Cold Turkey for a Week

Welcome to this week’s meeting of Readers Anonymous.

Hi. My name is Lindsey. And I’m addicted to reading.

“Hi Lindsey.”

I love to read. Books, the newspaper, the vast expanse of words available through the Internet, etc. I guess you could say I’m an Internet-aholic, too. There are emails to read and write, blogs to visit, articles to read, new things to learn. Oh, the Internet is a beautiful place! And when there’s no computer, there’s always a good book.

For a couple weeks now, I’ve been praying daily that God would help me figure out how to better organize myself so I can better organize my family and our home. On the days I tried harder to meet all the needs of my three boys, the state of the house plummeted. On the days when I tried harder to keep the house in a presentable and organized condition, I would get aggravated that the boys were always needing something and interrupting me. On those days the house ended up a mess AND the kids were unhappy. I couldn’t figure out how to jive both boys and house. And so I prayed over and over and over again. There must be a way to create the best in both worlds.

Last night- prayers were answered. And as is usually the case, I wasn’t initially keen on what needs to be done. What does my Heavenly Father say will put me in the right direction?

“Give up the Internet for one week.”

Automatically, I started coming up with excuses. But then I paused. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Maybe I should take it a step further- no reading whatsoever (except of course, scripture study. Taking that out would have the opposite effect of the one I am seeking.). No Internet, no newspaper, no books.

Am I going to miss relaxing with some reading? Most definitely. But, for me, this is a matter of instant gratification versus more lasting happiness. The funny thing about happiness is that it often follows sacrificing a good thing for a better thing. Opportunity cost, if you will. If I stop all this reading for a week and see what I can accomplish and set up for the long-term, I believe I’ll be happier. Granted, I’m not positive of what the future week holds. Perhaps this will all backfire in my face. But I think it’s a good step to be taking.

And so, I choose happiness. Good-bye Internet. Good-bye books. Good-bye newspapers. I’ll see you all next Friday and much less often from then on.

The content of this post originated from divine inspiration:) The post itself was inspired by MamaBlogga’s January Group Writing Project. Come join in the fun.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for smiles. It's amazing what a smile from my boys will do. Or even from a complete stranger. A smile sure works wonders. Spread some cheer today: smile some more:)

No, I'm not lying or trying to one-up you.

I came across this awesome article on another blog and had to share. Summary: someone wrote in wondering what in the world stay at home moms must do all day and was answered with some great wit. I don't know who Carolyn Hax (the "Tell me about it" columnist) but I already feel disposed to like her.

I have more feelings on it, but I'm curious what others think first. What do you think of it?

Scammers

I've been posting my wedding dress for sale on an online classifieds site for a year or so. Every couple months I renew the ad. Every time, without fail, the following day I get a message saying something along the lines of:

"Do you still have the item for sale? Kindly get back to me."
or
"I'm interested in your {wedding dress, $$$}. Is it in good condition? What price are you selling for?"
or
"I would like to buy your item for sale. I await patiently your reply."

Puh-leez.

I know the stated protocol in these situations is to just delete the message. But every single time I have to fight the urge to reply and lecture them on honesty, rail on them for basically calling me stupid, or just a simple "buzz off jerk." Why must dishonest people weasel their way into every single facet of life?!

Thankful Thursday

Well what do you know, it's Thursday already!

What am I thankful for today? Sleeeeeeeeep!

All three boys have been sleeping very well lately (knock on wood) and letting me sleep as well until 8 in the morning. And on the weekends, we can sometimes get away with 9 or 9:30! Oh, it's a beautiful thing.

That and naps. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave infants and small children the need to sleep one or more times during the day. This wondrous blessing serves not only to help children's fast growing bodies get needed rest and energy, but preserves the sanity of Mom and prolongs the lives of the children. My own children have been saved from their at-wits-end mother many a time because they condescended to nap.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A change of focus

I've heard it a least 50 times today, and at least 500 over the past two and a half months. "Today will go down in history." That's all fine and wonderful, but I've somewhat irked by all this hooplah about President Obama being the first black president.

Honestly, good for him. This is quite historical and the magnitude of this is not lost on me. But shouldn't we be more focused on his presidency? I was shocked when I heard something on the radio this morning. I, like many others, was following the events of today's inauguration. As I care for three small children, my best option was the radio. Not my favorite medium because I'm not always sure who is talking. Thus, I have no idea who said this:

"Regardless of how he performs, it's a great day for our country."

I beg to differ. If President Obama succeeds in uniting the American people, if his administration brings greater virtue, peace, and prosperity to us and to the world, then yes this is a great day for our country. But if President Obama drives this country into the ground then this is not a great day for our country. His performance matters a great deal. History will tell us whether this was a great day or not; not the color of the President's skin.

No, I'm not a racist. Nor is it any secret that I am not a fan of President Obama. While his stance on abortion wrenches my guts, I respect the authority and the position he holds. I look forward to what these next four years can bring us. But let's change the focus from President Obama's race to the things he plans to do for our country. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Dwelling on his race instead of his work only furthers the differences between races. Isn't the ultimate goal of civil rights to have people identified by who they are and what they do instead of what race they are?

Thankful Thursday...a day late

Yes, I'm behind on my weekly post. My apologies for all of you who waited on pins and needles. Even though I think the only people that read this regularly are me and Bret.

Today I am thankful for the book of James, as found in the Bible. I finished it yesterday and I just love it! Reading it reminded me of a happening in high school. Here's the story:

I was working in the library when my very religious table mate said, "Can I ask you a question?" I gave permission and he asked me whether I and my church believed in being saved by grace or by works. I told him, "both." He asked me to explain further, so I did. When I finished he said, "So you believe you're saved by grace then?"

"No, both." Wondering if he was hearing the words I was saying, I explained some more. When I finished again he said, "Then, you're saved by works?"

"Noooo...Both."

He sat back looking pleased and like he'd caught me in a lie or proved I was a member of a heathen church. This was my very first experience with the grace versus works issue (which I didn't even know existed beforehand). I was extremely confused and just decided to get back to my work. That night at dinner I related the experience to my parents and asked if I'd said something wrong (I wish I could remember how I explained it). My dad said that I'd said everything right, but it sounded like my table mate wasn't looking for an answer, but an argument.

A very interesting learning experience for 16 year old me.

But good ol' James. He gets it:)

And just like that...

I just found out that one of my high school classmates was killed this weekend in Iraq. It's very surreal; I'm not quite sure what my feelings are on the matter.

I didn't know him too well. I dated his cousin, so we hung out a handful of times. I guess that means I knew him better than I knew a lot of other people in my class. I do remember that I thought his dog was hilarious. It's weird what you remember. And I remember hearing his mom say something that I would never have thought a parent would say to their teenager. Nothing mean or anything like that. Just an eye-opener for me to a part of the world I did not yet understand.

Wow, this is pulling up a ton of memories. Some that remind me how glad I am to be out of high school:)

Thank you, Justin, for your service and sacrifice for our country and for Iraq. I hope that peace comes to your family and loved ones soon.

A question for the masses

How does one teach a people-loving three year old that it is not okay to open the door when someone knocks, that he needs to wait for Mom or Dad to see who is at the door???

He doesn't understand that bad people exist and it's just not safe to open the door to a stranger, especially when he's by himself in the room. And, being the independent little bugger that he is, telling him he's not allowed only makes him more curious and likely to do exactly what I don't want him to.

You might say just to keep a better eye on him and never leave him alone in the front room. But for reasons unknown to me, people only seem to knock when I'm changing diapers and can't beat little buddy to the door. And he is so quick that the door is open before I'm halfway done saying, "J don't open that door!" Lucky for us, it's usually the mailman or someone from church. But one can never be too careful.

Help!

Hmmm...

I wonder if A and W would eat vegetables if I scattered them randomly across the living room floor...

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that no one has stopped by unexpectedly in the last couple days. I'm trying to claw my way out of one of those children-will-not-give-me-time-to-clean-house-and-leave-me-so-exhausted-there's-no-way-I'm-going-to-clean-once-they're-in-bed ruts and have not succeeded yet. Thanks for the privacy these last few days, world. Hopefully I can claw my way to the top before this streak ends:)

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

The media would have me believe that women in today's society have automatically have the right to be respected by their husbands, whether they've earned it or not. The media would also have me believe that husbands must earn their respect from their wives, over and over and over again.

I really hope that this is just a big mistake on the part of the television/movie/magazine/radio/internet/etc. industries. And yet, I fear that they're not far off the mark.

Take, for example, a radio ad that I heard shortly before Christmas. A bunch of women are lamenting over the fact that their husbands are so hard to shop for and how dare they be that way. One woman chimes in that she got a something-or-other (I don't even remember what the ad was for) and at the very least he could return it, but he wasn't going to want to because it was just so perfect of a gift. Another woman said she wished she could just return her husband to which the group replied, "Yeah, girl!" and "Where is that receipt?!" "ahahahahaha." Are you kidding me?!?! Luckily Bret and the boys were downstairs because I gave the radio what for. Your husband is hard to shop for so that makes him an ignoramus and you should divorce him?!?! Sheesh.

Here are some Marriage 101 tips: Don't belittle your husband in front of your friends. Don't waste time being upset about stupid things like "I can't think of what to get you for Christmas, you dolt." Don't joke about divorce. Don't even think about divorce, for that matter.

Respect goes both ways in a marriage, ladies. If you want your husband to respect you, you might try showing him a bit of it.

I'm preaching to the choir, I know. But it makes me feel better just to get it out there.

Every once in a while...

As a mother of twins, I get my fair share of questions and comments from strangers plus three other people's shares. Most of the time I don't mind. I understand that twins are fascinating to many people. Most people's questions and comments are the same, the not very invasive/accusing kind. I've heard of some pretty ridiculous questions and comments, and thankfully I rarely get the crazy ones. But every once in a while I get a comment that grates on my nerves.

One that I've gotten twice really gets under my skin. Two different people upon hearing that I have three children have said, "Wow. You've been busy."

I replied, "When two come at the same time a family tends to grow pretty quickly." Then they step back and say, "Oh, you've got twins. Okay." As if it wouldn't be okay if they weren't twins. As if it's a bad thing to have three kids in four years. Really people, it's none of your business when someone else decides when to have a baby. And it's especially none of your business (not to mention inappropriate) to comment on another couple's "extracurricular activities."

For your enjoyment (and mine in getting these out of my head) here are the other replies that zoomed through my thoughts:

Playing dumb- "I don't get it. Busy doing what?"
Throwing "inappropriate question" back in their face- "And what else would you like to know about my sex life?"
Playing dumber- "Yes, three kids certainly do keep me busy."

Sometimes I worry a bit that the sarcastic, smart aleck punk in my head will actually sneak out and say something that I'll regret. Other times I walk away from a conversation wishing that the smart aleck punk would have been brave enough to make an appearance. I guess it's best for me to just let those comments roll off my back.

But honestly, why do people (especially complete strangers) feel like it's okay to ask such personal questions and make such inappropriate comments?

Thankful Thursday

As I begin this new year sicker than I've been in a while, I am thankful for many things.

I'm thankful for my relatively good health. I have many small health issues, but for the most part my body works quite well.

I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who takes care of me.

I'm thankful for naps, when we can all get some rest.

I'm thankful for my amazing family (parents, brothers, in-laws, etc.) that is always fun to be around.

I'm thankful for good friends who stay up late with us.

I'm thankful that there are perks to not nursing anymore. Nyquil anyone?:)

I'm thankful for this new year and looking forward to what it brings.

What are you thankful for?