Good Blogs

I hope these friends don’t mind me sharing their blogs.  For those of you that like to read a variety of blogs, here are a few that I follow that are really terrific.

o        This is my friend Sarah’s blog…perfect for those of you raising young children and want Godly information on being an awesome wife and mother!  http://imraisingworldchangers.blogspot.com/  

o        Mandy is a high school friend of Marcel’s and takes AMAZING pictures.  Her girls are beautiful so she has good subjects to work with.  I can’t wait for her to photograph our family this summer.  http://www.guthsrule.blogspot.com/

o        Sylvia used to go to our church.  She designs amazing jewelry and is starting a fashion consulting business.  I wish I had half her style.  http://www.sylvia-c.com/

o        I met Maggie through our church as well.  She is an incredible writer.  She is a deep thinker and blogs a lot about gardening and living a healthy lifestyle.  http://characterwelcome.blogspot.com/

o        Suz is another amazing writer (as is her husband OJ who contributes to the blog as well!).  She WILL publish a book someday.  She is full of spiritual wisdom.  http://ojandsuz.com/  

Three Kids

We welcomed our third child into the world a couple of months ago.  There are days that I have felt like a martyr – the only one in the world that would be brave enough to become outnumbered by going from two to three kids.  I know that sounds dramatic, but that is some insight into a few intense moments as we’ve adjusted to three kids.  The birth of each child has brought about moments of intense adjustments as my husband and I learn to care for a new life.  Obviously the first is intense because it’s the first.  You don’t have any experience and everything is a big deal.  Are they still breathing?  Do I need to be playing Mozart in the background as they sleep to increase the chance of molding a genius?  Will I ever sleep again?  Why did they tell me that breast feeding wouldn’t hurt?  Then the second one comes along and in our case it’s an intense adjustment because of extreme colic.  The only question this time is why does this baby hate me?!?  And then the third comes and the intensity is not in the unanswered questions, but the lack of hands!  The intense moments come when I feel all three kids need something from me and I just can’t accomplish them without seeing results after muttering, “Go, go Gadget arms!”  And since that statement leaves me void, I say a little prayer for patience and know that this season of intense adjustment will pass (not that I’m wishing it away by any means).

There are so many wonderful things about experiencing a new life for the third time.  First of all, it’s a new life and that is just plain exciting.  Secondly, I find myself enjoying the moment so much more this time around.  I know all of those intense moments that I just spoke of don’t last long.  She is healthy and has two siblings that absolutely adore her.  I know she won’t die from crying too much if I just don’t have the hands at the moment to pick her up.  I can now get lost in my thoughts when she is screaming in her car seat during car rides.  She actually looks like me!  She melts my heart with her smile.  She toots like a grown man.  She has a father who will raise her to be the cherished diamond that she is (her name, Kya, means Diamond in the Sky) until her husband takes on that role.  She is loved.  Three is good…

I Have a 5 Year Old!

It is a fact.  Add kids to your life and one year feels like a week, five years feels like a couple of months, 10 years feels like…you get my drift!  You can imagine my surprise at the fact that I now have a five year old when it feels like just a couple of months ago we were bringing him home from the hospital to learn how to be parents.  Jadon Maxwell was born on a very hot day in mid April five short years ago.  I was so convinced that he was a girl that I stared at him in disbelief for a few days at that fact that my precious bundle was in fact a boy.  I know the memory of Jadon entering the world will be  just as vivid on my death bed as it was on that hospital bed (unless of course I have dementia!).  Bringing a life into the world for the first time was by far the most intense experience I've ever had.  I never knew that I could love that instantly and that deeply.  I loved him simply because I created him.  What a revelation when I realized that is exactly how God looks at me, only His love is magnified by at least a trillion. :)

Raising a boy is a trip!  It cracks me up that boys seem to know the inner workings of each and every super hero from the time they exit womb.  It's like God plants that in their DNA.  Maybe He whispers in their ear as He’s speaking them into motion, "You will know the gospels of Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Star Wars."  Boys are drawn to the good versus evil stories.  The best part is that Jadon believes he will be a super hero one day.  When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Superman usually makes the list (right after he tells us that he is going to be an inventor of machines and that he is never getting married!).  He wants to live a daring adventure; one that involves killing large animals and rescuing mobs of people.  Now to protect that and not let the world squash his belief.  It can't be squashed because the truth of the matter is, this world NEEDS super heroes.  It is easy to teach Jadon (in kid appropriate language) that there is a good kingdom (God) and a bad kingdom (the devil) and the good kingdom needs super heroes who will destroy the works of the devil.  He totally gets it because at the end of the day it's all about good fighting evil and the punch line is always the same…good ALWAYS wins!!  Although tea parties with my daughter feel a bit more natural, I’ve been known to make a fine Superwoman from time to time!

As a side note, two books that I have found to be very helpful in raising my mighty warrior are Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson and Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  I would welcome suggestions of other great books on the topic of raising boys!

Creatures of Comfort

I work in an industry that is very dynamic and constantly changing.  At times it is down right chaotic.  On one hand it is exciting.  The overall experience of the work environment remains very fluid and seldom becomes stale.  On the other hand, it can feel rather unstable.  Just as you get in a groove and think you can breathe a bit, BAM the next big change comes and your world is once again turned upside down.  It is interesting to sit back and observe people in this environment.  We humans tend to gravitate towards comfort and familiarity.  When our comfort zone is threatened, it is easy to go in attack mode and do everything we can to prevent the change.  Sometimes we spend more energy attacking than if we would have just stared the circumstance in the face and figured out how we need to adjust.  Our company has seen major change over the past five years and time and time again those that rise to the top are the ones that remain flexible, embrace the change and adjust.  It is really quite amazing.  It’s not their resume, or number of degrees or vast technical expertise.  It’s their adaptability and willingness to step outside of their comfort zone.  The rest of the population (my father would call them “comfort zone junkies”) remains flat or worse.  They expel so much energy talking against the change and fighting “the man,” that I wonder how many years they are removing from their life due to high blood pressure!

I find myself somewhere in the middle to be quite truthful.  I’m not a comfort zone junkie but I am also not one that thrives on lots and lots of change.  Change can be fun, but I can definitely feel my blood pressure rise at times when my comfort is threatened.  This is where my husband balances me (thank God!).  I could come home one evening and say, “Honey, I’ve accepted a new job.  We have to move to Canada.  Oh, and I already bought our new house.  I hope you like it!”  He would say something like, “Oh cool!  When do we move?”  He is the ultimate embracer of change.  I don’t know if he has a comfort zone?!?  Anyway, I’ll wrap this up.  This was just an observation that I’ve noticed after spending the last several years in Corporate America.  Change is inevitable no matter where you are in life.

Maternity Leave and Other Stuff

So I am back to work after my eight week maternity leave.  My three maternity leaves have all been such a sacred time in my life.  It is a wonderful season and one I am never quite ready to let go of.  I could take a 6 month maternity leave and it still wouldn’t be enough!  It’s as if I am living in a little bubble; sheltered from the world with nothing to focus on but me and my precious little baby.  My first maternity leave was only 6 weeks.  I know the difference between 6 and 8 weeks doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is HUGE!  My advice to all new moms – if you can swing it, 8 weeks should be the minimum.  By 8 weeks, your body is mostly back to normal (assuming you had a “normal” delivery), you are sleeping a bit more and there will be some part of you (even if it’s just a tiny speck) that will be ready for your normal routine.

Now to talk about the hardest part of the whole process…leaving that tiny bundle of joy with someone else.  I admit that leaving the third was less dramatic than leaving my first but it is still SO hard.  Be comforted that it does get better.  Here is some advice that I would offer to those moms facing this situation:

o        Pray, pray, pray before selecting a daycare provider.  Ask God to give you peace about the daycare environment he has for your child.  He WILL give it to you (Ask and you shall receive…)

o        View your daycare provider (and her family if you are going to an in home provider) as an extension of your family.  This is a partnership.  They are NOT raising your kids, but they are coming along side you for this journey to help care for and mold your child into the person God intends them to be.

o        That said, realize that your daycare provider will NOT do everything exactly the way you would.  You need to decide on those items that you will not compromise on and those that you can just let roll off your back because ultimately it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.  One example from our personal daycare journey is pets.  We are not pet people, but our daycare providers have always had dogs.  This is not a deal breaker for us.  Actually Jadon being exposed to dogs has helped him outgrow his allergy to them!

o        Leave the office at the office and let the joy of seeing your little one consume you during your non-paid-working hours.

o        Let go of your guilt for being a working mother and CHOOSE to enjoy the moment. 

o        Finally, caffeine is just as important as a good breast pump!

Sowing and Reaping

The other day I had a wonderful reminder from our Heavenly Father on His promise of reaping what you sow (I’ll get to my story in a minute).  The concept of sowing and reaping is found throughout the bible.  One such verse from Galatians chapter 6, “for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  It’s a very simple promise, but one that produces powerful results in our life.  Just as a farmer must first sow a seed in order to reap a field of corn, so must we sow our seeds in order to reap the abundant life that Jesus intends for His children.  Don’t over complicate this in thinking that God is some puppet master who is trying to beat you at a game of chess.  He’s not up there waiting for you to make a move before he trickles down a little blessing – just enough to keep you coming back.  God doesn’t work like that.  He is good all of the time.  If He was a puppeteer, He would have never sent His son to wash us completely clean.    

God gives us such promises because He knows how He has created us and the world in which we live.  Let me give a simple example.  If you want to learn how to operate your new vacuum, you review the owner’s manual written by the creator of said vacuum.  He/She knows better than anyone on how that vacuum is supposed to function at peak efficiency.  The same is true for gaining instructions for this life.  God is our creator and the bible is our instruction manual.  Back to sowing and reaping - God is saying that I’ve made you and my instruction manual says this, “If you want to reap love, then sow love.  If you are in need of friendship, then sow friendship.  If you are in need of resources, then sow the resources you do have.  If you need to reap positive thoughts, sow the time into renewing your mind.”  The list goes on and on. 

Now for my original story – the Lord used this biblical principle the other day with my kids.  It was something so simple and it had to do with the words I had chosen when speaking about them.  I took the kids to the library and we were checking out.  I asked them to get their coats on and wait for me.  They did just as they were told with minimal instruction.  They went over to the bench, sat down, put their coats on and proceeded to wait for me very patiently.  The librarian said, “What obedient children!”  In my way of trying to avoid a compliment I responded in a joking manner, “They must be getting tired.”  I don’t even know if they heard me, but I immediately felt God say, “Wrong choice of words my daughter.  Those ARE obedient children because you and Marcel sow obedience in them.”  I immediately repented and realized that the words I choose to sow (no matter how simple) reap their natural intention.  The more appropriate response would have been, “Thank you.  Yes, they are obedient children!”  I would have then acknowledged in front of them how much I appreciate their behavior as well as speak words of life over them to set them up to reap further obedience in their hearts.  As you look at this principle in your own life, it’s amazing what you are reaping because of the words you are sowing.  The bible also says that the power of life and death is in the tongue.  So are you speaking death or life into a given situation?  If you are reaping dysfunction, are the words you sow dysfunctional?  Are you reaping chaos in a certain area of your life?  Could it be that your thoughts and words towards that area are chaotic?  We need to realize the power of our words and start sowing words of life.  The harvest is so sweet!

Goodbye Old Friend

Growing up the oldest of five kids allowed for many years of Santa loot (thank you, mom and dad).  Selfishly, I was more than willing to play into the notion of Santa Clause for my younger siblings.  I don’t remember a lot of my Santa gifts over the years, but I will never forget the year I got my very own CD player.  Below is a picture of this delightful gift that I received when I was about 14.  It is now 16 years later and I just pitched it.  Sad!  It was such a wonderful gift.  It was right when CDs were becoming very popular.  Not only could I play my soon to be purchased CDs, I could still jam out to my cassette tapes (M.C. Hammer anyone?).  The lid for the CD player is not open by choice; it no longer latches on its own.  Also the volume doesn’t really work.  It was time to say goodbye.  I will miss you old friend.  You saw me through many, many phases of music in my life.  You even stood by me during my awful country music phase.  You won’t be forgotten.