The Truth About Men (and Women)

I am not one to discuss politics with people. I still believe that my opinion is just that, and I would rather not have heated discussions with friends and family. So, breathe easy because I am not going to talk about the election or any of that.

Today I want to talk about men and women. I guess I should make sure that you know that I am a believer in Christ and His holy word. Having said that, I am so disappointed and saddened at the view when I am looking at men and women these days. Society has so much influence on us, whether we think so or not. It has changed the view of what a man should be and look like. The same with women. I'll begin with men.

Men, do you know what your role is, as a man? God has designed men and called them to be leaders. To provide, protect, care for, and LEAD their families. If you do not have a family, you still have these qualities, even if they are buried deep down. How? Why? because God has embedded them into you. Society likes to mock men, call them stupid. Make them look like the lesser species. This is ridiculous. Men were made to be physically stronger. Look at their larger frames, their bigger, more callused hands, the roughness in their voices. We want to know why so many men are relying on women to handle business. Its because that is what we are grooming them into! Yes, women are strong and can handle their business, and I will get to that. But men, where has your pride gone? That pride that drove you to work hard every day to bring home even the smallest paycheck to feed your family? Where has the pride gone where you take great care of what you have so that it lasts a long time? Where has your pride gone to that allows your family to feel protected? There was a time, for example the great depression, when men had to go and ask for help. Those men beat themselves up about that. Why? Because their pride was bruised, because they were unable to provide for their families.  As a society these days we are telling men that we don't need them. they are disposable. absolutely not! God designed you to be stand tall before your family, to be an example to others, to your kids, that they might say "i want to be just like my dad!" or "I want to marry someone just like my father!" Men are made to lead, and we should encourage them to lead, and hold them accountable to that!

Women. Oh women. I am sorry if this is offensive in any way, but this is my blog and my opinion will be free to fly. What has happened to us? We were also designed in a special way, by God, to fill a role. First off, I am not a feminist, at all. And I do not believe we were made to be door mats. But seriously, we are made to be companions. We are strong, we can be independent and take care of ourselves. And we can climb the ladder of success in any career path we choose. Absolutely things we can do. But we can also hold tight to our God given design. We are natural nurturers. I realize there are extreme cases where this is not so, but most of us, we nurture. We care for people, animals, our belongings, everything! God did not create us to be equals in the roles we play. that is just the plain and simple truth. God gave women smaller frames, a curve in our arm that men do not have, softer voices, skin, appearance, everything! We are made to be "soft". Again, we are not made to be taken advantage of and walked all over. Do you have any idea the strength it takes to be soft? We have to control our tongues, our tone, step down sometimes to let a man lead where he should. It takes incredible strength to quiet our desire to take over and just be soft.

As women we have a power that men do not seem to posses. With one word we can bring a man to his knees. We can tear him down so much faster than anyone else possibly could. Why? because we are who they are looking to for approval. They lead, provide, protect, and we give one ounce of attitude in our tone, and our man, our big, strong, tougher than nails man, comes slouching down. We are called to be encouraging, lifting them up. Not telling them they are idiots and stupid and that we can do things better than they can. Maybe you can do something better, but is that what you have been called to? Not necessarily.

I find it incredibly discouraging that our society has been able to penetrate us this way. Every "family" show on television right now portrays the man as stupid. The wife will always say "oh ok" and the when the husband leaves the room they roll their eyes or scoff and give a demeaning remark. If your husband heard you say something like "you're an idiot!" how would he react? would he cower and walk away? Would he spew something equally hurtful to you? Regardless of what his reaction is, he is responding to your awful words of discouragement. And, I am sure, it stings when those words come from him. How can you feel good thinking your husband thinks you are stupid? If we are supposed to be "equals" why isn't that working out so well at home? If we are supposed to be equals, why does it only tear us down? Because we are not made the same, we are not "equal" in that sense.

Women, love, nurture, build up your man. Tell him you appreciate him. Tell him you are proud to be his wife. Tell him anything like this, and i guarantee he will walk a little taller.

Men, tell your wife you love her, that she is beautiful. That you are grateful for how she tends to your family. Provide for her, protect her, have pride in your family. You are supposed to be the one that steps up and takes care of business. Do it! Take back your pride! Lets step up and be the people we were designed to be, instead of trying to outdo everyone in our path. We were not created to be equal, we were created to be different. Complete opposites actually. We were made to compliment each other.

I am so blessed that my husband knows his role and is fighting everyday to be what God has called him to be. I am proud to say that my husband does lead our family, he provides for us so that I can be home with our children. He has a natural instinct to protect us, whatever the "attack" might be. He walks with his head high knowing that he can take pride in the way he leads his family.

Lets have it men! Let us see your leadership. And women, lets see your encouragement. Be the one lifting him up so he can reach that potential instead of being the one to tear him down and strip him of it all.

My Love

While working on the computer today I stumbled upon some pictures that totally took me back! First, I'd like to address my "working" on the computer. I was actually working on church/worship stuff, and not playing around like I usually do :)

Now, to give you some back story, I met my husband in college. We were best friends immediately. And when I say immediately, I mean that quite literally. We could talk about anything and could be completely honest with one another without any fear. While neither one of us were looking for a relationship, God had other plans.

We started dating and got engaged 6 months later. During our year long engagement, Eric went to Marine Corps boot camp. This would change both of our lives. He was gone for 3 months, the only way of communicating was through snail mail. It was very difficult to pick up and dial his phone number and then realize he wasn't there.

(we look like little kids hahaha)

Once he graduated boot camp, we go married, and 6 days later he was gone again. For about 2 months that time. This would be the beginning of not seeing each other. We were very young when we got married, I was 20 and Eric was 21, so add that to the mix of "things to overcome", we were still growing up. :) We finally moved in with each other 3 months after our wedding. Crazy. He was then in the field, always. Then he was in California for a month training for deployment. Then came that sad day. He had to leave. No other word than "awful" can describe that.

But let me just say that the military life is one of honor, for all involved. We made lifelong friends, and were a part of something great. But this post isn't about the military, its about my love.

We have moved 8 times, gone through a deployment, rented 4 homes, owned 2 homes, had 3 beautiful children, and will be married 8 years this December. I love this man with every ounce of my being. We have done so much life together in these 8 years, more than many people do in 15 years. It has been interesting to say the least, but we are so much stronger and closer for it.

I am so incredibly blessed to have him in my life. Just to know him seems a privilege. He is a strong, Christ centered man that leads our family as he has been called to. He provides for and loves his family. He makes me laugh every day. And I still get so excited to see him! Though there have been hard times and learning curves through our journey, we have stood firm together. We have held onto God and each other and intend to prove that marriage is sacred in this world that views marriage as disposable. What a love I have for this man. What an honor to be called his wife. What a privilege to have a family with him. What an experience it is to do life with him every single day.

I am in love you Eric Hines, always.

Reunions

Yes. It's true. My husband and I have been out of high school for 10 years. He seems to be fine with that. I just have a hard time. Not so much with how long its been since graduation, but with my age numbers rising...

My high school reunion already passed. I guess I just didn't feel the need to go to hang out with people that want to act like we are still in high school. When you post things like "its time to get our drank on" and "lets get wasted class of 2002" I do not feel an ounce of desire to join the festivities.

No, I don't want to get wasted. No, I don't want to "get my drank on". No, I am not 18 anymore, I am 28 years old. I feel like acting somewhat close to my age is a little necessary.

My husband has a completely different approach to his reunion. He is just pumped to see everyone. Why is it so different? There are all these looming things, like who is married? Who has kids? What are people doing with their careers? And I know we all want to know what people look like these days...don't act like you are too good to think that stuff...

 

Yes, that's right everyone. Don't be jealous!

 

In high school I had a lot of acquaintances. I was only close with a handful of people. But I seemed to be on good terms with most people. I liked that I could say hi to whomever and it wasn't awkward. But its been so long since I have even spoken to some people, I feel like now, it would be a little weird.

 

Now the husband, again, completely different view. He wants to catch up and see EVERYONE. I just can't feel the same :) I am perfectly content sitting at home in my jammies reading about our reunion on Facebook. I am a home body, and I am completely OK with that!

 

I couldn't resist this photo. Hilarious!

 

 

Anyone that knows me, knows this is complete sarcasm, but its great!

 

So since I didn't go to my own reunion, I am going to my husbands. It seems like I keep in touch with more people that he graduated with than with people I did. Really weird. But hey, hopefully its a good time! Gotta go show off my earrings!

 

Look who's 1!!!

Alright...so this is a little late...but ya know, maybe I am in denial about the whole thing. Anyhow, my youngest, Lucy, turned one year old in August. She has just grown so quickly before my eyes. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that she isn't just 3 months old anymore. She is walking everywhere, getting into everything, babbling so much, and so happy! I am so in love with this little person!

Lucy Joyce Hines

The infamous mohawk

Pulling herself up!

Cheesy girl

Easter 2012

 

Happy Birthday with Daddy

Yummy Cake

Loved her grocery cart and baby

My sweet girl is 1 year old



Showers of Blessings

PRAISE GOD! Eric got a job!!!!! He started his new job on Monday and is very excited. We got the call on Friday and didn't know what to do with ourselves. What a BLESSING I had a hard time getting excited until he started, I think I was just worried and scared to get my hopes up. But he got it! He is really employed! After a very long 5 months, we are just so blessed.

So, because he got this job, we are able to look for a place of our own again, which is great, but a little stressful as well. We have been so incredibly BLESSED to have family open up their home to us. All 5 of us, for so long. I am positive it has been difficult sharing their space, but we could not have made it if it weren't for Mike and Michelle. But being a homemaker, I am so excited to finally have a home to make again.

Leah is doing so well in school. She is going to be joining a guided reading group early with 3 other students! She just accomplished tying her shoes all by herself. And she is going to be helping lead a song at church soon! She is a huge BLESSING to us.

I cannot understand the way the God provides for us. Everyday it's something new. And because He continues to provide without fail, you'd think we would just be in constant trust and faith with Him. Why is that not the case? Because it is our human nature to rely on ourselves and believe that we have everything under control, when clearly, that is not the case. Praise God for His faithfulness, His provisions, and His grace.

1 Timothy 6:17
"Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;"

So grateful for a God that knows my needs and circumstances and will always provide my needs.

Who Loves Vacations?

This girl does!

This summer, like every summer, we took our family vacation. And when I say family vacation, I mean FAMILY. Every year we go to Gull Lake Family Camp, it is THE best place to vacation! My husbands family have been going on vacation there for over 40 years! So, when we go each summer, it's Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins...our whole family. IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!!! Not only do we get to see and spend time with everyone, we get to hear an awesome speaker. This year the speaker was incredible, Lloyd Shadrack, I recommend finding him online and listening to some of his sermons. Challenging.

So, we get to play at the beach, go on paddle boats, play on the docks and look for sea shells, splash and run at the splash pad, go to the playgrounds, do the climbing walls, zip lines and play pickle ball. This place is fantastic!

But the absolute best part is watching the counselors show Jesus to our kids. They pour so much of themselves into the children, it's amazing! I am so thankful for such a fun yet tranquil place to go each year. What a blast and a blessing!!! I wish we could stay longer than a week! We love Gull Lake!!!!!

I have the Kindergarten blues

Tomorrow at 8:00 I am walking my baby girl to her bus stop. Her very first bus stop. For her very first day of real school...Kindergarten. I cannot understand how we are already here. Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital? Weren't we just terrified because we had this newborn at home and didn't have a clue what we were doing? And then all of a sudden I wake up and she is 5 years old and heading to her bus stop....no problem mom...right? No. Very wrong.



We took Leah to her meet and greet at the school last week. She was thrilled! I really like her teacher, which helped to ease the anxiety a little. That was until I received her bus route card in the mail. I immediately called the transportation office. This is my first time...I obviously have questions. OK. Concerns. Alright, I am terrified!!!! The kind woman on the phone told me all about their procedures for different "what if" scenarios. Thank the Lord they have procedures in place. But even though she tried to put my mind at ease, I know Leah. I know her better than she knows herself. I know that sometimes she is flighty. I know that she can get wrapped up in playing or talking and completely lose focus and stop paying attention. I know that she is my kid. So, like any rational mother, I had nightmares. That's right, full scale, freaking out, waking up a sweaty mess, nightmares.

It went like this. Leah made it to school fine on the bus, had a great day. Then when I went to her bus stop to walk her home, she didn't show up. So, I did what the kind transportation lady told me to. I called them and the school. They ordered all buses back to the school. And I went there to get her. The only problem was, that her bus never showed. Imagine my thoughts waking up after that!!!!!!!!! Seriously. And now I have to walk her to her bus tomorrow...I am just not sure I can handle this.

So, the moral of the post is, PRAY FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may lose my mind all day. I am sad, scared, very sad, jealous of the teacher's time with her, sad some more, and anxious. Did I mention sad? She is a good kid with a good heart and a good head on her shoulders. She is going to be fine. Mom, however, will struggle through the day. Cannot believe my baby is so grown up already!

Sweet Leah, I love you so much! You are such a blessing and so many of the reasons I smile!

Birthdays, Beds, and Back to School

With 3 children life gets crazy. And busy. And stressful. And sad.

Yesterday we took Leah to meet her new teacher for Kindergarten. We saw her classroom, and cafeteria and play ground, and gym, and library, and all the hallways....you know, EVERYTHING. I really like her teacher, very nice woman. Leah found her table with her name where she will sit and the locker/cubby where her backpack will go. I have been through this with preschool, but this is different. Real school. With homework. Yes, I said it, homework. Oh. Boy.

I am not all that concerned about Leah. She is naturally outgoing and has never met a stranger. She just believes that everyone starts out being her friend. Which is good, on some levels. I am more concerned with how I am going to deal with this. First, I am going to miss her!!! She has school from 8:40-3:44 each day. All day I will be missing her! And for the kicker, she will be riding the bus. She is thrilled. I am worried! I know that might be silly. All I can think of is "what if she gets on the wrong bus home?" or "what if she misses the bus completely? " or "what if she doesn't get off at her stop?" I know it'll be OK, but just to be safe I contacted the transportation depot and got as much information as I could on all busing issues.

Now, not only are we doing Kindergarten this year. We just celebrated Lucy's first birthday. I cannot understand how that year went by so fast! She is just so big! And what a sweetheart! My wonderful sister in law helped take pictures of Lucy to mark her first year. Turned out great!



 My baby turns 1 and my oldest starts Kindergarten...that is enough for a mom right now, don't you think? Oh but wait, there is more!

Jackson will be turning 3 years old in a couple of weeks. Yes. Three. And on top of that, he is now officially in his big boy bed. A twin sized bed with big kid Lightening McQueen sheets. Will I regret taking him out of his cage crib? Who knows, but it was time.

This is just a lot of change for someone who does not do change well. Seriously. I cannot handle too much change. But that seems to be the story of my life lately. It'll all be OK though. Woooosaaaaah!

Wonders of Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, and unlike a lot of day during the week, today is a little more eventful for me. Today, my hubby has an interview! So, it started me wondering....

Eric- I am wondering how your interview will go today. Of course we are all hoping it goes perfect! As we have been looking for a job for you to no avail for almost 4 months now. Insert sad face...

Lucy Goose- I wonder how you turned 1 year old so quickly and didnt even bother to ask me how I felt about it. It seems like we had her party, she turned 1, and life just moved on so quickly. I am just not ok with that! Also, I wonder why you had to wake up so upset today. I realize when youre hungry, youre hungry, but nobody likes to wake up to that...lets work on it ok?

Leah- How, on earth, I wonder, are you starting Kindergarten in 19 days????? Seriously!?! Talk about wondering where the time went. I swear we just had your first birthday pary in North Carolina. Yet here we are doing this new thing called "back to school" shopping. This is completely foreign to me...and I am not ready.

Jackson- You dear boy, make me wonder a lot of things. But mostly, how on earth did God make your normal speaking voice 10 times louder than the average human being? It's as if you are trying to contact someone accross the state using only your God given voice. Completely baffled.

Ben & Jerry's- I wonder how you come up with the best ice cream flavors ever. In all creation. The. Best. Ever. It's addicting. It's a problem. I wonder if I'll ever be able to control myself. Probably not. I suppose I will just have to add an extra 30 minutes to my already suffering work out.

Fisher Price/Vtech/Playschool/all other toy brands- I wonder why it is that you have to make your toys so loud. Now, I appreciate that on most of them there are 2 volume settings. My problem lies with how loud the loudest setting is. I don't mind the sounds, the music, the dinging. I mind that when my children turn the volume up on their toys, I have to talk louder for anyone to hear me. Annoying.

One last wonder.

Pinterest- Do I even need to say it? Ok, I will, even though we are all thinking it already. I wonder how you have become so addicting that you have to be a part of my every day? I cannot go an entire day without browsing through for at least a few minutes. And now that I have 12,649 crafts pinned to work on, I dont really have time to pin more. But I do. Everyday. I can't help it.

The Hairy Truth

As you may know, my family has moved across the state recently. And as you may also know, I am a hair dresser. That being said, I have many clients in our previous city, and not so many in our current one. I am a stay at home mama so I do not contribute financially, aside from avoiding an insane day care bill each month. So, doing hair is my way of helping. As you may also know, my husband lost his job...so, needless to say, we need any income possible right now with our family of 5.

About once a month I come back to said previous city to do hair. It is worth my while to make the money and see my much missed family. If my husband and kids aren't with me, at least one child tags along. This visit, Leah made the cut.

Yes, we snack BIG TIME in the car on long drives. We had a good 2 hours to go, so who wouldn't pack on the heavy side of snacks?

So I have 12,582 hair appointments this weekend to complete, and family to visit with. You are wondering how? How is this very human person going to accomplish all of that in the matter of 2 days? I dont have a clue! Today I have finished my hair stuff! I love to see these people, they have become family to me, and hey, some of them are family! So its great to see them! It is difficult though...since I am away and cannot always get back in time, people get desperate...this is what they say to me...

Truly, what were you thinking?!?! Now, instead of the hour and a half I typically spend with you...its doubled, and that is IF I can fix what you have done. When you think to yourself "I can color my own hair, how hard could it be?" Remember this...would you tell your self "I can perform this heart transplant, how difficult could it be?" I realize I am not cutting you open and dealing with vital organs, but come on people! Get with the program! I had to be educated and licensed to do this!

That being said, I miss my other little's. They are hanging with daddy this weekend, having daddy time. Which is good for them, especially my Lucy Goose, she is not feeling so hot with all 7 teethe coming in at the same time. Yes. You read that correctly. 7. Teethe. Same. Time.

But who cannot miss these faces?!

And yes, I do have the coolest kids in town! They rock those shades all over the place!

So, in conclusion, I have 14,794 heads of hair to do, sometimes it gets hairy, and I love/miss my way cool kiddos!

The Working Mom

I find the phrase "working mom" to be interesting. Society tells us that the working mother is a woman that has a career outside of the home. But isn't that title a little repetative? Having had a job outside of the home while my child went to daycare, and now staying home with my kids, I have been able to experience both lives. Working in the salon 4 days a week while my daughter went to daycare was very hard. It was difficult to be away from her, I missed her all the time. When I got home from work, I then had to cook, clean, keep up the laundry, give her a bath, and try to find some time to play with her. It was exhausting! Needless to say my housework was neglected a lot. During this time, I felt incredibly inadequate at simply doing life. The juggling act was exhausting.  Now that I am a stay at home mom, life hasn't gotten any easier. I have 2 children and one on the way. We wake up, early, shower, have breakfast, clean up, play, take my daughter to school, go home, put Jackson down to nap. Meanwhile, I am cleaning, doing laundry, doing dishes, making the menu and grocery list, paying bills...the list goes on. Once the time comes, we pick up Leah from school, run a couple errands, go home, play, start dinner, do dishes, do laundry, eat dinner, clean up, play some more, have baths, and go to bed. Now on some nights, my husband has class, so I am doing ALL of this on my own. So, I am forced to ask myself, why is it that only mothers with careers outside of the home hold the title, "working mom?" My day is full of work. However valuable, priceless, and temporary, I am a working mom. I would like to congratulate every mother on being a working mom. Anyone that is not a mom cannot understand in its entirety what it means the be a mom. It is a 24 hour a day job, everyday of the week. And some day my  kids will get older, they wont rely on me as much. At some point they will grow into adults and move on in their lives. They will need me then, but not rely on me for everything. That day will be sad, but thinking of it right now, in this moment, it's very appealing. Thank God for children, what they teach us and for the opportunity to raise and guide them. I know that my kids have made me a better person. And it is worth all of the work!

Sisterhood of the traveling tulle

My sisters and I have this fabulous business on Etsy called Delicate Darlings. Side note, feel free to visit our site and order tons of fun stuff!

Some background on our shop. We make tutus, tutu dresses, flower clips, headbands, and framed accessory holders.

We obviously do not all live together as we are all married, so we have to use the supplies that we have and switch out when we need something else. Needless to say, this can be difficult at times. One of my sisters has taken up making the tutu dresses, while my sister Michelle and I have made the frames. But recently we have started making tutus together. This has caused some issues in the world of tulle.

In place of conference calls, we do a conference text. Yes, we are lazy. There is an everlasting text conversation between the 3 of us that seems to never end. Which is actually good, since we are business partners. I do not think I can count the amount of texts that we have exchanged trying to figure out where certain supplies are!

Most recently, while making tutus, we could not find our red, white, and blue tulle anywhere. Where for art thou tulle?! Seriously though, where is it? As we exchanged texts for about an hour trying to figure out who brought what where, and when, I finally decided to look for it....yes, I decided to look with my eyes and not my mouth. And low and behold, we had it all along. But I will say, in our defense, it was hiding pretty well behind a high chair.

So, as we continue with our business venture together, I am sure we will encounter many more text and phone conversations about where all of the supplies are,. But for now, we know where the tulle is, and we are happy and crafting!

The Sleepy Angel

Of my 3 children, my youngest Lucy usually naps the best for me. Although I am noticing some kind of rotation lately. Leah is my oldest, she is 5 1/2. She is my heaviest sleeper. I am talking a freight train is going through her room and she doesn't budge. However, that is the way she sleeps IF she falls asleep. Sometimes it takes her a good 45 minutes to get there. And sometimes she doesnt fall asleep at all, she just gets a nice rest.

Jackson. Oh my Jackson. He may not be the heaviest sleeper, but he is typically my longest napper. He likes to talk and make his stuffed animal have an adventure in his bed before he will give up and and give in to sleep. But once he does, he can nap for a good 3-4 hours straight!

Then there is Lucy. My baby girl. The most unpredictable of all. For a while there she was taking 2, 2 hour naps a day. Then one day she slept for 4 1/2 hours straight, so she didn't go down again. and that became her new normal. Then slowly that one long nap turned into one normal 2 hour nap. And then into 2 again. needless to say she is like a mood ring with her nap schedule. Now, dont get me wrong, I love that all of my kids still nap, and they need them! I just wish we could coordinate them all together so that i could have one as well!

I have recently come to visit my mother with Lucy, while the other kids get to have some serious "Daddy time". So, Lucy and I stayed up a little late when we first got here. So when I put her down for the night, she didnt make a peep until 9AM the next morning. Which is sleeping in for her compared to her usual 7:30AM wake up call. She napped well yesterday, about 2 1/2 hours, and then went to bed at her regular bedtime, 7:00PM. This baby girl must be wearing herself out here, becuse she didn't wake up until 10:15 this morning! I got to sleep in and get around for the day before she ever woke up! Oh my little sleep angel! I so appreciate her sleepiness! So, because she slept in until her normal nap time, we had to push her nap back to 1:00. It has been 3 hours for her nap so far and I have yet to hear her stirring. I got to nap as well! I am so rested! Its fantastic! Now, if only we can keep this up....how do I keep her on this fabulous sleeping routine?!?! I am loving the rest that I am getting and I love to see her sweet, happy face when she wakes up so rested!