The Power of an Acronym

P.C.S.  

Permanent Change of Duty Station

For a military family this means we're moving.  It comes with the job.  

I am the daughter of a retired Army MSG.  I grew up 1 mile from the front gate of Ft. Stewart, GA.  Yes, grew up.  Never moved.  It was, according to military acronym, my PDS.  I cannot recall ever feeling sad because a friend moved.  Frankly I cannot recall a friend moving because of PCS orders.

And then I grew up.  Moved roughly 15 miles from Ft. Campbell, KY.  I have made numerous friends bonding over music, coffee, bible study, homeschool.  And in this season of my life I have seen my friends ebb and flow through the ever changing duty to the military.  I see the resilience, the perseverance, the shadow of grief from leaving roots in yet another place and then the the strength of packing up and heading out.

To my friends, and you know who you are, I cherish the memories of sisterhood and am grateful that it sustains.

Finding My Crunchiness

Unknowingly I have become part of a movement that embraces nature, thumbs its nose at what society thinks I should eat or wear or how I should raise my children.  What I considered to be an act of freedom and thoughtful independence was actually part of an ever growing state of mind to do better for our families.  I found the following definition on urbandictionary.com. My additions are in red.  Enjoy.

CRUNCHY MOMMA:
A member of an increasingly growing group of moms who are neo-hippies.

They generally believe (for varying reasons) that there is something bad or less beneficial about buying mainstream products or doing other common activities in the mainstream way.

You might be a crunchy mom if you:

...bake all your own bread 
...make your own jam, jelly, pickles, applesauce, etc. 
...gave birth at home -- by CHOICE! (With a midwife, doula, or unassisted!) ((I did not))
...prefer to teach your children yourself at home instead of letting the public or private schools do it for you. 
...grow your own food as much as possible, and buy the rest at farmer's markets or health food stores. 
...are vegan or vegetarian. ((Semi))
...choose not to use birth control. 
...don't wear a bra or shoes.  ((I opt for the bra though I'm always barefoot))
...don't use shampoo or soap, but instead maybe sea salt or a variety of other things. ((Baking soda girl))
...had your placenta chopped up for an anti-depressant pill or smoothie. ((Um, no))
...have no television in your home -- and actually read BOOKS for entertainment! ((We do both))
...grind your own grain to make your own bread with (did you know that wheat looses about 90% of it's nutrients within 7 days of being ground?) ((Buying a wheat grinder this summer))
...don't cut your hair or wear pants (not going around half-naked, but wearing skirts! Silly people! Get your mind out of the gutter!) 
...can add 10 more things to this list that I didn't even think of!
(Urban Dictionary)

Refocusing Life

I've missed writing down my thoughts.  It dawned on me the other day that I don't have many opportunities to just reach out with some bit of wisdom every now and then.  In the past few weeks my very full plate has gotten cleared off a little at a time.  During the "scraping of the plate" I've managed to spend some serious quality time with my husband and daughters.  My family needed me back as much as I needed them. It's made me look inward at what else I'm missing:

I miss:

• Mom to Mom talks
• Play dates at Chik-Fil-A
• Coffee with friends
• Having moms over for a playdate
• Sitting in a bookstore reading magazines
• Going to the library and not rushing
• Quality relationships that need to be reconnected

This is my bucket list over the next few months.  I need to reestablish myself within my community, church and circle of friends.  If you are in a similar position I encourage you to leave a comment so we may share in the journey.

One of His, T

Caregiver to Many

My signature on my email is Theresa...wife, momma to 5, mimi to one, caregiver to many and one of His.  I've found throughout the years I tend to get restless and feel like I'm not where I am supposed to be.  But time and time again God puts me in my place and says you my child, are a caregiver to many.  I am.  I really am.  I'm exceptionally good at taking care of people.  That's not ego.  I just recognize caregiving as a gift.  It's actually very cool to know I am supposed to take care of people as my calling.  And can I just say...caregiving is a privilege and I love it.  To those who entrust their loved ones to me, thank you.  To those who are out there needing help...see you soon.

Theresa...wife, momma to 5, mimi to one, caregiver to many and one of His.

Early Morning Rantings

4:00 a.m. and I hear 'Mommy I have to go potty'.  Mind you this comes from a 3 1/2 year old who is sleeping beside me because she regularly crawls into bed with us sometime after midnight.  Then I hear my 7 year old lab making her gotta go potty noises.

Do I give priority to the kid or to the dog?  If I wait on the dog then a potential carpet cleaning will be happening upon sunrise but if I wait on the kid then sheets, blankets, clothes need to be changed, husband will be woken up ( insert involuntary shiver here)...kid wins.  All of this happened in less than 10 seconds...it's amazing how fast your thought process can be at 4:00.

So off to the potty we go.  Little is sitting and says 'Mommy I want to go to the living room'...this is code for 'Mommy I want to watch TV snuggled up to you while be mentally bombarded by mindless commercials selling creepy puppet blankets that move by themselves'.  Of course she does not realize she's speaking in code. After much pleading about how it's still dark outside I get her to lay back down, yes in my bed...don't judge me.

Now on to the lab who at this point is whining and crossing her legs.  We make it to the back door and I kick her and the 5 pound dachshund out to potty.  Oh great it's drizzling and my mini mongrel doesn't like to pee in the rain.  I stand waiting at the back door in my t-shirt praying that an ax murderer doesn't try to kill me because I am SO under dressed for that.  The puppies come in and I go lay back down.  Again with the 'Mommy I want to go in the living room'.  At this moment I feel like Cee Lo Green..."Whhhyyyyyy?".  It's only 4:15 and I know with a 100% surety I am awake for the day.

Quiet Time Check In

Boy have I struggled over the past week to have quiet time in God's word.  I wake up in the morning just thankful for a few minutes of quiet and not feeling motivated to have a structured devotion.  I have been praying more heartfelt prayers which has been rewarding.  My reading has been based on whatever my devotion of the day recommends and then I just keep reading until I get to the end of the story.  I got really caught up in Joseph's story.  I've read it before but this time it kind of pulled me in.  Reading about him being sold into slavery and then becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt who still loved the Lord and his family...good stuff folks.

So I'm off...to find either another daily devotion in my Women's Devotional Bible or read about some cool character in the bible.  Hugs!

Day 5 in His Word

I have managed to have my quiet time every day since I started my recommitment to reading my bible and praying.  There have been a few moments of not complete quiet but I blocked out the buzz of kids to simply read.  I had to explain to Katie that mommy was praying and to give me a few minutes to which she asked where her food was.  Yes, we pray at every meal and she really hasn't seen me pray for any other reason.  Over the last few days she is now clear on what kind of prayer I'm doing.  Bible in lap=mommy praying during mommy time.  Plate on table=praying for food. 

My Saturday devotion was on Adam and Eve, the fruit, the serpent...etc.  I have always focused on the passing of the buck mentality of this particular scripture.  God to Adam: Did you eat the fruit?  Adam to God: The woman you gave me made me eat it.  God to Eve:  Did you eat the fruit?  Eve to God:  The serpent deceived me.  I was always like dang take responsibility!  But this time what hit me was here they are walking in the garden WITH God.  Physically with Him.  How cool is that?  Why couldn't they be content with what they had?  My spiritual goal is to be content.  With who I am, with what I have. 

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day..."

Genesis 3:8

Prayerfully,
Theresa