Air Craft Carrier or Cruise Ship

Our message in church this morning was really fabulous and challenging.

Orlando, our pastor, gave an analogy about the church choosing to act like a cruise ship or an air craft carrier. 

 If you think about a cruise ship: 1) it is all about you when you are on the ship, 2) when your time is up, you have accomplished nothing all week, 3) it is very self-serving

If you think about an air craft carrier: 1) each person on the ship has specific job to do and works together to accomplish a mission, 2) each plane on the ship is sent out to aid/protect/serve others, 3) it is very service oriented

His examples were more easy to understand, but you get the picture.  In my life and in the way we want to train our kids to live, we want to be an air craft carrier.  I do not want my kids growing up thinking that life is all about how they can be served and how life can be comfortable.  But, if I look at my life now, do my kids really see a service oriented life. 

God has been tugging our hearts this past year to give up material things and not hold so dear to the temporal.  We have been getting our house ready to sell and be available for where God wants to be and what He wants us to do.  I have no idea what that will look like.  If we have to  live in a trailer, ok; if we get to buy an RV park and move, ok; Not to us OH Lord, but for your glory!

Lilly Pulitzer

I read in a magazine about how lilly pulitzer

had celebrities design some clothing and the proeeds are going to a charity 

for kids with EB.  That is the same disease that took the precious life of jtsetsma.

On the lillypulitzer website there is a link to this family's blog.

The mother and father's first child was stillborn and their second child has EB.  We can follow their story and pray for them as we did with Jameson.  

For the love of Bikes.....and Etsy

Just browsing on Etsy and came across all these great items that could each find a place in my home or on my family members bodies.  We love bikes in this household, and since I love Etsy, I thought I would do a bike search.  Well, i didn't look at all hundred and some odd pages, but I did list some below:

Garbella

this clock is a bike cog design

vital industries

what a fun scarf, for when I go to the BMX track on those chilly nights:)

lofty mornings

for next two t-shirt prints

Ikestaedts

really cute clutch

bicycle painting's shop

for this tee and the print below

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens was a blast.  It was one of those moments where I had early conversations with myself of "ok, don't get stressed, take it slow, let things just happen and be ok with it, don't rush around and try to see everything,  if the kids don't nap it is ok."  I tend to like my scheduled life a little too much sometimes and it is good for me to step out of the norm and going to a theme park on a hot saturday with two toddlers and 12 other family members/friends and see that we can still have a wonderful time.  

The kids were fantastic, really great.  They loved every part of it..animals, rides, water play area, food, cupcakes, presents, (no naps :)).  We left the house at 7:45 am and did not leave Busch Gardens until 6:30 pm.; we had our last supper with Brad and Heather before they left on their trip across the country, then drove to Michelle's house in Brandon to sleep over.  I am thankful for Fl. Resident season passes so we can go back all year for free (minus parking) and experience Busch Gardens again.

Lion Cupcakes a success?

Busch Gardens was a blast and i will post more about that later.

The lion cupcakes were a success, considering they traveled 2.5 hours in baggies in the car then 2.5 hours in the baggies in the stroller before we decorated and ate them.  Owen enjoyed them, and I think everyone else did too.  Except myself, because my husband and I are on a no sugar diet for 6 weeks (only 1 week down).

C's cupcake was the only one with carmel popcorn for the lion mane.  I actually liked how it looked better than the ones with slivered almonds.  

Mission completed and successful, i think!

Lion Trial One

This is my attempt at making a lion face out of food.  Practicing for the birthday cupcakes.  The mane in slivered almonds, eyes and mouth choc chips, nose and whiskers candy corn.  I want to do licorice whips or pull and peel twizzlers for the whiskers and mouth, but haven't found them yet.

Most Requested Song

Every night before bed, the kids ask for a prayer, a story, and a song.

O's favorite song is Frere Jacques

I love to hear him ask and try to say it in French, and I don't always sing correct French, so I found the lyrics on Kididdles.com.

You can print lyrics and music for free and listen to the songs on the website too.  No more need to hear mommy say "sani nan i tina." 

Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines,
Sonnez les matines,
Din, din, don!
Din, din, don!

English Version:

Are you sleeping,
Are you sleeping?
Brother John?
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing,
Morning bells are ringing,
Ding ding dong,
Ding ding dong.

lion cupcakes

My oldest will be 4 really soon, I can't believe it.  He is still a wild animal lover. Specifically lions, so I would like to get some great ideas for turning a cupcake into a lion head.  He asked for Apple Pie for his birthday dessert, but in lieu of a party, we are taking him to Busch Gardens in Tampa a week early.  So i thought we could have the cupcakes while we are there, then we can still enjoy apple pie for his bday dessert.

here two links to ideas so far:

First

Second

Correction

To correct myself on the previous post.

The workbooks that C and I have enjoyed are KUMON.

Anyone know about this type?

Craft Time

I am realizing that I need to be a lot more prepared and  organized  as my kids get older.  Although they are more independent than they used to be, our activities require a lot more preparation and fore-thought.  They enjoy craft time, and I do too if I have all and/or can find all the right utensils needed for our crafts.  C is really starting to draw. No more does coloring consist of random scribbles, but he is putting thought into his art. I have no idea at what age this is normal, but it seems like mine might be late bloomers in the creative arts department. Nonetheless, I am going to display their artwork proudly!  

1.  First is C's drawing of his friend Chad.  Completed in Sunday School no less.

 2.  Second is our craft from today,  Addie, Owen, and Caeden made flowers.  It was supposed to be from here and look like this. 

Orginially we wanted to do egg carton bugs, but since mommy was crafting on the fly, we used what we had and tried to make flowers instead out of: plastic egg carton (not stirofoam), construction paper for the petals, glue gun, and straightened out large paper clip for the stem.  They turned out cute

3.  Third, When painting outside the other day, C asked if he could paint wood, so we grabbed some scraps from the garage and painted away.  We decided to add the word bikes and we kept painting over it then taking the eraser of a pencil to etch out the word.  I like this one.  If you notice, there is a really faint I( heart) in the background.  The scribbles were added later by crayon, I kinda wish i wouldn't have let him do that, but it is His art right?

 4.  Last, this is C's drawing of a crown.  I am so pleased that his lines are connecting and he is producing something tangible on his paper.  It might be silly, but I am a proud mom.  I owe it to the workbooks we have been doing.  I think the name of them is Komen.