Some Experiments Work and Some Don't

I had a cold last week. I had run out of my homemade vapo-rub that I had concocted a while back, so I decided to whip up another batch. I was running low on the non-petroleum vegetable jelly that I used to make it and other ointments for my medicine chest; I decided to add some beeswax to the mix. I knew beeswax would be too solid in consistency, so I added in a bit of vegetable glycerin too. I put everything in a small container and microwaved it for a bit until everything was all melted together. I added my menthol crystals, camphor and eucalyptus essential oil, stirred it all up a little and put on the cap. The next morning I opened it up and sniffed - smelled right. It looked a tad hard though, more like a salve than a rub. I dug my finger in to try it out, only to discover that the glycerin had all separated out of the mix and was floating on the bottom. I was disappointed, but filed the failure in my memory for future reference - beeswax and glycerin do not mix.

In the spirit of curing my cold, I also decided to try a home cough remedy I had heard about from a friend. The recipe sounded decidedly unpalatable to me, so I was skeptical, but dove in anyway. The recipe is simple - chop up a small onion and put it in a glass bowl or jar, then cover the onion with honey. Put the lid on and let it sit over night. I mixed up my brew and let it be 'til the next morning. I then strained out and discarded the onion and left the honey behind. What I had left was a soothing honey cough syrup that did not taste a bit like onions. I was pleasantly surprised. I took it for a few days mixed with some lemon and it did help my cough. I would call this experiment a success.

So, there you have it. One cold, two experiments and two very different results. Don't be afraid to try new things. Even through the failures we still learn and you never know whether things will work out until you try.

My Spawn

I don't talk about my kids all the time in my blog. I believe there is nothing more nauseating than a bragging parent. People just don't want to hear about all the great things someone elses' kids do all the time. Why would they? Usually if I want to discuss my kids I will talk to my husband or a handful of close friend and relatives who I know will at least nod and act like they care. Well, today is an exception because I am going to brag on my kids for a while. This post has no other purpose but to wax poetic about what wonderful kids I have.

I was at Kindergarten Round-up at our elementary school yesterday when a woman walked in to register her oldest child for kindergarten. She had her younger three in tow. This brought memories streaming back to me of the day I brought my daughter to register for kindergarten - with her three younger brothers in tow. I was back in the moment. That is until I watched how those kids behaved in contrast to the way mine behaved on that day nine years ago.

Those kids were out of control. Running, screaming, knocking books off of shelves and tossing blocks around the play area we had set up. I distinctly remember my kids that day. They did not act like that. My youngest was just a baby, not even walking yet. He giggled an laughed at various people who spoke to him. The middle two boys, who were 4 and 2-1/2 at the time, read books and drew pictures while we waited. They were well behaved kids even then. They knew the consequences for misbehaving in public.

I made a comment to one of the women I was working with about a frustrating incident with my daughter that day. She couldn't believe I was talking about my daughter. "Oh, she is an angel, all of your kids are so great." I couldn't help but agree with her. They are great kids. They save all of their frustration and irritation for me; that's as it should be. They know I am a safe haven for them to test the waters and vent their anger on. I like that they trust me that much. They know how to be respectful of other people and their property, though. They never got away with disregarding rules.

So, there you have it folks, from the mother of the four best kids in the world. Let me leave you with a couple of tidbits that I find inspiring as a mom.

Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it. ~Haim Ginott

If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. ~Haim Ginott

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out. ~Erma Bombeck

Good, honest, hardheaded character is a function of the home. If the proper seed is sown there and properly nourished for a few years, it will not be easy for that plant to be uprooted. ~George A. Dorsey

Hot dogs always seem better out than at home; so do French-fried potatoes; so do your children. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

What's Next

It's almost 1:30. I will have to start picking up kids in about an hour. There are so many things I could be doing. So many things I should be doing, but I find myself sitting here contemplating what to do next. I don't mean what I should be doing right at this moment, Lord knows there is no shortage of things to be dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed or hosed down. I am talking about in my life in general, in the big picture. Where do I go from here and how do I get there?

I love to volunteer. It makes my heart happy to be helpful to other people. Since my kids started school 9+ years ago, I have pretty much devoted all of my 'free' time to volunteering. I enjoy all of it, but here is one thing I have learned. If I say yes to something without praying about it first or if I ignore the doubtful feelings I get about something after I have prayed about it, then God will not bless my efforts. I will find myself stressed and resentful of the duties that should be filling me with joy. That is kind of where I am at right now. I took on something that I wasn't being called to do and now I am feeling the sting of disappointment as I look over the last year and a half and examine my failure. Sure, it could have been worse, but oh, how it could have been better if I had allowed God to guide me. This is why I am carefully contemplating my next move.

I have a few ideas bouncing around my head. There are a multitude of things I want to do with the blocks of time, not to mention the area of my brain, that will be freed up when my current commitments are finished. I want to make sure I get it right this time though.

It would be so much easier if there were just a magic formula that would tell me beforehand whether a decision were right or not. I would not have to go back and forth in my mind. Unfortunately that is not how God works. He doesn't give those clear signs like he did in the Old Testament. Somehow I don't think he is going to speak to me through a burning bush as he did to Moses. Then again, Moses didn't always get the message and obey, so I don't know that clear signs from God are a recipe for human success.

I will do my best to be discerning and listen carefully so that my efforts will be blessed whatever it is that I choose to do next.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (New International Version)

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

James 1:5 (New International Version)

⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.