Joy in the Journey

Well, that was major mom fail! We just had a giant blow up! A stupid move on my part, followed by a stupid move on my child's part, followed by another stupid move for me, followed by mass explosion from EVERYONE (minus the baby). It was bad. Then I had a meltdown, my child had a meltdown, and my husband went to take a break. Things were talked through over the next hour as emotions ran high and we all felt bad. In the end we all came up with ways we could do better next time a situation like that came along, prayed, said sorry, and went to bed. Right after everyone got in bed, I stood at my bathroom counter getting ready for bed myself I thought about how imperfect we are as parent. How I want so bad  to be the perfect parent but I just can't! It makes my heart sad that I can't always be the parent I want to be, heck, I'm not usually  the parent I want to be. Then the words of my sweet uncle drifted back into my head from several years ago when we were talkin...

I've been struggling lately... With the church and what exactly is "the church"? Photo Credit: Biblestudytools.com We moved church about a year ago (please reread about that HERE ). Our previous church was larger with more to offer but despite all our efforts we didn't build true community. We chose something smaller, looking for that close-knit community, where we could love on others and do life together. It's been nearly a year and though it's way easier to meet people and know who everyone is in a small church, the same struggles seem to apply. Then, I listened to a Ex-Pastor's Story and things began to click (Watch that HERE ). I began understanding more about the church and the difference between going to church and personal relationship with Jesus. I even wondered if going to church on Sunday's was the best way to love and follow Jesus... I went to church this Sunday. I was exhausted. I didn't want to go and honestly,...

I talked to you on Wednesday about our snow day "adventure" and that just being up in the snow and managing the children was a challenge in itself. We ended up walking along the road, like I mentioned, which was nice, but then we stopped in hopes of a sledding hill and the baby began to melt. He was crying and unwilling to be comforted. We tried everything and my husband finally announced that our short trip needed to be over.  He went off to get the truck and graciously took the baby with him so I could sled down the hill a few times before our time was up. I did sled down the hill and the brief exhilaration was wonderful and rejuvenated. I just needed a little fun to get my blood pumping. My hubby pulled up with the truck a short time later with the baby and I was hoping that all the baby had calmed down. My hubby popped out of the truck and said "Let's go! The baby has been screaming the whole time." I was disappointing. I thought we would be able...

I love making people gifts, do you? I like the time it takes to make them. I spend the time thinking about them and praying for them. It’s special. I also hate making gifts. I spend the time worry about whether it will turn out right, whether they will like it, and wondering if I’ve wasted all these hours because they won’t like it and it won’t turn out right. Nothing I have ever made has turned out perfectly. I try, but there is always some flaw or another. And I’m always foolish enough to point out the flaws as I apologetically give the gift. Do you know what the receivers always say? “Oh, I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t said anything.” Or just… “It’s perfect!” They don’t see the flaws. They see the good. They see the time and the love that was put into making it. I’m constantly amazed at how much my kids love me. I feel like I have failed them so many times. How many times have I snapped at them unnecessarily because ...