Worlds okayest mom

So have any of you moms every had a bad case of mommy guilt? 

You know, like when you're trying to get your toddler to go to sleep and you let them cry it out. Only to go in after 30 minutes to discover they have puked all over the crib and themselves??? 

Yes. I totally did that. 

I remember a day last year that left me with some serious mommy guilt. 

My daughter had been complaining of a toothache for about two weeks. Everytime I looked in her mouth I couldn't see anything. So I told her she just needed to brush better and floss in that spot. 

It had been a doozie of a day teaching school. I was stressed and frustrated with the world. When she complained again, I threatened to take her to the denstist. I know. Horrible right?!? Then I asked her to bring me a flashlight. When the light hit her tooth... 

Oh. My. Goodness. 

A huge hole in her molar. I screamed for Daddy and he was able to clean out all of the gunk that had been collecting for two weeks. I called the dentist and they worked us in the next day. The dentist was able to cap her tooth. She had broken her molar a few weeks earlier crunching on popcorn. I spent the next few days telling her how sorry I was that I hadn't looked closer, sooner. I had a serious case of mommy guilt. How could I have let her tooth get that bad? 

Has anyone out there ever felt that way? Most moms I know have. We try our best every day and still there are things that get by us.

I saw I this mug on Pinterest and just loved it. 

Being an okay mom is okay.  

Even doing the best we can, we sometimes fall short. But that's ok.  I truly believe doing our best for our kiddos is all they need.

We need to give ourselves a break. And give other moms a break. Some days are spectacular. Rainbows and all smiles. And some days... well, aren't. 

And on those days, as long as we are doing our best, we can proudly be the world's okayest mom. 

How the "Excessasaurus" became an endangered species at out house

Warning: This is blog post may cause you to look deep into yourself (or at least your kids closets ;) 

The Excessasaurus. 

From the Yallgottomuchstuff era.

Closely related to the Junkosaurus.

This fierce creature has been a resident of our home since the day we brought Grits home from the hospital. And he brought all of the things that come with having kiddos. Blankets, bottles, high chairs, and baby playmats soon turned to toys, toys, and more toys. Then one kiddo turned into two and the toys were multiplied along with all the "stuff". 

Did I mention the toys?

Let me pause here and say we have a wonderful extended family. And they all LOVE to buy gifts for grits and jags. There's just something about seeing the smile on a child's face when they rip into a gift that you know they've been begging for. Right? 

But the truth is, they will toss that same toy that they couldn't live without to the side for the chance to tear open another gift. All of those people are well intentioned and they really do love our kids. They just can't see the monster they are creating!

So back to this mess. In an effort to cut down on the junk, this past Christmas, I made my sister (Kiki) promise that she wouldn't buy ANYTHING for my kids. But if she insisted on spending money, to buy something for someone who really needed it. I gave Grits a World Vision Gift catalog and asked her to pick out a few things that she would like to "get" and things she would like to "give". This amazing catalog is full of things children all over the world need. From chickens and goats to soccer ball and school supplies. Grits picked out bunnies for Kiki to give her and soccer balls and chickens to give her cousins and friends. What an amazing sight?!?!? Christmas Eve, to see my girl and nephews opening photos of kids on the other side of the world receiving animals and toys!! It really opened my eyes to the excess that we wade through daily. 

So I decided to do something about it. I started with the garage. Seriously. We couldnt even park in our two car garage because the Excessasaurus had taken up residence in there!!! Tons of stuff went to a local mission that runs a thrift store. 

Now onto the den of the beast. Grits room. We had been arguing over this mess for more than a year now. Every day it was a constant battle. Pick this up, hang these where they belong, put this toy back. Everyday it seemed was another mess. So with a prayer and high hopes, I sat down my girl and had a heart to heart. We talked about the excess and how much trouble it was causing. Much to my surprise, she was on board with the clean up and clean out project! So we worked to create a mountain of excess together! 

I'm happy to report all has been donated to the mission and we haven't had one single argument about her room!

We are still working on the rest of the house. One day at a time. 

This is a big process but I am learning so much. 

According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world."

Nearly half of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty (less than $1.25 a day).

More than 1,600 children under age 5 die every day from diarrhea caused by unsafe water - that's more than AIDS and malaria combined. 

We are so abundantly blessed. But I don't believe that God intendes for us to live in this opulence, with our closets and garages spilling over and let the rest of the world starve to death. We are responsible. We shouldn't allow our children to grow up believing "doing without" is missing dessert or not getting a toy toy the cash register. They need to know that all this stuff, really is just stuff. And that life is about so much more than that. 

It's about love. And giving. And sharing. And caring for our neighbors. The ones next door and the ones around the globe. That less really is more. 

So won't you join me? The challenge of pushing the "Excessasaurus" toward I extinction is two fold. Not only do we need to get rid of the excess in our own homes but also help those that are in need. Need some ideas? 

You probably have 10 blankets in that hall closet. Donate them to a homeless shelter.

Your kids are probably like mine. Clean out those toys and donate them to a childrens home.

For your next birthday ask friends to buy gifts for someone that really needs it. And donate a gift through World Vision.

We can all make a difference. I want to teach my kid that less is more and we all have what really need. Each other. 

1. SourceNow, don't get me wrong. I'm sure this "Excessasaurus" will rear it's ugly head again. But I'll be right there. Armored with the truth that less really is more. And I'll push that beast closer to extinction! 

Our stories

When I began to consider writing this blog, I wanted to connect all of the pieces of me in one place, with one purpose. To show people that we are all in this together and through God's mercy and grace we will get through it. My husband and I have a beautiful life together. Two amazing kids and the love of a lifetime for each other. But we also have troubles. We've faced many of them head on, with the armor of God and the love of our friends and family. Others, under the covers barely surviving. Wondering how we would ever make it.

And others we still face. 

Every day. 

I read a great blog a few weeks ago about telling our stories at We are that Family. 

Each of us have things we need to share. Stories that deserve to be told. Miracles and tragedies. And miracles through tragedies. In every circumstance that we have faced, God has brought us through. 

I saw this quote and was inspired to encourage you to tell your story. 

So do it! Share you miracles and tragedies. Someone needs to know they aren't alone. And you'll find healing too.

10 things for February

This is my mid month post of 10 things.

5 things I'm into and 5 things I'm over. 

I'm into...

1. Celebrating Love. 

2. Wearing all black.

3. The legend of Mick Dodge. Watch it!!

4. Little Debbie Valentine cakes. 

5. Toasting my bread with both slices on the same side. Leaves the inside soft and chewy and the outside crunchy. 

I'm over...

1. Weeds in my yard.

2. The big empty space on my living room wall.

3. Cooking.

4. Our dog, Lottie, licking. Everything. (What is up with that???)

5. Clutter. 

What are you into right now or totally over??? Leave me a comment and let me know :)

Be my valentine

Love day is upon us. And this year I decided to start a new tradition for the kiddos on Valentines day. Nothing huge. Just a few dollar tree decorations, some target dollar bin goodies and donuts from our favorite local donut shop. Just a little surprise to say "we LOVE you"! 

In our family we say "I love you" a lot. Every time we leave each other, hang up the phone and sometimes just in the middle of a conversation we stop and say it. But more than that, we DO love. 

And that's even more important than saying it. Don't get me wrong. Saying it is important and we all love to hear it, but doing it is what matters. Especially with your kids. They forget a lot of what you say but they never forget how you make them feel. And I want my kids to feel loved. 

So today (and every day) tell the people around you that you love them. And show them. 

Lovingly yours ;)

Mama Dot

"For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever belived in him, should not perish but have eternal life" - john 3:16

Living a Deliberate Life

Hi.

My name is Kathie.

And I'm behind on my blog.

It has been 22 days since my last post. 

The night that I began this blog, I was slightly delusional. I thought that somehow I could manage to fit this blogging thing into my already jam-packing, brimming over, schedule to death lives. 

Ok. Maybe I was totally delusional. 

For the record, I REALLY enjoy writing. I'm just finding it hard finding the time. Let me rephrase that. Scheduling the time. My Aunt Marilyn told me once that saying you need me than 24 hours in a day was an insult to God. Lol. Im sure then I've insulted him many times the past few years. 

How did life get so busy that we cant even enjoy doing the things we love or dare to discover new things we will love if we just gave them the time needed to blossom? Question of the Decade.

So I decided to give up one of the things that has consumed many hours of mine over the last few years. And no, Im not talking about cleaning. (I gave that up a long time ago ;)

Facebook.

Now, for you facebook junkies (aka Mom), this is not about how fb is bad or how you should get off of it. This is just a personal revelation that I have had. In fact, I'm going to post this blog to fb as soon as I finish. No one would probably ever see it if I don't!

A few weeks ago I realized that as I spent countless hours perusing fb I was spending more time peering into other people's lives then my own. I was looking at photos of other people's kids, while my kids played right in front of me. I was reading about my friend's day and not reading my bible. I was getting anxious about drama that I have ZERO connection to, but not worrying about matters that need to be addressed in my own life (like that pile of clean clothes). While I don't think facebook inherently is bad, its like all things in our life. When we allow them to take precedent over things that really matter, eternal things, family things, friends (real-life ones) then we have elevated their importance above all else.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "You hypocrite! You are taking time from all of those things to write this blog too!" 

But no. I'm not. Well maybe that pile of clothes.

The problem with facebook for me was the accessibility of it. And my habitual pattern of checking it on my phone. In the car. On the couch. At the lunch table, dinner table, breakfast table. You get the idea. This blogging thing is different. Its deliberate. Its scheduled. And that makes a big difference for me. 

This year I have decided to be more deliberate in my life. Im going to tell the people around me how much I love and appreciate them. Im going to send cards. Im going to make dinner and have friends over. Im going to watch my kids play. Im going to talk to my neighbors. Im going to read my bible more. Stop and pray more. And say No more. Im going to give Jesus all that I have. Starting with more time. So in my quest to be more deliberate, Im going to commit to blog more. At least once a week. I enjoy it and whether or not anyone reads it, well that's up to you. But even if no one does, I'll still do it and hope I inspire, touch, motivate someone somewhere. 

And I may even get around to folding those clothes.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you". Matthew 6:33

10 things

I'm starting this with the hopes of it being a regular post to help you get to know me a little better.

Some of these are serious for me. And some are just for fun. I hope you enjoy! 

5 things I'm into...

1. Mint fudge covered Oreos. Um yum.

2. Promised land milk. Preferably with above cookies. 

3. Jesus. The one and only. (I have been for a while ;)

4. My new Keurig!! 

5. Taking random pics with my new camera. 

5 things I'm over...

1. People thinking everything is about them.

2. Direct tv commercials. Seriously? Who is creating these???

3. Parents not taking responsibility for their children. 

4. My curly hair.

5. Calories. 

Thanks for stopping by! What are you into or over right now??? 

Mama Dot