I Can Wait
I am feeling nostalgic today. I seem to get that way when Mallory loses a tooth or reaches some other milestone I am not ready for her to achieve.
When she was smaller I found I could not wait for her to be able to do something. I couldn’t wait for her to talk, I couldn’t wait for her to hold her own bottle, I couldn’t wait for her to get rid of the passy.
Now I am looking at all of those things differently.
After carrying her everywhere, I would say, “I can’t wait until she can walk”. Now she is too big to carry around. I miss carrying her.
After spending 45 minutes a night rocking her to sleep, I would say, “I can’t wait until she can go down by herself.” Now I wish she would let me sit and hold her for longer than 5 minutes.
So, I have quickly changed my can’t wait to I can wait.
I can wait until she finishes 1st grade. The farther she gets in school the more there is to worry about. Bullies, more homework and what did that kid say on the playground?
I can wait for her to lose all her teeth. That seems to be the last evidence of my precious baby.
I can wait for her to notice boys. She says she doesn’t need a boyfriend, she has her daddy. He is the only boy she wants. I love that!
I can wait for her to develop her own opinion about clothes. Have you seen the outfits on some of these teens? It is frightening.
I can wait for her to learn to drive. I can’t imagine her going anywhere in a car without me or her daddy driving.
I can wait for her to go to high school. Enough said.
I canwait for her to go to college. I may need to be on some serious meds for that trip.
I can wait for her to get her own place. How will she go to bed with out one of us to lay down with her and read a story, get her a drink and scratch her back? Of course, she says she wants to always live with each other. But, I know she will change her mind. I can wait until she changes her mind.
So, when your child is doing something that is driving you crazy or you think will this stage never end, STOP, smell the roses and bask in the moment. For this to shall pass and you will look up and wonder where it all went.
Tags: mallory
Being Happier
I just read an article about how to be a happier parent. I thought I would share it with you. It was very interesting and I liked the suggestions. I am going to try the ideas.
Read the article here.
Tags: Family
Learning to Read
I have been able to read since I was 3 years old. Reading has always been so easy for me. I wanted to raise my children to be avid readers like me. I started reading to Mallory at the age of well…birth! I wanted her to have a jump start on reading.
She has a lot of books. Before she could read she would memorize the books I read to her. She would “read” them to her stuffed animals. So, I was not worried at all about her learning how to read for real.
Well, she is having a hard time learning to read. She is now in the first grade. She can read, but she is not quite at the level that they want her to be. I don’t know why but this is frustrating me to no end!
I am trying so hard to help her, but I find myself getting frustrated when she reads a word in one book, then doesn’t recognize it in another. She can sound out words, but she is struggling with blends. I have to remind myself that she is just 7 and this is all new to her.
I just feel so helpless. She learns everything else so easily. She is good at whatever she tries. She reminds me of my older sister. Everything just comes so easily for her.
I know that she is seeing my frustration. I know it is making it even harder for her. I try to hide it, but it comes out sometimes in front of her. I have been getting so upset, privately, because I am afraid I am hindering her learning because of my expectations.
I just want her to do well and succeed. She has all A’s and B’s in school right know, so then I feel even worse when I am pushing her to read.
My husband has seen the frustration in me and in her. So, we have devised a plan. I had the teacher send home some books that she should be able to read. I have her read a few of those every night, along with her other home work.
So, if anyone has any suggestions on how I can calm down and help my little girl read better. At this point, I will do almost anything to help her so I don’t lose my mind and make her hate reading.
Blessed Mom Dance Clinic
On Saturday, February 13th, UALR hosted a dance clinic for all kids ages 6-12. Mallory and one of her best buddies attended. They had a blast. The day started at 9, at the Jack Stephens Center on the UALR campus. After some ice breaker activities they got to work with the UALR dance team.
From 9 to 12 they learned a whole dance routine. They were given tickets to the basketball games that evening, a dance team t-shirt and they would perform the routine they learned at the girls game during half time.
I was surprised when I got there to pick her up. They were doing a final run through of the routine. It was great. I was so looking forward to the game and seeing them perform.
Not only did they get to perform, they also got to sit with the dance team during the game and cheer for the basketball team.
They got to go on the court and help with the t-shirt toss to the audience. Mallory loved going out there and shaking her “cha-cha’s”(pom-poms).
We are going to look for this again next year. Both girls made friends with some of the dance team girls. It was a great day!
Blessed Mom: Wordless Wednesday
In My Daughter’s Eyes
Sung by Martina McBride
(James Slater)
In my daughter’s eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter’s eyes
In my daughter’s eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter’s eyes
And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It’s hangin’ on when your heart
has had enough
It’s giving more when you feel like giving up
I’ve seen the light
It’s in my daughter’s eyes
In my daughter’s eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she’ll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I’m gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I’ll be there
In my daughter’s eyes
Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Blessed Mom: Meatless Meals
Here is an update on my not so resolution progress. This month has been a challenge. The cold weather, a cold and now my asthma acting up I have not gotten the amount of exercise in I would like. But, I have exercised anyway. So, I am trudging on. I am so ready for some nice semi warm days.
My husband has joined me in the weight loss/get healthier quest. He is eating better and trying to get some exercise. We have added more fish to our diet and I have learned that I like fish better than I thought. Also, it is more filling than I thought it would be.
My dietician and the doctor suggested that we eat at least 1 or 2 meatless meals a week. Well, they don’t realize that I am married to Grizzly Adams. He is a hunter and a carnivore to the core. He does not believe that a meal is a meal without meat.
When we first got married and were dirt poor, I made a meal out of whatever we had in the cupboard. Well, that did not include meat. He got home and was trying to be so nice to not hurt my feelings when he was presented with Mac-n-Cheese, green beans and corn on the cob. He looked at his plate and asked very politely, I might add, “Where’s the meat?”
He rummaged through the fridge until he found some hot dogs. He cut them up and put them in his mac-n-cheese.
So you can imagine his horror when I suggested that we would start eating one meal a week without meat.
So I need your help. I need some ideas for meatless meals. Some manly, hearty, yet healthy meals, that my man will entertain the idea of eating.
Please, I am desperate:)
Tags: The Husband
Blessed Mom: What Do You Keep
During the last ice/snow event we had I got tired of staring of a stack of papers that I had collected over the last few weeks. So, I decided to get organized and go through them all.
Some were old bills, some were papers that needed to be filed away and then there were the school papers from my daughter.
Every week we get a stack of all the work that she did for the week. It is usually about 7 to 10 pages a week. It includes her spelling and math tests and other just miscellaneous work. As I was going through it all I was not sure what to keep and what to throw away.
I don’t know what it is, but I had a hard time throwing any of it away. This is my only child, and we waited so long to get her. I cherish every little thing that she does. I want to remember what her art work looked like at each stage of her life.
Then again I have a HUGE stack of work. Do I save every paper from every grade? She is just in 1st grade and I have more papers then I know what to do with over here.
Can you mom’s with older kids give me some ideas of what to do with these, and tell when it is time to let it go?
Blessed Mom: Week 2 and 3
Well, here is my update for the last 2 weeks.
Week 2 was really a pretty good week. I got the exercise in I needed. My daughter and I took a 2 1/2 mile walk. She was riding her scooter she got for her birthday, and I of course was walking. We did not intend to walk quite that far. (I didn’t think she would make it without getting tired). She kept wanting to go, go and go.
I reminded her often that as far as we walk away from home, we have to walk back. She didn’t seem to mind. So, by the time we got home it was dark and she was pretty tired. She thinks we walked 4 miles.
We got in the car when we got home and drove the distance. It was ONLY 2 1/2. She said it sure felt like 4.
Jillian Michaels is kicking my BUTT. That DVD of hers is not for the faint of heart. It is awesome!
This week has been a different story. I have had the head cold from hell. I finally feel better today. I am still getting winded easy, so I have been laying low. Well, laying down is more like it.
One thing I learned from Weight Watchers when I did it a few years ago, just because you have a minor setback doesn’t mean that all is lost. Just pick up where you left the next day, week or whatever. So, I am picking up tomorrow.
Yeah!! I actually miss exercise when I miss it. Make sense?
Tags: Resolutions
Blessed Mom: Thoughtful Giving
One of my majors goals as a mother is to raise a thoughtful and loving child. I try to find opportunities to teach her to think of others before herself.
One of her favorite things to do is to help buy gifts for our friends and family. Recently my friend Stacie had a birthday. I told Mallory that someones birthday was coming up. She immediately asked who it was and if we were going to get her something. We happened to be in Kroger at the time next to the floral section.
She said I know we can get her some flowers. I said that was a great idea.
Then she saw the balloons. She is ALWAYS wanting a balloon. She suggested one of those little balloons on a stick. I thought both ideas were perfect.
On Stacie’s birthday, it was snowy and the weather was very cold. It ended up being that way for the week. So, I told Mallory that we would go the next week.
We had a girl’s night out planned at Stacie’s that Friday. I told Mal that I would take her gift to her that night. She said to be sure to tell it is from me too. I told her that she could go with me early to give it to her herself.
So, before I took her to her friend’s house to play while I went to Stacie’s, I took her by Stacie’s. She was so cute and such a big girl. She took them right to her and told her happy birthday. Stacie loved the gift, giving Mal a great big hug.
I hope as she grows she continues to feel this way about giving and that she never stops!
Destiny knocked on Amy Thompson’s door in 2002 when little Mallory was placed in her arms. In 2003, Mallory’s adoption was finalized, thus allowing Amy and her husband to embark on a blessed journey into parenthood.