Life Imitating Art

Since I had children and therefore grandchildren, the amount of surprises I receive in the mail has been reduced significantly. Who could blame the grandmas, really? My boys are amazingly adorable, smart, funny etc. so why wouldn't their grandparents want to shower them gifts?! Yesterday, however, the USPS brought me a totally unexpected and hilarious one: my Junior High production of Bye Bye Birdie.  Apparently, one of our family friends was converting old VHS tapes to DVD, found the play and thoughtfully sent me a copy.  I've held approximately 4 theatrical roles in my life: "assistant scribe" in Bethany Bible Church's rendition of Fat, Fat, Jehoshaphat, "unnamed president" in Daniel, Darius and De Lion (ah, church children's musical titles...so witty) also at Bethany, Tzeitel in Apollo High School's Fiddler on the Roof, and Mae in Palo Verde Junior High School's production of Bye Bye Birdie. 

In case you have not had the opportunity to see this fantastic piece of American musical theater, here's the story:  Albert, a struggling agent and songwriter,  is dealt a blow when his only real client/ superstar, Conrad Birdie is drafted into the army a la Elvis Presley.  In an attempt to procure one last hit before Conrad leaves, Rose, Albert's long suffering secretary and love interest, proposes that they send him to appear via satellite on the Ed Sullivan show from a small Ohio town where he will bestow his farewell kiss on one of his biggest fans and sing his new song aptly named, "One Last Kiss," therefore garnering enough money for him to close his agency and fulfill his long held dream of becoming an English teacher and marry her. Of course, because the show is roughly two hours long, you can safely assume that things do not go as planned and all manner of missteps, misunderstandings and hilarity ensues. 

Enter Mae.  Mae is, well, a stereotypical martyr mama. She is over dramatic, under appreciated, and a hypochondriac.  She is sure that her one and only son, Albert, is about to do himself in or be done in, more specifically by "Mexically" Rose and she aims to stop it by any means necessary. She meddled, she threatened, she bribed, she tried to lay in front of a train.  At 13, I hardly appreciated the depth of the role.  She was funny, didn't sing (neither did do I), and wore orthopedic shoes (musicals are long and your feet can get sore), but beyond that I wasn't overly impressed. What did impress me was the chord she struck with the legions of loyal parents who came to see us every night.  I was repeatedly told that I reminded them of their mom or mother in law, a thought, that looking back is kind of scary.  The fact that there are that many Maes out there is a little unnerving. 

Flash forward almost 20 years. I have three boys which means that, in theory, I will have three daughters in laws.  Three.  Dear Goodness.  I know I will not always be the apple of my boys' eyes. I won't always be the only woman who they adore and call "princess." I won't always get every dance.  So, I pray and pray hard. For these women and for me. When Samuel was really little, I prayed she would love Samuel, but love Jesus more. That she would be smart, funny, and pretty.  That she and I would not only get along, but that we would be bosom friends, bonded by our love of my perfect first born (and Jesus, of course). As time progressed and Micah came along, I prayed their wives would love them, love Jesus, and that they would love me (maybe not bosom friends, but still close).  Now.....I pray they love Jesus, love my son (most of the time), and like me. In short, I don't want to be Mae.  I want to be a mother in law who cheers them on in their marriages, who helps them become the team God intended them to be, who loves and encourages.   I want to be the Naomi to their Ruth (minus the dead husbands, of course).  The thing is I'm not totally sure how to do this.  My mother in law does it. My mom does it.  Its possible. With Jesus all things are possible, right?  So, I'll watch and I'll keep praying.  Praying that I'll be more Monica than Mae and that, in this circumstance, life won't imitate art.

God Loves Me....and Bacon

For the whole of our married life (almost 10 years), I have been unable to prepare bacon for my husband.  This is unfortunate for several reasons, but the most important being that it is in Aaron's top 5 favorite foods and is, hands down, his favorite breakfast meat.  It is not uncommon for him to refer to it as "meat candy."  So, my inability to produce anything that isn't a burnt strip of pig flesh has been unsettling to me at best...until last week...

As I attempted, yet again, to cook an edible representation of bacon, I decided to pray for wisdom.  I figured if God made the pig, He can certainly help me cook it.  You know what? HE DID! Aaron was finally able to enjoy his "meat candy" courtesy of his wife.  As He often does through my domestic ineptitude, God taught me two important lessons: 1) He cares about the little things as well as the big things.  When the Bible says, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." (1Peter 5:7), it means ALL your anxieties, not just the big ones like finances, kids, jobs, etc., but the little ones, too, like making bacon.  2) God freely grants wisdom on all matters, all we have to do is ask. "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding." (Prov. 3:13) Did I mention I'd been trying for almost 10 YEARS to make bacon with disastrous results?? However, the one night I ask for wisdom, it turns out, not just edible, but great. God is, indeed, faithful to grant us the wisdom we need when we ask.  I'm so thankful.....Aaron is too.

Sometimes its Dangerous to Live With So Many Boys....

In September, Aaron and I found a great wooden airplane for Micah at the Apple Barn in Gatlinburg.  Its chunky and extremely durable and perfect for a two year old who loves anything with an engine.  Perhaps a little too durable and a little too chunky...

That dark band just above my finger is the bruise that the aforementioned airplane inflicted on my unsuspecting nose.  I think next time we'll opt for candy as a souvenir.

A New Definition of Grace

God's Grace = Not freaking out or, better yet, not even really caring that your two year old stuck a spatula full of Crisco and brown sugar in the (unplugged) toaster. 
It was time for a new one, anyway. The toaster..not the kid.

A Few of My Favorite Things

The cast of the Sound of Music was on Oprah today.  I love The Sound of Music. Really. A lot.  I had the good fortune to study in Europe during my sophomore year in college and in my travels, I made sure to go to Salzburg to take the 4 hour Sound of Music tour.  Yep, 4 hours. I could have gone four more, but Wolfgang, our tour guide, said we were done.  At any rate, since I've had My Favorite Things in my head for most of today, I thought I'd list a few of my most recent favorite things.....

Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephan James and David Thomas
        I generally don't like parenting books because I usually feel guilty about all the stuff I haven't done after I finish reading them, but this one is great and guilt free.

Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman
       WARNING. The author of this book is as Blue as I am Red. Despite our glaring political and, in some cases, moral differences, I found this collection of essays about motherhood really funny and insightful. Pay close attention to the one entitled "Rocketship." It's one of the most profoundly honest accounts of an abortion I've read from either side of the issue.

www.frugalfunfortune.com
        Super helpful site for saving money on groceries, especially if you shop at Publix.

Netflix
        This has revolutionized our TV viewing. We don't have cable, so getting a ton of cable shows and movies that we can all watch whenever we like for $8.99 a month is pretty much fabulous.

Tie T-Shirts For My Boys
         I got ours on ETSY.com, but I'm sure you could make them if you were crafty enough.

Body Shapers
        Wish I didn't need them, but thankfully they make them!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!!

An Open Letter to Pixar

Dear Pixar,
Thank you for creating movies that my children are happy to watch more times than is probably healthy and do not make my brain melt by their shear stupidity.  As a result of your excellent animation, I have been able to clean the kitchen, have uninterrupted phone conversations, shower (possibly even shave my legs), and, occasionally, share a quiet moment with my husband. As a token of my appreciation, I will continue to purchase some of the endless stream of merchandise you produce. 

Most Sincerely,
the MOB

As You Go....

This fall has been ridiculously busy for us.  Much more so than normal.  As a result, I am finding it tough to fit in all the things I want and, more importantly, need to do to feel like a mildly successful mom.  Sure, laundry gets done (maybe not put away right away), kids are fed (Apple Jacks are ok for dinner, right?), and the house is picked up (so thankful for whoever invented the Swiffer!), but what about the spiritual lives of the three charges God has given me?  The idea of any kind of structured or even regular devotion times with the boys seems daunting at best and, on most days, impossible. On one of my commutes from Samuel's school last week, however, God impressed on me the practicality of His Word when it comes to the busyness of daily life.  In Deuteronomy 6, God sums up the importance of all the laws and commandments He has just laid out for the children of Israel, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD you God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (NLT)" Then, He tells them how they are to impress this upon their kids.  v. 7-8 "Repeat them [the commands] again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again."  That's what got me.  The Word of God can be impressed wherever you are. Singing in the van, giving baths, playing outside, reading at night, and bedtime lullabies are just some of the ways and places I've had the opportunity to impart God's Word to my boys.   I'm not sure how it started, but my oldest two have "their" bedtime songs that must be sung before the bedtime ritual can be completed.  Samuel's is "I Love You, Lord" and Micah's is "Jesus, Name Above All Names."  For as tired as I am when I come to that part of the night,  nothing is better than hearing my two year old say the names of God as he falls asleep. God was so gracious and gentle to remind me that day in my van that I didn't need to make the time to cultivate their hearts, I just needed to take advantage of the time I was given already.  It's not a revolutionary thought, but it was one I needed as I went....