Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Hang on Mama!

Have you ever had one of those days? I have just encountered one! The boys and I had good days at school and then BAM...trouble strikes. Levi has been experiencing some problems using the potty in the past few days. I will not go into great detail but after spending a good 10 minutes on my doctor's nurse advice line, it was revealed to me that this is normal. It can be a three year olds way of demonstrating their control. "You can't make me go!" kind of deal. The problem is that he is causing himself restless nights and obviously he just doesn't feel well :(

You would think that I could go into this situation, being informed by the nurse of how to combat this problem, with a clear and calm will. He gave me every one of his best shots. Refusing to eat the prunes, crying and screaming about coming within a few feet of the bathroom, he even told me that "I was not his best friend AT ALL!" That hurts when your babe tells you that! Although, I remained rather calm about the situation at the time, I had a very disgruntled heart.

You have no idea how much I wanted to take back my no facebook or tv pledge for this month! I wanted to ask for advice or just plop Levi in front of a show to distract him from the problem at hand. Then, it hit me, this is hard and working through real life problems can be just that. Escaping is not the answer. Committing to stay the course and rely on my heavenly Father is the only true way to parent. Not "escaping" through my usual avenues.

I also kept running a line from a book I recently read by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae called "Desparate...Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe" through my head. Sally had been having quite a day with her children. Her husband came home and she began to pour it all on him and ask why will they just not be obedient. He responded by telling her they will probably stop sinning whenever she learns how to.

Oh yeah, good reminder to me! I may not express my sin the same way but holding an angry heart at my child for his dilemma is just as sinful. I am also running our preschool Bible Verse on auto replay in my brain. "Cast all your care upon him; for her cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

I'm hanging on to this experiment but it feels like only by a thread today!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

The Experiment - Day 3

We are on the third day of our shedding of waste for the month of November. I sit here this evening feeling like such a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Our family has just had a full day (beginning at dinnertime on Saturday) of keeping the Sabbath. I think every person has their own idea of Sabbath. I can tell you that I don't think I actually let myself embrace the rest until this morning. Yesterday I kept thinking of all the things that I hadn't finished and had to leave undone. Today I am looking around my house with a renewed sense of what is important and what is not. I began today with one of my favorite activities, running with my feet crunching the leaves and the cool weather without the jogging stroller. A half hour of exercise without my little guys was so rejuvenating to my spirit. After my run, we went to church and enjoyed worship and fellowship. We came home and relaxed while the boys took naps. We also joined some friends to see the movie Planes (which we decided is not violating the no TV rule ;) followed by a dinner out. We decided we will not be attempting another movie with Asher anytime soon because he just wanted to get down and move. Today was a breath of fresh air and our spirits are rejuvenated. Praise God!

This week I have pushed the facebook app on my phone twice and quickly backed out of it before seeing anything. It makes me realize how quickly I run to the world of facebook to escape the mundane in my life. I have to make the choice to serve my children by playing race cars, wrestling, listening to their stories, and taking time to discipline with love instead of distracting them with turning on the television or escaping to my own vices (aka facebook). It takes a lot more energy but I find myself feeling so much more at peace living the life God has given me rather than comparing it with everyone else's on facebook.

One of my favorite reductions of waste this month is to not purchase prepackaged snacks. I made homemade granola bars and Levi kept complimenting them. It's a big deal when he compliments food! We went to the Farmer's Market and I bought a whole box of "deer" apples (apples with a spot that can't be sold in the regular baskets) for $8. What a deal! I also left with 2 heads of lettuce, a few tomatoes, green beans, and sweet potatoes. I love how large the Farmer's Market is and how easy it is to get to. It makes buying local produce pretty convenient.

I look forward to finding more and deeper revelations as this experiment continues. For now, I am resolved to continue to observe the Sabbath. It is truly awesome to feel such renewal after rest!
Our first Sabbath dinner