For Real?

I've mentioned before that my kids are so "conversational" at bedtime... well, tonight Jenna's question was: "So, are you naturally my mother?? Or was I lost or something and came to you guys? ....like I was lost in the woods or something?"

For real?? Glad we got that cleared up by her 7th birthday.

10 again

Tonight I had a jogging date with my next door neighbor, Alisha. We haven't ran together in a while and I was looking forward to having a conversation with a human while getting my exercise. We left a few minutes early because it looked like rain, but that never deters us anyhow.

Honest to God, half a mile into our run in DOWNPOURS. I mean horizontal, pelting, stinging rain. We were screaming, laughing, and soaked. COMPLETELY soaked. We were offered a ride by a creepy old man, but decided to take cover under a stranger's doorstep for a few minutes until it stopped. We soon realized that it was NOT going to stop and the only option was to run back home in the pelting, stinging, horizontal rain. Again we laughed, screamed and looked utterly ridiculous I'm sure.

I got back home, left my clothes in a pile in the kitchen and ran for dry clothes. My wet clothes left a huge puddle on my kitchen floor........I totally couldn't believe how much water I was wearing. By the time I got changed I looked at the clock - 8pm. I looked outside - clearing and sunny, no rain. The original time we were supposed to jog?? 8 o'clock. For real?? Sure called that one wrong!!

I think God knew that today I needed to run in the rain, laughing and screaming with a girlfriend just like we were ten all over again. It did my soul good.

True Love

I always spend some snuggle time with each of my kids at bedtime. Since I have FOUR, I have to psych myself up for it a lot of times. I get tired and cranky and just plain tempted to skip it. The thing that keeps me going is that it seems everyone is contemplative at the end of the day, and some of our best "talks" and questions come out then. Well last night, out of the blue, Jenna turns to me and says, "Mom... I'd rather die than you ever have to die."

Wow. She's six and I think she just tagged the meaning of True Love.

All Shook Up

I suppose that title sort of sums up my insides lately. I wish it were just a cute reference to an Elvis song, but not so. I have just felt off. Insecure, rattled, vulnerable, scared, and needy. I absolutely hate feeling those things, by the way.

There is nothing like a trip to the bottom of the pit to remind me what "trust," "rely," and "refuge" actually mean. Those words seem so trivial when all is right with the world (or my world, rather).

I don't know...

Ok, really. I don't know what my problem is. I get out of the blogging habit and then I just can't get started again. It's like ignoring a messy room. The longer you shut the door, the harder it seems to open the door and just clean it already! So, maybe by posting the short, uninformative, and dumb blurb I will feel like I "started" blogging again :-)

Still going, "hmmmmm."

" 'I've learned that any time my success depends on another person's response, I will manipulate them.' "

Authentic Relationships
W. Jacobsen


manipulate (v.): To influence people in a clever way so that they do what you want them to do.

Try replacing the word "success" in the above quote with anything that comes to mind... like: happiness, feeling of acceptance, status, fulfillment, etc. Sheds some light, eh?

4th child syndrome

Seth: "They're destroying my life!"

Mom: "Who's destroying your life?"

Seth: "They are!" (as he points to his brothers and sister....with his middle finger no less)

Oh boy. This kid has a long road ahead of him :-)