Mommy Diaries , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

85 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Mothering is an adventure to be sure--from diaper changes and potty training to car pools and soccer games, a mom's life is full of adventures with her children. But it's not only about the kids. Mothering is also an adventure in personal growth. And that's what moms are invited to enjoy as they read The Mommy Diaries.With contributions from a variety of authors and speakers familiar to today's moms, as well as insights from fresh new voices, this book will encourage women to catch a fresh glimpse of who they are and how they can grow in the midst of the mothering process. Organized into six sections, each focused on a particular aspect of personal growth as a mom, The Mommy Diaries points moms to the lessons and insights that can be found in their experiences.

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 mai 2008
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441201768
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

the mommy diaries
finding yourself in the daily adventure
compiled by Tally Flint
with foreword by Naomi Cramer Overton
2008 by MOPS International
Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49506-6287 www.revellbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington DC.
ISBN 978-0-8007-3287-5 (pbk.)
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Lyrics for I Can t Wait used by permission by Sara Groves Music, from the album Station Wagon (INO/Sponge Records). All rights reserved.
Contents
Foreword by Naomi Cramer Overton
1. Identity: Owning My Adventure
The High Chair Day
Finding Myself at Disney World
Control Release
Whispered Essentials
It s Me I Like!
Miss Crystal
Dance Fever
Baking Blues
Who Will Protect Us?
The New Me
2. Growth: Stretching and Training
Learning to Nurture
Baby Steps
Finding Courage
Little Wanderer
Good-Bye Toddler Mom
Power Struggle
DEPRTONLS
Sunday Grace
A Defining Moment
Mississippi Epiphany
Silent Night
3. Relationships: Finding Climbing Partners
Let s Play Friends
Making an Impact
Mom s Theater
Winning Relationships
The Mom in the Mirror
Mothering Guides
A Two-Way Street
Gummy Gifts
Perfect Strangers
The Power of Human Touch
Midnight Kisses
4. Help: Utilizing Guidebooks and Gear
Help Wanted
It s All Up to Me
My Hero
Navigating Family Setbacks
Mother Helping Mother
Mommy s Needs, Baby s Needs
Peanut Butter Love
Dusty Trusty Guidebook
Helping Hands
5. Perspective: Embracing the View from the Summit
Learning to Live with Plan A
Puff
Cocoa Box Sinks
Perspective from a Puddle
Freefalling
God s-Eye View
A Mixture of Colors
Transition Pains
Discipline 401 Honors
The Day I Took Flight
Olivia s Grace
6. Hope: Expanding My Limit
Still Beautiful
Lost and Found
My Best Years
The Little Boy Who Waves
Hope Springs Eternal
Hope in the Eyes of a Child
Refuge in a Storm
Believing Prayers
Unexpected Hope
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Foreword Naomi Cramer Overton
It says in my diary,
January 8, 2001. Something s around the corner for me. I m going to lose this baby weight, come back here, and climb Half Dome.
Here was Yosemite National Park, and the rest of my family and our friends were off snowboarding. Everyone was having a great time. Except me.
I was with my two-year-old daughter, Katriel, riding the bus around and around Yosemite s valley floor. In addition to her company, I was hanging out with thirty extra pounds of padding, courtesy of having been pregnant with twins.
Brring . I yanked the cord to get off the bus to try a small adventure, a part-mile walk back to the motel. Off Katriel raced to climb a railing, and I ran to steady her. And then I looked up.
Up above our heads lilted a wispy waterfall. How had I missed it before? I secured Katriel in my arms and scanned the valley. There stood a mountain that looked like it had been chopped in half. I eyed it and strangely heard myself saying, I will climb that one day. One day. One day soon. I had never done something like that before, but I had heard it was fun and thrilling. I needed thrilling.
A Song of Ascents
I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the L ORD , the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The L ORD watches over you- the L ORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The L ORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life;
the L ORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121
Feeling hopeful, I kicked leaves with Katriel on the walk back to our motel room. Once inside, I busied her with a favorite toy and grabbed my diary. I had to record this: I would climb Half Dome.
Cheap motel pen in hand, I recorded a dream, a goal, a prayer. I sensed God had something around the corner for me-was it having my longed-for fourth child, I wondered? Even though I was enjoying my daughter, Katriel, her twin had died during pregnancy and I still struggled with feeling sad and wondering what life would be like if she had lived. Or would I discover an exciting new job? All I knew was that it was time to begin, to leave the cocoon of overwhelmed feelings and grief. It wasn t about having a fit body or enjoying my looks while I still had some. It was some other kind of unwrapping-preparing for a new season of life while living more fully in this one.
As I left the national park a few days later, I urged my husband, Let s stop there. At the roadside knickknack shop, I bought a small magnet with a picture of Half Dome on it. I tucked it inside my diary and later posted it on my refrigerator.
That January 8, I started moving toward my goal. Fast-forward six years, to another diary entry after that small beginning:
January 8, 2007. Six years ago today, I began preparing for the next season. Today I met with [MOPS International CEO] Elisa Morgan and felt completely at peace about moving forward to explore possibly leading MOPS.
Six years from a small beginning to a big meeting. To the day. Exactly.
Perspective and identity began in the valley, with small choices-getting off the bus to notice, looking up to gain perspective, recording hope in a diary, and marking it with a magnet on my fridge. None of it felt easy, but it helped me see who I was, what mattered, and how to walk into the future.
In the stories that follow, we ride in the valleys-and glimpse views from the heights-with other moms. Unlike the diaries I treasured as a young girl, these don t have teensy locks with easily misplaced keys. Rather they are open to us, and for us, to help us become the women, moms, and influencers our families, our communities, and the world so need us to be.
P.S.: On June 15, 2002, I did climb Half Dome. Later I climbed the Grand Teton, and that trek sent thousands of dollars overseas to help children orphaned by AIDS. I m still climbing, and I still have days in the valleys, and I m doing both in good company.
I Can t Wait
When you reach the proper age I will teach you to read and you can turn the pages How to dress and tie your shoes Your one plus ones, and your two times two s And you ll teach me Of hearts and dreams And all the most important things And all that I have lost along the way And I can t wait
As you grow, I ll show you things How to ride your bike and kick your legs out on the swings To fold your hands and bow your head To say your prayers before you go to bed And you ll teach me Of hearts and dreams And all the most important things And all that I have lost along the way And I can t wait
How do you sleep so peacefully? How do you trust unflinchingly? How do you love so faithfully? How do you dance so joyfully? And you ll teach me Of hearts and dreams And all the most important things And all that I have lost along the way And I can t No I can t Come teach me Of hearts and dreams And all the most essential things And all that I have lost along the way And I can t wait
2005 by Sara Groves from the album Station Wagon (INO/Sponge Records)
1 Identity Owning My Adventure
Wife. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Moms wear a lot of different hats and fulfill a multitude of roles in any given day. As we shift from personality to personality, it can be hard to remember who we really are-at our core. Life changes us, but despite any maturation, wisdom, and perspective we might gain, our core remains the same. The personhood we were born with stays with us our whole lives through. Our deepest desires, passions, and traits seek outlet as much as ever, even if they are buried deep beneath a mothering exterior.
The practical life of a mom can certainly bring a crashing halt to some of the ways we previously lived out our core values. A woman who used to spend hours a day with her nose stuck in a good book finds it challenging to read a chapter a week between caring for her infant and her rambunctious toddler. But she does manage to join a monthly book club that feeds her love of literature in a way that doesn t clash with her family life. A dedicated runner may not be able to enjoy her old three-hour-long runs each day, but she can envision a scenario that involves her child, a jogging stroller, and an invigorating workout. Without a doubt, we have to get creative about tending to ourselves once babies come along. But by doing so, we grow into the fullness of our true identity.
Who we are serves as a map to guide our journey as adults. Veering from the map leaves us feeling lost, unfulfilled, and inept. But when we do stay on course, our life flows out of adventure only we can live. That s when we truly soar and make the most influential impact we can on this world. We might very well be our husband s wife, our children s mother, and our parents daughter. But we re first, undeniably, our self .
I am a woman above everything else. -Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis