more "Choosing Warm Paws" (and more to come...)

We have this saying around here, it comes from a Hank the Cowdog Tape. Now, Hank the Cowdog is part funny, part ridiculous and part plain dumb but every once in awhile you come across a gem. This is one of them! Hank and Drover are walking in the snow and Drover is complaining about how cold his paws are. Hank tells him he could sit down and then his paws would be warm! Drover says no, cause then his seat would be cold! Hank informs him that he can't have it both ways, those are his only two options. The conversation makes Hank aware now of his cold paws and how miserable it is until suddenly, as they keep walking along, Hank notices that Drover is grinning! He grumpily inquires what Drover could possibly be grinning about on this freezing cold walk? Drover replies that he chose a third option! Hank, as usual, chaulks this up to Drovers stupidity and points out how ridiculous Drover is being because there IS no third option. Drover goes on grinning and explains happily, "Yeah there is! I chose warm paws!"

Messes, Excuses and My Sinful Heart

There's a little girl at my house who loves to play! In her wake lie crayons, markers, paper, dolls, toys... Clean up time, however, is not something she loves! Her favorite excuse for not getting the job done is "I just don't know where to start!!" Lately I can identify with her. My soul feels like a mess. Failures here, mistakes there, selfishness galore...I know it's a mess, I know I need to change, I even know somewhat what needs to be done to accomplish it. But I just don't know where to start! It looks hard, hopeless, too much. When it comes down to it my flesh doesn't really want to lay down and die! So I continue struggling, fighting doggedly against repentance and surrender. Dragging out the childish excuse "I just don't know where to start!!" Pray for me to find time to get before the Lord and deal with this horrible selfishness in my life. Pray that God would bring about repentance in my heart and satan and his lies would be defeated. Pray that I would lay down excuses and just start already!

Life continues with baby number 5 in the house. Sometimes i feel like normal has ceased to exist! I want to say that this addition has brought more adjustments and postpartum "junk" than any previous, but i have a feeling that time dims my memory and i may be wrong. The fact remains i've struggled with huge ups and downs, one time feeling thankful and blessed and treasuring it all and the next feeling so everwhelmed and like life is a black hole. I discovered at my 6 wk check up that my iron is low and have started taking a supplement for that. I really think i can tell a difference already! I was chalking all my tiredness up to poor nights of sleep but maybe it was more than that. Being tired can sure multiply every task to be done, every dark mood, every problem looming...just, everything....in a hurry!! Charles is becoming a smiling little bundle which makes it so much fun :) he
lights up when he's talked to and the children (and parents) never tire of seeing his wide grin!

Women, and "Cleaning the Ball Closet"

We women have a problem. Maybe some more than others, but the world over we share it. Somehow we've bought into the lie that doing what God called us to do isn't enough. He's asked us to clean the ball closet in the church basement and all we can focus on, as we grudgingly straighten balls and bats, is how gifted we really are for the job of cleaning the whole basement! Some console us, "God is preparing you for a bigger job someday!" And maybe He is. But if He calls us to clean the ball closet for the rest of our lives, then what? Why is it that God's call for us to lift up our husbands and stay at home and train children and keep house isn't enough? "But I have so many other interests, talents, gifts! Why can't I use them?! It's not fair that I have to be 'squashed' just because I'm a woman!" The fact is, God called me to clean the ball closet. It doesn't matter how well I use the gifts He gave me to do other things. Unless I can be content keeping that closet spic and span, I've failed in Obedience!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

11 yrs ago today I became a Mother. It was the day before Mother's Day, just like today. Not much of the significance of that moment sank into my brain 11 yrs ago. I felt mostly numb and what-do-we-do-now-ish as I looked at the tiny little man who transported me from the ranks of "married woman" to "Mother". 11 yrs and many late nights, tears, spankings, chuckles, diaper changes, owies kissed, baths given, stories read, lunches packed, reprimands administered and jokes shared later, I look at the tall young man who is my son and there's a lot of different feelings in my heart. The seriousness of my role in this child's life has sunk into my conciousness long ago! As I watch him begin to change from little boy to little man my heart aches with pride at his accomplishments, anguish at the knocks life will yet administer, despair at the human-ness of his heart and the weaknesses he inherited from his mother, and love for the tender heart that lies under all the boy-ishness. Happy Birthday Isaac! Love, Mom

"Choosing Warm Paws"

I wish there were a way to hook my brain up to the key board! If I could, there would have been a whole row of posts lately. Posts about Stomach Flu and A New Baby, A Mother's Sacrifice, When Mom Is Sick, My Secret Baby Calming Trick, A Father and A New Baby, When You Think You're Losing Your Mind, The #1 No No When Asking Your Husband For Advice...... I've written some really outstanding posts on these subjects...in my head... Sadly, they've stayed there. And disappeared. Amidst the chaos of life, the quicklydoingworkwhilethebabysleeps and holdingandfeedingandholdingandfeeding and Imusttakeanap.imust. the words just don't make it to the key board! Oh well, (throw in the much used for moms phrase "this too shall pass") it really is ok. After all, if I'm always waiting for things to pass I'll end up never enjoying anything! So, I'm purposing to "choose warm paws" and enjoy what I can before it all passes away. Maybe I really will write a post about that quote ...someday...