-
-
-
Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Kids with Promise- Enjoy Real Food
- It's A Boy!I've been very absent from writing blogs this month because we have a new baby! Asa Peter Dusan was born April 27th and he's been in NICU ever since. He's doing well, but, needless to say, I've been a little busy. For more about Asa's story, click here. Have a great week! […]
- It's A Boy!
- A Parent in Silver Spring
- Walk for Flynn on Sunday in Rockville to Benefit Research Down SyndromeThis Sunday, take a stroll with your family for an important cause, Research Down Syndrome (RDS), and in memory of a beloved local son, brother and small but mighty RDS champion who passed away this year. A Walk for Flynn Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 9:00 AM North Lake Center at 15101 Bauer Drive in […]
- Walk for Flynn on Sunday in Rockville to Benefit Research Down Syndrome
- Author, Jody Hedlund
- Everyone Gets Jealous, Even Published AuthorsYes, I’m ashamed to admit. I get jealous of other authors. It’s ridiculous really. I couldn’t ask for a better start to my writing career. I’ve accomplished what every author hopes. I’ve earned back my advance and then some. I’ve had plenty of positive reviews on Amazon. I’ve won awards and made the CBA bestseller list. I’ve pleased my publisher enough for t […]
- Everyone Gets Jealous, Even Published Authors
- Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
- Great Reviews or Great Money?We all know that the books receiving critical acclaim aren’t always the same books that are selling millions of copies. The books that win literary prizes aren’t always logging big numbers at the cash register. So tell me: If you had a choice, which of the following would you rather be? (1) An author publishing […]
- Great Reviews or Great Money?
- Blessed…
- Schuconnected
- Christian Mama's Guide...Hi everyone! This week, Troy's sister's book, The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby, is free on Kindle at amazon.com!Here's a link: Christian Mama's GuideGo download it and share it with any friends who are expecting! It's a fun read.Hope everyone had a blessed Easter! […]
- Christian Mama's Guide...
- Kathi Lipp – Christian Speaker and Author of The Husband Project
- My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Post-itsMenu Planning – Before I write anything in ink on the actual menu, I put the meals I want on small Post-its so that I can move them around to accomodate my family’s schedule. No sense putting stir-fry on Wednesday night when everyone is going to be in and out of the house. Better to [...]My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Post-its […]
- My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Post-its
Dear Birth Mom,
I am in awe. I have been sitting here staring at this picture of my precious new nephew Asa for an hour now and I am overcome with emotion. He is so beautiful– those big dark eyes and those tiny lips that seem to be continuously turned up into a smile. Tears stream down my face as I write this– tears of joy because we have been waiting for this day, for this child, for him, for so, so long.
But I know that our joy comes at the price of your pain. I know that while our hearts are full, your arms are empty. And while I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, I do know that our family is eternally grateful to you for making such a courageous choice. Your choice– the decision to give Asa up for adoption even at the cost of your own heartbreak– is the bravest and most selfless choice that I can imagine a mother making. And we give you our heartfelt thanks.
I’m sure my words will do little to soothe your wounds, but I want to assure you that Asa is already adored by our entire extended family. We have been praying for him– for you– for months now and we joyfully welcome him into our lives with humility and a deep sense of gratitude. He has an entire network of prayer warriors praying for him as he faces surgery– and he has an entire network of friends and family who are ready to shower him with love, compassion and mercy as he heals.
Right now, Asa’s big sister Haddie and his cousins Joey and Kate are in the room drawing pictures to decorate his bedside in the NICU. Kate drew tiny Asa in a crib while surrounded by all 11 of his cousins being showered in kisses. Haddie drew her brother smiling. Joey drew him holding hands with his parents, skipping through a field.
As they draw, the kids keep asking to look at his pictures. They laugh at his sweet expressions. They dream of what it will be like to hold his hands for the first time. And even at a young age, each of them instinctively know that this baby boy– our baby boy– is theirs to love and cherish. And they, like the rest of us, have all already fallen helplessly in love with him.
So, thank you. Your gift has changed our family forever. You will forever be an unsung hero in my mind–and you will be in my prayers always.
Love, Erin
Note: Baby Asa will be facing surgery to repair his intestines (which developed outside of his body) sometime between May 2nd-May 4th, 2012. After that he will spend several weeks in the NICU in Temple, Texas before being able to come home. His road is long, but his prognosis is really good. Please keep Peter, Alisa, Haddie and Asa in your prayers. I will update my blog with Asa’s progress as he heals.
Advice from my mom: “Your kids may be too young to learn about S-E-X but they’re definitely old enough to learn about the birds and the bees.”
Her point? If kids start learning young about God’s plan for life– in an age-appropriate way– then when the time comes to have “the talk”, they won’t be surprised, but instead will be ready, haven been given a framework on which to hang these ideas. Plus, she also says that as a parent, you have to become the “expert” to your kids– so that when they hear something at school, the first thing they’ll think is “Well, my mom knows a lot about this, so I’m going to go home and ask her.”
My mom’s pretty smart, isn’t she?
So, how do you teach preschoolers about the birds and bees? You teach them about life!
This Spring, we’ve been growing our own patio herb garden. We started out by going to the store and buying pots and seeds. I let my kids pick the pots they liked and the seeds they wanted to grow (my daughter picked the packet that had the prettiest pictures, my son picked the biggest seeds). When we got home, we talked about how God can take a tiny seed and with proper conditions, turn it into a plant. We planted and fertilized the seeds and diligently watered them. A few weeks later, the plants sprouted. More water, fertilizer and sunshine and they started to grow. And now, two months later, we have beautiful, thriving herbs– herbs that we can use for spaghetti sauce, salads, pizzas and more.
But the fresh herbs are just the added bonus. The best part of this little family project is the questions it has brought forth. Here are a few of the things my kids have asked:
From Kate (age 4): Mommy, if I didn’t water my plants, they would die, wouldn’t they?
From Joey (age 6): Why does it take so long for God to make plants grow? Why can’t they just pop up overnight?
And, the doozy, from Joey: Do animals and people grow from seeds just like plants do? (I admit I had to call my mom before I answered this one… but I did come back to Joey and tell him that yes, in fact, God does take a seed from a man and a seed from a female and join them together to create a life. Glad my mom helped me with that one!)
Anyway, this has been such a great project that has helped my kids to ask great questions… and has started great conversations.
Question for you: What do you do to teach your kids about God’s creation of life?
The best present I could’ve gotten this afternoon… from my sweet Joey!
I’ve had one of those days.
Let’s just say that the nurse at my doctor’s office now recognizes my phone number when it comes through on the caller ID.
And that I lost my car keys and after waking all three of my kids up from much –needed naps and loading them into the car, had to cancel three much-needed doctor’s appointments.
And now I’m sitting here with exhausted, worn-out and sick kids and no car and no idea what to do.
I’m a mess. How come motherhood can be so overwhelming? I want to sit down and have a toddler-style meltdown and scream and moan about how my day has just not gone how I planned.
But God is reminded me again that I am not in control—he is. And that the little things that seem so massively frustrating today are insignificant in the whole scheme of things.
God promises us peace.
The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. (John 14:27)
And, today, I pray that he fills my cup.
My prayer for my courageous, funny and exuberant son on his 6th birthday
Lord, I had expected my life to be different when I had kids, but I never imagined how much my son would change me. I didn’t realize how the instant I saw Joey, I’d gain a whole new understanding of your love for me. I didn’t understand the depth of protectiveness, of passion, of hope and of joy that Joey would bring into my life. I didn’t know that his being would affect my being so deeply, so wholly, so intensely.
But Lord, in one moment, six years ago, I was changed. I hadn’t been sure I wanted kids just yet. I didn’t know what to do with a baby. I didn’t have a clue how to be a mom. But when they laid my sweet baby boy in my arms, my heart ached—not with pain, but with awe. He was beautiful—perfect, whole, amazing. And you had chosen him for me. I am so blessed.
Lord, I know you have a plan for Joey this year and I thank you for giving me the chance to watch your amazing work has it unfolds in him. Lord, protect him. Protect him physically, emotionally and spiritually. Help him to grow and thrive in Your love and care and in the warm embrace of our family. Lord, as he grows, help me to know what to say and how to act so that I never cause him to stumble. Give me the grace to be the mom he needs—and the courage to stand for you even when it’s difficult.
Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with my smart, funny, creative, passionate and exuberant son. Help me to never forget that he belongs to You and that you love him with a love that goes beyond even my own. How safe I feel knowing that my children– my precious treasures– are in the arms of their Father. Thank you for that hope– and I pray that Joey (and Kate and Will) — never, ever for one moment doubt that hope.
Amen