God for Little People

Last month I did something that pre-Mommy me would have rather ripped out her toenails than do:  I taught preschool Sunday school at my church.  And I liked it!  It's possible that I may have even volunteered for a second round in the near future.

We started with the beginning, as in "In the beginning was the Word..." sort of beginning.  We talked about God creating plants and trees, birds and fish, and the Earth, ocean and sky.  All with helpful flashcards, silly songs and buzzing bees, of course.  When asked what their favorite plant that God created was I got answers like "ice cream" "candy" and "chicken nuggets."  It took some convincing but eventually I garnered some appreciation for trees, juicy apples, and beautiful flowers!  I even took those little wild things outside for a mini field trip around the church's garden.  With about four extra wonderful helpers, of course...I'm not that crazy!

Overall, it was really chaotic and slightly crazy.  It was also amazing to see their little faces when they realized something amazing, like that God made everything.  Everything, can you believe it?  Kids said they were thankful for their mommies and daddies, that they thought their big brothers needed extra prayers, and that their favorite "creation" was Spiderman.  It really was reaffirming of my own faith to get to see the beginnings of a small child's religious journey.

This week I was back to just plain ol' mommy and not teacher-mommy.  I asked my daughter how she liked her Sunday school class.  "Great!" she said with enthusiasm.  Then I asked her what they talked about in class.  She didn't even have to think about if for a second when she said "God....again."  Well, sweetie, He's kind of a big deal!

Chalkin' It Up!

There are many, many reasons why I love Norman (even if I do still feel some allegiance to that other Oklahoma university).  One of them is the sheer variety of fun and beneficial activities you can find to keep yourself and your kids entertained.  Today was one of those random and great activities, and it was my favorite price, free!





Every year there is an event called the Cleveland County Crop Walk.  It is a walk to raise food and awareness about the problem of world hunger.  The entry fee is a jar of peanut butter or a can of tuna.  It is an activity that my family tries to participate in, schedule permitting.  This  year, through our church newsletter, I discovered the Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, an additional event that is part of the Crop Walk.  Held at the old Santa Fe depot, the event included a sidewalk art contest, drinks and cookies, prizes, and fabulous African drumming and storytelling with Jahruba.  If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this man perform, it is something to see!

At the end of the performance, there were prizes and giveaways and our little munchkins won!  Okay, so every kid there won!  Seriously, there were a lot of prizes and they were great.  There were even prizes for mommies (smart people). We brought friends who were on their way to back to California, so we ended up with their prizes too.  By the end, we had gift certificates to two different restaurants, a family pass to Hey Day Family Fun Center, and a gift box of Biolage hair products.  Not bad for a few cans of tuna!  I think for all that fun and free stuff I need to pick up an extra case of tuna for the Crop Walk the next time I go to the store.  This was such a fun event and supports a very worthy cause.  I will definitely put this on my radar for next year!

Even if you missed the chalk contest, you can still make the Crop Walk, its on Sunday, October 2nd at 1:30.  Like the chalk contest, your entry fee is a can of tuna or a jar of peanut butter.  Our fantastic church donates $25 for every member who walks so that means our foursome will pull in $100 to help feed the hungry.  I can't think of a better family activity!