"Home is the nicest word there is." ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
In love with Jesus. Wife to my best friend & man I love more than life. Mama to 4 amazing God given blessings. Proud Homemaker & Homeschooler. Living life with it's ups and downs and blogging about it!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Reasons why I am not a perfect mother,but my chilren love me, anyway...

 *Disclaimer: I say this not to be proud but actually, because I have been extremely hard on myself, lately and my husband, being the encourager that he is, suggested I write a list of why I am not perfect but my children love me anyway...LOL...so, here it is!! Enjoy and I would love to read your list, as well!! :)


                                                             (Image from Allposters.com)
* I occasionally feed them chocolate cake for breakfast (oh, yes, I have...and many other "sugary" delights, at times!)

* We do NOT do "proper" sit down school every day of the week. We are lucky to get "sit down school" done 3 days a week. The rest of the time, we read. Yes, we read. Whatever the girls want to read and even now, Drew will climb in my lap with his book of choice for reading and cuddles on the couch. :)

* We get happy meals. :)

* I let my kids watch movies...(not PG-13 or R movies...children's movies and some classics) and we eat popcorn and have snacks...we do this at least twice a week :)

* We make huge messes!  We play LOUD music! We have music and art,almost every day!! This is one of my favorite times with my children! We put on some Christian music and we dance and/or create while listening to the music...you would NOT believe the wonderful discussions we have (especially as Claire gets older) and the beautiful artwork they do for "God and Jesus"..it's precious and so amazing to me!!

*  My kitchen is sometimes a huge disaster! My kids help me cook almost every single meal and snack! Claire will be 5 in just 3 weeks...sniff. She already knows how to make so many things! She has recipes almost completely memorized!!

*My house is not spotless. At all. I have various "collections" of rocks, flowers, anything my kids find that interest them and they want Mommy to have! I have watched many kid's faces fall when they bring a new found treasure to their mom and she says in a stern voice, "Put that down" or "Just what I need, more junk!" I have found that my children are much more likely to share with me their thoughts and dreams and we are just closer if I just take that little bit of time to recognize and acknowledge their gift to me. When they give you something they found or picked, they are giving you a part of themselves. They are giving you a glimpse into their soul. Take the time. Appreciate their thoughtfulness. You are the most important influence in their little lives. Be gentle and let them know they are worthy of your time. :)

* We have our moments. My kids are kids and they try me, at times.I am learning right along beside them. Sometimes, I yell. I am too harsh with my words or punishment.(Rachel has a post worth reading about this) At times, I have wondered why in the world God ever answered my prayers for children! But, in the end, my children love me. I apologize when I am wrong and I sincerely try to correct myself and do better. I try with all my being to be the mother they need me to be. And, if I were a betting woman, I would say that you do, too. You are a WONDERFUL mother. You are the mother your children need. BE that mother. Don't let the world tell you otherwise!!! You have all you need to do the job-you are a child of the ALMIGHTY GOD!!!! Nothing is impossible with HIM!! If you mess up (and we all do) HE is there with HIS amazing GRACE!!!  Now, go, ......be the Mama you were created to be!! =D

~Julie~

6 comments:

Denise said...

You are precious.

amyswandering said...

Love this! I'm going to have to give this some thought & post a list. I could write a book!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your transparency and humility! So glad to hear how im-perfect other Mommy's are! I think alot of us Moms, get caught in that trap of feeling like we need to be perfect. We compare ourselves to other Mom's who "appear" to have it all together when most times this isn't even the case! Your post has encouraged me so much! Thank you for sharing!!!

Debra Kenney said...

Your husband's idea was wonderful. Thank you for sharing your list. What an encouragement to me and others.

Mrs. B said...

This is great! I think I will do something similar. I probably should read it once a day (at least) to combat the ever-encroaching thoughts of guilt, insufficiency, and horribleness. I also thank you for your vulnerability in writing this post, and your transparency. We all need to live more transparent lives, so that others may be encouraged.
Mrs. B.

Rachel said...

Thanks for sharing!!! I feel ready to face the world now and be that mama!!! God will use even our weaknesses if we let him...

-Rachel

If we don't find Him in the small things, how will we ever find Him in the big ones? ~Elisabeth Elliot