A Lack of Sunshine and Rainbows...

Welcome to another week of SAHMommyhood :-) My joy today is...

My son was exhausted yesterday and napped in my arms while my husband was getting everything ready to get out the door for church. He is such a crazy boy these days, he rarely lets me hold him, much less nap with me. It was a simple joy that made my day. I love being available to him for whatever he needs, whenever he needs it, even if it's just a nap in my arms. Precious!

I had the privilege of enjoying a fantastic evening of girl time last Friday night. Because my husband would not be home until late that night, I hired a babysitter...for the first time! I know, I know. He's ten months old, and I just hired a sitter. Don't worry, I'm not a crazy helicopter mom (at least, I don't think I am). He does go to child care at MOPS and church, as well as during bible study, and he has stayed at friend's houses multiple times while I run errands. Still...there's something different about hiring a sitter. I loved it. I didn't feel guilty, and I came back renewed, refreshed, and ready to see my husband!

During our evening of cooking for a meal swap (see today's MMSM!), several of the women mentioned that they enjoyed reading my blog. I loved hearing that, as it is always encouraging to get good feedback from women whom I admire. One friend mentioned something about me always sounding very happy go-lucky and how she just feels tired and overwhelmed a lot. I know she appreciates my positive attitude in my writing and spiritual encouragement, but I then felt led to put out a disclaimer...

It is not always sunshine and rainbows at this house!

Need proof? Let me share my week with you. 

• I attempted to mow the lawn to help my husband out and unknowingly filled it with a gas/oil combination. Apparently, this is not a good thing. While it sputtered and choked through the yard, I then broke the self-propel cable. While pushing the dead mower back into the garage, I sideswiped our car leaving a long scratch.
• An on-going health issue with me has caused a lot of stress since December. I haven't discussed it on here, because I'm not sure what to say about it, yet. After a follow-up call on a brain MRI last Tuesday, heavy fear and insecurity set in. Please, no worries. I will update all once we have some clear answers, hopefully on the 28th. No, I'm not dying. But an unsettling way to start the week, to say the least.
• Our dishwasher had an ongoing leak that I neglected to call my husband's attention to since I thought it wasn't a big deal. After examining the situation, he decided we had to buy a new dishwasher, our wood floor is warped, and there is probably mold under the floor. Lead times on new dishwashers are close to a week, so I have been washing by hand since then...
• While holding my son, he broke multiple keys off of the computer keyboard. I am writing this entry while always using the right shift button. End of the world? No. Annoying? Yes.
• On Friday, I scorched eight gallons of taco soup, after slicing my finger open while cutting onions. My girlfriends lovingly accepted my tainted meal, but I know I've made it better. Frustrating!
• While scorching the taco soup, I broke the kitchen faucet. Remember, I have no dishwasher. Pleasant...especially since my dad was coming for a visit.
• While cleaning yard decor, I washed rocks down the disposal (this was before the faucet broke). Now, it grinds and runs just a bit too loud. I may have just put it on it's last month...
• All of this happened while my husband was traveling, again. Each of these incidents by itself would be frustrating, but all of them happening at one time while caring for a ten-month-old 24/7 was exhausting. Plus, the worst thing of all...
• I was on my period :-(

I say all this not for sympathy, but to let you get a glimpse into my real life. While this was an exceptionally bad week, it happens to all of us at some point or another. I do this blog not to impress my nauseatingly positive attitude onto each of you, but to show you that I'm not always nauseatingly positive, and I need God to get me through my days. You see, I consider it an honor to study the Word of God and to be able to share it with each of you. Each day that I wrote last week, it put a bounce in my step, I pondered on the verses that I shared, and I was encouraged. Maybe it didn't last all day, but a few happy hours at a time last week was good enough for me.

I would like to end this short entry today with a verse that would have been very helpful to me last week. It came to mind today, but I can definitely meditate on it while I attempt to clean up all the messes that were created last week!

"Consider it pure joy, my sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, she should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to her. But when she asks, she must believe and not doubt, because she who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:2-6

So remember, life isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time...especially for mommas. My desire is to be real with each of you, and to prove to you how the love of God has influenced my life on a daily basis. Thank you for reading, and I pray Godly sunshine and rainbows over each of you today :-) I'm off to wash a hundred dishes, by hand! Praise God for the Home Depot delivery men tomorrow!

Don't forget to check today's MMSM and Organizational Tip. Be blessed!