Everyday life with our three little peanut heads
Have you heard about this book yet??
I first heard of this book after my sister read it a few weeks ago and shared about it on facebook. It’s the true story of a little boy’s journey to Heaven and back. This is the most encouraging thing I have read in a long time, I believe that everyone will be encouraged by it. Do yourself a favor, go out and buy it, or download it to your Kindle or iPad, you’ll be glad you did!
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Before we had any kids I had a great routine of doing my morning devotional/quiet time while eating breakfast. It was perfect, I had a quite house and time. I would read while eating then move the cereal bowl out of the way and then jot some notes and thoughts down. Then kids changed everything! Like so many areas of life this area changed drastically. When Andrew was first born he slept in past my normal quiet time and even if he did wake up early a bottle was all he needed but not anymore. Fast forward to today and now the boys are waking up earlier and there is more than just a bottle to warm up. Now it’s 3 bowls of cereal, 1 sliced bannana, 1 big boy cup of milk, 1 sippy cup of milk and 1 glass of OJ. Doesn’t sound to bad but this all must be done before the boys wake up (the free time I used to have in the mornings). Then when the boys wake up there are 2 diapers to change, 2 bibs to put on, and then the challenge of trying to minimize the amount of raisin bran that makes it to the floor. Combined this process takes up the time I used to have to myself. Andrew loves to talk and asks a question every 10.3 seconds. If I could focus for 8 seconds at a time and actually retain anything I guess it would still be possible to have devotions at breakfast but it would definitely not be considered “quiet time.”
So, I have tried to fit quiet time in different times of the day, on my lunch break, after the kids go to bed, right before I go to bed, nothing seems to work like first thing, well after my shower, in the morning. After letting this struggle go on for wayyyyyyy to long I decided to go to bed earlier and set my alarm little earlier so I could get my quiet time and breakfast ready before the boys wake up. That was Thursday night. So far I have had 2 successful mornings. That’s 2 for 5 if you are keeping score. Not exactly the batting average I was looking for. However, I am not discouraged because I know I am on the right track. I know this since the number one way to know you’re on the right track spiritually is that something will always try to mess you up. Now this is not quoted from the Bible but the truth is that if you aren’t trying to do what God wants you to do then the devil has no reason to disrupt the routine. But if you are, then watch out! My routine has been disrupted.
Both Andrew and Joshua are great sleepers, sleeping from 8pm to 7:30am. Like clock work for months. So the first night after I decide to set my alarm early and get up and focus on quiet time with God Joshua wakes up screaming at 4:30am and the screaming wakes up Andrew. I get them both calmed down and and back in bed by 4:50. Not too bad, I can still get up on time. But I never really went back to sleep, I kept watching the clock and then Joshua wakes up again at 5:30. This time there was no quick visit to the room. Somehow both boys made it out of the room and onto the couch and our bed. We virtually never do this so the boys just toss and turned keeping me (and Lindsay) wake. Since the boys were already wake any type of quiet time was out the window. Day one ruined.
Day two was a Saturday and the only day of the week my alarm gets turned off. So needless to say the boys slept fine because I wasn’t planning a quiet time that morning.
Day 3. Again Joshua wakes up early, about 6:50am, around the same time I am getting out of the shower to begin my quiet time. You can imagine how successful I was on Day 3. Going 0 for 3 and stumbling out of the starting gate I did not give up.
Days 4 & 5 have been great. I have woken up early and had a great quiet time with my Bible and God. I am working on getting up earlier but I need to ease into it. I have not been as successful as I hope to be on getting to bed earlier. But I can’t blame that on the boys 
As for the study I thought it would be cool to jump start this new time with something completely new and different. A new way to read the Bible. So I am doing everything from my iPhone loaded with the Bible app from YouVersion.com. There are some really cool things you can do with a digital Bible that you can’t do with the traditional book version. I’m not sure how this experiment will work but I look forward to finding out. Look for another post about my experience with the “digital Bible” in the next couple of weeks.
Note: this post was written earlier in the week just not published until Friday.
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If you have kids you have had to make this decision, in the heat of the moment, with only seconds to think, you have to decide kids or clean. If it hasn’t happened to you, just wait…it will.
Saturday was another all boys day as Lindsay went to Claire’s (my brother’s fiance) bridal shower in Gainesville. I cooked up a hot dog for the boys, I even split it down the middle and melted shredded cheddar cheese inside, a real boy’s lunch. After letting it cool for a few minutes I cut it up and gave it to the boys, then it happened. A shriek of horror. I turn around to see Andrews little face with a ketchup mustache and goatee getting more red by the nanosecond, tears starting to flow out of the corners of his eyes down his cheeks, his little ketchup and cheese covered hand reaching for daddy. His mouth wide open but no sound, no more shrieks, just a look of terror. I had a decision to make, kids or clean. I run over to him get him out of his chair, pick him up and hold him like a father should. Knowing my shirt is ruined (or at least needs a good meeting with Spray & Wash) I just hold Andrew and tell him I love him. After a minute Andrew told me he hurt his hand, that the hot dog was indeed still too hot. Joshua didn’t seem to mind the HOT dog but something triggered this terror in Andrew.
As we finished lunch and Andrew ate his hot dog I began to think about our little incident. When I saw Andrew sitting there with ketchup and cheese all over his face and hands I had a choice to let him sit in his seat and try to wipe his hands and face then pick him up or I could forget the stupid shirt and pick up my kid and love him. As I was holding Andrew he just continued to wipe his face on my shoulder and with every wipe I could see more ketchup and snot (he was crying afterall) get ground into my shirt. I didn’t get upset looking at my ruined shirt, I was grateful for the blessing of the little boy who was crying in my arms. Afterall it’s just a white t-shirt that can be washed or if need be even turned into a car washing rag and replaced but it made me think. But it reminded my of God’s love. God loves his children and we don’t have to get all cleaned up to let Him hold us. God wants us to come to him NOW. In the moment when you are hurting or addicted or broken. To many times we (myself included) think we can’t turn to God when we are messed up. But the opposite is true, these are the times we need to run to Him, or for many of us, run back to Him. Just like Andrew we need to turn to our heavenly Father and cry out with arms waiting for an embrace.
Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. - 2 Corinthians 1:6-7
I cried out, “I am slipping!”
but your unfailing love, O Lord , supported me.
When doubts filled my mind,
your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. – Psalm 94:18-19
God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4
Instead of trying to fix everything yourself, run into God’s arms and ask him to help you in your circumstance. God doesn’t care about the mess, he cares about you, plus He’s probably got a pretty good dry cleaning service.
Next time you get a little ketchup on a white shirt remember how much more God has sacrificed for you. God chose you, and always will.
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i know what you are thinking, “fruitcake is a Christmas doorstop tradition so what does it have to do with Easter?” for starters if there was no Easter then Christmas really wouldn’t exist. if Jesus did not die on a cross then rise out of the grave alive then He would be just like every other nut who claims to be a god. But Jesus is different because beat death, he has power over death, His birth does matter, so we can celebrate!
ok so thats great but what about the doorstop? lindsay and i just finished watching fruitcake and icecream. it is a dvd from louie gigliolouie giglio, louie is a gifted speaker i’ve seen at conferences and watched on other dvds. so about a month ago lindsay and i were at the christian bookstore and i saw this dvd on sale and decided to buy it. i had heard about it and knew it was about a college student from university of florida, being a huge gator fan that gave me one more reason to make the big purchase. so we bought the dvd and basically set it on the shelf, and forgot about it, until tonight.
it turns out that the message is all about grace, based on 2 Corinthians 5:13-21. check out verse 21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (from the niv)
as a side note i love listening to louie talk because he works with many worship leaders like chris tomlin and he ties in the lyrics of worship songs, which are scripture based, into his talks so then whenever i hear that song it has a deeper meaning for me.
about 3 minutes into the dvd i realized it was totally about the story of grace and grace is the story of Easter (awesome timing the day before Easter). without the death and resurrection on Easter grace doesn’t have the same meaning. so the dvd is about the story of ashley, a senior at florida, and her journey from not wanting anything to do with God to experiencing Gods amazing grace. we loved the dvd and ashley’s story! i encourage you to check out the dvd sometime. for today i hope you realize is for you, no matter your history.
so i hope you have a happy easter, but more than that i hope you understand why you are even celebrating. if you aren’t sure let me know or ask someone.
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Today I HAD to make a trip to Target because the boys were literally wearing the last diapers we had. I don’t usually go more than once a week so when I do I like to browse a little, so I make sure I’m prepared. I grabbed 6 quarters and a dime from the change jar and off we went.
I got the boys all settled in the cart and we made the most important purchase of the day. One bag of popcorn (split into two bags) and a juice. It came to $1.60….I had exact change 
Starting from this point I have until Andrew finishes his popcorn and Joshua and I finish the other to complete my shopping.
First I got the things we actually needed. Diapers. I love Target diapers, they are cute, they are absorbent and they are CHEAP. And most times when I check out I get a coupon for $1.50 off a box.
So after we got the necessities I decided that I should get something to put in the boys’ Easter baskets. Let me just share my take on this with you. My kids are little…they don’t need candy. I’m cheap…I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to fill an Easter basket. They have tons of little toys…they don’t really NEED anything. Easter isn’t about a bunny….it’s about the Resurrection of our Lord. It is very important to me that my kids don’t just associate Easter with a new church outfit, pastel jelly beans and basket full of goodies. I want them to know that we are celebrating the life of Jesus, His death for our sins and the fact that He conquered death and rose from the grave!
I read about an awesome way to teach kids the story of Easter using THIS cookie recipe. I look forward to doing this with my boys and giving them a hands-on way to learn about Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Having said ALL that, I know that it is up to me to teach my children about what is truly important, and that putting together a small and inexpensive Easter basket would probably be ok
So after the longest introduction ever, I am here to share my ideas for filling an Easter basket!
We already had little tin buckets that my aunts got for the boys last year. They look like this.
Then I decided that instead of toys, why not fill the buckets with things that the boys actually need? So I went to the kids section and headed straight to the clearance rack. I found Andrew a bathing suit for $5 and Joshua one f0r $2! I decided that baby sunscreen would go well with the bathing suits, I know that is a really boring “gift”, but we were going to need it anyways!
On my way to get the sunscreen I passed the $5 movie stand and found Veggie Tales, the story of Jonah. My boys love Veggie Tales and we haven’t seen this one yet, but I’m sure they will love it!
The last thing I got was kind of a splurge, but I think the boys will have fun with it.
We have never tried these before and it is not something that I would buy on a regular basis, but it looks like fun and is just the right size for an Easter basket! By this point the popcorn was gone and it was time to head home.
I don’t know if this will give anyone ideas, but I was happy that I got things we will use that the boys will enjoy without spending a ton of money!
I would love to hear what you are putting in your kids’ Easter baskets!
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Duct Tape, what better way to start off a new blog then talking about Duct Tape. If you have known me a while you know that I love Duct Tape. I have made about 7 wallets (only 2 for me, the rest as gifts), flip flops, and more. I also use it to fix many things, I think its a guy thing. I haven’t gone MacGyver yet and disarmed a bomb and escaped from sure death with just some Duct Tape and a Swiss Army Knife, but if I ever find myself in that situation I will be ready!
The point is that Duct Tape can be many different things, from a wallet , to an escape rope for MacGyver, to a prom dress. But the one thing that Duct Tape can not do is seal or patch leaking air ducts. So that made me think…
What about me? Am I trying to do a million different things but not doing the one thing I was made to do? I have been asking myself that question a lot and many times I put my energy and resources into things that don’t really matter. Oh they seem to matter, but looking back they don’t really matter.
So how do you know what you where made for? Good question, thanks for asking. You can take all kinds of personality tests and spiritual gifts tests, while these tests are great and I would recommend taking them, they don’t answer the underlying question. The answer is much broader than the test.
We, you, me, every person with a heartbeat, were made to worship God. Its as simple as that. According to Webster, Worship means “to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.” So really we were made to honor God. This goes beyond where clock-in and clock-out every day, or where you live, or what kind of car you drive, its a total lifestyle. Is your life, your thoughts, your actions, how you treat others, honoring to God?
You can honor God selling computer, or teaching middle school students, or staying home and taking care of your children, or going to a 3rd world country as a missionary. That’s where the test above come in handy. But you can honor God by the way you treat the clerk at Wal-Mart or your neighbors or the homeless guy down the street. Its a lifestyle not just a job.
What are you worshiping, what drives your actions? Whether realize it or not you are worshiping something right now. What drives you? What causes you do do what you do? Is it money, or a new car, or popularity, or that promotion? Or is it the will of God?
Are you going to spend your life doing everything under the sun or the one thing you were made to do?
Some reading:
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