Pray With Me?

We had a close call with our little Ethan Bug on Saturday. We were in the pool and turned around and he was just gone. There were more than enough adults for the number of children. We were all being so careful and still he was there one moment and then just gone.

My husband said "STOP, Where's Ethan!?" and my heart was in my throat. I looked where he had been standing on the steps and I could see his little nose barely touching the top of the water. He was so still. Everything was slow motion. We got to him and lifted him out and water was pouring out of his mouth and nose. He began to cough and throw up after only one chest compression. He couldn't have been under for more than a few seconds. We were at the home of a pediatrician and he was able to check Ethan out and make sure that his lungs were clear.

Ethan is perfectly fine. He was given back to us. He was solemn and a bit ashen for the remainder of the day Saturday, but he stayed in the pool with John and wore a life vest. He even got back in later and played with the other children. I am so proud of him. He was a little trooper.

This scripture came blaring to my mind in that moment:
Deuteronomy 32:39
‘ See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

We never know how much time we have left with those that we love.  I know that it's a bit cliche to say "seize the day" or "live life to the fullest" or "say what needs to be said". What I want to say is this, teach the children about our God and Savior so that in those moments of crisis they are calling upon the name of the one who is ACTUALLY in control. So that in the moments of danger they are calling upon the name of the creator of Heaven and Earth, the one and only God who embodies power and strength and controls life and death.

That night I had trouble sleeping because I couldn't get Ethan's little face out of my mind. I sat up praying silently. My family will all tell you that my silent prayers almost always turn to poems and unless I write them down sleep rarely comes. I thought I'd share my prayer with you. 

Dearest Father

I fall at your feet

I am humbled

And again we meet

Every Day Lord

Blessings seem to flow

Just like water

It is all I know

You amaze me

With your wondrous pow’r

With your wisdom

In my darkest hour

Your pow’r to give Lord

And to take away

Held my baby in your lap and gave him back today

What a task Lord

That you hand to me

Teach these little hearts to praise you, teach their eyes to see

I have faith Lord

I have faith in you

That the strength you see in me somehow must be true

Lord, I need you

To guide my weary feet

Touch my soul and fill my heart with you in every beat

Thank you Father

For each second chance

For Love that makes the walk of life a victory dance.

By Nettie

Thank you all for praying with me. Love to you.

Nettie

A good friend...no...

a best friend of mine pointed out a huge flaw of mine today. A flaw that might've become a critical failure on my part without someone to point it out to me. The flaw of self doubt. I realized that in  every area of life, from playing board games to cultivating friendships, and basic decision making I feel the fearful questions looming over me "will I mess this up, and what if I do?" and I find myself stating those fears out loud.

I've been struggling with my children even though I am very loving and consciously consistent and firm with them, and now I see it as if it were a light shining straight in my eyes all along and I was just blind! My children saw my self doubt! I can think of a perfect example to share!

My little girl is 4 years old and has been in love with dance since she could crawl. One of our favorite things to do when she was 8 months old was to watch "Dancing With the Stars" just to watch her! She would move to the music even then and she was so fascinated by the beautiful costumes that the women wore. We knew even then that we had to find a way to put her into dance class. When she turned 4 our birthday gift to her was a year of dance. She loves it. There are days when she doesn't want to go, but 9 times out of 10 she is very excited and ready to get there and perform, and that's saying a lot for someone so small.

Still, even with her passion for dance, I find myself feeling out of place because of our family's social status. Until tonight I didn't realize exactly how ridiculous that is...regardless of how many times my dearest friends have tried to reassure me. I felt out of place because of the sacrifices that it requires of us to allow our little girl to do dance. I felt out of place because we drive an old vehicle and our clothes are showing some wear. I allowed my fears of rejection to keep me from reaching out to the other mothers around me, and guess what all of those women are...THEY ARE MOTHERS TOO.  They are mothers with their own sets of doubts, struggles, and issues; with their own sets of weaknesses and strengths. I may not know what they are, but I'm not the only one wondering if I'll be rejected and by doubting myself I have allowed myself to be the one doing the rejecting and that is unacceptable to me.

By hearing me say aloud "I'd like to invite Tina over for coffee, but what will she think of my floor?" or "what would she think about the fact that our fence is broken in the back and because we rent we have no control over when it gets fixed?" my children are learning that mommy doubts herself, and are therefore learning that mommy is to be doubted. They need to see confidence and strength, even when I don't feel it. So, here's the plan.

Have you heard the phrase "Act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic"?  Well, I am going to behave with confidence whether I feel confident or not.  I'm going to replace the negative and false thoughts with simple truths, such as...when I think "Tina will think poorly of me because my home is small and rented and I need new linoleum." I will replace it with "I have an acquaintance that I think could become a really dear friend and she is coming to visit with me, not with my floors!"

I know that this is not going to be an overnight change, but it's a start. I thank my dear friend for the wake-up call.

Do you ever think of yourself as a....

Frumpy, Dumpy, Lumpy, Floppy, Sloppy, Moppy, Sleepy, Weepy, Grubby, Tubby, Mommy???

Yeah...me too. I see myself as this lady, only minus the curlers because I didn't take time to curl my hair, minus the necklace and outfit, because I'm still in my pajamas, and plus some puke down one side of me, slobber on my shoulder, breastmilk staining my shirt, wet up to my elbows with poopy water, freshly washed out cloth diaper in one hand, an infant on one hip, and pushing a toddler down the hall with one leg while I hold the broom in my hand.

Too bad I don't usually think to throw a towel over my shoulder like she did! It sure would save me from the messy shoulder that I always have!! LOL!

I find myself thinking back to those days when my husband and I worked in the same place. When we could help eachother with business things and go to lunch together each day. When we talked about fun stuff. I miss being the lady that he could talk to without thinking about kids and poopy diapers or boogers. The one that he laughed with and teased. I remember back when there was no confusion about whether boobs were for fun or for food...and sleep was more than a faint memory. I'm so happy in my life with my kids. I am so blessed with such a beautiful family and still so often I feel like my relationship with my husband has slipped into an icky sticky rut.

I want to regain that feeling of being healthy and happy in my own skin. I want to realize, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God made me beautiful and valuable. I want my children to see that on my face every single day, so that they will know that they are beautiful and valuable.

I want my husband to see me like this picture! I want him to feel the peace of God, the peace that surpasses all understanding, when he is with me. I want him to feel healthier because I'm around and be proud that I'm the mother of his 3 gorgeous children. I want him to see me walk through the throes of motherhood with poise, peace, honor, and class.

Sadly, I have not been successful yet, but I am a hard working woman with a lot of moxy and up until now, I didn't know what I wanted. Now I do. So today's prayer is for the mommies, because we need some prayer too!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's!"

Dear Lord,

I pray that you will be with all of the mommies out there and especially those who are struggling with their self-worth right now. Lord, remind us to take a step back, count our blessings, and make the decision to take pristine care of the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, I pray that you will give us the courage to seek a relationship with you and to take time to cultivate our own growth in you, as we all pray that our children will do one day. Father, we struggle to lead them to you everyday and forget to lead them by our own example. We forget that taking time to take care of ourselves, body, mind, and soul, shows them that they should take the time to take care of themselves, body, mind, and soul.

God, I pray that you will give us your peace, give us your calm and constant care and help us to adopt these things in caring for our families. I pray that you will give us insight into ways to make our relationships with our husbands stronger and healthier. Guard our marriages and our families. Help us to remember that you are #1 in our lives, that you should be central, the part that everything else revolves around.

Thank you, Father, for all that you have given us. We praise your name!

In Christ's name,

Amen

I absolutely love sharing...

our prayers for our children! If anyone hasn't clicked on the comments below the last prayer, you need to. One of the sweetest Mommies that I know shared her prayer with us. Thank you Les. I love you!

So, in Mama Nettie's household this week...it's been quite interesting. Logan's second tooth popped through today!!! FINALLY FINALLY!!!! He is asleep right now...and I find myself out here typing a message to all of you wonderful Mommies out there instead of going to sleep!!! (Bad Nettie!!!) Oh well, my heart would rather be sharing with you all than sleeping. I'll sleep when my kids are grown!!

Bella spent a night with a friend of mine this week. It was an experience for sure! (She was supposed to stay 2 nights, but Sarah was a bit out of her element with no sleep to speak of!)It was Bella's first night away from Family. The only place she has ever spent a night away from me is with my Mom and Daddy (and Ethan was with her), or at home with family when I was in the hospital having each of the boys. I was so amazed at how she did! She will be 3 at the end of this week, so she is still a bit young for sleepovers, but she did great until it came time to go to sleep. She wanted to play and never let the playtime end. They took her to the mall and let her paint a little porcelain dog! It is absolutely unrecognizable!!! And she loves it sooo much!! It is supposed to hang on the wall, but she carries it around with her on a styrophome plate everywhere she goes!

Having my baby spend time away from me brought a scripture to mind. It is Genesis 31:49 And Mizpah, for he said "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other." Being a mother is like nothing else in the world. It is a complete act of faith on a daily basis. Do you remember the first night you spent away from your baby?? Share with us! And join me as I say a quick little prayer for us all.

Dear Lord,

We praise you for your blessings and your love. We thank you for having mercy on our souls and making us your children. Thank you Father for our families. Lord thank you for being our comfort and for giving us insight and instincts to protect our children. We pray that you will watch over them always, whether they are in our arms, or far away from us. Guide their steps and their hearts to you Father.

Lord I ask a special blessing on those mothers out there who do not know you. I pray that you will allow opportunity to arise for each one of us, your children, to share the comfort that you bring to us in this uncertain world with a mom who hasn't felt it yet. And I pray that you will give us the words that touch her heart and open her up to you. Lord, you are the reason that I can go to sleep at night, or put my babies in the car and go to the grocery store, or walk over to the park and let them play, without constant fear for their safety. You give me insights that allow me to see an accident before it happens and keep my children safe. You give me the strength and courage to discipline them when people are watching and so openly judging my actions. Father, I cannot imagine life without my faith in you, and I want to share it. So, my prayer is for an opportunity to allow your spirit to speak through me and reach someone.

Bless the hearts of those sharing this prayer, Father.

In Christ name,

Amen

I blink and it's been 3 days since I've even...

had a shower, picked up a book, exercised...you finish the sentence your way! Have you ever had that day/week/month that it seems like something is always standing between you and getting anything accomplished? That kind of time where you're not sure what you did today, but you're grubby, dog tired, with bags under your eyes, and you look around and somehow an explosion has taken place in your home. Maybe you find your purse, or possibly a pot holder or clean mixing bowl in the fridge and none of your children are big enough to open the fridge? Or you notice that you cannot walk through your livingroom because somehow it had seemed like a good idea to fold the laundry there and your children thought it seemed like a great place to UNFOLD the laundry and mix in as many toys as they could find (and possibly a peanut butter fold over or part of a banana...) LOL!

My little Logan (6 mos) has been teething miserably over the last few days. His first tooth finally popped through and showed it's little head, but the second one is close behind and causing all sorts of mayhem for my little guy! Long story short, sleep is something that I can't quite remember ever having experienced....! And even still, it hit me today that I haven't had a shower in a couple of days, I haven't had a glass of water since last night (it's 4PM), and I haven't picked up my Bible for time with my Lord in a while. I've been on auto pilot, just letting life happen to me, and never awake enough to take care of my body, mind or soul!


All of these things that seem so overwhelming and big in our lives, will work themselves out if we will start our days and fill our minds with the one who's bigger! Let's pray together Ladies!


Dear God in Heaven,


We thank you so much for the many many blessings that you've given us! We praise you for our beautiful children. We praise you for the sleepless nights when we have hours of one on one time comforting our babies, and we praise you for the quiet nights that some of us are experiencing now and others of us are really looking forward to!! Thank you for giving us a sense of humor. Help us to laugh at ourselves when we're a little crazy from lack of sleep, and give us clarity of mind on the things that really matter.

Lord, our desire is to raise up children who will follow you, and dedicate their lives to you, and yet we find ourselves going days without really sitting down and meditating upon your word. Father, please put a desire in our hearts to worship, to read, to study, and to meditate upon your word every day. For those of us who have had little sleep, Father, please give us clarity of mind and wakefulness when we pick up the Bible. We give our hearts to you Father. We lift up our children to you, and pray that you will give us the strength to take care of our bodies and minds(your temple) even when we are exhausted.


Lord, we know that our children will serve you the way that we serve you, so we beg you to help us serve you better. Remind us Father, that you want the best of us, not the leftovers. Help us to remember that if we give you the best, the leftovers will be much much more, because you bear the brunt of our struggles for us and we can live with peace and joy in our souls.


We love you Lord. Help us to serve you with all of our hearts.


In Christ' Name we pray,

Amen

My little Bella will be 3 at the end of the month and...

..it seems that she has been in transition from baby to big girl over the last few weeks. It has been an incredibly challenging few weeks for the both of us! She has decided that everything should be done her way. She should go to bed when she wants to, eat when and what she wants to, and blatantly disobey any time she feels like it. She is so smart and so sweet, but I want to scream when she says things like "Mommy, I need my water." and I tell her "ok, bring me your cup and I'll get it for you." and she says (very matter-of-factly) "No...you can go get it yourself." That's when I take a deep breath, breathe a little prayer, and say back to her (Also, very matter-of-factly) "If you want water, you will bring me your cup."

It is like, all of the sudden, we have to re-define the boundaries, and re-teach respect and kindness. And then there are those moments when I can watch her make a decision and it's the right one, and I praise God and shower her with approval! Today she chose not to hit back when her brother knocked her over the head with a wooden car! I could see the wheels turning in there. I could almost see her weighing the options. Ethan is not even 2 yet and is suffering from severe frustration with his inability to communicate well. Bella looked at the toy stethoscope that she had in her hand, and then chose not to hit him! She pointed her little finger at him and she said "Ethan, Please do not hit me!" I was beside myself with pride! She stood up for herself with respect and kindness!

Dear Lord,

We come to you with our heads bowed low, begging you to give us the insight, wisdom, and patience that we need to raise our children to follow you. Lord, in this world that makes a Christian mom feel so out of place, please wrap your arms around us and fortify us with your strength in our weakest moments.

Lord, we thank you so much for our children; for our healthy children and those who suffer with illness. We thank you for every moment. Thank you Father for guiding our steps through the difficult times.

Lord, we ask you to bless our babies with strong wills so that they may remain faithful to you when they are grown, and we aks you to bless us with stronger wills so that we may raise them up to follow you!

In Jesus Christ's Name we pray,

Amen

If you have a scripture, a story, a challenge, a sorrow, or a victory to share, please comment below!

Did you ever have that day...you know...the kind that...

feels like it will never....ever end, and if it does end, you'll be bald and trembling and curled up in the fetal position, next to your crying infant and the toddler that just fell off of the top bookshelf and banged his head??? Yeah...me too!

There will not be a lot of pictures in this blog. I will put in a few occasionally I'm sure, but this is a place to pray. Mom's join me. Let's lift our babies up to our Lord and let him make each day count.

Please take a moment to comment, or add to the prayers you find here. Every mom needs to know she isn't out there on her own. Whether you have 12 kids or only 1 you still have those days where you're not sure that you can go on. Let's share our prayer requests. Let's share our joys and our sorrows on this journey of motherhood.

Love,
In Him,
Mama Nettie