Fruits of the Spirit

Thanks to Jenny for sharing this great idea related to the fruits of the Spirit:

"We 'studied' that and did activities with it this past school year, and I'd read a cute idea on another blog and copied it.  Depends if you let your kids have candy or not I guess :o) but I took an empty glass jar and filled it with runts candy (from the dollar tree).  Whenever I spot the girls using a fruit of the spirit they get a fruit shaped candy from the jar.  They love it, and it's good for me to recognize and point them out to them."

Fruit snacks would work for this, too. Or actual fruit, I suppose, if you have amazing children who consider fruit to be a treat. (And if you do, please tell me what it's like...sigh...)

James 1:19-20

Tales from a Recovering Perfectionist

"He's perfect!" pronounced the pediatrician.  Fresh from his first examination, our first-born squirmed a little in his isolette as the doctor snuggled him back into the hospital's stiff flannel blanket.  Perfect.  10 fingers, 10 toes, his momma's lips and daddy's hairline.  A sense of reassurance washed over my swirling new-mother anxiety and hormones.  He's perfect.

"His respiration rate is still high.  We need to get that under control.  I would like to increase the C-PAP pressure to 60 and give him some phenobarbital to help him relax.  He's a sick little boy."  This was not how things were supposed to turn out.  I was not supposed to have a November baby.  My due date was still 4 weeks away.  My toddler, as a newly-minted big brother, was supposed to bring flowers to my hospital bed and seranade the new baby with the lullaby we'd practiced.  Instead, our baby was attached to monitors, an IV pumping drugs through his fragile veins, a tube down his throat delivering whatever I could pump.  No pronouncements of perfection.  In an act that almost felt like defiance, I penned a message on the whiteboard on his NICU wall: "We praise you for Connor is wonderfully made."  I wanted everyone to know--and needed the reminder, myself--that this baby was God's handiwork.  God knit him together in my womb.  God made him, and he was wonderful.

And he is wonderful.  And healthy.  And funny.  And naughty.  And all the things that God made him to be.  There's actually no reassurance in perfection, because it's not realistic.  God didn't create us to be perfect.  God's love formed us from the start and continues to hold us and shape us, while God's abundant grace smoothes over all our rough edges.  And isn't that wonderful?

Rejoice! Be patient! Pray!

It's been a busy week at our house...3 different people doing 3 different day camps and 2 doing swimming lessons.  I decided to shorten our verse for this week to just Romans 12:12.  To me, the important points are that God wants us to rejoice, God wants us to be patient, and God wants us to pray.  We had a discussion at the lunch table about those three things.  What causes us to rejoice?  When is a time that we've had to practice patience?  What are some things we have prayed about?  The list is unfiltered and a good glimpse into the minds of my boys:

Deut. 6:5 Prayer (Or how Jimmy Choo leads us to the Lord)

While returning a pair of so-cute-but-so-uncomfortable sandals at Nordstrom yesterday my back was turned to my children. Clearly my love of quality footwear has been passed to my 3-year-old, because when I turned around she was carrying a pair of pumps complete with what were probably real diamond sequins and squealing "Oh, Mommy, you have to get these!!" The lovely salesman behind the register almost yelped, I kid you not. I gently pried away the bedazzled beauties to discover they were in fact $695 Jimmy Choos. And they were exceptionally beautiful.
Upon finishing my transaction (with said-preschooler safely hoisted up to sit on counter) the girls and I sat down to discuss the Choo shoes. It went down something like this, right there in Nordstrom shoes.
Me: "Those shoes you found were very pretty, weren't they?"
Girls, even less-girlie big sister: "YES! Wow! And the sparkles and the heel, etc."
Me: "Do you remember our verse this week?"
Girls: "Huh?"
Me, disappointed, sings "Love Round" very quietly. Big sister is annoyed, Little sister starts singing loudly. We left singing, hopefully quieter, and I prayed while we walked out what I now call The Mall Prayer:
"Lord, your love is even more beautiful than Jimmy Choos.
Help me love you with all my heart."

Play it! with placemats

The boys colored these, then we had them laminated at Kinko's. I'm sure others could be much more fancy with graphic design, but if you'd like a copy of my quick-and-dirty version, just email us at homeschoolvbs@gmail.com .

What activities are going well at your house? Let us know! Post a comment or email us a note or picture!!

Heart, Soul and Might!

Sing along with Elizabeth and Sarah as they share "Love Round (Deut. 6:5)" a song sung at our favorite church camp, Rainbow Trail. (Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp was recently spared during forest fire- yay God!)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might and
Love all humankind as you would love yourself...
We've got Christian lives to live
We've got Jesus' love to give
We've got nothing to hide
Because in Him we abide in Love