Today's

Today's Peak: I got to spend part of today with my mom and sister and we demonstrated our interesting conversation style to some of my mom's coworkers (not on purpose, it's just what we do). They said they hadn't believed my mom when she said that we were hard to keep up with when listening. Now they do. We had to break it to them that what they witnessed was tame, they should see us when my aunt is there too.

Today's Pit: I'm in the middle of purging our house of all our junk food. My new policy for 2012 (not resolution, I don't make resolutions) is to not buy junk food with groceries. I'm not swearing off junk food, I just want it to be work to go get it. Then maybe I won't eat it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Anyway, I'm fighting off the guilt that comes with the fact that my method of purging is to actually eat it. Oh well, it tastes good.

Today's Prayer: For the new year. I'm FINALLY, finally feeling the push to be better again. To eat healthy, to do devotions, to take care of my family. I pray I really CAN.

Today's Praise: I love it when my sister is around. Every day I get to spend time with her is a blessing and I praise God for them.

In a Book

Have you ever seen yourself in a book? It can happen, if your mind is open enough. I saw myself in a book tonight. I saw myself in a character who couldn't see herself in the book within this book. That doesn't even make sense. It's like Inception has invaded my blog post.

It can come up to you on the first page, slap you silly, make you not want to struggle through the rest of the pages. It can make you laugh, to see yourself through another's eyes, finally see some of those interesting quirks you didn't know you had. It can sneak up on you slowly, not even hitting you until the book has been finished for an hour and it's still eating away at you for some unknown reason. Then out of nowhere you know. That was you in those pages. Tonight, it hit me a while after I was done, and it made me sad. And weary.

You see, I know I am like the character in this book. I know I struggle with the things she doesn't even know she struggles with. But this book brought them front and center again, forcing me to confess them again, asking me to clean out those cobwebs again.

And I wonder if I'll ever move past this stage. God nudges me to look, to see where he's brought me so far, and to hear his promise again to keep changing me. But tonight I just feel tired. Like I'll never grow out of these selfish problems I have.

So please, Lord, keep pointing this mirror at my life. Please keep showing me myself and cutting out the parts that don't fit with being your child. I'm tired tonight Lord but I don't want to stop growing.

Four

Today's Peak: I finished my first ever scarf the other day, and wore it for the second time today. I feel so accomplished! Also I got to spend the morning with C at her class's Christmas party. Fun stuff.

Today's Pit: We're struggling with C taking her sweet time about obeying everything we say. She stalls ALL. THE. TIME. Today was no better and I lost my patience. 

Today's Prayer: My friend's mom who has cancer received some serious news the other day and needs some serious prayer. She is looking at a lot more treatment for that.

Today's Praise: Praise God for my husband. For the happiness I feel every day when he comes home. For the fact that we're coming up on 9 years of marriage in a couple months. For the deep love we feel for each other. Just for the fact that God has given me someone so amazing to love. 

Oh, joy.

You know how all women know just how to push each others' buttons and cut right to the heart  with their insults? And you know that blissful part of childhood when little girls don't know how to do that yet? Yeah, my kids are growing out of that.

They've figured out that they can underhanded-compliment, and leave their sister bewildered. They've found out that just plain insults can be more effective than a slugging ever was. I realize now that I wasn't looking forward to this stage, though I never really thought about it specifically. It's a tricky road to navigate. I pray we come out of it relatively unscathed.




Today's Peak: Today was wonderful. I don't think I can pick a peak. I found this little guy:

at my local Barnes and Noble. I love him! He's so cute he makes me smile every time I see him. Then, I completed this project for the first time:

That is an old t-shirt stretched over a canvas-stretcher frame (that's what they're called, canvas-stretcher strips). I have frames to make more for Christmas gifts for my girls. I have to find a suitable shirt for A and then I can complete them tonight I hope. Plus, I got a TON of Christmas shopping and wrapping done today. Today was it's own peak.

Today's Pit: I didn't have a lot of bad stuff happen today. I didn't recognize the little guy I babysit when he came out of his classroom when I picked him up today. Whoops. In my defense, he had on a new coat and a hat pulled way down. *Sheepish grin*

Today's Prayer: The mom of a friend of mine is battling cancer right now and they're having a bit of trouble with her insurance company. Another friend's son is reacting to some medicine he's on, and the reactions he's having are in the 'rare/deadly' range. Sanity and peace and repentance during the holidays, that we might be ready to meet the Messiah.

Today's Praise: Thank the Lord for days like this. For days when I feel like I'm taking good care of my family. For days when my patience abounds and so much gets done. Praise God that these types of days exist.

Sunday

Today's Peak: Playing with my girls at a play land here in a city near us. They have a big warehouse building and they filled the big room with bounce-house style toys. Slides and obstacle courses, all those blow-up style things you see at carnivals and stuff nowadays. I went on every one of them except the 'fighting' ones, where you pick up a jousting stick or huge boxing gloves. I don't care for those and the girls didn't either so we just didn't go on them. Some of those things are tall! And fast! One of them had to have been over a story tall. My stomach jumped every time. Fun stuff! The girls thought it was great when I said I'd go on them with them.

Today's Pit: S was being daring and pushing herself off a bit as she hit the bottom of all the slides. Well, it finally came back to bite her at the very end. She flipped too far and rug-burned the side of her right eye and gave herself a bloody nose. A bad part of it was that I was in the bathroom with C at the time and missed the whole thing. Great.

Today's Prayer: For this Christmas to be a season of repentance for me, that I may get back on the path God has for me rather than going my way and getting 'stuck' in disobedience. That I may truly meet and love Christ in this Christmas season.

Today's Praise: For understanding and flexible family members, as the girls and I had to leave lunch at my in-laws to go to the birthday party. For fun holiday traditions coming up. For plenty that we can feed those who need it in this season and beyond.

Some Days...

Some days, I suck.

Some days, I aim my frustrations at the wrong person.

Some days, I can't hold my tongue, even though they're just little and they're just learning.

Some days I need a lot of forgiveness.

Some days it's a good thing God's mercies are new every morning. 

Some days, I spill egg on my shirt 25 seconds after I put it on in the morning.

Some days, I eat a ton of chocolate though I've promised I'll eat better. 

Some days, I can't stop talking about something even when the other person is done.

Some days, I need a lot of forgiveness.

Some days, even pounding the crap out of the volleyball isn't enough to vent frustration.

Some days I do too much, and don't relate enough. 

Some days the people around me feel under attack though they didn't do anything.

Some days I need a lot of forgiveness. Today was one of THOSE days.

It Starts...

Our first major Christmas stuff started today. We started the day at 9:30 with Sunday school and church. We went straight from there to a city about 25 minutes away to have a Christmas party with my very extended family (Like, MY great-grandparents' kids and their kids and so on. My great grandparents have passed, but it's pretty cool that their kids get together yet).

From there we got home just in time to change clothes and quick head to church. S had to be there 1 hour and 15 minutes early! Thankfully their Sunday school teachers kept them all busy before the service and I didn't have to think of things for them to do.

C and A and the Fireflies doing their songs. 

I didn't get many pictures, just this and one of their class leaving the stage. I got most of it on video. The kids were adorable up there, of course. I love being a part of all that. I love Christmas time.

Today's Peak: Two. Being with extended family and watching the little kids doing their thing on stage. The Pre-K group was adorable, too! And funny. Of course my kid was the one stealing the show. C got too warm during their last song and decided she needed to take off her sweater, which had buttons. So she's up there unbuttoning and then taking off and putting on her sweater! We were all shaking in our seats from laughing so hard at her.

Today's Pit: Stressing a bit about getting to church on time. We had plenty of time but I have a hard time relaxing when we're even one minute late.

Today's Prayer: That I may be more like Joseph. Our sermon this morning was on just how much Joseph really did give up by tying his life to the ruined reputation of Mary and her baby. Amazing. Would I be willing to take that most important thing in MY life and give it all up for God's sake? Challenging.

Today's Praise: The people in our life. We have truly amazing family and friends, and our church family is outstanding.

Great Wolf Lodge

We went with my in-laws to Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin this past weekend. I absolutely love doing this with them, they decided last year to give us experiences rather than gifts for the adults. They still give the kids gifts on the day we celebrate Christmas but this is so much easier than trying to figure out what to buy a bunch of adults who don't really need anything.

We were gone Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. Hubby and I stayed up late with various people every night, but mostly we were the only ones up so late. Too bad. Almost everyone stayed up late the last night, and it was so much fun I wish we could have done it every night.

I promised myself I'd go on every ride the kids asked me to and I did except for the funnel thing they had. I went on that three times the first day and that was enough for me. The 3-4 story climb and steep drops all the way through were fun but I've recently developed a fear of heights and it didn't like that ride. So I went on everything else. And my girls did every ride there too. Christy was too little to go on the funnel ride so she and I stayed together when the others wanted to go on that.

A being silly after going down a slide. I could not get any pictures of them actually sliding, my camera wasn't fast enough.

C spent a lot of her time here, in the kiddie pool.

More kiddie pool. These slides were a bit slow for her but she went on them a couple times.

S and her uncle finishing up a tube-slide ride.

The girls in front of the decorations in the Grand Lobby.

All of us on the steps up to the loft in our room. Christmas card material for this year. 

We had so much fun. There's no way we could thank mom and dad enough for the trips. I'm so glad they do this for us.

... And Today's

Please don't notice that there was a day in between these ellipsis-ed posts.

Today's Peak: Ordering pizza instead of having to make something for dinner, and then laughing our way through eating it while listening to Christmas music.

Today's Pit: I woke up with the worst cramp in my neck. I actually checked for meningitis it hurt so much. Tylenol and Ibuprofen and I'm feeling much better.

Today's Prayer: That God may open my eyes and I may learn intimately what each member of my family needs and how to love them in their own way.

Today's Praise: That God has blessed us so that I may stay home with our children. I love being able to visit their classrooms, to help their teachers, to be proud of them and how they're learning. I love learning and doing my best to take care of my family. I love growing into the wife and mother that God wants me to be, even if I'm painfully slow at it sometimes.


Now, if it would just snow already! I can't believe it's December 2 with that big beautiful lake we have and we haven't seen any notable snow. Depressing.

Yesterday's...

Today's Peak: Kevin and I stayed up waaay too late because we got lost on Nostalgia Lane. It started with me looking up the awesome a capella group Straight No Chaser, then Hubby looked up another a capella group who used to sing the theme song for the old PBS show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. They're called Rockapella. Well, good old YouTube nicely looks up related videos. Carmen Sandiego was a 90's show, and we spent most of our formative years in the 90's, also known as the era of great cartoons. So we spent the next 2 hours watching theme songs from DuckTales, DarkWing Duck, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers (did any other 90's girls LONG to be Gadget?), Gummi Bears, and so on. The amazing thing was how many I could sing along with, in spite of it being 16 years since I've seen some of them.

Today's Pit: We stayed up until 11. Not such a good idea anymore when we're both adults with real things to do every day. Especially for Hubby who gets up before 6.

Today's Prayer: For cold and flu season not to hit us any harder than it has. I felt terrible the last two days. Finally feeling better on Wednesday.

Today's Praise: Praise God that I can be involved in Fireflies at church, where I can fulfill my promise to be involved with the teaching of the children of our church. And they're all so darn cute. I'm glad to be a part of it. Praise God that my husband and I love to laugh together and share our evenings with each other.