Out of the Spin Cycle

It took me quite awhile to get through these devotions, but they were so great.  And I'd recommend it for any mom. 

Fresh Out of Amazing

I finished this book up last night.  It was an alright read.  Sections of it were relatable, and reference to scripture was good.  I think personally I've already learned some of these lessons too, so there was some repetition, but some new things too. 

Chasing Superwoman

This may be one of my least favorite books I've read.  It was pretty bad.  It reminded me we can all be victims of the choices we make in life, or we can embrace them.  And if we feel like the victim, we can change it, we make those choices.  What is your motivation?  You can't love both God and money. 

Of Mess & Moxie

I finished the book a week or so ago.  I didn't love it when I started, but I was a fan by the end.  The humor and relatable real life talk was refreshing and fun.  And I even pulled a couple ideas from it to have my own family start. 

Bringing Up Boys

I finished reading this book over the weekend.  It took me awhile to get through.  It wasn't hard to read, but it was a hard read.  I found myself feeling guilty for not following a few of his strong recommendations.  1 - I send my kids to public school.  2 - I work outside the home. 3 - I am part of a blended family.  Even with these differences in lifestyle choices from the books recommendations; I feel the book was a valuable read, and I learned some things and have applied some things in our life of raising boys. 

This book was written close to 20 years ago, and still applies today.  I can see the viewpoints and the society changes and examples that directly related to the world today.  With twin boys in my house, I'm always looking for ways to be a better parent to them, to connect with them, and to understand them. 

Truck Doors

Late this summer I was driving to the gas station to pick up milk and had the girls with me.  As we're driving down the state route near where we live I thought I head a window open in the back seat.  I thought, well that's odd, I thought the window locks were on.  Both girls have a tendency to open windows in the back seat.  So I check the window lock button, it's on.  Uh oh.  I glance to the back seat, Ruth has opened the door and is holding on to it.  (She is still securely strapped into her car seat!)

I slow down, and it appears she's reclosed it.  We're almost to the gas station, so I slowly finish the drive there, make the turn into the gas station, and as I make the turn, the door swings WIDE OPEN. 

There I am in the gas station lot, unable to pull into a parking spot because the door open.

There's a gentleman and his kids at another pump staring at me.  A guy walking out of the gas station laughing like crazy, and I'm walking around the truck, closing the door, walking back around the truck and pulling into a parking spot.

Then I learned how to turn on the child locks on the doors.

I'm not judging you..

A month or so ago while driving the kids to evening activities Caden disagreed with me on the use of child locks on the back doors of the truck. 

He said "Mom's I'm not judging you or anything, but I think what you're doing is stupid."

He thought that if the child locks were in and we had an accident he would be trapped and unable to get out of the back seat.  However, my side is presented that Ruthie has grabby hands and likes to open doors while driving down the road.  There was a greater likely hood Ruth would open a door than an accident and the child locks were staying on!

Raising World Chagners in a Changing World

I finished this book last night.  It was better than I expected.  It was similar to Welch's last book in that it was encouraging, insightful and provided a few new ideas.

I feel like I learned things not only about parenting, but how to live my own life, which as a result impacts our parenting too.  We are role models to our children. 

Raising Grateful Kinds in an Entitled World

I finished this book a few weeks ago.  It was a great read, easy read with practical ideas and a pep talk for my parenting.  There were several things I already attempt to do mixed with some new ideas to try.  But even more than that it was a reminder to keep going, stay dedicated and keep going.  It was the motherhood pep talk I needed.  Sometimes I get tired, stressed, lazy or fill in the blank with 1045 other emotions and I loose sight of what's important and get lazy in sticking to our plans and goals and structure for the family, this puts me back on track: reading encouragement, reminders, good friends and my Bible.

Girl, Wash Your Face

Everyone is talking about this book lately.  A friend of mine and I were talking about it and the next thing I knew she's ordered a copy for each of us to read.  It was an east read; I found myself with a lot of waiting room time last week and finished it in 2 days. 

For all the conversation I'd heard about it; I had high expectations.  I was a little underwhelmed with the book.  I didn't find her faith to be in the forefront of the story.  I found it to be a little repetitive and occasionally contradictory.  I can see where some folks mind find value in her messages.  There is always room for improvement, but a few of them lessons she talks about I've learned just going through life to this point too. 

Taking Responsibiltiy for the Choices We Make

I finished reading this book last week.  It wasn't on my radar, wasn't on my to read list, wasn't sitting around in a pile for me to have time.  But I ordered a couple things online from a website, and in place of one of the items, came this book.  When I contacted them, they apologized, shipped my correct item and told me to keep the book. 

The title intrigued me.  It is certainly a lesson we are trying to teach the kids, but I hadn't thought about how it might apply to my life.  So it quickly rose to the top of my to read pile. 

I shared pieces of this story with my friends; I underlined and I was convicted in parts. 

It was a great read.

Keep Asking

^"17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:17-19

Keep asking. Don't stop asking for wisdom. Paul does not. We should not either. 

We were made for more because we are children of God. 

Know truth, so we may know God better.

Know there is hope and power beyond myself.
This was in Made to Crave and I needed to keep their reminder.  I often am asking for wisdom in my parenting, and I will continue to ask.  

Talking with Your Kids About God

I have been reading Talking with Your Kids About God  for a little while now.  As I've been reading, I have been writing about this book off an on as things strike me or I have something to get a little deeper in my thinking, but now that I finished this book, I wanted to put down a few more of my thoughts on the book.  I was looking forward to reading the book based on the title and concept of the book.  As a parent, who can't use another tool to help guide their children? 

However, as I dug into the book, I wasn't quite as thrilled.  The beginning was a big turn off for me, to the extent that I almost stopped reading it.  (I am glad I kept reading.)  The beginning conveyed a very serious tone about how important it was to have these conversations with your kids and that left me feeling like I was a terrible parent if I didn't, or if I'd never picked up this book. 

As I kept reading; I realized that I have been very fortunate that I have lived in a Christian community most of my life.  I haven't had to face many of the things this book talks about in a personal way.  I'm grateful I read this book for my own personal development to begin thinking about those things.  As I read I for the most part I knew where I stood about the topics presented, science and God and what not, but this helped me to be able to verbalize or explain my stance. 

I also though toward the end of the book that the author only valued the two extremes of the spectrum of atheists to theists.  Yet in reality I think there is a sliding scale of that.  I think there are many people that fall somewhere in the middle of the arguments she makes.  Sure, they may not have any backing, Biblical or scientific, for their beliefs, but they are still there and if they are talked about and shared exist and could be something we face as well. 

The author was well researched and knew her content well, and there were several scriptural references in the book as well that were helpful.

But have I had these conversations with my kids?  No.  Do I plan to?  In this formal organized fashion she presents?  No.  But, do I plan to be more aware and offer better explanations or presentations of things when it arises?  Yes.  I think some of these concepts are just part of growing your faith.  And I will certainly always teach my kids that we at home are a great resource to help you through the questions when they do arise. 

A Prophecy Fulfilled

Efficiencies can lead to impatience.  Saving time in everything hurries out pace and causes us to loose patience. 

The name Jesus is Greek.  It was Joshua in the original language, Hebrew.  It means: God will save. 

Jesus spoke truth and caused many people to fall.  The changes he brought was too hard for many.  Yet, the truth he spoke also caused the rise of many because they were looking for Jesus.  

What do we want most?  What do we most for our kids?  The love of Christ.  For them to be followers.  And if that isn't what we want most, it should be!

How long will we wait to encounter Jesus?  We hope.  We praise.  We keep a ready heart.  

(Sermon notes from 12/31/17)

These are the days of...

These are the days of:

• Pre-teen angst
• Potty training
• Busy work schedules
• Ballet
• Swim lessons
• Cub Scouts
• ROCK Group
• Sunday morning church
• Family time
• Family movies nights
• Family game nights
• Adventures with older kids and toddler with grandma
• Reading books
• Working out

Big Baby

Elinore has a sassy mouth sometimes, especially at bed time.  As she was refusing to listen there were consequences, so she started throwing insults about not playing with us anymore.  So Keith, as joke said, your mean comments will make me cry too.  She was crying about her consequences too. 

So she shouts by at him for his crying comment: "what are you going to be a big baby?"

Clearly only babies cry, and Daddy couldn't be a baby. 

Keith and I both managed to contain our laughter until she wasn't in the room anymore, but days later we're still laughing that Elinore called Daddy a big baby!

Potty Trained!

Elinore has been officially potty trained for over a month now!  She's very good about it, and we've had very few accidents since she's gone to underwear.  I think we've had less accidents than we can count on one hand.  She's proud of herself and she's wearing big girl undies!  Princesses, Minnie and Frozen of course. 

That frees up the cloth diapers for our little Ruthie!

Surprised by Motherhood

This book had been on my radar for awhile.  I read good things about it, but never clicked the buy now from my amazon wish list.  Then one day while shopping on dayspring.com I found it on sale for $5.  It made it into a shopping cart!  I had a few books in front of it, so it sat for awhile before I picked it up. 

I started reading it not too long ago; it was an easy read and the first few chapters I noticed Lisa-Jo Baker talks a lot about her home in South Africa, you got the idea she misses.  I kept reading, but I also though as I read that I wasn't really getting much from it personally for me, but that I was reading her story. 

I've been reading a lot lately and trying to choose things that make me think deeper and challenge the ways I think or live.  I didn't feel like I was doing that the first few chapers here, but I still think there is value in reading other people's stories.  People need to share their stories and their lives, and I was happy to read hers and others storires.  It's a collection of people that you a connected to once you've shared stories. 

However, as I continued reading, I realized this book was impacting me and challenging me and identifiying with me, and I didn't even realize it!  It was making me think about my life without me even realizing how profoud some of her stories were.  The book felt like a warm hug in the world of motherhood. 

How do you do it?

I get asked a lot how I manage to get everything done as a mom of 4 and working full time. I've never had a great answer.  My best answer has been I just do it.  There's no secret, I'm just living my life.

Over the 4th of July weekend I was asked MANY times.  After that weekend I really started thinking about a good answer to that question as I'm sure it'll continue.  And I realized, it's not about me.

I don't do it alone, and I haven't been giving credit where I should. 

I don't do this alone, I have God by my side.  He is what makes all this possible.

I'm disappointed in myself for not recognizing this sooner and voicing it.  I missed opportunities to share my faith.   I knew I needed to write and share about this and now, the next time I ask, I hope I have the courage to speak up and say I'm not doing it along; that we have God on our side. 

Mother's Day 2015

This past weekend was Mother's Day.  We were fortuante that Grandma Barb came into town Friday afternoon and stayed the weekend with us.  She watched the kids for Keith and I to go out Friday night to the Reverse Raffle.  It was the first time we'd been out together without some of the kids since Ruth was born. 

Saturday we all went to Caden's soccer game, then we took both Grandma's out to lunch at Longhorn following the game.  The meal was good, but Elinore was having a rough day.  She'd been sick the week before, and Grandma kept her up late the night before.  The soccer game was during her nap time, it was hot and she was crabby!

After lunch my mom heading out, and the rest of us went to the local outlet mall to do some shopping.  Grandma Barb needed some new tennis shoes, so we bought her a couple new pair of shoes for Mother's Day.  I had my mom sent flowers that morning at work. 

We were at the mall for quite some time doing some shopping.  The boys got to use some gift cards they had gotten for their birthday the week before.  They were thrilled and we now have a Repeat Pete talking parrot and some new Wii Star Wars video games in the house.  Elinore got some new shoes, and I a new blazer and pants!  Caden got new tennis shoes too. 

On the way home we grabbed some DQ treats for supper and headed home to relax and get ready for bed. 

Sunday Grandma Barb headed home and we went to church as a family.  Before church, Keith gave me a new charm for my Pandora bracelet for Mother's Day and Caden gave me a nicely decorated picture frame he made a 4H for me.  Once, Elinore saw that she ran to her room and got a picture frame off her shelf with a photo of her and I in it.  She brought it to me and said here, I made this for you at school!  It was seriously super sweet, even though she didn't make it or go to school, she wanted something special like her brother had for mom!

After church we relaxed and ate for awhile before heading to my parents house to celebrate mother's day with pizza and my dad and brother.  We finished evening with Guerne ice cream, delicious!

A couple days later, Caden told me to look on top of the fridge for another picture frame Caleb made.  I told him Caleb could do with it what he wanted since it was still his.  Then Caleb grabbed it and tossed it to me as an after thought.  He also made me a picture frame at 4H.  Now I want them to take pictures with me to put in the frames!