Parenting Archives - Page 40 of 43

Do you have Twins!?!

August 14, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

Question I often get are, "Umm, Are they...twins?" "How far apart are they?" "Wow, do you want me to take you to the parking lot, shoot you and put you out of your misery?" (or a variation of that one). The most recent comments not made directly to me but abut me, "She must have twins or something?" (at my yard sale while looking through clothes) or "She was in her last time I was here." (at Wal-Mart with my cart full of my 3 blessings).

Yes! I know they are close in age comparatively speaking. No, we're not the Duggar's (whom I greatly respect); we only have 3 (right now, hehe). Yes, we know what causes 'that'. No, we don't need help because we are not in misery. I can't wait get triplet questions when J is Izzies' size next year.

I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell the story of how God decided to bless us with 3 eternal souls to disciple and bless our lives:

Here’s the story of an OCD lady
With her husband and 8 years of baby plans
All of them were spaced, just like she wanted
The youngest in k'tans

Then that lady had a girl named Maggie
Who was busy for 18 months alone
They were 2 girls waiting for a brother
When Izzie came along

Till the one when the lady told the fellow
And they knew it was much more than a hunch,
That their boy would come just a year later
That’s the way God made us all the baby bunch!
The baby bunch.
That’s the way God made us all the baby bunch!
The baby bunch

Matt and I have always wanted at least 4 children and we also hope to be blessed enough to adopt some day. When engaged, our arrogant plan was to have a baby, wait 2 years, have a baby, wait 4 years, have a baby and wait 2 years to finish off our adorable little, perfectly space family. We had Magdalene in the summer of 2008 and I had a hard time with swelling during the pregnancy so we decided to try for #2 a little early than previously planned. Isabella came in January 2010. When she was just 4 months old, after a family move to a new home, town, and job we were surprised to discover God had decided moving up the time line was what was best for our lives and Benjamin arrived in January 2011, 2 days before Iz turned 1. Crazy, I know! But "The Lord declares" in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And what a future He has in store for us!

What game plan did you have where God threw an audible?

Filed Under: Parenting, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness} Tagged With: 3 under 3, are they twins, blessings, Duggar's, God's plan, Jeremiah 29:11, OCD, the baby bunch

Annoyance

August 12, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

As parents, we often get annoyed with our children! They disturb our ideals. We teach them the same lessons over and over again. They selfishly expect us to jump to their every beck-n-call. They keep making messes.

How often do you think our children get annoyed with us? We disturb their play for bed time. We try to teach the same lessons with no creativity and expect results. We selfishly expect them to transition smoothly from one activity to another at our beck-n-call or selfishly leave them in their beds fussing rather than moving with love to their beck-n-call. We run around cleaning up messes instead of enjoying the fun of creating them with our children. Annoyed, frustrated, confused with our inconsistency.

How often do you think GOD gets annoyed with us, His children? ...that's right, He's the perfect parent. The perfect example. He is always on His toes with creative nurturing, transitions with ease, jumps at our beck-n-call with joy, and extend grace every moment of our lives.

Be encouraged today. Have some perspective, add some joy to your step, and give a little grace.

Filed Under: Parenting, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness} Tagged With: annoyed, beck-n-call, frustrated, grace, joy

“That’s the plan, Remember!?!”

August 12, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

"I do the talking. You do the thing with the {piano}. And God does the rest! That's the plan...Remember!?!"

Do you know where your kids are getting what they are pretending? I'm excited to say that I love knowing these above conversation came from a Veggie Tale, Moe and the big exit. Maggie told Izzie this in an attempt to get her to play the piano. LOVE IT!

People have always suggested that you not let the TV babysit your children. I thought, well duh. Why would I do that? Hahaha, but now, after having 3 who I'm taking turns feeding, napping, changing, playing with, I totally understand how putting a movie on in the afternoon gives you 30+ minutes to get a lot of chores completed with ease or to just sit. BUT it is still important that you not fall into this trap. Parenting is about building relationships with your children and using every teachable moment. Laughing over cartoons and discussing what they are learing (yes, they learn from everything) from what they are watching. This also gives you the opportunity to decide if what they are learning is really helping or hurting your efforts in raising Christ-followers!

What is your favorite movie to watch with your children?

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: build relationships, Christ-Follower, Moe and the Big Exit, teachable moments, TV Baby sitter, veggie tales

I’m Worn Out

August 3, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

After 45 minutes, 11 times putting my toddler back in her bed, 3 spankings for each my toddler and preschooler, and almost falling asleep while leaning against the bedroom door frame because I'm Worn Out but THEY ARE ASLEEP in the same room (for now)!

I'd like to share with you a journey of consistent parenthood that my husband and I are on. someday we are the ideal, prime, text-book example of how to be Christian (Christ-like) parents in disciplining and other days we'd be so ashamed to know anyone saw the way we treated our children in handling a frustrating situation.

I'd like to encourage you to go one this journey with us.

Our goal is: consistent Parenthood which requires continually deciding if how we are doing it is right so in our constantly we aren't continually doing it wrong. hahaha A major thing we require of our children is what some may call "immediate obedience", we call listening the "1st time" in our house. Being consistent is exhausting when you require that! It means you can't be lazy. It means you have to make tough decisions (constantly). I means you need to have regular 'pow wows' with your significant other to make sure not only are you on the same page but preferably on the same line or exact same word of that page. This will definatly wear you out but it's worth it!

Here are a couple of examples of exhausting things we have our children do consistently, why, and what that requires of us:

1. Stay in bed (preferably sleeping) until 7.
Keeps everyone in a routine.
Taking our children back to their bed(s) when they get up before then (5am) and or helping them go back to sleep

2. Eat (portioned accordingly) (must at least try 1 bite for something new)
Health, thankfulness, and manners/character/attitude
Having regular meal routine. Eat together. Try new foods.

3. Pick up toys before bed (both naps and night-time)
Helps keep their things from getting lost (pieces included) or broken
We have to train the how to do this correctly (another post to come on our definition of train), help when necessary, and make them do it.

4. Sleep
Health, sanity, manners/demeanor/character/attitude
Have constant nap routine. Have adequate sleeping for each child. Make them; even when that requires standing in the hall for 45 minutes
some days (as described above).

Why do you do this to your family and yourself?

"We see the first lesson Christ taught his disciples and a lesson that He continued to teach throughout His time with them was obedience."
-Sadie Dodson of WellTrainedFamily.com

What are some of the exhausting but effort worthy things you are constant about with your children?

~~~

As a family we are always trying to line everything we do up against The Standard, the Word of God and the Son of God- the Bible and the perfect life of Jesus. Writing this post made me go back and make sure the things we are requiring of our children is Biblical.

If you're a Christian, are you continually laying your life along side God's Word to seeing if your life really is "Christ-like"?

Filed Under: Parenting

Birthdays: To Be Surprised or Not To Be Surprised?

June 28, 2011 by Jules 1 Comment

Sopping wet hair. Barely dressed for school. Ushered into the dinning room to eat a wholesome breakfast of adorable smiley face birthday cake accompanied by gifts wrapped in smiley face paper. Ugg! Camera snapping shots of the unprepared, make-upless high schooler during this 'party'. That evening, after a birthday full of school, she is greeted at home by her high school boyfriend, and a few girl friends for yet another surprise birthday party complete with Veggie Tale gift wrap and cake to be followed by a long-awaited trip to the 1st football game of the year.

When I was growing up, I never knew what kind of cake I was going to have for my birthday, what thoughtful gift my family had picked out for me based on random conversations before that day, or on some years, if and when there would be a celebration. My mom, especially, LOVED surprising me!

Years down the road that same Veggie Tale love'n girl has children of her own with the love of her life who grew up in a state miles away and in a totally different family (duh, other wise gross!). We are learning to melt and mold one another's family traditions and make some new ones of our own for our beautifully growing family.

Birthdays...?

Our eldest has just turned 3. As a youth pastoring family we skillfully planned her arrival to come in the middle of the annual mega summer camp, Super Summer AR. bahahaha Poor girl. Out of necessity, one of our yearly traditions has been to travel to see daddy at camp for Father's Day and then again for Maggie's birthday. We eat cupcakes in the cafeteria with our students and the past couple years we also celebrate with a dear family of friends who live in the same town the camp is hosted. The second part of her birthday tradition has been to have a party on the 4th of July weekend so family is able to be off work and able to come celebrate with us.

The past 2 years I've snuck around, according to my family custom, trying to hide cupcakes, cakes, decorations, gifts, and simple plans from our birthday girl (not hard seeing as she was only 1 and 2 years old). This years I went out on a limb and let my quickly maturing 3-year-old help make and decorate her own birthday cupcakes as well as point-blank ask her what 'kind' of party she'd like to have. She often helps me in the kitchen but icing in a new-found skill of hers. She has also changed her mind once over the past month but we have settled on...maybe you guessed it- Veggie Tales. YEP; Train up a child!

I haven't decided which tradition we'll stick with in years to come but both have their pros and cons. Whacha think?

Now, pics of the process, of course! More of the VT party to come in a future post

just a few of our creations

~~~

What are your family customs you adhere to (maybe without even knowing it)? Do share; I love sifting through advise!
I avoided the endless Jesus jukes that where oh so readily available in this but those are welcome, too ;o)