Katie Davis' Brilliance...

Katie Davis, (a remarkable young, single woman who has now adopted 14 daughters in Uganda) in her book "Kisses From Katie" says it best...if you feel convicted, please go to www.amazima.org and help in any way you can....become an advocate for adoption, adopt one or several precious children into your loving home, pray for the orphans of this world and how you can help, or give of your financial resources to bless those who are being the hands of feet of Jesus and/or waiting to bring their babies home...

     "Today, about a year after naming this ministry AMAZIMA, I stand in awe of the truth with which God has presented me.  In Uganda, I strive to teach my children and all children in our program and in our villages "the truth" of Christ.  I know I cannot walk into a village and tell a child that Jesus loves her.  She cannont comprehend that because, chances are, she has never been loved.  I have to feed her, clothe her, care for her, and love her unconditionally as I tell her that I love her.  Once she can understand and see my love, I can begin to tell her about a savior who loves her even more.  That is the truth for these children-that they are loved, that they are valuable, that they will not be left as orphans but that they have a plan and a hope for the future.  What a beautiful truth.
     I have a young friend named Maria.  The truth is that Maria had never had a bath before I took her home and gave her one.  The truth is that Maria is sent from her home in the slum outside of Jinja to beg on the streets for food, and no one in Uganda wants to touch her or help her or cares that she is sick.  The truth is that Maria is just like you or me.  A person. Real. A child of the King.
     Meet Rose and Brenda.  The truth is that they are orphans.  Abandoned and living in an orphanage.  Now two of 143 million.  The truth is that when they go to bed at night no one tucks their blankets in around them and kisses their foreheads.  The truth is that when they woke up, frightened, in the dark, no one runs to comfort them.  The truth is that due to someone else's carelessness, Brenda will die of AIDS.
     Meet David and Bashir.  The truth is that these precious little boys were child soldiers, abducted, sold as property, and forced to kill.  Now that the war is winding down, they are not permitted back in their villages because they are seen as traitors, so they beg on the streets.
     And the truth is that these are only the children I know, in a very small fraction of the very small country.  The truth is that there are children like this all over the world, sick, starving, dying, unloved, and uncared for.
     The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children.  And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be christians.
     The truth is that if only 8 percent of the christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left. 
     This is the Truth.  I have the freedom to believe it.  The freedom, the opportunity to do something about it.  The truth is that He loves these children just as much as He loves me and now that I know, I am responsible."


    

Holiday Letter...

Well, here we are again and another year has past.  Thought I would share with you a few things just to say that I did...

Michael is still dashingly handsome and takes home the best husband award for yet another year.  He is still working his tail off saving lives and, in my opinion, is only missing his cape when he heads out the door. He has his financial excel spreadsheet  memorized like no other.  He still loves playing online poker and the great news is, since he manages when and for how long he plays,  it no longer ruins our everyday existence as a married couple....progress! :) He got a new truck after sixteen years and it makes him so much hotter...I don't care what you think of me for saying that...it just does.  He can still lay down some mean dance moves and makes us all laugh with his quick wit, wink and sideways grin. He is a celebrity in our home for his loyalty to us, his tireless sacrifices to provide for us and be intentional and directed in loving each one of us.  He is still the love of my life and the best gift God has ever given me. You're gonna want to punch me for saying it but I love him more and more each year...it's true.

I am still doing...blah, blah, blah...okay...let me think here.  Hmmm, I am still a ROCK STAR in my own home.  Everyone wants me.  Everyone needs me.  Everyone looks to me to meet their every need.  Yeah, that's how we roll.  My role effects my home and the people I love most, eternally.  It's big people.  It isn't just eating bon bons and,  I love it!  I wouldn't have it any other way...even when I'm woken up at 4 a.m. with my son peeing on my back while he spoons me. I am still a pampered, doctors wife but I have four children under seven, homeschool and keep my house pretty straightened so I can't be all THAT bad. right?  I am still doing whatever I can to make my hubby feel like the most cherished man on earth.  I started a blog!  And about ten people read it and I am having fun forcing people to listen to my thoughts.  Working on a project about my past to share my testimony with others...I am excited for what the future holds...stay tuned.

Jaren is the smartest, most capable seven year old to walk the earth and she is involved in every program that they will let us put her in...ok, so maybe not but she IS still my FAVORITE daughter.  She is still a 40 year old in a seven year olds body.  She is still my right-hand gal and she still shows absolutely no fear at every piano recital which blows me away since I once panicked and had to be shoved with incredible force onto the stage...not that I am still holding onto that or anything MOTHER.  She is reading a 350 page book right now, multiplying and can recite whole psalms of scripture so we must be doing something right with this whole homeschool thing. More importantly, she is the lead instigator in our nightly family dance-offs and an incredibly loving big sister. Last night we had some girl time where she and I put Barbie make-up on and the results were slightly frightening.  She has a servants heart and a heart for others in need.  We are very, very proud of her but constantly tell her that even if she were completely stupid and untalented, we would love her just the same.

Gentry is looking more and more like Justin Bieber every day.  I keep trying to claim some family resemblance with me but not many people want to give it to me.  His smile still lights up my heart and any room.  He is still sensitive and loyal and gentle and tender-hearted.  He did absolutely nothing this past year except play, play and play some more....and we did that on purpose. He adores his little brother Ransom and has always had a special way with little ones.  Ransom and him can often be found giving eachother hugs.  He's working on phonics and learning to read, when we aren't snuggling, eating dinner and meals around the family table, reading aloud, giggling and dancing.  His favorite word right now is BUTT.  His smile also proceeds some sort of silly mischief against one of his siblings.  He can ride a bicycle with training wheels like nobody's business. Gentry brings tenderness and love to our home. We adore him.  He is often known for stopping what he's doing to come over and hug my legs and tell me, "Mom, I love you so much.  You are the best Mommy in the world.  I am so glad you are my Mommy."  He is getting more in the will.

Easton is bringing me closer to Jesus each and every day...ok, so maybe that's not COMPLETELY true these days...he turned four which has always been a big breath of fresh air in our home with our children...it's the magical birthday.  The world is his stage and we his audience.  He makes us giggle every day.  He gives me all sorts of things to pray about.  He gives me all sorts of blog ideas.  I learned this year that God has given me three boys to humble me.  I learned that the majority of my frustrations with mothering Easton had to do with me and not this precious and silly and wonderful little boy.  He survived a complex pneumonia VATS surgery in September which we are very thankful for. There were multiple times when the medical staff where surprised by his progress but we were not...we know prayer works!  He is finally getting his weight back on.  We are pretty sure he will be completely potty-trained when he is ten.  He hasn't learned much this year either...except how to play a lot, use his imagination, obey better, clean up after himself, use appropriate language and love his siblings.  We did that on purpose as well.  Easton makes our home a fun one.  Our house wouldn't be nearly as wonderful without him in it.

Ransom is...well, have any of you SPENT any time with him?  I am slightly biased but he is delightful.  Delicious. A bright light in our home. Adorable. He still poops in his diaper but we are giving him some grace, afterall, he is only 19 months.  He loves to roam the house and giggle at Easton's antics.  He can often be found standing on my kitchen table.  He was caught last night standing on my kitchen island after he pulled our bench over to it....hmmm...  He has started getting a bit of an attitude and hitting others...something I saw in my other children at age 15 m. so I was kinda hoping THIS one DIDN'T get the sin gene. He has started that whole..."Look Mom, I don't think you GET it?!  I am WALKING now.  YOU can't tell ME what to do.  I rule this world."  Ah-hem.  We get to look forward to training this one out of the self-entitlement mentality as well.  He has gotten more of my peace and delight than the other children did...so many life circumstances are different now.  There are times when I am sad to put him to bed because that means I won't see him for awhile.  My cup runneth over with this delightful child....with each of them.

The other day, Daddy-o came in late from work and woke me up on accident...Jaren had a bad dream and wanted to sleep on our floor...Easton crawled in bed on one side of me to snuggle at 7 a.m. and then Gentry followed close behind and curled up on the other side of me.  Both boys wanted me to scratch their backs.  There was a time when I was too selfish, weary and exhausted to think of any of that as anything but an inconvenience to me.  There are still moments when my mind rushes there...but I was so thankful that morning to stop and smell the roses and shed tears of gratitude...my cup runneth over in that moment and the peace our home is creating is so worth the training and hard work. 

This past year, my dear friend Tami and I decided to be FIERCE!  I am getting there. I have enjoyed several moments of it.  I am learning to lay down a ton of my own made-up voices and believe God's truths.  They have brought peace and freedom like nothing else ever will.  I am thankful.  I am spoiled. I am blessed. 

My family and I pray you are laughing, delighting in your children if you have them, cherishing and honoring your spouse if you have one and feeling the peace of Christ in your heart. 

With all sorts of love,
Annette and the family

Christmas Crazy...

Alright people...I love Christmas about as much as anyone I know, and the kids and I are feeling it.  We are having dance-offs to every holiday station we can find right now.  We are finally enjoying that it's dark at 4:45 p.m. because when we are out and about, we can spot Christmas lights. We even had hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and candy canes, we have even decorated and sipped on some eggnog...

BUT, I am also finding myself being sucked in to the vortex of Elf on a Shelf, The Advent Calendar and the latest...The Light them Up Service Project Calendar.  Last week, I got an incredible video from a family...where instead of doing a holiday card, they made a five-minute video of their last year.  It was sensational and you know who you are.  I LOVED it.  It's just that all these things have bombarded me with a whole different level of standards for us mommy's and my spirit is so unsettled with it. If you love it, go for it.  If you find joy from it...great.  If you're kids learn service from it?  Who the heck am I to frown upon it?  It's just that I feel the need to be able to do all of them too...simultaneously.  I know, I am a dork.

Am I known for having too high standards of myself?  Yep.
Am I known for trying to do everything others are doing? Yep.
Am I known for trying to have everything done picture perfect? Yep.
Am I known for thinking that if others are doing it, I should be able to pull it off too?  Even though my circumstances are totally different than theirs? Check.

So...you can see my dilemma.  Thank God I have people in my life who can snap me back to truth. Thank God for his word. Thank God for prayer. Thank God I can right myself again and remind myself to take a deep breath and chill out.  Each of the things listed above are great things in and of themselves...it's just that combined, they add up to too much.

And I can't help thinking that in all of it, we are raising the standards higher and higher for ourselves as mothers.  What ever happened to the days when you were a great Mom simply because you baked some cookies, served a few people in need in some discreet way and poured some eggnog for your kids a few times?  I can't help thinking we are shooting ourselves in the foot ladies. And, I am sure I will get on another soapbox soon about how every time I turn around...there is another rule about TV being from the devil or anything that isn't organic being toxic or trick or treating being a terrible choice for my children...at some point it becomes my deal and I have to choose to create my home the way I choose with the principles I believe in...if only I could lay down that burden and need for approval that I have in me...lay it down 24/7 and never, ever face it again. :)

Or maybe I am the only one who does a mental freak out when I'm given another blog to read about the next list of ways you too can be an amazing christian mother if you too do this next thing...it's all with great intention. It's all with a great purpose in mind but I tend to read all of them and panic.  Maybe it's just down here in the bible belt...

So, today I have decided to lay all that down and choose to be peacefully content with doing what I have always done.  It's enough.  It's loving and full of service and godly...but I am avoiding the checklists.  Big sigh.  Now, I just need your prayers that I won't pick that back up in an hour. :)

Maybe the next best thing might be to turn off my computer for the next month!? :)

With love and in need of a Saviour,
Annette

If You Too Wrestle With Self-Depracation....

I have wrestled with having high expectations of myself all my life...anyone who knows me has probably lectured me on granting myself grace.  I wish I could tell you I had mastered this today but it still lingers in different ways in my life.  The great news is, I am finally believing truth and laying down a ton of that extra weight.  It feels incredible.  I feel free.  I feel peace.

If you've been there, you might like this excerpt from a bible study Amy Garrison blessed me with last year...

We are simple people.  You can't remember ten things at once.  Invariably, if you could remember ONE true thing...you'd be different.  Connect one bit of Scripture to one bit of life...apply one relevant thing from our Redeemer to one significant scene in your story.  Bring one bit of the Bible to one bit of your life...You can't deal with it all at once.  Scripture never does...life goes one step at a time.

So we see that the mark of true spirituality doesn't require ten giant steps forward.  One step at a time is sufficient.  In fact, you could argue that choosing one area of growth in godliness is an expression of humility.  It's a humble acknowledgement of our serious limitations as "simple people".

And what's more, growth in one area almost always affects every other area of our lives.  So rather than lament about the twenty ways we need to grow in godliness, let's be encouraged that as we isolate just one and devote ourselves to change in that area, by the grace of God it will affect the other nineteen.

Books I Love and Why...

Oh man, have I been truly blessed this year with some amazing books!  For those of you who are avid readers...you know what I am talking about...the joy of finding a great read. A book you can't put down because it transforms your thinking and after reading it, you're forever changed.  It's been one after the other since March and so I thought I would share them with you. I feel like I could sit at a book club and talk for hours about each one of these books.  Hope they bless you as well!

1)  "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo...because I've lost someone and it brought me peace and hope and forever changed my perspective on Heaven.

2)  "The Shack" by William P. Young...because it was the best depiction for me so far, of what God's grace actively looks like.

3)  "Have Heart" by Steve Berger...because they knew my pain and they forever changed my perspective on how close Heaven and Earth really are...that are loved ones who have passed are still very alive, active and aware of us here.

4)  "Same Kind of Different as Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore...because it showed me how ignorant I was to homelessness and just how much I needed to be taught about it.

5)  "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett....because racism was and is real and it's disgusting. It made me ashamed to be white...as I think it should have.

6)  "Kisses From Katie" by Katie Davis...because their is a stirring within my spirit to do more and to live differently and to walk by faith alone. Her story blew me away.  I am forever changed.

7)  "Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe" by Todd Wilson...because it is freeing and hilarious and it has taught me to take a deep breath and enjoy my days.

What are some of your favorite reads?  I am always looking for a great read...got any ideas for me?

With love,
Annette

Thankful...

Just had an incredible night with some incredible friends...riding the high from cultivating friendships...what a blessing it is so be able to meet people you instantly connect with.  So thankful for people who are open, real, teachable, fun, transparent, seeking, wise and humble.  It is so freeing to be with people who share your same struggles and get what you are all about.  It feels like a gift from God tonight...to be able to have done that.  We were able to laugh about the funny things our children say to us, laugh off our extra belly weight, compare notes on how we run our home school day and squelch some of our fears...

I know God gave us community and team ship for a reason and I am thankful to have it in my life.  I am thankful, like always, to hear Ali sing and to see her filled with joy...to hold my nephew Maddux in my arms and to hug Ali's new husband and constantly be reminded that God heals and restores us if we ask and if we let him...

I am thankful for getting a sitter and having a night out so I can be refreshed and filled...which ultimately blesses my children and my marriage... I am thankful that I don't let guilt talk me out of that...for knowing it's value and feeling it's benefits.

I am thankful for my husband who works crazy hours to bless this crazy home we have.  I am thankful for all my babies who are tucked in safe to sleep and for the hope of a new day tomorrow...hearing their giggles, squabbles and playfulness.

And I am thankful for God and the peace Jesus brings my spirit...that hope, that friendship and that peace.  Thank you Father for reminding me to delight in my life.  I've been given so much.

In Him,
Annette

First Anniversary of My Loved One

Most of you know that my beloved brother went to live with Jesus 4 1/2 years ago.  He was suddenly killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 36.  He was irreplaceable to me and one of my very, very best friends.  This blog comes from the journal I have kept since then.  This is for all of you who have lost a loved one to death and need to know you are not alone and it is for those of you who haven't lost a loved one and may be blessed by having a window into someones grief.

April 11th, 2008

One year. 12 months.  365 days.  Today marks one year since Michael died.  How did that happen?  How did so much time pass?  I feel like it will always feel it happened yesterday and at the same time, I still can't believe it happened at all.  I'm even holding a four month old baby, today marks four months in fact.  How does life still go on?

How to write down all the many thoughts and reels of memories that run rampant through my mind on a daily basis?  I've spent the morning pulling out old video footage, fast forwarding through tape after tape...searching for any little bit of him I can find.  I want to see him ALIVE again-desperately.  I think it will help somehow but it's no different than seeing him alive in my mind- it's painful.  I love to see him in my mind and memorize his mannerisms, voice, smile, different laughs, mischievous looks, hearing him call me "Sister"...

Ah-ha!  I found my first tape of him!  But oh, how the tears come and I have to keep rewinding so I can actually see him after my vision clears.  At the same moment, the sky opens up and a magnificent downpour occurs outside my living room window.  It only lasts a minute and then all is completely quiet again...it's as if God wants me to know he's crying with me...crying because he loved him even more than I could possibly imagine and he hurts with me for the pain we both know Michael endured on this earth.

I'm grateful for feeling God's presence...it's not the first time I've felt Him with me the past 12 months.  There is now my red-tail hawk sightings at just the perfect moment that bring me such peace and remind me that God is with me through the pain.

Michael would think all of this is nonsense-this whole honoring stuff, the tears...Mel, Michael, Ali and I do plan to laugh today as well.  On the list of must have movies tonight will be Dumb and Dumber, What About Bob, Grumpy Old Mel and perhaps Spinal Tap...all movies that became part of his speech.

I'm grateful for all of the blessings I have been handed in my life.  I know he would want me to spend this day, and any day, being at peace with myself and happy.  I spent the earlier part of the morning marveling at what a precious gift Easton is, named after his Uncle.  That too was a time of gratitude toward God for knowing what I needed this year even when I didn't.  He is so beautiful and content and loving and he brings me so much comfort and peace...holding him...receiving grins and giving to him.  My children are the very reason I've continued to live and live well in spite of my indescribable loss.  They have no idea what any of it means and their ignorance is what fuels my healing- a very productive distraction if you will.  They are also working on Michael's side probably to keep me from dwelling on the pain and moving on...just like he would want me to.

Then there is the still present shock and disbelief that my hero and friend is gone and the disbelief that this is actually part of my life story...all the other pains and joys seem to fit but not this one.  It is still too shocking and great to accept.  I remember screaming inside to God that night, "Please God, not him!!  Anyone but him! Not my Michael! You KNOW what he means to me! This can't be happening!".

There has been such a fluctuating gamut of thoughts and they go in stages, usually a couple months at a time, then they cycle back.  Shock, disbelief, anger, hurt, betrayal, denial, avoidance.  Busyness is my friend...or so I think...thinking of others and doing for others my distraction.  Stillness is my enemy...nighttime is when I can no longer escape from the truth and reality that his passing hurts so much that it takes my breath away and it is physically painful to face.

Hasn't it been a year?  Shouldn't I be over this by now?  But this is an entirely different experience than anything I've ever known and I'm not being fair to myself.  There isn't a perfect formula for grief and grief is messy.

Being in my big brothers presence was thrilling for me-like a kid in a candy store.  I will always miss it.  Oh, how thankful I am for the hope I have of being reunited with him one day in heaven.  I look forward to that day but until then, I have a very amazing life to live and a legacy to create myself.  I thank God for giving me an unusually close relationship with a brother and in spite of the overwhelming pain and loss, I am so grateful to have had him and thankful for the many ways that he will continue to live in my heart.

If you're still with me, thanks for listening. I will keep adding each year to give you an idea of how my thoughts have evolved over the years.  If you are experiencing the pain of loss, know that you are not alone.

In Him,

Annette

 

Things I Never Thought I'd Say Outloud

I don't know about you, but I sure do spend a fair amount of time stunned at what must come out of my mouth while parenting. My husband and I often give one another a look over the heads of our children in disbelief and with quite a smirk on our faces as well.  Here are a few of the things I never expected I would ever have to say out loud.  Prepare yourself...

• That princess dress is for your sister to wear.
• Do NOT lick my butt cheek.
• Do NOT throw toys down the air return vent.
• No, I do NOT want to see your penis.
• Stop licking my arm!
• Why are you covered in poop?
• Do you have to poop or pee?  (I have said this at least 2,345 times now)
• Which finger did you put in your bottom?!?!
• Why did you just drill a hole in my living room wall with Daddy's power tool?
• Why did you push your brother down the (VERY steep) driveway backwards in a Radio Flyer?
• You CANNOT play outside naked.
• Stop poking my boobs!
• You are not allowed to draw houses on my wall.
• Why did you put Vaseline all over your baby brothers head?
• You cannot paint with Lego's and your poop!!!!
• Just go pee over there...no one is looking.
• I don't have a free hand to answer that phone right now because I am pumping.
• I feel like a dairy cow.
• Would you like me to unlock the back door and let you back in? Are you done playing outside?
• Yes, your penis WILL get bigger as you get older.
• You cannot cover you and your brother with Elmer's glue.
• I haven't slept six hours straight in almost 3 months.
• Did he eat grapes yesterday? I saw them in his diaper this a.m.
• I need a new shirt, this one just got poop all over it.
• You are NOT allowed to pull Melissa's bathing suit top off while you are swimming with her!!

Share with me your audible surprises...let's all get a great laugh in today delighting in the fun and sometimes challenging parts of parenthood.  It's always funnier when it isn't YOUR kid doing it, isn't it?  I definitely need the reminder today to laugh more and freak out less...I don't usually find these things funny until AFTER the fact. :) 

With love,
Annette

We All Have a Story to Tell...

I have experienced most of my family battling with alcoholism and/or drug abuse and the treatment centers that that required...depression, anxiety, sexual abuse, a devastating and life-altering abortion and the sudden, traumatic and tragic death of my beloved big brother...

I have also experienced God's tug on my heart, his healing power, being led across the country to follow him, baptism, the daily gift of my incredible husband, forgiveness, four beautiful children and one waiting for me in heaven, grace, salvation, joy, restoration, courage, strength, boldness, peace and faith.

I try to be a real person.  I struggle with patience, insecurity, need for approval, perfectionism, image and granting myself grace.

I am drawn to people who are REAL.  We need more of it!  I have walked through many UGLY things in my life, but God's continued story of redemption in me is BEAUTIFUL.

I pray we are all experiencing the joy and freedom of having nothing to hide. What's your story?  Are you telling it?  Is God being glorified by it? 

In Him,
Annette

The Unpolished Version...

Okay friends,

I realize that not all of you will relate to this but I'd like to think that there are others of you who have fallen guilty to the "Polished Bible Belt Mom" Syndrome.  You know what I am talking about ladies...believing the lie that all other mothers besides yourselves run frolicking through a field of daisies singing at the top of their lungs. They never get upset with their perfectly well-behaved children and the organic vegetable garden they have is flourishing just outside their perfectly clean home...

My new saying is that one tends to become an expert in something once they have failed miserably at it.  This is true for me and the idol of image.  I have fallen prey and been sucked into the lie that in order to be a great mother and wife, I need to have it all together and look like I have it all together. You see the above polished photo? All matching? All looking incredibly happy? That was ONE SECOND in the life of the Delk's. And, I might add...we still couldn't get everyone looking. :)

What I have ruined in all of this, is any attempt for the need for Jesus, his grace and the ability to be real with others. 

So, this is not meant to be self-deprecating, I realize that I do many things that are very intentional for my family...and I seek goodness, but it IS an attempt to be real with you, to hopefully make you laugh out loud and to remind us that God wants us to be free from those lies. 

• If you come to my house, one of my sons may grab your breasts or tell you he likes them.
• I lose my temper at least once a day. (My daughter just came over and told me it was more than once. Humph!)
• I have a sailors mouth when I am really angry.
• My kids aren't bathed every day, not even every other day.
• My kids brush their teeth when they are bathed.
• Some days, I do have favorites, and it's the child who isn't talking yet.
• I have to apologize to my children for my sins...regularly.
• All of the plants I bought two weeks ago for fall have already died.
• I can be way too proud with my husband.
• If my children are left alone for more than 15 minutes, there's a good chance there will be 5-10 minutes of clean-up required.
• We home school, but we don't have our own garden, make our own bread or eat all organic and I've never worn a jumper.
• My children argue...often.
• There is a point when my "Demon...uh..Mom" voice comes out and all the kids take notice.
• I could now entertain children working at Pizza Hut...making balloon animals out of my breasts.
• If you drop by, you will find a massive mountain of laundry, just as you walk in, on my dining room table...if you call first, I MIGHT throw it in a closet but more than likely, you still find it there.
• I LIKE to keep my house organized and straightened, but don't lick my floors. I haven't mopped since 1996...and don't open any closets. You could get injured.
• Ok, so maybe that's not altogether true...twice a month I have a cleaning service come. Yep, I'm THAT girl. See? It takes a team to keep this image up.
• I often feel like I am failing at this whole motherhood thing.
• I don't like art projects.
• I think Playdoh and sandboxes are from the devil.
• I have a large roll on my stomach we have named "Biscuit". You can contort her into all sorts of shapes and pretend she's making funny faces. It's pretty cool really, except for when my son asked me last week if I had a baby in my tummy...
• I have cellulite, a gnarly c-section scar and my breasts...see Pizza Hut statement.
• I let my hair air dry the other day and my husband told me I looked like Axl Rose on a bad day.
• I order pizza and cupcakes for my kids' birthday parties...and I've never rented them a clown.
• I don't make goodie bags for the children who come to my kids' birthdays.
• Sometimes I leave my children to play by themselves while I write a silly blog.

So ladies, what's your unpolished version?  Let's share in reality with one another shall we? Let's enjoy the peace and freedom God wants for us to live.  You are perfectly designed to be the mother God wanted for each of your children.  Let's enjoy the domain God has entrusted to us...let's laugh at ourselves, be free to believe TRUTH and giggle more.

With love,
Annette