Doing things in moderation…or not

Posted on by

0

I’m going over generalize here and say that there are two types of people in the world:

People who can do things in moderation.

And those of us that can’t. 🙂

I sat in a group of friends awhile back who were talking about how their husbands did not seem to be able to do anything in moderation. And I was like, WHOA! That is me!! I can’t do anything in moderation either! (OK, I can do some things in moderation, but I lean toward the far end of the no moderation spectrum.)

For me, this means if I decide to do something, I go all out. Nothing is done half-way. I’m hard-core. I give it everything in my being. And If I can’t do all of that, I don’t want to even start it! It’s just not worth it to me if I can’t be all in.

It also means I’m terribly/wonderfully loyal to the thing I decided to do, relationships I decided were worth my effort, etc. If I’ve decided to something, I will do everything in my power to make sure it is done well and it will be extremely important to me. I’m invested!

A year after I had my first baby, I decided it was time to lose weight. I went to Weight Watchers, paid my fee, followed the rules to a tee with no cheating and lost all the weight (that I have since all gained back. I’ve now decided I’m committed to good food. Don’t judge! 🙂 )

I throw myself into my work and constantly push myself to do more. I’m harder on myself than any boss ever could be.

If you’re my friend, I will do anything in the world for you.

I’ve always admired how my mom can eat half of a yummy piece of dessert and save the rest for later.  I can’t do that! 🙂

When I was dating, I couldn’t have casual dates. I either decided pretty quick that it wasn’t what I wanted or I was immediately hooked and wanted to spend a ton of time with the other person.

Last week, I decided I wasn’t going to drink Cokes for a week (for the first time ever, and I wasn’t sure I could do it). But after I made the decision to do it, it wasn’t even hard! It was too easy. Because the decision was made. That was it all it took.

It’s interesting to me that it took me this long in life to realize this about myself.

It makes me think about the decisions I make more because I throw so much of myself into them. They affect me greatly.  And thus my family too.

Honestly, I hope my kids will grow up to be better at keeping things in moderation than I am.  Even though I don’t even really know what that would look like! 🙂

Are you someone who is able to do things in moderation or all you an all-or-nothing person?

Overwhelmed and frustrated

Posted on by

0

I felt overwhelmed last night.

When I picked the twins up from school, Sadie hugged me and said I was the best Momma ever.  When we got home, she threw down on the front porch and had a fit.  I wasn’t the best Momma ever anymore. 🙂

Caleb does all of his homework on Monday nights.  And it takes all. night. long.  Not fun.

My house is a wreck and it’s driving me nuts!

Etc.

When it was the kids’ bed time, I was done.  And of course they were not easy to put down.  They kept getting up.  They used every stall tactic in the book.  So I was frustrated.

This morning, I could not get them to get up and get ready.  We were pressed for time and they would just not move!

Again, I was frustrated.

When we got into the parking lot at my son’s school, it was time for a little pow-wow.

I apologized for the fact that I had been so frustrated with them last night and this morning, but I also let them know that they are going to have to help me out.  We are going to have to get better about bed times, mornings, picking up after ourselves, not being so loud all the time, being nice to each other, etc.  Especially since Chris is at school 3 nights a week and is pretty much busy the rest of the time.

We’re in a crazy period in our lives.  I’ve learned to let many things go, so I don’t feel overwhelmed too often.  But when I do, the little things that the kids do frustrate me more than ever.  And I don’t like being frustrated at them.

So after I apologized for being so frustrated, Sadie immediately said “It’s OK Momma!  God is with you!”

Aww!  Yay!  Parenting win!

It was super sweet and cute for a few seconds, and then I was like “Thank you, Sadie!   You are right!  God is always with us and I don’t have to be frustrated.  But still!!  You guys have got to help me out!”

Here’s to hoping we have an easier night tonight!  And here’s to a God who is always with us!

How you know you’re losing your mind

Posted on by

0

– You’re in the grocery store in the cheese section.  You call your husband to see if you need more mozzerella.  He says yes.  You say OK.  You get about 5 other cheeses and don’t realize you plumb forgot the mozzerella until you get home!

– You have a long history of driving away from the gas pump without putting the gas cap back on so you have to pull over to fix it.

– You are running late one morning and while you’re getting things out of the pantry you knock stuff over and scream, “I don’t have time for all of these fallings!!” Then your husband laughs at you for years. Years!!

True stories.

That is all for now. 🙂

Reading the Bible

Posted on by

0

I grew up in a Baptist church full of wonderful people. (I almost literally grew up there. We were there every time the doors were open and many times when they weren’t.)

My family now attends a Church of Christ church.

Both traditions love the Bible. They encourage their members to read and study the Bible so they really know and understand it and in turn know and understand God. They are both beautiful in their love for God’s Word.

Growing up, I thought that if I wasn’t reading the Bible from end to end in a year, I was sinning. So I read it like crazy. Really, it would take me about 18-months to read it most of the time. It’s a long book! 😀

As an adult, I have still felt like if I wasn’t reading 2-5 chapters a day, I was a Christian failure!

But recently, a friend helped me out. She encouraged me to just pick one verse to think about for awhile. And any time that I feel the need to read scripture, I go back to this verse.

Right now my verse is:

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

It’s been freeing to just think about, reflect on and sit with this one verse.

I don’t know how long I’ll be on this verse, but it’s been a good thing for me. I’m thankful for the chance to constantly learn different ways of interacting with God and his Word. And I’m thankful that it is living, breathing and impactful any way you read it!

Hi, I’m Stephanie and I have a problem

Posted on by

0

I knew I had a problem. It’s been getting worse. I’ve always denied it, but it’s been there lurking in the shadows growing slowly.

And today it snuck up on me and slapped me in the face!

I got an email that had 5 resolutions that you could choose from for the year.

The catch was that you could only choose one.

I wanted to do them all!

My problem is that I have a problem saying “no”.

I don’t say no to others very well, but the main problem is that I really can’t say no to myself!!

There are always so many fun things I’d like to try. So many things that seem like they’d be really good to do. Things to help others. Things to plan for the future.

So many options! And I want to do them all!

But they eat away at my time and my energy. I simply don’t have time for it all. And definitely not to do it all well.

The funny thing to me was that “Take care of yourself” was one of the resolutions in the email.

I stink at that! Seriously!

If I’m smart, I should probably say no to all other things on the list as well as many things not on the list and just focus on that one thing…taking care of myself. Not allowing Stephanie to wear herself out so much.

Anybody else have this problem?

Where do you see Jesus in your day?

Posted on by

0

Recently, a friend suggested that I take time at the end of my day to ask myself “Where did I see Jesus today?”

At night, I climb in my bed, snuggle under the covers and let myself think back over my day. (On the nights that I remember. No guilt is allowed if I forget!) 🙂

Most nights at least one thing pops into my mind almost immediately.

I don’t write these down. I just reflect on how I saw Jesus and silently celebrate His presence.

There have been a few times where the thing that popped into my mind included something that happened with someone else. And when I’ve taken the time to share with the other person that I saw Jesus through something they said or did, it has been very special.  Who doesn’t like hearing that Jesus was seen in them?

I’ve always known God was working in my life and in others’ too. I just haven’t been that great at looking for it on a daily basis.

But now that I’m starting to look for it more, I am learning to expect it.  I’ve realized over the last week that I have begun noticing His presence more during my day.  I still reflect on it at night, but I’m getting better at noticing Him in the middle of my day.

Most of the time, it comes in the smallest things.

I see Jesus in conversations with friends.

I see Jesus in my husband dancing silly. Really any time I see him happy.

I see Jesus when I laugh so hard I cry.

I see Jesus when my kids play nice together. 🙂

God is with us. There is evidence of his presence in our lives everywhere.

We…I just have to look for it.

Where do you see Jesus in your day?