I Love Being A Grown-up!

When I was a kid, I thought grown-ups had it made.

Those rare occasions when Mom and Dad went out,

I would watch mom get dressed in her beautiful clothes,

rat her hair and coat it with enough aerosol hairspray

to be responsible for the hole in the ozone,

carefully apply her makeup and accessorize with jewelry,

and I'd long to be a grown-up.

Now, I'm weary of having to do my hair and make-up every day,

and would love to wear the same thing for a whole week in a row.

I might try that sometime, you just watch.

I would hear them talking after we went to bed,

and I'd wish I could stay up past 9pm.

Now, I wish I could go to bed at 9pm!

Sometimes, the smell of popcorn would waft under my bedroom door

and I would protest to myself, "No fair!"

Now I have to hear my children complain about the snacks

 we consume after they get sent to bed.

It seems fair now!

In my mind, adults had a wonderful life

and I could hardly wait to grow up and experience everything.

Too soon, I realized adult life is more full of responsibility

than spontaneous and never-ending fun, as I once imagined.

bills

cooking

cleaning

working

nurturing

gardening

parenting

repairing

owning

fixing

buying

selling

driving

owing

Sure you can eat ice-cream any time you want,

but you have to pay for it, then wear it forever.

You can stay up as late as you want,

but you still have to get up early in the morning for work or children.

I find myself looking at my children's lives with a bit of envy,

longing for their lack of duties,

all their free time,

and their carefree minds unburdened by responsibilities.

But, the other day I was a consoled by a huge benefit of being a grown-up.

That big heart-shaped box of chocolates is now MINE,

all MINE,

(thanks, honey!)

and I can eat it any way I want.

I discovered something new about myself this year.

I AM one of those people,

who takes one little bite out of each chocolate.

Just because I can.

Just because,

 I'm a grown-up.

What do YOU do

just because you're a grown-up?

Do share your secrets!

Desire Performs the Marriage of Discipline and Grace

At the beginning of the year, most of us are pretty obsessed with discipline.

We want to discipline our bodies in the area of exercise and food intake.

We want to discipline our minds with books and educational activities.

We want to discipline our souls with prayer and time in the Word.

But, we fail. 

Every time we set a goal, we break it.

January 1st we're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with goals.

By January 9th our eyes are bright with tears
and our tails are between our legs.

When we get discouraged for breaking a goal,

it's harder to persevere.

Then, frustration and despair can cause us to just give up.

We forget about grace.

If we aim for 100% compliance to our goals, we will fail.

I started going to a naturalpathic doctor about a year ago,

to supplement the health care I am receiving from my traditional doctors.

Of course, there are a lot of supplements to take,

foods I shouldn't eat, things I should eat.

It could become a burden quickly.

With a chirpy attitude, my doctor told me she's shooting for about 80%.

She understands a woman's life  and removed

the burden of perfection women think they have to carry.

When I fail, I don't let myself go into a tailspin,

beating myself up for my failures.

We need to let discipline and grace walk side by side,

understanding by our nature, we will fail,

and by His nature, He will pick us up.

We set our goals for graceful discipline.

If you want to exercise three times a week,

and one week you only exercise two,

let yourself react with grace.

You'll get back on the horse sooner.

If you set your goals to eat healthier,

and you have eaten half of a bag of chips,

give yourself grace,

throw out the other half, and get back on the horse.

If you set your goals to read your Bible daily,

and miss a day,
give yourself grace,

and get back on the horse.
Self-condemnation and guilt will add to the loss.

If you react with grace, reminding yourself that you want to,
you will be more likely to find time later in the day,
and return to your faithful schedule the next morning.

With all important areas of discipline,
if we set rigid expections, it can become a have to.
We should be doing them because we want to.
Light the fire with desire.

If you desire to be disciplined,
and exercise grace when you fail,
it will increase your desire to be disciplined.


Desire  performs the marriage of discipline and grace.

MM Meditation - Set Apart

Romans 1: 1-3

  "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,

separated to the gospel of God

which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

As Christians, we know we are to be separate from the world.

We are in to be in the world, but not of the world.

Separation has a two-fold definition and application.

The first part is easy for understand,  but sometimes hard to practice. 

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The first part of separation is to be separate from the

practices, beliefs, sins and thoughts of the world.

We are separate in our walk.

We walk not in the counsel of the ungodly.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

We are separate in our talk.

We talk so our words are  acceptable in His sight.

We talk with the law of kindness on our tongues.

We are separate in our thoughts.

We make each thought captive to Christ.

We are transformed by the renewing our minds.

The second part of the definition can be overlooked

while we try to accomplish the first part.

We forget the purpose of separation.

We are set apart for a specific purpose

given in Romans 1, "the Gospel of God."

We are to be in the world,

but not of the world,

so that the world might be saved through Him.

To be saved, they need to hear the Gospel.

How can they hear, unless we preach?

So our two-fold purpose in life

is to be separate from the world,

so that we can preach the Gospel

to the world.

I Have Two Heads and Other Laughs

When Rebekah was five years old, her daddy was packing for a business trip. 

To soothe her anxieties about his absence, he put her in charge of taking care of me.

When he left in the morning, he gave Rebekah careful care instructions. 

Each morning she was supposed to remind Mommy to take her pill and bring her coffee in bed.

Before going to bed that night, Rebekah, fearful she wouldn't remember her Daddy's instructions, 

told her sister Grace,  “remember me to forget Mommy’s pill in the morning.”

**********

 While reading the last paragraph of a news story online,

I was tying my shoes so I could go for a walk with Rebekah.

She came in and stood watching me. 

"Wow, you can tie your shoes without looking?"

I guess I didn't know how talented I am. Her admiration was immeasurable.

"Mom, you're just amazing."

She continued by commenting on another talent she obviously admired. 

"You can tie your shoes without looking and you can type without looking.

You're too cool mom, it's like you have two heads."

I guess one if for doing and one for thinking, but one is invisible. 

That still makes me amazing.

(pic of two heads not available)

**********

Rebekah was asking her Daddy a deep theological question a few years back.

“How do you get to Heaven?” she asked.

“What do you think?” prodded her Dad,

wondering if anything we had taught was beginning to sink in.

Her answer showed she was getting her Bible lessons and her kids books mixed up.

“Do you just use a balloon and float up to Heaven?”

she asked, picturing a scene from Winnie the Pooh.

“No, you believe in Jesus,” corrected Dad.

“Oh, then do you float up with a balloon?”

**********

Need a few laughs to start your weekend off right? 

Hop over to Homesteader's Heart!

Got Self-Control?

Dictionary.com defines self-control this way:

control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc.

 

The Online Bible defines it this way,

 the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions

I agree with both those definitions,

but I have a lay person's definition.

The definition of self-control is ~

 walking by this Big Bad Boy every day for over a month

and

not

eating

it.

(click on picture to enlarge to see all 17.6 ounces of pure deliciousness)

I knew you would agree with my definition of

self-control.

 

I bought these presents for somone,

 then decided since I was sending this certain person something,

I had to send her kids something.

When I figured out it was going to be awhile before

this Big Bad Boy was sent down the river,

each item was wrapped and placed in a flat rate postage box

in an attempt to keep myself from giving in to the temptation.

It didn't help much.

I know the chocolate is behind the gold wrapping paper,

tucked inside a box,

and hidden behind my couch.

Just because I can't see it,

doesn't mean I don't want it.

Thus, the need for the Lord's definition of self-control.

I have to master my desire and passion.

We all have things we must master,

so they don't become our master.

We need to have one Master,

the Master who will help us master our passions.

(try saying that 5 times, really, really fast)

2 Peter 1:8 gives us a progression for maturity,

which begins by receiving His divine nature through faith in Christ.

We are to add onto that foundation of faith ~

⁵ add to your faith virtue, (moral excellence)

to virtue knowledge, (know what's lawful for Christians)

⁶ to knowledge self-control,

to self-control perseverance, (steadfast, enduring)

to perseverance godliness, (reverence towards God)

⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, (phileo love for Christians)

and to brotherly kindness love. (agape love towards Christians and God)

Because I have faith in Christ, I have His divine nature.

He added moral excellence, so I have the morality not to eat the chocolate.

Self-control was given, so I can master that desire over the chocolate.

He will help me be steadfast and enduring, while not nibbling the chocolate.

As I continue the battle, to not eat the chocolate,

I gain more reverence towards the Lord,

more brotherly love for the Christians,

and the whole trial culminates in sacrificial love.

Yea,

it's gunna' take

a lotta' sacrificial love

to not eat this Big Bad Boy.

Now the Tree Can Go!

Our  tradition is to put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving.

Our tradition is to take the tree down when I finally

 get a good picture of  the kids in front of the tree.

Not just pictures,

good pictures.

Magazine family type pictures.

 

"I slept in sweats and threw my hair in a pony tail" kinda' pictures

aren't good enough for me, no sirree Bob.
They can't be wearing clothes they slept in.

They can't be making funny faces

because they were annoyed with the camera flash.
Their teeth had to have been brushed in the last 24 hours.

They don't believe me yet,

they think my camera is cruel and unusual punishment,

but it's really about them.

I don't want them to be humiliated when they bring their

Special Someone  home to meet the family.
You know they'll look through the family pictures.

I don't want them to be scarred and marred

by an awkward family photo.

Last year they turned out fine.

Every year it's the same ol' thing, kids whining and fussing,

then acting unnatural and sitting in awkward poses.

Every year I take many, many pics and still am never satisfied.

I love the tree in the background,

but if you don't do it right, it can be so tacky.

Every year I promise myself I'll figure out a pose

and every year I end up marching them to the tree

and demanding they "act natural."

Every year I end up threatening to leave the tree up

until I'm satisfied with the pictures

and/or shipping the kids to Siberia.

I guess it must be natural to be uptight around your Mom.

This year the pics are OK, but not my favorites.

They'll still be precious memories.

Good news, I finally packed up the tree and  kept the kids.

Rebekah

Bethany

Jon

Grace

The family.

We haven't sent out a Christmas card for two years

and it isn't only because of time.

I feel funny sending a picture with only 2/3 of my kids.

I realized Beka would have few family Christmas photos

if I waited until we were all together. I kept on with the tradition.

She can't help if the siblings grow up and move out!

Can you see the rest of my family?

They're there, just look in my heart.

Bubble Gum Wrapper Trail

I wondered about my decision to put gum in the Christmas stockings ....

....when I found this on the floor a few days after Christmas.

I thought my children were too old for such shenanigans.

This wouldn't have been so bad...

 ...if it hadn't been accompanied by these.

These wouldn't have been so bad...

...if they hadn't been accompanied by these.

These wouldn't have been so bad...

...if it hadn't resulted in this.

 

This wouldn't have been so bad...

if it hadn't resulted in this.

Didja' know there is actually etiquette for chewing gum?

I kinda' get the feeling that chewing a
whole pack of gum at once
might be slightly discouraged in cultured circles.

I kinda' get the feeling that blowing a bubble that was
nearly as big as your head before it popped
might also be frowned upon in public.

We learned long ago that Poppa Bear isn't always

 the leader of the pack when it comes to manners.

Maybe it wasn't a clear, thoughtful idea to buy the gum,

but, since a merry heart does good like a medicine,

the laughs he provided made up for the lack of etiquette.

I guess next year,

the hubby
will not be getting a package of bubble gum in his stocking.




He'll be getting two.






*****

My Dad taught me this little poem,
taught to him by his father.


The gum chewing girl,
and the cud chewing cow,
they are alike,
yet different somehow.

Ah, yes,
I see it now,
it's the clear thoughtful expression,
on the face of the cow.

*****