Trying to keep it simple

I struggle with the fast pace of childhood these days. Everyone is so busy and always on the go, and when I'm not, I can start to feel like I'm missing out on something or I must not be doing it right. My kids don't have some kind of lesson or practice every day of the week and the mom guilt sets in because everyone else is so busy and looking like they're enjoying it and I must be selfish because I don't make the time to sign my kids up for everything. But I get to see the other side of the Instagram and Facebook posts. I see worm out parents shuffling their kids from daycare to the next activity. I talk to these parents and they are exhausted from work but they won't get home until 8:30 because they have to get their kids to soccer, swimming, ballet, gymnastics, basketball, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Awanas and whatever else there is. Not to mention us parents are trying to be good servants and we want to go to that small group bible study and that marriage conference, we still want to bring that dish to the potluck, we want to be a part of our church, we want to make time for everything. But I've learned to accept and be content in not being as busy as everyone else. I've had my husband help me in this aspect because he was constantly saying " we don't need to be busy all the time or have something every weekend" and I would just be like "that's how life is, sorry" and then I'd proceed to trying to make it to everything, bouncing from one thing to the next but I can't do everything and I'm finally ok with that.

I started this book by Lysa Turkeurst called " The Best Yes" and it is awesome! Lysa is honest and open about the struggles of the daily lives of women and the need to please and be a part of everything. But she focuses on how our need to please God should take precedent on our need to please others. And really, we can’t please God if we are so overwhelmed with our busy schedules and lives. Lysa shows us how to say no with confidence and how to say yes to the best things. "A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul"

My kids have basketball and Awanas right now and that's enough. It may change from basketball to something else they like but I'm going to make sure that whatever it is that commitment does not outweigh our commitment to God and each other. We spend time together, we eat together, we do devotions and pray together and we talk to each other. I want to show my kids that it's ok to not be busy all the time because when we are too busy we lose sight of what's important. God first and foremost and people. "Never is a woman so fulfilled as when she chooses to underwhelm her schedule so she can let God overwhelm her soul."

God didn’t place us here to do life alone,

 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ball the more as you see the Day drawing near."Hebrews 10:24–25

We love people, you guys know us, we are people persons for sure. I try my hardest to make sure we keep friendships going and I want my kids to see that as well. It's important to build strong friendships and connections. I also want them to be kids, and play in the backyard or their rooms, to ride bikes, and to play with the dumb dogs (terms of endearment I promise...still bitter about being outvoted not once but twice). I want them to enjoy just being. I want there to be little things in our everyday lives that point then back to God. I can do this for our family by not overwhelming our schedules because that's what society is telling me to do, or because that's what I feel pressured to do in order to live up to the standards set by these "mommy wars".

If being on the go works for other people then more power to them, I don't know how they do it, I applaud them. I can't do it but I know now that it doesn't make me less of a mom, it just means we all prioritize differently and our families and kids have different interests and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! I was reminded this weekend about my own childhood ,and how much simpler it used to be, when the kids next door asked my kids if they could play. So, they played together yard by yard and it was nice to watch an unscheduled play time, it was kids being kids and forming friendships on their own. It wasn't planned, it wasn't rushed, it ended when it got dark and there was no setting up anything else, there was just a "see you next time". It was simple, and it reminded me that it's in the simplest moments when you can see the work of God more clearly.

"Remember the decisions you make determine the schedule you keep. The schedule you keep determines the life you live. And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul"

Mother’s Day Tea!

My annual Mother’s Day Tea is one of the highlights of the school year! The kids and moms look forward to it…I have had some moms who have had all of their kiddos come through my room, and they still never tire of it. I have been labeled by my co-workers as the “over the top” one…in a loving way of course! Everyone has their niche and mine is event planning, crafting and preschool so of course this Mother’s Day Tea is one of the highlights of MY school year! Every year I change little things here and there but the Mother’s Day Tea for the 2014-2015 school year was my best one yet! I made a lot of changes and literally made a lot of things for the event itself! So I will go with that setup and those ideas this year as well!

Ok so this is how I do my Mother’s Day Tea…a few weeks before the event, the kiddos hand make some cute invitations to invite their moms to the Tea, and the invitations request that they bring their favorite coffee mug or tea cup and a request to turn in $8 to help with food and beverages, plates, napkins, and tablecloths. Let’s face it…I am working on a preschool teacher budget so I can’t possibly pay for all of this on my own.

 I do, however, pay the cost of materials for all the crafts and items I make for the event. I found a person on one of the local Buy, Sell, Trade groups on Facebook who was selling bouquets of fake flowers for $1 each and flower wreaths for $3 each, so I bought many flowers to use for decorations for this event and several other projects and I was also able to get the clear vase/bowl with fake flowers for $1 per piece to use as the keepsake gift! The kids also made big teapot place-mats that I laminated and they drew a picture of their mom and I used it to attach to a questionnaire called "All About My Mom". The answers are hysterical!

 

I also found someone who was selling a set of dishes that I bought and created serving dishes to use for this and other events I do. I also made a trip to the dollar store and bought some dishes, candle holders and wine glasses and used those and some E6000 to create the serving dishes as well.

I used my connections with a few of the gals that are vendors at Crafty & Chic Boutique (the craft fair I host and organize) and I created goody bags for the moms with Cake pops donated by Treats by Tiffany. Gold Canyon tea light candles, a few tea packets from Tealightful, some perfume samples from Avon and a zipper pull that says "#1 Mom" that I created through my side business Glorious Creations. I also created the bags and tags and the flower wrist lets that the kids give to their moms, the tea packet wreath/holder, and the banners!

  

We begin by singing a song we had been rehearsing and then the kids put the wrist-lets on their moms.

Then I read these two stories to them and I read off some funny mom humor that I find here and there online.

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest and I just had to try it! It was very simple and I even did it for my daughter’s birthday party!

After a little bit of fun, they were able to enjoy the yummy treats. I made muffins, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, cookies with marshmallows on top that were supposed to present as tea cups (I thought they came out decent), meat, cheese, crackers, and watermelon

 

I also created a fun photo spot for the moms and kids to use with some props,

 

 

 

We also played a game of Flower and Gem Bingo that I found over at Shower of Roses, http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/2012/09/little-flowers-bingo-flowers-gems-and.html. I printed them out and laminated them to use over and over and I purchased some gems to use as Bingo Markers! The kids also won some prizes of they were a winner.

I also did a fun little raffle where I raffled off some dollar store items for the moms to win. They were just cute little nic nacs, but the kids and moms enjoyed that part as well and it was a great way to wrap it all up!