Pace yourself: 'Rome wasn't built in a day'.

I often get too impatient and feel like this exact moment determines my overall success or failure as a human being. Because I didn't work on "_________" project today, then 'I will never finish it'. Or because the dishes aren't done, and the floor is not swept, then I'm a 'failure' as a homemaker.  I tend to jump to dramatic conclusions, and have to take a moment to step back and reevaluate my perception.

Take our road trip home on Sunday, for example. My children don't nap much in cars on long road trips. It makes no sense!  Take them to the grocery store or zoo, and they will nap the 5 min drive home. But take a 4 hour road trip during normal nap hours, and they will cry, sing, whine, ask for snacks, ask for books, whine, play with a toy, ask for snacks.......and maybe nap 20 min. Meanwhile, I'm trying to stay awake (because I want to nap) and keep them calm enough to not bother my husband (so he can drive safely).  It would be easy to think in that 4 hour moment, that life stinks, that nothing we are doing as parents is making any difference, or that we should never make a trip again.

If you throw in "Mega Meltdown Wednesday" (that's what I'm going to call last Wednesday at our house with a 3 year old), then you especially feel that nothing you are doing is making a difference.  But then I would be forgetting all the progress like her helping little man with his shoes, making sure brother has enough food, cleaning up her toys for papa, and helping to clean the table after supper.

You can't compare how much water is in the bucket compared to the ocean, but rather how much water is in the bucket compared to the water the bucket held before. 

Being prego, energy and stamina are two longed for friends that I hope return someday. Even after just climbing our stairs at home (albeit they are steep), I have to sit and rest a minute. It's easy to see all that is lacking in homemaking, instead of all that has been accomplished that week.

I'm not sure how the phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day' came about, but it's true. They didn't just build Rome on Monday and move in on Tuesday. Rather each day they went out and laid another brick or poured another layer of concrete.

Remember one of my favorite phrases "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."  If we don't take that first bite, we'll have just as many the next day. But if we keep taking a bite each day, or laying a brick each day, eventually we'll reach our goal.

Masterpieces are painted one stroke at a time. 

One of the main lessons I learned as a teacher, is the importance of celebrating any progress no matter how small.  I (or the student) may not be who I want to be, but I'm not who I was.  Progress is made in the every day action of taking bites and laying bricks. 

Let's encourage each other when it seems overwhelming, when we come to drastic conclusions about our success/failure in a certain area, and when everything that is yet to be done clouds our vision of all that has been accomplished already. 

Let's lay another brick, eat another bite, teach another lesson. Let's remember today is not the finish line, but just another step in the race.   Some chapters may be frustrating or overwhelming, but the book is not complete yet. 

I'll remind you if you remind me. :-) 

Remember the goal and hold on to your dream.

12 weeks. Just 12 more weeks. But honestly I've been counting down since I still had over 20 weeks to go. Today I'm sick again. My husband told me he understands if I don't want any more, since pregnancy is so rough on me. But I would do it all over again......

Some goals are so valuable, that we press forward no matter the struggle. 

I'm part of the lucky few who get to be sick all nine months, whose toddler gets accustomed to praying for "mama not be sick" and who has googled all the remedies. I don't enjoy the pregnancy process......but I would do it all over again.  

Some goals are worth any struggle. 

My dear friends who foster parent, don't do it because they love the hard conversations about birth families, the tears or anger the kids feel, or the stress of bringing someone new into their home.  Rather they see the potential to provide those children with a safe and loving home, to help them learn boundaries, morals, good decision making, responsibility, to succeed in school, etc. 

Some goals are worth sacrifices. 

Most teachers don't work long hours because they love sharpening pencils, correcting papers, writing behavior plans, or typing up one more lesson.  They do it for that look in a child's eye when they accomplish a personal goal, or for that squeal when kids get excited about a topic. 

Some goals require you to wait for them. 

The other night I told my husband that "I missed my chickens". He looked at me funny, and said "you don't have any chickens."  I shared how I was tossing out bad lettuce in the trashcan earlier, and thinking if I just had my dream chickens all this old food wouldn't have to go to waste. So I 'missed my future chickens'......my dream that is yet to come. 

Some goals may make you feel like they will never happen. 

Remember my garden pictures? How all the bare dirt and scrawny plants made me discouraged, and wondering if they would grow? 

Some goals feel like they will never happen, they require sacrifices, struggles, and waiting. But those are the goals that are worth it! They are worth waiting and struggling for!

Hebrews 12:2 says, "For the joy set before him (Jesus) he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  He pressed forward no matter the struggle.  He decided his goal was worth any struggle, any sacrifice, any wait time, and that He would do whatever it took to accomplish it even if it looked hopeless. His goal was ....us. We were and are the joy set before Him. 

May that give us courage and strength, to remember that Jesus pressed on to accomplish His goal in us! So we can likewise persevere in our goals to serve others. 

Let's press on with our most important goals.  Keeping our eyes on that target.  Reminding ourselves of what's at stake, and what's in store for us if we persevere. 

Some goals are worth everything. 

PS. What are some of your goals that you are working hard towards?  Leave a comment, I'd love to hear! 

Tea parties and casual words

It was just a simple tea party...with milk and cookies for all. We sat around, drank our milk and marveled at the beautiful birds in our poetry book. Yet, that moment stood out in my dear daughter's heart as the moment Mama invested in her.

It was just a simple comment, made by a mother of eight, who looked at me with my baby and toddler and said, "you are in the hardest season right now". Yet, that comment has stuck with me and given me courage to press on for there is hope in future seasons.

It was just a simple statement, when another mom friend called me a "super mom" (only because they don't see the inside story). Yet, that statement was food for my soul, words to affirm that I wasn't as messy as I thought in this new mom job.

Simple gestures, simple words that we casually express, with no thought of what a difference they would make. How many comments, or kind acts that inspired you, can you remember over the years? Little things forgotten by the giver, but to you they became a lifeline, a moment that gave you courage.

It wasn't my simple cookies that made that moment special, nor the candle burning for ambiance. Nor was it the beautiful poetry book filled with gorgeous pictures of birds in flight. Though, Sweep up the Sun, Among a Thousand Fireflies, Step Gently Out, and Wake Up! are among our favorites!
                                                             


When she is older, she won't remember all the books we read or what we ate. But she will remember that ......we were.  It is the sitting, the being, the shared moment that makes all the difference. No one asks for our most clean house, or eloquent speeches with perfect grammar, or a polished gift. Rather people just want to be noticed, to be recognized, to be affirmed that they are not as much of a mess as they think. They just want....us.  That shared moment where one soul affirms another.  Where a person's simple presence or words can breath enough courage to withstand the day or season.  Where words become food for the soul.

They just want us to invite them to tea. 

June....where did you go?

When I received a message from my sister that she was looking forward to seeing me in a week, I stopped to ponder...'wait, why will I see her that soon?'  Then it hit me....June was over. It was already July and all the events I had pushed into my 'middle of summer' box were suddenly here.  Does anyone else feel like that?  I think it's partially due to all the rain and chilly weather we've been having, that makes it feel like summer is just starting.  Summers here are way too short! I was just reminded this week that school starts for many people next month...only a matter of weeks.

This post is kinda different from my usual. If you all hate it, then I shall never write this kind again. (well, no promises).  :-)  I just feel reflective today. June had a couple of monumental firsts: our first family vacation with littles, and our first 'stay-cation' for our anniversary.  We weren't sure how traveling with 2 littles and the family dog for a week would go. Would we all hate each other or bond? Would this open the door to future family vacations or make us want to wait until the littles are older? Thankfully, it went fairly smooth! We visited some lovely nature parks, a huge zoo, went hiking at a wildlife safari place and state park, and made lots of memories. The most exhausting part was our drive home when the kids DID NOT NAP! They talked for hours and begged for food FOR HOURS!  We were ready to be home after that drive. :-)

We also had our first 'stay-cation' for our anniversary. My parents took care of the kiddos for the weekend, and we stayed home!  It was MUCH cheaper than booking a place to stay, and we got to do the main things we love: board games, sit-down dinners, nature walks and a movie. It was soooo quiet here, it was weird. But we were thankful for the time to chat without multitasking toddlers.  We were all glad to be together again Sunday!

Our games:
Freedom: loved it!  Great strategy and great theme!

Freedom


Space Base: It was well put together, and definitely requires a replay.

Space Base




Our Movie:
Paul the Apostle:  loved it!  Well done, accurate, and thought provoking!

Paul the Apostle



Lessons I've been trying to learn this last month include 'Finish and Focus' (from the last blog post) and limits. Note to self, don't encourage your husband to read your blog posts, for then he'll hold you accountable for the lessons you publicly stated you were learning and remind you of them as often as he sees fit. (which is more often than I see fit). :-) I mentioned limits, for I tend to have superhero size dreams for what I can do, but as the months progress toward my due date my stamina has definitely decreased.  Case in point: Monday our hike included a hill and it was hot. The rest of the day, I was wiped out.  Proper limits are definitely a life lesson. Knowing how much you can say 'yes' to before you need to say 'no'. Or a better question: What do I need to say 'no' to in order to say 'yes' to the most important things?

The main book I'm reading and loving is:

936 Pennies
This book is sooo good!  I've earmarked a lot of pages to come back to!  One of these days, I'll write a review of it to share some of the main points. The premise is that we are each given 936 weeks with our child from birth to 18, and the question is 'How will we spend them?'.

What have you been reading, watching, and learning over the last month?