The Father's Mother's Day Gift.

Mother's Day, the day that mothers get doted on, recognized, appreciated, and spot-lighted. Children say the sweetest things, do all the chores, and recognize all the sacrifices moms make. Unfortunately, I found myself having to steer the boat of "recognize me, honor me, celebrate me," and I found myself very frustrated and hurt. I knew this wasn't right but I knew this wasn't anyone's fault but my own. It's not even their fault for being princesses that don't know how to celebrate others because I do it so naturally they never have to. The problem was nowhere but in myself.  You know what though? That's my favorite type of problem. I know that my Daddy God will tell me the secrets of heaven and make me more like Him. During worship at church this frustrated and confused Mother's Day morning, I turned my eyes off myself and focused on the Lion of Judah. Let me tell you what I learned about myself when I turned my eyes off of me:

He is the Lion, the King of all kings, and I am a warrior princess, equipped to take enemy schemes and turn them into Kingdom victories. What a powerful place for a mama to stand! And, I'm not just raising other independent warrior princess lionesses; I am raising warrior princess lionesses to work as a unified force, in a pride, for the glory of the Lion King. Mmmmmmm. So good! Such a parenting strategy shift! What a nice gift; better than the Melting Pot's Brie and Bacon Fondue (which is saying something)! Thank you husband, for not cringing at the price tag of that Mother's Day gift. 

But that wasn't all He wanted to give me. He also showed me that I had been looking for accolades, recognition, and the gift of being known, from my kids. How frustrating is THAT?! What kid can actually recognize the gift of their mother until they themselves are a parent?! No forced art project from school will ever touch that place in my heart--and it shouldn't! The Father was offering for me to get my recognition, accolades, and known-ness as a mother, from Him rather than my kids. What a divine shift! It takes the frustration off my heart and the pressure off my kids and husband. I'm not even mad right now that instead of diamonds and bubble baths, I have a sink full of dirty dishes and a couple extra pounds from the fondue splurge. 

Mom's, that invitation is to you as well. Go have a quiet moment (even if it's with headphones at the kitchen sink full of dishes), and ask Father God what He wants to say about you as a Mother. I promise it's only kindness, adoration, and hope He wants to bring to this conversation. Be brave. Ask Him. Then go worship Him through your mothering! 

Shhh....we accidentally did home-school today.

Thanks to rainy-day Oregon, the girls were forced to get creative in their play time. They got their counting money jar out and started sorting, counting, and (dare-I-say?) learning.

• Isabelle started counting coins as she put them in the counter. She counted to 38! Last I knew, she could only count to 12 (which I was impressed with)
• Madeline counted her nickles by 5's and her dimes by 10's!
• Rebekah multiplied by 4's to figure out how many dollars she had in quarters.

And this brings me to the first ever Bringing Up the Princess give-away! As many of you know, I

have quite the little Mary Kay inventory. And what does every woman need, but a miniature brush set?! Who ever guesses how much money we have in our money counter, will get an eye brush set (4 brushes and a pretty carrying case)! Let the guessing begin!

Bekah's two-point expository paragraph

Bekah wrote her first paragraph today! There are some form issues to take care of, but this is a fabulous start!

"I have two favorite animals. These animals are brown and blue. My first animal is a guinea pig because he is soft and kutly. My second favorite animal is a fish. He is my favorite because he does tricks. I like my two favorite animals because they are fun!"

Please take note of the drawings at the bottom. Super cute! Super proud mama!

We use Shurley Grammar and it makes grammar so easy! I wish I would have had Shurley Grammar as a kid! I would not have had to wait until after my Master's Degree to know about prepositional phrases.

Compared to Whom?

We often spend so much time comparing ourselves to others that we forget to measure ourselves up to Christ. When I look at others, I can pretend that I am righteous. When I compare myself to Christ, I know that I’m not saved by my good works, I am saved by HIM!

There have been times that I have been proud and self-righteous in so many areas. Not because I’m all that, maybe because I forget to realize that Jesus is my righteousness. When working with abusive parents, it’s easy for me to believe that I’m a great mother—doing everything right. In the past year, my circumstance has changed. I’ve been spending more time with parents that are “good parents”. Then I start the comparing game. But, DANG IT, they’re not who I’m supposed to comparing myself to either. It is CHRIST that I need to compare myself to. NO ONE ELSE. It’s about Him, not about me! I want to parent my children as Jesus would. Not so that God will love me more, be impressed with me, make my children successful. But to bring Him honor, glorify Him. And to teach my kids to do the same.

Do I compare myself to the "bad parents"? NO!

Do I compare myself to the "good parents"? NO!

Do I compare myself to Christ? Yes, please.

Recently, it's come to my attention that I haven't been speaking to and treating my children as Christ would treat them. I've had more days than not, of just putting up with them, being short, and annoyed by them. I've spoken to them in ways that I would NEVER allow them to speak to me, or others to speak to them. I'm asking for heavenly help to soften my heart toward them. There's a cliche that says that "knowing is half the battle." I believe it's more than half--it's probably MOST of the battle!

Movie Review :: Gnomeo & Juliet

Bekah and Maddy were invited to a Birthday party today. Leaving Izzy to a date with just Mom and Dad. We decided a movie was a great way to make the afternoon special. So, we made our way to the $1.50 theater in town. Izzy chose Gnomeo & Juliet over Rango.

Let me start by saying that I am in TOTAL support of movie makers creating Rated G movies! It just doesn't happen much anymore. And like the difference between 6 and 7 on my TV's volume, there's a huge leap between G and PG sometimes.

This movie is a re-make of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are the reds (Montague) and the Blues (Capulets), two families (these families are yard gnomes) feuding for generations. Of course, Gnomeo Capulet falls in love with Juliet Montague-- a forbidden love. The whole time, I'm wondering how they're going to make such a tragic love story into a kids' movie, but I was actually surprised how well they did it in a WAY LESS TRAGIC way (without ruining any endings for you). All in all a cute movie. I was quite impressed with this movie that received nearly no recognition or kind ratings.

There is one main problem, however, with this movie. It is a blatant love story. One with rebellion, full-mouth kisses, and the end of the world when it doesn't seem like it's going to work out. Cute for me and my not-so-interested-in-boys-in-that-way daughter. NOT cute for my 4 year old that is just plain boy crazy (who just happened to be at a princess Birthday party)! In the end, Chuck, Isabelle, and I agreed it was a good movie--worth our time and $1.50. However, not a movie I will be allowing my 4 year old to watch. She doesn't need any help getting ideas about love from the media.

You might think I'm overreacting. I'm pretty secure on this stance. Click here for a GREAT article that does a fabulous job giving reason for my stance on this issue.

“Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe and you’re ready.”~ Song of Solomon 2:7

Explore. Dream. Discover.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover"

~~Mark Twain

What things come to mind when you read this? What things are you keeping in the safe harbor?

20 years from now, I don't want to regret that I didn't take more time to kiss boo-boo's, make messy projects, play dress-up, listen to outlandish stories, make more forts, eat crazy foods at silly times, sing lullabies, paint fingernails, have tickle wars, go star-gazing, bike riding, or stop to smell the roses.

No one says to their grown children, "man, I wish I would have spent more time house-keeping." or, "I wish I would have stayed in bed longer/played on facebook/watched TV more." What is so important that I miss opportunities with my girls?!

• What is so difficult about stopping to hear Bekah explain to me the complexities of how the guinea pig is playing with his chewy toy?
• Why is it so difficult to pick up a hurt Maddy and just cradle her, sing to her, and make everything okay?
• Why is it so time consuming to get off the porch to give Izzy an underdog on the swing set?

Being more attentive to my children is something I want to be better at. Afterall, 20 years from

now, I want to be able to say that I did "Explore. Dream. Discover." at every opportunity with my kids! Plus, they are very entertaining and cute!

Seriously take a moment to consider how Twain's comment applies to you in this season of your life...

The Royal Wedding

With a blog entitled "Bringing Up the Princess," it seems wrong to not mention the Royal Wedding. I recorded the big event on my DVR, but haven't watched it yet. I have, however seen highlights on the news here and there. Watching it with my own little princesses is so much fun! Kate Middleton is living a true life fairy tale. She is beautiful, grounded, poised, charming, and educated. She has met her Prince William Charming, become the Duchess of Cambridge, and is in line to be the next Queen of England, Catherine of Wales. Tell me that doesn't bring out your inner princess, your little girl giddiness! Admit it, it's fun! I pray, Prince William and Catherine, have a happily ever after, a marriage of strength and honor to God.

Now, I'm not going to be naive and believe that Kate and William were pure virgins coming into the wedding day (although that would be cool if they were), but the idea of a royal wedding leads me to think ahead for my girls. After all, their Father is a King--they are royalty! I pray that God would not allow love to wake in their hearts until it is time. That they would find a prince that would honor their relationship with purity (from now until they marry). And that they would have all the things instilled in their marriage (trust, honor to God, respect, love, commitment) that would bring them a happily ever after. I've been reading them this book, a gift from their grandma and grandpa, and I hope they take it to heart.

Fairy Wishes

Many great princesses have a fairy Godmother. My princesses have God and their mother. Hopefully I'm in tune with Him enough to say that I'm a godly mother, so for this post, we'll just say I'm the Godmother.

This is the list of wishes I would like to grant to my three lovely princesses:

1. Legacy ~ I'd like to grant them the opportunity to know where they've come from; understanding family heritage, being proud of it, and a deep desire to carry it on. Let's have this one carry over into a spiritual legacy too; understanding they are here for the blink of an eye, and they can make an impact where they are and where they go.
2. Beauty and Strength ~ These two characteristics are at their finest, I think, when they are interchangeable. Of course I want to be vain and grant them outer beauty, but their inner beauty is more difficult to mold. I guess that's why I began this blog-to be more intentional and aware of what I'm molding.
3. Healthy Relationships ~ Know when to hold onto them, and when to let them go. Know who to walk with and when to walk on your own. I'd like to grant them other amazing princesses who can journey along with them, carrying the title of BFF and meaning it! I'm also granting them a continued close relationship with the King and Queen of the house-you know, their mom and dad! There's safety in this relationship, and so much to learn! Most importantly, may they come to know God as their Abba Father, Savior, and King!
4. Freedom ~ To be whom God has created them to be, free from chains, and unrealistic expectations from others and themselves.

This is not an exhaustive list, but I think it covers a lot of bases. What wishes are you wanting to grant to your princes or princesses?