If you are fortunate enough to share a quiet dinner with your sweetie this Valentine's Day, here are some great conversation starters, courtesy of the marriage ministry at RockPointe Church.
* Tell your spouse what he/she did that won your heart. Explain why it worked.
* What is one childhood dream that has come true, and what is one that has not?
* How do you imagine God? In your mind, what does Heaven look like?
* What is your most prized possession, and why?
* What is one thing we can do as a couple to help someone in need?
* What is your all-time favorite meal?
* If you were stranded on a deserted island, what one thing would you want to have with you (besides your spouse)?
* What country in the world fascinates you most, and why?
* Do you prefer beach or mountains?
* What is your favorite book or verse in the Bible, and why?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Prescription for Fun
One day our preschooler found an "educational toy" catalog in the magazine basket and fell in love with the Doctor Kit on page 23. The kit included with a very realistic stethoscope, a well-stocked medicine cabinet, various exam tools, eye charts, checklists, and such. She poured over this single page for hours. She carried it around, showed it to everyone, and even took it to bed to peruse with a flashlight. This child had her heart SET on this toy.
The problem was, the kit cost $50, plus $20 for the monogrammed lab coat that of course she also wanted. That's a little steep for your average non-gift occasion toy purchase. I all but promised she would get it for her birthday (five long months away), hoping that would be the end of the discussion. It was not. She continued to ask about it, usually two or three times a day.
So the dilemma became, do we order it now, while it is available, or wait a few months, in case she loses interest. A friend suggested that I investigate the company's return policy, then buy it now. Good idea ... I found the website and selected the kit. The tragic response: "We're sorry. Due to unexpectedly high demand, this item is sold out."
I decided to break the news instead of putting it off, and the tears that followed were heartbreaking. She was very disappointed, so we quickly started an online search for an alternative. All we could find were very childish looking toy sets, not realistic ones. Still determined to find a substitute, we decided to make our own.
We started with a black like-new briefcase that came to us as a trade show giveaway. You could also use a large black purse or small suitcase. We added a clipboard ($.97 at Walmart) and gathered band-aids, cotton balls, ace bandages, and a medicine dropper from around the house. We asked at the pharmacy for a couple of empty pill bottles, which they gave us for free. We ordered a real, working stethoscope from the Flower Mound Herbal Pharmacy for $6. (Note that if you try this, for safety reasons your children must have supervision when using the stethoscope.)
The kids are having lots of fun doctoring their dolls and stuffed animals, and listening to each other's hearts. They are losing some of their enthusiasm for the coveted kit as time goes by, but this is less of a problem since we only spent about $15, instead of investing in the $50 version.
If our daughter continues her interest in science, it will be money well spent.
The problem was, the kit cost $50, plus $20 for the monogrammed lab coat that of course she also wanted. That's a little steep for your average non-gift occasion toy purchase. I all but promised she would get it for her birthday (five long months away), hoping that would be the end of the discussion. It was not. She continued to ask about it, usually two or three times a day.
So the dilemma became, do we order it now, while it is available, or wait a few months, in case she loses interest. A friend suggested that I investigate the company's return policy, then buy it now. Good idea ... I found the website and selected the kit. The tragic response: "We're sorry. Due to unexpectedly high demand, this item is sold out."
I decided to break the news instead of putting it off, and the tears that followed were heartbreaking. She was very disappointed, so we quickly started an online search for an alternative. All we could find were very childish looking toy sets, not realistic ones. Still determined to find a substitute, we decided to make our own.
We started with a black like-new briefcase that came to us as a trade show giveaway. You could also use a large black purse or small suitcase. We added a clipboard ($.97 at Walmart) and gathered band-aids, cotton balls, ace bandages, and a medicine dropper from around the house. We asked at the pharmacy for a couple of empty pill bottles, which they gave us for free. We ordered a real, working stethoscope from the Flower Mound Herbal Pharmacy for $6. (Note that if you try this, for safety reasons your children must have supervision when using the stethoscope.)
The kids are having lots of fun doctoring their dolls and stuffed animals, and listening to each other's hearts. They are losing some of their enthusiasm for the coveted kit as time goes by, but this is less of a problem since we only spent about $15, instead of investing in the $50 version.
If our daughter continues her interest in science, it will be money well spent.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thou Shalt Not Worship Thy Yahoo! Calendar
I held out for a long time using my leather-bound Franklin planner to keep track of our family's calendar. As we've already discussed, I am not an early adapter when it comes to technology. But my attachment to paper became increasingly troublesome because my husband couldn't see what the kids and I had going on unless we sat down together for a calendar meeting. And in our house, chances for such a civilized activity are few and far between. So one day, I decided to experiment with the calendar feature on our Yahoo! account. I entered a few recurring activities and watched them autofill through every week. Instead of having to write "ballet" and "horseback riding" by hand on little squares for every week in my planner, I could set those up to repeat automatically. Then I started adding one-time events, family birthdays set to auto-fill every year, vacations and appointments, all color-coded to each family member. With the speed and convenience evident, I was hooked. I even have a color code for supper menus. It's addictive.
Now I am greeted each morning by a rainbow of activities and commitments, events and appointments. I can see at a glance what each person has going on that day and what's coming up later in the week. I even have a handy place to enter those random events, like when your cousin tells you she is getting married 14 months down the road and you'd better save the date but you're afraid you will forget if you just write it on the back of a gas receipt. Now I can choose "Add event," enter the details, and the date is officially saved.
This handy electronic system gives me a feeling of calm and peace, an organized sense of success as the family manager and the illusion of control. But there's the problem. Thinking I am in control of my life or anyone else's is dangerous. I believe our loving Lord is all for making good use of your time and planning your activities. But I have to fight to keep my calendar from becoming an idol in my life and not forget who is really in charge. I should be looking heavenward for the calm and peace I am seeking. Besides, sometimes my calendar is wrong. I forget to enter an activity and schedule something else at the same time. Or someone gets sick and the day's plans go out the window. When life happens while I am making other plans, I am reminded that I should be saying each day, "Lord willing, this is what I plan to do." Then be ready for whatever comes my way, even if it is not on my calendar.
I love my Yahoo! Calendar and its organizational capabilities, but it does not love me back. I shalt try not to worship it.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Now I am greeted each morning by a rainbow of activities and commitments, events and appointments. I can see at a glance what each person has going on that day and what's coming up later in the week. I even have a handy place to enter those random events, like when your cousin tells you she is getting married 14 months down the road and you'd better save the date but you're afraid you will forget if you just write it on the back of a gas receipt. Now I can choose "Add event," enter the details, and the date is officially saved.
This handy electronic system gives me a feeling of calm and peace, an organized sense of success as the family manager and the illusion of control. But there's the problem. Thinking I am in control of my life or anyone else's is dangerous. I believe our loving Lord is all for making good use of your time and planning your activities. But I have to fight to keep my calendar from becoming an idol in my life and not forget who is really in charge. I should be looking heavenward for the calm and peace I am seeking. Besides, sometimes my calendar is wrong. I forget to enter an activity and schedule something else at the same time. Or someone gets sick and the day's plans go out the window. When life happens while I am making other plans, I am reminded that I should be saying each day, "Lord willing, this is what I plan to do." Then be ready for whatever comes my way, even if it is not on my calendar.
I love my Yahoo! Calendar and its organizational capabilities, but it does not love me back. I shalt try not to worship it.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Monday, January 4, 2010
Do witches have husbands?
"Do witches have husbands?"
This innocent question came from our four-year-old sometime in mid-October. At first, I just chuckled and chalked it up to "funny things kids say." But then I started to wonder what made her say it. She had obviously been paying attention to the decorations and stories surrounding Halloween. The idea of a witch is usually depicted as an old woman, and in a sheltered child's view of an ordered world, a woman is usually a wife and comes with a husband. Logical enough.
What our preschooler has also perceived is that many things come in pairs. Think about what your left shoe would be without your right one, a baby without a mommy, cereal without milk. In fact, not only do many things come in pairs, they often need each other in order to function at their best.
I've also fielded questions from both kids about whether Jesus had a wife. No? Well why not? they demand to know. Oddly, from a kid's perspective, I think this is another side of the same question. If people were created with a need for each other, why did the one and only God-in-a-man-suit not have a mate? Good question. Then I try to explain that Jesus' bride was the church. That means He was and is devoted to us, his followers, the church today.
Now I am certainly not saying that people have to be married to be happy or fulfill their purpose. Not at all. But everyone needs love and support from others, even though we sometimes resist it. At the same time, we need to be needed. Whether it is our families, our careers, a cause, or a ministry, when we focus our energy on our chosen passion, we are better for it.
Or in other words ... Every witch needs a husband.
This innocent question came from our four-year-old sometime in mid-October. At first, I just chuckled and chalked it up to "funny things kids say." But then I started to wonder what made her say it. She had obviously been paying attention to the decorations and stories surrounding Halloween. The idea of a witch is usually depicted as an old woman, and in a sheltered child's view of an ordered world, a woman is usually a wife and comes with a husband. Logical enough.
What our preschooler has also perceived is that many things come in pairs. Think about what your left shoe would be without your right one, a baby without a mommy, cereal without milk. In fact, not only do many things come in pairs, they often need each other in order to function at their best.
I've also fielded questions from both kids about whether Jesus had a wife. No? Well why not? they demand to know. Oddly, from a kid's perspective, I think this is another side of the same question. If people were created with a need for each other, why did the one and only God-in-a-man-suit not have a mate? Good question. Then I try to explain that Jesus' bride was the church. That means He was and is devoted to us, his followers, the church today.
Now I am certainly not saying that people have to be married to be happy or fulfill their purpose. Not at all. But everyone needs love and support from others, even though we sometimes resist it. At the same time, we need to be needed. Whether it is our families, our careers, a cause, or a ministry, when we focus our energy on our chosen passion, we are better for it.
Or in other words ... Every witch needs a husband.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Worm Savers
When the weather cooperates, the girls and I like to walk to school instead of driving. It is almost as fast, once you consider the traffic, and definitely more energizing. Most mornings after a big rain, we see lots of earth worms crawling across the sidewalk. They start out on their journey while the concrete is wet, but it dries quickly after the sun comes up. The problem is, many worms start to dehydrate before they can make it across. I don't know the average life span of earth worms, but we try to extend it a little by picking them up with leaves and putting them safely in the grass. We may only save a few, but this little exercise always has meaning for me. For one thing, it reminds the girls to slow down and think outside of themselves. When they observe the world around them and take time to help God's littlest creatures, their perspective widens a bit, even if they don't realize it. In today's culture, we as parents need to help our kids widen their focus to those around them, even if we have to use worms to do it.
I hope it rains again soon.
Friday, January 1, 2010
It's 2010. Welcome to the 21st Century.
I used to think "blog" was such a goofy word. It sounds like something your cat coughed up after you left him outside all night. I thought it would go the way of those techie words like bit, byte, RAM and ROM that invaded our daily language when personal computers became commonplace. Only MIS majors and business columnists needed such words on a regular basis. However, "blog" and all its derivatives have taken a seat and made themselves comfortable in our language, so I will grudgingly move over and make room.
Truth is, I still think "blog" sounds funny. But "blogging" is part of the modern mode of communication, and I am all about keeping up with the times. I do have a cell phone (with voice mail and everything), hi-def channels on our DVR (even though we don't have a hi-def TV) and a Facebook account (that I don't check very often). So Happy New Year and welcome to the 21st century. Ten years later.
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