Monday, April 30, 2012

You Know You're a Swim Mom When

1.  You  know that splits mean something other than stretching your legs as far as they can go.

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2.  The fact that your children's skin is covered in pictures drawn by sharpie markers no longer alarms you.



3.  You know that blocks are more than square things you stack on top of each other.
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4.  You learn to recognize your children at a distance by bodyshape, goggle straps, and back graffitti (random sharpie drawings, precisely drawn while bored at a meet)
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5.  You think nothing's weird about your daughter saying that when she was on the block the timers were reading her back graffitti, asking what a muggle was.

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6.   The smell of mildew-ed towels is common place.  
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7.   Your kids abs feel like a brick (and you wish yours did).

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Things I have learned this spring

1. It is possible for a school year to fly by so fast, you really think you missed it.

2. That David getting to dance with Steve Gains at a Downline class is a chance he probably will never get again.  It was to the rockin' tune of "Peter and John went to pray."  And to clarify, in case you were wondering, David didn't voluteer.  He got picked.  Apparantly thru the Holy Spirit.  Thru Steve Gains.



3.  It is possible that summer can come before spring.  It happened.  In 2012. 


4.  It is a given fact that as your children get older the number of miles you put on your car increases exponentially.

5.  It is a good thing I have my mom to help my kids with math.  Not that I can't do it, but I can't do that and do anything else.

6.  There is a thing called a splint that is put on broken bones to keep the patient more comfortable with the swelling.  It is not a black thing with velcro.  It is a cast with only plaster on one side.  It is soft gauzy stuff on the other for swelling room.  See...this is why I know.


7.  If I was flexible and could check out the back of my thighs really well, I belive there would be some sort of indentations caused by the bleacher seats at the aquatic center where my kiddos swim.  I sit on them alot.  Below is a pic from cutie-patootie with the pink cast who was bored at swim team since she couldn't swim.  I love how it is from her perspective.  This is where we live most afternoons. 


8.  Swim team practices have become my social outlet.  I have made some great new friends.  Who also have bleacher lines on their thighs.

9.  Braces are a pain.   And alot of money.  Times two.

10.  Athletic children eat.  Alot.  And want to eat alot.... very often.

11.  I am so looking forward to summer break.  Things really do get easier for us in summer.

That is all for today.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Perspective

On this day of Good Friday, it is nearly impossible to not sit and reflect on what happened on this day so many years ago.  That a man would die for my wretched soul, unworthy of so great a sacrifice.

Many days it is easy to forget that I need that this redemption.  I move along, things going great, sunshining, kids cooperating.  Forgetting that He is the One that bestows those blessings on my life.

That without Him, I would have no hope. 

So, today I am looking at life from His perspective.  Not to bring myself glory, but to give it all back to Him.

Today it isn't so hard.  Yes, it is good Friday, so in one sense, it is on my mind. 

But, from another sense my heart is searching for good, in what seems unthinkable.

It all comes back to perspective.

I look back over my week- lost, or probably stolen itouch, two sets of goggles broken in the same night, two pairs of shoes left at swim practice, adolescent hormones running rampant in our home, finding out the great amount of money this family will give to the IRS, dirty dog, discipline of children, household messes that seem to multiply at a greater rate than they can be cleaned up.

Then I very easily remember my friends.   The ones that sit at this very moment, waiting for their 3 yr old son to come out of surgery to remove a brain tumor.   The long road ahead of them.  The life changing event.  I have wondered, God, why this family.  The ones who suffered a major medical issue years ago.   Why again.

My mind then goes to perspective.  I am looking at their situation, and my rather mundane issues compared to theirs, and realize I am looking at it all from my perspective.  Not His. 

I am constantly reminding my kids that we haven't seen the whole picture yet.  That He is looking at it from far away.  From an eternal perspective.  It's time for me to put that into practice.

On this Good Friday, I am so thankful that He saw through my wretchedness, to my need for Him and so greatly save my soul.  He gave me hope.  It is through this that I am able to see His hand, although difficult at times, in all circumstances.

I pray that this perspective doesn't leave me.  That I will be able to remember that broken goggles, and continual laundry, and muddy paw prints, are nothing compared His love, compassion and mercy, in times when we can't see it, but can trust it.