I wish I had...

There are a few things I wish I would've done before we had baby #2.

 And I probably didn't think of them because:

a. I've never had to take care of a baby and a toddler before

b. Pregnancy brain {I think I get a double  dose.}

Probably mostly {b}. ;)

But since I have several friends that have a toddler and a baby on the way I thought I'd share my thoughts with you. Although most of you probably have it all together and will have smooth sailing.

So, the few things I wish I would've/could've done:

• Potty Train Jakki

Seriously, a few less diapers a day would save some time! IF she would be thoroughly potty trained, anyway. I had started potty training her, but then I had to go on bed-rest and it never got finished.

• Planned Meals

It would've been so handy to have a list of at least 10 very simple meals written down, and the ingredients on hand to all of them once or twice. Since I didn't, Rice-a-Roni has become a very good friend of ours. Mrs. Stauffer's lasagna is pretty awesome too. :)

• Organized Activities for Jakki

This is the big one. I love to involve her in what I'm doing as much as I can. But I am learning more and more that her little mind needs to get engaged in some kind of activity for her to be able to feel happy all day. It must really be growing and stretching and her busyness needs to be channeled.

And Kade and I are almost defenseless while I'm feeding him. And she likes to sit on top of him and give him kisses and suck her thumb. Because she loves him a whole lot. But I would like him to survive to be her bff. :)

So, if I would have it to do over again I would go buy a cute box, ziplock bags and little "crafts" or "activity" ingredients for her. Then when I needed to do something, or she needs something to do I could just stick her into the highchair {another Mommy best friend} and pick out a bag for her instead of wracking my brain and rummaging through my house for a new, mind-building activity for her.

If I would've done this, I would feel like a Supermom. Totally! Add some CDs of some good Kid's music and I would feel like a super Supermom. :)

It doesn't take much to keep her occupied...a highchair, some buttons and an empty wipes container kept her going for a very long time. And she asks for it again every day. I'm hoping she doesn't get tired of it before I can get some other projects lined up.

Love that look of concentration! :)

I tried playdough...It took a lot of involvement on my part to keep her interested. Maybe when she's older...

She was super unimpressed with the taste of playdough. Lol

She finally got into it when I made snowmen for her.

And she like looking for the buttons I hid in little balls of dough.

Another thing I really like for her is the Scribble and Write by LeapFrog. I don't let her play with it a lot, but I think it's going to be a great way for her to learn the alphabet! :) You can get one here: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-19139-Scribble-and-Write/dp/B001W2WKS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397014706&sr=8-1&keywords=leap+frog+scribble+and+write

A no spill bubble bucket and a closed in porch or yard is great, sidewalk chalk, a coloring book, or tablet and crayons and a wooden doll with magnetic clothes all seem to work pretty good or are on my to-do list for Jakki.

This lady has a lot of good ideas: http://www.simplelittlehome.com/2012/03/50-ways-to-distract-toddler.html

If I would've had all this stuff together before the baby was born, maybe I could've kept to my goal of never getting flustered because I now have 2 little people in my care. ;) Overall it has been pretty easy though...and totally worth it!!!

So...a super practical post, that probably has info in it that everybody already thought of. :) But it was fun to write! If anybody has some other good ideas I'd love to hear them.







The Mommy Identity

Mommy. This word has suddenly taken on a new identity with me. Before Kade came being a Mommy was all things pink and purple and hair-bows and dollies. And keeping Jakki out of the loft, off the top of the couch, the top of the table - off the top of everything in the house and in her sight. ;) It was having a tea party for the first time and cuddling with a book before nap-time. 

And it's still all that. It's also triple the diapers, double the baths, extra cuddle time and laundry on the couch. It's deciding which munchkin to comfort first when they're both crying. All you Mommies out there know all about it. 

But it's so much more. It's being needed. It's Virgil and I being the center of life for 2 little people. It's little sacrifices every day to keep their life normal and happy. It's the overwhelming, but God-given task of beginning to point 2 little souls to Jesus. 

In short, it's being to Jakki and Kade what Jesus wants to be to me. Everything.

How much I can learn from my little kids before they're even two! To run to Jesus with every happy thing, every hurt, every need. To be confident that He can take care of it for me. To learn that I don't have to worry, only ask Him to help me. 

Everything we're trying to train into our little children is what God, in some way or another, is longing for us to learn in relationship to Him.

So Mommies, there is glory in Mommyhood. We have the amazing responsibility of showing our little ones what Jesus is to us, what He can be to them. There is a joy in the sacrifices, the meals that get cold, the speedy showers, the late night feedings, the extra laundry, the tiredness. There is so much joy in the hugs, cuddles, kisses and new discoveries. Let's embrace our identity of being Mommy. It's a beautiful, beautiful gift.

And This I Pray

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers..."
{1 Thessalonians 1:2}

I always knew God reveals His heart for us in the Bible - in so many ways it is like a very personal letter He has written to us, longing for us to reach out and accept everything that He has given us. But I often struggle to just reach out and make His promises personal to my life. Then recently I really started paying attention to the prayers in the New Testament, the epistles of Paul especially. And there it is! If you ever wonder what God wants for you in your spiritual life, read these verses:

"Wherefore I also..cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His power..."
{Ephesians 1:15-19}

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement; that you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
{Phillipians 1:9-11}

"For this cause we also...do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness."
{Colossians 1:9-11}

And 2 Thessalonians 1 has another beautiful prayer. I love these! This is the inspired word of God, being prayed for believers by God's servant. This is God's heart for us! And these are prayers we can pray for our husband, our children, our friends. These prayers are not the ordinary "bless him, prosper them, be with them, comfort her" prayers. Paul is asking God to reveal Himself, His wisdom, His knowledge, His Power and His glory in and through His believers. These prayers - they're powerful.

God Is With Us

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

I only recently paid close attention to the words of this song. They are just as hauntingly beautiful as the melody is. You only have to read through them once to catch the longing of God's people for deliverance. A longing that had built up for thousands of years. And yet, in some ways, a longing that was somewhat dimly understood. They were looking for a physical deliverer, and Jesus is so much, much more.

As I thought of the words of the song one question kept coming to mind: "Do I even appreciate the fulfilled prophecy in my life?" Emmanuel has come! And He has perfectly filled that longing - God is with us. We are ransomed! He has freed us from the devil's tyranny. We are saved from hell. The Day-Spring is here and we do have His joy to disperse the clouds from our lives. He has defeated death! The way to Heaven is wide open to us! He has freed us from the law.

How do I let myself become so used to God's blessing? Why do I allow myself to take His wonderful presence for granted?

Emmanuel - God is with us. Rejoice!



The Mother's Mite

"...And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts in to the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites." {Luke 21:1&2}

This is a beautiful story of honoring Christ to the best of your ability. This dear woman gave God her all, and possibly never received her reward until she worshiped God in Heaven. I imagine the joy she had in throwing her crown at the feet of her Lord was greater than that of those who always had an abundance of material thing to give Him on the earth. 

As I read this story yesterday I suddenly saw it in a different light. Right now I am that widow - in a different way. I have always been blessed materially beyond what she was, but as a mommy, sometimes I only have a mite of time here and a mite of time there to give to Jesus. And so often  I allow myself to throw it away on something besides serving my Lord because it's not what other people can  give. Other people can spend a whole hour or more at Jesus's feet, praising and adoring Him, seeking after Him. When I compare the amount of time that I have on some days to that, my few minutes seem worthless.

But they're not! I believe it was the widow's attitude that was so precious to Jesus. She did not consider her gift worthless to God - She gave it in love and knew that it was accepted in love. I can give my day to God in love in the morning, and He will accept it. I can give the song I sing to Jakki in love to God and it will bless Him. I can pray for God's direction for our family as I wash the dishes and God will hear me. I can ask God to be close to my friends that are hurting while I pick up toys and God will pour out His grace on their heart. I can read a verse, one verse, while I sit down with a cup of coffee and God will use it to speak to me all day. I can take a latte to my husband and God will be glorified because I am fulfilling the role He has ordained for me as a wife.

These are little mites of time, but I do believe they bless God greatly when they are consciously lifted up to glorify Him.

I'm not saying we don't need our half hour or hour with God. But there are some days when that is not possibly as we strive to meet the demands of being a wife, mommy and friend. And of course the people who do have hours of each day to give to the Lord bless Him greatly, and are well beloved in His sight. I do not mean to underestimate the worth of what they have to give to God. But do not allow yourself to consider what God has given you to offer Him during this season of your life as worthless.

And let us give it to Him humbly: "Oh my soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are the Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from you." {Psalm 16:2} 

Life is Rich

Life...it is so full, so rich. It has amazed me so much the last while. Maybe because it snowed and snow always fills me with wonder. Or maybe because I know God is creating a tiny little person inside of me, and I never get over the awe of that thought.Or maybe God's just filling my heart with it lately.

But we truly, truly have so much to fill our lives with beauty. A toddler discovering snow. a child sparkly eyes over a hot chocolate mug. The hug of a friend after a chat and cup of coffee. The smiles of people as you shop with your child. Holding hands with the man you love. Soup simmering on the stove. And there's so much more.

And as each of these little moments pass, and I want to freeze them for just a bit longer, in the back of my mind I have to think of all the people who could benefit from just such a moment. A little reminder that God is Love. That "every good and every perfect gift is from above." 

And in that moment I can choose to keep making sure my life is "perfect" for me, or I can invite someone to come blend their lives with mine, even for just a moment. Even if it changes the perfect color of my day. Even if it means the last load of laundry won't get folded, and my house is no longer perfect. Even if it means going out for coffee when I think I should be scrubbing the floor so I look like I have everything together when someone walks through the door. God has so much more in life for us than that! Sharing our lives with others is one of His gifts to us.

Life is rich. Stop to feel it, taste it and share it. <3 

"Occupy Till I Come"

"...and he called his ten servants, and delivered to them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Occupy till I come.'" {Luke 19:13}

There is so much uncertainty in our world right now. We all know that. And uncertainty can bring so much fear with it that it can seem overwhelming when we dwell on it for any length of time. 

I was really struggling with some of this a few weeks ago, and finally brought it up while Virgil and I were talking over the different things that were happening in our world and the signs of the end times, etc. So many things seem to be pointing towards no freedom for us as Christians, etc I asked him a question that had been lurking in the back of my mind for a while. "Think of all the things our children will have to face in their lifetimes. Is it even right to bring more people into a world like this? Is it right to build up a business?" His answer brought me more peace than I thought a single sentence could, and I keep coming back to it, every time the fears threaten to come back up. 

He said, "the way I look at it is this. Jesus said 'Occupy till I come.' and I think that applies to every area of our life - business, family, and serving God." He had more to say, but that one thought - what peace it brings with it! Jesus has it all under control. We just have to keep serving Him!

That statement is found in Luke 19:13, in the parable of the talents, and if you read it, the whole parable fits the context perfectly, I think. So let's allow Jesus to bring peace to our hearts through His word.