YONDER BREAKS

It's no secret that parents struggle with lack of sleep when their children are born. Babies don't sleep through the night naturally, and so it takes anywhere from a few months to a year or two for them to learn to sleep all night. If you haven't experienced this, you can imagine what it will do to a person, waking up every night 2-3 times for months on end. Coffee becomes your best friend, the silent third partner in your parenting alliance. It gets better as they get older, but I'm not sure lack of sleep ever stops becoming a part of parenthood. We learned early on that our four year-old is a morning person. About a year ago, we had to set a clock in her room and tell her she couldn't leave the room before 7AM. She was waking up earlier and earlier every day, wanting to play and eat! (A little secret here: we set her clock slow, so it was really about 7:15AM when she was waking up. Don't tell her...) You rest when you can, especially in the early years.

When was the last time you went to Captain D's ? Probably a while. The only time I really ever went was with my grandfather because they had cheap fish, and he loved fish (and cheap food), but that had been years ago. I actually have been wondering lately how they ever stayed in business, because I don't know anyone  who goes to Captain D's, but they're still here, so I guess someone does. Anyway, my curiosity and a much needed bathroom break on a long car trip led me to Captain D's lime green door, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! Surprised enough to write a positive review on Yelp, the helpful bloke that I am. Check it out here ! (You may notice that I love reviewing fast food, mostly because it is kind of a ridiculous idea, like this particular blog post.) Besides nice tasting fish and vegetables (along with a not-so-sugary cookie that came with my kids meal), I was struck by the decor. Shiplap abounded, as well as cool nautical themed

I really love music , especially sharing what I think is good music with others. And so when it comes to my kids, I think it is so fun to force them to listen to all the things I love, because they don't really have a choice at this point, do they? Haha! Of course, I don't make them listen to things they have expressed a disinterest in, but if I want to listen to some of the good ol' punk rock I enjoyed in my formative years, they might as well hear the same thing. In those formative years, I pretty exclusively listened to Christian music. Currently, I still don't listen to anything too racy, but as I am paying attention to the lyrics from more recent bands I enjoy, they can occasionally be about less kid-friendly topics. "Rhythm and Blues" by The Head and the Heart for instance -- the kids love this song and sing along every time. But when he says, "Oh come on darlin,' won't you let me drive you home? Oh come on darlin,' won't you let

There seems to always be some sort of struggle in the Christian walk when it comes to trying harder. Or maybe "tension" is the right word. It is easy to find yourself striving to be better, without ever seeking the heart of God. I'm sure most of you have seen this, legalism in church or maybe a misguided, but honest pursuit of holiness. But without God, it is nothing more than striving, right? You may make some headway or develop some good habits, but is your heart changed? Are you free from sins that bind you? The other side to that tension can also be dangerous: depending so much on freedom in grace that holiness is not really a factor or a pursuit, though it is something God is certainly concerned with . So where does the balance lie between these two pendulum swings? According to scripture, it seems that God does way more work than we do, but tonight I came across a verse that gives us a good clue of what our parameters may be in this realm. -- "...continue

It was a rainy Tuesday when I took the kids to the local  mall indoor play area. This thing is a lifesaver when your kids are filled with energy, but the elements aren't exactly cooperating. There are usually a few moms there with more than a few kids, and this particular day was no exception. The kids were playing pretty well together until I noticed a girl denying a boy access to a certain tunnel with a raccoon on top -- a highly desired location at this park. Not too unusual though, except this girl had let my daughters in the same tunnel several times, and at that moment they sat just behind her, oblivious to the turmoil at the other end. Maybe she treated this kid badly because he was a boy, but I couldn't help but notice that he was the only black kid in the play place. I watched as she denied him entry with a harsh nastiness in her voice. Then, when she left a few minutes later, he tried again. She saw the attempt and hurried over to shoo him out again. Later, he was