Spring Favorite

I found the coolest snack drink yesterday.  It's the Dole Smoothie Shaker.  You purchase the plastic smoothie contraption with the frozen whatever inside, add juice, shake it up, and somehow you end up with a fantastic smoothie--like the kind that could rival Jamba Juice.  I have no idea how or why it works, but this is becoming my new favorite spring trend.  After all, they're saying we're going to hit the 90's this week...

Big Girls Like Tea Parties Too

 
So technically, I didn't officially celebrate National Princess Week last week.  But I did attend a large (and lovely) tea party.  The ladies at my church threw a rather lavish party on Saturday morning and invited a special guest to lead worship and share from her heart during our party.  It was fantastic!

Each table at our event was sponsored by a woman in the church who apparently got the memo that this was a very Southern event.  The room was covered in china and bling!  Each table had it's own flashy china pattern with matching tea pots and fine cutlery.  And of course there were flowers EVERYWHERE.  Not only that, but there were silk flowers, pictures of flowers, curtains with flowers, and flower, flowers,  more flowers!  I'm telling you this event was sooooo Southern.  To top it off, our menu came directly from Southern Living Magazine.  Yummy!  (Unfortunately, it never crossed my mind to take pictures).

The amazing thing about this event was the fact that it reflected the multi-generational population of our new church. At my table, we had a woman from every life stage--a grandmother, a mom of college/high school kids, a mom of elementary/middle schoolkids, a toddler mom, an expectant mom, a newlywed, and a mother who was cracking us up telling us how nervous she was about her oldest child's upcoming nuptials.  It was so fun to share a morning with what seemed like a random group of women.  But it wasn't random at all.  We may not have known each other well, but we all found ways that our lives connected.  And I know that I was encouraged by my new friends.

Historically, I've been a little hesitant to attend ladies' functions. But I was reminded this weekend how refreshing fellowship can be when we share our lives with other Christian women who are filled with the love of Jesus! 

A Girl Can Dream...

I hope you're having a dreamy week filled with cupcakes, tea parties, long silk dresses, and Prince Charmings.  Oh, did I forget to mention that it's National Princess Week?  We don't actually celebrate this week at our home (I mean, muddy back porches, trains, and dump trucks really don't mesh with princesses).  As a girl, I can only dream about how much fun this week could be for a mommy and her little girl or an aunt and her nieces.  (I'm really hoping that my brother will give me a niece!) 

Anyway, for all of you women out there, I hope that you get a few hours this week to be a princess.  Watch the Princess Diaries, The Princess Bride, or Sleeping Beauty and enjoy being a girl this week.  And may you all live happily ever after!

The Mommy Wars are Still Raging!

I think I almost fell off my bed yesterday morning while watching the news when I heard what a famous Democrat said about Ann Romney.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you really need to watch the news--it was everywhere yesterday.)  Anyway, this lady said that Mrs. Romney has no business telling her husband how women feel about the economy since Mrs. Romney never worked a day in her life.  Thus, inferring that women who stay at home with their children don't have a clue about the economy.  Oh Puleeeeze!

As a stay-at-home mom, I am most definitely in touch with the economy.  I may not go to the office everyday, but I don't live in a bubble.  I buy groceries.  I get gas.  I know how expensive it would be to send my children to day care, preschools or private school.  I write the checks to pay our medical bills.  I go to the pharmacy and buy our medication. I decide whether I can afford to get my child an Easter outfit.  I decide whether I can afford to sign him up for museum school.  Trust me, being a stay-at-home mom definitely qualifies me to have an opinion on the economy.  After all, my family income is significantly less than it would be if I didn't stay home.  I live in the economy every day.

I don't understand why working women have such a problem with stay-at-home moms.  And on the same note, I don't understand why many stay-at-home mommies seem to have a grudge against working moms.  As a hybrid--working mom who stays home all day, I get to experience the best and worst of both lifestyle choices.  Regardless of what a woman chooses, her decision isn't easy and she'll always wonder what life would be like on the other side of the fence.  And for those of us in the middle, straddling the fence is tricky.  You have no idea how hard it is for me to explain to other mommies why play dates don't fit well into my schedule while also explaining to my co-workers why it's really hard for me to drop everything for unscheduled meetings in the office.   Being a mom is hard in general.  Let's stop making harder on each other.

It is my experience that being a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean that you're a dummy.  After all, I've met some very brilliant professionals who have given up careers to take on the challenge of running their homes.  I've also met some uneducated, yet creative mommies who could have been amazingly successful "in the real world" but chose to express their creativity in the home.  All of these women have something to contribute to society.  We all have opinions and experiences that we can use to teach each other.  So let's not decide a woman's worth based upon whether or not she gets a paycheck.  After all, as Hilary Rosen proved herself yesterday, some women who get paychecks would be better off keeping their uneducated opinions to themselves!

The Easter Egg Hunt

 

Maybe I'm a bad mother.  Maybe I'm extremely lazy.  Or maybe I really didn't want to tread through the grass at church in my 3 inch heels on Sunday, but I actually really wanted it to rain on Sunday so we could avoid the church Easter Egg Hunt.

On Good Friday, we had a cute little Easter party with some friends, and we had a nice egg hunt in their backyard.  This "practice" egg hunt was very educational for me.  For one thing, I discovered that my youngest child could care less about picking up eggs.  He loved his basket.  He loved the cookies at the party.  And he really loved my friend's dog.  But what you can't see in the above photos, is that his basket is empty.  His loyal older brother had to pick up extra eggs to share.  The Friday party was perfect the guys.  The kiddos were all cute and sweet, and there were no "big kids" to spoil the fun.

But then Sunday rolled around.  It was nasty outside and it occurred to me that rain might spoil the church egg hunt.  To be honest, that was fine with me.  I had visions of my shoes sinking into the ground and getting stuck.  I had visions of my youngest having an empty basket and crying.  And I had visions of my oldest child getting pushed around by eager "big kids."  My sweet little boys aren't quite old enough (or mean enough) to hang with the big kids in an egg hunt.  And I worried about this all through church.

Then I heard it.  At first it was a light patter on the church roof.  But by the end of the service, it was practically monsooning outside.  It was perfect!  Yeah for rain!

And then some smart person announced that the annual egg hunt had been moved to the youth building!  Can you imagine a hundred children running around the old sanctuary chasing eggs?  The thought of it gave me a migraine.  That said, it did cross my mind that I might be a bad parent if I pretended that the egg hunt was off for good.  I couldn't lie to my boys.  So Dear Husband and I crafted a plan.

When we picked our oldest up from his Sunday School class we asked him if he would rather go get his Easter basket from Grandma's house or go pick up eggs.  Much to our relief, he wanted to go to Grandma's.  And that's where we went.

So yes.  I skipped the church egg hunt this year.  Maybe I'm a bad parent.  Maybe I don't like other people's kids pushing around my kids.  Or maybe one egg hunt is plenty for the year.  The good news is that at this point, my boys haven't even asked about Easter eggs.  And of course, my high heels still look good.

Have a Blessed Easter!

I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.

I know that He is living, whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He's always near.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,

And though my heart grows weary I never will despair.

I know that He is leading, thro' all the stormy blast;

The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, so good and kind. 

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

A Bitter Heart Can't Forgive

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:30-32

Have you ever noticed yourself grimace when another person mentions someone else's name.  Come on, don't we all have "that person" in our past who has damaged us in some way?  Haven't we all been the brunt of "that person's" cruel jokes?  Or haven't we all been the victim of "that person's" gossip? 

The other day someone mentioned "that person's" name and I remember rolling my eyes when I heard this name.  I'm so over this person's hurtful behavior.  OR AM I?  It occurred to me that if I have truly forgiven this person, then hearing their name should not elicit a moan from my inner brain or an eye roll.  For the record, "that person" could actually be any one of a handful of people from my past.

It's possible that I'm no longer angry with said persons, but I might be harboring some bitterness towards them.  If that's the case, then I haven't really forgiven these people.  I have been so proud of myself for not retaliating against these people over the years and for "taking the high road."  But it never occurred to me that true forgiveness DOES NOT go hand in hand with bitterness.  I guess I haven't really forgiven these people.

I've had to do some reevaluating this week as I've meditated on Ephesians 4.  I've been called to forgive others in the same way that God has forgiven me.  And forgiveness includes getting rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.  God has called me to do more than just ignore the sin and not retaliate.  He's called me to let it go and to forgive unconditionally. 

It may not be easy to "put on" this forgiveness.  But in Christ, I have been given a new self created in the likeness of God, created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (v.24).  I have been given the Holy Spirit, which enables me to forgive in this unhumanlike way described in Ephesians 4. 

Oh how freeing it is to let go of that bitter taste in my heart and to freely forgive.  And how convicting is it to realize that God has forgiven me for so much more.

Don't Pick Bluebonnets? (Part 2)

Someone sent me an e-mail this morning that was pretty funny in light of yesterday's blog post where I explained that it is not illegal to pick bluebonnets.  Let's just say that after you see these pictures, you might understand why Texans make a big deal about NOT picking bluebonnets.  Maybe the tall tale has served Texans well...

I didn't even attach the grossest picture!  But I think you get the point.  Be careful around the Texas Bluebonnets and don't mess with Texas.

Don't Pick the Bluebonnets?

When I moved to Texas, I was informed that there are some interesting rules that apply only in Texas.  For example, the State flag is the only flag that can fly as high as the US flag, we can secede from the Union whenever we want, and no one is permitted to pick Bluebonnets because it's illegal to pick the state flower.  The last rule about not picking bluebonnets has always made me wonder how it is that people across the state manage to park their cars along highways and take family photos in the bluebonnets without getting into trouble.  Doesn't it seem like some bluebonnets are going to get smashed or suffocated during these photo sessions?  Can these people get tickets for disturbing the bluebonnets?

For years, I've wanted to take family photos in the bluebonnets but wasn't sure how legal the process was.  So let me dispel a huge Texas myth: According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, it is NOT illegal to pick the Texas bluebonnets.  However, it is illegal to trespass and to disturb large portions of state property (like in medians.) But it is not illegal to sit on bluebonnets, take pictures in the bluebonnets, or to pick them.  So if you're thinking about taking family photos in the fields around the airport or in front of a business, beware that you can be ticketed for trespassing--just not for damaging our state flower.

Fortunately for our family, we don't have to trespass to enjoy photos in the flowers.  Some neighbor very smartly must have dropped bluebonnet seeds in our neighborhood's common area greenbelt, because we've started seeing large patches of bluebonnets for the last few years.  And this year, I finally got some photos.  Too bad my subjects weren't as interested in taking pictures as I was.  But aren't they cute?

So the next time you hear a tall tale from a Texan, be sure to check it out before believing it.  And hopefully you too can enjoy the bluebonnets this year.  Just be sure to have some Shout on hand, because I also learned that bluebonnets leave a nice blue stain on clothes! (Thankfully, I was able to Shout it out!)

Brotherly Love

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. I Thessalonians 4:9
 

My boys have suddenly decided that they need to do everything together.  They insist on sleeping in the same room and going to bed at the same time.  They cry if they don't get to ride in the same car.  They beg me to let them go to class together at church (which does happen on Wednesday nights).  And they throw a fit if one child gets to go play in the backyard without his brother.  This new phenomenon of wanting to include each other in everything really fascinates me.

We intentionally had our boys close together in age so that our children would be friends.  But we had no idea that two little boys could develop a bond so quickly.  We started noticing signs of this special relationship when they were really little, but the depth of their love and attachment to each other has become visible more recently.

Not long ago, our oldest child was afraid to go play at the park because there were older children there.  Sensing his big brother's hesitation, the little one grabbed the older one's hand and walked with him to the park.  I mean, how cute is that?  But how much more amazing is it that a not-quite 2 year old could understand what the older brother needed!

Similarly, our youngest son is having issues adjusting to his big boy bed.  He insists on roaming around the room at night and often cries.  Our oldest son, however, seems to understand his brother's insecurities when it comes to being out of the confines of the crib.  Thus, if the little one is heading off to bed, our oldest insists on going to bed (in the same room) with him.  There's nothing cuter than hearing a 3 year old assure his 1 year old brother that it will be ok and that he needs to go back to sleep.

There's no doubt in my mind that these boys love each other.  They may argue and get upset with each other over a toy, but at the end of the day, they want to be together and to encourage one another.  What an awesome example of love for us!  This makes me wonder, do I love my Christian brothers and sisters with this type of love?  Am I willing to hold other peoples' hands during their scary situations?  Am I willing to "be there" when my brothers and sisters need encouragement?

Isn't it funny how God can use little ones to teach us such profound truths?  I'm definitely rethinking my response toward other people.  How much more would my brothers and sisters in Christ benefit if I loved them in the same way that my boys love each other?  It's amazing to think about how God can use us if we just obey his commands.  So why not try out a little brotherly love?