Fingerprint Friday: Fun Fridays

By Ginny (MAD21)

With the insanity that usually takes over our family's week, like most people, it helps to know that not only is the weekend coming, but Friday.

Several years ago, I created "Fun Fridays" at our house. Honestly it was mostly to prevent the constant demand for watching television and movies. I thought it would give the girls something fun to look forward to each week, and gave me an out whenever they wanted to turn on the television. Aside from rainy days (when we also build tents in the living room), it's pretty much the only time we watch movies.

What started out as a necessity for the most part, has turned into a day our family really looks forward to being together. And while we still usually watch at least one movie, we also use that time to play games and just be together (pizza anyone?). I also usually put something special in their lunches, and occasionally surprise the girls with a trip to the playground or a visit by someone special.

I thank God every week not only for the reprieve in our schedule, but also for the joy in the anticipation for the time we have together. I love hearing my girls discuss the long list of things they want to do (usually way too long!). Our Fun Fridays are definitely one of God's fingerprints.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

One Word At A Time: Games

By Ginny (MAD21)

I've written before about how you can use games to teach your kids. But in general, I love to play. When it comes to family entertainment and children's ministries, I am commonly known as the "game keeper." It probably has to do with the fact that for years, whenever there was any kind of gathering whether family or ministry, you would usually find me playing with the kids. Generally it has always been where I felt the most comfortable.

I was the recreation director at a summer camp for seven years where I spent the week doing such things as filling water balloons for a wet version of sharks and minnows, playing caterpillar kickball, and providing an afternoon of fun on a 100 foot slip-n-slide; we had an annual kid's night out at our church where I built a maze out of about 12 rolls of duct tape and 24 wardrobe boxes that filled our sanctuary (it even had dead ends!). I could go on and on about all the fun I've had over the years in ministry. But honestly, even though it was a great time, the bottom line was that playing games with the kids helped to build relationships and trust between themselves and the leaders.

The same is true with family. I have found that the more time I spend just playing and talking with my kids, the more likely they are to listen to me, and the better they treat each other overall. We all learn about patience, taking turns, and being a good sport. The more face-time we all get, the better.

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Fingerprint Friday: Our Day of Seven

By Ginny (MAD21)

My oldest turned seven the end of January. If you hang around her for any length of time, you'll learn that she loves birthdays. Note: LOOOOVES birthdays. Not just her own either. In her head, she starts planning for her birthday like, a year in advance. All the things she'd love to do, and the friends she'd like to invite. She loves her people. A lot. And she likes to dream.

This year was going to be a good one. They were calling for snow (she loves snow), her birthday was on the third Wednesday of the month, which is a big deal because that is the quarter bake at school (they take a quarter to school and buy a sweet treat at lunch), AND her teacher does cool stuff when it's the kids birthdays, AND we had planned out what she wanted us to make and bring for a snack, AND she knew where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner, AND AND...

Then, it happened. She got sick. The one thing that could ruin it all. The poor thing. I felt so bad for her. We got the snow, almost a foot of it. Which closed school for a few days. No school, no quarter bake, no special birthday with her classmates. Worse, because she was sick, she couldn't go out and play in the snow. Let's just say it was a very long few days.

Then, I got an idea. I said, "You know what we should do? We should have a day of seven!" My oldest loved the idea. So I helped her make a list of seven things we would do to celebrate her seventh year. And so I give you:

Our Day of SEVEN

Read SEVEN books.

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Every Day Life: Project Eradicate Mystery Bugs

By Lara

I have mystery bugs in my apartment.

I first discovered them three weeks ago. I went to open a bag of flour, and there were three mystery bugs munching away on the glue holding the flour sack closed. I immediately exercised capitol punishment on the mystery bugs, and sifted through the bag of flour. No mystery bugs were found within the safety net provided by the thick paper sack. My flour was safe.

I cautiously looked through my cabinet and didn't see any more bugs. I didn't think too much more about the mystery bugs after that. I was hoping that it was an isolated incident of insect anomaly.

Let me describe these mystery bugs to you. They are small. Approximately the size of a long skinny baby ant. The smallest ones are black. As they get longer, they turn a reddish orange. The biggest ones are still rather small. They have a lot of little legs. I know what kinds of bugs they are NOT. I still have not identified them.

Last week I found more mystery bugs on my counter. It was time to declare war.

Friday night, armed with a can of bug spray, I opened my cabinet. I removed everything from the cabinet and inspected it for evidence of the mystery bug. Toby, my fearless gray tiger, was more than happy to assist. Once I declared my non-perishable food-stuffs bug free, I liberally sprayed all three shelves in my cabinet and shut the doors.

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Every Day Life: Smells

By Lara

I was rushing around my kitchen this morning trying to pry frozen pieces of chicken apart so I could extract the wax paper that separated them. I was also feeding the cat, opening blinds, taking medicine, and fixing my breakfast. When my frozen waffles popped up from the toaster, I stopped everything I was doing.

That smell. Eggo waffles crisp and brown from the toaster. It took me back to my grandparent's kitchen. I was six or seven eating breakfast with my grandfather. Every morning for as long as I can remember he ate one waffle and one scrambled egg for breakfast. I felt the sun on my face through the window. I heard the coo coo clock in the dining room. I saw my grandfather reading the paper and eating his breakfast with the dog wagging her tail under the table expecting the "last bite" of waffle. I heard the birds chirping out the back door.

The flashback didn't take long, but I was surprised at how vivid it was and that it took such priority in my thought processes.

Smells can have such amazing emotional ties to people, places and experiences. It got me thinking on my way to work, "What other smells affect me so powerfully?"

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