My "Mom" Moments

Lisa over at The Gypsy Mama (thegypsymama.com) is giving away a great mom book today!! In order to enter, you have to leave your most recent  "Don't Make Me Come Up There"  moment as a comment. In other words, share a good "mom-moment" with her and her readers! So go on over and enter, and also catch up on her awesome blog!!

In the spirit of entering this giveaway, I began pondering all the (new) "mom-moments" I've had these past eight weeks in order to choose just the right one. After all, this was to be my first experience sharing a "mom-moment" and I wanted to get it right! :) Somewhere in between thoughts of all my mom mishaps, the Proverbs 31 woman popped into my head, which got me to thinking more about my "mom-moments" and how they compare to what God calls us to be. 

(wo)Man, I have a lot of catching up to do...

Proverbs: The Woman Who Fears the LORD

¹⁰ An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 

David did give me a diamond ring, said "I do" and tells me I'm a treasure, so I think I'm ok here. :) Whew! Bless that man!

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

Check. (So far so good).

¹²She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

Mom-moment: Due to sleep deprivation and a completely adorable baby who wouldn't nap, I already had to apologize (twice) today for being ultra crabby about nice stuff he was doing. Sigh. But I did make him guac and left a love note out before I went to bed last night, so that's gotta count for something, right???

¹³She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

Mom-moment: Um, no. I seek oatmeal and granola in the five minutes David uses HIS willing (and cheerful, I might add) hands to change a morning diaper, which in turn makes him late for his meeting.

¹⁴She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

Mom-moment: Yesterday, I was so tired and so busy that I put the cottage cheese and applesauce directly into the pan I used to make the mac-n-cheese and ate it all together. I brought it to the table and to my lips; that's "afar" as it got.

¹⁵She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

Mom-moment: Well, I do rise (multiple times) at night to provide food for our littlest family member! Yay! On the other hand, I forgot to take the pizza off the cardboard before baking it for the big people of our household. Now about these maidens... where do I get one? 

¹⁶She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

Mom-moment: I've been outside about 5 times since Samuel was born. Clearly I haven't purchased any fields or planted vineyards. I did get the mail once and I think I had fruit IN my hands for breakfast. I think. 

¹⁷She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

Mom-moment: I dress myself in pajamas and ponytails. Strength is not my strong suit these days, which is most noticeable when I huff-and-puff the stroller through the neighborhood. My arms are getting stronger, however, thanks to my sweet, smiling 12-pound baby boy!

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.

Mom-moment: I am currently on maternity leave and therefore have no merchandise. I have provided over-the-phone and email advice to parents in need of speech therapy for their children. Does that count? And whoo-hoo, my lamp does not go out at night (see verse 15). Check! :)

¹⁹She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

Mom-moment: I put my hands to the Diaper Genie and my hands hold the most amazing baby face I've ever laid eyes on.

²⁰She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

Mom-moment: I still try very hard to do this. It just looks more like Facebook, email and text message counsel.

²¹She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

Mom-moment: It is April in Connecticut: I am afraid of snow. Also, I forgot to put a change of clothes in the diaper bag and as a result, my 2-week old (who soiled all his clothes and then some blankets) had to leave the Doctor's office dressed not in scarlet, but rather in a diaper and burp cloth. Praise God it was a warm day. I repeat: I am afraid of snow.

²²She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Mom-moment: I've made my bed twice since being home from the hospital. I'm so lucky my mom came or the sheets may not have been washed for a while longer.

²³Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

I am very proud of my husband :)

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.

Mom-moment: I have three stacks of returns to deliver to various merchants: Target, Babies R Us and Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have been in my trunk taking up space for 4 weeks now.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Mom-moment: I do laugh at the time to come. Sometimes through tears, but there is laughter in our house. Check! Strength and dignity, however??? Well, my meltdowns (though few and far between) could make an overly tired Kindergartener with no nap stop and stare in awe.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Mom-moment: Though slow in tongue these days (again, think sleep deprivation) we do our very best to be kind around here.

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Mom-moment: I'm very lucky if I can eat the bread of yesterday, still in the toaster oven, lost and forgotten somewhere in-between nap time and tummy time.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Mom-moment: Though I clearly have a lot of work to do, I am very blessed to be blessed by the two men in my life.

²⁹"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

³⁰Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands,

   and let her works praise her in the gates.

Though this was clearly intended to pour cheer into the hearts of moms everywhere (including myself!), truly, as wives, moms and women, we are called to much. 

Here's to making it through those "mom-moments" with the Grace and Peace of God, Whom we can (and must!) call on in any and all circumstances...

Praise God that His Grace and Mercy find us each day so that we can earnestly seek to do our best for Him, despite our weak flesh. I pray for strong spirits and renewed bodies!