Redeemed

So there has been a song on the radio that has completely taken me over.


Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave.

I find myself singing the lyrics, mostly the chorus, several times a day at the oddest times.

“So I’ll shake off these heavy chains, wipe away every stain now, I’m not who I used to be, I am redeemed.”

Oh just those few short words have brought me to tears over the joy that God has enough grace to love me. Enough grace to forgive me and all of my faults and failures. Everything that has bound me has been removed by God. He has redeemed me. He has changed me and made me His own. And for that I am grateful.



 

Lamar Baseball

So we actually had a free weekend. Something that doesn't happen very often. So what do we do when we have a free weekend? Go watch some baseball, Lamar Cardinal baseball. 

 Here is where we spent our Saturday. 

One of hubs' childhood friend has season tickets, the first eight seats right behind home plate. 

Lamar played a double header Saturday against University of Washington. They games were great and the boys got plenty of foul ball souvenirs to get signed after the second game ended. 

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to spend our free Saturday. The weather beautiful, the seats were awesome, the company was fabulous, and the Cardinals won both games!

And next weekend is our opening weekend for baseball so I will be spending another full Saturday at the ball park. 

And those of you who have been around here for a while, know that's just how I like it. 

10 Compliments Your Kids Need To Hear

I saw this on a friends Facebook page. And it struck a cord with me. I tend to get so wrapped up in the day to day things I don't take time to always say or do some of these even if I am thinking about them. 

1. Compliment their character. We live in a world where integrity is neither consistently taught nor widely expected. When our children demonstrate honesty, kindness, trustworthiness and reliability, that’s a great time to take them aside and offer a sincere compliment.

2. Compliment obedience and respect. It’s too easy to fall into patterns of disapproval, where the only time we notice is when kids do wrong. Rather than waiting for disobedience or disrespect (then coming down like a ton of bricks) try noticing obedience and respect: “I don’t always remember to tell you, but you are an awesome young man, and I appreciate the way you treat your mother”.

3. Compliment them for simply being part of the family. “Every time I see you, I’m thankful that I’m your Mom.” Kids need to understand that they are valued simply because they are.

4. Compliment contributions to the family. “Clearing the table (sweeping the porch… putting out the trash) makes a real difference. I appreciate your contribution.” Kids need to understand that what they do makes a difference, that the adults notice, and that pitching in is a good part of family life.

5. Compliment the quality of their work. “This is one clean porch, mister!” “You mowed the lawn right up to the edge.  Way to go!  I’m so glad you take this job so seriously, it shows.” Doing a job at a high standard is always worth noting.

6. Compliment the effort, even when the result is not the best. “Your willingness to help makes me happy! Now we need to take a look at how you can get the trash to the curb without leaving a trail!” Compliments can be an important part of our role as teachers.

7. Compliment when they achieve something new. “Wow! That’s a huge leap forward for you there in math, pal.” “Awesome! I’m not at all surprised after you worked so hard.” A well-placed compliment can keep a positive ball rolling.

8. Compliment their sense of style even if we don’t exactly share their taste. We don’t want to force our kids into being clones of us. “When it comes to putting together an outfit, you certainly have some flair!” “I can tell that you put a lot of thought into the way you look.” “I’ve never seen a table set quite like that before – you have an amazing imagination!” It’s not useful to limit compliments to the narrow range of our own taste.

9. Compliment steps toward a long-term goal. “Son, the improvement you’re showing is commendable. Thanks for trying.” Waiting for perfection before we’re willing to dish out a compliment is inefficient, may dampen enthusiasm, and does little to help the process of growth.

10. Compliment their friends. But only do this when you can do it honestly! “Your friends are the greatest!” “That Jake is such a good kid.” “You know, it gives me a lot of confidence to know you use common sense in choosing your friends.”

The road less traveled

I have a friend who lost her husband sixteen months ago. They had been married just over one year before Wes passed away. She is now raising their son, and doing a fabulous job.

Stella is one of the strongest women I know. She has accomplished so must in her life since Wes' passing.

She bought a house. Purchased a brand new car. Gone back to graduate school. And like I said earlier she is raising their son Trent.

She started a blog a while back. Just somewhere to write down her thoughts and help her navigate through this new stage of life.

The Road Less Traveled

She wrote a post on February 12th that just touched my heart. I actually ripped right through it and brought me to the brink of tears. I as much as I hate for her to be in pain, I know this is a process for her and not an easy one. I know she has good days, bad days, and really terrible days.

So if y'all don't mind just say a quick prayer for her.

And Stella, I am in awe of your strength and your ability to continue to function on a daily basis. You are loved by so many. And we will continue to pray for you and Trent each and every day.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

I didn't blog. Can we say epic fail? I my defense I didn't say I would, I said I might. I really had every intention of blogging but other stuff just kept getting in the way.

I would love to say that in my extended absence I have been on a fabulous adventure. Well actually motherhood is an adventure and it really depends on whether your kid is sick or not which translates into they are laying on the couch with a trash can by them just in case they feel need to throw up and the bathroom is to far away. Oh and no the boys are sick that random thought just popped in my head.

OK say a prayer they don't get sick.

Anyway, things have been moving right along here. We have begun baseball season. Insert BIG SMILE!! Right now we are still trying to schedule practices because all it has done for the past 2 weeks is RAIN, but I'm not bitter about it really. All this really translates into we get to eat good home cooked nutritious meals for a few days longer. But I'm sure the corn dogs, french fries, chicken strips, and popsicles will come in due time.

And school for me is going. I will be honest, I'm not really liking the class I am taking right now. I loved my last one and I know it's wrong to keep comparing them because hello we are talking about American Lit and Government. And Government and I are not meshing very well.

I was siting at the computer over the weekend working on my assignment and I went to post it to our discussion board and the the system told me to log in. Well I thought I was already logged in or how else would I be posting in my discussion board? But I clicked OK and proceeded to log in again. And then it happened. I lost EVERYTHING. I remember slamming the top of the laptop down, walking away and then the ensuing meltdown occurred. It took me almost an hour to formulate a coherent thought. How is the H-E- double hockey sticks was I going to type all that over again. So after much screaming and running around the house yelling at the computer again and then sending Hubs and the boys to Academy, which by the way I vaguely remember telling them to go there and then locking myself in the bedroom, I began to type away another post. I came out to ask Hubs a question and they were gone. I was like where did they go? Did the second coming happen and I was truly left behind. Then I remembered telling them to get out and they for once took me serious and left. So I ended up finishing my homework just as they were coming back home.

And that is what we have been up to. Oh and planning our vacation. It's never to early to start when there will be 10 of us going. I can't really tell y'all anything other than it's a place where dreams come true and some kind of magic happens when a cute mouse appears with his entourage to open the park for the day. But lets just say this...I'M EXCITED!! I think even more so than the kids.

Two words

Knock knock, is this thing on? Oh well.

I've got two words for you...BASEBALL SEASON!

Oh and maybe, just maybe I might be back tomorrow to blog again.