Lazy Mom?

 She sits there, sipping on coffee while her kids tear up the construction paper and scribble with markers. She cringes at their decision to place THAT there, but doesn't lift a finger.

Coffee is good.

When kids are over for a playdate, she is relieved that the kids can entertain themselves while she reads a book or does laundry.

When they argue, she gets a little annoyed and says, "Work it out yourselves."

Some may think this mom sits on the couch, eats bon bons, watches Oprah, and expects her kids to raise themselves...LAZY!

I beg to differ.

This is the mom that sits with her children, and no matter how much she would like to "just do it for them", she doesn't.

She let's them use their own creativity, she is excited to see the pride in their eyes after accomplishing a project all by themselves.

When kids are over for a playdate, she is relieved that 1.) her kids are learning social skills 2.) They are learning how to entertain themselves and compromise with others 3.) Knows she needs a little break, and uses her time to fill herself up for later when the kids really need her.

When the kids argue, she knows she has instilled in her children the moral values and proper tools to work out arguments, and she understands that it is time for them to practice those things.

This is not a lazy mom. 

 No matter how many other moms look down on this mom for not being a Superstar crafter, or a Top-notch entertainer, could she be the one looking out most for her children's future?

It's okay for the kids to be bored every once in a while, that's when creative juices have room to flow! And it is definitely okay to let the kids (when they are old enough) work it out themselves, after all they can't go to college holding mom's hand!

Thought-filled Snapshots

Last night, and early this morning, I got obsessive and started digging through my virtual photo albums, searching for the earliest pictures of my boys. It all started when I said goodnight to my oldest and hugged him, falling into a memory of the first day I cradled him in my arms...ever. How the tears came quickly! His head is probably over half the size that his whole body once was!

So, after the kids were in bed, I spent the rest of the night, until 3 in the morning, sifting through the gazillion of photos. (Although my oldest is 9 1/2, so most of his baby pictures...well, all of them, are hard copies in a photo box in my closet...a big photo box, I think we took at least 1000 his first six weeks of life)!

The stroll down memory lane was a surprising one for me. I laughed and cried at the beautiful babies becoming young boys...the rollercoaster of emotions didn't surprise me though. What surprised me most, was how in many of the pictures, I could remember what I was thinking at the time of the picture. And let me tell you, it wasn't always pretty! Whether it be low self-esteem, or steaming about someone else, or vanity, or disappointment, my thoughts were just as vivid in my mind as the 300dpi image file I stared at!

The memory is pretty blunt isn't it? At least mine doesn't like to sugarcoat the past. It brought to mind the wisdom from my good ol' trusty Bible:

 Whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely...think on these things. Phil. 4:8

What great advice!

As I began to gather my favorite pictures of fabulous four year olds, terrific three year olds, and tremendous two year olds, I let the thought-memories fade away and focused on the cherished childhood memories. How quickly my children's childhood is becoming just that- memories! May my mother's memory be untainted with grumblings and disappointments, and filled with the joys of this season!

A Sudsy Box on Poli-Sci

**If you disagree with my opinion, then please feel free to post your own opinion on your blog. This is not an invitation for debate...this is my virtual soapbox. Hope you have one too! Thanks!**

I'll admit it. I have mostly ignored politics this season. And it's not because I am apathetic, far from that. It is because I absolutely don't want to get sucked into the finger-pointing, the fear factor of "our country is going to pot if so and so wins". There are some issues that I am passionate about, VERY passionate about. Issues that I believe will shape how my kids live and survive in this world...the opportunities my grandchildren will have. Sometimes I dread opening a forwarded message or a Facebook link, because of the shock I receive that there are actually people who believe THAT will make the world a better place. Life, Liberty, and Justice are hard to understand anymore. They don't seem as valuable, because they don't mean the same thing to everyone. It's a pursuit of happiness, but now-a-days the happiness of one person can nearly cripple another, or stunt the growth of a future citizen. Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional growth. In my opinion:

Life- It's not a choice. It's a blessing whether as a consequence or an answered prayer. To allow doctors to end life according to circumstance or checkbook is not supporting this unalienable right.

Liberty-Freedom. Free to do whatever the heck you want? Hmmm. Let's just stomp our feet on any type of moral code (whatever feels good, right?) or scientific evidence (have you evolved lately?), and allow our children to be stripped of any sense of decency and absolute truth. Oh wait, absolute truth is no longer in fashion, individualism is in. Just because something "could" be one way, doesn't mean it is until it's proven. I'd like to depend on proven theories and not convenient ones.

Justice- This is tricky. Everyone is hypocritical. Some judge who should be denied opportunity based on their skin color or economic status, while others push those people to the front of the line just because of their skin color or economic status. Justice seems corrupt, based on agenda, using their own definition of liberty to manipulate the system. 

Honestly, I have no idea who I am going to vote for in November. I may not stick my nose in the newspaper or watch debate shows all night long, but I know who I don't want leading our nation, and it leaves me with very few candidates to choose from.
All I can really do, besides vote, is pray. God tells us that He chooses the leaders, and regardless of what the right or left persuade, the person who God will ultimately use in his greater plan shall prevail. Believing Him, is enough.

Tea Time with T

Who says preschool reading time can't be fun for Mama too? We decided to have "T" time (Thomas' one-on-one time, usually spent with Daddy at night) in the middle of the day, with Mama, and some good ol' fashion tea and biscuits...hey, I grew up in England. :)

 I am trying to be more intentional with my son. These are his last few months home with me, and it is so easy to stick him in programs, or in front of t.v. programs, and waste this time away. I have struggled more than ever with spending time with him because I am so distracted with baby, writing, life in general. But, we will push through! And a little cheers and a bite of cookie always helps!

Moody Camps

My moods shift according to my perspective. This is probably a no-brainer, but today, as I was driving my kids to school, I pinpointed the two camps that my attitude usually sits in on any given day:

The tail-end of the past

or

The threshold of the future

If I am at the tail-end of the past, I am still wrestling with past arguments, past hurts, and past annoying circumstances...whether it be days ago, or moments ago, I am sitting in the dank, stagnant camp of all that is behind me, and letting my feet wallow in the mud of regret.
This is when I am not "good" at anything. Quality is traded in for hopelessness, and contentment is traded in for worrying. My eyes settle on the negative, and I get sucked into a constant vacuum of all things gone wrong.

But...

If I place my attitude on the threshold of the future, I can't see all that's behind me. I can only see potential, excitement, the unknown which safely rests in the hands of my Savior. I can't find regret ahead of me, and I place my path in His Will, knowing He has a plan.

Yesterday was a terrible day. I ended it dwelling on all that went wrong, and ended up pushing everyone away from me. It's easy to let yesterday bleed into today, and dig my feet deeper into the mud. But, if I will choose to grasp on to the door jam of what's ahead, the brightness outshines the bleak, and I know I will be better for it.



Do you have practical ways to switch from the tail-end to the threshold?