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!