Category: Parenting

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Scribbles

Lila loves to get my ink pens and scribble. Her scribbles are beautiful to me. They are precious pieces of art, because I just love her so much and anything she does is special.

I have kept so many of my children’s scribbles, pieces of art work and flowers (and weeds) that they handed me with love. These things are so precious to me because they were given with a pure heart – “Mommy, look what I drew!” I still have flowers pressed in books from 25 years ago.

I wonder if God feels the same when we give him our heart and our limited talents and abilities? I hope so. We may feel our lives are just a scribble, but I think he sees a masterpiece. He sees what we can be.

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Playhouses

My sister and I cultivated our housekeeping skills at an early age by always keeping a ‘playhouse’ somewhere in the house and outside. We would set up play areas here and there, usually with Barbie dolls and baby dolls in the house. One special place I remember in the basement was at the bottom of the stairs, underneath the stairwell, in between the stairs and the hot water heater. There was a piece of furniture that made the third wall of our playhouse and a ledge under the steps. This was a fantastic playhouse, especially since we could really hide and hear the goings on of the grown ups while we were carrying on our own little life.

In the summers, things got a lot more elaborate. There was a trail from our house into the woods and we found a relatively flat spot to be our playhouse. There were lots of large grape vines and these were used as couches, beds and shelves. They were also good room partitions for our kitchen and bathroom. We saved Mother’s empty Merle Norman jars and bottles for our playhouse bathroom and carried armloads of empty Campbell’s soup cans and spice jars for our kitchen. Probably these relics are still down there underneath years of leaves.

Imaginative play is so very important for children. I always tried to foster a love of pretend in my little ones. They loved boxes – the bigger the better – and they would have so many adventures in their little hiding places.

Of course, couch cushions were the perfect building materials for their walls and tunnels. I never minded my den being destroyed because I knew the children were using their wonderful imaginations and more importantly, were not watching t.v.! Of course, all the extra blankets were pulled out to make the roofs for the houses and tunnels.

So, here’s to playhouses, clubhouses, forts, tunnels and tree houses! Hours and days spent in wonderful worlds far away.

Mindy Hill said…

 

I loved the day mom washed the sheets and let us play with the ones she took off the beds. We would make tents like crazy with them. Also, mom would make me Barbie cars, table, etc from the cardboard Tide boxes. I loved those cars so much because she would do a backseat also and four of my Barbies could fix in it.

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A Giving Heart

I am beginning to realize that I am a bit selfish.

Oh, I love doing all the basic giving things like making meals and giving birthday gifts.  But, when it comes to giving my stuff away – new stuff – that is very uncomfortable.

Hannah, as I mentioned earlier, is leaving for Haiti tomorrow.  Her plan is to go with a full suitcase and come back with an empty one, leaving all her clothes and shoes for the orphans.  Friends, this is not coming easy for me.  I have bought new clothes, cute things, for her trip.  In my mind, I don’t have the money to just go back out and buy all new clothes when she returns.  She just smiles at me.  Today, I said in a loud voice, frustrated with myself, “Yes, I am selfish!  I don’t like it, either!  Just give all your clothes away, I don’t care!  God will be honored and you will be doubly blessed!”  I was trying to convince myself!

She has a heart like her father.  He would give everything away to anyone who needed it.  I was reminded of an event in our life that I had forgotten all about until today. I told Hannah and she was blown away.  I was humbled and repentant when I remembered this blessing from the Lord.

Victor and I took a missions trip to Guatemala several years ago to visit the Showalter’s work.  We helped prepare a Bible school by cleaning and painting everything.  We also set up a little clothing ‘store’ for people who needed clothes.  We all took extra things down to help stock this little store.  I had no problem giving away my second-hand clothing.

When we left, my husband decided to leave everything that was in his suitcase.  All his jeans, shirts, hats, socks…everything!  I felt the same little selfish spirit.  Did he realize that we were going to have to buy all new things when we got back home?   That was going to be so expensive!

About a week after we returned, Victor’s father came into the office one day and said, “Boynee (his little nickname for him), I was taking off the trash today, and you’ll never believe what I found!”

Sitting outside the dumpster, were boxes of freshly starched Duck Head khaki pants (in Victor’s exact size – and at that time, all he wore were those Duck Head khaki’s), starched button down shirts, ties, belts, t-shirts, etc.  All in his size and all clean and fresh!  This was probably 4 or 5 times the amount that he left and in much better condition.  We absolutely could not believe it!  This was a pressed down, shaken together blessing happening right before our eyes!

Now, how in the world could I still have a problem giving when I have seen firsthand the blessings of God?  I guess because I’m just a sinner, saved by grace, and need to be forgiven on a daily basis.  I am thankful for a husband and daughter who have no problem with the concept of freely giving.

I’m a slow learner, but I’m getting there…


Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38

 

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Carnton Field Trip

What a fun day we had!  Well, I just stayed for the first leg which was Carnton. The kids then went on to the Carter House. Campbell informs me that most of these people are not in his class, but they were so cute, I couldn’t resist making pictures.  The lunches were put in these little pails, covered with a red bandana.  The temperature for the day was perfect ~ around 72 degrees.  The kids were all so smart and knew the answers to all of the questions that were asked by the guide, much to Ms. Bugg’s relief!
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Snippits for Moms ~ #3

Whenever I sit down to write a blog post I am humbly and gratefully aware that all moms are not just like I am.  Therefore, these posts may be a good fit for some moms on some days and may not be relevant at all for others.

I know many of you are not moms, you may be single, empty nesters,  grandmothers, some of you may be aunts ~ some even dads and grandpas!

I’ll just keep chugging along with my Snippits, though, in hopes that someone may benefit along the way.

Snippit #3 ~ Dad may do things differently, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong!

This was a very, very hard lesson for me to learn.  After all, I had read all the child rearing books.  I listened to Dr. Dobson DAILY.  I subscribed to all the latest parenting magazines.  I gleaned wisdom from other mothers and grandmothers. I had years and years of babysitting experience. So, therefore, I was pretty much an expert on childrearing when our first one came along.  Or so I thought! 

So, when my husband didn’t burp or hold him just right… I told him how.

When he didn’t feed him correctly….I showed him the correct way.

When he didn’t use enough enthusiasm in his voice when reading Pat the Bunny….I corrected that, too!

When he played too rough and made him cry….I just couldn’t stand it!

I left him detailed lists on how to care for him when I was out for two hours.

My poor husband! 

It didn’t take long for him to feel as if he just didn’t know anything about being a parent.  I was treating him like a babysitter, not as a father. 

Perhaps it was an article or a radio program, I’m not sure, but I began to feel very convicted over the way I had been basically undermining my husband.  I took a huge step back and began to keep my mouth shut more. I began to respect my husband as the wonderful father God made him to be. It was a beautiful thing!  I began to realize that we were the perfect combination for rearing our children.

Children need a little roughness…and a little softness.

A little neatness….and a little messiness.

Some rough and tumble…and some quiet time.

That’s why we have mothers and fathers.  To balance each other out and to round out our children. 

I have learned a very important lesson through the years:

Dads do things differently than Moms….and that’s the way it’s supposed to be!



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