Great advice

My friend Sally had the best blog entry I have ever read and I thought as many Moms as possible should read it to get better perspective on the day to day. I am so lucky to know someone as sweet as she is.

Regrets

So have you ever wished you wouldn't have said something? Whether it be because you have hurt someone's feelings, embarrassed them or yourself, revealed a secret or even contradicted something you have previously said before? I have done all of that. Through the years I have tried to be careful not to reveal everything I am thinking at the exact moment. I think sometimes you don't realize what you say can affect people good and bad. I have tried to right my wrongs and I hope that I have.

But lately I have regretted so many things I have said aloud regarding my kids. I have said in so many different ways that I "can't wait until this or that". For example, "I can't wait until Maggie can feed herself, I can't wait until she can walk, entertain herself, talk, go to preschool, etc." Everything is "I can't wait, or I am looking forward too.." Now that all of that has happened with not only Maggie but Navy and Jack as well, I find myself regretting thinking I wanted them to grow up.

With Elizabeth, every new thing she does makes me a bit sad. Knowing she is our last is a bitter pill to swallow. How I wish being pregnant was an easy road for us. Yet, despite all the drama, we have 4 kids so I can't feel too bad for myself. So every new tooth, a word, crawling, standing anything and everything is a step closer to Lizza growing out of her baby stage. I won't deny it is great to get out of diapers, especially when I had 3 in them at once! Every stage is my favorite. Now that Maggie is in kindergarten she comes home with things she hears and learns from other kids. Sometimes I laugh, smile, stare in shock and sometimes I get mad. She is my best buddy and I enjoy her more than I can say. I do wonder if I spend or have spent enough time playing with her, reading, going to the park (although I loathe parks so I don't feel to bad about that one!) all these wonders I have. I was so busy waiting for the next thing, I worry I ignored the present. Do I give each child the attention they need and deserve? I hope so, I am trying.

I used to swear off blogging, just because I looked at it as a "pick and choose" peak into my life and others. Like any of us will post ourselves at 6 am or when we just got done yelling at our kids, or each other! Will we? Probably not, but at the same time, it is a way to document our lives and indecently we see how fast time flies. I love to blog for my own satisfaction of scrapbooking which is another thing I never got into.

I graduated from high school in 1997 and think about how much has changed in 10 years. Cell phones for everyone, texting, instant messaging, blogging, etc., it is so convenient and helpful, so normal now, it just validates how fast things change. It kindof scares me. I actually liked the big brick of a cell phone!

I need to enjoy today for all that it brings, because soon enough the kids won't be asking me to do something every second of everyday, they will soon be talking and spending time with people other than me. Right now they need us; they have no idea how much Brandon and I will always need them. We are trying and hoping to raise our kids into people that are better people than us...So bring on the whining, tattling, clean-up, diapers & sick babies, laughter, smiles, make~believe, coloring, fingerpaint, laundry, breakfast, lunches, suppers and snacks, and bath time~ all too soon it will be over.