Why do they call it a sleep over?
It went fantastic. Just great. The first time mom's were saying they couldn't believe it was this much fun or they'd been crashing the party years before. The other mom's were saying this is the best one ever. The kids had an absolute BLAST!
The scavanger hunt got 127 cans of food for the homeless shelter & 8 boxes of macaroni & cheese (can't figure that out, 5 teams, 1 box each? LOL) and 5 baby food jars.
We had 4 adult flip flops that were not used, we're going to donate those as well.
So not only did the kids & parents have a blast running around the neighborhood gathering stuff, we got the kids a couple of service projects out of it too!
The flip flops were the hit of the party! Even adults that didn't think they wanted anything to do with it, wanted to do it! (Glad I brought extra! I was sooooo allergic to them! I realized about the second or third store I was breaking out, so i bought some latex free gloves to handle them. I'd bought myself a pair, but couldn't use them. One of the youth group girls showed up to help. She and I wear the same size, so she got a pair. She also called me Mom all night
The kids loved the biscuit pizza's and pigs in a blanket. The adults LOVED the pigs in a blanket. Some of the mom's had never had them (huh?) and we were talking about all the ways you can do them up to make them fancier. We had 120 pigs in a blanket,, 80 mini pizza's, 54 people ... a bit of cheese & sauce left over.
The backpacks are incredible, the names look great! Becky had two machines going, and was able to do every mom, every child & even a surprise one for our children's pastor and her baby to be. (we know what it is, and what her name is).
They liked the sand art to, but they were not nearly as impressed with the sand art as they were the back packs and flip flops! Until this morning ...they all fell in love with them this morning when they saw the dried product. *whew*!
I'd also found larger packages of single colored sand, rather than the sand art packages, at Garden Ridge.
The sand art packages are about $6 to $7 for 3 lbs, I got 6 packages of 28 oz each, ...3 of them for $1.88 3 for $2.49.
So much cheaper than 2 packages of the pre packaged sand art boxes.
So, now, Sand art, that was a once in a lifetime special event, for children's ministry, has become an affordable activity! (grin)
We watched Little Mermaid & Mary Kate and Ashley go to Hawaii. I missed the movies (yea!) I was by then, sitting in the kitchen visiting with the other mom's who'd been working their tails off.
The crafts took longer than we thought, and it was 11:30 pm before we got to the devotion. The kids liked it, but the mom's were the ones who seemed shocked by the demonstration of the sand and God's thoughts numbering more than the grains of the Sand. The kids thought that was just awesome. The adults were just "Wow!"
The big kids dozed off by about 1:30, we finally got the last todder to doze off around 2:45.
We got up around 7, started to wake the girls about 7:45, and got them to start picking up their stuff & eating french toaststicks and OJ.
I left my Pillows at Michelles .growl.
I will be napping as soon as I pick up my son from the father/son sleepover that my husband did NOT take my son to. He'd promised him he'd go, this is Bj's last year to go. But Thursday night, told him he wouldn't go. Thankfully, the children's pastor figured Don wouldn't actually be there, and didn't plan on it. I would hate to have his reputation! I am glad that the people in my church do not base reputations on guilt by association too. I have my own earned reputation, and they realize, we may be married, but I am not responsible for his irresponsibility.
That was the one spoiler ... Don's refusal to participate in the father/son group.
I can't wait to get some feedback. I got some feedback on Pipp Jr. from some of the mom's I hadn't met yet, and that was really cool.
I told my friend Cindy, on IM the other day, if I come up with any more idea's for children's ministry to tell me to stick a sock in it. Immediately I went "oooo! A sock hop for kids night out!"
I sent it to Michelle. Looks like next spring we're going to do a sock hope for Family Night.
I have had fun planning these, I enjoy it. It's scary before hand, but it is SOOOOOo rewarding!
So glad that you had fun, and hope you catch up on sleep in no time :)
ReplyDeleteI finally posted your 5Q4 questions... can't wait for your answers :)
Sounds like a really fun party and great thing to do! Glad you shared.
ReplyDeleteGlad your son was able to attend, even if dad did not. Perhaps your husband feels too awful to be away from his bed? With the health problems we have, it would be hard for us to do such things.
Elizabeth
Wilsonian, I saw the questions, I need to think at least overnight. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, unfortunately, it is not his health that keeps him from doing those things, but his attitude. He felt good enough to sit at the coffee shop across the street from the church until 3 am. He could have sat at the church and watched his son just as easily.
I wish there was an easy explination, but for a long time, he's been disappointing the boys, choosing to go out for coffee than to attend one of their events. We got them bicycles for Christmas, but the lugnuts, screws and whatnot all needed tightening. He still has not done it.
But, he's done other things that have taken more energy, that were for him.
Unfortuneately, he's just one of those fathers that doesn't see the need to be involved in the activities of his children, and when someone tries to talk to him about it, he immediately makes them an enemy and starts to disregard everything they have to say.
I am at a loss of how to get through to him. My first resort is also my last resort ... prayer.
I am sorry dear! You are right....prayer is the only answer... for any of our problems actually. He will be the looser in the long run. Some people were too wounded at some point, usually in early life, to be whole. For those who marry them it is not easy. God is the only one who can change a person though. I am glad you see that. I hope you can find some ways to help your sons...and hope your church congregation will surround them with extra care. It is amazing how just one person can make all the difference sometimes in our lives. I had a few such here and there along my life's journey! Thanks to God for that!
ReplyDeleteBlessings...keep on keeping on doing all you can with and for your sons! It will pay off in the end!
Elizabeth
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Sounds like you had a fun time. One question, though. Why would you talk about your husband in such a negative light to total and complete strangers? We are told in the Bible to respect our husbands, period. Also, Proverbs 31:12 says, "She (the excellent wife) does him (her husband) good not evil all the days of her life." How can any one who reads your blog know why your husband chose not to attend the Father/Son meeting? Maybe he is irresponsible, or maybe it's about a power struggle between the two of you. Maybe he doesn't feel as though you respect him? Maybe he feels as though you try to control him and tell him what to do and when? Whatever the reason, it's between God and him. You cannot be his "holy spirit." Additionally, you are just as much in error, if not more, by sharing to the world his wrong choices and/or sins and calling him names. Does he even know what you wrote in your blog? I bet you all church does! What a shame.
ReplyDeleteOne additional note.
ReplyDeleteMen don't like to be told what to do, much less feel like they are being attacked or gained up on by others.
It would be more productive if another man in your church (unsolicated by you) would INVITE your husband and sons to go do something "fun" with him and his sons. They could go fishing, hiking, biking, to a park to play frisbee golf, hunting, sailing, to go play broom hockey, a BBQ watch a football game on TV, etc.
It appears your husband, for whatever reason, hasn't bonded with any other husbands with boys in your church. Guys like to hang out with their guy friends doing guy stuff. If he doesn't first bond (more like hitting it off, not like what woman do) with another guy, then he's not going to be too interested. If you appear to "eager" about him hanging out with the guys or your sons, he's going to reject the whole idea as well; especially, if he's feeling pressured by you to be someone that he's not. He needs to spend time with your sons doing what interest him without you badgering him to do so.
Maybe you should try planning an outing with your sons doing something that your husband "loves" to do. Then invite him to go along. One invite only. If he says no, then, very nicely, give him a kiss on the cheek or lips, say okay, tell him you will miss his presence, tell him you love him, and then go on your outing. Come back and share your fun, but never say, "you should have gone." Don't lecture. Don't command. Most importantly, stop talking badly about him to others. Show him the respect God commands a wife to show her husband. Let God work in his heart.