winter maple

clever

Wednesday night is Kid's Club night for us. I've been helping out in this ministry for a few years. (I like to be actively involved in whatever my kids are doing....because I love them, and because I am controlling with high needs.)

Last night, the kids were learning about the different names of Jesus. They learned that names have meanings. That those meanings can describe certain attributes about a person.

Part of the activity at the end of the night involved the meanings of the kid's names in our group. The leader had looked up every one's names and the kids had so much fun hearing that their names meant things like laughter, handsome, warrior and purity.

One child's name meant "clever."

"Does anyone know what 'clever' means?"

Silence.

Stillness...

...a little hand is raised. The hand of a little boy. A feisty little boy.

"Yes? What do you think 'clever' means?"

"Well. If you and I were in a fight. And we were kicking each other. And I threw some paint on you. And you ate some of that paint. Then you would say, "huh. He's a clever one!"

(I should say so.)

ah ha

As a parent, can I lead a crazy salsa and be surprised that my children aren't waltzing?

keeping it off...

A while back, I posted about being chubby, and then how I lost the weight.

Now comes the part that I'm not so sure about. The maintenance. I've been testing the waters, and I seem to be experiencing a metabolic honeymoon. I have been able to get by with a whole lot of caloric indiscretion. But I know that caloric indiscretion is what got me into chubbiness in the first place. I'm not too keen on going back.

I've had to reign myself back in.

And it all begins at the end.

Of my day.

Now, I can follow a diet to a 't'. Until bedtime. And that's when I find myself in a familiar land. A land called, "I'll eat whatever I want tonight and TOMORROW I'll start for realsies." Which means an entire day of good eating is tossed out the window for 10 minutes of brownies and nachos. Not at the same time.....but, you know how you start by eating just one brownie, then three more, and since you've tanked it you decide to REALLY tank it and suddenly find yourself at the bottom of a Dorito bag? That's where I was heading. Those old thoughts and bad eating habits.

I've discovered a few tricks that seem to be working for me, and I thought I'd share.

1. At night, when I'm ready to throw in the towel and eat to my heart's content, I try to wait it out. Usually after I've thrown in a load of clothes and cleaned up the bathroom, I'm stronger to resist the craving. And if that hasn't worked, I move to the next trick.

2. I look at clothes on Anthropologie or Forever 21. Because who wants to eat a brownie when they are looking at cute clothes? On tiny people? Not me. That's who.

3. I follow the rules I set for my children. When my kids are hungry at non-meal times, they have the option of eating a banana or an apple. (I hate this trick. An apple is not a cookie when you want a cookie.)

4. I drink (black) coffee. Regular or decaf. Depending on the time of day. It gives me something to put in my stomach and, for whatever reason, feels a little special.

5. I put on a dangly pair of earrings. This is the stupidest of all my tricks. However, it makes me feel like a lady. And I've got it in my head that lady's have will power.

Do you have any tips or tricks that work for you?

surely, I'm not the only one

debt collection

Many years ago, a certain someone promised to take me to a play, or an opera, or an orchestral concert, as a thank you for watching so much baseball my eyes nearly bled.

I'm still waiting.

And you would not believe the interest that has accrued.

Compounded, even.

Let's just say a trip to Italy may be in order.

I wish you were my neighbor. I would invite you over for coffee every Wednesday morning. We could sit and solve the world's problems over cake.

the flu

I want these so badly, it's almost painful.

(And these, too.)

((Plus these.))

I'm working on contentment. Which is difficult when there are so many cool shoes to be had.

sometimes...

...I like to sit in the quiet.

to just be
and think
about
the future,
the present,
the past.

I like to trace God's hand through it all.