Mom's Night Out

Lets just be brutally honest. And i know theres probably a zillion and one posts out there about this but i just wanna get this out. Because often times, its satisfying and even gratifying to hear about someone doing just a bad or worse than you are. Admit it, thats what you're looking for when you turn to social media to vent. You dont want people telling you it will all be okay in 5 years. Or a "hugs!! Hang in there" (YOU HAVE NO IDEA, SHUT IT, LADY!) You want someone to tell you how bad THEY have it, then you realize that your situation is not actually all that bad.

 

Its no lie that being a mother is the hardest job out there. And being a stay-at-home-mom, you barely ever get a break. There's always laundry to be washed, toys to be cleaned up off the floor, surfaces sanitized, floors swept/mopped/vacuumed, diapers to be changed, baths to be given, food to be made, screaming or fighting children to attend to etc. etc.

 

Its REALLY hard. REALLY stressful. REALLY exhausting.

This is daily life for me.

 

I love my kids. And i, too, feel like there's no one out there that loves their children as much as i love mine.

 

But i have my moments. These terrible ugly awful moments where i feel like a monster. Like the meanest person. The most impatient mother ever. And i pray and i pray and i pray. All. The. Time. And i take it day by day.

 

A lot of times i refer back to scripture and just sit and talk to God. And i recite James 1:19 "Know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

 

A few night's ago my husband and i sat down to watch a movie and decided on Mom's Night Out with Sarah Drew from Grey's Anatomy.

 

 

I seriously love that woman. Her acting, her faith, her hair (is amazing - always!!). Shes just very beautiful and extrmely talented. And this movie was completely and hilariously perfect. She portrayed a stressed out mother of three VERY well. I could relate to this woman so easily and im sure so many other women can as well. I highly recommend it. The ending was beautiful. Very touching and very profound. I love that it was a Christian movie and it was decent enough for me to sit down and watch with my daughter (i havent). Its not a children's movie but its alao not a movie that i would be uncomfortable with like most movies/tv shows.

I don't want to give too much away in respect to the people who haven't seen it. There were tons of good, encouraging lines in this movie, but one of my favourites was this:

 

 

And that's that. Just a great movie and a reminder that we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us.

Amen.

...now I have to go clean my bathroom before my baby wakes up. :)



I took a hiatus. Here's a brief Life Lately post.

I've been completely absent the last 5 months. But looking back on those five months... its been great. So many things have happened. We've done so many things. I'm not even going to start listing them all because it would take too long, and time is not something I'm very generous with. I'm pretty greedy with it actually.

But anyways. Back to what's been up. Life lately.

We recently got back from a beautiful vacation in Newfoundland with family. Just the kids and I went while my husband stayed home, working (bless him).



We were blessed with amazing weather the entire time.



So, Halloween. It kind of snuck up on me this year. Leah's been nagging to be a Lalaloopsy doll. She's not even that into them. She just thinks the wig is amazing. Well, She's not being a Lalaloopsy doll (sorry kiddo). Honestly, I'm convincing her to wear one of her dress-up dresses and call it a deal. OR maybe I can whip up a little something from the dollar store for them. I don't even know. I've got three days though. Ha.

Oh, and I'm also not on the ball with the pumpkins. I magically grew a pumpkin plant this year that only produced two small pumpkins and that's all we have. We didn't even carve them. I got the kids to paint them. Seriously, 10 minutes and it was done. The clean up was pretty sweet too. So I call that a win.

What are your kids being for Halloween? I'm curious how many Anna and Elsa's there's going to be.

Today's Treasures

The crisp, cool nighttime air. Fog laying low between trees. Its been raining all day and the earth is soaked with cloud water.

The breeze breathing through my open window. A busy road remains busy nearby. Sounds of transport trucks' tires slicing through puddled laneways.

The sky is an orange-kind-of-grey, keeping the stars hidden from our eyes. And I breathe in that chilly nocturnal air.

I smell the rain before I hear it but I listen for it anyway. The steady tiny drumming on the rooftop. Generously and faithfully nourishing the earth.

One does not need to hear the rain to know that it is there. One simply needs to inhale the fresh and poignant perfume of life. The waters of Noah dispersing here and there.

And just like Noah's waters a memory floods my mind. Driving from the farthest West to the farthest East. Nine days traveled and a dozen 7 year-old memories saved. 

The journeys and adventures God has guided me through are what makes appreciating life's details so easy. The memories He's helped create are constant reminders of today's treasures.

7 Months!

James is 7 months old! Now that the warm, beautiful weather is here I'm really looking forward to being outside more. He loves the outdoors! And gosh how I've missed the fresh air. The sunshine. What a long, cold winter we had. Leah is thrilled for this weather too, she's already gotten a sunburn! :( Now she doesn't leave the house without sunblock and a hat.

Some things im beginning to work on with James?
* cutting down on the number of feeds
* cutting out nighttime wake-ups all together

He's so close to crawling and can pull himself up to his knees holding onto things. Also, he weighs 22.2 lbs now!! Fewf!!

Happy 7 month birthday sweet boy!

One Year Married!

If you're not in the mood for sappy...move on. heh heh

One year ago, it was the most beautiful day in April. This year, I think its the coldest. Either way, it will always be the most beautiful day. One year ago, in front of God and our most closest friends and family, we officially went from being two to one. Bound together. Heart and soul. Forever. And ever. Although we've actually been together for 6 1/2 years, this day is still so special. And I love him now as much as I always have.

This year has been an amazingly blessed one. And I am so grateful. I thank God profusely for this man. This good hearted, easy going, mostly positive man. He's my hero and my rock. His arms know a good workin', how to use a rifle and throw grenades, and how to hold his babies. In his arms is the safest place I can ever be.

Thank you for making me your wife, Matthew. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll choose you again and again.

(April 15, 2013)

I have a 6 month old!

Yes, it's gone fast, but yet, it hasn't. It feels like it's been 6 months. But when I think that's half way to ONE? I get a little sad. My big baby sort of robbed me of the tiny stage. He was never tiny haha. I don't miss the newborn-ness, not really. Not yet. James still wakes up 4-5 times a night and he still relies on us completely so I'm not at that stage yet. Although, it does seem like forever since Leah was a baby. I suppose that's the reality. They aren't actually babies for long.

This month has been crazy though. We made a trip to the hospital for his cough and the ER Dr. said he had Bronchiolitis. He got a puffer and yucky syrup. And thank you LORD, he is finally well!! Also, he got two teeth! (I think I'll need a whole other post for my opinion on the Amber Teething Necklaces.)


He weighs 21.5lbs! (uh, what?... Leah only weighs 34 haha)
He still doesn't roll over but he sits very well and almost never falls over.
He's been on table food for about a month now too. Some bottled baby food like strawberries and carrots and sweet potatoes. But also some "real deal" meals. My mom has an awesome food processor and just purees up a bunch of stuff for him and he LOVES it.
I was at the Doctor today and I brought up how often he feeds (at least every 2 hours) and she mentioned that perhaps he is using me as a "human pacifier". Which is probably the case. Probably why he is up 4 times a night.

I am just so excited for the warm weather to start so we can all just sit outside and play in the grass (and pick it out of a drooling baby mouth).

Happy Half-a-Year Birthday my sweet boy!!

Learning Letters and Such

As a small kid, my third home was the library (first being my own, second being my grandmother's). I remember the small chairs, the little table with the built in cubby in the center that held some children's books. I remember the bean bag chairs, the stuffed animals from classic stories lining the book shelves. I remember the dirty yellow carpeted floor (oh how interior design has changed - thank goodness!). I remember the smell; musty, wood, paper, and occasionally oranges. But that smell. That smell. The one that permeates from the pages of old authors into every library.

And this just came to me: my love for books, just like my love for Jesus was present and rooted in me at the earliest age. Funny how glimpses of your adulthood can be seen in certain childhood moments.

Every parent wants their child to be a reader. But, being a reader myself I feel like its crucial. To be able to sit down and have the rest of the world fade away while you dive in and swallow up a good book? Its a great feeling; relaxing, distracting, stress-relieving. Important. Imagination expanding.

So, I've been really working with Leah on her Alphabet and writing. We've started weekly Library visits where she spends about a half hour on the computer, and maybe 15-30 minutes playing with the trains. Obviously those things are distracting. Things my library never had when I was a child. But while she does this, I walk around and pick out books. Sometimes we cuddle up together in a chair and read a short story.

One that we just borrowed that she is really enjoying is My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet. She told me she had a dream about it last night. Its a small chapter book. I love old classics.

 

Another of her favorites is No, David! by David Shannon. She thinks this book is so funny and loves the faces he makes.

 

***

About a month ago, Leah didn't completely know her ABC's. She forgot half of them and mixed up the other half. I came up with an idea to do some fun things that involved letters to help her. I made giant cut-outs of letters and let her stick foam letters on and stickers of words that started with that letter. We also started making an Alphabet-print book where I use her hand or foot to create a picture of something starting with a certain letter.

I also went to the dollar store and bought her some foam letters for the bath tub and an ABC Garanimals game. I picked her up a couple work books from Wal-Mart too. So, yes I spent some money but since I started all this, she knows her ABC's, and can pick out certain letters when asked. She's interested in writing too. And this says spending the little bit of money was worth it. She's learning, and loves it.

I hope she grows up to love words.