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Happy Mothers Day – this is what my kids think of me…

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Happy (now belated) Mothers Day – this is what my kids think of me.

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I’m always late. I’m even posting this blog later than planned – the day after Mothers Day – when no. one. cares. about their Mothers or Mothers Day blogs anymore.

I’m always fussing about their earwax and toenails. Ewww… Well, it’s what we moms do. Dirty ears and jagged toenails are a pet peeve of mine.

I’m always smelling the butt of their jeans. Are they wearable for another day? Oh, is this TMI? Sorry, you don’t have to read any further.

I’m always asking them to keep their rooms clean, when mine looks like the laundry piles went to war with my shoes and paperwork. :-/

I’m always eating their random leftovers… the tiny pieces of whatever we ate for dinner… I can’t stand to throw away even a bite of food.

I always cringe when I hear the sound of them opening the “craft cabinet”. Oh. You want to make mommy another glittery gooey scribbling? …and you want to paint me 10,000 pictures of robots? …and you want to pull out all the beads to create another necklace to give to all your preschool friends? That is so precious. I’m not proud of this – but I’m anticipating the mess which will inevitably be strewn all over the kitchen table at precisely dinner time. I know, I know, I should relax.

I’m always grumpy when my girls ask to paint their nails… The mess. The smell. The impatience of my 4 year old whining, waiting for her nails to dry. I know, I know, I need to relax and let ’em do whatever they want.

***

Sigh… I know, I’m not that bad of a mom.

When I rammed my knee into the bedroom doorframe, a few unmentionable words slipped out thru gritted teeth. I could feel the anger rising up within me. Selah witnessed the whole debacle. “Mommy, are you okay?… I feel bad about you.” At the sound of her sweet words, I began to calm down and then felt Soleil slip her arms around my waist. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Sorry I’m a bad example sometimes.” Soleil replied, “It’s okay mommy – we just ignore the things you don’t do well.”

Best. Answer. Ever. I love my honest children. They are a truly gift from God. 

What do children honestly think of their mothers, anyway?
 I interviewed my kids, along with the projects they made for me school. The combined answers they came up with touched my heart and made me laugh. I realized I’m a pretty predictable person and my kids know me so well.

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I will now share with you what my kids truly think of me. I know – you can’t wait to read the rest of this story! These are their combined answers 🙂 …

Selah thinks I’m 15 years old. Thank you very much. Salem asked, “Mommy, how old are you in real life”? Soleil without skipping a beat answers, “She’s 35!” Well guys, I hate to break it to ya, I’m actually 37. . . “You are?!” [Gasp]

Mommy likes to take pictures on her phone… Mommy likes to Worship. Yes. and Yes!

The best thing mom cooks is… Everything. and Brownies. Yep, I’m a good cook. But I suck at making chocolate chip cookies, so the brownies suffice.

Her favorite food is…  probably brownies. Biscuits. Indian food. Yep, these are all true. I love food.

Her favorite store is… the girls unanimously answered – Trader Joe’s. Salem said 5 Bean. Truth from the mouths of babes.

She is really good at… Singing. Cooking. Cuddling. Awe… yep, I’m pretty good at all those things 🙂

If I could give mommy a gift… I would give you a 5 Bean gift card. Holla!!!

Mommy is… funny. She likes when I tell her jokes. She is always entertaining us with song and dance. Yes, this is true. I think I’m the funniest person on earth and I’m constantly cracking myself up.

My favorite thing to do with Mommy is… Go to the park. Swing together. Go bike riding. Cuddle. Yes Yes and Yes!

I love Mommy because… she gives me smooth kisses. I’m not sure what Selah meant by ‘smooth kisses’ but it was adorable, nonetheless. I love to kiss my kids whether they like it or not. 

***

I love my kids. Sure, they drive me up the wall and make me want to run out of the house sometimes… but I wouldn’t stay gone for long. I’d miss them too much.

I hope all you MOMs out there were shown love by your kids this Mothers Day… and I pray it continues for a lifetime.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. Feel free to share our story 🙂 In Him, Leslie

 

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Birthday Boy

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Yesterday we celebrated Adam’s Birthday. Born April 29th, 1975 we celebrated him turning 39 years old. Thirty. Nine. He’s practically a dinosaur. Although… he has a baby face. So he’s more like a baby dinosaur…? Nah. He’s really an amazing husband, father and friend. He is all this and so. much. more. He’s also a Pastor. Sometimes I like to call him Mr. Pastor Pants. He loves hates when I call him that. As I gush and write about this baby dinosaur, who I also like to call Mr. Pastor Pants, I want to tell you how I really feel about this Birthday Boy. . .

Grateful.

I’m so grateful to be Adam’s wife. I’m grateful to know him. Really know him. More than anyone else does. Being in the ministry, Adam is a transparent Pastor, but no one truly knows him like I do. So… lemme tell ya what I know… 😉 He’s transparent and authentic. He’s motivated and passionate. He’s intense and focused. He’s wholeheartedly in love with me, our kids and most importantly, Jesus Christ. And he lives his life committed to serving Jesus and Shepherding people into relationship with Him. Buuut… B.U.T…T, before you get any ideas about his near angelic qualities… let me emphasize, he’s not perfect. However, he is amazing… And, I am grateful.

“When I see him, my heart skips a beat. There’s love in his eyes for me, for our kids, driven by his relentless dedication to our family. There’s truth on his tongue, fire in his soul and conviction in his veins to serve the One he loves wholeheartedly, the only One he loves more than me. We laugh, we cry, we fight, we love. Happy Birthday to an amazing husband, father and friend, full of passion, honor, and strength. I love you Adam… always and forever.”

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I wrote this and posted this picture on our shared Facebook page for his birthday.

There are moments we don’t see thru the same lens. There are times we are anxious stressed and fight. There are hours we waste arguing grumbling complaining. There are days we grow discontent prideful and arrogant. There are seasons we lose sight of GRATE. FULL. NESS. 

But God. . .

He keeps us together when were falling apart. He whispers our names when we have a dear ear. He softens our hearts when they grow hard.  He pours out His love when our well is dry. In His kindness, His mercy, His grace ~ He makes us grateful. Grateful for one another. Grateful for our marriage. Grateful for our family. Grateful for our lives. Grateful for Him as our Shepherd Savior and Friend.

Our marriage is a gift and I am grateful to God for Adam. I am grateful he was born thirty-nine years ago… I am grateful he is not a dinosaur. I wouldn’t marry a dinosaur. I am grateful he is my amazing husband, Mr. Pastor Pants 😉

Overflowing with thankfulness for this Birthday Boy today… Thanks for reading and sharing in our story! In Him, Leslie

Our lives revolve around *This Screen*

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I’ve been plagued with the reality that much of my life in twenty-fourteen consists of my staring into the face of a screen. 

There is no reason other than this is a season of life we are in with unlimited access to this screen we look in. 

When this screen is uncovered, the world is discovered, with one swipe, one press, one click of our finger tips.

This screen is sleek glamourous gritty and dangerous, chipping away our precious time and attention from others that need us.

This screen is a fierce competitor with our marriages, children, parents, friendships, fellowship, and any. other. relationships.

This screen is information, greetings and salutations, opinions and prose as the author knows, there is always a story to be told.

This screen is an expression of diction, weaved with some inhibition, promising freedom of speech, words wide open to impeach.  

This screen is a roll of images and artwork, online classes and networks, social and formal, all realms of relationships.

This screen is an open window of human life at its finest and human life at its lowest. Craving attention, visually exposed, at our worst, at our best. 

This screen knows no boundaries or barriers, except the ones set in place by the carriers of. the. screen.

This screen is a magnet for addiction, secrecy and conviction, exposed from behind the perceived safety of the screen.

This screen dances upon our emotions causing laughter, joy, pain and jealousy. excitement, anticipation, anger and insecurity. 

This screen is a mixed bag of the good and the bad. the ugly and the beautiful. images and words, some miserable, some helpful. 

This screen is a choice. what we seek, what we search. the wise and the unwise. what brings joy, what brings hurt. 

This screen is a view of the weak and the strong. The truth and the lies. The noise and the song. 

This screen. Do we recognize its place our lives – in our pockets and purses, in our hands, by our side, at the table, the couch, indoors and outside.

This screen. Do we recognize how much our lives revolve around it – timed by it, board by it, excited, motivated, saddened and shocked by it.

Days, hours, and moments we are faced with choice – will we be a voice? asking – How much of our time, energy, resources and relationships will be poured into a screen? How much our time, energy, resources and relationships will be poured into life giving things? 

We have a choice. We have the option. We have the freedom – to reject our lives revolving around this screen. 

I certainly have a conflicted love/hate relationship with the internet and this screen. What are your thoughts? 

Please. Do. Share. 

In Him, Leslie 

insanity.

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some days i think i’m going insane, ifffff…

insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ [at one time, Albert Einstein was given credit for this quote]

 

“brush your teeth, change your clothes, get ready for school, put your shoes on, brush your hair, do your homework, don’t whine, don’t fight, don’t mess around – just GO to the bathroom if you need to…”

 

i tell my kids the same thing over and over and over again – every day – expecting this time they will do what i am asking them to do without my having to repeat myself over and over and over again. i’m expecting different results, right? daily, i do the same tasks over and over and over again – the dishes don’t disappear, the laundry won’t wash itself, the bills won’t pay themselves. insanity, right?

 

a few weeks ago, i began the work out program insanity. 

i love running. and usually that’s my exercise of choice…

but i realized i needed to do something different, if i was expecting different results. 

so the insanity began.

i’ve peed my pants while doing the jumps.  [sorry, tmi] after having 3 babes au natural, this happens.

i’ve sweat more profusely than any other time in my life. i’ve debated taking a shower before and after the workout because of the insane amount of sweating with this workout. 

i’ve never sounded more ridiculous while trying to be healthy. seriously, these power and diamond jumps evoke weird noises when you’re giving your all to this work out. 

buuut… if i’m working out in the evening – and then eating noodles for dinner at 10pm – it might be, just might be, pointless.

so i’m working out with insanity and i’m expecting different results.

 

buuut… insanity is not really ‘doing the same thing(s) over and expecting different results’.

insanity is actually defined as:


1) a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia)

2) such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility

3) a: extreme folly or unreasonableness

 

 

 

 b: something utterly foolish or unreasonable

 

 

 

 

…

 

the insanity work out program is centered on exercises which work on/from your core. physically, our core is primarily what keeps us together.

it is all about your posture, keeping the correct posture for each exercise, and making sure your core is always in check.

 

whether you’ve been exercising a long time, or never have, our physical core needs the most focus. everything hinges on our core.


so what about our spiritual core?

we have to maintain our spiritual core, keep it in check, and work on having a correct core posture, or it will get flabby and out of shape and cause us heart problems… hmm… the same as our physical core.

 

my hearts core desire is to maintain a spiritual posture of surrender. 

if i am surrendered to God, i can fully abide in Him, lean on Him to keep my spiritual core in check and trust the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin.

 

there are many things that can impact the deterioration of our spiritual core… leading to sin – and even insanity. 

one of the most disruptive areas of sin that can absolutely crush our spiritual posture of surrender, is pride. 

pride is the polar opposite of surrender. 

part of our spiritual work out plan should be to keep our pride ‘in check’.

 

how can we avoid insanity? 

in the same way a physical work out needs to be maintained on a regular basis, keeping our spiritual core in check is a continuous activity.

this can’t just happen in a church service on christmas, easter, or even once a week on sunday mornings…

sin never takes a day off.

how do we maintain a healthy spiritual core? everyday we must be spending time in God’s Word, in worship, in a posture of surrender.


in the Bible we can read of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was filled with pride. even after he saw the miraculous works of God and praised Him, still his own heart was filled with pride. he was humiliated, stripped of his rulership, and… eventually he went insane. {Daniel 4:28-37 NKJ}

 

The king spoke saying, “is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the kings mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!”… that very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.


we are responsible for our core posture.

physically, we need to maintain an exercise routine and build up our core posture.

spiritually, we need to maintain our core posture of surrender unto the One true God.

 

it’s never too late to start building your healthy core posture. 

physically, start today – start with 1 mile – 25 sit ups – 10 push ups – whatever you can do. just do it.

spiritually, start today – read your Bible for 15 minutes – pray for 10 minutes – take 5 minutes to listen to a worship song.

 

there is always hope for physical and spiritual restoration.

“at the end of time I, Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my understanding returned to me. I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever… at the same time my reason returned to me… now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. and those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

 

what’s your spiritual posture? how are you maintaining your spiritual core?

 

thank you for reading 🙂 as always, feel free to comment, share and follow this blog.

 

In Him, Leslie