Chris Rice song

Manifesto of Joyful Parenting

This is the kind of mother I aspire to be...I'm far from it now, but keeping it in my mind will help me to minimize my failures. If you read it at the link above, you can download a free printable and also link to separate posts that expand on each point:


10 Point Manifesto of Joyful Parenting

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.

3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.

4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!

5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breath are death words.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I will create daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child's behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals - because children's hearts feed on touch. I'll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible - the taller they are, the more so.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

Spiritual Helps

I wanted to share this prayer from my friend Kerrie's blog. She has been sharing Puritan prayers from the book, "The Valley of Vision."


Spiritual Helps

Eternal Father, it is amazing love,
that Thou hast sent Thy Son to suffer in my stead,
that Thou hast added the Spirit
to teach, comfort, guide,
that Thou hast allowed the ministry of angels to wall me round;
all heaven subserves the welfare of a poor worm.

Permit Thy unseen servants to be ever active on my behalf,
and to rejoice when grace expands in me.
Suffer them never to rest until my conflict is over,
and I stand victorious on salvation's shore.
Grant that my proneness to evil,
deadness to good, resistance to Thy Spirit's motions,
may never provoke Thee to abandon me.

May my hard heart awake Thy pity,
not Thy wrath,
And if the enemy gets an advantage through my corruption,
let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell,
that those for me are greater than those against me.

Arise to my help in richness of covenant blessings,
keep me feeding in the pastures of Thy strengthening Word,
searching Scripture to find Thee there.
If my waywardness is visited with a scourge,
enable me to receive correction meekly,
to bless the reproving hand,
to discern the motive of rebuke,
to respond promptly, and do the first work.

Let all Thy fatherly dealings make me a partaker of Thy holiness.
Grant that in every fall I may sink lower on my knees,
and that when I rise it may be to loftier heights of devotion.
May my every cross be sanctified,
every loss be gain,
every denial a spiritual advantage,
every dark day a light of the Holy Spirit,
every night of trial a song.

Benny's Birthday Bash

We had Benjamin's big party yesterday with all his friends - 44 of them! I knew I had invited a lot of people, but I figured the kids would be down in the playroom or outside to thin out the crowd upstairs; I was wrong! We all milled around upstairs and it worked out fine. Josiah and Benjamin had been so excited about Ben's "purty" all week, so it was so fun when the big day arrived. Party prep was challenging this year with a little cuddlebug demanding my attention in the evenings, so I had to stay home from church to get my cake decorated. Everything came together right in time and went off without a hitch.

Uncle Danny and April were the first to arrive, so April got to hold Abigail for a long time and Danny let Ben open his present right away: a very cool robotic dinosaur! It was a big hit with all the kids at the party:

Ben wanted a "dinosaur train" party, so I did the same old train cake again and topped it with plastic dinosaurs:

Pastor Glen, Cindy and Abby came, and Grandma too:

Desiree, Nina and Maggie:

Tony, Jenn, Cole and Josiah (looking like he's had too much cake):

The Townsends, Thomas and Abigail:

Josiah took charge of the gift opening! THANK YOU to all our friends for the fun, generous gifts! The boys are having a blast with all the new toys, puzzles, books and art supplies!

Abigail kept very busy making the rounds:

When it was all over, my boys were pretty tired!

And Abigail was happy to have a quiet house again:

Happy Birthday, Benjamin!

Yesterday was Benjamin's 3rd birthday! I can't believe how fast my little man is growing up! Very bittersweet. He enjoyed his special day and is looking forward to Sunday, when we're having his big party with all his friends.

Benjamin has enjoyed receiving cards in the mail and this very big package from Grandma, Papa, and Great Grandma in NC:
Here he is kissing his new dog, that sings and dances:

And the boys love the race track!

Benjamin asked to have breakfast at Moosehead Coffee Beans on his birthday, and of course Papa and Grandma were pleased to have him! Abigail characteristically slept through the morning:

Here are the boys at their favorite restaurant with Papa and Grandma, and Ben's new phone:

Last night, we had dinner with the family. Ben picked the menu; pizza, hot dogs, green beans, strawberries, and strawberry cake:

Nana was happy to hold Abigail:

And Abigail even woke up for a little while!

Papa didn't realize Josiah was really taking his picture! :)

Benjamin requested a strawberry cake, which he and Josiah frosted, sprinkled and decorated with trains and dinosaurs:

Happy birthday, big guy!

Smiles

Benjamin is always good at posing for pictures.

Josiah is proud of his recent artwork.


And Abigail makes our hearts burst with her beautiful smiles!

Halloween Happiness

Some pictures from the past week:

Our Jekyll/Hyde Jack-O-Lantern (because Benji wanted a "happy face" and Josiah wanted a "scary face":

We had the family + Tammy for dinner this week, and I wish I had captured this moment better (hard to do with a broken flash!):

Abigail was mesmerized by the chandelier:

Papa and Abigail:

We rode the Haunted Train at the Railway Village. The gorilla and swamp monster were a bit much for Benjamin! When we got in the car to go home, Benji said he didn't like the scary costumes, so he was cancelling the haunted train ride! He doesn't seem to be permanently traumatized though. Here's Josiah in the gift shop with Mr. Ross and Mrs. Rene:

Josiah was a dragon and Benji was a pirate (remember Josiah two years ago?). They both wanted their faces painted:

And Abigail was a "Boo Baby":

Grandma was the first stop on the Halloween parade (which was freeeeeeezing cold this year! Ouch!!!), and we walked with our buddy Emma the Butterfly:

There were other festivities this weekend too, including a birthday party and going to Portland for a family portrait (what a nightmare!!!), so we are all Halloweened-Out! Everyone has a cold today, so we're laying low. We're still eating candy from last Halloween, so hopefully we'll be able to strecth this batch out as long too. :)

Random things the boys have been saying alot lately:

Josiah, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Benjamin, "There goes the neighborhood!"