Upended Over FaceTime & Easter Re-Cap

It has been a couple of weeks since Good Friday.  And I have been itching to get some alone time to write and capture the weekend as well as some other rambling thoughts here.  
(Warning: This blog entry may be a bit lengthy as I recap the long weekend-thanks for amusing me and helping me not forget )

This last week, coupled with hurdling through some illnesses with my toddler, and then leading the older boys through some of their own obstacles...yada-yada-yada...can I just say it's been a busy few days, and I am worn out.   I have been struggling to balance my time these days and Plan A seems to often turn into Plan B, C or D lately.  

Do you feel weary and stretched with your time?

How much time do you spend online on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 

Do you keep your phone attached to you at all times?  Do your kids?

Oh, I have to admit that I need to be more intentional about this time in the cyber world and focus on the faces God has right here for me to see face-to-face.  Not to mention that I am trying to model the way for my soon-to-be teenage boys who are entering the cyber world-albeit ever so slowly if I can help it.   But as you can see, by this pic below, not every moment of my time with them is spent with true face-to-face; meaningful conversation.  This ever popular i-world is beckoning for its own FaceTime. Their hands are already full and well aware of how to use this wonderful technology...iPods... iPhones..I just don't know?

A moment captured in route to the boys' practice.

{Entering the no judge zone}... Be looking for a future blogpost about this; for I will definitely be looking for your input and insight.  I will link the post about parenting teen-agers and technology management here soon.

Don't you just love it when a good girlfriend sets the stage for conversation about something close to your own heart.  Patty and Lisa chatted about this exact thing with special guest, ErikLokksmoe on last Thursday’s Girlfriendit Radio show.  Did you listen?  Did you hear Patty's heart as she was honest about her own heart in parenting her teenagers?  I so appreciate her and her heart?  Did you catch the tips from Erik and the book he coauthored, Upended?  You can download the podcast here and read a little more about the show and a blog that I posted here. 

For now, let's get back to my family’s Good Friday/Easter Weekend.  This is the 5th year we have celebrated Passover and Easter in this way; but the first time I have blogged about it.  I so appreciate my husband's heart (this was his idea and he allowed me to add pieces of my own flare).  I love this time mostly because we are showing our boys that FaceTime matters!  We are not perfect parents by any means and the day did not start off perfect (I think I began the day a little stressed over my to do list and desire to get the house clean--Note to self for next year, ignore spring cleaning bug that nags at my heart to begin that day; some things are okay to put off for tomorrow).  What I did feel like we did right was be intentional about  face-to-face interaction with our boys and remained fully present as we opened up all kinds of conversations about Jesus.  Lord, please helps us do this more and more...day after day...

We actually started our festivities on Wednesday night and colored Easter eggs because the Jewish Seder Plate calls for a boiled egg, so why not get them done before Passover, right?  My littlest one really got into the dying of the eggs this year, but he also thought it was time to blow bubbles with the coloring dye. 

My husband has put together a Power Point slide show that we use to walk through the  Passover Celebration.  He gathered information online, from books and information left from his Grandmother's Jewish-Christian studies, as well as tidbits from our Jewish friends who live in Israel.  Each year, my heart has been touched hearing the scriptures that point to the death and resurrection of Jesus that had not happened yet.  It is both heart-wrenching and beautiful...only God could orchestrate such a meaningful story. 

The celebration begins with the washing of everyone's feet, usually the servants of the house would do this, but Jesus set the example and did the washing, see to the left my husband washing feet with a simple baby wipe. 

We all giggled when the youngest in the family caught on to what was going on and immediately took dad's seat and put his foot in the air and said, "Feet...feet...feet" numerous times like any other toddler repeats words they know.  I pray and I anticipate the day when he too will understand more fully.  

You can see the Seder plate we created on the left and next year, I think I am going to look to purchase a plate like this one on the right, which I found online here.  

The night was full of great face-to-face conversation and I am so thankful for the gift of teaching my husband has...he makes this kind of stuff so fun and interesting for me and my boys!  

We finished out the night with our lamb meal and watched the movie Passion of the  Christ after the baby went to sleep.  I still cannot watch that movie all the way through without closing my eyes, but I felt at peace knowing that all of our hearts had been opened to Jesus and His love...even if we had to close our eyes during some of the scenes.  My heart resonates with what Erik Lokkesmoe spoke here pertaining to movies/situations in life and whether they are characterized as secular or Christian...we find the good in all that God created and celebrate it. Thank you Jesus for allowing FaceTime.

Then the rest of the weekend was full of joy and celebrating the life we have in Christ.  There was a Flashlight Neighborhood Easter Egg hunt, brunch with our loving neighbors, church service, and Grandma's traditional Easter meal and yet another Easter Egg Hunt...my heart was full with all the face-to-face interaction.  (Here are some more pics of the faces I hold dear...the youngest was hamming it up for the camera...you'll see)

No more Easter Egg Hunts today...it's two weeks past Easter, but I am off to hunt down some more Face Time today.  Hope you are too!