For The Love Of Toys!

Toys.

I have a love/hate relationship with them, as I am sure lots of parents do. There are just too many toys! I have found that my kids actually play less when there is an over abundance of toys. Not to mention that they don't seem to appreciate their toys, or other things for that matter. Armed with this information, I began searching and praying for what to do.

Then I read this article titled "Why I took all my kids toys away {and why they won't get them back}" It was EXACTLY what I needed! Everything she said made me say, "oh my goodness, EXACTLY!". It was a breath of fresh air and I knew it was what I wanted to do something like this as well.

As soon as I knew I wanted to work up a plan of attack, I started preparing the kids. We have been talking about how we are very blessed and how we are called to help those around us through the blessings God gives us. And so my first step was to ask the kids which toys they wanted to donate. Luckily that step went very smoothy. We donate toys often, but the attitude my children have about it is less than willing and shows just how selfish they can be. When I saw this progress I knew it meant we had to keep up the momentum and go deeper.

Now we are preparing them for the next step, the bigger step. The step that a tiny piece of me is like "Am I crazy? Are the kids going to drive me nuts when I do this? Will it be worth it at all?".

The day after Thanksgiving we are going to bring ALL THE TOYS IN THE HOUSE into the living room. Together we are going to sort every single toy into piles. A donate pile, a pile of "always" toys, and then bin toys.

Always toys are going to be the toys they can have in their toy boxes in their rooms. Lula Mae will get to have her baby doll and accessories. Jayce will get his cars and trucks. They will each get to keep a few more "always" toys, but I will be sure that they are toys that spark imagination and creative play. These piles will be very MINIMAL and will be monitored frequently.

The bin toys will be sorted into 3 plastic bins. We will no longer say "this is his toy" or "this is her toy". The bins are OUR toys, They belong to everyone. I am going to try my hardest to make the bins make since. For example on bin will have the cash register, the play food, the chefs costume, the tea set, etc. so that when a bin is picked they can really play together. 

Each week the kids will pick out a bin TOGETHER that will stay in the playroom. For that week they can play with that bin, along with their "always" toys. They toys from the bins will not be allowed to come to their bedrooms, they must stay in the neutral area of the playroom. I am hopeful that that will help them to realize it isn't "his" or "hers", and instead theirs. 

This is just my overall vision. I realize there are still many details that need to be sorted out. I am confident, however, that this new system will really help my kids. We live in a "stuff" driven world and I am desperate to help them see that "stuff" is not important. I want them to appreciate things and really thank God for everything He has blessed them with.

I won't lie, this will be very hard for me. One of my love languages for my kids is "giving gifts". Part of the reason I want to do this is to help me realize that my kids don't need  all these things I am buying. I think this is really going to challenge me in a big way, and I am very excited about that. 

My kids will have some adjusting to do as well, I am sure of that. I can't wait to see what this does for our family!

My Brain Has Left The Building

My brain has officially checked out. Yep. It isn't even mid-November yet and I feel like I am ready for the new year.

Life has been so full and busy these days. That is great I guess, except I feel like it has been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up with what's really important.

Jesus is what is really important. End of story.

With how crazy things are these days I am skipping my quiet time, rushing through prayers, squeezing in my devotional. What is that showing my kids??? It is showing them the exact opposite of what I am called to show them!

I need this holiday season to be different than any other. I need it to be low key, and calm, and 100% focused on Jesus. Not just Christmas, but Thanksgiving too! I desperately need things to slow down so I can gain some perspective.

Raising my kids is one of the most important things God has called me to do. I am seeing how difficult this job really is these days. I am also seeing how fleeting my chance to raise my children is as well. I will be my kids Mom until the day I die, but I only really have a small window of opportunity to raise them. The way things are going right now, I am ashamed to say, society is really raising my kids... not me. That is just not acceptable! I am aware that when my kids are adults I can still impact their lives and influence them, but not like when they are young. Not like I can today. Today is where I need to be.

Today is where I need to always be focused. Showing my kids how to live for Jesus today.

When the new year rolls around I want to have a better handle on understanding time. I want to move into 2014 with a feeling of "I can do this".

If I'm lucky, perhaps my brain will join me...

I Blinked

And my babies, my tiny little babies....

 

Lula Mae at 4 days old

   

Jayce at 5 days old

                                                           

....turned into kids.

Jayce at 2 years 5 months & Lula Mae at 4 years and 5 months

These precious years are slipping away. I have pictures, videos, calendars with special notes written on them.... but I will never get to live these years again. I am trying to slow down and cherish these moments that are so swiftly leaving. And yet, time just seems to move faster. The busyness of "life" too often robs me of the precious moments I want to enjoy. I have to remind myself every single day that my babies are not babies and I need to slow down, hold them, tell them how special they are, stare at their little faces, hold their little hands, memorize the sounds of their voices, etch their silly laughs into my brain.... enjoy them while they are still little.

When did it happen though? I missed the transition somewhere. How is it that I have kids?

My babies are kids.

The Day Has Come....

I am linking up with Emmy over at Emmy Mom today with a Proud Mommy Moment. Head over to hear blog to see more!


Thing 2 did it. He finally did it, after months of being dangerously close to doing it.

He climbed out of his crib.

He did it out of shear anger and frustration, but still... he did it. I was not ready for this because Thing 1 never even THOUGHT about doing such a thing. She is overly cautious... him, not so much!

When I heard the thud I was almost in disbelief. When I opened the door the look of panic on his face was pretty funny. He was spanked and then put back in bed.

My next thought was "there is no way he is ready for a toddler bed". Translation.... "I am so not ready for him to be in a toddler bed". So what did we do?

Heather gave us a GREAT idea! She had seen another mom put her child's mattress directly on the floor inside of their crib. Luckily we have a crib that this worked with, it is super low to the ground and there is no way for his mattress to move in any direction. So we took out the spring board thing and plopped this mattress right down on the floor.

It gave us literally 5 or 6 more inches of height! I am guessing that buys us at least another 8 or 9 months! WOO HOO!!!!

See, Jayce would be that kid that like gets up in the middle of the night and goes and makes a sandwich. I wish I was kidding. He really would not comprehend "Mommy and Daddy want me to stay in bed"... well he would comprehend it... he just would not obey it!

So for now, the little dare devil is contained!

Our New Behavior Chart

We have been dealing with lots of new behavior around our house. Some good, but unfortunately, mostly bad. I spent some time on Pintrest and searched for a new method to help us get a handle on these behaviors, both good and bad. I wanted more than just a "oh look you are on a smiley face".... what does that even mean? I wanted something with Biblical linking and explanations. After looking at different charts and systems, I gathered up some materials and created our new behavior chart. Sorry the pictures are so terrible, it was late when I took the pictures so the lighting was horrible. 

 

This is a full length shot so you can see it all together.  To bad it's blurry :-/

 

At the top I have Galatians 6:5 "For we are each responsible for our own conduct" as a good reminder to the kids that they need to be worried about what THEY are doing, not what the other is doing. That is Lula Mae's new thing... telling me everything Jayce has done wrong.... so fun! 

 Each morning they start the day on green. I thought that verse worked perfect :-) There are 3 levels above green (blue, indigo and purple). Each level has a description of what behavior coincides. This way we can go over the description with the kids and explain how their behavior was right or wrong.   

 Below green there are also three levels (yellow, orange and red).

 Lula Mae and Jayce each have their names on a clothes pin and I clip them on opposite sides.

 I'm not going to lie, I'm worried we are going to see this a lot....

 Luckily the popper (our "rod") is hanging right beside the chart so it is easily accessible. Yep, that pink spatula is our rod. Think what you want, we discipline or kids in a Biblical way. 

I am going to have a sticker chart for each of them beside the behavior chart, then at the end of each day if they have ended on green, blue, indigo or violet they will get a sticker on their chart. Once the chart is full they get a special day with Mommy and Daddy. It's fun! It gives them a little incentive to keep their clothes pin on the upper part of the chart. 

The Little Things

Lula Mae loves drawing and writing. Her favorite thing to do these days is make cards and messages for people. After a tough day, nothing melts my heart like finding this on my nightstand.

And when I flip it over and see this.... 

...it blows my mind. Number one, it blows my mind how smart my 4 year old is to write so many things all on her own.... number two, it blows my mind how unconditionally loved I am by her. She sees the good in me, even when I can't. She loves me unconditionally, even though I don't show her that same unconditional love. She loves the Lord and I see that in the little things like this. I am honored to get to call her my daughter. The little things like this help make up for all that bad moments of the day for sure!  

Not Babies

I just cleaned 4 years of grime off of our high chair because Jayce is now in a booster seat at the table.

He sits there like it is no big deal.

We just took down our two walk through baby gate (technically Jayce ripped one out of the wall, hulk style) Why have a gate up when the youngest child can open it on his own.

He would walk through and then close it behind himself like it was no big deal.

I no longer have to carry Jayce to the van. He can climb into the van and then into his seat all by himself.

He jumps in a waits to be buckled like it is no big deal

When Jayce finds trash on the floor he takes it to the trash can.

He tells me later that he threw something away like it is no big deal.

But it is a big deal.  To me at least. My baby is doing things for himself, needing me less and less. That is a big deal! I think my husband is secretly thrilled with all of these events, but I am somehow sad. It is odd feeling less needed by my kids. For nearly 4 years now I have been needed. Now all of a sudden, I'm kinda not. I am grateful that my kids are happy, healthy and basically normal. Still it stinks a little to see the babyness stripped from our house. 

This new phase of life will be fun I am sure, each season of life is precious in its own way. I am looking forward to this new season. And someday perhaps there will be another season of babies for us. Right now I am focusing on my two wonderful kids who are growing up quicker than I could have ever imagined.

They Should Really Warn You About This In The Baby Books

*Warning.... this post is GROSS! I wish I was exaggerating, but I am so not. If you have the slightest weak stomach you may want to click that little x in the corner and come visit me another day. If you are offended by the word "poop" you may also want to follow the folks with the weak stomachs. You have been warned.*


There are things they baby books tell you, things you will never need to know. And then there are things that they should put in the baby books. Like how about the fact that kids will, if given the opportunity, play in their...ugh... poop. My daughter never once did anything of the sort. Ever! So, is it just a boy thing???? Are you ready for this people... I mean, take a deep breath and prepare yourself....


Nap time was over so I headed to the kids room to get them up, like always. As I hit Jayce's room the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. "Oh great, he hates being changed right away. This will be a fun battle to start the afternoon with.... ugh...", and I preceded to open his door.


People, what I saw when I turned the light on was worse than something out of a horror movie.


If you are eating.... do me a favor and put the food away. If you are even drinking.... you may want to put that down too....



"Oh my word Jayce... is that... is that....


oh my goodness.... it IS!!!! It's POOOOOOOOP!!!"


"Oh Jayce it is all over the crib! It's all over the outside of the crib! Oh Jayce!"


"Look at your hands! JAYCE!!!! (gagging begins.) Oh this is bad! This is really REALLY bad!"


"Ahhhh! Look at your shirt! Wait, no don't touch me! Ewwwwww (gagging way more) please just don't touch me. Ummmm let me run a bath! Yeah a bath...."


"Oh your hands son! Look at your hands! YOUR FACE!!!!"


(nearly vomiting now) "Baby it is all over your FACE!!!! Jayce what in the world were you thinking! Oh my word!"


"Don't look at me with that innocent face! You have it in your nose... it's in your ears... all over your eyes.... oh honey you didn't eat it did you? (gagging profusely) Come on, lets get in the tub and try to scrub you down."

Yes folks. That.Just.Happened. I wish I was kidding. It took me like half and hour in the tub trying to scrub all the dried poop off of him. Even after his bath with lots and LOTS of soap his hands still smelled like poop. Totally gross! It took nearly a roll of paper towels to get the crib clean and I had to wash EVERYTHING in the crib. And now, Jayce is not allowed to wear anything other than zipper pajamas during nap. It is basically number one rule in the Bell house right now because quite frankly I can't deal with all this again. I would have appreciated reading THAT page in a parenting book AT SOME POINT IN TIME so that I could have prepared myself.
Is it bad that I am praying for more girls? I mean.... can you blame me... I'm scarred. *shivers*

My Little Man

Jayce is 19 months old now. Where has the time gone?

He is trying to be more vocal but he is still hard to understand on a lot of what he says.

He is ALL boy... loves to climb, loves to wrestle, loves to be messy... 100% boy for

sure. Although he does still enjoy wearing Lula Mae's tutu ;-)

I swear he is still mad that we took his paci away at 12 months. He finds this chicken leg everyday and sucks on it like a paci.... sigh.... get over it dear boy, you ain't getting that paci back.

We took him for his skin allergy test on Monday. We found out that he has an egg sensitivity (no big deal, it just causes a red rash if it touches his skin but does not affect him when he eats it) and he is allergic to peanuts.

This is what his skin does when he gets egg on it. Not pretty, but I'm glad it isn't a full blown allergy.

We now have epipens. I guess they do make me feel a bit more at ease. Being that he is 100% boy there is no telling what food he may get into without us knowing. At least we know with the epipen he is safer.

He is getting a little pit of fat on him! Getting a little chubby! Yay for his body healing so he can retain nutrition from food! Praise God!

After his skin test we were sent to have a bit of blood work done. I took Jayce myself and Charlie spent some quality time with Lula Mae. I expected the worst taking him alone to have blood taken. I was more than surprised at his reaction. Have you ever experienced peace beyond understanding before? Well, now I have. I held him in my lad and pulled his sleeve up. The amazingly sweet nurse wrapped the truncate around his tiny arm and felt for his vein. He watched her so intensely, never wiggling or whining. Then she told me to get ready and hold him tight. I held his little arm in place and put my mouth up to his ear. I began praying for him. He sat there, needle in his arm, with not so much as a quiver or whimper. Never once did he make a sound or flinch away. His breathing did not even change. It was so unbelievable! The nurse was so amazed at Jayce and just could not stop laughing. She told Jayce he was her best patient ever :-) That day is something I will never forget. He is my big strong boy!

So that is what is going on with Jayce right now. We are starting to figure out his little puzzle and are well on our way to making him healthy. God is taking such good care of Jayce!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and are praying for Jayce. It means a lot to us!

Something To Ponder

God is the only one knows the depths of your heart and He loves you anyway.
blows.my.mind.

Do you love your children that way?

As parents may our prayer be that we have as much love and compassion for our children that our Heavenly Father has for us.

Where Is That Light At The End?

I feel like I am stuck in a tunnel and just can't seem to see that beam of light that assures you the end is coming.

I feel like everything I am doing with my kids is wrong and is doing more damage than good.

My kids are tough right now. Tough is putting it lightly.

I'm not saying they are out of control and horrible. They are just tough.

Every stage of parenting has its ups and downs. Right now BOTH my kids are in a down.

I can't lie... it's not fun. I feel like I am about to lose it. Like, really really lose it. You know?

There are times I have to remind myself that they love me. It stinks to have to remind yourself that you children love you.

I don't have the kind of kids who just come over to me begging to be held and loved.

I have two kids who know Mommy is going to meet there needs in life... and that seems to be enough for them.

Not for me.

I want my babies to be sad when I leave the house. I want them to (every now and then) want to be held and snuggled for no reason other than they love me.

Someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Parenting is not easy, I know that. I just want to feel like I am doing a good job and the way they are acting these days, I just don't. Not even close.

There is so much pressure to be a good parent. I want to be a good parent. I want to be a godly example to my children, but I am so broken. I am the worst example for them to see and I feel so guilty for that. They deserve so much better.

This post is for me. To clear my head and get some of this off of my mind so I can focus. No need to pity party with me on this. Sometimes getting problems and worries out is the first step to dealing with them head on. I'm desperately trying to deal with this.

18 Months And Counting.... Thing 2

My little boy is nearing the 18 month mark.... can you believe that??? My goodness is that possible??? A week or so ago I noticed some pretty rough behavior from Jayce. I knew he was still teething a molar, but this was different. I just couldn't figure out why he was throwing so many random fits and testing so many limits.

Then Charlie said... "Don't you remember what Lula Mae was like at 18 months?"

I was confused. What in the world did 18 months have anything to do with it? Hes just a baby. Oh dear......

HE IS ALMOST 18 MONTHS OLD!!!!!

Lula Mae was harder at 18 months old than any other age. Literally. So right now we are there with Jayce. We are in the midst of what is one of the hardest stages of parenting in our house. We don't back down, God didn't call parents to back down. Our kids probably think we are too tough, but we are here to lead them and teach them. The fits over nothing are hard, but the giggles and smiles are worth it. He is trying to be more verbal so we are spending lots of time helping him with that. Still, fits happen.... crying over nothing happens.... screaming out of frustration happens.... and we just stay strong. This too shall pass. And if he is anything like Lula Mae from about 25 months old until 38 months old are much smoother sailing. I can't say too much for 38 months and on because Lula Mae has been tough lately.... sigh....

Right now consistency is key. We have to be consistent so he knows what is expected and what the consequences are for certain things. This may be an up hill battle, but it is not one that Charlie and I are willing to just give up on. Our kids mean too much to us to let them "win" certain battles.

Anyone else tired? ;-)

These Things

The glow of the baby monitor cutting through the darkness of the night

The sound of the mobile music playing softly through the monitor

The loads of tiny clothes

The toys strung all over the house

The smell of baby powder

The look of wonder on their face as the discover something for the very first time


The semi toothless grins

The tiny feet and tiny hands

The swiftness to forgive and forget my wrongdoings

The feeling of a little head laying against my chest

The magic healing power of a kiss and a fun band aid

The footie pajamas

The giggles brought on simply by a game of peek-a-boo

The look of somber stillness of their sleeping face



The endless hugs and kisses they offer

The love/hate relationship I have with reading the same book 6 times in a row

The mess that is "eating"

The sheer determination only a child can have when mastering a new task

The mess that is "bath time"

The excitement that fills the house when Daddy gets home from work

The mess that is "I can do it!"

The profound trust they have for me over their life

The pure blissful innocence



These are the things I will miss when my babies are not babies anymore. God willing there will be more babies down the road, but that is not in our hands. These are the things I want to cherish and soak in while they last. In the blink of an eye most all of them will be gone.

As parents we only have a few short years to influence our children. Take the time now to show them you love them, to tell them that God loves them, to tell them that God made them perfect. While you are influencing them, cherish them. I doubt anyone has ever laid on their death bed and thought "I sure wish I wouldn't have spent so much time with my family". Once these precious years are gone.... they are gone. You can't get them back. Soak them up while they last! Enjoy each season of life as it comes, regardless how tiring, messy, loud or chaotic that season may be.


Dear Lula Mae and Jayce,

I love you so very much. Stay little for a while, okay? Just a little while longer please.

Love,

Mommy

It's My Move

Parenting is always a challenge. I didn't expect it to be easy when we decided to start our family roughly 4 years ago. Even though I knew it wouldn't be easy, I never imagined it being this hard. Don't get me wrong, I adore my children and am grateful to have them. I would not change one thing about my life, but that doesn't mean I am not entitled to some frustration along the way. Even the most joyful people have doubts, fears, anxiety... at least every now and then.

This past week has been a whirl wind. My children have been tag teaming me. Typically when one is difficult the other senses it and gives me a break. This past week the both were beyond difficult. No rest for the weary.

I have a 3 year old who is incredibly smart and that makes her more difficult a majority of the time. Not to mention that she is strong willed like crazy! She can not be distracted easily like most children. She understands things so clearly that she tries to reason with you and rationalize every.single.thing.you.say. Literally EVERYTHING! She is not like that all the time, but when she is it is tough. She is testing her limitations, trying to see what we are going to let her get away with.

I have a 1 year old who is teething 4 molars and one other tooth. 5 teeth folks. FIVE freaking teeth at one time! Would you be happy? I can't blame him much, for that part at least. Now I can blame him a bit for this new desire to throw temper tantrums. Aren't they starting a bit early??? I thought so too. To add to his difficulty lets throw in that he is still healing internally from his gluten intolerance and cannot tell when he is actually hungry. Instead his body feels hungry all day long. His intestines don't know which signals to send to his brain so it continuously sends hunger. He can eat an entire meal, like adult sized meal, get down out of the highchair and beg to get back in. He cries and begs for food all day long as though he hasn't eaten in days. My heart aches for him because I clearly can't let him eat every waking minute of the day. He would be sick and we would go broke from the grocery bill. And yet he understands none of that. So he begs and cries and throw fits.... for food. And all I can do is tell him no and try to distract him until at least an hour passes so I can offer him a snack.

I'm exhausted.

This past week with all of this going on I didn't see God. I haven't felt Him working. I haven't seen His grace. God just wasn't in my line of sight. He was hidden in my blind spot somewhere. We all have those times where we feel like we don't really know ourselves anymore. Times where we fall flat on our face in our faith and wonder if there is any way to get back up again. I was there last week. I raised my voice at my kids too much, I held them at too high of a standard and watched them fail, I showed them no grace, I belittled them.... I did not show them Jesus at all. Maybe here and there during our bible time or something, but not through my life.

This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35

My spirit is beginning to lift and I see God all over the place now. But there is good reason for that. God doesn't have a big giant blinking sign that says "HERE I AM!" nor does he wear neon colored shirts so that we just can't miss Him. There are times when he blends into the background and waits. He waits for us. Yes, He does pursue us, but not always. Sometimes He waits for you to pursue Him. Last week I wasn't pursing Him, instead I wanted Him to do all the work. He wanted me to make the next move instead of Him. He was there even though I felt so alone, He never left.... He just waited quietly and patiently.

Now that I am pursing Him, I see Him. I made my move and all of a sudden, I don't feel as exhausted. My children have been difficult, but they deserve the best from me no matter what the circumstance. The deserve to see Jesus in me so that they can learn how to follow Him and bring glory to Him with their lives. If they don't see God at home, where will they see Him? How will they grow up strong in their faith if they don't see it at home?

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9

I want my children to find that narrow path. I want them to desire to do the right thing for God and His glory. I pray that my children will find that narrow gate and enter it even though I am making so many mistakes. They deserve so much better than what I can give them.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the laws of the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:12-14

Parenting is always going to be hard, but I am clinging to this...

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Use Your Words

There are a few of things I find myself or others saying that brought me to a realization.

I love....
I adore.....
I hate.....
I am obsessed...
I loath...

In today's world, it is normal to use these terms on a daily basis and think nothing of it. Although, in our house we do not allow the word hate to be used. It just does not need to come out of my 3 year olds mouth, end of story. But what about these other words? They don't seem so bad, right?

I realized that on a daily basis I don't give God all of myself when I throw these words around aimlessly. When I have said I love Frosty's, love brownies, love sleeping in.... it just doesn't make it seem so important when I say "I love God". I throw the word love around all over the place, when I should truly love Him. I should adore Him. I should be obsessed with Him. I should hate and loath sin and Satan.

I am going to try to use my words better. My kids need to see me making good choices so they can learn to make good choices. I don't want them to think that loving God is the same as loving ice cream. I want them to know that when they think of love, the first thing that should pop into their head is God. If they can do that, then the other things in life that they do love will circle back to Him.

I want to be obsessed with God. I want to fully love God. I want to adore God above everything else. More importantly, I want my children to. I'm not saying we all can't love other things, adore other things.... for me it just seems that we all go a bit overboard and forgotten what we should really love, adore and be obsessed with. Next time you find yourself using these words, take a second to think if you are using them in the right context for your life.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. -Romans 12:9

Moments Like This

Are very rare.

The two of them together.... sitting and reading. I held me breath as I went to get my camera, worried I would miss this very rare moment. Luckily, They stayed this way for quite a while. Reading and talking. Sharing and playing.

And then they began doing what they do best.
Rolling all over each other and tickling.
FYI little kids don't tickle well... it really hurts! Not even kidding!
I enjoyed the sweet, quiet moment while it lasted though. Although, their laughing and playing (though far from quiet) is still a wonderful moment. Lula Mae has an "only child" personality if I have ever seen one. It is nice to see both of them enjoying each other more often. Even if they are semi torturing each other..... hey it works for me!

Bank

Lula Mae got a dollar from her Franny yesterday. (Franny is my Mom. Since Lula Mae was the first grandchild she got the privilege of "naming" her) Today I wanted to teach her about money. She thinks that money is just something to hold and play with at this point, and I just don't like that. I think the earlier you begin explaining financial things to kids, the better (in an age appropriate way of course). I want my kids to understand the importance of money and that since God blessed us with this money we need to use it wisely. I know the picture is hard to see, but it gives you an idea of what we made.


The big bag is Lula Mae's "bank". Inside of the bank are 3 different "accounts". We talked about how you give to the church first, savings second and then to your spending account last. So we took her dollar and broke it into change. Then I showed her how to divide her money between the bags. I will say, she was not thrilled and whined and pouted through a majority of the activity. She thinks she should just hold and play with her money.... and well, that just isn't going to happen. I think over time she will think it is fun, but right now she is protesting. The next time I go to the Dollar Tree I need to pick her up some pretend money to play and practice with. On Sunday I will let her take her church bag with her to give in the offering and I think that will perk her up a bit. I want my kids to have a good foundation of money so that perhaps they won't make the same mistakes that Charlie and I did. I think that this along with them seeing us work towards a debt free life will really help them succeed when they are in charge of their own finances.

Heavy

The service today was amazing. I adore my Pastor and appreciate his honesty. If you never sit in church thinking "oh man, that is so me" and then feel yourself almost turn red with embarrassment then you may not be listening well enough. I love all of my pastors sermons, but some of them really hit on a very personal level. For me, I need that. One thing my pastor said today is ringing in my head...

If the world loves you, you may not be living right.

Ouch. How incredibly true! Ever since Lula Mae was born Charlie and I have often been questioned or criticized for our parenting. Too many times we hear....

But don't you want your kids to be normal?

Marriam-Webster defines normal as: a) according with, or not deviating from a norm, rule or principle. b) conforming to a type, standard or regular pattern.

Do I want my kids to be normal? No. I don't want my kids to be raised by society and what it sees as normal. I don't want my kids to have no respect for authority the way that the upcoming generation seems to be. I don't want my kids to think that they are in charge of their lives with way society is teaching kids today. I don't want my kids to be self centered and close minded as the kids I see being raised by society. Not at all.

I want my kids to learn to be obedient of my husband and myself, as well as other adults, so that they will learn to be obedient to God. I want my kids to know that God is in control of their lives and they just need to trust Him in all things. I want my kids to think of others before themselves. I want my kids to look at people of other races, beliefs, sexualities, economical levels and abilities and see that we are all the same. My pastor brought up a great point today by saying "We are all in need of our Savior Jesus Christ.". So often we focus on how different we are, when we should be focused on how alike we are. Most importantly I want my kids to be focused on God and loving everyone around them.

My kids may not watch Sponge Bob or listen to the newest rap songs. They may not ever go to public schools and sit for 8 hours at a desk being taught to pass a test at the end of the year. My kids may never get to do some of the things normal kids get to do, but I feel confident in how Charlie and I are raising our family. Being normal isn't all it's cracked up to be if you ask me. Normal people don't worship with everything they have. Normal people don't live a life that brings glory and honor to God. I want my kids to worship God to the fullest and live a life that lives up to God. If that means they won't be normal, oh well.

The world may not love the way Charlie and I raise our kids, but I am not out to make the world happy.

And This Is Where A Title Goes... If You Can Think Of One!

Ready for some randomness???? GO!!!!

Yesterday was a special day. My husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. 4 years! We are off to a good start :-) He surprised me with flowers and a very short but sweet card (very much his style... which I love!). The kids and I went and got him a new weed-eater and sprayer for the yard. Nothing says I love you like a couple of gifts that are going to put you to work. I am not the best gift buyer.... not at all! Tonight we are getting away for a delicious and romantic meal at our favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot. We go there for every special occasion. He proposed to me there :-) Fondu here we come! I am excited to get to spend time with him alone. We are not good about making time for us and we need to get better.

There are a few things coming up that make my stomach a little queasy. I have already taken away all of Jayce's pacifiers... but I have not taken away his paci-bear. It is his best friend. Paci-bear is this pacifier that has a stuffed bear on the end of it. It was a lifesaver when he was a tiny little guy, but now it is time for it to go. He is one so that means no pacifiers.


He really loves this little guy though so I know it is going to be a tough week or so. Starting next Saturday he is history. I can't decide if I should cut the paci off and give him the bear, or just take the whole thing away. Not sure which one would be less traumatic for him. I have a few days to ponder that though. I am a firm believer in weaning the paci at one year though so paci-bear really must go. Sorry Jayce.... I still love you :-)

No only that, I have started to wean the bottle too. He only takes 2 bottles now instead of 4. His lunch milk is in a cup and his snack is now a juice/water cup instead of milk. I am crossing my fingers that the morning and night bottle will be gone in the next few weeks. Lula Mae was quite difficult to wean so I am hopeful that Jayce will be a little different. Only time will tell I guess.

PLUS.... I am a huge slacker and haven't moved Lula Mae out of her crib yet. I know, I know... tomorrow she is 3 and she still sleeps in a crib. She really loves it though. She has never tried to climb out or anything and hasn't really expressed and desire to sleep in a big bed yet. Well, I guess it is time to move her to a toddler bed. sigh. I think we will do it the same night that we take away paci-bear. Lets just all be miserable at one time, right?

Well, that is what is going on right now, in case you cared.... even if you didn't care I was still going to tell you!

I hope your weekend is wonderful Bloggy buddies!

Time

I love adore my son and love him with all of my heart. He is wonderful and I just can't imagine life without him. As much as I love him, I love his first nap too. When he takes his morning nap I get two precious hours to be with just Lula Mae. I feel guilty for looking forward to it so much sometimes.

Two hours to....
*Do school together
*Pray
*Read the Bible
*Build a strong relationship
*Cuddle
*Listen to her talk and sing
*Tickle and play
*Color
* Read books over and over
*Go over her Catechism questions
*Go over her Bible verses

They are the two fastest hours of my day. I love to just sit with her and study her little features that won't be little much longer. I love to hear her laugh and say silly things. I love to see the expressions on her face when she concentrates really hard. I love to soak up every ounce of her in those two hours. She is growing so fast and I don't want to miss anything.

There are days when I put her to bed and wonder if I spent enough time with her. I wonder if she feels loved. I wonder if she feels safe. I am no super woman, so I know there are days when I am busy and don't give her enough of myself. Parenting is a delicate balance. If I spend all my time with my kids we would live in filth and have nothing to eat but crackers and water. So part of loving my kids is doing my housework. It is hard for me, having OCD, to find this balance. I am trying harder these days. I don't want my kids to look back on their lives and not remember me being in them. I don't want them to just remember that I was always cleaning and was always too busy to play. I want them to remember me.