More quotes

K today:
"He runned and he threwed his hat off."  I think we have issues to address....

July 8, 2012:
The things I hear myself say:

"M___, what are you doing? "
Walking the dog.
"We don't have a dog. We have a brother. Stop walking your brother."

!?!?!?

July 8, 2012:
"MAMA!!!!  I have Diary." - Z as he's sitting on the toilet after complaining about a sick tummy.  You get the pictures.

July 2012:
Mom!  That water is very dry. I mean REALLY dry! - G

7/23/12:Z (as he is sitting on the toilet):  I love Jesus! 
me:  Great!  Are you going to love him forever?
Z:  Yes.
K:  You know Jesus will love you for ever - every day.

Z:  Yup.  The poop isn't coming out of my butt.  I think it is stuck in there for ever.

(OK son, I see that connection.  Yup.  The Holy and the throne.  Good.)

9/10/12:  Z - "I know how to run a 'puter.  Can you buy me a 'puter now Mama?" - after his first day of computer class in preschool.  Answer:  Let's start with vocabulary, son - It's a COM-Puter! :)

A different kind of mother aka: Letting Go (some things)

...From the stomach flu episode, I cam to understand that being strong doesn't mean not asking for help, nor does it mean not being scared.  This is probably one of the greatest lessons I've ever received.  I needed to offload some of my responsibilities and free myself a little to manage the load better. I had to admit that I could no longer be the same kind of mother I had been when Dylan was little; it wasn't possible.

I could not be with the kids and be with Randy in the oncology wards.  I had to ask for help - and lots of it.  I couldn't cook dinner every night from scratch using fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, so I gratefully accepted dinners of any kind from the families at my sons' preschool. I don't know if they used organic produce, and I learned not to give it a thought.

I ordered take-out dinners using a gift card generously provided by my husband's colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University.  I even took people up on their offer to unpack my families possessions - yes, even my clothes and underwear...

Was I a lesser mom, wife, and woman for this?  No!  In fact, it made our lives better to let others pitch in.  I had more energy to devote to all of those around me; I wasn't so stressed out and grouchy. It made life seem more manageable, which in turn lightened my mood.

- Jai Pausch - Dream New Drams - pp. 63-64

Some ask how I do it - work FT, parent 5 kids ages almost 2 - 6 years...I do it as follows:

Grace of God.

A messy home.

Children who are bathed ~2-3 X a week.

Family activities vs. every kid in multiple lessons starting at age 2 years.
Focusing on what is really important: Faith, Love, Kindness, Obedience, mixed with some sillies!

With help.

PS - I really enjoyed the book quoted.  It's an easy read about a university professor who is dying - from his caregiver's perspective - his wife, Jai.  Their children were preschoolers during this time and one was just 4 months old at the time of diagnosis.

His Heart

On Friday, May 18th we welcomed a nearly 22 month old little guy to our home.  He came with about a one hour notice.  Short term?  Long term?  Time will tell.

What this meant for Z-man was a "baby" boy.  He's wanted a brother for a while now.  He tells people. me. others.

Now that "D" is here, Z-man is less than happy.  After about 10 days, he asked when D was going to leave (to which, G-girl freaked out...she is in LOVE with D - a rare event around here).

Why?

D is a baby/toddler.  He is assertive.  Z & D have similar personalities.  Z is used to ruling the home as far as the kids go.  D is a threat.  He takes Z's toys. He pushes.  He's aggressive.

For Z, it's his heart.  Z's #1 issues is greed/self centered heart.  He has learned to share with K.  They play well together.  He pushes M around and G is in her own world - yet she has a close bond with Z-man.

D....a new dynamic.

I keep praying that God will use this experience to help mold Z.  I've seen so many improvements in his heart.  he can now share some.  Today at a church cookout he gave a little friend a chip.  Of course it was the smallest chip be had but still - improvement.  Later we talked about giving our best - not our smallest.

I think D is going to teach Z a lot.  I hope that Z's spirit isn't broken but rather his attitude and heart are shaped to love more.  share more.  be more Christ-like.

Z spends rest time in his room jumping on his bed singing to Jesus.  His heart does love...but I'm hoping that Z and D begin to better tolerate each other - and maybe they can become close - depending on the duration of D's stay in our family.

I can see that D's aggressive behavior is improving with Z finally standing up to him.  Both boys need a lot more shaping.

Brothers?  Who knows?  I love both of these little guys.  :)