Ringing in the New Year...

Since the weather is so "delicious" (as Rebecca would say) we are going out to the cottage for New Year's Eve!
We're planning to go sliding, eat lots of naughty/fatty/yummy food, and play in the snow.
Some friends of ours are coming along for the fun, so once the kids are all stashed away in their beds, we can celebrate, drink wine and play games.
Who knows?
There might even be some s'mores involved.

Awww Shucks...

Tonight my little family all went to my brother's soccer game. He did great, he was runnin' like there was something large and ferocious chasing him!
While cheering and watching the game, I watched my older daughter with pride.
She was so amazing.
She cheered so loud, "GO! Uncle Floyd! Score it! Score it!".
She carried on very sophisticated conversations with the wives of the soccer players.
Rebecca is a charming socialite. She's like a tiny, four year old WASP!!!
hee hee

I loved watching her work the crowd, and play with her cousins and join in the action.
On the way out of the match, I was overcome with love for her and I said, "You know Rebecca, you really are a wonderful kid!"
Quick as a whip, she replied, "Thanks mom! You're a wonderful adult!"

*Sigh*
I love my Rebecca-Anne.

Is This For Real???

Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in Winnipeg are stupified (stupified does NOT mean stupid!!!) this year.
This winter has been oddly warm, melty and smushy! People who run around propogating about global warming have legitmately earned the right to wear a smug smirk!!
Well done, fear mongers!
Wear your smirks until January!
If nothing changes and the weather doesn't drop to an inhumane freezing, I shall jump right on your bandwagon!!!!

In the mean time I will enjoy all the sledding and sliding fun with my children. We need to get outside to fix our headless snowman anyway...yes, headless....long story!!!

Happy Tobogganning Everyone!

Ewwwww....

The worms are beginning to multiply. They are laying eggs and hatching little tiny baby worms. My husband is thrilled.
My daughters think it is amazing, they like to watch.
I am trying not to look.
Ewwww....

My Funny Valentine...

Isabella always finds a way to make me laugh. Its the combination of innocence, honesty and sarcasm that gets me everytime.
Here are three quotes from her today:

• While giving her a bath, I told Bella she needed to wet her hair so I could shampoo it. She asked why I don't just put the shampoo on dry hair. I explained that the shampoo would just stay in one place and it wouldn't lather up. With an understanding "Ohhhhh!" she asked, "So on dry hair would it lather down?"
• My husband promised the girls they could have McDonalds for lunch today, and when he mentioned it to me, I lamented "Oh gross! I don't want to eat McYucks". Overhearing me, Isabella piped up, "No mommy! Its not McYucky! Its McYummy!"
• On the ride home after yet another late night, I was telling the girls that when we returned home they would have to go straight to bed as it was very late. Bella asked what time it was. I told her it was 8:00pm. She asked what time her bedtime is. I told her it was 7:00pm. She asked again what time it was. I told her it was still 8:00pm. She then began to cheer, "Yay! I don't have to go to bed, you said bedtime is 7:00 and its not 7:00!!!"

She is such a cheeky little monkey!

Early Greetings...

So as not to miss any greetings of importance:

Happy Day before Christmas Eve!

Joyous Christmas Eve !!!

The King is Coming!

Merry Christmas!!!

The King is Here!

Happy Boxing Day!!!

Enjoy the sales and leftovers!

Why Jesus is Better than Santa...

(I saw this posted at my daughter's pre-school. I really liked it so I thought I'd post it here.)

Santa lives at the North Pole but Jesus is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh but Jesus rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes once a year but Jesus is ever present help.

Santa fills your stocking with goodies but Jesus supplies ALL your needs.

Santa comes down the chimney uninvited but Jesus stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa but Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap but Jesus lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is, "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" but Jesus knew your name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly but Jesus has a heart full of love.

Santa says, "You better not cry" but Jesus says, "Cast all your cares on me, for I care for you."

Santa's litte helpers make toys but Jesus makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but Jesus gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree, Jesus became our gift and died on a tree.

Overheard...

Yesterday I was cleaning Rebecca's room while she and her sister played Polly Pockets in the hallway. I could hear their coversation, and was very impressed with Rebecca's sage advice to her younger sister.

Becca: There is some kids who are nice and some who are mean.
Bella: Becca, I don't like that. I won't want to go to school if kids are mean to me because that means that they are a bully.
Becca: Don't worry if that happens because whatever happens in school, just remember the teacher can handle it. You tell the teacher and she will deal with it.
Bella: I don't like those mean kids, and I'll just tell them they are bad and mean and then they will be my enemy.
Becca: Remember mommy said we have to love our enemy.
Bella: Oh yeah, but not mean boys right?
Becca: Right. Except the nice ones.

Well, they might not "get it" entirely yet but they are listening.
That's a good sign!

Free Speech...

As a Canadian citizen I think I should exercise my right to speak my mind regarding the current elections in Canada.
I think I will write a letter to the leading politicians, but I want to make sure that I address it properly.
Does dumb-ass have a hypen or is it one word (dumbass)?

The More You Know...

The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Maybe with the increase in wisdom comes the understanding of how little
wisdom you actually have.

I've been thinking about the prophetic and this is what I've come up with....
There is alot that I don't know.
Its just listening, and I can listen and still not understand.
Sometimes there is an explanation (especially when I keep asking why but I still can
misunderstand the explantion).

Should I just chuck it all?
I think not.
Maybe part of the mystery is the gift of humility. One can't be a know-it-all when one knows how much one doesn't know.

Could there be a point to listening without understanding?
I think yes.
I can learn to obey. Obedience is a gift.
I think healing can come just with the listening, even if I don't get it.
If ministry comes from relationship, I can be ministered to just by listening.
(plus there is my addiction to "the presence" which I must feed lest I wither and die)

I think for somethings, wisdom and understanding will come with age, and eventually I will get it.
I think with other things, it doesn't matter if I ever get it, I can obey and be faithful.
And still other areas, I may never understand it here(in this life) but seeing as I don't run the planet, it doesn't matter. The earth will continue to rotate without me having all knowledge and understanding so I need to just let it go and not worry.

Thank God I'm not God.

Optimism Sucks!!!

Today I just feel "icky".
There is too much snow, its cold and yucky out.
I just have a bad attitude about everything, and if I were my mom, I'd give me a time-out.
Or make me have a nap.

Ooooo....a nap. I would love a nap.

Where did I get off thinking I was an optimist the other day?
That's so dumb, I should just slap myself. Maybe I'll just slap the WHOLE world.

As it turns out, there are days when I'm a pessimist.
Not just a regular pessimist either, a VIOLENT pessimist.

I did my roots today, maybe the dye is soaking in and taking over my brain putting violent pessimistic, responsibility shirking thoughts into my head. I must go find some scientific evidence to back this theory up because clearly, it is the only explanation!

Don't Take It So Seriously...

As I was braiding my daughter's hair on Monday morning, teletubbies came onto the t.v.
We weren't really watching it, but it was on as background noise. If my hands were not full of hair I would have changed the channel promptly, (not a fan of the tubbies) as I think they are weird.

I continued to do Rebecca's hair while those strange teletubbies made odd noises and danced around. Finally I spoke up, "Those Teletubbies are so crazy, this is such a weird show."
Rebecca quickly responded,
"Mommy, they aren't crazy! They are just putting on a show for us!"

Ah yes! Thank-you Rebecca! Sometimes I need my four year old to explain the difference between reality and pretend on the television.
They grow up WAY too fast!

Optimism is Grand...

In general, there is a silver lining that can be found in any situation.
Today I was sort of in a negative space, so I had to work a little harder to find the bright side of things when bad things came my way.

Situation One - I found one of Rebecca's cups from pre-school (last week) that she didn't put away into the sink. It had milk in it when it was placed behind the couch. It was really stinky and nasty by the time I found it. Gross!
The bright side??? - We made cheese! That is quite an accomplishment isn't it? Its not fit for human consumption but it looks and stinks like cheese! Way to go Rebecca!

Situation Two - My daughter is coughing her lungs out at night so I had to take her to the doctor today.
The bright side??? - We got an appointment the same day that we called, and we have an awesome doctor who is kind and gentle with our kids and because we live in Canada we can afford medical care for a simple thing like a cough. Turns out its not an infections, just a virus.
Wait, this is ALL positive stuff, what was the negative thing again? Oh yeah, a little cough.

Okay, so what have I learned here?
I am really bad at being a pessimist.
What's that thing that I am good at again?
Oh, yeah! Over-reacting! That's the one.

Doing what can be done...

I'm tired.
I can only do what I can do.
I need a nap.

Just Hanging-Out...

Although it sometimes drives me mad, my kids love, love, love to be around me all the time. As an introvert (person who gets their energy re-charged from being alone) this often causes me to have a desperate urge to escape their intense attentions. However, it is also flattering that they find me so intriguing, they must ask questions about everything I do.

Yesterday when I praying (complaining) about this, I was stopped mid-complaint with this thought...what if they didn't have any interest in me? Wow. That would be so sad if my kids never wanted to hang out with me. Or worse....what could be worse???

What if I had kids that hung out with me, and pretended to like me under false pretenses? What if I had kids that spent time with me to learn the best way to manipulate me? What if I discovered my kids were only asking questions about me to learn how I operate? What if they were taking psychology classes on the side to learn better to get my stuff?

A horrible thought: What if that is what I do to God?

I wonder if that is how God feels about me when I read my Bible to learn the rules, and how best to get the most of life by following the correct principles. What if I spent my prayer time trying to get the most out of God, instead of just hanging out?
Why don't I let go of my need for control, and just ask God to come hang-out just for no reason at all? Just hanging out with no agenda, just because I love Him?

I'm not saying reading the Bible is wrong.
Its the motivation behind the action that I am questioning.
If I only read my Bible to figure out life, just gain more wisdom, or get direction for my life that would be wrong. If my goal in Bible reading was to understand more Godly principles to success...well, that's not wrong...in fact, I think a loving father would want me to have those things anyway. I'm just saying, if I never read it to understand my Dad's perspective, and learn about Him just because I love Him and find Him interesting...how much relationship am I missing out on?

Again, it comes down to what I am looking for....in the words of David Ruis..."I seek your face and not your hand." Right now I am in a place of looking for hanging out with God to chat, and not to hear a "word" or accomplish/gain anything. Any Bible reading, prayer-time or anything with an agenda attached to it, is a turn-off right now.

What parent doesn't want to hear, "let's just talk mom/dad because I think you're cool". That is the kind of Christian I want to be right now. A "God you're cool, can we talk?" kind of person.

That's me in corner. That's me in the spotlight. Losing my religion.

The Chronicles of Narnia...

I just went and saw The Lion and the Witch and the Wardrobe!

Hokey Dinah! (that's the christian version of a swear word!)

I just totally LOVE Asland! I get so happy when I hear him roar and scare the crap out of the enemy army. Everything he says is so wise too!

C.S. Lewis is a freaking genius!

Go see it! You must go see it! I think the people who made this movie actually read the book, which is a rare thing in Hollywood.
That's all I have to say about that.

Ponderous...

Today I spent alot of time in the car driving kids around, so I had lots of time to think, creating a ponderous sort of day. Is ponderous a word? My mind wondered over my life.

What resulted from my pondering?
Just some questions...if you have any answers...just tell me in the comments....

1. Is it really the thought that counts? If so, could we just give thoughts for Christmas?

2. If my children are watching my actions more than listening to my words, why am I wasting my breath? Is it possible to parent children silently to avoid repeating oneself over and over?

3. How can I find childcare for my children for one week of full-time work when all the childcare centers either have kids in full-time or not at all? How does this work when you need sporatic child-care and don't want to dump on the grandmas?

4. How much McDonald's will it take to damage my kid's kidneys and liver?

5. What if all God really requires of us is to handle every day (good and bad) to the best of our ability, to ask for help when we need it, and at the end of the day say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." What if all the other "should stuff" is just extra work?

6. Why is there such angst between doctors and chiropractors? Don't they both have the same goal--to make people healthy?

7. Is it possible to have money and not be "trapped" by it?

8. Why do people need Christmas as an excuse to get together with family and friends? Why do weNOt hang-out together all year long, and then over-do social occassions in December?

9. If wisdom comes with age, when I'm an old woman, will I look back on this moment right now and think I was a total moron?

10. When my daughters are horny teenagers, should I lock them up in a tower until they start using their brains instead of their ovaries? Or will doing that cause them to rebel?

Questions, questions, questions....anyone got any answers? Anyone?
Anyone? Anyone? Buhler? Buhler?

Ooo La La...

My daughters have a great-aunt who is my aunt who is great.
She's not my great-aunt, she's just my regular aunt but she is great to me because she is great, not because she's my great-aunt but she is great.
Phew! I'm glad I cleared that up!

This is what my wonderful aunt did. She made lovely dresses for my girls, which is so GREAT because they fit them perfectly...being made to their measurements and all.
As a non-sewing person, or "sewing-challenged" person, I'm always amazed at the talents of others who can do things like this. So enough chatter about it, I'll just post the girls in their new dresses.

Bella loves the tule on her dress and keeps lifting it `a la "Cinderella going up a flight of stairs".

Rebecca's dress has a little gold cape which she loves because coupled with a red dress, it makes her into Red Riding Hood. She had taken off the cape for the picture as she felt the need to wear her fairy wings (which she was asking for me to put on her when the picture was taken.) Rebecca was a willing model, and posed for several pictures. Its always getting them to take the dresses OFF that poses a problem.

Grandchildren...

Rebecca informed me last week that she heard a really cool name at school. So when she grows up and gets married and has a baby, she will name her baby that cool name.

Get ready for it....the name of my grandchild will be....
Bethlehem!

To re-cap on all my future grandchildren, here are the names my daughters have chosen for my wonderful grandchildren:

Bethlehem

Lola

Salsa

Matisha

Diego

Christmas On The Way...

Tonight I spent time with my family.
In the afternoon, my big sister and my little brother.
Later on spent time with my mom and dad.
In the evening, my big brother and sister-in-law and nieces and nephews.
Had my daughters running around, and watched my hubby and brother play volleyball.
Then went to a movie with my little brother.

Isn't that what the holidays is all about?
Spending time with my family is the best part about Christmas!
Being known is one thing, but being loved for the good in you and in spite of the bad in you is a priceless gift.
I am blessed.

What If Its Not About ME???

This past week I've been thinking about the parable of the prodigal son while I cleaned.
My thoughts are my own and not necessarily theologically sound. But meditating on the Bible is something that is theologically sound so I figure its okay to blog about my thoughts without being a stumbling block to people.

1. The Prodigal - I identify with this guy alot! I love the idea that no matter how bad I mess up (and I know I do) I can still be loved. I mean really bad mess ups!
-This guy practically disowned his own father, then went against everything his dad ever said and still his father loved him.
-That makes me less neurotic about my mistakes of the past and potential failures of the future!

2. The Older Son - I identify with this guy too! I am often really proud of how hard I try to do what is right. I mean really hard work!
-This guy did everything he was supposed to do and worked his butt off and for what, so his punk-brother could come home and get a reward that he never got--what is that???
-That me angry about all the time and energy I put into getting everything right.

So here is what I was thinking this week:
What if the story is not about me? What if it doesn't matter if I screw up or do well? What if the sons behaviour wasn't the point of the story?
What if the difference was really in their assumption about their father's character?

Here is what I mean:

Why did the prodigal go home?
He knew he had messed up badly, he certainly knew he had lost his position as a son but he figured his dad was a kind man who treated his servants well. He thought he could get better treatment at home as a servant. He assumed that overall his dad was forgiving enough to take him as a servant even though, he wasn't even worthy of that.
On his way home, he did not expect to be treated as a son and celebrated--he had no idea HOW much his father truly loved him--so it wasn't for reward that he went home.
The trek was just based on the assumption that his father had a good heart and would give him a servant position. He knew his dad well enough to know that he wouldn't be whipped or killed for trying to come back, it shows he had some sort of relationship with his dad that would lead to a positive assumption about his dad's character.

Why was the older son angry?
When he asked why he had to work so hard and never got to party, his dad said, "you're always here and everything I have is yours."
As it turned out, he could have been partying and enjoying the fruit of his labour for years but he assumed that wasn't what his father wanted. So basically he spent years living like a servant when he actually had access to all the resources in his home but never used them.
He was still trying to earn what he already had because he assumed this is what would please his dad. He assumed that his dad didn't want him to celebrate with his friends, but that wasn't actually true. This says to me that he didn't have a strong relationship with his dad, if he didn't know him well enough to use what he had rightfully earned.

My conclusion based on these thoughts?
Maybe that was the point that Jesus was trying to make when he told this story.
Its not your behaviour that matters but your relationship with God that matters.
When I know Him and assume that He wants good things for me, that He celebrates me, and loves me unconditionally---I behave differently than someone who is trying to earn favor.

This something I know intuitively but the point doesn't always make it into my brain department where it can influence my thoughts on God. I must remember that I have access to everything the father owns and stop trying to get things that I already have.
It has been my experience in the last that I am receiving more than I feel I deserve anyway so there must be a reason for it.
I think I just caught on to the reason, and it only took me A YEAR to figure out! Yay me!

Home, Safe and Sound...

Just an update on mom's situation.
She is home, safe and sound thanks to my big brother who went and picked up my mom and sister. They are sore, nervous about being in cars but they are glad to be home.

Thanks to all who prayed for them.