Monthly Archive for June, 2008
Page 2 of 3
My kids grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretty much every day of their lives between the ages of two and twelve, and maybe longer. Their father before them ate peanut butter and brown sugar sandwiches. And not just a little brown sugar sprinkled on top of the peanut butter. Oh no. It was sort of stacked up like a slab. I’m pretty sure this recipe came from his Canadian mother’s side of the family.
Now I was a skeptic at first, at least until I tried it. And I confess it is very tasty. But I never indulged in it. Just didn’t seem right. And now it’s been years since my husband has had one himself. But I am a fan of a little peanut butter and jam on toast in the morning, and many of my grandchildren are following faithfully in the tradition.
I don’t know if you have seen it, but in the freezer section of the grocery store you can find frozen PBJ’s. I kid you not. But if you are headed off somewhere, I supposed a bag of frozen PBJ’s could come in handy. But surely the homemade kind can be frozen as well. Continue reading ‘In Praise of Peanut Butter’
Where do we get this notion that being organized is next to godliness? I’m pretty sure we get it from magazines and ads in those magazines. And though they really may be great magazines full of super recipes and ideas that inspire us, they can also set us up to start laying guilt trips on ourselves. Something like this: “If I was really together, my closets would look like those featured in Martha’s Living, where stacks of sheets are tied with color-coded ribbons.” Just a little reminder here: Martha has fleets of housekeepers who wash and iron those sheets and keep them tied up with ribbons. You, on the other hand, do not.
Now I do not begrudge her. My hat’s off to her for all she has done to restore the honor due to the fine arts of domesticity. She obviously has a gift of organization, I really appreciate her creativity, and I read her magazine. But I’m just saying that my closets are not photogenic, and I don’t think I need to feel too crummy about it. Do you? Now, I do regularly try to rearrange them and tidy them up by making a run to Goodwill. But I feel pretty fantastic if all the sheets are washed and back on the beds. Ribbons? Hardly.
Christian women tend to be pretty hard on themselves in these areas of organization. I sometimes slip back into thinking that if only I could be more organized, then I would truly be holy (or rather, I would feel pretty holy). I remember telling my husband something like this years ago, and he replied with profundity: “What makes you think I would want to be married to you if you were more organized?” Now this made me think. Continue reading ‘How Organized Are Your Closets?’
Here’s a great question: Why should parents give kids a break from school/chores when Mom and Dad continue to work 24/7/365?
First of all, because they are kids. They are not yet mature enough or strong enough to be working like adults. So, we consider their frame, and we don’t bury them in year-round studies. Solomon knew this when he pointed out that “much study is wearisome to the flesh” and I assume his comment was not limited to adults.
Wise Solomon said a few other things as well: “Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: why should you destroy yourself?” Earnest Christians can overdo things in their desire to be “godly,” and this can include loading up the kids with way too many “righteous” things to do. Easy does it.
We want to be reformational in our thinking and living. We believe our theology should affect all of our living, so that means we ought to live like we believe it. Reformed types tend to over-emphasize stuffy theology and try to take shelter from living by hiding behind stacks of big fat books. Live a little. Maybe you need to take a break from your frenetic pace and take a pottery or painting class yourself. Or maybe ballroom dancing or Continue reading ‘Why Give Kids a Vacation Anyway?’
One of the vulnerable times for marriage seems to be after twenty-five years or so, just when things ought to be getting really good. And it can surprise everyone that anything could go wrong. But lots of things do go wrong right smack in the middle of what has appeared to be a solid marriage for two or three decades.
The kids have been raised, the house is emptying out, and a crisis erupts. What causes such things? After years of gradual erosion, the bank finally slides down the hill. In other words, little things have been slowly eroding the marriage, things that have not been being dealt with, and finally, when the damage has become too much to bear, something gives way.
Sometimes the couple has been through tough times together, but the result, rather than Continue reading ‘Mid-Life Marriage’
Don’t feel too sorry for us. The forecast is for sunshine and the seventies Friday and Saturday. But don’t blame us if we don’t believe it!
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