Days To Remember G's Blog

I grew up in Ohio, near Kings Island and when I got older I spent many a summer day there, riding the Beast, the Beastie, and the red and blue Racers. I even remember my mom making me put in my pocket a piece of paper with my name address and phone number - I guess if something array happened. We also had Americana. I am not even sure if Fantasy Farm and Americana are even open, but I am sure my first roller coaster ride was at one of these parks. I also remember one year going to Bush Gardens in Virginia (I think??) and riding the Lock Ness Monster! I remember the line was not long and my dad and my brother and I went on it so many times and the last time we got in line some kid puked, so we decided not to go on it again, because that is just not appetizing to roller coaster riding. In these cases I feel where there is one puker there are probably more because the smell is so disgusting! Oh, the memories of roller coasters. So what is your most memorable roller coaster ride? I am excited that the boys had their first experience on the roller coaster with each other, sitting side by side, screaming their little heads off, with their mama behind them screaming too!

Hezekiah, my eldest child, has a hard time with listening. It maybe that his mind is on what "he" wants to do at the moment rather than what Mommy or Daddy want him to do at the moment. Whatever the reason, this is a skill we are trying to develop in him more and more. Since he is our first child I feel at times I am more stern with him. I try to not be, but he is our first and everything seems like an experiment to me with him. So, I try different things to try and get him to focus on me and what I am saying. I will say, "Hezekiah, where are your listening ears." (Preschool thing) And he says, "Oh, I do not have them on Mommy, let me put them on." I also give him stars for immediately doing what I say. Or high fives, hugs, chocolate, or a "Look me in the eyes baby, you did exactly what Mommy told you to do!" Well, after a couple of difficult days (I was sharing this with some ladies yesterday morning.......the difficulties that is) this little guy decided that today was the day to listen and do. He sang, "I'm going to do what my Mommy and Daddy say and I'm going to be the best boy in the whole state!" Too funny. Then after doing something that Daddy told him to do, he said, "I did what Daddy told me to do....I Rock!" Crack me up.

Oh my Hezekiah, if you only knew how much this Mommy and Daddy of yours loved you. I have been praying for you the past few days to be a good listener, but I also have been praying that God would help you with this habitual cough that you have right now. The doctor said it is a vocal tick that kids sometimes habitually form after a recent cold (which you had 2 weeks ago). I'm am praying that somehow God will just remove it so that you do not feel like you have to clear your throat and cough every minute. I love you my sweet boy. You keep me on my toes, you make me laugh, you make me cry as I write this right now because my love for you is swelling in my heart. Thank you my sweet boy for wanting and desiring to listen to Mommy and Daddy and do what we say. Keep it up my boy, keep it up!

I had forgotten this story and what a treasure it is for teaching my children about having a grateful heart and not coveting to the point of no return. So here it goes.

The King at the time was King Ahab, King Ahab lived next to Naboth's vineyard. Ahab wanted the vineyard and asked Naboth for the vineyard, offering money or exchanging land with Naboth. Naboth replied, "The land had been in his family for many generations, and he had no intention of parting with it." So Ahab was angry and he left and sulked and refused to eat. King Ahab's wife was Jezebel and she inquired what was the matter with him. King Ahab replied, "Because Naboth has refused to give me his vineyard, even though I offered him the chance to get a better one or get money for it." (Can you see you children or yourself acting this way? -- Oh, I have seen my children and know I, myself have acted this way!). Jezebel then took it upon herself to set things straight and get the land for Ahab. She had letters written to the leaders of Jezereel and instructed the leaders to arrange a special banquet and seat Naboth in an important place. Two rogues were to be placed either side of him and they were to testify that he had spoken against God and the king. Naboth was then to be taken out and executed. Once Naboth was announced dead Jezebel informed her husband, Ahab, and he seized Naboth's vineyard. But God sent Elijah to prophesy against Ahab, "As you have murdered a man and plundered his land, God says that in the place where Naboth was stoned to death dogs will lick the blood from your dead corpse!" (Not so kid friendly......but my boys sometimes get the picture). When Ahab heard what Elijah said, he repented. God saw his change and declared, "As you have admitted your sin, I will not destroy you as I promised. "

So wow, what great lessons to be learned. What happens to our heart when we desire what someone else has, it leads to death and destruction. Mainly an anguished soul since it grates on you.........you have to have it! It shows the extremes that one will go to, but yet it also shows how it can entice others into your plot to take and have what you want, what you think you deserve. Oh, the prices we go to, to get what we think we want or deserve and then weeks later we throw away or do not even play with anymore! Oh, how I want my kids to be thankful for what they have!!! This is such a great lesson that I think I will use it and bring it up when they are fighting over a toy or wanting something that someone else has. Something else I really liked at the end of this lesson is how God forgave Ahab. How merciful our God is, to forgive and forget, because Ahab repented.......what a lesson for our children to learn as well. This was neat because after we read our lesson and talked about not coveting and about God forgiving us the boys brought up, "Mommy, do you remember when Eli did ___________?" "Mommy, do you remember when Hezekiah did ________?" And I said yes, I do remember but you know what, when you ask God to forgive you, He does not remember it anymore! He buries it in the deepest part of the sea and it goes away as far as the East is from the West and He remembers it no more, because He loves you and forgives you. So it is no need to bring up the wrong of what your brother did, because when your brother asked mommy to forgive him she did and well she tries to not remember it anymore.

For the blatant child, (I have one of these) or adult the"Yep, I did it," is an easy one to discipline because they admit to it and you correct the behavior and have them seek forgiveness and move on. I like this type of child because I personally think it is easier to discipline, there is no underlying denial of the behavior or root issue to get at, they know they did wrong, feel bad for doing it, cry, and move on. You also hope as a parent, teacher, whatever, that the behavior is not repeated, but sometimes it is. Then it becomes more of a heart issue to deal with, but again usually this child is quick to confess and repent.

The deceiver is more difficult to discipline because well, they are deceptive. Usually this is the child who knows how to quietly do the things he/she is not suppose to do and get everyone else in trouble except his/herself. A lot of times this child has other brothers/sisters who usually are blatant children and so their offense gets overlooked because of their ability to deceive their parents and also the parent is having to deal with the blatant kids so much that they do not have time for the deceiver. They will often times get others to follow along on their quest. Did you know this type of student or child when you were growing up.........they never got in trouble but always got you in trouble??? I certainly have known and do know some of these kids. So how do you catch them in action or how do you know if this is your child.....ask a friend....if their honest they probably see the behavior before you do.....or you might already know. Keep a keen eye, ask the Father to show you and also watch your children play.....listen at the door.....usually their the most quiet when talking but you can overhear the shenanigans!

The "I did not do it, they did it," child ooohhh is so hard to deal with too. They do not see any injustice that they have committed, it is everyone else's fault and do not try to correct the behavior or seek forgiveness because in their head they have not committed any atrocity. Now, I have encountered these types and what I have found often, and I am really not that old , is that one or both of the parents play this game too. As a teacher I encountered this a couple times, that it's not their kids fault and certainly not their fault that they behaved this way it is the other kids, teachers, their medicine, etc. So, I pray that I and my children do not become one of these. However, we all encounter this so how do we deal with it? Pray that God will soften their heart and your heart so that in due time it will be revealed and dealt with.

The Sneaker, I have one of these, hides and gets food often and tries to eat it without you knowing. The sneaker is often times a deceiver too. The sneaker,however, is usually found out easier than the elusive deceiver. Perhaps this is because the hiding places for the sneaker are ones in that they want to really reveal their misgiving. In the deceiver I find them to have heavier issues that they are dealing with rooted in the heart. The sneaker wants the enjoyment and pleasure for a time and finds that in sneaking around. However, when found out the sneaking is not so much fun. For the discipline is not really enjoyable!

Sad but true we all go through these stages. We can move from one stage to another in a day be it blatant, be it deception, be it "I did not do it!", or even being sneaky...........we all do it young or old. But how we deal with it is the important part. Are we really wanting to get rid of these behaviors or do we want to hang on to them. What is in your heart? What is in my heart? What is in your child's heart? Are we seeking the forgiveness and the redemptive peace that we all desire or just hold on to the yuck? Oh, I hope and pray that as a parent each day I choose to be free from the evil desires and hold on to what is True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Excellent, Admirable, and Praiseworthy! I pray this for my children too that in their heart that God would reveal those deep and hidden things so that they may live a life that is pleasing to God. I hope this for myself too, because I know how sinful I am and I know only God can do a good work in me. So bring it on -- a good work that is!

Last night I was preparing dinner. Oriental Chicken Salad.........which was ooohhh so delicious! Thanks to my friend Cindy and her recipe in my MOPS recipe binder! As I was preparing dinner Page took the boys outside to rake leaves and Maggie Beth stayed inside with me and helped out in the kitchen. By the time we were finished the kitchen was pretty messy to say the least. Now, the funny thing was that Page decided that this was "BLOG" worthy and had to take pictures after he finished dinner. Not that it was blog worthy that I made a mess, but instead the mess that our sweet little darling daughter made. He said, "I do not even remember the boys making this big of a mess." Ha ha ha! So, anyhow in the pictures please just look at the mess on the floor, somehow the mess on the counters and the sink seemed to not be of any consequence to my sweet husband. Thank you for overlooking my flaws Page! What is better yet though is he cleaned up the floor without anyone asking him and then I cleaned up the rest while the crew blasted off into space in Page's truck -- Why do kids love to play in vehicles? I do not know but all 4 of them were out there in Page's truck last night (I am including Page here with the 4). Crack me up. So hopefully this kitchen makes you feel better about yourself that your kitchen does not look like this. Oh, and I will post Cindy's recipe here later..........trust me it is good and was worth the mess!

Pay for one day come back the whole year! Happy New Year! We went to Sea World on Wednesday! We had a blast and the weather was beautiful we saw dolphins, the whale and dolphin show, Clyde and Seymore (my favorite!), the manatees, the sea lions and seals, sharks, penguins, beluga whales, a sleeping polar bear, two huge walruses! The boys rode the Polar Express (one of their favorite movies of all times!), while Maggie Beth and I sat in the baby swap area and smelled evergreen and hot cocoa smells and played with a snowman. We waited for the Shamu show, but the Orcas were not ready to put on their show at that time so we did not see Shamu on Wednesday but since we can go back the rest of the year we are looking forward to seeing Shamu at a later date. Maggie Beth fell asleep in my arms during our wait to see Shamu, she spent the day in my arms unless she was riding with her brothers in the stroller, which they enjoyed. There are so many other things that we are looking forward to going back to and seeing this year, especially the kids area and water area and maybe enjoying the Splash Zones on those hot hot days in the summer. Happy New Year! Hope it is a blessed one for you and your family! God Bless!