The Cutest Post-It

Take a look at this unrefusable request (and I made a new word!):

"4 Logan Play game with mommy Ticket"

Love it.  Here is how this aspired.  As a motivator --for my boys, in their spelling work they can receive stars.  Reason it started is twofold, first to deflect the whine that often came along with it, but also to encourage the stopping of slopping on their paper.  Once I looked at a paper and said…”kind of looks like a chicken ran over your paper…what happened?”  So, stars.  Yes.  Stars make it exciting!  Stars make it all worth the pain.  Cause once they collect enough they can turn it in for a fun drink at the coffee shop…or if the collect double enough they can turn it in for a (small) lego set.  And this was grand.
Until…
One evening during bed time Logy wanted to spend time with me, late… too late.  Told him he needed to head to bed.  Sad eyes.  Oh, such sad eyes.  Heart melting.  OK, grab post-it.  I write a “time with mommy,” ticket.  And explained the concept.  Next morning he turns in ticket, the other two boys spy us playing a goofy game on the computer.  They discovered the secret.  And what a novel idea…they were thinking...I come to find later as they ask if they may start trading in their stars for these novel “time with mom,” tickets.  So sweet.  And really, how can you say no to that.  You can’t.
This little story magnifies something that has been on my heart often lately.  They need my time, my one on one undistracted --attention.  Need it.  It’s so important, and there are so many things competing for our time.  Really, too many.  And it can be so easy to skip the most important things--quality time--cause this is not screaming in our face “NEED TO BE DONE!”  nope.  It just quietly gets ignored.  Pushed off.  Oh, I can do that later.  After dishes. . . Laundry. . .Dinner.  And on, and on, and on.  And quality time can silently. . .cease to exist.

Choose Feelings or Feelings Choose

Did you ever wake up in the  morning…with the feeling of downcast...ick for no apparent reason?  That was me--this morning.  No reason.  Wished I would have stayed up when I awoke earlier--when I had the -ready to go- feeling.   But the need for sleep trumped that…and that leaves me back to the -ick for no reason-.  Did I have a bad dream?  Hormones?  Weird.  Here is the real trouble, how do you kick it?  (Ha-ha…kick the ick...sorry.)
I guess there are a few “health” things I could have tried, but I tend to take awhile for my brain to get into action in the morn.
 But perhaps this is a mild version of a larger issue that we all face.  Our feelings.  They can lie.  They can go crazy.  Or control.  Be a roller coaster.  The list goes on.  Let’s face it our feelings can take us a whole lot of places we don’t want to go.   And what can make it worse is when we impose them on to others.  You think something about someone cause you think that they think (feel) this certain way about you--and it has nothing to do with them.  Excepting in your mind.  I wish I could just put off these bad feelings. . . Oh, wait - I can!  Funny though cause in the moment when the “I can” occurs in my mind I want to shoo it away.
 But I should not.
Choose to put the feelings off.  Sit on the couch.  Two boys are up.  Not ready for start mode.  So I read (my reading) out loud to them.  This is good.  We relax.  Sometimes that can help the putting off of the feeling.  And it does…eventually.  Life is too important to keep the ick on.

^{Colossians 3:9-10, 12-15}

  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator...

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

To my own demise I fed my kiddos an unhealthy lunch yesterday afternoon.  At this time still a half day of school to go.  Zero attention span.  Little on the wild side.  A little more than normal.  But it was my own fault.  I fed them what they usually don’t eat.
So it’s valentine’s day!!  Thankfully I chose healthy snacks.  Cause they will likely be gone before noon.  Think the day will be good.  And we found this great book-the true story behind the day.  Love these kind of things.  Real History--in a fun way.

Ok..the chocolates aren't as healthy...but they are good for mental health:)  So fun to have little surprises for the kids today...and a little "recycled" monster for their valentine card.

Loving these books: Click for a link to the Book

Behind Closed Doors

Are you the same person-- when everyone is gone and the door is shut?  Only your kids or husband remain.  It is a struggle isn't it.  -Why- can we be the worst to the ones we love the most.  It is in the minutes that we can fall apart.  Let’s not forget . . It is a choice.
Scream.  Fight.  Say whatever hurts the most.  Bring up the past.  Really? Why do we resort to it.

I’ll never forget…telling a friend once: “I decided I wasn’t going to fight/argue anymore (with my husband).”  She busted out laughing!  Here I am “…what…I . .was . . Serious.”  So she burst again in laughter.  Goofy little story--for Sure.  Really though, I’m so glad I made that choice.  Not to say Kyle and I never disagree, or debate. .or come close to a fight (anymore).  But-when you consciously make that decision, it makes a world of difference.  You begin to do things like:  Bite your tongue.  Agree to disagree (and be o.k. with that!).  Drop it, then try to discuss at a less heated moment. Die to self.  …You get the idea.  Oh, and . .pray.

Recently I have been specifically aiming to teach my daughter to be this.  To be - genuine.  13(y.o.) and all the change that goes with it-I know it can be a struggle.  As I try, a few weeks back to teach her this. . .in part am teaching myself too.  Genuine.  So important.  Let me not forget.

Challenge:  Go through the entire day pretending your dear friend is sitting in the kitchen.  Or pretending there is a video cam that you and all your friends will watch together at the end of the day.  Are you the same behind closed doors?  Try it!

Do we really "Believe God" if we fail to live in His presence?

Proverbs 22:4

NIV1984

 ⁴ Humility and the fear of the LORD 

   bring wealth and honor and life.

“I Can Play the Background..”

An awaited night.  After missing Lecrae two recent times that he has been in the area, we were on our way …to Madison.  My Kaleb (7) has been waiting and hoping and wanting to see him for quite some time, he-loves-music.  So do I.  Really--have been wanting to take him.  Know it would be so joyful.  We get there.  Sold out.  Ugh.  Although… there were two tickets my brother-in-law offered us--who happens to live in Madison.

Well yes-seven of us drove.  But, if only two--I could still take Kaleb in.  It works.  We are in.  Him and me.  Kaleb, sweet Kaleb is taking it all in.  Very Energetic show.  I love to dance (most people don’t know this) and can hardly sit still--the 1 seat we could find, we were sharing.  Him on my lap.  Standing?  No-he wanted to sit, moving with the music?--hmm-not too much, he wanted to sit.  Good view though.  Interesting for me, if I’m at a live concert I stand, I move (a lot).

And the song plays, “I can Play the Background..,“ and I know why I’m there.  Not cause I love music, not because I enjoy concerts or Lecrae.  I’m there for my boy.  My life isn’t about me, and I am grateful to play the background (and sit and be still), because isn’t that what we are called to do?  “More of You and less of me.”  I am a dreamer, so much so you could call me the dreamer.  There are so many things in my life I have wanted to do or become, the list would be-ridiculous.  But the thing is God has never asked me to live out my dreams, I think that is the call of our culture, and Disney movies--but not the call of God or the effect of becoming more Christ-like.

Oh yea, so what did Kyle and the five others do?  Sit in the parking lot?  Oh-no,  he’s Kyle, he chatted with someone and they let him in…

Click here for the song -Lecrae

and here's a few lyrics..

I had a dream that I was captain of my soul

I was master of my fate, lost control. and then I sank

So I don't want to take the lead, 'cause I'm prone to make mistakes

All the folks who follow me, going end up in the wrong place

So let me just shadow you, let me trace your lines

Matter of fact, just take my pen, here, you create my rhymes

'Cause if I do this by myself, I'm scared that I'll succeed

And no longer trust in you, 'cause I only trust in me

And see, that's how you end up headed to destruction

Paving a road to nowhere, pour your life out for nothing

You pulled my card, I'm bluffing, You know what's in my hand

Me, I'm just going to trust you, You cause the dice to land

I'm in control of nothing, follow you at any cost

Some call it sovereign will, all I know is you the boss

Man, I'm so at ease, I'm so content

I'll play the background, like it's an instrument

On a Lighthearted note..

After the last post, I'm thinking lighthearted is good for today!
So…the things your friends put you up to!!..jk.  Although, I will say making 50 cards (for a swap) is not exactly something I have ever done.  Nor, was I set up to do.  And since these lovely little things kept me up till the wee hours of the morning…mostly because I tend to wait until the last minute, (my excuse for that is I work well under pressure)--and at that as long as no one is watching me--I will share.   Now that’s what I call a run on sentence, but I’m an adult so I can do that!!

See that sweet little purple one?  Taylor did that-if I knew she could do that she may have done…oh, 49 more.  So maybe that was a good thing that it was one of the last…haha.

If you look closely at the bottom left...mess?  No it can't be...well the bench was clean..

Well they are goofy little things..but kind of cute:)  Crafting is probably not something you'll see to often with me, not cause i don't enjoy it-but generally don't have much time to do it.  Maybe someday, homemade things are pretty neat.