DUH!

So, my husband just bought Wesley his own little training potty. It plays music if he peepee's in the potty. It's really cute (if a toilet can be cute)! We were both really excited to let Wesley try it out this morning. We headed to the bathroom. Eric got on the "big" potty and placed Wesley on his new training potty. Wesley just sits there and kicks his feet. We wait, and wait, and wait.... Eric grabs a little dixie cup of water and pours it in the potty so that Wesley will hear the "reward song." I quickly say, "Now he's being rewarded for just sitting there. He's going to want to pour water in his toilet." He keeps sitting there. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Eric decides to empty out the water from the toilet. He moves Wesley and dumps the water. I said, "Now he knows that the toilet comes apart and he's going to want to play with it." Eric turns to Wesley, puts his diaper on him, and says to me, "You are in charge of potty training now." He appeared to be frustrated. Naive little me says, "OK." Then a minute later I say, "Are you frustrated about something?" DUH Sadie! He says, "Very!" I had just finished making my husband feel like he couldn't do anything right. He leaves to take a shower. I bust into tears. Thankfully I had a few moments to sit and think. He came back in and I apologized for not thinking about his feelings. He forgave me. :) We hugged and then he left for work.

Do you sometimes have those "DUH" moments too? Why wasn't I thinking? I need to be more intentional with my words. I could have said, "Maybe it's not a good idea to pour water in the potty. It may confuse Wesley's training." And the cleaning of the potty, that was just a silly statement. We have to take it apart once he uses it in order to clean it anyway. Wesley's going to figure it out sooner or later.

It's hard to admit wrong-doing. You have to truly swallow your pride. But it is crucial for a healthy marriage and for character-building. I think we could all be more intentional with our words and with our apologies.

My Husband Has a Servant's Heart

I am incredibly proud of my sweet hubby! He called from work to ask my approval on a decision he has made (he had already made the decision...I guess he just wanted to make sure I was on board...ha!). He said that a homeless man in his mid-twenties came by the pet store today. This man said that he knew who had stolen the donation jar for Animal Rescue Center (ARC) from our front counter and was curious if there was a reward for turning the thief in. Eric said he wasn't sure but that he would check with ARC for him. They got to talking and Eric found out that he and his girlfriend are homeless. She is 3 months pregnant and they are leaving in a few days to go to another city (on foot). This gentleman and his girlfriend have been showering and doing laundry at a local man's home once a week. The man whose home he showers at is now out of town until after they leave. He said he hasn't done laundry in over a week. And they couldn't find breakfast for his pregnant girlfriend this morning. Eric gave this guy his lunch (left-over pizza from a couple nights ago). Then Eric said, "get me your clothes and I will have them back to you by tomorrow morning." Eric asked me to go to the grocery store and get them some food that they can pack in their backpacks for their trip. He also asked me to get the pregnant girl some prenatal vitamins. I am just blown away by my husband's kind heart! What an amazing man of God I have married! Thank you Lord for my sweet gift of Eric!

Do Something About It!

I have been struggling to lose my last 5 pounds of baby weight for a couple of months now. I think about it. I talk about it. I gripe about it. But I haven't do anything new to change my focus. I've been eating better and staying "active" around the house. If you're a mom to a baby or a toddler you know what I mean by "active." I haven't been working out. But I'm constantly moving; cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, feeding kids, giving baths, running errands, playing on the floor, etc... But I wasn't doing anything NEW!

I have decided to be "intentional" about my weight loss/fitness program. It is important for me to be healthy. It is important for my kids to see me making wise fitness decisions. It is important for my marriage that I de-stress and that I feel pretty/sexy for my husband. Dr. Randy Carlson has a book out called, "The Power of One Thing / How to Intentionally Change Your Life." He says, "One reason people don't make progress toward their goals is that they get overwhelmed with the enormity of the task." But it's all in my head. I have to start with a heart/head change. I kept telling myself that I didn't have time to workout. I have two children under two years old for crying out loud. Plus, my husband works 7 days a week. I can't very well approach my tired spouse and ask him to babysit while I go do cardio for an hour. It just doesn't seem fair. So, in my mind there was no solution to my problem....UNTIL....I made a heart change. I can MAKE time for my work outs! Madison naps every morning for approximately 30mins - 1hr. Wesley would enjoy watching Mommy look goofy while doing a work out DVD. You know what? 4 days in a row I have been able to enjoy a FULL work out. Wesley actually tries to do crunches to! I plan to continue this new routine "forevermore!" Ha! Or until Christ comes back at least! ;)

Do you need to be "intentional" about something in your life? It starts in your heart!

New Chapter

Well, I had the BIG 30th birthday this past week. I don't know if I was necessarily dreading it or just thinking about how much I enjoyed my twenties. I still feel young. Best of all, I know God has a plan for my life and I can't wait to see what He has in store for my next chapter. I was reading Psalm 20 today during my quiet time. I kept going back to Psalm 20:4, "May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose." I had never realized how closely related my heart's desire and my purpose are. God's purpose for my life is perfect and therefore it must fulfill my heart's truest and deepest desire. Thank you Lord! I don't know where He is leading me. But I want to follow Him and trust that His purpose will bring me complete joy.

Bitter or Better

I love the show "19 Kids and Counting!" The Duggars are truly an inspiration. For those of you who do not follow the show, let me give you a brief history or what I will be referencing. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are a conservative christian couple who currently have 19 children. Their latest addition, Miss Josie, was very premature due to Michelle experiencing pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure). I believe she was approximately 3 months early!!!!! Josie has been in the NICU for her entire little life (except for a 48 hour period where they thought she was ready to go home but due to digestion issues she was not). As you might imagine, the Duggars have been on an emotional roller coaster ride as Josie has her good days and her bad days. I was watching an episode on Hulu today. Michelle said something that really touched my core. She said, "Trials will either make you bitter or make you better." Wow! This made me think about my "tough" days at home with the kids. Of course my "tough" is not at all hard to deal with compared to what the Duggars are going through. But it made me think anyway. I want every situation I deal with on a daily basis to make me a better person. I don't want my tiredness to make me bitter. I don't want my disobedient toddler to make me bitter. I want to choose to have a good attitude and grow in every situation I come across. Thank you Michelle Duggar for being such a godly role model in my life. I have been and will continue to pray for your sweet Josie!

Unexpected Blessing

I had my baby girl, Madison, a little over 5 months ago. I had my baby boy, Wesley, a little over 18 months ago. Because I've been pregnant for like 2+ years I have not had my annual pap smear done in quite awhile. Not only that, but our insurance does not cover this type of appointment. So we saved up the money and scheduled my appointment knowing how important it is to get checked out on a regular basis. I get to my appointment, sign in, and am about to sit down... The lady at the front counter asks me if I am "Sarah Miller." I said, "Yes." She said, "You are aware that you owe $2,300 to this office aren't you?" WHAT? I realized quickly that this was a huge insurance mistake. The lady told me she isn't supposed to let me in to see Dr. Graham. I said, "I wish I would've know about this mishap before driving over here. I came from Panama City!" (The appointment was in Destin.) She told me to hold on for a moment. She came back and said since I am paying cash for today's visit she would let me see the doctor. Whew!!!! That was a relief. I'm finally back seeing Dr. Graham. She and her sweet nurses ooohed and aaahed over my little babies. Then she did the exam. Then we engaged in some more small talk. She just happened to mention that she wasn't too happy with some of her front staff (I hadn't even mentioned a thing!!!!). We told her we were just made aware that she was owed some money and that we would get that taken care of for her. She told us she wasn't worried about it and smiled. She told me to take my form to the front counter but only after looking at her prize-winning BBQ pork shoulder pictures on my way out. We look at her pictures and then headed to the front counter. Once I got to the counter the lady said, "Thank you." I said, "We need to pay. I am a cash patient." She said, "There was no charge for today's visit. Dr. Graham wrote 'no charge' on your form." WOW! That was such an amazingly generous surprise! You don't see that happening much in the medical field these days. I have found a wonderful doctor. And I literally thanked God for her so many times yesterday. What a sweet day I ended up having with my family. Thank you again Dr.Graham!

Seeking a meek and quiet spirit

I was reading the words of Teri Maxwell today and just had to share.

"What does anger do to our children? Will it cause them to want to speak back angrily as well? Proverbs 29:22 says, 'An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.' Do you think our anger helps or hinders the Holy Spirit in our children's lives? I would propose that most certainly our anger hinders the Holy Spirit and feeds the fleshly reactions of our children." (Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit, 78.)

I don't know about you other parents but that hits home for me! I try really hard not to use a harsh tone with Wesley. Sometimes I feel like I'm about to snap and I use my words as an anger release. But anger is a CHOICE! I can choose to be content and use soft words. I never want my children to feel as though they are a source of anger/frustration for me. Children are a blessing! I only want them to feel that they are a source of love for me. Start this new journey with me. Strive for a meek and quiet spirit everyday!

Verses to use to strengthen you in this area:

Proverbs 15:1
"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

Proverbs 16:21
"The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning."

Proverbs 22:24
"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go."

Proverbs 29:22
"An angry man stirreth up stife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression."