Book Review: Lord Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room

This is an embarassing confession, but I rarely read books. Not counting reading books to the kids, I really haven't read anything since it was required reading in college, and even then I probably skimmed most of the material. And I was an English major. Doubly embarassing. I read blogs and things online, and have read a few books in bible study, but it's been a long time since I read something just for fun and just for me.

I regularly read the Mommy Life blog by Barbara Curtis and in January she assigned her readers to read the classic Animal Farm and she would lead a discussion. I thought I'd try it, since we have a copy of Animal Farm and it's a very short book. I loved it. All I wanted to do was read Animal Farm and all I could think of was the pigs and the old dog and the hardworking horse. Of course it's satire and many parallels can be drawn between what Orwell was satirising and the current American government. After that, I felt a love of reading I hadn't felt in a long time.

So I read Barbara Curtis' book Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room and I'm glad I did. It's another short read, and very relevant to someone in my position as a mom to young kids. Among the big ideas in this book, one is that in a mother's life there may not be a lot of time alone doing bible study, there are always interruptions like a screaming baby, a needy toddler, laundry, dishes or dinner to be made. It's a good thing the Lord meets us where we are and sometimes it might be in the laundry room while doing the 18th load of laundry. From page 24, "When I turn my thoughts to God, loading the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, getting up to nurse the baby at night, even changing a diaper can be a prayer. And as I turn my thoughts to Him, I pray for all the mommies like me who are too busy wiping peanut butter and jelly off little faces and kissing owies to maintain the practice of what the less encumbered call quiet time." Since reading this, it's made me look at my daily tasks different and thank God for them. I am thankful I have loads and loads of laundry to do, because it means my house has growing children who have the energy to get dirty while they're playing. This doesn't mean I have an excuse for not doing "quiet time." I spend way too much wasted time on the computer and watching TV, when I should be deepening my relationship with Jesus. 

Barbara also tells her story of how Jesus worked in her life, through her wild young adulthood as a political leftist, to a single mom with two daughters, to a recovering alcoholic. She married her husband Tripp and together they came to Jesus and she learned how to be a good mother (in her words, page 42). Later they had 7 children together, one with Down Syndrome, and adopted three more with DS. She discusses a bit about having so many children and how it's very similar to being a CEO, running a small company and being organized. She also relates the blessing of having a large family. From page 66-67, "Sometimes the amazement [of people upon finding out their family size] is respectful, but sometimes it hurts, as when people say things like, 'I don't know how you do it. My two are enough to drive me crazy.' It's embrassing to hear another mother say this in front of her children--and mine. I was to grab her hand and say, 'Stop! Think! That's not the way it's supposed to be! These children are our treasures!" She then references Psalm 127 which calls children a heritage from the Lord. 

Upon reading this, I was quite convicted about my comments about Caley and Amelia. Life with these girls is difficult at times, but probably more because I am stubborn, selfish, and don't want to be inconvenienced by their legitimate needs as children. I need to be more cautious with what I say, especially when they are around. Actually, I need to be more cautious about everything I say, whether or not it's about my children! I too often speak without thinking. 

The last chapter of the book is about her child with a "little extra," Jonny. Jonny has Down Syndrome. She writes that among the difficulties associated with having a child with Down syndrome, there are many unexpected joys and rewards! After having Jonny, Barbara birthed her last child, Maddy, and years later adopted three more boys with Down Syndrome. Wow! This is a huge reason why I admire Barbara as a mother, Christian, author, and advocate. On page 124 she writes, "What will be your little extra? It might not be a baby with Down syndrome, but surely as you continue your spiritual journey, God will drop something in your lap or whisper something in your heart that will give you the opportunity to grow and change, to enlarge your capacity to love, to teach you compassion, and to depend on Him and love Him more. "

What will be my/our little extra? When I am 90 and look back on my life, what will I see that helped me learn more about God's love for me and plan for my life? I'm guessing it'll be something I can't fathom right now, because as much as I'd like to be in control, I'm not. God is.

I highly recommend this book and Barbara's blog in general. Thank you!

Feeling Blissful

Aside from the occasional meltdown by one of the kids, I love life right now. God is so gracious. Right now I'm listening to beautiful piano music, the kids are napping after a wonderful playgroup morning of learning about Jesus and doing a fun project, and right before naptime they were sitting nicely while I did some chores. I love the friends God has placed in my life right now. I love the blessing of getting to stay home with my children and work on little projects here and there. I love that my husband loves me and works hard to support our family, and comes home to play and love on our kids. I love the blessing of a sunny day after months and months of snotty, cold weather.

Things will change, and if I think about those changes too much I get a little freaked out. I hope though I will always remember this feeling of bliss and blessing. Thank you Jesus.

Easter Baskets

When I was a kid I loved Easter. My parents went all out filling our Easter baskets with goodies. Toys, books, stuffed animals, and of course, CANDY!! I was a candy junkie. My brother and I would get up and find the basket and just chow down. Then of course there was the Easter egg hunt, which produced even more candy. I was a candy hoarder (was? to some extent I still am). I would hoard the candy from Easter and make it last until Halloween when the basket would get refilled. I distinctly remember hiding my stash o' candy in the closet and creeping in to get some. I also have a distinct memory of one Easter at the cabin in Hoodsport. I was in 8th or 9th grade, and I remember doing the Easter egg hunt in my jammies from Indonesia. After Easter basket and candy fest, we'd pack up and go to church. It was always so beautiful at church, with the pretty daffodils and lilies decorating the stage and windowsills. Sometimes we'd head to Grandma's for Easter dinner or have dinner with my Grandpa Floyd and Grandma Harriet at our house.

The last few years, I haven't been overly excited about Easter, at least in the same way I was as a child. I just looked around my house and I don't have any Easter decorations up. None. (Unless you count the gingerbread house we made last week that's been picked over, that's one.) We didn't put together Easter baskets for the girls, but they got some things from Great Grandma Ev and Nana and Grama Bales. Caley's playgroup is learning about Easter and the events leading up to it, but beyond that, I haven't done much. Someone told me about a "tomb cake" that teaches about Jesus' Resurrection. Cook a chocolate cake in a bowl and cut out a door and put a piece of cloth inside to show that Jesus came back to life. It sounds like a wonderful idea, it just didn't happen last week during Holy Week.

**I'd like to add that we did this yesterday, and it was a massive tomb cake fail...it didn't cook long enough and when we cut out the door to put Jesus inside (all wrapped up like He was in the story), hot chocolate goo came pouring out. Parts of it were cooked enough, so we just shoved Jesus inside (He got all gooey), acted out the story, and the girls ate the cake afterward. Peter the dinosaur disciple and Princess Atta and Ariel the mermaid (playing the women who went to Jesus' tomb) looked on. Caley understood the story, which is the point, not that it was necessarily pretty. Read more on Caley's Classroom blog asap.**

Caley knows the story of Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection. It's something she learns all the time, at church, at home, and when she hits her sister. She often says, "Jesus died so we don't die." When she sins (and when I sin) it's a perfect time to teach "The Easter Story." If you learn one thing about Jesus, it should be the Easter story. I would feel guilty about not devoting this entire week to Easter-related stories and activities, but we kind of do that anyway. It shouldn't be a special thing to learn what Jesus did for us, we should always be learning about it and contemplating it.

I'm not against Easter baskets, or candy, or bunnies or eggs. I'm not against doing fun things to illustrate Jesus' miracles or holidays we celebrate. But sometimes Mommy doesn't do things quite on time or the way everyone else does, but if the point is still Jesus then that's okay.

We celebrated Easter this year by going to church and hearing about Jesus, hearing testimonies of lives changed because of Him and seeing people baptized. Mars Hill also had streaming services live from the Ballard campus. We watched some baptisms when we got home and Caley asked, "what is baptism?" She saw a little girl about 5 years old get baptized. What an impact for her! I look forward to the Easter Sunday (or any day) that our girls will profess their faith in Jesus and be baptized by Daddy.

Happy Easter!

It's Amelia's turn to pray!

A few nights ago before dinner, Amelia prayed for us.

"Jesus, Amen. Yay!! (clapping)"

Lord, I am thankful for messy hands

A few nights ago was "bath night." It is often a struggle giving the girls a bath, because they freak out when I wash their hair, so it doesn't happen as often as it should. Actually, before Tuesday night's bath I can't remember the last time they had one. It was probably when my parents were here a few weeks ago. Does that make me a bad mother? I hope not. They're generally pretty clean because we usually don't let them jump in mud puddles or garbage and I have a system for cleaning the house each week. That and they're related to Bill who's a pretty clean guy so maybe they inherited it. I told my friend with 4 kids that if we ever had a boy I think he'd be pretty clean like Bill. To which she replied, "good luck with that." I think the "clean" days in this house are numbered.

Anyway...during the bath and afterward Amelia just wouldn't cooperate. From splashing and drinking the bathwater, to wiggling uncontrollably while getting dressed, to fighting getting her teeth brushed (I actually had to pin down her arms so I could brush her teeth). Sometimes when the girls are obstinate like this it can make me so angry and I can get really harsh with them. But on bath night, all I could do was smile and thank God that I even have children. I know many years from now I will wish I could still help them with the daily tasks, and many more years after that I will wish they even lived in the same house as me. It's very hard for me to remember this sometimes, when the chore list gets longer with each day and my day isn't going the way I want it. Then it sets that I'm just making it harder on myself because I'm acting selfishly. 

Please Lord, remind me of this feeling of thankfulness. Thank you for giving me a family to care for and dirt on the floor to sweep up. 

I love this poem, my friend Melody posted it on her blog a while ago and it's too good not to pass on.

I heard my Mom say as she scrubbed today,

"I'm thankful for brushes and brooms,

I'm glad to clean my cozy house

That's filled with cheerful rooms."

I heard my Mom say at the washing machine,

"I'm thankful for dirty clothes.

I'm glad that I have a healthy child

Who can play each day he grows."

I heard my Mom say at the sink tonight,

"I'm thankful for dirty dishes.

I'm glad we filled our plates with food

Instead of empty wishes.:

I heard Mom say in her prayers tonight,

"I'm thankful for problems today.

If life never got a little bit rough,

I might forget to pray."

~V. Gilbert Beers

"Precious Moments"

Preschool Crafts

This quarter I have been working Wednesday nights at church in the preschool class. Parents are in classes or Redemption Groups so the kids are in "Kids Kore." It's one of the highlights of my week. It is very tiring at the end of a long day, but I love seeing the kids learn about Jesus and love Him more. I also love Wednesday nights because Caley is in the preschool class, and it's fun to see her playing with other kids in that setting. 

We are doing the Big Book curriculum, which is basically a Bible story a week told through a big storybook. Then we play some games to help the kids learn the story and do a craft. I've been planning and preparing the crafts this quarter, which is really fun for me. There has been the occasional week I can't think of a craft or run out of time to prepare, but the good thing about preschoolers is that they're easily amused. In a pinch, shaving cream, playdough, or just coloring is a good activity. They especially like playing group games like "Lost Little Sheep" which the class assistant Janessa does with them, or just running around pretending to be a dinosaur. It gets really loud in class sometimes. But that's bound to happen with 15 kids in a room at 830 at night.

Here are the crafts we've done. Most of these crafts I got from the internet and tweaked a bit.

Story of Abraham and Sarah
Noah and the Ark
Joshua and the Wall of Jericho- baked dough bricks (salt, flour, water) with playdough as the mortar
On left- Daniel in the lion's den; On right- Moses in the bulrushes (egg carton cup for basket, piece of felt, tiny baby inside)

Jonah and the big fish

Can you tell I like using paper plates? They're not just for eating! 

Encouragement

For some reason when I woke up this morning, I felt convicted that I don't share my faith in Jesus "enough." I was hearing lies such as, "You aren't working hard enough; your kids don't know how to talk to people about Jesus; you need to do more." 

Then at breakfast, without any prompting from me, Caley turned to Amelia and said, "Once upon a time, Jesus died on the cross. And the bad guys did bad things to him and then he rose from the dead!"

Thanks for the encouragement Caley. :) I know there is always more to be done, but I'm glad you know the basics and aren't afraid to share them. Thank you Lord for your amazing timing.

Happy Birthday Big Girl!!

Today Caley is 4 years old. Happy Birthday Caleyboo! We love you so much! Thanks for making the last year memorable.

Things I Love

Running in the rain.
Coming home from running in the rain to a warm, clean house that smells like what I made for dinner.
When my house smells like meatloaf from this recipe.
When the kids sleep in.
When the kids sleep in and I get a few hours in the morning to blog.
Watching Friends.

Seeing my friends after a few weeks of not seeing them.
Playing with the kids in the children's ministry.
Watching Caley play with her friends in the preschool class at church.

When it rains.

When it's sunny and breezy.

Snuggling with my girls when they're not feeling too good.

Snuggling with Billy.

Listening to the girls play. Nicely.

Sunday naps.

Jesus, for all these wonderful things in my life.

Merry Christmas from the Gerlachs! We are spending the holiday in Lynden with Bill's family. We thankfully made it through the snow and ice and it's a White Christmas here. It's still snowing!! The kids are having a blast playing with their cousins, and Bill is having some quality snuggle time with Matt.

Thank you Jesus for car chains, 4-wheel drive, and loving family. Today and always we remember the humble way you came to the world, even though you are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Happy Birthday too to David and Papa Bales! We love you and miss you today.

Did you know...

that the letters in the word "THANKSGIVING" can spell 

Hate your sin, the way God hates sin and loves righteousness. That's a good place to start. If we hate sin like God does, we will begin to understand the magnitude and necessity of Jesus' sacrifice.

Hebrews 1:9 "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Chronicles 16:34- Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever!

We are celebrating today with the Bales/Runyan side of our family. Yummy food, great family, it's been a wonderful day. We hope everyone is having a yummy, restful, and thankful day!

Thanks be to Jesus for life, family, food, and all our other blessings! We are so thankful for our friends and family that Jesus has placed in our lives. We deeply enjoy where God has placed us at this time in our lives.

Thank you Jesus.

Aside from Jesus, here's what I'm (Addie) thankful for:

Down Syndrome Babies are Loved and Wanted

Contrary to what the statistics tell us about the abortion rates of down syndrome babies, there are over 200 families on the waiting list for adopting a child born with Down Syndrome. A recent Washington Post article featuring Barbara Curtis and her family, whom I've referenced before and whose blog widget is to the right, profiles their journey to adopting three children with Down Syndrome. Read it.

Election Day

Not a big surprise, but today is Election Day. And in the last few days the feeling in the Gerlach house hold has been hopeful, prayerful, and sometimes despairing when thinking about what may happen depending on the outcome of the election. One thing remains though. JESUS will still be our Lord and Savior regardless of whom is elected to president, governor, or commissioner of public lands. 

This video by John Piper says it beautifully. As Christians we shouldn't be so consumed in politics because this world isn't our home. We have a foot on earth and a foot in heaven. None of this human nonsense is a big surprise to God because He's seen it before and He'll see it again. It's not whether our country is in good economic times, as Piper says in this video, more people may turn to Jesus when we are in bad economic times.

 

[This does not excuse supporting a candidate who supports the killing of innocent children in utero (or newly born), but to be fair, both McCain and Obama support abortion (to varying degrees) and I voted for McCain. Choose the lesser of the two evils I guess. (Governor Palin does not support any form of abortion for any reason and I think that's the way it should be.)]

 

Our identity is not in whom we vote for, but in the God we worship. And the Gerlach house worships Jesus.

To God be the Glory, Forever and Ever, AMEN!

 

And if Obama gets elected, I'll be praying hard that the true Jesus grabs hold of him so our country can see TRUE CHANGE.

Don't waste your life

Listen to what John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, has to say:
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

P.S.

I always regret what I write on this blog, to some degree. It's a lot easier to just not say anything, or stay so neutral that no one can criticize me or my family. Maybe this is stupid, but maybe there's some truth as well.

I've been thinking about the post I wrote regarding abortion and children with special needs. This is an important topic, but one in which I don't have first-hand experience. It's like before I had kids I had all these theories about how to raise them, how to deal with problem behavior, and how I was going to be as a parent. Then I actually became a parent and those theories went out the window because it was harder than I originally thought.

By the grace of God I have never been put into the situation of considering abortion. Nor have I been in the situation of parenting a child with special needs. So my previous post regarding such situations is just theory. I do believe that if abortion were made illegal, if Rowe v. Wade were overturned, and if certain politicians were in power in the U.S., abortion would be less accessible and millions of lives would be saved. Abortion is so rampant in our country (and worldwide) because it is so accessible, and sadly, so profitable for many people. So, I stand by my previous post, but with the understanding that our God is forgiving. None of this in our world is a surprise to God, and He can changes things intended for bad into good (Genesis 50:20). So if you read that post and you've had an abortion, or know someone who has, know that Jesus loves you, Jesus died for your sins and he can forgive you. My intent was not judgement, but awareness about how this election is a chance to change. My heart deeply mourns for anyone who has had to face the option of abortion, it's not a situation I would wish upon anyone. I apologize if the previous post came off judgemental "holier than thou"-ish. Maybe you already know this, but my "post regret" was kicking in and I felt the need to clarify.

Thanks readers, whoever you may be.

Pray for Oprah!

Okay, that's a weird title, but it's true! We should pray for Oprah, that she would see the real truth about Jesus. Oprah calls herself a Christian, but is mistaken about who the real Christ is, what He did and why he did it. She does not believe that Jesus came to die for our sins because we needed him to, but that he came as an example for us. She is, in essence, the pastor of one of the largest churches in America! So many people follow her and her beliefs. I occasionally watch her show, and am in no way saying people shouldn't, but it makes me sad watching it, because she is so lost and needs Jesus just as much as the next person. My women's bible study was discussing this lately, and how cool would it be if Oprah followed Christ and all of her loyal followers in turn did the same. She has so much power in the media, and people really listen to her. It's not an unreasonable request--look at what Jesus did to Paul who was like the Oprah of his time. Saul became Paul, maybe Oprah can be Orpah, her original name? Maybe that's a stretch but it'd still be cool.
On a similar note, how awesome would it be if we all prayed for people in power, like actors, newscasters, presidential candidates regardless of party affiliation? Nothing is going to change in the world, there will be sin until Jesus returns, but it can't hurt to pray to help more people see and know Jesus!

A few years ago when the tv show Friends was winding down, I wondered how it would end. The series is my favorite sitcom, but it's bittersweet because the six Friends are non-believers and the storylines aren't righteous and God-honoring. Monica and Chandler live together before marriage, Rachel and Ross have a child outside marriage, there's a lesbian wedding...not that if people do these things they can't be believers and God can't work in their life, I'm just saying that this is not what I want to model my life after because Christ isn't their focus. But how amazing would it have been if toward the end of the series the writers had come to know Jesus and began writing the characters in that light? If Rachel and Ross had come to know Jesus and gotten married, if Monica and Chandler had turned to Christ, if Phoebe and Joey had done the same and began living their lives the way Christ had lived His? When the final episode of Friends aired, I held out hope that this would be the way they'd go, but I was wrong. But...what if? Sometimes when watching Friends for the bajillionth time while I'm making dinner I feel burdened to pray for this actors and others involved. They are God's children too and He loves them.

Just a thought, can't hurt right?
Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God."

7 Years

As of today, Bill and I have been an official couple for seven years. Seven years ago I was all of 19 years old, a freshman in college and totally unaware of what God had planned for my life. Saying yes to Bill's question, written in magnetic poetry, "Will you go out with me" was the best decision ever.

This past weekend was great. Saturday we went skiing at Snoqualmie with some friends, and my dear friend Karina watched the kids all day. I love skiing, and had forgotten how much fun it is. We haven't been skiiing in 3 years, since a time before kids and all this stuff called life and parenthood. The whole day was like a much-needed and hopefully deserved sabbath for us. We got caught in traffic on the way home and I didn't even really mind because it meant more time away from reality. We picked up the kids and Caley fell asleep on the drive home and went straight to bed. We cooked some pizza, watched TV, and then took a hot tub. It was a nearly perfect day.

Sunday was Easter. At church there were some baptisms and an awesome message. There were also "spontaneous" baptisms for people who just felt the Spirit calling them to it, and our friends Rachael and Anson got baptized. That was amazing too, just seeing Jesus work so wonderfully.

Seven years ago I had a rough plan of my life, and to be honest it didn't look like this. But the way it's worked out is so much better than I ever could have planned. Maybe I should just stop planning in general because God probably would do a better job anyway.

Jeremiah 29:11

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "

My favorite things

Here are some things I think are really neat, maybe you might like them too.

-America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook- yummy recipes
-Baby Mum Mum- biscuits for the beginning eater, hardly any mess! I found them at Fred Meyer
-The library- all those books, cds and dvds for free!
-Ovusoft/Taking Charge of Your Fertility- goodbye hormones, hello understanding my body!
-Podrunner- change those workouts
and most of all
Jesus!

Croci

Thursdays are one of my favorites days because we have playgroup and sometimes I get a sitter in the afternoon for some "time off." Today was great, we went to a playgroup field trip, got some yummy lunch, then the girls went to the sitter and I got to go running. It was a beautiful day, I rocked out to my Podrunner music and ran hard. Along the road I saw some beautiful purple crocuses (or is it croci?) and it was a wonderful reminder that winter is on it's way out and the days will soon be getting longer and warmer. The changing of the seasons is such a wonderful time, such a beautiful reminder of God's glory and love for us. I love the winter because snow is fun and the holidays are great, but it's such a relief to not have to always have the heat on and wear eight layers of clothing.

Thank you Jesus for the sun, that it warms us and lets flowers grow and add color to a cold world.