Back in business

It's been a while since I posted here. My family just got back from SD earlier this week, and we had a great time seeing our family, and house hunting. It's hard to be here in Baltimore when we know what is waiting for us.
While in SD I finished reading The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, and all I can say is WOW. I loved the first two books, and the third was pretty great too. Thanks to my mother in law for getting me hooked on Francine Rivers writing! Today I ordered two more books by the same author. I can't wait for them to arrive!
I have been pretty frustrated these past few days and I figure it's due to the lack of sleep I'm getting. Last night Jackson woke up three times again (he seems to be doing this very frequently) and sometimes he wants to nurse and other times I think he wakes up from a bad dream. I'm tired of not being able to sleep through the night. I'm tired of feeling like crap the next day. And most of all, I'm tried of being cranky with the kids and my husband! I'm sure a full night's sleep would help me quite a bit. Today I decided that I'm going to wean Jackson...and he is not happy with me one bit. I'm tired of it and ready to move on. He would say otherwise. So wish us luck. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
Looking back on the summer I can't believe that it's nearly over. I mean, I didn't even take the kids swimming yet! What kind of a mother am I? Anyway, I do feel like I did some neat things to stretch my mind a little. I scrapped a few pages, and made a few purses/totes (5 so far - two I made with my very own made up pattern!), and I also made a skirt. Now I feel like I've lost some sewing momentum so I don't know when I'll get back to the machine. Besides...one of the levers came off last night. The lever that tells you how many stitches per inch, and whether you are going forwards or backwards - it just came off. I managed to put it back on but it came off again. This machine doesn't like me. Oh, how I wish it did! Anyway, I sent off two purses today for my sisters birthdays and once we get past those days, I'll post pictures of the completed items.

Honor

At WOW (Women on Wednesday - at church) I have tried to get involved with a class that is reading through a book entitled"Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in you and your kids!". When I say that I have tried to get involved that means that I've actually only been to one class out of four. I missed the first two classes, attended the third, then was called out of the fourth class to be with my baby. Today we will also miss class because the baby is still getting over a cold. I have come to thoroughly enjoy going to WOW mainly to get out of the house and socialize with other women. So today is kind of like a blow to me...I need some other adults to talk to! Anyway, last night as I was preparing for class today, I was reading the first five chapters to get caught up. The main theme in this book is how to teach Honor to your children, not just obedience. According to the authors, Honor is defined as

"Treating people as special, doing more than what's expected, and having a good attitude."

The whole honor issue is making a lot of sense to me. But I can't help but feel guilty reading part of it. You see, this book also deals with me...the parent. It reminds me that I must honor my husband and my children by going the extra mile, and by doing that with a cheerful heart. It is also dying to self. That is hard. Especially after a night of little sleep. Obedience is defined as

"Doing what someone says, right away, without being reminded."

I can do that. I can try to teach my children to obey me. But we need to constantly model honor to them so they can see how to honor us and other people in return. Another thoughtful sentence in the book, pg. 29, states "Although obedience gets the job done, honor addresses how the job is done. Honor keeps a family running smoothly. It brings joy to the giver as well as to the receiver." This is something I clearly need to work on. When I'm cranky and tired and crave more sleep, I still need to honor my husband and children during the day. I shouldn't allow my attitude to seep into my family life. No matter how awful I feel. This book strips my emotions down to the core, for I realized after reading just a few chapters that I am the one who needs to make the change, not so much my family. If that's not raw, I don't know what is.