A Camp Story

We had a really long, cold, and particularly snowy winter here in Wyoming. It’s finally warming up, and we’re all super excited for camping season! (And also gardening!) Last year, we started our camping season off a little less than ideally. 

Here’s a story about that. I like to call it:

The Tale of the Tick

To be sure, he did not start off his day in a bid for fame and notoriety. He was just a small, unassuming American dog tick going about his usual business – looking for a bite. It was a cool and rainy day, and in the course of events, he happened to brush up against a young human girl who was trying to catch a fish. He thus began climbing up, searching for the perfect spot to hide and begin to feed. He didn’t make it… but he became a storied creature in the process.

Our family was all set to enjoy our first camping trip of the season. The weather forecast was rather foreboding (cold temperatures and around 2 inches of rain expected between when we were arriving and when we were heading home), but we opted to keep our reservation anyway. We arrived and got everything set up just before it started to rain, thankfully. The evening was cool, gray, and drizzly, but not too bad overall. 

The fishing crew.

PJ and the kids spent a good part of the time fishing, then we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire for a late supper before getting ready for bed. We were all feeling pretty damp by then, but the camper was dry and warm and everyone fell asleep fairly quickly. It rained overnight, too. I know because one of the dogs woke me up at 3am and I could hear it on the roof. Fortunately, I was able to convince her to lay back down, because going outside to wander around in my pjs in the cold rain at 3am trying to find her the perfect spot to relieve herself (she’s picky…) didn’t sound appealing at all. I eventually got up with both dogs at 6:30 and took them out for a walk. It was still just drizzly when I left the campsite, but by the time I got back, the rain was picking up.

Now, it typically doesn’t really rain very much in Wyoming, especially in the summers. So, while we’ve had rain while camping before, it has always been a shower that lasted a few hours at most. We camp in a pop up – all six of us and the two dogs. It’s normally enough space, because we don’t really spend much time in the camper other than to sleep, and if need be, we can all hang out around the table and play games while the inclement weather moves on. This day was different. Once it picked up around 7-7:30am, it didn’t stop all day long, except for some brief times where the weather would tease you into coming outside, only to proceed to soak you again.

Met some of the locals.

It was a holiday weekend, and the campground was pretty full when we arrived. By mid-morning, almost everyone had cleared out – chased off early by the rain. In fact, besides us, there was only one other camper in our section, and it was right next to ours.

The park was putting on a kids’ wildlife/outdoor event in one of the pavilions, which we attended, then went for a drive before making a late lunch. 

Little bit of sunshine on a rainy day (Western Meadowlark).

After we ate, PJ started in making hot chocolate for the kids, who were all sitting around the pedestal-style table playing games. I was having second thoughts about this arrangement – mostly because the aforementioned table is about as steady as a toddler who’s trying to stand on one leg – but anyway, it was cold and dreary and hot chocolate sounded good. Two or three of the kids had their drinks setting on the table, and PJ was making the rest, when Mountain Girl (our older daughter) felt something crawling on her neck, asked her brother what it was, and proceeded to stand up out of her seat and scream bloody murder upon the reply, “Oh, it’s a tick!”

Abject. Chaos. Ensued.

MG was screaming at the top of her lungs and didn’t seem to be pausing to take a breath at all. The younger two kids were also shrieking and/or crying (from the shock of it all, most likely). Our oldest son was shouting for everyone to calm down. PJ was removing the tick (which wasn’t even attached). I was shouting, “What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?!” because somehow I missed the proclamation of “tick” and thought that she had burned herself with the hot chocolate. Next, MG begins wriggling and squirming because now she thinks she feels things crawling all over her and is just freaking out about it. I’m all, “Everyone hold their hot chocolate!” because I know what’s going to happen if the table gets bumped even one time… but in trying to pick up the hot chocolate, youngest daughter knocks hers over, and then another one spills, too. There is hot chocolate on people, on the table, on the games, the floor, and the seat cushions. In the course of cleaning things up, I decided to pitch the chocolate-soaked games, which set off a whole new round of wailing. It took a while for things to get back to normal…

The next day, our site neighbor joined us at our campfire for some conversation. Of course, someone asked her if she had heard the screaming the day before. She did (not sure how she could have missed it). In fact, it was enough to cause her and her friend (a nurse, incidentally) to leave their card game momentarily and check out the window of their camper. They said that they were concerned that someone was hurt, but after a moment they heard laughter and decided that everything must be okay. We were all okay… but also, none of us remember laughing. Hysterical wailing, yes. Laughing, not so much. 

In spite of everything, we stayed for the entire length of our reservation. Made a lot of memories for sure, and learned a few things (I think this is when we first realized that we’d begun to outgrow our compact little camper, which we bought several years ago when the kids were quite a bit smaller). As we were leaving, the sun finally started to peak out from behind the clouds (of course).

Larkspur.

It has been almost an entire year now since that fateful day. We just recently went on a hike in the Black Hills this spring. I warned everyone ahead of time, because I had read that the area has a lot of ticks in the spring and early summer. They weren’t kidding. The ticks were so thick that you could actually see them hanging onto the blades of dry grass along the trail. Got through the “I want to go back to the car!” freak out of the first half-mile with NO screaming, and went on to hike about six miles total. Picked a couple ticks off of our clothing that day, but not even the dogs had one latch on, so that was a plus.

Enjoy all your summer adventures, and try to stay calm in the face of ticks! 😉

 

Christmastime in Wyoming

We have been in our new house for more than a month now, and we are finally past the worst of the unpacking-after-moving stage. Only a few unpacked boxes remain, and I also have some organizing to do in a few rooms. The office/school room is seriously a problem right now, as is the master bedroom. Ugh. However, having gotten most of it behind us, we’ve been able to take some time off for family fun again. A few weeks ago we went into the mountains to cut our Christmas tree. Cutting a wild tree has become a family tradition for us, and it’s one of the things I love about living here in Wyoming. For $8-10 or so (depending on the area), you can buy a permit from the National Forest Service to cut a Christmas tree.

This year we went to a new, unfamiliar spot, so we ended up hiking for a much longer time than we usually do to find our tree. It was a gorgeous day, though, and considerably warmer than some other tree hunts we’ve been on, so we didn’t really mind.

After we had selected a tree, and were just starting to cut it down, our oldest son asked if we had straps to tie it to the roof of the vehicle. “Yes,” I answered confidently, “Dad has straps in the car.” He got a stricken look on his face… then asked if they had been in a cardboard box. “Yes, in the back of the car,” PJ said. As it turns out, PJ had a bunch of empty moving boxes in the back of his car that he was going to haul away but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. So that afternoon, before we left to go to the mountain, he had asked our son to get ALL the cardboard boxes out of his car and move them over to my car. Which he did... and consequently, we now had no straps! Oops! Fortunately, with some creative jockeying, we managed to get our 8-foot-tall Christmas tree INSIDE the car and home we went. 😁

It’s been fun getting our new home all decorated for Christmas. We put up the tree, and some lights, and other decorations. We set up our nativity and the Christmas advent/countdown calendar for the kids. We hung the stockings on the wall (had to give up our nice fireplace mantle when we moved). It feels all comfy and cozy to me. I love seeing all the decorations. Sometimes I wish I could leave them up all year, but then they wouldn’t feel as special, either.

Earlier this week we wrapped up another pre-Christmas visit with my in-laws. They’ve been able to come out to visit us every year at this time, and again in the summer, for a good number of years now. We also got to see my parents twice this year, most recently this fall shortly before we moved. The kids always look forward to seeing Grandpa and Grandma! We were supposed to travel to spend last Christmas back east with everyone, but changed our plans and decided to go in the spring and then, for various reasons, that trip actually never ended up happening. So it was a real blessing to get to see them all, especially with the craziness that has been 2020.

This was our first time hosting anyone in our new home. It was definitely different, as we do not have a dedicated guest room at our place anymore. Despite that, it was comfortable and actually felt less crowded than it did when we had guests at our former residence. This house has a more open floor plan, and more space in the kitchen and dining area, so I think that’s a large part of why it felt less like we were bunched together all day.

PJ’s parents hadn’t really spent any time in this part of Wyoming before, so they were looking forward to exploring the area a bit. The weather was cold and snowy for much of the time they were here, and we had lots of inside activities to do (like making Christmas cookies!), so we didn’t do a whole lot outside. We did, however, take them to Devil’s Tower on one of the nicer days. Our family had been to Devil’s Tower once before, though the younger kids were pretty small and didn’t remember it. Our guests had never been there. If you’ve never been, you should definitely take the opportunity if you’re ever in the area. The tower is much more impressive in person than it even is in pictures. Signs on the trail explain some of the geology and history of the area. It’s very interesting. It is also located in a very pretty part of the state (watch for deer on the roads, though, there are a LOT in the area).

It was cold the day we went, but the trail around the tower was clear of snow and ice, and it was still a nice day despite the temperature. (Last time we went it was around the same time of year, but the trail was icy and slick so it wasn’t as nice.) There was only one other car in the parking lot when we pulled in. When we were partway up the trail we saw a couple other cars pull in, but those people must have only gone to the base of the tower because we never actually saw them.

We walked about 1 ¾ miles from our car, around the tower trail, and back. We took about 45 minutes to do so, because we stopped a lot to look at things and take pictures. During that time, we saw five whitetail deer, a few red squirrels, some birds, and only two other people. It was really nice! We felt like we had the place to ourselves.

We saw another car or two just as we were leaving. I think this National Monument is open all year round, but I’m sure it’s much, much busier in the summer than it is in the winter. We saw some more hiking trails we’d like to check out when it warms up, so we’ll be back again.

One of the things I like best is how different the tower looks from all sides as you go around it.

You’re up on a hill, so there are some great views, too.

Lots of people come to climb the tower. I never intend on doing that. Yikes! I’ll keep my feet on the ground, thank you. This is an old stake ladder that you can see through some viewing tubes along the tower trail.

Can you imagine going up that thing? It’s not close to the ground, either. It’s partway up the side of the tower.

After you go past the entrance station, as you come into the area around the tower, there is a prairie dog town there beside the road. We had planned to stop and watch the critters for a bit, but we didn’t see a single one. This caused the kids to wonder if prairie dogs hibernate. No one in the car knew the answer for sure, which led to the kids doing some spontaneous research when we got home. (Spoiler alert – they don’t hibernate, but they also don’t come outside much when it’s too cold.)

There was a big storm predicted for the east coast right when our guests were supposed to head home, so they ended up staying for an extra day to avoid the worst of it. None of us minded the extra time with them! Now that they are back home we are working on getting back into our regular routine, and I am catching up on a bunch of laundry that I let go while they were here. My poor washing machine… 😵

The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing the decorations and lights. I like listening to Christmas music and taking part in various holiday activities. I look forward to celebrating advent with our family. It can be a time of mixed emotions for many people though, myself notwithstanding. This year has been especially challenging. Having just moved, I am missing friends and being involved in some of the local activities we traditionally participated in. Last Christmas was also a pretty tumultuous time for me personally, and I can often be triggered by unhappy memories these days. This past Sunday, our pastor said something in his message that really struck me. He was talking about a time when he had to make a long drive through a white-out blizzard. He wanted to stop, but had to press on because it was more dangerous to pull over than it was to keep going. All of a sudden, he drove out of the storm and it was a sunny day. He could see the storm clouds in the rearview mirror. He said that having driven through something like that and come out of it, no one would willingly turn around and go back into it – they’d keep driving forward on the good road. Yet often times when we go through a storm in our lives we keep going back and reliving it. Essentially, his point was that there’s no reason to go back. We should continue moving forward and moving on with our life. Leave the storm behind. Walk in the sun. He also talked about how sometimes we can pray and pray and pray for something and feel like we’re never going to get an answer, and then suddenly God moves and does a miracle. Our circumstances can change in an instant and suddenly the storm is over. His message was an advent message, and I can’t hardly even tell you how this story related to all the rest of his message because it’s just the one part that stuck with me. While I cannot stop myself from remembering things from the past, I can choose how they affect me. It’s just too easy to let a memory cause me to turn around and mentally put myself back into the stormy place. Painful experiences in the past don't have to result in a lifetime of misery. I need to make a decision to see the memory through the rearview mirror of my mind and move forward anyway. Some days are better than others. Some memories are easier to move on from than others. It’s a process, and I’m learning (slowly). I'm so thankful that God empowers us to walk in freedom if we will set our mind on Him.

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death,

but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

- Romans 8: 6 (ESV)

The End of Summer

Today on the blog I'm taking you to a new corner of Wyoming. I guess I'm playing tour guide! We went to Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site for a camping weekend. But before I get to all the pictures... a story:

I've been so excited for school to start this year! We are continuing our homeschool journey, and as such I've spent several weeks this summer choosing and shopping for curriculum, planning and preparing. Recently I also went and purchased school supplies. I had so much fun picking out notebooks, rulers and index cards! I really had to control myself from going overboard and buying a bunch of stuff we didn't need – like a protractor for my preschooler. I always liked school myself... and school supply shopping for my kids is just the best. My favorite purchase - I am so pumped that I found a left-handed scissors for the Biker Dude!

(Uh oh, I think my nerd is showing.)

We started school this past week, but before we could get down to business we had one last summer-y weekend planned. Our church family headed out of town for a group camping excursion – the first of what hopefully becomes an annual event. Honestly, I wasn't originally looking forward to it. The thought of tent camping with a 2 ½ month old baby was less than appealing to me, to say the least. But! Some good great super-fantastic! friends of ours offered to lend us a camper for the event, and that changed everything.

Sooo... there we were, getting things ready so that we could leave the next day. The kids were already in bed and PJ and I were packing the camper when I asked him to go downstairs and bring up something we needed. He wasn't down there for more than two minutes before he started yelling for me to come and help him. I'm all, “What do you need my help for? I just sent you down there for one little thing.” “Just come help me!!!” he insisted, with quite an urgent tone in his voice (which, yes, that is just a nice way of saying that he yelled a little). Anyway, I get down there and discover the reason for his insistence - which was that our basement had gotten water in it (because of course that would happen the night before we want to leave for vacation...). There wasn't any standing water, thankfully, but the water did puddle up around your feet as you walked across the carpet. The room that flooded was my sewing room/storage room, so there were a lot of boxes and storage totes and miscellaneous items that we had to move. The water also went under the wall of that room and into our school room area, which meant that I had to tear apart nearly everything that I had spent so much time carefully preparing for our school year – just three days before it was supposed to start. (Ugh!!!) Once the heavy lifting was done, PJ got the wet vac out and vacuumed something like 15-20 gallons of water out of the carpet while I went upstairs and got back to packing. I was ready to call the camping trip off, I was so frustrated, but we turned a big fan on the carpet overnight and then left it to dry unassisted the next morning while we went to...

...Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site!

Oh. Nearly forgot. Can't leave yet. I hadn't been feeling good for a few days, and wasn't getting better at all, so I decided to go to Urgent Care that morning. Thankfully there wasn't a long wait, but they did end up putting me on antibiotics. So that was another unwelcome addition to our trip to...

...Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site!

(Yes, we can finally go. Wait. We can go - after we get gas and stop at the store and get lunch and feed the baby and... Good gracious, this leaving thing is taking forever!)

So. Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site. Never heard of it before. Never even knew it existed. Wyoming still has plenty of surprises left! We drove out into pretty much the middle of nowhere and followed a couple of tiny little signs.

Landscape near the entrance.

Went down a gravel road and came upon the entrance to the park which led us into what felt like an oasis. There was a cold stream full of trout and a large number of trees of the deciduous variety in a little valley surrounded by rocky bluffs.

 View from our campsite.

 Beautiful trout stream ran through the whole campground.

The campground was meticulously maintained with nice grassy sites and the cleanest, best-smelling pit toilets I've ever encountered (they used “forest” scented hanging car air fresheners). The campground was busy, but not totally full.

One of the available campsites.

Oh! And there was this – while we could drive just a short distance down the road and get cell service, there was no service after we passed through the entrance to the campground. This only added to the “oasis” feeling. There were no ringing cell phones disrupting the peace, and the only thing we watched in the evenings was the campfire. It was rather nice to be disconnected for a couple of days.

The kids were in their glory – spending all day outside, running around with their friends, riding bikes, playing in the creek, making s'mores... It was the first time that we'd been camping in a few years, and the first time ever for Little Mister and Little Miss. In fact, last time we went, Mountain Girl was just a little over a year old and we went tent camping at the beach. (Sand + little kids + tent... hmmm, maybe there's a reason we didn't feel like going camping there for a bit...) Anyway, they absolutely loved it. In fact, I think we all had a pretty good time.

We had a young man who wanted to be baptized in a creek, so we did that on Sunday morning. It was definitely a highlight of our weekend! We also enjoyed a little walk around the campground on a nature trail, an outdoor church service, horseshoes (until they broke) and ladderball, omelets-in-a-bag (just ask if you want the instructions for them – they're really good and a simple way to feed a large group), campfires and lots of s'mores and conversation.

 Nature trail.

Nature trail.

Cactus and wildflowers along the nature trail.

 Nature trail.

Oh, and if you're wondering why the place is called an “Archaeological Site” rather than a State Park or something else, it's because of the petroglyphs (which you can view quite easily on a large rock face right by a parking area) and I guess they also did some archaeological excavations there as well.

 Petroglyph area.

It was a nice, refreshing weekend – even if it was dampened just a bit by the knowledge that we had to deal with the basement when we got back home. The carpet was still a little damp, as we expected, so we turned the fan back on to get it all dried out. The good news is that there has been no more water coming in, and we're pretty sure we know what happened, so everything should be all taken care of now. I was determined to start school despite the mess, so we've been working around it. Things have been going well, even if they are a bit cramped and a lot disorganized. Hopefully soon we can move the furniture back where it belongs and get everything all situated the way that it was before.

 Wild sunflowers of Wyoming.

"He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams."

-Psalm 23: 2 (NLT)

 

Life and Love

From the minute he woke up this morning, Little Mister was in full-on toddler mode, and he kept it up all. day. long. I couldn't seem to figure out what he wanted at all, and nothing I did was the “right” thing in his mind. Tonight, at supper, we had pizza. He was excited about this! He loves “peepah”! Waiting for it to cool down was torture. “Peepah! Peepah!” I gave him two tiny slices. “Peepah! Peepah!” Yes, Mister, you have pizza. “Peepah! Peepah! Peepah!” Yes. That's pizza. Eat your pizza, buddy. “Peepah!” (Insert tone of growing desperation, as mommy obviously doesn't understand what the problem is.) I stared at his plate. Hmm. I usually cut his pizza into small pieces, not slices. Could that be the issue? I took his plate and started cutting it up. His tone changed to one of excitement again: “Peepah! Peepah!” Yes. Got it. I hand him the plate. It took him all of 3.2 milliseconds to determine that this particular pizza was “bleh”. Apparently, tortilla crust is not an adequate substitute for real pizza dough. So much for my supper shortcut. He didn't eat any of it.

And while this toddler drama is playing out, I am listening to my older two kiddos. Biker Dude is telling me that he wants to be a grandpa when he grows up. “Why?”, I ask. Well, it's so he can tell his grandkids all about sea creatures (we're on a bit of an Octonauts kick here of late). Mountain Girl wants to be a grandma when she grows up. But, “I don't want to have a woice (voice) like you, mom. I want to keep my same woice. I like my woice. Your woice sounds like a boy. Say something. Mom, say something.” Me: “Something.” “Oh, you don't sound like a boy. You sound like a dirl (girl).” Well that's a relief. :)

And the new girl was sleeping soundly in her swing.

They're all asleep in their beds now. The wind is howling outside, blowing in a storm I'd guess. The floor looks like there was a windstorm inside, too. Toys are everywhere. There are dirty dishes in my sink and crumbs on the floor. Someone left the lights on downstairs. The dryer is full of clean clothes, ready to be folded. And it's all okay. :) Yes, the mess bugs me. Mostly because I know that after I deal with it tomorrow morning, my house has a 9 in 10 chance of looking the same way it does now by late afternoon. But for tonight I will dismiss the mess and relabel it as “the signs of life” and I will sit and relax for a few.

Life with little kids... It's messy, and it's glorious. It's both tiring and energizing at the same time. It'll drive you crazy... and yet, you'll wonder what you ever did without them. Yup. It's love.

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

- Psalm 127: 3 (NLT) 

It Might Not Be Easy, But...

October 17, 2014. Yup, that's the last time I sat down and wrote a post for the blog. That's really bad for blog-business, I know, but I've had some other things I've been focused on for the last while. It wasn't long after my last post that we found out that we were expecting our fourth child. My pregnancy wasn't completely trouble-free, but she's here now! And she's about a month old already! Wow. Time flies.

Say “hello” to the Little Miss!

Besides that, we've just been doing life together. It's been quite a ride, as we've dealt with some bigger health issues in our family lately along with some other things, but we're all doing fine now. I'm ready to move on and have a break from doctors for a while, though!

With the birth of our new daughter we've had a run of family visitors. The kids have enjoyed having a grandparent or two here for all but five days out of the last month. Of course this always produces a variety of emotions for me. I love having family here! I hate seeing them leave. It means that what I have on my mind right now is that fact that...

...I have two homes.

My Pennsylvania home is where I grew up. It is where my family is, and where my husband's family is. I know things about that place. I know where to go to find the best fresh produce. I know where to find a good cheesesteak. I know what time church starts. I know who serves the best ice cream, and what time to go there to avoid the worst crowds. I know how the seasons change. I know what the woods smell like, and where to find salamanders, and where to go to take a hike. I know where the mulberry tree grows in my grandparent's back yard. I know the smells of the farms – silage, rich black dirt, tobacco hanging to dry, tomato plants, manure and hay fields. I know what night of the week my family will be gathering together at my parent's house for a meal and to spend time together. And I know that I will not be there.

My Wyoming home is where my kids are growing up. It is where we are building our family. I know things about this place. I know what times of the year are best to go to Yellowstone, and what times to avoid it. I know what sagebrush smells like, and how the strong odor of it chokes the air after a hail storm. I know the best places to go eat. I know exactly what time I have to leave my house to get to church on time. I know what horses and saddle leather smell like, and I love it. I know how the seasons change. I know where to go for the best views, and where to see wildlife, and where to sit at the rodeo. I know what night of the week I will be inviting my friends over for homemade pizza and popcorn and to spend time together. And I know that none of our relatives will be coming.

It is hard when your heart is in two places. For me that means that I deal with the effects of living far from my family. It means not knowing how to respond when Biker Dude says he wants us to move to Pennsylvania to be close to his grandparents. It means feeling a little left out and kind of sad when I'm looking at pictures or hearing stories about what our friends and relatives across the country have been up to.

So, why don't we move? I'll tell you... we just can't. As many good memories as I have about my childhood in PA, and as much as I miss the farms and fresh produce and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, and as awful much as I miss being able to see my family, and PJ's family, and our friends we grew up with, and spend time with all of them more often... I know with complete certainty that we are where God has called us to be right now. And I know that is the most important thing. Even if it is hard. (I also know that the PA I grew up in has changed a lot since I left, and I know that there are too many people, and the sky is not big enough... And I know that I feel a little claustrophobic when I go back. I love the mountains, and I love the big sky, and I love the wide open spaces. I love being able to go and take a hike or a horseback ride and not see another person. I love raising my kids in this place. The west just makes my heart happy, even when I'm feeling a little down about missing out on family time.)

You may find yourself in a similar situation as me, juggling the emotions that go along with long-distance relationships, or your heart may be in two places for another reason. While I haven't found that it is really getting any easier with time, I can say that it helps a lot to surround yourself with a good support system. We have friends that have become like family to us – many of whom are also living a significant distance apart from their families. We spend holidays together, and trade off babysitting, and help each other as much as we can. We look out for each other and support one another in the raising of our children. We have a strong homeschool group – a community of parents that support each other in the education of our children. We have a wonderful church family. PJ and I support each other as husband and wife, and we can talk with each other about the hard issues and conflicting emotions that we deal with.

But most of all, we take strength, purpose and confidence in relying on God. He is our rock (Psalm 18: 2). He is our Father (Galatians 3: 26). He has provided us with a helper in the form of the Holy Spirit (John 14: 26). He loves us (Romans 8: 38-39). God the Father gave up everything for us. He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to the cross to die for us. Talk about having a heart in two places! Imagine the agony of God's heart in sending Jesus – His beloved Son, pure and sinless - to be persecuted and abused, beaten and mistreated and killed... Imagine the intensity of love in His heart for you and I, as He sent Jesus to endure those things in order that we could be saved from the ultimate consequence of our sins – death and separation from Him forever. And imagine, at the end of the agony and the victory, the pride with which God must have greeted His Son and said, “Job well done.” And you know what? That's why we do what we do. That's why we've chosen to live in Wyoming, over 2,000 miles away from our family. That's why missionaries go overseas, even farther away from their loved ones than we are – even to countries where they must conceal their true purpose for being there in order for them to continue their work and even to preserve their very lives. It's because everyone deserves to know about God's love for them, and to make their decision for or against Christ. It's because we, as Christians, can't NOT go where we've been called. To live out from under what we know is God's plan and purpose for us would make us miserable. We are compelled to spread the love of God to those around us. And while we do that we will face hard times and conflicting emotions. And it may sometimes seem like it would be easier to quit, and just to live for ourselves... but if we persevere and make disciples and follow God and love Him with all our heart – if we are faithful with what He has entrusted to us - we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25: 21),” and it will have all been worth it.

That's why. Even though it might not be easy.

Just When You Think You've Got It Together...

a.k.a. The Bologna Castle Incident

One week, recently, I went grocery shopping.

I have a simple philosophy when it comes to groceries – the less often I shop, the less money I spend. I make a menu plan for the next seven to ten days, check my pantry, then make my grocery list. Then I go shopping once. Sometimes, I forget things. Like toothpaste, or laundry soap. And then I have to go back before the week is up. But generally, it works pretty well. Or at least... it did.

And then we had kids.

And now... going grocery shopping once a week, with three kids in tow, is like running a marathon. (Well, that's my best guess for a comparison. I've never run a marathon though. No plans to, either. Not a runner.) Anyway, I'm always exhausted by the end of it. And the kids are usually totally over it by the time we get done get halfway through our list enter the doors of the store. Sometimes I go by myself at night after the kids are in bed! It's like a vacation! (Well, that's my best guess for a comparison. I don't really go on vacations though...)

Anyway, back to the week in question. On this particular day, we were expecting company. They were due to arrive in the evening, somewhere around suppertime, and we needed some groceries and sundry items. It couldn't wait until after they arrived, and I hadn't planned ahead, so that left me with no choice other than to go shopping in the middle of the day with my kiddos. Not really my favorite thing to do, but hey... I do it all the time, so no big deal, right?

Well, we got through the non-grocery sections pretty quickly and painlessly, then moved on to the grocery aisles. We got our milk, yogurt and cheese. Then we stood in front of the lunch meat. And as I decided whether we wanted turkey or ham (we got both), Mountain Girl made a monumental discovery.

Bologna packages STACK in a fashion quite similar to blocks.

“Look, mom! I'm making a castle!”

Me: “Wow, honey, that's great.” (She had about three packs stacked up at this point.) “Okay, kids, let's go.”

One thing that preschoolers struggle with is... listening. I guess adults struggle with that sometimes, too. If it's fun, and I only do it for one more minute, then I don't have to come exactly when someone calls me, right?

I begin walking away from the deli case. And at that time, Biker Dude sees what Mountain Girl is doing and since it looks like more fun than following mom around the grocery store (I can't imagine why), he starts stacking bologna too.

The more steps I took away from the deli case, and the more often I called them to follow me, the faster and more haphazardly the bologna packages were stacked! They were making the most of their time, that's for sure.

Finally, upon threat of jail time the loss of their afternoon snack, they come running over to me. YES.

Then, I look beyond their happily mischievous little faces to the deli case. NOOO...

It looks like... like... well, I can't even think of a suitable comparison. (Tsunami? Earthquake? Hurricane? Landfill?) Anyway, it's bad. There are bologna packages everywhere. (Not on the floor, thank goodness, but strewn everywhere through the deli case.)

“Okay, turn around,” I say. “You guys are going back over there and cleaning up the mess you made. We have to put all the bologna back where it belongs. Somebody worked hard to set that out, and you guys trashed it!”

We go. We fix the bologna. I can't figure out where the Beef Cotto Salami is supposed to go (what is that, anyway?), but we do the best we can. Then we go to find potato chips for daddy's lunches.

And then IT happens. A nice young lady stops me and says, “You're a good mom. I saw what you did there, and I was impressed.” I was a little embarrassed, to be honest. I didn't realize anyone was paying attention. I said, “Oh... thank you," then moved on.

And then I thought to myself... “Yes, I think that was a pretty good mom-moment. Making my kids take responsibility for their behavior. I can do this mom-thing.” And I walked down the aisle feeling a little happy with myself. A little pat on the back. Yes, it is nice to be recognized sometimes for things that we do as moms that are generally pretty unremarkable.

BUT, just when you think you've got it together, life happens.

Life, in this case, refers to the full-scale mutiny which my (lovely) children unleashed on me in the next aisle.

I'm sure there was a whispered conversation between them. “Psst, MG, mom thinks she's got a handle on us here.” “No way! What do we do about it?” “Oh, it's on now! Just follow my lead...”

(P.S. - This is all in fun. I love my kids. I know they're not actually out to get me – well, most of the time anyway. 😉)

They ran up and down the aisles! They darted in front of other patrons and their shopping carts! They didn't come when I called! They said things like, “Let's play tag!” and “Let's play hide-and-seek!” to each other! They shouted! They (well, mostly Mountain Girl) screamed!

I tried to get a handle on it. I picked up Mountain Girl and put her in the cart. She cried. Loudly.

>>Sometimes, people, the lady in the store with the crazy kids that you look upon judgmentally (and yes, I've been guilty doing that myself)... sometimes, she's doing the best she can. Maybe show her a little grace...<<

They weren't done yet!

I put MG back down after she “pom-missed” to behave herself.

And they danced! And they played ring-around-the-rosie! And they fell on the floor! And crawled on the floor! (Which is just gross, by the way.)

PJ called. He was on his way home from work. He was going past the store. I said, “Rescue me!”

A few minutes later, my knight in shining armor husband in dirty work clothes came riding walking through the door on a white horse in boots. Reinforcements had arrived! I breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Kids. Sometimes they make you proud. Sometimes they keep you humble. Sometimes they make you laugh. Sometimes they make you cry. Sometimes you find yourself celebrating your apparently awesome skills in parenting. And sometimes you wonder where on earth they came from, and who taught them how to behave.

At times like this, when our kids make us feel like a complete disaster, I keep telling PJ that consistency is the key (even though sometimes I feel like it's not working at all). I have to believe that as long as we keep on reinforcing the same concepts, eventually something is going to stick in their little minds. And later, when we can't be there beside them, they'll hopefully have learned enough from us to make the right choices.

Next time they stage a mutiny in the grocery store and I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle... I'm gonna try and remember that. And in a few years, when we're facing much different challenges, I'm maybe even gonna wish for a deli case bologna castle.

Maybe.

We'll see.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

 -Proverbs 22: 6 (KJV)

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

-Psalm 127: 3 (NLT)

 

Questions (Happy Mother's Day)

Answering questions can be exhausting.

I'm not talkin' SAT questions or anything like that. That's cake.

I'm talkin' preschooler questions. Now that's tough!

I'm writing this post from the point of view of a SAHM. (That's a Stay At Home Mom, if you didn't know. Why does the internet love acronyms so? IDK.) Although I think all parents should be able to identify with it! But really, anyone who has spent any significant amount of time (like, longer than thirty seconds) around some preschool-age children should be able to relate to this – at least a little bit.

The following conversation didn't actually take place... but it could have – any day of any week this year. I'm just drawing from experience here. (Names have been changed to protect the identities of the innocent.)

Preschool Boy (looking at a picture in a book) - "Is this a shark?"

Mom (aka Answer Lady) - (glancing at the book) - "Yes."

Preschool Boy - “What kind of shark is it?”

Answer Lady - (looking at the book more closely) – “This says it's a mako shark.”

PB - “A mako shark!? Hahaha... That's funny, right mom?”

AL - (smiling) “Sure.”

PB - “Then why aren't you laughing?”

AL - (forced) “Ah... ha ha ha.”

PB – (apparently satisfied by my AL's fake laughter) “What do mato sharks eat?”

AL - “MaKo. I don't know what they eat... maybe they eat little boys!”

PB - “What? Mom! Are you joking me?!”

AL - (chuckling for real this time) “Yeah, I'm just joking y – I mean, I'm just teasing you.”

PB - (smiles) “So what do they eat?”

AL - “Well, I guess they eat-”

PB - “What? What do you guess they eat?”

AL - “PB, you need to wait until I finish my sentence. Don't interrupt, okay? I think they eat-”

PB - “What's a sentence?”

AL - “A sentence is a bunch of words put together. Please remember not to interrupt. I guess they eat fish.”

PB - “What eats fish?”

AL – (getting exhausted now...) “What? What were we just talking about?”

PB - “Oh! Sharks!”

AL - “Yes.”

PB - “Mom! Why do sharks eat fish? Why?”

AL - “Dude, I'm right here – you don't have to yell for me. I don't know. That's just how God made them I guess.”

PB - “Why?”

AL - “Why do you eat sandwiches?”

PB - “Oh. Because I'm hungry.”

AL - “Well, I suppose that's why sharks eat fish. Because they're hungry.”

PB - “Okay. Is it snack time now mom?”

AL - “Not yet.”

PB - “Why not!? I'm hungry!”

AL - “But you just ate breakfast! How could you be hungry already? Why don't you go play for a while?”

PB - (whining) “I don't have anything to play with. What can I do, mom?”

AL - “How 'bout you build a big train track for me.”

PB - “Nooo. Trains are boring!”

AL - (seriously?) “Pick another book then.”

PB - “enhhh... Okay. Will you read it to me?”

AL - “Sure. Just let me finish washing these dishes up.”

PB - “Can I have a snack first?”

AL- (sigh)

Elapsed time: 5 minutes, max. Do you know how many minutes there are in a day? One thousand, four hundred and forty – that's how many! (And no, you can't subtract night-time minutes. They're fair game too – sometimes, anyway.) Plenty of time for lots more questions!

Whew. I'm worn out already. (You know... theoretically.)

All kidding aside... I really do want my kids to be curious and ask questions. Even if it can be rather tiring. It's how I know they're learning. And noticing things about their world. And it keeps things interesting, too!

As they say, kids will be kids. Preschoolers will be preschoolers. So let them be! They're not going to get a second chance to be three or four years old. Love them. Answer their questions (as best as you can!). Hold them when they're sitting still. Put down the smart phone. Turn off the TV. Color a picture. Build an epic couch-cushion fort. Be patient. Teach. Forgive. (And sometimes, fellow SAHMs - get out and spend some time with people to whom you do not have to explain why one shouldn't play in the trash can or climb on the backs of couches. It is valuable for the preservation of your sanity.)

Don't forget Mother's Day! Go ahead and thank your mom for – among other things – answering your (many) questions. ;o)

Thank you Mom!

"Honor your father and mother..."

-Ephesians 6: 2a