More Summer Times

Get out the sprinklers because it's HOT outside! On your mark. Get set...



Go!











It's the simple things that make life grand!!

Multitudes on Monday

1843. a happy and healthy 15-month-old Peanut

1844. sharing whatever I'm having for breakfast every.single.morning with Peanut - he eats way more than I do!

1845. baseball games in the front yard "for fun," as Birdie says, so no one gets out

1846. mosquito repellant for the sweet ones in our family who get eaten up

1847. the kiddos' excitement as Mama re-arranges the school room {again}

1848. our first family trip to a professional baseball game

1849. tailgating in the parking lot with family, food, and birthday cake

1850. fun and simple art projects to do on long summer days (thank you, Pinterest!)

1851. Scott teaching Birdie-girl how to do division - for fun (their brains work differently from mine if math is "fun")

1852. as I tucked Buddy-Ro into bed last night hearing him say, "Mama, you're the nicest person ever! I'll give you one more kiss." Melt!!!

Psalm 118:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!"

Happy Heart Helpers

I'm sure I'm the only one, ahem, but my kiddos seem to have a difficult time with full obedience lately. Obeying they first time they are asked; obeying fully; obeying respectfully.

We have a saying in our house: Obey - Right Away, All the Way, With a Happy Heart.





I'm sure I didn't come up with that nifty saying on my own, but I honestly don't know where it came from if I didn't. I do know that I say it often. Too often lately.

So in hopes of encouraging the kiddos to obey fully, I set up our Happy Heart Helper Jars.



When they obey fully - meaning Right Away (as soon as they are asked), All the Way (doing all they were asked to do), and With a Happy Heart (without arguing or complaining) - they will earn pom poms in their jars. When their jars fill up, they get to choose a prize. Fro-yo date, trip to Hobby Lobby for craft supplies, trip to the Dollar Store or the toy aisle at Wal-Mart have been their ideas lately. Hoping that since they are responsible for how they act and what their prize is {within reason!}, they will take ownership of the entire process.

One thing that seems to help with this is that if they do something blatantly unkind or disobedient, they must take pom poms out of their own jars. Ouch! Hurts a lot more for them to do it rather than Mama or Daddy doing it for them. Responsibility, folks. It may be lost in culture, but it's not lost in our house!!

Five Minute Fridays: Rhythm

The rhythm of my heart starts at the beginning of each day. As I wake and roll over in my bed, the choice is mine.

It's a hard choice to make most mornings, I'll be honest there. 9 out of 10 mornings, I'd rather turn the alarm off and go back to sleep. Goodness knows I can always use extra rest! But when I choose extra sleep instead of purposefully starting my day, my rhythm is always off.

There are so many instances in the Bible of God meeting with His children in the morning. I don't think that's a coincidence. Our hearts and minds are empty each morning, waiting to be filled with something. When I choose to fill my heart and mind with God's love and His promises each morning, the rhythm of my day is so, so, so much better. I've had "Me Time," so I feel able to freely lavish time and energy on my three kiddos. I've been filled with grace and love and {gasp!} patience, so I have much more to give my children.

The rhythm of Mama's day so often sets the rhythm of my family's day. I don't want to take that lightly.

--

Linked up with Lisa Jo's Five Minute Fridays

Summer times

Summer. I've said it before, summer and I have a love/hate relationship. On one hand, I love the laid back pace. On the other, I hate not having a routine. On one hand I love that the weather is hot and the kiddos can play to their hearts' content outside. On the other, I hate being hot. It's a paradox that happens each year. Good thing there are three other seasons that I enjoy fully. :)

But summer always brings forth fun times and fun memories. Camping out and cooking over a fire in our backyard is one of those! Along with using very creative things for tables. Gotta love a hubby that always has extra wood lying around to whip up something when we need it. ;)









And there's also learning to ride a bike without training wheels.











Learning in the grass has its advantages...











While big brother didn't fully appreciate losing his training wheels {yet}, the little brother found something he loves to do. Swing!!



Of course, the only picture I managed to get of our tent was on my phone. Next time, I'm getting someone to take MY picture inside the tent so that I have proof I slept out there with everyone. :)



Two more months of summer memories to make. Not that I'm counting down or anything. Ahem. ;)

Multitudes on Monday

1830. celebrating Scott on Father's Day

1831. the blessing Scott is to our family and our children

1832. camping in the backyard for the first time of the year

1833. grilling over the fire pit

1834. turquoise lemonade

1835. watching lightening bugs from the tent

1836. seeing the Barn Owl that nests in our tree fly in for the night

1837. listening to the baby owls chirp/screech for food

1838. seeing the stars become brighter and brighter as we lay in the tent

1839. hearing Buddy-Ro say, "Daddy, did you know God made all of this?!"

1840. the rain fly that we put on the tent to keep the very heavy dew from soaking us

1841. making it all night in the backyard

1842. making fun and lasting memories as a family

Psalm 96:13, "Let all creation rejoice before the Lord."

VBS 2013

The kiddos went to VBS this week with their Nana. It was such a wonderful week for them, and I am so glad they were able to go! My in-laws go to a small church, but their VBS was big this year. It was full of great music, good fellowship, and of course yummy snacks. :)

One night this week, I had fixed Birdie's hair "fancy" {as she calls it} and was just shocked at how grown up she is starting to look these days. Goodness at how time goes by.







And Buddy-Ro is growing up too these days, it's just not as easy to document. ;)



Thankful for a great week for the kiddos at VBS. Last night was the "closing," so Scott and I went. I was teary-eyed at the songs that they sang. Songs full of worship and praises to Jesus for His goodness, love, and grace. There is nothing more I want my kiddos to hide in their hearts than that!

Listen

Listening. That's what we all want, but so often it's what is the hardest to give. Life moves by at such a fast pace, and listening - well, it requires us to stop. Because to truly listen to someone means that we must stop all else and focus on that person.

My children want me to listen the most. While I'm up to my ears in laundry and dirty hands from cleaning the toilets, no less. So often I put them off, "Wait just a minute." "Give me just a few minutes." "Hold on a sec."

And that "minute," that "sec," turns into 10 minutes, 60 minutes, or maybe I forget all together.

When I listen to my kiddos, I'm showing them that I value them. I am able to stop what I'm doing and give them what they need. And, honestly, it's not usually more than just a few seconds of my time. But why do I have such a hard time giving it to them? Couldn't I use a little break from the endless chores of motherhood?!?

So I plan to listen today. And tomorrow, and the next day. I will listen to my children until it becomes a habit. What better habit could I start today? If I listen to them now when they are little and they feel valued and, ahem, listened to...then later when they are older and I want them to listen to me and my advice, I think, just maybe, they will be well-equipped to listen. Because they've had a good example of how to do it.

STOP.

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A post as part of Lisa Jo's Five Minute Friday.

Desperate

Desperate. adj.1.reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency; 2. having an urgent need, desire, etc.; 3. leaving little or no hope; very serious or dangerous; 4. extremely bad; intolerable or shocking; 5. extreme or excessive.

The part of this definition that I relate the most to is having an urgent need, desire. More than anything, I want to be a good Mama. I have a desire each morning to get up and be the best Mama that I can be. I have a sense of urgency about being a Mama because I understand just how fast time goes by.

But there are mornings when reality slaps me in the face; when I feel overwhelmed and I lie in bed later than I should thinking, "I just can't be a mother today." I feel so desperate that just getting out of bed and taking on the challenges of raising my children feels like more than I can do.

I am reading this book called, ahem, Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. It is so good. And it is so, so honest. I was taken in before the book actually began by the introduction. "Down to the bone, to the deepest part of my soul, is the love I have for my children. Every day of my life is imperfectly offered to them. But the little years, they're hard and oftentimes lonely...Let me pull back the curtain on the idea that just because you love and are thankful to be a mother, parenting will come easily or naturally. The lifetime commitment that is motherhood will, many days, stretch you beyond what you think you can handle."

I can relate to this. I used to think that I was the only Mama on earth who felt overwhelmed. I don't struggle with loving my children, but sometimes I struggle with liking my children. Liking them when they talk back, repeatedly make messes, lie, act unkindly, are selfish. Liking them when they sin.

One time Sally was complaining to her husband, Clay Clarkson, about her children's behavior and that everything she was doing to train them wasn't working. Clay said to her, "Honey, at what age did you stop sinning? Because that's when our children will stop." And just like that, my eyes were opened and my heart poured out. I need Jesus every day because I mess up. A lot. I often speak in an unkindly tone, am selfish, lose my patience. I'm not better than my kiddos, I'm in this together with them. I've been a sinner for a lot longer than my children, so in all honesty that makes me the bigger sinner, right? All of us {young and old} have hearts that want to be bad. We live in a sin-infested world with "sin-infested DNA." As a Mama, I need to understand that the reality of it is that my children will be selfish and demanding - and I must prepare myself for that. Somehow, I bought into the lie that if I train them enough, they will just "learn how to act." But that is not truth. If it were, then I wouldn't do anything wrong because, by golly, I should have learned how to act a long time ago!

Chapter 4 says this: So often I get angry, and I yell and give them "hard face" looks and sigh when they want me again. I can be so ugly. Their little spirits are filled with much more grace than mine is. They are quick to forgive me and love me in spite of my bad behavior toward them. They teach me how to love well. I want to be a safe place for my children. I want them to see that my arms are open and I love them no matter what they do. I want them to have confidence that their Mama is on their team, whether they spill a glass of milk and break my favorite mug, or whether they scream at their siblings with harsh words, or whether they get out of bed fifty times, or whether they lie to me about something, I'm still on their team. I get them. I am them. We are all just a work in progress.

So I'm desperate. I'm desperate to love my children well, and desperate to teach their hearts how much God loves them.

My kids don't need to see a supermama. They need to see a mama who needs a Super God. ~ Ann Voskamp

 

Multitudes on Monday

1816. rain to replenish the soil {again}

1817. the promise of sunshine to return

1818. Art Camp for the creative girl

1819. fun at the lake on an unexpected over-night trip

1820. being with all the grandparents at one time and seeing how well-loved our children are

1821. pool parties with sweet friends

1822. Kona Ice treats

1823. dear friends who remember my birthday and surprise me with the sweetest surprises

1824. spending my actual birthday with Meredith and her kiddos - simple, sweet, and just what I needed

1825. being able to appreciate life more as I grow older

1826. understanding more what to truly value and what to let go of as I "mature"

1827. hearing Peanut say "Mama" - it's not often, but it melts my heart every time

1828. how Buddy-Ro tells a story with such enthusiasm, and how he will get into character with his voice and facial expressions

1829. the feeling of "breathing room" after I go through the house and clean, declutter, collect items to donate/sell/throw away - Aaahhhhhhh :)

Psalm 118:19, "Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord."

The Baby

The Baby is growing up these days. Most of the time I'm OK with it, but there are days when my heart aches knowing that he, too, will soon be "too old" to cuddle, will be disobedient, and will require discipline. Sigh. The life of motherhood.

For now, I am relishing in his sweetness. That's not to say that the Peanut can't be whiny (believe he can), but for the most part he is just an easy and happy baby. It's about time I got one of those!! ;)

My mother-in-law (who has raised 11+ kids) tells me again and again how she has never known a baby to entertain him/herself like the Peanut can. As a homeschoolin' mama, this has come in handy and is greatly appreciated.........while it lasts. You can repeatedly find him playing and talking to himself in a room, and then he will just break out into laughter. Laughing at himself or at his toys, we don't know, but it sure is a funny sight!

It wasn't easy, but the other day I sneaked up on Peanut while he was in his room playing/talking to his stuffed animals.









Laughing with his eyes closed at something that really tickled him. :)



He turned his head, but I love this picture because I can just see how his little shoulders were going up and down because he was laughing so hard!



And then Mama let a laugh slip out, and I was caught!



It was fun while it lasted! And then it was time to put some clothes on.





All that laughing and playing tired this little fella out. Time for a nap, sweet boy.

Multitudes on Monday

1800. celebrating my birthday {early} with Scott's family

1801. counting my blessings and understanding what it means to be content - it's a learned habit

1802. new fingernail polish to share with Birdie

1803. being able to laugh at myself when I attempt to paint my own nails for the first time in years

1804. German Chocolate cupcakes :)

1805. cupcakes made dairy free so the Peanut can enjoy celebrating Mama's birthday, too

1806. Black Bean and Garlic Artisan chips to go with my favorite salsa

1807. a CFA gift card to share with the kiddos

1808. baseball games in Nana and Papa's front yard

1809. planning a date with Scott for my 34th birthday

1810. putting summer sheets on Birdie-girl's bed because she is one hot sleeper

1811. days of rest when Birdie and Peanut run high fevers

1812. children.webmd.com when Mama needs a quick answer during the middle of the night

1813. listening to the pouring rain with windows open and letting it refresh my soul

1814. checking on my babies during the middle of the night, and the comfort their breathing brings to me

1815. how God allows me to feel rested despite very interrupted sleep for three nights in a row

Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."