Christmas

I’ve been reading all over about how to slow down during the holidays. I guarantee that I have the solution for you if this is what you’re seeking.

Expose your children, to a person that has the flu. Beginning with the exposed child it will work its way through your family. You will be excused from any and all obligations.

Yes, I have spent the last seven days in my home taking care of sick children. Really sick. I must confess that I feel a bit resentful that I have missed several Christmas parties, and now tonight, the Christmas Eve service. And a party following it. And our trip to Wisconsin.

However, the time spent doing double laundry and holding burning foreheads has given me time for study and reflection that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced since becoming a mom.

I had posted about a body and soul cleanse that Eli and I started. The juice cleanse is super yummy and easy, so anybody that is thinking of doing it, I say go for it.  I could be wrong, but I think the overload of vitamins has kept Eli and I from getting whatever the kids have.

Eli and I both agree that we need to celebrate when it’s over by going to Red Robin and getting a big juicy burger. Or two.

The soul cleanse has been…AMAZING.

Eli and I are reading The Pursuit of God by Tozer. Every sentence has been meat for my hungry soul. I’m not even sure where to start.

As we were leaving Three Lakes, a dear friend who has been a constant prayer warrior and source of encouragement to Eli and I, gave us The Story for Children. As Eli and I try to read Bible stories to our kids daily, we are always excited to get a new Bible storybook. In the beautifully written and illustrated book, she had written personal notes and scripture to us in the story of Abraham.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he didn’t know what God would do for him there. By faith, he and his whole family followed God because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise. Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was STRENGTHENED in his faith and gave glory to GOD. Abraham grew to be FULLY PERSUADED that GOD had the POWER to do what HE promised. Abraham believed GOD and GOD loved his believing heart and love for him.” Heb. 11:8,9,10,11 Rom. 3:16-21.

So I tried to believe this analogy of our lives.

But I was having trouble.

When you leave the place where you have lived and served for the eight years, where people appreciate who you ARE; the good, the bad, the ugly, where you have a history with your relationships and have experienced true fellowship with dear friends, where your ministry was thriving and effective, and you come into a new place where you are not KNOWN, where gifts and talents are hidden or obsolete, and relationships are as green as the new growth on a fir tree in spring, it’s hard to feel like your faith is being strengthened.

At least it was for me.

But Abraham’s story didn’t end with his move.  It.  Was.  The.  Beginning.

Look it up. Genesis 12.

Enter Isaac.  Genesis 22.

Day 2 of our cleanse, Eli and I were reading the chapter in Tozer’s book entitled, “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing.”

“…The baby represented everything sacred to his father’s heart: the promises of God, the covenants, the hopes of the years and the long messianic dream. Ashe watched him grow from babyhood to young manhood, the heart of the old man was knit closer and closer with the life of his son, till at last the relationship bordered upon the perilous. It was then that God stepped in to save both father and son from the consequences of an uncleansed love.

‘Take now thy son,’ said God to Abraham, ‘thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of’ (Genesis 22:2).The sacred writer spares us a close-up of the agony that night on the slopes near Beersheba when the aged man had it out with his God,…He would offer his son as God had directed him to do, and then trust God to raise him from the dead…It is beautiful to see that, while he erred as to God’s method, he had correctly sensed the secret of His great heart…To the wondering patriarch He now says in effect, ‘It’s alright, Abraham. I never intended that you should slay the lad. I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there. I wanted to correct the perversion that existed in your love…’He chose rather to cut quickly to the heart and have it over in one sharp act of separation. In dealing thus, He practiced an economy of means and time. It hurt cruelly, but it was effective.

After that bitter and blessed experience I think the words my and mine never again had never had the same meaning for Abraham. The sense of possession which they connote were gone from his heart. Things had been cast out forever…He could not explain it, but he knew that he owned nothing, that his real treasures were inward and eternal.”

This is where I find my own story intersecting with Abraham’s at this time.

My Isaac,

Was the SIGNIFICANCE

I found for myself in Three Lakes.

Whether it was perceived or real, it doesn’t matter. But, it “represented everything sacred to (my) heart: the promises of God, the covenants, the hopes of the years…”

In our move to Utah, God, “chose rather to cut quickly to the heart and have it over in one sharp act of separation.”

Our move to Utah was not:

• So my talents could be utilized more effectively.
• So that Eli and I could help ease the burden of the many responsibilities that the leaders of our church carry.

Or even,

•  So that many would come to know Christ.

Our move to Utah was:

• So that I would possess NOTHING.
•  But would have EVERYTHING.

      And in that place, my life will glorify God.

But, like Abraham, my story doesn’t end here either.

Through Abraham, all people on earth were blessed (Gen. 12:3).

And tomorrow, we celebrate, that covenant. The birth of Christ.  

Merry Christmas!

Body and Soul Cleanse

This week my cousin, Kelley, texted to ask me if I had a juicer and if I wanted to do a juice cleanse with her. I replied, "Sure!" as the thought of juice cleanse made me picture myself at Jamba Juice slurping down a Five Fruit Frenzy. I had never heard of a juice cleanse but I looked it up and saw that you can buy a 3-day cleanse online for an enormous amount of money. I decided to use my own stockpile of fruits and veggies and pulled out the very neglected Jack La Lanne. I used an entire bag of carrots and came out with a measly cup of  juice, but it was really yummy. I proceded to juice every piece of freshness I could find and almost 2 hours later this is what I came up with. (After I drank the carrot juice of course)

With the exception of the carrot juice, they were disgusting.  The kale, spinach, and lettuce juice were especially so. 

So understandably, when our small group came over for a game night, and brought finger foods to indulge in, including bacon wrapped waterchestnuts,  I couldn't possibly resist. 

Having three sick kids in the house has helped inspire me to do the cleanse. After a couple of days of mental prep, I am ready to try again.

I have also decided to do a spiritual cleanse and spend lots of time in the Word as I am having more down time than normal holding my sick 3-year old. Eli has decided to do both with me and we are reading Tozer's Pursuit of God together. We have also been blown away by some amazing answers to prayer that we have had, and in that reality of answered prayer I have been really convicted to rejuvenate my somewhat stale prayer life.

I am usually a result motivated person, and my goals in this body and soul cleanse are:

•  That my spirit would be rejuvinated before Christmas and that I would be able to share that purity of Christ with others this Christmas.
• As we see a new year begin, that Eli and I would begin to take steps necessary to fulfill the things that God has put in our hearts for our family and our vision for those steps will be clear.
• That the discipline of living a healthy lifestyle would spill over into all areas of my life, as I have seen that the discipline of the body and spirit are closely connected. 

I am posting this for the accountability...so if you see me in the next three days, ask me how it's going!

                                                                          Here I go!

 My small fortune of juice.

I've Been Diagnosed

I don’t think there has ever been a diagnosis for stay-at-home mom syndrome invented yet. So I am here to do that today.

Stay-At-Home Mom Syndrome

Each woman is an individual and her symptoms might vary slightly from those listed below. Some woman have all the symptoms and some only display a few early on and have the rest show up later. It is important to remember that although stay-at-home mom syndrome is incurable, that proper care of the mom will help the symptoms to lessen.

Symptoms:

•  Communicates more clearly with emoticons than with words.

Example: When trying to have a conversation with the mother she seems to have difficulty completing sentences or following a linear thought. But she can text, in detail, about her latest trip to Disney, using only pictures.

•   Assumes cleanliness is a second rate way of living.

Example: When a guest enters her home and comments about the state of disorder present, she responds with, “Creative minds are rarely tidy!” Or when a friend comments about the array of her daughters hair, she replies, “At least she’s happy!”

•  Inability to commit to any program to help her physical state of being.

Example: When a friend asks her to join a class at her local gym, she can usually come up with an excuse to avoid any type of exercise.

•  Constant need for change.

Example: Her husband often comes home to new kitchen paint colors, rearranged furniture, or his wife’s new hair color.

•   Unable to keep track of keys or cellular phone.

Example: Her first comment to her husband when he walks in from work is always, “Can you call my phone?” and then, “Can I please have the key to my car from your key chain?”

• Wears the same clothes nearly every day; usually sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and slippers.
•     Finds inappropriate language extremely funny.

Example: When her 3 year old uses “bathroom only” language out in public, she dissolves in fits of laughter and quickly shares it with her friends, using emoticons.

•  Unable to show up to appointments on time.

Example: The mother displays confusion when the doctor is unable to see her children because of the amount of time elapsed from the appointed time. She seems to feel that 20-30 minutes from the time allotted is an acceptable time frame to show up in.

Causes:

Stay-at-home mom syndrome is believed to be caused by the psychological shift that happens when the mother decides to find a large part of her identity in staying home with her children. However, there are some indications the change is also physiologically connected to the birth or adoption of her child.

•   Symptoms usually begin to show up right after the first child is born and the mother decides to stay home with the child.
•   Some mothers begin with mild symptoms shortly after finding out they are pregnant or approved for adoption.
• Occasionally, a postpartum or adoptive mother who decides to go back to work will display similar symptoms.

Treatment:

There is no known treatment at this time, research shows that mothers that decided to go back to work after several years of staying home still display the symptoms. However, the severity seems to lesson proportionally to the amount of time from when the mother was a stay-at-home mom. Several studies have indicated that improvement is also shown in the following instances.

•   A date night out with her husband every week to two weeks show significant improvement in several of the symptoms.
•   A girl’s night out with some of her best friends usually cures all symptoms for up to a week.
• Gifts of chocolate seem to help the severity of the symptoms.
•   Occasional evenings on Pinterest seem to alleviate the need for change.

As we are still in the research phase of this new diagnosis, we would appreciate any and all insight into symptoms and/or treatments that you or a loved one might have.  All suggestions will be carefully considered. Thank-you for your feedback!

The stay-at-home mom typically wears sweatpants and slippers.

Give Peace. Give Comfort.

A phone call from Eli.
A quick search online.

I was stuck there the rest of the day.
The rest of the week.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.

27 victims of 1 man's whim.

Why grieve?
Why look at pictures of the fallen?
Why pray for the families left behind?
WHY,
Is the question everyone is asking.

We want to empathize.
We want to be thankful for what we have.
We want to remember,
Just for a little,
That we are mortal,
And our children's futures are
NOT
In our hands.
We want to pray.

Those of us who trust in a God
That is greater than we are,
Know he can bring
PEACE
Amid chaos.
That he can bring
COMFORT
Where there is none to be had.

Saturday.
I woke up to the thought of the parents,
Who
Just yesterday
At this very time,
Helped their six year olds
Into their coats.
Helped them put on their shoes.
And kissed their foreheads
Before they skipped to school.
For the very last time.

Monday.
As I helped my six year old.
Get into her coat.
Helped her put on her shoes.
And kissed her forehead
Before she skipped into school.
I felt privileged.
I felt thankful.
I felt blessed.
That my child was not shot.
But I felt sad.
I repeated my now very familiar prayer.
For those who couldn't.
Do the things I had just done.
EVER.
AGAIN.
And curiously enough.
I want to keep those feelings.
Close to my heart.

Blood and Poop

Yesterday, Landon had his little friend Addie over for awhile. In our new house, I can hear the kids' conversations when they are at their art cart because of our open balcony.

Landon: "Did you know you have blood and poop in your arm?"

Addie: (Laughing--she laughs before almost everything she says) "No, I don't."

Landon: "Yes, you do. If you cut yourself, blood and poop come out."

I love 3! I was reminiscing a bit yesterday and realized that by the time Riley was an older three, he already had 2 sisters. I probably only looked at him three times when he was three. Maybe that's why I get so much attitude now.

I still wanted to share Baylee's birthday pictures. The day of the party was also crazy hair day at school. I did the purple Lady Gaga bow last year for crazy hair day, and Baylee insisted on it again, even though a really wanted to do a bun hawk.

Never thought I'd say this, but it was a beautiful, warm sunny day for her party.

She really wanted a monkey cake for her birthday, which seemed random to me. I've never had to make my own cakes for the kid's birthdays before because my mom is a birthday cake decorator extraordinaire  so this is one of my first attempts at decorating a kid's cake. It didn't turn out like the picture, but Baylee liked it and  it tasted yummy so I guess that's what matters. 

I probably wouldn't have posted this picture except I wanted to show off the advent Christmas tree in the background that Baylee and I made this year. I put candy or a prize in a bag each morning and the kids LOVE it! I'm planning on making more of them for our ladies craft fair at our church next year. 

I had Riley and Raelyn come up with the games for the party. This was their crazy hair contest for Barbies. I used to try to come up with themed games that match my party theme. But I decided to do away with party themes as they end up costing alot and the kids seem to enjoy having the responsibility themselves.

These little disk shooters were the highlight of the party for Riley and Eli. I guess everything is a little bit more fun with a balcony.

This is my cousin, Kelley. She and Bren make me laugh like nobody else can. Even her dog makes me laugh.

I can't say online what Zoey reminds Eli of, but if you ever want to know, ask him.

This is my cousin, Bren. Laughing.

And Landon.

Riyah. I'm quite sure what side of the family she gets it from.

The handsome 9-year old playing it cool. 

I would have included pictures of Judah, but he never came down from playing trains until it was time to go. No pizza. No cake. No presents. No games. Just trains. 

My birthday girl. I love how her eyes sparkle!

The girls had a sleepover and it began to snow the next day. They played outside for hours.

I love the bond that happens between cousins. When I was growing up, I didn't get to see my cousins that often, but  I loved spending time with them and considered them some of my best friends. Our kids didn't even meet these cousins until this year, and they love them! They also talk about their cousins from Wisconsin who they hardly ever see and how they want to buy Christmas presents for them when Secret Santa comes to school. Our move to Utah has been so much sweeter because of that bond. 

Maybe it's because we have the same blood and poop running through our veins. Maybe it's because we share all the crazy family history. Maybe it's because we have known each other since birth and so we know who "true" person is under our big girl clothes. Maybe it's all the memories we share. Maybe it's a spiritual bond. I don't know. I don't really care why. I just know I love it.

Bittersweet Six

When Lentil wakes me up at night, I think about guns. Mostly air soft guns, and I think about how gratifying it would be to shoot her in the butt to make her shut up. I am currently having similar feelings about my computer. I actually spent time editing pictures from Baylee's birthday, and I can't even post them because I can't get online...arrrrg...and I am currently posting from my phone.

Baylee turned six last week. Going from five to six is like going from Lalaloopsy to Polly Pocket. Or from Princesses to Barbie. Or baby dolls to American Girl. You get my point. Bittersweet. My cousins and their kids came over and we had a little party for Baylee. The girls had a sleep over and stayed up until 11. I payed for it the next day, but it was worth it because they had so much fun.

We shared a moment after she had opened her presents. The other girls went upstairs to play. Baylee and I made eye contact and I asked her what was wrong. She came over by me and whispered, "When I think about Bryce, I feel like crying."

Bryce was Baylee's best friend in Three Lakes. They had a really special and unique relationship. Anybody who ever saw them together thought so too. They balanced each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Baylee is really shy and timid, and Bryce isn't scared of anything. When Baylee is with Bryce, it's as if his courage and bravery is passed on to her and she's willing to try whatever they decide to do. And Baylee is able to help Bryce communicate in moments of frustration.

Their relationship is representative of what I need in each of my friendships. Someone who helps me be better than I really am. Someone who helps me through what I am not able to do on my own.

I have no doubt that Baylee and Bryce's friendship, which only had five years to develop, will last the rest of their lives. Bryce is part of Baylee and no amount of time or distance can seem to weaken her bond with him. We love and miss you, Buddy!

P.S. No dogs or computers were injured during this post.

New

New day.
New home.
New city.
New friends.
New church.
New job.
New school.
New interests.
New family.
A new blog.