1. Where did the summer go and how can I get it back? Germany, Toddlers, the lake, the park, Playworks, the beach with all of my "girls" and lazy summer days!
2. Can't my children stay little forever? Abbie and Maddie have started to use prepositions and really, isn't that the begining of the end? Soon they will be going off to college!
3. Why I am nervous about starting the school year? Sophmore and U.S. History....
4. Is God the only person that can like a tween? I mean they are mouthy, moody and grown up and little all at the same time and no one can figure them out, they never know which end is up and I feel sorry for middle school teachers!
5. Why did Abbie, Maddie and Sophie think that all the babydolls and several stuff animals in our house have diaper rash? Desitin does not come off anything all that easy!
6. Is 1.8 all that big of deal? YES! I have been walking my rear off and changed my diet with the help of Weight Watchers. I lost 1.8lbs in the first week. Not bad...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
What have we done to ourselves?
I do not know if this is a news flash to you, but NO, we cannot do it all! We as woman have been a part of perpetuating one of the greatest myths in history. You cannot be an outstanding mom, a patient and loving wife and a model employee at the same time! Yes, we can try and some days we might even succeed, but at the end most days, I’d bet that you, like me, cannot help but feeling as though you’ve shortchanged someone! Maybe even yourself! Who thought we could do it all? Forgive me if I am betraying womankind, but today I am issuing a press release!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WE CAN'T! WE JUST CAN'T!
We are sorry to inform you, but there has been a mistake. We can no longer bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan! Yes, of course, suffrage was amazing. Thank you to the women who stood up for something that was so inherently wrong. Yes, and if we do choose to work, it is ridiculous to think that we shouldn't be paid the same as our male counterparts. Equal pay for equal work was certainly worth fighting for. However, I have just one little issue. We cannot do it all! Effective immediately, please stop expecting us to!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WE CAN'T! WE JUST CAN'T!
We are sorry to inform you, but there has been a mistake. We can no longer bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan! Yes, of course, suffrage was amazing. Thank you to the women who stood up for something that was so inherently wrong. Yes, and if we do choose to work, it is ridiculous to think that we shouldn't be paid the same as our male counterparts. Equal pay for equal work was certainly worth fighting for. However, I have just one little issue. We cannot do it all! Effective immediately, please stop expecting us to!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Invisible Moms - This is one of my favorite stories of ALL time!
This excerpt from Nicole Johnson's novel The Invisible Woman (W Publishing Group, 2005)
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving , "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
© Nicole Johnson, Fresh Brewed Life, Inc. 2006
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving , "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
© Nicole Johnson, Fresh Brewed Life, Inc. 2006
We are anti-children! (WARNING RANT)
Again, Voddie got me thinking!
Why is this society so anti-children? You know it's true! What do we say when a couple has a boy and then has a girl or vise versa? Oh, now you have the perfect "little" family. What do you say when you see me or another mom like me, at the grocery store with my four girls? That woman has GOT to be crazy. I can not tell you the number of people who have told (yes, that's right, told me!) me I need to be done having children or when they've asked if we were done and I say probably not, Lord willing, they look at me like I've lost my mind. Now, I am not saying that having a large family is for everyone, but let those of us who think that children are truly some of God’s great blessings, enjoy them without foolish comments!
Why is this society so anti-children? You know it's true! What do we say when a couple has a boy and then has a girl or vise versa? Oh, now you have the perfect "little" family. What do you say when you see me or another mom like me, at the grocery store with my four girls? That woman has GOT to be crazy. I can not tell you the number of people who have told (yes, that's right, told me!) me I need to be done having children or when they've asked if we were done and I say probably not, Lord willing, they look at me like I've lost my mind. Now, I am not saying that having a large family is for everyone, but let those of us who think that children are truly some of God’s great blessings, enjoy them without foolish comments!
Marriage by Design
Last night, I was online listening to one of the guest pastors at North Point Community Church give a sermon on marriage. This is powerful stuff. If you are so compelled, you can listen to it here. Voddie Baucham clearly has God given talents. Here is my favorite point to ponder. Did you know that 75% of our children are leaving Christianity by their early adulthood? Did you further know that we, Americans, are only reproducing at a rate of 2.1. That means that we are reaching a replacement rate for fertility. If you look back to our statistic about Christian children leaving the faith, you can see that it would take 2 Christian families to send one Christian into the next generation. YIKES! We had better get busy and I do mean literally! God designed marriage so that we would "be fruitful and multiply"! This makes so much sense to me! I would encourage you to listen to Voddie's sermon!
It's not only about what is taught, but what is caught.
Wow! This was a powerful statement that one of the leaders of our bible study said the other night. So much of what we learn from Jesus is not only about what he taught, but also what we observe or what we "catch" from him. As a mother, this statement is really convicting for me. Is my life a good example for my children? Am I teaching them what it's like to be a woman of God? Am I showing them patience, kindness, and forgiveness. Do I show them in all that I do that "love thy neighbor" is one of the greatest commandment? As I think about that, I have to admit I have some work to do. Being a mom is one HUGE resposibility! But I love EVERY minute of it!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Best of Me
I, frankly, am tired of my job getting the best of me. Now please do not get me wrong. I love being a teacher. I love German. Moreover, I love my students. Some of the neatest young adults you will ever meet want to learn to speak German. (I'll post on that another time.) Still, in light of all that, I am sad and yes, you could even say feel guilty, that I work all day and then when I get home I am tired and impatient. That is not fair to my girls or my husband. Tonight I literally had a mommy tantrum. After yelling at them for the umpteenth time about touching the computer, hitting each other, hitting me, yelling about their stupid Dora show that I refused to let them watch for the second time today, and throwing blocks, I sent them all to bed early, sat down and had a cry. When I figure out how to live a life of balance, I will let you know. Until then, I pray that tomorrow night, I am awake and filled with patience.
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