Mommy Successes
So I had these grand plans for homeschooling today. Plans for hands learning about the brain and skeletal system. Grand plans, I tell you!! A life size human body with anatomically correct proportions and sections where the kids could write about the important features of each system/body part. I don't know which one of us was more excited. But the kids started whining and coloring on each others poster board and ....well, that idea went out the window. So back to our regularly scheduled homeschool day. ok, we actually started it!
As an aside, I LOVE SCIENCE. and I love learning all over again. My husband and I joke that we could both go to school forever and never have a real job again. Lifelong students, sounds fabulous, I know. But it's a pipe dream. And really, all you ever need to know you learned in kindergarten. Right? Be kind, take turns, treat others with respect, pay attention, etc. The rest comes with time, it's a process. You learn as you live and you "google it" or youtube it when you can't figure it out.
Granted there are some of you who hated school for various reasons and I get that. There are many aspects to education that can become a hinderance to the learner or a help. But this is not that kind of entry. I will not be on my soapbox today discussing the families right to choose public, private, home or other education.
So what is today's post about.....I guess, today it's about the small victories throughout the day. It's realizing that the family photo, that took 3 hours before hand to prepare for, which included many tears surrounding hair brushing and conversations about my choice in coordinated outfits, an emergency trip to Target for shoes, and crossing your fingers that you won't get caught by any police officers for driving well over the speed limit to get to your appointment on time, is NOT reality. The tears beforehand and conversations that came in between those commas. The kids growing into their own mini people and asserting their own ideas of what they prefer and what THEY DO NOT, that's reality. The flexibility and freedom to in some small way instill godly values into the hearts of my kids, REALITY. The opportunity to be a safe place for my kids to learn and ask questions, reality. To respond to them, sometimes, in grace and kindness, reality. To realize that my kids are wonderful, amazing kids with soft hearts and at times deep hurts, reality. And that they would rather spend time with me then with anyone else on earth...although, dad is a close second, reality. We are not perfect. I scream, a lot. I lose my cool, a lot. My kids...sometimes I feel like we're in a bad scene of Braveheart. And if we could get through a day without yelling at each other, it would be a "Christmas Miracle".
But despite all of the crazy and in the midst of all of the crazy, my life is good. And God has abundantly blessed me in so many ways.
To be able to wake up in the morning and look over at my kids in our bed as they are sleeping and know that they feel comfortable coming into our bed when they are scared; that is a mommy success. To have two of the kids homeschooled and feel like they know what they have to do in the morning; that's a mommy success. To get the other to school BEFORE school starts with her lunch in her backpack; that's a mommy success. To make sure she has her glasses on and lunch in her backpack; mommy success! To know that my kids like to exercise with me; (even though I may not enjoy it every time) mommy success! To know that the kids love reading their Bible and love Jesus. God success. Because their hearts are his and he calls them by name.
So let me encourage you to focus not on the distractions of life, but on life itself. And know that as the old adage that says, "more things are caught then taught". Know that if you're loving on your kids, you have had many mommy successes today too! Enjoy them!
As an aside, I LOVE SCIENCE. and I love learning all over again. My husband and I joke that we could both go to school forever and never have a real job again. Lifelong students, sounds fabulous, I know. But it's a pipe dream. And really, all you ever need to know you learned in kindergarten. Right? Be kind, take turns, treat others with respect, pay attention, etc. The rest comes with time, it's a process. You learn as you live and you "google it" or youtube it when you can't figure it out.
Granted there are some of you who hated school for various reasons and I get that. There are many aspects to education that can become a hinderance to the learner or a help. But this is not that kind of entry. I will not be on my soapbox today discussing the families right to choose public, private, home or other education.
So what is today's post about.....I guess, today it's about the small victories throughout the day. It's realizing that the family photo, that took 3 hours before hand to prepare for, which included many tears surrounding hair brushing and conversations about my choice in coordinated outfits, an emergency trip to Target for shoes, and crossing your fingers that you won't get caught by any police officers for driving well over the speed limit to get to your appointment on time, is NOT reality. The tears beforehand and conversations that came in between those commas. The kids growing into their own mini people and asserting their own ideas of what they prefer and what THEY DO NOT, that's reality. The flexibility and freedom to in some small way instill godly values into the hearts of my kids, REALITY. The opportunity to be a safe place for my kids to learn and ask questions, reality. To respond to them, sometimes, in grace and kindness, reality. To realize that my kids are wonderful, amazing kids with soft hearts and at times deep hurts, reality. And that they would rather spend time with me then with anyone else on earth...although, dad is a close second, reality. We are not perfect. I scream, a lot. I lose my cool, a lot. My kids...sometimes I feel like we're in a bad scene of Braveheart. And if we could get through a day without yelling at each other, it would be a "Christmas Miracle".
But despite all of the crazy and in the midst of all of the crazy, my life is good. And God has abundantly blessed me in so many ways.
To be able to wake up in the morning and look over at my kids in our bed as they are sleeping and know that they feel comfortable coming into our bed when they are scared; that is a mommy success. To have two of the kids homeschooled and feel like they know what they have to do in the morning; that's a mommy success. To get the other to school BEFORE school starts with her lunch in her backpack; that's a mommy success. To make sure she has her glasses on and lunch in her backpack; mommy success! To know that my kids like to exercise with me; (even though I may not enjoy it every time) mommy success! To know that the kids love reading their Bible and love Jesus. God success. Because their hearts are his and he calls them by name.
So let me encourage you to focus not on the distractions of life, but on life itself. And know that as the old adage that says, "more things are caught then taught". Know that if you're loving on your kids, you have had many mommy successes today too! Enjoy them!
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