All posts in Mama Heart Mushings

A Pick Me Up For Little Woman

Little Woman adores dogs… always has had this drive to take care of and fuss over animals…that is why it is so upsetting for her, and me, when one snaps at her. We ran into the snappy little dog in a store today… I warned her to give it space but… she was so crushed and a bit scared when the little dog got mad at her approach. I hugged her and the owner punished the dog and yet she cried all the way to the van.

When we got to the van I decided to take her in to the grocery to have a look around and work out those tears. When she stopped at the flower section and kept smelling all the different plants I saw her smile return. Perhaps it was the joy she took in the pretty flowers or the pleasure smelling them gave her… this could have been even more of an effect on me since I have no sense of smell… but the potted daffodils fate to come home with us was a sealed deal when she told me ‘I would take such very good care of the baby flowers.’

The little pot of strong and young plants was on sale so I was smiling as we payed for them. The little girl holding them, carefully and firmly, in her grasp was smiling because she had something to mother. This was a perfect little pick me up for Little Woman, it is totally a need of hers to be helpful, important and even domestically motherly.

TTFN

The Ear and Define Hollow!

LITTLE WOMAN–‘Don’t brush my ear Mom.’
MOM–‘I will watch out for it.’
LITTLE WOMAN–‘Mom what is in my ear?’
MOM–‘Wax.’
LITTLE WOMAN–‘And??’
MOM–‘A drum that sound bounces off so you can hear.’
LITTLE WOMAN–‘And??’
MOM–‘A tube.’
LITTLE WOMAN–‘What is a tube?’
MOM–‘It is like a straw. Long and round and hollow.’
LITTLE WOMAN–‘OH HOLLOW! I know hollow! Some people sing it.’
MOM–‘What do you mean?”
LITTLE WOMAN– (breaking into song at this point) ‘Hollow lu la, hollow lu la!’
MOM–‘He he he… no honey that is hallelujah.’
LITTLE WOMAN– ‘Oh… right.’

I conversation this morning as I did her hair.

TTFN

Warning, Not Making

Watching your children face consequences is so very painful, so important for that child’s healthy growth but so very hard for a mommy’s heart. As I start to let my stubborn child face up to choices made I acknowledge this is a very new and scary place for me as a mother.

Always available to tell you the better way my love,
to help you find it,
but also to let you learn… insist you face consequences
and to love you any ways.

I didn’t think I would move out of the young stage so soon… it is hard to acknowledge that I physically can’t prevent my kids from all harms and bad choices anymore… that even though I still have preschoolers my older two are far beyond that stage and onto bigger things that are so much harder on my mind and heart. I can warn them but unlike my babies I can only MAKE them to a point now…

Following my mom’s wise advice I will be praying so MUCH for my children, so much more now even… it is so easy to pray for them when they are sweet babies and tender children but as they move into more ornery stages I hope I will be all the more disciplined a prayer warrior on their behalf.

I am moving beyond my comfort level as a mom already, LORD protect my heart!

Note: This section added January 10th.

P.s. Found this phrase, LABORING OVER LOVE or love laboring, and it hit me that that is how I have been feeling, in regards to my babies… Found it at the link above.

The author shared a concept that you never stop laboring over your children… painful but necessary and oh so much a part of love… I needed to read that… and just breath.

She seems like a very thankful lady so I must look into more of her writing as I work on a year of thankfulness myself. Right now I am truly thankful for her article and her concept, for it has calmed me down and helped me see the strength in being a mom, in being one mom among so very many, world wide, who deal with the pain of loving children all their days…

TTFN

Hair

(Baby Boy doing Mama’s hair.)

Eldest Damsel has a whole lot of hair now. She likes it down but this mama can’t handle it looking scruffy or flopping in her face so I am forever looking for new things to do with her hair that we both like. French braids have been the big deal of late. We are trying them in different ways and even Little Woman has got involved. Now Little Woman is another story, she LOVES getting her hair done. This girl told me when she grows up she wants to be a doctor so she can do peoples hair. I explained that wasn’t what doctors do. She informed me she wanted to do that badly and I let her know she for sure could but they are called hair stylists, not doctors. She sat so nicely for me as I put her first french braids in. We might not do it again soon as her hair is a little short for it yet and when I saw tears in her eyes over it I just couldn’t put her through that again. Baby Boy is not one to be left out so he lately has developed an interest in the brushes and combs around here. I try real hard to find the time to sit still for him so he can brush my hair. It is so very cute when he gets the brush and orders me ‘Sit, sit down. Sit down Mom’ as he pats the couch! I know I need to soak the attention up from my boy.

So ends the hair chronicles for now.

(the wrap around french braid variation, on Eldest Damsel)

TTFN

Her… Thankful (number four)

(My eldest daughter and I singing a carol we learned together, our x-mas gift to my husbands extended family.)

9 years ago today she was her Daddy’s and my little miracle.
We owe the transition to parenthood to her entirely.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL!
Happy birthday ‘Eldest Damsel’!

A strong personality from early one has insured this Mommy and Daddy had to really work at being good parents. This personality has proven to be a gem and year after year Dad and I see more of that gem of a woman growing up before our eyes.

I am absolutely thankful for my Eldest Damsel!

As we worked on our Christmas gift performance of the carol ‘Little Donkey’ I was moved by how much I cherish the relationship we are working on, her and I… we are working on it, both putting the required effort in and both reaping rewards in it as we continue. I thank Jesus for my relationship with my Eldest Damsel and with big hopes for the future I trust our relationship in the hands of my Saviour… as I have trusted this daughter of mine in his hands since she began to grow in my belly…

TTFN

Her… Thankful (number four)

(My eldest daughter and I singing a carol we learned together, our x-mas gift to my husbands extended family.)

9 years ago today she was her Daddy’s and my little miracle.
We owe the transition to parenthood to her entirely.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL!
Happy birthday ‘Eldest Damsel’!

A strong personality from early one has insured this Mommy and Daddy had to really work at being good parents. This personality has proven to be a gem and year after year Dad and I see more of that gem of a woman growing up before our eyes.

I am absolutely thankful for my Eldest Damsel!

As we worked on our Christmas gift performance of the carol ‘Little Donkey’ I was moved by how much I cherish the relationship we are working on, her and I… we are working on it, both putting the required effort in and both reaping rewards in it as we continue. I thank Jesus for my relationship with my Eldest Damsel and with big hopes for the future I trust our relationship in the hands of my Saviour… as I have trusted this daughter of mine in his hands since she began to grow in my belly…

TTFN

‘That’s My Auntie In The Choir!’

Watching my eldest daughter beam with pride at her Auntie this weekend was wonderful. Big Girl loves to sing so for her to get to attend professional choir concerts that include an auntie it is a BIG big deal. Not to mention, I can hardly contain how lovely it all is myself!The evening started with my girl and I working extra hard at dressing up Christmas-y and that is always too fun. I remember such evenings with my mom and how I trusted and appreciated her opinion while getting ready. She always took the opportunity to remind me to find what I like and that to like it means I will always look fab in it (fab is my word, not hers, he he he). I sure hope my daughter learns the same little bits from me.

We got picked up by my husbands parents and whisked away to a lovely big United Church where this choir usually holds their performances.This performance would be all the more fun since there would be audience participation during the evening. There where many carols I hadn’t heard before (different languages even) and so it was very entertaining and new. While most of the numbers where performed as a whole choir, a soloist did a lovely job of two numbers. The men and women took turns doing carols all on their own. My girl was glued to it all when the flautist stood and performed beautifully with one song near the end. Many of the songs where so beautiful you found yourself still and moved only in the heart.

(My sister and her girl after the concert.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TTFN

Christmas Cereal

A little less enduring and sentimental then my ‘Christmas milk’ story, but no less cute is the kids favorite new find for the holidays. We where in desperate need of some cereal around here and I decided to be a little more relaxed at the grocer by way of letting my four year old choose what we got this week. As soon as Little Woman spotted the multicolored (green and red) crispy rice cereal I knew there was no going back on my promise. We would, indeed, be eating festive rice crispies that taste very much like regular rice crispies, besides the extra food dye flavor, for the whole week!

As soon as we arrived home Little Woman and Baby Boy teamed up on me and insisted we MUST test them for lunch, to make sure the big kids would like them. As usual the listening to the crispy rice was fun and we all giggled that they where saying ‘eat me, eat me’ because, of course, that is always what rice crispies say in our house. The taste… well you would think they where eating food meant for a king. Both ate it up as fast as possible oohing and aahing between spoon fulls and Little Woman insisted ‘these Christmas cereals are lovely!’ Lovely indeed! I say my children and their sweet little worlds of color and joy are even more lovely… lovely enough to win me over on this cereal… I suppose it will be one of our little special traditional treats year after year now.

TTFN

And The Tree Is Up For 2010

After having it up for a few days with no decorations the kids patience was rewarded with a family night to decorate the tree. They where so much quicker this year! So much less fighting as I just let them do their thing and rearranged what needed to be rearranged once they went to bed (he he he mommy trick). They had so much fun and it looks very sweet.We started the evening off right by putting our pjs on and having an applicable supper; popcorn and smoothies (applicable because it is all about the kids tonight). We then listened to some ‘Vinyl Cafe’ via pod-cast (online) and decorated. The story was very cute, by the way, it was called ‘Dave and the Elevator’, look it up if you have a chance. Listen on line at this address http://radiotime.com/program/p_134919/Vinyl_Cafe_-_Stories.aspx !

And if you want Christmas flare look up the Vinyl Cafe story called ‘Dave Cooks the Turkey’.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


TTFN

I Have A Parrot

(Helping himself to a snack.)

Mom – ‘Riddick down. Silly dog’
BABY BOY – ‘Silly dog?’
Mom – ‘Yup. Come with me Quade.’
BABY BOY – ‘Come with me?’
Mom – ‘Yup, I want to change your diaper.’
BABY BOY – ‘Change diaper?’
Mom – ‘He he he, yup. Are you my parrot?’
BABY BOY – ‘Carrot?… No, I want banana!’

TTFN