Every time I pick Beckett up from the nursery at church, I overhear the ladies saying to other moms, "She ate some of the sauteed carrots and most of the kale." or "He ate all of the zucchini and quinoa!" as I grab my son and his diaper bag that never contain the words "kale" or "zucchini". His snacks are usually made by a friend of mine, General Mills.
I was feeling some peer pressure, so last week I sent that dude with some steamed broccoli and cantaloupe. Talk about mom of the year, y'all. That is nutritious as it gets.
The only problem is steamed broccoli smells like a butt. A butt that hasn't been washed in 3 weeks and possibly had some bad chicken the night before.
Instead of receiving praise for packing my firstborn such healthful snacks, it was more like all the adults avoiding eye contact and silently blaming each other for crop-dusting in the church lobby. I mean, seriously, you could smell the broccoli in his backpack from about 10 feet away.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why eating healthy is stupid. (holds up her 3rd mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows to toast anyone listening)
While we're discussing my excellent parenting skills, let's go back a few weeks to the time he had 3 major falls in 3 days:
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If you saw us out in public and didn't call Child Protective Services, shame on you.
Advent
I've never been good at separating posts, so a lot of them go from broccoli butt to Jesus' birth within a few paragraphs. It's just how I do.
Last Christmas we studied Advent briefly in our class at church. This year, I was determined to learn more. For starters, I'm reading The Via Advent and it is so. good. It's also my first Advent book so it could really only be decent at best. We also have an
It's been really good to focus on the meaning of Christmas (whoa - there's a thought) instead of getting sucked up in the shopping frenzies. (Is now an appropriate time to reflect back on the time I dug through barf on Black Friday? Because that absolutely happened. Also, while we're on the subject, what's the deal with the blowup Christmas decorations? I saw Santa and a penguin on a Ferris wheel and a snowman holding a shotgun. I'm sorry if I was driving past your house, but...what?!)
Anyway. About Advent.
You know what's awesome about observing/playing/reading/lighting(?) Advent? It makes me long for the second Advent. Right at this moment a friend of ours is in the hospital giving birth to a baby that she will not be taking home. It makes me so grateful for the first coming of Jesus, but even more anxious for his second coming. The world is not as it should be. Babies should live. Parents should be able to afford clothes for their children. Drugs shouldn't be an option. Broccoli just shouldn't smell that bad.
It's the joy of the first Advent and anxious awaiting of the second Advent.
This Christmas/Advent season, I hope you will join me in remembering why we get out 89,951 decorations, why we buy presents, and why we celebrate. Because Christmas is the best time of year - but for a much greater reason than we usually reflect on.
While reflecting: might I suggest a playlist mix of Sojourn's "A Child is Born", Folk Angel's "Christmas Songs", and The Brilliance's "Advent, Vol. 1".
That's all. Carry on with your crazy Christmasing selves.
Cookies
Let's close with a funny video of Beckett saying cookie. He nearly pulls a muscle with that "c" sound.
...now that I've rewatched it, I realize it's not as much funny to the outside world as it is a video that only a parent will take delight in, but I'm ok with that. I'm finally beginning to own my nerdiness as a mom.
Also, it appears that he's holding a salty, preservative-filled pretzel is his hand, but it's actually a little treat baked with only gluten-free spinach, spaghetti squash, and free-range flax seed. It just looks a lot like a pretzel.
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