The Most Randomly Put Together Post You'll Ever Read + Favorite Posts This Week

If you can follow this post at all, you will win an award. I have sat at the computer nearly a dozen times today (Thursday) to write this thing. Being that no full thought has ever come together yet, I'm going to be human and just throw it out there.

These are the days, my friends. THESE are the days.

Right now in this house we're doing normal things, summer things, survival things and chasing our tails things. I incorporated a new list of daily chores and another of 'you-live-in-this-house-don't-forget-you-need-to-contribute' things for the kids this week. They all seem easy to me, but then these are all daily tasks that I naturally pick up and just DO.

I'm not sitting around (see photo above...not me) soaking in the sun and enjoying the summer day. I am also not blissfully happy being pregnant and loving my chicks gathered around wandering around with nary a thing to do. Well, not the little girls. They rarely gather, but their path of destruction behind their every move is of epic proportions. They are like twins I'd guess or to which I liken them "more of a handful than five small boys."

Throw in the fact that we're in full blown potty training with the three year old and the last thing I've been up to is resting.

And, I've been complaining and miserably not myself at times.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised then when this prompt for the day popped up on Blessed Is She today:

I had plans for today. You know, the stuff that needs my attention and time. The things I need to do while I have the energy to do them.

But then I saw that prompt this morning.

It really should've been glued to my forehead or maybe tattooed to my arm.

When I find myself inspired by the words or insights of others, I better be prepared to be given plenty opportunity to heed them.

Like when I put this printable in the frame and set it on the kitchen windowsill as my summer reminder:

You get the point. A lot of times though others say it better than I, which leads me to the other point of this post. These were a couple of the goodies that popped up in my feed this week and kept me thinking:


Mothering Spirit: There Is Another Way


Surviving Our Blessings: The Mess Is The Thing


Martin Family Moments: Maggie With An e



Finally, a couple photos to close this out and wrap the scattered.


Somehow in the excitement of the early summer I neglected to share this ultrasound photo from two weeks ago. I've never had the 3D ultrasound availability with any of the other kids and I was so hoping they'd turn it on so I could see the baby in 3D. They did!

Mr. or Miss Smooshy Face at nearly 25 weeks:

Baby was being super uncooperative again (super low rider baby here) this time around, but at least they got the measurements and views they needed. I've got orders in for another ultrasound at 32 weeks since they want to check out the kidney to bladder measurements that weren't quite in the normal range. Usually these things resolve themselves.

I'll admit that every look at this little person reminds me of the outcome and blessing of all this. Pregnancy is not my thing and with so many extra changes (painful varicose veins in one leg and recently diagnosed hernia + let's not even discuss the chest measurements that are so not me), there's that part of me that forgets the generosity of God and that at one time five children would have been hard to imagine possible.

In case you want visible proof that we are surviving, occasionally we smile and we're doing our best, here you go. This was taken last Sunday at the 20th ordination anniversary party for our dear priest friend. A mom of many walked up as the kids were hanging around and I was just debating taking their photo. She came in like Super Mom and asked if we'd like her to take a family photo. Why, yes please. While these moments are rare, they do exist. Even if my weekdays feel overwhelming and scattered, I know that grace abounds and we make it through.

God's got this. He does.

Thankfully, even in spite of my cranky, complaining, human self.