"Whoa Mama!"
Let's face it. I have epically failed at keeping up my blog since I've been back in home. I felt like I needed to take some time to write this blog out of gratitude and maybe a few laughs for you moms reading.
My life has been going non-stop, but I am loving it. I would post pictures from New Years/Christmas, but Blogger is fighting with me. Urgh. Part of the business of the past few weeks has been partying, entertaining (children & guests), cleaning, going, coming, visiting, remodeling, cooking. It has been absolutely b-a-n-a-n-a-s (insert Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl"). Amongst all the chaos that has taken place, the chicken pox has hit the Tkachuk home. That means for a week we had three little ones home from kindergarten ("sadik"). Only Yula had the chicken pox, but we had to keep the other two home (Isabella and Sneezhana) so the virus wouldn't spread. In saying all this, I got a taste of what a mommy's life consists of. I have caught glimpses of it just from living here, but last week is where I really felt like a mom.
Last Tuesday, Archie and Ruslan had to be at church for a few hours to help some families. This means I was left with three little girls, Sasha and Dima (A&R's sons), cabinets to wash (as we were remodeling the kitchen), garlic to peel, potatoes to peel, onions to peel. Blah. I would be in the middle of washing cabinets, when one of the girls would run into the kitchen to tell me that someone hit her. I became a referee. Then I would be in the middle of peeling potatoes and have another girl come in and say she wants a drink. I became a bartender. Then I would be talking to one of the boys when a girl would come up and ask me to make necklaces with them. I become an artist. Then when it was time for a nap, one of the girls would be whispering/playing. I became a disciplinary. I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking, 'So what, Raegan? You just had to do a few chores and take care of three little girls. What's the big deal.' Well let me just tell you that it isn't a cake walk. By the end of the day, I felt like I had been run-over by truck...thrice.
Playing mom gave me a lot of time to really study the little ones I looked after. I began to study how they interacted with each other, how they interacted with me, what made them laugh, what made them upset, what their love language is. I have found that the greatest way to really serve and love people are to find out what makes them feel loved. There are 5 love languages: acts of service, gifts, physical touch, quality time, words of encouragement. Just being with these girls for the day helped me see how they felt loved not just by me, but their mama.
*Example #1: Isabella would come into the kitchen just to see what I was doing. Fifteen minutes later she would ask me to come watch a movie with them or dance with them. When I was in another room, she would call me to come and help her write letters. Her love language is obviously quality time.
*Example #2: Yula would constantly show me the necklace she was working on or a picture she drew. Every time she saw me, she would have something to show me that she had done. I would tell her how beautiful it was or what a great job she did. A smile lit up her face. Her love language is obviously words of encouragement.
*Example #3: Sneezhana would take my hands to just dance around the room. When I would sit down, she would crawl into my lap. Every time she saw me, she ran up and hugged me. Even if she didn't want anything at all, she would want me to just hold her hand. Her love language is obviously physical touch.
In writing all this, I think that being a mother requires so much more than putting a meal on the table or getting kids to their soccer game. This role requires extra love,wisdom, patience, empathy, and learning. Thank you to all moms (biological, adoptive, mother figures) reading this who have given up their emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual energy to be an impact on your child's life.
*Thank you, Mama.
My life has been going non-stop, but I am loving it. I would post pictures from New Years/Christmas, but Blogger is fighting with me. Urgh. Part of the business of the past few weeks has been partying, entertaining (children & guests), cleaning, going, coming, visiting, remodeling, cooking. It has been absolutely b-a-n-a-n-a-s (insert Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl"). Amongst all the chaos that has taken place, the chicken pox has hit the Tkachuk home. That means for a week we had three little ones home from kindergarten ("sadik"). Only Yula had the chicken pox, but we had to keep the other two home (Isabella and Sneezhana) so the virus wouldn't spread. In saying all this, I got a taste of what a mommy's life consists of. I have caught glimpses of it just from living here, but last week is where I really felt like a mom.
Last Tuesday, Archie and Ruslan had to be at church for a few hours to help some families. This means I was left with three little girls, Sasha and Dima (A&R's sons), cabinets to wash (as we were remodeling the kitchen), garlic to peel, potatoes to peel, onions to peel. Blah. I would be in the middle of washing cabinets, when one of the girls would run into the kitchen to tell me that someone hit her. I became a referee. Then I would be in the middle of peeling potatoes and have another girl come in and say she wants a drink. I became a bartender. Then I would be talking to one of the boys when a girl would come up and ask me to make necklaces with them. I become an artist. Then when it was time for a nap, one of the girls would be whispering/playing. I became a disciplinary. I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking, 'So what, Raegan? You just had to do a few chores and take care of three little girls. What's the big deal.' Well let me just tell you that it isn't a cake walk. By the end of the day, I felt like I had been run-over by truck...thrice.
Playing mom gave me a lot of time to really study the little ones I looked after. I began to study how they interacted with each other, how they interacted with me, what made them laugh, what made them upset, what their love language is. I have found that the greatest way to really serve and love people are to find out what makes them feel loved. There are 5 love languages: acts of service, gifts, physical touch, quality time, words of encouragement. Just being with these girls for the day helped me see how they felt loved not just by me, but their mama.
*Example #1: Isabella would come into the kitchen just to see what I was doing. Fifteen minutes later she would ask me to come watch a movie with them or dance with them. When I was in another room, she would call me to come and help her write letters. Her love language is obviously quality time.
*Example #2: Yula would constantly show me the necklace she was working on or a picture she drew. Every time she saw me, she would have something to show me that she had done. I would tell her how beautiful it was or what a great job she did. A smile lit up her face. Her love language is obviously words of encouragement.
*Example #3: Sneezhana would take my hands to just dance around the room. When I would sit down, she would crawl into my lap. Every time she saw me, she ran up and hugged me. Even if she didn't want anything at all, she would want me to just hold her hand. Her love language is obviously physical touch.
In writing all this, I think that being a mother requires so much more than putting a meal on the table or getting kids to their soccer game. This role requires extra love,wisdom, patience, empathy, and learning. Thank you to all moms (biological, adoptive, mother figures) reading this who have given up their emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual energy to be an impact on your child's life.
*Thank you, Mama.
YOUR Momma sobbed when she read this! Of course...lol!
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