Refreshed and Ready to Go

So, my Power of Moms Workshop went so well this weekend. I was really happy with it. I thought my fellow friends and presenters did an amazing job and I was able to meet some amazing women, who were bright and funny, and deep down, some really great moms. A few things I came away with were that I really am my family's greatest asset, so it is ok to take care of myself without feeling guilty about it. I need to stop comparing against the "other mothers" out there and realize we are all on our own journeys to become better versions of ourselves, each at their own pace. That is a beautiful thing! I also made a commitment to stop saying "I'm sorry" for my not being perfect. You know what I mean. The "I'm sorry my house is a mess," "I'm sorry I'm dressed like this," "I'm sorry, my kids look like rugrats today," "I'm sorry it's not perfect." Nope, you won't here that out of my mouth anymore (crossing my fingers). I'm giving it up. The perfectionism I mean. I'll still try my very best, but I don't have to apologize to anyone for not being perfect. And one more thing, I learned is that if we set tiny achievable goals each week, then we are bound to grow into remarkable women.

So to prove that this stuff works, here are a few examples were I've already started to implement this stuff into my life.

This morning, I exercised while my preschoolers played and my baby sat in the floor and watched me dance around the room to my Zumba video while the sun was shining through the window. That felt good.

I sat down and set some small goals for this week in the Bloom game that's offered on the POM website.

Yesterday in church as I looked around the congregation, I thought about all those moms sitting in the different pews and for once wasn't sizing myself up against them. I sat and looked at each one as an individual and tried to notice all the good things they do. It felt good and I loved them.

And I'm going to multi-task and listen to some inspirational talks today while I'm cleaning my kitchen.

So how about that! You see, there are some powerful benefits to these workshops. If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your area, let me know and maybe we can work something out. It really is an amazing thing.

Love More

I love this child with all my heart. Everyday she walks out that door to go to school, I feel like she's walking away with my heart. Her struggles feel like mine. And I ache to help her be the kind of woman I know she has the potential of becoming. She has so many strengths. So many talents. But right now we are struggling tremendously. Our personalities are very similar, and then again, very different. She is very independent and strong willed. If she detects you pushing her in the slightest, she will push back with all her might and dig her heels in. Since I'm the one home all the time, she is in constant conflict with me over getting ready for school, doing her homework, practicing the piano, being nice to her siblings, and so on and so forth. The more I tell her to hurry along, the slower she gets, and the meaner her looks get as she walks by me. I feel like I've tried so very hard to be nice. I've read countless material about how to motivate her. I've made charts and come up with rewards that SHE picked and yet we are still back to ground zero. So last week, I resorted to prayer. I prayed like crazy, even in the shower that she would have the desire to be a good kid. I even talked to the teacher about ways to help her. But in the end, the only thing I keep going back to is to LOVE MORE!

I'm going to love that child into obedience. I'm going to love her regardless of how she performs at school. I'm going to leave nice notes in her lunch box. I'm going to remind her how much I love her as she jumps out of the car to go to school. I'm going to make her bed while she's at school to serve her. I'm going to make her favorite dinners. I'm going to love that child until she comes around. I can't change her, or make her like me, but I can soften her heart. I can show her that regardless of what she does, I'm going to love her because of who she is and what she can become.