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Here is a little inspiration for you on a Tuesday.
Have a wonderful day!
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My second devotion is up on Blessed Is She. Check it out for even more inspiration today. And be sure to subscribe for daily readings and devotions delivered straight to your inbox.
The alternative title of this post was How To Not Bang Your Head Up Against The Wall In Frustration On A Daily Basis, but it seemed a little somber.
This week has been ahhhmazing. I have been working in Oakland China Town at Asian Health Services. It’s such a change of pace. I see 8-9 patients per day and I get to work with an assistant. The people have been wonderful. And let me tell you, the food in China Town is DELICIOUS, oh sorry, was I drooling? I love little hole-in-the wall places that take only cash and no one speaks English. The food is usually fantastic. My friend Joy calls our externship the Rotation Fatcation. Sounds about right. And I have two more weeks, yay!
Any who, I was thinking about writing this post all week but I have been up to my elbows in people’s mouths and washing baby bottles. Not necessarily at the same time. Life has surely changed since having Emma. I have always been a morning person, and I still am, sort of. I no longer can take my time getting ready and I don’t even remember the last time I shaved my legs (oh wait, is that too much information?) I wrote a little post a while back about how to have a better morning, so this is along those same lines, except the exact opposite. I think? I don’t know, you be the judge. Is this real life?
HOW TO KEEP YOUR COOL WHEN LIFE GETS CRAZY
MAKE SURE YOUR COFFEE MAKER HAS WATER IN IT
When you are in a rush in the morning because your infant has insisted on eating, make sure that your Keurig is NOT out of water. I mean, it’s wonderful having to fill up the tank to get that cup brewing, isn’t it? And even better, make sure the Brita filter is filled too. Delish. It’s all I can do to just press the button, don’t make me work harder coffee gods.
PREPARE THE BOTTLES THE NIGHT BEFORE
When I am on my last ounce of energy, I still try to prepare the bottles the night before. But I have to make sure I have enough. Oh wait, they are ALL dirty? That’s just great. Can I just turn the nipple inside out?
MAKE LISTS
Seriously, my head is barely screwed on tight these days. I write down what I need to do, who I need to call, the shopping list, all the restaurants I want to eat at, oh wait… I use a paper pad that is magnetized to the fridge and I also like to use Evernote because it syncs to all my devices. #science
Seriously, lists are a life saver. Now only if I could remember where I laid it down…
PICK OUT YOUR OUTFIT THE NIGHT BEFORE
Paul is really great about doing that. For me, it’s usually which dress pants have less spit up on them. Emma picks out her outfit too, but I keep telling her that her birthday suit is not appropriate for preschool.
KEEP THINGS ORDERLY AS YOU GO
I’m a little bit of a compulsive organizer. I may or may not fluff the couch pillows 37 times every night before going to sleep. Don’t judge me. Although things in the cleaning and organizing department have dropped off a little bit since Emma popped out of me. I still try to declutter and clean up as I go. It makes life a little easier when I only have to clean up 12 poop explosions and not worry about the dishes in the sink.
So I don’t necessarily know if I’d call this list helpful, but I hope it made you chuckle. But what are ya going to do? Oh parenthood.
Have a nice weekend everyone. I hope you take a fatcation.
Happy Friday everyone! The other night I was reading to Emma and it was a truly wonderful little snapshot moment in our lives. She was reaching out towards the book and the three of us were completely engrossed in the beauty of that simple moment on a Wednesday night. Today’s word of the day encapsulates it all.
[sim-ˈpli-sə-tē] - noun; origin - Middle English, Old French
1. The state, quality, or an instance of being simple.
2. Freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts.
Syn - plainess; honesty.
Natalie Babbitt says it perfectly: “Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple.”
We could all use a little more simplicity in our daily lives, don’t you think?
Have a wonderful weekend.
I mentioned a little while ago that sometimes I like to have a bit of a brain dump of random thoughts every once in a while. Don’t we all? Usually I brain dump on my husband who listens pretty patiently (thank you sweetie) and responds accordingly. Instead of boring him with my various musings, I’ll bore all of you! I know, doesn’t that sound wonderful? Please don’t leave me.
ON BRUNCH FOOD
I have an obsession love of brunch food. I mean, come on, it’s breakfast AND lunch. You get some eggs and pancakes with potatoes and salads. COME ON! What I love even more than brunch food is brunch buffets. Come to mama. Give me a plate of eggs, bacon, and lemon ricotta pancakes any day. Hey, let’s throw in some mimosas while we are at it.
ON SUPERMARKET LINES
This is how they suck you in. Can anyone really turn down that specialty chocolate bar or that new dried fruit treat by the cash register at Trader Joe’s? No! If you can, then you have some willpower there. While I wait in line, I think, hey why not grab a bottle of wine? I mean, it’s right there. I also firmly believe that supermarket lines (and lines in general) bring the worst or the best out in people. There is that sweet gal who lets you go ahead because you have two items and she has a cartful. Then there is that poopie guy who rolls his eyes at the old lady who is counting her exact change. Give it a rest dude.
ON CONSTRUCTION
I’m especially thinking about road construction. I feel like I am on Mario Kart or something. There are a million orange cones re-directing traffic and I feel that I’m about to slip on a banana peel. Then you feel like you’re about to hit the men in their orange reflective vests - especially the ones who are literally in the road after it’s been opened up. I mean, who stands inside the road!? And of course construction comes with all that lovely traffic. And somehow road construction and its accompanying traffic magically turns on everyone’s car horns. Because you know, when traffic is stopped, honking your horn miraculously makes traffic disappear. Stupid orange cones.
ON EXPIRATION DATES
I don’t understand the whole institution of expiration dates. Are we supposed to eat the food by then? Are we supposed to pick it up from the store before then? What does it all mean?! I’m having serious angst about this. Usually I end up going by the sniff test which is often followed by, meh still smells okay *proceeds to put item back in the fridge to smell another day*. Jeez. C'est la vie.
I’m in Lake Tahoe with Paul and Emma right now but I just wanted to pop in to remind you that the Blessed Is She devotions go live tomorrow! How exciting! Back in July, I introduced this amazing collaborative project of which I have had the privilege and extreme honor to be part of. Well the day is finally here and the daily devotions begin tomorrow!
The month of September is going to be filled with testimonials, reflections, study, and heartfelt thoughts on the daily readings. I am thrilled to be working with such talented, Godly, and real women. They truly inspire me. Thanks to this network, I have delved deeper into the Word than I ever have before. I hope you will join us each day for the readings and devotions.
To kick off the launch of the devotions, we will be having a twitter chat on Monday, 9/1 at 9 PM EST. You can follow along using #blessedisshe and make sure to follow @blessedisshe__ on Twitter and me, @Substance_Soul to join the conversation. Everyone is welcome! And be sure to subscribe to Blessed Is She to receive the readings and devotions delivered right to your inbox every day.
Let’s dive into His Word. God bless.