Feb 10
1. From my morning bible reading:
Gospel of Matthew: When I first started this gospel several months ago after reading John, I was amazed at how the story practically leapt off the page. I saw everything in a new way, for the first time the Gospel came alive for me. So, as much as I can when I’ve been reading, I’ve tried to slow down and really take the time to really absorb it. So, as I’ve been reading Jesus’ journey to the cross I’ve been trying to really enter in.
Reflecting on the crowning with thorns: Jesus, the God-man completely shunned, and now tortured! It’s one thing to reject God, and that hurts Him greatly, but to torture and kill, to carry out an act so evil! Such an attack on the Loving Creator, who created the very people who are doing this to Him, and yet who loves them still! We cry out: ‘Jesus!’, and He says ‘I love you.’ They cried out ‘crucify him’, and he is saying ‘I love you!’ And yet they shouted all the more!
The cross… Sure God could just forgive us and avoid all this trouble, but ‘the window would still be broken’. We can not reach God on our own, even if he forgave us. Because fo our sins, we are not worthy. Someone had to pay the penalty, to make this relationship posible (to fix the window).
Ahh… contemplation 
From The Word Among Us this week: Jesus has so many things he wants to show you. He has so many ways he wants to reveal himself to you. Imagine yourself as a child, standing in wide-eyed wonder at the sight of something new and marvelous. That’s how Jesus wants us to approach our prayer time. What will I see today? What will the Lord say/reveal to me? How will he change my heart?
When I forget, a reminder of Why I serve God?: Because He just wants to help us. Because He loves us, unconditionally, so much that He died for us. He gave everytrhing on that cross, and continues to give ALL He Has to us. What a God!
2. The routine has gone ok this week. Sadly, that intense drive to follow God’s will for my day and serve my family etc, has faded greatly. But still, I know deep down that this was a serious commitment for me, and so I press on, wall calendar and whiteboard markers in hand. I am getting more accustomed to the flow of the day etc but then there are the things that just can’t seem to have a fixed time right now, and it’s usually when I’m working on one of these because the baby is finally sleeping and the kids are quiet, that I end up off schedule for the rest of the day. I will be very happy when all traces of colic and fussiness are just a distant memory. And when my 2 year old will regularly use the potty w/o having mummy time EVERY SINGLE TIME, which typically works out to about every 45 min- 1 hr.
As for mornings, the white noise I play on the baby swing each night helps me to sleep through minor noises and bumps in the night (kids turning over or waking up for a brief period before going back to sleep again) letting me be fairly rested come morning time. However, most mornings I still feel tired, and have to fight through waking up my mind, as opposed to falling asleep. I like to take about 10 minutes to do this so I feel awake when I get up and so I wake up calm and not frustrated before the day even begins. Thus, if one or more kids end up being my alarm clock, I tend to lie in bed a little before getting up, while they call out and/or run amok unsupervised…This noise however, is not conducive to peaceful wake up, but now I have a new solution.
Since I bought the cd for my morning wakeup praise time, I have realized it is a good peaceful gentle wakeup when one or more of the kids are up before I am. I listen to the pretty peaceful melody of the first track as I push the sleepiness away, instead of the frustrating sound of kids crying for my attention, and I get up in a much better mood. (There are no 100% urgent needs first thing in the morning that the big kids require me for, so I don’t feel bad letting them practice patience while they wait for mummy to be upright and her best self.
3. This week I started our first proper family movie night, complete with a family-friendly movie with popcorn and a slightly special themed dinner to match. I spent several hours hunting around for ideas, and finally decided we would watch Space Chimps and use up the leftover pulled pork on burgers as spaceships.
I cut windows and stars out of cheese slices earlier in the day so I could quickly put it all together when it was time for dinner.
When I had finished cutting out the shapes I was amazed to see a cute little woodpecker staring back at me. I thought it also looked like a seahorse, till I spotted a much better one. I also ended up with a bat shape so I spread some cream cheese and made some fun crackers for the kids.
Then, after daddy was home, I put together our special space supper. The kids loved it and even ate most of their burger, and all of their cheese pieces AND half hard boiled eggs! Supper was a definite hit and the movie was pretty cute too. All in all, a huge success 
4. As a result of all my searching, I came to this page , and discovered a wonderful new blog that satisfies my appetite for both photography and creativity. And for cute creations with food. It’s called ‘This Lunch B Rox.’
How cute are these!
Boy am I inspired, I definitely want to try this out when my son goes off to school in another year and a half. Eek!
5. Also from my searching, a 3d food printer, whaaat?! See for yourself! Technology, 3D Food Printers
6. This week we tried hanging up the jumper and I’m pleased to report it will hang in the doorway to the sunroom. Although he’s a little small, I tried baby in it and I think he will like it… He just needs a pillow to keep from tipping over.
Another kid that’s not the right size for the jumper…
7. Tonight we are having our first ever Nightfever. It’s not actually hosted by CCO but they are invovled as well. One of our students has been heading it up. It’s a really cool version of the Summmit that originated in Germany, and that’s all I’m going to say for now. There will most likely be a sperate post devoted to it in the (hopefully) near future. I am SO excited!!!!
Oh, and then tomorrow night DH and I are going out to a Valentine’s dance with a live band playing 50s/60s music, old classics like Brown Eyed Girl era. DH and I can’t stand the popular club music, but we don’t mind the older stuff. This will be the first time we really gotten out to dance since before we got engaged. I’m probably more exicted than DH but that’s ok, he said ‘I never said I wouldn’t have fun.’ So there.
So those are the cheese slices I heard so much about! Cute