Encouragement

Recently my little girl and I attended a birthday party for one of her buddies, a sweet boy turning 3. One of the extended family members of the boy, a lady in her 60s whom we had never before met, watched my daughter interacting in some way for a few seconds and commented on her calm and confident demeanor. I of course said "thank you" and proceeded to casually brush off the compliment with "she's calm now, but you should see her at home..." or some humorous-slash-attempt-at-modesty retort of the sort. The party was at one of our local parks, and later on my daughter was attempting to climb down a rather complex obstacle, one that is probably a little beyond...

Childhood Cancer. These are scary words, but until recently they have not held any real meaning for me. I would see commercials for St. Jude; those commercials with celebrities playing with sickly yet smiling children. I would say a quick prayer for those children and their families, and perhaps donate when extra funds were available. I never thought pediatric cancer would touch my circle. Until it did. A short three weeks ago my friend took her daughter to the doctor because she had hurt her leg. We had a homeschool co-op class the day before the appointment, and we gave our well wishes, and said we’d pray it wasn’t something major like a break. April and her toddler daughter, Laina, went into...

I'm pretty sure our bedtime routine saved my life. I like to be melodramatic when I think I can get a laugh, but it's true. Our routine has been super great for the kids and all, but I feel like I've been the major benefactor since its inception. I don't dread bedtime. (I look forward to it most nights.) If you're over there hating me right now, I don't blame you. I can take it. It was hard for me to get my bearings after we had our first child. I felt a complete and utter loss of control in everything. In a fit of early parenthood desperation fueled by a significant lack of sleep, my husband and I tried to buy...

CHARLOTTE: You know, no matter how good I feel about myself if I see Christy Turlington, I just wanna give up. MIRANDA: I just wanna force feed her lard, but that's the difference between you and me. CARRIE: What are you talking about? Look at you two, you're beautiful. CHARLOTTE: Oooo I hate my thighs. MIRANDA: Oh, come on. CHARLOTTE: I can't even open a magazine without thinking "thighs, thighs, thighs." MIRANDA: Well I'll take your thighs and raise you a chin. CARRIE: I'll take your chin and raise you a ... (points at nose). (All look at Samantha expectantly) SAMANTHA: What? CARRIE: Come on. SAMANTHA: I happen to love the way I look! -Sex and the City Why is that so hard for us? Why is it so hard for us...

This morning, I woke up of my own accord. My children woke up before me, scooped their own yogurt into a bowl, found a clamshell of blueberries, and were enjoying a show on LPB when I walked into the living room. I gave them each a kiss good morning, and told them to find some play clothes while I hopped into the shower. They were dressed when I was finished with my shower that I enjoyed alone. I scrambled some eggs for a more filling breakfast for all of us. They brushed their own teeth, found their own shoes, and even buckled themselves into their carseats (that I doubled checked). My children are ages seven and four and are learning...