A Common Funk

What is it about this age, gender, and stage in life? It seems that I am not the only one who seems to get in a funk around this time of life. I have many close friends and acquaintances who are lacking joy in their lives. Not much gets them motivated or even happy some days. What is it about this season?

Is it the kids and the life that they can drain out of us while at the same time we are required to love and nourish them. Not only that, but we WANT to love and cherish them ALL the time, but because we are all sinners...either they choose to not do something they should (or do something they shouldn't) and/or we are frustrated, in a bad mood, or just ticked off easily...we don't love on them. We then often look longinly at our children (or our spouse) while they are sleeping and am enthralled by their wonderfulness and then regret the words said earlier, the lack of time spent with them, or something else done or not done.

We are also leaving our "young years"...many of us have had one or more kids and our bodies are just NOT EVER going to be the same. No matter if we get to that high school weight again...it is just different. And I am not talking about that extra pooch...but the wrinkles, lack of time to do hair, dry skin, leaking when coughing...and I may be talking about myself here...but lack of fashion!!!

Am I just rambling here? Am I alone in this?

Another huge factor that weighs on myself for the common funk that comes in and out of my life is not being close to the Lord like I USED to be. Now...I know that God has empathy and understanding towards moms of young kids, but honestly it sucks!!! I have these moments of just craving and desiring time with God, reading His Word, and worshiping him. But then I go to do it, AND don't even get me started on what distracts me. I feel like even if I make that time for God; (which I TRY!) that because this is a different season in life and I can't serve in the church like before, and marriage is strained, and friendships are strained...that my relationship with God just won't be the same. Ugghhh...I don't even know if I am getting across what I want to say!

What I do want to say, is that we need to stop comparing ourselves to others on FB, instagram, blogs, pinterest, etc...what happened to that good old neighbor relationships??? What it boils down to is seeing what others have and wanting that. Wanting that amazing relationship with your kids and having them obey you when in reality you don't live in their house and see what goes on! Plus we need to focus on the kids that God gave US! No one mom is right in her ways...we are all given different gifts and we can glean from each other but we have to stop comparing and coveting. Same goes for our bodies, our marriages, the way our house is decorated, what kind of clothes we have, etc. It is time to be grateful, to choose to be joyful and content. I needed this pep talk so you all are getting it too:-) Getting time in with God is THE most important thing and based on that, will the rest of life fall. When we trust in him, our lives will reflect the amazing and wonderful God that is truly in charge. From yesterdays Jesus Calling "Accept yourself and your circumstances just as they are, remembering what I am sovereign over everything."

One of those moments...

Lately I have had one of those moments during a certain moment that makes you bust out laughing...if you can follow my tired brain. (by the way, I apologize for my writing...I am not eloquent, savvy, or an expert in expressing my words or telling stories. I am horrible at grammar, and they way I write comes out different than what I think in my head...there you have been warned)

Here is one of two example of "one of those moments". You all pretty much know what my hubby does and that he travels frequently. Yes, I have gotten used to it as much as I can, but there are nights when I do have a hard time with it. Where I feel like an over emotional teenage girlfriend who has to be away from her "true love" boyfriend for a God-awful week. Well, recently I was laying in the arms of my handsome hubby, trying to fall asleep, thinking about having to be alone once again. I was trying to create a memory by tracing his face (yes, sorry if too sappy) so I could remember every nook and cranny. When out of the blue the arm that is around me has a crazy muscle/or sleep twitch and SLAMS against the wall right above my head. Now...this has happened before, and this night I was lucky because I didn't get punched in the face or squeezed around the neck like other times. I just chalk it up to what happens right before he falls asleep...right?!?! Anyways, the laughter comes when I am laying there reminiscing wonderful things and I hear some sound coming from Mike...some whale-like horn sound..rruuuuhhhhhhh! That is when I had one of those moments while trying to have a sentimental moment. I busted out laughing sooo hard! Oh how I tried to have sweet and loving moment only to be interrupted by simple life:-) Guess it was time to just roll over and go to sleep.

Another hilarious moment during a more serious one:

Did you guys hear about that noravirus going around? That awful stomach bug epidemic? Yeah...well our boys had it. Everett had it first and then followed by Logan. It was definitely a hard one to see them go through because it started with about 5 hours of straight throwing up followed by being stuck on the toilet for 24 hrs. Logan started his bout at 4 in the morning this past weekend. I decided to just stay in his room because he was throwing up every 10-20 minutes. On about his 5th time, there isn't anything coming up and he is just dry heaving and burping. I was tyring to so hard to say the right things to help him through this, encourage him so he feels better, and just love on him. Oh the poor boy! I was helping hold the bowl and he just kept burping and burping! Now, if you know Logan, you know what a rule follower he is...you tell him to do something as a rule or law and he will do it no matter what. I think he was taken back at how much he was burping and he looked up at me with the most confused eyes and sorry eyes and says "excuse me mom" between burps...oh my son!!!! Had to use his manners despite the throwing up! I tried to not laugh because he continued to throw up, but it was too funny:-)

I think I have come to realize with all the kids and the years of marriage, that those moments that are sentimental, serious, or frustrating and then when funny things happen that can be the best thing for the situation. I love that God has a sense of humor and keeps things real.

New Name, New Journey!

I have decided to give my blog a new name...even though the wonderful and cute design is gone...bummer... I still want and try to "Live for His Legacy" in every day life. Jesus is the one I look towards when going through day to day situations, and I hope to follow in his footprints as best I can. Even if He has to help carry me through, I strive to live for Jesus.

The new name, "Every Day Stories" will still include posts about what God is doing for the family and myself.  I just feel like documenting my every day-life stories. As the months and years have gone on, I have some pretty interesting, humerous, and sad stories that I want to share. They aren't extriodanary, crazy, or powerful...they are just plain life experiences from my lifetime! "Every Day Stories" will hopefully give some people more insight into what goes on in my head. I have so many commonalities with you friends and family, but there are some things in my life that are different than you and those truly direct certain decisions and emotions of mine. Please stay tuned for new posts about being a wife of 9 years to a man who risks his life as a calling from God; about starting the journey into "middle age" years (yikes!!!...30!!!); about raising three boys and being resonsible for 3 families some day; and about my constant struggle to draw near yet overwhelming love for the Lord.