7 Quick Takes: Different strokes

--- 1 ---

Whew! It's been quite a week. I've had lots of fun playing with Emily and Erin. In case you missed it, they're crawling like crazy and exploring the world. Every time I turn around, they're checking out something new and exciting (the thrilling Kleenex box, the fascinating refrigerator door, the tasty laptop keyboard) and playing around with it. I love it. Well, I do draw the line at gnawing on the laptop. I draw the line over and over again. Hence the lack of blog posts this week - I just don't feel right having something out that they have to stay away from, since they don't understand why!

--- 2 ---

Our big girls are 8 months old!

Erin loved the sticker. She pulled it off and played with it for at least an hour after I got done snapping pictures!

--- 3 ---

In an effort to distract Erin and Emily from some of our more fascinating possessions, we bought them their own versions.

Baby phone and baby remote - big girl toys!

--- 4 ---

I'm not making a ton of progress on the "40 bags" Lenten challenge, but I do have some things lined up to go on their way. One box that we got out of our garage is going to count for at least 6 bags (I'm out of order if you're checking up on my list, but it's just where I happened to start!) But... I got rid of it before Ash Wednesday. So I don't know if that counts or not. But I think I'll make it count, since it was a big step forward in admitting we have some things to share with the less fortunate. 

--- 5 ---

I just started reading a book called "Confessions of an Imperfect Mom" (Amazon link here) that I'm really enjoying. The book's subtitle is "God's Path to Less Guilt and More Grace" and the author has focused so far on how she spent a lot of time beating herself up for doing a lot of things "wrong" and that acknowledging the things she was doing right was the most important change she ever made as a mother.

--- 6 ---

I've been feeling much better in general about the parenting choices we've made, but recently I've been feeling overwhelmed again, coupled with a pull to do more. I can honestly say that the overwhelmed feeling comes and goes, and I can sometimes manage it by making sure I'm not getting too tired or hungry during the day. But other days, all I can see is how much more I should be doing. Should is a word I need to remove from my vocabulary, I've decided...

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!