I’m going to have to think/type quick for this post because I only have a half hour until Mike is coming to beat to death a pipe in our wall that keeps spewing forth washer drainage (mmm, yes!)

But I wanted to take a minute to share something with you, reader(s). (If you exist out there.)

Yesterday I went to get my hair trimmed. I like to go to a beauty school for a few reasons 1. Can’t beat $8 for a wash, condition and trim  and 2. Refer to #1.

While sitting and chatting with the student who was trimming my hair (kinda funny to talk with someone who’s squatting on the floor to trim your hair – guess it’s a little long these days), the student, mom of 2 preschool kids, mentioned in an outpouring of how smart kids are “these days” that she believed “parents are better parents these days, then they have been in the past.” I thought that one through for a quick second and replied, “Maybe some,” to which she semi-recanted that she agreed that not all parents were good parents.

Thinking over this concept, I’d have to personally disagree. While some new “technologies” have allowed parents to be more effective *ahem, the cloth diaper*, I personally think that the new wave of “selfish parenting” that is on the rise kind of hurts that theory. Many parents, check out the commercials, are not parenting for the benefit of their children, but instead in order to shape the child to best glorify the parent. Don’t I sound like a conservative crazy?

Just in thinking about it, so many parents dress up their kids for the soul purpose of making them look good. And then there’s the “I don’t care” population that is letting their kids control everything; the child-rearing, the marriage, the schedule.

I can imagine there must have been this same kind of thinking in every generation. But I believe, at least from my current viewpoint, that many parents are getting worse. The concept of family is drifting from “quality time around the table together” to meals in the car on the way to the massively-packed schedule that “must be kept up.”

We all pick our lifestyles. But I just have to say that the more I think about how my mom parented my sister and I, the better Mom I am. Sure she made her mistakes. But her heart was prioritizing our whole good – not just giving in to the moment to get us to shut up (though I could testify to the utter temptation at times). My mom gave up so much to invest in Jes and I. She took the extra time-consuming steps to raise us to the best of her ability. She evaluated herself and tried to leave “the bad” behind in an effort to give us her best. She didn’t idolize us, she didn’t shelter us from all consequences, she didn’t hide us away from reality. But she sure did put her heart and soul into molding us into the people we are today.

I guess if my mom were lazy, disconnected, or self-focused then I could agree with the student’s statement that just maybe my parenting could be better than my mom’s. But looking through the lens I have been so blessed to see through… I disagree. I think the beauty student spoke in error. I don’t think parents are better parents these days, then they have been in the past. I believe it is the job of every parent to submit to Christ and then let your parenting be an outpouring of your heart of service.

Thanks, Mom, for helping me catch that error.

(cue music) “Watch this is so fun to see. Oh… despicable me…”

Well, maybe not despicable, but certainly domestical me. =) Alright, alright… just “domestic me”.

When Rachael was 11 months old I “retired” from the working world and became a homemaker, housewife, and wonderfully unemployed me. Beginning my second trimester of Abi-pregnancy goodness and keeping track of my 11 month old at the time was a whole new challenge. It’s been a learning curve as we’ve gone through different stages and new challenges have arisen throughout the past two years. There have been moments of tears and moments of great triumph in mastering a regular order to the house and intentionally offering myself to my kids. Matt has been more than generous in lending a hand to keep things going during the “newborn: will we even get sleep again?” phase, the Abi-crying phase, and the various challenges in balancing life and kids. I could not have asked for a greater teammate at life.

With increased balance and mastery of the house/child rearing, I have taken on a few “projects” of my own. I am finding the utter delight in mastering and contributing to my family through my “projects”. The laundry/cleaning was one of my projects – finding that attainable balance of daily contribution and preventing the utter pile-up.

Homeschooling is one of my projects. And while it certainly will become a necessity in educating the kids, right now it is such a fun research, curriculum writing adventure of being intentional to instill Christ (to the best of my ability) in my kids. Christ is the one who takes up residence in somone’s heart, but I sure can be intentional about watering and planting.

And then there’s my very recent project: diapering. My sister in law, Ellen, was wonderfully kind to allow me the borrowed use of my nephew’s old cloth diapers. Now while cloth diapering may sound ridiculous to some, disposable diapers are quite expensive and for an investment upfront (which thanks to Ellen was near nothing for us this far), you can diaper and re-diaper for “free”. “Free” includes the regular price of laundry soap (really it’s about a load or two more per week since the diapers can go through with your regular laundry). I’m trying out cloth diapering after Abi’s repetitive rashes, highly irritable skin, and the luxury of being available to tend to her diaper needs promptly if need be. But thus far, count me in that crazy bracket. =)

It’s all about trying to do better with what you are responsible to do. Christ has given me the wonderful chance to serve Him through my family and I have to say… it really is a blessing.

Thanks, dear blog, for letting me share a slice of my domestic life here.