Worst Mom of the Year Award

Worst Mom of the Year Award in.... 3.... 2.... 1

This morning Jack was resting on the couch in the living room when I heard him yell, "Mom, get me a tissue!"

Now, this statement alone should have been my first clue, but I'm not much of a morning person. Instead, I reminded Jack that he needs to ask nicely for things, which was less than effective.

"Mom, get me a baby wipe! They're in my room!" He yelled again.

I calmly replied, "Jack, you need to talk nicely."

"Mom, you get baby wipe for me?" Jack said in a sweet voice.

"Ok," as I slipped into his room and grabbed a wipe. When I came into the living room, I found Jack sitting motionless with puke all over himself and the couch. No wonder my little guy was being so demanding!

Needless to say, he didn't go to school. Instead, we had a bath, did laundry and are enjoying a lazy day watching puppy videos on YouTube.

"Aw, how cute, Mama! The puppies are so cute!"

Orris King 1925-2013

Orris Trela King
Loving Mother
1925 - 2013

When my Grandma's last days where upon us, I wrote the following words to share with her...

Lindsay & Gma
circa 1987

My Dear Grandma,

You have always been one of my favorite people in this world. Growing up you were bigger than life, and not just because you were tall in stature or so physically strong. I think it was your strength of heart. It takes a pretty amazing woman to single-handedly parent that rowdy passel of children like you did. And, to choose to continue living when your eldest son passed away. Now that I'm a parent, too, I more fully understand the strength it required to continue.

One of my favorite, childhood activities was listening to mom tell stories about growing up in a home with six children. I remember one story where you tried to take a nap only to have some stranger knock on the door to tell you that your children were ice skating on the pond. The temperature wasn't low enough to freeze the pond entirely so they had waded out to the ice. It's no surprise that you have always been one of the strongest women in my life. You have to be, to put up with your wild bunch.

Grandma with Zeke & Carbin

You are sweethearted & loyal in your caring for others. Whether it be your son, Steve, or one of the people you encountered as a social worker. Even while in the hospital this week, you would ask your caretakers how they were doing and reach up to stroke their face.

 Stubborn as a mule. I remember you visiting our home in Seattle. We had this 8-foot-tall, blueberry bush with the most delicious fruit. You were harvesting like crazy despite the large beehive tucked in the branches. After being stung several times, mom implored you to leave the bush & bees alone, but you didn't think the bees should get all the berries. Mom was falling apart in laughter at your stubborn streak while she continuously put a baking soda and water mixture on your stings.

Look what poor Grandma had to deal with!
Rosemary, Rita, Grandma, Brenda.

You are fiesty, as Clarke can attest.

A brilliant and quick-witted mind who enjoyed books, crosswords and word puzzles up to the end.

I imagine your resourcefulness partially grew out of necessity, but I'll never forget my amusement when I saw how you packed lunch for me one time. In your frugal way, you used an empty coffee tin for my chips rather than wasting a plastic bag. Some may have been embarrassed, but I was proud of my Grandma who had strived despite hard times.

Great Gma OK & Jack

Resilient. Before divorces were acceptable, you had one and you continued to hold your head high. Before women were common in the workforce, you proved to be a force of your own.

Homemaker. Even though I only visited once a year or so, your house always felt like home. I always enjoyed your cooking. I remember your amusement when I was so excited after you made creamed peas. I remember when you introduced me to peaches with cream and a dash of sugar. Mmm! I'll always remember that you were able to make a good meal out of nothing.

April 2013

Mostly, I will remember that I was your favorite. Or, at least, that's what I always told you, but the truth is
that you were my favorite, Grandma. I love you, and I'm going to miss you.

Kid Tested, Mother Approved

Jack goes to "school" two mornings a week. Both Mom and Jack agree that school is just about the best thing. Ever. Jack often runs through his school door without so much as a "see ya" to his Mom-mom, which is actually a very comforting feeling. 

I love everything about the setup. Jack is familiar with the preschool teachers because he's with the same teachers and in the same room as Sunday School. Mom knows that all the teachers are background checked and receive continued education. Every week a parent will help out and so I've seen, firsthand, the wonderful care the kids receive. I know that all the toys are cleaned each day, which is seems like overkill but is completely necessary with the infinite drooling & colds that occur among toddlers.

Hmmm, which toy is next?

The 2 and 3yo's have free time after which they help clean up. (Yea for learning to clean up!) They get to play in the "Muscle Room" with the big toys where they run their little hearts out. Sometimes they even get to play with bubbles, which Jack will remind the teachers to bring if they forget. Then, Jack & his friends eat healthy snacks, they learn cute prayers and the importance of washing their hands. All the kids help put away their chairs before story time and singing songs. Then more playing.

Jack can be a lil mischievous.

The best part is that school totally helps get Jack's wiggles out. A couple weeks ago was Spring Break so Jack didn't have school... Those are the weeks that Jack spends his energy terrorizing the house, pulling poor Charlie's tail and breaking the kid latch on the knife drawer.

This pic is Mom-mom's favorite.

Okay, the actual best part is how excited Jack is when Mom-mom comes to pick him up. She is guaranteed a big hug from her happy guy.

Photo Credit: Rachel Drecshel.

The Three Little Pigs

Some of the best parenting advice that Brian & I received in our early years came from my Uncle Tim & Aunt Janet. They pointed out the threadbare remains of my youngest cousin, Levi's, "Silky Dog," and suggested we buy duplicates of Jack's favorite, soothing item whether it be a teddy bear, blanket, etc. 

Jack, much to his Great Grandmother King's revulsion (perhaps, living on an actual farm has effected her affection for pigs), fell in love with pigs. His favorite movie is "Charlotte's Web". His favorite TV show is "Wibbly Pig". Many of his favorite books include pigs. He loves "This little piggy went to the market..." And, if I have to sing about Old McDonald's farm one more time!

Jack quickly discovered the extra
"Closet Pig" and will often be seen
toting two pigs about the house.

After recognizing Jack's infinite love of everything pig, his parents dutifully bought a couple more. Now, three little pigs may seem like overkill to the average parent, but today we used all three.


I awoke at 3:30AM to hearing my son intermittently, crying and puking. Poor Daddy who had to leave for work in less than 2 hours jumped out of bed (Literally. I don't think he was even awake) to help console our confused, little boy while Mom-mom cleaned up the mess. This happened 2 more times before 5:30am so needless to say Mom-mom has been doing her share of laundry today.  

Jack is seen here with "Car Pig"

Jack is currently napping with one of the pigs while mom continues to fight the laundry mountain.

So, today I find myself especially grateful for wonderful pediatricians, Jack's Daddy and the ability to use the internet to purchase matching pigs. Because what would we do in a world without pigs?

Jack with "Crib Pig"

Jackisms

Cousin Bathtime

Jack's personality is quickly developing and I'm not sure where he is picking up some of his phrases, but it sure makes his Mama laugh. Case in point? The other morning Brian heard Jack in his bed saying, "Oh, dear, mommy." Come to find out, he had pulled "himself" out of his diaper and peed everywhere. "Oh, dear, mommy" indeed.

Last night I heard him spout, "Ew, gross!" while eating dinner. I might should have been offended, but in his defense, Jack found his crescent roll sitting in a puddle of melted popsicle. Touche, Little Man.

One of my favorites is when Jack announces, "Ta Da!" Just in case you weren't sure of his awesomeness. He'll also clap his hands and say, "Yea, Jack!"

Knock, Knock! It's cold out here, Mama!

During Christmas, we spent many a night driving through the city looking for lights. When Jack spied some that he liked, he would announce, "Wow! Amazing lights!"

He also tells me when he thinks things are cute. Like, "cute truck" when referring to one of his little trucks. "Cute truck" seems like an oxymoron to me, but it is pretty cute because it sounds like "toot truck."

Most recently Jack heard Grandma Brenda say, "Uhoh spaghettio!" and he has said it several times since. This kid keeps it lively, folks.

What Is Mine, Is Yours.

About a month ago, I was asked to share a story during our church service about how I've experienced loving mercy. It was fun to be up front again and it was an honor to share using the following verse as my guide.

Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Loving Mercy

For those of you who aren’t familiar with my story, my name is Lindsay Furber and I became a member of this church six years ago when I was hired to run the middle school youth program.  However, the joke around our house is that I worked at the church for four years, but most people still just know me as “Jack’s mom.” I suppose that’s the problem with having one of the most adorable two-year-olds in the PNW… Not that I’m biased.

I want to share one of my favorite volunteer opportunities. Community Christmas is just around the corner and it is a wonderful way to experience God’s loving mercy. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, our church teams up with the Families Unlimited Network to find families who could use a little help during the holidays. Then, they provide a Christmas gift for each child and a holiday meal for the whole family. 

I love everything about this event. I love that the parents get to look around the room & “shop” for their child’s gift. I love that, meanwhile, the children are scurried off to go enjoy holiday games & festive treats. I love that so many people in our church come together to walk with those in our community.

For the past few years, I have suffered for Jesus by being one of the holiday shoppers for Community Christmas... It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it! So, a couple days before the big event, I go shopping for any presents that are still needed using donations from members in our church. My friend was recently teasing me how this is the perfect job for me because I love finding good deals. And essentially, I get handed money to go shopping for a couple hours. It’s every woman’s dream!

But even more fun than that, is walking alongside each family and experiencing the humility and joy. I remember one father had his oldest daughter come with him for the “shopping” because he needed help picking out the gifts for each child. This meant that the 17-year-old ended up helping choose her own gift. The image of this young woman’s indescribable joy as she clutched a new, baby blue bathrobe is forever burned into my brain. How many of us would be satisfied with a single gift of a bathrobe this Christmas?

Now, let me remind you that I have a toddler at home and we have been working on removing the word, “mine” from his vocabulary. In a toddler’s mind, what’s mine is mine. What’s yours in mine. What belongs to the dog is mine... And, this is often followed with a tyrannical fit…

Community Christmas is an incredible opportunity to experience Christ’s love and mercy by 

being the hands & feet of Christ. It reminds me of Harlan’s message last week. What’s mine, is yours. The true essence of understanding God’s loving mercy is knowing that what is mine, is yours.

God’s perspective is so far from that of my two-year-old. What’s mine is yours. My Son is yours. Praise God in heaven that we can learn what it looks like to love mercy from a Loving Father. I would encourage you to extend the hand of loving mercy by sharing the blessings our Heavenly Father has showered upon us this holiday season.

A Little Help?

About a month ago, I lost my Sony Bloggie (the one I bought to replace my Flip after "someone" cracked the lens). After looking high & low... I've found raisins, toy food and books in my bed. I found a turkey baster in one of my bathroom drawers. I found several kitchen utensils in the recycle and a perfectly good washcloth in the trash. Jack David! However, I've not found my video camera.

I'm now looking to spend a little Christmas cash on a new one, but am a bit hesitant to spend much when another one may likely disappear. Any tech experts willing to offer some advice on a good buy? Is refurbished worth it? I used several refurbished Mac computers at my last job and seemed to have endless problems.

I'd love your input!