exhausted Mom…..because if I posted a picture of myself looking truly exhausted, that might be embarrassing.

10 Random Thoughts from an Exhausted Mom (It was a long day.)

1. How many boys, ages 9 down to 20 months, will fit in a standard American bathtub?

At least four, as my children have proved. I’m sure if I had another child, they would show me how to fit five.

2. What does desperation sound like when it’s time to cook supper?

“Here, boys, play with this bowl of water in the floor while I finish cooking.”

3. What does giving up on being a strict teacher sound like after an emotionally trying morning?

My side of the conversation:

“Where is your TNT book?”

“I don’t have time to help you look for that right now.”

“You aren’t getting out of your work that easily. Here.  Copy this verse from Hebrews.”

“Yes, fine, copy whatever verse you want. Just copy one. I have GOT to go get a drink of water, and I think JD has a poopy diaper.”

4. How do you sneak out of the house without taking Daniel with you?

“Caleb, we are going to the library. Daniel has to go to bed, but he’s still downstairs. You have to go get ready like you are on a secret spy mission. This is a secret mission. You have to prove your spy skills by leaving with me in 5 minutes, without Daniel noticing. Go!”

2 minutes later: Caleb stood at the front door, jacket and all, and proclaimed, loudly, “I’m ready to go!!”

:/

More coaching. Believe it or not, we did pull it off.

5. How many times has a skunk sprayed our house (outside, thankfully) since we moved in, 7 months ago?

3–I just smelled the third.

pretty wildflowers picked for me by Caleb and Dan

6. Sometimes Caleb and his faithful sidekick, Daniel, pick flowers for me.

7. When I feel really grumpy, I look down at my pretty Jamberry-covered fingernails. This is probably the first time I’ve had pretty fingernails since 2007. Post to come about that soon!

No, he didn’t go running with me. He does look cuter walking than I do, though.

8. I went running yesterday. I ran a mile. I was super proud of myself. I didn’t do it in my strength. I hate running. Yeah, I know. I used to do it a lot. That’s because I hate it when my clothes get snug more than I hate running.

It’s funny, though. I have that “I can’t” attitude about anything athletic. I am not athletic, but God reminded me, “Yes, you can. You “run” all day, schooling the big ones and shepherding the little ones. You hardly ever sit, so you can literally run too.”

“Ok, God, I’ll run to that Stop sign.”

“No, you run all the way home.”

“Ugh. Okay.”

If you listen, God can be very clear. (Sometimes I remind myself that some non-Christians may read this blog and think that I’m a crazy schizo…Oh, well…I can assure you I am not. Christianity is about a personal relationship with God, not about following a list of rules.

I did that mile in God’s strength. I haven’t run a mile since JD was born. Did you know that you can stop, anytime it feels like the walls are closing in around you, and plead desperately, “God, I CANNOT do this. Help me!” And he will answer your prayer.

Sometimes I forget to listen for the voice of God, and then I’ll have a shining moment where I just REMEMBER, you know? I listen, I pray, and God strengthens my soul, not just for running, but for real life. How do I handle four boys? God’s strength, only by God’s strength. I cannot imagine life without that. I couldn’t do it. I really couldn’t.

9. I know. I started out being funny, and I got all serious. 🙂 Exhausted people reserve the right to jump around.

I had such a relaxing week with my parents here last week. I think Mom and Dad think that I always sleep until 8am.  I promise that is not the case. I was taking advantage of you.

That sounds like a horrible thing to say after talking so spiritually. It’s just that I could hear you taking care of JD, so nicely, so I thought, “I’ll just sleep a little longer.”

You were a great help, and we enjoyed the visit! 🙂  I think sleep was the greatest birthday gift you could have ever given me!

10. Confession: I quit making to-do lists a long time ago. I live by my daily routine, and if it’s not on my routine, it ends up getting done by Alan. You can thank Alan for all of your birthday gifts, and my kids and I can thank him for their doctor visits, dental appointments, and sports teams.

11. Who cares if I said 10? I have 11 thoughts. 😉

What would I do without Jesus, Alan, Joshua, Caleb, Daniel, and John David? Where would I be without grandparents that come to visit, help, and encourage? How dull would life be without friends and neighbors: both the wonderful and the crazy. I love my exhausting, first world, home school, routine, ordinary life!!

Tired, but happy! Praise the Lord!

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me and the boys, out walking yesterday at Point Lobos

Occasionally, I think about how bizarro some of my steeped-in-the-Bible thoughts may sound to my non-Christian friends that read this blog.

Even more occasionally, I exercise! And today I did both! I went running, something that I used to LOVE, but never do anymore.

Don’t you do the best thinking and praying when you are out walking or running? I certainly do.

Before I went running, I was reading Matthew 22. That’s all part of my plan to study Jesus in 2015.

Have you ever noticed who argued the most with Jesus? Not atheists. Did Israel even have atheists? Surely so, but maybe they didn’t openly admit it to others. Sometimes I wish my pastor friends would read my blog and fill in some of the blanks for me!

No, it was not the “sinners” (but truly, we are all sinners) arguing with Jesus.  The outcasts of their society were the ones following, listening, and seeking Jesus for help. The ones who disliked Jesus were the CHURCH LEADERS.

You know, some things haven’t changed much! It seems like we still argue amongst ourselves too much.  Why can’t we focus more on encouraging one another and working together to solve the world’s problems???

Thankfully, there are a ton of non-profit organizations, run by Christians, that are desperately trying to help the world’s poor. So we aren’t entirely missing the mark, but we do need to remember to support them! Organizations like: Hope International, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse. Those are three of my personal favorites. Oh! And the Salvation Army does so much, right here in America. Alan and I are careful to support these groups, but I’m sure we could always do more.

We all have Pharisees in our life! They try to trip us up with “hot topics” of our day. If we focus too much on those things, it can steal our joy and make us ineffective servants.

Servants?  Yes, servants! Jesus came serving, and that’s what he wants from us too: to serve mankind.

We tend to focus a lot on what Jesus can do for us ETERNALLY, but let’s not forget how much he can change our lives right here on Earth. And because of that, he can use us to change the lives of others, and it all starts right in our own families.

Home schooling (because it has been a challenge for me) has made me cling to Jesus more than ever. I don’t know how I would get through this without the Holy Spirit. He truly is the God of the living.

32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Matthew 22:32-33

The words of Jesus are so refreshing:

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:34-40

my son, Daniel’s, prayer, almost every night:

“Me love you, God. No me hate you God. Me love you, God. Me love Mama, Daddy, brothers. Me love you, God.”

from the mouth of babes  🙂

I’d better go! There are children to love and to teach and showers to be taken!

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