Dropping the ball as the kids add up!

Just got hit with overwhelming guilt. As I sat down with my preschooler to actually entertain him with arts and crafts instead of screen time, we pulled out his pencil box from his old preschool. "Oh, it's like my friends' boxes!" I asked, "Do your new friends have boxes at your new school?" Yes, and he told me he just uses the crayons from the teacher!!! Ugh! I missed the memo in all the paper work that we were bombarded with 3 months ago! Granted, we were moving a family of six, but still how did I not provide for my son? Sure, the teacher could have reminded me, like she did a gazillion times for his medical records, but it doesn't stop me from feeling like "that" mom. And to make matters worse, when I rummaged through his folder that I keep stuff in, I found a very past due uncompleted project sitting there.

I don't want my younger kids to feel like they received less attention, less guidance, less time. I don't want to be the parent that is worn out by her third or fourth and allows the ball to drop more than she ever did with the older ones.

But I can see myself heading that way, and I write this as as not so friendly reminder to myself, to STOP!

Speak A Heritage of Faith In Your Children

Most of us moms of younger kids, come from parents whose generation grew up being told "kids should only speak when they are spoken too". Some days, I would love to have that philosophy around here...on the days when I have tons to do, and then kids won't stop asking, talking, yelling, trying to get their way. BUT, most of the time, I am SO glad we don't abide by this policy.
So many questions about faith, God, half-truths they hear from friends, come out because my kids know they are allowed to speak when they want. We are blessed to have such open communication as our society norm...at least, my Christian culture norm.
Recently, my women's group learned about "building a heritage of faith" within your children. It struck me as odd that I had never considered sharing my own testimony with my children. Especially as they have asked time and again about what our families think about church.

Psalm 102:18 says "This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD."

Those that will be created are you, me, our children!

We should instill our faith in our children, share what God has done in our own lives, so they can speak up and ask questions, seek out the truth, find God in their own lives.
God gave me these kids for a reason...my husband and I are the best parents for them...so my story, my heritage of faith, what God has done in my life to get me to this point, is also for their ears.  And when they ask questions, it may not be at that moment, but maybe somewhere down the way, and I will be thankful that they feel like they can speak whenever they want.

Playing sick...

This is from this summer...not that sunny here!

What do you do when your child claims he has a tummy ache right before drop off at school? I remember going to school with tummy aches...it was miserable. I told him that he would stay in bed, not play games, or watch t.v....and he agreed. He was too "sick" to go to school.
So, what happened about 30 minutes after we got home? "Are you still sick?" And as he covers a smile in his pillow, "Yes, it still hurts." With narrowed eyes I say, "I think you should go to school before lunch time."
"Okay." He knew he'd lost this one!
I've got to stop giving in to those sweet blue eyes!

My Not-So-Perfect Morning

"If you keep on biting and devouring eachother, you will be destroyed by eachother." Galatians 5:15

The Lord knows it is very rare for me to get myself out of bed before the kids and open His good book...so when I do, He is sure to get right to the point.

And as I found this Bible verse, I promised Him, I would do better at talking gently to my children, using my words wisely, showing the ultimate respect to my husband ESPECIALLY in front of my children...I would not allow us to be destroyed by sharp words and negative criticism.....

My crazy kids!

Ahhh, then they all woke up, and the clock was ticking, and the morning school rush swept us all up and got me all flustered. Especially since I have one jokester, one daydreamer, and one stubborn-as-a-mule-not-going-to-do-anything-but-curl-up-into-a-ball-and-hide-under-the-covers!!
My volume gets louder and louder and finally, I shout, "Why do you only listen to me when I raise my voice!?!"

Ugh! If I didn't know better, I would wallow in my defeat, throw in the towel, say, "God, I'm not good enough ever, I quit!".

But I do know better. God has been shaping my mother's heart for over nine years now, and He has constantly whispered, "Grace", and I remember that I am not good enough, I am always going to fall short, but yet, he bestows His Grace on me, and I am His, always!

So, I pay it forward, and give my off-task children a little grace-- I hug and kiss them, pray with them, and drop them off at school with smiles...and they display grace to Mama...they forget the struggle to get out the door, they giggle in the car, they return the hugs and kisses at drop off.

My heart may have undergone nine years of shaping, but in no way is it perfect yet...or will it be. In my Bible study, I am reminded that the definition of "perfect" is to be "complete, finished, goal accomplished". I will continue to allow God's shaping, but I know that only my first glimpse at those Heavenly gates will prove perfection.

So, Monday will come around, and I will try a little harder, equipped with a weekend of prayer, and scoot those kids out the door with a little less strife, and a little more grace. I'll maintain my tongue as best as I can, and will avoid the destruction, equipped with the advice as explained in Galatians 5:16,
 "live by the Spirit." Thank you, God, for that!

I am BACK!

Blogging and writing have taken the back burner these past couple of months. With a huge transition as we moved a family of six to a new city, as well as a baby who doesn't care for sleep in the middle of the night, something had to give to keep this mama sane! My hiatus was more than that though.
I was absolutely spiritually dry.
I expected soooo much of myself, without relying the teensiest bit on God. I know this is the case because during these past two months I have wrestled with so much negative self-talk and keeping my eye on EVERYTHING else around me besides Christ. So when I would sit down to write, I had nothing. Because I had dedicated writing to God in the first place, it makes sense that cutting myself off from Him would indeed bankrupt the gift I was trying to make my own!

As the new year trucks on, I have found my center once more, relying completely on Him who loves me and cares for me, knowing I am worthless without Him. Funny how quickly my writing picked up once I gave Him the time of day!

Today, I am blessed to continue this writing journey, as well as cheer on my fellow writers who are a few steps ahead of me in this publishing process. One of my friends from a crit group I was in a couple of years ago, had her first novel published this month! It is so exciting to me, because I saw her work before it was contracted, and I will have to say, it was amazing then too!
So if you want to check out a great story, written by a very talented lady go to:
Sixty Acres and A Bride by Regina Jennings

I hope to read it and review it in the near future!

I'll Be Back Soon

I feel like I have neglected my blog too long! I will have it up and going sometime this Spring, but for now, you can check out my posts every other Monday at The Writer's Alley! Stay warm wherever you are!
Love,
Angie