Saturday Simmer 2.26.11

I am reading through the devotional book Comforts From The Cross each month and this past week this quote jumped off the page at me:

“Peace begins to fill my soul when I remember the truth of the gospel: I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe, more loved and welcomed than I ever dared hope.  I deserve less than nothing but have been given everything.” – Elyse Fitzpatrick

This week has been a busy one.  I am glad it’s over.  But we also had some very sweet moments along the way.  The main one being the celebration of Micah Matthew’s 4th birthday.

Really?!  Four, already!?!

A blog post I really enjoyed this week was one on John Piper’s blog and I just “happened” upon via a tweet that I “happened” to see.  You can read it here.  I love God’s timing and how He uses technology – yes, even twitter! – to encourage us.  And I highly recommend you take 2 minutes to watch this clip from him….

On a completely different note…I bought a phone case from Otterbox and when the outer case cracked they honored their warranty and I have been thrilled with their customer service and ordering overall.  So, if you need a case for your phone, kindle, ipad, or other devices, check out Otterbox.

And, one more link I want to share is this one about asking what a particular verse means to you.  Excellent audio clip!

Happy Saturday!

It’s A Monday….AUGH!!!!

Whew!

It’s been a long time since I have been so glad to see a day come to a close.  But today is definitely one of those days where I am so happy to be going to bed.  I am also feeling SO overwhelmed.

Normally around here I guard my Mondays like a mama bear guards her baby cubs.  It’s my recovery and reorganize day.  It is that day that I wipe the proverbial slate clean and start the week fresh with a clean house, washed laundry, meal plans, and all those other little tasks that come with being a wife and mother.  By keeping my Mondays set aside for accomplishing my tasks at home I am able to serve more through out the week and still keep balance on the home front.  It’s the foundation of my week!

But this Monday was different and from the moment my feet hit the floor it was not the normal routine.  While we did get a very important task done, it kept me away from my usual chores.

So here I sit almost in a panic as I wonder how on earth I am going to get through a very busy week.  I don’t have a clue!

And this is when I hear the still, small voice of the Lord whispering to my heart and mind…

….”Exactly, Mandy!  You don’t need to know how, you just need to lean on Me.”

And I am reminded that God knew that today’s “to-do” items would take a whole lot longer than we anticipated.  He  knows what the next few days hold.  He knows what I need to do and what really isn’t as important as I think it is.  And I am going to simply lay down my cares and trust His plans to be best. 

I am simply going to follow.

It makes me hum this song to myself…

And now I am simply going to go to bed and trust God to use this week for His glory.  Even if I feel like I’m chasing my tale all week long.

From the trenches of motherhood…where I am thankful that God knows the plans of my every moment… – Mandy the TrenchMommy

Saturday Simmer 2.19.11

Last week we spent the week attending an amazing conference – the Biblical Counseling Training Conference in Lafayette, Indiana.

Here is a short video slide show for you…

On Thursday night of that week we sat in the front row for the main session and got to see this dear woman give her testimony.  You can watch it here.

Also, I am enjoying my kindle and have been trying to find cheap ways of filling it up!  I have been keeping an eye on the “Top 100 Free” books on Amazon – and I’m sure you will, too!  I found a few that I had already read, but since they were free I downloaded them anyway!

And around here in the trenches we have enjoyed the warm spring weather this week that turned back to snow and wind this morning.  *Sigh*  Oh well!  In a few short weeks Spring will be here…until then it’s all the more reason to snuggle in a blanket with a good book!

Potty Dance & Humble Pie

So as I announced on Monday, Micah is officially potty trained.  And - yes! - this Mommy is doing the “potty dance” with an amazing amount of zeal!  After 8 long years of spending an exorbitant amount of money on diapers, my arch nemesis – potty training – has been vanquished!

And does it come as a surprise that God used this normal and routine part of life to help me grow more in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ?!

Well, as much as it should NOT surprise us – because God’s desire is that EVERYTHING in our life helps us to change and grow – it still sort of caught me off guard. 

When I find something that works in the parenting department – say the sleep routine that I used with all 3 of our kids – I tend to think that it is the right way to do things.  Now I wouldn’t say to your face that it was the absolute right and only way to train your child…but most likely I would have been thinking that in the back of my mind. 

Am I all alone in this or can you relate?!

For a little over 2 years now I have had multiple people giving me firm advice about the area of potty training with Micah.  I tried 99% of the things that were suggested to me but nothing worked.  Including the whole “potty train in a day” method. 

Nope.  He would not have anything to do with it.

And so through this whole potty training saga I have learned humility in that just because something worked for me and ALL 3 of my kids does NOT mean that it’s “right” for every family.

Now…before you go and quote me as saying something like “to each their own”…hear me out completely. 

I am talking about methods only. 

For example, I am not saying you should not potty train you child or teach them to sleep through the night.  I am simply saying that the way you go about it may be different than the way I teach my children. 

And that is okay.

While I hope I have never offended someone in saying “this is the right way” on something that is method only – I probably have. 

And for that I apologize.

God has used this potty saga to remind me to give grace, be patient, be kind, and understand that not everyone is like me*.

{*Everyone breathes a sigh of relief!}

I am thankful that God is in control of everything.  Even that date of Micah being “a big boy”!

From The Trenches Of Motherhood…where I am trying to learn from everything that comes my way… – Mandy the TrenchMommy

PS – Enjoy this video clip of Micah opening his package from Grandma containing the reward for being a big boy now!

Micah opens his reward from Grandma for using the potty!

Better Late Than Never

Are you like me in that you use common phrases often through out your daily speech and then wonder about where they came from?  For example, the title of this post….or one that I do know the meaning of – “the real McCoy”.

Well, since I don’t want to take the time to google {love how “google” is a verb!} it right now, I’ll just share why I think it’s better to be late than not do/show up at all!

It’s better that I post a Valentine’s post in honor of my husband late than not at all.  I don’t want him – or anyone! – to forget or doubt for even a moment that I love him.

While out shopping a few weeks ago I came across these absolutely darling mugs at our local Christian book store.

So I bought them for Justin as a Valentine’s Day gift.  Since I now drink coffee – thanks to my New Year’s resolutions - I thought it was a perfect little surprise!  Come this spring we can enjoy the cool evenings by sitting on the front porch in our white rockers while we chat and sip a good cup of decaf! 

{Can’t you hear the birds soft chirps and the violins playing melodiously in the background?!}

I love Justin so much and my top two favorite things about him are…

• That he sincerely is my best friend and I miss him when a day goes by when we can’t spend a good 30 minutes or more just talking to one another about life in general and in depth.
• That he encourages me in my relationship with Christ by answering my questions, explaining things to me, talking through things with me.

So why don’t you join me in being better late than never and share what you love about your husband?

From The Trenches Of Motherhood….where I am drinking coffee and thanking the Lord for the gift of my husband… – Mandy the TrenchMommy

PS – You can WIN a free book on my book review blog until tomorrow sometime…hurry over and enter the contest by simply leaving a comment!

Days Like Today…

…make me tired.

And happy.

I woke up this morning at 4am and could not get back to sleep so I finally rolled out of bed, brewed a pot of coffee – which I ended up dumping down the drain – and started the day off by spending some sweet time with my Lord and Savior.

The coffee was Dunkin Dark and I don’t care if it’s morning or night, I do not like Dunkin Dark!  So I brewed up a second pot of good ‘ole regular.

I spent time in 1 Thessalonians and read today’s portion out of Daily Readings From The Life Of Christ by John MacArthur.  Then I moved on to his newest book called Slave.  Wow!  It’s making me re-evaluate my life and my purpose in life. 

Big time.

Two and a half hours later I started breakfast and woke up the rest of the family.  We enjoyed a healthy breakfast, a good time of family Quiet Time, and then I sent 3 out of 4 of them on their way to work/school.  Following which, Micah and I attacked the housework. 

Okay, I attacked.  He watched.  Although, for the record, he did load the washer at least once for me.

Despite the many potty breaks – for him, not me! – I was able to finish up my cleaning in time to go get the girls from school.

Did you catch that?! 

POTTY BREAKS FOR MICAH!

HE. IS. POTTY. TRAINED. AND. I. AM. SO. EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, we were away last week at the Biblical Counseling Training Conference and when I came home, he was using the potty like a pro!  I think my friend (she knows who she is) has the magic potty training touch and if I ever were to have more kids I would leave them with her for a week again!

So anyhow, besides doing the potty training dance I accomplished a lot around the house and now I’ve finished helping Abby with homework and piano practice, gotten 1 child a shower, all 3 tucked in bed, took my own shower, and now….*sigh*…and going to say “goodnight” to you all…and curl up with another good book…because….

…days like these make me tired.  And happy.

*contented sigh*

From the trenches of motherhood…where I am going to sleep well tonight… – Mandy the TrenchMommy

Kids Eat Free?!