Give Them Wings

By MAD21

As a parent there are many times that you will marvel at the relationship you have with your children. When they are first born you look at them and are amazed that something so fragile and real came from your body. And then reality sets in and you realize you have no idea how to be a good parent (especially on the bad days). As they get older and you watch them learn and grow into little self-sufficient people, what a miracle it was that another life was created through you... and how fast time flies.

Suddenly, all the priorities in our lives change. Something as insignificant as keeping your house clean all the time is not so important. And for some, something as significant as giving up a career is freely sacrificed. Have you ever wondered why this bond that a parent feels with their child is so strong. So.. different from any other relationship we've ever had? Personally, I think it's because to feel the love of your child is as close as we could possibly get to being in the presence of God while on this side of heaven. It was one of His gifts to us, to know this kind of love.

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Life Is Funny: What? Don't Your Pencils Talk To You?

By MAD21

My kids are a source of never-ending entertainment in our house. Way back in September I talked to you about our "bees" and how my girls are so creative in their pretend world. They both have wonderful imaginations.

My youngest, however, seems to do a whole lot more along the story-telling side of her creative play. Her dolls, her bees, or whatever she happens to be playing with have all kinds of adventures, and interact with each other in very dramatic ways... voices included.

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Act Your Age

By Sarah (Living Between the Lines)

When I turned 25 years old, I had a minor meltdown.  I sat on my friend Rick’s couch and just wailed about how I was “getting ready to be thirty!”  I just thought that my life was over!  Rick, bless his heart, had the patience of Job and though I’m sure he rolled his eyes, he listened and tried to sympathize.  

When I turned 29 years old, I really started to panic.  I saw 30 rolling in like a freight train and all I could focus on was what I felt I had missed in life.  For a few months, I caught myself really whining at God about it.  But my 30th birthday came and went and soon I noticed that 30 wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was.

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"Because I Said So!"

By MAD21

I was reading Kristen's blog, We Are THAT Family, yesterday. She had a great post called, "Things I Say in a Day." In it she listed the funny "momisms" she finds herself saying to her kids. It was so fun reading her list, as well as all the comments she received, but all I could think of was Bill Cosby. He has a fabulous video called, "Bill Cosby Himself" that he filmed in 1983. It has always been one of my favorites because it's just so funny (and real). The majority of his material in his video is related to family, and even though I was only a teenager when I first saw it, it was still funny. But now, as a parent, it has taken on a whole new meaning and hilarity.

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Girl Interrupted

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

Obedience. What do you think of when you hear the word obedience? My dad was a sergeant major in the Army for 37 years, so for me, the word obedience conjures images of obeying the barked command, “Michelle! Get your head outta your duffle bag!”

St. Benedict, I’m learning, had a different view. As I methodically make my way through a book called St. Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living, by Jane Tomaine (stay tuned for more on this topic; during Lent I’ll be writing a Blogging Benedict series), I came across an intriguing interpretation of the word obedience.

"I read somewhere a long time ago that life happens in the interruptions," writes Tomaine. "Interruptions are opportunities to practice obedience."

As a mother to two young boys, my life is a constant stream of interruption. No matter what I’m doing – writing, reading, cleaning, cooking, dressing, eyebrow plucking – I am interrupted. "Mommy! I’m thirsty!" "Mommy, can you wipe my bum?" "Mommy, come look at the cardinal!" "Mommy, can you read me a book?" Frankly these endless interruptions make for a fragmented, disjointed existence.

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