Ugh....I have to leave my house this week!

I am not a fan of change. I like a schedule and consistency. I don't like surprises or changes to my schedule. I actually have a physical reaction to all of the above. This summer we pretty much did nothing, and it was AMAZING! We homeschool so we do not really have a summer break from school work, but we do have a break from all the extras. It was so nice. No swimming, no gymnastics, no going here, no going there. Have I mentioned it was really nice? We don't even vacation in the summer (another beauty of homeschooling).
Well, now it is September and I have to leave my house. Cue change and cue my anxieties. I always second guess myself as to whether we are doing too much and if I will be able to handle all the activity while keeping up with school work and house keeping needs. Oh yeah, and my awesome job too. My none negotiable is that we sit down and eat dinner together, at the kitchen table, every night! My kids love it! This is the first week that we have all activities in place and I have to bring my A game. Every aspect of my life revolves around my family and that is perfectly fine with me! Even my hobby, scrapbooking, is ultimately for them. My reward is seeing the abilities of my kids advancing and to see their character align with Christ's examples and know that HE has given me the strength and resources to foster these. My life may seem small to others but it feels really big to me!
Because I have a small sphere I sometimes feel that I am not doing enough to share Christ with others. Most of my daily interactions are with other Christians, and I need that right now. But then God reminded me that Christians struggle too. We need love, and compassion, encouragement and a listening ear. I have these to give and will do my best to do all of these to the glory of God! 

Full Hands

"Whew....you have your hands full!" says every other person I encounter at Target or Harris Teeter or CVS or Aldi....you get the picture. Sometimes I just smile, other times I let my catty shine through and say, "Not really, I'm Ergoing this one," as I point to the baby hanging from my chest and shoving his fingers up my nose while pulling my hair out with his free hand. At the same time my oldest is continuing to describe every Lalaloopsy while I am trying to explain to a passing stranger that my three year old didn't call them a "stupid blockhead" but was actually acting out some Charlie Brown cartoon. I'm not exactly sure what the comment means, all I know is that I hear it all the time. Are people admiring my beautiful children? Do they pity me? Do they think I'm a special shade of crazy? I only have 3 kids. There are a lot of people on this planet who have way more kids than me. I don't even have a minivan for crying out loud. What I have come to realize is how I take it depends on my mood that day. I use to think that the actions and words of other people caused me to have a good or bad day, but I don't believe that any more. 

I am the constant in my life. The actions of my kids don't change drastically from day to day. The color of the crayon used to "decorate" the office may change or I may have some extra snuggle time one day compared to others, but my kids are my kids. 

This crazy, wonderful, FULL life that I have was my choice and I have never regretted it, not one day. To the people who make the comment because they think my kids are cute I say THANK YOU! I know that every parent thinks their kids are cute but I am pretty sure, empirically speaking, my kids are beautiful. To the people who say it because they pity me I say NO NEED. Don't every feel sorry for me because I have three children. Oh my goodness what an amazing blessing my children are. And not just my children, every child on this planet is a precious and amazing soul. They keep us young and honest and I have never been more blessed by anything in my life. And to the people who say it because they think my crazy sparkles I say RUN! You can't even handle this crazy. Every mother in this country has skills in keeping life sane. We keep things in check in ways that would blow your mind! But even if I were a little crazy that day, pointing it out doesn't help anything! So to every mother out there I say love with full hands, laugh with full hands, and live with full hands. One day very soon your hands won't be so full. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it."  Keep this verse in your heart, on your mind, and maybe even on your hand if needed. As mothers we have been given a task with eternal consequences. Every action and every reaction we have should point our children towards Jesus Christ. So the next time someone tells me my hands are full I will reply, "and so is my heart." Oh how blessed I am!