Cultivating Character

Jase and I finally made it back to our Mom to Mom group last week and I'm so glad we were able to make it. Not only was it great to get out of the house and have a much needed break from Jase some adult interaction, but I always leave there refreshed with some goals to make be a better mom and wife. Last week we talked about Cultivating Character in our little ones and in us. I will apologize in advance as I really should have taken my book home, but I am writing off mostly memory and what I most got out of the discussion.

We all want our children to have character, to be their own person and be a good person, right? Daily, I know I'm trying my best to show Jase the "right" way to do things, how to be nice, how to be gentle and kind, but if I'm honest, I know I mess up on the daily. There are days I loose my temper to easily or I rush through a task to move onto the next, basically doing the things I don't want Jase to do or mimic.

Key points I took from the session were these:

• Character is who you are when no one's looking.
• Character is catching. What does Jase learn from watching me?
• Key to building character is modeling it. 
• I need to model my need for God's mercy, grace and forgiveness.

The truth is, no one is perfect. The awesome thing is our children are little sponges and we can help mold them with the help of God's grace. I left Thursday morning feeling like it was exactly what I needed to hear. After Jase and I had been sick on and off for a month we were both at our worst and exhausted. I felt myself short tempered with him and most likely showing him poor character at times. What I can teach him now is God's grace is good and I am also still a work in progress. Everyday is a new one for me to be better than the day before, to be more kind, more patient and more willing to slow down a bit.

<3 Lindsey

Morning Routine

Forgive me for such a late post. I've been sick and now my baby boy has it, so I've been out of it for a couple of days. I'm feeling better now though!

Lately I've been thinking about my morning routine and about how I don't have one. When I was working I had the same routine everyday:

• alarm went off
• I woke up
• Brushed my teeth
• got dressed
• ate breakfast
• filled my coffee cup at home 
• OR left in time for Starbucks
• Went to work

I basically did that for a long time, before just work it was school and work and before that, just school. You'd think having a routine everyday for as long as I can remember I would still have one, but NOPE. My morning routine now:

• Wait for Jase to wake
• get up

That's it! Literally, from there it depends on the day how ready I get. On days that we have nothing going on, I usually don't get dressed until Jase naps. I do this because then I can get dressed in peace without worrying what Jase is getting into. On days we have errands to run or Moms Group we get ready in the morning and it's a struggle with a toddler running around! 

So what are your morning routines mommas? I'd love to have something that is more consistent!

<3 Lindsey

Disneyland with toddlers

 We are a Disney loving family! Ever since I was little, my mom has been obsessed with anything Disney and she's definitely passed that love on to me and my two sisters. My youngest sister is a Character Host at Disneyland and has been auditioning to be a princess there. We've had annual passes for the last 15 years and go at least 5 times a year. So you can see we're kinda crazy about it :)

Going to Disneyland is always fun, but going with a baby is a completely different experience! We first took my daughter when she was 3 months old. She had no clue what was going on but she was perfect!  We went again at 7 months, 10 months, 14 months and then this past weekend. Each time we've gone has become easier and yet much more difficult at the same time. As a little baby, she spit up a lot so we had to pack several back up outfits, bibs, burp cloths, etc plus I was breast feeding so frequent feedings had to be taken into consideration as well. Now she can wear the same outfit the whole day(thank you Jesus!) and can eat pretty much anything so that has been the easy part. The difficult thing is she does NOT want to nap or sit in her stroller while we're there. She is a child who needs a nap, and mommy needs her to sleep too. We've learned to just strap her in the stroller and push her around until she knocks out.

All of that being said, we see Disneyland through a whole different light when we take Emery. It's a magical place and the older she gets, the more fun she'll have. Rides need to be fast and spinny or she is not impressed, and she pretty much hates all of the characters and cries if any of the masked characters come at her which can be funny for the rest of us. She loves walking around like a big girl and she especially loves wearing her Rapunzel dress and twirling around in it. She's really been into holding her autograph book and pretending to write in it, and she does not want to give it up to the characters to be signed. I love sitting back and watching her take it all in and even though she won't really remember any of it, I'm glad I can pass my love for Disney on to her.

I've learned to not stress over all the little details. If she doesn't want to wear a bow that's ok; if she spills on her princess dress I'll wash it out; if she decides not to nap until 4pm well, we'll just deal. I just want to enjoy her while she's this little and this innocent. Pretty soon we'll be taking family trips to Disneyland and she won't want me to pick out her outfits or go on Dumbo or take pictures with characters. She'll want  to go off on her own, ride the big kid rides and laugh if I try to get a character to sign her autograph book. I love the age she's at right now and just want to soak it all up. <3