stay home day, please?

Sonja K. had a dentist appointment yesterday. She needed to be picked up early. Suzanne and Jonathan wanted to be picked up early, too. So...I picked them up too. We don't like to let Jonny go on the bus "alone", Suzanne, Sonja, and I....he gets rambunctious. So...off we went. They are SO funny. The girls agreed that Kathryn gets the most attention at home, and Sonja said that she herself gets too much too (which is funny because I always think she needs more). We went to Walmart afterward to get important things like baking soda and sugar and drain cleaner (I thought it would be good to unclog the toilet...)...well, $187 later, we had our baking soda and sugar and drain cleaner. AND, jeans for Suze and Sonja, a necklace to replace the ring that got broken for Suzanne, some $1 clearanced jewelry for Mali's birthday, to appease my conscience about the birthday bag I put together for her at the last minute (Mirielle's recycled bag with an envelope with a 20 dollar bill in it, some flower bulbs, one of the last Norwegian chocolate bars, a package of ice cream flavored lip glosses from my present closet....).....you get the picture. We walked around the store and found things we didn't know we needed....we did need the new outlet covers for their room, but they were only 37 cents each. We didn't need the new lime green lamp for their room, but it looks cute. We did need the bananas and the bagels. We didn't need the fabric softener I bought for Mirielle for babysitting, but it was cheap and it had a coupon on it. And, Jonathan finally bought the fully-automatic Nerf gun with his Christmas money. Oh my goodness. I was hesitant to pay so much for a toy, even if it was his money. But he said, "Mom, don't you want me to stop bugging you? If we just get it today, I won't need anything else until I am like Sam's age." Once I caved and it was in the cart, he wanted to get OUT of the store and go home.

I also bought Charlotte Claire a new pair of footy jammies, pink with brown monkeys....$3. They wear them around the house when they don't have princess dresses on. It makes sense, keeps their feet warm and they look so cozy and cute.

Today is Garbage Day, so I have to be sure to keep Miss Rosie inside. I took her for a walk this morning and discovered that her leash is broken. The little clip where it attaches to her collar is broke. There is another leash in the minivan, which Joseph happily drove to college today instead of Old Goldie, who needs her power steering fixed. Still. Rosie is doing better on the leash. I once saw a show on cable, when we were away in a hotel, called, "The Dog Whisperer". He demonstrated how to get a dog to walk on a leash without pulling. He made it look much easier than it is with Rosie, but I am working on it. Every time she pulls the leash tight, I just stop. I don't pull or tug her, I just stop. As soon as there is slack in the leash, I walk again. She is starting to get it, sloooowly. As soon as the weather clears up, I shall walk farther with her....

Sad thing: that fire in Pennsylvania. Seven of the eight children died, ages 11 down to seven months, six girls and a seven year old boy. Only the three year old little girl survived. Those poor poor parents. There is so much information available on the internet, and it can be overwhelming to share in all the grief and sadness. How can God bear it all? We just get a glimpse and blah. He sends rain on the just and the unjust.

I am thankful to live in these days, however. The communication online, via blogs, facebook, email is like everything else in this world: it can be used for good, or for evil. The good is very very good: I have made friends, I can keep in touch with friends, and be encouraged to fight in this daily battle against sin. It is extremely important to be built up in faith. We battle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalties...spirits. So we need to be awake and alert so that we are not weighed down by the cares of this life, or by unbelief. I personally do not get to nearly as many meetings or church services as I would like, so being able to click on Brunstad.org or reading other blogs or messages on facebook that help encourage me to take things right, is very helpful.

Because our perspective on things is just by nature WRONG. We think it is awful when we spill something or when someone is mean to us. But itsn't it written that God causes ALL things to work together for the good for those who love Him?

I just see that I have to be in a good spirit to be a help here at home. It can be all clean and shiny (or could it? I am thinking it possibly could, but....let's just say for argument's sake that it COULD.)But what really matters is that I am in the right place, spiritually. When I am full of faith that COME WHAT MAY, God's word is true, and every single thing that happens is for my best, so that I can be saved during my day, then that overflows to the kids. When I say NO to my anger and stop those little rants dead in their tracks, then it is good. I can get myself all rallied up to get this place more in order, more organized, neater, and prettier, and there is nothing wrong with all that. But.....it is all in vain, all just emptiness if I plow forward without listening to what He has to say to me during it all. He gives grace to the humble.

My children all went to school, some very reluctantly. Evelyn and I had such a nice time yesterday that she wanted to stay home again. And Jonathan has Nerf-Gun-On-The-Brain...he did not want to part with that toy today. He got ready in a flash this morning so he could shoot sixty or seventy Nerf bullets at the red chair.....he got it all packed up and put away and cannot wait for after school....the little princesses are busy today. They have out two cash registers to play store, now they have a huge family of dolls out. Being daughter number ten and daughter number eleven, they have inherited like a hundred dolls. Because their mommy always thought that each little girl should get a dolly for Christmas even though their sisters already had some....multiply that by all those Christmases and all those little girls....anyway, they have lots of dolls. Someday when we get rid of all our toys, our house will be like a thousand pounds lighter. Wait, I might have grandchildren....