Shoooowee! Life with a two-year old is crazy unpredictable! I'm not sure what in the world happened to H last night but she woke up like ten times crying--Not just whimpering like she would sometimes do for a second and fall back asleep-- this was full-on crying and yelling for me or her Dad. She got a cold a few nights ago and I can tell she is on the last leg of that but I'm not sure what would keep waking her up like that. I do know that a night of broken sleep makes for a very long morning for me!
Nights with her have been touch and go lately. She has not taken her afternoon nap in a few weeks now and I think that has something to do with her nighttime sleep on those nights like last night. I read a long time ago that some kids can get overtired when they don't nap and it actually causes them to sleep worse at night. Which is the opposite of what one would think would happen. Remembering too, of course, that not all kids are the same. And the quote "They'll sleep when they're tired." is not true in all cases either especially at this age!
Her nap time is the same time every single day. She knows she is supposed to stay in her bed even if she wants to read a book or play with her animals she needs to stay in her bed. Does that happen? Negative. But I got tired of fighting that. She is quiet in her room so I do go in from time to time to tell her to get back in bed and she does. The point to that is that if she is in her bed eventually, one would think, that she would get bored and fall asleep but she hasn't done that in weeks. So I keep her in there for as long as she would normally nap. She is completely content in there too which I am happy for because that time is my time to work on my photography editing which I cannot get done while she's awake.
So it seems every other night she has a rough night where she wakes up a lot and I know it has something to do with her not napping during the day but I have no clue what to do about it. My daughter went from taking naps lasting 12:30-3:30 every single day to not sleeping at all. I am beginning to wonder if it is the potty training. We have been potty training since January. We had her 95% trained but then had to go on a trip to Georgia and it all just went out the window. Sure, it's probably my fault, but I honestly didn't feel like dealing with it over there. I knew it would just be accident after accident since she wasn't in her own element and we were staying in three different places during that week. When we got back home I started over again and this time she was way more difficult to train than that first time. It almost seemed more of a rebellion though and I can't explain why. She would whine when I mentioned sitting on the potty or tell me "I don't have to!" every time I asked if she had to go. I would put her on the potty every hour hoping she would go and she would just hold it. She would hold it until she couldn't hold it anymore and if I didn't catch her cues she would just pee all over herself! We are finally past that and she actually doesn't mind sitting on the potty and she will sometimes tell me. Most of the time I just put her on it every hour unless she tells me otherwise.
Yesterday, I put a potty in her room since the past two days I have found her with her pull-up off in her room. I think she views them as her panties and when she goes in them she wants them off because she doesn't like feeling wet. That's what I think is happening there. So I put a potty in her room in hopes that she'll go in the potty and then put her pull-up back on. We'll see how that goes today!
Anyways, I believe she's going through some sort of phase and will eventually begin to take her naps again. Or maybe that's wishful thinking! But as long as she is happy and content I will continue to use that time for ME and my photography.
Have a great day everyone!
xoxo,
Exhausted in Los Angeles
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Melaina 8.5.86 - 2.2.14
I just recently had to deal with one of the hardest things that I've ever dealt with in my life. Since I'm only 27 I never imagined I would have to face something that is actually quite common in young people. I have had acquaintances die suddenly from car accidents or drug overdoses but never anything this strange and to someone so close to me. I guess it's something you just take for granted. I have a friend who's best friend passed away in a car accident and year after year I see posts from her reminiscing their days together and how heavy-hearted she is on the anniversary of the incident from years ago.
Never did I imagine that I would be put in that position. And I know I'm not alone here.
I look back at the text messages from the last time I spoke to Melaina. She sent me a text wishing me Happy New Years and then the next day asking me if I knew anything about our dental insurance because she had a filling fall out. I just responded "Nope! I sure don't!" And that was it. A month went by and I didn't reach out to her again.
As teens we were inseparable. If I wasn't "living" at her house, she was "living" at mine! We would stay up late gossiping about girls, giggling about boys, watching chick flicks, and eating whatever we wanted. Those were the good ol' days when we could do that! Melaina was so happy all the time! We almost never stopped laughing. We had SO MANY inside jokes! We were certain no one really "got us" and we were okay with that because we had each other. We would fight about stupid things and go a week without talking to each other until one of us caved (usually ME) and then it'd be like nothing ever happened!
Even as adults we did this. We had our differences in many different areas but it never stopped us from communicating to check in and see how things were going. Her and her husband were stationed in San Francisco and me in mine in Los Angeles. As soon as her husband went for training she came down to stay with her Dad and almost every day she was over here at my house. And when she wasn't here she was at the gym by where her dad lived. She even made a friend there! Leave it to Melaina to make a friend wherever she went. Not only that but leave it to Melaina to get into a car accident in the parking lot! LOL!! Her sister, Natalie, and I were laughing the other night about how Melaina never could drive! Bless her heart. hahahaha!
I miss her. I took for granted having her just a text message away whenever I wanted.
And just because the services are over does not mean the hurt instantly goes away. I know there are people in her life who have to deal with that hurt 1,000 times more than myself. I pray for you guys. I pray for the strength of each one of you. The words "I can't even imagine" don't even begin to explain the amount of pain you're feeling.
I am a strong believer in God and I have faith in His word. We all know the saying "God works in mysterious ways." But even as a Christian it is so hard for me to imagine how things like this that happen to such good people could even be turned around for good... but I guess that's where my faith needs work. I will continue to pray for the family of Melaina every single day that God provides them with the strength to get through this one days at a time. There are good days and bad days and I just hope that over time there will start to be more good than bad.
Melaina definitely wouldn't want people moping around and sobbing every day. She'd want us to get up off our butts and get moving... go work out... go soak up the sun...
We miss you, Laine and will ALWAYS miss you. I know I'll see you again and we'll share many laughs together! Knowing you, you'll want to talk smack about the other angels! LOL. You are so loved by all that knew you. Love you, Lainerz <3
xoxo,
Natasha
Never did I imagine that I would be put in that position. And I know I'm not alone here.
I look back at the text messages from the last time I spoke to Melaina. She sent me a text wishing me Happy New Years and then the next day asking me if I knew anything about our dental insurance because she had a filling fall out. I just responded "Nope! I sure don't!" And that was it. A month went by and I didn't reach out to her again.
As teens we were inseparable. If I wasn't "living" at her house, she was "living" at mine! We would stay up late gossiping about girls, giggling about boys, watching chick flicks, and eating whatever we wanted. Those were the good ol' days when we could do that! Melaina was so happy all the time! We almost never stopped laughing. We had SO MANY inside jokes! We were certain no one really "got us" and we were okay with that because we had each other. We would fight about stupid things and go a week without talking to each other until one of us caved (usually ME) and then it'd be like nothing ever happened!
Even as adults we did this. We had our differences in many different areas but it never stopped us from communicating to check in and see how things were going. Her and her husband were stationed in San Francisco and me in mine in Los Angeles. As soon as her husband went for training she came down to stay with her Dad and almost every day she was over here at my house. And when she wasn't here she was at the gym by where her dad lived. She even made a friend there! Leave it to Melaina to make a friend wherever she went. Not only that but leave it to Melaina to get into a car accident in the parking lot! LOL!! Her sister, Natalie, and I were laughing the other night about how Melaina never could drive! Bless her heart. hahahaha!
I miss her. I took for granted having her just a text message away whenever I wanted.
And just because the services are over does not mean the hurt instantly goes away. I know there are people in her life who have to deal with that hurt 1,000 times more than myself. I pray for you guys. I pray for the strength of each one of you. The words "I can't even imagine" don't even begin to explain the amount of pain you're feeling.
I am a strong believer in God and I have faith in His word. We all know the saying "God works in mysterious ways." But even as a Christian it is so hard for me to imagine how things like this that happen to such good people could even be turned around for good... but I guess that's where my faith needs work. I will continue to pray for the family of Melaina every single day that God provides them with the strength to get through this one days at a time. There are good days and bad days and I just hope that over time there will start to be more good than bad.
Melaina definitely wouldn't want people moping around and sobbing every day. She'd want us to get up off our butts and get moving... go work out... go soak up the sun...
We miss you, Laine and will ALWAYS miss you. I know I'll see you again and we'll share many laughs together! Knowing you, you'll want to talk smack about the other angels! LOL. You are so loved by all that knew you. Love you, Lainerz <3
xoxo,
Natasha
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The Terrible Almost-Two's
Shooooowee! My dear H is nearing her 2nd Birthday (this coming up March) and these past few weeks have been a nightmare. I'm talking mood swings like no man has ever seen from a woman. Pitching fits over absolutely NOTHING. Waking up multiple times a night yelling "Mommyyyyy!" or yelling "MY DADDY!" over and over and over like she did the other night when I went in to check on her. She was kicking and hitting at me yelling "My daddy! My daddy!" She has just started adding "My" to it when she is getting in trouble by me and it's funny how that little word can make something sound so much worse than it really is. Ha!
The smallest things will set her off. Sometimes she will pitch a fit that just sitting in her time-out spot will fix… other times we have to put her in her room and shut the door until we hear her calm herself down. Fighting her seems to only make it worse and stresses us out even more. When we have exhausted all attempts and calming her ourselves it's really the only thing left to do other than being that mom to offer candy to console her screaming child, which I am not.
If I could sum up a child's life in one word I think it would be "Phases". It seems that every time we overcome one phase, another one begins.
Like everything I know that this attitude is a new phase of hers. I can only hope that it doesn't get worse than this. People keep telling me to "just wait"… why do people do that? Why do you only hear "Welcome to parenthood" when it's something negative? Just wondering.
Anyways, it's been one heck of a ride with her lately. In case you didn't already gather that.
I used to think that the "Terrible Two's" only existed for people who didn't discipline their kids. Well I'm proof that I was so wrong. Kids are kids and most all kids go through the same exact phases at some point or another. It can be tough since this is also my first time going through this and finding the best ways to deal with these crazy phases. I've posted before about my worries about how the ways I deal with things now will shape her as she grows. So that fear still exists but I try not to worry so much and just go with what my husband and I think is best.
I guess you could say that parenting goes through phases as well if you think about it!
As far as disciplining methods go I have found that the "1-2-3" method works the best right now. I hope that sticks because it seems to be the easiest for me too! I just hope that it doesn't scar H for when she starts school. I don't want her flipping out every time the teacher tries to teach them to count… ;) hehehe
I know I'm not alone in this war with toddlerhood and most of the time I just have to laugh it off. It's the only way to really deal with the madness!
Keep Calm & Utilize Nick Jr. (It really helps when you need a break)
xoxo,
Sane in Los Angeles
The smallest things will set her off. Sometimes she will pitch a fit that just sitting in her time-out spot will fix… other times we have to put her in her room and shut the door until we hear her calm herself down. Fighting her seems to only make it worse and stresses us out even more. When we have exhausted all attempts and calming her ourselves it's really the only thing left to do other than being that mom to offer candy to console her screaming child, which I am not.
If I could sum up a child's life in one word I think it would be "Phases". It seems that every time we overcome one phase, another one begins.
Like everything I know that this attitude is a new phase of hers. I can only hope that it doesn't get worse than this. People keep telling me to "just wait"… why do people do that? Why do you only hear "Welcome to parenthood" when it's something negative? Just wondering.
Anyways, it's been one heck of a ride with her lately. In case you didn't already gather that.
I used to think that the "Terrible Two's" only existed for people who didn't discipline their kids. Well I'm proof that I was so wrong. Kids are kids and most all kids go through the same exact phases at some point or another. It can be tough since this is also my first time going through this and finding the best ways to deal with these crazy phases. I've posted before about my worries about how the ways I deal with things now will shape her as she grows. So that fear still exists but I try not to worry so much and just go with what my husband and I think is best.
I guess you could say that parenting goes through phases as well if you think about it!
As far as disciplining methods go I have found that the "1-2-3" method works the best right now. I hope that sticks because it seems to be the easiest for me too! I just hope that it doesn't scar H for when she starts school. I don't want her flipping out every time the teacher tries to teach them to count… ;) hehehe
I know I'm not alone in this war with toddlerhood and most of the time I just have to laugh it off. It's the only way to really deal with the madness!
Keep Calm & Utilize Nick Jr. (It really helps when you need a break)
xoxo,
Sane in Los Angeles
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Mom, I get it now.
I'm not sure what it is about exhausting nights of light and broken sleep that make me want to blog. Baby girl had a small, dry cough all night and periodically would wake up groaning for me. I can tell you that Little Remedies Honey Elixer works wonders for those little coughs. So today will be a lazy day inside the house in our pajamas, building towers with giant blocks, reading books, cuddling and watching cartoons….. oh darn ;)
So growing up I remember my mom saying certain things and having certain "rules" that I never really thought anything of at the time. I just accepted it as how it was... I wasn't a difficult kid (only a difficult teen) Well now that I'm a mother myself from time to time I will say something to H and one of those "rules" will pop into my head and it dawns on me! This blog is all about me saying to my mom "I get it now, Mama. I completely get it."
Kitchen is closed after dinner.
After dishes were cleaned and everything put away there was to be no more access to the kitchen for the rest of the night. I totally get it now, Mom! Kids are NEVER done eating! My daughter can fill her belly full of all sorts of goodness and tell me she is done and then run straight over to the pantry and open the door asking for something else… and she's only 1-1/2! I can't imagine having a teenager and two little ones doing it. And after all that work to clean up I'd be ticked if I went back in the kitchen and saw another dirty dish in the sink. I remember going into the kitchen to get a "snack" before bedtime, open the refrigerator door and hear "KITCHEN'S CLOSED!!!" all the way from the other room…. now I get why she had that door installed to the kitchen. I always wondered why Dad never fixed that "creek" it made when it opened ;)
Hyper? Go run around the house a couple times.
I was dumb enough to actually do this when she told me to. I can just imagine what the neighbors thought. But again… I get it, Mom.
Bored? Want ME to give you something to do?
Ha! My thoughts exactly.
Go play outside.
Amen to this. Most of the time she didn't have to tell me twice to go play outside. I lived outside from the time the sun came up until it went down (with the exception of lunch and dinner) My sister was the TV and video gamer though. She had to be told a lot to go outside. It stinks that the world has changed so much in the past 15 years that it's sketchy to even let your kids to walk to the mailbox without worrying they'll get abducted. I'm getting a small taste of this now that Hayden likes to go play in her room, which is upstairs. Sometimes while I'm cleaning, she will head up there and shut her door. I turn on her baby monitor just to make sure she doesn't get into anything but I have her room pretty well baby-proofed. It's a nice little break for me and it's good for her to have that independence.
Let's play the quiet game.
I know exactly why my mom wanted us to play this game all the time. It was always in car rides and I was a very early talker, just like my H. Riding in the car now with H it all makes sense. I'm so proud that she has such a crazy vocabulary and can speak so clearly but, man, my child never shuts up! It's "Mommy, do you see the ___? Did you see the ___ mommy?? Weren't they beautiful? Those were great ___'s mom! Mommy sing Dora! Dora, Dora, Dora the Expuller!" Don't get me wrong. It's super cute and I'm very proud BUT there are times when it's constant and I just want a moment of silence. And that's where the "Quiet Game" comes in. My poor parents… I never won that game. I'm surprised my husband doesn't have H and I play this game on our car rides. He now has me talking nonstop and then a smaller version of me talking nonstop. hahaha
I know this is only the beginning of a lot of stuff for us because H is not even 2 yet and she has yet to let us off of this crazy roller coaster ride of toddlerhood.
Must be This Insane to ride. ;)
1st cup of coffee down and heading in there for my second. Who's with me?
xoxo,
Sleepless in Los Angeles
So growing up I remember my mom saying certain things and having certain "rules" that I never really thought anything of at the time. I just accepted it as how it was... I wasn't a difficult kid (only a difficult teen) Well now that I'm a mother myself from time to time I will say something to H and one of those "rules" will pop into my head and it dawns on me! This blog is all about me saying to my mom "I get it now, Mama. I completely get it."
Kitchen is closed after dinner.
After dishes were cleaned and everything put away there was to be no more access to the kitchen for the rest of the night. I totally get it now, Mom! Kids are NEVER done eating! My daughter can fill her belly full of all sorts of goodness and tell me she is done and then run straight over to the pantry and open the door asking for something else… and she's only 1-1/2! I can't imagine having a teenager and two little ones doing it. And after all that work to clean up I'd be ticked if I went back in the kitchen and saw another dirty dish in the sink. I remember going into the kitchen to get a "snack" before bedtime, open the refrigerator door and hear "KITCHEN'S CLOSED!!!" all the way from the other room…. now I get why she had that door installed to the kitchen. I always wondered why Dad never fixed that "creek" it made when it opened ;)
Hyper? Go run around the house a couple times.
I was dumb enough to actually do this when she told me to. I can just imagine what the neighbors thought. But again… I get it, Mom.
Bored? Want ME to give you something to do?
Ha! My thoughts exactly.
Go play outside.
Amen to this. Most of the time she didn't have to tell me twice to go play outside. I lived outside from the time the sun came up until it went down (with the exception of lunch and dinner) My sister was the TV and video gamer though. She had to be told a lot to go outside. It stinks that the world has changed so much in the past 15 years that it's sketchy to even let your kids to walk to the mailbox without worrying they'll get abducted. I'm getting a small taste of this now that Hayden likes to go play in her room, which is upstairs. Sometimes while I'm cleaning, she will head up there and shut her door. I turn on her baby monitor just to make sure she doesn't get into anything but I have her room pretty well baby-proofed. It's a nice little break for me and it's good for her to have that independence.
Let's play the quiet game.
I know exactly why my mom wanted us to play this game all the time. It was always in car rides and I was a very early talker, just like my H. Riding in the car now with H it all makes sense. I'm so proud that she has such a crazy vocabulary and can speak so clearly but, man, my child never shuts up! It's "Mommy, do you see the ___? Did you see the ___ mommy?? Weren't they beautiful? Those were great ___'s mom! Mommy sing Dora! Dora, Dora, Dora the Expuller!" Don't get me wrong. It's super cute and I'm very proud BUT there are times when it's constant and I just want a moment of silence. And that's where the "Quiet Game" comes in. My poor parents… I never won that game. I'm surprised my husband doesn't have H and I play this game on our car rides. He now has me talking nonstop and then a smaller version of me talking nonstop. hahaha
I know this is only the beginning of a lot of stuff for us because H is not even 2 yet and she has yet to let us off of this crazy roller coaster ride of toddlerhood.
Must be This Insane to ride. ;)
1st cup of coffee down and heading in there for my second. Who's with me?
xoxo,
Sleepless in Los Angeles
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
It's All About Principles.
My husband and I have been battling the "Terrible Two's" since right after H turned 1 last March. Or so we thought... Her actions and behavior goes in waves. Just like her teething (which she is completely DONE with!! WOOHOO!!) Our daughter is unbelievably smart and sweet but she is still a child. As she grows she is constantly learning and if there is one thing that helps me to deal with handling her in these tough times it's reminding myself that how I react to her bad behavior will help to shape her as she gets older.
I have had to seek out advice from close friends of mine, read articles online, and pray to God for patience and guidance in dealing with H. This is all new to me too.
What has been the hardest to deal with, I think, is the stubborn repetition of disobedience. I can scold her time after time to not throw her food down on the floor but she keeps doing it. A lot of times I don't have the energy to keep scolding her so I just give up and that's not what I need to do if I ever want it to get better.
One thing you should know about me is that I do believe in spankings. If time-out works for you, that's ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL but 9 times out of 10 it does not work for us.
A lot of the things I have to get on to her for are not even huge deals but they are PRINCIPLES. I'll be at the playground and H will do something to a kid and I will tell her to say her sorry or something and the parent will say "It's okay! I think he was doing such & such..." I always tell them "I know but it's a principle."
But I can be so lazy with punishment because it does take work. Bad behavior comes so naturally to kids. It is exhausting teaching good behavior but it has to be done. There are certain rules that I am pretty adamant about here in our house when it comes to our daughter.
We eat at the table.
We eat what is in front of you.
You may get down when Mommy & Daddy say you can get down.
We say "Excuse me", "Thank You", "Ma'am", "Sir", and "Please"
You obey Mommy & Daddy the FIRST time we tell you something.
You may not pitch a fit if you don't like something.
You listen when Mommy & Daddy are talking to you.
Good manners in public are a MUST.
You look people in the eyes when they're talking to you.
We share.
We are polite and kind to others.
We love the Lord and We obey His commandments.
Now call me southern or old-fashioned if you want but I bet if some of these things would've been enforced more we wouldn't be seeing so much of Miss Miley Cyrus! And It doesn't matter how lazy I get at times there is nothing that could cause me to scratch one of these rules off my list. I have to remind myself that how I teach our daughter here at home will reflect how she acts in public and how she acts once she is no longer under my wing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It's no easy task. I just keep hoping all my efforts will pay off one day :)
xoxo,
Exhausted in Los Angeles
I have had to seek out advice from close friends of mine, read articles online, and pray to God for patience and guidance in dealing with H. This is all new to me too.
What has been the hardest to deal with, I think, is the stubborn repetition of disobedience. I can scold her time after time to not throw her food down on the floor but she keeps doing it. A lot of times I don't have the energy to keep scolding her so I just give up and that's not what I need to do if I ever want it to get better.
One thing you should know about me is that I do believe in spankings. If time-out works for you, that's ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL but 9 times out of 10 it does not work for us.
A lot of the things I have to get on to her for are not even huge deals but they are PRINCIPLES. I'll be at the playground and H will do something to a kid and I will tell her to say her sorry or something and the parent will say "It's okay! I think he was doing such & such..." I always tell them "I know but it's a principle."
But I can be so lazy with punishment because it does take work. Bad behavior comes so naturally to kids. It is exhausting teaching good behavior but it has to be done. There are certain rules that I am pretty adamant about here in our house when it comes to our daughter.
We eat at the table.
We eat what is in front of you.
You may get down when Mommy & Daddy say you can get down.
We say "Excuse me", "Thank You", "Ma'am", "Sir", and "Please"
You obey Mommy & Daddy the FIRST time we tell you something.
You may not pitch a fit if you don't like something.
You listen when Mommy & Daddy are talking to you.
Good manners in public are a MUST.
You look people in the eyes when they're talking to you.
We share.
We are polite and kind to others.
We love the Lord and We obey His commandments.
Now call me southern or old-fashioned if you want but I bet if some of these things would've been enforced more we wouldn't be seeing so much of Miss Miley Cyrus! And It doesn't matter how lazy I get at times there is nothing that could cause me to scratch one of these rules off my list. I have to remind myself that how I teach our daughter here at home will reflect how she acts in public and how she acts once she is no longer under my wing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It's no easy task. I just keep hoping all my efforts will pay off one day :)
xoxo,
Exhausted in Los Angeles
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What kind of Christian am I? Matthew 10:33
Those of you who follow my blog may remember a few posts back that I had decided to turn my life around and get my life right with the Lord. I wanted a change inside. Ultimately because I don't want to go to Hell when Jesus comes back but also because I want to be a light in my family and a good role model for my daughter and because I know that any problem that I might face in my life HE is the only one who has the power to fix it. I could pray all day pointing fingers at others and praying for God to change them but what I came to realize is that the change had to start with ME.
I have found awesome relief in the power of prayer. I am involved in my women's bible study. I read the books and my Bible........ but that's all behind closed doors and around other fellow Christians. That's the easy part.
This morning I faced something that really made me question the Christian that I thought I was.
At around 8:30am this morning I parked my car outside the DMV and began walking up towards to line of 75+ people lined up around the building. As I'm walking I pass a man standing outside of the parking lot with a megaphone speaking obnoxiously loud and stern. As I'm thinking to myself "Great. Just what I need this early in the morning." I just knew he was one of those nuts standing on the street yelling at everyone that they're all going to HELL! But as I'm listening (trying NOT to) I hear him quoting the exact scripture that I believe in.
As I take my place in line I'm listening to what he is saying and as I look around I see that most everyone is watching him. We were all in the same boat. None of us super-happy to be waiting outside for the doors to the DMV to open. I hear him quoting verses from the Bible that are all too familiar to me because I heard them for years every time the invitation was given at the end of the Church sermon. A young woman around my age walks up and takes her place in line behind me and she says "Oh great. Just what I need. Like it isn't bad enough having to be here this early." to which I reply "I know right! Dude, it's early! Isn't there somewhere else you can do that?" and then I hear him through the megaphone-- "The Bible says 'But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Do I have any born-again Christians here?" --I quickly thought about ignoring it but I couldn't. I partially raised my hand..... almost as if I was too ashamed for anyone else to see. And it was almost as if God knew my hesitation because then the man says "Just one woman?" referring to a lady a few steps in front of me. So I raised my hand all the way, looking down at the ground, chuckling to myself as if I was thinking "This is so stupid!" But I knew God was watching me the whole time and even though I did raise my hand he knows my heart and the hesitation.
Why?
I know the very truth that that man on the street was preaching. So why would I act like those standing around me as if he were some crazy lunatic? The Bible says to 'Go into all the world and teach my gospel.' Now, that doesn't mean that I should go buy a megaphone and stand on a street corner shouting scripture at strangers. But why wouldn't I have used that as an opportunity to turn to that young lady behind me and say to her "You know, what he is saying is true."
I wish I had the fire under me that that man has.
As soon as I was back in my car I cried and prayed to the Lord to forgive me for denying that I was a believer. Because that little bit of hesitation right before I halfway raised my hand? That was denial.
Let me not be that Christian, Lord. It's not easy so I pray for strength and ask for forgiveness for my foolish ways. It's a scary world we live in. Someone could walk right up to me, put a gun to my head and ask "Are you a Christian?".... what would I say?
It's just like my dad always said to me "I brought you into this world, I can take you out!" He was joking.... I think.... nevertheless there's truth in that coming from God and if any of you have had the chance to really read from the book of Revelation you'll agree with me when I say I'm pretty sure I do NOT want to go there... If any of my friends find that you're going through a tough time and really need some guidance or relief give it up to God. Really humble yourself and start to pray and ask him to work in your life. It really does help. I'm not perfect (FAAAAAAR FAR FAR from perfect) and I'm nowhere near the Christian that I want to be but I have seen changes since I have begun to pray for my life and I can honestly say that it works.
xoxo,
Sleepless in Los Angeles
I have found awesome relief in the power of prayer. I am involved in my women's bible study. I read the books and my Bible........ but that's all behind closed doors and around other fellow Christians. That's the easy part.
This morning I faced something that really made me question the Christian that I thought I was.
At around 8:30am this morning I parked my car outside the DMV and began walking up towards to line of 75+ people lined up around the building. As I'm walking I pass a man standing outside of the parking lot with a megaphone speaking obnoxiously loud and stern. As I'm thinking to myself "Great. Just what I need this early in the morning." I just knew he was one of those nuts standing on the street yelling at everyone that they're all going to HELL! But as I'm listening (trying NOT to) I hear him quoting the exact scripture that I believe in.
As I take my place in line I'm listening to what he is saying and as I look around I see that most everyone is watching him. We were all in the same boat. None of us super-happy to be waiting outside for the doors to the DMV to open. I hear him quoting verses from the Bible that are all too familiar to me because I heard them for years every time the invitation was given at the end of the Church sermon. A young woman around my age walks up and takes her place in line behind me and she says "Oh great. Just what I need. Like it isn't bad enough having to be here this early." to which I reply "I know right! Dude, it's early! Isn't there somewhere else you can do that?" and then I hear him through the megaphone-- "The Bible says 'But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Do I have any born-again Christians here?" --I quickly thought about ignoring it but I couldn't. I partially raised my hand..... almost as if I was too ashamed for anyone else to see. And it was almost as if God knew my hesitation because then the man says "Just one woman?" referring to a lady a few steps in front of me. So I raised my hand all the way, looking down at the ground, chuckling to myself as if I was thinking "This is so stupid!" But I knew God was watching me the whole time and even though I did raise my hand he knows my heart and the hesitation.
Why?
I know the very truth that that man on the street was preaching. So why would I act like those standing around me as if he were some crazy lunatic? The Bible says to 'Go into all the world and teach my gospel.' Now, that doesn't mean that I should go buy a megaphone and stand on a street corner shouting scripture at strangers. But why wouldn't I have used that as an opportunity to turn to that young lady behind me and say to her "You know, what he is saying is true."
I wish I had the fire under me that that man has.
As soon as I was back in my car I cried and prayed to the Lord to forgive me for denying that I was a believer. Because that little bit of hesitation right before I halfway raised my hand? That was denial.
Let me not be that Christian, Lord. It's not easy so I pray for strength and ask for forgiveness for my foolish ways. It's a scary world we live in. Someone could walk right up to me, put a gun to my head and ask "Are you a Christian?".... what would I say?
It's just like my dad always said to me "I brought you into this world, I can take you out!" He was joking.... I think.... nevertheless there's truth in that coming from God and if any of you have had the chance to really read from the book of Revelation you'll agree with me when I say I'm pretty sure I do NOT want to go there... If any of my friends find that you're going through a tough time and really need some guidance or relief give it up to God. Really humble yourself and start to pray and ask him to work in your life. It really does help. I'm not perfect (FAAAAAAR FAR FAR from perfect) and I'm nowhere near the Christian that I want to be but I have seen changes since I have begun to pray for my life and I can honestly say that it works.
xoxo,
Sleepless in Los Angeles
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Catching Up / All Aboard the Potty Train
Ugh. I feel terrible. I have completely neglected my blog and it got to the point where I was avoiding it like it was a friend to whom I owed money.... haha
Since my last post in July a couple big things occured. I went on another week-long venture with H across country (via airplane) to visit family and when we got back I weaned her from breastfeeding. We have been completely nurse-free for two weeks as of yesterday. She does still ask for it from time to time if something brings it to mind but she doesn't pitch a fit when I tell her "Nope! All gone!" :) I'll be honest I do sort of miss it.. mostly for the bonding.. but now we just bond in other ways and she is way more cuddly at bedtime now and it's really sweet. And it's nice having my boobs back!!
Now on to more recent news!--
The past few nights I begun incorporating "potty time" into our bedtime routine. I realize that Hayden is just shy of being 19 months old and many people don't begin training until the child turns 2 years old but I decided it can't hurt to get her used to sitting and relaxing and realizing what it feels like to "have to go." She already refers to it as the "big girl potty" which I think is a good way for me to get H to transition. That's how I explained to her that she needed to throw her pacifiers away too. Kids have role models for a reason. They want to be like them. So it helps to know that's what their older role models do... that's just my opinion though.
Back to our new "potty time." A few months ago we had an incident in the bathtub where H stood up and said "Uh oh! Poopy!" So I quickly took her out and put her on the "big girl potty" and she went. I was so proud that she was able to catch herself and knew what it felt like. That spoke a lot to me. Hence why I decided now was a good time to begin somewhat potty-training her.
I am very much a routine & schedule-type mother. I think it's important and I find it has helped me in many ways. Schedules are not for everyone but they're definitely for me. That is how I got H to stop crying at naptime and bedtime. Same goes for this potty training. I know that going to the bathroom is not a scheduled thing but if I can just begin adding more and more "potty times" throughout the day then she will catch on and then begin telling ME when she needs to go to the potty. Again, I've never done this so I'm not doubting that it is a very, very-- I've heard some say the most--difficult time.
I have added these new "potty times" just before I put her in a clean diaper and PJ's for bed. When she is in the bath I dry her off and then place her on the potty. I have a small stack of books she chooses from and then I say "Sit on the potty like a big girl and read your book. Try to go pee pee. Mommy will be right back." Then I leave. I come back after like 30 seconds and check on her. Sometimes she wants to stay and read her book and other times she'll say "All done." The first few times I did this she was scared to death to be on the potty and would instantly say "All done, all done, all done!" I made her sit there for a few seconds, let her wipe (even though she never did anything) and flush. This week she has finally started enjoying it. So much so that tonight she actually went #2 while she read on the potty and I layed out her PJ's and straightened up in her room. She called to me "All done!" You talk about one proud mommy!!!
Next week or the week after I will add a morning potty time. From bed to potty then into a clean diaper. We'll see how it goes but the way I look at it is that it definitely can't hurt.
Parenthood is a fun, exhausting, challenging, rewarding journey. Let's do this!
xoxo,
Pooped in Los Angeles
(^^^ I thought that was fitting for this post ;)
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