The Saturday 7

1. Lucy only has 9 more days of school, and I am so ready for her to be done! It's hilarious to see how my standards have fallen between the beginning of the school year and now. I've given up on her hair. She half-brushes it every morning, but it's mostly a tangle of curls and toothpaste and I don't even care. Lunch is a bust. I alternate Easy Mac with a pizza Lunchable every other day. I don't even care about being on time anymore. I used to majorly stress about her being tardy. At this point, I'm like, "Meh. So what if she's late?" I can't wait for the care-free days of summer! Sleeping in. No schedules. No homework. No strictly enforced bedtimes. No whining and crying and fighting to get out the door on time. And yes, I will be craving the routine again by about July, but let me enjoy my fantasy while it lasts!!

2. Lena's question of the week has been "What is the highest number?" She asks me at least once a day, and cannot fathom that no one knows and that numbers just keep going.

3. I read 4 books this week: Write Me Home by Crystal Walton, You'll Think of Me by Robin Lee Hatcher (my second booklookbloggers book), True to You by Becky Wade, and Beyond Bathtime by Erin Davis. The first two were fine, but nothing special. I loved the last two. Becky Wade is fast becoming one of my all-time favorite writers. She is so good at creating lovable characters with great chemistry, and I love her humor.

4. Beyond Bathtime is a Christian mothering book that someone recommended to me a long time ago. I bought it on clearance at Baker Book House 6 months ago, and finally made myself read it this week. I was surprised by how much I liked it! This is my goodreads review:

I've read a lot of parenting/mothering books and at first I was worried this one was going to be the same old same old. But the more I read, the more I loved. It's a short, easy read, but is filled with nuggets of truth, challenging insight, and practical applications. I especially appreciated the application questions at the end of each chapter.
My favorite chapter was probably chapter 7: Blessing or Burden? It was very convicting for me. "Our behavior toward our children and our conversations about our children send a message in one of two directions. Either we communicate that our children are a blessing, or that they are a burden" (92.) I love Davis's call to ministry in our homes and insistence that motherhood is a holy calling. The book left me thinking and re-evaluating the way I treat my kids and parent them.

5. One interesting part of Beyond Bathtime was the chapter on "Choosing Childlessness" and how it's becoming such a trend in our culture. The author originally didn't intend to have children, but then she came to this conclusion: "When it came to the issue of family planning, I simply didn't trust God's sovereignty to provide for my good" (55). Essentially, she's saying that it's not up to us to plan our families; it's up to God. She didn't elaborate on whether that means we should never use birth control, but it got me thinking . . . If we didn't use birth control, I would be the next Michelle Duggar. Although with my history of losses, I probably wouldn't make it to 20. And with my history of huge, painful pregnancies, I'd probably die before 10. But is it "playing God" to decide how many kids we're going to have?

6. At the end of the "Choosing Childlessness" chapter, Davis poses this question, "Do you know anyone who thinks that parenting is nothing but a big roadblock to 'real life'? If you could say anything to such a person, what would you say?" I wrote down, "It's hard, but sanctifying and the joy outweighs the bad!" A huge part of it for me is considering the future. Don't get me wrong. I didn't have kids to take care of me when I'm old. I just can't imagine choosing to not have a family. To forgo family Christmases with your kids and grandkids, to miss out on birthdays and holidays and family gatherings. And for all my whining about discipline and potty training and sleeplessness, the smiles and milestones and chubby legs and toothless grins and "I love yous" make it so so worth it.

7. Sorry to use up so many of my points on that book, but I don't have anything else. Except pictures! Enjoy.