Back-to-School!

Well, it's official.  The kids are back in school and my life is slowly becoming my own again... at least until June of 2011.  Don't get me wrong, I am in LOVE with my children, I just can't seem to juggle children, laundry, meals, cleaning, and breathing all at the same time.  I am not the parent who stands at the bus stop on the first day of school, waving goodbye to the kids while holding back tears.  I am the parent who stands at the bus stop, smiling and waving, trying to hold back my screams of joy.  When the bus pulls away I run into the house, close the door, and I dance!  I reflect on all of the possibilities this year will hold.  Does that make me a bad Mama?  I don't know.  Everyone has their own way of coping, I guess.   

It's been a while since I've posted.  This summer has been insanely busy and went by in the blink of an eye.  Is it possible for children to grow up so much over night?  It seems like we are constantly buying new clothes because they've outgrown the ones they have.  Their feet are like weeds! We can barely keep them covered.  Flip flops are our saving grace during the summer.  They can slightly outgrow them, their feet hanging over the backs a little, but they can still wear them.  I wonder if they'd mind if I sent them to school this winter in flip flops.  Hmm.

It's not only their physical bodies that are growing but their minds are growing as well.  There are these things coming out of their mouths that amaze me....some good, some not so good.  I am daily reminded of the enormous responsibility I have as a parent to teach them how to live.  It would be nice if they came with an owners manual or pre-programmed to act and think the right way.  But they don't.  So, it is up to me to mold and shape their young minds...yikes!

There are three things that help me do this: 1. God.  He created their inmost beings.  I constantly look to Him for help.  2. Friends and Family.  I couldn't do this without their support.  3. Books!  I am a book junkie.  I actually think it's an obsession.  Half of the books I own I haven't read but somehow it makes me feel better just having them there.

I am currently reading a book that I want to share with you.  I'm not done with it yet but it's been great so far.  It's called "Say Goodbye to Whining and Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in you and your kids!"  How's that for a title?  In a nutshell, this book is about teaching your children honor and getting to the heart of their bad behavior. Often times parents (and I've been guilty of this) look for their children to obey what they tell them to do and that's good enough.  However, there is usually a deeper heart issue attached to their behavior that often gets overlooked.  This book teaches you how to discover those heart issues and how to deal with them.  

In the back of the book there are 8 weeks of interactive family times with discussion, science-type experiments, and visual aids to help teach your kids about honor.  We've been doing this with our family and our girls love it!  I do too!  Not only do we get good family time, but we are all learning about honor.

What parenting books have you been reading that have really helped you in your journey?  Do you have a book list that you hope to get to sometime in the near future?  

Thanks for stopping by,