Face it.  We weren't trained for this- at least most of us weren't.  Some of us didn't even have a good example to follow.  Almost any parent will say that they make it up as they go along.  When we became parents, we were thrust into this new role without any job experience.  Aaahh!




So what do we do when we get frustrated?  If you're blessed like I am, you talk it over with your friends- friends who have similar beliefs and ideas about parenting.  Thankfully, you get some good advice, and you hang up the phone feeling like you're not alone.  Then, you hear about a couple of books you might like to read, like (Have you heard of them?):

     

We're not admitting defeat.  We're just learning from others who have been where we are, who are wiser, and who can see things a little more clearly. 



I love my kids, but I'm not always sure I'm doing things the right way-God's way.  Most of all, I want them to know that God loves them for who they are and who He wants them to be.  It's so hard to see "the forest for the trees," when you're in the middle of an argument with your 6-year-old daughter.  You know that one day you're going to see what God has up His sleeve, but right now you're just faced with what to do at any emotionally-laden moment.  It's good to have some resources to fall back on.

Gosh, I hope I get this right.

Just wait... 




I have to work on a couple of papers first!

* * * * *
A promise is a promise (Stephanie)!

One paper down, and 2-3 more to go, and then I can say "So long to school, and hello to the holidays!" 

I confess that I don't know how to blog after I've taken so long to get back here.  I say "long," because I would love to come up with something good to say every day, but it just doesn't always work out that way.  I've had so many nice thoughts since then. 

Let's start with an update about a few conclusions I've come to:

1.   I am a creative person, so I am rejuvenated by fresh, new things.  However, I am not as skilled in putting things together in a way that always makes sense.  For example, I have decided that I am not so great at decorating my house.  There!  I said it!  You'd think that since I'm creative, that it would come naturally to me.  It doesn't.  I came to a place recently where I figured out that this is not a flaw.  It just isn't my strength. 

Thankfully, I have a great friend (Shannon) who is superb at seeing a space and knowing what to do with it (You should see her house).  So, since I took care of her dog for 6 months, she's paying me back by offering her help in the area of home decorating.  I am truly amazed at how her mind works and am consistently reminded that mine works completely differently.  When she asks me, "Now do you see why that chair looks better there?" or "Can you tell why that painting is too big for that wall?" I just look at her with wide eyes and nod my head (I really have no idea what she's talking about, but I trust her.  And I plan to learn a thing or two during this process). 

I love being on a team.  With my ideas and her talents, we're doing some great stuff around here!  It's exciting to create a home that is an expression of my personality and is a place that our family can be proud to invite friends into.  I have a lot of projects in the works: Re-finishing & painting furniture, hanging curtains, painting walls, and positioning pictures.  I'll post some before and after photos once I get things completed.

2.   I am dying to start writing books, and taking classes makes it so difficult for me to sit down and push my brain to the capacity of doing extra things right now.  Over Halloween my friend, Alicia, told me about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which motivates writers to start writing, gives them goals to pursue, and creates a community to keep them accountable to keep going.  What a great idea!  Yet, I cannot even commit to begin a November writing project with all my other responsibilities. 

So I've decided to take some baby steps.  Instead of typing the recommended 2,000 words a day, I'm going to shoot for 2,000 words a week.  It is going to take a lot of discipline to start at all, but at least I feel that this is achievable for me at this season in my life.  That being said, I'm waiting for my laptop to get fixed so that I can keep all my thoughts in one place and not be confined to my messy home office.  Is that an excuse?

I'm not waiting for New Year's to make positive changes.  For now, these are the things I'm working on.  I have to pace myself, so I don't emotionally hyperventilate.  I have a tendency to freak out and run when something looks too hard.  Grace is an incredible gift.  We all need to allow ourselves to receive a little grace daily in order to maximize on the possibilties and not focus on our limitations. 

Thank you, God for being patient with us.  Help us to be patient with ourselves.