Every week, the feeling never changes.  The week was both slow and fast.  At the same time.  Reminds me of a quote by Oscar Wilde –

Does anyone ever realize life while they are living it?

 

 

FUNNY

 

Amazon Prime is not funny.  It’s fabulous.

And recently our family has met a new friend through Amazon Prime called the Firestick.  It’s not funny either.  No – it’s also fabulous.  It’s probably been out for ages, what do I know about anything having to do with technology?  The iCloud confounds me and I can never even find my charger cables, let alone download anything properly.  How do I even maintain this blog? It’s an actual mystery.

Anyway.  Firestick. It’s just this handy small device (that I’m probably destined to lose) that you “plug” in to the back of your television and it allows your Amazon Prime Video/Television to appear right up on your TV screen.  And – the best part is that you just take it with you so when you are at a hotel or such, then you can control the shows your children watch, as opposed to being inundated with bizarre advertisements and commercials and channel surfing.  You can also access whatever else you use through the Firestick – Netflix or YouTube or whatever.

I’m sure this is old news for most of you.  I’m sorry.  I’m just not trendy in that direction.

What was my point here even?

Oh yes.

Funny.

That’s what I was trying to make happen here.

Because of the Amazon FireStick, we were perusing the options in the “kids” category when we fell upon a show entitled “A Happy Family”.

When Riley was younger she had a dollhouse full of characters called “The Loving Family”.  This show is pretty much Riley playing with her dolls in that dollhouse.

I’m not kidding.

I’ve got this screenshot of an episode, of which we watched about eight minutes, with my jaw unhinged all that time.

 

 

This is literally a show where people are holding the feet of dolls, making the dolls walk and pick up stuff and move around their dollhouse, giving them voices with their own voices.  And.  That is the show.  That is the show on television.  People playing with dolls.

I can’t even.

 

FASHIONABLE

 

Of course I’m going to show you a boot.

I’m in counseling for my boot addiction – alright already?

 

 

Isn’t she so pretty?

I was at a NorthFace outlet this week.  They had this very boot available.  At a greatly reduced outlet price.  I was so excited.  The kids were “patiently” waiting.  Mosely was even helping me.  (More so to get me to move along at a speedier rate, but whatever.)  Alas.  So many sizes of this shoe – at 40% off – and none of those sizes my size.

PS  – There are no Boot Addiction Therapy Counseling Sessions.  

 

FLAVORFUL

 

Okay.  This isn’t exactly flavorful by itself, but it makes things flavorful.

And.  I love it.

It’s just a kettle.

 

 

I forget how I decided that I “needed” a kettle in my life and on my counter.  But I did.  And after asking the world of Facebook for their opinions, I chose this particular kettle based almost exclusively on a review by my friend Taylor who said she chose this one because the inside is completely stainless steel and no plastic at all touches the scalding hot water that boils inside the kettle.

Is this a necessary item?

Nah.  Of course not.  But I don’t own a microwave and my stovetop kettle has often (!) been left on for too long when I forget I am boiling water and well, that is straight up dangerous.  This boils water crazy fast, shuts itself off so I don’t start a fire in our kitchen and I use it multiple times a day – primarily for hot tea and hot cocoa.  The kids use it for their french press.  (What?  Your kids don’t have a french press?)  I’ve used it recently in adding boiling water to recipes, the bath tub and big batches of sweet tea too.  (Maybe you guys know other bonuses to use this little appliance for too?)

It made me a little sad that this is simply black, but the red one cost more and I couldn’t justify it this time.

I even packed this up for our most recent trip and took it along.  I’m just all about my nightly cup of “lemur tea”.  (That’s what the kids and I call the seasonal vanilla and cinnamon tea Trader Joe’s sells this time of year.  Yep, you guessed it.  There’s a lemur featured on the packaging.)

Oh – but that lemur tea is flavorful.  So.  There you have it.  Something flavorful!

 

 

FAITHFUL

 

This year we’ve been challenged and encouraged at church to begin the specific act and discipline of keeping a prayer journal.  (With basic regularity – no hard and fast rules.)

I love the idea and have encouraged the kids to try their hand at it too.  It’s so immensely beneficial to be reminded to see how God is working.  To train our eyes to see.  To record the movement.  To bring purpose to that aspect of our lives and our hearts.

I’m not reading their prayer journals – I want them to have that privately.  (Goodness knows, in a house like ours, privacy is a rare commodity.)  But I like seeing them take time and sit contemplatively for a few minutes each week.

It is with genuine fondness that I recall my own parents sitting quietly in my dad’s office, sharing an early morning cup of coffee and reading God’s word together.

I’m banking on God’s restorative powers in their hearts and lives as we all navigate our lives together.

 

FEELS

 

On the ice skating rink, after Berg’s sixty-eight fall, he was counting, I skated up to him.

My heart was just bursting with pride for this long legged, giant-footed (9!), boy of mine who was tumbling and laughing and always always getting back up.

I told him, with the utmost sincerity, “You aren’t special to me just because you are my son.  You are – for real – one of my absolute favorite human beings in this entire world!  I just love doing things with you.”

I mean it.  He’s a joy of person.  Upbeat and interesting.  Always up to try new things and just as eager to sit silently side by side and relish in the old things we already love too.

Adventuring with my children is pretty much the best part of my life.

 

 

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