2 of the 6 kids went back to school this past week. The littles start next Monday.
Here’s what Day 1 of Christmas vacation looked like:
And Day 13:
Despite resorting to iPads yesterday I think I’m a really good parent.
We take vitamins. Once a month. And when we sing along to Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” in the car I have the kids say “witch” instead of the other word. So yeah, I give myself an A +.
Having the kids home for a while reminded me why I never get anything done.
We spent Christmas weekend in Enon & Yellow Springs, Ohio, home of Dave Chapelle (don’t find him funny at all) and birthplace of John Legend (find him very funny). The big event at grandma’s was Transformer pajamas for EB and a purple bath bomb for MJ.
Christmas morning was cozy and low key here in Chagrin. We read the Christmas story, made cookies, opened presents, and thanks to global warming were able to take a walk outside. I gave some veritable mom gifts – a little book to Sebby for his Gmail and Apple ID passwords and Tide Pods & Sonicare toothbrush heads for Phoebe.
My favorite Christmas gift was an amazingly encouraging note from Chloe. I think I may actually frame it.
Just a tip. It’s not a good idea to buy used Hot Wheels. You know how fun it is to assemble toys? Assemble a toy that doesn’t have all the pieces. Watch your 5 year old lose it because the Hot Wheels track doesn’t connect. Lose it yourself because he’s losing it.
Me. After Hot Wheel fiasco:
We decided we’d need to purchase actual Hot Wheels in a package from a real store. EB assured me: “I have some dollars mommy,” by which he meant 5 cents he found under the couch cushion. That did not get us far at Target.
Instead, we bought the kids light sabers. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
A bit of local news – you can handle Amazon returns at Whole Foods now via this machine that involves zero contact with a human. And our local Bainbridge newspaper is up for sale.
If you have a kid in law school, note that my former employer, Dow Jones, is hiring a summer intern for their legal team. This is the same incredible team that fought Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes (you’ve gotta read Bad Blood to read the full story). In other PSA’s, if you know of an apartment available in UWS or Midtown NYC next summer, Chloe’s in the market.
Speaking of NYC, this resonates:
We watched a fantastic Curb your enthusiasm the other night:
The most common disturbance in a restaurant these days is often the manager coming over and asking, mid-conversation and mid-bite…. “Are you enjoying your meal?”
Well I was. Until you came over and interrupted it.
If something’s not right I’ll def let you know man. And I’m sure in 10 minutes you’ll email me a survey like everybody else does. But honestly, can I please have 10 minutes to talk with my husband without a child or restaurant manager interjecting?
Speaking of husbands, my dear Eric is teaching me about investing. My idea of investing has always meant putting all my money into a savings account. Which, according to Eric, is actually not investing at all. Huh.
Been re-reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity: “There may be all sorts of excuses for us. That time you were so unfair to the children was when you were very tired…”. To borrow from Shrek, “you cuttin’ me deep…you cuttin’ me deep.”
A few entertainment recs for the new year:
Bad Sisters on Apple + – wow.
Fauda on Netflix – wow.
Katie Couric podcast on David Brooks’ book – wow.
Ezra Klein on keeping the Sabbath (a goal of mine for 2024) and his penchant for turning even leisure activities into work: also wow. “6 days a week we seek to dominate the world. On the 7th day, we try to dominate the self” – Abraham Heschel once wrote. More on this here.
Reading Rick Rubin’s book on creativity and creation before bed. Rubin produced records for Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and even Johnny Cash. The book is esoteric and I’m not sure if I’m just too dense to understand it or what’s going but I’m kind of not getting it. Stay tuned…
Watched the final episodes of The Crown last weekend which prompted me to revisit some of Tony Blair’s speeches and re-appreciate his keen sense of humor. A few examples:
“Actually, you know, my middle son was studying 18th century history and the American War of Independence, and he said to me the other day, “You know, Lord North, Dad, he was the British prime minister who lost us America. So just think, however many mistakes you’ll make, you’ll never make one that bad.”
Kids. Gotta love ‘em.
Blair’s speech to Congress encouraging our involvement in foreign affairs is simply classic:
“Members of Congress, if this seems a long way from the threat of terror and weapons of mass destruction, it is only to say again that the world security cannot be protected without the world’s heart being one. So America must listen as well as lead. But, members of Congress, don’t ever apologize for your values.
Tell the world why you’re proud of America. Tell them when the Star-Spangled Banner starts, Americans get to their feet, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Central Europeans, East Europeans, Jews, Muslims, white, Asian, black, those who go back to the early settlers and those whose English is the same as some New York cab driver’s I’ve dealt with … but whose sons and daughters could run for this Congress.
Tell them why Americans, one and all, stand upright and respectful. Not because some state official told them to, but because whatever race, color, class or creed they are, being American means being free. That’s why they’re proud.
As Britain knows, all predominant power seems for a time invincible, but, in fact, it is transient.
The question is: What do you leave behind?
We are fighting for the inalienable right of humankind–black or white, Christian or not, left, right or a million different–to be free, free to raise a family in love and hope, free to earn a living and be rewarded by your efforts, free not to bend your knee to any man in fear, free to be you so long as being you does not impair the freedom of others.
That’s what we’re fighting for. And it’s a battle worth fighting.
And I know it’s hard on America, and in some small corner of this vast country, out in Nevada or Idaho or these places I’ve never been to, but always wanted to go…
I know out there there’s a guy getting on with his life, perfectly happily, minding his own business, saying to you, the political leaders of this country, “Why me? And why us? And why America?”
And the only answer is, “Because destiny put you in this place in history, in this moment in time, and the task is yours to do.”
Whether you agree with foreign intervention or not, and however you remember that whole WMD thing, you’ve gotta love the speech. Blair for President in 2024 🙂
And this Gospel Coalition podcast on getting people into in-depth theological training is so spot on. There’s an unfortunate anti-intellectualism prevalent in evangelical circles, an emphasis on “feelings” and group therapy or what Jen Wilkin says is a prioritization of “community over content.”
Wilkin and pastor J.T. English explain this further:
“… My expectation is nine years ago now, which feels crazy to think about. I was thinking, this is going to be 30 people, probably 27 men and three women who are just extra motivated. Like that was kind of just where I was kind of like a young guns, just people who want to read systematic theology and memorize Scripture. And what we had was the exact opposite. I was expecting 30 people or so we had 429 people apply that first year, about 60% of them being female…though education might be available to women outside the context of the church, theological education is often not available to evangelical women. And so what we found is, is these, both men and women, but women specifically, were flocking to these training spaces, because they had been used to devotionally driven feelings based learning environment that actually didn’t help them grow, but help them feel.
Well, I think it’s counterintuitive. I think that what the church has done for 30 or 40 years is apologize for asking for people’s time, and then continually lower the bar on what we’re asking from them when they do show up. And we all know that discipline is not dead at all. We watch the people in our churches commit to run marathons and do whole 30 Discipline is not dead, it just follows the most compelling message.”
Just to add a thought here of my own, opening up theological training to women (and providing childcare to enable them to attend these sessions – as J.T. English encourages) is so key, especially for mothers training their children at home.
When we read the Bible before school I’m constantly getting theological questions – Why did God make snakes? What does Satan look like? Will we have bodies in heaven? Cue NT Wright on that one…
And children’s ministry at home and at church matters – in a recent interview Princess Kate said Charlotte has been singing “Shine Jesus Jesus” around the house (palace?) lately. And to me that’s a significant sign of spiritual development in a child’s life, when they sing praise and focus on something bigger than themselves. Children’s spiritual growth blesses a whole family.
The other reason Jen and JT’s thoughts on theology resonate is because of the simple fact that I learned more about God from my mom than I did from all the systematic theology books I’ve read over the past 20 years. Because my mom prays. My mom is wise. And she’s the one around me, loving me, who sees me for who I am, who is always there. Except when she’s hanging out in the Ukraine. Yes, my mom went to the Ukraine last summer. During a war. Because that’s just who Bubbe is.
Final thoughts for the day, ever wonder why Target has an in-store Starbucks? Just read a Harvard Business Review article (May / June 2023 edition, late pass) on how a caffeinated consumer buys 30% more stuff and spends 50% more. Fascinating data.
And I’d just like to give a shout out to the American economy for finally coming out of hiding. Please remain this way. And a shout to my UPS workers who, like Jack Harlow sings, are “making sure I receive ‘em” – appreciate all the boxes and random stuff showing up at my door these past few weeks.
And lastly, to my dear friend who taught me about the “broad place” or merchab in Hebrew, I’m meditating on this concept a bunch as we start 2024. That God will set our hearts and families in a “broad place” (Job 36:16, 2 Samuel 22:20, Psalm 18:19) and deliver us from danger, anxiety, or distress. Amen.
Chaos Coordinator 