Mind Doodles

How Do You Show Your Love?

Valentines Day is just around the corner. (In fact, it's only 2 days away!)  Greg and I typically don't go out for Valentines Day.  We both hate the crowds on Valentines Day.  So, years ago, we started having a special Valentines Day dinner together as a family.  When the girls were younger, everything was heart shaped and red.  But, now we just decorate in hearts and have a meal that we all enjoy.  

I think that it's often difficult to get away on a holiday like Valentines Day.  This morning, Kelsey got an email from someone she has never met asking for a babysitter for Saturday night.  This mom has tried everyone she knows and is desperate to get out with her husband.  She's decided that maybe Saturday night is out of the question, so she and her husband are going to go out on Friday night instead.  She's going to bring her kids to the Parents Night Out that the Spring Break Haiti Team will be hosting here at Crosspointe.  

I've got some other friends who have experienced the same thing so they have started celebrating Valentines Day as a family.  Last night we got an invitation from some friends.  

It said, 

"We'd like to spend Valentines Day with the people we love, so we want to invite you to our home for dinner on Saturday night."  

I LOVE THAT IDEA!  I wish I had thought of it.  

Anyway, I love hearing what other people do. . .whether they are traditions or new ideas.  So if you've got some, pass them this way.  

Here's one I'll pass along to you:

I didn't give this for Valentines Day, but I think it would work great.

Last year, I gave Greg and each of our girls a note card file box.  Inside was a card for each day of the year.  On each card, I wrote the date and one thing that I love about them.  For an entire year, they had something special to read each morning.  And the best thing, it's recyclable.  You can read them over and over again. 

So, what about you?  What are some ideas for how you show your love?

Brilliant or Creepy?

The "Zaky" is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.

This was on Fox News.  

Hmmm. . .Brilliant or Creepy?

You tell me.

Sports Fail

My husband, Greg, loves auto racing.  He's from Indianapolis, so it's in his blood.  When we moved to North Carolina, he just changed from Indy cars to Nascars without missing a beat.  On every Sunday afternoon during racing season, you can find him on our couch watching the race of the day.  Many times, he has gone to see a race live--one of his favorite things to do.  

The one race he hasn't been to. . .Taladaga.  It's one he's always wanted to see.

Well, this past weekend our family traveled down to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Samford University. Kelsey had a music audition there, so we all went to check out the campus.  On our way we passed right by the Taladaga Race Track.  In fact, it's only about 30 minutes from Samford.  

Greg said, "Hey Kelsey, if you go to school here, I can come down and we can go to Taladaga for a Daddy/Daughter Date."

She said, "Sure Dad.  I'd love to go to the GAME."

The GAME? 

In 18 years of Sunday afternoons, how did she miss that it's called a RACE not a GAME?  

Greg was not impressed.

Perfectly Imperfect Parents

Sometimes the responsibility of being a parent seems so enormous.  Our kids are watching everything we do.  And, although it would be nice to always be a good example--we're just human--and that means that we're not perfect.  

I'm sure that, like me, you've had episodes  that you would like to rewind and do over--sometimes more than one in a day.  On more than one occassion, I have lost my cool in front of my kids or been caught saying something unkind about someone else.   Often, I beat myself up when this happens and struggle with a guilty conscience. But over the years, I've learned through experience that I can use times like these to teach my kids valuable lessons about right and wrong and forgiveness.

Here are a couple of things that have helped me. . . 

Although it's not always easy, it's a great time to remind our kids that everyone makes mistakes (even grown ups) and that your behavior wasn't appropriate.

Apologize for any outbursts, especially if it was directed at them.

Remind them that God wants us all to treat others with kindness--that applies to parents as well.

I've always found that my kids have been generous with their forgiveness and understanding of my faults. 

I want them to grow up to be the kind of adults that easily admit their mistakes and take steps to correct their behavior.  If that's going to happen, I need to be modeling it now.