Jesus and a latte...

(for my sbf, without you in my outside world, i’d never survive)

where do you go at the end of your day? when you’ve tucked in your little ones, said good-bye to the to-do list, and shut the doors on chores.  where do you turn?  

well, for me it’s often my computer and tonight i couldn’t help but notice i’m not alone. i clicked on my FB icon where i saw “10 friends online”.  but what caught my eye was that 9 out of the 10 friends were moms!  it seems i am not alone in my desperate attempt to access the outside world! after a day filled with holding, feeding, cleaning, wiping and folding we need someone to hear our cry…

“help, i’m a mom. i have no life!”

“please tell me about your life that you don’t have, because its so much better than the life i don’t have!”

“anybody?”

“anybody?”

“hellooooo?”

it’s the hope that someone out there will hear us, that gets us through another day.

~lattelady~

well, it’s official, i’ve been rendered mute, speechless, without words!  not by choice mind you.  it seems the good Lord is allowing me to have laryngitis this week! this makes for very interesting parenting and abnormal day to day life.  

no longer can i threaten my kids, verbally that is, there still is the mommy pointer finger. no longer can i answer the phone, without the caller thinking i am a heavy breather. no longer can i answer a knock at the door or order a latte without hearing “huh?” “excuse me?” “i’m sorry what did you say?”.  all of these things are easy to surrender in order to allow myself to heal and get better. but what is not easy to surrender are all the times i want to sing worship songs to my jesus, read-a-loud to my boys or tell them “i love you!” “i’m proud of you, good job!” “wow you’re amazing!”.  

the little things that happen all day long i never think twice about. but today i do.  the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  He is using this silent time to cause me to be thankful for the gift of my voice and He is also holding me accountable in the ways i should not use my voice and often do.  He is so gentle in His descipline isn’t He? another thing i need to remember. ;)  

so what has He given that you need to be thankful for?  what has He taken away that you should be thankful for? ; )   think about it…and thank Him.  

“The Saviour is, by His Spirit, still on earth; let this cheer us. He is ever in the midst of the fight, and therefore the battle is not doubtful.  and as the conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in HIs office as our great Intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people!  O anxious gazer, look not so much at the battle below, for there you will be enshrouded with smoke, and amazed with garments rolled in blood; but lift thine eyes yonder where the Saviour lives and pleads, for while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that all depends on Him.”  

Charles Spurgeon

“SHOW ME YOUR HEINZ!”

every year we have a women’s retreat. and every year i have the privilege of being the chauffeur.  as the chauffeur you have a unique position as the driver to be the decision maker (i decide we hit target on the way home!) and observer of all things inside and outside of the car.

as we headed home we decided to stop for lunch. (i will point out that it was the most “granola” place you could possibly find. but let’s be honest, after a weekend of cafeteria food, you need to cleanse your body with some whole-food goodness!) as we came to a stoplight i noticed a few bikers in front of us.  typical w.t. bikers (evidenced by the camo shorts and adidas sneakers) which are no doubt a frequent sight in this armpit city. (armpit or not, the Lord met us there!)  while the girls were gab’n in the back, i began to take a closer look at the tatoos on one of the bikers legs, his calf in particular.  i look and see “heinz” and think…”no, he did not”.  i do a double take, lean forward, raise my shades and squint to make sure i’m seeing what i’m seeing.  yes!  it is, he did!  this man, for some reason unknown to any human being, (and even if he had one it wouldn’t be good enough) made the decision to put on his body in permanent ink, the logo for heinz ketchup!!!!  ”heinz tomato ketchup”  why? why would he do this?  was he in a drunken stooper? does his family own heinz ketchup? perhaps his fiance’s pet name is “heinz” for her love of the classic condiment? 

immediately i tell the girls to take a look and we decide we must have a picture!  within seconds, my title has changed from chauffeur to photographer and i’m maneuvering my camera like a well trained marksmen!  as i attempt to take the shot, the biker moves his leg and “heinz” is no longer visible! nooooooo!!!  i was too slow, i missed the shot!  well, this is not acceptable. i simply roll down my window and politely ask the gentlemen to please “SHOW ME YOUR HEINZ!”.  and with a slight proud nod, he places his leg in the utmost perfect position for the photograph. snap! got it! this one is for the record books.  

~lattelady~

“MY BELOVED LUMPY BUMPY”

where o’ where have you been all my life lumpy bumpy bar?  as soon as i saw you, from the corner of my eye, i knew we were a match made in heaven.  i have resisted taking the lumpy bumpy plunge many times, but i finally give into the insatiable temptation. your creamy nougat, caramel, peanuty center and dark chocolate coating are simply irresistible!  i try to contain myself upon opening your package and take only one bite but i abandon all self control and take another and another…i just can’t stop!  lumpy bumpy has taken over, i can’t help myself!  Mmmmmmmmm… i’m in lumpy la-la land.

lumpy bumpy you are a chocolate love’n, mother’s pms crave’n, dream come true.

thank you lumpy bumpy for coming into my life.  i love you forever.

~ latte lady ~

do you have those moments when you just can’t take it anymore?  all the noise?  the crazies, the chaos?  the chasing, the shooting sounds, the lightsabers, the screams of “noooo, i don’t want to be obi wan!”?  well, i do and today i was just gonna lose it on my little jedi’s. but instead, i said “time to go! get in the car!”.  

now, it is true that we were going somewhere and at some point i wanted them in the car.  however, at this point in time it was not for at least another ten minutes.  but let’s be honest, they don’t know we’re not really leaving “right now” and time flies when you’re using the force on the planet of tatoone.

so that’s what i did.  i put them in the car, buckled them and said “i’ll be right back”. and then i just left them in there.  i finished in the kitchen, made myself some tea, wrote a birthday card, sent an email and packed up my things.  all in perfect SILENCE.  

i do believe i discovered a new mommy tactic for achieving the always coveted, seldom experienced moment of silence.  so next time you find yourself ready to burst because of all the intergalactic noise…just tell them, “get in the car. it’s time to go!” and you’ll have a few moments of peace.  heck, i’d go so far as to say, even if you weren’t going anywhere put them in the car!  what do they care, they are defeating the dark side!

~latte lady ~

“you will keep in perfect peace all who trust in YOU, whose thoughts are fixed on YOU!

Isaiah 26:3

yesterday i said goodbye to mr. routine in the hopes of having a “simple day” at the beach. any of you who live in carpinteria know that when the weather is this glorious, the beach summons.  we powered through school, packed lunch, loaded up and were off to la playa!  with a quick stop at starbucks. (duh…there’s no use go’n to the beach if you’re not going to sip on an iced latte or an iced tea lemonade).  i was so excited to plop down and take in the beauty of God’s creation and watch my little ones frolic in the water for hours on end.  

but alas, this is not what happened.  from the moment we arrived “seagulls” came to my blanket begging for food, only these “seagulls” had blue eyes and blond hair.  why is it that whenever you go to the beach your children immediately start asking for food!?  this drives me nuts!  it doesn’t matter that they had a smoothie before you left. all of the sudden they are starving!  it’s like the warm sand and lapping of the waves (or maybe seeing the ravenous real seagulls) awakens a hunger they’ve never known?! for the first hour, i heard “momma i’m hungry” “momma i’m still hungry” “momma i’m thirsty”.  i repeatedly reached into my cooler bag to provide this sustenance they so seemingly “needed”. until finally, i couldn’t take it a moment longer and i cried out “THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE MY “SIMPLE DAY”! NO MORE FOOD FOR YOU! YOU ARE HEREIN CUT OFF FROM ALL FOOD, SNACK AND DRINK! GO PLAY!”.  

and just as quick as the “seagulls” started…they stopped.  

“simple day” achieved.

~lattelady~

“the Lord preserves the simple…” psalm 116:6

what exactly is “the simple life”?  there are so many days that i wish mine was just that…more simple.  there are so many things to do, places to go and things to see.  part of why i chose to homeschool was because i wanted our life to be a bit more simple, but IT’S NOT!  it seems we are hardly home (is it then called “awayschool” or “on-the-go school”?) we are always going…doing. 

i long for less busyness, less interruptions, less options.  i think about the women centuries ago who had a one room cabin on a grassy hill covered with wildflowers, crisp laundry on a line, a few homemade dresses in their closet, a garden and a cow.  i know that life was not easy, but it was simple. 

as i say goodnight to this day, i’m thinking of all the “to-do’s” of tomorrow. a load of laundry in the dryer, 3 loads to fold, dishes in the sink, school lessons, toys to pick up, people to call, errands to run. maybe someday i’ll have a more “simple life” with a cabin on a grassy hill and crisp laundry blowing in the breeze. but for now, i think tomorrow should just be a “simple day”…at the beach…don’t you?  

~lattelady~

“so do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. each day has enough trouble of its own.” matt. 6:34

ever since i started homeschooling, a love for literature has been unleashed in me! i sleep, eat and breath books (or i’d like to anyway). i have at least 5 books going at any given time. my perfect vacation would be a month in hawaii and i would read on the beach from the moment the sun woke me til the moment i couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. (now that would be an awesome tan! or burn maybe.) my dream occupation is head librarian for the children’s section so i can do the read-alouds and show children all of the great classics.  my favorite fieldtrip is…well..the library.  i just can’t get enough!

yesterday we had the privilege of going on a fieldtrip to the camarillo library. as we walked through the automatic double doors, i do believe i heard the angels sing.  i was speechless. as i recognized that familiar silence, i observed spanish tiles, dark wood, iron chandeliers, rows of drop-boxes and self check-outs and oh the rooms, many rooms full of books. as we entered the children’s area we were ushered in by doors that looked like a ship. we were being invited on a literary voyage!  as we continued inside, the front hull of a ship encased chapter books and quiet reading spots. and to the left was a sea of children’s literature. the sight took my breath away.  the many aisles, the organization and categorizing…perfection. i ran my fingers along rows of bindings like i had found treasure.  i could live and die here. but wait…what is that sound? i was being awoken from my angelic moment by… “mommy, can we get these books?” ahhh, another literature lover in the making…

~lattelady~

i have been accused of being a bit obsessive about my dental hygiene. i prefer to think of it as being mindful of the importance of proper dental care.  just because each night i floss twice, brush for at least 4 minutes and use my rubber tip does not make me obsessive or a nazi. it’s the responsible thing to do.

what i don’t understand is how you (and you know who “you” are) can go to the dentist (and i know it’s not 2x a year like it should be) get your teeth cleaned, wherein your gums bleed (you know they do), smell that awful smell as the hygienist scrapes the plaque from your teeth, listen to the dentist tell you “you have gingivitis (gum disease), you should be flossing more regularly”) and STILL NOT FLOSS!!!???  these are your teeth people!  don’t you want to have them…all of them in 30 years?!  i know you don’t want to be put’n in falsies every day!

ok, sorry…little tangent there.  i’m just saying the next time you go to brush your teeth and you hear that little voice telling you to floss, don’t ignore it.  because really, your doing yourself and others (we don’t like that smell when you don’t floss) a favor by putting the time in to take care of those beautiful pearly whites the good Lord gave you. and be honest, wouldn’t it be nice to hear your dentist say “things look good in there, see you in 6 months!”?  you know it would…

~lattelady~