what they never tell you.

As I lay awake at night...unable to fall asleep, I think about a lot of things.
One of the main themes, among others, are the things they never tell you about being a parent.

Yes, we all hear that it is hard.

Um, no.
Calculus is hard. Working out everyday is hard. Learning Latin? Hard.
Avoiding hideous fashion trends...hard. Leaving the last chocolate chip cookie for your cookie loving husband...hard!


Parenting is a whole new level of difficulty.
Parenting, when done right, is like a never. ending. marathon.
It is voluntary forced selflessness. When done right.

It is saying goodbye to sleeping in, worrying about yourself, eating hot food and being alone with your husband.

At least for a while...you DO get these things back, right? Eventually?

You say so long to eating treats during the day...I don't know about you but I eat nothing during the daylight hours that I am not prepared to share...now with TWO other mouths.

You say goodbye to the body of your youth.
You buy diapers instead of new clothes.
You live off of chocolate and coffee.
And less than five hours sleep a night.

You say hello to 24 hour job shifts.
7 days a week.
No sick days or holidays.
Forget pay.

You give yourself over to someone else completely...as completely as a human can.
If you are doing it right.
Your every moment is revolving around the needs of others.
Little others.
Impressionable others.
Who are completely dependent on you.
For everything.
For food, clothing and shelter.

And beyond that...love, kindness, patience, respect, guidance.

And beyond that you have to teach them everything.
What matters, what doesn't.
Who matters and who doesn't.
Colors, shapes and how to be kind to their brother.

They look to you for every answer. Big AND small.

You worry all the time and question every move you make.
You doubt yourself and your abilities.
You doubt you.

You worry and worry.
Are they eating enough veggies?
Are they playing well enough with others?
Are you going to mess them up forever?

You pray. and pray. and PRAY. and pray.
You learn more about God than ever before.

You become DESPERATE for Him.
Because this is a job that you cannot, should not, do alone.

You cuddle and love and savor every moment.
Because time really does fly.

You fall in love with your husband more...as you see the type of father he is.
If you are doing it right.

They never tell you that parenthood is a perpetual cycle of mourning and rejoicing.
You are so happy to see them growing and developing.
You are so sad to realize that they are not babies anymore.
You can't wait to hear them say your name.
You dread the end of being a nursing mom.

You give them everything you have.
Even the things you didn't know you had to give.
You really DO have a lot to give.

They never tell you that by having your own child you
will forever feel and understand the grief of any mother...anywhere.
That by having a child you will be forever baffled by the choices that some parents make.
If you are doing it right.
You learn a lot.
And I can't think of another way I would want to learn it all.
They are the best teachers. Kids.
They are hard on you and don't accept late work.
They demand your best.

And you can't afford to give them anything less.

And I PRAY that I am doing it right.

beautiful and messy.

January has been a rough month.
But you probably guessed that.
Just a lot going on with life.
Some things are being dealt with...
...others we are trying to figure out.

Just moving along and trying to get through winter.

January has also been busy.
Not with stuff, really.
More with stages.
Both boys are in extremely needy stages at the moment.
So of course all my "want to" things get put to the side.
I have been working on new projects in my head.
And devoting my days more to running my family.

Playing cars and looking up animal clips on YouTube.

But when I can't actually create...it takes a toll on me.
Creating is my therapy.
And yesterday I was overdue for a good long session.
So when Aaron went down for his nap...I went to town.
Just creating. With Moses playing nearby.
And these new towels were the result.
Beautiful and messy...charming and quirky...haphazard and perfect.

Beautiful and messy.
Just like my life.
Hmmm...that seems to be a crafty theme for me.
These towels make me happy...their imperfect quirks.
And the beauty they will show after they are washed as well.
Yum. Like a bonus treat.

This one may be my favorite.
Because I can't throw even the smallest of scraps away.
This one is made from all the leftovers of the others.
Even discarded things can be stunning.
A lesson there too.

They will all be in the shop.

:)

why things take me forever(now).

this kid is one of the top five reasons why it takes me forever to get things done.
why i have yet to write my Christmas thank you's.
why laundry piles up.
why emails don't get answered.
i blame him.
and that ridiculously adorable thumb!!!!

do you SEE this cuteness?
that green shiny thing is his lovey.
if you touch his face with it...he HAS to suck his thumb.
he can't help it.
it doesn't matter what he is doing.
he HAS to stop and suck his thumb if lovely comes near.

if he is sitting...he will bend over like this and bury his face in it.
now THAT is love.

I don't know about you...but having a baby who sucks his thumb is like a bonus.
like an extra helping of cute.
there is nothing cuter.
so when he does it, i HAVE to pick him up and cuddle.
have to.
everything else can wait.

this is him keeping me from laundry.
he was literally rolling around on the floor, petting his lovey and sucking his thumb.

extra helping of cuteness i tell you.

more on that 3 year old.

In case you were wondering...
In Moses news...we have seen improvements.
Ever since THAT night things have been getting better.

Here is what we did...just in case...and don't say "my child would never" cause before this crazy three stage...Moses was a poster perfect child...a bump here or there but nothing memorable.
Truly. Never say never.

We took everything out of his room but his bed, a chair and his dresser (facing the wall).

I think that got his attention.
We now put a gate up at his door at night and naps.
He is too smart for door knob covers.

We have severely limited TV.
One 30 minute show IF he stays in his bed at night.

We tell him what behavior we expect.
What the consequence will be for disobeying.
And act IMMEDIATELY if he disobeys.
We also do our best to show NO emotion when he does tantrum.

It took a very short time for him to realize we mean business.
He does not like to lose toys.

These are all things we have always done...but now we have tightened the belt.
I think boys just NEED this type of strong structure.

Last Friday when he went to bed he told us
"I want to be a good boy for you".

I think he really understands that and means it.
You can tell he gets bummed out when his actions have been naughty ones.
Last night he asked if he could clean the kitchen floor.
And did it.
He has been more helpful and loving towards us.


So we are hanging fast to hope.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself.
:)

20 minute crafter. valentines day cards.

Welcome to the newest feature of the Little Bit Funky Blog!

I HOPE to feature a new, fun crafter every week...and not only that...each crafter will be showing YOU that you DO have time for creating beautiful things.
Each Tuesday will feature a fun new craft tutorial that takes about twenty minutes or so.

Are you ready?

Well this week you're stuck with me...
wanna make some cute Valentines cards for minimal cost?

Here's what you need:
paint color chips
cardstock
invitation sized envelopes (or whatever you have)
sewing machine (or needle and thread)
buttons
glue

First, trim your cardstock in half so you have two 4 1/4 by 11in pieces.
If you have standard invite sized envelopes this will give you
TWO cards from each piece of cardstock.
If you have a different sized envelope you can adjust cardstock size as needed.
Fold in half.

Using your sewing machine and contrasting colored thread...
...stitch a heart shape on your paint chip.
(you CAN do this by hand but it will take longer than 20 minutes).
The paint chips that I had (from Lowe's) were the perfect size without trimming but you may need to trim yours. If you would like...you can lightly trace the heart shape on first.

Stitch over and over for a sweet effect.

Switch stitch types if you're feeling crazy.

Glue your heart paint chip onto your folded cardstock and add some cute buttons.

A cute Valentine for pennies!

xo

EDITED TO ADD:
Someone made an anonymous comment about my use of paint chips and how they felt wrong about my using them for craft purposes, even if they are free.
If you have been following this blog for very long you would know two things...
1) I shop at Lowe's A LOT.
2) I buy a lot of paint from them. I do not feel bad about taking several paint chips in various colors when I am trying to find the right color or shade. What I would feel bad about is just throwing them away when I have made a paint decision.

peek...

i HOPE to get a real post up today...
but if I don't...
here is peek at what I am working on for YOU!

xo