Anyone else glad the weekend is here??!I must confess in advance, I feel guilty sharing about my horrible week, especially after I just shared how much I want *She Sparkles* to be a joy-filled, celebratory, fun place to visit.
But then this week happened. Ugh.
I warn you now...you are about to view pictures that may cause your stomach to gag. Yes, be afraid, be very afraid.
So what made my
It started Tuesday night. We were blessed to receive a wonderfully prepared homemade Meatloaf dinner from a dear friend. I had an unopened bag of Fresh Express lettuce that I needed to use, and thought it would go nicely with the meal I had received. Little did we know.....
Here is Jake holding his discovery on his fork....
No, it's not a pea pod ~ although it does look like one...it is actually A (HEADLESS) GRASSHOPPER!! Ewwwww!
From there, my week went down hill.
John and I are experiencing real challenges with one of our dearly loved kids, and this precious one and I battled for 2 hours on Wednesday. I wish I had pictures. No, I don't.
Here's a snapshot...
Me ~ trying to stay calm, preparing dinner, waiting for John to come home, praying for peace & wisdom
Child ~ screaming at me for an hour that I'm a horrible mom, worst mom ever, no one loves her, etc.. (turns out she had a sad thing happen on the bus ride home, and I was the lucky target of her anger. Because I asked her to take off her boots. Lovely).
Finally I called my mom and asked for help. Yep, I'm 40 and still need my mommy :)
(On a personal note, this precious one has diagnosed emotional challenges, so typical consequences, etc.. are not always effective. We are seeking professional help.)
Thankfully my mom came right over and was able to help calm down the child who shall remain nameless.
Thursday just got worse...I won't bore you with the details, but trust me ~ it too was a real "hum dinger" of a day, involving kids, school, fighting and meanness. Ugh.
So, of course, when I ran into the grocery store quickly to return the grasshopper (yuck) and pick up something for dinner (tacos, what else) ~ EVERYTHING IN ME THOUGHT I MUST BUY A DIET COKE. OR TWO. OR MAYBE I CAN JUST DRINK RIGHT OUT OF THE SODA FOUNTAIN.
(Did I tell you I'm trying to exercise my self-discipline muscles and haven't had a Diet Coke in 2011? Those of you who know me well recognize the miracle that I've made it "thus far".)
And trust me, my flesh was crying out I MUST HAVE DIET COKE NOW!!
Thankfully I was able to bypass all of the pop calling my name ~ mostly because I was headed straight towards the Starbucks conveniently located in my local grocery store.
Ahhh....a Venti skinny vanilla latte with no foam and extra hot will make everything better.
As I was pulling out my Starbucks giftcard (thanks, Mom!) ~ I suddenly thought of a talk that I have shared over and over and over again....
About where do we run when life gets stressful. About STOPPING in the midst of the Stress, Acknowledging our need for Him, Filling our heart and mind with Truth, and Expecting God to show up....
And at that moment I realized I had a choice....
(to be continued.....)
P.S. For more Caffeinated Randomness, be sure to visit Michelle at
Lost in the Prairies...Found By God. Please tell her Cindy says hello! :)
27 comments:
As any good and proper Southern lady would say.....Bless your heart, honey.
You did have a bad week. So sorry and the grasshopper in salad....oh my goodness.
Praying for a better week coming up.
Leah
Hi! Cindy, oh! Girl, I am so sorry that this thing called "Life" got to you! And I am just shocked about that salad! OMG! No! absoulutely Not!! I am so glad I do not like bagged salad! and I know I really don't like it Now!! Ha-Ha! But Girl, I did laugh at your story, Not at you but this story is just so called Life! We all have to go through it! But you did tell it well, and left us hanging! Please tell us the rest of the Story!! Love and Blessings for a Happy:) wk-end! this is just a little test of Your Faith!
Cindy,
Thanks for keeping it real. Your transparency is beautiful. God bless your weekend with peace. Hugs to you,Amy
was there something in the atmosphere this week? i have to admit to yelling in the classroom this week. sigh. and to turning to my other means of stress relief besided god. sigh. i am 40 for five more days and feel like i haven't learned anything yet!
I love that you called your mommy. Moms are a blessing from God! Hang in there!
I've found a grasshopper in salad before, too. It was in a big bag of spinach. Fortunately the store was very nice and took it back.
Sorry you had such a tough week. It seems like the enemy loves to really work overtime when we're shining extra brightly for God.
Those challenges with our kids can be so tough. Praying that God gives you the wisdom and discernment you need at each turn.
Blessings,
Erin
It wasn't the entire week, just yesterday for me. Must be something in the air. I totally understand how you feel about Diet Coke, Cindy. I quit smoking. Putting off the flesh isn't always easy. Thanks for sharing. The grasshopper, just gross. I pray your weekend and next week are much better. :)
A grasshopper...really?! Note to self never by bagged salad again!
I love your honesty, we all have those weeks can't wait to hear how it turned out. Praying for a peaceful insect free weekend!
My husband used to work with food commodities and he told me to always wash the bag salads - people have found frogs, grasshoppers, and all kinds of stuff...I must confess, I don't always do it, but I will NOW! Sorry you had a rough week, but believe me, I appreciate your honesty, and God will use even our bad weeks for His glory. Please pray for me to have the same will power about the diet drinks...I have tried many times, but so far, I'm still addicted. God bless
Cindy, I know those weeks you're talking about. I've had a few around here lately with the middleman. All I can do is look up and ask for help. Hoping that next week will be more promising.
PS - Can't believe you took a picture of the grasshopper. I would have been running to the bathroom gagging. :P
This is why I I love our blog! You keep it real and make me feel like I am not the only one on this never ending roller coaster called life. Sorry about the grasshopper. Gross! Hopefully things with your child are better and will continue upwards.
BTW, I left you an award on my blog!
Yup I've had those days (and weeks) too.
A BIG EWWWWW to the grasshopper. YUCK.
Oh my word- this was my week too (minus the grasshopper and the kids). My class at school was crazy, life was crazy and I got stressed out on Thursday and totally wanted a diet dew (which has now been 29 days since I have had one).
I can't wait to hear how you let God help you through this. I don't have kids yet, but teach and I know about emotional disorders. But no matter what I LOVE all of my kids just as you LOVE yours. Thanks for posting this..it reminds us all that just because we blog doesn't mean that everything is sunshine and roses!
Oh, Cindy... yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Thanks so much for sharing & for your transparency. You can take a really yucky week and turn it into inspiration for the rest of us; thank you!
I love that you called your mom - that's my first go-to person, too. Well, not your mom, my mom. ;) I will remember to pray for you and your precious child the next time one of mine acts up. (so, soon, I'm sure) Somehow, I think I pray most earnestly for others when I can relate.
Your earlier words on where we run in times of stress have echoed back to me many times these past few weeks. Again, thank you.
~Much love, blessings & hope for a less grasshopper-in-your-salad kinda week next week~
Oh Cindy, what a week. I'm so glad it's over for your sake. I'm so thankful God is still on the throne - I need to remind MYSELF of that often! I'm sending you a big 'ole hug and a message: YOU ARE SO LOVED my dear friend! Jenny C. P.S. Didn't John the Baptist eat grasshoppers with his honey? (oops, I guess that was locusts!).
I think I had the same week. Different circumstances....different battles. drank the DIET COKE....It won
Oh Cindy, it appears you have this perfect awesome life, and then I see YOUR NORMAL! LOL. Of course I know better. Thanks for your honesty. This gives me some very specific things to lift up in prayer on your behalf...which I will write in my awesome prayer guide, which I love and has made such a difference, thank you very much! We'll watch together as God answers our prayers.
Hang in there friend! love and hugs to you!!!
Chellie
I haven't had a Diet Coke since 2010 either!! It is good to know someone else is walking this long difficult road too... :) Seriously since I was about 16 I have probably consumed more diet coke than water fills the Mississippi! CONGRATULATIONS for making it your first month DC FREE- even with a terrible horrible no good very bad day week.
Aw man, that grasshopper thing was pretty bad. Did you know they eat grasshopper in Oaxaca, Mexico? Yup...fry 'em up and sprinkle them with spices. I tried one. In a word, ewww.
Wow, I'm so sorry you had a bad week! I am looking forward to hearing "the rest of the story". I'm sure there is a God nugget in there!!!
In the meantime, check out my latest blog post! It's Awards day for you!!!! Blessings!
That is the nastiest thing I have ever heard...eewww! I had a tough time getting through my veggies last night for dinner... I hope your week gets a lot... and I mean a lot better!
*Allie*
THANK YOU for being honest about having a rough week...you are NOT alone!!!
I'm interested to hear what the customer service person had to say about the returned salad! :)
Wow, what a week! If you can't share it here, where can you? :)
I hope things look up from here on out! Blessings :)
Well hopefully this week will be a wonderful very great week! My weekend was similar, not in story but in feeling :) Hang in there!!
Not so good week, indeed! I've been there with battling a child and we sometimes revisit it.
Let's just pray that this new day/new week will be more than awesome enough to make up for the OLD one.
Praying this will be a less stressful week for you and your sweet family. Sometimes it just really does seem that it all crumbles around us but praise the Lord we serve a God that can sustain us and bring us through to the other side, renewed and restored.
Always enjoy stopping by your blog!
Dear Cindy, you are human and these horrible things are going to happen. Grasshoppers, children with short fuses, and parents who want to hit the diet coke. You are a good woman for even attempting to give up the diet coke, let alone stay away from it.
Praying for you that things look up, both literally and figuratively. I know you're looking up to Him for help.
Hugs from Heidi
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