Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood – finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without
Jodi Picoult
I love this quote. Today Majken and my husband fell a sleep next to each other. It was the sweetest thing ever. When she woke up and he brought her to me, she smelled so much like him. It made me think of this quote. Our children are so much apart of us and yet so their own.
So many times I think and pray to myself- just let these kids grow up knowing they are loved, that they are truly special, knowing no matter what they do it can not change my love for them. I was talking with a friend who says she can not remember ever being told she was loved by her parents. My heart broke! I am so blessed to have a husband who not only tells me he loves me daily but also tells my kids so so so often. To Le’i he is so encouraging telling him how proud he is of him, to the girls he is always telling them how beautiful they are. I remember when Coco was about a year old she was playing in the mirror smiling and laughing at her self, he looks and me and says “I hope she always looks at herself like this in the mirror” I remember just thinking we create so much of their self esteem. YOUR WORDS CREATE YOUR WORLD and as parents we will shape their world and how they think of themselves. We get the honor of letting them know how amazing they are. Remember we all need encouragement…….don’t forget to let your kids know just how special they are to you. Everyone need to hear how LOVED they are! Even if you are reading this and have no children, your parents need to hear it, your husband, friends, family etc. Tell people what they mean to you. It really does change people when they know they have people who love and believe in them.
xo
One of the hardest parts about living overseas is for sure missing family and friends. Food, and culture after time it seems to get more normal. You learn how things are done and so you do it. The hardest part is missing family and making new friends. Friends who you can call at anytime for help or just come and hang out to watch an episode of tv, or bring you bagels because you are having a bad day. (They don’t have bagels here, you have to go to a special shop… weird. I love bagels and cream cheese). I feel very blessed to have meet some awesome friends and starting to finally feel like I have the friends where they can show up at my house and it looks like a bomb went off, and not have them judge you because they know you are doing your best.