We had a great weekend enjoying the Fall weather with family.
I love this series of pictures because it seems to really capture the reality of our life right now.
I love my sister's authentic laughter here! Note P trying to kick R off the tractor below. Nice.
Cousin Sydney offers a little girl talk to K.
Looking for a hug from Grandmother Scott
The last month or so has brought a real transition in my parenting style. I have a hard time letting go of my reins of control. I "coped" with motherhood for the first 2 1/2 years with lots of organization, structure and scheduling. I have learned that the toddler phase of parenthood calls for a whole different kind of creativity. It is still necessary to keep lots of structure and clear boundaries, but I am also learning when to take a deep breath, let go of my expectations of how the day was going to go and roll with it. HARD FOR ME!
I am now trying to direct my creative energy to correction, managing 3 distinctly different personalities and sets of needs, guiding them in their understanding of how the world works and keeping my sanity. Some days are better than others.
I have also learned a very important lesson. I MUST get up before they do in the morning and have quiet time to prepare for the day. Even though it often means getting up before 6 am, even 5 minutes makes a HUGE difference in my attitude and feeling like I have been proactive, rather than simply reacting all day long.
8 comments:
Yes! Getting up before the kids gives us a running chance for the day...LOL
Looks like a fun day...
The car ride home looked like even more fun for the parents! Sleeping, exhausted babies! You get a rest too.
I too believe in the power of 5 minutes of quiet and sanity.
Looks like your outing was a lot of fun!
I too agree with getting up a bit early. My attitude is completely diffrent when I feel like I'm starting behind!
Nice post. All of it So true. I don't want to wish this age good-bye, as there are so many wonderful things about it. But sometimes I would like to wish certain "challenging" moments away....
This morning Quinn (2 yr, 4 mo) changed his mind 6 times before "choosing" the color cereal bowl he would accept. Aaagh! What was I thinking buying different colors?
Pam :)
AMEN to this post!!
I have not yet mastered getting up before they do - probably because I go to bed WAY too late. That must change.
Your comment about the toddler transition really struck me. I've been meaning to write something along those same lines. I truly believe that it was less challenging when they were infants, even with the sleep deprivation. I organized and orchestrated the day. It wasn't "easy" but it was certainly within my control. I really feel like I have been losing control in recent months (weeks?) and it is SO hard for me.
Once again, it's good to see I'm not alone. I love seeing zonked out kids on the car ride home. Mission accomplished!!
Roll with the day - a great way to live with minimal stress. Otherwise, it's never going to be like it "should be" and your days will be filled with what went wrong instead of "hey, look what fun we had."
Perri
That is so true about getting up before they do...I only have twins 18 months old and a toddler 3 1/2...
but getting in devotions before they get up makes all the difference...
Have you had a chance to read the book "Taking cafe of the me in mommy" by Lisa Whelchel...good read!
Anyway - thanks for sharing they are so cute!
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