Fish with Taosi

I lie. I lie a lot. And I lie often. I lie about food. Ten years as mom to Mister-Picky-Eater will do that to you, make you choose between your morality - or your sanity. 

In this morning's breaking news... 

Jed: Mom, what's for breakfast? 
Me: Fish with taosi. 
Jed: Bleh! 
Me: Oh, my mistake. It's chicken with taosi. 
Jed: Chicken is okay. What's taosi? 
Me: Grapes. 
(silence while I hold my breath and shoot a prayer to the miserly god of picky eaters)
Jed: Okay. Let's eat.

Because, Mr. Shakespeare, while a rose by any other name will smell just as sweet, little boys will only eat fish & black beans if they think it's chicken & grapes.

And we lived happily-ever-after... (or so I'd like to think.) 

Six Tremors in One Hour

Six tremors in one hour. 

Matthew 6:25,27 Therefore I tell you do not worry about life. Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

This morning, I overheard Jed repeat to his little cousin Samantha what I had told him yesterday: "We have to trust him, Sam. He is too wise to be mistaken." 

Last night's talk went something like this: 

"Mom, why is God not answering my prayer to make the earthquake stop?"

"Come here." A backrub and a soft song is the best medicine for a young (and not-so-young) heart filled with worry.

"God is too wise to be mistaken. He is too good to be unkind. So, if you dont understand, if you can't see His plan, when you can't trace his hand, trust His heart." 

After the EarthQuake

After the eathquake, Jed calmly and methodically started evacuation procedures. He prepared, on his own, the following:

-his Cars backpack with his collection of 5 Geronimo Stilton books, clothes, underwear
-a pitcher of chocolate milk, a loaf of bread
-an insulated bag with our cellphones and wifi in it (took me 2 days to find the charger of my tablet afterwards)
-a box with 2 rolls of tissue
-a plastic with Donald Duck, teddy, Panda and Nimrod the penguin ("Elijah, leave my Rapunzel doll alone. She'll be safe where she is.")
-another plastic with rubber slippers and bedroom slippers
-yet another plastic with noodles, all the canned goods he could find and a can opener
-the last plastic with a ski mask and winter gloves. ("In case, they will evacuate us all the way to China and it's winter there.")

These he dragged all the way down three flights of stairs, singing loudly, "I will surviiiiive".

Then he returned up the stairs to get his most prized posession (me!) and quoted from After Earth the movie: "Danger is real. But fear is a choice."

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Five Minutes Ago

Five minutes ago, a strong earthquake hit Cebu City and neighboring provinces. As my luck would have it, I was in the shower when it struck. 

Down the stairs, I rushed together with my fellow apartment-mates ---- they in slippers and house clothes, me in a towel with shampoo suds in my hair, soap on my face and a soap bar in hand. 

As I write this, tremors continue to rock our building as the aftershock rolls through. We are back in the apartment. Apparently, my son has inherited my ability to stay calm in the midst of stress and distress. He is now packing our emergency bag with his clothes and canned goods from our pantry.

"We also need to bring money, Mom. Should we bring a matchbox or a lighter? Im going to miss all my books if the building falls down."

And me? Im on the desk writing this, like a good, little, crazy writer should be.

(Click post. And now Jed & I go back down to the parking lot with our hefty emergency bag. Stay safe, everyone.)

When Jesus Fed Five Thousand with Five Loaves

Jed reads his Hands-on Bible daily now. And the most precious questions been cropping up...

Jed: Mom, what do you get when you mix holy water and holy ground?
Me: Uh... holy mud!
Jed: Mo-om, come on. There's no such thing as holy mud. 
(quick prayer to heaven for answers)
Me: There is such a thing as holy mud! It's in (googling 'Jesus mud blind man'...) John nine six.

And now, dear mommies, I need help with today's Question of the Day:
"Mom, when Jesus fed five thousand people with 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish, did the bread grow back each time he broke a piece?

Laptop Grounded

Jed listened patiently as I grounded his laptop for one week explaining, "The Bible says whatever is pure, honorable, lovely - think of these things" and that too much gaming would not help him do this. 

He kept a rested & obedient heart. Then, one bright morning, he pumped his fist in the air, "Yes, finally! I can use my laptop again!". No hint of anger or frustration. I praise God for his obedient spirit.

I have seen what indolence can do to young men who prefer to waste away the day with video games and such tomfoolery. These boys never master their full mental prowess, physical strength or social skills.

Indolence is dangerous and insiduous. It robs families of the best of these young men's hours. It nips in the bud everything that a young energetic gentleman may champion & accomplish in this world.

(Jed peered over my shoulders as I wrote this. "Tell everyone, Mom," he insisted, "that I am not angry. I understand why you grounded my laptop." Then, he sauntered off to pick up a book to read, even though the restrictions against his laptop had been relaxed.)