Consistency

I've recently finished reading "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (I highly recommend it) and was convicted on a number of things. My ongoing struggle is consistency in the word and in prayer. There is an entire chapter of this book devoted to an individual's time of prayer, reading the word and meditating on it. This book pointed out to me how much of an impact my personal time alone with and relationship with God can have an effect on the church as a whole. "The individual must realize that his hours of aloneness react upon the community. In his solitude he can sunder and besmirch the fellowship, or he can strengthen and hallow it. Every act of self-control of the Christian is also a service to the fellowship. On the other hand, ther is no sin in thought, word, or deed, no matter how personal or secret, that does not inflict injury upon the whole fellowship." Lately, I struggle to get up early and spend time in the word because often Ian keeps me up in the middle of the night for random reasons. When that happens, I generally put off my quiet time until the evening when the kids are in bed but I find that the mornings are really the best time and most spiritually productive. My current prayer is that regardless of what else happens in my life, I will keep that time sacred to God. Bonhoeffer states "We have a right to this time, even prior to the claims of other people, and we may insist upon having it as a completely undisturbed quiet time despite all external difficulties." I totally agree but I wonder how do I insist upon it to a 2yr old when he wants to wake up at 5am?

It's Official

Yesterday I registered Ethan for our local school. I also drew up a letter describing Ethan to them to help them determine the best teacher placement. It was a bit challenging because I didn't want to overwhelm them with too much information but just enough so they would get the general idea. Today we had a meeting at the school district to review the testing and teacher observation report and determine eligibility for the gifted program. Ethan's now officially accepted into the gifted program with the school district and our next step is creating an educational plan with the school. I took advantage of having the psychologist there and talked with him about Ethan's drawings and he was helpful. So he's official and I was glad to hear he wouldn't have to tested all over again before being placed in a full time gifted program in 3rd grade. Ethan's really excited and looking forward to kindergarten in the fall. Our prayer is that he is placed with a teacher who is a Christian. Now if I can just keep from crying everytime I think of him being in kindergarten!:)

Grandma Visits

George's mom came for a visit and was able to see the boy's in the fashion show. The next day we went to play in the fountains and at a beach on the river, Chick Fil A for lunch, followed by swimming at home. I'm tired just typing all that!

Happy 2 and a half

Ian turns 2 and a half today. He is growing so fast I can't keep up with him! He's been talking in sentences since he turned 2 and he continues to amaze me in the things he says. He is potty trained, which means no more buying diapers--yay! He knows all his letters and the sounds they make and has read a few two and three letter words to me. He knows his numbers 1-12, loves to do puzzles, and loves to play games. He especially loves to play with his brother. Half the time I find him dressed up as a fire fighter and he really loves to wear his fire rainboots. We love our little guy and look forward to seeing what he'll being doing at 3.

Silly Boys

Fashion Show Debut

The boys were in a fashion show last night. It was a fundraising event for a local school. Originally Ethan was just going to be in it but then Ian decided he wanted to as well. They were very cute I have to say:) It was quite chaotic backstage and I thought for sure Ian would back out. He was so freaked out by all the noise that he was chewing on my arm. But he made it through and went on stage. Ian was so tired about halfway through the show that we had to leave before the end of it. Unfortunately he screamed the whole way home but on the bright side, he slept soundlessly all night.

Drawing

Ethan loves to draw and spends most of his free time doing it. I posted some of his pictures recently. He gets upset if he colors outside the lines and it could mess up his day if he doesn't get a drawing just the way he likes it. One of his drawings today had me a little concerned because it was kind of morbid and my first response was to tell him to stop drawing pictures like that. My experience with art therapy involves interpreting drawings of kids who have been abused or who are violent to others so I need to look at Ethan's drawings differently. He always draws things he is interested in, something he's seen on tv, a book he's read, etc. When we first got the Wii, he drew pictures of tennis matches, baseball games, and golf courses. After he got the Battleship game for Christmas, he started drawing aircraft carriers and battleships and fighter jets dropping bombs on the enemy. So the other day we read a children's history book on medieval castles and there were pictures of canons in the book. So now he's drawing canons. I haven't come across info. on gifted kids and their drawings so far but I'm on the hunt for it. I don't want to stifle his artistic interests but I'm not sure how school would take his drawings. I think he is a kinestetic learner and I think drawing what he has been learning is one way he processes what he has learned. I think I need to get him interested in boring things like rocks so he would start drawing them instead:)

Urologist

Today I had to keep Ethan out of school to take him to a pediatric urologist, about an hour away. Turns out he has Urinary Frequency Syndrome (catchy name, I think). Apparently this problem happens with kids who have high sensitivities. They can feel when their kidneys empty into the bladder (which is all day long) and so they think they have to go constantly. It's a sensation they feel more often when sitting or lying down (which is why he goes to the bathroom at least three times after we put him to bed). Anyway, she doesn't want anyone to restrict him from going to the bathroom when he says he needs to. She did say that if he could wait until his bladder fills up a quarter of the way, the sensation wouldn't bother him so much. At least now we know why he goes so frequently. Not sure how they'll feel about that in kindergarten though.

Laundrey

Last week, during our romantic date, we bought a new washer and dryer. We decided to take advantage of the rebates that were offered on getting energy efficient washers. And so we've been waiting all afternoon for it to arrive. We had to disconnect everything last night, so I have laundrey waiting to be done. I know that by tomorrow the two loads I needed to do today will mysteriously turn into four because I didn't do laundrey today. I spend a huge amount of time on laundrey everyday and am thrilled with the thought of being able to wash and dry more in less time. (my blog is titled "My Life as a Mom" after all and laundrey is my life:) So happy mother's day to me!

Golf Tournament

George's office has an annual mini golf tournament where each office designs their own hole. The employees are encouraged to bring their kids to play too so the boys went and played on Friday and again with friends on Saturday.

Faith

I've enjoyed writing poetry over the years and in the past it was a way to vent and process feelings. Lately it seems my desire to write poems is more of a form of worship for me. I've been writing down my prayers this past year and my poetry has become part of that prayer time and a way to express to God what I have been learning, reflect on his holiness, or process the work he is doing in my heart. So here is a new one about faith.

a jar of costly perfume
broken and poured on our Lord
a most valuable gift
given to the One she adored

dropping two coins in the box
it was everything she owned
widowed, nothing in her name
by this act, her faith was shown

sitting down at the Lord's feet
her heart was open to learn
she set her duties aside
loving Him, her only concern

what will i give to You?
i offer all that i hold dear
trusting You'll show me what to do
having faith, i rest in Your care

i lay my burdens at Your feet
resting and learning from You
there i find i am complete
for You alone are all i need

6 month follow up

This has been a week of dr.'s visits for me. CT scan, allergy shots and review of CT scan, chiropractor, and yesterday a follow up at my general practioner, today bloodwork. Every six months I have to follow up with my doctor about the status of my antidepressents. This time I've been on them since Ian was born and they are working really well. Many people think that if they are feeling good then they can stop their meds. The doctor and I think that if I stop my medication I'll have a relapse and given my history and family history, I'm stickin with it. Don't mess with something that ain't broke as they say. Depression is a dark and lonely place and one I don't care to visit anytime soon. I'm very grateful to God for bringing me to where I am and pray that I don't go back to where I was. So if taking reuptake inhibitors for my Dopamine levels is going to help, so be it. I don't think that medication is sufficient on it's own which is why it's important for me that I remain active in prayer and in the word and connected to others.

Kind of Creepy

For the past few weeks we've had weekly appointments with the chiropractor. I somehow pulled something in my back and it's been really bothering me. Today my doctor was feeling for the spot that hurts and pointed out to me that when he touches each bone in my spine, there's a hole at the spot where I'm in pain. That kind of creeped me out. Maybe it's just because it's my back but it was a weird feeling because I could feel him touching each bone and then I could feel his hand go down, like there was an indentation. Not really sure what that means but I'm sure I'll be having an X-ray before too long. They then had me lay down on a table face down and do the electrical stimulation thing. I told them it was dangerous to leave the boys and me alone in a room with X-ray equipment and me face down, attached to wires. I don't think they destroyed anything, thankfully. They just jumped up and down on the scale:) Oh the joy of doctor's visits with children!

Rainy Day Therapy

It was pouring on Monday afternoon so I had Ethan do some collage work with me. We did collages about ourselves using words and pictures from magazines. Ethan loved doing it and really got into it. Little does he know that collage work was one of my favorite group therapy activities when I worked with kids. A little self introspection is healthy for the soul I say:)

Getting Back to Normal

The past month was crazy for us and it looks like we'll get a breather starting this week. Between traveling, having family in town, and spring break, our normal routine was non-existent. I'm trying to do educational activities with Ian while Ethan is in school and we got off track from that the past month. I'm also on a mission to try and not go to our local grocery store anymore (it's so ridiculousy expensive) which means I'll have to be super organized in planning our meals and trips to Walmart and B.J.'s. And most importantly, I need to get back on track with my bible time, prayer time, and journaling. Why is it that bible time is so easy to let go when times are busy? It should be the other way around don't you think? Wish me good providence!

St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am excited to have the opportunity to write about the St. Augustine area. My husband and I love to travel and the St. Augustinearea is one of my favorites that we have been to. It is an historic city going back to the 1500's that is loaded with charm, history, unique architecture, and antique shops. It's also a romantic area full of bed and breakfasts. If you were to take a trip there and enjoy history, check out the fort and the oldest house.

History buffs will also enjoy the Lightner Museum which contains relics from the Gilded Age. This museum is located in the former Hotel Alcazar that was built in 1887.

I love antique shopping and found great treasures when we were in town. The area has tons of beaches nearby that are beautiful. I also understand that there are ghost tours for those who like being spooked. For romantics, there are horse drawn carriage rides through the historic district.
We love staying at bed and breakfasts when we travel and the St. Augustine area if full of them. Check out the site for St. Augustinefor a list of bed and breakfasts in the area. One that I would like to check out is the Carriage Way Bed and Breakfast. (From someone who has stayed at a number of bed and breakfasts, I would caution you to be sure that your room includes a bathroom, unless you like sharing with other guests:) So for anyone trying to decide on a place to go for a romantic getaway, consider St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches.

Calling

Martin Luther, the German monk who led the Reformation, wrote a lot about the concept called "calling." God calls each of us to work in this world that is for his glory. Each calling is of the same worth to God. This means that the work God calls a plumber to is just as significant for His kingdom as is the work of a pastor. Each of us are given our calling by God before the foundation of the world and whatever that calling is, we do to the glory of God. Now why am I writing about this? It's an issue I have thought about frequently over the last 6 years or so and it's been even more present on my mind lately. Upon entering graduate school, I believed my calling was to be a psychotherapist and help people with their problems and crisis. Since having kids, I've reevaluated that calling. I'm still in the midst of sorting that out. I frequently think about how does God want me to use the skills he's given me? I've posted about this before I know, but each time I make attempts to either find employment or do volunteer work in ministry, it doesn't work out and I come to the conclusion that my calling is to my family. But I continue to have a heart for ministry. So what does that mean? I suppose I could look at the concept of "calling" as developmental and that it changes with the stages of life. I just don't think that our family is doing much for the kingdom of God nor are we building treasure in heaven. It seems like our time is spent more on my husband working a million hours for the benefit of us and on me taking care of all of us. That leaves little time for the Kingdom of God. While I don't think we are supposed to drop everything and move to the majority world and become missionaries, I do think that we do need to make a change that reflects God's Kingdom as a priority. So I come back to thinking about my calling and how I can use my skills to build treasures in heaven. Today, at least I know I am minister to the little hearts that are in my home. What God has in store for me down the road, only he knows. I can only pray that he will reveal that to me.

Zoo

It is Spring Break here and I've been trying to keep the kids busy this week. On Tuesday we went to the zoo with about 12 families from church. It was fun and nice to have a lot of extra hands to help out. I was babysitting a friend's child and brought him with us. I didn't realize the challenge that posed and was thankful that a friend and her husband were there to help me. It wasn't the child I was babysitting that was the problem--it was Ian. All I can say is that he is 2 1/2yrs old. Need I say more? The zoo has a fun fountain that the kids ran around in before we left.

Pluto

The boys got a fish tank for Christmas and we recently got around to getting a fish for it. We've named him Pluto. He's the boys first pet and fish will probably be the only pets they have. Since I'm allergic to cats, dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs, and after watching "The Birds" too many times I am freaked out by birds, and I'm really scared of snakes, there aren't many pets left they can have. So Pluto it is!

Fashion Show

Our church has a ministry toward a local child care center (Gertrude Walden Child Care Center) where many of us have volunteered with the kids there, we've had vacation bible school there and we've also ministered the some of the parents of the children. As part of this parternship with the school, we are helping them with a fashion show to raise money for the school. It will be held on April 23 at 7:00pm at the Martin County High School Auditorium. In addition to the $10 admission fee, there are also opportunities to sponsor the children who are in the fashion show. These children attend the school and by sponsoring them you are in fact paying for the outfit they wear in the show and they get to keep it. If anyone is interested in participating in this, let me know. I have a list of the children and their sizes. My friends who have a ministry called "Never Naked Children's Clothing" are organizing the clothing sponsorship. Please consider helping!

Mondays

Mondays are usually days most of us don't look forward to. Lately, we've decided to have a standing appointment with our babysitter every Monday so I have been looking forward to Mondays. When George doesn't have to work, we go on a date. Last night we did our usual restaurant thing and then went shopping for washers and dryers. Romantic right? Our are about to die so we are in need of new ones and I am excited about the possibility of getting a front loader. I'm hoping it will cut down on how much laundry I do and how long it takes. Right now my dryer can take up to 2hrs to dry stuff and my washer keeps making a whining sound when it washes so I hope we get new ones before mine actually break. Because even one day without doing laundrey can somehow multiply the clothes 3x!

Ethan's Art

One of my friends suggested I start taking pictures of Ethan's artwork and putting it in his digital scrapbook. It's a great idea because he generates so much artwork and I can't save it all. At least this way we have a picture of it. These pictures are really only a fifth of all the art he has generated. I am constantly buying him notebooks to draw in and he goes through about one a month. Most of his drawings are of the same things: jets, spaceships, aircraft carriers, cars, etc. One of the pictures was of a hurricane which I thought was kind of cool and another is a space picture.

Easter pics

Swimming Pool

The pool is officially opened for business! We haven't swam in it since last November because it has been too cold but it is warm enough now (though we have to heat it to my desired temperature). It's nice to be swimming again. Ian has completely forgotten how to swim. He was swimming like a fish last summer and I tried to remind him by showing him pictures of himself swimming but he refuses to go swimming. His body remembers how to swim but I think he is too scared. I made him swim once so far and he actually did swim to the steps but he was flaming mad at me for doing that. I informed him he would be having lessons with Mr. Pat again this year and he started crying. Oh well, what is it that they say? No pain, no gain.

Boudreaux's Butt Paste

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am on the tail end of diaper use but came across this opportunity to write about diaper rash cream and since it was the cream we used, I thought I would post about it. It's amazing how many products are out there for diaper rashes and we tried a bunch of them. But with both boys having eczema, we couldn't just use any cream. A friend of mine told me about Boudreaux’s Butt Pastewhen Ethan was a baby and told me it was the only thing that cleared up her son's rashes so we tried it. It works great not only as a diaper rash ointment but also to prevent diaper rash. Ethan had some pretty bad rashes but within a day of using it, the rash was cleared up. Since we used it with Ethan successfully I've also used it for Ian as well. Neither of them had any skin allergy problems with it either which is always an important factor for us when choosing skin products. It seals out wetness and protects chafed skin and the scent isn't too strong either (like a lot of other creams are). It comes in a variety of sizes including a convenient foil pack, 1oz, 2oz, 3oz, 4 oz tubes and 16oz jar. You can get it anywhere including the drug store and grocery store. I recently learned that it is so popular that the product has been featured on the following shows: Oprah Show, Tonight Show, Today Show, People Magazine, ESPN and While You Were Out on TLC. I think it's the catchy name that helps everyone remember it:) Want to try it out? Go to Boudreaux’s Butt Paste to get a free sample.

Easter

Usually we are homeless for Easter and go wherever we are invited after church. I had wanted to take the kids to feed the homeless Easter dinner but I couldn't get the arrangements together in time. We went to a friend's house from church. She had some girls in town who are currently attending the college I graduated from so we had a good time talking about Covenant College. The boys also got to fish in our friend's pond and Ian caught his first fish! I took some pictures so as soon as I get them loaded, I'll post them.

The Alaskans

George's Alaskan family came for a visit after they finished at Disney. We had George's Aunt and Uncle, his cousin and her husband, and their two kids. Ethan loves, loves playing with his cousin Cooper. I think Ian felt like a third wheel, he's so used to having Ethan all to himself. We went boating and to the beach. We also hung around the house swimming, playing baseball, playing on the playground, etc. We also did an egg hunt around the yard. Their last night we went out to eat to my favorite restaurant and had a great view of the lighthouse. Hopefully it won't be too long before we get to go to Alaska and hang out with them up there.