why are mondays so yucky?

it has been one of those days. honey bear is back to work after a long weekend and bug is in the midst of a teething frenzy. my sweet girl woke up a bit crabby and has remained that way unless she is eating.

here is my question - my plea - how do you start and implement discipline? my day is full of "no, bug" and "bug, don't touch that." she knows when i say "no" that she isn't supposed to be doing whatever it is that she's doing because she stops, looks at me, and then has a breakdown. this is how the entire day proceeds - i say no, she has a meltdown, then she tries again, repeat.

until this point i have had the absolute sweetest baby. and she still is so sweet, only now the sweetness is occasionally interrupted by crazy, i want my way, screaming baby. i am really just not sure what to do. how do you start discipline with an 11 month old? how do you enforce rules? what do you do when there is a breakdown? how do i explain the discipline when i'm not sure she understands? i need a book! or your advice!

jesus loves mean people too

whenever we go out i usually (not absolutely 100% of the time) make sure bug is donning a hairbow. i just love them on her. and, afterall, she is my little girl!

bug and i and one of her many hairbows!

so today was no different. we went to dinner with her nana, papa, and her aunt a and then to target and bug's outfit was complete with a hairbow. she really does not mind them one bit. the only time she ever pulls at the hairbow is when she is really sleepy. other than that those bows stay on all day and, no, we never have a fight when putting them on. i would say 99.9% of the time we hear ooos and ahhhs and "she is so cute" and "look at that hairbow" from people we come across. today, though, we had our first not so friendly reaction.

while in target a woman walked by us, looked directly at bug, very audibly and with great disdain said "ugh, poor kid" and continued walking by. i, of course, couldn't let that go and said, "my child is very happy." she, indeed, was very happy - cooing and laughing and playing with her aunt a. i can't be for certain why this woman said this but i drew the conclusion that the hairbow was the culprit. i would so love to say that i was oh so very Christlike towards this woman, but i cannot tell a lie. i immediately began pointing out all physical things about her that were unbecoming: her 3 shades of blue hair, her tshirt that was inside out, her overall obnoxious demeanor. is she obnoxious? i really can't say - my anger was talking.

as i've been able to step back from this for a bit i realize that i was no better than this woman. and she, if truth be told, really did nothing wrong. so she doesn't like bug's hairbow - big deal! i took her comment as an attack on my parenting. my parenting is no better or worse due to her comment. but my heart and attitude could've responded in a much better way. i am pretty positive that the Lord was not pleased with my glaring at this woman or with my negative comments toward her even if she didn't hear them. i gave not a fleeting thought to this woman's eternal person and focused solely on how she had hurt me and how she was way worse off than my sweet daughter wearing a hairbow. truth is, she may just be worse off - she may not know Jesus as her Savior. i look back now and wonder if i could've used the few seconds i tried to assure her of bug's happiness to say something of more eternal value. i wonder how things would've been different if i had looked past her personal preferences that i do not share (ie blue hair) and tried to see her as someone my Savior loves and calls for me to love.

i am ashamed that i cannot walk the walk of Jesus when it matters. i am really good at talking about it but when it matters my flesh seems to always win out. i hope next time i can hear with Jesus' ears and see with His eyes.

*and this has absolutely nothing to do with this post but i just wanted to say how H.O.T. my husband is* (that's for you, baby! love you so much!)*

i am 25 and holding

i just got an email today about my...ahem...10 year high school class reunion. i was certain that i was emailed by mistake. i checked the sender's name again and my name again. ok, they meant to send it to me. so surely someone miscounted. there is no way i should be receiving information about a 10 year high school reunion. that is just crazy since i just graduated last year!

where oh where does the time go? i remember high school like it was yesterday. i don't feel a day over 15. but then i look around and realize i live 500 miles away from my parents, i have a husband, a baby, and i was a teacher myself for 3 years. i guess 10 years has gone by.

my best friends who was born the day before me, and yes, we have known each other as long, said not too long ago that she is 25. i quickly reminded her that we are indeed 27. she corrected me, "no, i am 25 and holding." of course! now i get it. me, too!

teeth trees and pulling up

oh, goodness, bug just keeps teething! once those little buggers break through we are fine, but waiting for that to happen may just drive me mad! buggie was just miserable today. every morning i walk into her room to a happily cooing and smiling little girl. this morning i walked in to screaming fit for a horror movie. and it didn't end when i picked her up. she went on this way until about 3:30 when i took a look around her mouth, saw that little area of gums that was translucent looking and bulging, gave her some tylenol, and finally rocked/coaxed her to sleep. she slept for 2 hours and woke up in pretty good spirits. i felt her gums and sure enough that little tooth had broken through. glory! hopefully tomorrow is a tooth free day...

this will be bug's first christmas. i am really looking forward to seeing her in her christmas jammies and ripping open packages. i have had grand pictures in my head of us photographing our little sweetie in her christmas dress in front of the tree. but i don't think those reveries will come true this year. see, our little one is pulling up and cruising around - and still putting everything she finds into her mouth. i am not so keen on putting the tree up this year. it is already a full day's work keeping her out of our general decorations - i can't imagine keeping her out of the tree and keeping the tree out of her mouth! so as much as i hate the idea of not having our tree up i really think my sanity will thank me in the long run. fortunately we will be spending christmas day at my parents' house where their tree will be up and twinkling so it won't be a completely tree free christmas.

i feel like these teething, learning to walk, eating anything that fits into her mouth days are really long sometimes. but then i think of her having all of her teeth, walking to the school bus, and being pretty picky about what goes into her mouth and i miss my baby.

nothing in particular and everything on my mind

i wasn't really sure what to write about tonight so i guess i'll just do a little rambling. =) can we talk about how crazy a day can be with a little one who crawls all over the place and is now pulling herself up on anything she can put her hands on?! i feel like most of my day is spent telling bug "stay away from there" and "don't touch that." and i am pretty sure i never sit. i am trying to see the bright side - never sitting has got to equal some calories burned!

so i have missed my quiet time with Jesus two days in a row. it makes such a difference to your day. i think i will do some Bible reading before bed tonight. i really like to do it first thing in the morning, but the past two mornings both bug and i have slept in. the extra sleep has been nice but i really miss the extra time with Jesus. i MUST get back on track! i've been thinking about incorporating some singing into my time. i really love singing praise to the Lord and why not do it during my devotions? do you use music for your quiet time? do you use a devotional book? i am always interested in knowing what works for everyone. i don't really have a set thing i do. right now i read a devotional and then follow the schedule for reading the Bible through in a year. i like getting an old and new testament passage and a psalm in. do you have any recommendations for devotional books?

my sweet honey bear didn't get home from work until 9pm tonight! oh, i missed him! i had gone ahead and fed bug dinner before he got home and she went down for the night as he was walking in. the two of us had hamburgers and fries from take out for dinner. it was yummy and i am simply ignoring the lack of health benefits in the meal. we are both sitting on the couch now and winding down for the night.

i will spare you any more mundane details of my day. i will leave you, however with another song by casting crowns on their new cd until the whole world hears. i am just really loving this cd right now!

thumbs up thursday

i love casting crowns! i have enjoyed their music for quite a while. the lyrics are just so good. that sounds hokey but honestly their lyrics are so great. i talked about another of their songs here.



this past tuesday casting crowns' newest cd until the whole world hears came out. my sweet mother in love had preordered copies for me and my sister in love. i have been listening to it since i got it from her yesterday. again, so good! my favorite song is track 11, blessed redeemer. the song with the lyrics is in a youtube video at the end of this post. hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

so, thumbs up thursday this week goes to casting crowns!

sorry this was so rushed! my sister in love and i have a midnight date with a sparkly friend of ours! =) do any of you know our friend?

a post by Bug's Mimi

God, I want to do great things for you,
And speak to all the nations!
God replies:
That's well and good,
But for now
Fix your children's complications.
Lord, I want to straighten up the world,
Feed the hungry and fulfill someones wishes!
God says:
Fine, but for the present,
You need to wash the dishes.
Lord, I want to preach, proclaim your name
And bring salvation to the earth!
God says:
Good! Then teach your children
And preach my name to those you've given birth.
At the end of the day,
I think of all I've done.
But as I look it seems,
I've accomplished nothing for the Son!
God, I had no time to witness one on one,
I couldn't join my church group,
They said I missed out on lots of fun.
My household is the only thing
That managed to be cleaned,
My neighbor is the only one,
Besides my family I could feed.
The only ones I've ready Your Word
Are those within my home.
God I've done so very little
And I feel so all alone!
God says:
I've seen the way you cleaned and cooked
And taught your kids My name.
Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock,
I'll watch you do the same.
The work you do at home,
Though no one really sees,
Is helping to raise little ones
To grow and worship me.
My ways are not your ways,
I don't expect you yet to see,
But the precepts that you've taught your children,
Will help others bow the knee.
Your children will reach out to others,
Your example in their mind.
They'll do great work for Me
And their children will respond in kind.
The hand that rules the world,
Also rocks the cradle.
Because of you, your children love Me,
All their hearts are stable.
Though your house is your domain,
Your tasks seem rather plain,
Your efforts will reach the multitudes,
Though from humble work they came.

-author unknown

Sometimes the day to day toiling in the home seems so pointless, unglamorous, and very much mundane, but then I remember the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 25:35-46. He spoke about being naked and you clothed Me, I was hungry and you fed Me, I was a stranger and you took Me in. The disciples asked "When, Lord, did we do these things?" And He said that if you do it to the "least of these" you do it for Me. When we bring that little stranger into the world, put him to the breast, change his diapers and dress him up snug....we are doing that for HIM! Our once humble home has become a temple in which to worship our Lord. We are giving praise and glory to Him simply by caring for the ones He has placed into our lives. What an awesome thing to be working together with the Most High God to raise these children!

come out, come out wherever you are!

yes, i have been m.i.a. for a while. i don't know what happened. for a while there it seemed like we had plans every night of the week and by the time i would get home blogging was the last thing on my mind. but i knew, as the governor of california has been known to say, i'd be back!

this week i have started implementing a new routine. not for bug but for me. i have always been a night owl. i love to stay up late and sleep in late. when i had a baby i was concerned that my sleeping in would be no more. thankfully i have been blessed with a little one who sleeps until 9 or 9:30. by the time i get my day started and tend to all of bug's unending needs i find that it is midnight and i have made no quiet time for the Lord. so last night i went to bed a bit earlier than usual and i got up this morning when my husband got up to get ready for work.

i spent the hour or so before bug awoke reading my Bible, reading a little devotional, and praying. i can't tell you what a difference this made to my day!!! all day i had the thoughts from my morning reading running through my head. it was like a reminder of why i had a day at all. i found myself considerably less on edge and stressed. i did several household chores without loathing them. and i played on the floor with my sweet girl happily instead of feeling like i was simply filling time. my thoughts were far more often on heavenly things today than usual.

i want to leave you with a quote from my reading from this morning.

jonathan edwards said, "'the godly are designed for unknown and inconceivable happiness.' in other words, the certainty and greatness of the happiness of God's people is as sure as God's zeal for his own glory."

how could i not have a good day after reading that? and this:

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. jeremiah 32:30-41

a little side note, tomorrow i will be sharing with you a post written by a very special guest blogger - my bug's mimi!!! it's a good one so be sure to check it out.

thumbs up thursday

i am feeling a bit guilty tonight. were you hoping for a new emotion? sorry. anyway, feeling some guilt. i think i may have rushed bedtime tonight.

the clock said 7:40, bug said in not so many words that she was sleepy, and i said i am ready to be done for the day. so honey bear offered to change our sweet girl into her jammies. i should've come to her room right after for a story, Bible time, and a song but instead i just yelled in, "nite nite, buggie. i love you," and honey bear put her down. now she was out in less than 60 seconds of her head hitting the...she doesn't use a pillow, but you get the idea, so i know without a doubt that she was exhausted. i just feel bad because all i could think about was this (yes, those are my tootsies):


it has been a long day. nothing out of the ordinary, i am just feeling especially worn down. so i am now lounging in my bubble bath thinking about how nice it is to just be danielle for a bit and not mommy. being mommy is so great but just being danielle comes with a lot less demands. so i will rest tonight and wake up ready to be bug's mom 100% in the morning.

until then i give a thumbs up to bedtime! (and blogging in the bathtub even though my husband is none too thrilled about my computer being so close to water)

to my husband's sister

dear sister in love,

you know that i loved your brother from, literally, the moment i first met him. at that point my heart was his. so when i found out he had a sister i added another sister to the many i already have. you were his and now you were mine, too.

i know that before we moved closer to you we didn't talk that often. i think it was a little she's his sister/she's his wife so we'll be nice kind of relationship. we probably haven't always seen eye to eye, but over this past year i have been able to actually get to know you. so you being my sister because you're my husband's sister has changed to you being my sister because i love you. i have just the greatest time with you when we spend wednesdays and fridays driving our husbands mad with our unending shopping. i never feel pressed for conversation when i'm with you - probably because if i don't have anything to say there is no doubt that you will! i love how much you love my buggie. she is my number one girl and i think you may love her just as much as i do...well, maybe not as much as i do...a special love is formed when you push someone out of your body, but you get my drift. and i thank you for sharing your mom and dad with me. it isn't the easiest thing being so far from my parents and your parents have really filled some of my loneliness for my own. my family, my sisters and my best friends all live so far away - but now i know that i have a dear sweet friend and sister just 5 minutes away.

i know that you are feeling a bit stressed and scared with things that are happening in your life right now. i also know that you know the One who holds all the plans. i don't have the answers or peace our Heavenly Father can give you, but i can offer you an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and a hug when you need it. i love you with my whole heart.

me and my big head, buggie, my sister in love

let me check my schedule

i have always been a person that works better with a list. to accomplish anything in a timely and organized manner i need to write it down. i make lists for packing, for projects, for shopping. when i was in college i always felt like i was accomplishing more when i was able to mark things off of my list.


being a stay at home mom is all new to me. i figured i would have housework and baby to care for and how hard could it be? however, most days i find myself running over in my head all of the things i should/could be doing - clean the bathrooms. fold the laundry, unload the dishwasher, vacuum, go through bug's clothes, hang pictures, take out the garbage, mop the kitchen floor, etc etc - and instead of doing them i get overwhelmed with the ongoing list and beat myself up over how much i'm not getting done. i make it to the end of the day having finished maybe one task and dreading the morning when i will face the ever growing list again and my inadequacies as a stay at home mom/wife.

i approached honey bear about how this is affecting not only how our home looks but also how i feel in my role as wife and mother. we have come up with a plan that i think will do some amazing things around here! each saturday i am going to take 2 or so hours to myself. i can go to a bookstore, coffee shop, the park, even just sit in the car if i like. during this time i am going to make lists - lists of cleaning i'd like to take on and assign it to a day (ie bathrooms on monday, bug's room on tuesday, etc), lists of menus, lists for the grocery store, lists of errands assigned to a day. i will be able to follow a daily list of chores, errands, and projects and cross them off as i complete them. not only will i be able to mark things off but i will be tackling things on a day by day basis instead of a never ending, seemingly insurmountable mountain of need-to-dos.

when my lists are finished, i can do some things just by myself. my alone time only happens when i need to use the bathroom and then only if honey bear is home to keep an eye on bug while i go. i never understood the energy boost some people will get from some alone time, but since not being alone for the past 10 months i think i am understanding it a bit more. it is nice to sometimes be alone with your own thoughts - for just a bit. i am hoping to listen to music, read my Bible, do a little mindless shopping, and maybe even some reading from the growing stack of books on my nightstand.

i really feel like this is a plan that will not only help me get things done around here but will help me be more content. don't get me wrong, i am not unhappy - i have the best husband in the world and a beautiful little girl. but letting my daily tasks overwhelm me allows the enemy to invade my thoughts. he will use any moment of stress to make me doubt my worthiness. my discontent with my lack of accomplishment in my home rubs off on my relationship with my husband and on my interaction with my baby. it is time to stand up and fight back - list in hand and all prayed up!

do you have a getaway that works for you during the week? how do you keep the housework and mommy duties in check without feeling overwhelmed?