On Tuesday we went with a friend to the park and took pictures of our girls all dressed up. So here is My Little Lady and Princess for the day.

Re-enactment of eating the ice cream. :-)

August 1st

Hard to believe! I really fell behind this last month with the blog, but here's to a new start :-)

3 Gifts White

1- Vanilla Ice Cream: walked to the store and got some ice cream sandwiches for the kids. They were a hit!

2-Snowflake: I found a method for writing that so far has really helped me get going...I am actually enjoying the process!

A hand flew into the picture just as I snapped it.

 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/

3-Wet wipes: These are always useful to have on hand especially to clean up ice cream faces.

used a lot of these to clean up my little Lady.

Bubba wanted me to take a picture of his thumb before he licked it clean.

July 29th

3 Gift Together

1- A great running partner!! We ran this morning!

2-Three little ones who are playing with balloons right now.

3-Mommy/daughter time. Tonight we are going out together...excited for some one on one time.

 

3 Gifts Learned

I am not Supermom or a princess fairy with a magical wand ...

I learned about expectations and time management again. Yesterday I was a bit overwhelmed by all that I wanted to get done in my day, but did not accomplish despite being at home all day. Ideally I would get up to exercise, read the bible, get showered and dressed, cook breakfast, do lessons with the kids, feed the baby, sing songs, read books with the kids, wash the dishes, prep snack, paint or do a homemade craft with the kids, do baths, prep a healthy lunch, clean and organize the mess of my house, work on my book, catch up on my blog, read Devin’s book, practice taking pictures with my camera, learn about photography... and the list goes on. Listing all my wants makes me laugh because I know how real life happens and I am lucky to get a shower in before Devin leaves for work.   

 So to help me out I had a talk with Dave Ramsey, NOT really, but Devin pretended to be him and I pretended to be a caller.

In Dave like fashion, Devin asked some questions to assess my time, “So how much time do you have?”  

M: Well, I am home all day.

D: Ok, Do you have any children?

M: Yes, 3.

D: How old are they?

M: 4, 3, and 15mo.

D: So you don’t really have any time, right?

M: Umm, Yeah, I guess that’s about right.

D: My guess is that the time that you do have without kids you are probably tired and the last thing you want to do is write, work on projects or read a book. You just want to go to bed or relax. Is that right?

M: Yep...

The conversation was great because it helped me look at the situation differently and to see that I am attempting to live a 200,000 life style on a 25,000 dollar budget. I try to cram as much as I can in the windows of opportunity only to be discouraged when they do not happen. I have to work with what time I have and at the moment that is not a lot. Especially with interrupted sleep at night, my little man does not sleep through night yet, and a 3 year old who is starting to not take naps, but really needs them!

I have also learned that I need to change my idea of a successful day. Right now my job and number one priority are my kids and for me, second is training for the half marathon that is in 7 weeks! So that means the rest of the things I want to do are extras. I have to “pay the bills” first and then decided what to do with the left overs. Some days that means I can do three or four items on my list other days ten or only one, but as long as the essentials are taken care of I am doing great.   

Lastly it is about contentment and joy. It is so easy to say you’re going to change and another to consistently live in it. This week was evidence of that because I slipped back into discontentment. The clouds rolled in and I had to blow really hard to get them to leave. I knew it was my heart that was the problem, but I let it linger in the familiar too long and the anxiety started to creep back in and blocked out the truth that although I am not full of super powers or magical abilities, I am a wonderful Mom because I love my kids and I care for them with all the love I can give. God has given me the joy of raising three very different children each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. He has given me the grace to do this job I just have to run to Him, be humble and give thanks!! Each day is a chance for me to either see my imperfections or the Perfect One, but I have to choose what to see. To look at Him I have to daily shift my eyes and see that being a mom is more than changing diapers and filling endless cups of water. It is about the eternal and three precious children knowing the endless love of their Creator, God. 

July 7th

3 Gifts of Challenge, Conflict and Change

Sitting in time out today.

 For all three I have one answer, Little Lady. She is a determined, strong-willed Lady so it is a challenge for me everyday to stand my ground and teach her. Conflict seems to be her middle name these days as she always says the opposite of what I say.  And Changing her attitude is always on the top of the list of conversations we have.  But it is through the challenges and conflict of raising my Little Lady that God changes me as I am driven to pray, listen closely to His spirit and learn to love unconditionally like He loves me.

Love her smile!

 

July 6th

A hug at the Park on the 4th

3 Gifts of Enthusiasm

1-Little Lady and Bubba were cheering in the car when we said we were going to Church. (We have missed a few weeks because of sickness).
2-Little Man's laughter of joy when we turn on music.
3-Devin's enthusiasm for life. 


July 5th
3 Gifts of Persistence

1-Devin's persistence in finishing his novel.
2-Little Lady is a perfect example of this as she asks and asks...I pray she never loses that and will seek God with the same persistence.
3-God and his pursuit of me. 

July 4th
3 Gifts in Red, White and Blue

1- Red: Lighting Dragon McQueen. Bubba and I played with his cars together it was a lot of fun!
2-White: The clouds in the sky as the sun was getting ready to set.
3-Blue: Doc Hudson from the move cars and playing with Bubba.

Sun Set outside out window

July 3rd
3 Gifts in Faith, Family, Freedom

1- Faith: I am so thankful for my relationship with God!
 2-Family: I love my family and I am so glad God has given me the joy of having an amazing husband and three beautiful children.
3-Freedom: I am very grateful for all the freedoms I have living in the USA. To pursue God and the dreams he has for me.

 More fun at the park!









July 2nd
3 Gifts Read

1- Bible
2-New Guidepost
3-Children's Books

July 1st
3 Gifts Loved

1-God
2-Devin
3-My Children

June 30th

3 Gifts Given

1- Baths for the kids

2-Dishes completed

3-A nap for Devin, who was unfortunately home sick.





                                                                       
June 29th

Bubba's little foot.

3 Gifts Big, Small and Just Right

1-Big: Dreams...Over the last few days I feel like God has quickened my heart to dream again. In it there is so much joy and hope for the days to come.

2-Small: Little feet on 3 little children.

3-Just Right: Prayer for anything and everything.

Little Lady's feet

Little Man's toes