Homemaking

What’s so bad about laundry?

Laundry ranks high among my least favorite chores.  So I finally stopped and asked myself, "what is really so bad about laundry?"  I mean, think about what laundry used to be like...The women had to lug all of their clothes to a river or a stream (fighting through wild animals and poison ivy), wash each article on a scrub board, and hang everything to dry.  Or how about the women that used to boil huge pots of water in their kitchens?  When I was growing up, my grandma didn't have a dryer so after the clothes were done in the washer she had to hang everything out to dry.  One rain storm and those clothes were goners.  Contrast these situations with mine.  The hamper starts to get full (or in my case, the clothes are falling out the sides) and I carry the clothes all the way down one whole flight of stairs.  Next, I have to actually sort dark from light (don't tell my mom, but I don't always follow that rule).  I pile everything into the washer, pour in soap, turn a few knobs and press start.   If I don't forget that I had a load in the washer (right now, I am just remembering that my load is still sitting in the washer from yesterday), I switch everything to the dryer.  A couple of more buttons and I walk away.  At some point, I find my way back to the dryer to fold.  All of the clothes then must be taken back up that flight of stairs and smooshed into appropriate drawers.  I'm done!  No wild animals, no bad weather, no sweating over a pot of boiling water.  Just a little bit of walking and even time for a nap in between loads.  Doing laundry may not be so bad after all. I think that I just might run to my laundry room right now and switch that load in the washer over to the dryer. 

Setting Up House

Mike and I have been officially “moved in” to our new townhouse for almost two weeks.  It has been tons of fun enjoying the process of making our little house into a home. 

Over these last two weeks I have noticed a new temptation creeping into my mind and life. All of a sudden, the volume of stuff that “I need” has just increased. “I need” those ice cube trays that make the little cubes instead of the big ones.  “I need” some more pictures to fill up my wall.  How can I possibly keep my flour and sugar in their original bags?  “I need” some new storage containers.  You get the picture.

Really it’s not the “I needs” but the “I wants”—the subtle trap of materialism.

How quickly I forget the Lord’s kindness in giving us this townhouse when we were competing with three other contracts.  How ungrateful my heart can be, even as I unpack box after box of material possessions.  I live in such wealth and prosperity, but what can often occupy my mind is my “need” for more pillows to liven up my couch. 

Matthew 6:19-21 is a fresh reminder to me of what truly matters:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I know that it is not wrong for me to want more pictures on my wall or more pillows on my couch, but it is wrong when that desire becomes a demand ("I need").  It is sinful when I become ungrateful for all that the Lord has given me.  How kind and gracious of the Lord to give me His Word to correct me in my sin. This excerpt from a prayer in The Valley of Vision helps redirect my thoughts away from what I need to happiness in serving God:

“O Lord, help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.  Let me not think that I shall be more happy by living to myself, for I can only be happy if employed for thee.”   

Arthur Bennett, ed. The Valley of Vision (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), 304.

Three bananas

Three overly-ripe bananas make for one happy husband and one happy son eating banana bread. No doubt, the chocolate glaze is the reason they enjoy it so much! Below is the recipe:

Banana Bread with Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar (1/2 brown and 1/2 white, optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt

Glaze:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325*. Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and bananas until blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, until blended. Do not overmix! Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester, inserted in center, comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove and cool. When cake is cool, drizzle top with chocolate glaze. To make glaze, melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave using 30% power (defrost). 

Our Favorite Game

A friend asked what we did on vacation and I told him that we played a whole lot of “Take Two.” Then I realized we hadn’t told you about the Mahaney’s favorite game (right now at least). Another name for this game is “Speed Scrabble.” It’s Scrabble on caffeine, basically. I’ve heard different versions, but these are the Mahaney house rules:

•    Chuck the Scrabble board.

•    Place all the Scrabble pieces face down in the center of the table.

•    Each player draws seven pieces and keeps them face down in front of her.

•    Someone yells “start” (Yes, if you’re a Mahaney you won’t say it quietly).

•    Each player turns her pieces over and begins assembling her own individual Scrabble board. (Same rules as Scrabble apply here.)

•    The first person to use all her Scrabble letters to make real words yells “take two” and everyone grabs two more letters.

•    This continues until all the letters have been used up (if necessary everyone can “take one” the last time around).

•    Once the first person has completed her Scrabble board, everyone else must stop.

•    Then each person counts her letters (across and up and down) and subtracts the letters she wasn’t able to use (if any). This is her total score for the first round.

•    Play as many rounds as you like. The person with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Also, trading letters is allowed, but don’t trade a “z” or a “q” for an “e” or you’re sure to lose.

Hope you have as many fun hours of playing “Take Two” as we have!

Ants

I hate bugs!  I don't just find them annoying or a little gross.  I'm the kind of girl who will see a bug when I'm home alone and with half closed eyes, stick a paper cup over it until my husband, brother, or dad arrive to flush it down the toilet.   I will then rush to the bathroom to wash my hands with soap and water even though I don't actually touch the bug.  Are you getting the picture?  Well, this picture should set a pretty good scene for my nightmare experience the other day... 

Mike and I are moving into our town house this week, so I was busy cleaning out our bedroom at my parent's house.  I was home alone (of course this would happen when I was alone!). I pulled out my drawer that housed my candy collection and as I was going through it, I popped a piece in my mouth.  All of a sudden, a million tiny moving brown specks caught my eye.  My candy drawer was covered with baby ants.  As you would expect, I panicked.  I had no idea what to do (aside from spitting out the piece of candy in my mouth). I knew that I needed to get the drawer outside. However, as I didn't want to touch anything with my hands, I grabbed a trash bag, picked up the drawer and ran it down to the front porch. When I ran back upstairs, I discovered that not only were the little guys in the candy drawer, but also in the other drawers, as well as on the floor around the dresser.  I continued running up and down the stairs, using paper towels and bags to carry all of the infected articles to the front porch.  My neighbors were having a party that day and I can only imagine what they must have been thinking.  Next I grabbed the vacuum and began vacuuming them up.  Even when I didn't see any more ants, I kept the vacuum running because I was afraid that they could crawl back out.  Things seemed to calm down at this point and I began to recover from my ordeal. 

Later that day, my sister Nicole came to pick up Jack (my mom and I were babysitting), and I was helping her put the car seat in her car.  All of a sudden, I noticed that the car seat was covered in black ants.  Yes, this is a true story.  This did happen to me twice in one day.  I wonder if the Lord is after something?  I was no less grossed out, but a little more prepared this second time around.  I dragged the car seat to the porch and turned on the vacuum.  Those little guys didn't stand a chance! 

Needless to say, for the rest of the evening, I constantly felt like I had an ant crawling on me.  I finally made it to bed, and had dreams about ants all night long.  It was a day that I wasn't sorry to see come to an end, and it's a day I hope not to repeat in the near future.

I know that Proverbs tells us to observe the ant to learn about diligence.  This command has been a difficult one for me to obey.  I would prefer to read about these little guys in my Bible or watch a special about them on TV, but I can pass on the living demonstrations in my own home. 

Family Night Finalists

Thanks so much to those of you who sent in ideas for memorable family activities. Here are a few of our favorites:

"Sometimes for our family night dinner, I have the kids design the center piece. It is usually made of lego spaceships, k-nex robots, lincoln log cabin, art work, playdough sculpture, etc. They LOVE this. Each child (3 boys, 1 girl) takes turns explaining his or her contribution to the center piece. (Another benefit is that it keeps them occupied while I cook.)" --Laurie Reyes

"One of my favorite family activities has always been birthdays.  From the time we were very young, my mom was very intential about how we celebrated birthdays.  She wanted it to be a day where we celebrated the life of the birthday boy/girl and showed them how much they were loved and cared for.  So on our birthday we were allowed to choose the menu for the entire day; a cake decorated however we wanted; and an activity for the whole family such as putt-putt, games, swimming, sightseeing, bowling, etc.  As homeschoolers, we even got the day off school!  Birthdays were set aside as holidays and were something the entire family was excited about.  Looking back, my mom put a lot of time and effort into making it special; but those days are some of our most treasured memories.  Now even though some of us are adults with jobs or children, we still make every effort to keep each birthday completely open on our schedule so that we can keep up the tradition!"  --Alyssa Sieb

"My special memory was a one-time event. We were traveling from Iowa to Denver, Colorado for a family vacation.  Just as us kids were starting to get bored in the car, Mom pulled out a fancy book with blank pages.  She had put it in her purse just for this purpose!  She wanted each of us to write or draw pictures about the trip, as we were traveling.  We each took our turn at that time.  Then we would take the book again, as the mood would strike, throughout the trip.  By the end of the week, the book was filled with stories and pictures and 'inside jokes' that everyone knew about.  That special book made such an impression on me, because Mom had planned it as a special secret to keep until just the right time.  It was a treat that lasted the whole week and beyond.  It may have not been the most exciting thing we did on that vacation, but it turned out to be the most memorable." --Dawn Brincks

Janelle’s Picks

Just mention the phrase "Family Night" and tons of wonderful memories flood my mind.  No fair having to pick favorites, but these three come pretty close...

"Progressive Dinner"- This one works great for the little guys.  We ate each part of our dinner in a different room while doing an activity. In the first room we ate hot dogs and put a puzzle together.  The Memory Game and deviled eggs came with the second room.  Apple sauce and story in the third room.  We concluded with apple cider and talked about the meaning of each of our names in the last room (to my sisters' delight that is when I discovered that my name means "gift from God").

"Fall Fun Night"- This evening consisted of a fall theme relay.  The first person to complete the following activities--unscramble fall related words, drink a cup of hot cider, bob for apples, find two hidden gourds outside, and eat a bowl of caramel popcorn--won a prize.  Just my kind of relay with plenty of food involved.  I can't remember who won, but it was probably me.

"Silly Night"- On this evening we had to come dressed "silly" for dinner.  I can remember running around my house that afternoon trying to put together all of the craziest stuff that I could find.  This was right down my alley (probably not one of Kristin's favorites).  We all assembled for dinner looking ridiculous--mismatched outfits and crazy hair.  Next we had to eat our meal backwards.  This meant starting with dessert (a practice I still enjoy) and ending with our salad.  The backwards meal was made more hilarious when mom had us use the wrong utensils for eating our food.  This led into a series of silly activities.  We drew a picture in the dark.  Mom turned out the lights and gave instructions.  "Draw the outline of a house.  Put a door on the house.  Put a tree in the yard..."  You get the idea.  Not exactly art museum material.  Next we all had to draw names and give a silly command to the name that we drew and the evening ended with a lovely family picture.  This is a "must do" family night!  In fact I might see if the fam is up for resurrecting this one. 

I am so grateful for the hours my mom spent making family nights so unique and fun.  I can't wait to do these same activities with my children.  I trust that each of you have enjoyed these ideas and that ideas have been sparked in your own minds for your families.  Have fun!

Kristin’s Picks

My favorite family night didn’t start out so well. In fact, Dad and Mom sent Nicole and me to bed. We were six and seven at the time, so you can imagine that we weren’t too happy to see that two-year old Janelle was allowed to stay up, and was actually playing! She was smugly pushing her toy shopping cart up and down the hallway in front of our room—no doubt attempting to rub it in.

But after a few minutes, Dad and Mom came back to our room and announced we were going somewhere in the car. But they told us NOT to change out of our flannel onesies. We were going on a PAJAMA RIDE! Talk about excitement! I felt a little strange walking into Dunkin Donuts in yellow pajamas, but the glazed donut cured all my embarrassment.

I think what makes this particular memory still so vivid twenty years later is the element of surprise. Dad and Mom weren’t just out to build special memories, but they created a little culture of anticipation amongst my sisters and me! We never knew what they were going to plan next!

Dad and Mom were also very intentional about building a culture of encouragement. One family night in particular was built around a theme of encouragement. At dinner, we took turns encouraging each member of the family. Then we made sugar cookies using alphabet cookie cutters. We had to spell out a word that described a character quality of one particular family member we had been assigned to encourage. Then, we had to honor that person sometime over the next week.

My final family night memory is more recent. In fact, I was courting Brian at the time, so he participated in this one. It was “Mystery Night.” The suspense began with dinner. Each family member had been assigned a particular aspect of the meal (appetizer, main course, side dish, dessert, etc.) the week before. We could decide what we would make, but we had to keep our dish a secret. So, when we showed up for dinner, we had a surprise of a meal—including peanut butter sandwiches, fancy salad, green bean casserole, shrimp cocktail, and kool-aid. To set the mood we had mystery music in the background. The game for that evening was an invigorating round of Clue. We finished off with a frightening Alfred Hitchcock flick.

Maybe Brian and I will have mystery night with our boys someday. What fun activities has your family enjoyed? Please send us your ideas!

Nicole’s Picks

My sisters and I always looked forward to family night with childlike eagerness.

My all-time favorite was "Mahaney Family Olympics."  When the 1984 Olympics took place, I was eight and Kristin was seven.  We were captured by the sheer excitement of it all. I think that's why this particular family night is so vivid in my memory.

In our flannel nightgowns we ran races around the dining room table. We threw ping pong balls into a bowl of water. And we we had a relay race with toothpicks and lifesavers. (You had to put the toothpick in your mouth, put the lifesaver on the toothpick and then transfer it to your partner--no hands). The climactic moment came when Dad would line us up in the foyer and hum the national anthem while awarding us our "medals." I can't imagine the athletes felt more happiness than we did.

Another favorite family night was the time we switched places at the dinner table. My mom had us draw the name of another family member and we had to sit in their seat at dinner and behave like them throughout the meal. I remember it being so funny to see my dad imitating my Uncle Grant (who lived with us at the time) and my mom acting silly like Janelle.

We repeated this family night again about fifteen years later along with the two pastors' college students who lived in our basement. It was even more hysterical the second time, and enlightening too, to see everyone's idiosyncracies acted out by another member of the family.

Finally, "Backwards Night" was inspired by the definitions of the word "backwards": "doing something in the reverse of the usual, the right way," and "toward the past." We, of course, did everything backwards for that particular family night. We had breakfast for dinner. And we had to have fulfilled a "backward assignment" during the day and tell about it at dinner. The options were to wear an article of clothing backwards (one that people could see!), eat our lunch backwards in the pesence of a friend, walk backwards around the outside of the house three times (while it was still daytime!), or wear a nametag all day with our name written backwards. Then, at dinner, after we reported on our humiliating "backward assignment," we looked backwards over the past year and recounted one specific example of God's goodness. 

These and countless other family nights formed a childhood rich in laughter and fun. I am so grateful for the time and effort my parents invested in these rich memories for my sisters and me. And I hope Steve and I can provide Jack with many funny, happy memories too.

Family Nights

From the time our children were very young we have had a weekly "family night." This is an evening we set aside each week where we eat a special dinner together and do a fun activity. The purpose is to build family closeness and create special memories. Now some 25 years later, we have a whole collection of memories that we review often with fondness and laughter.

I must tell you, though, that some of our laughter comes from remembering family nights that went awry. We had times when our fun activity became a "resolving conflict activity" or times when the fun activity turned out to be not so fun after all! Like the time I planned for everyone to paint those little plaster houses to display under our Christmas tree. I had picked up this great idea from another mom, only I neglected to consider the fact that her family is very talented when it comes to doing crafts while my family is not. Our painting project did not go well. By the end of the evening, we had not succeeded in producing pretty painted Christmas houses; sinful attitudes were being displayed instead. Given how dreadful the houses looked, we eventually threw them away.

Though we weren't laughing on this particular family night, we have certainly laughed about it many times since. This goes to show that even when a family night doesn't go as planned it can still be a fun memory someday. And we want to provide our families with a whole lot of fun memories! That's why family nights are well worth the time and effort it takes to make them happen.

As Tedd Tripp points out:

"The most powerful way to keep your child from being attracted by the offers of camaraderie with the wicked is to make home an attractive place to be. Young people do not run from places where they are loved and know unconditional acceptance. They do not run away from homes where there are solid relationships. They do not run from homes in which the family is planning activities and doing exciting things."

Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child's Heart (Wapwallopen, Pa.: Shepherd Press, 1995), 195.

Now I am always on the lookout for creative ideas for family nights, and I'm sure many of you are as well. So we thought we would post some of our favorites over the next several days, and we'd also like to hear about yours. If you have a fun family activity you'd like to share with everyone, please email us by clicking on the "Email me" link on the left sidebar. We will post some of the best ideas next week. We look forward to hearing from you!

Guest Post

The Girl Talkers are kindly letting the fellas say a few things to the guys who are reading the Girl Talk blog. Yeah, we know you're out there. Some of you have even admitted it. Look, it's nothing to be ashamed of. When the Girl Talkers talk, we listen too. There's a lot we guys can learn from the women.

We're all on vacation right now, which is why we are able to guest post. We want to offer our thoughts to husbands about vacation. Remember the post a few days ago where the ladies talked about serving while on vacation? Here are our ideas for how you can serve your wife:

1. Play 18 holes of golf, not 36.

2. If you have children, don't use the last of the milk for your third late-night bowl of Lucky Charms.

3. Offer to watch the children during the afternoon nap.

4. If you're going to take a toddler on the jet-ski, try to keep the speed under 50 mph.

5. Consider giving your wife the remote control during the 5:00-6:00 a.m. slot.

We can do a little better than the ideas listed here. Guys, vacation from our normal work responsibilities does not mean a vacation from our responsibilities to lead, serve, and care for our families. It's all too easy to view vacation as a refuge of relaxation rather than a unique opportunity to serve and lead our families.

The temptations to selfishness and laziness are strong, but our leadership and service will set the tone for our vacations. So whether we are planning the activities for the day or making sure that our wives get time each day to meet with the Lord, let's be sure that we are leading and serving for the glory of God and the good of those we love the most.

Happy vacationing,

Steve, Brian, and Mike

Food Part II

Vacation is a super fun time for food--or in this case, I should say drinks.  One of my favorite things about the South is sweet tea.  When I order iced tea at home it takes at least 45 sugars to get it sweet.  The ice makes it impossible to dissolve, causing my last few sips to be nothing but sugar.  So while I'm in Tennessee, I drink all the sweet tea that I can hold.  (For all you non-southerners out there, one great place to get a good sweet tea in your neck of the woods is Chick-Fil-A. I would recommend topping that off with a lemon.) Now, while we are on the subject, another favorite is Coke with lime. But the trick is to first put in your ice, than squeeze in the lime, and pour the Coke in last. This works best if the Coke is already cold so that the ice doesn't immediately water down the Coke. Finally, the perfect breakfast "food and drink in one" is my favorite cereal, Cocoa Krispies (a vacation staple for my nephews and me). The greatest thing about this cereal is how it turns your milk into chocolate milk. I always pour in extra milk so that there is plenty left to drink after I finish the cereal.

Although I love my food, what really makes food so fun on vacation is enjoying it with my family. One of our favorite activities is sitting around the dinner table talking until it's almost time for the next meal. I can remember my parents beginning this practice of intentional meal time when I was very young. My dad would ask about our day and in turn direct us to ask each family member a question. What began as a training process developed into a much loved tradition.

So that's it for now. There's still much talking and eating (and of course drinking) to be done.

Shopping

Today is a very important day on our vacation.  The guys are sending the girls shopping.  (The four sweetest husbands ever!)  This is serious stuff.  No kiddos allowed.  (Pray for our husbands today if you think about it, they are gonna be slightly busy.) 

Believe me, on a few crazy occasions we have gone shopping with the kids...it doesn't work.  We need to give each store our undivided attention.  There are serious decisions to be made today, "do I buy the pink one or the red one, the big one or the small one?".  You get the picture.  Each of us has to register our opinion to help the potential buyer make her choice.  And as you can probably imagine, there are no lack of opinions to be expressed.  Each purchase is a joint decision.

So, Pigeon Forge, here we come.  (Despite the name, it is one of the top rated shopping spots in the south.)  But really, it's not the shopping that excites us the most, but just hanging out together.  Lots of laughing and serious talks alike.  Shopping is just another way for us to enjoy God's gift of friendship with one another.

More Thoughts on Vacation

Vacation is great. I can get in a car and drive away from many of the responsibilities of everyday life. I can clean my house and not clean it again for two whole weeks. I can leave behind the errands and the meetings and the emails. But as much as vacation is an "escape," there is one thing I can't get away from: sin.

As my dad is in the habit of reminding people: indwelling sin doesn't take a vacation. As long as we're in this world, we can't escape it. We can't get in the car and leave it behind. We take it with us. Everywhere.

In fact, it seems to me as if new sins sneak into my luggage. Serving others sometimes seems like more of a sacrifice on vacation. I'm often more tempted to be impatient and self-centered. Worst of all, is the temptation to spiritual lethargy; the lure of pleasure and ease that seeks to pull my soul away from communion with God.

Because sin doesn't take a vacation, I cannot--I must not--take a vacation from dependence upon God. I desperately need His help to fight the sins that surface on vacation. But, sadly, I must confess that all too often I have neglected the spiritual disciplines. I start off with good intentions, but by the end of vacation my soul is cold and lacks passion for God.

That's why I need others on vacation. My husband challenges me and encourages me in my walk with God. My mom and sisters and I trade off watching the kids so each of us gets time with the Lord. They all provide an example that inspires me.

But even though sin travels with me, the good news is that I cannot escape the grace of God! And I don't want to! The gospel tells me that God sent His Son to redeem vacationing sinners like me. And even better--one day I will truly escape from sin, and spend eternity worshipping Him!

In light of my temptation to neglect the spiritual disciplines on vacation, this prayer, entitled "Backsliding" encouraged me this morning:

"I bless thee that those who turn aside may return to thee immediately, and be welcomed without anything to commend them, notwithstanding all their former backslidings. I confess that this is suited to my case, for of late I have found great want, and lack of apprehension of divine grace; I have been greatly distressed of soul because I did not suitably come to the fountain that purges away all sin....Give me to believe that thou canst do for me more than I ask or think, and that, though I backslide, thy love will never let me go, but will draw me back to thee with everlasting cords....Keep me solemn, devout, faithful, resting on free grace for assistance, acceptance, and peace of conscience."

(Arthur Bennett, ed., Valley of Vision (Carslile, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2002) p. 156-157.

On Taking Vacations

We are writing this post together today because we are together. (Yeah!) Thanks to the generosity of our friends Scott and Lesa, and their daughter Isabelle, we are enjoying our family vacation at their home in Dandridge, Tennessee. Ever heard of it?

Hey, Dandridge is a bigger deal than you think. Not only is it the second oldest town in Tennessee, but it also boasts of being the birthplace of our very own American hero, Davy Crockett. (If you ever pass this way, be sure to visit the Davy Crockett museum.)

But even if you don't vacation in Dandridge, we must all have a biblical perspective of vacation. "Whether you eat or drink, [or go on vacation] or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

Rest is a gift from God. So we glorify Him when we receive our vacation with gratefulness and thoroughly enjoy it. We also please Him when we focus on others: when we relate to one another and not just relax, serve each other instead of be selfish, and make memories together rather than do our own thing.

In the end, vacation for the Christian is not all that different from any other day. It is simply another opportunity to glorify God.

So whether you're at the beach, the mountains, or the lake, or whether you're in the office, the kitchen, or the classroom today, consider how you can live for His glory, whatever you do!

(And C.J./Dad - Thanks for many years of priceless vacation memories. But more importantly, thank you for leading our family in enjoying vacations to the glory of God! We love you!)