"String too short to use"

10) Liam went to the pediatrician today. Well baby.

9) I am starting to get my thoughts together about this trip we are leaving on in a week. We will be gone for three weeks! Yike! In my world this takes much planning, list making and thought. In CJE’s world he can walk out the door with his toothbrush in hand and be fine. Grr! I guess that’s why he married me . . . I always wondered.

8) I have not blogged in over a month. So sue me. Life was nuts and Liam was cutting eye teeth. Trust me when I tell you, eye teeth are the worst. Even the molars were easier.

7) I read the most amazing book. Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth. Incredible. It goes on the list of books I would want with me on a deserted island.

6) Quilt camp. Extraordinary. Quiet, peaceful retreat with like-minded, crafty people. Heaven on earth.

5) Because, as I mentioned in #9, we are leaving in about a week, I am now trying to figure out how to cram a month’s worth of work into the first 10 days of June. Somehow I don’t think it’s going to work.

4) I am feeling the need to write again. Here and in my journal. I kept a journal from 1995-2007. In 2007 my life turned upside down and it hasn’t righted itself yet, but I have decided that’s no excuse. I so should be journaling anyhow. Fifty lashes with a wet noodle and here I go. No catching up, just start from where I am.

3) I found some of the best stuff on earth. Celestial Seasonings Imperial White Peach White Tea. Yummy. Because we live in the back of beyond, it is difficult to find around here. I ended up ordering it from www.amazon.com so then had to order a case, but it is scrumptious hot with a touch of honey and makes very delicious iced tea as well. You should try it.

2) Liam is two.



1) Time to read. Liam is napping, my work is done for today.

Affirmation is good for the soul

As a parent, I often wonder if I’m doing anything right. It is so very difficult to know. It is not like children come with instruction booklets and even if they did, each one is different so it mostly likely wouldn’t help anyway.

Today, however, I got affirmation that my hard work is paying off.

A friend watched Liam yesterday morning while CJE took me to a doctor’s appointment. She told us when we got back how much fun she and Liam had had and what a good boy he was and that she would be happy to watch him again anytime.

That made me feel good, but this morning she went one better. She called me and left a message on my voice mail. This is what she said: “I was just calling to thank you again for letting me come over and babysit your son yesterday. I had the best time and I just wanted to tell you that I think you have the most special child.”

Wow! I think he’s special, but my judgement is likely to be somewhat clouded on the subject. After all I’m not exactly an uninterested observer. Hearing he is special and sweet from someone else is a huge affirmation of what I am trying to do here.

There is no doubt this is the hardest thing I’ll ever do. They say that in order to grow and learn, you should do something everyday that scares you. Well, I got that covered; it scares me every day to get up and be a mom.

I want Liam to be healthy and smart and compassionate. I want him to be strong and wise and loving. I want him to love God and his fellow man. I want him to have good values and sound judgement. How do you teach these things? How do you instill them in your child?

Every day I take my best guess and hope something comes out right. Apparently it’s working cause he is a cute little boy who is strong and smart and sweet and fun. So, for today, I can breathe easy. Tomorrow is another day.