Bloom: Words of Affirmation...

Last night, I went to the first night meeting for the Parent Participation Preschool that Mario and Luigi go to.  True to form, our {wonderful} teacher started off with a challenging icebreaker.  You see, at the end of every class, we sing the following words to the tune of Are You Sleeping?

I am special, I am special

If you look, you will see

Someone very special, someone very special, 

Yes that's me, yes that's you

I am capable, I am capable

If you look, you will see

Someone very capable, someone very capable

Yes that's me, yes that's you

I am lovable, I am lovable

If you look, you will see

Someone very lovable, someone very lovable

Yes that's me, yes that's you

I will be honest, the first day we sang this in her class {with the hand motions, yep they are the obvious ones you are thinking of}, I admit that I thought it was a little hokey, but as time went on and parenting got harder {having a 3 year old, a 1 year old and being pregnant in a class designed so you take your kids through the centers with me and them going in different directions ALL the time} I grew to cling to those words and we sang them to each other and we began pointing to each other during the 'yes that's you' part of the song.  I went through many challenges that year that far outstretch my kids being at a challenging and energy zapping age, which I won't get into here, and there were days that I wanted to pull my hair out and just give up.  I felt so much like I had become only a mother and had nearly completely lost my identity and ability {and time} to express the essence of who I am deep down inside due to the confines of trying to be the best mom I could be and absolutely not having much of a clue about what that really meant.

Back to the icebreaker...

She asked what made our 4 year olds special, capable and lovable and we all easily spouted off the characteristics our children possess but the second time around the room, she asked us to answer what made each of us special, capable and lovable {two out of three}.  It strikes me now that it looked like everyone had at least a little trouble with this one. But me, being who I am, I answered that I am special because I do what ever it takes to get things that really need to be done, done and that I have many irons in the fire at ALL times. {That's all I could think of!?!? Really??}  I froze up on thinking of one of the other two so our {WONDERFUL} teacher helped by saying that I am a very good empathetic friend. {Phew!} But it got me thinking... I am special and lovable because I am a passionate person who experiences the full range of emotions and I have a hard time not showing it especially when I'm feeling uneasy about something.  I take life seriously and take people seriously too because I find them significant, maybe due to my often feeling insignificant myself.  I am learning to love life more and more, I am loyal and I love to make other people feel special too... though I don't always show it because of the limitations of my memory, feelings of guilt or other things that get in the way.  I'm working on it though. I am capable too.  EVERYONE tells me how great my kids are and how well behaved they are too.  I must have had some influence there, since I'm with them so much and really do work hard with them. I started my own little business that doesn't look like much by the sales numbers on Etsy, but it's doing ok for only being able to do it after the kids are in bed most days.  I have a loyal wholesale account that generates a modest seasonal income and I have sold several things to my friends and moms I know from school and other classes my kids take... and a couple of those orders have been big and several customers have become repeat customers too!  In addition to all of this, my husband and I are happily married and I'm helping out with Sunday school at church and I'm on the Deaf interpreting team there too. {Did I mention that I can still get by pretty well in Spanish too, so I'm darn near trilingual.}  So after knowing all of that, why couldn't I think of anything to say?!?  If I wasn't special, capable or lovable, would I be able to write any of that? NO!  

So, what makes you special, capable and lovable?  Sorry if I make you cry.  It's a good exercise. Don't forget when times are rough or you feel like no one is listening, that you really are special, capable and lovable! It's just one of those things that is helping me to Bloom!

Keep on Bloomin'!

Kristin

P.S. If you are in San Diego, and you know of anyone here who needs parenting help {or just didn't get into the preschool they wanted, or they are a stay at home mom or dad and weren't really looking for a class but you can tell they need something...}, for their own personal development their 2-3 year old or 4-5 year old, send me a message ASAP{!} and I'll let you know how you can help them get into the cheapest, and REALLY the best quality preschool program available in the county...  I could seriously go on and on about this teacher and her classes and I probably will in later posts.  She has openings in both of her AWESOME classes.   

K

Bloom: It looks like school will have to wait... {again!}

It looks like I won't get in either of the two classes I was going to take this fall.  :(  So I'm back to waiting for the spring semester and hoping enrollment goes better next time.  In the meantime, I'll continue learning as much as I can online and keep on interacting with members of the Deaf community to keep my skills up.

Image Source: MoonlightAura

This is a tough one for me because I so want to learn ASL and fill in those gaps I have from not being fully educated in it, but it seems like whenever I try to sign up for classes, they are full or won't work with our family schedule etc.

In the meantime, I'm praying for God's direction because I have felt for so long that this is the path He wants me to take and I'm trying to follow...

Trusting God {the one who holds our hearts in His hands}: It's just one of those {really big} things that's helping me to finally bloom...

Keep on Bloomin!
Kristin

Bloom: Love is...?

I had a chance to listen to Josh McDowell speak on what love is this past weekend.  The message he shared is one that is important for every parent, grandparent, pastor and Christian educator to hear and impart to the children in their care and can accurately be stated in three simple words.  Even if you think Jesus sucks, isn't God or are undecided, this video is important for a variety of reasons and I hope you will watch it and {hang in there until the end!}

If you haven't heard of Josh, let me tell you a little about him.  Josh was an agnostic who tried to disprove the existence of God, and through studying the Bible in depth he discovered that he couldn't do it.  He has authored over 100 books, {several of which have won awards} and spoken to thousands and thousands of students.  The best part is that he's the real deal; I firmly believe that man's family reveals much about the character of said man... I lived around the block from the McDowell family when I was in high school.  That family showed me love during the most troubling time in my life.  His wife Dottie, often took me to school when I was late for the bus. Katie, his oldest daughter brought me home many times.  Sean {and his now wife Stephanie} kept on sharing Christ with me at school, put up with my attitude, foul mouth and complete lack of tact {my lack of wisdom too!}, and brought me to bible studies where I first really understood who Jesus is, why He is important and what it means to follow Him. Sean also gave me one of Josh's first books, More Than a Carpenter, which answers the question, "Is Jesus Lord, a liar or a lunatic?"  In retrospect, I literally feel like I was this family's project... and oh, what joys have come from it!

Here's the video from Sunday night... I hope you will all use what you learn here for the good of our kids, our society and our world.



Josh McDowell - Aug 14, 2011 from Shadow Mountain Community Church on Vimeo

Here is a link to the book Josh is talking about at the end of the video about sex, love and the questions kids have that their parents are often not answering for them.  Scary stuff.

If the video challenged your thinking, or you are intrigued by what you heard, here are the links to Josh and Sean's ministries where you can get more information:
http://www.seanmcdowell.org
http://www.josh.org

Jesus is THE single most important thing that is finally helping me to bloom.

Keep on Bloomin'!
Kristin

Bloom: A full night's sleep is SO helpful!

Image Source: NaomiLingerie

I have been up late working on some designs for the pumpkin patch and dairy, working on the blog, filling orders, making treasuries and generally not paying much attention to my need for sleep.  It caught up with me yesterday when I accidentally gave Mario, Luigi's medicine {they are on different antibiotics for the same thing}.  I felt like one horrible mama!!  So I called my mom, who is a Registered Nurse to make sure it was going to be okay, and after reviewing the dosing with me she told us to watch for an allergic reaction but that he should be fine. {Phew!}  There was no allergy and my wonderful husband promptly took up the reigns and advised me to get some sleep.  So there I was in my bed sleeping at 6:30 last night and... I slept a full 12 hours in perfect peace and  I didn't need any coffee in order to function this morning.  Therefore, whatever I don't finish before 10:30 isn't going to get done from now on... It's just the way it has to be.

Keep it well-rested and sane!
Kristin

Bloom: Teacher! Teacher! Oh, You're Talking to Me!

Last week, I had the remarkable experience of teaching a classroom full of 4 year olds at our church's Vacation Bible School Program, A.K.A. Summer Blast.

What a wonderful, challenging {and tiring} time it was!  Since this was my first 'real' teaching experience and Mondays being what they are... the first day was a little sketchy. But by Tuesday, I had my sea-legs (so to speak) and thanks in large part to Linnea and Carol, things went great.  By Friday, 14 of my little ones prayed to Jesus and told him they were sorry for the things they had done wrong, and that they wanted to do what Jesus wanted them to do. {Humbling!!!}  {Wow!}

Only God knows how much of it will stick, but at least there were seeds planted in those precious little hearts.

 But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." Matthew 19:14 NLT

Here's a video clip from our time in the worship center singing to Jesus:

I was really blessed to have all the helpers in my class that I did.  Gloria and Hannah had such dear quiet spirits about them that helped calm kids down when separation anxiety struck, Brandy just jumped right in and saw what needed to be done and did it, Grace had the awesome idea to quietly sing Jesus Loves Me when we were walking from one part of the church campus to another {It quieted those kids right down!}, Carol with her 20 years of teaching experience helped me through the logistics of classroom management, and Linnea made sure I had everything I needed.  The people you serve with, become your friends and you help each other out....

Keep on Bloomin'!
Kristin