I knew it would happen. I just didn't anticipate it happening at such a young age. One of my little peas has a broken heart. ALREADY.
~~~~~~~~~
Split pulled a fast one on us one day last week. He claimed to have a tummy ache and said he couldn't go to school. Because we'd had sickies running amok in our family days before that, I believed him. I kept him home. And then his acting ability failed him.
Split (after woofing down 2 pancakes): Can I have a snack? Like a cookie or something, please?
Me: That's probably not a good idea if you have a tummy ache.
Split: I don't have a tummy ache....umm...I mean...uhhh.
Me: Oh, really? Huh. How about that? What are you doing here instead of school then?
Split (quickly turning on his signature charm): Well, I just love you and Grandma so much and I wanted to spend a little time with you.
Me: Sure. And no. No cookie, you little stinker.
So when he told me he felt bad the next morning, I didn't fall for his act.
But then he cried the next morning and insisted he couldn't go to school. We fought the battle and I won. He hugged me much longer and harder than usual when we got to the front of the drop-off line and he dragged his heels all the way into the building. I felt guilty for leaving him like that.
This went on for a few mornings until Snap spilled the beans.
Snap: Mommy, my brother doesn't want to go to school because M doesn't like him anymore.
Split (enraged by the breach of brotherly trust): Don't say that!!!! Stop talking about that!!!!
We talked for a while and he cried for a while. I had no idea a 4-year-old could "love" that deeply and be hurt so badly.
And I really struggled with how to handle a parenting situation for which I was unprepared. I worked hard to tune out the voice inside that wanted to scream "Good grief! She's clearly an idiot if she doesn't like you! Why waste time on a loser like that?"
Yeah, I know that's TOTALLY inappropriate. But really? How could you not love Split? I mean. Come. On.
And while he seems to have moved on now (in just a couple of days...gotta' love the resilience of a young heart), I can't seem to shake the dread I feel at the thought of the heartbreaks to come.
Will it ever be appropriate for me to point out how foolish someone must be to not like one of my precious ones? And if not (as I suspect you scrooges are going to vote), what do I say? I thought I had another 10 years to worry about this thing...apparently not. Help!
Welcome! I'm so glad you dropped by! Make yourself at home. If this is your first visit, you may want to SUBSCRIBE to Peapod Squad Stuff so you don't miss any of the fun. Thanks! Y'all come back now, you hear?
UPDATES on Anissa's condition (from her husband) can be found HERE.
Blogging has made my world considerably smaller. It has connected me with amazing people all over the world as well as in my own back yard. One such connection was made with Anissa Mayhew of #FreeAnissa and Hope4Peyton. She is one of the funniest women ever. And she has a faith that shines brightly.
Anissa suffered a stroke in 2005. She came back from it with a massive amount of strength and inspiration. Then her toddler, Peyton, was diagnosed with leukemia. Peyton is now a precious 5-year-old who is "off treatment" for a year. 1 year down and 4 to go until they can rejoice in her cure. Yesterday, Anissa had a second stroke. She is in the ICU. That's all we know at this point.
If you are in the Atlanta area and can help in any way, please sign up HERE.
Regardless of where you live, please pray for Anissa and her family. They have a long road to travel.
I always pray with the peapod squad on the way to school (and no, I do NOT close my eyes while driving). This morning as I uttered the "amen" at the end of the prayer, Split quickly spoke up.
Split: Oh no! You forgot something, Mommy!"
Me: What?
Split: The Library!
Me: What about the Library? Why did I need to pray about the Library? I know your class goes today. We asked God to protect you today, I'm sure He knows that includes your trip to the Library.
Split (growling, yes literally growling): Ugh. I'll just tell Him myself. Dear God, please remember me to be quiet at the Library because it's so important for me to be quiet there. Amen.
Me: Are we finished now?
Split: Yes, but that was SO close! My friends would be really mad if God let me talk too much at the Library and then we couldn't go back there ever ever ever again and they might not learn how to read!
OK, really? The entire literary future of twenty 4-year-olds hinges on my memory at 8am?
The temperature was in the mid-70's here today. It was sunny and gorgeous. The peapod squad came home from pre-k in a great mood and were begging to play outside. I was happy to have the opportunity to grab my camera and head out to capture these sweet memories.
My little girl is truly one-of-a-kind. When she's grumpy, I want to hide in a closet or under the bed. But when she's happy, there is NOTHING that lights up my world like her smile.
I love eavesdropping on the important conversations Split and Snap have. They are so tight. And when they're deep into a story like they seem to be here, I just love to go along for the ride.
With Christmas quickly approaching, those obnoxious toy commercials are airing at an alarming rate. And the message being pounded into our consumerism-driven heads is "Buy this! Buy that!"
But you know what I've noticed? Our children don't actually play with most of their toys. No, they (like most other kids, I suspect) are just as (if not more) content playing with the simple things around here.
Give the boys a bouncy ball and a back yard...they're in heaven.
Or just give one of them a big lump of modeling clay (even homemade) and some plastic cookie cutters for tons of creative fun.
Goodness! Even plain old clothes pins and an empty gift box can be wildly entertaining!
I think we (collective "we") teach our kids to want "stuff." Hubby and I agreed the very first Christmas with the kids that we were not going to go crazy with the Christmas gift thing. We tell them they can only ask Santa for 3 things each. Mom and Dad usually give them a few other things, but Santa sticks to the 3 item rule. Why 3? Because the Biblical narrative describes 3 gifts brought to Baby Jesus and we're trying to reinforce what we believe is the true meaning of the holiday.
Since the kids are getting old enough to better understand concepts like generosity and benevolence, we're looking for new ways to put the focus in the right place. They are each filling a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. They really do "get" that they are buying gifts for kids who may not have Christmas presents otherwise. They talk about the "shoebox boys and girls" and my heart swells with pride. Of course they still beg for every new toy they see at Target, so rest assured they're completely normal kids. We're not naive enough to think we're turning them into mini-humanitarians a la Mother Teresa by doing these things. But we do hope to balance that natural desire to have more for themselves with a genuine desire to share with others.
We're also talking about a radically different way to give gifts to the adults in our lives as well. It just makes little-to-no sense at all to go out and buy random things just for the sake of having a wrapped gift under the tree. More times than not, that wrapped gift isn't something needed (or even really wanted) by the person to whom it's given. We're discussing the idea of doing our Christmas shopping at World Vision this year. Yep, we are honestly considering buying livestock in lieu of scarves and neckties.
So...don't be surprised if your gift from our family is a card telling you that some third-world village is receiving 3 hens or a goat in your honor. Did you really want another picture frame or knick-knack? No? We didn't think so. But those kids in Zimbabwe will be so grateful for milk and eggs.
What other ideas have you tried with your own families? How have you taught your children to give? Please share.
Once in a blue moon, I get a chance to sit in a quiet place and have some uninterrupted time with a book. A book that has more than 10 words on a page. A book without full-color illustrations or cute rhymes. A book for grown-ups.
Because these precious moments rarely come along, I am picky about what I choose to read. And I don't want something so complex that I have to overwork my tired brain in the process.
When One2One sent me Eileen Goudge's Once in a Blue Moon to review, I dove in.
The characters are clearly developed, and their relationships are uncomplicated. That made it an easy read for this busy mom. And while the overall story was a bit predictable, I enjoyed the twists and turns that Goudge included for my journey. I found myself eager to find out what was on that next page.
Synopsis:
Sisters Lindsay and Kerrie Ann have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.
Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.
Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.
What the critics are saying:
“Eileen Goudge writes like a house on fire, creating characters you come to love and hate to leave." Nora Roberts
“Goudge reminds us of the delights to be had in explorations of the improbable.” New York Times Book Review
“Goudge keeps you cheering….” People Magazine
“Eileen Goudge knows the bestseller formula and sticks to it.” Kirkus
Sound intriguing? You can buy your copy HERE. Or check out Goudge's other bestsellers, Woman in Red and The Diary.
I heard a cuh-razy story on the radio this morning about a woman in South Korea who finally passed her driver's test after a whopping 950 times! The DJ's were holding this story up as some encouraging bit about never giving up. Honestly, all I get from this story is total horror. Can you just imagine what a hideous driver this woman is going to be? Would you seriously want to be on the road with someone who couldn't score 60% on a driver's test 949 times? Good grief! Have you seen some of the complete idiots who pass on the first try?
But I did start thinking about the whole idea of persistence. And I immediately remembered this picture I took of Sweet Pea last week.
She has been downright obsessed with learning to pedal her tricycle. Her friends at pre-k can do it. Her 3-year-old neighbor mastered pedaling long ago. It has really bugged her. She started coming home every day telling me she needed to "pwactice" and I'd have to drag her back inside after a while because she seemed to think she had to stay at it until she became the next Lance Armstrong. On this particular day, she got it. She figured out the coordination required and was so incredibly focused on the process. I could hear her mumbling "Ok. Ok. Ok." to herself as she struggled to keep her pink Croc'd feet moving in the right rhythm.
She's a stubborn little girl. Always has been. And while that stubbornness drives me slap nutty most days, I realize it will serve her well as she grows up. She will not settle for "sort of." She cannot tolerate mediocrity. She never accepts "almost." She's determined to do what she wants to do...even if it means having to "pwactice" more than others. When pediatric neurologists at Duke Children's Hospital were telling us she may have some delays, we prepared ourselves for providing whatever support necessary as she faced what lay ahead. Instead, we've learned to just stand back and watch in amazement as she conquers the world one tricycle ride at a time.
My first "experience" with Five for Fighting came during the months after the horror that was 9/11. John Ondrasik's raw and introspective "Superman" was played often. It became a musical plea for hope during those awful times. I instantly fell in love with Ondrasik's soulful voice.
Besides writing and performing songs that speak to the heart of the human condition, John is a passionate champion for charitable causes. His whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com has already raised over $300K for various charities. A dedicated supporter of US troops, he has also produced a CD volume compilation series that is available for free to every active armed services member.
In short, not only is Ondrasik a brilliant musician...he's a beautiful human being.
When One2One provided this album for my review, I knew I'd love it. What I didn't know was that it would become one of those rare CD's where I never want to skip a track.
Check out the single "Chances" below. Then head over to FFF's YouTube channel to catch more videos.
The combination of time-change, a more-than-full house, and Halloween candy overload has not made for a very pleasant time around here the last couple of days. The kids are (understandably) overwhelmed. They have more energy than they know what to do with. My patience level has been challenged and defeated.
This morning was horrible. They woke up at 5am. They fought. We fought. There was much yelling, wailing and gnashing of teeth before we left for pre-k at 8am. I came home in tears, took a short nap, politely excused myself and then went for a drive. I needed to clear my head before I could be suitable company for anyone.
While driving around, I realized that all around me there was evidence of how positive change can be. I need to learn new ways to create the bits of solitude I require. It's difficult to be an introvert in this situation, but I was remarkably refreshed by my autumn drive. Just me, a cup of coffee, good music...and beautiful views.
The photo I took while out on my rejuvenating drive reminds me that I can find creative ways to be like that lone tree on the outside of the fence. And I just love the way God seems to be showing off with nature. How can this not put a smile back on my face?
I took this picture today. The more I looked at this sign on the side of the road, the more I realized it was screaming out to me.
YIELD!
Stop trying to control everything. Stop driving yourself crazy trying to do it all yourself.
YIELD!
Admittedly, I'm not all that good at yielding...be it while driving my car or living my life. But as my kids tell me when they mess up, I'm going to try to do better.
I knew it would happen. I just didn't anticipate it happening at such a young age. One of my little peas has a broken heart. ALREADY.
I always pray with the peapod squad on the way to school (and no, I do NOT close my eyes while driving). This morning as I uttered the "amen" at the end of the prayer, Split quickly spoke up.
