encouragement Archives - Feathers in Our Nest

My Hands Are Full

September 26, 2016 by Aliesha

It doesn’t offend me at all when people see me with my kids in tow and say, “Wow! You have your hands full!”

Because, y’all. My hands are full!

I have four blessings ages 6, 4.5, 3, and 1. YES. My hands are VERY full, and, if you don’t mind, could you please grab that door for me and stop my son from running outside while I balance the baby on my hip and let him chew on my hair? K, thanks.

But to my friends who don’t have four kids yet (muah-hah) and who sometimes imply that I’m some kind of super human being powered by strong coffee, I feel it necessary to say the following.

Since my first child was born, my hands have always been full. My oldest was quite the handful, actually. She was crawling (and disobediently eating cat food) at six months. She was walking (and by walking, I mean running) at nine months. Because of this, she ran hard all day long and crashed hard at night. (The she in that sentence refers to her very tired mother.)

Sweet blessing #2 came along when my oldest was eighteen months (and still a baby in so many ways). That season, though happy, is kind of a blur. I have a very distinct memory of that time with two babies under two, and it involves me crying in the fetal position on the floor of the dining room waiting for my husband to come home while my oldest lovingly placed stickers on her baby sister.

Then, I blinked and I had three babies ages three and under. Suddenly I didn’t have enough hands! My hands were very full as I clutched a toddler in each hand and carried the baby around by the scruff of his neck mother-tiger-style. I kid. But in that particular season, my husband and I felt out-gunned, out-manned, out-numbered, and out-planned (Hamilton, anyone?).

Last fall we welcomed baby #4, and if he had come one week earlier, our oldest would have still been four years old. Insanity. Of course our hands were full, but in that season I really started to grow in my confidence as a mom. I mean, if I was going to feel overwhelmed and outnumbered, I may as well feel it at the pumpkin patch with all our friends, right?

My point is this. In all of these seasons, God sustained us. We were (scratch that… ARE) so busy parenting these gifts from God.

You might think that your hands are totally full right now, and you’re right. Whether you have one or many, God is stretching you, sanctifying you, and challenging you in specific ways you wouldn’t be if you weren’t a parent.

Parenting is hard work. Rewarding, and obviously worth it, but hard. Press into God. Cling to Him.

And the next time someone sees you in Target and tells you that you “sure have your hands full,” just smile, and say, “Yes I do. Full of blessings. Thanks for noticing!”

If You Think I Have It All Together

April 19, 2016 by Aliesha

Just really quick… if you haven’t joined my email list yet, I’ll be sending out my latest newsletter this Friday morning! Each week I’ll share a little bit more about our life – recipes I’m loving (and I think you will too), special things happening in our family, blog posts you’ll love, and other fun goodies I know you’ll be excited about too! Click here to sign up.
If you think I have “it” all together, just come look inside my mini van.

Last week when I gave friends a ride in my van, I had to apologize for three (no lie) banana peels, a seat filled with crushed up goldfish crackers, and more than four random socks. (Am I the only one whose children immediately remove all footwear upon entering a vehicle?) Good thing I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

If you think I am a perfect mom, let me tell you about the time recently when one of my children scratched another child and actually drew blood.

Not my finest mom moment.

If you think my house looks clean all the time, you should have seen it this morning before Tad vacuumed.

I literally couldn’t put Theodore down anywhere because there were too many pieces of crud (leaves, washi tape, food, paper, stickers, etc.) that he could have put in his mouth. Yeah. Gross.

As moms, we tend to beat ourselves up over things like this. We tell ourselves likes like, “Other moms have it all together,” or, “I’m a failure.”

We even share our failures on Facebook and Instagram and use the hashtag #momfail, as though one bad day stamps our mom report card with a big fat “F” for the year.

But the truth is, none of us have it all together. (That’s why we need Jesus.) None of us are perfect wives, moms, housekeepers, or friends.

When we are open about our struggles, we realize we’re not the only ones! We can encourage each other to strive toward being better, godlier moms, without wallowing in guilt trips or believing lies about ourselves.

We all need a little encouragement that we’re in this boat together!

Speaking of encouragement, I’ve been watching a short video series all about the #momfail culture. It’s so encouraging to feel like I’m not alone!

If you need to hear this message too, click here or on the banner below. Each of the three videos are about 15 minutes, so it’s not a huge time investment, but it’s so worth it for the encouraging message!

This free video series is available until 4/26/16.

The Ubiquitous Pumpkin Patch Pictures & Bravery as a Mom

October 29, 2015 by Aliesha

I remember when Cordelia was born. (Well, obviously. But stick with me.) Vera was eighteen months old and as busy as she could be. (That’s what I thought, but then she got busier!) My days were mostly a blur and I spent much of my time keeping everyone out of trouble (not always successfully) and alive.

Our first outing (me by myself with both girls) was to story time at the library. I remember so vividly opening the door to the van, and thinking to myself, “How in the world am I going to get both of these children out of the car, across the parking lot, and inside the library safely? If I get Vera out first, she may run off while I’m getting Cordelia out. If I get Cordelia’s seat out first, then I’m going to have to set her down in the parking lot while I climb all the way into the van to unbuckle Vera. And then I still have to get across the parking lot somehow!” A friend saw me just standing there and came over to help me. She held Vera’s hand while I unloaded Cordelia’s infant car seat and we all managed to get inside.

I don’t recall leaving the house alone for quite some time after that. Afraid of the worst case scenario in every social setting, I stayed at home a lot, where at least I could somewhat keep an eye on everyone.

Now this fall, as I have twice as many children, I don’t look back at that time and laugh at myself, because I remember how hard it was. I truly don’t think, “Wow, it was so much easier with just two kids.” Somehow it’s easier with four children than it was with two (I’m assuming mostly due to their closeness in age). My mom friends who currently have both a toddler and a newborn have my utmost respect and constant prayers! That season is busy and hard (but it just gets better, I promise!).

All of this to say… last week we went to the pumpkin patch with our friends (I believe there were 17 kids in our group, all of whom were under 6). Tad kept asking me, “Are you sure you want to go and take everyone?” He meant it in the most helpful way possible, but I knew it was something I wanted to do even though it would be hard.

I’ve gotten braver as a mom, I think. Maybe it’s because my girls are becoming quite trustworthy and obedient in public situations. Even Jude is learning to obey me better each time we go somewhere. Maybe it’s because I was going with friends who could certainly lend a hand when I felt outnumbered. Maybe I’m just learning to do hard things so that my children can enjoy beautiful childhood experiences like the pumpkin patch!

I do know for sure that God has given me more and more grace with each child he has given us. People ask how we “do it” with four. God’s grace… God’s grace… God’s grace.

So maybe Cordelia had to use the bathroom (a port-a-potty, to be exact) while Vera and Jude were in the middle of the hay bale maze. And maybe Theodore needed to nurse while my other three needed to eat lunch too. And maybe Jude got pecked by a chicken and had a meltdown about putting his pumpkin in the car. But it was so worth it. Not just for them, but for me. Surrounded by friends who are also in the trenches of motherhood, I was reminded at how far God’s grace has carried us.

From a mom who was too scared to go back to story time at the library to a mom who takes four kids to a pumpkin patch and farm, it’s evident that God has been lavishing grace on me over these last five years I’ve been a mom.

Motherhood sure is sanctifying!