Parenting is Hard, and it is Okay.

Parenting is probably one of the most difficult, most humbling job a person can ever have (and will ever have, I think). It doesn't matter the age of the child, with each new stage comes new challenges.... In the beginning, it is just learning to love a child who is completely dependent on you- loving and taking care of someone with NOTHING in return goes against our human needs. After that, when the babies start gaining personalities and routines (or lack there of, in our case), it is learning patience because though the baby gives recognition cues, baby can't speak or really control himself. After this, for about the next 18 years and in varying degrees, come the training up of the babies into respectable young men and women.. teaching right from wrong, good vs. bad, and love vs. hate. (I am pretty sure the younger years are the hardest in this stage, as we are in year four, and having the most difficult time yet, but I will let you know which stage is the most difficult in about 14 years :P)

Our daughter is a beautiful and talented little girl who shows love in such sweet ways to her brother, her cousins, her friends, and even to her daddy and I sometimes. She is thoughtful, curious, and super polite to her teachers and friends' parents. She is overall, a great kid. All of these traits, however do not excuse her from have human tendencies such as greed, pride, selfishness and other things that are not so desirable (okay, not at all desirable.) Maybe we should call it what it is -- sin. And we ALL do it! We are all selfish, and greedy, and prideful sometimes. Sin is something that is in us from the day we are born, but kids learn from what they OBSERVE as well. I know that some of the ways she acts is due to MY being impatient one too many times, or my short reactions when asking a question. But it is still so frustrating!

None of us are perfect people, let alone perfect parents. The difference (hopefully) between us and our children is that we have already learned the correct way to deal with our feelings -- we should know that it is not okay to hit and kick and scream when we don't get what we want. It is our job to teach our children how to deal with their feelings, and help them channel negative (and positive) energy into a healthy way to release it.

Okay, so all of this to say, that really, I feel frustrated. I feel frustrated that my four year old insists on screaming and hitting when I tell her she needs to sit in time out. I feel frustrated when I forget that she is in fact, only four years old, and is still learning how to deal with these feelings. I feel frustrated when I make a wrong choice and get short with her.

And sometimes, I feel hopeless. Is she ever going to learn right from wrong? Will she grow up and go down the wrong path because of my choices right now? Am I doing all that I can to help her grow into the beautiful person I know that she is? And most importantly, HOW DO I MAKE THE SCREAMING STOP!!!?!?!?

I don't have the guide to perfect parenting. I am just being real and letting you know that you are not alone in the frustrations. Let's keep trying, and lets not give up on our kids. Let's pray for them, and when we are frustrated, lets step away and pray before making any rash decisions. This, too, shall pass, and our children will grow, just like we will. And, even though it might seem like they hate you during the 4 minutes that they have to sit in time out, the kisses and hugs afterward are totally worth it.

Know that you are not alone. We all go through different struggles, and its okay. I will be praying for you today, because I know that not every day is perfect, like maybe our facebook pages show. We all have bad/hard times too. But YOU can get through this, we can get through this. Tomorrow is a new day, a fresh start :)

Stay encouraged!

The No More Excuses Diet

So, I was a little skeptical to review a book with a smokin' hot mom on the front cover, but as I read the back of the book, I was definitely intrigued. Maria King, aka the smokin' hot lady on the cover, used to be like me... I couldn't believe it! She was a woman who struggled with her weight, and after having three babies, was not happy with herself physically. So, she decided to do something about it -- she committed her time to getting healthy, and made it a top priority in her life. She set a goal, and the set out to reach that goal. The body that she shows off on the front cover of this book is the product of her hard work.

Kang does an amazing job at setting you up to succeed. In the book, she not only shares a TON of ways to help you get fit and healthy, but she also shares her battles with weight and her reason that she chose to shape up. Unlike a lot of other 'diet' books that I have read, Kang is down to earth and realistic about weight loss. The book is laid out into three different parts: The beginning of the weight loss journey when you are pumped and ready to tackle anything (ie the first three days of your journey :P), the middle of the journey when you feel like all hope is lost and you have lose your motivation (this section is FULL of encouragement and help to keep you on track with the 3 month plan Kang has you set up for yourself) and the last part of the journey, which is maintaining the new healthy lifestyle.

As someone who has had two babies (one recently) and has always struggled with my weight, this book was a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that it IS possible to get healthy, and it did so in a down to earth way that doesn't have me spending hundreds of dollars on groceries that I have never even heard of before. The best part is that it helped me set up a plan that I could stick to and helped me set attainable rules to live by.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE who is looking for an amazing, practical, encouraging 'diet' book. If you let it, this book and Kang's advice will change your life!



You can check out more about this book and the author here!

I received a copy of this book for free from Blogging For Books.