The making a "gingerbread-man-house"

Yesterday, my 3 grandgirls spent the day with me. H is 9, A is less than a week from being 4 and M just turned 2. With the help of our good friend and neighbor, AW and her little S who is 17 months old, we tackled the task of decorating a gingerbread house. Fortunately the cookie parts were already baked and cut into the right shapes. All we had to do was build it and then decorate it! So, after feeding them a breakfast of Cocoa Puffs, chocolate chip pancakes and hot cocoa to drink, we were all sugared up to begin!

Being the oldest and the organizer, H decided she should decorate one side of the roof and her younger sister, A, should do the other. In the meantime, M and S, each had a cookie - one a snowman and one a gingerbread man, to decorate and stand in front of the house! There were really only 2 little problems....everytime I gave M a piece of candy for an eye or button, she would quickly put it in her mouth, before I could say a word to her. And then little S, bit off the arm of her snowman. H immediately said "We can say he went to war for America and lost his arm!"

It is a lovely house and all agreed we would save it to eat on Christmas Eve. Having agreed, I must confess the 2 older ones were suspected of nibbling on the house! I think ALL 4 children were of the same mind that you don't need nearly as much candy on the house as was in the package, so they reduced the amount that actually ended up on the house...and it is still quite lovely.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Today, our last day of school for 2005, I was watching my kindergartners as they decorated the envelopes for their tree ornaments with their photo, my traditional gift for them to give. I always liked getting ornaments from my own children, especially with a picture on it! I still have some of them.

Just in the first semester I am seeing changes in them already. I was looking at the happy and contented smile on Maylin's face in particular. Maylin experienced what I would call a severe case of separation anxiety. Her mother was in our room everyday for the first 10 weeks because Maylin would cry without her. The mom was fearful that, because she has only one lung, if she cried too much, she wouldn't get enough oxygen and would get sick. It may be true....or not, but I know she is pretty spoiled. However, she happily comes to school and tries her best even though she still doesn't know any of her ABC's or very few colors!

I was recalling the first time she pitched a fit when her mother tried to leave her. As she cried and cried, LaDarius eased up to me and said rather softly, "I don't think she knows what a great day we're gonna have!" Well, after a whole semester, Maylin has finally discovered what great days we can have and has learned to embrace her new adventure. I have been reminded of how encouraging and motivating a young child can be....I love that LaDarius....he won a place in my heart right off the bat!!!!

Who's in charge of ME?

Sometimes I feel I am so on top of things and the next minute so far behind. When I have a specific routine, I feel I get so much more accomplished and feel I am going somewhere. But when left to doing day-to-day hap-hazardly, I realize how undisciplined I really am.

I depend on menus weekly and if I don't make them and shop over the weekend I find myself running to the store everyday. What a waste of time...If only I make time during the weekend, the rest of the week goes so much better.

I depend on weekly lesson plans at school. I HATE that I am required to turn them in to my dean of instruction, but truth is, I have a much better week than when I just teach wing it.

I depend on daily time with God.... if I don't get it, my whole rest of the day feels one step behind. I find I want someone or something else to "feed me" so I don't have to take responsibility for it myself. For so long I was accustomed to the church providing my study time, my worship time, even my prayer time. When I was first left to my own resources, I somewhat panicked.

I think I have begun to realize that one of the reasons people come to our church and then leave is that they don’t find here someone doing Bible study for them (at least not the way they/we have been used to), providing the kind of prayer times they expect, or think is the ‘right’ way to do it.

One of the problems with the church being the provider for my study, worship and prayer time is if I happen to not be there, or have needs that don’t come up on Saturday night, then I am lost and feel the church isn’t meeting my needs. When in reality, my experience has been if I go to God myself for those needs to be met, then I am prepared to give a cup of cool water to some sojourner along the way – not a whole meal…just enough to wet his appetite and walk along with him to show him how to draw the water for himself.

I am afraid we have raised up a generation of Christians that are consumer-driven and go looking for a place or group of people who can give them what they need and when the well is dry, move on to somewhere else. It is like that in all of life….it’s all about MY needs and wants.

I know every person is in a different place in life…but for me, I do lesson plans NOW because I have experienced what it is like to be prepared come Monday morning when those kindergartners come in. Same way with my relationship with God – I pray and study and worship daily because I know and have seen what is out there when I walk out my door each day. I can’t depend on other people to do that for me…I have to put that armor of God on daily!

(Where in the world did this come from? Sometimes things just get to rolling around in me and I have the need to just get it out….guess it is a good thing that I have not blogged much lately – maybe no one will read this….or no one will even care….that’s a-ok with me!)

It takes all kinds

Me: Class, if you work really quietly I will put on some Christmas music.
Tyreke: Got any rap Christmas music? I like rap!
Alexis: Ms. Herrington listens to country music. That's what my sister told me. She don't got any rap.

SO - I went to my local rap-music recording friend (Josh - he records all kinds of music actually) and he gave me "Christmas in Hollis" by RunDMC. He says it's 'old school' but my kids will like it!

Thanks, Josh, for helping me to be "hip" in my "hopping" kindergarten class!

PS - Alexis' sister who knows my music style (I am not sure why or how) is Ramesha of the famed "you just LOOK old" quote.