I'm back from a 9 day vacation refreshed and relaxed. It was a restful time with family and friends, except for the 1 1/2 days of teething hell that fell in the middle of our week. By the grace of God it only lasted that long! I seriously went to my knees one afternoon asking for God's rest and relief for Nathan's pain, crying, and clinginess. Praise God for his help. Other than that, I enjoyed reading, tanning, napping, sitting in the surf, and being cut off from the internet and normal routines that usually take my attention away from my family. There really is something wonderful about feeling free to do nothing. Now I only need to muster up the motivation to get back on track and get things done.
While on vacation, I had time to chew on some thoughts that have been simmering in my mind. One has to do with motherhood. I have to say that I never had really thought about what kind of mother I wanted to be when I had kids. I knew of course that I wanted to set an example of a woman who puts God first and loves them with a patient, passionate, deliberate kind of love. I hadn't thought of how I would handle the daily ins and outs of motherhood. In those early days of motherhood, I read several books about how to set a schedule and routine for your baby, how to make wholesome baby food, etc. I soon found myself a little stressed out (can you say hormones?) about trying to live up to a certain standard and do things the way the books were telling me. While, I have since loosened up a lot, I still have to remind myself often to stop and just enjoy being a mom. In the book I've been reading, A Woman After God's Own Heart, I was reminded of this. God wants us to delight in our children, not just raise them. We need to step back from our expectations of how they are to act, what they are to eat, when they are to develop each skill and simply enjoy God's most precious gift to us. If this means not reading books, blogs, and websites about raising kids, do it. While there is a wealth of information out there, it can sometimes be overwhelming and leave us second guessing everything that we do. I also feel that I've learned a valuable lesson : STOP criticizing how other moms do things and STOP comparing yourself to other moms. God has appointed YOU as the mother of your child. He knows that you are exactly what your precious one needs. Seek his counsel daily (He's way smarter than the authors of those books). I hope any moms that read this will be encouraged in your most privileged role. Now go, enjoy your little ones!
I'm back from a 9 day vacation refreshed and relaxed. It was a restful time with family and friends, except for the 1 1/2 days of teething hell that fell in the middle of our week. By the grace of God it only lasted that long! I seriously went to my knees one afternoon asking for God's rest and relief for Nathan's pain, crying, and clinginess. Praise God for his help. Other than that, I enjoyed reading, tanning, napping, sitting in the surf, and being cut off from the internet and normal routines that usually take my attention away from my family. There really is something wonderful about feeling free to do nothing. Now I only need to muster up the motivation to get back on track and get things done.
While on vacation, I had time to chew on some thoughts that have been simmering in my mind. One has to do with motherhood. I have to say that I never had really thought about what kind of mother I wanted to be when I had kids. I knew of course that I wanted to set an example of a woman who puts God first and loves them with a patient, passionate, deliberate kind of love. I hadn't thought of how I would handle the daily ins and outs of motherhood. In those early days of motherhood, I read several books about how to set a schedule and routine for your baby, how to make wholesome baby food, etc. I soon found myself a little stressed out (can you say hormones?) about trying to live up to a certain standard and do things the way the books were telling me. While, I have since loosened up a lot, I still have to remind myself often to stop and just enjoy being a mom. In the book I've been reading, A Woman After God's Own Heart, I was reminded of this. God wants us to delight in our children, not just raise them. We need to step back from our expectations of how they are to act, what they are to eat, when they are to develop each skill and simply enjoy God's most precious gift to us. If this means not reading books, blogs, and websites about raising kids, do it. While there is a wealth of information out there, it can sometimes be overwhelming and leave us second guessing everything that we do. I also feel that I've learned a valuable lesson : STOP criticizing how other moms do things and STOP comparing yourself to other moms. God has appointed YOU as the mother of your child. He knows that you are exactly what your precious one needs. Seek his counsel daily (He's way smarter than the authors of those books). I hope any moms that read this will be encouraged in your most privileged role. Now go, enjoy your little ones!
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