A balancing Act?

Us women are known for our multi-tasking abilities. We’re able to be a wife, mother, career woman, homemaker, friend, mentor, church/civic member, and have a creative hobby on our spare time. We wake up early, feed the family (and pets), drive to work putting on our make-ups, work up the ladder to success, come home and cook dinner, make the chores and beautify the house, help with the kids’ homeworks, play with the baby, cozy up to hubby, and sleep at 10 p.m. In all of these, we’re expected to be wearing make-up, high heels, a gorgeous smile and gracious spirit. All the time.

Well, maybe in the movies.

How does one do it in real life?

Balance is the key. Or so I thought.

Rachel Johnston of Focus on your child has a better, wiser insight. Forget balance. PRIORITIZE.

In this article she says that the priority list starts with relationships, the foremost of which is God’s. Guard our time with Him ruthlessly. In His presence we find refreshing and direction. We need to submit and yield our schedules and ask the Lord what He wants accomplished for the day. When we have done as He asks, then there is no need to stress over other unfinished business. Perhaps at the end of each day we can even say “it is finished” and sleep well.

Growing up

I can't believe Faith is one year old! Has time really flew that quickly? She's grown from some tiny being who can't even open her eyes or hold her head up, to a spunky toddler who's not afraid to climb stairs... Even though she can't walk by herself yet, she's learned to fly up AND down our 15-step stairway. It drives her daddy crazy but she's just determined. She's eating by herself too and knows how to entertain herself with her toys. Sometimes she turns her back to us when we try to play with her, and I feel like "are we intruding?!"

So I wonder if she's growing up too fast. I hear parents of tweens tell me how "grown up" their middle schooler is, and I get scared for my child! Will she know her alphabet and count to a 100 by four? Will she correct my grammar by six? Will she also learn to put on make-up and wear high heels by ten? How soon will she have a boyfriend?! YIKES!

So I hold on to my baby tighter. I keep reminding her (and me) that she's just a baby. She's my baby. She'll always be my baby.

And I hold her tighter still.

Updates on allergies

It was a sad day for me. Before this I thought maybe the tests were wrong. Now, it's confirmed. Faith is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts, the allergist said, and maybe to wheat as well. We now have to be extremely careful about what we feed her and let her touch. She also has eczema which seems to flare up when she touches these food.

I started reading books to help us (more me, really) manage. I'm told now to read every label, and read the labels everytime I buy anything... Memorize all the "names" that these allergens may hide. Who knew that chicken broth or soysauce has wheat?!

It can get overwhelming. But I know we can cope. Moms of other allergic kids before me have. Their kids turn up fine. If I get paranoid, or feel like my baby will have a "limited" life, she will. The last thing I want her to feel is that she doesn't have a normal life. So i turn on my coping skills, educate myself and others who take care of my child and hope for the best. Someday, she'll outgrow this. And if not, I hear there's an awful lot of good food that don't have milk, eggs or peanuts... I guess this is a good way to practice my cooking skills too.