My Mother's Day wish list..

**First of all, I know I am sporting the Christmas motif still. I really need to finally get with my girl Kelly over at Kellysavenuedesigns.com to get a blog makeover. Its way overdue and I know she is ready to do some magic here on my blog!**
     

       Ok, so I have been reading a lot on some of my favorite blogs about "Mother's Day wish list's". I thought that was so fun and decided to do one of my very own. So....what would my day look like if I had the day all to myself to spend with some gal pals? Well, let's see..


~I would start the day with some Bikram Yoga to get myself feeling strong for the day!

~ Next I would meet some of my favorite girlfriends for a coffee over at Kierland ( Joy, Jen Peterson, Shelley, Ne'Ne', Emily and Laurie-Laur would all be flying in for the day too), we would meet up with some of my Phoenix girls.

~After doing some damage at Anthropologie over at Kierland we would hit the Biltmore and do some more damage at the Vera Bradley Store, followed by lunch over at the Cheescake Factory (calories son't count on Mother's Day).

~Next we would end up back at my place (nobody there but us, of course!) we would fire up the blender and make some mango margaritas complete with the little umbrella too. We would head out to the pool and spend the rest of the afternoon hanging and gabbing poolside while getting our tan on!

~The night would end with all of us making dinner and watching a cheesy movie like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", which of course would be followed with hours of laughing and reminiscing! Inevitably we would end up talking about our kids and our hubby's  and about what God is doing in our lives and so on.  For me this would be the perfect kind of day because I would get to spend it with all of my favorite girlfriends who I don't get to see often enough because of distance or just plain busy lives. While many people are wishing for tummy tucks or tropical vacations on their wish lists ( which are not bad things at all) I am wishing for the relational aspect of life, its who I am. I crave people and the memories that I get to make with them. I am a simple person, I just want to love and be loved!


                ~"Ointment and perfumes rejoice the heart: and the counsels of a friend are sweet to the soul"
                                                              Proverbs 27:9

Land of the beautiful people..

~Last week I had an experience I havent probably had since maybe Junior High or High School. I had been out and about running errands and feeling pretty good about the day. While I had showered before I left and threw on some make-up, I was feeling a little lazy with my new growing hair so  I threw on a cute hat and a sundress and headed out the door. While I was out, one of my stops was meeting with a bunch of Women to discuss some ministry opportuities for the following year. When I walked in the door I immediately noticed two totally beautiful girls around my age, dressed to the nines no less with their perfectly manicured nails and perfect hair.....and for the first time in like forever I felt like a turtle that wanted to go back into her shell. Immediatley I though to myself."dangit, I should have done my hair today"! My countenance shrunk to about the size of a mouse. Holy smokes, I don't have any idea what came over me in that moment, but it was such a crappy feeeling and it was as if the devil was whispering to me "Jeanette, you are not pretty enough, you are not thin enough and you will never measure up to the calibur of those beauties you see over there". Well shoot, what am I..like 12? I felt guilty for even having an ounce of jealousy towards these gals, but it was like all of the sudden I was confronted with my own insecurities. Honestly though, until that moment I hadnt really realized I struggled with too many. Not that I am never insecure about myself, but its just not something that I really deal with on a regular basis. I am fortunate to be a rather confident and secure person and while there are things I would like to improve about myself, I just dont typically judge myself against other women..I really am OK with who I am and I think its becase I find my security in the Lord. Honestly, the brief interactionwith those gals truly did put sort of a damper on my day and I began to rip myself apart...totally lame. Its not like those girls could help being who they were ( and wonderful Christians nontheless) and having a beautiful outward appearance. I just needed to get a grip, which by the end of the day, I totally did and I got over it. I'm not even really sure why I chose to write about it, but I guess I wanted to remember it because Satan is a sneaky little fella, he gets in our heads and makes us feel "less than"when the Lord sees us as "Stinkin awesome"!! We are HIS creation, he made each one of us unique and special and exactly how he wanted us to be and quite honestly, that's something to get excited about!!


          ~" I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy!" Luke 10:19

Monkey see, monkey do!

So, recently the kids and I were having a dance off here at home, that's pretty normal around here. We love music and we can't seem to sit still when its on so we boogie! As I took a much needed break the kids were still in full swing while "Rolling in the deep" with our good friend Adele. I sat back and watched my little sweeties in all their glory and then I was starting to pick up on something. Logan would copy every move that Kiely made or he would try and repeat the words she was singing.  This went on and on and then over the next few days when they would be playing again I noticed him repeating her words or the things she would be doing. While all of this was pretty cute, I was not happy about the fact he would "copy" K.G. when she was being sassy....OH NO, UH UH...not in this house!! I had to sit Kiely down and remind her that her little brother was watching her every move and listening to every word she said and how she needed to be the best example she could be to him because she was the "Big Sister" and she was his role-model. As I was in full mommy mode telling Kiely how she should be acting, I was quickly reminded about my own shortcomings. How I am acting or re-acting in certain situations when they are present? Was I being a good role-model for my own kids? I'd sure like to think so, but I know that I fail at this sometimes( Unfortunately, I can be a sass myself). Quite honestly as I was thinking about this I began to get a little freaked out! In that moment I was reminded of the HUGE responsibility I have as their Momma. I am their #1 role model. I cant think about a bigger & greater job than that and at the same time its a bit scary. I was so grateful through watching the interaction of my kids how I need to "check myself before I wreck myself"...or my kids for that matter. I want them to see me as a loving wife, mother, family member, friend and so on. I think they are on the right path, They are surrounded by family & friends who love the Lord and want to instill good moral character into my sweeties. As I was thinking through this I was contemplating my relationship with God and how it could always use improvement. If I'm not putting him first as my "Ultimate Role Model" then I cant expect that my actions are always going to mirror the goodness of God. TOTAL REALITY CHECK. It made me want to get up close and personal with my God on an ever consistent basis. I need him. My kids need me to need him! Enough said. Monkey see, monkey do.
"May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" Psalm 19:14

Perspective

~Yesterday I was reading a blog that had a link to Lysa TerKeurst's blog. She is a wonderful Christian author and Bible Study leader. She is also a Momma and her post yesterday put my thoughts on Motherhood into a better perspective. You see, I too have a very spirited child..her name is Kiely-Grace! Some days I feel as though I have no idea how to parent her, mostly due to the fact I think she may be smarter than me..Ha! She fills my heart with so much joy, I call her "My Life. She is spunky and social, and could have very lengthy conversations with just about anyone. She is compassionate and is very concerned about the welfare of others.  She is also very spiritual and loves the Lord, even at the ripe old age of 3.  K.G. is a natural leader and likes to do things in her own way. Some days she is hard to contain, not because she is a wild child (well not always), but because she is strong willed and persistent. I will admitt, some days I feel like a total failure of a mother. Not because I think I am a bad Mom, but mostly because sometimes I find it hard to know how to parent her and her personality. Its because we are the same person you see. God is funny! She is the kind of kid who constantly needs to engage, she always wants to learn, and she asks a million questions until she has the answer she needs. Some days I am simply worn out!  Trust me, I am beyond grateful she is how she is..I wouldnt change one thing about her...she rocks my world!  Its just that I am trying to find the balance in parenting my two different children and being effective in the process.  I am always so encouraged when I talk with other Moms and they are open about their parenting frustrations.  I think our frustrations are really due to our own insecurities, or maybe I am just speaking for myself . I think I have the tendency to be overly cautious about how my children are acting for worry that they may percieved as acting "naughty", when really they are just being kids. They are curious, they are learning, they are exploring..I need to get over it! My kids are rad, I am a good Mom and I am just doing my very best on this parenting journey.  I love this part in Lisa's post. She say's regarding her daughter Hope: "Maybe God's goal for me wasn't to raise a good rule following child. God's goal was for me to raise a God following adult. An adult just determined and insistent enough to fufill a purpose he had in mind all along".

~ Wow, totally needed to hear that! I don't need to raise "good rule following children". I need to raise "God following adults". When they are following God, everything else falls into place.....UMMMM DUH! Total perspective shift right? Yes, I think so. Love my kiddos and are so grateful for who they are and who they are going to become. Praying that the Lord will show me day by day how to love and direct them in the ways they need to be led!

**Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.**
~Proverbs 22:6