One HOT momma...and I don't mean sexy!

My kids had a super fun day today spending some extra time with their cousins while mommy had a meeting. We got up really early in order to get to their house in time for Miracle to go to Bible School at a neighborhood church with them. I knew the church as being one from my Bob Jones University years so I figured she would have fun and learn some good facts about the wonderful God we serve. She did have fun. She had lots of fun aside from one issue that came up in the back seat as we were headed to get slushies.

"They made fun of me mommy!" she said.

"Why honey?".

"Because my skin is brown...it hurt my feelings!"

Her cousin stepped in at this point in the conversation.

"I told them to leave her alone and not be mean to my cousin. I love having Miracle as my cousin. I told them to stop being mean!"

I sat in the front seat driving with a mix of emotions. Horrified---how can Christian kids be so mean to my sweet girl? HOT/MAD----What were those kids thinking? Haven't their parents told them that God made everyone special and that we should not judge based on skin color? Sad---sad that my baby will have to go through 'making fun' like that for the rest of her life. I realized this when we adopted her but it still makes me sad. Determined---to make her bold and un afraid of what people think. I told her to just reply that God made her special and no different than them. I tried to communicate the whole 'heaping coals of fire' thing even though I was mad. Deeply Disturbed---Was I wrong to want to adopt a child of a different race? Am I hurting her by not surrounding her by people of her own color even though it does not matter in our eyes? Will this really affect her for all of her young days? Can I go beat those kids up? Wasn't that a Christan church? Why didn't someone intervene and tell those kids that they were wrong? Should I keep her with me at all times to protect her sweet heart? Should I teach her to fight just in case? Should I....should I...should I???????

Once I thought about the situation, I calmed down a bit. These were probably kids just being kids and kids are mean sometimes. Miracle has already forgotten the situation so no permanent harm is done. She is a strong willed child and will survive her young years as long as I try to be the best parent I can be. I will love her and help her to grow into a good Christian woman as long as God allows me to. I fully understand this to be the rational truth.

All rationality aside---I am upset. I am horrified, hot/mad, sad, determined, and deeply disturbed despite knowing the rational truth. I am mad at those kids and want to teach my girl every good come back there is in the book. I am her God given mother and if I was not horrified, hot/mad, sad....etc....then I would have no right to claim that title.

She is and always will be my baby girl. Born in my heart, not under it. The kid who decides to scorn her color with this momma around better watch out!

Kinda bad day

Three fourths of the way to work this morning, my car decided to give me a really bad day. Josh had to drive all the way from Anderson to Greenville only to find out the car still had to be towed back to Easley. I ended up not being able to make it to work at all and had to drive Josh all the way back to Anderson. So we are one car down, looking at a 5 hour short paycheck, and wondering what exactly God's plan in all of this is. I realize life could be much worse...but right now it is seeming pretty bad. If one thing is not broken---another thing is. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Some Encouragement

"Whatever Your Doing" by Sanctus Real is a song a friend had on her blog. I needed to hear this song today and found it to be so encouraging! Go listen and see what you think!

(Just click on the name of the song:)

The end is too near...

Well, spring break is coming to an end already. It definitely flew by! Every year, as spring break approaches, I look forward to a week off and at the same time dread having no extra money to spend. I basically had the same outlook going into it this year. God is just trying to teach me that money is not everything. It can't be everything because there is never enough! I just wish my head would stop trying to tell my heart that 'it needs more money!" My heart is ok with our current situation....it is my head that is not ok with it. In my heart, I know what is really important. My head just spends way too much time seeing what everyone else has...and what I don't have. Well, head---GIVE IT UP!

Aside from this particular personal battle, we have had a blast together as a family over this spring break. Sleeping in every morning, having a leisurely bowl of cereal in front of cartoons, and just relaxing our days away! I'm also competing in a personal race within myself. So far, I am winning. Praise God for the small stuff!

Enjoying Spring Break

Spring Break is going well so far! I cannot believe this is already the third day! The kids and I have been enjoying our time together for sure! JJ's day care is still open...but how often do I get to spend time with him when he is not sick? Umm...NEVER. So he gets to stay home with me and sissy this week! We haven't really done anything special, we are just being lazy and enjoying our days at home. We will probably venture out today to do some much needed grocery shopping. I still have a bunch of cleaning to do before our Easter dinner on Sunday. I also have eggs to boil, cupcakes to make and decorate, and food to prepare. Ohhhh....its been kinda busy busy but having all of this to do during a week off is so much easier than during a work week!

Lovin' the Sun!

Hello again! Sadly, I had to come home from work early today for JJ. His tummy was/is hurting really bad:/ Is my 'not so favorite' virus striking again? I am still hoping that maybe he just has a slight touch of something....and that it won't lead to any vomits. The poor child has had more than his fair share of that stuff, and his daddy and I were both hoping that he was over all that for the season. All is well though, I am armed and ready with a bucket, Clorox wipes, disinfectant spray, and towels. I figure the more prepared I get---maybe it won't happen?!?! Fat chance, Murphy's law never really works unless you don't want it to. I will keep you all posted:/ Despite the current sickness (?) we are all looking forward to spring break. What a way to kick it off huh? Well, we are going to choose to ignore the kick off and try to enjoy the moments anyway. We don't have much planned. I just want to spend time with my kids and get some peace and quiet. We will also be cleaning the house and preparing for the Easter celebration being held at our house this year...Should be lots of fun! Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Finally....an April Update!

Hello everybody! It has been awhile since an update from the Splan Clan. This is not because I have lost my love for blogging...but because my mom always told me that if you cant say anything nice-don't say anything at all. Lately, it seems the 'negatives' have taken over our life. Lots of downs and very few ups--- We are all determined, however, to make the best of this life that God has given us! This post is going to be dedicated to all the things that I am thankful for despite our current 'downs':) 1. I am thankful for all of our good health. God knows that this momma hates having sick kids. Amidst all of our recent stresses, sickness would be even harder for me. God has seen fit to keep us all relatively healthy for the time being. Thank God for small blessings! 2. I am thankful that my husband and I both have a job. Life is hard as it is but would be much harder if one of use was unemployed. I have a job that I love and works well with me when kids are sick or when life gets stressful. Josh has a job that may not be the best but is a job nonetheless. I remember quite clearly the 2 weeks of misery last October when Josh had to quit his job of 4.5 years. It was unexpected and scared us all half to death. God is good though. He provided a job less than a week later! In this economy, that was a HUGE blessing! The job was not a perfect one...but has helped us get back on our feet for the most part. We are working on being content with his job for now but praying that God sends us something better when He sees fit to do so! 3. I am thankful for my siblings that live close and encourage me often. My sisters especially are always wonderful to me. I really could not ask for a better outside support system. 4. I am thankful that even though gas is super high, bills are overwhelming, and childcare is expensive---we have the money to pay for everything that is important. God knows what those things are and always makes sure that we survive every month. 5. I am thankful for Ms. Dana. She is our childcare lady, and she is sent to us from God for sure. JJ and Miracle love her. She loves them, and she loves the Lord. I could not be comfortable with just anyone watching my kids....and I am beyond comfortable with the care she offers! Praise God for her! 6. I am thankful for a house to live in, a car to drive, a heating/cooling system that works, a washer and dryer that work, a bed to sleep in, and everything else that makes our life comfortable and live able. God has given us more than we deserve for sure! 7. I am thankful for my pets. They are dirty, hairy, smelly, and often super annoying. They bark and meow, and they eat us out of house and home. However, they love us unconditionally. When I yell at them, they still love me. I look forward to seeing them every day! These are some of the many things I can be thankful for that I often take for granted. I can complain about gas being high all that I want...but what if I did not have a car to put gas into? I can wish for a bigger house, but what would I do if I could not pay my mortgage and not have a place to call home anymore? I can complain about everything I have, but what if I had NOTHING to call my own? What if I did not have my kids and my husband and my family? I am blessed beyond words in reality. Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side. Thankfully, we have grass even if its not perfect!