There I was back in the parking lot of my son’s Tae Kwon Do….sitting in the driver’s seat of my green Honda, bawling my eyes out.  My toddler sat in the back seat, strapped in his carseat, knowing that he was in trouble.Flash back in time by about 15 minutes, and I was heading into the grocery store, ready to make my zooming trip around the aisles, 40 minutes to spare before I had to be back in time to pick Jacob up.  As we entered the grocery store, not even getting in the door, the screaming fit started.  I don’t put up with screaming fits at home….but right there in the middle of everything, what could I do?  I tried everything, but Jaden only wanted the tiny customer’s shopping cart that (gasp) Daddy had introduced him to the week before.  (Thank you, Daddy….we love you).  He wasn’t giving in.  I could barely lift him up to try and put him into the child seat of the huge cart, once I got him in the store.  I finally got him in the seat, but he was adamantly refusing to put his feet through the holes, still crying, still carrying on, and me trying to hush him the whole time, wanting to glare at those who were staring at us as if we’d just fallen from the sky or something.  We got all the way to the lettuce, and that was when I realized either he was going to fall out of the cart and bust his head open (because he wouldn’t sit down), or I was going to have to leave the store, grocery shopping undone for yet another week.

The thing is he wanted to leave the store….so this made him happy, as I picked him up, carried him out, and walked to my car (all the while fuming inside).  I felt so defeated, as if he had won.  Leaving the store was the best thing I could have done, though, because he needed to be removed from the situation.  Yes, he was glad to leave….but ultimately, he didn’t get what he wanted.  I fumed all the way back to Tae Kwon Do, and then as we sat, waiting for Jacob, the tears just started coming.  It had been a long week; crying when you have a head/chest cold is just not fun.  And of course I had no tissues whatsoever….so I sat there snorting and sniffing and crying and telling Jaden that he was going to sit there in his seat and not play with anything….I even took his shoes away when he tried to take them off and play with them.  LOL

Finally, my heart calmed….I was able to text a friend and vent it to her….another mommy, one who gets it.  Yes, I could have prayed about it, and I probably did…I can’t remember between all my blubbering.  However, I do know that having that one mommy friend I could reach out to was like a band-aid to the heart.  Plus, in the long run, the positive I carried away with me from this situation was that I didn’t give in.

Have you ever felt defeated?  I will tell you one thing about those times when you feel as if you’ve been defeated or trampled….having another mommy to reach out to is such a blessing.  You begin to see beyond yourself, beyond your circumstances.  Don’t be defeated….these times are only little arrows that Satan tries to throw in our path, so we’ll get sidetracked and miss the even bigger picture.  Don’t miss that bigger picture by living with a defeated mindset/heartset.

The boys and Dan have been busy lately, building a treehouse. He’s recycling old pallets, and then he’ll cover them over with wood he’s been able to get at the mulchpile down the road.  Honestly, between the free 2×4′s and the inexpensive pallets, he’s not really got a whole lot into it.  I’m so happy for the boys and so excited that they’re getting to spend some quality time with Dad….here it is so far….hopefully, it’ll be done soon!:)

It’s got a cool trapdoor to come in and out from underneath….

It’ll eventually have swings off to one side.  Makes me want to be a kid again….heck, you’re as young as you feel, I guess.:)  Happy summer!

So, the last couple weeks, I’ve been mulling this over in my head, and I just have to say, being a mom of boys is so much fun, but it’s full of surprises and grossness and laughs and, well….you get it.:)  I LOVE my boys, and they are blessings in my life, but I can’t resist putting a comedic take on being a mom of boys.  So, I’ve come up with a list of criteria that might go along with becoming a mom of boys (as if there were an application for such things).  Laugh it up!

1. You must, and I do mean must, have a sense of humor about all things that have to do with bodily fluids, especially poop.  If the word poop is mentioned, it’s just a given that laughter will ensue.  Poop is funny, poop is cool!  Poop is what’s on the brain….Poop, it’s what’s for dinner….well, not literally, but don’t be surprised if the word poop enters dinnertime conversation quite frequently.

2. Along with poop comes farting, belching, and so on.  Whether you’re in the kitchen or their bedroom, boys just can’t hold it in.  And if you tell them to leave the room, well, be prepared to hear it all the way down the hall.  Oh, and if you leave them in the car for any length of time, you will need to don your gas mask (which they should really provide at the birth of any boy; I mean, come on, hospital nurseries, get with the program).

3. As a warrior mom, be prepared to fight the battle of the urine.  Yep, that nice, warm puddle you just stepped in probably isn’t water.  Don’t worry, they managed to coat the entire toilet and surrounding area, as well.  Look on the bright side; they say that urine is sterile, so they’re just sterilizing the area for you.

4. Be prepared for all things ADHD, even if they’re not officially diagnosed.  (It seems this could be a cause for the war against urine above).  If you say something, you will need to repeat no less than 10 times, of course, getting louder each time, so you can make sure that they heard you.

5. Even if they did hear you, be prepared for boys to do the exact opposite of what you told them to do.

6. Now for the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.  It might be necessary to get a chain lock, as boys will eat whatever is in sight.  Even if it’s on the floor, boys tend to have a day to day rule, meaning if it’s still edible, it’s goin’ in….into their stomachs, that is.  And if there are cookies, they should most definitely be on the menu for breakfast.

7. It is a given that if let outdoors, your boys will return, covered from head to toe, in whatever they were playing in, whether it be dirt, water, grease, etc.

8. You must be able to handle noise, whether loud or quiet.  This noise includes all fighting over said Transformers below.  One minute, they’ll be jumping around as if the house is a jungle, the next they’ll be clicking and clacking with their Transformers on the floor (truly the most annoying toy ever made; a mother could not have made this toy).

9. You must be prepared to wrestle, play ball, set up cardboard/blanket tents, pretend you’re Ironman, and get down on your hands and knees, when it comes to playtime.  Be prepared to make precious memories that’ll go by in the blink of an eye.

10. Never joke about dares with boys….for example, if your oldest son tells your youngest son to eat a worm, he most likely will try to do it….you just never know what they’re going to do next.:)

Bonus Tip: Finally, you must love your boys….love them into manhood, and grow them up with love, so that some day they can give the same kind of love to the boys they will raise.  Love is really the keyword in raising up boys. As my mom used to say, “Some day, you’re going to grow up and have kids that are just like you.” LOL

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteader’s Heart.

Last week, as we were driving the long trip from PA back home to MO, one thing just hit me square-on in the face.  We were making this long trip, battling the stomach flu in both kids and Dan, and I wasn’t feeling so hot myself.  We had just spent the night in a puke-ridden motel room (we cleaned up for sure, but I still felt sorry for the maid just because of the smell), and all of a sudden, it just hit me.  We were sick, but my kids had just had the time of their lives with the grammies and pappies.  They had just spent countless hours riding four-wheelers, building forts in the woods, catching fish, riding the subway in NYC, etc.  They had made memories that they’ll never forget.  It hit me that, instead of being afraid to let my kids experience life, due to fear of what they might learn, what they might catch (illness-wise), what they might get themselves into, I need to let them be kids.  I remember what it was like to be a kid, and I don’t think I realized back then what a glorious thing it was to truly be a kid.  So….my motivation today is to let my kids be kids, let them live life, let them experience what life is all about, what God has in store for them.  Let them be the kids God created them to be.

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.