Minivan Moments

What is hypocrisy? The hypocrites were originally the theatrical performers who played various parts in a play. They were actors. Pretenders. So, hypocrisy, then, is pretending, even lying. I was thinking the other day about that case in another state (North Carolina, i believe) where a teacher forced a child to buy school lunch because the parent had packed a lunch for the child that was not nutritionally sound, meaning "covering all the government's basic food groups for a sound lunch." Now, i used to work for the government, even had to know those regulations so i could decide if a child's meal 'measured up.' And i always had a problem with it because my children are unable to have dairy, but the government says they need milk at every meal. Before you jump in with "there are alternative milks," let me assure you, that is how we played the game. But where in the food pyramid is soy milk? Rice milk? Almond milk? So at what point are we just ...

I was thinking about my life the other day. About who i am. Here's what i was thinking. I am... ...a past victim of child molestation. ...a survivor of abuse. ...the adult child of alcoholic parents. ...the mother of a child with learning disabilities. ...the wife of an unfaithful husband. ...strong. ...weak. ...helpless. ...capable. ...sad. ...happy. ...angry. ...joyful. If you flip your "i am" around, with the help of Jesus Christ, you can find: M y A uthentic I dentity I AM (My Authentic Identity)... ...an adopted daughter of The King. ...a cherished child of The Savior. ...the exact parent my children need. ...the perfect match for my husband. ...the only ME i can be. I read something this month that has really stuck with me. In the book, Not a Fan (by Kyle Idleman), the author points out when Jesus is telling the people not to be like the religious leaders because "they don't practice what they preach," [ Matthew 23:3...

We began teaching a concept to our children a few months ago called "Making Amends." Basically, this is the essence of honest repentance and a healthy foundation for true forgiveness. We have taught the kids that when they hurt someone else, it is their responsibility to take the apology to The Next Level: Making Amends . Making Amends means that the perpetrator of the crime/offense has to do something for the victim of the crime/offense that is directly in line with the seriousness/nature of said crime/offense. For example, if disrespect of Mom is the offense, the child might open Mom's car door for a week to show respect. You tracking?? Now, in the end, it is up to the victim of the crime/offense to determine if the perpetrator of said crime/offense has made appropriate Amends. In other words, if Suzie pulls Katie's hair and later makes Katie's bed to Make Amends, Katie can decide if she feels the Amends-Making was sufficient to cover the offense. The respon...

Lately, i have been riding an emotional roller coaster. Situations in my life, coupled with a handful of health issues, have really wrung me out. As a parent, i remind my children at least weekly how important attitude is. In schoolwork, a positive attitude can make the work seem easier. In chores, attitude can make the job get done faster. In playtime, attitude can bring friends together - or push them away. Time to take my own advice. I need to spend the day with a positive attitude, thankful of all God has entrusted in me. I need to do my chores with a positive attitude, thankful of all God has blessed me with. I need to teach my kids with a positive attitude, thankful that God blessed me and trusted me with these special little people. I remember being a 17-year-old senior in high school, scrubbing dozens of toilets in the largest homeless shelter the Washington, DC Area has, and i was happy to be there, thankful to have some small way to help, and grateful those men had som...

We are constantly being bombarded with the Unseen in our lives: the unseen carcinogens in our air, the unseen pedophiles in our neighborhood, the unseen bugs in our mattresses, the unseen stalker on the internet, the unseen germs in the schools. There are other Unseen things you may not be aware of: the unseen abuse taking place in a home you pass every day, the unseen brokenness in the heart of someone you work with, the unseen pain of someone sitting beside you at church, the unseen financial harships experienced by a close friend or family member.... and the Unseen victims of our own thoughtlessness. This time of year, many of us take extra precautions to prevent picking up the latest 'bug' from the grocery store cart or the play equipment at the mall. I even carry hand sanitizer on my purse for ease of use in all circumstances. But i am always amazed at the level of ignorance (and i mean just that - ignorance, not knowing better) of my fellow moms when dealing with ge...