Andy Griffith vs The Tasmanian Devil

Besides the proverbial apple pie and baseball, nothing is as All-American as The Andy Griffith Show.


My family has recently rekindled our romance with the show.  I love that my kids ask to watch it.  I love that I can turn it on and leave the room.  I love even more than I can turn it on and that we all can watch it together!

But my favorite thing about it is that Ninja is the mini-me of Barney Fife and he doesn't even know it.

Ninja is certain that in our home he rules the roost and is law of the land.  He is serious about his role.  And he does not, does not, does not like to be made fun of or have his ego tarnished.   Soaking wet he probably weighs 50 pounds.  But what he lacks in stature he makes up for in heart.  He is all heart.  He is all in when it is something he believes in.  Just like Barney.  And just like Barney he is all smart mouth, citizens arrest, in your business, tough guy on the outside.  But on the inside he's just a 9 year old boy with a big ol' tender heart.

Don't you see the resemblance?

I started thinking the other day as Andy was rescuing Barney's reputation for the 900th time why I loved this show so much.  More specifically, what is it about Andy that is so appealing?   At first I thought it was how laid back he was...easy going.  Quite the opposite of my 'panties in a wad' mentality I have been perfecting lately.  But then it hit me as I was watching the one where a fugitive is on the loose, one that has threatened Barney and scared the tutti-fruiti  out of him. And Andy, in his graciousness, arranges for Barney to find the scallywag in a barn and have him arrested.  This simple act restores Barney's confidence and puts his ego back in tact.   This simple act of sacrificial love reaped a harvest that was only known by one person.  Andy.

That's why we love him so much.  He doesn't mind to go unnoticed.  To make someone look better without getting any recognition of his own.  He takes delight in making someone else great.

It made me think of this verse

You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 18:35

God, in his sacrificial love, is constantly stooping down to make us great.  Not merely for ourselves, mind you, for His glory. I am fascinated that the Holy God that we serve, the One that created the world with a spoken word, would stoop down and be gentle with us to make us great.  He stoops down when He comforts us in our hurts, convicts us in our sin, and is a friend to us in our loneliness.

And what makes us great? 

 Being known by Him!  That this same God would reveal Himself to us is what makes us great.  Nothing that we have done.  Only what He does in us.  

 I stoop down many times during the day.  I stoop to tie shoes, pick up dirty underwear, dress children, and give baths.  I sometimes get discouraged that these simple acts go unnoticed and unappreciated.  I am not an Andy.  I like the recognition and gratitude.  Like Barney, my ego sometimes gets bruised.  But I have to remind myself in these times of discouragement that they are noticed.  They are noticed by the most important One.  And that like Him, I need to continually be gentle in heart as a wife to The Honey and mother to The Yahoos.  That the point of my stooping during the day, the kind acts that are never noticed, the kind words that are sometimes rejected, are not to make ME great, but to make THEM great.  To encourage THEM.  To spur THEM on to love and good deeds.  

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

 Romans 2:4

So when Baby is throwing rocks at the cats or Sweet Yahoo just can't seem to get her math (again) or Little Middle won't stop irritating everyone or Ninja's smart mouth causes me to want to blow my top and go all Tasmanian devil on them  I have GOT to remind myself that it is in His gentleness that they will be made great.  Not in my best Tasmanian devil impersonation.  And that it is in His kindness that they will be lead to repentance.  Them and me both.

My Little Mozart, Puppies, and Toilet Etiquette 101

First, I would like to say that I have hit the 3000 mark on blog views, which I consider a small personal accomplishment.  Thank you to all you loyal readers for continuing to follow my neurotic rants.
 
Speaking of rants.....

So it seems as if every year or so I have to review Toilet Etiquette 101 with the Yahoos.  Just the basics really.  How often to flush.  How much toilet paper is appropriate.  And that you shouldn't wait until pee is dribbling down your leg before you head to the bathroom.

I know in the big scheme of things that this is no big deal, but honestly it gets on my nerves that I have to do this.  Yearly.

It all started on Mother's Day.

Did I ever get to tell you about  my Mother's Day?  No?  Let's catch up.

Mother's Day and my anniversary coincided this year.  And seeing that The Honey had to get the hay off the field before the rain came in on Saturday night and we didn't get to go out so I pouted all night long  chose to stay inside and take advantage of the opportunity by going to bed early, The Honey thought he would take ALL FOUR YAHOOS to the movies on Sunday.....alone!

Holla!

So what is a woman to do with a Sunday afternoon to herself?

That's right....this mama scrubbed the toilets!

Because as all the Yahoos piled in the van to go to the movies I was notified that the upstairs bathroom was overflowing. 

But as any frustrated loving wife and mother would do, I threw them all in the car and proceeded upstairs to clean up the mess.  I kept thinking to myself

'How does one person need so much toilet paper?'   and 

 'Are they blind?'

But in no time flat the bathroom was immaculate.  So while I was at it I  immaculated the rest of the house.  It was lovely.  It didn't last long, but it was nice to accomplish something.

Now fast forward three days later.

I'm trying to throw 4 Yahoos out the door for piano practice when I am notified...AGAIN...that a toilet is overflowing.  But this time instead of cleaning it up I call everyone into the bathroom.  To watch.  Even Baby.   We all gather around an overflowing toilet for a family meeting.  I scream calmly explain something like this:

This is what happens when we don't flush often enough.  

This is what happens when we use too much toilet paper.

If this happens again Mommy's head will explode.

That  will be a horrible mess.  

From the look in their eyes they seemed to get it.  

I love when I can take advantage of teachable moments ;)

In other news.....

Sweet Yahoo had her very first piano recital this week.  She was absolutely fabulous.

 
 Take a listen, but first make sure you turn off the audio player at the bottom of the page.  Because I don't want you to miss a second of My Little Mozart.

Here she is before all knees knocking and pink cowgirl boots shaking

And here she is with her incredible teacher

As always I forgot to get a picture with her.  Ugh.  One of these days I'm going to Photoshop me into every picture I have of her.

Finally, in other completely random and ridiculously insane happenings....

 I am thinking of getting a dog....or two.

I am such a sucker for animals.  We have had 2 dogs in the past.  Bingo and Trigger.  I  loved them dearly.  Both of them suffered early, traumatic deaths.  I don't want to talk about it really.  But my heart has healed and I'm ready to move on.  I'm being very picky about the breed and age I want.  It is hard to be patient, though.   Right now would be the perfect time to get them because we are semi-out of school and have time to focus on getting them acclimated to our home.  I'm trying hard not to jump the gun and get some that aren't just right for us, but instead wait for the right ones to come to us.  Have I ever mentioned that I stink at waiting?   What's so sweet, though, is how much Ninja is wanting one.  He is getting all his old toys together to have a yard sale and doing extra work around the house to try to save some money to buy one.  He loves animals just as much as I do.  I love that we share that trait.  I have some calls out to try to find what we're looking for.  BUT PLEASE do not try to help us out by dropping your stray dogs on our property.  Please.

I better run.  I think I hear someone using the toilet.........

Doxology

I woke up with a heaviness on Mother's Day.

Thankful.  But burdened.

I just don't know why all that I have comes so easy to me.

As I got ready for church Sunday morning I kept thinking of all of my friends that were motherless this Mother's Day. 

Or all of them that are mothers without children.

And then I looked around at my own blessings overflowing.  My breakfast in bed and butterfly kisses and full church pew.

And all I could do was bow my head in thanks for the goodness that I get to hold on to right now and then turn them right back over to Him.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

 

My Happily Ever After

So, I'm married to this boy.

And sometimes he drives me crazy.

But most of the time he gives me butterflies

and fixes all my problems

and tells me I'm right, even though I'm usually wrong.

And if you don't know him you can get to know him here.

On Sunday we will have been married 12 years.

12  wonderful, messy, whirlwind, beautiful years.

I remember the day we wed so well.  All giggly and hopeless romance.

And then the honeymoon was over and the giggles turned to glares and the hopeless romance to hopelessness.

Yes, I soon realized that when two self centered, proud, always-have-to-have-the-last-word people make a covenant to love one another for life, it can get pretty....well... ugly.

Will you get sidetracked with me for a minute?

Did you know God loves you so much?  So much in fact, that he gave us marriage.  Marriage, you see, is His way to paint a picture of the gospel for us.  As we live out our marriage we are more able to clearly see the marriage relationship we share with Jesus as Christians.  He loves us as a husband loves his wife.  We honor Him as a wife honors her husband.  I know this whole talk has not been very popular over the last few years.  And it's only because of this crazy messed up fallen world.  Because God gave the First Husband and Wife these roles.  And Man dominates and Woman manipulates.  And we screw things up.  But in the Father's perfect plan it was, it is, a great beautiful gift.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.  So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.  Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Gen 2:18, 21-24

So....let's get back on track.  My marriage.  My twelve year painting of the gospel.  It's certainly no where near perfection.  But it does look better than it did 12 years ago, that's for sure.  We're beginning to work out the kinks a little.  We've loosened up.  We glare a little less.  Forgive a little more.  We extend grace. 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:13-14

Oh, as I read these verses I realize we have so much work to do.  So far to go.  But I'm taking hold of two things this anniversary weekend.......

I sure do love this Honey of mine.  And I know he loves me. 

Happy Anniversary, Baby!


 

Things I've learned Potty Training the Fourth Time Around

I am happy to report that Baby Yahoo has almost completely potty trained himself.

I know that all of you have been waiting with bated breath since my last post to hear of his progress.  Now, you can finally sleep again.

I have to say that this, my last potty training experience, I have learned many lessons.  Too bad it is my last time.  But I feel the need to write them in my blogosphere memoirs for the generations to come so that my posterity will have a leg up when it comes their time.

So here goes....

1.  When the first inclination strikes to begin the whole potty training process...wait six months.   I know for my first two Yahoos, and maybe with Little Middle, I always had the rule potty training should be commenced by the age of  two.  I have no idea where I came up this rule.  I probably made it up.  Or read it on a stupid blog.  This rule will be one of the many reasons Ninja and Sweet Yahoo will one day be in therapy.  One  of the many reasons, I'm sure.  But yes, by the time #3 and #4 rolled around I soon realized that this potty training by age 2 rule was to be sure not a hard and fast rule.  And for those privileged enough to have their little ones potty trained by the age of 10 months I humbly tip my hat to you and say 'You had absolutely nothing to do with it.'  Yes, I am most assured at this point that 90% of  potty training is about waiting and watching for when your youngin' is ready and then following their lead.

2.  It's all about the candy.  Now, ideally I would be using Reese's Pieces.  But seeing that Baby has that pesky peanut allergy we had to find an alternative.  A novice mother would have chosen M&M's.  Heads up new moms.  M&M's are messy.  And...addictive.  Use Smarties.  The toddler won't know the difference and you won't gain 5 lbs.

3.  Potty train during the summer or any other season conducive to nakedness outside.  This also works best when you don't have close neighbors.  Or frequent guests.  I must preface that this tactic has worked well for our family, but understand that 75% of my children are boys.  And when I realized that 100% of boys enjoy peeing on the grass, that means that we spend around 80% of our time potty training outside.  Heads up, though.  For a while the kid will have no idea which yards are off limits to peeing.  Many times I had to stop  my kids from dropping their drawers in the church's playground.

4.  As in most things in life it's the journey,  not the destination.  I am sorry to confess that with my oldest Yahoos I rushed them, rushed myself, totally missing the tender moments with them.  I got them potty trained, maybe a whole whopping 6 months earlier than Baby, but in exchange for what?  A whole lot of stress and pressure on both me and them.  I'm thankful that with age and experience I have realized that each day, each milestone is a blessing.  Little underwears and potty seats are fleeting fixtures in our home.  I'm thankful for them while they last. 



So here it is.  The moment you have all been waiting for.  The pièce de résistance.

Is this not precious?  Seriously, some of my favorite pics are of the Yahoos when they first get into underwear.  It's darling. 

I love this kid.  He has made the last leg of the potty training journey such a delight for me.

My cup runneth over!