Winter Activities

It has been so cold and we have been a bit sick around here, so I have had to be creative around the house. I made some play-dough and she really enjoyed it. I made a little nest and would roll balls that she would put in it, eggs. She would mush them down. She really enjoyed this activity. Today Chloe had some major grumpiness going on so I decided to introduce her to watercolor painting. I had a big sheet of watercolor paper and picked a few colors and let her experiment. She LOVED it SO much. The finished product is really beautiful and I plan on framing it. She loved holding the brushes and seeing what paint and water could do. She was content doing this for about 45 minutes. That is a LONG time for my little one. I love my little artist.

Thoughts on Motherhood

A few days ago I was having a conversation with a dear friend here in town about what success looks like as we parent. She is further down the road than I am in many ways in the journey of parenting. She said something along the lines of 'success can't just be measured by a clean house or well behaved kids.' I SO agree with her. I'm not sure I think about being a success on a daily basis, but there is an underlying question for me about if what I am doing is valuable. Yes, of course I think being a stay at home mom is important. Almost everything in my world has been simplified since motherhood. Daily routine: Pretty predictable and scheduled. Conversations: colors, shapes,animals,repeat, repeat. Prayer life: Lord, help me to be patient and kind. Help me to show your love to Brent, Chloe and others. You get the idea and many of you can relate. As I think through these things I am realizing that there is great success in simplicity. Simplicity isn't applauded usually. That is why I don't always like it. I miss feedback from others, people telling me I am skilled in this or that. Yet, in the simple things, the struggle to believe that what I am doing matters, I am finding joy. When I begin to live knowing that changing a diaper is serving God. I AM VALUABLE and SUCCESSFUL!