Gloppy Joy

Sometimes, you just gotta let go and get gloppy.

Beautiful day outside, scratch that, oh my goodness amazing day in May for this desert dweller.   Grabbing the joy and smashing it in our schedule, we pulled out the art table.  Literally.

Pulled it outside.  Plum filled it with every art medium we could find (washable art medium, I'm zany, not crazy).  And for the day we filled pictures.

Of course, we started with finger paint.  Yep I'm 37 and madly adore wiggling my index in finger paint.  When I'm 97, I'll still be giggling with gloppy fingers.

Squishing the paint.  Mixing the colors.  You cannot help but let go.  A picture will never turn out perfect.  It's not the perfection you are aiming for.  Its the joy in creating.

Wham.  Think the ahaaaa moment, sitting there with green and blue finger tips.  Momma, it's not perfection in raising you kids that you should be aiming for.  Its the joy in creating.

Maybe I need to get the finger paints out more often.  Maybe my kids need a momma that leaves paint all over their lives, gloppy finger painting joy.


Would you consider joining me today?  I would be honored.  I'm on a mom  journey to be refreshed, renewed, and rejuvenated.  And I could use you.  Your nuggets of wisdom.  Your failures turned glory.  Your story of anything mom.  A chorus.  A momma melody.

To join the melody, simply add your post (a new or old fave) to the link a thingie.

PlayDoh Discipleship

oozing love and splattering joy as hands shape globs of colors into creations  

Our foster experience has been one of the most adventurous journeys we have yet to experience as a family.  Learning to love unconditionally, both children and hurting biological parents, living out the gospel in our home, opening every aspect of our lives to be somehow used for His glory ... amazing training.

Honest here, this is hard.  We have loved on kids for years, all over the world, in some crazy hard places.  On the mission field, inner city classrooms, AIDS orphanages, churches, tribal village huts ...  Kids = my passion.  

We have always believed that family is the most radical form of discipleship. Now we have the opportunity to live it.   Each and every day, we see little lives being shaped by His love.  Bumps smoothed out, in their lives and mine.

Like play doh.  Playdoh discipleship.

Splash Happy Momma

Please, before I even begin ... l've got a bit of explaining to do.   By no means am I an expert at being momma.  Yeah, for 11 years the term has been used to describe me.  In all reality, the kids had no choice.  Mommy, mom, kee-mama-saa-bee, names I took on simply because I had kids.

So when I share, it's not in the expert category at all.  Honestly, its more of "Oh my goodness, how did I not know this before" revelation that I sprawl in my notebook and type up.

In terms of swimming, not in the olympic category.  More in the, wading pool.  A momma getting so excited with a new nugget of goodness, she starts splashing around.  A splash happy momma.

This week, going to splash you with this.   Try and say yes.

Wabamm ... tidal wave momma splash right at you.  Well, maybe not for you.  (remember, I'm in the wading pool as a splash happy momma).   Try and say yes.

Little tidbit changing the grumpy into happy around here.

When asked for something, to do, to try, to taste, to create, to jump off of ... Try and say yes momma lady.   Because sometimes, I get plum stuck in the muck of no.

Always saying no.  No, because it will cost me time.  No, because it could make a mess,   No, because, because, because.  Pretty sure saying no makes little memories.  Hoping the yes will make moments  to remember.

Well at least they will remember this happy momma, splashing in the wading pool.

Spunk Splattered Hunting

Anyone can hunt during the day ...

Zany mom on the adventure trek to enjoy her kids, celebrates with a bit of spunk splattered hunting.

Imagine a day filled to bursting with celebrations of a Risen Jesus!  Somewhere between brushing their teeth and tucking the littles in bed, an idea laced with fun popped in my busy schedule.

I clamored to stuff the eggs with a mountain of loose change.  Secret sleuth Sarah hid all of the eggs outside in the dark.  Sometimes I wonder what my sweet kids will think of me when they are all grown up.

Jammies on.  Prayers.  Foot rubs.  I posted a note on the boys' door.  Tapped it and walked out of the room.  I heard their feet thump off the bunk bed, listened through the door as they read  ...

Happy Easter my boyz!
So you think the celebration is over?
Well my boyz, think again.

Celebrating Jesus and all He's done.
No way to limit all the zany fun.
Jesus came to earth to shine God's light!
Grab your shoes ...
              egg hunt at night.

He came to set us free.
He paid for us the cost.
To save us from our sin.
To GO and reach the lost.

Now you carry it,
His love and His light.
Into a dark world,
bold warriors ...
           go and fight!

(written in like a minute as the last one brushed his teeth ... God is so crazy good when we just go with it and grab the moment).

They opened the door with priceless 8 and 11 year old grins.  I had two flashlights.  Dad's mega mag light that illuminates the room and a simple finger flashlight that lights up your finger.  We talked about which one they would want to use for the real hunt.  We talked about the real LIGHT of the world and shining crazy bright for him.

They grabbed their shoes.  They made a plan.  To work TOGETHER to find all of the eggs.  Imagine!  An egg hunt with no competition.  Brothers side by side.  Teachable moment seized.

One step outside into the black.   A quick flash across the yard and they exclaimed ... they are everywhere.  They laughed.  They hunted.  They found them all.  They counted their treasure piled high.

We talked about the real treasure in the world, people.  We talked about Jesus and how He came not just to bring us LIGHT but so we could share HIS light with the dark world.  And we plum created a new Easter tradition.

Egg hunt at night.  Bring it.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  - John 8:12

Stop, Drop, Enjoy

That's me ... a momma drenched from dancing in the water with her boys.  Dripping wet clothes, juice boxes & giggly smiles.  Notice the date ... far too long ago.

My oldest prince asked me this week to go down the slide at the playground.  Instantly I told him I didn't think I would fit anymore.   I used to be the one encouraging them to go down the slides with me.

In the midst of the busy, the good, the homeschool days, the foster nights, something has slipped away.  Sitting tonight I simply asked, to look deep at what I was missing.

Stop and notice what has changed.  The frustration rising in my voice far too easily.

Drop my agendas.  My to do lists.  The never ending cycle of a performance driven day.

Enjoy.  Enjoy my kids.  Seriously, to take as much time as we do planning the academics and the therapies and the appointments and the meals ... to enjoy my kids.

Water balloon baseball games.   Zoo trips.  Playing in the sprinklers.  Snuggling up and reading a book together.  Sleeping in a tent in our backyard.  Creating art projects of every shape and size.  Enjoying my kids.

I honestly have no idea what it will look like this week.  How God will lead.  But the gentle tugging at my mommy heart says its time to enjoy.

Hugs o' Chocolate

Lil hands holding some big love

Chocolate gooeyness, a scrumptious reminder that we don't live this life alone.  When crazy hard days hit us upside the head, we are wrapped in love.  God's got us.  And He has helpers to wrap us up too.

Imagine this day.  Serious struggles with a precious princess that needs to be wrapped up in love.  A weary foster momma trying her best, faltering a bit when I attempt the feat on my own.  Then a note from a friend.  The sound of the doorbell ringing loud.  A home made plate of love, delivered straight from a little girls heart (and her momma's) to our precious one.

Yeah, the sweetness filled our mouths and hearts all at the same time.  

(Friends bring such crazy joy ... and you can meet this cookie bearing friend, bless her right back, visit her scrumptious piece of real life blog One Blessed Lady, and thank her for the chocolate hugs)

Noisy Joy

Our home, embraced noisy joy.

On this momma quest to recapture all things joy and splatter them into my day ... music turned loud.

I used to be constantly singing, dancing, twirling, humming ... when the music stopped seeping from my me, joy dwindled.   And a little 4 year old brought it back.

Precious pink in our lives, has a gift for worship.  She can remember a song, heard only once.  Walk into a joy zapped room and change the atmosphere with her tune.

When a gloomy day looms, we hop into our van.  Driving along, her song fills the air and our hearts.

Creating  joy jams ... we gathered and put together some of our fave music that ushers us into pure joy as we belt, sing noisy, and dance wild.  Our house is getting a bit noisy.

And its about to get even more gloriously loud ... Any guesses on to what awaits our kids nestled under the Christmas tree?

Would you share your joy tips with me?  What favorite song of yours brings  smile to your heart and joy to your day?  I would love to listen and sing noisy with you.

Leaves Go Crunch

Joy ... it just seems to ooze out of this one.   He lives each moment full.   On my journey to reclaim my smile, to splatter joy, I need not look far.

Children thrive on joy.  Their giggles escape from tiny lips and infuse the air around them.  Maybe that's why God says the kingdom of God belongs to them.  And we big grown up frowning, fretting, frustrated adults need to become more like them.

Me, I sometimes miss the joy moments.  I see a pile of leaves and wonder how long it will take to rake them, bag them, tie them up.   I need to see through different eyes.  Joy lenses. 

This week, I stooped down.  Kneeled on their level (all four of my little blessings).  Retraining my eyes, my mind, my me ... to see the joy in the leaves.  To heap them up only to jump.

Because when the day is done, this momma wants to curl up on on a crunch joy filled bed of leaves.  

Wanna splatter joy with me?  I would love to have some company in this journey.  Leave me a note, splash me an email, share your joy filled ideas ... and lets splatter one another in crazy joy!

Snagged Me A Joy Jar

I admit it.  You caught me.  All glittered up and sparkling purple handed.

The calm down jar, the one on pinterest that I jumped in and made.  The one supposedly to help my kids calm down a bit.  They have yet to use it.

From the moment I made it, it became mine.

My joy jar.

Because sometimes in the midst of the day, little actions can overtake and squeeze all the joy away.

Shake it up, watch the sparkles dance.  Mine is crazy fast.  All the sparkles dwindle in less than 30 seconds.  I'm okay with it.  Sometimes that's all the time I have.

Breathe it all in.  Love it all out.  

My joy jar, purple sparkles of splattered joy.

What adds sparkle joy to your day?

When Momma Stops Smiling

My hubby shared the honest ugly hard to hear but badly need to hear truth.   Gulp.

I went to him ...
         cuddled up and whined to him really ...
         frustrated with momma tasks and demands piling up high ...
                       
Love him.  Need him.  So glad he finds the problem and solution so quick.  sigh.

"Honey, you haven't smiled in the last few days."

My giggles had dwindled and the grumps had settled.   The power of momma, to suck the joy right out of a home.  Not pretty.

Life can throw some hard ick on our canvas.   But our joy, my joy should never be controlled by my circumstances good or bad.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, not the flavor of my mood.

Momma on a mission. To splatter joy all over my life.

Picture the spinning paper wheel.  Giddy artists gather round as glops of paint hit the paper and fly.  Masterpieces hang to dry while fingers carry the remnant of oober joy.   Yeah, kind of like that.  A life splattered with joy.

Join me on my journey ... to splatter joy.   Mondays I'll be posting, sharing, splattering ....