If You Don't Have Something Nice to Say...

I'm sure you can all finish that phrase...it's one I heard often growing up...not even from my parents, just teachers, uncles, Sunday school folk, you know-- all the other adults in your life that help keep you in line.

So, for old time sake, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all."

That's my excuse for not blogging very much lately!

I don't mean to sound like such a crabcake (that's what we call Ava when she is irritable), but between the busyness of life leading to a bit of crabbiness on my part I haven't felt very inspired to try to sow any words of wisdom into anyone else's life lately. I haven't really felt I have much to say.

Perhaps all bloggers come to a point, several months after they begin, when they begin to wonder "What am I really trying to say after all?" Maybe not. Maybe it's just the me that can get introspective and moody sometimes.

In the past I've done my fair share of complaining about the struggles of motherhood, but one can only say so much about that. After a while it gets, well, a little tedious. For me and for you.

So, what, you all likely want to know, has been keeping me busy and crabby and non-bloggy?

All the usual suspects; a very, VERY, constantly messy house, trying to manage the needs of a sometimes very needy 3-year old and a increasingly  needy 15 mo. old, a struggle to try to manage and organize my household (pantries, and the basement and closets and cabinets that seem to keep erupting with STUFF!), writing assignments that I enjoy doing, but which I'm mostly doing for free and which are sometimes very time consuming, training for the 1/2 marathon, and a lot of spousal harping and button pushing that seems to be bouncing back and forth between Scott and I like a flat tennis ball.

On top of it, Ella is sick this week-- she has molars coming in and a head cold, which has translated to a lot of coughing, mucus and non-sleeping and eating on her part. Poor thing.

So...hmm...that's about all I've got...

You know what I've realized though? Life is an ebb and flow. It goes in stages. Sometimes the stages are short-lived and sometimes they require more endurance. Sometimes we get in funks for a couple of days or a couple of weeks and then the sun starts to shine, figuratively and sometimes literally, again.

Sometimes our kiddos are crabby or sick, we're unmotivated to do anymore housework and we're getting on our husband's nerves while they're getting on ours...but, for me anyway, the beauty of my Christian walk is the reminder that each day is a new day. "His mercies are new every morning!" I SO need that sometimes.

So, here's to crabby days and sunny days all being a part of the total package, of a blessed life-- because, despite anything I'm feeling glum about, it's usually so small compared to hardships so many others are facing...

As soon as we get our camera back I promise to take a picture of the recent t-shirt I bought Ava that has ruffled cap sleeves that she REFUSES to wear! It's her first act of wardrobe defiance and it's actually been pretty funny...Scott was taunting her about it the other day, which was the funniest part~ more on that to come!

Cheers,

Lisa