Skeletons at the grocery store, tombstones in the neighbor’s yard, jack-o-lanterns everywhere! I am really struggling with Halloween, as I seem to every year just before the big day. The overwhelming pressure to participate in the celebrations really tests my resolve. I know I am not alone in my desire not to celebrate the holiday, but it sure seems that way! But just when I think I am ready to give in, God gives me the inspiration and encouragement to keep going.

With Avery in public school, I knew there would be some uphill battles. The other day, she came home excited to show me how to draw a witch. Unfortunately, it came unexpectedly so I panicked and over-reacted. The look on her face was heart-breaking. So, I had to backpedal a bit to reassure her she wasn’t in trouble. A few days later, she was dressing up her babies (stuffed animals) “for Halloween.” So, I suggested maybe they get dressed up for a party or a parade instead (to which she replied, btw, “Well, for a parade, I want them to be on a float so that they aren’t on the road where they could get squished.”)

But what finally brought me to tears was when I picked Avery up from her K-1st grade Sunday school class at church this weekend. There was a “haunted” maze with a plastic jack-o-lantern and spiders etc. I am completely losing this battle!

I am not, although I know you may find it hard to believe, judging those who do participate. I completely understand how much you want your children to have fun, especially if you grew up with great memories of trick-or-treating as a kid. And, it is largely a harmless event. I am just disappointed that there seem to be so few Christians who are willing to take a stand and be different (or support those who do).

There is evidence that darker practices persist on Halloween, and I fully believe in spiritual realm, a battle between good and evil. What am I teaching my kids by making light of something to be taken serious “because it’s fun”?

But because Halloween is difficult to explain without being scary, I’ve found it really hard to talk with the kids about it and why we don’t celebrate, even at these prime opportunities when single issues come up. It’s been my goal to find a way to do just that this week, however.

So, today, we talked simply about good versus evil. I reviewed our discussion about God-Jesus-Spirit in the Holy Trinity, and how those represented the “good” and holy. Halloween, I explained, is a celebration of the things that don’t please God. She interrupted me at that point and said, “I know! Someone can dress up for Halloween as Jesus!” It was the first time that I felt her making a connection with some of what I have been trying to say, which gave me some hope for the future.

The lines are still fuzzy, and that’s where the struggle begins. For now, this is where I put my foot down:

• No purchased/planned costumes. But, I am all for imagination play and the kids can dress up any day of the year. So, if they want to put on their police uniform or Cinderella dress or tiger outfit on Oct 31, I’m fine with that.
• No trick or treating. We try to make handing out the candy to all our friends and neighbors fun instead.
• No jack-o-lanterns. Each fall we grow or pick pumpkins and set them on the stoop. This year, I am also planning to attempt a pumpkin pie from scratch, too, so the kids can help scoop out the pulp and seeds, and of course bake the pie. Messy and fun!
• No Halloween parties for the kids. This is the hardest one, but I’ve broken this rule in the past and always regretted it. You can’t control how other people celebrate, and therefore, introduce your kids to those concepts.

The bottom line is I am responsible for my children and what goes in their hearts. So, in this case, I’ll continue to err on the side of caution.

“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

“ ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

My sweet little Charlie is outgoing. He’s happy and friendly with everyone. He often waves at strangers we come across at the store or the park, and doesn’t seem to care if they even wave back. But I have noticed he’s entered a phase of separation anxiety lately. Not sure if it’s because his big sister has “left” him in favor of school or simply his total dependence on me as a parent.

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love/word is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5-6

Sigh. My poor daughter. She is so much like her dad but she has my … we’ll call it “passion for perfection.” She has been loving school and even is excited about the homework each day. Most of it involves coloring, cutting and pasting–right up her alley. But there’s been a few incidents where the work gets intense and it’s just too overwhelming for her. Early on, before I had a handle on how to encourage her “inventive spelling” (I mean, I am a writer afterall). With every letter, she’d ask “Is that right?” I would respond more along the lines of “If you think so!” Wrong! She would literally say “But I don’t want to write it if it’s not right.” Oops. I should have known better. And now I do, so we’ve worked that out.

I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. I hope my understanding of her behavior can help me to encourage her and not make it worse. Only time will tell!

If you are frustrated with the time it takes to look up  a lot of Bible verses within a study that has a lot of homework (like Beth Moore!), check out online Bibles. I often use www.biblegateway.com or www.lifeway.com/bible when I have to look up several verses, and it speeds things up. Both have a variety of versions and Lifeway also has commentaries. I know it’s not the same as having the Bible in your hands, but if verse-lookup is hindering you from getting a Bible study done thoroughly or helps you find a helpful verse more easily, it’s worth it.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4

I can see my daughter’s future teenage years flashing before my eyes! She has a buddy at school. I. am. ecstatic.

So, I finally entered the 21st century and purchased a cell phone yesterday. Don’t get too excited, it’s a pay as you go phone. Or, more accurately, a prepaid phone with a pay by the day plan. At $20 for the phone and $10 plans per month (or 3 months for the best bang for my buck), T-Mobile was by far the best deal for anyone not really needing a lot of minutes and hoping not to break the bank.

I’ll probably eat my words in a few months when I rack up the minutes on my cell phone, but I will be surprised if that happens. In order to do that, I have to remember to keep it charged … and within reach.

With a porch remodel, Avery starting Kindergarten and an article due, I let myself off easy for Charlie’s 3rd birthday party. We still had some fun with it though.

Cake
I frosted a 9×13 sheet cake (which I couldn’t get out of the pan!) and drew with a pre-made frosting tube the outline of the TF Autobot icon. Then I placed two mini TF figures on the bottom with the candles. Took me less than 30 minutes to decorate! I also made some cupcakes and let the kids go to town on those with sprinkles.

Eco-conscious consumers want to purchase high-integrity products in packaging that reflects their desire to help the environment. They also demonstrate greater loyalty to environmentally and socially responsible brands, even in challenging economic times. “Answering their call for green products is good for business—and the planet,” said Dean Maune, executive director package development, Aveda.

Read more in the September issue of GCI magazine.

I have wanted to cut Avery’s hair for a while so in the flurry of activity that was the weekend of Charlie’s birthday party and before school started for Avery, I hacked it off. Above the chin. It looked okay but I knew it needed to be shaped in the back to flatter her face more. Instead of giving it a try myself (I was tempted), I called on a friend who used to cut hair. She’s decided to try to do more haircutting out of her home, so we swapped services. I made her a business card and she trimmed Avery’s hair, fixing where I was not-so-perfect (gimme a break, I can’t do EVERYthing perfect, ya know). It looks soooooo cute, in a grown-up little girl kind of way. I’ll have to post pictures soon.

I’ve also noticed already, after just a few days of Kindergarten that Avery’s coming out of her shell more. At the park, she is playing with kids we’ve never met before and making friends with them (although she still doesn’t talk to them much, I don’t think she ever asks their name)!

We had to explain to the kids last weekend that although grandma and grandpa wanted to come spend the whole weekend with us, their trip was going to be cut short. Grandpa’s aunt died and they were going to see family and remember their loved one. So, they could only stay one night instead of three. They were disappointed, but it led to an interesting conversation.

Not a fun conversation but I am glad we were able to have it without any fear or emotion. I gave her a hug afterward and we talked some more about grandma and grandpa coming.

Charlie and I waited … and waited … and waited at the bus stop on the return trip after the school day ended. I ended up knocking on a neighbor’s door, whose son started 2nd grade today. She reassured me that the bus was always late the first few days which calmed my nerves (was I at the right stop? did I miss the bus? was my daughter wandering around at the school teacherless and parentless?!?!) When she finally stepped off the bus (took her a while to realize it was her stop, she and her friend were sitting in the back of the bus–already?!?! I’m in trouble!), Avery was not as giddy and chatty as I had thought she’d be. In fact, she looked almost traumatized, with a completely blank face and slow, weighted steps. She was also a bit crabby, which was understandable (although not excusable) considering we woke up quite a bit earlier than normal. I took the kids to McDonalds (Avery asked to be surprised when I asked what she wanted for lunch on her first day of school, although Charlie “ruined” the surprise by telling her as we were walking home). She needed time to wind down and process all that had happened so we didn’t talk much about school. I let them eat their french fries and play on the playground (while I read through the inserts and letters and homework and other papers that were in her take-home folder).

Related post: First day of K

Avery had her first day of Kindergarten today! She was so excited, big smiles the entire morning (even got up before I went to wake her at 6:45am). I held things together just fine until she waved at me through the window in the bus (at 7:30! Ugh. Whose big idea was it to have school start so early?!?!). My big girl! She has been waiting expectantly for this day for a long time, she even said so this morning. I know she’s going to love it.

Last week we went to meet her teacher and drop off supplies (she took great pleasure in putting everything away in it’s rightful place that day, lol) so we were talking about school with dad at supper that night. She said she was ready to go … “every Friday.” Matt was explaining to her that she would go to school every day, not just on Fridays, and we thought she was going to explode with excitement! “That’s so cool,” she said. I hope her enthusiasm for school sticks with her. :)

Charlie is having a harder time. He misses her so much! And it’s so quiet in the house. Although thankfully we had his birthday presents (his party was yesterday) to distract him, we only made it to 8:10 before he sadly (or whinily) said “I want to ride the bus like Avery, mama.” Then after a pause, “I miss Avery.” A half our later, he said, “Mom, I want Avery to come. She is my friend. My sister is my friend.” Awwww …. So we hugged while I cried again and we had some milk and cookies together.

Related post: First day of K, part II

I overheard the following conversation this morning (so glad big sister is teaching little brother good manners!) …

Avery: Ohhh, I like your shorts, Charlie!
Charlie: I like your shorts, Avery.
Avery: No, no, no. When I say something, then you say “thank you.” Let’s do it again. I like your shorts!
Charlie: Thank you.
Avery: Hee hee hee

Do you pray big enough? Do you pray small enough? I know I don’t. Even though sometimes I know that God can do something, no matter how big or small, it doesn’t mean that He will, so I often pray so that I won’t be disappointed in the outcome. And a lot of times I only pray when it’s something big because it doesn’t seem important enough for God to deal with. It’s with the little stuff that I seem to struggle with big faith. Like Martha in John’s account of Lazarus’ resurrection, speaking to Jesus, “I know that God will give [Jesus] whatever [He] ask.” But, then, at the tomb, Jesus is about to commence the biggest, most controversial miracle yet (raising a man from the dead after four days) and Martha is worried about the odor of Lazarus’ body! We need to give that up to Him as well. We’re called to recognize God’s wisdom and methods in all the details.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ ” John 11:40

We told the kids on Sunday night that this weekend we were going camping, a big event with lots of our (and their) friends. 22 total. It’s going to be a lot of fun (minus the potential high humidity and possible rain, eep). But ever since we have been dealing with the consequences: Is it camping day? Will it be camping day after nap? after lunch? … several. times. a day. Thankfully, after a few days, Avery was able to grasp the concept of a daily countdown. Even Charlie was picking up on it, saying “1 day til camping?” first thing this morning. Before she figured it out, Avery told me “I want you to tell me the day that it’s camping day next time. So I won’t keep asking if it’s camping day.” It was a great teaching moment for me because I realized that telling her was a good thing (I was beginning to wonder). She’s learning patience. I told her that it is fun to have surprises and to never have to wait isn’t it? But it’s also great to have fun events to look forward to!

And now, it’s finally packing day, so the kids are picking out the clothes and toys they can’t live without for 36 hours. Tomorrow will be a long day though, each hour seeming longer than each of the past several days (for me and the kids I’m sure), as we have to wait until dad gets home from work before we can leave. Then it’s time to rough it (with a carload of essentials crammed in the trunk)!

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8