The Art of Asking

I'm breaking my silence. 

Normally, I stay away from preachy blogging

it's just not me

I like posting pictures of my cute kids

but today I'm not going to do that

don't get me wrong, they're still cute!

today, I've decided to break the silence and speak my mind

now don't go exit out of your browser

bear with me for a minute, I think you'll find that you wholeheartedly 

agree with what I'm about to say.

There's a developing problem among kids today

no.

stop.

it's just a problem

this whole ENTITLEMENT thing has gotten out of hand

it's an issue with my own children and YOURS

Yes, I can say that. I'm a teacher, and I'm with your kids all day. 

And if you're honest, so will you.

And I'm totally contributing to the problem. And it needs to stop.

NOW.

no, seriously.

RIGHT NOW.

hear me out

I've noticed that I don't get asked for anything anymore.

Ok, that's a lie. I get questions all throughout the day. 

I get questions like "do you know what movie I saw?", or "where should I put this bug I just found?"

What I DON'T get asked is...

"Can I have something to eat?"

"Can you open this for me?"

"Can I have a drink of water?"

"Can I have a blanket?"

nope, I just get told.

"I'm hungry"

"I can't do this"

"I'm thirsty"

"I'm cold"

And the worst part is I'm responding to the problem, without being asked to fix it

I've been teaching my children, and yours, that if they just tell me their problem I will fix it.

They don't have to ask for help, they just have to speak their issue and it will be taken care of.

And the kicker is that when I've prompted them to actually ask something.

They look at me completely confused and then slowly repeat "I'---M   T---H---I---R---S---T---Y--?"

We've taught our children that to ASK A QUESTION, does not mean to literally ASK A QUESTION

Asking for help has become a rare art form in my opinion

I don't see it often

and when I do, its absolutely beautiful

makes me want to stop and take a moment of silence to appreciate the rarity

Now, I'm not saying that we can tackle this whole entitlement thing 

by just teaching them the Art of Asking.

But it's definitely a step in the right direction. 

So parents,

teachers,

grandparents,

aunts,

uncles,

neighbors,

strangers on the street,

help a sister out and teach the kids around you what the Art of Asking is.

For my sake,

your sake,

and their sake.

Let's teach that asking a questions actually means ASKING A QUESTION.

Ok, I'm done.

More pictures of my cute kids and happy stories to come next week.

Home is where my heart is

If there's anything that working these last two years has taught me

its that home is where my heart is. 

i took a break from working in June, and 24/7 time with my family 

these few months has been absolute medicine to my soul.

having energy to clean my house has lowered my stress level.

cooking fresh meals with spices that have been sitting 

in my spice rack for two years has been rejuvenating.

and spending extra time on pinterest-y projects has been complete therapy

Jason graduated in May and we had some special guests fly in for the occasion 

 

Mother's Day was the same weekend as graduation, which gave me a chance to celebrate with my 

mommy for the first time in about nine years. It felt special.

but that week may also have been one of the most stressful in my life

have you ever popped a blood vessel? 

Well I have

between graduating, work, company, and job interviews for both Jason and myself, my lovely eye 

decided it had enough. No pictures...You're very very welcome

it was a bloody ugly mess

the eye-opening experience, that only confirmed I had reached my limit

It took about four weeks to heal, just in time for my last day of work and my baby's last day of school

I can't believe how grown she is now

First Grade

she now knows what that means

D-D-D- Dishes

Can I get an applause from all the mamas!

The proud privilege feeling wore off pretty quickly for her

But she bounced back with some sports therapy

The Lord has richly blessed us. So many ways I can't even count. 

Jason and I both got new jobs, so we'll be extending our stay in this beautiful 

state and are apart of a wonderful new church body in the area. Jason's pastoring again, 

and I'll be back at teaching in the Fall. But this time it will be as a 2/3rd grade teacher. 

We are all excited. Haley and Aidan will both be joining me at their new school, 

which is a two-year prayer answered. 

Lord you are AMAZING!

Much of the future still feels unknown, but one thing that feels sure is the Lord's hand over it all

Looking back, these last two years turned out completely different than what I originally thought

but I wouldn't go back and change a thing

The Lord has used everything for our good

even the hard things

especially the hard things

Home may be where my heart is

but in His grace is where my heart finds rest

Thirty words for thirty pictures

Fall

Yipee

BFFs

Staged

OMSI

Cozy

Savior

Winter

Airport

Christmas

Cousins

Jumping

Bestie

Accessorizing

Strolling

Twirling

Positions

Waiting

Sledding

Happy

Sad

Dating

Baking

Raining

Giggling

Conquering

Coasting

Peaceful

Birthday

Thirty!

pictures don't always speak a thousand words

Haley woke me up at 3:30 am with a poopy diaper

potty training sucks

but it gave me an opportunity to blog before I head off to work at 5:50 am

also, I'm taking a nap today

JULY

 she loves picking blueberries

she loves eating blueberries

we all love movies in the park

AUGUST

she loves heels, like a lot

Haley turned 3, and grandparents treated us to Disneyland for her birthday

we talked with Mulan

and ate breakfast with Goofy

IT WAS AMAZING

we finally crossed Seattle off our Northwest Bucket list

SEPTEMBER

September was a big deal

I cried a lot

and she's the most beautiful Kindergartner I ever saw

OCTOBER

this handsome man turned 30-something

it was a good day

I got these boots at a clothing swap

they have changed my life

p.s. every church needs to have a clothing swap

I love this man, and I'm so thankful to be on this adventure with him

we scored tickets to Disney on Ice

It was a blast!

p.s. I paid $5 for that Mulan dress at Goodwill

I love Goodwill

NOVEMBER

this kid turned 6

and has a loose tooth

and accepted Jesus

Its been a great time of celebrating!

However, these pictures don't always speak a thousand words

the truth is, this last year has been filled with many tears

many doubts

much humbling

and quite a bit of discouragement

which is why I am so thankful that God is faithful, even though we are not

Our future home is still very much a question mark...for us

but not for the Lord, which is what we attempt to remind ourselves daily

but I still get very scared

we need prayer...lots of it

That's all I'll say about it for now, because its 6:00 am and I'm at work now

P.s. Daylight saving is my friend

God is so sweet and merciful

And I am so undeserving of His grace

Truth for the ages