Going Green

Lately, Rick and I have realized that we need to change our lifestyle...in a BIG way! (Okay...we have known this for years, but have now decided to take action). The general idea is to live a healthier lifestyle-more fresh foods, more exercise and activity, less processed and packaged and less time in front of the TV and computer (yes, I know I am in front of the computer right now).

But another part of this "healthier lifestyle" is reducing our "carbon footprint" and using our resources more responsibly. By being responsible consumers of our natural resources, we show our children that it is important to take care of our bodies, our spirits, and our environment. So my goal is to make changes, small & big, one at a time, towards living a more healthy and organic life.

No, I am not a "tree-hugger" or "environmental extremist". I still drive a Tahoe that gets terrible gas mileage (although I would like to trade that in on a mini-van soon), I am not throwing away all non-organic foods and I won't be paying $34/lb. for grass-fed beef. Life is about balance, the challenge (as in many aspects of my life) is deciding what is important and what can be compromised.

So for now, we are learning to use less water, turn off electronics, and grocery shop in a whole new way-in fact, I am hoping to hit the Piedmont-Triad Farmer's Market next week to pick up some fresh, locally grown, organic fruits and veggies.

Love & Prayers...

Updates

It has been a busy week at the Death House...the weekend flew by and suddenly Monday & Tuesday are also gone. Not to mention that we are headed to Virginia Beach this coming weekend so I am trying to make sure we have clean clothes and get packed for our trip. All of this activity can escalate stress levels, especially mine, which results in short tempers. Tonight was one of those nights that I was just aggravated and cranky.

So now the kids are in bed and all is quiet and I will take some time to reflect on my day and the week so far.

Emma has another loose tooth. Mackenzie is actually using the potty at least a couple of times each day. Logan is....well, Logan is a typical 7-year old boy forced to grow up in house where he is outnumbered by girls. The weather has been spectacular the past few days and we have definitely enjoyed it. Today I also enjoyed the benefits of being able to work from home on occasion. It is nice to go and sit outside and play with your kids when you need a break from the office.

Tomorrow starts the downhill speed-race to the weekend. I have to go to Fayetteville, NC (about 2 hours) for work, and then as soon as I get home, Rick will be off to work until 12 or 1 am. We still need to reserve a rental car (our Tahoe does not have legal tags yet...yes I do procrastinate on some things!) for this weekend and pack and clean up the house.

Crazy crazy crazy....

Our garden is coming along nicely...we were a little worried that we planted too early, but the weather has been good and not too cold at night. The herbs are looking great on my back porch and I recently found a big galvanized steel tub that I am going to transplant them too as it is big enough to hold all of them and looks really cool! I have even remembered to water the plants....impressive, I know. Next weekend Rick will be putting a fence around our little garden patch to keep the animals out...I love that we live in an area that we actually have seen deer in the backyard!

Very exciting things happening in our house...but most of all, we are just enjoying the life that God has given us!

Love & Prayers...

Approval

People seek approval. We work for it, desire it, demand it, need it. We search it out in all the wrong places. From birth, we are constantly seeking the approval of parents, teachers, peers, playmates....later in life, co-workers, bosses, spouses, friends. Women are particularly driven to obtain approval, but men want it too-don't deny it! But sadly, we often overlook the One we should desire approval from the most, the only One, in fact, that we should desire approval from.

I am learning and studying on being a "woman after God's own heart" and having a "heart devoted to God." I have been reading the story of when Jesus came to Martha & Mary's home for dinner. Martha busied herself preparing the meal, cleaning and cooking...all of which would gain her great approval among her peers and would even be expected of a "good homemaker". Mary, on the other hand, stopped her activity an sat and listened to the teachings of Jesus. When Martha rebuked Mary....Jesus rebuked Martha. Mary had a heart devoted to God. A heart that desired to hear His word and was devoted to spend time worshipping Him.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" Proverbs 3:6

I desire to continually choose God, in every aspect of my life. I desire a heart that seeks Him in every decision, every day. I daily commit myself to stop and pray each time I come to a crossroads in my day, so that my path will always be in His direction.

Love & Prayers...

The Growing Season

Spring is finally here. Time for new life and growth, purging and cleaning, wiping out the cobwebs and dust to reveal the beauty and shine beneath. Today has definitely been a day to welcome Spring at our house. We started our vegetable and herb garden today....planted tomatoes, kohlrabi, and strawberries, Greek oregano, lemon thyme, and rosemary. Still have some more planting to do, but it is a good start. We cleaned up the back yard and driveway (we are challenged for outside storage space-especially for the multitude of bikes, scooters, and power wheels we own!).

The kids had a great time digging in the dirt and planting. Logan was even a big help to Rick spreading the dirt and even helped with the tiller a bit! We all had our share of sun and fresh air after what feels like the longest, coldest, grayest winter of my life! I am exhausted, but invigorated!

To top off a wonderful day of new life and growth in the garden, we went to church tonight for a Praise and Worship to celebrate new life and growth in God. It was a sweet and special time of song and prayer and fellowship at Edgefield and we enjoyed it immensely. It is wonderful to get together with our Christian brothers and sisters to renew our spirit and praise God together!

So, I pray that you have growth and new life and love in your life this happy Spring season. Get out and enjoy the sunshine and beauty of nature that God made for us!

Love & Prayers...

Relationships

This past weekend (March 13-15, 2010), Rick and I spent the weekend together (without the kids-thanks Mom!) in a cabin in the mountains of Western NC. It was amazing and challenging and wonderful.

I could tell you that all we did was enjoy each other and have one romantic moment after another, but that would not be an accurate depiction of our weekend together. Sometimes it is challenging for a husband and wife to be alone together when they are used to the chaos of life with 3 children. Don't get me wrong-we love each other very much and trust me, this weekend had it's share of romantic moments. But we did have our share of disagreement as well...mainly due to unrealistic expectations and assumptions and lack of communication.

But all is now resolved and well and our marriage is better for it. We left the cabin very different people than when we got there. We spent time making decisions that will change our lives...decisions on the health and nutrition of our family, division of labor in our home, and several other "hot topics" in our relationship. We managed to talk without interruption about all kinds of things...our goals, desires, what we want for our family and each other in the future.

I learned that a "romantic getaway weekend" when you are 31 & 33 and the parents of 3 young children is very different than a "romantic getaway weekend" when you are in your early 20s and newlyweds!

I am so blessed to have had this time with my husband and to be able to reconnect with him, and connect in new ways that I never even imagined.

Love & Prayers...

Super Soccer Mom

Most Moms know that with the warm spring breezes comes SOCCER SEASON! We skipped soccer last year because we had just moved and did not know of a local league for Logan to play in. But this year we have signed up both Logan and Emma with Upward at Lawndale Baptist.

I will be honest, even when Rick & I both worked full time, he did most of the soccer stuff with Logan. He did practices and I stayed home with the girls. We did Saturday games together, most of the time, but if Emma or Kenzie was not "game ready"...I always stayed home. But now that Rick is working nights, it is all me. Today was my first "challenge"...get home, change, finish homework, pack up, go to soccer sign ups, pick up dinner, feed kids, bathe kids, put kids to bed, pick up, get ready for tomorrow. Phew! I am exhausted....and invigorated. I feel more alive and involved than I have in many months.

No longer am I the "corporate mom"...sitting on the sidelines on my Blackberry, e-mailing and texting, working late or out of town. Our current situation has forced me to make some very important and life-changing decisions. Thanks to my faith in God and much prayer, I have started making the right decisions when it comes to my children. I am determined not only to be involved in soccer, but every aspect of their lives.

So now I am a consultant for Thirty-One selling personalized, customized handbags and totes, taking the kids to soccer, organizing the Easter Egg Hunt at church and working full-time...and I love every minute.

Don't misunderstand, this is not a "go me" blog. Trust me, I am the last person to think I do anything special. I know that thousands of moms everywhere (probably the ones reading this) do this stuff every day and have for years. But I have not. I have been content to let Rick take the primary role in raising our children in the past...but NO MORE! I may (and probably will) fall flat on my face a dozen times over the next few weeks. I will probably want to give up, quit, and just lay on the couch and veg, but I hope that my faith will keep me going and God and my friends and family will remind me why I do it...because I LOVE MY KIDS!

So to all the Super Moms out there...you know who you are...thank you for inspiring and encouraging me to get out of the backseat and into the driver's seat.

Love & Prayers...

Spring Is Here!

What a wonderful weekend to kick off the Spring season! Saturday was filled with play-dates and a cookout with our friend Seth & his 5 children (wife Meridith was in Florida running a marathon!). Loved cooking and eating "summer" food again....hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, green bean salad, and pasta salad (okay, so maybe I went a little crazy on the salads!).

Sunday started off early again, Kenzie decided 5:45 am was wake up time again. But we had a great morning at church. Rick took Logan & Emma for haircuts after church....everyone looks so nice. Then more grilled food (barbecue chicken and beef roast...yes on the grill!) with leftover salads from yesterday.

I am looking forward to a great Bible study tonight at Edgefield then a relaxing evening at home with my wonderful husband before we jump back into the work/school week.

I have so enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and warmer temperatures this weekend and am looking forward to more of the same this week! I am reminded of God's glory and His love for me when I see His beautiful creations.

Lots to work on this week....Easter Egg Hunt for Edgefield (somehow they are trusting me to be in charge of this!) and Mom will be here Friday to stay the weekend with the kids while we go to the mountains for the weekend.

Love & Prayers....

Terrible Twos.....and Fours.....and Sevens!

Mackenzie is fully into her Terrible Twos. I don't remember Logan and Emma getting this rotten, this fast....but apparently Mackenzie is advanced (at least when it comes to being naughty). Her new thing is emptying her dresser drawers when she is supposed to be napping.

Actually, there seems to be a trend in our house of making a gigantic mess whenever certain little people (Emma & Mackenzie) feel that they are not getting sufficient attention. In the past week I have found the upstairs guest bathroom torn apart, all of the blankets and toys from the living room moved into the kitchen, all of the books from Logan's room in the floor in Emma's room....and the list goes on and on and on!

Mackenzie also seems to be revisiting her infancy by not sleeping! Oh...she will go to bed at night, she passes out early (sometimes before 7 pm) because she refuses to nap, but then she is up at the crack of dawn (5:45 am today!).

I have discovered (my aged and wise self), that the "terribles" don't just apply to the twos...there is something "terrible" about pretty much every age. But the beauty of parenting is that the "wonderfuls" far outweigh the "terribles".

So that is what I leave you with on this bright and sunny Saturday morning. Yes, there will be terrible days, maybe even weeks. But there will be so many more wonderful, beautiful, happy, and satisfying days, weeks, months and years. I recently heard a saying..."without rain, we would not have rainbows". These trying moments are there for a purpose, to help us appreciate even more the "rainbows" of our lives.

Love & Prayers...

Loose Teeth & Potty Training

"The time has come" the walrus said "to talk of many things...."

-Lewis Caroll (Alice in Wonderland)

I suppose everything does come in time, but some things I am just not ready for. Like Emma (my 4-year old) having her first loose tooth and Mackenzie (my 2-year old) wanting to use the potty.

It seems like just yesterday that Liz was pulling Logan's first loose tooth. He wouldn't let Mommy do it, but Ms. Liz can do anything! Now Emma has her first! She wanted to know if we could have Liz come back and pull hers too...I told her 5 hours was a little far to drive for a tooth pulling, but we could go visit them soon to which she replied "Then I will just keep my tooth until we go there." Okay then. There ya have it!

Also, going on in our house today is Mackenzie's new obsession with the bathroom. Now both Logan and Emma were 3 before they really potty trained and were well over 2 before they even showed minimal interest. But apparently Kenzie is in the fast lane to potty-land! Guess we will be purchasing an itty bitty potty this week (since she does not like falling into the big potty!).

I know it sounds terrible, but I was hoping for a few more months before she decided to tackle this particular milestone. Potty training is the final mile marker that you are forever leaving baby-land and entering toddler-ville, full of sippy cups, temper tantrums, and lots and lots of new words. I don't think I am quite ready to leave lullabies, rocking to sleep, bottles, and diapers in my past.....hmmm, stay tuned!

So, just one more reminder today. Remember to be grateful for the beautiful gifts our children are. Even though they wake us up by playing trampoline on our stomach or they unroll the toilet paper all over the house, or put stickers on the furniture...they are wonderful, beautiful blessings from God.

Love & Prayers...

Grateful

Thinking back on today's events (not that it was a particularly eventful day), it was a good day. Nothing spectacular or even remarkable happened, but it was just a good, happy, productive day. I am sitting at the computer now that Rick has gone to work and the kids are in bed (more or less...Emma is sleeping on the couch!) thinking how blessed I am for so very many reasons. And how often I overlook or even take those blessings for granted.

I am working on becoming more of a "half-full" rather than "half-empty" kind of girl. I have long suffered with selfishness, which is not conducive to a happy household, especially with our current schedule and workload. But things, they are a-changin'....mostly me, I am changing. I am committed to enjoying my children, not just finding something to entertain them while I do what I want.

Tonight was a challenge...Rick had to go into work early. This would not typically be an issue, but 1 day a month, I need to work until 5:30 or 6:00 pm. Usually I am home by 5:00 so Rick can leave by 5:30, and then I often work more after the kids go to bed. But today, I needed to be working and available until at least 5:30. So it caused a bit of a problem when Rick found out he needed to leave for work at 4:30. But, I am satisfied to say, we all worked together and met the challenge. Kids were fed, bathed, entertained. Work got done with minimal stress and frustration. I even made time for stories and snuggling! All in all, a situation that typically would have resulted in yelling and frustration, ended up as a pleasant, productive evening with my sweet children.

I love this life that God has blessed me with. I love the joy and pain, the happy and sad, the challenges and rewards.

Love and prayers....