Bible Bowl, Ping-Pong Balls, and Working Together

Bible Bowl is a game that has pretty much consumed our lives this year.  If you are not familiar with Bible Bowl, it is a game-show style buzzer game where kids memorize and study portions of scripture and then answer questions about every minute detail.  You wouldn't believe what these kids know.  When I started, I thought, hey, I'm pretty good at Bible trivia.  No.  I'm not.  Not at all.  These 5th-graders could buzz me right off the table.  

We are in our fourth year now.  My oldest son has graduated out of it and my other three are still playing.  We moved, so we had to switch teams.  The people on the old team and on the new team are some of my kids' best friends.  They are like family.  Our small group.  In the past we just attended two big tournaments in the summer, but this year we are doing mid-year tournaments as well.  Six tournaments total in addition to our weekly practice an hour and a half away and our monthly regional game that is two and a half hours away.  Some people do this with sports.  For us, it's Bible memorization.  Oh, dear, my husband and I may have raised nerdy kids just like us.  He was a band geek, and I played Latin Certamen and was a member of my school's Academic Team in lieu of sports involvement.  Not because I'm not interested in sports.  I'm just not athletic.  At all.  Ask anyone who went to high school with me.  (For the record, my husband can play sports.  But, yeah, he was a band geek anyway.)

But I digress.

So once a week we practice with our team for Bible Bowl, and I'm in charge of the games.  They figured maybe I couldn't mess that up too much.  We often play minute-to-win-it type games with things like ping-pong balls and red Solo cups.  It's all very high-tech.  A few weeks ago we played a game where two teams were each trying to fill a bucket with ping-pong balls.  The catch was that one person at a time had to run one ping-pong ball over to the bucket.  The next person could not start until the first person was back behind the team line.  They had two minutes to get as many ping-pong balls as they could into their bucket.  Each team was steadily filling its own bucket and we had ten seconds left when . . . 

You guessed it.  One of the kids accidentally knocked over his bucket.

Ping-pong balls everywhere.

Do you remember how that feels?  Do you remember what it feels like to be in middle school playing a game, and then to stumble or drop something or foul something and mess up your team?  Do you remember how awful that was?  How everyone was mad at you?  How it was all your fault that the team went down?

So I got ready to do damage control.

But there was not one. negative. word.  

No one yelled, no one called names.  

The whole team immediately ran over the team line, rushed to the player's aid, and started helping him as he frantically picked up the balls and put them back in the bucket.  They got them all back in before time was called.

Did they technically break the rule of having only one team member over the line at a time?  Yeah.  If this had been a more serious game than a ping-pong relay, would all the balls have counted?  Probably not.  Would they be disqualified in a "real" game?  Most likely.

But in the game of life, they win.  When a player went down, they ran to him.  When the goal was almost met but then the balls went everywhere, they salvaged the situation.  They high-fived and smiled and built relationships.  

Yeah, we have to teach them to play by the rules in Bible Bowl and other games.  They are honest and competitive and show good sportsmanship.

And not one of them walks alone.

Flyby Review: Can't-Wait Willow!

When my oldest son turned six, he realized that the onslaught of Lego kits he'd received (and built in a day) for Christmas and then for his February birthday had ended, and he had little hope of getting another Lego kit before the next December, which of course was an eternity to a six-year-old.  So he began asking for jobs to do to earn money.  We paid him for some jobs that amounted to approximately $3 per week, and we taught him to give 10% to the church and to save 10% in a bank account, leaving the remaining 80% for spending money.  In this way, he could save up spending money for a $20 Lego kit pretty close to every other month.  The problem was, money burned a hole in his pocket.  Every time he got a dollar, he wanted to buy candy or go to the dollar store.  It was very difficult for him to learn to save money for any length of time.

Has anyone else had this problem with their kids?  I'm pretty sure I'm not alone!

This past month we were given the wonderful opportunity to review the book Can't-Wait Willow by Christy Ziglar.  I haven't been signing up for many story-books lately, as my youngest has started reading chapter books, but the message of this book was very relevant for him, and it probably wouldn't hurt my teenagers to read it through a few times!  Recognize the author's last name?  Yes, she is the niece of motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, and she has also helped to develop a financial literacy program for 1st- and 2nd-graders.  Can't-Wait Willow does a wonderful job of showing kids that sometimes it is worth saying "no" to some small things that are good, so that they can later say "yes" to something great!

In this age of instant gratification and a "me" generation that wants everything handed to them on a silver platter, I highly recommend this delightful book for anyone with kids ages 2-8.  It would make a fantastic Christmas gift.

Want more good news?  I have a free copy of Can't-Wait Willow to give away on my blog!  Just leave a comment here or on my Facebook page, and I'll draw a random winner on Wednesday, November 13!

By the way, my teens are much better at saving their money these days.  If you are teaching a little one who can't seem to save, keep at it.  Financial training does pay off over time, and it is one of the best gifts you can give your children! 

About Shine Bright Kids:

The Shine Bright Kids series provides children and their families with a relevant framework to help instill solid values and teach the importance of making good choices. The series teaches principles including: using good judgment, taking responsibility, self-control, having a positive attitude, and demonstrating perseverance.  Check out their website at www.ShineBrightKids.com for free reward charts, activities and other parenting resources.

About the Author:  

Christy Ziglar, financial planner, mother of twins and niece of legendary motivator and the world’s original optimist, Zig Ziglar, is bringing the same timeless wisdom and ageless advice to an entirely new, younger audience through her new Shine Bright Kids picture book series. 

Christy is available for Q&A, author interviews, Skype calls, etc.!

The first book in the series:  Can't-Wait Willow!

Willow is so excited that the Over-the-Top Circus has finally come to town! The only problem is, that when left to her own devices, she can’t say “no” to some good things. On the way to the show, she is distracted by enticing treats and fun that she just can’t turn down. Willow arrives late and is sad to find that, not only has she has run out of time, but money, and she won’t be able to enjoy the pink cotton candy she’s been dreaming of. Willow is given valuable advice and a second chance and is ultimately taught the lesson that sometimes in life you have to say “no” to good things to end up with something great!

Find Can't-Wait Willow! at Barnes & Noble and other fine retailers, as well as http://www.idealsbooks.com

      Buy: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cant-wait-willow-christy-ziglar/1113298086?ean=9780824956486

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The Difference Between Babysitting Boys and Girls

     My daughter has been baby-sitting her younger brother this week while the other siblings are at Camp, and I am trying to get some writing done.  She is very good with him and has played Legos and Superheroes until she plays them in her dreams.  At one point, she asked him if they could play "Babies"; he would be the baby and she would be the mommy.  That worked out great.  Until a few minutes later, when he turned into a Zombie Baby and came after her.  And that is how playing with little boys is different from playing with little girls!  Although I can't say my girls have never turned into Zombie babies, either.  At any rate, she'll be able to handle anything babysitting throws at her!!

Whale-wiches

Our latest lunch creations.  It seems that when Little Man cooks, we eat some type of critter!  :-)

These fun sandwiches have tuna salad inside.

You can see Little Man's "Caterpillars for Dinner" here.

Both recipes came from this fun book:

Happy Critter-Making!  :-)

Caterpillars for Dinner

Four and a half years ago, my husband was deployed and I had four children, ages 2-8, and the dog at home.  I homeschooled, potty-trained, cooked, cleaned, brushed people's teeth, and clipped people's nails.  I did everything.  The vet was telling me I should be brushing my dog's teeth every day.  Yeah, whatever.  The dog was lucky if he got a bath or two the whole deployment!!  The yardwork was so behind it was embarrassing, as was the state of my mini-van.  I finally paid someone to mow the lawn and clean the car.  I felt like I barely made it through that deployment.  But the kids were all happy and healthy, so what's a few blades of grass grown as high as trees in your yard?!

Things have gotten easier gradually since then; we just finished another year with my husband gone, but my kids are older and able to help more and do more for themselves now.  I still don't brush the dog's teeth, but he actually gets an extra long walk every so often from my son, so his life is good.  

Suddenly, school is out for the summer, my husband is retired from the Navy and home looking for another job, and my oldest two kids are cooking dinner once a week each.  My husband loves to grill outside for dinner, as does my oldest son.  I feel like I'm living a life of leisure.  I think this is the first time since my kids were born that I've actually felt like I'm starting to catch up on my "to-do" list!

So what does all this have to do with caterpillars for dinner?  Well, my oldest 3 kids have been wanting to fix dinner one night a week each.  The oldest 2 can do it by themselves, while I still help #3.  They each pick their recipes and write down the ingredients before we go shopping each week.  Most recipes have to be at least doubled for our family of 6, so they are responsible for figuring out how much of each ingredient they need for that.  We praise their efforts highly when we partake of what they have prepared.

This, of course, leads to the little one wanting to cook dinner for the family by himself!  So he looked through the kids' cookbooks and found the recipe for caterpillars.  There are few things that can make you prouder when you are 7 years old than telling people you made your family caterpillars for dinner!

You can pretty much see in the pictures what is on the caterpillar.  The base is half of a bagel cut in half again and made into an "S" shape.  Top it with mozarella cheese, ketchup,  hot dog pieces, and mustard.  Use pimento-stuffed-olive halves for eyes and pretzel sticks for antennae.  Then bake.  You can find the exact recipe in Pampered Chef's Let's Eat recipe book, which is full of fantastic ideas for kids.  He's making the mini-burger-bites pictured on the front next.

Make some caterpillars for dinner and beat the summer doldrums!

Happy cooking!

"Little Mister" and "Little Miss" Minis by Dandelion Dust Designs

Dandelion Dust Designs released two minis this week:  "Little Mister" and "Little Miss."  These mini-page kits are adorable for those precious little boy and girl photos you want to scrap!  "Little Miss" is all in pink, which is a necessity for my girls, and "Little Mister" is very versatile for your boys' pics but just happened to complement our Cub Scout pictures perfectly.

Click on the previews below to see both kits at ScrapTakeout:

Click images below to pick up your FREE QPs from Mediafire.  P/U only.

Happy Scrapping!

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy each of the "Little Mister" and "Little Miss" kits in exchange for layouts.  

Radio Interview for Amazing Animals by Design

The radio interview for my first published book, Amazing Animals by Design, went great.  The kids got to come into the studio with me, and they each got their own microphone.  When I told the talk show host, Ben Ball, that one of my daughters wants to be a talk show host some day, he gave her a chance to ask me some questions on the show.  Living out the dream at 8-years-old!

The Mom I Want to Be

I had the most over-protective mother ever.  You know, the kind that doesn't let you stay out late, watch bad TV shows (or hardly any TV shows), or call boys.  I always said that I would NEVER be like her when I was a parent.  Some kids think they have over-protective moms, but they didn't know my mom.  When you look up "over-protective" in the dictionary, you see a picture of my mom's face.  I can talk about her here because she doesn't use the Internet or read blogs, but if you print out this blogpost and read it to her, she will just smile proudly and say, "You've got that right!"

We had a foreign exchange student from Sweden live with us one year.  To her dismay, my parents took their responsibility to keep her safe and return her to her own parents in one piece very seriously, and they treated her just like their own daughter.  They had the audacity to expect the young men picking her up for a date to actually come to the door and speak to them, and to expect her to be home by an outrageously early curfew.  I mean, we're talking before midnight!  There was one young man who took a liking to her; we'll call him Todd.  Todd was quite the gentleman, and I believe if he had tried to sit in the car and honk for her to come out of my house instead of going to the door and speaking to my parents, his own mother would have turned him over her knee, because she had raised him right.  And so, despite the complaints from our houseguest that year, he politely came in the kitchen every time he picked her up, spoke cordially and respectfully to my parents, listened patiently to their rules and expectations, and had her home by curfew.  He won my mother over and was welcome in our house.  Whether he was an honest gentleman, or whether he was just afraid of my mother, is hard to say.  You see, my dad is over 6 feet tall and rather quiet (because he can't get a word in edgewise around my mother and me put together), and some of my male friends said they found him intimidating.  I am quite sure that had one of them injured me, they would have been very sorry that they had incurred his wrath.  But my mother was the pit bull/angry mother bear cross that aggressively instilled fear into potential suitors.  She was a country girl who had literally killed snakes that were within inches of biting her and had shot a groundhog from her bedroom window (she is a really good shot).  A black snake that had dared to interfere with a bird's nest she enjoyed watching had met a rather unfortunate end and had lain beside our driveway for quite some time as a warning to other predators.  Seriously, don't mess with her bear cubs.

In the course of time, the exchange student went back to Sweden, Todd went off to college, and I managed to get through most of high school under my mother's over-protective watchfulness.  My senior year in high school, I went with a team to a competition at Todd's college.  My friend Beth and I were quite anxious to hang out with Beth's sister and her cool college friends, but when her sister had to study for an exam, Todd and another guy who had graduated from our high school offered to take us out instead.  Wow, college guys!  We were naive and stupid, really, and almost glad Beth's sister had to study so that we could hang out with college guys!  We went to several places around town, and the other guy with us began drinking quite a bit.  As he continued to insist, with increasingly slurred words, that he could hold his alcohol and was completely sober, I was watching Todd nervously.  He was driving, and he was 21.  So far he, Beth, and I had only had soda, but I was worried he may decide to have a stronger drink at some point.  What was I thinking going out with college boys????  At 5'3" and barely 100 lbs, I was unlikely to be able to overtake him and confiscate his keys if the need arose.  Could Beth and I take him together?  I began to make a plan to call a taxi and get back to the school if I saw him take a drink of anything but Coca-Cola.  Finally, I just pulled him aside and said, "Since you are driving, I just have to make sure.  Are you going to be drinking anything tonight?"

"Are you kidding?!" he looked at me wide-eyed.  "With YOU in the car?  Your mother would KILL me!"

Three years after he'd last seen her and 200+ miles away, my mother's protection had followed me, completely unbeknownst to her.

Now that I have a teenager, my children are beginning to give me the same eye roll that I used to give my mother.  The image in the dictionary next to "over-protective" is beginning to peel, and I fear that they may be getting ready to replace it with my own picture.  The picture over by "cool mom," the one I was hoping to be back in my teenage years, is someone else entirely, with whom I don't seem to have much in common.  But I find that's OK with me.

This is the mom I want to be!

Salmon on the Grill

So often, I look at my children and wish they could be little again.  They are growing up so fast!  Twelve-years-old is such an interesting age.  Sometimes I look at my son and swell with pride.  He's becoming such a fine young man.  So mature.  So tall.  So like his Daddy.  And then. . .

WHAP!  He just whacked his brother with a light saber.  And the moment is gone!  Not really, though.  I am very proud of all my children's accomplishments, even though some days I miss the smaller versions of them.  I asked my youngest if he would please stay little, just for me, and without hesitating, he answered, "No way!  I'm going to be 6!"  Then he grew more thoughtful and said, "Well, Mommy, that means I'd have to stop having birthdays.  I think only God can do that, and I'm pretty sure He won't!"

As I'm feeling nostalgic for their younger years, though, I can also be quite thankful that I no longer have to bathe 4 people besides myself every day.  That I don't have to clip a grand total of 100 fingernails and toenails every Saturday night.  They are able to do so many things by themselves now, and in fact, they are quite helpful.  My older children are becoming quite proficient at cooking, and I've got to say, it's nice to not have to cook every night by myself!  (They still need supervision, of course.)

A few weeks ago, I was sick one day, and my oldest son offered to cook dinner.  In another evidence of his Daddy-likeness, he decided to grill salmon.  He can't just borrow Dad's recipes, though.  No, this is a competition of Manly-Men.  He pulled up the Weber App on his iPod Touch to find his own new recipe, mixed up the glaze, and really grilled the salmon nearly to perfection.  This is not your grandmother's recipe book!  Dad, watch out, the competition is fierce!  Luckily, I did have leftover veggies in the fridge, so he just heated those up in the microwave.

The recipes my husband and son use are not exactly the same, but they both involve cooking the salmon over the grill on soaked cedar planks, which gives the salmon a nice, smoky flavor.  They both mix a few tablespoons each of lime juice, some kind of vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and chives; a dash each of sea salt, garlic powder, and black pepper; and olive oil.  Brush the salmon with the dressing and grill on the cedar planks.

Now, my 10-year-old daughter, who has taken on the job of cooking dinner once a week, also made salmon the other night.  She broiled hers, and being much more attentive to artistic detail, she wrapped each fillet in foil with a perfectly-placed lemon slice on top.  She also made garlic-sauteed broccoli, and wonder of wonders, all the children seemed to like it!  To get her recipe, though, you will have to come back in about 2 weeks or so and check out my review of E-mealz!

Happy Grilling!

MREs - They're What's For Dinner

Being married to a Sailor/Marine (Navy Chaplains serve both Navy and Marine Corps), it seems my cabinet space is frequently taken up by MREs.  Yes, everything in the military is named by acronyms.  That's "Meal Ready-to-Eat," and my husband is sustained by them during certain exercises.  These handy meals are packaged in a sealed, heavy plastic pouch that is water proof and will not attract wild animals.  They do not have to be refrigerated, and they come with a handy little chemical heater so that our Soldiers and Marines can have a hot, nutritious meal right in the middle of a jungle or desert.  There's a fair amount of variety, too.  Mmmm, hot beef teriyaki, cheese tortellini, or pasta alfredo, just like Mom used to make.  Or not.  But, hey, you can survive on them.  And each one comes with a tiny bottle of tabasco sauce to drown out any other flavors.  They tell me you can eat anything with enough tabasco sauce on it.

My husband, as I've said, has lived off these little gourmet dinners for periods of time, and I've had one or two at Jane Wayne Days or family days.  So I thought, I need to clean out these cabinets, and if the kids are going to live on Marine bases and have their dad gone on Marine deployments, they should sample Marine cuisine, don't you think?

Here's Daddy, showing them what's in the packs and how to activate the heater pouches just by adding water.  It doesn't even have to be clean water, since it never actually touches the food, so you can just grab it from a mud puddle if you have to.  Daddy doesn't often get to eat one of these at a dining room table with a tablecloth and chairs!

The heater bag smells pretty bad when it starts working, so it's a good idea to take it outside.

The heat and mosquitoes here in NC may not be as bad as in the deserts where our Marines are enjoying this fare, but they are bad enough to chase this family back inside to eat dinner.

As far as the younger three are concerned, well let's just say they won't be asking for MREs for their birthday dinners.  They were pretty good sports about tasting all the different meals, though, and they had fun with it.  It's a good thing Mommy had some chicken nuggets in the oven, having foreseen the small MRE appetites.

The oldest was the only one to finish his meal and eat some of someone else's.  (The closer he gets to the teenage years, the harder it is to find anything that he WON'T eat!)  He's planning on raiding Dad's stash for his upcoming Boy Scout camping trips & hikes.

Happy Trails!  :)

In Tha Muthahood

This just says it all! :)

Mom's On the Computer

Wow!  This new version of "Cat's in the Cradle" hits a little too close to home.  Had to share the link!  :)

http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/05/moms-on-computer.html

The Mommy Factor, or Pulling Yourself Together When It Matters

Friday, April 16, 2010

First, I should probably make a confession. I hate baseball. Now, I know that sounds un-American, but I don't mean that I hate Babe Ruth, the Yankees, or the great American pastime in general. In fact, I love attending professional games in big cities or watching the local farm teams with my family. I especially love the Baltimore Orioles, and I've even enjoyed some high school and little league games. Of course, I love seeing my own children play more than anything. What I hate is the last several years of unorganized children's baseball that we have plugged through. Knowing no schedule until the last minute. Finding out every Monday whether or not you have practice that night. Being told there will be no practice or game over Spring Break, making other plans, then being told at the last minute that there is a scrimmage after all. Having several of your children's teams - within the same league - schedule regular practice at the same times in different places and expecting you to be two or three places at once. Perhaps the more dedicated baseball moms can handle it. I am ready to leave it behind and spend more energy on the bajillion other activities in which my kids are involved.

So you can imagine that I was not a happy camper last night when I arrived at the park where we have been playing all season to find out that our team was not playing there. The schedule said we were playing on Field 1. This park had a Field 5 and a Field 6. I am new in this town, and I had missed the memo that Field 1 is not at this park. Field 1 and one other field stand alone in a separate park on the other side of town. I tried to call the coach but could not find his number. I checked my email on my iPhone; there was no email that we would be playing in a different place. I tried to pull up the schedule or a map to where I needed to go online. I couldn't find anything. I finally went to ask the guy who was supposed to be in charge of the league, and who was at the park where I was. He snapped my head off. He did give me directions, though, and I finally found the place where we needed to be, after trying to get the information for about 45 minutes. We were only 15 minutes late for the game.

At this point, I got my son to his field and retreated to the ladies' room. I needed to be alone. Driving around in strange areas where I don't know where I'm going further frustrates me. I did not want to be at this game. I wanted to go home and get a nice cup of coffee. For those of you who are reading this and think I was being utterly ridiculous, you are right. I didn't need to let myself get that upset. The reason I'm publishing this anyway is because I know there are others reading this who have been in exactly the same situation. I decided to pull myself together and go back and watch my son play baseball.

Then it happened. The pitcher threw the ball. The coach had told my son to try to bunt it. He choked up on the bat and swung. The ball hit his finger. He bent over, said, "OWWW," then shook it off and was getting ready to bat again. Until he saw the blood. Some males just don't do well with the sight of their own blood. He came off the field and I ran over to him, not sure whether his finger was broken and I needed to scream and let him know Mommy was here, or whether it was just scratched and I needed to hold back and not embarrass him in front of his friends. I opted for the less dramatic approach and tried to calmly look at his finger. The coach had already seen it and said, "You need to take him to the hospital." I rushed him out to the car and started trying to think of the best way back to the hospital. I really am not good with directions and was not sure exactly where I was. I took my iPhone out to call my husband, and dropped it on the ground and broke it. This day just kept getting better. I realized the GPS was in the other car, with my husband. OK, I just had to be calm and get to the hospital. I drove out of the ball park and started to turn left, the way I had come, to go back to the highway.

Suddenly I felt a shift inside myself. The anxiety was gone instantly. The whining about my bad day stopped. I did not feel lost or confused anymore. Peace took over. I remembered someone saying the ballpark was just past "Kidville." I knew where that was, and it was close to the hospital. I pictured the map in my head. If I turned right instead of left, Kidville should be over the next hill. I turned right and got to the hospital in less than five minutes. Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely horrible with directions. Was it the Holy Spirit telling me where to go, or just a God-given mothering ability to pull yourself together when you have to? I don't know. What I do know is that the complaining, whining (if only to herself) girl at the ball park was gone, and Mommy was back.

"Hey, Mom!" I heard from the back seat. "If I learn how to fence left-handed while my right hand is broken, then I'll be ambidextrous. When I'm having a sword-fight and someone asks why I'm smiling, I can say, 'Because I know something that you do not know. I am not left-handed!'" Apparently, my son is going to be fine as well. He may lose his nail, but the fracture in his finger should be healed in a few weeks. His greatest problem may be the warped sense of humor he has inherited from his parents.