Living as a mom

Archive for February, 2009

My ladies’ Bible study is learning about the fruit of the spirit, and today was the kick off the new study. I was struck by one thing our fearless leader talked about today. She made a distinction between bearing fruit being productive. She spoke specifically to the unique situation that stay at home moms are in. It spoke to my heart.

I am a goal oriented person. I am driven to produce high-quality work. I am a professional at heart. I want things to get done, and finishing a task gives me a sense of satisfaction. Parenting small children does not produce tangible results, though. There are days when I am beat, but I have nothing to show for it except a messy house.

The point of the lesson today was that bearing fruit does not always have an immediate product or even a tangible one. That is especially true with raising children. It can take months or even years before you see the fruit of your labor. Molding and shaping a child takes time and patience. There are days when a child need more direction and instruction than other days. Some days a child needs more nurturing. A parent never knows what a day with a child will bring.

So the dishes might have to wait while my children and I cuddle up together to read. The laundry will have to pile up while I pray with my children and answer their questions about God. And the bathroom will get cleaned another day because I am too busy teaching my kids how to apologize and forgive each other.

I am too busy producing fruit right now to worry about being productive!

I’m sure that you have heard all about the “OctoMom”, Nadya Suleman, in California. It truly is a medical achievement to conceive and deliver eight babies who appear to be doing well. Now Suleman has fourteen children to raise – on her own. Ann Curry interviewed Suleman recently.

Say what you will about Nadya Suleman, but she is articulate and seems to love her children. I just wonder how she will do it. Moms everywhere know how difficult it is to raise a couple of children with a spouse. I cannot imagine the challenges Suleman has ahead of her while raising this many children, three of whom she already knows have disabilities and octuplets who could possibly also have disabilities. She will certainly need financial and emotional support.

Will you join me in praying for this family?

Moms, I am looking for some tips for caring for sick kids. We have been house bound on and off for about 3 weeks now. The kids and I are going stir crazy, but at least one person has been contagious over the last few weeks. Our ventures outside of the house are limited.

What do you do with the kids to keep them happy and entertained when they are still contagious, but feeling well enough to be out of bed? We have watched TV, played games, done puzzles, used markers (which is rare in my house), and read books. What else can I possibly do for my cherubs?

Plus, I need to get out of here! I am tired of taking care of and cleaning up after sick people. I really need a break, but E has also been sick. He hasn’t really been up to taking care of the house and the kids either.

I am living as a mom all cooped up this winter.

Photo courtesy of riot jane

C4 has been going to the Occupational Therapist for Sensory Integration Therapy since September, and the results are amazing! This past week her therapist began implementing the Alert Program (AP) with her. They use the idea of your body working like an engine. She asks C4, “How Does Your Engine Run?” The idea is to help C4 become aware of how alert she is feeling and learning to use different strategies to help her make changes in her state of alertness. Her therapist describes it as feeling like Tigger when you feel very excited, feeling like Eeyore when you are feeling sluggish, and feeling like Pooh when you feel just right.

I like how this program is empowering C4. It is teaching her that she is in control and can actually DO something when she is feeling out of sorts. I think in the end it will make a huge difference for her. I am already seeing how she is willing to do something to make herself feel better when I mention that she is acting like Tigger. She even tries certain strategies on her own. I know that soon enough she will be able to self-regulate independently.

Living as a mom means watching my child learn self-regulation.

Photo courtesy of lemuelinchrist

Being a mom means that I worry about my children’s future. I know that I have no control over it, but I cannot help it. I also know that God wants me NOT to worry and to pray instead. So now that I am trying to not worry as much. I am making a conscious effort to pray for my children. I have always prayed for them, but now I am praying more intentionally and for specific blessings. I pray for each of my daughters individually.

I pray for God to provide a God fearing husband. I ask God for a loving man who will love, honor, and cherish my beautiful child. I hope for a man who would be a good provider and a good friend. I also hope for a happy, healthy marriage filled with memories that they can talk about with their grandchildren. I pray that my child and her husband would serve God and His people throughout their life together and depend on God for guidance. I hope that my child would live a full life to God’s glory!

If you are interested in praying for your child but you aren’t sure how to do it, read The Power of a Praying® Parent Deluxe Editionby Stormie Omartian. Each chapter is about a different topic and includes a prayer that you can pray verbatum for your child. It helped me when started praying for my children.

Living as a mom means praying fervently for your children’s future.

A2 has the stomach bug now! It is so sad to watch my little one feel so terrible. But today I felt oddly at peace and quite calm. God’s presence is woven carefully into my life.

A2 was up most of the night and refused to sleep all morning. She finally gave into a nap at noon. She actually begged me to rock her and put her to bed! Alas, she only slept for 1 1/2 hours.

I am grateful that my dad came to visit today. God always provides what we need, and I truly needed my dad today. He always was comforting when we were sick as kids. He took good care of me and my girls today!

The dog was even concerned about A2. She sat by her side all day and kept nuzzling her. When A2 complained, I told her that the dog was loving her. A2 quickly said, “I don’t want love.” She also shooed the dog telling her to go upstairs. She even said, “Leave me alone, Doggy.” Their interaction today provided some much need comic relief!

It was sweet to see C4 taking care of A2 today. She searched all over for A2′s special dolly to help her calm down when she was crying this afternoon. A2 fell alseep in the car, and C4 gently woke her up by kissing her when we arrived home. C4 was even patient while I put A2 to bed tonight.

Living as a mom with a sick kid is challenging, but I’m enjoying sweet moments with my children and thankful for God’s provision.

Photo courtesy of Spigoo

I have neglected my mommy blog, and I am very sorry, dear readers!

I have been so very sick for the last two weeks, and I am finally recovering. I have been catching up on my housework now that I am feeling well. It is amazing to me how quickly the house falls apart when Mommy is sick! The kids are still too small to really do any housework without supervision. Besides, when I am sick, they have to do a whole lot of playing alone, which usually involves taking out every toy that we own. Basically, the family has spent three days trying to recover from the major upset we had. And I still have a mountain of laundry to finish!

Living as a sick mom means expecting kids to entertain themselves and cleaning up after the storm has calmed!

Photo courtesy of Ambrose Little

We celebrated Daddy’s birthday by going skiing this weekend! We rented a house with a bunch of friends. E went skiing all day on Saturday with his friends and took C4 for a skiing lesson and A2 to the childcare center for the day. Dad and Mom had the day off. I went for a pedicure. It was so refreshing to have the time to myself!

C4 told us that she did not like skiing because she did not like falling down. Fair enough. I told her that everyone falls down. That’s how you learn.

We went snowshoeing as a family on Sunday. We pulled A2 in a sled, and C4 went on snowshoes. It was beautiful and peaceful out there. I really enjoyed the hike.

C4 told us that she did not like snowshoeing because she did not like falling down. That’s fair. But I told her that she fell less than when she went skiing, and she actually had fun playing in the snow while we hiked. She insisted that she did not like snowshoeing, though.

When I asked everyone if the trip was fun, they all said they had a great time. Hmm…C4 didn’t like any of the activities that we tried, but she had fun. I will never understand her logic!

I had a great time on the trip, too. However, I went to the mountain with an ear infection and came home with a stomach bug. It’s been a tough week, but we are somehow managing. We had to call in emergency childcare yesterday because I was completely incapable of caring for the children. It worked out well, too. I liked the woman that the agency sent over. I have to keep that in mind for the future!

Living as a mom when you are sick is tough! I started to feel badly on Friday night. Of course, Sunday was E’s birthday. I was completely incapable of doing anything at all for him. In fact, he had to take over with the kids so I could nap. I feel awful about the whole thing! Lucky for him we are celebrating his birthday with lots of friends when we go skiing this weekend – not so lucky for me with the way I am feeling.

I’m waiting on the doctor’s office to call me back. My house is a disaster. I have a ton of work to finish for my workshop next week. And we are going on a ski trip this weekend. Agh! How am I going to manage everything?

What are your strategies for managing the kids, the house, and life in general when you are not feeling well? I need some help!