BLESSED BEYOND EXHAUSTION
So, I’ve been doing this Bible study that is rocking my world. Do you hear me? It’s turning everything I know on its heels. I haven’t been this disgusted by our wastefulness since I went to Ecuador on a mission trip in June 2010. The Bible study is called “The 7 Experiment” by Jen Hatmaker. It’s a seven-week study that explores seven different areas of wastefulness: food, clothes, possessions, media, waste,…
I recently ordered this really neat Bible. The pages on the left side have the Scriptures and the pages on the right are blank so you can take notes. I bought this particular Bible so that I could read it, write out prayers for Brienne, and one day in the distant future present it to her as a gift. I got the idea from Mark Batterson in his book Praying…
Yesterday, I got all dressed up, which never happens. And by “all dressed up” I mean I had on jeans, a cute shirt, and some great sandals. Not gym shorts and a t-shirt. I even fixed my hair and actually applied makeup to my very pale face. My intention was to run to Target and possibly Hobby Lobby before picking up Brie from school, but the little people in my…
This has been one of those weeks where the constant talking, temper tantrums, 2:00 a.m. feedings, and endless diaper changes haven’t bothered me very much. Instead, we’ve all been glued to the television, horrified by the Boston Marathon bombings and watching the manhunt for the terrorists that destroyed so many people’s lives. My emotions have ranged from fear and sadness to anger and hatred. I shouldn’t have to explain this…
Putting kids in carseats is so much fun. I live for it. We just recently moved Vivienne out of her infant carrier into a convertible carseat. It was time because she was really starting to get heavy in that baby seat. But once we switched her to the “big girl” carseat, I realized I would face a dilemma every time I tried to go anywhere – Do I put Vivienne…
Today I walked by the mirror in my bedroom and had to do a double-take. Whoa! My first thought was, “Who is that old lady and how did she get in my house?” I’m in desperate need of some hair color to cover the grays that are popping out and some eye cream to reduce all these wrinkles. Or Botox would be even better. And I’m only halfway kidding. I…
Our little family of five just got home from a mini-vacation. I keep calling it a “week” (“the kids were good this week;” “that was a fun week”), but actually it was only two nights. And to be honest, I’m not quite sure I could’ve made it a whole week in one hotel room with all three children. Don’t get me wrong – they were all very well-behaved, but it’s…
The drama started early at our house this morning. Vivi woke up at 5:45 acting like she was starving. And while I was feeding her, I could hear Jonah talking and playing in his room. Seriously, little people? Five a.m. doesn’t really work for me. Once I got Vivienne settled back to sleep and I made sure Jonah wasn’t going to jump out of bed and attempt a daring escape,…
A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to the Orange Rhino Challenge. Basically, this challenge was started by a mom who wanted to yell less at her kids so she decided to challenge herself, and other moms, to 365 days of no yelling. She picked a “rhino” because a rhino is generally a laid back animal. Unless it is provoked. Then it gets all…
Brienne likes to talk. And she talks a lot. I mean, a lot! Oftentimes, Peter and I can’t even get a word in. And poor Jonah. He just waits patiently till she stops talking. Which is almost never. I’m not exaggerating. And it’s not just that Brienne likes to talk. I think all of us like to talk a little bit. I like to talk to my friends and to…