Art Appreciation

I am very short on time, but did want to post these pictures of our art time today. The girls were to paint self-portraits and they loved it!

Kylie was excited to use her new art kit from Uncle Brian and Aunt Jeanine.


And her self-portrait was great!


Savannah joined in on the fun and did a great job as well....

Sammie's beautiful self-portrait was a bit more abstract....

Afterward, they had some free time to paint whatever they wanted. I loved what Savannah came out of the room with: This is a picture of "God when He died on the cross so we can go to heaven." Moms, keep talking....your children are listening!

"Not Me! Monday"

I missed “Favorite Things Friday” this past week, so I thought I’d mix it up a bit.
I am a frequent stalker on “Not Me! Monday” over at MckMama’s blog. Reading through the posts not only adds humor to the dreariest of Mondays, but reminds me that I am not alone in this crazy life we call motherhood. We’re all human, we all do silly things, so why not let others know that they too are not alone?

So here is my first venture into brutal honesty…not!:

Today I did not sit in the drive through at McDonalds, all the while criticizing (in my mind) the girl walking down the street in shorts and the man pumping gas in a t-shirt because they were dressed inappropriately for 34 degree weather…..while I ordered an icy cold milkshake. I did not consequently have to turn up the heater and turn on the seat warmer.

I did not order a milkshake I didn’t even want knowing that apart from the fat grams and calories, it would be the worst thing to drink with my cold & congestion. I did not rationalize it by saying it was worth making my cold worse because it felt SO good on my raw, sore throat.….it was that or a Slurpee. 7-Eleven doesn’t have a drive-thru. McDonalds won.

Sick as a dog, I did not try to get away with feeding my kids animal crackers for breakfast. I did not try to cover my intentions when my husband walked into the kitchen. I did not try to pretend they were just an ‘appetizer’ before the ‘real breakfast’ of eggs and fruit. What kind of Mom gives her babies animal crackers for breakfast? Certainly not me!

I did not finally decide to go to the doctor, get all three kids bundled up, into their car seats, out of their car seats, threaten warn encourage them to behave, drag them into the clinic only to be told a doctor would not see me with my children tagging along. I did not almost cry in the middle of the waiting room. I did not go home and search through the medicine cabinet to see if I could treat myself with a concoction of leftover antibiotics.

I did not go back to the clinic tonight (sans children) and spend 3 hours there. I did not steal take borrow the clinic’s issue of Redbook thinking it served them right for not seeing me and then making me wait that long. I did not take the magazine back in because I felt bad for thinking that and doing that.

I most certainly did not search through “Not Me! Monday” posts to see how many other Moms put their kids to bed without brushing their teeth just so I could feel better about forgetting neglecting to brush my kids’ teeth more often than I’d like to admit.

What did you not do this week?

Vomit and My Relationship With God: What I Learned from the Stomach Flu

Our kids have had the stomach flu. It is not pretty. What comes to mind is the adage, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” After spending most of the night cleaning up what the kids ate earlier in the evening, all I could think was, “Hate the vomit, love the kids.” One of the only things I can think of that is worse than one’s own vomit, is someone else’s vomit. Yet, as disgusted as I was while bathing my daughter in the middle of the night, washing sheets and dragging out the Bissell…..did I love her any less? NO! In fact, my love for her was strengthened as I comforted her and took care of her needs.

This brings me to the spiritual application…..During the times when my behavior, words, thoughts, etc. are as vomit to the Lord and He is patiently cleaning up my mess – His love for me does not falter or fade. He loves me because I am His child, not because I am always sweet smelling and clean.

And so, as I sit on the couch (covered with an old sheet just in case), holding my sick three year old; I thank the Lord for his unfailing love for me and the sweet smell of my daughter fresh from the tub.