Delighting in my Days: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Quotes

If you checked out the pdf links I put up on Friday you probably saw this quote. But I loved it so much that I wanted to share it. I need the reminder daily.

All of the mundane, repetitive days were actually full of significant, enduring work. A home was being built. A family was being knit together.

Every day full of cleaning, teaching, training, laundry, songs, books, snuggling, and adapting to changes is building our family. It will be what our children remember.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday Favorites

He looked puzzled that I woke him up to take a picture :)

Me and my big boy!

I found these awesome workbooks for a $1 at Wal-Mart when we were running errands yesterday! They are a little above Micah's level now but they won't be in 6-8 months. I put them "someplace I won't forget them." We all know what that means. I won't be able to find them when I want them. So remind me that I put them in the bottom of the bookcase with Micah's sit-down activities, ok?

Last week I found these awesome pdf's of some blog posts from girltalkhome. They address very relevant issues to mothers and wives and I love that these are compiled by subject! May I especially recommend Mom's with Young Kids, PMS Prep (especially for my friends getting ready to have babies!), and In Honor of Home. Check out the others while you are there!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Easing Expectations

Spotlessly clean house? Check!

Well-behaved kids? Check!

Perfectly groomed self? Check!

List of on-going side projects? Check!

Often my list of requirements for myself look like something from the "Superwoman Store." I can easily expect more of myself that I would anybody else. In fact, I would tell a friend that she was crazy for having such high expectations for herself! Thankfully I have eased up on myself and (usually!) don't expect such impressive things from one sinful person. But what about my expectations for my day? That's a different story, right?

Realistically, I expect to get up at night with Kevin (and sometimes Micah too!). I expect to be tired. I expect to have to correct Micah. I expect Kevin to cry. I expect to wash that same load of laundry, put away those same dishes, wash the same little hands that I did yesterday.

But I also expect to snuggle a delightful baby. I expect to get some fabulous two-year-old hugs. I expect to kiss my husband when he comes home for lunch. Except on the most abnormal of days I expect to look at a reasonably clean house at night (because I schedule my cleaning) and I expect to get a short nap (because I schedule my children).

Most days, almost all of these things happen. And I think that's great. But what if I expected everything to go perfectly? What if I expected to lounge on the couch and have well-taken-care-of children? What if I expected to go out to dinner all the time? What if I expected to sleep eight hours straight? I would spend my life constantly disappointed and unhappy. What a devastating effect this would have on my home and family!

Changing my expectations can make a world of difference in my attitude about my days even though the days themselves do not change. I have been spending more time praying for wisdom and creativity in planning our days so that I have better expectations and a better attitude. And so we can accomplish more training/teaching/playing in the short time we have! Children grow up so fast. I only have them for a short time and I want to be focused on things the Bible makes a big deal of because that's all that really matters.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Picture and Quote

Love this picture of me and my boys! Micah looks beyond pleased. I told Justin my hair looked crazy in the picture and then I was a little afraid it looked crazy in real life too! :)

Here's a little quote for you when you start to think that you are only doing menial work and long for something "great".

If anyone was too good to die, it was Jesus. If anyone should have done greater things than walking dusty roads and talking with people too dense to understand him, it was Jesus.

If Jesus can come to serve and He is God, surely I can serve knowing I am following His pattern.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

More Pictures

My tiniest darling is already two and a half weeks old! Yes, I'm one of "those" moms and it makes me sad! At the same time, I feel like we've had him forever! Two boys are an awful lot of fun! We're settling in nicely and I should be back to regular posting next week.