RANDOMNESS #1 - It's only the end of February, and I've already chosen my word for 2017. I chose five words for 2016, and none of them lasted more than four to six weeks. Needless to say, last year was not my best year.
Word-wise.
However this year, I chose the word PRODUCTIVE, because for whatever reasons/excuses (and I have many), I have not been very productive these last few years/decade. It hurts to admit, but it is unfortunately true.
The word PRODUCTIVE kept coming to my mind (and it was in ALL CAPS in my brain), but I kept dismissing it because of matching scripture to the word.
And then it hit me.
The Proverbs 31 woman.
She is a lot of things, but most definitely she is PRODUCTIVE.
Although I declared this as my word for 2017, I am trying to make up for lost time, and so far (three days into having chosen the word), I am still working hard.
I have a feeling I may never have to choose another word again. This one should last at least a decade...
Or two.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Tuesdays with Judith - Last week, Judith spent the night on Tuesday and we had a Wednesday together. However, we are back on schedule now, and I hate to change the name of "Tuesdays with Judith" to "Wednesdays with Judith" because of one little week in February when things got turned around a little bit.
All that to say, since Judith was with me on a Wednesday, we were able to go to a Story Time for little kiddos at the local library. The librarian was wonderful, and she read three different stories, sang two songs AND we watched a little five-minute movie.
Judith was excellent. She sat with me throughout, but whenever there was music or singing she danced in my lap, clapped her hands and kept the beat with her entire little body.
I had a ball.
I'm assuming she did, too.
Afterwards, we spent some time with the other Story Time gang in the Kid Section.
She was playing with the dollhouse when she noticed this nice young man having fun with the garage...
And she decided that looked more interesting than the dollhouse.
She enjoyed the moving puzzle until she saw the nice young man playing dress up...
And she immediately headed to the Hat Box.
When the nice young man had to leave with his Mom, she finally settled down to do a little reading.
There's no way of knowing if she thought of him as a "big brother" or a potential "boyfriend."
Either way, I was kinda happy when he left because she paid some attention to me.
I'm a little needy that way.
RANDOMNESS #3 - A Little RT Does a Nana's Heart Good - RT is getting bigger and better and sweeter with each passing week. I didn't think it possible, but there you have it! He is an exceptional little boy.
Melia and Austin gave us this outfit the night they told us RT was coming. Nine months later, I had forgotten all about it. I found it in a drawer and laid it out to put on RT the next time he came for a visit.
The outfit still fits, but the hat was definitely made for a newborn.
I'm just going to put it up and wait for another little boy to join the family one day.
Blog Linkage - Go to www.kellehampton.com and click on the post entitled "Dash's 4 Year Trash Bash: A Garbage Truck Party." Oh... my... goodness! I may be borrowing someone's four year-old boy in the near future for just such a party.
Pinterest Stuff
Five Ways to Guard Your Marriage
1. Proudly wear your ring. You are DEFINITELY not a bad person if you don’t do this, but take a second to think about whether or not it’s important to your spouse. If it is important to either of you, you both need to be making it a priority. My ring is my way to stay accountable to my marriage. You wear a fitbit for your fitness goals, set an alarm to get you to work on time, etc. This is no different! I proudly wear my ring because I know it’s important to my spouse, but also because I want others to know I’m proud to be married to my husband. This may be different in your marriage, but I encourage you to have the conversation and find something that works for you.
2. Never speak badly of your spouse. This one can be a little tricky! Most of us don’t jump at the chance to put our spouse down or obviously talk bad about them, but what about the stories you tell to your friends? A seemingly harmless story about something funny your husband did might upset him or embarrass him. For example, if I told my friends about a time when Alex had trouble opening the pickle jar, that might make him feel silly for not being strong enough. A funny story can sometimes be hurtful and would be better kept in the home. This doesn’t mean that you can never tell a story again, though! Just think before you speak on this one.
3. Stay away from tempting situations. “And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become utterly devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.” Deuteronomy 7:26
Does this verse sound familiar to you? Yeah, me too! First, I’ll be swearing off chocolate, but then I go to dinner. I’m surrounded by ice cream, and I cave. The example I gave is funny, but the same can be true for our marriages. If you don’t place yourself in tempting situations, you can’t be tempted by them. Alex and I are firm believers in setting ground rules in our marriage. They can be different for everyone, but doing so makes it easier for us to avoid the temptation altogether. Even if you don’t have actual rules set in place, it’s as simple as just asking yourself a few questions if you’re unsure. “How do I feel about this? How would my husband feel about me doing it?” It’s not about control, but respect for our spouse and God.
4. Take an interest in your spouse’s interests. Remember to take the time to stop and ask about your spouse’s work, hobbies, thoughts, feelings, etc. When we show we care about the things that are important to our husbands, it makes them feel AMAZING! Alex and I have very different interests, so I often forget to ask about his latest project at work or the video game he’s been obsessed with lately. But when I do, he lights up. Take the time to make our spouses feel special.
5. Be someone he can trust to be capable. Be someone your husband can trust to take care of things/situations. As women, we often are run by our emotions, and that can be draining for our husbands. When we call him for every little problem or cry 50 times a day, he then has to deal with all of his other responsibilities and feelings plus ours. It can be really hard on him, and that leaves room for frustration and worldly temptations. If you struggle with this, lean on God to offer the helping hand and the peace to handle those emotions that can sometimes bubble over.
NOTE FROM BELINDA - Please remember I didn't write this. I found the above on Pinterest...
And liked it a lot!
Have a fantastic weekend. I'll be back soon with MamMa and Austin's birthday pics, a report and pics from Just Keep Swimming, a little Judith, a little RT and maybe a little Mikie and me!
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. Just Keep Swimming was WONDERFUL! I'll be talking about it a lot next post, but here are a few pics from this morning's event.
Minnie Mouse is Judith's absolute favorite character right now...
And after the show, we got in the line to wait for a Meet and Greet AND a picture!
But waiting is really hard when you're two years-old...
And even a little blurry.
Then you get to a point in the line where you can see Minnie only a few feet ahead...
And you get all tingly and excited!
And then you're the next one to get your picture made with the two giant mice...
Which you thought was going to be the most amazing thing you had ever dreamed of doing your whole life!
Turns out, you're quite satisfied with Mom holding you and standing in between you and the ginormous rodents.
Yep.
Two year-olds are FUN!
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