Blessings, and Looking for Them.

I have been very purposeful in showing my children how God blesses us, in both BIG and little things.  That because he loves us, and cherishes us, He blesses us.  In the past few years I have said things to them “look God is showing us his favor, we got a great deal on the shoes we wanted.” or “look how God blesses us, someone gave us a gift card for dinner out.” even “thank you Lord for the parking spot up close and under the shade.” For the big things as well as the small things, “Isn’t it great of God to give us with a cute and fun car?”
I want them to see the blessings He gives us daily.  He did not have to provide the cute shoes we wanted, or the sunny day when we were anxious go to the beach during a rainy weekend, or even another car, we have been 24 years with only 1 we could have gone 24 more with only 1 car.  He did not have to grow the tree that provided the shade for our trip into the store, but He blesses us.

As busy as we are, we really need to stop and look for His blessings.  His favor to His children.  I know that the busier I get the more ‘put out’ I am when things don’t go the way I want.  When the dishwasher soap door does not open, when the soft toilet paper runs out, when the rains threaten our outdoor activity.  I know I get so consumed with me and my little world I forget to look for the blessings I am getting all day long.

Anyway, all that to say today I had a proud mommy moment.  Little A was playing with a magnetic girl, she walked away to get a drink, and in that short minute PS snatched away the magnetic girl’s shoe, just one shoe.  I heard Little A whisper talking as she ran from room to room.  She never called to me so I did not ask, she came running into the dining room, where I was sitting, saw her magnetic shoe picked it up, kissed it and said “thank you Lord for keeping my shoe for me.”  Then she ran off.

Sometimes the purposeful statements stick, because we all know that one time we slipped and said a ‘bad word’ they don’t ever miss it, they don’t ever forget it, and they do repeat it.

Todays blessings were just that a gift and a favor from the Lord.  I went on a field trip, the sun was shining the sky was beautiful blue, the zippy new car only sipped at the gas tank.  Keith drove the bus for the field trip, we were both able to be with little A at the fire house.  As a bonus, so when we got back to school, he snuck away for some alone time together.  Or as much alone time as we can get with a baby and a 5-year-old at Chick Fil A.

Yesterday afternoon it was hard to look for the blessings from God.  I had some frustrating news, it made me cry, it made me anxious, it made me remind myself to look for the blessings from God.  So I looked, and saw my 17-year-old daughter choose to spend time with me instead of her bff, I looked and saw my husband willing to wash the little girls hair for me so I could run an errand, I looked and saw that my 11-year-old was asking to help his aunt and her little church class.  I need to keep looking for those blessings.

Go hug your kids and look around you at the things God has blessed you with
jen

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Crowns and Clocks and a College

My life is split in two, I am a mama who is doing final educational school activities, while starting up with first of the education activities.

Late last night I stood in the dark, because my husband shut the lights out on me, and spray painted a gold burger king crown.  Shiny gold.  Because my girl is a senior, tradition at our school, is for the seniors to wear their crown to different days.  Today is the Homecoming game.
We did not yet decorate the crown, just the shiny gold.  Decoration will take all year, as she adds to the crown, until the final day of her education at our school when she puts on that crown.

AND

At the same time I was spray painting the crown gold, I was spray painting a car seat box black to make it into a clock.  You see my newly schooled little one, is learning about rhyming, and they covered Nursery Rhymes.  At the end of the unit the children dress as a nursery rhyme character.  I think #1 was the spider from itsy bitsy spider, we took a black shirt stuffed his dad’s dress socks and pinned them to him,  easy and fast, we had one boy hold a candle stick and jump, one of them dressed as a sheep from a sheep costume we already owned.  But not this girl she wanted to be the clock, you know Hickory-Dickory’s clock.  I cut out an amazing cardboard clock but could not get it to work out.  At bedtime I remembered the dismantled clock and told the girly that she was going to have to be something else.  The sad face, the tears, i was afraid she might throw up for crying.  I saw the car seat box that should have gone to the recycling earlier in the week when I told the 9-year-old to take care of it. Thankfully she did not.  I stood in the dark with 2 cans of black paint, painting that box black.

Did you know that when you bring in fresh spray painted things to dry under the ceiling fan, most of the house will get a headache.

I cut a face out, added brown shading and gold accents, we have that terrible IKEA mouse and someone dug that thing out of the costume box.  I attached the mouse to the clock.  I do think I had the cutest Clock in the kindergarten parade.Check out my cute little clock!

If a Crown and a Clock were not enough a College called my girl today.
And they want her.
They want her.
When she told me I cried.  (not surprising right?) She looked at me and said “she did not mean to make me cry”  How can I not cry this college all the way up in Tn wants to take my girl from me.  There are 4 colleges on her list.  She is not sure, but they want her.

A very emotional day for sure for this mama, Kindergarten in full swing, Senior activities in full swing and a college wants my girl…

Go hug your kids, time moves so fast!
(get it)

jen