Miss Whiney-Pants U.S.A, meet Miss Reality

Upon re-reading my "thoughts" from a few days ago, I became a little irritated with me. (Personal pronoun confusion, anyone?)

As I read through the little list, I began a rather motherly lecture to myself. Here are some lecture points that collided with a few of the mewling complaints.

1. Who cares what the focus of a blog is? Those who will read it will read it regardless of whether the content is recipes, funny children-isms, pictures, personal successes, or even whining. I can be thankful for loving people in my life who take an interest in my scribblings.

2. I stand by this statement. Parenting is hard and we should encourage each other. That's all I have to say about that.

3. A.D.H.D - It does suck. It takes patience & energy & trial & error, but I have a very intelligent little boy who is none the worse for wear. Also, I live in a country where this is considered one of the major epidemics of our youth. Anyone heard of Meningitis, Typhoid, Tuberculosis, Malaria, HIV, Generational Poverty (that one's for you, CHE Queen)? Yeah. I got nothin'.

4. Appliances/clothing/money - I have more than one appliance. And they function rather well on a fairly consistent basis. And when they don't, we have the means (albeit unplanned) to repair them. And my children are clothed. The drawers of the dresser are full to overflowing. Are they a little snug? Maybe. Are they functional? That's what I thought. Money. We have what we need. Bill has a job. We fall under a much larger Care-Umbrella than a paycheck.

5. My house will never be neat. Partially this is due to the fact that cleaning is not high on my priority list. But let's look at this through the eyes of Miss Reality: I have a house. A relatively nice house. And it is full of so many possessions that my eyes have begun to ignore many of the objects on a regular basis. And sometimes, just sometimes, they collect dust.

6. Laundry. A friend of mine recently challenged me to use this as an opportunity to pray over my family. I particularly like to avoid the folding/putting away portion of this chore. She encouraged me to pray over each member as I fold his item of clothing. I'll let you know how this one works.

7. The house next door is for sale. Anyone? Anyone?

8. I stand firm in this one. Coffee is delicious and a delightful part of my morning routine.

9. I get to play with my kids. They don't care what we play. It's just a precious opportunity for me to be on the floor playing Spiderman takes on Buzz Lightyear and Luke Skywalker.

10. I did clean my house and do all those things on my list. Because I am able and healthy and ridiculously blessed.

So, my whining is firmly in check. You may go about your business with the comforting knowledge that I understand that the purpose of my life is bigger than happiness. Happiness is a choice in spite of circumstances. Thank you and good night.