Swimsuit Therapy

I made my first trip to the pool this week.  Jeff has Monday's off, so we loaded up everyone and headed out for a day of fun in the sun.

I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of gear it takes to get four kids and two grown ups adequately equipped for the pool.  The kids need swim diapers, extra swim diapers, sunscreen, hats, goggles, towels, coverups, toys, snacks, and juice boxes.  I need sunscreen, magazines, sunglasses, cell phone, wallet, and Peanut Butter M&Ms (my new fav!)  Jeff needs... Jeff.

Anyway, we got there, found a table in the shade, and everyone ran and jumped in.  Everyone but me.  I was having a little inner struggle.  I had taken a moment to gaze around at all the other women at the pool.  They were looking good - toned, tanned, and together.  

Me?  This was my first outing in a swimsuit since the baby was born.  A few extra pounds.  Ew.  A obvious lack of sun.  Ewww.  A swimsuit that did nothing to help my chest that has nursed four babies and has decided to head south.  Deep south.  Ewwwwwwwww.

So I stood there feeling a bit like I was 13 years old.  I couldn't bring myself to take off my cover up.  I tried to figure out how I could keep it on without being soggy the rest of the day. 

Why is it in those moments, I feel absolutely WRONG?  As if being thin and tanned and perky-chested is the right way - and anybody who doesn't fit those criteria is somehow a flawed.  I hate it when those waves of insecurity sweep over me.  I hate how I fall into the trap that we are all supposed to be shaped and colored and designed the same way.

It goes against everything we know about our CREATOR and the way he CREATED us.  With CREATIVITY!  Creativity implies expression and variety and uniqueness.  Creativity strives to break the mold and cause each and every design to have its own beauty and distinctiveness.   A million species of animals.  A billion shades of color.  And a limitless combination of features and form to create limitless beauty in the world.

I am so quick to allow our society to dictate what is beautiful and what is not.  It tries to place us all into one tiny little box of what is desirable.  And I buy into it!  Shame on me.  It's like saying the only pretty flower is a red rose.  How I would miss the daisy and the sunflower and even the dandelion that sits in a vase on my counter because my kids love to bring them to me.

So, my friends, I took a deep breath, took off my dress, and made my move into the pool to play with my kids.  Because I need to be ok with the way I am.  Because I need to realize that I am created just the way I am supposed to be.  And because I never want my girls to think that THEY are wrong.  They need to know that they are perfectly created beauties - just they way they are.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's masterpiece.

Check It Out!

Hey ladies. We launched a fantastic new ministry this spring at RVC called "Sisterchicks." Diane Skoog is teaching some incredible lessons on running the race God has for us as women and coming alongside others to help them in their race as well. She just started a sisterchicks blog... so make sure you check it out at sisterchickinfo.blogspot.com! Have a great day!

And so it begins...

It took 36 hours, 5 minutes, and 3 seconds before I heard it.  Not a world record, perhaps, but close.  I was brushing my teeth, happy to have a minute to myself when a little person appeared before me and uttered the words, "Mom, I'm bored."

Bored?  Already?  COME ON!  I thought I was supposed to get at LEAST a week of summer vacation in before my kids came to me with the "There's nothing to do" pout.  So I did what all good mothers do, I started rattling off the list of OBVIOUS things that she could do to fill the vast void left by her lack of public school education.  "Read a book."  "Do a craft."  "Go outside."  "Play on the computer."  "Practice your piano lesson."  Each suggestion brought about both a groan and a roll of the eye as to say, "Yeah right, Mom, you're ideas are so laaaame." 

Now, I love having my kids home for summer vacation.  I miss my babies all year long.  Not to mention that the Kerr family naturally gravitates to a more laid back schedule.  Already, my kids are staying up late, sleeping in late, and Jeff and I have breathed a collective sigh of relief knowing that we don't have to remember all the details that school days accrue.

But, how to keep them entertained... that is a question for the ages isn't it?

So here are my top 3 ideas for summertime fun:

1. The Dollar Store:  I make frequent (if not weekly) trips with my kids to pick up summertime essentials from the dollar store.  Particular favorites are the extra large bubble wands, sidewalk chalk, balls, and water balloons.  I also picked up some math and reading workbooks and flash cards for those "indoor' days.  It's cheap enough to go in often for a fresh round of summer fun.
2. Friends:  I always wanted to be the house where all the kids could come and hang out and have fun, but I found it harder to do once I actually had kids.  I found myself not wanting to mess up my house, or my routine, or the ease that comes from just having your own kids around.  But I am learning that nothing breaks up the summertime blahs like a good friend.  My Charlie was just lamenting about not being able to play video games (we have some summertime rules to keep the boy from turning into a video-game-zombie), when a neighborhood friend stopped by to play.  Now, I'm watching my son run around the back yard shooting pretend lasers out of his fingers.  Lucy is wearing a path between the neighbors house and ours while the girls walk from one to the other... playing, conning snacks out of both mothers, and generally entertaining each other.  So, even though it means more runs to Sams Club for an extra large box of Cheez-Its and Freeze Pops, it's worth it to me to see my kids having fun.  Not to mention, I'm a huge believer in the power of influence.  I hope that every moment these kids spend in my home somehow plants a seed that could point them closer to Jesus.  So, you gotta have friends.

1. Create:  Kids are so naturally imaginative.  I love to give my kids a project and watch them use their gifts.  Lucy shows an interest in music and songwriting, so I've given her a challenge this summer to write five songs.  I gave her a lyric journal to write down her ideas, and  we've been spending time every day working on her songs and its been a blast.  If your kid likes to read, give them a challenge to read a certain amount of books.  If they like to write, have them come up with a character and let them write a book about them on the computer and then send it away to get it bound and printed.    If they like to cook, buy them a kids cookbook and put them in  charge of the grocery list and a meal or two a week.  If they like animals, have them research them on the internet and come up with a presentation to give the rest of the family.  My video game boy and I are planning a party based on his favorite video game character and we have been coming up with games, and costumes, and ideas for the party.  

Tap into what is interesting to them and find a way to make it a long term project.  It will not only entertain them, its a great way for you to enforce what's important to them and show them that you're interested in what interests them. 

So those are my ideas.  Now I want to hear yours.  How do you entertain your kids in the summer?

Easier Isn't Always Better

I am having a glorious day. Beautiful weather. Dirt under my fingernails. Nothing on the agenda. Four beautiful babes alternating naps, snacks, movies, and pool time. Lots of ice cream. Lots of laying around. Heaven.

I am also enjoying some leisurely reading. Most of the time, I am reading with a purpose. To learn something, to study for something, or preparing for an upcoming time of teaching. But today, it's all fluff. Magazines to be exact. A good old People. A new one my Mom signed me up for called life:beautiful. It's basically a Christian Martha Stewart Living. Very nice. And my new favorite: Family Fun. I'm not sure where I got signed up for it, but it comes every month and it's chocked full of great creative ideas for kids.

So, I'm reading this article about a woman who has eight kids who was exhausted with the amount of dishes she had to do every day. ( I can relate.) She was so tired of having to wash and clean up after all her kids that she decided to come up with a radical solution. She went to the dollar store and bought each person in the family one bowl and one cup. They each were allowed to decorate it with their name and then she packed away all the other dishes in the house. Each child was then responsible for their own dishes. In the morning, they would eat their cereal and then hand wash their dish so it would be ready for soup at lunch. At dinner, they would eat their salad, head to the sink and wash it out, and then fill it up with spaghetti. If a dish was left on the table, she instantly knew who was the culprit. In addition to that, the child would have to clean up their bowl before they could eat their next meal and she loved that they learned how hard dried out Mac and Cheese is to clean up.

I was impressed with her solution! What a great idea! No more piles of dishes in the sink. No more stacks of plates on the table for the dog to try and eat off of. No more sinking feeling when the dishwasher is still running from the last batch, and the counter is already full enough to do another load.

So, on my way the the cupboard with a box in hand to clean out the offending tableware I had a moment of pause. Eating off the same bowl for every meal? Washing out my plate in between courses? Certainly a practical solution - but is everything about "practical?" I have a bit of a "thing" for dishes, and have about five different color options and styles in my cupboard. I like to shake it up a bit. I like to pick a dish that is going to compliment my food. Really. Stop laughing!

My point is this. It would be easy to just have 3 shirts and 3 pairs of pants in everyone's closet. Less laundry! But what about personal expression? What about variety? What about going with the mood of the moment?

I could remove all photos, knick knacks, and decorations from my home. No more dusting! But what about memories? What about aesthetic value? What about pretty?

I recognize that as a mother with so many responsibilities it is easy for me to fall into the practical, routine, and utilitarian. And don't get me wrong, I love a good paper plate and a bag of instant mashed potatoes just as much as the next girl. But I have to be careful that I also remember that part of my job as a mom is to bring warmth. It's to welcome. It's to beautify.

Yes, I need to teach my children to clean and pick up and follow a routine. But I also need to teach them to take the time to make it special. I need them to learn to use their imagination to enhance their everyday responsibilities. I want to demonstrate to them that the duty of life can still be filled with joy and expression.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not judging this sweet woman who came up with a creative way to address a problem. Kudos to her. But for the Kerrs, variety is still the spice of life.

I don't want my children to ever feel like caring for them is a drudgery for me. If I was having friends over for dinner, I would put out my best setting. I would prepare and clean and create an inviting and warm environment so my guests would know I anticipated their visit. And although, I realize that family meals are much more frequent and less extraordinary, I still always want my kids to feel like I made an effort for them. Even if it just means that they get to use a new bowl.