She's actually posting??

Yes, I know, it's been forever. But really if I had internet access at home, I would dutifully blog more often, really and the drag of it is, I can't add pictures at my local library. :( So you can't see how cute the kids are unless you are my facebook friend, then you could peek at a few my mother-in-law put up (some I took, some she). They show up on my wall but anyway....someday again we may get back online, but for now it's low priority. That said, I will try to post a little more often, but it's doubtful that it actually happens.

A little about what's up...we live in a neat little town with groovy creeks. Cold clear water that's a blast to swim in, well, except when we went last cuz September isn't as warm as August. Yikes. We are so thankful. Creeks rock and we love living so close to an awesome one. We went to visit the Pearls recently, I know you'd love to see pictures...you'll have to take that up with the library people. It was a blast and we are only about 50 miles away, met some neat families and plan to go pretty regularly. Fun!

Yes, there's more than that but I'll have to give you the rest later. I'll leave you with this quote from Zev when I asked for a smooch.

"I can't mooch you."

What happened to my blog?

It's been forever and a month I know, but for those of you who don't.....WE'RE HOME!!! Well kinda, we've moved back to Tennessee. I'd love to give you the long of it and maybe soon I will but for now, I'll say we're so thankful God has brought us closer to family.

Speaking of family, ours is growing, again. Yep, those of you who haven't heard are not allowed to call, text, email, facebook, etc me with your complaints of not having heard yet, got that? Good. We thought we'd be all clever and keep it a secret for awhile and surprise people, but apparently not every one in our family is a good secret keeper(hint...the bearded one), so news has leaked out that we are to be parents!!! Oh, wait, we already are parents, but I guess we'll be parents to another sweet soul! Did she just say she's gonna have her eighth child? Yipes!!!

But How?

Think back with me about Quinn not doing said chore, remember now? sitting on his posterior with said task not fully completed? Right, so, since I told you my rants didn't work because condemnation is so very counterproductive, what do I do? I mean really, you see an unfinished task, rush over and pour on the praise. Not so much. He'd see through that anyway. You see, the thing with my boy, and the thing with a lot of kids is their lack of doing something thoroughly or whatever is not always disobedience or rebellion, it's just,

um....well, it's like this...

You spilled coffee on your shirt, crud. So you head to the closet to grab a different one, on the way there, the toddler walks up and says, “Mom, I poobey.” Poobey changed and conquered, you head for the bedroom once more, then your 10 year old comes in, “Mom, can you help with this math problem.” Sure, area...perimeter, blah blah. Then a call from the bathroom, “Mooooooooooom, CAN YOU WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPE ME?”-- “On my way.” You aren't even headed to the closet anymore, you stop by the kitchen to wipe crumbs off the counter to not give the critters a reason to visit. Then comes your daughter, “Mommy, your shirt is all dirty, how many times do I have to tell you to not use your shirt as a napkin? Why haven't you changed yet? What were you doing? Good grief, it's like talking to a wall. Now, go change your shirt.”

See what I mean? We all get distracted. Right? Right. Now, don't get me wrong, there's the need for explanation of thoroughness and it's importance, not being negligent, whatever. But you can encourage a child whose weak in a certain area or you can crush him and push him away. Quinn will readily admit that he is weak in the area of attentiveness or alertness, being aware of his surroundings and responding correctly. He just recently had an incident where he “cowboyed” a situation as I like to call it and later wished he'd showed more wisdom. His dad and I had to talk with him about it and we didn't berate him...we did survey the situation, talked it through and gave him direction on what to do to remedy it as well as encouraging him not to do it that way in the future. He responded great and showed real character.

There will always be time for correction, correcting wrong doings and attitudes, but when we condemn, inevitably our kids will pull away from us. Who wants to hear how cruddy they are all the time? Neither do your kids.

Needs to be Said

A man is never so arrogant and small as when he acts the dictator and presumes upon his wife's spiritual duty to be his helpmeet.
~Michael Pearl

For some strange reason, that I have not yet figured out, there is this philosophy or belief that threads itself through Christian and non-Christian families alike, but it's the Christian families who believe it that perplex me the most. The belief is this, that men have some God-given divine right to “rule” over their wives. It has so permeated our Christian culture that those who don't concede to such nonsense are labeled rebellious and disobedient. God is grieved. Still we maintain our “rightness” and ignore what he says.

See, contrary to popular belief, God never gave a man authority over his wife. I know what you're thinking, “But isn't the wife repeatedly told to submit.” (Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18) Yes, but that's just it...the wife is told to submit, but the husband is never told to cause her to obey. So when a husband comes down on his wife with pressure that she is “wrong”, “rebellious”, “disobedient” or and other accusation concerning her submission to him or lack thereof, he is in sin, plain and simple. When men do this, they take upon themselves the role of the Holy Spirit, assuming that the pressure they put upon the women they claim to love is somehow for her good. But as I alluded to in my last post, condemnation kills. Where love and praise bring life to the lifeless, condemnation kills the once willing vessel. See, wives were created to nurture, love and serve, it's in us, we want to do it. But when we are belittled and ruled like mere dogs to have orders barked at us, we shrivel and eventually die. Some women can look past this, to their blessed Savior and submit to unworthy tyrants and great is their reward, but some of us, not so much.

What these men don't realize is that God has asked of their wives more than they will ever be worthy of. No man, save Jesus, deserves another's submission. If men could grab hold of this truth and be truly thankful for the woman God has given them, marriages would be transformed. Respect, obedience, and honor are not something you can demand, you earn them.

I want to submit to my husband, I recognize his natural need to be honored and reverenced. I long to do this for him. But when this same man, whom I love, steps on me, I say, “Ouch.” In Ephesians 5:28-29, God tells men to love their wives as their own bodies, cherishing them. Women need to be cherished. We wither without it.

God has put on my heart lately this great void among believers. See, women have been bombarded with the truth and reality of their role and duty before God to serve, honor and submit to their husbands. Husbands, however, who should be benevolent leaders, cleansing and sanctifying their wives are standing on the sidelines barking and railing at their wives to follow. Did you catch that “standing on the sidelines” part? That means they're not really leading at all. Just pseudo leaders wanting/demanding undeserved honor and obedience. God needs men. Real men he can use to further his kingdom. But God can't use these men. Their prayers are hindered (1 Peter 3:7)...their pride has caused God to turn his face (1 Peter 5:5). God is grieved. Men have been led astray, following Satan's design for leadership and ignoring God's living, breathing example in Jesus. (Ephesians 5:25) It needed to be said.

Death and Life

“He's a boy, it's normal. Get over it.” said I to myself a few months back when I was bothered by the fact that Quinn, my 11 year old, wouldn't be affectionate with me. Eli, no problem, goo and kisses abound with that kid. Gabe, he's always down for some good night cuddlin'. And I shouldn't have to tell you that Cherish and the little boys are all over me for hugs and kisses. Not Quinn....he acted like it pained his left toe just to give me a hug. So I tortured him with it when he was being rude to his siblings. (Moohahaha) Still, I'm bugged. Add to this that he absolutely adores and honors his dad yet gives me the “Oh, it's just you.” treatment....I'm starting to get a bit crushed. So I prayed, cried, prayed, cried out, and prayed to God for an answer.

The answer came in phases.... Phase 1..... I told Quinn how I felt....how he was making me feel and he promptly kissed and hugged me every night before bed. Wow, well if I'd known it were gonna be that easy....sheez, silly complicated woman.

Phase 2....I began praising him more and more. You see, Quinn's like his dad, got his head in the clouds a good bit of the time, which can be a bit frustrating to a grounded girl like me. But I've learned to appreciate this unique quality having been married to Mr. Clouds for well over a decade now. :) A practical example, I can tell Quinn two things to do, and he'll do ½ of one of them. Like, “Hey Quinn, go change out the laundry and then take out the trash.” He'll promptly say, “Yes, ma'am.” Go do what he's told. BUT, I'll find him sitting on his duff with the trash un-emptied and no new load of laundry going. What the? This is when I would previously get red. I chew him up about attentiveness, thoroughness and blah blah blah. What's that? Condemnation? Criticism? Right. Who likes that? Anyone? Anyone? Right. That's right, we all hate it, cuz as soon as someone tells us how worthless we are or what a bad job we're doing at _____ we just want to jump right up and do better, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. So I quit that nasty habit and searched for reasons to praise and there were soooo many! Ahhhh!!! I was literally breathing new life into this kid. Praise Jesus!!

Phase 3....We have been focusing on gentlemanly conduct around here. We're teaching the boys to protect and cherish the females in their life. The result is phenomenal! They are jumping to open and hold doors for me. Quinn wouldn't even let me carry a little bag of cans the other day when we were collecting some from the side of the road. I feel like a queen and they feel like “the man” as I shower them with praises and kisses. Now I randomly get a squeeze and a kiss from Quinn complete with a satisfied love grunt. How glorious is that?!?!?!?!?

As the icing on the cake, several days ago was my birthday (March 22 to be exact, it's okay, you can mark your calendar for next year). The kids made me feel immensely special as they often do, but particularly touching to me were these notes written by one 11 year old whose left toe no longer hurts.
“Many kids have moms, many kids have good moms, BUT WE HAVE THE BEST MOM!!!”

“I am glad to have a mom...one who makes my meals one that never yells at me and now she's 33. Happy Birthday I <3>and my favorite...

“When you were born, your parents never knew you would be the best mom ever!!!! Happy Birthday! From Quinn”


Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Prov 18:21)

A little taste

A whole bleamin' 2 1/2 months since I last posted. That is pure craziness. Indeed. The news? I'm sewing. Yep. Sewing. I fie-nuh-lee started making the long intended blanket for each kiddo. I started with Zev, did Thatch's and am now on Cherish's. I'm having a blast. I have a whole list of other creative projects I want to do but can't until I have my own place. So....I'll stick with the blankets until they're done. I would post a picture of them but my camera is no longer functional. Did I mention I wanted a new one? Oh yeah, well, someday.

Where'd ja go?

I'm sure some of you are wondering where in the world I've been. I wonder myself...sheez, it's been over a month since I blogged. Recent news....we're moving. Or not....that's just the thing we don't really know yet. Admittedly that's a bit frustrating, the not knowing that is. But we're learning to wait on God, and it seems that he has us in this season in our lives for just that...learning to wait on Him. So if you know us, pray for us please, cuz half the time we're confused and feel like we're aimlessly wandering. But as my husband recently reminded me, we need to be content just knowing we're where God wants us. And when He decides to move us on, we'll know. God bless you all and hopefully I'll see you sooner next time.

Isms

I love toddlers, well, my toddlers that is. The high-pitched, scream-til-my-lungs-burst, stomp on my feet toddlers I can do without. (Am I suggesting my toddlers don't do this? You betcha! Though Zev has been known to be high pitched on occasion. But he's in training.) When we have a little one (which we have had several) reach about 18 months to 2 years, John always says, “What are we gonna do when we don't have one of these anymore?” We love those cute, mispronouncin' bundles of toddley goodness. Can't get enough of 'em. And basically could just eat 'em. Zev is our current toddler of supreme cUtifery.

But let me rewind.

A few days ago, I was organizing (something I can't get enough of by the way....luva da organizin') my school planning notebook when I came across a paper entitled Cherish-isms. Coined that phrase myself, how ya like me now? Uh huh. Said paper was dated 11-29-06, three years ago...she was 2 at that time. (See where I'm goin' here??) I am so glad I documented these and I wish I'd done it for all my kiddos. I did a tape recording of Gabe...another great idea.....but I'm not sure where that is now. We move too much. These? It? “What is she talking about?”, you ask. The isms, silly, pay attention. “But what are isms?”, you ask again. Well, they are the adorable mispronunciations of, you guessed it, toddlers. My toddlers. Right. So, back to Cherish. Strolling down memory lane with my Cherish-isms paper, I laughed to read drAder aka refrigerator or how about trOyer for stroller or my favorite was cahqueez.....crackers. LOVE IT!! See why I say they're edible? Gravy. Anyway, as of this very evening, Zev had a word explosion (see more on this here with some Thatch-isms to boot), yep I'm diggin' the cuteness.

Now let me replay this evenings events for ya. I pull Zev up into my lap and say, “Let's talk, Buggie. You ready, Say Mommy.”

“Mommy”

“Say Daddy.” “Dadeee”

“Say Quinn” “Pimp.”

“Quinn?” “Pin”

“Say Gabe” “Bade”

“Say Eli” “Lie”

“Say Cherish” “Sherz”

“Say Thatch” “Tat”

“Say Zev” “Wev”

“Good, say Harmony” “Hahnee”

So then I pick up my glass of water because I, being his mother, know his word for water and/or drink, so I said, “What's this?”

“Hahnee.”

Not sure why Harmony and water are the same, but they are.

We went on and on with yes sir, yes ma'am, thank you, Banjo, Sadie, Jesus and tons of other words until he asked me for a bite.

“Uh bite?”

“You wanna bite?” “Bite.”

“Do you want bread?” “Bed.”

He takes and enjoys his homemade bread and says, “Bite?” he offered me some to which I declined.

“No thank you. Is it good?”

“Mmmm.”

“Can you say good?”

“Mmmm.”

This kid is so hausin' cute.

He decorates

Zev's obsession with markers. Enough said.

Word Play

Correction....so I guess the word dasterdly is not a "made up" ala Gabe style word. I found it used in a title chapter of an audio book we have (G.A. Henty...great stuff for you homeschoolers). But I'm pretty sure jadical is not real....

No Weigh!

Last we spoke of pounds, or the excess thereof, I was mixing things up by trying all raw. Things have changed again...if you know anything about me, you know I'm a girl who likes variety, some may call it getting bored easily, either way. To date I have lost 25 lbs. That's since the end of May. BUT the 25^th pound was lost somewhere around early August. Where are we now? Late September, oh yeah. Sheez. What's that tell ya? Two things.....1) I am great, say that with me Great! at maintaining my weight. Not that it's really any greatness on my part since that's the way all our bodies were created, to maintain. Maybe I just like to feel great at something. 2) I have made no effort to lose more weight in the last almost 2 months now. Good griggidy grief. That's sad. I justified my lack of effort by saying I didn't want the slishing of calories to effect the milkies.....hasn't, yet still I justify.

By the by....just want to throw in here that if you know anything about me at all, you know I make up words like mad fire. Not sure why, it just happens. I've passed that gene on as well, as Gabe spoke of the dasterdly dish he was trying to wash I said to John, “Dasterdly? Where does he come up with this?”

“You.” saith my man.

“I don't say dasterdly.”

Then he gives me a lowered eyebrow, over the rim of the glasses look....”You make up words.”

Oh, yeah, forgot.

Where was I? Oh, yes, weight. So I decided last week that I'm on the bandwagon again. No more maintenance for me. That's for when all my clothes fit without the extra squish. I do have to say, however, that I have throughout this stagnation been steadily losing inches or ¼ inches each week. So that's encouraging, but this extra squish is buggin' me. So I'm gonna hit it hard for the next few weeks and see what happens. Oh, and before you ask, I'm shooting to lose 15 more lbs.

Hitting it hard? How? I'm thinking the 11 day diet again. I will do two rotations of it and take a break for a week and then do it again until the 15^th pound is gone. Give or take a few of course. :) Then maybe we'll do an all raw week. Not sure yet, but I do know that I want to start fasting once a week. But that's for another post...

Deodorant...again

The recipe below makes alot, I put it in a small spray bottle and put the rest in a glass jar in a dark place. Shake well before use. :)

Who's Got the Funk, Ya-OUW

Since my natural cleaner recipe went over so well, and since I'm no longer doing skincare (for now anyway) I thought I'd share my newest deodorant recipe. It absolutely rocks, I mean defunks!! If you want to read more about how I came about this deo and why it's so hoppin' great, read here.

Times-a-wastin' so here it is:

3 oz witch hazel (this is 3oz by weight)

1 oz vodka or grain alcohol (again by weight)

1 tsp lime essential oil

1 tsp lemongrass essential oil

½ tsp tea tree essential oil

½ tsp rosemary essential oil

1 tsp grapefruit seed extract

**Warning....if you have an aversion or sensitivity to essential oils, don't use this deodorant, it's pretty concentrated.

Concentrated....yes. Effective....yes, yes. Long lasting...yes, yes, yes. In fact, I made this a couple of months ago and John and I are just now down to the last of it. I LOVE IT!!!

It has an excellent citrus smell and has a nice cooling feel when applied. I love it...have I said that yet?

Thatch Attack

In lieu of current economic and political unrest, I thought we could all use a smile. But be warned:

This post is rated PG as some of it's contents may not be appropriate for young eyes. To those who dare, however, read on.

I had a friend recently tell me that if I decided to go back to six kids, she's got dibbs on Thatch. Now mind you all my kids are great in my eyes....Zev's edible and I can't seem to stop kissing Harmony. Cherish is my right hand woman...choppin', slicin' and dicin' with the best of 'em. And my three older men, well, they're just that, young men in making. I love watching them all grow and mature....but my sap is getting away with me and I'm diverting from my story. Where was I? Ah, yes, Thatch. Beloved by all who know him. He's unique..funny...chubby...cute. With his growly, low, yet high pitched voice, he keeps us laughing continually. Just last night I was sharing with John some of the newest Thatchisms. Here's how it went....

Thatch informs me that he needs to go potty. Well actually he says he needs to poo poo, because he reserves the word potty for urinating. So I take him and since we were at the house of a friend, I stayed in there for the much dreaded wipe. (Though I have done this act a bazillion times, I never cease to loathe it. ~sigh~) I politely turn away to face the mirror to offer him what little privacy I could when from him emerges a series of sputtering sounds as his bowels move.

He says, “Mom, did you hear that motorcycle noise?”

Suppressing my laughter hear renders me speechless, again, “Did you hear that motorcycle noise?”

“Yes, honey, I did.”

“I make that motorcycle noise when I go (he had to pause here for the effort involved in the task at hand), when I go pooo-poooooo. (again more effort)”

So as John and I are cracking up over yet another story from this hilarious three year old, I say, “Oh the quotes of Thatch.” To which John shares another Thatchism. “Saaaadie! Don't eat my p-n-s!” What? Your kids don't pee outside? C'mon.

Meet Thatch.

Meet Sadie.

Color me Clean

A few posts back I mentioned my handmade cleaner...great for everything (yes, even wood, but I would recommend a spot test, just in case). I've even found that when I clean a mirror, I don't have to use paper towels to make it streak-free. That's right, just a plain ole cloth....how green is that? Because of the generous gal I am, I'm gonna share it with ya (sorry it took me so long Ash). Send your thank yous to my 'I wanna better camera' fund. Checks and money orders accepted.

But before I do, I'd like to give you a little background on my natural cleaner, um, experience. I know you can't wait. It all starts with mirrors and glass. If you have kids you know that three feet up on any surface is, well, nasty. But on glass, it's yank. Yank, I say. But I wanted to not use chemicals anymore in my home. I'd tried vinegar, baking soda and everything in between and various mixtures thereof, but nothing worked on everything, especially not glass. I could never get something that would clean a mirror or window without making it look like someone spit on it and wiped it with their palm. So imagine my excitement when I used this cleaner and I could actually see myself in the mirror. Whewee. As a side note here, I still use a bit of baking soda in addition to the cleaner on my tub and toilet. Abrasive scrubbing action, right on.

Anyway, the cleaner.

1-1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2- 3 cups vodka (or grain alcohol)

1-1 1/2 tsp essential oil blend (see below)

　

~I give these approximates because you may want to be skimpier with the alcohol as it's more expensive than um, water. But I usually use the 1:3 ratio. As for the eos, 1 tsp is sufficient but if you just like more smell, than add another half.~

The disinfecting, deodorizing, grease-bustin', bacteria-killin', great smelling, rockin' essential oil blend I use is:

3 tsp lavender

4 tsp lemon

2 tsp eucalyptus

3 tsp rosewood

I mix these in a brown glass bottle, labeled ever-so-cleverly as...Cleaner Mix, and add 1 tsp to my cleaner bottle with each making.

Enjoy this very effective, natural cleaner.

Note: Rumors have circulated around my house about the possible selling of this ingenious remedy, if that should happen I will destroy all traces of this post, so get it while you can. :)

Bitin' the bit

I know you're all bitin' the bit...waiting for the next post. Where is she? You ask. Well, a post is comin' but for now how'd ya like the new look?

Zev

A little frustrated...

....now I'm okay.

Aperture Smaperture

It's biting me. This photography bug. It started awhile back, but I ignored it. But it keeps biting.

Bitten too hard one day, I called Ginger....my gloriously groovy photography friend (you hankin' rock, by the way!). She enlightened me with talk of aperture, iso, shutter speed, image files, and all other manner of camera garble that was as clear as mud to me. So she sent me a couple of really great and informative photography books (told you she was groovy...love that gal) and I'm reading. Yes, reading and learning.

It's always fun to learn something new, but the learning does something to me...it makes me want to use my knowledge, funny how that works. So I'm practicing with my Sony camera and realizing it stinks. Yep, stinks. I guess cameras are a bit like computers...technology is constantly improving and before you know it, your once Wow! camera is...uh...blah. The more I learn, the more it disappoints me. Urgh. I knew this going into this quest for knowledge...that my camera was lacking.

So, I'm ready for a new one. Problem is, quality cameras aren't cheap and so I'm praying that if this is something God wants me to pursue, he'll provide the $$$.

Now you may be asking, 'God wants you to pursue? What do you mean?' Right. Good. I'm glad you asked.

See, for a long time...years....I've had this creative drive if you will to, um, create something, anything. It began with curtains. I learned I could sew a thing or two, and made some rockin' curtains for my house several years back. (This sewing bug is biting me as well once again and I want to have another go at clothes making, but my machine gave up the ghost several months ago and has yet to be replaced. But I digress.) So next was painting, yes, aside from pretty walls, I wanted fun stuff in the kids' room. So I painted murals on the walls. Proud of it's beauty and mine own hands having done it, I called a friend to brag, ehem, talk about what I'd done. I said, "You know it seems to me that, the closer we get to God, the more we want to create." God's creative. Look around. All the variety of creatures, color and beauty. I love it. It's in me. I'm his. Thus I create.

Next was soap. A friend sent me some handmade soap. She told me how she'd started this thing and several of our other friends had jumped on the bandwagon to make soap. I refused. Nonconformist that I am, I didn't want to be another cog in the soap wheel. But as my last bar was becoming a transparent sliver, I knew I couldn't go back. Lever 2000 just wouldn't do for me anymore. So I caved and made soap. Well as with any new craft, it was fun and addictive, so I made more and more. Being overrun with soap, I sent it abroad to friends and family. This gave birth to a business.....which brings me to my next point.

I've used many of these creative tendencies of mine to make money. Our dream is for our family to work together. So we did not only soap, but a whole line of skincare. Most recently I've made cleaner and thought of just marketing that. It's natural, works great and I use it exclusively for ALL of my cleaning, even mirrors, glass and wood. So that's an option under my hat, because I want to help our family stay together, see I want a full time dad....and all day, by our side, working with us, full time dad. It's the God given desire of our hearts. So maybe the cleaner. And maybe the photography. Or maybe the?

Still biting.

Camera play with Cherish

I'm trying to learn to use a camera...the right way. I've got a lot to learn, but I'm already getting better. A good camera would really help. $$$ Cha-ching.

Cher was sitting at my computer desk trying to talk to me and I just starting shooting her (camera for taking her picture) and she is photogenic queen. Too cute.

A revelation

I like things clean. Don't particularly like to clean, but the end result makes the drudgery worth it. I live with six males, however, and this throws a curve in my desire for clean. But being the organized, training mama that I am, I make charts....chore, kitchen cleanup, zones (the house broken up into zones that each kid is responsible to keep clean on said day),etc. We have 4 such charts. So from the time Quinn could walk, I've had them cleaning. The chores go down to Thatch. But I noticed something a few weeks ago that bugged me.

Newsflash....boys don't like to clean. I know this. You know this. It's fact. But chores are chores and they have to be done and I'm sure as holly not cleaning up after everyone. No way. Over time, I've tried to come up with creative ideas to motivate the cleaning to be done to my standards. Hold up, let's rewind...you have to understand, I have great kids and they dutifully do what the chart says without complaint. Nar a time...yep, no complaining. But I know (and you know) boys don't like to clean. So I hate nagging but I hear myself doing it when they've done that minimal amount just to make it sorta look clean but it's not really clean. (I see you smiling.) Back to my creative ideas, we've done games to make it fun and keep me from nagging. It's fun and it works...temporarily. But I was after their hearts. I wanted them to look at cleaning a different way.

When I was a young girl, my mom worked, a lot. She had one clean day and it was Saturdays....if she didn't work. Well, I can remember loathing the cleaning, but what was loathsome was torture when I had to do it alone. I can remember once my step-dad correcting me about dusting the wrong way, he said, If you're not gonna do it right, don't do it at all. I thought, 'Right on, I won't do it all.' Sounded good to me. I mean, after all, we're all made of the same lazy flesh, right? But therein lies the problem, our spirit wars against our flesh and where my flesh wanted to do nary a bit of cleaning (who does? I mean, be honest.) my spirit felt guilty for doing nothing to help my mom while she worked. So when I realized this, my heart changed and I genuinely wanted to clean just to bless my mom. See, when it was expected of me, I hated it, but when I felt like I was doing some thing to help and bless my mom and make her proud, it was worth it. So here we are, years later.....

A few weeks ago, before breakfast I noticed that Quinn's zone was a mess...no problem, being a kid with his head in the clouds half the time, I allow for a little of this. A little. So when I called him back to clean it better for the third time, I saw his attitude waiver. Then it all changed. I felt myself nagging, again...yuck. But next, by God's sweet grace, wisdom flowed, like a river. I told them they no longer have to clean. WHAT???!!!??? Cleaning is optional at your choosing, I say. They were taken aback. I mean, really, aback. Way back. But the result has been unexpectedly GLORIOUS. God is so good to me. Now, they want (What the? Are you kiddin'?) to clean to bless me and as a result, I'm genuinely thankful. AND, (here's the kicker) when it's not done to my standards, I do it better, myself. Wow, what a novel idea! That was what the Lord put on my heart as I nagged Quinn for the eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-first time about not cleaning good enough. He (the Lord) said, If you want it done better, do it yourself. Ouch. I thought I was supposed to teach them to be thorough, sure but not at the expense of bad attitudes and lost hearts.

It's all around great, the place gets cleaned and we are serving each other the way Jesus intended, no one's nagging (ahhhhh). Hey Quinn, pass the cleaner cloth.