Go away. You are not welcome is this household. Although we do enjoy the beautiful weather you bring, my sweet Isaiah is not ready to turn one. He wishes to remain a baby a little longer.
So you may kindly leave. Now. Thanks.
Yours truly,
I love spring and summer.
I love that spring and summer are barbecue season.
We don't barbecue like normal people.
We go overboard. Way overboard.
Example: Saturday we cooked 16 hamburgers, 6 chicken breasts, and 8 hot dogs. Plus, baked beans.
No, we didn't have any company.
Yes, we are going to eat it all.
Yes, we will eat barbecue for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days.
No, I don't have to cook for half the week.
I love barbecue.
If you missed part one you can read that here.
This week's survival tip is an easy one, yet I believe it is one that many people need to hear.
Don't take your spouse for granted.
My husband and I had a blow out last week. I should have known. I start a marriage series here, and all of my ideas of our happy, strong marriage are thrown out the window. We are fine now, but things were ugly in these parts for a couple days. I'm not going to share any details of our spat, but I am going to tell what I learned from it.
I learned I've been taking my husband for granted. Taking your spouse for granted is not a good thing for a marriage. It only has negative outcomes and should be avoided. The small things that I used to do to show my love and affection had stopped. How I treated my husband was not a thought on my mind because I was too busy with everything else. His feelings were not a priority in my life because I had the mindset that he would always be here and I have the rest of my life to show him my love. Poor guy.
Something that can lead to taking someone for granted is letting negative thoughts consume your mind. It is so easy to get caught up in life and only think about the negative things about one's spouse. I am so very guilty of this. Any married person can think of things he/she doesn't like about his/her spouse. Any married person can also think (I hope) of things he/she does like about his/her spouse. Always focusing on the negative will result in taking that person for granted. Imagine your life without your spouse. Let your mind go there. Think of all the things your spouse does for you and your family. Imagine that suddenly being taken away. It makes you appreciate your spouse a little bit more, huh?
Our little (big?) spat was good for us. It put all of our feelings about every little thing on the table. It made us stronger. A little fight every now and then can do some good, as long as it doesn't break you.
Do something special for your husband (or wife) and let him (or her) know how much he/she is loved and appreciated.
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I played Guess Who with Jazlyn.
Then we played Candyland.
I spent some time with my hubby before he went to work.
I chased Isaiah around the living room savoring the sound of his laugh.
I enjoyed the beautiful day while watching the kids play in the front yard.
I am learning not to take for granted this special time of being home all day with two small kids.
It is time for it. My first high school reunion. I'm sure everyone says this, but it is hard to believe that it has been ten years. I'm am completely torn as to whether or not I want to go. There are many reasons I can think of as to why we shouldn't go.
First off, the price is $100. That includes my whole family going to a catered picnic at a park and then a cocktail party/dinner that night for my husband and me. I'm a frugal person now and that seems like a lot for one day's events.
Second con: I've kept in touch with about one person all these years. I played sports and was part of the "in crowd," but I got too wild for a lot of my friends, then I became too tame for the ones that were left. I am a completely different person than I was in high school, and I think it might be wierd to be around all of them again.
Third con: Cocktail party means alcohol. I'm sure if we went we would be one of a handful of couples not partaking in the alcoholic beverages. Being the only sober person around a lot of drunk people is not always enjoyable.
Did I mention the cost is one hundred dollars?
Now the one reason I do want to go is regret. I'm scared I will regret it if I don't go. I will look on Facebook and see all the pictures and wonder if I made the right decision.
A date night with my hubby wouldn't be so bad either.
Can someone please flip a coin for me and tell me whether or not I should go? Thanks.
Also, please leave a comment and let me know your experiences (or lack thereof) of your high school reunion and why you chose to go or not. I would love to hear what you have to say!
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Galatians 5:19-21 tells us that the works of the flesh are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.
Am I guilty of some of these sometimes? Yes.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Do these words describe how I always act? No.
How do I stay away from the works of the flesh and make the fruit of the Spirit evident in my life? I need to watch what is going on in my mind.
Romans 8:5-6 says For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
When I wake up in the morning am I thanking God for another day or am I worrying about what I'm going to eat for breakfast?
When it is the end of a busy day will I choose to watch television or will I read my Bible and pray?
If I never spiritually feed my mind, then it will be evident in my actions. If I notice Chuck (my hubby) still hasn't taken out the trash like I asked him to, and I just got done praying, then I am more likely to respond with a kind and gentle word instead of an outburst of wrath.
Balance is they key here. I can't go a whole day without a single thought of God and expect to treat others the way I should. Being out of balance in this area has a negative effect on my relationships. Balance is what I need because God has let some special people be a part of my life.
Just in case you didn't know the exciting news, tomorrow is my birthday! Therefore, I am open to any love or kind words you might have for me. :-)
Swag Bucks that is. I just recently signed up with Swag Bucks. I've been hearing about them in the past year, but for some reason I never signed up until now. I didn't realize how awesome they were. I heart them. If you are not signed up with them, click on the banner you see above and sign up. Now. No really, do it. Now.
Swag Bucks is a search engine (you know, like Google). Every few times you do a search on their site, you earn points, or Swag Bucks. Then you can exchange those Swag Bucks for something in their Swag Store. Everyone uses an internet search engine from time to time. Why not get free stuff for doing it?
I registered Jazlyn for school the other day. I almost cried. I didn't think it would be this hard sending her to school. If I could stop time I would, but I can't. So forward we must go.
Just in case you aren't familiar with us, if you look at our pictures I'm sure you will notice the difference in the color of skin among our family members. My husband is (let me use PC terms here) African-American and I am Caucasian. As far as I know, nobody has ever made a big deal about this to Jazlyn. I don't want to make a big deal about it either, but I do think we need to have a talk with her so she has an understanding of things, just in case someone at her school does make a big deal about it.
We live in Alabama. When I was in school, people made a very big deal about any kid whose parents weren't both of the same race. There were maybe a handful of these kids during my school days, and I went to a large school. I know things are not the same as they were ten to fifteen years ago, but there might still be some ignorant parents out there raising ignorant kids. In Jazlyn's dance class of about fifteen kids there are four other biracial children, so I don't think I have to worry about her feeling out of place. I still want her to be prepared and have and understanding of who she is, just in case someone does say something to her. Although I don't think she will ever have a problem with her confidence or self-esteem.
I would love to hear any comments or experiences anyone might have regarding this, good or bad.
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