Grumpy Town (Next Exit: Grace)

I still need to upload pics from last week, so I thought that I'd go down an entirely different trail until then.

You might want to pack some granola, because this trail is kinda long. And tiresome. And potentially dangerous. You'll need your energy.

I haven't been very nice today. In fact, I've been downright grumpy from the moment I woke up. Naturally, while in this state of grumpiness, things conspired against me. Naturally.

RUDE. 

Things piled up, creating a sludge of opportunities called "Choices".

To grump, or not to grump?

I chose to be grumpy. I picked up the phone & called one of my closest friends, who is shouldering WAY more than any poor momma should right now, and unleashed my tour of Crabby Town in full detail. In fact, I even had a ticket to take her with me, but she doesn't roll like that. Nope. She always extends patience and understanding. She might have chugged an entire pot of coffee after our chat (pretty sure I wore her out), but she'll never tell. ;)

*Side note: My kiddos weren't in my line of fire, but I'm sure they received a few souvenirs from Crabby Town's gift shop. They overheard the ranting, raving, griping, complaining, accusing, etc. I'm sure it was a nice stress-free environment for them to flourish in.

>Insert Mom of the Year Award Here<

*sigh*

Then came the text. 

A blessing.

A reminder that God loves me and cares about my concerns (though mine are petty in the sight of what so many are facing). 

Grace,
 which is only bestowed to those who don't deserve it, 
was my exit outta Grumpy Town.

 Grace begets conviction. Conviction bestows restoration. Restoration brings healing. Healing extends grace. Yeah, I'm liking this cycle a whole lot better than the eternal spiral of grumpiness.

Who really wants to be friends with this person anyway?

Not so much.

Yesterday, I was in a pretty good mood. That would have been the logical day for God to bless me by blessing my children with a tangible gift. Something they've been dreaming about since we moved. They've patiently waited for it, because they know finances are tight right now.

You should have seen the smiles on their faces when I told them what was coming! 

That's how grace works. That's how God works. He uses these moments to remind me that when I least deserve Him, He is pursuing me with the most passion. I can see Him panting and yelling after me! His love is not dependent upon my performance or attitude. When I finally tire of sucking in dust, skinning my knees, and taking a million wrong turns, I find my way home by heeding His call. There's nothing better than knowing your Father came for you. Ran to you. Called you by name.

There's nothing better than Grace.

Ephesians 2:4-9 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

Teaser

Hey, friends!

Mind if I take a bit of extra time to write my Mother's Day post? I'm still soaking up all of the family muchness. (Muchness, in this case, being the much needed awayness.) The photos I snapped planted little seeds of posty goodness upon my bloggy heart. They still need a pinch of time to sprout. ;)

 *Can you tell we spent a lot of time outdoors?* 

To tide you over, I'll leave you with a few glimpses into happy mommy time. Hopefully, they'll keep you wondering what sort of adventures might be around the corner. :)

You do NOT want to miss the ladybug post!

This is how I look when the sun is in my eyes. 

Also, I was wondering where my kids were. 

More on that later.

I was so excited about this photo, until I saw that there was a fly on the cactus. 

I'm naming him Waldo.

 Can you find him? 

When you do, please kindly tell him to buzz off.

Or not so kindly.

All good stories have a snail in them.

Yep.

It's true.

 

 Oh, look! I found my kids. :)

Actually, these photos are out of sequence.

This was before I lost them.

 

 In the zone.

 

A peek into where we were.

(Just a peek for now.)

Hush.

I'll tell you all about it.

;)

 

The best part is that these aren't even my favorite shots. Yep, I'm holding onto the good stuff, so you'll have to come back! (Nobody likes a tease, I know). ;)

 

 

 

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

 

Wordless Wednesday

Jot it Down Tuesday/Dreaming in Sentences

Half awake, emerging from nonsensical Dreamland, I hear the garbled sounds of my seven-year-old pouring cereal. Pulling back the cobwebs of sleep, two sentences are caught between the sticky threads. I reach for pen and paper.

"There is one brilliant color, and I shall paint every home I own with it. In fact, I'll paint everything but the table. That I'll cover with a tablecloth which bears an intensity all its own."

If you enjoy free writing, please link-up with Heather at the E.O. You'll be glad you did!

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

P.S. Anyone know what this means? Dream interpreters? Anyone...? ;)

In Stitches

It's been rough, I'm not going to lie. I'm tired. I'm not always feeling well (okay, I rarely feel well). I'm moody. I miss my blogs, yet I've toyed with deleting both of them.


What stops me from doing that?


You.


I like you. :)


I like telling you about my day. I like reading about your day. I LOVE your comments, and I hope that you'll stick around while I look for whatever it is that I need to regain my sanity and health. Meanwhile, I am clinging to Scripture, prayer, and my Abba Father. And my family. And my friends. And my cats.

I'll continue to be a crummy blogger for a while, because it takes all I have to accomplish the basics. Blogging, as much as I love it, is a luxury. Luxuries need to wait for the necessaries to untangle. Time is all jumbled up. One of these days, I'm going to find my rhythm again, but I think the tune will be different. That's okay. I don't like listening to the same song over and over anyway.

*Randomness*

(This made me laugh in the store. 

Yes, I bought it. It's awesome. 

Don't even act like it hasn't crossed your mind 

at least once.)

;)

Okay,

there's one little luxury that I've found. It has brought soothing moments inside the chaos. Mindless entertainment. An actual hobby (What???). It turns out you get to have a hobby when the kids are older.

Who knew? 

;) 

(I'm in stitches!)

I hope to find you here when I unearth my schedule.

Pretty please?

I like you.

:)

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla 

P.S. If you are on Instagram, I'd love to "see" you there. I'm on Twitter & Facebook too, but I LOVE Instagram. See you in pictures! (Find me: "Layla Payton".)

Wordless Wednesday/Cat-astrophe

Jot it Down Tuesday/Sweet Victory!

As a home school mom, you hope it will happen. You don't know it, but you sure as heck hope it. The whole time you have been saying things like, "Just do it." ("Why?") "Because, I'm the mom, that's why." "I promise, you'll thank me for this later." "Seriously, I know what I'm talking about, just do the work." "NO, it's not pointless, that's the point." "This is a core subject. If you don't learn it well, high school and college are going to stink."



And then it happens:

HIGH SCHOOL.

 

I mean, all you did was blink your eyes, and *BAM*... high school??? 

Then you hear it. (Did you actually just hear it?)

"Mom, I wouldn't have understood this (points to high school writing book) if I hadn't taken "it". 

"It? You mean, Shurley English?"

"Yeah, none of this would've made any sense without that."

>Insert mom trying really hard not to squeal, 
or bust out some happy dance moves.<

Sweet victory.

This was a free writing exercise.
If you'd like to link-up, please visit Heather at the E.O.

Because you asked:

*Side note* Several months ago, I wrote a post that included a quick blurb about Shurley English. I was surprised that, out of all I had written about in that post, Shurley English turned out to be the most asked about and/or controversial topic. It was kind of a head scratcher for me. Some were curious about it, which was my goal. Some just flat hated it. Okay, that's fair. In fact, that's the beauty of home schooling. We have the freedom to pick and choose from a banquet of resources. So, this note isn't for those who hate that curriculum. It's for those who asked me questions, or expressed that when they flipped through the books, they felt like it was too much, or too involved.  Okay, yeah...I agree. I think that if you did every single assignment, it would be too much. I also think that it would be extremely difficult to begin Shurley English after the first grade year. Why? Well, because it is a rather complex program, and if you don't learn the "lingo" early on, you might find yourself beating your head against the wall. I was somehow blessed to have discovered it during Skyler's first grade year, and my other two boys have studied it since Kindergarten. There is no way I would have bothered with it otherwise. I would have said it was more than any of us could handle. But if you are new (like, K-1st grade new) to home schooling, and looking for a great English curriculum, I really think that you should give it a try. But don't set out to do every single bonus assignment. Don't feel pressured to listen to the CD every. single. day. (Once a week is enough.) Don't mom-guilt yourself into thinking that you've failed if you only made your child write one three point expository paragraph, in one day...because two paragraphs is insane. Unless you are teaching your first-born. Then you'll make him do them all. Because that is the first born curse. ;) As far as the extra/bonus assignments go, we rarely do them. We have enough on our plates. If your students have their basics (parts of speech) down solid, and if they can write the paragraphs/vocabulary words/practice-improved sentences, then doing all of the extras is craziness. Why do extra work if they are understanding the lessons? Once in a blue moon, you'll have a slow school day. You might be looking for one more thing to do, just so you don't feel like you're lettin' 'em off too easy (wink). That would be the opportune time to pull out an extra Shurley English activity. Then you'll have the time to cut out those magazine pictures, or write the extra paragraph, etc. Remember, home schooling isn't a religion. It's not a legalistic movement filled with "have-tos" and "gottas". It's supposed to be a place of freedom, where your little birds can spread their wings. Those wings get clipped if they are bogged down with too much work. That said, "Yes, we have to do English."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the mom and I said so. That's why!"

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

 

P.S. Yesterday, I planned on writing Manic Monday, but I had to take a nap instead. I'll try again next week. ;)