Not me! Monday

Before the fun, 5 month old Stellan is very ill. He has been in the PICU for a week with SVT (super high heart rate) and he is not improving. Please pray for this baby and the family.


I DID not pout at all this week that some complications with my pregnancy grounded me in St. Louis for Spring Break, canceling a little jaunt to Memphis.

My daughter Sabrina did not decorate my entryway with lipstick. I was not whiny or pouting at all. I DID NOT sit on the floor and cry because of feeling overwhelmed. I DID NOT call my husband or friend in tears.


I DID NOT order pizza online so I didn't need to prepare food to feed my children. They had NOT watched 5 hours of videos. Of course they didn't b/c they have a limit of 30 minutes of screen time a day. Five hours would be ludicrous. During that 5 hours they DID NOT watch Monsters, Inc. twice in a row. I DID NOT completely throw all my parenting instincts out the window.

Have a great week and please pray for Stellan.

SOAP today

S:
Psalm 119:34-35
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.


O:
We need understanding in order to live by Kingdom ways. That I can observe with my whole heart. The psalmist asks God to give him understanding. Understanding isn't gained; it's given. It's given in order to change our lives. The psalmists asked to be lead. He delights in the commandants of God, but recognizes he can't find it alone. Beginning with understanding and then asking to be lead.

A:
God is so gracious that He gives us the understanding to live His way. I want to walk in the right path, because I do delight in the freedom of living by Kingdom ways. Today I ask God to give me understanding, that I can follow Him.

P:
Jesus, you paid the price that I don't have to keep every rule of the law to enter your Kingdom. You have justified my sin by your sacrifice. Sanctify me, change me to live and observe your ways with my whole heart. Give me understanding and wisdom. I need you today; lead my down Your path. Holy Spirit give me understanding that I will whole-heartedly observe your perfect law, because it is a delight!


Delighting in God's ways doesn't mean I'm always happy. Psalm 119:50,"This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life." My comfort isn't that things change, but that I have life based on the unchanging promise of God.

The Dangers of Toddlers and Lancome

Sabrina's morning activity today.
Notice the Starbucks gift card attached to the door...


After make-up remover and a bath...her skin is still stained with Color Fever Lipstick in Daring Rose and Le Rouge Absolue in Luxe. This isn't even close to what's on her legs!



After two hours, half a roll of paper towels, a full bottle of full strength Sol-u-Mel, dish soap, and elbow grease.

The Angel aftermath

Not me! Monday

Oh yes, Monday! Check out MckMama for more not Monday fun!

I DID NOT convince my husband to listen to me read Twilight to him. He is NOT the most amazing husband in the world. He DID NOT promptly leave town for 3 days right after agreeing to this. Mmm...

I went to Trader Joe's this week to buy prunes, yogurt, nuts, dried cranberries, and whey powder. I DID NOT leave with prunes, yogurt, nuts, dried cranberries, trail mix, bananas, veggie chips, trail mix, a sandwich for lunch, a pop, a juice for Sabrina, and no whey powder. I am a stickler for only sticking to the list, so I would never wander through a store before lunch as a starving pregnant woman picking up anything that looked good.

I DID NOT beat my oldest child a game of Mario Kart and then tell him because of that win, he could no longer back seat drive. I would NEVER engage in trash talking with a 6 year old.

I DID NOT serve banana splits for supper on Sunday night. We always eat delicious, well-balanced meals of protein and vegetables, especially on Sunday nights. So of course, you did not see magic shell or whipped cream (from the can!) on the bananas, strawberries, and ice cream. My children DID NOT use their hands as scrapers to get every last bit of sugary goodness from the bowls. They DID NOT eat on the floor while watching Monsters, Inc. There is not currently chocolate and ice cream schmeg on the wood floor. What kind of crazy house would that be?

God's purpose

Bedtime is usually a difficult time of day for me. I want it to be sweet and memorable, not full of wildness and strife. However, by the end of the day, I'm a little done, so bedtime can be challenging. We've done several things that make it better: memorizing a Psalm together, reading Encyclopedia Brown (thank you, Aunt Samantha), or talking about the things that made us laugh. My favorite thing recently has been a book my loving husband gifted me, Hymns for a Kid's Heart.

Now, I know lots of people think hymns are boring and dull, but I love the really good ones. This book is written for children with stories of hymn composers or other people who influenced classic hymns. It's a bit like a devotional, but it doesn't feel forced like some children's devotions do. It's a bit cheesy, but, kids usually don't think things are cheesy; kids are experiencing it the first time around.

Last night we read the story of "The Lord is My Shepherd." Chase chose it because he memorized Ps. 23 in class this year. It was a lovely time of reading the story of King Edward (you know, the one who became king at age 9 and died a few years later) and the making of the Book of Common Prayer and the Psalter. They were amazed that people couldn't pray to God in their own language and that God used a child to spread His word. It was such a sweet time of singing this song and watching them start to realize that God has a purpose for them. We've known that for a long time, but all three of them catching a glimpse of God's purpose for their lives was special.

Not me! Monday

Oh, it's Monday! More Monday fun at MckMama's blog.

I DID NOT become so enthralled with the Twilight series that I read the next book, Midnight Sun, in draft form. I hate reading on the computer and love paper books, so I of course DID NOT completely finish the 264 pages in PDF form from Stephanie Meyer's website.

I DID NOT put off doing our budget and cash envelopes until the second pay day of the month. I always balance our check book weekly, so of course I HAD NOT waited for a month to do that either.

I DID NOT get a bit panicky when I realized my sister-in-law is getting married 3 weeks after the new baby is due and everyone but Chase & the new one is involved in the ceremony.

I DID NOT have to have a crabby women snap at me at Ben Franklin. I am always forgiving, so I HAVE NOT decided to boycott the store.

Have a great week! (I promise to blog about real things again, now that I've finished Twilight!)

Sweet Stuart

Stu and Chase were playing Wii golf, and Chase was really struggling.
Stu bowed his head and folded his hands, and prays, "Jesus, will you please help Chase play golf on the Wii and get a 'nice on.'"

Not me! Monday

Oh, yes Monday! MckMama and friends' weekly confessional.

I DID NOT spend this week reading the Twilight series. I am NOT just about finished with book 3. I would NEVER force my children to play outside in the gorgeous spring weather just so I could read.

This reading has NOT been the only thing I've done this week. Nope, not me!

Not me! Monday

Oh, yes Monday! MckMama and friends' weekly confessional.

I DID NOT post to Twitter a grammar joke about the kids playing that made me laugh (I'm sure no one else!)

I DID NOT make bread every day this week, just in case someone came to see the house. I DID NOT eat any of the bread I did not make. Especially the really bad for you white bread.

I DID NOT lock my children outside for an hour in the back yard on a 68 degree day, so they would just stop coming in and out and banging the back door.

I DID NOT have to turn around to keep from laughing at my 6 year old who stuck his tongue out at me, before having to discipline him. By the end of that day, he DID NOT have to go to bed without supper. It was NOT a rough day.

I DID NOT find my 2 year old dressed for the day and reading a book in her little rocking chair. It was NOT 8:30PM. She DID NOT take a quick nap and think it was morning.

I DID NOT write this on Thursday morning because of Girls' Weekend. There will be no reports from Girls' Weekend. What happens there stays there!

Have a great week.