You know you are a mom of boys when…

Funny ways you remember you are a mom of boys
  1. You have rules like “No peeing on your brother in the bath tub.” 
  2. You find a matchbox car when you reach into the bag of pita chips.
  3. You distract your neighbor in conversation, so she doesn’t see your son peeing in her bushes
  4. The smell of sweaty necks and stinky feet is oddly endearing.
  5. You have to swing by Chick Fil A for a snack on the way home from dinner.
  6. You’ve actually spoken the words “New rule: you are not allowed to stick your pinky into the electric pencil sharpener”.
  7. You have way too much fun watching your kids play with a whoopie cushion.
  8. Whenever you sit on the potty, your tush gets wet.You know you are a mom of boys when...
  9. Shooting squirrels with a nerf gun is an acceptable pastime.
  10. You suggest Super Mario as a name for the pet bunny.
  11. You tell a babysitter they read better when they are upside down.
  12. The noise in the car is louder than your own thoughts.
  13. When the house is perfectly quiet, you know something big is wrong.
  14. You don’t ask about the bloody nose and scraped up knees when your son shows you his new trick on the scooter.
  15. Laying on the floor is never relaxing because there is always fear you are about to be jumped upon. “Incoming!”
  16. Your friends with just girls stare at you all with their mouths hanging open.
  17. You find his reference to “the Force” in Star Wars a brilliant parallel to the power of God.
  18. You don’t scream when your 4-year-old proudly shows you the Bb’s he drew…with the back of a hammer on your car door.
  19. When you meet a little boy, you stick out your hand…for a high 5.
  20. You have both a Lego and Star Wars font saved on your computer.
  21. You can’t imagine the day he falls in love with another woman.

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Prayers for Boston

Laura Winslow photography

Laura Winslow photography

As I watched the news coverage last night, I saw an image of a boy with his family…the boy whose life was taken at the Boston marathon. My heart sank. That photograph will never be viewed the same again. Its value is now different. I look around my home, every table covered in pictures of my family and friends, and my  eyes well with tears. What if it had been one of them? In an instant, my pictures, which are so familiar I no longer see, suddenly evoke a deep love and longing for people who are still alive. Just the thought of losing one of them arouses such tremendous emotion. So today I am humbled by the families who are living with that grief. I ask God why and what can I do. Pray  my child pray.  6678_10151853881091959_221807249_nkneel

Do you see the people you serve?

How often do we so distracted by "getting things done" that we forget to see the people we are serving? We miss the point. Read this story about just what we need to watch out for?From time to time, our family will feed the homeless with a local group. It’s a multi-church ministry where a different church is responsible for feeding and serving several hundred meals on their assigned night. They have always been very gracious letting us jump in with whatever church is serving. We have loved our evenings there.

Tonight our hearts were ready. We were all excited. It was going to be the first time my youngest joins us.

We walked him through the process as best we could. From the moment we arrived though something was different. Something was off. The 3 men and a guitar were still playing praise music. The donation tables were set up beautifully with clothes and toiletries, even a Lion King DVD. The aroma of chicken and potatoes coming from the kitchen smelled delicious. I introduced myself, explained that I had called earlier in the day to confirm we could help serve tonight, and then introduced my children to this new group of volunteers. The well dressed man was polite.

How to Fight Selfishness in our Children - when we live in a Self-Centered Culture. Why do our kids fight? What is the heart issue behind it? - the House of Hendrix

When the hungry people arrived, we each took a tray in the kitchen. A woman barked at my middle child, “I will not allow you to hold a tray! You will spill it all over the floor.” He explains he has done this before and is really careful. “No!” Hum… We make a new plan. I will carry the tray, my kids can remove the meals and serve them to the people at the tables. A few minutes later we are again reprimanded by a second volunteer who had decided that all tables must be served in a clockwise order. I respectfully smile but think “really lady?” My usually energetic children are abnormally well behaved…too behaved for my taste. I can see them deflating in front of my eyes.

Where is the joy in the room?

Isn’t that the point of the evening… to offer a small dose of encouragement to our brothers and sisters who are hungry. I hand each of my kids a tray of their own, bucking the “system” for dessert. After everybody has a sweet treat, we return the extra cookies and cakes to the serving table. A third volunteer now approaches us with deep anger, “You are NOT allowed to give them a second dessert!!” I can feel my fearful childrens’ fingers grip into my legs. My smirk though is undeniable and I’m holding back sarcastic laughter at the irony of the 50 extra uneaten desserts in front of us. I gently respond, “We actually haven’t given anybody a second dessert…yet.” She insists the weak , emaciated man in the yellow jacket had both a cupcake AND a cookie. IMG_2887At this point, I’m over it. I grab my children and we head straight for him. We sit, talk ,and pray with him over his tumor and hospitalized son, and then give him a piece of Key Lime Pie. Yup, that’s 3. My son gives him a hug and promises to keep praying for him.

There’s now a line of others with their own prayer requests. They just need somebody to ask…somebody to see them. The ten volunteers, with their backs against the wall and nothing left to do, stare at us, not sure what to make of our rebellious interaction with these hungry folks.

During the car ride home, my son says “Those people are scary!” I respond, “Oh, the man in the wheel chair and the lady without any teeth?” “No mom, they were nice. The adults who were serving.”

How often do we get so wrapped up in the order of things and controlling a situation, that we forget why we are there? Tonight, joy was lost, the opportunity for relationship diminished, and the normally energized room, smothered by rules. We get so focused on “how to serve” that we don’t see the people we are serving. I do it too. I was in the grocery store last week trying to check out. I was talking on my phone, stopping my kids from sneaking bubble gum into our basket, and trying to swipe my credit card. As we left, I realized I forgot my sunglasses and turned right back around….but I had no idea who had just checked me out. I had never made eye contact. I never saw him.

Sometimes it takes seeing something in other people to realize what you don’t like in yourself. It may be packaged differently, but I too am guilty. In the demands of my day, I don’t always see the people in front of me…including my children. Hoping tonight serves as a reminder to open my eyes to the eyes looking at me.

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