Comparing Oneself to Another

Lord, help me to best respond to the narcissists in my life.  

I pray that all of us see our sinful ways, ask for forgiveness, and accept the grace You so freely give.  Let Your light shine on our dark places, so we can better deal with them.  Help us to not compare ourselves to others but to the Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus.  It is then that we will see what wretches we truly are.  Once that happens, I ask that despair not take hold.  Let us breathe in Your mercy and grace and truly accept You as our Lord and Savior.  Help us to forgive ourselves and move on in Your light.  

Lord, let Your light shine through me as I interact with all those around me.  Help me to be more like You every day.  

Thank you, Lord.  

In Jesus' precious name.  

Amen.

Homerun!

I am reminded that I hit a HOMERUN.  Where I am going will not change no matter what happens here.  When I begin to falter, I draw my attention back to the truth.  Yes, life has ups and downs.  It may knock me down, but it will never keep me down.  

I am a sinner saved by grace.  Jesus came and took my place and conquered death.  Now at the judgement seat, it won't be me who God sees but Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus is the perfect lamb.  He took my place and conquered death.  He has washed my sins away.  There is nothing I can do to right my wrongs; I just need to accept His free gift.  His is my Lord and Savior.  I hit a HOMERUN!

Making It Work

 As a homeschool mother of three, I have learned that my children all learn differently.  So I tweak the lessons to fit their needs and strengths.   Well, the same goes for life outside of school. 

When my children were little, I found these beach towels with a whole in the middle to fit over their heads and a hood attached.  As they grew I modified those towels to grow with them.  Then one by one they each grew to big to even fit those.  So I found a post on Pinterest of a tutorial for a hooded towel that they could also change inside of if needed.   Those were also modified as they got bigger.   Now they are so worn that I needed to make another one.   

This time I decided to design it myself.   Hmmm...  I offered to put velcro on them to make them easier to use and dry.   My son was not having it.   So I made his first testing it the whole way.   He does not like being a model.   At 6'4" it took some creativity and trial and error to make his fit.  But alas he seems pleased enough.   I think he was actually just done with trying it on at each step; he would have taken anything at that point 😆 

Then I made my daughters' and my towel.   My oldest daughter did not want a hood.  My youngest and I actually liked that design, so we each have one very similar to the each other's.   Mine was the last to be made and the fastest one put together.  I already had the design down by then.   But I really liked having something covering my arms, so I opted for an additional shall/hood.  It's its own piece, so I can wear it by itself, with the wrap or not at all.   Actually, I brought it with me to soccer practice in case I needed just a little wind covering 😀  I think it will come in quite handy. 

Find what works and make it yours or your children's ❤️ 

Cling Sin

 A few months back my pastor asked all of us to take out our notebooks and write down "Cling Sin."  Then he told us to write what our individual "Cling Sin" was.  Well, it took me a minute, after all I'm prit near perfect.  Just kidding :)  But it did take me a minute to figure out which issue I deal with most often.  I could have written 'yell at my kids over something silly,' 'selfishness,' 'put things off that should have been done yesterday,' 'not give my husband enough attention.'  The list goes on...

But I realized there was one sin that I have dealt with my entire life.  If I'm being realistic, I've dealt with it since I was a baby.  I may have started out innocent enough.  I mean come on, I was a baby.  But as I grew, I didn't recognize that sin in my life.  It was something that gave me comfort.  It didn't hurt anyone.  I didn't see it as sin.  Then a couple years ago, I realized that 'thing' was my first thought when I needed comfort.  I looked for that BEFORE I looked for God.  You might think that since I recognized it I would be able to take control of it.  Well, it's not called a "Cling Sin" for nothing.

I've prayed for God to take away certain sins in my life.  It took time, but I kept praying and desiring it to be gone, and each time I was changed from the inside out.  But a "Cling Sin" is a cloak that keeps you warm in the dead of winter but you don't realize it's actually summer.  The tricky thing about a "Cling Sin" is that you don't necessarily realize that your insides are boiling.  It's like a frog in a pot of water with the temperature slowly rising.  It's a habit that just happens without you thinking about it.  

My "Cling Sin" is gluttony.  People might look at me and think, "She could stand to lose some weight."  But they wouldn't think, "Glutton!"  Actually, when the sin doesn't necessarily stand out to others, that's when it's even harder to deal with.  You can disguise it, cover it up.  I want to be healthier, BUT I really like eating.  So I go in spurts of eating healthy and shedding some fat to enjoying "see food."  Yes, I spelled that right.  I see food and I eat it.  

I need to stop blaming others for my "Cling Sin."  I think, "If they didn't offer it to me, I wouldn't eat it.  If I didn't have buy food for my growing children, I could eat next to nothing.  If... If... If..."  The truth is... a "Cling Sin" is no laughing matter.  To truly get rid of it, you need Jesus and you need to stay in the Word.  It probably won't happen overnight, but if you keep your eyes on Him, He will help you overcome even your "Cling Sin."  When you fall down, get back up.  His mercy and grace is abounding.

Too Much?!

I have learned over the years that I am not necessarily available just because I don't have something scheduled in my calendar at that time.  I have to remember to block off down time.  If I don't have down time, it will catch up with me and sickness will ensue.  

It's easy to over schedule yourself now adays with things at your fingertips.  One of the hardest things for me is not getting together with loved ones.  I have to ask myself often if the get together will allow for building of a relationship or just having a party.  And then I need to decide if I have time for that.

Every summer/school year, I tell myself next year will be different; I will schedule less.  Where does the time go and who keeps adding things to my calendar?!  LOL 

Blessings Throughout the Year

We just got back from our yearly camping trip with our extended family.  We see each other throughout the year, but this trip is extra special.  Even when the weather seems to work against us, we power through.  Friday was rainy and windy, but it was worth it.  The sun came out Saturday and stayed Sunday.  Our talent show was covered in sprinkles but it didn't stop us.  We love each other and help out when we can.  They are such a blessing.  

Where's the Fun?!

I remember when I was little...

I would have been thrilled to play with other kids, to go on vacations, to have my parents spend time with me.  And I was thrilled when it happened, but it didn't happen nearly as often as I hoped.  I spent most of my school days on the bus or in school.  When I did get home, I was stuck inside because we were latchkey kids, and it was the rule.  We did get to watch one half hour show after our homework was complete, but I would have much preferred going outside to play.

I do remember my mother spending every minute she had available doing something with us whether it was watching a show together, playing a game, eating dinner, going to see family, going to church, etc.  Our vacations were on the inexpensive side as we didn't have much money to spare, but they were fun because we went together and got to do something different.

Now that I have kids, I actually get to stay home with them every day and teach them.  We play games together, visit friends and family, go to church, camp, etc.  The thing about it is my kids, at least my two oldest, beg to stay home.  They all like going to church, thankfully, but aside from that, they'd like to stay inside by themselves.  :(

I think kids now a day are, for the most part, spoiled.  They have too many things at their fingertips to appreciate the little things like fresh air, an actual book, and laughter with friends.  They can get those things any time they want and don't realize how precious it really is.  

I have to "force" my kids to go on a hike, go camping, play a board game or cards, go for a bike ride, etc.  They usually enjoy it, but I am spent by the end of it from having to make them go in the first place.  

I often toy with the idea of quitting everything except for church and getting rid of the internet.  I wonder if my children would have a different tune after that.  Hmmm...  Things to think about :) :) :)

Alarm

 I feel like I have to set an alarm for everything these days.  The air was low in one of our van tires, but I couldn't stop.  I had to get the kids to horseback riding lessons.  Then I completely forgot about it.  It took a few days for someone else to find the problem.  

I had to set an alarm to remind me to write this blog once a week.  Another alarm is set to remind me to make reservations to go camping.  Alarms for vitamins, pick up the kids, drop the kids off, etc....

I think this life with access to everything at our fingertips has made life more cumbersome.  I remember back when I didn't have a cell phone or email.  Yes, I am dating myself.  But life seemed easier, less stressful.  Wouldn't it be nice to go back to those days?  Maybe I'll set an alarm to remind me one week out of the month to turn all electronics off.  LOL

Stop! Just for a minute or two, please :)

 It seems life just keeps on going even when you ask nicely for it to halt for just a bit...

I measure my children throughout the year, usually around their birthdays.  I guess it was about time I measured them again.  My son only grew about a quarter of an inch in the last seven months :)  Six foot three/four inches is quite tall enough.  He already has issues with sitting in cars and planes; we don't need to add to that.  My oldest daughter who has been trying to stay shorter than me is now the same height when she stands up straight.  No she doesn't slouch her shoulders; instead she falls into her hip and bends her knees.  My youngest is coming up fast.  She has gained about two inches in the past seven months.

I am reminded how quickly time flies when I get photo reminders of years past.  My children use to sit on my lap and snuggle with me and give me nose kisses.  At least my youngest still does, but how long will that last?  I continue to remind myself to enjoy every moment I have with them; before too long they will be grown up and move on.  I wish I could bundle up some of the hugs they give me for days when this house will be empty.  

It's funny!  I TREASURE my time alone, but I still miss them when they are not with me.  

I am one blessed mamma :)

Thankful

 I have been homeschooling my three children.  Yes, we now have three.  A, B, G.

We started a "Thankful Journal" three years ago.  This year we started using a weekly planner instead of a notebook.  It is much easier to keep track of :)  However, our weeks now end on Sunday as that is how the planner is set up.  I still prefer the planner to a notebook, especially for my children.  

At the end of the week, we mark the thing we are most thankful for that week and share it with each other.  It is more difficult some weeks than others to choose just one.  We do the same at the end of each month.  At the beginning of the new year, we go over our most thankful thing for each month and pick one for the year.   I love looking back on our thankful "posts."  We have really good years even when hard things happen.  Being thankful each day makes life more enjoyable no matter what is happening.

We do a White Elephant gift exchange with our family each year.  I remind them that no matter what they get they need to be thankful.  We practiced by me asking my son how he could be thankful for manure.  He responded, "It's good for the garden."  

I am one blessed mamma :)