All that is within me

You would think as a mom I would just have this over whelming love that spills over for my kids. I do! I love them. But the spilling over part in more in line with them spilling water on the floor to make a slip-n-slide, or the finger paint that spills over onto their whole body for body art. What I am trying to say is that my tenderness for my kids comes with much work. This is how Caleb would say it: "come-on brain sit and relax with my kids!" I am not a natural caretaker or compassionate mom by any means. It is something I truly have to work at every single day. I have to tell myself to sit and cuddle and to sit and listen. So, as each day goes on I have to ask God to continue to help me love on my kids as he would. Not an easy task at that. If you know my kids you know that they are nothing less then all over the place. Each kid comes with his/her own instructions but each one needs the same amount of love and care. So this weekend I worked hard to just hang out with them. And in turn I was blessed. I got to slide down a huge (well kinda little) snow hill with RRR. It was awesome. We did it over and over again until my clothes where too wet to keep going. I got to carry Caleb in my arms with his head on my shoulder for a few minutes and I got to carry him from his bed to the couch where be snuggled with me. We listened to Dad read books and had some great moments together. All this to say that I know I suck sometimes at just loving on my kids, especially when Caleb is carrying Dog poop in his hands to "help" me clean up the dog crap or when RRR piles all the dishes up in a tower on the counter to "help" me empty the dish washer...(yes all these and more happen on a daily bases) BUT I am working on looking at it like you. Saying that is pretty darn funny. And so dishes will break and hands will get dirty and even worms and snails will live in Caleb's closet. The truth is I can choose to be the best mom I know how to be and that is loving my kids despite our circumstances!