Mommy Brain

Here’s a short, condensed version of our week:

Two trips to the library, groceries purchased, (some) housework done, lots of laundry washed and still waiting to be folded.

Went to a luncheon for my ladies’ Bible study group.

Took the kids to the park.

Noah and Jonathan both had sleepovers on Wednesday night with their respective best buddies. Natalie was feeling left out, so I let her stay up till 10:00 watching The Waltons: The Complete First Season on DVD with me.

Found out we can’t get Noah a pet turtle for his birthday. Here’s why. Maybe in a few years. So now we’re back to square one for a birthday present. Any suggestions — he’s turning 7 — would be appreciated. Keep in mind we live in a rural area, and Walmart is pretty much our only choice for kids’ stuff.

Spent some time with my dad before he left to be a counselor for five days at Royal Family Kids’ Camp.

Finished a baby afghan for some friends that work with Kevin whose first baby is due in two weeks and picked out yarn and a pattern for some friends whose second baby is due in September.

Watched House and The Closer (lovingly recorded for me by my dad, since we only get FOX with our antenna).

Finished B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton and made it halfway through Evensong by Gail Godwin.

Scheduled a V/Q scan and blood tests to further investigate what’s causing my pleurisy.

Talked on the phone to my sister Deb for an hour and my sister Andrea for an hour and a half.

If there’s anything else, I’ve forgotten it.

Up for this weekend:

The older three have been invited to ride in the back of our friend’s pick-up during the rodeo parade and toss out candy. Tomorrow afternoon we will be on Main Street, camera at the ready, waiting for them to go by. Hopefully the weather will be different than today or we will be huddled under umbrellas.

Saturday night I’m going to the drive-in (Yes, we’re one of the few places in our country that still has one!) to see Monster-in-Law with my mom.

Sunday will be breakfast in bed and gifts for Daddy. The kids decorated a mug for him and I got him this.

I love the “Blog This!” feature on my Google toolbar. The problem is that I see so many things I want to link to, or comment on, that I end up with all these drafts waiting to be finished. And then I have to have time to get back to them!

So, onto the great article I read on Christianity Today.

It’s Hard to Be Like Jesus by Philip Yancey

“In my visits to churches overseas, one difference from North American Christians stands out sharply: their view of hardship and suffering. We who live in an age of unprecedented comfort seem obsessed with the problem of pain. Skeptics mention it as a major roadblock to faith, and believers struggle to come to terms with it. Prayer meetings in the U.S. often focus on illnesses and requests for healing. Not so elsewhere.

I asked a man who visits unregistered house churches in China whether Christians there pray for a change in harsh government policies. After thinking for a moment, he replied that not once had he heard a Chinese Christian pray for relief.

‘They assume they’ll face opposition,’ he said. ‘They can’t imagine anything else.’ “

This article makes some wonderful points about Christian suffering and the attraction that prosperity doctrine holds for many Americans. Definitely go read it.

Off to clean the bathroom. Have a wonderful weekend!