Ode to the Morning Nap

In the last week, my almost-two-year-old son has dropped his morning nap (without adding any additional afternoon or nighttime sleep, mind you) and learned to open doorknobs.  That effectively turns any semblance of normalcy around here on its head, thank you very much.  And so I bid farewell to our friend, the morning nap, with a heartfelt tribute....

Oh, Morning Nap, how I need you desperately and loathe you in the same breath!  That blessed hour of near-peace that always gets in the way of any possible outing.  I mourn your loss with a sigh of relief.  If only you had magically transplanted yourself next door to Afternoon Nap.  Instead you ran off for greener pastures and left me with a whiny leech completely incapable of entertaining himself for two minutes.  But I'm not bitter.  We're moving on, whole mornings available for wandering.  This is better. Right?  Oh, Mourning Nap!

Jesus' Fear-Fighting

I was reading in Matthew 10 this week when I was struck anew by the second half of the chapter.  Starting in verse 16, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the unpleasant reception they will receive when they go out in His name.  They were going to be hated, flogged, persecuted, handed over to the government, betrayed by family--some seriously scary stuff.

He prepared them, armed with knowledge.  Then He comforted them with truth.  The hairs on their head were numbered.  His eye is on the sparrow, so you know He is watching you and great is your reward when you are persecuted for the sake of our Lord.  They would truly find their lives when they were willing to lose them.  And He was backing them up...with all the power and authority that came with that.

I can just imagine the disciples' eyes getting wider and wider as Jesus laid all the scary reality out for them.  Sort of like A's eyes got wider and wider as I talked about fire escape plans.  I imagine a few of them lost some sleep to fear of the possibilities, just like she has.  I imagine they all had to repeat the truth to themselves more than a few times.

Thanks, God, for sharing this with me.  Just a little reassurance that it's okay to prepare my kids for reality, scary as it may be.  And thanks for reminding me that you give us truth as the best weapon against fear.

Second Generation Fear-Fighters

Okay, so just a few more thoughts on fear because we have had a big dose of it around here this week.

I know it is my responsibility as a parent to prepare my kiddos for the real world where scary things sometimes happen.  I have procrastinated in a bad way on some basic safety stuff because I don't want to introduce the very kinds of fear that I sometimes struggle with.  Can't I keep it all sunshine and roses for them?

I finally bit the bullet and covered fire safety during school last week.  We got cartoonish books from the library, I downloaded fun activity pages from the internet, we went to the fire station for a tour and cheesy photo ops, we made a race out of practicing our escape plan from the house.

My all-too-grown-up firstborn wasn't haven't it.  She knew good and well that fire is scary, painful business and she made it known that talking about scary stuff was not fun and games and she didn't want any part of it.  We had an uphill battle (that we're still fighting) to convince her that preparation is a good tool for fighting fear.  Knowledge may be power, but it was not very comforting to her.

By mid-week, I had the opportunity to hand down my fear-fighting tools (see what I did there? fire-fighting, fear-fighting...never mind).  As she cowered in her bed, unable to sleep, I told her about how we use truth to fight fear, putting it on like a shield and sword.  I spoke God's truth over her and gave her the tools I've used so often...talking to God about the fear, being the boss of our thoughts and making them obey the truth, singing true songs, and praying for others to take the focus off ourselves.

I picked up a new tool at the ladies' retreat I went to last weekend.  The speaker told us not to ask "What if...?" but "What would a good God do if....?"  I decided to lay this tool on the table for A.  We went there out loud because I knew her little female mind had already gone to the worst case scenario (though her worst case scenario was much easier to talk about out loud than mine).  What would our good God do if all your stuffed animals burned in a fire?  What would our good God do if our house was ruined?  What would our good God do if we got hurt trying to go out the window?  He would provide above and beyond what we could ask or imagine and let us tell the story.  Maybe that story would help someone else love God.

I don't want to pass on fear to my kids.  I'm praying hard about how to tell them what they need to know without filling their hearts with fear.  But I'm so grateful now for my own fear struggle and the tools of truth I have been given.  I wish they didn't need them, but I'm glad I can pass them down to my daughters especially, for this seems to be a battle uniquely faced by women.  I pray my girls will wield their weapons with growing trust in their power.  Together we are mighty Princess Warriors of Truth and the lies of fear will not hold us! (cue patriotic musical crescendo)

Things I Learned from a German Teenager

Today marks one week since we took H to the airport for her return flight to Germany.  It was a very emotional send-off. I was surprised that A was the one shedding crocodile tears instead of C.  I think A understood the finality of the situation more than C.  Even J shed a few tears.  We all got pretty attached to this wonderful girl and will always share a special connection with her family.

In case your family might be interested in hosting an exchange student, I wanted to hit a few of the highlights that we're talking away from this experience (in no particular order):

1. Letting go is really hard.  The goal of parenting is to raise independent adults, so you have to let them fly away.  Right now, I can't imagine literally letting mine fly away to another part of the world.  It was hard enough to watch another mother's child walk through airport security and turn around to wave.
2. Peanut butter is addictive.  I'm proud to say we got her hooked.
3. These days are long, but the years are short.  Teenager schedules can be grueling with all they're involved in.  That makes the time fly even faster.  Before you know it, the games, practices, sleepovers, rehearsals are suddenly over and the calendar reflects the void. 
4. It takes a village.  We bit off a smidge more than we could chew on several occasions and relied on family, neighbors, and friends to bail us out.  Big thanks to all our chauffeurs and babysitters!
5. The world is big, and very close.  We brought another culture into our home and we were more alike than different.
6. Hide-and-seek translates, and builds bridges between cultures and ages.
7. It is possible to raise a respectful, thoughtful teenager.  I'm holding out hope that she wasn't just being nice because she was a guest and that my kids might treat their own mother the same way some day.  Don't burst my bubble.
8. Girls start dancing before they can walk and apparently never stop.  That girl danced around the house, on the stage, in the aisles of WalMart.  Never did find her a tutu, though.
9. Little girls get really attached to big girls.  I underestimated how much they would admire her and cling to her.  
10. God is faithful.  Starting with the way He matched us up with H, to some of our last-minute conversations together, God was all over this experience.  

We had a great experience with H as our first exchange student.  When we do it again, the next student will have a lot to live up to!  We'll definitely do it again, but might wait a few years for the age gap to close some.  If you are at all curious about hosting an exchange student, feel free to hit me up with questions.  I highly recommend every bit of it, except the saying goodbye.  

bis zum nächsten Mal, H!  wir lieben dich!  (And no, I didn't capitalize that correctly.  I hope google translate got the words right.)

The Rock House, Part 3

On my last visit to the rock house, Mom directed to me a card table stacked with papers and photos.  She said I could have any of it I wanted to keep, that most of it had been duplicated somewhere else and it was headed for the recycle bin.  Everyone else who had come for a last tour had already sifted through and kept what they wanted.

It took me a couple of hours to go through the piles.  It was all familiar, and yes, I already had duplicates of some of it.  One folder grabbed my attention, though.  It was the master copy of a notebook my Grandma had made for her grandchildren.  She photocopied one of those fill-in-the-blank template books with writing prompts to complete.  She had filled it all in, personalized for each of her 14 grandchildren, and gifted it to us in 1990.

I was 13.  We had been living with her for a year.  Sure it was cool that I lived in Grandma's big, fancy rock house.  My friends always wanted to know what it looked like inside.  Yes, the cookie jar was never empty.  But I regret that I completely missed the opportunity to harvest her wisdom, to listen to her stories, to tell her my own problems, to ask her advice.  I was young and didn't know better, self-absorbed and arrogant, thinking adults were clueless and couldn't possibly add any value to my circumstances.

My copy of the notebook piled up with other keepsakes and moved to a few new houses over the years.  I don't remember ever reading it.  At least, when I started reading the pages this time, it was very new.  Maybe it was seeing her original handwriting, or the years that added value, or my own experience as a mom wanting to impart meaning to my children.  Whatever the reason, her words were much weightier, more personal, valuable, significant.

"We still remember when you...'all were together at home and it is so hard to be alone now that Grandpa is gone.'

"I am happy that we all...'have so many good times to remember.  I hope that Grandpa and I have taught you all good things to remember.'

"I think our family is special because...'we all love each other so much and are all friends.'

"I was proud of...'the way my family could work and play together.  I was proud that I had learned to oil paint when all the children were in college and away from home.'

"I was always sorry I didn't...'travel more and get Grandpa to go with me, but he didn't like to travel as much as I did.'

"I felt very strongly about...'my family and home, and would not leave if I thought someone at home needed me.'

"I've changed my mind, and now I think...'women should have some time to do what they want to do, once in a while.  Don't wait until you are too old to go and do things.'

"My wish for the future is...'that all my family, children and grandchildren, will stay friends.  I want them to know each other and be able to play and work together.  I hope and pray that they are all Christians and love the Lord Jesus Christ.  May we be able to all be together often.  May none have to go to war.  May we all be proud of the name Grandpa gave us and keep it clean and good.  God bless each of you.  I love you all.'"

It is encouraging to me as a mom to read her words.  I never would have cherished them as a teen.  And this is another reminder that learning is a lifelong journey, not to be demanded immediately.  What I didn't grasp then, I am starting to understand now.  And it is the same for my children.  They can't fathom the depths of emotion those words stir, and I can't make them understand.  I can't demand that they value the blessing of grandparents nearby.  I can't force them to cherish every story.  I can't guarantee they won't take it completely for granted.  It will only be their own years and experiences that will prove these values in their hearts.  Like those who have hoed this row before me, it is mine to sow the seeds and wait patiently for the harvest, trusting the yield to Him who is able to give much more than I could ask or imagine.

What I Learned This Summer

I don't ever remember having to write a report about what I learned during the summer.  Maybe that's just in the movies.  You get my first attempt.

Around late spring/early summer, I was really discouraged with my kids' behavior.  It seemed all three were pushing my buttons and boundaries.  None of them were obeying the way I thought they should and I could not be consistent enough to get the results I wanted.

I turned to the all-knowing google.  Surely someone out there has had the same problem and will have the magic trick that I can put into practice and smooth out all the bumps in this rocky road.  I know, it sounds ridiculous to me too.  But I bet I'm not the only one who's done it.

One of the first hits was this article by Sally Clarkson.  It isn't a new article, but it was new to me.  It really made me think.  And do a parenting overhaul.

Somewhere along the way, I had adopted the first-time obedience mandate as biblical.  I didn't even think about it.  I didn't subject it to scripture.  I didn't pray about it.  The authors of the parenting books I read told me God wanted my children to obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart.  And if I consistently disciplined them, they would.  If they didn't, I was doing something wrong and I was endangering their souls.  I couldn't do it.  They didn't do it.  We were all horrible at it.  No wonder I was discouraged!

So the first thing I learned this summer was that I need to be much more careful about what I allow into my mind and into my parenting toolbox.  Sally's article reminded me that God's word is the best authority on parenting and I can take all of my frustrations to the real all-knowing Source who has power to actually help with my individual problem.  I knew this in my head, but I obviously had not practiced it.  I was shocked at myself and have tried to scrutinize my parenting to see what is biblical and what is manmade.  

I have also traded in parenting books for child development books.  I was referred to this series by Louise Bates Ames by three different sources in about two weeks, so I checked them out from my library.  Very refreshing and encouraging to read about characteristic behaviors at these ages and know that the thing I am battling really is "just a phase" and will likely subside in a few months or at least be easier to address.  

Sally's article also reminded me that righteousness is a life-long journey.  Talking it over with a dear friend, I said out loud what I couldn't seem to put into practice...if I can't get it right, why in the world would I expect my kids to?  It's time to surrender my unrealistic expectation that they will be "done" when they leave my nest.  God's plan for them may be to smooth out that rough edge through their spouse, an employer, a college roommate, their own children.  His is a process of sanctification, not a moment of completeness.  Parenting really is a marathon, and I probably will not witness my children cross the finish line.  They will still be running the good race after I am long gone.  This is so encouraging to me.  What a relief!  

God pricked my soul with a recent daily scripture reading.  I came across 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  I'm still working out how this applies to my parenting.  But I'm very grateful that God is perfecting me in love and not fear.  

Please go read the article.  Pray about it.  Subject it to scripture.  Tell me what you think.  And tell me, what did you learn this summer?

Paradigm Shift

J and I were discussing school philosophies recently and the topic of memorization came up.  In the homeschool waters I swim in, there is a lot of emphasis on young children being able to memorize facts as a way to organize information so that they can process and manipulate it as their brains develop those abilities.  While I maintain that there is value in memorizing because of the physical exercise it provides to the brain (neurons and synapses making connections and all that), J opened my mind to a new paradigm that I hadn't realized was upon me.

He (and lots of other smart people) realize that memorizing facts is no longer a necessary or useful skill.  In a literate society in the information age, we have the entirety of human knowledge at our fingertips in an instant.  There really is no need to memorize the Presidents, the periodic table, or prime numbers to 100.  We told our teachers that we would never use that information in real life.  But now the students tell the teachers that they'll find it on the internet if they should ever need it.

I'm still wrapping my head around what this means for the way I teach my kids.  I know it doesn't change my goal of teaching them how to learn.  A very wise friend recently told me that it is more important to teach my children skills than content; great content is a means for teaching the skill.  It's more important to be able to know how to learn, but while we're at it, let's learn great content.

I'm babbling here as I think through it myself.  This article--the web kids manifesto--that J shared with me really does a much better job of communicating the generational shift.  The scary part is that it probably is shifting even faster than whole generations.  The way A learns and gathers information may be outdated by the time Z approaches the same skills.  Read the article.  It really will help you see information in a new light and ponder the ramifications for the way our kids learn.

Sweet Spot

Today has been a sweet spot in the last few weeks.  Not that the last few weeks have been a terrible burden, just life with a newborn while trying to sell our house.  Crazy, intense days followed by the periodic dull, boring day.  It's really easy to get bogged down and frustrated on the crazy, intense days when I'm tired from getting up too early, the baby won't sleep, the girls are whiny and someone wants to come see our house.  So sweet days like today are worthy of soaking up and relishing.

For starters, life is beautiful because I am not pregnant.  Being "not pregnant" makes everything easier, even having a newborn.  But then, Z slept until I woke him up at 7:30 am this morning!  Great start to the day!  The girls stayed in bed until their lamp came on, so I didn't get out of bed until 6:45 am.  They enjoyed the new cereal I bought them (frosted mini wheats with fruit filling for other mommies of picky eaters).  Daddy ate breakfast with us and changed a dirty diaper before he left for work.  We all went outside to play in the driveway before it got too hot and got to talk to some neighbors.  Z fell asleep in my arms without me even trying.  We went back inside and I did "circle time" with the girls.  They stayed engaged with me for an hour and a half!  We read our Bible story, prayed, sang some songs, did a little art, read some poems, worked on scripture memory, read three chapters in our chapter book (!!) and finished with the last 24 hours in pictures.  Fabulous, blessed time together!!

Then they played happily together making a birthday party for their stuffed animals while I tended to some chores.  I realized Z had been sleeping for a little over two hours and went to check on him.  God's grace to me today....

...he has found his thumb!  This was his second nap to be prolonged by the sucking of a glorious thumb! We might be on to something here!  And hallelujah, because the last few weeks have really been exacerbated by a cat-napping baby.

I woke him up, fed him, and put him down to play while I made the girls' lunch.  I turned on some fun tunes and laughed with Z as he kicked in his bouncy seat.  My eldest, pickiest eater asked for leftovers from supper!  (Cheeseburger pie for those other mommies of picky eaters.)  And she ate them all and her fruit without a fight.  (Audiobooks are my new secret weapon during lunch.  They're so busy listening, they don't get silly at the table and we avoid most of the common pitfalls of table discipline.)  We finished lunch, watched a show, and started quiet time.  Z went back down for another nap without a fight and he's still sleeping!  Praise God for thumbs!!

I got a little cat nap before getting up to enjoy an ice cream sandwich and write a blog post.  Ladies and gentlemen, life does not get much better than this day!!  I know not what the afternoon holds or how it may all fall apart tomorrow, but I shall enjoy the glow of this moment and savor it.  May your day (or some day soon) be equally as pleasant and peaceful.

A Mommy Poll

I spend a lot of time and energy feeling guilty about the amount of time I spend or don't spend playing with my children.  Is this normal?  I've been thinking about generations of mommies before me and I don't think they spent a lot of time on the floor playing Polly Pockets.  Will my children be healthier adults than their children?

I know in generations past, there was more labor involved in housekeeping.  So kids were helping out from early on.  I imagine their opportunities for pure play were farther apart and means of entertainment were much simpler.

Modern conveniences and technology now make the workload lighter, and psychologists tell us to let our kids be kids, playing is their job.  And I hear it in their little voices, "Mommy, when can you play with me?"  They crave the attention and I know it does wonders for our relationship.

Does anyone else obsess about this?  Am I the only mommy who feels like I can never satiate her kids' desire for play time together?  How much time do you spend in pure play with your kids?  A few minutes here and there throughout the day, or a concentrated hour after supper?  Not art projects or cooking together or reading books, but getting into their little made-up world, being who they want you to be.

Please leave a comment (click on the word "comments" below this post) or send me an email.  I think it would be really interesting to see what "Mommy, play with me" looks like in other well-adjusted, healthy homes.

More Father's Day Gifts

C had two special gifts to share with her daddy this past weekend.  We tried to coordinate the day in such a way that he and I would both get naps, but we ended up fielding several interruptions during that part of the day.  He handled the big girls, while I kept Z happy.

On Saturday, he was roused from his almost-nap by C yelling that she had stinky pants.  This is an almost daily occurrence.  Something about being alone in her room during quiet time gets things moving.  He trudged in to change her diaper and discovered that for the first time in our parenting years, she had gone exploring in her diaper.  I don't think she liked what she found, because she had tried to clean it off on her shirt, belly, pants, and door.  It really could have been a lot worse, but J thought it was bad enough.

Then on Sunday, we tried again to finagle naps.  We even made the girls lay down to take naps.  C wasn't having it, though, so he gave in and let her do quiet time.  When he went to her room at the end of quiet time, he was shocked to see that she had been playing "splashpad" and had very thoroughly applied "sunscreen" to herself and her duplo blocks.  She had nearly emptied a tube of A+D diaper cream onto her face, arms, legs and every crevice of most of her duplo blocks.  Keep in mind that diaper cream is formulated to resist moisture.  I only washed one block, and that is tough stuff.  After googling "how to clean diaper cream out of carpet," and seeing the poor results most folks have, I decided not to waste my time.

Happy Father's Day, J!  Thanks for saving C from the wrath of Mommy.  If she pulls a stunt like those during the week, I can't promise I'll handle it with the grace you did.

Happy Father's Day!

We were a little preoccupied on the actual Father's Day, so I asked J to give me an extra week to coordinate a weekend of celebrating what a great man he is to our family.  He was happy to oblige, because he's a great man.

So Friday afternoon, we used our kidsbowlfree.com coupons to all go bowling.  If you haven't signed your kids up for this yet, you really should.  Every kid in your family under 12 gets 2 free games of bowling every weekday for the whole summer.  We signed up for the family pass on top of that and both of the grown-ups get 2 free games every day for the summer for the cost of one game.  (You still have to pay for shoes, which was $12 for the family at our local place.)  The girls had a blast!  They had a special ramp that you could push up to the foul line and let them push their ball down the ramp toward the pins.  It was perfect for C.  And A really enjoyed seeing "real" bowling instead of Wii bowling.  Z was a trooper and slept through almost all of it.

Saturday morning, the girls gave cards they had made to Daddy and we decorated with a banner and some balloons.  We made a pie that Daddy had raved about and had it for dessert at lunch.

For my gift to J, I had planned a surprise date.  One of our neighbors was kind enough to come watch all three kids and I tried to orchestrate the afternoon so that I could feed Z, run out the door, and be back in time for his next feeding.  J has been trying to get me to the gun range for a long time and I knew it would mean a lot to him if I finally caved and went.  I thought we would go to a nearby indoor range, so I arranged babysitting for middle of the afternoon.  Alas, I heard through the grapevine that the nearest range is no fun; we would have to go a little further out of town to what I learned was an outdoor range. This is how I say "I LOVE YOU!"

That's me, shooting a gun, outside, at 5:30 pm in the blazing heat.  (You can be doubly sure it's me 'cause I'm wearing a hat.)  File it away, because you won't see that again ever anytime soon.  I think J had a good time teaching me some really basic gun safety and introducing me to his latest hobby.  It was good to enter his world and see what fun looks like for him.  I have to admit, though, that I was surprised by my reaction to shooting.  It made me cry.  No kidding.  Granted I'm a postpartum hormonal mess, but I still wasn't expecting to tear up when I pulled the trigger. And no, it wasn't a happy cry.  Something very powerful about firing a gun.  I don't like the idea of being responsible for that action.  I don't want that kind of power in my hands.  But if we're going to have one in the house, I am at least grateful to know how to hold it and how to make it work if I need it. I can honestly say I'm not scared of it anymore, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with it.

We made it back home in time to feed the kids and get them in bed before a long night with a newborn.  Happy Father's Day, J!  I wish every kid had a dad like you who would play rough, talk soft, stand firm, and be crazy like you do with our kids.  You make me a better mommy and I thank our God for bringing us together and blessing us with three special kids who bring out the best in you.  I love you!

A Magical Childhood

I found a new blog that I'm in love with called A Magical Childhood.  This lady excels at my deepest weakness...fun.  Every Monday she posts "10 Ways to Make Today Magical."  Ten new ideas, every week.  Ten.  Every week, y'all.  I don't have that kind of magic in my pinky nail.  And they are ideas that I can actually see myself doing.  Well, at least, when I'm not big pregnant.  Granted some are beyond my comfort zone, but there are plenty to choose from!!  It's so inspiring!

Since I feel prepared for baby to arrive, I've been trying to make life less horrible for my daughters.  Pregnancy has not been easy on them.  Lots of angry, tired, achy mommy does not promote a magical childhood.  So I've been trying to say "yes" more often than "no" in the last week or so and really evaluate if I can do what they are asking or if I'm just saying no because I'd rather lie on the couch and eat ice cream.

Tuesday afternoon, I tried my hand at a little magic.  I told them I had a few chores to do and if they helped, we might get done in time to do something fun together before supper.  They cheerfully pitched in to fold the laundry and occupied themselves while I did some filing.  So I told them to put on their swimsuits and head to the backyard.  They were very surprised when I walked out in my swimsuit as well!  My sister had suggested I sit in a patio chair and let them spray me with the hose and there really wasn't a good reason not to.  We had a good time taking turns squirting each other, holding the hose on the slide, running in the sprinkler.  Letting them soak me with the hose was about the only way I would play outside with them in this heat. And I was only out there about 45 minutes before coming in to finish dinner plans.  That was just long enough for J to get home and wonder what he had missed out on.  I'm glad someone else witnessed the event, because I wasn't going to break out the camera while wearing a maternity swimsuit.  No amount of magic can salvage that mental image.

Have I Mentioned She's FOUR?!

I violated at least 96 of my own personal rules of motherhood a few days ago to bring you these photos...

There is more gel in her hair and make-up on her eyes than I use in a week!  And let's just rewind that sentence because I'm referring to my FOUR-YEAR-OLD!!  And the really disturbing part is that you can't see the make-up in the photos....that means I didn't use enough and will have to apply more for the real recital!

This was our own at-home dress rehearsal for the ballet recital.  Boy, am I glad we did a walk-through.  Took me an hour to get her runway ready.  An hour.  She's four.  And for all the other ballet moms reading this, just know that I did bribe her with a new toy and let her sit in front of the tv the whole time I was doing it.  Still....an hour.

She's been begging for a "strap" swimsuit this summer and I've been so conflicted about it.  Break out the ballet costume with nude spaghetti straps, maribou trim and bunny ears.  Yes, it has a little fluff tail in the middle of her tutu.  How do we back peddle from there to a rash guard swimsuit?

The only saving grace was that she fought me tooth-and-nail on the make-up.  She was so scared to get it in her eyes or in her mouth that I don't think she's going to be asking for it on a regular basis.  We were told to emphasize that it is part of the costume so people can see her face from far away.  Really?!  That's what the zoom is for on your camera.  She's four!!

I really want to be laid back and easy-going about this.  I mean it's part of a stage performance, right?  Special circumstances call for special costumes.  I get it.  But she's four!  And she's one of the oldest ones in her class!  Surely it would be okay if her hair weren't so tight that it gave her a headache and does anyone else really care if they can't see my daughter's eyes from their seat?  Do the other little girls enjoy this more than mine?  Is that the missing piece to this puzzle?  Maybe if she were excited about it and looking forward to performing, I would be more at ease with what seems like a little much for a FOUR-YEAR-OLD!

Somewhere around the time I was telling her to make a kiss with her lips so I could put on more lipstick, I finalized the decision in my head that we're doing gymnastics next year.  Stay tuned for recital details.

Laundry Day

I turned the dryer on this morning only to have Jeremy ask, "Are you drying gravel?!"  No, that would be a load of baby clothes resplendent with snaps.  I did five loads of baby stuff today!!  And that doesn't include the four bags of pass-me-downs that didn't get washed.  I washed two loads of tiny clothes, then three loads of burp rags, washcloths, towels, blankets, sheets, etc.  I've only bought one outfit, but we are set.

I hoarded baby girl clothes for so many years, "just in case."  Having boy clothes rain down in spades has only confirmed for me that there is no need to hold on to things "just in case."  God will provide what we need, when we need it.  And in the meantime, I can funnel His provision on to someone else instead of carting it up and down the attic stairs (or asking my husband to).

Remarkable Phenomenon

Ah, quiet time.  It's really not meant for a 2-year-old, I don't think.  She is still just scary enough that I'm afraid to leave her unsupervised, but I need that break.  She got close to climbing out of her crib one too many times, so she's on the floor now with the whole room at her fingertips...including the built-in shelving unit with cabinets full of toys.  So far, she hasn't started pulling everything out or climbing the shelves, but I know it's just a matter of time.

I will say that she is doing well with quiet time.  She is no more cranky in the afternoon than she is in the morning, so I can't blame her defiance on no nap.  She's just two.

The one thing I have noticed that changes after quiet time is her volume.  It's rather remarkable.  When her timer starts beeping at the end of quiet time, she begins yelling, "Mommy!  My timer!  Come!  It's beeping! Come get me!  Mommy!"  And her volume remains at that level for hours.  It's as if she's afraid to be quiet again lest she fall asleep.

She did this a few days ago when we were at the store with Daddy.  We could not get her to be quiet for all the threats in our kingdom.  Nor for all the consequences at our disposal.  She just could not use her inside voice.  The more tired (tireder?) she gets, the louder she gets.  I suppose we're using all of our "quiet" during that one hour of the day and it's too much to ask to save some for later.  I'll take that trade-off, though, and keep repeating my daily mantra, "Turn your volume down.  Turn your volume down."

Works of Art

You may have picked up on a recurring theme around here that my children can sometimes be a bit frustrating.  I always love them, of course, but sometimes they can be a smidge exasperating. That's why things like this are cherished in a mommy's heart:

And I know the little one is really thinking the same thing, she just doesn't have the fine motor skills to write her thoughts yet.  But I know how to translate this...

I love my job!

This Too Shall Pass

I've been saying this to myself often in recent weeks, knowing that we are in a season with well-defined time boundaries.  I will not be pregnant forever.  I will not be the mother of three under five forever.  This too shall pass.  Time passes at the same rate of speed no matter my circumstances.

I was so encouraged by one of the posts over at It's Almost Naptime this week.  If you are a mother of littles, please go read One Year Olds Hit and other amazing bits of wisdom.  Here's a sneak peek:

"Oh, and then there's the fun of discipline. What are realistic expectations? How much do they understand? Am I too hard or too lenient? Am I being played, or am I scarring them for life?"

 Bet you never have that debate with yourself.  Only about a dozen times a day.  This too shall pass.

Last Holdout

Apparently mama is the last holdout on naps around this house.  I finally surrendered and allowed C to have "quiet time" in her crib today instead of trying to force her to take a nap.  This is not very different from what we've been doing except that I didn't spend half an hour fighting with her to close her eyes at the beginning of the hour.  I put some books and a few toys in her crib and told her I would be back when the timer beeped.  She did really well for a first attempt.  I only had to go in once when her band-aid started bothering her.  And she played quietly, too, so I actually got in a short snooze.  We'll see how cooperative she is this afternoon.

It really burns me that I have to be okay with this.  I really want to be able to force her to take a nap, but that just isn't realistic.  And it's not healthy for our relationship to have this daily struggle.  So, I surrender.  I'm not sure why they don't want to take naps.  After all, I think it's glorious and look forward to that time of day more than any other.  Okay, not quite...bedtime is definitely my favorite.

This Post Brought To You By...

...a two-year-old who won't nap.  Utterly infuriating!  She's lying in her bed alternating between cute sing-songy play and downright belligerent demands yelled at her mother.  "Mommy? Mommy, can you hear me?!  I don't want to take nap!  Get me out NOW!" Brief silent pause, then "itsy, bitsy spider-man went up the water spout."  I don't know who told her it was Spider Man that went up the water spout, but she's convinced.

I really would be fine with her not napping if she would play quietly like her big sister.  But this is a foreign concept to a toddler.  That's why they are supposed to take naps.  'Cause if you're too loud during quiet time, then mommy doesn't get her nap and that's just bad for the whole house.  Never mind that a toddler who won't nap is predisposed to lots of discipline as the afternoon stretches into evening.

And so mommy stands in front of the computer and tries to lose herself in bloggy world while eating chocolate and trying to make up the day's water intake.  But don't think I can concentrate to really write anything significant or worthy of your reading.  That will have to wait for another day.

It's a Boy!!

Looks like I'll be taking suggestions for a new blog title.  We're adding a blue arrow to this crazy train.

We found out this morning and could barely believe it.  But pictures don't lie and this baby definitely has outdoor plumbing.

As soon as we were done with the ultrasound, J and I went over to Target to pick out a little boy outfit.  I suggested maybe a little toy, too, to show our girls.  He knew immediately which little action figures he wanted to start collecting.  Never mind that it will be three years until the baby is playing with them..."by that time, we'll have the whole set," he said.

C still doesn't really understand what's going on, but A was thrilled.  She had decided awhile back that a baby brother would be fun since we already had a sister.

God is good, all the time!