7 thankful quick takes

1.

Thank you, Lord. For exercise. Honestly, it makes such a difference to my outlook (if not to my fluctuating figure, yet) so I'm thankful for a husband who can take care of the kids while I do a morning pool workout. This is MAJOR as I can't do impact exercise out of water, and trying to get out in the evening....don't even go there.

2.

For worship songs. Sadly I haven't got my ass in gear about Lent and haven't got my favourite meditative CD in the car, but I replaced batteries on my bathroom stereo, finally, so I can listen to some songs properly.

3.

All the Small Things. Not the Blink 182 song. Although, that too. But all the things like changing batteries, and having the kids outside to play, and all the other things which may seem standard and trivial and small but at the end of the day, are HUGE.

Oh Lord get us out in the fresh air and home before it pisses it down.

                                       

4.

For the huge things, like the biggest event our town has ever seen that happened last night - an armed siege with hostages which ended safely. My husband rang to say he couldn't leave work as there were armed police who had told him to stay in his building away from the windows. Later he was evacuated from the building under armed guard and came to join the family. Trust us to rent an office next to the building where this happened. Four years ago we were camping in the Lake District on an idyllic family campsite and there was an insane gunman on the loose there.

5.

For daughters. 2ndSister was home from school yesterday with a stomach upset yet still entertained the smaller children so I could get the online grocery shopping done.

6.

For babies. FabDad and I still rejoice just in gazing at 4thSister in her final stages of babyhood (she turns one next week). The way she holds her head, the nape of her neck, the way she plays 'row row row the boat' in the bath. All treasure. And she eats anything I make for her (see below.)

7.

This is my 'clean' look

For those who clear their plates without whinging, when they're having full three meals a day. I'm working on this in our house. Following our attempt at French Kids Eat Everything, 2ndSister's eating habits have improved, but an increase of fish and vegetarian dishes during Lent isn't really helping them appreciate that their tummies would be full if they filled them up. A special thanks to 4thSister for whom I can currently stew beef, potato, turnip, pepper, onion, broccoli and spinach, and it gets wolfed down.


Also - I'm thankful dance exams are over (low merit, high merit, distinction gained, hurrah!), that I booked 2ndSister's birthday party well in advance and that tomorrow morning I'll get 30 minutes at church in Morning Prayer. Alone. hah!

* with thanks to Jen Fulwiler @ ConversionDiary.com for hosting - head over there now and read a whole load of other Quick Takes!

Lent Lite

For a moment here I thought I was having Lent-lite.

And then I remembered that even though I didn't make it for ashing, that I was late with the kids' materials, I've cancelled my attendance at ecumenical Lent group and I'm re-reading a Lent book of poetry from a couple of years back, then I shouldn't be surprised when God grabs me by the ankles, dangles me from a great height and says

Look at this! Look at all this is happening! Because you made it so! Because you allow it to be!

Last week someone mentioned to me that having a 'whatever will be, will be' attitude only works if you're a willing partner in the exchange and do some of the work. I agree to an extent, but what we didn't discuss is that God only needs a

sliver, an

inch, a

glimpse, a

tiny glimmer of interest and willingness and then suddenly, boom! it all starts to happen.

From the moment I sat in a 10am service, having been slack and left all 4Sisters at home with FabDad, I realised how much I needed Lent. To be topsy turvy for a while. To think about what we don't have, and what we do have.To realise how the slightest  Bible reading and the deepest prayer can call us to arms, and remind us who we are, who God is, and why we take this time 'out', liminally, to rediscover this.

We didn't collectively give up confectionery this year -  it's generally restricted to weekends anyway - although I have been trying, mainly unsuccessfully, to cut down on sugar. We haven't really given anything up at all, although we're using Christian Aid resources again to think and reflect. But thankfully, when the sun came out on Sunday, suddenly we had the gift of fresh air, exercise, running children!

1stSister reluctantly came off Minecraft and an hour later was refusing to come in because she was enjoying riding her bike around the block too much.

I took 2ndSister to the park to practice riding without stabilisers and had some close time with her.

3rdSister wanted to scoot, skate and cycle all at once although all of these things elude her but she's just happy being out with the others. As is 4th Sister.

Tuesday, they begged to go out after school again and homework was done in record time.

Thank you God, for moving our asses away from difficult neighbours and a road busy with traffic, to a new estate where our privileged kids can get out and play like I used to when I was a kid. With some of the local under privileged kids, sometimes.

And as for me? I spend 45 minutes at a new aquaaerobics class which was perhaps the best euphoria I've had since clubbing on MDMA.

And these small, few things remind me I am restored, renewed, in Him. It can only take a small tweak, a little effort, to engender great change. We just need to reach out and trust. Say that prayer. Feel that prayer. Ask. Do.

A little like a Bible verse we had at hospital prayer this week, you think?

...your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6: 8, part.)

And if anyone needs an earworm, I remember this from Sunday School, and it's taken from the same chapter:

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
and his righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.

Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by ev’ry word
That proceeds from the mouth of God.
Allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.

Okay - 4th Sister needs getting up from her nap...

7 Extraordinarily Quick Takes

1.

I have discovered this week that even if taking part in a blogging challenge, posting every day just isn't possible for me. Sigh.

2.

I have discovered this week that even if I'm posting more regularly than usual, it still takes over my morning prepare-and-organise time in a way that's inconvenient and doesn't work. Bigger sigh.

3.

Which is a shame, as the morning is the time when I'm bursting (ok, percolating, then) with ideas and I've realised this week that I do have stuff I want to share with the wider world, but have other priorities. God-given priorities. Yay!

4.

I have also discovered that if you wash an orange Berol felt-tipped pen in the wash with a load of clothes, with its lid on, it will not leak on the washload and will also continue to write like it should. So this one lives another day to sneak into the washing machine :-) See, this week has not been an epic fail after all!

5.

Tip - a mini-doughnut temporarily soothes a teething baby who is standing up clinging at you moaning while you rapidly try and finish your Quick Takes.

6.

I need to congratulate myself again for keeping all4Sisters alive, fed, washed and entertained, even though I didn't blog every day. Although I just realised I posted on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, which is pretty much a record. And I've almost finished these Quick Takes, only two days late :-)

7.

When she finishes the mini-doughnut, a nearly-one-year-old will scream like you are using her like a pincushion and extend her arms like Doc Ock until she gets another one. Back to intermittent blogging, people!

* with thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler @ ConversionDiary.com for hosting - head over there now and read a whole load of other Quick Takes!