Look Ma, No Car Seat!

In March of 2000, we entered a new stage of life.  We entered the Car Seat stage.  We buckled our sweet new baby girl into her rear-facing infant seat in our 1999 Grand Am and drove her three blocks home from the hospital.

And for the last 19 years, we've been a Car Seat Family.  Yes, we've had rear-facing, convertible, high backed boosters and low boosters in both of our cars.  Our parents had boosters in their cars.  We made driving choices based on which cars had the correct car seats installed, because changing the car seat was an activity to be avoided at all costs (you can read about that here).  We were used to finding crusty french fries in car seat crevices and muttering under our breath about twisted car seat straps.  We were experts at wrestling unruly children into their five-point, often maneuvering around bulky coats (kids were allowed to wear coats in car seats back then!).  More often than we wished, we had to disassemble a seat due to vomit, poop explosions or spilled food.

A few years ago, we removed our final five-point harness car seat (you can read about that here).  And of course, because this is me, I was a bit nostalgic about it.  The end of an era!  But we still had the trusty booster, so don't worry, world!  We still had little kids!

But late this summer, we truly moved on.  We are no longer a Car Seat Family.  Our youngest moved out of her booster (and she was the last of her friends to do so, to hear her tell it!!), and we now no longer have any boosters in any of our cars.  And while the freedom of being able to put any kid in any car at any time is amazing, and something I only dreamed of 15 years ago, it's a little sad too. Having big kids is fabulous - I love it!  But having little kids is also awesome, and the passing of the car seat only reinforces that we are rapidly moving out of that phase of life.

BUT - a girl can have hope.  Someday, all these children will give me grandchildren (hear that, kids?), and I will proudly put a car seat or two into our cars so we can be ready to transport anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Lutheran School Round Up!

A little while ago, I shared a blogpost written by a friend of mine (who was almost my student 20 plus years ago - I missed teaching her by one year!).  She is a Lutheran educator now, and was writing about the benefit of a Lutheran education for her children, and the children in her community.  My husband and I also strongly believe in Lutheran education (after all, we both received our degrees in that very thing!) and the impact they make on not only the children enrolled, but also their families. 

Just after reading her blogpost, I came across a list complied by Lutheran teachers. The answers listed everything the teachers loved about being a Lutheran teacher.  Below, a few of the reasons these teachers love their jobs:

• Sharing Jesus with their students, in every subject, in every aspect of their days
• Praying with their students, for their students, and with their colleagues
• Relationships!  With families, students and church members
• Watching their students witnessing to others and having their own faith strengthened
• Smaller class sizes and more personalized instruction
• Giving the students blessings - at the beginning and end of the school year, and daily as well
• Introducing a student to Jesus for the first time
• Teaching the children of former students
• Witnessing student baptisms
• Being "Jesus with skin on"
• The privilege to shape all parts of the child: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual
• Sharing Jesus with their students, all day, every day

As I read the list, almost every other answer was the one I listed first and last - the privilege to share Jesus with their students all day long.  Overwhelmingly, the Lutheran school teachers were overjoyed to be able to pray with their students and to infuse Jesus into every aspect of their days.  

Christian schools (like all schools, Christian or otherwise) are not without struggle.  But at the core of every Lutheran school is the deep desire to share Christ with their students.  We are grateful to belong to a church that strongly supports a Lutheran school, and that church and school has become our family.  The teachers at our school have prayed for, rejoiced with, cried with and laughed with our family over the years.  And these teachers have reinforced daily, hourly, the faith we are teaching our children at home.  Praise God for Lutheran Schools!

Little Kids, Big Kids

18 years ago on September 21, I gave birth to our second child, a boy!  It was just 10 days past the September 11 attacks and the nation had been prominent in our thoughts.  But on September 21st, our thoughts were all about our sweet baby boy and our new family of four.

Fast forward 18 years, and our thoughts are still all about our son (and his brothers and sisters).  Family is the biggest blessing we've been given and sometimes I'm overwhelmed by God's gracious outpouring of gifts to us. With these children we've been gifted, however, comes great responsibility.  It is our sacred task to raise up these children to be godly men and women; to first and foremost love their Savior, knowing everything else will flow from that relationship.

When our oldest kids were little, a dear friend said something to me.  I don't remember the context - perhaps she was lamenting something her (slightly older) children were doing or maybe it was just in response to something I was concerned about with my own children.  She said, "Little kids, little problems.  Big kids, big problems."  As a mom with little kids who had what felt like Super Big Problems sometimes, I was not a fan of this adage.  I got the point -- that the bigger the kids were, the more far-reaching and concerning their issues could be.  But still.  I felt like my problems were plenty large and challenging in the moment.

And I still believe that, as I know my friend did too -- when you have little ones underfoot all the live long day, the struggle is real, and the worries are big.  But as the kids have grown up (I am now the parent of TWO adults!  What on earth!), I definitely resonate with what she said.  While so far, praise God, we haven't had any significant issues with our kids, their problems, struggles, challenges and concerns are bigger.  They are thinking about their future, their possible spouses, their higher education and also stretching and growing in their faith.  And that often causes a lot of angst and questioning.

As I've said before, parenting isn't for wienies.  It's not for the faint of heart.  It's full of second-guessing and late night conversations and night after night on our knees in prayer for our kids.  We're in the thick of it still.  Had someone told us (and people probably did!) how parenting would pull at our heart strings, we wouldn't have had any idea how challenging it would be.  But we also wouldn't have had any idea how beautiful, rewarding and fulfilling it would have been either.

I guess it comes down to what stage you're in in life.  When you have little kids, everything feels monumental. And it is!  Training little people up to be kind and compassionate children is a Big Deal.  And when you have big kids, everything feels monumental.  And it is! Shaping and guiding tweens, teenagers and young adults into contributing members of society takes a lot of patience and stick-to-itiveness (Merriam Webster backed me up that that's a read word!) and it's a Big Deal. 

Each parenting stage, from infancy to teens to young adults and beyond is a weighty task.  What a blessing to know that no matter the size of our problems, God is bigger and He will never leave us to handle them on our own.

Regardless of whether or not they're little kid problems or big kid problems.

Bits and Pieces #23

• My freshman son has been playing tennis at his new high school.  Back in middle school, I played tennis with a local team and I loved it, so I was thrilled when he joined the team.  We've watched several matches now, and our son is doing well, learning this brand new game.  But, I have to say I have run into a little snag with the whole tennis parent thing.  It seems that tennis is a quiet sport.  As in, very little cheering, noise-making etc.  Hhmmm.  In general for my family, that is the antithesis of who we are.  If tennis is the Quiet Sport, then we are the Loud Family.  However, I can't say that my family has struggled with being quiet while watching their brother/son, but I have!  I want to cheer for him!  I want to say good job, rally back, nice serve!  I am trying to quietly cheer for my boy from the sidelines, and I feel I deserve some sort of award. I'm not sure my son agrees, though, because at Thursday's match, he quietly told me to ssshhh when he walked to the fence to retrieve a ball.  I'm doing my best, son, I'm doing my best.
• Preschool and my mommy and me class are off to a good start!  I am loving my new little preschoolers -- getting to know their personalities, teaching them new songs and concepts, and most of all telling them about Jesus!  On the very first day of school, my class of 3/4 year olds went to chapel.  For the entire year, we will go to chapel at 9:00 on Wednesdays, and the first day was no exception.  So -- imagine the scene.  I am receiving 15 children into my room for their first day of school at 8:00.  For some of these little ones, this is their very first time at school and away from mom and dad.  So there is always a little crying and adjusting those first days.  But this year wasn't too bad in the homesick department, so we soon readied ourselves for the long walk to the church for chapel.  The students did well walking in the new concept of a line, and did well as we entered sanctuary.  I had been telling them down the hallway as we walked that we would be quiet in church, listening to the teacher talk to us about Jesus, our Savior who loves us very much.  As we entered the church and started sitting down, I also told the children we would be singing lots of songs while we were at chapel.  One of my sweet little ones very earnestly looked up at me and said "We could sing Old Town Road at chapel!"  It was so sweet, and the song is full of fond memories for me from our summer vacation, but I had to tell him that we would be singing some different songs instead.  😀
• Last weekend my husband and I went away to northern Michigan.  We lounged on the beach, we ate at grown up restaurants, we finished our sentences, we read books (I read FOUR books!), we slept in, and we just enjoyed each other's company.  Our parents generously stayed with the kids and carted them to and fro, took them out to dinner and movies and mini golf and kept the house afloat while we were gone.  We came back refreshed and ready to tackle the fall.  So thankful for my husband, and that he always insists we take a little time away together.  I would too easily get bogged down thinking we absolutely couldn't be away from the kids, but he wisely knows us going away for a few days is good for us and the kids.  And it was!
• We took our (sophomore!) girl to college about three weeks ago.  It was a little hard to leave her (though nothing like last year!), but I know she's happy and right where she should be.  We got her all settled in with her roommate and it was great to see her excited to see all her friends.  She's got a heavy load this semester, but she's up to the challenge.  I'm so very proud of her and I can't wait to see the year unfold for her!  (And also I'm excited to see her in a few weeks!)

The Week in Pictures

It's been a rough week this week.  Perhaps I'll write more about that later, but for now, some lighter topics:  Super Great Deals from Target, my classroom plans, new words, and my rude behavior.  See below.

Charcuterie!  Quite awhile ago, a friend of mine casually called her lovely meat/cheese/veggie tray a charcuterie tray.  I had never heard the word before and found it glorious.  Like an excited child, I asked her to explain, and my love for charcuterie was born.  Here's my latest attempt.  I cannot tell you how happy looking at it made me.  I can't help myself.

Polka Dot fabric!  I am making a thematic dramatic play center for my classroom.  I bought the base, my dad is going to make the top part, and my mom is going to make curtains.  I am so excited to see it finished and then see all the little ones playing grocery store and apple orchard and pizzeria! 

A preschooler's work is play!

Target deaaalsss for daaaays!!  Brace yourself, dear reader - if saving money isn't your jam, skip this part.  (But if it's not, how are we even friends??) Years ago, I used to play the coupon game - before I worked and when I had more time and less to do.  It's been too hard the last several years, but yesterday at Target the stars aligned and I made some great deals!  I have four males in this house who need deodorant, so all that Axe will be gone in a split second, and gel pens make me so happy!  The 8 cans of Axe should have been $35, and I paid just $12!  The gel pens were regularly $21 and I paid $10.  Woohoo!!  We'll be smelling good and writing beautifully for awhile!!

My friends.  Confession time.  Last Sunday after church I was exiting my pew, talking to my child in front of me and trying to keep the children behind me moving.  I felt a hand on my arm, trying to get my attention.  I shrugged the hand off, thinking it was the child behind me, interrupting me (like my children are prone to doing all the livelong day).  After a moment or two the child in front of me told me someone in the pew behind me was trying to get my attention.  Yep!  I had rudely shrugged off the hand of my dear friend and colleague, not my child.  She was understanding when I apologized, but sheesh!  Moral of the story:  apparently don't approach me at church when I am near my children, or I will treat you like one of my children.  But I promise not to remind you a hundred times to put your laundry away or ask if you need to go potty before we leave the house. Hopefully.

Four Teenagers in the Hoooouse!

Two years ago, I posted here about having three teenagers in our family, and in the blink of an eye, I now have four (for about 8 months, before my eldest turns twenty! Gracious).   My fourth child turned 13 last week, and his older brother turned 15 the month before, giving me a 19, 17, 15, and 13 year old under my roof (oh, and also a sweet little newly-minted 10 year old as well). :)   It seems pretty surreal that I am the mother of four teenagers, especially since I feel like I was one just a few years ago. This sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of (or at least scary books and blog posts).

BUT- so far so good.  The older three have eased me into teenageriness (spell check did NOT flag that word - who knew??) relatively gently, and overall, I’m loving the teen years.

A few of the joys of teenagers below:

• Laughter.  SO. Much. Laughter.  These kids crack me up on the daily.  I am in tears so often.  They’re funny, they’re goofy, they’re basically amateur comedians.  
• They’re helpful.  Well, sometimes.  And if they don’t always exactly offer to help, I know they’re capable of it and I assign them stuff to do. :) 
• Deep conversations.  I love the talks my teenagers and I have.  They have insights I don’t, and they’re really smart kids!  We can talk about faith, politics, academics, television, you name it.  They always wow me with their perspectives.
• Independence.  When I had a little people majority it was hard to imagine going to the bathroom alone, but here we are, in a world where that’s standard now.  I don’t have to cut anyone’s food or give anyone a bath anymore.  And while sometimes I miss those days, it’s also awesome to see them doing so much on their own (like getting jobs, and also cutting their own food.).  
• Watching their personalities really develop into young adults.  Seeing my kids blossom into young adults has been a joy.  They’re pretty great people, and I can see glimpses into what they will become. It’s so exciting to see them grow and stretch.
• Laughter.  Did I mention that?  Being a mom to teenagers is so fun.

My newest teenager is just embarking on all of the above, but already I am experiencing these things with him.  He certainly makes me laugh (the kid is hilarious!), and I am starting to see glimpses of many other aspects I listed above.  He is full of passion and zest for life, and watching him embrace his interests is a joy.  

I won’t have four teenagers for very long, so I’m soaking up these years with them.  I know it isn’t always unicorns and rainbows, but it’s pretty great so far.  And I’m pretty grateful. 

It's Good to Be Home, Church Style

It's good to be home. And by home, I mean back to our church.  This morning in worship I simply soaked it all in.  The people, the music, the sanctuary, the Eucharist, the familiarity.  It's wonderful to travel, but homecomings are so meaningful.

We always worship when we're on vacation, and this trip was no different.  The first weekend, as I blogged about in my post yesterday, my husband ended up leading worship. There were about 20 people there, seven of which were my family.  Late the evening before, my husband and I chose a few hymns, he looked up the daily readings and prepared a brief meditation, and we were blessed to worship in our campground instead of traveling a distance to another church.

The second Sunday we were in Grand Canyon National Park.  There are very few towns/people outside of the North Rim park, so going outside of the park for worship would have been difficult.  Thankfully, there were several options offered for worship inside the park, so we were grateful to attend a service in the lodge (at 8 am!).  It was a blessing to gather with those people, and in an auditorium with a view of the beautiful Grand Canyon!

But.  There is something about being home to worship.  With our (church) family, our friends, our dear ones.  And since we had been unable to commune at either place we attended on vacation, we were all eager to receive the Eucharist.

So today I soaked it in.  I let God's word, read and preached, enter my heart.  I let God's body and blood enter my body.  I praised God with familiar hymns and songs.  And I looked at the faces of those in our congregation with love.

It's good to be home.