SO, I am finally officially missing facebook. Initially, I missed it just because I like to play games on there. THen, it was because I actually think in facebook posts. Something funny would happen, and I’d have the urge to post it on facebook. Then, I went through the last week or so with no facebook urges at all. Great, right?

Then today hit. I was supposed to go to my women’s Bible study this morning, and couldn’t, because BonBon is has some sort of tummy bug. I don’t know why, just not being able to go out left me wanting to connect somehow – and I usually do that through facebook. Plus, I use it to get info sometimes – to look for people’s pictures that I have to call for church or whatever, and I can’t do that, and I can’t look up somebody’s email address. It’s just….today I miss it.

The fast, however, has been going well otherwise. Hubs is going juice/water for the last few days, and I think I’m going to as well, assuming I don’t get Bonbon’s bug. If I do, I think it’s gonna be pretty much nothing, because she can’t keep anything down.

Beyond that…lots happening. Packing to move, which I absolutely ABHOR, but it will be nice once I get everything put away in the new house. We are going to be short on furniture, and after spending a night in which neither Hubs nor I got much sleep, I would really love to have a pull-out couch. SO – I will pray and we will see what happens! Obviously, life would go on without it, but it would be nice to have.

And now….back to my puddle of socks. I HATE sorting socks, but literally 90% of Bonbon’s socks are missing, so I’m having to go through everything. Ugh.

I’m frustrated, I can’t get a post written these last couple of days.

I start writing, and then one of eight bajillion things going on around the house gets in the way, and I lose my momentum, and it’s gone.

I wanted to write about how, when I was out driving yesterday, I was listening to the dj on K-LOVE talking about how being a Christian is about having a relationship with Christ – not about rules, or good works, or following some archaic methodology for how to get to heaven. And the thing is – they have to have been saying that my whole life, you know? Why didn’t I hear it, or really GET it, until last year? Why did I waste all that time? Why did it take so long, not only to find my own way, but to start showing my kids the right way?

I had another post written on how much I appreciate all the pastors’ wives in my life…from the ones at church, to my sister-in-law’s mom, and my cousin’s wife. They all give so much of themselves – they sacrifice time with their husbands, and sadly are the subject of a lot of judgement from other people merely because of who they are married to…and it’s not an easy job! But that post didn’t get finished either.

Homeschooling went great Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday? CRASH and BURN. I found out last night, after Pez had gone to bed, that he never took his ADHD meds, and this child, without them, is unable to focus on ANYTHING. I thought he was taking them when I told him to, but obviously, I need to be better about supervising him actually taking the pill. He literally accomplished NOTHING yesterday, so today we start over and try to move ahead. Sadly, I think he’s going to have to do some work on Saturday to get back on track.

Family Morning Devotions? We’re still doing them, but we’re going to have to change things up a little. Since Lemon Drop started conditioning for Swimming, she is going to school 3 days a week at 6 AM. Hubs is getting up to take her, and since he has something one other day each week at 6:30, he decided he’s just going to get up every day at 5 and go in early.

From an FMD perspective, it’s kind of crushed things. We’re still doing them, but we’re doing FAMILY morning devotions with only half our family! I think we’re going to start doing them at dinner instead, which will only be a problem on Wednesdays when we have church to get to. Either way – it’s not dead and gone. WE’re still doing it. The kids still nearly sleep through it, but we’re doing it.

From a family perspective, it seems like we’ve been a little more disconnected the last few days. I don’t know why – with Hubs coming home earlier from work, we end up being together for more of the evening, but he’s been going to bed early, while I still have to stay up with the kids, so we’re missing that time we used to spend talking before we went to sleep each night. We have always spent so much time with each other that when we don’t, we really start to feel like something is wrong! SO we’re going to try and find ways to fix that.

AAAAAAnd…now BonBon is demanding bubbles, so that’s all I’m going to get written today!

You know, I’m not usually the dim bulb. I do have my moments, but for the most part, I catch on pretty quickly. I’m not bragging – it’s just how I’ve always been. School was fairly easy for me. I never learned good study skills, mainly because I never had to study. I’m not even kidding – I barely cracked a book, with the exception of math, which has been and still is my nemesis.

Over the last year, on a few occasions, I’ve heard the following quote from St. Francis of Assisi:
“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” (There are differing opinions on the exact wording of that quote, but roughly – that’s it.)

Now, I’ve heard it a lot. And I’ll be honest – I didn’t give it a great amount of thought – it sounded somewhat intuitive.

But I’m here to tell you, I COMPLETELY MISSED THE BOAT.

Yesterday was “Step Out” Sunday at our church. It was a day our church joined together with many other churches around the city to go and serve in various organizations and in our own church community. There were cleaning projects and painting projects and…well…you name it. They had tons of things you could do. On top of that, our church joined with 27 other churches to preach the same message across this city. The message was “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Now, I’m sure that was interpreted mostly the same way across all the churches who preached it. For our church, we had the honor of having a pastor from a church we are affiliated with in Texas come and preach. In the hour or so that he was up there, I realized, I am not the smart cookie I’d like to think myself.

Preach the gospel at all times. Ok, well I can handle that. I’ve read pretty much all of the New Testament. I’ve read a good portion of the Old Testament. I know the Gospels best of all – so really, no big deal, right? I can talk to anybody about those ’til I’m blue in the face. But…what…if necessary use words??? Well DUH….how else would I tell everybody about the good news???

OH.

SO.

St. Francis actually meant TELL people about the gospel with something other than words? Like by LIVING it? Like by SERVING OTHER PEOPLE? Like by reading what Christ said in the GOSPELS, and actually putting it to practice? Not just paying attention to it on Sunday, and trying to remember it through the week, as I curse at people for cutting me off in traffic or get annoyed with my kids and husband for exasperating me??

LIVE it? Let my light so shine before men? You know, by my ACTIONS? Not my big mouth???

Huh.

I’m so smart, why didn’t *I* think of that?

I had been doing so well at posting every day!  But I did two the day before, and two today, so that makes up for missing posting yesterday, ya?  Ya.  I don’t care what you say, it does.  So NYAH! 

So Family Morning Devotions.  (Du duh duh…)

We’re still doing them!  A whole week!  Woohoo!  Go us.  Ok, Go God, because we would totally have quit by now if it was just us.  We have two children who perpetually can’t get up on time, but we’re working on it.  We’re never quite sure how awake the kids are when we’re doing our devotions (or for that matter, how awake Hubs is), but we’re doing them.  We’re spending the time together in the morning, and we’re spending time together in prayer before everybody heads out for the day.  If nothing else, we start the day off the right way.  

As we all get a little more busy with things, there are also going to be times when one or more of us isn’t here in the morning, but what I really feel strongly about is not so much the devotional, but that we have time to pray together, as a family (or as parents over our children) before they head out.  They may be tired and not quite sure WHY we are making them do this, but maybe someday they’ll get it.

I will say – I’ve caught 2 of our brood reading their Bibles WITHOUT having it suggested to them several times in the last week.  I think that rocks!  The whole experience has just been really centering for all of us, and by centering, I mean, putting God at the center of everything.  (YAY!)

And now, my funny story for the day.

As I mentioned before, we have two of our 5 who perpetually CANNOT get up on time.  Literally – in the last 8 days, Lemon Drop has gotten up ONE TIME when she was supposed to.  I wrote about my exasperation with it on the day I made pancakes last week.  Yesterday, it was Zack’s turn, as he made sweet polenta (corn mush) for breakfast, and once again, they were late, and just sat there staring at breakfast when they finally did get up. 

So Zack became proactive.  For today’s devotional, we looked up a devotion on Punctuality.  Now I will say – it was a BIT of a stretch to relate some of the verses to the kids getting up on time.  Mostly they had to do with the importance of being prepared, of honoring others’ time, and being where you should be.  But we did it, and they got it. 

Unfortunately, Zack had an early dentist appointment, so he had to leave before we were finished.  And, in Zack style, he left at about 7:04 AM.

For an appointment at 7 AM.

Ahhhhh…irony.

I woke up this morning feeling really and truly awful.  I’ve had a cold for a few days now, and I have so much pain in my sinuses, it makes my teeth hurt.  When my alarm went off at 5:50 this morning, I hit snooze, knowing I could “afford” at least one snooze, but really wanting to turn the alarm off, roll over, and go back to sleep.

I didn’t.  I got up, found our morning devotion and printed it, and set out making pancakes for my family.  Cheesecake was up when I was, which is no surprise.  She is always awesome about getting up at the right time and getting herself ready for the day.  I heard the others kids’ alarm clocks going downstairs, and heard Peeps get up, turn his off, and climb back into bed.  (They have a metal bunkbed, so you can hear these things.)

Time passed, I kept flipping pancakes.  The devotion was ready to go, and I woke Hubs up so he could lead us in our morning time together.  When he came out, we were still minus two children.  I stood at the stove fuming.  I felt awful, and yet, I had gotten up to make sure we all had this time together.  Despite the pain in my head that made me just want to cry, I was standing there, making pancakes for them.  THey were sleeping. 

Hubs finally got everyone up, and Lemon Drop sat there while we did our devotion, staring at the pancakes I had made.  I think she ate one, but just stared at the other.  I sat here, growing more and more angry at how ungrateful my children were.  I was angry they didn’t care that *I* had gotten up for them, that I had made them food, that I had found this great devotion about how we were God’s jewels.  I sat here angry because THEY WEREN’T GETTING IT!!!!  I WAS DOING THIS ALL FOR THEM!

I’m not sure how it happened…but the printed devotion caught on a gust of wind, and fluttered to the floor.  In that moment, it occurred to me.  WHO wasn’t getting it?  WHO hadn’t caught that “Love brings satisfaction, not depletion”?  Who was VERY DEFINITELY NOT bright and sparkling like one of God’s jewels?

Yeah, that’d be me.

They don’t HAVE to enjoy the food.  They don’t HAVE to listen to the words in our devotions.  The fact that I was up, and serving them, is enough.  Jesus came and lived with us.  He taught many who didn’t listen to what he said, or maybe didn’t understand it.  As far as we know, he didn’t throw a tantrum at them for not appreciating the fact that he, GOD!, came to be with us and redeem us and give us a way to be in relationship with the Almighty God – Creator of all. 

It was a humbling moment.  It was also a learning moment, and I realize these morning devotions aren’t just for the kids.  They’re for every one of us, and they ARE good.  We may have the same trouble next week, with people not getting up and not really being cognizant for the devotions we are doing.  The fact that we are here, and we are doing them, and I am taking the time to serve them with a warm, homemade breakfast is enough FOR ME. 

Plus, there’s a toddler sitting across from me truly enjoying throwing her pancake to the dogs.  How can I be upset with that going on?

Today was much more sucessful than yesterday!  Despite the fact that today was the official real start of school for the three older kids, and despite the fact that I had to leave for an all day meeting shortly after 8 AM, we got it done!  I planned a little better last night, and had the devotion for today printed and ready to go this morning (Love brings satisfaction, not depletion, based on Hebrews 13:1-3.  This time from Josh.org). 

I had breakfast ready to go, and we all sat down and prayed over the meal.  We had Lemon Drop do the reading, and then discussed not only the written devotion, but also what it meant to everyone.  We finished with a group prayer, and everybody was off! 

I don’t feel like we have it quite down pat yet, and the rush of getting up and making breakfast for everyone is something I’m out of practice on, but I’m getting better. 

Go me.   

Not sure what we’ll do tomorrow.  I’m debating going and getting a book for us to work through, rather than pulling things off various websites, but I think I may have to play around for awhile before I decide for sure. 

ANYWAY…that’s how today went.  Now I’m gonna go pass out.  This cold is kicking my tail.

Today was FAILdAY! School officially started today, and while we DID end up doing our devotions before the kids went to school, it wasn’t the way I had intended.

Hubs fixed something on my phone last night, and somehow it messed up my alarm, so rather than getting up at 5:50, I got up at 7:05 when the baby woke up. Thankfully, the kids (mostly) still got up on time.

I rushed Hubs up, and got the lone sleeping child up (Pez), and made the executive decision that in the interest of time, we would just have cereal today. (This was a big downer for me, because I know Cheesecake doesn’t like cereal all the time.)

I pulled up a devotion for today from Bible Study Planet, regarding Four Things Christians Should Do, Hubs blessed our breakfast, and we started.

To his credit, Hubs did a great job leading our devotions, especially given that he had only about 3 1/2 hours of sleep, and that he had JUST woken up.

We finished up due to time, and took the first child off to school, and I realized we hadn’t closed in prayer like I wanted to do. (My intention is for us all to pray together as a family every day before the kids leave.)

SO – it was kind of a fail today. Not a complete failure, because we did still do it, and Hubs really got the message across and kept the kids involved, but a fail in that I didn’t get everything going like I had wanted.

Thankfully, there’s grace, and tomorrow is another day!

I’ve felt for awhile that along with the change that homeschool would bring, I wanted to create a more structured “morning routine” for our family that included a specific time for a morning devotion and prayer time before everybody went off to their days. 

With school about to start, this morning was our trial run.  We got to bed later last night than I would have liked, but I got up and got breakfast made.  Half of the kids got up on time, the others had to be goaded awake, and then…there was getting hubs up.  My husband is many amazing things.  Morning person is not one of them.   But he finally got up, and sat with us while we ate (he just couldn’t eat anything yet).  He just needs awhile to get oriented in the morning.

We opened with a prayer of thanks for the time and for our food, and then Hubs started explaining how it was going to work.  We’ve told the kids we will have a planned devotional, but that we would love for them to come up with ideas they’d like to do during devotions, and even have them lead sometimes.  We also introduced “the prayer jar”, which is a jar we will keep on the table with post-it’s and pens, so they can write down things they’d like us to pray for as a group, or privately (how they put the note in determines whether we pray for it as a group, or privately). 

Then we launched into the actual devotion, which was The Five Finger Prayer, which I found on Bible Study Planet. 

We closed in prayer, praying what we had just learned, and then we all just sat around and joked for a bit.  Obviously, as school starts we’re going to have to move a bit faster, but it was almost like our dinner meal, just in the morning.  We all really connect during that time, and have a good time together. 

All in all?  WIN.