So I've had some really wonderfully productive days lately. I can't take credit for the productivity. As with Sesame Street, I must give credit to the sponsors in my life that have made this productivity possible.
I'm almost ready for the baby. I still need to pack overnight bags for myself and the girls. But other than that, we're good. I made a freezer meal tonight. After making a respectable dinner with leftovers. And got yogurt started. Last week, I disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled a carseat and a bassinet. I washed and folded a newborn wardrobe. I re-organized the basement a bit and put away some things in our bedroom to make room for the bassinet. I bought school shoes for HeyMama today. And a gift for BestestHusband's birthday. And we girls did some fun things, too. We went to the circus yesterday. We spent a lot of the morning at the playground and riding bikes. And I still managed to keep everyone sort of fed and clothed, and I still took my afternoon naps. I'm pretty happy with how it's all been going.
But I must give credit where credit's due:
The letter C: Caffeine. I've tried giving it up in the past. I was even successful from time to time. But lately, I've gone back to it. In small amounts. But it's been crucial in motivating me to stay off the couch. Let's face it. I've never been much of a morning person. And kids typically are. So we have an inherent miss-match of natural states. I just need a bit of caffeine in the morning to get things going. And when I do, we get going and get stuff done. So thank you, caffeine.
The letter F: Friends. The carseat that I cleaned is from a friend (thanks Joy!). The bassinet that I cleaned is from a friend (thanks Jen!). And the reason that I had time to clean them? A friend took the girls to the zoo for me on Friday morning (thanks Anne!) and took over my preschool music time duties for me this morning (thanks Anne!). We had an invite and encouragement to go to the circus yesterday with friends (thanks Jackie!), which was a fun excursion. The days have passed quickly and happily thanks to friends. And passing the last few days of a pregnancy, especially happily, is quite a feat. So thank you, friends.
The letter G: Grace of God. I've been quite healthy this pregnancy. The girls have been healthy. Life has been calm and free from crisis. This is all beyond my control. I've been shockingly patient over the last few days, especially today. As I was trailed through the grocery store by a tantrumming 4.5 year old today screaming about a cookie that she wanted, then didn't want, then wanted again, then didn't want, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I don't have the sudden urge to dropkick her off the back porch, despite a morning of whining and complaining. I'm remarkably calm." I can tell you that this was the Grace of God in action. That was not my deep reserve of patience in action there. I don't have a deep reserve of patience on my own. I'm usually struggling to not totally lose my shite when the girls are being jerks in public. I did not struggle today. It just happened. That was God in action, not me. So thank you, God.
We're plugging along. I'm at 38 weeks and counting. We'll take a belly shot soon. Poor 3rd kid, I don't have any pregnancy pictures for this one yet. Oh well. Thanks to caffeine, friends, and the grace of God, I'm sure she'll be fine anyway.
I hope your life is full of helpers this week, too!
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The World Is Very Evil
BestestHusband loves the old version of a hymn, The World is Very Evil. It's quite old in origin, written by Bernard of Morlaix in the 12th century. It's a longish hymn, so I'll just grace you with the first verse:
The world is very evil,
the times are waxing late,
be sober and keep vigil,
the Judge is at the gate.
The Judge who comes in mercy,
the Judge who comes in might,
who comes to end the evil,
who comes to crown the right.
The hymn speaks of the end times, encouraging Christians to keep their eyes on the joys of a future heavenly home.
I think BestestHusband mostly likes the hymn for its dire-sounding title. The beginning of the first verse does sound pretty dark and grim. It seems appropriate this week. Our newspapers here are talking about a local child molester facing over 100 counts of abuse, and our eyes are all still moist from the horrible massacre that happened in Newtown, CT yesterday. When you look at recent events, it does appear that the world is very evil.
My Facebook and email streams have been flooded with appeals to join in on banning guns. Because banning guns will prevent the mass-murder of innocents that occurred yesterday. But certainly we all know that this is just an attempt to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, to try to salve our fear and helplessness. The child molester didn't need guns to be evil. A few years back, there was a series of machete attacks in Boston. There was plenty of evil and horror to go around without guns. (Didn't hear about those attacks? There are no pro-machete or anti-machete lobbyists that I know of; I suspect that this is a factor in why you didn't hear about these attacks. And I would much rather be killed by bullets than hacked to death by a machete.)
Evil is everywhere. In various forms. Yesterday, it surfaced in an elementary school in a picturesque New England town. But it can, and will, surface anywhere.
Details about the killer are starting to surface. He is being described as a very troubled young man - possibly with a personality disorder, possibly as autistic. It will likely take a while to figure out the whole story.
My friend Jenny once gave me a copy of Columbine, by Dave Cullen. It's a recounting of the horrible Columbine High School massacre in 1999. It tells a story different from what we heard on the news immediately after the attack. In reality, the murders had nothing to do with Goths bullied by Jocks, as I had remembered hearing. The two boys had plenty of friends, and there was no rivalry with other cliques. The perpetrators had significant psychiatric issues. One was a full-blown psychopath, the other just a depressed follower. They actually planned on killing most of their schoolmates with bombs that they had intended to level the school. The guns they carried were simply a back-up plan. Thankfully the bombs were duds. The evil they prepared didn't depend on guns. The evil was beyond our understanding, and beyond our ability to predict and prevent.
One part of the story really stuck me, talking about the parents of the murderers. It's no doubt that they suffered horribly, both as parents burying their children, and as parents watching other parents bury their children because of the horrors their own offspring had committed. They weren't bad parents. But they did have damaged kids, for reasons they couldn't control. The story that marked itself upon my heart was the story of the role of a pastor. The local Lutheran pastor (yes, this is likely why it caught my eye) was reminded by a parishioner that the murderer's family had once attended the church, and would likely need some support, as their community was raging against them. And so the pastor reached out to them.
As Christians, we know that the world is very evil. And we know that we are all sinners, and that all sins, great or small, need forgiveness. And while we feel that our transgressions are certainly miniscule in comparison to the horror that was perpetrated yesterday, we all crave grace. We all crave forgiveness. I've read many horrible things said by people about the family of Friday's shooter. And they break my heart. Because certainly the Lanza family is already heartbroken. Both by their own losses, and by the horror of having a loved one be the bringer of such evil.
The Lutheran connection caught my eye again yesterday, as I learned that one of the victims belonged to a church in our district. We consider those in our church to be part of our extended family. We feel their joys and pains as we do with our own biological family. And our church family has lost children in the past. But we have the comfort of hope, promised by a merciful God, that He will triumph over evil in the end. This early "goodbye" is not an eternal farewell. We believe that the second-grader killed yesterday is now waiting to greet her parents in their heavenly home. And while this can't erase the grief we're all feeling right now, it does provide a healing hope.
The lyrics of The World Is Very Evil point to this hope:
The Judge who comes in mercy,
the Judge who comes in might,
who comes to end the evil,
who comes to crown the right.
We cannot end the evil, no matter how we try. But God can, and will. And we can set our eyes on that day. Because we know that more evil will befall us in our lives, and more horrors will call out our tears. But we can place our hope in a God who is greater than those horrors, who will wipe away all of our tears.
Please find a place in your heart to pray for the killer's family. I'm certain they need a big dose of grace right now.
The world is very evil,
the times are waxing late,
be sober and keep vigil,
the Judge is at the gate.
The Judge who comes in mercy,
the Judge who comes in might,
who comes to end the evil,
who comes to crown the right.
The hymn speaks of the end times, encouraging Christians to keep their eyes on the joys of a future heavenly home.
I think BestestHusband mostly likes the hymn for its dire-sounding title. The beginning of the first verse does sound pretty dark and grim. It seems appropriate this week. Our newspapers here are talking about a local child molester facing over 100 counts of abuse, and our eyes are all still moist from the horrible massacre that happened in Newtown, CT yesterday. When you look at recent events, it does appear that the world is very evil.
My Facebook and email streams have been flooded with appeals to join in on banning guns. Because banning guns will prevent the mass-murder of innocents that occurred yesterday. But certainly we all know that this is just an attempt to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, to try to salve our fear and helplessness. The child molester didn't need guns to be evil. A few years back, there was a series of machete attacks in Boston. There was plenty of evil and horror to go around without guns. (Didn't hear about those attacks? There are no pro-machete or anti-machete lobbyists that I know of; I suspect that this is a factor in why you didn't hear about these attacks. And I would much rather be killed by bullets than hacked to death by a machete.)
Evil is everywhere. In various forms. Yesterday, it surfaced in an elementary school in a picturesque New England town. But it can, and will, surface anywhere.
Details about the killer are starting to surface. He is being described as a very troubled young man - possibly with a personality disorder, possibly as autistic. It will likely take a while to figure out the whole story.
My friend Jenny once gave me a copy of Columbine, by Dave Cullen. It's a recounting of the horrible Columbine High School massacre in 1999. It tells a story different from what we heard on the news immediately after the attack. In reality, the murders had nothing to do with Goths bullied by Jocks, as I had remembered hearing. The two boys had plenty of friends, and there was no rivalry with other cliques. The perpetrators had significant psychiatric issues. One was a full-blown psychopath, the other just a depressed follower. They actually planned on killing most of their schoolmates with bombs that they had intended to level the school. The guns they carried were simply a back-up plan. Thankfully the bombs were duds. The evil they prepared didn't depend on guns. The evil was beyond our understanding, and beyond our ability to predict and prevent.
One part of the story really stuck me, talking about the parents of the murderers. It's no doubt that they suffered horribly, both as parents burying their children, and as parents watching other parents bury their children because of the horrors their own offspring had committed. They weren't bad parents. But they did have damaged kids, for reasons they couldn't control. The story that marked itself upon my heart was the story of the role of a pastor. The local Lutheran pastor (yes, this is likely why it caught my eye) was reminded by a parishioner that the murderer's family had once attended the church, and would likely need some support, as their community was raging against them. And so the pastor reached out to them.
As Christians, we know that the world is very evil. And we know that we are all sinners, and that all sins, great or small, need forgiveness. And while we feel that our transgressions are certainly miniscule in comparison to the horror that was perpetrated yesterday, we all crave grace. We all crave forgiveness. I've read many horrible things said by people about the family of Friday's shooter. And they break my heart. Because certainly the Lanza family is already heartbroken. Both by their own losses, and by the horror of having a loved one be the bringer of such evil.
The Lutheran connection caught my eye again yesterday, as I learned that one of the victims belonged to a church in our district. We consider those in our church to be part of our extended family. We feel their joys and pains as we do with our own biological family. And our church family has lost children in the past. But we have the comfort of hope, promised by a merciful God, that He will triumph over evil in the end. This early "goodbye" is not an eternal farewell. We believe that the second-grader killed yesterday is now waiting to greet her parents in their heavenly home. And while this can't erase the grief we're all feeling right now, it does provide a healing hope.
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| "Security", http://www.bowman-art.com/indexFineart.htm |
The lyrics of The World Is Very Evil point to this hope:
The Judge who comes in mercy,
the Judge who comes in might,
who comes to end the evil,
who comes to crown the right.
We cannot end the evil, no matter how we try. But God can, and will. And we can set our eyes on that day. Because we know that more evil will befall us in our lives, and more horrors will call out our tears. But we can place our hope in a God who is greater than those horrors, who will wipe away all of our tears.
Please find a place in your heart to pray for the killer's family. I'm certain they need a big dose of grace right now.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Stewardship Sunday Again
It's Sunday again. Wow, that was quick.
This was a weekend of domesticity. I harvested lavender and mint. I made yogurt. I made bread. I made soup. I made a mess. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning something...
My Show is on Sunday nights. I haven't had my own show in so long. Ok, that's not exactly true, I do love Revenge. And Castle. And I do watch Dancing With The Stars. But that's mostly just to have a good excuse to spend more time sitting on the couch with BestestHusband... I've become a PBS junkie. There's a new show, Call the Midwife. I'm a sucker for period BBC drama. I've seen 3 episodes and I can't wait for more. Unfortunately, it's right through bedtime. But that's what repeats on the Pbs.org are for. I apparently need to live vicariously through a naive 1950's London nurse-midwife who lives in a convent. Maybe it's all the newborns. Or maybe it's the quiet of the convent that's so appealing...
I've been fighting a bad head cold this week. It was a great reminder that sometimes I don't appreciate something until it's gone. Like free airflow through my left nostril.
Fall arrived early this week, with a hard frost, coats and mittens. I resisted the temptation to turn on the heat, and turned on the oven and stove instead. It's that time of year again. The requests for baked goods are starting to come in from my family.
Ok, again, it's late, and I need to take my NyQuil and go to bed. So I'll report in on the week.
Time: I didn't give up Facebook, but have cut back. We spent a lot of time inside, and I tried to nap more this week. I'm not sure it helped much. I don't feel like I really used my time well, but I don't feel like I frittered it away so badly, either. I did watch a ton of full episodes of other BBC treats on pbs.org, but that was just because I needed to sleep and the meds wouldn't let me. I was resting, really.
M&Ms: when the Sudafed didn't kill my appetite, I indulged too much on the M&Ms. My taste buds may be dulled for healthy stuff, but still register M&Ms very well. Sigh.
Patience: The Patience Angel was my constant helper, but I still have difficulty when I'm not feeling well. I hope this week will be better.
Money: I made some big grocery shopping trips this week. I'm going to try to coast on that for a few weeks and use what we've got. Wish me luck. Did I mention that I got good deals at the yard sale? But I mostly got them for other people. I still need to buy pants and other things for HeyMama. Wish me luck.
Food waste: I ended up throwing out some leftovers that were just leftover too long. Last week, BestestHusband, my usual waste-preventer, was at a conference and didn't need lunches. So my usual level of leftover-production was excessive without his lunch-taking. And I have a more active gag reflex than he does. So I threw out probably 3 lunches worth of food. Sigh. Tonight's dinner used up quite a few ingredients that needed to be used. Hopefully that trend will continue and I'll have a better report for next week.
So the next week starts in about 40 minutes. I'm thankful for Sundays, and the regular time to gather with my church family and refocus on God and His unending grace. I'm thankful that we're given a blank slate to start over again. I'm thankful for forgiveness, and the knowledge that God gives strength where we need it the most. Because most days, I really feel like I need it!
Hope you have a great week!
This was a weekend of domesticity. I harvested lavender and mint. I made yogurt. I made bread. I made soup. I made a mess. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning something...
My Show is on Sunday nights. I haven't had my own show in so long. Ok, that's not exactly true, I do love Revenge. And Castle. And I do watch Dancing With The Stars. But that's mostly just to have a good excuse to spend more time sitting on the couch with BestestHusband... I've become a PBS junkie. There's a new show, Call the Midwife. I'm a sucker for period BBC drama. I've seen 3 episodes and I can't wait for more. Unfortunately, it's right through bedtime. But that's what repeats on the Pbs.org are for. I apparently need to live vicariously through a naive 1950's London nurse-midwife who lives in a convent. Maybe it's all the newborns. Or maybe it's the quiet of the convent that's so appealing...
I've been fighting a bad head cold this week. It was a great reminder that sometimes I don't appreciate something until it's gone. Like free airflow through my left nostril.
Fall arrived early this week, with a hard frost, coats and mittens. I resisted the temptation to turn on the heat, and turned on the oven and stove instead. It's that time of year again. The requests for baked goods are starting to come in from my family.
Ok, again, it's late, and I need to take my NyQuil and go to bed. So I'll report in on the week.
Time: I didn't give up Facebook, but have cut back. We spent a lot of time inside, and I tried to nap more this week. I'm not sure it helped much. I don't feel like I really used my time well, but I don't feel like I frittered it away so badly, either. I did watch a ton of full episodes of other BBC treats on pbs.org, but that was just because I needed to sleep and the meds wouldn't let me. I was resting, really.
M&Ms: when the Sudafed didn't kill my appetite, I indulged too much on the M&Ms. My taste buds may be dulled for healthy stuff, but still register M&Ms very well. Sigh.
Patience: The Patience Angel was my constant helper, but I still have difficulty when I'm not feeling well. I hope this week will be better.
Money: I made some big grocery shopping trips this week. I'm going to try to coast on that for a few weeks and use what we've got. Wish me luck. Did I mention that I got good deals at the yard sale? But I mostly got them for other people. I still need to buy pants and other things for HeyMama. Wish me luck.
Food waste: I ended up throwing out some leftovers that were just leftover too long. Last week, BestestHusband, my usual waste-preventer, was at a conference and didn't need lunches. So my usual level of leftover-production was excessive without his lunch-taking. And I have a more active gag reflex than he does. So I threw out probably 3 lunches worth of food. Sigh. Tonight's dinner used up quite a few ingredients that needed to be used. Hopefully that trend will continue and I'll have a better report for next week.
So the next week starts in about 40 minutes. I'm thankful for Sundays, and the regular time to gather with my church family and refocus on God and His unending grace. I'm thankful that we're given a blank slate to start over again. I'm thankful for forgiveness, and the knowledge that God gives strength where we need it the most. Because most days, I really feel like I need it!
Hope you have a great week!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Meet My Mum
I'd like you to meet my Mum. She's a lovely lady. This is her 34th Mother's Day.
And to celebrate, I'd like to share some fun facts about her from my childhood.
Nowadays, she lives a time zone away. A long flight + a long drive, or a long flight + a long layover + a short flight away. It's much much too far. And I miss her.
Happy Mother's Day, Mum!
And to celebrate, I'd like to share some fun facts about her from my childhood.
- Though usually disguised as a well-mannered and reserved Pastor's wife, she has a wicked silly streak.
- Growing up, she was the prettiest mom in our church. And we went to a big church.
- She taught me to chair-dance at the dinner table, bopping my head around while staying in my seat.
- Earlier in my life, she showed me how to live a life of volunteering, rarely saying "No" to anything.
- Later in my life, she showed me that knowing how to say "No" is just as important as knowing how to say "Yes".
- She showed me how to take strong feelings and speak them in gentle words.
- She showed me how to wear bold colors. And tasteful makeup.
- She taught me about Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, the wonder seasoning that works wonders.
- She taught me to make pie. I think I was 4...
- She showed me that even if you don't like being the center of attention, sometimes you just suck it up and speak in public.
- She showed me the importance of prayer. And Faith. And Hope. And Grace.
- She told me that emotions are just emotions. We can't control or change them. But actions, that's what we can control and change.
- She showed me that patience is a virtue. (Unfortunately, she never taught me the secret to being patient...)
- She showed me what living in a clean and organized house was like. (Never mind that I've forgotten...)
- She showed me that making something can be the best part about having something. (BestestHusband, the craft supplies in the spare bedroom are all her fault...)
- She told me that holding myself to my own values and goals was far better than living up to someone else's. Besides, my goals were harder anyway.
- She gave me space to let my imagination wander.
- She gave me time to learn to entertain myself.
- She taught me to play car games, looking for letters in highway signs and funny billboards. We went on a lot of car trips.
- She taught me to sing at any time. Make up a song, if needed.
- She encouraged my interests.
- She told me that "sometimes, you just need a good cry."
- She gave lots of hugs.
- She demonstrated what joy looks like.
Nowadays, she lives a time zone away. A long flight + a long drive, or a long flight + a long layover + a short flight away. It's much much too far. And I miss her.
Happy Mother's Day, Mum!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Stewardship Sunday: Easter Edition
Happy Easter!
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Holy Week is a reminder that I will have to admit failure every week. No matter what I do. No matter how hard I try. I will never live up to Jesus' example of patience. I will never live up to Jesus' example of service. I will never be righteous, no matter how hard I try. I can focus on doing better every week of my life, but the struggle will never end while I walk this Earth.
But then Easter happened. A Savior was willing to take the punishment for our imperfection. Our weakness. Our inability to achieve our own righteousness. Easter is about Grace. Easter is about Joy (the emotion, not my friend who just had a baby boy 2 days ago - congrats Joy!) Easter technically makes this blog unnecessary.
I don't NEED to be better. I mean, I would like to be. But I don't need to be. I WANT to be. Grace and Joy are powerful motivators.
So I'm ditching the stewardship check-in for this week. I'll just report on the Joy from this week.
Joy the friend had a baby boy. He's doing well. She's doing well. What joy!
The other joys of this week:
The week was full of joys, small and large. There was a great deal of preparation that led up to this weekend. But in the quiet moments, we think of a little boy that we hoped could be born this week. But was instead buried many weeks ago. And we look forward to a promised joyful reunion. And remember that this is what Easter is really all about.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Holy Week is a reminder that I will have to admit failure every week. No matter what I do. No matter how hard I try. I will never live up to Jesus' example of patience. I will never live up to Jesus' example of service. I will never be righteous, no matter how hard I try. I can focus on doing better every week of my life, but the struggle will never end while I walk this Earth.
But then Easter happened. A Savior was willing to take the punishment for our imperfection. Our weakness. Our inability to achieve our own righteousness. Easter is about Grace. Easter is about Joy (the emotion, not my friend who just had a baby boy 2 days ago - congrats Joy!) Easter technically makes this blog unnecessary.
I don't NEED to be better. I mean, I would like to be. But I don't need to be. I WANT to be. Grace and Joy are powerful motivators.
So I'm ditching the stewardship check-in for this week. I'll just report on the Joy from this week.
Joy the friend had a baby boy. He's doing well. She's doing well. What joy!
The other joys of this week:
- I got a massage that helped my back pain.
- I rearranged the girls' room and put their beds together. It's pretty cute.
- Flat Stanley came to visit, went to Amsterdam with BestestHusband, had great adventures, then headed to the Middle East to fly planes with other extended family members.
- BestestHusband came back from Amsterdam safely and a little early. My mother-in-law met him there and came home with him to join us for Easter.
- I had my father-in-law around for the entire week to help out.
- We took two family naps that helped even non-napping HeyMama take much-needed naps.
- I spent an hour sleeping with MeToo while she sucked her paci in my face and twisted her fingers in my hair. Priceless.
- Our family enjoyed a joy-filled Easter service with incredible music.
- Our family and church family enjoyed a delicious brunch feast together.
- Our family and friends enjoyed an unparalleled Easter lunch/dinner/all-day feast with lots of wine and revelry. And a crazy-potent cocktail.
- Our family and friends got to spend several happy hours together chatting and watching the kids play together.
- During all of the revelry, only one kid peed on the rug and only one kid had a poop explosion that required borrowing clean clothes.
- Only one of those kids is related to me.
- And tonight has back-to-back episodes of GCB!
The week was full of joys, small and large. There was a great deal of preparation that led up to this weekend. But in the quiet moments, we think of a little boy that we hoped could be born this week. But was instead buried many weeks ago. And we look forward to a promised joyful reunion. And remember that this is what Easter is really all about.
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| A cross that church-goers covered in flowers as they walked into Easter services. |
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| The girls can now sleep together under their coordinated quilts. (Thanks Miss Bev!) |
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| Jet-setting Flat Stanley in his brief Boston layover. |
Monday, March 5, 2012
Stewardship Sunday/Monday
So I crashed on the couch last night, and woke up only long enough to watch the first episode of GCB and hurriedly sweep/mop my kitchen floor during commercial breaks. So my attempt at this entry yesterday was a massive failure. So let's try that again.
I'm currently sipping a mommy drink on the couch next to BestestHusband as he indulges in his Bachelor/Bachelorette addiction. He even reads blogs about the show. This week is the episode where all of the contestants get together on national TV and trash whoever deserves a trashing. So I'm supporting him through the emotionally gripping roller coaster of overly-made-up girls weeping on national TV.
Anyway, today was one of those "zone" mommy days where I feel like I earned a tasty beverage. We were busy, but not too busy. We did fun stuff, but actually got stuff done. And the girls demonstrated behavior that was encouraging for all of my efforts. It's not that I'm gloating that they're better behaved than all the other kids. Because they're not. And that would be violating the rules of the Sorority of Moms. They were just well-behaved for a duration of time today that we were in on public, amongst other kids. Which can be encouraging when you've had multi-month streaks of nuclear meltdowns at the grocery store.
We were at the indoor free gym time at my gym. The girls were running around on the mats and tumble forms. There were a lot of other kids there. There was the inevitable jostling for space, and negotiating multiple children wanting to be in the exact same place at the exact same time. There was some screaming. And some pushing. One kid actually picked up smaller kids and moved them out of his way.
But not my girls today. Today, if they yelled, it was to say "excuse me." They waited for kids to get out of the way. They were tolerant of the littler kids. They didn't freak out when they accidentally got hit or kicked. They were polite and pleasant.
I was impressed. Why can't they be this way at home?! But it was reinforcement for me. Encouragement that all of the work we do trying to teach manners, self-control, and patience is actually getting somewhere. Oh, we're not there. We're definitely not there yet. We have a long way to go. But I see us heading down the right path. Despite the opinions of some in my mommy network, teaching manners at a young age can be helpful, and they can learn what they mean, and use them without prompting.
So it makes me feel that maybe I do use my time and energy well, and that it's not always in vain. Because most days, I feel like I'm constantly working on the manners, self-control, and patience. (And also trying to teach them to my kids!) I lament not getting stuff done because of the unending interruptions to referee, redirect, and teach kinder ways to express emotions and impulses. But I also lament trying to do too much and not giving enough time and energy to the kids... Mommy Guilt is a beast.
Thanks be to God for giving us glimmers of hope and encouragement! I definitely need it once in a while!
Ok, so I'm actually supposed to be reporting on how I used my resources from the last week. It was a big week, and I have to dig deep to recall the pertinent details...
Time: I'm always trying to balance the activity level in the house. Swinging too far in either direction does not make for a good day, but we did OK this week. Monday began our weekly music time at daycare, in preparation for Easter. In conjunction with my dear friend Anne, we're teaching the children songs to sing at the Easter program. My girls love it. The kids at daycare eventually learn the songs and love it too. Monday also held a meeting with other moms at church to plan for Easter events, including an Easter Program and Easter Egg Hunt. I'm psyched. The planning is consuming some time, but for a very good reason, and everyone's excited. Or maybe just I'm excited, and everyone else is being nice... Friday included a nice dinner with people from the Lutheran Malaria Initiative, including the President of our national church body. He's a very interesting guy, and my expectations of him were absolutely met. My favorite quote of the night: "we need more Lutheran sex." I can't make this stuff up. It was in the context of reversing the declining church attendance in our country. I'd say by the birth rate in our church, we're holding up our end of the deal. Again, this was a rare opportunity, and time well spent. I worked an extra day this week, and the fur tumbleweeds in my house will confirm that fact. And I spent less time on the computer. Still too much, but less than other weeks.
Money: I must confess to spending more money than usual. I'm in the market for a bathing suit. And I've come to the conclusion that I just need to suck it up and get something that will cover me appropriately and last a while. This does not come cheap when you have my limited shopping availability. (bathing suit shopping with 2 under 3? Sounds like "hell" to me!) And I've learned from BestestHusband that buying a few GOOD things costs the same as buying lots of "good deal" things, with one actually resulting in more wardrobe satisfaction. So I'm trying the theory for a bathing suit and some spring/summer clothes, and we'll see how it goes. My spring/summer wardrobe is mostly pre-children, and in desperate need of updating. But paying that much for a bathing suit was just painful.
Food waste: I think I did really well here. I honestly can't recall throwing anything out. BestestHusband said the same thing. Of course, I did concoct some interesting meals to use up some ingredients. But we all lived.
M&M Consumption: Quite reasonable. Not absent, but reasonable. It doesn't hurt that HeyMama notices if the level of M&Ms in the jar suddenly drops.
Patience with the kids: Spotty, but thanks to the grace of God, it was overall ok. I was conscious of multiple events that would frequently get me steaming, but instead I just took a deep breath and kept going. That's not my skill, just a result of my prayers to a God that truly loves my children.
So we keep going, trying to keep growing, hoping to learn from the lessons of the week before and improve for the week ahead.
How was your week?
I'm currently sipping a mommy drink on the couch next to BestestHusband as he indulges in his Bachelor/Bachelorette addiction. He even reads blogs about the show. This week is the episode where all of the contestants get together on national TV and trash whoever deserves a trashing. So I'm supporting him through the emotionally gripping roller coaster of overly-made-up girls weeping on national TV.
Anyway, today was one of those "zone" mommy days where I feel like I earned a tasty beverage. We were busy, but not too busy. We did fun stuff, but actually got stuff done. And the girls demonstrated behavior that was encouraging for all of my efforts. It's not that I'm gloating that they're better behaved than all the other kids. Because they're not. And that would be violating the rules of the Sorority of Moms. They were just well-behaved for a duration of time today that we were in on public, amongst other kids. Which can be encouraging when you've had multi-month streaks of nuclear meltdowns at the grocery store.
We were at the indoor free gym time at my gym. The girls were running around on the mats and tumble forms. There were a lot of other kids there. There was the inevitable jostling for space, and negotiating multiple children wanting to be in the exact same place at the exact same time. There was some screaming. And some pushing. One kid actually picked up smaller kids and moved them out of his way.
But not my girls today. Today, if they yelled, it was to say "excuse me." They waited for kids to get out of the way. They were tolerant of the littler kids. They didn't freak out when they accidentally got hit or kicked. They were polite and pleasant.
I was impressed. Why can't they be this way at home?! But it was reinforcement for me. Encouragement that all of the work we do trying to teach manners, self-control, and patience is actually getting somewhere. Oh, we're not there. We're definitely not there yet. We have a long way to go. But I see us heading down the right path. Despite the opinions of some in my mommy network, teaching manners at a young age can be helpful, and they can learn what they mean, and use them without prompting.
So it makes me feel that maybe I do use my time and energy well, and that it's not always in vain. Because most days, I feel like I'm constantly working on the manners, self-control, and patience. (And also trying to teach them to my kids!) I lament not getting stuff done because of the unending interruptions to referee, redirect, and teach kinder ways to express emotions and impulses. But I also lament trying to do too much and not giving enough time and energy to the kids... Mommy Guilt is a beast.
Thanks be to God for giving us glimmers of hope and encouragement! I definitely need it once in a while!
Ok, so I'm actually supposed to be reporting on how I used my resources from the last week. It was a big week, and I have to dig deep to recall the pertinent details...
Time: I'm always trying to balance the activity level in the house. Swinging too far in either direction does not make for a good day, but we did OK this week. Monday began our weekly music time at daycare, in preparation for Easter. In conjunction with my dear friend Anne, we're teaching the children songs to sing at the Easter program. My girls love it. The kids at daycare eventually learn the songs and love it too. Monday also held a meeting with other moms at church to plan for Easter events, including an Easter Program and Easter Egg Hunt. I'm psyched. The planning is consuming some time, but for a very good reason, and everyone's excited. Or maybe just I'm excited, and everyone else is being nice... Friday included a nice dinner with people from the Lutheran Malaria Initiative, including the President of our national church body. He's a very interesting guy, and my expectations of him were absolutely met. My favorite quote of the night: "we need more Lutheran sex." I can't make this stuff up. It was in the context of reversing the declining church attendance in our country. I'd say by the birth rate in our church, we're holding up our end of the deal. Again, this was a rare opportunity, and time well spent. I worked an extra day this week, and the fur tumbleweeds in my house will confirm that fact. And I spent less time on the computer. Still too much, but less than other weeks.
Money: I must confess to spending more money than usual. I'm in the market for a bathing suit. And I've come to the conclusion that I just need to suck it up and get something that will cover me appropriately and last a while. This does not come cheap when you have my limited shopping availability. (bathing suit shopping with 2 under 3? Sounds like "hell" to me!) And I've learned from BestestHusband that buying a few GOOD things costs the same as buying lots of "good deal" things, with one actually resulting in more wardrobe satisfaction. So I'm trying the theory for a bathing suit and some spring/summer clothes, and we'll see how it goes. My spring/summer wardrobe is mostly pre-children, and in desperate need of updating. But paying that much for a bathing suit was just painful.
Food waste: I think I did really well here. I honestly can't recall throwing anything out. BestestHusband said the same thing. Of course, I did concoct some interesting meals to use up some ingredients. But we all lived.
M&M Consumption: Quite reasonable. Not absent, but reasonable. It doesn't hurt that HeyMama notices if the level of M&Ms in the jar suddenly drops.
Patience with the kids: Spotty, but thanks to the grace of God, it was overall ok. I was conscious of multiple events that would frequently get me steaming, but instead I just took a deep breath and kept going. That's not my skill, just a result of my prayers to a God that truly loves my children.
So we keep going, trying to keep growing, hoping to learn from the lessons of the week before and improve for the week ahead.
How was your week?
Monday, February 27, 2012
Second Attempt: Stewardship Monday
So going to bed early helped, even if I did stay awake reading a book. I woke up in a much better mood, even if BestestHusband's 7:15 Acela train to NYC made the wake up earlier than usual.
So here's my second attempt at Stewardship Sunday. On a Monday.
Anyway, the previous week was pretty good. Things had settled down since the post-vacation transition. I managed to not waste too much food, especially since I started out the week with such a full fridge. I'm actually proud of my food-management skills: I got rid of multiple leftovers by feeding them to company. Yes, I fed leftovers to dinner guests. Actually, it was my Pastor. And a fundraiser for the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. They offered to bring over dinner, but I was afraid of gaining an additional meal of leftovers instead of getting rid of a meal of leftovers I already had. I know, silly, but it made sense at the time...
They seemed genuinely happy to eat my "makeover" meal. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Or maybe it was all the wine. And the maple vodka. I was pretty tipsy. BestestHusband was pretty happy, too...
I was hungover the next morning. It doesn't take too much these days. I'm a cheaper date than I've ever been.
And while most people get taken out to a nice dinner when someone wants to talk them into donating to a charity, we're the type of people who invite fundraisers over to our house, feed them, give them alcohol, and THEN happily agree to give them money. I think we might be doing it all wrong.
But the cause isn't. I'll talk more about the Lutheran Malaria Initiative some other time, but we didn't have to get ourselves drunk to be willing to donate. It's a great project: http://www.lutheranmalaria.org/site/c.emJXKgOYJhI6G/b.7716885/k.BF10/Home.htm#intro
Food waste:
2 pork chops
small container of roasted vegetables
4 slices bread
It's a meal's worth, which isn't great. But it could have been WAY worse! And it wasn't! And it would have been way worse if friends hadn't accepted half of a large casserole, then shared it with Pastor. Hmm, he ate two different leftovers from me this week...
M&M consumption: Excessive. (Sigh)
Patience with the kids: Better, by the grace of God. Until last night. But then, I had the grace of BestestHusband who let me run away for an hour or so.
How was your week?
So here's my second attempt at Stewardship Sunday. On a Monday.
Anyway, the previous week was pretty good. Things had settled down since the post-vacation transition. I managed to not waste too much food, especially since I started out the week with such a full fridge. I'm actually proud of my food-management skills: I got rid of multiple leftovers by feeding them to company. Yes, I fed leftovers to dinner guests. Actually, it was my Pastor. And a fundraiser for the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. They offered to bring over dinner, but I was afraid of gaining an additional meal of leftovers instead of getting rid of a meal of leftovers I already had. I know, silly, but it made sense at the time...
They seemed genuinely happy to eat my "makeover" meal. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Or maybe it was all the wine. And the maple vodka. I was pretty tipsy. BestestHusband was pretty happy, too...
I was hungover the next morning. It doesn't take too much these days. I'm a cheaper date than I've ever been.
And while most people get taken out to a nice dinner when someone wants to talk them into donating to a charity, we're the type of people who invite fundraisers over to our house, feed them, give them alcohol, and THEN happily agree to give them money. I think we might be doing it all wrong.
But the cause isn't. I'll talk more about the Lutheran Malaria Initiative some other time, but we didn't have to get ourselves drunk to be willing to donate. It's a great project: http://www.lutheranmalaria.org/site/c.emJXKgOYJhI6G/b.7716885/k.BF10/Home.htm#intro
Food waste:
2 pork chops
small container of roasted vegetables
4 slices bread
It's a meal's worth, which isn't great. But it could have been WAY worse! And it wasn't! And it would have been way worse if friends hadn't accepted half of a large casserole, then shared it with Pastor. Hmm, he ate two different leftovers from me this week...
M&M consumption: Excessive. (Sigh)
Patience with the kids: Better, by the grace of God. Until last night. But then, I had the grace of BestestHusband who let me run away for an hour or so.
How was your week?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sorting Through Everything Left Behind
So Day 6 of vacation brought more fun and conversations surrounding death. This is turning out to be a rather morbid vacation... We took the girls to a ceramic painting place. We shopped for cowgirl boots. Then Mum and I opened the back guest house to look through the remainder of my grandparents' belongings. Both of my grandparents died within the last 2 years. They were people who lived good lives, model bedrock citizens. They lived humble and frugal lives. They could have afforded to live more lavishly, but chose to give their money away. So the belongings left behind were of minimal monetary value, and it was my Mum's job to take care of them.
I took on the task of going through Grandma's jewelery box. It was a large jewelery box, practically overflowing. There were a few rings of small value (alas, her wedding ring had been STOLEN in the nursing home... sigh...), some silver necklaces and pendants, and lots of costumey pins. Most everything was given as a gift. Or earned unintentionally.
One of the noteworthy accomplishments of my grandparents' lives was that they always seemed to be giving away their time. They volunteered for a long list of organizations, according to what they could physically do at the time. In the years that I knew them, they helped out at a local state park, volunteered at multiple hospitals, and constantly took on various roles at their church. They volunteered well into their 80's, after cancer, strokes, and hip replacements. They took on mostly menial roles. While they had the skills to lead big fundraising campaigns, they instead cleaned park trails and bathrooms, led children on nature hikes, and visited patients in their local hospitals. They cooked countless meals and goodies for the sick and home-bound in their community. And towards the end, they served as substitute grandparents to all of the immigrant children that had moved into their neighborhood. And these were just the years that I knew them. I know the list could be much longer if I started earlier in their lives.
The jewelery box contained a large number of pins that commemorated their tireless service. They said things like "40 years", "20 years", "1000 hours". And many more just acknowledged their active participation in various volunteer groups. That is a serious commitment to service.
The objects left behind have little retail value. They will be sold for a pittance at a yard sale with the hope that they can make someone else happy in a new home. But they tell the story of two people that left a legacy. A legacy of a model life. A life buoyed by a strong Faith that gave them Hope in the dark days, kept them open to the wonder of Grace, and allowed them to celebrate Joy wherever they could find it. And this legacy is better than any family fortune, better than heirloom silver, better than anything that would allow us to pay off our horrific Boston mortgage (although I wouldn't complain if that came along too...)
And this is the legacy we can pass along to our girls. Stories of their great-grandparents, and an attempt to live the life that they did. Grandma once told me, "If you're not helping someone else, you're wasting your time." Yeah, I could spend the rest of my life trying to live up to that...
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Faith, Grace, Hope, and Joy
Faith, Grace, Hope, and Joy.
Not only are they names
commonly used for pastor’s daughters, they are incredible concepts when the
realities of life come crashing in.
While I was grousing about having a swollen finger and
single-handedly wrangling two little girls who can’t. stop. talking., dear
friends of ours were traveling back to be with their family to bury their
youngest child.
Yes, I said bury their youngest child.
A child tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand. A child
long-awaited and much cherished. My heart breaks again for them as I write
this.
I was talking to someone the other day who had done the same
thing in the past. She’s buried her mother, her father, and her sister, but
says burying a child is the most painful thing she’s ever endured.
This is where Faith, Grace, Hope, and Joy become so
important in life.
Both friends who lost children truly believe that “all
things work together for good for those who love God.”* Their strong Faith in God is their lifeboat in the storms of life. Where Faith carries you, Grace is already there. And
Grace begets Hope. And where there is Hope, you can soon find Joy.
Our recent winter weather strikes me as an excellent
illustration of the days of Joy and sorrow. Boston’s weeks of gray skies and
snowstorms are punctuated by days of brilliant sunshine and crystalline blue
skies. After slogging through days of cold dreariness, your heart and whole
being involuntarily lift a bit when the sun bursts through.
So to all of my friends who are slogging through days of
slush and darkness, I pray you will have a buoyant Faith, bountiful Grace,
greater Hope, and more easily-discovered Joy.
*Romans 8:28
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