Tiny house!

Hello Hot Mamas! Long time, no write! It seems like the days are shorter and busier during the Fall. We are progressing well with home schooling and I will be posting some of our most successful lessons in the near future. But let's move on to what's really on my mind tonight!

We live in a small house. 6 people, 1280 square feet, no basement. That doesn't leave a lot of room for storage, toys, clothes, guests...the list could go on and on. I usually find myself in a continuous cycle of purging and organizing. I must admit that there are days when I feel physically and emotionally squeezed. I go through times of acceptance, where I look at rooms anew and try to make them more practical and usable. Recently however, I have been in a state of agitation over our lack of space. The kids are getting bigger, their need for quiet time away from each other is getting more evident. I find myself irritated that we are very simply, out of space and that lack of space is affecting each family member in some way.

I'm sure that many of you out there have similar stories and feelings about your homes. So let's make a pact: until it is time for a bigger house, let's promise to intentionally enjoy the hidden benefits of our small homes! What benefits?! Ok, there are some days when it is difficult to find ANY. But, think of how creative we have become in our storage solutions. I know that I have had to stretch my imagination to figure out just the right way to divide a wall for shelving, how to transform our garage into a playroom, and how to fit THREE kids in a 10x12 bedroom. This sort of creative thinking is what will keep our brains young Mamas! And although my kids do enjoy time to themselves occassionally, our small house has aided them in becoming great play buddies and put all of us in a position to share common space quite frequently. It has allowed us to get to know each other in a way that a bigger house might not have encouraged.

I know that you can come up with some highlights of your own. Let me know what they are and let's help each other be at peace with the houses we have! God is faithful and he will show us the way that is best for our family. He knows our deepest desires and what breeds them. Let's lean on Him and each other for joy and gratitude when the walls seem just a little too close!

Lord, thank you for the home that we have. Lead us to a home that will better suit our needs and give us the patience to wait until the time is right for a move. Lead us to the right home and help our hearts to be open to your whisper. You are faithful and good. Help us to remember that you will give us our daily bread. Allow us to be examples of gratitude to our children. Mary, Holy Mother, pray for us. Amen

New Mom Mysteries

A friend of mine, who is a new mom, feels like us veteran moms let her down a little. She is barely three months postpartum and is going through those crazy hormonal swings that we all have experienced. She says that we didn't tell her. She asked me to blog about all the things veteran moms don't tell their friends who are preggers with baby number one. I agreed, but I do contest: We told her, she just didn't believe us. (Or, our brains blocked out some of the particularly challenging moments and we honestly did forget. Most likely, a little of both.)

This friend, let's call her "Erica", is baffled by her body, saying things like "The baby is out, why should my hormones not be back to normal!", and gems like "I didn't think it would take SO LONG to feel like myself again." I know, I know, try to keep reading through your laughter induced tears as you remember how sleepless and haggard you were when your first born was 11 weeks old.

So, pregnant and new moms, this list is for you. If you are squeamish, skip to #8!

1. Childbirth hurts - no matter how many hippy-dippy names you give a contraction, it still hurts
2. You will bleed after delivery. For a long time. (Erica was shocked at this little truth!)
3. Stitches in your nether regions are not pleasant.
4. You will be so agog over your new little creature that you will not really care about 1-3.
5. The high wears off and you will be more tired than you have ever been in your life.
6. You will be tempted to lie to your husband after your six week checkup and tell him that you were not given the all clear.
7. When you give you husband the all clear, sex will not be the same. (But it will get better!)
8. Your body will continue to bear the telltale signs of having borne a child - stretch marks and a pooch, long after you give birth. It is nine months for your body to gestate, it is at least nine months before your body will be "fully recovered".
9. "Normal" will never be, what "normal" was before you had a baby.
10. You will never look at the world the same way once you meet your baby face to face. Every news story involving a child will evoke in you a deep compassion and empathy like you have never been capable of before.

The biggest truth about having a child, and the most difficult to explain, is this: as much as you love your husband, parents and friends, there is NO love like a mother feels for her child. It literally takes my breath away. God has surely made our capacity for love greater because we are mothers. There would be no way that a mere human could feel the depths of this maternal love without divine grace.

"Erica", I hope that I have done well by you and all the other new or pregnant moms out there! Moms, post your comments about what surprised you most about pregnancy and becoming a mom!

Lord, Thank you for the blessing of my children. Please help me each day to be the mother you desire me to be for them. Give me the grace to replace impatience with patience, frustration with kindness and gentleness, and exhaustion with energy. Send your Holy Spirit to dwell in our home and in our hearts. Amen. Mary, Holy Mother, pray for us.