Saturday, January 10, 2015

Are You A Super Mom?




I hate to break the news to you, but I don't wear the "Super Mom" wardrobe under my normal attire,  nor do I have the "Wonder Woman" boots in my closet to pull up on any given day.   I do happen to own a very well worn "Super Woman"  t-shirt that has met my best 5K running days.  Other than that, No super powers here.   Just a lot of grace,  loads of laughs and tons of failures to hop over.

I am not entitled to wonderful super powers or potions to help me maneuver my kids to the car in time to get out the door to an appointment or class, nor do I have cryptonite on hand to squelch the radical "eye rolling" replies when I ask the kids to clean their room.   Surely I do not hold super powers that help me interrupt, referee or suddenly stop those sibling squabbles that we have had the luxury to experience. 

I'm a normal wired Mom. I'm a protective Mom.  I'm a working Mom.  I'm a non-stop Mom.  Just like many of you!

Over the last few months, I have had a few people ask, "How do you do all you do?" ... here is the answer.   It's really simple.   When God asks  you to do something, He provides the grace to do it,  He provides the wisdom to complete it and He gives you the strength to complete it.


I pray. 
Without His wisdom and direction,  I fail.  I need His grace.  I want His presence.  When I have spent time with Him,  all can tell - especially my family.   I want them to know of His faithful love, not just mine.  I want to know His heart.  When I have spent time with Him, I can do anything ... including taking on the most ferocious villains.



I prepare & plan. 
Time is made up of moments, and moments are manageable.   This means managing & preparing every thing I can to care for our family well.  This means menu planning, school lessons, cooking days for the week ahead and reading every resource I can to stay alert to seasons our children are in developmentally & spiritually.  We have to grow ourselves as parents to be ready for the seasons approaching for our kids. I want to grow our kids greater than anything we have been or could be. I want them to know how to enter into their world with confidence!  I want to grow them well. This takes preparing & planing well!


I protect.
When you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. Don’t let it be your family.  We don't say "yes" to everything -  we can't!  Unfortunately, we will occasionally have to say "no" to events & gracious invitations, in order to savor the quiet moments for the Haas' sanity.   I have also learned the importance of "detaching and engaging" so I can be solely focused on seeing their smiles.   I protect their hearts and mine when we make this simple commitment.  I protect by sometimes saying no to them too. It's ok.  They are ok.  They survive our "No's".  They haven't melted into green slime by our "No's".  I may not get the "Cool Mom" vibe or return eyes, and it's ok.    


I play.
I make time to play.  When I play, I wanna play free & exhaustively hard.  I like play time. I like having times with my husband on dates where we get to keep our romance kindled.  I cherish the time with my "girls" who I keep accountable with laughter and grace! I love to play with my kids, taking them on adventures and watching their eyes intensely in the quiet moments too. I make time for play time now like never before. It keeps me healthy.  It keeps me smiling. It does wonders for Super Powers!



As you obey what God has asked you to do,  in parenting, your job or school - whatever He has asked - He will give the grace to you to do it.   Super Powers Unite!


Now, I'm off to fight the villains once again!


Fight On!