Behind

I am really behind in the whole scrapbooking thing.

I am horrible about taking pictures of things (I totally rely on my sister).

I'm even worse about organizing them (in some way other than in whatever folder they happen to download to on the computer).

Are my children are missing out?

When I do remember to take pictures I'm always disappointed because I end up viewing the important event from behind a little screen.

It bums me out to see these events second-hand.

I feel like I'm missing out.


- - - pause for light-bulb moment - - -

(self-talk q:) what is the purpose of recording these events?
(self-talk a:) I suppose its for those participating to have some reminder.


Could this be one of those sacrifices that we as parents, should make for our children? (I'm so not good at this whole sacrifice thing; isn't it all about me?)

I may miss out on some of the present excitement, but then that memory is carried on for my child and others.

Is that the deal?

Help me out here. Because I feel like I'm missing out either way.

(Maybe if I did it more often I could be confident of holding the camera just right and not have to look through it to get the picture?)

Fantasy

Just because I'm weird . . .

After shampooing and cleaning the hair off my fingers (tmi), I found a really white one.

The first thought that came to my mind was,


"I found a unicorn hair!"


I think I might need to expand my reading genre.

Real Women

I am blessed to have amazing women in my life. I like to call them real women.

When I am around a real woman I . . .

. . . know who I am.

. . . can eat what I want without wondering if they think I'm a pig.

. . . can pick up conversations from forever ago without the small talk.

. . . can talk about potty-training and gospel topics in the same breath.

. . . am not embarrassed to cry.

. . . laugh a lot.


To me a real woman is someone who . . .

. . . knows who they are.

. . . has goals that they are always working towards.

. . . makes others feel good without putting themselves down.

. . . loves being a mother and desires it more than anything.

. . . will drop anything just to visit with a friend even for a short time.

. . . is willing to admit faults and weaknesses without wallowing in self-pity.

. . . laughs heartily.




. . . bless my life.

Winner

Wow - I won something!

Kind of funny considering what our family motto used to be.

My friend has this great blog with lots of cool stuff and funny stuff and just stuff that reminds me how great she is. She is my blogging guru who I call when I have questions on how to do cool stuff to my blog (Its not her fault that I don't).

Anyway, she had a giveaway and I dutifully left a comment. And I won this.

It was such a great thing to happen because I've been feeling a little down (family: please note that I know this is a normal valley in the journey of life and really everything is ok).

It just made me smile to know that I won at something. Just a little spark but enough to make things better.

And even though I'm very excited for the prize, it's actually the winning part that I'm most excited about.

So, I've decided that I want to be a winner at something every day. Something random.

But what can moms win?

Making it through the day without yelling is an accomplishment but doesn't really feel like winning.

I know, I'll come up with some contest with my kids. Like let them choose a winning word and if I happen to say it that day then I win!

Ok, that could get ugly.

But I like winning; so I'm open for suggestions.

The Island

The place where I live is known as "the Island". It is divided from the other parts of town by two bodies of water (kind of).

This weekend we made a trip back to our old civilization. We drove about 2 hours to go see family and eat and watch conference.

Getting ready for the visit felt weird.

You know how on reality shows (not that I have ever watched them) there is a point where the contestants go home for a short visit or get letters to remind them of how they were before the game.

That's what it felt like to me.

Like living here is a type of reality show and I just have to make it through 3 years and then I win.

But isn't that what life is?

We are given a short time in our life to make what we can of it.

Sometimes we are given reminders of "home". It can either discourage us or help us stay motivated to complete the challenge.

The goal is to not lose focus but to keep on striving.

The good thing about this game though is that everyone can win.

In fact, the real winners are those who help others win along their way, too.

So really, it's not just a three year contest, but an everyday one.

I'm planning on winning.

Anyone want to form an alliance with me?