A frigid mama

It's cold here in the deep south. Not normal ..

The pond has been frozen over for days.

The temps are hovering low and we're barricaded in our

home with a fireplace and plenty of food.

We have spent our time wisely.

Taylor and I have been knitting hats for the girls.

Sitting looking out at the coldness laughing like

silly school girls. Telling stories and our secrets that

only she and I can share. Our stories stop as a little

guy comes in and our eyes mark our place.

We have been making homemade breads and butter

and scones, muffins, cookies...We have sat together

all of us and enjoyed each others company.

We laugh alot around here, in fact I have noticed in the past

few weeks that laugh lines are forming around my eyes. Hmmm...

I want them to be deep. I want to notice them and

think upon the blessings that have put those lines there.

In a world of beauty and perfection

I think laugh lines sum up

your life...

I go to great extremes to make my children laugh.

I sing loud and I sing silly.

I tickle alot and sing and whisper in their ears how much

their mama loves them. We have 'inside'

ride on cars that have generated hours of laughter

for all us as we watch the kids ride up and down

the hallways. I know this will be a favorite memory

for them and us.

Everyday we do special things because everyday is a gift.

This cold spell has granted me hours in the house sipping hot

chocolate and snuggling..

Oh to teach my children to enjoy the everydays and not just

the special occasion days.

To carry into their homes that you have a reason to celebrate cold days,

hot days, rainy days.........hard days.

So many of us moms stay so busy we are like the cold

temperatures out side.

Frigid.

We forget to play.

We forget to be silly.

We forget to teach our kids to love the simple things.

We're uptight and task-orientated. We're always gripping and

complaining and our kids notice.

Our husbands notice..

It's always about us

and everyone knows it...

Then we grow old

with frown and worry lines and

we wonder why our adult children don't want to be around us.

I'll stick to my laugh lines that are slowly forming around my eyes

and I'll risk it all to make them deeper and laugh longer.

Lord willing, my children will learn to laugh and when they're

older they will notice they look like me, laugh lines and all.