Thursday Thirteen #3: Lessons Learned from my Kids

Thirteen Lessons Learned from my Kids 1 - Persistence. We are trying to get Princess JL to stop needing "potty breaks" in the middle of the night, so we cut off all drinks after 7pm. But, this does not stop her from coming in the room and saying, "Mommy, can I have a yogurt? Please? Thank you." And then she quickly turns and walks briskly away ... and continues until she figures out we aren't giving in. I have to admire her persistence though (and her manners)! :) 2 - Believe. Princes JF has such a huge imagination. She loves to have tea parties and, when she was 2, had a long list of imaginary friends. Oh how I wish I could be like her. If only my beliefs could carry me delightfully through the day as she allows hers to! 3 - Dream. Prince W loves to entertain (all the kids do ... but he more than the girls). He doesn't care if it's telling jokes, doing impersonations, singing, dancing, whatever he feels like ... he simply has the desire to entertain ... so he does. He has big dreams and I pray that he and his sisters all follow their hearts desires throughout their lives. 4 - Self-confidence. This is something I have always struggled with, but our Drama Queen has plenty of it! She is so sure of herself and I admire that about her. I do not want her to be conceited, although I do want her to be sure of herself and be strong enough to stand up for her beliefs and what she knows is right as she progresses into her teenage years. 5 - Frugality. When we won a new TV at a company Christmas party a year ago, my kids found more joy in the box than the new TV. They even slept in it for a night. It seems that my kids can always find greater joy in a box, paper plate, paper pieces, etc than in the toys or other items we actually pay money for! 6 - Openness. How hard is it for us, as adults, to open up to others? My youngest two (and the older two as well depending on the person) get such a kick out of telling others all about their day, showing off their toys, their rooms, etc. I try to remain such a private person, but my kids have no secrets ... they lay everything out on the table. No shame. 7 - Be fearless. "Evil Knievel" is a household name for us. Each of my kids has, at one time or another, proudly carried the nickname. Right now, it's our 2 year old, who seriously has no fear. She will jump off anything in the house, no matter how tall. She will defiantly shout "No!" to anyone who tries to discipline her (my parents, her aunt, uncle, whoever) ... she has absolutely no fear. With all my social anxieties, how I wish I could have an ounce of her fearlessness! 8 - Live life. My kids have no down time during the day it seems! Princess JF and JL can go all day without ceasing. If I had half the energy they did I could finish 5 projects a day. They seem to be relentless. "Mommy, do this with me." "Mommy, can we do that?" It's non-stop, but, unfortunately for them, Mommy is! : ( It seems nothing can stop them from living each day to its fullest and getting the most they can out of every moment. 9 - Be creative. Drama Queen recently decided to make some sort of invention out of grapefruit. I'm still not sure what it was, but I find pride in knowing she has the desire to create. Sometimes we need to step outside the box and create new things "just because." 10 - Be free. Princess JL loves to run around naked (although she's getting better about wearing clothes ... she still has no shame in running free). Princess JF and JL both enjoy running around the house, spinning, laughing, rolling on the ground ... just expressing themselves in whichever manner fits the moment. There is no more beautiful sound than children laughing. They truly know how to just be free in their self-expression and in life. 11 - Just breathe. We use a time out in the bedroom for discipline, one minute per year of age. Sometimes I have to take my own "Mommy time out" to just breathe and pray about the burdens I need to release. Funny how that works for both young and old. Although, my kids don't typically like their time outs as much as I enjoy mine! : ) 12 - Responsibility. Princess JF doesn't completely understand the difference between "on purpose" and "on accident" quite yet. When something happens she says, "It was on purpose, Mommy." I always have to correct her. But, without fail, she also tends to follow it with, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault!" Then she cries until I explain that it was an accident and she's not to blame. In our adult life we tend to look the other way and ignore those things for which we are responsible ... yet how easy it is to say, "I'm sorry. It's my fault." 13 -Unconditional love. Other than Christ, I have never experienced unconditional love the way I have from my children. When I cry, they cry. When I need a hug, they are there with arms wide open. When I'm upset, they try to make it better. I can get onto them one minute, and the next they are on my lap kissing and hugging all over me. I can do no wrong in their eyes (yet anyways) and they love me relentlessly at the start and end of the day ... no matter what! I truly love my kids! <3> I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3-4

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Monday Madness

Mondays around here are always insane. I don't know why ... but I always have a migraine by the end of the day (just took 2 Excedrin Migraine pills ... waiting for them to "kick in" so I can lay down in bed without the pounding in the front of my head). It seems that with my hubby here on the weekends, it evens up the parent:child ratio and things go smoother. On Mondays, we're back down to that 1:4 ratio and I think they all gang up on me for no reason!! : ) At least that's how I feel!! Anyways ... I was thinking today as I was doing some laundry about my life ... in general.

Sometimes I look at my life and ask, "Is this how I wanted my life to go?" As I was transferring clothes to the dryer and watching my two youngest (girls) play with a hot wheels car in the kitchen, I simply began to ponder what has become my life. I asked my self if this was how I had expected it to go? Was I truly happy with the way it turned out? (Perhaps I was still stuck on question #2 from the earlier post of the day). Nevertheless, I decided that I couldn't be happier. Not really.

I simply couldn't ask for a better husband. He is the love of my life, my everything. He works his booty off everyday to provide the best life he can for me and our children. He is amazing in every aspect of the word. My children? I still am in disbelief over having 4 some days. :) My hubby and I would sit on the curb in front of his house when we were dating and talk about "when we got married" (remember, we were 15 and 16 years old) and the house and kids we would have. Almost 17 years later (wow ... that seems like forever ago when I type it) I look at what we have and how God has blessed us beyond what we could have ever imagined way back then!

I wanted to become a pediatrician since I was in elementary school. It was probably a disappointment to my parents that I never fulfilled that dream ... but I know they are happy with my life as it stands today. But, honestly, I planned out my entire school path towards that goal. Took all the right classes ... Latin, AP Biology, AP Chemistry ... whatever AP courses I could take to help cut the time I would have to spend in college. I graduated in the top 15% of my class (out of around 500). I went on to a nearby community college to start my basic courses (I didn't apply for scholarships soon enough ... had no one to guide me on any of this ... college was not something many in my family did) ... so I was having to pay my own way ... plus had my own apartment by this time. After two years, my hubby and and I got married ... again, paid for our own wedding with assistance from my parents, and within 3 months got pregnant with our first daughter. I've never been able to go back ... but in hindsight, I believe it would have been wasted money.

My social anxieties alone hinder my ability to interact on a daily basis with large amounts of people. Plus, once I held my daughter, I never wanted to let her go. With each child, the desire to be with them every step of their lives isn't something I'm ready to let go of. I enjoy being home with my kids, most of the time. : ) I relish the feeling it brings to me upon of hearing my 4 year old tell Daddy, "Mommy taught me my letters today." I savor the thought that I was there for every first step, first word, first boo-boo ... first whatever ... I was there.

Thus, am I happy with how things turned out? Did things go as expected? Even though Mondays are complete chaos and madness around here, and I never became that well-respected pediatrician, I wouldn't trade my life for the world (plus, with 4 kids, I still get to be a pediatrician as one of many domestic roles). Things aren't perfect, but nobody's situation really is. My hubby can still make mistakes. My children aren't the most well-behaved. I'm completely messed up. But, we have Christ in our lives, food on our table, a roof over our heads, clothes on our back ... and love in our hearts. What more could anyone ask for?

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
- Psalm 16:11

Road Trip

It's amazing how much stuff is required for a "simple" 3 hour road trip! Not that a road trip is simple, especially when traveling with two toddlers! Actually, we'll have 3 toddlers ... but I only have to "prepare" for two! So, extra clothes for everyone, 2 sets for my 2 year old. Different pairs of shoes for after the funeral to go with each set of play clothes, jackets for early morning and evening hours, DVD player and movies to, hopefully, insure a more pleasurable ride with the 2 year old, camera for pictures of family we haven't seen in a while, snacks, drinks ... etc. Seems like we'll be there for days! But, I always seem to be "over prepared" ... which I believe is a good trait with 4 kids! : )

I've prepared my kids for this "full military style" funeral tomorrow. I'm not even sure what to expect ... but I've told them about what we were told. For example, the Patriot Guard will be standing guard outside the church to help keep the protesters back! How crazy is that? I don't exactly agree with all of this either ... but we're mourning the loss of someone we loved ... should we have to contend with protesters too? Craziness!

Well, it's after Midnight and I'm still sitting up with my youngest. She had a late nap and doesn't want to go to sleep now! Of course ... since we have to get up early in the morning to get on the road!! She'll just sleep the whole way down ... thus defeating the purpose of packing the DVD player and such. It'll make for a peaceful ride, although that means she won't sleep through the funeral ... which would be even better! BTW ... I would LOVE to not have to take my kids to the funeral altogether ... but I don't have anyone to leave them with all day! It, unfortunately isn't their first, I'm just not too sure what to expect at this one?! I guess we'll see!!

Well, we're off to watch "Napoleon Dynamite". She loves the "corny adult-type"movies ... meaning not cartoons?! Not sure why?! Usually we have to watch Little Miss Sunshine" or just "Sunshine" as she calls it ... so this is a "nice change." I know "Sunshine" doesn't have the best language, by any means, but she LOVES it?! Luckily for us, she hasn't repeated any of the foul language!! : ) It really is a great movie though!

Until my next opportunity to blog ...

Christmas ... and a bit about us

Figured I should share a bit about us as a family! I know I mentioned having 4 kids ... but here are some "details" to that fact. We do have 4 kids, 3 daughters and one lonely son! We homeschool, so that means I am with my kids pretty much 24/7! Our daughters are 2, 4 and 12 years old ... and all three try to run the house! I have to remind them that even though they are little "princesses" ... Mom is still the QUEEN!! My son is 10 years old ... and I really couldn't ask for a better son. He's not one of those "bouncing off the wall" boys, which I am SO GLAD of!! Of course, he's not perfect, but he's close enough for me ... and, did I mention, he's a total "Momma's Boy"! : )

My husband and I have been married for 13 1/2 years ... been together for 16 1/2 years. We met when I was 16 and he was 15 years old. Yes, we are in that 2% of high school sweethearts that actually get married ... and stay married for that matter! Not to say we haven't had some rough times ... we were separated for a while ... but God has restored our marriage and we are more in love than ever! You can read my husband's "pointless" blog (his words, not mine) here! ;)

Our main focus in life in Christ! We are a Christian family with strong moral values. We believe in giving God the glory for all that we have, accomplish and will do now and in the future. He is our reason for everything! Which brings me to the current "reason for the season": Christmas!

Christmas is particularly hard for us ... because we have no savings (it's almost impossible to save even a few bucks here and there through the year without needing it for an emergency sooner than Christmas), no credit cards, and, of course, no cash on hand! So, this year, just like last year, our kids Christmas gifts will be provided by a local church (we actually attended the church until for over 5 years until October of this year when we decided it was time to change ... long story). We have been able to purchase one or two small gifts for each of our kids (through money obtained by selling on CL) ... and the rest of our kids presents will be delivered Christmas morning by Santa and his elves driving a U-haul truck! Last year my husband and I were completely overcome with emotion (times were much harder than this year) ... and I'm sure it will be the same emotion filled reception this year. That Santa and his elves have such BIG hearts! It's awesome!

Well, I guess I've gone on enough for now. Simply wanted to share a bit more before I got into my resource list that I will try to get posted tomorrow (if not sooner).