Twirls 'n Curls

 I had one of those defining moments recently. You know, where you see something - perhaps one of those things you've always done - in a new light. My girls had two friends over for the day, which meant they outnumbered me 5 to 1. I knew it was futile to try to get any housework done, so we packed up and went to the park instead. Once it got too hot to be at the park (in the desert, that's about 10:30am - the slide was steaming!), we decided to cool off with some ice cream at our local diner. As the waiter handed me five ice cream cups, I noticed several containers of sprinkles on the counter. "Do you mind if I put some of those on?" I asked. He hesitated, then gave me a half smile. "I guess it would be all right." I sprinkled about 10 mini fish-shaped sprinkles on each scoop and brought them over to the table. The girls squealed with delight. "Mine has fish sprinkles!" "Mine too!" "They're soooo cute!!" And I realiz...

My youngest, who is 2 1/2, loves to organize. I walked out on our patio one day to find these pint-sized chairs perfectly arranged in a half circle, and that's when it struck me... One day, this is what I'll come home to. Quiet. Order. Vacancy. (Doesn't sound so bad, huh?) No screaming little girls on the trampoline. No giggles from the swingset.   No painting mess on the picnic table. Just empty little chairs - and the memories of what we did in them. This thought inspired me. I have such a short time to influence these precious lives before they go off on their own into the world! And part of their success will be determined by the lessons they learned in these little chairs: hearing Bible stories that teach them to obey God, no matter what; rooting for each other at soccer games; having campfires in our backyard as a family. I wonder, What else do I need to teach them, while they're still in these little chairs? Whenever I see these chairs n...

I had my third little girl 2 years ago, and I feel like I've been running ever since. They say that the transition from two to three kids is the true test of a mother, probably because you have more kids than you have hands. "If you can handle three kids, you can handle a dozen!" they say. I don't know about that, but I'm amazed at the difference in my parenting from #1 to #3. You can call it redefining priorities, or a change of perspective, but I call it survival. For example, My first daughter was allowed to dress up in a designated costume between the hours of 3-5 pm. After her afternoon nap, but before dinner and a bath. I recently peeled my youngest out of not 1, but 3 costumes after 24 consecutive hours of wear. I read all the child training books with #1 and was convinced that 2 year olds should be able to sit quietly and happily beside their busy mothers for several hours, doing nothing. After two very active daughters consistently disproved this the...

"Oh, that's a nice drawing," I told the little boy in my first-grade class. "Are you done?" "Just a minute," he said, "It's for my mom, I just need to write her name on it." Then he carefully scrawled, in his best six-year old writing, the letters "M-O-M." My mind went back to an earlier conversation I had with my own daughter, who is his age. "Look Mama! I made this picture of you. It even has your name on it. See? It says 'Mama!' And I wrote 'I love you' a bunch of times because I love you a LOT!!" That's when it dawned on me. To her, my name is Mama. The more I thought about it, the deeper I felt this statement. There's no other role I play that changes my entire name. I don't go by wife, or cousin, or teacher, though I am all of those things. I retain my identity, who I've been my whole life. But being a mom is different.  It's not just a part of my life - it changes all ...

Rule #1 - No licking the spoon until we're done stirring! I've noticed something. My kids seem to misbehave most when I'm busy trying to do my own work. You know how it goes. It's late afternoon and I'm scrambling to pick up the house, get dinner on the table, and keep 3 grumpy kids from killing each other. After dinner, the saga continues. Play outside. ("Been there.")        Play inside. ("Done that.")              Clean your room. ("Over it.")                     Find something to do. ("But I'm b-o-r-e-d!")                            Leave your sister alone. ("She started it!") I needed a change from the "Now you all play nice while Mommy cooks" routine, or at lea...

As parents, we know our kids will grow up to become just like us (more on that in this post ), so I wanted to share a few values I'm trying to teach my three little mamas-in-training: ~Look for the good in unexpected places~  ~Don't be afraid to try new things...~ ~...but always ask permission first!~ Failed haircut attempt   ~It's okay to cry~  ~Family is forever. Be there for each other~ And, most importantly... ~Always, always, always be yourself!!~  Question: What values are important for you to pass on to your kids?

  Lately I've caught myself watching my husband interact with our girls. I know I should be spending time on my own activities, but I just can't seem to tear myself away. How blessed they are , I think to myself, to have a daddy who loves spending time with them. How blessed I am to have a husband who comes home every night to a slightly messy, often chaotic household with 4 women vying for his attention! If you grew up in a home like ours, (and especially if you didn't!) you understand the importance of a healthy father/daughter relationship, and you know they are hard to come by. So here are a few principles I've committed to, as a wife/mother, to help their relationship grow: 1. Never speak negatively to or about my husband in front of our children. I've always tried not to speak negatively about Tom in public, and I am becoming more aware of how I talk to him in front of my girls as well. Kids hear hurtful comments and don't understand that we were j...

As the mommy of three little girls, I am constantly amazed at how differently they approach life, and thus, art. Linsey, 6, is very polychromatic.  She loves surprises and is always challenging the norm, often coming up with better ideas and new clothing trends. Her life is a vibrant splash of patterns and colors. Hannah, on the other hand, is monochromatic all the way.  Almost 4, she is introverted, extremely thoughtful, and has habits and rituals I don't dare mess with. Her idea of matching is wearing the same color from head to toe. ( "even my underwears!" )   I'm sure you've wondered in your own family, How can kids from the same home be so different ? And, more importantly, What do you do with that? Here are a few tips I've learned and gathered in my never-ending quest to raise kids who love God, me, and each other: 1. Loving them equally does not mean treating them the same. Our oldest is very forthright and stubborn, while our middle girl is ...

Dictionary.com describes mother as: "a female parent."       That's all we get in the dictionary! Not, death-defying life-bringer, supernanny, premier chef, free chauffeur...just "female parent." So I've taken the liberty of making up a few of my own words to describe our job, words that really should be a part of our English language: Mamanucleosis – the permanent feeling of exhaustion often associated with being a mother. Momniscience – the belief small children hold that their mothers know everything; this usually fades away well before the teenage years Mamachromatic – the color palette of a mother’s wardrobe after giving birth, mainly blacks and grays Cinemama –the entertaining of young children at the doctor’s office or in a long line without the convenient use of electronics Mamagram – love notes written on napkins and put in children’s lunchboxes Momster – what mothers turn into when their children come out of...

#1 - Even superwoman needs a break sometimes. #2 - Never underestimate the power of a Band Aid. #3 - It's okay to stand out in a crowd. #4 - You'll get a lot more done if you're not so worried about what others think. #5 - Everyone has bad days. #6 - Be who you want your children to become. Have a great day!!

Dear God, Today I feel a little overwhelmed.  I know You gave me 24 hours every day, but did You really mean for me to use all of them cleaning up after other people?  Your Word says to give thanks in all things, so that is what I will try today, since complaining about everything yesterday didn't go so well:    ~ I am thankful for the squished grapes and spilled cereal under my feet, and for the children who put them there.  "I only like the yellow..."    ~ I am thankful for the mounds of clean laundry sitting in my living room, because that means we all have plenty to wear (or we will, when I fold them).    ~ I am thankful for the stacks of dirty dishes, and the food You graciously provided us to eat on them. Chocolate-dipped fingers - mmm, mmmm, good!      ~ I am thankful for the beds I need to make, because that means we were all well enough to get out of them this morning. ~ I am thankful for the phone ...