My Purse: A Symbol of Me?

This is my purse. This is what it looks like all the time. The good thing is that I have everything you could ever need in that thing. The problem is that it may take me years to find it. I don't think it symbolizes who I am as a person...you know, put together on the outside and a complete mess on the inside. I think it is more of a result of being a mom to 3 kids who hand me things all day long. Since, I need my hands free at all times, to carry a kid or collect another kid item, I naturally throw whatever they give me into my purse and before you know it, I am getting a call from the show Hoarders telling me my husband called them about my purse. I really don't see any way around this problem though. I mean, between the stuff I need in my purse for me and all of the kid's snacks, and their trash, and sippy cups, and treasures, and socks, and toys etc., it is impossible to have a clean purse. Can I get an "Amen?!"...No? Okay then, let's play a game. See if you can locate the following items!

Medical receipts that should have been mailed in weeks ago

A check book that has no more checks in it

2 of Maia's hair bows in case we ever need to spruce up her look

A baby spork

2 pens

A Sharpie

Paper clip

Lots of pennies

A variety of healthy snacks: plantain chips, cashews, gluten free kid cereal

2 viles of lip gloss

A piece of a candy cane

Maia's sunglasses

Broken pieces of spearmint gum

Empty gum wrappers and package

An iPad Stylus

And Purell to clean my hands with after searching around in my purse for anything.

The Parenting Strategy of the Season

I have learned after 4 years of parenting that I will never get the hang of this parenting thing. Right when I think I've got a handle on things, my kids begin a new phase or take on a new personality. Now, instead of getting disappointed and surprised by the curve balls they throw me, I am always on my toes, reading parenting books, and changing up my strategies. I'm always ready to reach in my back pocket and pull out a whole new play book. The season I currently find myself in consists of weekly doctor visits, 2 preschoolers who feel the need to fight constantly, and a baby who is always moving. The strategy of this season is "Diversion and Task Assignment."

Exhibit A:
At our weekly trip to Kaiser, I am on my own with my three tornadoes, waiting for the second time in the World's slowest moving line to pick up Malakai's prescription. The pharmacy is packed with people, my purse has been emptied of its snacks, my voice is nearly gone from all the reprimanding, I am sweating from trying to hold my extremely squirmy baby, and my full-of-energy preschoolers are being extra loud and are on the verge of breaking into a full blown fist fight. I am all out of bribe material and am doing a great job of avoiding eye contact with all the patrons for fear of the murderous looks I might catch. Here is where my "Diversion and Task Assignment" strategy comes in handy. I call the two older children over and miraculously they obey. I have them stand on either side of me so that they will not touch each other and I assign them 10 jumping jacks each. They begin to jump while I count. As they jump, they giggle hysterically and forget about the fight they were about to start. Malakai stays still for the first time in the whole day as he is thoroughly entertained by their uncoordinated jumping jacks. We are quite the spectacle but I have successfully avoided fist fights and melt downs and we have made it to the front of the line without the entire pharmacy being demolished by my tornadoes. The strategy of the season has worked.

Now it's back to the drawing board for a new play book!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

We are Super Heros

See, I am not one of those feminist, women empowerment, alpha female type girls. I actually get a little annoyed with those "women-rule-the-world" songs on the radio. And, if you've ever read my blog, you know that I am very self-deprecating and that I know that I am far from perfect. But, I'd like to take a step away from the norm and use this post to give props to all the working moms of multiple children who take their multiple roles in life very seriously and strive to do the best that they can in every one of those roles.

When I sit and reflect on all the hats I wear, I get overwhelmed (which is why I don't do this often). I compared myself to a super hero and realized that super heros really do not live up to the term "super hero." I mean seriously, they have super human powers with which to defeat a bad guy. Anybody could do that.

Here is what my version of a super hero looks like: a working mom in a cute super hero costume, holding her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder on a business call, while changing her baby's poopy diaper, using one of her legs to separate her two pre-schoolers from fighting, while flirtatiously smiling at her husband across the room. In the background is a calendar with all the million ministry events, birthday parties, showers, school performances, doctor's appointments etc. all occurring on the same day. Does this picture, give you anxiety? If it does, then you are probably a man. If you are a working mommy, you are probably high-fiving the computer screen, because this is totally you!

You realize that at this stage in your life, you are never NOT multi-tasking. At every moment of every day, you are doing multiple things at same time. So, let's raise our mugs of extra-caffeintated coffee and say to each other GOOD JOB SUPER WOMEN! You're holding up the fort and doing a great job! Call on God daily to give you that super human strength to love Him, love your husband, love your children, love His people, and to do your job with excellence. Let's not be so overwhelmed that we miss the precious moments and forget to be present in the "now."

To the true super heros out there: YOU ROCK!