Monday's blessings

Monday. It's Monday again. Why is it Mondays are so... challenging?

Lucky for me, I have the bedtime routine with my sweet angels. No matter how manic my Monday is or how bad any day is, I have this to look forward to.

Princess is reading a Charlie and Lola book to her brother in her best Brittish accent and he is loving every minute. I don't understand how parents don't read with their kids anymore. Such precious moments they are missing out on. (Nevermind that children who learn to love reading do way better in school than those that don't.) After she finishes, Superhero picks up his little kindergarten phonics reader and takes his turn with his big sister praising and encouraging every word so much that he tells her to please be quiet! Lol. The last part is my favorite. Now its time for our bedtime prayers. :)

Superhero is always praying for others. His prayers go something like this:

Dear God, thank you for the food and this fine daaaay.. thank you for my family and my Ben 10s and my Legos.. I pray for Dadda, Momma, Al-weee, Jessi, Gabe, Jaxon and Jett.. Tony, Tessa, Beau and Noah, Pappy and Nannnnn.. Papa and Memaaaaaa.. Joce-awyn, Chelsy, TJ and Jesse.. Bay-we and Jackson and Ashley.. Megan, Josh, Jaidyn and Jakobi.. (uhhhh, Momma who'd I forget?) oh, Blake and my teachers and for Parker's family and Spencer's tonsils and... uhhh Amen!

Princess' prayers are more focused on herself and her little world:

Dear Lord, thank you for this day and all you give to us. I pray for Nana's knee to be all better, and for me to do good on my spelling test and on my rocket math and help me to be the kind person you want me to be.. help my sweet crazy brother not to be bothering me and help all those sick people and help them to be the kind person you want them to be.. thank you for my family.. for Jessi, Gabe, baby Jett and baby Noah, Jaxon, Beau and Tony and Tessa and Pappy and Nana and Papa and Memaaaa.. and for forgiving us. Amen.

Sometimes I think they are better at it than me. Thank you God for my little angels and the way they remind me of the simple and purest way to pray.. from the heart.

March Madness

March Madness!

No, I'm not talking basketball.
This term has a whole different meaning to teachers.
Dr. Seuss week, parent nights, PTO, Benchmark Tests, Quarterly Assessments, Report Cards, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Inventories Due, committee and grade level and faculty meetings, and the beginning of the long 4th nine weeks.. it all makes March a whirlwind of chaos it seems.
Add to that the barrage of birthdays, baby showers, spring break plans-trying to fit everything and everyone in that fast week and of course taxes..
Today I'm celebrating that I'm almost thru it.. only 3 more days to go til April. Now starts the long to-do lists to finish out the year, no more breaks after Easter. Life is about to be even more fast-paced and frantic. Now I've started compiling memory books and planning for science lessons and ordering butterflies. Now I've started building in my head the pile of things I "HAVE" to get done this summer. Now I've started daydreaming of the sun, the ocean, outings with the kids, visiting family and fun times with friends. I feel like I'm climbing into a roller coaster I know I've ridden before and I kinda remember what's coming but that doesn't stop the nervous excitement as it starts and I can begin to see what's up ahead. This is the downhill.. it's coming.. and it's exhilarating! Time to hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

Joy found

Recently I've come to think that I am growing old in reverse. They say age aint nothin but a number, right? Well I was a serious, deep, painfully shy kid. I got hurt easily and felt misunderstood. I struggled to be "perfect" and got very down on myself when that didn't happen. Such a stark contrast to the person I turned out to be! Each year I feel I understand myself better and am so much more FREE to be me! I am usually light-hearted, joyful, spontaneous, up-for-anything and vivacious. I love life! God has filled my cup and I am so full of love that it bursts out of me! I verge on cheesiness at times, but that's okay. Life is so much more fun to me now. I just don't sweat the small stuff anymore. The down side is that I'm not as structured, organized or on top of things as I once was. I sometimes am not as responsible and I forget stuff.. but gone are the panic attacks, anxiety, and discontent. Sure my life is stressful, even more so now actually, but I've finally learned how to relax, lean on others and make time for myself once in awhile.
So maybe it's not that I'm becoming like a kid, but rather I've matured into realizing that other people's opinions don't really matter, life is worth LIVING, and the only way to grow is to just jump in there & do it and learn from your mistakes! God has blessed me way beyond anything I deserve so why shouldn't I be FULL OF JOY! He has given me grace so that I can extend that grace to others and give Him all the glory! I am free to like what I like, love everyone unconditionally, forgive easily, and throw any burden that comes my way down at the foot of the cross! I know that no matter what, everything will be okay! My Father is in control and He loves ME! I don't have to win an argument or seek revenge because I know the battle is already WON and I'm on the winning team! PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!!! :) How can I help but smile! ♥

To-do lists

My Princess likes to keep a schedule. If I tell her that we might go to so & so's house the next day or start on a certain project or something, I know I better make sure I mean it! She freaks out if something doesn't go according to plan or we change our plans on her. If she were to lay out shorts to wear to school but in the morning we'd gotten a blizzard, she'd be very likely to resist my trying to reason with her that she should now wear jeans, lol. She dislikes change or spontenaity. I found a to-do list in her room for what she was planning to do this weekend. It said:

1. put on make-up, be a rockstar

2. wrestling with dad!

3. paint

Her Daddy is a list maker and planner and needs things to be very structured and organized. He writes things down so that he can check it off as he goes. There are all these little pieces of paper laying around all the time with things he wants to get accomplished that day, that week, that month, etc. I drive them both crazy I'm afraid with my laid back nature. If I make a list, it's just to remind myself of what all HAS to be done RIGHT NOW since I didn't plan ahead very good, LOL. I'm so thankful for the "born organized" people in my life that help me along. Not sure yet which side Superhero will take, but he seems to be content to just do whatever we tell him and doesn't feel the need to be in control all the time like his sister. So maybe he's like me. The four of us, with our very different personalities are lucky to have each other, that's for sure!

Thankful Thursday

What am I thankful for?

the sky so clear today with that bright, shining sun

that reminds me that the long winter and another school year is almost done

the air I breathe, the sounds I hear, and the sights I see

all the love, the wonderful smiles, and hugs from my family

the time I get to spend this week with nothing important to do

sleeping in late with the hubby and locking the door somtimes too

making memories with our children and letting them stay up late

going places we've never been and new things on our plate

fun times with good friends and the adventures yet to come

sharing our lives together, knowing it's someone to depend on

the past, present & future.. and that it's all in His Hands

Jesus-my rock, my shelter, my fortress.. my escape from the world's demands

my home, my church, my pastor.. and many more grace-filled blessings

my tears, my hope, and my laughter.. in short.. everything.

Kids say the darndest things.. but what if you're not listening?

At dinner tonight my DH was talking away about something and I suddenly got this strange feeling. I realized that while the two of us were deep in conversation, our dear children were completely tuned out. I looked at our daughter and she was decorating what was left of her enchilada with the rice on her plate. Our son was prepared for this, he'd snuck in two small Star Wars Lego figures, oh what are they called.. Stormtroopers, that's it! He was staging this big battle with them and the remaining food on his plate. I wondered how long the Firefighter & I had been talking about "grown-up stuff" and been totally oblivious to the sweet precious little lives we had sitting next to us. Tears came to my eyes as I thought of all the mommies out there who are wishing for just one more word from their baby..

It's the moments like these that we waste everyday. Adults so often see themselves and their discussions as important and what kids have to say as not as important. I said something about it to my honey and he said "but we just never get a chance to talk" and that is sad but true. I told him we really should make time for the two of us to talk, but we need to include the kids when we can too. He agreed and we started talking to them about their meal and what they were doing and what-not.
As an educator today, I see the sad decline of American literacy and wonder if it's from a lack of parents actually TALKING to their children. So many kids are plopped down in front of the tv and learn conversation from Sponge Bob (who I despise btw!) I know I know, we're all so busy, it's true. But I can remember the feeling that no one would listen to me when I was little and I remember how crummy a feeling it was too. I hope that my children don't feel that way too often. I know so many times they're rambling off about something they're excited about while I'm trying to do something and I'm not REALLY really listening and just nodding & saying my uh-huh's and I think about how that makes them feel. Poor things. I pray that God would make me more aware of these times and help me to find patience enough to listen to the stories of my children even after listening to the stories of other people's children all day. This is the only childhood they get, and my busy-ness, selfishness, and sense of importance makes an impact on them that I can't take back later on. The time to enjoy them is now. I don't want to be filled with regret later for mistakes I knew I was making.
So God, make me a better mother. You never tell me you're too busy for me or make me feel unimportant. Lead me to follow your example with my own children. Amen.