From Z to A

I have some very creative, "think out side of the box" kind of kids. This can be so much fun, and very thought provoking all at the same time.

Recently Katie asked me an interesting question. One that I think few people have asked. And I remember as a kid wondering the same thing. What is that question? She asked why the alphabet has to be A to Z. Why can't B come before A and Why is Z always last?

Then just this morning Eli wanted me to read his book from the end to the beginning. So we did. It was fun and he noticed things at the end of the book he'd never noticed before. I guess because he was fresh enough to pay attention and not tired of hearing the book go on and on.

This has gotten me thinking about other things. Why is it only OK to eat cereal for breakfast and not for dinner? Why do we read the Bible Genesis to Revelation instead of the other way around? Why do we work in the morning and relax in the evening?

Well, I think I came up with an answer. Besides the basic one of "because that's what we do"! We do things in order because it helps us remember what is important. We do things in order because it helps us to communicate with each other. But most importantly we do things in order because our God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). We are created to be like Him (Genesis 1:27)If we are created in His image and if He is an organized, chaos-free individual we should strive to be as well.

However, God is also creative. So be creative and enjoy reading Revelation first. It puts the rest of the story in the right perspective! (And Eli's book was an alphabet book. Fun reading from Z to A!)

Italian Renaissance in My Kitchen

The other day my kids were getting antsy having been stuck in the house all day. I needed to make some dinner and give them something to do. So I told them we were going to Italy. They needed to ride the gondola to the kitchen and then paint fresco's and then enjoy a hot Italian meal. They slid on their socked feet around the hall pretending to push those poles the gondola drivers use. Then I put some construction paper on the walls and gave them color crayons and pencils for them to work. It kept them busy while I made spaghetti. As we ate they talked about their artwork and we talked about Leonardo Di Vinci. It was so fun and the kids learned without even knowing it.

Stanford Museum

On Saturday we discovered another amazing deal. The Leland Stanford Junior Museum on the Stanford University campus is FREE. Yes, I said free. What's amazing is it's full of beautiful pieces of art. They have statues galore and paintings. Upstairs they had modern art and Egyptian art and other stuff. We didn't see all the pieces because a little goes a long way for a two year old. He almost knocked down one sculpture. But since it's free we didn't mind because we can go back as much as we want.
I am yet again amazed at the things available when you are on a budget. There is no excuse for not trying to bring culture into your kids life. And as my kids get older we can share this beautiful art and learn from it!

Family fun in Los Altos

I am a frugal kind of gal. I love having fun times with my family that costs little to nothing. Well, that's just what we did on Saturday. And get this, it was right here in Los Altos.
After breakfast at Coco's in Sunnyvale (cost about $15 for all 4 of us!) we went to Los Altos. I love the Los Altos Library and wanted to show it to Rick. So we went over there and found they had a FREE museum about the beginnings of Los Altos. It was fascinating how a whole town sprung up from nothing but a trail station and some old farms. Upstairs in this museum is an interactive section. The kids played with the model train set up to look like Los Altos in 1932. They climbed the horse saddle and played with toy apricots like they were in the packing house. There was a house set up with music playing as if we were in a house in 1932 in Los Altos, California. It was amazing. Now I know what you're thinking. It's free, you couldn't have spent too much time there. You're wrong. We were there for almost an hour before Rick and I made the kids leave. As we were leaving Katie asked when she gets to come back. SCORE!
After that we went to the library. Katie loves to pick out books and borrow them. She got 3 that day. We lost Rick for about 20 minutes as he lost himself in the rows and rows of books. Our friend Jack took Eli to "run" him since he was getting tired and grumpy.
Then we went to the car. Rick and I thought it was a successful day and were ready to go home when the kids spotted the play ground. So off we went to play for about another 45 minutes. All in all we spent over two and a half hours at the Los Altos Public Library complex. Family Fun indeed.
Oh, but that's not all. As we were driving out of the parking lot Rick decided to just explore Downtown Los Altos a bit. When the kids saw the Jamba Juice they begged. So we parked and walked the main street of old Los Altos. We explored a teacher supply/toy store. We saw lots of restaurants we have on our "date night" list. And had an enjoyable time.
It's amazing how you can find fun things to do and stay on a budget if you try. What amazing things does your city have to do?

Luke 19

Yesterday at church our Pastor spoke on Luke 19. We were admonished to think about how we're to spend out time while Jesus prepares a place for us. It got me thinking about my own life. I am "just a housewife and mom" how am I impacting the world for his kingdom. Am I thinking about Him as I go about my tasks or am I just thinking of the task at hand. Later that day Katie and I went to the store to buy junk food and I specifically went to "my" checker. We reminded each other that Jesus is still in control and I went on out of the store. Katie asked who he was and how long have we been friends. This stopped me in my tracks. Here I am a "housewife and mom" but I just ministered to the checker who is busy on a Sunday afternoon. But more importantly I showed my daughter that we can praise God and glorify His kingdom in a grocery store. I guess a mom and wife can use the everyday talents, such as buying groceries, to further His kingdom until Jesus returns. So how are you using your time, gifts and talents to serve the Lord today?