Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Nelson's 20/20 Interview

I got this from another mom's blog... Thanks, Heather...

This is an interview with Ingrid. I thought I might get some interesting answers...I wasn't disappointed.

Here are Ingrid's answers (with my thoughts in italics):

Questions about Mom

1. What is something Mama always says to you?
To feed the goldfish (actually, most of the time I forget...)
2. What makes Mama happy?
Funny faces
3. What makes Mama sad?
when we do rough things (yes!)
4. How does Mama make you laugh?
playing CandyLand
5. What was Mama like as a child?
Like me
6. How old is Mama?
Five
7. How tall is Mama?
As tall as when you reach your arms up (I mean, hello...)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Work (great.)
9. What does Mama do when you’re not around?
clap your hands (I think she actually meant it as an action, not a reaction to her not being there...)
10. If Mama becomes famous, what will it be for?
I don't know.
11. What is Mama really good at?
teaching (awww...)
12. What is Mama not very good at?
getting out of bed (does my child know me or what?)
13. What does Mama do for her job?
teach
14. What is Mama's favorite food?
vegetables (nice. That's exactly what I want them to think...)
15. What makes you proud of Mama?
when you work (maybe this redeems the fact that she thinks my favorite thing to do is work?)
16. If Mama was a cartoon character, who would she be?
Clifford the Big Red Dog
17. What do you and Mama do together?
play CandyLand
18. How are you and Mama the same?
our faces look a lot the same
19. How are you and Mama different?
We don't have the same shirt on
20. How do you know Mama loves you?
because Ms. Carolyne taught me (she had just come from preschool when I did this...I think it was still on the brain...)
21. Where is Mama's favorite place to go?
to church (I don't think the first year and a half of her life is lost on her...)

Questions about Papa

1. What is something Papa always says to you?
Be careful. (actually, I think that's me...)
2. What makes Papa happy?
When we're so good.
3. What makes Papa sad?
When Rowan does something like hitting or biting or pulling hair or hits the windows or hurts the chairs or boxes...
4. How does your Papa make you laugh?
make funny faces (true.)
5. How old is your Papa?
Five
6. How tall is your Papa?
2 inches
7. What is his favorite thing to do?
work...no, play.
8. What does your Papa do when you’re not around?
works
9. What is your Papa really good at?
making up stories (very true.)
10. What is your Papa not very good at?
I don't know. (I could have prompted her on this question...but I didn't.)
11. What does your Papa do for his job?
does sign language (it's not easy to explain Positive Behavior Support to a 3 yr old...)
12. What is your Papa’s favorite food?
broccoli (really. Hmmm...)
13 If your Papa were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Mickey Mouse
14. How are you and your Papa the same?
We both have silly faces
15. How are you and your Papa different?
We don't have the same shirts on
16. How do you know your Papa loves you?
Because he loves me (said very matter-of-factly.)
17. Where is your Papa's favorite place to go?
fishing (I believe this child might know her Dad pretty well, too...)

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Lenten Sacrifices...

I'm following the blood type diet during Lent (always remembering that Sundays are a reprieve...did you know that? yep. ). The first week didn't go so well...Ash Wednesday was 2 days before my birthday and Andrew and I went to Pittsburgh for my birthday and for that Saturday. (More on this another post...) So, needless to say, I didn't stay on my diet then. Also, Andrew left town for the following Monday and Tuesday, leaving us without my "BloodType A" diet staples (and me with no money in the bank)...so I ended up eating Mac n Cheese with the kids (although the mac n cheese is loaded with veggies...I NEVER serve plain mac n cheese in our house...my kids are going to be going to friends' houses to get plain mac n cheese like I did when I was little...). So, the rest of the week, I did pretty well, but with the time change, I still feel tired instead of better like I usually feel when I do the diet... :(

But then, this morning as I was driving to school to substitute teach for Mom--in the dark--after being awakened 3 times during my short 5 hour night of sleep--downing coffee to keep from driving off the road--that my willingness to sacrifice (albeit not a large sacrifice, but enough to make it sting...) this morning and make it to school despite my many excuses not to -- is partly because we fast and give things up--not only for Lent, but as a discipline in the Christian Church. Apart from its parallel meanings to Christ's life and journey, it keeps the feeling of uncomfortability from feeling too foreign, giving us strength at times when life is, well, uncomfortable. And who isn't feeling uncomfortable right now?

Of course, I knew these things, but several points were driven home today as I listened to NPR news and the droning on and on about how we need a "quick fix" for the problems we face. This "practice" of feeling uncomfortable is such a radical idea in our world! I'm sure that if there were studies done during hard times on stress levels in people who fast and people who don't, I'll bet that the stress levels in people who fast are lower... Of course, I've never done such a test, but I know that from my own experience that once I took the whole sacrifice thing seriously (anyone with a child has done this to a point....), when hard times hit, I know I felt more prepared to handle them... Of course, you never get rid of the pain, but at least you know a little something about being uncomfortable and can say that you've been there. And at the VERY least, you find that the daily things you thought were uncomfortable, aren't anymore.

It's hard to remember this, though, when you're in the midst of sacrificing. A teacher/author I admire (Brian McLaren) once said that when he fasts, he "doesn't feel closer to God," he "feels closer to pizza!" :) But this week at church, our priest gave a sermon about dying to yourself...and how we immediately feel the effects of it. It's like living the Easter story! It's much easier to sacrifice when you believe that every time you deny yourself those comfortable things, you are dying to yourself so that new life can spring in its place! We are Easter people, after all! What a different end to the story than we are told on the news every night...

I'm still trying to stay true to my sacrifice, and even today, I failed a bit, eating cheese when I was supposed to avoid dairy... But the next time I put something in my mouth, I have a new chance to die to myself...and remember that new life will spring up in me where the old life ended. And who doesn't need a second chance now and then?