Thumper says . . .

Oh my gosh, life can get so darn messy at times. (And before you go there, ours is peachy.) Sometimes the mess is due to something we've done ourselves to cause it, but other times it's a direct result caused by the actions of others. It's the latter of the two that can be an even tougher pill to swallow. And if you're like me it's also when I find it harder to take Thumper's advice of  (clearing throat) . . .

'If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all.'

This week has found me extremely heavyhearted for others, deep in thought and yes, quiet. At first it bothered me that some might mistake my silence as ignorance or acceptance, which are both SO far from the truth. But as a result of keeping a lid on it I've had a lot of time to think. And I have been reminded that Satan shows himself in more shapes and/or ways than we can imagine. So many more than the devil-horned, red caped wearing version we might have been terrorized by as a child (and/or adult). But most of us already know this.

Unfortunately that doesn't stop us though, with our vast amount of human frailties, of allowing ourselves to become so complacent that we let him get his hooks in us or a situation and take it over. In fact we often realize too late that we perhaps even opened the door and invited him in. Sometimes he dwells like a quiet little mouse and others he just goes directly for the jugular. But either way is destructive to say the very least. And I for one find it extremely heart-wrenching and hard to stand by and watch as he destroys marriages, families and lives around us. Particularly the innocent ones who are mere pawns in the whole situation. So as I've struggled to be quiet (and those who know me know how hard it's been) I've been reminded in that silence that God sees all, knows all and we humans make plans, but the Lord has the final word. (Proverbs 16:1 CEV) 

My prayer for those who find themselves there is that they remember God's desire for them.

And that the Bible reminds us ~ 

He renews our hopes and heals our bodies.
He decided how many stars there would be

in the sky and gave each one a name.

Our Lord is great and powerful!

He understands everything.

The Lord helps the poor,

but he smears the wicked in the dirt.
(Psalm 147:3-6 CEV)

I AM

Later,
Shelia

The burning truth . . .

I saw this today and thought it was hilarious!

( The Glow)

I'm proud to say my desire for a 'glow' was never that drastic. Thankfully. But I do remember learning at a young age what a tan was. Who doesn't remember the Coppertone kid showing off a tan? That was when my siblings and I would spend pretty much all day outside (back when kids knew how to be kids) with absolutely no sun protection on at all. I remember adults commenting on how 'dark' we were, that we must play outside all of the time and insinuations that tan meant healthy. But I also never remember hearing terms like 'sun protection' or 'sunscreen' or skin cancer . .

That carried over into my later years when it was perfectly acceptable - and normal - to slather your body with straight baby oil and lay out in the blistering sun for hours and hours. Now maybe you weren't as interested in a tan as that, and if so, kudos to you. But you may fall into the category of this next way to get that 'glow' . . .

Even after I decided I didn't have the time for, or couldn't handle the heat of, all those hours in the sun - along came the tanning bed. The latest and greatest way to get a tan, without the inconvenience. Hook, line and sinker. And I chose that way up to just a few years ago. Just during the summer, but still we're talking months. And I never had a second thought about it. Now I do.

But that's not even the bad stuff. The way you look at and think about things changes as you age, or they often do for me. For one, I know that based upon hard rock evidence I will always regret letting my kids slide by without sunscreen just because they hated the application and re-application process that took time away from their time swimming. But particularly now that I know the risk of skin cancer doubles if you've been sunburned 5+ times. And then there were those teenage years when I let them think that tanning beds were ok simply because they saw their mom using them.

And if you pay attention to the news, especially this time of year, you hear all about the increase in reports of skin cancer. If interested in more info, or if you too are beginning to consider the long term and/or deadly effects of baking your body, you can find and read all the confirmed research and statistics such as this for yourself. But here are some facts from a short report I heard last week:

• Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a proven human carcinogen. 
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an affiliate of the World Health Organization, includes ultraviolet (UV) tanning devices in its Group 1, a list of the most dangerous cancer-causing substances. Group 1 also includes agents such as plutonium, cigarettes, and solar UV radiation.
• Currently tanning beds are regulated by the FDA as Class I medical devices, the same designation given elastic bandages and tongue depressors.
• Tanning beds are linked not only to melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, but also basal cell carcinoma.
• More than 170,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer in the US each year are associated with indoor tanning. 
• One indoor UV tanning session increases users’ risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by 67 percent and basal cell carcinoma by 29 percent. 
• The risk of basal cell carcinoma is increased by 73 percent if one tans six times per year. 
• Indoor tanners have a 69 percent increased risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma. 
• Approximately 25 percent of early-onset basal cell carcinomas could be avoided if individuals have never tanned indoors. 
• Frequent tanners using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as much as 12 times the annual UVA dose compared to the dose they receive from sun exposure. 
• One minute in the average indoor tanning machine in England is twice as cancer-causing (carcinogenic) as one minute in the midday Mediterranean sun. (That's stout, as we all know how hot the midday sun is!) 
• Just one indoor tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent, and each additional session during the same year boosts the risk almost another two percent. 
• Of melanoma cases among 18-to-29-year-olds who had tanned indoors, 76 percent were attributable to tanning bed use.  
• People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 (that would be me . . .)increase their risk for melanoma by 75 percent. (No do-over here either. Ugh . . .) 
• Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the U.S. every year. Two to three million of them are teens. 
• The indoor tanning industry has annual estimated revenue of $5 billion. 
• People who use tanning beds are 2 1/2 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1 1/2 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. 
• Seventy-one percent of tanning salon patrons are females. 
• On an average day, more than one million Americans use tanning salons.

Now with all of that being said, I admit I still don't do pale very well in the summer. I don't strive for over-baked anymore, just a 'glow'. So I use a self-tanner. A personal choice. Because I also know now that wrinkles and sun spots are irreversible regardless of all the hype the cosmetic companies throw at you. Read the small print. Well, maybe if you used their products every day for the rest of your life and lived in a closet or cave. But there's no documented evidence of that either. So if you've also decided against further skin damage you might be interested in the self-tanner I discovered through a blog I follow. Because I've decided sunless is the way to go.

Sun Laboratories in Medium

This stuff is awesome. You can get it through Amazon if you choose (I do). Application is super easy. And youtube has all the help you could possibly need on application techniques. This one gives a natural looking tan. No streaking or nasty smell. And no. You will not look like a Tennessee orange version of Thelma & Louise with this. Not to mention it's much safer than their Orange Glo stuff. Now I make no promises though if you over do it. But why would you need to? It's a simple, quick process. I use the medium, but they do offer a 'very dark'. Be careful though. Sunless tanner is one of those 'less is best' kind of products. Plus, no goggles are required. :)

I recommend you do yourself a favor and at least give this or another one of your choice a try. Trust me, it's the way to go. For your safety, your health, your skin, your wallet, and of course . . . your family.

And if you're someone who loves the outdoors and/or spending time outside with your kids, that's great. Because a little vitamin D is good for you, within reason of course. Just remember the sunscreen when you're soaking it up - for you and for those little ones.

Later ;)
Shelia

Disclaimer: Not intended as 'preachy' - but my blog, my opinions.

It's the little things too

I just love my Mr. to death. The man should have been a comedian because he's always making me laugh. Often unintentionally . . .

One of the many times this week was today. He dropped his phone at work the other day and it saw the light, so to speak. And like everyone else (yeah you know it's true) he relies on it heavily so he had to get another one. He took both phones into AT&T for them to switch things over. And as usual they apparently did as little as possible (go figure), so I received the following message

 

Gosh I love that man! 

 

Even though we never readily admitted that we didn't know squat, we often pretended that we knew as much as our kids did about technology. Which naturally they knew was a total farce. I'm pretty sure that was evident by the fact that we usually managed to have the same phone that one of them did so they could conveniently give us a crash course on how to use the thing. That may or may not still happen . . . Lol!

 

So sometimes, particularly if they don't answer their phone, this season of  just us...life after kids can be technologically challenging. But I'm proud to say we mostly manage. ;)

 

As for the new phone, the first thing I did was set the spell check on it . . .

 

Later ;)

Shelia

Don't cry over burnt bread . . .

I've got to begin this post by sharing a devotional I received today. I hope you'll read it:

Why I No Longer Cry Over Burnt Bread 

Much like labor pains, I don't really remember being in the throes of poopy diapers, viruses with endless vomiting, sleepless nights of teething or days filled with coughing, hacking and breathing treatments - although I do know they existed. I do however remember running myself ragged trying to 'do it all' simply because I not only thought it was expected, but I was sure that no one could possibly do it as well as I could. So yes, I learned too late that striving to be good at all things caused me to miss the joy of so many small things. Instead I was crying over burnt bread.

I've told my kids often that if I had it to do over again I'd trade every single minute that I spent trying to maintain a spotless, orderly house for outside play, tea parties, fort building, coloring and/or just sitting or rolling around on the floor with them doing absolutely nothing. No one forced me to forgo those precious moments and they grew up way too fast. I find myself aching for those missed moments. Part of empty-nest maybe? I just know that there will never be one, but I would so much love a do-over . . .

This past week has been a tough one for our Little Boog. He's doing his best to cut multiple teeth, but they are being extremely stubborn and just causing him fits. Literally. He's been fussy, whining, clinging, not sleeping at night and just plain miserable at times. All he knows is that he hurts. And as you moms out there know, when our children hurt we're immediately on point to find a fix. That's what we do right? Well, his mom is no different. But unfortunately during times like teething, sometimes there's just nothing you can do. No amount of Tylenol, frozen washcloths, teething toys or even Tow Mater will do the trick. Sometimes the only thing that works is letting them wear themselves out by wearing your out. So, trying not to overstep the Nana boundary, I reminded her of the blessing she has of being a stay-at-home mom, her sweet nurturing ability to soothe him as no one else in this world can do. And again, I shared the lasting regrets I have for the times I didn't just sit down and 'be' without stressing over all the stuff I felt that only I could do. She gets it. She knows. And she's an absolutely awesome mom.

I came across this yesterday. I think someone actually shared it on Facebook. So I shared it with her.

Am I Enough?

This week my husband walks in the door after a long day at work to find: dishes piled in the sink, laundry all over the living room, the beef for dinner still in a frozen block, and me…looking like Frump Queen. He is gracious. And tells me to take a nap. I instantly obey. (Inwardly rejoicing.) And while I am sleeping for 45 minutes, he manages to clean the whole house…while watching our daughter. (A feat I clearly was incapable of accomplishing today. Many days.)

One part of me feels grateful the house is clean. I can relax now, right? But the other (bigger) part of me feels guilty and defeated. He just worked the whole day at his job, and then came home and did mine, too. Isn’t this why I am staying home?

Every day I have this desire to accomplish something. But every day it feels I accomplish nothing. I try to clean something, but I don’t finish. I want to do a house project, make my space more beautiful, but all those gorgeous pics on Pinterest look like something from another world. Not mine. I leave to buy something, but roam aimlessly around in the store. Nothing to bring home. I try to write, but this little person cries for all of my attention when I sit at the computer. I clip coupons and price match, and still go way over on our budget. Aghhh. At the end of the day, there’s nothing to show for the last 9 hours of exhausting effort. Of doing what?

When it feels I didn’t accomplish Super Tidy Housewife, or Spiritual Sage, or Fun Mommy, or Adoring Wife, or Betty Crocker, or the Likeable Friend…when I’m none of those titles, and all the opposites. I have to wonder: “Am I enough?“

I lay my head on the kitchen table, cheek against wood, and cry. I want my days to be of worth. But feel like they are all so: Unsuccessful.

As I lay, frozen, I hear a whisper, my daughter’s whisper:

Dear Momma,

Do you remember the nights you cried on the bathroom floor in the dark? When the pregnancy tests sat negative in the trash can? Remember when my nursery was just a storage room? A place for you and Daddy to throw your junk? Remember how you longed to brush my hair with your fingers, to sing me lullabies, to hold me close? And now I’m here.

Am I enough?

When there’s dishes in the sink, and your skinny jeans sag from all the bending, and dinner’s ingredients still sit on the shelves of the supermarket, because your days are full, full of me. Am I worth your attention? Am I an accomplishment?

Am I enough?

You kept me safe today Momma, you kept me alive. You kept me fed, and rested. You played with me, and made me laugh. Does that count Momma? Am I one of your goals Momma? Just to be together? Even if no one sees it? Or knows it?

Am I enough?

Tell me Momma, did you think I’d be different? Did you hope I’d be different? Do you see me? I’m right here Momma, the answer to your sobbing prayers. But now that I’m here, is there something else you want Momma, to feel good? Do I make your day count Momma?

Am I enough?

And suddenly, the voice changes. My heart wrenches. The Spirit of God begins to whisper, making the table under my wet cheek feel more like the chest of God. And suddenly I know He’s near.

Do you remember when I said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me?” (Matt. 25:40) “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward?” (Matt. 10:42) Do you not see it here Child?

All these days you live at home to serve this fragile girl, what you really are doing is serving Me. For whatever you do unto her, you do unto Me. So let me ask you: Am I enough?

What is My worth to you? In the secret places, where no one sees? Look deeper Dear One.

Can you find Me in this place? In her face?

Every diaper, every clean, dry pair of clothes,

cups of water, Cheerios, all the laughter, every tear,

each soothing whisper in her ear.

In doing so, you so clothe Me, feed Me, hear My cry,

soothe Me with your lullaby.

If all you do is spend your days, your self, on Me.

Am I enough?

I think I was not only meant to share that post with her, but was intended to allow it to rid my own heart of some type of grief I had allowed to form there. We all live with regrets and/or desires for some much needed do-overs. And like the author of the devotion I shared, I learned the hard way that I missed all sorts of sacred and significant moments because I lived with the exhausting insistence that I could do all and be all at all times.

I know that I'm a good mom. And I like to think my kids would agree. I've always done everything within my ability to be sure they're safe, well, fed and clean. I had the nickname from the neighborhood kids as O.P.M. (over-protective mom) and the Mr. reminded me just the other night of the many, many nights I would be up till the wee hours of the morning with a sick child. But even with that being said, I know that like me, there will undoubtedly be times that my own children will feel inadequate during their own years of parenting. So my prayer for them is that they discover early that nothing will ever be accomplished by crying over burnt bread . . . 

For now this sweet little blessing is my do-over ...

“So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.” Romans 12:5-6, (The Message) 

Later ;)

Shelia

Regardless, everybody is somebody's child . . .

Planned AND accomplished!

Yep. Got it done!

I went home on Friday and immediately began purging my closets. Primarily because I knew if I didn't I'd come up with another excuse to postpone it. Gosh it felt good!!

I tackled the definite no-no closet first (baby steps, you know). This was one that held stuff that had not been worn in so long it should have been covered in cobwebs. This closet also holds the Mr.'s winter clothing that he needs mainly for work. He's an all season, hard-working kinda man!

Next I tackled the closet in what is now known as 'The Nursery.' :) This one held everything from casual, to winter, to the dreaded 'might have an excuse to wear this some day yet' pieces. This was the tough one. I actually found myself falling into the trap of trying a few things on again because ______ (you fill in the blank), which is why they were hanging in there in the first place! But after a few mental smacks to the head, I continued the purge.

I checked everything out to determine which destination it would end up at - outside of our house. The next step was to hang what was going to a better place - the next day - fold and bag what was going to be donated - the next day - and hang and cover items being transferred to the attic for winter trip to consignment (out of sight, out of mind) - the next day. I didn't have any shoes or purses to deal with, as I had taken care of donating or trashing those items when I switched out winter and summer clothes a few months ago. So after moving everything out of the house, I spent the rest of my evening feeling pretty darn proud of myself!

The next morning, just as I'd promised myself, I put the future consignment duds in the attic and got those out of the way first. Then later that morning we, and yes - I talked him into it - headed to the consignment shop. I mentioned Wee Cycled & New to You in my previous post. You guys should really check this place out. They have everything (in season). Anyway, I was almost beaming as I took in the clothes that I half eagerly, half painstakingly, purged from my overflowing closets. If you've never done consignment, the way it works is they look at the clothing and determine what they feel can be resold and I'm proud to say that everything I took in was deemed worthy (yay!). So of course while they were doing that I managed to find a few things to take back home with me also. Don't judge! I got . . .

These shorts.

Now I'm not a 'brand name' person, so I really don't remember what brand these are, but they were both brand new and with tags. Score! These are just a little long for my liking (see 'someecard' on previous post) and I am so NOT a cuff person, so those definitely have to go. But the thing about consignment is that the prices are so great I can easily justify alterations like hemming and cuff removal if and when needed. 

Then I got this cute top and pair of khaki shorts. Again, cuffs to be removed. 

And this summer purse and cap to protect The Boog from the sun this summer.

And while I was doing my 'browsing' the Mr. was doing a little browsing of his own. I rounded a corner to find him holding a cool version of Mickey Mouse that crawled. Super cute and with Boog crawling - everywhere - he thought it would entertain him (mmhmmm . . .). I shot a glance at the huge corner of toys they have and something extremely familiar on the top shelf caught my eye!!

Now I realize it might not be Tow Mater, but how stinkin' cute is this??
Poor Mickey didn't stand a chance. ;)

The odd thing is, we had just had a conversation on the way to New to You about 'me' spoiling Boog rotten. Me? Never . . .

Mmmm . . .this came today . . . ;)

Guess it's time for Nana and Papa to reconnect with the Spurtlegurgles, Jingleheimers, Bitty Booties and Twirleypops! Lol! ;)

Ok, so last weekend's mission was planned and accomplished! Now, what can I plan for this one . . .?

Later ;)
Shelia

Regardless, everybody is somebody's child . . .