ruined parenting reputations

So in conversation this evening with some very good girlfriends of mine, a topic came up that I feel the need to share. Probably because I can relate quite well. It has to do with parenting, of course, because parenting is 75% of my life (with 20% sleeping and 5% in conversation with my husband discussing parenting issues.. ) 

So here is the short of it (and maybe the long of it too, but I never really understood that prase: "the long and the short of it," so I'm just going to go with the short of it.) Our kids are who they are. We do our best to shape and to mold and guide them, but sometimes our kids make decisions that are not in line with who we are trying to raise them to be. They are totally ruining our reputation as "parents with good child-raising skills."

Here's an example: my daughter has been told over and over again not to exclude friends from anything. She has had that happen to her and it hurts her feelings. And yet, after numerous conversations about this, she still manages to roll over one of the nieghbor kids (not friends with his parents on facebook...phew) and tell him he cannot climb our tree, which EVERY OTHER KID IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS ALLOWED TO DO (with parental permission, of course.) 

Child. 

Seriously. 

His parents probably think we are horrible parents!

So what do we do? We talk to her, teach her how to handle the situation better next time, hope she listens to us and pray that the neighbors don't actually hate us because our kid chose to be unkind. 

This parenting thing is a pain. These kids are ruining our reputations left and right.

But there is hope! I see my nieces and nephews growing into amazing young women and men. It gives me a passion to keep striving with my own kids, hoping that they will grow into amazing young men and women, but that means loads of prayer and guidance. 

Tomorrow is a new day to try and shape those little twerps, but for now I'm off to go get my 20% sleep.

KC

thankful for...

Every once in a while I get caught up in the world of dissatisfaction. 

My carpets are a mess.

My kids drove me straight crazy this afternoon.

My kitchen needs a major upgrade.

I can't keep this house clean (Children. No need to say more.)

Not enough time in the day.

Why doesn't my furniture match?

And why doesn't this body act like it did when I was 25....really not happy about that. 

But there's this phrase that always sticks in my head to combat the "dissatisfactions."

(Yes, I make up words and bend grammar rules. If that bugs you, I apologize, but only a very small apology.)

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. 

And then I start to list them.

1. The wonderful people that God has put in my life, to relate to and commiserate with, get encouragement from, get texts from (just letting me know they're thinking of me), laugh with, be accountable to... This week alone He made those people very evident to me.

(Just FYI: I checked snapchat. I'm not sharing that! 😝)

2. A full pantry. Seriously just walked into our pantry after grocery shopping today and although it's a mess (because I recruited the kids to put the groceries away), it is a blessed mess of God's faithfulness to sustain us.

(Please don't critique the food choices. I am well aware that we probably should not have Spaghettios and fake mashed potatoes in our pantry.)

3. A husband who works and commutes to support this family. He is a determined man, a driven man who works to provide for us and support us. Not every family is as fortunate to have a man like mine. (I won't post his picture. I know he'd be embarrassed. And I know he reads my blogs so I can't even sneak one on here.)

Just listing these three things completely changes my focus and outlook on life. It's as if I have flipped a switch.

So let me ask you this: what are 3 things you are grateful for today? 

Really. I wanna know. I love audience participation.

Tell me in the comments! 

KC

PS. I forgot one: cheese. I will always be thankful for cheese. There is some in the fridge calling my name right now... 

not afraid

I recently watched a TV episode where a couple of young doctors sat with an older gentleman as he was dying. It brought up a lot of the emotions that I felt as I sat with my Pa and watched him die. But there were definite differences (besides the fact that one was a TV show and the other was real and personal).

The main difference was this: 

I did not sit in fear as I watched my Pa pass on. I was not afraid of what was going to happen to him or where he was going. I had no doubt that his destination was heaven. And although I don't know exactly what heaven will be like, I'm trusting that God has it all figured out to be beyond our understanding of what amazingness is. My Pa is there. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm jealous. I'm going there someday to experience unfathomable amazingness...

I like to picture my Pa on a lake, fishing, plaid shirt and black jeans, and snacking on a roast beef and mayo sandwich. I like to picture him in his earthly joy. But honestly, I'm not sure God allows fishing in heaven. Or mayo! 

But none of that matters. I believe that heaven is full of joy, that deep-down satisfying joy that comes from knowing a Father who loves you so much, that He created heaven for you. And created a way for you to get there, even with all your black spots.

I miss my Pa desperately some days. I'msad for the hole in my family. I'm sad for those who knew him well but don't get to experience him any more. I'm sad for those of you who never got to meet him. You would have adored the man. I'm heartbroken that my kids spent little to no time with him before he passed on to heaven. 

But I'm not sad for my Pa. 

Because:

Heaven is a wonderful place,

Filled with glory and grace,

I wanna see my Savior's face

Because heaven is a wonderful place.

(I wanna go there!)

 

(I hope that gets stuck in your head today because it's a good one!)

KC

no matter what

Tonight I laid next to my son on the bottom bunk to tell him good-night. We chatted for a bit and then I headed into a quick intentional conversation topic: loving him no matter what. If he was naughty or having a bad day or did something that he thought would really disappoint him: I might be sad, but I would still love him no matter what. (Even if I was ugly, Mom? Hahaha! Yes, goofball, even if you were ugly). 

This reminded me of another conversation I had last week with my 20 year old niece. She is doing amazing things with Students For Life, a group of pro-life supporters with the desire to educate people about their choice regarding abortion. 

Without getting too far off topic, here was one aspect that we talked about: parents communicating with their children about the mistakes their kids have made and how they will love them through it. There is a severe lack of this form of communication! Standards are set and making any choices that take you outside those standards would be life-shattering! So where does that leave our teens? With no choice but to keep secrets from their parents and potentially make decisions that will affect them the rest of their lives. 

Do you remember being a teenager? The temptations are greater now, people! There are more things available to trip up our children than when we were kids. And available to them younger now! I have to work hard to protect my kids' little hearts. 

Let me ask you this: have you told your teenager that you love them no matter what? Does the thought of doing that make you uncomfortable? I don't know about you, but I think not telling them is a bigger risk than the few (however uncomfortable) moments you take to open a door of communication with your teen. (Bonus: you are setting the example of God's unconditional love for them as well.)

And I know what some of you are thinking: "If I tell my kid that I'll love them no matter what they do, then I'm practically giving them permission to go ahead and do it!" 

But I'm telling you this: your kid is not perfect and has already made mistakes that maybe you don't even know about. 

HOWEVER, if you have established that communication with your child to begin with, you can help to educate them about the outcome of their choices (because chances are you made a few bad choices yourself as a teen), so that they not only have their wisdom to apply to it, but yours too. 

(That was a lovely run-on sentence with a whole lot going on in it. I'm sorry! And you might want yo go back and read it again - I had to a few time.) 

I might not know much about those teenage years yet, (although my daughter has been acting like a 16 year old for about 5 years now...) but I do know that the notes my parents left me in my room and the words they spoke to me in difficult situations went far in my life. Your teen might act like your words don't mean that much to them, but your words mean the world to them. 

Keep talking to them. 

KC

Jesus and birthday parties

"But when Jesus comes, what if I'm not ready?!" Yet another one of Jayne's deep emotionally involved questions. (Seriously deep-thinking kiddo here. No wonder she gets emotional. That's a lot for a kid to think about!) 

I told her that I don't know what it's going to be like. I don't even know exactly what heaven's going to be like. But I trust Jesus enough to know that He loves us and only wants good things for us. That means it's all going to be more wonderful than we can even imagine and we are not going to want to be back here on this earth!

Just like her birthday party coming up. She might not know every single detail about what I am planning, but she trusts me enough to know that it's going to be a good thing. And then she got distracted talking about all the things she wants to do for her birthday party and who to invite and when she should have her party. (Squirrel!) 

I think we resolved that fear for now. Or at least distracted her from it for the time being. 

But I, for one, am grateful that I don't have to fear the future. I might not know exactly how it's all going to go down, but I'm okay with that. God knows and I trust Him. 

Maybe heaven will be like an awesome birthday party...

KC

I don't want to grow up

So in a tear filled conversation that I recently had with Jayne, she began by voicing all these different in-the-future fears that she had, ending with, "...so I don't ever want to grow up, sob!" 

I think sometimes we discuss our grown up problems in such a way that we make "growing up" sound like a terrible thing! We don't always realize that our kids are catching so much from just a couple of spoken sentences.

And I will admit that there are times when I've felt each of these (all found through Pinterest):

Growing up means hard work and life is not always fun and "happy, happy, joy, joy," but there are a lot of wonderful things about growing up too: driving a car, living in a dorm, getting married, raising a family (because as difficult as it is to raise kids, it is totally worth all the effort), picking out your own food at the grocery store, wearing whatever outfit you want to church (because seriously: I hated wearing dresses and skirts as a kid), getting whatever pet you want in your own home...

And there's so much more! Being able to rent a car (ok, not super exciting, but still kinda cool), being able to skydive (which you will never catch me doing in this lifetime), decorating your house in the decór you like, creating deep and valuable friendships, growing in a relationship with God beyond what you thought possible, traveling to see His creation all over the world, finding fulfillment in having a career, doing it well, and making a difference in other people's lives.

But sometimes we get stuck in the yuck of being an adult. And it's difficult to keep that from our kids. But they are affected, they hear us moan and complain, and suddenly being an adult looks like something they'd rather not do. 

Unfortunately, they are going to be doing this adulting thing longer that the being a kid thing, so we might as well try to portray the joys of being and adult. Who knows? We might find out that it's not so bad afterall...

KC

intentional conversation...huh?

One thing I've figured out about this whole parenting thing is that it sure takes up a large portion of my day! And if I'm being honest, some of that time has been difficult to give. 

The middle of the night call from your newborn who is unhappy because the dirty diaper is squished halfway up his back. 

Sleeping (sorta) next to your 4-yr-old on the floor because he got Hand, Foot, and Mouth and is constantly waking up to pain on his feet and toes.

Listening to your toddler yell and scream for an entire 20 minute drive home because she didn't get what she wanted at the store.

Hanging out watching Dora the Explorer again because your little girl wants you to watch it with her. "Swiped, no swiping!" 

(I'm pretty sure there were some Little Einstein episodes that I had memorized.)

But if I'm honest once again, some of the most time consuming incidents have been the most valuable times with my kids. Either they have learned something or I have learned something. Either way, it was important time spent with my children.

One of the things that took me a while to gain patience for was having intentional conversations with my kids. Essentially, I identified topics that I could see were important to discuss with my child, and then made time to talk with her about it. One of the pastors at our church kinda led us in that direction. 

Here was one example that got us started in the right direction:

Our daughter thinks she rules the roost (she's thought this way since she was a toddler). At around 7 years old, I sat her down on our couch and explained that she was not the boss of this house, but that Mom and Dad were. We talked about what that meant for her, how we expected to be treated and what our expectations for her were. We didn't wait to have this conversation with her until we were upset with something and just completely frustrated with her. She doesn't really listen well in that type of situation. I chatted with her in a calm manner and engaged her in the conversation with questions so that she was listening and responding and participating in this intentional conversation. 

I'd love to say that one conversation changed her whole outlook on who's the boss of this here house but she was 7 and needed a few more conversations for it to sink in. Kids tend to learn lessons better through repetition (like training a puppy...)

We've had conversations about how to treat the ones you love (for example little brothers who are so easy to hold down and pick on). And talked about what God gave us hands and feet for (again, not for hitting or kicking little brothers).

We've had serious conversations about how no matter what happens in life, Mom and Dad will always love you. Even when you think you've made some stupid decision, or you think you have hurt our feelings or made us super mad. Even then, we will still love you and be here for you. (This was a few years back when a young man took his own life and I wanted my children to know that this mom's love was unconditional.)

We have had very intentional conversations about the private parts on their bodies and who is allowed to see them. These are boundaries that we needed to establish for our children so that their innocence might be better protected. They are too young to understand when they might be getting taken advantage of so we gave them their boundaries and opened the door of conversation about a topic that might otherwise always remain hidden.

I have had numerous conversations about God and His awesome plan of salvation and how my kids can get that salvation. Because as far as I'm concerned, there is nothing more important than where my children go after this life for eternity. And both of them have Jesus in their hearts as their own Savior. (Call me blessed!!)

I think you've probably got the idea of what intentional conversations (or "on purpose chats with pre-determined subject matter") are and this post went a bit longer than I intended... Sorry. 

However, I have at least one more post to write on this subject. So stay tuned!

KC

PS- what are you going to chat about with your kiddos today?

the fruit of intentional conversation

Sometimes when you're a parent, life comes to a screeching halt. Whether it's something major or minor, having kids in your life can foil your best laid plans.

Tonight, after saying good-night to both kids, I set about the house to get all those pesky little chores taken care of so I could sit and relax just for a bit: dishes, sweeping the kitchen floor, straightening up the family room, doing one last load of laundry. I had a blog post or two that needed to be written and maybe an episode or two of a Netflix show to watch.

As I got started on the chore list, my Jayne called me from her room. Thinking it was just a quick snuggle she needed, I headed upstairs. 

Nope! Turns out she needed to have a couple of deep conversations, tears and all. When those conversations happen, I grab ahold of the opportunity to speak to my girl's heart and give it as much time as I need to teach her whatever God has in mind for me to teach. 

When she calls me upstairs to have these conversations, I feel blessed. My daughter wants to share her heart with me. She is not afraid to have difficult conversations with me. I have worked hard to create that open door of conversation with her and am grateful for the times when I see it pay off. Someday she's going to be a teenager and the conversations are going to be even more difficult. I hope with my whole heart that she will still call me up to her room to chat about the tough stuff. You better believe that I'm going to keep working at it so she will!

Intentional conversation: probably one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received in raising a strong-willed child. But I believe that it is valuable for every child. Even my son comes to me with questions all the time about subjects that I would think are beyond him. These little minds are constantly thinking and trying to figure out life. Taking the time to talk with them and explain the "whys" and the "hows" helps them understand life a little more. And I think when you understand, then life seems a little less scary and a little easier to manage.

(Need a little more help understanding this "intentional conversation" thing? Stay tuned this week...)

Tonight's subjects with Jayne were pretty awesome. I see about 5 different blog posts from this conversation alone. 

The floors can stay dirty until tomorrow....

(Me with a couple of cute goofballs!)

KC

accountability for my weaknesses

A while back I identified one of my 215 weaknesses (there are probably more, but I haven't identified them all yet). Self-discipline. I am not self-disciplined. Even about the things I am passionate about! Exercising, writing, singing, eating healthy....

But identifying that weakness was the first step. Finding ways to correct it has been the next step.

Sometimes all it takes is seeing the results of staying self-disciplined: exercising brought about a strength I never knew I could posses and the change in my body shape was definitely motivating. Making healthier choices in what I ate made a huge difference in how I felt physically. And staying disciplined in both of those areas increased my mental strength as well. (I didn't realize the importance of mental strength until I possessed it). 

But other areas, I noticed, required something more, hence the lack of self-discipline. I needed accountability, someone to check in on me to make sure I was getting it done. 

So I did it. I made commitments to others. Running with my brother. Singing with my niece. Meeting with a good friend to keep me accountable to the growth of this blog. And this makes me excited because things are going to get done! 

Goals are going to be met! 

Dreams are going to come true!! 

Okay, that's a little over the top, but you never know...

What do you need help accomplishing? 

Need an accountability partner? 

KC

messy house

The past week or so I have been deep cleaning rooms and closets and cupboards and shelves. The purging process has become addicting as I look at my organized rooms and closets and cupboards and shelves. And I feel more relaxed and in control.

But here's the funny thing: my house, on a surface level has now been messier over the past couple of weeks. Things on the floor and on tables or counters. Legos, markers, paper, books.... You'd think that it would stress me out!

But it doesn't and I think I have figured out why.

Everything now has a home. That feels good. 

I look at the small messes throughout the house and I know they can be easily straightened up. It didn't used to be that way. Because the deep parts of my house were chaos. Adding surface messes to the deep messes just brought life nearly out of control!

(I know. What a weird thing to sit and think about and figure out, but that's kinda just how my mind works. I often overthink things, but it actually helps me understand myself and other people better.)

And here's the application that came to mind today (because I overthink things): my life can be so busy at times that it can seem to border on catastrophe. But deep down in my heart and soul, I am set on a Rock. That Rock is steadfast. The deep is not out of control. It is controlled by Someone greater than me. That is where my peace comes from to make it through the day's chaos. 

Although the surface might be a bit messy, the deep is not out of control. Yep. That's a pretty good picture of my life, and that's exactly how it needs to be.

KC

stars

 I've seen a couple of shooting stars already tonight. I actually saw a third, slow-moving one that my girlfriends informed me was an airplane and then they questioned my sanity...

As I sit out in the backyard this evening, looking at the vast amount of stars, I have to ask this: how can you not believe in God?

Now I'm not trying to get into a scientific/theological debate. I will lose because I suck at sciencing and debating.

However, when it comes to the heart, the soul, this I think I know a little bit more about. 

Because I think that is God's primary place of employment. 

People, we are not just made up of a brain and its logic.

We each have a heart and a soul with feelings and emotions that are just as valid as logic.

So don't ignore them.

What is your soul trying to say to you? Because chances are that little voice that defies logic but yells out at you about love and miracles is something bigger than your brain.

Perhaps you need to spend some time listening to it. 

Because that Voice is amazing and uncomprehendable and vast, just like these stars that I am sitting here watching in complete awe.

KC 

PS. If you struggle to understand who I am talking about when I capitalize the "Voice," maybe I need to start this post all over again...

being non-normal

Aaaaahhhhh!!!

School starts tomorrow!

(Or today, depending on when you are reading this.)

(Or next week, if you're me.)

(Or sometime in September, if you're Canadian.)

Whatever the case, the first day of school can be great! Or terrifying, depending on who you are. Back to a constant social life, dealing with all types of kiddos in the classroom or on the playground. Seeing your good friends and spending time with them and reconnecting with those friends you haven't seen all summer.

(Now I'm a homeschooling mom, so you might wonder what exactly I do with this situation since it is a bit different for me. But that's for a different day. Keep reading and you'll see where I'm going.)

My elementary school days were difficult. I was shy and making friends didn't come easy to me because I didn't know what to say. But in 5th grade, a girl sought me out and asked me to be her friend. It took me a while to become friends with her, probably because I was so apprehensive about how friendship worked. But she saved my life. She helped to shape me into the woman I am today. She built me up and stood by me through thick and thin. She saw my value.

I tell you that story for this reason: kids who are different need friends too. The shy kids, the weird kids, those with some sort of disability, the hyper kids, the kid who looks different than everyone else, any kid who doesn't fit what the world tends to determine as the "norm."

Encourage your kids to include and interact with the "different" kids. And teach them how to do that. Give them examples of what they can say or do. Communicate the value of each and every child in their class. (Even the rough and tough ones need kindness, even if you wouldn't encourage a friendship.) It could make the biggest difference not only in that child's life, but in your child's life as well. 

The world is full of people who don't fit the norm. And if we're being totally honest, I'm pretty sure your kiddo has a few "unique" characteristics as well. I know mine do...and I did, and most of my friends do too. But I wouldn't change them into "normal" for anything. 

I'm pretty sure that's WWJD. 

(Ok, so maybe I shouldn't bring that back? I don't know. It fits almost so well...maybe?)

KC

high school advice from a previous teen (many years ago...)

High school was rough for me. I had some very close friends and supportive parents that helped me through some of my struggles as a high schooler. I'm not sure how things would have turned out if it wasn't for them.  

High school is when stress really truly begins. Those hormones, emotions, and a bunch of new temptations are with you all day long. You're striving to be noticed or praised or recognized for something. Academics, music, sports, drama... People are pushing you to do more, to do better, to achieve more while you are still figuring out what it means to grow up. You're starting to search for the definition of who you are. Plus your future is staring you right in the face and that is scary!! 

High school is when my anxiety disorder kicked in, full-fledged panic attacks and all. I know I've talked about it before and will probably mention it again, but that's because I'm hoping that my experience might help someone else with the same issue.

I worry about today's high schoolers and the pressure they face. The way each one handles it all could shape his or her future. Panic attacks (which I didn't even know was a thing till I was diagnosed!), eating disrorders, physical harm to themselves, drinking or drugs, and I'm sure there are a multitude of other negative ways that our teens are handling life these days, and that's why I worry.

I don't have the solution to help avoid each of those things listed up there, but I can tell you what helped me: communication. I had parents who didn't understand what I was going through, but they listened to me and talked to me as I went through it all. They allowed me the space to handle each panic attack as I needed to without making me feel bad about it. They didn't put any pressure on me to continue living with a crazy schedule and I ended up quitting 2 sports my senior year. 

And they prayed for me. I could not have made it through the remainder of my high school years and through my college years without that prayer. 

I don't have any teens of my own yet, (unless you count nieces and nephews!) but I do have friends whose kiddos are stepping in to that crazy time of life. I don't know your kids like you do, but please just be aware. 

Communicate and pray: it could make the hugest difference in your teens life. 

It did in mine.

KC

fun parenting?

Parenting is hard work. Sometimes it is a pain in the neck. It's frustrating. Aggravating. Irritating, even!

There are moments when I think, on a very surface level, that becoming a parent was not such a good idea. 😜

But I decided a few years back that parenting should be fun also. Not just "go to the movies and eat popcorn" fun, or " go to Disneyland" fun.  More like intentional, everyday choices to have fun, to enjoy our time together.

My kids and I lip sync in the truck when we drive around town. 

We hold short dance parties in the Family Room on a regular basis.

We have Family Game Night a couple times a month. (Our current favorite is Spot It!)

We have a small trampoline in the middle of the Family Room because: fun.

We tell funny, goofy jokes and tease each other a LOT.

We have ticklefests often because those giggles are the best.

We came up with a bunch of Slug Bug phrases: 

MiniCoop, Whoop Whoop! 

Jeep Jeep beep beep!

Cruiser Bruiser!

I'll admit that we take a lot of selfies together, but a majority of them are as goofy as we can be.

We build forts. We make messes. We get artsy and crafty and science-y. 

I don't think God intended for parenting to be a drag. 

Hard work? Yes, because the hard work of parenting grows us. 

But a bummer? No.

Sure, lthere is a lot to take serious in this world and it's easy to get caught up in competition, in planning out our kids' futures when they're 4 years old. We want to make sure they have the best, learn the best, are the best, and that's when the fun goes away. 

This "at-home" training lasts for a decent while: minimum of about 18 years. I don't know about you, but I think that is a pretty good portion of my life and I would sure hate to waste it being too serious. So we find the fun because I want to enjoy as much of this parenting thing as possible.

And it turns out that I think my kids are pretty great. I kinda like hanging out with them...usually. (Now that my son has figured out how to make fake tooting noises, hanging out with him in public isn't always my favorite. 😜)

KC

He loves me

I came across this quote today on Pinterest and it struck a nerve.  I know this in my head. I know I will never ever achieve perfection. But it is still difficult to accept all the shortcomings and failures that I manage to create every single day! 

And my biggest struggle is probably this: how can a perfect God love such an incredibly imperfect me?

But He does. Just like I unconditionally love my children who drive me crazy on a regular basis, He loves me. I would do anything for my kids, even though they are stinkers. And so would He.

And He did. 

He gave up His son. And allowed me that place of honor. 

I am so unworthy. 

And that's what makes my God amazing.

He loves me as no one else can.

KC

the biggest reason

Tomorrow is our first day of homeschool. I'm excited and the kids are excited. And that's kinda a big deal considering the challenges that homeschooling brings to each of us. But deep down, my kids understand (because of our intentional conversation - don't forget: more to come on that topic later this week!) the reasons why we chose to homeschool them and trust that we are making the best decision for them.

I get asked on a pretty regular basis why we chose to homeschool our kids. Although it is not so much of an oddity these days, homeschooling still faces a lot of criticism and there is definitely a stigma to fight. It's difficult not to get on the defensive with my answer. 

Truth be told, there about 100 reasons why we have chosen this route at this point in our children's' education. Ok, not quite 100, but pretty close! I could tell you all the benefits and opportunities we have and will be afforded. I could have a conversation with you for a couple hours because I feel that passionate about it. 

However, I'm not really trying to convince you that this is the best possible option for education these days. Or that I am an amazing person for taking on this challenge, because, believe you me, I'm not. If anything it shows my weaknesses and failures even more close up than I really desire. *sigh*

But what I am going to tell you is that we feel called by God to do this. We take it year by year and examine the direction that we feel God is pointing us in, making sure we are in alignment with Him each year.

As I said, this can lead to a bit of criticism as people express their own opinions about our choice. But what it really comes down to for my husband and me is turning down all the noise around us and listening for God's voice.

And this is how it should be for each of us. In any major decision in our lives.

Turn down the noise (in other words: everyone else giving you their opinion) and listen for God's voice, through His Word, or the peace that comes when you go in the direction that He is pointing. 

Tomorrow I walk in confidence because just as my kids trust our decision, I trust God's direction.

KC

restored

I did it.

I got the homeschool room in order!

It'll be awesome...till we start school again. 😩

I discovered something interesting about creating a clean room. An organized and straightened up room attracts people. As soon as I was putting the finishing touches of organization in the homeschool room, my two kiddos and their friend were in there checking everything out, making themselves comfortable, playing with a few items left on top of a bookshelf. A little later, I got to work filling out my super large calendar while l was sprawled out on the clean floor. My husband joined me and we chatted in the little room about this and that. And I am still sprawled out on the floor as I wrote this.

A clean space brings sanity back to my life. 

There are many areas of my world that seem to run chaotically. (I'm not sure that sentence is grammatically correct but I am sure that I don't care because it makes sense to me just as it is written!) I try to employ myself according to my gifts and desires and the "have to's" of everyday which makes for a busy and full life. I also tend to be a bit of a procrastinator, which is a weakness that I am constantly trying to overcome. 

And the combination of trying to be a wife, mom, teacher, friend, and all the other things I've got going on in life lend to a crazy life, sometimes...or rather oftentimes.

So I sit in a comfortably clean and organized room because everything is figured out and all is where it should be. It gives me peace. It makes me calm. It restores my exhausted soul. Can you see where I'm going here?

Resting in the arms of the One who has everything figured out, who knows what goes where and when it should go there and how it should all be put together, gives me peace. I might not have everything figured out in my life. I definitely don't know what my future holds, even though I try to plan it to the minute. Sometimes I cannot make straight the emotions and thoughts that want to rule my day. But God is the calm, the peace, the restorer of this weary soul that I need. All I have to do is turn it all over to Him and rest in the knowledge that He has it all under control. 

I'm so very grateful that He can take the messy room that is my mind and get it all back in order so that I can face another crazy day tomorrow.

KC