Just another manic Monday (also, I hate February)

It's a rainy, nasty, dreary Monday here in Jackson, and I have had just about enough of February already.  Granted, I am thankful that we don't have snow or ice that other parts of the country have right now, but still, February, it's been nice, but bye-bye.

February is hard.

February is cold.

February is fickle (cold one day, warm another day).

February can't decide how many days it has.

February doesn't like the sun.

Yes, February has Valentine's Day, but give me spring over chocolate and flowers...

actually, give me spring, chocolate, and flowers! That's perfection.

To combat the February-ness of today, I decided to post about those things that help me through manic Mondays. And Tuesdays. And other days that end in "y", especially in February.

Coffee, preferably in a big mug and with endless refills

May I recommend Back Alley Roasters? We love this small company that is run by friends

Stress Away in the diffuser

(I'm not a crazy oil lady, but the Stress Away is my new favorite. So wonderful in my house. And hey, Young Living kits are 10% off this month. Let me know if you want more details)

A cracklin' fire

On gloomy rainy days, a fire in our fireplace is essential.

It warms both the body and the soul.

Fun music

When the kids are trapped inside and attacking each other, it's time for a dance party.

Awesome Mix, Vol. 1, from Guardians of the Galaxy is always a hit, as are songs byTaylor Swift, Black-Eyed Peas, and Fun. A current favorite in the house is also "Cheerleader" by OMI (thanks, Anita, for introducing us to that). 

If it's about ME needing cheering up, then I turn on Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, or if I'm working/cleaning, Bon Jovi, as loud as possible. Yes, they are totally different genres, but oh well:-)

Books

Nothing soothes a rainy day like a good book. I highly recommend a diverting mystery or spy novel, as February really cannot handle heavy tomes of theology and philosophy. February needs to be distracted, so I would suggest a Daniel Silva spy novel, or a James Patterson mystery, or re-reading Harry Potter for the umpteenth time.

These are some of my ideas. How are you surviving this manic February/I mean Monday?

Things I learned in March

A couple of my friends regularly do a 'monthly round up' where they discuss what they learned in that month. It's a nice way to review highlights of the month, get glimpses into their lives, and see what lessons God is teaching. I decided to join in for the month of March (linking up to Chatting at the Sky).

In no particular order:

1. My oldest girl is both growing up rapidly and yet still needs me and her daddy. G is pre-pubescent already (gasp!), and is very interested in assuming more responsibility and having more independence. A couple of nights ago she woke up in the middle of the night sick to her stomach--and she took care of herself all on her own and told us the next day! (Now, this involved her not being able to get out of the room because her door was stuck, and her younger sister finding a bag for G to use as a trash can, and then she went back to sleep until morning. No small feat!) On the other hand, G longs for snuggles with her parents, still plays with dolls on occasion, and when she fell off her scooter and hurt her hand, nothing could console her like her daddy.

2. Back Alley Roasters coffee, especially their organic Rwandan, is amazing. Nathan and I love this coffee, and love that we know the roasters personally (a professor at SEBTS). We probably discovered this particular coffee from Back Alley in February, but I am counting it as March. It's our new favorite.

3. Speaking of coffee, in March I discovered how much I love sipping coffee in the quiet of my house before my children wake up. I usually drink coffee with breakfast, and since I don't like to drink more than one cup in the morning (most days), I do not want to have coffee before breakfast. Lately, though, I have been savoring the hot cup of (Rwandan) coffee over my bible reading and prayer, in the quiet of my living room. Maybe I'll drink juice with breakfast.

4. Give me a fireplace and a stack of books and I'm a happy camper--and might never leave the room. Nathan had the wonderful opportunity to preach a men's retreat at The Cove this month. I was able to go with him, and I curled up by the fireplace with a large stack of books and was quite possibly the happiest person on the mountain that weekend.

5. You have not because you ask not. I have been challenged by this idea this month. We needed childcare for our weekend trip  to the mountains (see above), and I assumed certain people could not watch my kids because x, y, or z. But I did not ask them. Finally two weeks beforehand I swallowed my pride, set aside my assumptions, and asked--and our church family and friends stepped up. It was quite the juggling act, but our children were well-loved, well-fed, and well-played-with that weekend by many different people. All because I asked.

6. Asking applies to many areas. I am raising funds for 4000 Steps, the walk for life to benefit First Choice Pregnancy Solutions. Like many people, I post on social media that I am raising funds, but I often neglect the common courtesy of asking people to give. A good friend pointed this out to me, telling me that she did not want to just know about what I am doing, but she wants to be asked to support me. Announcing is not the same as asking. Ouch.  So, dear blog readers, would you consider supporting me as I walk for life on April 11? You can donate online at www.fundeasy.com/m/2149995

7. Next time I buy a 600+ page book, I need to purchase it in hardback.  For our weekend getaway in the mountains I bought a few books, one of which was Warmth of Other Suns. I read 50-60 pages of it while we were away, and I look forward to finishing it this month. But I made a mistake in purchasing it in paperback. It is too thick and cumbersome to hold up well with paper covers. Next time, I'll just splurge for the hardback.

8. I wanted to end with seven, but eight just has to be shared. I am addicted to these Whole Wheat Raspberry Bars that I can buy at The Grain Mill of Wake Forest. They taste like Nutri Grain bars grew up and started using real ingredients. Are they as healthy as they can be? No. Do they contain only five ingredients? (thank you, 100 days of real food) No. Are they amazingly delicious and perfect for munching? Yes. I'm trying to ration them out to one a day, but it's hard. Trust me.

Thanks for reading my rambling!

**this post contains affiliate links

Seizing the little moments (or, what God taught me through changed plans)

As I am sure you know, the best laid plans don't always (often? ever?)  turn out the way you hope they will. The Lord gently--or not so gently--reminded me that 

His plans are better than my plans this past fall.

It wasn't anything overtly 'spiritual' that happened. Nothing life changing.

But MY big plans had to change, and honestly, I wasn't very happy about it.

I was down-right ugly and mean about it. Yet God took my ugly, mean, selfish heart,

and softened it, and gave me new plans,

and new eyes to see, and precious, precious, precious things to enjoy.

Normally I wouldn't document it quite so closely, but I want to remember this 

in days where my selfishness rears its ugly head again.

Here's how it went down:

My two big kids were eligible this past fall to attend New Life Camp in north Raleigh.

NLC is a non-denominational Christian camp that provides all kinds of wonderful activities for children, including homeschool enrichment classes once or twice a week.

Baxter was old enough to attend in the fall, and Georgia had attended fall of 2013.

The spots for these classes fill up lightning fast.

I debated the classes I wanted the kids to have and I made sure to set the alarm on my phone to register when it opened last spring.

Do you know where we were living last spring? Jackson, TN.

Time zone: Central

When I set my alarm, I set it for Central Time, not Eastern Time. That one hour delay in registering meant the NLC classes THAT I WANTED were almost filled.

I cried, and probably swore silently, and tried not to throw the computer.

There were spots available, but either they were not for the classes I WANTED 

or there were not two spots available.

Lo, and behold, as I searched, I found two slots for an afternoon class.

Again, it was not what I WANTED, but I took it hoping that other spots would open up.

See, the reason I didn't want the afternoon class was because I had this grand plan worked out in my head. My big two kids were going to take two classes in the morning at NLC. 

They would also stay for lunch. That is about 3.5 hours that they would be busy.

I was planning to hire a babysitter for the little two, and 

once a week or twice a month at least I would have 3.5 hours alone.

Me, alone, without the kids. Time to shop alone. Go to Jubala alone. 

Sit in the van and read alone if I want. It was MY PLAN.

The classes never opened up like I wanted. I never hired a babysitter like I planned.

Instead, from 12-2 every Thursday for approximately ten weeks,

I had time with just my two littles.

I am a stay at home mom who homeschools. It is a honest and hard thing 

that my children do not always get individual time with me.

This time with the little two became precious.

Eleanor especially delighted in it. We most often spent the time at Lafayette Village,

enjoying coffee from Jubala, and cupcakes from Upper Crust Bakery,

and popping into Savory Spice Shop just to taste their spices.

When the weather was pleasant, E and F would run their little hearts out

on the lawn of the shopping center.

Sometimes we ran errands or bought groceries, but most often

we just returned to the coffee shop and savored our time together.

It was precious. And this spring, instead of reverting back to my original plans,

I kept the same schedule as the fall.

Why? Because now I look forward to the time with my littles.

I want to hang out over coffee with them, and watch them laugh as they run around in circles.

Eleanor will be bigger soon, and able to attend classes with her siblings

before I can even blink my eyes. I long for her to treasure her time with her momma

when she is older, so I need to build that in now.

I rejoice that the Lord overruled my selfish plans, and gave me these uninterrupted

little moments with my smallest kiddos.

Sometimes I forget to talk to them, treasure them, just BE with them.

But for a couple of hours on most Thursdays, I have that chance.

To God be the Glory.

Date taken: November 20, 2014