Be still

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;     I will be exalted among the nations,    I will be exalted in the earth.”

There are times  I can feel God working in me.  Sometimes when I am in it I don't always love it, because it is through a time of hardship.  When it's all over, or somewhere in the mucky middle I can see what He is showing me, and trying to rearrange within me.  This summer I can really feel Him teaching me to Be Still.  Oh I struggle with this!  I think I have it, and then I lose it again.   It's a tricky thing.  As He continues to help me work through this I realize more and more.  For instance, be still. When I am still I think of things, remember things, let Him show me what it is I need to see.  When I first tried to be still I was left wondering " what am I still for" , "what am I waiting for".  I am fine tuning the art of being still... at least for now.  I am grateful that He takes the time to teach me these things.  It is in this time that I am still that I shut out the noise and learn to lean on Him.  It is the best, most warm and cozy feeling, and I am BLESSED beyond measure to experience it.

Love my boy

I found this article here and loved the honesty of it.  I love being mom to my sweet boy, but let's face it there will be times that I just don't get him.  I want to keep these things in mind.

Raising Boys

A dad's parenting advice for moms

By Thomas Matlack on January 21st, 2011

Let’s get one thing clear from the get go: moms are generally better parents than dads. And that goes double for me. I’ve had three kids across two marriages and I am undoubtedly the weak link. My 16-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son trust their step-mom more than they trust me, which proves that I married well but am still getting the hang of being a dad. Most of us are.

That said, there are a few subtle nuances that I have picked up along the way as a dad that might come in handy for moms raising boys.

Ladies, here are some things to think about with your boys:

• Think caveman. Adult women have thousands of emotional states, as do girls like my daughter. Boys, on the other hand, tend to feel one of three: mad, sad, happy. Don’t project your complex emotional life on your son. His issue of the moment might not be that complicated. He wants to eat, poop, or run. On a really bad day he wants his toy back after some other kid took it from him. He doesn’t want to stare out the window and have lengthy discussions about the meaning of life, as my eight-year-old daughter often did.
• Watch his body not his mouth. Again, like adult men, the clues to how your son is doing will show up first in his body language. Jumping up and down with six-inch vertical leaps is the natural state of being and is good. Slumped shoulders are bad. Yelling is good. Quiet needs attention.
• When in doubt, hug. Boys will often have a much harder time than girls verbalizing their problems. My 5-year-old son will sometimes burst out into tears after seemingly trivial events. I know there is something deeper going on, but I am not going to get it out of him, at least not at that moment (whereas my daughter would not only tell me what went wrong but in no uncertain terms why it was my fault, which was generally true enough). So the solution is physical not verbal. I spend a lot of time just hugging my boys. I usually have no idea why. But as a default cure-all, it seems to work wonders. A minute later they are all patched up and ready to rumble again. This even works pretty well with my 14-year-old, who is a 6-foot-tall linebacker at Boston College High School.
• Yes, it really is all about poop. Girls potty train 6 to 9 months before boys, but once boys make it onto the throne, there is no stopping them. Moving their bowels is pretty much the highlight of their day (true confession: it still is for me, too), and they are going to want to talk about it. Bathroom time is a participatory sport. My five-year-old likes to head to the bathroom just as the family is sitting down to dinner, sometimesduring dinner. It’s the first time he has been still long enough to realize he has to go. And he wants me to come with him, not just to assist in the wipe but to have a leisurely conversation about the status of his poop. As much as I found this inconvenient at first, now I just go with it. Quality time is quality time.
• Batman lives forever. Boys, even at a young age, realize the importance of super powers. They want to be good and believe in the existence of ultimate good in the world. Boys sort out their identities in relation to the mythical characters they hear about. My son is obsessed with Batman. He wears a full costume, even through the airport and down Madison Avenue. What amazes me even more than his dedication to the superhero is how the guard at LaGuardia or the guy hanging off the back of a garbage truck sees him and shouts, “Batman!” My boy nods his head just slightly, acknowledging his public before moving onto the important work at hand, like going to kindergarten.
• Pointless physical activity is perfect. My brother and I once convinced his two sons and my older boy, when they were all around the age of 10, that they really needed to build a structure out of rocks. The rocks were on one side of a beach, but the perfect spot where the structure had to be built, according to our sage advice, was on the other side of the beach. Each stone weighed between ten and thirty pounds. The boys started moving the boulders one by one, working together to lift the heaviest ones. My brother and I set up our beach chairs midway from the rock pile to building site. We read the paper most of the morning while the boys tired themselves out moving rocks and then assembling a tremendous cathedral. By lunch they were tired and happy, and my brother and I had enjoyed a peaceful morning.
• Winning does matter, but less than you think. Boys – perhaps even more than girls – put themselves under extreme pressure to perform in school, in sports, and in social situations. They talk about it less, so the sting of failure can run even more deeply than with girls. With boys it’s important to emphasize the lessons to be gained from failure, instead of trying to win at all costs, and to emphasize the development of the whole boy. Too often in our culture, boys are pushed to become one-dimensional robots. Goodness isn’t about winning at youth soccer or having the most friends or being the smartest kid in class; it’s also about being kind. That’s something as a mom that you can particularly help your son understand.
• Clothes matter. I know there are way more options for dressing little girls than little boys, so the tendency might be to just throw jeans and a t-shirt on your son and forget about it. But you better make sure they are the right jeans and the right t-shirt. The only consistent battle I have had with my sons is over what they wear. It matters way more to them than I ever would have imagined. They want to look cool; they want to be comfortable (pants that are tight but not too tight, warm and yet breathable). I do draw the line with clothes that have already been worn two days in a row, but I don’t discount the importance of fashion to my kindergartener.
• Crowds, not so much. I have noticed that my daughter lights up when she enters a crowd, whether family or strangers. Mass humanity is something that gives her energy. With my boys, and, frankly, for me too, it’s the opposite. They get shy and tend to hide behind my legs. I try to protect them from these situations and not push them beyond their limitations.
• Bedtime is sacred. Because boys are so active, it’s hard to get them to sit still. The best time of day is the ten minutes before they go to sleep. Crawl into bed with them, read books, and hold them while they fall off to sleep. If you don’t believe in God, you will once you have lain next to your overactive son while his body goes limp next to you, and he ever so faintly begins to snore.

James

I am doing this great Beth Moore this summer.  I am totally loving it.  It seems different from a lot of studies I have done in the past.  What I love is it focuses on lots of different topics, and has really got me thinking about lots of different aspects of my life... how I can improve, and tweak to grow closer to God.   I completely reccomend this to anyone at any stage of their life.  James is such a short book in the Bible, but he speaks so straight forward... even I get it! I really hope that after this study I can continue with more.  I was kind of out of the rhythm  with doing studies since Chance came into our lives.  I am so grateful to have the chance to get back into the swing of things.

My husband ran the vacuum without me asking... said me never

So, I spent the day back home and on my way back I knew that Anthony had played golf this afternoon and will be getting home early. I had this sweet little vision in my head. I'm sure many of you married women have had the same vision. It's more like a dream really. A dream that probably doesn't happen very often, if that happens at all.  My hubby is a wonderful guy. He is an attentive husband, and a wonderful dad. He lacks in one area. That area is doing things around the house. What I mean is he will do things, but I have to ask him. And then even when he does then I have to admit I'm a little picky and it's not always done the way I wanted it.  Or he complains like one of my fifth graders. I'm not complaining... just stating the facts. I am grateful, but I'm just being honest here. This used to be the source of several of our disagreement until I finally realized that guys just don't see things the same way women do.  They don't see the clothes that need to be washed, or the dresser that needs to be dusted. I get home from work early I think "hey I have five minutes I can clean, fold, or pick up". He gets home from work early and thinks "hey I can sit in front of my PlayStation and play college football".  I really don't mind doing things at all, actually I like my little routine, just sometimes I wish I could easily relax and instead I feel the need to be neurotic about everything around the house. So my vision. My vision was that I came home after being gone all day, and that the first floor was vacuumed. It would make me very happy girl although I realize I vacuumed it yesterday and in his eyes it's just fine.  Instead I came home to ice cream, and realized I'm totally ok with that too, and I can wait till tomorrow to run the vacuum.

7 years

7 years ago I married this guy.  My best friend.  I am beyond blessed that God placed him in my life.    Happy anniversary to my hubby... and completely for me,  just because we both have horrible memories I am documenting our day: this year he planned massages for both of us and then we had dinner at Drakes.   After dinner we came home and watched Rio.  Because that's how we roll! I love this guy.

Say Cheese

Chance is learning something new every day!  Sometimes I find it is hard to keep up.

A bit of randomness

I'm feeling the need to get caught up on the randomness I've missed sharing.  Bare with me!

This is us on the 4th of July... it's way past Little Man's bedtime.

Can you see the guy in the background... totally the guy from The Hangover.

Yummy homemade granola- thank you Pinterest!

Art at Uptown Art.  Such a fun girl's night.

My parents came up and helped me can my dad's homemade spaghetti sauce. Yum!

And this is just to add a little sweetness to the post.  I. Adore. This. Face.

A lesson of motherhood

Today I fully caught the summer bug that Chancey had/has... or is it allergies.  Who would have thought I would have caught it... I thought he was teething (he has 4 coming in now.  EEK)... thus you can't catch teething. I thought I was safe.  It hasn't been awful but what has been struggle is Anthony had to work and Chance was a crazy, wild man.  Literally, I would turn my head and he'd be behind me... I'd lose track of him because I was in such a sinus fog.  It was definitely like the commercial where your head is like a balloon.   Don't worry, we made it through the morning,  and after nap I decided the dizzy feeling had subsided enough to get out.  I strapped Little Man in and we headed to what I desperately needed first- Starbucks.  I was starting to feel better on the drive over to our next stop- the bookstore.  Coffee and books= good for the soul!  I was still moving a bit slower than normal as I got the stroller out and put Chance in.  I put the stroller brake on and reached back in the car to grab a tissue for his running nose.  When I turned back around the stroller (and Chance) were in the middle of the parking lot- a few feet away.  Awesome.  I felt like such a ding dong.  I turned red and blotchy as I quickly grabbed the stroller and mentally scolded myself for not making sure the brake was on well.  I wiped his nose  and headed into the bookstore.  Again I continued to scold myself... "mother of the year", "so glad no one saw"... I must have looked flustered as I got to the doors because a gentleman helped me with the door.  I took a deep breath and was just started to settle myself when the gentleman then felt the need to say "Almost got away from you, huh?"  There it was.  Someone had noticed. I was starting to not feel so good again, and began to wonder if he thought I was an awful mom, or just having a bad day. I hoped for the latter, but really all I wanted to do was break down and tell him about my day.  Maybe the fact that I wasn't feeling well played a roll, but the way he said it just rubbed me the wrong way.  I realize this was such a small moment, Little Man wasn't hurt, it didn't make me a bad mom.  But it goes to the point.  The point I want to get to; Why is it that once we become moms we get this crazy guilt and incessant need to do EVERYTHING right?  I am slowly learning the lessons that motherhood teaches.  It's a work in progress, but in the end I'm pretty sure, even when the stroller rolls away from me I'll have an amazing kid. I won't be the perfect mom, I will most definitely make mistakes. One day I'll look back and laugh.  For now, I'm enjoying every minute of this journey.    

Hi, My name is Jessie

and I am slightly organized and neat and tidy... just a lil bit.   Because of that, this makes me swoon!

An Erin Condren Life Planner

My planner runs up in December and I already have my eyes on this planner.  I have heard so many great things about it.  Here is all the things this little slice of organizational heaven includes:

- laminated, heavy duty 10mL cover for protection from daily wear and tear - sturdy aluminum coil that will not bend & allows your planner to lay flat - perpetual calendar for birthdays and anniversaries - choose the start month of your Life Planner! - TWO-page monthly spreads - weekly spreads divided into morning, day & night - LAMINATED tabs for extra durability - snap-in page holder that doubles as a ruler - goals and to-do lists for every week and month - 20 pages of lined and designer blank pages for notes and sketches - 1 page for important numbers, with a backside to keep addresses handy - 240 colorful stickers to highlight birthdays, special events and reminders - "keep it together" folder to wrangle receipts, stamps, and other papers - bound-in zip lock pocket with 12 gift labels and "let's get together" cards - inspirational quotes throughout I can barley stand to wait.  I'm excited... in case you couldn't tell,

Blogging with a kid

So, since Little Man has entered my life I have made him one of my top priorities.  The blog has been pushed far off my radar.  I really want to figure out how to use this blog more though.  I originally started this blog because I have an awful memory and these are times in my life I really want to remember, especially now.  I have decided to recommit myself... I'd love to say that I can post every day, but I'm not sure I can meet that goal.  So, let's say 3 times a week.  If I manage more, Yay for me!  More to come about  

My boys

New projects in my life

teaching

decorating

and all the other random things that fill my head.

Because I am an honest mom...

my son... in all his Superman shirt glory, thinks he should be allowed to drink from the dog bowl. Sigh!  I'm sure there will be worse to come.