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Letting Go of Things to Rest in God's Arms

May 14, 2016 by Emilee Evans

It happened…again. There I was – a crying, heaping mess on the floor. What warranted such a display? My pants were too tight. Sure, I have been upset about the weight I had gained since starting a new medication, but it wasn’t about that. At least not really. It was about a whole number of things that were piling up until I couldn’t handle them anymore, and that one moment just pushed me past my breaking point.
Have you been there?
If you’re like me, chances are you actually knew you had too much on your plate, but you were determined to do it all. Isn’t that how life can be? I know that I’m not supermom and just need to rest in God, but I can be so stubborn!
Letting Go of Things to Rest in God's Arms
When I first heard “Just Be Held” by Casting Crowns I got emotional. Keep it all together? Everybody needs me strong? I feel like I struggle to do that every single day.
Gradually, I saw more and more people sharing that song saying they feel like it was written for them. I think we all have a tendency to feel overwhelmed yet try really hard to keep it all together. We try to help others when we can while trying to keep up with our own homes and lives. We take on too much and refuse to admit it or give anything up.
It reminds me of a parent and toddler relationship. Toddlers are very stubborn about being independent. As soon as they’re mobile they always want to be mobile. We stand closely by trying to remind them of their limits, but they won’t have any of that! They are going to go where they want to go and do what they want to do.
Then it happens. They trip and fall or bump into something, and in that moment they remember mom or dad is right there to comfort them. Just a few minutes ago you would think they didn’t even know you were there!
I think that’s how we act sometimes. We want to do all these great things – volunteer here, work on something there, play this sport or that one, plan activities for the kids, etc. and still have sight of the things we need to do in our lives like parenting, homemaking, homeschooling, etc. Sometimes I picture God, my Father, tapping me on the shoulder saying “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Just be held
What do I do, though? I stubbornly ignore it. I have to volunteer there or I will disappoint people. I have to help out with that or I’ll let them down. If I don’t work more hours we can’t get this or can’t go to that. If the kids don’t do this or that they won’t reach their full potential.
Truthfully, though, whatever the reason for not being able to something, it doesn’t matter. I had A LOT going on personally at that time I had such a breakdown. Let’s face it. We have a special needs family, so we almost always have challenges! Maybe people WILL be disappointed, and that can be hard. I just want to let it all out about how overwhelmed I am just hoping they will understand. Instead, I bottle it up and keep trying until I just can’t anymore.
We have to remind ourselves, though, that we answer to God. If God is saying “Woah. That is too much. You really need to focus on your family right now.” or “That isn’t where I want you to be.” or “Your kids don’t need that right now.” or even “You just need to rest right now.” then he’ll be faithful to direct our paths. He will guide us to all the who, what, when, where, and whys. But we have to listen and obey.
Something else our kids did as toddlers was always having their arms full of toys. On that particular day I thought of all the things I was doing as something I was holding on to. Just like they didn’t want to put down their toys to be held, I didn’t want to let go of anything either. Have you tried to hold a squirmy toddler with an armful of toys? A toy or two is bound to drop, right?
That was it. I was being called to rest in God, but the only way I could do that was to let go of some things. I had to trust Him that I could let go of these things and still be OK. In fact, I would be better than OK because I would find peace in His arms. It was right where I needed to be.

Rest in God

Maybe you’re holding on to too much. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying don’t volunteer, work extra hours, participate in sports, have your children in multiple activities, etc. Maybe God is calling you to let go of things, though, so you can rest in His arms even if it’s just for a brief moment. Go to Him in prayer. Pray about your responsibilities and your priorities. Do they line up?
Sometimes our good intentions end up taking away from our first priority – Him. Or maybe they’re taking away from your family and home. Spend time in His word daily. Trust that He is your Father and knows what is best for you. Find peace in His arms.
 

Having Trouble Letting Go?

October 28, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Mom 2 Mom Mondays

Do you have a hard time letting go and letting God handle the details? I know I do! Today, on Mom 2 Mom Mondays on My Joy Filled Life I share how I had a reminder what happens when I try to do things my way, and what happens when I “Let Go and Let God.” Head over and join me there!
Letting Go
 
 

Weekly Wrap-Up: Finding Peace in the Pressure

October 27, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Weekly Wrap-Up

I’ve been busy! Busy, busy, busy! The pressure is on! There is still a lot of unpacking to do, it’s definitely Holiday Gift Guide time so there has been a lot of sending and receiving of requests, emails are stacked up (I’m trying to get through them!), personal content got pushed aside this week (which is something I did NOT intend to do! It’s already something I’ve been worrying about!), homeschooling has been more demanding lately (or I should say the kids have been needing more attention and hands-on time). My husband isn’t excluded, either. He’s been doing the job hunting thing, and the job they basically said would be his once he left the Army (the one he REALLY wanted) isn’t available anymore. In fact, they filled it while his resume was sitting in their email inbox. It’s frustrating and upsetting.
Plus in the midst of all this I’m trying to figure out how to better connect with our friends and family in the Houston area again. That was the excitement of moving back, but it’s almost as if nobody acknowledges we moved back – or maybe it’s that I’m still so busy in everything else I have failed to make that connection. I’m really lost on how to make that happen. Of course, we’d love to meet new friends as well, but again it’s a crazy, busy time right now.
To be honest, I’ve just been feeling stressed out and a little bummed, too. I’m not even sure I can describe it – the bummed part that is. I feel like I’m falling short over and over again. I get into such a habit of letting things get me down. I mentioned some of the stressors I had been feeling in my One Way Love review.
So what can I do when there is all this pressure? We can’t just take a break from homeschooling right now because we have quite a few review commitments. The unpacking obviously isn’t going to just happen on its own. So, I just have to keep pushing forward. It will all get done – eventually. We had a new dishwasher put in this week, so that will now cut down some of the time I had been spending doing dishes by hand! I’m excited I actually have a goal to reach! I’ve chosen to use it as a positive instead of a stressor! We were chosen to host a LEGO Duplo Party! It will be our housewarming party! The kids are REALLY excited!
Otherwise, I have to keep remembering not to let the stress of “life” get to me or those thoughts of falling short. It’s easy to remind our kids they are special – beautiful and wonderfully made by God, but I forget that I am, too! One Way Love has really been helpful, and I think I need to just read it again! I need to just remind myself that I can’t compare what I’ve accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) to others because I’m not them, and that’s OK. I’m not supposed to be. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same anyway? In fact, I want to celebrate my differences by starting a blog series about what makes Pea of Sweetness unique. I thought “I can’t start a blog series – I still haven’t picked up Grammar 101 again!” but I will when it’s time. There is a time for everything, and right now this is just the season that it is. So, I’m choosing right now to find peace with that.
There is one thing that is always certain, I’m not going to miss out on the beauty that is around me because I let all of it get to me. If it takes me 3-5 days to answer an email or only get one box unpacked all day because we were outside enjoying nature after our lessons, I’m OK with that. I want to be where God wants me to be. That’s where I’ll find peace.
Finding Peace
OK, let’s wrap it up! I guess it’s been 2 weeks since my last wrap up!

Highlights in Our Life:

  • Despite having much unpacking to do still, we did make major accomplishments this week: the trampoline is together (trust me, this is a big deal because it helps us to get other stuff done! haha), our bed is done, our oldest son’s bed is done, the kitchen is done with the exception of a missing box (we’re still at a loss. It’s actually been “done” for a while, but I still can’t find said box.), we have a light in the office, 2 computers and printer are up and running.
  • We started going to a new church! We visited first on Wednesday night, and the boys went to Royal Rangers while Aurora went to MPact. This coming Wednesday is the Hallelujah Festival with a cookout, Trunk or Treat, and the opportunity to reach out and bless others! We’re really excited to start to get to know everyone and get more involved!
  • Lizards are the cool thing here! There are a couple different types, and as you can see, the kids love them!
  • I think I shared almost everything else in the post! ๐Ÿ™‚

Homeschool Highlights:

  • Well, it’s been a hard couple of weeks for some reason. The kids have been requiring a lot of attention even during their independent work. I’ve been feeling a little emotionally and physically drained. I really am running from room to room – unpacking, helping one with a question, helping the other with a question, back to unpacking, etc. Their independent time was my unpacking time for the first couple of weeks, but that seems to have gone out the window! I’m not quite sure why they feel they need the extra attention during independent work now. :/
  • We’ve been doing a lot more great science projects with the new science curriculum we are reviewing. The kids really seem to take in a lot more information when they can visualize it!
  • We started a new math program this week that we had been familiar with as an app! We’ll be sharing our review in a couple of weeks!

Shop Highlights:

  • I made and sent out an order for 3 glitter tumblers! I’m excited I was able to pull it together so quickly – particularly since I forgot to put my Etsy shop “on vacation.” Luckily, my Cameo was one of the very first things I had found when I was unpacking! Phew!

Blog Highlights:

  • I’m pretty sure I summed it up in my post – I’m busy! LOL
  • I started my “Winner’s Circle” album on my Facebook Page this week! If you have won a prize on Pea of Sweetness be sure to share your picture on my Facebook page so I can add it to the Winner’s Circle! You can see my Winner’s Circle here!
  • I will be adding at least 4-7 new Blogger Opps this week! I have a lot of great reviews and giveaways coming soon!
  • I have started my Holiday Gift Guide – BUT it is not ready to share yet! I hope to unveil it this week! If you’re a business owner, it’s not too late to be included! Contact me for information: emilee.roberts@peaofsweetness.com

Goals This Week:

  • Unpack, unpack, unpack.
  • Try to better connect with our friends and family here, and make sure everyone knows about our LEGO Duplo Party and housewarming party!
  • Make my 2013 Holiday Gift Guide ready for its reveal!
  • Implement my website’s new Ad Space direcetory.
  • Decide if I’m going to start my “deals blog” soon.
  • Get more information on local homeschool groups as well as any other local groups, organizations, etc. of interest.
  • Finish address updates!
  • Yes, I know some of my goals are still the same! I’m working on it! ๐Ÿ™‚

What have you been up to? When you’re under a lot of pressure how do you find peace?
 
 

Getting Ready

November 28, 2012 by Emilee Evans

Today we’re finally back to our routine. We got home just before midnight Monday night so yesterday was a recovery day. We enjoyed being in East Texas so much we’re so ready to settle down over there. We do finally have an answer as far as houses go. We absolutely can’t buy a house – at least not for a while. It’s definitely a bummer, but at least now we know. So, we’ll be looking for rentals after Joey’s rating comes back. If we could find a rent to own that would be such a huge blessing, but so far, the only ones we have seen aren’t affordable for us. Rentals, in general, are pricey right now! I know everything will work out the way it should.
God has just blessed me with so much peace. In an uncertain situation where that is hardly fathomable – especially for someone who stresses out easily like me! We don’t know how much disability pay Joey will get. We don’t know hiw soon (or how late) he’ll start getting his disability pay after his separation. We don’t know when the Med Board will be finished. We don’t know if he’ll be able to get a job after or if so, whether he can still take his Ministry classes full time while he works. We don’t know exactly where we’ll live. We don’t know if we’ll be able to keep the kids in therapy financially since they passed it so retired military can no longer keep Tricare Prime if they move more than 40 miles from a military treatment facility or if it would be better to just try to find financial help to get our own therapy equipment. There is just a lot of uncertainty! A LOT! I was able to say all that without a racing heart or panicky feeling, though, and that is a big deal!
I DO know God is in control. I DO know He will take care of us. I DO know we’ll experience the blessing of living near our family and friends. I DO know that despite all the “don’t knows” there is only one thing I DO need to know – it will be OK. In fact, it will be more than OK because everything has brought us to where we are now, and yes, there will be changes, there will be a big transition, and there will be the start of a new adventure and new blessings! ๐Ÿ™‚

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