I sent in a story about Jesse to the Hearts at Home Real Moms, Real Jesus Contest and it is being featured today on the Hearts at Home homepage. Check it out! The title is "Lead Me Not Into Temptation" and it is guaranteed to made you smile.
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Real Moms...Real Jesus
Today I am a part of a blog tour that I hope encourages and inspires you as a mother. I have personally heard Jill Savage speak, have chatted with her through e-mails, and have even had a a story published in a book she was the general editor of called I'm Glad I'm a Mom. If this post encourages you in any way, please check out Hearts at Home. They have so much to offer! Also, please post a reply so I know you dropped by. You can make a comment anonymously if you'd like.
Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, just released, and I wanted to ask her about her real mom moments..
Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.
Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?
Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!
There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.
Why did you want to write this book?
Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.
What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.
What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?
Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.
There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!
There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.
This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!
Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at www.jillsavage.org.
I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at www.jillsavage.org.
Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.
You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.
And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources here.
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, just released, and I wanted to ask her about her real mom moments..Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.
Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?
Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!
There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.
Why did you want to write this book?
Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.
What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.
What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?
Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.
There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!
There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.
This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!
Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at www.jillsavage.org.
I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at www.jillsavage.org.
Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.
You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.
And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources here.
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Jesse's knee...the saga continues
After my last entry, we went through the weekend and Jesse became more active. The swelling was going down and for that we were thankful. We went to church on Sunday and he did really well, but of course we had a hard time keeping Jesse calm. He wanted to play with his buddies. By the end of the morning he was limping pretty severely and looked so pathetic! We had Soup & Carols that evening so we were back at church by 5:30. He ran some more despite me trying to keep him calm and sitting. Yeah right, Mom! You can't keep a good man down! That evening, he began "in toeing" rather severely and Jason and I were very concerned. We decided we would call our pediatrician the next morning.
We had an appointment with our Ped on Monday afternoon on December 8. After examining him and seeing the x-ray report from the hospital, Dr. B said that we could re-x-ray it but it would most likely NOT show us anything new and that we would probably need to have an MRI so he was going to start with that.
They scheduled his MRI at the hospital on Monday, December 15. Jesse was a real trooper. Everything that the tech had was way too big so they had to stuff padding all around his knee trying to keep it still. We got through about 3 parts of the test and he decided that Jesse was still moving too much. His knee he was holding still, but he would occasionally wiggle his foot which, in turn, would wiggle his knee. So our tech and another tech came in and they taped his shoe to the knee equipped and shoved more padding and wedges around him. Finally he was unable to wiggle his foot so we started back through the tests. Hooray! We made it!
That Friday I called and spoke with the nurse at Dr. B's office and she told me that they could not rule out a fracture, but that the MRI report was leaning more toward the possibility of a torn ACL which is an acronym for the anterior cuciate ligament. Click HERE to see an illustration of the anatomy of the knee. She explained that Dr. B would be referring us to a pediatric orthopedic specialist in Kansas City and our appointment was for Tuesday, December 30 at Children's Mercy Hospital.
We drove over here to K.C. yesterday morning and met Nana and Papa at the hospital. They took Joe and Jake with them so Jason and I could concentrate on Jesse and the doctors. We brought the cd of his MRI and the reports from his MRI and his x-rays.
We got back to a room and went through the whole scenario with the nurse about how this happened and why we were there. Then after a while a younger Dr. came in and asked a bunch more questions and said Dr. Anderson would be looking over the MRI. After a while longer, a different nurse came and told us that Dr. A had ordered another set of x-rays for comparison so she told us across the floor to radiology. Jesse did great. Then we waited a little while longer until the young Dr. came back in and asked if we had the written radiology reports from his x-rays and MRI. We gave those to him and waited and he said that Dr. Anderson had his radiologist review all of the information. Jesse was so good during all of this! He played with his Batman toys, we read books, and played with a wall-mounted driving toy on the wall of the exam room. Finally Dr. Anderson came it with his entourage of student doctors and we were off and running.
After examining Jesse's knee, he concluded that at the very least, his ACL is not attached to the tibia. And from the x-rays, he does have a fracture of some sort. He believes that his ACL pulled away from the tibia taking a small bone fragment with it. OUCH! It is unclear whether the ACL is attached to the fragment or floating around free. Either way, the fragment could cause further damage in the knee either in tears to the meniscus or cartilage of the knee. Not good. He explained that he personally does not specialize in sports medicine injuries so he wanted to consult with some of his colleagues. So we waited while he made some calls. They were all very nice and we appreciated everyone so much!
He came back and explained that this sort of injury is hardly ever seen in children this young. In fact, Jesse is a prime candidate for documentation and publication in a medical journal on this case. Hmmm. Interesting. His colleagues agreed that at the very least that an exploratory arthroscopy is necessary to document what shape his ACL and his tibial spines are in. He may need repair or reconstruction, but they will not be able to say until they are in there. He passed Jason's number on to the 2 other doctors and told us they would be in touch.
They were in touch...TODAY! A nurse called to say he is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday, January 7. That is very quick, but I know they are concerned with how long it has already been since the initial trauma so they are eager to get in there and fix the problem. According to the nurse, all 3 doctors will be part of the surgery. Dr. Latz will be the head surgeon and Dr. Pacicca and Dr. Anderson will assist and, yes, this will be documented for a medical journal.
Needless to say, my head is still spinning a little. I am still digesting it all. We did explain to Jesse that he has a piece of broken bone in his knee that the doctors need to fix and that he will be having surgery. He cried. I am praying for peace for all of us. I know in my heart that the Lord has led us to these great doctors and I know he will recover, but it will be very hard.
He will have an overnite stay at the hospital and he will have PT the next morning to teach him how to use his walker. It's a long road ahead, but I know the Lord will give us strength as we face each day. Thank you, Jesus!
A very interesting way to begin 2009. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father is still on his throne and that nothing escapes His sight.
~ Marcia ~
We had an appointment with our Ped on Monday afternoon on December 8. After examining him and seeing the x-ray report from the hospital, Dr. B said that we could re-x-ray it but it would most likely NOT show us anything new and that we would probably need to have an MRI so he was going to start with that.
They scheduled his MRI at the hospital on Monday, December 15. Jesse was a real trooper. Everything that the tech had was way too big so they had to stuff padding all around his knee trying to keep it still. We got through about 3 parts of the test and he decided that Jesse was still moving too much. His knee he was holding still, but he would occasionally wiggle his foot which, in turn, would wiggle his knee. So our tech and another tech came in and they taped his shoe to the knee equipped and shoved more padding and wedges around him. Finally he was unable to wiggle his foot so we started back through the tests. Hooray! We made it!
That Friday I called and spoke with the nurse at Dr. B's office and she told me that they could not rule out a fracture, but that the MRI report was leaning more toward the possibility of a torn ACL which is an acronym for the anterior cuciate ligament. Click HERE to see an illustration of the anatomy of the knee. She explained that Dr. B would be referring us to a pediatric orthopedic specialist in Kansas City and our appointment was for Tuesday, December 30 at Children's Mercy Hospital.
We drove over here to K.C. yesterday morning and met Nana and Papa at the hospital. They took Joe and Jake with them so Jason and I could concentrate on Jesse and the doctors. We brought the cd of his MRI and the reports from his MRI and his x-rays.
We got back to a room and went through the whole scenario with the nurse about how this happened and why we were there. Then after a while a younger Dr. came in and asked a bunch more questions and said Dr. Anderson would be looking over the MRI. After a while longer, a different nurse came and told us that Dr. A had ordered another set of x-rays for comparison so she told us across the floor to radiology. Jesse did great. Then we waited a little while longer until the young Dr. came back in and asked if we had the written radiology reports from his x-rays and MRI. We gave those to him and waited and he said that Dr. Anderson had his radiologist review all of the information. Jesse was so good during all of this! He played with his Batman toys, we read books, and played with a wall-mounted driving toy on the wall of the exam room. Finally Dr. Anderson came it with his entourage of student doctors and we were off and running.
After examining Jesse's knee, he concluded that at the very least, his ACL is not attached to the tibia. And from the x-rays, he does have a fracture of some sort. He believes that his ACL pulled away from the tibia taking a small bone fragment with it. OUCH! It is unclear whether the ACL is attached to the fragment or floating around free. Either way, the fragment could cause further damage in the knee either in tears to the meniscus or cartilage of the knee. Not good. He explained that he personally does not specialize in sports medicine injuries so he wanted to consult with some of his colleagues. So we waited while he made some calls. They were all very nice and we appreciated everyone so much!
He came back and explained that this sort of injury is hardly ever seen in children this young. In fact, Jesse is a prime candidate for documentation and publication in a medical journal on this case. Hmmm. Interesting. His colleagues agreed that at the very least that an exploratory arthroscopy is necessary to document what shape his ACL and his tibial spines are in. He may need repair or reconstruction, but they will not be able to say until they are in there. He passed Jason's number on to the 2 other doctors and told us they would be in touch.
They were in touch...TODAY! A nurse called to say he is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday, January 7. That is very quick, but I know they are concerned with how long it has already been since the initial trauma so they are eager to get in there and fix the problem. According to the nurse, all 3 doctors will be part of the surgery. Dr. Latz will be the head surgeon and Dr. Pacicca and Dr. Anderson will assist and, yes, this will be documented for a medical journal.
Needless to say, my head is still spinning a little. I am still digesting it all. We did explain to Jesse that he has a piece of broken bone in his knee that the doctors need to fix and that he will be having surgery. He cried. I am praying for peace for all of us. I know in my heart that the Lord has led us to these great doctors and I know he will recover, but it will be very hard.
He will have an overnite stay at the hospital and he will have PT the next morning to teach him how to use his walker. It's a long road ahead, but I know the Lord will give us strength as we face each day. Thank you, Jesus!
A very interesting way to begin 2009. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father is still on his throne and that nothing escapes His sight.
Lord Jesus, please hold my baby close to you through each day ahead. Thank you for the wisdom of these doctors. We love you, Lord!Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Two Holiday Miracles!
Thank you, Jesus, for taking care of by baby! What more can I say? I love you with all of my heart, JesusI know, I know... it has been for-ev-er since I made a blog entry. Yes, we have been VERY busy, but to be completely and painfully honest, I have been having a lot of fun on the WEBKINZ website. Yes, I enjoy playing in the arcade and earning kinzcash and sending gifts and sweet messages to my boys. So there...the truth comes out.
But there has been other things going on. Like "Miracle #1"! My parents called back in October to ask if it would be okay if they came out and spent Thanksgiving with us.
*Marcia spits coffee* ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? OF COURSE IT'S OKAY!!!
So with about 4 weeks notice, we began preparing my folks' visit. It was absolutely wonderful! It felt like we had never even been apart for a year. Mom and I just sat and talked and enjoyed our time together. My dad had a lot of fun visiting some local historical sites with his TomTom. We all went and had delicious Korean food. Yummy! And we just kept hugging and saying how good it is to see each other. What a wonderful blessing! Thank you, Daddy!
While mom and dad were here, we experienced "Miracle #2". Last Saturday evening, the boys were restless and since it was too cold to go play outside, they were running off their energy up and down the stairs. Well, when that got old, they began running back and forth in the kitchen from the fridge to the pantry closet door while grandma counted how many times they had gone back and forth. *FUN* Well, as they were banging into things over and over, I glanced and saw, out of the corner of my eye, that the hutch on my china cabinet was falling. I screamed as I saw Jesse start running back across the kitchen, right in front of the china cabinet. Even though everything went in slow motion, I can't remember exactly what happened! All I know is Jesse was knocked back onto his bottom and as I got to him and I immediately grabbed him and plulled him to me. He was crying hard. The china hutch crashed to the floor, landing completely upside down, and glass and china went EVERYWHERE. Only by the grace of God, Jesse was not crushed by the hutch!
Jesse's knee was badly bruised and he could not walk so Jason and I took him into the ER. After x-rays of his knee and skull (since he also had a small goose-egg on his forhead), the ER doctor thought he had escaped major injury. There was one small line on the knee x-ray which the radiologist thought *might* indicate a fracture, but as the doctor felt his knee, there was no tenderness in that area, so he felt he was most likely ok. We left with instructions for ice, ibuprofen, and rest. He was unable to bear weight on that knee until Monday. He has steadily improved over the week so we have been pleased. We were not told to follow up with our pediatrician unless things got worse. I think we may call early next week though because he is still limping a bit and I think I would feel better knowing it's really okay. In any case, he is a walking miracle...literally! I am so thankful that the Lord was with him. Even as I type this entry, I feel overcome with emotion and gratefullness. God is so good...all the time!
If it were know obvious before, it is certainly obvious now! Each of our boys have been given special miracles. Joseph's birth itself was a miracle. Jacob's near drowning was a miracle. Jesse's china cabinet incident is a miracle. I can only imagine how many more miracles I have NOT seen, but I'm okay with that for now. I'm not sure how many more I can emotionally handle!
Thank you, Jesus, for keeping Jesse safe. Thank you for all of the miracles that I do not see. I love you, Lord!
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
But there has been other things going on. Like "Miracle #1"! My parents called back in October to ask if it would be okay if they came out and spent Thanksgiving with us.
*Marcia spits coffee* ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? OF COURSE IT'S OKAY!!!
So with about 4 weeks notice, we began preparing my folks' visit. It was absolutely wonderful! It felt like we had never even been apart for a year. Mom and I just sat and talked and enjoyed our time together. My dad had a lot of fun visiting some local historical sites with his TomTom. We all went and had delicious Korean food. Yummy! And we just kept hugging and saying how good it is to see each other. What a wonderful blessing! Thank you, Daddy!
While mom and dad were here, we experienced "Miracle #2". Last Saturday evening, the boys were restless and since it was too cold to go play outside, they were running off their energy up and down the stairs. Well, when that got old, they began running back and forth in the kitchen from the fridge to the pantry closet door while grandma counted how many times they had gone back and forth. *FUN* Well, as they were banging into things over and over, I glanced and saw, out of the corner of my eye, that the hutch on my china cabinet was falling. I screamed as I saw Jesse start running back across the kitchen, right in front of the china cabinet. Even though everything went in slow motion, I can't remember exactly what happened! All I know is Jesse was knocked back onto his bottom and as I got to him and I immediately grabbed him and plulled him to me. He was crying hard. The china hutch crashed to the floor, landing completely upside down, and glass and china went EVERYWHERE. Only by the grace of God, Jesse was not crushed by the hutch!
Jesse's knee was badly bruised and he could not walk so Jason and I took him into the ER. After x-rays of his knee and skull (since he also had a small goose-egg on his forhead), the ER doctor thought he had escaped major injury. There was one small line on the knee x-ray which the radiologist thought *might* indicate a fracture, but as the doctor felt his knee, there was no tenderness in that area, so he felt he was most likely ok. We left with instructions for ice, ibuprofen, and rest. He was unable to bear weight on that knee until Monday. He has steadily improved over the week so we have been pleased. We were not told to follow up with our pediatrician unless things got worse. I think we may call early next week though because he is still limping a bit and I think I would feel better knowing it's really okay. In any case, he is a walking miracle...literally! I am so thankful that the Lord was with him. Even as I type this entry, I feel overcome with emotion and gratefullness. God is so good...all the time!
If it were know obvious before, it is certainly obvious now! Each of our boys have been given special miracles. Joseph's birth itself was a miracle. Jacob's near drowning was a miracle. Jesse's china cabinet incident is a miracle. I can only imagine how many more miracles I have NOT seen, but I'm okay with that for now. I'm not sure how many more I can emotionally handle!
Thank you, Jesus, for keeping Jesse safe. Thank you for all of the miracles that I do not see. I love you, Lord!
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Energizer Mommy
...she keeps going and going and going.
So our anniversary arrived, then we had our church's 3rd annual Family Camp, then a very busy day at church Sunday, then Jason and I were FINALLY able to getaway for a few days (more on this later), and then we arrived home and picked up running where we left off. Back to school this week for the boys and I. Jason is busy preparing for our church to make the move from the country dance hall that we have been meeting in to a local high school while we await the acquisition or our property and the construction of our new building. *deep breath* And this momma just keeps going and going and going....
How do we do it, Moms? How do we stay energized and fresh?
Well, I wanted to share with you one of the ways I stay fresh.
I have personally experienced Hearts at Home and I want you to know that there is nothing like it. A Hearts at Home conference is like going to “mommy school.” You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll be inspired to be the best mom you can be. Additionally Hearts at Home offers books, an online mothering community, a bi-monthly magazine, and a free E-Newsletter. I strongly urge you to grab some girlfriends and attend one of their upcoming conferences:
October 3-4, 2008 Grand Rapids, Michigan
November 7-8, 2008 Rochester, Minnesota
March 13-14, 2009 Bloomington, Illinois
If you don’t live close enough to drive to a conference, and hopping on a plane isn’t an option, you can also order a Home Conference Packet which gives you the conference via CD.
Check out the Hearts at Home website today to find out all that Hearts at Home has to offer you!
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
So our anniversary arrived, then we had our church's 3rd annual Family Camp, then a very busy day at church Sunday, then Jason and I were FINALLY able to getaway for a few days (more on this later), and then we arrived home and picked up running where we left off. Back to school this week for the boys and I. Jason is busy preparing for our church to make the move from the country dance hall that we have been meeting in to a local high school while we await the acquisition or our property and the construction of our new building. *deep breath* And this momma just keeps going and going and going....
How do we do it, Moms? How do we stay energized and fresh?
Well, I wanted to share with you one of the ways I stay fresh.
I have personally experienced Hearts at Home and I want you to know that there is nothing like it. A Hearts at Home conference is like going to “mommy school.” You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll be inspired to be the best mom you can be. Additionally Hearts at Home offers books, an online mothering community, a bi-monthly magazine, and a free E-Newsletter. I strongly urge you to grab some girlfriends and attend one of their upcoming conferences:
October 3-4, 2008 Grand Rapids, Michigan
November 7-8, 2008 Rochester, Minnesota
March 13-14, 2009 Bloomington, Illinois
If you don’t live close enough to drive to a conference, and hopping on a plane isn’t an option, you can also order a Home Conference Packet which gives you the conference via CD.
Check out the Hearts at Home website today to find out all that Hearts at Home has to offer you!
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Is this the last time?
I was visiting Karen Ehman's blog and she had blogged about her "baby" starting 5th grade. Her thoughts about blinking and her children growing up really hit me hard. It's been a challenging week, but a good week, praise the Lord!
Many times I find myself wondering if they will ever grow up but then I realized I am already past the pregnancies, the nursing, the binkies, and even the potty-training! (I never thought that would ever happen!) And with the start of school this fall, I am officially no longer a mother of a preschooler since Jesse has begun kindergarten. Woah. *deep breath* After being exhorted to "drink in every moment" on Karen's blog, I've been trying to be very intentional about these precious moments and treasure every one.
So when Jacob asked me to rub his back and sing "the sunshine song" (You Are My Sunshine) the other night, even with every ounce of my exhausted being crying out for a few moments of peace and quiet, I knelt down beside him and did it with joy in my heart. How do I know that THIS is not the last time he will ask?
It's like the process of following your weaning baby's cues. Two of my nursinglings weaned on their own at about a year and as they began cutting out nursing sessions, I began to wonder, "Is this is it? Is this the last time? Is it really over?" Eventually it was. But you never know that until AFTER the moment is gone. Then as time goes by and they never ask to nurse again, then you know...and then you cry (or jump for joy!). For me it was very bittersweet.
So I sang and after the moment had passed, and I was sitting on the couch in the quiet house with Jason away at a meeting, I knew I had made the right choice. I rubbed his back and sang with all my heart instead of saying "Momma is too tired tonight, Hon." So if that was the last time he ever asks, I know I have no regrets.
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance" - Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Many times I find myself wondering if they will ever grow up but then I realized I am already past the pregnancies, the nursing, the binkies, and even the potty-training! (I never thought that would ever happen!) And with the start of school this fall, I am officially no longer a mother of a preschooler since Jesse has begun kindergarten. Woah. *deep breath* After being exhorted to "drink in every moment" on Karen's blog, I've been trying to be very intentional about these precious moments and treasure every one.
So when Jacob asked me to rub his back and sing "the sunshine song" (You Are My Sunshine) the other night, even with every ounce of my exhausted being crying out for a few moments of peace and quiet, I knelt down beside him and did it with joy in my heart. How do I know that THIS is not the last time he will ask?
It's like the process of following your weaning baby's cues. Two of my nursinglings weaned on their own at about a year and as they began cutting out nursing sessions, I began to wonder, "Is this is it? Is this the last time? Is it really over?" Eventually it was. But you never know that until AFTER the moment is gone. Then as time goes by and they never ask to nurse again, then you know...and then you cry (or jump for joy!). For me it was very bittersweet.
So I sang and after the moment had passed, and I was sitting on the couch in the quiet house with Jason away at a meeting, I knew I had made the right choice. I rubbed his back and sang with all my heart instead of saying "Momma is too tired tonight, Hon." So if that was the last time he ever asks, I know I have no regrets.
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance" - Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
Blessings,
~ Marcia ~
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Dinner antics
So the boys have been attending a local Vacation Bible School this week and have been having a great time. Momma's been having a great time too! Heehee!
While I was gone picking up the boys yesterday, my mother-in-law (who lives with us) decided to steam some leftover broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to go along with the lasagna I had baked earlier.
As soon as we walked through the front door, the lovely aroma of cooked broccoli and cauliflower hit my nose like a wall -- and I *like* both of them. Apparently, I was not the only one!
Jacob is our sensitive son. He walked right in the door, turned down the hall to his room and promptly hid under his pillow! Ack!
When we called him to dinner, he arrived at the table with his swimming goggles strategically placed on his nose so as not to catch a whiff of the lovely aroma!
I never cease to be amazed at the inventiveness of these boys!
What would I ever do without them?
I'll tell you what. I'd clean this house and it would STAY that way! *crossing arms* Ok, yeah right! Anyone who knows me knows that's a joke. Well, I would try...maybe.
Well, at least we can have FUN no matter how clean the top of my refrigerator is.
Blessings
~ Marcia ~
While I was gone picking up the boys yesterday, my mother-in-law (who lives with us) decided to steam some leftover broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to go along with the lasagna I had baked earlier.
As soon as we walked through the front door, the lovely aroma of cooked broccoli and cauliflower hit my nose like a wall -- and I *like* both of them. Apparently, I was not the only one!
Jacob is our sensitive son. He walked right in the door, turned down the hall to his room and promptly hid under his pillow! Ack!
When we called him to dinner, he arrived at the table with his swimming goggles strategically placed on his nose so as not to catch a whiff of the lovely aroma!
I never cease to be amazed at the inventiveness of these boys!What would I ever do without them?
I'll tell you what. I'd clean this house and it would STAY that way! *crossing arms* Ok, yeah right! Anyone who knows me knows that's a joke. Well, I would try...maybe.
Well, at least we can have FUN no matter how clean the top of my refrigerator is.
Blessings
~ Marcia ~
Monday, April 7, 2008
I'm Glad I'm a Mom
I am excited to announce that a story I wrote was chosen to be included in Hearts at Home's newest book! I'm Glad I'm a Mom is a collection of humorous and heartwarming stories from over 50 moms (including me!). These stories will encourage, inspire, and delight moms as they see again in these pages the special importance of their role in their home.
I'm Glad I'm a Mom would make a wonderful gift for Mother's Day! If you are interested in purchasing this resource it can be found at the Hearts Shoppe as well as amazon and cbd.com!
To find out why I'm Glad I'm a Mom, you'll have to read the book! :o)
~ Marcia ~
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