My M. V. P. (Empowering Your Firstborn)

Empowering Your Firstborn

This girl right here is my right hand.  She always has been.  From 17 months old the moment she became a big sister to Mark, she would help bring me diapers, bring me wipes, get his pacifier, cuddle him and say, "Don't cry baby."  At two years old she learned how to help me with the laundry and put the wet clothes into the front loading dryer.  At 3 years old she was making her own big girl bed.  At 4 years old she was setting the dinner table.  At 5 years old she was "making breakfast" for everyone by getting out the cereal bowls, washing the fruit, cutting bananas, peeling hard boiled eggs.  Julia now pushes strollers for me, holds hands of Micah or Amelia, she does Circle Time with her siblings and teaches them songs, reads books, plays games.  You name it, she does it.  And I am beyond thankful.

It seems as if this is  just the girl she has always been.  Julia is a born leader.  She is outgoing.  She's smart, she's creative, she's confident and she can be sassy. But life at the McInerney household wouldn't run quite as well without her help and spunk and leadership.  I appreciate her in so many ways and all too often I forget to tell her just how much she means to me.  (I will be reading this post to her by the way so that she knows!)

But I am going to do something I don't often do...I am going to give myself some credit here.  Julia is the girl that she is because of the home that she lives in.  She wasn't raised to sit around and watch t.v. all day or play video games.  Don't get me wrong, she likes t.v. and she loves using the IPad.  But Julia is a doer!  None of us sit still in our home very long.  We like to have a job, a mission, a purpose.  Julia wakes up (like all the other mac kids) she hits the ground running.  "What are we doing today mom?  Where are we going?"  My favorite question that Julia asks, "What can I do to help you mom?"

It is one of my top goals for all my kids to have soft hearts towards God, be respectful to authority, be kind to your neighbors, and to be confident and strong!  I want to empower my kids to really become the person God wants them to be.  I want them to find out what they are good at and work hard at it.  I want them to know that they are special and that God has a purpose for them.  I grew up feeling like such an ugly duckling for so long.  It took me awhile to feel comfortable in my own skin.  I was a hard worker, I loved the Lord, but I didn't know what I was good at or who I wanted to be.  I think it needs to start at home.  As parents, we need to set the tone for our kids.

I think it is important for kids to hear they are smart, they are beautiful, and that they do have a purpose.  I am currently looking to surprise Julia one morning and have her mirror in her bedroom completely decorated with sticky notes that tell her just how amazing she is!  I want to include Bible verses, quotes, and just plain: Mommy loves you! You are awesome!  You can do this!  The more I encourage her, the more we can build our kids up, the more we tell them that we believe in them and their abilities, I think those voices will over power the inner voices of negativity and doubt.

By giving our children responsibilities and chores, holding them accountable when they make mistakes, teaching them how to be kind to others, helping them to give back and share, all of these things will help mold and shape them into the adults that they become.  I know I don't want to have grown up children who are lazy, who don't have any vision, who don't know the joy of working hard and seeing their hard work benefit others.

I think it's the small things that we do now that will have the great impact later.  So to all of you parents out there, keep doing your best.  Keep telling your kids to pick up their laundry, and clean up their room.  Don't be afraid to give your children chores (I know it may feel "mean" but chores are GOOD for them!)  Allow your children to try new things.  And teach them that it is ok to fail or not be great at everything, but to find what they are gifted at and really help them to pursue those things!

Parenting is so hard, but I really am starting to see the fruit of our labors.  And I really am thankful for my first born.  She is quite an amazing girl.  I just keep praying for her and the choices she will make in the future.  It all starts at home!

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.

The most important thing a girl wears is her confidence :)

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.

The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you've come.

“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.” ― Steve Maraboli,

Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31

“It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” ~ J. K. Rowling 

My M.O.P.S Announcement

This is My Year to Give Back

For the past 7 years I have been attending MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) at Crossroads Baptist Church in Englishtown.  My childhood friend Bianca told me about it when Julia was about 10 months old and at the time I was already expecting our 2nd child and was excited to get out and make new mommy friends and just learn how to be a good mom.  I loved going to the meetings and just hanging out with other moms, drinking coffee, sharing ideas, sharing birth stories, laughing, listening to more experienced moms, all the while our kids were being taken care of by super sweet ladies from the church upstairs.

The mantra of MOPS is "Better moms make a better world!"  I fully believe that!  The more we encourage and equip moms to be all that they can be as moms while they are pouring into their families daily has this awesome ripple affect to their own families, people in the community and abroad.

Last year as I sat on the fence about what to do with homeschool and as I was praying about how I could be a blessing at home to Amelia and Micah I really felt God calling me to coordinate MOPS next year.  But I was scared and was wondering if I could really take this on.  At our last May meeting I felt the tug on my heart again that said, "Go for it!  You got this! You can do this! This is your year!"

I'm happy to announce that I will be coordinating this Fall!  I got my kit in the mail 2 weeks ago and I am really excited about diving in and being a blessing to all the Moms who come out this year.  Our theme is "Starry-Eyed: Seeing Grace in the Unfolding Constellation of Life and Motherhood."  I had a huge turn out at my first planning meeting at the end of May and I feel really blessed to have such a great team of supporters willing to step up and help out!

I will be clinging to Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"I am excited to use my gifts and energies to this really fun task of journeying alongside moms who are doing an amazing job of raising little ones!  I know for a fact that MOPS helps Moms when they are in the trenches of diaper duty, nursing sick babies, balancing home life, making routine and structure, planning meals...it's a lot of work!

One of my favorite parts of MOPS is when we bond as moms by going on field trips or play dates and watching our children become friends as we get closer.  I remember those first few years as a stay at home mom feeling so cut off from society and so lonely.  I couldn't wait to go to MOPS on Tuesdays, and neither could my kids for that matter!  It was a great time of socializing, and planning outings, and drinking coffee, learning new recipes, doing a craft together, praying together, hearing from a guest speaker, watching short DVD snippets to inspire you.  I always left MOPS ready to conquer the rest of the day/week with full intentions of being a better mom!  I got "filled" on those days and I can't wait for this year to do the same for others!

Let's face facts, mothering is a very hard job.  One never feels that she has "arrived."  There is always more to learn and better ways and new ideas to handle disciplining, potty training, nursing, sleep training, the list goes on and on.  Learning from other moms, listening, giving advice, getting encouragement and giving back to other moms this is what it is all about.  We all know that this mothering season is just that...it's a season...and we all want to do our best at it while we have the chance.  God gave us our particular children for a reason.  We are the best mothers for our children.  Let's take advantage of this sweet time and do all we can to pour into and invest into our little ones.

For those of you prayer warriors out there please pray for me as I lead this year that I will have clarity and discernment and creative ideas and ultimately that I will be a blessing to each mom that sets foot in our doors.

If you are interested in hearing more about our MOPS group please don't hesitate to leave a message!

We meet on the 3rd Tuesday every month from 9:30 a.m.-12pm (we provide breakfast) and September 20th is our launch day! Our meeting spot is at Crossroads Assembly of God Church off Main Street in Englishtown.

I am getting so excited because Fall is almost here and that means MOPS will be starting along with all of our fun Fall playdates to go Apple Picking at Battleview Orchards and Pumpkin Picking at Green Meadows Farm.