Making positive strides

I accepted Christ in 2001 and since that time I have been waiting for someone to teach me how to be a Godly wife and mother. Guess what? No one has applied for that job. I never got it until just now. Yes, you are sharing in my great epiphany. I don't really know what day to day life looks like in a Christian home. Should we just sit around and read the Bible all day? Should we pray at each meal? What about in public? Is it OK to display crosses in your home or is it in poor taste? I was just caught up in the semantics of it all.

What I need to know is not neatly contained in some How To manual or best selling book. There is no checklist of do's and don'ts I can hang on the fridge to track my growth. I already have everything I need to be exactly what God wants me to be. I have a Bible and I have a heart to want to apply God's will to my life. All of those other things really are choices on what you feel God is leading you to do in your personal walk with Him. Who knew it was so simple? But let there be no mistake....it will not be easy. Today's world, our humanness and Satan continually bombard us with the idea that it is too hard or you aren't worthy or you don't have to really do all that stuff God put in the Bible. I am reminded of that saying, "Believe in something or you'll fall for anything."

What I want for my daughter more than anything is a home filled with love. I want her to know that she doesn't have to be anything but herself to receive our love. I want her to know that even if she tries and fails, we support her in the trying. Her accomplishments will not be compared to anyone else's and her failures are merely learning experiences. I want her to know what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus and how to share her faith with others.

I don't know that I would have come to this realization had it not been for the group of people I call family that makes up our House to House group. These men and women have shared their hearts, their struggles, their trials and tribulations within the safety of our group weekly. I now know how important it is to seek people like this to help you in your walk. People that do not judge you and that truly want to help you be all God wants you to be. And as I sit here crying tears of thankfulness, I am not ashamed....I am blessed.

1st Haircut

After a few weeks of subtle coersion, I finally felt comfortable taking Olivia for her 1st official haircut. She has been having a lot of snarls lately and I used this as an opportunity to outline the benefits of a hair trimming. She slowly came around and has said she would be open to having a trim the past few times I have brought up the subject.

Now, it's really my own fault that I have had such a hard time convincing her a haircut is OK. Everytime I comb through her tangles and she pitches a fit; I tell her we can go and get all her hair cut off to look like Daddy's if she can't take having her beautiful princess hair combed...I know, I know...shame on Mommy. Not one of my finer moments, admittedly.

We arrive at CoolCuts 4 Kids to face a 40 minute wait. There was only one woman manning the shop and at least 4 children were ahead of us in line. Luckily, they are prepared for this and have plenty to keep the kiddos busy. Thomas the Train and his miles of tracks were center stage in the play/waiting area. A TV playing a barnyard cartoon played in the background and the walls were adorned with gear puzzles and cute drawings. The seating was comfortable and they were a few magazines for the adults as well as a few books for the kids.

Let's not overlook the toys available for purchase. They really have you cornered on this one. Sure, your child already has a thousand crayons at home, but they have Princess crayons. And yes, you already have plenty of Matchbox cars, but these are miniatures of the cars from Disney's "Cars" movie. What kind of a parent would force their child to have to gaze (at their eye level) longingly at such treasures and leave empty handed? (Insert a visual of me raising my hand and waving it vigorously.)

Finally, Olivia's name as called and we entered the previously forbidden domain of the hair cutting arena. Olivia chose a yellow taxi to sit in during her "beauty treatment." Mrs. Susan loaded Olivia's chosen DVD into the television and away we went. Snip snip....just an inch off the bottom to clean up the ends. The whole ordeal was over in a matter of 5 minutes. We paid for our souvenier "First Haircut" card and for the products recommended for her tangly hair.

On the way to the car I asked her if she had fun and she said, "No, that lady pulled my hair too hard."

What a tough crowd!

Who says you can't go back?

It is really hard for me to believe it has been 20 years since I graduated high school. I had high hopes for the reunion and getting to finally meet and speak to the strangers I attended high school with. I was painfully shy growing up and only in the past several years have I attained a level of self-worth that has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and talk to people...strangers even.

I was excited that Johnathan was also eager to attend the various activities that the reunion committee had planned for us all. I knew that even if the activities were a bust that he and I could make anything fun. That's just how we are. Unfortunately, the shy 17 year old in me came out and I was completely unable to strike up conversation with much of anyone. Sigh.

Olivia had a great time in Nebraska. She had both Johnathan and I available to her almost all day every day and great weather abounded. Everyone we visited with adored her and she ate it up. My dear friend Julie and her 2 young boys watch Olivia during the parents only reunion events. She got to play with boy toys and tried to boss Justin & Caleb around. She admonished them for their messy room and laid down the law in general. Julie had just had knee surgery and was a little glad to see someone light a fire under her boys' backsides so she didn't have to for once. Everyone won....well, maybe Caleb & Justin didn't exactly feel that way, but they were little gentlemen and allowed her to play with them and their toys.

Olivia's only disparity was the lack of love she was getting from the 2 resident felines at the home we were staying at. Miss Sharon and Mr Brian have 2 tuxedo cats and they did not like us....not even a little and were not shy about letting us know their disdain. Mr Mousers and Frisky hissed, growled, lunged and swatted at us at nearly every opportunity. Olivia was so upset. She loves animals and didn't understand why these cats didn't love her like her own KC cat did. Miss Sharon and Mr Brian tried their best to make their boys mind, but it just wasn't going to happen. The cats even turned on them a time or two. As soon as we left, I am sure they had a party.