Quilting Hangover and Ramblings...

It's monday again.....

Well I think I am having a quilting hangover today...... To much of a good thing can getcha!! It was a fun weekend, but to many late nights. I think my mom and my aunt never went to bed before 3 a.m. and for myself because of the pregnancy and still fighting whatever infection that I have, I was done usually between 12 midnight and 1 a.m.. So today I was TOTALLY DRAGGING! But it was good. I did accomplish to almost finish a tree skirt for this next christmas for our christmas tree, our last one was a hand me down and talk about BUTT UGLY!! I have to put the chenile on and quilt it but then it should be about done. Then I worked on Mic Mac's quilt. I am so excited! It is going to be so cool and it is so her with the butterflies all over it and these really bright whirligigs. If I get it together soon, I will have to post it because it is adorable! I seriously spent 7 hours or more cutting the material but I am almost done so then I can start the sewing! This weekend was great for the kids... Dad took them to the park to play, and they got to help mow the lawn. (It's cool at their age to be on the riding lawn mower!) Then my mom, aunt and I went into town and ate supper together with NO KIDS! By the time I got home Ben had bathed the kiddo's, fed them and had the ready for bed. What a TREAT! He was such a sweet guy and the kids loved it! So did mom! There are certain benefits that come when a husband gives the wife a break! WINK WINK ... :)
Anyways... over all a great weekend....
I also listed below a little insight into my head on what I think being a mother is all about... it is an article that I wrote while struggling to feel like staying at home was and should really be considered work like that of working outside the home. (By the way... NO, it's never seen the light of day beyond whoever chooses to read this is so please be kind! :) ) When you don't earn an income off your job, it's hard to feel like you fit in in society, but..... HUGE BUT HERE, I honestly feel that those of us called to be mothers there is no greater job or higher calling than that of being a parent. It is tough but also incredibly rewarding...... I would also like to preface the article by saying that it is written from the perspective of staying at home and I realize that there are many mothers that don't get to stay home or choose not too. I couldn't imagine how much more challenging that would be so please don't be offended it was just written from a stay at home perspective.
So if you choose you can read on and if not.... hey no problem.... it's always fun to see what people receive from a written piece. Hopefully you will see some of the humor and seriousness I wrote about but also be encourage if you are a mother to keep on keeping on because the kids are worth it!!!
Syd

Mothers: The Ultimate Survivors With the children in bed, I dropped exhausted onto my couch sinking into its well worn cushions. Taking a few deep breaths I started to unwind from my hectic day. Picking up the television remote, I began flipping through a multitude of channels looking for an interesting show to watch. Coming across the show “Survivor”, I stopped and watched as contestants from two different tribes (teams) strived to finish a challenge requiring great mental and physical strength. They were desperate to win, for winning meant their tribe won immunity. Winning immunity allowed them to stay on the island to compete for the million dollar prize. Watching the contestants struggle to accomplish each obstacle, I started thinking to myself, “What an exciting and challenging thing to do.” Letting my mind wander, I proceeded to imagine how I would conquer the different challenges when I was abruptly brought back to reality by, “MOM, MOMMY, I NEED A DRINK” being half sung, half yelled down the stairs by my 3 year old son. In the background I heard, “I drink too mommy”. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of having a drink, my 2 year old daughter made herself heard as well.Dragging my tired body off the couch I went to the stairwell and firmly told them that they did not need a drink, it was past their bedtime, and time to go to sleep! Sitting back down on the couch I heard the wailing begin from two sad, thirsty children. I was thinking to myself, “I wish I was on an island somewhere challenging my physical and mental skills proving that I was an ultimate survivor,” when it hit me: I am a mother and living a real ‘survivor experience’.Being a mother of two, I can relate to the difficulty that stay-at-home mothers face in today’s society. Understanding the importance of our job can prove challenging. I have been a mother for a few short years, and I am only now beginning to understand the full extent of skills I need to make it through each day. The job of motherhood requires us to be on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To survive this grueling profession, we learn to step into a multitude of roles each demanding a different set of skills to deal with the situations that arise on a day to day basis. One role we carry early on in the lives of our children is that of teacher. When our children are young, we are teaching them to share, not hit, say “please” and “thank you”, and “excuse me” after they burp. (Despite their father’s influence in this area). As they get older, we teach them how to develop good morals and to take responsibility for their actions. This at times, means allowing them to suffer the consequences of wrong decisions they have made. An extensive part of teaching our children happens through our children watching and then modeling our behavior. Scary thought, is it not? Children have perfected the art of copycatting and will mimic our actions and words, good or bad. Therefore, we need to model the behavior we want them to learn and exhibit. From the time our children are born, we assume the role of doctor. My children seem to always have a cold, ear infections, flu, croup, diaper rash, or a snotty nose. Medical treatments at our house range from the painless healing power of the “mommy kiss”, to the more painful, which includes a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and an Elmo or Bob the Builder band-aid. Fixing bruises and scratches are simple compared to being family psychologist. In most injury situations, we can kiss away the pain, but when emotionally hurt, no quick fix will ease the pain. When in the role of psychologist, we deal with problems ranging from explaining to our children we must flush the beloved “Goldie” the pet gold fish down the toilet, to helping them deal emotionally with the passing of a loved one, such as a grandparent. When our children enter their teen years, psychologist takes a complicated twist. We try, and I mean try, to help them through their feelings about whom they are and what God’s purpose is for their lives.Jumping to the lighter side of motherhood, it seems from the time I wake up in the morning until my kids go to bed; I wear the uniform of referee. Personal and intentional fouls are the most frequently made calls in my home. Time and time again the players from both teams get benched. In between making foul calls on the game floor, we are trying to fill the roles of janitor and maid. As janitor, we tackle projects like cleaning crayon off the wall, lipstick out of blankets, and spilled milk off the floor. As the maid, we tackle the never ending piles of clothes to be washed, dishes to be done, furniture to be dusted, bathrooms to be scrubbed and beds to be made. We wait impatiently for our children to come of the age where they can begin helping with these household tasks, dreaming of how much free time it will bring to our hectic schedule. Do not be fooled, for with the aging of our children, comes the role of mom’s taxi service. While in this stage of the mothering role we wish somebody was paying us a taxi fare so we could be making money on the side. We are constantly driving our children to and from youth group, swimming lessons, piano lessons, 4-H, after school sports, marching band and their best friends’ houses. The list of taxi stops is limitless. On the way back from our last taxi stop, our riders begin asking what we made for supper. As chef, we face the continual challenge of finding meals that require little preparation time and yet fill the bottomless pit of our growing children’s stomachs. You may be asking at this point, “Why was it that I wanted to be a mother?”. “Am I just trying to survive till the days end?” NO! Our main goal in mothering is to raise Godly moral children that love their God, respect their peers, and treat others with consideration. We have the high calling of helping mold our children into what the Lord has created them uniquely to be. One day when talking on the phone with a friend, she reminded me that the most important thing we can do as mothers is to daily be on our knees in prayer for our children. (When on our knees for our children we are also submitting ourselves to the Lord.) For myself, I forget that God wants to give me the strength, wisdom and endurance to make it through my day. By bringing our children before God, we become better mothers, and better equipped to help in the molding of our children’s lives. How easily distracted we are by the daily routines of our job. Cleaning the house and feeding our children are necessary, but should not take precedence over the training of our children. The Lord says in Proverbs 24:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” The training we give our children now, will determine who they will be in the future. What a tremendous responsibility the Lord has entrusted us with.On the show “Survivor”, immunity was your lifeline and key to winning the million dollar prize. When surviving on the island of motherhood, our lifeline is our heavenly father and our key to successfully training our children. Thankfully, unlike the show “Survivor”, we do not need to win our lifeline. God’s wisdom and strength is freely given and available every minute and hour of motherhood. All we need to do is ask.