Setting The Tone For The Day

Why is it that the tone of the day is set in the first ten minutes?  It seems like everyday, within moments of waking I can feel what kind of day I'm going to have.  Today started with the thud of my three-year-old kicking the wall.  This is pretty normal.  Before long there were feet coming up the hallway and a five-year-old informing me that he had wet the bed.  Before I knew it the little one was frieking out about what we were making for breakfast and the older one was refusing to take a shower.  So I decided we'd try starting over again.  I put the little one back in bed and told him we were going to start over again...he came out a few minutes later with a better attitude. (Thanks Angie for teaching me that trick!)  Next I stuck the big one in the shower. Despite his protests he came out clean and calmer than before.

 

I was determined to not let that ruin our day.  I sat and visited with them while we ate breakfast and re-set our mindset for the day.  Later in the day we visited the dollar store and that was an adventure as always.  The afternoon has been pleasantly quiet except for one biting incident and we're all over it now.

Serving Our Children

I was asked to share an experience with our church women's group about serving our families, specifically small children.  I was amazed at what came out when I began to type.  Then I was asked to share these thoughts at a conference this morning.  The following is what I shared:

 

Ministering to our families is a tender subject to me as being a mother did NOT come naturally. I remember the first time I heard my own child cry, I knew my life would never be the same. I had a moment of panic in the hospital when the baby was fussing and they brought him to me. All of a sudden I was supposed to know exactly what to do.  I spent most of the next two years frustrated at my inability to serve in a capacity that seems to come so naturally to so many. Even though I struggled there was never any doubt in my mind that this was the work that the Lord intended for me to do; knowing that made it easier to serve.

As time went on my daily prayers for help in teaching and serving my family became more fervent. Before long I was called to nursery. I learned so much through my missteps and started to feel confident in serving these little children. Despite my insecurities we welcomed a second little boy into our family two years after the first. My prayers became more focused as my time was divided between these little ones and my husband. Before long I felt impressed to start a play group that ended up including 10 children. The following year I participated in a joy school and continued to develop my abilities. The Lord had found a way to teach me to better serve my children through teaching and interacting with them in a more formal setting.

Many times the best way I can serve my family, especially my young children, is to involve them in what I am doing. Sometimes they need me to drop what I am doing and do something with them. Last fall we would often drop everything when the sun peeked out  and take a walk or ride bikes to take advantage of the moments of good weather. Many times we would collect leaves and sticks, play at the park, splash in puddles or watch birds. Another way I serve my children is being available for moral support. Many times when they are performing a task they can do on their own but just need a little encouragement. It takes patience to stay by them but many times a little moral support is all they need.

I have to laugh a little whenever anyone compliments my ability to teach pre-school age children. “You are such a natural,” they say.  I assure you it did not come naturally. Each step I take toward being a better mother and teacher is a battle hard fought but worth every effort. I truly feel that I have been blessed for taking on this calling in my life despite my inadequacies. When we seek to do the Lord’s work He has promised to make a way for us to accomplish what He commands us to do. I really see this as I strive to serve my children.

I have always been a little ashamed to admit to my shortcomings and I was amazed at how liberating it was to share and surprised to see how much I have grown in the past five years. It is my hope that this will help someone else who is struggling find their voice.

 



Memories of Fall

Today it's cold outside and not looking like spring is ever going to come.  So I'm thinking back on all the fun we had before the weather got cold.  This year we visited Thomasson Farms, it's one of my favorite places to go in October.

They have lots of activities for the littles and we've gone every year for the past three years.  We actually went twice this year.  They've even expanded from last year.

This got me to thinking about the analogy of the winters in our lives.

We have seasons of growth where we are motivated, learning and growing...

We have seasons when we feel stagnent and our growth becomes dormant and I become frustrated, stuck in a rut...

but even in the winter of our lives we can hold on to the memories of the periods of growth...

and the joyful times we have had.

Turning Criticism to Confidence

In high school I had determined that life as a hermit was ideal.  I didn't hate high school but it presented enough challenges to make a life of seclusion seem a viable option.  I always had an attitude that the opinions of others didn't matter to me and especially ignored the opinions of my attention seeking peers.  I continued with this attitude through college and it worked out pretty well.

 

As a new mother I found myself constantly second guessing my decisions.  I felt so clueless and was constantly asking other people for advice.  It wasn't too long before I started seeking the approval of those whose opinions I sought.  Before long I was driving myself crazy; whenever someone would give a suggesion I would think, "oh no, I'm doing it wrong."  I stessed about this for a long time before I finally figured out the solution to my predicament.

 

I needed to change my decision making process.  When I was faced with a situation with my children I needed to stop and evaluate what the real issues were.  Then I would get suggestions from several people and maybe even read a parenting book before making making my decision.  This process helped me to make informed decisions that I could feel good about.  Also, it helped me to understand my reasoning for doing what I chose to do so when someone would offer a suggestion that sounded critical I could use that as an opportunity to explore the issue and could then be confident that I had made a decision with which I was comfortable.  It also gave me the confidence to tell my children, "This is what we do at our house." 

I Am Superman

"Be yourself, unless you can be Batman, ALWAYS BE BATMAN."

I don't remember when I first heard this statement but it made me laugh so much.  My children, especially my oldest loves Batman.  My littel ones love to play super heros.  Three days ago my husband came home from work and joined the kids dressing up and playing superheros.  For a moment I forgot about all the stress in my life and my "to do" list and joined in as well.  The look on my husband's face as I came running down the hall in a breasplate with a sword was priceless.  I probably participated for about five minutes and it totally changed my day.  So there's my first lesson on superheros, don't take life too seriously.

 

There is something intrigueing about the stories of the average guy turned super hero; Batman, Spiderman, Green Lantern, Captain America, Fantastic 4, Iron Man they were all pretty normal guys who became something spectacular.  I am drawn to them because they tell me that anyone can be extraordinary, and that's superhero lesson two, anyone can make a difference.

 

I recently watched the Avengers...multiple times.  My superhero feddish was only fueled by YouTube videos HISHE (how it should have ended) and their series of Superhero Cafe. Check them out HERE.  I also spent many an evening over the past couple months sewing capes and masks for my kids for Christmas.  It was the most fun I've ever had on a project (I also sucked a few friends into my project and we had so much fun, Thanks Melynda, Kari and Angela!).  My normal bedtime is between 9:00 and 10:00 and there were nights I'd think, I'm okay to do a little more.  Everytime I tried to push myself beyond 10:00 something went wrong with my sewing and I spent the next 15 minutes undoing what I'd tried to do.  So, my last superhero lesson for the day is, know your limits.  There are days when you can run around getting tons of stuff done and feel great about it but chances are you are going to pay for it the next day.  Even the Avengers needed some time off after a hectic day of fighting evil.

 

So, I guess I need to modify the saying from the beginning.  "Always be yorself, take time to be Batman, or my personal favorite, Superman, but always come back to being yourself."

I Figured It Out

 

I figured out how to put pictures on my blog again...and it only took me half an hour. :)  I'm pretty proud of myself and had to share this picture from our snow day.  We played outside two days after Christmas and it was so much fun.

 



Drops of Awesome

This mother shared so pointedly what I needed to hear today.  Please read her blog here.  She talks about how we need to celebrate little victories and not let our shortcomings deter from our successes.  I just had to put this up for all my readers as it touched me so much.

A Very Merry Christmas

We have spent Christmas at my families or my in-laws for five or our six married Christmases.  I'm always surprised at the effect being around my family has on me.  My little ones LOVE going to visit the grandparents and I find so much joy in the fact that they have influence in my children's lives.  We live so far from almost all of our family that it is so fun to get a glimpse into your lives if even for a couple of days.  I'm so impressed how much we work and change in six months time.  I was so impressed at the conversations I had with my little sister who is very much a mature, perseptive, kind, beautiful woman.  We used to squabble all the time, now I will miss her dearly when she moves to Wyoming.  For all of you who shared in our holidays, Thank You, we love and appreciate opening your homes and hearts to us. (And your patience with the stomach bug we seem to bring with us each year.)  For all of you who we didn't see this year, you were greatly missed and we hope to see you soon. There's a reunion this summer and we hope you can make it.  If not, just know we are thinking of you and hope you are well and finding joy in your lives. 

 

I feel so very blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.  As I started my Christmas list this year there were so many that I wanted to give something as a sign of my appreciation and the list just got too long.  So if we missed you this year please know you were thought of and my heart was very full as I counted my blessings this Christmas.

I have pictures but am having trouble figuring out how to download them.  So you must all wait in suspense. :)



A New Year

As I look back over the past year I feel joy at all the good memories we’ve made.  I’m especially amazed that, despite their best efforts, my children have not managed to kill themselves.  It has been a year full of jumping and climbing, falling and flying, bike riding, running, and playing super heroes.  It has been so fun to see my children’s imaginations grow and their minds soak up so many new things.

I can’t say that the change in myself is as obvious as that of my young children.  I spent some time being angry with everyone and being quite introverted for a time.  Luckily, that time passed and I came out with a greater understanding of my need for good people in my life and my need for friends.  I have also come to find joy in serving my husband this year that I had not felt since our early days of marriage.

This year has been a year for working with children and I have taught and been taught by so many little ones.  I had the blessing of teaching the 6 year old Sunday School class at church.  I have mostly worked with little boys, teenagers and babies up until now and it has been a joy to be part of these five little girl’s lives this year.  It has given me a new appreciation for these vibrant young children as they are slowly outgrowing their childish ways.

I learned this year that I love to be outside, especially with my family.  I also learned that the time I want to be alone is the best time to reach out to someone else.  I also came to remember how much I love the beauty of written word, art and music when it is done well.  It is my hope that in this new year we will all take time to find beauty in the things and people all around us and thank God for them every day.