May wrapped up in a hurry over here, and I found myself wrestling two kids and a full grocery cart this morning on a very hot first day of June. The upcoming month is a busy one for my family as it’s birthday month for 3/4 of us, and our calendar is already full of plans. July is looking very similar with very few free days. So much for a slow summer.
Here are eight things I’ve learned over the past month, and I’m linking up this post with Emily Freeman’s roundup.
1) If you confess that opening your home is a struggle for you, you’ll find that lots of people will identify and confess similar hesitations, which will make you wonder if hospitality is something of a lost art. This will lead to thoughts on writing more about hospitality, which could maybe result in an e-book down the road. Maybe. (Because writing a book proposal for a book that’s 3/4 of the way done, with two others in line behind it isn’t ambitious enough.)
2) If a four year old acts like a four year old and slips away from mom and falls into a gorilla exhibit at the zoo, the entire internet will crucify the “negligent” mother and presume to be sudden experts on wildlife and parenting. People need to chill the heck out. Kids are fast and get away in the blink of an eye. Any parent who claims to have kept their kids in line every minute of every day is a liar. The general responses I’ve seen online this week have caused me to wonder if the entire country has lost its collective mind. The petition for CPS to step in is LUNACY. Doesn’t anyone remember the poor woman whose face and hands were literally ripped from her body by her friend’s pet chimp??? OF COURSE they had to shoot the gorilla to save the child. Why is this even a conversation??? I don’t normally chime in on sensationalized news stories, but this one has made me wish for a super tall soap box.
3) On the first day of summer break, my kids were up at 5:45 am. That’s all I have to say about that. I’m a morning person by nature, but this is a bit much. It’s hard to be mad at those faces, though.
4)The people in publishing that I’ve spoken with lately have all urged me to get headshots. So, headshots I got. And I’ve never felt weirder. Especially since my sister is my photographer. We laughed a lot, but my sister does a great job. If you’re in the Nashville area and need any kind of photography done, look her up.
5)If you’re hitting a writing wall when it comes to articles or blog posts, the Headline Challenge is a useful tool for generating ideas. Admittedly, I read this on Emily’s blog, but it was so helpful, that I’ve got to include it in my list since I technically DID read it in May (the 31st). This challenge is on my agenda this week.
6) There are not enough hours in the day to get all the things done that I’d like to. I want to become a person who writes at night, but after the kids are in bed, I’m just DONE. Last night my husband bathed the baby and got the bigger one started on bedtime routine while I washed dishes and cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. Then we teamed up to get the kids down at the same time. And then we collapsed. Between my full Tuesday teaching schedule, a kid with a sore throat, a teething baby, cooking/housework, it’s been tough to squeeze in writing time. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d gladly take them. I feel like I’m writing in the cracks these days, and it’s not been very productive, especially in regard to my book proposal.
7)If you put zucchini in chocolate cake, you will eat the cream cheese frosting and throw the cake away. Vegetables in cake. That’s a terrible idea. 8)The Psalms will always be a source of rest and nourishment for me. In case you missed the posts I wrote, here are two that grew from my morning Bible reading: Psalm 43, Psalm 63.
Happy June, friends. I’m looking forward to lots of good stuff to share with you.
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and lives in rural Southeast Missouri where she tries and fails to keep up with her two energetic sons. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence (P&R) and Everyday Faithfulness (Crossway), and Memorizing Scripture (Moody). Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Christine Duncan says
Oh my goodness, I loved this. All of it. I am automatically drawn to writers who are not afraid to speak for real, and with some humour thrown in. I’ve got this huge grin, and, nodded my agreement all the way through your gorilla manifesto.
I am now a fan. So glad to meet you through Emily’s linkup 🙂
glenna marshall says
thanks so much, Christine!! that gorilla situation is ridiculous–i think i could write a whole post on that alone.
thanks for the follow! 🙂