Back to Real Life

I wasn't looking forward to today. Sure, it is busy with homeschooling two children and going to Awanas tonight, but nothing bad is happening. It's just a Monday. A Monday after a four day weekend.

So once again, I found myself praying for the Lord to get me through today. And you know what? He is faithful. Today is shaping up to be a pretty good day.

Of course, I would much rather Dan still be home from work, still eating a feast prepared by others, still playing games with good friends, still sleeping in, and still taking a break from teaching.

But that would not be real life. The majority of real life is entrenched in daily routines. Routines that include Mondays and waking up before 8:00am.

This Thanksgiving it was easy to thank God for the blessings in my life. Hello! It was Thanksgiving! I couldn't turn on the radio, read a blog, or talk to family without hearing about thankfulness. I think I finally got the lesson God was trying to reteach me.

Be Thankful for everything and in all circumstances. (Remember I Thess. 5:16-18)?

I'm just wondering if I'll remember that lesson in the real life day to day routines. I pray so.

And FYI - I missed my Bible/Prayer time on Thanksgiving day, but other than that, God is faithfuly waking me up early every M-F so far!

Interaction:
What is your daily (or weekly) routine look like?

And P.S. - I'm going to try putting up more "fun" stuff. Like Quote of the day, or recipies, or ....
What would you like to see on this blog that would benefit you?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!
I pray this post finds you all with family and/or friends, celebrating what God has given you.
Aware and thankful for all of His blessings in your life.
As preparation for Thanksgiving, this morning I read the following two passages to my children during homeschool: (NIV)
Psalm 107:1 - Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.
and
I Thess. 5:16-18 - Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Once again, as I was explaining something spiritual to my children, God was speaking to me out of my own mouth ;)

God reminded me to be thankful for what I already have and that He is good. Period.
But He pushed a little further.
Did you catch in I Thess. 5:18 where it says to give thanks in all circumstances? Yes, I should be thankful for a new digital piano or accompishing everything on my to-do list for the day. But do I really have to thank God as I clean the toilet? Or thank Him that I have been in my <1400> doesn't go according to plan? Will I still be joyful and give thanks?
So while this Thanksgiving I am most certainly thanking God for the blessings in my life, with the Lord's help, I'll also start thanking Him is all circumstances. Like when I'm cleaning my toilets in my smaller-than-dream-home. (First of all because God commands it, but also, a larger home would have more toilets to cleam. And 1400 sq. feet with indoor plumbing is way better than most people have in this world).

So my question for this holiday is: What are you thankful for?

Take 5 - Drinks

In honor of it being Saturday morning, I am doing a light and easy post :)
Every once and awhile I will post a Top 5 Survey of random topics.
Today's top five survey is...

What are your top five favorite drinks?

Mine:

1) Water
2) Mojito
3) Blackstone Merlot
4) Cherry Coke (the real thing with grenadine and a long stemmed cherry)
5) Mocha with a shot of english toffee (iced or hot)

(And if you have to cheat, like I am going to because I love drinks, just add number 6 - but no more than 6!) ;)

6) fresh squeezed, tart lemonade

Link to free download of Pure Pleasure, by Gary Thomas

If you would like a free downloadable copy of the book, Pure Pleasure, written by Gary Thomas, please scroll down to my Links to Look At section.
The following synopsis is taken from Gary's website:

Is your Christian walk characterized more by guilt and sacrifice, rather than pleasure and freedom? Gary Thomas asserts that pleasure is a powerful force designed to feed our relationships, help protect our spiritual integrity, and bring delight to our heavenly Father.
In this liberating book, Gary will equip you to:

•Enjoy God with a new sense of freedom and delight.
•Overcome temptation by replacing counterfeit diversions with true pleasure.
•Feel the excitement of bringing joy to your family and friends.
•Discover and enjoy new activities that renew your soul.
•Experience a deeper awareness of God’s goodness in your life.

Hmmmm, does any of that ring a bell with what has been on my mind/posts lately?
Don't be surprised if I quote from Pure Pleasure sometime soon! ;)
Enjoy the read.

Pay Attention!

Have I mentioned that I am a homeschooling Mom?
Yep, my son is a second grader and my daughter is in kindergarten.
I often find myself telling them to "pay attention!" They play with their pencils instead of writing information on their fill-in-the-blank worksheet. Or they look everywhere else in the room but the whiteboard. Or make goofy noises instead of listening to my lesson.

Yesterday morning during my quiet time (Yay! I'm currently on day 4 and counting, thank You, Lord!)I wondered if God ever wants to shout down at me "pay attention"!
I mean, really. I have very good intentions about praying really deep about many things, only to suddenly find myself thinking "what am I going to fix for supper tonight?"
Or I will be reading a passage of scripture and realize that I haven't a clue what I just read.
Maybe I can blame it on adjusting to the new early morning routine, but I dont' think so.
My mind wanders.
I really have no tips or pointers today. Just pointing out that I am like a 7 and 5 year old. Which probably comes as no surprise to those who know me :)

Interaction:
How do you stay focused during your quiet time? Is it just me? How well do you pay attention?
(Let me know please...... I need to know for my kids. ;)

In Tune

It seems God has been chipping away at my selfish, complaining attitude lately. From reading author Marla Taviano's blog post on selfishness/grumbling, to having a discussion with my son about his bad attitude. I listened to myself explain to him that even if bad things happen to us, we are in control of our attitude and reactions. We should focus on the good, not the bad. How prayer can help us turn our day around. (Yes, I distinctly felt God tugging my ear and saying "Hey! Pay attention to the words coming out of your own mouth!") :)
And while my selfish/grumbling attitude is a whole post unto itself, I wanted to grasp for the goodness of God this morning.

Do you know that God blesses us beyond what we deserve? I mean, besides the fact He sent His Son Jesus (John 3:16) so that we have the free gift of life. (Romans 6:23)

Do I believe God blesses me, or am I too busy worrying about what I don't have to see what God has already given me? As I was thinking about this post and then flipped open my Bible to read this morning, this is what the Lord had planned for me to read:
Genesis 22: 15-18 - in summation, it is God telling Abraham that he will be blessed and through his offspring, the whole world would be blessed. (This came after Abraham was obedient to go up and offer a sacrifice to God, even when he had no lamb and thought he would have to offer his only son Isaac. Turned out to be a test of faith and God provided the sacrificial ram on the mountain top.)

Oswald Chambers quote: God's revelation of himself to me is determined by my character, not by God's character.

I love that quote. God's Goodness is there. He loves us and wants to give us blessings (physical and spiritual), but too often I am bogged down in my selfish pity party to recognize them.

I'll give you an example how God totally blessed me beyond what I thought possible at this time.
I have always wanted to learn how to play piano. Therefore, I really want our kids to take piano lessons. (I know, projecting my lost childhood on my children) Anyway, we do not have a large house that could hold a grand piano, nor do we have several thousand dollars to spend on one. So in my limited thinking, I figured we would settle for a keyboard that would at least get the kids through 1-2 years of lessons. The basics. But God in His goodness had a bigger idea!
There was a piano clearance sale going on this past weekend. I just happened to see the ad in junk mail and Dan agreed to check it out. We ended up coming home the proud new owners of a digital piano. Basically this means its the size of a keyboard, but has all 88 keys and plays like a piano (touch sensitive keys and sustain peddle). And was amazingly within our budget.
Wow! Thank you God!
While God doesn't choose to bless me with pianos everyday, His goodness is still there everyday.
Like yesterday. Day one of getting up and reading my Bible before breakfast. I was not looking forward to the busy day full of obligations and a to-do list. But you know what? God is faithful and God is good. I managed to get done what needed done and spend some alone time with each of my 3 children. I know that was a blessing from God, because I haven't had a day so peacefully productive in a long while.

So, with a new piano from God as reminder, I'm getting my attitude in tune.
Thank you God for Your goodness. Thank you for blessing me with more than what I thought I could even have!

Interaction:
Are you looking for God's goodness in your life? What has He given/done for you lately?

False Start

So I've added Me Time back on the list of things to do. Great. One more thing to squeeze in. Totally worth it, but there are only 24 hours in a day/7 days a week. How am I going to fit it all in? Get everything done? And stay sane.

I'll tell you the secret. The one thing I know always works, but yet I neglet to do it on a regular basis:

Start my day off with God.

That simple. I know it sounds counter-intuitive. Really, Britt? One more thing to add to my list? Something else to take up precious time? I barely have time to shower as it is!

Bear with me here. When I start my day off reading scripture, I am reminded of God's goodness, His unfailing love, His commandments (like holding my tongue and being patient and serving others and....), and His mercy for when I fail to uphold those commandments. Basically, I am reminded that I am His child and that He is omnipotent and in control. Did you catch that? HE is in control - Not me.

When I pour out my heart in prayer, I willingly give back that control to my heavenly Father. I ask for His grace (undeserved goodness) and power to accomplish my to-do list. To survive my day and be productive. All while being supernaturally patient with my children. :)

Here I would like to pause and talk a bit more about that all important to-do list. I think one of the reasons we feel overwhelmed by that list is because it is too busy or out of whack. Is dusting the blinds, cleaning the oven, and wiping down my baseboards more important than playing a game with my children? Sometimes it is. I recently had to make time to clean the oven because bacon grease spilled on the coils and smoked terribly whenever turned on. But other times, maybe God would rather I read a book to my four year old than tell her "Not now, sweatheart, Mama has to clean this window." I want my house to be (reasonably) clean, but if every time my daughter wants attention I explain I can't because I'm cleaning, what does that tell her about her worth? That Mom values a clean house over her?

Or what about the length of my to-do list? Do I or my children really need to be involved in all those activities? Yes, they may all be good activities, noble activities, important activites. But maybe it is time I trim down to the best activities. The ones that God wants me and my family to be involved in for this season in our lives. Maybe next year or in 5 years I can add in other activites. (I personally do not like this concept. I think I should be able to do all my wonderful ideas now, but I'm working on it, well - God is working on me, actually)

Now for the connection. When I start my day off with Bible and Prayer time, God supernaturally realigns my to-do list to match HIS list for me that day. Then, when I accomplish His list, I can rest my head at night knowing I got *done* what needed done. Maybe it was cleaning the entire house from top to bottom. Maybe it was spending all morning playing with my children, or making time for a hurting friend, or watching a movie with my husband.

And maybe, sometimes, it miraculously is a little bit of all those things!

So my challenge to you is to not have false starts to your day. Make time in the morning to spend time with God. Your whole day will be blessed. It really does work, but please don't take my word for it. I'll leave you with some scripture references - please look them up. Also, enjoy this quote from a great man of God:

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God. - Oswald Chambers

Scripture references:
* Psalm 5:2,3
* Proverbs 3:5,6
* Proverbs 16:3
* Proverbs 19:21
And my prayer for you? * Ephesians 3: 16 - 20

Interaction:
I am tired of false starts resulting in stressed out days.
I'm challenging myself to read the Bible and pray Monday-Friday mornings for the rest of November. No burden of a specific time requirement on this, just that I spend some time in the Word and prayer before breakfast. Will you hold me accountable? Will you join me?

"Me Time" Follow Up

Thanks to those of you who repsonded with what relaxes you.
What I would like to discuss, though, are the following two comments:

1) You must have the support of your husband to make me time.
Absolutely.
Lord willing, your (general term to all reading this) husband loves you and wants what is best for you. And that means having some relaxing time. Just you time. If you don't, you are bound to get all tightened up - only to come unraveled on your spouse, your children, and/or your friends (or go crazy). It really is in his best interest to help you make time to relax.

And what if your husband's love language is acts of service? (something more "to do") He likes the dishes done and laundry put away and homecooked meals? By all means, try demonstrating your love of him by doing these things on a regular basis.
But if what speaks love to you is having 1 night a week that is pizza on paper plates night so there's no supper prep or clean up so you can scrapbook .... well, then out of love, he should be willing to accept that 1 night a week there will not be a 5 course meal. (please note that is exagerated. I personally only prepare 4 course meals - whle wearing my pearl necklace and high heels ;)
Or perhaps after talking with your husband you agree that twice a month, instead of doing housework that day, you will spend all day sewing. Please expect the house to be a mess that day, honey.
Make sense?

2) .....what happens if you've actually lost yourself.?........What if you've forgotten what it is that rejuvinates you?
Wow. Very honest. Thanks for sharing this.
I think we as women can so easily get caught up in making sure our spouse and children are happy, that we forget what makes us happy.
(Does it truly make me happy to go on a play date to McDonalds? No. Fun, and better than cleaning my toilets at home, but not relaxing or rejuvenating)

My advice if you have forgotten what rejuvenates you is:
First: Think back to pre-married / pre-kids days. I know that seems an eternity ago, but stretch your brain and try. What did you do if you had the afternoon off work? If you were feeling down, what did you do to cheer yourself up? What activity gave you the warm-fuzzies for hours just thinking about how much fun you had?
Second: What are your current interests? What do you like to talk about with your friends? Is there something you always thought would be fun to try, but keep pushing it off because you don't have time? (learning a musical instrument? taking karate? Taking a cooking class? Learning to crochet? Writing a book? mountain biking? video games?)
And then? Discuss with your spouse ways to re/introduce that "thing" into your current life.

You know what?
I don't truly think that remembering what makes us happy is the real problem, though.
I think we feel guilty for indulging. For spending the time or money cost of that "thing".
If we aren't being productive and working towards crossing off our to-do items, we feel guily.
If we spend time focused on us, instead of our husband or kids, we feel guilty.
If we spend money we could have taken the kids to McDonalds with, we feel guilty.
While we should not be selfish with our money or time,
sometimes spending a little on ourselves is actually investing in our loved ones.
You know the old addage: If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy?

Yes, yes, I know the scripture references for not being like the sluggard, but be like the ants; or the Prov 31 woman who doesn't let her light go out at dark; or the reference to not grow weary of doing good works; etc.. etc.. etc...

But remember that God also commands us to REST.

*God created the world in 6 days, and on day 7 - He RESTED. (Genesis 2:1-3)
(that is once a week, ladies!)
*Remember the Sabbath? - Commandment #4 ? (Exodus 20:8-11)
*And finally, please look up Matthew 11:28-30 in your Bibles.
Christ bids all who are weary and burdened to come to Him, and He will give us rest.

That is a nice stopping point for today. A nice bridge to my next post on starting the day off with God.

May God Bless each of us as we try to balance our work, family, friend, and self time!

Quick Site Update

Hey Ladies,
Don't think I've ignored your comments on the past couple of posts. I have a lot weighing on my heart to respond to and for the post on morning quiet times. I'll post soon, I promise.
But for now (as my children are waiting patiently for their Mom to make them breakfast....)
I wanted to give a couple quick site updates.

First, thanks to Kari for brining to my attention a link for free downloadable Bible studies.
In light of this, I have added a "Links to Look At" Side Bar. (bottom left of this blog).
As I find links of interest, I will add them to the list.
Check it out!

Second,
I think I've come up with working Labels for this cyber journal. Feel free to suggest other labels or topics of interest for me to consider adding :) And no, I am not going to have a schedule of when I write about certain topics, sorry. I will, however, do my best to consistently label the posts so you can find posts on topics that most interest you :)

Here is the current list:

Britt's Blurts (random stuff)
Chore Chart (Household duties/Cleaning)
God's Glory (goodness of God - Praises)
Humor (I find this funny)
Life Lessons (What God is teaching me)
Marriage Matters (dealing with marriage)
Mommy Moments (dealing with raising children)
Site Maintenance (stuff like this post) ;)
Tea Time (Friendship issues)
Word Walk (Teaching from the Bible)

Thank you SO much for all your faithful comments and patience as I get this blog up and running! You are all appreciated! :)

Add it to the List

Remember that list I made a couple posts back about how I was trying to be the best
Wife, Mom, Daughter, etc...... that I could be without going insane?

I would like to add something else to that list.
Well, two things actually. First, I forgot to list that I am a homeschooling parent, so I should probably add teacher to the list. :)

But the one item I was thinking about was.....................

*ME*

It took Mom to remind me of this the other day.
She mentioned she was worried that I did all these other things, but that I didn't take time for myself. My knee jerk response was to deny this. Here is the list that ran rapid-fire through my brain:
* I homeschool my kids because I want to.
* I am working on writing a book because I want to.
* I help at our Awana club because I want to.
* I started this blog, because I want to.
* We do family activities becaust I want to.
etc... etc... etc.... etc... etc....

Then I realized. Just because I want to do something and it is for a good cause, that doesn't mean it necessarily relaxes or rejuvenates me.

Big Difference.

Then the next thought was that I don't have time for one more thing. I mean, already I feel guilty when I sneak in a book and the dusting (pretend I dust, OK?) suffers or I let my children watch an extra video that day so I can finish the story I stayed up to 2:00 am the previous night reading.

Just when would I fit in regularly scheduled "Me"time?

Oh, and my Bible reading and Prayer Time with God.... Was that on the list?
It used to be. I like to think it is. But let me pause and take a quick tally of the number of times I have actually gotten up the past 2 weeks to spend time in the Word and in Prayer............um......um....... I think once, maybe twice..... Sad.
I'll write more on this soon, as I am approaching critical mass for this post already. But it totally relates to this post, so check back in a day or two .....

So when or how am I going to fit in Me Time? I'm not sure, but I need to start working on it! Right now I'm a stressed-out-not-so-happy Wife, Mom, Teacher, etc... etc... etc... because I'm not a happy and relaxed ME.

I'm going to post a mantra to be used as needed.
Feel free to chant out loud with me:

It is OK for me to make time to relax and
accomplish nothing on my "to-do" list.

In fact, I need to. Then I might just accomplish my goal of being the best Wife, Mom, Daughter, Teacher, etc... etc.. etc... without going insane!

P.S. You will be happy to note that I have scheduled this Thursday night to enjoy scrapbooking.
I know, I'm proud of me, too :)

Question for you: What do you do for total relaxation, to feel rejuvenated?
AND - How do you fit it in?

Labels for this blog

Can I count this as a bonus blog posting? A two in one day deal?
Even though the purpose of this post is to solicit your help?

I'm wanting to create labels for the various topics I plan on discussing on this blog.
Below is a list that I have come up with.
What do you think? Catchy? Not Catchy? Meaningful or just confusing?

Also, are there any ideas for discussion topics that I haven't listed that interest you?
Let me know.

Thanks in advance :)


Wifely Wisdom (dealing with married life)
Mommy Moments (dealing with kids)
Britt Blurt (random stuff)
Domestic / Household (need catchy title here, ladies!)
Friends (again, getting late, and can't think of catchy title for this one)

Two Bin System

Hello Ladies,
Nothing heavy today, just a discussion on something inventory managers refer to as "the Two Bin System" I know that sentence probably seems oxy-moronic, but really - it's simple.
Basically it means that for any given inventory item, (let us call it widget A) a company uses two bins (hence the name) for storage of Widget A.
When the first bin is empty, it is time to reorder Widget A so it is received before the second bin is depleted and the company runs out of Widget A.

I personally operate on a two bin philosophy for many household items.
Things such as flour, wine, toothpaste, and toilet paper are all good examples.
I hate deciding to finally bake a batch of homemade cookies (once in a blue moon) and realize I only have a 1/2 cup of flour left in my flour tupperware. When this does happen, I can relax becuase I know that since I operate on a 2 bin system, there is a 5 lb bag of flour nestled in the back of my pantry.
I think it is obvious why I utilize the 2 bin system for toilet paper. :)

ANYWAY,
I thought I operated on the 2 bin system for shaving cream as well.
Must have forgotten to put it on the list.
So what is a girl to do when realizing "Wow! My husband gets home tonight from a 10 day business trip and..... yep.... haven't shaved the legs for at least that long!" So like a dutiful and loving wife I hop in the shower. Only to realize I am OUT of my raspberry, girly scented shaving cream? I think "No problem. 2 bin system."
Nope. No girly shaving cream to be found - anywhere. :(
I did however find an old canister of my husband's manly scented Edge shaving cream.
Nothing else for it, so I laughed as I lathered and thought "Great! I'm trying to catch my husband by smelling like a man!"
Fortunately, the story ended well. You see, Dan doesn't have the best nose, and with liberal amounts of perfume applied to my neck and wrists...... well, I guess he just didn't get around to smelling my legs! ;)
So Wifely tip for the day, Ladies???
Add Girly Shaving Cream to your Two Bin system.......
At least if your husband is a leg-sniffer, that is :)

Why this Blog, anyway?

Ok,
So maybe this should have been the first post. But the whole coffee shop experience was fresh on my mind, and seeing as how I am a "blurter", that made first post! (couldn't wait to blog about it) Growing up I always considered myself a patient person.
Then I grew up.
Oh yes, I put on a happy face and pretend all is well..... but inside, I am ready to act NOW.
(Or else have somebody else cease what they are doing/saying to annoy me, NOW.)

This is not a good trait on many levels. But Primarily:

Patience is an expression of love.

Love is patient, Love is kind - 1Corinthians 13:4
Trust me, there have been several days I regret teaching that verse to my children.... ;)

* When I am not being patient (and I mean truly paying attention to what they are
saying/doing - patient) with my children, I am not showing them love.

* When I impatiently tap my foot or roll my eyes at the S-L-O-W
WalMart check out cashier, I am not showing her love. Do I stop to
consider that maybe a truly patient and warm smiling face might
be the only bright spot of her evening? (I mean, who wouldn't perk up at
a smile from me, right?!?)

All right, already. On to the main point of this post
(Thanks for patiently hanging in there, btw) ;)

Why this Blog in the first place?

1) First and foremost, I feel it is a prompting from the Holy Spirit.
It seems HE has really laid it on my heart to Be Real. To put aside the made-up, nicely dressed Sunday morning image. The posting of all things good in my life blog post and FB quips. Now, do not get me wrong. I do not lie, but I don't exactly post the stories of how nicely I yelled at my children that morning! Within the past few weeks a few comments have been made to me that caused me to think about how real I am with people. I'll give you 2 examples.

One was "Britt, that is what I like about you, you are always so real".
Great! That made my day. One of the best compliments ever.

But a month or so later another mom and I had this conversation after church:
Mom: "I love your girls' dresses today, did you make them?"
Me: "NO! I don't sew. I got them at Kohls" (Can I get promo credit from Kohls, here?)
Mom: "Oh, I just assumed you sewed, since you're super mom and do everything"

Yikes! Do I give that impression to people? I mean, sure, I like to be well thought of and to at least appear fairly competent, but "super mom"? Had she spoken with my children, they would have set her straight! :)

2) I feel I have lots to say about life in general
Ok, some other day I will post on another virtue: humbleness. Unfortunately, I do not have that one figured out yet, so it will have to wait. But in all honesty, there are things in life/my life that I want to comment on. And since I do not have a syndicated magazine column, radio spot, or a talkshow bearing my name, that left me with free Blogger! :) This blog is my creative outlet, my cyber journal so to speak. I will probaly continue blogging even after all of you fans (shout out to Mom here) long abandon me :)

3) My prayer is that writing about my life and what God is teaching me will be an encouragement to other women who find themselves at a similar juncture in life.
By that I mean:
Married, raising children, stretching finances, keeping up on housework. Being the best Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Niece, Granddaughter, Cousin, Friend, Neighbor, Worship Team Member, SS Teacher, Aspiring Writer, Person in line at Wal Mart, and Blogger that I can be...... while not snapping into insanity!

So if you are haning in there with me while I figure out the shape of this whole
"cyber-interactive-journal-thing" - thanks a million. Let me know your suggestions to make this a better site. After all, I want this site to be as much about YOU, as it is me.
(See, I'm not that conceited!)

This site just wouldn't work without you.
I would have to start interacting with myself ;)

Question for you:
What ARE your thoughts on this blog idea? Any suggestions on what you would like to read here? What would bring you back to this site? etc... etc....

-Britt :)