When Lending a Hand Isn’t Helpful

The other day I heard particularly bad music coming from the piano in our living room. While we don’t have a Mozart in our home, our children normally play better than what I was hearing. When I went to investigate, this is what I found.

Despite the fact that our soccer seasons are long gone, our soccer injuries live on. Miss Bookworm had surgery the other day on her wrist to sew back together some torn cartilage. Ed was still complaining about her ankles so we sent her to the doctor and she came back with a wrist brace since her thumb could do things that no thumb with all ligaments attached ought to be able to do. We are hoping that things will heal without her going to the operating room as well.

So, piano playing is out for both of them – or so I thought. Wanting to still work on their Christmas music, they got together and each played with their good hand. Although they work well together in many different ways, I think that doing a duet on a solo piano piece is not one of those ways.

At least they can still play soccer.

[Note: When I had the girls sit down this morning so I could take a photo for this post, they played “Carol of the Bells” and it sounded particularly good. I guess a little practice goes a long way!]

Banned Birthday Cookies

“To Mr. CrazyD,

Please do NOT eat these cookies. It is my birthday. They are for my friends at soccer.

Thank you,

F.G.”

I was about to enjoy a just-before-dinner snack when I noticed the above note taped to the top of the lid that I was holding in my hand. I had just come home from work and found a container of CrazyMom’s chocolate chip cookies on the counter.

It was one of those crisis moments in my life. A thousand thoughts flashed through my head – nobody is around – but they are her birthday cookies – but I bet there are enough – but what if she ends up a cookie short at soccer practice?

Ah, the dilemmas we face in life.

After one more delicious whiff, I reluctantly put the lid back on the container.

F.G. protecting her last two birthday cookies.

“F.G.,” I said on the way to soccer practice. “If somebody asks you for a second cookie, you had better tell them no or I won’t let you play in the next soccer game,” I said it my most serious tone, which, unfortunately, is also my teasing tone.

“But what if the coach asks for a second cookie and I don’t give it to him? Maybe he won’t let me play then,” said F.G. with a grin from ear to ear.

“Either way you lose,” chimed in Ed. “You might as well make dad happy instead of coach.”

“He will let you play,” I reassured F.G. “He is not as mean as I am.”

When I pulled up after practice to pick up F.G., the coach came up to the car to let me know how much he enjoyed finishing off the cookies.

Good thing for F.G. he was just kidding.

Crazy Mom’s Ways

“Look, there’s a rest area in one mile. Anyone have to go to the bathroom?” avid-coffee-drinker CrazyMom asked. CrazyMom, Miss Bookworm, Ed and I were in the car headed to Taylor University for the day for our 20-year reunion.

“No,” came the response from everyone else in the car.

“Are you sure? We won’t be stopping for another hour and a half,” avid-coffee-drinker CrazyMom said.

“I’m fine,” said each of the girls.

“Well, maybe we’ll pull over anyway,” said CrazyMom as she migrated to the right lane to exit at the rest area.

When we have seven children in the car, CrazyMom can hide the fact that we need to stop for a bathroom break because of her since there is always a child that has to go. But when there are just a few of us in the car, it is a different story.

Otherwise I Would Have to Play by Myself

Anna with one of her friends.

“Anna, you sure make friends easily,” Grandpa was saying as he left an older kid’s soccer game with her. Instead of watching her sibling’s game, Anna had made a new friend and played with that friend the whole time. Grandpa, like most people we know, was amazed at how social Anna is and how she can make a friend (child or adult) wherever she goes.

“Well, I have to be able to make friends,” Anna replied. “Otherwise I would have to play by myself.”

The logic is so simple I am sure she was wondering why Grandpa could not have figured it out for himself.

Too Small to Ignore - Another Free Book!

First of all, congrats to last week's winner of "One Million Arrows."

This week we are giving away the book "Too Small to Ignore" by Dr. Wess Stafford who is the president and CEO of Compassion International.  Another good book to cause us to reflect afresh on the importance of each child around the world.

Special note to all of my Canadian blog readers:  Yes you may enter to win!  I will ship you the book even if you live in Canada.  :-)

Note: This form is no longer available since this drawing is now over.

Anna in the Rain

Last Saturday was a very windy, cold, and drizzly day.  Despite the weather conditions and despite being dragged all over town to different soccer games, Anna still managed to enjoy herself.  She is certainly one happy child.

Win a free book! “One Million Arrows”

Readers of this blog will know that one of the themes in our lives is getting rid of stuff so we can get the family out the door to Africa. What better way to get rid of stuff than to give it away?

This week’s giveaway: “One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World” by Julie Ferwerda

This is a brand new book off of CrazyMom’s bookshelf. She loved the book so much that she bought multiple copies to give away, but she still has one new copy left. She informed me that she is not giving away her personal copy because it is one book that she is definitely planning on taking to Africa with her.

You can read more about the book here: http://onemillionarrows.com/

Enter to win this book by completing the form below. I will randomly choose a winner next Wednesday and then get in touch with you so that I can mail you the book.

Note: This form is no longer available since this drawing is now over.

CrazyMom and 30 second waits don’t mix

“CrazyMom, can you come here!” I was saying very loudly trying unsuccessfully to make it sound like I was not yelling. “Quickly!” I added in a tone trying to convey to CrazyMom TO COME RIGHT NOW without the piano teacher, who was in our living room, thinking there was anything strange going on.

But something strange was going on, and I think the piano teacher knew it. How on earth can the planets align so that a calm, cool-headed guy like myself ends up sticking my head out of our room while hiding my dripping and under-clothed body while yelling for my wife because there is milky white water running all over the bathroom counter and flooding the floor?

Well, the planets get this way because CrazyMom has too much to do.

Riddle: Where is the best place to find CrazyMom’s coffee?

Answer: In the microwave.

You see, rather than waiting for the 30 seconds that it takes for the microwave to reheat her coffee, she figures she has just enough time to do this, which leads to that, which leads to the other thing. This means that a half hour later when she is looking for her coffee, she finds it cold again in the microwave. So she sets the microwave for another 30 seconds, which is just enough time to do this, which leads to that . . .

So tonight I came home a total mess because a student threw a can of white paint on me to help promote school spirit – one of those teaching things. Anyway, I went upstairs and started soaking my shirt in the sink. While I was in the shower, CrazyMom arrived on the scene and decided to flush and refill the water in the sink since there was so much paint. Of course, it takes about 30 seconds to refill the sink, which is just enough time to do this, which leads to that . . .

When I turned off the shower, heard the water running, and saw that CrazyMom was long gone, I knew there was a problem. Dashing to the bedroom door, I started yelling. CrazyMom arrived in a flash and we started soaking up the water.

“Don’t worry about the counter,” I told CrazyMom when she started mopping up the mess there. “We have to get it off the floor so it does not soak through to the ceiling below.”

As I said it, Miss Bookworm showed up at the bathroom door. “Um, water is coming through the ceiling downstairs,” she said.

Unlucky there.

So, here is the stack of stools to hold the fan to blow in the hole to dry up the water that came through the floor.

Oh, and one more thing. I just went and checked the microwave. Sure enough there is a cup of cold coffee there.

Impediments to Downsizing: Birthdays with CONCRETE

CrazyMom was explaining to me what we were giving to Little Foot for his birthday and the word CONCRETE came out of her mouth. She was saying something about a tether ball, an old tire, and CONCRETE, but it was hard for me to decipher what she was saying anymore. All I could think about was CONCRETE.

Nearly every hour of every day I am thinking about what we can get rid of. With a target date of July to move to Africa to teach there, I am obsessed with downsizing. Adding a tire filled with four 80lb bags of CONCRETE with a 10-foot pole sticking out of is obviously an impediment to downsizing.

“CONCRETE! How will I be able to get rid of this?" I thought. "I can’t throw it in the trash. Can I find a dump that will take tires? Will they still take the tire if it is filled with CONCRETE?” My head was swimming and I felt nauseous.

CrazyMom was able to calm me down, however. She reminded me that we still have a year of life with our children here in America. Birthdays will still come and we need to make them special for our kids.

She was right, of course. But still, I hope F.G.’s birthday in October does not involve any more CONCRETE.

Adding an eye bolt to the top of the pole.

Filling the tire with CONCRETE.

We duct tapped the pole to the basketball hoop and the truck to hold it in place while the CONCRETE set up.

Little Foot leaving his permanent legacy in the CONCRETE.

Playing tether ball!

Losing Teeth - Natural and Unnatural Causes

As you can see, Anna currently is missing both of her front teeth. The first one came out the natural way. The second, well, I will let her tell you how it happened.