My mama lesson... in the sick family

Since I got married two splendid years ago, I've been learning "mama" lessons.  I'm a step mom only, so that gene that suddenly appears when you give birth has not yet occurred in me.  Nurturing doesn't come naturally.  I've had to learn these mama lessons as I go.  And whether or not she refers to me as mama, I am half mama to that little girl, so that makes me a mama for sure.  For instance:

Mama lesson #1:  Just because I cherish the privacy of my own bed does not make me a bad mother.  In dire circumstances, I can make exceptions.  I've learned, though, that for Miss Thang one night in bed with us can turn into a series of "someone needs to sleep with me" nights.  Mama can only handle so much.

Mama lesson #2:  Not allowing her butt-loads of sugar, also does not make me a bad mama.  Miss Thang drinks water without complaining, and usually prefers it over other stuff (we usually don't have other stuff anyways lol).

Mama lesson #3:  As said mama of the house, I am the authority.  This is something I'm learning in counseling.  Paul and I have the duty from God to shepard Miss Thang in the way that we believe is biblical.  That's a freeing concept that this mama was so thankful to learn.

This week, I've learned a lesson in the sick family.  Not only did Miss Thang get sick, but my dear hubby also got sick this week.  We're talking flu-like sick.  Paul was sick to his stomach.  Miss Thang had a headache, stomach, fever.  So, I learned about taking care of them both.  Medicines every 4 hours to control fevers.  Vitamin C whenever I could get them to swallow it (or chew it, in Miss Thang's case).  Double Vitamin C for mama, because mama cannot end up sick too.  Liquids whenever I could badger them into drinking to ward off dehydration.  Lots and lots of rest. 

My sweet hubs is not totally better yet, but I think he's working that way.  Miss Thang, after a full day of laying around watching TV, has lost the fever and was ready to go back to school.

Mama lesson #4:  When the fever is down and you mention that the kiddo is going back to school, be prepared for the sickness to suddenly reappear.  Be strong.  They will survive. 

Mama lesson #5:  When everyone is comfortably resting, treat yourself to a bubble bath/shower, with a homemade body scrub.  Mix honey with brown sugar.  I know you're automatically thinking you're going to end up sticky, but... it scrubs your skin, leaving it silky soft and washes right off.  Plus, you smell like honey and sugar after!  Mamas need treats every now and then.  Especially when they're taking care of their sick babies. 

Until next time,
Keep Reflecting :)

Bubbles :)

Sometimes life is just not slow enough for me.  It seems like I get a few relaxing days (i.e. last week when I was pleasantly snowed in with only my hubby) and then, it's back to the grindstone.  Sometimes I think the grindstone gets a little rougher when you only want to relax. 

I mean, who doesn't love a Monday when you're already exhausted for the coming week?  Oh... oh... I think I... DON'T.  When the to-do list is a mile long, the Biology lab report is due tomorrow, the house is dusty and dirty, and the kick-off dinner of the week is corndogs.  Sound familiar to anyone but me?  

At this moment, I'm enjoying the sounds of nothing but Brynlea humming in the shower.  I'm not thinking about what has to be done tomorrow.  My dear, sweet hubby is still at work, trying to fix my car window so I won't suffocate as the weather starts warming up.  Right now, I'm thinking of how wonderful he is.  I'm thinking about how nice it was to have 66 degree weather today with the sun shining in the bright blue sky.  I'm thinking about the impending bedtime that comes after shower.  I'm thinking about the lucious bubble bath that I'm planning after said impending bedtime (even though I could be doing a hundred other things).   

'Cause you know what?  The Bible says we shouldn't worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worries unto itself (paraphrased, of course).  Tonight, it's about waiting for my hubby to come home so I can wrap him in my arms and snuggle up against his chest.  Tonight, it's about the bubbles awaiting me until then.

Until next time,
Keep Reflecting :) Even when the sun goes behind the clouds.   

Random Ramblings

I am officially tired of drear.  One day it's rain.  The next it's snow.  Someone let me know if I can send it your way, because down here in the South, WE DON'T WANT IT! I need some sunshine.  Thank goodness for my fuzzy socks.

Fuzzy socks have become my best friend.  Especially when it's 30 degrees outside.




Aw :) Check out the fabulous creation that the hubs and I cooked up.  Whole wheat pizza dough, homemade sauce, green peppers, onions, turkey sausage, cheese, and a little bit of bacon.  Can you say yum?  Wipe your chin because I know you're salivating.

Yeah, so this blog wasn't enlightening in any way... I'm okay with that.  I just needed a break from the hard core studying that's about to take place in my house.  Biology and Old & Middle English Literature... prepare to be dominated.  

Until next time,

Keep Reflecting :) and treat yourself to something nice (mine is going to be a self-pedicure) 







Ah, snap!

I am doomed.

I have suddenly lost all ability to care about anything related to my education.

William Butler Yeats... I despise you and your poetry. 

Spanish... I could not care less about your preterites, past tenses, and imperfect verb forms. 

Biology... you bore me at the moment (except for lab where we got to play with jell-o... I mean, who doesn't love Jell-O?). 

Old and Middle English Literature.... quite frankly, I don't care how the Anglo-Saxons wrote. 

Nature Literature... we could possibly come to an agreement, but I'm not sure about you yet. 

Exceptional Child... goodness, are you supposed to be scaring me away from teaching?  Because if you, then you are doing your job fabulously. 

Sigh.

Bigger sigh.

You see, I'm supposed to be working on a take home test about early 20th century poets right now.  However, something inside of me is refusing to allow it.  I have NO motivation.  Not low motivation, no motivation.  Allow my list of complaints for the moment.  The best thing is, you have to because this is my blog.  My back hurts.  I'm cold.  My poor hubby is home sick.  I do not want to be here.  Granted, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here and the ability to be here.  

I don't know what my problem is lately.  

Until next time,
Try to Keep Reflecting (even if you feel like fizzling)
 

Healthy Start: Face Slap... BAM!

So, I've been in Biblical counseling for quite a few weeks now and it's been fabulous.  I'm learning all about how to raise children with the authority that God has given us.  It's been completely mind-changing, let's just say that.  My dear sweet lady counselors give me a verse every week to memorize and use in daily life.  Last week...

1 Corinthians 10:31  "Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

This verse can apply to every area of your life... but I'm going to look at just the "whatever you eat or drink" part for now.  I can honestly say my three cookies for breakfast a few days ago were not to the glory of God. 

I wasn't sure where to start on this healthy journey, so I'm starting small.  Last week, I made breakfast burritos in preparation for the upcoming week.  Paul and I made the strict decisions that we only needed to eat one for breakfast, because one had plenty of nutrition in it for breakfast.  This Sunday, I will make more for next week and maybe I'll incorporate some veggies into the eggs like onions and green peppers...

Here comes my next step.  Watch out.  Paul has no problem drinking water throughout the day and once he gets home.  He loves sweet tea and Mountain Dew (which we never have at home), but he is a water kind of man.  Brynlea doesn't really have a choice because she either gets water or milk.  It's rare around our house that we have something like Kool-aid.  So, she doesn't mind water either... and she drinks (like her daddy) like a fish.  I, however, have the problem with water.  I don't particularly care for it.  And I certainly don't drink enough during the day.  Perhaps this has something to do with the fatigue I experience a lot.  I'm a sweet green tea kind of girl... and I justify it.  Green tea is really good for you, full of antioxidants.  But... with 1 1/2 cups of sugar to every gallon of green tea, I'm sure it takes away from the good properties of it.  So, here's the deal (putting it on here makes me feel like I'm at least a little bit accountable):

So, I don't know if you've seen these... but I own both of these water bottles and regularly carry one to school with me.  Usually filled with green tea.  I sip on it all day and then, I'm done.  Then, the green tea comes out of the fridge when I get home.  Here is my challenge to myself (and to you, if you feel like joining me in this journey... you can pick a different favorite drink).  I am going to fill this water bottle with in the mornings before I leave the house, with water.  My goal throughout the day (until dinner time) is to drink at least two of these.  To you, that might not sound like a lot... but for someone who doesn't drink a lot and has to pee ALL the time, this will be a big deal for me.  My green tea and sit in the fridge and wait for me until dinner time.  One glass. 

Now if I make hot tea or something, I'll throw that in there whenever because it has a lot less sugar content than the sweet green tea.  "Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." 

So, here's to implementation of two steps this coming week: preparation and water drinking (though the water drinking goes into effect immediately lol).

:) And here is to a healthier me.

Until next time,
Keep Reflecting :)

Catch a grenade, darlin

I never would have looked at this song in this way had I not read it off of a friend's Facebook.  Initially, one would think this is about a guy who has gotten his heart torn out by the girl he loves.  That is probably how it was meant to be written.  However, after reading my friend's post, I began thinking about this song in a different light.

Close your eyes for a minute as you listen to the song and imagine that Jesus, the Lover of your soul, was singing this song to you.  He paid the ultimate price by dying for me.  He "caught the grenade" for me.  To think that I sometimes act like the "bad woman" in this song slapped me in the face.  How many times do I, in essence, smile to His face but pull out His brakes?  How many times do we act the part, but fail to live the part?  When you initially listen to this song, you probably think... "What a jerk" about the girl who is hurting this guy who would obviously do anything for her.  How many times am I that girl though?  Jesus died for me.  He bled for me.  He suffered inexplicable pain... for me.  And for you.  So many times, we treat Jesus as something we can throw into our lives when we feel like it... we don't realize that He desires a real, living, moving, active relationship with us.  He desires our love in return. 

I will never look at this song the same way. 

Every time I hear it now I will use it to remind me that Jesus would "catch a grenade" for me.  And ultimately did so much more than that... because He died out of love for me.

Below are the lyrics to this song, if you're wondering what they are exactly:

Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live 
Oh take, take, take it all, but you never give
Should've known you was trouble from the first kiss 
Had your eyes wide open
Why were they open? 

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked 
cause what you don't understand

Is I'd catch a grenade for ya 
Throw my hand on the blade for ya (yeah yeah)
I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah yeah)
Oh-oh I would go through all this pain 
Take a bullet straight through my brain 
Yes I would die for ya baby, but you won't do the same..

No, no, no, no-oh

Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb 
Tell the devil I said hey when you get back to where you're from
Mad woman, bad woman that's just what you are, yeah 
You smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, yes you did
To give me all your love 
Is all I ever asked cause what you don't understand 

Is I'd catch a grenade for ya 
Throw my hand on the blade for ya (yeah yeah)
I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah)
You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah yeah)
Oh-oh I would go through all this pain 
Take a bullet straight through my brain 
Yes I would die for ya baby, but you won't do the same..

If my body was on fire 
Ooh you would watch me burn down in flames
You said you loved me you're a liar 
Cause you never ever ever did baby..

But darlin' I'd still catch a grenade for ya 
Throw my hand on the blade for ya
I'd jump in front of a train for ya 
You know I'd do anything for ya
Oh-oh I would go through all this pain, yeah
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes I would die for ya baby, but you won't do the same..

No you won't do the same
you wouldn't do the same  Ooh
you'd never do the same
Noo no no no-oh.

Reflect on that.

Until next time,

Keep Reflecting :)

When I grow up...

Everyone used to ask you as a kid what you wanted to be when you grew up.  Some kids wanted to be ballerinas, firefighters, astronauts, and maybe the President of United States.  These things were dreams and hopes, things to be reached for.  You wouldn't think of telling your child that they couldn't be a world-class figure skater like Tara Lipinski (for those of you who know who she is).  But as you grow up, people stop asking you what you want to be and start expecting you to decide what your career will be for the rest of your life.  You go to college to get a degree that is going to put you in a career that will supposedly last "long term".  If you change your mind a hundred times, people think you're wishy-washy.  HELLO!  With all the importance society puts on this, it's a big frappin' decision to make when you're just graduating high school. 

When I was little, I dreamt of being a figure skater.  I wanted nothing more than to be out there, on the ice, freezing my butt off.  But out on the ice, it was just me, the music, and the sound of blades slicing the ice.  As I got a little older, my mind began to change.  Somehow I thought that was unattainable.  I wanted to be a journalist.  I wanted to be an author.  I wanted to be a pilot, a lawyer, a police officer at one point.  I wanted to be a chef, to own my own inn.  Then, I decided on being a kindergarten teacher in my Sophomore year of high school.  I started college.  A year and a half into it, I decided I wanted to teach secondary English.  

There are times, many times, when I'm still not sure that I want to teach.  I'll be honest.  I want to write.  Anything, everything.  I have a fabulous husband and a stepdaughter.  I need a decent paying job and a steady one at that.  Bless my dear, sweet husband, because a few nights ago we were talking about my degree and he said, "Whatever you do when you get out of college..."; he said this because he knows my unease.  I don't know why I can't seem to make up my mind.  I do know one thing.  Next May, I will graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in English with Teaching Licensure and a Biology Endorsement.  I am too stinkin' close to stop now.  

What I want to know is where we get this idea that we have to be stuck in one career for our entire lives?  Yes, maybe God places you in a career and decides not to move you... but what if He decides change your path?  Why do we set so much stock on a decision that KIDS make before they're even adults yet?  

So, you know what?  I'm going to finish my degree.  When I'm done, I'm going to get a job.  I will leave that part completely in God's hands, though.  Maybe it will be a teaching job, or maybe He has something else planned.  I guess I'll find out when I get there.  

When I grow up, I want to be..... ?  Can you honestly answer that question?  I'm not subjecting myself to being stuck with one career for the rest of my life.  Once I graduate, it will be about providing income for my family... but, who knows?  God may have a completely different plan for that than I do... or He may have the perfect teaching position for me.  I've got to step away from the controls and trust Him totally.

Until next time,
Keep Reflecting :)