2016 March – Butterfly Heart

My Trash Can Has Superpowers

March 29, 2016 Leave a Comment

So it seems my trash can has supernatural powers. Namely, the ability to turn invisible.

A Now You See Me, Now You Don’t kind of thing.

For example, when a family member needs to throw something away, it appears. Even if it’s full, it’s there to accept just one more Jello cup.

But if said family member walks by that overflowing lid on the way out the garage, POOF!

It’s gone.

As if there is no full trash can to be emptied at all.

Much to my disappointment, I am apparently immune.

The full trash can sits there in all its slovenly glory, completely visible to me at all times.

What I was not immune to this past week was a nasty sinus infection.

The kind that completely incapacitates you. During the day, it fills your head with a haze of confusion like you’re the walking dead and feels like a vice is pushing on your brain. At night, it shuts off one side of your nose so you can only breathe in half the air you need and then sends coughing fits that suck out that bit of air from your lungs.

Oh, yes, it was fun.

I wasn’t completely out of it, though. I still noticed the shifty things in the house.

Like the trash can’s ability to disappear.

The dishwasher seems to have some cloak and dagger skills as well.

It sat full of clean dishes for two full days, while the dirty ones kept filling the sink.

I’m thinking it has a motion sensor on its ‘clean’ light. When someone walks by, it shuts off, undetected that there is something to be done there.

Then, when someone might entertain the thought of adding a dirty fork, it glows green again, indicating an untouchable clean space.

Just like the trash can, I am immune to this. I guess it knows it can’t fool me. After all, I’m the one who fills it and starts the cycle.

Household chores can be a touchy subject in marriage, can’t they? Who should do what? Who does more?

I thought being down for the count would make a difference. That hubby would automatically take care of the trash and the dishes. After all, he’s the other adult in the house.

But it didn’t happen.

Now to be fair, hubby stayed home from work a day and a half to help. He kept the boys busy so I could die rest on the couch. He ran to get us food three times because I hadn’t been to the grocery store before I was attacked by nasty germs. He reminded the boys to be quieter so my head wouldn’t explode.

I just wished the other things would have been done.

But that was the problem. I was wishing when I should have been asking.

I think after doing certain things non-stop for several years, you sometimes forget it doesn’t have to be done by you. You also don’t see what someone else always takes care of. Habits are hard to break.

Like I don’t really notice how long the grass is because I don’t cut it. It doesn’t bother me when it snows until I have to get out of the driveway, but it’s cleared before I’m even up.

Hubby wasn’t purposely ignoring the trash. It just wasn’t on his radar.

And Moms don’t get sick, right? Well, we typically keep going like the Energizer bunny even when we do get sick. Part of our problem sometimes. We’re bad at shutting ourselves down, even when we have no choice.

But here’s what I was reminded of.

With all of the duties we assume day-in and day-out, we forget to ask for help when we need it.

I needed help. I wished I didn’t need to ask for it. But sometimes you just need to ask.

And when I did, the trash was removed and the dishes put away.

It’s the same with our Father in heaven. When we need help, He wants us to ask. One difference is…He knows perfectly well what we need help with. But He still wants us to ask.

“Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7

So…we need to ask Him for help even though he already knows what we need. And we definitely need to ask the hubby, because he can’t read our minds.

Mind reading would be convenient, though, wouldn’t it?

Like I could tell him dinner is ready without shouting down to the basement.

Or silently ask that he come close the bathroom door – because pee wee left it open – before all my shower steam leaves the room.

Superpowers could come in handy.

Too bad I can’t make myself invisible once in a while.

Mom, I can’t find my shoes.

Mom, where’s my sweatshirt?

Mom, can you get me some milk?

Mom!

Where’s Mom? 🙂

Which items in your house have superpowers? I’d love to hear your cloak and dagger story!

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: faith, forgiveness, humor, marriage, perspective, self-improvement

Rough Around the Edges

March 20, 2016 Leave a Comment

Spring is here! It’s definitely knocking on the door anyway. I even had my windows wide open last week!

What are you most looking forward to with Spring?

Is it seeing the color green again? Baseball season starting? Driving without a parka on? (this only makes sense if you live in the Midwest)

For me, it’s garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. Oh my.

I have a love for redesigning vintage furniture. I started this hobby 2 years ago, and it’s thoroughly exhilarating. There’s the thrill of the hunt for unseen treasure, imagining something differently, and the tremendous satisfaction of a before and after makeover.

I’ve missed it. You see, my hobby has to take a backseat in the winter – for two reasons.

I need to park in the garage. The garage tends to become my storage area of unfinished pieces waiting for love. Parking outside in the winter would require me to think far enough in advance on busy mornings to defrost the windows in order to see out of them. So to get to school and work on time, it’s best if I avoid this extra step.
I need outdoor space. I sand down all of my pieces. I love to expose the original material and see what I’m working with. Sanding is the first thing I do, and it’s absolutely an outside task. I don’t need any more reasons to clean the inside of the house.

Now with the warmer temps, I’ve been able to get my fix of the smell of sawdust. I’m excited to see the positive features of the pieces I chose, despite the flaws. I see the potential where others might see an old, outdated, dumpster item. Like my hubby, for instance. He’s happy for Spring, too. It may mean the mini-workshop in our living room can move. Or maybe not. 🙂

Take the little sewing table I picked up this weekend for example. Even though its original design now has a flaw – a missing sewing machine – I could see another use for it. As a sweet little accent table. The spindly carved legs and small pop-out drawer compartment are features I can highlight. It’s about bringing out its beauty in a new way, but that beauty was still part of its original design. The outdated wood stain and dust were just covering it up.

Isn’t it the same with us?

We feel a little rough around the edges some days. My rough days are when frustration gets the best of me and my voice builds along with my temper.

Do you ever find yourself asking God what he’s trying to teach you on those days?

I had a particularly troubling episode with my son, where I kept saying the wrong thing. I ended up having this little conversation in my head, trying to figure out if things are really supposed to go this way, and what helpful lesson I should be getting from the situation.

God, is it because I’m doing a bad job? Of course not.

Is it because I haven’t listened to those parenting videos yet? Nope.

Is it because I need to listen to you more? Well, yes. But that’s not it either.

Then why am I going through this, and more importantly, why is my child having this struggle?

It’s simple. It’s because you’re you. And he’s who he is.

I don’t understand. How can I help him? What should I be learning from this? Just be you. And remember he’s him.

That’s when it hit me.

God hand designed me to be his Mom, and hand selected him to be my child.

He doesn’t make mistakes.

“For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that
we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10

All this time, I’ve felt like I needed a total makeover. Some way to hit a Delete button, where my tired old habits simply disappear.

While working on my furniture pieces, I’m seeing this in a new light.

I need to stop waiting for a total makeover, and simply refresh my original design, highlight my positives, and discover what’s already there.

Just like I might sand down some rough edges to smooth a table corner, I can rid myself of dangerous faults like always being in control and striving for perfection.

For the same reason I highlight detailed curves and impressions in the wood, I should highlight my own unique features that make me who I am like my creativity and can-do attitude.

And like I swap out an outdated orange and brown 70’s flower fabric on a vintage chair, I can replace an outdated way of thinking – that being louder will help my voice be heard over the kids’ commotion – with a quiet voice of love toward their beautiful faces.

Our Father didn’t provide our precious children with a flawed parent. It’s just that our flaws (sins) cover the original masterpiece he created. We simply need to sand ourselves down a bit and rediscover our beauty.

So when I feel lousy about the poor job I did at disciplining, and wonder why, I remember that it’s not God who makes mistakes. We do.

And he knows that. So it’s probably figured into the equation somehow, don’t you think?

Here’s to rediscovering our beauty – one day at a time.

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: faith, love, parenting, perspective, self-improvement

NOT Smarter Than a Preschooler

March 7, 2016 Leave a Comment

I got called out.

By my 3-year old.

Twice.

First, it was at his older brother’s birthday party.

When one of the party goers needed to visit the restroom, my youngest tagged along and watched me wait outside the door to escort them back. Apparently, he decided to give himself the duty, because the next time someone asked, he ran forward saying, “I’ll take you to the bathroom. Follow me!”

I trailed after them and saw him point out the bathroom, then wait in his assigned spot. When I approached to join him, he put out his hand like a stop sign.

“Mama! I got this.”

Huh. I guess he told me. Someone wants to be a big boy.

My second “schooling” by my toddler was this weekend.

I was in the cleaning frenzy mode. My home dirty disaster meter was going off. It was time to reset it for another week with a good Pick n’ Scrub. You know…where before you can even think of scrubbing the house clean, you have to pick up like a 1,000 things. 🙂

I was mopping the tile floor and warned my youngest to stay off until it was dry. He argued that it was safe because he had bare feet, not socks. I explained it was still slippery with bare feet, but he wouldn’t take my word for it.

Sure enough, he slipped and landed on his bottom. Now I didn’t come right out and say ‘I told you so,’ but I may as well have.

Are you okay? That’s why I wanted you to stay off, honey. Did you hurt anything?

Yes, my bottom, he said.

Okay, it may sting a little now, but it’ll go away quickly.

I went back to finish mopping. That’s when the water works started.

Mama…mama…mama…he kept saying.

What? I answered.

I fell.

Yes, I know, honey, but there’s nothing I can do to make it better.

And the very second the words were out, I thought, Well, how stupid am I.

And that’s when my 3-year old pointed out the obvious.

Mama…just…just give me a hug or something.

Duh.

I propped my mop against the wall and immediately hauled him up in my arms. I nuzzled his neck with kisses and hugged him close. The water works immediately stopped and he went off to play.

Jeez, just last week I vowed to fill this house with more hugs, and here I almost missed just such an opportunity.

In these two instances, my son reminded me that he struggles between being a big boy and still being my baby. One minute he wants to be twice his age and the next he’s needing reassurance. Sometimes they can’t make up their minds.

But that’s okay, because neither can we.

I wish they’d grow up. I don’t want them to grow up. I wish they’d grow up. I don’t want them to grow up.

When my youngest crawls in my lap and begins to play with the ends of my hair, I can’t help but wish he would stay this small, cuddly being that makes me feel cherished with a simple hair twirl.

Yet, when he throws a toddler fit about putting on his own shoes, I roll my eyes.

When my oldest lays his head on my shoulder while reading stories at night, I know one day he’ll no longer ask me to read with him, and I’ll miss it terribly.

Yet, he drives me crazy when he thinks he knows more than I do about…everything.

When they want to grow up too quickly, we want it to slow down. Other times we forget that they’re still so young.

Here’s all we really need to remember.

Even as you let go with one hand, always keep the other one within reach.

What my 3-year old reminded me was to keep my eyes and ears open. Not only for when he still needs me, but also when he thinks he doesn’t. At those times, I will be there anyway.

And there will probably be times he should be given more freedom, but I’ll still want to feel needed. It’s a give and take.

One where I’ll always be ready to give.

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”

— Denis Waitley, writer

Dear God, grant me the wisdom to know when to let go and when to hold on. When to keep my tongue and when to share my stories. When to lift them from a fall and when to wait as they pick themselves up. Help them grow to be confident, loving, compassionate, independent, and faithful. And as I grow older…even as their manly hands engulf my small, wrinkled ones…please never, ever let my failing mind rob me of the precious memory of their little hands in mine. It’s a feeling I want to hold on to forever.