FPW: Enjoying the Small Things

Here's an excerpt of this week's FPW (favorite post of the week):

And, though I may have cursed wooden shoes and Holland, I came to the realization that, in any parenting situation, there are a thousand Holland situations. And a thousand Italys too. (Warning: Going into far-fetched Analogy Zone. Hang on.) And there's air traffic control monitoring this constant stream of flights, for any given child, that take off and land in both the beautiful expected and the unknown lands where we must search for beauty. Perfectly "normal" children with 46 chromosomes take their parents to Holland. When girls grow up and tell their moms they aren't having children, thus crushing grandchild dreams. When boys choose art over football and disappoint their fathers. When children move away and don't come home for Christmas. When girls become teenagers and slam doors and call their mothers b-words.

And who says Nella will never take me to Italy? I feel like she already has...when she's breathing heavy on my chest at night and the weight of her tightly-jammied body sinks right into my soul and I smile thinking, "this is just like Lainey." When she takes her first steps someday. When she says 'mama' or 'I love you' or reads her first book out loud.

It's just a mess of flights and destinations for every child...some good, some bad...but that's parenthood. Period.


Background: Kelle Hampton, blogger, photographer, mommy of two beautiful girls, experiencing parenthood from a gorgeous point of view. Her blog, Enjoying the Small Things, is a riveting photo-fest of her adoration of life, no matter what. Read her latest birth story here.

FPW: Mommy Management

Here's this week's FPW (favorite post of the week):

From Coma Girl: Mommy Management Monday and Socks

Coma Girl's profile: I have lots to say and my husband is sick of hearing it. So, I take time out of my busy day of singing “wheels on the bus”, watching Noggin, doing laundry, making dinner and listening to the dramas of three teenagers, to vent to the world in my blog. I have always wanted to be a writer and ever since I left my job writing business letters and reports (not exactly what I had in mind), I have been looking for an outlet. Plus I need to prove to everyone why my $40,000 English degree was worth it.

FPW: Having a Heart for My Children

Every Saturday, we are going to post a link to our Favorite Post of the Week (FPW). Not from our own posts, but what we've discovered while surfing away during the week. Sometimes, we click "next blog-->" at the top of our screen. Sometimes, we follow comments back to other websites. And sometimes, we get lovely emails that make us want to hear more from the author.

And, if you have come across a good post that you think is worthy of being called the FPW, let us know. We read all our comments and emails (dialinghome.cc@gmail.com).

Without further ado, here is this week's FPW written by Jena. This was a feature article she wrote for Simple Home School. I read this post late one night after a very trying day with my three. Their father is traveling a lot for his job these days, so I am wearing many hats and having many adventures(!). That particular night, Stump climbed the lightpost out front and unbalanced the very heavy top that had somehow become disconnected. He jumped off and it crashed down less than 24 inches from him. I do believe it weighs about the same as he weighs. He wasn't hurt, but I yelled, I had told him not to climb it and it was a close call. I was really upset and lost my temper. Additionally, I was mad because that circuit is tied to all my kitchen outlets and the wires pulled out when the top fell down and wiped out the whole circuit. Late that night, after all were asleep but me, I was reflecting on my day and my handling of that whole incident was unacceptable. I want my very busy days to be happy ones, and remembered as such, not "The day the lampost broke and mama yelled." I spend a few minutes late each evening working on the blog and reading other blogs. That night, I found Jena's post. It made me cry, because it validated what I want for my children and gave me a clearer vision of how to move forward. Even thought it is titled "At the Heart of Homeschooling," I believe her central truth is applicable for any mother. This post resonated with me. I posted a comment for Jena and she emailed me with encouragement. I cannot say how much that gesture helped me adjust my outlook for this week. Jena's personal blog is Yarns of the Heart. I strongly encourage you to check it out, too. It really made a difference this week for me. And, this highlights one of the things I love about the Internet--kindness and generosity of spirit from people you've never met.

Thanks, Jena!


Posted by The Editor.


Edited to add:
This post has also been selected as this week's words to live by on Notes from A Cottage Industry.