I THOUGHT I knew the story of Easter pretty well… I’d learned about my Savior’s suffering, and resurrection since I was a child. I have imagined it many times.. I have read the story in the bible MANY times over I THOUGHT I knew the Characters in the story. I had studied them. I had put myself in their shoes. I had pondered deeply on how the events of Holy Week affected them. How must I have felt to be… Mary the mother of Jesus..watching her baby be murdered Judas,who sold Christ for a small amount of silver …to be...
Hosanna
Hosanna : An expression of adoration, praise, or joy A spontaneous shout proclaiming God’s goodness! There have definitely been moments in my life where the praise, love, and soul consuming gratitude has come out of my mouth in a way that I spontaneously “shouted” to God. The day I brought my last baby earth side. The moment I brought her out of the water to my chest. Safe and whole. The moment I knew we were complete as a family. Thank you God. You are good. The day we had a close call with my 2 yr old. I held...
My surprising realization of why I love HOMESCHOOLING.
I don’t want (them) to miss a thing. I’m with your daughter more everyday than YOU are! She said it with a smile. She said it out of LOVE for my daughter. She said it because she TRULY enjoyed having my daughter in class. But in that moment, my mama heart shattered. It was true. My daughter’s second grade teacher spent more time with her everyday than I did as her MOM!! It was true! My daughter spent more waking hours at school and on the school bus everyday than I got to spend with her at home. 5 days...
The Greatest Adventure EVER
As soon as I became a mom, I quickly began to create a list of BIG AMAZING ADVENTURES I wanted to take my children on. You know, swimming with dolphins, hiking through the jungle, jumping off waterfalls, kind of BIG adventures. I dreamed of flying across the world to climb the Great Wall of China, or wandering rows of tulips in Holland. I dreamed of kayaking down rivers through beautiful mountain ranges or wandering through famous museums and eating delicious exotic treats. We were going to be the adventurous family. I just knew it. And then, as soon as my...
A Warm Meal & A Hug
Dear Kids : I hope you’ll always know you can come home to Mom for a warm meal and a hug.Today I asked my kids what they wanted for dinner.Orange chicken (yep frozen from Costco) or homemade stew??In UNISON : “Stew mom!!! Make the stew and biscuits!”So I started browning the meat. My oldest son came in and took a “deep breath” and smiled. He hugged me and said “that smells so good mom.”My middle daughter wandered in and stole a few carrots from the cutting board with a sneaky smile as I chopped. My toddler climbed up to the...
Your Mom doesn’t have all the answers
Dear Kids : sometimes your mom has no idea what the right thing is to do, and I am not always right. I’m also 100% ok that you know that.……. Shocker. I don’t have all the parenting answers. Nope. 14 years in, still don’t. In fact, I think that was the biggest shock as a young new mom. It’s that i was a mom. I was the adult. I had these little humans depending on me, and I had no idea what to do A LOT OF THE TIME! That really freaked me out!! Did I think I would have...
I was SO worried when I quit breastfeeding.
I was SO worried that being the 6th child and the only one NOT going to be breastfed for at least 6 months, somehow she’d FEEL less loved? Or that I would feel LESS bonded to her? Or that somehow her babyhood would be less magical ? I was honestly devestated when I realized breastfeeding was making her sick. And that formula made her happier. Maybe I was offended. Wasn’t I, her mom, supposed to be able to BE her EVERYTHING? Wasn’t I supposed to be able to give her EVERYTHING ?? Wasn’t I was supposed to be able to give her...