Before pinterest I had to come up with kid costumes on my own. And since visual design isn't one of my strong suits, I came up with exactly one costume. All three of my boys wore it for the year or two that it fit. Only every year, it seemed at least one of them had a fever or some version of the flu, so I never really took them out in their adorable scarecrow costume. A picture on the deck was a far as we got. So when I took my youngest son trick-or-treating last year I was enthralled with … [Read more...]
Never for Nothing (Nunca de Nada)
I guess I was looking for a tally mark in the "good mom" column when I bought the video. Remember when I revealed all my early motherhood delusions? I mentioned our Spanish Barney days. Back when my boys were preschoolers and I was a hyper-vigilant mom who didn’t want to waste a moment of opportunity, who wanted to give my boys the best head start in the world, but I didn’t want to take them to preschool (confining!). I bought a VHS video of Barney entirely in Spanish. Because I had two … [Read more...]
To Obey is Better than Sacrifice: A Modern Day Parable from My House
About a week ago, I was super nerved-up over a multitude of tasks that are taking me a painfully long time to complete. To add insult to injury, the boys were arguing vehemently over totally inconsequential stuff. Like the exact shape of Kevin Durant’s logo. The precise lyric of a Tim Hawkins parody. Who’s fishing lure got dropped in the lake. They went round and round, name-calling, bet-making, and demanding I settle meaningless disputes. (Not only do I not care about Kevin … [Read more...]
A Mother’s Heavy Burden of Being a Good Example
Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. In nursery rhymes, pithy sayings, Sunday school lessons, books, blogs, social research and Scripture we learn that for better or for worse, our children will do what we do. Our little lambs arrive in our arms pre-programmed to learn by imitation. When we teach them to speak, clap, or play peek-a-boo, we use their most natural and effective mechanism for learning. When we … [Read more...]
The Fervent Prayer of a Ragged Woman
Wake. Feed. Dress. Transport. Bathe. Times five kiddos. I was a childcare machine, and I do mean machine. I was a cold, unfeeling, maternal robot programmed for quick response. Our home had become an institutional parenting operation with gaping holes where loving discipline and nurture should have been. While everyone was being fed and clothed, the lack of individual attention was showing up in constant behavioral “episodes.” I had been begging God for months to either change my … [Read more...]
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