_______My "New" Job

Since Isaac started preschool three days a week, my time with Abby has been so easy and so precious.  Added to that is the wonderful fact that Isaac is much happier at home and more willing to play with his toys when he gets a good long break from them.  Over the past three months, I have been noticing a happy change.  Managing our family is getting easier and more fun.  That is an awesome blessing!

I have been finding myself in the afternoons, especially since I am no longer working on the latest marathon book project, having some spare time on my hands.  I have been wondering what I should do with my new-found window of time.  We're not talking much time, just an hour or so here and there when the kids are napping.  I recently asked both of my small groups (I'm in a couples' group with Adel as well as the mommy group I lead) to pray that God would help me figure out the best use of my time.  I don't simply want to take on another task just to keep busy.  I have been contemplating doing some volunteering, finding a part-time job I could work from home, taking on some free-lance writing jobs, or even doing some ghost-writing.

This morning, it occurred to me, most surely not by accident, that rather than take on a new job, I would be wise to use any spare time I have to improve my skills in the job I already have.  There are a few things I have been saying since I became a mom that I wish I could do better, if only I had the time and energy.  Well, time and energy seem to be more on my side these past few months than they ever have been in my journey as a mother.  So, I'm kicking off my "new" job today with two resolutions.  Yikes!  It's scary to announce it like that!  Well, hopefully you can help me stick with it (allowing a little room for grace, of course!).

Resolution #1: I will use my extra time to plan and create a fun and simple "Family Night" activity for my family once a week.  This will be a time for us to enjoy each other and make some wonderful memories together.  I'm very excited about this as I have wanted to do it for a long time.  I'll post a new idea each week on the right margin under the "Family Nights" label.  The one for this week is sort of a freebie (Family Night at Chick Fil-A), as my friend Celine and I were planning on taking our families anyway, but it will give me time to plan the family night for next week.

Resolution #2: I will use my extra time to (gulp) try two new, healthy dinner recipes every month.  I have tried this before, unsuccessfully.  I just don't really love cooking.  I do it because I have to.  But, I must admit, we are in a major dinner rut.  By "healthy," I mean the recipe will contain at least one vegetable (that's seriously a step up for us on some days).  I will try to (gulp) involve my kids in the cooking process, rather than fussing at them to get out of the kitchen.  You can help me with this resolution by sending me any healthy recipes you and your family really love (megan.lagoy@gmail.com).  I'll add the new recipes I try to my blog each month as a blog entry with the label "cook."  (That makes me laugh because I really don't consider myself a cook!)

I'm excited about the idea that, a year from now (if I'm successful) I will have tried roughly 24 new recipes and my family will have shared in 52 fun family night experiences.  I love my job!

_______A Measure of Success

This weekend, I went with some friends to a craft fair to see if I could sell a few copies of my books while my friends sold their hand-made crafts.  As it turned out, I didn't get a single taker.  No one even picked up a book to look at it.  Not that I blame them.  I probably wouldn't be too quick to buy a book from an unknown writer at a craft fair either.

My friend Celeste's picture of her table of crafts.
Those are Julie's crafts on the wall and table in the background.

The thing is, this made me realize how I measure my success. Writing a book, especially a first book like MomWorks or a heart-felt and creative book like EveryMom, is a lot like running a marathon: I measure my success in my ability to see the overwhelming task through to completion.  Now, if I'm able to capitalize on the success, it's just icing on the cake.

Right now, I'm still looking for ways to get my books out there and for new inspirations for future writing projects.  In fact, I just finished reading a book called I'm Glad I'm a Mom by a company called Hearts at Home (the "Look Inside" feature won't work here!).

This is the mission statement of this company: "Hearts at Home is a Christ-centered organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood."  When I read that, I thought, "Hey, that's my mission too!" At least it's the mission of my book EveryMom.  I know it's probably just as much of a long shot to get my book published through Hearts at Home as any of the other publishers that I have already tried (this company only publishes two books a year!), but I have nothing to lose so I will be sending them a proposal during the next week.  Wish me luck!

(PS, thanks Aunt Teri for the book!)

Update as of 12/15/09: Well, I finally heard back from Hearts at Home with a no-go.  They reminded me that they only publish two books a year and informed me that they are focusing right now on practical books that moms would look to for help in certain situations...most definitely not my genre!  Oh well!  Also I just checked both my book's sales on amazon.com.  The first book, MomWorks, is actually selling more consistently than the second book, EveryMom.  This is kind of a bummer because I think EveryMom is a much better book!  I still have no new book ideas and would appreciate your prayers for guidance in this area.  Until I feel inspired, I will leave well-enough alone!

_______This Old House

Every now and then, someone will ask me how I keep my house clean.  Let me just admit that it makes me very happy to hear this.  I love the fact that someone has noticed the clean floors and wiped-down counter tops and not noticed the dusty blinds or the (what is that?) up there on the wall.

When we moved into a house three times the size of our California condo, I was asking myself the same question, "How am I going to keep that house clean?"  Of course, with my vivid imagination, I envisioned living in this large house and hiring a maid service to do the tough job of keeping it clean.  After all, we were clearly moving up in the world.  Well, the funny thing about moving up in the world is that image and reality don't always get along.  Turns out when you invest your money in a home-upgrade, you just possibly might not have enough money left over to invest in much else. So, once we moved in, I pulled up my sleeves and got to cleaning.

After living here for two-and-a-half years, I think I finally have the answer to that question.  There are two little tricks I use in keeping my house clean:

1.  I clean it.  Yup, that's right folks.  The trick really is that I clean it pretty much on the same day every week.  I do laundry and a little cleaning on Mondays and a little more cleaning on Tuesdays.  Every other day I just try to keep it picked up as best as I can.  Cleaning it regularly keeps it from getting to be too much of a job and keeps it from causing me to stress when we have people over (which happens at least twice a week).  My second trick is...

2.  I don't clean it.  I know, the genius here is almost too much to bear.  But, truth be told, I ignore quite a lot and pass on a lot of potential housework.  For example, the vacuum only finds its way upstairs when the cracker crumbs in the playroom begin to take on a personality of their own. When I can no longer ignore it, I take care of it, and not a moment before. Same with the kids' bathroom and the upstairs dusting.  It's all done on an as-needed basis and my need to keep those areas as spotless as the downstairs remains rather low.

Now that I have a manageable system and have been keeping it up for two-and-a-half years, I have decided that, even if we were able to afford a regular maid-service, we would pass.  We have learned so much in the past few years about spending money wisely and being good stewards of the blessings God gives us.

We have also learned to feel that this house of ours is not really ours at all, but a blessing that God has loaned us to share with others.  We absolutely love having people over.  I'm not talking about the "bring out the fine china and break out the champagne" kind of gatherings.  I am talking about the "bring your kids, bring your mess, have some tea, be our guest" kind of gatherings.  That's my motivation for keeping this house clean: not so that everyone who walks through the door will be impressed by my skills, but so that I can be relaxed and available to sit down and enjoy some good fellowship with the people God brings our way.

Thank you Lord for this house and for the friends you bring here for us to share it with!

_______Throwing Acorns in Heaven

Yesterday in the car, the kids overheard Adel and I talking about a soldier we knew of who had died in battle.  A lively discussion on heaven followed:

Abby: Who died, Momma?
Mommy: A soldier died, Abby.
Isaac: Is he in heaven now?
Mommy: If he believed in Jesus he gets to go to heaven.  We hope so.
Isaac: When I go to heaven, I'm going to sleep on the floor.
Abby: Who died, Momma?
Mommy: A soldier died fighting a battle, Abby.
Isaac: Do you have to go to the bathroom in heaven?
Mommy: I have no idea, Isaac.  That's a good question.
Abby: Who died, Momma?
Mommy: Don't worry, Abby.  A soldier died.  You didn't know him.  It's okay.
Isaac: When I'm in heaven, can I throw acorns at Jesus?
Mommy: I would think of all the people in the world, Jesus would be the last person you would want to throw acorns at!
Isaac: I'll throw acorns when I get to heaven, but not at people.
Mommy: That's a good idea.


And just because I can't have a mom-post without pictures of the kids, here's a picture of the kids driving the trains they created this morning.

They're shouting "All Aboard!"

_______Day Out with Thomas

The morning after we went camping, we met my mom and dad in Rusk for the Day Out with Thomas the Train.

Daddy and Isaac

Mimi and Isaac

Lindsay, Lily, Amelia, and Andy

Boppa and Aubrey

Abby and her reflection

Mommy and Abby

On the tracks

At the bubble station

Abby and Emily

The kids at the lake

Abby (center) and Aubrey (far left) helping lead music time

On the hay ride

Thanks Mimi and Boppa for a fantastic day!

_______First Time Camping with Kids

This weekend we went camping at Davy Crockett National Forest in Lufkin, Texas.  It was our first camping trip since having kids.  When we arrived at the campsite, Lindsay and Andy already had the tent set up (good deal!).  Here's some snippets of the experience:


Our first time camping with the kids

arriving just before sunset
spending the last of the daylight collecting firewood
kids playing with dirt, sticks, and pinecones
(no need for toys here)
rolling the big log from three sites down to make a seat

trying to start a fire with soggy wood
giving up and cooking hot dogs on the gas burner
Daddy making a run for lighter fluid and charcoal

dousing the wood with lighter fluid until it finally catches
melting s'mores over the flames
sticky, chocolaty fingers and grins

taking the boy to the bathroom in the dark
pretending I don't think it's creepy
spiders and snakes and bugs, oh my!
(not to mention the dreaded boogeyman)
but don't forget to look up at the perfect night sky

"it's almost bedtime, little ones"
"nah, you don't have to brush your teeth tonight"
tucking those kids into their sleeping bags
"get back in bed and stay there!"

grownups stay up talking just a little longer
"can you believe we're the grownups now?"
until the fire burns out

sleeping on and off throughout the night
more off than on, it seems
the egret's call echoes across the lake
someone should really get that dog to stop barking
can't believe those campers are just arriving
what was that noise?
and "it's okay, mommy's here"

restart the soggy fire at sun-up
Uncle Andy's hot chocolate
the lake covered in mist

one more hour to play with dirt, sticks, and pinecones
taking the kids on a nature walk while the guys pack up
coming home smelling like campfire and feeling like grit
talking about how we can't wait to do it all again

_______A Little Good in the World

Here's an anecdote for those of us who need to feel a little bit of good about the state of the World today:

Isaac's preschool class is learning about jobs this month.  The teachers asked each child what they want to be when they grow up and what they will use to help them do their job.  They posted the results on the bulletin board today.  The answers were diverse but followed the pattern: "When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.  I will use a pointer to point at words."  "When I grow up, I want to be a nurse.  I will use a shot to give people medicine." And so on.

Isaac's answer stood out to me firstly because he's my son and I adore him (no doubt I'm extremely biased here), but also because he was the only one who didn't pick an actual career.  His answer was: "When I grow up, I want to be a daddy.  I will use my hands to protect my family."

How precious is that?  There is good left in the world, people!  God has loaned it to me (and you too, mommas!) to do my best with for a little while.

_______The Trip that Wasn't

Our bags were packed, the car was loaded with necessities for a long weekend trip with the kids.  Emails had been exchanged, phone calls made. In the morning we were leaving for Lubbock. Lindsay and I and our five kids would be packed into Dad's truck.  Bethany and Carly and their four kids would be carpooling too, all converging on Matt and Robin's house by evening the next day.  At least that was the plan.

Then we learned that our hostess, Robin, had landed a fever. With flu scares abounding and Dad undergoing chemo, we decided to play it safe and postpone the trip.  In the meantime, we needed a backup plan, and fast, for the kids who were all revved up for the big weekend ahead.  So, we headed to Old MacDonald's Farm.

There we rode the train around the grounds (this is the kids watching the train pull in)...

Pretended to be chickens...

Fed and pet deer...

Played on the giant hill of sand (I want one in my backyard)...

Took turns on the rope swing...

And rode the ponies...

The kids even got to pick out a pumpkin to take home:

That night, we went to Lupe Tortillas where the kids played in more sand.  The next day we took a trip to Galveston and let the kids play in, you guessed it, even more sand.


Spending two days driving around with five kids in the car for just an hour or so at a time, really gave us something to think about for the real Lubbock trip.  It was noisy on all kinds of levels.  Abby cried inconsolably for a good ten minutes because Aubrey kept shushing her when she was trying to sing "rock-a-bye baby."  As I was buckling the kids in one of the dozens of times, this was one of my favorite exchanges I overheard:

Isaac: Lily, let's pretend I'm a baby and you're the momma.
Lily: Okay.
Isaac (in a baby voice): Momma...
Lily: What?
Isaac: Momma...
Lily: What?
Isaac: Momma...
Lily: What?

Yeah, that's a pretty accurate exchange.

We are especially thankful to Aunt Teri and Uncle Bill and my mom and dad who helped us enjoy this "make up" mini vacation without our usual cutting corners and pinching pennies.

And Robin, we're still coming!  New plans for "Lubbock or Bust" are in the works...