Family Musings

I'm afraid that, if I don't tell someone what my plan is for today that it might not happen. So, random Family Musings readers, here's my list of 6 things I need to accomplish today: 1) Clean out refrigerator/freezer 2) Re-organize pantry 3) Create menu plan/grocery list for the week 4) Update coupon filing system 5) Find a local, reliable pest control company 6) Go grocery shopping This is not an unreasonable to do list at all, but I've got a cold and am experiencing third trimester exhaustion. No amount of sleep seems to be enough these days.

I am so glad that, as a follower of Christ, I am called to think differently. Were it not for Christlike thinking, I'd find myself stuck in sorrow, fear, and dread far more often. I am human of course and do deal with these issues, but faith in Christ gives me a place to go with my fear and my dread and my sorrow. In my life, this hasn't just been a theoretical idea either. Recently, two situations in my life tested how much I really believed what I wrote about thinking differently. To understand where I am coming from, you may recall a post I wrote last Spring called " Motherhood and God's Sovereignty ." About 2 weeks after I wrote that post, I had my 20-week ultrasound. In it, the ultrasound tech thought she noticed a club foot. Her findings were inconclusive, so we eventually had another ultrasound. As it turns out, our son does have a right club foot. At the time of my post on God's sovereignty I wondered if my thoughts were the natural progression o...

Our girls were the first to find out whether Baby 3.0 is a boy or a girl.

Being a parent comes with a lot of challenges... from labor to potty training to the first and last days of school. And some where in between, we are expected to teach our children about how, well, children are made. I know a lot of parents stress over having "the talk." It seems like a daunting task to teach them about the birds and the bees. I don't really dread discussing it though. Maybe it's because I want to be the one to do it, instead of leaving it to school nurses or peer groups. I want to make sure I'm tuned into my children enough to sense and answer these questions to their satisfaction before they go looking elsewhere for their answers. Plus, I never want to give her more information than she is actually looking for. Being pregnant, my oldest daughter, Charlotte, has started asking some of these birds and bees questions. The first one was how are babies born. That was an easy one for me to answer, and I even found an animated version of birth to...

Ten days ago I thought I was stepping out on a limb when I shared my thoughts about mothering and God's sovereignty . After some Christians gave me odd looks when I explained it to them, I really posted it not knowing if I was right. I mean, I thought I was right, but when someone I respected was among the head tilters, I did have my doubts. Shortly after writing and posting my thoughts, my doubts were quickly assuaged by your comments, both here, on Facebook, and in private communication. I truly have some of the most encouraging friends a woman could ask for. Then today, upon waking from a lovely, summer nap, my friend Angela asked if I had seen the most recent Desiring God blog post . I hadn't so I clicked right over... And wouldn't you know it? John Knight had written about the very same topic, affirming what I had written less than 2 weeks ago. Sure, he did it better, but it was so incredibly affirming to read the words of such a great Christian leader echoing my...

Sometimes, I don't realize how odd I am until I share the inner workings of my brain with other people. They kind of cock their head to the side and look at me, confused or bewildered at what I've just said. Or maybe they are trying to think of a polite way to point out that I am crazy. As this pregnancy has progressed (I'm now almost 18 weeks along), I've left a few people with tilted heads as I explain my thoughts about motherhood and God's sovereignty. You see, for lots of reasons, I've thought a lot about how I would react if something went wrong. And while I can't be sure until I am in that situation, I know that God is sovereign. Here is how that is playing out in my mind during my third pregnancy (and where the tilted head might come in)... Because our family already has 2 daughters, many people have assumed that we are hoping for a boy. This question is mildly irritating when I think about what it implies about Mary (not having been a boy, she ...