Parenting in the "D" Archives - Page 4 of 5

A Post To Break The Writer’s Block

November 5, 2013

I guess I don’t really have writer’s block necessarily.

It’s more like general anxiety over what to write.

Which sounds silly as soon as I sit here and type it out, but it’s honest.

I love this blog. I really do.

I love posting recipes and things God is teaching me and the general everydayness of my life.

But once in a while I feel kind of paralyzed about what to write.

I feel like I should be posting recipes several times a week so that I can be a food blogger and grow my reach online. The spinach artichoke pasta recipe that I posted has been pinned over 11,000 times which blows my mind.

But then I feel like God is teaching me so many incredible things and I want to share those too.

And then I think about how much I love to read blogs about people’s lives….what their kids are up to, the outfits they are wearing, how they are preparing for the holidays, and that kind of stuff.

So I just don’t write.

I look at the laptop sitting on the counter and I sigh and walk by it.

Wanting to write the perfect thing or post the next big recipe, but feeling overwhelmed that I don’t have the right stuff to put out there.

Motherhood is taking just about every ounce of my effort lately. My girls are so good and generally sweet, but they require much of me. Physically, emotionally, spiritually they draw from me all day. Every day.

I feel like an over-milked cow who just wants to find a pile of hay and lay down.

And I’m not even nursing either of my kids!

It’s like emotional breastfeeding. Lol

God is drawing me more and more to Himself in these long, draining days. I know that His presence is all around me and that He has the power I need.

It’s taking me less time to relinquish control and ask Him for an extra measure of mercy and grace for my children.

That’s a victory for a control freak like me.

And, at the end of the day, I’m so grateful for where I’m at in life. Even when the girls soil the third outfit of the day and have to go potty as soon as I sit down for a late lunch and the house that I JUST CLEANED is in shambles. I’m glad I get to be here for it all.

Walks around the autumn-colored neighborhood in the middle of the day on a Tuesday and morning snoozes while the baby naps and Grace plays nearby are blessings that I don’t want to overlook just because I’m restless and drained.

These days pass quickly, as everyone tells me. I know the parenting part only gets harder as they grow up, and I know that as hard as I try I will never be able to do it perfectly.

So for now, I wake up each day and try to surrender sooner. I look for things to be grateful for rather than focusing on all the hard parts.

And I blog it out. As disorganized as these thoughts are, it feels good to get them out.

An Unexpected Enchanted Evening

October 16, 2013

Andy had an exam on Monday, and even though he regularly has exams, we use those days as an excuse to celebrate.

Each successful exam is, after all, one step closer to him being a doctor.

The days leading up are usually busy and somewhat stressful for him, so when the test is out of the way we all breath a sigh of relief. And we do something fun to celebrate, even if it’s just a fun dinner.

This week we went out for burgers and beers at a local restaurant. Don’t worry, the girls drank water. Someone needed to drive us home…

Just kidding :)

After dinner we walked around The Village (a quaint, upscale shopping area) and made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s for a jar of almond butter. Their crunchy almond butter is the perfect accompaniment to cold, crisp apples. Trust me on this.

It was a gorgeous fall evening with cool breezes and crunchy leaves abounding. Our walk around The Village was short, but really refreshing after getting stuffed at dinner.

Andy chose to drive along the lake on our way home which is something I always love and especially appreciate about living in Michigan. But before we made it to the expanse of road where the lake is fully visible, he turned into the driveway of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.

The place we were married just over 10 years ago.

It’s a beautiful lake-front mansion that oozes history and charm. I always wanted to get married there and was thrilled when they had dates available the year of our wedding.

On Monday evening when we parked near the entrance to the gardens, the sun was getting ready to set and the sky was painted beautiful shades of teal, lavender, pink and peach.

We grabbed the girls out of their carseats and set out on foot to explore the lawn and gardens.

It was so fun to tell Grace that this was the place where mommy and daddy got married, and that I walked through the gardens before heading down the aisle to meet daddy.

She asked lots of questions and seemed generally interested in the whole thing. Every once in a while she’d say, “This is such a great day!”

We told her how daddy waited at the top of the steps for me and that’s where the pastor led us through our vows.

She had fun putting on a little dance routine for us :)

We all had fun walking around the lawn, soaking up the beautiful scenery.

Avery loved the fresh air and the challenge of grabbing my pearl earrings.

Before we left, we sat by the lake and marveled at how we were standing there 10 years later with two beautiful daughters.

An unexpected detour on the way home from the restaurant turned out to be such an enchanted evening :)

Grace’s First Ballet Class {Video}

September 13, 2013

Grace attended her first ever ballet class yesterday, and I think it may have been the cutest thing I have ever seen.

She’s been over-the-moon excited about taking ballet since we signed her up at the studio a week ago.

Thursdays at 1:00 are her new favorite times of the week for sure.

The moms had to wait outside the classroom, so we all huddled in front of the small viewing window to catch glimpses of our precious tutu-clad baby girls.

This footage is a little blurry at times, but I just had to capture the magic of her first class…

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