in short and sweet form:
i am Carissa, a follower of Jesus, married to the handsome worship leader man for 7 1/2 years, mama to two, 16 months apart, - a 3 year old boy and an almost 2 year old little lady - a runner, a picture taker, a writer, a frazzled female, a lover of simple, and learning to lean on Grace alone.
my three loves
in a few more words...
i'd love to tell you that i wake up an hour before my kids do, to spend time in the Word and to get looking pretty before they wake. my nights are not usually full of peaceful sleep... my lady, Sage, who will be 2 in less than 2 months does not sleep through the night (and yes! i have read Babywise, thankyouverymuch.) and so mornings are hard. i peel back my eyelids to see my 3 year old, Hunter, flashing me a big smile, saying he is awake now and needs to potty. and so i begin my day taking his cute self potty.
interjection:: i used to be full of guilt over not finding a way to have my quiet times in the morning. but then i thought about the part of life i am in, the one where the days are long and the years are short. this season may not afford an ideal quiet time schedule. i remember clear as day, one day, it was like the Heaven's opened up, and the angel's with their trumpets proclaimed, "God is not mad at you for not reading His word at 6 am." peace like a river filled my soul and my very being. from then on, i began to read the Word during naptime when the house is totally quiet. sometimes, even, (gasp!) i read in the evenings with my hubby, Kelly. all of a sudden, spending time reading the book of Life is a joy rather than something to get checked off my list. i do look forward to a future season, where early mornings will be available for such things. until then, i am content with this.
Hunter and Sage
back to mornings... Hunter and i brush our teeth and the two of us head downstairs. i let out our furry creature of a dog, make Hunter breakfast, pour myself a tall glass of chocolate soy milk (it is my coffee) and make Kelly's lunch. Kelly eats his breakfast, grabs his lunch and heads to the church. his ministry schedule is often different each day, sometimes he goes in late because he will be there late, it just depends. my scheduled self has had to learn to let go and go with the flow. but today, he goes in early and will get home around 6. (these are my favorite kind of days!)
then it's time to get ready for our day. sister girl usually gets up around this time. today she sleeps longer so it gives me extra time to unload the dishwasher before getting dressed. then i throw on my running shorts and dry fit top and get Hunter ready next. i like to wear comfortable clothes to play with my kids in. the best part is that my man likes me best in those kinds of clothes. win-win. true story though: last week i wore lipstick, makeup, finger nail polish and a necklace all in the same day! it was weird. i felt too fancy, but once in while it's fun.
Sage wakes up, i dress her and then get to the kitchen to make her breakfast. around 9-9:30 we are finally ready to roll. and that rolling mostly means a trip to target, a playdate, Bible study, grocery shopping, or our neighborhood pool (thank goodness it is Spring!). today we go to Target to get the necessary things like baby wipes and cotton balls and milk. morning time is our flex time... it is pretty much the time of day we always try to get out of the house.
lunch time. to be real here, i have to say that feeding my kids is hard. i think i just may be mom to the world's pickiest little people. Hunter has a severe egg allergy which further complicates things. they truly could live off of strawberries and macaroni and cheese. today i fixed apples, veggie chips, and yogurt. they ate! hallelujah, thank you Jesus!!!
we read a few stories before nap time. Charlie the Ranch Dog is a favorite around here along with my Scripture Scraps book. we also adore the Jesus Storybook Bible... every story is laced with Jesus and the hope He brings. sometimes i read it to myself.
2:00 ish - naptime now. oooh. ahhh.
i read the Word. meditate on it. pray. right now i'm reading Hebrews. i love the whole Bible, but whenever i read Hebrews i decide it's my favorite.
after that, i usually have an hour or so to do chores, read a novel, do computer work, edit pictures from a photo session, write a blog post. today i write. i like the writing kinds of days the best.
around 4pm, both kids are up and we head out the door for a run. i have always loved to run, so our first purchase for babies was a jogging stroller. we have a double one and running times are great for getting out the post-nap crankies. today we play at the park afterwards.
we get back in about 5:30 and i get to dinner making. tonight we have chicken tacos and leftover couscous. couscous is my most prized dinner side.
after dinner, i clean up while daddy plays with the kids. 7 pm rolls around and it's bathtime and soon bedtime.
kids are in bed by 8. now the man and i can relax. although, somehow my relaxing looks a whole lot like laundry, or vacuuming, or other such things. eventually though, the two of us sit on the couch and read for awhile. this is the best time of our day. i hit the pillow and roll into the glorious covers around 10:30. and i'm out. for at least a little while. until my sweet girl cries for me. : )
i know, i know, there is nothing unique or phenomenal about my normal day...
i confess, sometimes the days seem so similar and i get caught up in the daily's of it all. although i am not in Africa bringing drinking water to thirsty souls, i'm doing the small things God has asked of me for this moment in time. my small things might just end up across oceans one day, doing work in the name of Jesus saying something like "my mom is my biggest inspiration." just maybe... the daily's are changing the world... one diaper change at a time. all i have to do is show-up, live this blessed life i've been called to live and this is when i'll change the world.
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