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You’re a Mom When …

 You’re a Mom When

  • Your feet stick to the kitchen floor…..and you don’t care.
  • You can’t find your cordless phone, so you ask a friend to call you, and you run around the house madly, following the sound until you locate the phone downstairs in the laundry basket.
  • Your favorite television show is a cartoon.
  • You’re willing to kiss your child’s boo-boo, regardless of where it is.
  • Your baby’s pacifier falls on the floor and you give it back to her after you suck the dirt off of it because you’re too busy to wash it off.

  • Your kids make jokes about farting, burping, pooping, etc. and you think it’s funny.
  • You’re so desperate for adult conversation that you spill your guts to the telemarketer that calls and HE hung up on YOU!

 

The closest you get to gourmet cooking is making Rice Crispies bars

  • You are out for a nice romantic meal with your husband, enjoying some real adult conversation when suddenly you realize that you’ve reached over and started to cut up his steak.

 

  • You spend a half hour searching for your sunglasses only to have your teenager say, “Mom, why don’t you wear the ones you pushed up on your head?”
  • You weep through the scene in Dumbo when his mom is taken away, not to mention what Bambi does to you.
  • You can never go to the bathroom alone without someone screaming outside the door.

 

  • You find yourself humming the Barney song as you do the dishes.
  • You hear a baby cry in the grocery store, and you start to gently sway back and forth, back and forth. However, your children are still at school! Author Unknown

 

 

 

 

Reflections:  Are You Like Your Mother”                                                                      

People would say, “You’re just like your mother” and I would cringe. At the ripe old age of 15, 20 and 28, those were not the words I wanted to hear. I wanted to be a super mom, you know, the woman that did and had it all. I was going to be organized, clever and insightful at life. No traumatic crisis for me.

My mother came from a harsh background; I think she spent her life trying to work through the difficulties she encountered as a child. She strived to be understanding and kind towards others. Unlike her parents, she achieved her goal. There were painful personal and emotional struggles in her life, as well as great highs. Mother was always optimistic no matter what life handed her. Her motto was: Tomorrow’s a brand new day.”

She worked hard to put a roof over our heads and food on the table, never giving up or expecting handouts. Although others13 thought we were poor, I can’t say that we ever thought we were. We always had enough, when we outgrew our shoes and clothing; she made sure we had something new to replace the old. I often wondered how she worked her magic with the budget, but as I look back I realize she went without so that my sisters and I would have more opportunities and a few extras.

Mother loved a good deal, so thrift stores, Salvation Army, garage sales and flea markets were thrilling when she found the ultimate bargain.

She loved her flower beds and gardening much better than house cleaning and often said she felt closer to God outside. She loved to spend time talking to Him in the quietness of the morning as the sun rose on a new day.

We knew mother loved us and loved God too. She trusted Him, leaned on Him, and believed His promises would sustain her throughout life. She taught us daily about God’s grace, forgiveness, and love. Through her life, we were able to see how God faithfully protected and care for our needs. My mother has given me a lifetime of wonderful memories that are worth more to me than silver and gold. 

Now when I hear “You’re just like your Mother,” I say thank you. I pray that my children will know how much they are loved and that they would see the light of God’s love in my life too.©

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 Thank you for sharing your time with me dear friend, what are your special Mother’s Day memories of your mother?

Happy Mother’s Day!

Lovingly, Karan

Do We Need The Easter Prayer? ~ I Confess!

Do We Need The Easter Prayer?

Young Ernie and his family were invited to have Easter lunch at his grandmother’s house in Arizona.

Everyone was seated around the table as the food was served.  When Ernie received his plate, he started eating straight away.

‘Ernie, wait until we say grace,’ demanded his father.

‘I don’t have to,’ the five-year-old replied.

‘Of course, you do, Ernest,’ his mother insisted rather forcefully. ‘We always say a prayer before eating at our house.’

That’s at our house,‘ Ernie explained, ‘but this is Grandma’s house, and she knows how to cook.’ Author unknown

Reflections: I Confess

I have always loved chocolate, especially those wonderful pastel eggs full of creamy chocolate. Every year I can hardly wait for the Easter candy to arrive in the stores.

We have a Women @ Women group in our town that meets once a month to visit, laugh and encourage one another. Each month we try to find some fun creative idea to add to the event.

Last month we decided to bring hard-boiled eggs to our April dinner, and get our creative juices flowing to design our egg-sensations. LOL

 One woman volunteered to buy the supplies for our upcoming event, and somehow she thought it was a good idea to give me the bag for safe keeping.  Also letting me know that she had bought a bag of chocolate eggs for our women to enjoy. 

Carrying the bag to my room and hiding it in the closet, thinking I would forget about it.   You know out of sight, out of mind. Not!

One night late at night, I started scrounging around the house looking for something sweet. Chocolate I hoped. In the pantry, in the fridge, the freezer then I remembered the chocolate Easter eggs hiding in my closet.

I’ll only have one or two. Well maybe a few more, sure are good. Before I knew it I was sitting next to an empty bag that I had polished off in fifteen minutes, Now that is scary. Have you ever done something like that?

I confessed made my amends, we bought another bag of Chocolate Easter eggs, and no I am not babysitting them!. Lol

We have laughed about those Chocolate Easter eggs, and I was relieved to hear others have tried the “I’ll only have one or two” and had a similar result.  I love the friendships we have, to be able to laugh, encourage, and to forgive.  How blessed we are.©

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.  Proverbs 27:9

How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.  Psalm 119:103

Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.  2 Corinthians 2:14b

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me.

Have a great week, HUGS
Lovingly, Karan

Non-Athletic Exercising

Non-Athletic Exercising

A calorie guide citing a recent medical association report: “Proper weight control and physical fitness cannot be attained by dieting alone.

Many people who engage in sedentary occupations do not realize calories can be burned by the hundreds by engaging in strenuous activities that do not require physical exercise.”

Here’s the guide to calorie-burning activities and the number of calories per hour they consume.

Beating around the bush………………… 75
Jumping to conclusions………………….100
Climbing the walls……………………..150
Swallowing your pride………………….. 50
Passing the buck………………………. 25
Throwing your weight around
(depending on your weight)……….50-300
Dragging your heels…………………….100
Pushing your luck………………………250
Making mountains out of molehills………..500
Hitting the nail on the head……………. 50
Wading through paperwork………………..300
Bending over backward…………………. 75
Jumping on the bandwagon………………..200
Running around in circles……………….350
Eating crow……………………………225
Tooting your own horn………………….. 25
Adding fuel to the fire…………………150
Opening a can of worms…………………. 50

Source Unknown. 

 

 

Reflections

Every year when spring arrives, I tell myself that this is the year I am going to take it easy and relax more. Taking time to smell the roses and enjoying a quieter pace. However, by the summer’s end, I find I need a vacation away from my vacation.

Many times over the years I have toyed with the idea of booking a room at the retirement lodge for a month. To recuperate from the wear and tear of life, sitting quietly on a porch rocking peacefully singing “Blessed Quietness.” When your life feels out of control, have you ever felt like running away? 

My life has been a roller coaster for the last few years, and when my to-do list hits overflow, I become overwhelmed. At this point, I feel guilty and decide not to look at my list anymore. (No, I ‘m not feeling better yet) Throwing the to-do list away now becomes a real option. I could start a new list, and forget how far behind I am.

The problem is, I often cannot face failure or rejection. I would rather not try than to risk failure. I want to see the big picture and know success is inevitable. However, nothing in life is guaranteed, when my financial prospects are bleak, the job market is uncertain, and I struggle with health issues, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

Sometimes, I wish God would send me an e-mail, as a quick reminder that He is still in control and cares. However, he only asks me to trust him. Can I trust him to help me with my to-do-lists, concerns, and fears? 

Psalm 46: 1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

He is my strength, and light in a troubled world, I will not fear? ©  

 God’s love does not keep us from trials; it helps us to get through them.

Thank you, dear friends for spending your time with me,

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs to all.  Lovingly, Karan

A Holiday Road Trip?

A Holiday Road Trip?

While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at the roadside restaurant for lunch.  After finishing their meal, they resumed their trip.

Unknowincouple-1002gly, the woman left her glasses on the table and didn’t miss them until they had been driving about twenty minutes.

By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before finding a place to turn around.  

All the way back, the husband fussed and complained and scolded his wife.  As she got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, he yelled to her, “While you’re in there, you might as well get my hat and credit card!”

 

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Reflections: Will I ever get done?

I have often put my life on hold using one little word,

AFTER.  I wonder if others do the same.  See if any of my excuses are ones you can relate too.

    • After the office is clean, I will have time to write.
    • After the house is clean, I will invite company for dinner.
    • After I lose weight, I will buy a swimsuit.
    • After my children are out of school, I will have more time to study the Bible.
    • After I catch up on all my TV series, I will have time to visit friends.
    • After I clean the garage, I will have a place to park the car.
    • After I get a treadmill, I will start exercising.

 

Recently, I had a few light bulb moments, or a blonde epiphany, (is that legal?) 

    • The office will never be clean enough.
    • The house will never be perfect enough.
    • No matter how much weight I lose or gain, I will NEVER buy a swimsuit.
    • When your children finish school, marry, and have children of their own we will never have time.We will be too busy attending ball games, recitals, soccer, having sleepovers, taking pictures and having fun.  Grandchildren automatically move to top priority.
    • A TV series is never done; there is always another new one to watch.
    • Landscaping and yard work is a weekly task, the weeds and grass just keep growing.
    • If the garage is cleaned out we will have to rent a large storage unit.  Besides the car looks good outside and everyone knows where we live.
    • I will never start exercising when I get a treadmill, bicycle, or the Wii.  If I haven’t started before now nothing else will help. 

 

I have wasted a lot of time waiting for the “AFTERS” to get done so I could move onto the important tasks.  The Bible says now is the time to use what we have to serve and honor God.  I don’t want my life to get stuck with the afters and never get to the serving of others.  I want to keep moving forward, onward and upward, running the race well.©

Philippians 2:16 (NLT)

Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

    1 Corinthians 9:16
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?
So run to win!      
 
Dear Friends, thank you for stopping by and spending your time with me today, I love each of you. 

What are your favorite “after” excuses?  I would love to hear from you and get your opinion on these thoughts

Hugs to All, Lovingly Karan

I’ve found A Secret

I’ve found A Secret

A littboysle boy opened the old family Bible with fascination. He looked at the old pages carefully as he turned them.

Then something fell out of the Bible and he picked it up and looked at it closely.

It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.

“Mommy look what I have found,” the boy called out.

“What have you got there dear?” his mother asked.

With astonishment in the young boy’s voice, he answered: “I’ve just found Adam’s clothes!”

 

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Reflections :

As I have gotten more mature (don’t you love that word) I assumed I would be wiser, more disciplined, and have more time. You know having, “All my ducks in a row.” Which if you think about it is not reality.

bad_hair_daySome day’s life does not go the way I want it too. I can write lists, make my plans and try to get some sense of order, yet life does not stop because I have a bad day. Have you ever felt like that?

I am thankful that as each new day comes, I can choose to find something to be thankful for. I am learning how to find joy in the moments. This is a lifelong journey, and a fast learner I am not.

Not because my life is perfect, but because I have a friend who loves me through the circumstances of my life. He is the shield who blocks the sting and protects me in his perfect will. Nothing touches me that does not go through the cross first.

Although I will always have my share of bad hair days, bags under my eyes, blow my diet and lose my temper. I am safe and secure in the knowledge that God’s love and forgiveness are constant, unconditional and forever. He is my Friend, He is enough.©

How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

Lovingly, Karan

Thank you for dropping by and sharing your time with me.

What helps you cope with bad days? I would love to hear What You do.

Hugs to All

Have a great week!