Skip to main content

Mommy always wins.


Mommy does always win! ...if that's the approach she takes. I've been working to refresh my resolve to always win, to expect and nurture towards high standards, even in little ways. {I'm also making an effort to be sure I'm not working to be nagging, picky, or set unrealistic expectations...}

I had heard the phrase "creating a monster", and always thought I wasn't doing that- however, when my 2nd little boy came along, I began to make some consistent exceptions to my own rules. I thought I was doing that to protect my sanity {life has been in the fast lane!}, but recently I have come to a screeching halt, realizing that I was encouraging bad habits in my little boys- making my job harder!

Most of the changes I've made are in their sleeping habits. Jonathan always went down well, but would play in his bed for upwards of an hour each night. Henry went down after much rocking, and liked to have a fan, be in his own bed, in his own room. I'm sure you're starting to see the "monster"s I'm talking about. I KNOW kids adapt to what we expect of them {within reason, of course}, but I hadn't been willing to fight the small battles early on to avoid bigger ones later! Now I'm expecting my boys to sleep in the same room, not to depend on a fan, and to go to bed quietly, the very first time. It's required some stubbornness on my part, but they're doing it!

What spurred the change: I've been pretty distracted spiritually for about the last year. It's not that I've doubted God, been mad at God... it's just that I've been busy with life. I could blame it on a tough baby, moving, remodeling, buying a business, whatever. But the bottom line is, I've been allowing myself to get caught up in the duties God has given me, passing by the God that gave me life, and gave life to me to care for! I've been reminded:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

And in turning my eyes upon Him once again, it gives me the freedom and strength to renew my resolve to raise my kids and love my husband in the way that is most glorifying to God {and best for them!}, instead of short-cutting. It refreshes my joy and awe at who God has entrusted me to care for, and reminds me of who I am in the first place: a daughter that God has set HIS heart to love and care for, always.

As I ,"Mommy", am working to "always win" with my kids, I'm also working to not take short-cuts in my spiritual life. It's amazing how those two parallel... and amazing how God DESIGNED those parallels! He does, after all, want us to call Him Father!

{This photo is this afternoon when the boys woke up together from their nap- which they obediently took, at Mommy's request.}

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Small Victory

I have a small victory to share with you:  Let me give some context... I blogged about the loss of children recently, verbally stomping my feet and telling the enemy that I will have no more of it- and that I have chosen my side and refuse to budge. The children God has given me "on loan" are all so different... Jonathan was an easy baby, and is currently a whirl-wind 3 1/2 yr old- he is FULL of energy, curiosity, music, rythm, he is friendly, relational, deep (yes, deep!), always thinking, processing, talking... He knows about God and that Jesus is real, and he knows that his baby sister Evelyn is safe with Jesus. Henry was a difficult baby, and is an easy 2 yr-old!  He adores his  brother and wants to be where he is, he gives AMAZING hugs, likes to be held, likes books, connects quickly with people, is caring, noisy, talkative, fast... and still has his innocence. He likes to pray. Evelyn has changed my life more than anything. Her body was tiny, but her exis...

Thank You

Thank you for walking alongside us, and for deeply crying out to God on our behalf. Tonight Josh and I held eachother with shaking arms, unable to breathe in our pain, with hot tears and groanings, deeper than we ever have. God is walking closely with us, teaching us, holding us. Thank you for being part of that. I can still feel little Evelyn Rose, she is still alive and moving- a continued miracle. As I sat down to pass on a little of this to some of you, here in the wee hours of the morning... in my husband's big sweatshirt, still wiping tears and snot on his sleeves (hope he doesn't mind... I'll just wash this sweatshirt before I give it back to him :) ), I had a photo file open on my desktop. I saw sweet little faces. Sweet, perfect little faces. What a joy and a privilege to raise two wild, wonderful boys. They are turning into such buddies, learning to appreciate eachother and play together instead of fighting, pushing, crying. They are innocent, energetic, curiou...

Beautiful Redemption

This weekend I tasted sweet, sweet intentional redemption from our Father... Last year I went to Women of Faith with my mom and her church. I went expecting to release the last of my sorrow over losing Evelyn. The band Selah was there, and they represent a lot of what happened in my heart while I carried Evelyn. Last year I sat in the front row of our suite with empty arms, bracing myself for the wave of pain I knew I would feel when Selah came onto the stage. The wave came crashing, and my mom wept silently with me over the daughter I will not see again on earth. It tasted bitter, but as I drank in the music, my heart healed a little more. This year as Women of Faith started, the very first song was embellished by petite ballerinas, dancing sweetly and elegantly for their Father. I sat in the front row again, this time with my arms warm with a beautiful little girl that God has loaned to me. This year the wave that hit me was actually more like a whisper (isn't it incredible h...