43- Back to Work Blowout

First thing this morning I had two little boys come in and start making weapons of choice- swords and guns.  I reminded them that even though they love to play ninjas,  it is completely against school rules to make weapons, and they could get in BIG trouble.  Immediately the boys started fixing my hair.  

Don't be alarmed.  



They are not shooting me in the head.  They are giving me a blowout with their newly constructed blow dryer.  😄

Pretty clever if you ask me- Ninja Hairdressers.

42- Good Bye Spring Break

I have to say that this is truly the most chill Spring break I have ever experienced.  After our Easter weekend, we didn't leave the house until Thursday morning!!  I question if anyone showered in that time but the less you know the better.  
I believe we were truly a family worn to the bone and we simply needed to spend time at home.  I think my family is a whole bunch of homebodies, sometimes we need to stop at home base before we can run anywhere else. 

I also considered I have been taking care of a baby/ toddler for the past 11 years.  I mean seriously.... as soon as I got one to kindergarten, I had another one.  
Currently, I have two more independent children. It is always bitter sweet when children stop being babies but MAN was it nice to read, nap, watch a movie and know that there aren't two children climbing into the cabinet drinking all of the lysol.  

 


The perfect age:  when one is old enough to talk, feed, and play independently .......but young enough you have to stay with your mama all day.  💗

More from Spring Break:

I think I may have been a little too relaxed.
Connor woke up on Easter morning and there were NO baskets.  I don't think I even told Darren where they were hiding.  Connor pretty much had to go to his room while he listened to me consult with the Easter bunny and dig stuff out of boxes downstairs.  #epicfail 

 

If anyone wants to pin my beautiful baskets, go right ahead. lol

Annual Easter Volleyball  

 







How many egg hunts can one child go on??  

These were so cool.  Gigi P. put these in the Easter baskets.  

You color, cook, and they shrink.

Shrinky Dink  

 I did at least sort through about 10 bags of clothing in the basement.  It took me about three days and four hours to finally clean out three closets.   
We are ready to dress for warm weather!! 

Cool Morning 
Church Egg Hunt 

Circus Party Fun

Still going strong with soccer 

(we will win a game one of these days).  ⚽

Egg Hunt #3 at Nana and Papas House

At first I thought this was Connor. Can you imagine why?  

Of course, Connor isn't this little anymore.  

It's one of my church babies.

Can we have vaycay without the B-Myster.?

Good Bye Spring Break- I loved you!  

41- Birthday Funday

Carlee's PreK have quite the party planners.  We had a party this weekend and we will have one next week.  
Luckily the Spring rain held back and we got to party! 

40- Lordy, It's 40!

Today is 40/100 on the blogger challenge.  
Spring break is coming closer to an end.
I can tell you right now that if anyone is rested it has to be me.  With the exception, of sorting a ton of clothing, I've did very little  After the Easter weekend, the kids and I truly didn't leave the house until we had to do it for Connor's physical.  As a matter of fact, I have procrastinated my way into having to do school work this weekend.  

Today I took the kids on a fun trip.  It didn't last long but it was BIG fun! 
Who says white boys can't jump?

39- How to Forgive Someone Who Doesn't Like Your Child.

What do you do when the world is unkind to your child?

This month I have been deeply reflecting and have felt God nudging me toward lessons on grace and forgiveness.  Today I have posed the question,   ‘How do you forgive someone who doesn’t like your child?’  

I have had so many valuable talks with my friends about some truly hard situations in their life.  Even if their children are grown with their own children, the stories all share a common denominator:  it hurts.  My eyes always fill up with tears when I hear stories of cruel teachers, hard coaches, meaner peers, etc.    I don’t mean to speak on people who have invested time, disciplined, and hurt someone’s feelings because they needed it.  I mean to speak on stories where people are just mean, and in those situations a child/ teen’s spirit and enthusiasm can be completely broken.  

It’s no secret that Connor came into this world with coffee in his system.  He has always been loud, chatty, talkative, and hyperactive.  I so relate.  His father and I have worked very hard on teaching him appropriate behaviors and after years we are starting to see a mature young man emerge.  Sure, he still is a boy, but it takes time to teach proper behaviors.  Not all children come in the world knowing what to do.  

I already have a little vault of stories I could share, after all a mom never forgets these things.  In particular, I’ll never forget one time during a family event when my son, along with others, were chasing each other around and around, laughing and playing to the top of their lungs.  Suddenly, Connor tipped the edge of a table and a vase tumbled off and shattered into a million pieces.  Immediately, my young son did what boys do and said, ’I didn’t do it’.  Any parent knows this is a very knee jerk reaction for a young boy who will immediately lie to get out of trouble.  Before I was even able to get to my child to speak/ punish/ clean up glass/ etc. an adult (seriously an adult) shouted behind me “YOU DID TOO!!  YOU DID IT!! I SAW YOU DO IT!! DON”T LIE.”    The rest of the day went downhill from there.  The more Connor tried to be a part the further he was pushed away.  He didn’t even see it (but his mama did).  I watched him become treated differently for the main reason he never learned the fine art of 1. sneaking  2. getting away with anything  3. shrinking his enthusiasm.  While most kids say ‘that’s cool’, he says ‘Oh MY GOODNESS, that is so unbelievably AWESOME!!!”    

The most painful moment of all is when I later overheard a conversation between two grown people that involved the statements- ‘Connor’ ….’I can’t stand him’ and ‘he gets on my nerves’.  The second I turned the corner of the conversation it moved to a hushed whisper.  To this day the memory pains me.  I remember months later retelling the story to Darren in tears while I complained, ‘sometimes people just count my kid out before he has even had a chance. How could he not be liked?’  Darren was bothered by the story but very wisely stated ‘our children are not there for them.  Do not give other people the power.’    

Most who know my personality would question why I would even tolerate this type of behavior.  The old Amanda would storm out and give those two a cursing they deserve (even if it is sinful) or in the very least point out ‘You should be ashamed’….’look how my kid tries to talk to all of you with his big smile’, ‘look how he loves you’, 'Look at his creativity and excitement!!’   ‘LOOK! DANG YOU!’

The truth is, love for others and the love of my son halted me in my tracks.  Maybe God laid it on my heart.  Did I want to make this worse?  Did I want to cause a divide over this conversation?  Did I also want to say something that I could never take back?  Did I want my son aware there are people who don’t care for him?  Ignorance is bliss.  So I hid it all in my heart.  Every once in a while the memory comes back up like vomit but I fight to give the same kind of forgiveness that I am offered daily.  It’s hard to think that we need to fight to forgive.  In the past, I always thought forgiveness should be easy breezy but sometimes we have to fight for it.  And, it is so worth it.  Christ has taught me to forgive in ways I never thought I could.   

Being the empath that I am, I can sense every time a person doesn’t seem to ‘like’ my family. Even though Carlee doesn’t have the hyperactivity or chattiness about her, I can always feel when someone disapproves and feels she is a “rude little girl” for not opening up.   When people tell her she has a pretty dress or that she is a sweet girl or would like a ‘high five’, she tilts her eyes downward and refuses to speak.    Like with Connor,  95% of the world really does understand that kids are different but there is the 5%.  My sixth sense is both a blessing and a curse.  It really hurts a mommy’s heart.

This week I have spent a lot of time with my two young children who are turning into older children.  Both are getting ready to start grades that will change everything.  One is going into middle and coming out as a young man and teenager.  One is going into kindergarten and will learn the ups and downs of being a girl in school….the disapproval, the praise, and the friendships.  

To me, my children are wonderful, kind, loving, funny, sweet, and very imperfect children.  They are pure 100% blessings.   I have to prepare myself that the world may not love my children the way that I do and certainly not in the way that Jesus does.  People think I’m ‘crazy’ for defending some of the children that I do but I know there are always strong emotions behind a child who struggles.  Truthfully, I need to work on that grace for adults.  Besides God ain’t playing around with directions on behavior:  Colossians 3:13-14 (The Message):  

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Wouldn’t Satan just love for us to stay stuck in a place where we are angry, where we dwell, where we are combative, where we refuse to offer love and kindness to those who have wronged us.  I certainly don’t want to be stuck in a place where I teach my children to be little jerks and get revenge ‘no matter what’ (been there done that). 

Jesus was JESUS and literally did nothing wrong (ever) and He still had to deal with a mean clique.  So consider even if you are perfect, you won’t be liked.  

All of our children belong to God, not to us.  I believe in my whole heart and soul that God made Connor the active, outgoing, and energetic person he is for a specific reason (and not just to drive me crazy).  He made Carlee a quiet, observant, and hesitate person for a specific reason (and not for me to apologize for her seeming ‘rude’).  

God will use and mold our children and everything else is truly secondary.

38- First Princess Prom

I'm finally getting the opportunity to post about the Princess/ Superhero fundraiser at my school.

Even though I had to work at the party, I thought Carlee might like to come with me.  Let's just say, I don't even want to know what Prom is going to be like one day because we barely made it out of the house on time.  
If only she had something to wear to a Princess dance.  
The poor child barely had any choices:

Princess Anna

TinkerBell 

We just were not sure where TinkerBell fell on the Princess spectrum.  

My favorite- Sleeping Beauty
Ps. My opinion does not matter.

Little Mermaid

Elsa (with Superhero cape)
We once cut the sleeves out due to 'sensory' issues.  Those darn gowns- not for the sensory sensitive. 

Elena of Avalor

Dance Gown 

Not Pictured:  Dorthy from Wizard of Oz

I had to finally stop her because we were not even halfway through her chest full of costumes.  We finally decided to bring two gowns- the multi-colored dance gown and Princess Anna.  I assured her we would change in my classroom when she was ready.

(I'm not even going into shoes with you.  It is safe to say that I have created a monster.)

Due to an ordering accident, my friend E. (not the real Elsa) let me have her Elsa gown.  

I will be the first to tell you that this was the most unflattering gown for me to wear.  I was a whole lotta' Elsa coming at you.  I probably really should not have left the house.  

But, at the end of the day I had a choice. 

I made a choice to dress up, to laugh, to dance, to find joy with my daughter, to be Elsa to her Anna, and to have fun with other children from my school.  

I choose to teach my daughter that if you want to find a true Princess or Superhero... you look at the heart. 

💗

 (...and anyone who has a problem can go cast a mean spell somewhere else)  

Princess Carlee

 Princess Side

Superhero Side 

(yes, that is Connor getting the little boys rilled up)

 Looks like the Superhero Side is all about the Party.

Our principal could not have made a more perfect Snow White!

Junior and Senior- 

Princess Anna(s)

Leading the Party Games.... whooo. hooo.

Mingling with the Superheroes

At first, Carlee was very much attached to me.  If you know our girl, she was very shy......

but the thing about a Princess is that once the magic takes over you have no choice but to get moving! 

What a fun night.