Neat Stuff Will Happen

Tomorrow: I shall be featured on (in)courage, a faith-based web community for women. I sat down one day and wrote about something that was bothering my heart and WHAMMO, they liked it. If you are a woman who is even mildly interested in daily encouragement in your faith from other women, you should check it out:

Sign up here to receive free daily encouragement from the writers of (in)courage, sent right to your inbox!  

And here's the shortlink to my post (EEK!):

  http://www.incourage.me/?p=179476  

I pray people both think it's neat and see a glimpse of their awesome Father when they read the words of so many wise women. Amen. 

Why 'Mom-And'?

It is, I know, a strange name for a blog. But I need something so catchy, and when I survey blogs all over the internet, I notice that everybody has a blog name that really speaks to who they are.

So yeah. I'm a mom. I have 4 kids, and I've stayed home with them 90% of the time, for a total of 15 years now. The years have been good and challenging and God has graciously allowed me to grow and change in the process. However, as I've approached middle age I have struggled with the same question most people ask at some point in their lives:

What am I actually doing here? 

Indeed, the what is God's will for my life? that I asked dozens of times at age twenty has morphed into a more cosmopolitan version, although its meat is the same:

What has God gifted me for?

You'll allow the preposition to hover illegally at the end of my question in order to ponder it for your own life. And if you are also a Mom, people get to provide an easy answer on your behalf.

Oh, well. You're a Mom. That's your calling.

I've been told that more times than I can count, by well-meaning and thoughtful folks. All the same, in the midst of a time of searching and discouragement, that particular answer doesn't really cut it.

Obviously I'm a Mom. The four people living with me and constantly talking to me bear witness to that. But to say that it's the only thing God has fit me for, that it is my purpose and calling, isn't going to fill the cup of a woman looking for the deeper answer to the question.

I submit that I am a Mom-And. Yes, I'm a Mom, and I'm lucky and privileged to be one. (Thank you, God.) It's a hard job and he teaches me daily how to do it well. But that's not all he has put in me.

Or you. Or anyone.

You can be a Mom-And a warrior. A Mom-And a teacher. A Mom-And a leader. A Mom-And a dreamer. A trailblazer. An adventurer. A paradigm-breaker. You can do all of this and more along with raising your offspring in the way that God leads.

This sentiment is for the Moms among us that are happy being Moms, but aren't afraid to ask for more. And I feel like, when we are asking for stuff that makes his kingdom come, he doesn't mind doling it out in big huge piles.

Mom-And. That's why.

After a Long Hiatus

Well, obviously, this little blog has been woefully unattended for a SIX YEARS. In my defense, I have been raising children and writing other stuff under an assumed name (I don't like to brag, but my fantasy series about a wizard and a dog has done really well in the Netherlands).

To be honest, I wasn't sure all of these musings of my mid-30s would still be around, so let that be a lesson to the internet at large: IT STAYS AROUND.

It's almost nice to come back to a blog after a six-year break and look back to see how things have improved. My Kindergartner is about to be a middle-schooler. I've finished all of the books on my 2010-era TBR list. We have taken 3 excellent road trips with our kids.

Some of the sins I struggled with have minimized as I've grown older; some of them have been replaced by others.

This truth is a reminder that if I step away from a problem for a while (or, you know, five years) and give it room to breathe, it will often minimize in reality if not only in my perspective. And while God hasn't promised me an easy path, he has at least promised to help me continually along the bumps and bends in the road.

There have been many such bumps and bends.

God stuck around.

I will not miss you, Summer.

No, not my friend Summer. And I do have a friend named Summer.

I'm referring to this useless season we are currently enduring. It has little going for it other than school being out, and that reason in itself is debatable.

Things I don't like about summer:

1- The bracing, hot, sticky, annoying heat.

2- By proxy, the A/C bill. For no other reason would I spend $200 a month on air.

3- It's the last stretch of months one must endure before football season begins.

4- TV shows are on a break. For those of you that have 1,000 things backed up on your DVR, or watch one of those freak-of-nature, doesn't-follow-the-rules, "summer" TV shows like "The Closer", or "Burn Notice", it's a long, parched, desert for the rest of us. Three months it too terribly long to go without watching "Bones."

5- Some of us don't enjoy wearing bathing suits or sundresses. Honestly.

6- The upside to being a SAHM is being able to go places during the week without a million kids being around. Not so in the summer. Everywhere I go is crawling with children, and really, I have enough of my own.

7- If I want to exercise outside, it must be accomplished before 8am to avoid heatstroke.

8- We are relegated to constantly eating grilled food or yogurt for dinner, so we can avoid turning on the oven or stove and adding even MORE heat to the house.

9- Did I mention the heat?

Now, let me counteract those of you who wish to argue:

1- I don't like the beach.

2- Cold weather suits me just fine.

3- I can have ice cream, hot dogs, and coleslaw anytime of year. That goes for watermelon and lemonade, too.

4- One word: Christmas.

If I ever move to the Southern Hemisphere, I might have a problem.

The Best

I have a nasty confession to make. I will be the bold one and make it here, but I'm guessing that some of you are guilty of this, too.

I want to be the best.

I am interested in many things, and I am good, even great, at a few things. But I am not satisfied merely with interest and accomplishment. I want to be THE best. Sometimes I get pretty persnickety when I hear of or experience somebody that outpaces me in my choice accomplishments.

Examples:
I am pretty funny. But I know at least three people that are way funnier than me, and I curse those upstarts for their witty vocabulary and quick comedic timing.

I make wicked good cookies. One of the guys at my husband's poker games makes cookies that put mine to shame.(yep, that's right. A guy.) Folks are always begging him to make his blasted cookies, while mine are pitifully passed over.

I am a pretty good teacher, and am very enthusiastic about my subject. (sometimes too enthusiastic...) Most of my students like me just fine. But I have at least two co-workers that are the All-Stars of my school, whom the students adore and think are the coolest ever. I will never be as revered as those teachers.

I read lots of books, most of them "good" books, and very little junk (especially if you overlook my "Twilight" phase). I went to a friend's house last week and her "bathroom book" was A Movable Feast. Hemingway! In the bathroom! How can I compete with that?

You can see where all of this is going.

For one thing, we are not meant to be the best. According to The Best, Jesus, we are to be the worst:

Matthew 20:16- "And the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Which means something along the lines of, "if I spend my life trying to be the best baker/teacher/comedian without actually trying to bless people, I will find myself without much of a home in heaven."

That's pretty clear, and I can take that Holy-Spirit-Sucker-Punch-of-Humility, because Jesus says so.

However, Jesus makes this even more bearable by telling us how special we are. For the biggest Godly-Confidence-Boost of all time, check out Psalm 139:

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you."

To recap: He knew me before I was made. He created me for His special purpose (that's Ephesians 2:10), he thinks about me so much it's beyond comprehension, my whole life has been perfectly ordained by Him.

So there's comforting knowledge in this: He HAS created me to be the best at His own purpose for me, whatever that may be. I just hope it's the cookies.

Too much of a good thing.

Yesterday we spent the day in Hershey, PA.
Sounds fun, right?
Not so much.
I am still recovering from Chocolate Shock.

10am: Arrive in Chocolate World.
10:15: Purchase tickets for 3-D movie and Tasting Adventure
10:30: Coffee and muffin in food court
11:00: Eat first fun-size Hershey bar given free upon exiting the movie
11:15: Take free "tour"
11:25: Eat York Peppermint Patty given free upon exiting the tour
11:35: Take free "tour" again
11:45: Politely refuse 2nd fun-size Hershey bar given free upon exiting the tour
12:00: Tasting Adventure- 1 chocolate drink with cinnamon and coffee, 1 fun-size Hershey bar, 1 Extra Dark Hershey square, 1 Dark Bliss square, 1 specialty milk square, 1 Caramel Hershey kiss
12:45: Salad, sandwiches, water in the food court
1:00: Shopping in retail centers
1:15: Eat Reese's Dark Cups because they advertise "You Could Win $20,000" on the package

2:30: Arrive at The Hershey Story Museum
2:45: Enter The Chocolate Lab class
2:50: Make our own chocolate bar. Some licking of the spoon may have occurred.
3:30: Leave The Chocolate Lab
3:45: Enter Cafe Zooka at The Hershey Story Museum
4:00: Share a "Chocolates of the World" 6-cup tasting spread of drinkable chocolate
4:30-6:00: Enter Chocolate Coma while children swim in hot hotel pool

24 Hours Later: Experience Stomach Discomfort

My thoughts on Road Tripping

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend any North-dwellers. Remember, it's from a Southerner's point of view.

Driving through the Northeast: a sortable list.

In the course of our 21-day road trip, we had the privilege of driving through Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Here are some issues we noted during this sojourn.

Signage: We in the South are so proud of our chain restaurants that we display a blue sign at each exit, telling you what foods are available there- you know, Hardees, Chick-Fil-A, or McDonald’s. Occasionally a Wendy’s, or in upscale areas, a Chili’s or Applebees. However, in the North we found an appalling lack of signage, which limited our coffee stops significantly. (because you can’t exit I-83 on a blind search for a Starbucks. You might never find one.)
However, in the North they kind of make up for it by conveniently placing a Dunkin Donuts at ½ mile intervals.

Speed Limit: In Georgia we are able to drive up to 70 mph on Interstates (and really, that possibly means 79 if luck is on your side). However, we found that the North holds strictly to 65, and even (gasp!) 55 in some areas. Furthermore, in the grand state of Connecticut, the residents don’t even deign to speed. They hold at a firm 65 mph the whole way through their tiny state. And while I’m on the subject of Connecticut, for such a tiny state, there are many, many of you plodding along on I-95 (at the aforementioned 65 mph MAX) that it took me almost two hours to travel your measly 93 miles. Where are you all going? And if it’s so important, why won’t you drive faster?

Signage, Pt 2: Really, the Northeast needs to get on board with the whole “mile markers match the exit signs” thing. It can really throw one for a loop in a place like Rhode Island. It’s only about 20 miles across to begin with, is it so tough to match the exits? There are only about 10 exits to change – shouldn’t be too hard, really.
We would like to give PA a holla for adapting, though.

Pros:
Connecticut: Steamed Cheeseburgers at Ted’s in Meriden. Totally worth the slow driving to get there. Also, all along the (slow) I-95 corridor, there are pull-off stops that resemble a “Rest Area” in the South, but they have a gas station and a McDonald’s each. Those are completely fabulous.

New York: We saw not one police officer on either of our trips through the Empire State. Thanks, guys. Would also like to add that the Hudson River Valley is beautiful.

Pennsylvania: Aside from the aforementioned ‘mile markers matching exit signs’, PA is beautiful from every vantage point that I laid eyes on. No wonder the Quakers snatched that place up.

All across the North: Friendly’s- an excellent way to blow 800 calories on a dessert.