The VBS Circuit

Right now it’s really hot outside.  Now, I’m not one to whine about the heat but it seriously is and I am now, officially whiney.  It’s eight billion degrees and the list of things to do with my kids are restricted to activities that happen before 0800 or things inside in the air conditioning.  It also means that every public place is so much more peoply than what we’re used to because we homeschool and rarely have to deal with a  crowd. 

So, what does that mean for me?  It means that by late May I had exhausted all of my “adventuring” ideas which usually keep me and the kids busy, learning and basically occupied with purpose. 

After sleeping in a tent when it was 95 degrees and listening to my middle child whispering a little prayer for a heavy rainstorm and a leaky tent as he laid in the dark trying to sleep, his fair skin glowing in the dark as he was as close to naked as I’d let him be in a tent with his brother, mother and sister, I realized that our usual camping and hiking adventures were going to look a little different for the remainder of the summer or at least until the great State of Texas shifts from its temporary position as the planet closest to the sun.  I hope we don’t all burst into flames before then. 

I’ve taken them to the lake to swim and kayak but again, after about eleven o’clock the heat and humidity start to creep in and it drains your energy so all you want to do is slowly slip into a coma whilst you reserve all your efforts to slurping a Gatorade. 

I’ve let them play in the sprinklers in the yard and taken them to our indoor swimming place at our recreation center but all of these things drain the budget via water bills, etc. and there’s only so much of that we can do.  They have been inside my house far too much and for far too long.  We might start eating each other if I don’t keep the groceries stocked.  I know the kids have come to blows over the last cheapo frozen popsicle I wouldn’t put cannibalism past them at this point. 

Now, it’s important to note that for a few years now I have been our church’s VBS ‘director”.  The beginning of most summers have been spent excitedly prepping for one of my most favorite events of the year bringing me that sweet combination of a tiny bit of pressure and a whole lot of enthusiasm.  I love VBS, always have, always will.  I love the cheesy themes and the praise songs and how everyone pitches in to make it fun.  Previously, later in the summer, having spent so much of my time and energy on VBS I’d rarely send my children to any of the other local church’s take on an timeless tradition of learning about God via wacky themes and canned food drives.

This year our church prayerfully set out to try something different and more in the vein of community outreach and opted to not hold a VBS.  This left me a little lost during May and June, though I’m not complaining, it’s not like I’m the boss.  God has all of that in hand.    

During this time I saw all the nearby churches begin to advertise their exciting VBS plans and dates and heard my friends talk as they usually do about which VBS’s (yes, that’s plural) they were sending their kids to.  I hadn’t really thought much about it. 

A few weeks ago some sweet friends of ours invited us to attend a VBS at a church I’d never been to or heard of.  Seeing as how they would be attending with friends and their website, faith and security measures all seemed up to snuff, I decided to let them go, after all now that my youngest is 5 she could go too!

I remember when I was in the 6th grade my cousin invited me to her church’s VBS.  They were Baptist.  I was so indoctrinated at such a young age that I wasn’t sure if I could sing Baptist church songs let along clap my hands and stomp my feet, I mean, Jesus was watching!  Anyway, I haven’t really pushed my kids into other VBS events. 

So, at a very nice, small church in a neighborhood northwest of my neck of the woods, I watched mommas drop off their excited kids into an auditorium full of energetic adults and teens singing songs and playing games.  So, I did likewise.  I lingered for a moment then got the heck out of Dodge.

Now, for three whole mornings I had no kids. 

At this time I began to understand why so many friends had attended so many VBS’s.  Free, faith-centered, bible pounding, fun, safe time for kids and the mommas get kid-free time!  Ya’ll are so smart!

Now, we homeschool.  My kids are with me ALL THE TIME.  We grocery shop together. When I work out, they have to go to the gym with me.  They are with me all the time personal space and time to think is a far off dream I’m willing to wait on because I’ve got my head in the momma game right now. 

Just the other day I stepped outside to mow the backyard.  I asked the kids to play quietly in the living room while I got that task done.  At some point, one of them asked over the noise of the mower for a snack and I hastily yelled “YESSSSS!” anxious to get the job done because like I said, it’s hot.  When I came back inside the entire living room was so covered in peanut shells and peanuts that I was left looking for the elephant and circus performers.  They were nowhere to be found and neither were the kids.  The kids had moved on and I was left sweaty, covered in dirt (if you mow in the heat you know how it sticks to every little square inch of you giving you false tan lines everywhere you might be covered with clothes), trying to mix up some Gatorade and hollering at my children to clean it up with what little breath I had left.

Now, this is just an example but I’m busy and tired MOST of the time so the idea of 3 solid hours to myself that I don’t have to feel guilty about is a gift.  It’s refreshing.  It refuels me so that I can be a better momma and a better human being in general.

I found myself asking about all the local VBS goings on and checking the calendar to see if I could even mange a solid few weeks of Jesus Praising kid time, because the good Lord knows that’s what I was doing when they were at random-church and I was scarfing down a taco in the car like it was my last meal and sipping on a gloriously cold sweet tea without someone fighting, begging me for a bite or drinking my drink. 

I feel a bit guilty for this but, I’ll be honest, at this point I might consider sending them to the snake handling church just so I could brunch with a friend.  (Kidding?  Maybe?)

The long and short of it is I finally understand this VBS circuit.  Wise mommas have been utilizing it for years and I feel late to the party.  Think of the naps I could’ve taken. 

My point is, my goal in this season of life is to raise my kids to be decent, God fearing, God worshiping men and woman, that is what my entire day, all my energy is going towards.  From homeschool lessons to keeping house, at this time in my life that is my full time job.  I love it, I do but sometimes I get so tired and worn out, especially when the weather is basically a metaphorical sweaty palm, pinning us all down in the dirt by the forehead. 

So, if a church can lend a hand in providing some summer fun and a little Jesus to my kids for a few hours a day for a few days then Praise God, Hallelujah, pass me a snake.