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4:51 am. That's the time my little guy wanted breakfast. It was a long night. It took us from 1 am until 2:30 am or so to convince him that bed was where he belonged. Where we ALL belonged. My little insomniac. Aren't babies supposed to need twelve hours of sleep?  4:51 am came very early. It took a supreme effort to drag myself to the nursery and resentment was threatening to creep in, so I began to pray as he snuggled in to nurse, ambivalent to his mother's poor attitude...LORD, please help this baby to settle down. I don't remember much after that because God began to interrupt my thoughts with the strong impression that it was me who needed "settling down". I continued to grumble my way through my prayers as I tucked Micah back in the bed and slipped back under the covers myself. Then my eyes happened to catch the clock. 5:05. What about the 5 am wake ups I was so excited about only a few days ago? Surely God knows that my body requires sleep? Surely it is more important for me to be well rested than to keep some commitment I only made to MYSELF (why do I do these things?)! Surely my children need a well rested mother?  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 Our need for God's Word is far more important than any and every physical need. My thoughts turned to Jesus, to the example He set for us while walking this earth, bound by human frailty. Surely no one ever had more reason to resent the neediness of others. Pressed on all sides continually by people seeking to have their needs met. Immature disciples who grumbled among themselves and acted selfishly instead of following his example. Often, His own needs for rest and nourishment went unmet. And yet He was always perfect in His response towards others. Never failing to respond with kindness and gentleness to the demands of others. How well He must understand our weakness as mothers!  I wish I could say that I jumped out of bed as the truth of these things registered in my foggy brain. Instead, I lay there a few minutes more, still looking for a way around it. I crawled out of bed reluctantly, and struggled to stay awake as I read, but God did meet with me. He did feed me and correct my sinful attitude. I will more than likely be tired later today, but Romans 8 says we must share in His sufferings if we are to share in His glory and that God is working all things out for my good, which is to say, I am being conformed to the image of Christ.  As long as we live in these bodies of flesh, we will have trials. Too soon, I will not have a baby to hold in my arms and rock in the middle of the night. Too soon I will not have children making demands on my time and energy. But there will always be work to do for Him, work that requires more than I feel I have to give, because His glory is made perfect in our weakness.  And some day I will have a body that doesn't require sleep! |
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It seems that when you commit to buying a horse for one of your children it can lead to many many projects. Many. So now we will be bringing in a dump truck full of dirt. This will have to be graded and levelled. Then a barn must be built. With stalls. And tack room. Oh, and hay storage. Water and electricity must be run to it. Fences must be built. A paddock. A riding arena. A round pen. Then there is the shopping. Lots of shopping. For the proper clothing. And grooming tools. And tack. A trailer? And then, of course, the horse. I don't think the house projects are any where on the horizon.  But just look at this great stair gate my dh built before the H word was brought up. Can't wait till MY projects get bumped back to the top of the Honey do list. What a blessing to have a handy husband!
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I'm still trying to work out the best time for blogging. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day...but then, I know I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I? We have now added horses to our schedule and they have consumed my last two Saturdays, but I'm hoping to manage that part of my life a little better this week, now that we know what to expect. We have also decided that Micah will stay in his own bed, no matter how often we have to get up in the night. It is such a blessing to be able to get out of the bed in the morning when I want to instead of having to lay there until he is awake. I didn't make this change in time to join theGirlTalk 5 am club since I had to wrestle with Micah between 4 and 5 both yesterday and today and couldn't get on the computer. But I'm going to take the challenge on my own anyway. I miss my 5 am wake ups and the time in the Word. I am planning to spend the first part of the hour reading and praying and then hopefully I will have a little left over to blog. We will see how it goes. My brain is a litte foggy in the mornings and five minute posts may not be worth reading! |
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I finally got the last of the Christmas trimmings down and packed away yesterday. The living room needed a good airing out and it was a great day for doing that, with outside temps in the 60's.  I use a lot of seasonal decor. We have lived in a lot of places that lacked distinct seasons and I have missed the natural flow that comes with changing scenery and temperatures. I make up for this by changing the INSIDE of my house with the calendar. I'm always at a loss, though, at this time of year. Too late for Christmas, too early for spring...  Inspiration struck when I found the latest Pottery Barn catalog (pg. 26-27) in the mail. Their prices are usually beyond my budget, but I love to get ideas from them. I "shopped the house" and came up with a similar look. I did have to go to the dollar store and buy about $15 worth of candles, and I still want to add some nests, eggs and budding branches, but I'm pretty pleased with the result so far.  It was so nice to walk in this morning and not see nutcrackers and greenery on my mantle! Now if I can just get Caroline to stop singing Christmas carols.... |
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Last night Parker raced a car of his own creation in his pack's Pinewood Derby race. The competition was fierce...  But mostly among the dads  The scouts were just happy to be there. Even the winners' row soon forgot where they were and why they were there.  Little boys are so fun. Lord, help me to remember that when my energy fails me... |
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I'm sure everyone is already familiar with Dover's free samples, but I'm feeling especially appreciative of them this morning. They often tie in very well with things we are studying. This week's samples include the Greek and Roman Myths and ice skating. A salute to the winter olympics, I'm sure. Here is the link:
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It's been a challenging year, in spite of the fact that we are back in our beloved Mississippi and thoroughly enjoying it.  Micah has never really outgrown all that fussiness I blogged about earlier. He has never slept through the night and rarely sleeps longer than an hour at a time day or night.  Sometime last summer we discovered that he is allergic to cow's milk protein and things improved some when I removed milk from my diet. Next came CHOCOLATE (of all things), but that made a huge difference. We had a relapse at Christmas, when I fell of the wagon and indulged my chocoholic tendencies.  I paid dearly, and will not be doing that again! Then we switched his morning cereal to a whole wheat version and he broke out in severe eczema, which cleared up quickly when we threw the cereal away. So the little guy has food allergies. Sigh. I can definitely see the Lord's hand in this as I have been stretched beyond my own physical and spiritual limitations and forced to lean on Him.  We are nearing his first birthday, and I am becoming hopeful that the sleepless nights are coming to an end soon. We were just wondering the other day if a person could expire from sleep deprivation. |
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For a Caroline funny: We spent the morning at a horse farm. Finally keeping a 10 year old promise to Samantha who is getting a new friend for her birthday. The other children entertained themselves with the assorted dogs and barn cats roaming around the place. Caroline came over to me, slipped her hand in mine, saying, "Mom, I would like you to meet my new friend, "Mr. Catty Cat". Slightly distracted, I just nodded my head and mumbled, mmmhmmm. "Mom, I would like you to meet my new friend, Mr. Catty Cat!" "Okay, Caroline," as I continue listening to the trainer and other adults. "MOM, i would like you to meet my new friend, Mr. Catty Cat!!!"
 I suddenly realize what I am doing--how often I have wished I was a more attentive, less distracted mother. I stop to say, "Well, Mr. Catty Cat, it is very nice to meet you. And how are you today?' And in true Caroline fashion she quips back, "He doesn't speak English. Only Meow." How can you not laugh? |
 Every year our state home schooling association hosts a family camp at a church campground not too far to our north.  It is always a wonderful time of Christian fellowship and encouragement. This year was no exception.  Although, the sudden drop in temperature, did hamper our efforts a little. Most of us were not prepared to go from 80 degrees to 30-something in a few short hours.  It was mosty just a great adventure, though, and something for the kids to talk about.  I especially love to hear the men encourage one another in their devotion. They are just so much more practical and straight forward in their testimonies to one another.  From sharing what the Lord has been doing in their lives and churches to cheering on their favorite team in the blink of an eye!  |
I am determined to spend more time reading books and less time reading snippets of them on the internet. Snippets are good, especially when there is little time for reading, but I'm really craving some good books right now. I'm starting with this one. It seemed fitting, since a friend challenged me to give up caffeine, starting today. |