Pep Talk

I love the time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love the atmosphere of this time of year: everything from Christmas cookies to finding and wrapping the perfect gift to driving around looking at Christmas lights to receiving Christmas cards in the mail to traveling to see family and friends.

Time seems to fly more quickly these days, especially as I watch my children grow.  We haven’t even reached Christmas yet this year, and I already feel like this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas has passed too quickly. Throughout this time I’ve felt a bit too spread thin, and, not only have I felt like I haven’t had much time to relish the season, but I have also felt like I haven’t been able to do many of the things I’ve wanted to accomplish. I had great plans to do lots of fun Christmas activities with Ella (who is really getting engaged into the whole idea of Christmas), but we’ve only managed to do two of the many fun ideas I’ve found.  After three Christmases searching, I finally bought material to make Christmas stockings, but I didn’t even make it to the point of pulling the sewing machine out of the box.

This post isn’t about complaining, but simply a reality check for me. I can’t be everywhere at once. I probably won’t get everything done on my to-do list because it is too long and unrealistic in the first place. With two little ones in the house, projects will inevitably get put off and plans will change. Ella and Troy were both sick for a week (my husband and I didn’t feel great either). And, besides actually dealing with kids that didn’t feel good, we also had to deal with the severe lack of sleep (the kids don’t sleep well when they are sick and they share a room which only complicates that problem). On top of sick kiddos, I almost sliced the tip off of my index finger (so, please ignore any typos in this post), and was out of commission for an entire evening after that incident (what can I say, I have an extremely week stomach for almost slicing the tip of my finger off). Things types of things are not things to be worried or bothered by; they are simply things (and not really big things) that happen in life from time to time. But, I need to give myself that pep talk when I get bogged down by these things. And, when I say that I need to give myself a pep talk, I really mean that I need to listen to my husband’s encouraging words (because he is always the one who realizes I need the pep talk).

Hopefully this last week before Christmas will be a chance for me to slow down and breathe a little. As long as I actually figure out what to get for the last few folks on our Christmas list . . .

Instilling Qualities in My Children

Good parenting doesn't happen by accident. I haven't even been a parent for a year yet (although, almost!), and I know that parenting is hard work that requires a variety of skills and emotions, that should be guided through prayer and meditation on God's Word.

I realize that there is no way I can completely prepare myself for what lies ahead in my journey as a parent. However, I also realize that I should prepare myself as much as I possible in order to equip Ella with the qualities, skills, and experiences she needs to live a successful life: both spiritually and physically.

I often think about the type of person I hope Ella will grow up to be. There are many qualities I want her to exhibit, as well as qualities I hope she doesn't possess. I think one of the main keys in instilling these qualities in her is to first identify these qualities. After I've identified these qualities, I must then examine myself. If I don't exhibit these qualities, how can I expect her to exhibit them? Finally, I'll have to figure out ways to teach her about these qualities - sometimes this will be an easy task, and sometimes I know it will be difficult!

Over the next few months, I plan to blog about some of the different qualities I want to instill in Ella. I already have a few of these qualities in my mind, but I know as I contemplate this longer I'll think of even more qualities. I know that by truly considering these qualities I'll be growing personally, as well as preparing myself to be a better parent to Ella.

What qualities do you hope to instill in your children?