A Whole New Meaning To Getting Your Mouth Washed Out

Katie is the "toothbrush girl" most nights. I usually ask her if she would help me get everyone's toothbrush ready with toothpaste. Last night she handed Adam's toothbrush to him (probably with a sheepish grin on her face, too bad I wasn't lookin') and he started brushing when in midbrush he exclaimed, "yuck! this isn't toothpaste Katie, this is soap!" "Katie why did you put soap on my toothpaste?!"

I could not keep a straight face. I was investigating the situation, asking Katie if she put soap on the brush, etc... Dan was crackin' up, I was trying to be a "good" mother and get to the bottom of this little act of, shall I call it wickedness?

I have to admit, Adam has had a fresh mouth lately, and not minty fresh, so I was thinkin' he could use a little "wash out." Whatever possessed Katie...I don't know, but she really got him good. What can I say? I just told her not to put soap on Adam's toothbrush again or I'd put soap on hers.

Dan said that she probably gets this practical joking from me; he reminded me of the time I put topical anesthetic on his toothbrush and his lips went numb as he was brushing...that memory still sends me into a fit of uncontrollable laughter!

Now, That's Just Wrong

So, I had to have a "talk" with Sophie the other night about boogers. You see, Sophie picks and licks... I know, YUCK! Anyway, the other night she showed an interest in lickin' what someone else had picked...EWWWW! I never imagined that I would have to have a talk with one of my children that went like this:

Me: Sophie, NO! It's really disgusting to eat your own boogers, it's especially
disgusting to eat another person's.

Sophie: I like it.

Me: Sophie, do you understand mommy? You can only eat your boogers,
no other person's boogers.

Ok, this gets a real big, OH. MY. It's only just begun. What else? She's so stinkin' cute, but not. so. much. when she has her finger second-knuckle-deep in her nostril!

Don't Ya' Just Hate It When...

Yesterday I took the kids to the beach. The beach that is almost 2 hours away from our house. Yep! That's right. Me, in the car with my 3 kids for almost a total of 4 hours. It actually wasn't that bad. Did I just say that? Hmmmm. Maybe I'm getting accustomed to this whole selfless-mother thing. Nah!!! Just happened to have a relatively stable mental state yesterday.

Well, after lots of fun in the sun, (I'll post pics another time) I dropped the kids at their grandparents house, Noni & Bomas are babysitting for the next couple of days while I'm working. Then on the way home I decided to stop by the Marble Slab Creamery for a little sweet treat. I swear they pipe something through the ventilation system there that makes their waffle cones seem irresistible...I had one, it aint all that!

So, I'm driving in the car eating my double dark chocolate ice cream in the overrated "homemade" waffle cone, and about 2/3 of the way through my cone I notice a long, green, fuzz-like thread in my ice cream. UHHHGGG! Oh. My. Stinkin'. Word! Did I mention that the ice cream cone cost me $6? Yes, a $6 ice cream cone with some kind of weird green fuzz in the ice cream. Well, I wasn't about to throw my $6 ice cream cone away soooooooooo...

I pulled the weird green fuzz out and kept right on eating... It really wasn't that good, it's just that I paid $6!!! Sometimes I can be way too self indulgent, but to rationalize... a frappucino from Starbucks almost costs that much!

Anyway, the moral of the story is this... Don't pay $6 for an ice cream cone. I probably would have had a more satisfying experience with a fake-chocolate-dipped cone from DQ. Just Sayin'

Kids...

Look at these adorable kids!!!

My kids CRACK me up! Sophie always wants to play rock, paper, scissors. So she goes, "wok, paypo, paypo, shoot!" (she forgets the scissors) and immediately says, "ha, ha, I win!" She thinks scissors wins every time so she always chooses scissors. Well, if I play with her I know she's gonna pick scissors, so I pick rock and I then say, "ha ha, I win!" To which Sophie responds by throwing a massive temper tantrum on the floor, screaming "I don't want to be the loser! I'm supposed to be the winner!" Oh. My. She's 3! I wonder how many times I have that same tantrum in my own head on any given day...and I'm almost 30 years older than her.

I guess it's about 5 weeks until Adam & Katie start Kindergarten. Bittersweet! What ever will I do with myself? Rhetorical question of course... As if there will ever be a time in the next 50 years of my life that... you get the picture.

I wish my kids would go to a school with mandatory school uniforms. Imagine that, no arguments about what we're going to wear. A girl can dream can't she?

5 Things I've Learned From Larry...

Larry is a Truth Counselor. Truth meaning the truth of our significance in Christ. That truth is this: "Lord, you have examined me and know all about me..." Psalm 139:1 And He still loves me! If the Creator of the world, who knows all the wickedness of my human heart can love me, then does it really matter whether I fail or succeed according to the "World's" standards?

NO!

The truth is that I was created even before the foundation of the World! Doesn't that make me superior in God's opinion? And isn't His opinion the only opinion that matters?

Absolutely

Truth # 1: Lean into the truth...ask yourself, "what is the truth?" The only truth in our life is the truth of God's love, and God's commands, and God's expectations.

Truth # 2: Just Say No! Say "No" to self-talk. Don't listen to the conversation in your head...if it's not the Lord's voice you're hearing, the conversation should be abruptly halted! No "re-hashing" or "rehearsing" - just say to yourself, "I'm not talking to you about this anymore!" That also goes for talking with someone else (maybe family, friend, or foe) who may be talking about someone or something that is not Godly or edifying. Just say, "I'm not going to talk about this..."

Truth # 3: The ultimate goal of our walk with the Lord is that we would be transformed into His image (Romans 8:29)... and that does not come without suffering. We will suffer, because Christ suffered. But God allows our suffering and uses it to draw us closer to Him. So, instead of asking, "God, why are you doing this to me?" Ask, "Lord, what would you have me to learn from this? May you use this suffering to put your glory on display."

Truth # 4: Pain consumes Pain. This truth concerns those people in our life that cause us pain. Most of us "normal" people have someone in our life that causes us pain, either through words or actions. It is very hard to be Christ-like toward such a person. But, I have learned that the people who create pain, are themselves in a great deal of pain. Pain consumes pain. Pain needs pain to continue on its path of destruction. So, in knowing that truth, we can be liberated from wanting to "punish" those who "punish" us because, first of all there are no "paybacks" in Christ, and second of all, we can pray for those people. I have found it's very difficult to be angry with someone who is hurting. Prayer transforms...

Truth # 5: Don't jump into the pool! One of greatest truths I've learned... Let me set the stage. Someone is drowning in a pool, what happens if you jump in to help them? Whether it's your mother or your child, they will always pull you down to save themselves, always! So, unless you're a VERY strong swimmer, who's had a lot of training, you don't jump into the pool. You stand along the edge and do everything you can to help from the outside.

Basically, try not to get involved with things that you really are not equipped to fix. You are more helpful in those situations through prayer. So, for instance your mom calls to complain about your father or your brother, try not to jump into the "pool" with her. Try to change the subject, or tell her you'll pray about the situation. Do whatever you can to stay out of it and keep yourself accountable to God.

All of these truths go hand in hand, and they work for me when I remember to "lean into them."

Just a little Spiritual Food for thought today...

A Better Day

No ranting today...My sister is going through some personal crises right now and I'm the safest person for her to lash out at because I typically just swallow it down without retaliation. I'm trying to reach out to her, but she has this belief that I'm judging her and I think I'm superior to her. Neither is true, but the enemy is working hard. I'm praying for my sister. Mainly that she would walk in His truth and learn not to listen to the enemy's lies. That she would see that I love her and I want what's best for her. That I want to help her attain her goals, but that success doesn't come easily, nor does it come without major sacrifices.

On a lighter note, I had a great day at work yesterday. My boss gave me a bonus at the end of the day. Occasionally he just hands me some cash and says, "here you go, have fun." It's so refreshing to be appreciated...and monetarily at that! I'm so blessed by my job.

Now, I have to get my housework done so I can have some fun. I'm not sure what I'll do today. Maybe take the kids somewhere so they can work off some of their excessive energy. I hope everyone has a very happy 4th of July! Be safe!

A Rant...

My little sister doesn't like me very much. I know this, beacuse she says so. I'm not sure why. Isn't that sad? My only sibling. All I know is that she's my sister and I love her. Yes, we are different. Yes, we are in different places in our lives. Yes, I've not always been kind to her...she's almost 10 years younger than me and she cramped my style. But, when all is said and done I LOVE my sister. I try to walk in the Spirit and not be judgemental, and I try to show her unconditional love. Though, I do admit that I sometimes fail...what can I say, I'm human. Thanks for listening/reading...just had to rant for a minute to clear my brain of this frustration.