Doing the Next Thing

If you're like me, navigating the ever-growing ocean of technology can be a daunting task. Computers, smart phones, ipods, oh my! Especially when it comes to setting boundaries for ourselves and our children regarding social media and gaming. Technology itself is not only not inherently evil, it can be a tremendous blessing -- who hasn't searched google for a last-minute recipe, reconnected with a long lost friend on facebook, shared photos with family online, or simplified Christmas by shopping websites? It would be foolish to scorn these blessings by avoiding technology altogether. And as the Socialnomics video below points out ... whether you like it or not, you *can't* avoid it. Technology is part of our world and we can't escape it. My dear friend Wendy has shared her family's new Technology Policy as a guest post on Daily On My Way to Heaven. As Wendy says, we do our children a disservice by sheltering them from technology, rather than train them to th...

I love this post from the Femina blog. So familiar. We are in the midst of our own festive happy chaos. Decorating & redecorating (after kids/cats un-decorate.) Baking cookies instead of dinner. Too many events. But rejoicing - the King of Heaven humbled himself to be born a poor, human baby, live in our broken world, and die for the forgiveness of sins. So ... let's whoop it up and embrace the chaos!

A friend on Facebook posted this brilliant video on 25 ways to tie a scarf. At the end, you can click the thumbnail of your favorite and get a tutorial. Love! (If you're like me, you have a bunch of scarves folks have given you as gifts. Now go grab one, put on your fave plain black tee, and get to work!) Now, anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I'm NOT a fashionista. Like every mom, I'm busy - comfort and practicality determine most of my wardrobe. That doesn't mean I don't want to look pretty and feminine. I like to think of my style as cute-chubby-feminine-casual. ;-) By taking advantage of the pretty scarves I've collected, I can wear the comfy white tee AND look "put together." How easy is THAT? Here I am sporting the "DIY Infinity" (photo creds to 17yo son S) Since it's rainy, my go-to cute flannel flats are out. And clearance boots from Tarjay are in. (a size bigger b/c they didn't have my size in the clea...

Ran across this jewel from my favorite Amy Carmichael Devotional today and was so encouraged: Rom. 8:37 - 'more than conquerors' James 1:2 R.V. - 'Count it all joy...when ye fall into manifold temptations.' Amy says, "Sometimes when we read the words of those who have been more than conquerors, we feel almost despondent. 'I shall never be like that,' we feel. But they won through, step by step, by little acts of will, little denials of self, little inward victories, by faithfulness in very little things they became what they are. No one sees these little hidden steps, they only see the accomplishment; but even so, those small steps were taken. There is no sudden triumph, no spiritual maturity that is the work of a moment. So let us all take courage; not one of us is too weak to be made more than a conqueror." She goes on to compare God's sanctifying us through trials to the physical training of "lifting heavy burdens" -- weight train...

Celebrated two birthdays this week: C (left) turned 15 and got his learner's permit; and my firstborn, S, (right) turned 17. Hard to believe he'll be voting in the next presidential election!

I don't have time to blog - I shouldn't be sitting here at the computer. School is in full swing and my time is not my own. I feel led to share something, however, on the chance that it might just resonate with someone out there. I heard Nancy Wilson speak this summer about "cutting with the grain" when raising kids - allowing them to explore and pursue what naturally interests them. For example, one of her daughters was always buying fabric and sewing as a teenager...yet with few finished products to show for it. That same daughter now has her own clothing line and is designer of some really beautiful textiles. "Cutting with the grain" ... even when it seems like more trouble than it's worth, makes a big mess, and takes up precious time. One child spends his free time poking around the computer and "writing code" for seemingly silly programs. Yet when he used Flash to compose a program that makes a rocket ship dance around the sc...

Desiring God has a great post up about C.S. Lewis and how " Narnia helps us live better here ." Perfect timing for some transforming thoughts going on inside my head and within our family - what we've been calling our "Hobbit Revolution." Not the blissfully ignorant, always cheery Hobbits of The Shire that know nothing of the evils of the world beyond their borders. But Hobbits like Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin - the ones who went on a great adventure, suffered terrible evils, grew stronger (and taller ;) in ways they didn't know they could, and returned to the beloved Shire with a deeper understanding of its simple joys and sweet fellowship. Longing for the Grey Havens, but whole-heartedly enjoying the good things this life has to offer in the meantime. We are like those Hobbits - the walking wounded who know our citizenship is in Heaven. Yet we also know that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father ( James 1:17 ) and that there is muc...

Tuesday: 1.5mi. very very hot. legs like lead Wednesday: 2.2mi. very very hot. awful migraine. did i learn my lesson? Thursday: crosstrain indoors - 5.2 mi on stationary bike with my book. aaaahhh :) Saturday: 4mi. moderate heat/partly cloudy. first decent 'long run' all summer. encouraged and motivated by waves & nods from other runners, going the opposite direction, as we passed on our loops. offered broken prayers and recited verses in my head when my brain didn't have to stop & remind my lungs to breathe or my legs to take the next step. Philippians 4:13! Not the most impressive week, but the first one in a long time with anything resembling consistency. (this cheery vine gave me motivation for another mile...)

I wrote an eloquent blog post in my head yesterday about running, as I ... ran. But the heat must have evaporated it right out and left in its place jumbled thoughts and rambling words. Oh well! :) My blogging/running friend, Wendy, once encouraged me that 'the hardest part of running is getting out the door.' (see her repeat that encouragement in this cute, motivational post .) That's certainly been true this summer! So many days I don't make it out until the heat is unbearable and running isn't fun. Yesterday, I tried to beat the heat. It was only 77 when I decided to run, but 86 by the time I fed the kids, found all my gear, and hit the trail. It was 91 before I was done. (and approaching triple digits by the end of the day - yowza!) Makes a huge difference when this sun-beaten, windy, 1/4 mile uphill section of the trail is in your loop! (the pic doesn't do it justice - it's a beast and I felt a sense of accomplishment when I conquered it twice ye...

It's been very hard to find time to run this summer, even though I enjoy it. I'm getting squishy. Turning into Garfield! I need the motivation and accountability that training for a race provides. 10k would be nice. Maybe a half. Long about October or November. Affordable, fun. Close to home. Any thoughts?

Never be within doors when you can rightly be without -- Charlotte Mason

"New" bike found after weeks of praying and searching thrift stores: $15.15 6yo boy learning to wait for God's perfect timing and provision: Priceless His joy & gratitude were genuine and overflowing.

"The question here is not whether you are representing the gospel, it is how you are representing it. Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?" "Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine." -- Rachel Jankovic Read more in this article at Desiring God.

We haven't had as many of these sweet days at home as I had hoped for. But when they come, they are very welcome! Nothing says "fun breakfast snack" like Easy Cheese on Triscuits. Yep, breakfast. That's her pj shirt there. Only in summertime. There are special rules for summertime. M (12) spent some time sketching. And because she takes after her mama, the little shutterbug had to document her efforts on film. A quick jaunt to Goodwill produced some white treasures. I'm working on a project, and have been collecting pretty white things. More on that in a future post... What A's (6) room looked like after room time. I wondered what all those crashing sounds were. The other half of the room. Needless to say, the young man had some regret when he spent much of the afternoon putting that mess back in order! Out of the blue, M said, "Mom, can I make a pillow?" I saw this as an opportunity to 'say yes' and put aside my afternoon plans for s...

"A man of understanding remains silent." -- Proverbs 11:12 b I've been thinking about journaling lately. Mainly because I've recently read an article by Nancy Wilson on the subject, and also heard her mention it in a workshop she gave at the ACCS Conference on "Raising a Writer." Nancy admonished us to "not write anything down that we wouldn't want everyone to read." That's a tall order! A challenge to be careful what we put in emails or on the web ... you never know when you might hit the wrong button (or how someone else may share or forward your words); and to be careful about what/how you journal. I'll link Nancy's original article below. But first, I wanted to highlight her daughter Rebekah's post on the topic. Rebekah mentions the pitfall of using a journal as a form of venting. She writes (emphasis mine): The thing is, writing it down is NOT the same thing as confessing it. But it can give a sort of counterfeit f...

We traveled up to see my family for the holiday weekend. Though I've made a couple of trips up there with the kids, this was the first time in at least 18 months that all seven of us went as a family. We had a glorious time! When it's just me and a couple kids, and my husband stays here at home, I get homesick for my Georgia nest and love to flutter back to it. This time was different. Maybe because my husband was with me and I wasn't missing him. Maybe because we had the chance to do some classic Franklin/Nashville things. Maybe it was the precious time with family. Maybe it was the unforgettable experience of seeing U2 together. Maybe it was the gorgeous weather, highlighting the beauty of the land around the West Harpeth River. Whatever the cause, we suddenly became a little homesick for Tennessee. As Psalm 16 (my favorite Psalm) says, the lines have fallen in pleasant places for us here in Georgia. We are very attached to the covenant community we've fou...

Wisdom gleaned from Father Tim this morning. "Life" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in, A minute to smile and an hour to weep in, A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double. And that is life. A crust and a corner that love makes precious, With a smile to warm and tears to refresh us, And joy seems sweeter when cares come after, And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter. And that is life. Wisely paired (by Father Tim) with this quote from Samuel Rutherford : "Whenever I find myself in the cellar of affliction, I always look about for the wine."

A few weeks ago, I posed the question, "Am I a warrior? " I forgot to mention that yes, yes I am a Warrior! Back in May, my brother and I completed the Warrior Dash together. It was fun. It was hard. It challenged me in ways I didn't expect (like when I almost chickened out of going over the extremely vertical, quite daunting, 12-foot 'Warrior Wall' with nothing but a knotted rope to help me. I didn't let that wall win, though - on 'take two' I was up and over.) My bro and I had a great, sweaty, muddy day in the North Georgia Mountains. Here's the run down for this week. :) Monday : 1.5 miles w/ S (16). Like Kate , we keep going out too close to noon. It was hot and we struggled to catch our breath. Tuesday-Friday : life. Someone once said the hardest part of running is getting out the door. Definitely true this week. Focusing more on being a home-keeper than a runner. Saturday : 3.5 miles alone at the park. Did two miles on the hi...

So far summer break has been surprisingly busy. There seems to be no end to the duties required to wrap up the school year we just finished, as well as prepare for the one ahead. Yesterday was no exception - I put a lot of miles on the car, juggled many things, and fell in the bed exhausted. Definitely "must be Thursday." The turn-around time between things like VBS, summer trips, and summer visitors seems to be short - and makes me fiercely protect the quiet family times we have in the middle. By God's grace, this week we've found time to enjoy the pleasure of each other's company and even slow down a little bit. A (6) has become quite the reader, and I've had fun sitting down with him each afternoon with a pile of library books. We both were fascinated by Roly-Poly Pillbugs and had to go on a hunt around our woods to find some. The girls and I finally planted the impatiens that have been sitting on the deck since I bought them in May (and miraculousl...

Well, I recently said that I would like to build up my weekly mileage base and work on increasing my speed. But in the weeks since school let out, I've noticed that some of my kiddo's emotional tanks are running a wee bit low. So for now, I'm putting aside building mileage and instead I'm building relationships. I've been taking one child with me on my weekday runs, and have enjoyed the rare one-on-one time. This week is VBS week at our church, and my exercise routine is limited to marching like penguins with 4-year-olds while reciting memory verses. But here is how the new plan went last week: Monday - said 'Godspeed' to my sister and her family after a great weekend visit. Started reading Heidi with 12yo M. My heart has been burdened to find a way to build her up and enjoy her company. She looks up to me so much - even has her own matching pair of Nike Tempos . She was the inspiration for the new Mom Time Running Plan. Tuesday - 1.5 HOT miles ...

We had to say good-bye to a friend this week. We adopted Odysseus 3 1/2 years ago and he's been a good kitty. We all miss him very much.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. We find those instructions on nearly every bottle of shampoo. I don’t know about you, but I rarely follow those instructions. It occurred to me recently, however, that it is a good description of motherhood. No matter how many times a day you nurse the baby, he will still need to be fed tomorrow. There is no such thing as a ‘once for all’ diaper change in which you wipe the bottom, clean up the mess, and poof! You’re done with that one. Check it off the list! As children grow up, it’s more of the same – disciplining for the same offense over and over, washing the same clothes, sweeping the same kitchen floor, teaching the same lessons to child number 4 that you’ve alre ady been through at least three times. And as the number of children increases, the tasks and challenges seem to increase exponentially along with them. Rachel Jankovic, in Loving the Little Years , calls this “Motherhood in the Trenches.” But while we’re in the trenches, let’s b...

"Must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays." - Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For some reason, that has been the case many a Thursday this school year. I think I'm still learning to adapt my homebody temperament to the day-school lifestyle, while still juggling two homeschoolers and one preschooler. By Thursday, the treadmill seems to speed up, just as my reserves feel depleted. This week is no different. But as end-of-year things begin to pile on, and my strength wavers, God, who is rich in mercy, sends a reminder that His "grace all-sufficient shall be my supply." Our solitary, neglected climbing rose bloomed this week, and the Little Ones delighted themselves by plucking nearly every bloom and presenting them to me. As I placed them in the kitchen window, my courage returned and I felt I had just enough in me to do the next thing. (The dirty window in the photo above provides humility and protection from the Mart...

We enjoyed a glorious Easter celebrating the Risen Lord with family and friends. We worked hard for days to prepare. Some unexpected things popped up, needing attention in the beginning of the week, so I again found myself with a longer-than-I-wished To Do list at the end of Holy Week. But it was ok, because the anticipation of the joyful event pushed me on with a cheerful heart. Each of the five kiddos were assigned their own zones in the house in which to become a 'cleaning tornado,' and they all met the challenge. We cleaned, we cooked, we decorated. And then, on Easter Sunday, we celebrated! (Or as I like to say, we 'feasted like Hobbits.') Of course, in spite of my 4yo's proclamation that "I wish it could be Easter every day!" ... it's not. Monday was a school day, and I had art class to prepare for and teach. Which meant, for the time being, ignoring the fact that the house looked like this: Today was my first real day to have a chance to...

Any guesses where this pic was taken?

My brother and I have had a momentary lapse of sanity and registered for the Warrior Dash . Actually, it looks like a lot of fun and we're not taking it too seriously. But ... since my money has been paid, the frugal side of myself is insisting the lazy side of myself get busy training! So today I went to my favorite local park for a "long run." (That's in quotes, because since it's been over 2 weeks since my last run of any kind, 'long' is a relative thing.) I did three miles. I know that's not a very impressive long run for someone who 15 months ago completed a half marathon. But that was 15 months ago, and a lot of life has happened in between and I'm a little de-conditioned . So three miles was good for me today. And it was three hard-working miles. I did the big 1.38mi outer loop first, for a good, slow warm-up. Walked much of it, ran the last bit. Then I hit the "soft surface" loop in the middle. This one is just over a mile long a...