Aug
29
2012I’m sneaking in a Tuesday night blog post because I’ve missed a pretty important milestone for us recently with all the chaos of the last few weeks.
10 Years ago on August 19th, Derek walked up to a bench at North Greenville College and said “Hi.” to a quiet introvert freshman who was slightly ticked that her film camera had just locked up due to her dorm being so uncomfortably cold and, therefore, had missed a beautiful sunset shot. I was writing in my prayer journal and I really didn’t want to be bothered. When I looked up, I panicked a bit since with his gigantic glasses, he looked a bit like someone I had once known and didn’t want to see at my new college. Even though I was pretty cranky, I tried to be polite and gave him the chance to talk a little.
Derek had serious jet lag (he’d only be back from Australia for a little bit of time) and was very talkative. When I say very talkative, I mean I didn’t get rid of him for 3 hours :-p I don’t remember a whole lot about those conversations. I think I talked about Olivia and Sue and The Little Prince. And I remember telling him when I was ready for bed that I liked him. And I remember that he cried when I said that (jet lag, folks… j-e-t l-a-g).
The next day, I needed to learn how to go to Wal-mart. He picked me up in his Ford blaring D.C. Talk (totally not the type of music you expect a gigantic glasses nerd to be blaring), and drove me over what I thought was a cliff (but was really just a side road that went sharply downhill).
It definitely wasn’t love at first sight (at least on my side), but Derek won me over with his corny jokes, ready laugh, and soft sharing of his heart.
I’m still pretty lucky that he said “Hi.”
Aug
27
2012Sometimes we pop on social media for just five minutes as a break from day to day life. We need a second to recharge and decide to see what our Facebook friends are up to. More often than not, I think we women leave Facebook (or Twitter or Pinterest or whatever the newest social networking craze may be) feeling worthless.
Anna’s taking her kids to Disney, look at all her fun Instagram photos. She’s the greatest mom ever! (I wish we could afford Disney. I never have that much fun with my kids.)
Dana fixed an amazing meal of Veal Scallopini for her husband’s dinner. Wow! (I think my husband got crock pot leftover veggie soup… )
Heidi’s 6 month old can pull to stand. (Do I need to take Sedryn to the doctor? Is he that behind?)
Jenna just posted a whole list of things she accomplished today. Her kids even helped her dust! (dust… what’s that?)
Can you believe all the things that Morgan has completed from her Pinterest boards? (my toliets aren’t clean, we had grilled cheese for dinner, and I’m so tired I just want to go to bed. I must be a crafty failure).
The truth is: we’re comparing our normal or even our worst to someone else’s very best.
As I think over my current blog posting “schedule” (My Home-life Project 52, and Toddler Activity of the Week, or even just about anything from my Year of Action), I realize that even my very personal blog can make others feel like they do not accomplish enough. It’s not my intention. I’m just trying to celebrate and record our life as it happens and also to challenge myself out of laziness.
Let me tell you some truths.
- Sometimes I feed Sedryn Chocolate smoothies for dinner.
- I let Aeralind and Bronwyn scream and fight it out in another room, while I conveniently fold laundry.
- I haven’t cleaned one of my toilets in a month. Oh, and another one of our toilets has been broken since we moved in almost 4 years ago.
- Sometime I just sit in the middle of the room and cry when I have no idea what to do next.
- I yell at my children.
- I’ve left all my kids screaming in a crib because if I didn’t, I’m not sure they’d still be here today.
- I need to apologize to someone more than once a day.
- My sink is probably full of dirty dishes.
- I sometimes lack consistency in discipline (sometimes more often than not).
- I have joint compound on at least 4 walls and 2 walls that are only primed.
- My quilt corners rarely nest perfectly
- Aeralind refuses to snuggle or kiss me during this season.
- Bronwyn climbs all over me until I retreat to the bathroom for a second hoping for some peace (I rarely get it.)
- Sedryn rarely sleeps past 5:50 am
- Derek and I fight. Often. (but not all the time… only by the grace of God, I’m sure!)
- I often forget when the last time the kids were bathed (the pool counts right?)
- I get to stores with all kids in tow and alive, then promptly forget why we’re there
- I struggle to make friends
- I can’t manage to check my voice mail in a timely manner
- I battle a holier-than-thou attitude
- I try not to have any sweets in the house because if they’re here I struggle with self-control
- I have 6 half-completed projects right now: two of them need to be finished by Friday (um… well I wrote this last week… ha!) or I’ll have nothing to wear to a ball.
- I write almost all my blog posts on Sunday nights and schedule them throughout the week (hence the regular monotony). If I didn’t write it on a Sunday night, I probably wrote it with pen and paper (including most of this one) while spoon feeding a baby and listening to endless chatter from girls who hardly ever eat their veggies or the crust on their sandwiches.
It’s not easy for me to tell you the truth. And it’s even less easy to share such truths (though they are far more encouraging!) on social media.
I think I’d like to challenge all of us to a little social media dare. What if we spent this week trying to encourage our Facebook (or whatever social media outlet you indulge in) friends by sharing our weaknesses? Not in a complaining way… in a “MY grace is sufficient (even if the Mt. Laundry is being scaled by wild eyed children), for MY power is made perfect in weakness.” Let us humbly admit the messes, gratefully share his everyday graces, and let His power to change wretches like us encourage someone else.
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Aug
25
2012You probably have no idea who this guy is. I didn’t either until April when my sister brought the first of his 3 books on the New York Bestselling Books list. Pete the Cat.
(this is Bronwyn reading/singing Pete the cat about 2 months ago at naptime)
Since then Mr. Eric has been an obsession. We’ve taken out all the subsequent Pete the Cat books from the library. We’ve borrowed The Big Silly
But nothing compares to seeing Mr. Eric at the local library. It was like a fast forward to their teenage years.
Aeralind sat quietly soaking in the music and struggling with a little bit of over stimulation. But she loved it so much she still talks about it.
But let me tell you, Bronwyn is the type of girl to go body surfing in a mosh pit. No lie. My tall but tiny sprite literally stole the show. Bronwyn stood up doing all of Mr. Eric’s hand motions, jumping up and down, dancing, and scream-singing every song she knew. Every grown up in the crowded room watched Bronwyn with mirth and she scarcely knew that anyone existed but Mr. Eric. (Lord, help us when she has her first crush/heartbreak!)
I promise you, your little ones will adore Mr. Eric too!
Linking up with Julia today.
Aug
24
2012I’ve got a lot going on right now.
Lots of ideas brewing.
Half-written heart-full posts.
My third Moleskine
Little girls and boys giggling.
Birthday twins so soon!
Niece here to visit.
Summer days starting to feel the twinge of fall.
Accidents and God-coincidences.
So much transition.
Stealing some time to write here just hasn’t been happening.
Oh, but there’s so much I need to process. So much I need to share. I need to carve out writing time, because in writing I chart growth. I’ll be back soon. Just let me get through the next week.
