Random Thoughts

We're ending our 2nd Snow Day this week, (although our teachers did email work for the kids to do today), and we've already received the email that we're out of school tomorrow also. Basically that sentence should read: I've been in the house since Monday afternoon and haven't gotten out. Looks to be another repeat tomorrow. So I've got a lot to say.

Since I have no adult interaction other than the 2-3hrs that Philip is home before he goes to bed, I'm just going to write down the random thoughts that are going through my head.

1. Mollie is much better today. Walking, sitting and sometimes laying like normal. She really likes the chicken flavored baby food (which is what the vet recommended we feed her this week)
2. Speaking of Mollie and baby food. You know what baby food looks like when it comes out of a babies behind? Well, FYI, it looks pretty much the same when it comes out of a dogs behind.
3. Since the kids and I have been snowed in for 2 days, I haven't gotten out of my pajamas. Still got the same ones on that I put on when I went to bed Monday night. I bet Philip just loves to see me in the same clothes when he gets home at night as I was in when he left early that morning. Maybe tomorrow I'll go all out and change. Probably into different pajamas.
4. I went to Walmart Monday night and stocked up on some groceries. I wanted to get eggs but there wasn't a single egg to be found. Now, 2 days later, we are running low on eggs, butter and orange juice. Those things won't make me venture out tomorrow though. We can just do without.
5. I discovered tonight that its really hard to bake cookies, cook dinner, and assist in trips to the potty all at the same time. Turns out I cannot successfully do all three. Cookies came out okay, but the onions that I was sauteing burnt and some of what was supposed to end up in the potty ended up on the floor. (use your imagination here)
6. Final thought...I have been a Verizon customer since before it was Verizon. Way back when I got my first "bag" car phone (circa 1995), I was on Alltel. Been with Alltel ever since and now with Verizon after the buyout. I have really no complaints with Verizon except that I've been yearning for an iPhone. Most of last year, I debated if I was going to renew my contract with Verizon or switch over to AT&T so I could get an iPhone. I was plum giddy when I heard in December that a Verizon iPhone was in the works. And now I'm even more excited to say that.......the time has come!!! Tomorrow morning at 2am, Verizon customers who have "signed up" can order their iPhone online on a first come first serve basis. So yes, I will be setting my alarm and waking up a little before 2am in the morning to order my phone. All good things come to those who wait!

THE END

Philippians 2:14

Remember a few days ago when I posted about the One Word Prayers I'm going to pray for each of my family members this year? Remember that for Eli, I wanted the opposite of COMPLAIN? Well, today I was reminded of what Paul said in Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing." (NLT) So, I'm thinking that maybe rather than having just one word, Eli will have a verse that I pray for him. This verse.

The real reason for this post though is because of what I found while searching different versions of Philippians 2:14. Read what The Message says for verses 14-16:

"Do everything readily and cheerfully - no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing."



{Gulp}

I think the Lord just showed me an entire passage that I need to be praying.
I don't think its for Eli though.
I'm thinking its for Eli's mama.

Reflecting on 2010

Somewhere in bloggy land, I found some questions that dealt with reflecting on the past year. I printed off the questions I liked and had Eli and EK answer them, as well as myself. (I didn't even bother asking Philip to answer them. I knew he would think it was stupid. But, I think I'll enjoy looking back on these in a few years.)

The question will be in bold. Answer in regular print and my thoughts in italic.

Starting with EK:

What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Never did times (multiplication) before
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
My birthday wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. (really? Cause I sure didn't know that. I thought you thoroughly enjoyed taking 3 friends to Shogun and then to a Gymbacks meet. Humph.)
What dates from 2010 will remain fresh in your memory and why?
When I got my iTouch in August.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Winning the Santa Meet (which mom will add was her highest score ever!!)
Did you suffer illness or injury?
sick at the family reunion
What was the best thing you bought?
Christmas tree (She's referring to the new white Christmas tree we bought for her room in December. However, I didn't realize "she" bought it. Pretty sure I paid for that.)
What did you get really excited about?
When I won the Santa Meet
What song will always remind you of 2010?
Your Love (by Brandon Heath)
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Played on my beam (interesting because I recall you playing on it almost everyday. When else would you have liked to have been on it?)
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eat unhealthy stuff (also interesting because you don't eat much of anything)
How did you spend Christmas?
went to Grandma & Grandpa's
What was your favorite TV program?
Big Time Rush (I had never even heard of this until I looked at her answers. I asked her what it was and she said "a show I watch at Grandma and grandpa's house." ohhhhh. that explains it.)
What were your favorite books of the year?
Puppy Place (this is a series of chapter books about animals)
What was your favorite music from this year?
Gotta Go (a Toby Mac song. She should've just put Toby Mac in general)
What were your favorite movies of the year?
Facing the Giants (its true. even though its not a movie from this year. She ALWAYS picks it to watch when we go on road trips.)
What were your favorite pieces of clothing to wear in 2010?
black peace pants and gray jacket (yep. pretty much everyday to gym she has those 2 pieces of clothing on over her leo)
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
7 and we went to Shogun and watched the gymbacks!
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a hampster (she asked Santa for one and he told her he couldn't bring it on his sleigh)


Now for Eli's answers:

What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
learned what Pi (3.14) is
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
an iPad
What dates from 2010 will remain fresh in your memory and why?
Oct. 15 & 16. My birthday party on the 15th and my first 2 TD's and 2 extra point in football on the 16th
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
being selected to go to the State Math Olympics testing
Did you suffer illness or injury?
I threw up 9 times. (yes, 2010 will go down as a year that we were plagued with the stomach bug 3 times. I didn't realize he kept track of his vomit though)
What was the best thing you bought?
I did not buy anything. (so true. this boy has more many saved than I do. He does not spend.)
What did you get really excited about?
my iTouch
What song will always remind you of 2010?
Gotta Go (Toby Mac)
What do you wish you'd done more of?
gone swimming
What do you wish you'd done less of?
twisted my ankle
How did you spend Christmas?
traveling
What was your favorite TV program?
Fetch!
What were your favorite books of the year?
Ramona the Pest
What was your favorite music from this year?
Gotta Go (same as EK. he should've just put Toby Mac in general. They listen to his music over and over and over.)
What were your favorite movies of the year?
G-Force and Ramona & Beezus
What were your favorite pieces of clothing to wear in 2010?
my Tim Tebow jersey (he does love a good jersey!)
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went to a corn maze, played night time dodge ball and had a silly string war. I was 10.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Going to DisneyWorld or the beach (definitely agree with him on the beach part!)


Now for my answers:
What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Drove 1,976 miles by myself with 3 kids
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
iPhone
What dates from 2010 will remain fresh in your memory and why?
Family Reunion Trip (1,976miles), going to Las Vegas in May, my trip to FL in June to see my besties, and Eli making the All-Star Team in June/July
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Losing 35lbs.
What was your biggest failure?
not being as dedicated to prayer as I wanted to be
Did you suffer illness or injury?
we passed the stomach bug around our house 3 times.
What was the best thing you bought?
iPad
What did you get really excited about?
trips to Las Vegas and FL. and the boys starting Mothers Day Out in August.
What song will always remind you of 2010?
anything Wiggles because the boys became obsessed with them during the last half of the year.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
spend time with God and blogging
What do you wish you'd done less of?
yelling
How did you spend Christmas?
5 day trip to Texarkana and then Piggott.
What was your favorite TV program?
American Idol
What were your favorite books of the year?
not sure if I finished one.
What was your favorite music from this year?
anything by Chris Tomlin, music from Glee (even though I've only seen a few episodes), and from the country genre: Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice, Water by Brad Paisley and Rain is a Good Thing by Luke Bryan
What were your favorite movies of the year?
Blind Side and Letters to Juliet
What were your favorite pieces of clothing in 2010?
boots in the winter. workout/stretchy clothes in warmer months.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
It was Easter Sunday. We went to church in Texarkana and then drove home. I was 34.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A full-time person to pick up/straighten up/clean the house. (maybe not full time but about 12 hrs/day.)

That's 2010 wrapped up for the 3 of us. It was a lot to type, but I'm already so glad I did it!

One Word

I'm going to jump on this "One Word" thing I heard about in blogland. I found this on Ali Edwards blog (which I don't even follow), but thought it sounded neat. Basically, I choose a word for myself to focus on for the year. As soon as I decided to do it, one word immediately came to me. JOY. But not the joy that the Holy Spirit gives us. I like to think that I've got a good dose of that. The JOY I'm talking about is actually an acrostic J.O.Y.
Jesus
Others
Yourself

I want to get back to being a Jesus girl. Loving him above all else.
I want to think of others before myself and serve others before myself.

As I was pondering this "One Word" thing, I came across this post from Lysa TerKeurst. She sort of takes the concept of one word per year and puts a spiritual twist on it. One Word Prayers. For her children, she is choosing one specific word for each of them and will make that word a focal point as she prays for them.

I have decided to do that for all 6 of the members of my family.

• You already know that for myself, the word will be J.O.Y.
• I have chosen the word for Philip, but I'm not going to tell all of bloggy land what it is. The reason? I don't want him to know what it is. If my prayer for him happens, I want it to happen because the Lord moved his heart to do it. Not because his wife pressure-prayed him to! I will tell you though, that I was led to his word from a song I heard. It's a beautiful picture of what I desire.
• For Eli, the word is not so easy. For him, I want the opposite of COMPLAIN. Ya'll, that boy complains about everything. I've looked up antonyms for complain. It gave me rejoice, applaud, approve, praise. I don't feel like I should pray for him to rejoice, applaud, approve or praise having to do schoolwork, unload the dishwasher, etc... But one of the antonyms that did strike me is "be content." Its not one word. But I like it. It seems to fit.
• Emma Kate's word has been a bit of a struggle. It may change as I start praying it for her. CONFIDENCE. She lacks it. I definitely don't want her to be arrogant, boastful, proud or cocky. She is none of those. But, I do wish that she had confidence in herself. Not only now as it would relate to her in school and gymnastics, but in a few short years when she is faced with teenage peer pressure. I want her to be able to say no when needed because she is confident enough in herself.
• For Zane & Zander I've chosen just one word: POTTY. Does that make you laugh? It does me. Don't know if I'll actually pray that. But, I could. Scripture tells us that God cares about the small details too. Hopefully in a few weeks, I'm going to embark on a 3Day Potty Training session for both of them. I bet I'll be doing a lot of praying during those 3 days!

If any of my words come to your mind throughout the day, feel free to pray them for us too. That may very well be the Holy Spirit prompting you. :-)

2011 Goals

I don't like resolutions. Maybe its just the word itself. Resolutions. I don't know, but I'm not gonna use that word. You can't make me.

Instead, I choose the word goals. Ahhh, doesn't that sound much more appealing and inspiring?

I don't always make a list of goals. And if I do, they certainly don't have to be made just because its a New Year. But apparently all good bloogers do that, so I'll jump right in.

Fellow Providence mom, Jenny, actually inspired this post. She just thought of hers off the top of head without writing them down and pondering for days. {Gulp} So I'll do the same.

1. Read through the Bible in 2011. I actually did this in 2009 only because Bridget peer-pressured me to do it. Ha! Just kidding. Sort of. It was good peer pressure though, right? This time, I am doing it through our churches Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Study. So with a renewed vigor, I am jumping in!


2. Be a better blogger. Not as in get more followers or make money from my blog. I'm not into that. I strictly blog to preserve the memories of my precious family. So I want to be better at keeping up with the blog. I am so very very far behind in posting. Like months and months behind. Its a little overwhelming really. So, I'd like to not do that to myself again this year.
3. This one goes right along with #2, but I want to get caught up on my blogging. You may be thinking its exactly the same as #2, but hold up. In #2, I said I wanted to get better at keeping up with the blog. That is keeping it current. For #3, I want to get caught up. I started blogging in 2009 and have not yet blogged all of that year. For 2010, I still probably have 1/2 the year to blog about. Its a big task, but I know if I do it, I will thank myself someday.


4. Keep working on my weight. Not that I like to publicly talk about this. What woman does really? But, I made a commitment last March to get the extra weight off that I'd been carrying around for far too long. I was very disciplined for about 5 1/2 months and lost exactly 35lbs! I think I was within 7lbs of my goal when I just couldn't make myself do it anymore. I took one month off, which turned into two months, then 3, 4, 5. And here I am now in January. A few pounds have attached themselves back to my mid-section. (that area and my face are their favorite places to hang out) Its time to get back with it. I'm just lacking any motivation right now. I'm hoping by posting this that I'll be forced to get back with it.


5. (stealing this one from Jenny. But its a good idea.) Take a picture of the 6 of us together once a month. That will be hard. And you know they won't be good pictures. But, these children need to know, when they get older, that they had a mother and a father. 1/2 way kidding, of course, but really, we're in very few pictures.


6. Start video-ing more. I do good at getting pics of the kids, but I've been getting worse and worse about videoing them. I even have the handy dandy Flip video which makes it sooooo easy. And they LOVE watching themselves after I've video'd them. as a sidenote* I'm not talking about videoing sporting events, spelling bees, etc.. I usually always get those. But really, who wants to sit around and watch those for hours on end? I'm talking about capturing them day-to-day being the fun happy kids that they are.


7. Get better at washing the dishes the same day that they get dirty. I'll be honest, I'm not excited about this one. But, if I don't do them that day, they sometimes sit for a day or two several several days.


8. Get better at menu planning. Not talking about those bloggers who link up every week to meal plans. I can't commit to that. But I do know that when I take the time to make out a menu, we are less likely to just go out and grab something. And its good for me to have a plan. I like lists.


9. Yell less. I hesitate putting that out in bloggy land because I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. I do not frequently yell at my children. But, there are times when I'm at the breaking point and I yell at one (or more if the incident involves multiple children) of them. It does not make me feel good when I do it. Nor does it set a good example for them.
10. This one is more of a desire than a goal, but I need to end on the #10. (not because its the rules but because that makes it nice and rounded. Eye appealing.) I would like to go to a conference this year. Since 2004, I've attended one or two conferences every year (either the MOPS Convention, Women of Faith or D6 Conference). Last year I didn't go to a single one. Its nice to spend a weekend just getting my spiritual life filled up. Its like a car who has no gas. A weekend at one of those, puts my tank on FULL!

Happy 2011!

Sippy Cups

One of the jobs that Eli and Emma Kate have is to unload the dishwasher. Anything that they can't reach (high in the cabinets), they lay out on the counter and then I put it away.

After their most recent unloading, I walked into the kitchen and saw this.... Holy Moly! That is just one dishwasher load of sippy cups. And that's only for 2 boys. It really made me start thinking about families with 5 or 6 multiples (you know, the ones that get on TV?). Can you even imagine what their dishwashers & counters look like?

Facebook Status turned Blog Post

This was my facebook status this morning:

The next 4 days are bittersweet for this momma. My "babies" will be turning 2. My "big kids" finish up their last day of school. Another year gone by. I get reflective this time of year. Wondering if I've done enough, said enough, not said enough, shared enough, taught enough, modeled enough, and enjoyed/loved/laughed enough.

This wasn't just another status. I truly am reflective. Although encouraging words from friends are nice, I certainly didn't post it just so that they could say "You are a wonderful mom. You are doing a great job. etc..."

Mothering is such a hard but rewarding job. Such a fine line to walk between being the parent and being the friend.

I have about 50 books on how to do the job better, more effectively, creatively, parenting girls, parenting boys and on and on.

But as one of my precious friends commented on my fb status, she reminded me of the One who can help me above all in this mothering journey. As well as the only Book that can guide me in all aspects of my life, not just parenting. From that very book, this passage of scripture, from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 came to mind: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest in me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I am weak without Christ. I am weak when I'm not daily walking with and abiding in Him. So to Eli, EK, Zane and Zander, may you know how much your momma loves you. May you know how I long to be a daily example of Christ in your life. But as you already know, I am not always what I want (or need) to be. I continue to try to find the balance that we all need. I know how to achieve that balance. I know where it comes from. I pray that I will only get better at modeling the love of Christ to you. I pray that I will bear more fruit. It seems that too often my branch is too disconnected from The Vine. I also pray that as I grow in God, you will too.

One final thought I leave you with is a quote I read in a daily devotional.

"Anything I do right as a mom is because of my constant dialogs with God. Anything I do wrong as a mom is because of trying to do things in my own strength and slap wearing myself out." (Lysa TerKeurst)

This not only applies to being a mom, but it applies to every aspect of your life. Love God. Abide in Him. Rest in Him. Walk with Him. He will make your paths straight when crooked seems to be the only way you are going.

As this school year comes to a close for the big kids and the little boys turn another year older, I am reflective. I have enjoyed another precious year on this Earth with the 4 of you. I am so blessed and honored that God gave each of you to me. May you always know first, of HIS love for you and second, of my love for you!