Disgusted.

As I got the newspaper from the box today, I casually turned through it to see the latest local news.......and THIS caught my attention. And created anger and nausea and a gut reaction. I found what I am about to describe to you utterly disturbing on so many levels.

It is a new children's book....entitled "My Beautiful Mommy." It is written by a plastic surgeon to provide "kids' views of cosmetic surgery." As you can see, the cover illustration involves a stereotypical Barbie-style woman with a tiny bared waist, large breasts, skin-tight pink pants, and perfect hair and teeth, along with a child with her arms outstretched toward the woman and a huge smile on her face. The woman is surrounded in sparkles and fireworks as if to say "Ta-da.....all hail the perfect woman that I have created." This is written by a plastic surgeon from South Florida who makes his living doing plastic surgery on women ages 20-40, or what he terms "mommy makeovers"...breast implants, breast lifts and tummy tucks. And get this.....this surgeon asserts that he wrote this book for the benefit of children--"to answer their questions about plastic surgery"--and he is giving a measely 10% of the profits to a children's plastic surgery charity.

To tell you the truth, I am sickened. Girls and women in today's society, from as early as the preschool years, are given strong and continual overt and covert messages that they need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, have a certain waist and breast size....or they don't measure up and aren't fully worthy of the name Woman. We have come to define "beauty" in a manner that is a virtually unattainable, shallow, surface-level trait that the eye beholds. As a mother to a beautiful 6-year-0ld girl, I must admit that I am frightened for how this shallow mindset will affect her. And has already affected her.

And I would suggest that this view of "beauty" is ultimately driven by the dollar. After all, isn't it the job of marketers and manufacturers to convince us that our lives just aren't complete without their product. That we just can't live without what they have to offer. That if only we can attain their "thing," then we will have achieved success. Our society has defined "beauty" and simultaneously made that state of being unattainable, so that we keep reaching, hoping, striving, yearning, and PAYING to prove our worth.

And we wonder why rates of depression, eating disorders, suicide and other mental illness, as well as physical ailments associated with stress, have skyrocketed.

We are in a desperate situation. And sadly, this is now affecting even our very young children at alarming rates. So what is the answer?

The answer, my dear friends, is Jesus. The ONLY way to escape these impossible expectations is to look to Jesus and His definition of beauty. For Jesus said that beauty is in the soul. That beauty is about humility and brokenness and redemption. Where the world says that beauty is about perfection, Jesus said that beauty is about humility and grace. Where the world says that beauty can be purchased with money, Jesus says "Come to me. I have already paid the price and want to do my work in you to make you like Me." Where the world says we need to be made in the image of the unattainable, unhealth super-model, Jesus says that we are made in His image, and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Whereas the world says to work, strive, toil, and give anything to attain the world's standard of beauty, Jesus says to come to Him and He will give us peace and rest.

I don't know about you, but I am desperately grateful that I have Jesus' promises to cling to. He knows my name, He has called me to himself, and I am like the most rare, precious, and beautiful treasure to Him. Does that make me immune to the pressures and frustrations that come from living in this world and seeing its standard of beauty flaunted at every corner? No. I wrestle with this in some form every day, though by God's grace, I claim His promises more and more as I grow in Him. I rest in God's promise that He is Truth and Life and Beauty, that all that is good and beautiful comes from Him, and that the only standards that I need to worry about are His and His alone. To raise my little girl up in His truth, instructing her in His standards of beauty, helping her to see her worth and gorgeousness in His eyes.......and to be able to cling to those truths myself when I look in the mirror......that is what I strive to do, with God's help.

In the meantime, I think I'll send this doctor a letter....I have a few things on my mind that I think he needs to hear.....

Terrible Tuesday.

Today was one of those just-kind-of-rotten sorts of days.........

• Stacks of grading that I am trying to trudge through.
• Stressed-out students who are kind of grumpy.
• A stress-out professor that is kind of grumpy.
• A 4-year-old son who is going through some strange 4-year-old-angst phase that includes the words, "I hate you, Mommy." Oh, and could you make me a peanut-butter sandwich.
• It's really cold here....talk of snow and freezing.
• Some worrisome family news.

But, on the bright side of things, sometimes I think that we have to have these sort of days to remember that we are "HELD" tightly by the constant One, Christ, who has no bad days, and that it makes the good days when we can see our blessings just that much more precious.

I'm going to bed to put this Tuesday behind me. His Blessings are New Every Morning.

Serving Together.

I have always embraced the idea of serving together as a family. I love the idea of taking our whole family to Africa or Belize or another exotic place to serve and share Jesus, and I hope that that becomes reality some day in the future, Lord-willing.

But the truth is, service opportunities are all around us today, and what better way to invest time in others while also growing together as a family and together in faith. Tonight, we had the amazing privilege of preparing dinner for guests at the Renucci House, which is the hospitality house of our local hospital. This is a place for loved ones of patients to stay and be nurtured while they are in a very scary and threatening time of their lives.

Our family and 2 other families got together, prepared a delicious meal of pork loin, potatoes, rolls, veggies, salad, and desserts. We served the guests while hearing some of their stories. Some of them had children undergoing bone marrow transplants. Others had a loved one fighting for their life. Ironically, I also turned around to find one of my friends from high school, who was there because his father-in-law had experienced a life-threatening heart attack (I am praying for you and your family, Dwight). A little piece of home is often just what these people need at a very unsettled and anxious time.

And these people were truly thankful. So many expressions of thanks. Smiles from people obviously weary and emotionally drained. Hugs of gratitude. People coming back for seconds and thirds....and many requests for recipes!

And to see our families, from youngest to oldest, pitch in and make cookies and serve and play with the kids around them......this is being Jesus' hands and feet. It also introduced the perfect opportunity to talk to the kids about why it is so important to serve others and put others before ourselves.....because Jesus told us to! And, in addition, it encourages others and feels good and enriches our own lives richly and deeply. We will definitely be doing this again soon. Jesus' love is active and calls us to action....and what a better way to see this than hands-on experience!

And here are some gorgeous tulips I found by the side of the road as I was driving back to GR from Holland following my weekend crop retreat. They were brilliant. And I hope your week is, too.

Maybe Freud was Right.

Conversation in the car with Kennedy and Hayden on the way to lunch at Frog Hollow, our favorite park:

HAYDEN: Mommy, sometimes I have dreams. And sometimes I have a Monster House dream.

ME: Yes, sometimes dreams are good and sometimes they can be scary.

KENNEDY: I had a dream.

ME: What about?

KENNEDY: Well it was kinda' real. We were standing on the rocks at the top of a waterfall, but the waterfall was turned to ice. And I was scared.

ME: What about the dream scared you? (Sorry, this is the psychologist in me coming out!)

KENNEDY: Mommy, you scared me.

ME: Me? How did I scare you in your dream?

KENNEDY: Mommy, because you were standing on the waterfall and I was scared that you would fall.....(and here's the kicker). You were trying to get a picture.

Enough said. Maybe photography can be hazardous to your health!

Thanks to Julie for this really cool site where you can create a signature for your blog. So....Happy Weekend, try to catch a ball game somewhere before the snow returns next week........

Thursday Tidbits.

• I am buried in grading up to my eyeballs....and more projects are coming into my office next week. It's that time of the semester.
• I am battling a cold that just wants to hold on.....it's hard to teach with no voice and a stuffed head and runny eyes. I just pray that I'm not developing some type of adult-onset allergies. I have never had allergies in my life, and, as I told my husband, I refuse to get them now.
• Tomorrow, I am off on a weekend crop with some friends at a local summer camp where we stay in cabins and crop as long into the night as we want. I'm ready to get some pages done and enjoy some uninterrupted crop time.
• We have our first t-ball game on Saturday, so I will come back into town for that. I just love this age, where it is a HUGE accomplishment for all the players to actually be paying attention to the game as opposed to playing in the dirt, chasing bugs, waving at Mom and Dad......
• As I was typing this post, my son crawled up in my lap with his scrapbook. "Read this to me please, Mommy" he said. So, of course, I set the computer aside and spent a delightful 30 minutes reading and looking at his book. We have looked at this book many, many times before, and he always sits totally enraptured with his own story.
• And that's why scrapbooking and storytelling is so, so very important.

A Glimpse of My Future Teenager.

Today, after school, I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of the future....a glimpse of what having a teenage daugher might be like. Kennedy had a friend over after school for the first official "play date" of first grade, and they had a wonderful time of doing makeovers, painting their nails, running away from intruding little brothers, giggling, singing karaoke, and just being everything that is the wonder of little girls.

So, of course, I snuck out on the porch with my zoom lens and captured some priceless shots of them in all of their little girl wonder........I love being the mom of a little girl, and I look forward to the wonders and perils and challenges of each stage.....now, I wonder if I'll still be singing this tune when the age-13 angst sets in??

This Got Me.

It has been a long time since I sat in a worship service and just wept. This morning, I was engaged in deep and meaningful worship that my soul hungered for. And much of it was centered on this song.

YOu're the God of this City. Many people may think about Detroit or Atlanta or Baghdad or a city in Africa or New York or San Francisco when they listen to this. But that's not what God was speaking to me about.

He was speaking to me about my little city. In Michigan. A city that, from the outside, looks very blessed and "Christian" and middle-upper class and privileged and living the American dream.

But this city, in so many ways, has on a mask. And underneath that mask are a lot of hurting people. People desperate for God. People yearning for meaningful relationships. People sick of pursuing material wealth and feeling so empty and used up.

So many times, we look at outreach as happening "out there" and "overseas" but we forget the people in our own neighborhoods. They may even be "Christians" who are hard and need to experience God deeply and intimately. Right here in the "Bible Belt" of West Michigan.

Over the past months, I have developed a passion for the people of my city. For them (myself included) to live in authentic freedom and communion with God, the God of this city.

Why God is kindling this passion in me, I don't know yet. But it's there and it's real and I will seek to follow Him in the next step.

God is in this city. He's the God of this City. So, if you didn't watch the link, do it. And think about your city. And pray that God will burden you in reaching your city for Him. For greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done.....and He may be wanting to use you to do it.

Sure Signs that It's Finally Spring.

There are some sure signs of spring going on at our house today.......the swing attachments are back on the swing set.........the debris is raked from the yard.........(and note that mound of sand in the grass to the left of the sandbox--that would be the "grave" of a dead spider that my son found in the grass. He thought the spider needed a proper burial......complete with a Littlest Pet Shop grave marker. Bless his little soul!). We grilled hotdogs and burgers on the grill for dinner......paired with watermelon........(Hayden could live on watermelon if we let him).......
And, just as we were finishing the yard work, a lovely spring thunderstorm rolled in......and Kennedy was thrilled to be able to get on her new fruity raincoat and pink-polka-dot boots to greet the rain........
And, of course, the quintessential sign to pack away the snow boots and greet bare-foot weather........filthy-dirty little-kid toes!!

Yep, I think spring is here, and we're lovin' it.

I Don't Feel Like It.

Today is all about cleaning up, which includes:

• Sorting through the piles of paper that have accumulated over the past week (lots of paper!).
• Helping the kids get their rooms cleaned (Can we say disaster areas?)
• Cleaning up debris from the front flower beds.
• Getting bills paid and filed away.
• Vacuuming.
• Scrubbing the floors.
• Dusting.

Hayden asked if he could go to his little friend's house, and I said "OK, for an hour, but then it's time to clean."

So he left, quickly. When he returned, he said, "Mom, did you get all the cleaning done?"

"No, Buddy. I saved it so you could help me." (Thinking all the while about the scripture that says "Parents, do not exasperate your children!").

"But, Mom (whining). I don't feel like it."

Me neither, Buddy. I would much rather be outside playing or scrapbooking or pretty much anything except cleaning today. But it will feel good to have it done, and we are having friends over for dinner after church tomorrow, and I would rather NOT have them see the state our house is currently in.

So, feel like it or not, we are cleaning today. Anyone else out there in cleaning mode on this warm April Saturday?

Field Trips.

This has been one crazy week for field trips in our little family. Monday brought Kennedy's trip to Camp Manitou-Lin, a local YMCA camp. This trip was a reward for the school having reached their reading goal for March (reading month). The morning started out with a bus ride out to the camp, which was situated on a beautifully clear lake. Our group started out at the climbing wall. Kennedy had never attempted a climbing wall, and she was nervous and initially stated that she wasn't going to try it. However, she then decided to give it a try and, hesitantly, she allowed the guide to strap her up. Kennedy is all gung-ho for most academic challenges, but a bit more hesitant for physical challenges. I was so proud of her for trying and for getting a few steps up before she decided that was enough for her first wall climb. I reiterated to her how important it is to take risks in the safety of an encouraing environment, and to try new experiences. As you can see from the look on her face, it was a bit scary for her, but the important thing was that she tried it and gained the new experience. It reminded me of the importance of stepping outside my comfort zone in my own life.

After the wall came several team-building games, including blob tag, a blindfold game, and a jump-rope activity. It was fun to see the kids work together to problem-solve and reach a goal through cooperation. After a brief visit to see some farm animals, we were treated with several games of Capture the Fish, which is basically a version of capture-the-flag. Again, the kids were expected to work together to find the other team's hidden fish, while avoiding being caught by the other team and sent to "jail." Oh boy, did this bring up memories of many a game of Capture the Flag played in my own growing-up years! After a sack lunch, we played by the lake and did an ABC scavenger hunt before heading back to the bus for the ride home. It was a fun but exhausting day, evidenced by the sleeping little girl that I had slumped over onto my shoulder a mere 10 minutes into the ride. I must admit that I took a 10-minute snooze upon our return home, too, after all that fresh air and exercise and fun.

Today brought Hayden's turn with a class trip to one of our very favorites, the Critter Barn. The Critter Barn is an animal-lover's dream field trip because it is very interactive and hands-on. Hayden almost didn't get to participate because he has been running a fever for the past few days, but he woke up without a fever so we decided to try it. The kids were so excited to see and hold the animals, many of which were babies born within the past few weeks of spring. Hayden got many fun experiences including: Holding baby chicks and ducks, feeding a baby goat with a bottle, milking a Momma goat, holding a baby kitten, petting new baby bunnies, finding an egg in the chicken coop, brushing a horse, and meeting lots of new furry friends including a 26-year-old pot-bellied pig and a set of trick-performing black labs. The day took a lot out of both of us, but it was so fun. Hayden especially wished that we could take the little black kitten home, but......we went home with a hen feather and a pocket of rocks instead. Whew.

The first photo of Hayden holding the baby duck below is altered with Picasa2, which is a free photo editing software you can download. I have been experimenting with the different features and this is the black-and-white with spot-color. Perfect for this photo, I think.

Tomorrow brings my last day of teaching for the week, kindergarten round-up, and my little sister visiting for a couple of days. We will also have my baby niece tomorrow night so it should be lots of fun and some good photos ops. I'm off to sample the Rachael Ray potato-corn choup that I made for dinner....smells very yummy!

New Life.

Life is a beautiful gift. When I really sit and ponder the fact that God thought and willed and spoke life into existence, I am astounded. To take nothing and make something as miraculous and as fragile and as breath-taking as life itself....nothing short of amazing.

Today, we're celebrating all of the new life that comes with spring. I shot the above photo of my mother-in-law's daffodils....ready to burst into full bloom. So much new life comes with spring.

And.....we are celebrating new life in our family. The first photo above is one that my sister, Kendra, and her husband, Dan, were given when they underwent invitro a few days ago. To me, this photo is nothing short of a miracle. To see how the cells have divided, and to know that everything to make a new person is contained in those microscopic cells, and that the basis of the central nervous system and other major body systems were already beginning to form when this photo was taken......amazing. Today, they received the call they had been praying for....they are PREGNANT! Praise the Lord, life is growing inside of Kendra, and we couldn't be more thrilled! Read the announcement in my newly-pregnant sister's very own words here: http://www.walkintherain73.blogspot.com/. And special thanks to all of you wonderful friends who have been praying and checking in and just joining in to make this an amazing day for our family.....we are blessed in so many ways with your friendship and support. I know Dan and Kendra appreciate it greatly, as do I--to the bottom of my soul.

Thank you, My Awesome God, for giving and sustaining life.

Spring Break '08 ReCap.

Whew......is it possible for a whole week to pass by in just a day or two? That's sure what this past week feels like....it's gone before it even started. So, even though we were one of the unfortunate few who didn't get to head somewhere warm and sunny and beach-worthy, we sure did pack a lot of fun and adventure into the week. So here are just a few recaps and reminders and role-calls:

• We really enjoyed our trip to the nature center, despite the crispy temps. We will be visiting this locale for hiking again soon, especially into the wetlands portion of the reserve. If you are in the greater GR area, or even within driving distance, be sure to check out the Blanford Nature Center.
• Camping out in the basement is lots of fun....but not really conducive for a good night's sleep. We will do this again, but not on the night before I have to teach :)
• Both kids have had on-and-off again fevers all week, but it appears like we are past it now. I am just praying that neither Matt nor I will get it in this final stretch of school.
• T-ball practice starts tomorrow. Matt and I are again coaching Kennedy's team (Hayden will be the bat boy....when he's in the mood!) so it is always lots of fun and laughs.
• I cropped all Saturday with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law at a fundraiser crop. They had a contest for best pages....and I won first prize and three of the other remaining prizes. It was a real confidence booster, I must say. I am going to another fundraiser crop on Friday night at Scrap, Scribble and Stick, so if you are in GR....there are still spots available from 6-midnight, cropping to cure cancer.
• My sister and her husband will have a pregnancy test on Tuesday to assess the results of the invitro attempt. Please be praying for them as they hear and accept the results, whatever God's will is.
• It's cold here again but supposed to be into the 60's by mid-week. Hurray!
• Thank you, Lord, for good news from our accountant regarding a tax refund.....we are really committing to building up a nestegg, and this will help us toward that goal.
• Pray for us in some potential opportunities and big decisions that we are contemplating for our family. Sometimes, we get so comfortable where we are in life, and Matt and I are reassessing a lot of things right now regarding where God wants us to be at this point in our lives, marriage, working toward our individual and together-dreams, etc. It's good to stop and take account periodically, and we haven't done it in awhile. It's kind of like taking our "life temperature" to check for any signs of infection!
• I am going with Kennedy and her class on an adventure camp outing tomorrow. This is their reward for reaching their school-wide reading goal. It should be a lot of fun to experience this camp with the kiddos.....I love being a part of their learning and growing and trying new things.
• I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the role that we play in the lives of others. It's so easy to say "I love others" but how is that played out? I have been reflecting on what it means to support one another and invest into the lives of each other. To build up and not tear down. To not give up on one another. To stand with others, regardless of the cost. Of my role to stand up and build up my fellow Christian, even when it may not be the most popular thing to do. I think so often, we focus on outreach and evangelism, of the unsaved (and rightfully so).....but we overlook needs of fellow Christians that are right in front of us in our churches, on our teams, in our small groups, in my classroom, with those who we have some type of relationships with whether personal or professional. It has brought out the philosophical side of me. It has caused me to examine how my claim of the name "Christian" brings with it a responsibility that I carry with me into every avenue of my life. Am I living that out to its fullest? Am I ALWAY cognizant of how my actions, my standing up for or against someone, my advocacy of fellow Christians, my support of others reflect (or not) the name of Christ? Am I in any way a stumbling block for others? Am I placing myself into roles and responsibilities that arouse potential conflicts of interests that may compromise my integrity and ethical commitments? This is a heavy responsibility, and it is one that God has been bringing to my mind and my heart lately.
• Wow, that bullet point got a little long and deep. Not totally sure where that came from, except that we are honestly struggling a bit right now with feeling let down by some people who call themselves Christians.....some people who we thought were "on our side" but may not be after all......feeling like we can relate as never before with non-Christians who want nothing to do with Christianity because of how many Christians choose to treat others behind their back.....being reminded of the fact that while people will always let us down, God is never-changing and always our greatest Advocate.........now this bullet is getting a little long, so I"ll stop here.......I'm sure there'll be more on this later.
• Please pray for the Westtrate family, friends of ours who lost their home in a house fire last week. Thankfully, Angela and her twin 5-year-old girls escaped the house unharmed (her husband, Todd, was out of town)...Praise God! But they lost everything and have obviously been through a very difficult experience emotionally. Pray for God's providence and comfort and peace as they seek to rebuild and recover.
• Thanks to my sister-in-law, Meegan, for helping out with Hayden tomorrow. It's amazing to have a family where you can help and support each other in so many ways.
• Happy Birthday today to my brother, Mitch, who is in his late 20's. I lost track of exactly how old! In this past year, he became a daddy to sweet little Samantha Jay, and it has been so fun to see him love on her and embrace this new role. Happy Birthday!
• Well, time to head to the grocery store to get goods for tomorrow's sack lunches........Enjoy your Sunday evening, and hug those you love extra-tight tonight!

Spring Break Friday.

Wow, does spring break week fly by or what? The kids and Matt enjoyed "Horton Hears a Who" and a mall lunch yesterday while I was teaching. Both of the kids have been battling fevers the past couple of days, the kind where they wake up with a fever, seem OK during the day hours, and end the day with a fever again. So, we hung pretty low last night and this morning, sleeping in a bit, drinking lots of fluids, and watching a few cartoons. Now, I am tackling the MOUNDS of laundry that have accumulated, and I'm about to run a few errands.....scrapbook store for cardstock and adhesive, post office, bank. This afternoon, we are headed to central Michigan to spend our last few days of break with Grandpa and Grandma Mc. Tomorrow, I am participating in a fundraiser crop with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, so it should be an enjoyable day.

And, without further ado, the winner of the wonderful tiny MM alpha stickers is......(drumroll):

KITLEEN!!

And I also decided that, due to the large number of comments (thank you!), that I would send out a second RAK! So, the winner of the second RAK is............(drumroll again!):

Camille! My wonderful sister who keeps reminding me that I have to finish my laundry room project so that I can post photos! Send me your address.....(and that laundry room will be first on my list once my work year ends!!).

So, Sisters, send me your mailing address at nmcdonald@cornerstone.edu, and I will get these lovely little packages off to you next week! Thanks, everyone, for throwing your name into the hat....I wish I had 55 packages to send out to everyone! Keep checking back to Table Scraps, because I like to do RAKs periodically, just to spread a little joy.

Happy Friday!

Campout!

The spring break board on Wednesday let us know that we were in for a campout....complete with a bon fire, hotdog roast, s'mores, ghost stories and tent sleeping. The catch? It would all happen right in our very own basement! So, we set up our little dome tent, got out the portable fire pit, and went camping! We roasted our hot dogs and s'mores, snuggled under the sleeping bags to watch "Eight Below" and "Ratatouille" projected onto the wall using our laptop.......and just had a great night camping under the stars, I mean, ceiling. Of course, the kids thought that it was all pretty cool and seem to be enjoying our little spring break. Of course, at one point, I said, "See, who needs to go on vacation to have a good time?" and both my daughter and my husband raised their hands.......so, maybe next year, we'll head off to Florida for a get-away vacation. But, for now, camping in the basement seems like a little getaway from everyday routine.

This is post #400 here on Table Scraps. I have entered this site 400 times over the past year and 1/2 to express my thoughts, share photos, ask for prayer, randomly muse over my life, express thanks to God for his blessings, rant and rave......it continues to be a valuable tool for reflecting on my journey, and I thank everyone for joining in in their own way.

When I get home from work tonight, I will make the draw for the Tiny Alphas. I got some pretty unique responses (thanks, Chad and Kendra!) and appreciate everyone who stopped by to play along. Actually, I really am curious to see what a pastor would do with Tiny Alphas.....maybe a new style of bulletin or a sermon prop? And I sure hope that I never need a kidney if my sister doesn't win!! Until later, you still have a few hours to enter the drawing......have a great Thursday.

Spring Break RAK!

We all have them. Those scrapbook products that we turn to time and time again. Our fall-backs. The products that if, left stranded on a desert island with a camera, a stack of photos, cardstock, and adhesive, we would definitely take along as that one item. That product that seems to just make the art in so many ways. For me, these little letters are definitely one of my main go-to products. For the longest time, they have been impossible to find. I had a little stash that is dangerously dwindling, so I was thrilled (!) to find them online and have them arrive at my doorstep this morning. I ordered every single pack that they had--15 packs to be exact--just in case they become scarce again! And, I firmly believe in sharing any joy that we find in this world.....so, I have a pack of white and a pack of black letters (along with some other goodies) that I want to send to a Table Scraps reader. If you would like to be entered into this drawing, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell us your top 5 scrapbooking must-haves. Assume that you have paper/cardstock, a basic tool kit, and adhesive.....what other five products do you feel are essentials? I will make the drawing tomorrow, so comment away!

Spring Break, Day Two.

Day 2 of Spring Break brought a normal day of courses for me, so I went off to work while Matt and the kids spent a leisurely morning at home resting and playing. After I finished teaching, they picked me up and we headed to Pizzeria UNO to share a meal topped off by a yummy deep-dish cookie with ice cream, whipped cream and 4 spoons! Then, we were off to the Meijer Gardens with our flashlights for some night-time butterfly viewing. It seems like half of Grand Rapids had a similar idea because there were LOTS of people, but we did manage to see some gorgeous flowers and spy some butterflies in the dark caves with our flashlights. My camera battery died soon into our trip, though I did manage to capture a few shots. The kids had fun and are even more excited aout what tomorrow brings.....more tomorrow.

Spring Break, Day One.

Sometimes, the best types of spring breaks are those spent around home, enjoying the comforts of home and what your own "neck of the woods" has to offer. And that is what this year's spring break is all about for us. Because we are not going on a big trip far away, I decided to break our week down into fun activities for us to enjoy, right here at home and in our surrounding area. I made up this board, which has a card for each day. The kids then get to open the day's card to see what is in store for them, so there is the element of surprise that they think is so fun!

Today, the kids opened the MONDAY card to find that we were headed to the Blandford Nature Center, a nature conservatory just a few minutes away from us. We packed up a picnic lunch along with our hiking gear, and away we went for a day of hiking and enjoying the spring day. We ate our picnic, enjoyed seeing some wildlife (including several owls, a bobcat, a baby garter snake, and some turtles), explored a wigwam and a sugarhouse (where they make maple syrup), and wove through the woods and streams on various trails. What a delightful place it was, and so close to home! The kids enjoyed putting their cameras and binoculars to work, and we got a lot of good exercise to boot! Hmmmm, I wonder what the TUESDAY card will bring?



And here are a few highlight photos from our hotel weekend. Thanks again, Mom and Dad S., for the fun gathering (this was a Christmas present from them to our family). We had a great relaxing time, the kids loved swimming and spending time with everyone, and we hope to do it again next year. It brought back lots of fond childhood memories of each year when we would meet for a hotel weekend with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins on my mom's side.......so fun.






And tonight, we brought a yummy lasagna/salad/bread/chocolate eclair dessert dinner over to our friends who just had their second little baby. What a joy it was to meet and hold and breathe in the sweet smells of little Madelyn Grace. She is just gorgeous, with lots of dark hair and a dark complexion. Now tell me that this group of kids wouldn't keep any room full of adults entertained! We sure enjoyed our time with them and look forward to many more get-togethers as the kids grow up. Welcome, little Maddie, to this crazy group of friends!

Swimming, Eating, Resting.

That is pretty much what we have been up to for the past 24 hours. Along with 1001 games of pool, air hockey and slam-wich (or so it seems). We are having a nice time with our extended family, just hanging out and enjoying some down time. I didn't even take my computer with me, GASP! However, I did have to bring Kennedy into town for a friend's birthday party, so when I stopped in at home to let Ruby out, I just had to check in and post and update. Wow, I'm seeing that I'm nearing 400 posts here on Table Scraps, so I'm going to have to come up with something good for my 400th post. I'll think about that by the pool tonight.

Random 3:00 AM Thoughts.

After I came home from work last night, I developed a monster headache.....which is not at all surprising given that I was so busy teaching 5 back-to-back sessions yesterday that I didn't eat anything until 4:30 pm.....not very smart, I know. So, when I got home around 5:30, I pretty much took some Exedrin and laid down.....which means that I slept on and off for 6 hours and then was wide awake at 1:00 am. So, I have been putsing around the house....doing dishes, picking up toys, working on a few scrapbook pages, getting things packed for our trip. And thinking about a lot of things that are going on right now. April tends to be a very busy month for me, given that the semester is in its final weeks, school for my kids is starting to wind down, and spring sports are in full sessions meaning a busier schedule for my husband. Here are a few random non-censored thoughts percolating in my mind right now......

• This week was a tough one for me at work. I'm not feeling a lot of motivation to teach right now, and I have to really pull from deep within me each class session. That is one of the tough things about teaching....whether you feel like it or not, you have to do what you can to pull from your soul because people are counting on you. I think it's mainly due to the busy-ness of the semester, and being overextended right now.......I need summer to get here.
• I am excited to teach Art Therapy in May. I find that course not only invigorating professionally, but fulfilling personally. I teach it so that it is as much a personal journey for me and my students, as an academic one.
• I am ready to get Hayden's school plans for next year ironed out, so that we can finalize child care and work schedules. The kindergarten round-up is the week following spring break, and I feel pretty strongly about a kindergarten placement for him, so we'll see how it goes. Even though he is young, a lot has happened in the past month to make me convinced that he is ready for the kindergarten challenge!
• Hayden is counting to 77! I'm not sure what the significance of 77 is, but he stops every time when he gets there! I think that he will be really good with numbers. Kennedy was more advanced with her pre-reading skills at his age, but he is far beyond where she was in understanding number properties. My husband says that "number smarts" is a trait in the M. family.
• I need to get on my physical health improvement plan. I have put it off long enough. It has been 2 years since I have been on a daily exercise regimine, and I miss it in so many ways......and I dread it in so many ways, too! I would love to lose 50 pounds before next fall classes begin, and I have done it before and know that I can do it again. It's just the getting started part that is the hardest. It's a mind thing......I'm well aware of that. Funny how it's a lot easier to motivate other people than to motivate yourself. I'm thinking that a behavior plan is in order!!
• Our friends just had a precious new baby girl, Madelyn, who joins fiery little Braylin in their family. I have started a scrapbook for them, and am hoping to bring dinner over on Monday night. It makes me even more aware of my desire to have another baby.
• I have anxiety in the pit of my stomache for Kendra and her husband as they await their in vitro implantation tomorrow morning. I am praying earnestly that God will grant them the desires of their heart.
• I need to stop at Target tomorrow to get some new pool toys for the kids, and a few new tank tops for me. Maybe if we dress like spring over spring break, it will be here to stay!
• I need to spring clean in a bad way. I need to sort clothes for all of us and bring a huge load to Byron Ministries.
• I am excited about getting started to organize our family photos using Stacey Julian's Photo Freedom. This will be one of my main goals for summer break.
• I am starting to think about summer plans for the kids....what will I do to keep them moving ahead academically, while also making it fun and different from the school routine? Where will we go for vacation? It will be here before we know it.
• I am watching an Animal Planet show about the 7 most deadly snakes on the planet. The guy is trying to photograph each of these snakes in mid-strike. He just got bit by an adder and is presently wrestling a spitting cobra.......talk about job stress. TV is pretty limited at 3:00 am on Friday morning, I suppose.
• We really need to find a home church and get connected. Since we left Compass Church in January, we have been attending here and there sporadically, but we really need to settle in and find a place to serve. It's been hard with being gone many weekends in the past months, but we need to make this a priority.
• I am ready to plant tomatoes and get our garden going. There is nothing like fresh tomatoes, and the kids love watching the progress.
• We need to revisit our family budget. We just bought a new truck and refinanced our house, so we need to make the necessary adjustments.
• I have to do our taxes this week. Yuck! But I am hoping for a refund.
• I need to schedule a dentist appointment. I am really good about keeping the kids on track with their visits (no cavities last week!) but not so good with my own appointments. Note to self: Call and make an appointment.
• When I got home last weekend, the hamster cages were all cleaned out. So we no longer have hamsters. My husband didn't tell me where they are, or what transpired....but suffice it to say that we are no longer hamster owners. Maybe when the kids are a bit older.....lesson learned.
• Ruby, our chocolate lab, is one year old! She has brought so much joy to our family in the past year and is truly the best dog I have ever known. I will do a more specific post later to show what she has brought to our family.......we love her as I never thought a dog could be loved.
• I wonder if anyone else is up at this time of day? Our friends across the street are leaving for Florida at 3:00 am, so I should run over and wish them farewell!

SO that's what's running through my brain at 3:18 on a Friday morning. I'm feeling pretty awake right now, so I'm going to see if I can get a few scrapbook pages done for my friends' baby album. I"ll post from the hotel after we get settled into our family weekend.....here's to a weekend of rest, swimming, eating, playing games, and just enjoying family time!

Maybe it really IS spring!

It is so beautiful and sunny here today....it definitely feels of spring! The sun and warmth are good for the spirit, for sure! The kids and I played some softball and basketball outside in the yard, and it felt so good to be on the grass and playing in the sun again. Then, my husband came home and drew a "hopscotch" for the kids......well, really, it is an agility drill that he uses with his football players. When he got the timer out to see how fast the kids could do it, I let him know that he was taking it a bit too far! And, I wonder why my kids tend to be a bit competitive??!!

Here are a few photos from our time playing....the kids were so happy to be outside, that it was a VERY BIG disappointment when they had to come inside to get ready for their karate class.

















In other news....this past month has been reading month at Kennedy's school, and the K-4 students set a goal of reading 200,000 minutes collectively in order to earn their reward of going to Camp Manitou-Lin for a day of fun and activity. Also, if they reached their goal, the teachers agreed to spend the night on the roof of the school. GREAT NEWS! The students surpassed their goal, and the Brown teachers are having a campout roof-style tonight. They have invited all of the kids to come to the school at 7:00 pm tonight for a skit and bedtime story, and so the kids can see them off to the roof for the night......great sports, I must say! If you live in the area, be sure to honk if you drive by the school tonight! Kennedy read 3,480 minutes for the month and earned the TOP READER award for her class. She and 3 others in her class (the top 4 places) got to have a special pizza lunch today with Mrs. Hill, so I popped in to snap some photos of the kids.......it's always so special to have lunch with the teacher! It reminds me of 4th grade, when my teacher, Mr. Sanderlin, said that anyone who could go all year without missing a spelling word could go with him to McDonald's for lunch. Now, I was the type of student who was ON IT anytime a challenge was offered.....so I worked hard that year, and myself and Kaci Soltman earned the lunch. I will never forget that lunch, that's how special these kind of outings are to kids. The fact that at 35 years old, I still remember a lunch that I had as a 9-year-old.......that's pretty powerful. Great Job, Kennedy, with all the reading! She is now in Book #3 of the Harry Potter series and will likely finish this one by the end of the weekend.

For those of you praying for my sister and her husband....thank you! The egg retrieval went well, and 14 of my sister's eggs have now been fertilized. They will grow for the next day and then, on Friday morning, some of them will be transferred back into my sister's uterus. Hopefully, we will have word the following week that she is pregnant.....but we are very confident that God has this firmly in His hands, regardless of the outcome. Continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated!

Tomorrow brings another day of teaching for me.......3 of my 5 class periods are exams, so it is a bit of a reprieve and gives me some extra work time while the students are taking the exams. Of course, that means lots of grading for the next week.....but tomorrow it will feel really good! Then, on Friday morning, we leave for an area hotel where we will be spending the weekend swimming, eating, resting, talking and playing games with my family.....should be a great time. My sister will be on complete bedrest following Friday's procedure, so it is a bit of a bummer how the timing all worked out for her.....but we will keep her entertained, I'm sure! Kennedy got her new adorable bathing suit in the mail from Lands' End today, and Hayden and I picked his out at Target yesterday. And silly me.....I ordered what I thought was a full suit/tankini for me.....only to get it today from Lands' End and realize it was only the top....I was thinking that 59.50 was a pretty good price for a great suit.....but it doesn't seem so great now that I have to throw in another 30.00 for the bottoms......plus $29.95 for express shipping later.....the matching bottoms are on their way! Silly me.

Pray Hard + ABC Tagged.

I've been sharing a bit of my sister's story. She and her husband have travelled through infertility and, as I write tonight, are staying in a motel across town. Tomorrow morning, medical specialists will extract eggs from my sister and a "sample" from her husband, and then they will fertilize the eggs through amazing scientific advances. They have made the decision to seek children through in vitro very seriously, very prayerfully, and with a good grip on the ethical and moral issues involved. I am inspired by how carefully and prayerfully they have made this decision. And so now, I am asking you to pray along with me and them. Pray that God's will be done tomorrow. That they would feel a great sense of peace, standing in the palm of His hand. And, that if it's God will, that my little niece or nephew's life would begin tomorrow. The procedue is at 9:30, so please pray for them. And, as my sister has written in every one of her blog posts throughout this journey....remember that God is good ALL THE TIME.

I saw this on a friend, Julie's, blog so thought it would be fun to share some fun ABCs about me today:

ABC QUESTIONS
A- Attached or single: attached
B- Best Friend(s): I don't tend to use this term. My best friend growing up was Julie, and I still count her as a deep soul sister, but I tend to have many different wonderful women supporting me in all different aspects of my life.
C- Cake or Pie: pie (pecan--me too, Julie!)
D- Day of Choice: Sunday and Friday
E- Essential Item (s): camera, CF Diet Coke, my iPod, scrapbooking goodies, my laptop
Favorite type of music: I love all kinds but contemporary Christian worship music is my favorite
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Sour patch kids!
H- Hometown: McBain, MI
I-Indulgence(s): Chips/salsa/guacamole and classic Hershey's bars
J- January or July: July--Happy birthday to me!
K- Kids: 2
L- Last movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks with my little boy
M- Marriage Date: May 13, 2000
N- Number of Siblings: 2 sisters and 1 brother
O- Oranges or Apples: Granny Smith or Golden Delicious Applies (though I also love Clementine tangerines!)
P- Phobias or Fears: I am not really a fearful person, but I am not fond of snakes. I also have developed this crazy fear of dental work.
Q- Quote(s): "I am here to live out loud."
R- Reason To Smile: God has saved me by His Grace and works in my life each and every day!
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag : Anyone who wants to play
U- Unknown Fact About Me: In college, I was nationally ranked in 3-point field goal percentage in basketball.
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals--Hmmm? I believe that God provided animals to us for food sources, so while I eat meat, I don't consider that oppressive.
W-Worst Habit--Criticizing.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I cherish the ultrasounds that I had with each of my pregnancies. And did I mention that I hate dentists, so x-rays typically go along with that whole scene!
Y- Your Favorite Food: Authentic Mexican food or fresh seafood
Z- Zodiac: Leo, but I don't believe in the whole Zodiac thing.