Tuesday Memory (Yep, I'm Late) Mommy Me Time: Mandate or Myth

(Originally published on 7/16/2012)

It seems to me there are two schools of thought when it comes to "Mommy Me Time."  Some will insist that moms take time for themselves, while others insist such an idea is nothing but selfish and unnecessary. The former take on it seems to be far more prevalent.

When my youngest was born, I had eight kids under 12.  It was crazy.  People were always trying to convince me that I needed to "get away."  When I did, I admit I enjoyed myself, but it actually made it harder on me when I came back home.  For me, I would rather just stay in the trenches.  My idea of me time was simply reading a book, or watching a movie.  I never liked leaving my kids.  Besides, usually the place was a mess when I got home, and I always felt like I'd lost than more I'd gained!

Another thing I did for myself that I could do at home was to start this blog.  It gave (gives!) me something I can call my own, yet it does not pull me too far away from my family.  Actually, over the years, doing product reviews has actually caused me to spend even more time with my kids.

I don't agree with those folks who say moms are selfish to want to get away.  I think it's good for moms to recharge.  After all, recreation means re-creation.  It's like maintenance.  Moms who serve their family non-stop and never get a break will eventually burn out.  That being said, however, I seem to notice a dangerous trend.  Moms aren't just wanting to recharge so they can serve their families better.  I have heard story after story of moms wanting to do something for themselves, purely for their own self-gratification.  Many mothers have decided that they have "done their time" and need to "find themselves" or whatever.  I have seen several moms over the years take this attitude.  Most are divorced.

Like everything else, "me time" has to be balanced.  Moms need time to get refreshed and recharged for sure, but, please, moms, don't let yourselves get so burnt-out that you feel the need to run away from everything forever.  Other than our relationship with God, our relationships with our husbands and children are the most important relationships we will ever have.  Sure, take a break, but do it for your family as well as yourself.  You will be blessed!

Happy re-creation!

Christmas music from Morgan Harper Nichols!

If you haven't heard of Morgan Harper Nichols, you're missing out on one of Christian music's most promising rising stars. Morgan is a beautiful young woman with a heart for the Lord that is often sadly missing in the contemporary Christian music culture. She's the real deal. Not only is Morgan a musician, singer, and songwriter, she's a gifted artist, writer, poet, teacher, and encourager. She posts daily devotionals on Instagram and Facebook, publishes devotional e-books , creates YouTube videos and Periscopes to encourage other creative people, and, well, it would take a long time to list everything she does. It can all be found on her website. Click here to check it out.

Morgan has a true gift for creating simple yet profoundly deep lyrics that will stay with you and feed your soul. Prodigal Christmas is no exception. She takes the idea of a family member going home at Christmastime, inspired by the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and creates a parallel to a prodigal coming home to the Lord, where the light it always on. 

Love the song Prodigal Christmas? Buy it and other songs from Morgan Harper Nichols on iTunes here, Google Play here, or Amazon MP3 here !

Monday Memory: 4 Degrees of Separation (Originally posted 01/03/12)

Sorry, I'm a wee bit late getting my Monday Memory posted!

Some like it hot. I am one of those someones! If I were in charge, my thermostat would be set at LEAST 72 degrees. Sane Man, on the other hand, likes it at 68 degrees. At that temp I am in fuzzy socks, boots, a turtleneck, a scarf, and a sweater. I am always sneaking it up a few degrees when he leaves, and then sometimes I forget all about it and he comes home to a nice warm home. I then have to very covertly set it back to 68 which can be tricky because the thermostat is in the direct line of sight from his favorite chair. Thankfully, he often takes a quick trip to the bedroom or bathroom before sitting down.

This got me to thinking about the Garden of Eden. It was paradise, right? Well, I seriously don't know any couple that is in full agreement on temperature. Most of the ladies I know are always cold and their dh's always are hot. (Yeah, my dh is hot!  LOL) The rare few gals I know that like the heat lower seem to have married those few rare guys who are always cold. So how could it be paradise for both Adam and Eve? Could they have possibly agreed on the same temperature?  Hmmm...

So, after pondering it a bit, I decided it probably had a whole lot less to do the temperature than it did with the fact that in Eden they hadn't yet sinned. Adam and Even were not obsessed with their own personal comfort like we tend to be as fallen people. Maybe if I were more focused on my husband's needs than my own, I would not be so dead set on making myself comfortable.  Plus, it would be a lot cheaper. Well, until summer.  ;)

Image obtained here.

Monday Memories: So, I was having a bad day...

Hey Everyone! I thought I'd start reposting some of my older posts on Mondays. Hope you enjoy! (From August 19, 2011)

A couple weeks ago I was having a really bad day. I have six boys (and just two girls) and sometimes the testosterone level just gets a little too high for my taste. Anyway, the two youngest boys seemed to be in super-duper hyperactive mode. They were bouncing around the house, loud, and not exactly following my list of things to do. I was getting quite stressed out when a couple of the older boys decided to "get into it." This is actually a rarity around here these days (thank goodness!) so when it happens, especially when I am already stressed, it really wears on me. It was just "one of those days."

On top of all of that, my oldest son's engine has recently died. Never fun. So, that evening he asked if he could use his dad's car or my van to go to church.  I told him he could, and he took the car. (The van is having its own issues since two cars collided in front of me, and then one of them crashed into me, at a four-way stop.)  Anyway, my son got to the church, drove into the parking lot, pulled into his space, and THUD! The bearing or something broke and the car was suddenly on the ground. I don't mean the tires, I mean, you know, the actual frame.  Okay, so now we were down to just my van and my other son's car. (We do have a fifth vehicle, but it's not exactly in road-worthy condition either.)

So, let's just say when I got the call from my son that evening, I was not exactly thrilled with the news. The day was nearly over and I was glad for it. And now this lovely news meant we had to survive with one less vehicle, and it had already been a bit of a challenge with my son's car broken down. Why this?

A little later a light bulb went off in my head. (And, mind you, it was not one of those new screwy mercury-laden ones that can contaminate your home. It was a good old thank-you-Thomas-Edison iridescent bulb.)  I realized that if my son's car had been running he'd have taken his own car and my husband would have taken his car to work the next day.  He drives nearly half an hour to work and at speeds up to 50 MPH.  It might very well have broken down while he was driving and caused an accident.  He and/or others could have been seriously hurt or worse.  Yet the timing was perfect when it broke down at the church.

So, here is what I learned: Sure, not all days are going to be perfect. Actually, none of them are.  Some days are going to bad, and some are going to be downright horrible. But how do you know that your bad day didn't keep you from having a horrible one that day, or the next, or at some other time in the future?  Once my little light bulb went off, I realized that maybe those broken down vehicles may have saved my husband's life.  Of course, maybe everything would have been okay had he taken his car in the morning, but either way, I know that God is Control.  And I wouldn't want it any other way.

I'm Back and More Crazy than Ever! :)

Well, hello there! Is there anybody still out there? It's been a minute, but am finally going to get back into the swing of things, so I thought I would start by giving a quick family update. It's been eight years since I started blogging, and things have really changed!

It's crazy that every one of my children was still under 18 when I started out. Now five of them are (so-called) adults, and one is less than a year away! In 2008 I had all eight in school, from 12th grade down do kindergarten. Now I have only three in my homeschool, only two of which I actively school. I am actually less than five years from "retirement" now. I think when that day comes I'll have some sort of identity crisis. Until then, I just keep moving forward.

So here's an update on the kids:

Firstborn is now 25 and a front desk supervisor at a large hotel. He always wanted to be a doctor, got about halfway through school for bio-medical engineering, but just did not like the academic grind. Right now he is still trying to decide what he wants to do when he grows up, but I'm sure whatever he does, he'll succeed. He has a heart of gold, great communication skills, and looks great in a suit. He currently leads the young adults group at church, and just recently bought a very nice midnight blue Dodge Charger. Oh, and he now has a girlfriend as of last week! :)

Renaissance Man is 23 and is employed as tech support/web developer guy. Sorry, I don't know the right title.  He is also married! Yep, a little over two years ago he married a lovely young lady I'll call Mrs. Ren. No kids yet, but I'm trying to be patient. I'm not sure I'm really ready to be a grandma yet, anyway. :)

Mr. Personality is 22 and is over halfway through nursing school! God willing he will graduate in May. Right now he is working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at a local hospital. Never saw that coming. Still as hyper as always, I'm sure he brings lots of excitement to the hospital. LOL

Woggit is 20 and works at a local fast food place and is in the culinary arts program at the local college. His dream is to own a restaurant. He bought a truck this summer but it still working on getting his license. Not lot of time to practice driving these days! Hes still loves all things computer and is the most content person ever. He is the worst person ever to buy a gift for as he has everything he needs.

Princess, 18, is also at the local college taking photography classes. She is both a photographer and a musician. She plays guitar, bass, and sings. Right now she and her brother, Dode, are recording an album! She also works as a cashier/server at a local tourist attraction. She loves having a job. Every day it seems something comes for her in the mail. :)

Dode is 17 and my first fully academic child. Hallelujah! It's about time! He is a very good student and works very hard to get all of his schoolwork done in a timely manner. He has a very full plate this year and is doing Algebra 2, Trigonometry, and Physics. Yes, he's a math nerd. Thankfully he understands it and has a fabulous co-op teacher who is literally heaven sent. He is still rockin' the drums, but now he is also learning guitar. As I said above, he and his sister are making an album. Can't wait to hear it!

Bear is 15. She is my sweetheart. She loves all things girly like nail polish, doing her hair, baking cakes from scratch, and giant teddy bears. Then she goes out and mows the lawn or skateboards. Of course, her favorite thing in the world is animals, especially dogs. She wants to be a veterinary assistant or maybe even a vet.

Aber is 13. This is significant because that means I have no "children." Nope, all teens or young adults. It's kinda sad, but I digress. Baber has been a challenge. He just now is reading on his own! I knew it would happen, but I admit I was getting a little worried about when it was going to happen. He is definitely like his dad in that he is much more interested in hands-on things than he is academics. Like his dad, he's super smart. He might not test well, but he will win at life I am sure. He's my baby and I sure do love him. He is now taller than me even though I clearly told him that was not allowed.

My husband, Sane Man, is still working as an engineer and teaching a weekly Bible study for men.

Well, that's about it. Oh, and there's me. Well, I'm pretty much doing the same old thing. I teach, I cook, I shop, I clean. Most days it doesn't look I've made any progress with any of it. I just keep going though. What else can I do? LOL

I do hope my readers are still out there somewhere and will read what I write. I love comments, so I'd love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more reviews, stories, and whatever else comes to my crazy mind. I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about. Never a dull moment here in the Crazy House!