I Love My Husband

Last night, after the kids were in bed, my husband and I were fixing our daily bowls of ice cream and settling in for a little TV. We don't watch much TV (we don't have cable), but we do really enjoy watching a few shows together. We've done that since we were first married. We clean up the kitchen, get the house in order (somewhat), and just relax together. I've never once thought of using that time for laundry, house cleaning, paying bills, or any of the other things that probably need to be done. I just know that every night, we will have our time to relax together.

Last night, I realized that it's easy to put aside all of the chores to spend time with my husband, but it's not so easy to do that with my children. I feel like I NEED to get everything accomplished during the day, and I get frustrated when I don't. But I don't look forward to time with my children like I do the time with my husband. Why is that? Maybe it's because I spend so much time with the kids that I take it for granted. Or by the time I sit down for our ice cream, I'm probably so exhausted that none of my chores will get done anyway! Children are hard work, and maybe after a long day of discipline, diapers, and meals they will not eat, I feel like I've been more of a childcare provider than a mother. Or maybe it's natural to want to spend time with your spouse more than your children. After all, he was there before they were! He really is my best friend, and I love being with him. Regardless, I want to enjoy the time with my children and look forward to it like I look forward to ice cream time. I won't always have this time with them, and I want to take advantage of it.

Lord, thank you that my husband is my closest friend, and please give me a heart that longs for sweet time with my children.

Such delay...

So how long has it been since my last post? Long enough for me to feel guilty for never having anything to say. Maybe I should be silent more often...

We're settled into our new home but not settled into much of a routine yet. Moving, busy church schedule, wild children, house repairs (more than I would like to admit already) - they have all stolen my time to "myself", ergo the lack of blogging. So now it's time to jump back in! Hope I still have a reader or 2 out there! Thanks for being patient with me!

I've discovered a few things since moving. I now know that more room means more places to stash boxes that you forget to unpack. I also know that if you purchase paint for a 3-year-old's room, you should use it quickly or be willing to hear her ask, "can I paint my room today?" every day until you do (I'm still hearing it, so no, we have not painted)! I also know that a busy schedule, unpacked boxes, walls to paint, appliances to replace, and walls to patch (because the girl was pushing the boy's head into it), mean that "counting others" is an even more difficult task. I've learned that if I don't make my children a priority, I can find plenty of other things to do instead of spending time with them. And when I fill my days with "things to do" instead of with my children, they know it. But I've also learned that when I play with them, the "things" get a little easier to do when the time comes.

Lord, help me to get rid of my excuses no matter what's on my plate and to be thankful that I have so many blessings to balance.