Tug-o-War

As a parent we sometimes feel just a little bit uncertain on how to approach certain situations regarding how your kids are going to react to it. That is perfectly spot on for most of us, to be honest for me I really try to do my best at preparing my kiddos but usually fail miserably. This is because I overthink the situation or I overstep. Allowing our kids to grow and learn is important. Hovering over them and constantly dictating how they should react or just act in a situation can be more harmful than helpful. I say this because I am definitely learning this with my ten year old, he is so ambitious, and very particular about many things. I have had to really take a step back and talk more with him about situations so he can make the better choice instead of me making it for him. For instance, like when he upset with his brother, how should he handle it… should he fight back by hitting or coming and talking to mommy and daddy about it so we can help him? This topic has just been really heavy on my heart because I see so many parents trying to overwhelm their children and themselves because they are holding on and fighting for so much control. Just like tug o war you fight for to much control they are going to resist and fight back. Go with the flow, allow your kids to experience, live, have fun…with boundaries of course, just understand you have to be able to let them be kids.

Advertisement

Understanding Autism

Being a parent can be very difficult especially if you add autism to the mix. For me that is a challenge, one I am not too fond of. Today I find out if my third son is on the spectrum, which in a Way makes me nervous. If he is diagnosed that will make it three for three. I have five kids, three boys and two girls. None of my boys have escaped the burden of autism so far and the first screening we had with our last was not good at all.

It is so discouraging at times to watch my sons struggle everyday. My nine year old struggles the most and it just breaks my heart. Knowing that he gets bullied at school doesn’t help at all either. It is definitely a hard transition for my babies when it comes to interacting with their peers, strangers, or other social experiences. It’s sad to watch them get overwhelmed when I take them out into the store knowing many are probably viewing him as a bad kid and not one that needs comfort and understanding.

My goal here is to help bring awareness for Autism. So many don’t understand it!!! I hate when people say ‘they don’t look autistic’, well no duh, Autism is so much more involved. Every child, adult, person is different on the spectrum. First ask questions, do research but don’t judge. Until you know the struggle and heartache just pray and be more understanding. Also feel free to check out my website, The Family Way

Can’t Believe it is Almost Fall

Fall is literally around the corner. Yikes! It seems like just yesterday we were just abandoning winter for Spring and summer. Time is truly flying like it normally does. Kids are back in school, normalcy is starting to arrive once again. Too funny on my part though, I am absolutely not used to the quiet that is going on in my house. Usually I have five and now only two at home because the rest are back in school. It is funny, there are days where I even feel out of place because I am so used to the madness.

Looks like I am going to be getting back into my freelancing and novel writing again. During the summer it seems like my groove just gets thrown off. So looking forward to the holiday season too. This is literally my favorite time of the year. The decorations, emotions, and all together awesomeness of Fall is absolutely epic in my book!

Here are some pics to brighten your day!

Publishing a Book

Today I am really working hard to publish one of my ebooks that I have been working on. I’ve got a lot to do but I am feeling confident that I will finish by the end of the day. Publishing a book is not as simple as I thought. To be honest I love writing, hate editing, and well yeah I am sure you get it. Billy, my husband, thinks it’s funny because it has taken me this long to even get a book out.

Right now I am just spending time with the kids while an AT&T technician works on our internet. It has not been user friendly at all for over a month which has also caused me a lot of time as well. Hoping it will be back up soon!

To be honest it has been nice to take a break from the digital world. I can’t say my kids agree but it definitely has encouraged them to be more adventurous! It has forced them to use their imagination and has pushed me to get tons done around the house. There is a lesson to come from this too! It is so easy to get caught up with our digital devices that we forget what’s truly important in life. Hope everyone is having an amazing Wednesday! Feel free to comment below as well 🙂

Interesting Movie

Last night me and Billy had a movie night at the house. It’s a tradition when the kids go to sleep that we spend time with each other either playing board games, talking, Bible Study, or even Movie Nights. We decided on Escape Plan!! Such a great movie, it really had my mind going. Scary thought that their are people who could possibly be that smart savvy to figure out how to break out of every prison built by man. It was definitely interesting and I do recommend it for a date night for couples! Not recommended for kids though! Hope everyone is having a great day. Here is the trailer below!

www.youtube.com/watch

Having Fun in the Sun

The last two weeks have been quite funny, especially because it seems like everywhere you look kids are so caught up with their electronics.  The first week of July our internet went out and I have got to say hands down my kids’ reaction was priceless.  They didn’t know how to react.  It was a shock, it’s like they couldn’t figure out what to do next.  Every minute they would ask “when will it be back on?” or “is it fixed yet?”, it was quite funny.  We sent them outside to play while the At&t worker did his magic.

It really had me thinking of when I was as a child and how I was always outside running around getting into mischief.  My kids need time to use their imagination which had me thinking I really need to cut back their time with their electronics including the television.  Recently they have been thriving from the time away from all the media and have bonded more with each other.  They interacted more with each other which is great overall for their social development.

In the long run I will be setting up a schedule that will allow so much time for them to choose if they want to watch television or play a video game.  Choices are good but should be limited when giving options.  You don’t want to overwhelm your children which will end up in disaster.  That is also why I posted about movie night with the kids, that is a great way to encourage the kids to enjoy family time while watching one of their favorite movies or shows.

For instance, when I was a child we would go out and play hide and go seek, tag, freeze tag, football, and jump rope.  There are endless games that can be played it is just that our children have been born in an era where it has been overshadowed by media and electronic devices.  When I went to the store the other day I made sure to buy them a soccer ball.  In my younger years I loved kicking around a soccer ball so my first thought was ‘I am going to get my kids one’.  They absolutely love it.

Exercise is so important for children, getting them outside to play, it’s crucial for their physical development and also their mental status.  On another note I have decided to work out with my kids, for instance, like taking daily walks or playing games outside with them.  This helps me and the kids bond and get our blood pumping.  When outside though, especially in the summer, it is good to make sure you have access to water, so you can stay hydrated.  The heat index can be a lot hotter than usually predicted and that can be a problem for you and your children.  During the summer months I always make sure my kids have access to a Little Tikes kiddy pool so that they can also have water play even with water guns when we are outside.  This helps them stay cool and have fun at the same time.

A Little Funny for the Restless

Today I ran across one of the funniest life hacks hat had me on the floor laughing. The image it gave me of when I was a teenager was priceless! To be honest an image of teenagers today going through phone withdrawals is just overbearingly hilarious. The life hack quotes this:

“When punishing your kids, don’t take away their electronics.  Just take their charger and watch the fear in their eyes as they use it less and less while the battery slowly dies.”

It was just to pass up to now share!!! As a parent I have learned it is best to have an open mind and a great sense of humor!!!!

Dedication to my Grandfather

My brother Michael sent me a beautiful video that was put together by him of our Grandaddy. He passed away back in September of 2015, that is when I really cut back on my writing also.

This video shows just a fragment of the service he did for the Lord. Giving Bibles to churches and all over Bulgaria. Risking his life while working for the Lord so others could know about Jesus. We need to have that dedication, that motivation to drop everything and put Him first!

Thank you again Michael for the beautiful video!

My Summer 2018

This summer is going by so quickly!!! It is blowing my mind. I was able to actually find time to finish my website today. I still need to produce more content on it but I was able to get it fully up and running! http://www.embracingtheimpossible.com

Also this week I have truly fallen in love with Pinterest! It is the ultimate guide to anything….literally lol! Here are tons of pictures for you to enjoy of our summer so far!

Life is like a Box of Chocolate

It’s funny as an adult to think of the phrase “Life is like a box of chocolate’s you never know what you are going to get.”  That statement was made by Forrest Gump in the movie “Forrest Gump”.  As a child it went over my head and I never really connected with that statement, now that I am an adult I see how true it is.  Life is full of many twists and turns and you never really know where you are going to end up.  Today I was thnking about all the many different routes my life could have taken due to choices that were laid on my lap when I was younger.  Life is like a path with many different directions or a river with many different currents.  It’s interesting to think about all the many different choices and paths that could have been but weren’t because of the path you chose already.

Life is like a box of chocolates, we don’t know what will happen the next day, moment, or year from now.  There are so many different scenarios that can result from one choice that was made and you don’t know which one is going to when the lottery for that day.  To be honest I enjoy not knowing, living life with laughter and joy without knowing what is going to happen next makes life more exciting in my opinion.  Just like in the featured picture for this post, my youngest son is holding an Easter egg full of candy.  Until he opens it he doesn’t know what kind is in it.   Life is amazing and is like a roller coaster that gives you so much of thrill and excitement.  Live life to the fullest, you never know when your journey is going to end.  Live. Laugh. Make Memories.