Busy Week (Just Rambling)

This week has been totally crazy. I worked 9 hours Monday, 8 hours Tuesday, and 3 hours today. It's honestly been so crazy that I can't even remember what else I did on Monday besides helping the kids with school. Tuesday I also went to Wal-Mart and prepared and served a meal for out men's ministry. Today was really nuts. I paid bills, did our taxes, planned my co-op class (we start back tomorrow), worked, helped with schoolwork, cooked supper (with a little help) and went to church. Tomorrow is co-op and dance and I will have to work again either tomorrow or Friday. It's a blessing though. The money will help pay for my new embroidery machine (If I truly talk myself into that kind of splurge) and then it will help us get the remainder of our debt paid off, some repairs done to the house and our 3 - 6 months of expenses saved (gotta love Dave Ramsey).

We will be paying off a good chunk of debt next month and all we will have left is the mortgage and the van. Patrick and some guys will be putting a roof on the back of the house this weekend, we will then work to repair the back room and redo the laundry room, which will double as a craft room and pantry. It's 12'x13' which is too much space to use it only as a laundry room. The next big project will be central heat and air (WooHoo). It will probably be a year or so before we can get that project done. Anyway, God always sends what we need and He knows what we need before we need it. We were doing fine without my job, but the extra money is accelerating many of the things we were already working on.

I'm certainly thankful and slowly but surely I am figuring out how to manage my time and get all of my other responsibilities accomplished. The laptop has helped so much already. I am working at the kitchen table now, so I'm there with the kids while they are getting their schoolwork done. It also helps me to make sure they are getting all of their chores done properly and today they hung out at the table with me for a lot of the day. They just got new markers, so there are many new masterpieces at our house.

Mason is suddenly eating us out of house and home. I'm talking teenage boy eating here. I may even have to adjust the grocery budget. I really wasn't expecting that this soon. Guess my little boy really is growing up. Seems crazy we are going to have eleven and seven year olds this year. In 11 more years (the amount of time I have had my girls) all of my children will be grown. Totally bizarre. Can't even wrap my head around it. I think of all I still have to teach them and things I want to do with them and I feel like I'm running out of time.

The kids and I started learning about the fruits of the Spirit today. They already know what the verse says, but we are digging into the meanings of each one and what the Word says about them. We learned a lot about love today and had some really good discussion. They were surprised to find out that Jesus says that loving your neighbor is as important as loving God. It was pretty eye opening to them. We also learned about how loving means covering offenses. I talked to them about not being easily offended and loving others enough to accept that they have faults and will sometimes do or say hurtful things, but we must love them anyway. Honestly, I think I needed reminding of that as well. I usually am not easily offended but once in a while I go through phases where things bother me more than others.

Since I've had my children I have found myself taking plenty of my own medicine. Many a time I have been teaching them something and felt the Lord nudging my spirit, causing me to ask myself if I was living that example before them and many times the answer has been no. I'm so imperfect. So much more flawed than I want to be. I want to be the perfect Christian, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend and I fail in so many ways. I just pray that the Lord and all those around me know my heart and see my desire to grow and change and become all God wants me to be. Pray for me please and I'll be praying for you guys.

Blessings!