1. This week has not been very fun. Tuesday I finally came down with the cold the rest of the family had. On the other hand, it has been an opportunity to practice patience, dying to self and uniting my suffering with Christ’s. The first day was not fun, and I even ended up upset over something little at the end of the day, but I was still able to keep God’s peace, to feel grateful and at the end of the day I could still look back and call it a good day (but now on day 4, not so much.)
I have largely been keeping up with my prayer time and it has helped some. There have been days I didn’t finish, but typically it was only 1 or 2 sections. I did say my morning prayers (usually all before noon) and then the rest of the day it would vary. My scratchy voice sounded more like Gollum talking to God than me, but it’s the times we don’t want to pray, and we still do that mean the most to God.
2. With my in-laws coming and going more as the weather gets nicer I’ve noticed something: I’m more organized and on top of things when they’re not around. When they’re gone I can be perfectly organized remembering events on the calendar, to change diapers etc… When they’re home I can’t get into a routine and everything falls apart, I guess too many heads of household spoil the organization!
3. On Satrday I got my own experience of what dying to self is actually like. For the longest time I’ve felt I am ready and willing to die to self, but I always forgot all about it in the heat of the moment. Sat afternoon/evening I remembered. My toddler was sick and cranky all day and I was home alone with the 2 kids. I remember specifically one moment that afternoon when my toddler would not stop screaming outside. In that moment, for the first time, I remembered to ask God for help. I needed help letting go and so I could take self out of the picture. I remembered to call on the Lord. I remembered it’s not about me. I remembered my toddler was feeling miserable. I remembered I’m supposed to be patient. I remembered to die to self.
4. Trying to feed baby the runny cereal really wasn’t working (I’d finally get about 3 or 4 spoonfuls into him and he’d decide he was done with the whole process and reused to open his mouth) and I didn’t have the patience for it anymore, so I tried him once more on a cracker. This time it went much better. I held it for him to suck on and he’s been sucking down crackers since about Monday. Now that he had the hang of having food in his mouth, I tried him on his cereal again at lunch today, this time a little thicker. I was able to feed it to him without to much difficulty, so now I can feed him with a spoon it’s time to get him started on some vegetables.
Despite the difficulties he really didn’t mind the change to real food as much as his brother. He was even reaching for he spoon that first night we fed him, when DH was distracted for a moment and looking the other way.
5. Baby is really grabbing his feet now. That stage is so cute. Usually shortly after he grabs them he ends up rolling onto his side.
6. I can’t remember where I found this link now, but the video was really cute/meaningful, so I thought I’ share.
7. Sunday is Mother’s day. Last year I ended up going for 3 dinners, this year it looks like just 2. My brother and I are taking my mom out for lunch, and then in the afternoon/evening we are going to a local ranch place where we get a wagon ride, playtime in the rubber rodeo and 2 adult dinners. For the price of a cheap dinner out we get a nice family outing, and get a dinner to boot. I just hope the weather is nice, it won’t be quite the same in the rain.
I know what you mean about the organization. My whole routine always got messed up when I came back home for the summer when I was going to Acadia.
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