Top Five Ways to Survive Parenthood

Having children is a lot of work, raising them to be moral, upstanding citizens who call their mother is even  harder! Here's a few of my favorite things to remember about parenting.

5. Socks don't always have to match. So one is a little shorter or has a different pattern on the toe, will that really keep them out of an Ivy League college someday? I think not.

4.  Screen your calls when the school wants volunteers to work concession stand or sell for a fundraiser. You can still be a good mom without being "that" mom.

3. If your child occasionally falls asleep in their clothes it is ok. Nobody sees those cute jammies but you anyway.

2. Sometimes "average" grades are good enough...hardest one for me but if I have a great kid in every other way, a C in math is not that big of a deal. Besides, in twenty years who will remember (or care) what grades you got in 6th grade anyway!

1. Even if you feel like you don't have a clue what you are doing with your kids, God knows EXACTLY what He is doing!  He will help you through it and for that I am thankful!

Encouraging your child's potential

I have always felt mediocre in most things, and I'm okay with that....now. As a kid my goal in life was just to fit in..anywhere. I tried sports (3rd string),flagline in band(totally bombed tryouts), grades were always decent but never outstanding . Now as a mother, my child is AWESOME. Reality, however, is that he is much like me. Average grades, average, well maybe a little below, athletic ability, etc. Again, I see how kind, cute, and outstanding he is. He struggles to see his potential, as I did. How do parents encourage our children's potential, while still being realistic? Face it, not all kids are capable of being astronauts or NFL quarterbacks. I think the key is allowing some failure, but always encouraging as they go. I allow new experience, even if I suspect he will be just okay at it. We have tried violin, football, guitar, soccer, hockey, and so on. It is difficult to manage and can be expensive at times. We help and encourage but allow him to make his own mistakes. As a bit of a control freak at times, this is easier said than done! (There is at least one science project that I was up until midnight working on). But I want my kids to discover their own talents and passions , and I can't do it for them. Maybe along the way, he will find the potential that we already see in him, which is AWESOME!

Ten years

Today is September 11 2011. Ten years has passed since almost 3000 people were murdered by terrorists. Those extremists never met any of the people who perished that day, but hated them anyway. I, as every other American, remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember going to my son's daycare just to hold him. I remember as a new mom how afraid I was for my country, those people and their families affected and for my family. Everything changed. What was it like to raise children in a time of war? Motherhood is already hard, how would I be able to be apart from my kids? How could I protect them if I wasn't with them? How could I protect them at all in a world so full of evil? Ten years has passed and a lot has changed; new house, new job, new baby. Despite current world events, life has went on. I can not imagine the horror every mother or wife experienced who lost someone on that day ten years ago. I just know that I will do my best to teach my kids that despite everything there is good in the world, that they can make a difference, and that through it all, their momma will do her best to protect them I hope everyone hugs their babies today.