Love

Since it is now February let's talk about LOVE.  First let me just say that we don't celebrate Valentine's day.  In fact we have been known to forget that it is even a holiday.  I don't want Ryan to spend extra money just because everyone else is buying into some made up holiday and spending crazy amounts on flowers and chocolate.  I would rather he just tell me he loves me, or occasionally buy me flowers, or chocolate, or let me sleep in on a Saturday (did you read that honey, ha ha ha).  I have no problem with others celebrating and I have been known to make a heart shaped cake or pancakes for the kids. 
Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot.  I love chocolate (do you seen a pattern), I love my life, I love my kids, I love my family, I love the Lord.....the use is endless, and I can think of several things that I LOVE.  But is love easy?  Is love never ending? 
I will be the first one to say that I am not always easy to love (again, I can be mean, and fussy!) and I think most people would agree that loving someone is not always easy.  It takes work.  Someone the other day said she encourages young people to not get married young because it never works out.  While I agree that marriage shouldn't be entered into lightly, I dislike when people use the word never or always.  There are exceptions to the rules.  Ryan and I met when I was 16 and we have changed a lot since we met.  But one thing that didn't change was our desire to make our relationship work no matter what.  This is the message that we should be sending, not some blanket statement that young marriages never work.  Marriages are work no matter what age you are and it takes two people to make it work.  Love has to be part of a marriage, but wow there is so much more!  You need compromise, understanding, passion, and a will to make things work always.  You need communication and you have to be willing to change with the other person because as life comes, you will change.  I know Ryan and I have a long way to go before we can be "experts" on the subject of marriage, but I hope my kids look at our relationship and know that while marriage isn't easy it is totally worth it.
Is love never ending?  Hmmmm I don't know.  You can love someone even if they are not with you, but I don't know if love has an end.  I hope that we will know love in all its forms in heaven so maybe it is never ending.  I know for certain that God's love is never ending, he doesn't care how bad we mess up, he will always love us no matter what, which is a great feeling because as you all know now I mess up all the time.
Love you all!

Motherhood "the crappy"

So I hope "crappy" doesn't offend anyone, but well it was the cleanest word I could think of.  Motherhood is a job that no amount of reading, studying, or talking to others can prepare you for.  It is ever changing, it is a marathon with no end, it is Mount Everest.  While I love being a mother, I don't always love it.  There are moments I think back on those carefree days of college and think "Wow, I wish to relive that for a day!".  But the funny thing about motherhood is that I wouldn't change it for anything.  It is truly the only job for me, and I do love it most of the time.  However, there are moments that being a Mom is just no fun at all and I want to throw my hands in the air and scream "I QUIT!".
For example: When I give the big kids an asignment and I am met with screaming, fussing, throwing pencils/paper, and I HATE SCHOOL.  All the while Jodie is in the bathroom and has peed in the floor because she has once again waited to long, and while I am cleaning up that mess Faith poops up her back and ruins another outfit.  While I am changing her Ryan is calling wondering why I am not answering the phone.  This now means I have to do laundry, clean the bathroom, along with the dishes, the floors, and get everyone ready to leave for some activity.  By the time I am finished getting stuff cleaned up I have completely forgot that we were in the middle of school and by the time I get back to it, 3:00pm has snuck up on us and Ryan will be home in 15 minutes.  The big kids are still upset about the assignment and I am ready to pull out all of my hair, and no amount of cleaning will make the house look clean unless the kids are in bed.   
So now you know the truth of the Silverwood family!  We may act like we have it all together, but it is just an act.  We are usually fighting in the car on the way to church, or upset with each other when we pull into a parking lot.  However, we get out do whatever it is we are going to do and resume the craziness when we get home.  There are moments of pure bliss, but again those are always followed by moments of complete chaos.  It is always loud and messy at our house, and I imagine when the kids are all grown we will look back on these days and miss them.  However, right now we just want to survive :)