Vacation or bust

Some of you might not know this, but my family and I do not go on a lot of vacations.  We have not had the opportunity to go on vacation just the 5 of us in a really long time.  To be completely honest, the last vacation that we took just with our family was when Bill and I took our oldest daughter to Atlanta when we got married.   Two kids, a house, a dog and a lifetime later we have just returned home from Frankenmuth!  We had a great time!

Side note:  I am so incredibly thankful for my family who so generously shares with us the opportunity to go with them to the family cottage in the summer so that we can enjoy a vacation with our entire extended family.  :)

Early Thursday morning, we threw all of our luggage into the car and made the hour and half drive to Frankenmuth Splash Village.  This hotel was amazing.  The hotel has an incredible splash pad with water slides and dumping buckets, etc.  The splash village had so many components that for the three days we were there we hardly ever stopped swimming and we never got bored.

I of course, having gone to Frankenmuth as a kid  wanted to go to the Chicken dinner and walk around in the little shops for a few hours to do some window shopping.   Our second day there we dragged the kids out of the pool and all got dressed and went into downtown.  The event started off a little rough because the baby was so tired and she kept attempting to crawl out of her stroller.     After about 40 minutes of window shopping we decided just to go to dinner because the kids were starting to whine and the baby was hungry.  

I have to admit in a perfect world, I would have made it to all the shops and made my kids try the chocolate cheese which tastes terrible.  Alas, the kids had different plans so we went straight to dinner.

At dinner the seams started to unravel.  Samantha began to cry.   She cried at the drop of a hat.  If she didn't like what was brought to the table she cried, if a crayon fell on the floor she was distraught, if Phebe even looked at her she had tears streaming down her face.    Phebe added to the fun by having an attitude about chicken.  If the chicken even dared to touch her plate, she would....  I don't know what would have actually happened if the chicken touched her plate.   Claire of course, seized the opportunity to add to the fun.  She grabbed anything within a 3 foot radius and chucked it on the floor, or at Bill.  She was throwing herself out of the booster seat and climbing the walls of the booth.   To top it off Claire got a bloody nose right there at the table.

As you can imagine my rope was unraveling fast.   We just wanted to go to one nice dinner.  Why were my normally well behaved kids acting like a pack of wild hyenas?

"We just can't have nice things."  I said to Bill as I burst out laughing.   He responded with something equally as funny and we laughed.  How could I not laugh?  We had officially hit that point on vacation where the kids are so tired that everything causes a meltdown and all they need is a good nights sleep.  We cleaned our stuff up from the table, and went back to the hotel.  On our way back, I reveled in the fact that I had now experienced another parenting moment.  An important milestone.  And I thanked God for giving me the humor to enjoy it.

Random Acts of Prayer

I love my mom.  One of the things that she taught me as a child was to pray fervently.   She prayed in the car, the shower, at the table, even in her frustration she prayed out loud.   This is one of the most important traditions that I hope to pass down to my children.   I admit that I am a fervent prayer.   I do not always, however pray out loud.  I think because my mother was such a powerful woman of God I have often times felt intimidated to pray out loud.   I am working on getting over this fear, however, and here are some of the ways I am trying to seize the opportunity to pray.

1.  Every time we hear a siren.  This one my mom passed down to me.  We always took a moment to pray for the emergency teams whenever we saw an accident, or heard some sirens driving by.

2.  Prayers of praise.  It is surprisingly simple to stop and pray a short prayer of thanks multiple times a day.  My kids love this one because we thank God for the good things that have happened all day.

3.  License plate prayers.  This is a new one that I absolutely love.  I pray for people that are driving with me.  It started a few weeks ago when I noticed the same license plate of a little old man who is always on route with me in the morning.  I see his car a few times a week and whenever I do I pray for the man who drives the car with license plate XXX XXX.  I have branched out and on every drive I pick one person I see and pray for them.  You never know what God is going to do with that prayer.  

4. Facebook prayers.  I pray for friends on facebook.  I pray for everyone who I see is having a bad day, or a struggle.  Sometimes I pray for someone who is having a great day, but facebook keeps us so connected why not use it for prayer?

5.  Praying out loud with groups of people.  One of the things I have learned is that praying out loud is more important than worrying about the words, or if I stumble over what to say.  It doesn't matter if I am the most eloquent and well spoken person in the room.  Lifitng up my voice to the Lord is enough.

6.  PUSH prayers.  This is a new idea that a friend gave me.  Basically, PUSH stands for Pray Until Something Happens.  I have a list of 5 PUSH prayers.  I pray for these 5 things constantly, and when something happens I update my list.  

Other ways you can pray:

Pray before meals, pray for leaders, pray for your children at schoo,l, pray for unborn children etc.   Just get to praying!!


^" Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Bliss

It is one of those calmer days.  The days that exist quietly in between all the days of chaos.  I love these days.   The kids got to stay in their pajamas all morning, and we made birthday pancakes.    I got to sit at the table with them and sip my coffee as I watched them laugh, and giggle and lick frosting off of their forks with wild abandon.  I can't sit all day because I am not built that way so after working out, (and showering so as not to offend my family) I got to enjoy my youngest being a hyena baby, and crawling all over me.   I was showered with kisses and she giggle and loved just being in her Mommy's lap.  Who wouldn't love that?

The kids and I got to go grocery shopping all together, and we all got to pick out our own box of cereal.  I of course, picked raisin bran because I love raisins, but the kids picked a lot more sugary options because I am a total softy and why not let them eat sugary cereal every once in awhile.  We took our time to look at the fish, and pick out some new food for the hamster.  The baby of course, tried to eat her socks.

We have played with friends, danced around the house, played some games, and now I am stealing my own personal quiet moment while the baby naps.   Decaf coffee, the ability to blog, and listen to my children playing happily.   This is bliss.

Trust

Claire is sick right now and she is a sweet little cuddle bunny who is leaning on me, and cuddling with me all day.   She does get down in spurts, but she keeps looking over and reaching out to touch me and make sure that I am still there.   I love how sweet and trusting little babies are.  I am everything she needs right now.  There is nothing sweeter to a baby when she is sick than just sitting with her mom.   Claire is even still at the age where I am pretty perfect.   She doesn't know yet all the little flaws I have, and that no matter how hard I try I will never be the perfect parent.  I wasn't built to be perfect, but to be human.

I know that I will mess up, and I know that I will not always set the best example, but for now I am reveling in the fact that I am her place of rest.   I am eternally grateful that when I fail at what I do I know that she will always have a place of rest in God.    I love that I have, and she has, and everyone has the perfect parent.   A place of trust, and rest, that is unerring and unchanging that we can always turn to.

Wouldn't it be nice if as adults we could trust in God the way that a baby trusts in it's mother?  If we could depend on Him the way that Claire was depending on me this week? But it is so hard as adults to give trust.  We have so much baggage.  We think we can do everything on our own, and even when we trust that God can handle it we have days where we take everything back into our own hands.  There are always a few areas that we are not willing to let go.

Even the most devote, and the most engaged, and the most faithful hold things back sometimes.

God urges us to place everything in his hands, to trust.  Afterall, He knows what is best for us and He knows what our future holds.  So, what are you holding back?  What is it that you are still holding in your back pocket?  It is time to let it out and trust that it is safe to trust God with it.  Rest with God, your father, and trust that He has a plan for you.

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Resolution Round up

We are officially over a week into the new year. How are all the New Year's resolutions coming? Has anyone faltered yet? I did. I messed up my days and I got a day behind already on my new devotional book. I did catch up again once I realized my mistake, but I don't really care that I messed up. You heard that right. I don't care if I mess up. Everyone is going to fail. Not one person is going to go through the entire year, and keep their resolution exactly the way they planned it out. Am I right? Are you all human too??

Unless, you made a resolution not to make a resolution you probably have a goal this year. Maybe you want to workout more, maybe you are going to eat healthier, maybe you are going to reorganize your life, or reset your priorities. But January 2nd came, and despite the fact that you swore you wouldn't eat any desserts in 2013 you found yourself reaching for the leftover Christmas cookies. You couldn't resist the chocolate-gooey goodness of the cookies that your mom made. I honestly hope that no one has opted not to eat any desserts in 2013 because that thought makes me sad, but you get the picture. It is really easy to give in, to slide back into your old ways, and give up.

So, you messed up. You have already failed a day of your New Year's Resolution, and we are only a few days into the new year.

I am going to challenge you to give yourself a little grace. This year, define yourself not in how well you kept that New Year's Resolution the first time, but in how many times you picked yourself back up and kept going. We all fail. We all make mistakes, and we are not always perfect. In my case, I am far from it. What makes you stand apart from the people who give up because they fail? Getting back up and trying again.

What are you going to overcome this year? How many times are you going to keep trying? You can do it!!

It has to start somewhere

I have been sitting here trying to tackle a second blog for awhile now.  My first blog is just thoughts that run through my head, and ideas, and family.  This blog is more about my faith, my relationship with God, the steps I am taking, how Christ is speaking to me etc.   I am not sure why this seems daunting.  It is only a blog.  But it does feel daunting, and I think it is because this subject reaches to the depths of who I am, and reveals what weaknesses I have.  I have a lot of weaknesses.  What things Christ is fixing in me,  and sharing those thoughts is not always easy.

It is the beginning of a new year, and I am asking myself the question what is holding me back?  What am I fearing to ask of God.  Jacob, in Genesis 32, was fearful to meet up with his brother Esau.   As he waited he wrestled with God and he wouldn't let go until God had blessed him.  First, I was struck by the fact that Jacob is so stubborn.  He is fighting with all his might, holding God at arms length, wrestling all night.  Eventually, he gets to the point where he is just holding on.  I don't think this is necessarily a bad place to be, just holding on to God.  But God asks.  "What is your name?"  and Jacob is forced to answer.  He is forced to admit who he is, and what he has done.   It isn't until he answers that God can change him.  Change his name.

So, my question this year heading into a fresh start is what am I holding back from God?  What is it that I don't want to change, or hand over?   What am I holding back from really handing everything over to him?  I need to trust, to let it go, and to ask fervently in prayer what I need.   Only then can God really work within me.

A New Year's Blog

I love this time of year.  I love snow, and I love the cold.  I love that people get more cuddly, and that my kids want to stay in their pajamas every day.    I love how cold my kids cheeks get when they come in from outside, and I love making them hot chocolate.  Most of all this year, I love that my husband is working from home for the winter.  The extra time he has not driving to work has opened up a lot of opportunities for longer family dinners, breakfast together, and even yes a few quiet moments together on his lunch break when the kids are at school and Claire is napping.

Despite being warm and cozy in the house I have been going over my resolutions from the past few years and I decided I needed to make a new list.  First, I didn't even make one last year.  I know, I know, I shouldn't use being nine months pregnant with my third kid as an excuse.   But, that being said I was pretty much doing whatever I could last year to go into labor.  I didn't really have much time to think about what I was going to do with the rest of 2012.    I do have to say that I had the goal to "have a baby" on my New Year's list for several years and I actually did it!  That makes me smile.

My list of goals from 2011, I didn't accomplish everything, but I am getting on with most of them, and I am happy to announce that I have started off this year with a roaring success.  Yes, that is right.  I have made it two days.  :)

Here is my list of goals for the year:

1. Make it through my new devotional book, the whole year and on time.  This doesn't sound very hard, but I sometimes lose motivation, or interest and switch books halfway through the year.
2. Read at least 15 new books.
3.  Figure out how to use my new sewing machine.
4.  Finish one scrapbook.
5.  Be able to do 50 push-ups on my toes.  I can currently do 50 but not all in a row.  I can only do about 20-30 in a row on any given day and then I have to break before I continue.
6.  Enjoy the small moments with my kids everyday.
7.  Live with intention.
8.  Embrace my blogging.  Both this one, and the one that I secretly want to start in the back of my head.  The second one being reflections of my devotions, and journey with Christ.

:)  Happy New Year!