I often get people who ask me what my home looks like in Botswana.  Truth is, we have a beautiful home and we are SO blessed.  I love my house….it has a comfort about it that makes me smile each time I enter through the doors. We’ve done some upgrades and work over the years (do you believe it’s been almost 7 years!) and it just feels like home! It’s small, but we try not to let the size limit our ability to entertain and have people over.  Though with my noisy toddler, that’s when I feel our house is small! 

I thought I would take you on a photo tour (yes, I can’t get enough of this camera!).  Don’t mind the clutter!

The Witt house from the outside…..it’s sorta like a log cabin.  Reason it’s on gum polls is really for looks, but it does help keep the critters away too. None of the garden or grass was there when we moved in.  Kev’s done a great job of making the outside of our home quite colorful!
 

Take off your shoes and come on inside!

View from just inside the door…..living room area.

View into the kitchen…..none of this was here when we moved in.  For the first 9 months we lived with make shift everything and I washed dishes in the bathroom sink!  What a blessing when our cabenents arrived!  Kev’s newest addition is the recessed lighting as our house was a bit dark, or we’re just getting older and need more light!

View from kitchen into the living room……I love how at about 4pm the light fills the room.  It makes it a bit hot at times, but it’s so pretty!

View into the bathroom…..This was originally a storage closet and there was only a toilet and sink on the other side.  We knocked into the wall and made them two rooms and installed a shower and tub! 

View from toilet and sink area…. Piper’s changing area.  It originally was in the bedroom, but once both moved in the changer had to come out to make room.  I wasn’t ready to part with it so we shifted some things around. I actually love having in the bathroom as it makes for easy clean up of cloth diapers and washing of hands!

Our bedroom……..We set up a small make shift office so that I had some space to work from home, but also that Kev could spread out too.

Bed……notice “the queen”.   Kev built a closet unit to the left.  It was WAY to cluttered to take a photo….sorry!

View coming out of our bedroom……kitchen area.  Where the sink is that used to be the door into the bathroom.  We had to dry wall over it.  You would never know there was a door there if you didn’t know! 

Entering Andrew and Piper’s room.

Andrew’s bed/side.  Kev built all the storage just a few weeks before Andrew was born.  Till he came along it was just a spare room with lot of stuff in it.  Normally not so cluttered on the top….  

Piper’s little spot.  Don’t you just love that shower curtain!?  

Behind it houses my washer and dryer!   Not a lot of folding space, but it works well enough! 

And that’s it folks……small but cozy our home is!  

I grabbed my camera and followed Andrew around the playground today.  Thought I would give you a glimpse into his little world…..

Taking a bit of a rest.  It’s a long walk for someone with short legs.   

Like any boy, Andrew loves to climb!  It still makes me a bit nervous, but I can stand away now….he doesn’t like me to “spot” him anymore.   

Climbing UP the slide.  He says, “Mommy…..I go up!” 

“Here I am!”  (Uh, I could just eat him up……love this shot!)

“Weee”

On the teeter totter, or the “rocker” as he calls it. 

Balancing around the big tire.

Playing on the jungle gym. 

Just running…….

It amazes me how much he just loves to run…..and run…..and run!  I wish I had that kind of energy!

Taking a break and filling cups with sand……he loves to do this.

Sometimes after running all around the playground you just gotta lay down and eat your cookie! 

I really don’t go around stealing people’s blog posts, but sometimes others write exactly what my heart is feeling, but can’t quite put into words. 

I stumbled upon Sarah Mae’s blog last week and have been hooked.  She wrote a post last night that again, had me with tears and feeling like, “Thank God, someone else KNOWS!!!” 

I am sharing it in hopes that it encourages other mommies to young ones…..I know it did me! 
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Like a Warm Cup of Coffee (great blog name!)

I’m Thinking About Parenting…And How Stinkin’ Hard It Is!

There is cheese smushed on my kitchen floor.

Do you know why there is cheese smushed on my kitchen floor?

{honey, don’t read next part}

Because I let my kids eat shredded cheese on the kitchen floor…no plates, no silverwear…just straight out of the bag.

Sometimes parenting is just that way.

And sometimes you just need to roll with it so you don’t have a freak out.

Which I almost had today.

But I didn’t.

I keep reminding myself that parenting was never intended to be easy…

or always fun…

or always clean.

Parenting is stinkin’ hard.

Intentional parenting is really stinkin’ hard.

But I want intentional.

I want to do the hard things so that I can one day look back and say, “I didn’t do it perfectly, but I chose my children over myself.”

That’s where it gets hard, doesn’t it?  When we choose to serve our children instead of our own desires.

You want to know something?  There are plenty of days I would like to pursue full-time writing.  There are plenty of days I would just like to get a part-time job so I can have adult conversation and do something other than clean poop, kiss boo boo’s, intervene during the 500 conflicts a day, make PB & J sandwhiches, clean up PB & J sandwhiches, play candyland, spend time preparing crafts that they only play with for five minutes, etc.

Then I pinch myself out of my funk and thank God for the privilege to clean poop, kiss boo boo’s, intervene during the 500 conflicts a day, make PB & J sandwiches, clean up PB & J sandwiches, play candy land, spend time preparing crafts that they only play with for five minutes, etc.  I would never want to give those moments to another.

Because

It is in those moments that I am the one to say, “great poo honey, soon you can go on the potty” or “it’s okay that you’re having a hard time going in the potty, you and me babe, we’ll keep working on it until you can do it, and I know you can do it!”  I have the opportunity to “heal” a hurt, teach kindness and sharing and selflessness through the conflicts, spread love on every sandwich, give my kiddos the spur of the moment time they crave during different intervals in the day, and be pushed and challenged in selflessness by doing the seemingly monotonous things for some little’s that won’t necessarily remember.

But they do take it in.

And it gets in their little psyches.

And memories are filled.

And home is the place where firsts are made and goals are met and the spirit is nurtured.

So yea, parenting is hard.

Intentional parenting is even harder.

Even on the freak out cheese days.

I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

This post is just a whole lot of nothin’, but I hope you enjoy it!  

We have a new grocery store in town.  What is strange about Maun is that you can have two of the same grocery stores but they are just on the opposite sides of town.  I guess it shouldn’t be strange, after all there is Starbucks on every corner in the US, but I guess I think it’s weird because Maun just really isn’t that big.  Anyway…..I normally don’t shop at the “old” Choppies as it’s always packed and on the other side of town  (See, I guess it is good to have two stores in one village!) I was a bit skeptical of this “new” Choppies, but I’ll tell ya…..I like it!  What is even better is that my other favorite grocery place is just across the road and so I can hit both places and never even have to drive to the main part of town, which is always pretty busy these days.  The other day I was excited that they had Chicken Breasts……sometimes can be hard to find here.  Note the label……

I never knew a chicken breast was actually a butt?

Speaking of chickens……Andrew calls popcicles “Chicken” because one day Kevin opened the fridge and said chicken and now Andrew things that that’s what they are called!  He also refers to Kevin as “Kevin”….not daddy.   I think it’s hilarious, but Kev doesn’t quite agree with me.  
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I decided the other day to make muffins.  I’ve made these many times before and we had Pray and Share that night so I doubled the recipe thinking it would be nice to take some along.  Well I have no idea what happened, but this is how they turned out……

They totally caved in!  And then you couldn’t get the wrapper off!  They didn’t even taste so great.  So into the trash they went!  I always pride myself on my baking skills and rarely having flops, but I guess something happened here!  My Grandma Wurl (who taught me almost everything about baking) was probably shaking her head in heaven! 

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I mentioned that Piper was cutting a tooth.  She’s been chewing on everything these days.  Poor girl!

I looked in there today and she’s cutting TWO bottom teeth! 

She’s still a happy girl though!

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And lastly, Andrew has been going to school full days this week and doing quite well.  He’s picked up quite a bit n the last few days.  The other day he needed help in his room and called out “Teacha……Help!”   I guess now we’re “teacha”.  

Told ya…..a whole lotta nothin’.   Really, I am just enjoying using that camera!

Well I am in love with a lot of things, but lately….it’s my camera!  As you may remember from a few posts back we were totally blessed with a Nikon Digital SLR camera by some friends of ours.  It was just in the nick of time too as our Kodak totally bit the dust shortly after!  On Sunday, Linda brought the lens to the camera so I could start clicking away and let me just say…..I don’t think I’ve taken less than 100 pictures each day since I’ve had it!  I love it!  I love that when Piper smiles, I can get it.  Or I no long have pictures of Andrew’s back because my camera is to slow.  I’m tellin ya……if you have wee ones, an SLR is the way to go!  While I have loads to learn on it I already love the quality of the pictures and the crispness!  I seriously think I have found a new hobby! 

Even more so…..each time I pick it up, I am reminded of the blessing of the camera but also the blessings He has given me as I look thru the lens!  

For Auntie Brick. ….Bubba seeking refuge under Piper’s feet!  Better than Andrew’s grabby hands I guess!

My handsome boy. (And tan too!)  He’s been going to “school” full days every day so far.  Give me a nice break and wears him down good! 

“It’s too early mom”  I get this reaction a lot……after all my kids have only seen the camera in front of my face these days instead of my actual face.   I swear Piper rolled her eyes this morning when she saw me coming with it.

He loves to lay next to her.  I love the look on his face.  By the way, Piper has a tooth!!!!!  This is the reason for the red cheeks!  I think she just might be working on tooth #2 too! 

Some intense play.  (I choose the wrong one….sorry it’s blurry! )

Oh Piper…….I could just eat you up! 

Remember yesterday when I was talking about (In)Courage.me?  Did you go there yet? 

This afternoon I was so blessed( to the point of tears streaming down my face blessed)by this post that I had to share it.  I think it was her story about her daughter and the diving board that got me…..I was that little girl too.  Hated the diving board.  In fact, I hated that diving board till I was 22 years old.  Then one day I tried it, and I was like a kid again.  (Seriously, ask Kev!  I am sure he was quite embarassed by my jumping off over and over again.  Actually he wasn’t……he was grinning ear to ear.  That’s what he loves about me…..my quwarkey personality….but that’s a whole different post!) 
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Journal written my Sarah Markley

My kids take the cheap swim lessons.

You know, the forty dollars for two weeks of 25 minute group sessions taught by college students at the community pool.  I used to pay for the teach-the-kid-how-to-swim-in-a-week luxury lessons back when I thought I was rich and I pampered my first child like the princess she was. 

But now, we all settle for the cheap ones.

A regular part of the community pool lessons is the go-off-the-diving-board day.  And note that it is GO off the diving board day, not DIVE off the diving board day or JUMP off the diving board day.  Every child just has to get off the end no matter which method they choose.  Most of the older kids jump or dive.  But some of them, including my three-year-old, have to be dropped off.

Maybe you think this is cruel:  dropping a sniffling, goose-pimpled, three-foot-high child of the edge of a bouncing board into the dark blue water of the deep end.  But I don’t think it is.  I think it’s necessary.

My seven-year-old, in all of her risk taking glory, nearly runs to the end and catapults herself into the brilliant turquoise of the pool.  She swims to the edge, climbs out and begs to go again.

My three-year-old, however, doesn’t have the same type of reckless personality that her sister has.  She isn’t timid, but recognizes her personal limits far more than her sister did at the same age.  When it comes to her turn, she’s been standing in the shade for 5 minutes and has already begun to shiver.  Aided by an instructor, she walks to the end of the board confidently before she realizes what it is she’s about to do.

Her smile quickly morphs into terror and she begins to scream.  She tries to claw her way back to the diving board ladder to dry ground but the instructor won’t let her. 

Her trusted, smiling teacher is treading water for her directly under the edge of the diving board but she still won’t jump.  He calls her name, begs her to jump, but now her screams are reaching eardrum-piercing levels.

The instructor standing with her on the board gently picks her up under her arms and drops her arched, squealing body the all of 24 inches into the waiting hands of her teacher calmly treading water in the pool.  A brief second and she emerges from the surface of the water, still looking horrified.

Until everyone claps and cheers for her bravery.  And she grins.

He swims her to the side of the pool, I wrap her in a towel and tell her how proud I am of her.  That she’s done well.  That she’s so brave.

But she really isn’t brave. She’s been forcibly dropped in the pool and then swum by a capable adult to the side. She really didn’t do anything. 

Or maybe not.

Because courage might not be about bravery or doing something worthy of valor.  Courage, sometimes, might just be being present.   She didn’t ask to go off the diving board and certainly didn’t ask to be dropped in with arched back and screaming mouth.  But she was there.  And with assistance, she accomplished the goal.

My own courage, in its mini surges and meager portions, has usually come from just being there.  It’s courage for the moment and not a bit more than that.

Allowing God to restore my marriage 6 years ago took courage.  But mostly it was just making the appointment, sitting on the couch and asking God and our marriage counselor, “What do I do next?”

Sending my oldest from the safety of my mini-van into the world of school takes that same kind of passive, being-there courage.  Trusting her little heart with all the whims of the other girls in second grade requires a Mama-courage that I never knew I had.  I just have to open the side door and let her go.

Courage is waking up in the morning and resolving to try to clean my house and not yell at my girls when they destroy their made beds and organized bookshelves.

Lacing up my running shoes and taking the first step out of the door to jog when I’m exhausted and really don’t feel like it is courageous in its own way.  Ninety percent of the jog is just showing up.

Courage is sometimes just walking right up to a new situation and simply being there.  Courage just might be walking to the end of the diving board and allowing someone else to drop me into the deep end.

Because I know Someone’s treading water below me and He never gets tired.  He won’t let me drown.

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I can honestly say, I’ve had to be thrown off the end of the diving board many times.  I still don’t always like it, but each and every time my courage builds to where I am able to jump off on my own.  Many times though…..my eyes are plastered shut and I let out a scream as I am going down!   Praise the Lord, He doesn’t let us drown!!! 

I’ve been waiting for this site to go up for a few days when I’ve heard people talking about it on their blogs.  I checked today and the site is live!  It’s beautiful, and I am sure I’ll be spending a bit of time reading it’s encouraging stories. 

As for me…..what encourages me?  Well usually I am the encourager.  I can’t help it……I love to lift people’s spirits.  It kills me to watch people around me in pain and hurting…..especially those that are very close to me.  Whether it’s a gentle hug, or busting out into some silly song and dance……it’s my mission to get a smile.  Cause in that moment…..even if it’s just a moment, it makes people forget their hurts.  I would say one of my main gifts is encouragement.  Yes, I’ll be one of those moms that cheers Andrew on at the soccer field whether he runs the wrong way or not!  

As for what encourages me……well, I love a good pep talk.  In my quest for wellness (I started a quest….again!) I realize I need encouragement.  I need people to come along side of me to remind me of my goals.  To cheer with me when I slide those pre-pregnancy jeans on, or to give me a boost when I really want to eat something bad.  I am so thankful that I have many people in my life that are willing to do that for me.  To stand with me and support me.  To lift my arms when I can’t and to cheer with me when I’ve done it!

My life as a missionary has been full of needed encouragement!  As I press towards the calling that He has placed on my life I find I need people around me to also encourage me.  To not give up when my bank account is low, to not give up when I am discouraged because I am not doing enough. 

I also find I love encouragement from other moms who are in the particular season (or who have walked the road) I am in right now.  There’s nothing better than receiving a hug from a fellow mom that says, “I understand….and I KNOW!”   I am equally blessed to have moms like that in my life too. 

Truth is, I think we all need encouragement!  I think we’re all wired that way. In a world that is so dark sometimes…..we just need to be Lights!

So, what encouragement do you need?  What encouragement do you give?

Oh and don’t forget to check out  (in)courage.me  You won’t be sorry!

So last week, Andrew insisted that he didn’t want to wear a diaper.  I was like, “Okay….let’s try your undies then.”  He loved them…..couldn’t get enough of the fact that he had “speed” (AKA Cars) undies on! I even had to put a pair on Pooh!  I thought, “Wow, maybe he’s really ready for the potty!”  My quest of getting Andrew out of diapers by the time we go on furlough at the end of the year was on!!! 

I cleaned up a lot of pee, but he did sit on the potty.  (No pee though.) 

The next day, we were back in diapers.  He wanted nothing to do with the undies!  (After I stayed up late to wash like all 12 pairs that we have to make sure they were ready for the next day!)

This week has been off an on.  He’s not gone in the potty once and I am convinced that once he does…..he’ll have it!  He’s a sharp kid!  However, he goes to the same spot every time to pee and it can sometimes be seconds after sitting 15-20 min on the potty! 

So….stay tuned….I am sure there will be many more entries in the Potty Diaries!  

On a side note, school for Andrew comes to a close tomorrow afternoon.  In the newsletter Edith mentioned “Vacation Care” for those parents who still needed some care for their children.  We thought this would just be for parents who didn’t have any other childcare means, but turns out it’s also for people like us who just want to keep Andrew in his routine!   Whooh!!!  So, he’ll continue on even during the term break and then most likely go full days starting in September!  My little man is growing up!  

I’ve been cooped up in this small two bedroom, one bathroom house for almost two weeks now. I’ve watched FOUR seasons of Friends in the last week…..all episodes I’ve seen about a million times (but somehow still fine funny!).  I’ve taken care of two kiddos and sucked out more boogers from their noses than I care to admit.  I’m tired of it. I am tired of this sickness hanging around our house!  Yesterday I opened the windows and told it to get out!  (Now Kev’s sick! Maybe it didn’t listen so well.) 

I’m writing this post from outside where the cool breeze and the sun are hitting my face and it feels good!  I took Piper for a stroll up to the school (Miss Pat’s birthday party today) and saw faces I haven’t seen in almost two weeks.  I realize how horribly out of the loop I am on everything and everyone and I am tired of that too. 

Somehow in my small house, the world stopped turning for me.  I get so wrapped up in the needs of myself and my little family that I forget that the world outside of my four walls is very much still turning…….

People still have needs.

People are still sick, hurting, and dying. 

And though I am not always in the thick of things right now, the Mission is reaching out and meeting those needs and very real and tangible ways!  I have a new one month old neighbor who has loving arms to care for her as her mom passed away and the family wasn’t able to care for her.  I have another neighbor who is dealing with the loss of a baby.  And my dear momma that lives just off the main road to the Mission is nursing a whole bunch of sick kiddos too!  Needs…..all around me. 

Today I am reminded, as I feel Botswana on my face that I am blessed to be here……even though right now that looks really different than it did even a year ago.  I am still a part of something……eternal!  

I’ve been sick pretty much the whole month of July.  It started out as what seemed to be a normal cold, but it just hung around…..and around……and around.  At the same time, Andrew picked up a cold and his seemed to hang around just like mine. 

The long story short…..two visits to the doctor and a third round of antibiotics and a diagnosis of pneumonia!  While it’s not major I could tell something was going on as this cough was the worst I had ever had in my life.

I’ve been down pretty much the whole weekend just resting and trying to get better.  Kevin has been great at taking care of me and the kids!  Andrew is also on his second round of antibiotics and are treating his cough with the same type of meds as mine.  We’re both doing much better than we were a few days ago and I am praying it’s on the way out for good this time! 

Being sick is the pits for the following reasons….

1.  When you have kids, they still need you! You can’t just sleep the day away…..they still need you!  It’s hard!  I’ve let Andrew do things like watch TV in his bedroom just so that I can get some rest without fighting him for his nap or bedtime.  I know I am gonna eat that one later as now he always wants to watch a “show” in bed!  Oops! 

2.  You can’t get good familiar meds here like you can in the US.  Everything is different here and I have no idea how it will react with my body.  I am not a med taker anyway and so I don’t like things that make me feel tired or woozy.  (After all, I have two wee people to take care of and I need to be a little coherent!)  I would have given anything for some Robitussin cough medicine! 

3.  I want my mommy…….she makes it all better and well being here means I am an ocean’s length away from her.  

Being sick though, does have some good reasons…..

1.  I have a wonderful husband who takes good care of me!  He’s let me rest, watch an unbelievable amount of Friend’s episodes, watched the kids, taken Andrew on long walks, and paid $12 for two cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup that he knew I had be craving!  He’s quite a guy! 

2.  I’ve gotten to rest, which honestly, I’ve needed.

3.  I can kiss all over Andrew and it’s okay…..we’ve got the same thing!  And I can kiss all over my hubby and Piper because Pneumonia isn’t contagious!  (However I am still being pretty cautious around Piper anyway…..she’s been fine through all of this! )  

So I feel like I’m on the mend, but I know this cough is going to take a bit to kick.  Being sick is no fun, but I am glad I have my little family to help take care of me……even though I still miss my mommy!