Summer Favorites

Summer is upon us. And with that comes some food I love, mosquitoes that annoy, longer days, and more time outside. I wanted to share with you some products and services that are part of my life and will certainly be part of my summer.

A.1. Cajun Marinade :: Kroger stopped selling my favorite kabob marinade, but thanks to Amazon, I can have a whole case of it at once. No worries, we'll probably use all six bottles this summer. And, seriously, groceries showing up at the front door is fabulous.

Aveeno Anti-Itch Lotion :: Well, you know, we've already had a case of poison ivy and countless mosquito bites around here, so we'll probably need to buy another bottle of this. My kids call it "bug bite medicine," but it takes away the itch from poison ivy and other skin irritations. It's gentle, even on my boy's sensitive skin.

Life is Good hat :: I have a couple of these hats I wear constantly in the summer when we are at the pool, out by or on the lake, and when I decide showering will come later in the day. And you can relax with free ground shipping on all orders and always free returns at the Life is Good website. Sign up for the company newsletter and you can enjoy 15% off your next purchase!

Emeals :: We've been getting recipes and grocery shopping lists from Emeals for several weeks now and everything we've tried as been fine. Most recipes have been excellent. And I really needed the dinner inspiration.

Walgreens' Instagram prints :: I recently upgraded my iPhone so I could have a better camera. I already loved documenting life with social media and now it's even better that I can take and print photos right from my phone. The Walgreens app allows you to print right from Instagram. Facebook or your phone. Plus there are often photo deals happening.

What products are you loving these days?
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I've included affiliate links, meaning I would receive a small percentage of any sales through those links. But I'm telling you about products and services I choose to use myself. Clicking from here doesn't change the retailers' prices. 

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{God-sized Dreams} Summer To-do List

Hematite Lake. Earlier May 2013. And I want to go back.

I've already let you in on how I was feeling weary of the school-year routine and commitments. Well, Summer is here. Yes, technically, as my rising first-grader reminded me, it's not actually summer yet, but it's been in the high 80s and school is out, so let's call the rest of May "summer."

So, Summer, I'm glad you're here. I've got a little to-do list for us. Truth is, I've got a not-to-do list coming too. But, you know, I thought I'd start with this list of things I want to do with my family.

Pick strawberries
Go to the Louisville Zoo
Pick blueberries
Pick blackberries
Swim, swim, swim
Play in water in the backyard
Read “Beezus & Ramona” and “Ramona the Pest”
Watch Disney’s “Planes” (Comes out Aug. 9)
Hike at Hematite Lake
Play at the lake
Take the kids to a St. Louis Cardinals game
Go to the St. Louis Zoo
Eat at Belew’s
Play more board games
Host a neighborhood party
Participate in vacation Bible school
Go to Dairy Queen and snow cone shack {And I'm sure we'll be back again and again}
Getaway with Greg while kids hang out with Gran-Gran

Some of these things are on my calendar, so they'll probably happen. I'm sure nearly none of them will go like I expect. It's mid-way through the Year of Imperfection. Summer, you're my favorite time, so regrouping here with you makes sense. I want to enjoy the moment and make memories along the way to accomplishing these things come with you, Summer, and embrace unexpected adventures.

In an effort to embrace this freedom Summer brings and truly live with my kids, I wanted to write a not-to-do list. Balance, people. One time I wrote a list of things I don't do even though lots of other people do. It was quite freeing for a perfectionist like me who many days tries to do too much.
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Perhaps it will help me not be so hard on myself and truly embrace this season. So here it is, my not-to-do list which has mostly been worded to really be a second to-do list. Yeah, I'm sorry, I've kind of confused myself.

Give my day to God before I get on Facebook
Close the laptop and be present
Don't cry over spilled milk ... or crushed cracker crumbs
Remember it's not all going to get done today
Speak softer
Walk instead of drive when I can
Plan not to plan every minute of our days
Say yes when I can
Let go

This all has been on my heart, so much so I let Ben skip his nap yesterday -- our first weekday of Summer Break -- so we could go to the spray park and then have snow cones. And you know what? It was fine. His behavior is so much better when he can run and play and discover outside. Yes, he went to bed willingly before 7 p.m., but our napless afternoon was good.
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For our God-sized Dreams post this week, Holley asks: What part of your dream feels the riskiest? 

I wasn't sure what I was going to say. Then I realized the par that feels riskiest is this hard-for-me-to-achieve balance of work and play. Just because my kids are out of school doesn't mean my freelance job or lake house jobs stop. Here's the thing about these jobs: I gradually added on-the-side jobs and now, as I'm working out a balance, it seems like I accidentally went back to work.

Accidentally in the sense that I never said, "I'm going to back to work." But I did pray, "Give me opportunities to use what I know how to do." I probably shouldn't be surprised God led me here. The way it's been gradual has been good for me. I sense God building a foundation for other things to come. I've wanted to use my skills and talents in a way that lets me stay home but still promote and write things I believe in. So here I am. A work-from-home momma who surprised herself a little when she realized she's at the place she believes she's supposed to be.

All of this to say, being here feels risky for me. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of gal, so achieving balance is a constant process for me. I want to be a wife and mom before I'm a writer. The hows of that change as often as the weather. But, really, isn't that the beauty of seasons? 

For now, I'm here. And so is Summer.

Your turn. You've probably thought about what you want to do this summer. But have you considered what you don't want to do? It's worth thinking about. So, with that in mind, what are you going to do this summer?
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Tuesdays are God-sized Dream days around here and I'm linking this post along with many, many other dreamers on Holley Gerth's blog. I'm also linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria party at Finding Heaven Today, where I was reminded for the second time in one day not to be so hard on myself. 

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Real life messes

My house was a mess. And I took pictures. 

The dishes on the right are clean, awaiting their return to their homes. The ones in the sink are obviously dirty. The dishwasher needed unloading and reloaded. Yes, that's grass growing toward the back. People, chill. It's a preschool project that's doing well.

Piles filled the counters and even some spots of the floor. School supplies and backpack contents spilled near the shoes gathered by the door. Please notice to the right the crushed Spiderman Cheez-It crackers. Those crumbs were there at least two days.

Let's take a closer look at those shoes by the door. Six pairs belong to my 6-year-old girl, who obviously likes sparkles; two belong to my 3-year-old boy who has a momma who clearly prefers shoes that don't tie; and one pair belongs to my husband, who would never walk out in the garage barefoot like I would. And, yes, that's some snack trash from my girl's backpack mixed in.

Six loads of laundry waiting to be folded. Another load in the washer waiting to be move to the dryer, which was finishing up its load. I told my girl on Saturday that her new chore is matching socks. She panicked a little. "Do I have to do it every day?"

No, dear. Clearly I don't deal with laundry every day. 

Saturday was a good just-the-four-of-us day. We're all social extroverts, so there is much inviting friends over for dinner {which, actually, I did for Saturday, but the other family couldn't come} and meeting friends at the park and playing games with friends and making an assortment of other plans with friends. But Saturday it was just us. And it was good.

We spent a couple hours going to yard sales, where we scored my boy a bike; drove some things out to our lake house; had lunch at Penn Station; worked outside; watched "Scandal" while Ben napped and Cate played in her room; played outside; cleaned some; ate pizza on the front porch; got the kids to bed early and us adults watched the rest of "Scandal."

Yes, the rest. Like we've watched all 29 existing episodes {seven in season one on Netflix and 22 in season two on Amazon/Hulu} in a couple weeks.

And, yes, notice the lack of cleaning listed in my inventory of our day. A little. Before I tackled the house, I cleaned out the van instead. Priorities, people. I bagged trash, vacuumed crumbs and wipes smudges while my husband used a machete to whack some weeds down near our fence. It's when we came in from doing those chores that we sat on the couch under the ceiling fan and watched "Scandal" for the first of what would be two times that day. We are were addicted and had to know what happened next with Olivia Pope, Fitz Grant and their friends, er, enemies.

The house got clean over the course of Saturday and some of Sunday. Of course, a boy who spilled his milk and got into his sister's nail polish, a girl who chose yet another pair of shoes, and a husband who reminded me Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest were involved. Only a little grumpiness from me was involved. The rest of the time, I enjoyed my family this weekend in and around this sometimes-messy house.
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Giddy up!

One of the best parts of motherhood is watching my child find joy. Recently, Cate has found joy in horses. She likes to watch "My Little Pony" and "Dreamer." She reads books that have horses on their covers. She writes about horses and draws pictures of horses. Her brother points out horses whenever we seem in a pasture along the road. We went to Keeneland this spring and gathered in front of the TV to watch the Derby.

To go along with her horse-themed birthday party, I scheduled a horse riding lesson with a friend from our church as her birthday present. I'm pretty sure that hour would rank among the greatest in her six years of living.

Pure joy, I tell you. 

Thanks to Gran-Gran, she was dressed the part. Isn't that belt buckle adorable?! And that hat is borrowed from our friend/instructor Emilie. Cate befriended Raj, a gentle 20-year-old Arabian and I didn't spot a single nerve from my girl.

While Cate learned about riding a horse, Ben found sticks and swatted at trees. You know, boy things. And then he got a turn to join Cate on Raj. By the smile on his face, he got a taste of the joy Cate had been experiencing.

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Dear Weary Mom ...

Even welcomed transitions can be hard. We have one coming here. It's a small one, but sometimes the small ones are the ones that smack us in the face when we're least expecting them. School is {almost} out for the summer. Tomorrow is my girl's last day of kindergarten.

Cate was made for school. She likes hoarding school supplies, but she uses them too. She writes and draws and creates and learns and remembers and documents. She's a reader and asks millions of questions. She likes making new friends. She generally obeys and follows rules. But even she's ready for a break.

This school year has been good for our family. Deciding to enroll our daughter in a small, private Christian school was a big decision, especially for me. But I've gotten to know God better while I volunteer in those hallways and classrooms. And Cate has gotten to know you better while memorizing scripture, learning to count money and tell time, creating lots of refrigerator art, and writing stories.

But even the best of things can make us weary. Sometimes the journey is exhausting, even when it's filled with blessings. I'm ready for a break from the alarm clock and the homework and carpool that didn't work out like I planned.

I'm always surprised to remember Jesus was tired along his journey. He was going from Judea to Galilee through Samaria. "...and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon." {John 4:6} Y'all. It was lunch time. And Jesus was tired. He'd be going from place to place, trying to teach and instruct people along the way. When he was sitting by the well, he asked a Samaritan woman to give him a drink and a ministry opportunity presented itself.

Weary mom, we've been there. We've been tired before lunch because we go from place to place, trying to care for these people who depend on us. Sit down. Take a drink of water. Jesus tell us to come to him. And remember you are not alone and this season is not forever. This is just one stop on the journey.

Samaria was changed because of that conversation at the well. Samaria knew about living water that always satisfies because Jesus, even when he was weary, spoke truth and made a difference. Really, that's not all that difference from our lives as moms.

So, yes, I'm ready to sit by the well.

I'm ready for afternoons at the pool.

I'm ready for impromptu lunches with friends at the park.

I'm ready for free time, when the kids have to use their imaginations and I can let some creative juices flow.

I'm ready for less commitments on the calendar.

I'm ready to pick strawberries and then blueberries and maybe even blackberries.

I'm ready for a getaway with my husband.

I'm ready for bedtime to be more flexible.

I'm ready for walks to Dairy Queen and the snow cone shack.

I'm ready for the sunshine that tints my kids' skin and makes us dirty and sweaty and tired in the best ways.

I'm dreaming of summer, friends. But that doesn't mean all our summer days are going be perfect. There will be messes and interruptions and plans that fall apart. People will disappoint us and not react like we think they should. Some days rain will keep us inside. Most days will be humid. We will be weary.

But God can be glorified in the imperfections. The truth can be made known in ordinary moments along the journey, even when we want to rest and have someone give us a drink of water.

And I have to remind myself to balance work and play. The writing and lake house managing needs to get done, and it will. But the lengthy to-list will always be around. Yes, I will fulfill my commitments, but it all doesn't have to get done today. I need to repeat that for myself: Not every last thing has to be done right now. 

Sometimes right now is better spent pushing my boy on the swing, going on family walks, playing Uno, and really hearing that song my girl is making up. Jesus decided to spend a couple days in Samaria because the people asked even though his destination was Galilee. {John 4:40}

These days aren't going to be perfect, but these are the days we have. I really do want to make the most of them, realizing life is a journey that changes us and the people around us. To get from here to there, we have to be willing to endure the road, go through transitions, sit down awhile, and let others walk with us.

Come along, weary mom. We're in this together.
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I'm linking up with Hope For the Weary Mom, Jill Savage's blog hop about No More Perfect Days, and Chasing Blue Skies, where this week's Out of the Blue prompt was to share how a passage of scripture surprised us. You'll find encouragement at all of these pleases. 

If you want even more encouragement, "No More Perfect Moms" by Jill Savage is available at Amazon for $10.29 {paperback} or $7.76 {Kindle} and "Hope For the Weary Mom" by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothin is available at Amazon for $4.99 {paperback and Kindle}.

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{God-sized Dreams} Right here, right now

I believe God wants us to make a different where we are. I've been guilty of thinking I'll make a difference ... when I get to be a mom, when my kids are older, when our life slows down. But God finally convinced me of the important living out my faith right now, right here.

Now, whatever season of life you're in my determine how and where and when you can serve. I finally got to be a momma and my kids are still fairly little, so some things would compromise the priorities Greg and I believe God wants for our family. But even then, while serving my family, while waiting for one season to end and another to begin, I can serve my neighbor and my God.

"... While I'm waiting I will serve You, while I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint, I'll be running the race even while I wait
I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord, and I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait; Yes, I will wait
And I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience ..."

{From "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller}

This week's God-sized Dream challenge from Holley: Share about your favorite nonprofit organization. They are all God-sized dream in action.

In last week's God-sized Dream post, I shared about one of my family's favorite nonprofit organizations. Compassion International makes sense to us because raising kids is where my husband and I are. My kids relate to the kids we sponsor. As I've learned about Compassion International, I've been impressed with how its staff executes its mission.

For this week, I thought I'd share about a more local project I've recently learned about and with which I've just gotten involved. The Needline Food Project is a way to incorporate regular giving into families' routines in order to help other families in our community.

The idea is each week when we shop, we'll pick up an extra non-perishable food or hygiene item and store it in a usable shopping bag designated for the project. The on the second Saturday of every other month, a neighborhood coordinator {in my case, that's me ...} will collect all the bags from the families on that coordinator's neighborhood list.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

{Matthew 22:36-40}

I heard about this food project idea just before I heard Jen Hatmaker speak about missional-minded living and loving your neighbor. I was already thinking about ways to get to know the families who live near us. We live across the street from one of the two local parks, so there are often kids walking down our street. Sadly, we've done a poor job getting to know our neighbors and I'm ready to change that.

We have a neighborhood party on the calendar and I'll be handing out flyers for that this week. This food project goes right along with what's on my heart now: I want to know my neighbors. I want to teach my kids to help others. And I want to make a difference here in this community that is my home.
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Tuesdays are God-sized Dream days around here and I'm linking this post along with many, many other dreamers on Holley Gerth's blog. 

I'm also linking up with Jen at her Soli Deo Gloria party.




And on Wednesday, I decided to link up with Jennifer Dukes Lee, who is a master storyteller and asks others to #TellHisStory. 

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Celebrating motherhood

Just one week old, Cate had already changed my life and made me a momma. May 13, 2007.

I became a mother a week before my first Mother's Day. Our new family of three spent the first eight nights of our newborn daughter's life away from home -- one in a hospital room and the next seven in a Comfort Suites room -- while we waited for the green light from folks in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Frankfort, Kentucky, who were signing and mailing and filing interstate adoption paperwork.

There were years of yearning and months of waiting of this specific baby girl, yet in an instant I become a mom. She was not quite 24 hours old when the nurse made sure the car seat was secure in the back of our blue Oldsmobile Alero and then waved goodbye. We left the hospital and headed to that Comfort Suites that was closer to the state line. Just across the river were family and friends who were excited to meet this much-prayed-for and much-hoped-for baby girl. 

But becoming parents doesn't meant you don't want to eat, so we stopped along the way at Arby's. Yes, we had a day-old baby and stopped for curly fries. I even had to change a tiny newborn diaper in the public bathroom. Nothing like diving into real life, huh?

Except we didn't dive all the way in right away. 

For a week, we slept in a hotel, where my only mothering responsibilities included mixing and measuring formula, feeding a precious baby, changing diapers, occasionally answering a phone call from someone wanting to ask one more question regarding our adoption paperwork, washing bottles in a tiny sink, telling my mom and friends what we wanted to eat, and making plans of whether they were coming to our hotel room or we were meeting at a restaurant.

That's so not real life, where laundry piles up, dinner needs to be cooked, the crumbs need to be swept, phone calls need to be returned, appointments need to be scheduled, groceries need to be bought, and homework needs supervised.

But it's here in real life that I'm really a momma. Yes, that baby girl came into my life, rocked my priorities and perception of how I thought things would be, and made me a momma. That's quite a feat for a baby girl who didn't talk or walk and barely weighed 8 pounds, but I haven't been the same since 8:54 p.m. May 6, 2007.

That baby girl turned 6 six days ago and has a 3 1/2-year-old brother who adores her. We have stayed in more hotels, visited with more friends, eaten at other restaurants, filled out more adoption paperwork, and made so many other plans since her birth.

Motherhood is about living and doing and loving and teaching and caring and adjusting, all while these little people who grow up into bigger people watching your every move. I think they aren't listening, but they learn as I do so much more quickly than as I say, which is both good and bad. Moms pour their lives into other lives, creating a legacy that may begin in a hospital room, move to a hotel room, and overflow into real life.
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