God's Promise

I literally stopped dead in my tracks when I pulled open the dishwasher door to discover this....A perfect rainbow complied from my dirty dishes! Ironic, yet, nothing surprises me with God's abundance and promises.

Here in the midst of the my day-to-day and somewhat mundane tasks...a rainbow laid out just for my eyes. (and now you too!) Some of you may just see dirty dishes, but I saw a rainbow.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

I have set my rainbows in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Genesis 9:13-15

Where to start?

After almost a two week non-post period, I'm left to wonder...where to start? How in the world do I pack all those days into one blessed post? Ugh. I meant to blog early as I had things to "say", but atlas I am here sorting through those blog ideas...dumbfounded.

Anyway...(I promise to pull myself together here)Happy belated Thanksgiving. I pray yours was as special, filled with friends and family. We had the privilege of having my parents join us from Iowa for the week. The kids enjoyed showing their grandparents their daily routines, sharing lots of books and walking/riding their scooters around Lake Tye.

It is always a blessing to have them here as we only see them about three times a year. Ironically, we will be seeing them again in Iowa in nearly two weeks. After much encouragement from my husband, I've decided to take advantage of the YMCA's shut-down week. Since I won't be working and my husband will be working long, intense hours due to finals week...I will be traveling with the kids to our Iowa adventure.

Traveling with two kids is always a challenge and I seriously wondered about my sanity when I booked the flights. But again, the flights are booked and the kids are thrilled to spend time with their cousins and grandparents in Iowa. For me going home is surreal, I haven't been home in 1 1/2 years and it has been four years since I've been home for Christmas. We will certainly miss Drew, but this is an opportunity we couldn't miss.

Throughout the week, I'll be trying to catch my readers up on all happenings of the Britten life...Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, Keegan's Birthday and Cookie Decorating Party, and maybe even a science experiment or two (seriously.) I've got lots on my mind and the urge to write so be sure to check back often.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday (Archive)

I am going home to Iowa in December! What a rare and precious treat! In honor of me scoring a great deal on tickets please enjoy some pictures from our last visit in September 2008.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Climb Every Moutain

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

I Blinked

I used to get annoyed when wiser parents would remind me to "enjoy the moment, before you know it your kids will be grown." Of course, I'll enjoy the moment...like changing bed sheets soaked with vomit at 3 a.m.(good times, good times), cleaning up spilled milk at the dinner table again,...ahem...no I mean like kissing their soft faces at night and sharing a fresh, layer of snow with them.

Being a parent is filled of enjoyable moments. However, somewhere in the midst of running A to B last week I missed a huge milestone. Apparently, I blinked and Keegan was potty trained.

I'd love to say it was amazing parenting, but it wasn't. Keegan was just ready. No sticker charts, no running to the bathroom every 15 minutes, no potty party...it just happened. Apparently, I blinked.

For over five years, I've routinely purchased diapers and in a matter of a day it was over. Just like that...no fanfare...no hand shakes from the Huggies Corporation....done. Oddly, I felt a sense of loss and still do.

My baby is now a little boy wearing a variety of action-hero underwear. He reminds me that he "(can) do it myself" when he gets into the bathroom. And wasn't it just last week when I was still changing his diaper? Don't get me wrong...I am ecstatic, but I am watching carefully from the side lines wondering what next milestone he'll tackle on his own.

I'm holding my eyes wide open now, because apparently I blinked last week.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

From Inside the Little Blue Bungalow

As I sit here typing, I am amazed at how dark 6:15 a.m. looks today. Even though I'm already back from working out at the YMCA, the house is quiet and peaceful. In the silence, the tea kettle yells to let me know my hot water is ready, but once again it is quiet except for my typing.

The morning is my favorite part of the day. A chance to exercise, sip my tea, pray, surf the Internet, think, and catch up on a few household chores in peace. It is my time.

In the past 9 months much has changed in our house. Before, I was a dedicated stay-at-home mom for almost 4 1/2 years aching to find routine and purpose in my day. Today, I am back in the working world part-time and maintaining my "mommy" duties.

Though I find myself juggling the daily routines of motherhood and work interesting, I wouldn't change it. Being a full-time stay-at-home mom (or dad) is one of the most rewarding and hardest jobs you'll ever do. Though I loved being home with the kids, I realized it was time to move on...and for a mother, that is a hard concept to admit. At times the hours as a stay-at-home mom seemed to creep by and now I long for an hour to sit and reflect on the day ahead. How quickly things have changed.

They say the grass is always greener on the other side. But is it really?

I guess what I'm trying to say is to enjoy where you are right now and be your best always. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, part-time mom, working mom, or foster mom. The important thing is that you are a MOM. And at the end of the day Mom is who they want to tuck them in bed and kiss their fears away. Regardless of my "title", I am forever Fiona and Keegan's Mom.

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean