Christian Momma

Have you ever had this dream…you know it’s there, but the picture isn’t quite clear?  You know there’s something special there, but you just can’t quite remember all the details?  You can still feel those “feelings” you had when you first had the dream, but now you can’t quite remember how that dream went?

How do you get that dream back?  Do you try and recreate the same atmosphere you had when you first had the dream?  Do you try and think on something little that you remember in hopes that it will trigger the whole dream again?

What if you can’t get that dream back?  Then what?  Do you just move on and forget about it?  Or do you try and figure it out?

Here I sit, with those thoughts.  I can’t quite figure out what exactly it was about anymore, but the feelings are still there.

What am I talking about?  What God has called me to do.  I know he told me once…I know the general idea of what it is, but here I am waiting on those details.  Did he tell me those and I forgot?  Or has He not yet revealed them to me?

My vision is clouded with all the “stuff” that is around me on a daily basis.  My quiet time hasn’t been what is should be.  I know that to grow in faith, I need to dive into the word and spend time with Him…so why is it that my quiet time has been the hardest time to come by?  I feel as though I rush through just so I can mark that off he “to do” list.  I know it’s not right, but that’s what is happening.  And now, I have more questions about what I’m supposed to be doing instead of answers.

I need someone to cheer me on…someone to hold me accountable…someone I’m comfortable enough to share everything with…a mentor!  Someone besides my husband (although, he would probably work, I think I need a “girlfriend”).

Where does one begin to find a mentor, or an accountability partner?

I’m of the timid type and have never really had a friend (besides my husband) that I’ve shared EVERYTHING with…this is difficult for me, and I’m not sure why that is.  It’s not like I don’t like talking…quite the contrary!  But to be so open to someone, what if I get hurt?  Please pray for me!

Do you have an accountibility partner?  What about a Mentor?  Both?  How did you come to have your accountability partner/mentor?

Ok, I need to appologize, I started this post out in one direction and it ended up in a total different one…sorry about that.  I don’t want to edit it because 1…it’s too late for me to do that, and 2…this is something I needed to get out…all of it!

As you may (or may not) know, I sing on our church’s Praise and Worship team once or twice a month, depending on the schedule.

Today I was on the schedule, which means a practice on Saturday morning for Sunday services.  Saturday morning was met with me bringing all 4 boys to practice (something I don’t like doing because it’s hard to sing and yell at the boys for doing something they shouldn’t be doing!

Anyway, in one of the songs, I sang a “round” by myself…I was nervous yesterday singing it…you could hear my voice shaking!  So, last night I spent some time praying, asking God to cleanse me so that I can go into worship on Sunday with a pure heart.

Today, I worshiped the Lord…didn’t care if I messed up or not, it’s not about how I sounded…it’s all about how my heart was.  Today, my heart was worshiping God.

What is worship to you?  Is it the music you sing to God?  I’d like to know!

I was reading my morning blog feeds, and came across one that made me pause…and seriously contimplate what I have been doing way too often in my life!

Peter from Without Wax had a post entitled:  I’m Tired of this Game.  In it, he talks about comparisons he makes about other people.  I sat there and realized, I too do this ALL the time!  I don’t like it, it doesn’t make me feel better about myself either.  Usually, I look at them and wish I were that way…I see something I am lacking in my own life.  If I’m not careful, it can lead to jealously…something that is ugly in and of itself!

I am who God intended me to be and I shouldn’t be comparing myself to anyone else!

I have been working with the Children’s Ministry director at our church to get things together for the Teacher’s appreciation luncheon.  I need some help!

I am looking for contemporary Christian songs that have meaning that would go along with doing God’s work.  I’m working on a video/photo presentation and am in need of 2-3 songs.  I have one in mind already and there are a couple I don’t want to use that I know…but I still need more!

What is your favorite Christian Song that you would use?  Do you have a web site that you can point me to?

For Noah’s birthday, he got $20 in cash from his Grandma and Grandpa.  Usually when our children get money, we take it so that it gets spent wisely…you know on toys that we approve of or just a small amount of candy, not something that would rot his teeth completely out.

He was given this card with the $20in it at Dave & Buster’s and apparently stuffed the money into his wallet.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon when we do our usual grocery shopping.  Kevin and I were at the check-outs and Michael and Noah were hanging out around those little vending machines…the ones you get toys out of for a quarter.

Do you know what is beside those vending machines?  A machine that sells lottery tickets.  I’m sure you can see where this is going.

We get out to the car and are loading up and I see this lottery ticket in the car…

Me: “Where did you get this lottery ticket?” I assumed they picked up a scratched up one off the floor.

Michael & Noah: “From the machine” As if it was no big deal.

Me: “Where did you get the money to buy this?”

Noah: “From Grandma and Grandpa”

Me: “She gave you dollar bills?” Again, assuming that they only bought 1 each.

Michael: “No, Noah put the $20 bill into the machine”

**gasping** My children who are 11 and 8 purchased $20 worth of lottery tickets!!

Guess how much they won?

$2!  What a great investment!!  I’m so proud! Can you hear the sarcasm?

At 3:30 am…8 years ago, I woke up to go to the bathroom, then realized I was having contractions.  They weren’t bad or anything and I have been having Braxton Hicks for months, so I figured it was more ofthe same!

I sat on the rocker for a little while (my mom was visiting us, she had flown out to CO a week prior hoping to be there when I went into labor).  Mom woke up and asked me if I was in labor, I told her I wasn’t sure, that they really didn’t hurt.  She decided to time them.  They were coming at a steady 7 minutes apart.

Around 6 am, I woke Kevin up to let him know that my contractions were 7 minutes apart and weren’t going away.  He called work and left a message for them and laid back down for a little while before getting himself into the shower.  At this time, my mom decided that she was going to jump into the shower so that she would be ready to go when the time came.

I called the doctor at 8 am to let her know that I thought I might be in labor.  The doctor called back and asked me what number baby I was having.  After telling her that it was my second, she informed me that I should get my butt to the hospital.

Now, if you read how long I was in labor with Michael, you would know that I was in the mindset that I was going to be in labor for quite sometime and that I would be sent home from the hospital more than once.

After getting off the phone with the doctor, I decided I would take a shower…after all, I needed to shave my legs!  I ended up having 4 contractions in the shower while shaving…I knew right then that it was time to go!

Off to the hospital we went.  The trip there took us a whole wopping 5 minutes…we lived close to the hospital.

We walk onto the labor and delivery floor (9 am) and the nursing staff looks at me and asks “Can I help you?” I told them that I was in labor…and the looks on their faces, I thought for sure that as soon as they checked me that we would be heading back home.

After being checked and told “You’re 6 cm and your bag is buldging”, I figured it was time to settle into the fact that I wasn’t leaving the hospital anytime soon. I think this fact threw all of us for a loop…including the nurse, she said it like she was so surprised!  We got all settled in, an epidural, and Michael was taken to a friend’s house (he wasn’t doing too well at the hospital, and my mom wanted I wanted my mom to be in the room with me).

My labor pains weren’t “strong” enough, so I was given some piticin to help that (I was peaking at 25 on my own, with piticin, I was peaking at 125…thank God for that epidural, I didn’t feel that!!).

Right as I was beginning to push, the doctor stopped focusing on me and started talking to Kevin.  Apparently, he was turning white…she instructed him to sit down and the nurse ran and got him some juice and crackers.  That’s all I needed was for him to faint!

By 12:45, Noah arrived.  I was surprised at how quickly went this time around.  He was only 2 days overdue.

So, today, we celebrate Noah’s 8th birthday!  How, well, he’s at school.  My parents are coming down this afternoon (the boys have no idea) and then tomorrow we are going to Dave & Buster’s!

Happy Birthday Noah!!

Dad’s home from the hospital!  He got home yesterday!!  Thanks to everyone who was praying for him.  He still has a lot of things to figure out (insurance, retirement, disability, etc.).  He still has some pain in his feet, but not nearly as much, his kidneys are working properly again.

Hurricane Ike hit Ohio!  Sounds funny, yes?  Well, we got a huge wind storm out of it (no rain, just wind) and it knocked out the power on Sunday afternoon.  We got power back last night (Monday).  The boys have been off of school for 2 days and they don’t have school again on Wednesday.  Kevin’s shop that he works in is out of power too.

We drove around Monday to see all the trees down.  There were many power lines down too.

Tonight we invited a family over for supper, they are still without power.

Noah is going to turn 8 on Friday!  Wow…time sure flies!

I guess they call this a “dump” post (or something like that).

Could I please ask you to pray for him?  He’s in the hospital.  He went in on Wednesday for a MRI on his feet since they have been swollen and so sore he couldn’t walk on them.  After they did the MRI, they admitted him into the hospital.

Diagnosis:  He has arthritic feet and the gout is attacking the arthritis causing extreme pain.  I should also mention here that Dad is diabetic and the medication that they usually give gout patients effects kidneys, so they had to watch what to give him.

After talking to my mom today, they will be transporting my dad to another hospital due to his kidneys not working the way they should (getting worse).  They also have to stop the gout medication as well because they contribute that to the Kidneys gettin worse.

My dad is in a lot of pain and has been having all those wonderful side effects of the medication (flu-like symptoms).  Please pray that the doctors can find the proper medication to use that will clear up the gout and not mess with his Kidneys so they can treat his feet (they can’t treat his feet until the gout is gone).  I pray that God will HEAL him!

Thank you!

Trying out my new siggy…what do you think?  Now if only there was a way for it to automitacally be added to the bottom of each post…is it possible??  Do you know??

I have 2 Monkeys for sale.  Their Names?  Daniel & Andrew!

Today when I sent them to take a nap, I go in to check on them and they had their toddler beds (which are were on wheels) moved over to their dresser and Andrew was standing up on top of it!  Daniel, I’m sure, was on his way there too!

Needless to say, they were in a bit of trouble for climbing up on the dresser and for moving their beds.  I have taken the wheels off their beds because I’m such a mean mom so they can’t move them as easily.

Talk about having a heart-attack seeing your 3 year old standing up on top of a dresser that’s as tall as you are!  I bet he could touch the celing!!