Family Command Center

So, the Bear has been taking an interest in doing chores and earning money lately.  I don't mind paying good money for the housework to actually get done (since I rarely get a chance with Bitty Bear still nursing 'round the clock at almost 13 months). But it was hard to keep track if I didn't want to go help him fill his piggy banks after every chore.  So...

The Family Command Center was born.  At first, I was just trying to find a chore chart...but then I remembered that I needed to replace the wall calendar...and that Hubby is always losing my keys because he forgets that I commandeered the hat hook he had before we were married...and that Hubby and I had never remembered to put the diaper bag in the same place twice...and that we all constantly forget to take our vitamins...and that the Bear frequently misplaces library books (we've only been late once, but I don't want to become that homeschool mom).

I'm just going to be real with you.  This got way more expensive than I planned.  I told Hubby that I'd seen other bloggers do stuff like this for about $50.  Those other bloggers obviously weren't at the end of their rope, needing to get organized yesterday, and had time to wait for everything to go on deep clearance.  But even though Hubs is usually the frugal one, and I was in tears over the price tags, he said we needed to do it right the first time, since we are planning to use it at least until we have an empty nest.  I love that I have finally gotten through to him that it is cheaper to buy quality the first time than to constantly replace.

Here is the Command Center in all it's glory.  No, we can't open the pantry door/back door all the way anymore.  What of it?

I got the big chalkboard at my local teacher supply store.  The parts that I wanted to have on there permanently (calendar grid, menu grid, family "established" sign, Bible verses) were done with oil based paint pens (black, white, silver, gold).  "Funny" story about the days of the week being black on white.  I had written them all in white, but I decided to decorate around the ones on the calendar with silver, and it ended up looking kinda stupid.  Then I put Monday first on the menu and basically had a meltdown. So I used Po-leesh Remover of Nai-eel to get some of the paint off, then painted over the damaged area white (because acetone does damage chalkboard). Then I re-wrote the days of the week in black. #problemsolving  Each member of the family has his/her own chalk color, so that we know if an event/shopping list item/memo is specific to someone (and so we know who is responsible for feeding us on any given night).

I got the hooks at my fave craft store Hobby Lobby.  They were closed when I came up with the bag idea, so I got the canvas bags, fabric markers, and stencils at Michaels.  "Apothecary" holds our daily vitamins, "Bon Appetit" has things like bibs, and "Al Fresco" contains reusable snack containers and other things we need for eating outside of our home.

I got these babies at Hobby Lobby, also.  I couldn't bear to use the oil based paint on them, in case I ever wanted to do something like this. I made those nice, straight grid lines with masking tape. All of the chores the Bear can earn money for are listed, and we can check them off as he does them each day of the week.  That way, we can wait until Saturday night to pay him.  His check marks are blue...presumably someday Bitty Bear will add pink check marks.  We had extra room on the second board, so Hubby came up with the idea of checking off if we remembered our vitamins.  We have spaces to mark for who gets to take what day as a Sabbath each week, and plenty of room leftover for prayer requests.

We keep our chalk markers in this little tin bucket (yay for no chalk dust in the kitchen, plus wet erase means the kids can't accidentally rub out important info), along with an envelope sponge and a scat and snot wipe for erasers.

I can pretty much guarantee that Hubs won't put his hat here, knocking my keys into his snow boots or behind the shoe bench.  Bonus, enough room for the far-off day when the kids need keys.  Command Picture Clips hold important mail that we need to see again (like this postcard from Sherlock's vet...although I *still* haven't remembered to call). I'm thinking about sticking the wedding invitations we have lying around up there, too.

Hubs has always kept his lunch box in this area.  It is now also the designated diaper bag spot (no more searching an entire floor--or 2--when running late) and I've added the basket I used to use for Bitty Bear's photoshoots as a place to keep library materials (and outgoing Mary Kay products that I need to remember to bring to my clients).  Sherlock seems to approve of the new arrangement.

Keep it Kute!

Dance in Your Undies

And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!" Mark 7:9

A little context here: The scribes and Pharisees were looking for dirt on Jesus, and they thought they literally found it on His disciples' hands.  See, the disciples hadn't washed their hands exactly the right [ceremonial] way before eating. The Pharisees had added TONS of laws to God's Law, oral tradition passed down (supposedly from Moses), which was given the same weight as the actual Word of God.

Does that sound at all familiar?

"If you were a real Christian, you wouldn't watch that TV show."

"If you were really godly, you would serve in xyz capacity."

"You aren't a wife of noble character because you work outside the home."

"It's a sin to play cards."

"Dancing is of the devil."

Oooh, let's tackle that last one, shall we?

2 Samuel 6:

12Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was [h]wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

17 So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of theLord of hosts. 19 Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.

²⁰ But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord.²² I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished.” ²³ Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

What if all those other "ought tos" and "not good enoughs" had just as little biblical basis?

Now, sometimes we are sinning, and our siblings in Christ need to call us on it.  But often, the "rules" we impose upon each other either have nothing to do with Scripture, or are someone's interpretation/extrapolation of Scripture.  

Maybe they are being hypocrites like the Pharisees.  Or maybe they've just found something that works for them in their relationship with God, and they want to share.

So next time someone tells you what you should or shouldn't be doing as a Christian, don't get mad and defensive...and don't start beating yourself up.  Simply say, "Thank you for your concern."  Then, weigh their "advice" against the Scriptures.  If the Bible says the same thing, then it's time to start living it.  But if the Bible says something different, or is silent...well, just dance to the tune God is playing for you.

My Heart for Lent

I am not Catholic, but I celebrate Lent.  Nobody else in my family (with the possible exception of the Catholic relatives) makes a big deal out of Lent.  In fact, my husband is dead set against it, for the same reason he hates New Year's resolutions.  Cody believes if you need to change something in your life, you just do it right away.  However, the season leading up to Resurrection Sunday has become very meaningful to me since I started college almost a decade ago.  Some years I give something up; other years I add a discipline to my life.

 I am careful to choose something that will help me to walk more closely with Christ, but not something that needs to be a permanent change.  So I will never give up something I know to be sinful for Lent--that is something I will work to eliminate from my life no matter the time of year.  I also will not give up something that I cannot realistically do without--for instance, chocolate--for a whole month or more.  I don't want to set myself up for failure.  Finally, I won't add something I should be doing all the time (such as prayer or Bible study) because I don't want the end of the season to be an excuse to stop doing that discipline.

My freshman year of college was the first time I celebrated Lent. I am thankful to my prayer partner at the time (Rachel) who helped me to see that a Protestant could indeed observe the season. It was also the most difficult logistically.  I had to amend my promise to God because I could not completely avoid the thing I gave up.  I chose to give up secular music (including songs that were not explicitly Christian even if sung by Christian artists, e.g. no Steven Curtis Chapman love songs).  Obviously, it was impossible to cut all secular music from my life, as I realized as I waited in the student lounge to meet some friends later that evening.  BET music videos definitely don't count as Christian music!  So I told God, "Well, you know I meant well.  I promise not to listen to secular songs on my own."  Now I don't think there is anything sinful about listening to secular music.  I quite enjoy it.  I don't want to give it up permanently.  But that year as I prepared my heart for Resurrection Sunday, my personal playlist was focusing my mind on the risen Lord.  It was very powerful!

The following year, I gave up watching TV by myself.  This was another one that had to have a caveat, and only partially due to the inevitablity of walking into a room where someone was watching TV.  That Lenten season was less powerful; less of a sacrifice, as I did not have to give up my favorite shows.  I watched all my faves with my mom; and I would not give that up because it was important to her that we spend that time together.  However, it was still a good discipline for me, because I was wasting less time watching random shows alone.  I spent the extra time reading, planying board games with my parents, praying, listening to music, and studying.  I think maybe I even cleaned my room (I know I cleaned it at least once that year).

I honestly don't remember what I gave up the next year.  I think maybe I forgot to celebrate Lent.  Whoops!  Thankfully, we are "saved by grace through faith, not by works lest any man should boast."

 2006 was another powerful Lenten season.  I love to write, but I do not discipline myself to spend the time writing...really, anything.  Also, I had a brand new boyfriend who tried to convince me that it was legalistic and hypocritical to celebrate Lent.  I think he's mellowed out some over the years ;-).  So I decided to ADD a discipline.  For each week of Lent, I was going to write a letter to someone in my life whom I wanted to encourage.  The first letter was to my Czech penpal/spiritual daughter, Susie.  I wrote a letter to a former crush, thanking him for his friendship and for realizing that we were not meant to be together (and telling him all about the new man in my life, because he was the type to actually be happy for me and give me godly advice).  I wrote a letter to said boyfriend...it was rather sappy, and as we'd only been together for a few weeks, I think it terrified him.  I wrote a letter to my best friend, who was away at college.  I wrote a letter to a little girl at church whom I was mentoring.  I wrote a letter to a young woman in my campus ministry who was going through a difficult time.  It was neat to reach out to others from the heart and gifts the Holy Spirit gave to me.

The next year I gave up reading novels--something I spend a lot of time doing-- and read only textbooks, theology books, biographies, and the Bible.  This was a stretching time for me; I learned a lot of new things about God and about the world around me because I didn't waste time with fiction.

The first Lent that I was married, I gave up caffienated beverages.  I do not say caffiene, because I still ate chocolate in its solid form.  But I did not drink hot chocolate, soda, or tea unless it was caffiene free.  That was probably the most painful Lent ever; for more reasons than one.  To begin with, I was something of a caffiene addict.  I could not get through the day without a caffeinated soda or a cuppa for breakfast.  I had to learn to depend on God, sleep at a decent time, and cope with headaches.  But I am sooo thankful the Lord led me to give up caffiene, for if I hadn't, I would to this day be wondering if caffeine was the cause of the greater pain I faced that Lenten season.  On Maundy Thursday of 2008, I lost my first child to miscarriage.  As it was, I blamed myself for his (her?) death.  As it was, I dropped out of school.  As it was, I became suicidal.  If I had been addicted to caffeine at the time, I would still believe that I had murdered my baby.  However, Beans' brief life and death made that Lent the most meaningful of my entire life.  For the day after my miscarriage, my husband and I attended the Good Friday service at our church. I understood, perhaps for the first time "how great the pain of searing loss" our Father faced as He watched the death of His Only Begotten Son.

I can't remember for sure, but I think 2009 was the year I gave up Facebook.  My timeline seems to support that theory.

I think I was too sick in 2010 to remember to do anything for Lent.  I was just puking my guts out and praying to still be preggo by Good Friday, considering that I'd lost a baby during each Lent I had been married.

Last year, I added something.  I know I did.  I just can't remember what.  Did I write letters again?  I think maybe...or I did something around the house that is normally Cody's responsibility.  Or both.  I'm not sure.  I had mommy brain.  But I know I did something...I think.

This year I am giving up fanfiction.  Because I love fanfiction, but I spend entirely too much time reading it when I should be reading my Bible, doing chores, or hanging out with my hubby.  And because I spend entirely too much time writing it when I should be writing original novels that I could actually, I don't know, maybe publish?

Do you celebrate Lent?  Why or why not?  If you do, how do you do so?

Keep it Kute!

HATE Housework!!!

Today I have to clean my house.  I have a deadline for getting this place in some semblance of order.  My bug guy comes a week from today...he has to be able to walk in every room.  Currently there are at least two rooms that he cannot.

I love cooking.  I seriously do.  But Hubby wouldn't know that.  I almost never cook for him because there's never any freaking counter space to cook or any clean pots and pans.

Whenever I run out of unmentionables, sorting the laundry takes an hour.  That is because I have to separate the clean and dirty from each other where the piles have accumulated on the floor.

Please tell me I am not the only Domestic Diva with this problem! 

This is sooo embarrassing...but I felt the need to share this as I yet again procrastinate (although it's legit snacktime; I'm hungrier than a pregnant elephant!).  I'm working on being transparent.  I know it is not God's will for me to lie and hide behind masks.  So here it is: the real me!

Keep it Kute!