Insta-Friday on finding the perfect moments among the hard ones

Ahhh Insta-Friday.

Insta-Friday puts the week back into perspective for me.

By Friday I'm exhausted and the week is a blur that I have to consciously think about in a focused manner to pull bits and pieces out of.

But these little pictures help me remember the little moments that make up our week...our months...our years.

Looking back at what we've accomplished encourages me to keep moving full steam ahead and not lose momentum.

Because this parenting thing is hard.

Balancing school and activities and chores and family time is hard.

Channeling energy and time and effort into specific needs of each individual kid and not letting an area (social...academic...spiritual...)slide is hard.

Being consistent is hard.

Not taking the convenient or easy road is hard.

But these pictures remind of how precious

and so worth it everything we do as parents is.

When everything comes together.

And there are perfect moments among the chaos.

Like this moment on the couch after we bonded over painting our nails when Ab was so chill and content she rested her feet on me and we just hung out.

That moment was perfect.

Taking in Abby's excitement to dress up as Ariel for a princess dance party was awesome. Watching her giggle and twirl and dance and shake her groove thang with all the confidence in the world at that party was perfect.

Watching Brody devour his chocolate milk and doughnuts Sunday morning was hilarious. Mornings like this are perfect. Mornings together as a family.

Experiencing AJ's joy and pride as he conquered riding his bike without training wheels was awesome.

We worked so hard last summer. It was painful and so frustrating.

And then it just happened. Just like that. On his first try the other night.

It was a reassuring parenting moment.

Sometimes I think we push something, when something isn't ready to happen. And we make life harder on ourselves than it has to be. Seeing him ride that bike that night reminded me to just let go of some things and just breathe.

That things will happen when they are ready to happen.

And then when they do, they will be more beautiful than ever.

Him getting to ride his bike to school with neighbors is perfect.

It is such a good feeling knowing he is safe and excited and proud to bike to school and in the company of good friends.

Watching Brody watch his older siblings and learn from them is pretty fascinating. That kid's ambition and drive amazes me every day. He sees what he wants, he goes after it, and most of the time he gets it. Not much can hold this kid back.

His determination is inspiring.

Not to give up.

To push through the hard work and fatigue.

Because the reward in the end is so worth it.

AJ started soccer this week.

He asked to play, but I'm not sure his heart is in it this year.

This is a hard, uneasy feeling to experience as a parent.

He is on a U8 team, so he has two practices a week and games on Saturday. That's a lot to throw into a family of five's weekly schedule. They play positions, have goalies, and have bigger teams. It's getting more serious at this stage in the game.

I want to help AJ find his thing, his niche. I'm not sold on if it's soccer yet. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out.

I have a feeling that AJ may learn this season that sticking to a commitment is hard.

Seeing the excitement and hearing the awe in Abby's voice as we caught a ladybug was a pretty cool experience one evening. There is something magical about watching a ladybug up close.

Letting the magic of the ladybug go so it can live is hard.

Watching anything you planted and care for grow is pretty awesome.

Checking on the pumpkins you helped plant in your great grandparents garden each week is even more awesome.

In my quest to rein in the chaos of the daily grind and raise kids with good character and strong values, I have learned that although this parenting thing is hard, it doesn't have to be as hard as we make it when we become more purposeful and focus our efforts towards specific outcomes for our kids...in our priorities...in our activities...in the little things.

 

It's when we just get by or wander aimlessly that things get muddled and become overwhelming.

 

I know that I want to raise kids that are...

 

kind, truthful, courageous, hard-working, show humility, go the extra yard to help others, have self-control, speak well of others, are purpose driven and passionate, take responsibility for their actions, persevere through the hard times, serve others, show respect, and love and seek God.

 

And having a framework or knowing these things help me stay on top of my game, be purposeful, and persevere through the hard parts to fully experience the perfect moments among the chaos.

 

But I don't come up with this stuff on my own. I need help. Help from examples of good families and books. Help articulating my direction and remembering all these things.

 

When I was pregnant I read every baby book I could get my hands on, but as the kids got older I stopped reading parenting books. I don't know why because it only got harder. So I'm back to seeking out my resources.

 

I love finding good books that help me define how to be a better mom.

 

And I love sharing those books.

 

I am super excited to have started this book this week!

 

Now if only I could stay awake passed the first chapter!

Have a great weekend!

Hopefully you get to take in some of those moments when everything you've been working so hard toward come together and everything feels right at that precise second. Like you're really doing something right in this fast paced world. Those are the best moments.

They are simply perfect.

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