Favorite Thing to do on Sunday

Our family's absolute favorite thing to do on Sunday, or at least mine and Steve's favorite thing on Sunday, is to have family dinner. We love to have a traditional dinner on Sunday evening. Tonight was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn. Sometimes we try new recipes, but typically, it's about those classic types of homestyle cooking.

The kids know this and I think they've come to expect and enjoy it. It's the one night a week that everyone really tries to be home for dinner. We try not to schedule other things on Sunday evening. We try to just be in that moment. No rushing through dinner to get running onto other activities, no going out to eat,  and we try to not have company on Sunday night.

This helps us to re-connect. It helps us to look at what's coming up for the next week. It's a chance, sometimes the only one we get, to just have a conversation with all the kids.

I think it's something we'll continue to do. I would like the kids to know that no matter where they are, or what they are doing, they can come home for dinner. To connect, to eat a good wholesome meal, and to just be.

Prom!

So today's prompt is actually supposed to be your favorite workout routine but let's be honest, I don't have one and I could fill the page with my plans of having one and making empty promises of what's to come. I've found that when I do that, I am really just setting myself up for guilt feelings when I don't follow through and then I tend to eat most of my feelings so...well, I'm going to write about what is going on at our house today instead. 

It's all about Rythm today and PROM!! She is going with one of her best friend's, Marcus. They are going to North Star's prom and I am SO excited. She has her hair done, her nails done, her dress and accessories are ready. She's actually getting dressed as I type this. 

I will post more pics on fb later. This was her "hair is done and getting my nails done" picture. I can't wait to see her all ready to go. We are going to the park to take pics and then sending her and Marcus on their way. 

I pray that it will be everything she dreams it to be. I hope she has fun and remembers that this is a life experience that she will have the memories of forever. I pray that she continues to make good choices and that tonight be a dream night for her. 

As with all milestone events, this one will be met with a few "missing mom" tears, and that's just fine. My sister is in everything we do, everyday. This should be no different. I pray that mom watch over her and smile upon her on this very special day. 

Love you Rythm!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...About Spring

So I'm a geek and am pretty excited about this one. I love Spring...LOVE SPRING! The grass starts to turn green, the trees bloom, the flowers bloom. Every day I come home to something new peeking out in my flower garden. Soon it will be time for my hubby and his helper to start the garden.

The other morning we were headed out the door for school and I heard a very excited "MOM! Look, the grass is turning green!" I am not sure who was more excited. 

I left home one day and said to Steve, "some of my flowers are coming up." I then came home home to this...

Okay...that's a bit of an exaggeration since the sky hasn't really been that blue yet and I don't have quite as beautiful looking daffodils, but you get the picture. :)

So here are a few of my other favorite things about Spring...

-the days seem longer because it's light out later
-the kids spend more time outside (I adore hearing their laughter as they play in the driveway and yard)
-the birds visit the bird feeder and it freaks out one of the daughters and makes the rest of us giggle
-the kids get excited about school coming to a close for the year
-Easter is coming!
-softball will be starting for Ms. G
-less clothes!! (I can fit way more pairs of shorts in the washer than jeans!)
-and last, but more importantly, the SUN shines and I am able to feel much needed relief from the evils of depression and anxiety. 

Day 3 of 30

Prompt: What makes you, you

Okay, so I've been thinking about this one a little bit. I believe that I am not the same me that I was yesterday, or the day before that. I am absolutely (and thankfully) not the me I was a year ago, 5 years ago, etc, etc...So what continues to make me, me? 

First and foremost, my relationship with God has made me a different, and better, me than I was. I believe that I am more compassionate, more caring, more understanding, less judgmental, more forgiving. The list goes on. God makes me, me. More importantly, my relationship with Him makes me, me. 

I am firm believer that the really bad things that happen in your life can do one of two things for you. They can make you bitter, cynical, angry, and hateful. Or, they can make you better, wiser, stronger. Whenever something truly traumatic happens I go into "survival" mode. Give me a couple days, few weeks, a month (depending on the severity of the event) and I fall apart. I am a wreck for a couple of days and then, the things that make me, me truly kick in.

I AM a better, wiser, stronger person for everything single that has happened and will happen in my life. I AM a survivor, a compassionate person, a listener, a fighter, a supporter, a lover. I AM all of those things. I am NOT weak, though I have my weak moments. I am NOT incapable of handling things, though I falter at times. My life is NOT a mistake, though I have made mistakes. 

What makes me, me? My God, my husband, my children, my past, my future, my accomplishments, my failures. Those are the things that make me, me. 

30 Days (Day 1 on 2)

I realized that I could still do day 1, I'd just be a day behind and that's okay with me because day one's prompt was...

Your Goals For the Month of April
1. Realizing that it's never REALLY too late to accomplish the things you want to accomplish (I figured that was fitting)

2. Actually nailing this 30 day challenge...I really DO want to blog more...this will be a good challenge for me

3. I am going to walk more this month. I really need to get to stepping and I think I've run out of excuses

4. I am going to be more patient and more soft spoken with my children and husband 

5. I am going to "hide" less often

6. I am going to love more

7. My house is really going to get clean (thank you for the new mop honey)

I have a bunch more that I could add but I think these are a good start. I'll let you know how it goes. 

30 Days of Blogging (Day 2)

I'm going to try my hardest to do this. Maybe it will help me get back into swing of this. My friend issued a "challenge" for 30 days of blogging in April. I missed day one. I know, I know, I'm not off to that great of a start but alas...here I am. Today's prompt is...

"Your Biggest Fear"
There are a lot of things in life that I fear. If you ask my kids what I'm most afraid of, they will tell it's the dreaded "s" word. The slimy (though I've been told they aren't actually slimy), slithering thing that used get the loudest screams from Grandma as she worked in the flowers. The most common ones in our part of NE are green, not all that long...of course that doesn't really matter. Anything that gets around that fast and quietly, is a little scary.

Over summer vacation I tried to concur that fear. Well, I won't say it's been concurred, and I can almost promise you that I won't be doing it again but I faced the fear. For a brief moment at least.

I don't think that this is probably as deep, or necessarily even the type, of fear that was suggested we tackle on day 2 of 30 but that's where I took it today. Well, that's the best part of this...it can be whatever I need it to be.

Big shout out and thank you to Kelsey for encouraging more blogging! 

Blessings by Laura Story

"Blessings" is the name of this song. The words are perfect, and quite often come at exactly the moment I need them. 

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise