snow pics

The view from the front.

I seriously love the view from our back deck! Gorgeous.
There was a very large snow drift that developed in the back.
The boys had a blast sliding down it. 

 

Brave

This is very much a mom's post. I have family on the brain. I hope to be able to share some thoughts with you over the next few posts on being a mom please join in and leave a comment expressing your own personal thoughts on the subject.

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I've been thinking recently about how parenting has changed me. I was trained in ECE and taught preschool classes before I had kids of my own and this training was not as helpful as one might think (at least not for me.) I figured I had this parenting thing totally figured out, after all, I spent 2 years studying behavior management and psychology of children under the age of 5 and spent 3 years managing classes of 15 (yes 15!) 3 & 4 year olds with ease. I recall spending most of my time while teaching saying to myself "my kids will never do that!" Haha, those words have come back to haunt me many times. I was very critical and judgemental of parenting styles and choices. When my first born came along and he was colic for the first 6 months and all that learning went out the window, he was the exception to the norm and most of what I learnt did not apply to him. He was also born with a very strong will and I soon found out that this parenting thing was (and is) much harder than I thought. This is the first thing that has changed in me. Eating my words and changing my thoughts. It is not my place to criticize other parents. It seems to me that so many of us are trying to parent everyone else's children! Everyone has opinions on how one should be doing it right. I am guilty of this myself. There is nothing wrong with opinions but we really need to be encouraging and building each other up not tearing each other down. Now, I definitely want to be clear that obviously I'm not referring to situations of abuse or neglect. I'm talking about the smaller things. Some kids are born with a naturally quiet nature and some just aren't. I have seen wonderful parents struggle with challenging situations and I have come to respect the hard work they put into it daily. I have a few people in my life that don't talk about me and how I have chosen to parent. I feel safe sharing my struggles with them and appreciate their input in my life. I have learnt to focus on my own not others. I have learnt to relax.

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Nicole Nordeman sang a song when I saw her last month that speaks about the second thing that has changed in me. Recently my son has been facing a big battle with anxiety.....he is only 9. I wonder how my little one can have such big fears. I can see how he is tormented by overwhelming panic in some situations and it is so hard to watch. He can't make it go away on his own. I am committed to do whatever it takes to help him get better. I am, by nature, a very shy & timid person. I have forced myself out of my comfort zone many times because I know it is good for me. It is funny how you will do just about anything for your kids. It's like a whole new person emerges if anyone messes with one of your babies. When I was teaching I used to wonder why parents were so "passionate" and sometimes unreasonable. Ha! I get it now. I have surprised myself over the past couple of years how I have been able to walk right into my kid's classrooms or to the principal and express my concerns (as reasonable as possible). My kid's have made me face so many of my fears. They make me want to be brave.

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Brave (Nicole Nordeman)

The gate is wide

The road is paved in moderation

The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in

Welcome to the middle ground

You're safe and sound and

until now it's where I've been

'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything

But it's been love, your love, that cuts the strings

So long status quo

I think I'll just let go

You make me want to be brave

The way it always was

is no longer good enough

You make me want to be brave

I am small

And I speak when I'm spoken to

But I am willing to risk it all

I say your name

Just your name and I'm ready to jump

Even ready to fall....

So long status quo

I think I'll just let go

You make me want to be brave

The way it always was

is no longer good enough

You make me want to be brave.

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Much of my thoughts have been focused on my family over the past few years. It is fair to say that I am passionate about marriage and family. I feel blessed to be able to be at home and be so involved with my kids. I have much more to share about this choice as it has not always been easy. All you moms out there be blessed and be encouraged!! More to come at a later date........

fun, fun, fun!

The boys cranked the music and Caleb is (at this very moment) teaching Gracie how to break dance........seriously, too funny!

More thoughts to post about my kids later, right now I'm off to dance with the crew and make dinner.