PUKE

A four act play. That actually happened in my house last night.

2:15a.m.

Mother is sleeping soundly in her bed. Father bustles in with their five and a half year old daughter, hand in hand.

Father: Murmer...murmer...murmer...(something unintelligible...)

*pauses*

Father: Mother, Daughter is awake. She came downstairs...here...

Mother (groggily): Ok, get in bed with me, Daughter.

*Daugher climbs into Mother's side of bed.*

Daughter: I need water on my stomach.

Mother: (groggily) Hmmm?

Daughter: I feel bad in my chest and I need water on my stomach.

Mother: Ok, we can get some water.

Daughter: No. I need to go potty.

Mother: Ok, go potty in the bathroom.

*Mommy Senses kick in and Mother bolts upright. Immediately locates emergency puke bucket in the dark and dumps out books. Runs to bathroom door.*

*Footsteps from inside the bathroom stop and make a U-turn.*

Daughter: Mom, I just need you to hug me!

Mother: Not yet! Here! Lean over this!

Daughter: PUUUUUUKE!!

OH NO! I'M PUKING!

Father: Go to the toilet!

Mother: No! She's doing great! It's all in the bucket! (to Daughter) Stay right here!

Daughter: This is horrible. (arm flourish over forehead) I don't like this. PUUUUKE!!

Mother: I know. But you did a great job! Dont' get your hand in it. Put your hands down. You got it all in the bucket!

Daughter: Mom?

Mother: Hmmm?

Daughter: YOU. ARE. AWESOME! I have to pee.

*Mother smiles and hands puke bucket to father with directions to wash it out and return.*

*Father mumbles something under his breath.*

Daughter: FATHER! YOU. ARE. AWESOME. TOO! (to Mother) Does puking make you have to pee?

Mother: Sometimes.

 YOU. ARE. AWESOME!



Daughter: This tastes terrible. (with arm flourish over mouth)

Mother: We'll get a little something to drink in a second. Let's finish up here.

*Daughter walks to sink to wash hands.*

Daughter: Mom, I need you to hug me right now.

*Mother goes to hug Daughter...but stops. Grabs well-timed return of bucket from Father and shoves it under Daughter's chin.)

Daughter: PUUUUUUKE!

Father: This is going to be a long night.

Mother disappears briefly to enter absence from school online and to request a substitute for tomorrow.

Father gets water for Daughter. All three settle into the bed as best they can with puke bucket close by on the nightstand.

SCENE.

*******

3:30 a.m.

Daughter: *cough cough*

*Mother bolts upright. Grabs puke bucket. Shoves it under Daughter's chin.

Daughter: My back hur....PUUUUUKE!!

Mother: You're doing great! You got it all in the bucket again! I'm so proud of you!

Daughter: (dramatically) Why do people have to throw up? This is ridiculous. I hate it. I'm so sorry to say hate but is it ok to say hate about puking?

I REALLY HATE PUKING.

 



Mother: It's ok for today. Just don't say it about anything else.

Daughter: I hate puking. This is miserable! (hands flourished out to each side)

*Father brings in wet cloth to wash off Daughter's face. Daughter sips water. Everyone lays back down.*

Daughter: Puking DOES make you have to pee. I have to pee again.

*Mother and Daughter make a trip to the bathroom, wash hands, and return to bed. Daughter crawls into the middle of the bed.*

Mother: Honey, let Mother get into the middle so you can stay on the side.

Daughter. But Mother what if I FALL OUT OF THE BED?

Mother: You've been sleeping on this side for the last hour or so. You'll be ok, I won't let you fall out. It's much better if you're close to the puke bucket.

Daughter. (holds up hand) I know...in case I puke again. (dramatically) WHY does this have to happen to me?

WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME?

 



Father: Woah, that's a big one.

*Father kindly removes puke bucket for rinsing and comes back with wet wash cloth.*

Mother: It happens to everyone once in awhile.

*Mother and Daughter join Father again and attempt to go to sleep. They are briefly successful*

SCENE.

********

5:30 a.m.

Daughter: My heart is running fast!

*Mother, once again, uses her cat-like reflexes to reach across Daughter to grab puke bucket and shove it under Daughter's chin.

Daughter: PUUUUUKE!! (to Mother) Now I know the signal. When my back starts hurting and my heart is running fast, it's time to puke.

Mother: This is a breakthrough. I'm proud beyond...

Daughter: PUUUUKE!! I just don't know why this keeps happening.

*Rinse. Sip water. Wipe face. Lay back down.*

*Mother sneaks away to write lesson plans and email them to school. Returns thirty minutes later to a sleeping Father and Daughter.*

SCENE.

*******

Light creeps into the bedroom and Mother never really goes back to sleep. Son enters around 7:00 a. m., wondering why Daughter was not upstairs in her bed.

Daughter: Do NOT touch me! (arms out) I still like you but I PUKED!

Son: Oh. Ok.

Daughter: When you get to school, be sure to tell my teacher that I puked. And try to tell ALL of my friends. (double hand flourish) Also, you can tell all of your friends, too. (additional double hand flourish) Tell them I puked THREE TIMES. Ok?

Son: Ok. What's for breakfast?

Mother: Not sure yet. We'll all be eating light today....

FIN.

 

 

or....TO BE CONTINUED?

Elsa

Little girls desire little more than to be real, true princesses. Or so it seems.

This morning I watched my princess flip through Disney Roku to the same little video clips she's watched dozens of times now. Elsa singing 'Let It Go' in 25 languages, Demi Lovato belting out a not-as-good-as-the-original version, and a DIY tutorial on how to make your French braid look just like Elsa's.

Finishing a novel that just may be blogged about next, I sat and let my little Elsa impersonator do nearly painful things to my hair. Telling her in between pulls and ouches that perhaps I might buy her one of those Barbie heads that little girls can practice hairdos on. And I may, but I didn't fully mind her tangling with my hair. 

My love for the more recent Disney princess movies goes even deeper than hers. At sixteen, I was very much taken by the G-rated musical perfection of The Little Mermaid. I still have the well loved cassette tapes. This was followed by Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Wonderful, until grown-upness heaped alternate interests on my plate. And someone probably told me I should act my age...and then I did. Thank goodness I don't buy into such nonsense as acting my age anymore.

For a few seconds this morning I worried though. My little girl is not just playing Elsa. She IS Elsa at the moment. Oh gosh, what does this mean exactly? That she likes high heels and a very blond braid swung over her shoulder? That she enjoys fancy dresses and ice powers and the drama of it all?

Simply put...yes.

Frankly, while it's so adorable and entertaining, it's a little discouraging for this nearly-nerd mom to watch my
incredibly bright little girl be so much less than she is capable. I'm reasonably careful with what I offer her for toys. Blocks, tools, legos - she plays with them all. Plus she has an older brother, whom she idolizes.

However, she likes pink. She likes fancy. She LOVES drama.

I started to think back on all the things I've tried to be in my life. I'm a bit of a mix when it comes to people genres. I suspect we all truly are, although most of us lean more towards one than another. I thought about all of the proverbial outfits I've tried on. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, it is said. 

I suspect this little one will try on all kinds of hats over the years. She will choose some and I will encourage some, and people she hasn't even met yet will encourage others. All this trying on will make her who she is. Or maybe, more accurately, it will reflect who she IS.

And if she turns out to choose tiaras (literal or not so literal) over a scalpel or a computer then that's ok. As long as she's using her Gifts. By that I do mean her capital G Gifts - the ones God has given her that make her the ever so unique (and honestly, quite entertaining) person that she is. Blond wig and all.

I love her dearly and am so thankful that I have this lifetime to encourage her to be herself.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.   ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:10 

This is not a laughing matter. Or is it?!?

I know I've said this before...

There are moments in time as a Mom you just throw up your hands and shrug your shoulders because that's all you can do...

And then you laugh. A lot.

I feel like these moments have happened to me a lot in the past few weeks. So, of course, it's only appropriate to share.

This really starts back in 1986. I was in the prime tooth pulling stage and very enthralled with the tooth fairy...who unexplainably forgot to visit me on many nights of my tooth extractions!!! 

GASP!!!

I've since given my mother massive amounts of crap about this exclaiming 'how on earth could you forget?' (You poor lazy woman!!). And her reply 'I was tired, Renae. It happened.' (She also has a reputation of head locking children to rip out their teeth. But THAT is a different blog all together).

WHAAAAAT?!?!

Fast forward to February 11, 2014. 

I'm watching my second born son as he talks to me and notice his top tooth flapping while he talks...

That right there is grounds for removal. Ready or not. (OH CRAP. I'm becoming my mother...).

15 minutes later the tooth is out!!! (I may or may not have stradled that child pinning his arms to rip out his flappy tooth.). 

He is certainly going to need therapy over that. However, he won't know that for many more years. Right now he's rejoicing at his toothless reflection in the bathroom mirror!

In case you forgot...we have four kids.

And guess what? 

That night...

I was tired.

GASP!!

We awoke to rustling & chaos. I heard the dreaded words 'the tooth fairy didn't leave me any money!!'

I sat up in bed yelling profanity. (It's true. Don't judge me.).

So, before those little feet could clomp down the hall I rushed out of bed & reached into K-Dog's dresser. I fumbled open his wallet...

[Side note: I am blind as a bat without my contacts or glasses].

I squinted to see it wasn't just a dollar bill, ripped it out of his wallet and flung the crisp money into the hallway as it landed so amazingly at the top of the staircase.

This Momma hopped back into bed pretended to be asleep & am 'awakened' to squeals of joy...'Oh, here's my money from the tooth fairy!!'

SCORE!!!!!! My stealth-like moves & quick reflexes have saved the day.

Take. That. Mom. Heh heh.

As I stagger down the stairs I overhear a conversation...

I can't be hearing it correctly. 

But then as I turn the corner I am greated by the cutest toothless smile I've ever seen holding a TEN DOLLAR BILL.

FAIL.

My life is a comedy of errors. And, I'm ok with that. I couldn't dream this stuff up if I tried. 

You know, we took our daughter to Disney last week. And let's say it together:

'It isn't a trip to Disney without a Keffer puker!!'

We were making fun of that at breakfast one morning as K-dog took a picture of the infamous urinal Benny P yacked in last year...

And then...Divalicious tossed her cookies on a BOAT to Epcot. But hey, if you're going to puke in public I'm you're girl! Nobody even knew it happened except the people sitting behind us. It did ruin a rain poncho & jacket. No more details. I'll spare your stomachs. But she did get a cute new jacket...

If you take away anything from reading today please hear this: laugh at yourself. At your kids. Take a deep breath and know each day is one more chance to show your kids that God made us to love & be joyful. There are so many moments I wish I could just freeze in my memory (puking is NOT one if them). 

We are molding our children by our behavior and how WE react to chaos. Breathe. Exhale. Take a gander at perspective. 

Or just think of me. Because certainly you aren't in as many debacles (or maybe you are!!).

Listen, I have more debacles to share but your eyes must be tired from reading. 

I'll leave you with a teaser about my Zumba class...The teacher was a cross between a gymnast and exotic dancer. She had PROPS and everything. If I thrusted my hips one more time I was going to either throw out my back or have to get down on my knees & ask for forgiveness...

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:34 MSG)

Oh sweet child

I've been reading a lot of WONDERFUL blog posts on how you just need to soak up the sweetness of your child coming into your bedroom 14 times in the night. And remember all these precious tiny moments. Please don't forget to lay in bed with them and stroke their sweet hair as they drift to dream land.

Seriously.

I'm a REALLY compassionate and patient person. It's true. Parenting with grace is difficult, yes. Yes, it is!!!

There are many many many things I agree with when reading these blog posts. For one, this time with small children is fleeting. These pitter patter feet that run down the hall at 2am are Only for a season. Sniff. 

They still like me and love me and think I'm the bees knees (you liked that old time saying, didn't you? Thought so.).

This season is probably pretty easy compared to what we are going to face as hormones rage and attitudes develop.

So, here's my thought about these mushy sweet blog posts...

wait for it...

wait for it...

Yes. I like them. A lot.

However, sometimes your child who continues to get up out of their bed 12313 times in 3 hours causing mass chaos in a sleepy home needs this:

Obedience.

      &

Prayer.

Whatever happened to parents expecting obedience from their children? 

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”^{a  Ephesisans 6:1-3}

I can tell you this: my kids will be turds. And they might even be a turd to you, yes, you...whoever is reading this now. Because they are human. And I know they can't be perfect. 

However, we have expectations that the Lord has set upon us & them. And it is THE PARENT'S job to instill these skills in to our offspring. 

YEP. 

It's on you, Momma. And Daddy. 

EXPECT obedience. Teach obedience. Live obedience in your own lives. 

Now, we are also commanded by the Lord not to provoke our children to anger. We shouldn't push their buttons or talk to them without self control (by golly, I am working on this!!! seriously. sometimes I just want to flick them in their ear & spin around like a freaking lunatic because NOBODY has matching socks. Nobody. Ever.)

But, I reel my freakish outburst in & instead remember this:

4Fathers,^b do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

I've got to be a role model for my children's behavior. That's hard. Period. 

If I yell, they yell. 

If I give sarcastic body language, they give sarcastic body language. 

If I roll my eyes & give a full body sigh...they will do the same.

We teach our kids how to respond to us. Truth.

I've learned (the hard way) that my kids don't listen when I yell. They shut down. Tune me out.  But, when I raise my voice & grab their attention, then speak normally but sternly, they hear me. 

There is on occasion in our home some VERY firm words (not ugly, not rude, not inappropriate) that are said when our children are not obeying. I like to call that the 'reality check in the name of Jesus.'

Sometimes kids need a reality check.

And sometimes I need a reality check.

It seems like this whole parenting teeter totter is a scheme of checks & balances. 

Check in with the Lord & He balances out our insecurities & throws us right back on the correct path to effectively parenting our kids.


Listen, sweet cheeks, I am no perfect parent. Farther from it than the moon. I just know that i've tried lots of things & the ONLY sure thing that works is seeking the Lord to guide you as you parent.

My goal is to raise children that love the Lord & they see His truths in my life as an example of the Faith I'm teaching them. 

Why would they want to serve a God that is absent in my everyday life & only on my lips as words for their ears to hear? 

Don't just speak His words. Live them.

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25


And pray. Pray for your kids (and yourself) daily. I pray for myself a lot, especially when I really want to jack their tail up in the name of Jesus when they give me lip or attitude (or flop themselves around on the floor of Kohl's because I'm trying to buy them new underwear to prevent the circulation from being cut off of important body parts?!?! Or for telling me you didn't have to pee before we got in the car to drive THREE hours & then 20 min down the road scream you're dying inside because you have to pee so badly!!). 

Don't get me wrong. I'll spank their tail if it needs it. But I'll also tell you in all honesty, I refuse to lay a hand on their bottom in anger.  (it defeats the purpose). 

We pray with our kids after they are punished. Why not?!? It teaches them to reach out to the Lord & ask for help & guidance.

I'll also tell you that during a prayer or two (or maybe 35) I've had to ask for forgiveness too for the way I've reacted. This teaches your child that you aren't perfect. 

Parenting is crazy. But it's such a blessing. It is a gift that has been given to us. It isn't something that we are entitled to. I try to remember that EVERY day. Especially when my little litter is running circles around my dragging feet...

If I wasn't chasing around these four blessings then I would be praying for one blessing to chase. Don't take for granted what you've been blessed with by the Lord. And don't take for granted the responsibility it entails as well.

So forgive me if I don't stroke my child's hair & whisper how sweet & lovely it is that they need me in the night. Granted, sometimes that's in order (I'm not completely heartless). 

But most nights, you'll get a stern reply from this sleepy mom in the middle of the night that goes a little something like this "I love you, go back to bed, we sleep at night, I'll see you when the sun comes up."

Expect obedience & pray you live your days for those little eyes to see Him shine through...

Dr. Junior

"Mom, why did Dr. Junior have a dream?"

I had already seen the paper in her take-home folder, so I knew exactly what she meant. Her class has been talking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in school this week. She is a sharp cookie for her age, but this is a tough concept. I went on to ask her about the investigation her class had done with a brown egg and a white egg. The idea is that you talk about how on the outside, the shell is hard and protects the inside. The only difference is the color of the shell.

Then, you break the egg open and show that the insides are identical. One yolk, one albumin, nothing else. They're both the same. That prompts a discussion about how people are no different from each other on the inside.

(If you'd like to do this activity with your child or students, you can get a FREE printable here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Egg-Activity-191824)

She could tell me verbatim what she had done, what her teacher had said, and recounted it with the usual enthusiasm of a child who has an amazingly gifted kindergarten teacher. (We love her dearly, if you can't tell.)

But she wasn't really getting it.

I went further. She is bright, so I felt that I could tell her more. I explained that a long time ago, people weren't always allowed to do the same things. Things like going to a certain school or going to a certain restaurant. Sometimes people with peach skin (as she calls it) didn't even want to be friends with people who had dark skin.

"They didn't?"

"No, they didn't. And sometimes they were very mean."

"That wasn't very nice of them." "Mom, why do people call our skin white instead of peach?"

My answer - "Probably because peach looks close to white."

 But this set off a momentary rage within me. I don't know this for sure, but I imagined for a second that somewhere back in time, someone decided that Caucasian skin should be called white because it would sound the most opposite of black that it possibly could.

When really, we're all just the yolk and the albumin on the inside.

Our conversation ended and I realized...She still didn't understand. Not really. 

Her teacher's lesson and our conversation will now be a part of her schema to help her answer the questions her teachers will ask in years to come. She'll be the one raising her hand. She always is. But really, she just does not get it.

And I am SO glad.

She will never know a world where she cannot hug her friends with dark skin. She will never know a world where it is not ok for the Hispanic boy in her class to teach her how to say Spanish words. She will never know a world where there are no dark skinned baby dolls.

This world is not perfect. It never will be. She will learn things later that will break her heart like they break mine. But for now, there is a little peach girl in North Carolina who will hug your neck and talk your ear off no matter the shade of your skin.

GOD MADE US ALL.

Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

 

A Christmas miracle

On Friday December 6, 2013, we got a call that froze our world.

Our Dad was taken to the ER. Chest pains, a 'pop', feeling faint.

Little did we know what God had planned for our family. We will tell you one thing:

He showed His miraculous healing power & beyond any shadow of any doubt that could ever cross your mind let us tell you...

Jesus saved our Dad's life because logically & medically speaking he should not have lived.

Dad had a dissected aortic aneurysm. In laymans terms: he busted the crap right out of the entire layer of his aorta. By the time he got to the hospital he had no pulse & no blood pressure but he was STILL CONCIOUS. He talked his way through his symptoms & less than 2 hours from the time he heard his aorta pop (yes...he heard it pop!) he was on a bypass machine being prepped for surgery.

Here is Renae's personal account of how this has changed her life.

My dad and I have had our trying times all of my life. Over the past twelve years there has been a very fragile relationship between my family (Kdog & our kids) & my dad.

 Let me throw this out there: divorce is tricky & hurtful. Watching your parents get divorced as an adult is heartbreaking.

But let me also say this: The Lord can work miracles to heal wounds that you thought could never be healed.

Kdog & I are very open with my dad. There was not a feeling unsaid regarding our relationship. Over the past four months my dad had reconnected consistently with my children. The Lord was preparing our household for what was about to happen. My children are very attached to my dad & I've never been able to say that before. And this was happening BEFORE his miraculous aortic repair.

When I got to the hospital & waited with his wife & my brother it felt like a bad dream. We didn't know if he would live through the surgery. 

We waited for five hours and during those five hours The Lord melted away resentment & uncomfortable feelings.  He replaced them with love & compassion.

As we waited for the surgeon my dad's wife said repeatedly 'I have a peace from The Lord that he is going to be ok.' 

And he is.

 The surgeon replaced his aortic valve & grafted a new aortic arch. His 'new parts' will probably outlast the rest of his body. 

One new 'part' is a pig valve. My oldest has named him 'Bacon'.

We waited 8 hours that day before my brother & I followed 'Mamaw' (as our kids call her) into the ICU. 

It was the best feeling in the world to kiss my dad's hand, pray over him, & realize The Lord had given him a second chance at life.

The next several days are hazy but mostly I remember seeing him sedated with tears rolling down his face. I knew my dad was in there. 

My sister came and we had lots of time together (which is unusual since she lives 3 hours away!!). We prayed over Dad, stroked his hair & held his hands. 

My most precious moment was praying over dad & my sister started to pray outloud. Dad was still sedated, breathing tube in & he became restless. He was responding to our prayers!!! 

Dad has made a miraculous recovery. He came home on December 23. He's weak but progressing everyday. He had a small stroke & some vision damage but they are both resolving with each & every day!

While mamaw is at work he comes & hangs at my house. It's never dull here. And we keep him moving. 

The love of children & laughter is the best medicine of all if you ask me!

This entire life changing experience has brought my entire family closer. Yes, even my mom & 'step' mom. We all have one thing in common: LOVE. 

Love for our Lord & Saviour. And do you know what He commands?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34, 35 NIV)

Tomorrow is never guaranteed. 

Relationships are worth repairing.

Love always comes out ahead.

God is Healer, Sustainer, Giver of life.

Through all things God gives us strength to endure whatever life may bring.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NIV)

When something like this happens your perspective changes. You learn a lot about yourself & your family. The biggest thing I've learned is this...

Love.

Give. (Your time. Your support. With no strings attached)

Pray.

The Lord empowers you to do whatever it takes to come together if you ask Him first. 

I'm thankful for this experience.

 Weird, maybe?!?

My dad is a miracle through whom The Lord can use to bring other people to His Kingdom.

Amen.

Why We Elf

He's back.

Actually, THEY'RE back. There's a host of scout elves haunting houses all over Middle America and creepily spying on innocent young ones across the world. And it's all in the name of Santa...that jolly old bearded fellow who magically shimmies down chimneys everywhere to deliver lots of commercial stuff to our impressionable babes who have been induced with toy-madness since the end of August when they started playing Christmas music in Wal-Mart.

You be good. Really good. Your elf will tell Santa. You will get lots of presents.

Oh, mercy...it sounds just plain wrong. But I'd love to tell you why we do it anyway.

IT'S FUN (!)

More specifically, WE think it's fun. You don't have to like the elf. You don't have to have one of your own if you don't want one. And I won't love you any less if you don't. In fact, if your child is under the age of two and/or you still can't pee by yourself on a regular basis I might even suggest that you don't have time for the elf. That's ok and I also promise you will pee alone again one day. One fine, fine day.

Simply put, Christmas is about God sending his son, Jesus, to the earth in flesh as a baby. It has nothing to do with Santa or elves, we all know that was just a byproduct that happened much, much later. The common denominator here though is that the heart of this holiday is two things: JOY and LOVE.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

~Galatians 5:22-23

Check out the first two fruits of the spirit! LOVE and JOY!

We move that (insert your own adjective here) elf every night, and make it do silly, sometimes involved things, because we LOVE our children! We do it because it creates JOY in each of our hearts! The morning beasties are sweet and cooperating these days because they are so full of joy while trying to find where "Doc" is the morning! Not to mention the hours that my husband and I spend TOGETHER (what??) during the Christmas season planning, plotting, and crafting this little guy's next crazy scheme!

We also do it because we can make it into something teachable. The other day we read this article: http://voices.yahoo.com/5-elf-shelf-ideas-havent-thought-of-12409891.html. Meet Renae's elves, Hervy & Vivi, and the note Hervy left her kids last week:

 

Vivi & Hervy Bake                          Vivi Arrives 

 

This isn't just experiencing love, this is TRAINING UP LOVE! I have no doubt that her Fab Four will remember how they actively paid it forward with Hervy and Vivi's money far more clearly than when Mom simply told them with her words that they should always pay it forward.

It's also a way for moms who take care of others all day and limit their creative sides to show a little creativity of their own. We were creative once...before sleep deprivation killed two thirds of our brain cells.

Hervy's Marshmallow Bath
 

 

I look forward to Doc. I love how excited my kids are to find him each morning. I love the JOY that it brings them. Seeing them experiencing JOY brings me JOY in return!

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

~ Psalm 47:1

 

 

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 

~ Nehemiah 8:10

 

 

JOY IS OF THE LORD!

 

 

Doc Repents

 

You can also click through to Denyse's other blog, The Super Mom Chronicles, for Doc's 2012 adventures! http://momchronicles.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_archive.html

Doc has a few groupies after last year's antics. Feel free to follow his progress on instagram using the hashtag #doctheelf as well as #elfontheshelf for a few great ideas IF you need them. ;)