I Love Summer

I am absolutely not, in no way, shape or form saying this is the right way of doing things or the only way. It just happens to be my personal way that I want to share with my readers.

I have come to view summertime as a time to rebuild my family. A time to regain focus. A time for the kids to let loose and shed off anything negative from the prior school year. A healthy break. A break from friends, a break from routine and major structure.

Summertime is a time to undo any negative behaviors. It's a time to build stronger relationships as a family.

Summertime is a party.

Summer is like one big continuous weekend!

I love summer!

Our kids are involved in NOTHING.

I don't do summer school. I don't feel the need to plan all of these activities to keep the kids busy or involved. I just want to be home. Altogether. We fly by the seat of our pants more than anything, but that is what allows us to do the fun things. Sleepovers, Chicago, Fairs, Noah's Ark, Spencer Lake, Family time, Pools, Lakes, Grandparents, Cousins, Three Bears Lodge, etc. Fun isn't a chore because our weeks are crazy with "activities".

Carter will do a week of camp. We do a VBS. And a reading program at the library. But these are all fun things that make the kids think of SUMMER!

Now, don't get me wrong. I, like every other mom, have my days that my little chatterboxes drive me bonkers with their nonstop talk and sometimes endless arguing. But I never, ever regret the way we do summer. I never wish time would fly by. I am not "ready for school to start". I never am. I don't roll my eyes about my kids being home.

About a week or two before school starts we begin our routine of earlier bed times, more structure, etc. Once school does start we are back in the swing of things like no other. But we are ready because we've valued our time together as a family! Just like during the school year, when Monday hits we are ready because our batteries have been recharged with the weekend.

I LOVE summer. I love having my kids home!

Unforgiveness is My Issue

We all have something we are dealing with. Some issue in one way or another. Be it health, family, kids, spouse, personal, spiritual, physical, mental, etc. As soon as things are 'good', another issue is on the rise. . Sometimes major...But most of the time, or as I am choosing to say 'mostfully'...just some thing or another we are dealing with, in some way or another.

Right now if I am to be honest, my struggle is unforgiveness & bitterness as it pertains to a specific situation in my life. You know, it really stinks, because I have come so far in this area...or so I thought. Yes things have hurt me in my life over the years, people have frustrated me, but it was like God gave me the strength to forgive over & over and the true ability to kill another with kindness and just do the right thing no matter what. Boom, forgiven, slate wiped clean in the Laura book. (not that I even have the right to keep a slate)

I can do the right thing currently, but my attitude SUCKS.

I am hurt. Frustrated. Angry. Hurt. Sad. Hurt. Frustrated. Annoyed. In Shock. Whatever.

*Before you speculate, it is no one in my family.

I am trying my darnedest to move forward, but I have allowed bitterness to creep in my heart and take over. I am so angry at times I might swear at you. If I am being honest. Which I am. Being honest. I want to punch them.

Then... I read this and her letter has helped & spoken measures to me. "The forgiveness I give you is not a pass. You were wrong and you will always have been wrong" those words are for any of us struggling to forgive someone who has done us wrong in any way. 


Forgiveness isn't a free ticket to be crapped on. Forgiveness doesn't free the persecutor, its frees us, the crapee. God will deal with them. And right now that knowledge alone is what brings me some semblance of moving forward.


When we are done wrong...we want that person to know they did us wrong. To know they were in the wrong. 


Sadly, pride and arrogance doesn't pave the way for owning up to wrongdoings. 


It's out of my control. What you do...what another does...what they did...


So, for now I work on forgiving. I know it takes time. I know that I can at least acknowledge my need to forgive and lack there of, as well as the bitterness that has crept into my entire being. I will get through it. I will get past this seemingly stand-still moment in time. 


Forgiving doesn't discount the hurt. They were wrong. They will always have been wrong. 


I cannot let their wrong consume me though...


And I have. I have let it consume my every thought. It has made me skeptical of anyone like them. Anyone in their shoes or lifestyle. That's not fair. But right now I am struggling, feeling as though they are one in the same. These types of people. And true as it may be...it's not fair for me to speculate, assume, & judge unfairly.


The cycle of unforgiveness, bitterness, & resentment is a vicious one at that.


For now...I'm trying.


Mother Teresa said it like this:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, & self centered
FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY
If you are kind people might accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
BE KIND ANYWAY
If you are successful you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies
SUCCEED ANYWAY
If you are honest & sincere, people may deceive you
BE HONEST & SINCERE ANYWAY
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight
CREATE ANYWAY
If you find serenity & happiness some may be jealous
BE HAPPY ANYWAY
The good you do today will often be forgotten
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Give the best you have and it will never be enough
GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY
In the final analysis, it is between you & God
IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN YOU & THEM ANYWAY

Randoms

Here are some random facts about me that hopefully spark random facts about YOU that you are willing to share in the name of some good old fashioned random fun.

Random #1
My teeth are so sensitive, especially to cold. If it's windy outside I need to try and inconspicuously cover my teeth with my mouth. Laughing outside in the cold is painful. Talking outside in the cold is painful. Smiling in the cold is painful. Ice cream takes me an eternity to eat. When I eat my morning yogurt w/fresh fruit or a salad with strawberries, I need to ideally get the fruit to room temperature first.

Random #2
I will not stop at a rest stop/wayside if my husband is not with me. Whether driving all alone, or alone with the kids on a trip, I will always surpass a "rest stop" for a gas station or restaurant. You never know what weirdo could be lurking around the wayside...one just never knows.

Random #3
I trip over the air I can be so uncoordinated

Random #4
When writing I attempt to use punctuation the way I am thinking, and since I am a pretty passionate, not real mild human being, I use a lot of exclamation points!!!!

Random #5
I always leave cupboard doors open & I drive myself nuts.

Give me the names of 3 objects or things you love most...
Kenra Hair Products, L'Bri skincare, Coffee...


Give me the names of 3 objects or things you dislike most...
Politics, mean people, & when people talk about stuff or make general statements/form an opinion about something they haven't an idea about & in turn make themselves look really ignorant


Tell me about something you really care about?
Children, Human Trafficking, Orphans, & Reading labels/healthy eating

What scares you the most and why?
Restraint-tight spaces...feeling suffocated, beings boxed in or held down...I think this could cause me to panic to death


When was the last time you lied and to whom and why?
My husband. "Laura, did you put coconut oil in this?" My response "no"...


Are you usually late, early or right on time?
Chronically late


If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Italy


If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
A house with a big yard & orphans to love


What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema?
The Vow


What kind of books do you like to read?
Historical fiction


Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl

Flea Markets

I just discovered this TODAY! I am beyond ecstatic!
I. LOVE. FLEA. MARKETS.
Love em! Love em! Love em!!!!!!
I love flea market style! I love flea market bargains! I love flea market decor! I love flea market jewelry!
I love flea market KETTLE CORN! I love flea market smells! And now check this out!

FLEA MARKET MAGAZINE

and

BLOG!!!

http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/ 

Nope, it's JUST a gut.

So 3 times in my life...3 random times...each years apart...I have received the dreaded, most awful question you can ever ask a woman when the answer is "NO".

Now years apart, probably because with seasons and hormones, emotions and circumstances, MOST women "fluctuate" in all different, kinds of ways.

Each time the question was by a WOMAN too! Ladies, aren't we supposed to stick together? Seriously.

More than motivate me, it makes me annoyed. Because each year it's tougher and tougher to be "hot" won't you say? (though I will keep trying anyway)

I consider myself quite confident, so I actually felt worse for the women when they asked annoyingly spoke out this question.

If you are not sure of the answer, DON'T ASK! We all know this rule, do we not ladies?

Another thing...don't look down at a woman's stomach, then up, then glance down again. Cause it's not non-challant even though you think you are being discreet. You might as well just come out and pop the dreaded question.

You wear shirts that aren't fitted as to look more appropriate because quite frankly who wants to see that? But then those shirts look like tents off of your middle which cause the wondering. We just cannot win. (time for sit-ups)

But what we can do is realize we ALL come in different shapes & sizes. God says we are beautiful. AND last but NOT least "DO NOT ASK A WOMAN IF THEY ARE HAVING A BABY UNLESS YOU KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT THE ANSWER IS YES!"

Back to School

What are some of your back to school traditions? Quite frankly I would like to steal some :)

Our First day of school dinner tomorrow, as requested by my girls, will be The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Fried Steak, some mashed potatoes topped with the fried steak gravy, and one of my favorite salads

Fresh Spinach
Granny Smith Apple -chopped
Dried Cranberries
Almonds or Walnuts
Shredded Swiss Cheese
Poppy Seed Dressing

For Dessert we will have a very SIMPLE and awesome dessert I got from my friend Jen! Thanks Jen!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE BARS
1 (30 oz.) package Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (Refrigerated section, rolls of dough)
1 (16.5 oz.) package Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (Refrigerated section, rolls of dough)
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Spread about 25 ounces of the large roll of softened chocolate chip cookie dough into a greased 13" x 9" pan.  This is your crust.  Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, and eggs with a mixer.  Spread over the bottom cookie layer.  Crumble the remaining 5 ounces of the first roll of cookie dough over the top of the cream cheese mixture.  Open the smaller roll of cookie dough.  Continue to crumble over the top of the cream cheese mixture.  (I usually use up about 10-12 ounces of the second roll – but top with as much as you like) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  If using an 8 X 8 pan, half all of the above ingredients.


As far as breakfast goes we will probably send them off with their most favorite breakfast of all! (Tomorrow will definitely be a NO holding back the fat kind of eating day!) Paula Deen's Baked French Toast This is to die for!!! Seriously, deliciously amazing!

Tonight I hope to get the kids in bed and asleep nice and early so they are extra chipper for their teachers tomorrow. Good-Bye summer and mama sleeping in, time for responsibility and grown up stuff.

My Back to School prayer for my kids is this:

Dear Lord,

Please help my kids to be good influences. Help them to be leaders and not followers. Help their teachers to love them. I pray learning comes easy for them. I pray that they will work hard. I pray that they would be obedient, little rule followers. Help them to stand up for what is right no matter what. Protect them from bullies and other punk kids. Protect their ears from unwholesome talk, ungodliness, & drama and although much is inevitable help them to not be negatively influenced by punk kids. Help them to stand up for the less fortunate and advocate fairness and friendship will all kinds of kids. Bless their teachers with patience beyond all else. I pray my kids will be a blessing in their classrooms to both the students and their teachers. I pray that they will resist negative temptation and that in all they do, day in and day out, they would strive to please you. May they know you are with them always and walk with you every day of their lives.

AMEN

Truly Me

I love to write. But I have been in a little writing funk for the past couple of years...Just not knowing what to write, where to start, how to tell it, etc.  A lot on my mind but nothing to pull it all together in my sometimes chaotic brain...The desire to write or share is always there.

I strive to be myself...Sometimes a toned down version when appropriateness calls for it. :)

I feel like something holds me back when it comes to writing lately. Is it myself? Is it the fear of getting in trouble for being "me"? Does worrying what others think hold me back?

I want to be truly me regardless of outside influence or deterrence. I like to think I am pretty real and down to earth in general. Yet, I know that I hold back sometimes though.

And I don't want to hold back.

What if everyone could just be real, 100% of the time?

But people aren't.

So in this blog I strive to not hold back, maybe tone down the spunk at times, BUT not hold back-for the sake of being Truly Me 100% of the time.

At this point I am missing my spunk. Where did I go?

In the midst of moving, transitioning, chaos, I feel like I've lost a little bit of me slowly but surely.

And I like Me.

SO, Here's to coming out of the "careful what you say and how you say it" to coming back to myself and who God created me to be! Cheers!

Ode to Motherhood

What to you is the loudest, most obnoxious animal at the zoo? Multiply that by 10 and you have the sounds endured on the car ride home from church last night.

My best friend drove us home because my van is in the shop & jeremy needed his car. So in the midst of the cackling hyena, screeching penguin, and obnoxious sea lion, in other words: MY 3 Kids; my best friend says "so this is really your life, hey?"

My response: "Yea, it's amazing I'm not addicted to meth"

I love my kids. Don't get me wrong. They are the cutest, most adorable, sweetest, 'I cannot smooch them enough' kids on earth! I LOVE my children.

But like any good mom, sometimes you just have to think, it's amazing we're as sane as we actually are, given all that being a mom entails. Ode to single parents who do it all alone, cause when my husband is out of town and there is no "momma needs quiet time". Wow. My ears bleed, my kids talk non-stop, they are all mini-me's...3 times little me. Ahhhhhhhh!

Little divas...

I'll take the crazy & chaos over ANY thing though. Because how can you not see these faces and feel beyond blessed as a mom!

Quirks

I have a need to touch everything when I am out shopping.

I also like to look at menus online before I go out to eat so I can have an idea of what I want. More often than not I end up getting something totally different.

I cannot go to bed dirty in any way!

One of My Favorite Shows

How can this not make a person happy just hearing the intro to this show???

Laverne & Shirley

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated.

We're gonna do it!

Give us any chance, we'll take it.

Give us any rule, we'll break it.

We're gonna make our dreams come true.

Doin' it our way.

Nothin's gonna turn us back now,

Straight ahead and on the track now.

We're gonna make our dreams come true,

Doin' it our way.

There is nothing we won't try,

Never heard the word impossible.

This time there's no stopping us.

We're gonna do it.

On your mark, get set, and go now,

Got a dream and we just know now,

We're gonna make our dream come true.

And we'll do it our way, yes our way.

Make all our dreams come true,

And do it our way, yes our way,

Make all our dreams come true

For me and you.