Flush Away

Flush away! Current mood: breezy
My days here in NJ have been spent primarily in the bathroom. No, I'm not sick, or pregnant. You see, I have a 4 year old that is overcoming bathroom "trauma". When he was in preschool briefly last year, the bathroom in the classroom was on the dark side. It had very low lights and it, unfortunately, had a very loud flush. This combined with a less than friendly teacher, lead to my son having bathroom trauma. For the longest time, he would scream at the thought of entering a public restroom.
Several weeks ago we had a breakthrough and he is now entering public restrooms everywhere.. just to hear the sound of the flush. Then he will come out of the bathroom to proclaim to the world whether it was a loud flush or a soft flush. This is a major step for him (and thankfully he uses the toilet fully) but you can only imagine how frustrating it can get that everytime you go out to eat, or to a mall, etc. the only thing he wants to do is go to the bathroom... at least 4 times.. to try every toilet and hear the flush. I know this is just a stage and I'm so grateful he is overcoming his fears... one flush at a time.
xoxo

Mom

It's been 8 years since my Mom has passed, and it still is very hard for me to walk into a Hallmark store at this time of year. Mother's Day to me is still so bittersweet. I'm so thankful to God that I'm a mom to a wonderful little boy. My mom died before I was married and had a child, and boy are there times that I cry that I can't turn to her for advice, for a hug, and to share in Chris' milestones. Steve's mother has also passed away, and sometimes I feel for Christopher so bad that he will never know the love of a grandmother.
My mom died only a few weeks before mother's day which is why it makes this time of year even harder. I don't think losing your mother is something you ever get over. I remember that at first I could only remember the way she looked toward the end of her life... not the youthful, healthy mom she was for the majority of her life. Thankfully, through the years, that image has faded and when I picture her, I see her in her younger years in my mind and that brings me so much joy.
I was blessed to not only have a Mom, but a Spirit-filled, on fire for God Mom. She made sure that each of us loved the Lord and went to heaven assured that one day we would all be together again. What more could you want in life than a mom that loves Jesus and raises you to be able to know where you can turn when life gets tough. My mom (and Dad) gave me the gift of Jesus and that is a gift that lasts for eternity.
So, even though you aren't here on Mother's Day, Mom, I love you and know we will be celebrating together again some day. Thank you Mom for ALL you did for me!

God's In the Middle of This Craziness

It’s been " a day" in every way possible. Two missed planes, one bad cold that won’t go away and it’s only 1:30 pm. It’s so awesome to know that I don’t have to be stressed about everything that is going on around me. That even a missed plane is God’s hand in our lives. We don’t know why things happen the way they do, but we know we are God’s children and he is in control.. even in the midst of craziness. What’s so crazy? Well, Steve left his winter jacket at our house and we had to turn home to retrieve it so he missed his first flight. We came home, retrieved the jacket and after a few stops were headed back to the airport. I dropped him off and was heading home when I received a call from him stating that he was by the gate, but realized that he must have left his other cell phone (his personal one) at the check-in kiosk when he first arrived... the people at the gate were kind enough to call downstairs and they located his phone. The bad news... he would have to miss this flight in order to retrieve it. So.. Steve was put on "stand by" for the 3rd flight which I am happy to report he is on as I type this. So, what a day and I haven’t even had lunch... and how is your day going????

Suds, Suds everywhere

Does anyone know how hard it is to keep a home ready for the possibility of a buyer coming to look at it on any given day? Maybe without children it would be easier, but with a 4 year old and the mountain of toys and dirty clothes that accumulate on a daily basis... you can only imagine. Such was my day today when the realtor called and gave me a 5 MINUTE WARNING that a potential buyer was dropping in. Did I mentioned that my son decided that today would be a great day to take my Bath & Body Works antibacterial soap and put it in his hair and wipe it all over his clothes, on the rug in his bathroom and smear it all over the countertops and mirror? It was pretty funny I can say now... not so much then.
Please keep praying for us that God sends a buyer soon! We know he is in control and he is faithful!

Do you believe in Miracles?

I do. I have seen God's hand on my life many times over the years. This past year has been especially hard on me and hubs. He has been looking for employment and my job is not exactly bringing in the big bucks. There are many reasons for us to be discouraged, fearful and at our wits end.

Today hubs called me at work and were just going through the list of bills to be paid and noting that things are tight.. very tight. My first instinct is to panic because that's what I would normally do. Start thinking of what I can sell, what can I do to make a few dollars, etc. As soon as we hung up, I did the one thing that I know ALWAYS works and that is PRAY. It was a simple prayer, just giving all my cares and concerns over to God. I prayed that God would reassure me someway today that all would be ok.

It's just like God to produce a miracle. About 2 hours later an unexpected refund check came in the mail. Some people say to me that it happens to be "good luck" or "coincedence". I don't believe in either. I still believe in miracles. I still believe that my God can do ALL things and that nothing is impossible. I would much rather believe in a loving, gracious and caring God then in luck.

Thanks for caring about the little things so I don't have too

A sad attempt at staying young

It is What It Is --- anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that this phrase comes out of my mouth pretty often. I figured it would make the perfect name for my blog. Many of you may be pleasantly surprised to see me venturing out into the blog world. Several months ago, a younger, hipper friend of mine who I haven't seen in ages sent me an email. We were catching up on all times and talking about the current events in our lives. I was just thinking what a wonderful modern convenience email is when he asked me if I have a blog. At that moment, I realized I am totally outdated.

I remember as a teenager laughing at my parents for how "out of it" they were when it came to technology, music and basic "pop culture". Now that I am a parent, I can see how easy it is to become out of touch with certain things. I can only imagine how much technology will change by the time my 3 year old is a teenager and I want to be sure I can still communicate with him and be able to "speak his language". I'm also hoping this blog will reconnect me with my dear friends all over the country. So what do you think? Am I a lost cause or is there hope for me yet?