Archive for September 2011
When People Say Stupid Things
Posted on: September 28, 2011
- In: Life
- 26 Comments
Last night, while out with the girls, I had a woman stop me and say “You must get this all the time, but are you over due?“.
When I say no, she back pedaled as if her life depended on it. Then, when Julia and Hannah walked up to me, the lady’s eyes got really big, her mouth dropped and she said ::
“Oh my G-d. Are they both yours? How close together are they?”
I smiled and doled out the facts she requested, ordered our Chick-fil-A meal and walked away.
And when I walked away, I was hurt. Yesterday was a pretty ridiculously hard and emotional day. Then to top it off with a poorly thought out comment/conversation, it just sent me past any remaining good humor.
As I sat drowning my sorrows in a chocolate shake, watching the girls play, I wondered ::
What should be my response when people say stupid things?
I hear my fair share of stupid comments. Perhaps it’s the expansive belly. Or the children just too close in age for other people’s comfort. Or the fact that sometimes {just sometimes} I don’t look quite as put together as the world might like. For any number of reasons, I feel like a magnet for the thoughtless, stupid comments people make.
Typically, I can take them in stride and laugh it off. But every now and again, once pierces my heart. And it hurts.
Yes, I am pregnant.
Yes, I do have a big belly.
Yes, my girls are only 18 months apart.
Yes, their spacing was intentional.
Yes, I did leave my house without make up and my hair a complete mess.
Yes, I am fully aware I shatter your neat little view of the world.
So what should be my response when people say stupid AND hurtful things?
Love them and rejoice.
I didn’t really want to love that lady after her comment, but I knew I had to. I knew I had to make a choice to forgive her. I knew I had to hand over the pride she’d crush, the wound she’d made, the hurt she’d given. Slowly {very, very slowly}, I let God start whispering to me. Telling me the truth.
Yes, you are pregnant. Rejoice, for I have given you a son.
Yes, you do have a big belly. Rejoice, for I have made you to give life.
Yes, those girls are 18 months apart. Rejoice, for I have given them to you as a gift.
Yes, their spacing was intentional. Rejoice, for I planned it.
Yes, you did leave the house without make up and your hair a complete mess. Rejoice, for I know your beauty.
Yes, you did shatter their neat little view of the world. Rejoice, for Jesus did too.
I can’t stop people from saying something hurtful. But, I can stop it from hurting me. What people say, and even what I say to others when I’m being stupid, does not change what God says about me and my family.
So when people say stupid things, I will rejoice in the Lord and what He has said about me.
A Random Top Ten
Posted on: September 27, 2011
- In: Life
- 13 Comments
My creative juices are starting to slow down these days. Perhaps because I’m full on nesting {and being more creative in that arena}, I’m left with very little writing creativity. Top that off with my overwhelming need to sleep every single minute I can, I’m pretty much useless when it comes to thinking beyond the next three minutes – let alone a whole blog post. Thus, today, you’re going to learn more random factoids about me.
1. I’m really obsessed with pigtails right now – On the girls, on me, on Pinterest. Where ever. I am just really into pigtails. They look super adorable on the girls and frankly, they are an easy alternative to my every day ponytail.
2. I’m getting obsessed with running – I’ve been dreaming about it. Mapping out future runs. Downloading my playlist. In addition to my internal countdown to Joseph’s arrival, I’ve now started counting down to running. Seriously, I think I must be crazy.
3. I love chocolate milkshakes after delivering – Not sure if that’s TMI, but after I delivered both girls, I had chocolate milkshakes with every meal while I was in the hospital. I don’t know what it is with a good chocolate shake, but man I craved them. Thankfully, Culver’s is on our drive home from the birthing center, so I already have my milkshake hook up for post-delivery.
4. I almost bought the girls a cat – We went to Pet Smart for a “field trip” last week. They have an adoption center with several cats ready for adoption. There was one cat the girls really liked and my mama instinct / nurturing feeling was to get them one. Then my logical / Jonathan-would-trip-out instinct kicked in. No cat was adopted. At least not yet…
5. I am the worst roadie tag along – I will fall asleep in the car driving to the grocery store a mile away. I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse. Well, it’s a blessing when I need to sleep and a curse when Jonathan needs company on long drives.
6. I am the best roadie tag along at 3 in the morning – Along with not being able to stay awake in the car, I have this weird ability to drive through the middle of the night. Like that cruel 1am-5am shift. Seems counter intuitive, but for some reason I am most alert to drive during those times.
7. I cried during a Google commercial – It’s a really sweet commercial about a dad writing emails to his daughter as she gets older. Even thinking about it makes me teary eyed {watch it here :: Dear Sophie}
8. I drink out of the same Texas cup day after day – I got some plastic Texas Longhorn tumbler cups. I refuse to drink out of anything else right now. I just keep filling it with water and then rotate to a new cup every couple of days.
9. I packed Joseph’s diaper bag yesterday – Sure, I still have 5ish more weeks before it’s “go time”, but the diaper bag is packed. And my bag may or may not be partially packed too {don’t judge, I’m a planner}.
10. This blog post took way too much brain power – And now I need a nap.
What’s one random fact about yourself?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
- In: Life
- 18 Comments
With great confidence, I knew what we were going to name Julia and Hannah. In fact, Julia was “named” 3+ years before she was born. And Hannah was named while we were still pregnant with Julia. Their middle names did give us some trouble, but even so, they seemed so much easier than trying to name Baby Boy.
Baby Boy. It has a sweet ring to it, huh? And while I don’t mind referring to him as Baby Boy, it turns out that the government does actually want you to give your child a name once they are born. You know, so they can be registered as person and all. Which means, we really should come up with a name other than Baby Boy.
And so we have ::
Joseph Windham. Sounds sweeter than Baby Boy, don’t ya think?
Joseph was Hannah’s “boy name” choice. We had others in the running, but once we decided on Joseph, we kept a pretty tight lid on it. Then when we got pregnant with Baby Boy, Joseph surfaced again. Joseph means “Jehovah increases“. Aside from the Biblical aspect of the name, my brother Fletcher’s first name is Joseph.
Come the next 6weeks, when Baby Boy Joseph makes his way into this world, he’ll have a name. Albeit, just a first name, since we still can’t decide on a middle name….
What’s your Friday Joy?
- In: Life
- 16 Comments
We’ve been cloth diapering for the last 3.5 years. We started when Julia was about 6 months old and haven’t looked back. There are so many things I love about cloth diapering, the biggest being my belief that it has helped with smooth potty training transitions.
But one cloth diapering aspect I’ve never tried is cloth wipes. It’s always been in the back of my mind, I just haven’t made the plunge. Until now.
This week I found a yard of fleece for $2 at Hobby Lobby. And while fleece isn’t the number one choice for cloth wipes {flannel or terry cloth are}, I figured I don’t have much to lose. And the fact that it’s an awesome deer print pretty much sold me {I’m a sucker for random, off the wall fabric}.
I measured our wipes box {which is 8″x4″} and then cut my fabric to fit the box accordingly. The best things about fleece is that you don’t have to sew it, since it won’t really fray. However, I found that the wipes seemed a tad too small, so I decided to sew two 8×4 pieces together.
They aren’t the prettiest things in the world, but they are for a baby’s bottom after all. They are super soft and I’m hoping they will do the trick.
Have you ever used cloth baby wipes?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
- In: Life
- 10 Comments
We’ve been doing a lot of home projects and rearranging the last couple of weeks. We switched the playroom to another location, so that Jonathan could have an actual office with doors.
After we moved the girls’ playroom, we decided to was time to get them their own desks. We’ve been doing school work at the dining room table, but I’ve been really wanting them to have personal desks where they know that they can always go to to do color, “study”, and read. We found some really great side tables at IKEA that are the perfect height for the girls.
Jonathan and I assembled the tables as soon as we got home, because we were so excited for the girls. Not ten minutes later, the entire table was covered in crayon.
Awesome.
I was slightly frustrated, seeing as we had just bought them. But, like Jonathan pointed out, when I told the girls to sit at their tables and color, I didn’t clarify not to color on the table. Sigh. Bad mommy communication.
A quick Google search showed me that I could clean the tables off by making a paste from baking soda and water. I tried it, and sure enough, it worked.
But, the table certainly didn’t look quite as nice as it had before. And it took a lot of work to scrub it clean, so I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of scrubbing it every time a crayon ran off paper. Instead, I instituted a new rule – It’s your desk, color it if you want to. After all, I remember writing on my desk when I was a schoolgirl.
Do you have any furniture cleaning tips? Or are you like me and just let it go?
Visit Kristen at We Are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.
Contentment in All Things
Posted on: September 19, 2011
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
I might have mentioned a time or two that Texas is experiencing the hottest weather in recorded history. Perhaps, I haven’t mentioned that we are also going through the worst drought since the late 1800’s. The heat and drought have led to rampant fires throughout Central Texas. The town of Bastrop {30 miles east of Austin} caught ablaze Labor Day weekend, burning 40,000 acres and destroying 2,000+ homes. Sadly, the fire still hasn’t been fully contained.
Texas needs rain. Badly.
This last Saturday it rained. For 30 minutes, it poured. It was glorious. It was wonderful. It was refreshing. In her excitement, Julia asked me to dance with her in the rain. I gladly accepted. We danced, we puddle jumped, we laughed as we got soaked.
{The rain while driving}
During the rain, our family ran an errand to Target. As we were leaving {and it was still raining}, I overheard two young ladies complaining about the rain. Having to walk in it. Having to get wet on their way to the car. People standing around us, grumbled in agreement. The rain, so badly needed, was an inconvenience.
To say I was irritated, is an understatement. In a state faced with drought, why aren’t we rejoicing at the rain? Why aren’t we seeing it through the eyes of a three year old, whose only wish was to dance in the rain. My initial thought was how selfish these people were. How dissatisfied can they be? Bemoan the drought, then bemoan the rain.
And in my judgement, I realized :: I am always complaining.
Too hot.
Too cold.
Too dry.
Too wet.
My kids are too hyper.
My kids are too shy.
I don’t get enough alone time.
I don’t get enough time with others.
The list could go on. Contentment isn’t exactly my strong suit. Yet, I am called to be content in all things {Philippians 4:11}. Trusting that God is in control, that I have no need to worry.
I want to rejoice in all the moments in my life. Even the ones that seem to inconvenience me. I want to see life as purely as a 3 year old. I want to dance in the rain with my daughters.
- In: Life
- 5 Comments
Countless times, I’ve started a post this week, only to erase it. You see, I tend not to write {or twitter or facebook} in the midst of challenge. And well, our A/C gave out this weekend. So in my little world, this week has been a real challenge. Being 8 months pregnant, in Texas, during the hottest recorded summer, is not the time to have your A/C go kaput. And while most of America is getting ready for fall, we had 4 record high days out of 5 during our A/C fiasco. Oh, that crazy Texas.
The house temp right after the repairman left. Awe-some.
But you know what? Our family is blessed beyond blessed. After the A/C died on Saturday, we stayed with some friends that live on our street. Because the repairs to the A/C required speciality parts, the repairman wasn’t able to fix the unit until last night. For 5 nights and 4 days, our friends graciously housed us. It was a really wonderful time. Our kids are all close in age, so they thought our stay was a constant party. The adults got a chance to learn even more about each other and grow in our friendship. And if you don’t think our friends are awesome just for letting us stay with them, they actually still like us by the end of it {which just goes to show how great they really are!}.
By 5pm on Wednesday, our A/C was back up and running. It took through the night before the house completely cooled off. But, Jonathan and I were laughing before bed about how 82* seems cool compared to 90*+, especially when there’s air blowing in the house. Though, part of me is a little temped to turn the air down to the low 60’s just because I can.
I’m ever so happy to have a cool house again. What “fun” adventures have you had this week?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
Simple Friday Joys
Posted on: September 9, 2011
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
It’s been an emotionally draining week for me. I wish I had a reason, other than being 8 months pregnant, but I don’t. I told Jonathan yesterday my tank is empty, especially with being around other people. Jonathan took the girls on his own to our church small group, while I stayed home to recharge. I read through Luke, and meditated on Christ’s words. It was healing and good for my soul. I was reminded of all the little blessings that make up my life.
Wearing a cardigan in the morning, because it’s only 62 degrees.
Sleeping with the windows open.
Spending the morning at the park.
Receiving hilarious emails from Jonathan that lighten my mood.
Text messaging with friends who don’t live nearby.
Having quiet time under the stars.
When I step back, there are so many things I have to be grateful for. Sadly, I often over look them, because I’m too busy focusing on the things that aren’t going right. But, it’s the simple joys that make up a really good day. And a really good life.
What is your Friday Joy?
- In: Life
- 19 Comments
The temperatures in Austin have dropped, and I’m already bringing out my fall clothes!
Ok, not really. The temperatures have dropped, giving us low 90’s instead of 110’s. But, with the exception of two mornings this week {when I went outside and it was still in the low 60’s}, I have not brought out any cold weather clothes. However, for the last few weeks I have been working on making a crocheted scarf.
As part of my 30 before 30, I wanted to learn to crochet. While I specified making a pot holder, I decided to go all out and make a scarf after I found some cute yarn at Hobby Lobby. Here is the end product ::
It’s about 50″ long and 8″ wide. Here’s a better picture to show you the length::
Other than to take these pictures, I haven’t worn the scarf. Which gives me even more reason to want the weather to cool off. I’m super excited to actually wear something that I’ve made. And in public no less!
I got some more fun yarn to make the girls each a scarf for Saint Nicholas Day gifts. So far, those are proving to be even faster projects, since they are quite a bit smaller than mine.
What crafty new adventures have you been up to?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Top Ten Needed Baby Items
Posted on: September 6, 2011
- In: Life
- 10 Comments
While there are some pretty crazy, ridiculous things out there for babies that we mamas so don’t need {here’s my top ten unneeded items}, there are some that in my book are a must.
1. Baby Carrier – I highly, highly recommend baby wearing. Practically, it frees up your hands {a must when you have other kiddos to mother}, but there is no better feeling than having your baby snuggled up against you. Not to mention, babies love being held. Julia took her best naps in our carrier. Which was a huge blessing since she hated to nap. It’s like a win-win-win. Carriers can get expensive, so ask your mama friends what worked for them. Also, check out Katie’s review of different baby carriers she has tried out.
2. Swaddling Blankets – Show me a swaddled baby, and I’ll show you one happy camper. And while so many blankets call themselves “swaddle” blankets, the best are thin blankets about 42″ x 42″ {many in stores are only 36″ x 36″}. Also, I never found the swaddlers to be any better than just a blanket.
3. Sound Machine – While I did knock the soothing sound dolls, I have to say sound machines are a life saver. Especially if your husband likes to do construction on your house at 11pm.
4. Baby Swing – The best thing about a swing is that they mimic the swaying motion that babies are so use to while in the womb. It comforts them to be rocked back and forth. And if you’re really fortunate, you’ll get a baby swing sleeper like Hannah. That girl lived in her swing for the first 2 months.
5. Rocking Chair/Glider – I love having a rocking chair. It makes for comfy nursing sessions {you can rock or prop your feet up}, plus the swaying will help sleepy ones sleep just a little longer.
6. Sleep Sacks / Sleep Sack Gowns – When we had Julia, I wanted her to always be in these really cute outfits. Then I realized just what a pain it was to change all those really cute outfits. With a sleep sack, you can get right to the goods {aka, dirty diaper} without having to undo much of anything, and some time baby will sleep right through it {you know, if they like sleep like Hannah does}. My personal favorites are the sleep sack gowns {open at the bottom}.
7. Sippy Grip – By the 15th million time that your sweet little toddler throws their sippy cup on the floor of the car, you’ll be glad you to have a sippy grip. Then the sippy is always within reach.
8. Wet Bag – While we got our wet bag for cloth diapers, I still use it for potty training and dealing with wet clothes. Blocks out the smell and keeps the wetness in {so you can toss it in your purse without getting everything else soaked}.
9. Bumbo Seat/Bebe Pod – My girls loved the Bebe Pod. It’s great for that almost-ready-to-sit-up-but-can’t-yet stage. However, never, ever put it on the counter. Ever.
10. Nursing Tank – Having a nursing tank changed my nursing life. A tank keeps you from showing everyone your tummy/back while you’re nursing in public. And then there’s always the Yummie Tummie Skinny Nursing tank for those of you who wanna splurge on a skinny tank.
What are your essential baby items? Are there any on my list that you could live without?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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