The Square Peg

The list maker in me is rising up big time lately. I've been making mental lists, real lists, wish lists, and crossing things off of lists; most of which has been move related. Then I ran across a blog post wherein the author made a list of things he can't support and I decided to join him in the fun. Here goes:

1) Farmtown, Farmville, Yoville, and Mafia Wars. I don't give a hoot about real farms, I sure as heck don't want to virtually milk a cow, weed a garden, or harvest anything. Ew.

2) Infomercials. Drew forced me to stand in his room long enough recently to watch the SlapChop guy. I admit to laughing my butt off when the dude said "you're gonna love my nuts". I might even have peed myself a little.

3) Skinny jeans. I will say it again: NOBODY looks good in those. Not the fat chicks, not the skinny girls, and not the emo boys. NO. BODY. I maintain my position that they should be expunged from the fashion world.

4) Any candy that's green or yellow in color or flavor type. IE: green apple, lime, and lemon. They never taste good. If it's not red or pink, I'll pass.

5) Adults who are too lazy to learn fifth grade grammar and spelling. Especially when they want to be taken seriously for their knowledge and wisdom.

6) Texting while driving.

7) Cliques. Especially within a church.

8) Crocs shoes.

9) Mantyhose.

10) Animals dressed as humans.

11) Snakes. It's unnatural for them to be able to swim, climb trees, and move fast. People who don't have arms and legs can't do any of those things, therefore snakes should have to ride around in wheelchairs.

12) Blog templates/layouts that make the post really narrow and leaves a lot of blank space on each side. This is especially annoying when the author is long winded. I start feeling like I've fallen into a bottomless blog pit. Part of the reason I have this layout is because it was the widest one I could find. Also, I like that the red couch has a therapeutic feel to it, and I love the girl's socks.

13) Scary movies.

14) Men who won't work.

15) Women who demand to be treated like queens yet behave like spoiled children.

16) Miscarriages of justice.

17) Drivers who park in the handicapped spot when they're not transporting the handicapped person for whom the sticker is issued. The driver needs the exercise and a handicapped person could use the space.

18) Any clothing with patches on the elbows.

19) Country decor, country clothing (think: quilted vests), and most country music

20) Parents who threaten their children with things they'll never deliver. ("If you don't come with me right now, I'm going to leave you here in Wal-Mart".) Those parents need to be spanked.

There's a story in the Bible about two harlots who went to King Solomon to settle a dispute they were having. Both women had recently given birth to boys. The first woman said the second woman had rolled over onto her own baby during the night and killed him, and then sneaked into her room to swap the babies and kept the living infant as her own. The second woman said the story was the other way around and that her baby was fine; it was the first woman's baby who had died.

Solomon ordered a sword be brought to him so the living baby could be cut in half and each woman could have a piece of him. One of the women spoke up and told the king not to cut the baby but rather to let the other woman have the child whole so he could live. The other woman was actually OK with the child being cut in two. Solomon ordered that the baby be given to the woman who was willing to give him up because he knew she was the mother of the living child. You can find the story here, starting with verse 16.

I've always been fascinated by that story. Fascinated that a woman would rather steal another woman's child than accept a terrible tragedy had taken place (talk about misery loving company!). Fascinated that the mother of the living child would let her child go to someone else rather than see him dead (I would've fought to keep my child from going to the unbalanced, emotional woman). But especially fascinated with Solomon's wise action and insight. It shouldn't come as a surprise that when God told Solomon He'd give him anything he wanted on earth, Solomon chose wisdom. He could've asked for money, position, or any of the other earthly things someone would typically ask for, but he didn't. But Solomon's wisdom did end up bringing him many of the things you'd expect someone to want, such as wealth, power, status, and the like.

I think I've probably longed and asked God for wisdom more than almost anything else in my adult life. And I think God wants to give me wisdom even more than I want to have it because I don't think God wants a weekend warrior; I think He's looking for someone to stay the course, trust His character, and who's willing to be an instrument for His kingdom, whatever that looks like. Wisdom plays a part in that because sometimes it's hard to swallow what some people dish out, and wisdom operating with faith will often get you through some pretty rocky places.

Wisdom can be a catapult as well as an anchor. A catapult because it can launch you into areas you wouldn't have been able to enter into without it, and an anchor because it can keep you from being swayed when standing firm is necessary.

Obtain wisdom at all costs.
Peace.

I've worked off and on since I was 15 or 16. The jobs I held while the boys were being educated at home were part-time jobs. I didn't work full-time until a few years ago, when Ryan had graduated and Drew was close to being done with high school. I've always loved the relationships I made at work, and I was definitely stretched and challenged (especially by one particular person I worked with).

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my quitting work outside the home. It wasn't an easy decision but it was definitely the right one. The original plan was to find another job to replace the one I gave up. You may be wondering why I gave up a job before finding another, especially in this economy, but there were extenuating circumstances that dictated I get out of that place ASAP. I looked for another job for a couple of months and went on a few interviews, but nothing earth shattering or wonderful banged on my door.

One day Moose asked me how I was enjoying being home. I told him I was really enjoying taking care of things at my leisure but I also missed making money. He knows how much satisfaction I get from looking at a paycheck and knowing I earned every, single dollar. When I asked him how he was enjoying my being home, he quickly and without hesitation told me he loved it. He said the house was more calm, peaceful, less chaotic, cleaner, more organized and that life basically just ran smoother all the way around when I was at home managing things. (Wow, who knew I did all that?! Go, me!) The decision to stop looking for a job was pretty easy. Living without my paycheck took some getting used to, though. When I noticed the date on the calendar yesterday, this 'anniversary' popped into my head and I realized that even though I've always loved working, I really enjoy being at home. It's been a peaceful year, and I was able to join Moose on some business trips that I would've missed if I'd been working.

And speaking of Moose...

Today a lady spoke for a few minutes at church and when she began to descend the platform, Moose immediately got up to assist her. She's healthy and mobile and all, but the stairs coming off the platform are pretty short and they're painted black (making them harder to see), and I could tell she appreciated the help. (What? You mean I'm not the only one who's afraid of falling down the stairs in front of everybody?) Anyway, before he even got up, I knew he was going to offer to help her. Why? Because he's a gentleman. There are men who are nice, courteous, polite or whatever, and then there are gentlemen. Do you know what I mean? The dictionary's definition of a gentleman is "a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man." and Moose definitely fits that description. In fact, one of the qualities I love most about him is the way he protects others and anticipates how he can help or assist them. And when he got up to help, my heart just swelled with love, admiration and respect for him.

Often underestimated because of his quiet nature, but never, ever outclassed, Moose is truly

I was talking to a friend recently and we got on the subject that all moms gravitate toward when they're talking to other moms. No, not birthing babies. The other subject we always gravitate toward: kids and housework. Before we hung up, she suggested I share some of the things we did when our kids were little with my blog readers. I picked 4 to share with you.

Knowing people are more likely to put things away if it's easy, we kept our boys' shoes in buckets near the front door. They never seemed to mind digging through the bucket when they were looking for the shoes they wanted, but they seldom took the time to put them away if it was inconvenient. These buckets ensured we weren't late for appointments or church because we knew the shoes hadn't been dropped in the hallway, or pushed under the couch or bed.

We taught the boys to do their own laundry when they were about 10. Two laundry baskets were placed side-by-side on the floor of their closets. They put white items in one, and items that weren't white in the other (I admit I'm a laundry racist). When a basket was full, it was time to do a load of laundry. They helped with laundry before this, of course (moving from washer to dryer, putting them away, etc), but this is when they had to take full ownership of all their laundry. BTW, all clothes except socks, underwear, and shorts were put on hangers in the closet. Small children can hang their clothes up and it cuts down on dresser drawers having clothes thrown into them and coming out looking like they were slept in.

We assigned the boys odd and even days to load the dishwasher. This eliminated the arguments of who loaded last and whose day it was to unload (nobody liked to load because the loader also hand-washed the pots & pans that weren't recommended for dishwashers). If they ever had a need to switch days because of a social activity or whatever, it had to be completed the next day. No putting it off to be forgotten or argued about 3 days later. When Drew was too young to be responsible for loading and hand-washing, I alternated days with Ryan but Drew unloaded and dried the hand-washables (if necessary).

The boys started sweeping/vacuuming their bedrooms when they were about 7. Yes, it looked like a 7 year-old did it and I spent a lot of time making them pull the broom back out and re-sweep the corners (& under the bed), but they got better with time. It was worth the patience on my part. They don't always keep things clean now that they're grown (Drew's always been a messie) but they know how to clean, which was my goal. It goes along with that whole "you-can-lead-a-horse-to-water" saying...

Do you have any kids 'n' chores tips you'd like to share?

Comparing yourself to others is a dangerous thing to do. No matter how smart, creative, talented, funny, or fit you are, there will always be someone who is smarter, funnier, skinnier, more creative, and more talented than you. If you're trying to be as good as he/she is, there are two reasons why you'll likely be disappointed. For starters, that other person is not the standard-bearer. And for seconds, you're not in competition with anyone. You're an original; don't live your life as a carbon copy. If you've sung your best note, studied faithfully, given your all, and maxed out your abilities, then that's all you can do and you need to be at peace with it.

But if you're not being the best you you can be, direct your energy into that. There's always room to improve in the areas of mercy, judgment, patience, forgiveness, love, kindness, tenderness, and self-control. But there is a limit on your talent and genius meters. So if you're feeling less than because of a peer who is better, seek a paradigm shift.

This is it...the place where it's revealed whether your love is unconditional or convenient, whether you're in it for the long haul or just while it's the flavor-of-the-month. This is the place that separates men from boys, women from girls; where the rubber meets the road.

Pick your path, growth is certain.
Truth stands forever.
And wisdom is supreme.

The time is now. The choice is yours.

"When you have momentum, you look better than you are.
When you don’t have momentum you are better than you look."

Dave Ramsey