It all started with a duck...(Part 2)

I always find it so fascinating how God can use the simplest things to get my attention. I pray and pray and pray about something and, when I don't get instant results, I wonder why nothing is changing. Then He speaks to me (not in an audible voice, but I know it's Him orchestrating things in a way that only He can) and teaches me something profound--in a way that I'm sure to remember...
And that brings me to the duck...

Much to our surprise and delight, a momma duck made a nest in our back flower bed. She has nestled herself right up in the corner near our house.
(My mother-in-law likes to joke that the duck must be deaf...
The Shoe homestead is not exactly a sanctuary for calm, quiet nesting:)

Anyway, the children and I have been keeping close watch on this momma duck and her 12 eggs.

Throughout the past several months I've been praying about contentment. To be content with life just as it is. Five children, lots of messes, sickness often, piles of laundry, not traveling out much, toilets to scrub, papers to sort, fussing to calm, fighting to stop, looking for peace...not wishing things to be different or trying to hurry through the days. Just contentment. It's been a constant struggle.

Then one day, I was watching the momma duck. She was sitting on her beautiful nest of eggs. Peacefully. Patiently.

Then all of a sudden, she flew away. I stood there thinking, "What in the world is she doing?! Her job is to sit on her eggs. What could possibly be more important?" Then it struck me. I am the duck.

I AM the duck.


My job is to "sit on my eggs". To take care of my family. To be content just keeping my "nest" in order and to take care of my delicate, beautiful "eggs". I know, a little nutty, but in that moment...I was REALLY identifying with the job of a Momma Duck.

Had it only been that moment (when I realized that I AM the duck), you could write it off as pure coincidence but as usual, God revealed Himself to me by taking it one step further.

I'd been hearing all kinds of buzz online about this new book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I was super interested in reading the book because every review I read was talking about how wonderfully perspective changing the book is. But I wasn't really justifying spending the money on a new book. So a few days after the "duck revelation", I decided to visit the blog of Ann Voskamp, to read the first chapter of the book online. And as I was reading around on her site...

I stumbled upon a post she wrote called What A Mother Must Sacrifice. As she was teaching her six children a homeschool lesson about ducks, she discovered that the Momma duck actually lines her nest with feathers that she plucks from her own chest. She had thought that the nest was lined with stray feathers and other things that were found around to build the nest but, no, the duck actually sacrifices her own feathers to make a warm, comfortable, safe place for her offspring, She pondered all the times she resisted "plucking her own feathers" as a mother of six children. Click on the title What A Mother Must Sacrifice and go read it for yourself...I dare you. Of course, I have tears just streaming down my face as I read her words and had to explain the whole story to my husband as he found me bawling like a baby in front of our computer screen.

The next day, I printed out a picture of the duck and posted on a kitchen cabinet, right next to where I spend hours of life preparing meals and washing dishes. A little reminder to be content, hanging where it will be often seen.

Well, after reading Ann Voskamp's writings and relating to so much of what I found on her blog...I HAD to get the book.
But I'll leave the rest of the story for another post...


The definition of contentment from a biblical perspective is: “An internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances”—Holman Bible Dictionary.

The Macquarie Dictionary says that ‘Contentment is the act of having one’s desires limited to what one has.’

contented: feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation

Philippians 4:11-13 (New International Version, ©2011)

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

The best 5 minutes I've ever spent on YouTube

Yes, I'll get back to the duck thing soon but until then...

This is absolutely the best 5 minutes I've ever spent on YouTube and I HAD to share it with you! The kids are really digging it and we've watched it, like, 5 times already today and it's only 11:00:) And I've had joy-filled tears every time I watch it.

LOVE IT!!!!!

To watch the Dance Your Shoes Off video click here

Hope it brightened your day too:)

It all started with a duck...

Well, not exactly, let me back up a bit.

It all started back in December but I've already explained that in a previous post, so let's move forward just a smidge. I don't know if you could tell or not, from some of my posts since then, but I've been a little, well, blah. I've been a little complainy (yes, I know, not a word), negative perhaps, or "going through a rough patch", whatever you want to call it.

I'm a Christian but I don't pretend to be perfect...So I'm gonna get real with you...

Just because I love God, doesn't mean that I don't ever get overwhelmed.
Just because I'm serious about being a follower of Jesus Christ, doesn't mean that I'm better than everyone else.

It is true that, as a committed Christian, I am called not to worry, not to complain, to find joy in the Lord and to keep God's commandments.

But I am human.

Bottom line- I'm. A. Sinner.

And that's why I accept the gift of God's grace through Jesus' death on the cross. If I didn't struggle there would be no reason for me to need Jesus.
And I SO need Jesus.
I do sometimes get wrapped up in the sorrows of this world. I do complain and grumble, even though He's blessed me with all I need and MORE. I'm human and every day I do my best to live a life that would be pleasing to Him, but I fall short-DAILY.

How can someone who is so incredibly blessed end up with the blahs?
How can the little frustrations of everyday life turn into something so overwhelming that a person gets stuck in a state of complaining and grumbling?
How is it that when things in life are good, and honestly, couldn't get much better, I can lose sight of my joy?
Simple...Because I take my eyes off of the Cross.

The enemy has a way of playing on our weaknesses (in my case--insecurity). It's something I thought I had beat. When I gave my life to Christ, He changed my perspective about myself. I was truly a "new creation". And for the most part that is still true, but just because I commit to living in the "joy of the Lord" doesn't mean that Satan doesn't still try to mess with me. As a matter of fact, I've learned that it's when I'm doing my best, to live the life God calls me to, that he tries to mess with me the most.

Seems to me Satan is like a prank caller...
Just when I think I've figured out a way to have an unlisted number--the enemy dials my insecurity direct, like a prank caller pulling tricks on me...messing with my mind. Telling me that I'm not a good mom. That I'm too needy as a friend. That what I am isn't enough for my husband. That the stuff that everybody else has is better.
I'm tricked again and again and again and just when I think, "Surely, he's given up. He'll leave me alone now."
He tries one more time.

And. I. Fall. For. It.

But I pray. And pray. And pray. And wait.
And sure enough, God is faithful. He speaks Truth into my life, sometimes in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected times.

Thank you, God, for grace.

Find out how God's "speaking" to me in my next post...(to be continued)

1 Cor. 10:13--No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it.

Every moment...

in the Happy moments...Praise God
in the Difficult moments...Seek God
in the Quiet moments...Worship God
in the Painful moments...Trust God
in Every Moment...Thank God


I wish I could say I came up with that on my own but I just saw it on a plaque somewhere:) I'm working on another post, now that the kiddos are well again, but I thought I'd just leave you a little encouragement for today. Blessings to you until you (and I) return!

Oh No, Not I...

"I Will Survive...as long as I know how to love, I know I'll be alive...I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give...I WILL Survive...I WILL SURVIVE. Hey, hey." (Imagine a fantastic disco beat in the background:)

Yes, I know that famous Gloria Gayner song was meant to be an anthem for the jilted, heartbroken females of the world, who are filled with angst and ready to settle the score for the injustice of unrequited love...but last night at 3:45am in the Shoe house, that was the chorus that I kept singing in my head.

I'll reveal a little secret to you...a silly little thing that I've done ever since I was a kid. I imagine (if my life was an award winning motion picture) what songs I would include on the soundtrack. A little crazy, yes, but today the soundtrack of my life would totally include, "I Will Survive".

Our kiddos have been sick on and off for about a month now. It seems like WAAAAAY longer than that, maybe because for the most part of winter they have passed around one thing or another. The past month has included strep, fevers, coughs that are unstoppable (so much so that they end up throwing up) and now we're into a round of the stomach flu. Bless their little hearts...there have been many a disappointment as far as activities go around here. Missed birthday parties, sleep-overs, church activities, basically being quarantined for all of Spring Break, not being able to help Mommy lead praise and worship on Sunday, the list could go on...and on...and on...

I've been working on little sleep, dealing with sick and crabby children, trying to keep up with a toddler...
"Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I...I Will Survive" Can you see how it fits?

Anyway, it's getting to the point where I'm slightly paranoid that people will start thinking that my husband and I have that syndrome where you say your kids are sick, even though they're not. I know, people don't really think that, but to be honest...I might not believe the situation myself, if it were not for the fact that I'm the one getting up all hours of the night to soothe the crying when the coughing will not stop, and wiping all the runny noses, taking all the unbelievably high temperatures and administering all the doses antibiotics and "that miracle drug" they call Motrin, giving breathing treatments and most fun of all...trying to see that the puke makes it in a bucket, in the toilet, or at least on "the hard floor" (cause it's easier to clean up linolium than the carpet or the couch:)
Now, let me just say, I don't want to make it sound like my husband hasn't been helping, because HE TOTALLY HAS...but he does have to go to work every day, so I try to let him get a good night sleep as much as possible. Not to mention, he misses out on all the "fun" here during the day.

It's more the mental drain of it all...the whining, the fussing, the sitting in the chair with a feverish child pitifully draped over you for hours on end, while trying to keep "the well ones" from bouncing off the walls or killing each other. Don't get me wrong, please. My heart breaks for them when they are so sick and then sick again and again. I sympathize with the agony of it all. And I know that we are truly blessed to not have any children that have serious, chronic illness that require hospitalization and treatments of any kind. Praise the Lord, cause I don't know how I would make it through a situation like that sane. And I wouldn't trade being a stay-at-home mom for the world but it's just that I NEED SPRING and I need it RIGHT NOW. And it would be nice to be able to interact with some friends and family and attend church as the WHOLE Shoe Seven again on a regular basis. Just sayin'...

Anyway, there have been so many times when I'm at the end of my rope and I feel like I'm the worst mom in the world because I've lost my temper with the healthy ones while trying to take good care of the "sick" one(s) and have not a bit of patience left inside me. So many times when I ask God to forgive me for my discontent and frustration for a situation that I know will pass. So many times when I end up crying out to God (sometimes with real tears streaming down my face) to please give me patience and the ability to do the things I need to do as a mom of five young and needy children. It helps to know that He shows His strength and power in my weakness. And boy, have I shown a lot of weakness throughout these past few weeks. I cannot do this on my own but I will not crumble because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)."

And it seems that he has given me this silly little blog as a blessing to keep my mind sharp with the distraction of writing. I can't even count the number of witty, yet informative, blog posts that have been bouncing around in my head like that bouncy ball that was once down our drain. Not that I've had time to actually post any of them or even really write them down on paper, but the important part is that they are there, reminding me that I do have half of a brain left. And sometimes that's just what I need to help me through a very hard day. So many more things to post...not a bit of time to do so. I hope to write again soon. Just think of me as that elementary school overseas pen pal:)


We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Where's The Beef?

I've been re-assessing the way I do grocery shopping and meal planning. Feeding a family of seven is not an easy task, especially when trying to be frugal and save as much money in that area of the "budget" as possible.

So after reading much and talking to a dear friend of mine about what they do to feed their large family...I decided to go "meatless" for one to two suppers each week, in an effort to lower our grocery bill AND reap the health benefits:)

My dear husband is a real meat and potato kinda guy and really enjoys a good slab of meat on his plate after a hard day at work. So it's a big adjustment for him. Here's an example of his not-so-subtle, yet kinda cute, hint that he's still getting used to the idea...

Last week I made Cheese Tortellini Bean Soup. It was good but I got the recipe from an email from Family Fun magazine and it was kid-friendly (which = mild flavor). So the conversation went something like this...

Me: "I don't know. It was pretty good but I think it's missing something."

Hubby: "Yep, the meat."

Me: "No, you know, it's just missing a little something."

Hubby: "Yep, it's missing the meat."

Bless his heart. He just eats what I fix, without too much complaining. But I know that this is a little hard for him to get used to, what with him being such a carnivore and all. All in all, I know he just appreciates the fact that there is a meal on the table for him. So I'll take a little joking about our new menu...for now:)

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." -Deuteronomy 8:3

My overseas pen pal...

Some days this blog is a little like that overseas pen pal, that you were assigned to write to in elementary school, that never wrote back. I don't expect comments on my posts, but I sure get a kick out of them when someone takes a moment to leave one:)
Apparently, my need for adult interaction with others has been reduced to looking forward to comments on a blog...I know, I need to get out more:)

Anyway, I said to my husband the other day that I get tired of "being a broken record" and it occured to me that my children probably won't understand that phrase, due to the fact that I don't believe they have ever even seen a record. When I say record, they think Olympics or might think I was refering to the Guiness Book of World Records...I'm sure they would believe it if I told them that I hold the world record for World's Wackiest Mom:)

I guess maybe I could relate to them by saying I'm tired of being a scratched CD or DVD, which they would totally understand because I don't know if we own a CD/DVD that is not currently scratched. That's what happens when you have five very independent children that love listening to music and watching "kid's shows". But actually, I'm quite certain that the downloading of pretty much all media will wipe out any form of that phrase whatsoever.

Which leads me to my fun, yet needy, attempt to get a few comments...
Can you think of any phrases that young children today wouldn't understand? If you're feeling spunky and up to the challenge of some brain work today, leave me a comment and let me know what you come up with!
Really, you can do it...
I'll be waiting to hear from you (wink).

Singin' Pwaise

My dear little Silas had a song stuck in his head this afternoon and he sang it maybe 20 times. Some days that would make me a little bonkers but today, I could have listened to him sing it 100 times. He's about to turn 3 in a few weeks and although I am looking forward to some more grown up things in his future (potty training would be the big one), I have to be honest and say that I'll probably be a little sad when his speech starts to improve beyond toddler talk.

He was absolutely adorable today singing, "Pwaise Him, Pwaise Him all you wittle chidren. God is Yuv. God is Yuv. Pwaise Him, Pwaise Him, all you wittle chidren. God is Yuv. God is Yuuuv!"

It warms my heart to hear him sing those words with all he's got.
Keep pwaisin' the Yord, Sweet Silas, keep pwaisin' the Yord!

God is love. -1 John 4:8

In need of some grace...

It was one of those mornings when I felt like I was days behind, before I even started.

So, of course, I needed a little music. I'm in love with a song right now... you know, like when you could listen to it multiple times every day and still want to hear it again. I've been in love with this song for months now and it doesn't seem to be wearing off. I've listened to it so much that my dear six-year-old asked (a few weeks ago) why we were listening to this song AGAIN. At which point I said, "Starting the day with this song HELPS Mommy." No explanation needed:)

The song is Hallelujah by Heather Williams and it really speaks to me.

My favorite part of the song is "I have fallen so far, flat on my face, I'm in need of Your grace today. I stumble and fall but in spite of it all Your love always stays the same."

Not only do the lyrics help me put things in perspective, so does the story behind it. Heather Williams wrote this song after the death of her child. If you'd like to see Heather tell the whole story, click here.

If God can give her the strength to get through that situation, he can surely give me the strength to get through the little bit of craziness in my morning. Yes, indeed. It's all about perspective.

Waking up to our chaos, already feeling behind...that was me this morning. Clearly, not a real crisis situation but still I needed a little musical encouragement. Well, quite frankly, EVERY morning. I try really hard but I'm human and I mess up. Sometimes I mess up as a mom. Sometimes I mess up as a wife. Sometimes I mess up as a friend, a daughter, a sister, and most of all, sometimes I mess up as a follower of Jesus Christ. I don't mean to but it happens. Unfortunately, I let the little stuff of my everyday chaos get to me sometimes. And when I do, I'm not the best example of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galations 5:22). But the great thing is, that after I "get right with God" about whatever it was, I get a "do over" every morning. Hallelujah:)

May this song bless you, too, today.

And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against these things there is no Law. -Galations 5:22-23

Reckless

Sometimes I pick the kiddos up from school. Last week, I parked in a different spot than usual. It just so happens that there is an alley that is directly across the street that, if it kept going, would run right into the school building. Anyway, I parked there and waited until school let out because sometimes, due to no parking spaces, we just keep driving around in circles until the kids come outside. If they don't see me right away, sometimes they wonder if I'm late or forgot to pick them up. So I parked across the street so that the kids would see our vehicle easily.

Most times, Hope and Hank come out together. And Hope (being the motherly type) has decided it's her job to advise her brother on pretty much everything. This time, unfortunately, Hank came out alone and after a moment of scanning, saw that we were across the street. Now, mind you, what I'm about to describe all happened in a matter of seconds...

Hank waved to me to acknowledge that he saw me. As I was waving back he started walking in between the parked cars and looking both ways in order to cross the street. I realized what he was doing and started waving my hands in that "No! Stop!" kind of way but he wasn't looking at me, he was checking the street. So I honked my horn to try to get his attention, so he would see that I didn't want him to cross. That didn't work, so since I was still buckled up, I started rolling down the window, unbuckling and opening the door, all at the same time and yelling, "Hank! No! No! Stop!" A woman that was in one of the parked cars started getting out of her car to tell him the same thing, but by that time, it was too late and he darted across the extremely busy street to get to where I was. My heart stopped for the few seconds that it took for him to run across the road and when he climbed in, I really gave him a very loud, frantic and stern talking to about what had happened. In the middle of my ranting, he said to me, "I thought you said to go." I explained to him that I yelled, "NO!" Looking back it was a poor choice of words.

All this has got me thinking about communication and how important that it is to be extremely intentional about how I speak. I really struggle with this sometimes, especially when mothering my five children. In the moment that I just described, I wasn't really thinking about how my words could be misunderstood. I was driven by my emotions (fear, in that instance). In that particular moment, I didn't have time to think about what or how to best convey the message that I needed to communicate.

In most cases, though, time is not such a critical factor when communicating with my children. But unfortunately, all too often, my speech is driven by emotion. In the heat of a frustrated moment, I don't always take the time to stop to think about the tone of what I'm about to say. I'm very careful in choosing the words that I use when talking to my children but not always as careful with my tone of voice (or volume, for that matter.) Unfortunately, this is beginning to reflect itself in my children and how they deal with each other. So often, they are like little mirrors showing me things that I, myself, need to improve.

The Bible tells us a lot about how we should speak. Some of my favorite verses on this issue are:

James 1:19-20
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Proverbs 12:10
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Ouch! Those kinda sting a little. But I'm really working on it and, more importantly, praying about it. And I trust that, with God's help, the way I speak will become much less reckless.

I still Heart my boyfriend...

The year was 1989...

The hair was permed, the bangs were poofed, the jeans were "stonewashed", and Bon Jovi was playing "Livin' On A Prayer" on my boombox:)

It was a year that changed my life. I fell in love with a boy and I've been in love with him ever since. Hard to believe, I know, that I found my future husband when I was only 14 years old. But God had a seriously big plan for us, we just didn't know it at the time.

Like almost every other teenage girl on the planet, I dreamed about being married and having a family someday. In my heart I planned my way, but little did I know that the Lord was planning my each one of my steps, even way back in Jr. High. We've walked along side each other, my hubby and me, for a long time and I'm so glad God gave us the blessing of having so many fun (and funny) memories together.

I mean really, the Lord must have known that we would look totally cool together: the pink beach shirt with grey and white stripped Jams and a sleeveless turtleneck with two-toned cut off (but rolled up) jeans and white Reebok velcro high tops.
A match made only in heaven:)

I'm so grateful that God has grown us in ways that we could have never imagined back then. Ten years married and five children later, here we are, still loving life together.

Happy Valentine's Day, Babe! I'm still crazy about ya:)


Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.

Silly Shoe Stories

Okay, so the dear hubby was getting ready for work this morning and it's snowing (AGAIN), so he decided to wear his boots. I was in the kitchen at the time and I hear him say, "There's a fork in my boot."
Yes, there was actually a child-size piece of silverware inside his boot. We had a little chuckle as he finished doing up the laces and I take the fork from him and go back to the kitchen. Then I hear him say, "And in this one is a ping pong ball." Go figure.
Again we had a good chuckle and then my husband said, "Oh, Moses." which refers to one of our favorite family stories that always makes us laugh.

My mom was here watching some of the kiddos while I was out and Mattie was putting on her shoes. She was at it for a short time and then my mom heard her say, "Oh, Moses!" My mom thought she was just using it as an expression, like "Oh, brother" or "Oh, goodness." But mom had to laugh when Mattie stuck her hand inside her shoe and pulled out a small plastic Moses figurine, complete with staff in hand, and threw it down on the floor.

I guess the moral of my stories is: when putting shoes on at the Shoe household, always check inside first...you may find a prize inside:)


Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Psalm 126:2-3

If a part gets scary...

I've been thinking a lot about friends lately.

Recently, Mattie had her little friend, Winnie, over for a play date and they were determined to watch a movie. Winnie had a selection picked out but Mattie wasn't so sure because she said there is a scary part that she doesn't like. As these two fun-loving friends climbed up into the chair to sit "like two peas in a pod" side-by-side, Winnie (the sweet friend that she is) informed us both that, "If a part gets scary, I'll just cover her eyes." I immediately wrote that down cause it really struck a cord with me.

That's what friends do for each other sometimes. When a part of life is scary or hard or frustrating or even just plain mundane, a friend can often love you right back to a place where you know you can make it through.

And last night I was reading in Exodus and came upon the part (in Chapter 17:8-16) where Joshua was leading the Israelites in a battle with the Amalekites and, as long as Moses held his hands up in the air while holding the staff of God, the Israelites were winning.
When Moses grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought him a rock on which he could sit and held his hands up, so that his hands remainded steady until sunset and Joshua won the battle.

Did God say, "No, no, that's cheating. Moses must do this alone."? No, and I believe God created us to need friends for a reason. Sometimes we get tired. Tired of our circumstances. Tired of being stuck inside because of snow and ice. Tired of laundry. Tired of being tired. And at just the right time, in just the right way, a friend will bless us with words of encouragement, a laugh, or even a chance to cry on their shoulder. It's one of the best ways that God shows his faithfulness to us...through the love of a friend.

God created me to be a very social being. I really enjoy spending time with friends but during this season of my life, there is not always a lot of time for that. I struggle with that. But lately I've been blessed with lots of "friend time" and have enjoyed the opportunity to laugh and be silly and "chat it up" with some dear ones. And boy, it's done my heart good:)

I've been blessed in so many ways, by many different friends...coffee nights, an encouraging card or email, meals for those crazy days in which making supper seems almost impossible, helping out with the kiddos, and sometimes something as simple as an, "I know exactly what you mean. I struggle with that, too." I'm so grateful for the friends that God has placed in my life. Even though this season of life requires me to focus mainly on my family of seven, I pray that if life gets scary for a friend, that I can be the one to "cover her eyes."


Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Ecclesiasties 4:9-10

Frozen pumpkins in ice:)

Well, lovely readers (whoever you might be:)...

I had grand plans of blogging like crazy tonight because three of the five lil Shoes were going to be enjoying the evening with various friends BUT we now have three, yes three, feverish little guys who are feeling very out of sorts tonight. The girls still got to attend their lovely soires (yes, I do believe the "e" is supposed to have a fancy accent thingy above it), but I had a very disappointed six year old that had to stay home and watch movies with Mom and Dad instead. I'm so proud of him though cause he handled it like a champ. He had a few quiet tears and a few moments of mad...but then he realized that being mad doesn't ever change a thing, so he found enough happiness in his heart to laugh at all the burping parts in the movie we watched and even told me before bed that even though he was really excited about having fun with his friends, he still has fun being home with his family. That little guy can be a challenge but he sure knows how to melt his mom's heart.

We try to live simply but the Shoe Seven does enjoy the benefits of electricity, such as heat and kitchen appliances, just to name a few. Anyway, we had a whopper of a storm here this week and the ice storm relocated us to my parents house for a few days because we had no electricity. We made it through the initial storm night when we lost power on Tuesday at 10:30pm but it didn't take long before the Shoe Seven was high-tailing it over to a warmer location. My parents didn't have power either but they had a generator that runs many of their household necessities, heat being one of the most important, in my opinion. Praise God for the blessing of a warm place to sleep. On nights like that, I am reminded to pray for families that are homeless (and for those who cannot afford to pay to heat when they do have homes).

So we spent one night with my parents and the next day, the electricity was back on at our place. Mid-morning I packed up all the kiddos and headed home, after my dear husband had already headed to work. We got home, unpacked the loads of things that we had lugged over with us for our overnight stay (or stays, we had no idea how many nights our electric would be out), started tidying up a bit, the kids were bouncing off the walls (as usual after having a few snow days off of school) and just as I'm about to put a few of the lil Shoes in the bathtub...

"What in the world, why is the water stopping...It was just running warm water!" I was puzzled. Bathtime postponed and a frenzied check of all faucets ensued. Nothing. Did I mention that when I was checking if the water was working anywhere, I flushed one of the toilets? "Okay, crisis mode...we only get one flush when the water is off...I used that toilet's ONE flush! Okay, note to self, we have another toilet...just don't let anyone else flush." Let's do the math. 7 people (5 of them being children) and one potty that has only one flush available...No, not going to be able to make this work on any level. And oops, one of the kiddos forgot my instructions and flushed the other potty.

NO. MORE. FLUSHES.

Well, we decided to pack up and relocate back to my parents until the water situation was figured out AND fixed, of course, because, well, as simple as we are, are not really outhouse type people:) Not to mention we don't have an outhouse and if we did, someone's tushy would have surely frozen to it:) Anyway, AGAIN I packed up everything but the kitchen sink (cause it wasn't working anyhow) and we travelled the treacherous roads back to where we had just been that same morning. We were able to return home later that evening cause my dear hubby figured out the problem. No plumber necessary:)

I'm totally not complaining about the previous situation, just relaying the events that have filled the last few days to give you an idea of how grateful we are to be here in our warm, comfy, water-working home, even with sick children. We are so grateful to have family so close by and thankful that we are welcome to "camp out" in situations like these. But Dorothy said it best, when she said, "There's no place like home." As simple and as in need of a bit of fixing up as it, it's still HOME. It's where the Seven Shoes do their thing best. And as for the pumpkins I mentioned a few posts back, well, they welcomed us home with a new glaze of shimmering solid ice covering them. Looks like they won't be goin' anywhere until Spring arrives... Home Sweet Home, frozen pumpkins and all:)

Is someone peeking in my window?

My dear friend, Lindsey, gave me a copy of this poem last Mother's Day and it made me (and the rest of the Shoes) laugh out loud. I have it hanging in my kitchen. And often times I read it to remind myself that I'm not the only one who lives in a constant state of kid chaos:) Thought I'd share it with you because today was one of those days when I felt like this Kathy Fictorie lady was peeking in my window when she wrote this funny little poem. Hope it brightens your day!


If You Give A Mom A Muffin
by Kathy Fictorie

If you give a Mom a muffin,
She’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She’ll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She’ll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she’ll find dirty socks.
She’ll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She’ll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for dinner tonight.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She’ll look for her cookbook (“101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger”).
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.

The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She’ll smell something funny.
She’ll change the two year old’s diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her four-year-old will answer and hang up.

She’ll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are…
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.