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Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

May 11, 2012 By Jackie 6 Comments

Embracing the Joys of Motherhood

This morning I was awakened by several lights that Joshua had turned on. I had no idea what he was doing so early, but I knew that he had already made Joseph wake up and probably the rest of the kids would soon follow.

The pre-mommy me wanted to just pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. Instead, I got up to see what he was doing. Joshua thought he had wet the bed, so he was getting a new pair of underwear. He often does this when in reality all he needs to do is use the bathroom.

I turned off some of the lights and helped him to the bathroom. When I went back to my bedroom, I found that Janna was awake. She smiled at her older brothers who had followed me. She was ready for a great day no matter how early it started.

While I got ready for the day, Joshua and Joseph decided to look at a photo album from 2005. Back then, I only had three children, and Joshua was still a baby.

Watching the two of them discuss things that happened before Joseph was even born and that Joshua can’t remember, I was reminded of just how swiftly time marches on. Babies become toddlers who exert their independence, sometimes in the form of a tantrum. Toddlers become school-age children who question everything. School-age children become teenagers which is just a stone’s throw from adulthood.

I was pondering all of this as I walked to the kitchen to fix everyone breakfast. One look at the sink reminded me that I had fallen asleep before dealing with all of the dirty dishes from last night.

I then stepped into the laundry room to find that no one seems to know the difference between darks and lights, or the fact that I have asked them to try to separate the clothes instead of just throwing them on the floor.

As a mom I am responsible for managing my home. I can set the tone by being grouchy and complaining about all of the things that my family is doing wrong, isn’t helping me with, or isn’t doing at all. However, I try to choose to be joyful.

I am joyful because we have enough food to eat, and there are people I get to cook for who helped me create the dirty dishes I found in my sink this morning.

I am joyful because my family has plenty of clothes to wear, and there is enough water to wash them with.

I am joyful even when my children argue over toys, or when the toys are strewn all over the house because we have so many things that others in this world will never have.

I am joyful.

Watching my children grow has been such a blessing. Several years ago, when James was little, there were moments when I began to wonder if God had chosen the right person for the task of mothering him. However, when I look at James now, I know that God knew exactly what He was doing.

When my children are sleeping so soundly and the house is so quiet, it is easy to feel love and be joyful about motherhood. But, I want to be joyful even when everything is loud and crazy, too.

Because, when my children are grown and the house is empty and quiet, I am not going to miss the times when my children were sleeping, I am going to miss the chaos.

I have been at this motherhood business for nearly 13 years. I still have a long way to go. Yet, I know just how quickly Janna will go from this smiling 1 year old…

…to being a 12 1/2 year old on the cusp of womanhood.

I remember sitting in church on Mother’s Day 13 years ago rubbing my belly wondering what motherhood would be like. If I could go back and tell that young mom-to-be anything about what the 13 years ahead would be like, I would only tell her one thing, embrace the joys of motherhood.

When I hear someone say that they can’t wait until their kids are out of the house or that they have given up on their 16 year old, I want to shake them. I want to tell them that there are so many women who are either unable to have children or have lost a child who would give anything to have a child to exasperate them. Instead, I pray for them.

No one ever said motherhood was going to be easy or without challenges. Each mother signs up for the job either willingly or “by accident”. When the task gets hard, we mothers need to remember just how much God has blessed us. Flawed creatures that we are, God has chosen us to mold and guide the next generation. How can we not give thanks to Him? Why must we complain and gripe about our families?

This Mother’s Day I want to issue a challenge to all of the moms out there. Each and every day of your life, embrace the joys of motherhood.

John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

Filed Under: Parenting, Random Thoughts Tagged With: Encouragement, Family Life

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jackiesblessings

I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that h I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that has happened in 2020. There have been so many negatives for so many people. I can’t say it has all been positive for me either. However, there are some things that have happened in 2020 for which I am so grateful. 
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The main thing I am grateful for is the extra time I was able to spend with my kids. We had so much fun during quarantine and this summer. I know this wasn’t the case for everyone, but I do not regret the days when we had nothing planned and could just have fun together. Whether it was walking in the woods, playing games, watching a movie together, or even doing chores, I never once heard an “I’m bored.” 🙂 
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In addition to the gift of more time together, I am also grateful for all of the milestones we have celebrated this year. In June, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and then we had four milestone birthdays. Julia turned 21, James turned 18, Joshua turned 16, and Joseph turned 13. (Janna felt left out, so we told her that her birthday was special because it was her last birthday in single digits.) Also, today marks 25 years that JT and I have been married. 
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While I won’t be sorry to see 2020 go, and I hope
and pray 2021 is better for so many people who are hurting right now, I don’t ever want to forget the good times we had this year. 
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P.S. I took all of these pictures over fall break.
The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual church service yesterday, and I couldn’t resist getting a picture with them in front of this beautiful Christmas tree. ❤️
James has been playing school basketball since he James has been playing school basketball since he was in the fourth grade. Tonight he and his fellow Seniors  were recognized at their game, and I just can’t believe James is this old. 
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Normally, Senior Night is the last game of the season. However,  because everything in the world seems so uncertain right now, we wanted to make sure the boys got a chance to be recognized. We wanted something “normal” for them. I am thankful James and his teammates not only got recognized but also won their game. 
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P.S. We had our masks on at all times other than when we took pictures.
We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is t We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is turning 13 today, and it just doesn’t seem possible. The beautiful baby boy who was placed in my arms on a cold and foggy day in December is still my “little” guy. However, after looking at this picture of the two of us, I don’t think he will be shorter than me for long. Joseph is still my shy guy, but he is also sweet, loving, kind, and just an all around good kid. We also lovingly refer to him as the cat whisperer because the kittens and cats follow him around like puppies. 🙂 It has been so much fun to have Joseph at school with me this year now that he is in junior high, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mama. Happy birthday, Joseph! ❤️
2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of 2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of those challenges was self-inflicted. 🙂 I just finished my fourth master’s level course of 2020 through Ball State, and I passed the high ability licensure exam last Thursday. This means that I will soon have high ability added to my teaching license. 
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When I signed up to take my first class in January, I had no idea what 2020 was going to entail. Teaching in a pandemic isn’t for the faint of heart. Taking classes and caring for five kids while teaching in a pandemic has allowed me to see what I am really made of. I don’t mean to brag, but I am pretty happy that I received straight A’s. Beyond that, I learned so much, and I am grateful for this opportunity even though I felt stretched to my limits some days. 
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Yes, 2020 has been challenging, but I have been blessed with more time with my family, knowledge gained, and challenges met and overcome.
I almost forgot to post this here. 🎂 Joshua is I almost forgot to post this here. 
🎂
Joshua is 16 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible that my little pip squeak of a baby boy is now about 6’4”. Joshua is now the tallest of the family, and I’m not sure he is done growing. There hasn’t been a dull moment since Joshua arrived, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. He is a fun-loving, hard-working, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. I am so thankful God thought I was up to the task of being Joshua’s mama. ❤️
My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t c My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t cry as soon as he was born but first looked around to see what was going on in the world, is now a 6’2” handsome man. I truly never thought the years would go by so quickly, but here we are. James is 18 today. 

There are so many words I could use to describe James: hardworking, dedicated, persevering, intelligent, funny, curious, kindhearted, dependable, respectful, and helpful. I could also expound upon his accomplishments, and I could tell you how great he is. However, I don’t love James for what he has accomplished but simply because he is my son.

I have been so blessed to be James’s mom, and I thank God every day for entrusting him into my care. I don’t know what the future will hold for him, but I know he will do great things. 

For anyone reading this who is struggling with a tantrum throwing toddler, a strong-willed child, and/or a child who questions everything, I would like to encourage you. Look for the positive qualities your child possesses such as perseverance, dedication, and curiosity and build upon that. I will never regret the hard days of parenting because my prayers and hard work have paid off. Helping James reach his full potential and keep those qualities without breaking his spirit has been worth the effort.

Happy Birthday, James!
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed sur I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed surreal. It felt chaotic. Nothing was normal. We are all exhausted. However, it was wonderful to be with my students again after five months, and my own kids enjoyed seeing their friends. I don’t know how this school year will play out, but I am ready to go back tomorrow and try to make teaching virtually and in person work to the best of my ability. My students are worth the effort. 
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James is a senior, and this was his last first day of school. Joshua is a sophomore, and Joseph is in 7th grade which means I have all three of my boys in the same building with me. Janna is in fourth grade, and she was very excited to be back at school. Julia will be a senior in college when she starts back next week. 
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I am praying we all have a safe and healthy school year. I plan to try not to think about the unknowns and what-ifs and take it one day at a time.
This morning I told four of my kids we were going This morning I told four of my kids we were going to go on an adventure. (No, I didn’t leave one out of the fun. James played in a golf tournament with his dad. 🙂) Anyway, it was quite an adventure. It started with my vehicle telling me one of the tires needed air, but it must be a bad sensor because it was fine. Then I almost ran out of gas. I drove us on all sorts of country roads we had never been on, and I even thought I was going south when I was actually going north for like 10 miles. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was very obvious I have not been many places since March. 
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Anyway, Julia, Joshua, Joseph, Janna, and I went to @maxandhoneys where we took some pictures and picked a beautiful bouquet. It was really fun. After that, we went to Greencastle and then to Lieber State Recreation Area. We finished by stopping to do a few things in my classroom, and we made it home before it started raining.
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I am so thankful for a day of doing something fun and “normal” but out of the ordinary. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the best way to describe it. Yes, we had to wear masks sometimes and practice social distancing, but it was still a good day. 
.
Here are some pictures from our day. The last picture is of James before he went to play golf. How is he old enough to be a senior? 😢 I am so thankful for my family. 💕 Also, kudos to Joshua and Joseph for being good sports about picking flowers. Their future wives will thank me. 😀

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