Kids

My kids were being just terrible last weekend. They would not obey, they were disrepectful, they were just down right buttheads.

Sunday morning, as I was about to get into the shower, I asked them to please get ready quickly, because I had to speak first thing at church, and I could NOT be late. I suggested what they might wear and said I would do something with their hair.

They seemed to hear me. They are intelligent children.

Well, sure enough, 30 minutes later, as I came out into the living room dressed and ready to go -- expecting everyone else to be ready to go as well -- there they were.

In their pajamas.
On the sofa.
Watching SpongeBob.

I went directly to the kitchen counter where I grabbed a wooden spoon, turned on my heel, came right back to the sofa and spatted them quickly telling them as calmly as I could that it was time they learned to obey and think of others.

Then I said to my husband, "You deal with the little turds. I'm going to church!"

Then I left.

I prayed all the way to church that God would help me calm down and be in the right frame of mind to worship.

Just as I was finishing up my part in the beginning of the church service, I saw the three of them slinking into the back of the room. The girls looked like ragamuffins, with ratty hair and mismatched clothes. Jamie looked exhausted.

I grabbed my stuff and headed to sit with them in the back row as another song started. Caroline (9) came up to me and said, "Mom, I'm really sorry about how I acted last night and I'm sorry I didn't mind you this morning. I will be better."

Aw, my sweet little girl.

I hugged her and said that I appreciated that and that I accepted her apology. We were smiling and happy.

Then Eliza, my 5-year-old, said, "Mom, pretend like I said that."

My Latest Journal

This one I made for myself. It's a little bigger than the usual size. This one is 8x10". I think it will be a nice size for the collage journaling I like to do. And I love the Scrabble tiles!

LOOK! GREEN!

Just when I thought God had surely forsaken us folks out here in Montana, there they are: little tiny spears of bright green poking up through the dry, brown dirt.

Can you hear the chorus of Angels singing "Hallelujah!"?

Cure for Grumpiness

Some days I just have a bad attitude. You know what I'm talking about, right, those days when everyone seems to suck and nothing feels right. You just go through the motions and would rather go back to bed.

I have found the cure!

Take five minutes with a pen and paper and write down 10 things you are grateful for.

"You didn't have to shake it like you did, but you did, but you did. And I thank you." --ZZ Top

"Up from the grave He arose..."

Who Needs a Life Coach?

Here are some ideas of people who would benefit from a life coach:

1. People who are in a rut.
2. People who are bored with their jobs.
3. People who are bored with their lives.
4. Those newly divorced.
5. People recently laid off from their job.
6. People newly retired.
7. New moms.
8. Moms ready to go back into the work force.
9. Women who give so much to their families, they've forgotten
what they like and even who they are.
10. College students trying to figure out their major.
11. People struggling to make a big decision.
12. People needing to make many decisions.
13. People in search of their life partner.
14. Those looking to grow spiritually.
15. People who want to live their biggest and best lives.
16. People who need accountability.
17. Teens struggling with peer issues.
18. Parents trying to find balance between work and life.
19. Those who know they have more potential than they are living up to.
20. People who are unmotivated to do what they know they need to do.
21. Employees who wish to be more productive at work.
22. People who are frustrated.
23. People who are overwhelmed.
24. People who need a change but are afraid to make it.
25. People who could use a little encouragement.

Plane Crash E-Mail

I've been forwarded an e-mail from a few people that has made me sick to my stomach. You may have seen it. It is an article written by Gingi Edmonds for the Christian News Wire about the plane crash in Butte and about who happens to be a surviving family member of one of the families that was killed.

Okay, let me start from the beginning. A small plane crashed into a cemetery in Butte, Montana, last week killing 14 people...about half of them were young children. They were families going to Bozeman for a ski vacation. The cause of the crash hasn't been determined, although some speculate it was due to ice on the wings.

Anyway, Edmonds's article revealed that one of the families happened to be the children and grandchildren of a dentist from California who owns the largest for-profit abortion chain in our country. When word got out that the plane crashed near the "Tomb for the Unborn" in that Butte cemetery, some folks couldn't get over the coincidence. Scripture was quoted about what you get if you "do not hate bloodshed," etc.

The writer mentioned that she was not trying to turn it into an "I-told-you-so moment," but it sure came across that way to me.

I think my biggest pet peeve is when a few Christians make the rest of us look like a bunch of jerks. People, we are called to mourn with that family. Our hearts should be broken for their loss. We are absolutely not put here to judge others. Isn't it interesting that the article didn't mention what scripture says happens to those who judge?

And we wonder why the liberal left-wing folks think we are all hate mongers.

I think we need to take the planks out of our own asses!