If you're happy and you know it - write a blog!

I have a really great life. I love my family. I love my husband. I love my children. I have the greatest friends in the world.  I have a great job that makes me happy. I am truly in love with life itself. I try to make the best of each day. I try not to dwell on the negative. I try to not get too hung up on wrenches that are thrown my way throughout the week. I try to remain light-hearted and non-dramatic on facebook. I do not try to be anyone but myself. I am real. I  have real problems in this life. I just choose not to hate life because of them.



My schedule is tight. I know it's not any tighter than any other person with a full-time job, full-time family, busy kids, church, my children's schooling, my schooling,  ballgames, etc. But, folks - there is not much time to clean house. I really hope I'm not the only one that can't keep it altogether everyday.  Do you know what I mean? Please tell me you do!

This is what I'm talking about. I went home during my lunch hour for a 'quick clean-up' session. (this seems to be the only time I can clean house without madness around me) I found an icepack in the bathroom floor (REALLY???). I found a trail of camo clothing down the hall. There was a glue stick and 2 markers under my kitchen table. There were enough crumbs in the kitchen floor to keep a whole family of mice plump and healthy throughout the upcoming winter months. There was enough dirty underwear under the boys' beds to make even my garbage can smell good. I have a family of 5. We use a lot of towels! When we run low on towels, I know to tell my boys to clean their closets - and lo and behold, that laundry basket fills right back up with an insurmountable number of towels. However, we are clean people. We have clean clothes. We eat on clean dishes. You will not die or catch a disease by coming over to my house. You may have to scoot A LOAD of clothes or SEVEN loads of clothes (depending on the day of the week you come) over so you can sit on my couch and visit - but you will not have to bathe in pinesol when you leave. Our house is lived in. Period. If you cannot relate to any of the above - I am probably not considered a person you would desire hang out with. That's ok, too! We can still wave and be friendly.

I love to cook. I enjoy taking menu options at the beginning of the week. My husband and children are appreciative and complimentary of my cooking, therefore I really do try hard in the kitchen. However, there are days when I do not want to. Sometimes, we have 'take it or leave it' types of meals. My mom recently asked me what we had for supper the night before. I said "the kids had pickles, powdered donuts and Fruit Loops." Although, she was appalled by my answer, and looked at me like they probably only have a few more hours to live - my kids were thrilled with their gourmet meal that night - and I am happy to report that they are still alive and well!

I have one child that can barely right his name......one child that makes straight A's, one child that makes all C's and it feels like straight A's to him. Although it's hard to not compare your children, it's really important not to. I have to pep talk myself on this topic on more than one occasion per day. All 3 of my kids are so different. I love them all the same amount, but in totally different ways. They all manage to drive me crazy at their own desirable levels - and they make sure to tell me when I drive them crazy as well. It all works out in the end. If they get spankings, they still know we love them. When they want to spank us, they still give us hugs and kisses at the end of the day.

All of these things: messy houses, bad grades, lousy meals and good meals, crazy kids, etc. are just a few of the things that make my household amazingly chaotic and wonderful. At the end of the day, it only matters who sits around your table enjoying your meals, who goes to bed happy and knows that they are loved, and who has your back no matter what life throws at you.

Jesus loves my family and my family loves Jesus. Thank you, God for blessing me far beyond what I could have ever dreamed. Please help me remember that we weren't promised an easy life - just your help to live it.