A Few Reasons . . .

. . . I love my husband.

I came downstairs and found these with a note from my sweetie. He had taken three of our children to the store and they each chose part of the bouquet.

The two younger ones have enjoyed one on one time with their daddy each night as he reads to them. My little one has taken a liking to Nancy Drew Notebooks and my little man gets excited to hear what will happen next in his Hardy Boys book.

My sweetie makes me smile and gives so much of himself for our family. I am truly blessed.

Easter Thoughts

I posted a challenge to myself and any who would read – how was I going to make Easter different this year? This challenge has reverberated in my mind. My kids have been challenged. God is good.

I enjoyed a few quiet moments the other day and took the chance to jot some ideas down. What are the facts of Easter? What truly happened that day? Bear with me as I think with my fingers.

    Christ was sinless, and yet he was arrested, charged, tried, and convicted to a cruel death on the cross – He was physically abused – Some of his closest friends turned on him – His mother stayed by him at the cross – Christ forgave even in his pain – He suffered the break of a relationship with his father because of my sin – He spent hours praying knowing that he was going to die – Christ knew his purpose – He was in the grave for three days just as he said he would be – A sealed tomb was no match for God – Christ death affected the entire universe, the ground shook, and the sky went dark

So what?

I asked my kids this question the other day: What does it mean to us that Christ is not in the grave?

Again, please indulge me in my thoughts.

    Easter means: sin has no power over me – God provided salvation so I could go to heaven – Death was conquered – An empty tomb means that God is alive – Jesus really did die – His death brought pain, tears, and fear – His resurrection brought hope and freedom – You can't have resurrection without death first – You can't feel the true meaning of hope until you know the reality of despair – God's love was purposeful, sacrificial, and active – Christ's resurrection means that I can have a relationship with a personal , living God.

We have the candy and the baskets thanks to Grandma, and we enjoy the treats. My cream puffs flopped and turned into a picture of an empty tomb. My princess has an empty tomb display in our kitchen, and is planning to make Easter cookies this weekend. My little one has enjoyed listening to many books about Easter. In addition, my princess has been able to share Christ with someone in her art class, and My sweetie was able to share Christ at work.

Easter is essential. It should make a difference in my life. Does it? That is the challenge for every day.

Easter Preparation

While brushing my teeth, while setting the table, while doing laundry, my mind has rattled with thoughts of Easter. Strange, huh? Easter cannot be another day of the week, nor can it be a holiday of bunnies, chicks, and candy. I am all for chocolate, mind you, but there needs to be more. How do I feed that hunger for more in my home?

I am anticipating a challenging Easter. It seems that holidays are just tough this year. That, however, is no reason not to remember and celebrate the awesomeness of the day. As I look forward to the next two weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, how am I going to prepare my heart and lead my kids in preparing theirs?

This site piqued my interest. Music is also a powerful tool. God's Word on CD while we are driving from place to place is effective. We talk a lot in our home, and this season is no different. I don't want to simply recount the facts, though. I want this Easter to be different. I just haven't figured out how, yet.

What are some things you do in your home to lead your children to a deeper love for God, especially in this Easter season?

First Day of Spring

I love blue skies. I love warmer weather with windows open. I love free water ice.

I have had this day on my calendar for weeks; Rita's gives out free water ice on the first day of spring. On our second trip (our first one was too early – Rita's wasn't opened yet), we joined the line already forming. Thankfully, it moved quickly and soon we were basking in the warm spring sun eating our free treats: green apple, mango, and cherry.

We bypassed the Peeps flavored water ice with a unanimous decision that Peeps are better left in their original form.

Back to reality. Maybe we can get a few things done today.

Maybe.

Lost and Found

I thought I was doing something considerate, yet my act of kindness sent me into a panic. My sweetie had left his phone on the couch when he left this morning, so I put the phone in my pocket in case he wanted me to drop it off for him later. Midway through the afternoon, I noticed that it wasn't where I thought it should be. Enter panic. Of all days for me to eat at McDonalds for lunch. My search sent me though their lovely trash (actually, a helpful employee did). I even asked a kind woman, who was sitting in the booth where I had been sitting, to allow me to check the seats. I was desperate, people. Having not found the phone in the van, my cavernous pocket book, or in the many pockets of my coat, my search continued seven miles down the road to my Mom's house where I had spent an hour before lunch. It was there that I found the elusive cell phone nesting in the comfy chair in which I had stolen a few minutes earlier with a magazine and my feet up.

This ordeal lasted a relatively short time today; however, there are lasting impressions on my heart.

My sweetie could have gotten quite upset. This could have been a major inconvenience introducing conflict between us, but he chose to love me by acting calmly and not judging. He chose to remember that I would never wish him this inconvenience. In his words, "I love you more than a phone." He chose to know that I love him and want to help him not hurt him. On one hand that sounds like a no brainer, but how often we don't let the truth lead what our mouth says. I am thankful for the love my sweetie showed in his speech when I was obviously distressed.

My little ones saw that God cares about the details of our life and knows when we are concerned or upset. As I was driving, they sat in the back seat and prayed that God would show us where to look in order to find Daddy's phone. They were so excited to peer through the back door of my Mom's house and see the phone on the big, corner chair – right where I had left it. They knew that God had answered our prayer, and we thanked Him openly on the back patio.

Life brings daily inconveniences – some little and some huge. I was challenged today to keep these inconveniences in perspective. The cell phone is not that significant in the big scheme of things, but the way my husband and I respond to each other is huge, and the way that my kids view God is no small matter.

I lost something today, but I found something even more valuable.

Focus

My little man is in many ways no different from other nine-year old boys. He jumps. He runs. He rarely stops moving. His active mind often finds it difficult to focus on one thing unless that thing catches his attention and intrigues him.

Something grabbed him the other night - drawing. Go figure. He has admired his sister's work and decided he was going to make a go of it himself. Realizing that this would mean sitting, focusing, and finishing, I was skeptical of his attempt, but I kept my opinions to myself and encouraged him in his endeavor.

His first attempt almost did him in. I gently focused him and he went back to his drawing. I just watched from the couch as he sat and diligently worked to produce his masterpiece. His determination was obvious in his eyes that darted from his paper to his book and back again. I am kicking myself for not taking a picture. He was in another world. A world that he does not regularly visit.

To add to the amazement, the rest of us were watching a movie in the family room during this entire time. Not that the movie was amazing. The fact that he was choosing this project was amazing. Then again, my son is amazing. His drawings of fruit, flowers, and a dog were amazing. They are not award winning, but his focus was in my book. He found something that he couldn't do and worked until he could.

We are now back to the craziness of a nine-year old boy's life. In those few moments of time, that exercise in focus, and that expression of his creativity, I saw an additional facet of my awesome little man. I think he is amazing no matter what world he is in.

Thankful Thursday

Just a random list of thankfulness as I finish my school day . . .

Cool websites to help both my kids and me in school

Health insurance

Forgiveness

A country built on Biblical principles

A hard working husband

Signs of spring

Quietness between my two little ones

Evidence of things learned in "school"

Opportunity for my daughter to participate in an art competition at our co-op school

These are just a few things that are rattling in my brain this moment. Thank you God for both the little and big things that you bring into my day. Help me to be forever grateful that you are interested in every part of my life.

Marching On

Doctors' appointments, foot surgery, and meetings, oh my!

Suddenly everything has seemed to go into high gear. Not that January and February were quiet months. My March calendar is getting crazy. I'm thinking that is a good thing on one front. Being busy keeps my mind focused on the task at hand. As a home educator and household manager, I have a job to do.

Whoever said that being a stay at home mom was boring and unfulfilling needs to spend a week in my home! I am so thankful that I can be at home with my kids. Taking care of my family is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly. It just seems that it has been heavy on the logistics management lately.

So much is going on that I will share later. I was telling my sweetie last night that it is amazing to see the fingerprints of God on our life even when things get tough. We are excited to see what He has in store for our family.

In the meantime, I just need to keep things going in the right direction at home – hopefully.

Keep marching.