Laughs With L-Spm

L’s funny quotable this morning:
“Mommy, my belly button is hurting.”

Me: “Why is it hurting?”

L: “Because there’s trash in it.”

Me: “Well, then take the trash out of it.”

L: giggles follow, accompanied by his brothers’ and my own laughter.

Pumping Gas

I always enjoy having fun with my kids while I pump gas.  I started the habit when they were just babes.  I walk around the van and peer in at each boy and while doing so make funny faces.  They laugh hilariously and kick their legs in eager anticipation of when I will appear at their  window.  I always wonder what everyone around me is thinking, but that’ s okay because I am just being a mom.  🙂  I didn’t realize how much my kids loved this tradition until their daddy took them out and had to stop for gas.  They reported back that Daddy had forgotten to make faces.  So tonight while pumping gas, Daddy walked around the car, peering in the windows, and writing silly messages in the foggy windows.  What we do for our kids, but it’s those precious moments and seeing the delight on my kids’ faces that reminds me of why I am a Mom.

I wonder if someday when my kids are all grown, I will find myself fighting tears as I catch myself wanting to see a little face looking back at me as I make silly faces.

Soccer, Gestational Diabetes, and Babymoon!

I keep telling myself that I really should blog again, but it seems like my days are just too busy.  At the end of those long days, I simply want my bed and decide that blogging can wait.

At 29 weeks gestation, I am feeling very tired and very large.  I am starting to feel that I am getting closer to the home-stretch though.  Thankfully!  I can’t wait to see our little girl, try all those cute little girl outfits on her, and get to know her unique personality!  I keep trying to imagine what she looks like: “Does she look like daddy, myself, a brother, an aunt, a combination?”  Will she be quiet, active, tempermental, or easy-going?

I also can’t wait to have my tummy back again so I actually feel like working in my gardens again. I want to remove all the dead debris and see the new green shoots unfurl, but I am so tired and so uncomfortable that I just don’t want to enough to actually do something.

We are getting ready to start the boys’ first soccer practice today.  They are so excited and so am I!  I loved buying them cleats, shin guards, soccer shorts for Will, and putting the list together of what we need to take today.  I can’t wait to see them have a productive output for their energy and to engage in a healthy activity.  Plus, it’s fun for them, and satisfying as a parent to watch your children engaging in such an activity.

Last week, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  I have been through this twice before so it’s not totally unnerving.  It is frustrating though when I want to eat but can’t because every meal is very regimented.  I have been cutting back on my milk-drinking too since I don’t want to waste a carb. count on a drink.  Unfortunately, that meant I awoke last night with a Charlie-Horse.  I guess it’s time to start taking calcium pills on top of my iron, thyroid medicine, Omegas, and prenatal.  Could definitely be worse though.  So far, I seem to be doing well with diet-controlling my sugar levels at home.  I did have trouble when Jonathan and I went away this past weekend and I ate some restaurant food.  Even though, I tried to watch my carbs., it seems that restaurant food is so much more fattening that it keeps your sugar levels higher for a longer period so I didn’t get good readings then.  I have already lost 1-2 pounds on this diet.  I guess my recovery should be fairly easy with a low-carb. diet again.  In the end, Baby and I should both be healthier, so some pain is worth the gain.  🙂

I mentioned Jonathan and I going away.  Thanks to a Christmas gift, Jonathan and I were able to go away for the weekend.  We called it our “Babymoon.”  We had a lovely and relaxing stay at a nice B & B.  We especially enjoyed the fireplace and jacuzzi.  The dinners were also wonderful!  I am glad my husband insisted we do this — even though I was content to not spend the $ and to stay at home.  He was right though; it was nice to get away.  The kids had a marvelous time at their grandparents’ so I wasn’t too concerned about them.  Monday, it was back to the usual routine — grumpy kids and all.  It’s been a bit of a rough adjustment back into normal life as some of the boys have been particularly grumpy and wanting to fight over everything.  The kids were only home for a few hours when my house already had a look as if I hadn’t cleaned in days.  I confess, I missed the prior cleanliness.  I remind myself though that someday I will miss the messy reminders that there is life in this house and that it is not a museum but a home.  So, I clean before the boys arise and then learn tolerance as I overlook the water-colors on the my counters and table, the toys scattered across the floor, and crumbs here and there.  I will get to them — eventually.

My Home — A Cathedral Where Glory To God Reigns!

The past few days have been amazing!  Let’s just say that I feel as if a cloud was lifted off me.  I know my dad, my husband, and my secret prayer sister have been praying — maybe many others.  I just know that I have sensed those prayers.

I have been loving my earlier morning risings; I am able to have devotions, read some from a wonderful parenting book, get a shower, raise the blinds, prepare breakfast, and then lovingly welcome my children to a new day.

Here are a few tips from my new parenting book that I have been implementing that has been so helpful:

1. Anger is good for indicating a problem but never for solving it.  Separate the two.

2.  Establish the relationship before addressing behaviors.  Do this by first getting your children to come to you or going to them.  Then lovingly give clear instructions.  First, state the goal for what you want to accomplish and then ask the child to do their part.  This emphasizes team work.

3.  Ask three questions following a discipline:

“What did you do that was wrong?”

“What was wrong with it?”

“What can you do differently next time?”

4. The goal of discipline is to work your children to reconciliation and to be able to wisely respond to correction, to respond to our vocal commands without needing a repeat or consequence.

There are so many other wonderful things in the books, but those are some of the best for our family so far.  The books are called: Say Goodbye to Whining and Good And Angry.

I have been so thrilled by hearing my children respond with good attitudes, by them not resorting to hitting as a means of solving a disagreement, etc… So much victory, and I am humbled and amazed.

My heart is at peace and joyful.  The Lord has given me so much patience, and His wisdom is what I seek and then try to share with my kids.

Here is a note I wrote along those lines:

“Just wanted to say that God is so good! He has filled my heart to overflowing with joy! I am amazed by His grace — so rich, so unfailing, so full of light and life! Tears fill my eyes as I ponder these moments, these evidences of His grace… in the eager smiles of my children as they run obediently to me, in the cheers as we play a game together, in the muddy boots that are running with my boys, in the victory to not yield to sin’s temptation to impatiently answer my children but to lovingly demonstrate…”

“And time, this moment, slowed and entered into, might be a cathedral giving glory to God…”
Some recent special moments:

A shelf that holds our printer broke.  The printer was precariously hanging above our monitor. I tried lifting it but couldn’t. I unhooked the monitor and moved it out of the way.  I then unhooked the printer.  Again, I tried to lift it but couldn’t.  I knew if I left it, we would probably have a broken printer plus more.  I loved Drew’s response to the problem, he said, “Mommy, let’s pray.” So, we did just that. The Lord then gave me the wisdom to know how to lift the shelf so that I could then get a better grip under the printer and then finally lift the printer out of the way.  The boys and I were then able to stop and thank the Lord for his help.   Another exciting example for the boys and I in how God does answer prayer!