We went to a wonderful Good Friday service at our church last night. We sang, watched a sketch, sat by our friends, and heard a message. All three of us heard a message. Here is how I know.
This morning our egg held a strip of cloth to represent what they wrapped Jesus' body in before placing him in the tomb. We read the story about him dying on the cross again in the Jesus Storybook Bible (I might have mentioned I love this Bible). The picture on the page right after Jesus died shows three crosses. Aria said, "Look! There's Jesus and those two other guys. One of them liked Jesus and the other one didn't. We learned about that last night!"
I sat there for a minute. Last night? Last night? Sometimes Aria says yesterday or last night for things that happened a lot further in the past, so I was thinking hard about when we learned about the three crosses.
Oh! It was last night! Pastor Bob's message at the Good Friday service included the conversation between Jesus and the two criminals he was crucified next to. One of them believed in Him and the other one didn't. Aria was listening to the message. It blew my mind. I know she picks up on things, but sometimes you can't tell if she is actually paying attention. I guess she was last night.
This Easter season has been filled with learning for Aria and for me as I watch her piece things together. I am so thankful to be a part of a church that has messages even a three year old can understand and that cares so much about the spiritual growth of everyone.
3.30.2013
Washing Feet
Earlier this week, Aria found a washcloth in her egg. She didn't think it belonged in there, but soon discovered it was a essential to our daily story about Jesus.
When Jesus washed his disciples feet, it wasn't so much about cleaning feet as it was about cleansing souls. That lesson is a bit beyond Aria, so we stuck with the Jesus Storybook Bible's text, which I love.
"Jesus and his friends were having the Passover meal together in an upstairs room. But Jesus' friends were arguing. What about? They were arguing about stinky feet. Stinky feet? Yes, that's right. Stinky feet.
(Aria always interjects, 'Stinky feet! That's silly!)
"Now the thing about feet back then was that people didn't wear shoes; they only wore sandals, which might not sound unusual, except that the streets in those days were dirty--and I don't mean just dusty dirty--I mean really stinky dirty. With all those cows and horses everywhere, you can imagine the stuff on the street that ended up on their feet!
"So, anyway, someone had to wash away the dirt, but it was a dreadful job. Who on earth would ever dream of volunteering to do it? Only the lowliest servant."
We went over this story in our middle school small groups a couple of weeks ago, too. The middle schoolers were quite disgusted when they actually pictured walking the streets through poop and mud with only sandals on (or maybe not even that). It definitely made an impact.
The story continues as Jesus begins to wash all the disciples feet, but Peter won't let him. Then comes my favorite part:
"Jesus knew that what people needed most was to be clean on the inside. All the dirt on their feet was nothing compared to the sin inside their hearts."
They had disgusting animal poop on their feet, but that was nothing compared to the sin inside their hearts. And these were the disciples!
The text ends with the best segue to our little activity.
"One by one, Jesus washed everyone's feet. 'I am doing this because I love you,' Jesus explained. 'Do this for each other."
So, I washed Aria's feet. She definitely enjoyed it and also wanted to stomp around in the bowl of water. Then she asked, "Who is going to wash your feet, Mom?"
What a great question! She was excited to wash my feet and wanted to wash my legs, too.
As I said before, the whole making yourself the lowest servant and cleansing the soul is a little too deep yet for her. But she will tell you that Jesus washed his disciples' feet and that we are supposed to wash each other's feet.
It is all about the hooks we place in her brain now for her to grasp onto as she gains more capacity to understand.
When Jesus washed his disciples feet, it wasn't so much about cleaning feet as it was about cleansing souls. That lesson is a bit beyond Aria, so we stuck with the Jesus Storybook Bible's text, which I love.
"Jesus and his friends were having the Passover meal together in an upstairs room. But Jesus' friends were arguing. What about? They were arguing about stinky feet. Stinky feet? Yes, that's right. Stinky feet.
(Aria always interjects, 'Stinky feet! That's silly!)
"Now the thing about feet back then was that people didn't wear shoes; they only wore sandals, which might not sound unusual, except that the streets in those days were dirty--and I don't mean just dusty dirty--I mean really stinky dirty. With all those cows and horses everywhere, you can imagine the stuff on the street that ended up on their feet!
"So, anyway, someone had to wash away the dirt, but it was a dreadful job. Who on earth would ever dream of volunteering to do it? Only the lowliest servant."
We went over this story in our middle school small groups a couple of weeks ago, too. The middle schoolers were quite disgusted when they actually pictured walking the streets through poop and mud with only sandals on (or maybe not even that). It definitely made an impact.
The story continues as Jesus begins to wash all the disciples feet, but Peter won't let him. Then comes my favorite part:
"Jesus knew that what people needed most was to be clean on the inside. All the dirt on their feet was nothing compared to the sin inside their hearts."
They had disgusting animal poop on their feet, but that was nothing compared to the sin inside their hearts. And these were the disciples!
The text ends with the best segue to our little activity.
"One by one, Jesus washed everyone's feet. 'I am doing this because I love you,' Jesus explained. 'Do this for each other."
So, I washed Aria's feet. She definitely enjoyed it and also wanted to stomp around in the bowl of water. Then she asked, "Who is going to wash your feet, Mom?"
What a great question! She was excited to wash my feet and wanted to wash my legs, too.
As I said before, the whole making yourself the lowest servant and cleansing the soul is a little too deep yet for her. But she will tell you that Jesus washed his disciples' feet and that we are supposed to wash each other's feet.
It is all about the hooks we place in her brain now for her to grasp onto as she gains more capacity to understand.
Ice Box?
Here is what happens when you leave the lid off the sand box in the winter...
It becomes an ice box! It was really cool to see the impressions the sand toys made in the ice. Aria was only slightly amused because she wanted to play in the sand. It has since melted and become a sand pool. We will definitely need to replace some sand as it gets warmer!
It becomes an ice box! It was really cool to see the impressions the sand toys made in the ice. Aria was only slightly amused because she wanted to play in the sand. It has since melted and become a sand pool. We will definitely need to replace some sand as it gets warmer!
3.29.2013
Peck's Bunny Trail
I'm not big on the Easter bunny or Easter egg hunts. I don't want to tie those things to the Easter holiday. Easter is about celebrating our risen Lord. Now that I have a three year old who is interested in all the fun activities available in our great city, I'm torn between letting her enjoy those activities and separating religious holidays from secular traditions.
Today we found a great activity that was the right kind of balance for me. Peck's Flower Shop put on a Bunny Tail Treasure Hunt. They put bunny footprints throughout their store that led to eggs with candy, cute baby animals, and of course a "mascot bunny." What I decided was to celebrate spring. It doesn't have to be the "Easter" bunny or an "Easter" egg hunt. At Peck's it wasn't a free for all, running around a grabbing gobs of eggs loaded with candy. Aria got four eggs that had candy in them. We took a picture by the bunny, pet a live bunny, and saw 4 day old baby goats. We were there 20 or 30 minutes and had a good time. Aria said her favorite was the baby goats and the mascot bunny. We didn't mention Easter at all. It was my kind of thing!
Today we found a great activity that was the right kind of balance for me. Peck's Flower Shop put on a Bunny Tail Treasure Hunt. They put bunny footprints throughout their store that led to eggs with candy, cute baby animals, and of course a "mascot bunny." What I decided was to celebrate spring. It doesn't have to be the "Easter" bunny or an "Easter" egg hunt. At Peck's it wasn't a free for all, running around a grabbing gobs of eggs loaded with candy. Aria got four eggs that had candy in them. We took a picture by the bunny, pet a live bunny, and saw 4 day old baby goats. We were there 20 or 30 minutes and had a good time. Aria said her favorite was the baby goats and the mascot bunny. We didn't mention Easter at all. It was my kind of thing!
Barnyard Day
I guess we've been a little too focused on mascots lately. Last weekend we went to Barnyard Day that was put on by our bank. We took Aria two years ago to the event and she loved seeing and petting all the baby animals. This year she enjoyed the baby animals a little, but loved Penny Bear, Nik L Bear, and Di M Bear the most.
Aria, do you want to go see the baby goats again?
Maybe I could show the baby goats to the bears.
Aria, should we go see the baby cow?
The bear likes it when I touch his nose.
Aria, do you want to pet the kitty?
I want to go give the bears another hug.
Oh well. I enjoyed the baby animals. There was one humorous part, too. When we were actually petting the baby lambs, one of them let out a loud "baaaaaaa" and it scared all the kids that were standing close. It was pretty cute!
Aria, do you want to go see the baby goats again?
Maybe I could show the baby goats to the bears.
Aria, should we go see the baby cow?
The bear likes it when I touch his nose.
Aria, do you want to pet the kitty?
I want to go give the bears another hug.
Oh well. I enjoyed the baby animals. There was one humorous part, too. When we were actually petting the baby lambs, one of them let out a loud "baaaaaaa" and it scared all the kids that were standing close. It was pretty cute!
3.28.2013
So Creative
I didn't even know she knew this rhyme/song...
She was doing this today after lunch, totally dreamed up on her own! And, she even let me take a video!
In related news, this "bounce around" aka crib mattress has been the best thing ever! One of Aria's friends had a "bounce around" at their house, so we decided to do it, too. Not only does it burn energy, it has caused my girl to have some ups! I can't believe how much her jumping ability has improved since she started bouncing on this every day.
She was doing this today after lunch, totally dreamed up on her own! And, she even let me take a video!
In related news, this "bounce around" aka crib mattress has been the best thing ever! One of Aria's friends had a "bounce around" at their house, so we decided to do it, too. Not only does it burn energy, it has caused my girl to have some ups! I can't believe how much her jumping ability has improved since she started bouncing on this every day.
3.27.2013
Mismatch Night
Tonight was mismatch night at Middle School youth group at church. Completely out of my comfort zone, I decided to go all out.
Unfortunately, not very many middle schoolers went all out. In fact, there was probably only about 10 youth dressed mismatch out of about 100. Being out of my comfort zone, got me thinking about how many of them were afraid to dress up. I'm guessing they didn't participate for the following reasons:
You can't really do much about the first three, but the last one is so common. I still struggle with hoping I blend in with the crowd. Boy did I ever want to fit in and be cool during my middle school years. It occurred to me tonight that it takes a great deal of courage to participate in a fun dress up night and not care what others think. I'm really proud of the ones who participated. They showed signs of great maturity in doing so.
I know there were some kids who didn't dress up because it just wasn't their thing. I applaud them, too. I guess my main point is that kids in middle school are trying so hard to figure out who they are. They spend so much time watching different groups, choosing friends, and pretending to be someone. What they really need to do is just be who they are. Stop worrying about what others will think, say, or do. Do what you love. Honor God with all of your actions. Wear wacky clothes with pride, if that is your thing.
Advice for middle schoolers...
and adults.
Unfortunately, not very many middle schoolers went all out. In fact, there was probably only about 10 youth dressed mismatch out of about 100. Being out of my comfort zone, got me thinking about how many of them were afraid to dress up. I'm guessing they didn't participate for the following reasons:
- they forgot
- they didn't know about it
- they are "too mature" to participate in a dress up day
- they were afraid they might be the only one dressed up
You can't really do much about the first three, but the last one is so common. I still struggle with hoping I blend in with the crowd. Boy did I ever want to fit in and be cool during my middle school years. It occurred to me tonight that it takes a great deal of courage to participate in a fun dress up night and not care what others think. I'm really proud of the ones who participated. They showed signs of great maturity in doing so.
I know there were some kids who didn't dress up because it just wasn't their thing. I applaud them, too. I guess my main point is that kids in middle school are trying so hard to figure out who they are. They spend so much time watching different groups, choosing friends, and pretending to be someone. What they really need to do is just be who they are. Stop worrying about what others will think, say, or do. Do what you love. Honor God with all of your actions. Wear wacky clothes with pride, if that is your thing.
Advice for middle schoolers...
and adults.
3.24.2013
Mascot Bracketology
March Madness is my favorite time of year and the first day of the tournament is always my favorite day. I love filling out brackets, but I love it even more when my bracket is busted by crazy awesome upsets! This year I decided to let Aria in on the bracket fun and have her pick games according to her favorite part, the mascots. At first, she had a hard time understanding she would be picking a lot of different mascots. She wanted to pick just one winner. She loved looking at the pictures of the crazy critters and eventually got the hang of picking between two options. There were some definite trends in her bracket. She was not a fan of anything where you could obviously tell it was a real person, like Notre Dame's leprechaun. When picking between the Michigan State Spartan and the Valparaiso Crusader, she looked at them for a minute and said, "I don't like either of those." So we picked that game according to colors. I know the Duke Blue Devil won a game because it is my favorite team and Iowa State as her national champion is clearly a home state favorite. If Herky were in the tourney, I wouldn't have needed to ask. He would be the winner hands down. The elite eight included four wildcats and four birds. The four birds won to make it a flying Final Four. I didn't realize she liked birds so much! But when I think about it, she has met four mascots in her life. Three of them are birds; Herky, Cy, Fred bird, and Mr. Shucks. Now as we watch the games, she wants to know which mascot goes with the teams we are watching. She watches and watches for just a glimpse of the mascot. Even though it is for very different reasons, I love that she is enjoying the basketball madness right along with me!
3.23.2013
Learning About Jesus
My pseudo-resurrection eggs have been generating some excellent conversations with Aria lately. She is really thinking about Heaven and what it means to follow Jesus. Today, she wanted to know where you went if you didn't go to Heaven. So, I told my three-year-old about Hell. I wasn't going to avoid the question. I told her Hell was a dark, scary, lonely place with a mean guy named Satan. She didn't think it sounded very good at all. I don't either.
On a lighter note, we've had a lot of fun acting out events from Jesus' life. Here is a picture of the people from Jesus' baptism
Orange is John the Baptist, yellow is Jesus, and white is the dove. Aria really enjoyed dunking Jesus and John the Baptist in the water. Her favorite part was making Jesus sparkle (with glitter) when he came out of the water, as the text in her Jesus Storybook Bible stated.
Today we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000. Aria ran out and opened the egg before I got out there with her and she ate the two fish, so I had to replace them. We set the 2 fish and the 5 loaves of bread on the table and she agreed that wouldn't feed 5,000. She got a kick out of me dumping a whole bag of fish and a loaf of sandwich bread on the table to show how much more Jesus made it into.
There is so much learning going on, I am kicking myself for only doing these types of things to lead up to Christmas or Easter. I need to do a better job of planning special activities to learn about Jesus each week, regardless of time of year. Hopefully the questions Aria is asking and the conversations we are having will inspire me to keep going with the learning!
On a lighter note, we've had a lot of fun acting out events from Jesus' life. Here is a picture of the people from Jesus' baptism
Orange is John the Baptist, yellow is Jesus, and white is the dove. Aria really enjoyed dunking Jesus and John the Baptist in the water. Her favorite part was making Jesus sparkle (with glitter) when he came out of the water, as the text in her Jesus Storybook Bible stated.
Today we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000. Aria ran out and opened the egg before I got out there with her and she ate the two fish, so I had to replace them. We set the 2 fish and the 5 loaves of bread on the table and she agreed that wouldn't feed 5,000. She got a kick out of me dumping a whole bag of fish and a loaf of sandwich bread on the table to show how much more Jesus made it into.
There is so much learning going on, I am kicking myself for only doing these types of things to lead up to Christmas or Easter. I need to do a better job of planning special activities to learn about Jesus each week, regardless of time of year. Hopefully the questions Aria is asking and the conversations we are having will inspire me to keep going with the learning!
Eggs
There's been a lot of basketball watching in this house the last couple days. Aria has been a trooper and has been looking for the mascots and instruments, along with watching the basketball. So this morning, when she asked for about the tenth time if we could dye eggs, I decided we should do something she wanted to do. I bought a $1.79 Glitter Egg kit and we had a good time. It is kind of strange that there isn't really a lot of activity involved when you sit and wait for an egg to change color in some dyed water, yet Aria still enjoyed it. She was all about putting the eggs in multiple colors to see how they would change. Then we added the glitter, which anything is better with glitter. Here are some pictures from our fun morning...
3.22.2013
No Cabin Fever Here
I've made it quite clear that I am a winter lover. I also am not a fan of complaining about the weather. Been there. Said that already. I will say I did notice the calendar turned spring, but the weather did not. Am I excited for warmer weather, windows open, things turning green, plants blooming, and all the joys of spring? Of course I am. The main reason I love where we live is the change in seasons. Each season brings great excitement for me. But I can honestly say it doesn't really bother me that winter is still going on. I mean, we went for a walk, not even in winter coats, at night in December to look at Christmas lights. So why shouldn't it be below zero wind chills on the first day of spring in March? Weather is unpredictable. I just go about my business regardless of the conditions. I do find it comical to compare year to year in the middle of seasons changing. For example, check out this picture from March 20, 2012...
There is no way we could dress like that in March this year. In fact, yesterday we bundled up in winter coats, hats, and gloves and went for a walk and scooter ride down the street. First of all, I was amazed by Aria's quantum leap in scooter ability since last fall. Second, we went two blocks and my face was cold. Augie and Aria could have went on forever. Half way back, Aria decided she wanted to run instead of riding her scooter and I had to jog to keep up. This kid is fast! It will be fun to be outside more and see some of the new skills she has at 3!
Lately, I've been seeing a lot of mention of "cabin fever." I don't think I have ever really suffered from cabin fever and thankfully I think I've passed it on to my daughter. We just don't get crazy cooped up around here. I think some of it has to do with my homebody introvertedness. I also know if I do feel like I need to go somewhere, we just pick up and go somewhere. Grocery store, library, shopping, all kinds of kid places, it doesn't really matter where. I do realize it is much easier for me to pick up and go somewhere with just one three-year-old in tow. She can put on her own shoes and coat. She climbs into the car and her car seat by herself. She can also open the door and climb out, walk next to me without holding my hand, and obey my directions (most of the time).
I remember the days of an infant on a schedule and trying to plan all my goings and comings around eating and sleeping. I seemost all of my friends with their infants navigating that schedule and their preschooler(s) these days and I can understand why they might feel a little cabin fever. Sometimes it just isn't worth packing everyone up to go out in the cold when you really need to be home in an hour, anyway. It is one of the blessings of an only child.
So, we'll just keep finding things to do around the house and we'll burst outside whenever the weather is ready. I'm sure in just a few short months the weather complaints will switch to excessive heat blues.
There is no way we could dress like that in March this year. In fact, yesterday we bundled up in winter coats, hats, and gloves and went for a walk and scooter ride down the street. First of all, I was amazed by Aria's quantum leap in scooter ability since last fall. Second, we went two blocks and my face was cold. Augie and Aria could have went on forever. Half way back, Aria decided she wanted to run instead of riding her scooter and I had to jog to keep up. This kid is fast! It will be fun to be outside more and see some of the new skills she has at 3!
Lately, I've been seeing a lot of mention of "cabin fever." I don't think I have ever really suffered from cabin fever and thankfully I think I've passed it on to my daughter. We just don't get crazy cooped up around here. I think some of it has to do with my homebody introvertedness. I also know if I do feel like I need to go somewhere, we just pick up and go somewhere. Grocery store, library, shopping, all kinds of kid places, it doesn't really matter where. I do realize it is much easier for me to pick up and go somewhere with just one three-year-old in tow. She can put on her own shoes and coat. She climbs into the car and her car seat by herself. She can also open the door and climb out, walk next to me without holding my hand, and obey my directions (most of the time).
I remember the days of an infant on a schedule and trying to plan all my goings and comings around eating and sleeping. I see
So, we'll just keep finding things to do around the house and we'll burst outside whenever the weather is ready. I'm sure in just a few short months the weather complaints will switch to excessive heat blues.
Grass is Growing!!!
So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
3.20.2013
Sum It Up
I recently finished Sum It Up: A Thousand and Ninety-Eight Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective by Pat Summitt and Sally Jenkins. Pat Summitt is the former head coach of Tennessee women's basketball and is the all-time winningest NCAA basketball coach. She is also my favorite coach of all time and she held Aria when she was just two and half weeks old!
I still can't believe I was standing next to the lady and she held my daughter! (Thanks, Kiah for being so good at basketball to be recruited by her! Thanks, mom, for being bold enough to ask her for a picture!)
In 2011, Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She coached one more season after her diagnosis and then stepped down. We actually got to watch the last game she coached last year at the regional final in Des Moines.
The book was phenomenal! It is written in first person as she describes her whole life, from childhood to the present. She describes her hard life growing up on a farm with three older brothers. She describes her basketball playing days in high school, college, and the Olympics. But most of all she describes all her seasons coaching at Tennessee. She was hired directly out of college as the head coach at the age of 21. Pat Summitt is largely responsible for the many breakthroughs in women's college basketball. She is a huge part of why the game has become more popular. It breaks my heart her career had to be cut short because of a disease for which there is no cure.
But she certainly would not want me to feel sorry for her. She is determined to keep her mind sharp for as long as possible and she doesn't want a pity party. In the book she is very honest and real about some pretty personal aspects of her life. I felt like she really laid it all out there for people to get to know her. I'm impressed with her willingness to share so much of herself with the world and the care and love that pours out of her for her former players and coaches. Pat had a reputation for being extremely strict with a vicious glare that pierced her players, but man did she do it out of love and a desire to help the young women grow up into incredible human beings.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It is very much a specific interest book, so if you are not interested in Tennessee women's basketball, you may not enjoy it so much. But for me it was just perfect. Thank you, Pat Summitt for sharing so much of yourself and for making women's basketball what it is today! I have benefitted from it greatly!
I still can't believe I was standing next to the lady and she held my daughter! (Thanks, Kiah for being so good at basketball to be recruited by her! Thanks, mom, for being bold enough to ask her for a picture!)
In 2011, Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She coached one more season after her diagnosis and then stepped down. We actually got to watch the last game she coached last year at the regional final in Des Moines.
The book was phenomenal! It is written in first person as she describes her whole life, from childhood to the present. She describes her hard life growing up on a farm with three older brothers. She describes her basketball playing days in high school, college, and the Olympics. But most of all she describes all her seasons coaching at Tennessee. She was hired directly out of college as the head coach at the age of 21. Pat Summitt is largely responsible for the many breakthroughs in women's college basketball. She is a huge part of why the game has become more popular. It breaks my heart her career had to be cut short because of a disease for which there is no cure.
But she certainly would not want me to feel sorry for her. She is determined to keep her mind sharp for as long as possible and she doesn't want a pity party. In the book she is very honest and real about some pretty personal aspects of her life. I felt like she really laid it all out there for people to get to know her. I'm impressed with her willingness to share so much of herself with the world and the care and love that pours out of her for her former players and coaches. Pat had a reputation for being extremely strict with a vicious glare that pierced her players, but man did she do it out of love and a desire to help the young women grow up into incredible human beings.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It is very much a specific interest book, so if you are not interested in Tennessee women's basketball, you may not enjoy it so much. But for me it was just perfect. Thank you, Pat Summitt for sharing so much of yourself and for making women's basketball what it is today! I have benefitted from it greatly!
Diego Jesus
In my hunt for objects to use in my modified Resurrection Eggs this year, I was struggling to come up with a Jesus. Aria has a Little People Nativity, so we had baby Jesus from that. I wish there was some sort of Little People set with big Jesus. I went shopping for some sort of figurine I could turn into Jesus, but nothing quite fit. I then remembered we own a Diego figurine and thought he would do just fine for Jesus as a boy at the temple.
As you can see, I gave him a robe and belt to make him more Jesus-like. Well, I read the story and used the Little People to act it out. Aria loved it! However, she kept wanting me to use baby Jesus for Jesus instead of my makeshift boy Jesus. This was exactly why I wanted to do these things, to help her understand Jesus as a little baby grew up and became the same Jesus that died on the cross. Finally, I put away baby Jesus so he wasn't a distraction and Aria started using the boy Jesus, only always referring to him as Diego Jesus.
I tried.
As you can see, I gave him a robe and belt to make him more Jesus-like. Well, I read the story and used the Little People to act it out. Aria loved it! However, she kept wanting me to use baby Jesus for Jesus instead of my makeshift boy Jesus. This was exactly why I wanted to do these things, to help her understand Jesus as a little baby grew up and became the same Jesus that died on the cross. Finally, I put away baby Jesus so he wasn't a distraction and Aria started using the boy Jesus, only always referring to him as Diego Jesus.
I tried.
3.19.2013
Preparing for Easter
At first I thought I would just do the same Resurrection Eggs I did last year for Easter, slightly modified for Aria's greater capacity to learn this year. But I was unsettled about it. I couldn't figure out what was missing until I started thinking about what message I wanted her to get out of a Resurrection Egg-type activity. Ultimately I realized I wanted to help her make connections about who Jesus is. The baby God sent us at Christmas is the same one who dies on the cross. He is also the guy who calms the storm, heals the blind man, and feeds 5000. We sing about him in Jesus Loves Me and Zacchaeus. And, he is the same one who made the whole world and lives inside our heart. That last one will take awhile for her to grasp. I'm not sure I can always wrap my mind around it. So I came up with a plan to highlight some things from Jesus' life and also hit the significant details in the Easter story. I have objects that fit in an Easter basket with some eggs. We open a special egg and read and/or act out a story each day. Here is my plan:
Monday 3/18 Jesus' birth; baby Jesus in the egg
Tuesday 3/19 Jesus stays at the temple as a boy; picture of temple in egg
Wednesday 3/20 Jesus is baptized; dove in the egg
Thursday 3/21 Jesus calls his disciples; 12 friends in egg(s)
Friday 3/22 Jesus feeds 5,000; bread and fish in egg
Saturday 3/23 Jesus heals blind man; man and mud in egg
Palm Sunday 3/24 Jesus' grand entrance to Jerusalem; donkey and leaf in egg
Monday 3/25 Judas gets 3 coins for betraying Jesus; 3 dimes in egg
Tuesday 3/26 Jesus washes the disciples feet; washcloth in egg
Wednesday 3/27 Last Supper; make loaf of bread together and juice for egg
Thursday 3/28 Jesus goes to garden to pray; praying hands in egg
Good Friday 3/29 Jesus dies on cross; crown, cross, and nail in egg
Saturday 3/30 Jesus' body put in tomb; linen cloth, spices, and rock in egg
Easter Sunday 3/31 Jesus is alive! empty egg
Monday 4/1 Mary tells the others about Jesus; Mary and flower(to show new life) in egg
Tuesday 4/2 Jesus eats with disciples; fish in egg
Wednesday 4/3 Tell others about Jesus; map and megaphone for egg
Thursday 4/4 Jesus goes to Heaven; cotton in egg
Friday 4/5 Holy Spirit comes upon disciples; flames in egg
We've done two days with great success in terms of Aria's enjoyment and understanding. I'm looking forward to making many connections as we go along!
Monday 3/18 Jesus' birth; baby Jesus in the egg
Tuesday 3/19 Jesus stays at the temple as a boy; picture of temple in egg
Wednesday 3/20 Jesus is baptized; dove in the egg
Thursday 3/21 Jesus calls his disciples; 12 friends in egg(s)
Friday 3/22 Jesus feeds 5,000; bread and fish in egg
Saturday 3/23 Jesus heals blind man; man and mud in egg
Palm Sunday 3/24 Jesus' grand entrance to Jerusalem; donkey and leaf in egg
Monday 3/25 Judas gets 3 coins for betraying Jesus; 3 dimes in egg
Tuesday 3/26 Jesus washes the disciples feet; washcloth in egg
Wednesday 3/27 Last Supper; make loaf of bread together and juice for egg
Thursday 3/28 Jesus goes to garden to pray; praying hands in egg
Good Friday 3/29 Jesus dies on cross; crown, cross, and nail in egg
Saturday 3/30 Jesus' body put in tomb; linen cloth, spices, and rock in egg
Easter Sunday 3/31 Jesus is alive! empty egg
Monday 4/1 Mary tells the others about Jesus; Mary and flower(to show new life) in egg
Tuesday 4/2 Jesus eats with disciples; fish in egg
Wednesday 4/3 Tell others about Jesus; map and megaphone for egg
Thursday 4/4 Jesus goes to Heaven; cotton in egg
Friday 4/5 Holy Spirit comes upon disciples; flames in egg
We've done two days with great success in terms of Aria's enjoyment and understanding. I'm looking forward to making many connections as we go along!
The Tomb
I saw an activity I wanted to try on one of my favorite blogs: a Resurrection garden. It looked simple enough and I thought Aria would enjoy making it and watching the grass grow. We couldn't find a small flower pot, so I bought a black, plastic cup meant for the bathroom. I also didn't buy rocks, but got some from our landscaping. We had some grass seed and potting soil (but I did buy more). It turned out to be a pretty cheap project. And, Aria did enjoy putting it together.
It has been about a week and there aren't any signs of grass growing, yet. I'm starting to get a bit nervous. The biggest problem is lack of sun, which I can't make come out on my own. But we spray our tomb daily and Aria tells any visitors that, "the tomb is for Jesus and on Easter we celebrate Jesus is alive!"
We might put some sort of Jesus in the tomb on Good Friday and take the rock away on Easter. I'm really hoping the grass grows so we can talk about life growing out of His death. Even if it doesn't, it is a wonderful daily reminder of why we celebrate Easter.
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| I had to help bury the cup and make a dirt mound. It was a little tricky, but she did put dirt on it. Then came the rocks. |
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| This requires lots of squirts of water...and we like spraying with a water bottle. |
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| We didn't quite need so much grass seed in one little spot... |
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| More water, of course. |
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| Our finished product with 3 crosses and a big rock to cover the tomb. |
It has been about a week and there aren't any signs of grass growing, yet. I'm starting to get a bit nervous. The biggest problem is lack of sun, which I can't make come out on my own. But we spray our tomb daily and Aria tells any visitors that, "the tomb is for Jesus and on Easter we celebrate Jesus is alive!"
We might put some sort of Jesus in the tomb on Good Friday and take the rock away on Easter. I'm really hoping the grass grows so we can talk about life growing out of His death. Even if it doesn't, it is a wonderful daily reminder of why we celebrate Easter.
3.14.2013
Buy Something
When Aria turned 3 we decided to start giving her an allowance to begin teaching her about money. Aria gets 3 dollars every week, which fits nicely with being 3 and with having 3 places to put your money. She has a piggy bank for saving, a piggy bank for giving and a piggy bank for buying. I think it will be powerful to watch her learn to give her money to a cause meaningful to her. I have already seen the wheels turning with that. We have yet to make a donation, though.
Today we had a lesson in buying something. This morning Aria was eager to help me clean the bathrooms. Here was our conversation:
Me: I need to clean the bathroom before we go to the concert today.
A: (very excitedly) Does my potty need to be cleaned?
Me: Yes
A: Mom, can I do it, please?!!?!
Me: Sure
A: Mom, does your potty need to be cleaned?
Me: Yes, you can clean it, too.
This kid loves cleaning toilets. Yes, I know, send her your way. She did such a great job I decided to reward her with an extra dollar this week. That dollar immediately was burning a hole in her pocket. She wanted to buy something today. We got down her piggy banks and discovered she had 7 dollars and some change in her "buy" piggy. We put it in her wallet and set off. We were going to Westdale Mall for a Pied Piper concert and lunch with friends. She was adamant to buy something at the mall.
Problem: Westdale has about 4 stores. We looked at a small selection of toys in Younkers, but none of them were what she wanted. We explored Hallmark for-ev-er and couldn't find anything just right. Then we came to Claires. Gag. But it has stuff right up a little girl's alley. Of course she immediately wanted lip gloss. The kid loves chapstick and lip stuff. I tried to direct her towards the least messy choice, but it was her money, so I let her choose. She picked Nerds, glittery, multi-colored lip gloss. This girly stuff is not something she gets from me.
She was quite proud of her purchase. She pulled out the dollars and counted them as she put them up on the counter. Even though I didn't really like her purchase choice, it was fun to see her paying with her money. It was fun to let her pick something totally ridiculous and blow her money and then think, why yes I blow my money on ridiculous things sometimes, too.
Lip gloss has been applied at least 50 times today and the proud purchase retold to Grandma and Daddy. When did my little girl get so grown up?
Today we had a lesson in buying something. This morning Aria was eager to help me clean the bathrooms. Here was our conversation:
Me: I need to clean the bathroom before we go to the concert today.
A: (very excitedly) Does my potty need to be cleaned?
Me: Yes
A: Mom, can I do it, please?!!?!
Me: Sure
A: Mom, does your potty need to be cleaned?
Me: Yes, you can clean it, too.
This kid loves cleaning toilets. Yes, I know, send her your way. She did such a great job I decided to reward her with an extra dollar this week. That dollar immediately was burning a hole in her pocket. She wanted to buy something today. We got down her piggy banks and discovered she had 7 dollars and some change in her "buy" piggy. We put it in her wallet and set off. We were going to Westdale Mall for a Pied Piper concert and lunch with friends. She was adamant to buy something at the mall.
Problem: Westdale has about 4 stores. We looked at a small selection of toys in Younkers, but none of them were what she wanted. We explored Hallmark for-ev-er and couldn't find anything just right. Then we came to Claires. Gag. But it has stuff right up a little girl's alley. Of course she immediately wanted lip gloss. The kid loves chapstick and lip stuff. I tried to direct her towards the least messy choice, but it was her money, so I let her choose. She picked Nerds, glittery, multi-colored lip gloss. This girly stuff is not something she gets from me.
She was quite proud of her purchase. She pulled out the dollars and counted them as she put them up on the counter. Even though I didn't really like her purchase choice, it was fun to see her paying with her money. It was fun to let her pick something totally ridiculous and blow her money and then think, why yes I blow my money on ridiculous things sometimes, too.
Lip gloss has been applied at least 50 times today and the proud purchase retold to Grandma and Daddy. When did my little girl get so grown up?
3.13.2013
Shedd Aquarium Side Note
While we were in Shedd Aquarium, I kept constantly coming back to the idea that all of those thousands upon thousands of sea creatures exist out there underneath the sea where we never see them. God made beautiful, amazing creatures that we don't ever even see. It is awesome to go to an Aquarium, or as some people do, scuba diving and see some of this stuff, but we never even begin to see all that is out there. Not only did God make these sea creatures so beautiful, but he made them capable of surviving in unique ways. I couldn't help but be in awe of God's power and creativity. If He took so much care in making the creatures of the sea, some of whom are never even seen, what about us? We are His prized creation, made in His image. There are millions of us spread across the planet, most of whom we will never meet or see. And he made each one of us beautiful, creative, and unique. Isn't that awesome?!?!!! I spent so much time marvelling at fish in a tank, I realized I should look at people with that same awestruck wonder.
Chicago
Last weekend we took a super fun trip to Chicago to watch this girl play basketball...
That picture is actually from a week before the trip on senior night. I can't believe the end of the season and Jaime's career is so close. We have been supporting the Hawkeyes at almost every home game this year and decided to head to Chicago for the Big Ten Women's tournament. We got to see the Hawkeyes play two games in Chicago and one little person in our family also enjoyed these...
Other loves for Aria at the Hawkeye games were Herky, the instruments, Morgan, Samantha, and Bethany! It made her wide-eyed with excitement!
This is Jaime's boyfriend's nephew. I'm not sure who liked who more...
And, there is always a good picture with Daddy!
Aside from the potty story (see below) we had fun the whole weekend! We swam...
Our hotel was perfect. It was a suite where there was a living room with a pull-out sofa, a bathroom between, and then the bedroom. That way, Aria slept sort of in a separate room from us. There was no door to close, but she couldn't see us, either. It certainly makes sleep happen much more quickly.
We also checked out the DuPage Children's Museum. It was practically empty when we went, which was awesome!
This was the part of the museum that kept her interest the longest, building a really, really, really big house!
And on the last day we went to Shedd Aquarium.
We also went to the aquatic show at Shedd, but I must say I was a little disappointed. There was way too much talking and not enough animals doing tricks, in my opinion. There were whales, dolphins, and penguins in the show. It was fun when we got to see the animals, but the sea lion show at the zoo in St. Louis that we saw last summer blew it out of the water...hee hee.
I also splurged and bought Aria a shirt that says, "Daddy, can I have a penguin?" It is even pink, but I couldn't resist since we like penguins so much around here. It was a fun little get away and it is so awesome to do more and more with Aria. She is so flexible (except for in public restrooms) and is a trooper when travelling.
That picture is actually from a week before the trip on senior night. I can't believe the end of the season and Jaime's career is so close. We have been supporting the Hawkeyes at almost every home game this year and decided to head to Chicago for the Big Ten Women's tournament. We got to see the Hawkeyes play two games in Chicago and one little person in our family also enjoyed these...
Other loves for Aria at the Hawkeye games were Herky, the instruments, Morgan, Samantha, and Bethany! It made her wide-eyed with excitement!
This is Jaime's boyfriend's nephew. I'm not sure who liked who more...
And, there is always a good picture with Daddy!
Aside from the potty story (see below) we had fun the whole weekend! We swam...
Our hotel was perfect. It was a suite where there was a living room with a pull-out sofa, a bathroom between, and then the bedroom. That way, Aria slept sort of in a separate room from us. There was no door to close, but she couldn't see us, either. It certainly makes sleep happen much more quickly.
We also checked out the DuPage Children's Museum. It was practically empty when we went, which was awesome!
And on the last day we went to Shedd Aquarium.
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| The fun penguin play area! |
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| Surprisingly, my favorite was the beluga whales. The white one is the mom and the gray one is the baby. They were pretty awesome! |
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| Aria enjoyed the shark ray! |
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| This is a live shark in utero. Or sort of. I don't remember exactly what the little thing said about this, but basically a shark lays it's "egg" on the side of rocks or coral and then it grows like this. You could see it moving around in there...very cool! |
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| Aria thought it was hilarious that this fish was stuck to the glass. |
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| Aria talks a lot about this spider crab. It was cool and creepy looking. |
I also splurged and bought Aria a shirt that says, "Daddy, can I have a penguin?" It is even pink, but I couldn't resist since we like penguins so much around here. It was a fun little get away and it is so awesome to do more and more with Aria. She is so flexible (except for in public restrooms) and is a trooper when travelling.
3.10.2013
Emotions
Awhile ago someone sent me this hilarious link about three-year-olds and their crazy emotions.
http://jasongood.net/365/2012/12/46-reasons-why-my-three-year-old-might-be-freaking-out/
I found it hilarious and posted it on FB and got many other comments from parents of two- and three-year-olds. In our house there was some kind of faucet that turned on once we switched over to 2013. It is not that Aria didn't have emotions before this year, they just weren't so extreme. Mostly, I find her overreacting to certain situations. She has irrational fears and moments of anger. Here is what I have learned:
I can't rationalize with an irrational fear. As silly as it seems to me, it is very real for Aria and I must navigate carefully.
Our latest episodes have involved public restrooms. Aria has developed a crazy fear of public toilets. I can't tell you how many times lately I have had to sit/kneel on a dirty public bathroom floor, bracing myself on disgusting toilets while my daughter holds on to me for dear life and screams that she doesn't have to go. I can only imagine what other patrons in the restrooms have thought.
Of course, I had some less than stellar moments in handling this ridiculous new development. I tried threatening to take things or opportunities away. I offered rewards. I tried to wait it out. I tried tough love and not helping her. Not much of anything worked. The good news out of all this, she never had an accident. She just held it. And held it. And held it.
Well, it all came to a head this past weekend when we took a little trip to Chicago. There would be no holding it until we got home. We weren't going to be home for three full days. We left our house at 6:30 am and Aria went shortly before we got in the car. She refused to go at McDonalds where we first stopped. She refused to go at the basketball game twice. Finally we went to the hotel and she still claimed she didn't have to go, just because she didn't want to. It was almost 3:00 pm. It had been almost 9 hours. Sure, she holds it that long at night, but during the day?!?! I was starting to be concerned about bladder infection. Our solution was to find a Target and buy a potty seat. Maybe she would go on that. But finally she went in the hotel.
Thus continued our vacation. Aria went in the hotel, but nowhere else. She held it for hours and hours. It didn't matter if I threatened no swimming. She said she didn't want to go swimming (not true). She was just that scared of the public toilet. At one point we sat in our funny formation in the bathroom and I just kept repeating, "Aria, look at my eyes. We are not leaving this bathroom until you go potty." She would cry hysterically and I would just calmly repeat the line. She finally went, but good grief it was traumatic.
Our last day we were at Shedd Aquarium. We spent the day there and then were heading for home. Of course she didn't want to go potty. She kept saying she would just go when we got home. How do you explain a four hour car ride to a three year old? So we promised her a chance to pick out a toy in the gift shop if she went potty. We found a quiet family restroom and started our ritual. All of a sudden it clicked for me.
I needed to acknowledge her fear. I needed to tell her it was okay to be scared.
Not only did Aria have a fear of the public toilet, she was afraid and upset about making me mad. I've realized Aria is experiencing big emotions and doesn't know what to do with them. She possibly thinks she isn't supposed to have them.
So in that family restroom at Shedd Aquarium, I told Aria it was okay to be scared. I saw instant relaxation in her face and shoulders. I told her we are all scared of things sometimes, but she was safe and it was okay to go potty in public places. Then she went! Phew!
We then headed for home. We decided we would stop at my parents house on the way home vs. a restaurant or other public place so Aria could go on a "home" potty. About 20 or 30 minutes from my parents house, Aria declared she needed to go potty. I told her we would have to stop at a gas station to go or she could wait for Grandma and Papa's house. She wanted to wait for their house, but about five minutes later she said she really needed to go. I told her if we stopped at a gas station, she had to go. There would be no getting in there and changing her mind. "Okay, I will go," she said.
And she did. There was no crying. There wasn't even really any hesitation. I'm not sure if she just had to go that bad or if our revelation at Shedd Aquarium had taken care of the problem. We haven't been anywhere since, so we will have to wait and see.
While I hope Aria has learned from all this, I hope I apply what I have learned forever. I must acknowledge Aria's feelings and let her know I am on her side. I must let her know she is allowed to have feelings, but her actions and behaviors still have to be controlled. We had another perfect example of that in the car on the way home. I told her no more Leap Pad. She was angry. She said, "I want to throw my ipod (that's what she calls it)." But she didn't throw it. I told her it was okay to be mad, but it was not okay to throw her toy. I asked her how she would feel if it broke. Of course she didn't want that. I was so happy she expressed her feelings instead of just acting on them. It indicated great progress on our journey of three-year-old emotions.
I'm glad I was able to grow as a mom through all this, but when I think back upon it, it also provides some great comic relief!
http://jasongood.net/365/2012/12/46-reasons-why-my-three-year-old-might-be-freaking-out/
I found it hilarious and posted it on FB and got many other comments from parents of two- and three-year-olds. In our house there was some kind of faucet that turned on once we switched over to 2013. It is not that Aria didn't have emotions before this year, they just weren't so extreme. Mostly, I find her overreacting to certain situations. She has irrational fears and moments of anger. Here is what I have learned:
I can't rationalize with an irrational fear. As silly as it seems to me, it is very real for Aria and I must navigate carefully.
Our latest episodes have involved public restrooms. Aria has developed a crazy fear of public toilets. I can't tell you how many times lately I have had to sit/kneel on a dirty public bathroom floor, bracing myself on disgusting toilets while my daughter holds on to me for dear life and screams that she doesn't have to go. I can only imagine what other patrons in the restrooms have thought.
Of course, I had some less than stellar moments in handling this ridiculous new development. I tried threatening to take things or opportunities away. I offered rewards. I tried to wait it out. I tried tough love and not helping her. Not much of anything worked. The good news out of all this, she never had an accident. She just held it. And held it. And held it.
Well, it all came to a head this past weekend when we took a little trip to Chicago. There would be no holding it until we got home. We weren't going to be home for three full days. We left our house at 6:30 am and Aria went shortly before we got in the car. She refused to go at McDonalds where we first stopped. She refused to go at the basketball game twice. Finally we went to the hotel and she still claimed she didn't have to go, just because she didn't want to. It was almost 3:00 pm. It had been almost 9 hours. Sure, she holds it that long at night, but during the day?!?! I was starting to be concerned about bladder infection. Our solution was to find a Target and buy a potty seat. Maybe she would go on that. But finally she went in the hotel.
Thus continued our vacation. Aria went in the hotel, but nowhere else. She held it for hours and hours. It didn't matter if I threatened no swimming. She said she didn't want to go swimming (not true). She was just that scared of the public toilet. At one point we sat in our funny formation in the bathroom and I just kept repeating, "Aria, look at my eyes. We are not leaving this bathroom until you go potty." She would cry hysterically and I would just calmly repeat the line. She finally went, but good grief it was traumatic.
Our last day we were at Shedd Aquarium. We spent the day there and then were heading for home. Of course she didn't want to go potty. She kept saying she would just go when we got home. How do you explain a four hour car ride to a three year old? So we promised her a chance to pick out a toy in the gift shop if she went potty. We found a quiet family restroom and started our ritual. All of a sudden it clicked for me.
I needed to acknowledge her fear. I needed to tell her it was okay to be scared.
Not only did Aria have a fear of the public toilet, she was afraid and upset about making me mad. I've realized Aria is experiencing big emotions and doesn't know what to do with them. She possibly thinks she isn't supposed to have them.
So in that family restroom at Shedd Aquarium, I told Aria it was okay to be scared. I saw instant relaxation in her face and shoulders. I told her we are all scared of things sometimes, but she was safe and it was okay to go potty in public places. Then she went! Phew!
We then headed for home. We decided we would stop at my parents house on the way home vs. a restaurant or other public place so Aria could go on a "home" potty. About 20 or 30 minutes from my parents house, Aria declared she needed to go potty. I told her we would have to stop at a gas station to go or she could wait for Grandma and Papa's house. She wanted to wait for their house, but about five minutes later she said she really needed to go. I told her if we stopped at a gas station, she had to go. There would be no getting in there and changing her mind. "Okay, I will go," she said.
And she did. There was no crying. There wasn't even really any hesitation. I'm not sure if she just had to go that bad or if our revelation at Shedd Aquarium had taken care of the problem. We haven't been anywhere since, so we will have to wait and see.
While I hope Aria has learned from all this, I hope I apply what I have learned forever. I must acknowledge Aria's feelings and let her know I am on her side. I must let her know she is allowed to have feelings, but her actions and behaviors still have to be controlled. We had another perfect example of that in the car on the way home. I told her no more Leap Pad. She was angry. She said, "I want to throw my ipod (that's what she calls it)." But she didn't throw it. I told her it was okay to be mad, but it was not okay to throw her toy. I asked her how she would feel if it broke. Of course she didn't want that. I was so happy she expressed her feelings instead of just acting on them. It indicated great progress on our journey of three-year-old emotions.
I'm glad I was able to grow as a mom through all this, but when I think back upon it, it also provides some great comic relief!
3.06.2013
We're the Same!
Yesterday we were reading a book where it described a little boy playing with different things outside in the different seasons. I asked Aria to point to which season activity she liked best. First she pointed to the boy building a snowman for winter. Then she said she liked the boy jumping in the leaves for fall, too. I agreed that those were my two favorite things, as well. Here is where the conversation went from there...
Me: We're just alike! We have the same color eyes and the same color hair, too!
Aria: Mom, do we have the same color tummies?
:)
Me: We're just alike! We have the same color eyes and the same color hair, too!
Aria: Mom, do we have the same color tummies?
:)
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