The Best Toys, continued

As I said before: The best toys are not toys.

The Best Toys...

Are not toys.

Once Caleb discovered that he could push around our dining room chairs and stand on them, a whole new world of entertainment was opened up for him.

Recently Caleb has become quite the little helper in the kitchen. He loves to help unload the dishwasher. Every time he hands me a dish to put in a cupboard he can't reach, I've been telling him "thank you," so now he says it too. He also loves helping put away the silverware (after I've removed the sharp objects). I've realized putting away the silverware isn't that much different than doing a puzzle for him--what fun! Although, once in awhile I will find a confiscated chopstick or ladle in his toy drawer.

And then there's washing dishes. Caleb's fascination started with a plastic bowl or two, a ladle, and some water. It progressed to playing with the kitchen washcloth, the bowls and the water. Then I discovered he could reach the dish soap. Needless to say, he had a very bubbly bath that day, and all the grease was removed from his clothes in the laundry. Since then we've started a little morning routine where we do the dishes together after we eat breakfast. He gets a child safe dirty dish and usually a spatula in one sink and goes to town while I work on the rest of the dishes. Usually his dish ends up with bubbles on it, sometimes it gets clean.

Caleb also loves helping to prepare food, whether it's emptying a measuring cup into the bowl, putting the vegetables I cut up into a plastic bowl and putting on the lid, or stirring muffin batter. The hard part is stopping. Tears have been shed as the muffin batter is poured into the muffin cups and as I've lopped of the top of a red pepper.

And of course, who can resist the boy who licks the mashed potatoes off the beaters?

Book Review: The Bible

Reading a book quickly has its purpose, which is very different than the close, careful textual analysis of Bible study and literature course lore. As I read through the Bible this year, several themes stood out for me. Some of the highlights on this read-through included:


From the Old Testament:
Every inclination of man's heart is evil (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 7:24), yet God is patient and persistent in bringing hope, forgiveness, and redemption.

• How many times did Abraham, Jacob, Israel as a nation, Saul, David, and the other kings completely rebel against God, ignore God, or just do stupid things?
• And how many times did God forgive, withhold or delay punishment, and redeem them?
• How many warnings did God give before he did allow punishment to come to Israel?
• In the midst of their punishment, how often did God remind Israel of his promise to redeem and restore them?

Carefully researched and scholarly answers to all of the above: LOTS

Application: Believe God. Trust him for who he is, how he deals with man, and what he has promised. Confess and turn from my sin, but believe that God is for me not against me, meaning that he desires to see me free from sin and will be patient in persistent in that process.

From the New Testament:
The eternal perspective. What followers of Christ know and experience now is nothing compared to their future. This idea is woven through Christ's teachings, Paul's letters, and other authors' exhortations.

Application: Look forward to that future instead of focusing on what's for dinner, the current difficult circumstance, or the next fun trip. Christ has given me great hope; don't substitute something else in its place!

15 pages a day

Normally reading only 15 pages a day from a book would require strict rationing. If I really love the book, I don't think I'd be able to limit myself to just 15 pages a day. I'd carry it with me to read in my free moments. I'd kick back on the sofa and enjoy it during my free time. I'd have to force myself to turn out the light at night, knowing morning would be coming all too soon. I might even forget to eat (although that is not at all likely at the moment).

Unfortunately, my appetite for reading my long-time favorite book is satiated much easier than what I just described. I even make excuses not to read it. In January, tired of these excuses, I decided to read the Bible cover-to-cover, 15 pages a day. I finished reading last week.

Through this personal challenge, I learned...

• I have more time than I thought I had. I need to choose to spend my time well and have a plan B (as well as plan c, d, e...) when my day doesn't go as I thought it would. This usually means giving up something I really wanted to get done.
• Reading the same thing again may seem futile at times, but God is faithful. He has again revealed his character (especially his patience and faithfulness) through his actions in the Bible and increased my desire to know him even more.
• Reading the Bible doesn't have to be a solitary, quiet, solemn activity. While it may be nice to sit with a cup of tea while the sun streams in the window to read and ponder the deep truths in the Bible, God is powerful and can speak in between readings of Curious George or The Jesus Storybook Bible.
• Reading more than what is easy for me left less time for intentional reflection and prayer. Some days these activities spilled over into cooking dinner, tickle fests, and driving the car. Unfortunately on other days, I checked my reading off my to-do list and went on with my own agenda and concerns. I'm praying to see God's strength and grace at work in these areas of my life, especially over then next few months when I know focus and alertness will be a challenge.

There's nothing magical about 15 pages a day; I'm not recommending a "15 pages a day to change your life" Bible-reading regimen. There is something powerful in allowing God's Word access to your heart and life. I highly recommend it.

Ode to My Garlic Press

You're not shiny.
You don't do much at all.
In fact, you only have
one. little. task.

But you accomplish it
so well.

And the results...
smell
so good
taste
so good.

You make me smile
as you do your
one. little. task.
so well.

My husband scoffed
at your usefulness
(or lack thereof).
He doesn't scoff
anymore.

You aren't shiny,
and you don't multi-task.
You don't even make noise
or require electricity.
You quietly sit in a dark drawer
waiting for your moment
to shine.

Monkey See...

Monkey Do.

Thankful for Daddy

I'm thankful for Luke for many reasons, but I love seeing him in his role as Daddy. The first thing Caleb did this morning on getting out of bed was to go in search of "Dada." I heard a cadence of "Dada, Dada, Dada" as he shuffled down the hallway in his footy PJs. When he found "Dada," he raised his arms as if he'd won a gold medal.

Just to update: Nap times are going much better now, thanks to Luke. I spent a week trying to teach and train Caleb to fall asleep in a twin bed during nap time...to no avail. Luke worked with Caleb for maybe 25 minutes on Saturday, and Caleb has been napping well ever since. I'm very thankful for Caleb's daddy.

In addition, Luke plays with Caleb in ways I'd never think of. Here are some other highlights from "Daddy" time:

Hide and Seek: Luke doesn't get much time to hide since Caleb is still learning to count. The other day, I caught sight of Caleb sitting up in bed with his sheet over his head. I wonder who he learned that from?

Playing in the snow (instead of just shoveling snow):

Physics 101: Ramps

Truck Rides: You'll recognize the truck from previous escapades. Caleb has played with this for over a year now and hasn't gotten tired of it. It helps that his daddy thinks of new ways to use it.