Put down your husbands razor and nobody gets hurt....

Being more than mommy, being His best friend...
In every season in life, you have to adjust to different things. I grew up with brothers, a very outdoors & tom-boy mom,my hubby had 2 brothers and just one sister, so I guess I was the girl that wasn't to afraid to just be me...
When I was about to deliver my fifth baby girl, I decided I wanted to 'watch it' all happen, in a mirror. Oh, the horror!!! After seeing the miracle of birth, I was truly convinced my husband was the most amazing man EVER for watching that happen 5 times and still stayed married to me! Haha!
That's when I decided, I just HAD to be more lady like!
Here are some things that I put into practice:
-Never use his razor...there are lady razors, for lady parts...let's keep it that way :)
-When you go #2...close the bathroom door and spray! My hubby calls the it "Vanilla poop!" Hahahaha!!! I love it!!
-Exercise! Even if it's just a little bit, he'll be thankful his wife cares enough about herself and HIM to stay healthy, so that you will be around for a long time...plus, it's a great energy booster for a lil' BOOM! BOOM! If ya know what I mean?!?!
-Try to keep that passage of the gassage, to a minimum...or never, in front of him. I used to toot on demand to make my brother and his friends laugh when I was younger...not so attractive to the hubby! :) And the more kids you have, the more squeakers you will have, but just TRY to keep the breeze pleasant around your man.
-And for goodness sakes, ladies!! Would it KILL US to at least slap on a little blush and GET OUT of the sweat pants?? I understand, there are those days...cleaning days, kids are sick days, that time of the month and my jeans don't fit days, but overall, you could at least TRY to get dressed. Just because you are maybe a housewife, doesn't mean you have to look like a run- down house!
I keep a white glitter eye shadow and concealer in my make up bag  for those crazy days. That might be the only thing that makes it on my face, and it may happen ten seconds before he walks through the door, but if my eyes are sparklin' when he comes home, he thinks they are sparklin' for him :)Also, keep some body spray handy, give yourself a 'body spray bath' before he gets home. It sure beats the baby spit smell, that's embedded into your shirt!
-Wash your kid's face, and comb their hair.They are humans, too. Dirty, booger nosed humans.But, never the less, humans.
-Leave him notes of encouragement!
-Stop with the headaches, ladies! I know how hard it is to 'get in the mood' after you've had lil' leaches sucking every ounce of energy out of you all day, but get yourself a shower, shave your pits and rock his world :)You'll be glad you did...Annnnnnd, so will he ;)
-Oh, and...you're kids will NOT DIE if you leave them for a couple hours, a few times a month for a date night!! You did not marry your children. Get out together, have fun and just re-connect! I am implementing a new rule for our date nights...NO WAL-MART STOPS!That is not a date, that is grocery shopping! Haha!
-Every night have a beautiful, gourmet meal prepared! WAIT! X that one off the list, then I would have to practice what I preach,and around here, if you see smoke, suppers done!

                         PROVERBS 31                                             
vs 10..." A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11.Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
12.She brings him good, and not harm all the days of her life.
28.Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also, and praises her.
29.Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all.

(Check out Proverbs 31 for great Godly woman characteristics and make yourself a goal to reach some these in the next few weeks.)

Me & My Man!

The MaDnEsS of Motherhood

Being a mommy, mom, momma, (all apply here & I hear them about 123,978,994,364 times a day!) is a task and a joy, which one comes first just depends on how long they napped!

Recently, while trying to 'parent' my three year old and feeling a little ( Okay! ALOT!!!) defeated, I questioned if what I am working so hard for with her was even sinking in.

She still bites...check! She still chews the drywall off the wall...check! She still grabs my caffeinated beverages and chugs them as fast as they can be chugged before getting busted...check! She still screams and forgets to use her 'indoor voice'...check! She still helps her self to whatever she wants in the fridge...check! She still stands in the tub...check! She still has the power to drive me NUTS...check!Check! AND check!

Yep, at some point you start feeling like the last 3 years have been wasted in vain!

My three year old has the spirit of a wild horse! It truly is fantastic! She goes from 0-60 in 5 seconds and has the energy of Jillian on "The Biggest Loser". She'll make friends with anyone, does not matter the skin color, race, mental ability, and if you have a cute son, she will propose marriage on the spot!

That being said, as a mom I think it is so important we recognize our children's God given personality and refine the part we think is from the devil ;)
Last time I check, I still haven't reached 'perfection level' and am still pretty far from it...so why am I expecting perfection from my three year old?
Goodness gracious, what if she embarrasses me? What if she says something rude? What if she ...what if she is allowed to embrace who she is, with a loving mommy coach to guide her and help mold that beautiful personality into something that God can use to change the world? Just 'what if?'
How have you viewed your kid's personality? Is it an embarrassment that your child might have a different personality than yours? Or in some cases, we see so much of what we hate about ourselves in our kids we spend countless hours trying to 'teach them' to be the person we are not.
Don't give up on molding your child's heart to be a kind, compassionate, loving little being, but give up on trying to make your kid a mindless statue that has lost all creativity because they are so afraid to express themselves...and a lil' pre-warning, that expression may come as paint on your basement walls!
I will still discipline her when she is naughty, but I will really try to enjoy every piece of that wild child that keeps our house full of fingerprints and empty soda cans.

Friendship

Hmmmmm...friendship. Ask me what it means and different times you could get different answers. After having my first baby, I felt like I really had NO friends. She cried alot. None of my friends had babies, so no one really wanted to be around a screaming child. It was a very lonely, isolated feeling. Other times, I have gone out of my way, bent over backwards and pursued with passion a friendship with some one, because I felt like they seemed lonely. Other times, God has dropped a 'perfect fit' friendship in my lap and it was hardly any effort at all and we stay friends, for what seems like forever! Regardless, one thing I have really tried to put into practice is the old saying (ok- it might not actually be old! Hehe!) 'In order to have friends, one must be friendly'. I LOVE IT!

Unfortunately, in any relationship, you come across problems or issues that need their working through. And the older I get, the more these problems seem too frivolous and irrelevant to what God would want me to be doing with my time and energy.

I have had to put up boundaries and take myself out of poisonous relationships. Now, don't get me wrong, if it's worth it, you make it work! But when you have made it work, again and again and again...and the same result seems to be occurring, that is when the 'red flags' start popping up, and once again, you find your heart broken, from what you thought was a great friendship, but when you look back, you see that there was ALOT more giving on your part and ALOT more taking on theirs!

I am all about doing what you can, helping out and being an active ingredient in your friendships, but when you notice a steady pattern of  rejection, selfishness and DRAMA, you really need to step back and count your losses.

In the Bible, proverbs shares with us a great and powerful verse that should really show you who your 'TRUE' friends are...It says', " A friend loves at all times..."
I have noticed, I do have friends that have loved me at all times...crabby, selfish, angry, gossipy, sinful, just plain-bein'- a - bad - friend TIMES! And thankfully, we grew through those things together and we are still the best of buds, some of those relationships for quite a few years... I won't say how many...that might date me! Haha!

But, the friendships that have fallen to the way side, either because I have seen a consist ant pattern of unloving and selfishness, that leads to the 'drama' I mentioned before, maybe even caused by me, are the friendships that I do not miss.

We are called to be peacemakers, lift each other up with encouragement and just plain be that blessing your friend needed...so, don't be afraid to stop a relationship that is hurting you. Causing you frustration or anger. Forgive. Let go. Still love unconditionally. But, step back and take a breather. We sometimes think because these people are our friends, they should answer to US, but that is far from the truth. Let the love of Christ deal with that persons heart. Be kind, be gracious, be careful. You don't have to be a 'friendship martyr' and lay it all down for someone who is clearly hurting you and causing you much grief.

Try to remember, someday you will have a perfect relationship...in heaven, but until then, guard your heart from the so-called friendships that cause broken hearts and angered hearts. Trust me, You will be alot happier and love them alot more if you step back a little and love from a distance.

A couple of those 'red flags' to look for:
- Finding out that person trash talks you behind your back
- when things don't go their way, you are NO longer a good enough friend for them!
- they have many failed relationships in their lives, but it's NEVER their fault.
- They can't be trusted. You wouldn't share even the smallest if a secret with them for fear it would be on the evening news.
- If there is no drama- they will make it and use you as a pawn in that drama game.