This Week's Menu

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.  That's the name of our game these days.  John is constantly thanking me for cooking vegetables and also craving more.  He's on this kick of thinking of new ways to cook vegetables, more of them to try, and getting excited about talking about them.  It's fun, and something that can only be good for us.  

Here's what I'm making this week:

Veggie night: Roasted potatoes, grilled okra, sauteed green beans, roasted beets

BLT salads

Jenny's roast, peas, carrots

Vegetable quiche

Words Of Weakness

Thank you for the comments and messages that were sent my way yesterday.  I had several people read what I wrote yesterday, then tell me that they've all felt the same way.  Ladies, to know that I'm not alone in that feeling is so good.  Thank you.  

It's true what they say (whoever they are): There is strength in sharing our weaknesses.  There is strength in sharing our weaknesses.  There is strength in sharing our weaknesses.  A-to-the-men!  Thank you to the ladies who shared with me.

It's definitely helped color my day with my children today.  I'm so grateful for my time with them, even when it's challenging.  These kids are gems, and I treasure them.  

Being A Mom Right Now

Lately, I have had a difficult time staying present while at home with the kids.  I'm having a hard time slowing down and soaking up my little fragile, delicate, perfect time with my babies.  It's been hard on me.  John and I have talked about it.  On Monday, I got to get away for quite a bit and have time to do some things on my own.  At the end of the day, I felt so happy and full.  I told John about it, because I felt guilty, like major guilt for feeling that way.  

He was great about it.  He understood what I was feeling, and assured me that I should not feel guilty for my good Monday.  That talk helped.  It didn't fix my attitude, but it was good.  

This week, I'm doing the little things that help me when I feel this way.  I think of fun little adventures to go on with the kids.  I take lots of pictures of them as they make their own play.  I talk about it with John and my friends.  Then, I remember that prayer would be pretty helpful as well.  Duh.  

Besides the prayer thing, the other little snippets are just temporary fix-its.  They're not solutions.

I'm adding something to my fix-it list.  This one's good: I'm accepting it.  I'm accepting that no matter what I do, I'll always have mom-guilt.  I'm accepting that I have my down days, and sometimes they last a few days.  I'm accepting that most days I eat these children up with a spoon (and I hope those are the days that I remember).  

I'm also learning that it might be something deeper going on inside me, and I'm also learning that it might not be.  I might just be chronically restless.  

As I process this and think about hitting publish, I'm starting to feel better.  I'm starting to feel a little freer. There is power in sharing our weaknesses, right?  I hope so.  Here is my weakness right now.  

Some Great Advice On Raising Girls

My little Fern is walking more and more these days.  We're talking 70/30, walking/crawling ratio.  She's a little late to the walking scene, but I'm ok with that.  There's no rush from me.  This little girl is just so much fun.  

Recently, I received some of my favorite advice and insight on raising daughters.  I think that the same can be applied to raising sons as well.  It came about when my friend posted pictures of her daughter's room.  She has two teenage daughters, and I think that they are the bees knees. I left a comment that I loved the style of the room, and said something along the lines of "way to let her decorate like she wants to.  The payoff will be good in the long run."  Her response was epic, and I want to post it here.  I want to share it, and I want to have it permanently tattooed on my parenting playbook. 

The funny thing about teenage daughters and style is this: If you have a close, loving relationship with your mom, you don’t want to disappoint her.  So you agree to what she suggests, even if it is not your thing.  The challenge of a  mom (and you will experience this when your kids get older) is to see that is happening and make VERY clear that suggestions are just that. It’s a tricky thing, as parents we are all about being a certain kind of family “ climbing family, no tv family, artsy family,  humorous family, etc. “ and when our kids gravitate to those things, our egos can make us a little blind. It took me awhile, but I caught on that she was agreeing with me about stuff to be a pleaser.  Getting her to pick a paint color was like pulling teeth. I suggested a banner/ lights/ garland thing for her ceiling a few weeks ago…she put her foot down big time. Proud moment for me.

I thought that was great.  I want to digest that more and more, but I'm going to let it stay there, on its own.  Thanks for the advice, Tanya.  To her daughters (who I think read this blog), you've got one cool mama.