Overprotective Mom or Just Crazy?


Secondborn about to board the school bus and mama taking pics from the car!

 I read a post this morning, which was written a while ago, but it's so on time for so many mothers. The post also reminded me of myself and made me feel NORMAL.

Firstborn attends school out of district, so every morning, I drive him to school. I love this time with him even when he doesn't feel like talking. On the other hand, Secondborn, rides the big yellow wagon. When he first started seventh grade, after being homeschooled, I would drive him to the bus stop and sit in the car until the bus came. I didn't notice any other parents around. Hmmm...how do the parents know their child is actually getting on the bus? Was I overacting? I eventually stopped and let Secondborn walk to the bus stop. It was very difficult for me at first. I had to remind myself that children all across America ride the school bus and before they get on the bus, they must wait for the bus AT THE BUS STOP! My goodness! I rode the school bus to school for years! What was my problem? Anyway, I read the below post, and like I said, I felt NORMAL!

It's so important for mothers to share their trials and triumphs in motherhood in order to help another mother.

Read Jackie's blog post here

Don't Act Ignorant!

Sunday morning, the title of my devotion was “How Could Someone Be So Ignorant?” It basically talked about how we ignorantly serve Jesus by doing what we think we should do and not allowing His Spirit to lead us. It mentioned we should serve according to the love chapter, Corinthians 13. I’ve read that chapter several times before, but read it again. After I finished, I walked down the hallway to wake the boys up. 

Firstborn wasn’t in his bed, so I woke Secondborn up and then went to the spare room to find Firstborn stretched out on the floor. After I noticed Firstborn, I noticed the empty candy box, cup, headphones, paper, game controllers, and a few other items surrounding him. I just stood for a minute dumbfounded because I thoroughly cleaned the room up the day before. I woke Firstborn up and went back to check on Secondborn. He was sitting on his bed. I asked him what he was doing and he said, “Sitting down.” I stared at him dumbfounded and he stared back without moving. I wondered why he wasn’t getting ready for church. 

Miss Flesh was getting a little agitated. Instead of saying a word to them, I went to sit down myself. I thought about the love chapter I read not even five minutes ago and prayed. Help me to show love, Lord. Help me to control my tone of voice. Help me to be Christ controlled and not Miss Flesh controlled. I walked back into their room and Secondborn was dressed. Thank you! Firstborn was up also, but left his mess in the room. I calmly said, “Please pick your mess up because I spent time cleaning that room up yesterday.” After he picked his mess up, I thanked him. Wow, that was easy! And to think, I wanted to fuss and activate ugly, early morning attitudes. How could I be so ignorant? Lord, help me show love and serve You in love in all situations.

Get Up!

Hubby and I went for a two mile walk Saturday evening, yet Sunday evening I struggled getting off the sofa. I sat on my behind and watched two football games back to back. I could have exercised while watching the games, but instead, I sat, and sat, and sat. I was exercising in my mind, but my body wasn’t moving; it was stuck to the sofa. My mind was yelling at my body, Get up, LaVender! Get up!   

While I recovered from surgery, I experienced a serious craving for exercise. I couldn’t wait to get back on my feet. It’s one thing to not be able to exercise, but it’s another thing when you’re able and choose not to exercise.  Choosing not to care for my temple is like taking my health for granted. It’s way too easy to be complacent when it comes to exercise, but as soon as we’re diagnosed with some illness or disease, we’re aggressive in our prayers for healing and deliverance. I eventually got up and exercised and even danced a little (my favorite exercise).  I have to do my part. I have to love my temple enough to give it the rest, nutrition, and exercise it deserves. I have to show God how thankful I am for Him keeping me and sustaining my health. While the blood is flowing warm through my veins, I need to move something – anything. Whether I walk, jog, dance, stretch, take the steps, or have a strenuous aerobic exercise, I need to get up! 

With the chemical imbalances and horror of hormones women deal with, exercise should be a priority. Exercise not only helps our physical body, but our mental health benefits greatly! Exercise invites peace of mind, and we all know a woman, wife, and mother needs her peace of mind, so let’s get up! Get up!

One Life!

I watched The Andy Griffith Show last night and smiled as I watched Ron Howard play his character, Opie Taylor. Opie is a grown man now and actually, he’s older than I am. It seems like little Opie grew up right before my eyes. Life is long, but at the same time, life is short. 

I think about my own life and it seems like yesterday I was Firstborn’s age. What happened to the years? They go by so fast and the older I get, the faster they fly. Unbelievable! I’m not as concerned about my life flying by as I am about my life being full. If it makes any sense, I want my life to be full of life. I want to grasp every waking moment and live my life with no regrets. I want my joy to be unspeakable and my peace to surpass all understanding. I want laughter to be my medicine. I want to take advantage of every opportunity. I want to learn to be comfortable outside of my comfort zone. I want to experience God on new levels and be aware of every breath I take. I don’t want to die with unwritten books in me, nor do I want to die with love I refused to share. Life! I only have one. The choices I make and the bad habits I refuse to break will eventually take a toll on my one life. My character and the company I keep will reveal many things about my one life. 

My life is a gift given to me by God…to live in abundance…a life full of life! My life should make a difference. My life should make an impact. My life should be lived on purpose. My life should be full of life! I have many days ahead of me, but I only have one life. What do you plan to do with your life? You only have one!

His Heart Was Stolen!


This is Firstborn....and his girlfriend. This is my baby...my first child. I'm having a difficult time watching him grow up. Actually, I'm the one that needs to grow up, huh? Oh well, say what you want to...I can only be honest about my feelings.

When did this happen? He's only 16 years old - he JUST turned sixteen last month. I swear I just changed his diaper! Well, it seems like it! Sixteen. I guess it's time for him to start thinking about girls, huh? Well, what about me? Can't he think about his mama? Sigh....

The girl? Well, she is cute as a button, smart as a whip, and she loves Firstborn. Sigh...He knew (she probably did also) I didn't care for the girlfriend word one bit. I didn't care for the word or her - I didn't really know her and didn't want to. I purposely avoided her.  Yes, I acted like a child. And?  It didn't seem like she was going anywhere, so I quickly realized I needed to put away the mean mama hat and show some love to Firstborn's heart. Sigh...it wasn't easy. It took prayer and I had to dig deep - reeeeeeeaaally deep. This is my baaaaaby!     


I finally officially met her and her mother, which made me feel a whole lot better. And guess what? See the gift bag in the left hand corner? It was her birthday, so I helped Firstborn put something nice together for her. I must admit...I had fun helping him. She's a sweet girl, so if my son's heart has been stolen, I better keep the thief close, right?
For all you mothers of toddlers.....THEY GROW UP! Did you hear me? THEY GROW UP!

Bold by Design


For the past week, the story of the woman with the issue of blood has been heavy on my mind. At midnight last night, I was still thinking about her. It wasn’t her faith that moved me, but her determination and perseverance to not give up. After bleeding for twelve years, she had to suffer from extreme fatigue. She had to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. She wasn’t allowed to be in public; she was considered unclean, but she went against all rules and did what was necessary - regardless of the consequences. She took a chance and went out in public. She wanted to get close enough to Jesus to touch only the hem of His garment. She was bold and Jesus acknowledged her, blessed her, and healed her.  I want to be like that woman – bold. Something within her wouldn’t let her stay home that day. She had to move. She had courage. She had tried everything, yet kept pressing forward. 

A struggling marriage, failing finances, difficult relationships, fluctuating weight, or even a challenging child are reasons to throw in the towel, but having a boldness to press on and persevere will bring about change! This woman followed her gut - her intuition - her spirit. What an example of a strong, bold woman! Sometimes, God will lead us to do things, which may make no sense to anyone else. Sometimes we may have to stand alone and go against the grain. Sometimes we need to forget about people and consider God’s plan and purpose for our life. Sometimes we just need to be BOLD in Jesus! I’m so happy this story is about a woman.  We have an extra ounce of grace and power within us to press forward – regardless of consequences and circumstances.  We may be pressed on all sides, but we press on! We are bold by design!

 Video is 6 minutes and well worth it!

Young and Creative Teenager

You can visit her blog at Dovetree.blogspot.com She's a young teenager and did this ALL. BY. HERSELF.

The Study Of...

I could hardly wait to finish my shower and plop onto my corner of the sofa tonight.  I enrolled in a course today and was excited about studying.  This is the first course I’ve ever experienced so much joy and satisfaction! I’m grateful for a dear friend who came by today to share the course with me. She obviously knows me quite well because this course is right up my alley. I can’t understand why it took me so long to enroll, but this particular course is not one I would have ever initiated on my own. My full attention has been captured. To tell you the truth, I’m completely absorbed and captivated by this course. Now, it’s time to share the course title with you. Please don’t judge me, but this is a subject I’ve secretly enjoyed for a while. The title is….Snuggiology. Yes, my dear friend brought me a beautiful Snuggie today with peace symbols all over it. Snuggiology is the study of the Snuggie with a course objective to teach one the various uses and benefits of the Snuggie.  Hubbby threatened to shoot my dear friend because he knows I’ll be spending quite a bit of time in the evenings studying.  This course isn’t any different from other courses…they all require dedicated time, energy, and a peaceful environment for learning.  Don't disturb!


What's That Smell?


If I had to do without any of my five senses, it would be the sense of smell. I’ve mastered living without it for almost two years and realized I can function quite well with only four working senses.  Recently, while in my parent’s kitchen, I got a whiff of something. What’s that smell? It was Clorox in the dish water. Wow! What a nice welcome back into the world of odorants. A few minutes later, while preparing my oatmeal, I smelled the brown sugar and cinnamon I sprinkled on top.  Mmm…what a delightful smell. Still in the kitchen, I smelled something very familiar. What’s that smell? Oh my goodness! Is that Mama’s homemade peach cobbler with the thick, buttery crust? Heavenly! Thank you, Lord; I can smell again! I enjoyed smelling several other scents and then something very unusual happened. My two sons walked through the door and brushed by me. What’s that smell? Sniff…sniff….I felt like a dog trying to sniff out the object arresting my attention, but I couldn’t place the scent.  OH! I know what that smell is! It was the smell that reminded me exactly why I didn’t miss my sense of smell for almost two years. The smell knocked every sleeping sensory cell of my nasal cavity right back into full function. It was that dense, warm, musty, boy smell. You know, the smell young boys get when they’ve played outside all day long, only these boys were no longer young toddlers, but full blown teenagers. Multiply that musty scent by ten or more! Hey, I’m not complaining…I gotta take the good with the bad…the sweet with the stinky…the pleasurable smells with the funky smells. 
It’s all good – I think.

I'm So Happy!

 Yesterday was my first day home since before Christmas. I was happy to get back on the road to my routine and recovery! I finally had my sinusitis surgery and although my surgeon mentioned I have a chronic disease, I was happy! My eyesight has improved, my sense of smell is returning, my energy level has sky rocketed, and I feel so good! I’m happy! For my religious friends not feeling comfortable with the word, happy, I do know the difference between circumstantial happiness, joy, and being blessed. Yes, the joy of the Lord is my strength! Yes, I’m beyond blessed! Yes, God is the source of my joy, and…. I’m happy! The Bible mentions the word, happy, in several scriptures in various versions of the Bible. It’s okay to be happy, and yesterday I was so happy while hubby drove home. The boys were in the back seat sleeping and snoring and I was having happy thoughts of my sisters and parents and the time we spent together. Although this isn’t the end of my health issue, I felt like I could have danced the entire trip home. I felt like Happy Feet, the movie! 

I remember sharing a moment in church with my mother many years ago. I can’t remember what holiday it was, but it was a small crowd sharing testimonies. One elderly woman stood up and began sharing her life. She suddenly raised her hands and began twirling around and around with her eyes shut, her slip showing, and her head in the air saying, “I’m so happy, I’m so happy, I’m so happy!” Mama and I still imitate this woman in our happy moments and today, I share with you…I’m so happy! It’s okay to be happy and express it!

After all, if you’ve got the nerve to wish someone a Happy New Year, you should first be happy yourself!