What I Learned November 2015

December 2 is here.  And I’m really hoping that my Dad was right in predicting that Baby Washer #5 would arrive today.  As of right this minute, we have 15 hours and one minute remaining in the day and that is definitely enough time for this little one to make his/her appearance.  I’m hopeful…

November was a full month and a fun month for us in a lot of ways.  Once again, I’m joining up with Emily to share What We Learned.  In no particular order, here are six things I learned in November.

1.  The Goliath Frog is the largest frog on Earth.  And they can weigh up to a little over 7 pounds.   Isabella came home from school one day very excited about a book they had read on frogs.  While I sat in the rocking chair, she jumped up and down asking me to look up various facts about frogs on my phone.  She has been telling us Science is her favorite subject, and now I totally believe her.

2.  Colored lights on the Christmas tree made me cry.  Bradley has been wanting colored lights since we got married, 9 years ago, and I have not been willing to give in.  This year, I was totally outnumbered and since we only had one strand of white lights remaining, I (reluctantly) agreed.  It didn’t look as beautiful as I had imagined, and all of the ornaments the kids hung were smack dab in the front of the tree on the lowest branches.  I should have anticipated this, as all of our children are under 4 feet tall, but I didn’t.  And so I had a battle in my spirit about our Christmas tree.  I think what upset me the most in the end was that I was crying over a Christmas tree.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the reason that we celebrate Christmas.  And yet, I so badly wanted a gorgeous, magazine-worthy tree, that I was grumbling in my spirit over something my children were enjoying and I totally spoiled the whole tree-decorating event.  I love how the Lord takes even the most common of occurrences and uses them to teach us lessons.

3.  The Lord is still teaching me about stillness, this time it was through some shooting stars.

4.  Our baby will not have a November birthday.  We were really hoping for this, as then my side of the family would have a birthday during each month of the year.  Oh well!  My due date isn’t until December 6, so this little one could come any day.  Every day is a day closer…And now, having to wait for a baby during Advent is becoming a wonderful lesson for me.  I hope to write some more on that by the end of this week.

5. Disco balls in public restrooms are a fantastic idea.  We went out to dinner with two other couples (totally fun and can’t wait to do that again!!) a few weeks ago and when I asked where the bathroom was after our meal, the manager pointed me in the right direction and told me I was really going to enjoy it.  I found that to be a strange comment to make, but when I walked inside, I discovered he was right.  I’d never seen a disco ball used in this way, but it’s the best.

6. I love getting coffee with a friend, and it had been way too long since I’d done that.  I met with a new friend from church last week over a cup of coffee in Starbucks and it was the best!  We had never had a conversation without our children running around us, which means our conversations were always snippets of things.  But I knew I would enjoy uninterrupted time with this fellow-Mama.  It was, in the words of my friend, life-giving.  And I can’t wait to start incorporating coffee dates into my schedule with lots of friends.  Women, we are busy.  But we are not too busy for friendships.  Yes, it will mean sacrifice.  But it’s completely worth it.

What did you learn in November?

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