1. She laughs easily, at herself and at the ridiculous situations we get into.
2. When someone she loves is in danger, she turns into Rampaging Mama Bear, ready to pounce on anyone who threatens her cubs.
3. She thinks gross medical stuff is cool and interesting. So does my son. They're weird and wonderful like that.
4. At her core, she is happy and content.
5.She loves to read. She loves books so much she has trouble getting rid of them. Even if she's never going to read them.
6. She is teaching our kids to love reading as much as she does.
7. She's smart, and she's not afraid to challenge me when I'm muddle-headed (which is most of the time).
8. She's patient with our kids, even when they're trying to drive her insane.
9. She loves me just the way I am. But she supports me when I try to make myself better.
10. She's more like Jesus than anyone I know. Our kids will grow up to love Him partly because of what they see in her.
And, a bonus reason:
11. She doesn't complain when her husband wants to smoke a cigar outside, even though I know she doesn't like it!
Happy Mother's Day, baby!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
True confessions of a sick father...
I have to make a confession: I am a bad parent. At least, I'm a bad parent when I am sick. Actually, I'm pretty much a bad person when I'm sick. Irritable? You bet! Easily angered? Absolutely! Ready to lash out at anyone who annoys me? No doubt!
What a joy I am for the kids and the Mighty Mrs. J!
What that means is that everybody has been tiptoeing around me for the last couple of weeks. And, when the kids did something terrible, like play loudly, or talk, or you know, act like children, I would call them down. I'd growl lovely parental encouragements, like, What are you doing?!? Do you know what you're doing??? This has to STOP!!! Stop NOW I tell you!!!
Mostly, the kids just stare at me. It's really hard for children to stop acting like children.
As you can probably guess, I've spent a lot of the last few weeks apologizing to my kids. After my anger died down, I would realize what a jerk I was. Then I'd go beg forgiveness. Because my kids are wonderful, they always forgave their cranky, irritated dad.
I've spent a lot of time the last few days snuggling up my kids. I'm trying to remind them that their dad isn't always a growling, crabby old bear. I also hope they learn something I need to remember: the 2 most powerful words in the English language are "I'm sorry."
What a joy I am for the kids and the Mighty Mrs. J!
What that means is that everybody has been tiptoeing around me for the last couple of weeks. And, when the kids did something terrible, like play loudly, or talk, or you know, act like children, I would call them down. I'd growl lovely parental encouragements, like, What are you doing?!? Do you know what you're doing??? This has to STOP!!! Stop NOW I tell you!!!
Mostly, the kids just stare at me. It's really hard for children to stop acting like children.
As you can probably guess, I've spent a lot of the last few weeks apologizing to my kids. After my anger died down, I would realize what a jerk I was. Then I'd go beg forgiveness. Because my kids are wonderful, they always forgave their cranky, irritated dad.
I've spent a lot of time the last few days snuggling up my kids. I'm trying to remind them that their dad isn't always a growling, crabby old bear. I also hope they learn something I need to remember: the 2 most powerful words in the English language are "I'm sorry."
The hits just keep on comin'!
This must be our time for medical weirdness. Now everyone is over their colds. I'm over the various ailments that have laid me low for a couple of weeks. Then, this week, more medical fun for the family: first, the World's Sweetest Toddler choked on a piece of toast, and we had to call paramedics. Then, today (Sunday) Little MacGyver got some sort of bizarre infection that required a trip to the emergency room. Thank God we have good insurance! (BTW, everyone is fine. Little MacGyver is taking meds to clear up his mystery illness. The WST acts like nothing ever happened.)
This week, our goal is to stay as doctor-free as possible. It would be nice to have a somewhat normal week for a change. I do understand that trials are God's way of building patience and all that. But, frankly, I think I've got enough patience for now.
This week, our goal is to stay as doctor-free as possible. It would be nice to have a somewhat normal week for a change. I do understand that trials are God's way of building patience and all that. But, frankly, I think I've got enough patience for now.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Saving the kids from themselves!
I think I've finally recovered from the various ailments that have sapped my blogging strength. Good thing my strength is returning, because I need it all to deal with my kids.
A couple of days ago, the World's Sweetest Toddler choked on a piece of toast. The Mighty Mrs. J gave her back blows and finally the toast dislodged. We had to call paramedics, then rush her to her doctor.
She is doing fine now. But it reminds me that these little lives that seem so healthy and strong are really very fragile. I was standing just a few feet from her when she started choking, yet she was in real trouble by the time I realized there was something wrong. I hate to think what could have happened if there hadn't been an adult in the room.
Sometimes I joke that my #1 job is just to follow the kids around and make sure they don't kill themselves. But there's a lot of truth to that. Until they can take care of themselves, I'm their best defense against all kinds of dangers. I've got to admit though: I've never thought of the dangers of toast before...
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