We had an amazing Tinker Bell party today. My birthday girl had a great time making memories with all of  her buddies. What  a fabulous hostess my kiddo has turned out to be! She made sure to introduce all of her friends to each other and greeted kids as they arrived. I was impressed.

We were able to have the party outside because the weather was gorgeous. (Thank you, Lord!) That gave us more flexibility with the games. This is what I ended up doing.

~The fairy wings were a big hit with the kids, but didn’t take as long to decorate as I thought they would. They are really cute, though.

~We had a Fairy Treasure Hunt. I included a list of  hunt items: Pink Pixie Dust (glittery sugar), a Silver Wand, a Silver Fairy Crown, Fairy Gold, & Bubbles. This activity was a favorite. The kids were even helping each other find things.  They were very excited about their treasures.

~I had planned on reading a story to the kids, but at the last minute I decided to use a puppet. I have to say that they LOVED the puppet, especially my own kids. If you ever have the opportunity to use puppets with preschool aged children, I recommend doing it. They are captivated by it and even talk to the puppet.

~I had the kids put on their wings and crowns and get their wands before we played games. They all needed a lot of help getting their things organized, so I’m glad there were moms there to help. We ended up playing:

• Fairy Freeze Tag – The child is “it” tags the other kids with her fairy wand. In order to become “unfrozen” the child had to clap her hands and say, “I believe” ten times.  The kids took turns being “it”.
• Follow the Leader – I started out being the leader and had the kids take turns being the leader. They loved being in the spotlight!
• Fairy, Fairy, Tink – This is Duck, Duck, Goose. The child who was “it” used her wand to tap the other kids on the head.
• Fairy Freeze Dance – We used the sound track from the Tinker Bell movie for our music.

~We took off our fairy things and washed up in order to have cake! I gave the children cupcakes and glittery, colored sugar for decorating. (I also made a cute Tinker Bell cake.)

It was a fun party that I think my birthday girl will remember! This is what being a mom is all about.

Photo courtesy of The 5th Ape

Today I pitched in by watching my friend’s three kids for the afternoon. It was a fun day for the kids. They all get along really well, so in some ways, it was easier for me to have them here. The rain even held off long enough for us to play outside for a bit. I rather enjoyed hanging out with the kids today! Besides, that’s what friends are for, right?

One minor problem with having five children in my house is the amount of food that they consume! The only food I had enough of to feed a crowd was pasta. The only fruit I had was pineapple, and a few of the kids didn’t like pineapple. I realized how badly I need to go food shopping, too.

Miraculously three of the younger children napped for two hours. My friend’s oldest daughter was really helpful with this since she sang to my oldest daughter to put her to sleep while I sang to the two little ones (both 2 1/2).  However, I am not used to having kids awake during nap time. I missed my rest time today, but the big kids played quietly for much of the time after I played a few card games with them. It worked out just fine.

Today my friend unintentionally gave me a glimpse at what it could be like to have the large family that I have always wanted to have. That’s what friends are for, right? I discovered that it’s lots of work and seriously exhausting to have a large family. I also discovered that it’s also so wonderful to be a part of a large family.

All in all it turned out to be a great day! Thanks, Jesus, for giving me the chance to take care of my dear friend’s kids to see a glimpse of life in a big family.

Photo by telachhe

Today was the yearly birthday celebration with my dear friend, K. Every year we go to the Olive Garden for lunch with our kids. This is year 4. Now we have 5 kids between us – all 5 years old and under. We had a great time together today! All of the kids were well-behaved and actually ate lunch. We even had a chance to chat with each other. It feels so great for us to be able to celebrate life together!

Everyone came back to my place to play. No one napped except for the baby, of course. It was delightful to watch the kids play together, though. Somehow they all got along this afternoon. I got to hold the baby and my friend, K, was able to hang out with her older children more than usual. I really enjoyed spending the day with our two families!

I have been praying and fantasizing about having a dear friend move close to me – as in move into my neighborhood and maybe even next door to me. I have two friends who both homeschool their children and share a backyard. Their children are growing up more like siblings than friends, and these women support each other in everything that they do. This is the kind of situation that I would love to have.

It would be amazing of K would move nearby. Alas, her husband is job searching, and they will most likely move far away as many of my friends have done. I will miss them dearly when K’s husband finds a job. Don’t get me wrong. I have lots of friends. I just truly enjoy sharing my life with this particular friend and her family.

Living as a mom sometimes means that I want good friends living nearby to celebrate and share life with. How about you?

A dear friend of mine brought her three children over for a play date today – 5 years, 2 1/2 years, & 11 weeks old. We live pretty far from each other now and rarely see each other. Preschool cuts into the time we would usually have together. I am so glad that they came to visit us! Our kids have known each other since birth, and it has been a pleasure to watch their friendships grow.

Photo by Breibeest

One of the best parts of today was holding that dear baby. She is a sweet little girl, and my kids fell in love with her right away. Boy did that stir the desire in me to have another baby! I know that we are not quite ready to bring home a new little one, but I am sure that I want to have one sooner than later. Now I just have to pray and wait for the time to be right. (Oh and I plan on getting myself fit in the meantime!)

Waiting is often hard for me as it is for many people. But for me it means that my plans often get derailed. You see, I LOVE to plan. I love thinking of the possibilities. I am a big picture kind of girl, you know. Trusting God and waiting for His plans to unfold means that I lose control and my plans are not carried through. It isn’t that God disappoints me because His plans are always better than mine. It’s just that I like to know what to expect. I like having control. I LOVE predictability.

Do you think that there is a lesson in this for me?

Photo by LifeHouseDesign

I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Psalm 92:1

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:!1

He answered:  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Luke 10:27

• Trust the LORD, my God.
• Love the LORD, my God.
• Take refuge in the LORD, my God.
• Wait on the LORD, my God.

The time will come for my family to grow, for me to have another baby.

Photo by JuliaRosien

I had a ladies’ night in with my college buddies last night. We had a great dinner and dessert together in someone’s home. Then we spent the night chatting and sharing the current events in our lives over wine. It was great to see everyone again. Life gets so busy that we have to be intentional about carving time out to keep up and see each other, so now we are getting together every 8 weeks or so.

What I love about getting together with this group of friends is the history that we share. They know about pivotal events in my life that have literally changed who I am. I never have to get them caught up on why something is such a big deal to me. I also know that these girls love me. They have been through major milestones and everyday life with me. The list of our experiences goes on, and they appreciate my quirks! We are able to pick up where we left off every time we see each other even though we are not part of each other’s day to day lives anymore. That means the world to me.

I left the ladies’ night in last night refreshed even though I am utterly exhausted tonight as a result of staying out a bit too late. What a blessing it is to have friends who I can be real with. I know that they will love me through it all - including setting me straight when I am headed in the wrong direction and encouraging me when everything is all right.

That’s authentic, unconditional friendship.

When I became a mother, I found that I needed lots of support, and talking to my friends who were not moms wasn’t helping me. My husband didn’t understand either because he was at work all day.  I needed a group of mothers who could be encouraging, compassionate, and helpful when I needed advice. I also wanted a group of friends for me and my children. If you are a new mother, or even if you have been at this motherhood thing for a while, it is worth looking into the different support programs that are available to you in your community. Here are just a few:

MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers)

Mom to Mom (by Linda Anderson)

Mothers and More

The Mommies Network

Do you know of other mom groups? Please comment and leave links to their websites.