Keeping Busy

We evacuated to Louisiana to stay with my Mom due to hurricane Ike. We have been here since Thursday evening, and we have no plans to return right now. Alot of Houston is still without electricity, including our neighborhood. School has been canceled for MacKenzie at least through the week and possibly for longer if they can't get the electricity restored. So, I have been trying to keep the girls as busy as possible while we stay here at "Maggie's" house. Today we went to a place called "Clayfish Bisque" A play on words - CLAY instead of CRAW, since we are in the Crawfish capital. Crawfish Bisque is a popular cajun dish. It's one of those pottery painting places. The girls really enjoyed picking out their pottery piece and all the colors they wanted and painting. 

Why I send my child to Christian Preschool :)

Give me an A!

I saw this and it made me laugh out loud, so I thought I'd share the laugh with you. Plus it has a great message:

And so it begins...

This afternoon as I was driving to a friend's house, my sweet 5 year old in the backseat said to me, "Mom, guess what." So I curiously responded, "What?" thinking out of her mouth would come a long-winded explanation of why the bird out her window was pecking at the tree and how she learned the name of that bird and it was called a "woodpicker." I was wrong....so, so wrong. Out of her mouth came, "There's a boy...and he's in my class.....and this other girl.....who's not in my class....well.......she kissed him....the boy in my class." Ummm.....I'm sorry......WHAT!? Did I mention she is 5 years old!? This is exactly what I have been afraid of. This is why I was dreading her starting Kindergarten. This is not something I feel at all prepared to talk about with her. So I took a deep breath and asked for more details. 

"Well, where did this happen??" 

"At school."

"And where at school did this happen?"

"On the playground, at recess." Of course it did! Nothing good EVER happens "on the playground, at recess!"

"Well, why did she kiss him?"

"Ok...it's like this....it's a game....it's called Tag & Kiss."

"Really!? Well, how do you play this game?"

"Well....all the girls.....they chase the boys....and they try to tag them......then they lick and kiss them." I'm sorry....did she just say Lick!?

Trying to stay calm "They lick them???"

"Well, just this one girl licks." mental note....never let my kid play with THAT girl

"So do you play this game, MacKenzie???"

"Yeah, I play it....but I don't kiss the boys!"

"So everyone else does, but you don't?"

"Right...I just tag them......I DON'T kiss them."

"Well good for you honey. I'm proud of you. That's not something you need to be doing."

"Yeah, I know....it spreads germs and stuff." good to know...she's concerned about germs.

And so it begins....this brand new chapter of my motherhood. This chapter that I feel completely ill equipped to handle. A little piece of me felt so sad when she was telling me all of this, because I know this is the beginning of the end. It's the beginning of the end of her complete, 100% innocence and naivety. -insert sound of a mother's crushing heart now- I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened and I knew that time was getting shorter and shorter as I sent her off to Kindergarten to be under the world's influence. I know I can't shelter her from everything, nor do I think it's a good idea. But it's just a little shock to the system when this whole process of lost innocence begins. So, I'll just keep on and pray for God's protection over my little girl. I will try to make sure she knows she can always talk to me about anything. And my heart will break a little more each time she comes to me with things that I know are stripping her of her sweet innocence. And I will remind myself that it is best that she not be sheltered from everything around her, but rather, learn to deal with those things in the right way. Lord help me.....here we go.

MTV VMA's

So I watched the 2008 MTV VMA's Video Music Awards for those of you who have been living under a rock for the past two decades last night and I just had to comment on a few things. Now, I certainly don't expect to see the best musical performances ever on this show. But being the music lover that I am, I do still like to watch and see what the new performers are doing these days.

• Can I just say, what is this world coming to when Britney Spears is taking home the most awards!? The girl can't even take care of her own children, goes on some freakish rampage and shaves her head and starts talking with a British accent and we are going to award her? Not to mention that little thing that she lacks...oh yes, talent. I guess the singer in me just can't seem to understand how someone who hardly does any singing at all and who's voice is mostly computerized in all of her songs is considered a music star. It's baffling. Did anyone notice that her acceptance speeches were almost all the exact same, verbatim? Can anyone say, "robot?"
  
• What is UP with that host!? If he took one more jab at The Jonas Brothers for their decision to stay pure until marriage, I was going to reach through the tv screen and remove him from the stage! I mean, God forbid we have an UPSTANDING role model for kids these days....oh no! That would just be too much.
• Also, what's going on with artists thanking God in their speeches and putting Him somewhere in the middle of their list between, their Momma and their fans? Don't you think the Lord Himself deserves a better spot on the list....like First. I'm not saying they have to thank Him, if that's not what they believe. But if they do believe they are receiving the MTV Silver Moon Man because of God, then maybe they could mention Him before their Producer.
• When did it become ok to perform on a show that is supposed to be about awarding musicians and singers and lip sync!? Christina Aguilera's performance was completely recorded. There were multiple times that she got so wrapped up in her dance moves that she just stopped singing, but lo & behold, the song went on magically.
• I love MTV's attempt at staying ahead of the game when it comes to music. There was a band called Tokio Hotel I couldn't tell if the band was made up of girls or guys...seriously and they won some award. It's like those people who put a bumper sticker on their car of the least known band they can find, so they can prove to everyone they are cool. They are cool because they know of a band that you do not. Same thing with this band and this award. No one knows who they are. I know you might be thinking, well maybe you just don't know who they are, Lindsay. I mean you are hardly in the MTV generation anymore. Yes I agree that I am not quite in the MTV generation anymore, BUT I do stay up to date on new music. In fact, I'm sure I know of some bands that you have never heard of, so there!
• I cannot tell you how much it annoys me that celebrities use award shows to state their political views. That's all fine and good that they have political views and that they are going to vote...whatever. But I watch an award show to hear good music, watch interesting performances, and see musicians awarded for their talent. Well, maybe I am watching the wrong award show for all of those things but you catch my drift.
• In an interview Christina Aguilera was quoted that she would be letting her 8 month old son stay up and watch TV even though, normally he's not allowed to watch TV so he could see her perform. Well good for you Christina! I'm glad you have concern about your son watching too much TV. Never mind that Mommy's boobies are hanging out for the world to see. "Is that a scary, Playboy bunny on the tv, daddy?" "No pumpkin, that's Mommy." "Don't those things belong to me? Why are they out for everyone else?" Well I hope that little Max enjoyed watching his Mommy sing lip sync on TV last night.
• One of the best performances of the night was The Jonas Brothers. They are just so wholesome and sweet, they could be mistaken for oatmeal! I really, really liked the whole sitting on the front steps of the house singing with a few instruments...unplugged, if you will. It got a little much to handle when they broke into the real version of the song and had 800 screaming girls rushing the stage to be near them. Come on, we're not talking about the Beatles here.

All in all, I guess it was entertaining...sort of. At the very least, it was worth it to see Demi Moore forget to bring her microphone out on stage with her and look completely lost. I really shouldn't say that, because I have done that myself and it's not fun.

Ok......rant over.

One Year Ago

One year ago today, I got on a plane and flew across the world. When I returned, a piece of my heart did not. On September 7th, 2007 I left for Kenya, Africa. It is an experience that in no way is expressible in words. But I will do my best to give you some small idea of what my experience was there. Rather than tell you everything I did, I want to tell you everything Iwitnessed, felt, learned and will remember forever. Get in your "comfy chair" folks. It's going to be a long one. I went on a mission trip with my church and was in Kenya for 9 days. We were gone for 11, because two of those days were spent entirely in airplanes and airports. That's a whole different story for another time. 

Ok, hmm...where do I begin? I have already typed four different opening statements, if you will, and deleted them because those words were just not worthy. I am quickly realizing that no words I could ever write will be worthy. No pictures I show will do it justice. So with that, I am just going to begin.

When we pulled up to a tiny church in a slum called Kawangware the first morning we were there, I was overwhelmed. We had just driven through the worst conditions I have ever seen, but that wasn't what got me. What overwhelmed me was the sound coming from inside the church. It was the most joyous noise my ears have ever heard. I liken it to what Heaven will sound like someday. Every person packed inside the tiny church was singing, loudly. All of their voices together in harmony....absolutely overwhelming. I truly felt like I was having an out of body experience and I just wept. If you know me at all, you know this is huge. I wouldn't have been able to hold in the tears if I had tried with all of my being. It was the only response. Like my spirit was so alive inside me, but there was no way for my body to express it except through tears. This was my response to almost everything I encountered there. 

I have never experienced worship like I did that day in the tiny church in Kenya. I have never felt closer to God. The people of Kenya are so close to Him that you can't help but be drawn up with them. I hunger for that feeling again. I don't know that I will ever achieve it to that extent here. There was a part of me when we left, that wanted to pack up my family and move there....truly. My children would never know a life like we could have there, as long as they live in the United States. Having that knowledge is brutal. I know they would grow up with a burning passion to know God and worship Him. I know they would appreciate every single thing they ever got. I know they would love others until it hurt. I know they would have a heart filled with compassion. Of course, I strive that they will have all of those things here. And just knowing what I now know equips me in teaching them these things. But it's not the same as being there and knowing it for yourself. It's not the same. Part of me again, as I write this, is thinking..."maybe we could just go there. what's stopping us?" Now, the reality of me packing up my family and moving across the world is slim. But I would never say it's not a possibility. I won't close a door if God wants to open it. 

The people of Kenya are the most genuinely joyful, friendly, welcoming, accepting, thankful, and warm people I have ever met. A few of the words and phrases I heard the most while there:

• "Welcome"
• "Praise God"
• "Thank you God"
• "Hallelujah"
• "You are welcome"
• "My home is your home."
• "Brothers & Sisters"
  

Now what on earth are people who are starving and sleeping on cardboard in a hut made out of dirt and sticks, doing saying things like this, you ask. They just are. You see, because they have nothing, (I use this word by our standards, because frankly they have more than we will ever have...more on that later) they are thankful for every single thing they have. They thank God for everything. Even for their circumstances, which most would find appalling, disgusting, horrible, and unlivable. They thank God. While we would complain about sleeping in mud, they thank God. While we would feel sick to have to eat what they eat, they thank God. While we would be exhausted from walking miles to get anywhere, they thank God. While we would never want to wear what they wear daily, they thank God. While we would be asking God why, they thank Him. What a concept. 

You see this whole thing really is ironic. While we all think and say they have nothing, they have more than we will ever have. They may not have clothes or good shelter or warm food or a car, (all things we consider necessity) yet they have it all figured out. They know what it's like to be truly thankful. They know what it's like to truly need God and rely on Him for everything. 

The thing I learned above everything else from the amazing people of Kenya, is this:

My joy in life does not depend on my circumstances. 

Our pastor always has a great saying about happiness versus joy. He says, the difference is Happiness depends upon our Happenings. Joy, however, comes from within us. It does not hinge upon our circumstances. Thank God for joy and for joy He gives us. I have joy because I know this is not it. I know my existence here on this Earth is not all I have. I have something so much greater to look forward to. And if I never get the opportunity to go back to Kenya and see my friends there, I look forward to the day when we will all meet in Heaven and be singing God's praises together again. The reason part of my heart was left behind in Kenya, was because my heart longs to feel the way it did there. It longs to feel completely filled with compassion, love, and joy. Part of my heart now belongs to the Kenyan people. It's like when you have children, a piece of your heart is taken and it is carried with them always. When they are apart from you, a piece of your heart goes with them. But it's ok, because that vulnerability enables you to love completely. Kenya will always have a piece of my heart. 

There are so many stories and pictures to share, but I couldn't possibly put them into one post. Maybe I'll make a day of the week "Kenya Day" and I will share a picture and a story on that day. Lord knows I could do that for a year and still not have told everything. I will share pictures of some of my Kenyan friends below so you can see the people who God used as an integral part in changing my life forever. 

One year ago today, I got on a plane and flew across the world. When I returned, a piece of my heart did not.

100% Fat Free, Sugar Free, & Completely Organic....

....ok, ok not at all actually! This is probably about as far as one can get from "natural, organic, good for you" food, but boy was it yummy! 

Ingredients you need for one fun, easy, delicious, kid-pleasing dessert:

at least I threw some fruit into the mix   :)

YES, this is Cool Whip IN A CAN! I about jumped out of my chair when I first saw the commercial for this. 

Outcome:

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