Not such an old fuddy-duddy now, am I!

My idea of a good time

  

So many things wrong!

My 17-year-old son came into the kitchen the other day, pointed at his dirty water bottle on the counter (water bottles are the last dishes I clean, if I have time, because I hate cleaning water bottles) and said in a frustrated tone, "Mom, my water bottle's been sitting on the counter dirty for a month!  Seriously... a month!"

There's so many things wrong with this scenario that I don't even know where to start!

Just when I was wondering...

Just when I was wondering if my kids are learning anything from their history books, one of my sons dramatically swings his arm towards his younger brother, boldly points at him, and confidently declares, "You are my peasant, and I am your feudal lord!"

Ha!  I guess they're paying attention and learning things.  (Just maybe not what I expected.)

"I have no clue what you're talking about."

The other day, I told my sons that if they can't find the official "doggie bags," they can use plastic grocery-store bags (we have an over-abundance of them) to clean up after our dog on walks.  

In response, my 13-year-old son delighted to inform me that "Mom, if you use a Walmart bag to clean up dog poop on the side of the road, you'll look like a crazy lady.  Especially with the kind of hair you have."

Me:

Moms, can you relate?

 

If all dads were like this, the world would be a better place!

This dad is awesome!  Love him!

Dad Hilariously Dances in Background of Daughter's School Video that She Sent to Her Teacher 

Link to "Three Guidelines for Christians Regarding Halloween"

 Another "Halloween" post I wrote: "Three Guidelines for Christians Regarding Halloween"

Link to "Should Christians Watch Horror Movies?"

 Link to my post "Should Christians Watch Horror Movies?"

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

Giggle Translate #2: Chasing Slugs

I took my post "Chasing Slugs" and ran it through several randomly-chosen languages with Google Translate and then put it back into English.  Just for fun!  Here is how it turned out.  Enjoy!  (I know it's long, but you don't have to read it.  I'm doing this for my own amusement.  And fyi, there's a bad word coming up in the translated version.  And yeah, I can see how it's kinda my fault.  But I bleeped some letters out.)

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

So, I'm just wondering, are anyone else's children playing the song "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas" at unexpected, random times throughout the day for the past week, simply so that it gets stuck in your head and you can't stop singing it the rest of the day?

No?

I didn't think so.

(Go ahead and take the challenge: Listen to this song once and see if you don't sing it the rest of the day, too.  That little, warbly, chipmunk voice rattling around in your brain.  It's the "Baby Shark" of Christmas!  And yeah, I know, this is a cruel and inhumane challenge.  I'm sorry.  But if I've gotta suffer, I'm takin' you all down with me!)

Little Drummer Boy #1

My all-time favorite classic Christmas song has got to be the Little Drummer Boy.   If I’m listening to this song and start to think too much about it, I start to well up with tears.  Every time.

My sons occasionally ask me why this is my favorite Christmas song.  

“It’s stupid and it doesn’t make sense,” they say.

I answer like this: “This song is about a little boy who’s poor.  And he wants to bring Jesus a gift.  But he doesn’t have anything to give him.  And so he gives the baby Jesus the only gift he has to give – a song.  And this poor boy is drumming his little heart out for the Lord, because that’s all he has to give.  But it’s enough.  And the baby Jesus smiles.”

Usually, I am trying to hold back tears as I share this with my sons.  But they simply reply that it's still stupid, before running off to play.

Should Christians Watch Horror Movies? (repost)

I visited a Christian blog recently where the author shared a list of her favorite scary movies to watch on Halloween.  And they were some of the worst of the worst.  Violent, demonic, evil.  And she said that she's happy her kids are old enough to watch them now so that they can watch the movies together.  (I'm not sure how old her kids are, but she is not an old, grandma-aged mom.)

I was horrified.  And I told her in the comment section that I was shocked that a Christian website would encourage those kinds of movies.  I told her that I didn't think it's right to encourage things that are clearly contrary to God.  (For the record, I used to love scary movies ... until I found myself home alone, remembering the terrifying images of these movies.)  

Three Guidelines For Christians Regarding Halloween (repost)

Halloween is coming up.  And of course the question for Christians is "How much should we participate in Halloween, if at all"?

Truthfully, I don't know.

My personal choice would be to have nothing to do with Halloween, except for eating candy.  (Thankfully, my boys never wanted to dress up in costumes.)  I don't feel comfortable participating in anything that "celebrates" death, violence, demons, witches, the occult, etc.  Those kinds of things are very real in the world and shouldn't be encouraged, laughed at, or glorified at all.

But I also don't think there's anything wrong with meeting with friends, having some good clean fun, eating candy, enjoying God's wonderful Autumn blessings, etc.  Even dressing up just for fun isn't inherently wrong.    

But is that too close to "celebrating Halloween"?  

In "Honor" of Halloween: My Story of Demonic Harassment (repost)

(Reposted from last year and retold in various other posts.  I may just repost this one yearly at this time of year.)

In “honor” of Halloween (a day that deserves no honor), I’m gonna share with you why we don’t celebrate Halloween.  (We take our kids to a movie instead, or buy a movie they’ve been wanting and have a “family movie night” with candy and popcorn.  So no need to feel sorry for them; they are not deprived.)  

I don’t expect anyone to believe me, but I’m going to share my story.  (And for the longer version of this story on my other blog, click here.)  It’s my story about how I came to fully trust in Jesus’s name and to passionately cling to Him, to never be able to doubt the existence of a spirit world, to place such a high priority on prayer and God’s Word, and to always remember my need for spiritual armor.  And once again, you don’t have to believe me.  (But don’t say I never warned you.  And if you are a skeptic and get nothing from this whole section, just remember this: “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave.”  In case you ever need it.)

It started on a dark night in the middle of nowhere, in the bluffs of Iowa, where there are virtually no neighbors, no sounds, no cars going by at night.  Pitch black, silent darkness.

Truly Shameful - Protecting Sex Offenders Over Children!

Read this article by The Activist Mommy.  Go ahead; I'll wait.

Wichita Library Board Debates Whether to Ban Sex Offender's from Children's Events

So ... as taxpayers ... isn't it awesome to think that your local library would be unwilling to take the steps necessary to protect your children at public children's events from registered sex offenders, simply because it might offend some people in the LGBTQ-community!?!  

And look at what that Thomas Witt said, shaming people for taking steps to protect kids, accusing them of having "offensive" ulterior motives, as if parents shouldn't be allowed to take steps to protect their children.  

The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd

My 13-year-old son and I have been getting into Lord of the Rings lately.  

[In fact, he's basically obsessed with it.  We bought almost all the books written for this series.  He watches all the behind-the-scenes footage of the movies.  He's researched New Zealand.  He reads books on medieval weapons and armor.  And it's inspired him to create lots of medieval things.  He spends time everyday making medieval helmets and weapons out of foam and PVC pipe.  He's made working bows out of branches and thick cotton string, with arrows made out of dowel rods and bird feathers.  (And they shoot over 50 feet or so.  Impressive!)  Don't worry ... he only shoots at a hay bale or a cardboard target, never at animals or people!  For the "foam battles" with his friends, he has bows made out of PVC pipe, and the arrows have foam balls instead of pointy tips, so no one gets hurt.   They all have such a blast!  It's great to watch them using their imagination and having fun with their creations.  (One of his dreams is to make props for movies like The Lord of the Rings someday.)]  

Anyway, we both love, love, love this song from the end of Battle of the Five Armies:

The Last Goodbye

Always makes me cry!  

Well done, Billy Boyd!  Such a great song.  

But like I said, it always makes me cry.  A good cry.  A sad cry.  A bittersweet cry, understanding how we can want a long, difficult journey to end, but not really want it to be over.   

Such a great song! 

(I can't decide which video I like best, the one above or this one.  Both are so great!)

Chasing Slugs

Guess what I've been doing for the past half-hour or so?

Searching high and low for a slug.  

Yeah, that's right ... a slug!

We found a very large slug yesterday that my 10-year-old son wanted to keep.  So we put him in a dish with some mud and grass and leaves.  And we put some plastic wrap over the top, which we tore a little hole in for air.  

Well ... I guess the hole wasn't little enough.

Anyone Else Remember When School Was About Academics?

So ... does anyone else out there remember the days when school was about reading, writing, and math?  About learning to write well, research papers, learn your states, understand what people in another era went through?

Not anymore!

Now it's about the left pushing their social agendas on the children, right under the parents' noses.  And we all know it.  It doesn't take a study or a scientist to see it.

Activist Educator Says That Teaching Is Political

So, parents, how do you feel about a handful of teachers telling your children how they should live and think and act?  What their values should be?  How they should view things?  As if they know better than you or are better than you!

When schools become less about academics and more about the government controlling your children's views and values, we are on a very risky, dangerous path!  And all you have to do is look at history and at some totalitarian countries to see where that path ends up.

Since When Did This "Drag Queen" Stuff Become Acceptable For Children?

I don't really like to link to this "Christian discernment" website, because I think they are quite ... how shall I say it? ... rude.  Overly critical of anyone and everyone.  (Not that they don't expose some things worth exposing.)  But I found this article here so disturbing that I couldn't help but share it, to show parents what they're supporting and encouraging when they bring their kids to these drag queen shows.

Honestly, it makes me sick.  And it makes my skin crawl.  And I honestly have no idea why it doesn't make other rational, decent people feel the same.  How can any parent think this is okay for children!?!

Drag Queen Story Time Video: This Is What Demonic Possession Looks Like

So ... we can't have the kids looking at the Ten Commandments, but that drag queen stuff is okay!?!

Parents, what in the world are you allowing into your children's lives, hearts, and minds!?!  What are you encouraging!?!  In the name of ... what? ... "progress"?

If this is what you call "progressive" then you need to rethink the direction you're headed in.  What are you progressing towards!?!  What are you turning into!?!

See also "They ought to be ashamed of themselves!" and "The Adults Ought to be Prosecuted!" and "Is that really a school's responsibility!?!"