On God's clock.

I find it so relaxing to sit here tonight after a day of several oh so joyous events. I feel like Mr. Roger's coming in with a smile and a warm greeting, taking off his sweater and in a calm voice saying... "Hi, welcome in!" Now, understand, my version may not be exactly what you saw on the show. I am taking off the sweater because a 5 month old projectile vomited on me like some scene from The Exorcist. My calm voice consists of a less than quiet bellow up the stairs that I was soon to punish whomever left the ice cube on the floor that melted into a small lake just big enough for me to slip in, and my "welcome in" is not quite as mellow. Does "Shut that door or the cats will get out!!! See you left it open to long and the cat got out. Get in this house!" count?
Serene I know. You, too, can achieve this harmonious level of calm. Let me tell you how to accomplish this. First, set your alarm 10 minutes later and not give any time for your morning chat with God. Then drink enough coffee to fuel a 747... and put a 2,4, and 7 year old bickering in the background on top of that. The tension is melting away already I can tell. Remember to take everything personally because the 5 month old threw up on you just because he knew you were bored. And the unholy level of foulness that came out of that small beings diaper was just a treat because what better way to say I love you than a diaper that clears a room. Now that's special.
And because I know not one woman out there needs a moment to herself, be sure that one child wakes up right as the others are falling asleep after crying for 20 minutes that the Dora nightgown is dirty.
So, what have we learned today? Well, I know one thing is FOR SURE. When I do not make time in my day for God to speak to me and work through me it is AWFUL. God created everything in this world... including time. We owe Him some every single day without exception. He does not care where you are but He does care that you focus on Him. The rest of your day can be as peaceful as mine was(which, had I given Him time earlier, I wouldn't have been ill prepared for my day) .... So bottom line is this... we are all on God's clock before anyone else's even when there is vomit or poo involved. Trust me, I needed prayer after that today. So, mommas out there grab a loofah, some lemon scented Clorox(because it is the only thing that gets you clean afer a day of kids) and treat yourselves to a cleansing shower. If you haven't talked to God today, please do it now!

Where oh where does the time go?

Well, dear followers, I have not given you 5 minutes in many days. My June Cleaverness gets worse and worse. Whats a girl to do? Grab your coffee and have a seat... we have much to discuss.
Life goes so fast and we rarely slow down anymore to enjoy it. Last week, the people of Nashville lost one of the best newsmen anywhere. Dan Miller passed away last week quickly and left everyone in shock. I have watched Mr. Miller on the news almost every night since I was little. He was always on air every night with my family telling us what was important that day. He was just ALWAYS there every day... without a doubt. Then one day he was gone. It just is not the same. It was like losing a member of the family in a way. Well, that got me thinking. How do a wife and a young daughter grasp the fact that he was taken with out notice? Do the people in our lives know how we feel about them? His death put my life into perspective in a flash. Our Father could call us home at any moment without notice.
We all know every second of every day that we are 100% loved by God. His love is not doubted. Can people in your life say the same? If someone you love was taken today, would you know that they knew what was in your heart? Time has a way of changing the dynamics of a relationship. The role of parent and child is constantly evolving. Its a growing and changing relationship that bends at time's will. Friends can come and go. Some you think will be in your life forever, and others actually are there for the long haul. Each year brings new blessings, challenges and tests of bonds. The things that seem so big today mean nothing in 5 years. Little things left unattended can fester and grow into a raging bull out of hand.
It all goes back to time. We have all the time in the world and yet none of it is guaranteed. This may be your last day on this Earth. Which has meandered us to our daily challenge my loyal readers... all 3 of you! (I am an acquired taste and you are all brilliant for getting my wit. It is my humility that draws people in! Ha. Big fan of the inner dialogue, yet?)
Take your 5 minutes today and think of things in your life that may be unfinished or out of balance. Is everything how you want it to be in your life? That "Going to get to it someday" list that have have lying around collecting dust(don't deny it because I have one too) will not wait for time. Make a call or let go of something that is weighing on your heart. Tomorrow is NOT a guarantee. It is a gift from God, and we owe it to HIM to make the most of every second we have the privileged of living on this Earth.
I watched my son take his first Lord's Supper on Easter, and it hit me how blessed I am. So, I am trying to find pleasure in those mundane tasks that I hate some days. I get to wash the dirty socks of the little boy who is healthy enough to run and play in to get them stinky. I have the money to buy milk for the little princess who spills it all over my clean carpet. I get to be wrapped in the arms of the sweaty man who sometimes comes home grumpy from working hard all day to provide for us. Those dirty dishes in the sink are there at the end of the day because we are lucky enough to all be back at the table for another night together. Life is truly grand! So to all of you in my life that love me for all of my flaws and have help me be who I am and who I am becoming... I sincerely thank you. Love is free but priceless!

Virgin voyage into blogging!

Good morning, all you stay at home moms out there! This is my 1st official post to all of the other sanity starved mom's out there. Do you ever feel that you are gradually slipping into the abyss of never ending laundry, cleaning, carpool, and soccer games? Well, then dive in and serve up a slice of great ideas for YOU today. No, it is not too much to ask for 5 whole minutes to sit down and do something constructive for yourself today.
On my maiden voyage into cyberspace, I will give you some info on my little corner of the world. I am a stay at home mom(SAHM) of a 7 year old boy, and a 4 year old girl. My husband and I have been married for almost 8 years now. I am in knee deep with the daily struggles of providing great care for my kids and still maintaining some sense of what makes ME tick... what a struggle. But enough about me today, there is plenty of time for the craziness I call normal life...Ha. (Note to self: look up definition of normal. It seems to change daily. lol. Inner dialogue is highly under appreciated these days)
Everyday, I wake up with grand dreams of being June Cleaver, but somewhere between cleaning up after little hands, figuring out where the electric bill money will come from this month, and getting a perfect meal on the table by 5:30... I end up more like June Cleaver strung out on caffeine with no make up and burnt rolls in the oven for dinner! I tend to call the burnt rolls "tan" in my house. For all of you that don't know, there are levels to the degree of burned your dinner is... tan is perfectly acceptable if you add ketchup!
So, today, my challenge for all of us is simple! Take 5 minutes today... just 5 minutes. Put the kids down for a nap or put in a video(yes TV is OK, no matter what anyone says) and spend 5 minutes praying for God to show you what He has in store for you. So many times in my life, I have prayed for specifics that I thought would make my life better. What I didn't "get" was that I was praying for the wrong things. Today, ask for God to show you blessings that you may not see and to let His will take over in your life. It is amazing what God can reveal to you if you just allow Him to work in your life.
Motherhood, marriage, maintaining a sense of SELF is a daily challenge for all of us these days. Make a pledge to yourself to let God take some of it. The time you save on worrying can free up special time to spend with your kids or husband. See what difference your 5 minutes make in your life today. Let's get through these crazy times together ladies. Like my little Superman up there... your strength to get through the rough patches will grow as your faith grows!