March 3- Neighborhood

For those of you who didn't know... we moved over Christmas! We LOVE our new neighborhood! Now that the weather is nice everyone is outside with their kids, and so are we! Emma just got a bicycle with training wheels and she is learning to ride. Neighborhood to me now means time outside with the other kids and PLAYING!

March 2- Fruit

Yummy!!!! Emma and I eat TONS of fruit. I'm pretty sure that is all she would eat if I let her. I find myself telling her "No, you need to eat two bites of (insert meat/bread/pasta/any other food) and THEN you can have your (fruit or veggie)". What mom of a two and a half year old says that? ME!

March 1 - Up

Today's photo was about "Up". This is one of Emma's favorite words! Now that she is older it is more like "Mommy, I want up, please pick me up". I love that she still wants to hug mommy. She isn't into being carried often (unless she is tired), but up now means big hugs!!!

March Photo A Day!

Lots of my friends did this in February, and I loved the idea! So here is what I have so far...

Life

I've come to the conclusion that life is what you make it. If you choose to get overwhelmed and feel like you are just surviving, then you are! If you look at the positives and try to find the silver lining, then you will. Although life has been crazy and I felt as though I was falling short in every area, I realized that God never gives us more than we can handle... if we allow Him to help us carry the burdens. I'm trying to simplify life and get back to basics. Being a working mom will never be easy (being a stay at home mom wouldn't be easy either), but there are things that make is easier.
1. When I'm home with Emma... PLAY WITH HER! Yes, I need to get dinner on the table, do laundry, dust, etc., but if I give her what she needs first (mommy time) she is always more willing to play on her own while I get these other things done.
2. When Emma goes to bed and Matt is home... RELAX! I forget that Matt needs my time too. I can't use "our time" to clean and do chores.
3. When Matt's gone and Emma is in bed... CLEAN! This is when I should get things done! No one around to bother me and I can just get it all done quickly.
4. Find time for myself... for me this means getting up a little earlier in the mornings. During the week I am up WELL before the rest of the house. I use this time for my devotional a QUIET breakfast and just mentally preparing for the day. I fought this because it meant loosing more time for sleep, but it actually gives me more energy for the day.

Trying to find the perfect balance is nearly impossible, but I keep trying and trusting God to help me through it all!

Surviving

Do you ever feel like you are just getting by? Pushing through life, but not enjoying it? That's been me lately. There just aren't enough hours in the day! by the time I get everything (well, most of the things at least) done that I HAVE to there is no time left for the things I want to do. A dear friend said to me yesterday "You're just in survival mode. Keep your head down and push on, because if you look up you will see all of the things you forgot and are missing out on". That pretty much sums it up. I am working on getting out of survival mode, though. Certian "have tos" just need to take a back seat to things like relaxing with my husband or playing with Emma, or (dare I say it...) doing something just for me! My posts lately have been a little depressing. It's not that I am unhappy... I'm just surviving. After I survive this time in my life I will be stronger and enjoy those everyday things that I have been missing even more!

Parents Wanted!

No one ever said being a parent was easy... and if they did they must not have been a parent! Disciplining your children isn't fun, and often you don't see the fruits of your labor until YEARS down the road. I guess this is why so many parents just give up. When they let their children have everything they want, don't follow through on punishments, or speak out of both sides of their mouths. Actually, out of these three, letting your kids have everything they want might do the least harm!
Not following through on punishments teaches them that your threats are empty, and they won't take anything you say seriously (this gives them all of the power!!!!). Eventually they will meet a superior (boss, teacher, etc) that won't let them get away with things and then they will learn this lesson at a time when it is even harder. Also, when you SAY something is important, but don't ACT like it is you send a mixed signal... and remember that old saying "actions speak louder than words". If you say school is important, but don't care if your student does their homework or fails a test will they really believe you think school is important?
Teachers often see the effects of these actions and words in the classroom. If parents could only hear the thinks their children say about them in the classroom. It is easy to see why some students have the troubles they do in school based solely on what they say happens at home.
My poor child might think I'm mean, strict, "unfair", or too hard on her, but I guess that's what children of middle school teachers get. I hope her future teachers never hear some of the things that I hear from middle schoolers coming out of her mouth!
I just keep telling her (even at 2 1/2) that she will thank me for this someday!