Wednesday night was the Angel Tree party. It's a big community outreach event that I coordinate for our church. We partner with Prison Fellowship to sponsor kids by purchasing Christmas gifts for children with an incarcerated parent. This year we sponsored 14 families and 34 children. Each child receives a practical clothing gift and a toy gift. We also make care packages for the caregivers with gift cards to Walmart, and this year, we also did a Chick-Fil-A gift card for everyone. We received a grant from Walmart to help us with costs. (Thank you, sweet husband, for getting me the application, and getting the application where it needed to go!)
At the party, we feed everyone pizza and cookies, arrange some entertainment (had a magic show and some musical presentations this year), and give out the kids' gifts, caregiver gifts, and Bibles to all the kiddos.
Now let me just back up and say that Angel Tree has taken the place in my life that Nutcracker used to occupy. :-) My friend, Jess, and I, work on Angel Tree from October until mid-December (when the party is)...but then we also have to report, debrief, and send info to the prisoners as to whether or not we were able to serve their family. So, it is a sizeable undertaking.
Honestly, there are times that I wish someone else were doing the work. That is, until I see the families that come to the party, and realize what a huge blessing Angel Tree is to these people.
And what else would I be doing with the time I spent on the Angel Tree project? I could spend it trying to keep my lovely and warm home clean, washing the ample amounts of warm winter clothing that my children have, and buying or wrapping presents that are not necessities. I think the time I spent working towards something that would help people who don't have those things was a much nobler use of those pockets of time.
When I get to meet the moms, dads, and grandparents who care for children under extremely difficult circumstances, because their husband or wife or child is in prison...who thanks me tearfully because there would be no presents for those children otherwise, because we've treated them with kindness and respect, because we've put time and energy into loving on and blessing them...I'm really glad that I've been given the opportunity to be an Angel Tree coordinator.
We had several Mommas, who expressed how hard it is to put food on the table, and our food pantry coordinator stepped up and was able to make several bags of grocery items available, as well as making sure they know when the food pantry runs each month.
There is a Biblical principal called gleaning, which I love. In Leviticus and Deuteronomy the Lord instructs the harvesters not to go over the fields a second time. Not to pick up what they've dropped, and not to harvest the grain, the grapes, the olives completely...but to leave the excess, the dropped, the missed pieces for the poor, the alien, the fatherless and the widow. It was God's way of providing for the poor through the excess of those who had more than enough.
I believe that we who have been blessed with ample provision truly have a duty to use some of our excess to give to others. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are struggling and feel hopeless. The appreciation that I saw in the eyes of many caregivers and children on Wednesday night, was worth more than a whole season of my own selfish Christmassing!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Busy, Crazy Weekend
Last week, I went back to last year at this time to see what I was blogging about and how often I was blogging. Well, I was posting a lot more, even with a lot of the same responsibilites (a.k.a. Angel Tree). However, last year at this time, the kids were still napping twice a day, meaning I could get a lot more done. Now, my kids nap once and for maybe an hour and a half. So, my big dilemma is what to get done? Cleaning? Laundry? Work on Angel Tree? Do something Christmas related that is not Angel Tree? or...take my own nap? OH...or blog! See, I even forgot to include it in the list of possiblities. You see why I'm having a hard time. But I suppose that being on the computer shouldn't really have a high priority right now.
The kids are out of MDO for Christmas break. So, I don't have my usual 5 hours today to run around like a crazy person trying to be productive. The house is marginal. Not quite chaos, but definitely not clean. I need to make a packing list for our annual cross country tour. Aaron picked up our Christmas cards (prepare to receive the cutest Christmas card yet...well, I don't know...Veronica and Dr. Dan kissing at their wedding Christmas card will definitely be a top competitor for cutest Cmas card in existence this year!) I need to get those in the mail, need to wrap presents, and need to finish buying presents.
So, I guess that's some backgound to the actual topic I was planning to post about, which was our weekend. It was busy. It was crazy. Thus the title.
Friday, I had to go to the dentist to get two fillings repaired...because apparently that's how badly I grind my teeth at night. Two fillings chipped. I've had a night guard for 6 months, so I don't know. But I was dreading getting numbed because the last time I had to get numbed in that same area it took 3 or 4 tries before I could seriously not feel anything. I figured this out from the poking and drilling. I left the office looking slightly like a stroke victim. BUT, I ended up not having to be numbed this time, because the chips were so superficial in the composite. It was not painful, just took a while because one was stubborn and wouldn't adhere. Then Friday night, I went to the MOMC Christmas Party. We had a great time, at a lovely home, with lots of really yummy food. It's always interesting conversation when 20 moms of multiples are in the room.
Saturday we all got up early. I took Emma down to Fort Smith to see the WAB Nutcracker. Aaron took Alec to work for Saturday morning meeting. Steve Carrell was the guest. It was so packed they had to go to three different locations, just to listen to it. So, I had a date with my girl and Daddy had a date with budbud. It was the first time we've done something like that. It was really fun. I was a little worried about how Emma would do at the show. I mean, an hour car ride, and then 2 hours of sitting in a dark theatre, and then another hour long car ride. She was stellar. I couldn't believe how good she was. It helped that she was tired. She didn't have the energy to be her normal spitfirey self...and since brother wasn't around to conspire with, she
clung to me like a koala bear.
I have to say that it felt pretty monumental taking my daughter to see The Nutcracker for the first time. I feel like I watched it with new eyes...child eyes, instead of dancer/teacher/critic eyes. And of course, it was nice seeing so many former students shine.
Alec continues to talk about how he went with "HIS daddy" in Daddy's car to
Daddy's work and to Daddy's Chick-Fil-A on Saturday.
Saturday after Emma and I got home, we all got to rest a bit, and then we were off to our favorite twin friends' Casey and Lundyn's 3rd Birthday party at a gymnastics place. The kids all got to play on the equipment and had a ton of fun. Afterward, we dropped in to say hello to some other friends who were having a Christmas party. We didn't stay long because it was a no-kids night for the rest of the parents there, and we wanted to respect that. We just didn't have time to get a sitter, bring the kids home and drive back up to Bella Vista after the bday party.
When we got home, Alec started to sound wheezy...so I tried to give him his inhaler, but he hates it and gets so worked up when we try to give him the medicine that it's counter productive. They went down at 9 and he woke up coughing and really laboring to breathe at 9:45. He sounded awful, so I took him to the ER. I'll say this, a small child that can't breath well is like a golden ticket at the ER. We got a room and an MD so fast (which was my expectation, but still somewhat surprising after having 5 hour ER waiting experiences in the past) it made my head spin. Alec got vitals taken, a breathing treatment, a steroid shot, throat x-rays and a dost of antibiotic. The verdict: croup and a double ear infection.
Now, here's the thing. My child was symptom free until 8pm Saturday night! I was like, really?? The croup came on so suddenly and the ear infection??? He gave no indication that he felt badly at all. I was like, "wow." Little man did well in the ER, except that they poked at him and the bp cuff hurt him and he screamed and bucked like a wild banshee when they administered the breathing treatment. That was not fun, trying to hold him down, while kicking and screaming. Then seeing him shaking and wringing his hands with anxiety when we went into the x-ray room because he had no idea what was going on and what the big machine was...but he stood there like a champ, holding back tears. (He kept asking to go home and he was soooo tired.) At one point the dr said we may need to admit him overnight, but after checking him post breathing treatment and reading his x-rays, they said we could go, but that he needed a steroid for the croup and an antibiotic for the ear infections.
For anyone who doesn't know what croup is...it's a virus that causes inflammation and constriction of the voice box/trachea. His lungs were fine, but the upper part of his throat was swollen so that it was making it like breathing through a straw at times.
He is doing much better. We got home around 12:30am Sunday, and kept him in bed with us to monitor him. He slept well the rest of the night. Emma was a little congested and restless, so she and Daddy slept on the couch together.
Sunday, Aaron stayed home with the kids. I had to go to church for a while to tally Angel Tree gifts that came in and to work on some party plans. I also had to go with a friend from MOMC to deliver a sympathy gift to a fellow member who lost triplets at 20 weeks in November. It is beyond my comprehension how painful and devastating that must have been.
The rest of the evening was spent at home, and was low-key, thank the Lord. Angel Tree party is Wednesday night. And then, good grief, one and a half weeks to Christmas! I'm so looking forward to being with family, and hopefully, catching up on some rest.
The kids are out of MDO for Christmas break. So, I don't have my usual 5 hours today to run around like a crazy person trying to be productive. The house is marginal. Not quite chaos, but definitely not clean. I need to make a packing list for our annual cross country tour. Aaron picked up our Christmas cards (prepare to receive the cutest Christmas card yet...well, I don't know...Veronica and Dr. Dan kissing at their wedding Christmas card will definitely be a top competitor for cutest Cmas card in existence this year!) I need to get those in the mail, need to wrap presents, and need to finish buying presents.
So, I guess that's some backgound to the actual topic I was planning to post about, which was our weekend. It was busy. It was crazy. Thus the title.
Friday, I had to go to the dentist to get two fillings repaired...because apparently that's how badly I grind my teeth at night. Two fillings chipped. I've had a night guard for 6 months, so I don't know. But I was dreading getting numbed because the last time I had to get numbed in that same area it took 3 or 4 tries before I could seriously not feel anything. I figured this out from the poking and drilling. I left the office looking slightly like a stroke victim. BUT, I ended up not having to be numbed this time, because the chips were so superficial in the composite. It was not painful, just took a while because one was stubborn and wouldn't adhere. Then Friday night, I went to the MOMC Christmas Party. We had a great time, at a lovely home, with lots of really yummy food. It's always interesting conversation when 20 moms of multiples are in the room.
Saturday we all got up early. I took Emma down to Fort Smith to see the WAB Nutcracker. Aaron took Alec to work for Saturday morning meeting. Steve Carrell was the guest. It was so packed they had to go to three different locations, just to listen to it. So, I had a date with my girl and Daddy had a date with budbud. It was the first time we've done something like that. It was really fun. I was a little worried about how Emma would do at the show. I mean, an hour car ride, and then 2 hours of sitting in a dark theatre, and then another hour long car ride. She was stellar. I couldn't believe how good she was. It helped that she was tired. She didn't have the energy to be her normal spitfirey self...and since brother wasn't around to conspire with, she
clung to me like a koala bear.
I have to say that it felt pretty monumental taking my daughter to see The Nutcracker for the first time. I feel like I watched it with new eyes...child eyes, instead of dancer/teacher/critic eyes. And of course, it was nice seeing so many former students shine.
Alec continues to talk about how he went with "HIS daddy" in Daddy's car to
Daddy's work and to Daddy's Chick-Fil-A on Saturday.
Saturday after Emma and I got home, we all got to rest a bit, and then we were off to our favorite twin friends' Casey and Lundyn's 3rd Birthday party at a gymnastics place. The kids all got to play on the equipment and had a ton of fun. Afterward, we dropped in to say hello to some other friends who were having a Christmas party. We didn't stay long because it was a no-kids night for the rest of the parents there, and we wanted to respect that. We just didn't have time to get a sitter, bring the kids home and drive back up to Bella Vista after the bday party.
When we got home, Alec started to sound wheezy...so I tried to give him his inhaler, but he hates it and gets so worked up when we try to give him the medicine that it's counter productive. They went down at 9 and he woke up coughing and really laboring to breathe at 9:45. He sounded awful, so I took him to the ER. I'll say this, a small child that can't breath well is like a golden ticket at the ER. We got a room and an MD so fast (which was my expectation, but still somewhat surprising after having 5 hour ER waiting experiences in the past) it made my head spin. Alec got vitals taken, a breathing treatment, a steroid shot, throat x-rays and a dost of antibiotic. The verdict: croup and a double ear infection.
Now, here's the thing. My child was symptom free until 8pm Saturday night! I was like, really?? The croup came on so suddenly and the ear infection??? He gave no indication that he felt badly at all. I was like, "wow." Little man did well in the ER, except that they poked at him and the bp cuff hurt him and he screamed and bucked like a wild banshee when they administered the breathing treatment. That was not fun, trying to hold him down, while kicking and screaming. Then seeing him shaking and wringing his hands with anxiety when we went into the x-ray room because he had no idea what was going on and what the big machine was...but he stood there like a champ, holding back tears. (He kept asking to go home and he was soooo tired.) At one point the dr said we may need to admit him overnight, but after checking him post breathing treatment and reading his x-rays, they said we could go, but that he needed a steroid for the croup and an antibiotic for the ear infections.
For anyone who doesn't know what croup is...it's a virus that causes inflammation and constriction of the voice box/trachea. His lungs were fine, but the upper part of his throat was swollen so that it was making it like breathing through a straw at times.
He is doing much better. We got home around 12:30am Sunday, and kept him in bed with us to monitor him. He slept well the rest of the night. Emma was a little congested and restless, so she and Daddy slept on the couch together.
Sunday, Aaron stayed home with the kids. I had to go to church for a while to tally Angel Tree gifts that came in and to work on some party plans. I also had to go with a friend from MOMC to deliver a sympathy gift to a fellow member who lost triplets at 20 weeks in November. It is beyond my comprehension how painful and devastating that must have been.
The rest of the evening was spent at home, and was low-key, thank the Lord. Angel Tree party is Wednesday night. And then, good grief, one and a half weeks to Christmas! I'm so looking forward to being with family, and hopefully, catching up on some rest.
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