Shiny new pots and pans

Everyone has had a moment in their life when they opened a box and there was a fresh, new and shiny set of pots and pans, right? One would think that, that was normal for a fairly newly married woman. I mean, though I courted (yes, courted.... different than dated) Andy for six and a half years, I've only been a Mrs for ten (almost eleven) years. That's a fairly new marriage in my book. After all, my grandparents made it well passed their golden anniversary! Ok, I'll admit that the thought that I've almost been with Andy longer than the time I spent growing up not knowing him is mind-blowing! That just hit me... still, fairly newly married in comparison to others.  Back to my pots and pans. The ones I had were old. VERY old. I can't even tell you how old, as everyone of them was handed down to me from someone. Yep. This gal didn't think to put pots and pans on her registry when getting married. That should have been a clue to Andy that I had a lot of learning to do when it came to taking care of house and home. Or maybe it should have just been a sign that he has to do all the cooking. I kind of like the way that sounds a lot better. Anyhow....

My new pots and pans came courtesy of a friend and a thoughtful gift. When I used them today for the second time, I was struck with the irony of my journey for the last few years. We've been trying to work our way out of debt by EATING AT HOME. This is not an easy thing for me; I love the atmosphere of being out - the people watching, the hustle and bustle of various places, interacting with those working, and of course, I love the fact that I don't have to prepare the meal. With a few cooking lessons from my friends Elaine and Meg, a crockpot guide to cooking from my friend Heather, and a bunch of other helps along the way, I am getting better at preparing meals and eating at home. I've found I kind of like not having to shush kids or peruse through the diaper bag in search of something, anything, to make a kid who is about to explode, happy. That part is much easier. And, honestly, I can now say the food is better.... especially when my friend who lives with us makes it. :) But the irony is that the last few years as I've been learning to cook, I've used old pots. Now, I have shiny new ones.... ones that came to me smack-dab in the middle of another new phase of my life... and ones that were the means of communication from the Big Guy above to me, today.

I fried some ham for lunch. I love fried ham. It is so good. Heck... most food is good. Maybe I should say I love to eat. That's pretty accurate. I eat when I'm happy, and I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm stressed and when nothing bothers me at all. After frying up and enjoying my lovely meal, I let my shiny pans cool down a little and then put water in them to soak. Those pans need a little TLC to be shiny again.

SO do we.

That's it. That's what came to me. The more I thought about it, the more I easily applied it to homeschooling. So, here's what some of you were waiting (and probably expecting to hear). I had a rough day in the homeschooling atmosphere today. The kids were loud, the concepts required an intensity of high proportions as I worked on ways to help my gal understand, Simon wanted to be with us and held the whole day.... the family peace was challenged for sure. We took a break.... a few hours break.... a needed break. And then hit the books again, finishing what was on the agenda for the day. We are a lot like shiny pots and pans, aren't we? Sometimes we need to soak up whatever it is in life that helps us relax (for me, a good book, a cup of coffee or a little HGTV) so that we can get ourselves cleaned up and looking good again. And I don't mean the kind of looking good that one would expect on a date night. I mean the kind of looking good that belongs to the heart atmosphere....Shiny and radiant with love. We need to shine and bring love to others, but many times, like the pots and pans that must sit for a bit, our shine returns when we break for a bit from the routine and take care of ourselves.

Before I close, I thought I'd share with you Marygrace's journal entry for today. No, this is not her diary; it is her journal that I use to practice writing skills for now. The prompt for her was: "What I like most about school this year is....."

Her reply "that I get a break when I ask. And I get to see Daddy when he comes home. [For Lunch] And I get my mommy time."

Interesting. She needs breaks too. That's because she's my shiny, biggest of the bunch of "little" pots. She knows she needs a break to do well. And, it's quite rewarding that she appreciates Daddy being there for lunch and her Mommy time. She scored points for that too.  :)