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Stream of Consciousness

Today was a toughie.  Definite crazy cycle going on between Cricket and I.  Both ended up in tears.  Twice.  Was not pretty.  Most definitely not one of my finest parenting days {by a long shot}.

Comedy of errors in getting together with a new friend I just met…running behind, gas light on {country life does not provide us many gas stops…had to drive in opposite direction to fill up…making us even later}, reached for phone…discovered phone was {Lord knows where} at home, GPS was having an ‘off’ day, got lost in Midland, and finally arrived so late at designated spot that other mom & crew had already left.  With no way of contacting her.  Fabulous first impression.

Splash pad was fun.  Ice cream was messy.  Park was dismal failure {due to some serious impatience on my part}.  Morning #1 of hubby’s new schedule – which involves him working from 10pm to 6am, and then sleeping in the morning while I attempt to enable said sleep by evacuating {or implementing the use of duct tape} – an exhausting endeavor.  No likey new shifty.  Shifty shift.  Blah.

Cried to husband about daughter’s behavior.  Cried harder to husband over mother’s behavior in response to daughter’s behavior.  Not sure which distresses me more: her {seeming} delight in constantly pushing the boundaries, or my complete inability to keep it together and not display this ugly side of me I didn’t realize existed.  Scary stuff.  Desperate for change in this area.

Planned trip to Lansing to run some errands tomorrow, while hitting up my besties in the process.  Ridiculously excited to see their beautiful faces and soak up their delightfulness.  I’m so blessed by the women in my life.  Their walk is such an inspiration to me.  Their transparent sojourn through the rocky terrain of parenthood and the constantly evolving adventures of wife-dom, serve as sweet reminders that I’m not alone in my journey.  Their love for Jesus woos me into a deeper awe for the God we serve.  Their sweet, faithful love for me is part of the reason I can bloom where I’m planted…poop and all.  And their constant {and lavish} encouragement is one of the reasons I blog my little heart out when sleep beckons me sweetly.

Speaking of these phenomenal women…check out this stinkin’ adorable bag one of my lovelies made for me for my birthday:

  PKD Bag 006PKD Bag 004

Recognize what she created {printed/enlarged/traced/cut/stitched} on the back…?

Ooh, ooh, ooh…pick me!  It’s a Pink Kangaroo!

Yup, she’s brilliant. 

Does that mean I’m smarter just because I surround myself with such brilliance?

I digress.

Nap time ended {sniff, sniff} and we plundered the garden to sauté up the delicious veggie smorgasbord below: sporting sugar-snap peas, zucchini, peppers and basil from our garden.  Complete and utter {healthy} scrumptiousness!

Dinner 001 Hubby manned the grill, and we cooked up one heck of a meal.  One of the redeeming aspects of this shift: he’s home for dinner each night.  Which does unfortunately mean that I no longer get away with swinging omelets for dinner every night.  Come on now…they were tasty and nutritious.  Albeit a tad boring after a while.

Took the kiddos to the beach in our back yard {the campground behind “our” house has welcomed us to use their 2 acre lake anytime…’tis glorious!} while my hubby caught some final z’s before work.

All in all, a good tough day – doesn’t every day, in essence, have a purpose…even if it is to stretch, refine and reveal?

Good thing I get to try again tomorrow.

Praying for the gumption to kick-start the day with an energizing cycle and put an end to the poopy ‘tude that’s been lingering around here for the past couple days. 

Bring it on, Thursday!

Related posts:

  1. Stream of Consciousness
  2. Shortcake is on the Line
  3. Coming Up For Air
  4. Monkey See, Monkey Do
«
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Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

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Simply Bloom exists to empower women to embrace their stories, live out their passion with purpose, and leave a legacy of love.
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Hello there! I'm Joy. Speaker, designer, author & coach, and creator of the #weROARproject. Welcome to Simply Bloom Co., where passion & purpose collide.

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Before the empty tomb, there was a basin. Before Before the empty tomb,
there was a basin.

Before glory,
there was grief.

The Jesus Way is not dominance.
It’s downward mobility.
It’s loving in the face of betrayal.
Serving in the face of misunderstanding.
Choosing humility when pride would be easier.

If loving like Jesus feels costly, you’re not doing it wrong.
It has always cost something.

🎧 Episode 017 | The Jesus Way is now streaming.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #SimplyBloomCo #TheJesusWay
How's your internal monologue? Be brutally honest How's your internal monologue?
Be brutally honest here.

Are you actually kind to yourself?
Do you practice curiosity + compassion
when your emotions + responses catch you
off guard and feel oversized for the occasion?

Are you patient and gracious with your soul's
long + messy journey of growth and healing?

Are you gentle with your heart when you mess up?
Or, do you instantly shift to shaming + blaming?

Is self-loathing a constant (albeit unwanted)
companion who lingers in the corner just
waiting for an invitation to show up with
cruel words, gasoline and a match?

For many of us, if we talked to our dearest
friends the way we talk to ourselves...
well, we wouldn't have many.

Go ahead and read that again.
Let it sink in.

/ / /

Consider this a gentle reminder
to be tender with yourself.
Speak life to your own soul.
Always, always, always be kind.

We are never more like the enemy of our souls than
when we assume the role of accuser + condemner.

Catch every negative, shaming thought you have
and see if it aligns with how God sees you (and others).

If it isn't good, kind, hopeful, constructive, grace-laced and restorative, then it doesn't belong in your head + heart.

You are, after all, allowed to be both a mess and
a masterpiece...all at the very same time.

You are so loved.
Easter reminds us that the tomb is empty. But befo Easter reminds us that the tomb is empty.
But before the resurrection, there was a towel.

In John 13, just hours before the cross,
Jesus doesn’t assert power, He kneels.
He washes the feet of Peter.
He washes the feet of Judas.
He loves them to the end.

🎙️ Episode 017 | The Jesus Way is live.

What does it look like to choose love in the middle
of betrayal, grief, disagreement, and struggle?
The way of Jesus isn’t flashy.
 It’s faithful.

🎧 Listen wherever you stream podcasts.

#OhGoodGrief #TheJesusWay  #KnownByLove
Instagram post 17956039791092382 Instagram post 17956039791092382
So very thankful for the life that came from his d So very thankful for the life
that came from his death.

May you know how wildly, wholly
and wonderfully you are loved…

“This is how much God loved the world:
He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why: so that no one need be
destroyed; by believing in him, anyone
can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of
sending his Son merely to point an
accusing finger, telling the world
how bad it was. He came to help,
to put the world right again.”

John 3:16-17 | The Message

#GoodFriday #ItIsFinished

📷 Levi Lusko
Boundaries are not the opposite of love. They are Boundaries are not the opposite of love.
They are often the evidence of it.

Jesus touched lepers.
He wept with friends.
He restored the broken.

But He also corrected boldly.
He withdrew intentionally.
He did not entrust Himself to everyone.

You can forgive someone
without restoring immediate proximity.
You can love someone
without giving them full access to your life.

Episode 016 | Grace + Guardrails is available now.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #BoundariesMatter
Instagram post 18396581398148716 Instagram post 18396581398148716
Love does not require unlimited access. In Episod Love does not require unlimited access.

In Episode 016 of Oh, Good Grief, we explore what Jesus
actually modeled when it comes to boundaries.

He loved everyone.
He did not entrust Himself to everyone.
He was full of grace and truth.
He welcomed the crowds, but confided in the few.

In a world that demands access to our time, energy, and heart, this episode unpacks what it looks like to forgive without naivety, love without losing discernment, and practice grace with guardrails.

🎧 Grace + Guardrails | How Jesus Modeled Boundaries in a World
  That Demands Access is live wherever you listen to podcasts

#OhGoodGrief #GraceAndTruth #BiblicalBoundaries #FaithInRealLife
Sometimes the most honest thing we can say is: thi Sometimes the most honest thing we can say is:
this is where I am today…
but it isn’t where my story ends.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #GodIsFaithful
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

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