Origins of Strength

Do you know the Bible story of Samson and Delilah?  If so, you are aware that Samson possessed a great strength.  Delilah wooed and wore Samson down until he revealed the only way to strip him of his strength, by shaving his head.  Delilah then betrayed the man, who fell in love with and trusted her, for silver.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that many of you also know of the comic book hero Superman.  Were you aware that his super human strength is said to be regenerated by the sun? 

My question is where do you feel these 2 men of steel get their true powers?  The Bible tells us that Samson got his strength from God.  Of course, I feel as though many of us get our most admirable attributes from our Heavenly Father.  As for our fictional character, you will find that he gains a great deal of his heroic attitude, full of truth and justice, from his family and friends. 

When I began to ponder this topic, I asked my children the all important question, "where do you get your strength?"   The answers were simple and and what you would expect from most kids.  M's answer was "water, chicken, apples, bananas, and oranges."  O  answered first with, "water and healthy food."

I decided to reword my question for them once more and asked, "What or who makes you strong on the inside, in your heart?"  My oldest quickly responded with "your brain," and his brother followed without hesitation by stating "God, Mom, and Dad."  O agreed and added "Jesus" as well.

My husband, my children, my Mom, my friends, and other family contribute to making my heart stronger, but I feel as though I ultimately get my strength from God and Jesus.  You see, the struggles and triumphs in this life often teach us something.  Friends are put into our lives when we least expect it.  In my opinion, God leads us to find these friends and places us in these positions at certain times in our lives so that we may grow as individuals. 

Where does your strength come from?  What is your strongest attribute?  Has your spirit gotten a good workout lately?

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger" -- Friedrich Nietzsche

Halloween With Kids: The First 3 Years

When my children were born, I couldn't wait to begin experiencing the "firsts" that come with babies.  I intended to make every holiday as special as I possibly could, including Halloween.  Having been trained in the art of crafts & sewing by my Mom, I planned to make or enhance purchased costumes for my kids.  My heart longed to dress a little girl as Supergirl or WonderWoman.  As I did not have any daughters, I assumed my boys wouldn't want to look back at photos of them in a skirt and instead went with costumes meant for boys that they would love as much as I do.  

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... it's... Super Baby!  Yes, what better costume could there be for a little boy's first Halloween, but Superman?  As I am a super hero enthusiast, this was definitely perfect for my son.  However, I didn't want him to be dressed up all alone.  What fun would that be?  I pulled out that high school Supergirl costume and convinced my husband to at least put on a Superman t-shirt, with a red shirt underneath to represent the cape.  The best part of course, was actually gracing the local Sears photo studio for photos!

Once this tradition was established, I simply couldn't break it.  Every year since O came into our lives, I have continued to dress up.  I can't say that my husband enjoys donning a costume, so I have allowed him to gracefully bow out of the experience after a few years of torture fun.  He hated didn't enjoy dressing up as a kid, so he really went all out for his own kids.  However, as much as he isn't into dressing up, he does enjoy seeing me get into the spirit of this holiday.  I enjoy it so much, that I continue to make sure our pumpkins are decorated according to our costume theme.

Over the years, we've become a range of characters.  When my son became obsessed with "Buzz Lightyee," after a trip to Disney World, we went to infinity & beyond as a family of space rangers. 

Then came baby number 2, M, and the love of all things Star Wars surfaced.  The force was with us as we ventured to some of my favorite Michigan sand dunes for photos.  By far, these are my favorite Halloween photos to date!  My intent was to mimic the sands of Tattooine.  Do you think we pulled it off?

Would you like to see our Halloween photos over the past 3 years?  Are you interested to see what my costume is this year (no spoilers for those who do know please)?  Check back Friday!  Do you do things differently with your kids than what you did as a kid?  What are your traditions during this holiday?   

* I apologize if the photos are floating a little randomly towards the end of this post.  They were not fully cooperating with me. 

Meet Me On Monday: Somebody Save Me

Meet Me On Monday:

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me.  All Meet Me On Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning:  Please leave your kryptonite in it's lead box!  Should you stumble upon a secret identity, please remember to protect that secret with your life if you must.  I would like to thank you in advance for doing so, as you are now helping to keep the rest of the world safe from harm.  For those among us who are SUPER, you are safe here.

The worlds of super heroes and villains all began with an overactive imagination.  What's not to love about that?  Can you imagine for a minute how these many characters came to life?  If you wonder, take a minute to read this article by the NY Times, written after the passing of a co-creator for one of the biggest comic book heroes in existence... Superman.  In reading this, it's easy to see that even the simplest things can give us astounding ideas!  The man of steel is one of my favorite artistically induced imagined superstars.  I'm a fan of SUPER HEROES!

If you asked me to name my all time favorite TV show, it would quickly land in the comic book inspired genre.  This is true throughout my years.  As a teen it was Lois & Clark The Adventures of Superman starring Dean Cain and Terri Hatcher.  When I was a girl, I loved to watch reruns of Wonder Woman and the old Batman TV show.  As a fan of Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Metropolis, I couldn't contain my excitement when The WB (now known as The CW) announced that a show titled Smallville would premiere on October 16, 2001!  I must admit, I was hooked before the pilot episode.  There's something special about watching Clark Kent discover who he is and what he is capable of.  However, there have been some big changes in the show over the years.  If you compared the first season with current Smallville episodes, you'd see more comic book storylines now than before.  Only 2 of the original cast remain as well, Tom Welling as Clark and Allison Mack as Chloe (most missed- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor aka Sexy Lexy).We've seen various other heroes on the Smallville scene as well.  Let me name a few:  Green Arrow (I heart Justin Hartley), Cyborg, Aquaman, Impulse aka Flash, and of course Supergirl.   Although there have been many changes, I still LOVE this show!  It's obvious that others feel the same way, as we are moving into Season 9 this Fall.  There is even a dedicated website for fans of the show, beware the spoilers!  Just a reminder for fellow fans, don't forget to pick up Season 8 in stores tomorrow!

Beyond my love for all things Smallville, I own a few different kinds of super hero memorabilia.  In my closet hangs a Supergirl costume that my Mom made me in high school.  My most obvious collection is clothing, I'm addicted to the shirts showcasing my favorites.  Wonder Woman and Supergirl clearly stand out in my wardrobe.  I know, it doesn't make me look any older, but I just can't help it!

I could take a long time to list more of my favorites and the reasons why, but maybe I should just tell you why I love super heroes in general?  Okay, but first I must just add that I made sure I was able to watch Smallville while in the hospital after giving birth to my first son (except a special was on that evening instead) and my first time away from my first baby boy was to see an X-Men movie in the theatre.  It's not about the handsome men, although Hugh Jackman can call me Bub any day & Chris O'Donnell is one dreamy Robin, but about how I feel when I see the good guy/girl doing everything he/she can to save the day.

When I was a kid, I read everything I could get my hands on.  Including my older brother's comic books.  I think that's where my love of super heroes began.  The idea of having super powers and standing up for what you believed in, drew me in.  Who wouldn't want someone like that around to save you from the bad guys in your life?  I know I did.  As I got older, I felt more drawn to wanting to be the hero than being saved by one.  I don't have super human abilities, shhh I'm sticking with my secret identity here, but I do want to stand up for what's right.  Superman is inspiring in that way.  Of course, there is a lot of responsibility with those powers, even super heroes can't do it all or save everyone.  Which leads to the guilt factor.  How many of these heroes walk around feeling guilty or heartbroken because of someone they couldn't save?  Would you be surprised that most of them do?  All of these factors equal one great story after another. 

I'm not sure if I've accurately captured or explained my love for super heroes, but I think you get it.  I'm a Super Nerd! 

What Kids Say

In our home everyone hangs their best masterpieces on the fridge... Except for me. I haven't found strong enough magnets to keep my kids up there!

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My kids say the most hilarious things, as most kids do! They also have the ability to melt my heart with a few of their precious words as well. I've even caught them being so kind to each other, in between the sibling torture, that I can't help but feel a tug at my heartstrings.

Today, my kids are missing and have been replaced with none other than Superman & Batman. My youngest, I mean Superman, told me that I can be Batgirl, but later decided that I would be Supergirl. I play right along with these fun games, because secretly I am... well I can't tell you that or my cover would be blown. It's moments like these that I love being a Mom of 2 boys with imaginations.

Often times, my kids and I have silly conversations. One recent talk was a combination of me being goofy and my youngest son, M's, youthful honesty mixed with sweetness...

Me: Am I a nerd?

M: Shakes head no

Me: Am I cool?

M: Shakes head no and whispers... Me just love you.

Me: Me just love you too.

Realizing that our kids see and understand things differently than we do can sometimes lead to laughter. Eavesdropping children can also lead to hilarious moments. We experienced both of these things recently. It all began with standing in front of a magazine rack while waiting to purchase our groceries.

On the way home from our shopping trip, I was expressing my thoughts to my husband. There was a photo, on a magazine cover, of an actress that I thought was beautiful and talented. However, her attitude in interviews drove me crazy. My husband, C, responded with something along the lines of "Yeah, someone should tell her to shut up."

Little did we know that our oldest son, O, was eavesdropping on the conversation. He quickly piped up with a "Dad you can't say the S word!" Instantly, there was panic written on my husband's face as he tried to go through the entire conversation we had been having to determine when he might have slipped and spouted "the S word." He then stated "I didn't say the S word." Our smart little O man spouted quickly back, "yes you did and it's not nice! Mrs. A says we shouldn't say shut up, because it can hurt people's feelings!" The look of relief, and embarrassment, on my husband's face was revealed. I was silently laughing hysterically, hidden from my son's view by my seat, but managed to say "Yeah Dad!" My husband then humbly apologized for saying "the S word."

Lessons learned:

You can be uncool without being a nerd and still be loved, but please don't say "the S word" for any reason!