Mommy Blog | From Dates to Diapers | Christine Young

I Know

Christine — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:55:10 +0000

I have a new life growing inside of my womb.
A precious baby to be added to our gaggle of children.

Soon-to-be-seven children for whom I am responsible.
To teach. To train. To guide. To love. To nurture.

AND

I’m tired. I’m overwhelmed.

BUT

I know that God has a perfect plan.

I know that God will provide.

I know that God does not give us more than we can handle.

I know that God works in me and through me in spite of my weaknesses.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
{Isaiah 40:28-31}

Make Your Husband A Priority

Christine — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:45:54 +0000

Okay Dads, now I know there are many of you who visit often, but this post is for my fellow Mom friends, so will you excuse us for a minute, please?

There are plenty of articles written about how to be a good mom, but as busy moms I think we tend to forget, at times, that we are wives first. I know I certainly do. My husband demands the least from me, so I often forget that it's our marriage that needs to be nurtured the most. Our children need to see a healthy and loving relationship exemplified in the home. It is from us that they learn how to love and treat those of the opposite sex.

Trust me, I know that it's easy to become overwhelmed with the caring for and training of our children, meal planning, housework, budgeting, and the million other jobs we attend to daily. At the end of the day I'm emotionally spent, worn out, and just plain exhausted.

But, it's at the end of the day when my husband returns home from a long day of his own. He doesn't complain when I ask him to stop at the store for a missing ingredient for that night's dinner, or when he pitches in to help make it {or even when he has to make it on his own}. No complaints when he has to change another stinky diaper, or fill the dishwasher for the fourth day in a row.

However, you can be certain that I do hear about it when I neglect him. Of course, it’s not always expressed in words, but in looks and sighs. This is a good thing. I need a gentle reminder to make my husband a priority. In fact, I think wives everywhere need to be nudged a bit when they neglect their man.

Of course, it’s easier said than done, right? Well, maybe. But, how about doing something for your husband that he totally doesn’t expect? Show him you love him by doing the little things to prove it. Even when you may not want to at first.

Here are some ideas ::

Prepare his favorite foods for dinner or a Saturday mid-day meal.
Put your laptop and iPhone away for a few hours, one evening, and just snuggle.
Tell him how much you love him, the good old-fashioned way, and send him a love note.
Ask him how you may pray for him.
Flirt with your man across a crowded room. Even if that crowded room is movie night. In your family room. On a Sunday evening.
Remember to speak to him with respect. After all, he’s not one of your children.
Surprise him with a special date night out. Or in – after the kids are in bed.
Make time for sex. Yes, I said it. Mark it on the calendar, if you need to. Ladies, this one is important!
Or, how about something as sassy as having sexy boudoir pictures taken. You can ask my husband how much he loved this one!
Even just a quick kiss, out of nowhere, can do the trick.

Whatever you decide to do, the simple fact that you thought to do something out of the ordinary, will go a long way to let your husband know how much you love, appreciate and respect him.

Some of the ideas above came from a couple of good friends, but how about you? How do YOU let your man know he is a priority?

The American Lion and Us

Christine — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:00:40 +0000

We recently had the privilege to explore the Elephant Odyssey exhibit at the San Diego Zoo {more to come}.
Not only did we learn a ton, but we had so much fun!

Visit more Wordless Wednesday participants at 5 Minutes for Mom and Extraordinary Mothers.
Visit Wordful Wednesday participants at Angie’s Circus

Sweet to the Soul

Christine — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:27:09 +0000

Have you considered how much your words can affect others?

Our words have the power to build up or tear down, to encourage or humiliate, to bless or crush.

Bless someone – your husband, your children, a friend, a stranger – with your words today.

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,
sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
-Proverbs 16:24

All too often lately have I been hurt by words – the words of friends and strangers alike. This post, however, was inspired by my sweet friend, Rachel, who always has a kind word for those she knows and loves, and even those she just happens to meet. She inspires me to be a better wife, mom and friend. Every day. Truly.

A Sleep-Deprived Rant

Christine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:20:28 +0000

I’d like to apologize, in advance, for the tone of this post. I usually am good about keeping this a no whining zone and I promise not to make this a regular occurrence, but I need to vent while my kids are eating lunch.

I’m exhausted.

We discovered yesterday that Noah’s cold has produced ear infections in both ears. I understand that he’s in pain, but he has insisted on sitting with me on me every second of the day for the last four days, which is getting old. As I type this, Noah is flopping on the floor at my feet begging for KoolAid to replace his beloved carrot juice!

Because Noah has been sick, I have not had a solid night sleep in almost a full week. Not to mention that we were not home the entire week before. All this to say, I think it’s been a good two weeks since I had a decent night’s sleep. Is it too much to ask for just 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep, in my own bed? I guess so.

Last night was so crazy, in fact, that Noah managed to scratch my eyeball during a very urgent need to find my face. I now cringe every time I blink and my eye will not stop watering. Did you know that the average person blinks 25 times every sixty seconds?

On top of being exhausted from lack of sleep, I’m pregnant! Honestly, I think it is just now sinking in that I AM PREGNANT! Again. Another baby doesn’t scare me. Even the possibility of two new babies doesn’t scare me. I love being pregnant. I really, really do. BUT, I do not like feeling tired and nauseous all day long. The idea of being sick for the next 9 months is what scares me. I’m hoping it’ll pass in the next couple of weeks.

Which reminds me – My OB won’t see me until next month. Apparently, despite the fact that my “period” in February wasn’t more than a day or two of mild spotting, they won’t begin counting gestation until then. Which puts me at an unusually large 6 weeks. {{sigh}}

Alright, he’s gonna make me crazy! Please tell me you would give Noah KoolAid if you were me…

Are Pampers Diapers Really the Best?

Christine — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:10:34 +0000

My sister found that Pampers Swaddlers were the best for her newborn and now she uses Pampers Cruisers. Here’s her story::

There are probably several different answers and opinions to this question but if you want my experienced opinion, YES, I think Pampers Swaddlers are the best diaper, especially for a newborn!

When we had our first son, we used whatever we had on hand, diapers that the hospital sent us home with and what we were given at my baby shower. All of which included a wide variety of brands from Huggies to Pampers to no-name brands. I remember my frustration as I nursed my son Alex and then within minutes he would have a major blowout! I had to make sure that I always carried a second outfit ’cause inevitably he would need to be changed after a feeding because these stupid diapers would leak a huge mess.

Being a new mommy I had no idea that the cause of blowouts were due to what brand of diaper I used. I just assumed that all diapers were created equal, but that is just not the case. I started to pay closer attention to what I would use and concluded that Pampers Swaddlers were by far the best brand… he would never leak! Once I discovered that I never went back!

Now, we use Pampers Cruisers for our son Isaac. Pampers diapers really are the best brand for us!

~~~~~~~~~~
Leave me a comment, before 9pm on March 15th, to enter to win a Liz Lange designer diaper clutch AND a redeemable coupon for a free week’s supply of the all-new Cruisers with Dry Max!

Must be a US resident to enter. Winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to reply before forfeiting prize.