The Miracle of Getting My Kids to School on Time

 

I honestly don't know how I get three kids to school on time, every single morning, five days a week. Granted, I barely get them there before the bell rings, but they get there.

And it feels like a miracle. 

All of the directions I must spew from 7-8am is absolutely ridiculous- not to mention the stress-inducing chemicals wreaking havoc on my overall health. 

Every morning I attempt to infuse my system with caffeinated super powers and the emotional resolve required to face the chaos, but I still reach a point where I think I'm not going to make it. 

That's why it's amazing that we do.

This happens every morning. The repeating, reminding, and remembering. The fixing, feeding, and forgetting. 

Doing it all over and over again is something like insanity, and yet it's the nature of my job. And it's very important. And I keep doing it- hoping, of course, that after the last backpack walks into the last classroom, I will sink back into some quiet and finally eat some breakfast.

No matter how the day goes or how I feel about it, the truth is that I'm thankful for the supernatural help Jesus gives me to keep going. I suspect that it's more Him than the coffee that gets me through the crazy morning hustle.

Lamentations 3:22-23:

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness. "

The 3 P's for Potty Training and Parenting

The dreaded potty-training started in June. I didn't have to drive the kids to school or activities, so I planned to camp out for a week or two and usher my three-year-old out of diapers. I expected the worst, having experienced this unpretty and stressful stage with two other children. 

But my little guy surprised me. Maybe it was because of his sibling audience. Maybe he was just "ready." Maybe Mom here finally stomped her foot loud enough that he got the message. The little guy pulled up his undies and walked around like a professional toilet flusher in less than a week!

I couldn't believe it. Yes, there were a few accidents, but my trainee took over rather quickly on his own.

So grateful and relieved, I thought, "Wow. That's it? My job here is done."

After around 10 years of changing diapers, I was stepping out into a brand new season...

Then, a month in, my son peed on the couch three times in one day. Wet his bed nights in a row. Wouldn't tell me he had to go until it was too late. 

He tricked me! 

Frustrated and discouraged, I was back at square one- setting the potty timer, physically taking the boy to the bathroom, cleaning up messes, and washing extra loads of laundry. 

Potty-training is exhausting and demanding.

So is parenting

The hardest thing in each task is staying objective and keeping my cool. It's the same challenge I face when my kids don't listen, as well as when I'm housebreaking a preschooler.

So how can I lessen negative reactions to repeated offenses? For every aspect of parenting I'm attempting to keep the following P's in mind: 

BE PATIENT

Put on patience like you put on clothes. Count to ten. Take a deep breath and say, "It's okay." Lower your expectations. You're dealing with kids learning a new skill. It will take some time, so take your time.

STAY POSITIVE

Put on a good attitude. Choose a better perspective. Try to make it fun, even if you don't feel like smiling. Have a sense of humor and watch the stress dissolve. Being positive never hurt anybody.

PERSEVERE

Put your eyes on the goal and keep going until you get there! Focus. As with patience, remember that no matter how long it takes, they will learn. It will just take some longer than others, so those kids just need you to keep at it. Persevere. Don't quit until they get it!

So on the days, when you're tired of telling kids to pick up their trash, remember their manners, or clean their rooms, tell yourself, "Be patient. Stay positive. Persevere."

They will learn. Thank goodness for that! My son figured out bathroom logistics just in time for preschool :-)

So Now That It's Summer, I Have a Plan

Okay, ya'll (that's how we say it in the south), summertime is upon us!  And as much as I love the break from hurried mornings and cram-packed afternoons, let's be real about what an 11 week school break also means.

Summer means having around 14 hours (depending on the ages and internal alarm clocks of your kids) of dead air.  There will be no other entertainment or adult supervision but us. 

THIS IS WHY MOM NEEDS A PLAN! 

I make no concrete commitments during summer time, but this is at least the third summer I've created a flexible family calendar of events/themes.  The point is to give me a goal every day to play with my kids.  To be intentional.  Even for an hour.  
Because it's summer!  
Because there will still be cleaning and errands but only one summer a year to make moments together. 
Because without some sort of plan, summer break can lead to CHAOS!

Granted, it's not a fool proof plan.  Kids get sick.  Friends cancel. Sometimes, all we want to do is live in our pjs. The goal is not to stress over details here.  Some weeks I have a field trip on the calendar and other days I just wing it.  The great thing about this plan is that it can be tweaked as needed.  With families, flexibility is key.  
 
This is my effort to beat the inevitable boredom and schedule some organized fun.  While some of my friends spend straight days at the pool, I need a little variety (and shade)!  That's why I came up with this little summer plan:

MAKE SOMETHING MONDAY

• For craft projects, play doh, finger-painting, puppet shows, movie making, baking, or whatever you love to do or love to put off until inspiration strikes.  Check Pinterest!  Look at what you already have around you.  Sometimes, it's just fun to make something.  For this one day, let them make a mess.  It'll clean up.
• To kick off our week (even while nursing a sick 3-year-old back to health) we glued miscellaneous beads on small canvas squares- because we already had all the supplies on hand! Easy.

TAKE A TRIP TUESDAY

• Time to get out of the house for the morning!  Find a park, a pool, a museum, a trail...anything.  It's about exploring and getting the wiggles out :-)  And if you go before it gets so hot you can't breathe, you have the rest of the day to get things done around the house while your kids veg out on the couch.  You're welcome.

WATER FUN WEDNESDAY

• Pool, sprinkler, water guns, slip-n-slide, beach.  The end.

THINK A THOUGHT THURSDAY

• For trips to the library, math activities, writing stories and reading them.  This is a day for using our brains, because learning can be fun outside of school when you find things you're interested in!

FIND A FRIEND FRIDAY

• Just in case you can't organize sleepovers and play dates on other days of the week, this one is just for that!  One day a week, I make a point to invite someone over for a visit or call my kids' friends to meet up. 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY FAMILY FUN DAYS

• My weekends are for family.  They're for sleeping in and doing things together.  I don't like to map out every minute of our time.  I love both spontaneity and rest, so these are my general goals for Saturday and Sunday.  A last-minute cookout or watching the kids play from the front porch.  It doesn't matter.

It's our first official week of summer, and my kids have already been asking days in advance what we're going to do.  They know that they have something to look forward to each day, which is great. So then later, when they complain about not having anything to do (and they will), I can point to my calendar and say, "Well, I did this for you already.  You are responsible for your own fun now.  Get creative!" After all, a little boredom is the starting place for some of the best ideas, right? I'm off the hook!

How do you spend your summer?

You can find me on instagram and share your summer adventures with hashtags  #themomseason #makesomethingmonday #takeatriptuesday #waterfunwednesday #thinkathoughtthursday #findafriendfriday

Five Things I Said I'd Never Do When I Became a Mom...but Did Anyway

Be honest.  Have you created a mental list of things you would and wouldn't do, using other families as real life examples?  Did you find it more difficult than you thought to stick to those aspirations?

Oh, how sure we are of ourselves before we have kids of our own (or more than one child).  How easy it is to judge another mom using a safety harness to keep her toddler from getting lost in the mall, until our little Olympic-sprinter-in-training causes us to think that it's the best invention ever!  Motherhood is really humbling, isn't it?

Here is a short list of inexperienced presumptions I had about parenting, until now:

Five Things I Said I'd Never Do...but Did Anyway

1. Wear sweatpants in public. I once thought that if I wasn't put together at the bus stop or dressed up for the grocery store, that I would appear a failure as a mother- like I couldn't handle it.  Three kids later, I don't really care.  That's not saying that I don't try to look presentable, so as not to embarrass our family name.  I do promise to brush my teeth and wash my face (at some point). But if you're a mom, I'm just going to expect you to get it.  Some days, makeup and hair is extra. (FYI: You can cheat by wearing yoga pants or a perfectly matched workout ensemble, because it makes it look like you just came back from training for a marathon.  In my mind, this makes you look awesome, because I hate exercise.  Keep it up).
2. Bribe my kids with candy. I had a friend who packed M & M's for trips to the pool and playground, because that was the only way she could get her preschooler to go home without a complete meltdown.  She was hilarious...and smart. I thought to myself, "My kids just better listen to me and not throw tantrums, or we will have words!"  But when I have had to take a renown screamer shopping with me, I have been known to pull out the gummy snacks for my sanity.  I WILL bring out the lollipops when my children are begging me for cereal with marshmallows or need to go to the bathroom again. It allows me to think for a solid five minutes! No apologies. With some peace and quiet, and happy kids, I may actually remember everything on my list.
   
3. Answer, "Because I said so." Listen, we all want to keep open lines of communications with our children, but man, they are persistent little lawyers-in-the-making sometimes, and I am just TIRED of rebuttals!  When "Yes, ma'am" becomes too difficult for them to manage, I have no patience or brainpower to continue the verbal back-and-forths (You are a CHILD, for Pete's sake). This reply will just have to do.  Because I said so.  And because I'm the mom.
4. Let the TV babysit my kids.  Well, I don't know about you, but I am without a live-in nanny or family member to help manage the multiple requests and household operations that occur DAILY.  There are times when no amount of play-doh, crayons, or building projects will keep kids entertained without demanding my assistance. So in order to help one kid with homework or to provide a home-cooked meal each evening, I may need a "Hail, Mary."   The problem is, with so much going on, I have admittedly forgotten that my three-year-old has been upstairs watching Disney Jr. for more than an hour.  I'm not proud of it. But good gracious, look what I have accomplished!
5. Raise my voice. "Yelling" sounds so harsh, doesn't it?  Since becoming a mom of more than one kid, I hereby confess that I have stretched my vocal chords on more than one occasion (which is funny, because my high school cheerleading coach always told me that I wasn't loud enough).  I don't like loud.  I don't like being loud.  But I cannot compete with the noise level and my kids' selective hearing on any given day!  I have wondered if there exists some kind of app with a siren or gym teacher's whistle that would get their attention. Let me know if you find one.

I hope this post reminds you that we really shouldn't take ourselves too seriously when the mom season is full of so many variables!  We always have and always will have a lot to learn...and a lot to laugh about!

What would you add to the list?  Leave a comment below.

Just BE.

I'm still alive. I am.

As always, this era of motherhood, this life of a mom, swirls in, out, with, and around me like the seasons- with change and comfort, busy and rest, new and old.  The holidays of back-to-back hosting and list-checking kept me from writing for a spell.  But I maintained a sense of peace throughout by inwardly processing all the things I was thankful for.  Making mental blog titles and journal entries to re-start when I felt ready. When I could sit down again.

To prepare myself for another new season, I have been praying and thinking on what I will look like in the coming months. What will my work accomplish?  How will I grow?  What does God want to teach me?

In recent conversations with two friends, I was spurred on in my quest to establish a theme for myself this year.  In one word, how could I begin 2014 with purpose? Was it PEACE I craved?  Sure, but that wasn't the heart of my prayers.  Was it JOY or HEALTH or SUCCESS?  All of those things would be wonderfully welcome, but I couldn't settle on the one thing I longed to meditate on.

As I journaled one morning, the pen established my thoughts, "I need to be..."  And then it stopped.  There.  In cursive lowercase letters, I found it.  I wrote it again, but this time in capitals, "BE."  With punctuation.

I texted my friend with this new revelation, "I just want to BE.  Not strive. Not stress.  Not whine or wish.  Just BE!  Be present. Be in the Spirit.  Be me..."

And so I continue reflecting on that single verb.  It will probably appear in future posts and status updates as I ponder more on what it means to BE. I'm looking up verses like, "Be still and know..." or "Be strong and courageous..."

And now that my fingertips are back to hitting the keys, I know also that it's good to be back. :-)

What is your word for the year? 

Making Your Kid's Halloween Costume Doesn't Make You A Good Mom

My "Peanut Big Top Lalaloopsy Doll"

Now that the trick-or-treating is over, I can sit down and reflect on the HOURS I spent putting my daughter's costume together.

This is not me bragging, by any means.  Call it a warning, a lesson learned, and a maybe a little encouragement.

First, let's talk about how I NEVER think a Pinterest craft will take very long.  Sure, it's a DIY project, but there's no category for DIYF (Do It Yourself Fast) projects.  They should label those pins with average work hours like recipes include approximate cook and preparation times! This Halloween costume I eagerly volunteered to create for my daughter will only take a few minutes, right? Wrong. It took me 10 or more HOURS!

So there it is: my blind spot. While I get really excited about a new creative venture, I often completely forget to factor in the amount of hours that I'll need to set aside.  The warning label on this project should read "labor-intensive."  Luckily, I started this one in plenty of time, which saved me from so much of the usual stress that comes with my typical procrastination technique!

But this Halloween costume WAS a labor of love, and I actually like doing things like this for my kids now and then.  I didn't have to do it, but I am always looking for creative outlets and momentary departures from the every day tasks. When I can make something AND serve my family, it's always a win-win for me!  Note: I didn't volunteer to sew costumes for the entire crew. I only put together one headpiece, and that was enough!

Ten years ago, however, this new mom once thought I HAD to meet the high standard of making and baking everything from scratch.  If I spent my time designing the most unique fairy skirt or constructing the perfectly original birthday cake, I'd feel like a good mom.  Somehow I had decided that my worth was based on what others thought of my efforts and what deeds I accomplished. This belief is not fair to myself or true in any way.

Your worth never increased or decreased from the moment God created you.  While your good deeds are wonderful and important, God is always looking to the heart of the matter.  He loves you and values you for who you are and who you are becoming- not because of what you do or don't do. Most of the time, we can't see that truth in a tangible way, which is why it's hard to grasp.  Others may see your works, but God sees your heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  

All costumes bought online, except said hair piece and pink shoes.

Maybe it was the depletion of time and energy that came with having more than one child.  My perspective may have changed as I had to choose priorities more wisely.  Sometimes you have to make things easier on yourself.  A lot of times, really.  Don't fall into the guilt trap.  "Supermom" is a myth. There are so many other important responsibilities on your plate- like, I don't know, grocery shopping, planning meals, changing diapers, and folding laundry. All of these things require heaps of your time, effort and attention. 
So when you get a chance to do something extra, do it!  But for most of your days, you have to learn how to take shortcuts.  It's okay. Give yourself a break.  Give yourself grace. 

Making your kid's Halloween costume doesn't make you a "good" mom.  It just means your possibly crazy and brave enough to try, because you like that kind of stuff, and you just happened to find some time to do it.  Those kids care more about how many pieces of candy they score than where the costume came from, anyway!

Click here for instructions on how to re-create your own "Peanut Big Top" Lalaloopsy doll hair.

Crunch Time and Football Analogies

Like the night before the paper is due or minutes prior to your presentation, a mom faces equally critical and slightly, nerve-wracking moments every day.

1. First Crucial Moment: Morning.   My house begins humming around 6:45 a.m. during the week. Light switches on.  Toilets flushing.  Little feet and big feet shuffling across wooden floors. One last pre-dawn sip of coffee...

Bro. 2011

You can call it "go time" or "crunch time."  This next hour can make or break the day. Everything hinges upon each person doing as they're told at the approved pace without any interference.  The team players must remember their part, or the rest of us pay.  For all of you football fans out there, when a kid is still barefooted as we walk out the door, blow the whistle: "Flag on the play!"  Since it already requires a blessed miracle for us to get anywhere on time, this may result in at least a ten minute penalty (My husband is going to love this post).  Everybody steer clear of the coach!

2. Next Do or Die Time: High Noon/Afternoon. I'm going to just a lump a few scheduled priorities here.  Picking up my preschooler on time and feeding him lunch before he falls asleep definitely fits into this cram session. How much can I squeeze into small windows of opportunity without jacking up our routine?

Also, waking up said preschooler from nap with enough minutes on the clock to collect the older kids from school could go either way- with amazing ease or with "Oh-my-gosh-I-should-have-left-ten-minutes-ago" anxiety! Steady now. If I pass this important test, supplying snack and a change of clothes for dance/soccer practice really feels like earning some extra credit.  A++

Boone. Circa 2011.

Arriving to after-school activities precisely at the beginning of practice with the right shoes and gear is just as vital during our afternoon as making sure everyone is feeling confident and prepared in the morning.  It can ruin a kid's whole outlook on life if I'm the only mom that forgot to bring his water bottle or made her miss the chat fest before practice begins. Of course, this is a very narrow view on the greater worldview, but they don't know that.  And you better be sure that the mom will hear about it the rest of the evening.

3. The Final Moment of Truth: Dinner/Bedtime. It's been called the "witching hour."  From about 5:00p.m. until dinner, if we're home, this mother of three somehow has to juggle several tasks at once without fail (and without a wand).  I must patiently help each child with their homework without showing my frustration.  While the toddler loudly asks me questions and repeatedly begs brother and sister to please play trucks with him, I attempt to distract and simultaneously focus on a math problem by deflecting interruptions by another. *Heisman pose (That's for my husband again)* My brain almost self-destructs in this phase of the game every time. If my face doesn't turn red with steam blowing out of my ears, I consider it a success.  We all win.

After the papers are signed and put away, I direct the posse upstairs so I can cast a magic spell over the kitchen and conjure up dinner, with or without a plan.  And possibly with or without groceries. This is really when things can get exciting/terrifying.  While I try to cook the final meal of the day, everyone goes wild. No matter how many times I ask the boys not to wrestle, they will.  I tell them to stop jumping off of furniture, but they do.  They run, yell, and throw almost all of my happy house rules out of the window. And every single day someone comes to me sobbing and blaming the other for another injury.  The water is boiling.  Doors are slamming. The table needs to be set. Feet are stomping and voices are yelling.  The oven timer is beeping. 

"I can do this." Daddy's almost home!

I don't know how it is possible, but we all somehow survive each of these pivotal moments- A little battle weary but alive. There may have been a few outbursts, tears even, but we came through.

Around 8:00p.m. Mom officially punches her time card, and any other crises is deferred to the other parent. 

Touchdown. Extra point. Field goal!

***** P.S.- Don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's post to enter a drawing for my first every giveaway!  The winner will be announced this Friday :-) *****

You Thought You Wouldn't Have to Pull Any More All-Nighters

Remember college?  Do you recall those delirious cram sessions you managed during exam week?  There was a time when I dreamily looked forward to the future when I would no longer need to pull an all-nighter.  I thought it would only be necessary to clock in and out of my day job and be rewarded with at least 9 hours of sleep every night- maybe more on the weekends.

HA! 

If you're a parent, you read the title to this post and laughed.  Not the funny, belly kind of laugh.  You snickered knowingly under your breath, because a mom with experience knows that all-nighters did not end in college. 

Please.

Babies are born in the wrong time zone and on the wrong work shift.  They sleep remarkably well when you don't need them to and wake up when you're ready to call it a day.  So you're suddenly required to become nocturnal and turn to the shopping channel for some p.m. comfort.

Also, the kids get sick...or you do.  I like to shut those "24 hour bug" memories from my mind, so we will just stop there.  It goes without saying that when anyone gets sick, it will probably take you two or three days to recover from your nurse duties.

And finally, if you ever purchase something from IKEA, it will come with fabulous, wordless instructions with all of the tools required, but you will stay up all night tightening bolts and screws.

I guess, as much as we hate losing a little shuteye, it's all worth it.
We love our kids.  And our couch.

What This Mom Did With Six Hours of Freedom

It has happened.  My three kids are in school for a few hours every week, and I have discovered windows of quiet, free time to do WHATEVER I WANT!

This guy is on a mission to go to school like the big kids. 

I only dared to imagine this day.  A blessed time when I would schedule coffee dates with friends, spend hours writing my first book, or decorate my new house!

Oh, how  tantalizing the bliss of my far-off daydreams were!

In a cruel twist of fate, however, while my toddler was in a Mother's Morning Out program two mornings this week, I cleaned house, went grocery shopping, and did laundry.  What?! That is so utterly ridiculous.

The silver lining here is that I accomplished much more in three hours without interruptions than in a whole day with a full house! I've also enjoyed more face time with the kids now that I've had time to knock out some items off of the to-do list.

Next week, I'm going to try this again. Clearly, I'm out of practice ;-)

Moms, what do you do 
with your free time?

Relax, Mom. Let Them Have Fun!

I have been a stress ball lately.  My husband has pointed it out more than a few times to me this summer.  Unfortunately, my anxiety is contagious.  It makes my kids fearful and can really put a damper on an otherwise pleasant activity. So I've been attempting to recognize the moments I start to get intense and step back for a minute to breathe.

It ain't easy though.  My mind races past the realities of the moment to all the tragic possibilities!  Like when the kids are fishing off of Grandpa's boat, I can clearly predict the impending kid overboard.  So instead of enjoying the moment, I micromanage.  I bark orders like the ship's captain, "Careful there!  Hold on!  Don't run!  Please, sit down! Where are you going?!..."  

I know.  I'm tired of hearing my voice too.  

It's so hard to tone down those overprotective qualities in me, though.  The one that winces at each new risk taken, from climbing the tall playground apparatus to running downhill a concrete driveway.  I foresee scraped knees, broken arms, and rivers of tears!  And guess who has to doctor those tender elbows and clean up their bloody knees?  Me.  Mommy.  I hate seeing my kids in pain.

But scrapes will happen.  Kids trip and fall...a lot.  It's just a part of growing up.  Bless those  Bandaids and popsicles for making so many accidents better!

The risks make the adventure more exciting, doesn't it?  Going down the tall, twisty slide for the first time is a right of passage. Balancing on a bike without the safety of training wheels is every parent's proud, photo-documenting opportunity.  If we never let them try, even with the possibility of getting hurt, they would never learn!  Our kids would miss out on so many exciting adventures!

Remember what it was like to roller skate without holding on to the wall?  Can you recall the rush of letting your bike speed down the tallest hill while you lifted your hands in exhilaration?  That was what it was like to feel carefree.

So, relax, Mom! Let them go!  They may surprise you...and themselves.  Cheer them on! And if you're brave enough, get on your bike too, and get in on the fun.

They'll call for help, if they need you.  Always.

Checking off School Supply Lists...and Counting my Blessings

The day finally arrived. I proudly (and with misty eyes) watched my son and daughter walk into a new school yesterday. We were excited, nervous...and ready! 

Then it hit me how tired I was. A lot of work goes into getting our kids ready for the first day of school, doesn't it?

The preparations didn't begin the night before.  We dunked our kids in baths, laid out their favorite outfits, prepared school lunches, labeled possessions, filled out one more form, and zipped up the necessary folders and books for the next morning.  However, for over a week prior, I was also busy switching out shrunken clothes for new ones, as well as, driving to five separate stores in pursuit of the bullet-pointed requests from our first and fourth grade teachers:

• 4 boxes of crayons &
  3 packs of markers
• 20 glue sticks
• 7 PACKS of pre-sharpened pencils *
•  4 journals
• 3 plastic folders with prongs (no paper please)
• 3 packs of black, broad tip dry erase markers
• 4+ pink erasers
• 1 pack of cardstock paper
• 5 three-ring binders with
  3 packages of tab dividers
• 1 pencil pouch, plus 1 pencil box
• 2 pairs of scissors
• 1 yellow highlighter,
  2 black fine point sharpies
• 2 packs of clear sheet protectors
• 1 package of wide-ruled notebook paper...

The homework hasn't really even started yet, but I have already felt a few inches too close to overwhelmed when I looked through the kids' back-to-school supply lists.  Raise your hand if you were standing in a store aisle recently too. Let's go ahead an add that to our list of motherhood achievements (and bonus points for finding everything).

I didn't even include all of the details on my kids' supply lists!  There were specific brand names and colors and dimensions.  Finding all of the items was only half of the journey!  After Mom carried the shopping bags in, divided them between the kids, and checked off the lists, she still had to label the loot!  My son's first grade teacher asked us to unpack almost all of his supplies and write our child's name on every. single. item. Wait.  There's more... My daughter's fourth grade teacher requested pre-sharpened pencils, but the brand she wanted did not come in that condition.  So my ten-year-old and I rotated 48 pencils through a puny, little plastic pencil sharpener.  

I'm not bragging, but this mom clocked in some overtime over the weekend!

 Now, here is where perspective leads to gratefulness and the self-focused whining disappears.  I have to assume that the reason we get such demanding lists is because the school just doesn't have enough financial resources, and teachers have to compensate for the students who don't bring overstuffed plastic shopping bags on their first day of school. It must be like Christmas to educators!
  
Truth: I can bless others. 
I have to keep reminding myself that it's public school.  It's free.  In a small, but tedious way, I'm helping the teacher.  WE are supporting entire classrooms with our purchases and unpaid efforts. 

My son's teacher probably feels strapped for time while keeping up with school standards and meeting her own family's needs.  I can understand that. By assisting this first grade teacher, I hope that my son is receiving a fabulous education.

Also, my family had the money to purchase all of those glue sticks and crayons.  There's enough to house, clothe, feed my family, as well as, take us on shopping trips for new school supplies. That's extra.  It's a perk. I am thankful for checked-off supply lists and heavy backpacks on the first day of school. 

My blessings are abundant (that means, "more than enough).  Our opportunities to bless others, endless. We all find ourselves in positions to be generous to others or to receive the generosity from others.

YOU, moms, are generous- with every dime or minute given! For each of you out there who pounded the pavement, wore out a few Sharpies labeling school items, and couldn't sleep making sure every detail was just about perfect for the little ones' first day, remember that your good deeds are not wasted!

You are a blessing :-)

Because Stuff Always Take Longer Than You Think It Will

Let me re-introduce myself:
I'm a mom. I have three kids.  If you stacked them on top of one another, they would definitely be bigger than me.  Sometimes, it feels like they already are.

I'm still not sure what all these light switches do.

My son graduated kindergarten and I picked his parent-teacher conference to meltdown. Seriously.
The last month of school just about killed me. The last week of school was a joke (four half-days of carrying a toddler to award ceremonies, field days, class parties, and still being required to make lunch when we got home. Yeah.) Oh.  And soccer.

The boxes are no longer winning, but they are still there.

And our entire family has been healthy for an entire four days now, maybe?

Tired doesn't even begin to describe this season I am in. Moving into a new house seemed like a good idea at the time.  I guess it always does. Ha! Let's have a little laugh now...or cry...or both.

Okay, I feel better.

What I'm trying to say is that I should really know better than to entertain delusions of grandeur.  Like imagining that each room in the new house would be decorated in the first week or two.  Like thinking that I could jump right back into writing and renovating my blog while my computer is still not working. I really should have remembered that high expectations only set me up for a free fall of disappointment.  I need to put my feet somewhere safely between what is ideal and what is reality. I think that's healthy.  Expecting less without losing hope.

So for future reference:
Moving is harder than you think it is.  Unpacking takes longer than you think it will.  And that's because you have KIDS!  THREE OF THEM.  It. is. not. the. time. to. overachieve.  This is a season of making sure everyone is loved, clothed, fed and that's IT. You're in a new place.  It takes years for a tree's roots to grow strong and sink deep.  Settling takes time.

All that being said, the shower doors are finally being installed tomorrow, and the air conditioning guys are finishing something in the attic that will possibly send yucky pieces of insulation blowing through vents again.  But it's okay.  That's nothing a vacuum can't handle.  

And the awesome blog warming party will happen soon.  It will.  I promise!

Picture Post: Because Moving is No Joke

I'll write about it later!  For now, this is a little bit what it looks like around here...

Empty cupboards. Don't pack the coffee mugs, yet!

Got colds?  Because moving was just too easy.

Bubble wrap, yo. And why did we keep the chocolate bunnies from Easter?

And then there's laundry.  Always the laundry.

Boxes just make things more interesting, really.

Important: Bella is still playing with these toys until the very last minute.

The Legos keep escaping!!!

The last bedtime stories and boy things.

The kids don't know it, but those toys aren't leaving the garage until we purge them one more time!

Tomorrow's Moving Day! Soon the madness will be over...

so that the unpacking craziness can begin, of course!

See you at the "House/Blog Warming Party" in May!

Count it ALL Joy

This is MOVING WEEK! Aaahhh... Boxes everywhere.  My in-laws have swooped in as much needed additional troops to aid in this massive operation. Even the kids have jumped in and bargained to earn $1 for each box they pack.  Deal.  Just pack!

Truckloads of our possessions have disappeared from our driveway and consumed the garage at the new house.  I refuse to think about the UNpacking process yet.  Yeesh. 

Good news: we will be spending the weekend in our new house!  Hooray!

As always, I'm required to be a Multi-Tasking Mommy. With all that's already happening around here, there are still school lunches to pack every morning, laundry to do, homework to complete, soccer games to attend, and end-of-the-year school events written on my calendar. We are BUSY.

Enter life interruption: My littlest boy woke up before 5am yesterday morning coughing and throwing up every 30 minutes, I was like, "Seriously?!" My plans for the day drastically changed as I traded taping boxes to disinfect, rotate laundry, schedule a doctor's appointment, and figure out who was going to pick up the older kids from school.  Great.

But as I went into Mommy-Nurse mode, a verse popped into my frazzled thoughts:
"Count it all joy... (James 1:2)"
 
Sometimes the Bible has so many eyebrow-raising notions that it causes us to stop and think, "Now, what does THAT mean?" Which is what I have been doing.  Thinking.  How do I find joy in struggles? I mean, what is happy about sickness?  What's so great about delays?

When my kids are sick, I do notice that it makes me slow down.  I have to drop everything and divert my attention to bringing them back to health.  Joy= Being there for my kids and showing them love.  This is what I'm here for. And thankfully rejoicing when they recover.

When my to do list is a mile long and I am overwhelmed at the prospect of not accomplishing what I need to do.  I am then required to stop and prioritize the important things, so that I'm not just being busy for the sake of being busy.  Thank goodness for a husband who thinks more logically than emotionally.  That helps too :-)  Joy= Constantly reminding myself to not make the small stuff big stuff. 

Joy= Friends and family that come out of the woodwork when you need them.
Joy= Every good night's rest and brand new morning to start over and try again.

How do YOU "count it all joy" when times are tough?

To Share or To Shelter?

There are parents who let freedom ring in their homes, doors wide open, letting the children lead and make whatever choices they may.  Then across the street exists a breed of kids who are barely allowed to peek outside of their bedroom windows into the big bad world, for fear that it will infect them.  I, personally, teeter between sheltering my kids from the blemishes that life sometimes shows- to protect them from hurt as long as possible- or letting them in on the unfortunate truths, so that I can train them up to be brave little world changers.

To share or to shelter? Mommy conundrum.

It seems that with anything, there has to be a balance.  I am starting to realize that my 9 1/2 year old is capable of understanding more than she did in preschool, so my conversations with her are changing.  She can handle more information without overloading. Meanwhile, my almost 6-year-old still bounces through his imaginary planets often oblivious to things I notice.  While he still asks questions, they aren't usually very deep- more like, "Just the facts, Ma'am.  Just the facts."

When tragedies strike, it appears so other-worldly to our kids.  Something you read in books.  There are wars happening overseas, yet it doesn't typically interfere with their day. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.  But then they hear about a little girl from their community who dies suddenly.  They find out about a bombing in our country. This isn't normal. How do you switch from My Little Ponies and Lego-building to comprehend that?

I read a great article about discussions with kids concerning death.  While it is a bit lengthy, I appreciated it's helpfulness. When the questions come, will I be prepared? Because I am usually caught off guard when blatant curiosity bursts forth from little mouths.  It takes a minute to pull my thoughts together and respond appropriately. My eyes grow large when my children shock me with their honesty.  I can begin with a simple explanation, but their reactions may be different than I expect:

"A child may show little immediate grief, and we may think she is unaffected by the loss. Some mental health experts believe that children are not mature enough to work through a deeply felt loss until they are adolescents. Because of this, they say, children are apt to express their sadness on and off over a long period of time and often at unexpected moments ("Talking to Children about Death." http://www.hospicenet.org/html/talking.html. 1991)."

I would rather hurry aside the yucky stuff so that we can move onto lighter pleasantries, and yet this article reminds me that, as with anything, it takes time for kids to process heavy subjects. It does for me too, really. This is bigger than a fast food, drive-thru interaction.  Talking about sad things may take a while.  Unfortunately, sad stuff and bad stuff happens, and we can't always prevent our kids from seeing it. We might as well stop pretending and face reality- slowly and gradually at their pace.

Thankfully, as a Christian, I can filter the hard truths through the lenses of hope and security in a God who loves us, who also wants justice, and who never ever leaves us alone.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose...If God is for us, who can be against us...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:28-39)."