I have been thinking a lot lately about assignment.
How we each have been given an assignment for life, and none of us have the same one.
Sometimes it is easy to look to others and see all they are doing and wonder why you can't seem to manage that? Or you think about things you wish you could do or you want to do, but you just can't seem to get it all done.
Well one of my current assignments is homeschooling. And four children. And a tight budget. And sometimes, that means there are things I just cannot do. And I have got to start embracing it.
The other day, I was overwhelmed with the cobwebs in my ceiling corners, the dust underneath the beds, the sticky floors that need scrubbing, and the pile of paperwork in need of organizing. Clothes that are too small for my kiddos are stacking in huge piles in the garage. My refrigerator is pretty much as dirty as it could get. And it's starting to get empty. There are emails waiting for replies and gifts waiting to be bought. My baby books need updating and I have crafts waiting that I really want to do with my children.
There is always more to be done than there is time to do it.
And when I see other moms managing things well that I don't, it is a fight against feeling "less than."
But I know in my head that I am not "less than."
I have a different assignment. My assignment is to have my four children and to keep them home with me and to homeschool. And this means that I need to choose homeschooling over cleaning. I need to choose the library over an organized desk. I need to choose watching television at the end of the night (since I haven't had a break all day) instead of filling in baby books and responding promptly to emails. I have to make my priorities and let the rest go.
This is so much easier said than done, but sometimes, when I blog my thoughts and put out there to the world what I want to do and be, it reminds me of my truths and my goals.
So this is one of them. EMBRACE the assignment that I have been given, knowing that it is NOT the same as others around me. Acknowledge that because of the assignments that I do have, there are sacrifices that need to be made. And I want to make them. I really do. I want to sacrifice a clean house and lots of free time and new clothes and make-up on daily. I am ready and willing to choose simple meals and hand-me-down clothes and busy days and dirty floors. For this is my little space in the world. I [alas] cannot do it all. And that is okay.
What is your assignment?
What do you need to sacrifice for that?
I encourage you to embrace that today, knowing that you are not "less than," but are living in the peace and joy that comes from following your calling.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thankful, Toothless Thursday
Thankful, thankful, thankful today for...
...a dear, lovely woman from church who invited me and my children to her home for the morning, to talk and encourage and share amazing homeschooling books and resources with me. SO thankful for bags of books waiting to be poured over and studied and read. We LOVE books here at this house!
...a chance to see a great friend of ours in a musical tonight (while the kids slept and my gracious in-laws stayed at our house!) and the fun of being at the theatre. So good to laugh and enjoy the show.
...a quick Starbucks date with my hubby before the show. I find that the more kids we have and the older they get, the more we have to be intentional to carve in time to talk. Just having an opportunity to sit and talk is such a gift. Thankful, too, that I still love to be out to coffee with this man I have been out to coffee with for over eleven years.
...Ella, who responded to my prompt during a prayer time this morning, "Jesus help me today to be..." by saying, "a blessing in your eyes." Where did that even come from? So precious and sweet, especially after her many times of staring me down defiantly when I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do.
...the laughter of my children and of our family. Tonight, after a particularly trying and tiring afternoon, laughter was truly a medicine for my soul as my husband imitated a Dora dance move (to the song, "Boingy Bing," the most annoying song we have ever heard in our lives...you parents with Dora-loving kids probably know exactly what I mean!!) and my kiddos joined in and I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
...watching Sophia dance and clap and smile as we sing our Scripture memory verses these last few weeks. It is beyond precious. She is starting to understand more of the world around her, too, saying "mama," "dada," "Ella," and "all done," which actually comes out like, "ahhh...duh." Cutest ever.
...Micah's excitement over losing his first TOOTH!! I truly have a "big kid" in my house with a cute, toothless grin smiling at me. Proud mama. :-) (His other, adult tooth is already in behind the hole, which is why it's a bit hard to see.)
...Also thankful today for God's assignment for MY life, which looks different than his assignment for OTHERS. (I'm sure I will blog more about this in the near future.) I am learning, learning, and still learning about how to be comfortable in my own, mama skin. Doing what I feel called to do, what I feel convicted to do, what I am gifted to do, even if it is different from the other mamas around me I so deeply admire. Today, I want to be thankful for what I have been called to do and not look to what I am NOT doing. So much freedom for me in this.
What are you thankful for today?
...a dear, lovely woman from church who invited me and my children to her home for the morning, to talk and encourage and share amazing homeschooling books and resources with me. SO thankful for bags of books waiting to be poured over and studied and read. We LOVE books here at this house!
...a chance to see a great friend of ours in a musical tonight (while the kids slept and my gracious in-laws stayed at our house!) and the fun of being at the theatre. So good to laugh and enjoy the show.
...a quick Starbucks date with my hubby before the show. I find that the more kids we have and the older they get, the more we have to be intentional to carve in time to talk. Just having an opportunity to sit and talk is such a gift. Thankful, too, that I still love to be out to coffee with this man I have been out to coffee with for over eleven years.
...Ella, who responded to my prompt during a prayer time this morning, "Jesus help me today to be..." by saying, "a blessing in your eyes." Where did that even come from? So precious and sweet, especially after her many times of staring me down defiantly when I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do.
...the laughter of my children and of our family. Tonight, after a particularly trying and tiring afternoon, laughter was truly a medicine for my soul as my husband imitated a Dora dance move (to the song, "Boingy Bing," the most annoying song we have ever heard in our lives...you parents with Dora-loving kids probably know exactly what I mean!!) and my kiddos joined in and I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
...watching Sophia dance and clap and smile as we sing our Scripture memory verses these last few weeks. It is beyond precious. She is starting to understand more of the world around her, too, saying "mama," "dada," "Ella," and "all done," which actually comes out like, "ahhh...duh." Cutest ever.
...Micah's excitement over losing his first TOOTH!! I truly have a "big kid" in my house with a cute, toothless grin smiling at me. Proud mama. :-) (His other, adult tooth is already in behind the hole, which is why it's a bit hard to see.)
...Also thankful today for God's assignment for MY life, which looks different than his assignment for OTHERS. (I'm sure I will blog more about this in the near future.) I am learning, learning, and still learning about how to be comfortable in my own, mama skin. Doing what I feel called to do, what I feel convicted to do, what I am gifted to do, even if it is different from the other mamas around me I so deeply admire. Today, I want to be thankful for what I have been called to do and not look to what I am NOT doing. So much freedom for me in this.
What are you thankful for today?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Recipes of the Week: THREE Easy Dinners
It's been a bit since I've posted a recipe, so I'm going to make it up to you all by giving you an idea for THREE nights of dinners. I did this a couple of weeks ago and it was SO nice! I put a bit more work into making dinner the first night, but then I used the leftovers from that dinner to make dinner the next two nights. It was easy, yummy, and so nice to just have a three-night plan for dinners! Wish I did this more often. I love new, easy recipes, and I love using my crockpot, so if you do, too, then this is for YOU!
Here is the meal plan...
Night One:
Balsamic Chicken - in the crockpot (recipe below...SO yummy)
Mashed potatoes (I made 5 pounds of the red potatoes...did you know that if you use red potatoes, you don't have to peel them?? Brilliant! I just mash them with milk and butter. For our dairy-free family currently, I mashed them with non-dairy butter and rice milk and even my hubby didn't notice the difference!)
Garlic Carrots (Recipe HERE.)
Fresh bread with olive oil
Night Two:
Balsamic Chicken (just throw in a skillet and reheat from the night before)
Spaghetti (or any kind of pasta)
Steamed Broccoli (I often cheat and just throw a frozen bag in the microwave.)
Garlic Bread (I always make my own on french bread or whatever bread I have with butter, garlic powder, a little garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley.)
Night Three:
Shepherds Pie (using the leftover mashed potatoes from Night One!)
Salad or Vegetable Side (I literally think we just did frozen corn.)
Rolls
Here are the recipes you need...
Balsamic Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion thinly sliced (not chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
ground black pepper and salt to taste
Pour the olive oil on bottom of crock pot.
Place in chicken breasts; salt and pepper each breast.
Put sliced onion on top of chicken.
Add all the dried herbs and garlic cloves.
Pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes.
Cook on high 4 hours; serve over angel hair pasta. (I cooked on low for 8 hours...worked great.)
Easy Shepherds Pie
1 pound ground beef (I always use ground turkey)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (does anyone really know how to pronounce this??)
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, corn, etc.), thawed
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar (optional)
1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes (but I make my own)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no trace of pink remains. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for one minute. Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish. Mix the cheese (if using) with the potatoes in a bowl and spread over the beef. Bake until heated through.
ENJOY!
Here is the meal plan...
Night One:
Balsamic Chicken - in the crockpot (recipe below...SO yummy)
Mashed potatoes (I made 5 pounds of the red potatoes...did you know that if you use red potatoes, you don't have to peel them?? Brilliant! I just mash them with milk and butter. For our dairy-free family currently, I mashed them with non-dairy butter and rice milk and even my hubby didn't notice the difference!)
Garlic Carrots (Recipe HERE.)
Fresh bread with olive oil
Night Two:
Balsamic Chicken (just throw in a skillet and reheat from the night before)
Spaghetti (or any kind of pasta)
Steamed Broccoli (I often cheat and just throw a frozen bag in the microwave.)
Garlic Bread (I always make my own on french bread or whatever bread I have with butter, garlic powder, a little garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley.)
Night Three:
Shepherds Pie (using the leftover mashed potatoes from Night One!)
Salad or Vegetable Side (I literally think we just did frozen corn.)
Rolls
Here are the recipes you need...
Balsamic Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion thinly sliced (not chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
ground black pepper and salt to taste
Pour the olive oil on bottom of crock pot.
Place in chicken breasts; salt and pepper each breast.
Put sliced onion on top of chicken.
Add all the dried herbs and garlic cloves.
Pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes.
Cook on high 4 hours; serve over angel hair pasta. (I cooked on low for 8 hours...worked great.)
Easy Shepherds Pie
1 pound ground beef (I always use ground turkey)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (does anyone really know how to pronounce this??)
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, corn, etc.), thawed
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar (optional)
1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes (but I make my own)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no trace of pink remains. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for one minute. Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish. Mix the cheese (if using) with the potatoes in a bowl and spread over the beef. Bake until heated through.
ENJOY!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thankful Thursday
It is 8:24, and my oldest son (who usually is asleep at 7:00!!) snuck out of bed to say hello.
We just listened to a worship song together that I found online that he hasn't stopped singing since church last week, and now he asked me to do Thankful Thursday before he crawls back into bed. How can you say no to that? Oh my sweet son.
This is what he is thankful for today...
- I am thankful that I am still awake.
- I am thankful that Dorothy got home safely in Wizard of Oz (family movie night tonight).
- I am thankful for family.
- I am thankful for friends, especially Chuck.
- I am thankful for Spotlight.
- I am thankful I have pajamas to survive and so I'm not cold.
- I am thankful that we have food.
- I am thankful that the movie Chichin-Itza Pizza was really good.
This is what I am thankful for today...
- I am thankful for a home day. It was a perfect, cold, wintry day to wear a warm sweater and slippers and stay home all day doing chores and schooling and potty training.
- Even though I spent a lot of my day wiping a runny nose and cleaning up potty accidents, I am thankful that I get to be home with my kiddos to do the day-to-day life with them, even if it's wiping their boogers away when they are sick.
- I am thankful for our family movie night tonight. We just finished reading the novel, The Wizard of Oz, so we watched the movie as a family and I loved watching their little faces take in the wonder of that movie. So fun.
- I am thankful to have this blog to capture some moments that I don't want to forget...like that Sophia's top tooth poked through first, that she climbed today on top of Ella's dress up trunk, that the boys leave their Legos out on their schooling table and build EVERY day whenever they have free time, that Ella wears her Cinderella shoes around the house and insisted on wearing pajamas today (which I let her because we are potty training and she is changing her clothes 8 times anyways), and that my boys ask me if we can have "tea time" every afternoon because that means a special treat and some read-aloud time. I want to remember that they all love taking their turns rocking with me on the chair at bedtime and that the boys are almost always asleep just moments after their heads hit their pillows. I want to remember Ella's dramatic singing of "Oh, Come, Let Us Adore Him," at bedtime and then giggling at the end as our mouths make the "Lord" sound. And I want to remember that Zach and I can't stop talking about how amazingly cute Sophia is. (Oh! And that Ella successfully flushed her undies down the toilet today. Seriously.)
This really is a beautiful life.
What are you thankful for today?
We just listened to a worship song together that I found online that he hasn't stopped singing since church last week, and now he asked me to do Thankful Thursday before he crawls back into bed. How can you say no to that? Oh my sweet son.
This is what he is thankful for today...
- I am thankful that I am still awake.
- I am thankful that Dorothy got home safely in Wizard of Oz (family movie night tonight).
- I am thankful for family.
- I am thankful for friends, especially Chuck.
- I am thankful for Spotlight.
- I am thankful I have pajamas to survive and so I'm not cold.
- I am thankful that we have food.
- I am thankful that the movie Chichin-Itza Pizza was really good.
This is what I am thankful for today...
- I am thankful for a home day. It was a perfect, cold, wintry day to wear a warm sweater and slippers and stay home all day doing chores and schooling and potty training.
- Even though I spent a lot of my day wiping a runny nose and cleaning up potty accidents, I am thankful that I get to be home with my kiddos to do the day-to-day life with them, even if it's wiping their boogers away when they are sick.
- I am thankful for our family movie night tonight. We just finished reading the novel, The Wizard of Oz, so we watched the movie as a family and I loved watching their little faces take in the wonder of that movie. So fun.
- I am thankful to have this blog to capture some moments that I don't want to forget...like that Sophia's top tooth poked through first, that she climbed today on top of Ella's dress up trunk, that the boys leave their Legos out on their schooling table and build EVERY day whenever they have free time, that Ella wears her Cinderella shoes around the house and insisted on wearing pajamas today (which I let her because we are potty training and she is changing her clothes 8 times anyways), and that my boys ask me if we can have "tea time" every afternoon because that means a special treat and some read-aloud time. I want to remember that they all love taking their turns rocking with me on the chair at bedtime and that the boys are almost always asleep just moments after their heads hit their pillows. I want to remember Ella's dramatic singing of "Oh, Come, Let Us Adore Him," at bedtime and then giggling at the end as our mouths make the "Lord" sound. And I want to remember that Zach and I can't stop talking about how amazingly cute Sophia is. (Oh! And that Ella successfully flushed her undies down the toilet today. Seriously.)
This really is a beautiful life.
What are you thankful for today?
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I always tell myself (and others) that I love being a stay-at-home mom.
I love children...I love being at home...I am called to this...I am thrilled with my place in the world.
But this afternoon, as I disciplined a tantruming son, mopped up a toddler's potty accident from the floor, and hung half my body over the side of my fussy, non-sleeping baby's crib trying to help her get to sleep, I asked myself why my heart was so grumpy.
"Don't I love being a mama?" I ask myself. "What is my problem then?"
And then it hits me...a convicting question to both my mind and my soul...Do I only love being a stay-at-home mom when all is going smoothly? When my children are giggling, when they are happily painting, when I am calmly stirring soup for dinner, when the baby says "mama" for the first time, when my children play kindly together?
Am I a fair-weathered fan?
Because today, as my baby is refusing to nap, and as my two-year old is newly potty training, and as my six-year-old-son throws mean, hurtful words at me, my patience is growing thin and my spirits are growing heavier.
I do not want to just love being a mom when all is well.
I do not want to only be thankful when my children are obedient and the toys are picked up.
I do not want to only smile when my baby is napping and my two-year-old goes potty on the toilet.
I want to live and breathe and mother in contentment and joy and gratitude...when my son is saying, "I love you," and when he is yelling, "I will NOT be snuggling with you the rest of the day!"
I want to be ready for the challenge that is mothering...the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I want to rejoice and be glad in each. For without the hard, the good would not be as sweet. And without the ugly, it would be impossible to see the beautiful.
Mothering cannot be for fair-weathered fans, for each day is bound to come with a plethora of joys and challenges and laughter and tears.
And I want to be ready for it all.
I want to be REJOICING in it all.
For this IS my calling, this IS my place in the world, and I want to treasure and embrace each and every day.
I love children...I love being at home...I am called to this...I am thrilled with my place in the world.
But this afternoon, as I disciplined a tantruming son, mopped up a toddler's potty accident from the floor, and hung half my body over the side of my fussy, non-sleeping baby's crib trying to help her get to sleep, I asked myself why my heart was so grumpy.
"Don't I love being a mama?" I ask myself. "What is my problem then?"
And then it hits me...a convicting question to both my mind and my soul...Do I only love being a stay-at-home mom when all is going smoothly? When my children are giggling, when they are happily painting, when I am calmly stirring soup for dinner, when the baby says "mama" for the first time, when my children play kindly together?
Am I a fair-weathered fan?
Because today, as my baby is refusing to nap, and as my two-year old is newly potty training, and as my six-year-old-son throws mean, hurtful words at me, my patience is growing thin and my spirits are growing heavier.
I do not want to just love being a mom when all is well.
I do not want to only be thankful when my children are obedient and the toys are picked up.
I do not want to only smile when my baby is napping and my two-year-old goes potty on the toilet.
I want to live and breathe and mother in contentment and joy and gratitude...when my son is saying, "I love you," and when he is yelling, "I will NOT be snuggling with you the rest of the day!"
I want to be ready for the challenge that is mothering...the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I want to rejoice and be glad in each. For without the hard, the good would not be as sweet. And without the ugly, it would be impossible to see the beautiful.
Mothering cannot be for fair-weathered fans, for each day is bound to come with a plethora of joys and challenges and laughter and tears.
And I want to be ready for it all.
I want to be REJOICING in it all.
For this IS my calling, this IS my place in the world, and I want to treasure and embrace each and every day.
Monday, January 21, 2013
The Trauma and Blessings of the ER
In the six and a half years of being a parent, I have only visited the emergency room once. (Last year Sammy had the stomach flu and was extremely dehydrated, needing three days in the hospital to recuperate.) But I have never had a screaming child and a race to the ER for an emergency.
Until today.
This morning, as I was scrambling eggs and stirring potatoes and mixing probiotics into water cups (AND talking on the phone), my daughter pulled a giant mug of hot tea (that I had just poured) down off the counter onto herself. It was one of my worst mommy moments to date. She was screaming, I was screaming, and my husband (who happened to be off work today...praise GOD!) was trying to rush through a poopie diaper in the other room.
After a call to the pediatrician and a frantic and tearful run through the house to get ready to go, my precious two-year old and I bundled up against the bitter cold to take a trip to the emergency room, where we discovered that she had a second degree burn on her arm. We waited, we snuggled, they wrapped her arm, and they sent us on our way.
And she is okay.
Honestly, I think it has taken me longer to recover today than Ella. She was such a trooper. After arriving at the hospital, she just talked sweetly to the nurses and counted the fish in the emergency room's tank. She was lovely. And I was just swimming, swimming through the guilt and the "what-ifs" and the trauma of the morning.
So I learned a few things today....
Accidents happen. Emergencies happen. They just do. It is life, and it wasn't anyone's fault. Believe me, I was having that "worst mother in the world" feeling, but I know that sometimes, things just happen.
Also, we are beyond blessed. It could have been so, so, much worse. From a huge mug of tea, my daughter had only ONE burn on her arm. It could've been her face, her head, her whole body. How thankful I am that it was just her arm. And we have access to amazing medical care, with insurance and doctors and nurses available immediately. What a privilege.
And life goes on. My sweet, precious, two-year-old had the most traumatic morning of her life today, and guess what? She woke up from her nap smiling, she requested a trip to the library, she giggled and laughed and did her sweet-crazy-Ella-thing and she just moved on contentedly. Ah, the beauty of a toddler.
It is no secret that Ann Voskamp is one of my most beloved authors, and I have learned from her about the "ugly beautiful." The counting and naming of gifts even in the midst of the hard and the ugly.
So today, I am thankful for dressing for my child's wounds. I am thankful for a hospital fifteen minutes from my house. I am thankful for tylenol. I am thankful for arms to hold and comfort. I am thankful for insurance. I am thankful for my responsible six-year old who willingly jumped in to take care of his baby sister while we were changing and preparing Ella for her car trip to the ER. I am thankful that life goes on even after a traumatic morning such as this.
Life is short and good and really, there are many, many worse tragedies in life than this.
So today, even though I wished I could crawl back into bed and start the day over, it still continued on. We still did life and did family and loved and laughed and made our way through the day.
And now, the house is quiet, I have a new cup of tea in front of me, and I am so, very thankful that my one-in-a-million Ella is okay.
Until today.
This morning, as I was scrambling eggs and stirring potatoes and mixing probiotics into water cups (AND talking on the phone), my daughter pulled a giant mug of hot tea (that I had just poured) down off the counter onto herself. It was one of my worst mommy moments to date. She was screaming, I was screaming, and my husband (who happened to be off work today...praise GOD!) was trying to rush through a poopie diaper in the other room.
After a call to the pediatrician and a frantic and tearful run through the house to get ready to go, my precious two-year old and I bundled up against the bitter cold to take a trip to the emergency room, where we discovered that she had a second degree burn on her arm. We waited, we snuggled, they wrapped her arm, and they sent us on our way.
And she is okay.
Honestly, I think it has taken me longer to recover today than Ella. She was such a trooper. After arriving at the hospital, she just talked sweetly to the nurses and counted the fish in the emergency room's tank. She was lovely. And I was just swimming, swimming through the guilt and the "what-ifs" and the trauma of the morning.
So I learned a few things today....
Accidents happen. Emergencies happen. They just do. It is life, and it wasn't anyone's fault. Believe me, I was having that "worst mother in the world" feeling, but I know that sometimes, things just happen.
Also, we are beyond blessed. It could have been so, so, much worse. From a huge mug of tea, my daughter had only ONE burn on her arm. It could've been her face, her head, her whole body. How thankful I am that it was just her arm. And we have access to amazing medical care, with insurance and doctors and nurses available immediately. What a privilege.
And life goes on. My sweet, precious, two-year-old had the most traumatic morning of her life today, and guess what? She woke up from her nap smiling, she requested a trip to the library, she giggled and laughed and did her sweet-crazy-Ella-thing and she just moved on contentedly. Ah, the beauty of a toddler.
It is no secret that Ann Voskamp is one of my most beloved authors, and I have learned from her about the "ugly beautiful." The counting and naming of gifts even in the midst of the hard and the ugly.
So today, I am thankful for dressing for my child's wounds. I am thankful for a hospital fifteen minutes from my house. I am thankful for tylenol. I am thankful for arms to hold and comfort. I am thankful for insurance. I am thankful for my responsible six-year old who willingly jumped in to take care of his baby sister while we were changing and preparing Ella for her car trip to the ER. I am thankful that life goes on even after a traumatic morning such as this.
Life is short and good and really, there are many, many worse tragedies in life than this.
So today, even though I wished I could crawl back into bed and start the day over, it still continued on. We still did life and did family and loved and laughed and made our way through the day.
And now, the house is quiet, I have a new cup of tea in front of me, and I am so, very thankful that my one-in-a-million Ella is okay.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thankful Thursday
Micah's Gifts
I am thankful for...
...Mommy.
...noodles.
...God.
...the people who created the Wizard of Oz book (the classic story).
...my family and my friends.
...that we are not poor.
...that we don't have to live in a place with big, creepy bugs, like Brazil.
...that I'm almost done with my math book (Alpha).
Sammy's Gifts
I am thankful for...
...the Rookie Perplexus ball.
...our library books.
...that Daddy is coming home tomorrow from Washington, D.C.
My Gifts
Today I am kind of a mess. I am getting through the day, but I am needing much grace and perspective, which I am thankfully working towards. My hubby is gone all week for work, and although the kids and I have been enjoying our week together, I miss my other half. I know that God did not intend that we would do parenting on our own, and my heart aches for the many women out there that are single moms. What strength and courage they must possess. I am thankful, today, to be married and to most-of-the-time not have to do this parenting thing alone. I am so thankful for my husband and all he does for our family and the ways in which he loves our children and supports me in my passions and emotions and callings. Immensely grateful for him, and I am so thankful that he is coming home tomorrow!! Yay!
I am thankful for real friends and to be able to honestly say to them, "Today, I was becoming unglued," and to hear them say, "That's okay." I am so very thankful for this Unglued book I am reading right now. I highly recommend it. Isn't it true that we all have unglued moments from here to there? How amazing to have a resource to learn how and why we become unglued and what we can do about it! And today, after my unglued moments, I am thankful that I can apologize to my kids for being a mess, and I have the power to put it behind me and to move forward to create a new pattern and environment for our home. Just because I had a rough hour does not mean I have to continue to have a rough day. (Can you tell I am trying to tell myself this?) Always, always thankful for grace and for second chances and for fresh starts, even when our "ugly" flares.
This week a woman from my church offered (more like, insisted) to watch my children for me to have a break. I couldn't think of any other time that someone has offered to just watch all my children for me to do whatever I want to do. Who does that? She graciously watched my children for three hours while I filled my cart (alone) with fresh fruits, vegetables, and deli meat, ate a sandwich at Potbelly (my favorite), read my Bible, listed some gifts in my gift journal (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, always on my mind...), ordered a soy latte from Starbucks, and started a novel. I literally didn't know what to do with myself, but I did enjoy the time to breathe and pray and sing and soak in the sunshine, and just have a still spirit. (And I am majorly taking mental note to do this for a young mama when I am older...what a gift!) So I am thankful for this gracious woman and for this alone time.
I am so thankful to be homeschooling, I am thankful for such a happy baby, I am thankful for hot tea, for freshly washed sheets, for a playdate with good friends, and for flowers in a vase on my kitchen counter. I am thankful for Legos and my children's creativity and for their love of books. I am thankful for Scripture set to music and for our family memorizing verses together, along with our church. I am thankful for this life as a mama at home with my children. And I am thankful that we have all that we need.
What are you thankful for today?
I am thankful for...
...Mommy.
...noodles.
...God.
...the people who created the Wizard of Oz book (the classic story).
...my family and my friends.
...that we are not poor.
...that we don't have to live in a place with big, creepy bugs, like Brazil.
...that I'm almost done with my math book (Alpha).
Sammy's Gifts
I am thankful for...
...the Rookie Perplexus ball.
...our library books.
...that Daddy is coming home tomorrow from Washington, D.C.
My Gifts
Today I am kind of a mess. I am getting through the day, but I am needing much grace and perspective, which I am thankfully working towards. My hubby is gone all week for work, and although the kids and I have been enjoying our week together, I miss my other half. I know that God did not intend that we would do parenting on our own, and my heart aches for the many women out there that are single moms. What strength and courage they must possess. I am thankful, today, to be married and to most-of-the-time not have to do this parenting thing alone. I am so thankful for my husband and all he does for our family and the ways in which he loves our children and supports me in my passions and emotions and callings. Immensely grateful for him, and I am so thankful that he is coming home tomorrow!! Yay!
I am thankful for real friends and to be able to honestly say to them, "Today, I was becoming unglued," and to hear them say, "That's okay." I am so very thankful for this Unglued book I am reading right now. I highly recommend it. Isn't it true that we all have unglued moments from here to there? How amazing to have a resource to learn how and why we become unglued and what we can do about it! And today, after my unglued moments, I am thankful that I can apologize to my kids for being a mess, and I have the power to put it behind me and to move forward to create a new pattern and environment for our home. Just because I had a rough hour does not mean I have to continue to have a rough day. (Can you tell I am trying to tell myself this?) Always, always thankful for grace and for second chances and for fresh starts, even when our "ugly" flares.
This week a woman from my church offered (more like, insisted) to watch my children for me to have a break. I couldn't think of any other time that someone has offered to just watch all my children for me to do whatever I want to do. Who does that? She graciously watched my children for three hours while I filled my cart (alone) with fresh fruits, vegetables, and deli meat, ate a sandwich at Potbelly (my favorite), read my Bible, listed some gifts in my gift journal (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, always on my mind...), ordered a soy latte from Starbucks, and started a novel. I literally didn't know what to do with myself, but I did enjoy the time to breathe and pray and sing and soak in the sunshine, and just have a still spirit. (And I am majorly taking mental note to do this for a young mama when I am older...what a gift!) So I am thankful for this gracious woman and for this alone time.
I am so thankful to be homeschooling, I am thankful for such a happy baby, I am thankful for hot tea, for freshly washed sheets, for a playdate with good friends, and for flowers in a vase on my kitchen counter. I am thankful for Legos and my children's creativity and for their love of books. I am thankful for Scripture set to music and for our family memorizing verses together, along with our church. I am thankful for this life as a mama at home with my children. And I am thankful that we have all that we need.
What are you thankful for today?
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