Sometimes, maybe it does matter

"It doesn't matter what people think of you!"

"Who cares if they think that about you! You just need to be comfortable with who you are in Christ."

These are thing I regularly say now that I have a tweenage daughter. She has fully entered the phase of life where her peers' opinions of her matter to her, where she feels the need to impress her peers. Curtis and I are seeking to parent Elizabeth in such a way that reminders her to WHOM she belongs, and that HIS opinion of her is the one that matters the most.

A few months ago I was talking with a friend. In our conversation, it came up that someone had mentioned the kind of wife I was and how he "couldn't handle a wife like that" and was "glad my wife isn't like that."

Confession: I'm a TOTAL Pharisee. I am quite good at making sure the outside of my "cup" is clean while often neglecting what's on the inside of my "cup". (see Matt. 23:25-26) I am full of pride. So when I heard that my cup wasn't thought well of, it bugged me. A lot. Probably more than it should have.

As Curtis and I talked about it, he reminded me that ultimately, it didn't matter what people thought of me. He loves me and thinks I'm a great wife. I'm not sinning or even being accused of sin. He spoke all these words of truth to me, even using the words that I use to Elizabeth!

But I couldn't shake the feelings of failure. Was it just my pride being hurt? Was it the Holy Spirit convicting me of some hidden sin in my life?  While I think each of those things is partially true, I was finally able to pinpoint where my hurt feelings were coming from.

Her husband has full confidence in her

    and lacks nothing of value.

12 

She brings him good, not harm,

    all the days of her life.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,

    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 

“Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all.”

(Proverbs 31:11, 12, 23, 28 and 29)

My concern in the matter of what a couple people thought about the kind of wife I am is that I was reflecting poorly on Curtis.

So maybe it really does matter.

Before going into a store, doctor's office, Curtis's office, or out to eat during the middle of the school day, I give my kids the same lecture. I reminder them that they are representing themselves, our family, homeschooler, Christians and ultimately Christ. Are we shining the light of Jesus when we are unkind to one another?! Elizabeth, who is often too smart for her own good, will occasionally remind me of my own words, that it doesn't matter what other people think.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Cor 5:20

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3

I could go on and on listing bible verses about living a godly life and walking in a manner worthy of the calling upon us as we represent Christ to a fallen world.

So where does that leave me? 

All this reminded me that I do represent Christ in my daily life. And part of that is being the kind of wife who brings her husband good all his days.  And though I don't like it, when it comes to some people not liking my personality, it really doesn't matter what they think of me. My calling is not to have everyone like me, be impressed by me or even think highly of me. My calling is to represent Christ in the way I live, to shine His light in a dark world. My calling is to be the kind of wife who brings her husband good and who encourages him in the leadership roles God has put him in.

That's when it matters.

What I learned being a sports mom for 18 months straight

 It all started like a normal spring. But what started as a normal quickly grew into a whirlwind of sports craziness.

In March of 2015, all three boys played baseball. Timothy played tee ball and the big boys played kid pitch. Curtis was the assistant coach for both teams. Overall, it was a great season! But with three players on two different teams, it was for sure crazy!

During baseball season, in mid April, all four kids started summer league swimming. We were blessed in that there was a homeschool practice, allowing us to have less conflicts with our busy baseball schedule.

In June, during the height of busyness with swimming, Elizabeth started playing volleyball for a homeschool team.

The three big kids had an amazing swim season and went on to swim in the State Games of Texas, which was held in early August.

By the time swim season wrapped up, volleyball season was full steam ahead. Through the organization that did volleyball, we found out about basketball. Micah and Benjamin started going to skills clinics, decided to join the team, and began twice a week practices in October.

In September, Timothy began playing flag football.

Volleyball season came to an end and Elizabeth decided to also play basketball. Two weeks after her last volleyball game, she played in her first basketball game.

Never before had we played a winter sport like basketball. But we were loving the organization, the teams, the families and the coaches. The homeschool state tournament was at the end of February, and baseball started again the next week.

Then, we basically had a repeat, where swimming started during baseball season, and swimming went so well that we swim even after the regular season.

By July I was in full on meltdown mode. While the three big kids were at camp, I cancelled a trip to see my family in Oklahoma and took a much needed mental break.

Since mid July, we haven't done any sports, aside from the occasional basketball skills clinic. As I'm gearing up for Micah and Benjamin starting basketball and Elizabeth joining a club swim team, here's what I've learned.

• Just because there are 24 hours in a day doesn't mean I need to fill every waking hour.
• Saying no to something good is hard.
• Sometimes when you say no to a good thing it opens up the opportunity for a GREAT thing.
• Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.
• It's okay if Timothy doesn't play a sport this fall. He's okay with it, why am I struggling?!
• When you are doing sports non stop, something else in life suffers. It might be homeschooling. It might be the house. It might be your marriage. All the above were effected by the amount of sports we participated in.
• I need to take time for me. Time to exercise, to eat well, to rest. 
• It's easy to gain weight when your main focus is getting the kids from one event to another, homeschooling and church.
• Kids will watch and see where your priorities are. Make sure your priorities are the good things.
• I do my best when I'm busy. But I also need an occasional recharge. 
• Homeschooling CAN be done in the car! But it does take a lot of planning.
• Audibles, through Amazon, is a life saver, as are books on CD from the library.

I'm very, very thankful for the opportunities that my kids have had over the past 18 months. They have learned more than just sports. I am thankful for the coaches that poured into their lives, motivating and encouraging them. I truly believe my kids have stronger character because of sports. Our family will continue to participate in various sporting activities. I'm very excited to see them continue to grow as athletes and individuals. And I'm hopeful that I can take the lessons the I've learned and become an better sports mom.

Benjamin, 3rd Grade

Name: Benjamin David Krajca
Age: 8
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: cinnamon rolls
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Ghengis Grill
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: sloppy joe
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cake
Favorite movie: Jurassic World, Tomorrow Land, Age of Ultron
Favorite TV show: Bey Blades
Favorite place to go: movie theater
Favorite book: Captain Underpants
Favorite thing to wear: athletic shorts and my Hulk shirt
Favorite sport: baseball
Favorite shoes: basketball shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: my family, candy
sad: people dying 
laugh: being tickled
cry: death
excited: Six Flags

Micah, 4th grade

Name: Micah
Age: 9
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: bone chicken
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: hamburgers
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cotton candy
Favorite movie: Jurassic World
Favorite TV show: Teen Titan Go
Favorite place to go: Six Flags, grandparents' houses and friend's house
Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Favorite thing to wear: my maroon athletic shirt and black athletic shorts with an Aggie hat
Favorite sport: football
Favorite shoes: basketball shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: catching fish
sad: when I fall of my skateboard and bike and get hurt or when someone is mean to me
laugh: jokes and being tickled
cry: getting hurt and falling of my bike and scrapping my knees
excited: going to movies

Timothy, Kindergarten

Name: Timothy

Age: 5

Favorite Color: I don't know

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: candy

Favorite thing to eat for lunch: cotton candy

Favorite thing to eat for dinner: chocolate milk

Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cake

Favorite movie: Ant Man

Favorite TV show: Bey Blades

Favorite place to go: Six Flags and Grand Station

Favorite book: The Pirate pop up book

Favorite thing to wear: #5 Ninja Turtle shirt and shorts

Favorite sport: swimming

Favorite shoes: flip flops

Things that make me.....

happy: playing Laser Tag

sad: eating broccoli

laugh: people farting

cry: Benjamin being mean to me

excited: when I get to go to Six Flags

Elizabeth, 6th grade

Name: Elizabeth
Age: 11
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: crackers and cheese with fruit
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: hamburgers
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: ice cream and warm brownies
Favorite movie: Harry Potter Movies
Favorite TV show: Liv and Maddie
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: The Seven Tales of Trinket
Favorite thing to wear: cute clothes
Favorite sport: swimming and volleyball
Favorite shoes: high heels

Things that make me.....
happy:surprises, my birthday, family time at Christmas
sad: when I get hurt, when something special gets broken
laugh: funny movies, jokes 
cry: when I get hurt, sad parts of movies, sad things
excited: the 1st day of school, parties, family movie night

Getting ready for school

Our summer flew by!!  I hope to catch up on all the summer fun we've had in another post.  But as the summer comes to an end, I've begun preparing for the start of a new school year.  This week, Micah and Benjamin are in Kansas at Grand Camp.  I took the opportunity with only having half the children I'm used to and put some of my planning into play.  Here are the results!

 Above is a picture of our dinning room.  Though we have a school room, which we all enjoy, there are times when you just need to sit at a table to get your work done.  I've also found that being able to have all the kids, sitting in one place as we start our day, is very helpful! 

One of the main things I've learned is that you have to have a central location for your daily school needs.  We solved that problem with the cabinet in the corner, by the dry erase board.  The kids have all their books there and that's where they can find the daily school supplies that they need.  In the opposite corner is Timothy's little set up.  He has his own table, a poster and I'll add a few things to it before the start of school.

A random, yet very motivating thing I discovered last year was the 100 days of school poster.  My kids, especially the boys, were SO motivated to do school each day so that they could cross off a day on the chart.  I'm hoping it will work as well this year and help us as we fight off the back to school blues.

We've loved having a school room in our home!  Having a place for all the books, toys, and an extra couch has been nice.  Each year we homeschool, I add more books to our stash.  This week, I was able to spend some time organizing all the shelves, rearranging a little, and preparing my area.

 My little corner.  I took some time to wrap jars with papers, added a picture of my students, all in hope of making my area a little more fun.

 A lot of school happens on the couch and on the floor in front of the bulletin board!  This is the room we use for group work (bible, history and read alouds). We brought Timothy's toys shelf and book case out of his room, since he hates being alone.  Hopefully, this will allow him something fun to do when he's done with his school but I'm still working with his siblings. 

Another shelf with organized supplies and books!  I cleared off the top of this shelf, which had been a craft catch all. 

As we start our 6th year of homeschooling, I am excited about the opportunity to learn with and love on my kiddos.  Having a fun, organized environment really helps my motivation to start the year off strong!

Bluebonnets through the years

 2005

 2006

2007 

2008 

2009

2010 

2011 

2012 

 2013

2014

Today, Motherhood means...

...sending your children to take a FAST shower because we do NOT submerge our heads in the toilet, even if you're wear goggles.

...realizing it's after 2pm and rather than making yourself lunch, you load everyone up to go get yourself (and ONLY yourself) a Sonic drink.

... assuring the Sonic carhop that the screaming children in the back of the van are fine, they're just mad about not getting a drink.

... calling your husband before 9am to ask where the spanking spoon is.

... reminding your children that they were made to work, not just have fun.

... finishing the laundry only to have your children dirty the towels.

... eating Cheetos and muffins for lunch at 3pm with a Rt 44 Diet Coke!

... getting creative withe the consequences, even if that make me "the worse mommy ever".

... not being bothered by the aforementioned statement.

... not crawling up the walls when your 4 year old starts whining.  Again.

... reminding your student that "liters" is not pronounces like "litters" which is hilarious when said student is freaking out because "the book never ever mentions litters!!!!!"

... calling Daddy to spend lunch hour as back up disciplinarian because you've done all you can do and still have the afternoon to contend with.

... counting the hours when you can go to Piyo and enjoy some "me time".

... reminding yourself that this too shall pass and praying that the rest of the week will be easier.

Armadillo Dash Recap

Yesterday, I completed my second half marathon!

 Like any good runner in the days leading up to a race, I was checking the weather religiously.  Every time I looked, it changed.  I saw everything from temperatures in the 50's, 60's and even 70's.  There was a chance or rain, thunderstorms, high humidity, sunny skies.  I finally just gave up till the day before then made a plan as to what I should wear.

After my last half marathon, where my body just quit on me thanks to a lack of hydration, sleep and good nutrition, I was very diligent in these areas in the week leading up to race day.  I had a carb loading plan, I got lots of good sleep in the nights leading up to race day and I drank a ton of water.  I had my game face on!!

 

 (Brad, Erin and I, heading to the starting line!)

Erin and I had our race plan in place... run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat for 13.1 miles.  In our training, I had hit 10 miles and Erin hit 11 miles, 3 weeks before the race.  We were planning one more long run, then with only 2 1/2 weeks till race day, I severely jammed my toe.  It was so severe that we went to urgent care to see if I could run.  I received the great news that my toe was not fractured and that I could race, but that I needed to give it a week of rest.  So we didn't get another really good long run in before we had to taper.  I was also told that I would probably be dealing with pain when I did start running again.

I had a week and a half left till race day when I hit the roads again.  I got in several good runs, including a 6 miles run.  I was feeling pretty confident in my ability to manage any pain.

At the starting line, the humidity was 97% and the temperature was right at 70 degrees.  It was super yucky!  Even though my training hadn't gone quite as planned due to my toe injury, I was feeling very confident.  My goal had been to run the half in 2:45.  After my injury, I just wanted a sub 3 hour half.  I knew Erin would encourage me to push through and keep me on track.

Our first mile was our fastest.  The humidity and the warm temperatures started getting to me and our pace slowed, but stayed faster than we need.  Just after mile 4, we had to make a pit stop.  The next several miles were toughest for me.  I had to get out of a negative "what was I thinking?!?!" head space.  Erin and I tired to encourage on another, fuel, hydrate and focus.  The course became a little hilly, and I became aware of how much my toe was bothering me.  "Maybe it will go numb soon!" Erin encouraged me.

Right at mile 9, we ran past our friend Linanne's house.  She was outside cheering us on.  I was pretty much done with this race as this point and was contemplating stopping and having Linanne drive me to the finish line.  I knew that if I could just stay out of a negative head space and run through the pain in my toe, I would be okay once I hit 10 miles.  Hitting the double digits and knowing I only had a 5k left would be huge for me!

Right before we hit mile 10, we took another pit stop.  At that point I was receiving texts from Hayley and Curtis, encouraging me that I was almost done and could finish strong!  Erin reminded me that we were still on track to hit our goal, but that we didn't have a lot of wiggle room.  I was so ready to finish strong!  Eye of the tiger!!  Other than the pain from my toe and feeling drained from the heat and humidity, I really felt good overall.  I could tell that my training and race preperation had been effective.  Just as planned, hitting mile 10 was huge, and my head space went much more positive.

By mile 11 I was in a lot of pain.  Throughout the race we had delt with the high humidity and rain.  Though I was in a much better head space than I had been in, I was still very ready to be done. Because of the pain my toe was causing me, I was doing a super awesome power walk and running when I could for the last two miles.

As we rounded the corner, the sky opened up and the rain started coming down steadily.  "Less than a mile!!"  Erin and I encouraged each other. 

 As we neared the finish line, I frantically looked for the official race clock.  2:55!!!!!  Goal accomplished, despite crappy weather, a bum toe and two pit stops!

Couldn't have done it without my awesome friend!!!  It was also very special to get to share her first half marathon finish with her.

Despite the fact that it was pouring rain, my family was there, cheering me on at the finish line.  Right after I got my medal, the front that we'd been waiting for came through.  The rain and wind picked up and we took off for our cars. 

 The day after the half, and I'm still very pleased with how the race went.  I know that I have a faster half in me, and though I don't plan on doing any more halfs in the near future, I don't think the Armadillo Dash was my last half.  But so far, it's been my favorite half!

Words of Encouragement

As we've started our 6th year of homeschooling, I've been surprised at what a struggle it's been.  We are into our fourth week of school, and I am still facing whining, complaining, resistance and in general, bad attitudes.  It's very hard for me to not become discouraged when facing the task of educating four little people who seem to think they should fight me every step of the way.

Rather than throw my hands up and wave the white flag, I've been surrounding myself with scripture.  And since I know the struggles and battles that I face aren't unique to me or to homeschooling but are common to all godly moms, here are the words of encouragement that have helped me.

"By wisdom a house is built,
and through understating it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasure."
Proverbs 24:3-4

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue"
Proverbs 31:26

"Start your children off in the way the should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it"
Proverbs 22:6

"Discipline your children and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire."
Proverbs 29:17

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sounds doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will father around them a great number of teacher to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. "
2 Timothy 4:2-3

"My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Colossians 2:2-3

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

Swim, little fish.

This summer, Elizabeth, Micah and Benjamin joined swim team.  From the end of April till the end of June, the kids had practice every day (sometimes twice a day!) and meets on the weekends.  Though at first the schedule was overwhelming, since we were still doing baseball, I am so thankful that we had this experience! 

 

While we've always known our children are athletic, it was fun to watch them excel at another spot.  Elizabeth in particular was a natural!!  She raked in ribbons and medals through the season!  She even medaled at invitationals, a meet swimmers must qualify for based on their times!

 

Benjamin also had a great season, brought home many ribbons and a medal.  He qualified for invitationals and placed in his two events.  We were also very impressed by his competitive, yet encouraging spirit.

 

Micah had a good season, though not as great as his siblings.  Curtis and I had several conversations, worried that Micah would become discouraged by the lack of ribbons.  He didn't qualify for invitiationals, but went and cheered on his brother and sister with a kind and gentle spirit.  It was hard for me as a parent to see him try so hard, yet not get the prizes that his siblings were bringing home.  More than anything, we wanted Micah to know that we wanted him to do his best!  Not only did we see that he was doing his best, but so did his coaches!  At the end of the year, he received the award for Most Improved Barracuda!!!  It lifted his spirits and encouraged my mommy heart.

Timothy, not one to miss out on the action, took swim lessons for two weeks.  He now tells people when he grows up, he wants to be a Barracuda!

 

I'm very proud of every one of my little fish!!  We're already looking forward to next summer when we join the Bryan Barracudas again!

 

Happy birthday, Timothy!

Today we celebrated Timothy's 3rd birthday.  I can't believe that my last baby is three!!

What an amazing, crazy, scary, whirlwind day it was when Timothy joined out family.  The above pictures isn't even taken on his birthday!  It was taken the day after, in the wee hours of the morning.  Curtis was sleep deprived and trying to juggle care for our other kids, making sure I was doing okay, and visiting our preemie in the NICU.  Though Timothy's birthday wasn't anything we have wanted, The end result was the same.  The day he was born, we knew he completed our family.

 

First birthdays are big in our family!!  And after a crazy birth, a birth defect, a cleft lip repair, and just the general craziness that life as a family of six had brought, we were ready to celebrate!!  Timothy fun, sweet spirit was a delight to many.

 As a new 2 year old, Timothy loved his Bobo (a sock monkey) and we had a blast celebrating his second birthday with friends at a Bobo Party.  I love two year old boys for a couple reasons.  #1, I know that once 2 1/2 rolls around, we're in for some adventurous and challenging times.  But the main reason I love two year olds is because you can see, sometimes for some of the first times, the kind of person your child is becoming.  And I really loved 2 year old Timmy.

And now, today, we celebrate our little boy's birth.  He's continues to be a sweet whirlwind in our lives, continuing to make our family feel full and complete.  Though there are times I don't know what to do with him, there is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't know what to do without him in our lives.

Happy birthday, sweet boy!  May you continue to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men!