So. It happened. My cute, adorable, sweet little girl shoved peas up her nose. Here we were just getting past the stage of "everything-goes-straight-to-the-mouth" phase.....but evidently we didn't 'outgrow' it, we just found a new, more interesting orifice. Oh well, I suppose if she were a boy, we would be seeing what kind of a trajectory we could achieve by shooting them out of our nose. That's for another year--- Eli is still eating mashed peas in the meantime.
Dinner that evening was a bit broken up as we usually eat as a family around the table--- but Nick was working late, and I had taken the kids out for the day, so we returned home close to bedtime. So, itinerary for the evening was a quick supper, bath, then bed. Deborah was eating while I multi-tasked trying to get ahead on laundry because I wasn't home all day. I also happened to be talking on the phone to by Aunt, while doing dishes, and getting Eli down. Needless to say I was distracted. About the time I'm ready to go in and see if she has finished eating, I hear a little voice from the other room, "Mommy, help....nose". I assume she need her nose wiped as she had been getting over a cold. So, I grab a wipe and clean her nose off. Then I see the panicked look on her face....accompanied by most assuredly, NOT nasal drainage. Yep....definitely a vegetable.
She was breathing fine, so I got her down from the table, and attempted to wrestle the aspirator into her nose. Very very little progress was made. By this time she was most assuredly UPSET. So, we grabbed her beloved stuffed lambie, and the only thing that can cure peas up the nose....Spongebob! After she calmed down, and finally realized putting peas up her nose probably wasn't the best option, I attempted the aspirator once again. I can tell you this for sure----aspirators are not meant for removing peas from your nose! Not much progress was made. By this time Nick was home from his video shoot, and his parents were there as well (good news travels fast!) with much concern for princess pea. After a little saline, and some tickling of the nose, she gave out a large sneeze. Problem solved!
Now....the next question....did she learn her lesson? Probably not. She's 2. Two-year olds like to do things multiple times to test and see if the outcome is different. While I could tell her it certainly won't be different, she may test the waters again to see if I'm really right. Who knows, she probably thought she may have discovered a new, improved way for eating peas!
So, there is a lesson in this---as there is pretty much anything in life. Of course Deborah's lesson (I hope!) was, "Peas don't belong in your nose". To the rest of us--- especially us parents, as I feel we can learn so much from our kids---perhaps the lesson is a bit deeper.
My takeaway from this is.....just because you can do something doesn't mean you should! The verse that came to mind....1 Corinithians 10:23 states," 'I have the right to do anything,' you say-- but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'-- but not everything is constructive."
So....is sticking peas up the nose beneficial or constructive? Sure, this is a crude conclusion. But to a 2-year old, it's fairly profound. They really don't think that far ahead! So, in our own lives, how many of the things we choose to do on a daily basis are actually constructive and beneficial? The same verse continues on...."No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." So....now, how many of the things you do benefit others? Goodness knows I'm not here to point fingers, but this is a good point we can all examine in our own lives. Does watching 3 hours of TV a night really benefit someone? Does spending an hour on Facebook scanning the news feed before bed (guilty!) rather than praying for your kids or spouse really the best choice?
It boils down to this: we all have choices in this life and we are a product of those choices. God has given us free-will. We can follow God, or we can deny God. We can go put in that last load of laundry, or we can pick up our crying baby. We can take daily time to pray for our families, or we can surf the internet. We can filter what we watch, or consume ourselves with sexualized, profane, violent media. We can eat a balanced meal, or an entire container of ice cream. We can raise our kids on the teachings of God and Biblical values, or on the values of this world. There are choices everyday, and everyday we have the choice to make the more 'beneficial' or 'constructive' decision.
A verse I take to heart is Proverbs 14:1, "A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down". I need to stop and ask myself, "Is the decision I'm about to make going to build up my home, my children, my husband etc... or is it going to hurt them? Will it discourage them, belittle them, or harm them in anyway?" I have to continually ask myself is the time I'm using to do (name said activity, event, decision...) really going to benefit my family? Is this time worth investing here? Could my time be better spent somewhere else?
I've had to make some hard decisions these past several months in knowing that I can't have it all. As a mother of 2 children, who need their momma, I can't work full time, have a garden, tend effectively to my sheep, go to sheep shows, market and sell livestock, etc... So, we've had to cut back. Sure I could chase my 'dream' of selling and producing nationally-competitive show lambs, but at what cost? Would that decision benefit my kids? Sure, they might enjoy showing them as they get older, but the time I would need to devote to that enterprise in order to be successful would be at the cost of my kids now. Absolutely not a result I want. My kids are precious, little, and loaned to me by the good Lord and I need to nurture, care, and pour myself into them at every corner. Sure, we're still going to raise sheep. Yes, we will have lambs for sale each year, and we might even attend a show or two in the summer. However, to BENEFIT my children, I have decided to BUILD my home, and simplify.
Since having Deborah I have downsized work: from 40 hours to 20 hours per week. That was a BIG one. Sure I make less money, but the joy I receive from my kiddos is SO worth the small sacrifice, and it's time I'm investing in them! We have also decided to go without a garden, and instead plant fruit trees in its place. The garden has pretty much gotten neglected the past couple years anyways, so why pour time and effort into something that might save us $50 in vegetables a year? We have also down-sized the sheep, sold nearly all of our lambs this year, and several of our mature ewes. Fewer sheep = less time in the barn, less upkeep, less $$, and more time with the kids. We also invested in a professional handling system. This will let me work the animals we do have more efficiently, and with less effort. Another area we've downsized is attending shows. We are going to 1-2 shows a most per year. It still allows us to be apart of it all, but eliminates a LOT of stress, money, time, and commitment. We have instead 'loaned' animals out for other kids to show that they return to us at the farm at the end of the summer. We then keep the animal back for breeding, but the kids have gotten our name out, and we have gained customers as a result.
There are so many more ways I need to sacrifice as a mother, but I'm a work in progress. These are a few of the ways I have tried to build my home, benefit my family, and make THEM the priority.
Yes....I got all of that from peas up the nose.
