October 23, 2013

A Round of 5 Favorites

Linking up with Moxie Wife for some 5 Favorites!

1. Have I mentioned that my brother Michael is engaged to like the most amazing gal? Well, he is and Emily is nothing short of Awe-Some! Matt and I (mostly Matt, who titles himself as the Love Doctor) set Michael and Emily up and within 3 dates the rest is history. Emily has the cutest blog and is doing a 30 day in a row blogging stint. You should definitely take a read and I guarantee you will just fall in love with her and her hippie ways. 
2. I have never been a huge fan of Halloween and the dressing up part. Call me boring, because that is exactly what I am. I just find no pleasure in annoying costumes and even less enjoyment with the pains of painting one's face. But, here on the island it is a huge HUGE deal. Everyone decorates with creepy graveyards and witches (which I am sorry if you do that too and I promise I will try my hardest not to judge you if I see this on your front law), but I will never understand how that is considered festive, it's just creepy-creep and morbid to me. Anyways, enough of my rant... my kids SO SO SO love for our house and yard to be as festive as possible for all of the holidays. Soooo... my not very creative thumb and anti-halloween antics have succumb to my littles request. I found this $7 scarecrow from Walmart and couldn't resist the sunflowers in her hair. This weekend we are heading to the pumpkin patch for some more decor, so buckle up for some more cute pics to come.  

3. Now moving on from engagements to decorations to makeup, because I am one of the most random humans on the planet, so why not? If I had to pick my most favorite eye enhancing item, it would be Clinique's quickliner. Why? Because it is exactly what it says- quick at lining the eye. You won't be disappointed in this product says this girl who knows nothing about makeup, so take this rec as you will. 


4. Keeping with the coloring of the eyes, another favorite of mine is this Almay shadow. Why do I like it? Again, because it is easy and purrdy. 

5. Because I am running out of steam, dis here Essie midnight cami nail color is my color of choice for the month. Going dark makes me feel somewhat with the fashion times of 2013. Although, my mom did ask me the other day: "Why do you wear such dark nail polish?" This did kinda make me question my color choice.  But, like all things fashionable and stylish I have gotten use to the simple fact that I am always so last year or the year before.  

Now for some way better 5 favorites join Hallie over at Moxie Wife and the gals!

October 16, 2013

public letter to my husband

Dear Matthew, 

Close your eyes and imagine the biggest thank you that you have ever seen....Mine comin' at you is even bigger.  

You giving me yesterday and today "off" to come and go/come and nurse Hope as I please, has been amazing for my spirit and refreshed my love for my vocation. You always seem to know just the right way to take care of me in the midst of our crazy life with 4 small children.

Although there is nothing else I would rather be doing than being your wife and mother to our children, having this time to pray, to think, and go to the bathroom alone and in peace has been a little slice of Heaven. 

God surpassed my expectations when he gave me you as my husband. Seriously, you are a zillion times better than what I ever imagined in my head or for that matter any romantic, love story movie that I have seen. YOU swept me off my feet 8 years ago and the sweeping just keeps on coming. 

Laughter and tears fill the air in our home, making life never ever boring. And having you, my bff, to crawl up the mountains of life, soak in the the sun from our view, and sometimes even wade through swampy mess of things makes everything better. 

Thank you for being the best man that I know. I agape you. 

Ps. Do you see why it is so hard for me to get anything done during the day? Just humor me and say yes :). 
*sigh* My view for the morning hours, thank you. 

October 13, 2013

Sanctifying Sunday: Thankfulness-the 10%

Another Sanctifying Sunday with Matt... Enjoy!



Ten percent isn't bad, at least in regards to investments.  Many people would be happy to have that ROI (return on investment) these days.  Winning the lottery has the chances of one in 175 million, which makes ten percent look pretty good.  In today's Gospel only one out of the ten lepers returns to Jesus to say thanks. 

So, Jesus' stats are better than the market and playing the lottery, but somehow seem to fall way short of what is supposed to happen when you're healed of leprosy.  

Among all of the stories in the Gospel, today's has always been one of my favorites. Ten lepers come to him for healing and when they leave all ten are healed.  However, only one returns to thank him. 

I think of the other 9 who were healed. I heard a priest once say that maybe the other 9 didn't realize they were healed. I've never had leprosy, but I can imagine that if you did you would for sure know if it's gone.  For heaven's sake, leprosy still today sequesters people to the fringes of society, it's a terrible disease that eats away at your body.  Webster defines it as a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and in sever cases disfigurement and deformities....

I like this Gospel story because it hits so close to home. Countless times I've prayed for myself or others for a physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. And through the power of God these healings DO take place!

Sometimes, I find myself like the 9 who don't even return to say thanks.

Other times, I'm like the one who returns to say thanks but doesn't fall down in adoration.

The best times, are when I return to say thanks and fall down before God in an action of complete thanksgiving.
This Gospel story is a reflection of God's infinite and unending mercy to save sinners.  There are no more racial or socioeconomic boundaries.  It is the foreigner among the 10 that returns to say thanks.  The other nine are of Jesus' blood- Isrealites.  This guy's a Samaritan and he's the thankful foreigner.  God's mercy knows no bounds.  

An attitude of gratitude goes a long, long way in our lives and the implications that follow from being thankful are far reaching.  If you're having a hard time with life, a specific situation, relationship, whatever it may be-- try focusing on the good things that God has already done for you.  Put on an "attitude of gratitude" and I guarantee things will begin to change for the better.  

Having a complete heart full of gratitude that impels one to return in thanksgiving will have profound consequences.  

I'm thankful for these 4 healthy kids. 
Don't be caught in up in the 90%, which chose to be thankless.  It's a bad place to be. It's way better to be returning in complete thanksgiving.         

Peace, 
Matt Loboda

October 4, 2013

Painful Loving



Sometimes (like tooo-day) I feel like I am going to loose my friggin' mind!
How in the world could 4 little people drive one momma to the madness? 
Well... Sadly, it's just way to easy peasy...

It started off with a whole mug of coffee being spilt on our new living room rug. And the engine only picked up steam from there. The kiddos saying "mom, mooom, MOM" like every 2.5 seconds didn't help either. 

And then, Hope finding the toilet for the 3rd time in an hour, because one of the miniatures left the bathroom door open AGAIN was a for sure tipping point. 

But then, the play fighting that seems like such a good/fun/occupying idea at the time ended up (like ALWAYS!) with tears streaming down my 2 boys faces and fingers pointing at the other saying: "He hit me!" Which makes me just want to scream: Isn't that the point of play fighting! And for the record play fighting should really be called make-mom-crazy-fighting, which should never take place in our Boda household even if for a few heavenly minutes it seems like the best game on the planet.

But, I think what really had my mind a fumin' was that I just wanted to get stuff done today and no matter how hard I tried the kids needs interrupted that "stuff" from getting anywhere near being done. 

Honestly, most days my stuff can wait and I am happy to do it in between diaper changes, snacks, meltdowns and the like, but today I really wanted to do my thang. Like for instance, get my house totally set up the way that I want it, pictures hung and all. Sit and drink a cup of coffee for 30 minutes. Okay, okay I know not going to happen for the next seven years, but I would have just settled for a brief 5 minutes of sipping in peace. I really wanted to make a phone call to a friend that I have been dying to touch base with. And, shopping for a new pair of skinny jeans that my wardrobe is so in need of was at the top of the list.    

It's days like today that make me stop and think: Man, this mom vocation thing is really tough. I mean HELLO, a mom is always, always giving of herself entirely for her children, even still my mom does this for her 7 grown children (me included). A mom's job never stops. The times that we can just shut off for a day or even an hour are next to none. And most of us, we do this because we love the heck out of our kids and when it's all said and done there is nothing else in the world that we would rather be doing. 

But sometimes, like today, when I am going through the motions of "doing" just because I have to, the joy of being a mother seems to fade away and it all just becomes a chore. 

In my heart I know that God has entrusted me with the best job on the planet. And as silly as it may sound, He does not want me to peel and slice Isaac's apple just exactly exactly so, simply because I have to. Or to watch Hope toddle around and make sure she doesn't put every inedible thing in her mouth, just because it's my job. But God wants me to choose to do those things with love, out of love and for love. Just like He chooses to watch over me every hour of every day, not because He has to, but because He loves to. 

So, in the midst of the tough calling that God has given me and all of us moms, I know that it is only through the loving that I can even begin to really give of myself. And though the days can sometimes be really hard and bedtime doesn't seem to come soon enough, I do love it, because I love my kids and I love my Jesus. 

Yes, today was a hard day for me and none of my stuffing got done, but I made it and so did all of you!
I am just praying that tomorrow I don't simply go through the motions of being a mother because I have to, but that I love and love hard because I want to.