Mom to Mom

Not only was it a refreshing weekend with one of my bestest friends, a chance to relate to another mom, get away with just me and Kehnley somewhere also...its such a time of teaching for me to watch another amazing mama in action!

The things I learned in this season of life from her I am forever grateful for.  Whats so amazing about this friend is that she has taught me things in so many important times of my life.  (its an honor to be learning from her still today!)
1.dont sweat the small stuff - she was so chill about things I'd normally freak about.  Now obveously i cant change my personality or make myself not care about things that I clearly care about... but I could definitly use the chance to see things will be okay if it doesnt all go how i picture in my mind
2. Have more grace in my tone towards my children
3. Lower some expectations of my kids
4. Stop trying to measure up to some book standard or compare myself to other ppl in my time of life.  She didn't seem at all to have another "person" whether real or imagined (ie bloggers, FB, fab moms in her circle) she was trying to live up to or a check list of what makes someone a great mom she was constantly worried about
5. Nap time was not the Holy Grail of her day and she didnt put that about the feelings and emotions of her child (i needed to see this BIG time!)
6. Her sanity in the day didnt wrap around selfish endeavours of workouts, peace and quiet time, perfectly made dinners and set tables, spotless living rooms or compliant kiddos.  She seemed at ease if not one of these turned out like she planned.
7. She actually did get a great deal done in her day regardless if any of the above mentioned things fell into  a perfectly ordered schedule.  She played with her kids, meet their needs, exercised, showered, cleaned up, folded clothes, spend time with friends, got rest, talked to her husband, read... and didnt have any anxiety or anxiousness in her spirit at all! 
8. Enjoy each day for what it is and not what I dreamed it would be
9. Enjoy my children where they are, who they are, in the special ways that they need
10. Love on my husband, support him, encourage him and be proud of him

Thank you Ans for teaching/reminding me of all these things this weekend. 
I love you! I miss you already!

Here is the Advent list I made for my family this year... (its very vague just helps me rem what fun things were doing each day)
December Advent Calendar 2011
Get Christmas tree & drink coco

Make Special thank u card for teachers

Decorate the tree and House for Jesus' Birthday

Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro

Put our manger together and make a tent like it

Christmas Carols sing along with instruments

Make name tags for gifts out of Christmas symbols

Make a Gingerbread house at Fancy's

Gather toys for kids in need this Christmas

Watch Frosty & make snowman & Funfetti w Granny

Christmas Scavenger hunt with red & green picnic

Mail out & write Christmas cards (pray for families)

Drink hot Coco and cuddle on the couch get out old photos!

Wrap our presents for everyone

Ride the train at the mall

Shrinky-Dink Ornaments

Baking day!
Church concert

Christmas Santa's Wonderland in College Station
Start 7 day countdown "what to give Jesus for Christmas"
Put on Bethlehem Play-video
Ice skating and Lego land AM
Fill a stocking and leave it on a neighbors door
Decorate cookies for Santa , make reindeer food!
CHRISTMAS EVE
Christmas service, Letter to Jesus
CHRISTMAS DAY
Look for the crown in the tree and give it to Jesus 26

NEW YEAR’S EVE
Put promises for 2012 in stockings for next year!




one thing that I am happy about is that i actually typed up a list and put it in a calendar and actually attempted to be fully ready for advent. (even if things like the Christmas performance at K's school left us scrambling today and we didnt get to do all we hoped-at least the first lesson is about forgiveness right?  lets try again tomorrow)

One thing that is really hard and heavy on my heart is a desire to do an Advent ornament and also do all the other family things that we look forward to..so the question is, how do I do both- i incorporate scripture and bible lessons with our advent but I wanted to do something different this year, how do I plan all l this in the midst of the crazy things that just HAPPEN to be falling in my lap this month as well?....

Let me interject that I KNOW there is no way its a coincidence that some of these pressing things have come up this week...the enemy is trying to steal my joy, make me feel like a failure, and keep me from doing what I know God has pressed on my heart.   never mind the fact that me and bry have been so exhausted and busy and getting sick we havent gone to sleep at the same time all week, I've been sad (for no apparent reason really) in the midst of a time that is usually my favorite, I feel so pressed by the end of the day my mind literally just aches-its just empty and hurts to try to recover anything, noise from anyone especially loud little girls who are making some version, different each time mind you, of the most annoying sounds ever made from Dumb and Dumber ( i swear they must have seen the clip or something how could they know how to make these noises so well) are piercing my already splitting head.

So WHAT in the world does this have to do with Advent you ask?  Well, I think it's just the simple fact that as much as I wanted to write how wonderful the week has started and how great everything is and how awesome I feel and how the girls are sitting politely waiting to hear about the spectacular reason for the season...that's not really how its actually looked.  Its looked more like a train wreck and I am just sort of coming out of the ashes here....

One thing I love so much about the Lord is that in a few minutes I will close my eyes, go to sleep and get a chance to do it better tomorrow, to start over tomorrow, to forgive myself and others, to seek His will for the day, and to make right whats trying to go all wrong. 

So even though today is Dec 1st....it's really all going to look like it should tomorrow.  (wow, i actually will sleep before 2 am, its looking better already!)

I've attached some of the fun things that we are doing for our advent calendar...tomorrow I will attach the evening lessons I am hoping to get from a friend.

Dancing -Til the World Ends?

So im not typically a Brit basher, but for the sake of raising girls, girls who will one day be teenagers, who will inevitably look to world icons for a season to define them or at least resist the urge, this is who they are up against.  Anyone else concerned?  Whats crazy is that i must admit it's very "I'm a slave for you-esk" and yes, at one time in my life I liked the dancing in that video---it now has struck a different cord in me as a mama and a totally different woman than I was at 20.  (wow was that almost 10 yrs ago?!) and yet Brit is still workin the "slave for you" fishnet and ripped up glitter suit convulsing and having what only appears to be orgy like dance parties in some dark, seedy room in much need of fixed water pipes...

I really don't know the webtrail that brought me to this YouTube...OK no wait, that's not true I do, in trying to decide what to wear in an upcoming family pick I trailed from searching for a top at jcrew-to-instyle-to-spring style your jeans-to-wedding dress style-to-current trends-to-celeb new looks-to Britney Spears new video....(anyone know the webtrailing phenominon I am talking about? we start one place then to another?!)  So since my new "mission" is about living and breathing the 4:8 verse--whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy.... and instilling the phrase "you are a beautiful wonderful child of God" into my girls, how does Dancing til the world ends-Britney fall in place?! 
It was so eye opening to the draw and distraction pulling at the next generation and im fearful because what looks like an innocent 4 min video that will be seen and maybe forgotten, it's a message that I couldn't ignore on so many levels.  I won't even give my thoughts on it, just that it prompted me to be fully aware of what is out there in order to "watch and pray" for our kids and to make sure that I reach them with truth before they are drawn away by something fleeting but appealing because it looks fun...

I have to get real here for a minute though, the reason I am so drawn to this type of struggle, is because it hits very close to home: I love music, I love to dance, I appreciate art, I too love fashion and worldly beauty-- I always wanted to be a blond like my mom when I was younger and tan too lol...  and even as an adult we are tempted to judge ourselves against the Heidi Klums of the world who pops those babies out and hits the VS runway with ease, fighting the ever rising waistline (not in a InStyle way) of the mom jean, and being able to pull off a Triathlon let alone train for one while bouncing twins on our hips like JLo! Do I even need to talk about the Kardashians, Real House Wives of.... and every other charming indulgence turned narcissistic???  I am doing battle against these things and transforming my mind has taken a lot of time away from magazines, The Soup, radio, webtrailing-oops and the like.  Do I think its okay to live in oblivion? no, but if I have 30 minutes what should I spend my time and energy on?  I am praying for you friend as you do battle with these things as well, even if we arent in the world as far as what we watch or read...we compare ourselves to each other and that alone will destroy us. Thank you Facebook!  Ever seen someone post an unflattering FB profile pic?

I am not even going to post a link to this You Tube, if you want to watch it you will find it pretty easily.
just go to teen.com.... yep its there!

I am going to leave with this thought... do we dare.....
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves." 1 Peter 3:3-5 

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I am by NO means suggesting that I will start wearing a floor length denim skirt wearing my hair in waste long braids going el naturel with no make up and my non existent eye lashes unless cosmetically died (thank you Evonne) shinning in the sun but what I do is not let the ideals of worldly beauty be my passion, my drive, my motivation in the morning, my mood setter, my free thirty minutes of "me" time, my identity.

This is the verse that I teach to Kehnley,we make bracelets and necklaces with beads and other fun stuff and then i tell her how pretty it is and how special it is bc she made it, she compliments mine and we put them on...then I ask her these questions: does God love you because you have pretty hair...(K)nooooooo, does God love you because of your pretty shirt...(K)nooooooo,  does God love you because you are so talented and you made this beautiful necklace...(K)nooooo, (me) Your RIGHT!  God doesn't love us for the things we wear, our hair, our fancy necklaces or jewelry, our talents and special skills... you know what He loves the most and thinks is more beautiful than anything?  A girl who trusts Him and loves Him the most!  I know we both need to revisit this lesson often.

Valenitine's school here we come

On the way home from MDO today I had a lot of explaining to do about Kehnley's up coming Valentine's party at school on Thursday...

1. I  had to explain how we are we going to make heart shaped samiches
2. Why people wear pink hearts of valentine's day
3. That Kehnley's shirt that says "GAP" with a little heart does NOT say "VAL-WIN-TIMBSSS" as she kept trying to convince me over and over again, adding more SSSS on the TIMBSSS as she exacerbated the word in her case.  I again said "sweetie I will show you when we get home its not Valentine's its GAP...
4. What is GAP?
5. Talked her off the ledge by offering to go get a NEW VAL-WIN-TIMBS shirt from her favorite store (Target) tomorrow.
6. No not to day, tomorrow, you have to take a nap and make valentine's for your class today
7. Listen to her share with eyes clothes that she is not happy about that now, but will be happy about that after she gets some rest in her nap.
8. Who said was going to be (or not be) for valentine's because Kehnley thinks that it's like Halloween and kids are supposed to dress up for every holiday. lol
9. Kehnley then breaks down to me the words to the valentine hokie pokie...I have a feeling we will be dancing this one out with Sadie bug and daddy later.
10. Then she goes into a series of saying "why,why, why, why..." and laughs because she knows it drives mommy a little bonkers :)


Here's my Val-win-timbs loving girl!