Stay on the right

We enjoyed Territory Days this year on the last day, an event that takes up a few blocks with lots of vendors, (visual) and thank goodness we did. To me it's like driving, stay on the right side to travel in whatever direction you are heading, it helps tremendously for all who are taking the same road. When trying to explain to my children that it's not very considerate to fight traffic or hold it up by standing in the middle of it, in turn, opposing rightful commonsense, I almost felt like I was judging these people and I guess I was. Without being terribly rude, maybe they are unaware... or just don't care about the inconvenience of others, either way it is situations like these that I try with a sincere heart to make my children conscience of, it allows them to make the better choice and see the benefit to all. 

A bit ill

This morning was not the greatest. It began late in the evening last night. After spending the day away and having Grandma and friend hang out while we were away, we came home tired. We all know how much fun it is to listen to all the new stories our munchkins have while we are away and so we just sit and listen. Easy does it, I pick up Taco Bell and to say the least none of my munchkins feel fantastic this morning. Oscar was not interested in Taco Bell so he ate leftovers. This is a good thing considering he is at work right now. Cleaning bodies and beds and trying to stay awake at the same time can be difficult but this is what credits us the title, "Mom".

Pocket full of kisses

How many times has your little guy come for "just a kiss" to make it all better. How powerful is the kiss that has so much tender love in it. It is amazing what a difference a pocket full of Mom's kisses make in day. Even if I am at a distance, I just holler, "Do you have any kisses left?". I kiss the inside of my munchkin's hand bunches of times and then they put them in their pockets, VIOLA, remedy all.

Breakfasts saving grace

One day at a girlfriend's house she had shared with me a passage in a book; making sure her dishes were done before bed showed great character. Well, if we really look at that statement we would no doubt find real truth. Most evenings, my dishes are done however, there are many days it does NOT happen. These are the mornings I need my saving grace. We are an eggs and beans breakfast household with the occasional hot cereal, like oatmeal, but, like this morning when I went to reach for that pot to make what I wanted, oatmeal, it needed to be washed. I thought it funny that I immediately remembered my girlfriend's words. So, cereal it was, my saving grace and one of my children's delights.

Peanut M&Ms and $5

We like to eat sushi and Musahi's is where we go most. Whenever we go somewhere that there is more adult activity than child, I remind my children what is expected of them and how we respect those around us while there. We are always grateful for any compliment we receive on our children's behavior, and delighted when our children see their reward in hand. How awesome it was when at the DMV and a young man asked if my children had allergies to peanuts that he may give them a gift for their great attitude and conduct. At Musashi's it was a great joy when guest were leaving the table across from us and an older man was sure to stop hand Luke and Levi $5 each and asked that I pass down the other two bills to Souriya and Lance. Wow! I love, love, love it when my children see from others how appreciated their they are. I encourage my children to be appreciative of the gift but to remember we behave in a godly and respectable manner to show honor.

My bubble

My bubble allows me to conduct myself without fear of how the world behaves. I try hard to hear and listen to the Holy Spirit, read the Word of God and know what he says, take all information and line it up with God's Word, always believe in the good, and stay away from garbage. My best friend noted today on how ignorant I am in regards to world events. Truth is I am always reminded how naive I am about things that don't directly effect me and my household. There are days when I feel like I missed out and should have known, but today is not one of them.

Always and forever, just not all the time

It has been a blessing to have friends that I can call on for advice or help that I don't see or talk to all the time. The friendship is real, so daily activity is not a must. Both sides of the relationship know we lead our own lives and how busy they get, that it is respected and understood. I have appreciated the not so random phone calls and e-mails to see how I am if there is anything needed. My friends are great and I am honored to have such an awesome circle.

Danger Will Robinson danger

Shake, Screech, Hiss, Grind, Grind, Grind!
My brother says, "Maybe I should take a look at that".
"No, I need it, don't take it apart, then I will have nothing", I reply.
My girlfriend stops by and reacts in concern, "Wow, Angelina, you think you should take care of that?" No time left my washer BROKE! Why didn't I listen? It is not as if they were the first two people to comment and "warn me". I had a washer full of soaking wet clothes and no way to take care of them, except to ring them out the best I could and... the details. We all know how a wonderful incident like this really changes the dynamics of our day so why don't we consider this with every new arrival. I hope that I will. I am glad to say that the silver lining here was that we had the money to pay for a practically new washer and dryer, they match my kitchen appliances, and see that God always provides.

Wishy washy

My daughter had a girlfriend stay over and I was privileged to listen to a conversation that went on between them. It seemed that her friend was having some trouble with a student at school. She shared the situation with Souriya and Souriya replied, "You must be strong and not let other people's words bother you, if she says she is your friend, than tell her she has to be a good friend, not a wishy washy one, because those are not real friends, those are people who make you feel uncomfortable, stay away from her, don't let her get to be around you. I wish I could give you verbatim, but Wow, right? I hope that her view on friends has come from the relationships and conversations she witnesses with me, but if it is elsewhere, my sincere, "thank-you" goes out to whoever! I applauded her courage after her time spent was over, and reminded her that some people would not have been brave enough to say such encouraging words, and always remember herself to stay strong and take inventory of her circle of influence regularly.

Congratulations Sheena!

My little sister has just had her second munchkin, who I might mention did not come into this world being little himself. Weighing in at 8lbs and a length of 21 inches. She nursed him well in her womb with those numbers. Ring... ring... over and over waking me up confirmed it was not a dream. My sister had called to let me know that she had delivered her little guy. Passing the phone to my Mom, she seemed well. My mom explained to me that there had been a little complication but all was good now. I am so excited!!!!, to see him, love on him, and just get my hands all over that baby's body!

Meanie

Whenever I find myself slacking as a mother, I become a meanie. It is when I am diligent to be mindful of my children's attitudes and behavior that our home seems to run smoother. When I allow my munchkins to slack on what I expect of them, be sure, they will slack. It sucks for them when I see "Oh my goodness, how lazy you are being, Angelina". The reason it sucks is because I am harsh when I slack, feeling as tough I need to catch up. It is wrong that they must endure my attitude and it is not their fault. I must ask forgiveness from them as I expect them to ask of others when in the wrong. This cleans the slate for me, the same as I do for them and shows them real life accountability, and how to be responsible for future decisions in their own life.

Clutter

I have always liked the idea of being organized but must say its never been my strong point. This year has been a little different. Credit to my husband for giving me a real lifestyle of what that looks like. I still have messy days and my counter tops still need cleared from pile up at times, we wont even talk about how I love reorganizing my room and making a mess of it. This year, tough, I have continued to pursue this lifestyle with zeal and I really like what my Life is looking like. You are told that each part of your like flows into another and I am able to see this NOW.

Aware

Whenever we come home or leave the house there are certain things that happen without say so. For example; the kiddos know that as they walk in the door they remove their shoes, pick them up and walk to their rooms to put them away, as well as hang up their jackets and put away their beanies. Yet, there are times where a child is distracted and the beanie is nowhere to be found. It does not happen often, at least not for them all. Luke does not seem to grasp the idea of ever knowing where his beanie among other items is so, I have decided to have him wear it all the time. Yes, all the time, minus a shower he has it on all day and night. It is my hope that he will miss it when I do allow him to remove it, or at least know where it is. Its an issue even for us as adults; where are my keys, did I leave my wallet here or there, so on and so forth. My desire here is that Luke is aware of his surroundings, be it his location or where something he has is.

Prepare them and see results you like

Sarina has all my munchkins today while I work my business. She even has Lathan my 14month old baby. When going to her chiropractic appointment this morning she did what is so important and necessary to receive results anyone would be looking for. She prepared them for the environment they were going into and what she expected of them while they were there. This woman, mind you, winds my kids up to let them go, but when she expects cruise control, she gets it. They honor and respect her; they look to please her, because they see her love them in all her actions. So her reward was hearing; “I have had a lot of kids in here before but none so well behaved”.

Action and Consenquense

I asked my son Lance to bring me the Laundry from his room, and he brought me as much as his hands could carry and then got distracted. He also figured that his brothers would be bringing me laundry too so he had no intention of getting back on task. When I noticed that there was much more laundry than he had brought to me I called him to discuss what had happened.He explained that he was distracted and so on. I explained to him, that had I not followed through and found that he had more laundry he would have gone the entire week without this or that for clothing. I want him to feel the real consequences of his action in the safety of home rather than for the first time in the outside world. We talked about how he would wear the same clothes for the next 7 days and why. Not because it was punishment, but because this is what would have happened on his own. Of course it is the hope that it wont happen later because he will really know by remembering what this was like. I want him to have a real sense of his action and their consequence. It gives a child the ability to begin to take responsibility for whatever choices they make, now and later.

BE a Proverbs 31 Woman

A excellent woman who can find?
Make a choice, and BE one, because she is far more precious than jewels.
She works with willing hands and makes good things happen. She uses her free will and good judgement to see that her family has a great future. She is healthy and strong to the benefit of her home and relationships with her husband, sons, daughters, and all who are her loved ones. She believes in whatever business she takes on and knows that it is profitable. She looks for opportunity to take care of those in need. Prepared is her middle name for the sake of her household. The best is what she looks for in quality to give to her family. Integrity allows her truth without dishonor. Her tongue is wise and soft at the same time, only permitting her ears to hear praise of others. Her children adore her and admire her sacrifices for them. Her fruit comes from her own hands, blessed by the Lord.

Shout Out

We had a whole days hard work yesterday and those always feel good! It started with something that I had told my kids a while back. I normally don't say anything about anything that we might do or a place we  might go because it bothers me that they wait for one thing and then it doesn't happen. Now, I am not saying our days are not fast pacing and always changing, just not with "yes" we will do this today. I thought that letting them know that I would have a fort of some kind before a specific date would help me move along with getting it accomplished. Well things happen, like your husband might burn all the wood with a buddy cause they had no purpose for it anymore, it might. Anyway, I have a neighbor who just happen to be trying to move some wood from her yard, as well as trash and metal. We made a day of it! About two hours of sorting the pile up, the rest, moving it here and there. My son Lance was a great help, he stuck with me all day, Souriya, gave up a lot of play time to take care of Lathan, Luke and Levi got their hands dirty after having a bit of fun with my neighbors kids and Zoe. My adult help, Zack, Sarina, Julie, and Ken! I loved how well yesterday played out and a real tired you get after completing a good sized task. Thank-you so much!

Done deal

A girlfriend of mine gave me a call yesterday and we talked about a situation she was dealing with concerning her daughter. She let  me know how I might handle the situation aside from tanning their hide. I am not one for time out, in any way. One of the reasons for this is because when an issue arises, I want to deal with it and move on. If we used time outs both the child and I are stuck for whatever time that "time out" lasts. If you leave the child to themselves during this time, whats the purpose? Real question, have any answers let me know. I prefer to handle it all together right then. There are times where I am not allotted the proper time, but my children know that we will take care of it. Meanwhile, we briefly discuss whatever the issue is and live out life, all is well. One of the worst feelings in my opinion beside confusion, is not know if Mom is mad at you or not. My children behave very different if I lead on at all that I am still upset at them. So, however you decide to handle any situation, just make sure its a done deal. I believe one of my biggest mistakes as a Mom is to forget to love on my child after any incident, large or small.   

Wake up!

Lance and I have just finished a conversation and it is 11:52pm. It started with him standing in our doorway asking me how to say a word. I listened in silence waiting to understand why he was concerned with the pronunciation  of a word three and a half hours after he had laid down. My husband nudged me and said "Angelina he's sleeping." Oh you have got to be kidding me right? Nope, he continued and I found that in his mind as he continued to speak that he in fact had not gone to sleep yet, he was working on his Science assignment; Life in the Tundra. I walked him through his evening and brought him up to speed. I woke him up! Amazing, I'm telling you, we never have a dull moment, us mothers. Well here's to, working nine to five, not!

Gasp!

Is there a word you can say or gesture you make that would stop your kids right in their tracks? Well, for me its a gasp. My daughter likes to write comic strips while we drive around town. She was reading one of them to us and said a four letter word, no not dust, wash, iron, or cook. Hate, was the word and in our home that word is as bad as any four letter word that we know we don't use. Anyway, I gasped while driving and my munchkins stopped. Stopped talking, moving, and I am almost sure they even held their breath a few seconds. The car was silent for what I believe was at least 10 minutes, even Levi. Who I am sure had no idea why everyone was silent only that he probably should follow suit. When arriving at out location, I turned around and asked her, "What in your story would allow that word?" She knew before I spoke to her what was unacceptable, and the remorse was all over her face. We finished discussing how ugly the word is and that it is important to find words to communicate a feeling that are better than the word "hate". Our tongue is our most powerful weapon, Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.