God’s handiwork

A Break from the Ordinary

September 1, 2011

Why hello, dear neglected blog of mine… yes, the circus family is still alive and well. It’s just been a busy week at the circus, what with an earthquake, a hurricane, a Women of Faith conference (another blog post to come about that soon), a head cold, a fantasy football draft and home schooling….

Right now I have mounds, literally mounds of unwashed clothes and dishes to take care of, shirts to tye dye, food to buy, and our annual Labor Day weekend to prep for… but I wanted to stop and preserve a few moments that I didn’t want to forget…

Last Tuesday, I was babysitting a friend’s 3 kids when a 5.8 earthquake shook our area. I was holding my friends baby when I stopped to stare at a spot on our recently painted stairway… “What’s that I wondered?” and then suddenly the stairway seemed to slant and I felt myself move a bit… The 3 oldest kids (7, 6, 5) were playing downstairs, and the 2 and 4 year old were playing in the bedroom. I went down the hall to wake my baby and grab the girls from the bedroom b/c I could hear the house actually creaking/groaning as it shook all over and I thought for sure one of the big trees in our yard was falling onto the house. I rushed them to the stairway when the downstairs crew yelled up, “Mom, we didn’t do it!”

As I rushed everyone out the front door, I realized that no trees were falling and I then said, “I think we just felt an earthquake.” My next thought was, “I hope Scott felt it.” (because Scott has always wanted to feel an earthquake… for real, every time he flies to CA he says, “Wouldn’t it be so cool if an earthquake happened?”) As we ran out the door my friend pulled in our driveway to pick up her kids. She couldn’t figure out why we were rushing outside when she got there. The next thing I know the kids are quickly bringing out their treasured belongings in case they were going to get destroyed in the earthquake.

Apparently at the circus house, shoes, Legos, a doll, and toy guns are the items you grab when fleeing your house.

Thankfully nothing was damaged and none of us were hurt in the earthquake. For us, it was an exciting break from the norm… a chance to experience a natural phenomenon we don’t normally get to experience on the east coast. A few days later in the waiting room at gymnastics my 5 yr old asked the lady beside us if she felt the earthquake. The lady answered, “Oh my yes… wasn’t it just horrible? What did you think of it?” My 5 yr old looked up at her with a huge grin and said, “I loved it!”

A few days later we got to experience a hurricane… again we were spared any true damage as we simply lost power for 48 hrs. For the circus fam it was a fun few days of camping at home… cooking on the gas stove, flushing with water from the tub, falling asleep with flashlights and the eternal racket of our neighbors generators whirring 24/7.

As the storm raged in the middle of the night I found myself wondering “What would a worse hurricane feel like?” And I was crying out to God to please protect our house from the huge trees surrounding it. As I prayed I couldn’t help but think of how mighty and powerful our God is. He created the wind. His voice alone can stop the wind. What power He has in his hands!

Sunday morning found our yard littered with branches and leaves, but thankfully our house and property were safe.

There were trees on our very street which fell during the storm.

Mark 4:39 and 4:41

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

{ 3 comments }

Earth Day Give Away!

April 22, 2010

in Book Review,God's handiwork

In the interest of keeping it real, I’m going to tell you that I have not really been much for the whole green fad that has swept my generation. While we do recycle, that’s about the extent of it. Then a few years ago my pastor gave a sermon during a series on stewardship that hit home for me. He talked about the fact that while God did make the world for us to enjoy and inhabit, it didn’t mean he made it for us to squander and trash. He talked about stewardship in terms of taking care of God’s creation. I realized that I had been treating this would with a sense of entitlement and with little care to how I effected the environment or creation.

Recently, I read the book Green Mama… the guilt free Guide to Helping you and your Kids save the planet by Tracey Bianchi.

I really like this book b/c it is real and down to earth. Tracey isn’t preachy and doesn’t make you feel like scum if you aren’t using cloth diapers or organic sheets. She’s a mom of 3 living in a Chicago suburb who is passionate about taking care of God’s creation and shares that passion in a very practical, applicable way.

She comes across as a real mom, one I’d meet on the playground or sit next to at a MOPS meeting. She does not carry an air of superiority that is so often a real turn off to me. I like real people. I don’t like people who portray perfection and make you feel like scum if you don’t do everything the way they do it.

In the beginning of the book Tracey shares her reasons for “going green.” She gives an analogy of our role in taking care of creation, that I thought was so perfect. She says:

“The weight of saving the world does not rely solely upon us. God can save the planet himself. Actually, he already has, which is tough for me to swallow because I like to think God needs me. Ultimately, God is interested in your heart and movement towards wise living and responsible stewardship, not how many gallons of water you saved this month. He created this world and then invited us to partner with him in caring for it. He wants us involved in the process just like I want my children involved in projects I design for them. Of course I can make the chocolate-chip cookies myself (and honestly it would be much so much easier that way),” … “We learn magnificent truths about our Creator when we care for God’s creation. This is what God wants for your family when it comes to taking care of the earth.”

I thought this was such a beautiful picture of our role as Christians in taking care of creation.

At the end of each chapter Tracey encourages you to reflect on one thing you’d like to apply and one you’d like to throw out. She also encourages you in the book to find one big thing to focus on, rather than trying to change your whole world at once. I like this because it is practical and doable. Overall, that’s how I’d describe her book. If you’re like me, and you know you haven’t been living as “green” as you should or like, I think this provides a wonderful introduction. I also really appreciate the time she spends discussing the motivation for going green.

The circus hasn’t completely changed everything… in fact, I am still slowly digesting things. But, I can feel God tugging on my heart. I love the beauty of His creation. I love spending time in it. I want to be a part of taking care of it and I want to raise my children with attitudes of service rather than entitlement.

We live near the Chesapeake Bay. Each summer our family spends countless hours swimming, fishing, and boating in it. Sadly, bacteria levels in our bay get so bad that it is monitored weekly and some days we aren’t allowed in it. I’d like to find some projects that we can work on as a family to help the bay. As I teach my kids to enjoy this resource God has given us, I also want to teach them to take care of that resource.

I think I am also going to look into switching to reusable bags. Tracey said that each year the typical American family uses roughly 1000 plastic bags a year.

Tracey has numerous other ideas and information, some of which I am going to try to apply, some of which I will probably “throw out” as she suggests.

I contacted Tracey and she gave me a copy of the book to read and review for myself. She in no way compensated me for my review of the book. These are my thoughts and reactions to her book. She also generously gave me 4 copies of the book to give away to my readers!! I am so excited to share this with you. I think you will be challenged, encouraged, and inspired.

I will randomly choose 4 winners on Monday, April 26th for the books. Please leave a comment below to be chosen. You can receive extra entries if you tweet or face book this post (and leave an extra comment to tell me you did so) or if you sign up in my reader or follow me on google friend connect (again leave me a comment telling me you did so).

{ 33 comments }

A Letter to My Baby

April 8, 2010

in God's handiwork,Motherhood,pregnancy

Dear Sweet Baby of Mine,

Every time I sit down or lay down I can feel you move around inside of me. You are more active than any of your sisters or brother were in the womb. Perhaps you are trying to tell us already that you are eager to jump in and join in the chaos and fun that is our family. The feeling of you turning over or kicking and punching my sides…it’s almost as if you are saying, “Hey Mom! I’m here!” Since I am fairly certain you are the last baby I will carry in my womb, I treasure each of these movements. I wonder if I will miss feeling you inside of me, once you are here.

I want you to know dear one that while none of us have yet laid eyes on you, nor held you in our arms, you are already deeply and profoundly loved and cherished and a very real part of our family.

Your oldest sister is always quick to point out that we have 4 kids in our family and if ever I have to leave your brother or sisters behind to go somewhere, she will chime in, “But not the baby… you take the baby with you!” She loves to put her hand on my belly and feel you move inside of me. Her whole face lights up when you wiggle or kick and she tells me she felt it. Just the other day she laid beside me in bed and felt you punch 5 times. Perhaps you were slapping her five!

Your next sister loves to lift up my shirt and talk to you through my belly button. Sometimes she will serenade you with her repertoire of songs.

Your brother too is very eager to meet you. He is so curious to know if you will be his first brother or another sister for him to care for. He has already told me that either way he will love you and help take care of you. He is always brainstorming potential names for you as well. And he prays for you and thanks God for you, the baby in Momma’s belly. He’s been wanting you for a long time…long before God had even knit you together inside me, he was asking for a new baby to join our family.

We have about 2 months to go before you will be ready to enter the world. I look forward to meeting you, to holding you in my arms and smelling your sweet newborn scent. I also can’t wait to introduce you to your adoring sisters and protective big brother, to watch them take care of you and smother you with their love and affection. I am eager to see how you fall into place with them. I can’t wait to see you sitting around the dinner table, chasing after them in the back yard and to hear your sweet voice call my name.

Until the time is right, I will savor this precious time while I have you to myself. The time when we are connected in such a profound and mysterious way. The only time when you truly never leave my side and I know your every coming and going. I will marvel at God’s goodness to us in blessing our lives, our family with you. And I pray, dear sweet one, that as you grow you will always know how deeply loved you are, by Daddy and myself, by your brother and sisters, and most importantly by our heavenly Father. May you seek Him with all your heart and mind, all the days of your life.

Love, Mommy

{ 13 comments }

One Fish, Two Fish

March 29, 2010

in aquarium,Circus Shots,family,field trip,God's handiwork

On Friday night we took advantage of the aquarium’s last discount priced Friday night of the season and enjoyed some family fun.

We took 293 pictures during our 3 hours at the aquarium. From those we narrowed down 42 keepers.

And from those, I have the difficult task of dwindling down some for the blog.

The kids favorite part of the evening was the dolphin show.

Scott and I were mesmerized by the new Jellyfish exhibit.

I easily could have spent more time watching them.

According to my son, there were 2 types of fish we saw that night.

Keepers

and

Not Keepers

Every time we saw a little fish he’d say, “That’s not a keeper!” And anytime we saw a big fish, he’d get so excited and say, “There’s a keeper for sure!”

Good thing there was a thick wall of glass between us and the python.

Big brother provides a help up for a better view!

I think the sharks were everyone’s second favorite attraction. We truly enjoyed standing and watching them swim by. Again… so thankful for that glass!

And the now traditional, classic aquarium family shot.

Notice any change from our visit 2 years ago?

I am linking this post up to the Wordful and Wordless Wednesday carnivals.

Tagged as: aquarium field trip

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Bird Watching

February 23, 2010

in God's handiwork,growing up,home school

When I came out to the kitchen to make breakfast this morning, I felt a cold draft. I then noticed my son sitting in the sliding glass door.

He told me he was listening to the birds in the backyard. They were offering up a beautiful melody. One thing I love about life with small children is that they help you to stop and take notice of the everyday miracles in the world around you. How often do we just sit and listen to the birds?

After awhile though, I was cold so I told him to put a coat on and sit outside to listen. He made some toast and took his breakfast outside on this cold February morning to spend some more time with his beloved birds.

As is often the case, it didn’t take long for his younger sisters to follow his lead.

Check out their bird watching attire.

On mornings like this, I love the flexibility of home schooling. I love that we can just start our day a little later and let them follow their whims a bit. We can’t let their whims direct our entire day, but it was a sweet start to our morning.

{ 7 comments }

Pictures Can’t Do the Day Justice

August 25, 2009

in Circus Shots,God's handiwork,national parks

During our recent visit to El Paso, we survived the desert trek to reach Carlsbad Caverns ( number 23 of the 47 U.S. National Parks we plan to visit in our life together).

It was a perfect day alone with the man of my dreams exploring and enjoying God’s creation.

We spent 5 hours exploring the caves 800 feet below the earth’s surface.

Pictures truly can’t do it justice, but I’ll try.

Can you guess what this rock formation was called? Look closely.

After spending the afternoon in the caverns below, we came up for dinner and then sunset with the bats.

Yes, you read that correctly. At dusk 400,000 (no that isn’t a typo, I meant to put all of those zeros there) bats fly out of the caves each night to feast on insects. It was amazing (and no I am not some crazy bat loving girl of the night). As we waited for the bats to fly out of the cave, I was totally grossed and freaked out, yet I knew it was something I didn’t want to miss. We sat and watched in hushed silence for over an hour as the bats continually flew out of the cave like a river flowing off into the desert.