New tricks for summer boredom

I love the summer. Especially in Minnesota...where right now it is 73 degrees with low humidity and a slight breeze...ahhhhh!

I love having a break from all the activities...youth group, BSF, Tapestry, etc...that fill our days during the school year. Summer days bring a pleasant change and are relaxing, warm, and laid back.

But even with all the company we've recently had, play dates with friends, and weekly errands, the days sometimes get long and the kiddos (especially Sammy during Hannah and Caleb's afternoon naps) get bored.

So I decided to organize all of Sammy's "school" activities and other crafts/activities and write them on some popsicle sticks and arrange them in this cute mug. If she can't think of anything to do or is bored while the younger kiddos nap, she chooses 1 stick with a blue dot and 3 sticks with a purple dot. The ones with blue dots are activities she does with me and the purple ones are activities she can do by herself. I have gradually added ideas/activities, and now she has about 25-30 to choose from.

Her whining and boredom have greatly decreased, and the amount of work I get done during naps has increased! Plus she is so eager to try something new or something she hasn't done in awhile. Her favorite activities have been writing cards/letters to friends and neighbors and doing some different manipulatives.

I also found that some days when I've been stressed out because of my insanely long to-do list, I've let the kids watch way too much PBS Kids. I've also noticed that I am spending a lot of time cleaning up after them. So I stole this idea from a friend and then tweeked it a bit for our home. This is Sammy and Caleb's "chore charts."

The kids both have chores every morning, lunchtime and in the evening. They are responsible for making their beds, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, getting their bowls/cups/plates for each meal, picking up their toys, etc. If/when they complete their morning chores, then...and only then...can they watch 1/2 hour of PBS Kids. Some days I'm not as good at reminding them, but they do seem eager to move their little magnet pictures to the right spots.

They are beginning to realize that they have responsibilities around the home as a member of our family. Plus, I have lightened my load a bit as well. And I'm teaching them that work comes first, then fun. It's a win-win for them and me!

Our crazy Twin Cities adventure

My good friend, Gianna and I have been pregnant at the same time for all three of my pregnancies and 3 out of her 4. For Sammy and Caleb, we only overlapped about 2 months. But our last pregnancy, our due dates were just 2 weeks apart. We complained, whined, and cried together over the past year. We called one another countless times to complain or share the latest news about the little lives growing inside of us. We've been trying to figure out a time to get together, but even though we only live 2 hours from one another, it's been hard to find the time to meet up this summer.

But my husband recently provided us with a great excuse to head down to the Cities. You can read all about it (and the other crazy happenings) in Gianna's blog post entitled, "Series of Unfortunate Events."

Usually when we all get together, some sort of catastrophe always seems to happen. There have been trips to the ER, food poisoning, and kids getting sick. This trip lived up to all the others. Now, while no one has reported getting sick, we did have several things that will make it a night to remember. There were three bee stings, people were stuck in some serious traffic AND a horrible storm, and 16 people...including 10 children 6 and under...were confined in a hot and sticky basement when the power went out.

See, I told you this trip would live up to the rest!

The purpose of this little trip was not to give us another great story...even though I'm glad to add another crazy adventure to the memory book...but it was to introduce my sweet baby girl to her future mate friend. Gianna's little guy was born 2 weeks before Hannah, and is a good looking boy...even if this picture does NOT show the extent of his cuteness.

Brad and I were planning on swinging by a few friends' houses throughout the day, but Gianna had the great idea of throwing a little party so all of us, and our beautiful children, could spend the night eating, playing, and hanging out together.

And between being stuck in traffic and stung by bees and stuck in the basement with no power, we did a lot of eating, playing, and hanging out.

Even though the kids weren't able to play in the tree house or the pool...due to the "friendly" bees, they still had a ton of fun!

The swing was a popular attraction!

I LOVE this picture of Gianna's oldest daughter!

I also love that Sammy thought the trip to the Cities was all about her seeing her friends.

I just didn't have the heart to break it to her!

The boys, who were greatly outnumbered, spent the evening fighting over playing with the cars and bikes.

Megan's son, Noah, really melts my heart, and this picture can tell you a lot about him. He is adorable, fun, and quite dangerous at times...which has, from time to time, resulted in a trip to the ER.

And, of course, our husbands were simply being themselves. They were making silly faces and yelling at the Yankees game that was on in the TV in the garage.

Oh, and they were eating as well and watching the "wee ones" play.

And while these lovely girls were playing so sweetly and quietly in Gianna's basement, my son was doing this...

Yup, that little guy belongs to me. I'm so blessed! Again, this is why God gave me two daughters and only ONE Caleb...He knew I couldn't handle another boy!

I am so blessed to call these women my dear friends. My friendships with them really blossomed about 8 years ago, but for several of us, we go as far back as the fall of 1995 when Gianna and I were freshman at Northwestern.

15 years! I still can't believe I'm that old!

Lord, your gift of these dear friends sometimes takes my breath away. You have been so good to continue to grow our friendships. You have done AMAZING work in all of our lives. Thank you!

And I can't wait for the next crazy adventure with these wonderful friends!

Stuck

I am stuck.

Really stuck.

And in the midst of my rut, I am miserable.

Miserable, unproductive, apathetic, frustrated...

But do you want to know what the worst part is?

I am having feelings of deja vu.

Ugg.

I've been here before. I've felt this uneasiness. This unhappiness. This unsettlingness.

The crazy cycle has begun.

I promised myself I wouldn't return to this place.

But I have.

Unmet expectations and sinful habits have a way of coming back to haunt me.

I had a plan...an expectation about what the next 10 days were going to look like. I had lists, goals, dreams of what I was going to accomplish.

All gone...

And now, I'm having my very own pity party...

What does my pity party look like?

Well, I've let my children watch 2 hours of PBS Kids this morning and have not interacted with them a whole lot while they've been playing. I've been emotionally eating. I had chocolate for breakfast and have consumed WAY more calories today than I should. And I've been pretty bitter...and resentful that things haven't gone my way. I've been thinking all morning about how other people's poor decisions have affected me and my family...and been dwelling on how they will continue to affect us in the future.

Hmmm, sounds like I've invited a temper tantrum to my pity party.

And I'm thinking to myself...really? I mean, REALLY, this is who I am, when things don't go my way? Really, when plans get changed I become like this? I allow circumstances to define what I feel? How I act? How I think? How I treat others?

Really?

Unfortunately...yes.

And I hate it. I hate that I can't seem to break this. I hate that I continue to eat emotionally or tell my kids, "mommy will be with you in just a little bit," and again brush them aside. I hate that my thoughts are ruling my actions.

What I hate most is how this morning's thoughts and actions are directly tied to what is in my heart.

I want to hold onto bitterness and resentment. I want to be apathetic. I want to complain about how other people are "ruining" my plans. I don't want to get out of my rut. I feel just fine being the victim.

Man, sin is ugly. It is nasty and smelly and ugly. But this sin is not someone else's...is my nasty and smelly and ugly sin.

I have a choice. A choice to forgive, let go, and move on or a choice to cling to my "rights."

Even as the Holy Spirit has gently been whispering into my mind, I have pushed Him aside. I don't want to let go of my anger.

But, I'm stopping right now. I'm laying down whatever rights I have. I'm confessing my pride, anger, frustration, and other unpleasant things in my heart. I'm letting go. I'm asking God to fill me supernaturally to live life abundantly the next 2 weeks.

I'm putting down the chocolate and am listening to what He has to say.

Faces

The many...

many...


many...


silly...


faces...


of Sammy...


and Caleb.

Where did the time go?

I'm struggling...

Seriously struggling here, people.

You see, my baby girl is 3 months old, and I'm having a bit of a problem with that.

She's NOT suppose to be growing this fast.

And, I've been told, I can't even call her a newborn anymore.

What's a mother supposed to do?

I'm NOT ready for her to grow out of her 0-3 month clothes!

Last night, Brad said something to Hannah about her wedding day.

Her wedding day!

So sweet Hannah, I will cherish each moment, each smile, each coo, each laugh. I will not wish any of these days away. I've grown a bit wiser because of your older sister and brother. I know these precious moments with you are brief. Before I know it, you will be out on your own.

And I will long again to hold you in my arms.

Thursday nights at Starbucks

I love Thursday nights.

I love that I have one night each week to sit in the company of two wonderful women and...

be vulnerable.

be transparent.

share my sins.

pray for our marriages.

give each other godly council.

love one another.

It is something I do not take for granted.

And God is always so good to be present at our meetings. Even if we have been unfaithful in our lesson, He still shows up in huge ways.

Like tonight.

After spending the day "listening" to the voices in my head, He again destroyed the lies I was listening to and replaced them with His truth.

Not my truth, but His absolute truth.

A few months ago, I read that we as women far too often "listen to ourselves" instead of "talk to ourselves." We listen to the voices that say...

we aren't good enough wives.

we aren't good enough mothers.

we are overweight.

we are unloveable.

we aren't good at anything.

we are overlooked.

we are unappreciated.

we deserve better.

...instead of talking to ourselves and filling our minds with God's truth...

we are made in God's image.

we are beautiful in His eyes.

we are His beloved.

we don't have to earn His love.

when He sees us He sees Christ's righteousness.

we don't have to be perfect, just faithful.

Christina shared tonight that someone told her that we would NEVER allow someone to talk to us the way we sometimes talk to ourselves.

Are you with me?

I would NEVER allow anyone to come into my home and tell me...

"you are fat."

"you don't do enough school with Sammy."

"you serve your kids too many processed meals."

"your house isn't clean enough."

Yet I hear these things every day...but the person who is speaking is me.

But tonight, I faced myself. I openly shared about the battle that was being waged in my head. I shared my pain, and I replaced my shame and guilt with God's love and grace.

Do I fully see myself as Christ sees me? No.

But tonight I know that He is completely taken by me. I am His beloved. I am pure and radiant. I am a love offering to Him from His Father.

And I pray that when I look in the mirror tomorrow morning, I see a little more of what He sees.