coffee, shall we?

good afternoon my friends ;) i've seen a "virtual coffee date" before and thought, eh, why not try it? so, let's have a coffee date, shall we?!

if you were truly at my house....

.....i would share with you that i've started thinking about all of the options for educating roman. {and our future children} i would tell you i've been recently excited about the option of homeschooling. i would go on to say that how blown away i am by the huge homeschooling community in kansas city, and that homeschooling families don't really wear jeanskirts that are ankle length, with hair that goes to their butt. nope. they are trendy. they highlight their hair! i would go on to share the {obvious} fears of homeschooling........but then i would share that i think i want to try at least one year!" i would tell you about what i read from a momma earlier, "At the end of the day, we were happy. I thought a lot about homeschooling today--how much we learned, what we experienced, how good it felt to be out, doing, seeing, learning and how good it felt to be with her while it happened. There are days I think it might not work out and days like today when I think...it could happen. There are pros, there are cons, there is a bit of time before we need to decide." [found HERE]

and how i LOVE experiencing my child learning.

but, then i would also share that i'm not oppose to public school, or private school. because as a recent educator in public schools and as a previous student at a private school, i understand how wonderful both of those experiences can be too. plus, i would get to send off the older kids and then i would love the slow mornings on the couch sipping orange juice and eating oatmeal with the little ones still at home, just like this momma does [HERE] :)

.....i would share with you the anxiousness i feel with parenting roman. he's very strong willed. very full of energy. moving non stop. and as his momma, i'm realizing HOW much more time i spend with him verses mr leif who comes home in the evenings for dinner, small playtime, and the bath! that means that I GET to do a lot of the parenting, and I GET to set a lot of the limits and I GET to struggle with how, and what, and being consistent. it's a weight on my shoulders.

i would start laughing, as i went on to explain that

i've spent countless hours in the past, while getting my counseling degree, learning about how to facilitate parenting groups, reading and discussing the issues behind the struggles of parenting.

and that

i've spent countless hours in SIT meetings {StudentInterventionTeam} at the school I worked at, helping parents, special education teachers, the psychologist, the principal, the teachers......coming up with new ways to reach children, coming up with new ways to teach them at their level, coming up with new ways to meet their needs.

and then i would share with you the irony of now:

my own child? i find myself confused, i would say.

i find myself wondering if i'm doing everything wrong?

.....i would share that i'm loving my time with roman. i can't imagine spending my days doing ANYTHING else. not even shopping for new boots {a girl can never have too many boots, folks} nope. even on the most wearing days, i smile. i laugh. i love.

and then i would make a small confession to you that sometimes, i look forward to his naptime. actually i would have to confess again, that i almost always look forward to his naptime. but that i'm ok with that confession. BECAUSE, i'm like a kid counting down til christmas for the time i get to sweep him out of his crib, once he's awake. that time is priceless.

i would explain to you the joy i get picking my baby up out of his crib. i would share that he's so sweet during that "just waking up phase". snuggly. yummy.

and then,

i would tell you that i usually kiss him 30 times on the cheeks telling him how much i love him.

of course, i wouldn't forget to let you know how often and EASY it is to thank GOD for him multiple times a day. seriously. i stop throughout the day, pause for a moment, and just THANK HIM. motherhood is a pearl. such a beautiful thing. such a delicate and precious thing.

....and then we would pause for more coffee, and some snacks.

who doesn't love snacks?

.....but now? as we return to the couch?

i would apologize for rambling on. i would ask you to share with me.

what's on your heart? what's in your mind? do tell?

and then i would listen as you shared your inner thoughts. the depths of your mind.

we would reflect on what proverbs 19:20 tells us: when we listen to each other's advice and accept each other's instruction, we might gain wisdom in mothering and as wives.

....and now we would end with a very sweet moment of thanks, for our friendship, for the ability to share, the ability to listen. for the ability to be real, and honest, and forgiving.

but before you walked out the door, i would ask you.....pray for me?

pray that i strive each day to become a better wife?

all of this momma talk sometimes drags me away from my duty to mr leif.

pray that i create a happy home for him?

and after you share how i can pray for you, you'd be off, heading home to your warm and cozy house, while i resumed duties:

thank you for coffee, please come again?