“What we see depends on what we’re looking for.”

I usually read inspirational quotes with glazed over eyes. I’m not really a fan of fluff. But this statement was profound.

What we see depends on what we’re looking for. Let that marinate for a few minutes.

This simple statement leads to complex results, and those results aren’t necessarily a good thing.

My initial thought was regarding politics, since that’s what’s been dominating the news, and thus my facebook feed. If you’re a Republican, you can find a million things wrong with Democrats. If you’re a Democrat, you can find a million things wrong with Republicans. But this isn’t just political. It’s for anything. Dieting. Exercising. Parenting. Basically, given the information overload known as the internet, you can find countless reasons to support a cause/person. Likewise, you can find countless reasons to despise a cause/person.

I’ve heard this quote many times: “You can’t love someone when you’re busy judging them.”

What we see depends on what we’re looking for. Sometimes we’re so busy complaining about how the glass is half empty, that we fail to realize it’s half full.

What if we all saw the glass half full? What if we all looked for the positive, instead of focusing on the negative? What if we all looked for the good in people, rather than focusing on the things that piss us off? What if we all focused on loving, rather than judging?

What we see depends on what we’re looking for.

Option A - Continue reusing our dishes for every meal, plus snacks, which results in running the dishwasher 1-2 times per day. This uses a lot of water, plus detergent. But we’re not creating more waste, because we’re reusing what we already have.

Option B - Rather than using our plates/bowls at every meal, use recycled, biodegradable paper plates instead. This would reduce the water consumption drastically, save on energy, and reduce the use of detergent. It would, however, mean destroying trees. But I’d only get the recycled, biodegradable paper plates (not the styrofoam landfill fillers).

What do you think? I encourage valid arguments on both sides. Even better if you can back it up with links to scientific data supporting your opinions.

Entertainment has been more or less nonexistent. It’s too hot to go to an outdoor playground. Shopping with a bunch of kids is the antithesis of a good time, and I don’t dare step foot on the sweltering beach until after 5:00 pm. The pool isn’t that fun, either, because three of my kids can’t swim. It’s tiring watching them like a hawk to prevent drowning. So we’ve basically been hanging out inside my house.

The day starts when the three youngest wake up, which varies between 5:30-6:30 am. Then it’s an exhausting pattern of:

making food
feeding children
cleaning up the kitchen
changing diapers
listening to whining
listening to crying
disciplining
protecting the baby from older brothers
investigating loud noises
giving each child personal attention
putting little ones down for naps
stepping on toys
picking up toys
tripping over toys
picking up toys again
putting the cushions back on the couch for the 200th time
washing laundry
folding laundry
etc.

Parenting ends at 8:00 pm, when the youngest three go to bed. And their bedtime is immediately followed by the frustrating question of which is more important: finally accomplishing something or getting my much-needed sleep?

And that is my day. Every day. Over and over. I know that this mundane season of my life serves a purpose. Don’t get me wrong: I love my kids. I wouldn’t change a thing in regards to our decision to have each of them. I feel blessed to be able to stay home with them. Parenting is the most rewarding job I can imagine. My life just feels like a broken record right now, like I’m stuck in Groundhog Day. But I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, as they get older and more independent. I keep telling myself: This is just a season.

I started a ladies Bible study last week, centered on Lisa Bevere’s Lioness Arising. The description, via amazon:

Learn what it means to:

• be a stunning representation of strength
• fiercely protect the young
• lend your voice to the silenced
• live in the light and hunt in the dark
• raise a collective roar that changes everything

The first two DVD sessions pretty much nailed how I’ve been feeling. I’m already inspired, and we’ve basically just begun. My mind is spinning with ideas, possibilities, opportunities… THE BIG PICTURE.

I’m ready for the next season, both literally and figuratively.

# 1: CHECK
Example: “Laundry. Check. Breakfast. Check. Shower. Check.”
This was possibly cute the first few times it appeared in a status. Ahh, a mental checklist morphed into a Facebook status. Isn’t that cute? Well, guess what? It stopped being cute when the billionth Facebook user did it. Overdone. Not to be confused with Well Done.

#2: PRICELESS
Example: “Movie tickets, $16.00. Coke, $4.95. Popcorn, $6.00. Spending the day with my daughter, priceless.”
This was (still is?) a Mastercard advertising campaign. Are you Mastercard? No? Then stop using it as your Facebook status. Overdone. Not to be confused with Well Done.

#3: YOU’RE VS YOUR
Example: “Hey, girl! I was wondering if your going to the party Friday night. Your so much fun! In fact, your awesome! You better bring you’re dancing shoes, lady!”
Contractions are taught in second grade. I realize most of the people reading this are adults. It’s been awhile, and I’m trying to have grace for that fact. However, this is one of the most basic concepts in grammar. You’re is a contraction of you are. Your shows possession. When you’re speaking silently in your head as you type, always stop and ask yourself, “Could this your be replaced with you are and still make sense?” If the answer is YES, always use you’re. If the answer is NO, then use your. Overdone. Not to be confused with Well Done.

#4: POSSESSIVE VS PLURAL
Example: “It’s raining outside, so rather than bring my kid’s to the pool, we’re going shopping. Some of my friend’s are having baby’s soon, so I need to get baby shower gift’s, anyway.”
For the love… it’s unbelievable that many people make this mistake frequently. Apostrophe S shows possession. Correct: My baby’s blanket. My husband’s truck. My daughter’s room. An apostrophe S does NOT make something plural! Correct: The kids are playing. The dogs are barking. The babies are cute. This is not complicated. Overdone. Not to be confused with Well Done.

Your you’re welcome! Love you guy’s guys! xoxo

Occasionally, it’s worse than average. Citrus fruit makes their poop smell acidic and brings tears to my eyes. Black beans or red beans seem to only partially digest, which has a tendency to fill their diaper from front to back with a rancid “soup” consistency. If they eat a lot of bananas, the poop looks eerily similar to peanut butter, both in color and texture (although presumably not in taste).

Anyway, changing other kids’ poop diapers? Barf central. Changing MY kids’ poop diapers? Necessary evil, and one that I can stomach. I tend to just hold my breath, race through it, and move along with my business. If it takes longer than I can hold my breath, I opt to breathe through my mouth. Contrary to what others say, I can’t actually taste it while using this breathing technique. Thank God, right?! Seriously.

Andy, however, resorts to covering most of his face with his shirt. I’m thinking this isn’t as effective as just holding your breath. I think he’s a drama queen. But whatev.

This past January was the first time I ever colored my own hair with store-bought color. I did it again last weekend. Both times I lost massive amounts of hair. Should I be concerned? Or just grossed out?

Matt is married to Mindy. They have two kids.

Mindy’s BFF is Jenny.

So, they’re all at a party. Jenny overhears Matt bragging to his buddy Steve about how he “recently got a vasectomy, Mindy has no idea, please don’t tell anyone, she thinks we’re trying to get pregnant, lol!”

Obviously, Jenny is having a heart attack, because what kind of d-bag LIES TO HIS WIFE about something as life-changing as HAVING A VASECTOMY?!

Now Jenny is in quite a predicament. Does she (a) keep quiet, (b) confront Matt, and/or (c) tell Mindy? What the heck would YOU do in a situation like that?!

This isn’t to say I dress awesome. I don’t know why I’m always drawn to the same boring stuff. I don’t particularly like my wardrobe. Maybe I should try on the $100 ugly shirt because it’ll magically morph into awesomeness on my body. Somehow I doubt it, though. And accessories? Forget about it. I have no idea what I’m doing.

One day I’m going to have some monies allocated strictly to fashion. And since I despise shopping, I’m going to hire a personal stylist and tell her to make it happen. Clearly, my wardrobe should be in the hands of a professional, since my fashion sense is The Suck. Sounds like a plan, no?