If You Can't Say Something Nice...

Part 2 - If you've not read "Not My Finest Hour" a couple of posts back...stop now, scan down, read that first...then return here. If you have read "Not My Finest Hour", then you need to know this is the next morning...right after the girls were picked up for school...

I walk into the bathroom, where my husband is in the shower...

Me: Do you know what your oldest daughter (H) just said to me?

Paul: What?

Me: I told her not to wear the sweatshirt she had on so I could wash it. She said, "It's not a sweatshirt, it's a hooded jacket." Ummm, no it's not...it's a sweatshirt...a Gap hoodie zip-up sweatshirt! I just said, "Whatever." And then do you know what else she said?

Paul: What?

Me: I asked K (younger sister) to find her stripped shirt to wear to school...she did, waded up in H's drawer. Not only is it a shirt that should be hung up...but when K put it on, it was dirty! I mean like food on the sleeve kind of dirty. So I asked H why in the world would she put dirty clothes in her drawer? And she said, (in a know it all sassy voice), "Well, you TOLD me to put the clothes away that were on the steps." UGHHHH!!! Why does she do stuff like that????!???

Paul: So, what's her consequence?

Me: (annoyed to be questioned on my sub-par parenting skills) Well...Ummm...her consequence is that I like K better than I like her...that's her consequence!!! (playing on the drama from the night before)

Paul: (in a really sarcastic voice) Oh, Okay...

Me: (beginning to rant) And now I'm picking up wet towels from the floor! I haven't even taken a shower yet, but there's wet towels to be picked up. I wonder who's towels these are? And do you think you could strike a match in here? Or get the dirty clothes actually in the basket, instead of RIGHT beside it?

Paul: Ummm...is there anything else positive you'd like to say?

Me: (really annoyed) YES! One of K's fish died this morning and I just had to flush it!

Paul: Lucky Fish...

Some Wise Words

My devotion today from Chris Tiegreen was on wisdom,and I'd like to share part of it with you.

"At all costs, do not passively let the word of God go in one ear and out the other. Do not read it so casually that it is forgotten the next day or even the next hour. THERE'S POWER IN IT! It is a gift that will craft us into the person God wants us to be, the person we were designed to be from the beginning. Let it soak in, completely and deeply. Let it do its powerful work."

What a great meditation for today. Happy Monday!

~A

NOT MY FINEST HOUR...

Yesterday was hectic to say the least...and when did I start raising teenagers??? I have a 9 and 10 year old for crying out loud!!! Anywhooo...last night, the threat was made by their father, "Rooms clean tomorrow after school or else..."! Then I get a friendly reminder phone call after school from their father (he also happens to be my lovely husband, but in this story he is definitely playing the role of their father) that their rooms BETTER be clean by the time he gets home! Not sure if that was directed at me or them, but since we were sitting at Brewster's Ice Cream at the time with friends, it may have been directed at me! So, I quickly devised a master plan consisting of cleaning and homework and all would be done before 7:30 so that we could go to School's Night Out at Chick-Fil-A! The girls would be on 30 minute shifts alternating between homework w/ me and cleaning upstairs...2+ hours to get it all done! Plenty of Time...OH HA! Cleaning was done at a snails pace with little regard to future punishment...Homework was a ridiculous display of apathy and stupidity (is that okay to say?!?)...I was thrust in between two worlds, cheerleader and executioner...not pretty! Now, 2 + hours later and my oldest (H) was in Shock and Awe over the fact we were out of time to go to Chick-Fil-A..."Now That's Just GREAT Mom!"...was one comment...others followed that were equally disrespectful and mind boggling that she really didn't understand where the time went (Ummm...it went on you playing upstairs, filling up Ziplocs with water and poking a hole in them and then squeezing them on your sister...WHY? you might ask (I did ask)..."Ummm, because it was fun." Hope a belt on the butt is fun too! Yes, I did say that, which then was followed by a dramatic flow of tears and "That's not fair" and my favorite..."You love K (younger sister) more than me, she's your favorite!" At this point I should have been deflated, but instead found a renewed sense of anger...it really really really made me mad. OKee DoKee, let me get this straight…This was MY fault…not hers…if only I just loved her more…blah, blah, blah…moving on. So, there are other sorted details to the evening and ugly things that were said...then their father came home. RELIEF, ESCAPE...neither! He was, needless to say, out done...seemingly a little irritated at me as well...which did not sit well with this already irritated woman. He wanted to know what was for dinner and I exclaimed loudly, "NOBODY EATS UNTIL THE ROOMS ARE CLEAN!" He didn't exactly like that idea, or my tone...so he made more threats to my oldest, (K was done) and then went to the grocery store to see what he's going to get for dinner. Well, of course, my oldest then can magically clean the rest of her room, the landing, the stairs and the bathroom all before he gets home. H and K both ate cheese biscuits for dinner(because their rooms were then clean), brushed their teeth and got into bed. Their father gets home and calls the girls downstairs to clean their stuff out of his car. WHAT??? They are in bed after a horrible day with their mom and it's after 9:00 p.m. They both run downstairs and out the front door. Now, I'm even more irritated...get a bowl of cereal and eat it for dinner...who cares that my husband just went shopping...I have a point to prove, that I'm angry, treated unfairly, unappreciated and have had a no good, very bad day!!! After a ridiculous amount of time outside, I walk into the kitchen and say to their father, "Okay, seriously! Unless they are out there bagging a cheetah and trying to bring it inside, this is ridiculous! They've been out there FOREVER!!!" He just turned and looked at me. Just then the front door burst open and my girls fly in with a bouquet of sunflowers and a card that they've written in with accolades, and apologies and loving sentiments for their mom! My husband then smirked and turned back to his dinner he had been cooking on the stove! I love that man!.....and those girls (sometimes)too!

J

Psychic Friends Network

Are any of you psychic? If so, could you tell me who I have lunch plans with on Wednesday? I know it's a girlfriend who I haven't seen lately, we wanted to catch up, I'm looking forward to it, etc. However, I have no idea who it is. I think the scariest part is that I made these plans within the last 3 days.

If you succeed in this psychic mission, you are invited to go on the lunch date with us, MY TREAT!

I'm not asking much... just be my brain!

"That's What Friends Are For" ( ha! little Warwick tie in)

~A

Just Checking

Just checking to see if anybody out there has ever driven away from the bank window with the tube that you are supposed to leave AFTER taking your money out.

And I'm wondering that if you have ever done it, if people were honking at you telling you to bring it back so that they could actually send their money in the tube to the bank teller.

Or if half the people who go to your church were in the line of cars at the bank rolling down their windows and laughing as they said "We didn't know that was YOU!"

Not that this has ever happened to me on a Thursday. I was just checking.

L

Craziness

We are living in some crazy times! The economy stinks, the election is worse, politicians in general are clueless, and my favorite part is HOLLYWOOD'S involvement with it all because they think we need them to make informed decisions. The scary thought is that I fear that some people do need to be told what to think! It amazes me how many people listen to the media, hollywood, and randomness around them. Actually, it frightens me. When did America, the greatest nation on earth, stop thinking for themselves?

Could you imagine going through all of THIS and not having an understanding of our creator and that He is sovereign? God is so moving and shaking right now. We need not fear because HE is so in control.

I so want to be Daniel! In times of fear, I will trust in God alone! Those of you going through Daniel right now... is it not rocking your world?

I am putting on my shield of faith!

~A

My Little Enigma

I have a daughter who is nothing like me. It fascinates me because she comes up with things at age 6 that I would never dream of. She is prissy and girly and the kid can absolutely accessorize. She wears extra-slim jeans and they still fall off. Nobody in my family ever shops for extra-slim anything!

Sunday night I had to leave for church early so I left out clothes for her to wear. It was your basic jeans and a striped polo shirt. When I saw her at church later she had tied a ribbon around one ankle with some beads hanging on it- an item I had never seen in our house. When questioned, she said "Oh I just thought it would look cute." And it did. She had also ditched the shoes I picked for some plaid pink tennis shoes and partnered it with a silver sequined purse. Seriously we're just talking about jeans and a shirt here.

Yesterday was "watch-me" day at dance so like the dutiful Mom I am, I went to watch E twirl around. Not only was her leotard the lowest cut leotard in the class, but she pulls it down so even more of her skinny self is showing. We are going to have to start locking her in her room in about 4 years. Oh, and now I know that "watch-me" day consists of the curtain on the window being pulled back slightly farther than it is on other days so the moms can peek in and wave. Obviously I was new to "watch-me" day because all the smart moms hit the road as soon as they dropped their kid off. And did I mention that the recital costume fee is $150 because there are THREE costume changes for her class during the 10 minutes she will perform? I've been known to wear the same outfit for three days in a row so this is all very confusing to me.

Many experienced moms I know give this advice: "Let your children be who they are." I really try to heed this and to steer clear from pushing my opinions on my girls, but it's hard when they are foreign to me!!! The Bible tells us we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." I know that's true in E's case because there is nothing about her sweet little self that is familiar to me. God made her exactly who she is and He will use her to accomplish His purposes. I mean, there's lost people at all the Paris fashion shows, right? Sigh. I just hope I can keep her from dancing on tables in the meantime.

L

Something I'm Learning

Webster's dictionary defines courage as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." I so long to be a courageous person, but this seems really hard. So here's what God has been teaching me....

The kind of courage that the world admires emulates bravado. It is almost a swaggering, proud bravery that can stand against what is wrong. But I am here to tell you that I don't have mental or moral stregth. I really don't. Not one bit as a matter of fact.

What I do have is a source of strength to draw on. In my Bible Study recently, God has taught me that a child of God must have the kind of courage that is different from worldy courage. "God's child must have the courage that carries on for God in spite of difficulties, hardship, and rebellion, and to do so, if necessary, for many long years."

Wow.

Do I have what it takes to make a "long obedience in the same direction?"

L