Archive for September, 2010

Motherhood

by admin on September 12, 2010 in Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment
(Inspired by the film)

Don’t bother judging other mothers, ESPECIALLY when you’re a mom. Your going to need all the mom’s having your back that you can get!

I was chatting with a Grandmother about how over the years my self esteem as a mother has wobbled and threatened to teeter right over. She shared with me a beautiful secret.

As a young mom she too faced a regular dose of judgment on her parenting skills. Some days where worse then others but the thing that finally enlightened her to the foolishness of the judgments was the ironic twist that these same people would also point out what lovely, nice and well behaved children she had.

She often heard ‘you are too strict, one day your kids are going to rebel!’ but she heard the ‘your kids are so nice’ more often. Although one bad comment can drowned out a million positive she decided to not let that happen to her. “Fact is, no matter what you think of the mothers parenting style, if she has good kids you should keep your opinion to yourself. She is obviously doing something VERY right!”

It goes both ways, don’t do the bullies job for them and be hard and judgmental on yourself! Instead be ready to forgive yourself, if you have good kids you are doing something very right!

TTFN

The Return of the Ballerina

by admin on September 12, 2010 in Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments
(Little Woman happily showing off her new pink ballerina outfit and her freshly painted pink toes.)

JUST when I thought I was going to have to say good bye to the ballerina presence in our home, both my daughters love for this art reemerged. No, we don’t have them in lessons or have any grand ideas of them becoming prima ballerinas… of course they will always be OUR prima ballerinas and that is enough… But there was a time when other little girls where into dolls about snobbery and young singers with no real life experience and I had sighed with great relief that my girls enjoyed ballerinas. It seems such a beautifully feminine play time pass time for a little girl.

We watched ‘Angelina Ballerina’ together, ’12 Dancing Princesses’ got all 3 of us up and fluttering about. I decorated their room with paintings of beautiful dancers… and then Big Girl appeared to grow out of this stage right around the time she grew out of her adorable dancing outfit that had been give to her by her Grams. With no enthusiastic example, Little Woman’s interest petered out and I only got her to dress up and try it out now and then.

A year or two went by and I brought out the ballerina cartoons again just because they had been away long enough to be new again… and the icing on the cake was when I bought Little Woman a new dancing out fit that had sparkles on it and matching leggings. Well Big Girl had to teach her everything she knew, after all she had been an expert in her youth! Before I knew it they where practicing routines together, wearing their dancing outfits through out the day and asking me to film their performances in the ‘FEHR FINE ARTS THEATER’ (a.k.a. the family room). I went out and got Little Woman’s closest in age cousin a matching dance outfit and now the return of the ballerina is a guaranteed success. I hope they always dance.

TTFN

Sanctus Real – The Story Behind Lead Me

by admin on September 9, 2010 in Uncategorized with No comments

Read my post below in relation to this video:) May other married people be as encouraged as me after seeing this video. It brought out a memory I have that I really had the silly idea was unique to my life… it is so much better knowing you aren’t alone in a life struggle.

The Romance In Sacrifice

by admin on September 9, 2010 in Bits Of My Personality, Life Keeps Changing, My Romance with No comments
(Please watch the above video to get you in the mood. This is a song that moved me right away because I knew exactly where it was coming from.)Sacrifice is part of romance, as it is so obviously part of love.

One of the most stretching times in my life ended up being one of the most binding times in my marriage. I am so very blessed in the man I married and so I want to share this story, not as a rebuke for his honest mistakes, or mine for that matter, but for the ending. It has a lovely ending.

I was a young mom. Only been married for a few years. I had two babies born about 18 months apart. We where financially tight and lived in a small town with no family near by.

My husband was a young dad. He had a very tired wife, two young children and again, money was tight. Commuting every day two hours a day to a very negative environment full time job. He also had a second job, basically, with the band he was in.

I felt like I was being pushed too far. I was too lonely.

He was pushing so hard. He was wearing out.

At the end of the day I missed him so bad it hurt and he just didn’t have much left for the babies and me.

I had to ask him to sacrifice for us. In the end we both did.

I felt like I was fighting for our marriage alone…. I was far from correct…

In the end, as he showed me his intentions to fight for our marriage I realized I needed to as well. He wrapped up the band life style and I left the small town life behind for a city life that was easier for him. The move meant he was able to get a better job and be close to it. It also meant the kids and I got so much more Garnet!

All part of God’s plan, things where better in so many ways for both of us.

I learned to talk about things before they get so hard and to remember if the marriage is rocky it probably isn’t easy for your spouse either. Compromise out of love. Give more of yourself to your lover. PRAY for your spouse! AND never ever take for granted a spouse who will refuse to give up on marriage no matter how hard it gets, don’t use that as an excuse to not try harder yourself!

We walk together, fighting for our marriage today and loving one another so much more as time goes on. Sacrifice was key, not easy but important. I look back today and the pain was big but the healing was beyond beautiful. I see my husband as a hero of mine. He is that romantic man that will swoop in and put me first… can I learn to be better at doing the same for him so we can walk on taking care of one another?

TTFN

Bless You!

by admin on September 8, 2010 in Little Things, Mama Heart Mushings, My Year of Right Sacrifice-TIME with No comments

Next to the girls bed is a little framed scripture verse with Little Woman’s ink hand print. We have had it for almost a year now but each night I spot it I smile oh so sweetly. She and I where in a little class, a while back, that was all about reminding parents to purposely bless their children. Little Woman and I practiced together that day and as I put my hand on her head and read her a verse she got this bright little grin, socking in my direct attention her way. Often she will look at it and with a big grin she will remind me to lay hands on her and her siblings and ‘pray blessings from Jesus on us’. I delight in this little hand print, this little girl, this little piece of life.

TTFN

Little Things

by admin on September 7, 2010 in Better Check Out Links, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Life Keeps Changing, Little Things, My Romance with 1 Comment
( I spent a whole afternoon washing the upstairs floors with my youngest two. Yes it took that long because of their help but it was boundlessly cheerful as we played Cinderella and sang ‘Sweet sweet Nightingale’.)

Kids remind you life is full of little things. If you don’t protect your time you don’t get to enjoy life, the little things. I sometimes imagine more ‘me time’, but I want to be a content woman… so I count the little blessings and then I remember how I had time to:

relish nap time with my little woman,

watch the girls catch fairies,

pamper my girls with gusto,

find joy in the daily mama tasks,

learn from my baby boy,

celebrate when big boy learned to tie his shoes,

purposely do nothing really with my kids this summer,

snuggle up with my man and watch endless episodes of our favorite tv shows on dvd…

and more…

No time of life is perfect… all time is fleeting and the next stage will not have all the blessings of the last, so we must grab it and take note and enjoy it. I am thankful.

TTFN

Killer Time Management for Busy Families (Marriage Mondays)

by admin on September 7, 2010 in Better Check Out Blogs, Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Marriage Monday with No comments

Do less…
I picked this topic out of the choices given because it has been specifically something I am working through of late. With school starting up again everything else kicks in to gear; church and social opportunities as well as activities for the kids and the parents. I was full of anxiety as time eaters invaded my schedule. There was going to be no time for mistakes, the little things, LIFE…

As a single income family of six in the city I find we struggle with the temptation to try to keep up with the culture around us. Financial damage is NOT worth taking on in order to put ourselves out there more. Family time equals family health and this highly valuable commodity must be fought for now a days. Personally I just can’t take a crazy pace either. It quickly becomes to much for me and I hate missing the moment while I rush to another moment. Time is so precious and so easily taken away from a family.

Less in more in my world… The simple life is to be sought… Over and over we must remember it isn’t the rat race we want to join but the race that Paul talks about, that race to the finish line, that race with Jesus.

With all these things heavy on our hearts my husband and I chose this year to do less then others expect of us. It isn’t easy and goes against the energy outside our front door, the cultural mind set that pushes and pulls with its demands on a family. Our main activity this year is to seek out more time to be, time to be for all six members of the family.

TIME, handle with care!

P.S. Check out this link to a post I put up in the middle of our amazing summer, it relates, and is about all the fun to be had when you have an abundance of time to do nothing really!

TTFN

Sun Beams And Nap Times

by admin on September 6, 2010 in Bits Of My Personality, Mama Heart Mushings, My Year of Right Sacrifice-TIME with 1 Comment

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27

I relish nap time… or at least I would if I stayed awake long enough to enjoy that sweet snug feeling that comes when I flop down on my bed in the middle of the day. I always try to find a sun beam to warm me as I snooze, like an old cat that way. I lay there for a brief moment and think ‘ I need to drink this in’; but then I am already asleep. Life is taxing on a mommy of four and I need my naps.

However, a nap not so many days ago ended up being a time of delightful reflection. To my great joy, my third child, Little Woman, enjoys a snugly nap in the sun beams as much as I. She curled up with me and was sound asleep in no time. As is normal I crashed. About 20 minutes into my nap I awoke and felt very refreshed.

I made the decision to stay put and drink the minutes in from my cozy spot. At first only my mind seemed to make noise… then I heard the tick tick of the bed side clock… the song of a couple little birds in my neighborhood… the buzz of the fridge… and the soft breathing of my daughter. I stretched out and tickled the sun beam with my happy toes. A smile covered my face as I enjoyed the moment. Wrapping my arms gently around my daughter I played with the hair flopped over her sweet pink ear. The smile increased as I let love for her warm in my chest. I sighed deeply, a long, heavy delighted with life kind of sigh that only can be found in delicious moments of peace.

It was quiet enough to pray with little effort, and so I did.

TTFN

September’s Hymn

by admin on September 4, 2010 in Better Check Out Links, The Hymn Project with No comments

This months hymn choice, for me to learn, is All Praise to Our Redeeming Lord.

Written by Charles Wesley. I am sure this is a familiar name to many of you, he was a leader in the Methodist movement. Check out the link on his name for a bigger biography.

I am now terribly interested on reading up on him again and checking out his other hymns. Perhaps there are more of his I have yet to have learned and that catch my ear enough to be part of this project.

TTFN

August’s Hymn (Favorite Verse)

by admin on September 4, 2010 in The Hymn Project with No comments
Oh Blessed, Living Lord
Because this months song sings like a lullaby and reads like a poem I couldn’t pick a favorite verse and shall share them all with you. Read it through and tell me which part really moved your heart.

I love the idea of praying for our hearts to be engaged and to answer with a chord thus I thought the first verse was my favorite. However I could whole heartedly agree with where the author was coming from as I read through verse two and so I thought I would choose it but then the final verse was such a good reminder and so simply put about something so big I realised I had to share them all.

  1. O blessed, living Lord,
    Engage our hearts with Thee,
    And strike within some answ’ring chord
    To love so rich and free!
  2. To know Thy loving heart!
    To cleave to Thy blest side!
    To gaze upon Thee where Thou art,
    And in Thy love abide!
  3. To walk with Thee below!
    To learn Thy holy ways!
    And more to Thine own stature grow,
    To Thine eternal praise!
  4. Thyself our one Desire!
    Thyself our Object here!
    The goal to which our hearts aspire—
    To meet Thee in the air!

TTFN

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