Raising Kids is Like Raising Chickens--Love Unstoppable

So, my kids and I are the proud parents of five adorable, tweeting, fluff balls! My oldest daughter and her friend talked me into buying two baby chicks on Tuesday. We started out with two. But we found out that you need more than two chicks for them to be healthy grown-up chickens. So, by Wednesday, we had five baby chicks.

The chicks are so cute that we have spent all our time obsessing over them. We haven't cared that they tweet through the night and that they're up at dawn, tweeting some more. Yesterday, the little black one, named Scarlet/Oreo, put its wing around the yellow chicky named Jacq. They cuddled in the corner of their box and we were beside ourselves!

 

Okay, so, the crazy thing is...we know these cute, adorable chicks are going to grow up and someday be BIG chickens. We know they aren't going to be cute and adorable forever. But right now, we don't care because we're in the honeymoon phase of raising chicks. We're caught up in the slow motion movie in our head where we're frolicking through the meadow with baby chicks running behind us. Can you see it, too?

Sadly, these babies are not going to be irresistible, tweeting fluff balls forever. In fact, I've never thought of big chickens as cute or adorable, or really anything. So, when does this "honeymoon so in love with baby chicks phase" wear off?

 

Raising chicks is just like raising kids. First, God gives you the "honeymoon phase." You fall in love with these helpless, adorable, fuzzy-headed, precious babies, whose burps are even cute. You love them so much your heart hurts. But then, when they're two, they paint your wall with blue nail polish (daughter #3). And when they're eight they play soccer in the house and break your favorite glass candy jar (son #1). Then when they're 16 they drive into a parked car at the grocery store (hasn't happened, yet, but probably will). Then when they're 21, they call you and say, "Mom, I've just eloped." (This happened recently to a friend of mine and part of her was beside herself and the other part was okay. She told me, "All I said was, 'I'm here for you when you need me.'" Yikes! Cute or adorable "chicks" do grow up to do not so cute things!

 

So, why do we have "chicks" in the first place? Why doesn't God warn us that raising "baby chicks" can be hazardous to our well being? And why doesn't he warn us that we're only going to hold them long enough to turn around and let them go? Because...God made the love we have for our children. He made it strong enough to withstand earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis. He knows, with His love, we can see our children through anything. That love we felt for them as "baby chicks" is unstoppable.

 

As I hold this tiny, yellow, baby chick up against me, I know it won't be much longer and it will be too big to hold. The day will come, all to quickly, when I will need to let it go. So...I'm going to love these baby chicks into chicken-hood. I'm going to relish in the memories of holding them, watching over them, worrying about them, and tending to their needs. And then I'm going to trust God to help me to let them go.

P.S. Will you remind me I wrote this when my daughters goes off to college? And when my son goes on a mission? And when my youngest daughter goes to kindergarten? And when...

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." -
-Carl Sandburg

Young Women Ideas

Teaching a lesson on VIRTUE? 
Having an activity about VIRTUE? 
Here's some IDEAS for Young Women Handouts. 

Occasionally, I receive emails asking me for ideas regarding handouts and for lessons and activities on VIRTUE.  Here are a few that I share regularly. I'd love to share them with YOU.

When I give my "BEAUTY OF VIRTUE" presentation, I use three symbols:  Gold, a Lily, and a Ruby. You may have some other ideas, so if you do, please post your comments or email me.  I'd love to add to my list!

1. VIRTUE is the color GOLD. I love this quote from Sister Dalton: "The value of virtue has been given a symbolic color, like the other values. The color of virtue is gold because gold is pure. It shines. It is soft, not harsh or brash. It is precious. Gold must be refined. As you live a pure and virtuous life, you will be refined by your life's experiences, and as you "trust in the Lord" (Proverbs 3:5) and draw closer to Him, He will "make [your] hearts as gold" (Roger Hoffman, "Consider the Lilies"). Scrapbooking stores have things that could easily represent gold. I found these gold heart charms that would be perfect hanging from a bookmark with Sister Dalton's quote. Here's the link: http://www.robertscrafts.com/default.aspx?PageID=47&CategoryID=399&ProductID=15246&RootCatCode=07000.  The heart charms say "Made with love." They are $2.99 a package. And 75 come in a pkg. An excellent reminder that God made us out of love so that we could become like him. They are tiny, but just darling.
2. Print a scripture or quote and decoupage' it on a tile. Then tie a gold ribbon around the tile with the heart dangling from it. Have you ever done decoupage' on tiles? You print 4X6 photos but only use 4X4 for the actual printing space. You need to use an imaging program to change the size to 4X4. Mod podge the photo onto a bathroom tile that you buy at Home Depot for about .15 cents. Then you use a clothes pin hot glued on the back to get the tile to stand up. Does that make sense? I've attached a 12X12 tile that I made with a different saying on it. In fact, it has the lily on it. So you can see what I have made. I digitally scrapbook the image in my scrapbooking program. You can see how I tied the ribbon around the tile. So, the little gold heart could hang on the ribbon around the tile. If you are interested in using my lily tile, you're welcome to it. I would need to send you the file in a 4X4 that could be printed on a 4X6 and then cut down to size to fit the tile. I'm happy to share.
3. I love the idea of making a Lily to wear in your hair. Hair clips are inexpensive. You could hot glue a lily on a clip for each girl. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow..." That beautiful passage of scripture is perfect to help remind us that Heavenly Father clothed the lilies, and if he clothed the lilies and worries about them, and toils over them, then why would he not do that for us, his daughters.
4. Of course having something that represents the ruby would be wonderful. You can use glass floral marbles. Sometimes it's called sea glass. They come in different shapes. Here's a link that might get you started thinking. There is one on the list that is in the shape of a heart. 25 come in a package and they're only $4.99 per pkg. They have circular red marbles as well. A nice handout would be a note card that gives the scripture: "A virtuous woman is more precious than rubies." http://www.megaglass.com/mm5/merchant.mvc? Here's the link for the site I've used.  Red Rubie Floral Marbles
5. Okay, and then another idea would be to find tiny, little glass viles and put red glitter inside and then hang a ribbon from it like a necklace. The glitter, of course, represents the ruby!  The viles have a miniature cork at the top. I have one with fairy dust in it that was given to me as a gift by a dear friend. Here's the link so you can see what I mean as far as the vile goes. Some local bead stores probably carry them. I've never checked Michaels or Roberts. With a ribbon hanging from it, it could be a necklace.  Small Glass Viles for necklance
   
   
   
6. My publisher sells these VIRTUE PENCILS. They are gold pencils with VIRTUE inscribed on them.  They're inexpensive as well.  Here's the link: Virtue Pencils.
7. 
   
   If you're looking for rubies to give your girls, you can use floral marbles or plastic jewels.  Here's the link for the site I've used.  Red Rubie Floral Marbles

SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH US! Post your comments.Or, send me an email at jodirobinson2182@hotmail.com. Mark it YOUNG WOMEN IDEAS and I'll include your ideas in my post.

Have a wonderful day!
True beauty is felt more than it is seen.

For more information about my presentation, "The Beauty of Virtue", email me at jodirobinson2182@hotmail.com. 


 "Jodi, what you did for me and my daughter was amazing. 
Thank you."  --Lisa, Utah

LOVE Is In the Air! (Literally)

This past summer, I attended education week classes at a nearby university.  The last class of the day was on increasing the LOVE in your relationships. Sounds like your average marriage class. But it was far from it. The LOVE lesson I learned that day will stick in my mind forever.

 

My friend and I found two open seats near the front of the classroom. We sat down and pulled out our notebooks and pens.  Within minutes, the room filled with eager students ranging from ages 18 to 75. The instructor began an informative discussion about the three Greek words that define the most important word in the English language...L-O-V-E.

The instructor explained that . . .


"Eros is the romantic kind of love."
"Philos is brotherly love. The deep love you have for family members and good friends. "
"Agape love is god-like love. The unconditional, giving, serving, and sacrificing kind of love."


Interestingly enough, as the instructor began describing eros, I spotted a young couple (very young) sitting near the exit door. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. I thought to myself, "Ah, ha! That's eros in action." And believe me, there was action. Fingers through the hair, back rubs, shoulder rubs, and arm tickles. For 50 minutes straight the strawberry blonde and her bronzed counterpart were obviously engaged in eros. I guess you could say they were a very effective visual aid. (Ha!)


Next, the instructor introduced philos. The bonding kind of love you feel for a dear family member or a good friend. This kind of love is deep and has the other person's best interest at heart. I looked around the room. And what do you know? To the right of me, sat a mom and a daughter. They were linked arm in arm. They had to be mother and daughter because the dark haired one looked like a younger version of the gray-haired one. They seemed very close. At one point, the dark-haired one pulled out a granola bar, split it half and gave a piece to the gray-haired one. "Okay," I thought. There's philos in action." Again, another great visual aid.


Well, next, the instructor introduced agape love. Now, keep in mind, I've been in classes all day. My rear end is starting to go numb. My mind is wandering to what I'm going to make for dinner and which children will have what homework. "Okay, back on track. Back to agape." I tried to focus.


So, the instructor then explained that AGAPE is the God-like love—unconditional love that forgives and endures. He talked about how agape love could not be shaken or altered and that it is the heart of God that we as humans would experience if we could experience love in its fullness. I think to myself, "Well, there's no visual aid for that." I got my protein bar out of my bag and took a bite. My eyes wandered. That's when I noticed a couple sitting right in front of me. A gray-haired man and a gray-haired woman. I guessed they were in their late 60s. There was nothing stand-out obvious about this couple except for, at one point, the husband fixed his wife's knitted sweater that had fallen off her shoulder. How sweet.  Then, it happened. A long, loud, bodily sound accompanied by a gassy smell came from the gray-haired woman. Ugghh! Can you imagine a quiet room of 200 people and having that happen to you?  Unfortunately, there was no way to disguise it. She had "tooted" and everyone—at least those of us close by—knew it. I shifted in my chair feeling her pain but at the same time feeling gratitude that it was her and not I. (Does that count as philos?)


Well, right then, this woman's husband, slowly but surely, lifted his right arm, stretched it around her and lovingly patted her on her the shoulder. He even gave her a little pull towards him as if to say, "It's okay. I love you."


"Ah! Agape!" I couldn't resist. I turned to my friend and whispered, "Did you see that? THAT! THAT'S AGAPE!" We giggled silently with hearts full! We had witnessed Agape at its peak. Maybe no one else around thought so. But we sure did. And it was beautiful! (A little smelly, but beautiful.)

 That day, I can honestly say love was in the air!

To the couple who sat in front of me at Education Week 2009, I thank you! In you, I saw AGAPE in action. You know, I can't remember much more about that class—not even the instructor's name. But thanks to those three couples, I will remember the lessons of love never to be forgotten.

To have love is to give love. 

Happy LOVE Day.

Take the LOVE DARE Challenge—I dare you!

Do you remember being “dared” to do something?
I dare you to ring that doorbell and run! I dare you to eat a grasshopper! I dare you to jump off that wall!

I dare ya.

Well, I’ve never been one to like “dares.” To me, dares are silly. They’re for proving something to someone, and, I guess, I’ve never felt the need to prove anything to anybody. But there were those kids who were always…always willing to take a dare. It exhilarated them! It pushed them to the ends of what they thought they could and couldn’t do. Sometimes the outcomes were good. Sometimes they were bad. Needless to say, I’m glad when I was in the 4th grade Holly Powell dared me to eat a grasshopper and I dared to go home. That poor grasshopper!

Now that being said there's a DARE I am willing to take.  Buy the Book
I have DARED to take the LOVE DARE. This is a unique kind of dare. You don’t have to ring Mr. McGregor’s doorbell and run. You don’t have to risk getting into trouble with your parents, risking your life, or risking anything really. There’s no risk involved. All you have to risk is the possibility of increasing the love in your life. I promise…it’s a dare worth taking.

The Love Dare is written by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who serve on the pastoral staff at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. The book is broken up into 40, easy-to-read, inspirational, one- day devotionals based on LOVE. Think of it as easy bite-sized pieces that you can chew one at a time. For example, Day 1 is: Love is Patient. Day 2 is Love is Kind. The authors have done an excellent job of writing about love in action; what it looks like; what it takes like; and what it feels like. You can picture it in your mind and you can easily begin to put into practice what you have learned.

Loving is sometimes hard to do. But with a good book that teaches you “how” to love, you can’t go wrong. Based on scriptures from the bible and gospel principles, it’s written on the premise of improving your marriage. But it helps with any relationship where there is love. And really, isn’t that every relationship? “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Who hasn’t had trouble loving their neighbor at some point in time. This book can help. It helps you love your children, your parents, yourself. And you do it one day at a time. One chapter, at the most is two pages. Who doesn’t have time to devote to two pages a day?

I finished the LOVE DARE last year, and I’m doing it again. I have a feeling I will be doing it the rest of my life. I wish I could tell you that after you take the dare, you’ll be fixed. But, learning to love is really a life-long journey. This book is truly something that can be your companion for life. It will change the way you look at love and how you desire to be loved and how you desire to show love.

Take the LOVE DARE challenge. I dare ya!  For you movie buffs, the movie "Fireproof" is a great movie that goes along with the book. 

 
SHARE THE LOVE...

Here's some fun ideas! 

1.  THE LOVE BREAKFAST. 

Give your family a "Love Breakfast."  The night before, I decorate the table so in themorning the kids wake up to beautiful display.  That way they know it's special.  We eat on special dishes.  (They're pink.)  I serve quiche, pink punch, heart-shaped muffins, heart-shaped pancakes.  Everything is red and pink.  Then I write a love-note to each child and stick it on their plate.  My son had his "lovenote" stuck on his bulletin board the entire year.  Love that!  So don't think your boys won't go for it.  They will.  Just tone down the pink a tad.  My LOVE BREAKFAST is a fun family tradition that we look forward to every year.

2.  THE LOVE BUCKET. 

Make a love bucket that, for a week or so before Valentines' Day you fill with "love notes."  You could use a box, a bowl, anything really.  Fill it with paper hearts, and let your children write to their heart's content.  We love this!  And it's fun over the years to read some of the notes from year's past. 

3.  VALENTINE'S FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.  
Use a Family Home Evening Night to make Valentine's for seniors in your neighborhood or at a care center.  Kids love delivering them.  

4.  BROWNIE BOUQUET -- this has become a FAVORITE.

This is a fabulous and fun way to make brownies.  They also make beautiful gifts.  (And, yes, they really are brownies.)

I was bored with brownies, so I tried these Brownie Pops.  Here's the recipe:
Make one box of your favorite brownies.  Bake as directed.  Cool.  Dump baked brownies into your mixer.  Add 3/4 of a tub of store-bought creamcheese frosting.  Mix together.  Roll into balls.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Put a stick in each ball.  Freeze for 30 mins.  Then dip in white Almond Bark and decorate with sprinkles.  I used sugar pearls.  Stick the brownie pop sticks in floral styrofoam.  Put tissue paper around the pops.  You can use a gift bag, box, or basket for your container.  Beautiful and delicious! 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!