Telling

A recent conversation I had with Hannah,

"Remember, Hannah, we're sharing the popcorn."

"Remember, Mommy, Hannah don't share."

Emphasis Intended

Hannah's new favorite song is "Zaccheus." You know the "wee little man" who climbed a tree so he could see Jesus walk by? We've sung it more times than I can count, and she's starting to do the actions with me. The cutest part of the song is when Hannah puts her hands on her hips, points, and in a bossy tone says, "Zaccheus, you come down!" She's just mimicing me, that's how I sing the song too.

This may sound trivial to some, but I started wondering what view of God am I creating when I put my own bossy, hand on hip-twist to the song. There are other children's songs that leave me wondering this as well. My first reaction is to think, "How harmless could a little kid's song be?" But on the other hand, I haven't stopped thinking about Hannah repeatedly yelling at Zaccheus, demanding that he come down from the tree, this instant! I mean, that's not the point of the actual story in the Bible. God's grace and unconditional love is the main point.

Tax collectors (Zaccheus) were highly disliked, deceitful, greedy people. Zaccheus knew he wasn't welcome in his community, but wanted to just get a glimpse of Jesus while he was in town. Jesus spotted Zaccheus, challenged status quo and invited himself over to his home, and spent time with him, a reject among his people. It's really a great story of acceptance and redemption, actually.

Do I want Hannah to look cute, but at the same time get the idea that God/Jesus was this purely bossy, harsh leader? Or do I want her to remember God's love and acceptance for all people, no exceptions?

I know, I'm probably taking this little moment, and making it bigger than it is, or am I? I just know, from now on, I'm focusing on the last, most important line (at least, in my opinion), "for I'm going to your house today." And of course, she'll look cute regardless.

Things you may not know about me

I know this is a cheesy post, but I needed ideas on what to post, so bear with me! Some of these aren't new to most of you, but here are some unusual quirks of mine.

1. I love a made bed. If I nap, I won't get under the covers...that's for nighttime sleep only. Isaac hasn't always appreciated this quirk of mine.
2. Cheese tastes better shredded or cut in thin slices. I'm convinced thick wedges or cubes taste completely different. I'll tolerate them, but definitely prefer the former....except for the government cheese we would get in our school lunches....I loved that no matter how it was served!
3. I secretly want to be a Broadway star....I'd even settle for American Idol. =)
4. I wish I would have practiced more on the piano....and not given up playing guitar. This skill definitely would have helped me with #3.
5. I google people....come on, you do too!
6. Hand washing dishes.....I don't hate it as much as I did. I can't believe I'm saying this.
7. Soda pop is yummy for any meal or time of day. But drinking water through a straw is just plain disgusting.
8. I like a challenging, deep book, but also read US Weekly....to Isaac's dismay.
9. Games are much more entertaining than movies.
10. I collect and alphabetize coupons.

You're turn! If you don't blog, post in my comments, I'd love to hear about your quirky traits!

Did I say it can only get better? Well, I should have known better....we rented a JACKHAMMER. So, we did make more of a mess, but I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up and Isaac worked on the wiring. We always seem to pick the worst possible time of year as well...blizzard conditions. What were we thinking?! Oh well. We had the time, but this is going to take a lot longer than I thought. I sense lots of people saying, "I told you so." So if that's what you're thinking, keep it to yourself. =)

It can only get better

It may look messy, but it's a big improvement from yesterday's mess. We removed a closet...so the room feels bigger than it did before. I can't wait until this space is livable! A new living space will really make our little home more cozy. Stay tuned!

Things you may not know about me

I know this is a cheesy post, but I needed ideas on what to post, so bear with me! Some of these aren't new to most of you, but are unusual quirks of mine.

1. I love a made bed. If I nap, I won't get under the covers...that's for nighttime sleep only. Isaac hasn't always appreciated this quirk of mine.
2. Cheese tastes better shredded or cut in thin slices. I'm convinced thick wedges or cubes taste completely different. I'll tolerate them, but definitely prefer the former....except for the government cheese we would get in our school lunches....I loved that no matter how it was served!
3. I secretly want to be a Broadway star....I'd even settle for American Idol. =)
4. I wish I would have practiced more on the piano....and not given up playing guitar. This skill definitely would have helped me with #3.
5. I google people....come on, you do too!
6. Hand washing dishes.....I don't hate it as much as I did. I can't believe I'm saying this.
7. Soda pop is yummy for any meal or time of day. But drinking water through a straw is just plain disgusting.
8. I like a challenging, deep book, but also read US Weekly....to Isaac's dismay.
9. Games are much more entertaining than movies.
10. I collect and alphabetize coupons.

You're turn! If you don't blog, post in my comments, I'd love to hear about your quirky traits!

Snow Day!

The whole family is stuck at home! Not that I was going anywhere anyways, but I love days when we are all forced to just stay at home. We slept in, ate breakfast, watched the Doodlebops (mandatory if Hannah's around), made Valentine's cookies, and just had an all-around leisurely morning.

I'm also loving today because we've gotten a jump start on renovating our basement. I've been tearing it apart little by little for the last week, and now Isaac has had time to do the really messy stuff today. It's a huge mess, but we're on our way to making our home a little bigger. I'll post pictures soon.

While Hannah napped and Isaac destroyed old plaster, I got to reorganize the other half of the basement. We have so much stuff in such a little space, I have to reorganize every other month or so just so I can get in to do laundry. I LOVE organizing and packing. I think I'd be really good at Tetris...but I really don't need another puzzle to be addicted to.

I'm going to lose it

Today, Hannah does not want to share any of her toys, but wants to hit, push, scream, etc. Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember the sweet moment we had yesterday when we were flipping through some of my childhood pictures together, and she kept seeing me, but saying, "Hannah"......just so I don't lose it.

I wish there were some solution or explanation that would magically make her realize, "Wow, sharing is the best thing ever! Mom, you were right all along."