A New Beginning

I like new beginnings--a chance to look back and a chance to start over.  I wish I had it so together that I didn't need a fresh start--that I was so perfect I could just keep doing exactly what I'm doing and be fine; but even the most devoted Christian and the most noble wife and the most loving mother falls short of perfect.  Even though I know I'll never be perfect this side of heaven, it is still the desire of my heart to try.  The Christian/wife/mother who finds herself no longer trying finds herself in a dangerous place.  After all, every relationship--be it your relationship with God, your spouse, or your children--requires effort.  And I guess that's where the need for a new beginning--a fresh start--comes in.

My husband asked me this morning, "So if you could change jobs for the new year, would you?"  My answer, of course, was no--I love being a stay-at-home mom.  But who hasn't had days where you'd be tempted to say yes?... Yes, I want out of these circumstances.... Yes, I am tired of trying....

Sometimes it gets hard to keep putting forth the effort that a healthy relationship requires.  It's hard to set aside purposeful time to spend with God.  It's hard to selflessly give your energies (or what's left of them) to your husband at the end of a long day.  It's hard to put work aside in the interest of spending quality time with your children.  It's hard to love.  It's hard to serve.  It's hard to_____.... And because it's hard--and because I'm human--I fail.

I fail, but I don't give up.

I never officially "make" New Year's resolutions, but I like September's idea of choosing a theme for the new year--an area in which I need growth and in which I will strive to better meet God's standard.  Thinking back over the past year, it seems like maybe the Lord has been showing me that the area I need growth in is my relationships--especially my relationship with Him, with my husband, and with my children.  I'm not exactly sure what this process of growth will require of me, but I am sure that it will be a process and that it will be hard.

As I stand at this new beginning, I praise God that His Word will be a light unto my path and that His mercies will be new every morning!

6 Months, 10 Things, and 4 Reasons...

Where does the time go? December is already half over, 2010 is almost here, and my baby girls are 6 1/2 months old! On Friday I took them to their 6-month well child exam, and here is what we learned....

Isabel
Length: 24 in (5-10th percentile)
Weight: 13 lbs (5-10th percentile)

Elliana
Length: 25 3/4 in (50th percentile)
Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz (10-25th percentile)

Developmentally speaking, we are really getting into a fun stage with the girls. In addition to doing all the things growing babies do, they are starting to interact with each other and with Abel and Amariah; and that has been truly amazing to watch.

10 Things About Isabel at 6 Months

• getting closer to sitting up without help
• reaches for everything
• laughs silently or with her fist in her mouth most of the time
• loves to be "in the action"
• stands on her tiptoes (with support)
• busts her legs out of all snap-up sleepers
• holds her toes
• plays with her voice by gurgling or inhaling loudly (and subsequently choking herself)
• moves around the floor by spinning and "crab walking" (lifting her butt off the floor and pushing with her feet)
• sleeps on her side with her arms over her face

10 Things About Elliana at 6 Months

• sits with help
• strives to have her feet within reach of anything she can kick
• stifles her laugh by stuffing her fist in her mouth
• loves to be held or to lay at our feet
• stands (with support) for a time before decidedly and heavily collapsing onto her butt
• lying flat on her back, holds her arms and legs out stiff just above the floor and twirls her wrists and ankles
• holds her toes
• plays with her voice by loudly squealing, "coughing," and spitting
• tries to scoot and/or express excitement by doing the "worm squirm" (writhing her head and body in a snake-like fashion)
• sleeps and eats with her hands resting on the top of her head

And finally,...

4 Reasons Why I'm a Happy Mommy

(L to R): Abel (3 yrs 8 mos), Elliana (6 mos), Amariah (2 yrs 5 mos), Isabel (6 mos)

Kids Say, vol. 4

On the heels of my last post, I just overheard this conversation and thought it would be appropriate to share.  You've got to love the brutal honesty.... :-)

Abel:  Sometimes we fight.
Amariah:  Yeah.
Abel:  And sometimes we be naughty.
Amariah:  Yeah.
Abel:  Sometimes we cry.
Amariah:  Yeah.
Abel:  And sometimes we throw fits.

A Promise Realized

When I first became a mom, it didn't take me long to realize that there is temptation to sin even within the realm of parenthood.  How many times in Scripture are parents instructed to "train," "discipline," and "correct" their children?  And yet, as my firstborn (Abel) grew and the sin nature began to rear its ugly head in him, I often found myself growing weary of training, disciplining, and correcting; and at those times I was very tempted to simply ignore the wrong behavior of my son because it was easier than dealing with it.

I'm not going to claim that I've never given into that temptation.  I have.  It's hard to be consistent and persistent.  BUT, as I continually realize, it's worth it.

Tonight I was sitting in the kitchen with Abel, now 3 1/2 years old; and as we visited and laughed together, my heart was blessed.  His polite words, his happy countenance, his sincere laugh... it was pleasant to be in his company.  And I was reminded of a promise in Scripture that I have been clinging to for a few years:  "Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; he will also delight your soul" (Proverbs 29:17).

I am so glad that God has given (and is giving) me the wisdom and the patience to persevere in parenthood.  I am glad that giving into the temptation to ignore wrong behavior has not been par for the course of my parenting, because as Scripture says, "a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother" (Proverbs 29:15).


I am thankful for a son who gives me comfort and who delights my soul.  My Abel.  I love him.

The Eating and the Meeting: A Couple Updates...

It's 9:30 p.m., and all four kids are finally in bed. Three-part grocery list in hand, I head out the door for my weekly, kid-free grocery shopping trip. But this trip will be unlike others before. This time, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I arrive at the store and start in my comfort zone. Bananas... check. Apples... check. Potatoes... check. The "Non-Health Market" section of my grocery list is soon complete. As I make my way into the inner aisles of the store, I refer to the "Check Labels First" section of my grocery list. I begin reading labels and trying to recall what I've learned about high fructose corn syrup and refined flour and things I can't pronounce. Unsweetened applesauce... check. Spaghetti sauce... check. Baked beans... better not. Graham cracker pie crust... yikes!

Next I arrive in uncharted territory--The Health Market. I enter the first aisle where I am now officially out of my comfort zone. I look at the "Health Market" section of my list and then back at the shelves. I find myself standing there staring, lost in a foreign world of foreign name brands and foreign packaging. My eyes scan every box, carton, can, and bag, looking for something... anything... that might be on my list. With no possible way of even pretending that I know what I'm doing, I am suddenly thankful to be standing alone and out of sight. Bread crumbs... bread crumbs.... BREAD CRUMBS!... Check! Now for xanthan gum. What in the world is xanthan gum?....

And so, three list sections and two hours later, I finally arrived back home with my ($80 worth of) groceries. (Yes, it really did take me two hours to buy twenty items.)

Other than spending lots of time in the grocery store (Ha!), the past couple weeks since we started changing our diet have gone well! In order to help me feel less overwhelmed and more successful, I came up with some specific eating/cooking goals for November/December. These include

1. Do not cook with sugar. Use natural sweeteners such as raw honey or real maple syrup instead. (I also bought some Stevia and some organic evaporated cane juice crystals so I will have a wider range of natural sweeteners on hand as I learn what works best in different types of recipes.)
2. Make my own bread using healthy ingredients. (My bread-making deserves a post of its own, so hopefully there will be more to come on this.) :-)
3. Find healthier snacking alternatives. (I'm still working on this. So far I've been snacking on gluten-free crackers (I don't even know what gluten is, by the way....), stovetop-popped popcorn with sea salt, homemade bread with butter or organic peanut butter and raw honey, and fresh fruit.)
4. Make my own butter. ( I hope to try this sometime this week!)
5. And, of course, break my sugar addiction! (The first week or so of not eating chocolate or ice cream--my primary sugar sources--was a little hard. I found that I had a pretty persistent dull headache and felt extremely tired and even a little bit depressed for several days--all of which I assume was from the lack of sugar--but now that I'm through that, my cravings for chocolate have weakened and become fewer and farther between!)

I have also tried a couple new recipes and hope to do more of this as I gradually get my pantry re-stocked with healthier items. I have to keep reminding myself to take this a couple steps at a time! All in all, I'm having a lot of fun re-learning how to cook (and how to grocery shop!). I'm gaining knowledge and humility and self-control, and I'm even losing a few pounds in the meantime. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, some people have been asking for an update on our meeting with the Mormons who came knocking on our door. They did return on Saturday afternoon as planned, and I guess I feel that things went pretty well. Travis and I pretty much just let them do their first teaching, and we asked good questions along the way. I thought Travis did an especially good job of speaking Truth in his responses to the young men. Our discussion never became argumentative in any way, and they seemed to be very respectful of our beliefs. We left the door open for them to return with the thinking that more opportunities for us to speak the Truth will arise in future discussions. Thanks to all who prayed for us and them! I will update again if a second meeting is indeed scheduled.

A Knock at the Door

Dear friends,

This afternoon a couple Mormon missionaries came knocking on my door.  When I opened the door and found two young, well-dressed men standing on the other side, I immediately knew who they were and why they had come.  As they began to speak, God filled me with a confidence that seemed to override my "fear of man," and I stood and visited with them for a few minutes before inviting them to return tomorrow afternoon for a friendly, spiritual discussion.  I ask that you please be in prayer for this meeting which we scheduled for 1:30 tomorrow.  Please pray that Travis and I will speak with wisdom and grace and that a seed of Truth will be planted in the hearts of these two young men.  May God be glorified....

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."  ~Colossians 4:5-6

His Provision

How many of you have ever had an unexpected, not-bugeted-for expense?  The car breaks down, the sump pump quits, the refrigerator has to be replaced.... Large or small, the expense was not planned for and you have made no provision for it.

Travis and I have had our share of unexpected expenses in the four years we've been married.  We had to replace the A/C compressor on our car--and then replace it again a year later.  We had to buy four new car tires to replace the one-year-old ones that had worn so unevenly they were ruined.  We had to replace the control panel on our two-year-old clothes dryer.  To be honest, I can't remember all the unexpected expenses we've had pop up.  But I can remember this:  Every time we've had an unexpected expense, we've had an unexpected extra source of income.

Here's the latest example.  At the end of September, we privately sold Travis' commuter car (which happened to be the car I had brought into the marriage).  The buyer handed us cash, I signed off on the title, and the deal was done... or so we thought.  About a week ago we found out that in order for the car to be sold in Iowa (where we live), it had to be titled in Iowa.  Because there was a lien on my car when I moved from Nebraska to Iowa, the car still had a Nebraska title.  So when the car's new owner tried to have the title put in her name and couldn't, we found out that we would have to pay for an Iowa title on a car that wasn't even ours anymore (Well, technically it was still ours because a car titled in Nebraska can't be sold in Iowa....).  Anyway, I was immediately disappointed to learn of this unexpected expense and had no idea what it would cost or where the money would come from.

In the meantime, Travis was summoned for jury duty.  Because he is a salaried employee, he wouldn't lose money for the missed time at work; and he would be paid $30 a day for jury duty.  Thirty dollars times a couple days minus a couple lunches comes out to more than enough to cover the $34 title and registration fee.

Granted, the expense was much less than I had originally feared it might be, and it could even have been paid out of our normal salary; but that is not the point.  The point is that when we had an unexpected expense, God once again provided us with an unexpected extra source of income.

Why do I ever worry, even if only for a moment?  God knows what we need, and He has always been faithful to provide it.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth.  For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?  And why are you worried about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do no toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow in thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?  You of little faith!  Do not worry then, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear for clothing?"  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:24-33)

For more neat stories of God's provision, check out The Crunchy Mommy or ask my friend Melissa about the chapstick and the dish soap. :-)