Friday, January 18, 2013
Catching up
Now that blogger is mysteriously allowing me to share pictures again, I figured I would catch you up on the last month. Some are from Christmas. The picture of Chad sitting at a desk is the before and after when we went to decorate his new office before Christmas. He has a beautiful office that looks out across the street at the newly renovated King Edward Hotel in downtown Jackson. His office is spacious and gorgeous. There is also a pic of some of my Elvis tree! (Which is STILL up). I also have two more posts from today so make sure you check out the kid's Santa pic and the pic from our snow day yesterday!
Snow day
I was testing blogger from my phone and uploaded this picture. It actually allowed me to put a picture on my blog! Anyway, this is from our short-lived snow day yesterday. The boys were up at 7:00 a.m. outside playing. It was fun while it lasted.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
To my children....
In a world where kids (and I use that term loosely, since I was one not too long ago) get their kicks from social media, texting, and the Internet.... In a world that day by day chips away at real life conversations and socializing....... I have a few thoughts as a parent. Because even though I was a kid not too long ago, my kids will soon be these kids I am referring to. (Are you still with me?)
These are just some things I want my kids to understand. Because I'm not going to be their friend. I have no desire to be their best friend. I do desire, however, to establish a strong foundation. Rules. Guidelines. Morals. Ethics--school and work. I want my children to come to me not because they see me as a friend, but as a protector. A confidant. Someone they can come to when they have their first broken heart. When they're offered that first ecstasy-inducing drug or beer. When someone bullies them or belittles them. I want them to know that kids do stupid things. They will do stupid things. And that's okay. That's life. Mercy and grace come from our Savior as well as Mom and Dad. But the stupid things they do are always followed by consequences. Some sting. Some are life altering. Make stupid choices as wisely you can, because 30 seconds later your life may not exist as you know it any longer. Kids do stupid things. Some won't even be remembered in 10 years. Others can haunt you forever.
To my kids, whenever we allow you to own a cell phone, you should remember that it is not an extra limb. You were not born with it and you won't be buried with it. It's a means of communication. It's not to take or send dirty or belittling pictures or videos. It's not to surf the Internet looking for trouble. And it's not to socialize. Social media will not be allowed until we as your parents feel you are mature enough to handle it. And if that doesn't happen until you're 18, so be it. And that's not because I want to shelter you. But this world is tough enough. You'll get plenty of life experiences just growing up and being in school. We will monitor any and all texts that are sent and received. If you are allowed social media in this house, your accounts will again be monitored at all times. There will be no stupid duckface pictures in the bathroom mirror, there will be no "these are my niggas" captioned above pictures with your friends. (Which is another thing that makes my blood boil. "Niggas" is NOT a cool word. At. All. Black or white. Do some history.) And monitoring your "socializing" via technology is not to be cruel and evil. It's being your PARENT. Not a wannabe cool friend. It goes back to making sure your morals are in line with a heart who loves others. Not yourself.
Because you see, my sweet children, when your heart puts others first, everything else falls into place. Sure, life is still hard. Teachers are going to inflict cruel and unusual punishment (a.k.a. Homework), chores will still be mandatory, that first "love" will break your heart (that is, after they rip it out of your chest and stomp on it a few times), but believe me--- you'll have more first "loves" and perhaps more broken hearts. But it won't be the end of the world. Maybe for a week or two it will be, but you'll find that life continues on. Even when you feel it can't. But I digress.
Putting others first leaves less room for heartache. Because when you put yourself so high on a pedestal it makes for an awfully painful fall when you're knocked down from it. And believe me, self -centeredness eventually puts you flat on your face. With no one to help you up. And you find out the hard way that life is not all about you.
Kids today are focused too much on themselves. (A.k.a. Duck face pictures in the bathroom mirror). So I guess I could go on and on about what I expect you to be one day. Trust me, I don't expect you to be perfect, get an expensive education at a college you can't afford, and get a high paying career that you wind up hating. I expect you to make mistakes. Do stupid things. (Which, by the way, is not permission to do stupid things). But I expect you to learn and grow from life and all that it throws unmercifully at you. The more you realize that this is a great, big world, and that it doesn't revolve around you, things get easier. Clearer. Life makes more sense.
But if you learn nothing else in the years under my roof, always remember this: it's much harder to fall when you're already on your knees in prayer.
These are just some things I want my kids to understand. Because I'm not going to be their friend. I have no desire to be their best friend. I do desire, however, to establish a strong foundation. Rules. Guidelines. Morals. Ethics--school and work. I want my children to come to me not because they see me as a friend, but as a protector. A confidant. Someone they can come to when they have their first broken heart. When they're offered that first ecstasy-inducing drug or beer. When someone bullies them or belittles them. I want them to know that kids do stupid things. They will do stupid things. And that's okay. That's life. Mercy and grace come from our Savior as well as Mom and Dad. But the stupid things they do are always followed by consequences. Some sting. Some are life altering. Make stupid choices as wisely you can, because 30 seconds later your life may not exist as you know it any longer. Kids do stupid things. Some won't even be remembered in 10 years. Others can haunt you forever.
To my kids, whenever we allow you to own a cell phone, you should remember that it is not an extra limb. You were not born with it and you won't be buried with it. It's a means of communication. It's not to take or send dirty or belittling pictures or videos. It's not to surf the Internet looking for trouble. And it's not to socialize. Social media will not be allowed until we as your parents feel you are mature enough to handle it. And if that doesn't happen until you're 18, so be it. And that's not because I want to shelter you. But this world is tough enough. You'll get plenty of life experiences just growing up and being in school. We will monitor any and all texts that are sent and received. If you are allowed social media in this house, your accounts will again be monitored at all times. There will be no stupid duckface pictures in the bathroom mirror, there will be no "these are my niggas" captioned above pictures with your friends. (Which is another thing that makes my blood boil. "Niggas" is NOT a cool word. At. All. Black or white. Do some history.) And monitoring your "socializing" via technology is not to be cruel and evil. It's being your PARENT. Not a wannabe cool friend. It goes back to making sure your morals are in line with a heart who loves others. Not yourself.
Because you see, my sweet children, when your heart puts others first, everything else falls into place. Sure, life is still hard. Teachers are going to inflict cruel and unusual punishment (a.k.a. Homework), chores will still be mandatory, that first "love" will break your heart (that is, after they rip it out of your chest and stomp on it a few times), but believe me--- you'll have more first "loves" and perhaps more broken hearts. But it won't be the end of the world. Maybe for a week or two it will be, but you'll find that life continues on. Even when you feel it can't. But I digress.
Putting others first leaves less room for heartache. Because when you put yourself so high on a pedestal it makes for an awfully painful fall when you're knocked down from it. And believe me, self -centeredness eventually puts you flat on your face. With no one to help you up. And you find out the hard way that life is not all about you.
Kids today are focused too much on themselves. (A.k.a. Duck face pictures in the bathroom mirror). So I guess I could go on and on about what I expect you to be one day. Trust me, I don't expect you to be perfect, get an expensive education at a college you can't afford, and get a high paying career that you wind up hating. I expect you to make mistakes. Do stupid things. (Which, by the way, is not permission to do stupid things). But I expect you to learn and grow from life and all that it throws unmercifully at you. The more you realize that this is a great, big world, and that it doesn't revolve around you, things get easier. Clearer. Life makes more sense.
But if you learn nothing else in the years under my roof, always remember this: it's much harder to fall when you're already on your knees in prayer.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A month!
It's been a MONTH since I've blogged. A whole month! What is wrong with me? For one, I'm still angry at Google for not allowing me to upload pics to my blog. I mean, really?! Still trying to figure out what to do about that. It's also been super busy lately. SUPER.
Christmas was awesome. Best ever. But as always it flew by without me being able to stop time for even just a few shirt minutes. But we still got lots of memories and cuddle time in. Brennan also got the flu the week before. The other 2 children got a milder case of it, but by a MIRACLE Chad and I did not come down with it. My house was also covered in a sticky film of Lysol and Clorox wipes.
New Years: VERY uneventful. Stayed home, shot a few cheap fireworks with the kiddos, and parked it on the couch until midnight. Just the way I like it! Actually Chad and I stayed up talking until the wee hours. The only other place on earth I would have rather been on NYE would have been Graceland. But it's hard to find an overnight sitter with 3 kids! One that we can afford anyway.
Random: last year, eons behind my hip friends, I discovered Adele. She made it onto my iPhone playlist. Love her and her lyrics. And now, another eon behind my peeps, I've discovered The Lumineers just this afternoon they made it onto my playlist. I mean really. It's a big deal to make it onto my shuffle. Elvis is the king. To make it with the likes of Elvis, well, you're just awesome.
P.S. my Elvis Christmas tree is still up. Next year, I'm going totally Graceland with the Elvis tree. White tree, blue lights. It's going to totally rock. (Pun intended). I meant to leave my tree up through this week in honor of Elvis's 78th birthday. I also intended to take it down yesterday. Life got in the way. Oh well. I'm not going to complain about having to look at my beautiful Elvis tree another few days. It's Elvis after all.
And also, Pinterest is my new BFF!!!!! Since Chad started his new job in October and the holidays have bid us a farewell, we are on a new budget. Which means menu planning and COOKING. Nearly every night. I am addicted to the recipes on Pinterest. I have definitely found a new love interest. But, I'm sure my husband feels okay with it.
Christmas was awesome. Best ever. But as always it flew by without me being able to stop time for even just a few shirt minutes. But we still got lots of memories and cuddle time in. Brennan also got the flu the week before. The other 2 children got a milder case of it, but by a MIRACLE Chad and I did not come down with it. My house was also covered in a sticky film of Lysol and Clorox wipes.
New Years: VERY uneventful. Stayed home, shot a few cheap fireworks with the kiddos, and parked it on the couch until midnight. Just the way I like it! Actually Chad and I stayed up talking until the wee hours. The only other place on earth I would have rather been on NYE would have been Graceland. But it's hard to find an overnight sitter with 3 kids! One that we can afford anyway.
Random: last year, eons behind my hip friends, I discovered Adele. She made it onto my iPhone playlist. Love her and her lyrics. And now, another eon behind my peeps, I've discovered The Lumineers just this afternoon they made it onto my playlist. I mean really. It's a big deal to make it onto my shuffle. Elvis is the king. To make it with the likes of Elvis, well, you're just awesome.
P.S. my Elvis Christmas tree is still up. Next year, I'm going totally Graceland with the Elvis tree. White tree, blue lights. It's going to totally rock. (Pun intended). I meant to leave my tree up through this week in honor of Elvis's 78th birthday. I also intended to take it down yesterday. Life got in the way. Oh well. I'm not going to complain about having to look at my beautiful Elvis tree another few days. It's Elvis after all.
And also, Pinterest is my new BFF!!!!! Since Chad started his new job in October and the holidays have bid us a farewell, we are on a new budget. Which means menu planning and COOKING. Nearly every night. I am addicted to the recipes on Pinterest. I have definitely found a new love interest. But, I'm sure my husband feels okay with it.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Tragedy
Tonight, hug your babies a little tighter. Sounds cliche. It really does. But we live in a world where even sending our babies to the schoolhouse can end in tragedy. May God have mercy on us as a nation. And may God's glory be revealed through this dark and tragic hour. Let us all pray a little harder and love like we've never loved before.
Life Lately
I have been TERRIBLE at updating my blog recently! I have tried to upload a few pictures on here, but apparently Google limits you to the amount of pictures you can post before you have to start paying them a monthly fee.... Um, sorry Google, but I'll just have to figure out a way around that. You will be seeing NONE of my money. But I digress, life has been crazy, busy and chaotic fun. Having 3 active kids at Christmas is chaotic fun. Sometimes it feels as fun as having my fingernails ripped off one by one, but I PROMISE I'm trying to enjoy even the frustrating moments. The moments that it looks like a bomb went off in my house, or my one year old rips the ornaments off the tree and makes a run for it, or when she takes my bowl of shatterproof ornaments and uses them as her own personal baseball, soccer ball, and football, or when my boys are fighting and screaming at and kicking each other over who gets to turn on the train under the tree, or who's turn it is to turn on the flipping outside lights. Oh yes, these are the days of our lives...... And I know all too soon they will be gone. So I take a lot of deep breaths, say a lot of prayers, and maybe indulge in a shot of something strong while I'm curled up in the fetal position as the kids pound on the bathroom door after me like a bunch of hungry vultures.....
And I guess I should mention that Chad started a new job back in October after our vacation. It's a long story, it was a very tough decision for him to make. Ultimately it was better for us as a family. He was in a management position at the job he left, which he strongly disliked that part of the job. He does not like having to be "a boss". So, in the job he just started, he is not in a management position, which sounds like he took a step down, but he is actually getting paid more and the other perks far outweigh where he left. Including the fact that I now have health insurance!!!! BIG perk. However, he no longer has a company car.... which does kind of stink, because both of our vehicles are pretty much riding on borrowed time. But they are still running beautifully..... I just don't want a car payment. EVER. It's been over 7 years since we've had one. Oh my, I'm digressing again.............
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And for the record, it's always been said that boys are more active than. Well, Mary Grace is proving that to be false. She is into everything. I don't mean a little either. She reminds me of a pinball machine. Bouncing from one thing to the next. I have found hairbrushes in the kitchen cabinet, her brother's underwear in kitchen cabinets, tomato soup FROM the kitchen cabinet in her closet, toilet paper shredded into little pieces like a snowstorm in my bathroom. Oh, and that's just a taste of what daily life is like living with an active one year old who skipped walking and went straight to running. Who knows? Maybe she'll be a marathoner.
And I guess I should mention that Chad started a new job back in October after our vacation. It's a long story, it was a very tough decision for him to make. Ultimately it was better for us as a family. He was in a management position at the job he left, which he strongly disliked that part of the job. He does not like having to be "a boss". So, in the job he just started, he is not in a management position, which sounds like he took a step down, but he is actually getting paid more and the other perks far outweigh where he left. Including the fact that I now have health insurance!!!! BIG perk. However, he no longer has a company car.... which does kind of stink, because both of our vehicles are pretty much riding on borrowed time. But they are still running beautifully..... I just don't want a car payment. EVER. It's been over 7 years since we've had one. Oh my, I'm digressing again.............
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And for the record, it's always been said that boys are more active than. Well, Mary Grace is proving that to be false. She is into everything. I don't mean a little either. She reminds me of a pinball machine. Bouncing from one thing to the next. I have found hairbrushes in the kitchen cabinet, her brother's underwear in kitchen cabinets, tomato soup FROM the kitchen cabinet in her closet, toilet paper shredded into little pieces like a snowstorm in my bathroom. Oh, and that's just a taste of what daily life is like living with an active one year old who skipped walking and went straight to running. Who knows? Maybe she'll be a marathoner.
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