Keep Your Opinion to Yourself

August 13, 2015 by Roxanne

Turns out, people have a LOT of opinions on how I raise my children. I know, I know, that’s super confusing for me too! I mean, they are MY children right? I birthed them, I paid all the hospital bills, I bathe them, I feed them, I provide them a safe place to live, I nurture them and I love them. But when it comes to how to raise them, I’m expected to look to popular opinion.

Honestly, I’m a little tired of it. And I think we all need the reminder to keep your opinion to yourself.

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The Beauty of Motherhood: The Mom Quilt

August 10, 2015 by Roxanne

There’s nothing quite like it. Knowing these little souls were given to you, and only you, to care for. Our job is mighty. We are their comfort, their life source, their teacher, their caregiver, their guide. The task often seems impossible. But we put on our best smile and we do it even when we feel like we’re failing and hurting inside. All of our stories are woven together, with the common thread being love.

That’s the Beauty of Motherhood. That’s The Mom Quilt.

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World Breastfeeding Week: A Humorous Reality

August 5, 2015 by Roxanne

It’s World Breastfeeding Week and I LOVE breastfeeding. I really and truly do. I advocate for it, I hope to see it normalized and it has been a huge part of my life for nearly 30 months (and counting) spread across my two children. Honestly, it’s a parenting strategy when it comes to raising younger babies. Crying? Here’s a boob. Scared? Here’s a boob. Hungry? Here’s a boob.

True story: my daughter’s first words were momma, dada, boob. It’s written in the baby book folks.

I could write an entire post about how much I love breastfeeding. Oh wait, I did just that! Check out my post for the Oklahoma City Moms Blog both about how much I valued nursing my daughter and how interesting it was to nurse her past the age of one in today’s culture. But you can read that post there.

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Please Tell my Daughter She’s Beautiful, Just Don’t Stop There

July 31, 2015 by Roxanne

Here’s the thing. It’s undeniable. My daughter is absolutely beautiful. Yes, yes, I’m a biased mother. But aside from this fact, she hears it all the time. It’s a rare occasion for us to go out in public and someone doesn’t comment on how cute she is. Sometimes, it even merits her free snacks or gifts (seriously). And all this is fine and dandy, I know she’s beautiful and I want her to know that too. But I want her to know she’s more than just beautiful too.

(photo credit to Laura Vanderzee, the best photographer in OKC!)

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I Planned All the Fun, but Forgot to Participate

July 23, 2015 by Roxanne

Moms are the most prepared people on Earth. I can anticipate my family’s needs and be over-prepared for almost every single outing we take. We’re going to the pool? Ok, I need: swimsuits, swim diapers, sunscreen, aloe vera, sunglasses, sun hats, towels, an extra towel just in case, change of clothes, regular diapers, water, more water, snacks, toys and medical bag (which includes tylenol, teething tablets, baking soda in case of wasp sting, band-aids and Neosporin). I don’t think it’s possible for me to be more prepared.

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Where is God in the Waiting?

July 3, 2015 by Roxanne

The Man Foster and I have been in a long season of waiting; excruciatingly so for this highly impatient, I-want-what-I-want-NOW woman. We will all walk through many variations of waiting, and can be sure there will be numerous more to come if we are blessed with a long life. The question on repeat in my mind has been, “Where is God in the waiting?”

In this season of waiting, I have come to realize that it isn’t the start of the waiting or the end that will mark the season, it’s how you deal with what’s happening in the middle. The middle, is where we learn the lessons.

*Full disclosure. When I started writing this post, I really thought by the time I posted it we would finally have some direction. We don’t, which has made writing this even more challenging and humbling. I have had to remind myself of these truths over and over again – sometimes moment by moment.

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