What Was I Thinking

I love this picture even though it's blurry. The boys were so excited about the Monster Truck Jam, they could hardly contain it!

My family planned to attend the Monster Truck Jam together. I was really just going along to be a good sport. But, Chris, Daniel, and Josh had a ski trip for the same day. Jonah really wanted to go last year to the Monster Truck Jam, so I decided to just go ahead and take the four youngest boys to the event by myself. I mean really...how bad could it be???


We had great seats. The boys had a blast! However, I spent most of the time bored out of my mind. I really wish I had brought a book! Since I had nothing to do, I took out an envelope (the only paper in my purse) and wrote down some thoughts about why this was the perfect event for boys...

BIG, BIG, BIG (the tires on these cars were at least 6 feet tall)
Loud!!!! (even with earplugs)
Dirty (you can taste the dirt in the air)
Fireworks
Competition (Who can go the fastest? Jump the highest?)
Smoke & Exhaust
Jumps, Flips, Wheelies

Even the names of the cars were manly...El Toro Loco (in above picture), Grave Digger, The Eradicator, Maximum Destruction.

The real fun began when we were trying to leave the event. The show sold out which meant there were 60,000 people trying to leave at the same time. The autograph table was set up right beside the door I needed to go out to get to my van. It was very cold out that night so I wanted to stay inside as long as possible. I held on to Noah's hand and the other boys' coats to make sure we did not get separated. After much crying and relaxation breathing, we finally emerged from the west side of the building. What a night!!!

Tip for keeping track of kids in crowds: Make sure your cell phone # is on your child and they know who go to for help.
-I usually write my phone number on their arm somewhere, but I didn't have a pen that would write on their skin this time. (I know it's not the best thing, but it works.) So, I wrote my number on paper and put it in each of their pockets.
-I made sure we talked about what to do if we got separated on our way to the event.
-Once we were in the stadium, I pointed out to the what the event staff workers were wearing.
-I teach my kids to find a Mom and ask for help if they can't find security or can't remember anything else!

Rachel

Sanity Saver

Raising boys is not for wimps. The messes they create can make the strongest woman cry. Ask me how I know... However, once the initial shock wears off, it can be quite entertaining. Some of my favorite memories are the moments that nearly brought me to tears. This picture is one of those moments. We had been cooped up in the house all winter long. Spring was warm but very wet that year. My mom had given us some fill dirt to re-grade our yard with. Lots of rain plus lots of dirt equals lots of MUD! The boys had gone out to play with direct instructions to only play in the front yard where there was grass. When I wasn't looking, they ventured into the mud pit of all mud pits. By the time I noticed, it was way too late. Josh and Aaron are sitting in holes about 2 feet deep completely filled with mud. Adam's pants actually fell off because they were so filled with mud. The boys' rain boots were full of mud!

What's a mom to do??? I let out a little whimper and told them to stay put while I grabbed the camera. You heard that right. I told them they might as well enjoy the mud now since they were already filthy. My mother in law gave me this wonderful piece of advice - Think like a Grandma. It really does help when you think you can't survive another day. If you were the Grandma instead of the Mom, I bet you'd grab the camera and get pictures of this amazing mess so that you'd never forget the day the boots were full of mud.

Rachel

Life with Boys

Many times when I am out with my crew, I meet other women who stare in wonder. "I can't imagine what it's like living with all those boys!" Another comment I hear way too often is, "Oh, I feel soooooo sorry for you. It must be horrible to be outnumbered by all boys."

Please do not have pity for me. I love my life surrounded by boys. Don't misunderstand. I would have loved to have had a daughter, but that hasn't been God's plan for me. This is my life and I'm thankful for it.

For those of you who are curious what it's like, I'll give you a little sneak peek.

-My younger boys scream whenever their Daddy & I kiss.
-My older boys think I am way to strict when it comes to video game choices.
-They look forward to date night with Mommy:)
-They love to show me their latest Lego creations.
-They dig holes in my yard with shovels in order to plant the maple tree seedlings they found in the gutter.
-They sometimes decide to climb on the roof and chase each other (I guess they didn't think I'd hear the footsteps on the roof.)
-They like to see who can climb the highest in our pine tree.
-They play war for hours with the neighbor boys with very convincing dialogue.
-When they are hurt or sick, they always want me:)
-They are very low maintenence. You can fix their hair just by rubbing their head.
-They have all gone through an "I will marry Mommy" phase. One of them actually had a pretend ceremony for me in my Mom's bathroom.

How could you not enjoy a life like mine??? Feel free to add your boy stories in the comments. I'd love to hear them!

Rachel

Come Prepared

Is anyone out there who did not get a shower until the evening because life happened? I know I'm guilty of that. To be the mom God wants us to be we have to be prepared. What happens when we don't come prepared for our day? No shower until 4? The day might look like this:: breakfast is served whenever you want it because mom is still in bed dreading to get up because she hears the spill of the cereal all over the floor and yelling amongst the children as to who's fault it was. She also knows that clean up will be her first task of the day because she hasn't trained them to clean up after themselves. Then wild play may begin because they have just finished their favorite TV show and now have "become" that character they just watched. Mom starts laundry and cleans up the dishes from breakfast and dinner last night as they play. She realizes she has to start thinking about lunch and dinner but have the boys brushed their teeth, changed their clothes and made their beds. She has to ask them to do that because they surely can't remember on their own. Finally, after lunch she has them go to their rooms for quiet time and she cleans up lunch and maybe takes a shower, but if she showers she won't have time to talk on the phone or play on the internet. After quiet time the video games may come on or the children go out to play, soon Daddy will be home so they rush around trying to pick up a little and she realizes at that moment another day went by and nothing of real importance was accomplished.


Oh, how the day can become total chaos and slip right by when we aren't prepared. It has happened a many of times in my house. Proverbs 29:17 says, "a child left to himself disgraces his mother". Honestly it's not the child's fault he is whinny and irritable it is ours for not taking the time to prepare to teach and guide that child throughout the day. We cannot expect our children to wake up and know what is expected of them if we do not teach them. Without guidance and training our homes will be total chaos. I have found that boys need routine and they need to know what is going to happen next. We as mom's, for our children's sake, need to come to our day prepared. Is our own planning good enough? I know that mine usually falls apart or I get frustrated because it's not going the way I planned. So start your day off right and meet with the One who cares about what you do with your day and your children. Seek the Lord's guidance as to how your day should go. What a better day it will be when you come prepared.

Cheri

In a Mother's Arms

As a mom I find that my heart can hurt in many different ways, just as it can love in so many ways. This evening I felt a deep hurt when my older boys figured out that Daddy was leaving very soon and will be gone for 6 weeks. Now that they are older and can understand how long that will be, it is harder on them. They began to cry and when they buried their heads in my lap and cried my heart ached for them so deeply, but I was thankful to be their mom and to know that I can bring them comfort. But I realized that I cannot bring them peace, only our Lord can do that. As a mom, when my heart hurts the way theirs did tonight, what do I do for comfort and peace, where do I run and bury my head? We can do a lot of things to comfort ourselves but to have peace in our hearts we have to go to the Father. Sometimes it will be the last thing that I do, it shouldn't be but honestly it is. Instead I will go and eat something or call someone and as hard as that friend tries to comfort me she cannot give me that peace that I long for. I can remember on quite a few occasions when my heart was hurting and I immediately picked up the phone, but every person I tried to call did not answer. I knew that the Lord was wanting me to come to Him and cry and talk it out with Him. When our hearts hurt for whatever reason, whether your child has broke your heart or someone has hurt you. Remember to go first to our Lord Jesus Christ and bury your head in his arms. Only then will you have the peace that surpasses all understanding .

Cheri