I've come to the realization that Michael has the bladder control of a gnat. Sigh. In the span of about two hours, Michael used the toilet twice (after much urging from me) and had an accident shortly after (I confess I was involved with writing out Christmas cards while he was building with his Lego Duplos and forgot to ask if he needed to use the toilet. Again.). After calming him down, I showed him how easy it was to clean up the liquid (thank God for my Clorox Wipes!). I gently told him to "listen to your body" (by the way, how can I translate that better in aged-appropriate language?!? I know he was probably thinking...I didn't know my body could talk or What does my body say?!?) and "try to hold it in while going to the toilet." He replied, "But I just forgot to think about it!" I know.
Once Michael gets toilet trained, I'm wondering if my life will revolve around getting him to the bathroom every 30 minutes or less. Can you imagine the impact it will have when we're out in public like at the mall, the grocery store, restaurants, etc.?!? Public restrooms are just GROSS! This is why I had Jacob order the "Travel Potty" from Amazon.com. I've yet to open it because I'm not brave enough to leave the house in just training underwear (that do diddly-squat anyway)!
I finally got to finish More Than Words by Judith Miller and A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston. Those are for my January 2011 newsletter. But last night, I read Do You Know Who I Am? by Angela Thomas (I love her!!!), Good Manners for Today's Kids by Bob & Emilie Barnes (another author I love!), 100 Bible Verses by Robert J Morgan, Coping with Chronic Illness by H.Norman Wright and Lynn Ellis and God Loves Single Moms by Teresa Whitehurst. Look for these reviews in my December newsletter which I just finish posting on my blog (click on the tab that's labeled "Five Star Books and More") with pictures and all. Thank you, God for technology!!!
A BIG shout-out goes to my cousin Jason who showed me how to get tabs on the blog making this part blog and part website. I call it a "BlogSite." He's brilliant. I'm not. I can say this because I spent an hour going over the tutorials on how to make tabs, change the HTML, etc. and still couldn't figure it out. It might as well been written in Swahili, which at this moment, I'm not even quite sure if it's a written language or just a spoken language/dialect...
Lack of sleep will also rob you of brain cells. I'm the poster child for that fact.
Two days ago I forgot to tell you I started reading Nightingale by Susan May Warren (my upstairs book). But I've barely been upstairs other than to run in and out of rooms so I didn't get back to it. This afternoon I got to read some more and I'm finally up to chapter 17. Hopefully, I'll finish it after I'm done blogging.
I'm amazed by God's grace. For some unknown reason, the week of my newsletter deadline (it must be sent out by the first Friday of the month) is always so hectic and crazy! There have been many times when I didn't think I would make it. I've been tired, toilet-training (is so not for wimps), blowing a little nose every 20 minutes (or so it seems!) and doing a bunch of other mom stuff. But God ALWAYS comes through!!! I'm constantly blown away by His GRACE. I finished writing 90 Christmas cards in the last two days and read a few books. Tonight I lost all my images that I had painstakingly downloaded onto my blogsite for my newsletter fiction reviews. I'm not sure how it happened, but I started all over again and finally got everything in. And it's only 11:12pm! It's a total GOD THING!!!
That's why the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 speaks to me. I like how the Amplified Bible puts it... "But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!"
Amen and Amen! I pray that God will shower you with His grace as you go about in your daily life. I'm so grateful for God's grace, aren't you?
