Having my Monster Cookies and eating them, too!

I made promises this summer that I intend to keep, even if that means making some sacrifices. For instance, I promised the Texan and one of my former students, a fifth grade girl we'll call "Julie" (I don't know why) who I am providing care for this summer, that I would bake with them this week. So bake we shall! 

Today we made Monster Cookies. They are good. They are very very, sinfully, good. The kids thoroughly enjoyed making this recipe but of course, as is the case with all good cookie recipes, they enjoyed eating the cookies the most. I didn't take any pictures during the process because I was too busy drooling. But, here's some of the finished product. (Some, mind you, because we have already eaten a considerable amount and we also sent 3 bags home with Julie. Quart sized bags not gallon, because I have trouble parting with cookies.)

This is an awesome recipe from my friend Mindee's blog. In fact, we'll be making most of her recipes all week long. Tomorrow is her Devil's Food cake, and Wednesday her cinnamon rolls. Thursday we're cheating and making a homemade ice cream sandwich recipe that I found online which doesn't actually require any baking at all, but it looks yummy and simple. SIMPLE. And I may have implied that this Friday we would take a field trip to a local gourmet cupcake shop to gorge ourselves learn more about baking.

It's a tough job, training young children in the culinary way they should go. But...I will sacrifice my time (and apparently my waistline) to answer the call.

The recipe! Just scroll down a bit!

What we all need

It had been a long day for my little boy. His little 7-month-old body was tight and tense and long, loud cries escaped from his mouth. Tears ran down his face which was contorted into a defeated and angry expression. It was bed time. He was done. The day of breaking in 6 new teeth had proven too challenging for him. He hadn't napped all day, hadn't been too interested in playing or laughing and now, now he was just done.

I scooped him out of his bouncer chair and turned the lights down in his cozy room, turned his sound machine on low- the sound of soothing rain, sank down into the recliner in his room and I nestled him close- one last time to nurse before bed. And he settled. He settled. His little eyes stopped seeping tears and his body relaxed and he melted into me. He was finally where he wanted to be. I looked down at his sweet little face, the face of the one I love, and I cried.

I cried.

Big, heavy tears shaking from me, maybe shaking me loose? Because, Oh God, isn't that where I want to be? Maybe where we all want to be? Oh to be nestled close to You where You can soothe the things that hurt. That have hurt so long. That hurt so deep. Because in 13 days the calendar will mark the date when she took her last breath 3 years ago and I'm still hurting for her, that sister who left too early. And there are other things, too, things I don't understand and can't make sense of but that hurt or make me pause and shake my head and wonder why? Isn't close to You, oh God, where You nestle me close and rock me still and settle me? As he settles- sweet little child- in my arms, I cry big, hard tears and wish and pray that You could settle me, too.

Isn't it what we all want? Oh God, ain't it what we all need?

And immediately, (oh, that hard hard lesson of gratitude), immediately I feel thankful that You are the settling type of God.


A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped...The disciples woke him [Jesus] and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm...


..."Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (excerpts from Mark 4: 35-41)


Who is this? Oh, He's my settling type of God.


He does care. Care if we drown. If the sorrows of life- the hardness of life, the "why's?" and wonders and things that make us sadly shake our heads- threaten to swallow us up, to drown us completely. He cares. So when the day has been too long and the challenges of life have proven to be more than we can bear, He draws us close, nestles us close, and brings the stillness and the calm that we all need.

In that room, that quiet room where my little boy sleeps nestled and firm in the arms of a momma who loves him, I cry crazy gratitude that You are the God who settles and that I can sleep firmly nested in arms of a Father who loves me. Who calms the storm.

Isn't that what we need, oh God? Isn't that what we all need?

60/30 Time

Right now at "Blessed" it is Sixty-Thirty Time. When I was little this time was called "Grown Folks Time"- and I hated it. Now, as a "grown folk" I can't think of anything more wonderful. Sixty-Thirty is a name inspired by a local camp I used to volunteer at. There it was called "Thirty-Thirty Time" and meant that campers were to rest for 30 minutes and then be involved in some sort of devotional activity for 30 minutes.  Right now, here, sixty-thirty time means 60 minutes of IN YOUR ROOM non-screen activity, and 30 minutes of IN YOUR ROOM free choice time.  Did you get the "in your room" part? That's the best part, you see.

Things are actually going really well with having my nephew here, so far. He is using his summer passport daily! I haven't heard "I'm bored" yet and he's been here almost 2 weeks now. That being said, Momma still likes her quiet time during the day, and having a 10 year-old who doesn't nap was impeding on this self-proclaimed necessity of mine. That's when an angel of the Lord appeared and told me to implement 60/30 Time. (Okay, there was no actual, literal, angel, but I feel like it was a gift from the Lord!) Surprisingly, Texan boy was eager to begin this new tradition. (Perhaps he realized Auntie was getting crabby without her nap and he was anxious to be invited to leave her presence? Hmmm?) The first day we started, I helped him gather his much needed non-screen activities: books, poster board sized coloring pages of super heroes I bought him at Wal-mart, a box of wooden Tangrams, and a set of basketball cards; noted the time we were starting and then let him calculate when we'd be ending (that's right, I made it a math problem), and bid him not to come out of his room until the time was up. He dutifully (and quite quite surprisingly) obeyed.  I peeked in on him a couple of times puzzling over a Tangram and then arranging the basketball cards in some order only he could explain, then smiled and ran to my bed for a quick nap before the 7-month-old awoke from his. For each consecutive day I have just checked to make sure was settled and then let him be.

I LOVE 60/30 time. I want to make it a Valentine and ask it to go steady.

Eventually, I'd like to use some of 60/30 time to encourage the Texan to do a devotional, memorize scripture or read the Bible. I'm not a big fan of forcing that, though, so I am thinking of some ways to make that fun and interactive so that he'd desire to do this instead of feel like it was a chore. I have a great book I'm using to help with some ideas, called "The Well-Versed Family".

Here are our 60/30 Time Rules:

1. This time is flexible, not set in stone each day. (I usually begin it when the toddler goes down for her nap.)
2. Activities during this time must be able to be done in your bedroom and may not require adult assistance.
3. Unless it is an emergency, you may not leave your room at this time.
$. All activities need to be quiet to moderate in volume so as not to disturb sleeping 2 year-olds (or 28 year-olds).

If you don't have some "Grown-Folks Time" during your day, might I encourage you to implement something like this? It's so so very wonderful.