Tag Archives: Family

by | January 25, 2013 · 6:21 am

Remembering Grandma

Last week I lost the last of my four grandparents.  My grandma was 91 years old and had been living in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past 10 years.  She lost her ability to speak about 5 years ago and hasn’t recognized any of us in over 5 years.  Over the years it has been devastating to watch what this disease has done to the woman who taught me how to sew, bake, cook, and craft.

BeFunky_grandma

As I sat at the funeral home I kept starring at my grandmother’s hands holding the rosary and then all of the beautiful flowers that surrounded her from our family.  Those hands had taught me so much and I immediately began to think about what I could do with all of those flowers.  My grandmother would have hated to see all those flowers thrown away which is what typically happens with funeral arrangements so I asked the funeral director if I could take the arrangement home with me.  Now I have a little piece of my grandmother watching over my family…I know she would be proud!

grandma2

grandma

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

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by | January 10, 2013 · 8:05 am

Parenting Resolutions Worth Keeping

As we all begin our New Years Resolutions I PrOmIsE you WilL NoT find me walking around with a shiny new gym membership. Ooooooooh no!!! You all know I couldn’t even follow through with The Lazy Girls Workout!  Looking back on that post, maybe I was pushing myself with saying I was going to start out aiming to workout 3 to 4 times a week.  If I had started with 1 to 2 and gradually added on maybe I would have stuck with it!  Anyway…I’ll worry about toning in the spring and stick with these ReAlisTiC ReSoLuTiOnS that will benefit my entire family!

resolution

I found this while looking for cute winter crafts on Pinterest and realized these are all things that I need to do not only for my family, but for MySeLf!  I spend way too much time trying to get everything done and need to focus more on the important things in life.  They may seem simple, but they so often get overlooked and could be the difference in making your child’s day go from OK to OuTanDiNg!

Happy New Year!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

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by | August 24, 2012 · 6:15 am

What Am Complaining About?

We live in a world that is constantly striving for perfection and it’s only natural to get wrapped up in the cOmPetitioN.  Wanting the perfect “life”….ya know the perfect house, car, body, job.  Don’t forget giving the perception that your family gets along perfectly and that you have no problems.  Ha!

And when some of these areas in our life aren’t PeRfeCt, what do we do?  Panic and complain.  We get down because we feel like everyone has things bEtteR than we do.  We push ourselves to extreme measures just so we can try to keep up with everyone else.  The sad thing is, as we waste time stressing about keeping up, we are missing the big picture right in front of us.

SOURCE

I have to remind myself of the important and aMaZiNg things happening before me, instead of complaining about what isn’t perfect in my life (like how my house has a zillion unfinished projects, I forgot to sign my daughter’s homework, or the fact that I have poison ivy on my face and I have a wedding to attend this weekend.  Eekk!).  Maybe you are so fixated on the fact that you want a new kitchen table during dinner time that you completely miss a sPeCiAL MoMenT from your kids who are sitting in those old worn-out seats.  Or maybe every morning you spend your drive envying people that don’t have to leave as early for work, when you are really oVerLoOking that God yearns for your attention the most in the early morning hours.

Take advantage of the good things happening right in front of you.  When your thoughts drift toward craving perfection, stop and search for the gOoD in those imperfect moments.  After all, your life may not be as bad as you think.  It all just depends on how you choose to look at it :)

Lara

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by | August 17, 2012 · 6:15 am

Who’s Paying the Price?

Have you had a cruddy day at work recently?  Did something not go your way?  When these disappointments or frustrations happen, who do you take it out on?  People at work or your loved ones that had nothing to do with your Bad DaY?

SOURCE

We can all use the reminder every now and then.  Don’t take out your bad day on the people you love the most, just because they are the ones that you spend the end of your day with.  We can all relate to MoMenTs when we were having a wonderful day and our loved one walked in the door and immediately changed our mood for the worse.

I especially have to ReMemBer this with my kids.  When I am stressed my voice ends up yelling when, on a normal day, I would speak to them in softer words.  They look at me like, “What did I do!?” and deep down I know that they didn’t deserve the treatment I gave.

So whoever it is–spouse, friend, kid, co-worker–try to bite your tongue and let out your frustrations doing something that won’t bring ThEm down (go on a run, pound into a pillow…whatever you can!).  I guess I am writing because I need this reminder more often than I’d like to admit!!

Honestly,

Lara

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by | February 28, 2012 · 7:59 am

Don’t Get Caught Up in the Catch Up

How long is that to-do list of yours?  2 pages?  20 items? How many times have you made pRoMises to your loved ones that as soon as your list is marked off then life will be better and you will be able to FINALLY give them your full attention?

Having lists can be a good thing.  I am a list person.  But, I’ve learned that how you HANDLE your list all comes down to how you LOOK at your list.  Do you really think that once you check off every item your “to do’s” will be obsolete?  We all know that as soon as the LIST is complete, the next page is already full of new tasks to work on.

Folding clothes, cleaning out the car or running errands will always be the norm, but does that mean I have to get them all accomplished today?  No!  Some things are more pressing than others, but if we truly eXamiNe our lists we will realize that most things can be pushed off until later.  Doesn’t your list contain mostly materialistic things anyway?  Is that really worth stressing over?  Last I knew you can’t take those things with you to eternity, so why fret?!

If you are getting overwhelmed by having a continuous to-do list, change yor way of thinking.  Treat your list as a GUIDE to keep you on track with things you want to accomplish.  Don’t allow it to be something that weighs you down because you haven’t marked it off yet.  More importantly, if you spend more time doing the things that matter most—time with family, quiet time, etc—there is no reason to feel bad about putting off your materialistic “to-dos”.  Shouldn’t those be the items as the top of your daily to-do list anyway?

~Lara

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by | January 24, 2012 · 6:52 am

Are You Afraid of Dying?

I got a call Sunday that my grandma passed way.  Dealing with this type of phone call is difficult.  Initially I was shocked, but it wasn’t until later that I was flooded with all of her mEmoRies.  Moments like that hit you out of nowhere and it seems like no matter what you do, you can’t keep the tears from running down your face.  I know that she is in a better place and will finally reunite with her husband.  But does that keep me from hurting?  Definitely not, to say the least.

How do you cope with death?  It is such a hard thing for anyone to talk about, let alone experience with a loved one.  I find it ironic that I am even typing this to you.  Six days before my Grandma passed, Doug and I were talking about how we felt God initiated a lot of our coNverSatioNs regarding heaven over the last 6 months.   We had watched the ABC special “Heaven—Where Is It?  How Do We Get There” and had given the “Heaven Is For Real” book to our children for Christmas.  When we had talked about it again last Monday night, Doug asked me if I had this weird feeling God was preparing us for a death.  I answered, “Yes”.  It was such an unsettling feeling.  I was scared.  But I’m glad we had talked about it because we both agreed that regardless of when and if it was going to happen, we now had a clearer idea of what hEavEn is like and feel more confident in addressing this to our children.

As I was wondering what my Grandma was experiencing in heaven, I happened to run outside to get something, and this is what I saw. Heaven IS for real!

Even though I know these things, am I still afraid of dying?  Of course I am.  Talking and thinking about dying is difficult (and scary), but it is important so you can be better prepared for when it happens. Just remember this–when we lose someone from this world, we should be thankful for the time that we spent with the ones we loved, and not sad for the time that we didn’t.
Much love,

Lara

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by | November 15, 2011 · 6:50 am

I Love You Anyway

This past week the phrase “I Love You Anyway” became a popular saying in our house.  I did something that I knew disappointed my husband.  Feeling terrible after I saw the let down on his face I asked, “But you love me anyway, right?”  He replied, “Of CouRse.”

Then a few days later, my daughter broke one of my favorite Christmas ornaments.  Initially I gasped, but after seeing how terrible she felt I said, “Leanne…it is oKaY.  Accidents happen.  I LoVe you anyway.”

I am so gRateFul for the people in my life that will love me anyway…no matter if I ruin their favorite shirt…cancel on a play-date because I’m feeling overwhelmed as a Mom…or call them to vent and never ask them how their day is going.

Everyone needs someone in their life that will show unconditional loVe whether it be a friend, family member, spouse or pet (and of course Jesus!  Can I get an “Amen?!”).  Maybe it is time to return the favor and show someone you love them back, even though they hurt you recently or did something that bothered you.  Remember how great it feels to be loved “anyway”, and give it to another in return.

P.S. These roses were a “surprise” from Doug and Leanne after church on Sunday.  Just another reminder that I am LoVed AnYwAy!  Now it’s time for me to pass it on….

~Lara

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by | October 14, 2011 · 7:26 am

I AM…A Triathlete

•For more “I Am…” stories, click here!

•Do you or someone you know have a story that could inspire other women?  We would LOVE to feature you!  Email us at suedesofa@yahoo.com

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by | September 16, 2011 · 7:31 am

I Am…A Wife of 61 Years (TODAY!)

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•Do you or someone you know have a story that could inspire other women?  We would LOVE to feature you!  Email us at suedesofa@yahoo.com

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by | July 22, 2011 · 6:15 am

Baby Blues to Baby Bliss

As I CeLebRate my son’s 4th birthday this week and my daughter’s 2nd birthday next month, I also celebrate the amazing gift of mOtherHood.  Always knowing that being a mom was the #1 goal of my life, I couldn’t understand why I was constantly crying after I brought my son home from the hospital.  Baby blues quickly turned to full blown postpartum depression.  Thoughts like, “What was I thinking when I wanted to have a baby,” “Am I ever going to have a conversation with my husband again,” and “I just want to be me again” raced through my head.
Feelings of shame, guilt, and fear felt like they were suffocating me.  I even thought my son might be better off without me.  I thank God for my wonderful  friends, family, and doctors for Getting Me throuGh my darkest moments.  With  therapy and medication I slowly got better and became the mother I so longed to  be.

Two years later I delivered my beAutiful baby girl and like a dark cloud drifting over me, my PPD was back.  As I held my daughter in my hospital bed, I  looked at my husband and said, “It’s back.”  You would think it would be easier  the second time but it was actually worse.  I knew the scary thoughts…I had  just lived them two years ago.  “Why me” was all I could think this  time.

Both bouts with PPD lasted about 2 months.  I try not to dwell on those days as time lost with my babies, but as times that made me FiGht to be the mother I am  today.  I now know that there is No ShaMe in having PPD, it wasn’t my fault that  I got it, and with help you can get through it.  Whether you or someone you know  is going through PPD or any obstacle, remember you CAN get through it and are  stronger than you think!

~Guest Writer New Jersey Robyn

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