The One About Being a Mom and a College Student

I spent most of the afternoon in bed... my favorite place to do homework since I was a kid.  Around 7:30 this evening, my youngest joined me with a few of her favorite books. I read them to her, then hunkered down with my laptop and worked on an essay as she snuggled on my chest and worked on reading the books herself.  It's 4 hours since that little munchkin and the others have been tucked in.  I finished my homework and started to relax for a bit. I looked over to my husband's side of the bed and saw this:

If I were to take a picture of the rest of the bed, you'd see freshly folded shirts and the dishes from my dinner... That pretty much sums up the life of a college student/mom.  We juggle everything that Moms juggle and the things college students juggle (except those sharing our 'dorm' are often young children who leave sticky fingerprints on our papers and extra highlighting in our books.)

The One Where I Miss My Hubby

It has finally happened.  We have reached the point in our lives that all the old-timers at our wedding warned us about. "Life will get very busy with jobs and kids. You have to carve out time for each other," was quipped to us more than once in the early years of our marriage.  I thought we would be different from everyone else.  After all, I am a stay at home Mom...my husband worked one job... and I would just make sure the children didn't get involved in many activities outside of the home.

Fast forward fourteen years and those old-timers would just smile with a kind "I told you so" look. Now hubby is working three jobs, I am working one part time and in college full time. We are balancing homeschooling our handful of kiddos between jobs, ballet runs, piano lessons, church activities, and other music fun the children participate in.

Our story is the same ol' story that most families experience at this point. Maybe not the 4 jobs thing, but the busy schedules of running around and rarely seeing each other except for a quick peck on the cheek as one of us runs out the door, swapping kid duty with the one who just came in the door. 

It's hard to stay connected in the craziness of life, but one of the best tools we have to stay connected is our phones. I know people pshaw at them, but there's nothing that makes my day more than a quick text, "Hey babe, just wanted to say I love you."  Or being able to chat while he is on dinner break and I am taking a break from schoolwork. Or those rare times when we are home and want to have a private conversation, but there are children around... yep... we pull out the phones and text, even if we are sitting side by side on the couch.

Nothing makes up for quality time together, though. We work on catching a few moments here and there and carving out time for each other. But for this season of life, I am thankful that we still have a way to stay connected.

The Seven Things I Learned About Disney

For anybody thinking of heading to Disney.

1. Get Memory Makers.  It's $150 if you buy it early and it is SO worth it.  We were able to shoot a few pictures w/ our cameras, but it was nice to have the whole family in photos and random other shots that were taken with a better camera than I have!  Also, you get pictures from rides like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Test Track, Everest Expedition and more! 
2. Fast Pass the things you want to ride or see asap!  If you get your magic bands and tickets before you arrive, fast pass things as soon as you can.  If you get to your fast pass attraction and find a short line, go through the short line.  You can change your Fast Pass selections at a kiosk with ease!
3. If you don't get Magic Bands with your tickets... get them when you get to the park.  They make fast pass, photos, etc easier!! 
4. Don't be afraid to eat there even if you have allergies!  There are tons of options.  Just let the staff know of your allergies and they will help.
5. Bring lots of water and snacks!  You'll be thirsty and the kids may get munchy!
6. Date your spouse if you can.  One of my favorite evenings was when Matt and I left our kiddos with my inlaws at the condo and just meandered through Magic Kingdom and caught the fireworks.  It was fun to just hang out there, go on rides and not worry about losing a child. 
7. Other than your fast pass ideas... throw your plans out the window, relax and ENJOY!  If the kids want to go to 'x' when your itinerary says 'y', go to 'x' anyway.  The trip is all about the family having a good time, after all. 

The One About Our Disney Experience Overall

On Day 8 we zipped to Downtown Disney.  Unfortunately one of my children got sick in the car, so the child and I sat in the car for an hour while the others ventured out.  We joined them after an hour since the child was feeling much better.  (It's a "usual" thing for this child... not an illness related thing.)  Downtown Disney was nice.  We only ventured into a few stores... the kids LOVED the Lego store the most!  The girls each bought a Lego Friends princess set and the boys bought some sets they liked as well. 

 

Our Disney experience was overall AWESOME!!  4 days were definitely NOT enough time to hit all the parks thoroughly, but enough time to experience the parks and get a good feel for what they are all about.  I have already started to look into going again in 3-5 years... though I'm not sure we will. 

Disney does an amazing job of keeping the "magic" alive.  If Snow White is performing on stage, she's not anywhere else in the park. That way they keep it as though she's the only Snow White.  If a child or even an adult is wearing a button that says it's their birthday, all the staff says, "Happy Birthday" when they see them... even the guy opening and closing the ropes for the monorail.  When the girls were dressed as princesses, they were treated royally.  The staff would comment on their dresses and call them "Princess".  They loved it!  Even the princesses commented, "What Kingdom are you from?"  Cinderella quipped to Karah,"Look! We're twins!!" since Karah was wearing a Cinderella dress.  All of the princesses except for Merida were so kind to the girls as well. They took time to speak with each girl and asked them questions.  They hugged them and gave them autographs and good pictures.  Merida, for some reason, wasn't very kind and just shooed the children through.  In fact... she only allowed 2 photos and one of them she's making a goofy face.  KT is too.. lol!



I was nervous about eating at Disney and the first two days we were so busy we just snacked on our own food and ate dinner when we got home.  The two days we did eat out went well and I did not get sick!  At Epcot we ate at Chefs de France.  This was a nice sit down restaurant.  I loved that our waiter was from France.  He looked a bit like the guy from ratatouille.  He was very friendly and enjoyed my kiddos quips of "Merci" and "Tres Bien".  The chef came out before we ordered and spoke with me about my gluten and dairy allergies.  I was able to have fish and potatoes that were very tasty!  At Animal Kingdom we ate at Flame Tree BBQ. This is a 'fast food' type restaurant.  When I mentioned my allergies, they sent a chef out w/ a book that had all the ingredients listed.  I was able to pick out a yummy chicken salad.  No repercussions.  There were also frozen fruit popsicles that I could eat and a variety of other snacks in all of the parks.  (Not to mention STARBUCKS!!  I got my soy coffee Frappuccino a few times! yum!)  

Like I said.. overall, our Disney experience was amazing.  I have to admit I wasn't sure what it was going to be like.  The crowds were a bit much and our whole family was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people at Magic Kingdom, but otherwise we had an amazing time and are so thankful for the trip.  Great memories were made!

The Florida Vacation One...Days 6 & 7

I'm catching up from the comfort of my own living room now.  I got a bit busy and tired to keep up! 

Day 6 was Epcot Center!  The first ride we went on was the Test Track.  If you ever get a chance to go to Epcot, hit this rid.  It is fun!!  Definitely Fast Pass it as it was busy right off the bat in the morning.  The kids designed cars and then got to ride around a track... it went faster than I expected and was tons of fun!!

 

We had lunch in "France" with everybody in our crew.  KT wanted to try a lemon.  Her reaction was priceless.  This girl amuses me.  She also ate her marinara sauce like tomato soup instead of pouring it on her pasta. Silly child.  We ate at Chefs de France and they were very accommodating for my gluten and dairy free needs.  (Will blog about that in my "Overlook of Disney" post.)

 

 

We stopped to get a picture taken in front of the ball and fountain.  We took a few serious ones, but I like this silly one with Tinkerbell!  The boys didn't get into it quite as much as us girls did. 

 

The whole crew...  The lady wasn't sure she'd fit us all in easily, but here we are! 

 

The girls even got to meet a few princesses... Aurora and Snow White! 

 

One of my favorite photos with Matt and I in France... if you look closely, you can see our children at the end of the fountain.

 

Overall, Epcot was great!  Unfortunately the younger two children were complaining, hot and miserable, so after we walked through the World Showcase, listened to some awesome singers in "America" and went on a Viking ride in "Norway", we decided it was time to head home.  We missed out on one section of Epcot, but we had fun anyway and made it back to the condo in time to swim and relax a bit. 

 

On Day 7,we hit Animal Kingdom!  This was our favorite park, though we didn't get many pictures.  We took a safari ride, went on a rapids ride (my favorite!!) and watched the Nemo musical (which was AWESOME, by the way!) 

 

Animal Kingdom has this huge tree in the center of the park with carvings all over it.  It is called the Tree of Life. This picture was taken at the end of a very fun, but tiring day.   

 

One thing Karah and Nathan did there was a roller coaster ride with their Uncle Pete and his girlfriend.  They LOVED it!  Love how the girls are screaming in this picture, but the boys look "ho-hum".  They really wanted to go again, but we ran out of time.

 

 

 

We brought the kids back to the condo and had a mini-date!  Matt and I went back to Magic Kingdom alone.  Wandered the whole park, went on Splash Mountain (which wasn't as thrilling as I had hoped) and watched the fireworks display together.  I wish we had stayed late w/ the kids the night we went to Magic Kingdom. They would have LOVED the fireworks show.  That is one of my biggest regrets about this week in Florida. 

 

Overall days 6 and 7 were great!

The One With Our Florida Vaction...Days 4-5

Is it day 6 already?  Amazing!  My goal was to blog daily, but one day we didn't do anything except settle in and play in the pool.  Since then we've been so busy I haven't had time to blog!

On Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios. This is the park I wasn't sure we'd spend much time in, so we picked it purposefully for Sunday since the boys had plans to see the Blue Man Group in the evening. 

Hollywood Studios was nice.  The kids got to take in quite a few shows.  Us girls went to see Muppets 3D, Beauty & The Beast and Ariel's show.  Here are my princesses just outside the Beauty and the Beast show. 

After we took in the shows, we wandered a bit through the world of animation and met Mickey and  Minnie!  KT was scared of Minnie at first.  She's always had an aversion to people in full animal costumes, but she warmed up after a bit...

 

We met up w/ the guys, took in one more show (Muppets 3D again since the guys hadn't seen it) and then scooted back to the hotel for a yummy dinner of pasta and shrimp that my MIL had prepared for us.  Yum!

The boys had fun at Hollywood Studios too... They took in an Indiana Jones and Stunt show. They also went on a ride called Star Tours. We just happened to be there on "May the Fourth" (Star Wars fans know what I'm talking about...)  So we got to see a Star Wars show and see random Star Wars characters walking around.  Unfortunately Disney's official Star Wars weekends don't start until May 16th, so we didn't get to spend time dong that. 

Now I come to yesterday!  Magic Kingdom Day!  I have to admit to being completely overwhelmed by Magic Kingdom.  SO MANY PEOPLE! And so much to do, see and experience.  There is no way to take it all in in one day.  So... we split off again, but not quite as much.  Us girls went off to visit the princesses that we could. We saw Merida, Rapunzel and Cinderella. 

 

We met back up and went on the People mover... then off to Adventure Land for a ride on the Jungle Cruise, but we stopped by Swiss Family Robinson's tree house first.  After the jungle cruise we got a bit lost... we tried to do a treasure hunt, but the attendant only gave us a map and no talisman... she said our bands would work, but they didn't.  So we ended up scooting into Frontierland to find a FastPass kiosk to change some things only to get caught up in a crowd waiting for the parade.  Somehow we ended up in a shady with a great spot to see the parade!!  It was great AND KT got to see Elsa and Anna!!  After the parade we ended up going to Tom Sawyer's island. I had to laugh because that was one of our favorite parts!  It wasn't very busy over there... we found a secluded picnic table in the midst of trees and sat down to eat and relax.  Then we meandered around the island.  It was relaxing and picked everyone's spirits back up.  We had been feeling a bit stressed with the crowds, fast pass not working right and so on...

 

After about 40 minutes of relaxation we decided we could hit the crowds again.  We went to Streets of America and took in the show at Hall of Presidents.  KT fell asleep on me, thankfully!!  Then we met up with my inlaws and took a ride on the steam boat.  We ended up splitting up again and the guys went on Pirate's of the Carribean while I took the girls to the carousel and Enchanted Tales with Belle.  I didn't know what that was, exactly... but I thought they might like it.  I was right!  Karah got to be in the show as Mrs. Potts.  It was a cute storytime where they choose children to act out the parts for Belle. They get to meet Belle, play with her and get their pictures taken with her.  So KT got to meet Belle too!!  She was a bit overwhelmed by that.  Belle has been one of her favorites for a few years.

After they our time with Belle, we met up w/ the whole family again.  Matt said that Karah and I should go on the Pirate's ride, so KT went off with Uncle Pete and his family to see ride the tea cups while we went on the Pirate's ride.  It was fun!  Karah and I both liked it. 

By this time it was about 9 pm and we were exhausted!  We decided not to stay for fireworks (slated to be around 10 or so I guess) and headed home.  Unfortunately we missed some fun things, but I guess that's par for the course at Disney.  The one thing I regret is that we didn't get our picture taken in front of the castle.  Otherwise it was an awesome day, fun experiences and great memories made!!

The One With a Florida Vacation... Day 3

This morning began with me wide awake before the children. 

 

 

 And when they did wake up, we had a sick child...  We debated what to do, but decided to press on.  We hopped in the car and headed down towards Florida.  We had planned to stop at St. Augustine on our way through, but it was pouring buckets when we went through, so we ended up going on.  We finally reached our condo in Kissimmee around 2:30!!  The kids were happy to be done with the drive!

 

As soon as we got to the condo, the kiddos unpacked and settled in. 

 

 

 

We went for a walk and marveled at the palm trees... so different from the trees where we live! :)

 

My inlaws arrived a few hours after we did and settled in.  Everyone went out to dinner except the sick child and I. (the sick child seemed 100% better, but we stayed back anyone just to rest. Mostly because *I* didn't feel like going anywhere! lol! )

After the kiddos were all tucked in, I stepped outside and saw this little guy.  I peeked into the boys room, saw that Erich was still awake and brought him out to see him...

 

And that concludes Day 3.  Looking forward to more adventures tomorrow!

The One with the Trip to Florida... Day 2.

The morning came early (ish).  KT and Erich always wake up by about 6:15 and today was no exception. They ended up waking most of us, but we managed to be lazy until about 8.  We were headed to Historic Jamestowne when we drove through Colonial Williamsburg.  We decided to stop there instead and wandered around for a little over an hour.  The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed seeing the sites. 

Somehow I managed to get quite a few pictures of Nathan... and very few of the other children.

 

Nathan really liked this tree...

And the gardens are blooming beautifully down here!!  

 

After Williamsburg we hopped back in the car and headed south.  Nothing exciting happened along the way.  We arrived at the hotel in good time. One look at that hotel had us high tailing it out of there!  Stains on the bedding, broken beer bottle outside of the door, no shower curtain... I could go on.  But there was no way we would stay there.  So we hopped back in the car and headed another 45 minutes South.  This hotel is much better, thankfully!!  At least we are 45 minutes closer to our final destination!  And we had fun in the car anyway... singing and laughing.  I have a pretty awesome chauffer...

 

One more thing... when we arrived at our second hotel tonight, we saw this tree... KT insisted it was fake.  It doesn't look like any trees near us!

 

 

 

The Florida Vacation One... Day one

This morning we hit the road by about 7:30.  An hour and a half later than originally planned, but I guess we were in vacation mode already and dilly-dallied a little. 

We hopped in the car with the kiddos strapped in and Nobody along for the ride.  It rained/poured the whole time.  There was rarely a break without rain.  We skirted around NYC and Philadelphia, but there was no way to avoid Baltimore/DC.  We ended up hitting Baltimore at rush hour... Oops! And then DC was next.

We have been relying on Guinevere... our trusty GPS system... for a  few years now.  Usually she does just fine, but I typically consult with a map as well.  When we got near DC I peeked at the map and thought Guinevere was steering us safely around the outskirts of DC.  Much to our surprise, she steered us smack through DC.  We got to see a part of the White House, so that's cool! And it took us off of interstate driving for a few... But it did add an hour to our time.  We finally arrived in Williamsburg at 9:40... 14 hrs and 10 minutes after we left home.

I have to brag on my amazing kids. They must have large bladders and the patience of saints.  They did not leave the car for 12 hrs!  We stopped for gas once, but only Matt got out of the car.  No squabbles or complaints!  I was pretty impressed with my offspring and made sure to let them know that!! Despite what the following picture shows, they were in great moods and did awesome!  Looking forward to tomorrow....

 

Editing to add.... Everything from Southern, PA on is GREEN!!  It's beautiful... leaves on the trees, buds blooming... LOVE it. 

The One with Confessions of a Random Co-sleeper

     I told a friend recently that I only co-slept with my babies for 6-9 months.  And that was true. Co-sleeping made life easier when they were small infants, but as they grew and would wake up to every noise I made, it was time for them to sleep on their own.  However, our room stayed open for little ones who were restless.

     Last night we heard the tell tale signs of our youngest coming in our room.  First the pitter patter of her little feet as she sleepily stumbled down the hall.  Then the twist of the doorknob followed by a body slam into the door. (She never twists it quite enough on the first sleepy try. ) This was followed by a stronger twist of the doorknob and then the door swung open and we heard her little voice, "I just wanna snuggle you, Mom." And voila! She was back in our bed, co-sleeping again.

     There is something sweet about the random co-sleeping.  I am not the kind of person who could take it every night. I need my space!  There are times I get touched out from the snuggles and just need some room, but the random nights are nice.  I love seeing her there next to me, all sweet and angelic.  I've kissed away any bad dreams that may have prompted the need for snuggles and she's tucked in warm and safe with us until she decides to head back to her bed after a few hours. That is the type of co-sleeping I enjoy. 

The One About Judgmental Moms

     I have read a few articles and participated in a couple of conversations lately about how mothers tend to be critical of each other.  Mothers often judge each other based on their status. Does she work outside of the home or stay at home? Are her children well behaved or naughty?  Does she loose her temper easily or appear to be patient?  The list could go on and on.... but you get my point.

     A friend mentioned that often when a Mom is being judgmental it is because she is feeling insecure herself. I started to think about this more and realized how true that statement was.  If I look back over my years as a Mom (Almost 13!!),the times I felt most insecure about how I was and the times I was struggling the most in my personal life are the time I spent judging other Moms. Yes, I once thought every good Christian Mom would homeschool their children.  WHY would they send them out into the world at such a young age?!  Or every good Mom would stay home with her children. WHY would she dare go back to work?! 

     Over the years I've realized what a disservice I did to them (though I never uttered a word of judgment to them) and to myself with my judgmental attitude.  Moms need to band together, encourage one another in the walks they have chosen and build one another up.  I think that if we were able to do that, we would feel less lonely.  We would feel less vulnerable and become better Moms, wives and friends. 

The One About Feeling Loved

I've been thinking a lot about Love Languages.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this website. My primary LL is acts of service. Let me tell you, when that fulfilled, it is like all is ok in the world.  This past weekend my husband helped me with the housework while I did my homework.  Then went out of his way to help me immensely while I was at church all day on Sunday. I have to say that my 'love tank' definitely was filled by his actions.

One of my daughter's love language is gifts.  She is always making things for me or others.  When I unexpectedly chipped in some $ towards some items for her American Girl doll she was elated! 

One of my son's love language is acts of service.  This he demonstrates by performing acts of service for anyone anywhere.  He's a very helpful child and beams when we do things for him. 

My other daughter is most definitely quality time with a close physical touch.  She's always wanting to be with me.  Snuggling, stroking my hair, giving me kisses. 

I have struggled with finding the love languages of my other two sons.  I *think* one is quality time as well.  He seems to get a boost of confidence when he gets that quality time, especially with Dad.  My oldest son, I'm not sure of.  He's so even keeled that I struggle with reading what makes him feel more special. 

I have found that when the children's love languages are being fulfilled, their actions are better.  "People who feel bad, act bad."  The opposite rings true: "People who feel good, behave well." 

The One Behind Closed Doors

     I have had a lot of people comment on my personality.  They will say how calm I am or how quiet I am.  And they are right.  I am typically calm, reserved and quiet in public.  It may surprise some to find out that I am not that way at home all of the time.  Sure, often you will come to my home and find me sipping coffee and reading a book quietly while the children play happily.  Other times you could find me "lecturing" a child on responsibility or frustratingly cleaning up after them for the zillionth time because I just cannot repeat "pick up your coat" for the 50th time that day.

    If you were to pop in unannounced like a fly on the wall you may be surprised to find Toby Mac cranked up on full blast as I dance around the kitchen with a broom or a child.  Or you may walk into a house full of running and screaming and laughter as we pommel each other with indoor snowballs.  You may also walk into a house with fighting children and frustrated parents or an epic game of Dutch Blitz, again with yelling and laughter.  (I am very competitive!) On any given day, our home is filled with joy, laughter, fighting, frustration, and NOISE!  Very few people get to see the crazy/louder side of me... but it's there... hiding behind closed doors.

The One Where I Talk About the Label "Strong Willed Child"

I detest labeling children.  One of the terms I dislike the most is "strong willed child" because of the negative connotations it brings with it.  It is never said it in a positive way and is often an excuse for a poorly behaved child. 

There are some children who do exert more will than others. It may take them longer to come around to a new idea. They may 'rebel' against everything you say at first.  However, being negative about it and giving them a label of "strong will" is not going to help them. 

God created each of us with different personalities.  How boring it would be if we were all the same!  I have 2 children who would be labeled 'strong willed' if I believed in such a thing.  Instead, I believe in viewing their will as a gift God has given them.  Think of the people in the Bible who were strong willed and what awesome things they did for God! 

While a stronger will may be more difficult for parents, it is better to embrace that will.  They are still teachable, you just need to learn what helps your child to overcome the negative aspects of his strong will and embrace the positives.  Humor works for both of my children who struggle with this.  Also spending quality time with them and keeping up a fairly  consistent routine helps when they are younger.

The One About Commnity

     Community.  This topic keeps coming up in my life.  It comes up in my Theology class.  It comes up in my conversations with friends. It comes up in sermons at church.  It just keeps on popping up and in my experience, if something keeps on popping up, God is nudging me to explore the ins and outs of it.

     Community seems to be something that most people are lacking.  Even in the church and family communities, people are too busy to make connections.  We work side by side; we share smiles; we share pleasantries.  We rarely go deeper and show who we are.  We rarely allow ourselves to open up.  Life has taught us that people are untrustworthy. We have to protect ourselves from being hurt.  People fail us time and time again and walls are built higher and higher each time.  This breaks down the opportunity for true community.


          The book of Acts depicts a true community:

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added. They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

     Today's life isn't set up for this type of community.  However, community is still achievable.  If people can put themselves out there; not be easily offended; be gracious, kind and giving; and follow the Lord's example, community is achievable.  
 
     A friend recently challenged me by saying "now the question becomes are you to search for it [community] or be the facilitator?"  It is *hard* for me to be a facilitator.  It goes against my introverted core to put myself on the line even by simply inviting someone to dinner.  But I am going to take steps to seek opportunities to facilitate it more and see what comes of it...

The Rocking My Baby to Sleep One

As a parent, every day you're faced with the choice of how to parent numerous times/day whether you realize it or not.  The 3 y/o has a massive meltdown and you have to choose to ignore it, redirect, address it, or discipline it.  I've written before how important it is to assess each situation that arises because sometimes you can easily "cure" the problem by realizing that they are just really hungry or tired or stressed & all it takes is a snack or a kind word to calm them.   People who feel bad, act bad... so sometimes it's as easy as a gentle reminder and hug to calm them down.

Last night I ran into such a situation.  My 4 y/o was completely melting down over the fact that my 9 y/o wouldn't talk her before they went to sleep.  Lights out had already happened and 9 y/o was sleepy from a sleepover the night before. I was already in bed because I haven't been feeling well... gluten withdrawal.  Matt went in and tried to calm 4 y/o down, but she wasn't having it, so I went in. I realized that over the past 2 days we have been out of the house 14 hrs on Friday & 8 on Saturday.  Late nights and crazy schedules had pushed her over the edge.  So I scooped her up in my arms and carried her downstairs.  I rocked her and sang to her as she clung to me.  Within 30 seconds I felt her body relax.  Within 3 minutes I heard her soft sleepy breathing. Withing 5 minutes she was completely out.  I carried her upstairs and tucked her in where her sister was already fast asleep.

I realized how differently that could have gone if I had gotten upset with her (which has happened, believe me!) or if I had told 9 y/o to talk to her for a while.  It could have changed the whole situation.  I've always tried to make a point of calmly putting the kids to bed at night.  Oh, we've had those frustrating nights where I'm ready to pull my hair out, but I feel that kids get a deeper & most restful sleep if their bedtime is calm & relaxing.  *I* certainly don't sleep well if I'm full of turmoil.

I'm just thankful that we, as parents, have the ability to assess each situation individually and go from there.  There's no absolute rule that you must do 'x' every time the child does 'y'.  Don't believe it when the books tell you there is.  Each child, each situation, each parent is different than another, so why would there be one "pat answer" to fix everything?!  Consistency, Grace, Discipline & Kindness.... those will get you far in parenting in my opinion.

The Lost One on Discipline

I found this post that I started a year ago and never finished... weird.  :)  It sounds good tho. :P No idea why I didn't finished..

Parenting is a game & you have to be wise enough to figure out the next play. You have to know which battles to pick.  What is the underlying heart reason your child is acting out? Is it truly a heart issue or is there some other reason that your child is acting out? 

My previous post about KT and the bonding time really made me think about these things.  Are are definite times where discipline is needed and warranted.  Times when they need to be removed from the situation.  Having worked with children since I was 12, I've seen so many types of discipline techniques, personalities and parenting ways.  To be honest, before I had children I thought I had it all figured out.  Then I had children and everything *I* knew flew out the window. I realized I needed to seek the Lord more. It's way more than just discipline. 

Too many parents are afraid to discipline these days.  I don't know why, but I see it a lot.  People don't seem to be teaching their children to be respectful.  They drop their kids off at events and wipe their hands clean of them for that hour or two.  Ahh... relief from the children is nice, but in the end your child is your responsibility.  Nobody else has been given the commission from God to raise your children.  

The Busy One

I haven't blogged in a while again.  I had lofty goals of keeping up with blogging, but man oh man, I'm strung right out with craziness.

 Here's how my busiest day goes w/ my "handful":

1. Up around 6:30 to see the hubster for a few minutes
2. Kiddos up at 7.  Breakfast & then school time starts. 
3. See 6th grader off for trumpet lessons. 
4. School the first grader for about an hour to an hour and a half.
5. See 4th grader off for flute lessons
6. Read to and "do school" with the preschooler. 
7. Snack at 10. 
8. Check over 4th, 5th and 6th graders work as needed.  Correct/teach things to them.
9. Check on laundry/dishes/housework and do what I can. 
10. Have lunch.
11. Leave for work 
12. Work until 5:30
13. Set up classrooms at church for clubs. 
14. Either help teach a class or work. 
15. Home around 8:45 pm
16. Tuck kids in
17. Spend time with hubster
18. Crash. 

Then there are the days we are scooting off to ballet or to homeschool group or church functions.  Is it any wonder that I'm exhausted?! 

The One With Pros & Cons of Having a Large Family

Pros
*They have each other to play with.
*They help each other out.
*In order to run the house smoothly, children in large families tend to learn responsibility sooner. Mom doesn't cater to their every whim/need when there are 4 others needing her as well.
*The olders help school the youngers, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
*The olders teach the youngers responsibility & respect.
*The youngers teach the olders patience, grace & kindness.
*They are rarely bored because there is someone else to play with.
*If they ARE bored, there's plenty of chores to do!

Cons
*They share germs so a simple 24 hr bug can last for ddaaayyys... or even weeks in some cases.
*They eat a lot... time to own a small farm to keep up with their food intake!
*Sometimes one gets left out and that is the end of the world for them... so heartbreaking.
*If one learns a bad habit, you have to undo it in all of them & that takes time.

Mostly, the pros waay outweigh the cons & I LOVE having a large family.

For fun... here's a summer picture of my handful...

The One About The Broken World

I don't have anything amazing to say about the recent events in the news.  I don't have a son that I can write an article about or the gift of turning traditional Christmas poems into a poem of comfort. I'm just a Mom who is heartbroken over the recent events.

I have a son who is the age of the children in that class.  I cannot tell you how many times since Friday that my eyes have welled up with tears as I watched him playing without a care in the world. His laugh, his joy, his creativity has always warmed me.

 My heart is broken for the families of the children who were lost.  No laughter on Christmas morning, no giggles and yelps of delight as they open their gifts.  Even the families who have surviving children will not experience it in the same way.  Everything will be a reminder of the children who are missing from their homes.

 A friend & I were texting about this earlier and it really struck me that we live in such a broken world.  It's been broken from the moment Eve took that step & listened to the Devil instead of to the Lord. It was *so* broken, God destroyed it with a flood.  It was *so* broken that God sent his Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to take away the brokenness and restore the life that God created the world to be.  And one day He will send His son back to claim it for His own. He will take away the brokenness and restore it to the beauty, fullness & perfection it was back on Day 1.

It's hard to watch the news, to read the news, to listen to the stories & see the smiling faces of those little ones.  I'm thankful for the reminder that one of our pastors gave us today.  It's ok to mourn.  Jesus wept with Lazarus' family even tho He KNEW He would raise Lazarus from the dead.  He wept with them because he mourned with those who mourn.  It's ok for us to mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep.  Even if we don't know them, it's ok to hurt with those who hurt.