Well, it appears that the summer totally got away from me! Here it is, the end of October and, once again, I feel like an inadequate parent, and quite the opposite of a wonder - anything. The only thing I wonder is how other people seem to have it all together!
Yet, looking at the past (even as recent as losing my temper 5 minutes ago, as I tried to begin this blog while two of my kids were yelling and arguing)is not particularly healthy, except as a learning tool. I could have done more yard work, gotten the kids' bedrooms better organized, painted the shed, decorated for fall, done a better job of convincing my husband that my daughter needs $500 worth of preschool ballet lessons this year, and the list goes on...
More importantly, it is time to look ahead to this wonderful season that is upon us. If you feel like me - that even though your summer was full of memorable moments, you didn't accomplish nearly all your goals, just let it go.
Every day that you wake up, you have the chance to change the rest of your life. You have the ability to decide that every day for the rest of your life is going to count! What I did poorly yesterday, I do not have to poorly today, and that stretches to all corners of my life.
Today I will make my husband feel like a king. Today my children will know they are loved. Today I will realize that NO ONE can fill MY shoes as perfectly as I can. On to new adventures...until next time!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Dreams and Goals and Why They Don't Have to be at Odds!
Have you ever felt like your dreams were not achievable and ridiculous to entertain? Think again! Some of the most far - fetched ideas have become celebrated achievements in our culture.
Consider Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhardt, Martin Luther King Jr...and hundreds more. They had monumental hopes and dreams. Do you think there were probably many in each of their lives who told them that what they were trying to do was too difficult, too impractical...foolish, even?
First of all, remember that every goal starts as a dream. Write your dreams down...write them on Post -its, where you can keep them in sight. Share your dreams, never be ashamed of having them, or of letting them be known! Finally, and most importantly - turn your dreams into your goals!
I sincerely believe that the point at which you start to see the dreams in your heart being transformed into the reality of the life you live, is the place of fulfillment. Find fulfillment in your life, and your family will reap the rewards. Have a WONDERful day!
Consider Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhardt, Martin Luther King Jr...and hundreds more. They had monumental hopes and dreams. Do you think there were probably many in each of their lives who told them that what they were trying to do was too difficult, too impractical...foolish, even?
First of all, remember that every goal starts as a dream. Write your dreams down...write them on Post -its, where you can keep them in sight. Share your dreams, never be ashamed of having them, or of letting them be known! Finally, and most importantly - turn your dreams into your goals!
I sincerely believe that the point at which you start to see the dreams in your heart being transformed into the reality of the life you live, is the place of fulfillment. Find fulfillment in your life, and your family will reap the rewards. Have a WONDERful day!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Children Respond to Discipline
It was the most amazing thing that I've seen all week...My ten year old stepson raced down the stairs to quickly use the bathroom and return to his world of video games upstairs. I heard the toilet flush and the door come flying open, as he flew past me.
"Hey, come back down here and wash your hands!", I called after him, though he was already halfway up the stairs. He came down, washed his hands, and unexpectedly threw his arms around my waist, hugging me. "Awww...that was nice to get a hug," I smiled.
"It's because you're the best Stepmommy in the whole world!"
Now what just happened? I had to collect my thoughts for a moment, because it was hard for me to imagine that I was being practically thanked by a child for keeping them in line. I even called my husband at work because I was so touched and surprised. He offered this piece of wisdom - "Children respond to discipline."
Children need boundaries, this I have always known, but the older they get the more evident this seems. I think it is almost a comfort to them to know exactly what perimeter they are free to operate within.
As a Stepmother, and one who is fairly new to the position, I often feel like I need to be more indulgent toward my stepchildren than my biological ones. I blame Disney and fairytales in general, for making Stepmothers seem like wicked people, and making me feel like I need to try hard to be the "cool" stepmom that everyone wishes they had. I am slowly coming to the realization that children from broken homes, as all of mine are, crave boundaries even more than children from nuclear homes.
Case in point: Apparently, your children will love you, even if you don't let them get away with a single thing. Now, get out there with your x-ray vision and bionic ears, and keep those kids in line, WonderMom!
"Hey, come back down here and wash your hands!", I called after him, though he was already halfway up the stairs. He came down, washed his hands, and unexpectedly threw his arms around my waist, hugging me. "Awww...that was nice to get a hug," I smiled.
"It's because you're the best Stepmommy in the whole world!"
Now what just happened? I had to collect my thoughts for a moment, because it was hard for me to imagine that I was being practically thanked by a child for keeping them in line. I even called my husband at work because I was so touched and surprised. He offered this piece of wisdom - "Children respond to discipline."
Children need boundaries, this I have always known, but the older they get the more evident this seems. I think it is almost a comfort to them to know exactly what perimeter they are free to operate within.
As a Stepmother, and one who is fairly new to the position, I often feel like I need to be more indulgent toward my stepchildren than my biological ones. I blame Disney and fairytales in general, for making Stepmothers seem like wicked people, and making me feel like I need to try hard to be the "cool" stepmom that everyone wishes they had. I am slowly coming to the realization that children from broken homes, as all of mine are, crave boundaries even more than children from nuclear homes.
Case in point: Apparently, your children will love you, even if you don't let them get away with a single thing. Now, get out there with your x-ray vision and bionic ears, and keep those kids in line, WonderMom!
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