Parenting...It's not for the weak.

I am most definitely doing something right.  Today wasn't all crazy, but there was that moment when I was making diner (When I say making dinner I really mean heating instant oatmeal in the microwave, but it had fruit in it.)  I took my eyes off of the 17 month old for 0.25 seconds.  She snatched the honey from the Lazy Susan, took the lid off, and poured a puddle of honey on the living room carpet.  I'm definitely doing things right.

Football Mom

My how things have changed. First season having a football player in my house and I've fallen hard into the roll of being "that mom". So, I started out the season not caring much about the game. I planned to be at all the games but didn't really care how things turned out. I just wanted my boy to have fun. My, my, my...how things changed. A certain team beat us in a football game about 4 weeks ago. Since then one of their players has trash talked every time he has seen me at school. At first it started out being kind of funny. Then, he got just downright rude. I told him that they played a really good game. Inside I was screaming. They should never have beaten us. We beat them in every scrimmage we have had against them. But I was being the adult and showing good sportsmanship. Well, 4 weeks later enough is enough. Last Saturday we were set to play them again in a playoff game. Naturally, his trash talking started back up. I told him again that they did great. He just kept on. I calmly told him that he should be a good sport about the win. He nodded his head no. I told him that he should be nice. His reply, "I'm not nice. Your team is going to be crying. They'll be sucking their thumbs as they walk off the field." That's when I did it. Yes sir I did. Standing out on car duty at school I looked him right in the face and said, "My son has one instruction on Saturday and that's to make you cry." Oh brother! He got to me. I caved, but that 22-0 win on Saturday felt GREAT. Needless to say he didn't have anything to say to me at school today.  I should be ashamed of myself.

Battleship or Luxury Liner?

Revelation 2:4-5 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 

Nearly 15 years later I look back and remember the butterflies I felt talking to the man I have fallen in love with more and more everyday.  I remember the many dates we spent walking and talking just getting to know each other.  I couldn't spend enough time with him.  There weren't enough hours in the day.  I wanted to be with him every second of every day.  Now 15 years later I love him dearly.  Some days I still feel those butterflies.  Some days I can't get enough time with him.  But honestly, other days I just coast along through life.  We see each other.  We talk.  But I don't long to spend moments with him.  I'm busy with this thing called life and sometimes I fit him in wherever I can.

Sounds like another relationship I have.  When I first fell in love with my Savior, when I first made Him Lord of my life I was sold out.  Sure I still have days like that here and there.  But for the most part I have spent far too long coasting through life.  My home and my walk with Him has been a luxury liner just coasting along and enjoying the day to day in the beautiful waters.  But that's not what I am called to be.  I am called to be a battleship following hard after Him.  I want to return to my first love. It's time that I start longing to spend each moment with Him again.  It's time that my every thought and decision reflect my relationship with Him.  It's time I spend my days walking with Him.  After all, that is my purpose here.

I have been challenged and it has never been more clear that it's time my family becomes a battleship for Christ and not a luxury liner.  It's time I become a follower of Christ and not a fan.  Thank you to the messenger that made that picture so clear for me.

Are you coasting along enjoying life on your luxury liner or are you a battleship following hard after Him?
Are you a fan of Christ or are you a follower?

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Open for Business

What started as a fun idea with a cousin has become a business.  My sweet oldest loves being creative.  She has decided to take her creativity and use it to her benefit.  She and a cousin who love to make fashion catalogs together got creative and made a "business" board during our mini-vacation together in June.

This is where it all started.

Oldest decided to take that idea and grow it.  She has asked for help making business cards.  She has herself all organized and ready to go.

She wasn't real happy with the idea of me photographing her notebook.  She says it's her sloppiest writing. :-)

I went through my scrapbook paper and gave her quite a bit to get started since I can't find the time to use it myself.  Then, a dear friend invited oldest over to "shop" through her stickers and die cuts.  It was like heaven to my little creative one.  It most definitely made her day.

Oldest hired her brother today.  He sorted all the new stickers and helped her put them in her notebook she purchased from the thrift store today.  She has worked out a "step program" with him.  If he does good work the next step is that she lets him watch a video about how to make homemade envelopes and he gets to make them.  After mastering envelope making he can possibly move up to making cards.  A raise comes with each step. 

Today, he got one penny for sorting the stickers.  He was very happy.  He also said, "It's okay if she's mean to me.  I work for her."  I'm not quite sure where that came from.  Interesting thought.
So, the card business is open and she has received her first order.  Right now the money earned is being saved to use at the Snack Shack at church camp as mom and dad aren't handing out money for that.  There's just one problem with the business.  It doesn't have a name.  She's come up with several ideas, but none of them seem to fit.  She says, "I'm waiting for the perfect name."  Any suggestions?

Happy Father's Day

The kids put much love and thought into their gifts for daddy.

Father's Day

Found my little man working on something for his daddy tonight. He said his daddy taught him what love is, so he wanted to write it down so dad would know he was listening. His daddy is a great example of what love is if you ask me.

This Is My Life

I never dreamed my life would be what it is. If you would have asked me 15 years ago about all the little things that make our family quirky I would have said, "No way!" But this is my life, and I LOVE it (most every day).

We are thrift store junkies. It's a thrill for us to find awesome deals on things we need and even some things we don't. Just this week my love bought a set of golf clubs for $20. They are a nice set that normally would cost a couple hundred dollars. He is so excited to not have to borrow clubs anymore when he wants to play. He's come a long way in 15 years. Walking into a resale shop 15 years ago for him was unheard of and if you did get him in he started itching all over. Oh the tricks our minds play.

We have a love that just came about in the last couple of years. We have 36 babies that we love. They come in the form of 34 hens and 2 roosters. I never dreamed I would have to say, "Take the chicken outside. Or quit kissing the chicken." And oh for my love who was a pure bred city boy...well things have changed. Goodbye Seattle. Hello Small Town Arkansas! I must also mention that the school mascot where he teaches is none other than...drumroll please...a Hillbilly.

That's just a few of the things neither of us would have ever thought would be happening in our lives. But this is our life and we love it. How is yours different than you expected?