What to Write?

It's not so much that I have writer's block. I've actually got a bunch of topics jotted down that I want to write about in the coming days & weeks.

Would you like a peek? Here are my titles for upcoming post ideas....

Living On Less

Homebody

Avoiding Public Temper Tantrums & Meltdowns

An Angry Mom

On Becoming Landlords - The Honeymoon's Over

Learning Contentment/ Being OK With My Small House

So I've got topics. I've even been mentally writing out some things I want to say in each of these posts.

I guess my problem right now is more that a) I just don't FEEL like writing. and
b) I don't really have the time. My little two just fell asleep for their afternoon naps right before 3 p.m. (The three year old fell asleep so late because he fought it and fought it. And, the baby is on nap 2 for the day. We're still trying to get him and his brother on the same schedule.) And, the big two will be home from school in about 45 minutes.

I really need to fold laundry, start dinner, sweep the floor, etc. etc. It's now or never. So, the writing will have to wait. I might tackle it tonight after the boys are in bed...if I can keep my eyes open. Otherwise, you all will just have to wait with bated breath.

In the meantime, won't you go check out yet another new blog a friend of mine has started? I know Kendra from my MOPS group and she is a coupon/savings genius. After being asked by others numerous times HOW she does it, she decided to start a blog to explain her techniques. If you have a chance, jump on over to her blog. And, I'm sure she'd be thrilled if you left her a comment so she's knows you stopped in for a visit.

Have a great day.

My Thumbsucker

Take a look if you will at the picture in header.  You see that little guy second from the left with his thumb in his mouth?  That would be my 5 1/2 year old, Edison.


Edison has been a thumbsucker since he was a baby.


He sucks his thumb a lot.  It's usually when he's in rest mode (in other words, not bouncing off the walls).   But, as soon as he slows down and he's no longer in motion, that thumb goes in.


I was looking through my collection of downloaded pictures to find some examples of Edison with his thumb in his mouth.  Surprisingly, there weren't as many as I thought there would be.  But, I guess in most pictures I have of him, he's actively engaged.  


But, here's what I found.

 Sucking his thumb with dirty hands. 

 There's the thumb again.

 And again

 And yet again.

And, there he is in the background, not wanting to participate in a family picture.

Sucking on his thumb

We had a dentist appointment yesterday.  She has mentioned his thumbsucking before.  But, yesterday she made no bones about it.  He is doing permanent damage to his teeth (pushing the top front ones out and the bottom front ones back), his palate, even the growth of his jaw.  

So, now this has moved beyond a childhood habit that I figured would eventually diminish on it's own to something that is potentially serious with life long effects.

Here's my question to you dear readers.  Have any of you had thumbsuckers?  What methods have you found effective in helping your thumbsucker break his or her habit?  I'd appreciate any words of wisdom you may have!

Menu Monday...sort of

First, I don't think Menu Monday is going to be a regular feature...although maybe it should be.


You see, I am so NOT a type A personality.  Things you would NOT see at my house if you came to visit - an updated, color-coded calendar, chore charts, behavior charts, a daily schedule, or a detailed menu plan.  As a matter of fact, you won't see much in the area of detail and organization.


That's not to say that I don't WISH I were more organized or detail oriented.  My sister who is 3 years younger than me IS and sometimes I think she inherited whatever part of those genetics there was to inherit.  


I'm not completely willy-nilly.  I am the one who maintains financial records for our family.  I am a stickler for balancing the checkbook every month.  And, each week on payday I sit down to figure out bills, tithing, & other expenditures.  My filing system for paid bills, and other important papers is a mess.  But, I still know where it is sitting and waiting to be filed.


Over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee today there was a post from a guest writer who is a self-proclaimed type B personality...and she homeschools!  Even though I don't homeschool, I could relate to so much that she wrote.  One line particularly resonated with me.  She said (and I'm paraphrasing) that she works better with routines than with schedules.  Yup.  That's me!


Anyhow, all that to say that I'm not ANTI schedules or organization.  It's just that I usually don't follow through for the long term.  A while back in our MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group we made a monthly menu plan for our house.  That month was great!  I wasn't scrambling for a dinner idea at 4:00 only to realize that I didn't have any meat thawed from the freezer.  Or worse yet I just couldn't come up with an idea so settled for the same old same old yet again.  In our house, chili,  spaghetti, or chicken corn soup are the meals that get whipped up in  a hurry if I can't think of anything else.


As I was thinking this morning about what to have for dinner tonight the thought occurred to me that I should make up a menu for the week!  The fact that I was thinking about dinner at 9:00 a.m. instead of 4:00 p.m was amazing enough, so I decided to run with it.  


So, here you have it, this week's menu plan.  As I said, it may or may not be a regular feature.  But, I had to share my one shining moment in organization and planning when it occurred.


Menu


Monday - Tilapia filets, baked potato, carrots
Tuesday - Deer pot roast, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies
Wednesday - Baked mac n cheese with sausage, peas
Thursday - Chicken enchiladas, bean salad
Friday - Burgers, oven baked sweet potato fries, salad


I also have to acknowledge Thy Hand Hath Provided in helping to inspire this menu planning.  In her blog she's been talking about eating simply in order to give.  You can check out her post here.  But, basically it comes down to the fact that as Americans we have so many food choices and we eat far more than we need for our nutritional needs (not to mention that we often make poor nutritional choices). 


 When I went grocery shopping this weekend I couldn't get that post out of my head.  I can't say I made all wise food choices that day.  But, it definitely effected what and how much I put in my cart.  Truth be told, we have so much food in our freezer and food that we've canned, that I didn't really need to grocery shop.  We could have easily made meals for weeks to come with what we have.


What do I usually buy at the grocery store?  Well, there's paper products and cleaning supplies.  We also use a lot of milk in our house as well as butter, fruit, yogurt, etc.  But, after that it's a lot of junk - snacks, juice boxes, cereal (how much money I could save if I just cut this from my spending and prepared home-made breakfasts like pancakes, waffles, baked oatmeal, and eggs).  When we say that we don't have anything to eat around the house, it usually means we are out of these types of foods.... which are not essential.  


So, in planning this weekly menu, I decided to look carefully at what I have available and to use those foods.  And, then I want to challenge myself and continue to use what I have in my house without grocery shopping for as long as I can.  


And, on that note, I must go.  The baby is awake from his nap.  I hope you all have a great week!

My Love Affair with Craigslist

I remember as a kid sitting around our stereo, a huge piece of furniture that housed our vinyl records, turntable, and the radio...all built in.  (It was the 70's & 80's folks).  On certain nights...I seem to recall it was Wednesdays...there was something all of us looked forward to on the local radio station.  It was the Craigslist of it's time.  People called in with items they had for sale.  Those of us sitting and listening would be armed with a piece of paper and a pen so we could quickly jot down the information and the number to call on things we found interesting.


Now here we are in the computer age.  We can simply go to our computer screen and we can see what's for sale. We don't have to wait for a certain night of the week.  And pictures are often included!


I am in love with Craigslist right now.  It is so much fun to sit and peruse the for sale ads.  I am particularly drawn to the furniture listings.  And, I have hit the jackpot twice now!


You might remember the set of bookcases that I purchased for $75.

I put one in our living room and one in the boy's room upstairs.


My newest Craigslist find is equally exciting.  It is an armoire for housing our tv.  


Previously we had a very small screen tv in a small television cabinet that housed the tv & dvd player and not much else.  Someone from work recently gave my husband their larger screen tv (they were upgrading to a larger flat screen) for free.  Only problem was that it didn't fit in our old tv cabinet.


We weren't in any hurry to find something different.  We figured we'd store the larger tv in the barn until we figured out what to do.  And, in the meantime I found this on Craigslist.  This beauty was $100, far far less than we would pay retail to buy something like this.

I emailed the seller of my interest immediately and the next day we bought it.  The thing I really love is that it has tons of storage.  No longer do we have to stack our dvds on top of the tv.


Anyway, I think Craigslist is truly awesome.  You have to really keep your eye out for the good deals.  But, in our experience we have been able to add some really nice pieces of furniture to our home that we otherwise would not have been able to afford.


If you haven't tried Craigslist yet, I highly recommmend it!


Finally, I wanted to share some pictures from over Christmas vacation.  For the first time ever my husband took off work the week between Christmas and New Years.  The boys were so excited to have daddy home while they were also on school vacation.  


One of the things John did with the big boys is take them ice fishing.  (Edison got an ice fishing rod for Christmas).  I was pretty nervous about the whole idea.  But, you can see in the middle picture that John took a picture of how thick the ice actually was to calm my fears.

 Edison, Charlie, and Wyatt sitting on their buckets waiting for the fish to bite.

 The chunk of ice my husband sawed out with his brand new chainsaw.

Have a great day!

A Dream Journal

Dreams can be powerful can't they?  I've awoken from dreams that were frightening or sad and have been affected by that for the rest of my day.  I've also had dreams that were so wonderful that I didn't want to wake up and wanted to return to the blissful feelings evoked by the dreams.

image found here

Dreams are curious things.  I don't quite understand how and why they happen.  Oh, I know scientists have different explanations about what takes place in our brains as we sleep.  And, for the most part I would agree with them.  Dreams tend to be a mishmash of our thoughts, experiences, etc.


But, I also believe there is another type of dream.  A dream that is intended to be a message from God.  The Bible talks about dreams and how God speaks to man through them.

• The entire book of Revelation is a vision given to John.
• Job 33: 14 &15 says "For God does speak-now one way, now another- though man may not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds."
• Both Joseph and Daniel were given the ability to interpret dreams for others, thus relaying a message from God.
• Acts 2: 17 & 18 says  " In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

This past week I had two dreams in a row that seemed to be this type of dream.  They both affected me deeply and they stayed with me long after I awoke.  This has motivated me to start a dream journal.  Why?  I don't want to lose the insight or message that I receive in my dreams.  I forget things so easily.  This will be a record for me to return to again and again.  

Here are the two dreams I recently had and what I believe they meant...

Dream #1 - I came across a dark, empty dance studio.  Since no one was there I went in, turned on the music, and started dancing my heart out blissfully unaware of anything else.  All of a sudden I realized there was a man sitting in the corner watching.  It was the singer, Prince, and he told me I was amazing.

My interpretation - First, I used to love to dance.  I loved all things creative.  It's a part of me that I've put on the backburner since becoming wife and mother.  I think the first part was a call to rediscover that creative side of myself.  Secondly, I always wished someone would notice something special in me.  In this dream, a man who is reknowned for his creative endeavors was impressed by me.  In reality there is ONE who notices me, who sees something special in me, and who thinks I'm amazing.

Dream #2 - I was an actress about to perform in a play.  Another actress with a smaller part than me was jealous of me and threatened me.  She was about to try to hurt me, but I said "If you knew who I know you wouldn't threaten me."  At that point, the actor Michael Douglas walked over and defended me.  Then he pulled me into his arms and danced with me.  As we danced I followed his lead completely and it was effortless, graceful.  I felt as though I was floating on air.  But as soon as I tried to add in my own steps it became awkward & I faltered.

My interpretation - Again with the creative role and dancing theme.  Anyway, in this one, that actress with the smaller part represents to me Satan.  We give him too much credit.  In truth, since we are God's children and we have His power in us, Satan is smaller than us.  He is jealous of us.  He wants nothing more than to hurt us.  Then, our Defender steps in.  And, if we completely surrender to God's lead we can experience freedom.  Our steps are flawless and graceful because we are being led by Grace.  When we try to change the dance with our own moves, that's when we falter.

The other interesting thing about both these dreams is that celebrities played roles that represented God.  I think that we set celebrites apart as inaccessible, & higher than us.  The idea of having an intimate interaction with one of them is unbelievable.  Here I see the reminder that while God is Most High he is completely accessible and we can have those intimate interactions with Him.

So, there you have a sample of what I see my dream journal being.  I'd be interested to know if any of you have ever done anything similar to this or if you have any suggestions for other things I could include in my journal.

Blessings!

Back to Normal

We're back to normal (whatever that means) at our house.  How about you?  I have to say that as much as I love the hubub and excitement of Christmastime activities, it's also good to get back to our routine.


And, it was time for the boys to get back to their routine too.  We played far too many hours of sports, carnival games, and Super Mario Bros. on our new Wii.  We ate way too much stuff that tasted good but was of little or no nutritional value.  We missed too many naps and stayed up way too late most nights.


I could tell it was time to get back to our routine when a few days ago potty-trained Charlie, 3, started having potty accidents everyday or multiple times in one day.  There's been a lot more 'wild' boy play, fighting, whining, and crying than usual.  And, there's usually quite a bit of that to start.


Anyway, I feel like I haven't really written on here in so long.  And, I have so many different things I've wanted to share with you that I can narrow it all down into one concise post topic.  Instead, I thought I'd share a little smattering of what's floating around in my mind.

• We have all recently recovered from the stomach virus.  Wyatt and Charlie actually had it a couple days before Christmas.  Edison was next a couple days after Christmas.  And, then it seemed that every couple days it hit the next person.  It ended with my husband on New Year's Day.  So now that that is all done and over with we're hoping we've met our quota for the year and there will be no more stomach viruses for us to contend with.
• In my post yesterday, I shared something that was written by a friend of the family, Dwyanna.  I'm thrilled to say that she decided to go ahead and start her own blog, Sugar and Spice!  I think she's going to include many different types of posts in her blog.  In addition to being a woman who has spiritual insight and a strong relationship with the Lord, she's also an amazing cook and baker!  Yesterday she posted a recipe for Ooey-Gooey German Chocolate Cake that looks so delicious.

Picture taken from Sugar and Spice blog

Won't you consider visiting her blog and leaving her a comment or becoming

a follower?  I'm sure you would really bless her and it would be a great 

encouragement to a newbie blogger.

• I've been having some very interesting dreams lately.  And, I'm pretty sure that God has been trying to speak to me through my dreams.  I'm planning to do a post on this sometime in the near future, but I thought I'd let you know that in this New Year I'm hoping to keep a dream journal.  It's something that I want to use to record and remember the truths that God reveals to me in the midst of my dreams.  More on all that later...
• I received some Christmas money this year and I decided to purchase for myself a Shark Steam mop.  Have you seen these?  I've been eyeing them up for awhile, doing some research, and talking to a friend who has one.  I was really, really excited to try it. And, I have to say, it is awesome!  Our kitchen/dining room floors are covered in OLD linoleum.  Even when I'd mop them they didn't look clean.  This product pulled up so much ground in dirt!  And, the best part is, you use only water - no chemicals- and you aren't washing the floor with mop water that just gets dirtier and dirtier as you go.  And, now it's actually kind of fun to mop!

This is the one I purchased.  LOVE it!  (And, this is a completely unsolicited endorsement.  I just had to tell you all how much I love this!)

Well, Happy New Year!  May the Lord richly bless you and your families!

2011 Goals - A Different Perspective

As soon as I read this I knew that I wanted to share it here.  So many of us are thinking about things we want to work on during the New Year.  But when I read this note that was posted by a friend on Facebook, it really made me stop and think and I was challenged to look at New Year's goals from a different perspective.

The piece I'm going to share is written by a woman named Dwyanna.  She and her husband live in Guatemala and live an outreach ministry to the people around them.  She's a really neat lady and she has such a heart for the Lord.  But, I think that will be obvious when you read what she wrote.

I could relate to so much that she said here.  I hope you are as blessed by this as I was.  It's long but so worth the read.  Thanks so much to Dwyann for graciously allowing me to share.

2011 Goals (as shared by Dwyanna on Facebook)

I am wondering if anyone else can relate.....does anyone else go into the new year thinking of all the things you want to change about yourself and your life?? Does anyone else go into the New Year ready to fight and take on the world?? 

As I was sitting and pondering this first morning of 2011 my mind immediately rushed to all the things I need to fix !! Many things about myself and my house.  My natural mind wanted to grab a notebook and write down everything I need to do or see done in 2011.  My loooong list of goals!!  I hear myself saying once again in my thoughts, “I need to fix myself...this year I must correct some behaviors and bad habits....I must tear down some strongholds in my belief system...I need to work on being more positive....I need to let go of all fears..... I need to fight harder and stand stronger”....so many things I would like to do differently!

Then there is the looming physical things that I need to fix....my weight....my clothes....my hair.... my shoes.... everything I have is so old and so out of style (whatever that is).  I feel the need to cram myself into a mold that I can’t even find!! I feel the need to be something different somehow....

Well....I feel overwhelmed with all those things that I think needs to happen in 2011!!

Then I hear Him say:

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,  Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek): for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:31-33 

And as for all those behaviors (fruit) that I think needs fixed I hear Him saying:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit  he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.   If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them in to the fire, and they are burned.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.   This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.   Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.   If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

John 15:1-19

 

I heard that still small voice saying to me this morning....change your focus this year...quit trying to fix something that you cannot.....quit trying to fix something that isn’t even broken....change your focus this year to the One Who can fix, to the One Who can restore!! Learn Me this year!!

In short: Quit trying to fix or change yourself and learn the Only One Who can, God the Father!!

So my goal is to quit focusing on what all I think is wrong with me and focus on Him.  Take my eyes off of me and my past and put them on Him...saying Lord have Your way in my life...Your will be done in my life....it’s all about surrender and trust....

                                                                          .....like jumping off of a cliff!!

I had wanted to start the year off with a 40 day fast and much prayer but God did not let me go that direction.  I feel like  He wants me to continue to surrender and trust and wait on Him...for me a fast would have been me trying to make something happen.... Something God has been dealing with me on for awhile already.  I was not taught to pray “Lord Your will be done”!! I was taught to pray whatever I wanted and to command it to be so!! I understand that the Lord gives us the desires of our heart and that he wants us to make our request known to Him but He doesn’t want us telling Him how to answer our prayers and when ....  I’m not saying it’s wrong to fast, it’s just not the right time for me right now, fasting is heavy duty warfare and that is not the season I am in.

I hear Him saying “the battle is mine”....

I Samuel 17:47

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S,  and he will give you into our hands.

2 Chronicles 20:15 b

....Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason.... for the battle is not yours, but God’s.  

I hear Him saying “I am in your corner”.... “I will fight for you”.... “let ME”!! Again He calls me to lay down all my tools and weapons...

                                                                         .....follow Him, trust Him, surrender to Him!!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

As a child no one fought for me or defended me and now as a adult I find this is my biggest and greatest challenge.... to trust someone loves me enough to fight for me, to defend me, protect me.  I am tired of trying to do it all or change everything about myself.... trying to become what the world says is acceptable!! (If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.)

I wonder why do we think we have to be accepted by the world? I wonder why do we buy into the lie that says our bodies, our clothes, our houses, our cars have to be perfect, that all of that somehow makes us special and makes us “who we are”!! Well, MY identity is not in all of those things.  My identity is in the One Who died to give me life so my focus for 2011 is on Him not on all those things that the world tells me is my identity.

2011 is about Him, not me...what He wants to do...I hear Him saying “Please let ME work in your life, let ME fix all the broken places and broken things!! Even if I worked a lifetime I could not fix it all and I would never become what the world wants me to become. 

I hear Him saying:

"Quit trying to make yourself in their image!! You are created in MY image...BE YOURSELF...BE THE ONE I CREATED YOU TO BE....DO THE THINGS I CREATED YOU TO DO....BE THAT PERSON I CREATED AND PLANNED FOR YOU TO BE.....EMBRACE IT AND LIVE OUT OF IT AND QUIT TRYING TO FIX IT AND CHANGE IT!!!!!!!!"

I guess you could say that 2011 is also about learning to even be more real than I already am, to be wholly and completely authentic.....whatever that is....and to not be ashamed of what God has created. 

I have spent a great amount of time focusing  inward on all the things that I felt needed to be changed about myself....as if I am not acceptable at all.   But I see that it is time to take off these glasses and turn them around and look outward and upward!! That is my goal for 2011!! No front, no mask, just me being me! So I go into 2011 not with the goal to change myself but to accept and embrace myself and to love myself and to live life authentically as God created me to do and be. 

I was taking up my tools, my weapons and defense the last couple of days, as if I was really getting ready to take on the new year with much fight and defense!! It’s different to think of going into the new year “sitting” or “laying down”.....

                                                                   .....it feels like such a defeated stance!!

But my victory cometh not by what I am able to accomplish but by what HE has already accomplished.  My victory comes not in fighting but in “sitting” at the feet of the master and resting.  NOT getting up and strapping on all the weapons and taking on a war just because a new year rolled around (that’s what a 40 day fast would have done).   I see that I need to simply rest and let God defend me, protect me, rebuild me and refresh me.

I have been on a long and strenuous journey (2009-2010), it’s time to rest and rebuild, restore, refresh!! It’s not time to get defensive and go out to war!!

There is a time for all things.....and for me this is a season of rest and refreshing!

Just thought I would share my thoughts and feelings with you.

Hugs and Blessings to all of you this New Year!!

May you each live authentically and not be trying to change the beauty that God created in you just to please and be accepted by the world!!

Dwyanna