Day 3: Ratings Hike

Day 3 of this experiment presented me with a plot twist no one could have seen coming: Oak vomitted everywhere and started running a temperature of over 100.

My first thought: What if his fever reaches 104? I've got to take him to the ER!

Luckily, Joshua was there to derail that train of thought before it went too far. We have a doctor's appointment this morning.

My second thought: This is good. I started this 30 Days thing to better take care of my family, now God's giving me an opportunity to do just that.

But here's a dilemma I'm finding myself in now: How to balance out comforting a sick toddler who just wants to be held with feeding, holding and caring for an infant who also wants to be held? And now that I think of it, how do I balance that with giving attention to my husband who has been working major overtime this week and needs some extra TLC?

Physically, I'm on my own here. When Josh gets done working mind-boggling shifts, he's too tired to change diapers and make bottles. I definitely don't want him to have to make his own supper. This means one of two things--1) someone will have to cry because they're not being held at some point, and 2) better planning will have to go into meals, i.e. prepping while Oak is napping, feeding Bear more at a time so he'll eat fewer meals a day, and so on.

Emotionally, however, I've got all the help I need. The Holy Spirit totally stepped up on this one. I'm tired, but not irritable. I'm doing everything around the house (including new things like double-washing clothes because I didn't realize washing machines don't make vomit disappear, they just distribute it evenly), but I don't feel overworked. Even hearing Oak whine while Bear screams doesn't faze me. And I really thank God for that, because--as any mom can tell you--listening to two babies feed off each other's cries can really eat away at you.

So that's Day 3, and my guess is probably Day 4, too. Tune in tomorrow to see if the producers can capitalize on this exciting twist!

Day Two: Reconnaissance

Well, I didn't post yesterday, so I'm already a day behind in my 30 Days to Rebuild Jerusalem experiment. This is what I learned about each of my targets from my first reconnaissance mission.

Bear
Likes:

• eating
• being held
• gurgling with someone

Dislikes:

• waiting to eat
• pacifiers (sometimes)
• pooping

Oak

Likes:

• fresh fruit, cheese, milk, grape juice
• playing outside
• reading books with someone
• climbing on things
• dancing

Dislikes:

• waiting to eat or drink
• coming inside
• being ignored
• hearing "no"

Joshua

Likes:

• food
• playing outside
• talking about and preparing to sell this house and buy an RV
• traveling
• chess, yahtzee, phase 10, monopoly
• learning computer programming
• sex

Dislikes:

• going to bed
• getting up
• clutter
• milk and egg-yolk products
• illogical statements

The Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

Likes:

• hearing/seeing singing, dancing, and making music in His praise
• talking with someone
• hanging out
• taking care of someone's problems for them
• seeing someone care for others

Dislikes:

• being ignored

Today, or Day 3, is the day I start using the things I learned from Day Two to better love and care for my peeps. From here on out, I think that's pretty much what it is.

30 Days to Rebuild Jerusalem

Day One: Admit, Assess & Strategize
This exercise is based on a series my church (The Crossing, Kirksville) started last week called One89, looking at the promises Christ made in Acts 1:8-9 before he ascended into Heaven. The idea the pastor rolled with last week and this week was this: our Jerusalem is our family and the people immediately around us, our Judea and Samaria is the world outside of that. If your Jerusalem is in shambles, you won't have a strong enough foundation to go out and save Judea and Samaria, and without a strong foundation, the world will pick you apart.

For those of you who are worried, my Jerusalem, my family, is not in shambles, not really. But we're not moving forward, and--to quote one of my favorite teachers from high school--if you're not moving forward, you're falling behind, and I'd hate to leave my family falling behind while I go out and try to move the world forward. That's what this series of blog posts will be about: rebuilding my Jerusalem by reconnecting with my family and my faith.


Admit the Problem
To describe myself as a hermit wouldn't be any exaggeration. We've discussed before how much I like to live in my own little world of make believe, but the fact is I have two babies and one husband who depend on me on a daily basis for love, attention, food, and more attention. It would be easy and feel great to make excuses like, "I get up five times a night with Bear, I'm too tired to play with Oak all day long and then cook supper," or "Josh sleeps all night and works all day, he should be the one giving me attention," or even better "Shouldn't I get to have some time to myself?" The one I hear myself think most often is "I started out at five this morning and before I know it, it was ten o'clock at night and I forgot to read my Bible--but Bear's going to be up and hungry in two hours. If I don't sleep now, when will I?"

The problem with excuses is that they were invented to excuse--to free from an obligation, or to justify a behavior. And when you justify, you make what you're doing seem okay. If I stop making excuses and put it in the bluntest terms possible, what I do every day is this: ignore my children, my husband, and my Saviour because I'd rather be lazy and selfish than give them back the love and attention they give me.


Assess a Solution
Giving up everything that's centered around my wants. That sounds drastic, but I don't think it really is. If you think about it, what could possibly be more freeing than not being tied down by what you want? Not having to meet your own demands is the ultimate release from obligation. Besides, I think that actually giving up everything you ever wanted in pursuit of God's plan is really on more of a case-by-case basis. What's important, I think, is being willing to give it up.

I'll need a way to keep myself accountable and display the daily results for this experiment. How about by writing a blog post every day that details something I learned, experienced, or felt? Check.

My goal is this: to rebuild my Jerusalem. Which means what? To invest myself in my family and my faith so that we can be a strong unit and foundation for each other.

Bust out a Strategy
The overview of my plan, in order of appearance, looks like this:

• Reignite the relationship between myself and my lovers--Joshua and Jesus
• Spend more time with my boys, Oak and Bear
• Be nicer to our cats
• Repair my relationships with my extended family, both on my side and Joshua's

To accomplish these objectives, I'm going to need to gather some intelligence, so please tune in tomorrow for Day Two: Reconnaissance.