parenting

Five Minutes.

by oh amanda on January 14, 2011

in writing

There’s a picture on my camera I want to tell you about. I’m going to write about it for five minutes.

Ready?

Set!

Go!

food coloring snow

I didn’t want to go outside again. It’s too cold and I’m too warm-blooded to want to wrap up the kids in layers and plastic baggies and hats and gloves and boots. (Or maybe I’m just too lazy?)

So, we put water and food coloring inside a squirt bottle. I wrote the kids’ names in the snow to their squeals of delight. Then it was their turn. I let Asa hold the squirt bottle of blue while Lydia did a spray bottle of purple. I wish you could feel their excitement–doing something that feels, I don’t know, maybe wrong? Throwing splashes of color on the vast bright whiteness?

Asa’s little body in his Buzz Lightyear pajamas–not knowing at all what we were doing, but still wanting to be involved. Just letting the water drip, drip, drip out of the end. His little pants leg pushed up on one side. His body in a squat.

And Lydia, the busy big sister bee. She wants the squirt bottle, she wants to make a smiley face, write her name and help Asa all at the same time. She’s squealing with delight while greedily eyeing her brother’s dye bottle.

And I’m going to another door, to peek my camera out. To look and see what else I can see. To get a new view of my children. To capture a moment that we might see every year from now on. Or maybe never see again.

It surprises me the emotion of small moments. The longing I have in each moment while they revel with their head-first, full-on  abandon.

Yeah, I wish you could have felt their excitement.

:: :: ::

STOP.

That was it. My picture in 5 minutes. Your turn. Can you write for 5 minutes straight? Bring us into a picture? Bring us into a brief moment of time? Try it! Then link up to the sparkling Gypsy Mama!

{confession: I looked at the clock only once–when it was 20 seconds to the end. And I did go back and add “in the snow”. That’s all. Whew, I feel better!}

{ 17 comments }

Merry ChristMESS

by oh amanda on December 20, 2010

in christmas

Merry Christmas!

awesome christmas card by josh hunter

There are only 5 days until Christmas. Are you ready? Is your tree up? Decorated? Have you made Christmas cookies? Bought presents? Wrapped them? Made neighbor gifts? Done a homemade advent calendar? Delivered Christmas food to a needy family? Hand addressed your Christmas cards?

Or are you like me? Your gifts are strewn across the living room floor. Your kids are wearing their pajamas in the middle of the afternoon. Your sink is full of dirty dishes. You burnt the Christmas cookies. You still can’t figure out what to get your father-in-law. You have unaddressed Christmas cards on your counter. And you can’t even find your keys.

{read my full post at Motherhood…Your Way}

{ 3 comments }

Moses’ Mama.

by oh amanda on October 22, 2010

in moms

1.4.10

There is a true story of a man named Moses. You’ve heard of him, right? He’s the one that talked to God in the burning bush, delivered the Hebrews from Pharaoh’s slavery, turned the Nile into blood and brought down the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai.

But his story doesn’t really begin with him. It begins with his mother.

{read my full post at Motherhood…Your Way}

{ 1 comment }

Kids & Chores

August 23, 2010 parenting

I’ve been trying to figure out chores for the kids. (I just posted about this didn’t I?) I can’t seem to get a good rhythm going with Lydia, she sees brushing her teeth as a chore. So, that’s a problem. The only thing I’ve successfully done is introduced Asa to putting away the silverware. He [...]

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How Motherhood is Like Snow White

August 20, 2010 me

Some days I feel like Snow White… Yesterday I… …got up at 6am and walked around my neighborhood …read my Bible (a new purple one!) …wrote a story with Lydia while successfully playing with Asa …made 3 loaves of bread (my first time thanks to Alicia’s Homemaking!) …mopped the floors …wrote 2 pretty decent blog [...]

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My New Favorite

August 7, 2010 linky love

Photo :: :: :: Asa taking a break from screaming as he realizes his cast is gone and then confusedly stares at and pats his leg. Disney-related Post :: :: :: Discipline at Disney from Mouse Planet t-Shirt :: :: :: Love Your Enemies at c28 DIY Baby Shower Gift :: :: :: Baby Gift [...]

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Morning.

July 29, 2010 me

We don’t set alarms around here. I can usually make myself wake up whenever I need to be up. My son wakes up at 6:30, so we usually don’t NEED to get up any earlier than that anyway. But this morning my husband set his alarm for 5:30. He is playing golf (which he never [...]

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