Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. You can even write one yourself!

"Not Me! Monday!" is an unembarrassing way to admit things you totally didn't do this week!

Let's get started; shall we?

When I saw yet another dust bunny creep out from under the entertainment center while dusting last week, I certainly did not kick it back underneath there with my toe, pretending I had never seen it. Nope! Not me!

I did not grind extra coffee and throw it away every morning this week, just to make sure I used the coffee "within 7-10 days", like the back of the bag says. I am never wasteful, so I would most certainly never do something like that!

I also did not nurse and rock my baby to sleep every night this week! That would be spoiling him! He will never be able to go to sleep on his own, now, so I most definitely didn't do that!

Last Wednesday, when our local grocery store had a 30% off closing sale, I did not go there after my dentist appointment just to get a few extra minutes alone. Nope! Not me! I wanted to get home as fast as I could, but I realllly needed 30% off peanut butter and orange juice.

On Saturday, I did not walk up to my husband, rub my knuckles on his head and ask him if he "wanted a nookie" to which he did not reply (looking somewhat embarrassed), "Um...honey, I think you mean noogie." Nope! Not me! I know the difference between those two words!

I did not just look up the word "noogie" to make sure I spelled it right.

Yesterday at church, when my husband took our son to the bathroom to change his diaper, I did not get up after 10 minutes to make sure he hadn't handed our son to my mother-in-law, who was sitting in the back. Nope! Not me! I like to share time with my baby!

Join in and let us know what you did not do this week!

Don't wanna preach....

but unfortunately I take after my dad in that I can never miss the oppotunity to pass up a good object lesson.

I'll save that for later, though.

Since I've started staying home with Kade, I've tried to get my cleaning/hosewifely duties on a schedule. Usually, it goes something like this:


Monday-All laundry (wash, dry, and fold; usually 3-4 loads); generally straighten up the house from the weekend.
Tuesday-finish any laundry; dust everything
Wednesday-bathrooms (toilet, sink, bathtub, mirrors)
Thursday-floors (sweep and/or mop)
Friday-project like cleaning out a closet and/or straightening up
Saturday-Nothing
Sunday-Nothing



I love being able to get all my house cleaning done during the week and not having to give up my time with Michael or Kade on the weekends to scrub toilets.

But, by Sunday night, my normally *ahem* pristine house looks like this--

Yep, after just two days, there are dishes piled up in the sink, the counters are cluttered with junk, and the floor is covered with crumbs and particles of dust that stick to your feet when you walk across the room. Yuck!

I could blame it on my husband being home for a full two days, but it is I who choose to do asolutely nothing around the house on Saturday or Sunday.

Every Monday, I have to start all over.

If my house looks like the above picture after only two days, imagine what would happen if I cleaned my house only one day a week and relaxed the rest of the week (Not saying I haven't done that before). You wouldn't even be able to wade through the mess!

Kind of reminds me of life sometimes.

Every Sunday, I go to church. I get right with God, worship Him, ask for forgiveness, listen to a great message, and go home with a warm, fuzzy feeling that lasts the rest of the day.

But sometimes, for the rest of the week, I let it all go. After all, I got right with God on Sunday. That should hold up for a few days. So, I snap at my husband or whine about all I have to do or gossip or all of the above and more. By the time the next Sunday rolls around, I'm in a bigger mess than I was the Sunday before. So, I ask for forgiveness again, feel clean and refreshed and go home with a warm, fuzzy feeling that lasts the rest of the day.

Annnnnd....Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I am in no way saying that there's anything wrong with me relaxing on the weekends when it comes to my house. When it comes to my heart and my relationship with God, though, it's a completely different story.

What a better week I have when I spend time each day with God, whether it be just starting off my day with prayer or reading a devotional or worshipping him while I'm cleaning or driving down the road. When Sunday rolls around, I don't feel like I have to start all over. I can just enjoy being in his presence.

What a mess my house would be if I let it go all week!
And what a mess my heart would be if I said, "Ok, God, have a good week! See you next Sunday!"

This week, I will try to keep my heart as neat as my home!

And maybe next Sunday night, I'll wash the dishes!

Be blessed this week!

You only get just one time around.....

MckMama, an awesome blogger and woman of God, wrote a blog post today about how she stays calm with her children in the midst of chaos (she has 4 children, 5 and under, and one on the way!). She said that she always thinks, "I'm gonna miss this"; that when her oldest comes home from college and will hardly come out of his room, she will wish she had rocked him to sleep one more time.
Her post hit me hard. I prayed and begged and pleaded with God to provide for me to stay home with Kade. He did exactly what I asked and I was so grateful!
But, as the newness has worn off, I've started taking it for granted. Why can't Kade take a long enough nap for me to get anything done around the house?! Why does he have to eat every two hours?! It seems like I spend most of the day just feeding him! Why won't he go to sleep until at least 12 every night?! I'm so tired! Why won't he let his daddy put him to sleep?!
Ugh....I can't believe how whiny it sounds, now! God has blessed my family beyond what I could have ever imagined. Instead of missing seven hours a day with him, I'm able to experience seven extra hours a day with him. SEVEN HOURS. Thirty-five more hours a week!
I could be missing thirty-five hours a week from his life, but God heard my cry! When I think about it, I feel like falling prostrate on the floor and begging God's forgiveness.
I get to see him wake up, take my time feeding him, play peek-a-boo, hold him in my arms as he naps, pray over him, read him books, sing him songs--and I don't have to rush out the door. I don't have to wish away my days, just waiting for the weekend. I get to enjoy his life. What an awesome gift!
Though we will have other children, there's just this one time around with each one. And though I may be tired at the end of the day, I will choose to savor every moment I have with my son. When he's having trouble going to sleep tonight because his gums hurt and all he wants is mommy, I will rock him in our chair and sing praise songs to him and stroke his soft hands, and rub his back until he drifts off peacefully, knowing his mommy loves him and wanted to be with him.
Because, you only get just this time around.......