Ugh. This has been one tough week for getting out of bed. The sad part is that I've been going to bed earlier than I have in a couple of years! So what is my problem??
This is the first week back to school since Christmas break. During that time, we got up about 30 minutes later than we would've if the boys were in school. So really, not too bad. Plus, we've been sick almost during the entire break, so I guess we're more or less still recovering. We've been going to bed earlier b/c we couldn't keep our eyes open much longer.
We've only been back to school for 4 days now, and every single day, we've gotten up later than I'd like. Unfortunately, even my usual alarm clock, J8, has been fast asleep and difficult to get up in the mornings. Also, every single day this week, I've awakened a full hour and a half earlier than we need to be up. I look at the clock, chastise myself, and go back to sleep....evidently a DEEP sleep. I set my alarm about 20 minutes before I need to be up. I usually only hit the snooze 2 or 3 times and I'm wide awake and rarin' to go. Not this week. :(
This week, I've either hit the snooze 3 or 4 or more times, or I accidentally hit the OFF button, and then I'm REALLY in trouble! I think Wednesday, we only had about 10 minutes to get dressed and walk out the door! No breakfast. No vitamins. No MEDICINES (for the colds we've had). No drink. It's a wonder teeth have been brushed. :P
Of course, we pay for this at the end of the school day. Those little after-school snacks turn into MEALS before the dinner! Of course, they're exhausted by the end of the day b/c they've basically been fighting to keep up with their day, and we go to bed earlier than usual, and away we go. It's amazing how much that little button affects the rest of our day, isn't it???
Here's hoping next week will be much better. Here's hoping that my alarm clock will get up on his own again, and that I can make my own alarm clock function the way it's supposed to...with just one or two hits of the button.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Childhood is Calling
It's a tag line in a commercial for Rice Krispies, but it's a very appropriate line for many of us moms, dads, teachers, anyone else who deals with children in any way. :)
I love that I have a reason to watch some classic Disney movies...it's because the KIDS wanna watch it, don'tcha know? ;) Some of my favorite classic Disney movies are Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, AristoCats, Robin Hood and Fun and Fancy Free. There are some new ones I like to watch as well. I have to say that my favorite "modern" one is the computer-animated Cars...my J8's favorite as well. :) Oh, can't forget Ratatouille! :D
I have boys, so whatever girly things I did when I was little has to be kept in the attic of my memories. Thankfully, I was a bit of a tomboy back then, tho. Somehow I lost my physical aspect of tomboyhood, but I can get down w/ my boys and play with Legos and Hot Wheels and have a great time w/ them. T13 is getting into shooting BB and pellet guns. I'm not too bad a shot, if I say so myself! ;) They are into more advance video games than Tetris, Pac-Man and Mario Brothers, so they kinda leave me out in the dust...it's okay, tho. :) I'll let them have their area of expertise and whup up on them with MY games! >:)
One of the things we always did when I was growing up was play games...card, board, dice, you name it, chances are we played it. I got pretty blamed good at them, too! A friendly rival game of Monopoly can add some spark to your life, y'know? Even Candy Land was sooo much fun when I played it with my boys! We got to where we'd call the colors by their Spanish names, too. J8 won many games, but I'm so happy he's a good sport when he doesn't. I'm looking forward to the day when I can break out my collection of Trivial Pursuit games to play. :) I have 4 0r 5 different TP games. He's finally chronologically old enough to play some of the bigger games we have. Oh, and Bingo?? Look out!! J8 and T13 rack up cookie prizes when we play Bingo! :) The boys beat me almost every time at Uno...I keep forgetting to say "UNO!" when I get down to that last card. : } We'll be trying to play the grown-up version of Yahtzee soon, too. With J8, I played that game more like Bingo when he was younger. He's growing into a math wizard in his own right, so we'll be learning how to keep better scores now. :)
Food. What can I say about childhood food?? There are just certain tastes you expect as a child. Sure, you can adultify macaroni & cheese and fish sticks or chicken nuggets, but there's nothing quite like the flavor you grow up with, especially if you're feeling sick, lonely, or just in need of comfort. T13's absolute favorite cuisine is Tex-Mex (we call it Texican sometimes, lol). If I want to specifically put a smile on his face, mentioning Texican food makes him light up the room. I'm serious! Believe it or not, J8's specialty seems to be soup or spaghetti. Trouble is, we haven't quite mastered a consistent flavor w/ homemade spaghetti, so that has slowly grown out of favor...unless we get Chef Boyardee cookin'...NOW we be smilin'! We don't rely too heavily on prepared foods, but there are some foods you just can't duplicate, and when you want them, you want them and the memories that go with them. :)
I think it's time to plan another childish day with the boys this weekend. Maybe I'll make some pizza and get a Battle or War card game going! Or maybe Checkers. Whatever we play, someone is gonna be Sorry about the Domino effects of playing Chutes and Ladders! :) Yes, childhood is indeed calling. :)
I love that I have a reason to watch some classic Disney movies...it's because the KIDS wanna watch it, don'tcha know? ;) Some of my favorite classic Disney movies are Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, AristoCats, Robin Hood and Fun and Fancy Free. There are some new ones I like to watch as well. I have to say that my favorite "modern" one is the computer-animated Cars...my J8's favorite as well. :) Oh, can't forget Ratatouille! :D
I have boys, so whatever girly things I did when I was little has to be kept in the attic of my memories. Thankfully, I was a bit of a tomboy back then, tho. Somehow I lost my physical aspect of tomboyhood, but I can get down w/ my boys and play with Legos and Hot Wheels and have a great time w/ them. T13 is getting into shooting BB and pellet guns. I'm not too bad a shot, if I say so myself! ;) They are into more advance video games than Tetris, Pac-Man and Mario Brothers, so they kinda leave me out in the dust...it's okay, tho. :) I'll let them have their area of expertise and whup up on them with MY games! >:)
One of the things we always did when I was growing up was play games...card, board, dice, you name it, chances are we played it. I got pretty blamed good at them, too! A friendly rival game of Monopoly can add some spark to your life, y'know? Even Candy Land was sooo much fun when I played it with my boys! We got to where we'd call the colors by their Spanish names, too. J8 won many games, but I'm so happy he's a good sport when he doesn't. I'm looking forward to the day when I can break out my collection of Trivial Pursuit games to play. :) I have 4 0r 5 different TP games. He's finally chronologically old enough to play some of the bigger games we have. Oh, and Bingo?? Look out!! J8 and T13 rack up cookie prizes when we play Bingo! :) The boys beat me almost every time at Uno...I keep forgetting to say "UNO!" when I get down to that last card. : } We'll be trying to play the grown-up version of Yahtzee soon, too. With J8, I played that game more like Bingo when he was younger. He's growing into a math wizard in his own right, so we'll be learning how to keep better scores now. :)
Food. What can I say about childhood food?? There are just certain tastes you expect as a child. Sure, you can adultify macaroni & cheese and fish sticks or chicken nuggets, but there's nothing quite like the flavor you grow up with, especially if you're feeling sick, lonely, or just in need of comfort. T13's absolute favorite cuisine is Tex-Mex (we call it Texican sometimes, lol). If I want to specifically put a smile on his face, mentioning Texican food makes him light up the room. I'm serious! Believe it or not, J8's specialty seems to be soup or spaghetti. Trouble is, we haven't quite mastered a consistent flavor w/ homemade spaghetti, so that has slowly grown out of favor...unless we get Chef Boyardee cookin'...NOW we be smilin'! We don't rely too heavily on prepared foods, but there are some foods you just can't duplicate, and when you want them, you want them and the memories that go with them. :)
I think it's time to plan another childish day with the boys this weekend. Maybe I'll make some pizza and get a Battle or War card game going! Or maybe Checkers. Whatever we play, someone is gonna be Sorry about the Domino effects of playing Chutes and Ladders! :) Yes, childhood is indeed calling. :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Commitment
C-c-c-comm-mm-mm-it-m-m-m-ment. Why is that such a scary word? Why is it that being firmly planted to a process is so daunting for some people, including me?
I dunno 'bout anyone else, but I think my answer lies in fear of failure. Not that fear of failure makes much sense, even to me, because commitment can diffuse failure. If you are committed to anything, you WANT to succeed. You WANT to see things to the end. You WANT desirable end results because of the effort you put in...COMMITTED...as an investment into those desired results.
C-c-comm-mm-it-m-m-ment....
Okay, it's a little easier to say now.... Why is it that we can be in the perpetual process of any given thing, but to commit to that process somehow means an end result? Why am I so afraid of those end results? I kinda get the guys who have a fear of commitment to marriage. They are "fine" in the circumstances they're in, happy with a gal they're even willing to spend the rest of their life with, but for anyone to suggest "marriage" and the guy goes into "commitment arrest."
C-commit-m-ment....
Gettin' a little easier....
Commitment. There. I said it.
I want this year to be a year in which I develop in the area of commitment. I know God has given me opportunities in the past that frightened me...not so much the commitments themselves, but how I saw myself in carrying out those commitments. I feel like Moses did when God called him to be His people's leader. For all his education and knowledge of the ways of the Egyptians AS WELL as the Hebrews of those days, he still felt inadequate to lead. He also let the condemnation of murder stand in the way of God's calling in his life. However, God merely overrode Moses' protests with demonstrations of His power and might through him.
God knows what I need to carry out whatever commitments He may put in my life. I need to trust in the Lord that I can carry them out instead of wallowing in my fear and sense of inadequacy and weakness. I see it in the Bible, now I need to apply it to myself. 1 Corinthians 1 is an awesome chapter to remind us of our capabilities through Him, and how each of us plays a part in His purposes.
From 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called?
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, year, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are;
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption;
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
I need to relearn to see myself as God sees me. God sees me as able. God sees His Son, Jesus, in me. God has given Christians gifts, and we need to put those gifts into practice. We need to commit ourselves to accomplishing that which He has called us to do. God gives us the ability, we need to act upon those abilities.
My commitments for 2011, not necessarily in any particular order:
To renew my body into a capable and strong vessel.
To read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation at least once this year.
To find the open door to a job God has lined up for me, and to do that job well.
To OBEY and HONOR God in all things, no matter how difficult I may believe the task to be.
To LOVE God by loving my neighbors with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind.
"I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
I dunno 'bout anyone else, but I think my answer lies in fear of failure. Not that fear of failure makes much sense, even to me, because commitment can diffuse failure. If you are committed to anything, you WANT to succeed. You WANT to see things to the end. You WANT desirable end results because of the effort you put in...COMMITTED...as an investment into those desired results.
C-c-comm-mm-it-m-m-ment....
Okay, it's a little easier to say now.... Why is it that we can be in the perpetual process of any given thing, but to commit to that process somehow means an end result? Why am I so afraid of those end results? I kinda get the guys who have a fear of commitment to marriage. They are "fine" in the circumstances they're in, happy with a gal they're even willing to spend the rest of their life with, but for anyone to suggest "marriage" and the guy goes into "commitment arrest."
C-commit-m-ment....
Gettin' a little easier....
Commit comes from the Latin word committere meaning "to bring together" or "to send together." (com = together with, mittere = to send)
Commit has many definitions, but for the purpose of this entry, commit means to "entrust", "consign", "engage", and "pledge." Commitment is merely "the act of entrusting, consigning, engaging, pledging to, or with, anyone or anything." When we commit to a marriage, we are entrusting our care to another person and that person to you. When we commit to a promise, we are pledging our part of that promise. When we commit to do something, we are engaging in a promise.
I admit I have an extremely difficult time committing to anything. I have had many opportunities to enrich my life through various commitments. But fear gripped my heart, possibly due to undiagnosed ADD. What if I fail? What if I can't live up to the standards of the commitment? What if I can't endure to the finish (my usual fear)? I've got to learn how to put aside the "what ifs" and JUST DO IT!!! Yes, Nike has som'n there. ; } I have to meditate on and remember 2 Timothy 1:7 : "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."Commitment. There. I said it.
I want this year to be a year in which I develop in the area of commitment. I know God has given me opportunities in the past that frightened me...not so much the commitments themselves, but how I saw myself in carrying out those commitments. I feel like Moses did when God called him to be His people's leader. For all his education and knowledge of the ways of the Egyptians AS WELL as the Hebrews of those days, he still felt inadequate to lead. He also let the condemnation of murder stand in the way of God's calling in his life. However, God merely overrode Moses' protests with demonstrations of His power and might through him.
God knows what I need to carry out whatever commitments He may put in my life. I need to trust in the Lord that I can carry them out instead of wallowing in my fear and sense of inadequacy and weakness. I see it in the Bible, now I need to apply it to myself. 1 Corinthians 1 is an awesome chapter to remind us of our capabilities through Him, and how each of us plays a part in His purposes.
From 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called?
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, year, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are;
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption;
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
I need to relearn to see myself as God sees me. God sees me as able. God sees His Son, Jesus, in me. God has given Christians gifts, and we need to put those gifts into practice. We need to commit ourselves to accomplishing that which He has called us to do. God gives us the ability, we need to act upon those abilities.
My commitments for 2011, not necessarily in any particular order:
To renew my body into a capable and strong vessel.
To read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation at least once this year.
To find the open door to a job God has lined up for me, and to do that job well.
To OBEY and HONOR God in all things, no matter how difficult I may believe the task to be.
To LOVE God by loving my neighbors with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind.
"I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
Saturday, January 1, 2011
1~1~11 for This Christian
'Tis the first day of 2011, the newest year after Jesus the Christ's time upon this earth.
My favorite Bible verse for introducing the new year is 3 John 2:
Brethren, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Who can go wrong praying that your family and friends, Christians or nonChristians, have a great year full of prosperity and health??
I have another Bible passage that I like to use for directing my focus from Philippians 4:8-9:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
The new year brings a fresh reminder for a fresh start in how I see things in this world. That is not to say that I'm oblivious to bad news, that I am not affected by negative influences or emotions, or that I don't feel pain when others hurt, but I find that dwelling on such negativity serves no positive purpose in anyone's life, my own or that of my family or friends. The best I can do is whatever I can to alleviate whatever sorrow I can help alleviate, and to pray for whatever I can't personally affect...the latter being far more powerful through God's hands than my own. I do believe that what is impossible for man is possible with God. I have experienced the peace that surpasses all human understanding, and I pray that more people can experience that, too.
I pray that today marks a new beginning for my family and friends who are struggling in any area of their lives. I pray that they can make changes that make for better lives. Take control of what you can control, make changes you can make, practice what you have determined to do, and watch a new and better life emerge. God does not want us to be miserable. He wants us to be prosperous. Prosperity is not so much material blessings but overall peace. We should find ourselves blessed so that we can be a blessing for others. When you are blessed, accept that blessing from another and pass that blessing on to yet another...the Christian version of "pay it forward."
I do pray that my family and friends are able to have a great year in 2011. Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jesus tells us that God calls the end from the beginning; we can call those things that be not as though they were. We have an empty slate starting today. What will you put on yours? I'm not much of an artist, but God can take my stick figures and flesh out a wonderful future for me and mine and yours. Will you let Him?
I'm looking forward to beginning this year with the ending in mind; I'm looking forward to a great year in 2011.
My favorite Bible verse for introducing the new year is 3 John 2:
Brethren, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Who can go wrong praying that your family and friends, Christians or nonChristians, have a great year full of prosperity and health??
I have another Bible passage that I like to use for directing my focus from Philippians 4:8-9:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
The new year brings a fresh reminder for a fresh start in how I see things in this world. That is not to say that I'm oblivious to bad news, that I am not affected by negative influences or emotions, or that I don't feel pain when others hurt, but I find that dwelling on such negativity serves no positive purpose in anyone's life, my own or that of my family or friends. The best I can do is whatever I can to alleviate whatever sorrow I can help alleviate, and to pray for whatever I can't personally affect...the latter being far more powerful through God's hands than my own. I do believe that what is impossible for man is possible with God. I have experienced the peace that surpasses all human understanding, and I pray that more people can experience that, too.
I pray that today marks a new beginning for my family and friends who are struggling in any area of their lives. I pray that they can make changes that make for better lives. Take control of what you can control, make changes you can make, practice what you have determined to do, and watch a new and better life emerge. God does not want us to be miserable. He wants us to be prosperous. Prosperity is not so much material blessings but overall peace. We should find ourselves blessed so that we can be a blessing for others. When you are blessed, accept that blessing from another and pass that blessing on to yet another...the Christian version of "pay it forward."
I do pray that my family and friends are able to have a great year in 2011. Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jesus tells us that God calls the end from the beginning; we can call those things that be not as though they were. We have an empty slate starting today. What will you put on yours? I'm not much of an artist, but God can take my stick figures and flesh out a wonderful future for me and mine and yours. Will you let Him?
I'm looking forward to beginning this year with the ending in mind; I'm looking forward to a great year in 2011.
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