Let it snow

Today is the most wintry day I think we've had yet. The snow is really coming down and the cloud filled sky does not imply letting up anytime soon. It's the kind of day where I'd be completely happy staying in all day, nice and cozy with our stove going, everyone all snug, safe, and sound.

But I do have my 38 week dr.'s appointment this afternoon! My sister-in-law Janice came by and dropped off my favorite nephew to play with us for a few hours, then she'll come back and stay while I go to the dr.'s for the afternoon. I think I make out better in this situation - but I'm not going to complain ;-)

Jacob also forgot his wallet.. so I'll take that to him as well. Might as well finally get the stamps on our Christmas cards and get those out at the same time. Why I would pick a day like today to end up doing errands! Although, with 9 days till my due date it's probably best to accomplish as much as I can in one day!

I had planned on making a batch of Mutha Sauce for some of my favorite Dino BBQ recipes, one of Jake's fav. recipes I was going to make tonight needs it. But darling nephew seems to get upset whenever I leave the living room where he's playing :-) So I'm happy to take a much needed break from my day to sit here to make him happy.

Giovanna and Nora are his self-proclaimed "baby sitters" They keep putting on little shows for him with toys, reading stories, songs and dances.

I keep thinking - so this is what 5 is like. :-)

Like most mothers, especially mothers with multiple young children, my biggest struggle is accomplishing all I feel I need to each day. I don't have enough time, and certainly not enough energy, to tackle the lists I create for myself. As I approach the end of my pregnancy I find that I am majorly losing steam, and the order in which I feel I "need" the house to be in to maintain peace and harmony feels impossible to maintain. And the end result of course is being very stressed out.

As I've been attempting to get my morning routine back under control I recognized I needed to seriously commit this to prayer. As I spent some time talking with the Lord about it He revealed to me I had been neglecting the 15 minutes I spent in the mornings praying, reading a Psalm, and planning my day after asking the Lord "What do you want me to accomplish today?"

I felt like it was completely justifiable that I didn't have enough time and that's why my 15 minutes had gotten "cut" but I realized I do need to start my day that way.

So this morning, after getting up later than I had hoped, and having a bad night sleep, I started running around (stressed!) for the dozens of tasks needing my immediate attention when that still small voice said "Spend time with me" And my response was "I will Lord, I will.. just... after I wash the breakfast dishes" then "just.. after I clean the bathroom" then "Just after I sweep the floor" and finally I realized that having a perfectly clean house is NOT as important as : spending the time disciplining Nora the way she needed this morning, starting my day with the Lord, having a peaceful spirit to bless my family with as I do accomplish one task after another.

And as I read Psalm 1:3 this morning part of it hit me in a different way than I have read it in the past.

He is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.

Fruit in season is what hit me. My frequent complaint to Jake is that no matter how hard I work each day, I feel like you look around and would never know I lifted a finger. But what is the "fruit" of my labors that I'm looking for? A perfectly clean house? Or a blessed family? And which "fruit" yields in which season. Is this the season where 5 hours of cleaning = spotless house? No, but that season will come in my life. But 5 hours of cleaning = fed, clothed, happy children... I need to recognize the season of which type of fruit is appropriately yielded from my work.

While I'm not saying that anyone should neglect housework or laundry (augh, the woe of my existence!) - there will be time when I rise in my mornings, to greet each day with a list of things to-do and I'm certain that as I complete each one uninterrupted I'll be thankful for the moment a bustling group of children, or grandchildren, finally come bursting through the door to make the day more exciting and filled with life and love. I want to be purposefully mindful and thankful for the season of my life in which I am in and the fruit that I do have to appreciate and enjoy now. The years are already going by all to quickly - I don't want to realize what I have once the season is over.