Becoming Marmie ~ Baby Eliott, Key Books in My Life, Rejuvenation for a Drop & Run Life...

I became a grandma on Friday, March 2nd...my new sweet baby is Commodore Eliott, born to my son and daughter-in-law...the tiniest baby I have ever held...he was a month premature, but is in great health and mommy and baby got to go home yesterday... my new name is Marmie taken from the mama in Little Women.

I saw the movie, "I Don't Know How She Does It", got the book and also got the book Kisses from Katie about a missionary from Uganda. Learning 2 key things from these books: 1) life is all about love, unconditional love...people not projects, 2) I am to live a very full life, constantly going, going until I crash and many times by the seat of my pants...loose schedules if any schedule at all...availability....drop and run...

The getting up in the morning has been my hardest challenged and yes, I do depend a lot on caffeine throughout the day...what I will do if I am ever not allowed to have caffeine, I don't know...yesterday, I set up my electric kettle next to my bed and brought instant coffee, sweet and low, and french vanilla powdered creamer into my room too...before I went to bed last night I put all three into a mug and when my alarm went off this morning, I turned the kettle (full of water) on and snoozed for 10 more minutes...when I woke up the water was hot and I poured it into my mug, stirred it and was able to get through my first cup without leaving the bed...it really helped...

Another thing that I am really purposing to do to keep my energy through the day (in addition to caffeine and vitamins and fruit juice) is yoga...2 things with yoga: 1) I have come up with a fast and thorough (at least for my body) sequence that can be done in times of tiredness and stress to rejuvenate and refresh, 2) one thing with yoga is the encouragement to set an intention each time I practice and as I go through my day and take the time to RESET my purposes and goals throughout the days...

Also, shower and jumps in the pool (soon the weather will permit) are great ways of reviving...

Combination of Blogs & Nannying

So as you might see, I have decided that one blog is all I can handle so I have brought the tabs from Mrs. Baby Guru over to this one and now all falls under Mrs. Wysiwyg. I know it seems as if I am constantly revamping myself and my schedule and one day I hope to finally come upon something that works for me, but this blog is as much for my own sorting and sanity as it is a little candlelight for others on my life as it is...

I can't for the life of me let go of the need to bring in some income...at least to cover my own personal expenses and help the family a little. I also can't let go of the need to surround myself with little children and invest in their lives and souls...so I have been working hard over the last couple of weeks on a packet to give to parents offering "in my home child care" at an amazingly reasonable price...it is both to be a ministry and a little money in my pocket.

We have considered adoption and foster care and the thing that keeps impressing on my heart is the need to impact LOTS of kiddos...if we adopt, we won't have as broad an affect as if we care for babies through elementary kids for as long as we are able...I can't forget the dream I had as a teenager to have 12 children...my poor husband can't quite wrap his mind around this dream, but I feel like Jesus might want us to open our home to children who need a place to go while their parents are at work. This gives us the opportunity to touch many children's lives throughout our lifetime...

Our home and its upkeep was what was blocking this dream as becoming a reality...the children and their chores were not getting done the way I wanted and I was both frustrated and stressed...until I decided I would be responsible for the tidying, basic cleaning in all the main areas in our home, namely our 2 living areas, our kitchen and laundry area and our main bathroom (as well, of course, as our bedroom) and in charge of the majority of cooking...the children would then only be responsible for their rooms and their laundry and special chores that we ask of them...this has made me so much happier...since I work on the home now on a daily basis, the upkeep is simple and our home stays company-ready...

The plan for children to be cared for and taught in our home has delighted me in that I will get to both work out of my home and share my home with others (a dream I have had for years)...and now that my home is tidier on a daily basis means more entertaining...

I still am going to be baking and crafting to sell, but now the baking will be part of the sensory experiences I do with the children and crafting will be done side by side with the children I care for as I teach them using children's books as an art inspiration....

Needless to say, I am very excited to see what Jesus will do...through my blogs, the curriculum I have put together and the past 10 years of hands-on child care, I have been able to come up with a concise and very understandable view on caring for and teaching little children and its implementation...all things that Christ has worked in me and I am seeing its fruit more than ever now...so thankful!!!!!!!

Mary, Did you Know? & Breath of Heaven

I had the great privilege this Christmas season of seeing two performances of "Mary, Did You Know"...a song whose lyrics and melody blow me away by their poignancy. They were very different in their deliverance, but both equally powerful...one was by a man who has played the Phantom on Broadway...he delivered it with great strength and passion and brought the crowd to their feet...the other was a young girl from our church who sang with such depth of soul that I was swept away...she is a girl that I have only known a little and who seemed very shy, but when she sang, she was filled with the power and heart of God...I am honored...this version is by Michael English and was what we had played a year ago at our wedding during communion:

MARY DID YOU KNOW: MICHAEL ENGLISH

Years ago I took drama from a gentle but powerful Christian lady and one of the most special things I did was a one-woman soliloquy of Mary, the mother of Jesus...I used 2 scripts, one found in an old book called Christ and the Fine Arts - an amazing anthology of stories, poetry and prints. The other was from a book that I have no idea what the name is and I wish so badly that I could find it. It was a soul mesmerizing experience and I cherish the heart I gained for Jesus through it...
 
BREATH OF HEAVEN: DONNA SUMMER

The Miracle of Babies

Baby Immunizes Mother | Creation Moments

Galatians 4:6

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

Most of us are familiar with the body's response to foreign tissue. Transplant patients must be carefully matched and then patients still must be given powerful drugs to prevent destruction of the transplanted tissue. Our bodies' immune system identifies tissue that's not its own and then tries to destroy that tissue.
As we have learned more about the immune system, doctors began asking themselves why a pregnant mother's body doesn't reject the foreign tissue of the baby growing inside her. The answer to this mystery is not fully understood, but research has suggested some answers.
From conception, the unborn child is a genetically unique individual. Researchers think that the most important protection the unborn child has is the trophoblast. This tissue, known as the caul, seals the growing infant from its mother. However, the trophoblast itself develops from the same cells as the infant. So why doesn't the mother's immune system attack? It appears that under normal conditions the trophoblast is a special set of cells that the body cannot identify as foreign. In addition, the trophoblast makes cells that encourage the mother's immune system to protect it. Scientists now believe that this amazing feature may actually be provided by the father's genetic information.
In effect, the baby, with the help of the father, immunizes the mother's system so that it doesn't reject the baby! So, even before birth, the mother nurtures and the father protects the child.

Prayer: 

Father in heaven, I marvel at the wondrous system You have designed for reproduction. Always keep me under Your protection and help me to grow to maturity in this life as I look forward to eternity with You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Notes: 

Wechsler, Rob. 1988. "Hostile womb." Discover, Mar. p. 83.