Ready or Not, Here I come!

Yesterday afternoon I retrieved Babyboy from his crib after his nap. We hid behind his rocking chair and yelled for Oldest and Middleson to come and find us. That led to Babyboy's official first game of Hide and Seek! Mommy and Babyboy against Oldest and Middleson. That certainly qualified for some great energetic time on the boys turf.

The game was toned down from the usual suspenseful, in-the-dark, intensely difficult-to-find game that the big boys play with Daddy. Oldest and Middleson used sweet voices and hid in more obvious spots with a limb hanging out to clue Babyboy of their whereabouts.

When it was time for Babyboy and I to hide again, I could feel his little heart beating rapidly and a his face anticipating the moment he would be discovered. When his big brothers found us, he screamed in delight.

After several rounds, we decided to let Babyboy stand on his own two feet. When I requested that he hide, he did. As long as he couldn't see us, he reasoned that we couldn't see him. He layed on the floor on his tummy with his face squished into the carpet and waited for us to find him. Oldest, Middleson, and I used our best acting voices to pretend we couldn't find the one we sought. And at last, with much drama, we found our Babyboy!! Everybody clapped and cheered.

He liked hiding. He liked being found.

This morning when I heard Babyboy singing his morning tunes, I opened his bedroom door to find him laying still with a blanket spread over his face. I quickly understood that he wanted to repeat yesterday's adventures.

As I reflected on the joy we all experienced from a simple childhood game, I couldn't get away from the THRILL it must bring Jesus when we seek Him. We are definitely the lost ones. He isn't lost, yet the Bible instructs us to seek him repeatedly.

Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Hebrews 11:6 "....he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Psalm 105:4 "Look to the Lord and his strength; see his face always."

Miriam-Webster gives the following definition for "seek".
seek verb \ˈsēk\
sought\ˈsȯt\seek·ing

transitive verb
1: to resort to : go to
2a : to go in search of : look for b : to try to discover
3: to ask for : request
4: to try to acquire or gain : aim at
5: to make an attempt : try —used with to and an infinitive
intransitive verb
1: to make a search or inquiry
2a : to be sought b : to be lacking
— seek·er noun

Psalm 10:4 refers to the one who does NOT seek him. "In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."

My prayer is that I will seek His face always and train my children to earnestly seek Him. I want to leave room in my thoughts for God and push out the distractions that keep me from seeking Him wholeheartedly.

Sometimes I do cry over spilled milk!

Wow, being a mom is just so intense. It is wonderful. It is more than I dreamed in so many ways. Who could have ever imagined or expressed the magnitude of a mother's love?

But it is constant. For me, as a homeschooling mommy, I am always (always) always (always) with my 3 blessings. Oldest, Middleson, and Babyboy accompany me to the grocery store, bank, dentist (try getting 4 cavities filled with 3 kids running around the dentist's office), gym, library, doctor (no details here), and everywhere. There is no such thing as "time alone" or a quick in-out trip. It is 3 coats on, 6 shoes on, buckled in, unbuckled, in, out, buckle back in, arrive home, shoes off, coats off, hands washed.

I signed up for this. I am not complaining. I am content, thankful, blessed, and everything in between.

But, sometimes I cry over a spilled glass of milk. It is those silly little things that almost put me over the edge. Bread crumbs on the floor. Lots and lots of them -- glued together they just might make another sandwich. How about an "I'm still hungry" when the food has been put away and the last dish is cleaned and put away. Last but not least, in a house full of boys I can normally expect a few dribbles on the toilet EVERY single time I enter the bathroom.

I am finding it helps to include Oldest and Middleson in the cleaning and chores routine. I light a scented candle and turn on some worship music. I take a deep breath. I stand back and ask myself what a proper response would be -- in other words, should I REACT or gracefully RESPOND? I tell myself that my children are a blessing from the Lord and I have been chosen by HIM to be their mommy.

I wipe up the milk and and dry proverbial tears....and life goes ON!

HOME ALONE!

I was given the advice to NEVER EVER post being home alone. Not on Facebook. Not on a blog. Don't do it! I didn't. I refrained.

Now, I can say I was home alone. Daddy traveled to Florida for a business trip. Oldest stepped up to the plate to be the "man of the home". Middleson and Babyboy stepped it up a notch too. I feel like super-mom having gone from Daddy home for two weeks to flying solo after the high of Christmas, New Years and too much sugar! I made it!

When daddy is gone we always camp out in the master bedroom at night, with the exception of Babyboy who needs the confinement of the crib. Oldest and Middleson look forward to being on my floor in sleeping bags.

While I couldn't wait for Daddy to safely arrive home, there are some perks in his absence.

First, the boys are easy to feed. They request sandwiches for every meal. And, we eat much earlier than our traditional 6:30 supper and multiple afternoon snack sessions.

Second, since we eat earlier, the evening feels longer. I made it a point to play with the boys each evening. Jenga, Tic Tac Toe, and Rocks, Paper, Scissors filled our evenings. I call this "30minutesontheboysturf". I made a conscious decision to hold each boy and affirm each son. It is too easy to let a day go by without a snuggle or a hug or words of affirmation.

Third, everybody in the home gets a new appreciation for daddy! Babyboy's expression was priceless when daddy came through the door last night. "Daddy, Daddy, daddy!" he squeeled begging to be picked up.

That's it. Three is enough. I can't possibly begin to list the reasons he is missed or why I am so glad he is home. Can I just say, I am so glad I am no longer HOME ALONE? Everything feels just right now. Home sweet Home.

Little People

In 2007 MeeMaw presented our family with a Little People Nativity Set. A Nativity set that isn't breakable or fragile or "no touch". Each year the boys set up the nativity set and carry the figures around the house. The star on the top just happns to get pushed each night during family devotions filling the room with a tinny and a bit annoying sounding Christmas carol.

This year was Babyboy's rookie year with the nativity set. Boy did those Little People end up in strange places. He lined Mary and Joseph up in the window sill along with a few hot wheel cars. Is that sac-religious? An H2 Hummer just passed Baby Jesus on Old Creek Lane. Each night, as if on cue, he pushed the star creating a distraction to our bedtime prayer.

It just so happens that Little People were the theme for Babyboy's gifts this year. A huge parking garage set with at least 2 dozen Little People -- boys, girls, a doctor, a nurse, a policeman, a dog and even Santa and Mrs. Claus.

As soon as the gifts were opened I had a feeling the Little People Shepherds and Wiseman were going to end up driving around in the parking garage. The policeman would make his arrests in the manger. Being the organizational tyrrant that I am, I packed the Little People Nativity set and put it on the table ready to be stored for another year.

Fast forward to today. Genius Babyboy somehow knew that Little People are Little People no matter what package they come in. He gathered both sets from near and far and brought them together in unity! My heart started palpitating when I saw dozens of mixed up little people up and down and all around! Can Little People Baby Jesus hang out with Little People Santa? How will Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mrs. Claus get along? Those Little People donkies seem a bit holier than the dogs from the "regular" set.

A real life lesson from a Little People Set or two. The REAL man Jesus walked among regular people.....among little people like Zacheus....and sinners like me. He didn't separate himself from less-than's like I am prone to do. He didn't live an organized, scheduled, compartmentalized life. It was mixed up and messy, yet abundant and fulfilling!

Thankfully all the Little People in my house are in their "rightful" places. But, I hope this Little People lesson will stay with me a long time and allow me to love all the people God brings into my life, no matter the package they come in.

Our House "Rules" and Nail Polish

I've read many many times, that for the most part a person cannot remember the Christmas gifts they received the year before. I believe that.

I did receive a very memorable gift last year. Oldest saved his points at Children's Church to "buy" a very spendy wall art crafty thingy for 10,000 points. Upon opening the treasure, he blurted out, "It is for our front door! It has a list of our house rules!" Hmmmm....it actually said, "Out House Rules". A tricky looking font mixed with new reading skills equaled a totally different meaning. This 3 foot wooden outhouse has the following printed on it in brown (would you expect another color for bathroom art?) lettering:

1. Be Tidy
2. Leave it the way you found it
3. Put the lid down so no critters get in
4. Leave paper for the next one

While those are great rules for an out house, I don't have one and don't think I ever will. "Wow!" was all I could say as I pictured it on my front door. How could I crush Oldest's enthusiasm and sweetness by doing anything else?

I hid it for about 10 months still in a quandry about what to do with it. Finally hubby hung it up in the boys' bathroom for me. I cringed looking at the "art". It doesn't match. It isn't my style. Jayden beamed when he saw it. I love it now -- it made our house a home. It is his style. He loves his mommy.

Here we are this year, just days from Christmas. While running a few errands we popped into Walgreens. As I was checking out, Oldest read a sign display for Revlon nail polish. "Mommy, I HAVE to get you nail polish for your stocking. Please!" The store clerk looked at me with puppy dog eyes too. "What color do you want? Oldest asked as he held up a bottle of blue and green. I told the boys to pick out whatever color they wanted me to have. Honestly I rarely wear nail polish anymore and when I do it is colors like "clear" and "barely there". Middleson had his eye on a shade called "Fire Red". Oldest and Middleson sat on the floor lining up bottles of nail polish while I proceeded to another check-out so I wouldn't see.

You may see me the week after Christmas sporting a bold set of fingernails in blue or green or fire red. I'll be wearing it proudly. I'll love it. It might not be my style. It is his style. Oldest loves his mommy.

Maybe in 15 or 20 years I will be wearing that same color at Oldest's wedding, presenting him with a beautiful wall thingy for his first home that says "Out House Rules."

The Colors of Christmas

Red and Green on everything -- for they are the colors of Christmas.

Today we headed out to our annual Mops Christmas Brunch. Oldest, Middleson, and Babyboy dressed festively in red. I, on the other hand, went for a color I call Christmas-tree-trunk-brown. I don't own anything red. Being in the midst of the OSU Buckeyes outfitted in scarlet and gray, I could probably be arrested for not wearing red. I wear gray on game days.

Okay, that is beside the point. Before I go any further let me explain that today's post has nothing to do with my time on the boys turf, but MY time on MY turf. I truly believe it contributes to better mothering and equips me to spend time on the their turf.

So, being the girly-girl that I am, having my hair semi-fixed, my face make-uped, and my body clothed (and not pajama-ed) was truly exhilerating. After feasting on secret-recipe chocolate chip cookies and chicken salad croissants, it dawned on me that my lips were dry and most certainly not sparkling as they were when I arrived. Not that anyone else would care. This is THE group of women that I love so much because no one does care about that external stuff. Come as you are. I reached for my purse and discreetly snatched my lip gloss. I unmirroredly re-applied my sparkling neutral tone and smacked my lips with satisfaction. As I returned the gloss to its rightful pocket, terror filled my mind. What I applied to my lips was a lip gloss that was returned to me by a a Mary Kay customer! It was in the DARK RED category!!!! I didn't apply lightly. I don't wear red clothes. I most certainly don't wear red lips. Hoping that no one was watching, I wiped my lips furiously with a one-ply napkin hoping to remove all of the red stain possible. But, we all know red lip color is like a permanent tattoo. It remains. Forever. I could just imagine what I looked like and now my cheeks started to match.

"Nicole the red-lipped mommy, had some very rosy lips. And if you ever saw them, you would start to do some flips." Please sing now to the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.

It was then, I decided to take another very light gloss and strategically apply it like paint over primer. I took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

Ironically, several gals shared their most embarrassing moments today. I was living mine out in real time.

I learned a great lesson today. Always, and I mean always, look at your lip color before applying it. And, Red, Green, and Brown are the official colors of Christmas in my home.

Makin' A List and Checkin' it too many times to count!

What an adventurous week of celebrating the beginning of the Christmas Season. The tree was up, lit, and decked-out the day after Thanksgiving. Like the last few years, the ornaments are heavy on the bottom, light on the top and back. Several batches of cookies have been baked, eaten, and given away. Festive songs and dances have filled any silent or still moment that arose.

And then the lists. THE Lists. The LISTS! To-do. To-bake. To-give. To-send. And, like most kids, To-get. You know, THE big WISH LIST!?

Oldest spent his week compiling a wish list for what he wants to give the rest of the family. Since the boys aren't reading my blog, here is a sneak peak.

Christmas Gifts to buy
Middleson --an electric guitar in black or blue
Babyboy -- a remote control dog
Daddy -- a King-sized Resees bar, an autographed hockey stick, & hockey hand-cuffs (although I THINK he is referring to cuff links, not hand cuffs). It appears the Oldest has a favorite if you ask me.
Mommy -- not sure here, but he did ask me what my favorite brand of chocolate was and if I would rather have new tennis shoes or a new floor. (In case Daddy is reading this, I like the NEW FLOOR IDEA.)

We've visited Craigs List and Ebay over and over scouring posts for the above mentioned. He is more than willing to use all of his life's savings - $144.55 -- on Christmas gifts! Oldest's countenance crushed when an inquiry for a brand new electric guitar on Craigs List came back with a "sorry it has been sold" reply. After I reminded him of the "budget cuts" and my refusal to allow a withdrawal from his account, he wrote a letter to God asking for money. His brilliant little mind offered to loan me some money with interest so that he could raise funds.

Last night as I tucked him in bed, he was deeply troubled at the thought that he might not be able to buy his family the gifts on the list. "Oh my goodness, I wish he would just let it rest." I thought with a groan.

I quickly corrected myself when I realized I was getting annoyed over my sons desire to give. I am amazed that I have such a thoughtful giving son. He has spent his week compiling To Give lists instead of the completely normal To Get list. He is more than willing to spend every penny he has in order to give the very best gift.

Sounds so familiar! God gave everything. He gave His only son! He didn't spare or count the cost. Am I comparing Oldest to Jesus? No. But, once again, I find a lesson for me wrapped in the heart of my child. He has captured the meaning of Christmas in a way that I can only attempt to emulate.

Thank you Oldest, for teaching your mommy another life-lesson. I love you. And, you can bet, I am hoping too, that you will have the joy of giving everything on your Christmas List.