Contentment

I read this great article the other day from a woman I absolutely adore and admire.

She reminds me to be content no matter what the circumstances. I want so badly to do things "right" that I end up doing them "wrong" because I could never compare.

I read Tasha's blog (and more recently this article) and think about how I don't do things remotely like she does. I don't cut coupons. I rarely cloth diaper my baby (though, surprisingly, I do when I'm home alone with her). I certainly don't have 5 kids. Sure, I work outside the home. Sure, I make my own baby food. Sure, I have a huge extended family that I value and attempt to see on a regular basis. But I still can't compare. I rarely feel "ahead of the game" or caught up or bored. :) I am constantly scrambling to figure out what supper will be and more often than I'd like to admit, my husband comes home from working all day and cooks supper for us. Sometimes I don't get a shower until 3 in the afternoon...if at all!!

The fact is, nobody's perfect. Tasha doesn't pretend to be. She's incredibly honest on her blog. Here was a follow-up to her original post. See what I mean by honest?

Another blogger I follow posted this last year. How incredibly honest she is - and I could almost see myself in EVERY embarrassing thing she mentioned!

Here's another article I read recently about the comparison game, especially as it relates to social media. I stopped posting status updates on facebook a few months ago because I realized I was only sharing the things that made me look good or made me feel good about myself.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt

So, I will do my best to be more honest and open about the good and the bad in my life, whether it's in person or on this blog. And I refuse to have my joy stolen because I compare myself to everyone else. I hope by sharing the "real things in life" that someone will gain some perspective and be encouraged. Romans 12 rings true in my heart tonight. I'll leave you with that.

Romans 12

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Fit for Originals

My boys - The Avett Brothers!!

All by myself

Tonight is the first night in a long time that I'm alone. Completely alone. (Except for the cat who is excited that I'm alone with him and thinks I should be focusing all my attention and energy on him. He might get locked in a bedroom if he's not careful.)
No commitments, no friends, no children, no husband. I am officially on my own tonight.
My kiddos are spending the night with Grandma for Amelia Jayne's first time.
David is attending the DNC tonight and watching President Obama speak (although he texted me a bit ago to tell me that the Foo Fighters just performed. I'm sure he was much more excited about that!).
So here I am! I have been contemplating over the past few days what I would do tonight. Should I go to a movie? Shopping? Dinner on my own? Read a book? Watch TV? Should I be more practical and clean the house or do things around here that I don't normally get done with two little ones under my feet? (As an aside, my hubby told me he would be extremely upset with me if I don't do something fun for me. He said the house better be dirty when he comes home. :) That's one sweet man.)

So far I've had about an hour and a half to myself and I've been playing with this blog. I'm sure you've noticed the extensive changes. I enjoyed trying out new backgrounds and fonts. I even figured out how to center my blog title. I've been trying to do that for over a year! You'll probably see lots of new posts appear in the next few days. I've started so many and have so many ideas for new ones! I'll do my best to finish my thoughts and get them out there to you. :)

So what to do now?

I think dinner is in order. Here at the house. Why go out when I can sit on the couch and eat dinner in my jammies? Maybe I'll have dessert for dinner. Oh the possibilities!

Then maybe some reading and a little TV. Maybe I'll catch up on some emails. Oh how exciting!

I'm quite the wild one. I really know how to live it up! Don't be jealous. ;)

Friends

My friend Lisa, and her daughter Anya, visited us last week. Anya turns 1 in just a few days! I think she and Amelia Jayne are going to be great friends. :)

Books I've read: May - August, 2012

1. Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis
Good, fun fiction. It was a quick read, kind of a "fluff" book as I call them. Not much content, but fun and enjoyable.

2. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Pretty much the opposite of the book above. This is a true story about an Olympic runner and WWII bombardier. His plane crashed over the Pacific. He was thought dead, but instead survived on a raft for over 40 days only to be captured by the Japanese and held in a concentration camp for over two years. His story is one of amazement and awe. The fact that he lived to tell his story is powerful, but that he had a heart of forgiveness and allowed God to change his life forever makes it even more moving. I highly recommend this book!

3. The Upper Room by Mary Monroe
This is the first African American fiction I've ever read. I chose to read it because the author, Mary Monroe, came to the library to speak. It was not my first choice in books, but I'm glad I broke out of some of my typical genres to try something new. The story was racy and at times, a bit crazy, but it was a fairly fun read.

4. The Silence of Mockingbirds by Karen Spears Zacharias
Not.a.fun.read. So very sad. This is one of those books that looked intriguing at the start, was horrifying as I read it, but I couldn't put it down. It's kind of like a car accident where you can't help but look at the damage. I read this book and cried. But I was thankful that the author wrote it, seeing as how it can open up people's eyes to the things that can happen to children and the things to watch out for regarding child abuse. It made me feel even more blessed to have such wonderful people in my children's lives who love them and care for them so wholeheartedly. And it made me appreciate how absolutely amazing it is to have my children in my life each and every day. I am so thankful for this time that God has given to me to spend with them.

5. The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper
I have a love/hate relationship with Bob Harper. I am so thankful for his realistic, honest, transparent advice. I also hate to follow it. :) But I'm getting there.

Nursing + Biting

Amelia Jayne bit me the other night. She had gotten much better about biting, but sometimes when she's in a playful mood, she'll bite just to hear my reaction. This time she bit hard enough to make me bleed quite a bit.

The milk on the right isn't strawberry milk. And even though I've read that it doesn't hurt a baby to drink some of her mother's blood, I'm not trying to raise a vampire, so I dumped it. :) Really, it just kind of grosses me out to think of her drinking my blood. She's been extremely good since this incident and hasn't even playfully attempted to bite me.

The Daily Show

As you all know, the DNC is in Charlotte this week. The Daily Show has taken over ImaginOn, so I won't be working at my office this week. This is what my office looks like.

This is what other parts of ImaginOn look like.

And here's the start of the set in the big theatre.