Sometimes it takes hitting a hard edge to break free of what we so often hold close. This morning Alaska was begging for a snack before we left for church. I was putting finishing touches on a lesson and told her to get herself something. A granola bar later she still needed more and in my distracted state I said, "Whatever you can find. No cereal." 6 mini bags of cookies later - after everyone has helped themselves to what they wanted and opened a couple of bags they didn't want - I panicked as I was going to the printer and bursted with, "No snacks today during church!"
And you know what? I was ready 10 minutes earlier than usual because I was actually ready on time and didn't need to be rushing around last minute pouring cheerios into serving size baggies or hunting down the last of the granola bars or fruit snacks, knowing that if I have two I had better have three. And wasn't there one floating freely around here yesterday?
Also - our young women's program is going electronic free. That means leather-bound scriptures for us all, and an extra 7 pounds into my church bag. It's going to take some extra muscle to stick this one out. But it inspired another change. No more stuff to be hauling around for the kids to do during sacrament. I just couldn't handle hauling two heavy bags around like a donkey going down the grand canyon trail. And if we take coats to church - it's a whole parade. I never leave our coats in the foyer because I always forget them. It will be pouring buckets on our way to church and then church lets out and no more rain and we forget the jackets and then we have no jackets for the next couple days until I can get back for them during a night the church is open for mutual. It's a bigger headache to get them remembered than to carry them around for three hours. But those 3 hours are no picnic, either.
Talmage has a hard time in sacrament meeting as it is. And not because there isn't enough stuff to do. Having people all around and close is stimulation overload for him. I gave up bringing stuff to keep him occupied with because he would consistently and forever throw whatever I gave him.
Little finger puppets, thrown. Match box cars, thrown. Binkies, thrown. Milk cup, thrown. Anything. Thrown. And it's not like he'll look at it for 5 minutes and then throw it. It's like you give it to him and it gets chucked up to the people in front of us. He very often gets taken out after the Sacrament and you know what he does? Steven holds him on his lap and he falls asleep. No wiggling, screaming or crying. Just sits still and falls asleep. Why he can't do it in sacrament meeting, I will never know. But today he did it, and it was wonderful. Alaska leaned over to me after noticing and said, "Talmage is thinking about Jesus" and nodded to him with his eyes closed. Steven will often close his eyes during the sacrament and that is what I tell Alaska is going on.
The girls traded sitting on my lap with sitting beside me and were content to be still and be close. We will be trying this again.
A little boy in front of us had his mom's phone and was playing games - which can open a whole new bone that I can pick raw - and the girls were watching him too intently. I got out two pens and a notebook and they drew for the last 15 minutes. But that's nothing special I packed, that just happened to be in there and it came in handy.
Sometimes it's a thank goodness for a flip-out and being asked to do something new and hard. Our girls will learn young that sacrament meeting is for them, despite their young age.
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