Just FYI

I would like to write down some of my children's latest sayings, because facebook won't save my status updates for all eternity. It only goes back so far. So, I am wanting to remember some of their statements, since my kids are the funniest, most interesing people on the planet.

I will try to do this often, but my hopes are not too high that I will succeed.

1. Aidan: "If no one in my family believed in God, I would go to my room, lock my door, and read my Bible and pray." Ethan: "I would say 'Hey, believe in God!' and punch them." (Ethan then decides [after our discussion about what people would think about his God if he punched them] name calling would be his tactic.)

2. Ethan, coming down the stairs: "I am just a regular dude...who's ninja."

3. Aidan and Ethan were making a concoction of leaves/grass/dirt/water for the bugs/worms/etc. Ethan: "You know people from North Carolina would like to try this." What?

4. Ethan, after arguing with Aidan: "He keeps using his muscles and strategy!"

5. Aidan talking about his school project: "Third grade girl walked by and said, 'Yeah, that's my favorite."" Ethan: "Yep...she definitely loves you."

6. Phill to the boys: "So tell me what we read last night?" (from the Bible) Aidan: "The story of Jesus coming to Jerusalem, people throwing down their coats and branches." Phill: "Good. And what were they saying?" Ethan: "Um....Go, Jesus!"

7. "Girls are so weird and whiny when it comes to mud."--Aidan, age 7

8. Hearing your 7 and 5 year old singing "He Reigns" with your 14 month old dancing can bring you to a place of worship like nothing else. (So this was a status update from 8-21-2010. Even though it wasn't something they said, it is something I hope to remember.)

9. Aidan, age 7: "There were 8 girls in class today, and I was the only boy." Me: "You'll love it when you're older. They'll all be fighting over you." Aidan: "If it's a karate fight, I would totally win." (August 1st, 2010)

10. Aidan reciting the Lord's prayer: "...but deliver us from evil, for tight is the kingdom and the power..."

11. Ethan: "With you sore on your foot and your short hair, mommy, you are...kind of...ugly....kind of."

12. Aidan: "Mommy, you're kinda rock star-ish." Either I am really awesome, or my kids are way too sheltered...hmmm. (Wrote this down to remind Aidan when he's a teenager. May 2010)

13. Aidan: "The Bible says to love our enemies, right? So does that mean God loves the devil?"

14. Ethan: "I am not kicking you, Mommy. I am just pushing you with my feet."

This is all for now. I love my boys!

Real People?

I am very frustrated with women, specifically moms. What's up with all the "I need to find out who I am" and "I am no longer a real person" and "I need to find me buried in all this mom stuff" kind of talk!?! I find this sad.

First, notice the focus of all these statements and similar sentiments. "I, I, I". Scripture is pretty clear that we are to consider others better than ourselves. It's pretty clear we are to serve our families. The root of "finding yourself" can be very self-centered and self-serving.

Second, life is changing constantly. From infancy, people change. Milk to solids. Diapers to toilets. Home to school. Elementary to middle school, to high school, to college. Single-hood to marriage. Then to motherhood (preferably following this order.) Once motherhood strikes, there is a sense of mourning women go through. The cause could be too many expectations on mothers working both in and out of the home, the problem women have with being perceived as perfect, or many others. The cause is not really the point here. Why the the mourning of what was? I have seen many family members and friends go through divorce because of mourning the previous chapter of life.

Third, this leads to discontentment. Looking back and wishing life were the same before the kids rocked your world, or longing for the days when you didn't have to be concerned with a husband and his needs, can really mean you are not available in the present. You are not thankful for the present. You may become bitter towards those you are supposed to love and serve.

So do me a favor, mothers and wives: get over yourself, stop mourning for the past, and be thankful for the present while looking forward to what God has for you in the future! I am not saying you shouldn't have moments away from your kids like girls' night out, dates with your husband, shopping all by yourself--all ways to rejuvenate so you can get back to business: serving God and serving others, your family being first among the "others".

When playing with my two boys several years ago (the third was not born), they wanted to pretend. So, one said, "Mommy, you are not a mommy in this game, you are a real person." I had to laugh at his idea/description of motherhood as compared to everyone else. He was not even four years old.

Mothers should not have the same perspective as 3 1/2 year old.

Writing It Down

My kids are really great. They are stinkin' funny, and exceptionally cute. I know all parents think this, but have you met my kids? Some of their lines are status updates on facebook, and my father-in-law reminds me "You should really write this stuff down!" Isn't that what I am doing by using my status updates to quote them? You mean, facebook won't save my old statuses...statusi...statussesss...anyway, shouldn't it all be saved from day one from when I opened my account?

I have always been horrible at writing things down, from countless diaries with only one entry as a little girl to trying to journal through my private time with God. I failed, and still do fail, at all attempts to chronicle through the written word. This blog shows my failure at this...take a look at the dates and how often I post.

I have come to accept that I don't think it's necessary to write things down. Is it a good idea? Yes. Is it a healthy, therapeutic habit in which all (especially parents) must engage in order to capture familial memories and grow in our relationship with the Creator? Um, well, I think that is pushing it a bit.