Tyson Moore. So boss with a water balloon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAnd I love every bit of it.\u00a0 I love the planning and shopping for supplies and the way we just enjoy learning together.\u00a0 My inner homeschooler who\u2019s been cooped up all school year long, sighs with relief as I let her stretch out and flex her muscles of creativity over our summer.<\/p>\n
Summer is one of the only times I don\u2019t wonder if I\u2019m a good mom\u2026I know I\u2019m a good mom.\u00a0 Summer is when I, \u201cdo you, Baby.\u00a0 Do you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Recently, at a\u00a0play date\u00a0in response to my Facebook status that our theme this year is \u201cpirates\u201dmy friend said, \u201cOh my gosh, Osheta!\u00a0 You are an amazing mom.\u00a0 You do so much with your kids. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll have the energy for all that! How do you do it all?\u201d<\/p>\n
And I preened bit, so self-satisfied and smug.\u00a0 For a moment I wanted to kick into mentor mommy mode and tell her exactly how to be like me.\u00a0 Because, yeah\u2026I rock.\u00a0 But her tone told me she needed something else.\u00a0 Her tone was syrupy sweet and slightly acidic.\u00a0 It\u2019s that tone we get when we\u2019re sizing up a potential female opponent and summarily find ourselves lacking.\u00a0 It is a tone that\u2019s so comfortable on my<\/em> lips;\u00a0 I often use it as a feeble attempt to mask my own deep-rooted insecurity.<\/p>\nSo I knew I had a choice. I knew I had the power to bridge the chasm between friends that our insecurities forge with gracious encouragement or I could widen the gap with my self-importance. So I let the clearest, best response to insecurity from a bold wife in a hot, Southern Baptist church in New Orleans be my guide.<\/p>\n
Do you, Baby! \u00a0Do you!<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI do all this with my kids because I know me.\u00a0 I love to plan events and create structure. Honestly, it keeps me sane to let my interests guide the summer instead of living at the mercy of my kids\u2019 whims.\u00a0 I enjoy the rhythm of activities every day and planning surprises after bedtime.\u00a0 It makes me come alive.\u00a0 If I didn\u2019t do all this, I\u2019d drown under the monotony of motherhood because I\u2019m a better mom when I\u2019m true to myself.<\/strong> As long as you\u2019re true to yourself, you\u2019ll be an amazing mom too\u2014even if you don\u2019t have themes and crafts and activities like me.\u201d<\/p>\nThat seemed to help.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get that competitive vibe off her anymore, which is always good (mommy wars are the worse).<\/p>\n
I\u00a0chose encouragement over self-congratulation and in doing so, \u00a0I gave her permission to be herself.<\/p>\n
In essence, I told my friend, \u201cDo you Mama, Do you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Every since I heard the pastor\u2019s wife at Life Center in New Orleans stand up in front of the congregation and tell her husband \u201cDo you, Baby! Do you\u201d, \u201cdo you\u201d has become my semi-trendy manta, (well at least it\u2019s not \u201cepic fail\u201d or even worse, \u201cYOLO!\u201d).<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you\u201d, means follow your heart. \u201cDo you\u201d says when you\u2019re overwhelmed with possibilities, you narrow down the list to what makes you come alive and then you do it. Life always begets life.\u00a0 \u201cDo you\u201d trust your instincts because they\u2019re allergic to trends, fads, expectations, and mores.\u00a0 \u201cDo you\u201d necessarily implies that you don\u2019t try to \u201cdo anyone else\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you\u201d means find your rhythm, commit your step to it, and confidently lead your babies into a great summer, a deeper connection with their mom, and closer to the heart of God.<\/p>\n
In next week\u2019s series, \u201cDo you, Mama.\u00a0 Do you!\u201d, I\u2019ll share some specific plans and ideas on our summer theme as well as my process in discerning what\u2019s makes me come alive as a mom.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have some tips to help you find summer rhythm, hopefully, they\u2019ll \u00a0empower you to, \u201cDo you, Mama. Do you\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 If you\u2019re wondering how to make the next few months memorable and fun for your kids, yet not burn out too quickly, this is a series you do not want to miss.<\/p>\n
I will also be writing movie-time devotionals over the next few months to help you turn the extended screen time of summer into teaching moments by identifying and communicating the biblical themes biblical themes in popular kid movies. Local libraries, free movie nights at the park, and discounted kids\u2019 matinees will be showing a good number of the movies I\u2019ll write about. \u00a0My goal is to give you short on-the-drive-home or over a snack devos to help you show your children how to intersect faith and culture in a fun, low impact way. \u00a0We\u2019ll start in two weeks with, \u201cDespicable Me\u201d.\u00a0 So please consider subscribing so that you don\u2019t miss this printable resource for your family. You can enter your email in the link at the top right.<\/p>\n
Happy First Day of Summer and\u2026.<\/p>\n
Do you, Mamas! Do you,<\/p>\n
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