31 Things I Love about You

“My beloved is mine, and I am his.” (Song of Solomon 2:16)

Today my husband celebrates his 31st birthday.  I just wanted to use this space to remind myself of all the things I love about him – and as an appreciation of his love for me over the past 5 years.  Oh and before I forget…  This was also the day 5 years back when we realized that there was the slightest possibility that God had destined us to live the rest of our lives together.  Why 31?  Well, just because he turns 31 this year :)!

So, here goes… 31 things I love about my husband:

  1. His love for God – that exceeds everything else in his life.
  2. Commitment to the ministry that God has called him to – as a singer/worship leader.
  3. Love for music – although I may not appreciate all the genres he likes ;).
  4. The way he plays his guitar.
  5. His voice – whether he’s singing or just talking.
  6. His impromptu compositions that leave me and the sons laughing till our stomachs hurt.
  7. He is hilarious – with his funny faces, actions & impersonations.
  8. Teaching the kids to play football.
  9. Teaching the kids to pray & read the Bible.
  10. Teaching the kids new praise/worship songs.
  11. Getting the kids to do their homework.
  12. Letting me take a break when I’m on the verge of insanity.
  13. Home & work life balance.
  14. Dedication at his job.
  15. Getting the house back in order when it looks like a tornado went through it.
  16. Taking over the dishes when the kitchen sink is overflowing.
  17. Giving up football to take me out on my birthday.
  18. Buying dinner when I’m unable to cook.
  19. Making burgers on Saturdays!
  20. Surprise hugs & kisses.
  21. Sharing anything interesting he finds on Facebook with me.
  22. His excitement over doing anything together as a family.
  23. Pushing the bike away from the house before starting it in the mornings – lest the kids hear it and wake up.
  24. Bringing in the clothes when it starts raining.
  25. Being tidy.
  26. Eating whatever I cook – even if in most cases it’s inedible.
  27. Taking the kids out on a drive – just because.
  28. Crazy jokes that make me laugh, even if I find them really dumb!
  29. For encouraging me in my latest endeavor – be it dieting, exercising or blogging.
  30. For reviewing, promoting and moderating my blog.
  31. For who he is – body, mind and soul.

I just realized I’ve got more to add… I guess I could always do it the easy way and tell him directly! 😉

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Tips to Preserve your Sanity

Parenting triplets is difficult.  I wish it wasn’t but it is…  And more often than I’d like to admit, I stand on the verge of going insane.  There are some days that I just lose it.  What could my angelic, music loving sons possibly do to send me over the edge?

Oh, just any or all of the following at the same time:

  • Fight/hit/push/shove each other.
  • Yell at each other (and they are LOUD).
  • Teasing a brother (causing him to cry).
  • Throw tantrums when they don’t get what they want, when they want it.
  • Break anything breakable/unbreakable (including a stainless-steel butter knife).
  • Fling toys/vessels/anything they can lay their hands on (no matter how heavy).

No amount of my reasoning, pleading or begging helps change the situation.  I could resort to extreme measures:

  • Dissolve into tears
  • Yell at them
  • Smack them

… but that rarely helps.  Believe me, I’ve tried.. 🙁

So, what helps?  Here are 10 steps that work to help preserve my sanity:

  1. As long as they are not violent, let them resolve the conflict by themselves.  Step in only if things are getting out of hand.
  2. If they are violent, physically separate them.
  3. If by now you have almost lost your mind, take a few minutes to step away and calm yourself.
  4. Take a deep breath and count to 10.  Or 20.  Or 30.  Till you can think clearly, at least.
  5. Pray.  A lot.  For yourself.  And for them.
  6. Show them grace.  Discipline them in love and not in anger.
  7. Urge them to apologize.
  8. Hugs & Kisses all around.
  9. Reaffirm that you love them & that Jesus loves them even more.
  10. Huddle on the couch and watch a worship CD together.

So, what do you do to preserve your sanity?

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It’s One of Those Days

I was planning to write this amazing post on the really funny things my boys say.  And then it turns out I haven’t had a chance to write a single word all day.  Yes, its one of those days… Our sons are down with fever – all three of them :(.

On Saturday night on the way back from a Bible study at our church, Jason started burning up with fever.  Jon joined his brother with a temperature yesterday.  Needless to say, we couldn’t attend church on Sunday and the kids stayed back from school today.  Judah, not to be left out, joined the bandwagon today.  As of now, we have 3 sick kids, 1 weary mom and 1 sleep-deprived dad trying to hold it all together.

How do we manage?  Grace, Grace and more Grace.  We’re trusting God to lead us through these difficult days.  For “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29)

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Dirty Dishes

Kitchen Sink

Dirty dishes are a permanent fixture in my kitchen.  I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s true.  Even when the rest of our house is guest-ready and the table is set with food, drinks and snacks – my kitchen sink always runneth over.  Surely dirty plates and bowls follow me all the hours of my day!  I’ve had several visiting friends graciously offer to do my dishes.  Argh…!! {Insert embarrassing blush & hide face in shame} 🙁

This is when I start wishing we owned a dishwasher.  Doesn’t anyone else hear a choir singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” when they open a dishwasher in a home appliance store?  No?  Well me neither… {Insert sheepish grin here}

Well, the truth is that the last time we shopped at a home appliance store, I passed by the dishwasher section a hundred times…  OK that’s an exaggeration…  I went past it only 32 times and opened & peeked inside only 29 times! 😀  What can I say… I look at a dishwasher the way my husband looks at a Bentley or Jaguar!  {Insert picture of lady with a dreamy dishwasher bubble over her head}.  OK, now burst that bubble… and we’re back to reality {CRASH!}.

It doesn’t matter that I had just finished washing a towering pile of dishes tottering on the brink of a crash.  Two minutes later, I end up with a sink full of dirty dishes… again!  Blame it on the kids using up all the cups in the house… or using several bowls at a time to munch their evening snack… or using plates & spoons as musical instruments… or the water being too cold to wash dishes at night… or the fact that I’m rarely able to cook & clean on the same day… blah blah blah… the fact remains that dirty dishes rule my kitchen.

So, here’s what I do about it:

  1. Limit the cups my sons drink water from and remind them to leave them on the counter, not in the sink, so they can be reused again.
  2. Limit the number of bowls & plates the sons use – either for their evening snack or for any other fun activity they may come up with.
  3. Try to wash the dishes once in the afternoons, so I don’t have an already overflowing sink when I start cooking in the evenings.
  4. Set apart a half-hour in the night to wash dishes and clean the kitchen.
  5. Keep the cooking light – this is actually a prerequisite to Point 4 above, so I’m not too exhausted to complete the half-hour cleanup.
  6. Buy a pair of well fitting rubber gloves, so the water temperature isn’t a hindrance to Point 4 above.
  7. Let my husband do it.  Yup!  I have an awesome husband who gladly takes over chores when they start to overwhelm me.
  8. Let a guest do it – as a last resort…  My mother & mother-in-law always take it on themselves to wash the dishes whenever they visit.  I’ve also let a gracious friend do the dishes when we had to leave on a trip and my husband and I were still winding up the house and getting the kids ready.

Truthfully, I don’t detest doing the dishes.  If fact once I start, I really do get into a rhythm and enjoy the task at hand.  But when I feel overwhelmed and exhausted, I have to remember to give myself grace and accept help.

And at those times when I simply lack the motivation to complete mundane tasks, this helps…  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

Photo Credit: Rachel Zack

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Perfect Love

I have long been striving to spend time with God everyday – but struggled with being consistent…  and then I came across an online Bible study led by Good Morning Girls.  They follow a method called “SOAP” where you read the Bible in small portions but get into a deeper understanding of every word you read.

For the first time in my life, I have been consistent with my Bible reading and have been able to get an in-depth revelation every single day!

This week, the verse that spoke to me was “…If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (I John 4:12.)

How true it is that we who know God and love Him, have a responsibility to love others as Christ loved us.  And when we show our love to those around us, God continues to abide in us (He makes His home in us) and His love is perfected in us.

We as humans, tend to display imperfect love by loving people conditionally.  But Jesus is the perfect example of perfect love.  He loves us unconditionally – while we were yet sinners, He loved us and chose to die on our behalf.  He can make my imperfect love perfect.

I’m learning that Perfect Love is:

  • Being patient when my sons get on my nerves.
  • Greeting my husband at the door with a smile after an exhausting day.
  • Taking the time to pick up the phone and check with a friend who’s going through a rough time.
  • Being slow to anger.
  • Being quick to forgive.
  • Being kind to anybody I come in contact with.

I can go on… I am choosing to let God perfect my love in my everyday life.

How would you display Perfect Love in your life?

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Giggles…

I love to hear our sons laugh (Of course!  Which mother doesn’t?  DUH!).  They may be identical in their looks and mannerisms but each one’s laugh is unique.  When one of them finds something funny and shares it with his brothers, the laughs that erupt are more like giggles than throaty guffaws.

Oh yeah, I love their giggling.  But I don’t always enjoy it.  Yes, you read it correctly – I don’t always enjoy their giggles.  Explanation follows.

Scenario 1: Our sons love to giggle when we tell them to close their eyes and it’s time to go to sleep.  They peek at each other from under the blankets and erupt into… yup, you guessed it right… giggles!  After spending the past hour trying to get them into bed, I know I have to keep a straight face and with a firm voice repeat that they have to close their eyes.  But more often than not, my husband and I end up giggling along with them – for no apparent reason!

Scenario 2: The triplets are a mischievous bunch.  When one of them discovers something forbidden, he unselfishly lets his brothers commit the crime along with him.  What results is a stern warning from me and a reminder of the consequences.  Needless to say, the second my back is turned, they jump right back – doing the very same thing and with cheeky laughs to match!  Oh, how I just want to laugh with them and enjoy the moment – for I know they are but little boys.  Instead, I stifle my giggles and with a firm tone send them to their room, for they need to be taught that disobedience has its consequences.  Sometimes, doing the right thing can be such a mood dampener.  Sigh!

Scenario 3: Our boys giggle during prayers… Ummm… Didn’t they get the memo?  You know, the one that says little boys have to keep their heads bowed, hands folded, eyes closed and maintain silence at prayer time…  LOL!  Well, the 3J brothers are fond of peering at each other under half-closed eyelids and giggling… loudly!  It’s almost embarrassing at prayer meetings where we get quite a few stares when the “triple giggle” distracts quite a few people trying to sincerely commune with God.  Well, they are but little boys… nevertheless, the responsibility of teaching them to respect the time we spend speaking to God falls on us, the parents.  During bedtime prayers, they get to jump, dance and sing a few songs but we’re teaching them to honor God when it’s time to pray!

We’re learning that there are times when we can just laugh with our sons and enjoy the moment…  And then there are those times when we have to stifle our giggles and correct them and teach them right from wrong.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

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‘J’ for JESUS!

The sons decided we needed a praise/worship/healing session at home!

Judah picked up his toy microphone, Jon reached for his toy guitar and Jason scrambled to find a couple of pencils to play his pretend drums.

And they sang….

and they played their instruments…

and they sang some more…

and then there was an instrumental melody (Sound Effects: The 3J Bros.)

and then they sang some more…

and then Jason went around laying hands on the others and praying that Jesus would heal them…

and then they sang some more…

and then they jumped and sang even louder…

Oh how blessed I am to be their mother!  It’s moments like these that make it all worth it…

I’m sure their shouts of joyous praise warmed our Father’s heart a lot more than it did mine!  Lord… may our sons ever seek to bring You joy in ALL they do!

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Recipes to Try

I’ve found a few simple recipes online over the past few weeks that I’m eager to try out.  These recipes require basic ingredients – the kind I can get from my local supermarket.  Check them out for yourself… Click on the images below to be directed to the original recipes.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate Banana Bread

Shortbread Thumbprints

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don’t they look just too good to be true?  Will you be trying out any of these recipes in the near future?

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