When it's hot...

get out the water toys & have fun being silly!

Let the Games Begin!

Saturday was the girls' first soccer game. It was cold & rainy, but boy did they have a blast! Mya kicked her very first goal, and Emily did victory cheers every time someone else kicked a goal. The smile never left Emily's face during her field time. When it was time to let someone else play, that was when she felt how cold she really was. Poor thing kept putting her whole hands in her mouth to try and warm them. Once she got back on the field, didn't even matter that she was cold. I think this is going to be a great new adventure for them. I'm hoping next game day will be warmer.... and sunnier. 

What Makes A House A Home?

Home is where the heart is. A home is a place the members inside should feel safe, secure, loved, valued, cherished. A peaceful resting place where the heart can be healed and the Spirit refreshed. A home should be a place where dreams are born and then encouraged to be lived out. I desire my home to be such a place that anyone who enters can FEEL Christ living in it. I want my home to be a place where truth is shared, wrapped up in love...but not to the point that it takes away from the fact that making mistakes has consequences. That bad choices not only hurt ourselves, but everyone around us in our world. That is such a tough balance to have. It seems as though I'm either on one side or the other. 

So, if this is what I want my home to be, how do I get there? I have the goal, but now what is my course going to be? I have heard it said that there must be a work IN you before there can be a work THROUGH you. I have given so much time in trying to give up my selfishness in wanting things my way. I have come to the conclusion that it is a never-ending battle to die to self. The harder I strive at being better, the farther I feel from it. However, giving up is not an option. 

I heard a Mother speaking yesterday about  "Perfection Infection". As Mothers, we spend so much energy and stress on trying to be everything to everyone. We work tirelessly to be perfect, but the fact is that no Mom is. We guilt ourselves into a pit of destruction. We feel that we don't measure up. There were some really great reflecting moments for me. Here are some of the things that were said:

1) Don't compare your insides to someone else's outsides. 

2) Move from the pursuit of perfection to the pursuit of being perfected. 

3) I see the hurt in you, but I also see the hope in you.

4) Better to be authentic than to pretend perfection. 

If you're interested in catching more great insights, you can listen to Jill Savage on Focus on the Family. Here is a link:

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?MediaId={77E1566F-70E8-47B4-815B-7AC9031F8FA4}

I hope you'll be blessed and encouraged in not only your work as a Mother, but also who you are as a person. 

Happy Birthday Mya!

 Mya has always been a happy, early riser. Add excitement to the mix, and you get a SUPER happy-early riser. 5:30am kind of early!  Thanks to her cousin, Hailey, she got the beautiful doll dress. Mya has been waiting days to open the package. Talk about teaching patience. I love the little things in life that make a big deal. For her Birthday, she gets to have lunch in her classroom with two friends of her choice. Then, we will be having an after school picnic at the place of her choice. We will end with a home-made Birthday cake. When I talk about the "little things"... a store does a much better job at cake making than I do. So I usually go that route. One year I made a cake, and vowed to not do it again. It was very time consuming, and it didn't turn out to my expectations. Mya told me this year that my making her cake was the best cake ever. She wanted me to do it again. Well, swallow my perfectionism...and just give her "hand-made with love" version. It's the little things that count. 

Emily's Big Day

Emily's class did a short presentation about dinosaurs. She was not timid at all! Had to move the mic even. How I remember those days....being the smallest in the class. I am given the opportunity over and over again to teach the girls that no matter how cruel people can be, don't let it change who you are on the inside. It is sad to see what they have to go through at such a young age. 

Later on in the day, she also had her first day of Soccer! She was so excited. When it came to running, she loved it. When it came to kicking the ball, she loved it. When it came to being silly, she couldn't participate. She told me later, "Mom, I don't want to be silly. I want to play soccer." Makes me laugh. I couldn't help but think of the movie "Kicking & Screaming" while watching practice. It was pretty dead on when it comes to how kids can be at this age. This will be interesting....