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John and I decided to take the kids to the beach for a few days, last summer.  On the way home, we noticed that between the 3 boys, they were wanting to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes.  What had planned to be a 6 hour trip home was taking 8, so I got a bright idea. And oh – was it Bright!

On the last pit stop, we became the proud owners of a Yoo Hoo bottle, so I grabbed it up, told the boys, (ages 3 to 7 years old) “The next time you have to pee . . . pee in this bottle, we’re not stopping anymore.”

They looked at me like I was crazy, but sure enough, within 10 minutes, somebody had to pee, which triggered a “me too” effect throughout the car.  So one by one, the kids (with seat belts on, 1/2 standing) pee-ed in the Yoo Hoo bottle.  It made me a little nervous, cause, by the time it got to the 2nd kid, the bottle was 3 quarters full.

He then passed it to the third kid, who started to pee in the bottle, when his own little Yoo hoo came out and squirted the ENTIRE car – us, the baby, the beach towels.  Poor fella, as everyone screamed and fought the spray, he reached out to hand me the bottle and accidentally dropped it . . . IN MY PURSE!

Oh Lord, words can’t describe . . . I could have hollered “Dear God, rolled my eyes, thrown my hands in the air, pitched a fit, ( Oh wait, I did!), but no matter what . . that bottle of pee was STILL sitting in my purse.

WHAT DID I DO To deserve this? I blamed the “little guy” for dropping the bottle.  It’s funny NOW, of course it wasn’t then.  We can try to decipher what we did to deserve such chaos in the car.  hmmm Probably the fact that I had the dumbest idea ever, attributed to the pande-LIRIUMl!  It would have been brilliant if it worked, but it didn’t, and so it goes.

Sometimes with all the running around, laundry, lunches, non-stop questions, homework and chaos in the car, we have to run our family like a “boot camp with love.”  As moms, we try to take on the world and look fabulous at the same time, but we’re not always right, we’re not always correct in our assessments and sometimes, just as we train our own kids, we need to apologize.

If you mess up, just tell ‘em you messed up.  “I’m sorry.” WHAT?  They may look at you like you have two heads for a split second, but it will make a huge impact on your kids if they see parents apologize for mistakes made.    If we allow our children to see that we’re human, fallible creatures that make a mess of things sometimes, it will allow them to take risks and know that sometimes we’re gonna fail, sometimes we’ll succeed, but it’s always important to try.  And when we make mistakes, own it and move on.

So . . . The next time you have to apologize for something, just think of my “Brilliant Yoo Hoo Idea” and it should make you feel really good about yourself.  Happy travels!

James 5:16
Confess your sins to one other and pray for each other so that you may live together whole and healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Colossians 3:13
Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

When you were a kid, did you ever dream of how your life would be?   Like the ending from a Disney movie: No bumps in the road or dark horse characters, just knights in shining armor, 2.5 kids, picket fences, adventure and a cute puppy that looked like you.

Well, life is not that simple.  It doesn’t come with a guidebook, though many an expert have tried to help us navigate it.  But nothing truly has a guarantee.  Webster’s defines a guarantee as a “sure thing”, a promise with a specific outcome.  But in real life, this is not the case.  There is no guarantee our children will be healthy, no guarantee that we’ll grow old with our spouse, no guarantee little Johnny isn’t going to skin his knee trying to ride his bike for the first time, or that our children won’t need counseling after we’ve given our “best shot” at raising them.

I pick my children up at the bus stop 5 days a week, 20 days a month, 180 days a year.  I’m on standby to give them the biggest hug of the day, if they choose to take it.  By accident, due to traffic or just not noticing the clock, I missed the bus twice last year and the other day my 8 year old son said:  “Mom, remember last year how you always forgot to pick us up at the bus stop?”  What?  There’s also no guarantee they’ll remember they had a great childhood, but we’ll keep our finger’s crossed.

Life is not like the Stepford Wives – where you tell Toby to keep his room clean and he just does it, no questions, no whining, just clean!  Or when you tell Ruby to drink her milk and no complaints there.  No, they’re gonna throw food, pitch a fit, mess up their room, skin their knee, fight with their siblings . . . but they’re also gonna surprise you with maturity, make responsible choices when you’re not around and help those in need when the moment presents itself.

They’re gonna come home from college with a broken heart, a bad grade or a bill they can’t pay, but they’re also gonna make lifelong friendships, give you a big hug and tell you how much they love you.

It doesn’t matter if you have 1 or 9 children, they all have their own personality, their own ideas and each has to be treated, punished and rewarded differently.  Life is loud, complicated, fun, exhausting, rewarding, but how life turns out . . . it’s highs and lows, and how things go, is not guaranteed. But we choose to invest in life and love, as a risk, an adventure.

Life is not a bowl of cherries nor is it a bed of roses.  It’s more like the box of chocolates Forrest Gump carried around.  You never know what you’re gonna get, but it’s worth discovering.  It’s better to have lived and loved, right?

There are days when the kids are all talking to you at once, when the baby has a great (2 week phase) and is now 7 weeks into a bad one . . . just hold on.   When your loving child suddenly becomes embarrassed by you, in the school parking lot, hold on . . . in the quiet of the day, they’ll need advice, a hug or a pep talk that only you can give.

Life has no guarantees, except that it won’t be perfect.  But perfect would be boring.  That’s probably why this word only exists on paper and not in real life.  So throw out the bowl of cherries, toss out the bed of roses and grab the box of chocolates and head to the bus stop and enjoy the Fruits of Your Life!

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Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed!

When I was 9 years old, I was visiting my grandma, who lived on a dirt road in the middle of no where.  For 4 miles each way, left and right, when you pulled out of her driveway, it was dirt road.  The only neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Turnipseed ( really! ) and the area was named Opossum Trot, near Slap Out, Alabama! Yes, it’s a real town, population 6,000.

I loved climbing trees and it scared my Granny half to death.  The higher I would climb, the more often the screen door would fly open and I would hear her say:  Steph-nee, do you know how far we live from the nearest hospital?  Of course I didn’t know, nor did I care.  I was an expert tree climber and no one could tell me otherwise.

Till I stepped on a dead limb at the top of the tree.  It broke off and I hung from an above limb for about 30 seconds until my little fingers could hold my 60 lb. body no longer.  I dropped 20 feet out of the tree and hit everything along the way.  And you know the first thing I did?  No, it wasn’t checking my scrapes to see if I was ok.  It was looking around to see if my Granny saw me fall.

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I would rather say my battle wounds came from falling out of a tree than my granny spanking my be-hind!  I had scrapes and a bloody knee.  My fingers hurt and my foot felt sprained.  That day, I realized I wasn’t an expert tree climber, but I was definitely an expert tree faller and I felt pretty good about that.

A skinned knee is like a “bade of courage.”   Kids are just waiting for someone to notice, to ask them what happened.  If my kids hurt their foot, even a little, they want to use crutches for days, just so they can tell others about the fun tree they climbed or the tire swing they jumped from.  Let their boo boos, ripped up jeans, dirt on the knees and oppsie daisies be a sign of courage and adventure.  They took a chance and have a story to tell.

Summer is around the corner!  It’s time to start planning!  What will the kids be doing for the 60 plus days of summer?  It’s time to make a plan, whether a family road trip, joining a sports team, visiting grandparents or heading to summer camp, it’s time to turn the TV off, give the video games a rest and head outdoors.

Often times, we caudal our children.  I know I did.  We anticipate the 2 year old falling, with a “First Aid Kid” at arms length.   Since they were born, we’ve had fears:  child safety issues, injury or teasing.  We over-schedule their athletic events, music lessons  . . .  and the list goes on.  They need a black book to keep up with it all.

Of course, we want the best for our kids, and part of those ingredients are providing a safe and happy environment.  Life lessons come in many ways, but often times in an effort to keep the knees from getting skinned or their emotional psyche from getting hurt, we sit in front of them, like the Olympic Sport Curling (whisking the broom from left to right like crazy people, making sure little Henry gets to where he needs to go without getting hurt).  We can’t roll them in bubble wrap, though I’ve seen parents “virtually” do this very thing.

Like a bird that’s trying to hatch, if we do everything for Mary or Johnny, they won’t be strong enough to stand up to bullies at school, handle college peer pressure, enjoy the great outdoors of summer camp, or handle life’s unexpected situations, because mom and dad aren’t there to fix it.  We can’t always be their safety net, their first aid kit.  At some point, we have to let them become strong, confident individuals – on their own.  You’ve given then the foundation they need, so let them fly.

It’s time to unplug the electronics and send them to casual play, where they do what they want, when they want.  There are no fixed activities, time clocks and hurry ups . . . just trees, bikes, pine straw and great imaginations.  Let kids be kids, without worry or fears.  No black books, no gadgets, no calendar of events, just wake up in the morning and enjoy being outside. For in this free time, their imagination will grow and their exploration skills will kick in.

When kids learn about nature, they’ll want to take care of it.   When they play with others, compassion will rise; team spirit will be built and character will grow.  So unplug your kid’s life this summer and jump into the great outdoors with gumption, gusto and enjoy the value of what a skinned up knee will bring.

I was raised in the SOUTH!  Life was pretty simple.  All you needed was a good bike, fishing pole and a trampoline.  Brushing my hair wasn’t a high priority, but tree climbing was.  We lived in a modest house, but nobody told me.  Life was full of adventure, dirt roads and all the ice cream you could eat.  I had parents who loved me with all their heart and told me daily.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Then I grew up and moved to the City . . . Atlanta to be exact.  We bought a house that seemed a little too big for the needs of 3 people, but now that there’s six, it sometimes feels as though we’re bustin’ at the seams.  I love my house.  We’ve done quiet a few home improvement projects and I’ve had fun decorating it. But then we made a mistake. We visited a house nicer than ours.

We went to a party a while back and let me just say, this house should have been in the “Parade of Homes.”  I’m surprised they let us in.  After a fun evening with friends, I came back to my house and all the sudden, my ceilings were too low, the TV was too small, the kitchen felt too tight and . . .I think the living room shrunk!  I wanted to kick the cat . . . but I didn’t have one.

We are all on an UPWARD spiral to obtain the Golden Handcuffs, the dangling carrot, the top of the corporate ladder.  When is the house big enough, the car styling enough, the corporate title impressive enough?

The problem with this “Pie in the Sky” mentality, is there’s no finish line.  There’s no race course with a flag at the end that says:  You made it!!!  Congratulations, you are Officially SUCCESSFUL!  You can rest now.

Contentment is the state of being satisfied.  It is A State, not An Estate!  Finding satisfaction and keeping it, is a balancing act, with someone constantly trying to knock us off the “balance beam of life.  The grass is always greener, the schools we AREN’T accepted to – are better, the tennis outfit she’s wearing is cooler.  It’s a crazy cycle that steals the joy of the moments we’ve worked so hard for. Life is never quiet good enough because we don’t have a finish line to know where “good enough” is.

Contentment comes from within.  If this button isn’t fixed, all the upgrades in the world can’t repair or fill the void.

What really matters is the legacy we leave on this earth.  I’ve never read an obituary that said:  His house was 10,000 sq. feet!  Can you believe it? or she was the top realtor in town with 1 million in quarterly sales.

Nope! Instead, you’ll read words that describe their character . . the impact this person had on their friends, family and community.  How they prayed big . . . helped big, loved big.

What is the most valuable item here on this earth, that if it were hurt, sick, bothered or taken, you would give your life to protect it?  This should be your focus.  A house can burn, a car can stall, a job can be lost . . .

Invest in things that matter.  Not in materialism, but in relationships;  your family, your spouse, your kids.  Value the time spent with them at the park, on a date, in the car, working on a school project; etch in your mind the hilarious stories and endless laughing you enjoy with your friends.  Enjoy those late night walks and meaningful talks.  For we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Go back to the simpler days; have a picnic at the park, lay on a blanket with your spouse.  Bring back Thursday game night, write your friends a “hand written” note. Take your buddy fishing.  Life is short, but it can be so sweet.  Go back to the basics, for in it you will find contentment and great satisfaction . . . and maybe a good tree to climb.

Hebrews  13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.  God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I Timothy 6:6 – But Godliness with contentment is great gain.

When my oldest son Jack was 2, he would often fall asleep in hard to find places, the dog bed, a dresser drawer, in the closet, you name it – In an effort to find him, I was always saying with a LOUD Voice, Jack Pletka . . . COME HERE!

One day when we were out shopping, a lady knelt down and asked him his name, and with a resounding confidence he said:  “My name is Jack Pletka Come Here! ” I about died with laughter.  He thought that was his name.

While that’s a cute story, often times we think we may have the answer to something we feel strongly about.  An idea that needs no counsel, because it seems like a no brainer.  But you may be wrong.  Just like Jack, confidently telling the lady his name was “Come Here”  often times we may have a plan in our head – that seems to fit like a circle in a round hole;  just because it fits, doesn’t mean it’s the correct answer for you.

Step back, talk it out, pray it out!  Talk to friends who may have well thought-out advice on the subject.  Your kids may be dating a GOOD guy, but maybe not the RIGHT guy.  You may be placing your life savings into a GOOD idea, but not a GOD idea. This will make a huge impact on the story board of your life.  Pause, seek good counsel and like Phil. 4:6-7 says:   Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and minds.

When I was 14, my parent’s started a business, in hopes of one day, providing a better future for the 4 of us. Times were tough and tight, but we stuck together; nothing was going to bring us down. With all the trucks, inventory, employees and building expenses, we went from eating bologna sandwiches to fried potatoes.  Which, to this day I am still fond of.

Life, by all accounts had little margin, money was tight and time was even tighter.  As the years went by, the business grew, but so did the bills.  It typically takes 5 years to get a business off the grown and soaring; In 3 years, we were hovering.  When it was time for me to go college, I know my dad was sweating.  There was no money for school.  We thought of all the ways we could make the money.  We thought of every thing known to man, seriously.  But each idea fell short . . . it felt hopeless.

That’s when my mom began to pray.  She prayed Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Isaiah 55:9  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts greater than yours.  I’m glad HIS ways and ideas are greater.  God has to really be on his game . . .  if he’s gonna think of something greater than my ideas, because my imagination is pretty “up there.”

So guess what happened?  You’re not gonna believe this.  5 years earlier, the Judge in our town, a friend of my dad’s, had asked him to handle the finances of a Vietnam Veteran who had medical problems and needed help paying his bills.  My dad went above those obligations and began taking him to buy groceries, helping him shop for clothes, took him to doctors appointments and just helped the guy out, as life became more of a struggle.

Three months before college enrollment, the Judge called my dad into his chambers and said:  “We have a problem.”  The estate had not paid my dad for the last 5 years, for taking the Veteran from here to there and there to here.  Dad had no idea he was suppose to be paid for mileage, which added up to over $18,000 dollars.  Bam, my first year of college was paid in full. See, you can think of all the different ideas and ways of how something is gonna play out, but if you just pray about everything, presenting your requests to God, you’ll find peace that passes all understanding; his ways will be greater than yours, and he may send you someone named:  Jack Pletka Come Here -  to tell you that everything is gonna be alright!

Here’s to giving God the chance to write the Story Board of Your Life!

Technology is fabulous, until it replaces the “Personal Side of Life.”

Webster’s dictionary defines “Fellowship” as:  a mutual sharing of an experience, activity or interest, companionship, a brotherhood / sisterhood.

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I’m not talking about chit chat . . .  “How have you been, how are the kids?  blah blah blah? I mean good old fashion deep conversations, pee in your pants laughter . . . accountability, parents sharing with other parents, grandparents spending quality time with their grand kids. We all need human contact, eye ball to eye ball . . . to have those (I know what you mean, kind of conversations) where the longer you talk, the more you can relate, bond and get that A HA Moment.  We all need that sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves.

The other day my friend Shelly wrote me a handwritten letter, something I honestly had not received in years.  I’m used to seeing bills and junk mail, not a hand written letter penned personally to me.  She put stickers on it, recalling funny moments and conversations we’ve had.  It meant a lot. I sat on the couch reading and laughing as my kids kept asking . . . why are you laughing mom?  Who is it?  What is it?

I was on hold with our local bank,  a while back and couldn’t get to a real person to save my life.  Press 1 for this . .  press 2 for that . . press 15 for customer service . . . but 15 wouldn’t work, so I pressed 0 and it would only repeat the recording.  So I waited . . . and waited.  27 minutes into the annoying office music, I had to pee so bad I couldn’t wait.  So I ran to the bathroom, and as I flushed, the recording said:  I’m sorry – I do not understand this message.  Goodbye!

Let me tell you, I saw STARS.  Lord knows, at that point, if a human had answered, I would have burned their ears off.  All this would have been resolved if a real person had answered the phone in the first place.  We will always have the need for human contact, a real voice on the other line, telling us it’s gonna be ok, a pat on the back that we’re doing a good job, a hug, a smile, validation that all is well. My sister and I do this for each other all the time.  I need her, she needs me and after a good conversation, the one who was “off track” is back on board again, whistling a toon.

With Facebook, twitter, email and all the technology we have today, I see less of my friends.  And I take total responsibility.  Before Facebook, I had an Annual Fall Party to catch up and see everyone.  I have a core group of friends that met monthly for GRITS Night (Girl’s Raised in the South) that lasted hours.  Now that I sort of know what is going on in their lives, I somehow felt released from making the effort to get together.  And it has made me miss the girls in my life, the closeness, the laughter, the sharing, the . . .  ”everybody talks at once and we still heard what everyone said” kind of fellowship.

My father-in-law (Grandpa Jeff) is a happy guy.  He’s loyal, friendly and laughs a lot.  Now this didn’t come by happenstance.  He’s surrounded himself with good friends that meet weekly.  He has hunting buddies, fishing buddies and because of this, for him – life is happier and fuller.

When we don’t connect, we feel as if we’re alone.  You’re not the only one with a teething baby who cries all day, but you may feel like it.  You’re not the only one with a rebellious teenager going thru a crazy streak, a business situation that looks bleak, a sibling who never reaches out or a child with a medical diagnosis that looks grim.  You’re not the only one dealing with job changes, divorce, piling bills, spouses going back to school or “Doing Life” on your own.  But without fellowship, we isolate ourselves, and often times we feel as though we’re the only one.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says There is nothing new under the sun.  What has been, will be again, what has been done will be done again.

So pick up the phone, write a letter, email your core group of friends and plan a “girl’s / guy’s Night Out.  Join a tennis team, a book club, a bible study, go fishing or golfing with a buddy.  And to technology that keeps us away from “Doing Life with others” just say: Sorry, I don’t understand this message:  Goodbye! Here’s to great relationships, life and laughter.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart is good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

Has your life’s Exclamation Point . . . become an Exasperation Point?  The highlights of life can be sabotaged by discontentment, discouragement and frustration.  Sometimes we have to re-arrange the way we do things, in order to boost the energy we need to catapult us to greatness.

When I worked in PR, everyday was crazy, exciting, unpredictable and full of “pats” on the back or “kicks” in the butt; one way or the other, you knew where you stood.  Raising children is a little different.  Often times, nothing too exciting happens during the day – from teaching them Math and having late night talks, to throwing in some “moral character” with a splash of discipline and fun activities.  I’ve worn the heels, gone from suits to sweats and am now somewhere in the middle.

On any given day, I find myself researching a new business venture, catching up on 6 loads of laundry, emailing friends to plan girl’s night out, having a conference call with other moms to discuss a class party, while thinking about how I’m gonna cook chicken for the 3rd time this week, when it occurred to me:  Is this my life?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy, the deep kind of happy that a few bad days or set of circumstances can’t steal.

But my life needed a tune up, like a musical instrument or attitude adjustment.  I love my husband; he’s very supportive, loving and fun to be around, and as a bonus, he’s good looking.  I have a small core of really good friends.  I have 4 kids that are loud, fun and interesting.  My life is full, but I knew with the tools and resources I had, things could be better.  I laid on the bed one day and just explained to John how I felt.

WITHOUT fear or threat that perhaps he had not provided a good life for us, he did a little research (another great quality of his – thoughtfulness) and by morning handed me a book, that has taken me on quiet an interesting journey, to fine-tune my happiness from mediocre to deep contentment, where people want to know why you’re smiling.   My quest began with:  The Happiness Project, a book by Gretchen Rubin.

I’ve heard it said:  When a student is ready to learn, the teacher will appear.  Happiness is a state of mind.  Per Webster’s dictionary, happiness is a state of well being, a feeling of contentment, joy, satisfaction or pleasure.

I felt this, but not to its full capacity.  My mom is always reminding me that my calling here on this earth (no matter what position I hold in or outside the home) is to invest in the hearts of my children.  It’s not about recognition, fighting for a position on the corporate ladder, the need to feel appreciated by the outside world or add another gold star to my collection, but it’s about devoting your time and energy into raising healthy, Godly, well adjusted children that will go into the world with confidence, knowledge, and a sense of community.

But in order to do this, Mama needs to be happy!  And if Mama ain’t happy, well . . . you get the gist.  The first category in the Happiness Project is:  To Boost Your Energy.  To be honest, I’ve never been so tired in my entire life.  Before kids, I trained for a marathon, raced in triathlons and had endless energy.  Now, it’s a different story.

“The Happiness Project” lists 4 things that are needed to “Boost Your Energy:

1) Go to Sleep Earlier

2) Exercise Better

3) Toss, Restore and Organize

4) Tackle a Nagging Task Early

I don’t know about you, but all my life, I’ve gone to bed late, put exercise on my “To Do” List (and rarely crossed it off).  I allow that pesky task to haunt me all day (hoping it will just go away – of course it gets bigger and steals my joy).

It’s like a perfect storm – just as the kids are saying “Mom I’m Hungry (after they just ate) you open the closet – and out springs jackets, scarves and a skate board into the floor, about the time the door bell rings and unexpected company has arrived.  Yikes.  You feel conquered, overwhelmed and under pressure.  Then comes the guilt . . . I’m a terrible mom, how will my kids turn out . . . whaaa whaaaa whaaaa!

1st Month’s Challenge

Challenge 1) Sleep Earlier:

I began going to bed earlier.  Can you say:  Hard.  I starred at the ceiling and noticed all the blinking lights in the room, from the phone to the clock to my lap top, it was like the “Vegas Strip.”  Some people count sheep:  I was counting loads of laundry.  Your body has to be reprogrammed.  But with my next challenge, sleep came earlier and sleep came easier.

Challenge 2) Exercise Better:

I’ve never liked waking up early.  My dad always said “the Sunrise is so Beautiful.” I figure the Sunset looks much like the Sunrise, so I’m ok with that.  But, in order to exercise better, I began taking the kids to school, so I could just keep going – head downstairs and begin working out.  The first week, I didn’t like it.  I felt angry, tired.  The “Work Out” guy’s voice on the DVD annoyed me. But then I created my favorite playlist on my ipod, for better motivation.  Now that I’ve created this routine, I enjoy the time for me.  Plus, when 6:30am rolls around, my eyes just pop open.  Your body gets use to what it knows, getting up and working out.

Challenge 3) Toss, Restore and Organize:

My bedroom closet had become  “Central Station” for things that didn’t have a name, a home or description.  Honestly, I found things I should have taken a picture of and tried to figure out its name on Google.

I had a hard time letting go of comfortable underwear – the kind your mom says you NEVER want to be wearing if you end up in the Emergency Room.  It was hard giving away those red shoes you’ve never worn, but are waiting to find that fantastic dress to match it.

I found parts to toys I didn’t know we had, books I’ve never read,  snack wrappers, gifts that had never been given. . . . and the list goes on.  It took 3 days to cleanse my closet, but in the process , it cleansed my mind.  I found 10 incredible outfits to choose from vs. dredging through piles and baskets of wrinkled things, to discover one sock, jeans I couldn’t wear or a bad concert t-shirt.  Difficulties like this, make your head hurt, especially when you’re in a hurry and need to be somewhere 10 minutes ago.

Challenge 4) Tackle a Nagging Task Early:

Between emails I needed to write, bills that needed to be paid, a conversation that needed to be had or a mess that needed to be cleaned, it haunted my thoughts all day.  It drove me crazy.  Now, I wake up, conquer the the task and feel good about the VICTORY, early on.

Motherhood is NOT easy.  Have you ever spun so many plates or juggled so many schedules?

Probably not, but it’s also Fulfilling and Fun.  Your cup is not full, it’s Overflowing. And if someone came in right now and said:  “I’ll take your place if you’re not happy”  We would karate chop them into a million pieces.  It’s ok to complain, but it’s most important to jump back on the saddle.  Lord willing, this position is for many years to come, thus we need to find that Deep Happiness and Contentment, so when we’re teaching our kids “Life’s Lessons” we’ll find ourselves – Whistling While We Work.

Wanna Boost Your Energy?  Start with you!  You are the family’s “Hub of Communication” the CEO of your household.  Take charge . . . GIRLS!  In cleaning those closets and exercising for you, you’ll feel Accomplished, Organized and Victorious.  Rid your life of Exasperation Points and Make them Exclamation Points to your Happiness! You are More than Conquerors.

Scripture:  Phil 4: 11-13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.

People ask each other all the time:  What do you do for a living?  They see the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you wear, the schools your children attend, the teams they play, the size of your TV screen and the list goes on.

I had an SUV for years and loved it, until I had my 4th child; and while an SUV can hold all 6 of us, there was no room for the groceries, strollers and all the other stuff that looks like you’re moving, every time you leave the house.  So when you take out the 3rd seat, all you can carry are your kids, a purse and bottle; and that’s just not gonna cut it.

So we had to buy a minivan. I cried the week before we bought it, because for some reason I had attached the fact that I would be driving a Mini Van to the fact that I was loosing any cool factor I had left in me.  (sorry for offending others who love their mini van – But this is how I felt).  First, went the little black dress and heels, then the purse turned into a diaper bag, slash luggage, my hair went from stylish to a pony tale and my car went from hip to less hip, and then I gained hip . . . . . but in the wrong place.  : (

My mom said to basically “get over it,” she explained that these are just tools needed to get you from point A to point B for this phase in your life. Well I hadn’t thought of it that way.  I thought I was loosing my identity, but if my identity was wrapped up in material things that can be here today and gone tomorrow, something needed to be adjusted.

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Who you are is made up of many factors: good character, great reputation and family name, are you charitable, do you help those in need, are you a good friend, are you trustworthy and honorable?

You watch commercials that show a husband and wife in the Caribbean, rolling around in a bed that’s sitting in the middle of the beach, while gazing into each other’s eyes and you think, “I should be there, not at Jungle Joe’s bouncing on a trampoline”.  Don’t let the marketers fool ya.  Nobody likes sand that much!

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The grass is not greener and everyone has, what seems like slow moments, lulls in life, but not forever.   Life is Not passing you by.  You are the real deal.  You are Living Life.  Everyday Vacations, All the Ice Cream You Can Eat, driving a Roadster and Trump Tower living is NOT REAL LIFE.  Now if you get to enjoy those things, then great.  It’s a bonus, but not everyday reality.

Suddenly my attitude changed:  These are phases in life and they last for only a moment, so who cares about whether you have a mini van, a smaller house than you want or a piece of luggage full of bottles, bibs and burp rags.  The little black dress will eventually return, the diaper bag will become a cute purse once again and things begin to fall back into place as life progresses.  Change is constant, so be flexible.

Who cares that the leather furniture has scratch marks or the carpet is 10 years old.  Just embrace the happiness around you, the joy of your kids telling funny jokes, your husband coming home from work, happy that you are happy; know that there is always a time and place for newer, faster stuff . . . . grander vacations and more free time, but while your in this phase of life, embrace it, wherever you are.  Jump your cool-self into that minivan and embrace the Adventure!

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P.S. Now that I have a mini van, I love it. Convenience is key!  I still love wearing a pony tail, my diaper bags are more fashionable and I occasionally pull out the little black dress and enjoy a night on the town, just not in a bed on the beach.  : )

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  1 John 2:17

Dr. Suess wrote: Oh the Places You Go . . One of those stops, is the Waiting Place!

Waiting is typically associated with boredom, nothing to do, sort of a wasted space in time.  It can be lonely.  Waiting is definitely not the “Life of the Party.”  No one is jumping up and down, saying, Me Me, can I Wait? It just doesn’t happen.

Don’t you hate to wait?   Waiting for a date to come,

the leaves to turn, the wind to blow, your brain to learn, waiting for a cup of joe, waiting for the grass to grow.

The dictionary defines Waiting as:  to remain stationary, in readiness or expectation, to rest in patience.  I went away on a girl’s 3 day weekend, no ipod, no gadet distractions, but part of the trip was to go out into nature, clear your mind, think, pray and just Be.  It was quiet hard to do NOTHING.  Us women are multitaskers; it’s in our blood to keep the balls juggling’ and the plates spinning’.

After 10 minutes, my mind was empty, except for a long list of to do’s:  buy groceries, fix the car, take Molly to soccer practice, write a story, pay the bills and, well, you get the gist.  I had nothing in my brain to think about, but logistics.  But as I sat there, the clutter and busy-ness began to fade, my brain began to clear and like the sun peeking through the clouds, I began to see things differently. . .

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalms 46:10

We hurry through life and forget to WAIT . .  be still, listen to the birds, smell the roses, get in the floor with the kids, erase the schedule and just be.  You’ll be amazed out how your priorities, your outlook on life will change.

Suddenly, the birds you never heard before, get louder.  The smell of roses get stronger and your life perspective begins to line up.  Those high priorities of work, women’s meetings, charity events and all-day house cleaning marathons don’t have the same importance as they did before.

Like death, taxes and the poor . . . laundry and dirty dishes will be with you ALWAYS.  Our children won’t be young forever, they won’t always be willing to hang with us.  Jump on the tire swing, listen to what they have to say, take a nice walk and wait in readiness and expectation for what is to come.

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Embrace the quietness, for in it, your thoughts, dreams and goals will begin to re-arrange themselves and all the important things will rise to the top and those that aren’t, well . . . they’ll begin to fade.  Take the time to wait, for in doing so . . . Oh, the places you will go!

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The dictionary defines Fearless as: Brave, courageous, unflinching, free, bold, adventurous, triumphant! The opposite of Fearless is Fear, which brings worry, doubt, anxiety and apprehension.

When I was 8 years old, I spent the night at my grandma’s farm house.  She lived in the middle of a 100 acre hay field, with creaky doors and tall 10 foot windows that started at the floor and went to the ceiling.  The light switch was a dangling light bulb that hung over the bed, you know the kind you have to stand up in the center of the mattress and search for in mid-air and then pull a string.  During lightening storms, the house shook, lighting up the entire room and darkness was Pitch Black!

One night, during a storm, I was notified it was bed time.  I tried to walk bravely to bed, but lightening struck and so did my FEAR, right into my throat.  I leaped from the door to the bed in about 2 jumps.  As I laid there, I noticed across the room, what appeared to be a large monster standing over my bed.  I starred it down, and without moving, it just kept looking at me.  It didn’t move; I didn’t move.  I flew under the covers to hide and remained there for about 30 minutes, sweating and wondering if this THING standing over my bed had left.  I peeked over the blanket and to my dismay, it was STILL there.  I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t move.  I was being held prisoner in a dark room by something looking at me!

Finally, when I couldn’t take the FEAR (or the hot blanket any longer) courage rose and I jumped straight into the air, grabbing for the dangling light bulb overhead, ready to fight this thing for my life.  The bulb swung this way and that, before I finally wrestled it down and pulled the string.  To my amazement, someone had hung a trench coat and hat on my bed post! I was being held captive by a trench coat. I was terrified . . . sweating, hyperventilating, and ALL for NOTHING!

We imagine the worst in life:  turn on the news and the economy is taking a nose dive, TERRORism is in our backyard and jobs are being lost at a phenomenal rate.  Will our kids go to college, how will we pay the bills, should I take another job, downsize my home?  We form ideas and imaginations in our head, self fulfilling prophecies that life is not gonna be what we thought it would.  Maybe it’s not.

We cling to Fear like a nice warm coat and those invisible walls hold us, our thoughts and the opportunity our lives hold, Captive!  What if we lived life FREE from FEAR?  Jump out of bed and dive for that light switch, expose it, the lie for which it is and grab FEARLESS by the horns.

How awesome it would be, living life outside the box. Think how different your life could be, if instead of being scared and all tangled up inside (living life in the same old rut), you just started your own business, took another job, downsized your home (this could be an adventure), wrote down that bucket list and began conquering it, took a missions trip and discovered how you can help change the world!  Walk away from the lies of what man says you can and can’t do.

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Grab on to what God says:  All Things Are Possible to Him Who Believes.  Mark 9:23  Jump Fearlessly into the unknown, with no inhibitions!  Be FEARLESS! Life is what you make it.

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Scripture to Ponder:

Let us not become weary in well doing, for in due season (at the proper time), you will reap a harvest of blessings; just don’t give up.  Galatians 6:9

I can do ALL Things Through Christ, who gives me strength.  Phil 4:13

Suggested Reading:  Max Lucado’s Book – FEARLESS