1. Honesty. When you make a promise to a toddler. You better do it. They don't forget. And they need to trust you. Its so important for them.
2. Pick your battles. Its ok to wear rainboots to Walmart. People may look at you, but it's probably because they understand. They have been there.
3. Popsicles. Keep them on hand at all times. This is such an easy fix for a sad heart at the age of two.
4. Hugs. When they offer them, you take them. No matter what time of the day it is, no matter what you are doing. You stop and you hug and you kiss.
5. Chores can wait. Really. They will still be there waiting for you the next day and really, thats ok.
6. Booboo's. Kiss them always. No matter how big or small. Always be there to kiss the booboo's.
7. Germs are sometimes ok. Mud is ok. Kissing the dog is ok.
8. Let them help you. Even if it means refolding the laudry or rewashing a dish. They need independence and its how they learn.
9. Pray for them. Pray with them. Pray a hedge of protection all around them.
10. Thank God for them every single day.
11. Multi-tasking. I have learned how to cook, talk on the phone and mop the floor all at the same time that I hold my 25 lb toddler.
12. There is no such thing as alone time anymore. I will never be able to talk on the phone, take a bath or pee anymore without an audience.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
My Bucket List
My bucket list:
1. Be in Las Vegas on New Years Eve.
2. See Kenny Chesney in concert. It's sad that this is on here and sad that it hasn't happened so far.
3. Go explore Italy.
4. Eat ice cream with my love when we are old.
5. See my girl ride a bike, graduate and get married.
6. Have a walk-in closet.
7. Do something I'm passionate about as a career.
8.Witness something amazing. This one I crossed off the day I watched one of my best friends Katy deliver her daughter Maggie Blake. It was one of the top five most amazing moments of my entire life.
9. Watch the sun come up over the beach.
10. Teach Bentlee something useful. Not school lessons but a life lesson. How to be a lady. How to apply make-up without looking like a floozy. How to be a great friend.
11. Rock a grandbaby to sleep.
12. Visit all 50 states.
13. Own my own home outright. With no mortgage to pay.
14. Drive a very fast car very fast.
15. Renew our wedding vows in Vegas with the cheesiest Elvis impersonator we can find.
16. Cook Christmas dinner and use fancy dishes. (easy, yes, but we always go somewhere else!)
17. Watch my girl get baptized.
18. Get a tattoo.
19. Get a puppy as a gift wrapped in a box on Christmas. And I want it to be a total surprise.
I know there are so many more. I just can't think of them all right now, so I may have to add to this list later :)
1. Be in Las Vegas on New Years Eve.
2. See Kenny Chesney in concert. It's sad that this is on here and sad that it hasn't happened so far.
3. Go explore Italy.
4. Eat ice cream with my love when we are old.
5. See my girl ride a bike, graduate and get married.
6. Have a walk-in closet.
7. Do something I'm passionate about as a career.
8.
9. Watch the sun come up over the beach.
10. Teach Bentlee something useful. Not school lessons but a life lesson. How to be a lady. How to apply make-up without looking like a floozy. How to be a great friend.
11. Rock a grandbaby to sleep.
12. Visit all 50 states.
13. Own my own home outright. With no mortgage to pay.
14. Drive a very fast car very fast.
15. Renew our wedding vows in Vegas with the cheesiest Elvis impersonator we can find.
16. Cook Christmas dinner and use fancy dishes. (easy, yes, but we always go somewhere else!)
17. Watch my girl get baptized.
18. Get a tattoo.
19. Get a puppy as a gift wrapped in a box on Christmas. And I want it to be a total surprise.
I know there are so many more. I just can't think of them all right now, so I may have to add to this list later :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The clue to our marriage
As the husband and I have just celebrated our 7th anniversary, I'm feeling like I know a few things. Do I have it all figured out? Of course not, but this is how we have made our 7 years of marriage work all while staying mainly happy. I figure I can make myself a list now and again when we've been married 57 years and see if things are the same :)
1. In our marriage, the age old concept of "don't go to bed mad" is out the window. That's dumb people. Well, maybe not dumb to some, but in our marriage, it just doesn't work. Sometimes I am MAD. So mad that I need to sleep on it and think through what I want to say before I say things I don't mean simply because I'm to mad to think rationally. Plus, when/if the fight doesn't start till say 8:00, ok then, you can't stay up all night trying to figure out a solution/decide who is right. Sometimes I just have to go to bed and wake up with a clear head and I may even see things differently.
2. You will say harsh, ugly things. I'm not proud of it. But sometimes, they just come out. You will stoop to the lowest of lows and the harshest of the harsh before you even realize you've done it no matter how good of a person you are. You will feel guilty. You will get over it. And so will they. Hence why in our marriage the term- fight fair- doesnt really apply either. Sometimes you just won't fight fair.
3. Always be excited to see your spouse when you return home from work. If you aren't, this is a problem. No matter if we are fussing, after 9 hours of not seeing his face, I just have to see it. I miss it.
4. In conjunction with that, always kiss your spouse when you return home after work. Its simple, its sweet, and it lets me know you missed me all day. Its important. Back in the day- WAY back in the day- when my parents were still married, I seriously remember being a little girl and seeing my dad kiss my mom when he got home from work and thinking how sweet it was.
5. Before children, take a few years. Again, maybe this isn't for everybody, I'm speaking strictly for my marriage. But children change things. Greatly. Children make things rocky. And if you didn't already have a strong, steady foundation, then you will fall.
6. ALWAYS say I love you. This is probably my strictest rule in my marriage. No matter how mad I am at him, I always love him. I never stop. Not when I'm mad, not when he is mad, not when we don't see eye to eye. Why would you not tell your spouse out of spite? I always love him. I always will.
7. Be gentle with the truth. You should tell the truth. But at the same time, be gentle and use your words wisely.
8. No matter how many times you tell them, they will NOT put their socks in the basket. It doesn't mean I stop telling him, it just means that he will never learn.
9. Guys- just let her choose the movie/show. It won't hurt you and it makes her happy. Does he "enjoy" watching 90210 and Teen Mom every single week when they are on? Secretly, I say yes.
10. Girls- when it's a very important decision- always obey your husband. As a VERY opinionated, strong willed individual this has probably been the hardest one for me. However, the Bible clearly states that the man is supposed to lead the family. When I need an answer to something, I pray about it, then I ask Heath and will normally follow what he tells me. There have been very few times that Heath has actually all out disagreed with what I have wanted or even not wanted, but when he does, I try to obey.
11. Children will change your love for each other. You will love your spouse in a way that you thought was impossible. When I see the husband playing with our baby girl, sometimes I don't think I could love him anymore than I do in that minute. It is unimaginable.
12. Guys- girls will change their minds. A lot. Get over it and go with it. Recently, the husband has went to party city with me FOUR times to exchange B's party stuff, FOUR times, all while being a good sport before he had to bow out gracefully and tell me I was on my on. Before he strangled me. Or divorced me. But he did it.
13. You should think your spouse is hot. Everybody else may not, but you should. Mine is. The hottest man ever.
14. Men- don't compare your wife to your mother. It will never end well. It doesn't matter how well of a cook/cleaner/caretaker your mom is- never ever compare. I will say- for fairness on my blog- the husband doesn't typically do this to me. Except that one time when he was sick and she didn't want to come take care of him and get his germies. I guess she figured, he has a wife now, let her do it. From then on, I will do when he is sick.
15. LISTEN. With a capital L. What they are saying may not be interesting. In fact, you may not give two cents what they are saying and think it is very unimportant. However, trust me on this, if they are saying it at all, it is important to them. Do you think I care about the alarms he installs or the way this motor works on this vehicle? No, not at all. But he wants to tell me, which means I want to listen. And at the same time, you may learn something that could be useful later without even realizing it. My husband has educated me on so many things that I may never need but that I am glad I know now. All things that were important to him.
16. Men- put the toilet seat down. Enough said. I'm fortunate that the husband has never had a problem remembering this.
17. For the love- just scratch my back, brush my hair, rub my feet- WHENEVER I ask. ;)
18. Men- always eat the dinner your wife cooks. Rather you like it or not. Rather you are hungry or not. Trust me on this- it will hurt her feelings if you don't. And it better be a big, heaping helping also.
19. Tell her she is pretty. Often.
20. Husbands- Protect her. Even if she doesn't need to be protected. She likes it. Trust me.
1. In our marriage, the age old concept of "don't go to bed mad" is out the window. That's dumb people. Well, maybe not dumb to some, but in our marriage, it just doesn't work. Sometimes I am MAD. So mad that I need to sleep on it and think through what I want to say before I say things I don't mean simply because I'm to mad to think rationally. Plus, when/if the fight doesn't start till say 8:00, ok then, you can't stay up all night trying to figure out a solution/decide who is right. Sometimes I just have to go to bed and wake up with a clear head and I may even see things differently.
2. You will say harsh, ugly things. I'm not proud of it. But sometimes, they just come out. You will stoop to the lowest of lows and the harshest of the harsh before you even realize you've done it no matter how good of a person you are. You will feel guilty. You will get over it. And so will they. Hence why in our marriage the term- fight fair- doesnt really apply either. Sometimes you just won't fight fair.
3. Always be excited to see your spouse when you return home from work. If you aren't, this is a problem. No matter if we are fussing, after 9 hours of not seeing his face, I just have to see it. I miss it.
4. In conjunction with that, always kiss your spouse when you return home after work. Its simple, its sweet, and it lets me know you missed me all day. Its important. Back in the day- WAY back in the day- when my parents were still married, I seriously remember being a little girl and seeing my dad kiss my mom when he got home from work and thinking how sweet it was.
5. Before children, take a few years. Again, maybe this isn't for everybody, I'm speaking strictly for my marriage. But children change things. Greatly. Children make things rocky. And if you didn't already have a strong, steady foundation, then you will fall.
6. ALWAYS say I love you. This is probably my strictest rule in my marriage. No matter how mad I am at him, I always love him. I never stop. Not when I'm mad, not when he is mad, not when we don't see eye to eye. Why would you not tell your spouse out of spite? I always love him. I always will.
7. Be gentle with the truth. You should tell the truth. But at the same time, be gentle and use your words wisely.
8. No matter how many times you tell them, they will NOT put their socks in the basket. It doesn't mean I stop telling him, it just means that he will never learn.
9. Guys- just let her choose the movie/show. It won't hurt you and it makes her happy. Does he "enjoy" watching 90210 and Teen Mom every single week when they are on? Secretly, I say yes.
10. Girls- when it's a very important decision- always obey your husband. As a VERY opinionated, strong willed individual this has probably been the hardest one for me. However, the Bible clearly states that the man is supposed to lead the family. When I need an answer to something, I pray about it, then I ask Heath and will normally follow what he tells me. There have been very few times that Heath has actually all out disagreed with what I have wanted or even not wanted, but when he does, I try to obey.
11. Children will change your love for each other. You will love your spouse in a way that you thought was impossible. When I see the husband playing with our baby girl, sometimes I don't think I could love him anymore than I do in that minute. It is unimaginable.
12. Guys- girls will change their minds. A lot. Get over it and go with it. Recently, the husband has went to party city with me FOUR times to exchange B's party stuff, FOUR times, all while being a good sport before he had to bow out gracefully and tell me I was on my on. Before he strangled me. Or divorced me. But he did it.
13. You should think your spouse is hot. Everybody else may not, but you should. Mine is. The hottest man ever.
14. Men- don't compare your wife to your mother. It will never end well. It doesn't matter how well of a cook/cleaner/caretaker your mom is- never ever compare. I will say- for fairness on my blog- the husband doesn't typically do this to me. Except that one time when he was sick and she didn't want to come take care of him and get his germies. I guess she figured, he has a wife now, let her do it. From then on, I will do when he is sick.
15. LISTEN. With a capital L. What they are saying may not be interesting. In fact, you may not give two cents what they are saying and think it is very unimportant. However, trust me on this, if they are saying it at all, it is important to them. Do you think I care about the alarms he installs or the way this motor works on this vehicle? No, not at all. But he wants to tell me, which means I want to listen. And at the same time, you may learn something that could be useful later without even realizing it. My husband has educated me on so many things that I may never need but that I am glad I know now. All things that were important to him.
16. Men- put the toilet seat down. Enough said. I'm fortunate that the husband has never had a problem remembering this.
17. For the love- just scratch my back, brush my hair, rub my feet- WHENEVER I ask. ;)
18. Men- always eat the dinner your wife cooks. Rather you like it or not. Rather you are hungry or not. Trust me on this- it will hurt her feelings if you don't. And it better be a big, heaping helping also.
19. Tell her she is pretty. Often.
20. Husbands- Protect her. Even if she doesn't need to be protected. She likes it. Trust me.
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