Grace had her first sleepover Thursday night in preparation for five nights of church camp. She cried and cried the night before. I didn’t know what to do, so I called my sister Heather because they are very much alike. They talked on the phone, and Heather asked me if she had to go to the sleepover. It was completely logical to me that she go, I mean if she can’t handle one night at a friend’s house how is she going to handle five at camp?!? But no, she doesn’t have to go if this is what it’s going … Read the rest
Category Archives: Parenting
Making It Up As I Go
Do you ever feel that way as a parent? That you’re making it up as you go? Your kids spring something on you, and you’re left speechless and scrambling for some sort of consequence that is suitable for this offense you never thought you’d have to deal with.
For instance.
Eli was in a phase (PRAISE JESUS that I get to use the word was) where he got this horrible attitude whenever he disagreed with me and would be downright disrespectful and rude to me. He did it in the car one day while I was driving, and I … Read the rest
Raw Momma Honesty
This may sound terribly, horribly selfish to some. I’m ready for that. These are my feelings right now, and I’m going to put them out there in case there are others who are feeling the same and need to know they aren’t alone…
I work part-time at our church and love it. I work three days a week while the kids are at school, and it helps me stay sane. I’ve had the most incredible baby-sitter for a few years now, and last Thursday was her last day with us as she is now 39 weeks pregnant. This week I’m … Read the rest
The Great Rescue
We’ve had a bird in our attic. I don’t really know if you can call it an attic, it’s more of a crawl space padded with insulation. But there has been a bird up there for a few days now, and he has been VERY unhappy about it. He sits on the hatch to the attic and yells. He wakes my children. He almost makes me want to go up there and get him out myself. Almost.
Yesterday morning I was out on a date with Grace and Chad sent me a text saying the bird was sitting on the … Read the rest
The Kind Act Consequence
It’s no secret that I struggle with Eli and his outbursts towards his sisters. One day last week when I was in carpool line, I pulled up to find him standing right next to the teacher. Uh-oh. She informs me that he punched Grace. Again. So they get in the car and he immediately asks me what his consequence will be. I told him I didn’t know yet. He asked if it would be the Wii. I decided no, because we have a deal. If he gets a green (in our day it would be like not getting your … Read the rest
Calm and Confident
Or at least fake it til you make it, right moms?
This is who I’m trying to be while parenting… calm and confident. You want to throw a fit about the fact that it’s time to do homework? Awesome. You are free to do so in your room. I will not be joining you in your fit. I am calm and confident. No, you may not stomp on every stair along the way. No, you may not grunt like an animal along the way. No, you may not punch the wall along the way. Downstairs we are calm. We are … Read the rest
Do We Expect Too Much From Our Kids?
Eli has been in three different soccer programs over the past couple years, and they’ve all been learning experiences for us to say the least. Our exposure to soccer parents has been… interesting. As Eli gets older, we notice more and more the varying ability from one boy to the next. The atmosphere at the 4-6 year old game was much different than at the 6-8 year old game. At this morning’s game, Chad and I were discussing how important it is to remember that Eli is only six. He’s SIX. He needs a lot of grace at soccer practices … Read the rest
My Time in Counseling
Allow me to paint you a little picture… my three darling children are happy, healthy, playing in the living room at my parents’ house. Grace is 2 1/2, Eli is 1 1/2, and Ada is three months old. I am in the kitchen pacing, moving my hands back and forth uncontrollably, having a panic attack, unable to deal with the magnitude of raising these three darling children who depend on me for every single need in their lives. This is the moment when I thought, “Hmm… I wonder if this is postpartum depression?” So I made a few calls, someone … Read the rest
You are a MOMMA
Your kiss…
…heals their wounds.
…makes them smile.
…builds their confidence.
Your hug…
…calms their fears.
…slows their emotions.
…shares their excitement.
…gives your support.
You are the one they want…
…when they are sick.
…when the thunder booms.
…when the lightning strikes.
…when they are scared.
…when life is not fair.
…when they get hurt, physically and emotionally.
…when life is too much.
…when they don’t have the answers.
…when their emotions don’t have words.
…when they’re so excited they just might burst.
Your love…
…shows them how they deserve to be loved.
…shows them a small glimpse of … Read the rest
Nothing for Mother’s Day
These commercials for Mother’s Day crack me up. Flowers, jewelry, clothes, vacations (alright, I’d take that one) … none of these interest me. What I want for Mother’s Day is NOTHING. Nothing for breakfast. Nothing for lunch. Nothing for supper. Nothing in the laundry room. Nothing in the kitchen. Nothing on my calendar. I want to do nothing. I don’t want to do my job all day long. I’m not getting kids ready for church. I’m not feeding them. I don’t care about having a big fancy meal – I really don’t care what we eat because I’m not … Read the rest