Living Water- part TWO

Well. I certainly didn't intend for a whole entire month to go by without writing. But ya know, life happens. We took a trip to North Carolina to visit my mom. (I'll give you a recap on that later.) 

Also, I'll have a really exciting announcement later this week. Am I keeping you on the edge of your seat? 
(no, I'm not pregnant, let's just get that out of the way now)

Anyway.

My month of drinking only water is over. And this coffee I'm drinking right now as I type is SO tasty. 

So what did I learn? What did the Lord teach me? First off, if you are one of those people that says, "I could NEVER give up coffee!", know that I was one of those people too. I really was. But when the Lord calls, I answer, and when He calls, He equips (not the other way around.)

It was somewhat ironic, because the very day I made that commitment, I read this on Hannah's instagram:

"it is wonderful what miracles god works in wills that are utterly surrendered to him. he turns hard things into easy, and bitter things into sweet. it is not that he puts easy things in the place of the hard, but he actually changes the hard thing into an easy one." 

hannah whit hall smith

And that day, I wondered if that would be my experience through all of this.

Let me tell you, friends, He absolutely was my help. 

I never suffered from caffeine headaches. I was rarely tempted to give in. But on the occasions that I was, He was my strength, and I was reminded of WHY I was doing it, not just the fact that I was. In summary, keeping your eyes on Jesus is always a good thing.

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One last thing, friends. Here's a song that's been on my heart the last couple of days. It's speaking to me hardcore. What is your "sing all you want to"? This last month, mine has been drinking coffee. And this week? It's something else. Please give this song a listen. Open your hearts to what the Lord may be speaking to you. 

Anything I put before my God is an idol.Anything I want with all my heart is an idol. Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol. Anything that I give all my love is an idol.

Living Water

 ^"Whoever believes in me...rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38

This is a really hard blog post to write.
1. It's making me incredibly vulnerable not just to the internet world but to those who are close to me and to whom I see on a consistent basis. 
2. I'm afraid of failure. Extremely afraid. 

BUT, I feel the Lord leading me here, and I feel that I need to share it. So here goes. 

I have a struggle with bad food and healthy eating. Like, a back and forth, roller coaster, up/down, love/hate relationship, however you want to describe it. 

I have lots of knowledge on how to eat healthy, I know why I need to do it, yet I just cannot get over the hump of getting all the crappy food out of my diet. 

I tell myself...

It's been a bad day, go ahead and swing through McDonalds and get that large Dr. Pepper and large french fry. 

The kids are finally in bed, you're completely exhausted, you deserve that ice cream. 

It's been a stirring in my heart, to say the least. But I think this post finally pushed me over the edge to sit down, journal out my thoughts, and pray about what steps to take next. 
Because clearly, this is a heart issue.

Like Jessi, I decided to write out my own lies/truths about this subject. I won't share them all, but here's my first one:

LIE: food and treats will refresh me.
TRUTH: JESUS is the only true living water and ultimate source of refreshment. 

So, what to make of all this? 

I'm going to drink only water for the next 30 days.

A goal towards healthier eating and a reminder of what is my true living water.

And yes, that means I'm not going to drink coffee. Do I think coffee is bad? Heck no. I think coffee is God's wonderful gift to mothers. :) But I also believe that good things can get in the way of what HE wants to be in our lives. 

So friends, this is going to be hard. I'm not going to be able to do it by myself. Which I think is also what the Lord is going to teach me. My weakness. His strength. My Living Water. 

Life Lately, as told through pictures

Brother/Sister Duo.

She is loving that he sleeps in her room now. 

I think he likes it too. :)

Ya know, bonding. 

Girlfriend loves her an ice cream cone. 

I feel like I'm getting a small glimpse of what Molly is going to look like as a teenager here. *hold me*

Swimming with Grama.

Trying out some food. He gets SO excited and flails his hands in the air. :) 

Rejoicing with friends that have welcomed their sweet baby boy into the world.

I cannot even handle the sweetness....

Experimenting with homemade almond milk. The french press method didn't quite work for me, but I'm hoping to keep trying and find the right way!

This morning I tried to explain to Molly the difference between a CD and a DVD. I told her she had a CD in her hand and that we hear the music with our ears...

Happy weekend, friends!

SIX months

Oh Coop. Where do I even begin your six month post? 

(Well, first, I read Molly's. Here. Wow, that seems like forever ago.)

You are a lot like me--you live in the extremes of life. When you're happy, you're really happy. But when you're mad, well, you're really mad. 

You have quite possibly the best smile I've ever seen. Your face can light up the entire room. And your laugh. Oh, your laugh. You  are super ticklish, and your sister can really make you giggle.

But--how do I say this?--you've been quite the challenge. I'm fairly certain I've changed more in the last six months than I have in my entire life. You've driven me to my knees in a way that nothing else has up to this point in my life.

You've taught me more about being a parent than I had learned with Molly. You've been quite the opposite of her, throwing me for a loop in that some of the things we'd done with her, well, they don't exactly "work" with you. (I imagine we'll be running into that a whole lot more!) :)

Ya know, it's hard to necessarily put the blame on one thing, because it's not just you. It's been tough with daddy in school, learning how to adjust to two kids, and your big sister Molly entering a new phase of toddler-dom. :) 

These last six months have stretched us, to say the least. But my love for you has grown more than I ever thought possible. You are SO special to me, Coop-scoop. I cannot imagine our family without you. 

love always, your mama.

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....and of course, some more pictures. :)

for funnsies...both kids at 6 months:

Stand fast.

truth. buy this print here.

Sometimes my morning time gets interrupted. Sometimes it's short, quick, and to the point. Other times I am able to take longer to bask in His presence (and sip a little more coffee). 

But the point is that He is here. In the thick of my mothering two young children. In the early mornings. In the sheer exhaustion. He is here. And He is more than enough for me.

I was reminded this morning in my She Reads Truth study (I'm a bit behind) while reading Peter's closing of his first letter: Stand fast in it (referring to God's grace).

Stand fast in His grace, in His mercy, in His abundance of love. Remain in Him, and He will remain in me. 
Apart from HIM, I can do nothing. (here)

So what does this practically look like for me? I'd love to share some of the things that work best for me. (And please know that I am still a work in progress, learning new things each day!) :)

*Morning quiet time. Like I said, long or short--it doesn't matter. Just spending time with Jesus, preparing my heart for the day. 

*Light a candle at the beginning of the day to remind yourself that you are representing the LIGHT OF THE WORLD to those in your household. 

*Put on some music and SING songs of worship! This always directs my heart to Jesus.

*Being grateful. When I'm tempted to complain and grumble about difficulties of my day (or more realistically, that specific moment), I am trying to remember to take a few seconds and look for God's abundant blessings. It's really tough to complain while seeing God's amazingness all around me. :)

*Get outside. A breath of fresh air is SO good for everyone in my household. A must to relieve the afternoon crankies.

*Take a bath. I've never been much of a bath person until recently when I discovered how completely amazing it is to sit still in a a dark bathroom, candles lit, no kids, and just BE. Even if it's for 10 minutes. I've decided that for me, this needs to happen once a week. 

For a few more super ideas for how to stay refreshed and connected to Jesus, please see this post. And be sure to read her story about falling FORWARD. I just love this analogy!

SIX AM

I know 6am might be a normal wake-up time for some, but for me, it's super early. You see, Molly was the type of baby to sleep in until at least 8 or 8:30. Even if I woke up at 7, that gave me plenty of coffee and Jesus time before she woke up.

But this little guy?

It's 6am. Sometimes 5:30.

Awake and kickin. Kicking my tail, that is. *grin*

For about the past couple of weeks, it has been really frustrating to me. I've woke up grumpy, angry, and reeking of selfishness.

But this morning, I woke up with a fresh perspective that I pray sticks with me.  

This is a phase of life. It will pass.

I hear too often:

The days are long, but the years are short.

And I want to soak this up. I don't want to look back on these years and remember wishing them away because certain moments are difficult. I want to cherish the good moments and let them outweigh the bad. 

Maybe that's easier said than done, but heck, I'll try!

Parenting article

this was a mailbox at a house we were looking at, haha.

I found this link through Facebook and read it this morning through tears. Since I know not everyone follows through to links, I thought I'd copy/paste it here for any fellow parent that needs some encouragement. Again, I did not write this, but I want to pass along the encouragement!

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20 Things Every Parent Should Hear

by: Beth Woolsey

1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You're a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less.

2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember, "this, too, shall pass."

3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline.

4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you've been impatient. Like you've misjudged. Like you've been too harsh. Like you've been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go.

5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It's all part of it. And it's all worth it.

6. Family is the best. Even when it's not perfect. And it's never perfect. Ever.

7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises.

8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end.

9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That's where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible.

10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You're not.

11. Kids know the way to magical and they'll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can, because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute.

12. There's a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there's no line at all. It's all mixed up together. That "fine line" thing is a lie.

13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff.

14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids.

15. Look for joy. You'll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy's like that. It's in the middle of everything. It's completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you're not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good.

16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love -- both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them.

17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you.

18. Parenting will bring you face-to-face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible.

19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn't a tight-rope walk; it's a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat.

20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he's safe and tell him you're not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile.