Motherly Advice

February is already here! In the moments I feel time speeding by, while I am trying to keep up and do it all, I go back in time to a mid week women's activity at church. It was quilting, which I hate, but with lots of women talking, which I love. I was sitting by Ann H. whose children were all teens and closer to leaving home than I could ever comprehend my little tot Cara becoming, much less the kiddos I hadn't thought about having yet. Several women were sitting around a quilt chatting about whatever came up. I recall very little of the conversations details happening over the quilt that morning. I know at the time I was feeling exhausted, lonely for adult conversation and weary at being a new mother with an ever growing independent minded toddler. I am certain I was venting about something related to motherhood with the end result reflecting utter exasperation at what to do. Ann patiently listened and related to my feelings of frustration. She shared how much she missed those days. In the mean time I'm thinking yeah right, every mom misses potty training and reading the same book 20 times in one day just to do it again the next. Then she simply stated, "just love 'em." Her simple words stopped me, humbled me and permanently imprinted themselves in by brain.

So this morning at breakfast I looked around at my kiddos and thought, I miss those days. Rorie leaned over and gave me my second hug of the morning with a little kiss. I took the moment and remembered those words imprinted in my mind from several years ago. Having been the most obvious, and best advice I was ever given about motherhood...... just love 'em!

Grand Prize WINNER!

Cara recently won the grand prize at her school science fair. YAY, all of those dried banana and potato peels lying around my house for weeks actually paid off! SOOOO, she gets to enter the project into the regional contest this coming Monday. We find out the results on Tuesday night. I have to work both nights :(. Feeling frustrated by that. Seems like I am missing too many important things because of my hours. Thankful I have a husband who is willing to drive the kids all around town so they can make all of the important stuff!

Two birds one stone

Had a good talk with a friend as we discussed our concerns about parenting our pre teen daughters. Discussing what they are facing and what we as parents feel like is an impossible task, getting them through with the fewest heartaches as possible (on both sides)..... worrying that everything we do will have everlasting and irreversible effects on our kids. As we went along I found relief in knowing I am not the only mom in the world who feels like every mistake or incident of poor behavior or choice by my kids is linked to me solely, with nothing being related to them having the ability to think and choose for themselves. So after thinking about it I decided a few things. I will make mistakes as a mom, no matter how hard I try it will happen. I am not the only mom in the world who has or who will ever make mistakes. Obsessing about them doesn't do my kids or me any favors. My kids are good and make good choices where it counts .....most of the time, no one is perfect right? I will keep doing my best, knowing that I am not alone in the battle. Being gratful for the tools I have been blessed with through the gospel and from my upbringing. I will bask in the fact that we had an FHE, my kids were mostly reverent during it, and Paige did an excellent job preparing the lesson by herself. I will ignore the fact I caused Cara to knee herself in the face while, in a moment of nostalgia, I tried to show her a game I used to play with my siblings. Nice, I know. BUT.... we had a good lesson and my kids will always remember the game "feety" I played as a child. Two birds one stone....lesson on faith in Jesus Christ accompanied by a family history spot light.

Been a long time coming

So it has been two years since I posted anything. Aside from life getting in the way we had some unexpected changes to the dynamics of our family. In late 2009 we became foster parents to our niece Arya. It was an inexplicable gambit of emotions from the first phone call from CPS to the last morning of her living in our home 13 months later. We learned we aren't sure we are strong enough to do it again and CPS is nothing like I expected. I DON'T mean that as. a compliment either. So with a lot of stress and bitterness looming over my head I simply did not have it in me to post pictures and write happy updates reflecting a false sense of what I /we were feeling. So over two years later I have decided to jump back on the ban wagon . Be an honest blogger and start posting again. Maybe more words and less pictures.
So 2012 still finds me working as a pharmacy technician, on the retail side of things. I work full time now and struggle with feelings of motherhood due to my work schedule, which often takes me away from the kids and involvement in their school and sports activity. Logically I know it doesn't make me a horrible mother, but all the same I battle with it.
Cara is a 6th grader now. Her last year of elementary, where did time go? She plays lacrosse and she is great at it too. It is great sport and I am glad she loves it. Paige is playing soccer still. Her team is great and they have played together for several years now. She is in the 2nd grade. Rorie is in 1st grade. She doesn't play any sport by choice, but we are trying out a singing group this winter. Gab is at the newspaper still, and is very active in girls activities. Thank heavens for him or else we'd never make to all the places we need to be.
So for now that is where we stand. Life buzzing by incredibly fast and me hoping I am doing enough to keep it going in the right direction. Here's to keeping my sanity through blogging about the things that make me insane!