Favorite Quotes from "You're Late Again, Lord!"

As I referenced in an earlier posting, I have been reading a great little book by Karon Phillips Goodman called "You're Late Again, Lord!" I wanted to share with you some favorite quotes since I don't think I could express these ideas any better. Enjoy, be inspired, and buy the book!

• So, when your life is at a standstill over what you can't control, and when you're waiting on answers that never seem to come, God says to use that time to work where you are. God says to learn the art of waiting purposefully. Maybe that's what God had in mind all along. Maybe that's why we wait. (p. 11)

• He doesn't say wait and hope and sit quietly. He says to mount up, to run, and to walk--these are words that indicate anything but inaction. These words require work. These words come with a purpose. You can fulfill the Lord's purpose for you while you wait and hope. Waht a plan. I told you He was smart. (p. 17)

• The time I spent waiting didn’t have to be endless and useless—it could be productive and dynamic. Living according to my Lord’s timetable included my work, too. I could be both prayerful and purposeful. I could “pray without ceasing” while I worked. I could listen and learn. God had prepared for my impatience. He had provided a place for me to grow. He was going to be there while we waited, to help me find what I had lost, and He and I both knew that was a long list. (pp. 28-29)

• Even if you think you already know, you will be amazed at what God has to show you. It’s the difference betweeen holding a glass of water and standing in the ocean. (p. 97)

• I can’t tell you what plans the Lord has for you, or that you will always understand them immediately, but I can tell you that you can know what to do each day—this day’s work. That’s enough. That’s all you need. (p. 124)

• God has promised to help us, not just on Sundays or when we’re ill or when we have life-altering decisions to make, but forever. “Lo, I am with you always,” Jesus said (Matthew 28:20 NKJV). I don’t read any qualifying remarks there, do you? My Bible says “always” and there is no double meaning or outdated definition for that word. (p. 126)

Vickie’s Top 10 Tips for Plane Trips with Children

10. Bring the Pack’n’Play. I am so glad I decided to bring ours. I love it, and my kids are used to it. It was so easy to just check it through with the baggage.

9. Buy the ice cream in the airport. This is especially important if you have a longer layover. It is worth $2.50 a scoop (I bought everyone a “tiny” instead of a “small”) to reward good behavior for the first leg of the trip and encourage more smiles for the rest of the way.

8. Don’t make your “home base” in the airport while you wait for your next flight at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Admirals Club. Enough said.

7. Keep baby wipes handy. Even if you’ve only been a parent for 2 days you probably know this one. However, baby wipes have so many other incredible uses like wiping spit-up off your clothes, washing sticky fingers and faces after eating an over-priced airport, but on this trip I learned yet another use for them. You can actually use a baby wipe to erase a work of art off the window shade on a plane.

6. Avoid American Airlines if possible. This is the least kid-friendly airline I’ve ever encountered. Even with 2 babies, 2 car seats and 2 children, they refused to let us pre-board. We were in Group 5 or 6 every time. I was still installing car seats and getting kids situated as they were telling us to prepare for take off. And unless you want to pay $3 for a cookie bring plenty of snacks for the kids. Not even peanuts on this airline. (Oh, and the headphones are $5 each if you don’t bring your own…)

5. Bring a stroller. It is so easy to gate check an umbrella stroller – it is so worth it. In our case I just brought one stroller and the boys took turns. Some airports will also let you go through the handicap security line if you have a stroller. Even if you factor in the extra time it takes to remove the child and collapse the stroller for the x-ray machine chances are it may save you more time by not waiting in line.

4. Be persistent about trying to get your car seat on board. Sometimes it isn’t always financially practical to buy a ticket for a baby since it isn’t required. But let’s face it, most “lap children” are done with your lap before the plane has reached its cruising altitude. If the plane isn’t full try to bring your car seat on board. It will save your back and possibly your sanity. Southwest is great about this. I learned this time however, that it can be more difficult on other airlines (like American)

3. Give older kids a special job. Assign an older child to push the stroller, carry a tote bag or entertain a younger one. It gives them something productive to do and the special responsibility will encourage them to be on their best behavior.

2. Plan ahead & buy large ziplock bags. I filled one for each child with special things to do on the plane. I included things like a card game, a new art notebook & crayons, a favorite paperback book, a skein of yarn for the older kids. Max’s had some Elmo crackers too.

1. Bring Grandma & Grandpa. I couldn’t have survived that many plane rides without them!

Amazing...

I just returned home from visiting relatives (my mom's side) in St. Louis and thought I'd share my reflections on some of the amazing people in our lives.

1. My Grandparents - My gradma was born in 1915 and my grandpa in 1916. They married in 1941 and they still live in the home they bought when my mom was a baby. Amazing. While we were there my grandma made Josh 3 pair of shorts from some pants that were too long, fixed the straps on two of Annie's sundresses, hemmed a pair of jeans for me and altered a dress for me. Amazing. The morning we were leaving Max snuck outside. My grandpa was the only one who noticed. I wonder how long it would have been until we realized that he wasn't playing with "someone else" in the other room.

2. My Family - I enjoyed visiting with all of the relatives but was amazed by how many aunts and cousins went out of their way to make things easy for us when we arrived. They worked together to get my grandparents' house ready for a week long visit of little people. There were car seats, high chairs (2 plus a booster!), cribs, an air mattress, toys, games, art supplies and more waiting for us. It was amazing how easy it was for 7 people to just "show up" and share 2 bedrooms!

3. My Parents - I could not have gone on this trip without my parents. Literally - the airlines wouldn't let me bring 2 lap children. But seriously, they help me so much I can't even tell you how amazing they are. They even cut their trip short because I couldn't stay any longer. They wanted to stay for 2 weeks but 8 days was really all we could do...My dad even offered to drive us home to Reno the next day and then fly back to San Jose so I wouldn't have to make the trip alone. But he didn't have to - see #4.

4. My Kids - The kids did awesome on the trip. Josh and Annie helped with the boys. Everyone slept where they were told, ate what was served, remembered their manners, cleaned up toys so my grandparents wouldn't fall over anything. They were amazing. And my proudest Mommy Moment - as we were leaving the security check point in the St. Louis airport (Can you imagine what it takes to get through security with 2 kids, 2 babies, 2 car seats, a stroller & 5 carry-on bags?) and a pregnant lady came up and said, "Your kids are so well behaved you give me hope!" Boy, did she make my day. (And boy, was I glad she wasn't on our flight from Austin to San Jose later that day!) And the drive home to Reno the next day was amazing. Not one kid cried, whined or complained the whole way home - not even a baby! We didn't even stop for lunch until Truckee!!!

5. My Parents' Neighbors - My parents' next door neighbors took us to the airport and picked us when we got back. It took both of them to do it because we wouldn't all fit in one vehicle! While we were gone she took my van and had it washed and vacuumed - what an amazing surprise! And later I solved another mystery - the family next door to them noticed a scratch on my bumper when my van was parked in my parents' driveway. Their son came over and buffed it out for me - thanks Jake!

6. My Husband - We missed him so much while we were gone. I'm sorry he couldn't come with us this time but I am so grateful that he understands how important it is to me that our kids know my grandparents and make memories at their house. He went to visit them without me once before and went water skiing with my uncle and cousins. I suspect he'll be the next one from our family to make a trip out there. He's simply amazing.

Noah's Ark

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark ...

ONE: Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground.

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a
rainbow waiting.

(In case you were wondering, NO, I didn't write this. Just one of those e-mails that I really enjoyed. Thanks, Michelle.)