I have two friends I used to work with. One is single, never married, no children. One is married and has a little daughter (1), and works full-time. Occasionally I meet one or both of them for dinner. Always, they ask something like, "So... what do you DO during the day?" I smile, because their tone implies that what they're really asking is this: "Isn't it boring to be home all day?"
I thought of this again this morning as I finally sat down. Out of curiosity, I spent a couple minutes remembering-- than jotting down what we'd done so far:
-Alarm goes off at 6:20, I'm up.
-I leave to go walking with my mom.
-Back in the house, I hear that our youngest is awake in his crib.
-I see my husband off to work. I hop into the shower.
-Shower is interrupted a couple of minutes later by the pitter-patter of littlefeet. First, my daughter (4) , then my oldest son (3). I peek my head out to say good morning and give them wet kisses.
-They exit the bathroom to check on little brother (1), leave the door open. Steam from my hot shower sets off the smoke alarm.
-I scramble out of the shower, alarm is stopped, I get dressed.
-I get our youngest son out of bed.
-Change both boys' diapers.
-Oldest son's jammies are wet; we head downstairs to find some clothes. Find them in the hampers of clean laundry that are sitting in front of the dryer; waiting to be carried upstairs. (Laundry days at our house are Monday and Tuesday. It's Friday. None of our laundry has been folded or put away for the week. And I'm sure if I checked, there's a load that has been sitting in the washing machine for a couple of days.)
-Get oldest son dressed.
-Grab wrapping paper, tape and scissors and wrap gifts for a birthday party we're going to later in the morning.
-Send my daughter to get crayons, get the kids busy coloring on the wrapping paper while I try to load the dishwasher. (I like to start my day with a clean kitchen and we had a birthday party to go to last night so it didn't get done.)
-Phone rings. It's my mom. Her hairdryer broke, can she come over and use mine? Yes.
-I get the kids snuggled on the couch to watch Zoboomafu, mom comes in.
-Mom dries her hair, we chit-chat for a few minutes, she leaves, kids say goodbye from the couch.
-I head to finish loading up the dishwasher, hoping I'll have some time to check email, too... while the kids are watching TV.
-My daughter realizes grandma just left. And she wanted to wave goodbye from the window. I told her it was too late; grandma was already gone. She begins to cry. I ask her to stop. She's distracted by the TV. I turn the TV off, send her to my room for a time-out.
-I turn the TV back on for the boys, go to talk with my daughter.
-My daughter's time-out has now turned into a need to administer the rod of correction. I do that. I then ask her to sit on my bed quietly for a few minutes and think of her attitude.
-I go check email (3 min), bring clothes for my daughter on the way up the stairs (also found in hampers!)
-Go into our room to pray with her, remind her of this verse: "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control" . I hug her. The boys interrupt us once, as Zoboo is now over. I tell them to wait in the living room for us. They obey, but then we hear some commotion while Ella is praying for wisdom and self-control. Both boys are crying and making their way back to us.
-We wrap up; I find out that my younger son had bitten my older son on the hand, so he retaliated by biting my younger son back- on the arm. I check both boys' arms; they're fine. I give a stern reprimand to crying younger son, and a swat. Send oldest son to the room to await discipline. Daughter is getting dressed.
-I talk to my older son about how he should not retaliate if he is bitten, hit, or pushed. I lead him in a prayer where he confesses that he made trouble with his brother by biting, and asks God to strengthen him in kindness and love. He is disciplined and goes to make things right with his brother.
-It is way past time for breakfast.
-I go to make pancakes.
-Oldest son is requesting a cup of milk, daughter would like a cup of water with ice. As I'm getting those (and making pancakes), I notice that the ice cube trays need to be refilled. I do that.
-While they eat, I finally get the dishwasher loaded.
-By the time I'm done, the kids are done and need to be cleaned up. I stall them so I can sit and eat.
-I look at the clock.
It is 9:30.
Boring? Nah. Our days are pretty eventful, actually!
Homemade bread
I've always wanted a really good bread recipe. Until recently, I was having trouble finding one. Either people rave about their recipe but won't share it with you because they're sworn to secrecy, or you're at a restaurant and they simply don't give out their recipes, or you find a recipe, make it, and the bread is too dense.
I've finally found a really good bread recipe, and I am happy to share it. It makes four round loaves, and this bread is delicious. Honey instead of sugar, white and whole wheat flour and oats. Mmmm. Try it. I guarantee it will be worth your time. And really, this is an easy recipe.
I've finally found a really good bread recipe, and I am happy to share it. It makes four round loaves, and this bread is delicious. Honey instead of sugar, white and whole wheat flour and oats. Mmmm. Try it. I guarantee it will be worth your time. And really, this is an easy recipe.
Honey-oat bread
3 cups milk
1/2 cup honey
4 T. butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt
2 T. yeast
1 cup oats
6 cups white flour, unbleached
2 cups whole wheat flour
Scald milk in a small pan. Pour hot milk into a large mixing bowl and add honey, butter and salt. Stir occasionally until lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast over milk. When dissolved (and slightly bubbly):
Add oats, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of white flour. Beat until combined. Gradually add remaining 4 cups of white flour. Beat (I use my hands at the end) until the dough is smooth, elastic and non-sticky.
Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead till smooth.
Wash and lightly oil mixing bowl. Put dough in, cover. Let rise until double.
Punch dough, form into four loaves. Cover and let rise again.
Brush with beaten egg.
Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes (*I remove from the oven at 17 min, so check it early)
Our Thanksgiving journal
As I was growing up, my mom instituted a Thanksgiving tradition. One evening prior to Thanksgiving day, our family would gather around the table and make a family thanksgiving tree.
Basically, we drew a big tree on a poster-sized piece of paper, dated it, and then we'd each grab markers and write down things we were thankful for-- usually just a short phrase or even one word. When we were done, mom would hang it up near our table and there it would remain for the next month or two... a daily reminder of the things our family was grateful for.
I loved doing this, and wanted to have a tradition similar to that in our home. I wasn't quite sold on the tree-on-a-paper idea, although Mark and I tried that for a couple years when we were first married. What I didn't like about that format was that I wanted to save them from year to year, and I didn't want another stack of papers- least of all poster-sized papers.
When our daughter was born, I came up with the idea to make a family Thanksgiving journal. We basically do the same thing-- record the things we're thankful for-- we just do them in a spiral-bound book, and each family member gets a page.
It's really a sort of family scrapbook-- we use words and photos. Each year I begin the new section by using a page to mark the year, and then the following page is Mark's, the next page mine, and so on. We take an evening and work on it together. Our children get to color on their pages, too- and choose their own photos. We help them think of the things they are thankful for-- and obviously two of our three children can't write, yet-- we write for them.
Ella's pages, last year
Our Thanksgiving journal sits on an end table in our home during the month of November. Others have the opportunity to peruse it when they're in our home, and of course our children look through it frequently. And it is a delight to look back at the things God has done in our family through the years.
I'd love to hear some of your Thanksgiving traditions!
Basically, we drew a big tree on a poster-sized piece of paper, dated it, and then we'd each grab markers and write down things we were thankful for-- usually just a short phrase or even one word. When we were done, mom would hang it up near our table and there it would remain for the next month or two... a daily reminder of the things our family was grateful for.
I loved doing this, and wanted to have a tradition similar to that in our home. I wasn't quite sold on the tree-on-a-paper idea, although Mark and I tried that for a couple years when we were first married. What I didn't like about that format was that I wanted to save them from year to year, and I didn't want another stack of papers- least of all poster-sized papers.
When our daughter was born, I came up with the idea to make a family Thanksgiving journal. We basically do the same thing-- record the things we're thankful for-- we just do them in a spiral-bound book, and each family member gets a page.
It's really a sort of family scrapbook-- we use words and photos. Each year I begin the new section by using a page to mark the year, and then the following page is Mark's, the next page mine, and so on. We take an evening and work on it together. Our children get to color on their pages, too- and choose their own photos. We help them think of the things they are thankful for-- and obviously two of our three children can't write, yet-- we write for them.
Ella's pages, last year
Our Thanksgiving journal sits on an end table in our home during the month of November. Others have the opportunity to peruse it when they're in our home, and of course our children look through it frequently. And it is a delight to look back at the things God has done in our family through the years.
I'd love to hear some of your Thanksgiving traditions!
One Thousand Gifts
One of my favorite bloggers, Ann from Holy Experience, writes:
"As the moments slip down the hour glass of time, I am scratching down the gifts---just as they happen, as they arrive, as they are unwrapped---that He has given that make my life grace, the daily graces that He gives in an infinite number of ways, that stir me."
Head over to Holy Experience and read this post. And this one. And this one, too. Aren't you inspired? I was.
I've begun my own list of One Thousand Gifts. A couple times last week I grabbed my journal and took it with me to the kitchen. As I washed dishes or made dinner, I pondered the gifts God has lavished upon me. I'd get a running list in my head and then quickly dry off my soapy hands or pause in my meal-making, pick up my pen, and jot them down. I'm on number 236, and counting... up to one thousand.
So, some snippets from my ever-growing list:
....crisp fall leaves crunching beneath my feet....a fresh bouquet of flowers....flickering candles....grandma slippers....the rice bag that keeps my feet warm when I crawl into bed....seeing my children raise their hands in praise...and lift their voices to sing-- if too loud or off-key....how "I" puts his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face toward him to give me a kiss...beginning a good book.... little arms wrapped tightly around my neck.... a hot bubble bath....the patch of sunlight that falls on the floor from our front windows.... love notes on the bathroom mirror.... rearranged furniture.... praying with Mark.... obedient children.... pajamas.... hearing grandpa's prayers.... my daughter's handwriting-- big, mishapen capital letters.... binding that final stitch to clear the knitting needles.... photos of loved ones.... early morning walks with my mom.... our home.... memory.... stacks of folded laundry....
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!--Psalm 118:1
"As the moments slip down the hour glass of time, I am scratching down the gifts---just as they happen, as they arrive, as they are unwrapped---that He has given that make my life grace, the daily graces that He gives in an infinite number of ways, that stir me."
Head over to Holy Experience and read this post. And this one. And this one, too. Aren't you inspired? I was.
I've begun my own list of One Thousand Gifts. A couple times last week I grabbed my journal and took it with me to the kitchen. As I washed dishes or made dinner, I pondered the gifts God has lavished upon me. I'd get a running list in my head and then quickly dry off my soapy hands or pause in my meal-making, pick up my pen, and jot them down. I'm on number 236, and counting... up to one thousand.
So, some snippets from my ever-growing list:
....crisp fall leaves crunching beneath my feet....a fresh bouquet of flowers....flickering candles....grandma slippers....the rice bag that keeps my feet warm when I crawl into bed....seeing my children raise their hands in praise...and lift their voices to sing-- if too loud or off-key....how "I" puts his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face toward him to give me a kiss...beginning a good book.... little arms wrapped tightly around my neck.... a hot bubble bath....the patch of sunlight that falls on the floor from our front windows.... love notes on the bathroom mirror.... rearranged furniture.... praying with Mark.... obedient children.... pajamas.... hearing grandpa's prayers.... my daughter's handwriting-- big, mishapen capital letters.... binding that final stitch to clear the knitting needles.... photos of loved ones.... early morning walks with my mom.... our home.... memory.... stacks of folded laundry....
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!--Psalm 118:1
Got a shoe box?
I'm super excited about something we're going to be doing in the next week or two. We're participating in Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. Have any of you ever done this? It looks like so much fun. I know my children will love this. You, too, can do this. Here's how:
1. Find a shoe box.
2. Decide if your gift is going to be for a boy or a girl, and choose the age of the child. (This is fun because that way your children can choose children their ages!)
3. Fill the shoe box with gifts appropriate for the child. There is a list of ideas on the right-hand column of this page. You can even wrap the box, as long as you wrap the lid separately.
4. Donate $7 for shipping and project costs.
5. Drop off your filled shoe box(es) at a nearby location. To find the drop-off location nearest you, go here and type in your zip code.
The drop off dates are November 13th-20th, so now is the time to get moving on this!
So.... what are you waiting for? Got a shoe box? Like to shop?
Join our family as we wrap some Christmas gifts early this year... and bless some needy children in the process!
*Any additional questions about Samaritan's Purse or Operation Christmas Child can be answered by checking out their website.
1. Find a shoe box.
2. Decide if your gift is going to be for a boy or a girl, and choose the age of the child. (This is fun because that way your children can choose children their ages!)
3. Fill the shoe box with gifts appropriate for the child. There is a list of ideas on the right-hand column of this page. You can even wrap the box, as long as you wrap the lid separately.
4. Donate $7 for shipping and project costs.
5. Drop off your filled shoe box(es) at a nearby location. To find the drop-off location nearest you, go here and type in your zip code.
The drop off dates are November 13th-20th, so now is the time to get moving on this!
So.... what are you waiting for? Got a shoe box? Like to shop?
Join our family as we wrap some Christmas gifts early this year... and bless some needy children in the process!
*Any additional questions about Samaritan's Purse or Operation Christmas Child can be answered by checking out their website.
As for blogging...
... I am back.
When I wrapped this up a little over a month ago, I really did think it was the end. I just re-read that post. My question then was this, "Is blogging a pursuit that God is pleased with in my life?"
You know what? It wasn't. Quite frankly, blogging had become too much in my life. I cared too much what people thought in the blogosphere. My thoughts resided here when they should have been elsewhere. One too many times, I was saying, "Just a minute" to one of my children who waited near my elbow as I blogged. By the time I got back to them, some 15 minutes later, they didn't have the same question. Or I was impatient or crabby at their interruption.
I'll be the first one to tell you that I lack discipline. It's a tough one for me. It's why my house is full of clutter. It's why I rarely get up early to pray even though I want to. It's why I begin projects but leave them unfinished for months (okay, sometimes years).
I knew that God was nudging me to lay blogging down, but I wasn't sure why. The day after I wrote my final post, my Bible study was on "Tearing Down the High Places." I puzzled then if I had any high places to tear down. By the end of the study, I knew the why of it. This whole blogging venture had become an idol in my life.
I hesitate to even use the word idol because my fear is that some of you will think, "Sheesh. That girl must have been on the computer ALL THE TIME." I wasn't, truly. I was not addicted to the computer, I was not neglecting my husband or my children. (Overall. There were moments. Check confessions three paragraphs up.)
I never would have used the word idol before in this context. It's not like I was worshipping my computer. And yet, this. From my study that day: "Our thoughts can be held captive to someone or something that builds up our egos or satisfies our fleshly appetites. Simply put, captivating thoughts are controlling thoughts-- things you find yourself meditating on too often." And this: "Satan fights dirty. He jumps on anything that could keep you from centering your thoughts on Christ." And the reminder that the object of our thoughts itself (in my case, blogging) is not necessarily sin. "The sin lies in the exaltation of it in our own minds." (all quotes are from Beth Moore)
So this blogging thing- a good thing- was captivating my thoughts. I recognized it as a high place and found comfort in this:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
A week or so later (after that final post) I realized that maybe it wasn't a permanent thing, this end to blogging. Maybe that nudging was soley for the purpose of removing that high place. And me being the task-oriented person I am, wanted to pick it right back up: High place removed, back to blogging. But I wanted to make sure God would bless that. So I set some parameters:
- I would not blog for an entire month..
- I would not move forward unless I had Mark's full support. And his encouragement to do so.
- I would move our computer from it's centrally-located place in our home (where it has proven to be a distraction) to another room. Downstairs, in the basement, as it resides now.
- I would email some women I respect in the blogosphere and seek their wisdom and insight. Women who blog regularly and have been doing so for some time. (Not regarding my situation, necessarily, but on blogging in general.) What were their guidelines, their time-restrictions, what have they learned? etc...
- I would continue to pray and seek God's wisdom on whether or not I should pick it back up.
A couple of weeks ago I told Mark, "I could take it or leave it, truthfully." I was no longer pining to get to the computer. Which was such a good place to be. And I was perfectly fine with the idea that I was done.
That gradually changed. I found that I wanted to continue writing here. I kept having more I wanted to share with you, dear readers. (If you're still there, that is.)
So, I begin again. I continue to pray that my time here (along with every other usage of my time) will be honoring to God, and that this small offering of my writing might bring encouragement to some of you.
Things are a little different. My computer is in a different spot. I have set some computer restrictions for myself. (No blogging (writing, reading, or checking comments) while the kids are awake, basically.) I will not be posting every day. I've removed the sitemeter.
I considered removing the comments function, too, but for now I've decided to keep it. Yesterday I stumbled across this quote, from C.S. Lewis:
Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one." That is one of the things I really appreciate-- hearing from you via the comments and finding out, "What! You, too?"
So...how are all of you? I've missed you.
When I wrapped this up a little over a month ago, I really did think it was the end. I just re-read that post. My question then was this, "Is blogging a pursuit that God is pleased with in my life?"
You know what? It wasn't. Quite frankly, blogging had become too much in my life. I cared too much what people thought in the blogosphere. My thoughts resided here when they should have been elsewhere. One too many times, I was saying, "Just a minute" to one of my children who waited near my elbow as I blogged. By the time I got back to them, some 15 minutes later, they didn't have the same question. Or I was impatient or crabby at their interruption.
I'll be the first one to tell you that I lack discipline. It's a tough one for me. It's why my house is full of clutter. It's why I rarely get up early to pray even though I want to. It's why I begin projects but leave them unfinished for months (okay, sometimes years).
I knew that God was nudging me to lay blogging down, but I wasn't sure why. The day after I wrote my final post, my Bible study was on "Tearing Down the High Places." I puzzled then if I had any high places to tear down. By the end of the study, I knew the why of it. This whole blogging venture had become an idol in my life.
I hesitate to even use the word idol because my fear is that some of you will think, "Sheesh. That girl must have been on the computer ALL THE TIME." I wasn't, truly. I was not addicted to the computer, I was not neglecting my husband or my children. (Overall. There were moments. Check confessions three paragraphs up.)
I never would have used the word idol before in this context. It's not like I was worshipping my computer. And yet, this. From my study that day: "Our thoughts can be held captive to someone or something that builds up our egos or satisfies our fleshly appetites. Simply put, captivating thoughts are controlling thoughts-- things you find yourself meditating on too often." And this: "Satan fights dirty. He jumps on anything that could keep you from centering your thoughts on Christ." And the reminder that the object of our thoughts itself (in my case, blogging) is not necessarily sin. "The sin lies in the exaltation of it in our own minds." (all quotes are from Beth Moore)
So this blogging thing- a good thing- was captivating my thoughts. I recognized it as a high place and found comfort in this:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
A week or so later (after that final post) I realized that maybe it wasn't a permanent thing, this end to blogging. Maybe that nudging was soley for the purpose of removing that high place. And me being the task-oriented person I am, wanted to pick it right back up: High place removed, back to blogging. But I wanted to make sure God would bless that. So I set some parameters:
- I would not blog for an entire month..
- I would not move forward unless I had Mark's full support. And his encouragement to do so.
- I would move our computer from it's centrally-located place in our home (where it has proven to be a distraction) to another room. Downstairs, in the basement, as it resides now.
- I would email some women I respect in the blogosphere and seek their wisdom and insight. Women who blog regularly and have been doing so for some time. (Not regarding my situation, necessarily, but on blogging in general.) What were their guidelines, their time-restrictions, what have they learned? etc...
- I would continue to pray and seek God's wisdom on whether or not I should pick it back up.
A couple of weeks ago I told Mark, "I could take it or leave it, truthfully." I was no longer pining to get to the computer. Which was such a good place to be. And I was perfectly fine with the idea that I was done.
That gradually changed. I found that I wanted to continue writing here. I kept having more I wanted to share with you, dear readers. (If you're still there, that is.)
So, I begin again. I continue to pray that my time here (along with every other usage of my time) will be honoring to God, and that this small offering of my writing might bring encouragement to some of you.
Things are a little different. My computer is in a different spot. I have set some computer restrictions for myself. (No blogging (writing, reading, or checking comments) while the kids are awake, basically.) I will not be posting every day. I've removed the sitemeter.
I considered removing the comments function, too, but for now I've decided to keep it. Yesterday I stumbled across this quote, from C.S. Lewis:
Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one." That is one of the things I really appreciate-- hearing from you via the comments and finding out, "What! You, too?"
So...how are all of you? I've missed you.
Welcome
Thank you for stopping by...
Whether you've come for the first time or have been here before, I'm glad you're here.
Thank you to all of you who wrote such encouraging comments on my last post. I'm not sure that I'm done blogging here. Still praying about that one. In the meantime, you can check out the archives or the links on the sidebar.
Blessings to each and every one of you!
Whether you've come for the first time or have been here before, I'm glad you're here.
Thank you to all of you who wrote such encouraging comments on my last post. I'm not sure that I'm done blogging here. Still praying about that one. In the meantime, you can check out the archives or the links on the sidebar.
Blessings to each and every one of you!
