Acceptance

Rom 5:7

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of UNITY among youselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may gloify the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ has accepted you, in order to bring praise to God....."

This is what stood out for me this morning during my devotion time. These days the time for devotions feels brief as the interruptions are constant. But even brief they can fill your day. Brighten your day and help you to feel motivated. I was reminded this morning that its okay to think differently from one another, that believers do not always come to the same conclusions but to accept one another in HIM. I so easily fall into the trap of wanting validation for the decisions that we make, in parenting, in lifestyles and in friendships. To always be agreed with feels "good", but to have unity with one another despite differences in opinions, is a blessing, something to strive for.

That's about as deep as I can go on little sleep:) Happy Friday!

Two steps behind

These days I am two steps behind. Behind the cereal that is thrown over the kitchen floor, behind the laundry that insists on making my basement into a suitable mountain climbing adventure. Behind the baby who seems to want to eat normal food and yet I hold back. Behind the closets that are full of long sleeves and pants and are longing to be packed away for shorter, lighter materials. Behind the weeds that are growing faster than my leeks, tomatoes, onions and green beans. The list goes on. I'm realizing that this is MOTHERHOOD, a time when there is not point in trying to stay ahead but trying to stay level.

To not get overwhelmed but to step back and tackle slowly. I have been overwhelmed, and panicky and have realized that its more productive to simply stop and write lists (and include on the list items that have been achieved just so I can cross them off:)



Last night I attempted to add to the kids summer wardrobe. I discovered that girls shorts are microscopic. The skirts even worse. Everything I hold up I'm wondering if she can run and play and stay covered. I thought this time would come later, in school year times, not at the tender age of 4. And as I swung between the size 4 and the size 5 I realized it only gets worse. Sad when you understand how important it is to teach your children young about modesty and inner beauty. I read recently that these clothing would not be here if Mom's weren't buying it. As Moms do we put our own insecurities on our daughters by dressing them to old for their age? Clothing them in material that barely covers their body parts? Skimpy bikinis and skimpy shorts because we have been lead to believe that a "perfect" body is one that is small and thin, not developed.

I love shopping for kids clothes, its fun to dress them and look put together. But I also believe there needs to be times for them to not be dressed up and be allowed to run and get dirty and to laugh and jump in puddles, to swing on monkey bars without worrying about the unmentionables showing. To be kids. And it is a struggle, a struggle to find shorts and skirts that they can run and tumble in.

Shopping for boys on the other hand.....you simply need to look for items that show the least amount of dirt and will hold up to potential rips and tears :) Nothing you buy will last long, if you have a Jacob nothing will be around long enough to pass along!

Sunshine Amidst the Rain

A week of sun sand-whiched between weeks of raining.



So much to be thankful for. A home surrounded by colourful playgrounds. Two weeks ago we went to a different every day, except Tuesday for I had two extra 1.5 year olds. i'm brave, but not brave enough to venture out with 5 kids under 4...



To watch the kids run and play and laugh.



The trick is to not be too busy and to have the time to ENJOY being with them, to push them on swings and watch from the sidelines as they make new friends, to help them on the monkey bars.

Its a difficult balance. Last week I failed, my week was packed with too many "extras", meetings for Drew, meetings for myself a visit to do together. We sailed past eachother like ships at sea. This week I'm determined to slow things down. Drew and I, years ago already, made a decision that when the time came for our family to grow I would be a stay at home mom. We would rely on HIM to provide. Its a beautiful thing, and we have grown from it. Sacrifices are made to make this work. Fancy vacations are thing of the far future, budgeting and grocery shopping have become my speciality. We don't do much shopping and the kids are not dressed in the latest fashions. I dig through second hand stores and find treasures. Shopping in "real" stores has been forever ruined for me as I see price tags on childrens clothes, knowing that in 6 months I'll find the same outfits for a fraction of the price, discarded after a couple of wears. And it works for us.



I have a husband who leads and loves, children who (try my patience) and love being at home. So often I met blank stares when I'm out with the kids and asked what I do. I've been asked "you like that?", "are you crazy?", "three's a good number you shouldn't have more". I've also been encouraged, from older ladies who have done the same, they smile when Jacob is kicking and screaming between the meat and the produce. They pat my arm and say "i remember those days", and I feel a connection. These unsuspecting sources of encouragement are a blessing.

Drew has a birthday today. We will be married 6 years in August. I have celebrated 8 birthdays with him. All marriages have their struggle I believe, we are selfish people. With the LORD's help we work on this and work in building a Christian home. We make mistakes and blunder our way through.



I love this man. He supports me and loves me, I don't often feel taken for granted (only when I'm running on little sleep and hungry.....then he feeds me and all is good:)....its a blood sugar thing. Tonight we go out for dinner with the two of us, and we are planning a 4 day holiday in the fall. Our first time away from the kids since after Kaylin was born! And tonight at dinner we will have a chance to re-connect without being interrupted!