One for the road...

All the things a mum says in a day... but in 3 minutes and set to music!

In celebration of mothers everywhere this youtube clip is for you...

All you mums, take a well earned bow!!!

Update: Erin has dug up the words so now we can do this karoke style :)

protective powerless parenting...

Sometimes I think that my son, Nathan, who will be 4 in August is more like 14.  Othertimes I feel so protective towards him and yet so powerless.  I was reminded of that feeling, yesterday....

Nathan and I had been working on his home work from nursery, making a boat.  We had a lot of fun, first we tried to paint it, but the paint dried and flaked off.  Then instead we decorated it with lots of things from nathan's craft cupboard - well Nathan did, i just helped him with the sticking.  When we finished I think we were both rather proud of our speedy speed boat achievement.

Nathan took his boat into nursery yesterday and when i asked him in the evening how he had got on he told me that some of the children had laughed at his boat.  Ouch!  At least I was able to tell him how proud i was of his boat and that i thought he had done really great making it but on the inside i was thinking man, it's a cruel world.  You put your heart and soul into something and others laugh! 

It's painful watching your kids discover the painful side of the world... that dogs don't make good biscuit guards, that icecream is not immune to gravity and falls out of upside down cones and kids can sometimes be unintentionally cruel.  Not least cos it wakens up all my old childhood memories of these things and realising like the joys of a water pistol fight, a really funny joke with a friend or just a hug from a parent that we grow up with both pain and happiness intertwined.

I'm sure the irony is, given it's a bunch of 3-4 yr olds, that no one's boat was that amazing and they were all quite comical in their way.  At least ours floated in water :)

Any thoughts, feelings of your own?

Dedication of Daniel Jude Mayers

Today is a bit of a special Sunday as we are having Daniel dedicated in our church service, it's just a way of saying thank you to God for him and also acknowledging the fact that we raise Daniel in a community.  If you hang out here regularly then you are also in my view part of that community - your interactions, thoughts, conversations and friendships hopefully help make me a bit more a better human being and therefore a slightly better parent, so thank you! 

Here's the words we are using today [feel free to say I will yourself in the appropriate place]...

God is the creator of everything, and through the birth of children He gives to parents an opportunity to share in the work and joy of creation.  We are the stewards of the children that we have.  They are loaned to us for a time, to nurture them, to care for them, and to teach them the ways of God. 

We are all born of earthly parents and need to be born again.  In the gospels Jesus tells us that unless a person has been born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God.  God gives us a way to a second birth, a new creation and life in union with Him, through belief in Jesus.  Today we are dedicating Daniel to God until the time comes when he can speak for himself and make his own decision freely and voluntarily. 

Paul & Debbie, Daniel depends chiefly on you for the nurture and encouragement that he needs.  Will you help him to grow through your love, support and example, depending on God to provide you with all the strength and wisdom that you need?

(We will)

Duncan and Lorna, as godparents to Daniel you have an important role in his life.  Are you willing to love him, encourage him and pray for him, be an example and a blessing to him as he grows up? 

(We will)

As a family and a church community, we have a spiritual responsibility for all our children.  Will you support and encourage Paul and Debbie in their role as parents to Daniel, and be an example to Daniel so that he will see the love of  Jesus in our prayers, worship, and life together?

(We will)

Thank you...

Thank you if you prayed for Nathan - the operation went very well this morning and there appears to have been no adverse affects - we're all back home now...

If you are the praying kind...

...could I ask you to pray on Thursday (21/12) for my three yr old son, Nathan, who is going into hospital to have a routine operation on his tongue - it's only day surgery but they have to knock him out -  hopefully it will help him speak better...

thanks :)

Happy 3rd birthday!

Today was a mixed day, a celebration as Nathan reached the grand old age 3 and we celebrated by going on a family outing to Chessington World of Adventures - combining animals with fun fair rides!  Nathan loved it, not least for the icecream -  and it is another milestone, its amazing how much he changes and grows so quicly - a very funky funny friendly lil dude!

The day was tinged with sadness too as my grandfather died in the early hours of this morning - 94 was a fine innings....

Brolly nice...

My lovely son seeing it was raining on monday morning insisted that I take his tigger umbrella to work with me to keep me dry on the walk to the station/office... such a lovely act of kindness/concern what else could i do but take the brolly to work, swallowing my pride and raising a few smiles on the train/bus/pavements... 

Daddy day...

Being a father, a dad, a daddy... yesterday being fathers day in the UK was a moment to just reflect on one part of who I have become...

it is something that my perfection seeking soul is always trying to be more than good at but what my reality checking spirit lets me know is that I often come up short...

... my  selfish nature revealed, it can be such hard work...my  impatience, it takes so long...  my frustration at not having my way/will.. .and catching myself thinking at times if the widescreen 42" flat screen LCD High Def TV would really have been the better choice...

...or wondering to God why do I get to be a Dad when so many top men find it so hard to conceive...

It is also something that draws me out of myself and my own wants... it has moments of sheer magic...joy...beauty of life unfolding around me, of life that is so vibrant and fresh where so much is so new and nothing is cynical or jaded... when little legs and the need to be cuddled force me to slow me down...make me drop 3 foot in height and 30 years to see the world from a new view point... to learn that my love may be imperfect but my imperfections are forgotten in a hug, a kiss, an apology or a laugh... that tomorrow i have the chance again to do over what i did not do today...

And it reminds me of my heavenly father - who has given me this gift, this invitation, this revelation... a gift of two lives/personalities/people to share andexperience... an invitation to not try and be strong and give from my limited reserves but instead by God's grace thru weakness and dependence and a revelation of love - that i am loved like i love my two sons but so much more so...

Deja coo...

Life with a baby… it’s all coming back to me now…

§         the dead arm from supporting the child’s head;

§         the seagull effect on the shoulder of all my clothes from the burping;

§         hot drinks that are now always drunk cold;

§         learning to do everything 1 handed;

§         the fun of being wee’d on when changing a nappy;

§         the feeling of relief when the crying stops and the sleeping starts;

§         the not quite exhausted just really tired face from broken nights sleep;

§         the wondering of what sort of thoughts are going on in a baby’s head;

§         the fascination and wonder of the person we’ve been given and the horror of the realisation that we can’t send him back…

This one however is new… pimp my push chair!

The miracle of life...

 

Very wonderfully got to see my next child, live in the womb this week.  Was a very special moment and it is so amazing to see this incredibly fully formed child, heart beating, hands n legs waving, just needed a sign that said "Hello Mum"...

Here's some footage in situ, best to turn on the speakers for full ambiotic effect...

Download scan footage

Seriously though we could still have an abortion if we chose as the limit for that is 24 wks and we're only at 21 - crazy after seeing the kid so human even if I didn't think that life begins at conception....