Finding joy climbing the mountains of life…..Even JD climbed these rocks, believe it or not. I would have died watching JD do that, but they left me at home, so I didn’t see it.

Tonight I’m hosting my home school moms’ group.

That means that I will be spending all day trying to clean up my house, take care of four children, and cook.

I need to make sure that I don’t fall into the prideful trap of cleaning up my house to try to make myself look good.

It’s not about me.

Let’s not put on a show and act like my house is always this neat, if I even manage to get it neat.

It’s about my guests. They need to feel at ease and cozy. The house should smell good. The surfaces should all be cleaned off, with plenty of places to sit. The bathroom should feel squeaky clean, as though no four-year-old boy has ever peed there before.

….But not so I can pretend like I’m the Queen of Clean.

Who are we kidding here?

Instead I need to focus on this:

I just want to create an inviting atmosphere for women who are getting a night off. Everyone needs a night off. Parents do not get nights off. Those are hard to find. I just want a room full of laughing women, encouraging each other through this life-changing thing that we call parenting.

I always leave moms’ nights feeling inspired and uplifted. That’s what I’m hoping for tonight.

I hope the food is yummy too.

So with that in mind, I will not panic if my hostess day does not go as planned.

-Not even if Daniel tears down the towel rack because he thought that he could swing from it like a monkey.

-Not even if John David proudly carries a Tonka dump truck full of dirt and dumps it onto my carpeted dining room floor.

He loves dirt. No, I mean he LOVES dirt, as in he thinks it’s so great that he gives it to people as gifts.

-Not even if I run out of toilet bowl cleaner. Shampoo works for that too, and it smells better.

-Not even if I have to change recipes because of a cooking mistake.

-Not even if I burn the bread.

-Not even if my vacuum cleaner quits.

-Not even if someone breaks their arm. (Please, boys, do not break your arms today.)

I will not panic. I will not. I will not go into my room and scream into my pillow because if my motives are in the RIGHT place, I will remember that these sort of problems are just hiccups and stories.

I’m reading this incredible book, by Lysa Terkeurst. In fact, if you click on this link to buy the book for yourself, I make a whopping 4 cents a copy. (Haaaaa! Not even kidding.)

She pointed this “not about me thing” out to me, in chapter 7 of her book. I came “Unglued” this week in the exact way she described in chapter 7 because of my wrong motives. I so badly wanted Alan’s parents to think that I was a good parent and a decent housekeeper that I way overdid it on my first born, over a pair of basketball shorts, of all things. I put so much pressure on myself, that I get all worked up over the dumbest things.

Also, I should pause here and THANK my in-laws for 1.) raising Alan, 2.) helping clean my house so I can blog on hostess day, and 3.) catching up on laundry. Let’s face it. When you have four kids, life is really just laundry anyway. Endless amounts of laundry…..Oh! And 4.) Being so wonderful. Thank you!

So back to this week’s meltdowns…..

The details aren’t necessary. Just know that sometimes I lose it, and maybe sometimes you lose it too. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re more of a stuffer, and you stuff your problems or shut people out.

I usually end up doing both exploding and stuffing, but either way, this book, Unglued, has been balm to my spirit this week. I know I often recommend books, but let me assure you that this is one you won’t regret. It’s infinitely better than the Susanna Wesley one I recommended. I’d offer to let you borrow mine, but it takes me forever to finish a book….

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Mostly I’m a good person with good motives, but not always. Not when I want life to be a little more about me or about making sure I look good. That’s when my motives become corrupted. The Bible is pretty blunt in naming the real issue here: evil desires…….Selfishness, Pride, Impatience, Anger, and Bitterness.”   –p. 102-103, chapter 7

“That’s what makes raw emotions so complicated. They come from out of nowhere and run us slap over. Which is why it’s so important to prepare in advance for what will surely happen…”  —p. 60, chapter 5

I feel like I’m learning to check my motives and get a plan in place.

I need to get back to work. Daniel just dug a giant hole, while looking for worms, in my front yard flower bed. The boys also need to be rounded back up and put back to work. That is one great thing about having all these boys. I have four built-in workers! Sure, they sometimes clean the mirrors with carpet cleaner or mop before they sweep, but they are my team, and I am proud of them.

1Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary…    Psalm 107:1-2

I hope you all have a great weekend, full of fun, with no melt down moments whatsoever. 🙂 I hope to! Every day is new, with no mistakes in it.

The post I Will Not Panic Today, Even if Dirt Boy Dumps Dirt on the Dining Room Floor appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

best thing that happened this week!!!! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Sometimes I get stressed out.  Like now.  I’m kind of on the verge of that right this second.

Here’s why my face is all broken out like a teenager this week!

It’s Friday at 2pm.  The whole weekend is about to smack us in the face, and it’s not one of those nice, breezy weekends.  It’s one of those crazy-insanely busy-hallmark weekends  that make me want to stick my head in the sand.

For starters, we promised a friend we’d go somewhere tonight that’s an hour away that starts at 7pm.  We have four small children, and our babysitters don’t do Friday nights.  I’m scrambling around trying to fix this.  I’m thinking I should take a friend and leave Alan at home with all of our children.  I never get out, and Alan is out at least a little more than I am, so he’ll probably enjoy time at home.  I know he wants to go to this thing, though.

Do you want to know what the ‘thing’ I’m anxious about going to with sleepy children is???  It’s a buffet of DELICIOUS food, cooked by chefs who are graduating culinary school.  We have a friend that’s one of the graduates.  You can see why both Alan and I wanted to go!

If you want to go with me, I do need a ‘date’…..FEMALE, a female one.  Thanks!

Okay….before I go any further, I should mention that this has actually been a fun week.  How lucky am I that Daniel passes out in the floor?  Thank you, sweetie, Mommy loves you.  Don’t worry.  I didn’t give him Benadryl or anything.  No, I really didn’t.

All right.  Back to my stress.

They say it’s going to snow Tuesday, which I KNEW this wasn’t finished yet, but what can you do?

Saturday.  Oh, Saturday.  Guess what Saturday is.  It’s when we celebrate Daniel’s birthday, since Saturday is a weekend and all.  Guess what I have planned for his glorious 3rd birthday!?

Nothing.

Not even a cake.  Not even a friend.  I got nothin’.

I’ve just been too busy and tired to deal with it.  Alan was gone for a couple of days this week (business trip), so I’ve been doing the 1:4 ratio thing.

Did you read that last sentence? 1:4 ratio.  Are any words really necessary?

Our tentative plan is to take Daniel into the city to the Smithsonians Saturday.  Which is GREAT, and he will love it, only that will leave me no time to prepare for……..

GUESTS ARRIVING ON SUNDAY MORNING!!!!!  We LOVE hosting, so we regularly invite our friends and family to come stay with us and take advantage of the local touring opportunities.  Next week begins tourist season, and I believe our little bed and breakfast here at the House of Many Little Men is booked almost solid for the rest of March and April.

Now don’t worry TOO much for me.  I’ve done this a TON, and these guests are all related to us:  Donna, Ellen, and Matthew.  This will be Ellen and Matthew’s first visit.  Wahooo!!!  The boys are so excited about Matthew coming–who is 17.  Apparently, “he’s the one that drives them on the golf cart at their great-grandparents’ house.” They trust his driving, but they don’t trust Laura Ellen’s.  HA!!

Classic men, judging women drivers.

I’m no fool, ya’ll.  I had a maid come and clean yesterday.  That’s right.  My pride is more important than money.

I’m just concerned about getting everything else nice and ready for my guests in time.  The mirror in the guest room broke a couple weeks ago, and rule #1 of hosting–Always provide a mirror in the guest room.

What?  You don’t think that should be rule #1?  Perhaps not everyone has to stare at every mirror they walk by like I do, rotten, vain thing that I am, but I still say it’s important.

Can you feel my blood pressure rising?  At least we did buy Dan a gift!!

Oh!  And thank you so much, everyone who sent him a gift already:  both sets of uncles and aunts and my parents!!  He LOVED it all!!!  I wanted to have photos of him playing with all of his gifts all uploaded and labeled on the blog today, but I’m having some iPhoto issues.  Drat.

Check back with me soon.  I have BEAUTIFUL photos of snow covered trees and darling pictures of Joshua’s art work, but alas, I Photo issues.

Now I’m officially running late to pick the boys up from school, so I’m out of here!  TGIF…..actually I could use one more Friday to prepare for this one!

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