Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

Oh my . . . . . .  for years I've listened to my mother tell the same story over and over of the day that I said my first "profanity".  It has always been very funny to me thinking of me, as a child, out of pure innocence saying a cuss word.  My first experience, as told to me was when I was two years old.  I have no recollection of this day, but my mother describes it with such detail that I almost feel like I remember it.  It was a Sunday . . . . .  as all Sundays in ANY family they can be incredibly hectic and stressful at times.  We had just gotten home from church and as most, I'm sure my mother was running around trying to get lunch ready so we could hurry up and get our naps.  On this particular day my mother had dressed me in a frilly petticoat type dress (as I'm sure was the going rage at the time) with ruffled bloomers.  I'm sure in her mind I was probably THE CUTEST kid at church.  However, I must have had a different opinion.  As mom was running around the house trying to give some semblance of peace to our day I stopped her dead in her tracks.  I proceeded to toddle up to her with my hands on my hips amongst the ruffles to tell her that "These d__n panties ITCH!"  She tells the story of the shock and then hilariousness of the situation.  You know that point, the one where you feel like busting out laughing, yet you suddenly remember that you are the mother and you HAVE to be an adult.

These times are REALLY hard for me.  I still feel like a kid myself.  At times, I find it very hard to believe that anyone would trust me to keep their children much less raise my very own.  Luckily, the above situation of your child letting out their first cuss word has not yet happened . . . . . . . . .  HOWEVER, yesterday I had a first.  Keller, our oldest child, has always been very obedient and, for the most part, quick to stop something if you let him know that it is wrong.  What an easy life!!!!  Then our sweet little Ms McKendry came along.  HELLO FEMALE!!!!  You know what I'm talking about- the flirtatious looks that are supposed to make whatever she is doing behind her back okay.  Some of it has not surprised me at all, I'm female. . . . . I understand those thoughts and the way that it's almost inbreed in us to push the envelope a bit. Needless to say, my parenting is a bit different with a girl.  I have to be VERY aware of when I tell her no and the consistency of sticking with what I say.  I also found I have to be VERY aware of what I say in front of those sweet little ears.

Yesterday, as I was cooking breakfast, McKendry sat in front of "her"cabinet doing her usual.  She was dragging every plastic cup out and playing with all the spare sippy cups.  This is part of our "routine"; No different.  That's when I heard it . . . . . ."OOOHHHHH DDDOOOOSSSSSHHHHH" Well, that's a new one, I thought, what did she say.  I stopped what I was doing to look down and really pay attention.  Then again, as she was struggling to unscrew a top off of a sippy cup, in a grumbly very frustrated voice she says "OOOOOHHHHHH DDOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH!"  I had never heard that kind of rumble in her voice or for that matter that kind of frustration.  It was quite funny watching her.  She wasn't mad just baffled at how to get the top off of the sippy cup.  In her frustration this phrase kept spilling out of her mouth in a voice so foreign to me that I was laughing out loud.  It was funny, but then I realized she was mirroring my frustration and getting that same tone in her voice that I do when I totally loose my patience with her, Keller, or for that matter Bobby.  She was saying "Oh Gosh!"  WOW!  What a slap in the face.  Such a small little girl, not even two, yet she was speaking such harsh and "adult" words . . . What to do?  I sat back hoping it was just a freak event that she was saying this phrase.  Now that 24 hours have transpired and I've heard it multiple times I realize it's stuck.  Yeah it's funny, but is it really?  Nope.  I feel like a heel.  She heard that from me, not TV, not her brother, not her father but ME! Sounds very mild and innocent. I'll admit that I have laughed to myself many of the times that she has said it.  Not at the phrase, but the cute way she says it.  It's really kind of adorable.  I'm just being honest.  Today, I did decide to look up the definition of gosh to prepare myself for the talk that we will have to have to reverse this phrase: Gosh - an exclamation of mild surprise or wonder. Hmmmm, didn't seem so bad, then the origin of the word just about jumped off the page-  euphemistic alteration of God.  


Bobby and I have now discussed the situation and decided at her age she isn't going to truly UNDERSTAND why this is wrong. Her brother, on the other hand, does.  This will be a lesson for him.  An opportunity for me to show Keller that I mess up daily.  An opportunity tonight, as we pray as a family, to ask God to forgive me.  I NEED my children to understand that I DON'T expect perfection from them, and that I will NEVER judge them. I want them to understand God is our friend. I don't want my children to feel that He is unapproachable.  I grew up so many times being scared when I messed up thinking God would be MAD at me.  God loves us and smiles upon us when we learn from our mistakes!!!  Thank you God, once again, for teaching me soooo much through the eyes of my children!

So as those precious little eyes look at me each day, PLEASE God let my eyes look up to You to guide me each step of the way!!!!!

Time is of the Essence

Well, leave it to a movie to give me a whole new perspective on my life at this point.  Today, as most days, was full of the routine of what we do.  It's nothing special, but an aspect of my life that I'm sure that many of you can relate to.  I get up every morning and start my life in the same way. However, when some little small thing happens to throw it just the least bit off I have this void it seems the entire day.  Today was no different really . . . . other than the fact that McKendry decided she would cry out one hour before she normally gets up.  No big deal, right?  Well, it shouldn't be . . . .  but for some reason for me, the "queen" of routine, it dishevels me for a bit.  It's ironic though, if for some reason she wakes up an hour past the time she normally does it doesn't put me in the same state.  I will admit though, I'm so anal (can I use that word on a blog? Well, I just did, sorry MOM!) about the routine of things that I usually will get her up so as to not to throw the rest of the "schedule" for the day off even more.  Some may be reading and thinking - what a way to live, why would you do that to yourself?  It all started when we had our first child.  I was a person who LOVED my sleep and when left without my 8 required hours I didn't function so well.  It just sends my internal clock for a loop.  So, needless to say when we started discussing children I KNEW that it was going to be a huge adjustment on my sleeping habits.  At that point I began a mission of research on the "perfect" way to get your child on a sleep schedule and what routines were best on your baby.

My mission worked, BOTH of my children were sleeping through the night entirely at 6 - 8 weeks.  I was a VERY happy mommy and a much better mommy because of the sleep.  With this routine has come MUCH ridicule from many family and friends. At first it bothered me. Now, almost 5 years, I have NOT A CARE of what they think.  I am a better parent because of this routine.  My children know what to expect from day to day and HONESTLY when something varies from routine they handle it soooooo well.

This routine, as my mom will tell you, didn't surprise so many that know me. I've ALWAYS been a VERY predictable person.  I'm not one for change and the routine of my life doesn't bore me at all as it would some.  With my hang up of staying on schedule, be that as it may, I find myself rushing through life.  I'm always trying to get the kids to get dressed within a certain period of time, eat supper within a certain period of time, get their teeth brushed quickly, take your bath now, get your toys picked up now . . . .  . it just seems like we HURRY through life.  So today, as I was watching "Cars" with the children it hit me in the face to SLOW down.  It seems that our society is always trying to come up with a faster way to do EVERYTHING.  I DON'T want my children rushing through life only to wonder what their purpose ever really was.  I have probably watched "Cars" a hundred times with my children and never has it made that much sense to me.  I've always thought it was a cute movie that taught a really good lesson about a car that is young and energetic that doesn't really "get it".  He had been going through life only wanting one thing . . . . to be the best and along the way he realized the true meaning of life.  Today, as we were watching I wasn't really watching the movie.  I had fifteen other things going on, but for some reason today I stopped to listen during one particular scene.  It's when Sally takes Lightning McQueen throughout the town and the country side to get him to slow down.  He finally was able to see the beauty and to understand that Radiator Springs wasn't just a snooze fest but a place that people once loved.  I guess what made the biggest impact is when she said to him "the town got bypassed just to save 10 minutes of driving".  I had seen that a hundred times, but today in the midst of my routine it shook me a bit.  How many times a day do I find myself doing things like that?  Rushing my children along or even killing myself to get something done just for nothing really.

Don't misunderstand me . . . . .  We enjoy life but aren't we all to busy at times?  Life is so short . . .  I  want to cherish each moment that I can and savor this life while I can.  I PRAY that I don't make my children feel like they have to rush through life.  Our society puts so much emphasis on "taking shortcuts", we work so hard taking out steps that we forget what it once was like.

So, I'm going to take a deep breath and just enjoy this life I've been given.