Beautiful Calling

   Photo by Chloe

Motherhood isn’t easy. Not if you’re doing it right!

Motherhood isn’t about happiness, though it is a byproduct sometimes.

But motherhood is a beautiful calling, a blessed privilege, an amazing opportunity, an incredible responsibility and the rewards of it are like no other! How wonderful to have a special day to celebrate this gift.

And for those today who, for whatever reason, are not yet mothers, today is a day to celebrate the desire God gave you for motherhood, and His faithfulness.

Photo by John

Thank you , Lord, for these amazing little ones you’ve entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom to guide, teach, and correct them. Teach me self-discipline. Show me how to train each of them, so they are ready for Your use.

Shine through me and give me the ability to love them as you do! Amen.

 Photo by Chloe

I’ve been blessed with Isaiah, Chloe (5), John (3) and Isaac (11 months).

So how many children do you have?

Cleaning out the basement, Chloe and John discovered these “cowboy” hats. They were so excited because there was a girl one and a boy one.

blue ribbon = boy hat

These guys make me laugh. Forget toys, they love mud, dress-up clothing, kitchen utensils, boxes, blankets…

What is your children’s favorite “odd” toy?

This little man is sporting some serious style! Hat, white dress shirt and black cords {BabyGAP},  suspenders and bow tie {eBay}, beautiful wool coat {garage sale find!} and those handsome eyes? {Daddy!}

• This post links up with Small Style

(Sept 2005, Our New House #1)

Today we got the keys to our new house. This weekend we say goodbye to our old house. The house that we chose as a newly engaged couple. The house I walked into as a newly wed and am leaving as a married woman and mother of three.

Oh, how our family has changed. How I have changed!

  (April 2012, Our New House #2)

In this house we’ve had ups and downs. We’ve had some fights, and then made up, we’ve miscarried a baby (Isaiah) and then homebirthed Chloe, John and Isaac here.

Yes, this house has been good to us.

But as I say goodbye, I’m not really sad; I’m taking all my family and all my memories to our new house! And I know that our new house will become home the minute we walk through the door!

Goodbyes are often the only thing that can open up the door to the next chapter!

• Linking to Finer Things Friday, Five Minute Friday

I love my sweet girl. I love dolling her up and I love how she loves to dress up all girly.  Flouncy dresses, pearls and hair pretties.

Tricia of Amber Krystyna Creations has been making us some wonderful pretties lately. These are a few of Chloe’s favorites lately – fabric flowers. She made us a few on headbands and also on clips. Her prices are also so reasonable!

Not in the area? She’s on Etsy too!

Chloe’s favorite hairstyle lately? The side ponytail. Dress it up with a flower and you’re set to go. I may try these fabric flowers myself. I’d love to dress up my own casual ponytail!

How do you dress up a ponytail for yourself or your daughter?

• This links to Small Style

Spring.

Mud.

Children.

FUN!

I loved mud as a child. We lived in the country so no paved driveway for us. A nightmare for my parents perhaps but a delight for us as children! While mud doesn’t give me quite the same thrill as it used to, watching my children enjoy it definitely does make my heart happy.

It’s the simple things, like mud, that are truly the finer things in life!

Do you get a thrill out of watching your tots in the mud or does the idea of it make you cringe?

{my mother now admits that she was a cringer!}

This time last year I was enjoying the last trimester of my pregnancy, fully expecting to have another perfectly healthy little baby by summer. What I didn’t expect? To spend over a month living at McMaster Children’s Hospital with my sweet baby in the NICU!

Isaac was my third home birthed baby. His birth was fairly unremarkable but the following day, Isaac wouldn’t wake up. We immediately went to the ER of our local hospital and a few very scary hours later, Isaac was pretty stable. We spent a couple days there and then, when they couldn’t figure out what was going on with him, we were transferred to McMaster Children’s Hospital. We were involved with nephrology, metabolics, neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and hematology. Isaac had all sorts of blood work, x-rays, a couple MRI’s, an EEG an ECG and and a lot of metabolic testing done.

  Isaac is our little miracle.

He is now 10 months old and doing well though McMaster is still a place we visit on a regular basis for appointments! I’m a #KinderMom and during the campaign I receive Kinder Eggs each month. McMaster is the recipient of our eggs most of the time; sometimes we drop them off to pediatrics and other times to the NICU nursery where the nurses and families can enjoy them.

I am so thankful that McMaster has such an incredible team of doctors and specialists, that they have a wonderful neonatal nursery  and that they have the equipment and resources there to help millions of families like myself.

It’s a joy for me to share about Kinder’s ‘A Joy to Share’ campaign in which Kinder has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network. The Network raises funds for hospitals and McMaster Children’s Hospital is one of the hospitals they raise funds for!

Spring is a time of miracles. The miracle of a risen Savior, of flowers blooming, of trees budding. The miracles of birth are all around as baby chicks hatch and lambs are born.

As you purchase delicious Kinder chocolate, remember that you are also a part of a miracle! You support Kinder supporting the Children’s Miracle Network means that you were a part of Isaac’s miracle and countless others. So thank you to The Children’s Miracle Network, Kinder and to you!

Have a blessed Easter!

• #KinderMom
• “Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

So it’s not bad enough that my beloved Picnik is changing life as I know it by ceasing to exist next month. {Bad Google!!!} but I was looking for an image for a post yesterday and to my frustration, Flickr had the hiccups and I was suddenly at a loss.

So tell me, what is your favorite source for post photos? {and if you have an easy-to use replacement for Picnik, I’d love it if you’d share that too!}

Source

I began preparing for March break in February. Alas, March break crept up fast and life being as it is, I was not as prepared as I had planned to be for our March Break trip. I forgot a few important things – like my beloved pillow and the new library books.

What is my point? You see what I let you in this little space of mine and usually it’s my best side. But,

Sometimes I yell at my children

Sometimes my house is messy {more often than not as of late}

Sometimes I’m snarky with my husband

Sometimes I’m not as prepared as I’d like to be, as I plan to be!

I want this space to be an encouragement and a blessing to you. Yes, there are times that I share our hard days, when my calling doesn’t feel beautiful because sometimes that is the best way to encourage others along.

But today I want to  remind you that when you read here, it’s only a small glimpse of my life.  When you read a blog, pass a woman on the street or admire her from afar, remember that you are seeing what they let you see.

Nobody’s perfect, especially not me!

How was your March Break?

The other day as I was helping my tots get into their snow clothes to go outside to play {for all too short a time before coming in to get undressed because it’s cold}, Chloe looked at me and said,

Mommy, my favorite thing about you is your face. It’s beautiful because it always has a smile on it.

I smiled, hugged her and sent her outside, but my heart was full and happy.

And guilty.

Because my face does not always have a smile on it.

My tone isn’t always kind, nor is it always gentle.

I’m not always patient.

I don’t always see the beauty in the mess.

But I’m trying; more often I’m choosing peace.