A couple of days ago I was at Marshalls with Penélope looking at stuff. I noticed she was starting to get antsy and it was time for her nap.
Penélope turned to me, tilted her head to the side and said, "Mom, let's go get coffee. [long sigh] I'm so tired."
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Words of Wisdom from Dr. Starbucks
Every once-in-a-while Christopher or myself will come across a quote on a Starbucks cup that we love. This is one of them. We've saved the cup to remind us, the non-planner-hesitant-commitment-ers to get our rational heads out of the way.
"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating--in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."
~Anne Morriss
Starbucks customer from New York City.
"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating--in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."
~Anne Morriss
Starbucks customer from New York City.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Stinkin' Dugans are Gone.
How dare they?
Penelope and I have had many conversations like this lately:
Penelope: Bella be back, Mom. (as she nods her head confidently as she walks in her bedroom looking for them)
Me: No, lovey. She's living at Grandpa and Grandma house.
Penelope: No, Mommy. She come back. Yeah! She be back real soon. Real soon, mom. My Caebe (Caleb) is coming too!
Me: No, honey. They live in Brasil now.
Later on in the day.
Penelope: Mom! 'member? I go in Brasil, too? Yes. I go in Brasil with Bella and Caebe!
And later.
Penelope: I go to Grandma's house?
Sadly, the answer is always the same.
Penelope and I have had many conversations like this lately:
Penelope: Bella be back, Mom. (as she nods her head confidently as she walks in her bedroom looking for them)
Me: No, lovey. She's living at Grandpa and Grandma house.
Penelope: No, Mommy. She come back. Yeah! She be back real soon. Real soon, mom. My Caebe (Caleb) is coming too!
Me: No, honey. They live in Brasil now.
Later on in the day.
Penelope: Mom! 'member? I go in Brasil, too? Yes. I go in Brasil with Bella and Caebe!
And later.
Penelope: I go to Grandma's house?
Sadly, the answer is always the same.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Parenthood equals being humbled...
...over and over again. Have you ever heard the expression, "Kids are a gift from God?" Like my brother said recently, it's really true, but not the way one may think.
I used to think of how being a mom was a real privilege...and it is for sure.
I used to think of how wonderful it would be to see the combination of myself and my husband in another human being...and it is wonderful.
I used to think of how love between a mother and her child would be like no other...and truly nothing compares.
I used to think that that was what the gift was all about...it's not.
I have been a mom for two years and nine months. I have felt and experienced all those things that I always thought I would...many many times. What I did not foresee was how overwhelmingly humbling it would be. I was recently reminiscing with Michael and Cari about how I would wax eloquent and outline my parenting philosophy in great detail. The arrogance that my words carried would make you think that I had a doctorate in child development or something. It's so embarrassing. (Maybe what's more embarrassing is that after my humbled attitude I said, "Enough of this crap, it's time to build Michelle up!" Yeah, I think that's more embarrassing)
Actually, the gift of parenthood is a lot more about being humbled.
It's humbling because I learned that I know absolutely NOTHING about parenting.
It's humbling because I see how judgemental I used to be before I was a mom toward other parents.
It's humbling because I'm so often wrong.
It's humbling because I see clearly how weak and totally selfish I am. It's crystal clear.
It's humbling because I need to ask forgiveness to my 2 year old...all the time.
It's humbling because I realize (over and over again) how I just don't have it together.
But you know, I'm OK with that, well, sort of. I'm not going to lie to you, it's not fun to be humbled. But the gift part of the deal is that in this humbling process of being a mom I find myself being more aware (as I should be anyway) of my great need of God and find my heart becoming more squishy and malleable toward his correction. For this reason I wish parenthood on every person (OK, so maybe there's a little bit of that, see-it's-not-as-easy-as-it-looks kind of vindicating attitude which only exposes how ridiculously far I am to being sufficiently humbled.) I guess it's a process of becoming more like Jesus.
So, I suppose the expression, "Kids are a gift from God, " is indeed as true as true gets, just not the way I had thought; it's better.
PS. Penélope, thank you, my lovey.
I used to think of how being a mom was a real privilege...and it is for sure.
I used to think of how wonderful it would be to see the combination of myself and my husband in another human being...and it is wonderful.
I used to think of how love between a mother and her child would be like no other...and truly nothing compares.
I used to think that that was what the gift was all about...it's not.
I have been a mom for two years and nine months. I have felt and experienced all those things that I always thought I would...many many times. What I did not foresee was how overwhelmingly humbling it would be. I was recently reminiscing with Michael and Cari about how I would wax eloquent and outline my parenting philosophy in great detail. The arrogance that my words carried would make you think that I had a doctorate in child development or something. It's so embarrassing. (Maybe what's more embarrassing is that after my humbled attitude I said, "Enough of this crap, it's time to build Michelle up!" Yeah, I think that's more embarrassing)
Actually, the gift of parenthood is a lot more about being humbled.
It's humbling because I learned that I know absolutely NOTHING about parenting.
It's humbling because I see how judgemental I used to be before I was a mom toward other parents.
It's humbling because I'm so often wrong.
It's humbling because I see clearly how weak and totally selfish I am. It's crystal clear.
It's humbling because I need to ask forgiveness to my 2 year old...all the time.
It's humbling because I realize (over and over again) how I just don't have it together.
But you know, I'm OK with that, well, sort of. I'm not going to lie to you, it's not fun to be humbled. But the gift part of the deal is that in this humbling process of being a mom I find myself being more aware (as I should be anyway) of my great need of God and find my heart becoming more squishy and malleable toward his correction. For this reason I wish parenthood on every person (OK, so maybe there's a little bit of that, see-it's-not-as-easy-as-it-looks kind of vindicating attitude which only exposes how ridiculously far I am to being sufficiently humbled.) I guess it's a process of becoming more like Jesus.
So, I suppose the expression, "Kids are a gift from God, " is indeed as true as true gets, just not the way I had thought; it's better.
PS. Penélope, thank you, my lovey.
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