Disarray

My house is in complete.disarray. I guess that's natural when you're moving in less than two weeks but still, it kills me. I even ran out to McDonald's this morning (at 5:30a) to get some coffee since our coffeemaker is packed.

The packing has been getting horrible. We're down to the bones but there are things that I'm unsure of when to pack. Like clothes. I'm planning on getting the laundry completely caught up so I can pack bags for everyone for 1-2 weeks of clothes. Then I'm going to box up the rest and we'll live out of our bags (doing laundry along the way) for those few weeks we have left in this house.

And then food/dishes. I really don't want to use disposable dishes for two weeks but I'm thinking at the end of this week I'll probably pack my dishes. It's hard with little people but we'll make due. The silverware is another thing. Not sure when to pack that or to buy disposable and then wash them as we go. That way, at least the "real" stuff is packed and ready to move. And I think we'll be having a lot of frozen pizzas so I can pack my pots, pans and baking dishes. :) It's crazy!! :) I should make some freezer meals this week in disposable pans so that I can pack my real stuff.

Then there's the officey stuff. Our phone books, stationary, pens, pencils, calendar, bills, stamps, computer items, printer paper, etc. And tupperware. When do I pack all of that? After I go through and make sure everything has a lid and get rid of my "Dutch" tupperware (ie. yogurt, butter, cottage cheese, cool-whip containers).

We've been packing since last August and I'm sick of it. I want things to be put away. I want everything to be in their homes. I want to have a clean, noncluttered home so I can drink my coffee in peace.

Sorry to whine, vent and think aloud, but I'm about to my breaking point with the packing. I just want to throw stuff in boxes and move already. :)

How do you feel about packing, moving and unpacking? Any helpful tips for this weary soul?

Words You Never Want to Hear

Recently one of our favorite babysitters (a mom some former students) was unable to babysit for us because of a death in the family. I ran into her a few days later and asked how everyone was doing. She said it was really hard as her brother-in-law died suddenly at the age of 59 years-old. This same family has experienced a lot of losses within the last year and I'm sure this was especially hard because he was so young.

She told me that her husband had to go tell his mother that her son was dead. She said that those are the words a mother never wants to hear. We hugged and she went on her way and I went on mine. But her words really got to me: "Those are the words a mother never wants to hear - your child is dead."

I pondered that sentence for a long time and have been thinking about it ever since.

I have to admit that at first I was angry. Did she know who she was talking to? Did she remember that I have heard those words twice and it is gut-wrenching? Did she realize how close she got to my wound?

And then I thought about it some more. It's a horrible feeling to hear that your child is dead. And it doesn't matter if they're 80, 59, 30, 10, or if its an unborn baby - it's still a loss and it's still hard to hear those words no matter how old you or your child is.

I'm reminded some of the grieving mothers in the Bible. Women who lost their children - Eve, Bathsheeba, Elizabeth, Mary. How deep their losses must have been. How much pain these women endured at the loss of their precious children.

Isaiah 49:14-16 reminds me that God's love for us is even stronger than a mother's love for her children (which at times can seem impossible). God will not forget us. He has "tattooed" our names on the palms of his hands. God is faithful even when we don't feel it or see it or hear it. God won't forget us in our pain. He will see that our walls are broken down before him. And I pray that He can use that grief to draw us closer to him, that one day we will wear our God-story as the ornament for a bride. I pray that God will use this pain to bring beauty out of our ashes, to adorn us for our Bridegroom. I pray that our God-story continues to flow out of our lives even amidst grief and pain. Thank you God for your promises that you will bring beauty and strength to our lives through your precious son, Jesus Christ. 

¹⁴ But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
¹⁶ “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me. 

 ~ Isaiah 49:14-16 ~

Book Club - The Ministry of Motherhood (Week 3)

This is gettin' good! :) I'm enjoying The Ministry of Motherhood so much as it might be a standard gift for my first-time-mom friends. It's been so encouraging to me and I'm only through the second chapter.

Good Morning Girls has been "directing" the book clubs and their extra material has been wonderful. They have commentary from the author Sally Clarkson, posts by fellow bloggers and book-club members, and they have a recap for the week as well. I've enjoyed the daily Scripture reading as well. It's been such a blessing to sit down and really mull over 1-2 (sometimes more) verses. It's great to be able to digest, reflect, and pray through Scripture daily. And the best part is, it hasn't been overwhelming because it's only a few verses each day.Alright, on to Chapters 1 & 2.

We're starting out with the first gift - Grace. Sally writes about Jesus' example of grace in the lives of his disciples. That he calls his disciples into a relationship with himself, all the while training them to represent himself through his power and grace. It's an amazing process to read and ponder and then apply to my relationship with my boys. I need to teach my children how to receive grace and then how to give grace, and therefore I need to do the same thing. :) But Sally reminds us that it's not all up to us. It's up to the Author of grace to draw my children unto himself.

Sally goes on to say that if we want our children to listen to our messages of grace (or whatever we are trying to get through to them with our words) we must first be willing to show them grace with our time. We need to be willing to serve our children and instead of commanding our children's allegiance with orders, threats, manipulation or guilt we need to tie the cords of their hearts to ours, to develop an unbreakable bond of a loving, serving relationship. Our service as mothers must come before great words of wisdom, teaching or training. If our children know we love them with our actions, they will listen to our words. God's Word about his love and grace will be real to them by the example that I set. (Yikes!!)

I also appreciate that she addresses the fact that we are not our children's servants. We don't give in to their every whim. Jesus did command obedience but he earned that obedience by his loving actions of service...and grace. When we discipline our children, grace must come first. We are setting the example for them to understand Jesus' forgiveness and grace. And it's so hard to do - to know that I'm to be that example is a tall order and a little daunting. But it's important and I want to make sure that my husband and I are being intentional about sharing the gift of grace with our boys. I want them to see Jesus in me and therefore make it easier to trust Jesus as they get older.

Again, the book has been so encouraging and yet challenging. I can't wait to share with you about the next few chapters.

What are your thoughts about Chapters 1 & 2? How has God been speaking to you through the daily Scripture passages?

If you're reading along with us please let me know and I'll link you up here.

Monster Knee

This is one of the reasons I love having boys - monster knees! What a great way to patch a hole in jeans. :) I found a picture of the monster knee on Pinterest (I have got to get an account there! Invite me!!) and went to Miekk's blog - By Miekk - and although I can barely understand one word on her blog, the pictures on the tutorial are very helpful! I fixed three pairs of jeans in 30 minutes and made my boys very proud to have monster knees...even though we'll probably have to wait until fall to show them off. :)