{Costume parade} year 2

We don't really celebrate Halloween, but unfortunately it's a difficult holiday to ignore altogether. Especially with the creepy decorations all over our neighborhood, the scary and disgusting displays at every single store in town, and, oh yes, the hordes of kids that show up at our door each year. Every year Robert and I struggle with just how much to do - or not to do - on Halloween, since it's not possible to ignore it or, even better, just fastforward to Nov. 1. Usually we buy some candy for the trick-or-treaters and let the kids each eat a piece while we watch a movie. Since 3 of the 4 are now in Awana, there is also a "Costume Night" on the Sunday closest to Halloween, and we allow them to dress up for that. Since I love sewing costumes, usually I make some or all of the kids' costumes for that - it's one project that actually "stays done" and you can never have too many dress ups, right?

This year Gabriella kept talking about how she wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake, one of her favorite characters, and Elora would Strawberry's baby sister, Apple Dumplin'. That seemed appropriate! (She also decided that Auntie Dano was going to be Strawberry's friend, Blueberry Muffin, despite the fact that said auntie lives in Colorado...she was an honorary member.;-)  There aren't really a lot of boy characters in Strawberry Land, so the boys picked characters from some of their favorite shows, Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam. Luckily we already had most of those costume pieces, so I got to focus on making the girls' dresses.

They were pretty simple, really - I just cut off the top of a t-shirt, made a little gathered skirt, and sewed them together. The hats were actually kind of a bigger pain. I bought them at the store and then hot-glued the fabric on, but they didn't stay on very well, especially Gabriella's.  Here's the finished product:

All four looking at the camera and smiling at once! That's gotta be a record.

 James as "Bob the Builder"

 

 Joseph as "Fireman Sam"

 

Elora as "Apple Dumplin'"

 

 Close up of Elora's dress. Her favorite part was the "hattie" as she kept calling it. She insisted on wearing that hat everywhere. And yes, the little buttons on her bows are apples. ;-)

Gabriella as "Strawberry Shortcake." Her dress isn't an exact replica of the character's, more like my interpretation of what Strawberry would wear. But the colors, especially the green and white stripes, are authentic.

 I was just not happy with Gabs's hat - it was a funny shape and wouldn't stay on, so we tied it under her chin with bows. But she liked it anyway. The hat is covered with Strawberry Shortcake fabric that Sophie gave her, and her buttons are strawberries.

 

The two sisters. I love the fact that I have little girls and can make dresses for them. I think they can even wear the dresses, minus the hats, as regular clothes. Maybe to church.

 

That's the costume parade from the Voss house this year. Hope you enjoyed it!

 

 

[You know] #3

You know you're a mom when...

...you judge the success of your day based on the number of baths your children have had by the end of it.

As in golf, the lower your score, generally the more successful your day has been. Because higher numbers of baths usually means you spent the whole day cleaning up gigantic messes. Or fishing the toddler's hands out of the toilet...again.

Done, done, finally done!

Two years ago I began working on a project for my little sister, Sophie. No, sorry, wait, this story begins way before that.

A long, long, LONG time ago in a galaxy far, far away...my best friend Rachel and I lived in the same town. When we weren't playing horses - which was most of the time! - we played with her Felicity doll. Felicity, for those who don't know, was one of the American Girl dolls, each based on a fictional girl from a different period of American history. There was an was a series of books about each girl, and, for the lucky girl whose parents loved her (sorry, Mom, I guess there's still some latent bitterness there), you could purchase an 18 inch doll that you could dress in all her gorgeous costumes. Felicity was the colonial girl and she was our  favorite, mainly because (you guessed it) she was crazy about horses, and eventually ended up rescuing and owning her own beautiful copper colored horse Penny. I'm fairly certain Rachel and I both wanted to BE Felicity (when we weren't fighting over who got to marry Roy Rogers...two small hearts were broken the day we found out he was both already married AND old!) and wear her dresses and own her horse and live her exciting colonial life, which coincided with all the events leading up to the American War for Independence. (Too much back story? I apologize...I really AM getting to the point eventually...) Anyway, I desperately wanted my own Felicity doll, and her lovely dresses, and my very favorite was this blue dress she wears to the ball at the Governor's palace:

 (Gorgeous, right?)

So, fast forward about **** years, and Sophie, lucky girl, now has the American girl doll AND the coveted blue dress that I always dreamed about as a child! (Clearly we all know who the favorite child is in THIS family!;-) And I just happen to have some blue satin fabric the exact color of the Felicity dress...and so I decide to let my inner child live vicariously through my little sister. Thus, I promise to make Sophie her very own replica of Felicity's blue satin ball gown.

We find a pattern that is very similar and will require only a small amount of modification, then search the fabric stores for trimming similar to the Felicity dress. Cutting out the pattern and the fabric pieces is always my least favorite part of a sewing project! Finally we actually start sewing, a little bit at a time each time we get together. Slowly, slowly, the dress starts to take shape. Lining, interfacing, boning, satin, lace, muslin...this is the most complicated pattern I've ever attempted! The goal is to finish the dress in time for Sophie to wear it to the Regency Ball that is held every year in Albuquerque.

Then....we learn the sad news that there WILL be no Regency Ball this year! What? This certainly puts a damper on our enthusiasm. Now we are making a beautiful gown for...what? Interest wanes, and the project is shelved for months, maybe even an entire year. Sophie occasionally reminds me to work on it, and I get a little bit done here and there. The stupid zipper takes 3 attempts before going in right. (Oh, zippers, how I hate thee! Always have, always will...) Finally, the dress is complete except for the underskirt, the hem and a bit of detail work.

Then September 2012 arrives. Sophie reminds me about her unfinished dress...and I remember an upcoming date - September 19. Official Talk-like-a-pirate day! We examine a flyer that promises a dozen free Krispy Kreme donuts to any patron dressing like a pirate. I recall the similarities between Sophie's dress and the dress Elizabeth Swann wears in Pirates of the Carribean. 

And so we suddenly have a goal. Finish the dress before Sep 19! Wear the dress to Talk-like-a-pirate night and earn those donuts! One more long afternoon does it. Bam! Details finished. Bam! Hemmed. Bam! Underskirt made. (Yes, I know sewing machines don't go "bam." Unless there is something very wrong with them. That's just how I felt.) She dons the dress and...perfection.

The underskirt looks nearly white in these pictures, but it actually a pale blue.

Close up of the lace details:

The back:

My lovely little sister! It was definitely worth all the time and effort just to see her look so pretty and happy!

Someone get this lady a carriage. I'm pretty sure there's a ball somewhere she should be attending.

The leather jacket

My first year of college, my mom bought me a leather jacket for Christmas. It was a nice jacket, real leather, but not terribly fancy or expensive. It wasn't any of the "I'm rebellious" or "I'm a Goth" or "I ride motorcycles" styles of jacket or, even worse, the "I'm the kind of girl who rides on the backs of motorcycles wearing little else" kind of jacket. It was just a nice classic black leather jacket that goes with everything.  I loved that thing - I wore it everywhere, for everything - except maybe skiing, and that was just cause leather doesn't like snow. ;-) I wore it to school. I wore it on dates with Robert. I was wearing it the night he proposed to me. (Along with 2 sweaters because it was 2 days before Christmas, outdoors, on a bridge at the UNM duck pond, on the very coldest night of the year! But that's another story.) I wore it throughout our marriage and even, unbuttoned, while I was pregnant with our kids.

 It looked kind of like this...

And then, one sad, sad day, ten years later, came the Great Mold Incident of 2010. You all know the story - 100% contamination, with everything having to be either washed or tossed. Well, you can guess the rest. That poor faithful beloved leather jacket, which I had completely worn out, was determined to be not worth saving. Or rather, not worth the amount of money it would cost to have it dry cleaned, because it would literally be cheaper to buy a new one. So it got tossed...and tears were shed...and life went on until...winter arrived again. And suddenly, I had no jacket. I had two nice heavy wool dress coats, which worked for the very coldest days, and some sweaters, but nothing in between.

My mom, being the sweet and generous lady she is, offered to buy me another leather jacket for Christmas. This sounded like a great plan...until we actually tried to find the jacket. Me, being the boring, traditional, and stubbornly-change-resistant person I am, decided I wanted the exact same jacket. Or as close a facsimile as possible. In vain we hunted - regular stores, department stores, thrift stores, online. Nothing. There are a million and twelve leather jackets in the world - and none of them looked right to me. I tried - I really did. I tried to give the other jackets a chance, to broaden my horizons - but I just didn't like them! They were too modern, too trendy, too "fashionable." I wanted my jacket. Soft black leather. Hip length. Button-up front. Pockets and princess seams. Plain and comfortable and safe. Is this too much to ask? Apparently.

This is just ridiculous looking. Too "fashionable" for me!

Winter passed and still no jacket. Spring arrived and the search was abandoned. Summer's heat made us forget the very existence of jackets and cold and snow. And then came September first...and along with the start of school came the first hint of cool wind and yellow leaves that reminds us: Fall is on it's way. Fall...season of apples and leaves and delicious pumpkin baked goods and...jackets. Oh yeah, jackets.

The search resumes. Day 1 is not going well so far. I'll keep you posted.

Pain

"Grief knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common sufferings are far stronger links than common joys." -- Alphonse de Lamartine

"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever." -- Isak Dinesen

"I walked a mile with Pleasure
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me." - Robert Browning Hamilton

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."  - J.R.R.Tolkien, The Two Towers 

"Pain is never permanent." --Teresa of Avila

Growing up I probably experienced more physical pain than most people. I had many injuries and surgeries, and I learned and grew a great deal from those experiences. I learned how to sympathize with other people's suffering.

But the past two weeks, I have been learning about a different kind of pain - emotional, not physical. And I have to say I prefer the latter. I would rather break my bones or have another concussion than deal with losing people I love.

Yet as hard as it is, as much as I wish I could just fast-forward to the end and not be stuck here in the middle, with pain, I have seen many beautiful things come out of it. It has knit Robert and I closer together like nothing else in our marriage, and I have never loved or admired my husband more. I have received such great amounts of love and kindness and service from my family members, and I am so grateful for that. It has made me more appreciative of my children and more willing to be patient with their small faults. And most of all, I have seen and felt the presence of God more clearly in my life, even as I struggle with my inability to understand His plan. Pain changes us. We will never be the same people we were before...but we can only trust it will make us better if we allow it.

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning." - Psalm 30:5

Good News

Lest anyone accuse me of only posting complaints on my blog, today's post will be entirely dedicated to ALL the good news going on in our household right now - and there's a lot of it!

FIRST, Joseph has his first loose tooth!

(He vacillates between being excited about the Tooth Fairy visit and terrified at the thought of it falling out while he's sleeping and him swallowing it, thus depriving him of the coveted "prize." He's such a silly goose. Can't believe my oldest is old enough to loose teeth now...*sniff*...Mama moment...NO, wait, back to happy!!! Banish those tears!)

SECONDLY, James has been so well behaved and grown up lately!

Yesterday he even got out his school book and started doing schoolwork all on his own. (And yes, it was definitely motivated by a desire to test drive his new crayons.;-) It's really hard to get him to do the "sit down and follow the directions" kind of schoolwork, but when he decides he wants to do it, boy, he does it! And it's getting very clear that his preschool book is way too easy and boring for him - he needs a challenge! He reminds me of both his Daddy and Grandpa Dan in that respect. I wonder if anyone sells a phonics book entirely based on bugs....

THIRDLY, Gabriella is ALL POTTY TRAINED!!!

 (I confess this is the one that I am the most excited about. ;-) She has been working hard for months, and we promised her an "ice-cream party" once she managed to be dry for a whole week. She's come SO close several times, but then had an accident and we had to reset the clock. But this week she finally managed it, and last night we celebrated with ice cream after dinner. Hooray! That only leaves me with one in diapers. Awesome.

FOURTHLY, Elora is getting more teeth - her 2 year molars!

I count this as good news, although there are moments when she isn't terribly happy about it, poor baby. But she's growing up too. In fact, she hardly even counts as a baby anymore! She's pretty much a full blown toddler, who loves to climb and get into EVERYTHING! She's super-cute. And I'm not biased at all....

and FINALLY, my good news is that my best friend Rachel is coming to visit!!! She and her sister Elsie are driving down tomorrow for a short visit over the weekend. We don't get to see each other but about twice a year, if we're lucky, so needless to say I am VERY excited about it!!

In fact, if you'll excuse me, I need to go work on cleaning my house in preparation for their visit....

Hope your day is as filled with good news an mine!

A Letter to the President

Dear President Obama,

Your recent statement to small business owners - "If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made it happen." - shows just how out of touch you are with the people you supposedly represent. You clearly know nothing about the struggles, the effort, and the sacrifices that go into making a business successful. Your implication that somehow you, the government, or the surounding community are responsible for our sucesses - and failures - is both arrogant and offensive.

You didn't spend all those late nights at the office while your family had to sit down to dinner without you yet again. You weren't there for the all-nighters spent trying desperately to fix a problem in order to appease a customer. You didn't give up your vacation because you weren't able to leave your fledgling company lest it collapse without you. You didn't go months without a salary so your employees could get paid instead. And you can't comprehend the joy of success, whether it's getting a new contract or finally getting paid after all those months, because you didn't have to make the sacrifices first.

You can't understand small business, Mr. Obama, because you only know how to run a giant corporation further into debt.

Sincereley,
A Small Business Owner's Wife

{you know} #2

Reason #2 Why you know you've been a mother for too long:


You look down and realize you have absentmindedly been feeding the baby sips from your coffee cup. 

And you used to wonder why she wouldn't sleep...

"You know"

You know you've been a mother a long time when...


...your entire family shares a toothbrush and you're too tired to care. (You were going to catch - whatever they've got this time - eventually anyway.)

little balls of protein

Due to a traumatic oatmeal experience as a child, which I will not go into lest it also ruin oatmeal for you for all time, I cannot eat oatmeal. Like, literally cannot. If it was a choice between oatmeal and starvation, I'm not quite sure which one I'd pick, but it'd be close. I am not normally a very picky person, but this is one instance where I draw the line.

However, because it's my goal for my children to surpass me in every way possible, I do make oatmeal for them. And they love it. Which is good...until they try to share with me. (They're so unselfish like that.) Then I either have to pretend I'm not hungry or show them that I am already eating something else.

So I came up with these little protein balls that I eat for breakfast or a snack instead. They contain oats, among other things, but uncooked, so they don't have that squishy texture I hate so much. These are great because they're fast, easy, and packed with nutrition and lots of protein. You can make them ahead and just store them in the refrigerator for any time you need a healthy snack. They're a little sweet, so they kind of fulfill that "dessert" mentality, but they're also really good for you. Kids love to roll them into little balls between their fingers and then eat them - it's kind of like edible play dough!

Peanut butter protein balls

About 1 cup of raw peanut butter or almond butter
small drizzle of honey
handful of raisins or other dried fruit
handful of chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or other nuts
teaspoon of flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup dried coconut
about 1 cup of uncooked oats*

*for gluten free balls, make sure you use gluten free oats. Bob's Red Mill is the brand I use.

Mix the ingredients all together in a medium bowl. Then you can roll into little balls and refrigerate until slightly hard, to keep them from falling apart. Or, if you're impatient like me, you can just eat it out of the bowl with a spoon. But just a note of caution - they are very filling. Its easy to start eating them and think you haven't had that much, only to end up way too full. A couple of balls is enough for me, even for a meal. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Note - I haven't tried this yet, but you could turn them in chocolate peanut butter balls quite easily, by adding a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder. You might have to increase the honey a little bit to counteract the bitterness of the unsweetened cocoa powder. You could also put chocolate chips in them and they would taste like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! You can also add whatever dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or other ingredients sound appealing. The possibilities are practically endless.

Monday's Top 10: Summer Goals

Top 10 things I want to do/achieve this summer:

10. Get the kids together with their friends - I'm thinking splash park!

9. Survive the coed soccer season without doing any of the following: dying, throwing up, passing out, crying, injuring myself, injuring someone else, ripping any of my clothing (inside joke), or in any other way embarrassing myself

8. Finish my sister Sophie's dress that I began making for her 2 years ago...

7. Go to an outdoor concert of some sort, like the music nights at the zoo

6. Take swimming lessons with the kids

5. Sew some little dresses for my girls - and maybe some shorts for the boys

4.  Clean up my house and throw a party of some sort!

3. Have a getaway with my husband, even if it's only for one night, with just the two of us - no kids!

2. See my sister Daniella and brother in law Phillip (and MAYBE even go up to Aurora to see their new house!)

1. Get to see my best friend Rachel!!

Of course there any many other things I'm planning on/hoping for the summer, including but not limited to eating watermelon, making homemade Popsicles, going to a wedding, spending lots of time at Mom's house, celebrating some birthdays, and watching fireworks! But those are kind of typical summer activities, so they're more likely to happen. ;-)

What about you? Any plans for the summer?

No such thing as a short epiphany

I had a big epiphany while doing my Bible study (which, to be honest, has taken me about 3 weeks to complete one week's lesson...but hey, I decided to just do it anyway!). Anyway, the study's called Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed, and it's about the life of King David, and how God specifically chose him to be king over Israel and used everything in his life to prepare him for that role. Today's lesson was talking about how God has specific callings on each of our lives, and asked us to write down two specific "missions" He had called us to. At first I felt kind of pathetic trying to write this down. See, I used to have a lot more "activities" in my life - drama, music, school, church, etc - but slowly as I've had more children - and less cars, specifically, one! - those things have been whittled away. So the only two "missions" I could come up with were being a wife to Robert and being a mother to my four kids.

On a side note, it was kind of an epiphany in itself for me to realize that those are two different jobs. Since my oldest was born, I have always kind of thought of the two jobs as one thing: "I'm a wife-and-mother." But there is an important distinction between the two, and I realized it's a mistake for me to lump them together in my mind. My job as a wife is outwardly related to my job as mother (i.e. I do cooking, and laundy, and cleaning, etc for my husband AND for my kids) but they are two very different roles. I should not be lumping my husband in with "the kids" in my mind. I think it causes problems when I start to think of my marriage as PART of raising the kids - subconsciously I end up treating my husband like one of the kids and expecting that I can change his behavior or "teach" him the way I do the children. And that does NOT go over well, let me tell you! Any way....back to the main epiphany.

The only people I interact with on a regular basis are my husband and kids, and I was starting to feel pretty badly about this. Not because I don't love them or think being a wife and mother is important, but as if I were somehow failing in the "good Christian witness" category. When I was in school, I was able to argue in defense of Christianity, to witness to my teachers and fellow students. When I taught drama, I had a big influence in the lives of my students, their parents, and even the audiences who came to see the plays. I used to go to Bible studies at church, but with four little kids and husband who's always working, it just doesn't seem feasible. I feel like somehow I am holed up at home not doing "enough" for God. Should I be seeking out more opportunities? Should I go door to door Jehovah's Witness style, talking to my neighbors? (And who is going to watch my kids while I do that?)

But then as I started to write down my two callings - wife to Robert, and mother to my kids - the study asked me to write who would be affected by my witness and influence to them. And I started to think about it. It's not just 4 people who are being influenced when I teach my kids. It's THEIR spouses, THEIR kids, and EVERY SINGLE PERSON they will interact with in their lives. How will my children know how to raise THEIR children in the truth if I fail in my own responsibility?

And what about my husband? I often feel I work as hard, maybe even harder than him, at all the little things around the house, but my contributions don't count for much. I don't earn any money. I don't have any reputation among his clients or grow his business; heck, most people probably have no idea who I am, just that vague mention of "Robert's wife." But I began to see - or God began to show me - that if Robert and I are married, are "one flesh" like the Bible says, our contributions to the world and to His kingdom count as a team effort. I'm like the pit crew at a NASCAR event. Robert's the driver of the car. He's the one who crosses the finish line, who everyone sees and cheers for, with the name recognition and the glory. Nobody knows the names of the pit crew members, or really thinks about their contribution. (Okay, maybe a few crazy obsessed people do...but they have too much time on their hands!) But if there was no one to put gas in the car, to change the tires, to give the driver a drink, or check the...uh...pistons, or something (you see how much I know about NASCAR? It's cars. That go around in a circle. Like 400 times...that's all I know!)...anyway, without the support and maintenance of the pit crew, the driver would never be able to succeed.

Maybe my role isn't noticeable, or glamorous, or appreciated by the world or even sometimes the church. But every success that Robert achieves is MY success too. And I don't mean just in an earthy sense, but an eternal one. When he gains a good reputation for integrity, in part because he is able to come home and talk to me about how to stay honest in a cutthroat world, I get credit for that too. When he works as the chairman of the board for a Christian non-profit agency, while I have to stay home and feed the kids and put them to bed by myself, I am helping every person that his agency helps, too. Every person who sees my husband in the world and notices something different about him, that he is able to talk to or share with or influence for Christ - I am a part of that "ministry." (And vice versa - he gets credit for the things that I do here, like Bible study with the kids or teaching them their schoolwork, and yes, the diaper changing too! :-) Our family as a unit is a witness to the world, and Robert and I as a team are building Christ's Kingdom. It doesn't always seem like it - in fact, it doesn't OFTEN seem like it. It's very easy to get bogged down in the mundane, day-to-day cycle of cooking, cleaning, laundry, changing, bathing, teaching, etc. None of those things much feels like they matter at any given moment. I don't see a lot of forward progress through my daily efforts, but I think the mistake comes in thinking of it as "my job" and "my credit" vs. "his job" and "his credit." Both of us are working on the SAME thing, but from different angles. That's what teamwork means, right? Cause when Team Unser wins the Indy 500 (is that different from NASCAR? whatever...they're all racecars that go around in circles, right?), it is the whole team that shares in the win, and when Team Voss succeeds in God's calling for our lives, as business owners, and parents, and followers of Christ, well, we all win as Christ is glorified.

So I'd like to leave you with two cliches that are nevertheless true and wrap up my thoughts rather nicely:

and 

Note - I wrote this post about two months ago and for some reason never quite finished/posted it. So the epiphany is a little less fresh but the thought is still good, so I figured I go ahead and post it anyway! Especially because I've been so busy (or lazy) that I haven't posted anything in ages...

Tradition!

My two youngest sisters are both doing Fiddler on the Roof with their at the end of the month - Lydia is playing Hodel, the middle sister, and Sophie is playing Grandma Tzeidel - so I have been hearing, and singing, the "Tradition!" song a lot these past few months! And with Easter tomorrow, I've been thinking about traditions, particularly for holidays, a good bit lately.

                                                  "Tradition! Tradition....Tradition."

For Saturday night before Easter, I am actually doing much better than normal, organization-wise! My house is mostly clean (we'll probably do a last minute pick up before bed). I have everyone's church clothes all laid out, with just a few socks to wash. Breakfast is already made and I just need to set the coffee pot to go off in the morning. I had all the kids' Easter baskets already bought and I filled them this afternoon while they napped! With just one last minute trip to Wal-Mart to buy Joseph some new dress shoes, since we discovered last minute that his don't fit anymore, we were ready. But when we got home I discovered the one thing I'd forgotten: the dye kit. I had hard-boiled the eggs but now I had nothing to dye them with. Normally, this would have sent me into a mild panic and rushing back to the grocery store for another last minute trip. I don't usually handle having my plans interrupted very well. ;-) (Yes, oldest child...what can I say?) But then I realized something. I don't HAVE to dye eggs this year.

Sounds silly, right? Of course I don't HAVE to. But you see, I come from a very tradition-driven family. We're not very organized, but we have LOTS of traditions. Like girls getting their ears pierced on their 13th birthday. Or boys going on a camping trip to Alaska with their dad and grandfather. Or my dad bringing ALL of the girls in his family chocolates on Valentine's Day (even since I've been married!;-)We had Easter baskets and Christmas stockings every year, even if they were thrown together at the very last minute. Every Good Friday we all go on a little day sightseeing trip as a family and usually a hike. And I love all of our traditions, so I've tried really hard to carry them all on with my own kids. But sometimes that can be a little overwhelming! Especially when you add in Robert's family's traditions too. And then you try to instigate your OWN new family traditions and...whew! Tradition overload!

I think traditions are nice as long as they are serving you, and not the other way around. When the tradition itself becomes more burden than blessing, it's time to let it go - at least for the moment! The great thing about holidays is that they are annual - there is always next year! There's something very freeing about realizing that you don't have to do it all...or all at once. Last fall we missed the State Fair AND the Balloon Fiesta, and I was a little bit sad until I realized - oh wait, we can always go next year! And the same is true of coloring Easter eggs with my kids. Is it fun? Absolutely! Would they get a kick out of it? Definitely! But Easter will happen next year, and we can always do it then.

Unless of course Jesus comes back before...in which case, I'm pretty sure whatever we're doing for Easter in heaven will be TONS more awesome that coloring eggs. ;-)

God bless you all tomorrow on this most joyful of all days - HE IS RISEN!!

"Death could not keep its prey, Jesus my Savior,
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord:
Up from the grave He arose
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes,
He arose a victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever, with his saints to reign:
He arose, He arose, Hallelujah, Christ arose!"

Random bits of Joseph-ness

Today's post is brought to you by my silly, wonderful, sensitive, loving, and intelligent 5 year old named Joseph. He's had a couple of particularly amusing quotes today that I just had to share.

- During his prayer at Bible this morning - "And please dear Lord, protect us from all the bad people who are trying to kill us..." (oookkayyy...not sure where the paranoia is coming from but glad he's going to right person for protection...)

- Later, while attempting to persuade him to do schoolwork (which is really unusual for him, because normally he loves doing school): "Please can we read a Bible story instead?"
                                Me: "How about we do some schoolwork and then read a Bible story?"
                                Joseph: "Bible is MORE IMPORTANT than schoolwork."
                                Me: "Well, yes, but you do need to do your schoolwork also. How about I read you    
                                        one Bible story for every page of schoolwork you do?"
                                Joseph: "Okay! Like a treat?"
                                Me: "Haha, yes. Exactly. I'm glad to know reading the Bible is treat for you."

Some kids get candy. Others get Bible stories. Gee, I could live with this kind of motivation!

Happy Snowy Tuesday, everyone!

P.S. Oh yes, and if you notice his hair is abnormally short - he attempted a self haircut and basically ended up with a giant bald spot right in the front. So Daddy had to shave his head. There was no other recourse. It's starting to grow back, thank goodness. He still looks a bit goofy, though.

Monday's Top 10: Things You Don't Want to Hear

The Top 10 Things You Never Want to Hear as a Mom

Someone snobby (aka my husband) pointed out I should be doing these in reverse order. You know, counting down FROM 10 TO 1. I guess that makes it more dramatic. And...suspenseful. Or something. Anyway...I will do it just to test if he actually reads my blog. (He doesn't. Do you, honey?)

10. The door of the refrigerator shutting.

9. The handle to the pantry being jiggled open.

8. Glass shattering.

7. The front door slamming.

6. "Mama! Do you know what Joseph/James/Gabs/Elora did?!"

5. "Sorry, Honey, I probably won't be home before bedtime."

4. The faint whimper that indicates the baby just woke up.

3. A loud "thunk" followed by screaming.

2. "EWWW! Ma-ma! There's poopies ________"

1. Absolute silence.

Touch

Robert and I just started watching a new tv show called "Touch." (For those of you who suffered through "the longest day of our lives" with Jack Bauer in "24," you'll recognize the main actor, Kiefer Sutherland.) I found the premise very interesting. His (Kiefer Sutherland's) 11 year old son is autistic, and has never spoken, but he thinks in numbers and can spot mathematical patterns everywhere. Every person and series of events is connected, and this boy can spot all the patterns and "invisible threads" that link them together. He figures out how to communicate this to his father through patterns of numbers, and the father has to stop certain events from happening - or make sure that other events do happen.

It made me think a lot about the idea that certain people on totally opposite sides of the planet who have never met are linked by invisible connections that change all of their lives. According to this show, it is "the Universe" (whatever vague entity that may be...it kind of reminds me of "the Force" from Star Wars, both indefinable and impersonal) that connects these people together and contains the hidden mathematical patterns that calculate their connections. Surprising as it may sound, I found this completely plausible. I just believe the source is something - or rather, Someone - far more specific than "the Universe." God created everything - people, continents, space, time, the past, the present, and the future. I believe He sees it all from the outside. Is it stretching too far to believe He has orchestrated, down to the exact moment and location, the events of our lives, the people we meet, the things that happen to us - or don't happen to us?

In one scene (hopefully I'm not giving too much away), the main character has been searching for a specific phone number at a specific location at a specific time. He arrives at the place only to discover that another person is using the pay phone he has been so desperately searching for. He tries to persuade the man that he needs the phone - it's a matter of life and death - but he ends up getting into a fistfight with the man over the phone instead! The essential minute passes and, distraught, he returns home thinking he has missed that crucial moment forever. Imagine his shock when he sees on the news the same man he fought with, who has  just saved a bus-load of children from certain death. The momentary delay their struggle afforded caused the man to miss his train, thus placing him in exactly the right place at the right time. This reminds me so much of how God works. What both men saw as trouble, a delay, a missed opportunity turned out to be instrumental in the saving of others. How many jobs have we not gotten, people have we not married, places have we not gone, or things have we not done that seemed like failures at the time, only to discover later how much God has used them for our benefit, to give us something so much better? It gives me such great hope to think all my steps are guided and ordained by Someone who loves me so much and has such an amazing plan for my life, even when I can't see it at the moment.

While "Touch" is missing the essential point of the Great God of the Universe being the one to orchestrate all these events, it does have some very positive elements. (Based on the 2 episodes that I've watched...it's brand-new, so I can only judge based on the limited evidence I have so far!) I like that it's optimistic- people who don't know each other affecting each other's lives in positive ways, caring about people they've never met, saving people they have no selfish motivation to save. People making each other better, even through momentary interaction. So many popular tv shows are about the pursuit of justice after a crime has been committed, and while I believe that's important, sometimes it can get very depressing. This show is all about ordinary people preventing bad things from happening to others. I like it because it's hopeful. Thus far, it gets a big thumbs up from me.

Monday's Top 10: Animated Characters

Top Ten Favorite Supporting Characters in Animated Movies

1. The King - Cinderella
I really don't like Cinderella's prince AT ALL (starting with the fact that he doesn't have a real name, just "Charming" - I bet he got beat up by the other princes at the Royal Academy...but that's a whole 'nother post). His father, however, is AWESOME. The poor guy just wants grandchildren, for crying out loud! And his rotten son just refuses to get married and give them to him! I love the scene where he accuses the Grand Duke of conspiring with the Prince to deprive him of his grandchildren and calls out "treason" and "sabotage" while chasing him around the Royal Bedchamber with a sword. Best scene in the entire movie! "The whole thing was a plot!"

2. King Hubert - Sleeping Beauty
First of all, who doesn't love the "scomps" song? He's another dad who just wants his son to get married so he can have grandchildren...he's already got the castle built and the cradle carved in anticipation of the joyful day! And the fact that he and King Stephen end up swordfighting with a fish over it...awesome. "Come, now, father, this is the 14th century, after all!" Poor King Hubert. His modern son is just ruining everything. I'm so glad Phillip and Aurora ended up giving him a happy ending after all...

3. Maximus - Tangled
"On his watch, crime virtually vanished overnight in the kingdom. As did most of the apples." We have watched Tangled, Gabriella's favorite movie, about 600 times, and every time the feud between Max and Eugene makes us all laugh out loud. Best. Horse. EVER.

4. Lady Kluck - Robin Hood
Robin Hood was my absolute favorite animated movie of all time as a child...and possibly still is! I was determined that I was going to marry him when I grew up...never mind the small obstacles of A) the fact that he was imaginary B) the fact that he was a fox and C) the fact that he was a cartoon...Anyway. hands down the best supporting character in Robin Hood is Lady Kluck, Maid Marian's duenna. Plucky, brave, and outspoken, she stands up to Prince John and defends her charge and Robin against all odds. The scene we dubbed "chicken football" where she escapes from all the evil rhinoceros guards is priceless...it literally had our childhood selves rolling on the floor with laughter and was re-enacted with great spirit on many occasions. "Long live King Richard---yeee-hee!"

5. Gune - Titan AE
It's not a Disney movie, but it's actually quite good, and I love the strange little alien scientist named Gune. He is an absentminded genius who lives in his own strange world that doesn't always intersect with the real world. Holding up an odd-looking device, he says "I built it in my sleep. It has a button and I wish to press it, but I'm not quite sure what will happen if I do..." **Spoiler alert!** There is one terrible moment after a bomb goes off when he slumps over saying "so tired...I think I shall take a little nap..." and we fear he has perished, but at the critical moment the laser cannons start blasting and we hear "I finished my nap!" over the intercom. Thank goodness! If Gune perished the movie would be pointless.

6. The Grandmother - Mulan
Evidently I just love old people. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Mulan shyly asks her suitor. "Would you like to stay forever?" pipes the shrill little echo from behind the garden wall. Poor Mulan. Those blunt relatives can be SO embarrassing. But what would be do without them?

7. The French Chef - The Little Mermaid
Singing and dancing joyously about, his enormous mustache bobbing as he prepares his culinary masterpiece...only to discover an evil little crab determined to remain un-cooked! Poor man! Have you ever been pinched by a crab? AAAAHHH! (Robert got pinched by a crab on his big toe while on the beach during our honeymoon. I think it's the only time I've ever heard him swear! ;-) I know he always roots for the chef.

8. The Vultures - Jungle Book
A-a-ahem. "We're your friends....we're your friends...we're your friends to the bi-tter end (the b-it-ter END)..." Ah vultures. Truly you're "never met an animal you didn't like." Only when I grew up did I fully understand the delicious irony of that line. Daniella and I make a habit of saying to each other: "So what you wanna do?" "I dunno. What you wanna do - eh, now don't start THAT again!"

9. Doug - Up
I have just one thing to say about Doug..."Squirrel!"




10. Kronk - The Emperor's New Groove
He's giant. He has muscles. He cooks. He wrote his own theme song. He has a shoulder angel and shoulder demon. Is there no end to the awesomeness that is Kronk? "Have you seen that sky? Talk about blue..."