The Meal Deal: Another Big Idea Family Game

Veggie Tales has done it again!  For Campbell Family Fun Night, we started out with a meal game called "Meal Deal". This is another one from my college days and independent study with Big Idea Productions. Thank you for enriching my family this many years later!

Meal Deal

What you need:
Stuff to prepare a meal

How to play:
Team up in pairs, Now prepare and eat a meal together. One person keeps his or her eyes closed the entire time. The other person may not use their hands. Work together to locate the food, prepare the meal (e.g. make a sandwich or build an ice cream sundae), and then feed each other. Was the other person having all the fun? Then switch roles at the next meal.

What you learned:
How did you feel with your limitation? What are some of your real limitations? How could others help you overcome your limitation?


Obviously with a 4 and 2 year old, we had to make major adaptations to this meal game. For example, we switched roles within the same meal and we only played during part of the meal. PJ and Abby paired up while Caedmon and I were a team. (Try explaining to a 2 year old that he can't use his hands to eat or has to keep his eyes closed while feeding Mommy!)

Abby and PJ went first.  Abby seemed much more hesitant to close her eyes to prepare the food than to eat without the use of her hands. My personal observation for this is that she's so easily embarrassed. She doesn't like to be laughed at, even if the experience is funny.  So we adapted.  PJ did a wonderful job putting Pear Butter on the biscuit and feeding Abby with his eyes closed! He's such a good sport!

Caed enjoyed watching me prepare food with my eyes closed and dodging my attempts at feeding him. He made it a challenge for me! We never could get him to feed me. 

This game was, admittedly, well over their heads. But it was a great reminder to me. Too often I'm prideful with my  high expectations I have for each of my family members.  I'm reminded to seek out and encourage the strengths of my kids and husband and to come alongside in their weaknesses.  And to allow them to do the same for me. I'm realizing more and more how we need each other. I love seeing our family grow in this area.

We played this family game a week ago today. In that week, I've witnessed an increase in Abby's compassion for Caed.  During the dinner discussion, Abby said that she is able to help Caed reach things that he cannot reach.  Since that meal, I've noticed that she has often stopped to help Caed open the Lego box or get a juice from the refrigerator for him.  And Caed, who normally doesn't want help from anyone but Mommy, has been going to Abby and asking please!

I look forward to playing this when they are older and able to understand it more fully!

Hat FOUND!

For anyone following my Facebook hat saga: the newest hat has been found! 

Apparently, Caed can work zippers now. He was telling the truth, the hat went "bye-bye with Bub".   Caed must have packed it in Babby's backpack before we left. It was with us the entire trip to WV and I didn't know it! 

...ah....I can finally get some peaceful sleep tonight!

Discipline: Why?

Yesterday, Caedmon broke the latch on my brand new mother's day gifted picnic basket. He was trying to get the snacks inside,  in spite of the fact that I told him 4 times that it was not snack time and that he would have to wait. Refusing to be delayed, he ripped the entire latch completely off the front of the basket.

Immediately I scolded him and he hid his face. I was frustrated and really wanted to smack his hand to teach him a lesson.  But when he looked at me with tear-filled eyes, I (fortunately) had enough composure to sense that he did not need to be "taught a lesson". He knew his actions were wrong. Caed needed something much deeper from me.  I took his face in my hands and told him to tell me that he was sorry. He pulled away and said emphatically, "No!".  And that is how he got into time out.

I knew that he knew he was wrong. His tears displayed that fact. But he was feeling stubborn and refused to make it right.  So he sat, crying, in time out for 2 minutes.  As soon as I sat down next to Caed's chair, I asked him if he knew why he was sitting in time out. He nodded his head. I asked him if he broke my basket, and he confirmed.  I, then, stated that he would not tell Mommy "sorry". "Yes" was his simple reply. Then without me even asking, he said "sowwy" while rubbing his hand in a circle on his chest with his head low.

Something clicked in me.  I could hear my Father's voice in my heart saying "just as I forgive you, forgive others." Compassion raced through my body and I held out my hands to my son. A smile burst forth on his face. He literally dove out of the chair into my arms,  said, "I wuv you" and kissed me over and over.

Since that moment, I've been thinking about discipline with children and why we do it.  The Bible says

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
   and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
   and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."
Hebrews: 12:5-6

My goal as a parent is not to break the will of my children. It's not to prove that I'm boss or that I'm bigger and call the shots. I'm not set on "teaching them a lesson."  My goal is to foster within Abby and Caedmon a sense of self-discipline. This comes through setting expectations and boundaries and then following through consistently.

However, there's something more to discipline than just punishment for breaking mommy's expectations. Discipline should always include teachable moments. I don't want my kids to simply obey rules that I set before them. I want them to make decisions based on truth, not fear of punishment. I want them to understand the underlying reasons of my rules.  It is wrong to break someones picnic basket, because in our family we respect one another and anothers property.  Furthermore, it's wrong to walk away without apologizing, even if it was an accident, because in our family we treat others the way we want to be treated and that means making it right between us.


 Today, Caedmon learned a valuable lesson about forgiveness. Sure, he needed to know that trying to get a snack after I told him "no" was wrong. But what he needed enforced much more was how completely healing it is to say "sorry" and to receive forgiveness from the person that he wronged.

And I needed to learn, in a powerful moment of compassion, that "A gentle answer turns away anger."  (Proverbs 15:1).   I definitely do not have this mastered by any means. I can have quite a bad temper and have done my fair share of screaming at the kids. Just last week, I threw apple peels at the window...admittedly, not my best moment.   But yesterday, at least, I witnessed a taste of truth and healing in discipline that I hope Caed and I will  not soon forget.

Caedmon Alexzander

Tonight I have been looking through old photos and remembering the birth of our son, Caedmon Alexzander 2 years ago tomorrow.  What better way to celebrate Mother's Day!

 We call him Caedmon Roo because he is like a kangaroo. Though quiet and peaceful in this pic, when awake, he is quick, always on the go and usually hopping.  From the first day that I could feel him in my belly, Roo has been in motion.  Then it was kicking, now it's climbing, jumping, running... 

Caed entered our lives a few days after his due date, but still unexpectedly.  After a routine appointment and non-stress test, the doctors decided that we should go ahead and induce labor because of some minor complications.  I was thrilled!   Then after a night in the hospital (and some AMAZING chocolate cake) Caed arrived at 1:00pm on the dot (or at least it was our best guess...the Labor and Delivery nurses forgot to check the time!)

So tonight's entry is dedicated to our son: Caedmon Alexzander.

Caedmon, Son, I'd like to explain to you why we named you the way we did. I realize that it's a difficult name and you may someday wish we had just named you something simple like "Joe". You will probably spend the majority of your time correcting the way others say it. Even now at age 2 you are forced to call yourself "Big Guy" because you can't pronounce "Caedmon" (just wait until you have to learn to spell it!), but your name is so special and each time I think of it, I get a misty-eyed.

First, a little history.  Saint Caedmon was a man that lived in England about the year 660 A.D.  He was an ordinary man that took care of cows. He was unable to read or write.  In his day, people would sit around the fire in the evenings and tell stories and sing songs from memory rather than read.  But Caedmon hated this. Each time it was his turn to recite a story, his mind fell blank.  He enjoyed the stories of his companions: tales of monsters, heroes, great birds and dragons and ships at sea, but felt ashamed and frustrated with his own inability to narrate or sing.

One night after a particularly embarrassing experience at the hearth, a man came to Caedmon in a dream and commanded him to sing a song about the things that he knew best. Caedmon sang a song about  his experience watching over the cows in the field. This is his song according to legend:

Praise we now the Keeper of heaven's kingdom,
The mind of the mighty Maker,
The Glorious Father who made
The world and all its wonders;

How first He created the roof of heaven
For us, the children of men;
The the holy Creator, the eternal Lord,
Gave the earth to people,
This middle earth to be our home.

Caedmon went on to become a monk and to share his special poems of creation, Noah, King David, Jesus and many others.  Children of his day memorized his stories and told them to one another. For years to come, as people gathered together around the fire at night they would tell Caedmon's stories rather than tales of war and monsters.

Caedmon composed many hymns in his life, but many have been lost. Scholars think that Caedmon's first song is the earliest known poem about scripture recorded in the English language. Caedmon lived a full and happy life.

Now, Son, we did not name you Caedmon because we wanted you to slack in school and fore go reading and writing.  We did not necessarily plan for you to be a cowherd or a monk (though your sister, "Babby" (as you call her) , has many plans for you regarding taking care of the horses on her horse farm...and it should be noted that at the ripe old age of 23 months, you have heartily agreed with her plans!)

No, Caedmon, we have given you a name with purpose. Your name "Caedmon" means "Wise Warrior" and Alexzander means "Defender of Man".  Granted, there are some days when I wonder at our wisdom in naming you "Warrior and Defender".  Some days I wish we would have named you something that means "Peaceful Field" or "Quiet River".  :) 

However, Your Daddy and I believe that God has given each of us an opportunity to live for Him and to serve His kingdom on this earth. Saint Caedmon lived to tell others the stories of God. He related Biblical truth in ways that others of his day could understand. I have no idea what your purpose, your role, is in this life.  But my prayer for your life comes from the Bible.  Micah 6:8:

I pray, Caedmon Alexzander that "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I pray that you, Son, will love God with all of your mind, all of your strength and all of your heart. I pray that you will love other people and that you will be filled with compassion. I pray that you will have wisdom and a desire to defend the wronged and those who have been over-looked.

I pray too that you will have joy and laughter in your life. That you will live your life not in fear but in trust because of the Truth that guides you.

Already, I can see a protector tendency in you.  One day, our dear dog Sophie (which you now refer to as "So") bumped your sister and made her fall.  Instantly, you went to Babby's defense. You jabbered and shook your fist at "So" for several minutes saying only what I could conclude to be some sort of condemnation. You knocked "So" on the nose before returning to Babby to give her a hug.  While I do not necessarily condone hitting the dog, I do love your protective instinct.

Caedmon, thank you for coming  into our lives. You bring spontaneity and laughter to our family like we have never known.  You have taught me, through your actions, to make fun in the moment with whatever is laying around.  I've never met a kid that entertains himself so happily and freely as you.

Thank you for showering me with your love. Even on days when Mommy loses her temper, you never fail to melt away the tension by dropping into my arms for a snuggle and a hug. I love your forgiving and caring nature.

Caedmon, as you enter into the age of 2, I hope that you will come more and more into the meaning of your name.  I hope that you will grow in wisdom and love this next year.

Happy Birthday, Caedmon Alexzander!  I love you. So much!

Just before bed, last picture being 1!

Aaaaannnnndddd, We're Off!

We left in the late afternoon on Thursday and even though we chose the "freeway" option on our GPS, we traveled 3+ hours of back roads into North Carolina. (We really need to update our GPS maps!) However, the drive was GORGEOUS!!  After all the recent storms which tore through the area, everything seemed brighter and cleaner, the sky bluer and the grass greener.  This only served to intensify my excitement as we drove along singing Caedmon's Call songs as loud as we could!

Abby was barely able to contain herself. She asked us every 20 minutes if we were at the hotel yet.  She called it our apartment and day-dreamed aloud about the layout of the room (and all the snacks we would eat in the room) for nearly 3 hours!

Caed was asleep within 10 minutes of the drive. :)

Once we arrived, Abby settled in quickly with all her animals. She, first, made a bed for them and put them all to sleep. Then she found a place for her suitcase and set out her nightgown and slippers next to the bed. Next, she assigned sleeping places for each of us.  I love how every little detail of the room was exciting to her. From the sliding bathroom door to the glow-in-the-dark light switches...it pleased her very much!

Caed seemed really nervous about the change. I can't blame him. He slept for nearly 3 hours in the car and then awoke to a long hallway with carpeting that makes my  head spin! However, once I gave him a few of his "shoo shoo's", "neigh" (horse) and "ooo! ooo!" (monkey), he began to feel right at home.  So much at home, in fact, that he used the phone while we weren't looking.  As in the story of  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, I think he called Australia. :) We'll wait to see our bill.

Getting the kidlets to bed was no small feat.  I must have answered 500 questions and sang Jesus Loves Me 15 times before they finally dropped off to sleep.

At 6:30 bright and early, Caedmon giggled, popped up from the bed and gave us his best Rooster sound!  Can't help but laugh waking up to that! You can take the boy out of the country, but can't take the country out of the boy!

Abby awoke with "Boy! That was a short night!", and was changing into outfit #1 before 7.

I love experiencing the hotel with the kids. It's all so new and adventurous.  The continental breakfast was merely doughnuts, fruit, yogurt and juice...but Abby thought we were eating breakfast with the Royal family. I'm pretty sure she is convinced this is our castle!

Even Daddy's printer was a source of entertainment. As he printed up 20 copies of the paper he is to present today, both kids sat across from it and watched with great anticipation as each page came out!  It's the small things in life...

And by the way, Dear Hubby's presentation on the Problem of Evil (yeah...he's a philosophy guy) turned out to be a wonderful experience for him!  He even had some guys take him to lunch to discuss some further opportunities! My man amazes me!!

Jump In!

I took the kids to the pool this morning, complete with arm floaties and animal swim rings.  We are ready for water safety! 

Initially, Caed hated it. He screamed and clawed at my neck as I took him deeper and deeper. Abby was thrilled to dive in...until we got there.  So we sat on the pool steps for a very long time waiting for the nerves to settle.  Eventually, other kids from the hotel joined us and all the fun began! Abby couldn't believe that there was a 4 and A HALF year old swimming with us!  Thank you James for helping Abby feel more at ease with swimming!

Caedmon...fearless Caedmon! He always tests the limits, makes Momma's heart stop, then proves to me that all things work out.  At any given moment, he would jump into the the pool or the hot tub. Thank you Walmart for the wonderful arm floaties for which we paid $1.  They work. They really do.
He was kind of cute, though, floating around and kicking those cute little legs. I wish I could have gotten a picture of him jumping into my arms...and sometimes jumping purposefully away from my arms.  The funny thing is, he insisted on lining up his feet over top of the words "No Diving".  Rebel.

I'm continually amazed at the differences in Abby's and Caed's personalities.  Swimming with Caedmon is like swimming with a fish. You can't hold on to him...you just have to keep up.  Swimming with dear Abby is like swimming with an octopus.  She would grip onto any part of my body that she could find and hang on for dear life.  I see swimming lessons in our future.

You Have Arrived!

I love our GPS....

Well, in theory I love it. I appreciate having a voice there to direct me every mile of the journey. And if I mess up, "Mag" (as we call her), is there immediately with an alternate route to help me reach my destination.


But...then there are times that dear, sweet Mag has failed me. Such as the last five minutes of our journey. I drove the troop down to North Carolina and even survived traffic once we finally hit the freeway.  Feeling pretty proud of myself and thinking over my speech of victory that I would share with my mom on the phone, I came upon a snag.  Or an infinite intersection, if you will.

Mag tells me to turn right, but there is no right. I go straight. She tells me to make a legal u-turn. I do. She tells me to turn left, but there is no left. I go straight. She tells me to make a legal u-turn....and on we go until I nearly dissolve in tears, whip the car off the road and hop out allowing Dear Hubby to take over...5 minutes from the hotel.

Or the time that we attempted to leave Wake Forest and Mag led us through a series of left and rights only to dump us into an unknown recently developed part of town. Clearly there were street signs and traffic lights...but according to Mag's map, we were in the middle of a field. hmmm.

Twice we wanted to try out the local scene and find a groovy coffee shop. Mag assured us that there would be a happy, indigenous, coffee beanery just 2 miles away. Several u-turns later we discovered that the local population must prefer discount tires to groovy coffee because the beanery is no longer there.  Yet, Mag was confident when she said, "You have arrived!"

Even though we had directions at our fingertips, we still managed to get lost. What we needed was not simply directions, but an accurate overview of our destination.  There's a sermon illustration in here somewhere. But for now, the only thing that keeps coming to mind is Abby's memory verse from church:

" Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Psalm 119:105

Top 10 Things To Do To Entertain Small Children In a Hotel

This is what we did for 2 days at the hotel.

10. Play dough

9. Color wonder markers and coloring pads.

8. Cable I realized how little TV my children watch because the Disney Channel was just as thrilling as seeing Mickey Mouse in person! They were even captivated by the Spanish version of "Sesame Street".

7. Continental Breakfast The kids LOVED eating "breakfast" in the lobby and meeting new people. Most of the guests were staying at the hotel for a wedding. We actually got to know some of them and even had "our table" where we sat next to the same group each morning. By Sunday, Abby felt free enough to roam around and talk to her new friends.

6. Other people's kids. It's great when kids entertain other kids.

5. Pool. We spent HOURS at the pool. Loved it!!

4. Going on an adventure through the local village. We decided to explore our surroundings and walk to a nearby shopping area. We found an excellent Mediterranean restaurant. Shwarma chicken...YUM! We also discovered a field of cat-tails, a fire truck and many tiny "villages" (i.e. sidewalks with park benches) that provided an thrilling story line of Robin Hood delivering food to the poor.

3. Goodwill shopping. I discovered something cool about my daughter.  She loves to go Goodwill shopping. I bought her a cute 3 piece outfit before the trip. I was so excited to surprise her with it...but she was less than thrilled at the matchy-matchy, cute-sy outfit I picked out.  BUT, take that girl to a Goodwill and she strings together some random outfits that sometimes are cute. At any rate, she has her own style which I think is cool.


2. Snacks. We ate a lot of snacks...and even the most mundane cereal snacks seem more exciting in a hotel room!

1. Luggage Cart. Nothing is more fun than loading up the luggage cart and letting the smallest one push it. Okay okay..this was as we were leaving. But my little Caedmon LOVES to work hard, especially with Daddy.

Being a Guide

I'm always looking for ways to build up Abby's trust.  I can't really explain it, but she has an underlining theme of mistrust. She always questions me to make sure I know what I'm doing. Sometimes it's about food that I'm giving to Caedmon ("Mommy, does that have milk in it?"). Sometimes it's about a task I ask for her to complete ("Okay, but why?")  Maybe it's the age, maybe it's not. I'm not sure. Never-the-less, if an opportunity arises to build trust between us, I try to take it.

We stopped in the Burger King near our hotel only because of the cool play place it housed. It was a labyrinth of colored twists and turns.

Many of the tubes had no windows and Abby could not tell which way to go in order to get out of the maze. I could tell she was getting a little nervous about it as she called out for help. So I decided to make a game out of it. She would tell me which color tube she was in, and then standing at the bottom, I would give her options of which way to go. "If you go to the green, you will have to go down hill a little then to the blue. If you go to the red, you will have to go up hill..." There was one point in which she had to cross a net into a tube then onto another net. As she was crossing from the tube onto the second net, the tube began to sway a bit and squeak. She panicked and froze. I could tell the tube was meant to sway. I reminded her that I could see what was happening and explained to her why it was squeaking. She trusted me and crossed over!

 It was fun event and reminded me of my role as her parent. I can often see twists and turns  that she cannot. I can direct her, but she is free to choose her own path. But I'll be there with her to laugh and wince all along the way.  And I'll celebrate with her when she comes out stronger in the end!