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.

Mr. Jaden just came up to me after watching out the window, and he was trying to tell me something.  To my ears it sounded like, “Hockapoo…one hockapoo.”  LOL

Finally, after really listening and rearranging it in my brain, I realized, “Oh!  Helicopter?”

Jaden: “Yeah!  One hockapoo!”  LOL

I love when little babes are learning to put their words together.

Diapers are something that a lot of people might take for granted.  I speak from experience when I say that there have been times when we struggled to buy that box of diapers, just because the price was so hefty.  You might ask, “Why not use cloth diapers?”  Well, because for our family, cloth just isn’t feasible.  For one thing, we’d have to purchase them, as well, and they’re not cheap.  Plus, you have the cost and time that goes into cleaning and washing them.  For a lot of families, cloth diapers just aren’t feasible, whether it’s because their kids are in daycare (a lot of daycares won’t accept cloth diapers), or because they don’t even have a washer (and most laundromats don’t allow you to wash cloth diapers).  According to statistics, 19% of families in the U.S. struggle to get the basic necessities, let alone buy diapers. If that struggling family lives in the inner city, without access to stores like Walmart and Sam’s Club, the cost of diapers can be even more expensive.That’s where Diaper Love comes in.  Diaper Love was founded by Myron & Megan Mullins and George and Angie Norton after Megan encountered a mother on Craigslist who was looking for a supply of unused diapers, pleading for someone to help.  This young mother was only able to change her daughter after she’d had a bowel movement, because she simply couldn’t afford to buy diapers.  Imagine having to let your child sit in their own soiled diaper for hours at a time….it breaks any mother’s heart.  Megan connected with this mom, and she showed up on her doorstep with boxes of diapers, touching lives and planting a seed in that mom’s heart.  The founders of Diaper Love really believe that theirs is a true calling, based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28.  Not only that, but they believe in reaching out to these young children, the seeds they’re planting can make a significant difference in that child’s life.

Diaper Love reaches out to people of all faiths, all different backgrounds.  They provide diapers to individual families, as well as church ministries and community outreaches.  You can help Diaper Love to fulfill their mission of Sharing God’s love one dry behind at a time by donating to their cause.  Not only that, but when you shop at Purely Products, a good percentage of your purchase goes to support Diaper Love.  You can follow Diaper Love on both Facebook and Twitter.  Shine a light in the lives of babies, toddlers, and parents by just reaching out, in support of Diaper Love.  Why not find a family in need, where you live, and show up on their doorstep with a fresh box of diapers?  You never know where it may lead….