Yes, this is a public service announcement. Slow down! Take it easy! Enjoy this stage in your life!
If you are pregnant, rinse and repeat. The nesting isn't important. Really, it's not. Coz if you push to hard, you may just dislocate a rib. And if you want to be in pain, that's the way to do it. If you want to really be in pain, do it when you're eight months pregnant. If you want chaos to ensue, have two other kids. Throw in a business and a preacher husband if you want some awesome sauce.
So, better safe than sorry. Take it easy. Trust me.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Nesting Will...
Nesting will make you do some crazy, crazy things. Like:
Scrubbing the toilet with sandpaper to get rid of nasty stains you inherited when you bought the house.
Digging up landscaping timbers, raking up mulch, and relocating plants because you no longer want to worry about the front flower bed getting overgrown when you can't weed it.
Reorganizing your studio and house and planning a garage sale that's six months away. You know it's excessive when your kids ask if you're going to sell something every time you pick an item up.
Hanging shelving in the world's oddest shaped closet. When the shelves prove too deep, find old 2x4s to make makeshift shelves until you can exchange the real ones.
Taping paint samples to the walls because you want to paint, but can't coz your eight months pregnant and also can't justify the expense.
Start buying foods based on if they will fit into the new storage containers you bought for the pantry to keep it neat.
Scrubbing the toilet with sandpaper to get rid of nasty stains you inherited when you bought the house.
Digging up landscaping timbers, raking up mulch, and relocating plants because you no longer want to worry about the front flower bed getting overgrown when you can't weed it.
Reorganizing your studio and house and planning a garage sale that's six months away. You know it's excessive when your kids ask if you're going to sell something every time you pick an item up.
Hanging shelving in the world's oddest shaped closet. When the shelves prove too deep, find old 2x4s to make makeshift shelves until you can exchange the real ones.
Taping paint samples to the walls because you want to paint, but can't coz your eight months pregnant and also can't justify the expense.
Start buying foods based on if they will fit into the new storage containers you bought for the pantry to keep it neat.
Friday, April 12, 2013
To Train Up a Child
I don't mean that in a pro-Pearl/baby wise/punitive parenting way. If that's your cup of tea, no judgment here. But I take a different approach to rearing.
And can I have a mini vent here? Golly, I feel like my high school AP English teacher Mrs. Hall. You rear children. You raise crops. If your kid ain't an ear of corn, use rear, not raise. That isn't directed at anyone in particular. I just see it all.the.time from moms and it drives me bonkers. Was I the only one taught that the proper verb to bring up children is rear? Is that really not something known? Or is is a specific/Pacific ask/axe thing?
Anyway, soap box put away now. I think that one of the scariest challenges I face as a mom is the spiritual well being of my kids. Yes, I know that we are all free moral agents and that they will make their own decisions. But how I rear them and teach them will have a big impact on how they decide to live. If not for the grace of God I would be in a very, very, very different place because of how I was reared.
We are instructed to help and to guide our children in their formative years so that they will not stray from the path God called them to in the future. That's scary. What if I screw up? What if I don't show them how much God loves them and they take Him and His Church as just common place and something that doesn't matter?
But what if I push too hard and make them want to leave God and His Church because they feel I didn't present it with enough love but rather too much law (not discounting the law)?
I find it a fine balance to show my children how vitally important His Word is and how amazing He is but to do so with so much love and compassion that they seek after God and don't feel it a burden. That's how God intended it.
But, let's be honest. Sometimes when parenting amongst endless questions and emotional outbursts that happen (toddler through teen and beyond) it's so much easier to just want to refute with "because" and to just want cooperation. "But why do I have to go to Sunday School? Why can't I sleep in?" Hearing that when you're already behind schedule and the toddler just pooped all over his outfit and you're trying not to throw up can make your heart sink. Not that it's an early sign of a future corner-dweller in the making, but it can be easier to just say "because!" than to sit down and explain that the Scripture says to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves" or "how can we be saved but by hearing the Word of God?"
Although we know it's not that easy, the temptation is there to just want ease for the sake of ease when you have a full plate -whether with one kid or 20.
And then there's preparing them to stand on their own two feet in a fallen world without sheltering them too much that they go crazy when tempted outside of the home. But you also don't want to present our fallen world in such a manner that grave sins are common place and no big deal.
I know God's grace abounds and He washes our sins- and we all sin. But if I can save my kids from the heartache the world, then I'm all for it.
However you approach it, it is a weighty blessing to rear our children and pray that we do so in a way that will serve them well in life. Am I the only one who freaks out about this sometimes? I want my kids to love The Lord but not to do so out of a sense of obligation to me. I want to help cultivate a genuine relationship.
I do, however, feel so much better when Auds comes to me and tells me she can't wait to be buried with Jesus in baptism. I definitely cried when she told me that. It gives me hope that I'm doing something right in finding a balance in cultivating their spiritual maturity and relationship with God.
And can I have a mini vent here? Golly, I feel like my high school AP English teacher Mrs. Hall. You rear children. You raise crops. If your kid ain't an ear of corn, use rear, not raise. That isn't directed at anyone in particular. I just see it all.the.time from moms and it drives me bonkers. Was I the only one taught that the proper verb to bring up children is rear? Is that really not something known? Or is is a specific/Pacific ask/axe thing?
Anyway, soap box put away now. I think that one of the scariest challenges I face as a mom is the spiritual well being of my kids. Yes, I know that we are all free moral agents and that they will make their own decisions. But how I rear them and teach them will have a big impact on how they decide to live. If not for the grace of God I would be in a very, very, very different place because of how I was reared.
We are instructed to help and to guide our children in their formative years so that they will not stray from the path God called them to in the future. That's scary. What if I screw up? What if I don't show them how much God loves them and they take Him and His Church as just common place and something that doesn't matter?
But what if I push too hard and make them want to leave God and His Church because they feel I didn't present it with enough love but rather too much law (not discounting the law)?
I find it a fine balance to show my children how vitally important His Word is and how amazing He is but to do so with so much love and compassion that they seek after God and don't feel it a burden. That's how God intended it.
But, let's be honest. Sometimes when parenting amongst endless questions and emotional outbursts that happen (toddler through teen and beyond) it's so much easier to just want to refute with "because" and to just want cooperation. "But why do I have to go to Sunday School? Why can't I sleep in?" Hearing that when you're already behind schedule and the toddler just pooped all over his outfit and you're trying not to throw up can make your heart sink. Not that it's an early sign of a future corner-dweller in the making, but it can be easier to just say "because!" than to sit down and explain that the Scripture says to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves" or "how can we be saved but by hearing the Word of God?"
Although we know it's not that easy, the temptation is there to just want ease for the sake of ease when you have a full plate -whether with one kid or 20.
And then there's preparing them to stand on their own two feet in a fallen world without sheltering them too much that they go crazy when tempted outside of the home. But you also don't want to present our fallen world in such a manner that grave sins are common place and no big deal.
I know God's grace abounds and He washes our sins- and we all sin. But if I can save my kids from the heartache the world, then I'm all for it.
However you approach it, it is a weighty blessing to rear our children and pray that we do so in a way that will serve them well in life. Am I the only one who freaks out about this sometimes? I want my kids to love The Lord but not to do so out of a sense of obligation to me. I want to help cultivate a genuine relationship.
I do, however, feel so much better when Auds comes to me and tells me she can't wait to be buried with Jesus in baptism. I definitely cried when she told me that. It gives me hope that I'm doing something right in finding a balance in cultivating their spiritual maturity and relationship with God.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Why I'm Glad We're All-Natural!
A long time ago a decided to make the switch from toxic cleaners to normal cleaners. This was a shock to my husband (then fiance) as it was all he ever knew. I put vinegar on anything standing.
Then we had our first baby and I couldn't handle the smell. But, I couldn't go back to the toxic chemicals. They made my asthma break out and my lungs had gotten used to functioning. I kept at it until I found a line of natural concentrated cleaning stuff and then I was thrilled.
With the exception of our laundry -the line isn't cloth diaper compatible- most everything that needs to be cleaned can be cleaned with the contents of two super concentrated bottles. One for normal cleaning (like what you'd use windex or other general cleaners for) and one for germy stuff (like what you'd use bleach and Lysol for). I can make various dilutions depending upon my needs. Heck, I can even wash my kids in it.
And this is the reason I'm so glad we made the switch (my husband says its the money, but that's him): my kids can join in on the cleaning and I don't have to worry about them getting sick. Now, I do keep the concentrated stuff out of reach and locked up. But the dilutions- no worries.
It's kinda peaceful to sit on the couch when you're 30 weeks and "supervise" the kids cleaning. Hey, they volunteered!
Then we had our first baby and I couldn't handle the smell. But, I couldn't go back to the toxic chemicals. They made my asthma break out and my lungs had gotten used to functioning. I kept at it until I found a line of natural concentrated cleaning stuff and then I was thrilled.
With the exception of our laundry -the line isn't cloth diaper compatible- most everything that needs to be cleaned can be cleaned with the contents of two super concentrated bottles. One for normal cleaning (like what you'd use windex or other general cleaners for) and one for germy stuff (like what you'd use bleach and Lysol for). I can make various dilutions depending upon my needs. Heck, I can even wash my kids in it.
And this is the reason I'm so glad we made the switch (my husband says its the money, but that's him): my kids can join in on the cleaning and I don't have to worry about them getting sick. Now, I do keep the concentrated stuff out of reach and locked up. But the dilutions- no worries.
It's kinda peaceful to sit on the couch when you're 30 weeks and "supervise" the kids cleaning. Hey, they volunteered!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter!
He is risen!
Easter is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. We do matching outfits, portraits, baskets, Resurrection cookies, Bible stories, egg hunts, everything. Except the bunny. Freaks me out.
This week was interesting. Everyone has had sinus infections and ear infections. Woohoo. We've all felt like junk, including me. Plus, we've had a ton of stuff to do to prepare for the church Easter program - which was amazing. I cried while taking pictures.
We did gift baskets (without candy) and the Resurrection cookies last night. This morning B was off to church bright and early while I got everyone ready. During service I juggled the babies and a camera to capture everything - okay, I may have bribed them with Netflix after awhile.
Right after church we had our church egg hunt, which the kids loved. Probably because there was candy, which is a rarity for them. We came home and opened the oven and finished our story of the Resurrection and ate our cookies and lunch. Then we had our own egg hunt in the backyard.
Then I realized I pushed myself too hard today coz I was having Braxton Hicks and seeing spots and colors, so now I'm laying in bed. Overall, great Easter. I had the opportunity to worship Jesus with the ones I love most and you can't beat that.
Easter is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. We do matching outfits, portraits, baskets, Resurrection cookies, Bible stories, egg hunts, everything. Except the bunny. Freaks me out.
This week was interesting. Everyone has had sinus infections and ear infections. Woohoo. We've all felt like junk, including me. Plus, we've had a ton of stuff to do to prepare for the church Easter program - which was amazing. I cried while taking pictures.
We did gift baskets (without candy) and the Resurrection cookies last night. This morning B was off to church bright and early while I got everyone ready. During service I juggled the babies and a camera to capture everything - okay, I may have bribed them with Netflix after awhile.
Right after church we had our church egg hunt, which the kids loved. Probably because there was candy, which is a rarity for them. We came home and opened the oven and finished our story of the Resurrection and ate our cookies and lunch. Then we had our own egg hunt in the backyard.
Then I realized I pushed myself too hard today coz I was having Braxton Hicks and seeing spots and colors, so now I'm laying in bed. Overall, great Easter. I had the opportunity to worship Jesus with the ones I love most and you can't beat that.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
You know what stinks?
Having a sinus and an ear infection when you're nearly 30 weeks pregnant.
Worse?
The kids have it, too.
Even worse still?
It's right before Easter Sunday and both you and your husband are needed for service but neither kid can go to Sunday School.
At least we're still able to praise The Lord for what He's done.
Blessed be the name of our Risen King!
Worse?
The kids have it, too.
Even worse still?
It's right before Easter Sunday and both you and your husband are needed for service but neither kid can go to Sunday School.
At least we're still able to praise The Lord for what He's done.
Blessed be the name of our Risen King!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Crazy crazy crazy
Things have been crazy.
Preschool interview: check! We find out the final verdict soon, but they are seriously considering contracting me as their school photographer. I have a meeting with the board in a few weeks, but if I could get it it'd be a huge blessing.
Baby and me are doing well. All of the mountains from the beginning of the pregnancy are turning into mole hills, praise God. My new midwife even thinks we could have future children as the bicornuate uterus isn't negatively affecting anything! Every time a scare comes up ( I had all the markers for pre-e) the blood work comes up clean and the symptoms dissipate. My midwife is so proud and thrilled by how everything is turning around. We're thrilled as well. We do still have a plan in place in case of a premie, but she's confident that we won't need it.
The kids are growing and learning by leaps and bounds. Auds is now in the big kid classes at Sunday school and is learning memory verses and praying in addition to what she does at home. It's amazing to see her quote a bunch of scriptures. Tony is obsessed with all things motorized: cars, trucks, trains, planes, fire trucks and is great with imaginary play.
I'm staying busy with portrait sessions and working on building my business and planning for a 6 week baby leave starting mid-May. It's already wearing me harder to do portrait sessions, so I'm stopping then.
My best friend also had her twins and we're so excited for them. She had to have a section coz twin a was presenting transverse- not even breech and they could not turn her despite their best efforts. But all are healthy and doing well. :)
We're managing this new season of life and adjusting to the new challenges ahead of us. Overall, life is good with our insanely busy schedules and all the changes ahead. If I could get some more sleep, though, that'd be great.
Preschool interview: check! We find out the final verdict soon, but they are seriously considering contracting me as their school photographer. I have a meeting with the board in a few weeks, but if I could get it it'd be a huge blessing.
Baby and me are doing well. All of the mountains from the beginning of the pregnancy are turning into mole hills, praise God. My new midwife even thinks we could have future children as the bicornuate uterus isn't negatively affecting anything! Every time a scare comes up ( I had all the markers for pre-e) the blood work comes up clean and the symptoms dissipate. My midwife is so proud and thrilled by how everything is turning around. We're thrilled as well. We do still have a plan in place in case of a premie, but she's confident that we won't need it.
The kids are growing and learning by leaps and bounds. Auds is now in the big kid classes at Sunday school and is learning memory verses and praying in addition to what she does at home. It's amazing to see her quote a bunch of scriptures. Tony is obsessed with all things motorized: cars, trucks, trains, planes, fire trucks and is great with imaginary play.
I'm staying busy with portrait sessions and working on building my business and planning for a 6 week baby leave starting mid-May. It's already wearing me harder to do portrait sessions, so I'm stopping then.
My best friend also had her twins and we're so excited for them. She had to have a section coz twin a was presenting transverse- not even breech and they could not turn her despite their best efforts. But all are healthy and doing well. :)
We're managing this new season of life and adjusting to the new challenges ahead of us. Overall, life is good with our insanely busy schedules and all the changes ahead. If I could get some more sleep, though, that'd be great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)