In the interest of fair reporting...

Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children.  Now I have seven children and only one theory:  Love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.-Kate Samperi

Wasn't it just yesterday I posted about how great it was to be a mother??  The one where I was completely sappy concerning the joys of motherhood and how grateful I am to have this time with my children-I swear that was just yesterday!

Yea, I think it was, and didn't I  mentioned all the  things that I had learned since becoming a mother?

 I think I forgot one.  Restraint.  Yup, today I realized that I have learned to restrain myself from pulling a "Joseph's brothers act" and selling my children to the first band of Egyptians riding by.  Then again, maybe I wouldn't have had such restraint had an actual band of Egyptians passed by...

Well, either way I still have all my children with me in spite of them being uncooperative, argumentative, demanding and in all other ways behaving like CHILDREN today. (can you imagine? Children behaving like children.  Really!).  Well, lest you erroneously  think that we are just one happy flowery bundle of love all. the. time. around here, allow me to enlighten you.   Today I felt like this little guy.

I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.* And the children seemed to be having one too.  We were quite the group today.  We let  all our uglies and undesirables hang out today.  Not anyone's finest hour.  But thankfully the day is almost over and soon I will resemble this woman.

Tomorrow is a fresh new day and we will all get a fresh new start.  A clean slate.  A do-over.  Hallelujah!


Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness-Lamentations 3:22-23

I, for one, am glad we have a new chance with each sunrise.   Love, after all, does cover a multitude of "uglies".  And we do all love each other, even when none of us, myself included, are exhibiting behavior deserving of love. Sometimes that's when we need  love the most-even though it seems what we need is a kick in the...well, anyway, that's why we need to be continuously filled with God's perfect unconditional love to pour out on one another.  Then we can love each other in spite of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.  

Sometimes things just do not go as planned, or as desired, or as anything resembling acceptable.  But "mom says some days are like that, even in Australia".*

Thanks for reading

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*The book quotes and little boy pic. come from this book.  An excellent children's book about bad days.

Mother's Day

The process of shaping the child...shapes also the mother herself.  Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she may teach primarily by her own humble, daily example.
-Elisabeth Elliot

Today was Mother's Day.

My children greeted me this morning with kisses, words that said "Happy Mother's Day", cards, gifts and their sweet smiles.  But no card or gift could ever be worth more to me than the gift of being their mother.   It is their voices I hear, giggling and chatting with one another, that get me out of bed in the morning on those days when I'd rather hide from the world.  It is for them that I  push myself to seek the Lord on how to be a good example of a godly woman for my girls to follow, and how to raise my son to be a man of God.  Being a mother has been the most frustrating, difficult, wonderful, joyous experience of my life.

Motherhood is a place where you can experience extreme joy, laughter, incredible frustration, tears, an iron will and complete defeat all in one hour spent with a toddler.  It is a place where you discover you biggest vulnerability, your deepest fears, your greatest hope and your biggest dreams.  Somehow, they all tend to be wrapped up in  the little people that God has entrusted to you to raise.  You open yourself up for hurt as you love, without conditions, this small, totally dependent infant who can give you nothing in return.  You fear you will somehow not be the patient mom you so desire to be, while you slip in a puddle of pudding your toddler threw on the floor.  You hope and dream along with your children those big dreams they have.  And above all, you PRAY.

In all the ways I teach my children, I feel as though I am the one learning the most.  I've learned more about myself(good and awful bad), more about giving, and more about the unconditional love and acceptance of God, by parenting these little people He has entrusted to me.  In all the ways I give to my children, I feel as though I receive the most.  I came home from class one night to see this precious gift on my counter from my little guy.

I used to think I wanted to have so much more in my life.  But as I watch how quickly the years are flying by, I am so grateful to have the privilege to devote this time in my life to spend with my children.   Soon enough they will be grown and will not take photos like these...

Being a mother sure isn't what I thought it would be.  But it is the best gift I've ever been given.  I am grateful everyday for my children and also for my wonderful hubby to walk this journey of parenting with me.

 Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.-Elizabeth Stone

If you've never seen this video by Anita Renfroe about motherhood, check this out.  It is hilarious.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there

Thanks for reading.