Confessions of a Crazy Busy Mom

Mornings in our house are usually busy and full of stress to say the least. It seems as though no matter how hard we prepare the night before, things do not go quite right. And all too quickly I lose my patience.   My little Tristan, is all boy, and he is forgetful. He's full of life and excitement, and sometimes forgets to take a few moments to ensure that his responsibilities are taken care of. Today was no different- he had lost his library book for the second week in a row. Seriously, he had it yesterday! All of is looked for the elusive book. We were already running late and we needed to leave home, without his library book. He cried all the way to my mother in laws house as he knew he was going to lose his responsibility piece for his pyramid at school. I genuinely felt bad, but how else was he going to learn that there are consequences to his forgetfulness.  Like I said, I lost my patience, as I do most mornings. I struggle with this, every morning. And Tristan left feeling

Tristan told me this morning he didn't want to go to school today, because he said he he no friends and his little face just looked crushed and he started to cry. My heart broke- no parent likes to see those child hurt. I know Tristan has friends, but sometime kids can be hurtful- my son included. Today, my prayer is for our littles to have kind words and actions towards others and that others would have kind words and actions towards them. Kids don't always get along, I get that, they don't even have to like each other. That's ok too. But what they do need to do is be respectful no matter what. Teaching children to turn the other cheek is also not an easy task. It's a difficult concept for adults to understand! But it's not impossible. Ultimately, it comes down to loving one another.  Lord, I pray today for our little guys to be loved and accepted by others and reciprocate the same love and acceptance. I pray that our kids have good day at school or at home- wh

My job is unconventional to say the least. Maybe one day I'll go into more detail, but for now, I'll leave it at, I am a sign language interpreter, and I have the wonderful opportunity to travel to some awesome place. A requirement of my job, listening.  As I sat and listened to a girl, her mother, boyfriend and friend talking. She seemed to be super polite and very well mannered, mature and she was beautiful. They tall talked a out college In two years, volunteer jobs they have now because not only do love them, but how beneficial they would be to their college applications. The girls wanted to go to a very prestigious Christian College- which, I'm not knocking, I went to a pretty amazing Christian University, they talked about the teachers they did not like and so on. All very normal topics- until the mother left, after that, all class went out the window and they turned into pretty rude kids with mouths like sailors. Their demeanors changed and didn't have a care in

The phrase, "One off those days." has come out of my mouth several times in the last 24 hours! As moms it is so easy to before overwhelmed with the every day tasks, let alone adding several stressful issues on top of them. For me, I admit I become so focused on all of the things I new to accomplish or fix or take care of that I often times overlook the things that stress my children out. Or, I dismiss them all together because they aren't a 'big deal'.  I could not be more wrong! To my little guys it is a big deal if their jacket is not zipped up just to the right spot, or if a special blanket is left at a grandparents house. It's a big deal if a permission slip was not turned in the next day or if you forgot the page of your math homework. (Yeah, all of those were big problems in our house these past yes days!) I need to make them feel more important and not dismiss the small things. I need to help them work through their issues and help them resolve them, an

I open the lid if the washing machine and see a mixture of whatever Arcadia picked up and threw in there. I looked in there and thought to myself, "Sometimes I wonder what goes through her mind." Then I remembered, she's 12. What was going through her mind? I told her to start a load of laundry- I wasn't specific. Well, I thought I was specific. "Start a load of laundry that has Tristan's uniform pants in it." I meant, start a load of a dark clothes and make sure that Tristan's uniform pants are in it. The pants are black, the load of laundry would then be a load of darks right? Well, yeah, maybe if you are 31 and have been doing laundry for more than half your life. But when you are 12, you hear, "start a load of laundry, I don't care what is in the load of laundry, just make sure that Tristan's pants are in there." Seems legit right?  I remember plenty of items being 12 and much older in which I was told go do a load of laundry, a

I have two boys, Tristan and Phoenix, 6 and 4. One likes cars and trains, the other likes guns and all things Army. They could not be any more different even if they tried.  Raising boys is interesting to say the least. My boys come after my girls, so when Tristan came along, my world was turned upside down. I had all these plans for Tristan- he was going to be the next Tom Brady. His baby shower was even football themed. As it turns out, he really has no interest in playing football- he desires to join the army. Phoenix is still 4, so I still have a little time to brain wash him into thinking that being the quarter back for the New England Patriots would be the best thing in the world. Hey, I can dream can't I?  Needless to say, we as moms want to see each of our children achieve greatness. No matter what our 'plans' for them are. I see God teaching me daily that my plans are not always HIS plans and I simply have to trust him, that he will direct my path as their mom and

Today's prayer is for girls- don't worry, tomorrow will be our prayer for boys. I'm a mother of two girls, 12 and 9. And let me tell you, as time goes on, it does not get easier. I look at my 12 old and I see the world she is entering, and it scares me. Honestly speaking, it is also an opportunity to increase my prayers for her, but also more opportunities to lead her in a way that will encourage her to lead a life pleasing to Christ. Not just my 12 year old, my 9 year old as well. So today, my prayers are focused on them.  Dear Lord, thank you for my two beautiful daughters. I thank you for the bond that I have with each of them, and I ask that you increase that bind daily. Being a mother to a daughter is such an enormous responsibility. I need to teach them about becoming young women with a heart that is focused on you. I need to lead by example to them. Help my girls to build open and honest relationships with me. The world for them has the potential to be a tempting and

I know I skipped a few days, I'm sorry. With the Thanksgiving holiday, I found myself quite busy. I actually did think of a daily prayer I wanted to post, but then I was worried that the words wouldn't be quite right. So today, my prayer for our children is two fold. First is to be Thankful. Second, it is to see the bigger world around them and how they can make a difference.  If your friends with me on Facebook, you see that I often times post or share photos from the Jessie Rees Foundation. Which was started by a 12 year old girl who was dying from cancer. Her mission? Spread joy and encourage others to Never Ever Give Up. Creating the term NEGU. I encourage you to take a look at this foundation as for some reason, it really reached out and touched my heart like nothing else. The 'home office' is called the Joy Factory and volunteers can come near he help stuff Joy Jars, which are then sent to kids everywhere battling cancer. It's quite amazing. The Joy F

Today's prayer comes from the deepest part of my heart at the moment. My husband has been out of town the past few days, and my children have been challenging to to say the least. The theme for the past few days has been to get along with each other, to respect each other and love each other. With 4 extremely different personalities this has posed quite the challenge. Today, however, I came home from grocery shopping to experience the sweet sound of all 4 of them playing together in their moving box fort. For this morning, great success. I realize this does not mean they will get along forever, or even for the next hour, but at least for the moment. Which is why is will continue to be part of my prayers for them.  Dear Heavenly Father,  Thank you for each of my children and their very different personalities. Each one offers something very special to our family. I pray Lord that you instill in each of their hearts a deep love and respect for their brothers and sisters. That the gro

I work, a lot. It's no surprise. Today I left my house at 4:55. My Littles were all asleep, snuggled in their warm beds dreaming of who knows what, while I stumbled out to to my car to scrape the ice off of the windows. I won't be with them all day today as it looks to be a 14+ hour day. So today, my prayer is for them to be good while I'm away. For them to be safe and for me not to miss them too much. They will be just fine, and they are with my sister so I at least know that the house won't burn down. :) Good Luck Patience.  Dear Lord,  Thank you for my job, and the fact that I enjoy it. I pray that my children understand the long hours I need to work to provide for our family. I pray that today they they behave, and that they do what they need to do, I pray that they also have a nice day enjoying time with each other, their aunt and cousin Baby B. Keep them safe while I am not there with them. Help them to know that I love them, even though I am not there with them.

Today, in our home, we have lots that we each need to accomplish. Chores, cleaning, laundry. You name it, it's happening in our home. Sometimes when we have a lot to do, the ugliness comes out in our personalities. Ok, I admit it, MY personality, and then I set the tone for the day. Not only do we have a lot to accomplish, we also have lots of football we want to watch and also church in the evening. So today, my prayer is for busy days, and for our personalities to all mesh and to work towards a common goal. <3  Thank you Lord for Sundays, a wonderful beautiful opportunity to celebrate you. Thank you for creating little helpers in our children, each of our Littles can be helpers in different ways. I pray that you help our personalities work smoothly together as we have much to accomplish today. I pray that you enable me with words of encouragement for my guys instead of harsh angry words of frustration. I pray we will work well and work for the good of our family and each pitch

Today's prayer for our little one/s Thankfulness.  Today my little nephew Bleier is having his first birthday party, and I am so excited, I can not wait to get there and celebrate. First birthday parties have such a special place in my heart- that's another story for another day. For today thought we are just going to be thankful for our little guys.  Dear Jesus,  Thank you for each one of our children. Each one you knew before even we did, before the world. You knew them and love them. You have entrusted us with each little life and have perfectly matched us up. We will teach them things about them, and they will teach us thing about ourselves. Thank you for each of their little lives. May you cover each child today with your loving hand, and make your presence known to them. <3 Thank you for the special place you have for children, your special love for them. We ask these things in your name- Amen The adorable baby B. Fast asleep and only a few days old. <3 what a wonde

After some thought and prayer and some more prayer- I felt like I should have a prayer of the day geared towards being a mom, towards parenting, towards children and things of that nature.  I plan to take a portion of my blog in that direction. After all it is titled CrazyBusyMomOf4! I read an amazing blog daily that sends me a prayer about being a wife. So many times they are spot on, and if they aren't, they encourage me to pray for my husband on a daily basis. My goal here is to encourage you. I'm not a perfect parent, I'm scraping by at good. I struggle, a lot, with each of my little guys, but I love them beyond anything words can describe. I want to be the best for them. Each child is different, has different struggles, different needs. What will work for my children may not work for your children, but if you get even an ounce of encouragement from one thing I say, then it is worth it. My goal is simply to offer my prayers to you, to offer encouragement, and love.

My Left me introduce you to my little Arcadia. She's 12, independent, pretty, too smart for her own good, determined, absent minded, brilliant, my first born, and perhaps most important, she's in 7th grade. Something happens to kids between 6th and 7th grade that there is almost no explanation for- short of aliens abducting their brains one summer night as they sleep. They turn into these...people with opinions and thoughts and the desire for more and more independence. It's as if they have something to prove to themselves; that they can make decisions on their own! I realized Arcadia's brain had been abducted one summer night recently when I companied her on her first Future Diamondbacks (it's a school club) field trip; a UCLA Going to College Fair and football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. I experienced my very first shunning from my junior high daughter. Let me set the stage here- I wasn't hovering over her, forcing her to hold my hand

Why I hate Run For Her. Run For Her, a 5K that raises awareness and funds for research on ovarian cancer, the most deadly cancers of all genealogical cancers. I hate it. I took part in it, as did my daughter, but I hate it.  I hate it because it even has to exist. Because as I was running, I had to see a sign with a date of August 27, 1982- July 25, 2013. Because she was my age. I was born August 12, 1982- she was almost 31 when she died. Because I saw a sign with a date of 1986-2006- because she was 20! I hate it because I watched over 5000 people raise almost a million dollars for research.  I hate it because I had a bib on my back that said I was participating in honor of my aunt.  I hate it simply because Run For Her has to exist. It exists because ovarian cancer exists, and because of that, I hate it.  I hate it because every step I took, every bib I looked at every sign that was carried, was a representation of another life that was claimed by this awful horrible disease. Joy tha

Now, don't get me wrong- at all. I love logging on to Facebook and looking at everyone who is posting all the things they are thankful for- you know, one each day for the entire month of December. However, I can't seem to jump on that bandwagon.  Now hold on, before you call me heartless, ungrateful, insensitive, whatever other clever name pops into your head- give me a minute to explain myself.  Everyday I am thankful, thankful for so many things. Somedays I am thankful for Steve Jobs and my iPod because there is nothing like blasting Mandisa's Overcomer through my speakers on my drive to work, to get my blood pumping for the day. Other days I am thankful for Howard Schluts and his desire to create a brand we all know and love, Starbucks. Other days, I am thankful for my sister Jenna and her ability to let me ramble on to her on the phone, because some days I just need another adult to talk to. On a few days, I am thankful for my task of paying the electric and gas bills?

The question I hate the most. So, some women dread being asked their age, maybe even their original hair color, and god forbid you ask their weight... For me is 30, brown going grey and I weigh 147. Those aren't even near the question I loath the most. Are you ready for it? How do you do it all? The answer is simple- I don't. Now, you may ask why it is I hate this question. I'm guessing if you are asking me that I have some sort appearance that I have I all together- let me let you in on the secret- I don't. Tristan went to school with mismatched socks yesterday, Arcadia is missing a vital piece of paper for her science camp, Eireland...that kid pretty much takes care of herself- shoot, I should hire her to be my personal assistant. She has her workers permit, I wonder if that's legal...*note to self, check I to that*, and Phoenix, well he would wear the same pair of pants for 4 days because they have a hole in his "favorite spot! On both knees!" I

A Letter to My Son- Dear Tristan, You my sweet boy are 5- I am amazed by you. I should have known from the time you were 5 weeks old that you were going to keep me on my toes. You got meningitis, you had to be in the isolation room at Kaiser for a week. It scared me terribly. Then, when you were 1, you broke your leg...going down a slide. You and that cast were a CRACK UP! Poor guy had to learn how to walk in it-it was hilarious. Then, when you were 3, you fractured your skull- and we took ANOTHER trip to Kaiser Fontana in an ambulance. And then when you were 4, you smacked your lip into the counter and needed stitches. You also started kindergarten...worried you might not be successful, I put you in anyhow- and now, you are doing first grade math. You are teaching me a lot, about myself, about being a mom to a boy; a rambunctious boy at that. You try my patience and wonder where I went wrong, you bring me so much joy and fill my heart with laughter. You are smart and clever and

Steven and I, along with our small group are going through a very convicting and soul searching book by Mark and Grace Driscoll titled; Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together. It is just that- REAL. It's not sugar coated, just for couples who's marriages are perfect or for delusional people who don't think marriages take work- it's for REAL people who are going through REAL struggles or looking how to improve their marriage, serve their spouse and serve their Lord. Like I said- it's convicting. Throughout this study I have learned that as a wife to Steven, I am mediocre at best- sadly. This has caused me to examine my heart, examine my marriage and how I, as a wife contribute to our marriage...and let's be honest, I fall short. This is not to say that I don't love my husband, on the contrary, I love him with my entire heart- with my entire being. Yet, 90% of the time my words are much louder than my actions and I come up short.