Ever said this? I have said it multiple times. In fact, I swore I would never be friends with 3 of my closest friends (for different reasons) and now, well, I am blessed beyond measure by my friendships. Funny, eh?
Well, I swore I would never move south of the Mason-Dixon Line...
I swore I would never have kids...
I swore I would never have a minivan...
I swore I never wanted to be a mom to a boy...
Maybe I should swear I will never win the lottery!
Sometimes, in hind sight, the things we swear off seam silly. We look back and say, "If I only knew!" There are also some good things to swear off and hopefully we never do happen down those roads. Today, I find myself down a road that is a sad one. I have struggled with whether or not to blog about this but it is now a huge part of my life and must be shared to a certain extent.
The funny thing about most of the above stuff is that, I thought I was in control but God had another plan for my life. Sometimes, we just don't get to carry out OUR plans they way WE want to. Sometimes God intervenes graciously and sometimes there are wild cards. Wild cards can be other people, circumstances out of our control or a maturing of self.
I found my wild card.
In an attempt to not air my "stuff" super publicly this post will likely be vague but that is more about protecting me and my kids and not being ugly. So, here goes...
This summer would mark the 13th year I was married. Likely, I will still be married by that day but only formally. The past year has been a battle. For nearly 8 months, I fought like heck for my marriage. All the prayer, fasting and pleading could not make a wrong, right. There is my wild card. I can't control the other people in my life or what they do. Therefore, I will soon be a single mother of three. Yikes!
I have done a lot of soul searching and grieving and being angry and apathetic and scared and well, every other emotion you could think of. I am currently in counseling and will probably take the kids at an age appropriate time.
God has been my rock. He has been good to me. He is my source of comfort and joy. Right now, the trial of losing the life I built and fought for defines me. It will not be for long.
I swore I would never get divorced...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
It's Your Choice Day!
Hey parents! Ever heard this in your house? "I want the PINK cup!" or how about "I don't want green beans!"
Yes, those of us with little kids are subject to the temper tantrum over the silliest things. Sometimes my children decide that it is worth starting world war three over which spot on the couch they sit on or heaven forbid their brother or sister get in the car BEFORE them!
There have been times, when in public, my three year old has had a complete meltdown and when I say meltdown, I mean it. We are talking epic screams, crocodile tears, red in the face, kicking and spitting meltdowns. Why? I didn't pick the right cart at Target. Go figure?
When I think about it, I am a pretty strict mom when it comes to my way or the highway (although, I like to think of it as God's way). If my kids don't like what I serve to eat, they go to bed hungry. If they don't want to wear the clothes I pick out for them, they don't get to go out of their room. They go to be when I say, they eat when I say, they play when I say.
They don't have a lot of say in their world. They don't have a lot of control. I can see that being frustrating and trying to find even the smallest thing to control. Now, I don't want them thinking that I am not the boss so I try to win all battles that I pick. However, I know I do have to pick my battles. So, in and effort to keep the peace when it comes to who gets the pink cup or who gets to sit by their brother, I have started a new tradition in our house.
Friday is your choice day! On Friday's they don't have free reign but they do get to make a lot of choices on their own. For example: they get to choose to have a sugary cereal or they can ask for pancakes. If they must wear purple leggings, an orange tank top and a green scarf in November - fine. You want the pink plate or the purple plate - your choice! Would you like green beans or broccoli for dinner - it's their choice so they eat it!!! You want to watch the same darn Barbie movie for the five millionth time instead of going to Red Box? Ok - (say it with me) IT'S YOUR CHOICE DAY!
My kids look forward to Friday every week and when they are tempted to pitch a fit about the color of their morning milk cup, one usually reminds the other that it is not "Your Choice Day" today! We have done this for 3 weeks and it has made a marvelous improvement on the meltdown-for-no-reason events in our world.
Credit for this goes partially to my bestie. She has random days where every thing her kids ask for, she says yes. Now, I know my kids and that would be taken too far, too quickly so I adapted for our home. I'd love to hear how it works for you if you decide to try it out.
Yes, those of us with little kids are subject to the temper tantrum over the silliest things. Sometimes my children decide that it is worth starting world war three over which spot on the couch they sit on or heaven forbid their brother or sister get in the car BEFORE them!
There have been times, when in public, my three year old has had a complete meltdown and when I say meltdown, I mean it. We are talking epic screams, crocodile tears, red in the face, kicking and spitting meltdowns. Why? I didn't pick the right cart at Target. Go figure?
When I think about it, I am a pretty strict mom when it comes to my way or the highway (although, I like to think of it as God's way). If my kids don't like what I serve to eat, they go to bed hungry. If they don't want to wear the clothes I pick out for them, they don't get to go out of their room. They go to be when I say, they eat when I say, they play when I say.
They don't have a lot of say in their world. They don't have a lot of control. I can see that being frustrating and trying to find even the smallest thing to control. Now, I don't want them thinking that I am not the boss so I try to win all battles that I pick. However, I know I do have to pick my battles. So, in and effort to keep the peace when it comes to who gets the pink cup or who gets to sit by their brother, I have started a new tradition in our house.
Friday is your choice day! On Friday's they don't have free reign but they do get to make a lot of choices on their own. For example: they get to choose to have a sugary cereal or they can ask for pancakes. If they must wear purple leggings, an orange tank top and a green scarf in November - fine. You want the pink plate or the purple plate - your choice! Would you like green beans or broccoli for dinner - it's their choice so they eat it!!! You want to watch the same darn Barbie movie for the five millionth time instead of going to Red Box? Ok - (say it with me) IT'S YOUR CHOICE DAY!
My kids look forward to Friday every week and when they are tempted to pitch a fit about the color of their morning milk cup, one usually reminds the other that it is not "Your Choice Day" today! We have done this for 3 weeks and it has made a marvelous improvement on the meltdown-for-no-reason events in our world.
Credit for this goes partially to my bestie. She has random days where every thing her kids ask for, she says yes. Now, I know my kids and that would be taken too far, too quickly so I adapted for our home. I'd love to hear how it works for you if you decide to try it out.
Friday, February 03, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Letter to Paula
I sent this letter to Paula Deen - who knows what will come of it?!
Dear Paula,
Tonight I was just fooling around on the Food Network and my daughters came in to join me. Charli Kate is 5 (and a half, mind you) and Georgia Grace is 3 (and almost a half). They are adorable but they took it to new levels this evening.
They wanted to watch videos with me so I obliged. I asked what they wanted to see and we started with Mac-n-cheese by a not to be named other chef and they were not enthused. Then they said, let's see chocolate cake! So, I went to your page and typed in chocolate cake. The Eclair Cake came up and we pressed play. I had a feeling you would be a hit but I had NO idea.
I will never forget this. It was so awesome. They sat there. They did not move. No squirming, fidgeting, nothing. Both mouths were open wide. They could only utter one syllable words like ooo and wow and woah. It was hysterical. When that video was over they wanted another and so we continued on. I sat there and rubbed their backs and we talked about how awesome you are. We decided you are the Fairy Godmother of the kitchen.
After several videos Georgia Grace said, "Mom, does she have dogs? I bet she does." I told her I didn't know but we would find out. Well, low and behold the next video had Otis and Cody in it and she just came unglued! She said, "Mommy! she does have dogs! I just love that name Otis...how pretty!"
The next part is the best. Charli Kate said, in a trance like state, "Her house is so pretty, I love her house. Mom, do you think we could go there sometime?" As if your home is an amusement park! LOL! Then Georgia chimed in, "Yeah! I wanna go to her house mom! I love her and I want a dog like her."
My little cooks (oh do they love to cook) are fully in love and addicted to you Miss Paula. Now, I am sure you get lots of fun mail like this every day and it may not even land in front of you but IF it does and IF you laugh and IF you want the two cutest girls on the planet (No joke. I would attach a pic if I could) to come and charm you and cook with you in your beautiful kitchen, well, we would accept your invitation without hesitation!
Thanks for being you and for making delicious things!
Love,
Rebecca Nordyke
Mom of two infatuated girls and one little boy.
Dear Paula,
Tonight I was just fooling around on the Food Network and my daughters came in to join me. Charli Kate is 5 (and a half, mind you) and Georgia Grace is 3 (and almost a half). They are adorable but they took it to new levels this evening.
They wanted to watch videos with me so I obliged. I asked what they wanted to see and we started with Mac-n-cheese by a not to be named other chef and they were not enthused. Then they said, let's see chocolate cake! So, I went to your page and typed in chocolate cake. The Eclair Cake came up and we pressed play. I had a feeling you would be a hit but I had NO idea.
I will never forget this. It was so awesome. They sat there. They did not move. No squirming, fidgeting, nothing. Both mouths were open wide. They could only utter one syllable words like ooo and wow and woah. It was hysterical. When that video was over they wanted another and so we continued on. I sat there and rubbed their backs and we talked about how awesome you are. We decided you are the Fairy Godmother of the kitchen.
After several videos Georgia Grace said, "Mom, does she have dogs? I bet she does." I told her I didn't know but we would find out. Well, low and behold the next video had Otis and Cody in it and she just came unglued! She said, "Mommy! she does have dogs! I just love that name Otis...how pretty!"
The next part is the best. Charli Kate said, in a trance like state, "Her house is so pretty, I love her house. Mom, do you think we could go there sometime?" As if your home is an amusement park! LOL! Then Georgia chimed in, "Yeah! I wanna go to her house mom! I love her and I want a dog like her."
My little cooks (oh do they love to cook) are fully in love and addicted to you Miss Paula. Now, I am sure you get lots of fun mail like this every day and it may not even land in front of you but IF it does and IF you laugh and IF you want the two cutest girls on the planet (No joke. I would attach a pic if I could) to come and charm you and cook with you in your beautiful kitchen, well, we would accept your invitation without hesitation!
Thanks for being you and for making delicious things!
Love,
Rebecca Nordyke
Mom of two infatuated girls and one little boy.
Monday, December 26, 2011
White Christmas
No, we didn't have one. But we watch the movie year round. One of the great songs in that movie says, "When your worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessing instead of sheep. And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings."
This is Hollywood's way of saying what God's word says.
This is Hollywood's way of saying what God's word says.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
This has been a hard Christmas for me. I have had some tough stuff to deal with. Yet, when I sit down to think about my life. There are FAR more good things than bad in it. Sometimes it is hard to see past the one, two, three really awful things going on. While those things are legitimate, it is easy to let them overcome the good in our world.
This is true especially for us Americans who live better (materially) than most of the world. When we strip away all of the glitter, extras and unnecessary things, we have what really matters, our blessings, not our stuff.
My life may be falling apart but I am secure in more ways than I am not. It is currently 2:30 pm. If I were to sit down, uninterrupted, and write all of the ways I am blessed, I would surely be writing until evening and could easily fall asleep doing it.
When you are stressed, about worthwhile things or not, remember that your blessings will always be greater than your current strife. In some cases, you may HAVE to stay awake listing your blessings because the junk in your world is significant and hard. NEVERTHELESS, God is with you and your blessings are numerous.
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
This has been a hard Christmas for me. I have had some tough stuff to deal with. Yet, when I sit down to think about my life. There are FAR more good things than bad in it. Sometimes it is hard to see past the one, two, three really awful things going on. While those things are legitimate, it is easy to let them overcome the good in our world.
This is true especially for us Americans who live better (materially) than most of the world. When we strip away all of the glitter, extras and unnecessary things, we have what really matters, our blessings, not our stuff.
My life may be falling apart but I am secure in more ways than I am not. It is currently 2:30 pm. If I were to sit down, uninterrupted, and write all of the ways I am blessed, I would surely be writing until evening and could easily fall asleep doing it.
When you are stressed, about worthwhile things or not, remember that your blessings will always be greater than your current strife. In some cases, you may HAVE to stay awake listing your blessings because the junk in your world is significant and hard. NEVERTHELESS, God is with you and your blessings are numerous.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Information Age
I am writing this post from Daddy Don's (my step dad) computer. I have the day off from being a mommy so I am over at my mom's house wrapping Christmas gifts.
All alone in a quite house with a methodical chore in front of me gave me time to let my mind wander and thing about the most random stuff.
As I was making a bow for one of the packages, I looked at my finished pile and down at my bow and realized something. I am my mother...at least when it comes to wrapping gifts.
My mom has a knack for wrapping beautiful gifts. As a chick, I really appreciate her pretty packages. When I have time, resources and energy, I love to wrap a pretty box too. I got it from her.
However, in making my bow I realized that I wrap packages in a few simple but consistent ways. The exact ways my mom does. I flashed back to the time when she taught me to make a multi-looped bow. I don't remember the occasion, the gift, or the wrap. I do remember, watching her hands and studying what she did.
If you have ever received a gift wrapped by me, you have received a gift wrapped by Laurie. I do it just like my mama.
Now, why did I title this post The Information Age you ask? Well, I was thinking about my girls and how I look forward to teaching them how to wrap pretty packages (if, Lord willing, they are into it) and pass on the bow making abilities. Then I realized, when I was a kid, things were much simpler. We used encyclopedias or went to the library or took a class to get information. Kids in my generation learned this kind of day to day "skill" from the adults in our world. That is what we had and we didn't know any different.
Today, you can Google, Pinterest, Youtube or Blogher to find tutorials, videos, etc on how to wrap gifts, make bows and do all kinds of fabulous things with gifts. Heck, you can probably learn to make your own paper and weave your own ribbon if you wanted to. My point being that, my girls, should a love of gift wrapping come upon them, will have resources beyond their needs to learn how.
As I write this, other worldly, spiritual and relational extrapolations come to mind. To keep it simple, I am gonna be teaching my girls how to make bows before they get the urge to search the World Wide Web! They may find Martha's way too but at least I got in there first! How random and competitive of me?!
All alone in a quite house with a methodical chore in front of me gave me time to let my mind wander and thing about the most random stuff.
As I was making a bow for one of the packages, I looked at my finished pile and down at my bow and realized something. I am my mother...at least when it comes to wrapping gifts.
My mom has a knack for wrapping beautiful gifts. As a chick, I really appreciate her pretty packages. When I have time, resources and energy, I love to wrap a pretty box too. I got it from her.
However, in making my bow I realized that I wrap packages in a few simple but consistent ways. The exact ways my mom does. I flashed back to the time when she taught me to make a multi-looped bow. I don't remember the occasion, the gift, or the wrap. I do remember, watching her hands and studying what she did.
If you have ever received a gift wrapped by me, you have received a gift wrapped by Laurie. I do it just like my mama.
Now, why did I title this post The Information Age you ask? Well, I was thinking about my girls and how I look forward to teaching them how to wrap pretty packages (if, Lord willing, they are into it) and pass on the bow making abilities. Then I realized, when I was a kid, things were much simpler. We used encyclopedias or went to the library or took a class to get information. Kids in my generation learned this kind of day to day "skill" from the adults in our world. That is what we had and we didn't know any different.
Today, you can Google, Pinterest, Youtube or Blogher to find tutorials, videos, etc on how to wrap gifts, make bows and do all kinds of fabulous things with gifts. Heck, you can probably learn to make your own paper and weave your own ribbon if you wanted to. My point being that, my girls, should a love of gift wrapping come upon them, will have resources beyond their needs to learn how.
As I write this, other worldly, spiritual and relational extrapolations come to mind. To keep it simple, I am gonna be teaching my girls how to make bows before they get the urge to search the World Wide Web! They may find Martha's way too but at least I got in there first! How random and competitive of me?!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
REWINED
Established in 2009, this company works with local retailers and collects their used champagne bottles. The bottles are then cut down and filled with premium soy wax candles. The scents are all wine flavors! I bought Sangria but they had Chardonnay, Merlot, Champagne...the list goes on.
I would not consider being "Green" a trait I have but I do appreciate how creative and resourceful this idea is. Plus, they texted me my receipt and that was just too cool.
Check them out. It would be a really great gift for the holidays and not the same ol' same ol' candle. Just a thought!
http://www.rewinedcandles.com/
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