A Week of Lasts

I recently read an article (or someone else's blog post) about remembering your child's "lasts".  We are always so focused on remembering and documenting our children's "firsts", but do you remember the last time you rocked your baby to sleep?  Or the last time your child cutely mispronounced a word?

I remember the end of the school year, every year (even when I was teaching), my mom would start about the last month saying, "Four more Mondays until summer vacation," etc.  Then, the last week, the phrase would change to "This is the last Monday of your (insert grade level here) year."  It was, as a teenager, a little annoying, but looking back at it, I wouldn't have changed it.  It made that last week of school a little more bearable, and because I knew the phrase was coming, I (as annoying as it may have been) looked forward to hearing it from Mom.

So, why am I thinking about "lasts" this week?  Well, because this is our last week as a family of three.  Our entire world is about to change and turn upside down, and I'm not so sure that any of us really know just how much it's about to change.  Of course, I think M will have the biggest adjustment as she learns that she has to share her world with someone else, now...permanently.  However, Jon and I will also have big adjustments to make as well.  So maybe saying that M has the biggest adjustment to go through may not be totally accurate.  Perhaps the adjustments will be of proportionate size, but it seems like a bigger adjustment for her because of her age/size/coping skills.

Still, I am excited about this life change coming next Thursday.  I am trying to think of ways that I can make the next several days extra special for M while hoping that it doesn't make her adjustment period even harder.  I'm also trying to do special things that are cheap or free and in air conditioning.  I'm trying to say yes a few more times than I say no, keeping the computer off my lap so that she can sit in it to snuggle, etc, all the while still attempting to correct the bad attitudes and frustrations in both of us that I have recently been modeling to her.

I would like to say that those behaviors are getting better (knock on wood), and truly I think they are.  I have had to consciously keep myself in check (which is difficult when I'm not sleeping great, the extreme heat that I can't seem to get away from, and all the other "joys" and discomforts of pregnancy).  I've also realized the importance of my actions and reactions when M displays my example.  Please don't think that I've been oblivious to the fact that children learn by example and not lectures, but there is a big difference between knowing it and practicing it.  I've known it for a long while but unfortunately have taken too long to put it into practice.  I have taken the path of least resistance too long when it comes to setting the right example for M, and now I'm seeing some rough waters heading our way.  Hopefully, with more consistency than in the past, we can navigate those rough waters a little better.

I have completely digressed, though.  This post was supposed to be about "lasts" and quickly turned into lessons I have learned in the parenting journey lately.  Oh well, I guess that's what happens sometimes when you start to blog late at night and take a break to go to bed.  Haha!

Let me close this post by encouraging you that as our family enjoys this last week of just the three of us, don't forget to pay attention to and document your kiddos' "lasts" as well as their "firsts".

Manna Bags

Yesterday morning, M and I went to playgroup with some other SAHMs from Sunday School and their kids.  The group gets together about once a month, and we do a different activity each time.  Sometimes it's just a different play place; other times we do a service project of some kind.  This month, we made Manna Bags which is basically a kit to keep in the car that should sustain a person (of need/homeless) for one day just like God provided daily manna for the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert.  It's simple to make.  Basically, you fill a gallon size Ziploc bag with a can of ravioli or soup (something with a pop-top; nothing that would require a can opener), spoon, a fruit cup/applesauce, a stick of beef jerky, a breakfast/cereal bar, a granola bar, a bottle of water, pair of socks, anti-septic/anti-bacterial wipe, travel size toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.), and a New Testament or tract.  This is what we included in our Manna Bags, but you could put in whatever you wanted or had on hand.  The idea is that you keep the bag in your car to give to someone holding a cardboard sign on the street corner or to someone else you see in need of some nourishment.  It also provides a great way to teach children about God's daily provision for us, as well as, sharing with and compassion for others.  Here are a few pictures of M filling her bag.  Enjoy!