Rocks In My Dryer

Some Profound Thoughts, Though None Of Them Are Mine...

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.  --Balzac

You can never lose what you have offerered to Christ.  --Elisabeth Elliott

A little library, growing every year, is an honorable part of a man's history.  It is a man's duty to have books. --Henry Ward Beecher

We trust, not because a God exists, but because this God exists.  --C.S. Lewis

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. --Helen Keller

The best thing about the future is that comes only one day at a time.  --Abraham Lincoln

Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't.  --Pete Seeger

Oh, Mickey, You're So Fine...

We love to travel.  It's a priority to Hubs and me, in planning our family budget, to take our kids on as many trips as possible.  We're both pretty organized people, and we've streamlined the trip-planning process to work for our family.  We can pinch our travel pennies until they bleed, and we've  finely tuned our strategies for managing trips with young children. 

But we have met our match.

One week from tomorrow, we are leaving to take our children to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  And I have learned, as I've done my research, that you don't take a vacation to Disney World, you take a pilgrimage.

For example, we have had our dinner reservations for six months.  SIX MONTHS.  Almost as much time as it takes to grow a baby.  But we were warned that this was the only way to be assured we could have dinner with Goofy and breakfast with Donald, so we did it. 

And then there's planning what to tackle while we're there.  Friends who know what they're talking about (thank you, Chilihead) assure me that if you show up with just a smile and a camera that you'll miss all the good stuff.  You need a game plan.  And maps.  And water bottles.  Kind of like Survivor, but with embroidered mouse ears.

So the game plan is formed by visiting sites like this, or this, or reading books like this, and one quickly realizes that so much has been written on the subject of Disney World that it would take a lifetime to read it all, and seven or eight vacations pilgrimages to see it all.  And this is hard for control freaks like Hubs and me who are normally in utter control over every moment of our trips.  But I'm deep breathing.  Hakuna Matata, as they say in Disney-ese, right?

Because, really, it's Disney World.  The most magical place in all the world, and I'm determined not to let my tendency toward hyper-planning turn me into Clark Griswold.  When we stroll down Main Street USA on the first morning, as Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah plays over the loudspeakers, I imagine that the looks on my kids' faces will have turned me into a blubbering mess.  Plan?  What plan?

Morning Laughs

Every one of these conversations happened in my house this morning before 8:30 am:

First, 8-year-old Adam came downstairs wearing a black shirt and navy blue pants. 

Me:  Adam, you need to change your clothes--those don't match.

Adam:  Why not?

Me: Well, blue and black don't go together.

Adam:  But they both start with B!

Minutes later, as I drizzled syrup on 4-year-old Joseph's pancakes:

Joseph: Can I put the syrup on?

Me: No, not today.  How about if I give you some extra syrup instead?

Joseph:  [Flipping me a thumbs-up sign]  Thanks, babe!

Then I heard 7-year-old Stephen in the pantry, unable to open a new bottle of apple juice.  My hip-hop child was chanting, in his best rap style:

Yo, yo, Mom, help me out!

Yo, yo, Mom, help me out!

Who needs cable when you get to eat breakfast with characters like this?

On a different note, thank you for such wonderful comments to yesterday's post.  If you haven't been back to read them all, you really should--seems like many of us have stories of how the old hymns have touched us.  Thank you for sharing!

Sing Me the Old Songs

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church that wasn't a particularly riveting place to be--at least to a kid.  In fact, I spent the better part of my growing up years thinking that church was D-U-L-L, dull.  I complained to my parents about this, and my wise mother simply told me, "Read the hymnbook."  So I did.  Thus much of my theology in my earliest years came from those old Baptist hymns, and what rich theology it was!  They are my favorite songs to this day.  I think back over my life and realize that there were many times when the hymns ministered to me almost as much as Scripture did--sometimes, maybe even more. 

When I was college and spent a year running from God, thinking the whole deal was a bunch of hooey, I couldn't shake these words:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus;

Look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Years later, after we miscarried our first baby right in the middle of Easter season, as re-birth and life were celebrated all around us, there were moments I thought I'd stop breathing.  But Easter morning God threw me a lifeline with this song:

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives.

I survived my third child's bout of colic (and three months of incessant crying--his and mine) by rocking him and singing this song about 50 quadzillion times:

I sing because I'm happy,

I sing because I'm free.

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

Then there's this one, that makes me think of my Dad:

I love to tell the story,

'Twill be my theme in Glory,

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.

And this one, that makes me think of my mom:

Amazing love, how can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me.

When I sing those songs, I feel a rich kinship with the millions of believers who have sung them before, in pews, battlefields, hospitals, cemetaries, schools, cars, prisons and kitchens--believers with different struggles, crying out in different languages, and at different points in history, but all singing to the same God.  I think that's a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like.

What about you?  Do you have a hymn story you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear it.

The Night of the Edible Planets

Last weekend was my oldest son's Blue and Gold Banquet .  This is the annual celebration for a Cub Scout pack in which all the boys' achievements are celebrated.  I was my son's proud "date" for the event.  The theme was "Out Of This World", and they had told us ahead of time that they would be presenting a trophy to the boy whose parent could come up with the most creative, theme-oriented dessert.  No pressure there, right?

We didn't win, but I thought I'd show off the clever little dessert we rigged up. (I'm usually the send-a-box-of-Little-Debbies mom, so when I do something like this, I want it documented for all to see!) It was actually pretty easy, and it could be adapted for a space-themed birthday party:

The sun is made from a 9" round pan, and the planets are cupcakes.  Here are a couple of close-ups:

You should've seen the desserts that won:  cookies made to look like Martian fingers and a 3-D solar system with gumball planets.  Serious stuff.

Yep, I'm At It Again

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I change my template design almost as often as I change my clothes.  I'm finally beginning to learn a thing or two about PhotoShop, so I'm experimenting with some new looks and headers.  Be forewarned--until I figure out what I'm doing, my "look" may be different every time you stop by!  If you have any opinions on the subject, feel free to leave them in my comments. 

Oscar Thoughts

Last night I watched the Academy Awards.  The movies were politically charged, but the evening was, for the most part, pleasantly tame (I was braced for a good bit of Bush-bashing).  The dresses were beautiful, Jon Stewart was funny, Reese Witherspoon was charming--all in all, an entertaining evening.  But George Clooney's acceptance speech, in which he proudly reveled in being "out of touch" with main-stream America, got me thinking. 

The Oscars, while fun to watch, are really nothing more than a chance for Hollywood to proclaim to a billion viewers how "important" their work is, how they're changing the world with their art.  And that never sits right with me.  The reality is, out here in middle-America, we know who the world-changers really are, don't we?  The kindergarten teachers and firefighters, the foster parents and basketball coaches, the nurses and the police offers--these are the heroes.  Folks in the real world who cook their own meals and wash their own cars.  Families who are pinching pennies so a parent can stay home and raise the kids.  People who have to deal with broken washing machines, dead-beat dads, lines at the grocery store and car trouble.  And at the end of the day there are no fancy dresses, no photographers--instead there is dinner to cook and homework to check and a bed to fall into so you can get up and do it all again tomorrow.  Those are the world-changers.

So, Hollywood, make your movies and entertain us every now and then, but know that the real heroes don't require award ceremonies to tell them how they're doing.  They're too busy making the car payment and coaching soccer.  And to those of you out there fighting the good fight, you may not get an Oscar, but you have the respect of those of us in the trenches with you.

The Days of Laundry Glory

My number-one-supreme-favorite-of-all-mom-blogs, Mommy Life, has launched a funny contest called Love That Laundry Room!  She is inviting readers to send in pictures of themselves in their--what else--laundry rooms.  And guess which ridiculous picture she has chosen to kick off this contest (*nervous gulp*)?  Yep, me.  Go check it out.  And be a sport and send in one of yourselves so that I won't be the only laundry dork out there in cyber space, m'kay?  You can even win one of Barbara's books--she is an accomplished author and speaker.  And while I'm singing her praises, let me just say that if you don't read her blog, you are missing a treat.  I've never seen someone balance truth and grace as expertly as Barbara does.  Especially don't miss this post.   Oh, and this one.  Oh, heck, just read 'em all.

Overheard at the Dinner Table

Four-year-old Joseph sat gloomily at the table, staring sadly at his plate.

Husband:  Joseph, are you sad about something?

Joseph: [deep sigh]  No.  I'm fine.

Husband: Because you look very sad.  What is wrong?

Joseph:  Okay, I'm very sad about one thing.

Husband:  [Concerned by now].  What is it, Son?

Joseph: Bears.

Husband:  Bears?

Joseph:  Yes, bears.  I'm sad about bears.  [Suddenly perkier].  Can I have some more milk please?

One problem down, 437,291 to go.

What Shannon Needs

I got nothin' this morning.  Zilch.  Nada.  A nasty cold is ravaging my family, and I'm so drunk on Sudafed that there is nary any room for a profound thought inside my head.  So...

As long as I'm playing around with mindless Google games, here's another one fun one.  (Hat tip to Jeana for the idea).  Here's how it works: go to Google, type in "[your name] needs", and see what comes up.  Here were my top results:

1. Shannon needs more promotion and recognition.   
2. Shannon needs to be constantly highlighted. 
3. Shannon needs a lesson in accountability. 
4. Shannon needs information on responsible behavior. 
5. Shannon needs to learn how to soothe her moods with something other than food. 
6. Shannon needs to be more vigorously investigated by the Irish Government.
7. Shannon needs her own flashback.
8. Shannon needs a break from the kids.
9. Shannon needs to breathe through the contractions.
10. Shannon needs to be fully funded.

Did you hear that, Honey?  I know you're reading.  Fully funded.  Google said it, so it must be true.

I've Been Googled

The best part of blogging is forging enriching friendships with wise and funny women from all over the country.  The second best part is--oh, YES!--reading the Google searches that brought people to my site.  If you have not yet uploaded Site Meter to your page, you are missing hours of fun.  And it's free! 

Here are some of the Google searches that have brought people to my blog, with a little added commentary just for fun:

my laptop making loud funny noises  I suppose "loud funny noises" is the technical term?

steel magnolias quote how your insides are doing  The single greatest movie line in history: "I'm not sure how your insides are doin', Honey, but your hair is holdin' up just great."  Referenced in this post.

logic to a 4 year old  I didn't know there WAS such a thing.

rubbing noise on dryer  Maybe your logical four year old is rubbing a rock on it.

fancy towel foldings  In this house, if it's folded at all, it's fancy.

term papers on Steel Magnolias  You have GOT to be kidding.  What kind of class are you taking?  When I was in school it was all MacBeth and The Scarlet Letter.  What kind of things are they teaching kids these days?  And where can I sign up for this class?

clothes dryer danger for children  How about having a mother who blogs so much she forgets to do the laundry?

my dryer isn't getting hot  Perhaps you should put on a negligee?

Praying Rocks Mother And Child  Not sure what to make of this one.

Where DO Rocks Come From  God.  And volcanoes.

humble neckties Arkansas  Yes, because those prideful neckties from Alabama must be avoided at all costs.