motherhood Archives - Positively Mommy https://www.positivelymommy.com/tag/motherhood/ Looking on the Bright Side of Parenting Sun, 01 Jun 2014 23:00:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 53778832 Bring Peace Through Prioritizing https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/05/bringing-peace-prioritizing/ https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/05/bringing-peace-prioritizing/#respond Fri, 23 May 2014 14:55:51 +0000 http://www.positivelymommy.com/?p=2795

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As a follow up to my last post about how to prioritize your life, I am explaining some of my reasoning for choosing which priorities I want to focus on first in my life.  I am generally the kind of person that is ALWAYS busy and I have a hard time slowing down and enjoying life.  I am spread so thin, I feel like I don’t really get the important things done in favor of things that are less important.  I don’t want to make these goals “another thing to do”, but I really want to base my life on them and let the other things go.

I identify with this quote by Julie B. Beck, “If we spend too much time on the nice to do things and the distractions, we won’t be aligned. We have necessary things to do, things we were sent here to earth to do, and if we prioritize correctly and line up behind the Lord, we can have full confidence, that He will make us his people, He will protect us, and care for us. We can havew confidence in His promises.”

 

I am trying to put first things first in this order:

RELATIONSHIPS

Specifically I am trying to make more time in my life to listen to my kids and to do things together as a family (simple things – not necessarily things that are really expensive).  We have done several activities together this week like art projects, playing outside, going to a museum, and just talking.

I would like to spend more time with my husband, besides watching our favorite TV shows.  We used to go out weekly on a date and now I can’t remember the last time we have had any alone time.  I would like to reconnect on some levels to have a closer relationship.  We have been married 15 years and sometimes it takes time and effort even in adult relationships.

There are other relationships I would like to put some attention to: mainly making new friends and keeping old friends.  I have some friends from high school and college that I deeply love and keep up with on facebook, but I feel like that is not quite enough.  It’s time to give some effort to letter writing, gift giving, and personal contact!

 

HEALTH

I have had significant struggles with my health over the last 7 years.  I have overcome many of them through clean eating and living, but there is always room to improve.  There are two things I would like to improve on and those are:

First, eating fresh food.  We have totally revamped our food storage to be long-term so that we don’t need to eat packaged and canned foods anymore.  I enjoy preparing food, and I want it to be REAL food.  If I can’t make it from scratch, I won’t make it.  I like simple food and I don’t plan to be cooking all day long or anything that remotely resembles a lot of work.  My husband and i have worked together to make this happen on a smaller scale.  I make a hot breakfast and green smoothie for breakfast and he makes a salad for us for lunch.  It has worked out splendidly.

In the summer, I grow a large organic garden and most of our food is picked and then eaten the same day.  It saves a lot of time to not have to go to the store very often and it helps us to eat the freshest fruits and vegetables possible.

Second, I need to get outside in the sun and exercise.  I feel so much better after I have done gardening or walking/hiking.  I want to make this more of a priority every day.  My kids love it too, so why not do it together?  I bought my kids real gardening tools in their size and teach them how to grow their own food and design and plant beautiful flowers.  There’s something life-affirming about sustaining and appreciating our food and the flowers and trees that keep us alive (literally!).

I would also benefit from consistent yoga.  I get pretty stiff and that helps a lot.

 

SPIRITUALITY

Let’s face it, I’m lazy when it comes to putting in the effort it takes to really be spiritually fulfilled.  Honestly, I do what I have to do to get by, and that’s it.  I am embarrassed to say that, and maybe I am being a little hard on myself, but I would like to improve.  I want to pray twice a day and at mealtimes, read several chapters in my scriptures daily (as well as meaningful family scripture study), read the Sunday School and Relief Society Lessons each week, and the Ensign each month.  On top of that, make it a priority to get to the Temple once a month and do more with my calling. Does that seem like a lot?  I am already doing some of that now, but my attitude could improve.  I feel on top of the world when I am actually doing these things on a regular basis.

 

FUN

Wny did I add fun to this list?  I spend so much time being serious and not taking time to do fun things and it’s a major downer and makes my life seem like… well, dreary.  I am actually getting a little emotional writing this because it’s an area I need improvement on.  Sometimes, it’s ok to let things go and just have fun.  The other day, my kids and I were listening to Pandora and the song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” came on and we spontaneously belted out the words and dancied around the house.  It was so much fun and a memory that we will all treasure as it doesn’t happen as much as it should at our home.

I have signed up for a few yearly memberships in our city to help me remember to get out and have fun.  One is to a local water park and fun center, the other is to a theatre, and the last is to a local museum.

We have also started up a monthly game night with some friends which has been time away from the daily grind in which we can just let go, laugh, and have lots of fun!

 

EDUCATION

I am a person who loves to learn.  I love reading and learning new skills and talents.  I recently took a free class on bee-keeping.  I don’t want to keep bees, I just wanted to learn how to do it.

The other day, we got to learn about how water gets from the Provo River to our sinks.  It was fascinating and learning about it helped us meet a new friend as well as sparked an interested in touring our local water treatment plant.  Things I didn’t even think I wanted to learn about are sometimes really exciting.

The other day, I learned about how to make a video using a green screen from YouTube.  That was awesome, and I never knew how to do that before and now I do and it’s really easy!

I love to learn from reading the children’s scripture readers, it helps me read the scriptures in a new way.

I also like to learn new songs.  We are learning the story of “Wicked” right now and I am learning the songs from the Broadway play and reading the script.  It’s fun!

 

As I iron out these priorities, I am quick to notice that they all work together in a symbiotic way.  They seem to compliment each other nicely and hopefully care simplicity and wisdom much more than my currently daily life does.  How great life would be if we only did what was most important and let the little stuff go.  I know I won’t be perfect, but I will be trying to bring peach through prioritizing.

 

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How to Prioritize Your Time & Your Life https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/05/prioritize-time-life/ https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/05/prioritize-time-life/#comments Thu, 08 May 2014 15:34:34 +0000 http://www.positivelymommy.com/?p=2786

Continue reading]]> This post is a little bit about how to prioritize your time and a little bit of me venting…

I am a busy Mom.  I have diapers to change, kids to feed, a large home and yard to keep up. I work part-time. I have food allergies which makes everything a little difficult.  I do home school with my kids.  I am active in the LDS church and local community which require a lot of my time.  I am always in a hurry and I am always stressed from the moment I wake up in the morning to the minute I go to bed (and even in my sleep, I dream about being stressed!).  I am responsible for so many things and sometimes it feels like the world is on my shoulders.  I don’t know how long I can continue like this as something has got to give!  I am pretty sure this is not the way God intended me to feel.  I think he wants me to enjoy life, to learn all I can, and to be happy.   I can’t say I am unhappy, per se, but I do feel that I could improve so many areas in my life.  This is something I recently did a post on being the “perfect” Mom, which I do not believe is attainable or even desirable (at least in the sense that most of us look at it in).  Over the last few years I have really leaned towards living a more simple and meaningful life.  I fail miserable sometimes, but I also make huge strides at other times.  Over time, I inch closer and closer to this goal.

While out on a dinner date with my husband last week I expressed to him that I felt like I was running, running, running all the time trying to keep up with my life and I felt as if I wasn’t really accomplishing anything of value.  He is super laid back, so I didn’t expect him to be able to relate.  He said a lot of times he feels the same way, but he felt like if he was doing the most important things first, it wouldn’t matter so much if he let the little things go.  That conversation prompted me to reevaluate my priorities quite a bit.  Do I really need to do all the things I do?

My Aunt Patricia frequently reminds me that Buddhist wisdom teaches that “who you be” is so much more important than what you do or what you have.  Who you are has value and merit just in itself.  When you work on that, all other thing fall into place somehow.  It’s important for me to hear when I complain about my life being too ‘busy’.  I have to remind myself that I create my busy life and I have the ability to simplify it as well.

Last night, I felt inspired to make a simple priority list for my life.  I really want to give my best effort of each day to accomplishing a little of each priority.  As you notice, each priority does not have a million ‘to do’s’ after it.  Because once it does, it becomes stressful.  In celebration of simplicity, I want to leave my day open to inspiration and interpretation while still achieving my most important life-goals.  For me to feel balanced, I feel like I need to do the following and probably in this order:

  • Relationships
  • Health
  • Spirituality
  • Fun
  • Education

I think some of my LDS friends might wonder why I have not listed spirituality first, as we are told when we put God first, all other things will fall into place.  Well, I think spirituality is so interwoven into my daily life that it actually is first, but in terms of ‘to do’s’ (immersing myself in the scriptures, prayers, service etc) that I can’t really feel very spiritual if the first 2 needs (relationships and health) aren’t met.  Everything else is off in my life if my relationships and/or my health are not functioning.

As you may notice, work or making money did not make the list at all.  I think that while work is a big part of my life and takes up a large part of my time, it is not necessary to living a good or purposeful life (for me anyway).  Work does play into education a bit (as when I am working, I am also learning new techniques and skills).  However, I wish work to be less a part of my life rather than more.

If you would like to see my explanation of each life priority, I will link to it here shortly…

I also would like to do a follow up post to see if I was able to stick to my priorities…  How do you prioritize your time?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

(The photo above is attributed to Quotesnmiles.)

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Why Motherhood Matters https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/02/motherhood-matters/ https://www.positivelymommy.com/2014/02/motherhood-matters/#comments Thu, 20 Feb 2014 13:55:55 +0000 http://www.positivelymommy.com/?p=2707

Continue reading]]> IMG_1391 sqOn Sunday at a women’s meeting at Church, we had a discussion on Motherhood and why motherhood matters.  It wasn’t long until I retreated into my own reverie.  I’m sure others were too because it wasn’t long until those in the room started thinking and commenting about what they could have done differently to be the “ideal” Mother.  I began thinking if only… I had more time, less work, less children, older children, less distractions, more help, more money, more support…[add in your descriptive term of choice], then I could be the “ideal” Mom.

What is the ideal Mom and what is keeping us from feeling like we’ve achieved it?  I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will try to tackle it a little bit over the next month.

Mostly, I feel like we care more about being the “ideal” mother than our kids do.  They just love us, how we are, flaws and all.  We spend so much time worrying about how we could be better or more like [so and so], we forget to be in the moment with them and truly see ourselves the way they do.  What message do we send to them when we show them through that who we are as Mothers is simply not enough.

What Does Ideal Mean?

1. Satisfying one’s conception of what is perfect; most suitable.
2. Existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality.
3. Person or thing regarded as perfect.
The word in common in these definitions is “perfect”.  So we can assume that the ideal Mom is perfect.  Is that an impossible standard to hold ourselves to so much so that we just… simply… give up?

 

Comparing Ourselves to Others

I’m not sure why women do this, but we often compare our worst with our other female counterparts’ best.  We think they are ideal and we are not. Social media plays into this quite a bit, but we did it well before social media was in the picture.  There’s always that family at church with the perfect kids wearing the perfect clothes while having the perfect hair sitting next to their perfect parents who hold hands and hug constantly gazing up into each others eyes.  This was the family I always wanted when I was growing up, but not what I got (and I’m ok with that).  I was convinced I could conjure up this ideal life with my own children and husband.  Not so.  I consider it a successful Sunday if no one fights over bathroom time, one child has their hair done, and no one has thrown up on me that day. Which situation is ideal?  Who decides what is ideal?  Is ideal impossible or unchangeable (for example, once I’ve reached the ideal will I be satisfied or will I want more)?

I’m not saying I don’t try to have that “ideal” I once wanted, I just never quite get there.  I don’t necessarily think the ideal is impossible, but why can’t I achieve it?

I once had a good friend tell me she hated coming over to my house because it was always clean and it made her feel bad about herself.  That comment actually really hurt my feelings, because first of all, my house is not always clean – that’s an impossible standard with 4 young children.  And second because it made me feel like she couldn’t relate with me and judged me unfairly.  So unfair, that I had to look within myself and see that I do it too… all the time!  We all have different strengths, different weaknesses, different circumstances, pasts, and personalities.  We can’t be compared because we are different!  This lady’s house was clean sometimes and sometimes messy.  My house was clean sometimes and sometimes messy.  It’s reality.

Read this article if you struggle with comparing yourself to others.  There is lots of helpful and practical advice in it for women.

Please post a comment if you have anything to add or would like to start a discussion on this topic.  I will try to continue it in the future!

 

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Being a Mom 101 https://www.positivelymommy.com/2013/09/mom-101/ https://www.positivelymommy.com/2013/09/mom-101/#comments Sun, 22 Sep 2013 21:09:50 +0000 http://www.positivelymommy.com/?p=2547

Continue reading]]> Being a mom this fourth time around has made me really thankful for what I have and how I’ve changed and evolved as a Mom over the past 12 years.  It has also helped me to not sweat the small stuff (ok… those of you who know me are chuckling at this… So I’m not perfect at it, but I’m trying) and to enjoy the little things and little people in life.  Each milestone and everything they are going through right now is special to me.

I’ve been asked many times if I’m “done having kids”.  I’m not sure how to answer that because I love the kids I have and am never “done” having them in my life.  Do I wish to have more children?  Yes, always.  My kids are my greatest blessing in life and I can’t imagine my life without them.  The more the merrier.  I just hope my body can keep up with all of this fun!

Here’s a list of 101 things I wish I had known the first time around and am coming to know the fourth time around.  Some are funny (but real) and some are serious.  Please feel free to add any that you might have to the list by posting a comment at the end of this post.

Being a Mom 101

1. My body can create a person.  That’s amazing!

2. I’d rather snuggle with my sleeping baby than do just about anything else.

3. I sound just like my Mother did when I scold my children (even though I swore I would be different).

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his”.

-Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

4. Covering up boy babies boy parts while changing their diaper is a REALLY good idea.

5. I will never get everything done that I want to in a day.

6. I need and appreciate my own mom more than I ever thought

7. My house is never “really” clean, and that’s ok.

8. Your own sleeping baby is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen… ever.  You’d sacrifice your own sleep just to watch him sleep a little longer.

“There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. I won’t be a perfect mother.

10. I will never be able to use the bathroom without someone beating down the door and asking when I will be out.

11.  Somehow I will be able to listen and respond to all 4 kids talking to me at the same time.

12.  There’s almost nothing that compares to a Mother’s bond with her child and the comfort he feels when she is near.

“Don’t stand unmoving outside the door of a crying baby whose only desire is to touch you. Go to your baby. Go to your baby a million times. Demonstrate that people can be trusted, that the environment can be trusted, that we live in a benign universe.”

–  Peggy O’Mar

13. Whining needs a volume control.

14. Being a stay at home Mom is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

15. Being a working Mom is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

16. Being a work at home Mom is a lot harder than I though it would be.

“The phrase ‘working mother’ is redundant.”

-Jane Sellman

17. I secretly find myself rocking out to kids songs {loudly} when my children have left the car.  I won’t admit to it if anyone were to ask.

18.  My prayers are much more meaningful

19.  I lose track of the time, half of the time I don’t even know what month it is!

20.  I don’t know why I bother giving my kids names, I never call them the right one anyway.

21. Somehow my prayers have much more meaning when I am praying for my children’s well-being above my own.

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me.  They have clung to me all my life.” 

-Abraham Lincoln

22. Criticize my child, and you will see my wrath.

23. Laundry is futile.

24. I’m convinced the alarm clock must be wrong every time it goes off.

25. As soon as I change my baby’s diaper, he will poop out.

26. My husband helps with all math homework.  My kids don’t even bother to ask me.

27. My child is the cutest child in existence

“Don’t ever tell the mother of a newborn that her baby’s smile is just gas.” 

-Jill Woodhu

28.  When my kids have a question, they will always ask me, even if my husband is also in the room (except if it’s about math).

29.  Holidays are much more fun

30.  I should record myself saying, “Shut the door” and nail it permanently to every exterior door in our house, never to be removed.

31.  I will never be a sound sleeper again.

32.  The phrase I love you is never used too much.

“Mother is a verb, not a noun.” 

 -Proverb

33.  Somehow you know exactly what to say when you child asks you, “Where do babies come from?” for the first time.

34.  That awkward moment when your child realizes you don’t know everything.

35.  You can cook dinner, hold the baby, unload the dishwasher, and talk on the phone all at the same time.

36.  Your neighbors see you in your pajamas for a week straight and don’t think a thing of it.

37.  You know your own baby’s cry and he knows your voice.

“How beautifully everything is arranged by Nature; as soon as a child enters the world, it finds a mother ready to take care of it.” 

-Jules Michelet

38. Babies get white tongues, and it’s nothing to worry about.

39. Your child will want to read the same book over and over until you and she both have it memorized.

40. After the kids go to bed, the good snacks come out.

41. Time outs should be for Mom’s too.

42. Nothing exemplifies intolerance more than a boy who wants to date your daughter.

It’s not easy being a mother.  If it were easy, fathers would do it. 

~From the television show The Golden Girls

43. I really do mean to exercise.

44.  I’d rather go through labor 100 times than be pregnant once.

45.  It’s fun to explore and see thing through a child’s innocent eyes.

46.  Putting on a swimsuit isn’t really that much fun anymore.

47.  God gave us children to teach us what love really means.

Because I feel that in the heavens above
The angels, whispering one to another,
Can find among their burning tears of love,
None so devotional as that of “Mother,”
Therefore, by that dear name I have long called you,
You who are more than mother unto me.
-Edgar Allan Poe
.

48.  Getting anywhere on time is impossible.

49.  Strollers take up the whole trunk.

50.  When girl babies pee in the bathtub you can’t see it, therefore, you don’t know.  When boy babies pee in the bathtub, they can aim it just right so that you have to take a bath too.

51.  You don’t judge the Mom in line in front of you at the grocery store because she has chocolate in her teeth, because you can totally relate.

52. You can no longer fit in your high school clothes, but either can your husband, so they cancel each other out.

“The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, “We grew a child in here,” and breasts that say, “We nourished life.” My hands, with bitten nails and a writer’s callus, say, “We create amazing things,”
-Sarah, from I Am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words

53. Your kid is the smartest in the class.

54.  Kid stuff is really expensive.

55.  Kids will come running from any room in the house if you ask if they want a treat, but ask them to do their chores when they are sitting right next to you and they will claim they “didn’t hear you”.

56. There’s this weird competition thing that goes on between Mom’s.  I’m not sure what it is or why, but when you are a Mom, you’ll understand.

“Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.”
-Kate Samperi

57. God is in the details.

58. An uninterrupted shower is a luxury.

59. Pick your battles wisely.

60.  Your best blouse is never safe when there’s a baby around.

61.  Always choose the nap over work… always….

62.  Mother’s intuition is real.

“Women do not have to sacrifice personhood if they are mothers. They do not have to sacrifice motherhood in order to be persons. Liberation was meant to expand women’s opportunities, not to limit them. The self-esteem that has been found in new pursuits can also be found in mothering.”

Elaine Heffner

63. You love your husband so much more every time you see him being a great father

“The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”

– Author Unknown

64. Kids say really funny things, especially to your inlaws.

65. Enjoy every moment and don’t sweat the small stuff.

66.  Nesting is a strange phenomenon that only Moms or Moms to be can truly understand.  Warn your husband now!

67.  Infant carseats are heavier than the infant.

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”

— Phyllis Diller

68. Alzheimers disease doesn’t seem all that impossible.  With everything you have going on, you can’t even remember your own kids’ names.

69. Your infant will pull your hair out every time you pick him up.

70.  You are infinitely more thankful for your own Mom.

-Abraham Lincoln Quote

-Abraham Lincoln Quote

71.  If there is something breakable in your house, your kids will break it.

72.  You love your kids more than anything.

73.  Your kid will throw up on you, poo on you, pee on you, and talk back to you and you will still love her.

“A baby is an alimentary canal with a loud voice at one end a no responsibility at the other.”

– Ronald Reagan

74.  You talk in a different tone of voice to each kid.

75.  Amazon.com has me under their little finger because I prefer to get my merchandise under my front mat, than I do carting 4 children to Walmart.

76. You have to bring snacks and drinks where ever you go.

77.  Someone will ask, “Are we there yet” every 10 minutes when you travel anywhere as a family.

78.  Babies really do eat, sleep, spit up, and poop all day.

“People who say they sleep like babies usually don’t have them”.

– Leo J. Burke

79.  Libraries and Story Time at libraries are the greatest inventions for modern Moms.

80.  You have to say I’m sorry lots of times when you’re a Mom.

81.  Whenever you tell yourself you would never let your kid stand up in the shopping cart like the Mom in front of you in line, you turn your back for a second, and your kid launches himself out of the shopping cart and breaks a limb.  It’s something about Murphy.

82. You get really good at saying “uh huh” when your kids say anything to you.

“First you have to teach a child to talk, then you have to teach it to be quiet.”

– Prochnow

83.  There are no child carriers that don’t hurt your back.

84.  There is pain and then there is step on a Lego pain!

85.   Piano lessons pay off big time when your child fills your home with beautiful music for the first time.

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.”

– Franklin P. Jones

86.   Finger paints are fun all over again.

87.  When you have a kindergartener, you learn that everything you need to know really did learn in kindergarten,

88.  When you become a Mom, you automatically know 2 languages, English, and Baby.

89.  You scream and jump up and down the first time your baby takes a step and everyone else just thinks your weird.

 “We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

90. Enjoy the little things.

91.  Don’t wish for them to grow up too fast,t hey do that on their own, enjoy every moment and every stage.

92.  Turn off the TV and listen to your kids.

93.  Even when you’re tired, listen to your kids when they want to talk.

94. Don’t be afraid to apologize to your kids.

95.  Model good behavior.  It’s pretty hard to teach your kids to do something you don’t do yourself.

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.”

-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

96.  Don’t waste your time on things that do not matter, spend it with your kids.

97.  Even though I’m exhausted and want to sleep more than anything, when my baby wakes up at 3am, I still love cuddling with him.

98.  I love it when sticky fingers reach up to hold my hand.

99.  I hesitate to wash the mirror on the back of my door because your adorable fingerprints are on it.

100.  Hearing you giggle with your brothers and sisters is the sweetest sound!

101.  I have never and will never regret choosing to have a family instead of wealth, fame, the perfect job, the ability to travel the world or anything else.  You are my world, my life, and everything I have ever wanted.

You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I cannot buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky.

-Anne Campbell (taken from this LDS Grandma’s post.)

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Parenting Plan Month 1, Week 4 https://www.positivelymommy.com/2012/07/parenting-plan-month-1-week-4/ https://www.positivelymommy.com/2012/07/parenting-plan-month-1-week-4/#respond Sun, 15 Jul 2012 19:33:24 +0000 http://www.positivelymommy.com/?p=732

Continue reading]]> This is the last week in my parenting plan for this month and so far it has been a really great experiment for me as a Mom. I haven’t been perfect at it, but I have tried really hard. Today at Church one of the speakers talked about how spending time with your children is so much better for them than any other activity (my kids are involved in lots of activities so this really hit home to me). Nothing is more important than taking the time and making the effort to spend quality time with them. I still can improve so much, but I feel like I’ve made an ok head start.

This week we were preparing for a baby shower. I have a friend who adopted a baby with only one day’s notice. She doesn’t have any other kids, so she didn’t have anything prepared for a baby. There were lots of people in our neighborhood who supported her and I’m so glad she got to adopt such a sweet little boy. My kids helped me a lot in shopping and preparing for the baby shower.

My oldest daughter wanted to make her own cookbook because she adores cooking, so she made this cute handwritten book where she copied recipes from my cookbooks.  We talked about the recipes and what she would like to make from the recipe book.

We also played many games of Yahtzee on the ipad and Ticket to Ride after the younger kids went to bed.  We had lots of laughs and this little girl is competitive.  I find it hard to win when I’m playing with her.  Maybe she can teach me her moves!

This week my middle child and I spent some time shopping together and having a fabulous time.  I spent a lot of time curling her hair and she helped me make apple slices for a road trip.  We sent silly emails back and forth and played some games on the computer.  She lost a tooth this week so she made an elaborate tooth structure for the tooth fairy to find her tooth in.

My youngest and I have a pretty strong bond.  He follows me around everywhere and we pretty much do everything together.  I don’t worry too much about not spending enough time with him.  We generally read books and talk every day.  This week he told me, “I’m in love with you Mommy”.  Oh, that just melted my heart!  I love that little man.

Like I said earlier, this parenting plan has been a big blessing in my life and has helped me to get my priorities in order.  My family is most important to me and I want to find time in my day to show them that.

My plan for the next month will be to watch my tone of voice with my kids especially when I’m stressed out, (which is nearly every day).  I won’t be posting for a month because of a family situation, but my thoughts will be on it for sure!

* All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

**All parenting advice and information on Positively Mommy is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted, the site content is not written by doctors, psychologists, or other health care professionals. The staff at Positively Mommy do not have psychiatric degrees or any other therapeutic training. The majority of our advice is drawn from personal experience and thus represents personal opinion. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any reliance on the information Positively Mommy provides is solely at the risk of the user. Positively Mommy does not assume any responsibility for damage or injury to persons or property that may arise from the use of the advice and information Positively Mommy provides.

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