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Wednesday, 02 December 2009

  • Patience- you just have to try

    It's Day 3 of my mission to be more patient with my daughter.  We're in a trying season.  She's a very energetic talker.  Need I say  more?

    While this behavior would be cute on a commercial, it's ear-grating when you live with it all the time.  The negative side is the disrespectful talking back to her mommy- the part I really don't like.

    It's amazing.  My daughter has gotten more hyper every year.  She has not grown out of it one bit.  I always said that she played with the boys better, because the girls just wanted to sit around and talk.  Well, she likes to run around AND talk!

    Ball all that up with her natural hormonal/emotional outbursts, and Mommy's got a job on her hands!  One minute, my Bella is as chirpy as a canary, and the next second life-shattering disappointment brings her to tears (mind you, it may just be that she cannot play with her friend for one single afternoon).

    So, the predicament I found myself in was how I react to this developing little personality.  If I get frustrated and start yelling at every mistake, it could make her feel as if she doesn't do anything right.  Even worse, I could make rash statements that diminish her fragile self-esteem.  I do not want to be to blame for that.  There's enough mean people in the world, right?

    I've decided to work on me, because God created this small human being without much of my help.  I'm here to take care of her, teach her what is right, and love her.  Somewhere along the way, she'll learn when it's appropriate to jump on the furniture (if ever) or have a good cry. 

    I just need to be patient and let God continue to make her into something I can't see yet.  The consequences will do their job if I'm consistent.  I don't need to get so worked up about it.

    Patience brings peace. Really, try it.

Monday, 30 November 2009

  • Parenting Know-How



    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.

Sunday, 22 November 2009

  • Once a year

    We're in Colorado for our annual visit with Jason's family.  This trip is extra special because my father-in-law is on his 7th week of recovery from open heart surgery.  Following his heart attack, subsequent cardiac arrest, and the operation that saved his life, my husband has made a couple of trips without us.  So we could hardly wait to be all together again!

    Grandmom made a calendar so that Bella could count down the days, and every day Brody asked if we're going on a "pane" to "Pa-Pa's" house.  And each time, I had to say, "Not today, not yet." 

      On the plane

     

    But now we're here!

    It's so nice to be here.  Grandmom always thinks ahead- borrowed car seats for the kids and even a mini-van so we could all ride together! 

    Today, we're going on a train to the Royal Gorge.  Apparently, it's a spectacular view, not to mention that Brody will be riding a real, "Choo-Choo!"

     

    I'll try post pics throughout the week.  Without school, cheerleading, and house projects, I can finally sit down and think!

     

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

  • I am going to blog today

    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.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

  • Looking back

    So many revelations come to us when we stop to evaluate our lives.  Sometimes, it helps to look back and remember what you've come from.  It may cause you to thank God for bringing you through a rough season, or bring you to reminisce about an old relationship.  While it isn't healthy to reside in our pasts, it certainly benefits us to recognizes the changes that have occurred.  Hopefully, we've learn something and grown.

    For three years now, our family has visited a local apple orchard in the fall.  When I was uploading new pictures, I wondered how the kids have changed from a year ago. 

    2008
     
    2009 (It was impossible to take pictures when their mouths weren't full!)
       

    Bella is becoming a person who isn't afraid to be herself.  She's as silly as ever.  You should see her bust out dance moves at cheerleading practices or games! 

    Brody's so funny and loveable.  He's learning to be as crazy and expressive as his sister, but he doesn't mind playing by himself- which his sister still cannot do.

    And I am coming to grips with the fact that I, as my friend, Carrie, so perfectly puts it, am a late bloomer.  I am for the first time discovering what I'm good at and am looking forward to incorporating some personal dreams and  current realities.  I know that my day is coming-...

    Well, Thursday is already here.  Better make the best of it!


    This is my life, and it's a good one.
    Dani

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  • There's a lot I want to do with this life God gave me! I'm a mom, a wife, a friend, a dreamer, a writer, an actress, a chef, a reader, a student, a photographer, a model, a daughter, .......

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    • Name: Dani
    • Birthday: 2/6/1980
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 1/28/2004