Try again

I said something to my daughter today that I knew immediately was for me, not her. It was, "Try again. If you try enough times, you'll get it."

I know she didn't appreciate it. She's three months old. If she could have understood it, I doubt she would have agreed with me that tummy time is necessary to learning to roll over and sit up.

In the instant I told her to keep trying, I thought of myself. When the going gets mildly tough, I want to give up and quit. Or if there is something I want to do or learn, the temptation is to quit because I can't find the time to do it.

It's time I start applying my advice to myself. I think I have some projects to work on.

A smooth running day

It has been a zero squares of chocolate kind of day.

• Work went smoothly with no major problems.
• My toddler only had a mild tantrum when I wouldn't leave him in the Lowe's shopping cart, but insisted he come home with me. (Kids and their logic.)
• My baby has been her normal, happy self.
• And as I write this at 9:30 pm, I'm outside taking a walk. It is peaceful, in spite of the busy road next to our house.

Thank you, Lord, for the days when life runs smoothly.

I'm at the end of my rope

Lord, I'm at the end of my rope.

It's 5 p.m. What have I accomplished today? Nothing, unless finally getting a shower is something. And that was only after a 3.5 hour nap battle with my toddler.

There are dishes to be done. My 3 month old needs laundry done. I have movies waiting at the library. I need to purchase and install a new closet rod. I need to fix lunches for the next couple days that I work. How am I going to get it all done before bed?

Not to mention the more overlying pressures - the need to help bring in money to keep our family afloat. Finding a work from home job isn't easy. Finding a work from home job that doesn't require quiet is even harder.

 I'm in tears. What do I do?

Things to be thankful for today
1. My toddler didn't throw a 20 minute temper tantrum like he did yesterday when he told to get out of the water. (What's gotten into him anyway? He's not normally like this.)
2. My baby hasn't had a blowout today. Yet. (I've worn that last two days blowouts.)
3. Not all of the dishes in the house are dirty. (Just the cereal spoons.)
4. Most of the towels are still clean.
5. My daughter hasn't had blow outs in all of her clothes yet. (Wait - why are some of my sons clean clothes in the dirty laundry?)

Okay, Lord. I've vented now. I feel somewhat better. I'm still not sure how I'm going to get everything done.

I want to pull something deeply spiritual from Bible study on Ruth that the ladies at church are doing and apply it to this situation. But I can't come up with much. I'm actually not as tired as usual. But my brain is still fried. I'm not sure how weeping forward, Ruth's work ethic and Boaz's kindness apply to this situation. Maybe I need to make sure I don't become like bitter Naomi. I haven't lost anyone from my family. But there are lots of other things that I could become bitter about.

Lord, please help me not to become bitter at my husband, kids, work or situation in life. Help me to weep forward, not get stuck in the past.