A fair trade?

The other day, my child must have been contemplating what life would be like if we bartered and traded for goods.

"Mommy", said my child, "If there was no money, would Daddy just go to Walmart and give the cashier a sermon?"

The fruits of my labor

The end of an era

Last night my daughter slept through this night. This is BIG NEWS around here, since such activity is rare for her.

But the real news of the day (or my day, anyway), is that I am done nursing. My husband and I are going to be gone overnight soon, and I had told myself I would quit the night feeding when she slept through.

So, while I am happy that our getaway will go off without a hitch, I am sorry to see my breastfeeding days over. Nursing my wee babes has brought me so much joy over the last 10.5 years. Though we will never close the door on more children, our family feels complete now.

There is a catch in my throat as I type this. Because we have had so many children, I haven't had too many "lasts". I saved all the clothes, kept all the gear, and above all, always prayed there would be another baby coming done the line.

My darling daughter is 13 months old. She, along with her brothers and sister, are the joy of our lives. Though this is the end of an era, many new experiences are just around the corner.

I have to keep reminding myself that today.

Happy babies, happy world

I posted this on my Facebook wall, and it made my day. Soon after, I had a phone call. While I was on the phone, my four year old watched it no less than 10 times. Take a peek - you'll see why he was so smitten!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxUulGkLu4I

MOPS musings

We had a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) retreat yesterday for our steering committee. My dear friend and I are co-coordinating it this year, and we led the 5 hour retreat. Though I was a bit nervous beforehand, the retreat was AMAZING. Not because of what Sarah and I did, but because these women are excited about reaching out to moms in our area. Because these moms opened up and shared their lives with all of us. Because God is working through this ministry!

Marvelous, wonderful leadership team!

Outrageously fun and crazy gals!

Perfect and amazing God!

Super friends!

Thank you, MOPS team, for all you have done and will do for these moms this year.

A letter. . .

Dear mother at Walmart,

My heart was aching today as I watched you yell at your son. The entire dairy section stood still, trying not to stare as you verbally abused your son. I watched, with my children by my side, as you yelled in a voice loud enough to be heard several aisles over. Your son, whom I'm guessing is about 14, stood quietly and took the abuse. I don't doubt that something in his behavior caused your anger. But the way you expressed your anger almost brought me to tears. I watched your younger daughters stand by, embarrassed as onlookers witnessed your outrage. I had to explain to my children what was going on, and answer questions about the horrible, vulgar word you hurled at him.

I can't imagine your life. Maybe you have no one to turn to when things are tough. Maybe you have endured things beyond my comprehension.

But what I do know, and have to remind myself daily, hourly, is that we get one chance to mother our children. In the blink of an eye, they will be gone. They make us crazy, exhausted and angrier than we could have ever imagined. But they also make us smile, laugh, and cry with joy. And before we know it, they will be grown.

So, dear mother at Walmart, please, please have patience with your son. Treat him with love and control your anger, as difficult as it can be at times. Your son will grow up better for it.

Signed,

A concerned mother

Inquiring minds want to know

Parenting mystery #2,745:

Why does food on the floor look so appealing to babies and toddlers? My dear daughter will tell me she is done eating (with wonderful sounds, screams and flailing arm motions), only to get down on the floor and eat the very foods she flung from her highchair just moments before.

Why is this?

Mommy's Night

Tonight was wonderful. Amazing.

I went out with a certain 6 year old boy and loved every minute of it. It was just him and me, having dinner, school supply shopping, and just plain being together.

In a house such as ours, one on one time is hard to come by. My husband and I try very hard to carve out time alone with each of our kids, but it never seems to happen often enough. But back-to-school Mommy's nights are set in stone. Each year in August, I have a special night with each school-age child. We go to dinner, we shop, we get ice cream. Mommy soaks it all in.

My sweet kindergartner loved our night as well. He thanked me/loved me/hugged me/adored me no fewer than twenty times tonight, I'll bet. It was a love fest of Mommy and son. At age 6, being alone with Mommy is still really, really great. And at age 37, being with my son, just the two of us, is still really, really great as well.