Blogging Award!

A great big THANK YOU to Jill, at Pathway to Purpose, for passing on the "Versatile Blogger" award to me!  She is a great blogging friend, and I would encourage you to check out her site! :)

Also, I would love for you to go here, and check out some of the other blogs that I love to read to laugh and to be encouraged.  In addition, I want to introduce you to my lovely (blog and real life) friend, Julie!  She is a wonderful mother, terrific friend, and now, new blogger!  Check it out at Simply Boles. 

One of the rules for this award is to share seven things about yourself that readers do not know.  So, here goes!

1.  I love to be organized.  I would love for everything to have a "home."  Unfortunately, this does not always happen, because I do not always have the space, and I definitely do not always have the money to buy the organizing supplies that I "need."

2.  I used to sing with the Virginia Children's Chorus (VCC), and performed in major productions in conjunction with the Virginia Symphony. 

3.  I spent two and a half weeks traveling with VCC across England and Wales performing in various churches and cathedrals.

4.  My very favorite beverage is Cherry Coke. (And I'm a little addicted).

5.  I love photography, and hope to own a digital Canon Rebel as well as Photoshop some day so that I can pursue it even more.

6.  If I had to choose between cake and ice cream, I would choose cake every time.     

7.  Big changes are coming for our family soon, and I will be sharing at the end of the week! :) Want to know what it is?  Well, check back to find out, or give it your best guess in the comments.

Now that I've left you sufficiently wondering and deeply pondering what could possibly be going on at our house, I will let you go.  Because I love to leave you hanging. ;)

Balancing Act

I know we've all been there.  Truth is, maybe some of us have never left.

Constantly juggling, trying to find that elusive thing in life known as balance. 

Why is finding a happy, calm, balanced life so truly difficult?  Why do we get so wrapped up in trying to do everything and be everyone to all people?  Why is it so frustratingly impossible to prioritize and resist the urge to take on more than we know we could possibly complete in three lifetimes, much less just this week?

Well, I don't really know why this is so difficult, other than because of certain human impulses that are hard to overcome, and a society and culture that places high priority on doing everything, and doing it well.  Or at least having the appearance of doing everything and doing it well.

Over the past few weeks, I have spent a great deal of time wrestling with trying to balance my life, and in doing so, attempting to discern God's will for me and my family, and learning to prioritize.  Because, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what people on the outside see or think of your life, the choices you make, and the way you spend your time.  All that matters is what God sees and thinks.  And when I really step back and compare what I insist are my priorities with the ways that I spend my time, quite frankly, the two just do not add up.  Please hear me, though.  This is not the first (and I'll wager, will not be the last) time I have had to measure my priorities up against my day to day life.  I get off track rather easily.  But each day I am striving to grow a little more into the woman that God wants me to be, and a little less like the selfish, materialistic individual I am all too familiar with.

If you want to live a more balanced life, in line with God's plan for you, it has to start with making priorities.  Priorities that match God's priorities.  Then those priorities have to line up with the way you spend your time.  Because it doesn't really matter what you say your priorities are, ultimately, what is most important to you will be evident in what you give the most time to.  For example, how many people would say that their family is a priority?  Probably a lot, if not most.  Yet how many of those people spend 10-12 hour days, weekends, and holidays at work?  Constantly striving to further their career, or make their way up the corporate ladder?  Likewise, I would say that spending time with God is a priority for many Christians, and yet, how much of their (and my) time is actually spent in prayer or in the Word?  An hour and a half on Sunday morning?  If even that?

As for me, I am tired of juggling too many projects that ultimately are taking away from time that should be spent elsewhere.  I want my priorities to match God's priorities, and then the way I spend my time to line up with those priorities.  Is Facebook a priority?  No.  Twitter?  No.  But taking care of my children is, as well as spending time in God's word.  Does that mean while my kids are napping I have to give up some internet, social networking time?  Yup.  Does that mean that I have to put off finishing that scrapbook that's been sitting out, unfinished, for months?  Unfortunately.  And does that mean I may have to set aside some of the housework for another day?  Possibly.  But that's ok, because I will be spending time doing the things that really matter.  And I will have a happier, more balanced life because of it.        

An Important Dedication

Hard to believe, but our sweet boy is already six months old.  He is now 12 pounds, 7 ounces, and although he is doing great, and seems SO big to me, he is still not quite big enough to show up on the normal growth curve.  But that's ok.  His sister was only a pound bigger at the same age.  We just have small children.   :)

This past Sunday, in addition to being Mother's Day, was baby dedication at our church.  So as a family, we were able to commit ourselves to doing our best to raise our son to know and love the Lord.  It is always special to share our commitment with our church family, but this baby dedication was especially meaningful for me, because we were able to share it with some wonderful friends.  Even though my pregnancy was cut short, I was able to enjoy it with three other pregnant friends and Sunday, we all dedicated our babies together.  I wish I had a photo of everybody together, but just use your imagination and picture two beautiful, sweet girls, and two incredibly handsome little boys.  All of whom were very well behaved.  Well, except my son.  He cried almost the whole time.  But other than that, they were all very well behaved.

Just look at that adorable face.  It's so hard to picture the tiny, struggling, premature newborn he used to be.  But everyday, those struggles are further and further in the past, and I am so thankful for the precious little boy he has become!

"Not Me!" Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.  GOOD TIMES! :)

UPDATE:

Well, you guys are good guessers :)

Last week, while attempting to make french toast, I did indeed melt my spatula. Completely in half.  Whenever I am in the kitchen, my daughter insists on being involved, which really means she screams and pulls at my pants leg until I hold her.  Meanwhile, my son was laying on his play mat in the living room, also screaming.  In an effort to appease my daughter and calm my son, I stepped away to find a way to keep my daughter distracted in the living room, and give my son a pacifier.  Unfortunately, I returned to a wonderfully burnt piece of french toast, and a melted spatula to boot.  Sigh.  Oh well, I guess that's what I get for trying to do too many things at once, instead of just waiting until my little darlings went down for a nap.  Haha!

Original Post:

Because I am always extremely careful when I tackle any kind of endeavor in the kitchen, I would never turn my back on something on the stove.  No, I am always prepared, and would never try to cook something with two small babies screaming in the background, no matter how hungry I am.

And of course I would never step away to tend to two beautiful screaming babies, leaving the stove, cookware and delicious food I was preparing to its own devices.  I am not so irresponsible that I would cause a hilarious mishap in the kitchen simply because I am trying to do too many things at one time.  No, not me! 

But if I did, I would of course take a picture to share with all of you, to see if you can figure out what happened while I was in my living room.

So, any idea what happened?  Give it your best guess!! :)

The Job of Mothers

This Mother's day, I am finding myself in a position I have been in before.  Struggling to feel like an adequate mother, and struggling to remember that the job of being a mother is of infinite importance.  So, for my benefit, I am re-posting something that I wrote a year ago, when I was first learning what life is like to be a stay-at-home-mom.  I hope this is a blessing to ALL the mothers out there, and provides some encouragement, because there is NO more important job on this earth than raising loving, caring, God-honoring children.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Original Post:

As a woman, where does your sense of significance come from? What is it in your life that makes you feel important? Worthwhile? Like what you're doing matters? For me, it used to be working hard, getting good grades and achievement awards, receiving a math degree and then a Masters, then on to a full time job. I got up in the morning, went to work, confident in my abilities. I had professional, adult friends, with whom I could have adult conversations.

And then I had a baby. And the whole world changed.

Suddenly, my daily routine consisted of feedings, diaper changes and talking and cooing to a baby until she was finally ready for a nap, only to then do it all over again when she woke up, squeezing in a shower whenever she was sleeping and I happened to have enough energy. I was in a constant state of exhaustion because my child is anti-sleep, and most days looked at the clock at 5 pm sighing, "Seriously, where did the day go? The house is still a mess, and I haven't even stepped outside. What did I do all day!" How could I feel like I had never worked harder in my life, while at the same time feel like I wasn't "doing" anything?

At the time I made the decision to stay home with my daughter, I had no doubt it was at God's leading, and that at this point in my life, taking care of her was to be my priority. But I'm not going to lie; I had a slightly idealized view of what life would be like as a stay-at-home mom. I expected playful afternoons with a happy baby, a nice dinner on the table, peaceful walks around our neighborhood, and complete fulfillment in the joy of being a new mom.

What I experienced instead were overwhelming feelings of insignificance, unimportance, inadequacy, and utter exhaustion. I felt like being "just a mom" was not enough, and certainly nothing special. I mean, remember how I spend my day? Feed, change diaper, play, nap, repeat. Nothing special.

God has slowly been teaching me many things as I continue on this journey that is motherhood. First and foremost is that my identity, my significance, is in Him. I have been chosen to be a daughter of the King of Kings! It doesn't get much more significant than that!

But second, I am learning that what I am doing is important. Incredibly important. I may not receive any accolades, compensation, or even a pat on the back, but God has charged me with the responsibility of raising, loving and teaching this little girl. And one day, I will be held accountable. Today, I learned exactly how what I am doing right now impacts my child. Studies show that environmental influences in the first year of life have a huge impact on brain structure and development, and that the environment affects the number of brain cells, connections among them, and the way they are wired. These things are happening right now, and are affected by the nurturing environment I provide! In addition, I am affecting the emotional development of my daughter. Child development experts agree that a secure attachment with the mother forms the foundation for the child's entire self-structure and identity.

Proverbs 22:6 states, "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." I'll be honest, in the past this verse did not provide much encouragement or motivation for me. I felt like I wasn't there yet. I mean, I know I am to teach my daughter the truth, and teach her to love others, to share the gospel, etc; but, we're not there yet. She doesn't even understand basic words like cat and dog. I'm not even sure she recognizes her own name yet. But I have to start now if I want to be capable of training up my daughter in the way she should go later. If I want her to trust me, and love me, and listen to me, I have to start nurturing her now and build a strong bond, and a caring, safe environment. If I completely neglect my role at this early stage, what would the reaction be when I suddenly expect her to listen to my teachings and respect my discipline? Probably not very positive.

I love the warning from Jeanne Hendricks that instead of being consumed by making a better world for our children, why not focus on making better children for our world. What you do as a mom is important. Being a mom matters.

Read these lyrics to "One Heartbeat at a Time," by Steven Curtis Chapman and be encouraged and reminded of the amazing woman that you are:

You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are

So you fall into bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Oh, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

With every "I know you can do it"
Every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain over time
They become a river

And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

You're beautiful
You're beautiful
How you're changing the world
You're changing the world

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you
You are changing the world
One little heartbeat
At a time

And you're changing the world,

"Not Me!" Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.  GOOD TIMES! :)

This week, I definitely did not catch my daughter handing her slobber-covered pacifier over to her brother, trying desperately to shove it violently sweetly hold it in his mouth for him.  No, she is well aware of the fact that it could be covered with germs, and that for that very reason they each have their own pacifiers.  And she would definitely not continue to insist that he take it and enjoy it, after multiple attempts, when he clearly had no interest or desire for said paci at all.

And of course, were I to become aware of such a precarious situation transpiring in my living room, I would certainly not stop, laugh, and capture every attempt on camera.  No, I would never condone such disgusting behavior by aiding and photographing it.

       

Hey, brother! You look like you need a pacifier to suck on.

Here, have mine!

You dropped it, but don't worry-I'll put it right back in your mouth!

No, in our house, we never ever share saliva from pacifiers.  Or anything else, for that matter.  ;)  What have you NOT been doing this week??