Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was sweet.  Although, it WAS a Mother's Day.  My oldest daughter developed a fever on Saturday, kept it into Sunday and is staying home from school today.  So I was up with her throughout the night on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.  She was vomiting a bit, coughing like crazy, and other things I will spare you from reading.  

Once I got her settled early on Sunday morning, I got to stay in bed for a while, reading and drinking coffee, while Daddy took care of the house.  Then everyone piled onto our bed, even our Sickie, and I opened my presents.  I got adorable cards from my girls.  But one of the most special gifts I got was from my husband.  He wrote me a letter and bought me something I LOVE.  

I want to share the letter with you because it was special to me, but also because it's an encouragement.  Our husbands see what we do, even when they don't verbalize it.  Hubby is a very good encourager, but to see it all laid out in a letter was a blessing.  Here's what he wrote: 

May 9th, 2010

Mother's Day

Remarkable.  Visionary.  Inspiring. 

These are the words that describe the Mother that you are and have always been.  It astounds me how natural being a Mother is to you.  You know what to do in the face of a challenge, and you have a vision and can reason situations out to see how reactions now can have an impact on the tomorrow.  You have the ability to give consequences while still being compassionate.  They realize that even though they are being punished, it's for their actions and not for who they are. 

You genuinely love your daughters and enjoy being around them.  You find joy in their silliest moments. You hurt when they hurt.  You're proud when they are proud of their accomplishments.  You always want them to understand that their lives matter greatly in your life, and that without them you wouldn't be the same person.  Your goal is to instill in your daughters the definition of being a woman of confidence and a woman of God.  A woman of confidence in how God made her. 

I know few Mothers who are so invested in the lives of their daughters in a healthy way.  (My husband is a fourth grade teacher) It is an amazing thing to see.  You love Motherhood, even when it requires a lack of sleep, a change in plans, or some paint on the car.  Daily, you take things as they come and handle them with grace.  

Genuine.  Intelligent.  Selfless. 

These are the words that describe the Mother that you are and have always been.  It astounds me how natural being a Mother is to you. 

I consider it a true Blessing that the Lord has allowed me to watch as you go on this journey. 

I love you. 

J.  

This letter means a lot to me because these are some of the things I want to instill in our children.  I'm glad that he sees these things and has confidence in the Mother of his children.  

He also bought me this: 

Willow Tree Angel: Surrounded by Love

Hubby said that he chose this one because they all love me so much.  I am surrounded by their love.  

I hope you had a great Mother's Day.  Remember that what you do is important, even when you think no one else notices.    

What did your family do for you this Mother's Day?  

Thanks for stopping by,

Say “Yes” Once In A While

Right now I am sitting at my kitchen table.  Hubby just took our girls out for ice cream.  That means I have the house to myself!  It’s quiet (except for the sound of the happy dance I’m doing right now).  I have a candle lit, it’s beautiful outside, and I’m eating chocolate.  Granted, it’s chocolate we probably paid way too much for, but my husband has a hard time saying no to a child selling candy or cookies.  We usually have about 7 boxes of Girl Scout cookies each year.  I think his inability to say no stems from the fact that he was a boy scout for a long time…he’s got a soft spot.  What can I say, I’m a sucker for a guy who has a soft spot for kids. 

About an hour ago, I was making dinner in the kitchen with my 7-year old daughter, who I fondly refer to as “Emma Bug”.  (I can’t call her that in front of her friends, but I can at home). We were making a simple dinner, good ‘ole Mac ’n’ Cheese.  As the water was boiling, Bug asked if she could wash the dishes and if I could do it with her.  My first instinct was to say no.  Who wants to wash dishes by hand when you could shove them in the dishwasher?!  Imagine.  But as I took a minute to think about it, I realized I had a real opportunity here.  First of all, my daughter asked me to spend time doing something with her!  As much as I’d love to live in the dream that she’ll always want me around and want to spend time together, I know the day will come when she grows up and has a life outside of her Mama.  I want to take advantage of the time we have now…live in every moment. 

Second, it’s in the day-to-day moments that the opportunity for communication arises.  The unplanned time together sometimes lends itself to great conversations. I want my kids to talk to me, now and when they’re older.  If I can’t spare 5 minutes in the kitchen while we’re waiting for the water to boil, why would I take time out of something important to talk with her?  I know I would, but she may not know that. Our children see our actions, no matter how loud we’re talking.  It’s what they see that’s going to stick in their noggins. 

Third, there are so many other things that I have to say no to, why not say yes once in a while?  I used to say no because what they were asking for was something that required some effort on my part.  Even without the whole communication aspect, how hard is it to let your child do dishes?  So there’s some water to clean up afterwards, and probably some towels that will need to be washed, but I bet our kids will remember getting to wash the dishes.  And in some cases, it really boosts their self-esteem to know that we trust them enough to wash the dishes.  (If you don’t trust them enough, do it with them and show them how to do it properly.  Or if you don’t want to do that, wash them again when they go to bed).  The joy it brings them is worth the wet towels and semi-clean dishes.  And those times when you have to say no to things, they’ll know it’s because it’s important and not because you just don’t feel like doing something. 

Back to Bug – while doing dishes, we talked about her day.  She was so excited to share with me all of the things she did that day.  (She spent time with our friend and babysitter).  I just watched her face light up, and her animated expressions and said a prayer of thanks to God for giving her to me. 

Go take your kids outside to play in the mud.  Then spray ‘em down with the hose!  Have fun.  Be a kid again.  Create those memories that will stick with them and will open the doors of life-long communication between you and your kiddos.  It’s worth the mess!

Thanks for stopping by,