Safety First

Gannon wanted to make sure he was safe. So he put on his seatbelt.....

And now for something completely different....

My kids normally take gymnastics.  They normally take them on Thursday nights if you remember from the "almost" post.  J&R Gymnastics has a great program for kinder (Siri's class) and for boys only (Gannon's class).  They were doing really well with it!  They liked their coaches, they like learning the skills....

...but the I listed to a sermon Pastor Zak.  DARN BIBLICAL TRUTHS!  He said that their family enjoys family time instead of extra curricular activities....and then I started thinking.  Anyone who knows me knows that is a dangerous thing.

I started noticing some patterns between Gordon and my tendency to be work-a-holics and our kids activities.  I saw gymnastics as our only extracurricular activity, but looking deeper into things, thats not the truth.  They go to church with Gordon and I two days a week to volunteer, they have school, playdates, homework, chores at home, summer vacations and more I'm sure I'm forgetting!

MY KIDS ARE OVERBOOKED!  

So I googled "are extracurricular activities bad?"

Here's what I found:

NO, they aren't, but too many are.  Check out this page from Psychology Today and tell me what you 
think. Here are a few snippits to get you started:

"Time to Play in a Natural, Creative Way
Unstructured play allows children to pursue their interests, express their personalities and learn how to structure their time. Play is the natural mode of learning for young children, but when their lives are dominated by adult-organized activities, there may be little time left to just be kids.

Family Relationships
Children need downtime with parents -- time to relax, talk, read, play games and just hang out. Families that are constantly running from one extracurricular activity to the next have little opportunity for these experiences. 

Why do we push so hard?
The truth is, most parents have good intentions. They enroll their children in activities because they want them to have a rich, happy childhood. They sacrifice their own time to make sure their children are at practices and competitions. Of course, these parents love their children, and the last thing they would want is for them to feel stressed."



Long story short, we quit gymnastics. I would LOVE to hear what you think about this, so leave comments. I know for us, roasting marshmallows and making S'Mores in the driveway beats gymnastics!

God, The Ocean, and Gannon

This weekend, I had the privilege to take my oldest daughter, Alia, to Corpus for the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay.

We had a BLAST.  We ran the 6th leg, which is the last to start.  That being, we had some extra time at the condo in the morning before we had to be at our start point.  We were standing on the balcony in the early morning, watching and listening to the ocean as the sun was starting to peak over the waves.  There is something really amazing about the ocean, isn't there?  It commands respect with its huge and awesome power.   I was telling Alia that one of my favorite memories of the ocean  is from when we lived in California.  Gannon was about 2 and his favorite word was "Alrighty!"  Don't ask me where he got it, but that is what he responded to every question.  Anyways, I started thinking that God gave us the ocean because we have a hard time fathoming how huge it is, how deep and powerful, and He is even bigger than THAT!  What a comparison! 

Well, our family took a trip to the coast.  We camped a lot, and a trip to the beach was involved every single time.  Gordon took this video of Gannon, and I think it completely encompasses what we should feel for God...JOY, overwhelming Joy, but a healthy fear and respect.  It just blows my mind that God gives us parallels like this. 

 Ladies and Gents, I give you Gannon and the Ocean...

From the husband perspective...

This weekend I was in Corpus for a run with my oldest and some friends.  While I was gone, Gordon was in charge of the three little ones.  This is a quick piece that he encountered with Siri.  Hey, got to mix things up occasionally....

"Was laying on the sidewalk looking at the moon with Siri. She gets up and asks "dad, do you need help getting up"? So, of course, I say yes expecting to engage in the ever fun game of trying to pull dad up. 

Instead, she says "ok, just watch me dad", and then proceeds to lay back down and give me a step by step tutorial on how to get up! 

You can give a man a fish...."

Almost

There is an epidemic in our house. It started out as an occasional occurrence, but the roots took hold and it has sprung into a terrible over grown garden of the "Almost".  Some families have outbreaks of "just a sec" or "hold on", but our people grew the "Almost".  The "almost "can apply to any number of situations ie: my room is "almost " clean, my  chores are "almost" done, I'm "almost" finished with my homework...You can apply it to whatever you like really.  When the question is posed to one of the minions in our home "is your -fill in the blank- done", it is with near certainty the answer will be, you guessed it,  "almost".
This ambiguity to completion has served the kids well, but has worn on me for some time.   I try my hardest to teach pride in ownership,  good stewardship,  investment in the family unit,  and it really feels as if the "almost" is poisoning those values!!!! Ugh!!!!!!
I tried everything to destroy the "almost".  I tried counting back from 5, I tried time outs,  I tried talks about the things God expects of us through obedience and honor.   I guess I could say it "almost" worked.
Despiration.  The "almost" was winning.   Any of you mommies know that despirate, beaten down mommies are some of the most creative,  tenacious people in the world.   Tell a mommy it can't be done.   I dare you.   So I revved the engines of my creativity. 
It was a Thursday when the solution occurred to me.  
Thursday is gymnastics day.   Kids come home from school,  "almost" get their homework and chores done,  dress for their event and load up in the van for a  Chick-Fil-A dinner before gymnastics.   It is the highlight of the week!  Chick-Fil-A is a mecca of fast food for the Koenig kids.   Chicken nuggets, waffle fries and chocolate milk will line the streets of Heaven in their mind.
So we go through our home routine.  Everything is "almost" done when we leave the house.  So we drive.  We drive the 20 minutes it takes to get to Chick-Fil-A.  We wait anxiously to pull into the parking lot.  We turn in and drive to the back of the parking lot where we exit and drive to the gymnastics studio.  Horror errupts in thr van  "You Missed It!" the little voices cry,  "Mommy, you didn't stop!"  They are distraught.  Poor things.  I finally decide an  explination is deserved. 
"Wasn't that fun guys????" I enthusiastically reply. 
"Wasn't WHAT fun?"  They are clearly confused. 
"Our  "almost" trip to Chick-Fil-A"....
Ahhhhhh...suddenly everything is clear.
The "almost" lost.

Matthew 9:20

Gannon has made a lot of steps towards spiritual maturity in the past few months.  Less than a year ago, he decided that "Jesus is his #1 Guy" and he wanted to be with Him in heaven.  As parents, obviously we were elated.  We prayed with him, talked to him, and then just a few weeks ago, I had the total privilege of seeing my husband baptize my son.  PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since then, the boy has been very interested in the stories in the Bible that are less familiar to him.  Today in the car, he asked if there were any stories of  "bleeders".  Before you start judging me, keep in mind he IS a 7 year old boy and blood is basically awesome, and his mom is a nurse, so we don't gross out easily.  Well, the only story I could think of was Matthew 9:20, about the woman who was bleeding for a long time and had spent all her money on being healed.  He was quiet for most of the way to school, presumably reading the story.  Nothing wrong with this.  I'm actually excited that my kid is exploring God's word!  Nothing was wrong till 7:49 am.  That is when I got the text.  The text from Gannons first grade teacher.

The entire first grade class.

Yup.

Sarcasm

You know that ecard about sarcasm?  

Yah, that one.  Well, sarcasm is the national language of the Koenig home,and Gordon and I have mastered it.  Sometime we can't tell if we are being stupid or sarcastic....

IN OUR OWN HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IN any case, we use sarcasm liberally, but we've never had to explain it to the kids because kids learn the language they are spoken to, right?  Like kids in France speak French, kids in south Texas speak TexMex, Kids in Canada speak...whatever Canadians speak, the Koenig kids speak sarcasm.  

This leads me to some awesome interaction time with Gannon.  He and I were plugging along in the car, and he was folding things he could find.  Backing up, Gannon has ADHD and Aspergers, and currently we fold everything we see.  He comes home and his homework is folded, his napkin from lunch is folded, and I recently found out he stops by the secretary at the front of the school and requests extra paper, just so he has things to fold on the bus!  

On this particular day, he took my pay check stub and folded off the perforation and was folding them into the little paper designs you make when you fold the edges of paper over themselves.  I looked over and in the language of my people I said "Good Job, Gannon!"  He stopped what he was doing and looked at me.  Now, with Aspergers, this is a BIG flippin deal.  He does not stop and he does not look, so I knew  this was going to be important.  I waited.  

"Mom, were you sarcastic?"  I didn't know he knew what it meant!  I had taken for granted for so long that we speak sarcasm that we never really explained what it was!  "How do you know that word?" I questioned him.  "I just know it," he replied.  "Do you know what that word means?"  I really wanted to know!  "Yes" he replied...

"It means when a grown up tells you 'Good Job', but you actually screwed it all up".