All posts in Mama Heart Mushings

Learning From You

Oh Baby Boy, I learn so much from you as I do from all my kids. Lately I have been learning to find the good rhythm in life. Your rhythm is always JOY. You take great joy in everything and we affectionately call you ‘our personal musical’ for a reason. Life is a musical to you, a singing and dancing show! If you see a car you make a ‘rrrrmmmm‘ noise and then proceed to break into a ‘rrrum da da da dum‘ song and so with anything else that your eyes devour you turn your excitement into song and dance. If you find your own song, or someone elses, right on then you can’t help but kick your legs out in your very manly little dance. You are a ‘funk’ music lover and it suits you.

A person must slow down to work on their personal sound track all the time. I remember as a child picking songs that would be perfect played over my life at such and such a moment and then I would sing them and you remind me of me in this way. Thank you for reminding Mommy of a good piece of herself and thank you for being you!

TTFN

Dancing Shoes

(These beautiful shoes are on the feet of my beautiful youngest daughter. She was just given them by a family friend and now lives in them, I can’t blame her!)

Whoop, what happened? Well I tried to neglect everything this week and not let myself get worked up but my body let me know I was stressed after all and I get it…

I was amazed at all the stuff that hit me as I struggled to deal with my Dad’s life being vulnerable. I am amazed at how little emotion I showed through it all… most of it was anger about other stuff as I crushed the tears down… cuz I was supposed to.

Now that the surgery is over and for now he is getting better and better I am kinda ticked that I wasn’t allowed to just be worried and sad and get on with it… lesson learned…

As I listened to my eldest sing to her little sister and brother today, and watched them dance to her impromptu song, I realized I want to put on my dancing shoes again too. I only seem to find them with God. I only know how to dance with him at the lead.

Go ahead Big Girl, sing that endless song of yours because it is coming from your pretty heart.
Go ahead and tap tap tap in your new pink shoes Little Woman because life joy like that is too precious.
Go ahead Baby Boy and copy your sisters dance, you understand that passionate joyfulness is contagious.

None of you know the stifling rules of adulthood yet and so I am thankful.

TTFN

Blessed Family Time!

We kicked it all off with a graduation! My three year old, Little Woman, graduated from her first year of ‘wee college’. It was a night to fuss over her and she deserves fussing. She got to march up to the front and recite songs she learned and then received a certificate! A big night for our girl! Other then getting a little queasy at the end she was a pro!

Spring break has only barely began and we have already been so busy!
First day of spring break we took Big Girl down town to get her first BIG KID bike! It is a ‘tom boy’ color and she even got biking gloves to go with! She is loving the mature features of gear shifting and handle breaks!

(I love this man! I adore spending time with my best friend! Biking, skating in the winter, and hopefully taking up kayaking together this year, are all better with him! Next big plan in the works, after kayaking, is to get used to camping as a family.)

In the winter we skate. In the summer this family BIKES! The above pictures are me and my man on our first family bike ride of the year. The older two kids do so well following us in a straight line and keeping up. The younger two are as happy as can be in the trailer I pull. The first trip was a little nippy but we had been anticipating this all winter and so off we went!

When there are big things going on in life, big things that could really consume your mind and cause you to just stop, the little things, the family time blessings are all the more important and wonderful, especially for a Mama and her mushy heart.

TTFN

Two Down

Always lovely to watch you kids succeed at those BIG lessons in life (wink). Perhaps tying shoes isn’t a big big deal but it is one of those life lessons that makes a Mama proud.

Big Girl wasn’t allowed to start grade one without knowing how to tie her shoes. It took a couple days of hard work before she was doing it with ease. That was a different school with different rules and this year I must admit I didn’t worry about my boy doing the same for his grade one year. He got Velcro shoes again in the fall but it is spring and he already needs bigger shoes. I bought him laced up shoes that are so cool he really wanted to master it.

I showed him a bit each day for the last couple days but I must admit I wasn’t as in to it with him as with Big Girl last year and kind of expected him to figure it out, especially with Big Girl trying to give lessons as well.

Yesterday, out of the blue, he came bounding up to me and proclaimed he new how to tie his shoes! I was surprised, that morning we had had trouble getting them done in time to catch the bus. He sat right down and did both shoes quick as could be.

“Wow, how did you do that?” I asked him.

“Madame taught me!” (that is what he calls his French immersion teacher).

Well I hugged him and praised him for being so smart and sighed with relief that I didn’t have to be the hero this time… let the teacher do the teaching! She must know what she is doing;)

After all, it takes a village to raise a child right?! I appreciate people who take honest and caring interest in my kids. He has such a lovely teacher.

TTFN

Lost A Tooth!

Big Boy FINALLY lost his first tooth!

His older sister had lost many by the time she was his age. This tooth was allowed to hang on for a long time. It got to the point that yesterday I barely touched it and it fell out. Big Boy was very happy that it didn’t hurt. It is so little… He is so excited and impressed. “This means I am growing up cuz I am getting big teeth!” he exclaimed. So true, the adorable baby teeth will fall out one by one… I remember how proud I was of him, and how excited I was as those sweet little teeth began to fill his baby grin… Now I am proud of him because he is growing! I am only a little less excited for the simple fact that this means he is getting older and I want him to forever be my little guy!

TTFN

Looking At Gain as GOD and Not Stuff.

I ask my child to come spend time with me… perhaps I am running some errands and want their company and want to include my child. My child looks up at me and says ‘Will it be fun? Will I get a treat?’, basically saying ‘What’s in it for me?’. I reply ‘No treats, it will be fun if you decide it will be fun… it is about being with me.’ My child looks disappointed and says ‘No thanks.’ and my heart breaks in great disappointment. Later I take my child out for a special afternoon dedicated to my child alone and this child expects even more to the point of declaring the day ‘not very fun at all’ Again my heart breaks.

Would I, could I, be as patient with this child as my heavenly Father has been with me? Would I look at my child and understand he or she is just a short sighted child or would I become angry and give up on trying to spend time bonding with my child…

Has God felt that same sorrow, caused by my selfishness and treat seeking view of our relationship? Do I act like that, seeking what I want from Jesus, treats, rewards; instead of seeking MY FATHER?

A conversation I heard between my husband and my boy just the other day reminded me of times I have faced this type of exchange with my eldest daughter. When my man ended the conversation with a statement similar to the one below I was blessed with understanding about my Jesus and me.

‘If you come with me, while I do my work, we will find fun together and in one another. Our relationship will grow buddy! And I will have time to love you directly and you me. If you don’t come because you see no self serving benefit YOU are the one who will loose out.’

Can I sacrifice my ‘me me list’, my desire for treats in my walk with Christ, my desire to be rewarded for every bit of good I managed to do (which by the way is only possible through Christ and not me alone). Can I give this all up and just LOVE MY GOD?

TTFN

Career Woman, No, Involved Mom, YOU BET:)

It’s been about 8 years since I last worked at a library… This was my field of work but when my first of four babies arrived I gladly put it aside to be at home. Now in a place where family is available and willing to help out and the older two are in a school near by I decided to start volunteering at their school library… one, to be involved in their school world and get a feel for the atmosphere they live out so much of their day in and two, to test the waters and see what it might feel like to work again.

I loved volunteering, it felt right and very familiar and the children where adorable BUT I knew almost immediately that I am no career woman. There was so much rush and restriction threw at me and my babies right away that I felt unhappy at the thought of doing this as a job. Volunteering I can still do it when it is right for me and my babies and so that is how it, ‘my career’, will remain for a long time.

If it wasn’t part of my kids world I wouldn’t pursue this, as much as the break from the home was nice I can think of better things to do FOR ME, if you will, then to return to ‘my career’. Waters tested and this Mama was assured that her heart is still very much at home with the four little eggs in my nest!

TTFN

Cooking Shows and Baby Boy

Each child is so unique you connect with them in such different ways. It is a wonderful surprise when you seek and find one of these connections.
My one year old surprised me when he climbed up on my lap as I watched a cooking show. He happily watched two cooking programs with me.
Siting perfectly still I almost didn’t notice my little lap warmer until he would point at the screen and go ‘Mmmmm!’ or ‘Ohhh wazzat?’
All the other kids could really care less about my cooking fetish but I might have a kindred spirit in this area in my Baby Boy.

TTFN

Sisterly Effection

Poor Baby Boy, his sisters just found him irresistible tonight! They kept dressing him up when ever they could run him down.
Little Woman– “Mama he has long hair!”
If he could talk he would say “Oh bother…” just like long suffering Winny-the-Pooh.
Run Baby Boy! Run!

TTFN

Princess Dreams

My girls are such a refreshingly feminine influence on me! As we talk about Mom and Dad’s renewal ceremony this spring they have such fun ideas. When they noticed I had flowers in my hair the first time they had to know if they could do that this time. The conversation lead to headdresses and I am so excited that they want to have so much fun with this!

They are hoping us three girls can have floral head dresses instead of bouquets. Perhaps this is a grand idea since we will be holding hands as we walk up. So now I am looking all over the Internet for ideas! They also want their hair done up (me too!) and so we are looking for something that makes your hair look really good too!

This one looks like a bouquet on your head! Lol, I actually kinda dig it!
Keeps your hands free!

This is the fairy head dress!
PRETTY!

Oh this is elfish!
Getting in touch with my Celtic side!

This one has a lovely look to the back!
Ribbons might make it better!

Perhaps this one is just right!
Perhaps…

I am no Martha Stewart so I wonder where you buy such a thing?

TTFN