A New "Adventure in Mothering"

So I woke Da'Gorgeouses up earlier than their usual wake up time yesterday, got them dressed and we headed out on a new adventure. I decided to try our local M.O.P.S. group. Mind you I was running late (we started out on time but you all know how those things go) and as I was getting ready to walk the girls in, a kind lady met me and directed me toward the drop off room for the little ones. Now I have something to admit here...I have never left Da'Gorgeouses in the care of anyone but family members, so this was a HUGE step, both for me and them! I stopped and signed them, made a sticky name tag for their back, and just like that, they went in, headed straight for the crowd of kids and never looked back! As I let the door close behind me and walked towards my own new adventure my eyes welled up with tears. Now I know how my mom felt leaving us that first day of kindergarten.

I was a little shy at first, I'm sure most of them had already been there for some time, we were late after all. They were just beginning the presentation, the lights were dimmed and I finally clued into the fact that I was supposed to be sitting with everyone else at the chairs. Since it was their first day back after having the summer off, they were kicking off their new year in style, "Adventures in Mothering" their theme. It was nice to watch the ladies all having fun, introductions were made, lot's of laughing going on, still I felt a little out of place. Then came the speaker, goodness did that lady write out and present all that stuff just for me? It was just what I needed to hear. I am a mom, albeit an imperfect one, but by God's grace I was given the most important job on Earth, to raise Da'Gorgeouses under the "Big Tent" and I'm on the right track with establishing our beliefs using the good old rules and consequences, and by seeking guidance and help from others. We broke up into groups next, there was very little time for anything else except a few ice-breaker questions:

1) If you could have an endless supply of only one food what would you pick? That was easy, ice cream.

2) Name the flavor of ice cream you are and why. Jamoca Almond Fudge, a little coffee for the energy, chocolate to soothe your soul, and lots of nuttiness to make you smile!

3) Name a life-goal you'd like to accomplish. This one was a little difficult for me. Everything I have set out to do thus far I've accomplished. Becoming a mom was the most difficult, everything else I worked hard for and but came somewhat easy. Becoming a mom took an enormous amount of hard work, dedication, and huge amounts of faith. It was something out of my control, out of my hands, something that took a lot of praying and faith that one day, some way, my prayers would be answered. I suppose now my life goal would be to do the best job that I can both at being a good mother, a good wife and still maintaining my sense of self as well as a career.

4) Say something kind about a family member you appreciate. Well, I appreciate my parents and all of the help that they've given us over the years, particularly with Da'Gorgeouses. But when push comes to shove I really appreciate DrillSgt. I mean when I married him I could only imagine that he would be a wonderful husband and a great father. Now that Da'Gorgeouses are here, and all of the craziness that has entered our life recently he's really glowed brightly and made our lives stable. He is always looking ahead, trying to figure out what is best for our family. He takes care of Da'Gorgeouses providing them with new experiences and adventures. He even admits and reflects upon those "bad" parenting moments---I really love that about him. He even knows the right thing to say at just the right moment, and that has been Heaven sent particularly, these last 2 weeks.

All in all both Da'Gorgeouses and I had a great time. I'm pretty sure we'll be going again. 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, that should be easy to do!