Getting Back into the Swing of Things

These past few weeks have been like a giant blur around here. There has been so much going on from sickness, to health scares, to death in the family, to lots of visiting family and then of course Easter.
So after this major whirlwind of events that have left me physically (since the health scares were mine), mentally and emotionally drained, I have decided that for the next few days I will be "getting back into the swing of things".

Sooo how does one do that when all one wants to do is vegetate??? LOL
I do my favorite thing to do....I make a List!!

Its the best way (in my opinion) to collect everything that goes on in your mind that you need to get done all in one place.
There are several advantages to being a list maker such as myself:

1. You can prioritize what is the most important thing(s) you must do that day.
2. You don't waste as much time throughout the day.
3. You stay motivated!
4. You get to cross stuff off the list as you complete, this one is my favorite because it gives me such a sense of accomplishment!

Whatever you don't get to that day that wasn't on your most important things to do just gets put to the top of the the next days list. There are a few things however that you need to keep in mind if you are an overachiever/perfectionist.....Its supposed to help not add more stress...:)

Being flexible with it gives you the ability to be productive while at the same time stopping throughout the day to enjoy the moments that God has placed before you that day.
So let us always remember as we go through our busy days, lazy days, crazy days or "getting back into the swing of things days".....
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 

So are you a list maker? Do you find them helpful?


Looking for some extra encouragement today? Im linked up with these wonderful blogs!
Time-Warp Wife   Growing Home

Friday Funny!!

Ive seen this a few times this week and so have been there at times! While I absolutely LOVE my title-the best title in my opinion of Mom there are just some days.........

Have a Blessed Easter Weekend!

The Measure of One's Life....A Tribute to My Grandmother

**I originally wrote this post a year ago and I have decided to re-post it this year on the anniversary  of her being home with The Lord. I have had so many ups and downs emotionally this year and several times have found myself reaching for the phone to call her and ask her something or wanting to show her something. Throughout this year I have learned to see her in the small things-the making of pancakes, hemming a skirt for my daughter, starting a new book, sitting in her old chair. Those are the moments to be cherished, the memories, the traditions, the legacy that she has left for me to carry on to my children. So while today may mark a year, its not a day to be sad and mournful because I know that I will see her again someday and until then i will never let her memory die in my day to day life.

So enjoy this post if its the first time you are reading it, or enjoy it again if your re-reading it from last year**

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 How do you measure someones life?

 Is it in what their occupation is, how much money they have, or how many possessions they have? 

In my opinion it is none of those and finding our purpose in life can begin by looking no farther than the humble surroundings God has placed you in.

Tuesday March 12, 2013 may have just been another day to many people, but to my family it was a bittersweet day. It was filled with so many emotions...sadness, joy, relief, heartbreak and more. It was the day that my grandmother Catherine passed away. She had struggled through the past year with cancer and put up a good fight. By the end she was so tired, worn out and ready to go home. 

I had a special bond with my grandmother from the very beginning. I am grandchild number 1 and through the years growing up I was so very close to her. So much of who I am today is because of her. I was so fortunate to have my grandparents live in an apartment added onto our house for most of my life which gave great opportunity for lots of time spent. Growing up she gave me so many things that I will cherish forever most importantly memories. There are so many I could write a book but a few highlights are: the seagull that took her ice cream at Sea World right from her hand, parades, eating strawberry shortcakes, sewing me costumes, gymnastics where she would have to be the judge, so many vacations & trips, singing Sonny & Cher songs, eating pints of Ben and Jerry's on the couch bed i named "happiness".

 Watching her do so many things inspired me to want to be the mom that I am today although that was not her intention. What a wonderful cook and baker she was, how she could sew a masterpiece, her love of reading & knitting and just being the "mom" that is Always there for her children and OH how she loved children. She was the constant in a world that is anything but to our family. Those are things that I feel that watching her do made me want those qualities in me. Our times of laughter had FAR outweighed anything else! She was there for my times of pain, sickness, grief, happiness, joy and accomplishment. 

Somehow though life seemed to weather our relationship over the past few years and that made me so sad. My life is not what she wanted it to be. In her eyes she wanted me to be so much more than what she was and was always encouraging me to be and do anything that I wanted....what I really wanted to be most of my life was to be just like her. It took her until the very end of her life to realize that  I did not throw my talents and dreams away. The Lord has blessed me with so many talents and I am using them in the lives of my children and God used her to mold me into who he wanted me to be. A whole next generation will reep the benefits of the time, love, care and instruction she put in to me. I am so grateful to her for all she gave me-things both intentional and unintentional. 

Embracing the Storms

The first thing most people generally tend to do when a storm comes is become downcast or even depressed. The cold, rain, dampness, & noise add to the wallowing effect that comes with it. Just take a look at how a child looks at a rainy day-they are bored, whiny, discontent, and sometimes just plain old cranky. They feel restricted from running free, burning energy and steam, their creativity stifled by 4 walls....or is it???

Lately I have been asking myself-Is this how God would want us to act-to use a storm as an excuse to exhibit all of the above emotions?

Of course as we all have experienced the storms of life rage all around us and we tend to get tossed around quite a bit. We have the choice to follow the tendencies that accompany a storm or a rainy day or we can choose to rejoice and even dance in the storm!

More often than not I have to admit that I usually am quite like Eeyore from Whinnie the Pooh when the storms of life surround me. I do find this quite funny because i actually LOVE storms! To me, a rainy stormy day is refreshing-like a breather of sorts. It to me is like God's way of telling me to rest a bit or take it easy-have a day off routine! So why is it that there is such a drastic difference in my responses to both "storms"?

When God leads us through a storm it can be scary, especially if we are right in the middle of it. Imagine how the Israelite's felt as they would flee Egypt with no where to go but towards the Red Sea. What were they thinking? Would fear, worry and doubt grip many of them? Im sure!! But what did they then do.......
They stood still and let God move and boy did he! He parted the sea and made a way when there seemed to be no way.

I think the reason I love stormy days so much is that the storm is outside and I am inside, I am safe and have walls and a roof as protection around me and it doesn't seem quite so scary. What I have learned over these past 2 weeks of some fierce storms is that even in the middle of the storm I DON'T have to fear and I have the same protection as my walls and roof, I just need to trust God whole heartedly and not fear. That is tough, especially for me but its what God is trying to teach me right now.....Stand Still and let Him move! Embrace the lesson he is teaching you, don't be so quick to rush the storm away but quiet your heart and listen to it.

He will always prove faithful and make a way!

The Joy in Being the Comforter

One of the joys I have in being a mother is comforting my children when they are hurt, sick, scared or just in need of a hug and a smile. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you are of great comfort to that child, that whatever was bothering them, hurting them, scaring them is now eased because you were there to show them love. The power of a mother's hug is huge in a child's life, the comfort of the arms wrapped around them tightly extends beyond the physical arms but show them that you truly care and your there to help take away their pain.

As I was putting this into action today after one of my little ones woke up scared from a nap and he had his head nestled deep in my shoulder, i thought to myself.....this is EXACTLY what God is for us. He WANTS to be our comforter- to listen whats to bothering us, hurting us, or scaring us. He WANTS to give us that hug and have us climb up on his lap so to speak and let our tears, fears, worries, doubts flow from our mouths to his ears. But more often than not we do not give him that privilege. We take things into our own hands and try to figure things out ourselves by finding solutions, fretting, making plans, pro/con lists......

But he is still there.
Waiting patiently until we are done and hear his gentle whispering to give it to him.
He is there.
To take our burden and sorrow and give us peace and joy in our hearts.

Our children freely and willingly run to us for comfort first, why don't we do this? It would look a bit strange for a toddler to fall on the playground and then proceed to get up and worry about how he will handle the fall wouldn't it? His first instinct is to run to mommy or daddy.Why isn't it ours?

Are you in need of a hug? Go ahead and take a deep breath and tell it all to our heavenly Father, who wants to comfort us, we just need to let him.

•  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
•  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
•  O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2
• You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.
  Acts 2:28
• Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Will you let him?
Want to be encouraged further, check out the following linkups:
Raising homemakers, Walking Redeemed, Deep Roots at Home,Raising Mighty Arrows

Im just not getting it all done......

This has been a challenging and stretching week for me thus far. I think i have felt every emotion possible at some point or another. I think there are times in every mommy's life that they just feel like we can't get it all done, the never ending list keeps growing and the time goes by faster.

Our youngest, Gideon who is just shy of 22 months has reached some great "independent" milestones this week. He has figured out how to climb out of his crib (honestly i was thanking God he didn't figure it out sooner...haha) and has decided that there is no need to wear a diaper around the house...*SIGH* Having a 4 month old puppy and a newly potty training toddler is quite interesting if you've never experienced the "guess who did that mess" game or my personal favorite "don't slip in the puddle"!!

With these new discoveries of his independence comes more time of my day trying to stay focused to diligently train him with patience, kindness, and love. Nap time has not been spent napping but a routine of bringing him back and being firm over and over & repeated again at bedtime and well im sure you can guess how the diaperless bum has effected my day!

 One thing i found myself doing earlier this week though was getting frustrated that everything i NEEEDED to get done wasn't getting done. But thankfully the Lord tapped me on the shoulder rather quickly and reminded me that i am indeed getting done everything that i NEEDED to get done. This is so very important and vital and how my heart and attitude are while im doing it is crucial. Its all perspective really. There will always be dishes, laundry, floors to clean, phone calls to make but there is only these wonderful privileges NOW. These "inconveniences" are not that at all, but blessings and I am honored to be able to do them. I am honored to be able to be their mom and time goes by so quickly that I will savor every trip back to bed, repeated instruction to them and yes even the surprises.......