Reset Button

This morning I started out with good intentions.

When I woke up, I pulled the covers up and snuggled into the warm sheets for a few minutes longer.  We've been staying up late watching the Olympics and four of us have come down with little colds, so laying in bed felt really good this morning.  As I laid there in the first moments of the day, I prayed that God would help us order our day in a way that would honor Him.

When I got up things started unraveling pretty quickly.  I'll spare you the details, but the day was not getting off to a good start.

I've learned that I can't give out what I don't have.  With that in mind, I made some breakfast and went into my room to read and pray for a little while.  As I was sitting there with my box of Kleenex feeling so crummy, I was mentally going through my list of things that typically help me get back on track.

For my Bible reading I am in Jeremiah, but today I was more in a Psalms mood so I opened up and started reading.  I was so surprised and so blessed by one verse.  This one verse was so encouraging to me and it completely re-routed my focus.

"For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me."  Ps. 44:6

Those words helped me hit the reset button.  While it is true that there are certain things I can do to intentionally, proactively fill my cup, my real trust and strength do not come from my efforts.  They come from looking to Him for my strength.  It is very easy for me to trust in "my bow and my sword,"  those things I know energize and refresh me.

Today I won't get it all checked off the list.  I can't.  Hitting my reset button helped me remember that God is in control of it all today.  I don't have to trust in my own efforts.  They won't save me.

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, His song will be with me.  To God, my exceeding joy, the God of my strength, His grace is poured out upon us.

How I do Flylady

Years ago when I started the Flylady cleaning system, I dove right in.  You can read the Getting Started article and it will set you heading in the right direction.  Just a warning-if you sign up for the email group you'll get a lot of emails!  I liked that in the early days because they kept me motivated.

I've noticed over the years that I use her system in different ways depending on the season of life we are in.  There have been times when I religiously decluttered 15 minutes a day and spent an hour each week "Blessing My House"...aka cleaning it.

This is not that season.  I have always had to modify the system when we were in busier times.  Today I wanted to share with you what I'm doing now.  So, I guess it was about three weeks ago when I got super overwhelmed with how dirty my house felt.  These last 8 months I haven't had the energy to keep my house like I would like to.  You don't understand, for me, dirt on a baseboard drives me crazy!  It has been very, very hard for me to let it go.  My home is my sanctuary.  I am here twenty four seven and I function best when it is in order and sparkling.

Right now I basically have two choices.  Do nothing at all because I can't do it perfectly, or make a game plan and do what I can.  Three weeks ago I decided to go with option two...do what I can.  I went to Flylady's website and checked out her "Zones" for the month.  It is her way of dividing up your home and each week gets a different cleaning focus.

On Living Room week, I spent about 15-20 minutes in that room (and I only worked in that room one day!).  The only things I did that day were: feather dust the blinds, raised them and Windexed the window, Pledged the furniture, Windexed the glass and vacuumed the area.  It was a quick clean in only one area.  Girl.  The entire room smelled so fresh when I finished.  There was still an entire house that needed attention, but just the knowledge that that one room had been tended to made me feel so good.

When I finished, I sat down in my tidy living room and ate some chips and dip and enjoyed!

Last week I was in the kitchen.  I only worked in my kitchen one day last week-for maybe 30 minutes.  I dusted the blinds, Windexed the window, and quickly wiped down the cabinet doors.  That is it.  There was more that could've been done but that was all I had in me last week.  Guess what?  My kitchen has felt so much better this week!

This week is the bathroom and one extra room.  I chose the boys room for my one extra room.  All I have done in their room this week is sort through their clothing drawers to make sure everything is in the appropriate place.  I cleaned out about 5 pairs of too small pj's.  And guess what?  I feel so great about some organized drawers in one room!

Don't be afraid to glance at her system to get a framework to work in, and then modify it if you have to.  Jotting the focus down on my calendar helps me remember where to spend extra time that week.  Even if I only work on the area one day, it still makes a difference.  It adds up.

And try not to be too hard on yourself if you can't get it all done.  For me right now, I'm just in a slower season for awhile.  It truly has been the grace of God that has allowed me to stop and enjoy and be content with the little bit that I am doing.  He is the only one who brings peace within our borders.

The Game Plan

The Mr. went on a discipleship retreat with the menfolk from church this weekend.  Between me and you, I was torn about him going.  Sure, I was all smiles and encouraging him to go if it would be life-giving for him, but on the inside I was bummed!  It was all selfishness on my part.  I hate staying by myself, I'm a big ol' baby.  When he said he wanted to go, I was all, GREAT!  But on the inside I was like, "Well Shoot!"  I decided I needed to get a little game plan in order so we'd have some things to look forward to over the weekend.  As things usually do, we veered from the plan a lot, but I've learned (or am learning) to roll with the punches.

The plan for Saturday was to get out on the town.  I didn't know what we were going to do, and I didn't care, we were just going to get dressed and go.  What I didn't plan on was waking up Saturday feeling tired and icky.  We stayed in most of the day.  I did manage to drag us to a rummage sale for a few minutes looking exactly like this...

This would be a good point for me to interject my sincerest apologies for all of you who have to see me in this same sweatshirt for the next month.  I am aware that a small hole is developing on the lower front.  If you're OK with it, so am I.  I do wash it every other day{ish}.

We did go pick up Mamaw and headed to Dairy Queen for lunch to take advantage of the $5 lunch deal.  OK, this is a really great deal.  For $5 you get a combo meal (cheeseburger, chili dog or chicken strips) and a sundae.  For $1 more you can upgrade to a small Blizzard.  AND...if you are full after your meal like we were, they'll give you a Blizzard coupon to come back another time for your ice cream.  It's like two outings in one.  Cha-Ching.

 

Saturday was so rainy and icky, we went home and stayed under blankets watching movies all afternoon.  The boys went back to play video games and I feel asleep on the couch for a good hour.  Accidentally falling asleep on the couch is the best nap you'll ever get.  It's the kind that leaves you needing a snack of Fritos and a Coke when you wake up just so you can come back to earth.

 

So, around 5pm our plans changed again.  The Mr. called and said we might have winter weather coming our way.  Dad gum it.  That meant we needed to run to the store, in the rain, to stock up, because Big Mama will not be caught in snow without good vittles.  We threw clothes back on {naturally we were already in pj's}.  We are flying through Kroger and a sweet worker stops us. 

 

"How cute, your little boy has his pants on inside out AND backwards."

 

And so it was.

 

We made it home, all wet and cold, ate pizza, and I threw the dudes in a bath.  They had a great surprise when they got out, Dad was home!

 

(the bottom pic is blurry, they are never still enough for the camera!)

That's pretty much our weekend in review.  Last night we had a great time "watching" the game with friends from church.  We had some seriously good food.  Buffalo wings, buffalo dip, quesadillas, veggie tray, cheese dip and salsa, 7 layer dip, potato soup, taco soup, cookies, drinks...for a minute I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  The heartburn that kept me up all night reminded me that no.  No, I was still here.

We have had a slow start to our Monday morning.  I'm heading off to fix lunches and give lessons.  And maybe eat another Tums.  Or two.

A few food related things

As you know this is a big food week.  You know, with the Super Bowl and everything.  I was prepared for tomorrow.  Chili with all the fixin's for lunch, naps, and game time.  I'm making Buffalo Ranch Dip with Frito Scoops and quesadillas for our potluck heavy appetizer party.  What I wasn't ready for, however, was the wintry mix on the radar.

I take snow/ice very seriously when it comes to food.  I'm the girl you make fun of and I'm at peace with it.  It's just that you can't be snowed in without some seriously good food to eat.  This is how I keep my figure as you probably already figured out.

I take snow days so seriously that I'd be willing to dawn the drizzling rain on a Saturday night with all my boys with me while wearing not a stitch of make-up and showing all kinds of evidence of spending a lazy Saturday at home.  This would not be a big deal except for the fact that everyone in my town was also at Kroger.

It mattered not.  The fridge had to be stocked with the good stuff.  Here is a short line up of the weeks food offerings.  French dip sandwiches, chicken soft tacos, beef stew, and taco soup.  We also have the fixin's for Rice Krispy Treats and Hershey's Championship Chocolate Chip Bars.

We made a marathon trip through the store, scoring a week's worth of groceries in under 30 minutes AND I didn't run into anybody!  We picked up Pizza Hut on the way home and are ready for the weather.  Bring it!

My teacher friends hate me for wishing it, but I'd be so happy if we got snowed in at least one day.  Last year we totally got the shaft on snow days and this year we have only had one measly ice day.  Psh.  I need real snow! Is that too much to ask?

What are your favorite snow day foods?

The Sweetest Season

(all photos taken by Lulu Photography)

This morning I've been thinking about what a sweet season of life this has been for me.  My pregnancy started out really hard, as they always have, but even in the difficulty their was blessing.  Before I found out I was pregnant, I was planning to go to a hermitage with a friend for a prayer retreat.  A hermitage is a little cottage at a Catholic monastery where you can stay for a couple days of quiet and prayer.

I've been running hard for the last ten years.  Babies, diapers, training, working a "part-time" job, homeschooling, keeping the house, the list could go on.  This summer God called me home full time and when I found out I was pregnant, well, I was just plain tired even from the beginning.

My friends told me that when your baby turns five you round a corner, a sort of graduation.  You've made it through the most labor intensive years.  The younger years are fun, they are just very physically demanding.  But when you reach the corner where everyone can bathe themselves, brush their own teeth, go to the bathroom by themselves and get dressed without assistance, well, that is a very big day in the life of a mama.

It is a little humorous to round that corner only to find that you are about to start all over again.  I have been so amazed and excited that we are having a baby.  I've always imagined we'd have four or five kids.  After our third, it seemed like the wisest thing would be to stop where we were.  I'm so thankful God had other plans.  We waited almost 6 years for this fourth little blessing. 

This has been my most unique pregnancy so far.  Since my boys are older, and I am home full time now, I have had the freedom to take the rest my body needs.  I'm a little, ahem, older now than when I started this journey of having kids.  I remember this summer wanting to be done with homeschooling.  I was so tired.  So, so, tired.  My husband felt like we needed to continue this year.  God confirmed the decision with lightening speed.  Within 24 hours, we'd been given all the curriculum we needed for the year.

Having my boys home with me during these slower, quieter days has been the greatest gift to me.  We have slow starts to our day, eat lunch, sit around the kitchen table or pile up on the couch in the afternoon for our lessons, and in the evenings we eat and gather again in the living room to hang out as a family.  I am not up and running around with a million things to do.  I've been able to be present in all that is going on around me.

Although I am so beyond excited to meet our little Annie Gray, I am not in a rush to cross the finish line.  The greatest gift of this season that I've been given is the absence of rushing and the gift of time.  We have more peace in our home than ever.  I am well rested.  My boys hearts are full and content.  They go around the house singing songs and playing and I'm doing the same.  This summer when I obeyed God and came home full time I was terrified of what it would look like.  I knew that the greatest treasure and blessing is only found when we are in the center of His will.  It has blown me away at how much richness and blessing has been found by being completely obedient and saying Yes to Him.

Ready For The Weekend!

It's been a full week of school, house, dinners and dishes.  Ready to enjoy this sunshiney weekend with family and friends!

Brain Power Break

This morning I've been finishing up lesson plans for the rest of the year.

Whew.

My hands and brain are tired.  That is 12 weeks of planning.  Times 2.  No wander my head hurts.

It's a great feeling to be getting things in order though.  It is hard to believe that in 6 weeks or less we'll have a baby at the house.  I am a little anxious to see what it is going to be like going back to the baby phase.

You'd think since this is my 4th go round I'd remember everything, but I do not remember anything.  Well, except for being reeeeeeaaaaallllly tired at first.

I'm going ahead and finishing up lesson plans now, so I don't have to use brain power to figure out where we are later.  I am thinking we'll keep on chugging right along doing school, except for the few days while I'm in the hospital.

Hopefully between the two of us, we can keep the lessons handed out and finish at the end of April on track.  Yesterday we made a huge library run.  We have the best library!  I go online to check out my books, and when I get to the library, I just go to the front desk and they are there waiting on me.  Such a helpful service that I love taking advantage of.  That is phase one of library day.  Phase two is not loosing 25 books and getting them back on time.

We'll have to make one more big library run before the baby and when we finish up that round of books, we'll be looking summer in the face. 

In other news, I've been looking through the pantry and freezer writing down what meals I can make out of what we have on hand.  We're going to be eating out of the pantry, freezer and fridge for the next 8 days.  Joy of joys.  Not really my favorite thing to do, but definitely worth it to keep things cleaned out so everything is up to date.

Huh.

It kind of sounds like I am nesting.

Chirp chirp.

Oh, and this is a big deal.  Yesterday, I made red beans and rice in the crockpot and it turned out great.  Used a bag of dried red beans and everything.