Through the Eyes of the Son

Isn't it amazing how we filter all of life through our own experiences in order to make sense of it all? Today we went to the park with a friend and her kids. On the way home, Jake said "Mommy I had a lot of fun at the park today." I said " I am glad, Mommy had a lot of fun to." He rode in silence for a minute or so and said "But mommy you didn't play at the park."

I read a caringbridge post a few days ago from a lady in our church who is battling cancer. She talked about how we worry about the future because we can only see life through our small little lens. Today when Jake said this to me it made me think about a song someone we know wrote about Jim Elliot's quote "He is no fool who gives up what He can't keep to gain that which he can not loose." In part of the song he says "he is no fool who sees the world through the eyes of the Son, and he is no fool who sees the world in the life of just one." It had made me wonder what exactly does it take for this to be true in my life - that I train myself to filter all of life through the eyes of the Son and that I train myself to see the world in the life of that one person I am dealing with at any moment.

Jake, just like me most often, only saw the experience through his perspective and to him I didn't have fun because all I did was sit on a park bench. He responded to me based on that assumption -as I so often do to others.

I long to learn how to see the world through the eyes of Christ.

On a deserted island

Last night at dinner Jake was talking about being a pirate and living on his pirate island so I thought I would probe his heart a little. Here is the gist of the conversation:

M: Jake if you had to live on a island that had nothing on it and you could only take 4 things with you what would they be?

J: Well..... I would take 1 blanket, 2 drinks, 3 foods and 4 fishes.

M:Why would you take 4 fishes?

J:Well so I could feed the whales mommy.

M: And why would you take a blanket?

J:so I could lay on it.

After that he ask John the same question. John said the three of us and his bible. I ask Jake if he thought he had changed his mind about what he would take. He thought for a minute and said No.

Precious!!

Honesty and Vulnerability

I was so encouraged by many of your comments from a few post back when I was shared about my struggles with being a mom these days. One of the things that struck me was how much we really value honesty and vulnerability. I think about the things that I long to read on other's blogs and it really is these two things. Sure I love catching up and seeing the kiddos but I long to read about when my friend shares that she hasn't spent time with God in 3 years or another friend who spends a few moments crying in a bathroom stall because her daughter is being difficult or another who shares how much she wants a baby and that she is struggling with God over why He won't give her one or even another friend who is learning so much about redemption through giving up a baby that she cared for as her own for 8 or so months.

It is these post that encourage me that only "He that began a good work in me will carry it out until completion," that "in this (we) greatly rejoice, though for a little while (we) may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that (our) faith - of greater worth that gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." It reminds me that we are all sinners struggling to live for God's glory and failing in some way most every day.

Oh please feel free to be honest and vulnerable. I love it. I love to be able to say

I can encourage in ways to organize your home because God has given me a gift and I want to use it for His glory but I love to also say that 3 days this week nothing was done to my house and oh well. I love to encourage myself and others to make time to spend with God even when we have small kids but I will admit that this week I think I had a quite time once maybe twice. God is God and I am Not - but oh how precious is his grace. I am not perfect and I don't even want anyone to dare think I have it all together because how does God get the glory from that?

2 Cor 2:3-7 (The Message)
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort - we get a full measure of that, too. When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you're just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you're going to make it, no doubt about it.

Organizing 2 - Cleaning Schedule

OK Alieta this is for you :) and anyone else intrested.
BK (before kids) I was an extreme cleaner. I loved to put on some Kenny G (don't laugh this was a relaxing thing for me:)) and I spent the day cleaning my house. It usually took 4 solid hours. Oh how I loved those days. Then I would get a shower sit down and read a magazine and enjoy my clean house. I did this at least every other week but if time allowed weekly. Since kids I have had to gradually shuck it down to the bare essentials so that it gets done quickly but it gets done! I do the same thing every week (if I miss a day for whatever reason it doesn't get done until the next week and oh well - except when I miss underwear laundry day - then I hear it from John :)) So here it is:

Mondays:
Laundry: 1 kids load & Our darks
Chores: Living room/Dining Room - pick up, dust, vacuum, remove smudgeprints,
Empty Dishwasher & spruce up kitchen

Tuesdays:
Laundry: Our Lights
Chores: Iron John's Clothes for week, Empty Dishwasher & spruce up kitchen

Wednesdays:
Laundry: Towels
Chores: Kids Rooms - pick up, dust, vacuum, remove smudgeprints,
Empty Dishwasher & spruce up kitchen

Thursdays:
Laundry: 1 kids load, our undies/socks
Chores: Master Bedroom - pick up, dust, vacuum, remove smudgeprints,
Empty Dishwasher & spruce up kitchen

Fridays:
Laundry: Linens (bedding) & cleaning rags
Chores:Change Sheets on all beds, clean bathrooms,
Empty Dishwasher & spruce up kitchen


3 things:
1. We try to do bedtime routine here which consist simply of the boys (John 2 if he is home) make a run through house (5-10 min tops) and pick up toys and then get pjs on and teeth brushed. While they do that I clean up kitchen from dinner and load dishwasher.
2. I usually do my chores first thing in the mornings. Our kids are usually up at 6-6:30. I give them a piece of fruit and milk as a "snack" and they watch noggin for about 1 to 1.5 hour (by the end they are up playing with each other) while I do laundry and my chores. Then we have breakfast and start our day. If for some reason it doesn't happen that morning it just doesn't happen but I try to be consistent with it because once we start our day I don't have to work in house stuff around it.
3. Usually about every 6 weeks I take a day and give the house a good cleaning - you know the hard core stuff .

it is basic but I hope this helps anyone intrested. Let me know what you think...

To provoke a thought or 2

For those of you who don't read this blog I wanted to share this with you.
http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com/2008/04/fine-line.html

If you can't do anything else - do this!!!

Well on Thursday night I hit bottom. I laid in our bed and sobbed to John about how I was completely exhauseted to the point that I didn't know what to do. Most of you know from some previous post that I have been sick but what you don't know was that it was almost 9 consecutive weeks of sickness. I think the lack of sleep just kept my immune system down so I kept getting stuff. Anyway, I have been well for the most part for 2 weeks now which is great. I started trying to rev up life again and realized that I just couldn't do it and the harder I tried the more tired I got. As John and I talked, I knew that I needed a break from being a mom and housekeeper for a few days. John has been working really long days and he is exhausted to so we decided to head to the beach - his mom's house. I could get away from the kids and he could rest some and spend some fun time with the boys. This is not what we REALLY need but it is the next best thing to time compeletly away from the kids.
Friday before we left I met with a friend who is a little farther along in her mothering journey. I told her what was going on and just how I didn't even want to be around my kids. All I seem to be doing was putting them in front of the TV to keep from engaging with them because I had nothing to give. Then of course comes the awful guilt that you are failing your childing ..yata yata yata. She of course affirmed me that all moms go through this, it is very normal at this stage of my life to feel like this for a season which is very encouraging to know you are not the only one. Then she gave me the biggest AHH ever!! She said Amy the most important job you have regarding your children is to shepard their hearts. If you can't do ANYTHING else DO THIS. They will recover from extra time in front of the tv or extra room time, etc. Just take time to shepard their hearts. For me this takes the pressure off of all the other things that I want to do as a parent and most of the time love doing. It gives me one thing to focus on with my children for this season of recovery in my life. Please pray for me that God will renew me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

3 Bowling Boys

After 2 LONG weeks of work daddy actually got home at a decent time - 5 pm and we decided to go have some fun. I forgot my socks so I decided to help Brady instead of paying 5 bucks for some socks. Brady of course didn't need my help. He actually beat John and Jake. His super competetive daddy isn't taking it so well. It was so much fun!!!

Scoping it out...

the only way he could get it down the lane

a lesson from daddy...Brady says move outta the way

the ball gaurd...look at his shoes

3 boys bowling...what a blast!!