Showers of Blessing: Part 2

We were so inspired by Jonathan's room that we had to do Naomi's, too! Here are a few of the updates.

Showers of Blessing....

Just a few of the blessings we've picked up along the way this year. Thank you if you had a hand in them! Jonathan is elated!

All in the Family

The Great Purge

I am enjoying the feeling of utter exaustion from last week only because of the great accomplishment. We finally purged the house.

We have had a month of busyness with painting the house, selling the truck, wrecking the car, buying the Envoy, and the normal demands of life. However, it was finally time to use my new-found clarity and sanity reclaimation for the betterment of my home.

We purged the house of all the trash, all the unnecessary things in storage, and ALL of the things I had collected to "borrow" from friends and family. The result? After three-and-a-half years of living in my beautiful home, it looks decluttered and organized (DISCLAIMER: I didn't claim that the laundry was done or that I have found the secret in a bottle to an immaculate house with two toddlers...I just said organized).

With several days until trash day, we have to become creative with the trash of days to come. I have purged so much trash!!! But, it feels like a great weight was lifted just in time for company to arrive. It was well worth the five nights of late nights and week of long days to accomplish the seemingly out of reach goal of taking the house back from the mes

The Randomness Using the Space in My Head...

1. Is it really true that Oregon removed solitare from all government computers because it was taking away too much time from the workday? Because I could totally believe it! That game, in any form, is addicting.

2. What did Billy Joel really refer to as the "New York State of Mind" (Jen...maybe you could help me out on this one)? Maybe this song speaks to my feeling out of rhythm lately.

3. Does it bother anyone else that nursery rhymes are REALLY dimmented. I mean, come on, jumping over open flames, massive head injuries for doing what was probably an everyday chore, being baked into pastries alive...need I go on? I am not about to go into finding politicallly correct nursery rhymes or anything like that. I just don't get it.

4. The whole connundrum of Dave Matthew's singing the song about wasting time. One, I don't know that he has much time to waste. Two, he is about the only person who has enough money to waste time doing nothing for the fun. Can you really have fun wasting something? (My children would say yes after the duct tape episode of the morning) It seems like the guilt of wasting something would negate any pleasure I consumed from it. And, is Dave Matthew's really doing nothing, or is he really taking notes and writing a new song. I imagine it is kind of like a stand-up comedian or a preacher...everything is an illustration.

Jonathan and Naomi's Song

(as sung at the piano, Naomi playing the music as Jonathan writes out the song)

"The Lord has done great things for us,
We are filled to the top with JOY!!
We are so thankful.
This is my song, this is my song, this is my song.
I sing and jump, AMEN!"

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound

My children astound me! A few weeks ago, my kids went through a big music phase. They really enjoy music, but they were especially enamoured with it. My son, Jonathan, begged for days to make instruments.

Giving kids noisemakers is a tricky decision. It usually means they are shortly occupied, but it adds in that much more noise into an already loud existance. So, in the end, I have to say that Jonathan's persistance won out. And the gamble to give into the desires of a three year old paid off.

I finally got the opportunity to make instruments at my parents' house. Instead of the typical drums, he had his heart set on a guitar. Here is where the snowball started. My brain starts thinking, "How can I achieve this goal quickly." So, I started bringing boxes and rubber bands together. My mother chimed in, "I could just buy him a guitar (which, I thought to myself, would be the EASIEST solution)." I reminded her that she, too, would have made one if I begged and pleaded at three to have a guitar.

My father, being of a kindred spirit with MacGuiver, could not help but get the gears in his brain turning on the sturdiest version of a guitar. He quickly added in his ideas of how to construct a homemade guitar (which definately included an industrial-grade staple gun). So, as he went to working his magic, my beloved husband HAD to add a few suggestions of his own on how to bridge my ideas with my father's (you know, translating "wifespeak" into "manspeak").

In the end, all the ideas wielded a fabulous guitar (thanks to my mother's discarded boxes, saved rubber bands, Mary Kay shipping ties, and some good old fashioned duct tape). Jonathan played with his new guitar for hours. He slept with it. He woke up with it and snuggled it until it was time for church. Jonathan insisted that he wear his cowboy boots and hat (which we had to dig up) and take his guitar to church.

This brought the "dressing ourselves at three" argueement to new heights. I finally conceeded some ground and let him have his way. What came next was the entertaining part of the story.

Jonathan always loves singing in church. But an instrument, now that was really worshiping in style! He sang and strummed at the top of his little lungs for the whole service. By the end, the associate pastor was rolling on the ground watching Jonathan perform for his audience of one and enjoying singing to the Lord.

It made such an impact that Jonathan the worship band invited Jonathan to play in their gig that evening for the service in the park. He would not sleep or be deterred...he was playing with the band asap. Instead of spending his evening with his friends playing on the train slide, Jonathan hung out with the band doing sound check, eating with them, and playing all ten songs in their set. For 45 minutes, my son who has a five minute attention span sang into the mic set up for him and strummed along to every note, glorifying God.




"Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day." I Chronicles 16:9,23

Surviving a World Bigger Than Myself

So, I realize that a month without a new post makes us all feel out of touch. I actually checked my blog on Saturday and thought, "Wow! NY pictures are my last post?" It seems like I've lived a lifetime since that visit.

It seems that I've gotten busy going about keeping up with others in my life. My husband's schedule would put some celebrities to shame. My kids are very busy. I'm by nature a very busy person. But, as many around me remind me regularly, I've gotten a little bad about taking time for myself.

That led me to two very distinct realizations:
1. They are right. I need to take a little more time for myself.
2. There really is a short period of time we have on this earth. I would rather be a bit fatigued for thirty years and felt like my time here was spent glorifying God at every turn and investing in other people who will leave a legacy far more reaching than my own, than to look back on life and realize that I did nothing that was meaningful or that will last for eternity.

So, all that being said, I think that I will go take a nap and leave the housework for another time (I can't tell if this is more to satisfy more me time or to feed my need for procrastination. Take a minute to talk amongst yourselves! :))

Only the Beginning, but Just as I Promised

Listening For Crickets in the City

So, after a few days in the Big Apple, I have so many grand stories of subway escapades and near misses of losing my son in New York standing next to my husband. Two toddlers from Middle America meeting the big city is a little exercise in letting go. We have so many fun adventures every day that it is almost impossible to overcome anticipation to reach sleep. I'll start with my favorite moment so far.

You see, I almost missed it. It was so easy to pass right by that moment without a moments notice. The passing cars and taxi cabs roared, horns beeping, ambient people chatter added to the noise. I was lost in conversation with a long displaced sister. However, the sweet voice momentarily peaked at just the right time, and I listened to a few minutes that brought a fresh country breeze to my spirit overridden with city air. I heard Jonathan singing.

Now, you must realize this is nothing new. My children live a musical-style life that randomly breaks into song just as the plot turns. My sister added that all transitions in the life of small children must be accompanied by a ritualized song to ease the tension. However, Jonathan started into a short verse of Jesus Loves Me, followed shortly by the chorus of I've Got the Joy...Down in My Heart. I heard the small voice of my son praising Jesus in the midst of the relative chaos around him.

It was such a precious thing to hear him call out to God when he truly believed that no one was listening. It was like a private conversation with a close friend just to check in and say, "I love you...and I'm missing you. Just thought you should know. I'll check in and catch up later." I wonder what that would look like in text messaging if Jonathan could send his shout-out that way.

It reminded me of a sermon illustration I heard recently (I wish I knew the source, so if you do know forward it along so I can give credit where credit's due). A Native American visited a friend in New York. As he walked the streets, he was surprised to find a familiar sound that seemed out of place. The Native American's friend hurriedly tried to follow his friend for blocks hunting the noise. Finally, he reached down to move a plant covering a cricket. "How did you find the cricket over all of this noise?" the friend asked. "Easy. It all depends on what you are listening for." To prove his point, the Native American reached in his pocket for a few small coins and released them from his hand. When they hit the pavement, everyone walking on the block stopped and turned to see where the money fell to the ground.

It reminded me that I should handle with care what I am listening for. If I am not careful, I may miss the sounds of my children's childhood that is really important.

"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:2-5

What a Mighty God We Serve....the rest of the story

In one of my gleanings last year, I blogged about the wonderful things God was doing in our lives as we sought His will for our financial situation. I wanted to follow-up with that and say that God did it again. We are officially debt-free outside of our house payment. And not only are we debt-free, but also God did it in 14 months (four months earlier than we projected). April 4 was our independence day. Yahoo!

"The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none." Deuteronomy 28:12

Technology at its Finest

The real meaning of my blog is to prove that if I can mother two toddlers, anyone can. Here is a case in point:

Yesterday was a very unusually slow day. We had nothing planned, nowhere to go, and the kids were their usual selves. However, it was unusually quiet...you know, fewer phone calls than normal, very quiet with visitors, etc. I somehow missed Nathan's call that he was coming home for lunch...again, that was unusual, too. But, it was almost 5 p.m. before I realized the source of the strangeness.

You see, my parents blessed us with a wonderful gift at Christmastime of a new phone. We were in DESPERATE need of one (ours had this aweful buzz on it constantly). In fact, it was over and above what we needed to meet every need we had...built-in answering machine, four handsets (one for every level of the house AND the garage), great caller-id...I mean, the works.

So, after missing a call that should have forwarded from my cell phone to the house, my concern grew. I glanced at the handset on the charger in the kitchen looking for answers, only to find that one of the handsets was "in use." My thoughts went, "Hmm...that's funny, being as that I am on my cell phone. I wonder which one it is?!?" I quickly ended my conversation to start the great hunt. I found three of the four handsets with the sinking realization that one of my blessed children had turned on handset #2 (yes, they are numbered) and hid it somewhere in the house.

I remembered something about Naomi playing with one in the basement, you know, the office (the one that is REALLY not clean). I started the hunt there to no avail. For two hours, I searched high and low, refrigerator and freezer, only to come up empty-handed. As bedtime fast approached, I feared the worst. Just when I gave up all hope, Jonathan tried jumping off the furniture right into my tirade of punishment, when, to our surprise, the jump loosed the functioning handset and brought it out of hiding.

Needless to say, Jonathan received no punishment, the phone was on for 8 hours 50 minutes and 5 seconds, and turning it off revealed a still-full battery. Praise God for serendipitous moments that only He can arrange, the sense of humor to laugh it off, and a cell phone to check messages in the meantime!!!

A Day in the Life.....

The Little Bit...and Then Some

So, like any mother of two toddlers, I feel completely overwhelmed and frazzled most days. I struggle to keep up with daily chores. I agonize over getting organized. The list is long and distinguished. Some days, it feels so consuming that it takes a small pep talk to get going in the morning.

That is....that is how life was last week. And as many weeks as I can remember before that. I finally broke the cycle and am proud to say the grass IS greener on the other side.

Some may ask, "So what made the change? What caused such a big difference?" My answer is the little bit and then some philosophy. I'm sure that I've heard this principle before, but I finally got it last week. You see, I got tired of wallowing in the things that weren't getting done, so I did what I could to change it. Instead of getting frustrated that the dishes weren't getting done without a dishwasher and the house hadn't been cleaned in two weeks, I asked for a little help and paid someone to come watch the kids.

A paradigm shift occurred by putting a little skin in the game, and it felt GREAT. But then, I was awake that night worried about the mere days it might take to have it all crumble again. My paradigm philosophy answered back to my fear by quickly interjecting that it simply didn't have to continue that way. All I had to do was focus my worry time and a few minutes a day (the here and there moments that present themselves when the dishwasher delivery man is twenty minutes late, when the kids sleep an extra 15 minutes, when I can raise myself out of bed thirty minutes early and avoid the pity party, etc.) and apply it to MAINTAINING a small sense of order on the important things.

It was a miracle in the making. My house is clean one week later. The kids are happy. My husband is happy (he finds me glad he's home, not happy that it is HIS turn with the kids). So, I now find myself with a little more time that is not dedicated to reinventing the wheel design for my life. Instead, I choose to dedicate the extra time saved to doing the "and then some" of life. You know, picking one drawer a day to reorganize or one drawer of clothes to reclaim in the kids' rooms. I've given myself permission to not declare victory over the house in a day, but I've committed to not losing the ground I win.

I'll keep you posted!

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." 2 Thessalonians 1:11

I thought I raised them better....

I believe that Wal-Mart is a necessary evil to a fallen world. In fact, the word loathe only begins to describe the anamocity I feel toward the retailer who does today what they try to do everyday ("...take over the world!" for those of you deprived of an Animaniacs education). So, I had to muster up all the strength I had within me to try to take on the void of Wal-Mart with TWO toddlers in tow and NO reinforcements, only to discover what I always discover....they don't have what I came to buy. In fact, the conversation went just like this:

Me: (dragging my toddlers with hands touching EVERYTHING in sight) Please stay clear of the two stockers in the aisle, guys. There isn't much room for us to squeeze by.
Stocker: (oblivious to the world around her, not only doesn't move, but also refuses to make eye contact in the event I actually have a question)
Me: Excuse me, but I can't seem to find what I came here to buy. I am looking for some toilet targets to help with my potty-training toddler. Where could I find them?
Stocker: (obviously does not have kids, because there was no angst, remorse, or pity in her eyes that I am AGAIN trying to potty train my son. eyes roll across her face to take her attention off of her ever important work) We do not carry those. (quickly, she turns back to the pressing work in front of her of stacking the 100th package of diapers into the rack)
Me: Okay, guys. They don't have the only thing that we drove thirty minutes to buy. Maybe we can find some stickers to bribe you with. Follow me, please. (using every form of personal restraint I have not to go off on this emotionally-void woman. it really wasn't her fault that the largest retailer in the WORLD NEVER carries what I need!!!!!!)
Checker: (as we walk up to the register with severely over-price stickers) Did you find everything you were looking for?
Me: (trying unsuccessfully to keep all octopus limbs in the cart) No, actually I didn't.
Checker: (shocked by an actual answer)Oh...well...um...your total will be $8.15.
Me: For stickers?
Checker: Yes, ma'am. (hoping that I would just pay and leave already) Thank you and have a great day.
Me: Thanks, but it would be a better day if I had toilet targets. (muttering under my breath as I hearded my two toddlers toward the parking lot)

So, imagine my disdane when my son (bless his little heart) states on the way out, "Mommy...that's Waw-Mart. I wuv Waw-Mart, Mommy. I just wuv it." There was no time to waste in informing him of the blood-sucking nature of Wal-Mart. There was no reasoning to him that Wal-Mart might actually look similar to hell...long aisles of crap that you don't need at prices that are slightly cut to make them look like a deal, but is still $8.15 that would make more money at 12% interest in an IRA. He simply has bought into the incredible marketing scheme of falling prices and coming out most times with the next toy that will bring his life meaning and happiness. I really thought that I raised my children better. I suppose there is still time.

"The thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give them life..." John 10:10

Next Up....Turning Three!

This is the cake I made for Jonathan's birthday. The directions said 2 hours to decorate, but it was definately three for me. I got the idea off of a fun website (I'll have to find it and post it later). Jonathan got to have three of his friends over, and then one of Naomi's best friends came over with her brother. We had train cake and plates, train whistles, conductor hats, and kalidescopes. A little organized chaos, but Jonathan still talks about it. Later that day, he got to help me frost his cupcakes to take to Bible study for the kids at group. I'm very glad birthdays only come once a year and that the kids spread their's out well.

What my life looks like...

you should zoom in on this and see how much fun they had in the mud

The kids in their matching Puggles shirts (after Sun night church)

The kids Christmas present after Nathan and I put it together.


Jonathan and his friend Tanner at their first movie "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything"

Meme

So, I got tagged with this so long ago, but I am only now getting around to posting six quirky things about me. One of the most notable reasons for the delay is that...well...there are so many strange nuances to me that it is nearly impossible to limit them. Here is my feeble attempt.
1. I am HORRIBLE about getting pictures of my kids developed. I have several on my camera currently that I continually lack time to download to the computer. So, I am that terrible mother who has no pictures of her children hanging in the house.
2. I like to read books as quickly as possible. I think that books view this as a survival mechanism in their existence in our house. I just completed an adult book (you know the kind with 300 pages) in two days, because I knew I'd never get the chance again. If it takes longer than a week, I might as well not bother.
3. I hate Valentine's Day. I really do not observe it as a national holiday. I think that it is ridiculous to force the people in our lives to pretend like they like us any more than usual for twenty-four hours. Come on....you could buy someone roses every month for a year for what they price-gouge you for in the store on February 14th. My husband needs no reminder from Congress that he loves me and he should remind me of that as often as possible. That is some fabulous marketing. The list of unreal holidays is long and distinguished.
4. I am fascinated by people. Probably to a fault. If I had my chance, I would shrink myself and crawl around in people's brains to figure out how they work and what makes them tick. This leads to my insatiable desire to understand why people are the way they are. It is also probably why I have a new best friend every 23 days.
5. I think that I am way too busy to ever accomplish the things in life that I think would be truly fun. I would love to learn how to play the violin. I would love to learn how to really play the guitar rather than fiddle with one. I think it would be neat to own a flower shop. I would like to be able to decorate really elaborate cakes. I want to converse comfortably in another language. And, I want to travel all around the world...on a regular basis. If only there were time for all that and more!
6. I don't like candy. Don't get me wrong, I believe that dessert and sugar are a very important part of my diet, but I don't like hard candy. This includes, but is not limited to, skittles, hard candy, suckers, pixie sticks, jolly ranchers, jaw breakers, those horrific disk things, candy hearts (with exception to the sweet tart ones), and pretty much anything else lacking in caramel or chocolate. This may seem like a double standard, but why waste the time on candy when you have cake, ice cream, cookies, pastries, and many other tasty desserts that are much more worthy of the calorie intake.

While that list is not nearly exhaustive, it is a start. I will remind Matthew that he is behind the times on his tag. I will let you all know that Nathan really won't get a blog anytime soon. If any of you wishes to comment and add to the list, by all means you are entitled.

Finding My Pretend Voice

So, I just want to apologize for the length of time it took me to feel at peace writing again. I think there were a few things mulling over in my head that got in the way. I even signed on a few times, but I lacked the words to write.

Over the past several weeks, I have been greatly changed by my children. I feel like I've grown up a little as they raise me. They continually teach me the trite lessons of what growing up looks like, what is really important, and how precious life really is.

It was over a month ago now that a puzzling situation came upon me. The first time it happened was in the car, and I didn't realize the weight of the situation at the time. But then, a day or two later, Jonathan was playing by himself during a quiet few minutes of his sister's nap, and it happened again. As I was hurriedly trying to complete A task for the day, I faintly heard Jonathan use a pretend voice. He has been venturing on strolls through make-believe, but this was a huge milestone of finding a creating a place known only to him; creating an environment of safety and adventure.

As a parent, I didn't know what to do. I was paralyzed to even mention that I heard a different sound from his mouth. I didn't want to take this treasure from his hands. And, at that moment, I remembered in my own life how important it is to blaze new trails in search of adventure and mystery. I remembered how I longed to create my own voice in a world of noise and confusion. I believe that it is that longing to create an intimate place shared only with the beloved friends we treasure in our hearts that births the desire to really have our hearts be known by the Creator and those around us as we grow older.

I have really admired my children over the past few months for all of the discovery and all the ways God continues to use them even now (I hope to share some of those precious memories soon). My heart is so pleased that they try to create their own world and break out to experience the adventure ahead.

My beloved spoke, and said to me:

“ Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:10-12