Embracing Him

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (I Corinthians 10:12)

Yesterday morning the girls began their simultaneous summer swim lessons. Because we have to be in the pool by 8:45 am, I need to be extremely organized to make the swim plan work.

All mommies know that packing everything the night before is the key to any successful outing. However after swim lessons end is when I really see whether my organizational skills pass or fail. Since all three of us had towels to dry off with, clean underwear, diapers, and dry clothes to slip into, plastic bags to contain wet suits, flip flops on our feet, and nothing was left behind, I figured I had scored a perfect 10 with my swim plan.

As I left swim lessons, I was feeling quite proud of my super mommy skills, so I decided to run an errand before heading home. I made my way over to Rite Aid armed with coupons and ready to shop for some free items (I’ll post about those deals later.). Unfortunately, I did not consider the words of I Corinthians 10:12 and took a hard fall from grace at the Rite Aid register! Can someone say Reality Check?!

Brazenly (and foolishly), I headed up and down the Rite Aid aisles in search of the items on my list. It didn’t take long for Sweet Pea to catch an attitude and begin whining because I would not let her push her sister’s stroller. Stubbornly, I ignored the voice inside my head telling me it was time to go. I pressed on simply because I didn’t feel like coming back to the store later. By the time I got to the register, Sweet Pea was whining while poking and prodding her sister and Sugar Plum released her frustration by repeatedly screaming at the top of her lungs.

Because there was only one register up and running, it didn’t take long for a line to form behind me. As the cashier sorted through my coupons and completed a dreaded “price check”, the girls continued their performance. I could feel eyes boring holes into my back and when I looked behind me, I saw a few different responses.

The young woman directly behind me appeared to be entertained by the girls’ tirade and let loose a chuckle or two. Another woman smiled and gave me a sympathetic, “been-there-done-that” look, while the woman behind her rolled her eyes and shook her head. The man at the end of the line abruptly ended his cell phone conversation proclaiming it was “impossible to hear over the screaming kids in line”.

Once home, the girls received a good reprimand, devoured a hearty lunch, and headed off for much needed naps. When all was quiet, I reflected upon the importance of timing errands properly, not doing too much with the girls at once, and listening when the Lord speaks in that still small voice.

After all that, it turns out that I did have to go back to Rite Aid later anyway. In the midst of all the kid commotion, I picked up the wrong toothpaste and ended up paying full price for it! You know we can’t have that!

Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga One

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. (Proverbs 31:27)

One of the simple pleasures in the lives of Sugar Plum and Sweet Pea is Kandoo Foaming Hand Soap. For them, there’s just something irresistible, intriguing, and fun about foaming soap that squirts from a colorful frog pump. If I let them, they’d pump a sink full of foam each time they were asked to wash their hands!

Though I am thrilled that they are eager to keep their hands germ free, personally I’m sickened by the soap’s nauseating faux fruit scents and neon colors. Consequently, I was quite happy the morning the girls approached the pump only to find that the foam was finished.

I attempted to reintroduce the girls to the regular soap pump but to no avail. This did not satisfy either of them as liquid soap does not foam and simply smells like soap (gasp!) and not like Magic Melon or Jungle Fruits.

Later that day, as I was refilling my Pampered Chef Suds Pump I realized that I could take the directions listed for refilling the Pampered Chef Pump and apply them to girls’ beloved Kandoo soap pump. Since the Kandoo pump was already equipped with the special foaming mechanism, I was nearly certain it would work. I filled the pump one quarter of the way with liquid soap and filled the rest with water. I primed the pump a few times and was excited to see foaming soap emerge!

This soap trick has made us all happy. For Mommy and Daddy, it’s a real money saver. We don’t need to buy expensive new pumps each time the soap runs out and because we’re filling the pump only a quarter of the way, it makes the liquid soap last much, much, much longer. Sugar Plum and Sweet Pea are just as happy because they can still enjoy foaming hand soap.

Photo: Courtesy of cmdrfletcher

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Luke 12:7a)

For some reason I can’t explain, I’d actually be interested in knowing just how many hairs are on the girls’ heads. It would be even more interesting to know how many fewer hairs are on their heads after washing it and combing through the tangles!

Washing the girls’ hair can be a major production. Both of them have thick hair and neither of them likes to have it washed. JT and I split the task and tackle the tangles, tears, and tantrums together.

Every time I see this picture of Sugar Plum I laugh. I recently snapped it just before JT started washing her hair. In our opinion, that super huge afro is a thing of true beauty. Diana Ross and Chaka Khan need to watch out. Another big haired girl is on the rise!