I know that sounds like a strange comment. For the longest time...okay, maybe my whole life...I've struggled with who I am as a person. I am constantly feeling as if I don't measure up to my own expectations. I often wish I was like others- especially those who are bolder, more at peace, more confident in themselves. I'm thankful, though, that God has been teaching me more about who I am in him and more about how I've been uniquely created.
The other day at Mother's Heart Bible Study, one of the mentoring moms taught about personalities. I've heard the lesson twice before, but this time she put a different spin on it. She had us sit in groups according to our personality. In my small group of phlegmatics, we were asked to discuss things that we wanted others to understand about our personalities. As the others listed things, it felt as if weights were lifted off of my shoulders. I'm not the only one that gets overwhelmed easily or responds by pulling back when someone demands that we do something. I was able to relate to what the others said. That was such a freeing feeling.
I'm okay just the way I am. I don't need to try to be like others with different personalities. God has created me to be the person I am...and thankfully He's not done with me yet!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Potty time!
WARNING- This whole post discusses potty training. If you are disinclined to read about such topics, check back at a later date for a different posting. :)
After a month of constantly changing and cleaning cloth diapers, I was exhausted. I was also kicking myself about not potty training Elijah before Ezra was born. My excuse then was that I wasn't brave enough. Why did I think I'd be brave enough when I also had another little person to look after?
I decided we were going get after this potty training thing with great gusto. The three-day potty training would work well. After all, how hard could it really be?
Then the first day happened. My thinking then was more like "how are we ever going survive potty training?". We got Elijah to sit on the potty chair by watching DVDs. He would sit there for 30 minutes or more with no success, then run out to the kitchen only to pee on the floor. Grrr...I can't even count how many times this happened. Good thing we have hardwood floors!
The second day went pretty much the same way. Sigh... Ahh...but the third day, we noticed a difference. He succeeded a few times! We were ready to shout our excitement from the rooftop!
We've been at the potty training game for about two weeks now. We're in a pretty good routine. We tell Elijah it's time to go potty, he goes pee, then yells, "TREAT". Either that or we drag him kicking and screaming to the potty. That's when we know he has to go poo.
He's done well at running off into the back yard to do his "duty". He knows that if Mommy sees him working at it, he'll be forced to sit on the big, bad potty. He has quite the love/hate relationship with that thing.
The other day, I got a daring idea. In past times, Elijah has insisted on having undies on when he's had to go poo. I wondered what would happen if I let him run around without bottoms on. With a wary eye on him, I was sure to stay close. He kept running to the potty, then running away. Later, as I ran (as fast as I could) upstairs to get another outfit for the baby, I heard, "Maaamaaa! Maaamaa!" Uh-oh. This could not be good. But as I ran back downstairs, I realized the sound was coming from the bathroom where I discovered Elijah sitting on the potty and SUCCESS! :)
Now that I'm not changing or cleaning as many diapers, I have more time to do other things like sit back and relax. Right.... :)
After a month of constantly changing and cleaning cloth diapers, I was exhausted. I was also kicking myself about not potty training Elijah before Ezra was born. My excuse then was that I wasn't brave enough. Why did I think I'd be brave enough when I also had another little person to look after?
I decided we were going get after this potty training thing with great gusto. The three-day potty training would work well. After all, how hard could it really be?
Then the first day happened. My thinking then was more like "how are we ever going survive potty training?". We got Elijah to sit on the potty chair by watching DVDs. He would sit there for 30 minutes or more with no success, then run out to the kitchen only to pee on the floor. Grrr...I can't even count how many times this happened. Good thing we have hardwood floors!
The second day went pretty much the same way. Sigh... Ahh...but the third day, we noticed a difference. He succeeded a few times! We were ready to shout our excitement from the rooftop!
We've been at the potty training game for about two weeks now. We're in a pretty good routine. We tell Elijah it's time to go potty, he goes pee, then yells, "TREAT". Either that or we drag him kicking and screaming to the potty. That's when we know he has to go poo.
He's done well at running off into the back yard to do his "duty". He knows that if Mommy sees him working at it, he'll be forced to sit on the big, bad potty. He has quite the love/hate relationship with that thing.
The other day, I got a daring idea. In past times, Elijah has insisted on having undies on when he's had to go poo. I wondered what would happen if I let him run around without bottoms on. With a wary eye on him, I was sure to stay close. He kept running to the potty, then running away. Later, as I ran (as fast as I could) upstairs to get another outfit for the baby, I heard, "Maaamaaa! Maaamaa!" Uh-oh. This could not be good. But as I ran back downstairs, I realized the sound was coming from the bathroom where I discovered Elijah sitting on the potty and SUCCESS! :)
Now that I'm not changing or cleaning as many diapers, I have more time to do other things like sit back and relax. Right.... :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
So it's been a while...
Wow! A year and a couple of weeks has passed since I've blogged. I must admit that I'm not very good at being consistent with such things.
Since August 25, 2009, we've added a new member to our family- Ezra James. In the haze of the past five weeks since he was born, I've come to recognize just how ignorant I've been. I remember one time hearing a woman talk about not being able to get a shower before her hubby came home that evening. At the time, I thought, "How in the world can you not have time to take a shower? The kids sleep. It's a priority!" Ahh...now I've learned that life with a toddler and a baby is completely different than life with just a toddler. I'm thankful that God gently reminds me of my ignorance at times like this. Life's about learning, right?
Then, it finally happened today. When Ezra was born, I mentioned to Josh that we have to be diligent in not leaving the boys alone in a room together. Well, over the past 5 weeks, I've been slowly desensitized to this lesson. Today was the shocker that will help me to remember! While I was out of the room for a brief second, Elijah must have decided that he wanted to pick up his little brother. His almost-13 pound brother is heavy! To my horror, all that I heard was a large thump and Ezra screaming. I found him laying on the floor and Elijah running away. Thankfully, Ezra's okay. I took him to the doctor who gave him the all-clear. It could have been much worse! He hit the hardwood floors pretty hard!
Well, I hear Elijah waking up. More tomorrow...or a week from now...or maybe even a year! Who knows?
Since August 25, 2009, we've added a new member to our family- Ezra James. In the haze of the past five weeks since he was born, I've come to recognize just how ignorant I've been. I remember one time hearing a woman talk about not being able to get a shower before her hubby came home that evening. At the time, I thought, "How in the world can you not have time to take a shower? The kids sleep. It's a priority!" Ahh...now I've learned that life with a toddler and a baby is completely different than life with just a toddler. I'm thankful that God gently reminds me of my ignorance at times like this. Life's about learning, right?
Then, it finally happened today. When Ezra was born, I mentioned to Josh that we have to be diligent in not leaving the boys alone in a room together. Well, over the past 5 weeks, I've been slowly desensitized to this lesson. Today was the shocker that will help me to remember! While I was out of the room for a brief second, Elijah must have decided that he wanted to pick up his little brother. His almost-13 pound brother is heavy! To my horror, all that I heard was a large thump and Ezra screaming. I found him laying on the floor and Elijah running away. Thankfully, Ezra's okay. I took him to the doctor who gave him the all-clear. It could have been much worse! He hit the hardwood floors pretty hard!
Well, I hear Elijah waking up. More tomorrow...or a week from now...or maybe even a year! Who knows?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
On my 30th birthday...
Today I've been trying to take some time to reflect on my 20's and to try to get a vision for my 30's. I've been amazed (once again) to see how God has worked in the past 10 years.
When I turned 20, I was just starting my junior year of college. (Wow! Was it that long ago?) I was excited about getting ready to teach, excited about a developing relationship with a guy named Josh, and traveling all around with the basketball team.
Then came the senior year...
Student teaching, Dad's sudden death, getting engaged, graduating, heading off to the CZ for a year..
Then came marriage. It's interesting. There are so many things we take for granted now. When Josh and I headed to NY a month before our wedding, we didn't have a car (Josh's had just died), didn't have a job (though I had applied to many districts), and didn't have a place to stay. But God was faithful. He provided all these and so much more!
Six years of teaching followed...along with buying a house, getting a dog, settling into a sweet (and ever-deepening) relationship with my hubby.
God is faithful! He has provided abundantly more than we have ever asked for.
Then came the long-awaited baby. He's such a bundle of joy and ENERGY! I've had to redefine myself as I became a stay at home mom, but it has been good. I'm thankful for the opportunity.
Now what? What does God have in store for the next 10 years? How will He use me? In whatever way it may be, I pray that my heart will be available and attentive to His call!
When I turned 20, I was just starting my junior year of college. (Wow! Was it that long ago?) I was excited about getting ready to teach, excited about a developing relationship with a guy named Josh, and traveling all around with the basketball team.
Then came the senior year...
Student teaching, Dad's sudden death, getting engaged, graduating, heading off to the CZ for a year..
Then came marriage. It's interesting. There are so many things we take for granted now. When Josh and I headed to NY a month before our wedding, we didn't have a car (Josh's had just died), didn't have a job (though I had applied to many districts), and didn't have a place to stay. But God was faithful. He provided all these and so much more!
Six years of teaching followed...along with buying a house, getting a dog, settling into a sweet (and ever-deepening) relationship with my hubby.
God is faithful! He has provided abundantly more than we have ever asked for.
Then came the long-awaited baby. He's such a bundle of joy and ENERGY! I've had to redefine myself as I became a stay at home mom, but it has been good. I'm thankful for the opportunity.
Now what? What does God have in store for the next 10 years? How will He use me? In whatever way it may be, I pray that my heart will be available and attentive to His call!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
It has been a while...
Wow! Time flies by. It's amazing to think about all that was accomplished this summer. Visiting with family and friends, two weeks of basketball camp, many hours volunteering that the Downtown Pregnancy center... It has been fun!
Now we find ourselves in a "holding" pattern. Elijah may have been exposed to the chicken pox virus during Sunday School on the 8th. We are being very cautious, not wanting to spread it to someone else if he's infectious. This has meant keeping him out of the nursery, stores, the nursing home we visit. I must admit that cabin fever is starting to set in. I tend to take for granted the times when I can just grab him and head out to the store or to the playground at the mall. He's been pretty fussy with teething and a cold, too. God is using this time to work on my patience and perseverance! God is good.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Pruning...
As I was outside trimming the ever-growing trumpet vine and wisteria this morning, I noticed just how quickly it had grown wild. The wisteria vine had shoots coming out from all over the place- even on the very bottom of the "trunk". This left it looking scraggly and unkempt. Not a good thing. However, I came along with my pruning sheers to cut back the "bad" vines, encouraging it to grow in the others by guiding it to the right place. This was a healthy thing to do for the plant.
This made me think of the little one I was carrying on my left hip. He has areas in his little life that need to be "trimmed back" and other areas that need to be encouraged. For example, he's got this bad habit of throwing food on the floor. As parents, we have to teach him the culturally-acceptable way of eating at the table. (It wouldn't be cute for him to throw food on the floor at age 3.) This is an area that needs to be cut out.
However, he has a great fascination with all things mechanical. The reason why I was carrying him on my hip as I was trimming the vines was because he loves the lawn mower. He wants to be right up next to it as Josh cuts the grass. (He does the same thing with the vacuum cleaner.) Obviously, it's not safe for him to be near the lawn mower. But, if we're able to find ways to engage his mind in healthy electronics now, it's better for him in the long run!
This isn't an easy job for parents. But it is one that will make a world of a difference in the long run!
Ahhhh...the ramblings and connections of a "new" mom!
This made me think of the little one I was carrying on my left hip. He has areas in his little life that need to be "trimmed back" and other areas that need to be encouraged. For example, he's got this bad habit of throwing food on the floor. As parents, we have to teach him the culturally-acceptable way of eating at the table. (It wouldn't be cute for him to throw food on the floor at age 3.) This is an area that needs to be cut out.
However, he has a great fascination with all things mechanical. The reason why I was carrying him on my hip as I was trimming the vines was because he loves the lawn mower. He wants to be right up next to it as Josh cuts the grass. (He does the same thing with the vacuum cleaner.) Obviously, it's not safe for him to be near the lawn mower. But, if we're able to find ways to engage his mind in healthy electronics now, it's better for him in the long run!
This isn't an easy job for parents. But it is one that will make a world of a difference in the long run!
Ahhhh...the ramblings and connections of a "new" mom!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
New Adventures
This past weekend was a lot of fun for the family. After working on taking out the bushes on the side of the house, we took off to the park for some kite flying. Elijah and Scout sat happily by watching as Daddy and Mommy tried to get it flying successfully. We finally decided that it wasn't balanced enough because of some missing tails.
After the kite flying fun, we headed to the playground so that Daddy and Elijah could go down the slide.
With crawling, there are many challenges as Elijah learns his new boundaries. I am so thankful to have a loving Heavenly Father who gives us the wisdom we need to make good decisions!
After the kite flying fun, we headed to the playground so that Daddy and Elijah could go down the slide.
We've had a few other adventures recently. Elijah's crawling now. Enough said? Hee-hee
The other day, he had some fun playing in the pets' water dish. He loves water...so in his mind, why not? Needless to say, we moved that inside the crate.
Another crawling adventure included going into the pantry and dragging out the 10 lb. bag of potatoes. And where does everything go? In the mouth! (Don't worry...I washed it!)
With crawling, there are many challenges as Elijah learns his new boundaries. I am so thankful to have a loving Heavenly Father who gives us the wisdom we need to make good decisions!
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