Not Nice Spice
![]() As Stud went off to work early, I’m siting here watching Chickadee eat breakfast and being a cutie. We are surrounded by The Great Wall of Boxes. Surprisingly I don’t mind; what’s giving me a little anxiety are the random few items and toys that are coming with us. There are only little pathways to sneak through and today is an official order-every-meal-out day. No one is complaining, until I realize there’s no adult breakfast so I'm waiting for Little Dude to wake up from a 6:30AM nap (because, of course, babies and toddlers convened to stay up all night eating and needing extra snuggies). Somehow, these stinkers have made me more organized this time. Usually, I don’t have a single thing packed until the night before when I realize there is random clutter hidden in every little corner. Luckily, we knew we were moving mid-January so I started two months ago—HA!
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Well, the details are still to come but we are officially no longer homeless and are set to move at the end of the month (with my parents, so send your prayers to Stud—no one need live with their in-laws for more than a long weekend). It was a crazy whirlwind and everything went from zero to sixty in four days. And then more crazy goodness happened after that.
So while we pack up apartment living for good, I thought I’d share some of the goodness that isn’t going into a box—Maty’s!!!! I originally discovered their products when I needed an ointment for Chickadees (original label in pictures). Every single time my kiddos get a new tooth, boogers and congestion ensue. Rubbing the chest rub on her feet helped a ton! I’m not a huge fan of overly processed, refined, and chemical crap in our food or body products, so Maty’s is a great fit for our little family. One thing I’ve learned, as a mom is that one minute your child is a hungry beast and the next they’re on what feels like a 40-day fast. It can literally drive you mad. Thankfully my Chickadee is a sucker for a good shake and I’ve got creative mixes cycling through my mind 24/7 (what, you think I’ve got time to sleep?!). Just beware the dreaded excessive night pee— heaviest, leakiest pull-ups I’ve ever changed!
Today we bickered; we disagreed; we chose what was right & not what felt good or easy. I love my church and our community pastor. We asked for prayer for something he knew nothing about and he spoke things over us that we already knew to be true (God's little way of saying- TRUST ME!) and then things that we NEEDED to hear. And now the same things that had our panties in a twist all morning are completely to the wayside.
![]() As a teacher and child care worker I have never (literally never) had a behavioral problem with a student (from the tiniest to grown adults; special education to teens on the brink of juvenile detention) that I wasn't able to manage. So you can imagine my shock and surprise when the good Lord sent me my feisty little chickadee. I have never spanked before and I found myself thinking maybe she needs a good spanking before she'll learn. I'm happy to say that that is absolutely not the case. Do I think spanking is bad? More often than not it is simply not helpful for the issue at hand, which tends to be an underlying problem. The best part of spring is planning for summer beach trips! Since I was bursting at the seams with a pregnant belly last year (Little Dude joined us in July), we are all desperate to dig our toes in the sand, drink an endless supply of lemonade and completely lose track of time (…except nap time; that will definitely be scheduled because there is no crying at the beach!).
So here’s what I’m checking out for my little beach bums: ![]() The pattern seems to be every year we have a monumental change in our relationship. We’re never quite settled but we both feel very secure at the same time. The juxtaposition is oddly reassuring. 2011 Love at first sight 2012 We both quit our jobs 2013 Hitched! 2014 New vocational direction 2015 Chickadee 2016 Job relocation 2017 Little Dude 2018 Moooooving! 2019 Baby ….. HA! Early April Fool’s In less than a month we’ll be moving into another new home that will bring more beautiful memories. More importantly, it will provide a place for us to continue to grow. Each year we have been able to look back and see visible growth in a variety of areas in our lives. I don’t think there is anything that marks a life quite like that. Becoming a stagnant being is the slowest death and is never remembered. ![]() I am trying not to jinx this moment—when your baby does not cry and puts himself to sleep!!! My Chickadee was a colic nightmare and Little Dude has been a dream, but he usually melts when he’s tired. Little Dude hit the 4-month sleep regression hard, followed by teething, learning to roll, crawl, and now on a mission to walk. But it’s the quiet moments that make my mind race thinking how fast it’s going by. I’m pretty sure Stud would slap me for saying this, but I actually miss those early colic days. Chickadee is so independent, creative & determined; the Little Dude is always curiously crawling off to find a toy to bang and chew up. I was just adjusting to the constant chaos of two babes under two. It’s easy as a new mama to melt when your first babe hits milestones. You truly get thrown for a loop! Your sweet babe becomes a moody cranky hot mess and it can easily be out of the blue for seemingly no reason. I felt as though I was in baby hell with the amount of hours and max volume Chickadee would scream. Little Dude slept through the night (all night) since birth, so when he regressed (to put it lightly) I was thrown back into the dark mindset from the first time around. ![]() Have you ever allowed yourself to believe something that was so big and empowering that everything in the natural realm tells you it’s impossible? Then you stop and realize that this monstrosity of an idea wasn’t your own. Nope, not an ounce! Instead you come to recognize how God has been working through you in each event in your life, and you simply stand with your arms spread wide open—allowing yourself to free fall because you know where you place your trust. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “The one who calls you is faithful & He will do it.” I love how some people say that they believe in God, but don’t read the Bible. Others say that they read the Bible, but cannot tell you what it says. Others still, believe in God, read the Bible, can tell you what it says BUT they do not believe it! How is that any better than someone whom do not believe in God at all? The result is the same—doubt. Doubt the existence of God. Doubt that your life has purpose. Doubt that what you do matters. Doubt that who you are has any substance worthy of significance. |
Kate FrancesWhen you don't know what else to do, then it's time to write. Then write a little while longer for good measure. Archives
February 2020
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