Lucky girl

This has been a long and challenging week at our house.  My husband has been out of town for a school related to his work, so the boys and I have been on our own.  I realized last night just how much I really miss my husband when he is gone.  We will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in June and we've only been apart like this a handful of times.  Over the course of our dating and marriage we have unveiled many things about one another.  In the beginning, the bathroom door was always closed when taking care of stinky business.  Now business gets taken care of while I'm in the shower....sigh....and what about turning on the exhaust fan?  The man who used to make no bake cookies and clean up the mess can't seem to find the trash for his diet Dr. Pepper can.  Perhaps its because I have so stealthly hidden the trash can under the sink in the kitchen.  Darn cabinet doors hiding things.  Really though, he has many good qualities about him and thank goodness those overshadow the little irritations. 
There is something about being home alone all night that gives me the creeps.  Why is it that every little noise is 20 times louder than usual?  The ice maker that dumps every few hours, suddenly sounds like someone's busting through my garage door and that restful, peaceful sleep (when he wears his c-pap) is non-existent.  There is something so safe about having my husband in the house that I have taken for granted all this time.  Jesus and I have talked a lot this week.  I tend to do that when I get scared.  I think we all have that tendency though.  The awesome thing about it is that when I asked for a comfortable nights sleep, I got it last night.  I may not have had my husbands' strong arms around me but, I did have the arms of Jesus protecting me and my boys.  I could feel the worry lift off of me during my nightly prayer.
My husband comes home today and while I have enjoyed the toilet staying clean all week, the laundry being caught up and no dirty dishes in the sink, I am ready for him to be home.  I am truly a lucky girl.  Starting Monday I won't have to make my son's lunch in the morning (Matt does that) and I do so appreciate it.  And, I won't have to worry about the bills or checkbook since he tends to all of that.  So I guess for all of the things he does that annoy me, there are twice as many things he does that I am grateful for.  This week has helped me realize just how important the husband and wife relationship is.  In Genesis chapter 2 the Bible tells us that God said "it is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."  So God created Eve from a rib from Adams' side.  From the beginning of creation man and woman were to be together and I totally understand why.  Men and women compliment one another and the weakness of one may be the strength of the other.  I find myself anticipating the return of my helpmate more and more with each passing hour.

Blessings to all,
Latasha

Way to go Bill!

I was just getting back from dropping the kids off at school this morning and caught a story on my favorite morning news show.  The story was about former President Bill Clinton starting a new initiative for schools and kids.  It focuses on healthy food choices and physical activity.  This foundation is part of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization that lists their mission "to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015 and empower kids nationwide to make healthy food choices." 

In recent years we have seen a sharp increase in childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes diagnoses and it pleases me that people of influence are taking notice and jumping on board to help.  So many times we get focused on the latest news stories about presidential candidates or Hollywood break-ups and make-ups that real life issues take a back seat.  The truth is, if we don't start taking healthy steps in our lives then we will regret it as the inevitable aging process does its job.  Kudos to Bill Clinton and his foundation and check out http://www.healthiergeneration.org/ to find out more about how to get involved and tips for healthier choices day to day at home too. 

I have a 9 year old that is a very picky eater to say the least.  He is the type of kid that asks to take the exact same thing to school for lunch everyday.  He is not too eager to try new things and sauces and dips are definetely not on his menu.  He is a big sweets eater and likes to snack a lot.  I made the mistake early by not encouraging varieties of foods because it was always a fight.  I do worry that if I do not get a handle on these things now then we could face health problems later.  Making small changes and working toward a healthy lifestyle takes time and energy.  As I posted before, we are trying to do so in our house.  I won't lie, we do buy sweets and have the occasional indulgence but, for the most part I place the healthier snacks within reach in the lower part of the cabinet and have the cheese cut into slices or blocks so they are ready to eat.  It's worth the extra effort to keep things healthy for my family as much as I can so that we can continually serve our father in Heaven for as long as we can.

Blessings to all,
Latasha

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Psalm 127:3

Discovering balance

So many times I have had conversations with other mom’s related to time constraints, stress, worry, and feeling tired.  I myself experience these feelings quite often.  I am attempting to find balance in my life and as a wife and/or mother you know exactly how difficult and overwhelming this can be.  I know, it feels impossible to me too but I have made one small change and I am noticing a difference. 

In our Sunday school class we have been learning about building strong marriages and raising great kids.  It feels overwhelming to think this may be possible this day in age.  You always hear people say “I wish kids came with an instruction booklet.”  Well, they do.  It’s called the Bible.  God has outlined everything he wants us to know about raising kids, successful marriage, healthy living, and just plain life in His Bible.  All we have to do is open it up and read it.  Many Bibles today come with an index that you can search for specific topics, and reference verses and explanations.  For those of us who want a devotion type reading, there’s an app for that.  Yep, there is.  Many apps actually.  Download one and try it out, I dare ya!  I know, you are probably thinking, “I don’t have time for this every day.”  I didn’t think that I did either until I just started devoting a part of my morning to reading and studying the Bible.  sometimes I start with 15 minutes and other mornings I find myself totally in tune and studying 45 minutes later.  I have been led to some of the most powerful and revealing verses you can imagine and many times I just let the Lord talk to my heart about what it is He wants me to learn from them.  Without fail, the passages I read are relevant to the situations I am facing at that time in my life.  Kids, friends, work, marriage.... God knows what we need to hear and learn and if we give him the reins, he will take over and lead us to the most wonderful of all places. 

I notice when I start my day with a Bible study, the day goes much smoother and my mind is more in line with the positive.  I think as a society we have gotten so far away from the basics that we don’t know how to get it back.  It’s not about being able to do everything on your own and relying on your own power to be a success.  Believing and relying on God to lead your life and your home is what we are expected to do.  God’s word continues to hold true today, it’s not just a bunch of stories about coincedences that happened hundreds of years ago.  God’s word holds teachings and lessons that still apply to us today.  Don’t believe me, just try it!  See how different your life becomes.

....but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Feeling guilty....and I should!

I love my children more than life itself and just like any mother I would do absolutely anything in the world for them.  So why is it that we tend to hurt the one’s we love?  No, I didn’t hit my 6 year old or abuse him physically.  What I did do was hurt his tiny little feelings though and that is just as bad.  A month ago he went to try out for a local play, he got one of many parts and will portray an orphan and a pickpocket.  Now keep in mind he is 6 years old and for those of you who have a child this age or have ever been around a child of this age, you know how active they are.  Up until tonight the cast has been working on choreography and they have danced their hearts out all over the stage.  Great for an active child right?  Well, tonight they began the task of putting the scenes together.  This requires a lot of patience and the cast members must listen and follow direction well.  My son is one of the youngest in the show and this was a huge challenge for him.  As I am sitting in the audience watching the scenes played out I see my son walking around in places he is not supposed to be, moving around when he is supposed to be “asleep” and talking to other characters while the main performers are bringing home the end of a song.  I am embarrassed to say the least and I could feel the warmth begin to well up inside my body.  I wasn’t sure if I should call him out on his behavior in front of everyone or let the director tend to the troubles.  I was asking myself a dozen questions in my head and finding absolutely NO answers.  Will I embarrass him if I go to him and tell him to stop?  Will the director be angry with me for entering the scene to attend to my son?  Is she thinking I am a poor parent for not stopping this behavior?  Will I distract the rest of the cast if I go to talk to my son?  I am at a total loss for what to do.  So, I chose to let the director handle the situations and I took notes.  Yep, literally took notes.  I wrote down all the things that I saw him do that were not in the script.  I had quite a list by the end of the hour long practice and when it was time to go, we left expediently.  Once in the vehicle, I began to point out all the “bad” things I had seen my son do during this practice.  I was really relentless and looking back now, totally unfair.  I looked over to my son and saw tears beginning to roll down his sweet little cheeks and I felt horrible.  And yes, I should! 

I think as a mother I get so caught up in the fact that I want my children to experience success in everything they do.  I have a competitive spirit and I think everyone should feel the same but, the reality is, they don’t.  And really, should they?  I learned an invaluable lesson tonight from my 6 year old son.  I did not follow the Golden Rule.  I did not treat others the way that I want to be treated.  I would have been angry and sad if I had been treated this way by anyone.  I am ashamed.  As a parent we are to teach our children about life and respect for others and I dare say, my son taught me a thing about life today.

I now must go to my heavenly father in prayer and ask for the forgiveness that I know I don’t deserve for hurting the precious child that he blessed me with.  I must also ask my young son for his forgiveness as well.  I have a lot to answer for tonight.