Core Truths

There are not many things in this world that really drive me crazy or make me complain, but there are other things that I feel like will be the death of me.  I generally try to find ways to enjoy time I spend with the kids, even if whatever it is we are doing is not enjoyable on its own.  Like when we have to wait for a long time, we play “Simon Says” or “Mother May I?” If I’m with the big kids, they usually show me funny memes or some other funny stuff they follow.  But there is one thing in particular that I just can’t seem to get over…it drives me absolutely crazy…and that is the dreaded “H” word….Homework!!! I remember a time I looked forward to doing homework with the kids; it was a time before I actually had kids old enough to do homework.  In my mind, I thought it was going to be like a rite of passage and something we could do together.  When our oldest first entered Pre-K, he was so cute…he had his little lunch bag, he had his little backpack, he h...

I am a pretty outgoing person and there are not very many things that really make me nervous.  I enjoy meeting new people, I am comfortable talking in front of crowds of people, and I am confident in almost any social setting.  But recently I found myself in an uncomfortable situation and I was ready to run for the hills! I needed to have my picture taken…of just me…all by myself (insert green barfing face emoji)! Ever since I started blogging, I wanted to get the blog site looking all professional.  I researched other bloggers and their blog sites, and one of my favorite things about their pages was their pictures.  I loved seeing the face behind the name and wanted to be that welcoming as well.   Scheduling the photo shoot was no problem.  We booked a date and I went shopping.  I had been looking for a new pair of jeans and just needed a reason to buy them.  I went out, bought the jeans and a few shirts, pulled a few things from my clos...

I can still remember the first time I had to drop him off at a new place.  Our firstborn, our little baby boy.  Until that day, he had only stayed with family or at home with a babysitter.  But on this day, I had to drop him off to a new babysitter on my first day of work.  I can still see him, dressed in a little collared shirt and jeans, his little blue tennis shoes sticking out over the edge of the carseat.  I dropped him off, barely keeping myself together, and I drove away with tears in my eyes.  I remember looking through the rearview mirror as I pulled away, making sure he was safe inside. When he was four and entered into Pre-K, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t believe this little baby, this four year-old would be away from me and at “big school” all day long.  And the tugs at the heart continued through soccer practices, basketball practices, religious class, and kid parties. You hug them, you kiss them, and you remind them everything is...

Parenting is no joke.  Let me be more clear…parenting is hard, so hard, quite possibly one of the hardest jobs any of us will ever have. Some weeks are just hard, some days are just hard, some moments are just hard.   I remember the day before our oldest was born.  I stood there in our tiny one bedroom apartment looking at the crib set up right next to our bed in that tiny bedroom.  We had a crib, diapers, blankets, onesies, outfits, socks, a nose-sucker thing, tiny clippers, tiny towels, a baby bath, pacifiers, and on and on.  We had all these things, yet I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I would have no clue what I was doing once we brought that baby home.  Turns out, that’s exactly what happened and I was right, I had no clue what I was doing.  Not then, not now, not ever.  That is one thing that makes this parenting gig so hard.  You can read all the books, you can talk to all the other parents, you can even attend classes,...

I have three words for you: Let.   It.   Go. (Sorry if you’re twirling around now with your arms out singing at the top of your lungs…totally not my intention). I’m telling you to just let it go.   Let what go?   Whatever “it” is that you need to let go. Take for example Exhibit A: my kids' clearly mismatched socks. I decided years ago that I really do not like to take the time to match socks, so one day I just stopped matching socks.   All socks go in with all the other dirty clothes, they get washed like all other the other dirty clothes, then they get dried, then they are left there at the bottom of the basket after all other laundry is folded and put away.   Why?   I don’t know, one day I just got tired of sitting around matching socks, so I just stopped.   Now, when anyone needs a pair of socks, they just go to the basket and get some.   And when I say get some, I mean any two socks that you believe belong to you that ...

Here’s some truth—-you need friends! I am very serious and I am speaking this from the bottom of my heart.   It seems like this may go without saying, but I am saying it anyway.   And if nothing else, I need to be reminded of this myself! When I was younger, like when I was a kid, I LOVED making new friends.   And this was something that was easy and not easy for me.   It was easy because I was outgoing and eager to meet new people.   It was not easy because I was homeschooled and did not meet new people very often!   I still love making new friends, keeping up with old friends, but…. Here is the hard part…how often do we actually call on our friends?   I mean really reach out and connect, ask for advice, pour out our hearts, lean on them? I remember a day a couple of years ago.   I was having a rough time, just trying to sort through some things, dealing with adulting.   I had plans one day for a friend to come ove...

It is never my intention to complain.   It is always my intention to be truthful.   Here is my attempt at both. I am worn out.   I’m not going to lie.   This week and the weeks that will follow are and will be hectic!   There, I’ve said it.   But even though every day of every week is spoken for, that is not the hardest part. We have three kids all involved, heavily involved, in their schools and activities.   We have two more kids that are younger, that are involved in their own activities, and that are toted along to every event we attend.   And that’s great.   Really.   We love that our kids are active and feel called to serve and participate. But there’s another side to it.   The side of being the supportive, involved parent that has to pick and choose which of each kid’s events we will attend.   Our kids and what they do are the center of our daily routines.   We really love attending their e...