Most days the silence of our home is soothing but today I’m feeling a little melancholic and miss the sound of my children’s voices.
I sit here on this cold February day and reminisce of days when my mornings would include daily art lessons , cheerios and diapers. Though I had three little ones under 3, it never felt overwhelming or complicated. Yes at the end of the day, I wanted to pass the baton over to hubby, but he travelled often and many times that was not possible and like everything else in life, you adapt.
My days would be spent playing inside forts made out of cushions, trips to the zoo and picnics in our living room floor.
I’m about to sound very old, but I find times were different then; we had no smart phones and though we had a computer it was big and slow. There was really not a lot that could distract me from being present.
The times hubby was away, the kiddos would pile up on our bed, while arguing as to who would sleep beside me. It always ended with one laying on top of me to avoid arguments and then that became the coveted sleeping area.
I’d wait for their slumber and slowly sneak towards the foot of the bed and fall asleep only to be kicked in the face or jabbed by a little foot right in the ribs. But somehow, it never bothered me. Their movement actually gave me peace of mind.
There are many things I don’t do very well, often times I will doubt myself and my abilities, but being a mom to those little ones, oh I did that so well. Not perfect, but I did my best.
They are now young teens and though they might not need my help to do many things, I truly think that these teen years is when they will need my love and patience the most. I’m always here at home, but not always present, because like I said, times have changed. But I want to change that because down the road when they have a family of their own and I’m long gone, I want them to be the ones who say ” Being a mom, oh she did that so well” .
I know this post is supposed to be about simple Valentine’s decor ideas but there are days when I miss writing just for the sake of writing so forgive my tangent.
Let’s talk about Valentine’s day shall we?
I exchanged my candy canes for conversation hearts, added some pretty ‘xo’ cookies (not baked by me) . I also included some dainty little teacups that used to belong to my husband’s great-grandmother and were passed down to us by his late dad.
Nothing too fancy, but a perfect little touch for LOVE day.
Thank you so much for stopping by sweet friends.
much love,
Hi Lucy I love your post and pics.ANd have given me grt inspiration for my home I was wondering do you post to U.K. As I love the bunny cushion. Jen n ireland
Your post so resonated with me. My oldest are full adults and the last 2 are teens. And this exactly what I want to be known for and remembered as…a mom who loved Jesus and her kids and did it well.. Thank you. Linda. I like to write for writing’s sake too.
Lucy I loved this post. I love how you told the story of you and your 3 little ones. I have two little boys. I had them just on 16 months apart and I find it hard. I wish I could say the same about things not bothering me and it’s something I am working so hard to try and be patient and remember that they won’t be this small forever. My oldest is testing me, my patience and sanity. His tantrums are like nothing I have seen before and my little one now 16 months (exactly the same age his brother was when I had him) is watching closely and starting to mimic the same terrible behaviour. I long for time alone yet when I get it I miss them like crazy. It’s not often I’m away from them. The hard part is I started blogging when Locky my oldest was 6 month old and my little blog who I call my third baby is becoming more and more serious to me than just the hobby it once was. So the balance is hard. That’s the hard part. How do I keep on top of the house, washing, kids, making sure I spend quality time with them, marriage, blogging, social life… the list goes on. I make it happen. It’s not all perfect and I never do everything 100%, I can’t as we live away from all our family and friends but I try. Anyway, just had the need to say my little piece and what you have sad has really resonated with me and now more than ever I’m determined to just go with it and enjoy even though they destroy everything and I have to vacuum twice a day so my floors don’t feel vile. haha. As for the Valentine’s decor. Love it. As always love anything and everything you share!
Dear Lucy, what a hearfelt post in which you shared your inner most feelings of motherhood. Though my children are adults now, I often wonder if I will long be remember as a mother who loved unconditionally and was present for their needs. Being a mother to my loving children is my greatest accomplishment and blessing in my life. I have often been asked what did I do to raised two children that are now responsible, loving and accomplished adults; I believe that given them a firm foundation, showing them to respect others and nature and also giving them wings to experience life and allowing them to learn to make conscious decisions is what shaped their lives. With your continued loving guidance your children will say “she did well”. Your valentine tablescape is lovely and the teacups are gorgeous.
Love this post, Lucy! I’m the future here to tell you things won’t change, even when the little ones have moved out. Our Valentines at home have evolved into my own personal game of ‘can you top this?’, where for each event (Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and any other holidays when they are away), I spend oodles of time finding just the right delicious sweet to send them, only to be rewarded by this perviously unknown treat – a tweet or snap chat story, meant for their friends, replete with photo of said treat and regaling the fact that they have the best parents or how their parents have won Valentine’s Day – and that everyone else should give up trying. With each phase, I’ve embraced the changes and the technology that comes along with it, as it brings with it new opportunities to glimpse evidence of their love. No matter the era, nor the means of communicating, it’s always the same spirit and it’s always a joy! Enjoy your family and enjoy Valentine’s Day!! (Lovely vignette, as well!)
this is exactly where my head has been lately, Lucy. Thank you for sharing….
Beautiful words. I am a Mom of two wonderful sons who are now 47 and 45 years old, but they are my babies and will always be. I am proud of the job I did in raising them and you should certainly be proud of yourself. My sons we 2 years apart. Have a great day.
Oh Lucy, I can relate to this so much. It truly seems like yesterday that all my babies were little.
Much like you, my first 3 were all born quite close together. And not once did I ever feel overwhelmed by having babies so close together. It was just our natural way of living. Now they are 23, 22 and 18 1/2. Both my older children are now parents. My oldest being my only daughter, has a 3 year old baby girl, the sweetest baby girl in the world! And a 6 week old son, whom is quite a charmer and full of sweetness in his own right. My son has a 3 year old little boy who is his daddy made over! My 18 year old is homeschooled and will graduate this year. Fortunately, he has no desire to leave home! ☺️ 7 years ago, we adopted our youngest, Matty. ❤️ He is the glue that holds this mommy together. Empty nesting doesn’t settle well in my heart. Confession: Christmas Eve, I sobbed for hours because my littles were now all grown up, and not sleeping all snugly in their beds upstairs. To me, letting them spread their wings is bittersweet. I am so proud of them, but a part of me just wants to be their “mommy” forever! Wow….anyway, I am sorry for my novel here. I send you hugs from one mom to another, and wish you a very noisy teenage voice filled afternoon!
Lucy, thank you so much for sharing. You summed up so well exactly how I’ve been feeling lately. I, like you, have spent the best times with my child and have watched him grow into a wonderful, kind hearted 17 year old. I wouldn’t trade anything for those precious times and have lately been pondering the intrusion of technology in our lives and ways to work the balance back. There’s no time like the present to implement a few changes…wish me luck!
Cherish each moment. Be present. Be involved. Have teachable moments. Have quiet times together. They will be gone in the blink of an eye. Something I learned from Joe White of Kanakuk. Lay down with your teenage children at night. When the lights are off, they will share their hearts with you. You will learn amazing things in the dark that they would never say in the daylight. End the time with a prayer.
Lucy, your reflections on the children growing up are to me the epitome of valentines decor. We trade sticky kisses and legos under our feet for cries of who has my charger and can I borrow your headphones. Simply put, though they grow like zucchini, our children need our love, patience, and a safe nest every day, for as long as they are with us. I have 2 who are half out the door now, and what I hear over and over again is that I made a home they will always want to come back to. Conversation hearts and cookies are a perfect, simple touch.
I so identify with your post today. Those sweet days of little hands in everything and wanting to be next to mom have slipped from my life. Now my 17-year-old is preparing to leave for college in the fall and I miss the little girl who wanted to cut out valentines. I too, have a traveling husband, and on our daughter’s first Valentines Day he was 8,000 miles away but remembered us with flowers. Your post brought up the memories of that sweet surprise and reminded me that we do adapt. And as always your decor is beautiful!
I love your story I too miss my babies when they where little and depended on me. Now that they are in there early 20 and doing a lot of things on there on I miss my old life.
Hi Lucy – a lovely unexpected post about Valentines and being a Mom. I’m glad you wrote what you felt you needed to because it is beautiful.
Sweet look, but not over the top.
Beautiful Valentine decor and heartfelt thoughts. Thanks so much for sharing.
I don’t have any kids of my own but I have a niece and nephew who used to spend the weekends with us when they were little. They are now 21 and live in FL and 18 and live in the next town over from me in CT.When they were little they didn’t want to go to bed before mom did so I climbed into bed with them. Then they would kind of argue over who was going to get to sleep with me so I slept in the middle.My niece always wanted me to hold her hand. My nephew would take his pillow, put it on top of me, then lay on top of the pillow. Since he was as warm as a heater and I was freezing in the winter, I loved when he did this. They were so cute! I was so comfy cosy that a lot of the time I actually fell asleep instead of getting out when they fell asleep. I really miss those days because I don’t see my niece as much anymore now that she’s in FL and I’m in CT. I’m sure you have stories like this too. You sound like an amazing mother and I’m sure your kids will have plenty of wonderful memories to tell their kids.
Where did you get tulips at this time of year? I haven’t seen any in any of our stores but they look beautiful with all your decor. Your house always looks so nice.
You can visit this site to download sweet valentine songs as ringtones: https://suonerietelefono.net/.