So....

Last night went well.

I think it went a little longer than anyone expected, but when you're sharing and discussing, that is what happens.

Last night we dove in to the concept that:

Love is unconditional.

We may not always like our children's actions and behaviors, but we love them regardless. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to communicate to our children that

Our love for them is unconditional.

This is especially important for those times when they seem unloveable.

And we learned the importance of physical touch with our children.

And he took the children in his arms,

put his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:16

Tonight

Tonight is the night.

That's right.

Tonight is our first parenting Bible Study. In my home. With great parents that want to mature in their relationships with their children.

A-mazing!

I am really excited but also a little nervous.

So of course my morning devotion would be about trusting God.


I trust You.


Would you just stop where you are and pray for us?

Routine

In my house, we are creatures of routine.

I like it that way. It works well for my family.

When Little was born, I focused extremely hard on creating and maintaining a healthy routine for her. You know, feedings at the same time, strict bedtime, letting her put herself to sleep, etc.... It has been one of the things I have done well.

Routine is important for Little. She knows what to expect. She knows what is happening next.

For example, Little knows when I ask her to get a towel and a rag that play time is over. Bath time is here, and bed time is next. She occassionally will respond, "No Mommy, I not sleepy," because she knows, without exception, that bed time follows bath time.

So routine is a great thing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

That being said, routine does have its drawbacks. There are certain things that I wish were not routine. Like TV.

Prior to turning two, Little became an avid fan of Nick Jr shows. First, it was The Wonder Pets. She moved on to Dora. And when Dora lost her luster, its was The 'Yardigans (Backyardigans).

Having to watch these shows constantly, I developed my own opinion. Wonder Pets were great. Swiper became annoying. The Backyardigans were probably my favorite.

But now we have branched out to other stations.

Little developed an unhealthy obsession with Mickey Mouse. She would wake up, before even opening her eyes, and ask to watch Mickey. At first, it was great. I was able to finish getting ready for work, and she was content on the couch, slowly waking up to Mickey. But it eventually became unhealthy how much she wanted to watch the show. Pete began to scare her. She refused to sleep in her bed. Mickey had to go.

Now, Oobi is the next hot item. For those of you who do not know Oobi, he is a hand. A real hand. With some Mr. Potatohead eyes. That's it. It's terrible. This morning, I nearly tossed my oatmeal seeing Oobi "eat" birthday cake. Cake was everywhere. It was disgusting.

So the new routine may be no more TV. Period.

New design

So I sensed it was time to update the blog design. Now, I remember why I have not.



Paula Gail, I have updated the blog design.




It is a disaster, but at this point I am giving up.

The blog won.

I will try to correct it tomorrow, but at this point I am defeated!

Decisions

So, I am getting close, well at least closer, to obtaining my bachelor's degree. I will finish classes next month, and in May, I will begin my Senior directed study, which lasts another semester. All that to say, I will be done in August.

Or will I?

Maybe. I came into this adventure thinking that I would go on to complete my bachelor's, then my master's, and quite possibly, my Ph.D.

But that was before I turned thirty.

So I must do the math:

Start bachelor's program at: 28.25 years
End bachelor's program at: 30.5 years

So that equals: 2.25 years

Hypothetically speaking.......
Start master's program at: 30.5 years
End master's program at: 32.75 years

So that equals: 2.25 years

At 32.75 years, should I really still be in school? Can I not just be a grown-up? Like, can I not just work, go home, cook supper, work, go home, cook supper?

Instead, my day is like one extreme to another. Within the first couple of hours, I work, homework, work, discussion board, work, papers, work....

The reality is that it is miserable. Goodness, part of the reason, some of my papers may not have been knocked out of the park, is I have to write them in snip-its. It's not like when you could just sit down for a few hours one Saturday and write a paper.

Who has a few spare hours on Saturday? I'd rather be spending time with Little and Husband.

And to get into the master's program, I would have to take the GRE.

GRE-

Grueling, Relentless Evaluation

Generally Rough Exam

Graded Rate (of) Exhaustion

Grave Results Expected

Do I really want to subject myself to all of this? And on top of everything with school, when will I find time to study for the GRE?


Can I not just revert back to when my only decisions were milk or juice???

And you thought

We were so young.




And your mom cried.






When Husband met me, he told his mom that he had met the girl he was going to marry. That was 1993.




And ten years later.....





You were right.


Happy Anniversary, Husband.

Birthday weekend

I'll admit it. I turned thirty on Saturday. It really wasn't as painful as I heard it might be.

Meredith, on the other hand, took it quite hard.






But she finally came to terms with it.




I'm embarrassed to tell you the cause of this meltdown. It's really quite superficial.


Someone wanted her tails painted, because they looked like this:



Did that bring you to tears? Didn't think so. But to one two-year old, it's the end of the world.

So she decided on a color.



And when I was done painting tails, she couldn't resist.




And so they are back to the same condition they were. It's a vicious cycle.



In case you can't tell, I got a brand-new camera for my birthday/anniversary. Me likey.

It's been an all weekend event. Lots of pictures.

Like when her baby got sick and needed to go to the doctor. "Her not scared."



Well, she certainly doesn't get that from Little.

And when we went to visit Paw-Paw Moudy.



But all good things must come to an end.



A big, drooling end.

Spring

Just a sign that Spring is near. Enjoy playing in the leaves now, Sweet Little.



He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yeilds its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalms 1: 3

Revelation

So this morning, I had a revelation. It's amazing that just two days ago I announced I would be leading a parenting Bible study, and today I received affirmation as to why it is needed.


I am a mommy of a little girl.

A typical girl.

An opinionated girl.


Every Sunday morning there is a lengthy discussion on what to wear. My thoughts rarely are parallel to her thoughts.

Every Sunday I ask the same question. "Dress or Pants??" Every Sunday she gives a different answer. Some Sundays I get more than one answer. Those Sundays are difficult.

Just this past Sunday, Little announced she wanted to wear a dress. I love to see her wear a dress. If my memory serves me right, this past Sunday was gorgeous. I thought it would be wonderful to let her wear a beautiful, short-sleeved mustard colored dress. She has a pair of shoes that match perfectly.

The conversation goes something like this:

Little: "My not wear it."

Mommy: "You don't want to wear it? I like it. It is so pretty."

Little: "My not want to wear it."

Mommy: "Well, let's just try it."

Mommy makes an attempt to put it on.

Little, with flailing arms, tears in her eyes: "Nooooooooo. My not like it. My not wear. Noooooooo. My wear my pink shirt."

Mommy realizes that she wants to wear something pink. Not mustard. Pink. Mommy gets it now.

So, we slip on the pink dress. Life is perfect.





Today, as I read an uplifting newsletter, I am reminded of this past Sunday. However, I see it in a different light.

The newsletter tells the story of a young girl, about twelve, whose grandmother made her a skirt. She goes to school, only to recognize that no one likes her skirt. She goes home at lunch to change her clothes.

Ever wonder why we, as women, need approval before we wear certain things? If you ever wore something that everyone else didn't appreciate, now you know.

So what am I doing to my two-year old? Am I setting her up to need the approval of others?

Why did I tell her that I like the mustard-color dress? She did not want to wear it.

Are dresses really that important?

Who knew that our discussion on dresses, with time, may create her to seek the approval of peers?

She may always seek my approval, with the exception of those few years when she is discovering who she is. You may remember them. From about 11 to around 21. Who's approval will she be seeking then?

Introducing.....

I've neglected the need for movement until recently.

I've argued that I don't have the time, the energy, or the knowledge.

I've realized my experiences are not the same as others.

I'm aware of the differences in one another.


However, I have been inspired and encouraged to start a parent's Bible study.


That's all I can say for right now.






Please join me in prayer.