this series, but have enjoyed them from the library.

Another fun find was the Art Fraud Detective! This one is an art mystery book! You have to find the fraudulent pieces of artwork and then determine what mistakes were made in the copy by comparing it to the original. Without a doubt, your children will learn famous pieces of artwork because they are staring at them to find mistakes. It is a great way to study and talk about different pieces.

Oh I love the books by Laurence Anholt ! Books such as, “Degas and the little dancer” are in our home library now! We have enjoyed so many of them and have started collecting them one at a time. I particularly love this one about Degas because the famous “little dancer” that he sculpted has a replica located here in Baltimore. We love to go visit “Marie” at the museum.

The books by James Mayhew are another group of books that I adore! His main character, Katie, is an adorable little girl who goes to the museums with her grandmother. Every time they visit she hops in various pieces of artwork for some fun adventures. These stories are delightful and memorable! We own this one and I just bought this one. I want them all, so if you need a gift idea…*wink.

So read some with your kids. Enjoy the artwork and learn together.

And visit your local art museum this summer on one of those “it’s too hot to go outside” days in August!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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During our portfolio review for homeschooling, T (age 5) decided to share our unit on Great Britain.

She turned the page to the map of Great Britain and just stared at it. I asked, "What is that?". She looked at me and the county reviewer and said, "Those are the states."

Oh well. I clearly didn't prep her. HA!
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K (age 7) is hoping to "build a sandcastle big enough that she can sleep in" when we go on our beach trip.
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D (age 3) didn't want to eat any strawberries. (he doesn't eat fruit) Daddy tried to convince him by bribing...

Daddy: If you eat one, then I'll give you a piece of chocolate.

D: OK! I'll eat one later. Then I'll have chocolate. (not being fooled)

Daddy: No. You have to eat one now.

K (age 7): Look. My strawberry is a rocket and she flew it in to her mouth. (he cracked up)

D: (holding his strawberry, began a countdown) 14, 16, 4, GO! (and he flew it in his mouth)

D, T, and K continued to do this until D (age 2) had eaten about the equivalent of 2 whole strawberries.

He never even asked for the chocolate. But we gave all three of them chocolate for eating their fruit AND supporting their brother.

Thank goodness someone in the house knows how to parent!
(cause mommy and daddy weren't getting it accomplished)
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D likes to command the girls on his way to bed. He'll look in their room and tell them, "Girls, get in there and do your lists. Mommy is putting you to bed."

I think the best part is the way he commands it and waves his finger at them.
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Your Turn:

The Art Museum with Children

My Tiny Talk post this week involved an adorable quote from a five year old, experiencing her first tour of an art museum.

I wanted to clarify that I don’t think five year olds typically go to art museums. But I think that 5 is a great age to start appreciating art – real art. Kids at this age can typically handle a short “tour” and obey the basic rules of the museum. As they get older, it only gets more enjoyable.

I have blogged about our trips to the art museum for activities before, so I thought I’d some time to offer some suggestions for touring the art museum with children.

A few tips and tricks BEFORE you head to the museum.

1. Determine who is age appropriate to take. If you are like me and have multiple age children, try to arrange the trip so that the youngest child with you is about five. You know your children best, but I can tell you that I am NOT taking my three year old to an art museum yet. Last week I had two 5 year olds and two 7 year olds with me. It was great! We have had a four year old with us and have found that 5 really seems to be the “best” age to appreciate the trip.

2. Seek out some kid friendly activities because most art museums are kid friendly! That may surprise you. It shocked me. I assumed no one wanted children near all of those priceless treasures. But it just isn’t true. Our children are their future art aficionados, so they encourage their attendance. If you look up nearby art museums, you will probably find that they have days or activities created specifically for families and children. The Baltimore Museum of Art has family activities on Sunday afternoons, which is when we plan our visits. The Walter’s Art Gallery in Baltimore has all sorts of family activities and child friendly ways to tour the museum. I even looked up the National Gallery in DC and there are children’s activities. There is an entire separate website for children to enjoy. So do your research on a local museum and go for it!

3. Do your homework! Look up the current collections as well as the upcoming ones. Design your visit around a collection or artist. The BMA was featuring Henri Matisse in the fall and is currently featuring Paul Cézanne. I am NOT an art history major and I didn’t pay much attention in that slide show that was called a college class, so I am learning with the kids. I typically get 1-2 books about the artist to read with them beforehand. We learn a little about the person’s life and work. Then we are all ready to appreciate the artwork in a more thoughtful manner (especially mommy!)

In the next post (after Tiny Talk Tuesday) I will share my favorite books and resources to use with your kids. There are so many GREAT books available to help you do your homework on an artist or piece of artwork! Stay tuned for resources Wednesday!

While at the museum…

4. Plan a short visit. Kids don’t have the tolerance that an adult may have to stare at artwork forever. Don’t expect them to appreciate the art the way you do…yet. Go with the expectation of a 15-20 minute tour of a few rooms. Try to schedule this immediately before or after one of the activities at the museum if you can. Don’t stay until they are exhausted and bored. Leave while they are still enjoying it and wanting more. Then they’ll be excited about the next visit.

5. Sketch. On some of our visits we bring clipboards with blank paper and colored pencils. I suggest erasable colored pencils and NOT markers or crayons. (just in case someone slips and draws on the bench or floor) Find a nice bench to sit on and let your children pick a piece that is interesting to them. Discuss it for a minute (the colors, the objects, the artist) and then encourage them to sketch it themselves. DONT OVER COACH THEM! Just let them draw it the way they see it. Encourage, but don’t dictate.

One of my children sketches very quickly and I have to encourage detail. The other child is happy to sketch for a much longer period. They both enjoy the activity and it helps them develop their own art skills.

*If you happen to homeschool, then take a picture (WITHOUT A FLASH) of the original artwork. Put it in their art section with the picture of their sketch…good stuff!

6. Hunt. Give them a challenge as you walk into a room. Can you find a portrait? When you do, pause and look at it for a moment. Is the person happy or sad? How do you know? Talk about the clothing. Discuss the other objects in the room. Why would someone want that in their portrait? What does it reveal about them? Can you find a landscape? What is the weather like? Where do you think they are? What are the people doing in the foreground? in the background? Can you find a still life? What objects are in this still life? How can you tell what is in front? Can you find a piece that makes you happy? sad? Older kids can scavenger hunt this on paper, but my little ones and I just walk and we talk. (again…for a few rooms, then we leave)

*Many museums will have child friendly guides, audio tours, and helps for this stuff. It is something that will come naturally as you begin to enjoy the museum together.

7. Relax. As much as you can. I will admit that I walk around ready to jump in front of any painting or object that one of my kids is getting too close to. I am most comfortable when I am alone with my daughters. Once I have more children with me than I have hands, we stick to the “safer” rooms or I remain on edge. Once you have been more than once, you’ll find the “safe” rooms. The BMA has a wonderful room of little windows into mini-dollhouse rooms. There are stools for the kids and there isn’t anything you can touch or break! It’s all behind little glass windows. I love this room! But my girls know I am a sucker for the room with Degas statue of Marie and the two Monet originals…sigh…

After the visit…

8. Donate. I just happen to think it is important to contribute to the arts. If your family had a great day and you enjoyed the museum, then allow your children to put $1 in the contribution box on the way out. (This is assuming the museum was FREE. We have only gone to free art museums. AND this is assuming you do have the $1 or $2 to spare. It’s not required.) I teach my kids that this is a way of saying, “Thank you!” and showing our appreciation for all that the museum offers us. (and to the docents for welcoming these sometimes loud, often “standing a bit too close to that” kids)

9. Frame their masterpieces. Tell them why you love what they created and how special it is! My children are constantly drawing, painting, and creating. I’d fill my walls if I kept it all. So, I try to frame or display some of the creations we did on our museum days. It’s nice to talk about our “Matisse” inspired creations as well as our “Cezanne” inspired still life paintings.

The wall down our basement steps…which needs to be painted…

So inspire the little artists in your life. Head to the museum.

Obedience in three parts

Obedience is a lifelong skill. Our children must learn early on to obey mommy and daddy. This is for their protection, their safety, and their well-being. But ultimately it is to train them to obey God’s authority in their lives.

Along the way they will have to obey employers, teachers, police officers, pastors, and other authority figures. The training for this lifelong obedience begins at home.

Awhile ago we adopted a little phrase to teach our children about the kind of obedience that we expect. We expect obedience to be…

ALL the way. RIGHT away. With a HAPPY heart.

After all, it isn’t really obedience when you stomp about with a scowl on your face. At least it isn’t in my book. The phrase was given to me by a wise friend and also based on the book, “Don’t Make me Count to Three.” (a book I enjoyed immensely)

Recently, a dear friend of mine blogged about her disdain for the phrase I use in my house. She can’t stand the last part about a “happy heart” because sometimes we aren’t “happy” at all with what we have to do. Her explanation is written out on her blog and you can go read it.

Now, I LOVE a good discussion on this kind of stuff, so I was glad she took the other side and offered her thoughts. At this point, it was time for me to mull it over and take it to God in prayer. Because I saw her point. I have often told my children that they don’t have to “feel” happy about it, but they must respond in an appropriate manner, best described at the time with “happy heart”.

My friend, Rebecca, has had a decade of difficulties beyond any I can imagine. She has had to obey the authority and will for God in her life in areas that she is FAR from “happy” about. She has lost a parent, moved to the other side of the world and had to move back, and endured health issues beyond any that I can imagine so that she could have children.

The word phrase “happy heart” grates on her nerves and gets under her skin in a way that I can’t imagine. And rightfully so. I admit that in the big picture, I have been blessed with a fairly “happy” life to live in obedience.

So when she speaks. I listen.

I didn’t want to write this off as “semantics”. There is a deep theology attached to this phrase that I want my children to learn for life. THIS is how I want them to obey God. Immediately my husband and I had a discussion about it. Then I took some time to prayerfully consider her point and my words.

And God spoke. Three days later, I asked my daughter (K) to begin her schoolwork. She did so immediately. (which isn’t typical) I thanked her for her obedience to my request and she told me, “But I am still not happy about it.” I let her know that she didn’t have to be, but she did the right thing by trusting mommy’s authority and obeying me.

Then and there God laid a word on my heart that was to replace a “happy heart”!

HUMBLE.

We obey ALL the way. RIGHT away. With a HUMBLE heart.

Because we humbly submit to the authority of God. We willingly put our own desires aside and recognize His (and right now, mommy’s) authority in our lives and we follow. We willfully subject ourselves to His authority, knowing that His plan is best whether it “feels happy” or not. We can cry out to Him, petition and plea, but ultimately we humbly submit.

(we have taught our children an appropriate manner to make a “wise appeal”, so they know how to petition for a change AND how to accept the ultimate answer…another life skill, but a post for another day)

K (age 7) and I immediately discussed the change in wording. We agreed to talk about obedience with a humble heart from here on out. I think that ultimately it expresses to her heart and soul what I want her to learn for LIFE.

And the new phrase is Rebecca approved. *wink

Nail color personality

I bought an absolutely wonderful Sephora nail color (made by OPI) thanks to a lovely gift card by a generous friend. It was perfectly suited for me because it matched the deep mulberry color that fills the store windows this shopping season that I am ready to fill my closet with.

But I digress...back to the story...

I shared with my girls how I love the OPI nail color names because they are so nonsensical and creative.

Of course, they asked the name of the fabulous color that I brought home. I read it out loud to them.

Ms. Can't Be Wrong.

My husband perked up. What was the name?

Ms. Can't Be Wrong.

He threw his head back and laughed out loud, practically cackling. Thankfully for him, I started laughing too.

Until that moment I didn't see the irony. Because it isn't a matter of can't be wrong.

I just never am wrong.

Easter…a Recap

The day before Easter…

Our Easter Family shot.  Those are four gorgeous little kids who look NOTHING like one another…

Time with cousins is always a hit!

We are so thankful that our boys have such a wonderful older cousin who just adores them!

The girls have such a great time together.  I still think my niece looks more like me than either of my children…(second from right)

My baby…

      

Getting ready for the egg hunt.

It was a very PC egg hunt.  Each age group had its own territory so the big kids didn’t just get all of the eggs at the expense of the little ones.

My mom mapped it all out.  So there was no confusion.

 

This cutie pie just took it all in while sitting happily in the grass.

Happy faces with buckets of chocolate and coins!

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter fun!

Alleluia, He has RISEN! 

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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K and I were reading her Eye Wonder Weather book. When we got to the tornado page she wanted me to skip it.

"That page gives me the freaks."

(I thought that was a cute description, but it turns out that she meant to say creeps)
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I took a friend's child to the Art Museum the other day. She is five years old and had never been to an art museum. As we were walking around she so sweetly looked around and said, "Everything here is so pretty!"
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Your Turn:

Papa Gatto...a perfect find!

I have never loved the Disney Princess stories. Everything ends in happy matrimony even though the girls continually marry men they don't even know. I guess if you have the title "Prince", then that makes you marriage material?

But I have two girls. And they do like fairy tales and princess stories.

So, for Easter, I searched for some good books at the Christian Bookstore, hoping to find some princess stories that instilled wisdom as well. And I have to admit, I didn't really find what I was looking for. Too many christian authors are so focused on making their point that the literature is contrived or silly. Some of the ones that had been suggested to me were not worth buying in my evaluation.

Where is the girl who tells the prince that he needs to get to know her first? Where is the young lady who knows that love isn't about "first sight"? And where is the princess who does this in a well written piece of literature?

WELL, I FOUND HER!!!

As we study the countries around the world, I usually check out about 30-40 books per country to read to the girls. This week we have been studying the country of Italy. One of the random titles that I found was, "Papa Gatto: An Italian Fairytale" by Ruth Sanderson.

The first thing that caught my eye were the beautiful illustrations, done with oil painting. The illustrations are very realistic and the colors are so rich.

The story was cute, and pretty typical at first. Like all good fairy tales, the main characters involved a mean stepmother and stepsister who live with the plain looking, but kind, sister. Of course, this story also involves a cat, Papa Gatto.

The basic gist is that Papa Gatto's wife dies, leaving him with their 8 kittens. He must find someone to care for his kittens and clean the house while he goes away to work for the prince. First he hires the beautiful stepdaughter, who doesn't do anything. She then tries to take a diamond bracelet as payment for her lack of effort, which Papa Gatto doesn't allow. On his second attempt at finding help, he hires her sister. She does a great job and he offers her any payment she would like. She tells him that she only came to correct the wrong done by her sister. (OH...I liked that) Of course, he sends her home with the diamond bracelet.

Next, the prince visits Papa Gatto and Papa Gatto tells him about the wonderful girl who took care of his cats. The prince (who is looking for a wife...of course) decides that he wants to meet this lovely girl. The stepsister tries to trick him, but in the end he meets the correct girl. And, like all good fairy tales he immediately proposes to the lovely girl.

Her response??

Beatrice looked him in the eye and replied, "You are known to be a kind and generous man, but I cannot marry you. I do not know you and so cannot yet love you. For too long I have lived in a house without love; I would not exchange one joyless home for another."

ROCK ON BEATRICE!

Then Papa Gatto invites her to live at his home, "and perhaps the prince will agree to visit us often so that you may get to know him as I do."

And, of course, "The prince nodded happily, for he knew he would do all in his power to win the one whose beauty shone within."

*sigh

I have finally found a fairy tale worth reading and discussing. I ordered it tonight! You can only find it used, but thankfully it is inexpensive. And this book is worth owning!

Simple Compassion Study Chapter 6

(This is from a few weeks ago. We are now on Chapter 14, but I wanted to record the impact of chapter 6 on me)

I don't think I will blog about every chapter in this study, but will record the thoughts I have as I go along, not worrying about "hitting every chapter".

This chapter was about contentment. We had a great discussion about contentment with our stuff AND contentment in our circumstances. Are we content with the children we were given, including their unique personalities? Are we content with the jobs God has given us (or our spouses)? Are we content in the neighborhood where he has placed us?

This chapter hit at an interesting time for me because my husband and I have been having some interesting discussions about contentment with our "stuff". Specifically, we have felt God challenging us to take a close look at our "stuff" and our spending so that we can be content with LESS that what we have or can afford.

Sure, we are mostly content. After all we are a typical middle class family with a nice home, 2 working cars, 2 cell phones, a lovely hand-me-down laptop, some extra cash for pizza out. Sure, there are times that money feels tight, but we can put food on the table, keep in touch via all sorts of methods of communication, and cover little emergencies when they crop up.

Now, we can't travel to Disney for a week, afford to fly our family of 6 anywhere, stay in hotels, update the desktops, buy any camera lens I'd like, or shop for trendy clothes every season. Our savings accounts aren't bursting and our kids don't have college savings.

But overall, there is very little to feel discontent about.

But we got to talking one night about our lifestyle earlier in our marriage, back in the day when our tiny TV sat on a cardboard box. We recognize that as our income has grown, so has our spending.

And maybe. Just maybe. Some (or a lot) of it wasn't necessary.

Are there things we can give up? Can we be content with less? Can we freely STOP paying for luxuries and things we enjoy so that God can give us other opportunities to serve Him more generously with our money.

We began slowly. The first thing to go was the cable. We had lived without TV before and it was actually a huge blessing on our communication and marriage. So the first thing we nixed was the cable bill. We got a free hand-me-down converter box, allowing us to get a few channels when we want to catch a show.

But we are no longer paying for the privilege to watch them.

And yes, we miss HGTV, The History Channel, sports, and other fun stations. But overall, we have learned to be content with less.

Our next step was to find the least expensive, workable Internet option. Sadly, DSL is not available in our area, so we just reduced the speed we pay for to the "economy" Internet. Yes, upload times are slower. And I can't upload photos, talk on the phone, and surf the web at the same time.

But I am learning to be content with less "speed" online. And it really is a minor inconvenience.

Next, I decided to go back to the days when I was happy with a Hair Cuttery haircut. (*big SIGH here) I NEVER used to go to the salon. It was a treat on occasions, but now it is the standard. I cut my children's hair so that I can afford the luxury. But it is time to be content with less. And I am going to give it a go. And see...

But this "giving up" isn't so we can buy more in other areas. It isn't so that we can save more for ourselves. We want to keep giving this over to God so that He can lead us to DO more with our money.

Maybe some of that will include some savings. Yet, that isn't our desire. We have already started to see Him use the changes to free us up to give more generously to those around us. Hopefully I have a chance to blog about some of the directions where He leads us.

But for now, we are learning to be PURPOSEFULLY content with LESS.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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D loves to play in the mulch under the tree with all of his construction vehicles.

D (age 3): There are spiders in the mulch.
Mom: Yes there are.
D: Can you come get them all out?

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Daddy changed the radio station and T (age 5) yelled, "Hey. Don't change my rock and roll."
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K (age 7) made a chalk drawing on the driveway.

Her explanation?

K: I drew me, God and Satan. I scratched out Satan with a big squiggle because I don't like him. He is scratched out. I drew God white because He is pure. I am pink. I am gonna to give me a black heart and Him a pink one. (which she did)

(girl knows her theology)
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Your Turn:

But it matters to him...

I recently finished reading the book, The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. At the time, we sponsored two little girls through World Vision and I was excited to read the CEO's story.

The book is a well written, convicting and thought provoking book. What I loved about the book is that Richard doesn't "preach" his agenda, but he openly shares his story. Throughout the book, the reader learns how God lead him to his position at World Vision, despite his own resistance.

(I am not going to write much more about the content of the book because I have lent it out and don't want to misquote details. But I want to share the overall impact it had on me and the decision I made.)

I was reminded of the starfish story when I read it. While I can't fix global poverty, I can fix a small part. And that small part matters to at least one child. And that one child matters dearly to God.

When I finished the book, I walked into the kitchen and talked to my husband about sponsoring a little boy. We already sponsor two little girls, the ages of our girls. It has always been our plan to sponsor a child that shares a birthdate with each of our own children. We were just waiting until some budget issues worked out.

We discussed it for a little bit because we had just experienced a HUGE mortgage issue and the bank had increased our mortgage by 20% to cover for some mistakes in their math with our escrow account. He was rightfully concerned about how we were going to afford this and if this was the right timing. We certainly didn't want to go into any debt because we work at our budget so that we can live within our means.

But the one thing I was convinced of after reading this book was that "waiting a few months" to work out some finances meant flexiblity and security for us, but to a child somewhere in the world, it meant life.

We discussed it and decided to go ahead and sponsor a little boy. We were both confident that this was God's timing and He would work it out for our family. We could take on this financial commitment and rest in His provision to see it through.

Afterall, we know that He has called us to give generously, but all honesty, I wanted to wait a bit longer so we wouldn't "feel the impact" so much. Yet, I was confident that "feeling the impact" was EXACTLY where God wanted us to be. Because that is where HE shines!

So I headed upstairs to find a little boy who shares D's birthday. Turns out, there was a little boy in Guatemala born on Janurary 18, 2007 waiting for a sponsor and we signed on.

But while on the computer, I put in baby C's birthday, mainly out of curiousity. Suddenly on the screen appeared an adorable and HUGE little baby boy. HUGE for his age, just like my C. Without a doubt at that instant, I knew that we were meant to be his sponsors as well. So with tears in my eyes at the sight of his precious face, I clicked the sponsor button.

I came downstairs, in the midst of our mortgage crisis, having sponsored TWO little boys. Eric was in completely agreement with the choice, knowing it had always been the plan, and confident in God's ability to provide. We weren't sure how God was going to work it all out, but He did. We continue to have the money to pay the bills, and the mortgage crisis was "fixed" through a successful refinance.

About two months later, the outline of a precious little hand came in the mail...



I treasure that hand.

Our decision that day may not have changed the world for everyone. But it changed the world for one little boy in Brazil.