Bite Back Ministry

Max and Delaney are excited about doing their part to change the world. The children's ministry at our church encouraged them to raise funds to purchase nets that will protect children from mosquito-infested parts of the world where malaria is rampant. It's part of Compassion International's "Bite Back" program. Each of the mosquito nets cost $10, so Laney and her friend Alison, went around the neighborhood collecting money.

Of course, sibling rivalry came into play and Max was somehow excluded from this neighborhood effort. So Jeff encouraged him to do some chores around the house to make money...and to hit up his grandparents and other family members to help support this wonderful cause!
Collectively, the kids raised enough to purchase 11 mosquito nets!
It was a great way for them to see how they can participate in God's work.

Merry LEGO Christmas!

I know we just wrapped up Halloween and now Thanksgiving's on the horizon... so maybe Christmas still seems pretty far away. But not for Max and Delaney! They were thrilled to tear open a box from their "Hawaii grandparents" with the 2009 Lego City Advent Calendar inside. My parents send them one every winter...it's a ton of fun for them to create a holiday scene made of legos for the season. Starting December 1st, they can open one window at a time which contains a Lego surprise they can assemble. With the 257 pieces included, the set includes the LEGO City equipment, mini-figures, a Christmas tree with decorations, etc. I mentioned this on the radio last year and a couple listeners asked where to purchase it. I know you can buy it on Amazon.com if you're interested...but I hear it sells out early because Lego doesn't make many of them.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a fun little Christmas tradition my parents have created for the kids for the past three years.

Fighting the Flu

High fever? Yup. Body aches? Yessir! Chills? Oh boy, did I have 'em! Looks like I got the flu.
Last night was especially bad. I slept on and off but it's hard when your throat's on fire and your head is throbbing. Delaney did a cute little "Get Well Soon" jig for me. But things got a little dicey at 9pm, when my darling ten-year-old stepdaughter decided to practice her violin. Mind you, her bedroom is smack right next to mine and the walls are thin, so I could hear every screeching sound. I went ballistic when I discovered her father actually suggested that she practice her instrument in her room.
Now, I've been known to have a little temper problem. But I let it get the best of me last night. Not my shining moment as a stepmom for sure!
It's very humbling when you have to apologize to your kids for over-reacting. I had a legitimate reason to be upset but I could've exercised a little more self-control, that's for sure! And that's definitely something I want to pass on to the kids. So Delaney and I shared a heart-to-heart today. And she said, "That's ok. I still love you. I have anger management problems, too. Especially with Max." So we talked through what an appropriate response would be when we're angry and how the Lord would want us to relate to one another. We both agreed that we need to take a time-out the instant we feel overly frustrated.
I find it so funny that Delaney is not my daughter by blood because we're so alike. Tonight I promised her a girl's night out...hopefully my low-grade fever will finally go away!

Estrogenfest '09

With 8,800 tickets sold, Beth Moore's "Living Proof Live" event in Springfield drew the Prairie Convention Center's biggest crowd since Elton John performed there in 1998. And let me tell you something: when you've got thousands of women (and a few brave men) banding together to worship the Lord, no musician on earth--not even the Rocket Man himself--can even come close to bringing you to a place of that kind of euphoria. (And as an aside, isn't Beth just the cutest darn thing? I must know where she gets those darling clothes...I wonder if they're tailor-made...I imagine she likes to shop at Ann Taylor like me but I wonder if her budget is quadruple mine--these are the kinds of thoughts floating through my head as Beth preached the Word of God. Yes, Lord...please have mercy).
Beth guided us through the life of John the Baptist to share the message of "preparing the way for the Lord." I can't do justice to her powerful message in a quick blog synopsis...but she encouraged all of us to listen for specific things God wants to say to us. As for me, I heard Him speak very clearly that I must not give up on making my petitions known to God even if my most fervent prayers are not answered in my timing...and I cannot dwell on the past anymore because God is doing a new thing in my life and I need to usher in the blessings of the present.

It's purely a God thing that I ended up hanging out with Debi Parks (former morning show and mid-day host at WCIC) and Jane Weinhold (fill-in office manager at WCIC). I even shared a room with Debi! I'm afraid I freaked those ladies out a little...Jane kept snapping pictures of me eating at a buffet in Springfield. She threatened to send them to Scott to share on the show! We were the last group on the bus because I could not stop eating...I'm not kidding that I can out-eat my husband...I had a steak, 3 pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, stew, fish fillets, hush puppies, cake, ice cream, salad, sausage...you name it, I threw it on my plate and wolfed it down! She was fully grossed out.
And Debi was shocked that I don't own a brush. I can get dressed and out the door in ten minutes flat. Meanwhile every other woman set their alarms an hour ahead so they could look beautiful for Beth Moore. Not me! Call my crazy but I'd rather sleep than look pretty!
All in all, my spirit was revived and I feel so blessed to have taken part in this incredible experience!

Sew Fun

Having seen a few episodes of Project Runway, I thought learning to sew would be fun--and a breeze! Ha! I asked my mother-in-law to teach me the basics because she's a master seamstress. I thought we could start with an apron because I need one anyway and it's supposed to be pretty simple. Well, after spending an hour pinning the fabric to the patten and cutting out the shapes, we spent another two hours tonight sewing some of the pieces together--and we're only halfway through! Man, I'll never look at an apron the same again. I have a new appreciation for clothes, curtains, sheets...anything that requires a sewing machine. It's kind of fun, though, to focus on creating something...and it's good bonding time with my mother-in-law.

Trick or Treat

Let's hear it for Max from "Where the Wild Things Are" and the prettiest 50's girl who ever lived! The kids looked so yummy I just wanted to eat 'em up! My mother-in-law hand-sewed Max's phenomenal costume. He looked so darling, everyone who handed the kids treats thought Max was a girl! He wasn't exactly thrilled about that. Now Max has a complex. Next year he wants to be something decidedly masculine...like Superman!

We took the kids trick-or-treating for a while before heading over to a Harvest Party at Trinity Mennonite Church in Morton. They throw the absolute best party on Halloween night complete with carnival games, pumpkin decorating, crafts, candy, and tons of toys. My main incentive for joining the festivities, though, was getting a chance to see my baby niece...is she not the cutest little monkey you ever saw?
We were all having a great time until the party ended and the host announced that there wasn't enough candy for all the kids...so the children who regularly attended the church would have to wait until tomorrow to get their candy bags. They understandably wanted to make sure their guests didn't leave empty-handed. But I felt so guilty because Max and Laney each got a bag (on top of the all the candy they collected while trick-or-treating) while lots of other kids were bawling because they weren't getting candy on Halloween.
As Jeff and I walked to the car, we talked about giving the kids' candy bags away to those who didn't get any. But at the same time, we didn't want to incite World War II with the kids. And we didn't know how to distribute the two candy bags to all those children.
In hindsight, I regret not acting on my kind impulses...there was one girl in particular who caught my eye and I just wanted to grab Laney's bag and give it to her...ugh, I feel bad just thinking about it! But we all make mistakes...and hopefully her parents took her trick-or-treating to make up for it.
Alrightee...it's now time for me to make up for the lack of sleep I've been getting all week. Yay for changing our clocks back an hour tonight! Sweet dreams, everyone...

Dinnertime!

Making meals has become a family affair.
Between work and dealing with some personal stuff, I've been way too tired to keep up with cooking and cleaning around the house. I think Jeff got the hint tonight that he should make dinner when he found me fast asleep when he came home from work. He scrambled up some bacon and french toast tonight. The kids said it was the best dinner ever.
Meanwhile, I've been dying to make pork dumplings ever since our dear family friend, Paul, gave me a lesson in making them from scratch this weekend. It's really delish but terribly time consuming. (Email me if you want the recipe). Jeff just loves 'em...my goal was to make a hundred to freeze so that we have dinner handy in case we get snowed in this winter! I hesitated to let Max help because it gets kind of tricky but Jeff insisted he's capable and he was actually a wonderful helper once he got the hang of it.
With such capable guys in my family, I'm kicking myself for not delegating chores like cooking sooner!