Ten on Tuesday

(Packy at the pool, talking.  Emory and Anna Kate at tennis camp.)

1.  It's here. That time is here. I have reached the point in the summer where I have lost all track of time.  I don't know what day it is much less the date.  I have no idea when I washed my hair last (surely for church?).  I have no idea when Packy last had a bath or when the big kids showered.  I have started to count the pool as showering.  A salt water pool counts for sure.  Salt=clean.  Everyone is staying up later to watch Wipe-Out and Minute to Win It.  (Jason swears he could win Minute to Win It and I believe him. He has lots of strange talents. [RIP Ryan Dunn who we just watched on this show Saturday night.]   I love Wipe-Out. Laugh out loud funny.)  So that's where we are.  By the way, I am still getting up early.  Remember...no quiet time, no serenity.

2.  For Father's day we made Angry Bird cupcakes.  I take no credit for being creative, just a good copier.  I found them here.  Jason thought they were funny, but declined to eat one.  Too much icing and he is more of a Cookies-N- Cream ice cream guy.  (Private Selection from Kroger makes an awesome Cookies and Cream with real Oreos. Thank you Katy for the tip.)

3.  I survived the Member/Guest golf tournament this weekend, and by weekend I mean Wednesday thru Saturday evening.  Sunday, was of course Father's Day and the last day of The U.S. Open where a Macon amateur was really putting his mark on golf so you know what that means.  I even attended the cocktail party with Jason on Friday night.  I haven't gone to this since I have been sober and swore I would never go, but it was actually nice. And yes, nice is the word I would use.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Left at 10. 

4.  I needed  the gym by Saturday was so happy to go.  Sweating is so good for me mentally and Crossfit is always ready to help me reach this goal.  Amazing how good exercise can make you feel, even when it hurts.

5.  I have to confess something to you.  I totally cracked out on sugar for a couple of days.  Total crack binge.  Started with the homemade Twix bars (which are too sweet even for me and yet I was still pounding them), and the best chocolate chip cookies  (according to the New York times) and some leftover cookie dough, and from there I said forget it (or something along those lines) and just went to town.  Sodas, cereal, candy, ice cream, caramel sauce on everything.  It was on.  Jason came home from some golf related event and wondered what happened (I left everything out on the counter).  When it extended in to the next day I knew I was in trouble.  I reached my bottom when I made some cake batter, knowing I was not going to make a cake. Scared of raw eggs you might ask?  Nope.  Been eating them for years.  After eating enough to realize I was in trouble, I stopped.  I went to the gym.  I have started to revere Howard (owner and trainer of North Macon Crossfit) as my healthy lifestyle priest, and I knew I needed confession.  After confessing my wayward couple of days, I vowed to return to healthy eating and proceeded to do 2 workouts.  He was happy to hear that I had not reached the point of microwaving butter, sugar, and flour together in a coffee mug, again. That is for sure the equivalent to crack in the sugar department; quick and easy. Today I am keeping it in balance.  A sweet treat? Of course, but not anymore crazy town days.  See my fridge note to myself? (Do you see my Mama Award from Pac?)

6. The other day we were in the car and Packy said, "Mama, sometimes I feel like we are in God's dollhouse and he is moving us all around."  I never know what they are thinking when we are riding around.

7.  My answer to problems used to be to throw money at them.  How many books can I buy? I have a library of parenting books. I need to change everything, but in order to do that I need to buy everything that the book says to buy.  If I read a blog where a mom had some creative way she bonded with her kids, then I would buy all of the things she had, but usually never got to the bonding part.  Money doesn't solve problems.  I am starting to learn that prayer does.  When I pray about the problem, it makes me slow down and really think through it.  I can then listen for God's answer and feel peace about it.  A book does not give you peace.  Sometimes the answer might involve spending money in some way, and that's OK.  I just have to keep asking myself, Do I come to God first with the problem and wait for his answer or do I seek Him last after I have exhausted my other resources?

8.  See Packy's pictures at the top?  He DOES NOT STOP TALKING.  Ever.

9.  I just finished day 2 of Vacation Bible School.  Whoa.  It has been years since I volunteered to teach at VBS.  (I'm not really sure I volunteered this time?!?)  I don't know why, but it is draining.  My class is ages 2 thru 4 and we have them from 8:45-12:15. Our church has a weekly memory verse and I wonder if it was a coincidence that this week's verse is:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I think Pastor Hunter knew there would be some weak ladies at the church this week, needing Christ's power.

10.  I am totally in love with the God Centered Mom blog. This is how the author Heather describes being a God Centered Mom:

What is a God centered mom?

The center of pride is service to self. To live humbly God must be the center. The goal of this site is to encourage moms to exchange self-centeredness with God-centeredness. Motherhood is hard and it feels like we are always giving and doing for others. However, if we give of ourselves and still expect to be the center the result is constant humiliation and frustration. Instead, if we chose to daily clothe ourselves in humility, by placing God in the center, we are free to serve our families with joy and bring God glory.

Her blog really speaks to me.  When I first entered recovery, I was told that the root of my troubles was selfishness and self-centeredness. In order to remain sober, I was going to have to become humble.  Her entire blog is about living humbly with God in the center.

These posts are my favorites to date:

Servant of God:Alternative to People Pleaser 

Hear the Whisper Wednesday (I totally had the whip and now hope to listen to the whisper.)

and my favorite I have a disease.