Mother Inferior

I will no longer compare myself to other moms. I have talents, quirks, and special qualities all my own, and I will start to own and (YES!) even celebrate them, beginning today. I will see my weaknesses as God’s opportunity to be my strength.

On the days when it gets so hard that I want to run out the door screaming and never come back, I will breathe. Slowly. And lock myself in the bathroom until I can gain control.

I will remember that I’m a good mom. After all, a bad mom doesn’t question whether or not she’s a good mom.

I will not gossip about other moms. Every mother has her own set of challenges, most of which I know nothing about. I will not demean or demoralize my fellow moms by talking about them behind their backs. And if someone else is gossiping, I will ask them to change the subject.

I will no longer say “yes†to everything that’s asked of me. I will be thoughtful, prayerful, and deliberate in making decisions. That way, my family won’t suffer when I say “yes†too easily.

I will no longer do everything for my kids. I want to raise them to be responsible, mature adults who can contribute to the world in amazing ways. This won’t happen if they can’t shop, cook, clean, and take care of themselves.

I will no longer put my husband on the end of the “to-do†list. I realize that the health of our relationship makes a huge difference in our kids’ well-being, so I choose to make time regularly for intimacy (of all kinds). Date nights, here we come!

I will ask for help when I need it, seek out other moms for mentoring, friendship and support, and make maintaining my friendships a priority.

I will take care of myself by exercising and eating right, so that I can be a good steward of the body God’s given me.

I will make time to be still, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. During that time, I will listen to God, meditate on His truths, and pray. And when I can, I will take longer stretches of time for Bible study. It’s my lifeline, and the only real source of peace and wisdom in this mixed-up world!

I will lighten up. I will laugh, and play, and enjoy my kids. I only get them for a short time (although the days are long, the years go by fast!), and they are a blessing, not a burden.

I will believe that God delights in me, loves me, and accepts me--just as I am. He is with me as I navigate the uncertainties of motherhood, and He will make up for my mistakes. I will lean on Him during the dark days, and serve Him, through serving my family, with a grateful heart.

If you had one minute to help make a difference in your world, what would you do?

That's the question McDonald's is asking as it launches "One Minute to Move It" -- a global children's well-being program designed to encourage kids to see what a difference a minute can make. "One Minute to Move It," which is being launched this Friday, November 7, takes its cue from "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" and the new Happy Meal featuring these characters -- all to empower kids to create a minute of joyful self expression.

Also starting this Friday, November 7, the fun continues online where kids and families can find suggestions for activities, track their minutes moved, and enter special codes found on lowfat Milk Jugs and Apple Dippers to enrich the activities on the site.

 

So, what would I do with my kids in one minute to enrich the world? Turn up a praise CD, like our favorite van-music, Worship Jams, and dance like crazy, praising God for all He's done.

 

What would YOU do?

One of the fun things about being a blogger is that I sometimes get the chance to review products. Recently, I took a look at two items that were graciously sent to me

Better Homes and Gardens magazine and BHG.com have just launched 100 Days of Holidays – their largest and most exciting holiday program ever. They want to ensure that everyone enjoys great holidays without the hassle.

This year's 100 Days of Holidays program has more than 400 new slide shows, free recipes, craft projects, and decorating ideas; 100 daily email newsletters; 50 new how to videos; five fun new interactive tools; three online courses; new photo contests; and more! Wow!

Check out their fun Pumpkin Stencil Maker and their huge Halloween Costume Gallery and bookmark the site to come back often during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. I know I will!

I love contests—and have won a few. Once, I won $1000 by answering and sending in a radio station survey, and then calling in when they announced my name. That was awesome--and great timing, too, since I had just found out I was pregnant with Jax. :)

And I recently won a $25 gift certificate to Amazon by submitting a creative name for a newsletter. Listen, if you don't enter, you can't win--and someone has to!

So, just for fun and your perusing enjoyment, here are a few contests with great prizes:

Huggies is having a video contest, as well as a sweepstakes. The sweepstakes is for $30,000, and you can enter every day. In the video contest, you answer a question about being a mom and upload it. They’ll choose 30 moms to star in an ad campaign and receive $300.

The BlogHer Network is hosting a contest that asks you to tell how you stretch your budget. You can win $1000 from Prego. To check out more details about this sweepstakes offer, follow this link.

And until November 1^st, at Spry Living, you can write 50 words on what “spry†means to you and win a three-night spa vacation for two. Love it!

And finally, at www.whymilk.com, you can enter to win milk for a year. That’s a lot of moo-la! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) J